Azure's ARTE250 Mood/Reactions

[nvm-illustration]

‘Miss H8’ - Nvm Illustration

[1000drawings]

By Yoriyuki

[imaginingsofazure]

Trainer 15

So I liked how this section of the Kafer reading connected to the ideas of space travel and how advanced technology could potentially put us closer to being able to work out the kinks of long distance travel.  Obviously, though, there are definitely issues that I have with this.  Although I don’t know a lot of information about the study of Kline and Clynes, I don’t really like the fact that their technology could potentially lead to outbursts of psychosis.  Also, their studies themselves seem to be, according to Kafer, really trustworthy because of the allegations posed against their insitution.

Also, although the second to last page was definitely out of place, I liked the connected that was drawn to how trans people could also be considered cyborgs because of their reliance on pharmaceuticals.  Kafer also drew attention to the irony between their erasure in the big pharma companies, and their reliance on it as well.

I also found it interesting that Kafer also talked about how in order to be prescribed the medicine that they need, trans people must first be prescribed by a psychiatrist with GID.  Honestly I had no idea that that was even a thing, and it upsets me that people still hold a belief that gender identity is somehow linked to pathology.  

For the Blue Screen of Death article, I guess I had never thought that deeply about the blue screen and how it had purposes and whatnot.  I did find it interesting to learn about what its actual purpose is.  Now that I know a little more about it maybe i’ll try to be more proactive about taking care of my computer when it is giving me warning signs.

The indigo child excerpt is interesting to me because even though the author isn’t overtly saying the purpose, I was still able to gather what it was about.  So I was guessing it’s about how colors were originally incorporated into the textile industry and the effects that that has had on tons of children and families. Since I have not experienced something like this I can’t necessarily fully understand the aversion to colors, but I can potentially try to be empathetic towards her meaning. 

[imaginingsofazure]

[imaginingsofazure]

TRAINER 14

I am happy to say that the Kafer reading finally started making a little sense.

While I do agree that cyborg theory is not necessary, it does not change the fact that is is existent and that people are obviously talking about it.  I think it is important, then, for people in general to recognize the importance of identifying people as cyborgs not for their “disability”, but for their forwardthinking ideas about politics, gender, sexuality, race, etc.  

Most of the popular wester cannon, as Kafer points out in the Haraway reading, identifies cyborgs as people who need this technology to make up for something in their able-bodiedness that they have lost.  This is expecially problematic because it takes away from their humanity, and discredits their other efforts that might not have anything to do with this technology.  Also, as stated in the reading, it is important to note the existent binary that is evident in society between abled/disabled, and how this cyborg theory typically drives a further wedge into that binary.  

In reality, people with disabilities that might require outside technology are just the same as everyone else, and that which makes them different isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  As an ally, I would like to learn even more about the cyborg theory itself, and learn to, as Kafer has done, critically analyze the conversation that is being discussed about disability and cyborg politics.  

[imaginingsofazure]

SKELETON DANCE to Dissolve

[imaginingsofazure]

Trainer 13

So for the Kafer this week I have a lot of feelings that I don’t really know how to express???

Mostly, I just have a really hard time feeling that the language in the reading is very accessible to readers, and I feel like with topics like this you would want people to understand what the heck you are talking about?

That being said I enjoyed that Kafer went outside the realm of talking about cyborgian theory (which if I am to be completely honest I don’t really understand), and brought up discussions about race and feminism.  I wish That I could understand the language a little more to have a more developed opinion about it so I could say that, HELL YEAH I like what Kafer said about the fact that the issues with Cyborg theory and the issues of race are the facts that people are focusing on these aspects of humans.  They are focusing on their race or their disability.  So I suppose I do understand that and I don’t think that people should be focusing on these aspects of humanity (this is not to say that people should ignore it because that bring up a whole other set of issues.)  I just don’t understand the bits about how Kafer is discussing the author of the cyborg theory’s methods and how people are finding ways to either defend or attack/criticize the novel based on how it relates to whatever theory that they in particular are relating it to.

