Writing journals
in this Key Questions in Humanities class has been a good experience so far as they
have given me a sense of reflection building and have served as a guide for
collecting my thoughts. Writing my journals in a blogging style is something
completely new for me, as I have never had a blog before and I'm not the most
tech-savvy individual. Each lecture topic was assigned different journal
assignments that involved various write-ups such paragraph and sentence
building exercises, discussion question
responses and reviews. I would have never though I would be writing journals in
university as I have done in elementary school, but this was on another level
of journal-writing. In my high school and in my earlier academic life, I wasn't
adequately taught sentence structure and essay writing so my writing itself
isn't at that university-level yet. I am someone who loves the arts has been
exposed to a lot of art forms throughout my life, and so it is easy for me to express
creative ideas. The real challenge for me was taking these creative ideas and
specifically and critically placing them into written form. The journal-writing
aspect of the course has given me a newfound motivation in creating my own blog
for writing whatever I please. I am also now willing to approach the resources
available in the university to help me with my writing. The fact that the
course is "writing-intensive" has allowed me to approach writing
papers and improving my writing skills overall. The topics in HUMA01 have been
quite interesting and have inspired many though-provoking ideas and concepts
that I would never have looked at.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
JOURNAL ENTRY #14: Short Paper #2
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DEAR IVANA,
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Ivana
Devendran
Professor
Sarah Kleeb
Key
Questions in Humanities, Tutorial #4
Date
Assignment Due: Thursday, February 7th, 2013
The theory of culture industry as a
part of the early critical theory by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer is about
how dominating powers control large masses of consumers through power[SR3]. This
theory is displayed heavily especially in the present age where mainly
everything is technology-driven. Advertising’s role is creating a culture of
consumption[SR4]. Consumers
have always depended on the role of advertising in order to satisfy their
wants, in making decisions of what they want to purchase. The choice of viewing
these advertisements are solely of the consumer’s and can be controlled,
despite its constant exposure on us everyday. Advertisements ultimately reshape
the society where consumers live in and are constantly bombarded with ads
everywhere from television to billboards. [SR5]
The culture industry consists of
mass marketing and media and technology. The producers of products know what
consumers like and want, and utilize advertising strategically to lure them.
Due to the publicizing of products, it grabs the attention of consumers. If
products weren’t promoted in such a way than it would not be effective in
creating sales and getting itself out there[SR6]. This
frequent promotion can be seen as brainwashing or manipulation, but consumers
have the willpower to not give into these promotions. Within the culture
industry there is much influence from individuals especially celebrities or
authority figures, because people want to be able to have that “celebrity
status”. “Out of the norm” consumers exist because not everybody fits the ideal
customer image. There are few consumers in the market that will follow the big
trends partially because the majority of them are buying a product.[SR7]
With the culture industry there is a possibility
that it just a series of misrepresentations that are a deception for the
public. Once a product comes out with an advertisement, consumers don’t really
put much thought into its function. They just go along with the ad’s
statements.[SR8] They
communicate and evoke messages to masses of people and as they tune in,
majority of them tend to follow. They make an impact by creating awareness,
depending on the type of product being advertised. Promoting a product requires
using appropriate values such as humor, fashion, or street credibility. These values provide the consumer with a
certain mindset because they want to possess a particular value and do so by
getting a hold of the product through its persuasive advertising. Consumers
don’t have to want to be charmed into buying because consumers have the choice.
They can choose what path they want to follow. Society is aware of what is
appearance and reality when it comes to advertising and it is a part of their
culture despite if they agree with it or not.
While the purpose of advertising is to help generate trends in a
society, it is also the cause of the breaking of norms that have been a part of
a society. [SR9]
Technology has also taken a hold on the culture
industry when it comes to how much people depend on it to live their lives. It
has made a great impact on the culture industry especially in its advancements
and improvements; consumers feel the need to keep up with this rapid
change. Mass-produced products are
promoted through advertising in order for consumption by masses of people. In
addition technology provides all the people within society equality rather than
a form of hierarchy, which puts everyone on a scale. A fusion of culture and
economy is emerging, and this is known as the culture industry over masses of
people.[SR10] The role of
advertising drives society under the control of dominant powers. If consumption
has made a positive impact on the consumer, then they are satisfied. Thus it
has the power to alter the perceptions of reality of consumers when it comes to
their values and assumptions for better or for worse.
