What does it mean to be a 'Mormon Artist'?

Art & Belief

"What are the arts, really? Are they subjects, professions, cultural artifacts, or events to attend? Yes, but that is not what they really are. The arts embody a unique learning process that awakens the very core of one’s being to life’s meaning and beauty. Through the arts we can learn to see, hear, move, and feel with greater sensitivity and understanding. They provide both substance and stimulus for learning the creative process and nurture our capacity to explore the infinite. The arts enable us to communicate important realities that can be shared in no other way. Elder Boyd K. Packer has affirmed that 'because of what [artists] do, we are able to feel and learn very quickly . . . some spiritual things that we would otherwise learn very slowly.'" 

- K. Newell Dayley, "Centering the Arts in Christ," 2001.

More thoughts on the Fireside Chat...

Here's this thing about a (broken) guy exploring the relationship between media and family...

Fireside Chat

Dana Atchley, "Next Exit"

Here's the assignment description of the Fireside Chat...

Each student will prepare and perform an interactive theatrical performance that addresses some belief that he/she has. The fireside chat will include the student's performance of a (more-or-less) scripted story, accompanied by a visual, audio, audio-visual, or other design element. Students are to rehearse the story and accompanying elements to become comfortable with their performance. Students will meet at an undetermined location at an undetermined day and time and share these stories. Students will be asked to bring food, friends, and family to enjoy the evening.

To help you get a sense of what we're doing, here's "There is a Such Thing as Truth" by Errol Morris.

And here's another thing...(start at 35:35)

Here is are some additional notes that will be helpful in preparing your 'Chat.' 

• Most importantly, media is due to Josh by Wednesday, Dec. 4th at midnight.
• Your media should be thoughtfully selected/created and function to communicate your story and theme. This is not the time to sample crappy stock photos from Google to make a poor power point presentation to accompany your chat. You may use pre-existing images/text/video/audio, but your use of them has to be purposeful and artful.
• You may use images OR video OR audio OR props OR costumes OR whatever media (or combination of multiple media) you think will best serve your chat. It doesn't matter to me, as long as it exemplifies your effort and creativity.
• Your performance should be (more or less) scripted and performed BUT NOT wholly pre-recorded. Part of this experience is for you to tell your story in this space at this time. SO, there must be some performed element and some mediated element.
• Your performance should be no longer than 4 minutes long. Remember how some of those Webspinna Battles got tiresome, and some people had to leave before it ended? Let's stick to 4 minutes or less with each performance. And plan on staying for the duration of the evening.
• Your artist's statement will require you to reflect on the creation and presentation of your chat, as well as your experience listening to and sharing with other students on the night of the performance.

In class on Thursday, we'll discuss the Exercise in Empathy, and continue our discussion of Belief.

Here's a link to This I Believe, if you're in need of some inspiration for your piece.

Media & Empathy

First, here's this to bridge our conversations from media's relationship with society & community to our current discussions of empathy and belief.

Here is the assignment description for the Exercise in Empathy...

Each student will ask someone close to them to share a story about the most difficult trial that he/she has faced. (This someone will need to have an understanding of the assignment and agree to participate). During the telling of the story, students are to practice empathy--listening intently, asking questions when appropriate, sharing their own thoughts and feelings if invited. Then students will write a journal entry about the thoughts, feelings and impressions that they experienced during and after this exercise and will turn the entry into the instructor rather than post it on their blog. The journal entry must not include the name or relation of the someone or any details of his/her story--students must consider the assignment as a personal practice of empathy not an exploitation of another's struggles.

And here's another intersection of media and empathy.

And here's a nice bridge from this week's discussion to our final assignment...

And here's an extra credit opportunity...Watch "Listening Is An Act of Love" and post a 400-500 word response relating the film to some concept from the reading/class discussion and you can earn up to 10 pts extra credit. Here are the listings for the KUED Channel 7.2 (Digital):

POV: Listening Is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps SpecialSunday, December 1, 11:30pmStoryCorps animated shorts celebrate the act of listening.POV: Listening Is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps SpecialMonday, December 2, 4:30amStoryCorps animated shorts celebrate the act of listening.POV: Listening Is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps SpecialMonday, December 2, 8:30pmStoryCorps animated shorts celebrate the act of listening.POV: Listening Is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps SpecialTuesday, December 3, 9:30amStoryCorps animated shorts celebrate the act of listening.POV: Listening Is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps SpecialTuesday, December 3, 3:30pmStoryCorps animated shorts celebrate the act of listening.POV: Listening Is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps SpecialTuesday, December 3, 6:00pmStoryCorps animated shorts celebrate the act of listening.

