Below is the Bergamo tree cathedral, built by Italian artist Giuliano Mauri who is known for his impressive natural architectural projects:
"The entire cathedral is built in such a way that the branches of the tree and the tree itself have arced to form the walls and roof of the holy edifice. Unfortunately, this project of love for Giuliano Mauri was completed only after his death in 2009 and has been completed quite fittingly in the International year of biodiversity. This tree cathedral will be the ultimate homage to his memory and craft and it is a marvel to behold. Consisting of 42 columns built with fir trunks and branches of hazelnuts and chestnuts twirling together as a support for the beeches, with time the beeches will grow stronger and become the pillars while the fir and hazelnut supporting structure will wither away, offering a seamless transition." (jouneyidea)
Brooke Adams
ReplyDeleteWorld Changing- Water and Conserving Water- p. 186-188
ADP III
10.12.2010
I chose two articles for this week’s World Changing response- Water and Conserving Water. Water explains and puts in perspective how rare fresh water is, and that it’s getting more and more rare. We are using water far too fast, and in ways in which it cannot be cleaned and reused. We’re using this most precious resource as if it’s unlimited. I’ve never realized how wasteful I am with water. We live in the Great Lakes state where water is all around us. Water consumption is just not something I ever thought about. To think that one in five people are living without drinking water is unfathomable to me. In Conserving Water, suggestions are given as to what we can do in our everyday lives that could have a big impact on the mount of water we use. Low-flow showerheads and toilets, and recycling shower systems will ultimately save water and money if we’d only be willing to adopt them. This article really shows me why it’s so important for innovated thinkers- like artists- to team up with others to redesign our old, unsustainable systems. I fear that our society, which is largely ignorant to how wasteful we are, will not seriously consider our footprint on the earth. It’s easy to forget, as horrible as that sounds, that we do not own the resources of the earth. No one does, but we do all need to share and be considerate for everyone on the planet, as well as the future generations that will live with our mistakes. We need to spend the money to upgrade our current plumbing systems that are not efficient. The money spent now will pay for itself in the end.
Elaine Czech
ReplyDelete12 October 2010
ARTDES 250: SEC 4
Brands p 393
I would like to think of myself as someone who shies away from being a “walking billboard.” But in fact I am just lying to myself by saying so. Although it is true that I refuse to buy clothes that have the shirt brand or logo visible I still own other products that blatantly show off: my laptop, my shoes, my headphones, my bag, my camera, even my pens. And even though my clothes do not obviously show their logo on the outside they are still labeled. My American Apparel hoodie, although it does not say “American Apparel” on the outside it is still obvious where it is from. This brings up the matter of is it really possible to avoid brands and labels?
The more I have read about this topic the less I think so. Even so called brandless brands still have created a brand. For instance although Blackspot shoes do not say any where on them that they are “Blackspot” it is still obvious to people who know the brand that they are in fact Blackspot shoes. While companies like Muji have made branding more difficult by offering several different products I think they same issue arises. The products that come out of Muji are not really seen elsewhere, and since they are one of the few label-less companies they essentially create a non-visual brand for themselves. Is there any solution to brands?
Unless all companies stopped creating logos and used the same font and made the same exact products I am doubtful. Even if that is done, brands still become associated by company name to product. And will not having brands create less consumerism? Again I am doubtful. I think people will still be able to make associations through style and company name. As with American Apparel they have created a style that distinguishes their clothing without obvious labeling.
Art Meets Technology
ReplyDeletepg. 96-98
This article attracted my attention because I feel that during my time here, I have learned and used a number of new technology in my work that I never did in high school. Our world is definitely changing every day, and it is becoming more and more technology-based.
The article mentions a Hug Shirt, that lets the user feel as though he or she has been "hugged" using sensors and embedded mechanisms to reproduce the feeling, as well as a carbon-sniffing robot, which reads the level of carbon dioxide then makes a vertical line across the installation room in which it is in, illustrating the dangers in the air we breathe.