Works Cited
Porter, Kelsey. Horkheimer and Adorno’s Culture
Industry: Loss of Genuine Dialogue
and Variation Due to Media and Mass Marketing, 2009. PDF file.
Adorno, Theodor. Culture industry reconsidered,
1991. PDF file.
DEAR IVANA,
Thanks for your interesting paper.
For this to be a stronger academic paper you need to cite sources and give far
more specifics. Much of the paper felt too general and vague and it was unclear
whether you were presenting your own ideas or those of other people. To make a
clear and clean argument using other sources is a skill, and the next paper
should more directly quote and cite from the sources you are discussing.
GRADE: 58%
Best,
Sarah
[SR6]Ok,
but do you really think the ads actually create the desire? Would people not
want things if they didn’t see ads? I am not so sure…
[SR8]These
are all very general and unsupported statements. To make this paper stronger
you need to be integrating citations and quotations of your sources by now.
[SR10]Unclear—is
this what Adorno means by the term or is this what you think it means? This
paper needs citations and specifics.
Feedback: I felt that after the first essay I realized that what I did previously wasn't going to cut it. I felt that in my second essay it was much better in terms of explaining my arguments, although it still was too general and not specific enough. I was also lacking in how to properly cite ideas into my paper in order for it to be more effective.
JOURNAL ENTRY #13: Short Essay #1
Thursday, 7 March 2013
JOURNAL ENTRY #12: DMG Visit- Entre le chien et le loup by David R. HarperCompleted notes
First Impressions:
Introduction of visit by DMG staff:
- advised everyone to look at the works and try make connections and take in what they were seeing at first glance upon entering the gallery
Works of Art:
(1) Name- "To Remind, or to Warn"
Date- 2012
Medium- Ceramic, polyurethane, felt, paper, cast, acrylic, plastic, enamel, epoxy, pigment, flocking, cow hide, sheep hide, wood
Notes:
- consisted of a white and black wolf raised on two separate platforms
White Wolf: - mounted on a white rock with a taller ceramic foundation than the black wolf sculpture
- white fur with furry long tail pointing downwards
- comes off as more timid
- is surrounded by white urns that hold ashes to symbolize memorializing and remembering
Black Wolf: - its mouth is in an open position as if howling
- it is surrounded by black roses covered in this black plastic so they stay eternal and never wilt
- there is also a grey snake that could possibly represent truth, knowledge or even evil
- seems more aggressive and exudes fear
- symbolic meaning behind black and white
- wolves are well above the ground; assume a high position on authority
- "Alpha" wolf > authority figures
- ceramic bases are lined with felt; individually made ceramic blocks to form the base
- shows the dedication that the artist puts into his craft
- took 2 days to construct the piece
- deliberate lighting to cast shadows to make piece seem to surround the viewers
- there's a sense of realism
(2) Name- "I Tried, I Tried, I Tried"
Date- 2012
Medium- Giclee Print on canvas, cotton embroidery floss
Notes:
- the title relates to history and that the artist created 3 portraits
- printed painting on canvas and meticulously stitched embroidered horse (6 million stitches)
- a reproduction of Napoleon crossing the Alps
- the embroidered horse starts with a black head, rest of body into a grey gradient
- almost makes the horse looks like it is disappering
- stallion connected to glorification and celebration
- Gradient is important to the artist
(3) Name- "A Fear of Unknown Origins (II)"
Date- 2012
Medium- Vitreous china, cobalt mason stain, glaze
Notes:
- masks depicting animal faces; are a child's size of mask
- look like dollar store masks painted in a gradient of light blue to dark blue
- question is what is behind the mask; something cheap to something valuable
- animal masks worn as a tradition in some cultures
- resemblance to mounted deer heads as trophies in rich men's homes
- random assortment of animals
- masking hides identity and what is behind the mask may be the unknown
- stacked in a row like totem pole animal heads