Media & Community

Here's an example to consider...

Everyone Forever Now - "Stoop Sitting" from Everynone on Vimeo.

And another...

And another...

And another...

And a last one (perhaps closer to this week's assignment)...

Here are a few admittedly scattered thoughts related to your Concerned Citizen project due Tuesday:

• Remember 1-3 minutes is your time requirement. 
• Post the video/audio doc on your blog with an accompanying artist's statement that (1) addresses your creative process--how and why did you choose to make this thing in the ways that you did, (2) correlates your piece with concepts from the reading (Goldbard's article) and media from outside of class.
• A common mistake on this assignment is to overemphasize institutions rather than individuals. Remember that this is not a promotional video for a non-profit or whatever. It is to address an individual's involvement in their community. It should tell a story--one that will probably describe the person's engagement in their community, depict their relationships with others, and give us insight into the personal experiences and motivation behind this engagement.
• Another common mistake is to tell rather than show. Or maybe that's just a symptom of a potentially larger mistake--forgetting to merge theory with practice. Don't forget what Brad's been teaching you all semester long. While the stakes aren't as high on this week's assignment as your final projects in 185, I expect you to practice those same visual storytelling skills in this little doc.

Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)

Here it is in all of its 161 minutes of glory...

Media & Society

Here's one way that media might help us understand society...



...and then an alternative...

Protest Poster

To begin, here is a TED Talk from Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie talking about the consequences of the uniformity and unity of media in 'The Danger of a Single Story.' This is your assigned viewing for the week, so be sure to reference it in your artist's statement next week.

  

 As a reminder, here is the assignment description for the Protest Poster.

Each student will create a poster that utilizes images and text to raise awareness for a particular social issue that he/she feels has been inadequately addressed in public discourse. Students’ artist statements must refer to at least 3 media texts that represent this issue (including news stories, scholarly works, documentaries, etc.), and situate their work (and the perspectives it represents) in relation to these texts. Students should consider the aesthetic presentation of their ideas, the information provided, and the political perspective represented.

So, basically you will...

1. Choose a social issue that interests you.
2. Research the representations of this issue in the public sphere (at least 3 sources from political discourse, media representations, scientific publications, etc.).
3. Create a poster that both demonstrates your (newly informed) perspective on the issue and departs from conventional representations of this issue.
4. (***This is not listed in the assignment description, but is an added requirement) Post the poster on your social media site of choice and watch the comments pile up.
5. Incorporate the concepts from class, outside/inside media, your research (including at least 3 sources) and creative process, the feedback from your online community, etc. into an artist's statement. 

Now, here's some inspiration for your Protest Posters...

"Cut your shower short" by Michael Beirut

"Walk the walk" by Marina Willer

"Your body is a battleground" by Barbara Kruger

"I shop therefore I am" by Barbara Kruger

"Dough Nation" by Robbie Conal

"Contra Diction" by Robbie Conal

Thoughts on Remix/Copyright

Professional Resource: Rip! A Remix Manifesto (2007) from Benjamin Thevenin on Vimeo.

Constructing/Performing Identity

Let's look at a few explicit examples of identity construction/performance, and then let's see if we can find some kind of correlation with more common social practices.

Actors...

Musicians...

Spies/Detectives/Sleuths...

on Halloween...

Superheroes...

That thing with the spinning wheel of death Caitlin mentioned...

Experimenting with Sound

Here's a cool thing...

And here's the inspiration behind that cool experiment we did in class.

Now, check this out.

Or perhaps even more appropriate for our assignment this week...

Webspinna Battle Demo

Fire and Ice

Fireplace

Fuel - Metallica

Mr. Heatmiser 

Volcano Sounds

Great Balls of Fire

Paris - "That's Hot"

Corvette rev 

Fire sounds

Flamethrower

The Fire - The Roots

It's getting hot in here - Nelly 

Record Scratch

DJ Scratch effects

Through the Fire and the Flames - Dragonforce

Jurassic Park sounds

Mario sounds

Bowser's Castle music

World Building

First, here's the description for the World Building assignment:

Students will work in groups of 2 or 3 to design a fictional world based on pitches from students.The final designs may include fashion, architecture, consumer goods, art, etc., but are intended to create a world in which art and society logically correspond. Students should consider the correlation between politics and aesthetics, between social reality and fictional fantasy.

