After viewing the murals of the Knight Library, I would understand why there could be such a divide between two sides of whether the art is acceptable or not. I could see both sides of the argument. For my own personal belief the murals in my opinion is a relatively positive one. I feel as if they add some character to the stairwell area of the library and add a large amount of beautification to that particular area. With that, I do believe that it should still be considered to be art. Throughout the reading, “Public Art Controversy: Cultural Expression and Civic Debate,” goes on by stating the definition of what public art is when it explains it by saying, “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—and that dialogue can be contentious” (Doss 6). With that statement, I do believe that the murals fall into place within that definition of what public art should be considered. Looking through the murals, it is in a public place, and is intended for multiple audiences that view it. One issue that does come into play with these murals is that it is often not viewed as reaching out to the multiple of audiences. Doss explains this situation by stating, “increasing number of Americans who want to see their cultural interests represented in the public sphere” (Doss 1). These morals don’t express this though, which often causes argument of whether or not it should be displayed in a public place.

The murals do a great job with the overall idea behind the piece, with it being relevant to its time, place and space. It does a good job expressing the ideas and the developments of arts and science during that particular period of time. Putting it in the library is a good placement because of how the library, just like the murals, has gone through major time periods from the past future and the present.

One thing that these murals make into a great argument of why it should be considered a piece of art in a public area is the fact that it prompts to “further debates about community needs, hopes and histories” (Doss 6). What these murals do is help determine a better discussion between the public of whether or not development has been occurring in our society and what development or progress actually means to all of us. That is what public art is defined as and what it is supposed to do when placed in public areas. It is there because public art “can lead to a larger examination and questioning of assumptions, ideas and concepts” (Doss 6).

Overall, I think that the murals serve as a good place in the community. It shows a historical background that is captured through the murals. I believe it gives the community a sense of what area of progress either needs to be made or already has been made from the past. I don’t believe that these murals should be taken down because of how they represent the past of what society may have been and people should become area of previous issues that were at hand back then. That is why it is considered art, because it brings up the past and the present while at the same time creating controversial conversation for us and future generations to have. I appreciate this piece of art because of how it was created by people who had gone to the University of Oregon and knew this place locally from back in the day when they had been living around this area.

Throughout the article, “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins,” Beverly Jones talks plenty about how not only the graphics but also the Electronic part has drastically changed through its form of art. In Beverly’s writing, the main point of emphasis that she uses for a thesis is when she states, “Electronic and photonic art forms have been and will continue to be influenced by their origins and practices” (Jones 21). This response explains that over time electronic art form continues to change due to the new surroundings that are encountered in the real world along with the advancement of technology that continues to occur in todays new age. Although the art form may change throughout time, it does mention that it will, “…will continue to be influenced by their origins…” meaning that it will continue to use its original form but continue to add on additional pieces of art.

Something that Jones makes a statement about is how historically over time she references how one man by the name of John O’Niell had decided to quit his original job doing other type of art work and decided to move onto a variety of graphic design. John had decided to move on and begin working with games because, “…because he believed that art was important not in itself but only as it affected people. He believed that it had to reach people in a medium they could relate to, in a language they could understand and at a price they could afford” (Jones 26). He believed that art should be used in a way that will influence and affect people rather than just use it as a means for himself and his own pleasure.

How Jones article relates back to what is occurring in the real world in the new age is how the development of technology continues to progress. From what technology used to be from the large televisions to the large computers, to all of the new flat screens that all have high definition, and even the large computers down to the small air Mac notebooks, is all an example of the progress technology has made. The historical example provided above also is a great example of how the art form of technology has advanced over time. Most of the art being used in our generation is for the use of entertainment or enjoyment for people to have. I believe that is the biggest change that the technology art form has advanced to. Dealing more and giving what the people want is what art form of technology has come to, along with who has the newest technology.

Jones, Beverly J. 1990. The MIT Press. Graphics: The Effects of Origins. Leonardo. Retrieved August 10, 2014 from http://blogs.uoregon.edu/aad250shuette/files/2014/05/8-jones-rhmbna.pdf

Remix, Art, Culture, Spirituality, Seeing, Paint, Music, Color, Surrounding, Creativity

1. How I would define spirituality is that it is something that everyone has that comes from his or her inner spirit. I believe that spirituality is something that people live by. People that are spiritual often live by the faith of their deepest values and meanings. Spirituality is an envision of an inner path that people follow that helps them realize the essence of their own well-being.
2. To display an overall difference between spirituality and religion, I would have to say that religion is more based on a group or community that believe in the same thing. Religion often deals more with the people that are included with that same belief or those who are not. Religion does a lot more with different institutions and the talk of religion deals with God. Dealing more with loyalty and rules is what religion is often based off of. On the other hand, spirituality deals more with compassion and often loyalty to justice.
3. Creativity in my own words is an imagination or an addition to an original idea that is put to use. People use it in their everyday life whether it is put into a piece of art or even just a new idea within a conversation between two people. Creativity is often used to solve problems, communicating with others, and entertaining others and us. It can be considered something is added on to something else, because it takes creativity to add on to an additional art piece.
4. I believe creativity comes from every individual’s piece of mind. It comes from what we see throughout the day and what we interpret to be creative. When we create something creative, it often comes from what we choose to see throughout the day and use it as a based idea. To relate it back to artist, many artists often find creativity through either their own imagination or even their own surroundings. Living by a certain surrounding day in and day out will influence a person in a type of way that will give them creativity about that particular surrounding.

