Jamestown Quarry

The vortex summoned us. Even the strongest efforts were really just panic maneuvers full of selfish instinct. Yes, selfish instinct. Millions of pounds of pressure provoked involuntary action. I spat acid. He spat salt. We both tasted death.. he choked on it. I swallowed air greedily while he swallowed water. Shock inhibited any movement from either one of us. Red, blue, purple, and finally black. His limbs were weary and his lifeless head dropped into the riptide. Thoughts assessed and chaos drawn, are you left merciless? When you see someone struggle hard, real hard, so hard that the vessels in your head pop just watching, is your view justified? Are you participating in reality? Are your emotions coinciding with your thoughts? Is what you know deciding how you feel? Is what you feel a result of what you know? And most importantly, are you doing your part? Gulp. How we feel about what we know decides our next move. When critical disaster hits, we find ourselves, often times in a very very unfortunate way. Id say we're nothing more than the living dead. We are fully clothed well fed ghosts. We are bruised, numbed, fearful, and forsaken. We are forever torn. Can you fathom witnessing a soul leaving the body? How undesirable without wisdom! How incomprehensible without imagination! How unmanageable without will! How unpredictable without..without.. righteousness?

RIP Derrick Cazard 6/30/08 - Always remembered, Never undervalued. Wish we played it different.

2nd life

I played 2nd life last week for the first time and its not for me. Its like a bad video game. I think its for people who cant enjoy their real life. Im willing to bet there is more than a few stalkers online. I dont enjoy updating my character account because the point is to show yourself off to other fake people showing theirselves off. Its so much like a video game, but without any objective. After i complete a character profile, where I am supossed to wander? Wheres all the excitement? Without feeling, experience is only imaginary. I admit I hate computers, im horrible with them. Point click point click. This "game" or 2nd life is only an application of what I hate doing. I think the hardships of life cannot be bypassed using a smart box to do your dirty work. This games true potential is obviously an opportunity for social outcasts to derive pleasure from virtual life. I think it sucks. People should try to expose themselves to real life instead of hiding behind the safe box. If you cant see or hear someones action/reaction you have just absorbed your own wrong interpretation. This is a horrible way to get to know a stranger. But to be critical constructively, I suppose you could get into the game as a casual approach to meeting new people. Just be aware the preciseness of the information coming out the virtual land is about as accurate and about as secure as picking lottery numbers.

Observing Youth

So as I got lost downtown between govt center and the north end, i stopped to rest at a public opening. Synchronized spurts of water shot up from the ground as 15 children cooled off in the fountains. It was pretty cool to watch and hang out for a minute. As i observed the children play I couldnt help but notice one kid in particular who was comfortably onlooking the rest from a small distance away. I targeted him because he reminded me of myself. I could tell he was up to something. He waited and waited and in my opinion was memorizing the patterns of spurts of water. I say this because when the fountains were off he made his way over to the one fountain that he knew would shoot next. He put his foot half way over the jet and shot a smaller kid until the kid couldnt take it anymore. He smilied and I doubt he knew anyone was looking. I smiled. But then something more happened. He removed his foot halfway from the jet as the water took some time to recover its propulsion. He looked around. Then out of nowhere he was blasted with a huge stream right to his face and he fell backwards onto his butt. This is where I died laughing. I had to get up and move before everyone thought I was crazy. I thought it was so funny because I would do the same thing, just to be an asshole. And not only that I would have paid the same consequence.

I think the kids were all in the fountain to have fun. But I think this kids fun was dominating others having fun. I know because its exactly what I would have done. He laughs when he has control. He pays for it when his assumptuous certainty dies. The question is.. at ten years old what could he possibly make of this sequence of events?

MFA

Ok so I think Im considered a blogger now... but anyway i went to mfa today. The Egyptian artifacts were astounding. But I want to talk about a section we did not visit full of musical instruments. To understand why I am so inspired by this section, take a minute to listen to the beautiful zither: just click on the link and click "click to start real player." Or you can highlight it and paste it into the URL.
http://switchboard.real.com/player/email.html?PV=6.0.12&&title=MIAudio51&link=mms%3A%2F%2Fmedia.mfa.org%2Faudio%2FMIAudio51.mp3

Zither (rudra vina) is probably from the 1970s coming out of Calcutta India. It is made out of teakwood, calabash gourds (a fruit vine), and ivory.

The way you play it sends vibrations down your body as it is lifted over your shoulder. How incredible. Considered tantric yogic symbolism, it aligns the human spine with the cosmic axis. I wouldnt mind someone playing this for me while I relax after breakfast. It makes me want to reach out and widen. It makes me breathe easy. Its really quite a unique instrument and very spiritual. Plus you get to interact with this art instead of just appreciating it.