And here are some examples of the type of work you might choose to explore in your project.

Concept art for world design from Wreck it Ralph

Graphic design of political advertising from The Dark Knight

Graphic design for consumer advertising from Catching Fire

Concept art for costume design from Pirates of the Caribbean

Graphic design for public signage in District 9

I will be evaluating your work based on the following criteria.

• Does your work demonstrate thoughtful conceptualization, appropriate research, skillful execution and adequate effort?
• Does your artists' statement justify the creative decisions you make, in particular linking the politics and aesthetics, social reality and fictional fantasy of your world?
• Do you fulfill the other requirements of your creative assignments--referencing readings, outside media, effectively organizing your writing, etc.?

Jesus as Remixer

Here's a few paragraphs from an article "The Facsimiles and Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources" by Kevin Barney of the Maxwell Institute, in which he discusses Jesus' appropriation of existing sources in His teachings documented in the New Testament. Here, he adapts a well known Egyptian myth in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus. It's an interesting read...

Another example of Egyptian material being refracted through a Semitic lens is provided by the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which is recounted in Luke 16:19—31:

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

In his important study of this passage, Hugo Gressmann⁴⁴ suggested that Luke's account was based on a popular Jewish version, perhaps written in Hebrew, of an Egyptian story. Neither the Egyptian original nor the Jewish version of that original has survived; nevertheless, their existence can be inferred from other documents that do exist. The popular Jewish version can be deduced from seven late rabbinic splinters; these texts almost certainly do not derive directly from the Gospel of Luke. The Egyptian original is hypothesized based on the Demotic story of Setna, described below.⁴⁵ To analogize the relationship among these texts in genealogical terms, the Egyptian original is like a grandfather, and the popular Jewish version a father, to the account in Luke. The story of Setna is a kind of uncle to the Lucan account, and the seven rabbinic splinters are nieces and nephews of sorts.
The Demotic story of Setna is known from a single papyrus manuscript in the British Museum (Pap. DCIV).⁴⁶ It was written on the back of two Greek business documents, one of which was dated in the seventh year of Claudius (A.D. 46—47). We can therefore suggest that the Demotic story was written sometime during the next half century, or roughly A.D. 50—100. According to the story, the magicians of Egypt were challenged by an Ethiopian sorcerer, but no Egyptian was able to best the challenger. So an Egyptian in Amnte, the abode of the dead, prayed in the presence of Osiris, the ruler of Amnte, to return to the land of the living. Osiris commanded that he should, and so the man, though dead for centuries, was reincarnated as the miraculous offspring of a childless couple and given the name Si-Osiris ("Son of Osiris"). Eventually, when the boy turned twelve, he dealt with the foreign sorcerer and then vanished from Earth.
The part of the story that is relevant to Luke 16 takes place while the boy is growing up. One day the boy and his father see two funerals: first, that of a rich man, shrouded in fine linen, loudly lamented and abundantly honored; then, that of a poor man, wrapped in a straw mat, unaccompanied and unmourned. The father says that he would rather have the lot of the rich man than that of the pauper. Little Si-Osiris, however, impertinently contradicts his father's wish with an opposite one: "May it be done to you in Amnte as it is done in Amnte to this pauper and not as it is done to this rich man in Amnte!" In order to justify himself, the boy takes his earthly father on a tour of Amnte.
Si-Osiris leads his father through the seven classified halls of Amnte. The dead are assigned to one of the halls depending on the merits and demerits of their mortal lives. In the fifth hall they see a man in torment, the pivot of the door being fixed in his right eye socket, because of which he grievously laments. In the seventh they see Osiris enthroned, the ruler of Amnte, and near him a man clothed in fine linen and evidently of very high rank. Si-Osiris identifies the finely clad man as the miserably buried pauper and the tormented one as the sumptuously buried rich man. The reason for this disparate treatment is that, at the judgment, the good deeds of the pauper outweighed the bad, but with the rich man the opposite was true. Now the father is able to understand the filial wish of Si-Osiris.
Once again we are able to see how the Egyptian story has been transformed in Semitic dress. The angels of the Lucan account appear to be an instrumentality substituted for Horus (or the falcon of Horus).⁴⁷ The "bosom of Abraham" represents Amnte, the Egyptian abode of the dead. And, most remarkably, Abraham is a Jewish substitute for the pagan god Osiris—just as is the case in Facsimiles 1 and 3. These relationships are summarized in a chart following the article.

