Objectives:
- Learn about public funding for the Arts
- Examine public art’s role in capturing history and place-making
- Explore the relationship of cultural values to civic, dialogue, beautification and identity
Original Post:
Public Art
Before this assignment I did not know these murals existed in the library. After going to see these pieces in person, it made me think of how intricate people’s idea on the evolution of art and science are. What I noticed was that in majority of the panels for both murals, the figures that had the darker skin were the ones placed not facing the front and bending over performing work. I am not sure if the artist intended on this coincidence but from my perspective I am not fond of this portrayal. This makes me feel that from the beginning, people saw the darker skinned individuals as the ones performing the labor. I think the period in time the murals were created has an influence on the way the mural was created. Ellen Dissanayake wrote a piece addressing the different eras that experienced different waves of art influences during their time period. She mentions the idea that “authors may not have meant the same thing by the word ‘art’ as we do” (pg. 16). With this in mind, perhaps the artist was trying to experiment with different shadings and show different cultures coming together, which developed the growing idea of art. The world’s view on art has definitely grown in various directions all very influential to today’s art.
In one of the videos we watched in class, Dennis Dutton provides an excellent argument on the idea of how and why we develop feelings towards art pieces. He brings up the idea of stemming our innate ability to asses art and develop an opinion on it from our ancestors before us, the homosapien. I have to disagree with his argument as I think I develop my thoughts and ideas from my environment and experiences.
What I also noticed in the murals were the lack of women represented in the evolution of both art and sciences. In the early days, women were not allowed to perform duties that were seen as a man’s job. Perhaps this is why both of these murals depict men performing most of the scholarly and innovative works. The two artists were also both male, which may be the reason for the heavy male influence seen in the murals.
These two murals are great examples of the early idea of public art. The early program to exhibit and increase the public’s knowledge about public art was the WPA, or the Works Progress Administration. Today’s public art has sky rocketed since 1935. We can see works here at the University of Oregon as a public display of eye pleasing art pieces. I am fond of the idea of increasing the public’s knowledge on art as most individuals stray away from appreciating and understanding the meaning of art. In the Development of the Arts mural, this exemplifies the growing tree of art work and knowledge. If there were a mural painted today, the tree would be enormous and almost infinite. In the article by Erika Doss, she talks about how the view and essence of public art have shifted. She talks about how public memorial grounds such as the African Burial Ground has become a national landmark for both knowledge and pleasure (pg. 3-4). It is monuments like this that allow for the growth in knowledge about other cultures and worldly historic events.
I think it is almost imperative to increase the amount of public art and the push the limits on what can be displayed. As time progresses artists are always finding new and innovative ways to portray art in ways that are unimaginable. These two murals represent an interpretation of the beginning of this expanding art culture as well as standing as a basis for the origin of all existing art today.
Below I have attached my idea of the evolution of art. I started with the cave paintings from the early stone age. The next image represents the art from the old Greek era. Following that is the famous Mona Lisa. The next two images represent modern art sculptures that I think show how intricate the art pieces have evolved into.
Reflection:
This past weekend I had gone home to Hawai’i to visit my family and to attend my sister’s graduation. As this Public Art’s assignment was due at the end of the week, I had remembered that at my high school, there is a statue erected in honor of the great Sun Yat-Sen, the former and renown president of China who also attended the same high school as me. As I was reviewing my original assignment for submission, I remembered the final portfolio in which we had to turn in at the end of this class. I am choosing to talk about this monument of Sun as he stands proudly in three different areas on our campus today. He is known as one of the greatest students to graduate from our small high school on the little island of Oahu and lead one of the largest industrial countries in the world.
