Stage III Assemblage Testimony
Project: “MemeMorial”
M 17-Nov Read/discuss: E.M. Chp. 5 “Formless Emblems (Testimonial)”
- Discussion leaders:
→ 028: Jenna | 034: Dave
- Activity/Discuss: toward MemeMorial testimonial — project focus & disaster (method)
W 19-Nov Read/discuss: E.M. Chp. 6 “The Agency of the Image (Upsilon Alarm)”
- Discussion leaders:
→ 028: Whitney | 034: Luke & Colin
- Focus/Discuss: assemblage testimony (choragraphy) — event-disaster as figure (image category)
» Blog Entry: discuss project focus + specific concept (connect key point) — use/reference network witness update
- classmate comment optional; suggest — respond to classmate’s entry in terms of praxis (applied theory),
MEmorial testimonial (assemblage), regarding key point from chp 5 and/or 6 (also could discuss her/his idea in context: EmerAgency consulting, collective unconscious/blindspot, disaster-event as figure, “choragraphy” [think-write paradigm], etc.)
- Reminder: propose by 21-Nov to present at PWR Diversity Conference
— Group EmerAgency Net-Work (project 2) would make for great presentation/panel!
“Proposals can be from any discipline and in any genre – narrative, analysis, multimedia, etc.
*Preference will be given to proposals that involve digital technology* 100 word abstracts“
F 21-Nov » Due Exercise (prompt 4 or prompt 5)
- View/Discuss: Logorama (2009) + other media/culture examples (posted by students)
- Discussion leaders:
→ 028: Alex | 034: Chelsey & Shelby
- Discussion leaders:
- » Reminder: compose optional exercise for extra credit over break
(choose either ex 4/5 or optional prompt)
FORMLESS EMBLEMS (TESTIMONIAL)
Formless Value-Page 132: “Formless gives access to the abandoned, neglected modern sacred, and the MEmorial follows up by articulating the unacknowledged values to be found at this level of experience”
“Kindertitenlieder”—Page 134: “A first step of a Memorial is to notice an abject loss that the community acknowledges is a problem but that is not accepted as a sacrifice on behalf of a belief or value structuring a group subject… The Memorial addresses abjection in both individual and national identity, having to do with a lack of fit, a certain disparity between the two sides of what is compared in an identity condition”
Sublime Abuse—BLINDNESS
• Page 136—“The purpose of a Memorial is to witness and testify regarding the event of a public problem, to shift it from the private, individual status of one at a time, each case in isolation, to a cumulative public status of sacrifice on behalf of an unrepresented national value. A Memorial attempts to bring such abject losses to the attention of the public without transporting them into abstractions or ideals”
• Page 137—Testimonial (mystory applied to a public policy issue) dramatizes the blindness… names a feeling that the Memorial exposes, externalizes, articulates”
**Through composition of an individuals story that reflects the collective value, a testimony states what we (the collective) are overlooking
Pulsation—Page 140 “a MEmorial is a cartography of ATH, tracing the paths joining symptom of a value (until it is given collective recognition as such) there is no hope of altering the behavior. The goal of cumulative Memorials is collective self-knowledge. In the testimony, the maker gives evidence, testifies to the ethical experience, the feeling of duty that abuses me (if it does). My identification with (recognition of) this disaster outside me as a fractal measure of the disaster within makes writable the category of justice, and is the point of departure for an electrate postnational identity”.
Ch. 5 Notes:
This chapter mainly talks about MEmorial as an event and how it is valued in a specific way or by certain people. We need to determine what we are “overlooking” in our event and why some events are not gained by a collective status. We need to link individual isolated incidents with a collective perspective. Events need to have this group affect and influence in order to gain the acknowledgement that this event may need in order to “stand out.” We don’t need to convince the community that an event is happening but instead show the value of the topic.
Chapter 6
–Y as idea or eidos, shape
–Enstasis: a dialectical procedure in aristotle’s logic by which one adduces a counter expample to refute a claim of universality for a rule.
–Egency: an institutional entity created to organize the MEmorial program withing a virtual consultancy.
–The image of the Y from the challenger
-“A graphic depictions of vast power gone berserk… seen by millions and inspiring one” (156)
–What does “Y” spell?
