Category: Assignments

This is a very controversial topic. Many people don’t support public art or any funding for its development making it a topic that most people don’t agree on. There are many different forms of public art and this is closely examined in the article “Public Art Controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate”. Both murals represent a social hierarchy in terms of religion, politics and social status. Each mural also has developing levels that start from the bottom leading to the top represented within a tree branching out. The bottom level of the mural, “Development of the arts”, shows the lower class at the bottom wearing rags and doing duties required of those who are of less value, leading to those who are of clear higher value wearing nice clothing eating good food, practicing religion, and music and creating art and self expression. Each section has its own clear identity, something that is discussed in the article. “Public art is seen as a solution to the problem of placelessness, especially in its ability to remedy social alienation and generate a sense of civic and community identity”(Doss, 5). As a viewer of the murals you are able to clearly see the presentation of communal identity and what the communities identities were doing the time period that this mural was created. In the mural, development of science, you are able to clearly see the stages of development and how it has changed over the years. Something that I found interesting in the mural representing science was the group of men leaning in and discussing something that looked of a private matter. I am guessing they are discussing the scientific discoveries that they are making, which during that time might be going against the community’s religious practices. In the article, it is said, “They also sparked a substantial counter-protest of public art supporters speaking to issues of freedom of expression, creative integrity, and anti-racism”(Doss, 10). At the time that this mural was created having the freedom to express their thoughts and discoveries was a risk. At the bottom of the mural for science, cavemen are shown, then Egyptians are shown and their major breakthroughs in creating ‘technology’ and using science for making astrologic discoveries. Science and how it has transformed into a greater commodity. I also noticed at the very bottom of each mural there is someone kneeling down bowing to differing levels of religion, social structure and status, and all of the discoveries that are made. It seems as if he is honoring public art and its changes and I think the artists wanted to represent the idea that we should honor art and its representation of historic life and how it is ever changing. I view both murals and its levels as different stories that represent all of the breakthroughs and social changes that were made in history as people started taking more risks and branching out. All of the new ideas are represented in the pictures of the people. Whether public art depicts something that people don’t agree with, it still is important to have these things represented no matter what. “Public art can play a central role in shaping and directing community identity”(Doss, 12).

The words I chose are love, abstract, creativity, color, passion, nature, emotion, simplicity, complexity, expression

This article discusses the idea that many people in modern day society are experimenting with remix culture. For example, in the Ted Talk video “Laws that choke creativity” it is shown that people are taking recent popular songs, or past songs while mashing them with other things such as anime. The argument is that this type of mashing and remixing is looked down upon. It is also discussed that the laws and regulations that are being spoken of are inhibiting younger culture, “amateur culture” from expressing their creativity. I think it is true that regulating these things is blocking people form creating something fantastic, unique, and creative. I want to know what my peers think of this issue, do you believe it is fair for people to use other sources to remix something to their liking?

The studio 360 video presentation examines the creation of a video game that uses microbes, single celled organisms to control the characters in the game. In this game, the inventor Ingmar Riedel-Kruse, a professor at Stanford University uses pacman for inspiration. In order to make the characters move you apply an electric shock to the the organisms in order to maneuver them in a certain direction, these actions are then transmitted to a computer screen. This was a major shock for me to see that this type of technology has been invented where you use actual living organisms to control the movement of characters. Although I know that we have progressed technologically, this is something I have never heard of. Although I don’t understand the exact purpose of this type of invention, I do think it has the potential to be something extremely useful in education and learning.

1. I define spirituality as something that is an inner and outer release. A release from the natural world to the spiritual world where you are able to explore your mind, your surroundings and come at peace with who are and what you want in your life. Although I am not a spiritual person myself, I have always thought of starting up meditation because I see meditation as something that helps you relax and maintain a healthy balance in your life, which is how I view spirituality.
2. I see spirituality has something that focuses on yourself within your surroundings. Whereas I see religion as something that focuses on having a specific viewpoint of life and the way you must lead it. With spirituality you are exploring your own opinions and how it may relate to something higher then yourself. But again it is not forcing you to narrow your beliefs down to a single god or a set way of life. With spirituality I feel as if you are free to explore whatever you like and you are not sanctioned to maintain one, specific way of thinking and being.
3. I view creativity as an outlet. An outlet to explore your skills, draw in whatever influences you have had in your life, explore in order to create something new and innovative or different. This can be new, innovative and different from somebody else’s standpoint or it can be new, innovative and different from your own perspective. Creativity is using your mind to try and create something outside your comfort zone and maybe outside other peoples comfort zones as well. It is the new and different instead of the traditional. It is not the basic but instead the complex. Creativity is what makes you feel and be something more than what you believe you are capable of.
4. The sources of creativity are endless. There are no specific things that spark imagination and creativity and it is impossible to say what exactly initiates a creative response out of somebody. Everybody’s source of creativity is different, and it can stem from the way you were raised, to what you surround yourself with meaning the environment you live in, the journeys you explore, how you take the simple things and give it meaning, what types of culture you immerse yourself in, the type of art you view and admire, your family and children. The possibilities are endless and ill never be able to specifically pinpoint what sources inspire creativity.

