So Long, Farewell!

Dear four fans, 
   It was fun having an audience for a semester. Thanks for reading and responding. My first blogging experience is what I would call, out of my element but I'll try anything once. Super fun class and the topics were always interesting. Anthropology never disappoints!! 




"If the good Lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates."-Willy Wonka

Fifteen

Fot blog fifteen we were asked to briefly describe our research project and describe the process. I chose to research Andy Warhol and his influence to the art world as well as his contribution to the pop art movement. It was actually a fun topic to research because I'm a huge fan of Andy Warhol. By no means was an expert though and by reading articles, journals and websites about him I was able to understand the man behind the Cambell cans. When we were told that we would have to do a research project, I automatically thought Andy Warhol, the only issue was trying to relate him to anthropology. The best correlation was through the subject of "making special". Andy's works were perfect examples of 'making special'. Yes, he was part of a movement but he changed art as we know it because he created art by using  objects that no one else saw as art. While conducting research I didn't run into many problems because Andy Warhol was such an eccentric individual there was much to go off of because he was so popular. Things I learned about Andy Warhol that I never knew before was that he painted previously to drawing and silkscreening. His painting are actually quite beautiful and he could have had a career based on that skill alone.

blog 14

This week we were asked to speak of art that we witnessed or consumed. I feel like I consume art daily whether it being when I listen to music or walking through the plaza and seeing hand made functional art like fire and light candle holders. However, none were as fun as the opening day parade for the world appreciation(forgot the actually name) week, last month. The parade was to start of a week of events that celebrated cultures around the world. The parade which didn't last long started in front of the theatre and ended up in the quad next to the depot. The parade involved about 20 or more students and staff carrying flags from all over the world and was lead by a band that consisted of another 20 or more people playing the drums and congas as well as other instruments I'm not familiar with. Once the parade made it to the quad they formed a circle in which different people holding a flag would go into the center and dance. I'm not sure if that was planned or a impromptu performance but it was fun to watch regardless. While watching this I was thinking  about how many different cultures celebrate with dance. Dance is a perfect representation of joy and can be found in cultures, religions and societies. Although the dance may be different according to the culture and situation it still holds a significant purpose in each representation.

Thirteen

For this weeks blog we were asked to write about the social lives of objects. Basically, I think it depends on how each individual views an item. Everyone is different therefore objects become different meanings depending on a person and their lifestyle. What may be crap to me may be a treasure to someone else. I think it also depends on the function of an item. If something is more functional then it automatically becomes valuable because it serves a purpose. For example in mexican culture we use corn husks to make a food called tamales. It's a traditional food and the corn husk serves a vital purpose in making sure the tamale stays in tact through the cooking process. It's a pointless object in many cultures and is often tossed in the trash, however it is very important in mexican culture. Another example would be piñatas. A paper/cardboard object formed into a character meant for holding candy or toys. This may be a party attraction, however it is a vital part of mexican culture. The construction and ability to form these characters into a piñata is not easy and is a job for many mexicans and is also a main source of income. Though many take it  for granted and just break the piñata it is a object that leads to money which makes it valuable. These may not be the best examples of social lives of objects but like every blog I relate it to my life and being half mexican these were the first two things I thought of. Both items, especially the piñata, are not only at mexican parties. I have been to many parties hosted by many none mexicans and there was a piñata, it has been globalized!

Blog 12

After reading this weeks assigned reading, "An Anthropologist Looks at Ballet as a Form of Ethnic Dance": by Joann Kealiinohomoku, I came up with two conclusions; 1. the author loves using exclamation marks! and 2. ballet is a form of ethnic dance. At first it took me a while to get into the article because she seemed like she was just constantly bitching but after a couple breaks and alcoholic beverages, I started to understand what she was trying to say. Her argument is clear, why isn't ballet looked as a form of ethnic dance?
Throughout her ranting she had no problem questioning the thoughts of her fellow anthropologists which seemed pretty funny to me and courageous. She is changing the way dance should be seen in her field, she is making changes and she's progressing as things in life do. My favorite part of the article is when she is describing that western performers are not recognized unless they are in a "hit". She also gives an excellent example of Claire Holt's article "Two Dance Worlds", that displays two pictures, one with javanese dancers but no recognition and the other picture of Martha Graham, a very well accomplished and famous western dancer. It is just like western culture to popularize the popular even more(if that even makes sense). Obsess over the well recognized and pay no attention to the equally talented ETHNIC yet not famous dancers.
I think it's ignorant to call one form of dance ethnic and the other non-ethnic based on it's region. If you were to ask different cultures around the world about how they live and what they accomplish during their daily lives you would see things are not that different. What distinguishes the difference is the way there are done. I liked the article because I understand her appreciation for wanting ballet to be seen as ethnic dance and I understand her argument. I think it was a well written article and I would hate to get into a heated argument with her about any topic she's passionate about.

