Marwencol

The documentary of Mark Hogancamp is incredibly eye opening and inspirational. Mark lost all of his memory and had to start over completely. He had to learn how to walk again, how to eat. It is sad that someone had to experience this type of trauma but I think it is incredible how he handled it. He started with his imagination and created a world of his own. He uses dolls and created a story line for his life as a doll. It is similar to second life in a way, creating a whole different life using either a doll or an avatar. For some reason i think the way Mark has created his life is a lot more...understanding? Not sure if that is the right word to describe it but second life is more pathetic is some way. Mark lost everything and used dolls as a hobby for himself to keep himself busy. He is extremely talent in created these dolls and the world that surrounds them, his pictures were displayed in a gallery, he made a name for himself. While people in second life probably already have a pretty good life and just use the program as an excuse to get away from reality.
I don't know, I just don't like the concept of second life, I have been walking around in it for a few hours and just dont get it, what is so special about this virtual reality. I like how Mark still cherishes his own life, but uses the dolls because of the fact that he lost everything he ever new. I think it is a nobel thing to try and put your life back together, mark did it in a interesting way, but at least he did it.
People in Second life, sure some make money off of it and get married and shit, but is that because they couldn't make it in the real world? Who knows, I don't get it and probably never will, all i can say is that I hope life in 30 years doesn't end up in a virtual reality, were all human communication is lost.

Second life...

Has anyone ever seen the movie Surrogates, its stars Bruce Willis. Well if you haven't, its a movie about the future and how everyone has a surrogates (robot that looks exactly like a human). The film's main concept centres around the mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase remote controlled humanoid robots through which they interact with society. These fit, attractive, remotely controlled robots ultimately assume their life roles, enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Anyways I bring this movie up because it reminded me of Second life. I don't exactly like the fact that I have to make an avatar for this class. I dont agree with the concept of Second life and would rather not become a part of it. But I also find useful because it is something that I would have never thought of doing it before and it is making me step out of my comfort zone. 
Second life is interesting because you can be a human, animal, robort, vampire. In other words, to me, you can either take it seriously or as a "game". 
I am going to have to explore more to understand it and determine if I like it or not... to be continued 

Arches In Renaissance Paintings

For my senior year studio project I am designing a student learning center. It is located in Boston and the building I am designing within is located on Boylston street. The building has massive arching windows (part of the reason i chose the building). It is an older building and has beautiful architectural elements.

In Botticellis's Annunciation painting that depicts the angel Gabriel's message to Mary, gray arches composes most of the painting. The arches frame Mary and Gabriel, showing that they are of two different worlds. Mary is enclosed and separated from the angel, behind her is the darkness of the room. While Gabriel is in a sense of openness, with is suggestive to the divine infinite.

I used this painting as a reference for my project. My design intent is to create private learning spaces while also creating a sense of community. I am using the arches to define these two different types of space. Like the painting there is going to be a sense of openness while also having more closed off "darker" "private" spaces.
The study model below shows the different between open and closed spaces and light and dark and how the arches define them.

Marina 33

We talked a lot about a various of different things this week that I could easily talk about in this blog. But instead I wan to take a minute and talk about something that I just read 5 minutes ago. 

As I was scrolling through facebook, like do on an hourly bases, something caught my attention. It was a status by this girl, whom I havent seen since highschool, and it said RIP Marina and then had a link below. I clicked on the link and started reading this tribute to this girl who recently died in a car crash. 

I have lost five friends over the years, and whenever I see a status that says RIP in it, my heart stops. Its one of the worst feelings to loss someone close to you and not understand why. Why did this have to happen to such a great person and why so young?

As I was reading this beautiful tribute, to someone whom I have never meet, I got chills. The tribute goes on to explain how great a person this girl was:  "we were honestly blessed to have had her voice."

but what caught my attention and the reason for why I am blogging about this is when she wrote:

  "I hate the Internet when it comes to death. It’s so easy to grow morbidly obsessed, to fall down the rabbit hole of Facebook posts and hateful comments and crash reports. But I love how the body of fantastic work that Marina produced in twenty-two years is accessible through a simple Google search."

I have read this line over and over again in my head and shes right. Technology is a fantastic thing when it comes to allowing someone to continue to live through the work they have produced on the internet. Friends facebook pages still live on, even if they dont. I have friends who I continue to write to through facebook. Idk why, maybe I think they can hear me. Its like visiting a grave, stopping by just to say hello, letting them know that we have not forgotten them. It so easy to get caught up in the internet and everything that is flying around out there, but every now and then I stop and think how wonderful it really is. I am allowed to look back and see my friends, however its just pictures and videos, but I get to remember. I miss my friends dearly but getting to visit them through the internet is nice sometimes, just to say hello or how much i miss them, or maybe share a story. 

For Marina, her friends can still look at her facebook page and read the beautiful stories she wrote and it is all possible because of the internet. 

I posted the link below because i thought it was beautiful written and wanted to share this girls stoy with someone else. 

http://alannabean.tumblr.com/post/23957934265/marina