Then we had our first field trip to the Special Collections Library at Norlin, where Barb, Greg, Deb, and the other librarian treasure hunters laid out an entire display of fascinating research materials from the archive on our units subject of Biology, The Body and Microscope Vision. This incuded a working microscope from the 1700's, anatomical and obseravtional drawings from Da Vinci reproductions to contemporary artists books, and a collection of Bentley's snowflakes images on glass slides. Truly awesome and inspiring! We can't wait to go back next month...
this last image is The Rosetta Disk, a project of the Long Now Foundation. It is an archive of every language on the planet embedded on a disk, seen here though the glass orb which is half it's sphere, all *in analog form* so one needs a microscope to read the documents.
This was one of the coolest field trips I've ever been on. Maybe, just maybe, I haven't been on a field trip in several years and was having some withdrawls but this was extremely interesting.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone ever gets the chance, they should go see the Tim Burton exhibit, I was in Los Angeles this summer and was unbelievably awesome. The art that you find in his books, painting, sculptures, costumes and everything else could be categorized as a new genre, so very cool.
The books the special collections staff brought out for us had a very similar feel. A very artistic morbid aesthetic to them. Particularly the cockroach book, (the suicidal cockroaches to be exact) the x-ray book and the book showing all the cadavers in various poses.
And although it wasn't really morbid, the book that had scientific names and drawings of Dragons was priceless... literally.
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ReplyDeleteI have to say that, initially, as much as love the macabre, The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes was very very disturbing. I could physically feel my body so tense and tight based on what I was seeing. Then, about half way through, these feelings eased, as I just sort of settled into the film and accepted the things I was seeing. I don't want to call it desensitized, I guess more so accepting the reality of the film. It was very much a trip though, and stuck with me throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction as Charlie did. Initially, I was always peering along the edges of the screen, waiting for Stan to reveal more. But somewhere along the way I relaxed and started to reflect on the beauty of the body. One shot that stands out was the pool of liquid that had collected in a crevice of the body; the cool reflection contrasted with the blood-red of the body. Later, when the custodian is cleaning up the feeling was lost, like we were returning to the real world.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the special collection was the cadaver book because it was so lighthearted and goofy. Sure, by today's standards those photos are highly inappropriate (and staging them was probably unsanitary) but they are a hilarious artifact of days gone by.
The Special Collections Library at Norlin was certainly invigorating. I was happy to see how the librarian treasure hunters laid out an entire display and were enthusiastic throughout to convey their knowledge and see our perspectives on the artifacts. The book stands had a particular elegant effect to highlight the value of the books we were observing. The material they chose was appropriate to our research and opened up ideas to investigate. The field trip also helped me to further define the direction of my illustrated lecture and final project.
ReplyDeleteThe Rosetta Disk, a project of the Long Now Foundation, was a rare privilege to see in person. There was a distinct atmosphere of awe and curiosity in the room. The website is intriguing as well, in which they allow one to zoom in on the electronic version of the disk.
I was very impressed by Sanctus (1990) because I had never considered the artistic potential of x-ray footage. The score was the element that I truly appreciated because it complimented the imagery in a sacred and mysterious way.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I didn't like The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes (1971) by Stan Brakhage. The film seemed shallow and trivializing of the autopsy process. I think that Brakhage overstepped boundaries of filmmaking at times simply to make a name for himself. Frankly, I didn't see the autopsy technician's/doctor's perspective at all. It seemed like Brakhage arrogantly decided to barge in on their profession and capture overtly gruesome imagery in bad taste. Shame on Brakhage.
I wonder how other students feel about this. Do you agree with me?
I have to agree with the few people that did not like The Act of Seeing With One's Own eyes as well. Perhaps, I can blame this on the early hour during which we watched the film. It's a bit shocking for a pre-noon viewing. However, what bothered me most was that it was shocking for the sake of being shocking. It turned into being a work more in line with a horror film, rather than a scientific film. It's purpose became more related to Upton SInclair's The Jungle, as it seemed Brakhage wanted to capture how we are treated post-mortem. Essentially, however, it felt exploitative. It's a hard to separate a person from their body so to speak, and even though Brakhage never gives us a close up of a face (we get glimpses of eyes and slight peeks at faces) our personal physical presence is more than what is held on our face. It felt exploitative because these were people who lived lives, had families, jobs, etc. and I'm sure none of them signed a sheet of paper granting permission to be filmed. Perhaps this is my inability to approach this with a rational scientific mind, but then again this isn't really a scientific film.
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