Blog 11

Ethno aesthetic is the local or indigenous categories through which the formal qualities of objects, activities and practices are engaged according to wednesday power point.
After having the discussion on wednesday and seeing some of the art and presentation of the aboriginal art in the power point, I realized that ethno-aesthetic is not just a ritualistic form of art and tradition but it is a way of keeping the culture or practice alive throughout the generations. When watching the movie Waiting for Harry, the people were doing something significant to their way of life however it was something that was created generations ago. The art holds a specific purpose but is still unique to each individual.
Ethno aesthetic analysis
One of Jose Guadalupe Posada's famous prints is El Jarabe en Ultratumba or the Folk Dance. The image is of a group of skeletons, some playing instruments, some drinking and eating and some just watching a man and a woman dancing a traditional mexican dance. The image is not something out of the ordinary in a real life mexican party. Posada's type of art is different because it is print work rather then painting or drawing which allow them to be duplicated so many times that it has evolved into different colors then what it originally had started out with. Looking at the picture I see parts of my life, I have have been the person drinking and the person watching people dancing, I can relate. Anyone who has been to a mexican or latino party knows that music and dance is always a part of the event.  The strengths of ethno-aesthetic is that something like this image is available and duplicated so people can appreciate it for years to come and understand the roots of the image and the artist who created it. The weakness would be similar to it's strengths in that something gets passed down through so many generations that it tends to change and it is not original anymore.

Waiting For Harry

Watching the movie "Waiting for Harry", I was amazed with the length and process of the funeral and all the aspects that go into planning and building the event. I have a fascination with funerals and how they are conducted within different cultures and religions. This funeral was really visually beautiful because of the process in which it was planned and the duration of time it took in order to fulfill the ritual. The hut where the bodies were kept served as a multi purpose structure for men to meet and gather, which was interesting because  they were next to the bones, It was like they were including the dead in there leisure time. I liked the art that was drawn on the log coffin where crows would perch and how it told a story. My favorite part of this ritual was the painting of the bones. It reminded of me of sugar skulls in the mexican culture. Sugar skulls are used during day of the dead and are decorations around cemeteries or decoration around shrines created for a deceased loved one. The celebratory aspect of the funeral is very visually beautiful also and I appreciated the history behind each part. The relationship between death and music is amazing. All songs were either about the deceased or about the funeral process. Many all cultures or religions have a strong connection to  music when concerning a funeral. Also, the connection with animals and death are very appealing to me because of how they help tell the story and are part of the healing too.

Why make sense of the past?

When looking at the pictures in the text and reading about the cave paintings, I can't help but wonder why is this so important? I know it's interesting to know that humans were artistic during prehistoric times and that they had a creative outlet, but why should there be scientists that dedicate their time and energy investigating and researching these paintings? I see graffiti in odd places, freeways, bridges, sewers, stair cases, bathrooms, benches and I wonder if hundreds of years from now will archaeologists come across these writing or drawings and study them? After seeing the power point from lecture the other day I had a revelation! I have loved anthropology since taking my first anthropology class years ago at my community college, I fell in love with the subject. I even thought that I can claim it as my major but realized I was a little too old. The point is I understood why we need to make sense of these paintings, we as humans are curious and we feel the need to know all aspects of past, present and future. It makes perfect sense to want to dissect and understand people that lived before us. One of my favorite parts of biological anthropology was learning about Neanderthals and other different hominids and how they scavenged for food and hunted for their families. I thought about this after reading the text and I imagined the early stages of human life creating, painting, fulfilling their need to express themselves. How they survived weather conditions and traveled across the earth. I wish we would have more images of what they left behind and more information on how they would past time. It's more clear to me now that previous humans had some sort of artistic outlet weather it be making art or painting on cave walls. However, we will never truly know what they are depicting in those paintings but it is fun to try and figure it out. The possibilities are endless.