The article ‘Deeply Seeing’ examines the processes that occur when creating something meaningful. While discovering something beautiful or special, one must go through a series of steps in order to understand and appreciate its full potential. From the way that I interpreted these steps I see them as being superficial levels of analysis that occurs initially. Soon after one must fully delve into the subject and dig deeper in order to understand its significance and all of its facets that make it beautiful or special. “The artist’s spiritual eye recognizes the subject as a special aspect of the absolute”(Grey, 73). The holy presence of the subject’s unique beauty is its claritas, or radiance”(Grey, 73). One is not able to create something magnificent if you do not experience these levels of analysis. These levels of analysis are also said to be important for the viewer. He or she must go through a spiritual journey as well in order to understand the subjects depth and greatness. “Art is the transmission of states of being”(Grey, 79). This is an excerpt I found very interesting and after reading his creative process while creating his piece ‘Transfiguration’ , I understood what this meant. Your inner-self and outer-self both greatly have to do with what you create. Your state of mind as well as those around you have everything to do with what you create, your conscious as well as subconscious also have everything to do with what you create and in general your insight on the world is a platform for your art. I believe this was the authors main goal; to show this web of complexity that goes into a work of art. Something that represents you as a person and what you feel. Furthermore, Grey explains that art needs to be seen past its traditional value. Pushing the envelope of legitimacy is important, and is something that is necessary in our culture. This failure of accepting ‘illegitimacy’ may possibly relate to the failure of success among artists. However, success is a broad term and many people have varying definitions of what success is. This topic leads Grey into speaking of artistic influence and the importance of considering other art to better your own creativity. Overall art is a spiritual, creative process that pulls in every part of life in order to create something tangible, beautiful, creative and unique. This can not be limited to the superficial but instead you must draw influence from a higher self, and something beyond what you see as legitimate in this world. Grey emphasizes in his book that there is a substantial difference between looking and seeing when creating a work of art.

