Public Art Research Assignment

Development of Society

I decided to re-imagine the Runquist murals as a development of society.  I kept the tree growing out of the humans back as I thought it was central and consistent in both murals.  Each “level” represents something that builds society  and each level is separated by the affect on the individual (left side) and the affect on the people (right side).

Remixing Google Image Search

Key Words:

Insperation

Creativity

Epiphany

Seeing

Society

I absolutely think that this project should be considered art.  It has the aesthetic aspect of art, it is visually stimulating.  It also took some time and effort to craft.  I think Dissanayake would see the cultural aspect of this art, this is my interpretation of what it means to be an artist.  This has been shaped by my culture and more recently by my experiences in this class.   This is why I think this could be “Art for Life’s Sake.”  This project is really just a combination of other completely finished pieces of art.  Conceivably this process could be done again with my piece, transformed, re-imagined, and combined with other pieces of art.  This process could even be indefinite with all pieces of art and culture constantly being combined.  I think this also can make it “Species centered art.”  Our culture and life as humans is seen through our constant re-imagining of things that already are.

Citation:

https://blogs.uoregon.edu/aad250shuette/files/2010/09/2-dissanayake-1quxhq5.pdf

Remix Discussion

There seemed to be a common theme with all of the sources from this week. They all share the conclusion that for creativity to exist in the modern technological world, current copyright laws cannot continue in the way they operate now. This is something that I am very interested in learning more about and what ideas there are to combat abuse and overuse of these laws. There are organizations that are “patent trolls” that exists for the sole purpose of exploiting these laws to make a profit and stifle creativity, there is a clear problem in how the law is written and implemented that needs real solutions. You cannot completely eliminate copyrights; artists should receive fair compensation for the use of their work in commercial settings. However the current system is clearly broken. In the “Remixing Culture” reading the point is made that remixes are content creators being inspired to creativity by the creativity of the ones who they remix. The TED talk pushes this further and talks about the fact that not only do copyright laws stifle the creativity of these remix artists who express our culture in a way that is technically illegal, they create a reality in which the young people of today live their lives against the law and do so knowingly because the laws are unjust. This is a symptom of the sickness of the system which the TED talk names “The Prohibition” in which so many of the activities in which people participate in are technically illegal that they have no choice but to live their lives unlawfully.

Art, Games, and Technology Research

In the article “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” Beverly J. Jones describes a phenomenon that happens in human life and culture, that is there are patterns that are followed in culture. These patterns are then applied to technology and art.

The author clearly states the thesis of her paper by saying, “It is a premise of this paper that old cultural patterns do not die. They may fade or become more evident; that is, they may be deemphasized or emphasized only as part of the general ‘nonexpert’ culture can such patterns contribute significantly to maintenance and/or change.”

I really found it interesting how Jones describes how technology and the increased abilities of computer graphics lead to more art or more specifically new forms and ways to channel creativity through programs like Photoshop and video editors. She describes a process of history and periods of time in which technology went through stages of development. This is the historical example that I chose to look at because it seemed the most interesting to me of the three. It was incredible to think about changes of technology in these stages. From the heavy bulking early computers that were a seemed to be a miracle performing the most simple of tasks by today’s standards, to the advent of gaming and a focus on graphics and virtual experience. Then we look at virtual art and moving away from the “geometry” and with the expansion of technology comes a further expansion of art. This is a pattern that will continue combining with culture.

Creative Bloq is a computer art magazine that looks at the changing landscape of computerized art and because of this it inadvertently looks at cultural patterns. That is to say that this magazine keeps up with trends in technology and how people are applying this technology to create art in new ways and this is a direct reflection on the cultural pattern that is being formed through what is new and popular in this art.

This is a piece of computer art from a Creative Bloq post that shows the use of current culture combining with technology to create art.

