1)

• The important points of the topic was the meaning and the theme that tied the student’s draft and the chosen pieces. We as well discussed how the student can improve the draft in order to further present the message behind the the art pieces.
• My understanding of the project connects to my other classes by discussing how the modern world is like today. My pieces evoke the theme of stepping inside an fantasy world that is more like the utopia of our generation. I will further understand the way our modern society pictures a utopian future based on our values today. I as well discussed the way the world has evolved from the past to the present in my other classes and the way opinions are being changed over the years.
• The major ideas I understand now are how to connect art or stories with completely different views from each other. I learned how to look closely to the art works and find views that could make sense no matter how challenging it was to find the similarities between the pieces.
• The three ideas I am taking away from the seminar are that there is always an hidden message that can be interpreted between two pieces of work. It is important to get an significant message across and not just find a general theme to discuss. There are times where two different pieces of art can force you to think deeply about concepts that you have not explored yet.

2)

• I gave my team mate an idea in a new direction they can take to their piece and see if it can further explain their concept.
• The questions I have is how can I clearly express my the concept of my theme and have the present and meaningful message of the theme.
• There were students who helped move the discussion forward by asking how the projects will be more expanded from the draft and if there are other themes the students are focusing on and would want to replace with their original concepts.
• There were students who asked more questions but also allowed others to take the chance to present their ideas and questions to the artist.
• Next time I would like to do differently is give the presenter more advice on how they can further improve their works.

3)

• Next time I will listen to how the artist came to the idea and realization of what they want too do with their project. This way I can understand their thinking process and know what they are trying to discuss in their art.
• What I will do differently to make the seminar better is ask more questions and challenge the artist on how they can do better in their project.

My piece is approximately 15 inches tall with a wooden dowel and foam hexagons wrapping around. Wire is used to keep the hexagons stable and attached to the dowel. There are also edges made on the dowel to make sure the hexagons are firmly attached to the dowel.  Each hexagon is covered with metallic sheets with different colors of yellow and silver. The colors follow a pattern of silver and then moving on to yellow. The sides of the hexagons as well show the opposite color of the sheets that cover the hexagons. The sizing of the hexagons range from small to large. The size increases by every one inch. The piece was inspired by my jewelry box and its three moveable oval shaped parts. The box consisted of three sides where jewelry can be placed and I wanted to recreate this concept through my piece. By doing so, I wanted to change the shape and sizing of the sides and as well add extra movable parts. This change created a more abstract feel by going more in depth with the way the object was designed and its usage. The object represented my cultural identity through its use of safekeeping. I am interested in collecting not only jewelry but objects that regain my significant movements from the past, like shells I kept when I was in Coney Island with my family. The object displays the use of space and line by the way the hexagons are lined up side by side. One can point out where the cross contouring starts and continues to the bottom of the smallest hexagon to the largest hexagonal piece. The use of spacing has been defined through the object’s spacing between each hexagon and how there is no space that the viewer can enter, which is the haptic. Planar was demonstrated by the hexagonal covers amad the

Hitchens discusses the reason to why women struggle on being funny. As a man himself he tries to relate emotionally to the male audience by saying comedy is crucial when pleasing a lady. Hitchens states, ” An average man has just one, outside chance: he had better be able to make the lady laugh.” He understands that the male audience is aware of the importance in making a woman laugh in order to attract them to themselves. He also makes an attempt to be relatable as he describes how women are already pleasing to males without the need of comedy. He states, ” Women have no corresponding need to appeal to men in this way. They already appeal to men, if you catch my drift.” This conveys that the body or beauty of a women already wins a man over without feeling the need to make him laugh. Although Hitchens is male he appeals to women when regarding men as childish and only focus on the disgusting parts of comedy. He mentions, ” Men obviously like gross stuff,” says Fran Lebowitz. “Why? Because it’s childish.” The female audience may find this relatable when facing with comedy that is dominantly in the field of men. The feeling that men only laugh at disgusting jokes or at stupidity can resonate with females and they’re opinions on comedy itself.

Hitchens uses reasoning to his article as well when presenting studies of the difference between men and women in the field of comedy. He used a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, to explain the way men and women perceive comedy in cartoons. He states, ” The researchers found that men and women share much of the same humor-response system…” and also mentions that, ” Slower to get it, more pleased when they do, and swift to locate the unfunny.” The study explains that even though men and women have the same type of interest in comedy they still point the downside of it which makes them seem as the killjoy of comedy. