Every 6 Seconds

Ararat Response

After (finally) watching this movie, I am not exactly sure what to think about it. I can't really say that I extremely enjoyed the movie, but it definitely made me think. I realized how much the past affects us, often in a negative light. All of the people in this film needed to figure out what happened in the past in order to settle things in their own present. This large event, the Armenian genocide, caused much debate among the characters in the movie. Some tried to compare the situations of the event to those of their own lives. Raffi needed to discover how his father felt towards the Turks and make sense in his mind of how something so awful could have killed his father. Ali tried to defend the Turks and not admit to the horror his people caused. Everyone was so focused on the past that they let it get in the way of real relationships with real people.

Pictures for Rent Response

I think that stock photography is a very interesting media because it, sometimes unintentionally, reflects our culture better than anything else. It gives a view of a part of American culture that is not always represented - the everyman. Stock photos also can stand the test of time a lot longer than other forms of art, photography, or advertisement. This is one medium that grows more valuable over the course of time. After about twenty years the old photos that may seem useless and outdated become campy, ironic, and almost humorous. I think that we often don't even realize how much these images are integrated into our own lives. For example, one of the pictures from the article, "the Diversified Workplace," was immediately recognizable to me. I remember seeing it in a doctors office somewhere advertising their equal opportunity employment policy. These photos, though easily forgotten, are a part of the American culture. We shouldn't be ignoring these images, but embracing them, and realizing they are reflections of our own lives.

Chandler's Semiotics for Beginners: Codes

The reading by Chandler made me think of a quote from Le Petit Prince: "Language is the source of misunderstandings." The chapter made me realize that even things that we think come naturally must be learned. For example, the picture of the three doors is read by us as just that, but in reality it is just a collection of shapes and colors. As artists, we approach this subject fairly often, but this theory can also be applied to linguistics. The example about the dogs on the escalator is a perfect example of this. We often do not realize that language is more than just words and definitions, but also has applied cultural meanings as well.

"Constructing the Swastika" Response

This article really got me thinking about many things. I thought about how we view images and other cultures, and how our culture is THE culture (no matter where you are). Every culture seems to exist in its own world, and the rest is just background noise. It is interesting how we construct images in our own minds, but only in accordance with the values of our culture. I liked I liked what Hadden said about the actual act of viewing an image like the Swastika - "This powerful form is a symbol that produces a visceral reaction...this specific combination of line, mass, shape, and color is today not so much 'read' as it is reacted to." I agree that when we see certain symbols it flips a switch in our minds, and our culture teaches us to do that. For example, when we see a stop light we just stop because we know that is the reaction we are supposed to have. We don't drive up to the light and think, 'Okay the light is red...if green means go, that must mean stop.' Our reaction is automatic and fundamental. We have had many images like the Swastika handed to us by the Nazi regime. In addition to the Swastika, other images are engrained in our minds - Hitler's moustache, the 'Heil Hilter' symbol, etc. When something of great importance happens, our culture takes symbols to represent it, to remember it, and to hate it.

"How to Reason" Response

Pierce's article made some very interesting points about the concept of signs and symbols and how we act as mediators between symbols and actual ideas, actions, and objects. I enjoyed how he broke signs down into three types – likeness, indications, and symbols. All of these are different vehicles for inciting thoughts and ideas. Likenesses are representations similar to photographs. Symbols are meant to make us imagine a thing or action just as a hazard symbols lets us know there is danger. However, I found Pierce’s thoughts on indications the most thought-provoking. The article pointed out that without the combination of a word, a symbol, and an actual item or idea, an object cannot exist. We discussed this in class – I thought of the comment made about money. Without the idea that we connect to money, it would have no meaning and therefore no value. These ideas are some that I am interested in studying further throughout the semester.

Afghani Landscapes