Shannon Ryan
March 23, 2009
1) Name two situations where Koro ignored signs of Pai’s ability and aptitude to lead.
Two situations where Koro ignored signs of Pai’s ability and aptitude to lead are when he fails to show up to see her speech at her school, and when Pai beats Hemi in a taiasha match, showcasing the physical strength and speechmaking ability that the tribe would require from a leader.
2) Discuss the scene where Rawiri took up the taiaha again. How does this change carry on for Rawiri in the rest of the story?
Rawiri’s decision to take up the taiaha again changes his character for the duration of the story because he is able to reconnect with his childhood accomplishment and become a stronger adult as a result. This change in Rawiri’s character carries the rest of the story because he, and his romantic become supportive of Paikea’s desire to succeed her grandfather’s role by taking her to fetch the whale tooth from the sea’s depths and when they come to see her speech, and because the family becomes sympathetic of Koro’s treatment to Paikea regarding a female becoming his successor.
3) When the community walk away together, Paikea comes from behind them and walks alone back towards the big whale. What did that image make you think about Paikea?
The image of Paikea backing towards the big whale instead of following the rest of the tribe and ridding the whale into the ocean, made me think about Paikea’s “hinted destiny” as the female whale rider (symbolism that the old traditions are evolving to make room for new changes). However, this moment in the film also made mw think about Paikea’s need for Koro’s approval as well.
4) When Pai is in the hospital how do they know Koro has changed his attitude towards her?
When Pai is in the hospital, we and the characters know that Koro has changed his attitude about Pai from the moment Nanny Flowers gives him the whale tooth, he sees Pai riding the whale and watches her drown because he seems to be wallowing in grief, refuses to leave her bedside, mutters how he was wrong that Pai was the reason for the tribe’s misfortune, asks for penance for destroying the true leader of his people (receiving the whale tooth and watching Paikea has made him a true believer of her destiny as the leader of his people) and is overjoyed when she awakes.
5) What is the significance of the waka? Describe the waka scene that struck you most, and explain why.
The significance of the waka was that it was the tradition in which the tribe welcomed a new leader. The aspect of the waka scene that struck me the most was that Koro has his arm around Pai, his granddaughter and successor as he leads the men far from the shore by chanting the ritual songs because this moment symbolized Koro’s full acceptance of Paikea and by showing the old man and female child side by side, symbolized the relation of the old traditions and the changing, new future.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Gleaners and I Questions
Shannon Ryan
March 3, 2009
New Millennium Studies
Blog 8: Gleaners And I response
1. I think what surprised me most about the film is that the practice of gleaning has an extensive history for various purposes (to create win, pick corn, potatoes, collect seafood on beaches, clean up trash etc.). I was amused by the film’s detail of what happens afterwards to the gleaned products such as the thrown out dolls becoming a work of art, or the potatoes and grapes becoming edible food and wine. However, what I think surprised me most about the film was that gleaning is not encouraged or legalized in a lot of professions and areas of the world.
2. Varda compares this film to gleaning by pointing out that like the gleaners who spend hours in the fields, oceans and trash dumps searching for food and items that are edible, and usable to cook or create art with, she is gathering information and footage to sort out the best shots and segments that will serve the key argument (that gleaning is a job has and will always be and essential to man’s art and diet) of her film.
3. The images of gleaning by Millet and Van Gogh differ from the video images that Varda presents in her film because Millet and Van Goh can only capture a moment of the gleaning because their medium is a still image. Thus, Millet and Van Gough’s image shows three sturdy women in the fields in what appears to be an earlier era, picking corn with all their might. Varda has a disadvantage in contrast to Van Gough and Millet, because unlike them who can use bright pastels to create better lighting, Varda has to make due with the natural lighting she has. However, she has an advantage over Millet and Van Gough through the lens of her camera versus their still frame, because she can capture the entire gleaning process and the gleaner’s response, zoom in and out on certain aspects of gleaning, mention as much history as she wants to about gleaning and conduct interviews to enlighten her audience with as much information as possible.
March 3, 2009
New Millennium Studies
Blog 8: Gleaners And I response
1. I think what surprised me most about the film is that the practice of gleaning has an extensive history for various purposes (to create win, pick corn, potatoes, collect seafood on beaches, clean up trash etc.). I was amused by the film’s detail of what happens afterwards to the gleaned products such as the thrown out dolls becoming a work of art, or the potatoes and grapes becoming edible food and wine. However, what I think surprised me most about the film was that gleaning is not encouraged or legalized in a lot of professions and areas of the world.