In other news, I thought that the sound art by Christine Sun Kim was really cool.  I wish I could understand a little more of the mechanics of the project itself, but I am all for audiences being directly involved in exhibits, and I think it is a really interesting idea to force audiences to be involved.  It makes the art work personal, and engages audiences in a new and innovative fashion.  I think she is breaking the sound barrier by working not only in works about sound, but converting those sounds to visual narratives to connect to audiences of different hearing abilities.  

[imaginingsofazure]

Elite 2: Indesign

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Elite 1: Photoshop

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TRAINER 12

So, Kafer this week.  I’m still having a fairly hard time understand FULLY what the heck is being talked about but this week is the clearest thus far.

So, I do think it is really important to point out the controversial nature of labeling people with disabilities as cyborgs, especially because it doesn’t really touch on their experiences as a human being.  Instead, it is shining a light on only what makes them disabled, and the technology that they need to be “normal.”  (I use that term lightly because, like, what even does normal mean.)  I think that maybe at first glance the term could seem cool, like people with disabilities are just ahead of the game as far as technological advancement goes.  But that takes away their HUMANITY.  They are still people with the thoughts and feelings of people, so why focus only on and label them as something other than human?

Something I really appreciate about the Kafer reading, too, is the fact that Race is brought up.  Oftentimes these elitist ideas of cyborgism and advancement are available only to the few, and usually the few come from white, middle class families that can afford it and have access to it.  I do think that labeling people from other cultures and races is especially problematic, too, because it does the same thing that it does to people with disabilities: It downplays their experiences as human beings and it kind of strips them of their humanity.  

I think that the video that we watched this week was really interesting.  All I could think about what, even though those drawings may not be technically advances, I don’t think that I could use that sort of video editing technology.  It seems like a lot of thought and work was put into the video, even though there is no dialogue or complex movement.  I find it even more interesting to know now that the creators are from a group of artists with learning disabilities who make various similar artistic videos.  I would like to learn more about the thought process behind the video, and maybe look into some interviews with the artists themselves.  

[imaginingsofazure]

Trainer 11

For the Kafer reading this week, I was able to understand what was being talked about a little bit more.  This is not to say that I fully understood it, but at least partially.

So what I gathered is that she was driving to develop a distinction between Cyborgism as a thing and with the politics behind it; how it can drive differences into society.  This is something that I honestly have not given much thought to (granted, I never really thought of people with disabilities being cyborgs), so I never really considered the repercussions of calling someone a cyborg. Now that I think about it, though, I guess calling a cyborg can actually be really discriminatory.

First off, using this terminology to define a person is really demeaning.  It reduces them to only this aspect of themself: their disability (which Kafer talks about in the reading).  Also, it is not really inclusive to the people who have disabilities who cannot pay for such “cyborg” like adjustments, or to the people who have disabilities but don’t need these modifications at all.  It is focusing only on the people who need things like prosthetics and such.  It focuses on the parts of them that are not human, instead of focusing on what is.  And shouldn’t we primarily focus on what makes a person A PERSON when we are talking about them?

As far as the gifs by George Redhawk are amazing.  I would like to delve more into the process of his gif making, and how is is able to navigate the computer and the internet without his sight (I mean I know people have programs where the computer says everything out loud but like how can you make art without seeing it).  I guess this raises a bigger question to me: how can art be created without being seen??? I mean obviously Redhawk has done it because his gifs are gorgeous and cool and inventive and I love them, but it makes me wonder what kind of art that I would make if I didn’t have my sight.  

So I wanted to focus on the piece that he had on his page entitled Luminokaya_Gaia with a person holding the world.  My take on it is the universal energy that people feel in connection to the world.  I love the idea of people being connected to the earth and the universe through energy, regardless of different religious and spiritual aspects that may come into play.  I think it would be interesting to hear his explanation about his inspiration for the piece.

[imaginingsofazure]

[livefreeinthedream]

[imaginingsofazure]

Trainer 10

So for this week I started with the online Kyoto journal article about Furuhashi Teiji’s Dumb Type.  I found it to be particularly interesting to be able to hear about the development of an artists style firsthand, and get a better look into his mind.  Also, I enjoyed being able to expand my knowledge about this type of art.

