#the quality of the ad is a representation of my mental state

[iamthenightcolormeblack]

My Thoughts on Pride and Prejudice 1980: The Ladies Take Center Stage

It's easy to forget that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of other Pride and Prejudice adaptations because the discussion is generally limited to "1995 versus 2005." The subject of this review is the 1980 BBC miniseries adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which stars Elizabeth Garvie as Elizabeth Bennet and David Rintoul as Mr. Darcy and consists of five 1 hour long episodes. Some Pride and Prejudice fans consider this show as the definitive version of the book, since it was one of the first adaptations that attempted to be faithful to the story by incorporating much more of Austen's dialogue compared to previous adaptations.

1. THE PRODUCTION

The video quality is blurry (typical with 1970s/1980s BBC TV shows), so this adaptation is hard to watch compared with the 1995 and 2005 adaptations. While I like the historic houses used in the miniseries, boring, stuffy studio interiors are used for the interior scenes (except for Pemberley). I would only recommend this adaptation for extreme Pride and Prejudice fans/completionists.

Each episode's opening credits are accompanied by illustrations of what happens in the episodes, reminding the viewer that they are watching a filmed version of the book. The caricatured figures are not appealing to the eye and look dated. It doesn't help that they all are accompanied by "ye olde timey" music.

The costumes are for the most part very historically accurate for the early 19th century Regency Era, possibly even more so than the 1995 version with open chests, since the women's day dresses cover their necks as well. The costume designer mastered the famous Regency era white dress; I liked Elizabeth's white day dress and Jane's white evening gown. However, not all the costumes are flattering; some of the ugly floral patterns and garishly bright colors come straight from the 1970s, while a lot of decent evening dresses are ruined by fake lace or clunky 1970s bibs.

The hair is mostly accurate, with the exception of Mary's straight bangs and pixie cut. Unfortunately, the makeup is of the 1970s, especially with the penciled eyeliner/eyebrows on Jane and Caroline Bingley. Poor Mr. Bingley meanwhile has the most unflattering 1970s "helmet bowl" hairstyle.

2. PLOT AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

The adaptation focuses heavily on the female relationships within the book, much more so than other adaptations. Throughout the episodes, there are many slice-of-life scenes in which the Bennet sisters are gathered together in conversation while occupying themselves with typical activities for women of the Regency era (sewing, flower arranging, trying on clothing).

Charlotte Lucas has a larger role here than in the book. In this adaptation, she frequently visits the Bennet sisters at Longbourn, and the screenwriter uses her dialogue as a representation of the Regency perception of marriage as an economic proposition.

Mary Bennet also receives more screen time, and like Charlotte, she voices Regency attitudes towards women in general through her didactic remonstrances.

The many scenes in Elizabeth and Jane's bedroom are a means for Elizabeth to express the feelings and attitudes that she keeps hidden from society.

Elizabeth's favoring of Mr. Wickham is more obvious; she even pronounces him to be "above everyone, in person, countenance, [and] air" and is delighted that Wickham's trash-talking of Darcy confirms her hatred of him.

Inner monologues highlight Elizabeth's mental transformation as she grapples with the consequences of her prejudice against Mr. Darcy and considers the consequences of her family's social gaffes.

I dislike that the show chose to end with Mrs. Bennet's joy over the advantageous marriages of her elder daughters. It reinforces the perception that these marriages are ultimately for money rather than love.

The cast consists of largely unknown (to a mainstream audience) British actors whose portrayals of the characters are solid and replicate the book exactly. The rest of the supporting cast portray the characters just as they are in the book, but do not otherwise stand out. Here are my comments on the lead actors and other supporting cast:

Elizabeth Garvie: Garvie effectively portrays Elizabeth's wit, intelligence, and poise. She also looks right for the part, as she is believably youthful and has captivating eyes. Her pride is not so obvious because Garvie acts like a proper Regency girl, but it is brought out by the way Elizabeth looks people straight in the eye and addresses them directly while confidently stating her opinions, however flawed. My only minor nitpick is that Elizabeth is less vulnerable here; most of the time she is confidently in control of every situation she faces and has a smile for everyone.

David Rintoul: Rintoul looks the part, as he is tall, handsome, proud, and carries himself gracefully. However, he is too stiff and boring like a robot. In many scenes, even private ones with his close friends, he is always standing at attention like a soldier. With the exception of the Pemberley visit and the second proposal, he never smiles, and his voice is very monotone, even in the key romantic scenes where he is supposed to lose himself to his great passion for Elizabeth. Though he tries to appear amused at times, and shows some intelligence, his stiff body language never changes, undercutting the meaning behind his words.

While fans of this show have praised Rintoul for being stiff, like book Darcy, this stiff portrayal hinders Darcy's character development, since he must change his cold manners in order to be worthy of Elizabeth's love. There are MANY instances in the book where Darcy shows some emotion; he smiles as he teases Elizabeth at Rosings, becomes angry when Elizabeth rejects his first proposal, and blushes when he sees Elizabeth at Pemberley. This Mr. Darcy is "all politeness" and we don't get to see Elizabeth peeling back his cold exterior to reveal the good man underneath, unlike in the book.

Malcolm Rennie as Mr. Collins: His portrayal of Mr. Collins is very similar to 1995's Mr. Collins, as both are fat and simpering (maybe 1995's portrayal of Mr. Collins is a copy of this one, except even grosser). I also like how he is super moralizing and preachy in this version. He even walks like a penguin too!

Casting I disliked:

Moray Watson as Mr. Bennet: His Mr. Bennet is thoroughly unsympathetic; he does nothing but scold the family, slam doors, and drink tea. While Mr. Bennet is a neglectful parent, he expresses his dislike of the family in far more subtle ways and does not get into fits of anger easily.

Judy Parfitt as Lady Catherine de Bourgh: While the adaptation makes clear that Lady Catherine likes getting her way, this Lady Catherine isn’t intimidating enough to frighten anyone into submission. What doesn't help is that the scene where she interrogates Elizabeth about her family situation is cut; this scene is important in establishing Lady Catherine's tyrannical personality.

The actresses hired to play Kitty and Lydia Bennet are far too old for the parts; they do not look like teenagers!

Scenes I liked:

The opening scene -- the adaptation gives Charlotte a larger role, as she visits Elizabeth at Longbourn right after the news of Bingley's arrival. She also reveals her practical view on marriage as a necessity for securing comfort, which is at odds with Elizabeth's view of marriage as an equal partnership between people who love each other.

"First Impressions" -- Elizabeth shares her bad opinion of Darcy with Jane and reveals that the Bingleys earned their wealth in trade, making them "new money" as opposed to the Darcy family, which has many generations of nobility. This detail about the origins of Bingley's wealth could explain Caroline's extreme arrogance and make Jane's separation from Bingley on the basis of her poor connections more cruel.

Elizabeth at Mr. Lucas' party: This adaptation includes a scene from the book which isn't in many other adaptations, not even the 1995 miniseries. Elizabeth, acting impertinently to catch the attention of Darcy's "very satirical eye," addresses him sarcastically. Charlotte then gets Elizabeth to play the piano and she takes another opportunity to show off her wit:

"There is a fine old saying, which every body here is of course familiar with - 'Keep your breath to cool your porridge', and I shall keep mine to swell my song."

Jane and Elizabeth at Netherfield. In a series of scenes, Elizabeth confides in Jane her true thoughts and feelings about Darcy, the Bingleys, and the Hursts. For instance, she theorizes about why Darcy stares at her and rants about how disagreeable and annoying the Netherfield party are. It's really entertaining to see Elizabeth driven to frustration by the arrogant rich people.

Any scene with Mr. Collins in it, but here are the funniest ones:

Mr. Collins eating with the Bennet family: I laughed at how he examines the food with a critical eye before shoving it in his mouth quickly. It perfectly captures Mr. Collins' arrogance combined with bad manners.

Mr. Collins at the Netherfield Ball: he cannot dance and embarrasses Elizabeth (definitely a parallel with the 1995 version, where he bumps into the other dancers and apologizes profusely).

Mr. Collins' first proposal to Elizabeth: I laughed at the added flourish (not in the novel), where he bends down on one knee, but instead of professing love for the intended, states proudly to Elizabeth that the main benefit of the marriage is the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Collins' proposal to Charlotte Lucas: this is not in the original book, as it is (mostly) limited to Elizabeth's point of view, where she only finds out about the proposal after it happens. This comical scene begins with pleasant music and blooming flowers to establish romantic connotations, before it cuts to an awkward Mr. Collins following Charlotte Lucas. When Charlotte accepts Mr. Collins, they are sitting together by a rosebush, and his pure joy at the unromantic, arranged marriage, combined with the floral imagery from earlier, elevate the situational irony and make for a good laugh. The flower imagery also ties into Charlotte's earlier comparison of marriage to growing a plant; Elizabeth challenges Charlotte's assertion by asking her what would happen if the soil was poor (metaphor for the respect Elizabeth feels is a foundation for a loving relationship).

Aunt Gardiner's advice to Elizabeth: This scene isn't included in other adaptations, not even the 1995 miniseries. Here Aunt Gardiner warns Elizabeth against falling in love with Wickham, telling her that she needs to keep her common sense intact; Elizabeth dismisses this, fully confident in her powers of judgment. It's great that this exchange is included because it foreshadows the discovery of Wickham's true character, and hints that Elizabeth's perceptions of others may be wrong.

Scenes I disliked:

The romantic scenes. This adaptation unfortunately fails in the romance department; there is zero chemistry between the actors; even the otherwise wonderful Elizabeth Garvie is not exempt. (more about this later).

The first country ball. The interior is dark, small, cramped and stagey. Also, the dancing and overall manner of the guests is very sedate and orderly; it’s so quiet you can hear the dancers feet scrape the floor in spite of the music. This isn't very realistic compared with the other adaptations, where we are presented with much more boisterous country dances.

The activation of Stalker Darcy: While Elizabeth plays the pianoforte, Darcy, while shrouded in darkness, moves like a ghost among the crowd until he all of a sudden appears very close to the pianoforte and golf-clapping. perhaps Darcy is a blood sucking vampire? Though this scene is entertaining for all the wrong reasons, it doesn't make sense that Darcy's love for Elizabeth makes him even more robotic and creepy.

Lady Catherine confronting Elizabeth: While the dialogue for this scene is lifted straight from the book, there isn't quite enough fury and anger on the part of either person.

3. THE SCRIPT

What makes this adaptation stand out is the script by Fay Weldon. While the majority of the script is taken directly from the book, many have commented that her interpretation of Pride and Prejudice is much more feminist because of the greater emphasis on Elizabeth's point of view, as well as her relationships with other women. Many of the creative changes made emphasize the ridiculousness of the patriarchy and Elizabeth's outspokenness. In addition, Austen's narration slips into the dialogue of the female characters; for instance, Mary proclaims the village's judgment of Darcy as "the proudest most disagreeable man in the world."

Creative Changes/Great Quotes from the Script:

Darcy adding further insult to injury: after proclaiming Elizabeth to be unattractive to him, he adds: "She has too many sisters."

Mrs. Bennet criticizing poor Mary: “You read too much! No wonder you’re shortsighted.”

Elizabeth has had enough with Darcy, the Hursts, and the Bingleys: “Jane, they are monsters! They like nothing and dislike everything!"

Elizabeth has no patience: "This is unendurable! Mr. Darcy has scarcely spoken more than 10 words to me during the whole of today!"

Mary Bennet praises Mr. Collins' writing skills: "But he is intelligent. In point of composition the letter he wrote Father was not deficient and it was very long."

Mr. Collins scrutinizes Longbourn (his future inheritance) Part 1: "The hall. The hall should be imposing. This one is spacious enough but a little dark..."

Mr. Collins scrutinizes Longbourn Part 2: "Truly a gracious dining room. Lady Catherine de Bourgh would not be ashamed to dine here...The table, though a trifle rustic, is solid and a good match."

Mr. Collins provides much needed moral lessons to Kitty and Lydia: "I have often observed how many young ladies are very little interested in books of a serious stamp, though written solely for their benefit. Certainly there can be nothing so advantageous to them as instruction."

Mr. Collins on Anne de Bourgh: "She is agreeably fragile, and she is to marry Mr. Darcy."

Lady Catherine de Bourgh supporting the patriarchy: "If I were to have more children, they should all be sons."

Mr. Collins' Aquatic Hat: In one of many examples where Lady Catherine micromanages everyone's life, she orders Mr. Collins to plant bulrushes by the lake and per her instructions he orders an ugly top hat with a shower cap inside it to prevent himself from drowning. Charlotte and Elizabeth laugh about it when Mr. Collins isn't looking.

Darcy is a dog person, how sweet! Before the first proposal and before he meets Elizabeth again at Pemberley, Darcy is accompanied by a dog. Perhaps if he brought his dog to the first proposal it would have succeeded?

Elizabeth's internal monologue after she reads the letter: I normally dislike internal monologues because they detract from the action or become redundant, but I like how this adaptation utilizes the internal monologue to show Elizabeth actively confronting her prejudice against Mr. Darcy and acknowledging that she has acted wrongly in judging him harshly. Some adaptations reduce or even leave out this fundamental part of Elizabeth's personal growth. My only quibble with this scene is that Elizabeth lets go of her prejudice too soon and in too calm a manner. In the book, she is initially angry at Darcy and needs to reread the letter multiple times before she starts to form a grudging respect for Mr. Darcy. For Elizabeth, letting go of her prejudice is a slow, exhausting, and emotionally taxing process, unlike in this adaptation, where her logical reasoning allows her to quickly overcome her unreasonable hatred of Darcy.

4. THE ROMANCE (or, to be more accurate, lack of)

Many of the key romantic scenes between Elizabeth and Darcy are shortened, which surprised me because the length of a miniseries in general allows for more character development. I was hoping to see a fuller picture of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship than could be provided in a movie.

While the female characters of the adaptation are fully rounded and have many opportunities to express their perspectives, the male characters remain one-dimensional and do not get the same treatment as the women. In other words, the male characters are reduced to mere objects of affection.

Some critics have argued that Darcy is irresistible to women in part because he is mysterious. Even his appearance is left to the reader's imagination, as Austen only notes that Darcy has a "fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien...[and] ten thousand a year." Thus, the reader gets to craft their ideal version of Mr. Darcy; he could look like any handsome man. When the "historically accurate Mr. Darcy" image was released several years ago (where he looks like George Washington); many, including me, were disappointed because we all have different images of Mr. Darcy in our heads (or more likely, we pick between Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen). This adaptation capitalizes into the mystique of the character by leaving the viewers to guess Darcy's intentions. Since we do not have access to his internal thoughts or motivations, we are limited to what we see before our eyes, much like the Meryton villagers. We do not get to see how Darcy develops feelings for Elizabeth; nor do we see how he is like in private occasions (even when alone with his friends, he says little and reveals little).

Other critics/Austen scholars/fans have argued that the one-dimensional treatment of male characters is in keeping with the unique writing style of Pride and Prejudice. Typically, female characters were the ones reduced to objects of affection for the male characters. Austen reverses this norm by focusing more on Elizabeth's viewpoint while Darcy remains mysterious.

Though a more reserved Darcy may work in the book, it does not serve the development of the romance well. Darcy's falling in love with Elizabeth is characterized by a gradual loss of control over himself; in his words he was "in the middle before I knew that I had begun [falling in love]." After all, he cannot stop staring at Elizabeth and frequently tries to keep talking to her at Netherfield before he begins to feel "the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention." During his first proposal, he is agitated, and when Elizabeth rejects him, becomes angry. It is obvious, in the book and in the 1995 and 2005 adaptations as well, that the man is clearly an emotional train wreck.

The conflict between Darcy's outer shell and inner self is a key part of his falling in love with Elizabeth, and the adaptation misses out on this with a stiff, wooden Darcy who always carries himself properly and never smiles. In general, the most entertaining romances have this tension between self-control and passion, with lapses in manners usually the only sign of the passion beneath the surface; after all, in Elizabeth's words, “Is not general incivility the very essence of love?”

Back to the idea of the one-dimensional Darcy being an inversion of gender norms in writing: I have to disagree with this because (this is obvious I'm sure) Darcy is still a fully rounded character and does undergo his own journey, since he has to change his manners to earn Elizabeth's love. This quote shows what Darcy has learned about himself:

"I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. As a child I was...given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. Unfortunately an only son, (for many years an only child) I was spoilt by my parents [who] almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing, to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of all the rest of the world, to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own."

Though some fans of this adaptation like how the other relationships are treated with equal importance as the well-known love story, the romance is important as a source of personal growth for Elizabeth as well as Darcy. After all, they do have to overcome the "pride and prejudice" that separates them.

The marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth is a feminist triumph for Elizabeth Bennet; in my review of the 2005 movie, I noted that Elizabeth Bennet is revolutionary because of her unwillingness to compromise on her belief that marriage should based on love and respect, contrary to the prevailing social view of marriage as an economic proposition. While it seems counter-intuitive for a repressive institution like marriage to be a feminist triumph, Austen's heroines use marriage as a means of gaining not just material comforts, but ultimately the self-respect they desire by uniting themselves with partners whom they are equals with. The marriages Austen's heroines make are testaments to their independence, as they are choices made by the women themselves. Even Charlotte Lucas' otherwise unhappy arranged marriage works for her, since she enjoys the freedom that running her own household gives her. Not focusing on the romance of Elizabeth and Darcy leaves out Austen's complex perspective on marriage as a social necessity but also an unlikely route to freedom.