After viewing the video “Laws That Choke Creativity,” I would agree on most things that is discussed throughout it, but one in particular that stood out to me was the discussion on the internet. How Lawrence Lessig discussed the internet and stating that it was a terror on the content industry is something that I would agree upon. I believe that it has created  less creativity in the world surrounding us but at the same time has created even more creativity through different technology, and is a gateway to get that creative information out and around the world. That brings me to my question regarding social media. With all the social media going on, do you believe it has created a less creative environment for our generation and future generations? Or that it has rather created a different type of creativity for our generation that is different from what it used to be in previous genreations?

Jane McGonial’s presentation gave out some very valid points about why as humans have evolved so much into becoming obsessed with different video games and why we continue to play them even though they may not serve a purpose to us. She states that what we as humans get in video games is something we don’t in real life, and that is either multiple lives, depending on the game, or just a multiple of chances to try and redo something. The message she gives out is that in the gaming world, it gives us humans a better life than what we actually have. She relates to how in video games we continue to face the problems we encounter in the game because we know that there is a possibility that we will not only get another chance at it, but the chances of us succeeding with the task is what draws us to that fantasy type of life. Some of the feelings that we might encounter in real life when we are faced with adversity can be overwhelming because it truly affects us and our emotions. That is something that we wont face when playing these games, we dont ever get the emotion of having to face reality in those games. When someone fails at something in life, that person will be negatively effect by it emotionally and depending on the situation, could possibly become depressed and out of the obnormal of what they may feel if they had succeeded. In a video game, it is a different story. We dont ever feel that emotion of failure because we realize that it is not real life and have came to realize that it is something that will not affect our daily lives.

Off of what Jane presents in her case about video games, I would completely agree with why we as humans continue to play video games, which is because of how it makes us feel. From personal experience, and playing video games growing up, I used to always like playing them because I could be whoever I wanted in the game. A lot of video games give the option of creating your own personal character and that is one of the main reasons why people enjoy them. Although there is one thing that I would disagree with what Jane presented. Being a guy and having a competitive nature, some video games would often get intense with friends and I. Between all of the competitiveness in the room and all the emotion occcuring because of the game, the room would often get heated depending on the outcome.

On a different note, when I think of video games and a common topic related to it in the real world is the violence that has been occuring between the link of video games being played to much and young teens going out and doing the things that they see in the video game. Do you believe that video games have anything to do with it? If they do, do you think that these kids are losing what they might actually believe reality is and start believing that the video game becomes their own reality?

Throughout the years of my life, obviously much has changed about
myself, and alot of that was how I dressed, not only in the sizes but
also in the different styles that I have chosen to wear throughout the
years. Up until I started to develop a mind of my own to start making my
own decisions, like most little kids, my mother was the one that had
been picking out what I was to wear for that day. Alot of what I wore
consisted of alot of overalls and bull cuts. This decision of wearing
overalls was mainly due to the fact that it seemed to be the style for
little kids my age throughout that time. Over time, and once I started
to dress myself, I would often start wearing alot of shorts and tee
shirts that had to do with sports. I believe that wearing shorts was due
to the fact that I liked to be comfortable and the Sports tee’s were
worn becuase of how into sports I had been getting and started playing.
As I started to get older and times started to change, I was often seen
wearing Jeans with converse shoes and again, alot of sports tees. I
start wearing this change of clothes because of how everyone else around
me started to wear alot of jeans and pants. Nowadays when I get dressed
for going out or just to go out in public places, I will either be
wearing jeans or kahki shorts, with either a nice button up or polo. Now
when I am at home and relaxing, I usually wear something light and
comfortable. I think some personal beliefs that come into play with me
and my clothing options are due to what I find not only comfortable but
approachable to people. I have always believed that first impressions
mean alot, so wearing something appropriate and acceptable in society is
something that I value when it comes to clothes.

Like the previous statement, my families values and beliefs have alot to
do with what is accetpable to society. Dressing appropriate to different
occasions, along with staying up to date with the most recent fashion is
something that we value. Our families clothes are usually neat and clean
because we also value items that we have boughten in the past and
respect ourselves enough to appreciate wearing something nice.

I think some of the values of my peer community reflect alot on what I
believe in. Most of my peers usually stay up with the current fashion
and keep things neat and comfortable. Most of my peers will usually get
dressed up and look nice and apropriate due to the same belief as me
that first impressions mean alot to society. I also believe that my
peers value having good body posture and often keep their head up and
make eye contact because they are big believers in respect and think
that are large components in gaining peoples respect.