I haven’t seen a ton of performance art like this, but I love the idea and hearing about his work and ideas makes me feel inspired to create some of my own art of this type of, I dunno, almost avante garde style.  (I mean I guess that’s good considering we’re about to do a project on it.  

I also really like how up front he was about art.  He admitted that fine art wasn’t really his style, and he also admitted that he hated his day job (even though it’s hard related.)  This really hits home to me because so many artists are forced to work in these types of jobs just because they need to make ends meet, which is really hard to do if you are not a well known artist.

I also thought that it was interesting to hear about how modern and postmodern artists are regarded in other societies.  I feel like so often in our classes we learn about the struggles of artists just in this country, but we aren’t even treated that bad in comparison to artists from other areas!

I like that we were not only able to see a video of one of the Dumb Type performances on the article page, but we were also directed to another video in our assignment.  ALSO, we were even given an informational page about the piece that the article was not about.  I love being able to see works like this because I haven’t honestly seen a lot of it, but I find the idea to be really interesting, and reading and seeing it makes me want to create my own.  

As far as the Kafer reading goes, I wasn’t SUPER sure what was being discussed.  I mean I understood the concept of cyborgs being regarded in our society, and how people who have physical disabilities could be considered a cyborg.  I liked the idea of feminist artists regarding cyborgs in their work, but overall I’m not familiar with the idea of cyborg that the author is specifically talking about.  I also like the Kafer brought up the fact that many feminist artists don’t really regard technology positively in their work.  I find this interesting because personally I make really organic pieces about the form of women’s bodies, but I never really thought about trying to include technology in my work.  I do like to think that maybe I could start trying to think of the modernization of people in correlation to society.  

I don’t know! I’m definitely interested to read more about what Kafer is talking about.

[imaginingsofazure]

Trainer 9

So this week seemed a lot lighter than some of our recent readings.

I like splitting up bigger readings like this one into two, it makes it a lot easier to digest.

Anyways, there’s just so many things about this reading that I didn’t really think about or realize (I guess realize is the right word).  So I have definitely noticed the fact that games and game controllers are getting increasingly more and more complicated.  I suppose I just always attributed this to the expansion and advancement of technology.  I definitely didn’t think that it was geared towards the players of games themselves.  Also, this could also be because I’ve never really put extensive thought into video games and how they are made.

I really like the fact that the author addresses workers’ rights in the video game industry as well.  I knew that game developers have hard jobs.  I guess game developing always reminded me a little of the manga industry and how (at least stereotypically and how it is portrayed in anime) the artists are working incredibly long hours.  

As for the game, it was another program that didn’t work on my computer.  Also, I was unsure as to whether or not it was supposed to be an actual game or just the article about it? Either way, I really like the idea of game art being used to talk about different issues in society, such as the gender transition experience of the artist.  

[imaginingsofazure]

Trainer 8

Wow where to begin for this week!

So I have never really been one to play video games.  Even when I was little the prospect of playing the games and  getting through these high-stress environments never really appealed to me.  Sure, I would watch people play them, and I never really even minded, it was kind of like an interactive movie for me where I didn’t really have to make any decisions.  But the thought of actually playing the games stressed me out.  I mean, just watching other people get stressed out while they were playing put me on edge, so I couldn’t even imagine playing myself.  Put myself through rigorous quests where I will probably get super stressed out and die? No thank you.

That being said, I have seen my fair share of games.  I suppose I subconsciously was able to recognize many of the gender norms that are played on in the games.  I kind of relate it to the anime that I watch: I don’t like playing games or watching shows where women are oversexualized.  It never appealed to me.  I didn’t want to watch a woman have to be saved by a man or have to fight in incredibly scimpy clothing.  Sure, the sailor scouts definitely did wear mini skirts and tuxedo mask had to come to their aid sometimes with his magic roses (which I always thought was ridiculous, i mean come on a magic rose)..  Anyways I digress.  

