Endearment

Noun

 A word or phrase that shows love or affection

Source: Merriam-Webster

*Little bit of spoiler if you haven’t read the reading yet!

I encountered this word from the reading expert, “Brooklyn was Mine” by Chris Knutsen and Valerie Steiker. I found this word from the third page of the reading, it intrigued me, because of the sound and the word “dear” caught my eyes. Since there was dear in the word, i thought it was some kind of word that “cares one another”. After using our reliable source Merriam-Webster, my thoughts and the definition matched. It definitely connects to the reading, because the main character who was talking about Lucy, explained in details how Lucy and her husband communicated each other after her husband left to join the navy. Her affection toward him was stronger than any other married wife, where she wrote to him every day.

Project #2: Including senses

My location I picked is great, because I never been to this place. When I first arrived near the location, it was beyond what I had in mind. The different views and the smell of the mixed cultured food overwhelmed my nose as I entered the corner of the Fulton Street when you make a right turn. It was nothing like what we see in Manhattan, Queens, or Bronx. After the walk, it made me comprehend that Brooklyn is a place where all the borough are collided together. Making a whole new mixed city that does not identify people nor their difference in social class and culture. What I noticed was some of the stores are old and new, the element of juxtaposition of the time makes us realize that old stores contrasts the new stores in was that we don’t see everyday. My photograph frames the location, because it explains the definition of juxtapose. My location and the store next to it was totally different to each other in value that it contrasts. Many stores on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, has variety of differences in each location. Everything depends on where you stand and arrive at a different place even though you only took a few steps. As if you are teleported to a different part of New York City.

Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovskijpg
Swarovski

Monotony

Noun

sameness of pitch or tone in a sound or utterance.

Source – Google Definitions

I encountered this word from Graphic Design Principles 1 when professor Spevack was teaching the lesson for today. I now understand that Monotony means something repeating. We are starting a new project and we are using a song to draw from, I now understand that this song will have a repeating beat that is the same.

The example of Monotony from class:

[Glossary Entry 3]

Sound Visualizations: Phase 1.

The song I chose is Locked Away by  R. City  ft. Adam Levine.

The song starts off smooth, then it went to a sharp beat, then a steady repeating beat. Then sharp again and back to smooth. I saw a curve line in the beginning and then it starts going zigzag and then it went back to a nice curved line. I also can see a strait line and then a spike in the middle when I hear the piano beat. I see small spikes and large spikes, depending in the beat. This song has rough, sharp and smooth flowing beats.

(Time spent on this phase – 20 Minutes)

Sound Visualizations: Phase 1

For my design for project #2, I found many repetition and patterns of squares and triangles. I was doing it intentionally, because I couldn’t think of anything else that represents staccato. Staccato is something that has the beat of fast and sharply detached or separated from others. Because of the sharply detached sounds from the song, it became more geometric than the legato deign. On other hand, legato is a smooth, calming note that has no breaks in between. Because of the long lasting flow to the music, it made the design more organic shaped. Another thing that I want to add is that some of the songs are not as easy to identify the beat of the music. Some of us had struggle when identifying the beat, which some changes during the course of music.

Music that I listened to: Here

I listened to this music while designing, because I liked the beat where it shows many examples for staccato. There is some parts of the song that are legato where it inspired me.

*Note, I might change 1 or 2 design due to my feelings for it. (Will update when I finish the new one)

Took me about hour each for legato and staccato

Staccato
Staccato
Legato
Legato

Summary “City Limits”

Colson Whitehead, whom is the author of the book “The Colossus of New York”, talks about how people view New York in their eyes opposed to others in the first chapter “City Limits”. In the first paragraph Whitehead is questioning the reader about how they have arrived to this city and with what intention. Whitehead talks about the different ways the city is advertised to other parts of the world and how this attracts people to the city, but to us who have been here do not see any of that glamour that the movies, TV shows, and music talk about. When I read the first paragraph I felt as if there was a fast pace to it since some sentences seemed longer than others. It reminded me of how some people here actually do speak pretty fast, and how our daily environment is rushed. He then starts talking about how the different experiences in New York build up memories and the way you see things. For example, if you came as a child, you  would probably not see the same things an adult would or perhaps not even feel the same way about it as they do. Whitehead then starts talking about how his New York looks like to him. How he can still see an old building that is now something completely different, not because he sees things but because he remembers it how it was and not for what it is now.He also talks about how even the places we moved from or rooms we have been in are our witnesses of the things we have done. He puts personification to the old apartments he has lived in. I also sensed maturity throughout the reading, because in the beginning he would talk a lot more ignorant about how people view things, but then starts talking about how that is what makes it unique to us and how we should not let anyone say different, not even facts.Whiteheads goal I believe is to encourage people to keep building their New York the way they want to, even if in the end it probably will never be the same.

Tenement

Noun

-” a large building that has apartments or rooms for rent and that is usually in a poorer part of a city”

Source: Merrian-Webster Dictionary

I stumbled across this word while brainstorming for our English project #2. As I was conducting research on Brooklyn’s housing, I came across an article that mentioned “NYCHA Housing is one of the city’s living quarters considered to be today’s Tenements.” At first I inferred that it meant secluded,  but upon looking up the word, I discovered it was actually old time slang for run down, lower class living quarters.