#it just shows how fluid the concepts are when a media mix begins

[hotwaterandmilk]

I was looking through some of my old scans from the first Wedding Peach manga volume to see if I had a copy of Peach's "Wedding Kick" attack when I got sidetracked by this part of the second chapter where Yuri and Hinagiku return from an evil vortex with the life sucked right out of them.

Peach can't believe her friends are really gone, but luckily she can harness the power of love and the pair are revived as Angel Lily and Angel Daisy. Hooray for the power of love!

It's honestly kind of horrific in retrospect that the heroine of a kids' comic was faced with her two best friends dying in her arms in the 2nd chapter. But it's no big deal, everyone! Lily and Daisy don't seem to notice and nobody ever mentions it again. Wheee!

I kind of love how things just sort of *happen* in these media mix titles? I appreciate how you've got a group of creatives trying to figure things out with deadlines looming and not everything sticks. If the team decides not to make a big deal out of an event then they ignore it afterwards, or a hastily assembled magical weapon can be replaced with something more commercially viable down the track.

In this case it's just hey let's not bring up that time Yuri and Hinagiku were dragged lifeless out of an evil void and Peach gave them sparkly friendship sob-CPR or whatever until they were revived angelically... and stuff. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[karkat62]

TONIGHT’S COMMENTS WILL BE ON CATS DON’T DANCE (1997). THIS FILM WAS SPECIFICALLY (AND REPEATEDLY, IN THE MOST ANNOYING WAY POSSIBLE) REQUESTED BY @hauteurhaunted. THIS ONE’S FOR YOU, SUCKER.

CATS DON’T DANCE IS A MUSICAL FILM ABOUT A CAT NAMED DANNY WHOSE BIG DREAM IS TO BE AN ACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD, SPECIFICALLY STARRING IN AN UNSPECIFIED “BIG PICTURE”. WITH HIS GOAL IN MIND, DANNY SETS OUT TO THE PLACE WHERE MOVIES ARE MADE AND GOES ABOUT IT IN THE MOST BASIC WAY THAT HE CAN: THROUGH A TALENT AGENT SPECIALIZING IN ANIMAL ACTORS. THERE HE MEETS A VARIETY OF FELLOW ANIMALS, ALTHOUGH MOST ARE UNIMPORTANT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ANOTHER CAT NAMED SAWYER. DANNY’S DREAMS ARE SOON JUSTLY SHOT OUT OF THE SKY BY AN UNWIELDY GOD HURLING A LIGHTNING BOLT (AKA JUST A FAMOUS CHILD ACTOR WHO IS ALSO A COMPLETE BRAT). NOW FACED WITH REALITY, DANNY BOUNCES BETWEEN HIS NORMAL HOPEFUL OPTIMISM AND GIVING UP. SOME MINDLESS STUFF HAPPENS IN THE MIDDLE. THE WHOLE FILM CULMINATES IN THE GROUP OF ANIMALS SHOWING THE ANTAGONIST, DARLA, WHAT’S WHAT. THE END.

I’D LIKE TO BEGIN BY BRIEFLY COVERING WHY FILMS TAKE ON THE GENRES AND STYLINGS THAT THEY DO IN ORDER TO PORTRAY THEIR STORY. WHEN BASED ON TRUE STORIES, MUSICALS TEND TO OPERATE IN A UNIQUE REALM BETWEEN REALITY AND FICTION, GIVEN THAT IN DAY-TO-DAY LIFE, PEOPLE DON’T JUST GO AROUND BREAKING OUT INTO SONG, EVEN IF THAT WOULD BE THE EASIEST WAY TO END MY FORSAKEN LIFE. WHEN RESTING COMPLETELY IN FICTION, MUSICAL NUMBERS ARE TYPICALLY USED TO FEATURE WILD AND ASININE PLOT ELEMENTS, OVER THE TOP EFFECTS, AND A BLATANT ATTEMPT TO GET ON THE HUMAN TOP 40 CHART. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT MAKES A MUSICAL GOOD OR BAD IS TYPICALLY WHAT THE CREATIVE TEAM IS USING THE MUSIC FOR. IS IT BEING UTILIZED IN A WAY THAT PUSHES THE STORY FORWARD? DOES IT TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS? IS IT JUST THROWN IN THERE BECAUSE IT’S BEEN FIVE MINUTES SINCE SOMEONE LAST CARRIED A NOTE AND WE DON’T WANT THE AUDIENCE TO FALL ASLEEP? TYPICALLY, THE MOST WIDELY REGARDED MEDIA OF THIS GENRE USES MUSIC TO REVEAL ASPECTS OF CHARACTER AND PORTRAY ACTIONS IN A FLUID, YET REVEALING, MANNER. THE MUSIC ISN’T THROWN IN HAPHAZARDLY JUST TO HAVE A NOTE OR TWO, IT’S USED BECAUSE IT’S THE BEST MEDIUM TO TELL THE STORY. AS MANY IN THE BROADWAY INDUSTRY SAY, “YOU SING WHEN YOU CAN NO LONGER SPEAK.”

SO. WHERE DOES THIS FILM FALL INTO THAT MIX? WELL. WHY DON’T WE PUT IT LIKE THIS: THE FILM IS 75 MINUTES LONG, WHICH ISN’T PARTICULARLY LONG EVEN FOR AN ANIMATED FILM, AND IT FEATURES 8 SONGS, EACH ONE STRETCHING FOR 2-4 MINUTES. EVERY SONG IS HEARD BY ALL CHARACTERS, AND ONLY ONE REVEALS ANYTHING THAT A CHARACTER MIGHT OTHERWISE NOT SAY ALOUD. SO! WITH THAT IN MIND. IT’S A SHITTY FUCKING EXAMPLE OF THE MUSICAL GENRE. “BUT KARKAT! CAN’T A MUSICAL FILM JUST BE FUN??? DOES IT ALL HAVE TO MEAN SOMETHING?????” OF COURSE IT CAN BE FUN, DIPSHIT. THE ISSUE ISN’T THAT IT’S NOT FUN, THE ISSUE IS THAT IT TRIES TO BE A MOVIE THAT IS *MORE* THAN FUN. IT TRIES TO MAKE COMMENTARY, BUT DOESN’T FULLY COMMIT ITSELF BECAUSE THE COMMENTARY IT’S SPEAKING ON ISN’T A FUN TOPIC, SO INSTEAD IT FALLS FACE-FIRST INTO MEDIOCRITY, RIGHT BETWEEN ��GOOD AT MAKING COMMENTARY” AND “GOOD AT BEING FUN” BECAUSE IN 75 MINUTES, YOU CERTAINLY CAN’T BE BOTH.

TO EXPAND A LITTLE MORE ON THE IDEA OF MUSICAL NUMBERS TELLING US SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHARACTER THAT THEY’RE INCAPABLE OF SPEAKING, I’D LIKE TO QUICKLY TAKE A LOOK AT THE BROADWAY SHOW BANDSTAND. THIS IS A GREAT SHOW TO COMPARE TO CATS DON’T DANCE, BECAUSE THE FOUNDATION OF STORYTELLING IS THE SAME: IN CATS DON’T DANCE, THE CHARACTERS ARE WANNABE ACTORS AND SINGERS, SO OF COURSE THEY’RE SHOWCASING THEIR TALENTS AND NOT JUST SPEWING THEIR GELATINOUS SONG CHUNKS INTO THE VOID OF THE PANSPACE WHERE NO ONE CAN HEAR THEM. IN BANDSTAND, THE CHARACTERS ARE (YOU GUESSED IT!) IN A BAND, USING THE SAME EXCUSE FOR MANY OF THE MUSICAL NUMBERS TO BE HEARD BY ALL. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS THAT BANDSTAND STILL TAKES THE CHARACTERS ASIDE TO GIVE THEM CHARACTER-DRIVEN NUMBERS THAT ALLOW US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM. MEANWHILE, *EVERY* MUSICAL PIECE IN CATS DON’T DANCE IS SOME IN-UNIVERSE VOYEUR’S WET DREAM, BECAUSE THEY JUST TO SOAK UP EVERY JUICY WORD OF IT. IN BANDSTAND, WE GET TO LEARN OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ EMOTIONAL PLIGHT, WHAT DRIVES THEM TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES, AND HOW EXACTLY THEIR EXPERIENCES IN THE WAR HAVE CHANGED THEM. WE GET DEPTH AND BACKSTORY, ALTHOUGH I WILL ADMIT THAT THIS IS EASIER TO ACHIEVE GIVEN THAT IT HAS A LONGER RUNTIME THAN CATS DON’T DANCE. STILL! WHY DON’T WE GO AHEAD AND COMPARE A SONG FROM EACH. THE FIRST SONG OF BANDSTAND, TITLED “JUST LIKE IT WAS BEFORE”, TAKES US THROUGH THE EXPERIENCES OF ONE DONNY (HEY! ALMOST SAME NAME) NOVITSKI IN SOME.... HUMAN WAR. WHATEVER. ANYWAY. WITHIN THE FIRST MINUTE AND A HALF OF THE SONG, WE’RE GIVEN HIS TRAUMATIC BACKSTORY BEFORE MOVING INTO CURRENT TIMES, GOING FROM A SLOW-MOVING WEIGHTY SONG TO SOMETHING UPBEAT AND HOPEFUL AS HE RETURNS TO SOCIETY. THE CHARACTERS IN THIS SONG AREN’T *ACTUALLY* SINGING TO EACH OTHER, BUT INSTEAD FLOWING BETWEEN SCENES AND CARRYING OVER THEIR THOUGHTS AND EXPECTATIONS AS THEY GO. WE’RE TAKEN THROUGH MORE LITERAL EVENTS AS WELL, INCLUDING HIM TRYING TO GET A JOB. ETC ETC. MEANWHILE, THE FIRST MAJOR SONG OF CATS DON’T DANCE, “DANNY’S ARRIVAL SONG” TELLS US ONCE AGAIN THAT DANNY WANTS TO BE AN ACTOR AND THAT HE WORSHIPS THE CONCEPT OF HOLLYWOOD, SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN EXPRESSED THROUGH SPEAKING MOMENTS EARLIER IN THE FILM. IT HAS A LYRICAL STRUCTURE OF A GENERIC POP SONG, REITERATING REPEATEDLY THAT HE REALLY LIKES HOLLYWOOD. WOW. HOLLYWOOD. OH LOOK, MORE HOLLYWOOD. THREE FUCKING MINUTES OF “WOW HOLLYWOOD IS COOL”. GREAT. THANKS. I HAD NO IDEA! ANYWAY, IT’S BAD. ALSO THE MUSIC SUCKS.

THE ONE SONG THAT *ALMOST* REDEEMED IT FOR ME WAS “TELL ME LIES” WHICH IS SUNG BY SAWYER, THE FEMALE CAT THAT DANNY MEETS WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVES IN HOLLYWOOD. NOW THIS ONE HAS SOME POTENTIAL! IN IT, SHE EXPRESSES MORE OR LESS HOW SHE’S GOING TO MISS DANNY ONCE HE’S KICKED OUT OF THE CITY, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY HER CHARACTER BEFORE BUT NOT TOUCHED ON FULLY UNTIL NOW. GREAT! FINALLY SOME FUCKING DEVELOPMENT. UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S RUINED AT THE LAST SECOND BY A SIDE CHARACTER COMING IN AND GOING “WOW THAT WAS A COOL SONG. HAHA. YOU LIKE A BOY.” WHICH IS PUMPBREAKING FOR ME BECAUSE I WAS ON THE TRACK TO ENJOYING SOMETHING ABOUT THE MUSIC ASPECT OF THIS FILM. OH WELL! ALSO, I’D LIKE TO MENTION THAT I WAS VERY DISTRACTED BY THEIR CHOICE TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), IF ONLY BECAUSE IT’S A UNIQUE PIECE OF MEDIA THAT, IF YOU’RE UNAWARE, HAS BEEN STUCK IN COPYRIGHT LIMBO SINCE THE FILM’S RELEASE. IT’S AN INTERESTING TOPIC TO LOOK INTO IF YOU’RE EVER BORED.

AS FAR AS THE REST OF THE STORYTELLING: IT’S FINE, I GUESS. IT’S VERY FAST-PACED, WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED OF SUCH A SHORT FILM, BUT IT FEELS LIKE I’VE BEEN THROWN DOWN A RIVER AND TOLD THAT I BETTER LEARN HOW TO SWIM ASAP. THE ANIMATION IS LIVELY AND INTERESTING, ALTHOUGH I WILL NEVER BE COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH ANIMATION THAT DOESN’T SPEAK ON THE UNIQUE CHARACTERS. IT’S PRETTY MUCH GOT THE SAME STYLE OF MOVEMENT FOR EVERY LIVING CREATURE IN THE FILM, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DANNY, WHO ALMOST HAS HIS OWN THING GOING ON. ALMOST. MY FAVORITE CHARACTER WAS SAWYER, UNTIL THE CREATORS DECIDED TO LIE TO THEIR AUDIENCE AND TELL EVERYONE THAT LOVE IS REAL, WHICH IT MOST CERTAINLY IS NOT. THEN SHE WENT SOFT AND THAT ASPECT OF MY ENJOYMENT WAS DOWN THE TUBES, TOO.

ANYWAY. I’M GOING TO END THIS HERE, EVEN THOUGH THERE’S REALLY A LOT MORE TO SAY. OVERALL RATING WAS A 5/10.

AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER FILM THAT YOU’D LIKE ME TO CHECK OUT AND TALK ABOUT, YOU CAN FIND ME IN MY INBOX OR AT KARKAT@KARKAT.MYSPACE. SEE YA.

[daisyguanisme]

How “Bojack Horseman” is a perfect example of realistic animation.

The animation series depicts a world where animals and humans live together and interact socially. The visual production is simple and feels like a child’s drawing, but its perception and pressures endowed to the audience are realistic even depressing. I used to not understand why there have to be animal characters in the series, and why can’t they just use all humans to tell the story. After reading Jason Mittell’s “Cartoon Realism: Genre Mixing and the Cultural Life of The Simpsons”, I begin to understand that having animals and humans together is a way of genre mixing. According to the concept brought by Mittell, realism animation can take advantage of both emphasizing the realistic part (such as the content, dialogue, the storyline and so on), as well as the animation part to keep a distance from reality. In this way, it can avoid projecting too overloaded and depressing thoughts and feelings to the audience. Animation makes it easier to talk about dark issues and is ideal for its implicit distance. In the show, they are stressed about managing relationships, find life goals, pressures from a career-wise, unhappy childhood and so on. Such kept distance is well applied: animation has a relaxing coat to constantly remind people “don’t take it too seriously”, but also the realistic content makes the audience identify themselves with the show. 

The differentiation between animals and humans is also meaningful. In Bojack Horseman, Mr. Peanut Butter is a dog, and Princess Caroline is a cat. They are never bothered by the question to figure out who they are. Princess Caroline has specific plans for her life and she always knows what she wants, which explains why she is so determined when making decisions. Mr. PeanutButter is always positive and cheerful. In contrast, human characters such as Diane and Todd are stuck in the self-questioning all the time. They are exhausted to figure out the answer, and Todd does not even know his true sexual orientation until after the seasons of the show. He stays at Bojack’s sofa every day and doing nothing, happily live inconsistent, gradual, but implicit pain. Comparing with the four supporting characters who can be clearly distinguished between animals and humans, the main character Bojack is the one hesitating between. The complex personalities and life issues he faces make the series much more than a cartoon but a realistic production that really motivates the audience to think through, just as how Jason mentioned in his work that its reflexivity and self-awareness breaks down the artifice and illusion, and brings in realism because producers usually project themselves in the production.  

In the show, Bojack keeps questioning himself for what he wants and who he is: The scene depicting people keep asking him “Are you the one who was in the Horse-in Around Show?” “Are you Bojack?” repeats almost in every episode. Therefore, I consider it as a realistic animation, as Jason Mittell defined, a production with hyper-reflexivity and self-awareness. Besides, it examines universal human behaviors, which allows it to be relatable and have a larger audience base, as claimed by Rex Kruger. We do not fight with magic in real life, but we do try to figure out our self-identities. There are configured cultural hierarchies and norms, and the conflict between self and the outside world.   Rex Krueger talks about how obeying the physics rule in the animation makes the series more realistic. In Bojack Horseman, there’s no falling from a skyscraper or jump out of windows, it mainly depicts how characters talk and only normal physical interactions. It may seem dry and simplified at first, but I feel a stronger desire to identify with them since that’s how we act in real life. Rex also mentions how the connection producing new experiences and a sense of reality when he talks about adaptation and appropriation. Bojack is a series initially online but I still see how connection produces realism between seasons. The opening title part of Bojack keeps along with the plot: other characters appear or disappear according to the plot as the background in Bojack’s house. Rex Kruger also talks about how “The Boondocks encourages the audience to question their own personal motivation” (315), and Bojack Horseman does a good job of using supporting characters to reveal and fulfill the main character: Hollyhock represents the childish side and ignorance of Bojack. It reflects the idea of how one’s identity is revealed and counter-projected by people around us. Bojack is the series that motivate the audience to question and think through, so it is realistic. Next, Rex defined “fluid relationships with current events” keeps an animation realistic, and Bojack season 4 often addresses social issues such as social media, online violence, gun control, and so on. In the form of animation, the cartoon enhances perceived realism, and it breaks sitcom and produces greater realism. And I like how animation allows production more freedom, as addressed by Rex: Bojack takes the drug and his emotions of craziness, black humor, being absurd can be shown without acting limitations but strongly relatable as well. Jason has brought up a concept called “Parody in the context of cultural life”, and in Bojack sometimes the audience will be reminded that some characters are animals when they almost forget the fact. For example, a polar bear wears shorts in winter; the license plate for Mr. Peanut Butter is “GOOD BOY”...Such balance will drag the audience back to the setting of animation and being relaxed. I think realistic cartoons still have to do a good job of keeping the balance by taking some seriousness out of the picture: it can’t be the behaviors, so animal appearances become the top choice. 

Bojack Horseman season 6 trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOGxOQxXjdo&t=9s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGyxgE19Xjc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8a_3KxB9uE

All in all, the depression and struggle, ironically, are my reasons to love this comedy cartoon.

 References: 

Mittell, Jason. The Velvet Lightrap. “Cartoon Realism: Genre Mixing and the Cultural Life of The Simpsons”. 2001. pp15-28.

Krueger, Rex. Animation. “Aaron McGruder’s The Boondocks and Its Transition From Comic Strip to Animated Series”. 2010. pp 313-329.

[marinamitchellblog]