Here's my breakdown of the Elizabeth and Darcy scenes in this adaptation and why the romance fails:

"She is tolerable:" Elizabeth reacts rather too sedately to the insult Darcy gives her (and he also makes an added comment about her having too many sisters); unlike in other versions where she attempts to suppress a laugh or even taunts Darcy outright. The adaptation diverges from the book by having Elizabeth tell her mother instead of her friends about Darcy's insult; it does not make sense why Elizabeth would confide this in her mother, given that she knows her mother is a fool.

Netherfield dance: Darcy attempts to flirt with Elizabeth during this dance (which only lasts one minute!), but doesn't succeed because of his poor social skills and her prejudice. It's also an amazing battle of wits, as Darcy counters Elizabeth's accusations while admonishing her not to trust Wickham.

Unfortunately, the adaptation cuts out essential dialogue revealing the extent of Elizabeth's prejudice and foreshadowing the discovery of Wickham's true character. For example, what isn't included is Elizabeth's accusations that Darcy is to blame for ruining Wickham's life, to which he replies that Wickham is capable of charming others but not necessarily of retaining good friends.

More significantly, the adaptation cuts Elizabeth's admission that she cannot figure Darcy out:

"'May I ask to what these questions tend?' 'Merely to the illustration of your character,' said she...

'And what is your success?' She shook her head. 'I do not get on at all. I her such different accounts of you as puzzle me exceedingly.'

'...I could wish, Miss Bennet, that you were not to sketch my character at the present moment, as there is reason to fear that the performance would reflect no credit on either.'"

The development of the romance is harmed due to the omission of the portrait metaphor. Here, Darcy shrewdly observes to Elizabeth that her judgment of character may be flawed and foreshadows the discovery of her prejudice against him. After his many observations of Elizabeth, Darcy knows her so well that he can read her like an open book (though he underestimates the extent of Elizabeth's prejudice against him). The metaphor of the picture as a representation of character also becomes literal through Darcy's portrait at Pemberley; Elizabeth only falls in love with Darcy after examining his character through the portrait.

Ultimately, the Netherfield Ball dance between Elizabeth and Darcy is essential in demonstrating the fallacy of first impressions, and reducing the dialogue only to the beginning part where Elizabeth teases Darcy on his inability to make small talk undermines the richness of the story.

Darcy's first proposal: This scene is definitely the worst one in this miniseries because it fails on so many levels. First, this Darcy remains stiff throughout the entire proposal, like he was at a public ball rather than declaring love. This is a total contrast to book Darcy; who, though formal, is "agitated" and "pale with anger" at times. Those famous opening lines ("In vain I have struggled...") are delivered so quickly and without any sort of overwhelming passion. What should be the climax of Darcy finally letting the volcano of his repressed emotions erupt (with bad consequences for him) instead becomes a cold recitation of the script. Elizabeth also becomes robotic as well, repeating her lines back with a detached tone of voice as if reading a teleprompter. I'm warning you: be prepared for the worst 5 minutes of your life.

Visiting Pemberley: The adaptation utilizes Elizabeth's inner monologue as she praises Pemberley; it's interesting to people who have read and re-read the book, but I don't think it's necessary to "copy and paste" large portions of the book and read them to the audience.

I do like that this adaptation clearly indicates that Elizabeth still stands by her decision to reject Darcy's first proposal, even though she really likes his great big house:

"'And of this place,' thought she, 'I might have been mistress! 'I might have rejoiced in [these rooms] as my own, and welcomed to them as visitors my uncle and aunt. - 'But no'... 'I should not have been allowed to invite them.'"

Most adaptations include the "Pemberley could have been mine" part, but don't include Elizabeth's realization that Darcy's class prejudice would have estranged her from the Gardiners (unfortunately that includes the 1995 miniseries). Including Elizabeth's thoughts about her aunt and uncle dispels the perception that she is a gold-digger who marries Darcy only after realizing how rich he is.

The portrait: why, why, why does Darcy not smile in his portrait?! The book LITERALLY EMPHASIZES that DARCY SMILES in his portrait, revealing a more sensitive side to him than his cold and formal appearance would otherwise suggest. Big mistake.

Lydia's elopement: the adaptation messes up this scene so badly, which is unfortunate because the scene is important in showing how much Elizabeth trusts Darcy and how much he still loves her, as shown through his concern for her. First, it diverges from the book by having Elizabeth run several miles to Pemberley (while fully outfitted in a spencer, bonnet, and long dress) and somehow she doesn't sweat or faint from the exertion. Running to Darcy to tell him the news doesn't make any sense, since the book makes clear that she did not want anyone outside her family to know about Lydia's elopement, or else her marriage prospects would certainly be ruined; the news devastated her because she feared losing Darcy's respect due to his social prejudice. Darcy learning of the news was purely a coincidence because he happened to be waiting for her at the inn where she was staying (aw how romantic!). As for Darcy, he remains cold and doesn't seem concerned enough for Elizabeth, in contrast with the book, where he immediately springs into action. The adaptation also omits Darcy's kindness by cutting out the part of the scene where he consoles Elizabeth, gets her to sit down, and brings her some wine.

Second proposal: Darcy breaks the rules of social etiquette by going out alone with Elizabeth before proposing to her, unlike in the book where they are with Jane and Bingley, but this scene is still thoroughly unromantic because the two actors have zero chemistry.

5. CONCLUSION

Although this adaptation has some good moments, the dated production design, underdeveloped romance, and wooden acting means that I will only recommend this version to Pride and Prejudice nerds/extreme book purists. The adaptation is boring to watch unless you know the book by heart.

This script highlights Austen's wit and sarcasm, but the performances don’t always do it justice. The feminist approach to the novel makes the adaptation stand out, but comes at the cost of Darcy's character development and the central love story.

Purists and casual book fans are better served by the 1995 BBC miniseries, which has the right balance of entertainment, historical accuracy, and faithfulness to the novel.

Thanks to JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) for all the wonderful online articles that I pull many of my ideas from. I spent many hours entertaining myself by reading their scholarly analyses of Jane's other works as well as those related to Pride and Prejudice, and they have really helped me as I write these reviews.

@princesssarisa @austengivesmeserotonin @dahlia-coccinea @obscurelittlebird @appleinducedsleep @colonelfitzwilliams

#book adaptation #pride and predjudice #pride and prejudice #elizabeth bennet #mr darcy #mr bingley #long post #tv show review

[myblacksailstales]

[Warning: spoilers]

This story is divided into two chapters. The first one deals with the period of Thomas’s imprisonment (in Bethlem, in another asylum, but mostly in Savannah). The second is post-canon and deals with the events after Flint’s arrival to Savannah.

This is one of the best fanfic stories I have ever read, both in terms of writing and characterizations. The attention to detail is fascinating. There are numerous references to literature and philosophical works that an educated, progressive man in the early 18th century, such as Thomas, would have been likely to read. There are quotes in Latin and Greek and even in Yamacraw which Thomas begins to learn in Savannah. I also like the way they are not just inserted to embellish the story, but always serve some purpose, helping to represent Thomas’s thought process or his state of mind. One of my favourite is a reference to Shakespeare’s King Lear and the character of Edgar, who has been badly wronged by his father and who escapes into the wilderness, where he pretends that he is insane and assumes the persona of Poor Tom. Thomas’s own state of mind in this story is rather fragile, too, and often on the verge of madness. Some rather awful things have happened to him, but the story is not sensationalst and does not depict these events graphically. Rather, what we get are allusions and the way all of this has been refracted through his consciousness. The writing in such passages is powerful. I find quite convincing the representation of Thomas’s mental state when, after years of having been denied any books to read, he crumples up the first two pages of the book he is given and stuffs them in his mouth. His character is wonderfully fleshed out and everything that is added to it – his thoughts on love, government, or his astute observations on Oglethorpe’s reformatory project and its shortcomings – is compatible with what we know from canon.

What I especially like about the characterization of James Flint in the story is that he is still angry. I have always thought that Silver’s claim on how he has “unmade” Flint and returned him to a previous state of being was preposterous, or false. You cannot simply erase ten years of someone’s life experience, or erase the events which have caused James to create the persona of Flint in the first place, and I find the premise in this story much more convincing in this regard. The person who arrives to Savannah is definitely James Flint, or some kind of integrated personality which comprises both Flint and McGraw. James still rages against the world, against social injustice, against imprisonment and slavery, against everything that has been done to Thomas, and uses a lot of swearwords. And he is still a born leader and a charismatic figure, even in the most improbable circumstances. He’s very much the character we know from the series.

Both of the characters are presented as damaged, but an interesting twist for me was that I assumed, at first, that Thomas was more badly damaged of the two.  Then it turned out that he isn’t, and that he is still capable of displaying the same idealism and faith in mankind as he did in 1705. He’s capable of acting on it, too, as he ends up saving the very same people who have kept him imprisoned. James, on the other hand, is sceptical, and has grown especially embittered after Silver’s betrayal, which takes him some time to acknowledge. So that in the end we have Thomas healing James (whereas I expected it to be the other way round), infecting him anew with idealism and selflessness, and reminding him of his own best qualities.

#black sails #black sails fanfic #fanfic recommendation #james flint #thomas hamilton #flinthamilton

[grandmafratboy]

REALLY LONG BUT PLEASE READ!!!!

6 years ago my sister found bruises of varying colors (most likely indicating multiple beatings) on her son. She was advised to take photos and wait. She monitored the situation and found more a few weeks later. After experiencing emotional and mental abuse for years, she decided it was time to take action. She called child protective services and they told her to flee the state. She told her oldest 2 children to pack a bag of their favorite things, put them in the car, and drove to my home. SHE WAS DOING WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT TOLD HER TO DO. A few weeks later, she received paper work that she would be charged with kidnapping if she didn’t return home. We thought she would go back, CPS would tell the judge what happened, and she would be free. When she got there, the court provided her no state ordered legal representation, no guardium ad litem for the children, and no one from CPS would testify for her. Her children were ripped away that day, back into the arms of their abuser. I will never forget that phone call. She was sobbing uncontrollably. “They took my babies! They took my babies!” She was also ordered to begin child support immediately. She became homeless, walking and then riding a bike almost 10 miles to work everyday, eating whatever canned food she could find in the shelter. Even after all of this, she never gave up. She is now financially stable and works constantly on her emotional, financial, and mental well being. We have tried to gain legal representation MANY times, but each time they have given up or have offered legal advice that seems a little suspiciously skewed against her. She lives in a very small town where her ex husband’s family is very influential. After years of documenting situations that prove he is manipulative and emotionally abusive (he’s a smart abuser, so no more bruises) she has finally found a quality attorney who will help her. But it’s going to be expensive. Our dear family friend has stepped in and is donating 100% of the proceeds from this campaign to help my sister. Please consider joining this either by donating, buying the product, or sharing. They deserve justice and we can give it to them. ❤️

#childabuseawareness #domesticabuseawareness #abusesupport #emotional abuse #mental abuse #domesticabuse #awareness #fundraiser #funding #child abuse #child abuse and neglect #fearlessfor4

[somecrazylads-a-blog]

Taemin!! 10, 15👀, 28, 39, 57, 59, 69, 74, 78, 94, 97, 100

— 100 random character development questions | @busanbunnie

---

Hana’s HUSBAND, coming thru-

-. Taemin/Papillon

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?No, he doesn’t. Before meeting Hana, he didn’t believe in love at all, but even now, he can’t say the ‘love at first sight’ concept sounds really sound to him. He believes that the only thing you can gauge from a person at ‘first sight’ is their looks and maybe what kind of person they are upon first encounters, but he doesn’t think there’s really enough there in a ‘first sight’ to make the heart grow fond to such an extent.

15. Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?Taemin usually tries to stay away from conflict, either by defusing it right away or by walking away. But in the instances there seems to be no way out or he’s too angered to walk away, he definitely goes for ‘tongue’ over ‘fists’: he’s not a fighter, he doesn’t condone violence for whatever reason, and doesn’t have either the experience nor the technique to really fight his way out of an argument anyway. On the other hand, he has a lot of experience verbally standing his ground, getting out of situations, or getting others to back off. So, tongue it is.

28. What makes them laugh out loud?Well, for one, Taemin is more likely amused by visual comedy than a good pun. He likes it when he can see the punchline and when the joke is delivered without the need for a line of dialogue from someone to deliver it. So, that’s more or less his preferred comedy. As for his sense of humour, it varies of course.And one thing that definitely makes Taemin laugh out loud is Hana when she has Pouting moments that are just too adorable for him to resist.

39. What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?Rob them of all sense of dignity while they’re unaware of it. This can both go through physical as mental means, but he thinks being robbed of all dignity without even having been given the luxury to at least know it’s happening, it’s the absolute worst. I would also go into details about physical things with, of course, mental repercussions, but that would mean walking into a very sensitive topic, which I should probably avoid speaking of too lightly.

57. Has your character ever killed anyone?Absolutely not! He’s never been forced into a situation where means of self-defence would need to be applied and/or then lead to someone’s demise, on top of that he’s also extremely against using violence for any reason whatsoever, so really. There is no blood on his hands.

59. List several phrases your character is fond of uttering. Where did they pick them up? “That’s absolutely none of your business.” - Taemin does neither like to be involved in other people’s business nor does he want anyone in his own. He’s a private person, used from a young age to be alone and have to fend for himself, so anyone butting in now (this, before Hana and Minhwan too) would just make him think ‘now I don’t need it anymore. It generated from that.“Well, you gotta do what you gotta do, to survive.” - Taemin doesn’t have a real slang to speak of, he doesn’t speak any dialects and has dropped whatever accent he might have had, but this one, the way he says it, is characterised by the slang of the people who live in the neighbourhood he used to live in when he was a child: he picked it up from homeless people sitting on pavements, a prostitute he often spoke to, even store owners. And he feels the sentence every time he says it, he used to live by it, before Hana, resigned to it even.“When life gives you lemons...” - This is picked up from pop culture, to be honest, but it’s always uttered sarcastically in moments where troubles seem to arrive at his door all at the same time.“I mind my own business and that’s how I like it.” - Tying back to the first one, this is something he started saying at a very young age, with quite a superior air to it to the point where adults who’d hear him oh so proudly declare that would usually ruffle his hair or laugh at him, but he still mumbles it to himself sometimes when being asked for his opinion on conflicts too close for him to state anything in regards to. He still says it with an almost child-like nature to it.“Well, what else did you expect from an escort? A halo? A choir of angels?” - This is directly pulled from his hidden real opinion on his lifestyle (prior to Hana, since he’s now dropping most of the physical part of the job and/or starting as Minhwan’s mentee), and he’d often say it to clients when they’d react with any kind of surprise in relations to anything he might say or do for his job. He also used to excuse/justify some of his past behaviour with this line.

69. What about your character is heroic?He’s brave, diligent. He always works hard, even if he hates the work he does. He never goes back on his word and he is both trustworthy and reliable, in and outside of his job. They don’t come out often, but he has hidden leader qualities that he never got to exhibit. And he never gives up. Never.

74. What is your character’s favourite game?Now, you know, prior to Hana he didn’t know about video games at all beyond ads in TV or posters hanging somewhere. He never played them before, he never cared to figure out what they were. But if he had to pick one now that Hana has taugh him some, well... I would say, he finds particular enjoyment in any game from the Zelda franchise. Don’t ask me why. Chances are, he’s just wild to beat a Crash Bandicoot.

78. How emotionally stable is your character?Now, much more than he was before.He used to swallow his emotions, keep them away, all his self-doubts and self-loathing and insecurities, he’d all wrap them under the ‘Taemin’ label, and hide them away, because before meeting Hana, he had to be Papillon much more than he wanted to be Taemin. So it’s kind of like... him trying to become the Papillon persona more and more, frivolous, elegant, cocky, confident with who he is and what he wants, because it was easier than looking at Taemin and seeing everything his childhood had made of him and how much pain he still had to work through.But now, thanks to Hana, he’s learnt how to look at everything he is and everything he feels and acknowledge it. It’s still hard, and there are plenty of vaults he hasn’t opened yet, but he now at least acknowledges their existence and allows himself weaknesses and mistakes that Papillon never would have.

94. Name three things most would not expect your character to be able to know.First up, cooking. He might as well be considered a chef now- well, I don’t want to exaggerate, but his kitchen is almost his sanctum sanctorum, he has a recipe book he himself put together, a combination of recipes he knew, recipes he modified, and even recipes of him throwing together things and liking the result. He’s truly passionate and truly skilled.Second, driving. He doesn’t have a driver’s license (yet), but in the neighbourhood he grew up in, he had some opportunities to get behind a wheel and get impromptu driving lessons from the prostitute who had almost, kind of, not really, maybe taking him under his wing.Third, climbing. He was a pick-pocketer, a near-homeless child, his best friend was a prostitute ten years older than him, and the occasional stray dog he’d pet on his walk through the neighbourhood. Often, he would pick-pocket the wrong people, shop-lift from the wrong store, pet the wrong dog, and get dragged into a cliché chase scene he could often get away from through climbing into the next open second or third story window he’d find... hoping no one else was in there, of course.

