As we end the first semester here at UBC, so far it has been a truly eye opening experience. I have had the pleasure to experience the Coordinated Arts Program which features certain course studies that all interconnect to the central idea of “Global Citizens”. Although we have been slowly delving into defining what this term means and how it is applicable to broader knowledge, I am still in the process of understanding “Global Citizenship”.

In our Art Studies course, we have been focused primarily on the genre of life narratives and more so, the global sense of these stories, and how “Global Citizenship” is applied to these stories. We have looked at autobiographies and articles which feature texts from all over. In particular, we have looked at Persepolis, What is the What, God Grew Tired of Us and life narratives in new media such as blogs and social networking sites.

Although we have not had a chance to really explore traditional autobiographies, we have been more focused on new mediums, it is very interesting to see the evolution of how life narratives are progressing, and in turn how scholars are advancing to keep up with the ever evolving nature of this genre. As I continued to write more blog posts, I have been noticing a trend of interest per say. I have been more intrigued with applying our state of knowledge with autobiographies but applying them to new forms of media. I looked at Facebook, PostSecret and UBC Confessions, Tattoo Culture and also the East Side Gallery. It is amazing to think that all of these very different subject matters share a commonality in which they tell a story, not just any story but someone’s story.

And as we move along the course of the year, I am becoming more aware of the ways in which how we use technology to document our lives. I touched upon this idea in my earlier post about Facebook and how it is becoming our own autobiography. However, Facebook is not the only source. I see how apps like Instagram, Vine, YouTube and Twitter all share the same utility to document our lives. I think back to my old baby photos and videos and how I was privileged enough to have access to so many memories. Then some of my other friends, their families could not afford a camera growing up, so there were seldom any photos of videos of them during their primary years. Yet we see how technology has advanced so far and how almost everyone has a camera on them, whether it be a digital camera, iPod or phone. I see family friends documenting key moments of their child’s life just on the click of a button, then the child’s picture is uploaded to Facebook and Instagram. And I cannot help but wonder, when this child is our age, how much access he will have to his old pictures and stories about him as a child.

It seems as though for our generation especially, that to take a picture, or post a status update is so natural to us. We may not even be consciously aware that we are constantly adding to our own life story with every upload. And when we look down at our phones and scroll through our Facebook Profile or Twitter account we, and our friends have an actual autobiography right at our fingertips. Although these life narratives may not be as eloquently presented as works like What is the What or Persepolis, we have to think that with the times maybe they style of autobiography is changing. Quite possibly that autobiography in itself is shifting from the premeditated and publicized works, to a colloquial everyday means of documentation, through our smartphones and social networking sites. I am starting to believe that today’s autobiography honestly captures the true essence of life narrative because there are no filters or edits, it is simply and purely sharing what we think and feel at this very moment in time.

Thank you UBC for a great first semester! Good luck on exams! And see you after the break

Inspired by my earlier post about tattoos and life narratives, I have been on an ‘artistic high’. So, last night I was rummaging through my old photos of my trip Europe trip this past summer. I came across some pictures I took of the East Side Gallery in Berlin and all of the incredible artwork that is shared on a piece living history. If you are not familiar with the history of the Berlin Wall (click here) for some context. Each section of the wall has a piece of art to commemorate and remember the hardships of Germany during its separation. Many of which are in the form of graffiti or paintings, they are all beautiful to look at. As I continued to delve into my album I began to notice certain trends and patterns within the artworks. They were all connected by paying tribute to Germany and more than that its people.

We have been exploring the idea of identity, remembering and trauma in the Art Studies class that I am taking at UBC. By looking through my photos of the East Side Gallery we can see how these artists in a way are preserving their German identity and marking history through their art work. The significance of having these works displayed publicly and openly on one of the most infamous pieces of architecture shows the process of healing through art.

Here are some of the photos I took:

We can see within these particular artworks as a means to illustrate and convey identity and trauma during the precarious times of Germany’s division. During this time, there were many individuals trying cross the border, especially those living in Soviet controlled East Berlin wanting to escape to West Berlin. Many people were killed attempting to cross, which inspired some of the artwork on what is left of the wall.

