Homework: Discuss “Aesthetic Quality”
Due September 11th on the course website
Be prepared to discuss your work on September 13th in class
Think about your favorite object (could be a physical thing or a virtual thing) and describe its aesthetic quality based on the three levels of processing — Visceral, Behavioral, Reflective — we have discussed in the class. Post your writing here with a photo or a sketch/illustration of the object. Please submit your post by Saturday evening so that we have a chance to see each other’s entries before the next class on Monday.
Watch “Helvetica” movie during office hours
From Aaron Chong:
One of my favorite objects is Half-Dome at sunset. The picture I’ve
included was taken by a friend from Glacier Point in Yosemite.
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~chisheng/info290/Yosemite_small.jpg
Visceral: The object you can say works mostly on this level of processing.
It mainly effects our senses through the visual system. but the grandeur
of the object can only truly be captured when standing there in person,
feeling dwarfed by the gapping chasm that is Yosemite Valley and the tall
purple peaks of granite mountains. The low moon (not pictured) looms on
the horizon like a ripe fruit standing in sharp contrast to the dimming
sky. The colors progress as motifs in a symphony does through shifting
colors from golden yellow, to pink, and finally to purple.
Behavioral: The object lacks much in this area of performance, but the
fact is that there is not much of a metric in which you can evaluate it.
You can say it gives you positive feelings, but that is hard to measure.
Ultimately, it is effective in communicating the meaning of “sublime.”
Reflective: I think the message lends itself to reflection of the person
viewing it. It puts humans “in place” with the rest of nature, and exposes
our own smallness and frailty in light of wonderful creation. It brings
you back to an idyllic kind of longing. It sometimes brings a homesickness
of a place that you have never been to, but know must exist in some way.