The differences between Modernism and Post Modernism

What is Modernism and Post-Modernism?

From thefreedictionary.com that noted, modernism is a modern thinking in one's thoughts. Modernism is something contemporary, can be say something popular and latest. However, Modernism can be a genre of art and literature that makes a break with the previous genres.

While the meaning of Post- Modernism is react against early principle and  reintroducing the traditional or classical elements and carrying the style of modernist or practice to extreme.

However, I found a clean data from net is about the differences of Modernism and Post- Modernism

Image from Alexandrabrittaincreatecontext.wordpress.com

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From the data, I'm more understand about the differences of Modernism and Post- Modernism

Therefore I take compare some Modernism  and Post-Modernism artwork 

Modernism art:

Image from Griffithdrama.wikispaces.com

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For this modernism art, we can see there are clean and pure lines that we know what is about inside. 

Post- modernism art :

Image from Arthink

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However, in post-modernism art, we see messy lines and color all over the places and it's complicated to understand.

Besides, we can know the differences between Modernism and Post- Modernism through music too.

Let's listen and compare.

Modernism music (Cowell- Dynamic Motion):

Post- Modernism music (Libertango + Tango - Post Modern Music of KyungHee University):

Modernism music is more to a clean chords, and very statistic. We can understand what is about. However, in Post-modernism it performed very dynamic chords and it's actually have very complicated meaning inside but overall sounds more romantic compare to modernism music that sounds like B*tch :D

Digital Cultural Website

Recently complete one of the assignment that is about digital cultural website. 

The project description in my website is introduce and present the information about the cultural heritage of Malaysia, however, the cultural heritage that I'm doing is one of the famous food in Malaysia which Penang Assam Laksa. 

The reason that why I'm doing Penang Assam Laksa is actually inspired by my grandmother. One day, my grandmother invited me and my family to her house to try out her Penang Assam Laksa. Grandmother is from Penang and her Laksa is really best. Therefore, I have an idea to spread the recipe of Penang Assam Laksa to all over the world by using website as McLuhan says " Medium is the message" .Using this website as the medium , I hope to spread the recipe (message) to all over the place ,so that everyone could cook Penang Assam Laksa.

However, the target audience for my website is youngster and adult.

Feel free to visit my website :) 

http://melissakoh831.com/

I hope I can improve more for my website in the future.

Semiotics on Dexter: Morning Routine

I watched Dexter start from last sem break, and I found semiotics in the showtime before the movie starts.

Dexter, is an America television drama series, it have 6 seasons and the first season is premiered on 1st October 2006 while the last series is premiered on 2nd October 2011. This movie is about Dexter Morgan, who is a blood splatter analyst in the Miami Metro Police Department while in moonlight he become a serial killer. However, I believe he is a good guy because he always hunting for another killer.

In the showtime, I found Denotation, Connotation and Myth.

The first shot of the opening scene show a mosquito sucking Dexter blood while he is sleeping then he slaps and kills it and a smile showing on his face.

Denotation : a mosquito sucking Dexter blood while he is sleeping then he slaps and kills it and a smile showing on his face.

Connotation : Dexter smiling scene that shows killing mosquito is good, and he not afraid of blood but he likes bloods very much.

Myth : Dexter likes bloods.

We can see some bloods trace in the title that shows this movie a bit creepy but not so creepy.

When comes to a drop of blood when Dexter shaving accident on his neck and he uses a tissue to absorb the blood, the blood spreading on the tissue.

Denotation : Dexter shaving accident ,he uses a tissue to wipe away and the bloods spread on the tissue.

Connotation : Before Dexter going to murder someone, he like to shave the person face with a small knife and collect it in to a small plastic.

Myth: Dexter is a blood collector.

However, comes to the part of he cutting the meat with plastic, mixing the source with the egg and slices it randomly, making coffee with the coffee machine, slicing the orange with slow motion and tying the plastic and the shoelace around on his hands while in the last third shot is he's wearing a shirt with slow motion.

Denotation : Cutting meat with plastic, slices the egg randomly , making coffee with coffee machine, slice the orang with slow motion tying the plastic and the shoelace around on his hands , wearing a shirt with slow motion.

Connotation : Dexter likes to murder a person in a big plastic so it wont remains any mistake, however after he murdered someone he slices the person in to part by part and grab it with a black plastic. The tool he usually slices the person up is using the a power saw sounds just like the coffee machine. However, the scene of tying the plastic and shoelace around his hands is, he always wrap a big gluon around his victim to prevent any struggling trace on the body of victim.