Those are the positive things. However, I also think that with advancing technology, we have lost some of our original identity. What I mean by this is that we have become too dependent on technology. We have GPS instead of road maps, which means that people no longer have to remember roads and directions; we come out with new laptops and cell phones and no longer need to talk to people in person; we listen to our generation 5 or 6 or 7 ipods on the bus or car when we have nothing better to do, instead of looking outside or talking to people.
Art has made technology attractive and addicting to all people, which has made that technology too powerful. This leads to that famous quote from Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility". With the technology having so much power towards the people, it is certain that there are people out there that can eventually take advantage of this.
Erica Neumann
ReplyDeleteOctober 10, 2010
Restoration Ecology pgs 484-486
Last night I found myself watching Planet Earth: Mountains, and was awestruck by both the beauty of nature, and of the animals featured. The panoramic scans of the Himalayan mountaintops showcased glassy snowcaps, beautiful patterns of jagged rocks, and misty clouds nestled in between peaks. The imagery was unreal, as if what I was looking at was not the planet Earth I inhabit, but rather another surreal land where no one has ever truly ventured. The animals are giant and graceful, and watching them approach and attack pray appeared to be the essence of “survival of the fittest.” These animals are evolved to blend into the environment and become one with the land in which they live, as well as maneuver around the rocky, steep landscape with the gracefulness of runners on a track. A chase between a snow leopard and deer demonstrated the agility of both animals as the two cascaded down an almost vertical mountain slope, in and around protruding rocks and patches of ice, until finally the deer leapt into a rapid flowing stream to escape his pray. The episode also filmed a mother panda nursing her newborn baby for three weeks as it grew and became strong enough to venture out with its mother, open its eyes and search for food. These animals exist in a world unknown to most of the world’s population. They are magnificent creatures that belong to the earth and have been roaming and ruling the planet long before humans entered the scene. These animals seem so amazing because they are no longer a part of the average humans’ life. They have become a remote wonder hidden in the mountains while life busily continues in the dirty crowded, cities with technology and pollution. Many of these animals will become extinct within the next hundred years.
It is the fault of the human race that is quickly killing off Earth’s natural wonders. We have invaded the planet and made it ours without any consideration for the things that were here before us. A World Changing article, “Restoring the Deep Past,” talked about the inhabitants of North America prior to explorers crossing the Bering Strait. Mammoths, lions, giant beavers the size of cars, camels, horses among a much more diverse variety of species made their homes on North American soil. It was not until humans inhabited this land that these animals were kill off and became extinct. Even today people are ruining the natural habitats of endangered species for resources and developing. Human-made pollution is contaminating the air and altering the environments in which these animals live.
It is our job to begin to restore the ecosystems we have destroyed and work harder to preserve those that are still present. The World Changing “Restoration Ecology” chapter introduction discusses that people who volunteer in restoring local or wilderness ecosystems feel more in touch with nature and do more to preserve the land around them, whether it is picking invasive weeds from their lawn or helping to repopulate depleted species. Ecosystems thrive from the natural environments that Earth has created. Each animal and plant plays a role in the continual preservation of an ecosystem, and if one aspect is disrupted, others suffer. It is a delicate system in which every element both gives and takes, a system humans need to begin respecting if we wish to preserve the natural beauty of the planet.
World Changing
ReplyDeleteBig Green Buildings and Skyscrapers pg. 245
Green buildings and construction have become a universal concept and fad. In my mind, I’ve always seen the green movement as something trendy – it’s popular because everyone wants to show that they care about the environment. Companies are building green structures basically for good publicity. However, after reading this article, I’ve learned that green buildings are actually worthwhile and good for both the environment and the people paying the bills. The amount of water and energy saved in proper green construction saves so much money over time. And green buildings generally have a modern and pleasing look that helps the employees inside be happy and productive. Examples of great green buildings can be found all over the world and there are always plans to construct more. They populate our cities with beautiful and useful structures. Going green on such a big scale is setting a good example for people to go green in their own homes and daily lives. If I giant sky scraper can be built to be environmentally sound, there’s no limit to what we can go to make our lives greener.
