oh my...

bang, indeed.

the freak shall inherit the earth

Because the fashion ads we've been looking at have been so provocative, I wanted to find another kind of ad wrought with affect. so, I image-searched COLLEGE ADS and thought there might be something interesting. Bingo! I found these, advertising Centennial College, and immediately began arguing for and against them with myself.

I think we can all get the gist. Generally, advertisements for colleges consist of intelligent-looking youngsters, holding a textbook to their chest and staring majestically into the corner of the frame as they contemplate the vast and important roles they will fill in changing the world. Many also showcase how much "fun" a young adult can have at college. Think of a poster featuring a group of ethnically diverse students surrounding a big table with pizza on it. Everyone is smiling and it looks like a party- but wait! There are textbooks and calculators on the table, too. Oh! It's a study party! Wow, look how fun it is to be in college! 

Even when a college ad is trying to show the light, fun side of university life- generally speaking, the students pictured, and the scenes they are pictured in, nevertheless evoke a sense of 

responsibility, achievement, ambition... ya da ya da.

These ads, are clearly targeted at a different audience than usual. High school kids, most likely: "Come on, peeps! We're a cool college. If you have straggly hair or a tongue piercing; if you like crashing out after gorging on pizza (and possibly beer- though you'll have to infer that yourself), then we are the college for you!" I do think it's a nice idea to reach out to those potential students who might (stereotypically speaking) not be the type who usually pursues a degree right away. college isn't just for the honor roll kids, or the over-achievers, or the well-groomed, polish youth of high society. It's for everyone! right?

then again, don't we already know that? on another note, i don't know how i feel about labeling a person a "freak" just because she's got a tongue ring and possibly dyed hair. And the whole, "Einstein didn't own a hairbrush either" bit- it's very confrontational. Like the lame argument a kid would make to their equally lame parent who gave a damn about the state of their kid's hair. It's setting Centennial College up to be the "other" of colleges in general. "We're not like those guys. We're cooler." I mean, yes, the point of advertising one's university is to get more students and more tuition flowing in. It is competitive.

I dunno. There seems to be a lot going on here for me- hopefully during class today some of you can tell me what ya think.

huh.

wouldn't a person want to take the stairs because it's good exercise?

does everyone who rides an elevator dislike the event so much because there might be someone they don't know in there with them? oh no, what will i do?! i don't want to have to decide whether or not to just say "hi" to the other woman who smiled politely at me as i stepped into the elevator. four more floors to go on this hell ride!? god! awkward silences are the worst! i should just take the stairs so i don't have to interact with humanity.

hmmm. well, weapons are weapons, i can't argue with that.

(photos found on thechive.com by "alec" 2012)

hey...that looks like a...

i wasn't able to download 'the usual suspects' intro, and i don't remember the reflection questions. hopefully, we'll go over it again in class today, and i'll write a follow-up blog then. for now, in light of our new project, i'll share a picture i took last week at lagoon. it's a safety sign for one of the rides:

perhaps i'm immature for noticing... then again, i was with a group of my friends and family, and they ALL noticed this sign, and we all took pictures of it while giggling stupidly. but seriously! didn't the designers of this sign think about how this looked? maybe they thought loftily that no one would be so crude and immature- and for those people who might notice something odd/hilarious? damn them anyway. if they had used two different colors for this- keeping the 'person' a solid color, and the seat/ride (including the penis-looking safety bar) a different color- it might not have seemed odd or hilarious in the slightest.

i don't know what this has to do with our assignment. i'll reflect more and write again after we talk about 'the usual suspects' project some more.

reflection

my mundane

http://prezi.com/eiddreovhob_/the-mundane/

above is a link to my prezi, should anyone wish to see it again.

presentations

so, when i presented on thursday...i had really been hoping to put it off until tuesday. i had been so STUCK with my presentation. i knew other people were using video and music, and i felt my little picture slideshow was nowhere near ready. i feared ridicule and a bad grade.

as to my grade, eh, i'm not sure, but i'm not worried about it anymore. and thanks to my lovely class i did not feel ridiculed at all. you helped me feel that my presentation WAS adequate, and i clearly saw the beauty in my own pictures.

this was a fun project- i'm glad we had so much flexibility. everyone's project so far has been so different, and i've enjoyed them all. i'm looking forward to seeing the rest tomorrow.

water bottle and friend

i'm not sure if i would have noticed this water bottle if i hadn't seen so many in class lately. is a theme emerging? at any rate, it was a happy coincidence. the water bottle might seem pathetic, but i took heart in the leaved twig lying next to it. i felt like it must have purposefully fallen from the tree above to try and help the bottle see life's beauty again.