Myth : Dexter's murder way.

Therefore, the last 2nd shot is about after Dexter wearing a shirt but he doesn't smile to the audience.

Denotation: Dexter wearing a shirt but his face doesn't has a smile.

Connotation : Dexter working as a blood splatter analyst in the day , although he likes the job but he doesn't enjoy doing it because he scares he will be catch by his partner in one day.

Myth : Dexter is a blood splatter analyst.

Marshall McLuhan - The Medium is the message

Who was Marshall McLuhan ?


In the book of Social Theory : Power and Identity in the global era , Marshall McLuhan  (1911-1980) was a theorist of literature whose came out the ideas about media and global culture. He invented several phrases that captured the popular imagination and continue to be useful pointers to key features of contemporary culture.


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"The Medium is the message"


The most famous phrases by Marshall McLuhan that has entered language and contemporary consciousness, influencing the way we think and feel about media, the way we perceive their effects, and our awareness of their potential repercussions.   


The medium is an extension of the human mind or body.


For example ,


An headset / handfree is the extension of our ear (that allows us to communicate to the others through mobile phone when we driving/ listening to music quietly)


The medium is the message is a trope that uses a phrase to encapsulate the fundamental premise of the study of media: that the medium communicates messages.


Here is the lecture of Marshall McLuhan of The medium is the message that I got from Youtube.com


Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

However, what if something occurs when a medium like headset/ handfree ,becomes over-extended? The resulting of amputations might be cause the person ear's deaf  or ear decease ? if someone turn up the volume too high. Although we know the advantages, even before implementation, but we choose to accept the disadvantages because there is a privileging of all types of technological extension, even deadly and horrific forms.


Four Questions Applied to Media


McLuhan has apply four laws to media that has frames as question , give us a new tool for looking at out culture.


"What does it (the medium/technology) extend?" For instant, mobile phone is extend our human voice.


"What does it make obsolete?" Mobile phone makes signals.


"What is retrieved?" The sense of community returns with the spread of telephone service.


"What does the technology reverse into if it is over-extended?" The over-extension of mobile phone culture engenders a need for solitude.


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Cross Cultural

Yesterday went for the Cultural talk. The talk was out of my expectation because I though it will be boring but actually it was quite lively and interesting especially the way of Speaker's (Shao Hong) brings out the information of culture for us.

By the way, from the Speaker, I get to know more about Cultural ,what cultural design feature and how we transfer cultural into our design.

Firstly, What is Cultural? Among of Malaysian, we know that what is our Cultural but however, we didn't know what deeply inside of Cultural. If I ask one of my friends what is Cultural , probably they will just answer 3 races in our country that is Malay,Chinese and Indian or traditional or other unrelated which they really don't understand the terms of cultural.

Before that, I might be one of my friends but from the note of Speaker that I have written , he said "Cultural is the way of life for an entire society and it generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance." Therefore, we could generate a new culture by doing an activities and some others practice the same activities , for example, if someone wearing earring on hers/his stomach then some others find it cool and learn to wear earring on hers/his stomach and more and more people also doing the same things. However, particular culture only play a specific role. Therefore, I only understand what is Cultural.

Besides that, why should we add culture into our design? It is because adding cultural value and create the core of product value. There are 3 culture structure:

1. Multiple Layers including layers representing artifacts values and basic assumptions.
2. A Framework for studying cultural objects ( the behaviour and meaning create by sociability
3. 3 layers : Physical/Material culture ( Food,garments/transportation...etc)
                  Social/ Behaviour culture (Human relationships/social)
                  Spiritual/Ideal Culture (Art & Religion)

While the Framework are : The Outer Level ( Colour,texture,form..)

                                           The middle Level ( Function,Safely...)

                                           The Inner level ( stories,emoticons, cultural festival...)

However, we should feel sensitive of the cultural elements that we use in our design model. In Cross cultural Design Model that actually a process of rethinking or reviewing. Before we design our model, we should identify to select one of the cultural features. In this process, we should really careful what we going to use because some of the element of cultural is violating. For example the Speaker show us the batik .

If we going to use batik into our design model, we shouldn't just apply that pattern because we like it but we should deep research into each of them because each of them convey different meaning and different names. Some of them are only can use for loyal family.

However, the research method is involve 3 process.

Identification --> Translation --> Implementation

There are also 4 steps that really helpful not only just for how to apply cultural into our design but also the other aspect. 