The Hidden Vitality of Slums
ReplyDeleteWhen you think of slums, you think of terrible, filthy hovels with no money, no running water and little hope. However, that is not always the case. Millions of people live in slums all over the world. These slums are actually built by those who move from the country and into the city looking for work. There are often no homes built for them and they have no where to live. Instead of moving back to their rural roots, where there is little to no work, they set up squatter settlements. According to World Changing, “There are 1 billion squatters in the world, almost one in six people on the planet,”(Steffen 286-291). That is a lot of people living without proper sanitation and water. Made from everything from cardboard to mud and sticks these homes are hastily built and in many cases in fear of mudslides and eviction.
But slums aren’t necessarily terrible places to live. They have grocery stores, beauty salons, tailors, everything a normal city has. Also, they have thriving economies. With so many people living so closely together there is ample opportunity for business to not only do well, but thrive.
Often, such extreme daily hardship brings neighbors together. Every person feels the sense of community in the slums, and when they work together they can improve their living situation and even petition the government in their country to grant them rights as a town or city. That kind of teamwork is something even rich cities like New York wish they had. With every person in a community working to better it, change is not slow coming. Slums might be the cities of tomorrow, built by the desperate but improved through hard work and the support of every person living in it.
Steffen, Alex. World Changing. 1st. Abrams, New York: Harry M. Abrams Inc., 286-291. Print.
Jared Salinger Section 004
ReplyDeleteI am here today to discuss with you the Hidden Vitality of Slums section in the Cities chapter. I really can’t imagine living in a slum. When I think of a slum, I immediately think of filth. I find it amazing that 200,000 people are moving to cities every day, so its only logical to realize that not all of these people will be rewarded jobs and housing. It’s even estimated that a third of the worlds population will be living in slums by the midpoint of the century! Slums do not have electricity, sewage treatment systems, or water systems. Water must be bought or transported in, and electricity, if available at all, must be rigged from stray power lines. Sewage openly flows down the street. The reason I have such luxuries as tap water, indoor plumbing, and electricity is because my cities taxpayer’s told the city to install these systems many years back, and I truly take these systems for granted. Still, above it all, slums are still lively districts with economies, playgrounds, schools, and beauty salons. Slums are truly gems of self-creation and self-direction. Squatters build temporary, low-grade housing when they first arrive, because the legality of their actions is very much in the gray area and they don’t want to make too much of an investment that they won’t be able to occupy. As time goes on, the squatters become more settled, gain legal rights, and begin to build permanent, concrete housing. The people of Vikas Sagar in Mumbai, India have an inspiring story of self-determination, as they taught themselves literacy and began to challenge the local government.
Hannah Ryou
ReplyDeleteEducation and Literacy
pg. 313
To talk about the relationship between education and literacy is, in my mind, to first speak of the line that exists between those that have access to education and those who do not. Here is how I have always imagined the relationship between education and accessibility of it to be:
Powerful and progressive countries move forward to become more and more technologically, politically, and culturally advanced. Of course, it is unfair to dismiss all or any issues that occur in nations more well off than poverty stricken ones. However seeing how far technology, medicine, quality of consumerism, etc. has come in these countries makes me say, it only gets better from here.
Those in third world countries, on the other hand, where the next meal is a larger concern than which laptop to purchase, there is hardly chances to rise to new levels of, well, anything.
In short, my view has been ‘rich countries will stay rich or only get richer, poor countries will remain poor, if not poorer’. And so the difference between the rich nations and the poor nations would always remain a wide gap, if not grow wider so. In that sense, education and literacy in wealthy nations would always remain high, while not-so-well-off others would remain unable to distinguish A from B.
