amber floresta
humanities in the media
winter 2012

humanities in the media

I’m going to be honest: I signed up for this class last minute because I forgot to register and it was one of the only classes left available. With that said, I’m actually really glad I took it. It was really different than any class I’ve ever taken - instead of sitting and reading from a textbook everyday we all helped each other learn about different topics through our presentations. I’ve been exposed to a lot of great media outlets (I’m now obsessed with Ted.com), was challenged to consider new ideas and was encouraged to think outside the box. Overall I really enjoyed this class :)

bookuse:

Nava Lubelski turns tax returns and rejection letters into organic paper sculptures ~ 

“Nava Lubelski creates these cellular sculptures using tightly rolled paper scrolls comprised of tax returns, rejection letters, and other collected waste paper.

Shredded paper sculptures, such as the Tax Files, reconfigure a mass of paper that has been grouped and saved due to written content, into slabs reminiscent of tree cross-sections where the climate of a given year, and the tree’s overall age are visible in a single slice. Historical information is revealed in the colors of deposit slips, pay stubs, receipts and tax forms. The cellular coils spiral outward, mimicking biological growth, as they are glued together into flat rounds, which suggest lichen, doilies or disease.

Ah yes, the annual disease of taxes, something I can relate to. If you liked this, check out Amy Genser’s paper reefs. (via cartwheel galaxy)”

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2011/05/nava-lubelski-turns-tax-returns-and-rejection-letters-into-organic-paper-sculptures/

i think this is an amazing project - turning junk papers into something so beautiful and interesting.

http://designtaxi.com/

this is such a great website for new and creative ideas! I completely agree with everything we discussed in class today regarding creativity - i think it’s such an important part of our culture. i really enjoy seeing what other artists are working on and design taxi is a great website which displays that. 

Jason Russell & his naked meltdown..

The mastermind behind the now-famous “Kony 2012” video was detained by police in San Diego yesterday for allegedly being drunk in public and masturbating. 


Jason Russell was taken into custody by San Diego cops.  In addition to allegedly masturbating, cops say he vandalized cars.

Cops told NBC7 in SD they received several calls around 11:30 AM … reporting a man in “various stages of undress.”

Sources tell us … Russell was dancing around the Intersection of Ingraham and Riviera wearing “speedo-like underwear” … and eventually removed the underwear and began to make sexual gestures. 

We’re told … it appeared Russell was under the influence of some kind of substance. 

Cops told NBC, “Officers detained [Russell] and transferred him to a local medical facility for further evaluation and treatment.”

Russell is the father of two, and says he wants to have 9 more kids.  

Russell is the co-founder of Invisible Children as well as the filmmaker of the ultra-viral video which has set records on the Internet — with more than 80 million views (below).

3:26 PM PST: We just got footage of Jason’s naked meltdown on a public street … pounding his fists in anger and screaming maniacally. 

2:15 PM PST: Law enforcement sources tell us … there are NO plans to charge Russell with a crime for yesterday’s incident. 

2:08 PM PST: Law enforcement sources tell us … Russell is being hospitalized on a 5150 psychiatric hold so authorities can assess his mental state. The 5150 hold allows authorities to keep Russell for up to 3 days to determine if he represents a threat to either himself or others.

1:45 PM PST: The CEO of Invisible Children, Ben Keesey, tells TMZ …”Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition.”

The statement continues, “He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday.”

“Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time.”

Video / Source

I found this image today and thought it was pretty relevant to our debate we had in class the other day. While I personally feel that it is better to be safe than sorry, this image got me thinking. As a city, even as a nation, we can’t target Muslims just based off their appearance. I think that if the government is going to keep a close watch on society, they should be watching everyone and not just target one specific group. I understand the need to follow leads and information and that the hatred towards our country and the terrorist attacks come from a region populated by Muslims, but that doesn’t mean all Muslims are bad. Anyone - no matter what color you are, what religion you practice, where you live, what language you speak, what music you listen to, can be a bad person, and I wish more people understood that. People have stereotypes embedded in their brain but you can’t judge someone you don’t know just by looking at them. 

I found this image today and thought it was pretty relevant to our debate we had in class the other day. While I personally feel that it is better to be safe than sorry, this image got me thinking. As a city, even as a nation, we can’t target Muslims just based off their appearance. I think that if the government is going to keep a close watch on society, they should be watching everyone and not just target one specific group. I understand the need to follow leads and information and that the hatred towards our country and the terrorist attacks come from a region populated by Muslims, but that doesn’t mean all Muslims are bad. 

Anyone - no matter what color you are, what religion you practice, where you live, what language you speak, what music you listen to, can be a bad person, and I wish more people understood that. People have stereotypes embedded in their brain but you can’t judge someone you don’t know just by looking at them. 

‘Angelina Jolie’ing’: Celeb’s Leg Becomes Internet Meme

It’s so funny how the internet/media can turn something so insignificant into such a big deal in a matter of seconds. 


Angelina Jolie’s right leg is all over the internet. That dress she wore is now such a big deal that everyone is going to forget about the world for a few days and just obsess over her stupid leg…


Like Tim Tebow’s stupid “Tebowing” - now all over Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter.. everywhere, is this stupid leg. 

Vancouver-based photographer, Dina Goldstein, uses Disney princesses to portray real life scenarios that women today are faced with. Dina was never exposed to any of the Disney fairytales, but instead researched the original Grimm Brothers stories to unveil the darker endings of these stories. The series of photographs is called “Fallen Princesses” and focuses on the issues of today, like illnesses, war, and self-image. 

I think these photos are really interesting, and the way the artist portrayed each princess was really creative and unique.  

I mentioned in a previous entry that I enjoy reading and see it as a (temporary) escape from the real world, however, there is no denying that society today is forced to deal with the issues portrayed in these photos. I think Dina Goldstein uses her art to showcase societies problems from a really interesting and different perspective. 


see more photos here, or visit the artists website here.