I recall college crits, those awful deconstruction sessions where everyone winces and waits for a turn at having their work verbally mauled in a group setting. It seemed I could not get through one without somebody saying something about symbolism, and somebody else saying this or that was cliche’.
It goes without saying that most symbolism is cliche’. It has to be, in order to be a symbol. It’s not a symbol until most everyone recognizes it and associates some meaning with it, eh? In school, I hated symbolism, for just this reason. I avoided using symbols which were in any way recognizable. I knew it wasnt a clever notion, but I decided to make up my own symbols. The reason I knew it wasnt clever is that several others were trying to escape the crit ravens in exactly the same manner. Symbols were like shiny things glinting from your work in a crit, and the ravens loved shiny, glinty things… it brought out the raptor in them.

Raven 1 > “What is that exactly? I don’t get the relationships, here… what does that have to do with the rest? ”
Raven 2 >”To me, it just doesnt make sense. It’s just wierd.”
Raven 3 > “Well, if you HAVE to have some kind of mark that is ONLY significant to you, shouldnt you let the viewer know it IS significant?”
Raven 1> “You can SAY you are redefining the symbol on a personal level, but everyone else still sees a mark that means male. So, I don’t see what your point is.”
Me > Here, have some more cheese… (put something IN your mouth, please!)

I eventually came to realize the magic and mystery of symbolism lies in the layers of meaning. The longer a particular symbol is utilized, the more layers of meanings will come to be associated with it. Language, including symbols, evolve with time and cultures. The fact that something as simple as a dot can manifest so many different meanings is simply fascinating to me. <— That one is a period. If I make it larger, it might become an earth. Make it yellow, it is universally recognized as a sun. Add another dot, and the possibilities expand exponentially.

There is no such things “just” a flower, a generic tree, or a leaf out of season. Human beings assign meanings to things even when they are not aware of doing so. Most everyone will say they have a facorite color, but have you ever considered whether you prefer a certain shape to another one? How about alpha-numeric characters? If you had to choose, would you pick a triangle, a circle, or a square, to represent you? Why?

Tags: Add new tag, shapes, symbolism, Visual languages

Art is subjective. Four people looking at the exact same thing will interpret four different things. Individual perception, dimension, and genetics apply.

I was sitting in a public place, watching all the individual perceptions strolling by… wondering at the splendorous diversity… and it struck me (again) how we mirror the fabric of the universe in our subjective relativity. Yet, we are closer to deconstructing creation than we are to understanding our humanity.  Human ambitions frequently overpower our inspiration. Also, it occurs that our (relatively) shortened life span contributes to our willingness to ignore the gaping holes in our cumulative self awareness.

Let’s say I really want to understand how you think and feel. Not just you, but others, also. What I am after is to comprehend our subjectivity, in a relative sort of way. I don’t want to know how you think it, or how to change what you think… I am just sort of interested in what you really think from one moment to the next. How does that compare to what George, Jane, Joe, and Gracie think? No posturing, no pretense… the genuine article… in all it’s glory. The sigh that was actually sheer boredom, at a time when compassion would have been a more natural response for you, but you were overwhelmed by contrived drama. Inappropriate laughter or desires are not judged, merely observed with relative objectivity. <grin> Welcome to the wunder brane.

The fabric of this universe is interwoven with yours, but only to an extent. It might look something like a soda cracker. It has a front and back side which meet at the edges. A hypothetical traveler will not fall off the edge, but will casually stroll (in the absence of gravity) to the opposing side. The surface of both sides is dotted with a pattern of holes, also, which conduct thoughts (or events) from one brane (or brain) to another. No powers of inuition or psychic gifts required… simply locate a portal hole. You may notice the little cracker is a bit like a pillow, also… heat has caused pockets of expansion between the layers. The interior of these pockets is visible only in cross section. I hypothesize the hitherto missing cosmic material (mass, brain or matter) exists within these hidden spaces. The holes actually serve a triple purpose. 1. Limit expansion resulting from heat 2. allow exchange of information and energies between branes and brains, while 3. providing interior chambers and pockets for the containment of dark matter or anti matter.

You and I have certain things in common. To start with, your brane/brain is made up of the same stuff mine is, even if the landscape on your side is significantly different than mine. We may be polar opposites, but we both have holes and edges in common, which enable us to become familiar with the other’s brane/brain. The only requirement… is a sincere desire to understand, and a fundamental knowledge of the nature and limitations of our commonalities.

Tags: Add new tag, conceptual, intuition, light particle, physics, sciences

Rhythm

Designers and artists have a whole box full of tools. Rhythm is one of the least considered, most used. Elements are arranged in such a way as to establish a pattern. The pattern may be designed to control eye movement, or to trigger emotional response, or simply because the artist or designer had a specific tune stuck in their head. (Hey, it happens!) In fact, music and visual art share many basic design factors! The flow of piece lies in the rhythm.