Bibliography

http://www.creativebloq.com/computer-arts-magazine

https://blogs.uoregon.edu/aad250shuette/files/2010/09/8-jones-rhmbna-282kran.pdf

Art, Games, and Tech

After watching the TED talk by Jane Mcgonigal she makes the claim that there is a massive untapped resource in people who play a lot of a certain type of strategy games. On this point I agree with her, there is clearly a massive resource potential that has not existed before. However I am not as optimistic as her that this will work as well as she hopes. The real world is much more complicated than a game, and there are much more serious consequences and more importantly the real world is strange. She claimed to not want to predict the future, but she did exactly that with her “End of Oil” game. She predicted a peak oil situation that caused the collapse of society. However this situation is unlikely, if oil prices rise more innovation is incentivized and reliance on oil will drop. I also think she is not applying this idea in the right way, people will probably not switch from playing world of warcraft to one of her games. Instead of building her game around the problem she should really be trying to trick people into solving problems by playing games they like. So what would proper implementation of this look like?

Creative Spirituality Reflection

I think that “spirituality” is defined as a connection with the self and the world that is not immediate and mostly not physical. Spirituality is the practice and actions that make up a personal proximity with the beyond. To be spiritual is to be connected with the idea of beyond physical, with that cannot be seen but can be sensed. This can be different for everybody but the general idea is the same. It is a progression of the non-physical self.

Spirituality absolutely differs from religion, however the two are closely related. A religious person may be able to use them interchangeably, as the feeling of the Holy Spirit is probably what a non-religious person defines as personal spirituality. So for the non-religious spirituality is less defined and for the religious spirituality is the practice of the religion. So the two terms are necessarily related however they are certainly different and spirituality is more loosely defined and is the practice of the spiritual.

Creativity is the act of being creative, it is also an ability that could be learned. Creativity is to see what is and somehow imagine something new, something that is different from what is but is also valuable. You could also say there is an instance of creativity, a moment in time that the idea of the creative comes to the creator. So creativity is the moment and action of a person with the ability to be creative to form an idea that is new and different from what is and crates value.

The source of creativity relates directly to the reading and presentation from this week. The source of creativity could be seeing deeply, to see what is with deep understanding and realize how it could be different, new and better. This can be a spiritual process to have such a deep understanding, and to have that moment of inspiration where what can be becomes clear is a spiritual experience of art flowing through you and then manifesting itself.

Creative Spirituality

In the reading for this week, Alex Gray’s The Mission of Art, he is really trying to make a distinction between looking and seeing. “There is a vast difference between looking and seeing- a difference which is fundamental to the artist’s experience.”(73) He says that seeing determines every aesthetic decision, it is our source for finding inspiration. I think what the author is saying is that when we notice something that exists in space and time, we are looking at it. Looking is pure sensory perception with no further thought given to what the object is beyond what it looks like. It is simply noticing that the thing exists. Seeing is going beyond just looking, when we are seeing something we are really seeing it for what it is, what it is “as such.” When we apply this to art we talk about deeply seeing, when we are deeply seeing something we are seeing the art and the beauty. This is how the artist gets inspiration, they are seeing the aesthetic in the object and that is what allows them to create art.

The author also talks about the creative process; inspiration is a part of this process, however it is the most important part. The author lays out six steps of the creative process which includes; formulation, saturation, incubation, inspiration, translation, and interrogation. The goal through all of this for the artist is to reach a state mind where the “art flows irresistibly through them”(80) This almost sounds like the Christian idea of the holy spirit flowing through you. I think this is what the author means by the spirituality of art, where the artist who is creating a masterpiece is in a state where they are almost possessed by their art, they have the idea of the art in them and then through this spiritual state they physically manifest that art by reaching deeper access this spirituality which cant be seen, but can be felt.

Citation:

https://blogs.uoregon.edu/aad250shuette/files/2010/09/7-grey-1xrwu9h.pdf

Enjoying Horror Research

In the “Dead Letter: The Aesthetics of Horror” from The Harvard Crimson Jude Russo opens by discussing a very graphically morbid painting that hangs in a famous museum (Prado Museum in Madrid). The painting is so graphic, it depicts a man eating a baby, that there is a discussion of why did Goya (the artist) even paint it. The painting itself was never meant to be museum art according to the author, but was hung in his house. The author then posses the question “What if he is?” this is asking, “Is it permissible to show something that inspires horror for it’s own sake?” This really asking about the limits of art, and there is no question that horror for art’s sake pushes this boundary. The author then goes on to defining horror in two different ways. He says that it is first, an emotional response to stimulus. The second definition is an extension of this; it is the “genre of art that is somehow connected to this emotion.” This emotion is described as the bristling of the hair on the back of your neck. It is this emotion that people are after when they seek out forms of horror, be it film or other forms of art. The author explains that people have sought to find a more rigorous definition, but this definition is apt. The author then goes on to talk about terror and dread which are used fairly interchangeably. He makes a distinction that “Horror is when you see something, there’s something graphic about it… Terror is when your fear is compounded by your uncertainty and your doubt.” The author goes on to talk about Horror for horror’s sake, that is to say that there is no moral message, and that there is no ethical bounds that the artist is operating under, they are just trying to provoke the desired emotions to create the horror genera and what makes it appealing. He goes on then to talk about the movie “A Serbian Film” which is an incredibly in your face disturbing film, however it is incredibly good at conveying horror and dread and if we do not worry about morals than that is the end goal of the artist. Having said that it does seem a bit off, this position seems to “permit much that should not be permitted so easily” so there is a question of what are the limits of this art and when do we consider ethics.

This question still remains because “There is an instinctive discomfort that arises from the idea that Goya is showing us.” This is the abject, the things that are so outside the norm and outside what we would normally seek out for enjoyment. This creates a drive to then seek this out, like the kid who is told to not take the cookie from the jar, he only then realizes that he wanted a cookie in the first place. We as humans have a strange urge to seek out this feeling of horror and dread because in a way it fulfils our desire to step outside the norms.

My second source was from a horror movie aesthetics blog. This blog really described some concepts of mis-en-scene, particularly the use of affects that can help low budget horror movie film makers hide the fact that they are forced to use less expensive makeup and costume. The writer encouraged the use of mis-en-scene concepts with lighting and camera work, like dim lighting, soft focus, and tight framing. The author explains that this forces the audience to “leave the creature’s nature up to our dark imaginings.” This concept is furthered by sounds, which can be incredibly cheap and easy to deploy, and good horror acting and body movement. This article and the blog in general really delves deeper into the concepts of Digetic Sound, non-digetic sound and mis-en-scene that we talked about this week.

Together these to articles along with the reading and presentations we have seen this week have really shown how horror for horror’s sake really pushes the limit on what we consider art. I would say it is a non-tradition way of looking at art, but the process of using all of the different techniques and imagery to give the viewer or audience a specific emotion and sense of unease that the artist is trying to provoke. This is the abject that the audience seeks out when they go and watch a horror film. They are seeking out this feeling that is outside the norm, this hair bristling

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/10/28/arts-cover-horror-aesthetics/

http://horrorfilmaesthetics.blogspot.com/

Enjoying Horror Discussion

I think an excellent example of Diegetic sound comes fairly early in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which Buffy is in a classroom and starts to dream in this dream there is a little girl with a small wooden box singing a song with a bit of a nursery rhyme cadence. The song seemed to go, “Can’t even shout, can’t even cry, the gentle man are coming by. Looking in windows, knocking on doors, they need to take 7 and they might take yours. Can’t call to mom, can’t say a word you are gonna die screaming and you wont be hear.” This is a pretty classic horror trope. A little girl singing a nursery rhyme that has a bit of an ominous tone and language to it. I chose to use this example for Diegetic sound because this is something we see all the time in horror movies and it has a creepy, chilling, effect to it that makes the audience feel a certain way.

My example for Non-Diegetic sound happens at about 13:09 into the episode and there is some ominous music as the camera pans to a clock tower in the night, this again as several classic horror tropes in it as old clock towers in the night are used often in horror movies. Then there is a box next to some hands of a man who is clearly very old, however we do not see his face yet. Next there is more Non- Diegetic sound with inaudible whispering as the box steals some ghostly mist from the bodies of several people including Buffy. This was really the best example of Non- Diegetic sound I found in this episode as it pertains to horror movie affects. Non- Diegetic sound is a very important part of horror movies, particularly in the form of background music, as it helps create the creepy aesthetic that directors of these types of films are after. There is a reason that the most iconic part of many classic horror movies is the theme music.

