For my response, I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and create my own artistic version of the Runquist Murals. While the paintings depict  the evolution of the arts and sciences, they also illustrate many controversial notions that we as society no longer accept. For this reason, I chose to make my response a collage of the advancements in human rights, titling it “Development of Equality”. Below is my attempt at an evolutionary tree representing the changes in human rights in America.

Development of Equality

(start at bottom, rotates to the top)

Panel 1: This photo represents women’s right for equality, specifically the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibited unequal pay for males and females doing similar work.

Panel 2: The portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. represents the Civil Rights movement, as well as the success with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited discrimination against race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or origin upon hiring.

Panel 3: Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. This Federal Employment Law prohibits the discrimination against person age 40 and older.

Panel 4: This photo of a disabled citizen represents the inequality people with disabilities face, which included simple things like access to a building. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 protects disabled citizens against discrimination, as well as enforcing their rights to access public building. Government buildings are now required to have wheelchair accessibility, as every place should.

Panel 5: Getting into much more recent equality rights, this photo represents Gay Marriage Rights, which has successfully passed in 37 states, allowing same-sex marriages to occur.

Panel 6 and Panel 7: I chose to use two panels to represent transgender rights because I feel as though it is a newer topic. Transgender rights are an attempt to rid society of gender stereotypes, including gender pronouns. Steps that have been taken  to support these rights include, but are not limited to: allowing transponders to use the bathroom they identify themselves with, the use of the pronoun “they” rather than “he, she, him, or her”, as well as many other up and coming improvements.

Keywords: inspiration, passion, breathtaking, creativity, and unique

I chose these keywords for the basis of my collage because to me, with the exception of breathtaking, these words can be attributed to all forms of art. In the reading, What is Art For, author Dissanayake refers to the era of Modernism, and how interpreting what art is became more of an opinion. Based on her definition of Modernism, I would argue that my image falls under that category because the photos I chose have an emotional tie to my definition of art.

In the reading, the author described how value in the economy is “most likely to be generated by competition” (89). The author, Lessig, further explains this idea by stating that copyrights put constraints on such competition. What I believe the author is referring to in these statements is that by copyrighting material, you are preventing new music from being made. While the argument is made that much of this new music isn’t worth listening to because amateurs create it, the author follows that argument with a comparison of remixes to blog posts. Remixing and blogging are done on both an amateur level and a professional level. From an amateur perspective, blog posts allow them to express their creativity, which is why they should be allowed to engage in remixing as well.

In the video clip, Can I Get an Amen narrated by Nate Robinson, Robinson explains how an old, popular song led to an advancement in the music industry. In the 1969 hit, Amen, Brother, there was a drum sequence that is now known as the ‘amen break’. The amen break was resuscitated out of the song using a sampler, which allowed for the break to be used in other work, especially in the hip-hop industry. This example of sampling exhibits how a small piece of a song can have such a large effect on music as a whole. It backs up Lessig’s point on how remixing benefits creativity.

The Grey video is another example of how powerful remixes and sampling can be. By combining a unique mix of Jay-Z and The Beatles, DJ Danger Mouse created an original album, which he called The Grey Album. An issue that occurred with the release of this album was with the copyright owners of The Beatle album. While Jay-Z’s material was actually released for the purpose of creating mash-ups and remixes, The Beatles copyright owners did not share the same view. In the end, this event led to the protesting of The Beatles copyright holders, where multiple internet servers participated in a 24 hour free download of the album, making it the number one album in the United States for that day.

Both videos are strong examples as to why remixes and mash-ups are of high value. While I don’t think copyright laws should be completely eliminated, I would argue that they could be reduced or limited. I think an artist’s material is their own material, and that if another artist wanted to use existing material, they are entitled to do so assuming they give credit where credit is deserved. I believe by allowing other artists this privilege will lead to creations of new work, potentially better than the original material.

In the reading, “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” by Beverly Jones, I identified her thesis as, “…I hope to establish the relation of specific image, object, event or environment to conceptual frames.” (Jones 21). She develops this by comparing the frames that exist within art and technology with the frames present in symbolic and material culture.

A historical example that Jones illustrated in the reading was on page 25, where she discusses how by the late 1970’s, artists were using computers as preparation for their work. To me, this example characterizes her thesis by explaining how artists adapted new technology to their own culture. Artists took computer graphic design and would use this technology to determine what medium would work best for their work.