Step 1 : Investigation ( Setting a scenario)

Before we design our product/model , the research process is essential. No matter how, firstly we should read through the history of the cultural. This deep research is to help us to avoid abstinence of the cultural we use.

Step 2 : Interaction ( telling a story)

In this process, we should know exactly how culture had been applied. Therefore, looking other people works that had been done by them for better references and set our target audience.

Step 3 : Development ( Writing a script)

We should now begin to work on it , working on thumbnail or sketches and write a script. However, we should consider about the fashion and our user taste.

In a nutshell, the lesson that I have learn in this talk is we should careful about the material we are going to use, we should really deep research about it and follow the steps so to achieve a better design.

However, good design is come from many research.

Example that I found :

Art project Shinobi is a creative collaboration of two artists – visual artist Mike Zubik and calligraphic artist Ulia Kuznetsova.


The project started as the base for development of creative ideas of two stylistically different artists. Mike and Julia share similar approach to the visual solutions as well as identical views on the creative process. They are experienced in several creative spheres, but singled out two main directions in their own works – form and expression. Inspiration with Asian culture has become the essence of all Shinobi artworks. Both artists point out the huge influence of Asia on the contemporary worldwide culture.


Resorting to different styles and materials, the artists worked out a unique style of their own, which is based on seven elements of traditional fine arts and calligraphy, airbrushing, spray painting, and the elements of digital painting, like the mixed media Skateboard series.

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Further reading : click HERE

Let's D.I.Y :)

D.I.Y stands for Do It Yourself

for me, it's actually building,modifying and repairing something with a cheap materials.

This is some of the images that I collected in Facebook, because I like D.I.Y very much :).

Then, I would like to share with you all, hope those really helps you all.

Using bread instead of rice to make sushi~:) 

Any sushi lovers? lols

However, I like this idea, but I afraid, doesn't the plastic of Milo will melt when IRON IT?

You can also D.I.Y illusion~

Something nice and cheap that can give your friends as a gift

Simple D.I.Y for kids, I think.

D.I.Y Doraemon paper's toy :)

This is cool idea! Make a CD cover by just a sheet of paper.

Nice,simple and cheap.

D.I.Y Pikachu paper's toy :)

Delicious fried ice-cream! I will try to make it in one day :D

However, we can not only D.I.Y not only for the medium that we use, but also appear into the online games.

One of the example that I found

it's actually for kids, we need to choose the color and fill in the place(s) that we want, and it is actually a feedback loop for us when the color appear that what we want.

Here is the link for this game , http://www.flash-games.net/online/2885/cartoon-diy.html

Another link that I found many D.I.Y games
suft it and play if you like ^^

http://www.fupa.com/games/1/diy.html

The true reaction ;)

This morning I found something true and interesting when I Facebook-ing

The reaction of a person when she/he playing a game :D

1st picture is the reaction when a person playing adventure game
2nd picture is the reaction when a person playing battle game
3rd picture is the reaction when a person waiting for the game start
4th picture is the reaction when a person playing racing car game


This is so Me when I playing a game with the controller.

Intertextuality?

Hmm... what is Intertextuality?

In my research about the definition of intertextuality that I saw from reference.com that intertextuality is actually a shaping of texts meaning by other texts. In Daniel Chong class, Daniel said it can refer to an author's or director's that borrowing and transformation some other's author's or director's work and has been adapted in cultural and media studies to identify examples of parody. However, intertextuality itself has introduced by Julia Kristeva in 1966 who is a Poststructuralist.

So here is the example I found in Youtube



In this video that provides a detail definition of intertextuality ,however, I'm very thankful for them to show me some of the examples :) Anyway , I find the starting music and words that actually intertextuality to Star Wars! Doesn't it?

and some examples I found in Facebook

In the fashion modern world that show in the right image actually intertextuality to the left image after several years, but it's still cool!

Everytime we see explosion at the back of the people in movie, then we think of it actually intertextuality to another movie :) 

So do this, they are intertextuality from MIB poster

Semiotics?

In Daniel Chandler's discussion, he said, Semiotics could be anywhere but doesn't mean that it has a wiser enquirers .Although it is hard to find a simple definition for Semiotics, thus it's shorten of definition is, the study of signs.


However, Semiotics, or semiology, is the study of signs, symbols, and signification. It is the study of how meaning is created, not what it is.


Therefore, the below is some short definition of semiotics terms that I found in Semiotic Terminology  (I found it useful, when I get lost of some part of semiotics terms, I can refer back and it's really helps a lot. =] )




Signifier: any material thing that signifies, e.g., words on a page, a facial expression, an image.