My example for mis-en-scene happens directly after the example above, as the old creepy hands shut the box closed that has just stolen some kind of mist from the bodies of the people in the town, the camera slowly pans up and reveals the face, the same face Buffy saw for a flash in her dream. The face of the man was a very intricate and elaborate costume consisting of large fake silver teeth, clammy looking grey colored skin, an elongated nose, and piercing yellowish beady eyes. This is a clear example of mis-en scene and the slow pan of the camera before the reveal of the face gave the shock value that makes this valuable in the context of a horror movie. There is also a bit of an ominous feel to this scene as this is a face that Buffy has seen before and this character will clearly be the antagonist that Buffy will have to deal with. Mis-en-scene like Non- Diegetic sound is incredibly important for horror movies and costume, scenes, and camera work all play there part in creating the horror movie aesthetic. Similar to how iconic theme music is remembered, many horror movies are remembered for the famous costumes of the main antagonist.

I think that these three instances are great examples of Diegetic, Non- Diegetic and Mis-en-scene respectively, especially in the context of a horror movie or show. They all add to the creepy, foreboding feeling that the director of a horror movie is trying to make his audience feel. There is an impending since of doom at this point in the episode as the man with the evil looking face has just stolen something that is valuable to the people in the town, and even Buffy herself.   All of these concepts have played a part in this episode to create the feel and the aesthetic that the director of this episode wanted to give it the classic feel of a horror movie. It is this aesthetic that gives the audience that tingling in the spine and need to look over their shoulders that they want to feel when they go to watch a horror movie and stays with them for days weeks or even month after. Without these film making concepts it would not be possible to give a movie feel or character, it really wouldn’t be possible to make any type of movie at all. This is why these concepts are so important.

Personal Adornment

I don’t think that I am someone who is overly concerned with style, I tend to dress for comfort and my roommate has told me I “Just put stuff on.” I think that being colorblind has a small part to play in this, the nuances of color variation are unfortunately lost upon me at times and I have been told in the past that I fail to match clothes at times. However, with that being said I still think that I have a certain since of style that would have something to say about my values.

I am a pretty big sports fan, and I also really enjoy playing sports and I think this shows in the way I dress. I was born in Switzerland and spent some time in my childhood watching and playing a lot of soccer. This has translated into wearing a lot of soccer jerseys, from the United States and Swiss national team jerseys, to my favorite clubs and players, some of them very obscure like Grasshopper Club Zurich. This also translates to a value for me because I have been told by friends that I am fiercely loyal to clubs and players that I have any connection to at all. An example of this would be having probably one of the only fan owned Isaiah Burse Denver Broncos jerseys just because of a loose high school and college connection.

I am not somebody who has any form of tattoo, body art, or piercing. However I do like to wear bracelets and other forms of light “jewelry.” I am currently wearing a white bracelet that says “Switzerland” on it, again this probably points to the loyalty I talked about earlier and a pride in my roots and the nation of my birth that was instilled in me by my parents. On my other wrist is a copper bracelet that says “peace” in a bunch of different languages; my mother gave this to me when I was going through a particularly tough time. I think in terms of values this points to a love of family and the bracelet itself may symbolize a love of cultures. When I was I child my family spent some time living in a camper van and traveling around Europe, so I think that travel and experiencing culture is something that I value, this dawned on me after taking a closer look at the bracelet and maybe subconsciously is why I like the bracelet as much as I do.

When I was younger, around middle school and early high school, I think I cared a lot more about what was fashionable. I had some sweatshirts with crazy patterns and my shirts were mostly name brand and I would buy shirts that had some crazy design. I think this is part of the need as a person that age to fit into social norms and be part of a crowd. I think this is put on children of that age socially and because of social pressures they put pressure on their peers to do the same. As I grew older I cared less about this and more about what made me comfortable not just physically but in a since of style that I guess represented myself. I like to wear shirts from places I have been, I think this goes back to my love of traveling and my childhood in which I spent a lot of time traveling and moved several times in my life. Most of my favorite shirts have some memory of a place I have been or an experience I had. Furthermore I think this is also something that was given to me by my parents, they love to travel and took risks when my sister and I were young. They decided to give up a comfortable life and accepted being poor for the opportunity to see the world.

I have a bit of a hard time describing myself in terms of style and how I express myself, I also had a hard time writing about others and what values they may have based on style. I think this must say something about y values as my parents have taught me that being humble, meek, and non-judgmental are positive qualities. So to talk about others and myself on a bases of style and adornment seems a bit forced to me. It seems a bit out of character and I feel myself cringing internally talking about myself and others in this way. I understand that outward appearances are a choice and therefore must reflect something internal, however I find it difficult.