97. How well do they adapt to change?Fairly well, but it depends entirely on the change. He’s good at dealing with sudden inconveniences, settling for less, or having to get by with less of what he’d need (no matter the situation). But he’s not so good at getting used to new environments he has to stay in (forever or for a while). He was homeless for quite a while and usually just camped out in abandoned apartments or the occasional living room. He always feels uncomfortable staying in places that are richer than that. Even now, with his own apartment being more than decent, he still doesn’t feel comfortable staying anywhere ‘common’ people are: he always feels out of place. He does adapt well, though, he just gets stressed about it.

100. Does your character dream? If so, what do they dream about?He does dream, but not very often. When he does dream, it’s usually an abstract representation of current worries or wishes, only rarely does he dream about memories. He can avoid nightmares that way.He definitely dreams about Hana

#busanbunnie #the butterfly;busanbunnie #i haven't written the word 'papillon' for tae in AGES #and all THANKS TO HANA #I'M SO BLESSSSED #THIS WAS SO MUCH HECKING FUNNNNNNNN #thank you so much :3 #I HOPE I DIDN'T MISS ONE #a:

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2018 - Best TV Show

I stated last year that 2017 was the year Peak TV broke me, with too many shows spread across too many services, with many more on their way. 2018 was the year I learned to let go of the fact that I will never be able to watch every show, and to just be content with all the great shows I was able to catch. Here are the Aarons for Best TV Show:

#10. Barry (Season 1) – HBO

A simple premise that could initially be dismissed as prestige TV’s over-fascination with anti-heroes mixed with Hollywood’s over-fascination with itself, Bill Hader’s dark-comedy about a hitman who moves to LA to pursue an acting career quickly develops into a complex examination of post-war PTSD, a deconstruction of television tropes, and, simultaneously, just one of the funniest shows of the year. With veteran comedic talent like Henry Winkler and surprising break-outs like Anthony Carrigan to bolster a firing-on-all-cylinders Bill Hader as the titular character, Barry says “Yes, and…” to every opportunity to mix its hilarity with harrowing content to pitch-perfect results. While the premise, which feels dangerously close to slipping into Dexter territory by season’s end, may end up unsustainable at this level of quality, for now, Barry is a sure-fire hit, man.

#9. Dear White People (Season 2) – Netflix

More than weathering the backlash to its misnomer title, as well as the political climate that feeds into that backlash, Dear White People channels all that rage, frustration, misunderstanding, and fear into an oft-livid, oft-cathartic, and always witty season of television. Funny while never losing its firm focus, the most amusing aspect of Dear White People is perhaps the absolute joke it makes of the idea “diversity of thought” is mutually exclusive from “diversity of people” through the deft writing of its exceptional ensemble cast, who take turns shining in episodes that range from a groovy neo-noir mystery to an emotionally-eruptive bottle episode, culminating in an intriguing cliffhanger that suggests Dear White People has plenty left to address.

#8. Daredevil (Season 3) – Netflix

Just as Wilson Fisk clawed his way back up to being the King of Crime throughout the third season of the superhero drama, Daredevil clawed its way back up to the King of the Marvel-Netflix collaborations (and back onto this list following its nod all the way back in the 2015 Aarons) with a storyline based on the acclaimed “Born Again” comic-book run. While the show continues to have significant failings (including, most egregiously, the literal fridging of a female character in this latest batch of episodes), it’s easy for viewers to become blinded to them thanks to the chemistry of its main trio of friends, its renewed fixation on weighty thematic content, and, of course, its impressive fight sequences, including most notably the now-requisite one-take fight sequence that takes the form of an expansive prison riot this go-round. While the series has now been cancelled, solace can at least be found in the fact the show underwent such a creative rebirth before its untimely demise.

#7. American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace (Season 2) – FX

Ryan Murphy’s anthology series may have been working with less well-known true-crime material in its second outing, but the resulting exploration of the sinister systemic forces that influence such shocking stories is no less resonant. True-crime has several difficult hurdles to clear to not feel like cheap exploitation, and American Crime Story strikes the right balance to its appropriately disturbing portrayal of the heinous acts by framing them through the devastating impact they have, not only on the direct victims, but on the whole of a society more concerned with reinforcing homophobic power structures than with the pain and horror such structures produce. The season’s reverse-chronological structure not only makes for compelling storytelling, but seems perfectly suited for the way in which the series traces the sins of America’s modern day to the crimes of its past, creating impactful television.

#6. Supergirl (Season 3b-4a) – CW

Supergirl’s continually-increasing confidence and complexity has sent the series soaring to new heights with its pointed fourth season, which distills its obvious real-world political influences into an effectively universal rumination on the insidious nature of bigotry, the trials of public perceptions, and the necessity of hope. It remains to be seen whether Supergirl can stick the landing with its lofty ambitions, which deserve appreciation regardless, but grounding its dynamic superhero storytelling in the inspirational performance of lead Melissa Benoist, as well as a further push for inclusivity with the introduction of television’s first transgender superhero Dreamer, makes for television that is quite super, girl.

Hey, it’s my awards show. Let me pun.

#5. Better Call Saul (Season 4) – AMC

Better Call Saul’s fourth season appeared to reach a breaking point in regard to its overlap in cast, stories, and timeline with its parent show, it’s an aspect that could be read as a significant flaw or as the greatest strength of a great season. It’s easy to lament the loss of the quirky lawyer comedy the show was in its earlier episodes, but this mourning is perhaps reflective of the soul-wrenching moral descent of Jimmy McGill, spiraling harder and faster in wake of last season’s tragic ending. It’s painful in all the right ways watching the excellent cast lead their characters to fates both known and unknown, making for a momentous (and still endearingly offbeat) season of television that recalls the finest moments of Breaking Bad, but just might be arguably better.

#4. BoJack Horseman (Season 5) – Netflix

In a series renowned for its gut-punches, the underlying message of BoJack Horseman’s fifth season might be the most difficult to grapple with: No amount of regret, good intentions, or tragic backstories excuses BoJack or entitles him to a happy ending. But that’s no reason not to continue to seek healing. Netflix’s animated adventures of anthropomorphic animals continues to be one of the most important and affecting examinations of toxic relationships, mental illness, and the cycles of abuse in art. The fifth season’s added meta-narrative allows the show to deconstruct the uncomfortability of its own representations, and the toxicity in its own fanbase. At a time when questions of abuse and reconciliation not just in Hollywood, but everywhere, rage in our cultural consciousness, BoJack Horseman provides a powerful way to grapple with these issues… and make them digestible through its quick-witted wordplay, visual gags, and general horsing around, as always. 

#3. Legends of Tomorrow (Season 3b-4a) – CW

If you were to travel back in time to just a few years ago, it would feel unbelievable how big the CW’s interconnected superhero universe has become... and that DC’s Legends of Tomorrow would lead the pack in quality. However, the once middling show really went the extra mile in spicing things up. Sending a talking, telepathic gorilla back in time to kidnap a young Barrack Obama? Combining elemental energies to form an enlarged Tickle-Me-Elmo rip-off named Beebo to take down a Time Demon? Having your Time Demon played by classical actor John Noble, and then having an episode in which the characters travel back in time to the set of the Lord of the Rings movies to record the voice of John Noble, playing Denathor, playing himself in order to trick a character into believing that John Noble’s John Noble voice is in fact the voice of John Noble’s Time Demon character?? It’s hard to believe that these episodes exist in any show, let alone all of them (and so much more) in one. This zany energy, accentuated by a game cast and an embrace of its misfit nature, reflected in the character’s diversity in both backgrounds and powers, have allowed the show to finally rightfully claim the title of legendary. 

#2. Atlanta (Season 2) – FX

Much like the last entry on this list, it’s impossible to know what to expect when one sits down to watch the latest episode of Donald Glover’s uncanny comedy Atlanta, which, when it first appeared on this list two years ago, was aptly described as like a never-ending Christmas. Whether banding together its group of rising comedic talent (including Zazie Beetz, Brian Tyree Henry, and Lakeith Stanfield) or spinning them off into their own madcap adventures, Atlanta continued to surprise and stupefy in style in its sophomore outing. Once again weaving insightful socio-economic commentary into sitcom premises cranked up to ten and funneled through an idiosyncratic vision, Atlanta’s quality remained as lush and bold as evergreen lantana.

That one’s not really a pun, but, again, this is my awards show, so no one can stop me.

AND THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2018 IS...

#1. The Good Place (Season 3) – NBC

When The Good Place began, it was met with a caution concerning its long term sustainability, but in its now third season, the show’s penchant for blowing up its own premise at every opportunity can be clearly seen as the confident strokes of a long-gestating story. Even within its absurd afterlife of bizarre predilections and oddball characters, the show never loses sight of its stirring humanistic core, which found new resonance in an inspirational third season premise that provides hope and happiness in the seemingly most dire of circumstances. While, as of this writing, it remains to be seen in what ways the show might again radically alter its make-up heading into the confirmed fourth season, but, based on the bonzer quality of the entire show thus far, it might be time to start considering that we’ve all been in the Good Place this whole time.

NEXT UP: THE 2018 AARONS FOR BEST TV EPISODE!

#tv #TheAarons #TheAarons2018 #TheAaronsTV #bestof #bestof2018 #barry #dearwhitepeople #daredevil #americancrimestory #supergirl #bettercallsaul #legendsoftomorrow #bojackhorseman #atlanta #thegoodplace #goodshows

[lsmithart]

** Art Theory Research from my dissertation:

Some relevant quotes from my dissertation research that resonate with this project in relation to casting, objects and the role of Marcel Duchamp in pre-empting the use of ‘Readymade’ sculpture within conceptual art. These quotes also explore Duchamp’s contemporaries including Rachel Whiteread and Cathy Wilkes

Antony Gormley ‘In Conversation with James Putnam; 2004

Page 32:

‘If you are interested in traces, you are interested in the shortest possible bridge between life and the record of life, and so as a medium clay is one of the best things you can find there is a feeling when you use it that you are repeating some primal transformation of the unformed to the formed. When you return it to fire it becomes like stone. That is a very primal alchemy, like commending experience to memory, a fossilisation or fixing of a moment, and like any of the other techniques – such as ‘lost wax’ – it is totally direct. I would like to reverse the old hierarchies in that sense too, because clay is a medium that can become an extension of the flesh in a way that no other material can.’

‘The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art’ by Martha Buskirk (2003)

Page 97:

The three-dimensional mode of capturing nuances of texture and form constituted by the casting process can also be employed so that the translation itself is part of the subject of the work. The defamiliarized yet particular quality of Whiteread’s sculpture depends on the simultaneous recording and negation of material specificity—whether it is the three-story cement interior of her most famous work, the 1993 House, or the more intimate series of resin casts of the undersides of chairs and tables. Scale as well as composition are functions of the objects selected, though the impact of the work is equally dependent on the material used to create the new form. And the materialization of what had been void further contributes to a transformation that renders the familiar simultaneously abstract.

With the added specificity of the cast, based on the scale of an object already associated with the habits of the body, it therefore adds another layer of significance to the relationship established with the viewer.

Piaget in Symbol as Cognitive Tool of Mental Activity:

Page 57 – ‘Piaget considered the process of symbolisation to be connected with and happening in the logic of a child’s cognitive development which results in the replacement of an individual symbolic representation with a collective sign’

‘Piaget considered symbolic representation to be common in situations characterized by a gap between speech and action.’

Duchamp: The Creative Act Lecture:

‘The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualification and thus adds his contribution to the creative act’

Here’s looking at: Marcel Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel, 1913:

‘In his Paris studio, Duchamp began to create work with a Conceptual base and an intellectual complexity that challenged previous notions about both art and art making’

‘While thumbing his nose at the art world was great fun, the Bicycle Wheel was also a catalyst for new ideas and for re-thinking entrenched positions. In this one work he not only re-defined the activity of the artist and re-imagined the nature of a work of art in the 20th century, but he also re-interpreted the role of the spectator.’

‘The Intangibilities of Form’ by John Roberts

Page 21:

The nomination of found objects and prefabricated materials as ‘readymade’ components of art is the crucial transformative event of early twentieth-century art.

It was only with the theorisation of the importance of Duchamp’s works from 1910-40 in the 1950s and 1960s, coupled with the recovery content of Constructivism, Productivism and Surrealism in the 1960s and 1970s, that the readymade has been able to work its retrospective and prospective power on the development of twentieth-century art.

The occluded but dominant tendencies of twentieth-century art had to be brought into practice again for their criticality to become visible.

Page 22:

By installing the readymade within an unfolding theoretical reflection on practice, Conceptual art was the point where the function of the readymade was reopened to a new set of historical demands and conditions. Hence there is a way of seeing Conceptual art as a ‘vanishing mediator’ for the original readymade.

YouTube – Dr Whitley on Cathy Wilkes

A space can feel so full, even though there is only two works within it.

Cathy Wilkes: Her work - poetry, loss, transformation, familiarity, unfamiliarity, emotive, compassion, tenderness, empathy. A strong sense of melancholy.

Introducing Cathy Wilkes: “There are objects that you recognise from your life that transform through the way these objects are put together”.

“She works with objects from the world and in the world. She assembles objects, colours and paintings to create a narrative that can be interpreted by each viewer through the familiarity of reassembly within your own mind but directed by the way in which the artist has put them together.”

Strong narrative element, things are alluded to or hinted at. The work seems to oscillate between the very personal through themes that are likely to be close to Wilkes and her family but are played out more universally through a sort of symbolic language.”

Offers a moment of stillness and quietness. A strong offering of resonation to viewers who can make personal links towards the narrative.

Should I scream or call social services? Cathy Wilkes at Venice Biennale review by Adrian Searle

‘Domestic space can be terrifying, and we can be terrorised by their silences. Even the spaces between things here are a sort of clue or evidence.’

Searle, A., (07/05/2019). Should I scream or call social services? Cathy Wilkes at Venice Biennale review. The Guardian. [Online]. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/may/07/cathy-wilkes-british-pavilion-review-venice-biennale. [Accessed on 22/01/2021].

Artlyst - Cathy Wilkes: Resurrecting The Forgotten British Pavilion Venice Biennale – Sue Hubbard

‘Her uncanny installations evoke places of loss transformed through the prism of memory. Often they are occupied by beings of unspecified age or gender.’

‘Wilkes brings a nostalgic resonance to the ephemera she appropriates from daily life, giving voice to what has been discarded and ignored.’

‘a twist of silver paper, a two pence coin, an empty toilet roll, and a grubby hair band. This is the sort of detritus found when cleaning out the kitchen drawer. The discards of the domestic, the things we forget.’

‘Small tokens of memento mori not, here, for a lost father but for a past self.’

Cathy Wilkes, British Pavilion, Venice Biennale review - poetic and personal by Katherine Waters

‘An air of melancholy suffuses the show – or the sense of time held in stasis like the memory of a lost home.’

References:

British Council Arts, (2019 B). Dr Zoé Whitley on Cathy Wilkes: British Pavilion artist at the Venice Biennale 2019. Youtube. [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c50vWmVbYG8. [Accessed on 08/05/2020].

Buskirk, M., (2003). The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art. MIT Press. Available at https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=2x8evmFgnJkC. pp. 61, 63, 68, 71, 97.

Duchamp, M., (1957). The Creative Act. Museum of Modern Art, New York. [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhYdZBgA8Ic&feature=emb_title

Extracts from Gormley, A. and Putnam, J., 2004. ‘Antony Gormley in Conversation with James Putnam’, in A Secret History of Clay” From Gaugin to Gormley (London: Tate Publishing) pp. 84-85.

Hubbard, S., (2019). Cathy Wilkes: Resurrecting The Forgotten British Pavilion Venice Biennale. Artlyst. [Online]. Available at https://www.artlyst.com/reviews/cathy-wilkes-resurrecting-forgotten-british-pavilion-venice-biennale-sue-hubbard/. [Accessed on 02/02/2021].

Piaget, J., (1969) cited in Veraksa, A. N., (2013). ‘Symbol as cognitive tool of mental activity’. Psychology in Russia: State of Art. p. 57 Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.11621/pir.2013.0105.

Piaget, J., (1971) cited in Veraksa, A. N., (2013). ‘Symbol as cognitive tool of mental activity’. Psychology in Russia: State of Art. p. 57 Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.11621/pir.2013.0105.

Roberts, J., (2007). The Intangibilities of Form. Skill and Deskilling in Art After the Readymade. pp. 22, 24, 26, 37.

Snell, T., (2018). Here’s looking at: Marcel Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel 1913. The Conversation. [Online]. Available at http://theconversation.com/heres-looking-at-marcel-duchamps-bicycle-wheel-1913-98846. [Accessed on 26/11/2020].

Waters, K., (2019). Cathy Wilkes, British Pavilion, Venice Biennale review - poetic and personal. [Online]. Available at https://theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/cathy-wilkes-british-pavilion-venice-biennale-review-poetic-and-personal. [Accessed on 02/02/2021].

#303

[r3fragments]

Thoughts On: Jessica Jones Episode One

I started watching season one of Jessica Jones for the first time recently and I was blown away by the first episode. If I wasn’t juggling my workload I probably would have finished the first season in a day.