In today’s culture, technology has advanced immensely, and the art community has used that to their advantage. In a BBC article by Eyal Gever, she explains how artists use technology to not only create their work, but to promote it as well. One example she used was the general use of 3D printers to make sculptures, comparing these to more historical sculptures. A more specific example the author provided was by artist Ollie Palmer, who created a piece called “Ant Ballet”. In this piece, he used synthetic pheromones to direct the way ants moved and created light show from it. In doing so, Palmer created a completely different form of art. The author explains that technology should be used “as a base for bold new directions” (Gever), meaning such improvements in technology should positively reflect on the art world. Another strong example of this would be artist Aaron Kobin, who created art from flight patterns across the United States. He applied various colors to different times, destinations, and other categories to create multiple works of art. In addition, he also used a time lapse of air traffic in North America and created a short video as a work of art. Kobin is a strong example of how advancements in technology lead to various new forms of art and new opportunities.

Jones, B. J. (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins. LEONARDO: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, pp. 21-30.

Gever, E. (2012, October 4). Tech & art: Engineering the future. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-19576763

Aaron Koblin – Flight Patterns. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.aaronkoblin.com/work/flightpatterns/

Technology appears to be limitless; constantly improving in new ways that seemed impossible just years ago. The author described such improvements in the medium of computer graphics as “dramatic and rapid” (Jones 21). One of the clearest examples that exemplifies the advancement in computer graphics is the video game, Super Smash Bro’s. This game was originally made for the Nintendo 64, with pixel-characters, but is now made for the newer, more advanced gaming systems and much more detail in the visuals of the game. A question that I arrived at after reading this article refers back to page 27, when the author discusses the idea of screen less theaters, meaning movies would become a virtual reality experience. My question is wouldn’t something like this have potentially dangerous mental effects on a person? Offering someone an escape from their reality to a virtual one that feels just as real poses the risk of attachment to the virtual reality, especially if one is unhappy with their current life.

1. I would define spirituality in two ways; the first way would be having the belief that there is a greater power at play that is greater than oneself. My second definition of spirituality would be having awareness of your purpose and meaning in life. My first definition stems from religions, while my second definition is from personal experience. My aunt, who passed away 3 years ago, was an extremely spiritual person. She believed everything happened for a reason, people had a path that they are meant to take in life, among other faithful beliefs. She was not, however, religious by any means.
2. My second definition adequately answers the question of whether or not spirituality differs from religion. I think that when one is religious, they are spiritual because they believe in this higher power. I think it can differ because one can be spiritual by believing in miracles and destiny, but not necessarily a God. I would argue that there is no correct answer to this question, because it depends on the reasons behind why someone is spiritual.
3. I define the term creativity as the use of one’s imagination to produce original ideas. Creativity is unique to individuals; for an artist, creativity is present in their artwork, but in a doctor, creativity is present in their solutions to difficult health problems. There can be many forms of creativity, just like there are various forms of spirituality. Differences in creative thoughts just depend on the person, their background, and their way of thinking.
4. I would argue that the source of creativity depends on the task at hand, or as the author stated in the reading, the formulation step in the creative process. As an artist, one would become creative about a subject to create a piece of art. As a researcher, I think the use of the cognitive thinking is involved, assisting in problem solving by arriving at creative solutions. Both types of situations would use the creative process to come to their conclusions.

In the reading, The Mission of Art, the author characterizes the differences between looking and deeply seeing. With looking, or observation, we glance upon things casually, and chances are we won’t remember those types of moments. For instance, walking to class, I see dozens of other people, but I am not focused on them at all. If I look in someone’s direction that I am unfamiliar with, it more like I am looking through them rather than at them. However, when I see an acquaintance in a crowd of unfamiliar faces, that’s all I see. The author stated, “When deeply seeing, the object of our contemplation enters our heart and mind directly” (72). Applying this quote to my scenario, my object of interest would be my friend that I am passing on my way to class.

A question that I had from the reading regards chakras. I am confused as to what the energy is that they mediate. Is it referring to spiritually energy, for instance, good and bad vibes? The author refers to something as “subtle energetic vibration” (95), but I was confused if this was an actual scientific thing.