Studium and Punctum

Accidental shot of my swinging arm whilst walking the beautiful neighborhoods of Bend, OR. I had been taking pictures of houses I liked, and must have got this shot as I was putting my phone back in my bag.

Studium: Person on a road, or path. Giving the thumbs up? Possibly an accidental shot, seeing as the road is blurred in places. Knowing the owner of the arm, I'm pretty sure she didn't plan out a fancy shot with blurring effects- she doesn't have the skills. Hair-tie and flowery shirt indicate girly girl... the pink lighter is girly, too, but that provides some potential level of either coolness or lameness, depending on how you look at it. Tattoos on wrist and maybe the thumb?... indicate a bad girl, possibly. The coloring on the thumb nail could be an on-purpose floral design to match the shirt, or, more likely, the flaking remnants of random nail colors the figure put on in an effort to demonstrate for her young niece how specific colors might actually look on a fingernail- per her niece's request. Who's to say? There's a lot of interpretable personality in the hand and forearm, contrasting with the blandness of the paved road. It's a nice effect, if I say so myself, especially as the blandness of the road is oddly blurred with a seeming motion and direction to it.

Punctum: Love that shirt. Makes me feel alive and like a hippie. There was a supernatural feel to the air. Mom peeking out from the tattoo.... I think Mom was tagging along that day. Something about the blandness is ironic. Ocean-like. Hands that are identical. The revealed personality is inviting- usually makes me cringe. Maybe because my face is absent. Most delicious veggie burger I've had to date. I might remember what I was carrying but it would make sense to not. Besides, I was carrying it for a friend. The sunset is spicy and tastes like cider.

reflection on intros

the earlier Intro begins with 5 questions. they are the sort that i might write to get my own creative juices flowing, in preparing to discuss and delve into thoughts about a given context. "how do images argue?" is the first question. given the story you told in class about the presentation of your video and the subsequent arguments, the fact that images have arguing power seems to be a focus of your passion for visual rhetoric. Maybe that's just my own, amateur interpretation, but the concept of an arguing image resonates, indeed.
It seems to carry on in what I feel is more of an impulsive draft of what you intended. There seems to be more personal consideration flowing uninhibited by concerns of structure (not that it is unstructured), presentation of information, or its likeness to something like a syllabus that could be viewed by students or professional audiences (again, not that it shouldn't be viewed by students or professional audiences- it's a great intro!). It is simply more contemplative and philosophical, to my reading, and i like that.
As for the post's title: "on the blueness of the sky..." My first impression is that the following information or visuals would be in an effort to celebrate and showcase the beauty and magnificence of the sky in its beautiful, blue form. However, the contrast between the pictures indicates a more provocative and controversial intent. With the boring, black and white graph, I imagine a similar argument I once had with my sister: "What color are polar bears?" she asked me. "White," I replied, dully. "Wrong!" She burst, triumphant. "They're black!" She proceeded to explain why polar bears are technically black, and gave evidence that I never cared to check up on. I remember feeling irritated, though. 'so what if they're ACTUALLY black in some literal, scientific way. The color I perceive them to be is white. That is the color I associate with them, and you, sister, and your dumb little skit to prove me wrong has tainted my perception.
Not that being forced into another view of thinking is bad. In fact, I quite like it. But the two pictures got me thinking along a similar vein. Some scientific graph may explain how the earth's "sky" is not actually blue, but that it is only perceived as blue by us humans from our earthly vantage point. In contrast with the beautiful nature photo, however, the latter seems to be giving a big middle finger with a simultaneous and condescending 'tut tut' to the graph. It IS fascinating to consider and be knowledgeable of the science behind what we perceive to be real... but look at the blue sky.... what an experience to feel so affected and blissfully wistful!

the later intro is engaging and playful (i love the WA color palette- i've only seen moonrise kingdom, but i'm going to change that). At the same time, though, it is thesis-driven. It provides an effective example of visual rhetoric, and breaks down multiple sides of viewing and characterizing the associated information and responses. In this way, it is distinct from the first intro in the degree of organization with which our brains consider the context of visual rhetoric. It is less philosophical; more meat and potatoes. but by whatever kind of method i am asked to think about, read about or see, new information and ideas over the course of this class, i am ready and excited. bring it on, visual rhetoric.