Here are some things you may recognize...

Opening titles from King's Row (1942). Score by Erich Korngold (and starring Ronald Reagan!).

And then there's this, from 500 Days of Summer (2009).

Textual Poaching

So, here's the description for the Textual Poaching assignment:

Each student will choose an existing, mediated representation of the culture, race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, etc. with which he/she identifies. The representation may be in any medium—film, photograph, visual art, poetry, literature, advertisement, news article, song, music video, etc.—but it should be older than the student. Students will remix the representation so that their new creation demonstrates their negotiation of this aspect of their identity and how it has been historically represented in media. Students should consider the correlations and contradictions between his/her ‘self ’ (perspectives, practices, etc.) and this historical representation of this aspect of his/her identity.

We've discussed how the complicated process of making meaning of media texts, and the dialectical relationship between media and self. Let's look at a few examples that may help us out further.

L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp

Duchamp's taken Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, drawn a mustache on it and included the caption "L.H.O.O.Q." (which in the French pronunciation resembles a mild sexual innuendo). Now, why would Duchamp do this?

The Grey Album by Danger Mouse

Danger Mouse has taken the Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album and created a series of sample-based songs called the Grey Album. Why would Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) do this?

Cinderella+++ by Eileen Maxson

Maxson has re-cut scenes from animated Disney classics with dialogue from contemporary film and television shows. Why would she do this?

Rebirth of a Nation by DJ Spooky 

Watch a clip from it here.

DJ Spooky has created an audio-visual remix of D.W. Griffith's (in)famous film Birth of a Nation (1915). Why would he do this?  

So, to clarify, I am going to evaluate your assignment according to the following criteria:

• Did you identify one aspect of your identity to explore in this assignment? Did you select one historical media representation of this aspect of your identity? Did you alter/manipulate this representation in a way that demonstrates your negotiation of how you are being represented in media? 
• Did you consider (as mentioned in the assignment description) the contradictions between your understanding of 'self' and historical media representations of your 'self.'
• Did your creative project reflect thoughtfulness (in regards to form and content) and originality? Did your artist's statement meet the requirements as described in the syllabus, including articulating a clear, unified, critical reflection on your engagement with this assignment?

More Medium Specificity Examples

[Looney Tunes] Duck Amuck (1953) from Arnaud TISSEYRE on Vimeo.

What's Jones up to? According to this experiment, how is he defining 'animation'?

Jackson Pollock, "Number 6"

What might Pollock be up to? According to this experiment, how might he define 'painting'?

Andy Warhol, "Eight Elvises"

What might Warhol be up to? According to this experiment, how might he define 'printing'?

Now, regarding medium specificity in music--John Cage's "4'33."

What might Cage be up to? According to this experiment, how might he define 'music'?

Some helpful things to keep in mind as you make and write--I will evaluate your work with the following in mind:

•  Did you choose a medium, identify a fundamental element of that medium, and produce a creative work that both conceptually and artistically engages with that element of the medium?
• Did you provide an artist's statement that explains (1) your decision to explore a certain element of the medium and (2) how your piece creatively engages in that exploration? 
• Did you consider (as mentioned in the assignment description) how your project functions to celebrate, comment on or critique the chosen medium.
• Did your creative project reflect thoughtfulness (in regards to form and content) and originality? Did your artist's statement meet the requirements as described in the syllabus, including articulating a clear, unified, critical reflection on your engagement with this assignment?

Unintelligible Art & Medium Specificity

"The usual difficulty with the observer of modern art is that he does not inquire patiently and sincerely concerning the 'meaning' of a work of art which strikes him as grotesque, distorted or eccentric (in another word, unintelligible), but, by a sort of symbolic thought-process, recognizes its unrecognizability and thus thwarts any possible further intelligent interest or ultimate enjoyment. It is as if, in a crowd, seeking someone we knew and, looking into each strange face, we should recognize its unrecognizability and pass it by as irrelevant to our quest. This would be a perfectly natural procedure under the circumstances; but in art we are not looking for something we already know; we are looking for a new experience whose value and quality are unknown to us. In such a case to permit unrecognizability to be a barrier is to condemn ourselves to a life of monotony, without the thrills of discovery, insight and 'conversion.'" 