WEEK 3 REPOST

RESPOSTING WITHOUT IMAGES AS HAD SEXUAL CONTENT AND DIDNT MEET COMMUNITY GUIDELINES :(  The Museum of Innocence Objects, Souvenirs, Collections: beginning to make meaning with things and places. overall theme/idea(s)im thinking of looking into: sexual energies, erotic paintings, sex art and commitment, sex positive ,fluid worlds, visibilty, interconnection of art sex and science, sex and psychedelics, Sexual Intimacy and Its Connection with Aural Energy ,beyond the binary,sexual edcuation approach,form, Imagine you could bring any 5 (or 6 or 7) things together, to tell a story, to make a point, to illuminate a concept, to reveal an insight, to offer a portrait…What might those things be? 1.  Louise Bourgeois Cuml l 1969 marble on wood base place on floor to be viewed from above clouds; not this intent but entangled with metaphors of male and female body parts that are simultaneously abstract and descriptive. breasts and penises emerging from a rippling fabric appealing and disturbing reveal and conceal 2.I would love to see a Tracey Emin installation as part of my exhibition more specifically her text pieces situation of a large wall really setting the mood and tying the ideas of the exhibition together. Something your guided to first .big fan of her white neon light text atop of a white wall. clean ,minimal 3.lynda benglis about her :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kh23bD2-xw&app=desktop her works shocked back them but do they shock now ? provocative feminist icon your body and my body colour importance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzPiwBKwdhk Two women, faces framed in tight focus, kiss and caress. Their interaction is silent, muted by Benglis' superimposition of a noisy, distracting soundtrack of appropriated AM radio: bawdy wisecracks of talk-show hosts and male callers, interacting in the gruff terms of normative toss up between screening the video piece or this particular photograph.(lifesized) body representational of gender fluidity untitled 4.Robert Gober untitled 1990 the made body,made vulnerable gender fluidity 5.Malcom Liepke the nonsensical idea that  sex is something a woman gives a man, and she loses something when she does that encourage girls to see sexuality's as something they own What connections are being made? non censored bringing together artists to explore themes of sexuality and gender fludity creating a safe space for open conversations constructing and coming out How do different juxtapositions make + change meaning? sex positive environment in a different context Louise's works would perhaps not come across so sexually charged and identifiable. all have similar context  and meaning to begin with as I chose works that adress and work with same topics just with different media and processes. begin to ask myself where this collection may best be understood? Lyndas more colorful works would stand out against the mentioned works so far, challeneged .confrontational. Does this change how viewer reads the overall? further research: inspiring artists: gustav klimt ,pablo picasso, Robert Mapplethorpe,Florian Hetz, Louise BourgeoisLa Fillette, 1968 / Avanza / Janus Fleuris, 1968 “sex work is art work. i love cuntemporary art <3 “ https://happymag.tv/heres-the-artist-people-listen-to-most-whilst-having-sex-according-to-study/ sound audio of exhibition to be considered https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/twin-artists-paint-stills-kim-kardashians-sex-tape/1574570 why great sex is an art form =  what makes sex simply a physical act, and what makes it transcendent? Bad sex, or mediocre sex? mechanical exercise involving body parts, forgotten as soon as it’s over.  disconnected,cliche,erotic improv, tracey emin(young british artists) reflection of own desires the female imprint on the genre of sex nancy nan goldin -themes of violence sex and drugs sexual dependency private vs public life UNTITLED Lynda Benglis 1974 parodying stereotypical gender roles, UNTITLED Robert Gober 1991 gahee park https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/30097/1/the-makers-of-this-sex-painting-kit-talk-bodies-and-art using the body as a tool and sex as a method to create painted piece brandon herman abject art-  describes a body of work which incorporates or suggests abject materials, such as dirt, hair, excrement, dead animals, menstrual blood, and rotting food in order to confront taboo issues of gender and sexuality potentially curate a exhibition of abject art rather than traditional contemporary as it better fits themes I love exploring looking at exclusively abject art would also help have some cohesiveness to an exhibit but this is all still hypothetical. mixed multimedia This weeks texts/readings: museum of innocence Açalya Allmer offers a perceptive history of the Museum of Innocence, and the complex, meta-fictional relationship between Orhan Pamuk and his fictional characters, within the changing social and cultural context of 20th century Istanbul. obsessive collector meet fictional exhibition architecture and narrative of art collecting acquired objects before describing them in the novel and sometimes he found an object by chance after he had written about it instead of building his collection ‘in an atmosphere of clandestineness and concealment, of secrecy and sequestration, which in every way suggests a feeling of guilt only 50 people at a time so everyone can see unlike the great exhibtion how days were so busy you couldnt really view much new organisation was necessary for visitor circulation childlike modes of acquisition, from touching things to giving them names regards collecting as a tempered mode of sexual perversion ‘ We are attached to objects because of the experiences, joys or feelings of security, of happiness, of friendship, whatever we may enjoy in life, because we relate these emotions to corresponding objects. My protagonist is deeply in love, I would say infatuated, with Füsun; he had enjoyed immense happiness. Now, in order to preserve this, or relive this, he gets close to her and collects objects that remind him of those moments. I strongly believe that we collect objects because they make us remember our good moments.” pamuk interview relationship between history and space The reader of the novel visualizes the grater in his or her mind, actually creating each object in his or her unique vivid imagination. In the actual museum, however, the grater becomes a tangible, objective reality. When the reader sees the ‘real’ object in the actual museum, their dynamic and active imagination is then stilled or frozen. what happens if the display differs from imagination? what happens if the museum visitor has not read the novel ticket in the book to encourage people to read and get free entry two different entireties and experiences novel= not an explanation of the museum Susan Stewart,On Longing: looks at the nature of the souvenir, and the collection, considering the emotional and philosophic of the thing, and its accumulation. objects of desire body as a primary mode of receiving body and world experienced and imagined articulate and delimit each other authentic experience measurement for the normal and authenticates the experience of the viewer cultural codes domesticates the grotesque the souvenir by definition is always incomplete narrative of origins- interiority and authenticity sites and attractions are collected by societies but souvenirs are collected by individuals tourists distance and intimacy authenticate and distance past whilst discredit present present too alienating and not intimate directly lived antique as souvenir always carries the burden of nostalgia of which cannot be sustained without loss separation and restoration childhood cold/warm narrative used to invent the symbolic ownerships keeping body and soul together fetishstic value  defined by intrinsic value values of consumer culture Anthropologist James Clifford offers a critique of a 1984 show at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), called '"Primitivism' in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern." identifies structures of power and first world paternalism, beleives show is misguided and offensive. This is then an example of the conceptual act of bring things together being highly problematic. the predicament of culture you do not stand in one place to watch a masquerade modernism informing principles that transcend culture politics and history tribal is modern, and the modern more richly ,more diversely human power of the affinty mix n match pairing modern and tribal problematic common denominators but in fact they are and should be independent of direct influence redeeming appropriating otherness factual and discovery proposed question :could this intercultural encounter be told differently? reclassification an additional history that assumes art is not universal but is a changing western cultural category intergrate question boundaries

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior Home Edition 7/31/20 – THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE, SUMMERLAND, THE SECRET: DARE TO DREAM, SHE DIES TOMORROW and More!

As I started to gather what’s left of my wits for this week’s column, there seemed to be fewer movies than usual, and I was quite thankful for that. Then, a few of the movies scheduled for some sort of theatrical release this weekend were delayed and I discovered a bunch of movies I didn’t have in my release calendar to begin with, so this is a little bit of an odd weekend but still one with 8 movies reviews! I went into most of the movies this weekend without much knowledge of what they were about, probably was the best way to go into many of them, since it allowed me to be somewhat open-minded about what I was watching.

The first surprise of the week is that we’re getting another decent film from the one and only Saban Films, so maybe the VOD distributor has been using the pandemic to step up its game as well.  Directed by first-time feature director Nick Rowland, the Irish crime-drama THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE (Saban Films), based on the book “Calm with Horses,” stars relative newcomer Cosmo Jarvis as Douglas Armstrong, known as “Arm,” the enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family. Douglas also has a young toddler with local woman Ursula (Niamh Algar), but when his handler Dympna (Barry Keoghan) orders Arm to kill for the first time, he’s forced to rethink his career.

Much of the story revolves a member of the Devers family caught making a lurid pass at Dympha’s 16-year-old sister, leading to consequences, as Arm is sent to beat the crap out of him. For head of the family, that isn’t nearly enough and soon, Arm is ordered to kill the man. (This aspect of the story reminds me a little of Todd Field’s Little Children, particularly the Jackie Earle Haley subplot.)

As I mentioned above, I watched this film with zero expectations and was taken quite aback by how great it was, despite not having been that big a fan of Keoghan from some of his past work. On the other hand, Cosmo Jarvis, in his first major role, is absolutely outstanding, giving a performance on par with something we might see from Thomas Hardy or Matthias Schoenaerts, at least in their earlier work. Barely saying a word, Jarvis instills so many emotions into “Arm” as we see him playing with his young autistic son, Jack, trying to keep his jealousy over Ursula under control, while also being there when Dympna needs him.  Even as you think you’re watching fairly innocuous day-to-day stuff, Rowland ratchets up the tension to an amazing degree right up until a climactic moment that drives the last act.

Despite the film’s title, The Shadow of Violence isn’t just about violence, as much as it is about a man trying to figure out how to change the trajectory of his life. If you like character-based films like The Rider, this movie is definitely going to be for you. Another surprise is that the movie will be available only in theaters this Friday, rather than the typical VOD approach Saban Films generally takes, so check your local theater if it’s playing near you.

The faith-based drama THE SECRET: DARE TO DREAM (Lionsgate), starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas, is directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama) and adapted from Rhonda Byrne’s self-help book, The Secret (which is based on a 2006 movie also called The Secret). Originally planned for a theatrical release, it’s now being released as PVOD, which seems to be the way that so many movies are going now. In it, Holmes plays Miranda Wells, a struggling widow living in New Orleans with three kids who on a stormy night meets a kind stranger (Lucas) who tries to pass on his philosophy of using positive thinking to get whatever you want in life.  

Mini-Review: I don’t usually buy into some of the faith-based movies that are released every year, but that’s mainly because I rarely get a chance to see any of them, so why bother?  I was ready to go into The Secret: Dare to Dream with a healthy amount of skepticism, because it seemed to be another movie about grand miracles… but in fact, it’s just a bland movie pimping Rhonda Byrne’s New Thought technique from her New Age-y self help book.

The idea is that positive thinking is all that it takes to get anything you want, something no less than Oprah quickly glommed onto.  While the movie doesn’t hit you over the head with such a message, and “God” is only mentioned once, it also just doesn’t seem to offer much in terms of storytelling to maintain one’s interest.

Katie Holmes does a fine job playing an amiable single mother who meets Josh Lucas’ Bray Johnson as a huge storm is about to hit New Orleans, and he seems like a nice enough fellow as he helps her replace a broken bumper (after she rear-ended him, no less) and then fixing up the house after the storm. But Bray has a secret (hence the title) and it’s in an important envelope that he hesitates to give to Miranda.

The film’s biggest problem is that there never is much in terms of stake when it comes to the drama, because Bray seems to be there to fix everything and make everything better. Miranda’s only other real relation is an awkward one with Jerry O’Connell’s long-time (presumably platonic) friend Tucker, which only gets more awkward when he surprises her by popping the question. She says “Yes” without talking to her own kids first.  The whole time while watching the film, I was expecting some sort of big Nicholas Spark level romance between Miranda and Bray, so when Tucker proposes, it throws a real spanner in the works, but only for a little while.

Incidentally, the “secret” of the title that Bray resists telling Miranda until pressured isn’t particularly groundbreaking either. I won’t ruin it. You’ll just be annoyed when it’s finally revealed.

The Secret: Dare to Dream is as generic and bland a tale you can possibly get, one that really doesn’t accomplish very much and feels more like a Lifetime movie than something particularly revelatory.

Rating: 6/10

Jessica Swale’s WW2-set SUMMERLAND (IFC Films) stars Gemma Arterton as fantasy author Alice Lamb, quietly living on the South of England in a small beachside town when she’s presented with a young London evacuee named Frank (Lucas Bond) for her to mind while his father’s at war.  Alice lives alone but many years earlier, she had a friendship with a local woman named Vera (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) that turned into something more, despite the taboo of their relationship during those times.

This was another nice surprise, and as I watched the movie, it was hard not to compare it to last week’s Radioactive, since they’re movies intended to appeal to a similar audience. This one seems to be more focused, and Arterton does a better job being likeable despite being as persnickety as Pike’s Marie Currie. Although this isn’t a biopic, it did remind me of films like Goodbye Christopher Robin and Tolkien, and possibly even Finding Neverland. (Incidentally, the Summerland of the title is a mythical place that Alice is writing about, which adds to the fairy tale angle to the film.)

As the film goes along, there’s a pretty major twist, of sorts, and it’s when the stakes in the film start to feel more dramatic as things continue to elevate into the third act. The movie actually opens in 1975 with Penelope Wilton playing the older Alice, although I’m not sure the framing sequence was particularly needed for the film to work the way Swale intended.

Summerland is generally just a nice and pleasant film that stirs the emotions and shows Swale to be a filmmaker on the rise.

Another really nice indie film that might involve a bit more searching is director Sergio Navaretta’s THE CUBAN (Brainstorm Media), written by Alessandra Piccione. It follows 19-year-old Mina (played by Ana Golja), a Canadian pre-med student who lives with her aunt, Bano (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who pushes her career in medicine, although Mina would rather be a singer. At her part-time job at a long-term care facility, Mina meets Luis (Louis Gossett Jr.), a quiet elderly patient who sits in his wheelchair never talking to anyone until Mina discovers his love for music, and the two bond over that, although Mina’s employers don’t think she’s helping Luis despite his obvious change in nature.

This was just a lovely film driven by Golja, who is just wonderful in the lead role with an equally terrific cast around her, and while it gets a little obvious, I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this film that harks back to some of the great earlier work by Thomas McCarthy, as it follows a touching story that mixes a number of cultures in a surprisingly fluid way. It turned out to be quite a pleasant and unexpected film in the way it deals with subjects like dementia in such a unique and compelling away, especially if you enjoy Cuban music.

The Cuban already played at a couple Canadian theaters, but it will be available via Virtual Cinema and in some American theaters Friday, and you can find out where at the Official Site.

