brookes77, 2/3/09

“ Every day the urge grows stronger to get hold of an object at very close range by way of its likeness…(this) differs from the image seen by the unarmed eye” (22). I couldn’t help but relate this to my every day life, what I wear, where I eat, this all reflects on what I see, and if what I see is what I want. Because of this who I am has been determined by this quote. Another quote I was drawn to in class was “The instant the criterion of authenticity ceases to be applicable to artistic production, the total function of art is reversed. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on another practice-politics. (23)” For Intro to CMC my group made a film based on the value of diamonds today, we studied Kanye West’s song diamonds are forever, we studied commercials for engagement rings, and the movie Blood diamond. When Dr. Casey asked us in class why are engagement rings so crucial in our society, why do women in our society expect a diamond when getting married? Why are people not going crazy over Quartz? The demand for diamonds is so high we found because they are rare, and everyone else wants them, it is very political. It has become a tradition to desire this. People do not want quartz because they are not authentic like diamonds, and diamonds are a legend. What is not authentic in our world is not in demand, although when I thought about this statement more I found that there are replacements of what is not authentic that is not the real thing yet since there is such a high demand people of every class settle for what is within their means. An example of this would be designer clothes and clothes that mimic them that are sold at Kmart. They are desired at another level, where they are authentic. Another key point that was made in class was art vs. film. I thought it was interesting to put into words how different their importance is shown in our society. For film to be a success, it must be liked, owned, and seen by a significant amount of people to mean anything to anyone; yet art on the other hand is more valuable when it is owned by only a few people or even one. If not many people have seen it yet know about it, it is even more valuable. Value is everything in the world of vending and consuming.