Connection: Frank Gehry and Vshow

               This week in class we learned about creating beauty. Last semester was more concentrated on appreciating and learning about beauty. Now we have started to learn how to create our own beauty using the rules of creativity. In order to gain some inspiration for our architecture project, we watched a film on Frank Gehry. Frank Gehry is a post modern architect. It was very interesting to learn his process when creating these gigantic beautiful buildings. He made his architecture on the spot and he made it look very easy, and fluid. One thing that struck me hard was that when one of his fellow colleagues said that the reason why Frank Gehry was so talented was because he understood light. He used natural light to emphasis his work and make it stand out. He used light as a building material. Hearing this, I planned to use similar techniques using light to make our architecture building stand out.

                This whole week I was very busy with the GBS Variety Show. Watching the Variety show numerous amounts of time, one thing I noticed was the lights. The light show and the time and effort put on the lights were incredible. When you look up at the ceiling of the auditorium, u can see dozens of lights. There are spot lights, lasers, colored lights, etc. Thousands of dollars are spent in order to rent these lights. Without the lights, the show look very bland and dull. The lights are what make our variety show different from all the others. The different types of lights give the mood, and emphasize the each individual act. Light is one of the most important prop in order to create incredible beauty.

                Understanding light and manipulating, is what differentiates good quality art from the mediocre. Frank Gehry and Richard Winship, who was designed all the lights, are very similar. They understand the importance of light when creating artwork. The Variety show would not be the same if it weren’t for the lights. Many of Frank Gehry’s buildings would not be as great if it weren't for him understanding the importance of light. Many artists use light to create incredible beauty. Like Frank Gehry and Richard Winship I must incorporate light into my building. Understanding how light bounces off figures or illuminates certain part is what makes some art even more beautiful.  Using light is what differentiates our building from other groups work. 

Blogging around

Change of Mind: Postmodernism

Kimmy, I completely agree to what you are saying. Before I took the class, I had no idea what Postmodernism and modernism meant. I did not know what does concepts were. By learning about these concepts I was able to incorporate it in my daily life. I had no idea Postmodernism and Modernism was everywhere. The movie Devils Wear Prada is just a small example of how these ideas are incorporated everywhere. If you just take the time to look and learn these concepts it will help you understand and appreciate the beauties in life.

Best of the Week: Thinking Philosophically

Ariella, I think what you wrote about was very unique and interesting. It was really cool how you made a connection with what we learned in class to Sophie’s World.  I loved your quote from the book and how you incorporated it to our class. “Wisest is she who knows she does not know.” This statement truly opened up my eyes and allowed me to be content with that which I do not know. I too am now more aware of my surroundings. I realized the importance of questioning and thinking philosophically. The one thing we must do is question. 

iMedia: Postmodernism in music

This week in class we started to learn about the difference between modernism and postmodernism. During the 1850 to 1945 many people thought and tried to express their “inner self”. The believed they must turn inward to find meaning. Modernist composers like Theodor Adorno and artist like Pablo Picasso tried to encourage new thinking.  After 1945 the postmodernist developed a new way of thinking and reinvent many of the arts. The postmodernist believed the world was more multifaceted and believed in complex network of networks. Artist and composers in this era thought in the idea of no absolute truth. Philip Glass, a well known modern composer, demonstrates this form of thinking. In this piece, “Einstein on the Beach”, it really gets to the fundamentals of postmodernism.

The beginning of the piece starts out with a synthesizer playing all alone. Then a choir of voices is added into the lonely synthesizer. They sing a mellow “1234..”. Then a narrator joins the duet making it a trio. The trio goes on for a couple minutes having a conversation. All of a sudden, a violin joins the trio and mans booming voice joins, making it a quartet then a quintet. At this point there are so many parts going on at the same time it is hard to understand and listen to it individually. The beauty of this piece is the complex nature of it. Individually the parts are very simple. It is a synthesizer holding only a couple notes, a violin doing arpeggios, a woman talking, a choir singing “1234…”, but all together it is a complex network of networks. It is too complex to listen to the parts individually, as a whole it becomes breath taking music. He emphasizes the importance of harmony and counterpoints. This piece of music shows a more innovative side of creating music. It is not the classic people hear every day.

