Pecha Kucha - Time-Based Art by Justin Hoover

Time-Based Art

By Justin Hoover

Justin Hoover has an interesting Pecha Kucha overall. He flowed very nicely from slide to slide and had lots to say about each image he shared. His idea of "time-based art" is uniquely explained with each picture to make it sound much cooler than it looks at the first glance.

To improve, Justin could have gotten to the point a little faster than he did, but it's easy to understand as he had a lot to share. His artwork was very modernized and unique. For example, he went into depth of a photo of a chess game played with ice chunks. The game can only be played within the amount of time that the ice remains frozen. Justin explains this quickly, but could easily get to the point in order to not lag as his presentation moves on.

The presentation was entertaining as a whole. It's an interesting topic to share his perspective on, and well put-together. Watching this Pecha Kucha makes me feel better about mine as I figure out what I want to share with the class. I feel like I will be able to successfully fill 10 slides with information on the old tradition of foot-binding in China.

Chinese Research: Foot-binding

There's a lot more behind the old tradition of foot-binding than a lot of people think. First off, foot-binding started off in the Song Dynasty (era of Chinese history beginning in 960 A.D.) and lasted up until the mid-1900's. It was a tradition that would involve young girls making their feet smaller than they should be. This tradition was viewed as a standard of beauty back then, just as girls wear make-up in modern American times. Taylor from Qingdao University shared her terrible views of foot-binding and stated that the tradition was finally abolished by the National Republic of China.


Foot-binding is the process of making your feet into "3-inch lotus feet." It's a very brutal process that calls for extra maintenance. The feet can easily be infected, so nail clipping, frequent washing, massage, and the removal of dead skin was the norm. The process begins by soaking the feet of a young girl, usually between 2-5 years old, in a warm mixture of animal blood and herbs. A massage would follow the brew soak in order to relax the muscles in the foot so they can easily be rearranged. Toes are curled and pressed into the a sole until broken. The arches would eventually break, and warm cloth strips, which were soaked in the brew of blood and herbs, were wrapped to hold the toes against the sole of the foot. They were sewn in a way that would prevent the girls from taking the wraps off. Once sewn, the girl would be ordered to stand so the pressure would press them into the soles even more. See this article for more information on the process.


Foot-binding was mainly a symbol for wealth and luxury. The smaller feet you had, the more likely you were to get a great husband. This symbol eventually lost meaning, as lower classes began imitating the rich. The extremely poor were the only ones who didn't participate in the process, not because they didn't want to, but because of the lack of money and supplies. Though the tradition was outlawed in 1911, lotus shoes were still being manufactured until the 1900's as antiques. Due to complaints, all lotus shoes were removed from displays and shelves all over the world.

I chose this research topic because I found it super interesting how far women would go just to make themselves "beautiful," based on the standards of their culture. I heard of foot-binding in Asian Studies class during my junior year of high school. We didn't really go into depth unfortunately, which has motivated me to look more into this tradition. I personally believe that it was ethically wrong, but I am not one to judge their standards. It's understandable that they would view beauty in such a way, but I do not necessarily agree with the extreme precautions they practiced.

Works Cited:

Tan, Melissa. "Painful beauty how lotus feet are made." New Moon Girls May-June 2012: 22+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

"Footwear of Early Asian Cultures." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear Through the Ages. Ed. Sara Pendergast, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Early Cultures Across the Globe. Detroit: UXL, 2013. 237-243. Student Resources in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Face to Face Response

Fear

Anjum Mir does a great job of speaking about her fear in an unbiased manner. She expresses her fear for others' reactions to her and her child since they were Muslim. After 9/11, waiting a week to go in public with her child was necessary in lots of ways. She understood that she should not put her child in a position where he should be discriminated against at a young and innocent age. She was understanding to the natural reaction from Americans, which is a big part of overcoming her fear. Although our country should not be this way, it is. All Americans are just that, and to be discriminated against for being different, especially being allowed by the constitution, is wrong.

Anger

Muslim-Americans have the right to be angry for many reasons. People from their country had attacked the U.S. in the name of Islam, which put out a bad reputation for many Muslims. Muslim-Americans these days are almost forced to validate themselves in a way to make them appear to be safe in the eyes of concerned Americans. It isn't fair to them since they had no part in what was going on. Although it's natural to wonder "what if," it just isn't right. Americans have a right to want to defend their homeland, but we should also open our eyes and recognize that just because someone comes from a certain place or heritage, doesn't mean that they have the same negative intentions as their ancestors.