There are many arguments as to why people enjoy watching horror films. In the article, “Why disaster movies can cheer us up”, author Ariel Leve begins by examining the differences between the expectations one has a child versus that as an adult. The simple version of it is as a child, we have unrealistic expectations; we believe in fairy tails and happy endings. As we grow older, those expectations shift to more realistic things, such as things not working out the way you want or planned. She connects these expectations to disaster films, which involve situations such as natural disasters, by stating that people like to have a means to handle uncertainty. What this means is that it is enjoyable to see things work out in the worst types of situations. For example, in War of the Worlds, aliens invade Earth and capture and devour humans, attempting to annihilate them all. This is a genuine fear for some, and in the film, a father saves the world from further destruction by taking out the main alien. His entire family ends up surviving and making it across state lines, and for many viewers that gave them a sense of relief that if something like this were to actually happen, there’s hope for survival. Specifically, the author states that “It offers us a little security in an insecure world.” (Leve). Another theory that the author suggested is that there is an effect called “downward social comparison” that comes into play with these films. Downward social comparisons refers to when people feel bad about themselves or their lives, but then feel better once they view a film where someone is doing a lot worse then them.

Lucy O’Brien, author of “The Curious Appeal of Horror Movies”, brings different arguments to light when it comes to why horror appeals to us. She begins by explaining how there are so many more reasons why horror should not be successful, such as low budgets, unknown actors and actresses, not kid-friendly, and most people do not have the stomach for them. One theorist that she introduces suggested that everyone is fundamentally insane, and viewing horror films allows us to purge on that insanity. While this is one theory she suggested as a possibility, her main thought was that the enjoyment was powered by curiosity. In a study conducted in 1994 on horror fanatics, participants were shown a video of real life gore, such as slaughtering animals and surgeries. The study concluded that 90% of the participants were unwilling to watch the entire film. The difference between this film and horror movies is one main thing, and that is that the video they were shown was real. It appears from this that we enjoy abhorrent fiction because it is unrealistic. Seeing terrible things happen to living beings is not enjoyable, nor should it be. The enjoyment is triggered by a curiosity for the unknown.

In the reading, author Noel Carroll viewed this debate from various perspectives. He focuses on more monster horror, which is closely related to the points suggested in the article by O’Brien. Monsters are unknown because they do not exist, at least not the monsters Carroll refers to in the reading. Because these things are unknown, people become engulfed in the idea of “what if?”, which is what might drive the enjoyment in horror. Specifically, “…horror story is driven explicitly by curiosity.” (Carroll 279). Carroll and O’Brien both argue that there is a desire to learn about things that are so unknown to us. Like the study concluded in O’Brien’s article, people who enjoy horror do not enjoy real life horrors and tragedies, which is why I would argue that this contradicts with the point in O’Brien’s article that stated that everyone may just be fundamentally insane. To me, that would indicate that people enjoy watching any type of horror instilled on others. In relation to the disaster films article by Leve, Carroll brought up a different perspective on it, explaining that because those situations are plausible, but unrealistic, it gives many a sense of relief that it has not happened to them. This is closely related to the term of downward social comparison; people would be cheering themselves up at the expense of others troubles. I think Carroll failed to bring up the point that Leve did, in that people can also relate to these films, and they feel like their situation is okay because they are not alone. I don’t believe there is any one reason as to why people enjoy horror films, however I would argue that curiosity is the strongest reason to me.

Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (Eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., pp. 275-294). New York, NY: Routledge.

Leve, A. Why disaster movies can cheer us up. (2011, August 9). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from https://psychologies.co.uk/culture/why-disaster-movies-can-cheer-us-up.html

O’Brien, L. (2013, September 9). The Curious Appeal of Horror Movies – IGN. Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/09/the-curious-appeal-of-horror-movies

In the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there were many examples that contributed to the aesthetic of horror for the show. A strong example of non-diagetic sound to me was the scene at 13:24. The mood of the show is immediately shifted from the light conversation the two male characters were engaging in. The mood was changed through the use of mood music, specifically very deep, ominous tones which creates a dark, creepy atmosphere. I would also argue this scene is a strong example for mise-en scenes. The visibility of only the hands, accompanied by the eerie music gives a strong sense of mystery. The added lighting and well as the pale makeup on the mystery hands resembled moonlight, giving the scene a unsettling vibe.

As far as diagetic sound, finding an example that contributed to horror aesthetics was difficult. This is because the evil creatures in this show stole their victim’s voices, therefore there was no sound. However, the scene at 32:45 had me on the edge of my seat. As the victim ran from the creatures, although you couldn’t hear her scream, you could hear her running and pounding for her life on the doors. This created an extremely suspenseful moment, as well as terrifying because the creatures are extremely disturbing. The creatures themselves in every scene are examples of mise-en-scenes. Their pale makeup and permanent smiles, as well as the floating and use of props develops a sense of fear in the audience, allowing aesthetic reactions to occur in response to the horror.

