Collective Identity:
The year has gathered many ideas and art projects as students have worked alongside one another becoming more familiar with each other and the surroundings. This progress seemed to be growing exponentially with the flow of ideas encouraging other students. As progress mounted, it seemed to be building up into the art show as a culmination of the best projects and ideas.
Often, the direction behind the art was left into the hands of students with the gently nudging of Mr. Miller. This direction was not compromised too harshly leaving much room for freedom which in turn found a direction carried by the entire class. With Mr. Miller leading the art show layout, direction was put into a new spin yet lost no steam of the students’ own creativity.
While setting up the art show, students worked together more so than ever. First the setting up of panels required a team of able bodied students working together. After this, the creativity began to flow and shine. It was easy to control how the art would be displayed being limited by space, appropriateness, and their own imagination only. As more and more art began to crowd the art show, there was a growing camaraderie. Students were helping each other with ideas, plans, setting up, etcetera to create one single art show bringing the art department together in display.
Conceptual surveillance:
The first task in the project involves gathering NASA supplies and a variety of physics professors to create a wormhole generator. The generator must be compact enough to fit into a type of satellite and spacecraft. The next process is to create a telescopic lens that unfolds. The lens must be incredibly large, at least the diameter of two whole earth sizes yet able to fold and fit into the spacecraft. For this we will hire a team of origami masters and see how things unfold from there. After these two tasks have been completed, we will need a camera that is able to film what the telescope is magnifying. Lastly, a spacecraft able to carry the supplies into space.
After lift off, the rocket will hurdle into space and after the craft makes it well out of earth’s gravitational pull, the wormhole generator will be initiated. The wormhole will bend space-time so that the spacecraft can travel light years away from the earth. The reason for this is that it is simply impossible to travel faster than light and in this project, getting ahead of the light years is absolutely necessary. Before all of this, however, a group of mathematicians and physicists will be needed to determine the direction we launch the spacecraft. The ship will travel roughly forty seven to forty eight light years away from earth and once the spacecraft reaches it’s destination, the telescopic lens will unfold to capture the light from earth. The light from earth will be around forty seven years old and through the magnification, the camera will record earth’s past. If there are any obstructions in front of the light, unfolding mirrors will redirect the light towards the spacecraft. The reason for traveling forty seven light years away from earth is because it is not too far for testing out the project and that if everything pans out accordingly, we can see if there was anyone on the grassy knoll when John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
My rationale for this project is that cameras have recorded many things but with this technology, we will someday be able to capture on film what has never before seen.
Art Room Surveillance Log: 4/23/10
I gathered my clothing and found a small bag to carry some items with me. I fear that I am running out of time. It is early and I am stealing five items of this strange society with me. I’ll write about my escape soon.
The escape was successful! I ran into the creature’s room and was able to climb on top of some large structures and saw the bubble. I jumped through holding my breathe and swam out of the door closing it behind me and proceeded to swim upwards. I was received by a very satiated Tippy. I climbed onto her back and we walked far away from this experience as I attached each item i stole to my sketches of the creatures.
Art Room Surveillance Log: 4/22/10
Today I have discovered something possibly grizzly and am trembling. As I surreptitiously investigated the leader’s rectangle early in the morning, I found strange pictures of myself being cooked. I quickly made it back to my room and tried to calm my head. I do not understand the color pictures but I feel unsafe and have been in my room since they have been found. I will gather my things tonight and leave as soon as possible in the morning.
Art Room Surveillance Log: 4/21/10
As I woke up in an unfamiliar place, I came to remember the preceding day. I decided that this day would best be spent studying the docile creatures as they work. Their culture was oddly familiar, yet strangely more advanced than mine. It appeared to me that many of the creatures were creating some form of art. Some were starring at large glowing rectangles hitting all types of buttons and moving around some bar of soap with a tail or wire. Others were using a weird form of writing utensils and paint brushes. Their art did not take on any of the characteristics of any culture I had ever seen and sometimes seemed confused and looked nothing like an observation. After what first appeared to be a place with no structure, I at last recognized the leader. (I have created sketches and will not add descriptions of any creatures, see sketch five for the leader) He would ever so often talk to the other creatures and show them moving pictures on a large wall. Towards the end of the day, I had an ominous feeling looming over me as the creatures seemed to act furtive and looked at me with a different glint in their eyes. I went to bed cautiously.
