Cultural Event Response 4

Prof Richard Hovannisian: Must We Still Remember? The Armenian Genocide as Prototype

Professor Hovannisian described the history and the context of the Armenian genocide in a clear and comprehensive way. Before comming to the lecture, I knew nothing about the Armenian genocide, and by the time I left, I knew when it was, where it was, and a general idea of why it occurred. Like one of the men on the film clip Hovannisian presented, it seems to me as if it was not a coincidence that this genocide happened in the midst of World War I. The Holocaust happened during World War II, suggesting that total wars create perfect contexts for genocides.

I was struck when Hovannisian predicted that the only genocide of the 20th century that will be remembered in the future is the Hollocaust, not the Armenian genocide, Rawanda, or Darfur. It has always been inconceivable to me that people can deny the existence of genocides despite cold hard facts and accounts by eye-witnesses and survivors. Hovannisian described the thought behind the denial: those who commited the killings were taught by the Turkish government and the political party that it was the right thing to do. For them, Hovannisian explained, it was not a matter of belief, it was a truth for them.

Cultural Event Response 3

Poetry Reading: Yael Flusberg

I chose to attend this cultural event because I am interested in poetry; I write it myself and I like to go to readings. I was a little skeptical before I went because I had never heard of Flusberg beforehand, and especially when she was introduced by Michael Glaser and I learned that she had not studied English or Creative Writing, but studied political science. I thought her work might be about political issues I did not understand and that it might not have the kind of emotional value that I like about poetry.

When she came to the podium, she gave the audience some basic background on her life and after she explained why she decided to write, I began to relate to her. She reminded us that it isn’t the title that matters, such as “Writer,” but it is the story that someone tells that is important. She told us in her introduction that death has always been a big part of her life; her parents were Holocaust survivors and they both died by the time she was 15.

She explained that she has experienced, as an only child, not only a great amount of loss, but also a lot of “absence.” I thought it was interesting that she chose to use the word “absence” because this emphasizes the lasting effects of the loss. She expresses this sense of absence in one of her poems where she states that although many people have died and left her behind, she would not leave anyone behind if she died herself. This particular poem was my favorite because it shows the strength that she has, not only carrying on with her life after all her loss and in the midst of her absence, but also triumphing in the process and turning her life into creative work.

Finished Postcard Project

The following images are my finished postcards, made by combining all the elements scanned, photographed, and drawn together in Photoshop:

Postcard Project: Scans

Postcard Project: Concept and Plan

This first sketch outlines my plan for my Johns Hopkins postcard. The images in this postcard represent aspects of Hopkin's life and legacy. Hopkins' family was in the tobacco farming business and Johns himself worked in the fields as a young man; hence the ciggarette box and the cigarette. Hopkins founded Johns Hopkins University, so the drawing of the top of a building on the right-hand side of my plan represents the university. The "Railroad Crossing" sign represents Hopkins' heavy investment in the Baltimore Railroad. The paper money and the coins falling in the background represent the fortune Hopkins earned throughout his sucessful career as an entrepeneur. Finally, the newspaper clippings in the very background represent his founding of the Johns Hopkins Press, an academic newspaper. With Photoshop, I will combine the scanned images, digital photographs, and scanned drawings into one photomontage piece in the form of a postcard on heavy-weight paper it looks and feels like a real postcard.

This sketch outlines my plan for my Edgar Allan Poe postcard. The images in the postcard represent aspects of Poe's literary works- his famous poems and short stories. There will be an image of Poe on the right-hand side of the postcard. Next to that, will be a drawing of a flying raven. Behind that is a stack of books, representing Poe's literary accomplishments. Beside the books, in the lower-lefthand corner, will be a drawing of a heart, alluding to Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart" short story. Finally, in the very background, there will be scanned images of pages from books with Poe's work in them. I will compile all of these images together into a photomontage using Photoshop and print it on heavy-weight for the full postcard-effect.

Worth1000.com Photoshop Contest

Worth100.com is a website based on Photoshop imaging. I entered a contest called "Caution," in which the assignment was to edit the below image in any way. Since the caution sign says "Caution: Angry Yellow Jackets," I decided to go along with the bee theme and include beekeepers. To access my entry, entitled "Bees," follow this link: http://www.worth1000.com/view.asp?entry=361367&display=photoshop.

Original piece

Photoshop edited piece
I received a C+ on this submition based on the voting on the site.

Cultural Event Response 2

Teatro Luna's S-E-X-Oh!

I was not sure what to expect from S-E-X-Oh!, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the tone was humorous and the atmosphere was informal. When the actresses came out and introduced the show in the beginning, they were very welcoming and created a relaxed atmosphere from the start. Before the show began, I had time to view the large images of each woman displayed on stage. The incorporation of photos, drawing, and text reminded me of the kind of work made by the Dada artists. In addition to the visual aspects of the performance, the skits, monologues, dialogues, and audio each helped to present the ideas about sex in a language that anyone can understand. For example, rather than having a woman tell the audience what her experience as a phone sex worker was like, we got to see for ourselves through her performance the good, bad, and ugly of her job.

I liked the use of audio when introducing each of the women individually. The way the speaker was not present- her voice came over a speaker- and the impersonal tone of her voice as she stated facts and generalizations about each woman made the women seem like they weren’t individuals. Similarly, the way that the women turned around so that we could see there front, profile, and back in the manner of a mug shot added to this idea that women can be thought of as objects, especially by men. My favorite part of the production was the scene where the women tell each other what makes them “hot.” This scene was very unique with the ideas they came up with and it was the funniest part of the show. “Trader Joe’s makes me hot” is a quote that will probably stick with me forever not only because it is hilarious, but because it stretches the boundaries of attraction. Sex is not all about the act itself- the women broadened the definition to things that we can recognize and access in everyday life.