Picture Essays

Will: things that you do or see in the morning throughout the day and into bedtime, specifically probably a younger child
Terri: a day at work and all of the things that she encounters on a typical shift, including her serving duties and the clean-up afterwards
Sam: the places that she visits on a regular basis and the events and people that make up her life and that she enjoys
Ryan: ok so I guess I cheated on this one because I overheard Ryan talking about this project and he said that it was all of his profile pictures from facebook for the last 4 years….but if I hadn't of heard him say that I think I would have thought they were just pictures of the things that he like to do and the activities and people that have made up his life
Roberto: the different places that he visits on a typical day: class, back to his apartment, his kitchen, his room, etc.
Raul: following his friend through his average day of class and into the evening
Mark: the images are of a journey across a snowy landscape and then to a bar afterwards
Octavio: the many faces (and food choices) of Octavio
Liz: the different parts of our body and some of our various emotions
Grace: her morning routine at the gym
David: I really could not find a central theme to this project but after he explained it I thought it was a really cool idea to do
Bill: I think these are images of a girl in her surroundings and visiting the places that have shaped her life and her journey
Dan K: I think that these are images that he drew and his interpretation of what people think of when they see them
Dan B: It appears to be the different parts of a specific instrument and the surrounding tools that one uses when playing that instrument. It includes the audience, the chair to sit on, the music sheets, instruction, a stage, etc.
Cynthia: her life experiences and the people in it as she has grown up, from a baby to where she is at now; These pictures seem to be of people close to her
Adam: He is using a monkey to portray the different things that he does throughout a typical day/week
Sean: a typical night out at the bars and its aftermath
Sara: Well I had an advantage because I’m Sara’s roommate so I already knew what her project was going to be about, but I think it was really creative to show how different magazines target different racial and social groups in their advertisements
Masha: different positions, faces, angles of one of her friends which might represent how people’s emotions and faces change throughout the day

Octavio's Question

The reading mentions that there is no existence of silence, that even when we are alone we hear other sounds- such as our breath. Do you ever think it is possible to achieve silence? Why?

No, I do not think it is ever possible to achieve total silence. I think that even in our quietest moments there is always noise around us that no matter how hard we may try to tune out, it will always be there. In church, even when we are asked to have a moment of silence, there is always background noise: children crying, people coughing, doors closing, etc. When we are locked in our rooms taking time to ourselves, we can not escape the noise that is going on around us: cars, horns, shouting. Also, I think that silence is not just a physical property such as sound, but I think that it also concerns the silence and peace that one feels within their mind. No matter how hard we try to think about "nothing" and take away all thoughts and just sit there, we are then trying to think about nothing, which in the end is still thinking about something. Thoughts are still running through our head. I think that even if we tell ourselves to try to hear "nothing" or think "nothing," there will always be something there that will keep us from reaching absolute zero.

Questions: Tues., Feb 24th

How do you think sound can either enhance or hinder a performance or presentation? Does sound sometimes distract you from the real message that is trying to be conveyed or do music and special effect noises always act as helpful aids to create a better end result?

What are some annoying sounds that you hear on the web or through other technology and why do you think they are there in the first place? Are you easily able to tune these and other sounds out and how do you do so?

Imagine your life without sound. What do you think would be different and what do you think would not really change?

Picture Essay

Ignorance is defined in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary as "lacking knowledge, education, or awareness." So often, people defend their actions by proclaiming that they "didn't know" or were never told how to do something. I think that ignorance is a huge issue that everybody in today's society is accountable for, myself included. It is easier for people to place the blame for their actions somewhere else than just admitting that they were in the wrong and should have been more aware of their surroundings and the circumstances that they were in. That is why I made my picture story of all images of things that depict ignorance in many different situations. Personally, I think that the most powerful and damning form of it is best portrayed in the image that says "Prejudice is the Child of Ignorance." I think that often people are prejudice towards others around them because they lack reliable information about the other person's lifestyle and circumstances that they may face. People restrict their thoughts and outlooks on others based on what they already know and what they may have been taught by their parents or friends instead of opening up to different and more variant ways of living. This strikes a personal chord with me because I have a sister who is often stigmatized by the way she looks due to a disability. People often treat her a certain way because they are not familiar with her condition and so they do not know how to act in a way that is inoffensive and acceptable. I get so angered by people who would rather base their views on people with disabilities off of movies, preconceived notions, and other sources rather than personal interaction with the individual. I think that people should take the time to educate themselves rather than jump to opinions about people that are completely unintelligible and naïve.

