Dissonance Day Three

Today Debbie Frezell started us off with a five minute set of “get the blood flowing and wake-up” exercises. A wonderful way to start the day. My hope is that it will becomes a routine that we look forward to each Tuesday and Thursday. Since we had quite a bit to do today we ended up following the physical warm-up with a short mental one – a game of telephone with 30 people. Lots of fun – like 30 person babelizer.  I’m looking forward to using some of the Olipo exercises as we get farther into the term.

I acknowledge that this is an odd way to start each class. I know that a number of the students are uncomfortable with this, but it does serve two very distinct purposes. One) it wakes everyone up and two) provides a group activity in a class that is largely fragmented. Right now it is basically my imposition on the class, but I do want to give it a few weeks before I ask their take on it. It reminds me of Zakiya’s class in grad school. One of those impactful classes that I keep reaching back towards. Well that and the link to the Bauhaus stuff.

In addition to reading two articles on aesthetics – one by Kristeller that sort of summed up the general idea of aesthetics and one by Leo Tolstoy – the students were instructed to bring in something beautiful to share. One by one students shared what they had brought. Music, film clips, painting, poems, movement, photographs, architecture, digital media, etc. A wide range of material. Given the number of students in the class we did not have time for a discussion afterwards. But – I think this might work out well since the next class they present their first projects on simultaneity. The assignment is basically to fill one minute with three different types of time.  I have no idea what they will bring in on Thursday, but I am interested to see the results. Since there is a day set aside after the projects to discuss them we can weave back to the aesthetics discussion – but now with the additional ideas developed by the projects. 

I was struck by a few things as students shared their objects of “beauty.” The need to explain why this piece is important on a personal level. I hadn’t really thought of that when I gave the assignment, but it makes perfect sense.  Things we find beautiful have deep meaning for us. In fact, had I shared the Avro Part piece I brought in I doubt I would have been able to make it through the whole song without tearing up. So yes, that eye of the beholder thing does work, but I was also struck by what seemed to draw the pieces together. Many (including my own example) were tinged with sadness or melancholy.  I wonder about that – as we find things meaningful that are beautiful because they strike a chord deep within us. This seems to reinforce Tolstoy’s point that “there is and can be no explanation of why one thing pleases one [person] and displeases another, or vice versa.” But I do wonder if in a very general sense the personal connection has some root similar between individuals. Certainly something we can discuss next Tuesday.