Albany Campbell

     My life does not involve any type of disability and because of that, it can be easy to overlook those who do struggle with a variety of disabilities. Or sometimes, it's easy to stare and forget that people with disabilities are just that, they are people. Their life is just as important as mine, but our lives are just unique in different ways.

Throughout high school and even some in college, I have had incredible opportunities to serve at events for students with disabilities. These times of serving others have been some of the most humbling and inspiring experiences of my life. Seeing a child run 100 meters on a track and cross the finish line beaming is the best experience… 100 meters of sprinting, that's something I often take for granted and complain about, but here are these kids being celebrated and feeling like the most important people ever, it's incredible. Because of experiences like helping with Special Olympics, I have learned that people with disabilities have so much to offer this world and it brings me so much joy being able to serve them in small ways.

Upon reading Dezeen recently, I found an article about Apple's proposition of adding emojis that represent some disabilities people experience, including people being in wheelchairs or using canes. I clicked on the link because the idea immediately grabbed my attention. It's not something I have ever thought of, but I use emojis every day and there are so many groups of people who are not being represented in the collection of available emojis. I love the idea of including people with disabilities in the list of many available emojis.

It's so easy to take life for granted and forget that everyone has a unique story and a unique purpose. I hope that all people no matter who they are, what they look like or how they think feel as if they are uniquely special. I think adding emojis to represent diverse populations will contribute to a sense of unity among humankind.

On September 11th, 2001, the lives of many were lost and the lives of all were changed. On a mundane morning, four tragic events occured as four planes crashed in to significant locations in the United States. The Pentagon was one of the scenes of such a tragic event, 184 people were killed, the youngest being 3 years old. 

Today, many people go to this sight to honor and remember the lives that were lost. Ms. Julie Beckman, one of the architects behind this memorial came to share the details behind the project, of overseeing the project and then finally seeing the project come to life. This project is one that allows the mind to imagine, there is no specific way to interpret it, to me, that is so neat. The thought that went in to the design was very intentional, yet the architects desired for every person to be able to experience the memorial differently. 

The use of symmetry in this project is fascinating. The way each bench is part of a timeline and the benches face different ways depending on where the victim was facing at the time of the crash is incredibly thought provoking. I have never been to this memorial, but I am confident I would never have noticed or understood the logic behind this memorial. Throughout this course, we've been talking about how architecture has so much to do with logic and how every person's mind works differently. Everything can be interpreted differently. Listening to Ms. Beckman speak challenged me to think about this beautiful place in a logical way, I hope to one day visit the memorial and create my own meaning of the memorial.

Images from: 

Write 1: 

"Everything about this kitchen way typical of a traditional

kitchen. There was nothing special about it. But perhaps it

was just the fact that it was so very much, so very naturally a

kitchen that has imprinted its memory indelibly on my mind."

This quote is so powerful and true in regard to the way we remember things. In the case of this particular quote, it's a kitchen, most likely one that is very similar to mine. It probably contains an oven and stove, refrigerator, and sink, perhaps even a dishwasher or garbage disposal. A kitchen seems like a universal thing, most being almost identical when you strip them down to their main purpose: being a place to prepare and make food. But, this is not just a kitchen to Zumthor, to him, this is a place that holds memories that remind him of his childhood. This could have been the place where he ate a snack after school with his siblings, or maybe he spent hours of his childhood washing dishes while listening to the nightly news on the radio or maybe this was the place where he learned why his parents always said, "don't touch the burners, they're hot."

Write 2:

Ten. It's the age I dreamed of as a child when I was at my babysitter's house every weekday. Growing up, I went to a babysitter's house every day, she was like a grandmother to me and every other child she watched served as an additional sibling in my life. My babysitter had all the toys you could imagine, most of which were classic toys that I probably would have never played with had it not been for my childhood days spent at her house. Some of these toys were of great worth and could easily be damaged by young children, these were the toys that were found in the basement. The basement was a rite of passage that we all looked forward to. We knew that when we turned 10, it would finally be our turn to hang out with the "big kids" in the basement.

Before I turned 10, all I knew of the basement was what I heard from the older kids. It was mysterious and exciting to me! I remember growing up asking questions about the basement, wondering what it would be like when it was finally my turn to go explore downstairs. I had built up an idea in my mind of this magical place and to this day, I still remember this space in the eyes of a young child who had only heard stories about the basement.