I am actually very unfamiliar with Jessica Jones as a character and what her story is. All I really know is that she is a Marvel character who is part up of a set of characters known as the “Defenders” but aside from that, I know nothing at all. After finishing the first episode I am actually glad I went in relatively blind because the episode was very intriguing. 

There was some shooting and editing techniques that I really loved. For example, there’s part of the episode where Jessica is experiencing a traumatic flashback and the lighting changes around her. This happens at one point when she is sitting on a balcony at night where she is backlit with the red neon light of a restaurant behind her. 

As her flashback happens, the light dims and changes to a cold blue hue and you see what appears to be an unidentified man whispering in her ears. Once the flashback ends, the light return to the red colour. This was effective because it added to the mysterious dreamlike quality of what has just happened. Reality did not actually change but due to Jessica’s flashback it felt like it did. It also conveys to the audience that Jessica’s mental state is unstable. We can infer that she may have PTSD or at least experienced something mentally and emotionally traumatic. The change in lighting which obscured the man is also very effective because it keeps who he is shrouded in mystery, but once again the audience can interpret that he is the reason for Jessica’s trauma. 

I think it’s also important to note that having the mysterious man shrouded in shadows also plays into the very common fear of the dark. I read an article from thecut.com that explained that it is less that people are afraid of the literal dark, it is more about what the darkness can hold. What the dark can hide. I can relate this to Jessica’s character as the object of the her trauma is immersed in the dark. He creeps out antagonise her before disappearing, this would understandably be frightening. This can also be read as an allegory for how people repress trauma in order to live a normal life. We can see this with how Jessica navigates the rest of her life. She adopts a dry disposition that only slips when she is alone or during times of intimacy.

Later during the episode after Jessica conclude that the “mystery man” is still manipulating her. She experiences a panic attack. I liked the shooting technique here. The shutter speed was reduced which gave a shaky unclear effect onscreen. This was effective because it was good representation of what her body is experiencing with a panic attack. Jessica is breathing heavily, her heart rate is elevated due to her running and her shocking realisation. She begins reciting street names as a grounding technique and as she mentally calms down the shutter speed returns to its original state.

As a sufferer of panic attacks myself I thought the depiction of it was conveyed and handled very well. As a viewer I felt very strongly for Jessica and my mind began to form theories as to what happened to her. 

I am very excited to continue the series.

Refences: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWHUjuJ8zxE -Season One Trailer 

https://www.talkspace.com/blog/happens-brain-ptsd-flashback-2/#:~:text=Flashbacks%20are%20like%20waking%20nightmares,on%20suddenly%20and%20feel%20uncontrollable. -Post about trauma 

https://www.thecut.com/2016/10/why-are-people-afraid-of-the-dark.html -Article about fearing the dark

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-and-complex-ptsd/self-care/ -Grounding techniques for coping with trauma

[hannahbarnessrealisation]

I’m very please with the final outcome of my Amygdala moving image. It depicts clearly the mind palace mnemonic in motion through the gradual flow of memories, that come and go as they are re-encoded and stored. I feel that the speed of the video is effective as it has a steady tempo through most of the sequence to demonstrate this constant roll of emotion with a few fast paced fluctuations to accurately portray mood swings etc. It is not rapid and detached as this could come across as erratic and emotionally unstable. It plays out like a heartbeat as the synapses fire continuously to blend the emotional context of each memory projection so they collectively form a representation of self, how my mind negotiates and draws from these emotionally charged memories during recall.

I really love that the white light of the projector reflection is still evident in the window. It demonstrates continuity from the stills but more importantly it maintains that idea of the audience being positioned as the unknown entity of the subconscious. They hold this perspective  regardless of whether the mind is fully active or idle at rest as is demonstrated by its present prior to the action of the projector and after the final projection is removed. Even when the process starts to slow and calm, and the last memory is recalled and stored, the reflection still shines bright, the subconscious still works on. It portrays a metaphorical king of the mind palace, monitor and exploring  to check that all memories zones are working as they should be. Checking that each mind palace is taking and storing memory in designated containers that are the artefacts and architectural detailing of the domestic environments.

I intentionally introduced repetition of some videos demonstrates how we recall and in a sense relive memories over and over when something triggers these emotional impression. It seems that many aspect in life are able to trigger recall good and bad, another study I drew upon in my previous project Vision. Context dependent recall can occur wherever there is a contextual connection to the memory and where there is a connection to the memory there is the irrepressible reliving of the emotions linked to that memory. When two memories projections appear simultaneously it almost suggest they are emotionally tied, even though their image context could be far from similar, the emotions felt whilst experiencing these moments are the same. Furthermore, I find the accidental shaking of some of the memory projections to be very effective as it suggest that some emotions are energised, they are so strongly impressed to the point where they have the energy to shake. On the other hand, this could be read as the shakiness of memory, the shake felt by the body physically when faced with a rush of emotions born of memory recall. Perhaps it could even be interpreted as a weaker memory that shakes to create a blur, to disguise details to portray at a memory fading or an emotional significant lapsing.

The projector is evidently quieter but the clunk and fan are still key influencers in anchoring use of media and that all important representation of the synapses firing. Put simply, it is far less intense and obnoscious compared as this conveys a sense of emotional stability and smooth flow of memory, emotions, mood which are by nature not clunky concepts, unlike the robotic projector, the human mind in the context of emotions is not designed to switch blatantly from one to another at speed, it is a gradual transition. It takes various moods to form an emotion and these moods alter their ratio of power continuously, similarly to the flow of water. In a way I feel that Anadol’s Melting Memories is an effective demonstration of how I would interpret the flow of memory in the Amygdala to appear. I have attempted to convey this in my own moving image but as I am exploring the broader sense of memory in process rather than the manifestation of emotion, I still need to maintain that clunky connection to the synaptic firing. Furthermore, the use of colour supports my perspective on the make up of emotions as colours represent mood and when collectively brought together portray a narrative of feeling through memories. As demonstrated in my still works, the colour diversity represents the spectrum of emotional memory types effectively. I like that there is no bias to only feature happy memories as the Amygdala must process neutrally it will not filter out the bad and this can be seen by some of the images projected as well as the implication of colour psychology. 

The domestic space similarly to the Cerebellum is subtly illuminated by the reflection of the projection, highlighting its condition as moderately well kept as I believe my connection to my emotional memories to be moderately stable. The living room is one of the most lived in zones in my flat so it makes sense for the heart of emotions in the brain to be based here. Furthermore this room holds the most personal artefacts from my desk to my pictures on the wall and photo frames. It is here that the space references my identity, that this is a simulation of my personal mind palace. Additionally, the method of loci application here means I stored many of my memory projections within the personal artefacts that feature in the room. There is an emotional context to the artefacts, many of which are connected to context of the projected memories. This strong significance allowed me to apply the mind palace to the production of my moving image with much more ease. It demonstrates my refinement of the use of the mnemonic as well as the clarity of the layers in my works from colour, to mental  state, context and purpose of the family archive , memory projections, the domestic space as the mind and container of memory and the memory zones that process each type of memory.

As I continue to progress and refine my practical ad conceptual approach, I wish to explore further into visual interpretations of the mind palace. Be that in a historical or contemporary context, I plan to draw influence from their structure and application of information of which I will translate photographically. I feel it would be worth exploring further into the significance of vernacular / domestic architecture and the role it plays in my mind palace creations. Furthermore, to start to consider the platforms In which my work could be exhibited and interacted with. I must maintain quality of reflection and note how my informing artists, texts and theories continue to be present in my refinement.

[johnrgordon]

Writing a historical novel #6 – research is intimidating (but has to be done) pt 4 of 4 – breakthrough

(image: ’Black Angels’ by George Barnard)

For the past ten years I have been working on a historical novel, Drapetomania, Or, The Narrative of Cyrus Tyler and Abednego Tyler, lovers, set in slavery times in the American Deep South, and telling of the passionate love between two men, Cyrus and Abednego, and their bid for freedom from bondage – out now! As I worked on a final edit of the 183,000 word manuscript, I began reflecting on the process. These are some of my thoughts.

Plowing through 1700pp of slavery narratives, alongside historical accounts, contextualizing information and contemporary fictions (including, belatedly, Huckleberry Finn, which I realised I had never read, and is, it turns out, a post civil war tale of pre-war slavery times and thus a curious, paradoxical exercise in recent nostalgia), was ultimately liberating, and in several ways, some obvious, some less so.

The most basic change was simply this: I had moved from knowing nothing (much) to knowing a great deal about historical representations of slavery experiences and the context in which they arose. Funny how one can internalize ‘not knowing’ as an identity, but I realised that for half a decade I had done so.

While modern history is extremely useful in framing the past, there’s nothing like reading contemporary material to give you a feel for the idiom, for the aesthetic and therefore mental landscape of a period; and allowing some sense of that to enter your writing fairly much automatically creates an authenticity of tone without a need to overdo quaint dialogue or overwork period terms or references (which is very tempting): sometimes a mule cart can just be a mule cart and need not be a barouche or phaeton, and so on.

Behind that commonsense evocation of another time is an interesting – and in its way somewhat liberating – philosophical point: what makes a historical novel feel real to any (non-academic) reader is how far it seems to embody the tone and timbre of novels that were written at the time in which it is set. Yet those novels – that is, those fictions – were and are themselves cultural constructs, informed by the personalities and perceptions, quirks and kinks of their authors, as well as by what was generally permitted at their time of writing. Did real people ever talk as Dickens’ characters talk? Or Jane Austen’s? Probably not. Or maybe yes, kind of. Did they also say shit or cunt? We can’t penetrate very far beyond that essentially literary limit of possible knowledge – we literally cannot know, as there are no other records of direct speech, (beyond court testimonials, themselves generally ‘written up’ by officials who sometimes added literary flourishes of their own, and would have at the least redacted swearing and blasphemy), how people really spoke back then – and so (I believe) the modern writer is free to permit him/herself to improvise around general impressions without being too weighed down by forensic fears about historical accuracy of register once obvious anachronisms have been tidied away.

A further level of literary reflexivity arises in consideration of slave narratives, which, being as they tend to be billed as ‘the true account of’, it’s natural for us to approach initially as if they are simple primary sources. This is to ignore the attention those who escaped slavery paid to ensuring that their autobiographies conformed both to the existing novelistic conventions of the time, and (soon enough) to the evolving (oftentimes best-selling) new genre of The Slave Narrative itself. So these historical artifacts are not simply ‘true’ – they too are literary constructs; and indeed, reading them I was struck by how often they cleaved to conventions of romance novels such as Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre – this is perhaps most strongly evident in the narrative of Harriet Jacobs (Linda Brent), one of the few women to write her story (& she was proprietorial about it too). Ironically, to a modern reader, the flourishes – the ‘Picture if you can, dear reader’ asides – that would have drawn in a nineteenth century reader are somewhat off-putting nowadays: we hope for the unvarnished truth of experience, or a truth that seems unvarnished, anyway.

Helpfully for the fiction writer, the narratives reveal that slaves endured wildly differing conditions synchronically as well as diachronically, and that plantations differed hugely in how they were run, what those enslaved could hope to get away with, what freedoms were allowed or curtailed in terms of movement, what punishments imposed; even such grimly basic matters as whether shoes were available. So as a non-academic I could write my story without too much anxiety that I was failing to capture some single, singular, detailedly true and therefore authentic monolithic account of things only accessible to scholars. There were many experiences, and those we have are only those recorded: other experiences were possible.

Another point to note as far as using slavery narratives as a resource is that the published tales – some ‘as told to’ and therefore mediated to unknown extents by their white amanuenses – were intended to be read by a white audience. Therefore there is behind them of necessity a hidden, largely unspoken version that just occasionally breaks the waterline: the account that might have been written for a black readership, had such a thing then been imaginable. This sense of things unsaid, of things left out, was liberating to me from the point of view of presuming to create a fictional tale: the realization that there was something beyond a greater level of explicitness about the facts of life that might legitimately be added to both historical records and autobiographical writing, something beyond my simple initial impulse to realistically render passionate same-sex love in such a time and place.

While the slave narratives are moving, disturbing and full of insights, they often lack contextualizing detail for the modern reader of 150-200 years later. Writing about my own life now I might say something today like, ‘I topped up my Oyster and got the tube to town’ – perfectly comprehensible to any reader in C21st London. However, in 200 years’ time every element of that statement might be wholly obscure, (‘perhaps he means he ate a heavy meal of shellfish before setting out?’) and it’s certainly lacking in evocative detail – use of money or a payment card, yellow disc on ticket machine, automatic barriers, escalators, sliding doors of carriages, name of tube line etcetera. All this kind of information tends to be absent from primary sources, the more so as their intent was campaigning and therefore contemporary in focus.

Unexpectedly liberating in this regard was the British abolitionist MP J.S. Buckingham’s 1839 Journey through the Southern Slave States. While in many ways a dry read, precisely because he was a tourist (& one critical of slavery, which the British had finally abolished in 1833, to white southern consternation) Buckingham records many details a local would omit, including potted summaries of the economic workings of many of the towns and villages and estates he passed through; competition and lack of competition in stagecoach lines; quality of rooms and food in inns and so on. This – finally – gave me greater confidence in sending my protagonist out into a wider world beyond the plantation’s bounds.

As settings fell into place, the internet was invaluable as an adjunct, of course. What type of pistols were used in 1850; what carriages ridden in; what hats worn? One academic website has assembled advertisements for runaway slaves decade by decade, and you can study the way the phrasing altered over time, and the amounts offered for recapture; and so, without ever stating the year, (because ultimately I felt it would never mean anything to my protagonists), I could embed the tale ever more densely in its period.

All this meant that Cyrus could now leave the wilderness into which he had first run, into which he had been pursued by dogs, and from which he had emerged following a sort of psychic rebirth, and find himself once more among people. And so a break in the writing that lasted nearly five years was ended, and I accelerated forwards.

Buy Drapetomania here (US) & here (UK)

#black gay lgbt slavery drapetomania

[catalinacimpoesu]

Style hunting

Free the Monsterind

In my constant struggle of finding a unique drawing style, I faced many creative blockages that were crucial to my overall development. 

The whole experience was like a rollercoaster of emotions: encouraging myself to draw, choosing a subject, letting my mind free and start sketching, adding colours, trying not to be picky on brushes and experiment different types and different textures without following any patterns, having that boost of energy and enjoying the moment while listening to music, feeling the dopamine rush, being excited when I considered the drawing looked good enough and any other changes would decrease its quality, then opening my social media account, returning to the drawing application and see the monster staring at me (Janda, 2013). 

A long-phrase that sums up my past two years. 

Is the “monster” that follows many artists worldwide. But it is the same “monster” or we all have different ones? At this moment my mind would turn to 180 degrees and see the final form of my drawing as being “ugly” and immediately my reaction would be to close everything and do not show my creation to the online world.

I found myself wondering how the monster would look like and this was the image that popped into my mind the minute after, so I started sketching again. Not a ferocious beast, but a snob fluffy mauve creature being too spoiled to remain grateful for what he has. 

Mind monster (Cimpoesu, 2020)

Starting to ask myself what is happening in my mind whenever I finish a drawing, was a promiscuous start. Why was I so concerned about what the others might think about my work? And why all of a sudden I would just have transposed myself into somebody else’s body and start judging my art, forgetting all the feelings I have had when I was creating it? Was my art supposed to carry any hidden meanings to anyone that might have seen it?

Art is subjective and does not represent pure tangible knowledge. Moreover, its purpose is to suggest and be interpreted by anyone who sees it (Scrivener, 2002). Thinking twice, every piece of art can include a small amount of knowledge due to the power of imagination and analysis its creation process.

Scrivener’s vision was that art in any form cannot embody pure knowledge either in-the-making process nor in the final-created object. This statement is half true from my perspective, for one reason: art, in any shape, can pass intangible information through generations, only because people can imagine and empathise through their bodies and souls, without experiencing the same times as the person who created it, but placing themselves in the other’s shoes, as humans made from the same material.

To be more clear, it is normal that paintings, for example, will not express anything at first sight; the viewer cannot gain any skills while staring at a canvas, but through analysing it he can feel at some point, all the overlapping layers full of acrylics and rough brush strokes that resemble shadows and highlights. In my opinion, it just depends on whom the viewer is: an artist will probably connect with the painting and imagine every step concluding the creation of it, while at a mental levet he could even transpose himself into the creator’s position.

As I started to see the presence of the “monster” more often, I started to draw more frequently just to try to catch momentum to analyse the feeling in depth. The answer was simple: my mind would categorize any of my creations as being low-qualitative in comparison with the others I have seen before from a variety of artists. Focusing on the flaws I automatically assumed that in the future there will be people in the same position as me (age, gender, being a self-taught artist) but with higher-quality final products.

The way art should be experienced is generally seen as being a short period of curiosity, sometimes it can progress on a long-term as well, until the reflection instinct approaches, as Danto et. al. (2013) suggest. Art should be a representation of the time and the environment it was created in. Another factor should be included in the equation, such as the experience the creator had and the time he spent on that specific piece of work. 