Besides being ignorant towards other's lifestyles and feelings, ignorance also takes on many other forms. In my picture story, there are also images of a car accident, a car getting towed, and "No Littering" signs. We often ignore things that are right in front of our eyes, whether we do it deliberately or not. We know that we should not talk on the cell phone while operating vehicles because it may lead to an accident and that we should not park our cars in tow-away zones because we may get towed. Smokers seem baffled and distraught when they are diagnosed with lung cancer even though it says right on the pack of cigarettes "Warning: CIGARETTES CAUSE LUNG CANCER." However, we do it anyways and then blame it on being misinformed or our carelessness after the consequences are already there. We do things that we recognize are unacceptable and then justify it by claiming our ignorance. It is about time that we realize that if we keep "lacking knowledge, education, and awareness," we are not going to get very far. We need to take responsibility for our actions and become accountable for our own lives instead of never admitting our wrong doing and closed-mindedness. As long as we are willing to learn and embrace our own flaws and behaviors, the downfall that everyone shares, ignorance, might become more bearable and minimized. To those who say "ignorance is bliss," it is time to open your eyes.

As I was collecting images for my project, I realized that there are many more forms of ignorance than I originally had thought of. The prototype for ignorance that always came to my mind was of people making wrongful assumptions with no evidence to back them up. However, when I actually had to come up with more examples, I realized the different constructions ignorance can take: parents being unaware of their teenagers action’s, the government being ignorant to society’s needs, tanning bed customers being ignorant to the risk of skin cancer, people ignoring everyday rules such as “no food or drinks,” and many more. I learned that there are many different degrees of ignorance although they all embody the same concept. One thing that was difficult for the essay was that I was not able to use my own pictures for the entire project because some of what I think are the key examples of ignorance, such as genocide and racism, I could not capture. Overall, the beginning vision for my project did not change, but it was expanded on. I came up with many more examples of the theme than I thought I was going to be able to. After reading select chapters from the book “Ways of Seeing” by John Berger, I realized there is never one way to look at a single image or a group of images. Just like the image by Van Gogh which Berger first introduced as being a cornfield with birds, and then as the last painting he created before he killed himself, the interpretation of an image is completely dependent on the individual’s thought processes and the context which surrounds the image. If no explanation or clues are given, an image (or picture essay in this case) is completely dependent on the viewer’s understanding and analysis. Berger touched on the fact that these days we are bombarded with so many images that we are rarely capable of experiencing their entire intended meaning. However, I think that although we might not remember every single image that we come across, there are certain ones that are able to leave a significant impression on us. So whether we are being ignorant to the small issues in our life, such as using cell phones in the library, or ignoring the big issues, such as the decline of our economy or the people who live below poverty level, we need to become more aware of the things that shape all of our lives.

Answer to question: Feb. 17th

Masha's question
2. Has your perception of someone ever change dramatically once you've admitted that you're seeing them through a society-imposed lense?

No, my opinion about someone does not change unless they somehow affect me or make a personal impression on me. I think it is incredibly stupid when people change their views on someone based off of what society tells you to think about them. If I like you as a person, I will like you no matter what other people say about you because the person who is trying to impose their own opinions on you probably doesn't know the whole story anyways. The only time that I might believe what others tell me is when it comes to celebrities. It is hard to ignore what is is being said about someone if it is posted all over the news and magazines. However, I try to disregard these statements because I know that just like with ordinary people, everything that is said about someone is not true.

