Visiting these murals and examining them really put everything the Runquist’s looked to accomplish into perspective. The main themes that I would like to discuss that stood out to me in the murals include issues of diversity, place making and how it relates to history, and the civic identity it brings to the university. When I first look at the murals, I noticed the people and the activities they were doing, and with further examination I was able to see the natural progression of the tolerance of race and even gender. The first few pictures at the bottom showed mostly white males but as the mural progressed upwards, more women were included and race was not an issue even though race wasn’t very heavily involved in the mural in general. As issues of diversity are a hot subject today, public art has sometimes had to conform to not being controversial in any way, “Public culture can be contentious, especially in a country that values individualism, freedom of expression, and First Amendment rights, and yet also prizes communal experiences and relationships” (Doss 10). In the United States we do not like to talk about diversity and our past with gender roles or racial identity but these murals did a good job of incorporating how we have been able to progress into an accepting culture, and that is something that we should model at this university. With scandals like just recently at the University of Oklahoma regarding race and Ferguson as well as the way women are treated in today’s culture, it is important for us to acknowledge our tendencies and address them to see where we would like to be eventually. These murals show how far we have come and where we hope to be one day with issues of diversity.

When you walk up and see the murals, it is hard to disregard their presence and recognize how the art can challenge you and take you to different places. In “Public art controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate” by Erika Doss, she mentions “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). With the location of the library, it provides a useful piece to make it stand out and provide a place for people to not be stuck in one place as the mural can take someone through different time periods and discover what today was supposed to look like. While this may not be the best distraction from studying, it does provide a learning experience and challenge previous thinking. These murals also provide a civic identity to the university by representing what the university wants to express while recognizing what we have learned from in the past. These murals include a few fun things that are still related to the university like the Mighty Oregon fight song in the Development of the Arts mural but also is a strong representation of how the university pushes students academically but also provides a unique experience by discovering and recognizing what we have done. Doss mentions what public art means and its representation, “Usually located in visible public spaces, organized by public committees, frequently funded by public dollars, and intended for multiple audiences, public art is, by definition, the product of public feedback. It centers on dialogue—on the expressed interests and issues of particular groups” (Doss 6). If these murals are based on public feedback, than the identity of the university at the time of this art and today is still a natural progression between how we have been able to learn from art and science and the importance that plays now and forever.

I never had to examine public art before this and it has really made me appreciate the effort and responsibility it takes to make the art. Furthermore, I recognize the importance of this art as it challenges everyone and helps us form opinions on important matters. Public art has become more encouraged and is something that should be more recognized by people today.

Words used: Creativity, originality, spirituality, focus, passion

I believe that my piece above should be considered art because it is something that I crafted off of my original ideas and raises a question to challenge people’s thoughts. In Ellen Dissanayake’s article “What is Art For?” she says, “The species-centered view of art combines modernism’s proclamation that art is of supreme value and a source for heightened personal experience with postmodernism’s insistence that it belongs to everyone and is potentially all around us. It does this by thinking of artmaking and experiencing as a human behavior” (Dissanayake 8). This brings credibility to my art because it shows that art can be a lot of different things if it is able to be a source for personal experience from the artist or for others.

I believe that this weeks topic is very interesting but to first talk about this I believe that I need to define my own terms first. For me, remixing is not simply taking multiple existing projects and combining them, but taking them and blending them in a way that can bring upon new viewpoints, while also giving credit to the previous authors. Copyright to me is simply the right of the original owner to allow others to use their work in some form or another and there is a very thin line to be established between copyright and non copyright. In the world that we live in today, many people are too lazy to do the work by themselves and choose to steal other people’s ideas to get ahead in life, which is very wrong. There is also a lot of very creative people today that use our advanced technology to create an original idea by blending previous people’s ideas together. This is done in several ways but one of the most popular today is something that I am using right now to generate my own ideas and give it credibility, online blogs. In “Comparing Cultures” by Lawrence Lessig he says “Blogs are valuable because they give millions the opportunity to express their ideas in writing. And with a practice of writing comes a certain important integrity” (Lessig 92). Blogs blend ideas together and use other people’s ideas to provide credibility, but without proper citation of other people’s ideas, there is integrity involved which is discussed in the quote. In Lawrence Lessig’s TED talk he speaks more about how we participate in the creation and re-creation of our culture if we choose to be a read-write culture, and even though more people in the United States have become more read-only culture we are participating in the re-creation of our own culture today.