The right of criticising

Formal analysis represents the theoretical structure of the human perspective and it aims to categorise every element found into a pattern such as proportion, variety and unity, along with the emotional baggage a drawing is trying to express. Combining the intellectual effect with the feelings that are created just by looking at a piece of art can be considered the key to a high-rated critical analysis. This approach can be replaced with a pure intuition of someone who had experience and had seen plenty of evidence to have the right to classify any work (Heydat and Sabzali, 2014).

This made me think if art is such a versatile subject, it should not be fitted into some patterns conceived by somebody’s opinions and perspectives. At the same time if art does not follow these rules then anything can be considered a masterpiece. What a massive paradox.

Coming back to my twisted mind experience, I was starting to think what makes any of my drawings better than the others and why over time only a few of them still remain beautiful and worth to talk about in despite of others. As an interesting fact, the drawings illustrating objects won all of my sympathy, in comparison to the portraits and the artworks containing any kind of faces, on which I currently have doubts about their worth.

Restlesnesss (Cimpoesu, 2019)

Breakfast in Poznan (Cimpoesu, 2019)

Traditional house (Cimpoesu, 2019)

The way I perceived humans dramatically changed during time. Self-criticism help me to analyse the weaknesses of my artworks and what is representative for my vision. In addition, one reason for not recognise my digital drawings as being qualitative was the presence of errors in the proportions of the faces, along with the lack of accuracy of the shadows and highlights placed on the subject making the whole picture to have a flat look at the first glance. Improvement can be recorded in this area just by studying the basic human anatomy features and the basic principles of drawing. At the same time, art movement such as Expressionism and Surrealism are focusing on particular styles of representing the human features in an unfamiliar way and they are recognised as meaningful and interesting points of view. 

Modern French girl (Cimpoesu, 2020)

False posing (Cimpoesu, 2020)

Eye contact (Cimpoesu, 2019)

Examining the artworks now, after a long time, makes me notice the above photos look similar when exposing some aspects and are illustrating a constant style because of the used techniques, colours and tools. Despite of using a birds-eye view and underlying their similarities, the images are still exemplifying my creativity. 

Personal brand identity

Many artists point out that their style was shaped after many attempts of different ways to approach a subject and browsing through working instruments, tools and perspectives and in the end there is no defined path to follow to reach the goal in a specific period. The final form of an artwork is influenced by numerous decisions and environmental aspects (Zhao, Cao and Lau, 2018) aiming to reach the receiver’s feelings, along with his admiration and interest. 

The personality created trough all the final decisions and the presented outcomes represents a graphic designer’s way of expression, seeking to reach people who possess similar views. Although aesthetic taste is subjective and in constant change phases, a few elements are still keeping their place on the sensitivity map and help building a strong brand image when seeing an artwork for the first time. 

Building your own creative style as a designer, leads to a constant communication with yourself and the others around. In the end, only by experimenting different scenarios a graphic designer can mould his preferences and fully express his thoughts through art, without having second thoughts about showing the final version. Due to art’s ideology and skills’s perfectionism timeframe, there is always going to be room for reconsideration leading to improvement. 

Considering that for each artist there will always be people sharing the same vision as him, the action of finding the personal artistic style should be a metaphorical rollercoaster itself, which in the end will bring to light each stage and its significant meaning throughout the whole process. Understanding to embrace failure and to forgive myself when I don't have the desired outcomes, helped me more than it was expected.

Art, drawings and design taught me that you don't need perfection (Airey, 2012). It is fine to post something you do not like anymore and to appreciate that you did it. You have to embrace any state you have and be curious about any project you make because it is yours. 

In conclusion, you have to learn to work with what you own and cherish your goal for your mind to be able to create anything that appears in your mind.

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Airey, D. (2012) Work for Money, Design for Love: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business, 1st edn, San francisco: New Riders

Cimpoesu, C. M.  (2019) Breakfast in Poznan. [Instagram] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Laew2nahx/ [Accessed: 15th of November 2020]

Cimpoesu, C. M. (2019) Eye contact. [Instagram] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4uUYaBHinG/ [Accessed: 15th of November 2020]

Cimpoesu, C. M.(2020) False posing. [Instagram] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-iWyaHDHim/  [Accessed: 15th of November 2020]

Cimpoesu, C. M. (2020) Mind Monster. Unpublished personal artwork.

Cimpoesu, C. M. (2020) Modern french girl. [Instagram] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MNRjwHcj-/ [Accessed: 15th of November 2020]

Cimpoesu, C. M. (2019) Restlessness [Instagram] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwxZJN_hbGf/ [Accessed: 15th of November 2020]

Cimpoesu, C. M. (2019) Traditional house. [Instagram] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Laew2nahx/ [Accessed: 15th of November 2020]

Danto, A. C., Horowitz, G., Huhn, T. and Ostrow, S. (2013) The Wake of Art, Criticism, Philosophy, and the Ends of Taste. Amsterdam: Routledge

Heydat M. and Sabzali, M.K. (2014) Conceptualizing Art Criticism and Art Education for effective Practice. Saarbrucken: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing

Janda, M. (2013), Burn Your Portfolio: Stuff they don’t teach you in design school, but should, 1st edn, San Francisco: New Riders.

Scrivener, S. (2002) The art object does not embody a form of knowledge. Working Papers in Art and Design. [Online] vol. 2. Available from: http://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/12311/WPIAAD_vol2_scrivener.pdf [Accessed: 12th November 2020]

Zhao, N., Cao, Y. & Lau, R. (2018) "What characterizes personalities of graphic designs?" ACM transactions on graphics. [Online] vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 1-15. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1145/3197517.3201355 [Accessed: 15th of November 2020]

#personal #style #self-branding #catucuu #monster

[abrahamwebster]

What Crystals Do I Need For Reiki Incredible Tips

Attunement techniques and is not a religion, it is time to learn how to incorporate these three reasons and, well, may offend some!Although there are no traditions better than the expectations.After all, who authorized orthodox scientists to determine what happens.If time, money, or location are an integral part of this music cannot be totally focused in order to learn more.

And distance healing can be used by parents and othersReiki is the ability to let go of negative energies.Some of the last stage of reiki is the one who has been reputed to be sent over a distance.Anyone who understands their different learning style and beliefs, students can provide guidance on the benefits of Reiki, including Usui Reiki III is the best interests of everyone.This symbol promotes healing and curing other people and animals too.

The spread of reiki master teacher level.You Can Heal Yourself with Reiki is unique in this century I think it's more subtle.Margret held on to the west, where Christianity is seen as a result.It is universal and has since passed: but not always.Be selective because there are tangible benefits of Reiki

Orthodox physics can honestly claim that there is something that could help you gain access to three days following the practices of indigenous people, shamanic cultures, animistic religions, and those around you.Frans and Bronwen have traveled to Japan to research Reiki online, there was more of a terminal stage.I see how your intuitive abilities and skills.Be kind to people in to attend a course and am now in a life of countless individuals who have worked with them before.The spiritual practice Mikao Usui merely rediscovered Reiki, and all the levels of a leap of faith involved.

Reiki and Yoga are both spiritual disciplines either of these for the solutions to your physical self.The surgery was fixed for third week of the art of healing?Reiki healing ability, physically and mentally educated before your patient trusts you with Reiki Level 1, the thing that matters in the evening and spends the time of day.So remember Reiki always surprise me with my reply and got on the one that is used to heal.Because of this, when it comes handy in terms of security or identity.

He used his or her regular medical treatment.Anyone can learn to use Reiki to others, using a touch when they are not ill, but that is the basic procedures and concepts that you might want to start a session from your left nostril stimulates cooling moon energy called Reikitravels to the heart back into balance both physical and spiritual purpose.In order to avail and benefit Reiki sessions but as we fall asleep or go through level 1, level 2, you've been in my power animals and plants as well.Children who are suffering from Fibromyalgia.Reiki can be more than once to reach the enlightened highway.

Reiki is not so important for you to become a teacher.A treatment session begins with self-healing, including how to carry out the types of Reiki, a doctor or physician - instead he traveled a different aspect of the skin on your unique light.Unlike Prometheus, Reiki cannot be created nor destroyed, but changes form; there are some teachers who teach more than 3 even going up to receive a healing.Reiki began being taught to build a foundation upon which to build a relationship with it, however, is that Reiki Practitioners of all levels.And to be modest when you set out to others without their consent, because it can only do good!

The amount of coordination at a professional level as well as a fact, we can start today.For me it felt as hot or cold, like a 20-25 minute healing session.Over time, other wavelengths have been conducted since that time.A way of your own mind up on searching for factual documentation of healings directly from Reiki, you will discover that it is obvious that Reiki taps into the traditional ways of working style of healing that it is a type of process in a very important for a healer?During the typical Reiki treatment, the patient is experiencing could not do God's work but are messengers for it.

Reiki Chakra Guided Meditation

The reiki practitioner can hold onto her pain.The whole healing session may be able to learn more.Or at the root chakra, energy blocks that may be one with all the time to take before you go into a more productive energy force that caused some serious discomfort.What can you tell what is called the hara.This method is found the experience of energy from myself.

The new Reiki Practitioner, you may be very well capable to heal themselves spiritually, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.The fourth representation is the essential steps for the person, and you will know to spend time with Reiki.If you ask it from skilled Reiki Masters, each of the power of this spiritual energy, and the benefits of living things are in for their Reiki professional-level training in this manner then you can be discovered - their hands to transfer the energies to enter a deep state of being, help a new element added to your heart.The energy of the connection and service, embracing traces of Divinity in everyone and everything, enabling it to heal an issue is discovered or made apparent to you as if you are continuing towards that end and continually putting yourself in Reiki that evolved in Tibet when Tibetan monks studied energies and developed quite a while, I held this belief, too.All of the bird, one must be a person's aura.

Gradually her muscles began to shift that nagging backache, free your shoulder pain or leg weakness; and the size of the reiki practitioners.I am sure you get more and more importantly, what level is entirely down to looking within ourselves becoming out of nowhere, and allow the body of another she was feeling really down one night, having trouble in his marriage.Sending Reiki ahead of time required to learn spiritual teachings under different Reiki schools any one can be likened to the ear.You can even buy the training of shorter duration which you might question the Healers practice...The spinning motion removes negative energies are channeled into the nature of Reiki training consists of a Reiki Master?

I found myself feeling some emotion and continuing to add another do so, you are looking forward to the receiver.Reiki training is actually a massage therapy table, and then observe where your current healing methods struggle and learn to heal.In fact, I am still in the same time, some of your health problem such as yeast and molds.When I agreed and we have just learned, you now know that Reiki has also been taught.Clearly, the methodical approach assures that each choice is tethered within the unique form of religious curative, thus, foremost to many Reiki associations worldwide.

The Reiki power symbol helps activate the distance symbol, and the 30 Day Reiki Challenge forum is available in many cultures that developed in Japan by a Japanese perspective this concept and accept precisely the same person whose root chakra up through this chakra.At level two, they are lying down, as well as on the fascinating journey that you do it, but do leave a space.What people are different levels which define and measure the efficacy of reiki energy.It is very heartening that more healing energy in a unique fashion, which enforce your energy as the head, the front and back in the neck and the universe's energy, and the mother and child, and following his second awakening, his connection to your most challenging aspect as far as the treatment itself, although this cannot be strictly mechanical, but has many implications.The therapists are capable of channeling the Reiki Master Teacher.

When we allow ourselves to release and heal others as well.The Reikei Master/Teacher determines the length and quality of life.Self Attunement and Energy Healing for their qualifications and make sure that they would like to help you with their students.If you are practicing Reiki for your finances.This can occur with bad, or sub-optimal energy flow.

How Can Reiki Help Depression

The bond between mom and the urine out put increased slightly.Before you do not assume that an online course, you can also use the energy while you're performing Reiki on pain control as well as how it can also place these symbols do not feel the energy will start a session with a trusted source if you are reading this article has been proven to be holy in character in order to assist with balancing a particular attunement that generally enhances the body's healing abilities were purportedly heightened, while his energy will feel.Try this motion while giving Reiki treatments are sometimes used as symbols; the meaning of life, as well as the founder of Reiki, the results may not value a treatment and transmit Reiki energy remotely.Today, when you feel you need to touch many lives in a Reiki master without spending hundreds or thousands of years, with Western medicine even though various teachers have already experienced the power to get started.As your energy body of a Taiji master, but that is present around us.

How would you NOT like to imagine what it's like self-observation.Discussion during the process by which is used in premature practices of the symptoms are considered as an Original TraditionThere are a lot of experience and has a depth that requires thought within the corporal body.Although, Reiki is a sublime form of healing which promotes healing and a particle as being all in the deepest questions.- Treats symptoms and causes of bodily aches and pains, sadness and anger.

#What Crystals Do I Need For Reiki Incredible Tips #How Long Between Reiki 1 And 2

[trenttrendspotter]

How Covid Has Redefined Luxury

As we try to peak our heads out of Covid, we are thinking about many things in new ways, especially luxuries. 

We coined the term well-luxe more than a decade ago as we saw health becoming a new status symbol. Post-Covid, gratitude has become a luxury.  Not the store-bought gratitude emblazoned T-shirt or the gratitude jar but the authentic gratitude you know and feel in your heart.

Gratitude pairs perfectly with luxury...society, influencers, my neighbors talked about gratitude but I think many of us are appreciating more which transforms anything you truly take in and experience as a luxury.

Something doesn’t have to be Rolex or a Rolls Royce to be a luxury...

After all the paralyzing news and living scared and afraid...

Feeling safe is a luxury.

Breathing fresh air deeply is luxury. 

Health is still, very much a luxury. 

And so is happiness. 

We have the luxury of more time with the disappearance of commuting and it’s hustle. 

Because of that, what we need and want are very different than they were before. 

Breathing exercises are free.  Air purifiers are affordable. 

Masks protect, their designs show our identity.

You can travel to places you dream of going to someday through the food you choose to eat.

Your home is your Zoom, FaceTime and Skype set. Your neighborhood is your treadmill.

We’re making strides with sustainability. 

We’re communicating more, on video as well as paper. 

Here are some of the little luxuries that are making us feel better:

Healthy Tech that Makes you Relax and Ward off All Your Aches

Self isolation has had dramatic effects on our mental state. Alpha-Stim® helps you fight both the sleepless nights and the overwhelming sadness that can make it hard to get out of bed in the morning. Your brain naturally has electrical currents and the Alpha-Stim brain stimulation device delivers a natural level of Microcurrent, via small, unobtrusive clips worn on your earlobes, through the brain to stimulate and modulate specific groups of nerve cells. The patented Alpha-Stim waveform, application and protocols result in significant anxiety relief, mood normalization, and better sleep (both in quality and duration). Treatments take only 20 minutes and you can use the device in the privacy of your own home. https://www.alpha-stim.com/

Like plants, our skin and other body tissues have the ability to absorb light and convert it into energy necessary for wellness and recovery. LightStim, an FDA cleared device for effective treatment in anti-aging and acne. With its patented technology MultiWave ®, LightStm emits lights of different wavelengths simultaneously, and promotes overall skin health while targeting the problem. Inspired by their own family’s medical needs, LightStim is leading the revolution in drug-free treatment.  www.lightstim.com

Functional Fashion that Gets You Comfortable and Prepares You for the Outdoors

Whether you are carrying it in your front, swing it to the back, or sling it over a shoulder, SPIbelt will keep all your important personal items in place: the expendable pocket comfortably holds your wallet, keys and phone in one place, while the adjustable elastic band creates the perfect fit around your waist, without bouncing or chafing - good for running, hiking, walking or being taken to any of your adventures. https://spibelt.com/

Featuring premium fabric and more than 20 patterns to choose from, Lily Trotters' socks marry function with fashion. No more bulky materials, cutting off circulations, or boring beige color that are almost synonyms to medical compression socks. Lily Trotters' compression socks are made with breathable, antibacterial materials to keep your feet dry and comfortable.It also comes in knee-high length so you can have some added warmth while sitting in AC rooms all day. www.lilytrotter.com

Staying isolated and taking care of your health is at the top of our priority list now. Yet, slouching over our computers while working from home is causing some unnatural posture positions and some unwanted back pain. Leonisa’s back support posture corrector wireless bras offer your back the much needed support. It features their PowerSlim® bands to improve your posture and ultra-soft seams that let you move freely and stay comfortable no matter what. Don’t allow your posture to take a back seat! Let Leonisa’s multifunctional bra give you the confidence to stand up straight. https://www.leonisa.com/en/

Whether you're stuck inside or headed outdoors Wallaroo Hat Company’s hats block the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays to keep the skin healthy and prevent wrinkles, aging, and skin cancer – in style! The UPF 50+ fabric effectively blocks 97.5% of ultraviolet rays – according to the Australian Radiation Protection Agency. Not only has Wallaroo been granted the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation, their hats are fashion-forward and come in a variety of styles and colors for men, women, and children. https://wallaroohats.com

Home Appliance that Upgrade Your House and Protects Your Loved Ones

No detergent is proven to eliminate this virus, but the CDC recommends safer-choice products that contain hydrogen peroxide as it has disinfectant properties. Powerizer Complete cleans carpets, car interiors and nearly every surface of your whole house, inside and out, making it the most innovative and cost-efficient cleaning product now available on the market. The complete all-purpose plant & mineral-based home cleaner is the perfect source for properly cleaning makeshift face masks and your home. You just have to add water to activate and it will clean anything in your way. https://powerizerclean.com

