These shields come from a province of Indonesia, where they are meant to represent ancestors through the carvings. In the modern day, now that they are not as often called for in battle, they are placed near the doors of homes to protect from evil spirits. The idea of representing where your family comes from in the artwork struck me, and the shift from use in battle to the doorway is a nice way for the tradition to carry on.
My partner Daniel did a great job explaining the differences between motifs and themes in the poem “Everyman.” To begin the lesson, Daniel had to first define and articulate the difference between the literary terms motifs and themes. After giving Daniel only two examples of thematic statements he was able to provide these examples to our group when re-teaching the concepts. These examples provided further clarification to our group members and also demonstrated Daniel’s knowledge of the two literary devices. Daniel explained that having certain quotations from the text to draw the groups attention to allowed him to incorporate peers in discussion.
Overall I enjoyed this assignment, and I think it was a great way to see how we can adapt to subjects outside of our discipline.
Hands
Child’s hands and
Ancient hands, dark
Hands and light hands.
All curious hands paired with
Curious eyes and ears at these figures
Suspended from the dim lit ceiling. Eager
To explore and understand. Hitting hands and
Stroking hands exploring the timbre and resonance
Of hollow wooden carvings swaying gently in the currents
Created by the movement of passersby. We live to sing
In deep breathy voices and croaks of the lives we
Witness and the history we have seen. Our
Song is the song of the collection and
The song of witnesses to the
Diversity of the world.
The song, created,
Perpetuated
By hands
This piece stood out to me because of the title being “Fucking Creeps They’re Environmental Terrorists”. This piece was made in 2013 with acrylic on canvas. The title and time period suggest this piece is in response to corporations lobbying for more pipelines and extortion of resources available in the First Peoples’s lands. Also the pollution and general disregard for public health these people backed by corporations have. The snake tongues seems to make the statement that these people are sneaky and unable to be pinned down due to financial and business reasons.
-Calvin McCormack
The face tells the story of how hard work and team work allows great feats to happen. the carvings of the two masks stacked on one another with the top mask balancing a box figure upon its head. In relation to teaching sometimes i feel as if i am the bottom mask caring my students to success. Other times i feel like the box. being folded, shaped and carved with the relationships within a classroom.
Built as one gong of many in a family but with it’s own purpose. An incredible amount of uses for one single instrument. It has a simple ability to convey an infinite number of musical signals and messages depending on who is playing it and for what purpose. It is fascinating to find lists of what these slit gongs are used for. Everything between weddings to warnings of war. The decoration and carvings in the handles and the bottom of the gong make each and every one entirely different despite being used in tandem with other gongs of the same type. This unique aspect of each and every gong makes them something more special and meaningful than what we have in western instruments. Rarely in western music do people make their own instruments but there is something lost in that. Just looking at these gongs makes it clear they are made with care and expertise.
I was partnered with Ana Maria and she did a great job understanding the 2 different concepts I was trying to teach her, accents and dynamics. While she grasped these concepts with relative ease, I don’t think I conveyed their relationship directly to songs like I wanted to. If I could redo it, I would focus on practicing those concepts within a context rather than learning them separately and then moving them to a song.
Just a drop of water, not too much
Back and forth, each pass darkens the ink
The sweet smell wafts up
I am ready for the brush
A delicate mass of hair, tied to bamboo
Slowly, precisely, soaking up the blackness
Careful, we only get one chance
Brush meets paper, and the thick line begins
Stroke after stroke, the masterpiece is created
一期一会
“Ichigo Ichie”
One life, one meeting
Today is the only day we have
