We believe in.....

Beliefs, opinions, they are what drive us.  These thoughts that we have are what connect us together and separate us, they are the cause of much discussion and reform, they are what make us human.  There is so much for us to believe in.  Children believe a magical man from the North comes to them once a year bearing gifts, most of the world believes in some form of a deity that they can talk to in prayer, people can believe Donald Trump to be a great presidential candidate.  All too often these beliefs we hold are a personal subject for us, something that really matters to us. 

For me, I have a belief that we all see the world a little bit differently from each other, yes we may agree on many things, but how we came to the same conclusion could have come from very different circumstances.  This assignment, I wanted to show this belief of mine by exploiting one way I see the world differently: through colors.  I started out wondering if I should choose a topic more personal, but this one kept coming to the foreground.  Synesthesia is a relatively new part of my identity, I didn’t know I saw the world differently from others until I read in a book about someone who had the same thing as me.  Presenting it to the class and friends and family, I didn’t merely want to show what others might see looking at letters and numbers and music, but what I see.  I’m limited on my technological abilities, but not in my hands on capabilities.  Painting with glow sticks came from the idea that they would best represent what I see in my mind’s eye when it comes to music.  Essentially it is a black background with varying colors showing up like on a chalkboard.  In my practice for the presentation however, they proved to be difficult to work with; drying really fast, losing their glow faster, disintegrating the Styrofoam cups they were in.  During the performance though, they excelled in their duty, however the technical difficulties of my media left me flustered as I had to improve with the words I prepared and left the final effect of the glow stick painting less as there was no music to play in the background as I painted.

Difficulties seem to be the pattern at nights like this and many presentations had some troubles.  So many of the presentations felt like TED talks, I felt like I was giving a TED talk.  It was fascinating to watch everyone’s performance; many were more ambiguous than others, others right on the nose, but all showed personalities of everyone and were beautiful renditions of their beliefs.  I found it to be a night of emotions, a night were I got closer to these friends of mine more from simply listening to what they believed. 

Raising the Fututre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2MVNuY0-lo

Everyone is going to have that person in their life who made a difference.  Someone that they look up to and admire for being a mentor to them in a time of vulnerability or change in their life.  Quite often, this person is a teacher.  It is natural for students to look up to these people because they often are in their profession for those they teach; they certainly aren’t in it for the money or the glory.  Teachers, who are in the profession for the right reasons, are teaching for the sole purpose of aiding their community, making the world a better place by enhancing the minds of their students, the future.  We were able to capture some of the thoughts and feelings of such an individual who genuinely cares for his students and the community in which he serves.

People might think that because a person is a teacher for a public school, they are limited in what they can teach and what they can actually do for their students.  Yet, despite some of the regulations and rules put on public school teachers, Mr. Murphy thinks that he is not limited at all in what he can do.  He can’t teach religion in the classroom, but he can be an example, he can pray for his students.  He can’t change anything that is happening in the home life of his students, but he can create and environment of love and safety that they can go to on a daily basis.  He knows his limits placed upon him by the society and the government, but he can still make an impact on at least one student, help them, change them in some way that is still within these limits.  He teaches them essential things they need to know, but more importantly he is teaching these children what to become, how to act, and to let them know that people genuinely care for them.  

In the reading for this section, Goldbard talks about the right that everyone has “to participate in the cultural life of the community.”  Mr. Murphy is taking advantage of this right and teaching the future generation about this right they have as well.  He is freely participating in his community to affect it, to help it be the best it can be through the students.  We realized that our short little doc is similar to the french documentary To Be and To Have, in that it is showing the service that a teacher gives to the community by caring for the students and giving them the time they need.  This doc shows a teacher dedicated to his work who loves his students and is willing to help them.

Recognize the Survivors

Game Link:

http://philome.la/HeatherRose318/survivors-guilt

I have been thinking about this topic for sometime because it really intrigued me.  I then found out that my roommate had no idea what it was, which lead me to realize that the topic of survivor’s guilt is something that is not often talked about, especially in media.  There are a few films and television shows that allude to a character who experiences survivor’s guilt, but they don’t right out acknowledge it.  They sort of play it off as a form of PTSD or depression, which is what survivor’s guilt essentially is, but gives a greater clarity to the issues people with this face on a specific level instead of a general sense. 

            What I wanted to accomplish with this game was to portray a few examples of situations where survivor’s guilt often correlates.  I wanted to show these experiences from the perspective of someone who has these feelings and don’t know exactly how to express them.  Throughout my research, my findings drew up a lot of personal stories of people with this which expressed their thoughts on the subject.  Creating the game in a perspective where the player is a person in a particular situation gave a tone that allowed a narration of the characters’ thoughts and feelings distinctly instead of it being in a different point of view where it would be mere conjecture as to how a person with survivor’s guilt would think and feel.  My sources: health and performance solutions, real warriors, and band back together websites all talked about the inward discussion of a person with survivor’s guilt; how they felt, what they thought, how to help them, what recovery options there could be, what sort of symptoms occur.  These all helped to develop each individual situation to be unique to it’s own events and situations.

