jdlenaha

secret project is a secret

i have several options for my fear project. i think everyone will react positively to the project i think i’m focusing on. if i choose this option, he or she might even react with a sense of relief. this may sound odd, but i think that once the fear that i choose to experiment with could actually bring comfort when discussed. almost like an elephant leaving the room.

5. a lot of people seemed to enjoy the presentation.

6. i’m not sure if they felt relieved like i originally thought, but that’s because the idea evolved. the idea i went with was bigger, but also more simple.

7. The changes that occurred through the relization of my true fear! I originally wanted to base the project off a childhood experience, but instead I made the project on something more current.

1. I deactivated my Facebook and turned off my phone for a weekend. Then i returned to the land of the living  in class.

2. i felt strongly about this assignment because i have issues with becoming friends with people. over the weekend i had a strange comfort come over me, knowing that i didn’t have to communicate with anyone. i have moments where i need alone time, but i never know when the moment should end because i don’t want it to. i like the comfort of staying in my corner. but in the degree i really have to come out of my shell. i decided to end this moment in class. it’s always scary for me to go back into the real world. it seems like it takes more of an effort.

3. i saw this project as an experiment performed many times before. i have had weekends and even whole weeks where i needed the alone time, but it’s been years since i’ve given that time to myself. i felt a strange comfort this time around, like my life was worth coming back too.

so far in this class, i remember learning about how we fishbowl ourselves, totems and fear. even though the fear assignment isn’t complete, i still have learned a lot about it in the process of thinking about what to create for the project.

the pacing of this class feels different when compared to other classes. i don’t know. maybe it’s because i don’t really know what to expect when i walk through the door.

i would just like to grow as a person. i feel like this class could really help me develop my creative side and feel more comfortable with expressing it.

so today in seeing sideways we watched a video over sculpture, but the sculpting techniques used were original. this video was shown because of our last assignment, to use our totem as a starting point to do unexpected things with inanamate objects. this all lead to a discussion of fear and how we are supposed to explore this feeling in the next assignment. fear is an important emotion, which could either prevent you from harm or keep you from awarding opportunities. well i guess that’s my definition.

today in seeing sideways i learned there are many ways to create music. i don’t consider the absence of sound as music, but more of an artistic statement. we also talked about the death of an idea, which doesn’t really exist. an idea doesn’t die, it transcends and evolves.

today i’m reviewing the fourth seeing sideways class from the seventh week of the spring semester. my review is being posted an hour and a half late.  i simply learned that one should do what makes them happy to find things that inspire one to create individual projects. i also thought about how effective videos could be made for the physcially  impaired.

a book to me has to include a story. a story doesn’t necessarily have to be read. at least not read through words on a page. to me, the best stories are in songs. Though these stories are usually short, they inspire me to write my stories. i like how a song can be sad and everyone can accept it. it’s not like a move where an audience is usually craving a happy ending. 

for my class i’m supposed to make something that represents a book. i made a mix cd of songs that i thought have this “bookness” quality to them.

1. the district sleeps alone tonight - the postal service

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FqmJy8HzQI

2. too young - eagle & the worm

 http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJcOEmIe7h4

3. don’t leave the light on baby - belle and sebastian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t_KgE6Yuqg

4. the shrine/ an argument - the fleet foxes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yAxIdkF2Qo

5. choir vandals - ben gibbard and andrew kenny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gFQwkODY7M&feature=related

6. grapevine fires - death cab for cutie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZUV9IBEXY&ob=av3e

7. paper bag - fiona apple

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK30r_SIZ-g&ob=av3e

9. in the pines - leadbelly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nst1iEhak0U

10. not over you - chester french

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3DusCkxsK4

Go to a library, bookstore, or your own book collection and look through the books. Please do not read any. Just pay attention to what catches your eye.

• What is it that stands out to you?

the small amount of books.

• Why?

cause there is a small number of books in my collection.

Choose a red book and open it to page 6. Close your eyes and put your finger on the page somewhere.

• What did you find?

i found a picture titled “sliding down the banister”.

• If your finger landed on a paragraph, how many times does the letter “p” show up in that paragraph?

there wasn’t a paragraph just an image, a title and a date. there was no P’s either.

• If it landed on a picture, how many straight lines are in the picture?

there were two straight lines in the image.

• If it landed on white space, what is the white space surrounding?

my finger didn’t land on white space. however the white space on the page is surrounding the image.

• Can you imagine the white space as a sea and the other parts (words, pictures, etc.) as islands floating in white water or space?

yeah i could definitely imagine this. the island would be a real interesting shape too.

Using your other senses, explain what the paper feels like.

• Is it slick or rough?

i would consider the paper to be more rough.

• What does the cover feel like?

the cover however is very slick.

• Can you feel the ink of the words if you close your eyes?

no. the ink is flat.

• Do different colors feel different with your eyes closed?

the book is completely in black and white. i felt no different when my finger rubbed against the contrast of either the two.