The role of copyright today is coming increasingly important as so many people are using images on social media to portray their thoughts, remixing songs and music to appeal to more people, and even copyrighting famous phrases that athletes are saying in their press conference or images they are creating off the field. People are using copyright to prevent others from profiting or benefiting off their original work but I feel is somewhat limiting creativity. Remixing is something that is very unique but is not able to be done a lot because of copyright laws. The grey album, a combination of The Beatles White Album and Jay-Z’s black album, in this weeks module shows how two completely different art forms from different generations are used creatively to create a whole new art form (or in this case a unique sound) and is something that would never be seen without allowing remixing culture. Ultimately, I believe that copyright laws should be limited because being able to use other people’s ideas and thoughts is what creates new thoughts to be generated and being able to appropriately remix something can introduce new ideas and a unique experience.

In the article “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” by Beverly Jones, I believe her thesis to be “I hope to establish the relation of specific image, object, event or environment to conceptual frames. These frames exist within art and technology and are present in other forms of symbolic and material culture” (Beverly 1). She discusses this thoroughly throughout the article with specific examples and links technology to how we interact with them. One specific example that she brings up is about when computer graphics and how art imagery evolved from the 1940s analog still imagery to more sophisticated digital imagery (Beverly 3). This relates to her thesis by showing how imagery has adapted to challenge us and be able to communicate something to us. In an article by Les Shu regarding the significance of photoshop in the world today, including how it has been used to impact people in movies and how it allows something to be perceived differently with a simple click, “Digital image manipulation is commonplace today, but we take for granted how complex and time consuming the process was when things were analog” (Shu). The transition from simple analog imaging to digital imaging now is also connected and shows the importance that people have needed photoshop to manipulate imaging since early on to give meaning to images and engage individuals. Photoshop is used today a lot in movies and internet imaging to bring meaning to things that may not have been seen the same before without the help of photoshop. Virtual and digital imagery has come a long way and has made a big impact today. One example today of this revolution of virtuality is “Though the industry could radically transform entertainment, gaming and other forms of computing, it has an Achilles’ heel: Many people become queasy after pulling viewing devices over their eyes and slipping into an immersive world that blurs the line between physical reality and computer-generated imagery” (Markoff). While there are still setbacks in this immersive experience, imagery is allowing people to experience something that could not have been seen before without the help of image technology. Image helps our conceptual frames and new technology helps bring more meaning to this unique experience.

Markoff, J. (2014, July 14). Real-Life Illness in a Virtual World. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/science/taking-real-life-sickness-out-of-virtual-reality.html

Shu, L. (2015, February 21). Photoshop may be 25 years old, but it still manages to stay fresh. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/photoshop-may-25-years-old-manages-stay-fresh/#/3

The audio clip on the microbial video game was very interesting to me as it got me thinking about the value that video games can have in aiding with education. Can video games stimulate kids enough while also having them learn and have fun? This is a hard question that has been tackled for a while but what this scientist did in incorporating live single cell organisms into a video game is a step in the right direction and could definitely get some people interested. I believe that the best way to learn is through hands on practice and through simulations and some video games we are allowed to experience something and learn from our mistakes. I feel that making video games that can help people learn valuable lessons or help educate is a great idea but do not know a good way to truly help educate kids and having the game be equally as fun. What do you think would be a good way to do this?

After reading “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” by Beverly Jones, I was left wondering the true impact that computer graphics have on people and why we are drawn to these? This article did a good job of pointing out what computer graphics are used in and how they are used, “Computer graphics in advertising and entertainment rely heavily on the appeal of technical special effects made possible by earlier scientific/technical developments” (Jones 8). This explains how technology is used to peak our interests for the use of different companies advertisements and in a way that normal pictures cannot do. For example, in some commercials the use of explosions and other elements are computer generated to stimulate people’s interest in the product and catch people’s attention. For me, I believe that computer graphics are an element that are hard to create but can ultimately pay off by introducing something that may have never be seen before and we become drawn to it. What do you think?

