weekly response 7 and 8

Most squares contain images to represent the pieces of information given to us. All expect for mine, due to the fact that the images given to the class when it was my turn, somehow provoked words to best describe them instead. All of the squares contain multiple images or words, except for one, where only one image appears. There does not seem to be a trend amongst all four squares, its interesting to note that I can only remember what was asked in one of the squares, the one where medications and assorted pills are drawn. All contributions are different and show how different people think, or how they would choose to best represent the information/words given to us.
It is very hard to put the various squares together to form anything other then four individual spaces holding different representations within them. They could each serve as clues to a mystery, seeing as how they don’t directly bring the original terms or images to head, but if given time and maybe the context of the information, one could see how the original images and how we as the students interpreted them correspond with each other. It may seem more apparent then.
When connecting this assignment to the main themes that Lasn discusses, its easy to see that production and consumption do somewhat influence the representations that formulate in our heads when we are asked to choose a way to depict the various words or images that were given to us. I would say that about half of the representations that were used are influences by what we associate them with, using what we see around us in our every day lives. Some of the images although hard to recognize when standing alone, are surely influenced by something that has occurred, or something that is visually recognizable to the individual responsible for the representation. I believe that this would be the outcome of such an experiment seeing as how associations are made between objects and somehow resonate in our minds to correspond with other objects or ideas, even if we don’t intend for them to do so.
It is fun to see how different people respond to such information, some is taken more literally, the medication for example, very recognizable pills and pill containers, maybe even a doctor appear. Explanation marks, seem to represent some type of excitement, whereas other images and words don’t clearly spell out the original image. The words however do seem to spark certain visual cues, “long” would appear to mean some type of long line would have been the original image, or “flower” representing a more organic flowery shape.
I think it would be interesting to go back, and claim who was responsible for each square on our papers, and discuss the images that came to mind and why we used what we did in order to best represent the information given to us.

Meghan Kelly's Automatist Excercise

In the first square, when shapes were drawn, they are quite representational. There is an image that resembles a clock, a keyboards, a bowling pin, and the others are more abstract, perhaps a wave in water, what resembles fireworks or a beard, and a square/diamond which because of the location to another image reminds me of a kite.

The second square when the first memory of pain is very short but descriptive. It simply says “Doctor’s Office, Needle, Arm, Pain.” Which everyone has experienced.

The third square with the drawings of medicine was very similar to the things I drew. There is a spoon with liquid, and a few bottles.

The fourth square is writing things that came to us when images were drawn. The words are: horse shoe, torch, cord, target, and flower.

Because the second square is on top of the list of words, it seems as if those two squares go together. The same goes for the second and third square, because it talks about doctor’s office and there is medicine in the other square. It can also be the other way around, with the first two squares and last two squares going along with each other. Possibly the images were describing what the person tried to think about while in the doctor’s office to avoid thinking about the pain. With the last two squares maybe the flavor or shape of the medicine made someone think about those words.

Because we all did this was done in squares, I feel as if it is like a comic, a very abstract comic, but a comic nonetheless. Even though some things are drawn and other things are written, it still fits together. It seems like a very abstract story of someone’s life. All four can relate to each other, and because of this it is quite interesting. Even though they are in different handwritings, some in pencil, some in pen, they fit together.

I think that there is an influence of consumerism on the responses gathered. The first square has drawings that very much represent material things, third has images that we all connect with medicine, and the fourth are things that are also material goods. The second square is more abstract with its connection to consumerism, or influence of it, but it is still there, because whatever was in that needle was advertised to cure or prevent illness. Because all of the responses can be linked to consumerism, it makes me wonder if it is at all possible to associate things with connecting them to our consumer habits. There was a word said that made someone draw a bowling pin, how was that connection made? There was a shape drawn that made someone think of a cord and a horse shoe, but why? I think because we have things coming at us from all directions of life that influence us to consume, we have images in our minds connected to things that may not make logical sense. Advertising leads us to subconsciously connect things that we would not necessarily associate with something.

But the thing that is interesting to me about this exercise was that aside form the medicine square, my responses were quite different. The fact that someone thought of associating certain pictures and words to things that I would have never thought of made me think. I notice that certain items are advertised more to certain people, possibly the other people grew up in an area far from where I lived. Everyone experiences different things in life, even though we also experience the same advertisements. Maybe certain associations are drawn out of experiences a person has had rather than what has been advertised to them.

World Changing Response # 7 - Educating Girls

If girls are allowed to go to school from a young age, she will be more likely to have knowledge of contraception, have fewer children, hold a better job, and perhaps start her own business. She would know about her civil and human rights, have more self confidence to stand up to potential sexual abusers, and when she does have children will know how to better take care of them. Knowing what needs to be done is easy, actually doing it is being taken in greater strides. Gender disparity in primary and secondary schools still largely exists due to government and patriarchal structures. It may require the unveiling of child labor practices or changing a culture so a wife is no longer viewed as property. A number of religious fundamentals also try to restrict women’s freedom.
The World Food Program gets girls into classrooms and also provides one meal a day. However, when food is scarce women and girls are often shortcut while the source of income, men and boys, are better fed. Girls are typically slighted in protein, which contributes to brain development. School feeding programs enhance student performance, reduce absenteeism, encourage parents to enroll their children for longer periods, and has reduced drop out rates. However, girls’ labor is an important source of income and contribution to the family and teachers often engrain in students that boys are superior. In this aspect, getting the community and parents involved is gravely important. In India, the Uttar Pradesh school gets women to walk girls to school, organize parent-teacher functions, encourages the parents of children not yet enrolled, and leading support groups to expose the importance of a girls’ education which would end the cycle of female illiteracy and impoverishment (Steffen 316-321).