So it was a pleasant surprise to read about the different programs and initiatives that are attempting to close such a gap, presenting and reinforcing the idea that education should be for anyone and everyone, anywhere. The most appealing characteristic about these initiatives was they are all using modern day technology to achieve their goals. To speak of educating poor children in Africa would have brought tattered used books and dusty old chalkboards to my mind, but projects such as the Internet Bookmobile or One Laptop per Child is quickly proving me to be mistaken and outdated.
I find myself greatly admiring and appreciating these brave endeavors to challenge boundaries and limits. To think of providing low cost laptops for schoolchildren as an alternative to inaccessible textbooks is shocking, yes, but incredibly ambitious and potentially an ingenious solution to illiteracy around the world. It is innovative ideas like these, not fearing challenge/going against the grain, that are literally changing the world, one person at a time.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKaiti Marek
ReplyDelete11, October 2010
ARTDES 250: SEC4
For World Changing this week I chose to read the article “Landscaping” on page 198. This article is about the problems that arise from having conventional lawns, and what we can do to make our yards environmentally friendly and more useful in general. The article outlines the major issues associated with having a traditional lawn. It is unnatural, and promotes invasive species, it is a huge waste of water to maintain, and it necessitates the use of harmful pesticides. The article argues that instead of having a flat lawn like everyone else, we should be different by making our yards gardens. It states many benefits to having a garden. The article says that having a garden promotes biodiversity, lessens the need for care and upkeep, and is a good way to grow your own food.
I am skeptical about the way this article takes advantage of peoples’ desire to be different. It basically makes it sound like you should have a garden because it will make you different from, and thus cooler than your neighbors, even though it also argues that you should not compete with your neighbors’ lawns. I find it interesting that the article urges everyone to have a biodiverse lawn, while saying that having one will set you apart from everyone else.
Other than that, I was on the same page as the article. I have already been planning my “dream garden” in my head for some time now, and it includes and array of plant-life, and many fruits and vegetables. The only setback that I see to not having a lawn is that there would be no place to run around and play if you are a kid. I keep thinking about how my childhood would have been different if my brothers and I didn’t have an open space where we could play football or tag. I think there are some advantages to having a lawn, but they probably don’t outweigh the harm lawns are doing to our environment.
Hannah Dow
ReplyDeleteDoing the Right thing Can Be Delicious-page 51
I read the chapter “Doing the Right Thing Can Be Delicious,” on page 51. The chapter begins by somewhat summing up the harmful effects of the industrial farming industry. They are a large contributor to the emission of greenhouse gasses playing a large role in the growing problem of ozone depletion. The author also touches on industrial farming polluting our government and even being unhealthy for us as consumers. Next the “Slow Food Movement” is highlighted. It is the backlash against fast food places, bringing back the tradition of sit down meals where you really enjoy your food and take time and care in making it. Slow food is also about the support of farmers and organic food and teaching people to rely on themselves rather than the unhealthy franchised restaurants.
The chapter focuses on what the definition of organic is-what you are paying for when you buy organic. Organic foods are not sprayed with pesticides and instead are grown using compost and green manure. Instead of depleting the soil where these plants are grown, organic farmers use crop rotation to keep the soil nutrient rich for our consumption. I though one line in particular in this chapter was very interesting, the author stated how with organic foods, farmers are working with nature’s systems instead of against them. It seems like such a simple thing to do and yet so many people choose the alternative because of price and convenience.
Liz Ritenour
ReplyDeleteADP III
Section 004
Worldchanging
Nanotechnology pp 106-109
I chose to read about nanotechnology because I had previously heard the term, but never knew exactly what it meant. Nanotechnology is the creation and use of molecular-scale technologies. At the most basic level, the concept is that miniature machines will be dispersed to perform tasks. It is a difficult concept to understand, and I am not sure that I do fully understand it, yet, but it is certainly extremely interesting. It is a developing technology, but technologies are getting smaller and smaller, to the point that designers expect they will be able to manipulate molecules in a way that can create new materials and modify existing materials to be better. It employs some ideas from biomimicry, as well. For example, DNA is able to restructure itself and adapt to different conditions, and if technology can reach that scale, it could become possible to design machines in that way, and in a sense, create living computers.
