Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Week 8 Assignment - Remixing Culture

innovative
creative
imaginative
skill
design

Friday, May 4, 2007

Creative Spirituality Reflection

1. How do you define “spirituality”?
Spirituality is something derived from a one’s inner self. It is sacred and personal. Spirituality is not something that comes with birth; rather it formulates through personal experience. Religion, values/morals, community, and creativity are major ingredients for an individual to establish a spiritual side. Spirituality is an amazing tool that has the ability to inspire people reach inside. When someone is full of spirit, they are alive! The spirit gives off a contagious energy that can touch others. This occurs from sharing a deep knowledge of a topic, or favorably, through humor. Humor is an intangible that lets people forget about the task at hand, and relax and enjoy life. Spirituality is about good thoughts and sharing those vibes with other people around you to create a comfortable environment.

2. Does spirituality differ from religion?
Spirituality does differ from religion, however, spirituality can be achieved through religion and vice-versa. After attending a Shabbat service, one can become enlightened with the prospect of digging down into oneself through a religious practice. On the other hand, a person that wants to incorporate religion into their spirited practices can do so easily. Spirituality is founded in the mind and body, while religion is based on the history of a people. Religion is a way to expand one’s knowledge, and it will help open-up an individual to diverse cultures.

3. How do you define “creativity”?
Creativity is definitely an individual characteristic. I believe it is a crucial way for people to differentiate themselves. Creativity should be supported because it is the foundation for a progressive and spirited life. Without creativity, humans would not have the internet. Without creativity, humans would not have hybrid cars. Without creativity, the game of capture the flag would not have been created. Creativity is the foundation for innovation. Creativity also helps people grab their feelings and ideas. Who wants to see 1,000 bicycles, by the same brand, and in the same color? I sure don’t! Be creative and put stickers on your bike or graffiti it. Be daring, be different, personalize yourself; show your creativity!

4. What is the source of creativity?
The source of creativity is experience. Creativity is developed from family, peer groups, travel, food, art, teachers, books, music, sports, and not limited to, the mind. Anyone can be creative because all it takes is a little effort and money is not required. An individual can have a creative experience in their head. That experience can then become an essay, lyrics to a song, a hip-hop beat, a painting, a sculpture, or even a new religion. There are no boundaries to creativity, so everyone is entitled to do their own thing.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Week 5 - Aesthetics of Horror Research

1)
Bruce Fletcher, director of the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, is preparing for his annual horror festival called Another Hole in the Head. Fletcher’s festival lasts about one week and is attended by several kung-ho horror aficionados. The festival is dedicated to show horror cinema from all over the world.
Since Fletcher was a child, he has been passionate about horror, “He admits to an uncontrollable blood lust for celluloid depicting ghouls, zombies, aliens and other grotesque beings…” In Noel Carroll’s essay “Why Horror?” she asks the reader, “Why are horror audiences attracted by what, typically (in everyday life) should (and would) repel them?” Throughout “Why Horror?” Carroll explains horror to pleasurable because the narration is suspenseful. The audience is involved with the plot because it awaits the entrance of the big, bad, ugly monster. On page 279, Carroll states, “...the horror story is driven explicitly by curiosity. It engages its audience by being involved in processes of disclosure, discovery, proof, explanation, hypothesis, and confirmation.” Point proven. The narrative is the foundation for the horror. The grotesque horror becomes more acceptable when the story is well established. Fletcher too believes in the same concept, “The point I’m trying to make is that horror and sci-fi lend themselves to daring, experimental, subversive and potentially transgressive filmmaking within a narrative context.” For the hardcore horror film geeks such as Fletcher, take his advice, “The bloodier the movies, the better.”

Stanley, J. (2006, June 4). Oh, horrors! [Electronic version]. San Francisco Chronicle, pp. PK-39.

2)
In this short article, Wes Craven spoke to a film audience about the Starz horror documentary “Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film.” Craven discusses his perspective on narrative within horror films, and how the audience can get a rush from a plot with a thrilling narrative and powerful monster. The newspaper reporter, Tim Goodman, said this:
He (Wes Craven) contemplated how fear of irrational violence makes people seek out a release in scary movies. People don’t go to movies to be scared. They go because they’re scared of something else already, and the horror film when shared with an audience (and, generally, a hero who may win out in the end) gives everyone collective relief.
Berys Gaut, author of “The Paradox of Horror”, refutes Carroll’s theory that there is a paradox of horror. The paradox states, “We enjoy intrinsically unpleasant emotions.” Gaut’s position is to persuade the reader that the “most straightforward explanation of the phenomenon of horror is that sometimes people enjoy being scared.” Gaut and Carroll have interesting theories regarding horror and they use different evidence to support their ideas. After reading both essays, Gauts' reasoning was more convincing.