From the pictures that are displayed and the patterns I noticed within the artwork. Either through the form of quotes or illustrations of people, the artists convey the voices of those who perished trying to break away from the separation. We can see in the second photograph a flood of faces that are unidentifiable, yet… are meant to be represented for the victims affected by the wall. In photos 1, 3, & 4 the use of text can be seen as a way to narrate the thoughts and spirits of those who suffered through this tragic time. #1 pays tribute to those who died trying to escape but remain unknown and also those affected but remain voiceless, this artist is giving voice and identity to those individuals through his artwork. #2 shares the thoughts of why many artists chose to paint on this infamous wall as a means of healing the traumatic past. Finally, #3 has its text in both German and English, representing two identities coming together as one to show how individuals can defeat these hardships. These of course, are my analyses of the artworks, they are all open to interpretation.

The East Side Gallery is not only a wall full of artworks, but they are a collection of narratives that convey the life during and after WWII and the times of the Berlin Wall. Many artists used this form of art to convey a message, and to share the experience of living during those tragic times. Moreover, how they choose to publicly convey these messages through art and have them open to interpretation rather than published in official text. There is something very empowering with how these individuals choose to confront the tragedy by painting directly on the structure that confined them, and sharing their healing process for others to see.

This collection of art is not only to help narrate the times of the Berlin Wall but also to give identity to the fallen. Furthermore, the paintings on this wall is a way to remember, remember trauma and healing for both the individuals and the nation. By having this wall and artwork on display and freely open to the public sends a powerful message of how a nation together has overcome all battles.

If anyone is truly interested in looking more deeply into the artworks you can check out this link here: http://www.eastsidegallery-berlin.de/  or simply Google images “East Side Gallery”.

A few weeks ago, in one of my university courses we were researching and exploring the blog PostSecret. In short, PostSecret is an online community where people mail in personal secrets on a postcard to Frank Warren (the founder) and he uploads them onto the blog every Sunday. A few colleagues and I shared a presentation on our findings to our classmates about PostSecret.

You will find your answers in the secrets of strangers. – Frank Warren

Elaborating on that quote, our presentation highlighted the key idea that through PostSecret and the act of confession by sending in a postcard provides the individual and the audiences of PostSecret a sense of community. This online network encourages a safe environment for blog followers to discuss and share their reactions or thoughts on the secrets.

With this community and act of anonymous confession can relieve a sense of burden through this blog by having individuals share a connection with the secrets posted by relating to or empathizing with them. For me, and my immediate friends we can relate to these secrets given our shared circumstances:

I chose these secrets to share because of how relative they are to us (us as in my readership, my fellow university students). It is through reading these secrets we can feel a connection to the anonymous writer and to the others who share similar outlooks.

We can see how these acts of anonymous confession in a public realm can bring people together. On a more local scale, the school I attend – University of British Columbia – has also established their own confessional site “UBC Confessions” which offers a similar service to PostSecret but created through Facebook. UBC Confessions allows students to anonymously email in their secrets, and the Facebook page administration monitors and posts the secrets to the public page.

Although many of the confessions can be humorous or vulgar, we must recognize that a lot of the posts are intended for a university audience of young adults. However, there are some posts that are relevant to us…

“All my life people have called me smart because I get good grades. However, being academically successful is all that I am because I have absolutely no practical or social skills. I base my self-worth on my ability to get high marks and If I didn’t have them to validate my intelligence I’d probably have a nervous breakdown.”

• “Dear fellow arts students,

• As a student of philosophy, I find that the highest grades that I receive are, naturally, in philosophy. This generally ranges from A- to A+ although the latter are more rare. As this is anonymous, and thus doesn’t reflect back on me, I don’t intend to boast. So, enough background information and let’s move on to why I’m really making this post…”

• “Does anyone actually have their sh*t together because I am so lost.”