2. Varda compares this film to gleaning by pointing out that like the gleaners who spend hours in the fields, oceans and trash dumps searching for food and items that are edible, and usable to cook or create art with, she is gathering information and footage to sort out the best shots and segments that will serve the key argument (that gleaning is a job has and will always be and essential to man’s art and diet) of her film.
3. The images of gleaning by Millet and Van Gogh differ from the video images that Varda presents in her film because Millet and Van Goh can only capture a moment of the gleaning because their medium is a still image. Thus, Millet and Van Gough’s image shows three sturdy women in the fields in what appears to be an earlier era, picking corn with all their might. Varda has a disadvantage in contrast to Van Gough and Millet, because unlike them who can use bright pastels to create better lighting, Varda has to make due with the natural lighting she has. However, she has an advantage over Millet and Van Gough through the lens of her camera versus their still frame, because she can capture the entire gleaning process and the gleaner’s response, zoom in and out on certain aspects of gleaning, mention as much history as she wants to about gleaning and conduct interviews to enlighten her audience with as much information as possible.
Artist Statement 2
For my second New Millennium Studies project, my group decided to create a flag and a film. We decided to make a flag because we figured that it would answer the guiding question of how Chinatown is perceived (in other words, the imagined fantasy) versus the reality of life in Chinatown. We chose to make a film to expand on this theme as well.
The trouble is that once we visited Chinatown, we realized that our objective would not be possible because all though life in Chinatown and some of the architecture (as you entered the residential parts) was no different then ours, most of the products that the stores sold primarily Chinese products. This presented a problem for our group, as it meant that we would’t be able to collect enough items for the reality side of our flag. Aidan, Claire and I debated this issue until we agreed to modify our thesis from reality vs. fantasy to a portrait of what Chinatown is.
For our found object, we cut out experts of a newspaper we found in Chinatown and taped it amongst our photos and some of the products (a dragon’s head, a lantern and a Hello Kitty key chain for an instance) that we purchased (although we knew it was not required for the assignment) to make the project look authentic.
Our project answers our guiding question of what Chinatown is by presenting products and pictures that relate to the culture of Chinatown. In some ways, we did achieve our original objective because our flag included several Americanized things found in Chinatown including the architecture of homes and the firehouse, a Burberry headband, a ring pop, the photo of the bank, and an I Love You, Man poster. While the Chinese culture is depicted through the photo of the archway, store windows, the newspaper cutouts, the lantern, the dragon’s head, the Hello Kitty key chain, the umbrellas and the shirt we included on it. The video meets the objective of our guiding question to a higher degree by showing life in Chinatown through the lens of a film camera.
In this piece, we were trying to show that an enclave like Chinatown is not so enclosed to the life of the majority’s ethnicity, and how the way of life is not so different from our own. Judging from the photos and objects we included in the flag and the moving shots that we placed in our video, I think we achieved this objective perfectly.
We want our audience to understand that this message, that an enclave like Chinatown can have aspects that are both American and of the culture of the primary ethnicity. We would hope that our audience would walk away with an understanding of why one should not stereotype the culture of a residential area or the people.
I think the strength of our project is that it presents a portrait of life in Chinatown by presenting both the American and Chinese aspects of the enclave. However, I think the weakness of our project is that we failed to address Chinatown’s extensive history or include people from the area in our project through interviews or photos because we felt awkward asking during the creation of our project.
Working with Claire and Aidan was a wonderful experience for me that I wouldn’t hesitate to repeat again. Although we were unable to visit the neighborhood together, we worked well together when we were working on the flag/video together. All there of us were open minded to each other’s ideas, which helped make the project’s progress flow more quickly. In addition, all three of us made an important contribution to the project. Aidan made the video, Claire stitched together our flag design, while I took photos, collected items and lead our correspondence and direction in and out of the classroom. In this way, no group member did less then the other.
This project relates to past projects I have completed because the art and foundation of the project was a collaborative group effort (much like the projects I once created in high school) and illustrated our main idea. However, our project differed from many projects I have done in the past because my group members and performed equal work and were cooperative of each other’s ideas.
I think our flag bares resemblance to those banners that are used in Chinese New Year parades because the sheet we used as our base has a similar shape the base of those banners. I also think that the design of our flag (pictures, the lantern, dragon etc.) is reminiscent of the extravagant Chinese wording and loose thread used on those banners.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Creative Group Brief
New Millennium Studies: Group Brief
1. What is your group’s medium for the community project?
We are going to make a flag and documentary film (about the progress of the project) on the neighborhood of Chinatown
2. What process will you undergo to make it?
The process we will undergo to create our group project include visiting the residential neighborhood of Chinatown to collect materials to build the flag, and to photograph/ film footage for the video. After this step is completed, we will then proceed to create the flag and edit the video into a final documentary.