Signified: the concept that a signifier refers to.

Together, the signifier and signified make up the

Sign: the smallest unit of meaning. Anything that can be used to communicate (or to tell a lie).

So is Signifier + Signified = Sign

Symbolic (arbitrary) signs: signs where the relation between signifier and signified is purely conventional and culturally specific, e.g., most words.


Iconic signs: signs where the signifier resembles the signified, e.g., a picture.


Indexical Signs: signs where the signifier is caused by the signified, e.g., smoke signifies fire.


Denotation: the most basic or literal meaning of a sign, e.g., the word "rose" signifies a particular kind of flower.


Connotation: the secondary, cultural meanings of signs; or "signifying signs," signs that are used as signifiers for a secondary meaning, e.g., the word "rose" signifies passion.


Metonymy: a kind of connotation where in one sign is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power.


Synecdoche(Syntagms?): a kind of connotation in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor).


Collections of related connotations can be bound together either by

Paradigmatic relations: where signs get meaning from their association with other signs.

or by

Syntagmatic relations: where signs get meaning from their sequential order, e.g., grammar or the sequence of events that make up a story.


Myths: a combination of paradigms and syntagms that make up an oft-told story with elaborate cultural associations, e.g., the cowboy myth, the romance myth.


Codes: a combination of semiotic systems, a super system, that function as general maps of meaning, belief systems about oneself and others, which imply views and attitudes about how the world is and/or ought to be. Codes are where semiotics and social structure and values connect.


Ideologies: codes that reinforce or are congruent with structures of power. Ideology works largely by creating forms of "common sense," of the taken-for-granted in everyday life.


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From the above of semiotics's terms, we know that there are many branch out of semiotics and is quite complicated. In the following, I wish to share some interesting examples for useful to figure out the 4 sets of semiotics which could also helps in my final essay. The 4 sets are:

• Iconic/ Arbitary
• Paradigm /Syntagms
• Denotation/Connotation/Myth
• Binary opposition

Semiotics, however,  it is actually structuring the very realities which they seem to 'describe' or 'stand in for'. Which meaning can be produced by socially, whether through words, colour, gesture, music, fashion, etc.

Iconic:

In Iconic , I found some interesting example which related to Vietnam War Era
Click here.
Thus after reading the examples, in my opinion that Iconic can be emotional of something and emotional can be a tool of communication.

Arbitrary:

Arbitrary could be form by signifier and signified.
Robert C. Allen noted that "Saussure stressed that the relationship between the signifier and the signified in verbal language was entirely conventional, completely arbitrary."

For example,

 "Dog" is composed of the grouping of three letters ---> the Signifier

The concept of Dog that we normally imagine is an animal with 4 legs ,having sharp teeth, biting bones, having smelling sense, cute, etc. ---> the Signified

However, Saussure noted that, There is no natural or necessary connection between Dog and the concept for which it stands. Furthermore, words have no positive value. A word's meaning derives entirely from its difference from other words in the sign system of language. Words do not enter into relationships with other signs in the system in a meaningful way, they remain at the level of nonsense.

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In Werner Hammerstingl's notes that,

Paradigm is

An example, pattern or standard. In grammar, a paradigm is the set of inflected forms of a word -- e.g., "artist, artist's, artists, artists'" -- or the standard pattern followed in the conjugation of a verb -- first person singular, second person singular, third person singular, first person plural, second person plural, third person plural. 2. By extension, the term also refers to the basic structure of given mind-sets or models of knowledge, as in paradigm shift.


Saussurean semiotics has developed the notion that every sign is part of a system of relationships with other signs structured through similarity and difference. These systems are called paradigms. A word thus has a paradigmatic relationship with its own inflections, new words established through prefixes and suffixes, synonyms and antonyms, etc.

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For example:

A Paradigm of Colored Lights

While Syntagms are:

the combination elements of Paradigm do not necessarily have meaning in and of themselves. Most often they take on meaning as they are combined into more complex patterns of signs called syntagms.

For example:

Syntagms Formed from the Paradigm

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Denotation , Connotation & Myth:

An example for Denotation and Connotation 

click here

Thus, for my own understanding, Denotation is the general meaning of the item/object. In media and cultural studies, this is where we describe what it looks like from a visual perspective. Colors, shapes, people, lighting, clothing to name. While Connotation refers to various meanings. not just one. In other words, this is where an object, animal, person might be also related to the word.Hence , it's a range of implied and associated meanings and ideas are formed. However, my lecturer (Daniel Chong) said that Myth is formed by denotation and connotation.