When I first listened to this piece by Phillip glass I thought it was very creative. He put together very simple parts into something very complex and beautiful.  They were bits and pieces put together to present a whole. Instead of having a concrete melody, they were mostly harmonies supporting each other and having a conversation. Because of the supporting roles of all the parts in the piece, is what I admired most about the piece. It was not like the everyday songs you hear on the radio. The gradual change of the song from a solo to a duet, to a trio, and on and on is what I thought was very pleasing.

I think this piece can be a metaphor to our current society. Our society today has become very complex. From out ancestors of hunter gathers, there are many new inventions and we have come a long way. Every day we go along our simply life, like going to work or school, but this simple action creates a very complex society. The individual parts in this piece are very simple, but it creates a very complex whole. “Einstein on the Beach” is a very creative piece of artwork. I enjoy this piece very much, and it is not like anything I have heard. The beauty comes from the complex nature of the music. 

Connection: MLK Jr. and Tesla

Last week when we were reading the “Letter from Birmingham jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. we discussed about the importance of standing up to the status quo. So what does it mean to stand up to the status quo? Being able to resist the status quo means that you are going against the existing state of affairs and social norms. In society there is a social norm of rules to live and how to act. Martin Luther King was someone who resisted the status quo and fought for what was right. While many others lived in fear of breaking the status quo, he put his life on the line and was prepared to face all of the consequences to fight for civil rights. He was tenacious in fighting for his end goal.

Someone who is a lot like Martin Luther King is Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla was an electrical engineer and a futurist whose design contributed to the electrical system.  Nikola Tesla worked for Thomas Edison in his early years. When designing his machines he was often shunned and thought of as a “mad scientist” because of his crazy ideas of electricity. His colleagues believed his inventions were not possible and crazy. Nikola Tesla is someone who stepped out of the status quo and explored the outer boundaries of science. Like MLK Jr. He was very tenacious and didn’t care on what people thought. By stepping out of the boundaries that the science community thought was unrealistic, he was able to invent the radio, magnetic fields, and AC motors.

By learning about these two incredible people, and how they resisted and stood up to the status quo, it shows the importance of dreams. Because of MLK Jr. believed all people should be equal and Tesla believed in his ludicrous ideas, they were able to change the world we live in. No matter what society thinks of you, it is important to stand up and fight for what you believe in. MLK and Tesla were both very tenacious people. When they failed, they tried and tried again until they achieved and got there end goals. People must learn from people like Tesla and MLK Jr. and really admire their fearlessness to resist the status quo and be tenacious. As I approach the” real adult world” I must keep in mind the examples set by these two men. If I feel like something is morally wrong I must stand and do what is right. If fear and the status quo keep me from achieving greatness I must look at Tesla. Men like them are the revolutionaries who change the world. 

Blogging around #2

              The Closet-

  Justin V, I completely agree with you. I believe that organization is the key to success. I find myself procrastinating when I do work and try to leave it all until the end. I procrastinate the work does not help and then pretty soon the work become too overwhelming like your closet. I learned to separate the work you do in a time period so it does not become to over whelming. Organization is the key to success and it is important to have a form because this can help you have more time to enjoy things you like.

Imedia-

 Shayne, I totally agree with you. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was horrible thing. It murdered millions of innocent people, but I believe it was necessary to end the war. Although all life is scared it was an inevitable choice to drop it on japan in order to protect the lives of Americans and the American soldiers.  Does pictures were very moving, and really demonstrates the horror of war. All war is unnecessary, but if someone is threatening your family and friends, I believe you need to stand up and protect the ones who are close to you.