3. What guiding questions will you answer and how will you answer them?
The guiding question that our flag and video will answer is to present comparison of the standard perception of life in Chinatown, and the reality of what Chinatown actually is.
We will answer this guiding question through the footage in the film, and by creating two sides for the flag (one to present the perception of Chinatown, and the other side of the flag to present the reality of what Chinatown actually is).
4. What is the message that you want to get across to your audience?
The message we want our audience to recognize in our project is that the standard perception we have of certain neighborhoods (especially exotic and eclectic ones like Chinatown) is not always accurate.
5. What artists and works of art have inspired the design of your project?
A strong assertion of popular Chinese artwork has inspired the
design of our flag and will be prominently depicted in the documentary.
6. What are the skills and beneficial contributions of your individual group members that benefit the project?
Alden contributes his creativity and skills as a film maker to the
group, which benefits the making of the documentary. Claire’s artistic skills benefit the making of the flag. Finally, Shannon contributes skills that benefit both the film and the flag and uses her organizational skills to help the group stay afloat with impending deadlines.
1. What is your group’s medium for the community project?
We are going to make a flag and documentary film (about the progress of the project) on the neighborhood of Chinatown
2. What process will you undergo to make it?
The process we will undergo to create our group project include visiting the residential neighborhood of Chinatown to collect materials to build the flag, and to photograph/ film footage for the video. After this step is completed, we will then proceed to create the flag and edit the video into a final documentary.
3. What guiding questions will you answer and how will you answer them?
The guiding question that our flag and video will answer is to present comparison of the standard perception of life in Chinatown, and the reality of what Chinatown actually is.
We will answer this guiding question through the footage in the film, and by creating two sides for the flag (one to present the perception of Chinatown, and the other side of the flag to present the reality of what Chinatown actually is).
4. What is the message that you want to get across to your audience?
The message we want our audience to recognize in our project is that the standard perception we have of certain neighborhoods (especially exotic and eclectic ones like Chinatown) is not always accurate.
5. What artists and works of art have inspired the design of your project?
A strong assertion of popular Chinese artwork has inspired the
design of our flag and will be prominently depicted in the documentary.
6. What are the skills and beneficial contributions of your individual group members that benefit the project?
Alden contributes his creativity and skills as a film maker to the
group, which benefits the making of the documentary. Claire’s artistic skills benefit the making of the flag. Finally, Shannon contributes skills that benefit both the film and the flag and uses her organizational skills to help the group stay afloat with impending deadlines.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Project 2, Individual Brief
For my group’s community project, we are going to make a flag and a documentary on the making of the flag, and about life in Chinatown.
The guiding questions for Unit 2 that I would like my group’s project to focus on are: what are the obligations of individuals to a collective, and other individuals within the groups? What are the obligations of a group to its members, and how do we find and maintain balance between our private selves?
Our solution to involve people from Chinatown into our project is by featuring and interviewing a few residents and workers in the documentary, or at least interviewing a few residents about the history and life of the neighborhood.
I think the skills I bring to our group are organization, creativity and a laid back, agreeable nature. I think my agreeable nature is beneficial to the group, because it allows decisions to be made easier. My skills as an organizer, allow me to take charge as a leader and make sure that our work is completed at a decent time prior to the due date, and allows our group to make and keep any meetings to work on the assignment outside of class. Finally, my creativity is beneficial to the group’s progress because I can help with coming up with the vision, and create the final project. Like Aidan, I am a film major, so I can help gather footage for the video through my own film camera when we visit the neighborhood. While I am not physically artistic like Claire is, I can cut, tape and glue objects together well to help create the flag. Thus, I think my creative skills will benefit the group’s progress by being a happy medium between the flag and the video.
I would like the audience to receive a better understanding of the culture and history of Chicago’s Chinatown. I would also like my group’s project to trigger the audience’s reflections on their identity and purpose in their society as well.
As for my goals and objectives, I would like to create a well-structured and visually appeasing project that answers the guiding questions of what are the obligations of individuals to a collective, and other individuals within the groups? What are the obligations of a group to its members, how do we find and maintain balance between our private selves, or to answer the guiding questions that my group will eventually select. I would also hope that my project triggers thoughts about identity and community for me and for my audience. Finally, I hope that by creating this project I will have an enjoyable experience with my fellow group members, and get a better understanding of what a community is, as well as what it means to play a role in my community.