Throughout my life, I have always been very indifferent regarding body piercings and tattoos. I have experienced a variety of situations where I have enjoyed a piercing or tattoo, as well as times where I have disliked them. My opinion on the subject is dependent on the reasoning behind the alternation. Non-permanent alterations, such as clothes, hair, and makeup, are much more socially accepted and common in the United States. As Sanders stated in Customizing the Body, “At the simplest level, clothing and fashions are adopted in order to display symbolically gender, social status, role, life-style, personal interests, and other identity features” (Sanders, 4). I often view these types of alterations as self-expressive. When it comes to more permanent body modifications, such as piercings and tattoos, I tend to make the conclusion that the person receiving these modifications is seeking attention. However, making this conclusion depends on the reasoning behind the modification.

Personally, I don’t think making permanent adjustments to your body is ever a good idea, but especially when they are made to your face. I know this belief is due to my mom, who has always been supportive of anything I want to do with my body, with the exception of piercings on my face. When I first came to the University of Oregon, I noticed many girls had nose piercings, and to me it was an attractive look, so I highly considered getting one. I remember my mom getting extremely worked up about the fact that I was going to put a hole in my face. It wasn’t the piercing that bothered her, just the placement I had chosen to get it. She had taken me to get my ears pierced a couple of times, and she had even offered to get me a tattoo, but the difference was that I could hide my ears with my hair, and a tattoo with my clothing. I now understand her opinion on it; it wasn’t that she didn’t like the look of the nose ring, but rather she knew others may not like it and she didn’t want that to negatively affect my lifestyle. She was afraid I wouldn’t be taken seriously, and while that was her opinion, I fell into agreement with her.

Another value I adapted from my family was to not act on impulse. This required me to think on choices that resulted in permanent outcomes, and an easy way to do that was for me to think to myself, “10 years from now, would I be asking for the same thing?”. This way of thinking has prevented me from getting a tattoo. There have been many moments where I have deeply considered the idea; something as simple as a short quote that made me feel better. I knew if I were to get a tattoo, I would place it on a hidden part of my body that would be covered by daily, casual clothing. What stops me is thinking back to 10 years ago, which would make me 12 years old, and asking myself what kind of tattoo I would get as a 12 year old. The tattoo selection I would have had at 12 would have been soccer balls and the name of my elementary school crush, which are very different from my current goals and interests. From here, I think into future, and that maybe by the time I’m 32, the quote I got permanently inked onto my body at age 22 will be meaningless..

While I choose to use this thought process in regards to body modifications, I understand the desire to do it. As I stated in the beginning of my discussion, I often view wild tattoos and piercings as a cry for attention; however, I do believe there are deeper reasons for them. Referring to the PowerPoint presentation, there are various reasons for people to alter their bodies in permanent ways, one being the shock value. This is closely related to my belief that these alterations are an attempt to receive more attention. In my people watching assignment, I talked about a woman who had various facial piercings and facial tattoos. I don’t think there could be a better example of shock value, and I also don’t see another reason for this woman to do that to herself. While I don’t agree with this reasoning, I do understand it.

Another reason, which is a more positive opinion on the matter, is for representation of something. I’m not sure how this would relate to piercings, but with tattoos, the tattoo often represents something of great importance to a person. What tattoos could represent is endless; from grief to motivation, or even something more specific. These are the instances where I feel I am more accepting of wanting to make a permanent make on your body; a constant reminder of something important to you. I have a close friend who had made many mistakes in her life involving drugs. She cleaned herself up, and today is living an extremely healthy lifestyle. She has the date she entered a rehabilitation facility tattooed on her chest, near her heart, which she claims represents the day she decide to live.

I have no doubt that my family values influence the way I judge body modifications. I grew up with a very small family, and most of the older generations were on the conservative side and looked down upon any permanent alteration to your body. My mom was the family member to branch out; while she didn’t alter her body in any permanent way except standard ear piercings, she was much more accepting of what people chose to do. My opinion is most closely related to hers, but I would argue that I am even more open to it. There’s many things I don’t agree to doing to myself, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I care if other chose to do so. I think people have a right to express themselves however they chose, I would just argue that many people think of these expressions in only the short term, and neglect the long term consequences.