Binary Opposition:

A binary opposition is a binary relation in which one correlate is marked and the other unmarked. There are two logically distinct types of markedness. In markedness of the general type, there is an attribute of the marked correlate that is not an attribute of the unmarked correlate. In markedness of the specific type, the correlates of a binary relation share an attribute where the attribute of the marked correlate is in some sense more or less than the attribute of the unmarked correlate. A binary opposition may be marked in different ways, for different attributes.

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In my opinion, binary opposition is just like 反义词 in mandrin which a set off against one another.

Feedback Loop & Cybernetics

Feedback Loop:


What is feedback loop?


The feedback loop can be change in system by enhances or buffer. Thus, the idea of feedback loop is the valuable of information. It is describes as the stages of information movies through from it's initial generation in an organization to improve the products and services that client needs. Therefore, the key of improving the products and services is to find a way of gather all the information and lead it into a correct way.


However, there are 8 phase of feedback loop that I found in http://spmresourcecentre.net/ which are:

1. Information collection - Data is gathered on a formal and informal basis.
2. Information consolidation - Raw data is turned into a usable form.
3. Analysis - Information is formally assessed in terms of client and institutional needs, and forms the basis for recommendations to satisfy those needs.
4. Reporting - The analysis is summarized in written and/or verbal form for ease of decision-making.
5. Decision-making - Decisions are made, based on data and recommendations from the reporting phase.
6. Delegation - After a decision is made, the person responsible for implementing it must be fully aware of all requirements.
7. Communication - All staff involved in implementing changes must be fully informed of all issues and procedures.
8. Implementation - Changes to products or services are pilot-tested and based on this a decision for implementation is made.


To follow the 8 phase of feedback loop is to valuable the resources that we found for a better presentative or effectively for our client.

Source : http://spmresourcecentre.net/iprc/assets/File/PN1_FBL.pdf

Cybernetics:

The article of Maggie McGarry of discussing the theory of Wiener's Cybernetics theory that I found it is quite useful and makes me understandable about the general idea of what is Cybernetics. In the following I would like to note down that what I have understand about Cybernetics from Professor Maggie McGarry.

The word is came from the Greek 'Kubernetes' which means the art of steering. It has becomes 'Governor' in Latin. Therefore, what is cybernetics?

The definition of cybernetics that I found in Dictionary.com that it's to study of human control function and designed to replace the mechanical and electronic systems. It is involving the application of statistical mechanics for exchanging the information with engineering.

According to Maggie McGarry from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2008. She has discussed the theory of Norbert Wiener who has published his book Cybernetics in 1948. He has developed a theory of communication and control which he has compared there is no different of the function of communication between humans and machines by completed a task. He suggested that humans have the information processing and remaining the desire to control our environment and also the around of environment just like operate in machine-like manner.

Maggie noted that Wiener has mentioned the thesis in his article, Cybernetics In History that :

... society can only be understood through a study of the messages and communication facilities which belong to it; and that in the future development of these messages and communication facilities, messages between man and machines, between machines and man, and between machine and machine, are destined to play an ever increasing part.


Thus, the basic function of communication in the Wiener's theory is spreading the knowledge and information to make the life of human better. He has noted the goal of human communication to become familiarized. Therefore, the purpose of cybernetics is to enable the human attack the problem of control and communication by developing the language and techniques.


However, Wiener has insert the idea of entropy in his theory to organized or to balance up the system. Therefore, 'information' such as sent or received is essential to maintain organization and structure. In the Human Communication Theory of Maggie, she has noted that 'Wiener refers to simple machines as closed, clockwork-based apparatuses that do not require any communication with the outside world. They repeat their designated task in a pattern, regardless of any factors in their surrounding environment influencing them one way or another.' Therefore she gives an example for what Wiener refers to; the refrigerator which could preserve energy automatically without given any information that the senses of feedback from environment and adapt their behavior according in order to function within its system.


Another aspect in Wiener's theory is the environment as a part of the feedback that Wiener defines the feedback as it is better to control the machine on basis of its actual performance rather than expected performance.




Refference:


McGarry, M. (2008) Norbert Wiener's Cybernetic Theory and Parental Control. [online] Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/communication/meta-discourses/Papers/App_Papers/McGarry.htm [Accessed: June 1st 2012].