I look forward to creating and presenting this project.
The guiding questions for Unit 2 that I would like my group’s project to focus on are: what are the obligations of individuals to a collective, and other individuals within the groups? What are the obligations of a group to its members, and how do we find and maintain balance between our private selves?
Our solution to involve people from Chinatown into our project is by featuring and interviewing a few residents and workers in the documentary, or at least interviewing a few residents about the history and life of the neighborhood.
I think the skills I bring to our group are organization, creativity and a laid back, agreeable nature. I think my agreeable nature is beneficial to the group, because it allows decisions to be made easier. My skills as an organizer, allow me to take charge as a leader and make sure that our work is completed at a decent time prior to the due date, and allows our group to make and keep any meetings to work on the assignment outside of class. Finally, my creativity is beneficial to the group’s progress because I can help with coming up with the vision, and create the final project. Like Aidan, I am a film major, so I can help gather footage for the video through my own film camera when we visit the neighborhood. While I am not physically artistic like Claire is, I can cut, tape and glue objects together well to help create the flag. Thus, I think my creative skills will benefit the group’s progress by being a happy medium between the flag and the video.
I would like the audience to receive a better understanding of the culture and history of Chicago’s Chinatown. I would also like my group’s project to trigger the audience’s reflections on their identity and purpose in their society as well.
As for my goals and objectives, I would like to create a well-structured and visually appeasing project that answers the guiding questions of what are the obligations of individuals to a collective, and other individuals within the groups? What are the obligations of a group to its members, how do we find and maintain balance between our private selves, or to answer the guiding questions that my group will eventually select. I would also hope that my project triggers thoughts about identity and community for me and for my audience. Finally, I hope that by creating this project I will have an enjoyable experience with my fellow group members, and get a better understanding of what a community is, as well as what it means to play a role in my community.
I look forward to creating and presenting this project.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Project 2 , Class Blog #7
I think the first thing I should say when I wrote this bog, I had emailed, but hadn’t received responses from my fellow group members yet. Therefore, I would like to point out that nothing written and explained below is defensive for my project. For sure, I will have the opportunity to converse with my group members and decide the definite medium and Chicago neighborhood by the next due date.
For my project I would like to use the Chicago Chinatown neighborhood for my project. My reasons for wanting to use this neighborhood for this project, is simple: Chinatowns were built as enclaves for the Chinese immigrants in Americans and tend to carry a certain spirit, products and style that you would not be able to find in other city neighborhoods. As a result, I think the Chinatown would be an ideal choice for this project.
Two things that I already know about the modern day Chinatown other then the neighborhood’s origins, is that it is a major tourist spot filled with authentic restaurants and stores that honor the culture’s heritage. Another thing that I already know about Chinatown is that its architecture is modeled after the one in China. I also know that the Chinese holidays (particularly Chinese New Year) are extravagant events.
I would like to learn more about the history the Chicago Chinatown. I would also like to learn more about the food and culture in this enclave. Finally, I would like to learn more about the celebration rituals of Chinese new year.
I would like to talk my group into talk my group into making a video, neighborhood visual recipe book for our project. I think there are a lot of things we can cover in Martha Stewart and the Cooking Chanel like segments about how to make a traditional Chinese dish, create origami, dress like a geisha amongst other things.
As I mentioned before, none of these ideas are definite. I look forward to conversing with my group and declaring our official project in the coming days.
For my project I would like to use the Chicago Chinatown neighborhood for my project. My reasons for wanting to use this neighborhood for this project, is simple: Chinatowns were built as enclaves for the Chinese immigrants in Americans and tend to carry a certain spirit, products and style that you would not be able to find in other city neighborhoods. As a result, I think the Chinatown would be an ideal choice for this project.
Two things that I already know about the modern day Chinatown other then the neighborhood’s origins, is that it is a major tourist spot filled with authentic restaurants and stores that honor the culture’s heritage. Another thing that I already know about Chinatown is that its architecture is modeled after the one in China. I also know that the Chinese holidays (particularly Chinese New Year) are extravagant events.
I would like to learn more about the history the Chicago Chinatown. I would also like to learn more about the food and culture in this enclave. Finally, I would like to learn more about the celebration rituals of Chinese new year.
I would like to talk my group into talk my group into making a video, neighborhood visual recipe book for our project. I think there are a lot of things we can cover in Martha Stewart and the Cooking Chanel like segments about how to make a traditional Chinese dish, create origami, dress like a geisha amongst other things.
As I mentioned before, none of these ideas are definite. I look forward to conversing with my group and declaring our official project in the coming days.
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