If nanotechnology is combined with prototyping, testing and production can be achieved at a much faster and more efficient rate. Ideally, a designer could provide a nanocomputer with an outline, and certain variables that are allowed to be changed. The nanocomputer could then produce miniature prototypes of the outline. It could rapidly produce tons of variations on the same outline and test them to determine what works and what does not. They could then quickly be recreated based on these changes and so forth. It would change the molecules on a miniature level in order to make necessary changes. The prototype could then be used as a template for a full-scale machine. There are dangers in this technology, and interestingly enough, these dangers are often represented in science fiction films in which computers grow and take over. Not that this would happen, but there are dangers in the unknown and in working with carbon. It is interesting what could be made possible, however, if nanotechnology is successful.
Paula Schubatis
ReplyDelete10/11/10
ADP 3
Section 4
The section I choose to read in world changing was in the educating girls and empowering women section on page 321, about beauty salons as tools for change. The beauty shop is a place of friendship and confidence for the woman. Although most women may not go to the salon on a daily or even weekly basis, it is a place where she can share her most intimate secrets; the hairstylist is intimate enough to entrust with her secrets, and removed enough from her daily life. The book talks about how domestic violence outreach and prevention programs, as well as health education programs use this bond between a woman and her hairstylist to make women more aware of health problems, and domestic violence., in their own lives and in those of the community around them. Programs such as these are being put into place in salons in the United States.
I think this is an interesting perspective to consider in environment and technology, as well as an interesting way to educate women. Initially, I thought that this was a little bit sexist. Educating people, regardless of gender, not just women, about health issues and domestic violence, should be a priority with the advancement of society. Although our modern society seeks to overlook cultural and gender differences, they can become barriers in effective education of various groups. For example, a woman can talk about her problems to her hair dresser, but maybe not to a male doctor or police officer that she doesn’t know. By using an environment where a woman is relaxed, she is willing to share her stories and listen to new valuable information.
It surprised me that this was a practice in the United States. When I think of women not being educated about domestic violence and public health, I immediately picture a third world country. But, it is surprising to learn that may women in the United States are not educated about these topics. The passage also mentioned that both low and high income beauty salons were involved in the program.
Kellyn Carpenter
ReplyDeleteADP III: Section 4
World Changing Response
Global Culture, pg. 368
I found this chapter extremely fascinating. I have always loved cultures outside of my own, so it was very interesting to read about the film or music cultures in other countries. One of the first things that stuck out to me was “Nollywood,” which is Nigerian cinema (pg. 368). This is a fairly new industry in Nigeria, producing videocassettes or DVDs straight from film production. The production is extremely cheap and fast, greatly contrasting American film culture. In our culture, films are partially judged on their extreme budgets or the immense amount spent in production. I have never seen a Nollywood film, but I am very interested now in experiencing one. I feel that this is a big step for African culture to have a way to visibly display their stories, characters, and cultures to the world. It is something that they can be proud of, especially in times of poverty and disease that are plaguing some of their nations.
I also thought the “Language” portion of this chapter was very interesting. According to this section, “by 2050, Mandarin Chinese” will be the most spoken language (pg. 375). This is intimidating, especially to a person such as myself that can barely converse in a language other than my own. To think that the whole world will switch from holding English as the standard to Mandarin Chinese is slightly daunting, especially when those two languages are extremely different. Also discussed in this section were hybrid languages, specifically languages mixed with English. I thought that this was very interesting because it is my own personal belief that languages are always changing and building off of one another. To read that some languages are being fused together only furthers this thought.