Examples:

Movement: Both of the samples below share a similar rhythm, both use the rhythm to establish movement. Yet, obviously, the theme and content of these works is very different. (You may recall proximity and color relationship from previous entry?)

When you look at the piece below, make a note of where your eye wants to go… what is the first thing you see in the piece? Is there a point where your eye wants to “rest”?

It is human nature to seek out rhythm and patterns. Our brain quite naturally wants to play, “which of these things is not like the others?” at any age. The first step in that game is to associate things which are similar. Thus, the human eye bounces across similar things, in search of anything that doesn’t “belong”.

 Perspective provides the illusion of depth on a flat plane. We are provided with a very distinct idea of a large, outdoor area. The arrangement of panels recedes a good distance. We are made to feel as though we could walk through the piece. Utilizing repitition, the viewer is quite literally “told” what to expect next, and “snagged” when that pattern is disrupted. 

Yes, your perception is unique… just like everybody else’s. Yet, in nearly every moment of our daily lives, the mood and the scene is set by an artist or designer, with a specific objective in mind. Consider the arrangement of desks in an office, the color of the walls in the super market (can you recall EVER having seen the walls inside a super market?), or the “austere” or “stoic” appearance of government and judicial buildings. The purpose is to recognize the influences these things have. Why is the area around the customer service desk painted such a cool blue, yet 10 ft away is a display of childrens toys in primary colors? Perhaps so Mom is calm and the kid will be distracted? Subtle or blatant, the effects are everywhere. Those who are not prepared to recognize it, not “literate”, are not making informed choices.

Tags: Add new tag, design, influences, proximity, Psychology, reading, relationship, rhythm, subliminal, visual literacy

The Chive 

Awesome site, with lots of really twisted stuff to explore. They can show you how to go viral in 2.4 nano seconds, too.

User Beware

So much internet, so many scams… I feel compelled to offer a warning. You don’t have to be a fool to be fooled. No matter how slick or smart you may be, there’s a scammer waiting with a bridge that has your name on it. Okay, so maybe it’s not a bridge. It might be friendship, a charity, or anything else you desire. For every desire (and who of us does not have any?) there is a scam and a scammer on the internet. There is a real danger of harm. Not only to your wallet, but to career, family, and more.  I will cite examples, for the benefit of those who may not be aware. Anyone who knows it all can just skip this part.

1. Laugh now, but Bill Gates will not send you a check for forwarding that email. Likely as not, there’s a string, a worm, or spyware attached. DON’T forward the chain mail emails, people… PLEASE! And, you MUST know that I will not, no matter how cute it is, or how heart rending the message, or what my religious conviction may be. If I want to support our troops, and I do, I have many alternatives besides forwarding spyware.

2. WHO is behind that screen name? It almost certainly is NOT who you think it is. If you want to develop a relationship with someone you met online, you should be prepared to be surprised. I have personally been making the most of the internet since about 1984 or so. Many of the people I have met online, the vast majority in fact, are utter frauds. I have met many of these people in person, as well, in groups at coffee houses, pizza parlors, and private parties. Hundreds of them, over the years. I can count on one hand the number of people who were exactly as they presented themselves to be online, including myself. Now, I like a surprise. I like odd balls, too. I am quite sure, however, that many of the people I have met were dangerous under other circumstances. Don’t invest more of yourself mentally, emotionally, or in any other way… than you can afford to lose. Let common sense prevail, or take your lumps and pray they leave you with stumps. This is NOT the place for kids to make friends under any circumstances. I would like to personally hammer anyone who lets thier kid get involved in social networking online. Better to dangle them, bloodied, in shark infested waters. The odds of them emerging unscathed are certainly better.

3. IF YOU DON’T ACT LIKE VICTIM, YOU WON’T BE ONE. What does a victim act like? Well, they ignore the warning signs. Victims give more, ask less, and typically are motivated by “need.” You are likely to ignore the fact that the site doesnt have a valid security certificate if you just found the expensive gadget your husband or child needed for 50% off. You will ignore the fact the tell tale clues that your friend may not be the nice guy or gal they claim to be if you are very lonely. The internet is not a cure for loneliness, and it’s a poor substitute for a life. Someone looking for a “victim” has an eye for what you need or desire most in life. The predator will be interested in you, often ingratiating or flattering, always opportunistic and looking for ways to elicit your trust. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

There are so many horror stories… we don’t need any more.

Tags: Add new tag, beware, internet, safety, user, Warning