Goodman, T. (2006, July 12). Listen up, bub. Wes Craven is onstage – let him speak! [Electronic version]. San Francisco
Chronicle, pp. E-1.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Week 10 - Art Experience Assignment

Location: Laverne Krause Gallery, University of Oregon.
Artist: Brendan Newell
Piece: “For Your Protection (Doggystyle)”

This main focus of this drawing is a dog spewing out its bloody red intestines on a kitchen floor. The dogs gut has been filtered through a strainer and flushed out from a lidless blender. On the top of the black dog lies its human-like heart. Brendan Newell is trying to show his audience that the dog actually has a big heart and human beings unethically treat animals only as sources of food. The dog’s penis is replaced with an utter, which is symbolic of a cow’s use to human beings – to provide milk and other dairy products. In the background, there are refrigerators, microwaves, and ovens stacked on top of each other forming the shape of a mountain. These appliances are used to conserve and prepare animal products.
When Brendan Newell was a child, he liked to draw characters from comic books. Although he does not include any copyrighted figures, his work has a comic book style design. After reading a brief bio of Newell, I learned that he became interested in graffiti art as a teenager. In the backdrop of the drawing “For Your Protection (Doggystyle)”, there are etchings of different formations of a crackled print against a dull gray wall. These designs normally contain graffiti writing, but Newell’s decision to not include the street art gave the wall a broken-down, old school style. The kitchen is not upscale; rather it looks similar to a one bedroom apartment, usually the kind of housing an artist starts out with. The fine details are the nucleus that make the drawing special and provide art aficionados with a distinct sense of Newell’s artwork.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Personal Adornment Reflection

When I wake up in the morning, I follow a simple routine that consists of a shower and dress. The shower invigorates me, and my style of dress gives me an extra confidence booster. The way I dress and my lack of body adornment do hold certain personal values. First, my attire is limited because I do not have the means to add to my clothing collection. The clothing I have is for functional and aesthetic purposes. Since I do not condone firms paying employees low wages, placing employees in bad working conditions, and animal slaughter, I try to make an effort to withhold buying from these companies. I believe in a fair transaction that benefits the producer and consumer.
I do not have any tattoos or piercing because they are unattractive to me. I consider tattoo an art because both parties are very involved in the process and that collaboration is unique in the art world. I prefer to look at tattoo designs at a tattoo parlor, rather than on a human beings body because I believe the human body is the highest form of natural art. My body is art without a tattoo or piercing. The process of altering my body in an unnatural way, probably using needles, does not give me any greater incentive.
I make my choices based on personal preferences and growing up in an environment that supports individuality. Over the years, I have slowed my spending patterns because I feel as though one can still dress cool with the bare necessities. I have made a diligent effort to simplify my wardrobe. However, my shoe collection is another matter. I could write a thesis paper about my passion for sneakers, so to out it simply, I am addicted to sneakers!
My parents taught me to take pride in my appearance: hair, facial hair, and clothing. My father is old fashioned, so he prefers formal dress. He wears a suit and tie to work during the week, and it is easy to notice that he gets a moral boost from his dress appearance. When I was younger, my father would call me out for wearing jeans because they are not as dignified as dress pants or khakis. My mother, however, is a connoisseur of jeans. She believes jeans are one of America’s all-time greatest fads. Personally, I could wear jeans everyday for the rest of my life because I like the way they look and they are comfortable. I will not totally disregard my father’s tastes because there are appropriate times to dress more traditional, but on a daily basis, I like to be comfortable and look cool.
My peer community likes to be unique, and that pertains primarily to their dress and adornment. There are several factors that influence dress and adornment, but the most important are music, sports, and culture (religion and ethnicity). My friends like to have a cool demeanor, and they do this by wearing t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, and sneakers. This type of clothing is typically associated with a younger generation that aspires to be at the forefront of the term “cool” and “different”. A trivial amount of my male friends have an ear piercing, while the majority of my female friends have a piercing on their ear, nose, and/or belly button. My male friends are influenced by hip-hop musicians and athletes, and that is definitely one of major influences for them to get an ear piercing. Towards the end of senior year in high school and throughout summer, some of my male friends got tattoos on their arms, shoulders, or back. The tattoos were all in scripted with their grandfather and father’s initials. My peer community has an influence on my tastes and the way I dress, but I always try to remember to do my own thing.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Food As Art Research