A lot of the time, when confessions like these are posted, I know for myself that I can relate. Since I can relate to these specific secrets, I feel that I am not alone with how I feel, and that there are many others who feel the same. As mentioned earlier, this is how “community” is established.

Within our own district of UBC, we have established our own confessional page for students just like us to share our secrets and find our answers. What is significant about this specific Facebook page is how it is catered to us, UBC students. We all have a shared commonality that we are students of the same institution, but more importantly sometimes we can relate to the confessions being posted. Unlike PostSecret where it is a blog open to the entire public, UBC confession limits its readership to the UBC population. This smaller setting secures the sense of our local community because we are posting and sharing amongst our own people. It is through this act of anonymous confession and this sense of community that can relieve some of the stress we burden.

In the recent weeks, I have been looking into getting another tattoo, another art piece to add to the collection. This topic may seem to stray from the world of academia, well at least in comparison to what we are studying in university. Although, in my Arts Studies course, we are encouraged to look for patterns and trends between literary works and explore the significance behind our findings particularly in the genre of autobiographies. Since getting my first tattoo, I have always been intrigued by tattoo culture and now I’m looking into connecting this subject matter with the study of autobiographies, sparking the idea of this blog post.

Before committing myself to getting inked I always ask myself…

“Why do I want tattoo? And Why do I want another one?”

Here are two main reasons:

1)      My decision to get a tattoo is usually in response to a recent life event

2)      The act of getting a tattoo is a way of remembering

These motives are very common amongst many tattooed individuals. In an article from the University of Denver “Newsroom” they confirm this knowledge by stating:

Why do so many get tattoos? The answers are as varied as the individuals who have them. Many tattoos express feelings toward family members; others document significant life events. One woman in the Schwartz photography exhibit said she had the image of her mother tattooed on her back so that she would be with her forever. 

In my case I got my first tattoo when I became of legal age, a way to commemorate my coming of age and transitioning from a child to an adult. My tattoo is a small reminder of that experience and a way to record my memories. Like many others who want a tangible means to “document” their memories, they look to the form of tattooing as a tangible and easily attainable method of remembering. As we have studied, other individuals remember through writings and autobiographies such as Mariane Satrapi’s Persepolis and how she actively remembers through creating a graphic narrative (comic) on her life experiences. Since not everyone is able to have a publication of their life, some may look to tattooing as a cultural form of memory preservation. Moreover, how tattoos can be an expression of one’s life stories, events or other personal attributes.

As seen in this video here, a mother explains the reasoning behind her tattoos and how she chose to share her life experience.

My Tattoos Document My Life

In our studies we have also looked into the concept of “Private vs. Public” and the lines crossed between sharing private thoughts in a public manner. Though an individual’s tattoos are not distributed or commodified for global readership like blogs and non-fiction texts, they are in a way publicized. By choosing to get a tattoo, it is exposed on your skin which in a micro sense (small-scale level) a way to publicly display the artwork. When tattoos are noticeably visible, they may spark questioning and interest. What does your tattoo mean? Why is the story behind it? Now, through the questioning one may choose to share what their tattoo means. As I mentioned earlier before, many tattoos are done for personal and intimate reasoning. Therefore, by getting the tattoo in the first place illustrates the “private” aspect of this form of remembering, and by having it exposed on our skin satisfies the “public” concept. Moreover, my connections between the two are generally limited on the micro-scale (or immediate surroundings) unless we start talking about tattoo reality TV shows – but that discussion can be saved for a later date. Therefore by exposing our tattoos we openly share the artwork allowing others to see it, and to see our stories.

Through these trends between storytelling and art, more specifically tattoo art, we can see the correlations between tattoo culture and life narratives. I must reiterate that these findings are not a formal generalization, but rather ideas derived from my own personal findings and observations. By analyzing the patterns behind the “why” people choose to get tattooed it can be compared to the “why” life narratives come to be created and shared.

No matter how big or small a tattoo may be, significant or impulsive… a tattoo is a permanent way of remembering, and I hope to continue to add to my collection throughout the course of my life and share my stories.