This picture reminds me of when one of my cats was a kitten. She had been left in a box with 3 siblings on the doorstep of a veterinarian’s office. A friend of a friend worked in this office and somehow we ended up going to see these kittens on a very busy Saturday afternoon. We sat in the corner of the lobby and played with the kittens until my kids convinced me that the sleepy one should join our family. “He will be super cuddly, Mom!” Then the office staff sent us on our way. We had a cat, but no paperwork and no instructions. We never even saw the friend. I am not even sure anyone knew who we were. It was weird.
Despite what the vet told us, he was actually a she. And she was way younger than the vet said. She could not tolerate any solid food so we had lots of tiny accidents until we figured it out.
I think the audio of the kitten meowing enhances the picture. Monkey is a very quiet cat now, but when she was too young to take care of her basic needs, she made a lot of these sounds.
This class has already resulted in stirrings in my brain of all the old assignments and ideas that I worked on back in my art school and undergraduate days. In particular I’ve found myself returning to my old Web Design class where we were tasked with making websites through all kinds of methods. Basic HTML, Wix, and, perhaps the most infamous for how weird it was, Dreamweaver. The old Adobe webdesign standby. The assignment was rough since we all kept running into so many weird errors that it made focusing on the actual difficult by extension.
We were given free reign for that assignment, we could pick any topic of our choice to be the filler of the assignment. In my case? I decided to do it on Japanese fashion. Namely the fashion that had come to be synonymous with Harajuku, the place of fashion referenced in Gwen Stefani songs and hailed by some as a fashion mecca in it’s own right with Paris and New York. Which is impressive since it’s only a section of Tokyo versus the full cities of the aforementioned.
I’ve always had a love for Japanese fashion, maybe due to my early interest in manga and anime. I have memories of seeing some girls in these stories dressed up in incredibly distinctive and fancy outfits. Whether I wanted the clothing for myself or not, I found myself looking with rapt interest at the wide variety of styles that seemed to run the gamut from edgy and dark… bright and colorful… to elegant and opulent. So when the chance came for me to pick a topic, I wound up drawing on my love for the fashion seen in these street images.
It was fun to learn more about these fashions, from the idea behind why the fashion became popular, who wore the fashion now, and seeing how it grew and evolved to what it was then.
Harajuku fashion has changed a good bit since then, to an extent that some have even declared that the particular spirit of this fashion is “dead”. That said some it’s not “dead” so much as evolving. Which is something I can relate to, in a world which frequently declares that libraries are “dead” when it’s only changing. An odd tie into my life today… But an apt one since I still find myself eagerly browsing the twitter of various Japanese fashion icons and fashion brands to see what they will bring to the world of fashion next.
What in the world? So many questions so many thoughts. Unshakeable; Unbreakable..bending round. flat. turmoil. war. UNITY. America
I chose the picture of the flag because my first thought is wow beautiful, Freedom. Then my thoughts quickly change into all the hurt and the pain that the beautiful creation causes.Everything about the U.S. , the freedom, the diversity, the wealth, everything intrigues me. Why can’t we all just get along? Would that be too easy? Would that create too much power? So many questions! Are we really unshakeable? Solid? In all honesty is freedom really free? Lets stop and ponder the “American Dream”.
I chose the audio called Epic because it reminds me war almost like getting ready for a battle. It also reminds me of how such a beautiful creation can turn mysterious and violent in an instant. Peace, Unity, and Love to all!
Working on this project for the week sparked what this week will look and sound like for me. My boyfriend is Russian and was born and raised in Sunny Isles. My boyfriend’s cousin is getting married, and we are traveling to Sunny Isles, Florida, this weekend.
Sunny Isles is also known as “Little Moscow,” with 7% percent of the population identifying as Russian as their first language. I never knew this before dating him and was so fascinated by the culture and language the more we visited his hometown. If you ever visit Sunny isles, many Russian groceries, restaurants, and stores are available. I love walking along the beach in Sunny Isles and hearing and seeing the culture. I also love hearing and learning the Russian Language; while it is difficult to learn, I know a few words/phrases in the language. This image, “Sunny Isles Beach – 1” is by Leandro’s World Tour and licensed under CC BY 2.0. This image brings peace and happiness as we get to travel to see his family and celebrate a new union. One of my favorite things to do is walk with his family along the beach, relax, and spend time with one another.
In locating audio, I wanted to find audio in the Russian Language and came across this perfect audio of a conversation in Russian at a wedding. While the wedding is mixed, I anticipated many languages spoken, especially the joyous conversations and laughter from the wedding from his family side in Russian. The audio enhances the image for me as this weekend is a beautiful weekend in creating new memories and a beautiful union between the couple. The audio is titled: wedding_guests.flac by Zabuhailo and is licensed under the Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0). I can’t wait for this weekend!
Shown alone, this photo will illicit feelings of chaos.