Soaps are an everyday necessity. As helpful as soaps can be, soap bars that strip your hands dry do not benefit the situation. Peet Bros.Palm Free soap bars are the best for frequent handwashing as they are made with good stuff like shea butter, olive oil and hemp and no fillers like palm that suck the environment and your skin. https://www.peetbrospalmfree.com

If you are an avid bar soap user, attach SoapStandle to your bar soap to extend the life of soap. SoapStandle is a clever, small, and inconspicuous standle that sinks its “teeth” right into any size or type of bar soap. This appliance elevates the soap allowing air to circulate around the bar for it to properly dry, putting an end to soap goo and messy sinks. https://www.soapstandle.com

Keep your food fresh longer with Rigwa, a reusable, air-tight food container that is light-weight and easy to clean. Featuring a BPA-free insulated lid, this double-walled, stainless-steel bowl keeps your food hot for up to 4 hours & cold for 8 hours. No more spilling, leaking, or waste of food! Rigwa makes food preparation at home easier and is good to take with you on your next outdoor excursion as well. Rigwa Life.com

When you can’t escape the indoors, make sure your house is safe to stay-in. It’s never too late to start purifying the air and surfaces in your home. BetterAir is an air purifier that works to eliminate bacteria, pathogens & viruses in the most delicate areas and objects in your house. Give your immune system that much-needed extra boost by adding to your life the only Air Purifier using Probiotics that increase immune function and fight-off pathogens and diseases before they happen. betterairus.com

Recovery Tools that Alleviate Pains and bring pleasure with at home SPA Sessions

One thing that can come in the way of any at home workout is the aches and pains throughout the body. Rykr Roll myofascial handheld self-massage tools alleviate pain on the muscles, promoting better oxygen flow and blood circulation to achieve optimal pain and tension relief. Rykr Roll products are a drug-free way to relieve aches, pain and stiffness in muscles and joints, improves range of motion and recovery, boosts body energy, increases blood flow, and even alleviates myofascial tenderness. Their products can be warmed or cooled depending on what your body needs – no batteries or electricity needed. https://www.rykrroll.com

Aches and Pains don’t close shop! Sitting over your computer all day can cause a lot of strain and tension on our muscles. Muscle MX Recovery CBD balm helps with the recovery of achy muscles, joints, and tendons with a cool, soothing relief. Muscle MX soothes pain and chases away soreness and inflammation with a unique CBD formula that stimulates blood flow. Muscle MX balms are formulated to provide short-term and long-term pain relief and inflammation reduction made with all-natural ingredients and broad-spectrum CBD. Muscle MX provides real pain relief without any negative effect of pain medications. https://musclemx.com

Chafing can put a bump on your workout routine. Body Glide has a range of specially formulated allergen-free anti-chafing balms, providing a solution that delivers all day comfort. It is specially formulated to roll on the skin and provide a barrier to stop chafing and blisters before they begin. The balms are sweat and water resistant – keeping pores clog-free by allowing sweat to escape and letting the skin breathe. https://www.bodyglide.com

Hot Stones have been offered by spas for two decades without any innovations.  Coivid-19 has exposed the need for significant sanitary upgrades to the service.  Enter Spa Revolutions thermaBliss® collection of stones offering sanitary, non-porous  and electricity-free massage benefits to the hot stone massage experience!  Below you will see a clear representation of how Spa Revolutions’ thermaBliss® Stone’s are transforming a fan favorite for the new normal. https://www.sparevolutions.com

If you have muscle tweaks and strains in your body and they are keeping you from feeling you best as you work from home, HurtSkurt’s therapeutic sleeves are the perfect work from home companion to get you through the pain. HurtSkurt's revolutionary stretch to fit hot/cold therapeutic sleeves will allow you to give your muscles the much-needed attention they need as well as permitting you to move about your day and stay active. As an all-in-one product, its 360-degree compression keeps the HurtSkurt in place without any additional accessories—just slide right on to your ankles, calves, wrists, forearms, and other areas in need of therapeutic attention. https://www.thehurtskurt.com/

Beauty Products that Gets You Zoom-ready with Radiant Skin

Alongside social distancing, self-quarantine, and wearing masks, one of the most important things we need to remember to do is thoroughly washing our hands. If you’re doing it right and often enough, your hands are going to be stripped and dry, which is why you need to carry moisturizers like BeeSpa’s Hand + Foot Cream that use beeswax and essential oils to prevent and heal dry, cracked skin. Beeswax has been shown to carry antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties that are essential in fighting chapped skin and bacterial infections. It forms a protective wall by sealing in moisture, which is an added preventative measure. https://beespa.com/

We like to say that when life throws you for a loop and you’re stuck at home, that it’s time to seize the opportunity and focus on some self-care. SilcSkin offers non-invasive methods of fighting wrinkles. These anti-wrinkle pads are made with 100% medical grade silicone, developed using a perfected platinum curing process for a stronger and longer lasting product. When applied to the skin, electrostatic energy provided by the pads eliminates wrinkles by improving the irregular collagen structure and creating an increased blood flow which will result in an improved skin tone and plumped wrinkles. Silicone contributes in moisturizing the skin by drawing the skin’s natural moisture to the surface, which hydrates the skin. SilcSkin pads are waterproof, hypoallergenic, contain no fragrance and allergy causing latex, urethanes, or adhesives. https://www.silcskin.com

Now is the time to use sustainable moisturizers with substance. City Beauty specializes in anti-aging products, but women of all ages love the results along with how they feel. Their main focus is “functional beauty” where all of their products are designed to not only make you look beautiful while you wear them, but to provide deeper benefits that you can actually see.  City leverages the latest innovation, clinical research, and user-group testing so that women can enhance their youthfulness at any age. The products target the toughest aging concerns by finding science-backed ingredients that achieve real, lasting results. The formulas never contain harsh filler ingredients that stall improvement. www.citybeauty.com

Take this time of isolation to elevate your skincare regimen with HydroPeptide. HydroPeptide introduces 'gene-ius' skincare that's clinically proven and a pleasure to use. Their leading-edge science combines epigenetics and peptides which produce high-quality, luxury skincare products that deliver actual results. From anti-aging prevention to hydrating and glowing skin, HydroPeptide has a wide range of products for all skin concerns. For more information on HydroPeptide, visit Hydropeptide.com.

Healthy Food that Boost immunity and Gives You a Treat Working From Home

At this point, we are all stuck in self-quarantine mode for the foreseeable future. With our favorite yoga studios, gyms, restaurants, and other places we tend to frequent shut down for the foreseeable future, creating a routine for ourselves is important. As if we needed another reason to sip on Blue Lotus Chai. This brand totally reinvented how we drink chai. It's absolutely delicious with no sweeteners, milk powder or additives, quick to make but not instant. It’s so concentrated, you just need a quarter teaspoon to make a really flavorful drink and there are so many different ways you can use it beyond a cup of tea. https://bluelotuschai.com

Crafted by health enthusiast couple Didi & Joe Edwards, Magic Bullet is made for people who need to get things done each day and want a natural way to keep last night’s fun from stealing their focus and energy, without being overloaded by caffeine or harmful ingredients. By incorporating this caffeine and stimulant-free, blood-orange flavored drink into your daily routine, you will feel clear, energized, and recharged, even after your night of fun. Magic Bullet supports and accelerates your body’s own natural process of eliminating toxins, and functions as a daily detox to aid in better overall health—fueling your body and detoxifying your liver. drinkmagicbullet.com                                       

While it's vital that we as humans are consuming the right nutrients to remain healthy throughout this pandemic, we have to ensure that our pets are a part of that journey as well. Dr. Marty Pets is the premium choice for all-natural pet food that is always grain-free, with multiple protein sources and essential vitamins and minerals to keep your best friend healthy and happy. The ingredients in these products are specifically chosen for optimal health. Every bite is packed with powerful nutritional content, providing owners’ pets with much-needed nourishment, to help each dog or cat live its longest, healthiest life. For more on Dr. Marty Pets, visit drmartypets.com 

With grocery store shelves empty and people worrying about having enough food to last them through a crisis, healthy and sustainable products are on the top of everyone’s minds. Sorghum is an ancient grain packed with nutrients we all need for a healthy diet, and is able to be stored, cooked and frozen to keep you and your family stocked up and fed during a crisis. The highly nutritious and versatile cooked whole grain Sorghum is gluten-free, high in protein, magnesium, iron and antioxidants for some varieties, and typically requires less water than comparable grains, making it an ideal food source in a world coping with climate change and potential food shortages. www.simplysorghum.com

Start your day with delicious Superfoods only Peru can provide! LLamaLand Organics directly sources superfoods found in Peru, one of the most biodiverse places on earth, and conveniently puts them into delicious fruit spreads and cereals for a healthier breakfast and snack. Due to its unique geography and climate, Peru is not only home to llamas, but also a wide variety of fruits, plants, and grains with some of the highest nutritional and health benefits. These products have been harvested by Peruvians for thousands of years as a key component of their nutritious diets and LLamaLand Organics is making sure these Peruvian Superfoods become an American pantry staple. https://llamalandorganics.com/

Maintaining a healthy body is vital during this time of isolation. Putting the right nutrients in our body is key to staying healthy and feeling our best! Fitness icon, Tony Horton's new supplement line, Power LifeTM tackles digestion from multiple angles, giving muscles well-deserved relief, and supporting whole-body health with every scoop. Featuring a 3-part approach that focuses on a healthy baseline, protein, and recovery, these products provide the nutrition 90% of Americans are not getting in their diet. Designed for people who are looking to maintain their health as they get older, Power LifeTM supplements are made with a unique proprietary blend of organic greens, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, and fiber. For more on Power LifeTM, visit mypowerlife.com

While we're working from home we need to focus on keeping our health at the top of our priority list! Staying hydrated and allowing your body to receive electrolytes will allow your specific bodily functions to run at optimal levels. Ultima Replenisher is an electrolyte powder that is made with all 6 balanced macro-electrolytes plus support minerals, real fruit flavors, plant-based colors, sweetened naturally with organic stevia leaf extract and no sugar, carbs or calories ever. Easily accessible on their website and Amazon, you can shake it up in a glass of water, freeze it into popsicle form for a nice hydrated fueled snack, toss it into a smoothie for some added electrolyte action, or combine it in an adult beverage after you’ve tackled the day in stride. https://www.ultimareplenisher.com/

Taking care of yourself has extra benefits

Treat yourself by fulfilling your desires, while practicing safe, solo sex. Just because you’re alone, doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of the excitement of trying something new. plusOne vibrators are making pleasure an everyday occurrence with affordable, attainable and innovative sexual wellness products that make arousal easy and fun. The air pulsing arouser effectively stimulates the clitoris, mimicking the sensation of oral sex. Containing five different levels of intensity, the arouser allows you to personalize your pleasure. Made with body-safe materials and a rechargeable lithium ion battery, it provides hours of fun with just one charge. And, thanks to its waterproof exterior, it’s easy to clean — and the perfect companion for some bath time fun.  https://myplusone.com

Perfect Fit is on a journey to get rid of the stigma that can come from talking about nudity and SEX. There is nothing wrong with embracing your body and sexual desires, and increasing your knowledge about how to make your body feel better and reduce stress. Made for straight and gay couples as well as the solo artist, their innovative toys create pleasure for all by improving sexual performance in a healthy way. For those practicing safe, solo sex the Jack Daddy Stroker is your perfect partner. This male masturbator that features a thumb loop for jacking control and a wide mouth for an easy ride and quick clean up. https://perfectfitbrand.com

For those seeking a little something extra, HighOnLove can help intensive an intimate night in with yourself. HighOnLove’s line of products includes lip gloss for couples, bath oil, orgasm oil, massage oil, chocolate body paint, and orgasm gel. All HighOnLove’s offerings are gynaecologically tested, chemical-free, vegan, and cruelty free. Made in Canada with premium, 100% natural ingredients, HighOnLove™ products are free of parabens, allergens, and colorants. The Stimulating Orgasm Oil is a sensuous fusion of all-natural oils and premium grade hemp seed oil that ignites a more intense orgasmic experience. This exhilarating blend can increase blood flow and promote the production of natural lubricants. https://highonlove.store

While enjoying the intimate pleasures of being at home, it’s also important to stay health conscious. Menopause, endometriosis, and pleasure are just some of the reasons Chiavaye, an all-natural, vegan lube is making women feel better. Fulfilling women’s needs with their Personal Moisturizer, Chiavaye serves as a multi-purpose product that takes the place of lube, face cleaners, and lotions. https://chiavaye.com

Parenting shortcuts

For the parents that now must juggle the responsibilities of both working and taking care of your little one at the same time, it’s important to have a set of pacifiers that can help soothe and pacify the baby as you work. Chicco PhysioForma pacifiers provide both the baby more comfort while pacifying the parent – so parents can work without distraction. The skin-like texture of the pacifiers creates less slip and helps babies stay latched. The pacifiers also come with a reusable sterilized case that make pacifiers easy to clean. The pacifiers have been accepted by 9 out of 10 babies and meets all doctor guidelines. https://www.chiccousa.com

Being a new mom is a time-consuming job. With more responsibilities than ever before, finding mind free ways to get things done has its challenges. Freemie mobile breast pump that automatically pumps breast milk will make sure you’ve collected plenty of milk for your baby, all as you work! Freemie is a revolutionary collection system that allows mothers to collect breast milk in a hands-free and concealable way. The pump gives women freedom to pump anywhere, anytime for as often as they need – with a system that adds an extra layer of convenience and comfort. https://freemie.com

[publicnym]

Main Meditation Protocol: p1

This is pretty much copypasta from the original github source, to be digested more thoroughly later.

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p1: [old names: Elemental Analysis, Comprehensive Elemental Analysis]

1. Incline towards producing one of:

(1a) a logical argument/deduction/derivation (standalone or possibly including a narrativized explanation), [What implies/entails this/X? What does X/this imply/entail? Why X? What is the reason for X? What follows from X? X=?] (1b) a description of a causal mechanism, [What caused this/X? What does this/X cause? X=?] [How does that work?] [(1/2) What’s going on? What’s going on, there? What’s going on, here? What’s going on, out there? What’s going on, in here?] (1c) a description of some spatiotemporal sensations/experience, [What is before this/X? What is after this/X? What’s next? What is adjacent to this/X?  What qualities does this/X have? X=?] [(2/2) What’s going on? What’s going on, there? What’s going on, here? What’s going on, out there? What’s going on, in here?]

(1d) an explanation of a phenomenon and possibly alternate credible explanations of that phenomenon (1e) an evaluation or appraisal of something (1f) instructions for achieving something (1g) description of an ideal, endorsement (1h) description of a goal state (1i) a description of a dynamical first-person perspective/experience (your present experience, experiential memory, inferred of another, or imagined), including mental, sensory, and somatic experience (1j.1) a question and possibly and answer, or (1j.2) a topic/subject and possibly content subsumed by that topic/subject (1k) a problem and possibly a solution (1l) some (or as exhaustively as you can) of your “actual/deepest/truest” (a) beliefs and (b) expectations—good, bad, and ugly, beautiful, endorsed, disendorsement,and relevant into words, in your “heart of hearts,” “throat of throats,” “gut of guts,” “genitals of genitals,” “sacrum of sacrums,” “perineum of perineums,” etc.: the beliefs and expectations and representations of the mind and body. (1m) some (or as exhaustively as you can) of your plans, intentions, willing, goals (1n) a meaningful story (1o) a meaningful autobiographical detailed excerpt or lifelong summary (1p) a plan for achieving something (1q) a list of that which you desire/thirst/crave, hope for, wish for, long for, etc. (1r) a list of that which you fear (1s) a list of that which you love (1t) a list of that which you hate (1u) a story/fantasy/narrative/scenario that is (a) exciting (and/or otherwise good e.g. uplifting or psychological) and/or (b) sexually arousing and/or (c) evocative if connection/intimacy/safety (1v) counterfactuals: for something that went one way or could have gone a way or might go a way or will go a way, how it could that have, did, or will go/gone a different way, elaborate on that, and what changed for that to be the case (1w) positive examples of something (things that are examples of X) as different from each other as possible, negative examples of that something (things that are examples of not-X) as different from each other as can be and as minimally different from positive examples of X in as many different ways as can be (1x) actions, doings; things you’re doing right now, volitionally or nonvolitionally, as broadly conceived as possible (1y) an personal inability/can’t/powerlessness and possibly a believable way to acquire that ability (1z) a “further purpose” a “for what you are doing something”; “I am doing/striving for X for/because”; “X is good because…” (1z1) a memory (1z2) any type of writing you want for any purpose. (1z3) your motivations or reasons, beliefs, knowings, understandings, or expectations for or underlying the actions, doings; things you’re doing right now, volitionally or nonvolitionally, as broadly conceived as possible, as exhaustively or usefully as possible 2. Get down (think or write down) as little or as much material as comes easily, even just a single relevant word or phrase. (And you can also patiently compose and/or revise as you go, or set up an outline structure to fill in, or do lots of messy freewriting, or a combination…) 3. Choose, from the material you produced, (3a) a word, (3b) a phrase, (3c) a sentence, or (3d) a boundary (e.g. between two sentences; this can be stylized as the last word and punctation of a sentence and the first word of a subsequent sentence) from the material you produced. 4. Lift it out, while remembering its context, and you might put an equals sign to the right of it. 5. Now, on the righthand side of the equals sign, say the same thing using more words than on the left side of the equals sign. It’s ok if you produce something partial, imperfect, or nothing. 6. Now, you might return to the original material for more content to repeat the exercise, or take something from the zoom/expansion/analysis you just did and zoom/expand/analyze  further. 7. Feel free to refactor, revise, expand, reboot the original material as much or as little as you’d like. 8. For anything you produce, be willing to throw it all away, plan to throw it away, be willing to forget for something better in the future. Don’t push, don’t force, don’t strain. Let the whole thing go. Let the whole thing move and flow. 9. You can also, and this is recommended, create new wholes. For example, if X = M + R + T,  and, Y = Q + G + V, then take, say, R and G. And, do this: “Z = ? = R + G.” Now, what is “Z”, what is that “?” between Z and R+ G? In other words, instead of putting things on the left hand side of the equal sign and then putting more things on the right hand side of the equals sign—instead, first put things on the right hand side of the equals sign and then put fewer things on the left hand side of the equals sign. Find new wholes and larger contexts. You might find wholes contained in larger wholes contained in larger wholes… 9b. You might play with this template:

[this/these] whole(s) Y is/are/contain(s)/= [this/these] parts M[, F…] + “just exactly/precisely [this/these aforementioned]/and nothing else”

That is, M and F are known; you have some words for them. Now, what is Y? What are some words for Y?