Blog 7

"Today, most scholars, whether they are art historians or archaeologists, would deny that there even is such a thing as primitive art."pg.125


 I never really paid any attention to the word primitive until this class. Honestly, it's not something i use in my day to day vocabulary and I never really heard it or know people that use the word primitive. After hearing it in class, I can honestly say I don't like the word and it's connection to negative. It gives things a title of being less then in my opinion. Coming from a very enriched cultural background, most objects I'm used to seeing as beautiful pieces of workmanship would be considered primitive. Things that people make like pottery, tools, rugs, etc for daily use are beautiful one of the kind pieces of art that can actually be used instead of collecting dust. These things are functional pieces of art as well as genuine craftsmanship.
When I was younger and Tijuana, BC was a little safer, my friends and I used to go to Tijuana all the time. I always came home with something that I bought from a street vendor. One of my favorite purses is from a vendor. Just a knitted purse with a cool design, really basic. This woman sells these purses to feed herself and her family. It's a simple purse but I have gotten more compliments on that purse then any  name brand purse I have in my closet. It's items like my purse that make me hate the word primitive. This purse describes a lifestyle, a creation, a culture. It's specific to my heritage and meaningful because it's a homemade one of a kind piece of art. Another item that I love and use a lot is a ceramic turtle painted bright blue and has bold colorful flowers painted on it. It's purpose is a jewelry box and I store my favorite ring in it. This turtle is a really awesome piece of art and craftsmanship. The whole thing is homemade by the vendor which means he sculpted the turtle out of clay and then painted it. This is not only a hobby but their livelihood depends on it. It's items like this that make me appreciate my culture and the work that goes behind making this items.

Endocannibalism

According to howstuffworks.com, "Endocannibalism is the consumption of the flesh of a person who is a member of the consumer's kin group. This membership can be based on family, society, culture, tribe -- any type of in-group. Endocannibalism is most often an expression of veneration of the dead, or the pursuit of consuming some esoteric aspect of the person, like the deceased's wisdom."

I've always been interested in different death and funeral rituals of other cultures. While taking a cultural anthropology class at my community college a few years ago my interest grew stronger when my teacher told the class of a group of indigenous people that would take their dead loved ones, place them into a huge container and let decomposition occur and then when the body was a liquid soup, the people would drink the fluids. I was amazed and disgusted at the same time. I knew cannibalism existed however to let a body decompose into something that would then be drunken was an amazing discovery for me. Since finding out about this I was curious to know what other cultures practiced endocannibalism and if it was prevalent today. With my cultural anthropology teachers help, she informed me that many tribes and societies eat their dead still however it's really frowned upon. After learning more about it, I really didn't think it was that gross anymore and I actually thought it was quite meaningful and I could see the spiritual aspects of it and I definitely consider endocannibalism a ritual experience.

I am not an Alcoholic!

When thinking about this weeks blog I had problems trying to figure out what an aesthetic experience was and how it fits into my life experiences and what I came up with is my love for labels.
I'm a huge fan of art work thats presented on labels. I'm not a big drinker but I do enjoy a glass of wine or a nice cold beer on occasion. Usual, I find myself attracted to bottles of wine or beer that have really cool looking labels. Sometimes the liquid inside is a disappointment but the bottle is always a keeper because of the design on the label. Every time I walk into a grocery store or a market I will stop by the alcohol section and peruse the labels for anything new or attention grabbing. Most of the time I buy the product just for the design and never come around to drinking the liquid inside and just end up keeping the bottle for looks in my room or kitchen. Some people might think it's waste of money but I'm really a fan of the art. I'm a huge fan of skulls and retro looking labels so most of my purchases are based on those things. One of my favorite wines is Dia De Los Blancos from Southcoast winery and the bottle has a cool image of a female skeleton and a little skeleton dog. This was the first bottle of wine I actually purchased for myself after swearing never to drink wine because I thought it was too pretentious. I know people get paid good money to make products look alluring to consumers, especially alcohol but I look beyond the product and find mysel truly impressed with the aesthetic that goes beyond the promotion and into the art.

Making Special

Was it me or did "Making Special" sound like something dirty? Maybe just me. Anyway, being new to Arcata and just moving into a new room, it was only a matter of time that I would have to make my room and house my own. My room now is nothing compared to the room back home which was a lot smaller. Even though size was an issue, I still managed to express myself with a purple ceiling and colorful sheets. My room now is huge and full of possibilities, I have a whole new canvas I can play with. In order for me to survive this experience, leaving home and being the new kid in town, I had to make my room a safe place for me to relax and be myself, a hide away. I love color and patterns so I have applied that to my room and have added things that are unique to my taste. For example I just purchased a rug that is woven wool and it's super colorful. I fell in love with this rug and knew I needed it for my room. When someone enters my room they will be stepping on this rug and probably not even notice it, but It doesn't matter if no one appreciates it, because I love it. My room is not complete, in fact, I haven't really even started decorating due to lack funds but I will continue to purchase small pieces of myself in material objects in order to make my room like myself, colorful.