I was pretty excited to see Amy Seimetz’s new film, SHE DIES TOMORROW (NEON), since I was quite a fan of her previous film, Sun Don’t Shine. Besides having played quite a fantastic role in recent independent cinema through her varied associations, Seimetz also cast Kate Lyn Sheil, a fantastic actress, in the main role. It’s a little hard to explain the film’s plot, but essentially Sheil plays Amy, a woman convinced she’s going to die tomorrow, a feeling that starts spreading to others around her. I’m not sure if you would get this just from watching the film, because it’s pretty vague and even a little confusing about what is happening despite the high concept premise.

For the first 15 minutes or so, the camera spends the entire time watching Sheil as she cries and hugs a wall, while listening to the same opera record over and over. When her friend Jane (Jane Adams) comes over to check on her, she finds her vacuuming in a fancy dress. Amy tells her friend that she’s going to die tomorrow, and she wants to be turned into a leather jacket. Soon, after we’re watching Jane, a scientist, going down the same wormhole as Amy. That’s pretty much the running narrative, although the film opens up when we meet some of Jane’s family and friends, including Katie Aselton, Chris Messina, Tunde Adebimpe, Michelle Rodriguez and more. Soon after we meet them, they TOO are convinced that they’re going to die tomorrow. Incidentally (and spoiler!), no one actually dies in the movie. Heck, I’d hesitate even to call this a “horror” movie because it takes the idea of a pandemic that we’ve seen in movies like Bird Box, Contagion and others and sucks all the genre right out of it, but it still works as a character piece.

The thing is that the film looks great and also feels quite unique, which does make She Dies Tomorrow quite compelling, as well as a great vehicle for both Sheil and Seimetz. Even so, it’s also very much a downer and maybe not the best thing to watch if you aren’t in a good place, emotionally. You’ve been warned. It will open at select drive-ins this weekend, but it will then be available via VOD next Friday, August 7.

Next up, we have two fantastic and inspiring docs that premiered at Sundance earlier this year…

In recent years, Ron Howard has made a pretty amazing transition into respectable documentary filmmaker, and that continues with REBUILDING PARADISE (National Geographic), which takes a look at the horrible fires that struck Northern California in November 2018, literally wiping out the town of Paradise and leaving over 50,000 people homeless and killing roughly 85 people.

It’s really horrifying to see the amount of destruction caused when a spark from a faulty transmission line ignites the particularly dry forest surrounding the town of Paradise, destroying the hospital and elementary school and displacing the homeowners. This is obviously going to be a tough film to watch, not only seeing the fires actually raze the town to the ground but also watching these not particularly wealthy people having to contend with losing their homes. (It’s even tougher to watch now since you wonder how COVID may have affected the town as it’s in better shape now then it was last year.)

Using a cinema verité approach (for the first time possible?), Howard finds a small group of people to follow, including the town’s former mayor, the school superintendent, a local police officer, and others.  It’s pretty impressive how much time this doc covers, and often, you may wonder if Ron Howard was there at all times, because it seems like he would have to have been embedded with the townspeople for an entire year to get some of the footage.

As I said, this is not an easy film to watch, especially as you watch these people dealing with so much tragedy – if you’ve seen any of the docs about Sandy Hook, you might have some idea how hard this movie may be to watch for you. But it is great, since it shows Howard achieving a new level as a documentary filmmaker with a particularly powerful piece.  

Produced by Kerry Washington, THE FIGHT (Magnolia Pictures) is the latest doc from Weiner directors Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, this time joined as director by that film’s editor, Eli B. Despres. The “fight” of the title is the one between the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Trump administration that began shortly after his inauguration in 2017, his Muslim travel ban that quickly followed, and going up until mid-2019 when a lot of obvious civil rights violations were being perpetrated by the U.S. government.

This is a particularly interesting doc if you weren’t aware of how active the ACLU has been in helping to protect people’s rights on a variety of fronts. The doc covers four particular cases involving immigration, LGBTQ rights, voting rights and reproductive rights, and we watch the lawyers involved in four important cases, including a few that are taken right up to the Supreme Court. In following these four particular lawyers, the filmmakers do a great job helping the viewer understand how important the ACLU is in keeping the conservative right at bay from trying to repeal some previous laws made to protect Americans’ rights. 

Of course, this film is particularly timely since it covers a lot of dramatic changes, including the nomination of Justice Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which ends up being ironic, since he was the judge presiding over an earlier ACLU case involving a pregnant teen immigrant who isn’t allowed to get an abortion. The movie doesn’t skirt the fact that often the ACLU is called upon to help the likes of white supremacists and potential terrorist factions, since they’re about protecting everyone’s rights. I would have loved to hear more about this, but it does cover the backlash to the ACLU after the Charlottesville protests went horribly wrong in 2017.

Be warned that there are moments in this film where the waterworks will start flowing since seeing the ACLU succeed against oppression is particularly moving. If you’ve been following the country’s shifting politics keenly and want to learn more about the ACLU, The Fight does a great job getting behind closed doors and humanizing the organization.

The Fight will be available on all digital and On Demand platforms starting Friday, and you can find out how to rent it at the Official Site.

Vinnie Jones (remember him?) stars in Scott Wiper’s crime-thriller THE BIG UGLY (Vertical) about a pair of British mobsters who travel to West Virginia to make an oil deal in order to launder money. Once there, they encounter some troubles with the locals, particularly the sadistic son of Ron Perlman’s Preston, the man with whom they’re dealing.

Sometimes, as a film critic, you wonder how a movie that has so much potential can turn into such an unmitigated disaster, but then you watch a movie like The Big Ugly, and you realize that some bad filmmakers are better at talking people into doing things than others.

That seems to be the case with this film in which Jones plays Leland, who comes to West Virginia with his boss Harris (McDowell) to make an oil deal with Ron Perlman’s Preston, only for the latter’s son “PJ” (Brandon Sklenar) causing trouble, including the potential murder of Leland’s girlfriend. Of course, one would expect to see tough guy Vinnie Jones out for revenge against the endless parade of sleaze-balls he encounters, and that may have been a better movie than what Wiper ended up making, which is all over the place in terms of tone. (It was only after I watched the film did I realize that Wiper wrote and directed the absolutely awful WWE Film, The Condemned, also starring Jones. If I only knew.)  

Jones isn’t even the worst part of the cast, in terms of the acting, because both McDowell and Perlman, two great actors, struggle through the terrible material, though Perlman generally fares better than McDowell, who doesn’t seem to be giving it his all.

There’s a whole subplot involving one of PJ’s friends/co-workers (recent Emmy nominee Nicholas Braun from  HBO’s Succession) and his relationship with a pretty local (Lenora Crichlow) that goes nowhere and adds nothing to the overall story. Once PJ is seemingly dealt with, there’s still almost 35 minutes more of movie, including a long monologue by Perlman telling a sorely wasted Bruce McGill how he met McDowell’s character. Not only does it kill any and all momentum leading up to that point, but it’s probably something that should have been part of the set-up earlier in the film.

The fact this movie is so bad is pretty much Wiper’s fault, becuase he wrote a script made up of so many ideas that never really fit together – kind of like Guy Ritchie doing a very bad Deliverance remake before deciding to turn it into a straight-up Western. Wiper then tries his hardest to salvage the movie by throwing in violence and explosions and leaning heavily on the soundtrack. (The fact that both this and the far superior The Shadow of Violence used a song from the Jam was not lost on this music enthusiast.) Regardless, The Big Ugly is a pretty detestable piece of trash that couldn’t end fast enough… and it didn’t. (It played in drive-ins and select theaters last Friday but will be available on digital and  On Demand this Friday.)

Available through Virtual Cinemas (supporting Film Forum and the Laemmle in L.A) is Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni’s documentary, Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, about the Canadian singer-songwriter who changed people’s impressions of Canadian culture, covering Lightfoots’s greatest triumphs and failures.

Film at Lincoln Center’s Virtual Cinema will premiere Koji Fukada’s Japanese drama A Girl Missing (Film Movement) on Friday, while New York’s Metrograph Live Screening series continues this week with Manfred Kirchheimer’s Bridge High & Stations of the Elevated starting today through Friday, and then the premiere of Nan Goldin’s Sirens (with two other shorts) starting on Friday. You can subscribe to the series for $5 a month or $50 a year.

Premiering on Disney+ this Friday is Beyoncé’s Black is King, her new visual album inspired by the lessons from The Lion King, as well as the new original Muppets series, Muppets Now. Since I haven’t seen either Lion King movie, I’m definitely looking forward more to the Muppets returning to "television.”

Launching on Netflix today is Matias Mariani’s Shine Your Eyes about a Nigerian musician who travels to Sao Paulo to look for his estranged brother and bring him back to Nigeria, as well as Sue Kim’s doc short, The Speed Cubers, set in the world of competitive Rubik cube solving and the friendly rivalry between two young “speedcubers.” Also, Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy will premiere on Netflix this Friday.

Premiering on Shudder tomorrow (Thursday, July 30) is Rob Savage’s Host, the first horror movie made during the quarantine about a group of six friends who decide to hold a séance over Zoom.

Amazon’s drive-in series continues tonight with “Movies to Inspire Your Inner Child,” playing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Hook.

Next week, more movies not in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

[yahxxyy]

Summary

Thesis concept & goal

Comprised of personal memorable sounds and high-pitched sounds, hEARing is an auditory spatial experience that reimagines an individual’s hearing experience in an abstract way to blur the edge of human auditory perceptions. The sound piece is looping almost like an ambient sound in the background, the participants enter the space with an anticipation of hearing this, but then a sudden intervention of high frequencies, vague sound elements and sonic dust leads to a unique experience for every participant in the sharing space. This intended disparate hearing experience is distinguished by different human auditory systems. Physically, human sensibilities differ from person to person. Psychologically, sound echoes differing memories, reflections and emotions. So now the privilege of perceiving the piece is transferred to the participants unconsciously. They cannot hear what you hear, they cannot sense what you sense and vice versa. The goal of hEARing is to create a sonic experience that addresses an intriguing inquiry towards human sensations to enforce the participants’ questioning the sound perception itself.

The audio of hEARing is made for looping in a quiet enclosed space to create spatial acoustic environment leading to some interesting effects. It is an experience that the audience can leave anytime they want. When they first enter the space and are given a variety of sounds to hear and feel, and they will be disturbed by sound interventions, like high frequencies, vague sound elements and sonic dust, which appear at half to one minute intervals.