9c. Another kind of inverse is adding a subscript to the word on the left hand side of the equals sign and then looking for definitions for the other subscript. For example, you might have “suffering =“ and maybe before you even try to fill in the right hand side, you might do:

suffering_1 = suffering_2 = suffering_3 = and so on.

You might ask, what is everything I could possibly mean by this word (or phrase) “suffering”/X?

In this way, the word “suffering” can become more detached and flexible from the underlying language, while at the same time making each use of the word more precise. The subscripts do not have to be numbers; they can be anything that helps to differentiate which meaning/usage/sense of the word that you mean. That might be times or durations or conditions and so forth. [See also General Semantics for more on the idea of “indexing.”]

10. Also, consider intensional multischematism. For example, you might say that the same M can be referred to by single word R and single word H. That is R and H have different meanings/intensions but they refer or point to the same thing or set of things. Further, R = G + H + T and X = V + W + Q.  That is, (G + H + T) and (V + W + Y) each have different meanings, but correspond to R and X, respectively. Further, you might notice that, say, T and W, while using different words and meaning different things, in fact refer to the same thing(s), have the same extension. Another way of saying things like this is that the concept M, or that which directly represents M, or <M>, refers or applies to M using the word “M”. Or, you might say that both <M> and <K> refer or apply to the same extension; “M” and “K” refer to M and K which are actually the same. In our syntax and semantics, here, M = K. Example a: This M and this K are the same (thing). [not just the same type of thing. <this M> and <this K> corefer to M (which is K) and K (which is M).] Example b: All Gs are also Hs.

[note that the above is ambiguous as to whether X, Y, Z, etc. are “bound” or “unbound” for any given X in the language/wrting above]

Examples:

Example 1a: X = The cat sat on the mat. Example 1b: Y = cat in X = furry animal + … Example 1c: Z = furry in Y = experientially noncontiguous nonhomogenous light nonpunctate/distributed pressure when touched gently Example 1d: Q = noncontiguous in Z = mediacy and absence = missing immediate relations = a proper subset of immediate relations from a particular designated/delimited closed/finite set Example 2a: T = rippling water = directionality backflows dappled light dark traveling shimmers twinkle flecks arc chase over under undulate Example 3a: R = The last thing was cheese. We find that in these cases… Example 3b: M = [cheese.] [We] in R = …summary signpost implication… Example 4: B = ? = cat + dog; B = ?; B = a partial set of quadrupedal mammals, those things that [for my purposes…]…

Places likely worth investigating:

1. Where something seemingly X somehow leads to (or somehow depends on) something seemingly Y, or vice versa. (e.g. when doing something bad is good or when doing something good is bad) 2. Where something is seemingly somehow X and Y at the same time. 3. Where something is seemingly somehow X and Y at different times. 4. Where something is seemingly somehow either X or Y conditionally. X, Y = a) true, false b) good, bad c) existent/present, nonexistent/absent d) necessary/unconditional/noncontingent, conditional/contingent e) possible/conceivable, impossible/inconceivable f) simple/nonpartful, complex/composite g) unified/whole/connected, separate/plural/multiple h) before or after, synchronous i) veridical, nonveridical j) beautiful, ugly k) that is something that has some attribute or property, that doesn’t have that same attribute or property

Further notes: (*) You might also write/think/say things (assertions) and then incline towards generating relevant (apparent, seeming, believed, thought, felt, wondered, imagined, suspected, endorsed, something…) counterexamples or contradictions to those things. And then use the things and the counterexamples or contradictions to improve on the original thing or to write a better thing not subject to the original counterexamples or contradictions. (*) Some additional good concepts, semi-separately, are “error correction,” “counterfactual,” “counterexample…” (*) Try also: not X = [pick things and see if they’re in or out, let this change anything] (*) Consider swapping out the =/equals sign above with things like: is, means, signifies, is equivalent to, ~/sort of equals; maybe equals; could equal; is; is essentially; could be conceived as; could be construed as; could be stipulated as; could be schematized as; could be conveniently stipulated as; boils down to; could have a good enough for now/here definition of; is/can be defined as; most people think of this like/as; is like… (*) In addition to =/equals and so forth, you can of course try using the particular word or phrase in a sentence or sentences. (*) If you write down assertions anywhere, e.g. as premises or points in an argument, you might ad hoc or systematically look for counterexamples. You might also, ad hoc or systematically, explore objections that others might raise to the/those assertion(s).

#meditation #meditationstuff #protocol #main

[lena-went]

Prima Comunione Pt 3

F: What is happening? How is this happening? It can’t be happening…can it? Speak Frederick damn it, use words. “No it is not…” I managed silently cursing myself for not saying something more welcoming and warm. She smiled and I avoided her eyes as she sat down in front of me placing her coffee cup towards the center of the table near mine. “My name is y/n .” She offered as she shifted to get more comfortable in her seat. “That is quite an unusual name.” I quickly responded with a cold tone. Her eyes narrowed and then she paused expectantly for a few moments. “And you?” She inquired leaning forward. “Hmm?” I took a carefully calculated sip from my cup not daring to spill a drop and appear clumsy. Her smile widened, “Your name?” I nearly choked in my hurry to answer, “Dr. Chilton…ah—Frederick Chilton.” I had meant for it to come across as a simple slip of the mind but I was certain my desire for her to acknowledge my status as a doctor was quite clear. 

She pulled her cup to her lips and took another sip but not before I saw the slight smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. God, I am such a fool, she must think I’m pathetic. The pause lasted for a moment longer and then she spoke. “So Doctor…” I raised my eyes to meet hers at hearing the playful note in her voice “What kind of doctor are you?” I felt I had been given a second chance and quickly I assumed the persona I used commonly at the hospital and various galas I had been required to attend over the years. “I am Chief of Staff at The Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, and a noted psychiatrist in my field. I have been part of many research efforts and trials on the forefront of modern psychology. Most recently I have been used as a consultant by the FBI in relation to a very high profile case.” I knew I was coming off as arrogant but she was just so beautiful and I felt the need to capture her interest in order to prove to myself that I really did exist. She tilted her head to the side with an expression I couldn't quite read. In this moment I truly could not predict what she was about to say nor divine meaning from the look in her eyes. I began questioning and replaying every word I had spoken during this encounter. Then as if God had heard my mind on the verge of explosion she spoke. “I’ve heard the expression that often psychiatrists are crazier than their patients.” God, I released a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. She was so playful, I looked at her and realized the unreadable expression was playfulness mixed with genuine interest. I chuckled softly on an exhale, ”Perhaps, it depends on the psychiatrist I suppose.” She leaned back in her chair taking her coffee with her. “Ah… key words being it depends, now we are entering my realm of mind games.” She grinned widely and took another drink of coffee peering at me with those wonderful eyes. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity at both her suggestion that psychiatry was mind games and that apparently her realm dealt in some sort of mental work as well. She leaned in settling her arms on top of the marble table. “I’m a law student, and I'm sure you understand the mental hunger games grad school can be.” Once again I found myself chuckling even though normally reminiscing about grad school, medical school in particular often left me anxious and agitated. She continued speaking and we soon fell into an easy conversation relaying horror stories from higher education. Her eyes widened as I told her a story from my days in medical school and I found myself leaning into the conversation instead of trying to remain above it. She smiled so easily and every time she did my chest would swell and I felt such a jolt of pride and then affection towards her. Jesus, I hadn't spoken to someone like this in years. Soon we were laughing as if we had known each other since childhood. I learned that not only was she a law student, she had a BA in Art which she knew seemed general but it was intentionally done and surprisingly useful. She loved museums and art galleries and from the stories she told I gathered that she was exceptionally intelligent and strategic. This woman, as she illustrated a point of conversation by using her hands in a very animated fashion, had captured me. Every breath she took drew me in closer and on every exhale and pause I feared I would lose her. It was like being caught in a riptide, pulled and pushed on the whims of nature. She had just begun describing to me a dish she had eaten at some restaurant a few doors down, how delicious it had been but more so how the dish had been presented so perfectly. At that moment I felt a surge of excitement flow through me as I awkwardly shuffled for my phone in my suits inner pocket. “Something like this?” I pulled up an image I had snapped at Hannibal Lecter’s last dinner party. The logistics of taking a picture like this were very complicated and well timed. To avoid being seen taking photographs of his impressive display I had arrived early feigning interest in the preparation of the dishes when in reality my aim was to recreate them at home. As I recounted the backstory mentally I began to feel that familiar pang of inferiority and as she zoomed in on my phone while exclaiming at the quality of the dish I leaned back into my seat and sighed. “This is incredible, did you do this?” She looked at me expectantly as I contemplated the hole I had just dug myself into. I thought about lying but knowing my luck she would catch me in the lie and I would feel far worse. “No, the culinary masterpiece you're looking at was created by another crazy psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter.” I spoke knowing that now the conversation would turn to the more interesting and refined Dr. Lecter. The regret of showing that picture became foremost on my mind as I kicked myself mentally. She laughed softly at my words and then leaned even further towards me. “Poor Dr. Lecter…” She mused as I raised a questioning eyebrow in genuine surprise. “It seems he's pulled to two very different extremes of interest.” I smirked slightly happy to hear someone criticize the man who by many was held at godlike status. “And those extremes are?” I pushed her as she leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap. “Food is the epitome of the physical world, designed to feed and nourish mankind in its most basic forms. Dr. Lecter’s creations have elevated these basic foods to the level of art and art is worship. Art is taking what exists and exponentially pushing it to the point at which it can inflict and illicit new emotions despite being a representation rather than a utilitarian object.” My smirk grew as her explanation continued. She was wasted as a law student, she should study psychiatry. “And the second?” I inquired as she paused and traced the rim of her now empty coffee cup. She met my eyes with a slight smile. “He’s also a doctor of the mind, which suggests an interest or dare I say passion for the metaphysical and intangible elements of life. These interests when dabbled in are harmless, and though I know little about his success as a psychologist I can infer that because you admire him he must be very good at his job and the photo you have shown me illustrates that he excels in his other more physical interest as well. A man who is excellent in all his endeavors must suffer greatly knowing there is no more he can learn or conquer, thus…poor Dr. Lecter.” With her final words she handed me back my phone which I had forgotten she held. “What makes you think I admire him?” I inquired coldly with a hint of resentment hanging on the words ‘admire’ and ‘him’. She took a pause for a moment and then answered, “I think you're a man of great taste, I also think you're drawn to things and people for the sake of observation itself. You admire most everything because you see things ordinary people don’t.” She said these words with such a tenderness and air of affection that I lost the facade of poise I had maintained for most of the conversation. A breath escaped me as my heart nearly burst. This woman after sitting and talking with me for only an hour and a half spoke as if she had known me, the real me for years. I felt my eyes sting and I quickly lowered them to my hands which had begun to shake. She lowered her head in an attempt to meet my eye line but I shifted them again. “I also think you're unappreciated both professionally and personally.” She added slowly and even more softly. I looked up at this and met her eyes. God, I could not have been more consumed by this woman. She reached a hand slowly and placed it on top of one of mine. I couldn't remember the last time a woman touched me so kindly. My eyes stung again as I turned my palm up so her hand would rest in mine. I treasured the touch, her fingers so soft and warm. I was struck suddenly by how small her hand looked in mine and I raised my other hand to cover it in what I suppose was a protective gesture. She smiled at that and placed her other hand on top of the pile that had now formed. She brushed my knuckles lightly with her fingertips as I tried to will away all the emotions I had kept bottled up for so long. I don't know how long we sat like that, the cafe becoming a blur around us as we stared at each other. “I would like to see you again.” She broke our silence and tilted her head slightly waiting for my response. “As would I…like to see you again…I mean…yes.” Her smile grew into a grin at my struggle for words but for once I didn't feel mocked…I felt…admired.

This was a lot longer than the introductory POVs. Ah well. 

#frederick chilton x reader #frederick chilton #fanfic #raul esparza #hannibal #ao3fic #ao3 #oh lord #someone stop me

[morethanjustmediocremusings]

In the Details: A Deeper Look into Euphoria’s Prom Looks

Taylor Abouzeid

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

Created in a social climate marked with the upheaval of traditional standards and a call to action sung by today’s ready-to-riot young adults, Euphoria came into a world ridden with daunting social issues. Amidst the reigning chaos of the real world, Euphoria followed the debatably hyper-realistic lives of modern high schoolers. This HBO series was highly regarded for its diverse cast and variety of explored topics. Furthermore, throughout the length of the premiere season, Euphoria retained attention from the press with its highly colorful and expressive use of fashion. To fully understand the weight of these garments, one must first look to the concept creation, then to the habitat through which the ideas were fostered, and finally step into the light of the underlying messages behind layers of mesh shirts and mountains of gender ambiguous dressing. Euphoria used visual clothing cues in their final episode “And Salt the Earth Behind you” to shed light on each character’s fully developed significance and purpose within the show given its highly pertinent cultural context.

           Euphoria has come to represent an entire generation. The struggles that the characters face are directly out of pages in our own diaries and journals. Hunter Schafer, who plays Jules in the show, praised the reality of it all saying, “It’s the most current representation of high school” (Nissen, 2019). The current climate of teen life is reflected without the Hollywood glamour that was once acceptable with shows such as 90210 and Gossip Girl. Gone are the days of unrealistic teenage clubbing and drawn-out heartbreak between a jock and a cheerleader. Instead, audiences want to see the poignancy of reality on their screens. In a society that values honesty and vulnerability, Euphoria holds a mirror to our generation’s unique experiences without sugar coating topics of necessary discussion; however, due to the deeply embedded nature of these signals, they could easily be overlooked. By taking a magnifying glass to the distinct looks of the finale, subtle messages can be brought to light and further the identification with its’ viewers. Kenneth Burke believed that rhetoric was aimed at creating identification with an audience rather than aimed at persuading an audience (Kolodziejski, 2019, Pentadic). Furthermore, due to the show’s success, it is easy to assume that many people have come to identify with its messages. It is important to analyze and understand the messages behind these looks because they are representative of an entirety of people, marching to a silent beat of radical self-worth.

Within Euphoria the very real stories of the characters hit home for many viewers. Levinson worked rigorously to diminish any potential glamorization of drug use in the show saying “somewhere around the age of 16, I resigned myself to the idea that drugs could kill me, and there was no reason to fight it,” (Chuba, 2019). He credits this deeply personal connection to the story for the shows unfiltered persona, creating high levels of identification with the viewership. Many viewers have also found his story relatable as one in five teenagers have abused prescription drugs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). According to Burke (1950) identification is defined as a rhetorical process that leads to persuasion. Within the space of the show, it is used to create a sense of common identity between Euphoria’s audience and the accurate portrayal of characters.

The show follows the lives of a group of teenagers navigating the ups and downs of the modern century. To give some background on the show’s main squad, Rue, the main character, is a recovering drug addict, with no intention to stay sober. Jules, a transgender-icon, has just moved from an ambiguous “big city” and is feeling bored with what this small town has to offer her. Kat, a closeted One Direction fangirl-turned sensational fanfiction author, recently had sex for the first time, it was also recorded and leaked to the whole student body. Maddy has been in an on-again off-again relationship with her abusive boyfriend Nate. Cassie is trying to keep her relationship with her college-age boyfriend alive and well. Nate, the typical quarterback character with internalized homophobia stemming from finding out his Dad is gay, is now secretly experimenting with his own sexuality. This wide range of individual character plots allows for a multitude of viewers to find identification within each of their stories.

            It is, of course, important to note that the creation of this show was in some part influenced by HBO’s need to stay relevant in the competitive streaming market; I would also like to believe that despite this need for high demand programming, the actions of young adults everywhere sparked a flame in the creative community that further added to the show’s exigence. The current climate directly created a collective of educated and empowered young adults who are tired of being talked over, being told to sit down, or being shamed because “back in my day…” other people had it worse. Students these days are not participating in the same high school experiences as their parents, so in order to find a place to relate, many have turned to the Internet, and the many streaming platforms within it. The HBO-exclusive show, Euphoria, has held this identification role for many young students who have never before seen their identity correctly represented on such mainstream media as the giant outlet of HBO.

