week 4

Readings

Artifacts and the Meaning of Things

This article provided a very intuitive insight on our identification with the material objects in our life. It mentions that out of all the material objects that permeate reality, it is difficult to distinguish between a natural world and an artificial one. In response, I would like to state that yes, it is true that everything around us has been modified, but I don’t think a classification of natural vs unnatural is necessary as human beings are still natural beings, therefore our production and cultural output is still among a natural process, no matter how modern it may appear.

A main topic introduced by this text is the relationship between how we order things and how we are ordered by things. According to the article, we order things by comparing them to the aesthetic contrast between other things, such as seeing an example of old world architecture and identifying it as significant because it stands out from its modern surroundings. It also states that many meanings can only be determined when viewed in opposition to other societies. I fully agree as studying abroad has allowed me to understand so many cultural facets framed around material objects that I would have taken as entirely universal. However, I believe the ordering of things should be done by general appreciation for their usage and aesthetic.

Considering how we are ordered by things, this is the concern that the material world can shape how we are ordered by our beliefs and how the objects around us have power in ordering us. One example I thought of is the interior aesthetic of a restaurant. We may feel more or less compelled to eat somewhere based on how the restaurant’s material design establishes it as a place of cheap eats, or fine dining. I think this example can be directly related to the article’s mentioning of how certain material goods signify wealth or status.

I think the interchangeability of being ordered by things and ordering things is the most important to understand. As in the past, people have created artifacts to embody the principles that they believed in. Today, it is these principles that are dictated by the artifacts that allow people to understand the world in accordance to their belief’s and structures. Then, if somebody doesn’t want to follow the status quo, they may dictate a new meaning for an artifact. Therefore, I believe this is a cyclical process of materialistic labeling and ordering.

It is beautifully stated that artifacts are “embodiments of cultural code”. Especially monuments, which are “artifacts with a purpose to transcend generations”.

In the end, these ideas are all going to change due to new information being received as well as cultural meanings simply being forgotten over time. The most important takeaway from this article is not to take the meaning of the material world too seriously as it is such a dynamic structure of meaning and opportunity. The same way it provides us meaning, we can also give meaning to it, so use that opportunity well.

The Story of the Sony Walkman

There are many interesting points mentioned in this article I would like to debate. There is the idea that cultural excellency is not a singular endpoint, but rather an expression of being that can manifest in many different fashions. I believe this is entirely true, however individual cultures do need to rely on their own pride in order to further their cultural beliefs. I also believe that cultural fusion is necessary in order for culture to continue to exist. This is such because tradition needs something to compare itself with, or the tradition will seem less cultural and more ‘literal’.

Concerning the question of, can cultural meaning ever be fully ‘literal’? I believe that it truly can within a small sect of one society, but never on a global scale and never among all social classes. However, if a certain cultural meaning was ‘literal’ worldwide, it would lose its unique flavor and ability to be represented as something of interest. The meaning is always relational, however this is not a very exact argument, it presents itself as more of common sense. Is there a way to escape this sense of constant comparison? If the entire world had the same traditions, would we even be perceptible of what a culture is?

In the example of the Sony Walkman, it is an everyday object where its usage and practice serve as a signal for its cultural significance in the sound revolution. It is a product that gives its consumer the possibility to turn their consumption into production by playing their own music and creating their own individual worlds. The mechanical reproduction of musical art forms that allows for mass distribution allows for easier reproduction of certain motifs, but if anything it allows for a facilitated creative process that makes the world of cultural and musical production a more inclusive world.

It is with the example of the Sony Walkman that it becomes clear every new technology both sustains and produces culture. The Walkman became a connection to the culture of late-modernity. It was designed as mobile and sporty. Its meaning was designed through advertising, but is strategically carved out through its comparison with other technological objects, as well as the articulation of themes in its advertising that related to its cultural context.

These advertisement representations are interesting because they represent these fantasies which are new ideas, but still borrow from pre-existing societal constructs. However, while these fantasies are constructed, society’s pursuit of such fantasy creates an obtained reality in which such cultural characteristics are manifested. This Sony Walkman ad shows an artistic endeavor that imitates a lifestyle that had not entirely existed. However, it is with the meaning behind this cultural artifact, imposed onto it by such advertisement, that its usage can create these new desired realities. Once society follows and obtains their own Sony Walkman, they can then imitate the art of the advertisement. Life imitates art & art imitates life.

Augmenting Exercise 3

The exercise is currently in the brainstorming stage but it will take various models of galaxy objects as well as spiritual and pop art images in order to convey a sense of transcendence as well as mind-blowing information. I will be working to construct an AR diorama that contains beautiful, trippy scenery as well as timer and button functions to allow the user to load different quotes and special effects that convey the metaphysical reality I am wanting to produce.