Loud noises, feet moving across the hard floor, screaming babies, intercom announcements.
The long exposure in the bottom of the frame shows the movement of the people in the station. We can imagine them moving swiftly around each other, with a sort of organized chaos (hence the post title, “murmuration“.
Dominus Dixit Ad Me by Admiral Bob (c) copyright 2021 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. License: CC Mixter &CC License Attribution Legal Code
But play the audio along with the image, your sense get slowed and you can see that there is a grace and smoothness to this image that gets shown only when you play the audio.
It’s comparable to murmuration in the idea that when we are inside of something (i.e. a mass of moving bodies) it feel hectic and disorderly, but when we are able to step back and view something from the outside we can finally see the order and the structure to the movements.
Before you listen to the music in this post, pause and look at the photo. What do yellow roses and tulips make you think of? What feelings and memories rise up? I have always loved tulips and roses. And yellow flowers give me a sense of warmth and joy, like sunlight. When I first saw this photo, I felt uplifted. I thought maybe someone received this bright bouquet for a birthday or anniversary.
Now, add the audio as you look at the photo. “Sad Trio” adds a somber, reflective mood, and offers a different context for the photo. For me, the music changes the meaning of the photo from warm and happy to mournful or melancholic. Traditionally, yellow roses are given in sympathy. I don’t know why, but maybe it is to brighten the spirits. For some people they might bring to mind sad memories or thoughts of someone they have lost. In this context, I wonder what you would see if the photo was pulled back. Maybe a scene from a celebration of life gathering?
Do you sometimes feel like you have no idea what’s happening in your life even though everything is going well? This is something I’ve been feeling a lot lately. I’m not upset about it because I know I am going through a stage of growth that will be beneficial to my future. However, sometimes I do wish I had more clarity.
The image “A plant growing up in the moss” by Z Carlos is the perfect example of this feeling. The plant is alone by itself yet it is still constantly growing into something more beautiful. I decided to find a song that I think a plant would like to listen to during its growth and “Life Theme” by XHALE303 seemed to be the perfect example. The piano is soothing and the different tempos of the notes reminded me of the different paces that we go through in this journey called life.
Even though you may not know exactly what’s happening in your life right now always take time to live in the moment and enjoy it.
When I was looking for images I knew I wanted something that would represent something serene and for the music it also needed to have a calming effect. My daily life is very chaotic between work , school and raising children so I wanted a little peace and quiet and I think between the image and the audio clip I achieved that.
“Cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” by Nick Kenrick.. is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0“Autumn leaves and pipers feat. wnm” by Wired Ant 2011 – Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)
Fall is my most favorite time of the year. Who doesn’t enjoy observing the leaves from the tress and plants changing into multi-colored works of art before finally falling away? It is the coziest season of all. The sun is still bright and warm around midday but mornings and evenings are chilly with less frequent rains. Since Florida doesn’t have much Fall foliage displays I travel north during this time to enjoy the colors mainly because I love to take photographs of nature. The beautiful, and vibrant colors are visual treat and can be gazed at all through the day.
It is the coziest season of all. The sun is still bright and warm around midday but mornings and evenings are chilly with less frequent rains. It is the “cooling off” month right between the blazing summer and chilling winter. Autumn is season of holidays to spend time with family before rolling into winter and Christmas. It is the season to be thankful and to be surrounded by the people you love.
I chose the write my post about Autumn because the weather currently is very cold for Floridians and I was wondering how much I miss the other seasons especially ‘Fall’. I found the autumn leaves picture and the audio appropriate to the mood and content of my post and hence used it.
As a symbol of strength and growth, I chose the image of a gladiolus flower in bloom. However, when I first started this assignment, I was looking for photos of people hugging for the last time because I felt like it was a bittersweet moment. In most cases, when you embrace someone, it is either to say goodbye or welcome them back.
Over the past few months, I have had to leave the people I love behind. This includes family and friends. It was difficult to say goodbye to them while moving to the US for school. I miss being around them, and I miss being able to hug them and feel their presence. The same goes for my dogs. I wrote about my recent move to Tallahassee, Florida in my last class blog post. So, getting settled in a new environment on my own has been difficult.
During my first week here, I would cry and reminisce about how much I missed home. And, in the process of adjusting to life here, I’ve learned that this is a chance to rediscover myself. Things won’t always go my way but in those moments, I remember that I am strong, brave, and courageous. I am like a gladiolus in bloom. and I can’t wait to see how my life unfolds from here.
I would like to add that the Gladiolus undulatus photograph by dogtooth77 is so captivating. Every petal on this flower tells its own story of beauty and strength. I thought it would be perfect to pair the soothing and ambient elements in the song Shimmer by Airtone with the picture. At first, it is not easy to tell where the song is going, but as it progresses, it just creates an immersive experience. This is something I hope you will experience as well!