1. For me to define spirituality, I had to do a little investigation into how others have defined the word. After some investigation I found a humorous video that describes some stereotypes that people have given to spirituality and its relationship against religion. Here is the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kDso5ElFRg . The video talks a lot about how spirituality is very artificial and changes people to think a certain way and act a certain way. For me, spirituality is an experience that brings forth a deeper thinking that comes from our true selves.

2. I believe that spirituality is different from religion, but that spirituality can be influenced by religion. Religion often requires using ones spirituality to comprehend a higher being or not and even though religion may require a sense of one’s spirituality, the two ideas are definitely different from each other. Religion to me is something that provides people with a greater purpose and is a full belief in something while spirituality is the discovery into those thoughts. Spirituality is a very unique experience and can definitely help in aiding religion.

3. Creativity is defined by many, including A. Grey in “The Mission of Art” as a process including “formulation, saturation, incubation, inspiration, translation, and integration” (Grey 6). This definition of creativity includes the use of one’s conscious for inspiration behind something. For me, I take this definition but would also add the fact that creativity also includes an inspiration from something inside ones self and a spark from previous beliefs. This is where I believe that spirituality and creativity are also connected.

4. I believe the source of creativity to be partially from spirituality, and partially from previous beliefs and experiences. Spirituality allows for deep and alternative thinking, which can in turn spark the creative process by allowing for new ideas. Creativity can also be sparked by previous beliefs and experiences by this influence being thought of in a different way than before, which can also lead to new ideas. Spirituality can help lead to creativity and can ultimately be beneficial in personal development and the development of new ideas.

Spears, J. (2014, October 5). How to be Ultra Spiritual (funny) – with JP Sears. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kDso5ElFRg

I like to think of myself as a religious man, but also as a very spiritual being. Spirituality is something that is unique to all of us and is something that is not easily comprehended. Being a spiritual being involves seeing things for more than what they merely are and using your creativity to attempt to interpret what we believe the item to be. Spirituality brings meaning to so many things and can help take away our personal biases and egos to appreciate it. When artists create their art or interpret other people’s art, they see the art holistically and also are able to bring meaning to the art all at once. In “The Mission of Art” by A. Grey, it is discussed how people view art, “The artist’s three eyes of knowing are inspired by the radiant spiritual beauty of the subject, fascinated by the subject’s harmonic structure, and motivated to express the unique wholeness of the subject by drawing a bounding line around it” (Grey 5). This is very interesting to me that not only the aesthetic appeal and wholeness are seen by others, but that spiritual beauty is also seen by others which can be interpreted differently for all. As I am a confirmed and practicing Catholic, I may see something differently than a man of different religion from another part of the world may see an art piece even though we both consider the same aesthetic appeal and holistic standard of the art.

While religion does play a role in how people see art, spirituality is very different for everyone where religion may be the same. Spirituality allows different interpretations and different ideas to be seen while adding a whole other element to art. Different artists use their spirituality as their creativity to make their art and is why art can be so different when you look at different artists throughout the years. Through spirituality, artists are able to “see” things that they have never seen before that has been sparked by an idea and can see things on a deeper level than they ever have before because they questioned or challenged a previous thought they may have had. I am constantly asking questions to myself and trying to understand things and this causes me to get lost in my thoughts and think on a deeper level often, which is a very spiritual experience. Spirituality can capture emotions and feelings and can be triggered by a number of things. So many art forms do a great job at capturing spirituality of the individual even if it may not be seen at first and is something that brings a lot of meaning behind art.