Art Room Surveillance Log: 4/20/10
After awaking from the best sleep I had ever had, I found a spring in which to bathe. The water was so clear you could see straight to the bottom, and there I saw a glimmer that caught my eye. I jumped into the water and opened my eyes to better look at the glimmer and was surprised to find that I could see as clear as day and my eyes were not irritated. As I swam deeper and closer to the object, I could make out what appeared to be a door. When I reached the object I could see that it was in fact a door. I opened the metallic door with relative ease and swam through. There I saw what appeared to be a bubble of brobdingnagian proportions. Although the surrounding water was remarkably clear, I was unable to see what was passed the bubble and decided to investigate. I swam through the bubble and noticed that the bubble had not popped as I fell onto something hard. I looked up to see dozens of creatures starring at me. I nearly fainted from their appearance let alone that they were inching ever closer. They noticed how frightened I was and seeing that I was no threat, they acted kindly towards me. Although they spoke in some other language, that to me seemed like glossolalia, they were of terrific assistance. I was out of breath and noticeably exhausted prompting the creatures to lead me into a small room. In this room were many odd objects and a bed which I immediately took to and fell asleep in complete comfort.
Art Room Surveillance Log: 4/19/10
As Tippy and I traveled out of India heading southwest, I was in awe. The ground shook with tremors on every step Tippy took. The bamboo jungle bowed to us with every animal in accordance. Mist permeated the dense jungle as the day soon faded to night. I could feel Tippy growing tired and after finding an extremely large grazing area for her to feast, I called it a day and set up camp.
Art Room Surveillance
Prompt: What are the ethical differences (if any) between the surveillance of objects/property and living subjects?
When looking at anything, a person is, in some respects, obligated to an occurrence that enfolds before them. It is implied that if there is some distress that you are able to prevent, it would be viable to help because if you allow something to happen, you are somewhat responsible for the outcome. The ethics differ when comparing objects to humans and even animals, however. An object is unbiased, and as such will not mind or know that it is being looked at simply because it can’t. Animals may know they are being watched but depending on the circumstances, will often remain apathetic. For some animals, being watched is a threat to be challenged, while for others it is dangerous provoking them to scatter. Humans are different in that most will not want to be watched without their knowledge or consent. Reasoning can vary greatly on why someone would not want to be watched. If an individual is doing something illegal or anything they wish to keep secretive, being watched is a threat to their secrets, character, and can lead them into trouble with the law. A more innocent individual may wish not to be watched because of the possibility of making a mistake, the unwanted pressure to create success, embarrassing oneself, or any likewise action that is compromising to their self image as well as the character projected onto them by others. Another justification as to why one would wish not to be watched is the possibility of the watcher to cause harm. A stalker or spy may try to gain information the individual may hope to keep secret, they find something that can be used as blackmail, or better understand the person to plan a type of attack. Regardless of the reasoning of not wanting to be watched, it would be kind to respect a fellow human’s boundaries. These ethics will evidently change in respect to the subject whether it is a human, an animal, or an inanimate object.
Surveillance Log 5: 2/26/10
This was my last day to figure out this community. I had learned much about the community and decided that today I inspect only one section. This section of the society seemed so distant and different from the rest. They seemed emotionless and unaware of the rest of society. They resided in the transportation district and although they seemed like they wanted to leave, they did not. They helped others to leave, the process was hard and dangerous and as such, these people helped others leave which seemed more like escape. And in spite of seeming so discontented for their society, they stayed only to help others, it seemed these people had already left and were not interested in the efforts to help only themselves.
It was time to myself to now leave. I did not want to go just yet, but it was necessary. I had to make my way with Tippy to the edge of the earth, charting other territories and other societies. Maybe someday I’ll return. Maybe I’ll learn much more later, but for now I had to leave this work unfinished.
Surveillance Log 4: 2/25/10
I got up early to examine the lower half of the caste system. They in some areas seemed distant and detached from everyone else, and in other areas seemed completely reliant on others for their survival. I discovered the layout of the community to be very strange this day. It seemed there were sections not only for people but also for ideas. I have yet only distinguished a few of these sections. There were sections of abstract ideas and sciences, a section for death, and a section for transportation. Each section, however, had influence from those in control.
The one section I was most interested was hard to really identify. As the sun began to set, I decided to come back tomorrow and further my investigations, but for now, I needed rest.
Surveillance Log 3: 2/24/10
Today I aimed to survey the political aspects of this interesting society. I found that the highest regard was for the military and political leaderships. Despite this, anyone who was not in this field of control general did not have reverence for those who were. At their very top of control was a man with little expression on his face and a peculiar hat. Everything lead to him, he was in the center, amid their complex culture all things were overseen by him. Interestingly enough, the more I studied, the more he seemed as just a figurehead. The people who were really in power were the ones under him, and all around the community.