Sun’s statue stands as a public art figure and also as many different qualities the students at ‘Iolani should retain. The statue stands tall in the middle of a courtyard, near the track and field, and as well as the administration building. I am not sure why the school chose these particular places for his memorial statues to be placed. When I attended high school, these statues did not exist until it was about my 9th or 10th grade of school. When I first saw them, I thought to myself how crazy is that this man roam the same halls and sit in the same chairs as I and end up leading one of the largest countries in the world. From this I definitely have taken to heart what it means to be a true ‘Iolani Raider (our high school mascot). From the reading we had done in class, the idea of values is very important to me as I know it shapes me into the person I am today. “Drawing upon [our] accumulated sense experience” (pg. 16) is what allows us to understand what kind of person we want to be as we experience events in which we like, we dislike, and what we are confused about. I also think it’s interesting and a valid point to make that “human beings are not primarily driven by genetically determined instincts but are rather free to make their own choices: (pg. 7). I fully agree with the author stating this as we do have the choice to make our own choices. I do see an issue with this however if you lived in a place with stricter rules than most, but here in America we do have the freedom to make our own choices. I think we build on our character and personalities as we always learn from our mistakes.
The idea of public funding for public art showcases is a great idea. I think there should be a greater influence on public funding to expand the installation of artist’s works. When there are statues, monuments, or abstract pieces on the street or in the park, I feel it gives the area a bit of life and personality. I feel it allows artist’s to attempt to influence it’s viewers and society as a whole on their ideas or thoughts through art.
Future Goals:
For the future, I intend to take the characteristics instilled in Sun Yat-Sen and the ambition to succeed in anything I do. If he could graduate from our small school and down right rule a country, I believe that anything you put your mind to will be close to an automatic success. Yes there will be trial and error, but how will you learn without making mistakes? I hope there is a greater movement for implementing public art as I definitely appreciate a little abstract or colorful monument or painting to take my mind off all this school work. People should learn to appreciate public art’s movement to influence and educate the society on a different way to express feelings and emotions via art media.
Bibliography:
ArtLex on the Stone Age. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttp://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/stoneage.html
Contemporary art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttps://giannadispenza.wordpress.com/tag/contemporary-art/
Devens, A. (2015, May 4). Artifact 2: Life Values | AAD 250. Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttps://blogs.uoregon.edu/baconlover1/2015/05/04/artifact-2-life-values/
Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Doss, E. (2006, October). Public art controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate. Retrieved fromhttp://www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/networks/pan/doss_controversy.pdf
Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his views about Hawaiian sovereignty. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from http://www.angelfire.com/big09/sunyatsen.html
Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI
Modern Art Sculpture. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://kuaibozz.com/modern-art-sculpture/
Packet #22. Renaissance Art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttp://artdiscovery.info/rotations/rotation-1/packet-22/
A Response to the Runquist Murals. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, fromhttp://blogs.uoregon.edu/runquistmurals/
(n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://blog.livepsychicsnetwork.com/history/the-whos-who-in-greek-mythology/
Table of Contents:
Student Portfolio
Artifact 1: First Blog
Artifact 2: Life Values
Artifact 3: What is Art?
Artifact 4: Food as Art?
Artifact 5: Personal Adornment
Artifact 6: Creative Spirituality
Artifact 7: Remixing Culture
Artifact 8: Public Art
Objectives:
- Become acquainted with copyright as a historic, cultural and economic paradigm and its value and pertinence to creative works
- Explore the changing nature of copyright in the context of “Remix Culture”
- Examine your own and others value and paradigms of ownership and authorship of cultural media
Original Post:
Remixing Culture
I do not believe what I created was art. It may look and appear as a piece of art or work but I personally feel it is not. The idea that I took someone else’s work and created a collage does not define my idea behind art. I also feel that there should be a meaning and purpose behind every art piece. Ellen Dissanayake talks about the idea of “there is no appreciation of art without interpretation” (19). What I think she is trying to indicate is that the viewer must see the artwork and interpret what they view with a meaningful eye. What Dennis Dutton discussed in his TED Talk about stemming our views and emotions towards art from our early ancestors, that I do not agree with. I believe we all have innate features and have the upbringing and society that allows us to form our own opinions on judgements on what we feel art is.
Reflection:
This assignment was by far one of my favorites besides the people watching we had done a couple weeks prior. I took a peek at my other classmates work and they had created outstanding collages. Some of my classmates had chosen photos that I almost chose myself. One example was andreaP’s blog. She had chosen some of the same words as I, and some of her pictures I thought about putting in my collage as well.
What I chose to focus on as another outlet for an interpretation of art in a collage like piece is a Hawaiian quilt. The idea of Hawaiian quilt making has been around before Captain Cook came to the Hawaiian islands. Women would weave works of lauhala into beautiful mats, hats, bracelets and more. Nowadays, tutus, or grandmas, usually make beautiful fabricated Hawaiian quilts. These are patchwork quilts that are a combination of different fabrics decorated with intricate designs that may be of any memory, past experience, or simply imaginative ideas. The quilt on the left exemplifies more of a historical aspect as it is exemplifying what the true and old Hawai’i is truly about. To the right, this quilt seems to be more for decoration with the Honu, turtle, as the centerpiece of the quilt with adorning flowers and leaves for a touch of color. I am fortunate enough to have several quilts that my friends grandmothers had made for me. They are all very different in a sense that each person made them with different memories of me from past experiences. I believe these quilts represent a different meaning of the word artist.
I feel some people may not have the same appreciation for a blanket such as this as they might not understand the hard work that has been put into making the quilt or not see it as a work of art. In Dissanayake’s essay, she talks about how some viewers of art might only think it is beautiful but not art or a piece of art work but not beautiful. Dissanayake emphasizes the idea of art work being aesthetically pleasing to the eye. She talks about those having “a disinterested attitude that is separate from one’s own personal interest in the object” (pg.17). I think people in Hawai’i may have a deeper appreciation for this type of work than those who are unfamiliar with the tradition of quilt making.
The idea of copyright seems like a grey area for me as I am not well acquainted with all the copyright rules encompass. From my previous post, I feel the copyright rules should remain the way they are now. If people have been successful thus far with the rules in place, I do not see the issue with keeping what exists today. It will allow for people to develop new and unique forms of media, which I see as a better outlet for music rather than hearing the same old songs over and over again.
Future Goals:
I intend on learning how to create one of these great quilts to make for my friends, family and future family. I still have much to learn about what really makes an artwork all around a great piece, even though it is very difficult to create something universally considered a work of art. I hope to become more educated in the matter of creating art that encompasses for a wide range of emotions and thoughts for the public enjoyment. I still need to become familiar with the copyright rules and their limitations.
Bibliography:
Colors Of Nature. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://7-themes.com/7001395-colors-of-nature.html
Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI
Hawaiian Quilting – Quilt Patterns and Designs in the Ancient Hawaii and Today. (2006). Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://www.to-hawaii.com/hawaiianquilting.php
MyBlogs. (2015, May 31). Retrieved June 8, 2015, from https://blogs.uoregon.edu/monicaandrea/2015/05/31/remixing-google-image-search/
Quilt Appreciation 101. (n.d.). Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/67694800619021389/
Steve Cummins Talks – Bring Innovation To Your Life. (2014, December 25). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttp://stevecummins.im/coaching-and-mentoring/steve-cummins-talks-bring-innovation-life/
To start the day …. Don’t just study spirituality, live it!! (2014, August 13). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://hrexach.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/to-start-the-day-dont-just-study-spirituality-live-it/
What Color Is Your Imagination? (2015, January 17). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttp://www.playbuzz.com/rebeccacampbell10/what-color-is-your-imagination
7 Natural Remedies for Allergy Relief | Wellness Mama. (2013, April 4). Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttp://wellnessmama.com/8370/allergy-relief-remedies/
Table of Contents:
Student Portfolio
Artifact 1: First Blog
Artifact 2: Life Values
Artifact 3: What is Art?
Artifact 4: Food as Art?
Artifact 5: Personal Adornment
Artifact 6: Creative Spirituality
Artifact 7: Remixing Culture
Artifact 8: Public Art
Objectives:
- Become familiar with ways in which spirituality influences artists
- Discuss the differences between spirituality and religion
- Examine spirituality as a generative force and a well spring for creativity
Original Post:
Creative Spirituality
What particularly drew me into this excerpt was when the author, A. Grey, started to talk about his experience with DMT and how his trip influenced the outcome of his painting. Through this he saw a better and clearer vision of what he wanted his piece to look like as he “[brought] the inner solution of [his] artistic problem to an outward form” (pg. 78).
