Hi Class,

In reference to our discussion on Tuesday:

Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts – artworks, expressing the author’s imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. In their most general form these activities include the production of works of art, the criticism of art, the study of the history of art, and the aesthetic dissemination of art.

The oldest form of art are visual arts, which include creation of images or objects in fields including painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and other visual media. Architecture is often included as one of the visual arts; however, like the decorative arts, it involves the creation of objects where the practical considerations of use are essential—in a way that they usually are not in a painting, for example. Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature and other media such as interactive media, are included in a broader definition of art or the arts. Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences. In modern usage after the 17th century, where aesthetic considerations are paramount, the fine arts are separated and distinguished from acquired skills in general, such as the decorative or applied arts. (Wikipedia)

Further questions:

1. What is a photograph?

2. Why do we take, keep, share, and discard photographs?

3. How should we make sense of photographs? What methods can we use to understand photos better?

We will learn several ways to read and make sense of photos. Below are some specific terms that will be important for Essay 2.

The French sociologist and critic Roland Barthes wrote about photography, and he came up with several useful terms for studying photographs.

1. Studium: The studium of a photograph is the public and historical background of a photo. The studium is context and it is the general understanding. The studium of a photo must be visible, and it is the cultural reading of the faces, the gestures, the buildings, the actions within a photo.

2. Punctum: The punctum of a photograph is highly individual, not public. The punctum pierces the viewer in a particular way. The punctum, which must be visible, pierces the viewer like a arrow, raising certain individual memories and consciousnesses to the surface. The punctum bruises me but not you. The punctum is about loving, while the studium is about liking.

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Homework for Tuesday, March 8: Take a few photos and chose one that has a geometric composition. Post that photograph (make sure that the image size is under 1 Mb) that you have taken to our OpenLab site then describe it under the photo in terms of subject, setting, light, color, and any filter you used. Make sure to proof and edit your writing because this is a public site!

As Spring nears in the north walking down the same avenue I spent 10+ years of my life at. It’s always those subtle moments when I’m standing outside and I reminisce on how differently my life seems to be now than it was then. As an 8 year old ten years ago I was looking at the same thing thinking where I would be in the near future.  An ambitious yet underachieving youth, I never knew where I could be. This photo is a reminder of how life can change but life’s trials and tribulations will be never end, though my future isn’t definite I’ve learned to live with all possibilities, yet doing things to somewhat navigate my life toward what would be my ideal dream career. My avenue is just a constant reminder to move forward take what life gives you and to take advantage until I’m satisfied I cannot control where I go in life but I can enjoy my time for now and live life in the present not the future.

Here I am holding a cheeseburger on slice bread instead of a burger bun.

This photo was taken right before I had taken a bite of his homemade cheeseburger.

The cheese is freshly yellow and melted.

The cheeseburger is made well done you can see some burnt marks on it.

The potato slice bread came straight out the bread bag because it is not toasted.

As you look closely you can see i’m one handing the cheeseburger.

Notice how I am not sitting while eating the cheeseburger, I’m standing up.

My feet is covered up in lime green polo socks.

I’m actually standing up in my kitchen.

I have the light on in the kitchen.

My hallway light is in this photo as well on my left side.

I’m in front of my microwave.

I have a plate to place my burger down on and a napkin to clean my hands.

Ahh man I forgot to put the ketchup on the cheeseburger.

The mural is a creation of FAILE, a Brooklyn-based artistic collaboration between Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller. The mural is located in New York, Manhattan 44th and 8th avenue. The context in the photo is represented by a mural on right side of a building. The mural is placed on the top of the wall and it has different drawings, words, phrases, and abstract figures. Each drawing represents different subjects. The drawings don’t have any relation between each other. On the top right hand of the picture is the drawing of roses that overlap between each other. Then, behind the roses is the drawing of the face of a woman that is covering her face with her hand. The woman’s skin color is light green and her hair is red, also she has placed flowers on the left side of her hair, also she is wearing a pink ring in the ring finger. Then is the drawing of a pink rose and the word “FAILE” , also lie down is the figure of a ballerina. On the right-side bottom is the drawing of a personas with head of elephant, it looks similar to the deity Hindu Ganesha but like a modern version. On the top left side are some words in colors blue, white, and pink. Next to those words we can found the drawing of a happy woman jumping, while she is holding an umbrella that it’s on fire; the kid on the window is watching the woman inexpressive. Then we can see many different abstract figures like rectangles in colors pink, black, light blue, and light purple. Horizontally we can see different words and phrases, such as “TRUE”, “AMERICAN EDUCATION”, “NEW YORK INVASION”, “BUILD YOUR OWN FUTURE”. Vertically we can see the two phrases “EL ESPEJO DEL ALMA” in color pink and blue, and “Journey to Other Lands” in color blue. On bottom left side is the drawing of a red car that and have lines and number all over it. On the corner of the left side we can see the words “My sin” and a figure of a woman up to the waist, then the woman’s body is represented by a tie. The figures join together and form an ambiguous figure haft woman haft tie. The tie has diagonal lines in colors pink, blue and red. It’s a colorful and enigmatic mural that express different ideas. It’s expressive mural that can call your attention from everywhere. This painting gave me feelings of calm and happiness, for the variety of bright colors that it has. The building has windows all over, even though the Windows do not interrupt the graffiti.

The national society of leadership and success snack corner consists of a space for free delivery of food. As it is stated feed your body and feed your mind which means that when your body is feed, your mind function. The picture was taken at NYCCT on the 5th floor Namn Hall. The picture is next to the Muslim prayer room. The National society of leadership and success also help and motivate student like me to achieve our goals. They also help you with any questions needed also they help you fell confident about creating ideas for the organization.

Brooklyn, Dumbo March 2017

This photo was taken on February 28, 2017. Every Tuesday me and my friends would meet up and would just walk to different places. On the 28th of February we ended up walking toward Dumbo in Brooklyn. This photo took place by Jane Carousel, it had a beautiful view of both Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. It was also a little bit foggy. Across the East River my friends and I were able to see Manhattan with all the building lights on and the FDR Drive. Just us sitting on the rocks, listening to the small waves of water and watching the beautiful view of Manhattan was just so relaxing, it help us clear our minds .

This is a picture of my friend touring around Brooklyn Bridge,On March 2nd at 1:53pm.

This is a picture of a Brooklyn Bridge. We were just touring around the Adam st in our lunch break. While we were just walking around the block we found a way to get to Brooklyn Bridge. This was my third trip to Brooklyn Bridge. When you visit a new place Without a plan or you just visit the place on your way or on your free time it is different kind of enjoyment that you get and you get really excited to take lot of pictures. People all around the world comes to New York City to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It is a free tour by foot.

There is an amazing sight to behold and that’s this Pringle. It’s a special snack that I like to carry around with me when I want to eat it wherever I go.

Toke a picture of one of my favorite snacks in a class room. March 6, 2017.

It’s a red cylinder with a picture of a man with a brown mustache. The Pringle is a chip classic that everybody knows in my neighborhood. Just looking at the inside of the cylinder makes you wonder, “How many chips can I eat until I reach the bottom?” I will always admire the golden color of the chips.