- Edward. F. Rothschild, "The Meaning of Unintelligibility in Modern Art," 1934.

And here's this week's assignment description:

Each student will choose an artistic medium (film, photography, drawing, painting, medium, dance, performance, graphic design, poetry, literary nar- rative, etc.) and produce a work which explores the specific elements unique to that medium--like Brakhage or Daren’s films, Pollock’s paintings, Warhol’s prints, Cage’s music, etc. Students should consider how their particular work functions as a celebration, commentary or critique of their chosen medium.

More (Family) History

My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts by Torill Kove, National Film Board of Canada

Creativity

the Scared is scared from Bianca Giaever on Vimeo.

Cello Suite No. 1 - by Jessica

 MS13 by Sterling

 

'Ramwich Jam' by Hunter & Josh

Thoughts on the Process Piece

I thought I'd send you a few suggestions when developing your process piece, to make sure we're on the same page, and to help jump-start your creative process...

When creating this piece, consider the following...

• Selection - Films aren't made by just flipping the camera on and pointing it in the general direction of some action, are they? No, even with documentary, the filmmakers carefully select subjects (events, characters, actions, environments, etc.) and shots (establishing shots, close-ups, even specific interview questions, etc.). The same should go for your audio docs. Don't just switch on the recorder and call it good. Carefully consider what you're documenting, why you're documenting it, and then decide how best to document it.
• Composition/Juxtaposition - For example, just as shots are composed and then juxtaposed with other shots, consider how you're composing a piece of audio. Consider what's 'in the frame' and what meaning it communicates. Then consider how these meanings can be multiplied by juxtaposing certain sounds with others. Remember the Kuleshov experiments? Consider the potential power of dialectical montage of sound.
• Narration/Observation - Some documentaries are strictly observational, containing no acknowledgement of the filmmaking process. Others rely heavily on narration to guide the viewer through their navigation of the images and information being represented. In most documentary, there are elements of both approaches. Consider your subject--would one or the other approach (or a combination of both) more effectively communicate what you want regarding your process?
• Stylization/Manipulation - Just because we're documenting something, doesn't mean it isn't creative. Documentary is commonly defined as the 'creative treatment of actuality,' so consider how the aesthetic style might contribute to your piece. Does your subject (or your particular perspective on this subject) lend itself to a specific stylistic approach? For example, would your piece be improved by an overt manipulation of your audio footage?
• Probably most importantly, think outside the box. If I hear another 'getting ready for the day' process, I might barf. We saw more than 30 different processes in the in/out of class viewings this week. Make this a fun, interesting adventure in audio documentary making. And that means selecting an interesting subject and creatively representing it.

Things Having to do with Processes

Here's Mr. Rogers and Mr. McFeeley teaching us about how construction paper is made.

Here's the Louis CK clip that I mentioned in our conversation about products vs. processes. [Disclaimer: There are some bleeped swears in the clip.]

And here's a favorite of mine.

Jack White make guitar from GorWo4ek on Vimeo.

Process Piece

Today, we talked about the importance of process and the value of representing process in art. First, here's something lovely, and nicely represented, but what problems does it pose for our discussion of process?

We talked about process vs. product, mediation vs. immediacy, and then we applied these things to not just work, but also the working out of our salvation. Notice the emphasis of process here as well.

Anything of lasting value requires some work, and as artists, we may find value in representing that work. So, here's the assignment description for the Process Piece:

Students will work in pairs to produce a 1-2 minute audio piece documenting some type of process. In this case, a process is an act of human labor with a beginning, middle and an end. Students should consider both form and content in their creations, as well as both the process and the product of their own creative efforts.