At the beginning Carroll’s article “Why Horror” attempts to explain the separation from realty and fantasy. She explains that if we were to experience some of these terrors in real life it would not be entertaining and fun but would instead scare us. However, when watching it on a TV the element of fantasy sucks us in. Although it is scary, people love the adrenaline rush and excitement that comes with horror movies and TV shows. More specifically it is how the story develops that ignites excitement into the viewer. Carroll explains this when she says, “Thus, it is not the tragic event in itself that imparts pleasure, but rather, the way it is worked into the plot”(Carroll, 278). Therefore, the narrative of the story is almost more important than the ‘monster’ itself. This can be done through the narrative not even revealing that the monster actually exists for a portion of the story.
In the article “Why our brains love horror movies”, Sharon Begley explains the situation in a similar manner but not quite as detailed as Carroll’s article. Sharon explains that what keeps us so enthralled by horror movies is the fact that we feel safe and unharmed throughout the experience. We know that we are going to leave the theatre in one piece. Within Carroll’s article she uses Fischoff to help describe this phenomenon. Fischoff is a professor of psychology at California State University. Something that Fischoff uses to describe our captivation by horror movies involves our physical needs. “If we have a relatively calm, uneventful lifestyle, we seek out something that’s going to be exciting for us, because our nervous system requires periodic revving, just like a good muscular engine,”(Fischoff). Furthermore, something that I found interesting within the article was the fact that horror movies are much more popular within the younger generations typically within the 20 something’s. This may because of our desire for adventure, excitement, and even fear. She explains that the older generations don’t feel the same way due to their lives already having enough fear and exhaustion that comes along with being an adult. This is an interesting point to make about older people and their desire to stay away from ‘scary movies’. Because they constantly live in fear from the economy, paying their bills, and other traumatic real life situations, therefore the last thing that they desire is to feel anxiety from watching something. Another interesting point made, is that although we enjoy horror movies, they are never seen as anybody’s favorite movies. This may be due to the unsettling feeling that we have after it is over. People tend to like having a feeling of security and warmth after a movie instead of anxiety.
The next article that I read was “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” by Allegra Ringo. This article describes the physical reaction that fear initiates in us. Dopamine is a hormone released during this fear response, and it happens to be a feeling that many people thrive off of, some more than others. Next Ringo describes the idea that we can be conditioned to fear something. This means that what we are surrounded by in our lives has an effect on what we find scary and frightening. I believe that this is true to a point. For example I don’t believe I have been conditioned to not like scary movies, however I can’t stand them! I think this is all just personal preference, and some people are more prone to being scared by them than others. I don’t think a personal event and how I was raised conditioned me to be this way. Ringo also explains that society has always been intrigued by the feeling of being frightened whether it be because of ghost stories around a campfire, or experiencing a haunted house, all of these different kinds of thrills have been around for quite some time and will always lure people in. Along with dopamine being a powerful hormone, oxytocin also creates a chemical response within our selves. Ringo describes this by saying, “When we’re happy, or afraid, we’re releasing powerful hormones, like oxytocin, that are working to make these moments stick in our brain. So we’re going to remember the people we’re with. If it was a good experience, then we’ll remember them fondly and feel close to them, more so than if we were to meet them during some neutral unexciting event”(Ringo). These types of interactions that occur bring people back to experiencing these fake fearful situations time and time again. While this article focuses on the emotional responses we feel from experiencing fear from horror, Carroll focuses on the structure of horror and how the way it is organized and set up draws us in. I agree that a lot of the reason why horror movies scare me is due to the intensity and suspense that the director creates. This unknowing feeling filled with curiosity will always keep people interested and on their toes.

Sharon Begley. (2011, October 25). Why Our Brains Love Horror. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/25/why-our-brains-love-horror-movies-fear-catharsis-a-sense-of-doom.html

Allegra Ringo. (2013, October 31). Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/25/why-our-brains-love-horror-movies-fear-catharsis-a-sense-of-doom.html

The first example of a diagetic sound that I found right off the bat was when the little girl began singing with the violin playing as well. Originally I thought the monotonous voice of the little girl was non-diagetic however once she appeared on the screen I figured out that they wanted the viewer to fully experience the strangeness or scariness of the situation. Another example is when there are whispers that seem to be coming from the box that was opened. Although you may not see the people who are whispering, you assume that they are actual people instead of just noises that are unrelated to the people or (source).

An example of a non-diegetic sound occurs when the two girls realize they aren’t able to talk, during this time violins start playing and it begins to speed up creating a sense of angst and fear. Next more instrumentals come in and the louder they become the more intense the mood is. These noises are all added to create a dramatic effect.
An example of a Mise-en-scene is when buffy and her friend walk down the street after figuring out that everybody is unable to talk. Because of the view of the camera, you are able to see them walking solemnly down the street as well as all of the other people who are distraught around them. This gives the viewer the opportunity to have a full understanding of the situation and how everyone seems to be freaking out. Furthermore although nobody can talk, you can still feel the sense of fear with all of the different views of the situation you are able to see.

I’m not quite sure if I should say unfortunately, or sadly, or if it is something that I should find neither good nor bad but in the end I am a victim of somebody who follows the norms and trends of society. Although I make my own decisions of how I choose to present myself based off of my own personal preference and style, my image can not be isolated as completely unique to who I am. Seeing what other people are wearing definitely influences my personal aesthetic and shapes what I see as ‘hip’ or ‘in style’. When you look at me I don’t believe people are saying “wow that girl really goes against what a typical college girl wears” or “I’ve never seen anyone dress like that, do their hair and makeup like that, or have adornment such as piercings and tattoos that are completely new and separate from todays norms.” As much as I would want to argue with that and say I came up with my own style myself, independent of everyone else’s, it just wouldn’t be true. With that said, when you look at me you also are looking at many other 20 something year old girls with the same type of style and image. It just so happens whether I like it or not, that what I see around me helps influence what I think is ‘cute’ and ‘hip’. With that said, although how I dress may be similar to other females my age, this does not mean I act how these other girls do. What I mean is that, I believe society creates an idea of what the personality of somebody who dresses in this way is like. I enjoy clothing that is flattering, and can be seen as girly, however I also like mixing these looks with sort of a hipster approach with flannels and converse, a style that has reemerged from older generations. This looks used to be seen as grungy, but today it is looked at as hip. I also have a nose piercing, and I used to have 5 ear piercings. Along with these looks I also enjoy wearing workout clothing because I am athletic.