- memorial of animal masks give life and presence
- blue color- reference to sky: day and night
Commentary/ Post-impressions:
-
Beforehand I had looked into David Harper’s
biography and got a bit of insight into his work
- the pieces that were on showcase were very
eye-catching and had filled my mind with so many questions
- Animals were the main focus and the materials
that were used to construct them
- The usage of gradients especially the black,
white and blue used to represent the in-between and seeing things in a
different perspective; Liminality (in-between)
Introduction of visit by DMG staff:
- advised everyone to look at the works and try make connections and take in what they were seeing at first glance upon entering the gallery
Works of Art:
(1) Name- "To Remind, or to Warn"
Date- 2012
Medium- Ceramic, polyurethane, felt, paper, cast, acrylic, plastic, enamel, epoxy, pigment, flocking, cow hide, sheep hide, wood
Notes:
- consisted of a white and black wolf raised on two separate platforms
White Wolf: - mounted on a white rock with a taller ceramic foundation than the black wolf sculpture
- white fur with furry long tail pointing downwards
- comes off as more timid
- is surrounded by white urns that hold ashes to symbolize memorializing and remembering
Black Wolf: - its mouth is in an open position as if howling
- it is surrounded by black roses covered in this black plastic so they stay eternal and never wilt
- there is also a grey snake that could possibly represent truth, knowledge or even evil
- seems more aggressive and exudes fear
- symbolic meaning behind black and white
- wolves are well above the ground; assume a high position on authority
- "Alpha" wolf > authority figures
- ceramic bases are lined with felt; individually made ceramic blocks to form the base
- shows the dedication that the artist puts into his craft
- took 2 days to construct the piece
- deliberate lighting to cast shadows to make piece seem to surround the viewers
- there's a sense of realism
(2) Name- "I Tried, I Tried, I Tried"
Date- 2012
Medium- Giclee Print on canvas, cotton embroidery floss
Notes:
- the title relates to history and that the artist created 3 portraits
- printed painting on canvas and meticulously stitched embroidered horse (6 million stitches)
- a reproduction of Napoleon crossing the Alps
- the embroidered horse starts with a black head, rest of body into a grey gradient
- almost makes the horse looks like it is disappering
- stallion connected to glorification and celebration
- Gradient is important to the artist
(3) Name- "A Fear of Unknown Origins (II)"
Date- 2012
Medium- Vitreous china, cobalt mason stain, glaze
Notes:
- masks depicting animal faces; are a child's size of mask
- look like dollar store masks painted in a gradient of light blue to dark blue
- question is what is behind the mask; something cheap to something valuable
- animal masks worn as a tradition in some cultures
- resemblance to mounted deer heads as trophies in rich men's homes
- random assortment of animals
- masking hides identity and what is behind the mask may be the unknown
- stacked in a row like totem pole animal heads
- memorial of animal masks give life and presence
- blue color- reference to sky: day and night
Commentary/ Post-impressions:
- Taxidermy ceramic, video projection, ceramic
- The works held a lot of symbolic meaning and
could be mad reference to
- In regards to the materials there was a lot of
care and craftsmanship that went into using them to create these pieces:
gradient embroidery stitching, ceramics, and other textiles
- When first seeing the pieces I did not realize
the meaning behind them and found that they were a bit hard to grasp
- With the aid of the gallery attendant Erin Peck
I was able to
- Mastered 3 difficult skills: taxidermy, embroidery, ceramic-making
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
JOURNAL ENTRY #11: DMG Visit Blank Note-TakingTemplate
First Impressions:
Introduction of visit by DMG staff:
Works of Art:
(1) Name-
Date-
Medium-
Notes:
(2) Name-
Date-
Medium-
Notes:
(3) Name-
Date-
Medium-
Notes:
(4) Name-
Date-
Medium-
Notes:
Commentary/ Post-impressions:
Extra general notes:
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