Nadja Response

For me Nadja is another one of those readings where I find myself going back to read passages a second or third time so I can fully understand them. But sometimes I would still be up in the air on the true meaning. I find that to be an interesting part of this book because different people can get different meanings from it. I found it to be very spiritual and original in the way he expresses his thoughts and really is encouraging the reader to get on the same page as him. I also found the pictures to be very interesting with how frequent they were. I enjoyed hearing him talk about the meaning behind these things and the importance of them for him because they tended to be much deeper then just a photograph.

Passage a l'acte

This short film really suprised me in more ways then one, I kept on thinking it was going to be "regular" and as time went on I realized that was the whole point. I thought it was very interesting and I started to actually appreciate it after a short time. It seemed to me like it was meant for you to realize every last detail of what was going on at that time while it s-l-o-w-l-y told the story. It related to the everyday life because it let you appreciate every moment and every aspect of what was going on. The remixing and scratching of the film was what made it so different and it really reminded me of music because often times the djs find a part in a song that is especially meaningful and use scratching to play it over and over so you understand their point. I feel it was useful because often times you see films and wish you could have watched that scene over and here you get plenty of chances to do so. I felt the camera work with the brother and sister going back and forth was a significant point because it was really something you could relate to. My favorite part is when it slows down and everyone seems to be still when the boy is walking to the chair as if he is in trouble and then as he goes to sit it starts back up again and he is going up and down.

Don't think ... just write...

Nice cars. To me they look like those old school gangster cars from way back with the tire on the side that always gives me a kick. I am sure these people are stoked they are going to get to drive these things or whatever there doing with them. There seems to be a handful of people lined up there ready to do something. Maybe there going to put a hit out on somebody. But really I wonder if these are just randomly here or if they are being used for something specifically. Also what are they loading in the back? They must be used for some sort of delivery service. It also makes me think how far we took this production of the car and where it is now in 2008. It is really unreal what they have done now from these to hybrids. All the different manufacturers whose business it is to build cars and sell them all over the world. But the thing that is cool about it is the old cars are really still popular and known as antiques. The appreciation for the old school cars is still here and I think that’s cool. I went to a car auction this past summer in Idaho and really noticed it there with the majority of the cars being more vintage. It really seemed that these were the cars that were getting more appreciation then the newer. I think the thing for the car collectors is to find something rare and really fix it up to make it look brand new. But for me I have always liked older cars more it seems as if they were just more original and interesting then the new. Plus the new are so much more expensive and it seems as if they all really look alike in a way. Take these cars for example they are very distinguished and you can tell they are originals. I would love to own one of these.


Wow this kid must be freaking out he looks really interested but at the same time looks like he is ready to just start running at any moment. What is around his ears? I think he has headphones on but maybe he is on a field trip of some sort and got seperated now finds himself face to face with a t-rex. I am unsure if this is a t-rex but it looks like one. Dinosaurs have always interested me and makes you think what even came before they did. Evolution then comes to mind and helps you realize the cycle of life where things evolve. It is very interesting because how far back does the earth really go and what kind of creatures have there been that we don’t even know about. I have been to museums where I have seen such things as this but it was long ago probably around this kids age. The t-rex looks mean and if he were alive who knows what he would do. But who are we to judge he could have been a kind creature who had to defend himself and just hunt his own food just as humans do. All the different dinosaurs from the past are interesting and I feel it would have been a crazy time to be alive. Also I’m sure this is in a museum somewhere but the surroundings look like a classroom with the chalk boards in the back. Also I am unsure if that is his tail running along side of him or a creature he caught.


I see birds and am unsure if they are fake or real. There is an abstract sense of this picture because of the different views we have as well as the different things throughout the picture. I chose this one because it just caught my eye as something different from the rest it just stood out to me. I see the hand coming into the photo thinking to myself is this the painter who drew this or is it a man trying to save birds with his tweezers. I think these are pigeons but am unsure now that I see more I think they are all different types of birds. I am unsure what is on the surface of where they are with many different utensils and things, I see a candle which is not lit probally for the birds sake. These birds are all different as I said before but now it is becoming more clear to me I see all the different shapes and sizes of them. I am now thinking they are play birds and this is the man who creates them and works on them, they really look real with their different actions and poses. The odd thing I see is that none of them are flying and when you think of birds you think of flight but here they are all close to ground maybe because they are fake haha. What are those pins in the bird where the man is hitting it with the tweezers. The patterns the birds posess are very intriguing. What a job I bet this is. I seem to enjoy the pieces of art where they are different and somewhat abstract things that make you think and have some meaning whether it is uncertain and people have different takes on it or if they tell a piece of history. Now with looking more I see that each bird is lifted and posted up on something sitting.

