#danielharding

Georges Perec , was a French novelist, filmmaker, documentarist, and essayist . Perec is a great storyteller and a wry humorist. There is always a point in reading his work. But the sense that these narratives are going nowhere, or chasing themselves around into oblivion, is the aesthetic that lies behind almost everything he wrote. He wrote plays, poetry, essays, film-scripts, opera librettos, and may other texts which confound traditional generic categories.    ’The Street’, it is a chapter from the book ’Species from spaces’ beautifully expressed by Georges. This chapter portrays the lightest of touch, making things seem vibrant on the streets that we tend to ignore. Perec proves through his writing about his ‘not so ordinary ’ sight .Behind all the lightness and humor, there is also the sadness of a French Jewish boy who lost his parents in the Second world war and found comfort in the material world around him,  and above all in writing.   This chapter very much gives you the sense of balance or correlation with the surrounding around you. It describes the gutter, the pavements, the relation or the bonding between people passing by, street lights, construction of buildings, homes of people etc. There were a few eye catching lines which made the text more readable and less dull ;  for example , “ two blind people , holding one another by arm “ . This statement shows how Perec is being able to feel the bond between two blind people or rather he is able to describe relation between two people as he lost his loved ones at a very young age.   He tends to write what is of no interest, what is most obvious, most common, most colorless… shops, gutter , building, payments, etc. he makes e an effort to exhaust the subject, even if that seems grotesque, or pointless, or stupid. If we still haven’t looked at anything, we’ve merely picked out what we’ve long ago picked out. Which changed my perspective of observing my surroundings.   “Nothing other than the record of a threefold experience of ageing : of the places themselves , of my memories , and of my writing . “

Brett Martin is a journalist and author. His latest book, Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution, From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad, was published in July 2013. This extract is taken from ‘Video games and art’ written and editing by Andy Clarke and Grethe Mitchell .

This extract argues whether to consider video games as an art or no . While the medium of video games being as art is still relatively new , there does not appear to be a heavy controversy around the issue. Video game has evolved over the decades from a purely technical definition to a general concept defining a new class of interactive entertainment.

In the first half of the reading Brett talks about Oscar Rejlander who argued that photography was art . Criticism of Rejlander’s photography came from all sides and voices.though photography is regraded as art today , other mediums have shared the same fate as early photography and so has video games .

Brett mainly focuses on how the art world has a hard time accepting to the new medium and how the controversies arise with every piece across history .Many gamers , themselves argue regarding several games being considered as art.for example Madden Football . Games compile all of the art world’s tools into one medium ; Drawing, Painting , sculpting , design , architecture, creative writing, computer and video art and acting all come together to create video games. But this brings up an argument for the society that despite the interactive element allowing players to control and manipulate the game’s environment while creating an ethereal experience from playing, it fails to convey emotional complexity art demands because video games only simulate humans.  

Aside from all the arguments , we conclude that it is sure to receive criticism and  praises even  before the purpose is clear to the society. The public should not let a new medium frighten them. Video games are still not completely accepted as a form of ‘art’ due to all the hindrances this new technology has faced but this issue has indeed reduced over the years, as videogames have gained worldwide popularity.

The most interesting part in the reading is that every negative aspect as a positive argument to it. For example violent movies and violent games are known as ‘ healthy ways’ of releasing anger and frustration. Yes, I would recommend this reading to class as budding graphic designers we need to have knowledge about the philosophy of the society during every new era . 

“Few artists make video games for the aesthetic , but thousands of artists creating video games want to establish something more than the next big game that will sell” 

‘Home-Territory and identity’ is written by J. Macgregor Wise, who  is a Professor of Communication Studies at Arizona State University, USA, where he writes and teaches about cultural studies of technology, globalization, and surveillance. This extract is from  a book called ‘Cultural Studies’.

‘It was not the space itself, not the house, but the way of inhabiting it that made it a home …’ . This statement is taken from the reading , it  describes about home not only being ‘ a collection of milieus’ but ‘it is a territory and expression ‘. One may agree that home is not limited to just final objects being unpacked and arranged but also the feeling associated with it but likewise it is also the presence, habits , effects of spouses,  children, parents and companions.  Our home is the creation of a space of comfort, made with boards and beams but described in many other ways. Wise, further  explores concepts of culture, territory and identity in order to give us , students a new perspective on the idea of home.

There were many interesting parts in this whole reading , ‘ what is most important  for the milieu is the effect of the object rather than the object itself,…..,drawing around oneself an expressive space from a variety of markers and milieus ‘ conveying the message that home had always in one way or another been open ; constructed out of moment ,source of communication , way for social relation etc  . Another interesting part about this text was ‘ Home is not a static place. “ One can never step into the same river twice,” as they say. Home is always movement (even if we never move, if we spend our whole life in the same room.) . However , I feel that home isn’t just a  thread,or  a line ;  it the  point. It is either an originary point to which we may return, or an end point to which we will eventually arrive. We are always in between.

The reading indeed was very captivating as it takes us on a journey through emotions, personal space , culture ,homemaking , habit and nomad  . I would strongly recommend this reading to my class as this text as this makes us realize how things are inextricably linked to each other and how home and identity are both product of territorializing forces.

“The process of homemaking is a cultural one. ”