–The question of why the preventable tragedies were allowed
-”These deaths are a sacrifice made on the behalf of American national identity” (157)
–Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpsons’ attempt to help was $incere
–The wish switch
–What is the trajectory of pain through me?
–the idea that tragedies define society
-“I don’t explain Bradley’s abuse, it explains me”
Pg. 147 ” I am thinking not about Bradley McGee but with him.“
– Get a sense of mood or feeling rather than thinking about the situation
– Transitioning from thinking to feeling
Agency
The letter Shape of Y
– ‘Y’ produces meaning effects in the collective beyond intent, without understanding, without individual consciousness
– Every disaster for every person raises the question “why“
– The question of why the preventable tragedies were allowed
-”These deaths are a sacrifice made on the behalf of American national identity” (157)
○ Ex: Michael Jackson and O.J Simpson
Egency
– “institutional entity created to organize the Memorial program within a virtual consultancy“
From text to felt
To define a thing (bestimmen) is made possible by attunement (stimmung) of state of mind through mood.
MEmorial: does not define or analyze the disaster, rather it discovers its mood.
–Can be discovered by looking at reaction of people online, as well as your own reaction to it
–Addresses gap between the disaster, and the ability of the public to respond (not the government, necessarily)
–Does not offer a reason for the disaster, but a hypothesis of why societal values allow the disaster to reoccur
The basic act of MEmorializing: accept an event — any event that I recognize (that looks at me) — as the vehicle in a figure whose tenor is soul, subject, spirit. Explore the properties of psyche by means of the inventory of attributes — accidents– available in the vehicle. Learn everything about this event as a provisional container that permits the feeling of Being to come to awareness. Compare these attributes with those produced by other online. Negotiate. Are we enraged today?
Ch. 6 Notes:
This chapter talks about this pattern effect and gathering effect and the “mood of the disaster.” If there is a collective status toward a certain situation the mood might be that they agree or disagree toward the MEmorial presented. We need concrete details to conduct the mood and spirit of the event. We need to make this event visible to the public by displaying these sensory details to convey what is happening.
Ideals of Society: things that we accept as a whole as okay even though we know they are morally wrong
The interaction between the two cop Michelin men: the boss cop used a lot of profanity and was rude and demanding of his fellow cop/understudy. Stereotypes of cops: rude, eat a lot of junk (“salad and water” walks out with soda and fries”), are allowed to break the law without repercussions (crashing into other car– “he was in my lane”). Seen again when they run over the MandM characters without batting and eye
The Pringles face: the Stigma of the “pedo stache” any many who has a mustache like that is some sort of crazed, sex-focused many”. maybe less directly related to the idea of lost innocence– I relate the idea of pringles to childhood and fun family events and by making him slap a “woman’s ass” its tearing that innocence away from me.
The waitress: I’m not sure what brand she represents, but it refers to the stereotype of all waitresses are sluts/ bad girls who smock cigarettes and flaunt there bodies. “the way she says “oh my christ” makes her sound dainty and fragile. The reason they have her commenting on the crash scene makes her involved/interested in the drama.
The little boys: always getting into trouble– relates directly to my concept of public education reform– stigma that little boys are rambunctious and look for trouble to cause “look at all the guns, we need to get ourselves one of those” also in the zoo
Ronald McDonald: holding the little boy hostage– fast food is the cause of childhood obesity
The earthquake and specifically the fall of Ronald McDonald– represent the fall of the effectiveness of advertising and logos because of the information overload. There are so many different symbols and emblems saturating the current society that they are no longer holding the attention of the population/becoming irrelevant. The advertising game needs to take a major step up if it wants to maintain the effectiveness.
Some thoughts on “Logorama” and how it connects to the text.
From chapter six we have the “mood of disaster.” In Logorama it seems that there are two disasters. The disaster of the prevalence of advertising, and the fact that we accept this domination of advertising in our world.
The mood of these disasters is totally overwhelming. Everything from the buildings, to characters, to cars and guns are all some sort of logo.
Not necessarily related to the text, but there was also a good bit of symbolism in Logorama. The most striking was Ronald McDonald taking the kid hostage. It seems to be a commentary on the state of fast food and convenience on children.
A little race comment too, int’s interesting that only the “black” cop gets shot. With a little stretch you could see that as Ronald and corporations in general targeting minorities.