Sean's "Raw" Footage

Un Chien Andalou

I found this film to be very interesting and different from most films that I see. I have been more interested in short films lately although they are hard to find and not very popular I feel it is a good way of expression if you don't have the financing or the material to make a longer film. The part of this film that caught my "eye" both times I watched it was the man at the beginning sharpening his blade looking as if he is prepearing for something and as they show him getting ready to use his blade we see the sliver of a cloud go a cross the moon followed by the blade going across the womans eye. This was very abstract to me and was unsure the meaning of it especially with it being at the very beginning of the film. Although it was somewhat of a gross scene I found it to be very intriguing and original in its own way. With this film being silent I feel the music is very important and the music in this film was used well and had suspense built into it which I felt this film needed with very random off the wall things happening throughout the film.

Game Blog

The game I chose to blog about and play was chess. Although I am not very good at chess I like to play it and find it to be very challenging for the mind. I find chess to structure time in different ways because I have been in games where I play for 15 minutes and others that take up to an hour. For me chess is a game of concentration and strategy where one mishap can cost you your King. I feel chess especially reflects to "everyday life" because the concentration it takes and if you are not involved and in your "being" then moments will pass you by and what else do we have besides this moment? The game also shows the importance of every being on earth because even though the King is the most "powerful" piece on the board your pons and other pieces are just as meaningful because without them there would be no King. As in everyday life just because someone may be more powerful then another whether it be through money or other ways it doesn't make them more important in the big picture. I feel games tell us a lot about everyday life because many games are a part of life and bring different cultures and different kinds of people together. They also express life and can be used as a tool to something more important or be a stepping stone to which many things may come. The game chess expresses my everyday life because I try to seize the moment when possible and often find myself either wasting time or just letting it pass by but when I do seize it and take advantage of the moment I tend to feel myself appreciating the little things and moving in a better direction as the chess pieces do when used wisely.

Sundays

Man I love Sundays but at the same time they can be stressful. Although Sunday is a day of reflection and relaxation with watching football and eating junk food they can be disrupted by such things as homework. Too bad for me I made the mistake of leaving a five page paper to the last second so I am now stressing and educating myself about Ancient Roman and Greek history. So it is now a stressful Sunday which I am not enjoying like I should be. But for the most part it is alright, my fantasy football teams are maintaining but there is still a long way to go. On a more sad note the Seahawks aren't looking too good and hopefully they can make a late game surge. I hope everyones weekend went well and they are having a relaxed Sunday.

Sean's Slide Show "A Day in the Life"

Response to Everyday Life

I found the reading very interesting and different from most things I have read. Even though I had trouble with some of the words I felt I did understand some parts clearer than others. But I also felt that to fully understand our reading you would have to go over it and maybe read it twice, because of the complexity of it.



The passage I chose to respond to was in the Introduction on page 20:



The final section 'Documentary Style and Ethnography' focuses on the idea of 'getting inside' the everyday and the methods that artists have adopted to register the quotidian from a position of being plonge dans (plunged into) dailyness and triviality, of key interest here is the way that various artists appropriate and transform the conventions of documentary filmmaking and photography and the protocols of ethnography as they search for a way to find a form of practice that stays immersed in the everyday (page 20).



I feel I understand this passage and the way it is expressed. The part that caught me was where he refered to the artists such as documentary filmmakers and photographers, this helped me get a deeper reality of the everyday life. From the artist concept I was given a visual understanding of the everyday life. From my understanding and thoughts the everyday life is in this momement right now and in every momement, it means being present in your life everyday and appreciating things around you. These artists practice their everyday life in a unique way with their form of expression through their film and photography. Being present in life and accepting every little thing is the everyday life. To be an artist of some sort I feel it is essential to be in the everyday life because often your work is based around it.