Surveillance Log 2: 2/23/10
After my morning Assam tea, that I was fortunate to acquire in northern India, I began my studies. Their morning consisted of what appeared to be military or policemen patrolling the area. I noticed that throughout the day, vehicles would come and go as if no one were driving. Some people looked unhappy, they were treated as the bottom of their caste system, which seemed to cause their unhappiness in the first place. I have deduced that their lower class has been symbolized by the prevalent black colors used throughout this rank. This caste system was controlled by the government, which was constantly watched.
I gathered Tippy and retreated through the brush and up foothills to my hut. The rest of the day consisted of foraging and hunting for food making a delicious lunch and a dinner, which had out done the lunch.
Surveillance Log 1: 2/22/10
Today I finally found a society worth studying. It is by far the strangest arrangement of life I have yet seen. I set up camp very far from the community as not to provoke any hostility. It’s been a long and laborious trek through the dense forests of India, through the mountains of the Himalayas. My only companion being Tippy, my five-ton elephant, keeping me company on this long journey. But I’ve made it.
Surveillance
Prompt: Where do truth and/or fact exist in the relationship between the surveillant and the surveilled?
Within any scenario of which there are multiple witnesses, there will be multiple versions of the same occurrence. In each version, there remains some truth, whether it is entirely truthful or mostly lies, is known only to those telling the story.
Simply having a surveyor and a surveyed implies a perspective. From the surveyor, motives can be found to gain knowledge or understanding over something, or to monitor so that the surveyed is behaving or to predict behaviors for safety reasons. In both instances, the surveillance can be carried out surreptitiously ensuring that the behavior and occurrences are natural and unprovoked. In this, there may often be one side to the story, whether it is wholly truth can be up to them, however with the advent of cameras, the truth can be more accurate. With conspicuous observation, the surveyed may be influenced to act correctly knowing that a mistake can be viewed. Fabrication of an event can also come about, if the surveyor makes an untrue statement, there may be only one side that is listened to and therefore adopted as truth. Cameras often disallow such fabrication, however, not everything observed by the camera can be accepted as truth. Just as an illusionist can trick the eye of a human, some events captured by a camera can suggest something incorrectly. If the surveyed and the surveyor are at odds with each other, then truth in their statements may be found somewhere in the middle.
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Game Language as a Dialogue Reflection
For my game diptych I decided to do fishing and Crazy Bones because of some of the ideals I could compare them to. Crazy Bones directly connected me to my sister because she introduced them to me, traded the collectible figures, and was my main competitor. This game required that I be at ease with disappointment if I had not won or been given any Crazy Bones I wanted, and to be kind, respectful, and a good sport to give up any Crazy Bones I had lost. Fishing was a time to interact with mostly my dad or grandfather and also my friends. We had taken fishing trips to beautiful places of a refreshing nature. I needed to be patient with catching a fish but understanding when I lost one. My patience yields the feeling of a great reward when I catch a fish no matter the size but naturally a bigger fish felt more rewarding.
I feel that I followed the directions to create two pieces that speak to each other about game language using text as a design. I had some ideas right away of how to approach this and quickly began gathering materials and assembling the diptych. I started with Crazy Bones working with all I needed and had. I soon started on the fishing part if I was in need of materials for the Crazy Bones but finished pretty quickly. I had used a wooden compartment box with each compartment containing an amount of Crazy Bones creating a scene. Over this I used glass which would be the setting of my text which I had etched into with etching cream. I did this similarly with the fishing piece using a different type compartment box filled with fishing lures, bobs, lines, and other materials with the same idea of glass on top. I finished a little early and was satisfied with my work as well as how I had approached the requirements.
Game Language as Dialogue
Prompt: What two games have contributed to who I am and what might they “say” to one another?
Crazy Bones are little figurines that you can collect and play with. When I was younger, my sister and I collected many of these and played with them all the time. I can remember her telling me which are more rare and better at different games. I had tons of favorites and we would often line the Crazy Bones up against a wall and throw other crazy bones at them to collect which ever ones were knocked over.
Fishing connects me with my dad and is also the subject of some of our travels. My dad’s friend takes everyone on fishing trips to places like Alaska, Canada, South America, and many other areas. The first trip of mine was to Alaska where we rode ATV’s, caught Salmon, learned fly fishing, played with fireworks, and camped out. the last trip I went on was to Canada, Great Slave Lake, in the Northwest Territories. There I caught huge Bass and won a certificate for the size of a Pike I caught. We would catch our lunches and land ashore one of the many islands to cook our meal. I’ve had so much fun with my dad and others on the trip and this summer we will return to fish in Alaska.