The way he found inspiration from “seeing” other artist’s work was interesting. I like how he mentioned the idea of looking at works from Van Gough and Michelangelo and hearing their voices inside of his head. Grey talks about the idea that drawing is an outlet for your spirituality and way of seeing into some deeper meaning of what your art is interpreting. He adds how he has not “completely ‘seen’ a work of art until [he’s] drawn it” (pg. 87). As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. If I was a better at drawing, I think I would thoroughly enjoy the ability to draw what I was thinking rather than just saying words to verbally expressing what I feel or think.
Grey then proceeds to discuss the idea of the chakra’s existing in each and every one of us and how each chakra will influence the way we interpret and perceive the world around us. The idea that there are vibes that either the art, the people we surrounds ourselves with, or our environment have on us as individuals help us grow. Grey brings up the fact that we feel vibes from reading artist’s work allows us to appreciate the piece at a higher level of cognition (pg. 97). This brings me to the piece written by Ellen Dissanayake when she mentions art having a psychological or emotional pull on us that cause us to generate our idea of art (pg. 15). I think our spirituality has an influence over the way we perceive art. We stem our spirituality from personal beliefs and experiences, which then influences our perspectives on art.
Reflection:
I have found my love for crocheting. In my free time, I like to relax and create different pieces of work. I recently discovered this craft as my roommate had told me about her new hobby of knitting. In the picture above, that is my first finished crochet project that I made to intend on wearing when I get back home for Summer break. I feel crocheting has allowed me spirituality by allowing me to find peace with myself while creating new projects.
In the reading we had done in class, your spirituality can evolve, form, and make an impact in your life in various ways. Some people seek spiritual healers or leaders for higher intellect on finding their spiritual paths or something of a higher power. Others take different approaches such as engaging themselves in things they love or nothing at all. In the article by Grey, he talks about shifting in states of being and mindset when creating art. When I crochet, I do experience a time at which I reach a “state of mind where art flows irresistibly” (pg. 80). I agree with his statement about the idea that spirituality along with art must be developed. One of my classmates, Jingyi, mentioned her thoughts on the idea that spirituality must be cultivated and is accessible to all of us. I do think that spirituality is freely accessible, it takes intuition and a person’s decision whether or not they decide to harness theirs.
I have had this ongoing debacle with myself and other people where the fine line between spirituality and religion lay. I feel I have come to a somewhat solidified agreement with what the differences between the two are. I think that spirituality is something that develops within you based on outside influences and experiences. On the other hand, I believe religion is something you worship in a sense of seeking a higher power for guidance and a way to live your life by given certain rules and regulations the religion abides by. I agree with the statement another one of my classmates stated that “spirituality is defined as a connection with the self and the world that is not immediate and mostly not physical”. I agree with Nickolas’s statement as when we attempt to become spiritual, we are trying to reach that higher state of mind to feed and nurture our souls.
Future Goals:
This assignment really helped me understand and take a step back to see whether or not my own personal spiritual path has been altered or grown since I could understand what spirituality meant. I realized that I have definitely changed some of my core values although majority of them are still instilled within me today. I still have yet to learn about other types of spiritual paths that are out there. I look forward to expanding my horizons and learning about different people’s perspectives on their spiritual outlook on life and for themselves.
Bibliography:
Creative Spirituality Reflection. (2015, May 17). Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://blogs.uoregon.edu/gemperle/2015/05/17/creative-spirituality-reflection/
Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.
Long, J. (2015, May 18). Jingyi Long’s site. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from https://blogs.uoregon.edu/aad250jingyi/2015/05/18/week-7/
Table of Contents:
Student Portfolio
Artifact 1: First Blog
Artifact 2: Life Values
Artifact 3: What is Art?
Artifact 4: Food as Art?
Artifact 5: Personal Adornment
Artifact 6: Creative Spirituality
Artifact 7: Remixing Culture
Artifact 8: Public Art
Before this assignment I did not know these murals existed in the library. After going to see these pieces in person, it made me think of how intricate people’s idea on the evolution of art and science are. What I noticed was that in majority of the panels for both murals, the figures that had the darker skin were the ones placed not facing the front and bending over performing work. I am not sure if the artist intended on this coincidence but from my perspective I am not fond of this portrayal. This makes me feel that from the beginning, people saw the darker skinned individuals as the ones performing the labor. I think the period in time the murals were created has an influence on the way the mural was created. Ellen Dissanayake wrote a piece addressing the different eras that experienced different waves of art influences during their time period. She mentions the idea that “authors may not have meant the same thing by the word ‘art’ as we do” (pg. 16). With this in mind, perhaps the artist was trying to experiment with different shadings and show different cultures coming together, which developed the growing idea of art. The world’s view on art has definitely grown in various directions all very influential to today’s art.