I am super sensitive to the high frequencies,  I have been aware of this because my body reacts to these sounds strongly. I felt the blood vessels in the back of my brain and temples pumping really hard, and I got headache and dizzy immediately, while I was approaching these art pieces consisting of a bunch of old televisions or radios (around 16khz). The common hearing of range can be heard by humans is 20 hz to 20,000 hz, but a gradual loss of sensibility to hearing, especially higher frequencies, is normally relative to age. I know that a lot of people can hear the sound but this special “gift” of physical unpleasantness bugs me so much. I can hear the buzzes of router, outlet, old telephones, etc. The place where I am currently working as an intern is full of electrical equipments, I feel very uncomfortable being surrounded by these little pure high pitch sound. Sometimes my body reacts. For example, the decreasing interest of diet, loss of concentration, and dizziness. Is it quite unfair? Why do I need to hear this “noise” and realize that to hear this is an excess of hearing? But when there is no sound around, like Anechoic Chamber in BYU. Without the reverberation, people might feel they are  in a small room and cause claustrophobia. People might get panic because they used to have these sounds around them. And they will try to make up the sounds so that will probably cause hallucination. Most hear the sounds of their bodies, like blood vessels, fluids, heart beat. “When there is nothing to hear, so much starts to sound. Silence is not the absence of sound but the beginning of listening.” (Salome Voegelin, Listening to Noise and Silence: Towards a Philosophy of Sound) When you get out of the space, you might be aware of that you are become more sensitive to the world. In Perfect Hearing, Nubar Alexanian actually considers his tinnitus, somehow, as a grateful thing. The documentary recreates what Nubar is hearing daily. A loud and steady pure tone like La Monte Young’s piece, The Second Dream of the High Tension Wire. “You just have to gonna live with it.” The first doctor he met told him to get used to his tinnitus, because there is no cure for this. Abby, Nubar’s daughter whose hearing loss affected her pronunciation of certain words, said she could not imagine having this tone in her hearing, but then thought it was quite interesting. “It’s not that bad……I haven’t really lived with perfect hearing ever, so I can’t compare……you couldn’t imagine this in your hearing, and I can’t image tinnitus.” Sometimes, she wonders what is like to hear everything perfectly, to “have that entire sound of every, like, aspect of someone’s voice, or music, every note…... would be incredible to me.” An extra, a loss. What is a moderate hearing, or often regarded as perfect hearing? Even though we know that everyone’s perception is different, we still trapped in the body and view the world within our own limits. We will never understand what others feel, we are just what we are sensing. Our experience of sensing, a primary research of the world, is the scope of our understanding.

I was influenced by artworks such as Synesthetic Calculus by David Genco which is a piece that visualizes what he has perceived into a video piece (synesthesia is a  perceptual phenomenon of stimulating one sense which leads to a secondary different sense or cognition) and anosmia smell wheels by Christine Kelly. We can see from the wheels how her olfaction become worse in a couple weeks. Theses are such personal projects but so powerful to give people a sense of what are their perceptions of smell and vision. Since I don’t have any previous experience on making a spatial sound art, in order to figure out what other artists have done in music and sound experiments. I attended a performance of Mark Cetilia, a sound/media artist, who is usually working at electronic music and the nexus of analog and digital technology. The piece he presented was Dissolution, 2013. It was an amazing performance and the long high-pitched pure tone in the last part increased tension and generated auditory hallucination (maybe it was just me). And another piece caught my attention while I was browsing his portfolio is Precipice, 2013 - “Precipice is a generative composition existing at the the edge of perception.” It works almost like ambient sound but more than that. The “weightless tones” and “bits of sonic dust” together blur the line of white noise that can be ignored and noise that be noticed by people.

What if there was a lack of consistency of sound and vision in real life? Does the inability to “turn off” equate to importance? How do these impaired hearing affect people’s sensory perception? Inspired by Perfect hearing, I wanted to create an experience that immerses my testers under different situations of “abnormal” hearing for the previous prototypes. In the first prototype, I am always in your head, my testers were asked to put on headphones with tinnitus sound during the whole conversation. I would ask them questions about their sound memory and experience. Some of them felt uncomfortable, agitated, hard to concentrate, or even good with it. The second prototype, Can you hear me?, was an attempt to deprive the common sounds and add on faint sounds to my testers. They were asked to put on headphones and wander around D12. I field-recorded the sound of D12, and removed the human voice from the recording. It was not a successful attempt, unlike the vocals, the human voice in this recording was being unclear and mixed with the environmental sounds. So I went back to see what sound is actually. In terms of the physics, sound is vibrations travelling through medium, reaching to animals’ ears and being processed by brains. My question here is how can I manipulate sound source to give my audience a different auditory perception which will cause them question the perception itself rather than the sound or sound source? Then I made the third prototype called What am I hearing?. I was creating a spatial sonic experience using a device to pick up and amplify faint noise and reduce the sound we are usually able to hear. I meant to use contact microphone which can pick up audio vibrations through contact, and transduce structure-borne sounds.

The above prototypes are purely experimental to help me test with people’s different sensory perceptions. In the current concept, I am more focused on utilizing these experiments and research to make a sound installation. The guiding working questions are: how can I produce them to a sound piece that create resonance among people? How can I make the piece of and out of ambient sounds? What sound components can I use to create the piece? The audio sample that I played in the pop-up show is: hEARing, it is about 5:30 minutes long. I used my own field recordings and picked high quality recordings from (https://freetousesounds.com/) as background sound, and did a few editings and added effects, in order to create an acoustic environment like soundscape. Then, I designed my own high-pitched tones and found some electronic sound recordings like electromagnetic fields. I considered the piece from two aspects, as an composition and as ambient sound. Because it is not a performance or a concert that audience will listen from the beginning to the end. To ensure that I can catch the audience’ attention when they first enter the space and give them a variety of sounds to hear and feel, I placed the sound interventions, like high frequencies, vague sound elements and sonic dust, at half to one minute intervals. I kept testing with sound in different equipments, especially headphones and speakers, and figured out that speaker is a better way to create spatial acoustic environment and lead to some interesting effects. During the time I was producing my sound, I felt extremely uncomfortable and easily being irritated. I thought that was mostly because I had been continuously exposed under high frequency sounds. I was showing my work in the Thesis Pop up show and received amazing feedbacks. The reactions of most audience have reached my expectation. Document here. During the show, there were basically three types of people experiencing my work. The first type of audience felt fear in the thunder-like ambient sound, the second type felt meditation from the ambient sounds, the third type felt nothing. Some people did not even wanted to enter the space, because it made them feel stressful and the space created by sound was like a barrier/enchantment (结界) that will trap them inside. The high frequencies were like hovering on the top and lasting in the back of head. Some people heard these, some didn’t. Some reacted strongly, some didn’t.

I have been interning in harvestworks this fall and recently I have talked with Carol Parkinson, the executive director, about my thesis, she offered me quite a lot references, such as TELLUS magazine on ubuweb, Pauline Oliveros, and Seth Cluett. I would also like to push forward my piece to spatial audio. I consulted Bernardo Herdy who is a sound designer from Brazil and now studying in harvestworks about the spatial sound effect. And there are two ways he suggested to do, one is using spatial sounds by placing four speakers around the space, another one is to have ambient sonic headphones. Here are two articles that I am going to read: Spatial audio: how to record for VR and The main lesson we learned about recording spatial audio is probably old — but still valuable. And he suggested me to work with REAPER which is a cheaper and lighter software than Pro Tools for multi-channels sound production.

December: Study the artists, research on perception, sound and recordings, equipments, learn REAPER

January: Recordings, hearing test, test with the technology and equipment, try to play with spatial VR sound.

February: Recordings, hearing test, test with the technology and equipment, decide on the experience (headphones or speakers), sound editing, experiment with different spatialized environments (test with different room sizes, height, materials).

March: Sound editing, testing with different people and spaces to find out the best setting.

[theaanimates]

Project Concept

We had been brainstorming for a while before this concept was suggested. It quickly became apparent that it resonated with the majority of the group, however, some were still hesitant so we made sure to take the time to present our individual pitches for the idea and then vote on which version we preferred. When we settled on this as the main idea the core of the concept was this: 

A minion in a fantasy RPG is tired of being killed and wants to become stronger, we follow him on his journey for self improvement and finally, fighting the Hero.

The story will pull heavily from RPG tropes and other video game cliches. Using a video game as the framework is to give the viewer a point of reference for the story, the minon’s desire to break out of the system becomes very clear when put inside the rigid code of a video game. We want to utilize the full spectrum of emotion, but from a humorous perspective. The story should feel light hearted and funny, but we will still have scenes with fights and drama.

In terms of style we knew we wanted to keep our original idea of mixed media, so we will be using live action footage to set the scene with the person playing the game, we also want to use 2D for some of the FX animations and title screen animations. We also want to incorporate the animation patterns from actual video games and look at how they would adapt in to an animation. Since this is a comedy/parody of video games, we want to look at many different ways of using video game trademarks and fitting them into an animation. Especially looking at the contrasts between a “realistically” animated character and a video game animated character. I will be showcasing a lot of examples of different animations that I am taking inspiration from.

The current script, written by Magdalena, looks like this:

FADE IN: (live-action footage, int. day) A gamer walks into the room and sits down on the couch.

CUT TO: They turn the console on, and the TV flicks to life.

PAN OUT: The TV screen becomes populated with floating islands representing the levels, clouds that float out of the screen and go into the room. As the camera moves to one side, we can see some of the world in the TV.

CUT TO: (EXT. DAY) Aerial view of the world, the camera moves down and we see a village and a forest.

CUT TO: Three scenes within the world, of a peaceful meadow setting, houses in a village, a dark forest.

CUT TO: On the edge of the forest there is a path leading to the village. Our Hero character walks through the scene and the camera sticks to him, following him from the back as if it were a regular 3rd person POV.(His movements are quite limited, he moves as if along a grid, he can either walk or full-on sprint.)

He walks along the path when three minions block it (All of the ones aren’t the main minion are badly animated, he is fully animated with fluid motions that clearly set him apart.)He draws his blade and strikes them down.

CUT TO: The three minions fall to the ground. The angle changes to one where we see them on the ground close-up, and we see the Hero’s legs as he walks away. One of the minions starts grunting and then gets up, wounded but not dead. We pan to a shot of him, waist-up as he gets up painfully. We can hear orc-like grunts but we see through subtitles that what he says is “How did I get here? I was not put in this world just to be struck down so easily. By God, I shall become the toughest main boss this game has ever seen.”

Immediately CUT TO: Montage of short scenes that show him training-

(EXT DAY) Minion running in the dark forest in makeshift “workout” gear on top of his armour/drapes. (In the background, through the trees we can see the Hero easily slaying more minions with a flick of his sword)

Minion lifting a barrel of wine up and down, running away when a villager sees him and thinks he is getting ready to see it. (In the background, the Hero is leaning against a tree, talking to a blushing onion salesman).

(EXT NIGHT) Minion killing another, slightly bigger minion and getting coins as a reward as his enemy dissipates after he beats him. Minion is freaked out by the sight, but reaches out and takes the floating coin.

CUT TO: (EXT DAY) Dramatic, tense shot of the Minion. CUT TO: What the minion is looking at: the hero, talking to a well-dressed dame.

CUT TO: Minion angrily storms over, is for a moment confused by the hero’s subtitle box, but then just walks around it and immediately strikes the hero. We see the hero’s health bar - his health has not at all diminished. The Minion starts hitting him but barely does any damage, wears himself out as the hero is in idle animation, not even noticing him.

The hero stretches and accidentally hits the minion, flicking him across the scene - the camera follows it.

CUT TO: The minion is on the floor, his head swimming, his health greatly diminished.

CUT TO: (EXT NIGHT) The Minion is sitting in the same place the Hero kicked him to. He is grunting to himself, (subtitled) “No matter how hard I train, he will always have that the upper hand, and with that incredible sword -“… The Minion’s face lights up and he realises something.