And for Thursday, a few things:

• Come prepared to discuss the viewings that are assigned. There are many and they are pretty diverse, so pick the ones that look the most interesting to you, and consider how they relate to our discussion.
• Come prepared with some audio footage of your process. It doesn't matter if it's rough. This is test footage. This is to get you thinking about sonically representing an act of human labor. We'll use this for our workshop.
• Come prepared with a 30-elevator pitch for your Historical Story. Here's that description:

Students will work in pairs to write a 4-6 page film script that takes place around some historical event (which took place before the students were born), and focuses on a character(s) who is either based on someone they know OR of their own creation (BUT is NOT a famous historical figure). Scripts are to utilize standard screenplay formatting. Students should consider the dynamic between character (attitude, belief, behavior, etc.) and context (cultural practices, political climate, etc.). Students must reference at least 2 legitimate historical sources in their artists’ statement, discussing how the information they gathered in their research informed the creation of their script (including dialogue, scene descriptions, etc.)

Tiny Stories

Here is the assignment description for the Tiny Stories from the syllabus:

Each student will write and illustrate a series of five ‘tiny stories.’ By tiny story, I mean a narrative, (with something that might resemble a beginning, a middle and an end) usually less than 30 words, accompanied by an illustration. By series, I mean an assemblage of stories that have some underlying, unifying principle (by theme, style, approach, subject-matter, etc.). Students should consider how form and content, narrative and theme, individual story and series correlate and compliment each other.

In class today, we considered the various sources of inspiration for our stories--objects, places, people, processes, etc. etc. For example, I shared a particularly fun story from my genealogical history.

We also looked at a number of different series of tiny(ish) stories and discussed the unifying principle underlying these stories. For example, we imagined what our friend Tim Burton might create in response to this assignment.

You might consider theme, character, style...

We also listened to the following song from They Might Be Giants.

You might consider tone, intent, duration...

We looked at the collaborative, online project Six-Word Memoirs at Smith magazine.

You might consider punctuation, capitalization, word choice...

Most importantly, this is an exercise in exploring new sources of inspiration for storytelling and creative expression. This is an opportunity for us to develop our abilities to...

• closely read the world around us
• document our observations/experiences/interpretations
• conceptualize our stories
• realize our expressions
• contextualize our creations

So, consider these points during your creative process, and reflect on these points when writing the artist's statements.

Music Mosaic

Here's the assignment description for the Music Mosaic (20 pts.):

Each student will create a series of 8 - 12 images that visually complement a piece of instrumental (w/o lyrics) music. Images may be drawn, painted, photographed or created digitally, but must be the creation of the student (not thieved from Google Images). Students should consider both form (line, color, composition, etc.) and content (representation, narrative, etc.) in their creations.

Now, let's discuss some potential approaches to this introductory assignment. The dynamic between image and sound can be navigated in a number of ways. We're probably most familiar with the approach that starts with images (or more appropriately, moving images) and then composes music to accompany these images--film scores. Or on the other end of the spectrum, we're familiar with the approach that starts with music and then creates moving images to accompany the music--music videos. I find the approaches in-between most interesting.

For example, the following video started as a fan creation, and then became a collaboration between the composer and visual effects artist. And the composer attributes his relative success largely to the success of the video.

Or, you're probably familiar with the music/design/performance art project that is the Gorillaz. Here, an artist and some musicians have collaborated to simultaneously create these characters that navigate this cool transmedia narrative (oftentimes, in a cool, camouflage dune buggy). Here, neither image nor music has primacy--they're simultaneously produced and thoroughly interdependent.

One is more abstract; the other is more narrative- and character-driven. One attempts to visually represent tone, pitch, rhythm, instrumentation, etc.; the other is interested in using the combination of image and music to build a world. I invite you to do what you think most authentically expresses your reading of the music.

I know that that's kind of vague, and the examples we've used so far are moving (not static) images arranged in time (not space). So I'll attempt to be a little more concrete (as concrete as abstract expressionism can be, I suppose). I recently found a cool Swiss artist named Karina Wisniewska. Here are a few works of hers that I especially like.

Flowering Season, 2011

Field Lights, 2012

She also creates paintings inspired by, and often named for, her favorite pieces of classical music. For  example, here are two works inspired by a composition by Isang Yun.

Colloides Sonores I, 2010

Colloides Sonores II, 2010

And here's another piece inspired by a composition by Debussy.