Reading Response #4 - Burned

Burned

Ellen Hopkins

This photo relates to how Pattyn is feeling in terms
of her relationship with her father
and her life as a whole: lost, alone, misunderstood. 

Two weeks later, Ellen Hopkins still has me turning the pages of this amazing story. Pattyn, the main character, continues to question her place in this world as the book goes on. As her father's anger towards her not-so-religious decisions progresses, so does her curiosity about where she belongs in this world. As every little thing begins to set Pattyn off, it gets harder and harder for her to control her emotions. Bishop Crandall reports to their household to talk with Pattyn about her recent rebellious behavior which includes getting caught fooling around in the woods with a boy who isn't of her religion and breaking a window after seeing that same boy with a new girl. Pattyn just doesn't understand, Bishop Crandall addresses her parents' worry, and Pattyn snaps right back at Bishop by telling him to "put his advice where his toilet paper sticks."

Soon after Bishop tells her to apologize, she learns her mother is pregnant with another child, except this time, it's a boy. With Pattyn being such a rebel, she is sent off to her Aunt Jeanette's, also her father's sister who hasn't spoken to him in years. She understands that she is causing great stress to her family now, and she accepts the fact she needs to get away from them. Could this be a good experience for her? Will Aunt Jeanette provide her with a better life, or will she begin to question her spot in this world even more now that her father has ridden her? 

"I Didn't Want to Go

But they played the guilt card,

Which gave me no choice. I did feel

guilty

about lying to get my way,

guilty

about almost giving my virginity away 

to someone who didn't deserve it,

guilty

about the things we'd done instead,

guiltier

about broken windows, broken noses.

And should I somehow make Mom

lose

her baby, I would forever

lose

every inch of self-respect,

lose

every ounce of my newfound belief

that I wasn't born to be a

loser.

So I agreed to a road trip across Foreverland.

With my dad at the wheel."

(page 170)

This poem emphasizes Pattyn's understanding that she just doesn't belong at home right now. Something needs to change, and she sees that. Even though she just wants her father to accept her and love her as her oldest daughter, she realizes that her father has demons he's fighting with his alcoholism. 

Reading Response #3 - Burned

Burned

By Ellen Hopkins

If you have been reading my last book response posts, you will notice that I have changed books. I recently abandoned the book Breaking Beautiful due to the school only letting you have the book for 2 weeks. I could have kept it, but the more I read, the more I didn't want to anymore. Burned by Ellen Hopkins is my current read, and let me just say that I couldn't have chosen a better book at random than this one.



 

 

Burned is about a young Mormon girl named Pattyn Von Stratten. Pattyn grows up in a house with 

6 sisters and her parents, who hardly ever communicate. Her father is an alcoholic who is a walking nightmare once evening hits.  Church is an awkward priority to this family every week, due to everyone knowing their family issues without stating them. Her mother is a careless one, not working a job or changing her girls' diapers - that was Pattyn's job. Pattyn has been tied down to such a time consuming lifestyle playing "mom" to her 6 younger sisters, going to church, cooking and hardly ever having time for friends who have faded away as she grows up. One night she is faced with a sex dream that makes her question her religion and lifestyle as a whole. Is she pure? Does God control her dreams? The following poem is one she included in her book as the thoughts of Pattyn. It stands for her struggles and what she goes through.

 

 

 

"Brother Prior is an idiot. And I'm

supposed to swallow his garbage

like it doesn't even taste bad.

Well, it stinks! Ask him about

Joseph Smith, he can recite

an entire oral history.

Ask him about dreams,

he pretends like he doesn't have them.

Ask him about God. . .

 

I'm not sure he even believes

God exists.

 

Do I?

Does Mom?

 

Does Dad? I mean, really?

I know his past haunts him.

But if he truly believes

he and God are brothers,

meant to live together

in the Great Beyond,

can't he ask for a hand,

a way to silence his ghosts,

without Johnnie WB?

Or is his drinking sin

enough to make his Heavenly

Sibling turn His back?"

(page 40-41)

 

Ellen Hopkins has a magical way of putting this story together. She writes in poems, page by page, that literally keeps you turning until you fall asleep with your face in the book. Yes, this happened to me the day after I checked it out from the library. Her poems are always written in a different style than the last page's poem. Sometimes they are even shaped like what she is talking about. For example, she mentioned spaghetti on page 59. She wrote the lines of the poems as if they were stringy, flexible spaghetti noodles. I appreciate her writing style. It stands out from the standard chapter book just because it causes the book to flow a whole lot easier. Hopkins makes events flow into feelings in the most perfect way. The flow is just unlike any other author I have ever read.

