Photo Essay

Photo Essay

Reading Visual Body Art

Historically how we have read visual body art on individuals and cultures.  I thought of this idea as one of our discussion brought up the topic of: are tattoos artist really artist?  When the question was first ask I thought there is no way, as you look around today and see the same butterfly or snowflake tattoos.  Then the comment was made that every stroke the artist shows individuality on that specific piece.    This brought up the question who and why body art began and how we have interpreted the text through history?   

Archaeological evidence from around the globe has confirmed tattooing to be one of the oldest forms of art and self-expression (Chris).  The word “tattoo” originates from the Maori word “tatau,” meaning to mark (Chris).  History has found that the earliest body art tool, a fish-shaped makeup palette dates from Egypt around 3500 B.C (Menkes).  As this was used as a marking tool for many different designs, the way the images came out are the way individuals where being identified. 

 The earliest tattoos can be found in Egypt during the construction of the great pyramids, as their empires grew larger the art of tattooing spread to cultures in Greece, Persia, Arabia (A Brief History of Tattoos).  As the art form changed within every culture, it made its way to China around 2000 BC (A Brief History of Tattoos).

Archaeologists discovered the mummified remains of amunet, a priestess of the goddess Hathor, at thebes who lived sometime between 2160 BC and 1994 BC.   The female mummy displayed several lines and dots tattooed about her body - grouping dots and/or dashes were aligned into abstract geometric patterns. This art form was restricted to women only, and usually these women were associated with ritualistic practice (A Brief History of Tattoos).

Each culture and society used tattooing in different way, but they all used it as some form of identification.  As the Greeks used tattooing in of the neatest ways I think, Greeks would communicate between spies, the markings also helped them identify the spies and show their rank (A Brief History of Tattoos).   In 474 B.C. Greek historian Herodotus, described how Histiaeus of Miletus shaved the head of a slave and tattooed a secret message on his scalp. When the slave's hair grew back, Histiaeus dispatched him to the Greeks, who shaved the slave's head and read the message (Agrawal).

In Borneo, the cultural tradition was to have the women be the tattooists. Borneo women had an important tradition wearing symbols to indicate their particular skill, many symbols indicating a weaver’s skill.  These marking would indicate to the men what they did and was prime marriageable symbol (A Brief History of Tattoos).  Many women tattooed around ones wrist and fingers believing it would ward away illness; they also indicated who she belonged to and what tribe her husband was from (A Brief History of Tattoos).   

As the Ainu people of western Asia used tattooing to show social status.  The women would receive different markings to identify their coming of age to marital status. 

The Ainu later showed the art form of tattooing to Japan where it was first used to mark criminals.  This is where the “Three strikes your out” originated, the first offenses were marked with a line across the forehead, the second one was made by making an arch.  Finally the third line was added making the Japanese character for “dog” (A brief History of Tattoos).     

Around the 1700 tattooing started to become more of an art form in Japan since there existed in Japan strict class codes that dictated dress and ornamentation, many members of the middle class chose to decorate the body with tattoos, so that they too could be elaborately "dressed" (Osborn).  As a result of this, the middle class adorned themselves with elaborate full body tattoos. A highly tattooed person wearing only a loin cloth was considered well dressed, but only in the privacy of their own home (A Brief History of Tattoos). However, according to the social laws of the time, these tattooed individuals had to cover their tattoos with clothing (Osborn).  Developing into a religious and ceremonial expression within the Japanese culture in later years (A Brief History of Tattoos).  

Skin decoration can link people to their ancestors, mark rites of passage and even create a bridge to the supernatural world (Menkes).  In the Polynesian culture tattooing was considered the most intricate and skillful of the ancient world.  The belief that the Polynesian spiritual power or life force, is displayed through their tattoos. The vast majority of what we know today about these ancient arts has been passed down through legends, songs, and ritual ceremonies. Elaborate geometrical designs which were often added to, renewed, and embellished throughout the life of the individual until they covered the entire body (designboom).

    Of all the Polynesian cultures the Maori of New Zealand exhibited one of the most impressive cultures of tattooing; it was referred to as “moko” and showed off their unique artistry. The Maori used their woodcarving skills to carve skin; the full-face moko was a mark of distinction, which communicated their status, lines of descent and tribal affiliations (designboom).   These markings told and reflected war and other great events in the Maori lives.    

                 As many African Americans wanted to show off body art in the same ways it was being performed, it became very difficult to see on dark skin so they developed a new technique.  They would do this by lifting the skin a little, and making a cut with a knife or some other sharp object special sands or ashes were rubbed into make raised scars in patterns on the body, each one is made by local tradition (deignboom).  Many men and women suffer excruciating pain to raise their skin in the effort to express oneself.  