 Cloches a Travers les Feuilles, 2010

Imagine if Karina was in 112, working on her own Music Mosaic. She might pick a piece from John Cage or Bach (both of whom she especially likes), and create a series of 8-12 images, translating her experience listening to the piece to a visual medium. Remember though, that you will need to justify your particular approach to this assignment in your artist's statement--whatever the medium, form, content, etc. of your mosaic, you'll need to be able to explain their significance.

So, refer to the description of the assignment in the syllabus, our discussions in class, the feedback you got during the workshop. Then get to work. Remember that your completed assignment will include a 300-500 word 'artist's statement' that contextualizes your mosaic within the week's topic--in this case, this delicate process of creative inspiration and execution.

On Inspiration

Here's a quote from Elder Bednar's conference talk that I referenced in class today.

I invite you to consider two experiences most of us have had with light.

The first experience occurred as we entered a dark room and turned on a light switch. Remember how in an instant a bright flood of illumination filled the room and caused the darkness to disappear. What previously had been unseen and uncertain became clear and recognizable. This experience was characterized by immediate and intense recognition of light.

The second experience took place as we watched night turn into morning. Do you recall the slow and almost imperceptible increase in light on the horizon? In contrast to turning on a light in a dark room, the light from the rising sun did not immediately burst forth. Rather, gradually and steadily the intensity of the light increased, and the darkness of night was replaced by the radiance of morning. Eventually, the sun did dawn over the skyline. But the visual evidence of the sun’s impending arrival was apparent hours before the sun actually appeared over the horizon. This experience was characterized by subtle and gradual discernment of light.

- Elder David Bednar, Apr. 2011

The Power of Story

"Stories are the secret reservoir of our values: change the stories individuals and nations live by and tell themselves and you change the individuals and nations. Nations and peoples are largely the stories they feed themselves. If they tell themselves stories that are lies, they will suffer the future consequences of those lives. If they tell themselves stories that face their own truths, they will free their histories for future flowerings."

 - Ben Okri

And here's a story I like...

the Scared is scared from Bianca Giaever on Vimeo.

Toulmin Model of Argumentation

Once upon a time, there was a British philosopher and educator named Stephen Toulmin who was interested in the construction and analysis of arguments. He introduced what's now recognized as the Toulmin Model. I think it'll provide some helpful direction in not only our Thinking & Writing assignment but any critical analysis of media or communication we engage in. Here 'tis...

1. Claim - AKA the thesis, the main idea, the primary point you're trying to make. What's the claim that A.O. Scott makes about Avengers in the review we read? In your own work, is there a primary idea driving your writing?
2. Data - the grounds for your claim, your proof. The type of data you include (in our case narrative elements or aesthetic attributes of a media text, our personal experiences with it, our knowledge of the author or the institution behind its creation, our analysis of audience responses to it, etc.) will depend on your claim. What evidence does Scott provide to support his argument? Is your own claim grounded in some kind of proof?
3. Warrant - the link between your data and your claim, proof that your proof is relevant and proof that your claim is justified based on your proof. (And sometimes you even need to prove that your warrant is legit as well--that's called Backing--but we won't go that far down the rabbit hole yet). Does Scott justify how his data supports his claim? Can you articulate why the evidence you provide legitimately supports your argument?
4. Rebuttal - disclaimers, qualifiers, acknowledgments of any exceptions to your initial claim. Does Scott respond to any possible counter-arguments? In your writing, do you consider opposing claims or at least acknowledge potential limitations to your argument.

Now, let's argue about something together.

I'm Glad I'm a Boy! I'm Glad I'm a Girl!
By Whitney Darrow Jr.

Boys are Cub Scouts. Girls are Brownies.

Boys invent things. Girls use what boys invent.
Boys are strong. Girls are graceful.
Boys are handsome. Girls are beautiful.
Boys have trucks. Girls have dolls.
Boys are doctors. Girls are nurses.
Boys are policemen. Girls are metermaids.
Boys are football players. Girls are cheerleaders.

Boys are pilots. Girls are stewardesses.

Boys are heroes.
Girls are heroines.
Boys are Presidents. Girls are First Ladies.
Boys fix things. Girls need things fixed.
Boys can eat. Girls can cook.
Boys are grooms. Girls are brides.
Boys are fathers. Girls are mothers.
Boys build houses. Girls keep houses.
I'm glad you're a girl! I'm glad you're a boy!

Does anyone care to make a claim about this little story? Let's use Toulmin's model to guide us in drafting our own argument.