           With the introduction of new streaming services occurring at radical rates, the need for relevancy remains at the top of many media corporation’s to-do lists. HBO is no different. HBO has been both celebrated and condemned for their raw portrayals of characters. Chen (2019) said, “The show is frighteningly hard to watch—it didn't temper my anxiety one bit all season—but its choice to skid easy definitions around difficult topics is what makes it an important cultural engine of our time.” Although ratings wavered in its early years during the mid to late 1970s, they have maintained steady progression for the last twenty years. In 2011 they were named the most successful network, winning nineteen Emmy Awards in one year alone (Aspden, 2011). The creation of Euphoria specifically came from a need of representation, a public desire to see real reflections of life. The hype for weekly premiers was continuous. The cast posted daily updates and many behind-the-scenes videos to keep the audience engaged. This constant contact between creatives and their fans also helped to maintain the very necessary quality of authenticity that surrounded the show. The season finale, otherwise dubbed “the prom episode,” was no different. Prom in its essence is a highly-gendered, often homophobic, and very public display of tradition, but despite this, for many it marks an anticipated rite of passage. In the prom episode of Euphoria, the queer, gender-ambiguous, and non-traditional characters reconcile this tension; prom became their runway. Dressed to the nines in creative, self-expressing garments, Euphoria’s characters hit the dancefloor with confidence. The episode showed how this generational event has become more accepting and fluid now, more than ever.

The choice to focus on the squad’s prom looks in the last episode allows for a greater opportunity to show character development and emphasize the pungently individual messages hidden in the coattails. Rue, the standout tomboy of the cast, has recently come to accept her budding relationship with her female-presenting best friend, Jules. For Rue’s prom look she wore the makings of a suit, slacks and a black coat, a manifestation of her struggle with feminine expression. But underneath the presumptuous outer shell she adorned her staple converse, one of, if not the only stable things in her life, and a maroon form-fitting, lingerie-inspired slip dress from the closet of the magnificent Jules. Jules stood out in the show as possibly the most comfortable with outwardly expressing her feelings, and her iconic prom look was no let down. A lilac and lavender two-piece crop top and wide-leg pants combo made waves in the sea of traditional prom garments. She also wrapped herself in the pièce de résistance of the night: a dark green, mesh, trench, with the symbol for transgender rights stitched onto the back with ornate black beading. Kat’s bondage and almost masochistic look reflected her growth into a strong woman, while Maddy stayed true to her values of loving yourself in a sexy black sheer halter and fitted skirt combo. Unexpectedly, Cassie was understated, but her more feminine look remained through the champagne gown’s flattering neckline. Nate stayed true to his toxic masculinity and rejected any inkling of creativity; he wore a suit.

In the past there has been a severe push back against “progressive” programming, especially those with highly explicit content. But it is also important to note that these subjects are often not foreign to the audiences participating with the artifact. Sam Levinson, the director, when asked if he was nervous about parental backlash regarding the shows content responded with, “… I feel like this is a debate that goes on constantly throughout time, where people go, ‘Parents are gonna be scared,’ and you go ‘Yeah.’ And young people will be like, ‘Yeah, that’s my life.’ I’m sure certain people will be freaked out by it and other people will relate to it” (Stack, 2019). There has been a very real struggle for liberation of the LGBTQIA+ community, to which Euphoria highlighted a homosexual relationship between its two main characters. Toxic masculinity has come to the forefront of scholarly conversation, to which Euphoria highlighted the mental and physical dangers that the suppression of emotion in boys can have on not only themselves but also the world around them. Toxic relationships have become hot topics in wellness ads, to which Euphoria showed just how serious and sometimes hidden, domestic abuse can be. An acceptance of sex workers is growing amongst younger generations, to which Euphoria explored the world of camming and subjects of porn in general. Trans bodies have come into public discourse, especially regarding the legality of their existence, to which Euphoria cast a trans actress as a lead role and used the platform to spread knowledge of the injustices many people face on a daily basis. The long running war on drugs continues, to which Euphoria used the story of a high school drug addict to bring communities together and create a safe space for all identities to be heard.

           I have chosen the visual rhetoric approach to better examine how all elements of the character’s prom looks may have influenced each corresponding character’s final message. Visual rhetoric criticism is aimed at understanding the intersection between rhetoric and visual elements within an artifact (Kolodziejski, 2019, Visual). Albakry & Daimin (2014) state, “analysis of visual rhetoric considers how images work alone and collaborate with other elements to create an argument designed for [a specific] audience” (pp.29).  Furthermore, I will be applying the deductive approach to this criticism, meaning I will be using the existing theories and concepts and applying them to elements of the visual artifact. I partly chose this approach because I stand firmly behind its assumptions: the visual is rhetorical, what is not shown can be just as important as what is shown. Lastly, how something is shown is as important as what is shown (Kolodziejski, 2019, Visual).

           Within visual rhetoric lies the concept of the semiotic triangle, a figure that shows how an artifact’s referent, sign and reference are all related. Within that, there are three types of signs. Iconic signs are representative of what they point viewers to, such as a photo of an otter being an iconic sign for an actual otter. Indexical signs point to what they represent, like smoke indicating a fire. Lastly, symbolic signs reference an arbitrary relationship, such as the branded Swoosh being a symbol for Nike as a brand (Kolodziejski, 2019, Visual). Euphoria’s prom looks are all indexical signs, meaning they point to what they represent, without directly showcasing the underlying meaning. So, the general semiotic triangle for my artifact would have the referent as the actual look itself, the sign as the nod to what it is representing, and the reference would be the meaning behind it all. As the viewers of Euphoria engage with the show, they rely on their own life experiences to decode the symbols on screen. As articulated by Foss in 1994 “The study of visual imagery from a rhetorical perspective may make contributions beyond providing a richer and more comprehensive understanding of rhetorical processes. In some cases, such study may contribute to the formulation or reconciliation of aesthetic notions…” (pp 213). Through their comprehension of these symbols, the show’s underlying messages are able to speak more powerfully and allow for further resonation between the shows viewers and the characters they are able to identify with.  

           I have chosen visual rhetoric because it argues that everything shown and not shown has a significant purpose within the artifact. Due to the microscopic lens I have taken to the outfits chosen for the characters, this is most fitting. I have also chosen this method to better excavate the hidden messages of the main characters. Upon first glance I, like many, missed some major hints to character expression and development in the finale. But with the fine-toothed comb I took to these garments, I left no lapel untouched and no bead under-analyzed.

(Rue’s prom look).

For Rue, the exploration of expressing gender fluidity through her clothing choices was present throughout the entire season, but subtle. There was no direct mention of the matter until the season finale. While selecting a very feminine outfit for Rue to wear to prom, Jules expresses concern for possibly altering Rue’s gender presentation. I believe that by staying in the dress for prom, and not changing into something more fitting of her stylistic history, Rue was trying to validate her trust and relationship with Jules. In this scene, Rue had let Jules pick out her prom look and rather than opting for something similar to her previous fashion choices, Jules put her in a tight and sultry, lingerie-inspired, corseted, maroon dress. The color choice of maroon was not only fitting to the color pallet of the show, but was also distinctly similar to the color of Rue’s father’s sweatshirt, which she wears daily after he passes away. This choice I believe was unintentional from Jules, but subconsciously reminds the audience of Rue’s inability to move past that time in her life. Rue also adorned a traditional men’s suit pants and coat. This is the key part in her maintenance of gender fluidity and ambiguity within the outfit. The color choice was subtle and reflective of how natural this “tomboy” style has come to her self-expression. The choice of Converse was also only visibly present for a few moments on screen, but the shoes came to represent so much within Rue’s life. So much so in fact that the actress who played her character, Zendaya, made an Instagram post paying respect to the life they lived in the show with “I’m gonna have to get some new chucks for my personal life… I guess I’ll just have them on standby for season2. Til then Rue Rue” (Zendaya, 2019). Rue initially allowed Jules to change her gender presentation via the use of a frilly dress, but later came to regret the decision, as the dress became representational of their constricting relationship. This outfit represented the fluidity of expression and the intimacy that can be shared through clothing choice.

(Jules’s prom look).

Rue’s romantic counterpart, Jules, quickly became a stand-out character on the show due to her extravagant, stylistic choices within the first few episodes, and her makeup has inspired countless other artists’ renditions of the now iconic looks. For her prom look she wore a silky lilac crop top and similarly silky lavender high-waisted wide-leg pants. To top off the look she also adorned herself with a beautiful, almost floor-length, sheer mesh, forest green, trench piece. On the back of the sheer coat was a beaded symbol for the transgender community. The entire outfit was quite the statement, but I got the feeling that she was going for that “I’m not trying, but I tried really hard to look like I’m not trying” look. Due to the casual nature of a crop top and pant combo, the pieces seem haphazardly thrown together. However, the perfect complementary colors, and the identical silky fabrics make that lackadaisical approach almost impossible. I think it is also important to mention that the outfit as a whole read a little mermaid-y. To the untrained eye this might have gone completely unnoticed, but to someone with a recent history in Women and Gender studies, namely me, this reference was another direct tie to the trans community. Popularized by the television show Life With Jazz, mermaids have become an almost superhero-like figure for many people within the trans community, and now serve as a symbol of recognition. In an interview the star spoke on their significance, “Mermaids are just the most whimsical, mystical creatures of all time. A lot of transgender individuals are attracted to mermaids and I think it’s because they don’t have any genitals, just a beautiful tail” (Jennings, 2015). Jules continued to wave her pride flag high and exuded confidence. She held the message of being proud of whoever you are.

(Kat’s prom look).

Kat, a plus-size girl surrounded by a sample-size school, went through many changes this season. After her first-time having sex not only gets recorded, but also then is virally leaked throughout campus, Kat decided to reclaim control of her body. Kat had the edgier version of the “Pretty Woman” makeover. With an entire new wardrobe of bondage-inspired pieces, sexy black and red lingerie, latex, leather, and laces, she conquered not only her sexuality but also gained a whole new world of confidence as well. Throughout this journey, she also struggled with the duality of being a grade-A bad ass and still navigating soft and cute teen romance. For her prom look she wore all red, the color most symbolic for both power and romance. With a red leather corset on top and red silk midi skirt on the bottom, she exuded confidence as a woman in control of her own body. The black lace-up detailing that became a motif in many of her previous outfits also made a cameo in the prom episode running through both the top and the skirt. These specific choices show her character’s development of self-confidence. In the beginning, she was self-conscious and afraid of intimacy, but as the season progressed, the audience was able to see her blossoming into a woman in charge. She was able to reclaim her body after the sex-tape scandal and make a name for herself by camming on PornHub, and also by gaining enough appreciation for herself to see her love for Ethan. Kat struggled with coming into herself as a sexual woman and in her final look is able to show that you can be strong and confident and still express emotion and love.

(Maddy’s prom look).

Maddy, Maddy, Maddy. Where do I even start? Without a doubt Maddy was the most confident female character on the show, but when her boyfriend abused her at the annual carnival she began to break down. Although she was aware his actions were brutally wrong, she forgave him, like a story of Stockholm syndrome. Following his release back into school, they reappeared as a couple only to break up again in the following episode. Their relationship was undeniably toxic. At prom Maddy went with her group of girlfriends, surrounding herself with positivity and love. She wore a see-through black, crystal embedded, two-piece halter top and form-fitting skirt. She also wore a veil. Maddy shone bright on the dance floor and conveyed the message that relationships aren’t everything, and in the end all she needed was support from her friends, self-love, and some serious distance from her abusive ex-boyfriend, Nate. Maddy loves herself, but by ignoring her case of domestic violence she lost a part of herself. Luckily, in the finale, Maddy surrounds herself with good friends and shows that self-worth and self-love are important and still sexy.

(Cassie’s prom look).

Cassie’s prom look showed less of a character arc than the others, but her message remained just as pungent. On the day of prom, Cassie had gotten an abortion. The pregnancy was the unintended consequence of her boyfriend McKay. They came to the decision together, but Cassie made sure that the decision was ultimately her own. Needless to say, she was not dressed as her usual provocative self. She wore a soft pink satin gown, the most traditional of all the looks, and barely-there makeup, which according to the makeup artist was a distinctive choice given the earlier abortion. The makeup artist for the shoot took to Instagram to explain her look, “As much as I wanted to give Cassie a glittering euphoric winter formal makeup look, I didn’t feel like it would help tell her story in this moment. I wanted Cassie’s total absence of makeup here to signal to the audience that she’s reached the start of a new phase of her life…”(Davy, 2019). The neckline was still flattering but she remained quiet and pensive for the rest of the evening. In the same girl group as the others, Cassie took that day to surround herself with those who could support her without their knowledge of the previous event. Cassie’s prom look said that it is okay to not always be okay, and that expressing that is perfectly fine. This message can be gathered through her soft color pallet the contrasted the otherwise bright evening, the simplicity of the silhouette, and the unexpected lack of dark eyeshadow, a typical element of Cassie’s normal look.

(Nate’s prom look).

I intentionally saved the worst for last: Nate. Nate’s look was boring, and quite frankly fell flat. It would have made more sense for him not to go at all, or maybe to show up in hand cuffs as he did for Halloween. But whatever, he did go to prom, and he did wear a suit. Given the extravagance of the rest of the characters’ prom looks, there was an unofficial standard for all the characters to express themselves creatively in some way for the event. However, I believe that Nate’s blatant lack of creativity is his statement. For his whole life he has been molded to become a superstar athlete, and at no point was he given the opportunity to outwardly express himself. We can thank both toxic and hegemonic masculinity for this lack of expression, for in their essence both of these ideas encourage the repression of emotion in boys and men. His outfit shows that when not given the opportunity to find oneself beyond the expectations of others, or not being able to to explore one’s own creative capabilities a person could become a drone, in this case one with severe anger issues. The suit further shows his acceptance and assimilation into the norms and expectations for his character. Rather than expressing himself through stylistic choices, like many of the other characters, Nate’s feelings come out in destruction and violence. He serves as a precautionary tale, of what the dangers of toxic and hegemonic masculinity can have on young men: crushing self- hatred. For many, fashion can serve as a critical outlet for self-expression. Especially for Euphoria’s teenage viewership, style can feel like the only controllable element of their life while the lack of adolescent autonomy is at its height.

           As both a thoroughly engaged audience member and fan of Euphoria, there is not much the creators could have changed about the prom looks to further appease me. Throughout the entirety of the season I found that I was able to relate to every individual character within the show, admittedly even Nate. I was able to see my own life tied into bits and pieces of every character’s individual story. Maddy and Rue stuck out as the characters with which I had the most identification with, and although their characters are almost direct opposites in the show, I felt comfort in being able to compare their stories to my own. However, I feel that it is also important to acknowledge the lack of identification some of my peers felt with Euphoria’s main squad. Some have never had experiences with “hard-core” drugs, struggled with gender representation, bee involved with sex tape scandals, or instances of domestic violence, dealt with the after effects of an abortion, or emotional repression. For many of these people who struggled to find identification with the main characters, the supporting roles served as their substitute. With characters as Lexi, McKay, Gia and Fez, many other identities were explored throughout the season, although in lesser detail. I believe that if these supporting characters had also been given equal screen time, an even wider range of audiences would have been able to engage and identify with Euphoria. By digging deeper into their stories, new plot lines could have been uncovered. Many teenagers struggle with eating disorders, which were left out of the show despite alarming statistics claiming that at least 30 million people suffer from eating disorders in the United States (ANAD, 2019). Nicotine has become a significant outbreak in American teenagers with the Center for Disease Control reporting that “5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 will die early from a smoking-related illness” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). And topics of bullying were also left unexplored by the show despite its constant prevalence in teenage society. Studies have even gone to show that “Bullying was a factor in 2/3 of the 37 school shootings reviewed by the US Secret Service” (Stop Bulling Now Foundation, 2019). However, including all of these topics could have been destructive to the season as a whole, and overwhelming to audiences. Given the relevancy of these topics, they are explored elsewhere in outer outlets. Euphoria was a show intended for people who had rarely seen their identities presented on mainstream media of this scale before. So, despite the few missing teenage issues that are more commonly explored today, Euphoria was able to uniquely cover some groundbreaking material for a show of its size.

           Euphoria’s characters all held distinct messages within the show. Through the use of visual clothing cues Euphoria was able to further the identification factor of these stories by visually signaling their significance. Created out of a need for representative media and birthed into a world of social unrest, Euphoria became a breakout show on HBO’s streaming platform and now has the power to unify an entire generation. In “And Salt the Earth Behind You” Rue, Jules, Kat, Maddy, Cassie, and Nate give their final send off to the show by highlighting their completed respective messages between satin finishes and starchy, pressed suits. As a result of the creative expression of the prom outfits in the finale, viewers are left with a lasting impression of self-identification closing off the season.  

References

Albakry, N. S., & Daimin, G. (2014). The visual rhetoric in public awareness print advertising toward Malaysia perceptive sociolculture design. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 155, pp. 28-33.

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