Structure and Form
Labyrinths: From Wayana Aparai Patterns to Generative Art
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Daniela Kutschat Hanns, Leandro Manuel Reis Velloso, Mauricio Galdieri
References to labyrinths and their structures and constructions are part of the imaginary in varied cultures and eras. There are records of mazes in cave paintings, mythologies, art and world heritage monuments. In the last century, authors such as Carroll, Borges, and Echo wove relations between labyrinths and narrative structure of fiction. Theorists describe network and navigation states and experiences in hypermedia environments, as well as thought structures, based on analogy and study of labyrinths. The symbolic meaning of the labyrinth and its representations is here associated with the symbolic meaning of the graphs found in the arts of the Wayana and Aparai. Many graphs have visual structures and geometries that refer to labyrinths and labyrinth patterns, so we investigate relationships and origin of the graphics. In our study, we identified that these patterns reflect the transmission of the culture and history of that culture. They are based on: mythical narratives that originate labyrinthic spatial and geographical structures and stories transmitted orally; deep observation of nature, fauna and flora in an animistic perspective (supernatural beings and other beings); transfer of patterns, including patterns found in jaguar skins, snakes and lizards, among other animals; variations and creativity of each artisan. Part of the challenge is the generative programming of labyrinths based on the drawings and graphic modules present in the Wayana and Aparai culture. The programming strictly follows the labyrinth typologies described below and the original drawings and graphs of the Parense culture studied, also referenced herein.
3-D Projection Technology and the Theme Park’s Dark New Narrative
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Charlie Mitchell
Being conveyed and tantalized with the thrill of near death has always been a fact of the theme park ride experience. However, fantasy landscapes such as Disney World and Universal Studios have created a new breed of conveyance utilizing 3-D projection technology which has dramatically shifted the primary focus of the ride from generating pure sensation as a form of pleasure to a narrative which endorses studio film properties. The result is highly transformative. This paper will show how a lack of agency that is expected and, on some level, welcomed by patrons has been coupled with an unveiled message that they are unimportant to whatever artistic world the ride utilizes. I will explore how this trend is a natural extension of the crowd-controlling devices that exist in most parks -- trams that move you from monumental parking lots, stamps, cards or wristbands that track you, labyrinth-like architectures that route lines of patrons to ride entrances, and “fast passes” that remove the spontaneity of the park experience and replace it with strict appointments. I will show how this mode of story-telling encourages cultural commodification and the docility of the patron in a more profound way than being funneled through the gift shops that dot the parks.
The Symbolic Aspects of Words Denoting Color in English and Georgian Proverbs
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Natela Mosiashvili
The article aims at a comparative exploration of the words denoting basic colors in the proverbs of two different languages, namely Georgian and English, the study encompasses the problem of research – both in comparison and in contrast - of the two non-related languages. In general, color terms in languages possess associations bestowed upon them by the language communities. These associations may be similar, thus shared by various cultures or different, in this sense unique to some culture. In order to study these issues, I analyzed the semantics of proverbs and sayings containing the color words in Georgian and English. The research revealed that color words are used quite often in Georgian and English proverbs and sayings. I encountered most frequently white, black, red and green. Analysis of the English and Georgian sayings and proverbs revealed certain regularities that are discussed in the article. Thus, the conducted study has succeeded in revealing important specific and universal features of the lexical-semantic field of color in a comparison of the English and Georgian proverbs.
Digital Art in the Age of Blackboxing and Blurring
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Pedro Alves da Veiga
This article presents an artistic and technological proposal of creative exploitation of contemporary aestheticisation processes, thriving on the spectacularisation of the mundane. As individuals are expected to lead aestheticised lives, documenting and sharing them through black-boxed mechanisms, the enjoyment of social, cultural and entertainment experiences in the physical world has become increasingly dependent upon onlineness. Mobile communication devices act as black boxes, blurring the divide between online and material by means of augmentation. The mobile screen offers a cinematic, digitally augmented view of the world, where a wealth of digital media hovers silently, often anchored to physical locations. But this remarkable collection of digital graffiti can also be regarded as prima materia by artists and researchers, and become a critical playground, meaningfully contributing to the sharpening, focusing and de-blurring of contemporary society.