• What else can you discover about the paper?

the paper is very small and thick almost like note cards.

• What about the cover?

the cover is very shiny and is covered in fingerprints.

Without destroying the book, unless you own it and want to, see if you can figure out how the book was constructed.

• Is it stitched?

no, but there is an titled image of a stitch pattern on the cover of the book.

• Is it glued?

i would say it’s glued because there’s guck in the binding.

• Is there any cloth on this book or is it all paper?

it’s all paper.

• Is it a hardback or paperback?

paperback.

• Does it have signatures? (Hint: you may need to look up what signatures are in the context of making books…)

apparently paperbacks don’t have signatures.

• If it has signatures, how many pages are in each and how many signatures are there in the whole book?

the book is paperback.

• If it does not, look at the glue on the ends of the spine and describe what you see.

the glue looks grey because it’s all bunched up.

Flip through the pages and look at the end papers.

• Is there any writing in the book, other than the printing?

yes.

• If so, what does it say?

it has a bio page.

• Why is it there?

to introduce the author(s).

• Who wrote it?

em and lo are the authors. 

• if you do not know, then imagine who might have written it.

i know who wrote it.

• If there is no writing in the book then how does it make you feel to know you are the first person (possibly) to think about it?

there’s writing.

Examine the book more.

• Are there any stains on the book?

there are no stains yet.

• Are there any fingerprints?

there are fingerprints on the cover.

• What do they look like?

disorganized and smudgy. 

• How might they have happened?

probably through just simply holding the book.

Look at the pages of the book.

• What is the color of the pages? 

black and white and the shades between the two.

• I bet they are not really white.
 How would you describe the color? 

the words card stock come to mind. i don’t know why. i don’t know what this means. maybe the white is closer to a tan.

• Is it warm or cold? 

warm.

• Bright or dull, etc.

dull. the pages are very blank.

• What other visual things can you explore with the book?

the sides of the paper when the book is closed. they look very neat, except for the front of the book. there is a minor dent in the bottom of the right corner of the first few pages.

Think about the history of this book.

• Can you see any other evidence that someone else has handled this book?

this book has dents, but i don’t know where they came from so maybe someone else made those.

• What are the edges of the pages like? Describe them.

very neat and organized. the distance between certain pages varies throughout the edge of the closed book

• Can you imagine what someone else might have been thinking as they read this book?

probably either feelings of excitement or perversion.

• Do you think anyone else has used this book like you are right now instead of reading it?

definitely. the book is an instruction manual.

Flip through the pages quickly.

• Can you hear the sound? If so, describe it.

it sounds like fingernails tapping gently on a wooden surface.

• If not, what is your experience like?

intense and windy.

• Can you feel the breeze?

yes.

• Can you move something with the wind generated from the book?

yes, a cloth.

• Could you use this book to win a game you created using the book’s wind power?

i would think so. the current is strong.

Drop the book on the floor.

• What did you experience?

there was a thunk.

• Did you sense the vibrations the book made?

there wasn’t much vibration.

• Did you feel it in your feet?

very lightly.

• Take your shoes off. Now drop the book. Was there any difference?

no. the book still felt the same.

Hold the book between your hands with one hand on each cover and the book closed. Close your eyes.

• Is the book cold? 

cold.

• Hold it like that for at least one minute.
Now feel the cover. Can you feel the temperature change from where your hands were to where they were not?

yes, the temperature seemed warmer.

• Have you ever been aware of this before when you were holding a book to read it?

no. this is new. i now recall switching my hand around a lot while reading.

• If your heat transfers in this situation and you noticed it because I asked you to, why do you think you have never noticed it before? If you have noticed the temperature of a book you were holding before, describe why you noticed it.

maybe because i was more focused on the physical aspect of the book rather then reading it and getting involved mentally.

Smell the book.

• What does the smell make you think of?

comic carnival. it’s a comic book store.

• If you can’t think of anything, describe the smells you can sense.

comic book like… 

• (Interesting fact: Did you know that I have friends [many librarians, actually] who choose their books partly based on how they smell? Honestly.)

i had no idea.

I do not recommend tasting the book for health and safety issues… :-)

Now, finally, read the first page. If it is just pictures, read the story of the pictures. 

• What is the title of this book?

“position of the day”

• Based on the first page, explain why you think the book was titled that.

i would say that this is the title because it is the first four words on the first page in the book.

Reflect back on this entire exercise.

• What is your experience like with the book now that you have experienced it differently

i might feel a little more appreciative towards its construction.

• Do you still find books to be boring, assuming you did in the first place?

some books yes. others no. it’s still all about the content to me.

• What, if anything has changed for you in regards to books?

my awareness of how a book heats up after holding it for so long.

Now think about this class.

• How did I “fishbowl” this assignment?

you made us use a red book.

• What do you think the point is of this exercise?

to make one more aware of his or her surroundings.

• What can you take from this exercise that might help you with future projects?

i might be more observant of things in the future.