In one of the videos we watched in class, Dennis Dutton provides an excellent argument on the idea of how and why we develop feelings towards art pieces. He brings up the idea of stemming our innate ability to asses art and develop an opinion on it from our ancestors before us, the homosapien. I have to disagree with his argument as I think I develop my thoughts and ideas from my environment and experiences.
What I also noticed in the murals were the lack of women represented in the evolution of both art and sciences. In the early days, women were not allowed to perform duties that were seen as a man’s job. Perhaps this is why both of these murals depict men performing most of the scholarly and innovative works. The two artists were also both male, which may be the reason for the heavy male influence seen in the murals.
These two murals are great examples of the early idea of public art. The early program to exhibit and increase the public’s knowledge about public art was the WPA, or the Works Progress Administration. Today’s public art has sky rocketed since 1935. We can see works here at the University of Oregon as a public display of eye pleasing art pieces. I am fond of the idea of increasing the public’s knowledge on art as most individuals stray away from appreciating and understanding the meaning of art. In the Development of the Arts mural, this exemplifies the growing tree of art work and knowledge. If there were a mural painted today, the tree would be enormous and almost infinite. In the article by Erika Doss, she talks about how the view and essence of public art have shifted. She talks about how public memorial grounds such as the African Burial Ground has become a national landmark for both knowledge and pleasure (pg. 3-4). It is monuments like this that allow for the growth in knowledge about other cultures and worldly historic events.
I think it is almost imperative to increase the amount of public art and the push the limits on what can be displayed. As time progresses artists are always finding new and innovative ways to portray art in ways that are unimaginable. These two murals represent an interpretation of the beginning of this expanding art culture as well as standing as a basis for the origin of all existing art today.
Below I have attached my idea of the evolution of art. I started with the cave paintings from the early stone age. The next image represents the art from the old Greek era. Following that is the famous Mona Lisa. The next two images represent modern art sculptures that I think show how intricate the art pieces have evolved into.
Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Doss, E. (2006, October). Public art controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate. Retrieved from http://www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/networks/pan/doss_controversy.pdf
Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI
A Response to the Runquist Murals. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://blogs.uoregon.edu/runquistmurals/
Contemporary art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from https://giannadispenza.wordpress.com/tag/contemporary-art/
Modern Art Sculpture. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://kuaibozz.com/modern-art-sculpture/
Packet #22. Renaissance Art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://artdiscovery.info/rotations/rotation-1/packet-22/
(n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://blog.livepsychicsnetwork.com/history/the-whos-who-in-greek-mythology/
ArtLex on the Stone Age. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/stoneage.html
I do not believe what I created was art. It may look and appear as a piece of art or work but I personally feel it is not. The idea that I took someone else’s work and created a collage does not define my idea behind art. I also feel that there should be a meaning and purpose behind every art piece. Ellen Dissanayake talks about the idea of “there is no appreciation of art without interpretation” (19). What I think she is trying to indicate is that the viewer must see the artwork and interpret what they view with a meaningful eye. What Dennis Dutton discussed in his TED Talk about stemming our views and emotions towards art from our early ancestors, that I do not agree with. I believe we all have innate features and have the upbringing and society that allows us to form our own opinions on judgements on what we feel art is.
Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI
To start the day …. Don’t just study spirituality, live it!! (2014, August 13). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from https://hrexach.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/to-start-the-day-dont-just-study-spirituality-live-it/
Colors Of Nature. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://7-themes.com/7001395-colors-of-nature.html
7 Natural Remedies for Allergy Relief | Wellness Mama. (2013, April 4). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://wellnessmama.com/8370/allergy-relief-remedies/
What Color Is Your Imagination? (2015, January 17). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://www.playbuzz.com/rebeccacampbell10/what-color-is-your-imagination
Steve Cummins Talks – Bring Innovation To Your Life. (2014, December 25). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://stevecummins.im/coaching-and-mentoring/steve-cummins-talks-bring-innovation-life/
Copyrighting is to prevent people form utilizing other people’s hard work and calling it their own with the possibility of claiming more fame and attention than the original artist. This restriction on duplicating work is both a privilege and a set back for both parties: the artist and the community. Lawrence Lessig makes a good point at around 17:32 when he starts to talk about the youth being affected by the limitation copyrighting puts on their access to media. He mentions that the youth will grow up in a world where you can’t stop them from accessing media but “drive it underground” (18:00). I feel in a sense, the ability for the older generation to allow the youth to develop the capability to discover all that has been driven “underground” so to speak only enhances their skills to do the exact opposite of what the purpose of hiding the media was for. This develops their capability to develop skills such as hacking and encrypting internet codes.
The example of The Grey Album shows how copyrighting has the ability to diminish the ability of artist to create new works of art from old. Yes I do think that mixing two well-known songs together and calling it your own is a bit far fetched and a little out of the border of completely being someone’s own creation. In the article by Sam Howard-Spink on The Grey Album, he talks about how copyrighting is mainly for artist recognition. I think that the idea of copyright does infringe on one’s ability to be creative and imaginative. It is very helpful in a sense to stimulate ideas from someone else’s work, but then again how did those artist generate their original ideas? I think being able to create a piece that is one hundred percent original is what makes a true artist. At this day and age, anyone has the ability and potential to be a DJ by remixing other people’s hard work and calling it their own.
I think that people should be allowed to use other people’s work if it cannot be recognized as the original piece or make a monetary deal with the original artist or even a compilation with them. I think learning from the people who came before us gives us the ability to grow. In the reading by Lawrence Lessig, he talks about the idea of RW, read and writing culture, and how it does not necessarily always pose as a negative influence (95). The ability to change the way a track or beat sounds may be more innovative than what the creator may have thought of. In a way we learn from “remixing” the old music into new. I think the way the copyright regulations are now should remain the same because I feel we as growing artist should challenge ourselves to innovate new genres of music and mediums for art instead of merely copying from the people before us. It would be helpful for those in the future to look back on what we produce now to give them a reason to want to copy our work. We should definitely take in influences from what we feel and create original media.
Howard-Spink, S. (2005, July 4). Grey Tuesday, online cultural activism and the mash-up of music and politics (originally published in October 2004) | Howard-Spink | First Monday. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1460/1375
Lessig, L. (2008). Comparing Cultures. Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy (pp. 84-116). New York: Penguin Press HC, The.
Lessig, L. (2007, March). Laws That Choke Creativity. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity?language=en#t-1069018
The author’s thesis for her article was to investigate the properties of art forms in technology as their role in our culture today stem from their origins. The fundamentals that these early graphic designers based their work upon were mathematical equations and logarithms. They had the ability to “express it mathematically and to present it visually” (pg. 24).
One example Jones makes on page 23, she brings up the art piece named Stained Glass Windows. Jones describes this as a piece of art graphically designed for aesthetic imagery. The artist attempted to introduce color to enhance the visual appeal on the display screen. He nonetheless set the tone for other graphic designers as there was a chain affect on the usage of color.
Art then moved towards a more digital and pixelated approach. As time progressed, developers integrated textures and three-dimensional figures. A man named Leavitt started to incorporate different art techniques to further enhance the aesthetics.
Some argue that the works of the early graphics that it was not art but originating from mathematical equations and numbers. There was a debate over the idea that this type of art was no different than a machine. Jasia Reichardt added “it is as if behavior were more important than appearance in making us feel that something is alive…it is clear that people have no difficulty in organixing their psychological response as if The Senster were alive-an animal or another human being” (pg.25). I interpret this as we as people are slowly losing the essence of art. We can no longer differentiate between what has been computer generated with no meaning behind it and what art is meaningful and intended on being art rather than an aesthetic posing as art.
Nowadays, graphic images are intended to look as close to real-life as possible. The explosions we see in action movies and falling bridges are so digitally enhanced you would think that had actually happened if you drove to the building that was burning with the damsel in distress trapped on the top floor. These types of images are intended to make the viewer feel as though they were standing in the presence of the situation. In an article by Bruce Campbell, he makes the point that graphical art is more of a scientific approach rather than artistic approach. The idea that they base their images on scientific equations loses it’s essence of being art (pg. 7).