Fishing tends to be calm and puts you in the outdoors while Crazy Bones are usually played indoors and hectic. They would both say, however, that they taught me to deal with disappointment, patience, and to be rewarded. It takes time to catch a fish and sometimes you get a small one or none at all. With Crazy Bones, it’s disappointing to lose any or not win i n a game but with patience you may get a valuable new Crazy Bone or start winning in the games.
Cultural Identity
Prompt: How do you define culture and how does culture define you?
For my cultural identity I focused on how people are aware of cultures and what makes up a culture. I did this with pen sketch drawings of a mouth and tongue, hand, ear, nose and eyes to represent the five senses. The other five cards fit together to make a large brain. I did this because the brain is really what creates an individual and allows us to be aware of the five senses. The brain is something I’m very interested in and feel that it is an important part of what makes up my culture. I hope to study the mind when I’m older, doing that would make the brain an important part of my life and therefore my culture. On the backs of my cards I stenciled the numbers one through ten. I have a condition called synesthesia which is basically when senses get mixed up so that when I see words letters or numbers they have a certain color for each one. I made each number on the back of the cards match the color I saw each of them in.
Familial Identity
Prompt: How are you positioned within your family dynamic and how does that influence your identity?
I focused on my childhood for my familial identity because that was when I felt more attached and dependent upon my family. I set each Idea into a series of two to complete the ten cards. I had rocks on two of these cards because when I was younger I had a rock collection. My parents would get me rocks as presents and buy things to put the rocks in. My family likes to travel so I put a map on two cards and one card had a small train glued to it and the other a plane. I put a lot of coins on two cards because when I used to save up any change I had then fill my pockets with the change and go to a toy store. I glued army figures onto cards as well as dinosaurs to show what I often did in my spare time. My dad would get me tons of army figures and I would set up huge wars with them and many other toys. My last two cards had paint bottles that my mom always used when she made art. When I was younger I would want to do art with her and my sister and we would use these paints. On the backs of all my cards I used this paint to make abstract art.
Stereotypical Identity
Prompt: What is your perception of how you are perceived by others?
For stereotypical identity I used how I am seen physically and what I’ve heard from people about myself to find my stereotype. Physically I drew hairy legs, long eyelashes on a blue background for my blue eyes, and skinniness by cutting a card to be slimmer than the rest. Sometimes I’m quiet so I drew lips made out of the sound “shh”. I have a blank notebook to show how I wait to the last minute to get work done, sometimes lazy, and laid back. I made the giving tree to show that I’m caring and giving. I’m often told that I’m very sweet so I painted a peach.
“Other” Identity
Prompt: In what ways or situations do I find myself treated as an “Other”?
In my other identity I used six cards to paint an udder because it sounds similar to the word other. I had one of the nipples being “othered” because it was off color and not close to any others. The backs of these were a cow print. I painted the windows of a school bus on one card because I would sometimes feel like an other on the first day of school. When I was younger, I would be nervous of going to birthday parties for fear of not knowing some people and so I painted two blue balloons and one red on onto a card. I painted a white christian cross on a black background on one side of a card and the reverse of that on the other side to show that I feel like an other around religion. My last card had a thumbs up but is a sore thumb to go along with the saying of sticking out like a sore thumb. I did this to show that though I feel like an other sometimes, I’m usually quite alright with it all.
Heroic Identity
Prompt: What defines a hero and what is heroic about you currently, or what heroic qualities would you hope to develop as you age.
I used many words to describe what a hero is and how I might grow into a hero and I felt like these words were abstract so I made nine cards an abstract work. I used my synesthesia for each of the words to give me a color I could use for the cards. For the last cards, I wrote the names of famous people I consider my heros.
Heroic Identity:
What defines a hero and what is heroic about you currently, or what heroic qualities would you hope to develop as you age?
Other Identity:
In what ways or situations do I find myself treated as an “Other”?
I don’t often feel like an other or if I do, I don’t care too much. I’m almost always comfortable and if I don’t fit in that much I don’t really try to fit in any more. Generally, I fit into many groups and situations and don’t have to worry about someone treating me as an other. I find that it’s usually somewhere that I don’t want to be in the first place that makes me an other to someone else.