CUT TO: Minion in front of a blacksmith’s workshop.CUT TO: Int. of the workshop, minion browses the shop and is left disappointed with the choice of weapons. He sees the “now taking apprentices!” sign behind the counter and points to it, grunting. The camera pans to the blacksmith who rubs his index finger and thumb together in a way indicating it will cost him money. (- if we want we can go for the cheeky 9250 pounds joke).

CUT TO: The minion rummages through his pocket, finds some coins he’d gotten from killing others.

CUT TO: He slams the money on the counter.  

CUT TO: Minion slaving away at an anvil, we see night and day changing behind him on the window, the blacksmith walking around him. CUT TO: (EXT DAY) The Hero walks through the dark, desolate forest and comes to a clearing where the trees bend over it and hinder the sky, making everything dark.

A huge monster stumbles out of the trees toward the hero. The Hero draws his blade and gets into a fighting stance.

CUT TO: side-view, the monster falls flat on it’s face, the minion is on it’s back hanging on by the blade. The minion pulls out the blade and suddenly he is lifted up into the air slightly as his armour starts changing, he levels up and starts resembling something akin to a final boss, though not quite as formidable as the beast he’d just slain.

CUT TO: The hero is just standing there, in his usual animation, as his code doesn’t allow him to react to anything the NPC is doing.

CUT TO: The hero leaps forward and starts to strike the Minion but the Minion easily blocks it, and then strikes the hero in turn. He does this several more times, killing him easily. The Minion is a little surprised at himself for his strength but he guesses that this comes with being the Main Boss, and is soon smug. He kills the hero several times. Soon after that, however, as the hero keeps respawning and going through the motions again and again the Minion gets worn out and bored, as does the player get really good at controlling the Hero and beating the main boss.

CUT TO: The minion lets his guard down on, making the Hero have an advantage over him. The Hero cuts and hits him several times.

CUT TO: The minion falls to the ground.

CUT TO: The minion’s point of view, where as his vision fades he sees the text appear: //Do you want to start a new game?//

CUT TO: The minion’s face, panicking as we see the text in front of his face and the player choosing: YES. (potential bonus scene) He respawns back to the beginning - is very tired of the path he took last time, this time decides to become an onion salesman and live a peaceful life as a good NPC. So we follow him as he walks into the market in the village, scaring most of the village folk until he gets to one lady who doesn’t mind the look of him and dismissively gives him a job to do.

[words-that-form-a-rainbow]

Pantomime, and the problem with (Hollywood) diversity

Title of book: Pantomime (Micah Grey, #1)

Author: Lam, Laura

Would I recommend: Yes

Synopsis (From goodreads.com): Gene's life resembles a debutante's dream. Yet she hides a secret that would see her shunned by the nobility. Gene is both male and female. Then she displays unwanted magical abilities - last seen in mysterious beings from an almost-forgotten age. Matters escalate further when her parents plan a devastating betrayal, so she flees home, dressed as a boy. The city beyond contains glowing glass relics from a lost civilization. They call to her, but she wants freedom not mysteries. So, reinvented as 'Micah Grey', Gene joins the circus. As an aerialist, she discovers the joy of flight - but the circus has a dark side. She's also plagued by visions foretelling danger. A storm is howling in from the past, but will she heed its roar? 

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As if it wasn’t clear from the first two book reviews I’ve written on this site (Which you should totally go read and share, by the way), I tend to read books that include a lot of representation of all sorts, both LGBT+ and otherwise. And though I like to be optimistic the majority of the time, I am, as everyone should be, critical of them, because if the mainstream catches on to all this, would you rather them see some beautifully crafted, incredibly written prose about our struggles and lives, or that one gay sonic fanfiction you wrote when you were twelve? Yeah, me too.

But even if you are a lot more casual in your enjoyment of media (Which I wish I could be, at this point), it isn’t hard to notice to different levels of diversity certain minorities get over others. Now, I’m not trying to start any kind of war, because even the most represented groups are horribly outweighed by the straight whites of the West, but come on. There’s nothing wrong with effeminate gay men, or (Usually dead) lesbians, or sassy black women who say “Aw hell naw” like it’s the only thing keeping society as we know it afloat (Which isn’t wholly from the truth, actually), it can get a little tiring after a while, especially when you see another series or book written by someone who either a) has never actually met a gay person in their life, and/or b), is horribly fetishistic to a certain group and completely excludes literally anyone else, like those women who think gay men are their taboo sinners, yet find Sapphic women and trans folk predatory (They’re so gross).

And to be honest, I’m tired of it. And I know a lot of other people are, too.

And that is why I was (Very happily) surprised when I read Pantomime, the first of the Micah Grey trilogy, by Laura Lam. And do you know what it has? A queer main character who is neither gay nor perfectly attractive, and whose identity isn’t the only facet of their character! Oh boy, I felt like a kid in a sweet shop. And then I felt a kind of sadness, that we, as a community, were celebrating the fact that a character was, y’know, an actual character and not just a walking stereotype. This is the bar we’re setting for ourselves. This is the bar the mainstream has made us set.

And hell, I’ll shout from the rooftops with praise for any kind of media that raises it. Even if it’s by just a little.

So a big part of what I liked about Pantomime was the main character, Micah Grey (Also called Gene in some parts of the book, but as they almost exclusively choose to use Micah to refer to themselves, I’ll use that), who is, one of if not the first intersex character in a novel, or at least is certainly the only one I know about. Now a lot of you may be going, “Oh, gee, Scotty, I know all about them Ells and Gees and Bees, but what the hell is an intersex?” And that, is precisely the problem.

If I were to answer the question scientifically, an intersex person is one who is not born entirely male or female, biologically. They make up around one percent of the population, (Which is around 80 million people, and about twenty percent more people than the entire population of the UK, so don’t even dare try to tell me that it’s too small of a number to care about), are not the same as trans people (Which is all about gender identity), and yes, exist, either as having both sets of genitalia (Like Micah does), or any other mix, for example being born with XYX chromosomes, wrong amounts of hormones, etc…

But you don’t care about that, right? You wanted a book review, not a biology lesson. Fair enough. But my point is, this is the representation we need. An actual character, with unique identities and struggles and strengths that many people go through and can relate to. Because fuck political correctness, diversity within media just straight up makes it more interesting, as well as eliminates the feeling of many, many people feeling excluded from the little penthouse party Hollywood have got going on for any kind of shithead, as long as you’re cishet and white and can make a lot of money. Just fuck the rest of them, right?

Sorry, I just… the Harvery Weinstein thing happened this week, and though I’m not a huge film guy generally, I knew this guy was at the top of the food chain. And the fact that it happened for years… let’s just throw the whole Hollywood out, to be honest.

Anyway, I’m getting off topic. Back to Micah.

What I liked about the way Lam portrayed them is that she struck a nice balance between the aforementioned, “Let’s make their identity the only part of their personality/development,” and the even less accurate idea of them having no struggles with other people and, just as importantly, themselves. Throughout the book, they find themselves torn between their given identity of wholly female, and the identity they chose as male at the circus, which is where most of the story takes place. And although the main reason for them running away from the circus is to avoid corrective genital surgery (Which, yes, is a real thing, and also yes, is done on a lot of people without their consent, usually when they’re much younger than Micah), and even after their intersex identity is found out by some of the other characters, they still use the same name, they never directly state if they strictly identify as one or the other, (Bearing in mind this is only the first book of three, I’ve only just started reading the second), which is also why I choose to use they/them pronouns throughout this review.

It’s done well, really. Generally speaking, the more conflict and challenges the character faces at the beginning, the more satisfying the overcoming is at the end, and their feelings never felt out of place, or rushed. Good job, Lam.

The bisexuality of Micah is also an interesting talking point, particularly how it develops not only their sexuality but also their gender identity. Their first real love interest, Aenea, not only makes them realise their bisexuality, but also questions the masculinity within them, highlighting an interesting talking point about a subconscious idea in society that, even within the LGBT community and/or people who completely negate labels of gender altogether, we still conform to the traditional, heteronormative ideals we try to break away from. There’s always the question asked of who’s the man and woman in the relationship. There’s always the assumption that trans people are straight. One of the girls always has to wear a suit and a dress at the wedding. It’s stale, you know?

And while some people might criticise this arc for perpetuating that idea, I would argue more that it shows the way a lot of LGBT people do still think, subconsciously, including me, even though I, like many others, know the whole idea is stupid and archaic. It shows how ingrained heterosexuality and heteronormativity is in us, no matter who we are.

It also shows change in Micah - that their identity in every sense is constantly changing and evolving to fit new people and situations, that gender is a fluid sort of concept to them that isn’t really one hundred percent labelled by them, which can be and is what many people choose to be. And to be honest, that’s just plain nice to see in a queer character, since most stories begin at the point when the character has finished that kind of emotional journey, or play it off like they’ve known precisely who they were all along (Which is another ridiculous stereotype, by the way. Stop expecting kids to be able to figure that out by themselves, or even care about it. There are more important things to them, like getting hyper off of ridiculously sugary drinks and making sure they catch that Pikachu.)

I like it a lot, can you tell?

One criticism I have (Which isn’t really one, but more of a concerned prediction), is that it’s a particularly concise story, meaning, generally, it doesn’t leave a lot open. Yes, Micah is on the run from the police with a character called Drystan, (Who is a gay man who conveniently explains what being gay means, but he’s somehow made clowns seem a lot less scary to me so I’ll allow it), which is an intriguing enough continuation, but apart from that, there’s not a whole lot to go on. We haven’t had much development of any of the other places, every character we got to know is either dead, (Sorry Aenea, I did like you), vaguely left at some point in the novel, or is too minor to really give any kind of mention. I’m scared that Lam will either waste her time for a few hundred pages by treading water in the shallow end of the pool, or try to set up a whole new roster of characters while completely abandoning the old ones, essentially destroying the relationships and need for a lot of the interactions in the first book, (Which, if we’re going with the swimming pool analogy, would be like getting out of the water and jumping out of the nearest window into the Mariana’s Trench with bricks tied to her legs).

But we’ll just have to wait until I read it, won’t we. Hopefully not long, eh? (No, not long, is the correct answer. You can at least try to humour me, you know. You’ve read the whole review so you must like me a tiny bit. Tiny tiny bit? Maybe?

Hm… I hope she does do the second one, to be honest… or surprises me with some kind of magical third option, but I’ve learnt that you get brownie points on the internet if you’re constantly cynical. Not that it matters. The inevitable passage of time will consume and leave us all behind, eventually, letting us to fester wondering, was it all worth it? Were my shitty book reviews a valuable contribution to human society, in comparison? And what even was the point of this system in the first place? Why do we even bother to try to be more than savages, or even calculate that yes, we are living, when it will do nothing but further realise the emptiness and complete loneliness of the vacuum of space? Or what if-

Sorry. It’s been a rough week. See you next time.)