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User’s Guide For The 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2008.

World Changing Response # 6 - Refugees (Steffen 203-210)

A refugee, a person forced to leave their home in order to flee from violence or disaster, can be caused by many reasons There is a growing amount of “environmental refugees,” people who are forced to leave due to environmental degradation. Human activity of deforestation, soil erosion, and overpopulation has been changing the climate. The climate changes cause drought, floods, rising seas, and worsening storms affecting those living in their crop or coastal areas.
There are also “internal refugees” due to natural disasters of socio-political conflict. The United Nations outlined the human rights of refugees in the 1951 Refugee Convention: those fleeing violence have the right to asylum and protection in other countries until the person feels safe enough to go back. However, the treaty does not include “economical” refugees even if poverty is life threatening

While stopping the conflicts that cause refugees is important, treating and rehabilitating the current refugees is also vital. Aid workers, United Nation’s blue hats, and Doctors with out Borders work to bring people back in touch with their lives. Inventing better refugee camps that deal with issues of overcrowding, hygiene, adequate shelter, clothes, food, and supplies is in dire need. Products like LifeStraw filter bacteria which cause diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera are a step in the right direction. Plumpy’nut was developed to help fight malnutrition, it can be eaten right from the package with out mixing with clean water like the previously used milk powder (Steffen 203-210).

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User’s Guide For The 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2008.

World Changing Response # 5 - Travel and Tourism

One of the worlds largest industries is tourism, which creates 9% of all the world’s jobs. A large portion of the population counts on tourism revenue for their survival. However, a majority of the money spend towards a trip rarely reaches the country. Many travelers seek for all-inclusive deals where the money usually goes to multinational chains. Local alternatives may be cheaper and more beneficial to the host community since product transportation costs are reduced. Traveling has become about efficiently getting from point A to B but traveling as a learning journey has not lost its flame. Traveling with this mentality elicits a deeper understanding of the impact of our actions. Programs like Mbonise (Zulu for “to show someone”) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa offer visitors an accurate insight into the rural Zulu community instead of a rural community pit stop transformed into a gift shop. One of Mbonise’s mission is to have travelers feel like a member of the community and uses home stays. “VolunTourism” is also on the rise where tourists work with local villagers to create a future tourist lodge. The revenue from the building will fund various community needs like schools and clinics. Programs like this act as a modern mode of philanthropy where making contributions to the advancement of a society involve hands on experience and a direct education (Steffen 363-367).

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User’s Guide For The 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2008.

World Changing Response # 4 - Land Mines

Land mines cost about $3 to make and are still scattered through many war zones around the world. While 1,500 people are killed or maimed by land mines monthly an estimated 45 million still remain actively undiscovered. Despite damage to the body, land mines also damage the development of communities because they are placed where people are most likely to walk. Farmland is left unplowed that could feed hungry people and roads/trails don’t link villages for fear of accidental detonation. Many mines are made with plastic which makes detection even harder. The most common way for removing land mines now is through trained animals and experts crawling on their bellies with large poles.

Innovative responses are emerging such as MineWolf; Heinz Rath, a retired German engineer designed a modified tractor paralleling the process of extracting sugar beats from the soil. It is the first landmine-clearing device with humanitarian instincts – transforming minefields into crop fields. MineWolf which explodes the bombs is still dangerous as it releases chemicals into the air and soil. The Dragon was engineered to burn out the mines with a torch instead of detonating them. The Dragon is low cost, easy to use, and safer for the environment and people though it does not till the land for farming.

In a very different approach, Danish scientists are using nature to detect land mines. When the explosives in the mines gradually decay they release nitrogen dioxide into the soil. A genetically modified flower changes color when its roots come into contact with NO2. The movement of “adopting-a-minefield” is also on the rise with wealthy patrons who fund the 2 month clearing of minefields for the civilians who desperately need it. Smaller pools of money and donations to the same organization go toward the survivors in the form of treatment, loans, counseling, and job training (Steffen 218-220).

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User’s Guide For The 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2008.

World Changing Response # 3 - Rethinking Refugee Reconstruction

Refugees usually end up living wherever they can for several years until permanent housing can be established or until they can return to their homes. Providing temporary housing and schools for refugees is often cast aside in the news stories. Poor sanitation and lack of infrastructure lead to waterborne illnesses and deforestation of the surrounding land to improve the tents. Many aid agencies are reluctant to fund temporary or even permanent shelter during the crises.

A movement towards sustainable and practical housing based on the needs of the refugees requires the community’s involvement not an imposing outside force. Research has found that getting schools back up and running after a disaster is hugely beneficial. Schools provide a sense of routine, regularity, and safety that can divert children’s focus from the crisis. The involvement of parents and the rest of the community in building the schools also alleviates their focus and can turn shock into action. Technology has also become a huge tool in the healing process. Video cameras are used to document stories as well as open-source textbooks for further translations. Radios for spreading information, organizing community resources, and can be a means of spreading stories when all other forms of communication fail. The Freeplay is a crank powered solar radio used as a teaching device that broadcasts educational and public health programs. Fuel-efficient stoves are in use in Darfur to protect the health and safety of mothers to also reduce the amount of fuel needed to feed their families (Steffen 221-223).

Steffen, Alex. World Changing: A User’s Guide For The 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2008.