Questions from Berger: 2/17/09

1. Berger talks a lot about "seeing things" and how we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves. Do you ever take the time to think about the things that you are seeing and why we see them the way we do? What if something that we are looking at looks completely different to someone else who is looking at the same thing?

2. Is there a specific image that you can think of that means something incredibly significant to you, but might not mean anything to someone else?

3. Berger claims that "images are more precise and richer than literature" on page 10. Do you agree or disagree and why?

4. Have you ever seen something in person, such as a painting, that is completely different from what you expected after seeing it in a book or a magazine? Why do you think the camera either takes away or adds value to the uniqueness and appreciation of the piece?

Mark's question

1. Does the typeface an author uses affect the way you judge the work?

Sometimes. If there is a reading that is in a very fun, curly, or different font, I would probably be more inclined to read it. I think that anytime people see something that is more appealing to the eye than the typical font or graphics they are more likely to spend more time looking at. I don't think that I would judge the material any differently if the typeface was different, but there is just a greater chance I would pay closer attention and actually enjoy following the reading. Likewise, if the typeface was very generic and boring, it would be harder for me to follow and I'd actually get distracted easier. When it comes down to it though, I think it all depends on the content of the material. If something is horribly written, it would not matter what typeface it was in, I would still not like it.

Questions for February 10th

What do you think the effects would be on student's learning if the textbooks were written and printed differently, different layouts, different fonts, different pictures, etc., than the standard textbook?

What are some company's logos you can think of that may imply specific purposes or instill certain images in your head?

What is the first thing that you notice on a computer screen or in a book and why do you think that is? Do you notice pictures, the script, charts, graphs, etc. first and do you think the author intended for this to be true?

Stencil Graffiti Assignment

These days, everything is always 'go, go go.' Nobody takes the time to just take a break and relax which I think is a concerning problem in our society. Everybody gets so consumed with their work, family, school, and other obligations that sometimes, we forget that it is actually okay to let ourselves enjoy life once in a while. Sometimes we just need to take a day off from reality and learn to appreciate (and not feel guilty about) time spent doing something pleasurable, or even just doing nothing at all. Businessmen, parents, students, and the public in general often get so consumed with their daily lives that they only look towards what is going to happen tomorrow or the next day and forget to live in the present.

That is why I made my stencil a picture of a pair of flip flops with the word "unwind" wrapped around the bottom of them. I think that flip flops generally symbolize the beach which represents a place that people go to unwind and take a break from reality. It is a place where they can go to get away from their hectic lives and put things back in to perspective--that there is more to life than work and bills and our routine craziness. I put the word "unwind" below the image in a very fun, childish font which would hopefully have a greater impact on people than if I were to do it in a typical font that people see everyday in the office or in textbooks.

I live in North Carolina and over the summer we visit the beach quite frequently during the summer. It is a prime vacation spot where people can go to be with their family and friends. To me, flip flops represent kicking your shoes off and enjoying yourself, "unwinding" if you will. If you go to any of the shops on the beach, you will find flip flops on shirts, flip flops on necklaces, flip flops on towels and pretty much on any souvenir you desire. That is why I think people have come to associate them with the beach which represents a place of relaxation. When thinking about a location to graffiti my stencil, I could not come up with only one place. I think that this stencil would need to go everywhere that people would notice it to let them know that it is okay if they take a break once in a while. I would hope that it would reassure them that someone else thinks it is a GOOD thing to relax and be lazy for a little while. I would put it in gyms, in office buildings, grocery stores, airports and basically anywhere that a plethora of people would be able to view it. There will never be a perfect time to take a break, but if we don't take a minute to breath and relax the stress will just keep building up. There are more important things in life than money; so hopefully while people are rushing to work, worrying about the next deadline or pay check, they will see my artwork and stop to think about the people in their lives that love them. As Natalie Goldberg said, "Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down."