Resources:
Jones, B. J. (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins. LEONARDO: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, pp. 21-30.
Tool, A. C. Art on Graphics. Pg. 6-7.
How is it that when we play video games with other players around the world, how is it that we feel so easy to trust someone we will never meet in real life? Over time with the evolution of the internet, we have been educated and taught to not trust people online. But is it the idea that we will never meet our teammates in person will give us the confidence to trust total strangers in order to reach our goals? Maybe it is the idea that we know that this virtual world could never influence our actual real world giving us a sense of comfort that trusting these virtual teammates will not be beneficial or detrimental to our real lives. In the TED talk by Ms. Mcgonigal talks about how numerous players online have the tendency to effortlessly trust other online players. She talks about how players have the tendency to engage themselves in virtual social encounters that allow them to handle social situations. At about 4:30 in her video, she talks about how players come together to help each other solve the virtual problems and reach an “epic win.” I feel this sense of togetherness in the virtual world and a player’s mentality that if they just entrust their virtual teammates they will be able to achieve their goals faster.
McGonigal, J. (2010, February). Gaming can make a better world. Retrieved May 18, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en#t-433592
How do you define “spirituality”?
I feel that spirituality stands as a basis for our personality and character. It could stem from our personal beliefs or life experiences in which we base our opinions and decisions off. I think our spirituality could come from our religious beliefs or anything that we believe in. It feeds our souls by allowing us to define who we are as a person. What is so amazing to me is that we have the ability to grow in our spiritual ways either through new experiences or through religious ideology.
Does spirituality differ from religion?
I think spirituality grows from our religion. Even if we choose not to have a religion it still influences our spirituality. I believe these two play hand in hand with one another. I believe what we believe in heavily influences our spirits. We don’t necessarily need religion to stand as a basis for our beliefs. Our religion could be based on something other than a god per-say but rather on ideology of the great philosophers before us.
How do you define “creativity”?
Creativity is our inventive imagination that allows us to provoke our thoughts and ideas in a way that is out of the ordinary. Our creativity is the formulation of ideas, theory, or even a way to solve a problem. It takes a great deal of imagination and your ability to think outside of the box to show creativity. This is a very abstract concept that I think could be synonymous to that of our definition of art.
What is the source of creativity?
My source of creativity are probably my past experiences. It is easy for me to take my past experiences and think about what could be improved in that moment in time or for the future. It is also influenced by my environment consisting of people, ideas, as well as ideas from different people. I love hearing other people’s thoughts to provoke some of my own. I think it is very resourceful and brilliant idea that we as people have the idea to feed off of each other’s thoughts and insights.
What particularly drew me into this excerpt was when the author, A. Grey, started to talk about his experience with DMT and how his trip influenced the outcome of his painting. Through this he saw a better and clearer vision of what he wanted his piece to look like as he “[brought] the inner solution of [his] artistic problem to an outward form” (pg. 78).
The way he found inspiration from “seeing” other artist’s work was interesting. I like how he mentioned the idea of looking at works from Van Gough and Michelangelo and hearing their voices inside of his head. Grey talks about the idea that drawing is an outlet for your spirituality and way of seeing into some deeper meaning of what your art is interpreting. He adds how he has not “completely ‘seen’ a work of art until [he’s] drawn it” (pg. 87). As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. If I was a better at drawing, I think I would thoroughly enjoy the ability to draw what I was thinking rather than just saying words to verbally expressing what I feel or think.
Grey then proceeds to discuss the idea of the chakra’s existing in each and every one of us and how each chakra will influence the way we interpret and perceive the world around us. The idea that there are vibes that either the art, the people we surrounds ourselves with, or our environment have on us as individuals help us grow. Grey brings up the fact that we feel vibes from reading artist’s work allows us to appreciate the piece at a higher level of cognition (pg. 97). This brings me to the piece written by Ellen Dissanayake when she mentions art having a psychological or emotional pull on us that cause us to generate our idea of art (pg. 15). I think our spirituality has an influence over the way we perceive art. We stem our spirituality from personal beliefs and experiences, which then influences our perspectives on art.
Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.