What I’m trying to say is this: I love the idea of people recognizing and addressing these issues of gender norms in video games.  How they are MADE to appeal to cis, hetero, usual middle to upper class, white males.  Not to say that all games are this way and those are the only types of people that play them.  But that’s the demographic that most game developers have in mind when they are creating their games.  

I love how upfront Anna Anthropy is about the reality of games.  How she relates her ideas to her own experiences.  And even further, how she words her ideas in a way that makes me, a cis woman who doesn’t have much of an interest in games, understand where she is coming from.  Plus, the format of the article (though it is obviously academic) seems more like a conversation with the reader.  The breaks between ideas and paragraphs seems to me more like how I would write, like a stream on consciousness... It just makes the whole thing feel more personal, and helps me relate more to the ideas while still learning about a bunch that I may not have known before. 

As far as the The Game: The Game, I honestly looked into the gallery website about the installation because I wanted to try it out.  I don’t know a ton about actual pick-up artists, but I do know what they are and how their ideas relate to politics, especially recently.  I think it is really important, especially right now with Trump being president and all, for people to really tear at these ideas that dating is a game.  That women will eventually want to sleep with you if you keep trying over and over again.  And just that people need to act that way in general.  It develops this whole system of toxic masculinity that doesn’t frame people for who they are.  Instead, it continues the cycle of placing people into these clearly defined boxes that tell them that they need to act a certain way and that they need to dress a certain way and that their need to fit this norm, otherwise they are weird.  

Ugh I just have so many feels about the readings for this week and I’m a little bummed that we won’t be having a discussion about it all tomorrow because I feel like I could, for once, really talk a lot about the conversation. 

Games make me think about misogyny, gender, shooting, and anxiety. 

[imaginingsofazure]

trainer 7: Wolfgang ft queers in love

I really like that this week we had the opportunity to revisit the information from the week before.  The Wolfgang site Glitch Perfect resonated with me a lot because it spoke a lot about the different components of glitch art and how different aspects of it can take on different meanings.  The format of the page itself, how it was sort of like a game, helped relate the material being talked about to the real world. Glitch art is a modern art form, so why not present its explanation in a form that will resonate more with contemporary viewers.  

I think the mechanics of the site also helped to make the reading a little easier to handle. It's not that it was a short reading, it was just presented in shorter, easier sections that made it less to ingest at one time. Plus, sometimes when I am reading a longer article I have a much harder time really focusing on all of the information and material beIng presented to me. I get lost sometimes on those long pages, and my eyes glaze over after a period of time looking at them. So it was nice to have little snippets of reading intermittently with examples of artwork and videos relevant to the material. 

The game that we got to play for this week was really cool too! It really brings awareness to love itself, and it forces the readers to make quick decisions about what they would do with their loved ones at the ends of the world. It evens seems realistic because of how brief you have for each decisions you make, like the world really is ending and you have 10 seconds to do what you can with your loved one.  I thought that each “level” was the perfect length, and the language used relates a lot to contemporary viewers. I don't have a lot of experience at all with different kinds of visual art, so it's nice to get the chance to really learn about and experience different kinds through this class!

[imaginingsofazure]

Trainer 6

Okay so I’m a little frustrated because I definitely already wrote a whole thing and tumblr deleted because I closed my computer. >:/  ANYWAYS, so for the Glitch Art site by Wolfgang is really amazing.  I didn’t realize how much I would be able to connect to Glitch Art until the reading!

To be honest, I never really appreciated glitch art (mostly because I didn’t really understand it), but having her actually walk through everything that the pieces are about was really helpful in my understanding!

Also! I just like the idea of breaking down what society think about people and their bodies through the breaking down of images. 

As for the language used, it is definitely refreshing to read something that I can actually understand.  And I feel like the language used was still very articulate, just in a different way I suppose? 

As for the video we had to watch about gender stereotypes, I LOVED it.  So, as a person who is a Cis female, I have a hard time always understanding all of the genders.  But having videos and other informational images to help me understand is really great! I am sometimes afraid of asking people for more information about things because I don’t want to offend them! Also,  I really like how the video comments on how society has developed all of these norms for genders!