1)
Sam Zanze, the owner and chef of Zanze’s Cheesecake in San Francisco, is a master at his art form. Sam’s patience and precision to the art of cheesecake making is what has ultimately made for his success. He enjoys his job because he gets to interact with his loyal customers on a personal level, and because his customers receive a sense of joy and satisfaction from his unique cheesecake. His cheesecakes are known around the world for their fresh taste and long-lasting flavor.
Sam Zanze has been constantly improving the art of making European-style cheesecake for the last 28 years. According to Elizabeth Telfer, author of the essay Food As Art, Zanze is an artist because he is the original creator of the cheesecake that he assembles. Zanze takes great pride in the creation of his cheesecakes, and wants his customers to acknowledge the hard work and preparation that is takes to produce such a masterpiece. Elizabeth Telfer supports this notion when she said, “A cook who has cooked a work of art is not satisfied if the eaters do not notice what they eat.” Since Zanze only puts out 50 cheesecakes a day, four days a week, his supply is extremely limited. His customers show their appreciation for his craftsmanship by their frequent visits to his shop where they re-up on divine cheesecake. The respect between cheesecake producer and cheesecake consumer make the transaction an enjoyable one. In a way, Zanze is a legendary composer, providing his audience the finest of performances. Telfer would conclude that theory because Zanze creates his own recipe. Zanze has made the heavenly-like cheesecakes because it is his way of giving back to his customers. The loyal customers soon become his “friends”, giving a real sense of community to Zanze’s Cheesecake.

Wach, Bonnie. (2007, April 15). Zanze’s Cheesecake. The San Francisco Chronicle,
pp. PK-23.


2)
This article is a review by Leslie Harlib, a food correspondent for the Marin Independent Journal. She recently reviewed a French/California cuisine restaurant called The Caprice, and had a great meal that resembled an art project. The plates were beautifully decorated with primarily fresh garden vegetables and local wild-caught fish. The chef, Greg Sessler, uses his imagination to give diners a unique food experience. Harlib says the “complexity was in the visuals, not the flavors.” Overall, The Caprice the food was good, not great, but the creativity that went into the dishes was magnificent.
After dining at The Caprice, Harlib characterized the risotto as an art project because it contained intricate sauces that were both savory and soothing. Harlib was able to make these judgments based on her aesthetic eating. In the opinion of Telfer, aesthetic eating is eating with attention and discernment, which Harlib does to precision. Sessler has a special ability to arrange a plate in a creative way. It is this creativity that Telfer claim’s “constitutes a visual work of art.” From reading the food review, one can assume Sessler has intended to make his meals relished. In the words of Telfer, “Many meals are intended by their cooks to be savoured, appraised, thought about, discussed – any many eaters consider them in this way.” A cook can receive great pleasure from knowing his customers enjoyed a fine meal that was created and developed through their art and craft, and this is the feeling that Sessler seeks.

Harlib, Leslie. (2006, April 16). New chef brings grass-roots food to The Caprice.
Marin Independent Journal.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Life Values Assessment

Personal Accomplishment
Personal Development
Health
Family
Friendship
Community
Leadership
Independence
Wisdom
Creativity
Integrity
Loyalty
Servce
Security
Enjoyment
Location
Expertness
Wealth
Prestige
Power

My top 5 values (personal accomplishment, personal development, health, family, and friendship) are somewhat similar to the activities I pursued today. Today, I read, exercised, went to economics class, and hung out with friends. I read for enjoyment, and it is a great way to expand my vocabulary. I exercise because it makes my feel good, both physically and mentally. If I exercise in the morning, it provides me with a fantastic start to my day, and it usually gives me a surge of energy. Education, and in particular, school is extremely important to me because it gives me a unique opportunity to learn and be creative, and it also helps me improve my listening skills. I try my best to absorb in the professor’s, as well as my fellow students’ ideas and opinions. Finally, at the end of the day, I was able to spend some time with my friends to talk about life, watch the television show “24”, and laugh it up.
My family believes in several of the life assessment values. I could care less about receiving recognition for my accomplishments, so I would conclude that I am not a firm believer in ‘prestige’. There are so many activities I would like to do: read more, paint, draw, write lyrics, compose beats, start an organic garden, play on a tennis or baseball team, and without boring you, the list goes on. In the meantime, I am training for a 5K run in Eugene on April 29th. The only thing that stands in the way of me pursuing that goal is an injury or a lack of motivation.