I do not believe you can always jump to conclusions with peoples personalities based off of their image. It is not fair to say that I myself as a person is not uniquely separate from those around me just because I dress the way I do. Although this may be contradicting what I just said, I believe it is easier to get a feel for somebody’s personal beliefs or values when how they present themselves is completely separate and different from the everyday typical image. For example when somebody is covered with piercings and tattoos and wears all black, we have been subconsciously trained to think this person may be angry or may hate rules and regulations. I feel like these ‘outrageous’ or ‘different’ looks create a stigma of how these people may or may not act.

The core beliefs and values in my family were fairly normal I think. My parents always made me feel like I could express myself in any way that made me happy and I never felt like I had to dress and present myself in a certain way because of them.  I see many other girls who feel like they have to maintain a certain image, because that’s the image that their mothers had. It makes me sad that some parents aren’t comfortable with self-expression in anyway what so ever. For example my father may not personally like tattoos, but he has never made me feel that if I were to get one it wouldn’t be ok. My parents have always supported my choices and taught me to be who ever I want to be. Neither of my parents dress out of the ordinary or customize their bodies, however if I were to choose to do so, it would be a fully supported choice.

The core beliefs and values of my peer community are mixed. Although piercings and tattoos used to be seen as a sort of rebellion against the norms of society, I believe today these decisions are viewed as a lot more normal and acceptable. For example having tattoos and piercings I think is seen as ‘in’ or ‘hip’ nowadays. With that change in image, many more people are making the decision to adorn themselves in these ways. I think these changes have a lot to do with the postmodern approach. Today, more people want to change the status quo and be different.

The first person that I observed was a female. From what I could tell she seemed to be a mix of Hispanic and Caucasian. Immediately I noticed her hair, which hung low past her bottom. This made me think that in her family or possibly in her culture having long hair is seen as beautiful for a woman. This could also be important in her religion, signifying maturity. Or her decision to grow her hair out long may all just be personal preference and what she feels most comfortable in. Something that was poignant to me was the fact that during this scorching hot day she was wearing jeans, close toed shoes, and a long sleeve shirt. I assume by this outfit that she is conservative because of how much she chooses to cover up, especially on a hot day like this. Unfortunately somebody who dresses more ‘conservative’ stands out in a crowd where other girls choose to wear extremely revealing outfits. Both of these choices I believe have everything to do with how you were raised and what kind of values and beliefs your parents have. Although it is hard to tell with her hair covering her face as well as her outfit, I could deter that she looked around 19-20 years of age. As for her emotional condition, I consider these things almost impossible to determine for such a short time observing. For the short time I did observe, she seemed focused and intent on her computer possibly her homework.

The next person I observed was the complete opposite. Instead of covering up, she seemed to take pride in her body. I formed this assertion because of the clothes she wore. She had on a very low cut and revealing shirt which exposed her bra. She also wore shorts that revealed more than what I consider acceptable based off of my own values. Because I have grown up in Portland, I have become comfortable to different styles and choices. However, something that has always made me feel uncomfortable is when women reveal too much of their body. I only think this because I believe women do this because they care more about impressing men than respecting their own bodies. I have developed these beliefs based off of how I was raised. My parents taught me to understand it is not important to degrade my own body for someone else’s benefit. From her appearance it looked like she was also in her 20’s. Something I also noticed was that she looked as if she goes tanning. This is another aspect of her personality that highlights the idea that she may care a lot about her appearance. My assumption is that she may feel overwhelmed by the pressures of college.

The third person that I observed was Male, looked about 22 and appeared to be Indian. Immediately I noticed that he was very outgoing and not afraid to show his personality. He spoke in a ‘feminine’ way and also wore a very tight fit t-shirt with shorts and flip-flops. Because of how society has shaped our viewpoints towards men, I made the assumption that he is gay or maybe bisexual. Seeing people who are open about their sexuality makes me happy. Seeing this also makes me think his parents could have been very supportive of his lifestyle choices, helping him feel comfortable in his own skin. It’s very interesting for me to sort out all of these possibilities in my mind. Although I usually do this without writing it down, I feel like I’ve gained insight by hoping to understand others values and morals solely based off of what I can see and hear.