The first day of school always made me feel awkward especially when it seemed everyone knew someone except for me. It wouldn’t last long however, and now I see it as a chance to meet new people. Sometimes I’m put into situations were I’m friends with someone but not really their friends and their friends may be a little hostile. I tend to not stay around too long because I either feel like I wouldn’t bother being their friends anyway or their conversations consist of inside jokes that I don’t understand. In public I can feel as if I’m treated as an other. When I’m out with my friends, we can get a bit loud or strange and I can see people taking note of us.
The most bothersome moments, however, are when my opinions seem to be “too” different and I’m treated as an other. I never mind anyones opinion because it’s just that, an opinion. I like to do research before I pick sides over an issue, and I sometimes find that the view I gain from this research is not popular. I’m not personally hassled by someone with conflicting views, but they may feel they need to voice their opinion. If there are many people with these opinions, I feel that I’m being treated as an other even if I had not been personally targeted.
Being an other, for me, usually doesn’t make me uneasy. I’m comfortable with myself and often fit in to any situation some way or another.
Stereotypical Identity:
What is your perception of how you are perceived by others?
When looking at how I am perceived, I would first listen to what I’ve heard about myself as well as how I’d like to be perceived. I have heard from people that I can be kind, sweet, and also funny, and very relaxed. I remember that the number one thing I heard about myself as a kid was that I was nice. Lately, I’ve noticed people say that I’m very sweet which I happen to be proud of. I love making people smile and dread making anyone upset for whatever reason. People have also told me how “chill”, laid back, relaxed, and even lazy I am. While I am lazy, I feel that I’m not too lazy to get nothing done but I’m happy I can be relaxed. I never really worry about things because I just think that whatever happens is whatever happens, and if I can’t change it I have no reason to dwell on it.
Sometimes I’ve been called wierd, which I’m fine with. It’s never been a problem if someone tells me I’m wierd because they usually don’t mean it to be negative. I also think everyone is weird and sometimes I’m shocked at what great lengths people do to fit in or be socially accepted. I don’t always care too much about what society thinks because I feel more free when I just relax and don’t worry about any type of image I need to propagate. In some circumstances I need to be weary about how I am perceived, but if I’m not in this situation I like to be my own identity.
Familial Identity:
How are you positioned within your family dynamic and how does that influence your identity?
My sister is graduating college and I’m graduating high school next year. We’re the only kids my mom and dad have. I would rather have had a bigger family because I’d like being forced to move around and help out more, making those times to relax much more satisfying. Because I’m the only kid in this house I feel immensely idle. It’s very hard for me to break the cycle of constant reclining because there isn’t an abundance of kids running around my house.
As a kid, I would spend hours outside climbing trees, running about, burning ants, spinning around, and then relax and watch T.V. until bedtime. My sister kept me going and greatly helped shape my creativity and identity. I was also influenced by opinions from my parents about anything in the news and about other aspects of society.
Today, I have more of my own identity and I barely feel influence from my parents. I like to keep myself educated about what I want to know. In early years, many of my idiosyncrasies were developed. I was always allowed the right seat in the car because I preferred it and was known to keep my head stuck out of the window during the whole car ride. Things as small as that would often be influenced from a combination of my parents, sister, friends, and self. As I grew older I became more self aware and abandoned certain ideas. I preferred things I found on my own versus what was introduced to me such as the music my parents listened to, their political stances, the books they read, and their opinions as a whole.
I often find out the information on a certain subject myself before I make an opinion rather than blindly agreeing with my sister or parents. I feel very individually expressed as a result and can identify with them on certain subjects but certainly not all. A vast amount of developments towards where I am today stand with how my parents and sister raised me at a young age. How my identity develops now is much more individualized.
Cultural Identity:
How do you define culture and how does culture define you?
Culture can be defined in hundreds of ways. Most often, however, I find myself defining culture as where someone or a people fit into the rest of their society, or another society. I currently define my culture as incomplete. As I grow, learn, share, and experience all of life, I have excepted the fact that my culture is ever changing and evolving. I would also say that culture lies within my mind, which has not been fully developed. The music I listen to, the art I make, the clothes I wear, the knowledge I’m interested in, are all decided by my brain. These aspects of my life change just as my mind does with age.
As of now, I am most interested with philosophy, psychology, art, and life. Throughout my life I have always taken time to stop, and wonder about all around me. The mind is what creates these thoughts and actions, and that very reason is what attracts me to psychology. Art in many ways can be an expression of my love for philosophy and psychology, not to mention myself. As for life, it acts as the method of which all my interests come together. This, to me, is the best expression of my culture, what it means to me, and how it effects me. It essentially is my life, my interests, and how I incorporate this all within my society.