            Creating this game reminded me a lot of the Donner Party game from way back when.  You essentially are creating this own story line, but at the same time you aren’t because it is preprogrammed with responses that lead down certain paths of success or failure.  Relying heavily on Chimamanda Adichie’s TED talk, I wanted to stay away from the single story of a person with survivor’s guilt.  That’s why I presented four different stories that had distinct differences between them that could potentially cause survivor’s guilt in a person of similar circumstances.  Now it did end up that most of the situations would end hopefully in the positive, they were still open ended, but at least gave the hope for healing.  However, just because a story ended similarly, doesn’t mean that all that was represented in my game was the same story retold.  All lead to the final words of the game that tied up the importance of talking more openly of the distress many survivors are in because there isn’t as much emphasis on their well being as the dead sometimes. 

When Deseret became a Nation

Artist Statement

“What if…” is often the beginning of a form of art called design fiction, a term coined by Julian Bleecker in his essay of the same name. What if the world was fundamentally different? What would it look like? H.G. Wells was a master in design fiction, particularly with his novel, The Time Machine, in which he describes the future state of mankind. It’s not real, but it follows real patterns and rules. Most science fiction falls into this category. It’s a fantasy world, but it has its roots in real science. And so it is with the design. Artifacts from these manufactured worlds both augment and represent a kind of parallel reality displayed in the world from which they come.

So what if? As students at Brigham Young University, we have a natural interest in our Mormon roots. At one point in the history, a state of Deseret was proposed. It never happened because of issues with the U.S. government regarding polygamy and other things, but what if? What if the South won the war? What if the Union was so fractured that they didn’t care about a burgeoning community far in the west? What if the Mormons pulled it off and gained sovereignty? And then what would happen?

The images and descriptions below are a chronological representation of what this nation may have looked like over the years, carefully designed in context of the period and what conversations may have been taking place.

South wins Civil War:

The 1860s would see a drastic change in the world when the South would end up winning the Civil War.  The members in the state of Deseret took this chance to seriously begin building their nation.  With the North and South separated, there was be little notice to the Mormons building up a sovereign state; they were taken not be much of a threat to the Confederates or the Union.  The slaves of the south would begin to immigrate to Deseret for the chance of a new life.  Part of being a sovereign state meant they would need their own currency for the exchanging within its economy and government.  This Currency reflected the events of Mormon history and significance to the nation of Deseret as well as its prominent leaders.  

3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

Deseret Nationalism:

“And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of apromise, a land bflowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no ccurse when the Lord cometh;”

(Doctrine and Covenants 38:18)

Because of the industry of the West, and the lack of Power from any opposing country, Deseret would thrive. The country would benefit from its strong support of immigration, its control of the railroad, its trading of oil and gold, its organization, its colonization, and its immense population growth. Without any other countries to intervene, by 1900 Deseret would have become a world superpower, a land filled with promise and a community bent on growth, forward and upward. A sense of religious nationalism would have been deeply rooted, and many would frame or carry defining documents, as Americans might with copies of their constitution.

War:

And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.
And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.

(Doctrine and Covenants 45:69-70)

In fulfillment of this prophecy, the people of Deseret would take a strong defensive stance during the conflicts throughout the 20th century. Though their ambassadors (i.e. missionaries) would still be sent out, they would also employ military force toward any country that sought harm to their congregations. Their powerful military would incite fear into the many warring nations and it’s likely many citizens would encourage the nation to assert her dominance. The evolution of this thought might be expressed in a new flag (shown below, contrasted against the old). The last ties to the United States have been severed, as Deseret is now a fully functioning a capable force in the world. The twelve stars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, point inward toward deseret, a honeybee, the protector of the hive. And the red field represents the blood of the righteous calling for justice. The flag is a symbol of the state’s fierce defense and retribution against any that dare to come against God’s people.

Modern Day Deseret:

Many events of our world would still “come to pass” in this world.  Hitler would still try to dominate the planet.  But what if Einstein immigrated to Deseret?  What if revelation was given to our military leaders just as Captain Moroni received it in the Book of Mormon?  Deseret would emerge as a world power.  We also read of the pride cycle in the Book of Mormon.  If Deseret prospered for too long there would likely be much apostasy.  Different factions of the faith would compete for power.

“Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts...” - Moroni 8:28