Final Project - Framing a Morning

My Final Project, Framing a Morning, is a spinoff of my first video project this term combined with the use of photography in the the fourth project. In a style similar to stop-motion I travel throughout my morning routine using music to move along the narrative. I attempted to have photo transitions match up with certain parts of the beat, a task that proved to be both tricky and rewarding while editing. While creating this project I kept the words of Marshall McLuhan in mind. He's quoted saying: "Our time presents a unique opportunity for learning by means of humor - a perceptive or incisive joke can be more meaningful than platitudes lying between two covers." The truth in these words are immeasurable! Making learning enjoyable and stimulating is one of the most beautiful things when done successfully, a great example of that being Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. In my project I did my best to have a light hearted feel with the music and the occasional funny picture to make the process of learning about my morning routine, a stimulating and exciting one.

You can find the video through the link above

Ed Vessel - The Importance of Art in Education

Ed Vessel is part of the New York University ArtLab. This lab places a focuses on understanding how people derive pleasure and inspiration from art forms and how this may relate to learning, motivation, and well being. The consumption of information public school deems important and the overall process of learning is one that is ever evolving in an attempt to make it more stimulating and enjoyable for the student. Marshall McLuhan and Ed Vessel are in agreement when citing the importance of art in learning: "We have now become aware of the possibility of arranging the entire human environment as a work of art, as a teaching machine designed to maximize perception and to make everyday learning a process of discovery (McLuhan, 67)." These very words inspire the work we see Ed Vessel doing at NYU today. It is to our advantage as humans to make education and learning both appealing and exhilarating. For too long has learning been tied to 'boring'. "Learning, the educational process, has long been associated only with the glum (McLuhan, 10)."  There is a lot to benefit from when education is stimulating, we must tip our hat to McLuhan for acknowledging this, and to Ed Vessel for actively pursuing it.

Something Is Happening

I thought the gallery showing, Something is Happening, was a great success! I thought the turn out from non-classmembers was strong. As for the art, I thought that many of the books looked fantastic in their final publication. Blurb certainly is an exceptional resource both for its quality and value. I thought the gallery space was perfect for the showing. With 2 photos per person there was a picture throughout the wall but each had their own space to allow the viewer to analyze. Having the books to turn to after observing the selected photos was nice.

Friedrich Nietzsche - Understanding One of The Least Understood Philosophers

It has often been said that, despite being one of the most well-known, Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most misunderstood philosophers. In my research I looked to get a better understanding of some of Nietzsche's stances, including his claim in Marshall McLuhan's The Medium is the Massage that "God is dead". Unpacking this sweeping claim I came across many different positions and understandings of what exactly Nietzsche meant. Some wrote him off as a nihilist (rejection of all religious or moral principles, and the belief that life is meaningless), and while it was a concept Nietzsche entertained, it was ultimately wide of the mark. While Nietzsche undoubtedly had a distaste for the current state of religion, he did not have a belief that life was meaningless. In fact, he even orchestrated an ideology on how individuals can live a world with morals yet without a belief in the otherworldly. This concept is called an Ubermensch (closely translated: overman). I struggled to wrap my head around this idea entirely but I can say for certain that man who is an Ubermensch is a man that will "remain faithful to earth and don’t believe those who speak to you of otherworldy hopes." Ultimately Nietzsche's message and how it relates to McLuhan and Art is the belief that religion among other things is outdated and holds society down rather than pushing them forward