[atremendousstarlightstudent-blog]

Web Designing Services Noida

Adoptive layout design taken start from (800 x 600) resolution in 1998 and became a standard of website resolutions. Then the beginning of year 2004 (1024 x 768) resolution became the standard and Table mixed DIV tags was the standard of Coding, and later in 2009 (1280 x 996) and DIV tags became new generation of website resolution and coding. But on mobile devices it was hard to read the contents of the website on mobile devices e.g. imate, windows mobile, blackberry etc. Adoptive website design takes its start from Frames structure using MS FrontPage. Then it got shifted in Dreamweaver environment with TABLE base html coding with all inline CSS. After a few years DIV Tags introduced and they become the standard of Website Designing Companies around the world. Table and DIV type coding is the standard in these days for HTML implementations. Adoptive technology has reached on the max-width container of 1280px resolution. This method of coding based on margin:auto; for main containers/wrapper and all inner DIV on float attribute. This way of coding carry a fixed width of main div and all inner DIVs that even if a single pixel is increased whole the design move to down wards. While coding in Adoptive structure, calculation of pixels is always being continued in mind all the way of coding the template, iFrames was an outstanding increment in adoptive structure after Frames old method usually utilized for external pages data preview in any website page. iFrames got popularity at a high levels and it helps out the coders from Java Scripts confliction on any html page. Indeed Adoptive Design is also being used around 50% in all the web designing work by website designing companies worldwide.

Responsive Web Designing Services Noida

Responsive Web Designing Services Noida Responsive grid system has buried the old Adoptive fixed width method of coding, 75% users who developing their websites are switching to responsive layout of website designing. As word Responsive explain its myth, means it adjusts automatically on any resolution especially on Touch Mobiles, Tablets etc. It works on Grid System based on Media Queries controlled by CSS. No matter if using Desktop, Laptop, Tablet and Touch Phone all the stuff could be seen easily. Dy Technology LLP keeps your website on responsive layout using fluid grids, flexible Images, CSS media queries and screen resolutions. We are working as a Website Designing Company in Noida India. More to understand about responsive; its single URL is being used for Desktop as well as on Tablet and Mobile. That is why users can share on their social media profiling pages etc. Even for Google indexing through webmaster only 1 website URL will be indexed for contents. Its easy for Google to find your website data/content in better way that reduced the Organic SEO cost for website owners. Now they just pay for 1 URL bases SEO for all mobiles and desktops/laptops. Responsive website designing is a method that trigger that whole the website should respond as per the current screen resolution accordingly on mobiles either you keep its view as Portrait or Landscape, it auto adjusts the contents altogether automatically. Fill out Signup, Sign In and Inquiry forms on mobile devices using different websites was a hassle procedure due to its unfocused view on mobile. But responsive website designing in Noida India has now made this myth easy to fallout in a delicate view.

Benefits of Responsive Website Designing

1 website on different resolutions and devices

Different layouts for Desktop, Tablet and Mobile

Adjustable fonts sizes for all resolutions

Recommended by Google for Organic SEO

SEO FRIENDLY even on Mobiles with no extra effort

SEO FRIENDLY in Mobile Search as from 2016 mobile search has become a standard

In Near Future Mobile searching facility will occupy the desktop search

Single content for both desktop and mobile version.

Partial contents show and hidden facility

Website Menu in smart view on mobile

Easy to maintain contents dynamically

What is Responsive Web Designing and how it Works?

Internet and technology brought up a revolution in our lives and both of them have so much influence on our lives. In the past the internet and web grow along with the desktops but now it is on the craziest level of its proliferation. The common trend of using internet and visiting web sites only on desktop is now been demolished after the introduction of use of internet smart devices like mobile phone and tablets. We have almost everything on the web at present whether it is education, shopping, business, job or something else. This has made out relationship with the web, stronger as it was in the past. Because the present generation using the internet not only for entertainment or education but doing much more with it. This frequent use of internet on multiple devices questioned the need of advancement in the web design to the web designing company. Because, a normal web site is not compatible with all the devices having different range of display and opening a standard web sites on mobile or other smart devices is not that much successful. That’s why the web developers introduced Responsive Web Designing.

What is it?

Responsive web designing refers to that web which has a feature of adjustment in it; this is a site which is compatible to all the devices and gives full view of information in different patterns. Each and every web designing company around the world at present is using the responsive web design to develop web sites for their clients that can be run on any device. Same as like the other countries responsive web designing in India is also at its boom, because in web designing India is progressing so much and just like the other regions of the world people in India are also using multiple smart devices for internet browsing in their daily routine.

How it Works?

The operation of responsive web design is simple it has the features like fluid grid concept, flexible images and media queries. All the three features make the web completely friendly and flexible for the devices and adjust the size, design and components of the web according to the display features of the device easily.

One for all

Every device demands different features form the web to display it on the screen and it is difficult for the business developers to get multiple sites for their same business and each separately design for each device with different domains. That’s why here is the responsive web designing which has the feature of “one for all”. The promotion of business online and using web’s trend has proliferated in India as well. Almost every businessman has a web site for the promotion and development of his business and to satisfy this need in India, the web developers adopted responsive web designing in India as well. Like the other fields, web designing India is progressing and combating the other web designer all round the world and it is proved by the adoptions of latest web design strategies by the developers.

Mobile Phone Web Designing Services Noida

All adoptive website owners should carry their mobile version for their iPhone, Android Phone and Blackberry cell-phones. It has been announced that 70% of internet users will access their online needs using internet on Mobile Phones rather than on desktop computer or laptop. Because if you are sentimental in your website SEO traffic then you should care about the 60% of mobile users they are not seeing your ranking on mobile browsers altogether. Mobile website are not very huge or full of contents like your existing website but a simple and short contented design with few main features approaching Awesome design for your client. When anyone open up our your website on mobile it automatically transmit the mobile version of data, because website user only will type your website url e.g. www.dytechnology.in it will be triggered automatically on mobile version.

Benefits of Mobile Website Designing

Small Screens of mobiles but bigger website view Small fonts displayed as bigger as could be read easily Website Forms perfectly displayed Website Menu in smart view J Queries instead of Flash Clicking on Phone numbers will be triggered to make a call option directly GPS system is usually installed on smart phones now a days to search better All the adoptive website owners should think that if you have a mobile version of your website. Then clients did not fill out hassle forms, they will simple click on your phone numbers and will make a call immediately for his inquiries and questions. Mobile website designing is not as simple as being thought. Many people has their own theory that adoptive website designers can develop their Mobile website or Responsive website altogether. Mobile phone has different method of coding than ordinary desktop websites. Mobile Website Designing Companies should take care of various elements before the development of mobile website to be started e.g. it has to determine that it would be displayed on various mobile devices with different resolutions. Never use unwanted date on mobile website version. Web pages sizes should be smaller in size else no one will stay on your website if it takes long time to load. As competition has increased and competitors are giving tough time to their relevant business companies. Why customer should choose your website to give you business. It could be possible if your website is delicately designed for mobile users, loading time is very low and content are based on the core value of your company. This could make your online impression on your clients and in fruits you will get a better business than before.

[makingscipub]

Hybrids and chimeras: Mythology, history and science

Last week two papers were published about human and other chimeras, one in Cell on ‘Interspecies chimerism with mammalian pluripotent stem cells’ and one in Nature entitled ‘Interspecies organogenesis generates autologous functional islets’. The first one caused a bit of a stir in the newspapers. About 70 newspaper articles covered this potential scientific breakthrough in All English Language News (between 26 and 30 January, 2017). Many used the phrase ‘human-pig hybrid’. A small number evoked visions of ‘monsters’ (12) and, of course, Frankenstein – but the numbers were surprisingly small (2). Headlines talked about half-human, half-pig embryos echoing the earliest headlines on this issue which appeared in the 1990s, such as “Frankenstein half-human, half animal hybrids” (Daily Mail, January 12, 1993). The hope is that such hybrids might provide us with transplantable organs in the distant future; the fear it that they break down almost sacred boundaries between animals and humans.

More or less at the same time as these natural science papers were discussed in the press, Amy Hinterberger published an interesting social science paper on chimera regulation. The paper highlights how difficult regulation is in a context where clear boundaries unravel between humans and animals. The paper also mentions that thinking about human-animal hybrids and chimeras has a long history (p. 5). In this post I’ll try to explore that historical background a bit, as it informs current debates, perceptions and misconceptions.

Hybrids and chimeras

Before I do this, it is important to define and distinguish between hybrids and chimeras (or rather show how these concepts merge into each other). Below is a list of possible types of animal/human hybrid embryos provided by the BBC in 2014 (more detailed information about definitions can be found in this 2011 report by the Academy of Medical Sciences). It seems that ‘hybrid’ is the general term covering different types of human/non-human mixtures:

Cytoplasmic hybrid embryos: embryos created through cell nuclear replacement using animal eggs Hybrid embryos: embryos created by mixing human sperm and animal eggs or human eggs and animal spermHuman chimera embryos: human embryos which have animal cells added to them during early development Animal chimera embryos: animal embryos which have human cells added to them during early development – these are the ones that created a stir just now Transgenic human embryos: human embryos which have animal genes inserted into them during early development

Scientific research around human-animal hybrids and chimeras has a long history. It reached a high-point around 2004/2005 when “the British government launched a public consultation in advance of proposed changes to the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. Responses were published in March 2006.” (BioCentre)

Now, a decade later, discussions seem to be starting up again. Although I haven’t done any extensive research into the matter, some of the media hype and rhetoric used now seems to mirror that of a decade ago – but is more attenuated.

Before we talk about hybrids again it might be good to get a better grip, not only on the science of hybrids and chimeras, but also on the history of these concepts, as that impacts on how we think and talk about them.

Hybrids in history

The concept of hybridity is an ancient one. Deriving from the Latin hybrida, it was first used to describe the offspring of a tame sow and wild boar, and was also used to describe Roman soldiers of mixed descent (Horace, Satires 1.7). Its usage in English dates as far back as 1601 when Philemon Holland, in his translation of Pliny the Elder, described how “[t]here is no creature ingenders so soon with wild of the kind, as doth swine; and verily such hogs in old time they called Hybrides, as a man would say, halfe wild” (Pliny II: 231) (see www.oed.com for a full list of spellings, etymology, quotations and dates).

Artistic depictions of ‘hybrids’ are as old as humanity. “[C]omposite beings, from a world between humans and animals, are a common theme from the beginning of painting”. In the Middle Ages hybrids litter the margins of illuminated manuscripts; they “occupy a liminal space where the sacred meets the secular and profane”. Follow Damien Kempf on Twitter if you want to see some of them!

Hybrids have always formed an integral part of myths, legend and speculation: Ovid describes the fluid interchange of divine, human and animal bodies in his Metamorphoses, and in Greek mythology fantastic creatures are typically depicted as hybrids or monsters, such as the Minotaur (man and bull), the centaur (man and horse) and the chimera (lion, goat and snake), to name but a few. The chimera, in turn, was a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.

I’ll now jump forward in time! But before I do so I want to quote the lead author of the paper in Cell who makes a direct link between modern research and mythology: “for lead study author Jun Wu of the Salk Institute, we need only look to mythical chimeras—like the human-bird hybrids we know as angels—for a different perspective. ‘In ancient civilizations, chimeras were associated with God,’ he says, and our ancestors thought ‘the chimeric form can guard humans.’ In a sense, that’s what the team hopes human-animal hybrids will one day do.” (National Geographic) And, of course, this type of framing might guard against a Frankensteinian back-lash and science.