Metacognition: My Dirty Closet

                Every day at 6:50 I am searching for my clothes in a rush. My closet it is filled with random clothes from summer tank tops to winter jackets, and numerous dirty clothes I shove to hide from my parents.  My closet looks like a hurricane had hit it. Every day it takes me a minimum of 20 minutes to find decent clothes to wear to school.  For this entry, I wanted to organize my closet in order to make the mornings go a little quicker and smoother.  I wanted to organize my socks, pants, shirt, boxers, jeans, jacket, etc., and organize it by a certain category to make it efficient.  I wanted to organize the clothes by season and pants, shirts, and socks by sub categories.

Whenever I look at my closet I tell myself I would clean it later. There was so much junk in the small amount of space I did not know where to start.  Seeing the mess everyday for months, made me accustomed to the mess and I did not feel the urge to clean it. Before I started to clean my closet I felt lazy and tried to put it off longer. I did not want to clean the piles of clothes, dirty clothes, and the thousands of mysterious items that were hidden in this closet. While folding clothes, tossing the dirty clothes in the laundry, and categorizing the items, all I thought about was trying to get the job done. I did not think about the long term goal of finishing, but the short term goal of folding the next shirt. After me organizing my closet, I felt a sense of relief and a sense of peace. I did not have to think about cleaning my closet anymore and it would make my mornings more productive. Finally cleaning my hideous closet almost gave a sense of joy, because I had finished completing a task I had prolonged for a long time.                 

Doing this project made my mind feel at rest. I did not have to think about cleaning my closet anymore. Cleaning my closet has always subconsciously been on my mind. Although I have accommodated to seeing the mess and not cleaning my room, it has always been in my head constantly irritating me like having a pebble in your shoe. Seeing my closet the first thing every day was not the best way to start off every day. Cleaning my room gave me a sense of relief and I felt like the pebble in my shoe was finally gone.

What I learned from this activity was that my mind works by structured steps. I do not think about the long term goals, but about the short term goals. I am a person who lives day by day and not think about the future. While doing this activity I did not think about the end product, but thought about how to fold the shirt better or wear to put the socks. Thinking about short term goals have pros and cons. I learned that I need to think more about the long term goals and future. By thinking this way would help me become a successful person. Also I learned that overcoming a large obstacle is not that hard and is very reliving. Not thinking about the long term goals results in me to procrastinate. Procrastination is my biggest enemy, overcoming this would help me be successful. 

Best of Week: Human connection and the epicureans

One quote that had always stuck with me was a quote by John Lennon that went, “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.” 

This week in class, when we started to discuss about Hellenism, more specifically the epicureans, this quote magically popped into my head. Discussing about the epicureans made me wonder what it means to be truly happy and pleasurable. The epicureans believed that the greatest good is being happy and pleasurable and the greatest evil is pain. They also believed the way to attain pleasure was to live modestly and to gain knowledge of the workings of the world and the limits of one's desires. Trying to ponder about what makes me pleasurable and happy, the desire to attain pleasure to live modestly and gain knowledge of the working of the world reminded me of Edward Curtis and how photography made him staggeringly happy. My mind became a giant roller coaster ride, one thought leading to another.

            While pondering about Edward Curtis happiness, I realized the importance of human connection and how everyone is somehow connected to one another. Like the shadow catcher bracelet, all these philosophers are somehow connected. Socrates helped developed the ideas of Plato’s and many others.  Although every brain is wired different, we are somehow still very similar. Through Socrates, indirectly or directly, these other philosophers were able to grow their ideas and have their own view of the world.  

             You can see the views of these philosophies from ideas such as transcendentalism to religion. David Thoreau and Emerson ideas are very similar to Hellenism. Transcendentalism expresses the importance the nature of reality and expressing the importance of beauty. Even religion like Buddhism is very similar to the ideas of the epicureans. Buddhist believes life is suffering and that the greatest evil in the world is suffering. In order to endure the pain, desire must be curbed and serenity will help endure. Although Epicurus and Buddha where thousands of miles away from each other they have very similar ideas.

            There are no two humans alike, and every person is wired differently. Although we are very different we are very similar at the same time. By learning about Hellenism and the epicureans it showed me the greater importance of the human connection. An idea from thousands of years ago has the ability to influence anything to this day.