I feel as though there is so much that one can learn from other cultures, as well as one’s own. I believe that cultures are constantly growing off of and into one another and that all people need to accept diverse cultures.
Melis Agabigum
ReplyDeleteADP III-004
WC 3 Conserving Water p.187
12 October 2010
Water is a limited resource, even if it seems as though there is water everywhere. In the article, Conserving Water, efficient ways of conserving water is discussed. The main sections of the article included: Low-flow water fixtures, a Recycling Shower, and the reHOUSE/BATH.
The A&AD building has low-flow water fixtures. Initially, my reaction to them was filled with confusion and a bit of disgust. I was not exactly sure why we had to either pull the handle up or push it down in the bathroom, until I did some research. I discovered that so much water is wasted through the process of flushing a toilet. In the article, it states that: “we would save approximately 5.4 billion gallons of water per day” if we installed low-flow toilets into all households in the United States. If this technology is available and possible, why are we not mandating that all households switch to low-flow fixtures? With the improvements in technology, we are able to have the same strong spray in our showerheads, with less consumption of water. The same is applied to all our toilets; they flush the same, but use less water.
Peter Brewin’s invention, the Recycling Shower, is ingenious. The ability for an artist to develop a shower that recycles and reheats the water that it uses is not only inspiring, but gives me hope that I too, can create a piece of art that is helpful to the environment. Just like the low-flow fixtures, this conserves water, but at a higher level. Once again, I question why we are not using these kinds of showers if they are available to us. If we need to have the newest features on our cell-phones and computers, why are we not tempted to buy the newest features for our showers? We could change the way we live with a purchase like this, and help save the environment.
I hope to change the way that I go about using water. I plan on researching more thoroughly into the topic of low-flow fixtures, and one day invest in a low flow toilet and shower.
Eliana Gershon
ReplyDelete10/12 World Changing-pp. 296-299, ICT4D
This week I read about Internet, and how it is making its way around the globe. I probably access the internet around 10 times a day. I check my facebook 5 or 6 times, check my email 7 or 8 times a day, and even read a few blogs 2 or 3 times a day. Internet use is engrained into my life. It is part of my (and the majority of American 19-year-olds') daily routine. But when I took the time to consider what a daily routine might be like for a 19-year-old in Mali or Nepal, I realized that the Internet really is part of our culture more than anything else. Youtube views and "Likes" are things we appreciate and relish in. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it says a lot about the way we are wired to surround ourselves constantly with technology.
The people living in countries with very limited or no internet have a struggle just to use simple to computers. Even when organizations provide resources or computers to less privileged countries, they are still faced with the problem of illiteracy. How are you going to teach someone to type if they can't even write? In order to access the Internet, or use other forms of technology, many people are using recycled objects to conduct electricity and signals. Sometimes the computers themselves are made out of old recycled computer parts and other naturally found items. As I sit here on my fancy Macbook Pro, I can't help but wonder how many computers I could make with the money used to buy just one of these.
Space Solar Power, Collaboratively
ReplyDeleteThis article explained the potential of gathering solar power in space and sending the energy back down to earth via satellite. Estimations predict that one of these devices would gather enough energy to match that of all the known oil reserves on the Earth today. It also said that the discussion and interest in this topic among scientists has rapidly grown to include nearly two hundred collaborators contributing to a potential project to design such a program. Although this project is not in technical or professional hands at the moment and no great funding or measures are being taken to get it started, the interest and expertise are available to make it happen.
I hope that something like this gets started and finished in my lifetime, it sounds like a good solution to the energy crisis and an efficient means of gathering energy. However there must be something about it that isn’t as good as it sounds, or this project would be off the ground by now. As I understand and perceive it, this would save vast amounts of money in a very short time and if it was as good as it sounds I feel like it would be receiving funding or even would have been started. Perhaps in the near future the design will be worked out and we will be running on over %50 solar power.