                           

                                             

               Each culture shows its own unique way of expressing and visually reading one’s life through tattoos.  These are the first innovators in society to show what each culture had been through or depicted their lives through body art.   Being able to visually read a person’s life and history on ones flesh with symbols has changed history and tattoos forever.  

    

Work Cited

Chris, Think Before You Ink:  A Man’s Guide to Getting a Tattoo. June 13, 2011, http://artofmanliness.com/2011/06/13/think-before-you-ink-a-mans-guide-to-getting-a-tattoo/

A Brief History of Tattoos,  http://www.powerverbs.com/tattooyou/history.htm

Menkes, Suzy, Body Art: Back to the Beginning, January 4,200

Osborn, Alice, The history of tattoos—a centuries-old fine art tradition, February 2, 2006.  http://www.body-jewelry-useek.com/history-of-tattoos.htm 

Designboom. A Brief History of tattoos. http://www.designboom.com/history/tattoo_history.html

Shapeshiftnation, Body Art 2/7http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LitLDucIABM Accessed 28 June 2012

 Agrawal, Premendra, Terror: Hided messages in Tattoo Scalp to Images of Internet.  http://www.newsanalysisindia.com/230112007.htm

Jerome, Louie, Bukisa, May 15, 2009, http://www.bukisa.com/articles/44901_show-us-your-tattoo-or-is-it-private

Greece & Rome, http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_museum/greek_roman_tattoos.html

Historical Thursday: Tattooing Through The Ages http://thereifixedit.failblog.org/2011/05/12/historical-thursday-tattooing-through-the-ages/

  

Anderson video

While reading Gross discussion I was intrigued by the comment "But it's not as if it's entirely the writer setting the tone for the comments. Sometimes, it's the comments setting the tone for the writer."  As we have discussed in early class discussion the tone of one’s text may be easily misinterpreted by others.   This is seen all the time in twitter or facebook as bloggers try to express their feelings or emotion through text but sometimes are misread or misinterpreted.  Leading the discussion to a different perspective, then initially intended for.   The writer makes a comment to express themselves and are setting the tone for the piece.   They wouldn’t be writing something if it didn’t affect them in some way.   

  "I honestly believe that if Redfin were stripped absolutely bare for all the world to see, naked and humiliated in the sunlight, more people would do business with us." Follow me, he urged.   As I read that comment from the Thompson article I felt that the truth can set you free in many corporations.  As consumers just want to hear that they were mistreated or lied to from the corporation itself.  Owning up to wrong doing and being honest is the best way to win your consumers trust and business back.

The YouTube video of Asians and the rebuttal in the library is so disturbing to me.  This just shows how sad our culture has become. 

On the Anderson video I love the idea of every individual has the ability to show their talents and what is desirable to them, being able to share to the world with other enthusiast.   I like how he speaks of one of the many things that needs to happen is not being scared to put your ideas out to the world and share it.  While it might not have the biggest impacts but your sharing with others and showing them that they can do it to. 

Pariser article.  I love that technology is so advanced and right at our finger tips but at the same time it makes us lazy.  When I turn on the news at night, I just listen to what they have to say and never look deeper into story’s to find out more information.  As now we can just Google something to find out the information we need to know for a split second and then forget about it after we use it.  We are not learning anything by doing this and in the long run I feel as if we really aren’t going to be able to protein information as individuals have in the past.  

Slavin, as what I just said from the previous article that we are dependent on technology to get through our daily lives.  We believe everything we look up and what is presented to us that it might come to harm us in the future.   

In McCandless video of data and visualization I was amazed at the difference in the numbers as they are shown visually compared to just hearing them.  It makes such a stronger statement to be able to witness something with your eyes and not just hear it. 

In Eric Berlow video I found it really neat at how he was saying stepping back and looking at all the influences helps solve the problem better than just looking at the same question by itself.  It does help when you step back and look at all the fragments that make up one problem because sometimes we just look at things with one point of view and never come up with a sound solution.      

Thoughts for this week

    I started out with that notion that this document was going to contradict my thoughts.  As I was as guilty as the professor and had to print off this document, my reasoning is that I can highlight and go back over things when I have spare time.  I still like the notation of physically having something in your hands. 

    I found the entire article very interesting but the part of “constructive” aspects of hyper-reading is what I found most interesting, Sosnoski stating the five characteristics. The first on being filtering out the text that is not needed to get the actual point across, leading right into skimming.  Leaving less text to actually read, with pecking and imposing I think both fall into the same category as fitting your text to the attended audience.  While filming and trespassing are loosen ways to import the information that is fitting to the point at hand.  I found the last point to be the main topic of hyper-reading, as fragmenting the text at hand.  Breaking text into notes rather that regarding them as essays, articles, or books (163).   Hyper-readers are able to get more out of articles if they are constructed properly. 