1. Woodruff, A. (2014, January 24). Soba: More Than Just Noodles. . Retrieved August 3, 2014, from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/21/264399896/why-soba-is-more-than-just-food-its-an-art-form

2. What the article that I had been reading was about a Traditional
Japanese Cuisine known as Washoku. The main point about this article is that it discusses how hard it is to find in the United States and also discusses how one woman in Los Angeles is trying to bring back the Japanese Culture one of the more famous plates in its culture. To do such a thing, the woman has been organizing various cooking classes around the Los Angeles area. The article discusses that although finding Washoku isn’t the thing that’s hardest to find, but it is rather the authenticity of Washoku that is hard to find.

3. One of the main problems in this article is the fact that the
authentic of Washoku is difficult to find in the United States due to
the fact that there are different types of noodles being used for the dish. In the United States, we often see that the noodles in the US are made mostly of wheat flour. While on the other
hand, in Japan, the key ingredient is buckwheat for the noodles. People from Japan that come to the United States are often disappointed and rather upset with how the States often butcher their Japanese culture behind Washoku. The way Soba had started out and got to Japan is what enriches the culture behind the famous Japanese dish. “Soba, Sakai says, “came to Japan as a porridge, and the Buddhist monks who studied in China had it during their long meditative journeys. And they brought it back to Japan, and the people in Japan turned it into noodles” (Woodruff, Soba Is More Than Just a Food, 2014).

In relation to the previous articles read for this particular topic of Food as an Art Form, I believe the article places a good example of an aesthetic reaction to certain things such as the taste or smell of a
particular food item. “Second, as with the other examples of aesthetic
reaction, we can distinguish liking the taste and smell
of food from approving of it instrumentally on the grounds that it is
nourishing, fashionable or produced by politically respectable
regimes. Likewise, we can distinguish the person who enjoys his food but does not notice what he eats, from the person whose awareness is more vivid–the latter reaction being the only one which is characteristically aesthetic” (Telfer Pg.4). This relates back to the Japanese culture because those who recognize what is behind the cuisine can consider it an art form as well as those who recognize the difference from the dish when it is made in the United States or in Japan.

1.

Tartakovsky, M. (2012). Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 4, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them/

University of Chicago Press Journals. (2007, July 31). Why Do People Love Horror Movies? They Enjoy Being Scared. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 3, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725152040.htm

2.

The article, Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate
Them, discusses why there are people out there that enjoy horror films. A lot of what is stated is that a lot of it is due to the excitement that people get from watching horror films. The psychological viewpoint is that people know that they shouldn’t be enjoying the horror films but do because of the reverse reaction that they get. The fact that they feel the adrenaline rush is what attracts them to the horror films. Another reasoning that this article gives about the enjoyment of horror flicks is that some people are just wired differently from the rest. Some people enjoy the adrenaline rush more than others do, stating that 10 percent of the population gets enjoyment from the rush. Another topic was based on the fact that a lot of the horror films are very well made movies that have a rich background or story to it. People might enjoy the movie because of the fact that it is very entertaining and it does have a good story to it and is considered a novelty.

In the second article, Why do People Love Horror Movies? They Enjoy being scared, discusses the feeling that people get after the movie. The people that do enjoy the movies will often find it having a good time, while those that don’t find enjoyment out of the movies will not find themselves having a good time and will not want to see another. This relates to things such as having a good time with friends, most likely you will want to go back to those same people because it created a good memory for yourself. Same with the horror films, if you feel excitement at the end of it, one will most likely go back for more. One study found in this article was that men enjoyed horror flicks more than women. This is so because men see scary films as a good movie to take a date to. They often seek for that physical closeness women often are depicted to do when scared. Men are often seen as being the brave ones in society, so for them to admit that they like horror films makes them feel more acceptable to society rather than looking like a girl who is supposed to be scared of horror films.

A couple things that relate the two articles from above to the reading about horror films was how the reading discusses the enjoyment of a film due to the events that occur in it. “Thus, it is not the tragic event in itself that imparts pleasure, but rather, the way it is worked into the plot” (Carrol 77). This relates back to my second article about how people often enjoy a horror film due to the fact that the story behind the plot can often be entertaining. Often the plots in horror films are filled with things people can only imagine happening to them and make them feel a certain way because of the creative juices flowing through them during a film. “Some people turn to scary movies because they’re novel. All of us are wired to pay attention to anomalies in our environment, Sparks said. Since danger disrupts routine, curiosity about change is important for survival” (Tartakovsky, Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them). The reading for this relates back to my first article as well when it discusses how curiosity plays a large role in why people enjoy the films.  “It engages its audience by being involved in processes of disclosure, discovery, proof, explanation, hypothesis, and confirmation” (Carol 279). What this statement is saying is that people enjoy horror because it makes people get their creative juices flowing, and keeps people entertained because of how the audience doesn’t know what will happen next. “This novel approach to emotion reveals that people experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously —  people may actually enjoy being scared, not just relief when the threat is removed. As the authors put it, “the most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful” (Chicago Press Journals, Why Do People Love Horror Movies, 2007).