It turned out that the basement, like the kitchen in Zumthor's writing, was nothing special, it had concrete walls, lots of shelves made from plywood, rugs covering the concrete floor, a couple couches and a musty basement smell. But I spent hours upon hours in this basement as a kid. I made memories, I played with unique toys, completed homework and had some of the best times with my best childhood friends.

Someday, this basement will no longer belong to my babysitter and the next owners will never know of all the special things their basement witnessed. It will just be another basement, but to me, it's a normal space that holds some of my most precious memories.

Life seems very short. For some, life is filled with great adventures and joy, but for others, life is merely just existing. After life comes death. There are dozens of ideas about what life after death may look like, some believe in eternal life spent in heaven, some believe we are buried and simply forgotten and others believe that there is another phase of existence beyond the one we experience while alive on Earth.

In Cities & The Dead 3, Italo Calvino depicts life after death as a new existence underground. In great detail, he explains how people who loved their lives of Earth will continue to go on and do the same great things in their next life underground and for those who didn’t particularly care for life, they will be given a new reason for existence that will fulfill their desire to have purpose.

Calvino’s vision is interesting to me. In a way, it seems as if this underground world is free from misery, pain and suffering. It appears that everyone has a purpose and reason to celebrate. To me, Calvino’s imagery and seemingly perfect post-death living quarters seems like a world-based description of heaven. I have hope that there is more to life than just what we see in this world, it appears that Calvino shares that same hope, even if our visions are different. Ultimately, we can never really know what comes next until we are done with this life here on Earth, and for now, I am happy to be living life right where I am.

This image is how I envision Eusapia (Calvino’s city for the dead). I envision life looking very much as it does on Earth, just underground in the tunnels that have been created by all the people to pass before us. I imagine people continuing to go through death with a purpose every day; smiling and waving to everyone they pass with a friendly “how do you do?” The next season after life seems to be filled with new things to celebrate.

Image: 

“There is no language without deceit.” This statement struck me as powerful. Every language is so drastically different and every person interprets language in such unique ways. Even among people who speak the same language, there will be unintentional deceit and confusion because of different understandings of language. I found this particular quote at the end of Cities & Signs 4 to be interesting because as I read the passage, my idea of what was being portrayed changed. At first, I thought the author was visiting a castle, then he used the terms “convicts” and “suicides” making me think it was a jail or perhaps an asylum. I then quickly felt maybe it was actually a peaceful and pleasant place as I imagined looking out the window at a swing set in a garden.

Where is the author? An answer I will probably never know.  

The interesting thing is that this story is written in (or translated to) English, my native language, yet my interpretation of the story is most likely totally different than the interpretation of someone else. It’s interesting because that’s the reality of every single bit of language we come in contact with, it never means exactly the same thing to different people.

Unique.      Ordinary.      Beautiful.      cOmPlEx.      Simple.      diverse.     Meaningful.      Meaningless.

Language… it’s never without deceit.

Image: Patrick, Michael. Ayres Hall on Tennessee Campus. New Sentinel. 

Image: Olivia, S.M. Saturday Down South.

If you ask someone who is unfamiliar with the University of Tennessee what they know about UTK, you’ll probably hear something about orange and white checkerboards. It’s a tradition that has become known by people all over the country, even those who have little interest in college traditions. But ask someone familiar with the university and you’ll get a whole list of important traditions and symbols including Neyland Stadium and Ayres Hall, both of which have had significant roles in making the checkerboard tradition famous.

Both of these structures are unique and they are sure to catch your eye. Over the years, these structures have evolved, but they remain two beautiful structures on the campus that have been a symbol of the University of Tennessee for decades. Each structure was designed to serve a unique purpose but both structures welcome people to home sweet home every year.

Ayres Hall. A building named after a former university president is one filled with classrooms that have the most intricate designs. It’s the building that started the checkerboard tradition. And it’s the building that sings at the start of every hour.  This building hosts many students and educators every day. It is a quiet place where classes can be held, minds can be educated and dreams can be achieved. Ayres Hall stands tall, looking out over the campus, reminding every passerby that thousands of students have been a part of using its historic facilities.