Ringo, A. (2013, October 31). Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/

To get a better grip on the subject and the questions that I had this week on why people enjoy fear, I did some research and found some interesting subjects. Since I do not enjoy horror or the thrill behind horror movies, it was hard for me to at first understand why people would pay to get scared, whether it was a horror film, haunted maze, or anything in between. After looking at the article “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” by Allegra Ringo, I was able to understand why I may not enjoy horror as much as others. According to an interview conducted, “There is strong evidence that this isn’t just about personal choice, but our brain chemistry…Lots of people also enjoy scary situations because it leaves them with a sense of confidence after it’s over…But again, self-scaring isn’t for everyone, and there are lots of psychological and personal reasons someone may not enjoy scary situations” (Ringo). Much of this longing to be scared is from our brain chemistry and how much some chemicals get released in someones body which makes sense to me as I don’t feel much rush in other situations either. The other point made was that some people feel a sense of accomplishment after, which is something that I never have felt after going through a scary situation. Finally, she points out that there are a lot of psychological and personal reasons that I can definitely relate to, one because I am a religious man and do not really believe in the satanic rituals that are often portrayed in horror, but also because I feel that I do not want to be associated with anything scary and that I would rather be kind and make people laugh rather than have a dark side to me, which may be why I enjoy comedy so much.

The most interesting part of horror to me, which was pointed out by this article, was how art spans across different cultures. In the interview they discuss the social constructions of fear, “When we look across time and across the world, we find that people truly can become afraid of anything” (Ringo). This brings back the personal reasons for why people can be scared and sometimes, people can even be conditioned to be scared of something. It is very interesting that one thing can be scary to one individual, but to another individual it is not even a thought as to it being scary. Clowns are one thing that a lot of people find scary, but to me clowns are nothing to be afraid of and is interesting to see the different behaviors when other people encounter clowns. This article did a good job of explaining the universality of fear and why it is thrilling to people in different situations as well as the attraction and fascination that we find in horror. This is very similar to our reading this week “Why Horror?” by Noel Carroll when she discusses “non-narrative examples of art-horror, such as those found in the fine arts and narrative horror fictions that do not deploy disclosure devices, attract their audiences insofar as the object of art-horror promote fascination at the same time they distress” (Carroll 14). When we see something that may be repulsive to us, we are interested and drawn into why it may be that way and start to question things, which is where the curiosity of horror starts to play a big role. Horror uses these psychological questions to draw people in and eventually find out why something is the way it is. Although horror may not be something that people enjoy, like myself, it is very understandable why so many people get drawn in because of how they think, or how they were raised differently.

I am definitely not one for horror movies or shows as I have always shown a strong dislike for them but all of my friends really find joy in the thrill of watching these movies. It was a different feeling for me having to watch this episode but it did definitely peak my interest at times that I didn’t fully understand why. In “Why Horror?” by Noel Carroll, she speaks of this interest, “Thus, the paradox of horror is an instance of a larger problem…that of explaining the way in which the artistic presentation of normally aversive events and objects can give rise to pleasure or can compel our interests” (Carroll 2). It is very interesting to me how something thrilling can keep us interested through many different ways. One example of this is non-diagetic sound, which was seen in the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is when people from different places are getting their voices sucked out of their mouths, and there is an odd noise that is coming from a sound effect put in which is what makes a non-diagetic sound. An example of mise-en-scene is when the scary looking men go in the dorm hall to slice a man open, two are dressed in tuxedo’s and the other two are wrapped in mummy looking dress while all their makeup is done on heavily to make them appear scary looking. The room that they enter is not lit because it is night time in the scene and the scene is shot mostly up above the man that is in his dorm room about to get sliced up but is also on the angles of the scary men’s faces. This is a mise-en-scene because it shows a lot about what the actors were doing with their clothing and makeup, shows the lighting and color, and also shows the camera angles at which it took them to film the scene and shows what is seen in the picture. Finally, an example of diagetic sound from this piece was when the wicked group is talking and praying to odd creatures because it is someone in the scene talking and visible on the screen to see.

The reason that I chose these examples was because all of these contributed to the aesthetic of horror for me because they all made me question what was going on but also peak my interest as to what was going on and why they were doing it. I believe that good horror is supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat and question what is happening next because it is unexpected, which is why this art form is unique from any others that we have studied so far. The different types of sound from the background music and sounds to the direct dialogue between characters in the scene really build the context and keep you interested into what will happen next. The mise-en-scene also contributes by analyzing all that is happening at a certain time and questioning why things happen at a certain time. Overall, even though I may not enjoy scary movies or shows, there is something that peaks my interest into the unknown and keeps me guessing as to what will happen next. This uncertainty is something that we as humans crave to find out and I now see how horror can bring much pleasure to people.