Hybrids in science

By the late 18th century hybridity had come to be used to describe the offspring of two animals or plants of any different species, and it began to play a small role in scientific reflection.

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, hybrids were still widely considered to be violations of nature, and most held the view that all species had been created by God and were “fixed within limits beyond which they cannot change”. Carl Linnaeus (the ‘father’ of plant taxonomy) advanced the idea that some species might begin as hybrids, and he updated the special creationist view he held in 1737 in his Philosophia botanica to account for natural hybrids. For many, Linnaeus’s theory was an assault on the idea of a natural order. Several botanists attempted to reconcile the existence of hybrids with their belief in the fixity of species by demonstrating an essential difference between hybrids and true species (Olby, 1966).

The German botanists Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter and Karl Friedrich von Gärtner devoted almost their entire lives to the subject of plant hybrids, and while they attempted to find a set of pre-Darwinian evolutionary proofs for their existence, they disputed the modified theory of special creation by qualifying their reproductive stability (Callender, 1988).

In the 19th century the hybrid began to be discussed in scientific debates surrounding the nature of evolution. In a chapter entitled ‘hybridism’ in On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin attempted to evaluate the evolutionary significance of hybrids, and to expose the essential difference between species and varieties as arbitrary (Darwin, 1859: Chapter IX). Darwin revolutionised evolutionary thought by refusing to take the line of botanists such as Gärtner, “whose strong wish it was to draw a distinct line between species and varieties”.

In 1866 Gregor Mendel published a paper on plant hybridisation, “Experiments on Plant Hybrids”, that drew on several of Darwin’s ideas, but despite his commitment to a pre-Darwinian view of evolution Mendel never reached a point where he could make a definite conclusion about the role of hybrids in the origin of species (Clegg, 1997).

The term ‘chimera’ also has a long history, but I only want to point out that it was first used in a scientific sense (German ‘Chimäre’; graft hybrid) in 1907 by Hans Winkler in the context of plant breeding. The OED provides the following definition of this type of chimera: “An organism (commonly a plant) in which tissues of genetically different constitution co-exist as a result of grafting, mutation, or some other process.”

Hybrids and the new genetics

The most recent phase in the development of the concept of hybridity happened in context of the emergence of genetic engineering. A key difference between hybrids today and their 18th– and 19th-century counterparts is that in modern discourse they are perceived as being ‘designed’, ‘made’ or ‘manufactured’ artificially rather than produced ‘organically’ through the ‘natural’ process of selective breeding or grafting. Scientists today can create hybrids, chimeras and transgenic creatures beyond the wildest dreams of Gärtner, Darwin, Mendel or Winzer. Moreover, where the experiments of the traditional botanists were laborious and time-consuming, now geneticists can theoretically create hybrids and chimeras almost instantaneously using CRISPR for example.

Shortly after the creation (cloning) of Dolly the sheep and the media sensation it became, in 1998, the hybrid became the primary focus of a leading newspaper article, published on April 5 by The Independent under the headline “Duo bids to halt breeding of human-animal hybrids”. The article culminated with a quote from Thomas Murray, director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Case Western Reserve University: “If we put one human gene in an animal, or two or three, some people may get nervous but you’re clearly not making a person yet. But when you talk about a hefty percentage of the cells being human . . . this really is problematic. Then you have to ask these very hard questions about what it means to be human.”

These are the questions that would trouble the experts, lay people and the media throughout the years to come. Where do you draw the line between animal and human? At what point in the process of hybridisation should we become anxious that a moral boundary is being crossed and when it is time to turn back?

To close this rather long post, I want go back to history, this time literature, to show that debates about the creation of hybrids and chimeras have been with us for a long time and will be with us even longer. As the authors of the article quoted at the beginning of this post have admitted themselves, actual human-animal hybrids that can be used for organ donation are still very very far away.

Discussing hybrids – a long tradition

When debating the merits (and hype) of creating human-animal hybrids or chimeras, people often refer to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) or H. G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896). Both evoke the spectre of ‘monsters’ (a Mirror headline in 2016 declared: “Frankenstein scientists developing part-human part-animal ‘chimera’ embryos which could treat diseases”; LifeNews.com heralded this January’s study as: “Scientists create human-pig hybrids for organ transplants that could develop into ‘monsters’).

However, there is a passage in William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (1623) (act 4, scene 4) that is much less frequently quoted, but should perhaps be, as it provides a more ‘balanced’ discussion of hybrids:

Perdita Sir, the year growing ancient, Not yet on summer’s death, nor on the birth Of trembling winter, the fairest flowers o’ the season Are our carnations and streak’d gillyvors, Which some call nature’s bastards: of that kind Our rustic garden’s barren; and I care not To get slips of them.

Polixenes Wherefore, gentle maiden, Do you neglect them?

Perdita For I have heard it said There is an art which in their piedness shares With great creating nature.

Polixenes Say there be; Yet nature is made better by no mean But nature makes that mean: so, over that art Which you say adds to nature, is an art That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry A gentler scion to the wildest stock, And make conceive a bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race: this is an art Which does mend nature, change it rather, but The art itself is nature.

Perdita So it is.

Polixenes Then make your garden rich in gillyvors, And do not call them bastards.

Perdita I’ll not put The dibble in earth to set one slip of them….

This dialogue encapsulates positions on the issue of genetic engineering and hybrids/chimeras with which we are still grappling. On the one hand we have Polixenes who defends and celebrates the manipulation of nature; on the other we have Perdita who condemns hybrid plants as impure ‘bastards’. Interestingly, in this exchange, the argument for hybrids is given equal, if not more weighting than the argument against.

It will be interesting to see how the debate about human-animal hybrids and chimeras unfolds in the future against the deep historical background of art, mythology, literature and science that I have tried to outline in this post – and I have only scratched the surface.

Image: Harpyie, circa 1360, Jacob van Maerlan

  The post Hybrids and chimeras: Mythology, history and science appeared first on Making Science Public.

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3D Touch Opens A New Dimension Of User Interaction

We invest so much time touching our gadgets-- however suppose they could touch us support? Apple's current leaps with 3D Touch modern technology show that this could quickly be a reality. Really feel a surface structure, interact with braille, even play a tool-- the tactile abilities of future innovations are readied to transform our electronic experiences.

In this post I will discover how creating technology is progressing the digital user experience with significantly user-friendly, expressive user interfaces. I'll additionally go over the potential that 3D technology needs to transform sectors, whether it be in art, data evaluation, pc gaming or shopping.

The advancement of electronic metaphors

The digital depictions used in computing user interfaces interact an action via the usage of well-known, real-world concepts. On a basic level, take into consideration the garbage icon on your desktop-- dragging a things to the icon deletes the information, which is communicated with the concept of a garbage bin.

For these metaphors to work, you require the right type of equipment. Trying to connect with the desktop computer without a mouse would be tedious. Hardware dictates which user interface allows the allegories to make feeling, as well as the user interface allegories dictate which activities are easy or tough to perform. So, as hardware breakthroughs, we could adopt brand-new allegories as well as, consequently, shift and also expand the scope which tasks are simple on a computer.

With its introduction of the apple iphone in 2007, which brought the multi-touch display to the mass-consumer market, Apple has been a leader in this sector. Multi-touch allow Apple produce as well as execute brand-new allegories with the capacity to stretch as well as capture with a two-finger pinch activity, making navigating websites as well as maps faster and also simpler. Below again, the ideal equipment made it possible for new metaphors, which subsequently made 2D navigating easier, drastically transforming what is possible to do on a mobile device.

The force of a third dimension

The physical innovation of 3D Discuss Apple's iPhone 6s is the most up to date advancement in this ball to hit the marketplace. This ability enables the device to recognize exactly how difficult you are continuing the screen by discovering the min bending of the touch surface area caused by your finger. This is complemented by the Taptic Engine, which develops feedback with resonances, defined by Forbes as Apple's "trump card."

The physicality of touch has actually always been an essential component of how we engage with our world.

Together, the two supply a vital mix -- picking up and also responses -- which enables a brand-new dimension of interaction through responsive pressure. This can be seen in the brand-new iPhone "Peek as well as Pop" and "Quick Actions" functionalities. Using a light tap, "Peek and also Pop" allows individuals to preview material, such as e-mails, without needing to open them. By using more pressure, a much deeper "Pop" will open material in a new home window. Using the same technique, "Quick Actions" produces faster ways for normal activities.

These activities present the initial tips of a truly three-dimensional, split room, as well as cause alluring brand-new possibilities-- several of which are currently being examined today.

Microsoft scientists have actually explored this in 3D modelling with arranging things by pressing them deeper into a 3D scene by pushing harder on the screen. Haptic comments informs the individual when two items bump. Microsoft has also created a 3D MRI, where pushing more challenging displays a further cross-section of the scan.

South Korean researchers have actually furthermore utilized the force of a customer's touch to select the variety of web pages to turn when browsing an electronic book. This same technology has the power to allow users manage cell phones without the have to consider the screen. As this innovation grows, maybe advanced for everything, from vehicle interfaces to easily accessible modern technology for the visually impaired.

All of these brand-new allegories and motions let you do much more on the screen, making use of less area and also time for improved electronic experiences. And all of it originates from pressure noticing and easy tactile feedback.

What the future holds

Scientists are already exploring a lot more complicated tactile feedback, used to create far richer experiences. One strategy is integrating haptics with microfluidics (the adjustment of fluid) to transform the physical buildings and functionality of the touchscreen-- presenting customers with a form of 3D interface. Phorm's changing touchscreen currently utilizes this ability to provide pop-up "finger-guides" on a digital key-board, nevertheless, future probabilities could possibly allow much more.

Disney has spent the last few years establishing touchscreens that could transform their surface rubbing in real time to produce vibrant surface area appearances. The modern technology is strikingly reliable, as well as the encounter it develops can have profound results for a number of sectors. Think of search engine result where appearance indicates dependability, or the impact on social media when individuals might really feel the textures in their images. And the future of gaming would be changed through including a 3rd measurement of touch-- not simply looking for clues to a puzzle, however tasting of them, as well.

Creativity within the mobile tool will certainly soon begin to take a brand-new form. Sculpting clay numbers on your iPhone display, DJing with customized mix decks, examining a new pair of sunglasses prior to 3D printing them. These begin to end up being possible with the ideal kind of responsive responses. Several amazing projects in this capillary have actually already been prototyped by MIT's Concrete Media Group.

The most fascinating applications are those we can not even think of today. Just how will mapping apps alter when you can really feel the curves of a landscape? How will information analysis change when analysts can collect information via touch along with vision and also appear? Just how will e-commerce modification when you can feel the merchandise?

The physicality of touch has actually always been an essential component of how we engage with our globe. It is both deeply inherent, as well as swarming with social significance. That the virtual, metaphoric globes where we spend a raising amount of our mobile time are mainly lacking touch is virtually awful. Restoring it will bring a new measurement to our electronic interactions, expand the range of what is feasible on a computer as well as inevitably let us engage with the digital world in means that are a bit more human.