Chew on This

They were sort of like airy fibrous foam. They had their own noticable aura. Maybe it was my tender brain or maybe it was bipolar behavior, but it started the moment I looked at them. One hour later I rode the rollercoaster to the top. I was shaking at the aerial view and the chains that pulled my cart. Violent chills tingled my spine. Eyeballs, what eyeballs.. I didnt need em, I could see fine without them. Every joke has a kernel of truth. Look at the way lifes natural geometry spits on us advantagous cowards. Color is a luxury. There is no magical mystery tour. There is only the deadly imagination. Here is where you can be you. Why cant we worship the sun? Isnt it the source of all life? Do I have to believe in the all powerful intangible parent figure, or can I believe in the sun, fertility, and support? I can't talk to anyone about anything because language is just not my specialty at the moment. Language prevents true communication. In fact if I was a dictionary I still couldnt paint a picture as vivid as my experience. Whats a frame of reference? Is it a view from space-time? Aren't things still happening around you even if you can't see them? The interconnectedness has me grounded. Are there magnets in my head? If 1 million conspiracy theories exist, is there but 1 that has some truth to it? If just one true, does it mean others have correct accusations? Is our world branded by lies? What if you brushed by a lie, would you recognize it? Its good to appreciate everything. Even mosquito bites. Even broken relationships. Even death. Without appreciation for push and pull, boom and bust, we live in falsified happiness. What are we? Products of genetics, environment, and social interaction? Or sentient beings? Is this the answer? Even if your perception is enhanced, your ability remains constant until you get up and move around. Look im a wave. Im fluidity. Whats with those gifted kids? how come they get to be so gifted? We must unlearn before we can learn. Otherwise, new concepts are miscontrued by preconceived notions. Makes sense right. Thats about the only sense Ive made so far. But to me it all makes sense, to the universe it all makes perfect sense. Perfect? how perfect? I am the spirit molecule. Its better to be open to all interpretation, rather than judging another. My god that is bright. Im just a gnat on this light bulb. Heat is good too. Real good. Without water and wholesome foods, sickness occurs often. Without a happy head, sickness occurs instantly. Im torn between cynicism and idealism. Its cuz this world has cancer. It is impossible to cure this cancer without seeing the source. As Huxley says "we are a world of selves, of moral judgement and utilitarian considerations of self assertion, of cocksureness, of overvalued words and idolatrously worshipped notions." This cultivated phenomenon can only pose the problem for you, it cannot solve it. Do not fear change. Do not fear the unknown. Remain undistracted. Appreciate all moments. Educate. Make it happen. Live. When I finally fell asleep I dreamed only half as hard. When I awakened, I lived 10x as hard.

Axiom Gallery

I showed up late for the gallery so I didn't have time to look around beforehand. But while our guide was presenting the artistic technology, my eyes couldn't help but wander into the corner of the room where an antique looking clockwork mechanism spun. I found myself drastically zoning in to this piece. Even when I wasn't looking at it, I was thought drawn to suspended chains. Maybe it was because I am mechanical. Taking a closer look invoked a much more powerful feeling within. I put my chin into the slot and my face melted. I saw myself a thousand times, each look ripping another layer of skin off. It was only for a brief moment but scary enough to back up startled. I examined the hardware. Equally impressive as the inside, I had to take another look. I noticed the chains moving up and down on the outside, but only down on the inside. This to me was the heart of the piece. It gave the contemplative feel most would recognize. The cams were beautifully designed recurring oval shaped speeding up and slowing down the thoughts of the viewer. The wood was finely polished, the lights were eye opening, the electric motor even added to the rhythmic neutrality and reflection. Overall, absolutely genious. I would display this piece in my room and use it whenever I need to find my self. Thanks to Chris Fitch and "Falling" for making my day.

First Class

Hello Everyone my name is Brent and its good to be a part of Art and Technology. I was originally placed in Art of Poetry and Film/Lit, and I am very glad I came across this class by chance. I think our teacher is quite a charm. The content of the class is what I have been researching all through Wentworth and it just so happens to be covered in a 2 hour period. How ironic.

Although I am not really sure what I am supossed to be talking about, I will share some thoughts on the story we analyzed by Hawthorne on Tues. The man in the story reminded me in great depth of myself. I have been obssesed with perfection for a long time now. Iv'e only recently realized that perfection can never be attained because if you could attain it, you would be the creator. Recent disputes with my ex-girlfriend over the topic were disastrous. The man killed his wife in the same way I killed our relationship.. trying to perfect her lifestyle to become perfectly compatible with his own instead of cherishing her greatest attributes. Having an engineering mind, I would like to incorporate the theory of entropy which says that disorder is among us, its unstoppable, and will continue to make our lives hell. However, if you feel as if this disorder is taking control, it already has. To live with it, and still be happy because all things are beautiful, is the greatest challenge of humanity.