I found it very interesting on how McCloud talked about how we describe different things and stories as readers.  I’m in a Native American Lit class right now and as our class discussion was over a poem called “Brother Hill Coffee”.  It was translated from Navaho to English and as the Navaho language is very descriptive compared to English the author had trouble trying to find one word that interpret what he was trying to say in English.  I came to the conclusion that in English we can write a paragraph trying to describe something or get our point across when other languages can do it in one sentence.  In the English language we are given so many different options that allows everyone to express things differently that everyone interprets things differently.       

A/V Project

Why are so many things broken

Sir Ken Robinson with his speech, Bring on the learning revolution.  I thought it was great how he stated that communities survive on diversity.  Not everyone has to follow the same path of going to college and working as a professional.   We don’t need to be so obsessed with everyone following this linearity narrative.  Every individual has a diverse way of learning.  Sometimes it can be conformed such as the fast food enology but the best way is organically.   Finding your passion and what dives you to want to become better, builds for better communities.  Americans are more obsessed with what will get them ahead in life then what will make them happy.

Why are so many things broken?   I liked how individuals see these signs or problems everyday but never think twice about it.  As he said it is not my job.  The garbage can in the restroom was a great example of something you see everywhere but no one wants to take the insinuative of getting a larger can as it’s not their job.  The signs are great as they should be understandable to everyone not just to the individual that made the sign.  Our communication is broken and we just look past it. 

As Thomas Goetz said fear doesn’t work but understanding the future and making it personal is the way to go.  The feedback loop gives individuals relevance, choices, and action.  Making it personal with that individual can show them what is happening now and what their future can be, making it a reality.

Font, what you want the font to do, and what it does.  I found this very interesting as each one had a different effect on what I thought the purpose was going to be.  Many of them are dead on such as the tattoo. 

I like the idea that Seeing the Text brought up of viewing the rhetoric of visual design as an evolving art.  I think it would be great if teachers would recognize what was happening outside their classrooms.  Allowing the students to explore and build a descriptive base for visual design (77).

Critical Photo Essay

Sorry, I’m turning this in late but I’ve been driving for the last two days, I became an aunt last night!

Now to my Critical Photo-Essay, I’m still questioning exactly how I’m going to do this but my topic is going to be on how words and images interact to make meaning.  As we see it everywhere, I’m going to take a deeper look into advertisement.  I might go with how it has changed over the years and has been able to have such a profound effect on different individuals.  Images and words make such a strong statement that the meaning wouldn’t be the same without one.    

I’m not sure if I should just stick with advertisement or do more everyday situations?  I think if I just stick with one topic it would make for a stronger point.  Any input would help me out.

"getting by"

Michael Wesch’s video: Vision of Students and Britannica Blog…..I have no idea how I feel about these videos.  As technology is not the problem at all in this situation of students getting on face book or listing to their music, if they are not doing that they are looking out the window.  Or this “getting by” assumption of what students want to do.  I feel that one of the writings on the wall in the video “it separates us from the outside world” is so true.  Many college students come right to college and are supposed to know what they want to do for rest of their lives.  So, they enter these courses that go over the same material year after year and the information does not pertain to anything in the outside world.  Ending up spending thousands of dollars and coming out with a piece of paper.  I know that some individuals are going say that college students just aren’t trying but they haven’t even had the opportunity in life to find out who they are and what they want.  Until “students” understand who they are it’s going to be as the video said “experts to students”, with nothing in between.    

Knowledge is not obtained in Wikis but designed in the tacklement with the positions of others participants during an interactive and collaborative writing process (Kohl, p.177).  As “wiki” has grown so much since 2003 and the words of other individuals has spread all over the world, enlightening different thoughts and feelings have been shared.   It’s allowing everyone to interact and providing their knowledge on whatever is being discussed.  “The experiences of the participants as well as the writing processes form the basis of knowledge” (Kohl, p.177).  Having the opportunity to learn from others experience or knowledge over something and being able to get all different kinds of perspective, gives individual’s knowledge. 

In the article on Pencils and Pixels I found it very intriguing that Plato one of the world’s greatest thinkers spoke strongly against writing, Plato thought it would weaken our memories (p. 18).  As pencils were being developed in the 1560’s changing the way the world communicates was the same reaction that individuals have with computers.  As I thought about it over hundreds of year’s human nature still hasn’t changed.   As Plato was against individuals writing, many elderly individual s are against computers because the sense of personal communication is not found and they just do not trust them.