 



Reading Response 2 - 9/26/14

Breaking Beautiful

 

This book has continued to keep me flipping pages since 2 weeks ago. Allie Davis has returned to school after her accident, and she's running into a lot of difficult situations. Her ex best friend, Blake, isn't really acknowledging the fact that she's back. Since she has arrived, she has been hanging out with the girls she has never pictured herself with. Trip's ex girlfriend, Hannah. Allie feels as if she's just taking what she can get.

 

"I sit with Hannah and her crowd every day at lunch. Not really by choice. Hannah walks me from class to the lunchroom so I'm stuck. From the outside it might look like I'm part of their group now, but they don't voluntarily include me in their conversation and I don't speak up. I'm more of an extra chair at the table."

 

 

Every page I turn, I know that whatever I read next will be unexpected. Jennifer Shaw Wolf has written this book in a way that makes you want to keep guessing until the last page. I'm not even halfway through to book, and her writing style has become very clear to me. The predicaments Allie puts herself in are quite wild. 

 

 

For example, Allie's dad asks her to run to the grocery store after school, allowing her to drive herself in his truck. He gives her money and lets her know that he expects change later that night. Allie was instructed to pick her father up at a specific time. Allie gets to school and accidentally runs into Trip's parents on her way in. She is left in shock and heads back to the truck. She drives nearly 3 hours on the highway and realizes she needs to fill her dad's truck with gas - with the grocery money. What would her dad think if he knew she just drove off while supposed to be in school? What does she do to get the grocery money back that she has had no choice but to spend? She'll find some wild way, but Jennifer Shaw Wolf will keep you guessing until you get there. Such an intense situation for such a young girl, but Allie is sure to figure it out for herself.

 



Reading Response 1: Breaking Beautiful

 

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw is a compelling story of a young girl who suffers a great loss. The main Character, Allie Davis, is in a tragic car accident that she just can't seem to remember.. At least that's what she's saying. She loses her boyfriend Trip in the accident and now only pictures and few memories of the end are what is keeping her glued in her bed. She hasn't returned to school yet and is now afraid that being questioned yet AGAIN is in the near future. She isn't interested in talking about it-does she have a secret to hide?

The author adds a bit of mystery in the story as you wonder what caused the accident. Introducing the characters after the accident has already happened makes for anticipation to keep reading.

"More questions? Things I can't answer. Things I don't remember. Things I don't want to remember, I was too sick, too hurt before. Everyone felt sorry or me. But now..."

The way Jennifer Shaw expresses the Character of Allie makes the audience wonder. Was she in love? Was she in a healthy relationship? The only way to find out is to keep reading, and the author has made this easy.

As she deals with all of her grief and personal issues, she comes back into reality of what she had before her relationship with Trip. It's Blake. Her best friend in the whole world, her first kiss, and now an awkward relationship that leaves him with nothing but empathy for her. She is mixed up with all of the realities she has experienced since she was last his true best friend. Trip and Blake weren't apart of the same group, and now that Trip is gone, Blake is stepping up to the plate and bringing Allie her school work. She's seeing him routinely, wondering what he's thinking. What will happen between the two of them? I'm so excited to find out as I keep falling in love with the story.

101 Things About Me

• My full name is Victoria Lynn Adams. I was named after my aunt who died at birth.
• I have lived in the same home all my life.
• I have 1 older brother who is 3 years older than me.
• I love dogs, but I hate cats.... with a passion. Unless it's a kitten, which makes it slightly acceptable.
• I want to be an accountant.
• Lana Del Rey is my home girl.
• I work at Pizza Hut as a waitress.
• I love making friends and having a good time.
• I come off as rude often, but I really am nice... I promise..
• I could eat fried chicken every day of my life.
• I like to skateboard in my free time to help relieve stress.
• I can't wait to fall in love with the RIGHT person who is just as down for me as I am for them.
• I sometimes get my friends free pizza. If you are one of those people, there's a special place in my heart for you.
• I sing really loud and obnoxiously in my car.
• I have a serious road rage problem.
• I just learned that we have to read everyone's blog and comment on everyone's.... I don't want to do that.
• I'm sure you don't either.
• I like the color purple.
• I am really looking forward to season 3 of OITNB.
• I once caught a fish that was 150 lbs on a charter boat in Kodiak, Alaska.