Wednesday 2 March 2016

metaphysics

The branch of philosophy that deals with the first principle of things, abstract concepts such as being knowing, identity time and space.

they would regard the question of the initial conditions for the universe as belonging to the realm of metaphysics or religion.

reflective practice being human 2/3/16

The theme i seem to be taking an interest to is human curiosity, fear and change.

Practically i like the idea of body deformation. how we put so much effort and time in trying to better ourselves this involves a lot of change wether is with looks or education, we are all learning new ways to experiment on ourselves emotionally, socially, physically and intellectually this is what makes us human

Food, people, technologies and environments carry signs of real or imagined threat that causes us anxiety. Fears of pollution or contagion have acquired widespread currency and the new bogey-man are paedophiles and terrorists. Fear pervades every aspect of life and defines how people relate and interpret the world around them.

Tracey Moffatt
- Deformed
- we adjust our bodies and our life decisions reflected from the environment and people around us to "fit in"

Tony Oursler
- collage
- face deformation

Gerhard Richter
- paintings
-smuged
- patterns
- photography
- reflect emotional damage

Practical ideas
photography
collage
painting
body deformation

Next look into....
changes we make
cosmetic surgery

Douglas Gordon

Douglas Gordon is showcased in what have i done at the Hayward Gallery, his first major solo show in London. Gordon's work, which encompasses film, photography, installation, text and sound, explores themes such as temptation and fear, life and death, good and evil, and innocence and guilt, sucking the viewer into a world simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar.

Christian Baltanski

He is a self taught sculptor and photographer. He is best known for his elaborate installations of found objects. He's also known for his short films and notebook publication. Later her began using clay, sugar, and gauze to create objects for his series attempt at reconstitution of objects that belonged to him between 1948-1954. His whole body of work has dealt with notion of death and the ephemeral as experienced.

Its a jumble out there


The roaring sonorous boom of white noise separates into deep, regular thuds, and above it the croak of frogs or the alarm calls of unseen jungle birds. There are disco squelches and native drums. These sounds are all human heartbeats. Visitors can make their own contribution by having their heart rhythms recorded by white coated technicians in booths off the main space. Christian Baltanski collected over 15,000 individual recordings. One day these beating hearts will all belong to the dead. One might also imagine that the visitors who make it to the island in the future have yet to be born.
 He deals in traces rather than ghosts, with shadows and lists, ­photographs of the dead and piles of old clothes. His art, ultimately, is a ­memorial to nothing, to everyone and no one.






symbols and representation

Symbols exist differently they are members of the minds library of symbolic meaning.

Images are viewed while symbols are read.

A category of thought not an image anymore.

Spectacular bodies The art and science of the human body

Anatomical drawings

Leonardo de Vinci, Michaelangeo, Durer and stubbs a group from the 17th + 18th century portraits of dutch surgeons artwork

masterpieces by Rembrandt, gerleault, courbet, Degas and frith

photography, sculpture, video, and installations

contemporary artists

Christine Borland
Tony Oursler
Mark Quinn
Bill Viola

They provide new perspectives on the subject issues raised by historical material, the contemporary works provide alternative ways of the thinking about our relation with science and medicine

A testement to human curiosity interweave 5 centuries of history, science and art.

Models waxworks drawing

gets under your skin


Fear and art

Joseph Beuys
Christian Baltanski
Louise Bourgeois
Nan Goldin
Douglas Gordon
Antony Gormley
Mike Kelley
Annette Messager
Tracey Maffatt
Tony Oursler
Carnelia Parker
Gerhard Richter
Gregor Schneider
Rachel Whiteread

Human curiosity- further development from research

Why are we so curious?

Tom Stafford

We have a curious nature, and often is about the minor tittle-tattle in our lives. Our curiosity has us doing unproductive things like reading news about people we will never meet. learning topics we will never have use for. or exploring places we will never come back to, we just love to know answers to things.

Wisdom commons

wisdom and insight

how we learn

It guides us to attain our desires and goals in life.

To create a vision and to dream.

We find deeper meaning

Creates passion and enthusiasm

being human

What makes us human?

our innate curiosity and our ability to laugh
Newstatesman

every language on earth has a word for "why"

why are we the only species that is concerned about things that don't directly concern our survival, that of our off spring.

Animals don't look up at the sky and wonder what are all the sparkly bits. Animals don't worry about what other animals think of them.

Human curiosity

Why is there something and not nothing?
Laughter makes us human

But why do we laugh

Its the simple things that don't have any answers

What is life? no one knows.

Scientists can't agree on the meaning of the word "meaning'

Where do ideas come from?

What is consciousness?

Where is the last Thursday?

Once you start asking questions you soon turn into a five year old again, you just can't stop. And you become very annoying.

Why do you think the universe is interesting?

Dan Gordon
"Art is what makes us human, and its for everyone"

"Arts is not a luxury they are a right"

"It is as important to be able to sing, Dance, Paint and sculpt as it is to live and breathe. otherwise we just exist as a basis level similar to slugs"

"Making art is how we express and identify who we are as human beings"

"It is not exclusive and that we have to seek it out as well as expect it to come to us"

People had to go somewhere to experience art and now art is coming to us we're building better venues, more festivals in more communities.

Art is becoming a byword for progress.

The traits the make human beings unique.
Many traits once believed to be uniquely human from morality to culture, have been found in the animal kingdom.

so what makes us special?

there are some traits of ours that no other creature on earth can match.

"we are rationale animals" pursuing knowledge for its own sake. We live by art and reasoning. Philosopher Aristotle

Yes we see the roots of many behaviours once considered uniquely human in our closest relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos. but we are the only ones who peer into their world and write a book about it.

Why are we still the only human species still alive today whereas many of our early human ancestors went extinct.

We started with language
like symbols as a way to represent the world around us.
before you say a word your brain first has to have a symbolic representation of what it means. These mental symbols eventually led to language in all its complexity and the ability to process information is the main reason w are the only hominin still alive.

Its not clear when speech evolved, or how, but it seems likely it was partly driven by another uniquely human trait. "our superior social skills".

Children are innate helpers, they act selflessly before social norms set in.

We are unique in the level of abstractness with which we can reason about others mental states.

We tell stories
We dream
We imagine

We spend a great deal of time thinking about the future and analysing the past.