1

Over the summer I have interacted with visual art most notably in one way, my friends will draw character art for their dungeons and dragons characters and will send it to me for feedback. This is directly interacting with art but it is also indirectly creating art, by changing the way my friends think about or see their art I am also able to change the final product. I also engage with non-visual art on a near daily basis by discussing pieces with friends or playing and creating art of my own via playing the trombone.

 

2

One thing around me that I consider to be powerful in both a physical and emotional sense is a very old large tree in front of my house. Each winter when the winds get too high the whole household begins to worry about the tree falling onto the roof in the night yet, each year it remains standing. The mental strain that the tree puts my entire family under is just as impressive as its ability to withstand the extreme forces put on it by the elements. Another thing that I think to be quite powerful is the common S.U.V. Each individual vehicle can accomplish the same amount of work as tens of able bodied people in a significantly shorter time frame. Additionally, the fact that in many countries cars and S.U.V.s are commonplace in many countries is an ode to how far society has come.

 

3 

Over the recent weeks I have spent a large amount of time in and around Oak Bay Marina. While there a few different sounds stood out to me the variety of different sounds created by gulls which ranged from nearly a chuckle to an effect almost akin to a scream. Other sounds of local wildlife such as the gentle puff of a seal’s nostrils releasing a held breath or crabs claws scraping on the metallic hull of the boat. The soundscape was not limited to just nature, human activity could be heard at every turn. Walking through the marina it is not uncommon to hear the muffled sounds of radio announcers and music coming from nearby vessels. Once on the water it is easy to hear the yelling of small children on willows beach nearby although there is a distinct lack of traffic noise coming from nearby roads. Another sound that intrigued me was the mixture of different engine noise as other boats approached our own. Individually it was possible to differentiate between them but as they mixed, it began to sound like one larger vessel with a completely separate and unique auditory identity.

 

4

As a concept free time exists to be filled. If there is an opening in a schedule a meeting is placed there or with a pass time of the individuals choosing. The issue with the latter is that if someone has too much freetime their pastimes become something that they no longer enjoy and instead something that only passes the time until their next important activity. Without the agency of commitment a pastime is just that, something that passes the time. Additionally, if a free time activity is done with such regularity that it overshadows all other commitments it is no longer a free time activity since it takes priority over important obligations such as work or school. As such I agree with the sentiment that free time only works if you steal it. Having to take time away from other more important activities to partake in relaxation or fun events gives a greater sense of purpose to all of the activities involved.

 

5

There were a large number of things that Laskey said throughout the film that really struck a chord with me but, in particular around the 14 minute 10 second mark of the video Laskey said ”I mixed black grapes and black olives in a salad and you actually couldn’t tell what you were eating.” at which point I paused the video to ponder all of the different implications that the statement has. I found the notion that when two things are mixed together it becomes nearly impossible to decipher between them both to be quite interesting and applicable to nearly anything, including sound as I mentioned in number 3. Other examples I have thought of specifically are mixing colors or shades, two different instruments or players playing together, and computers.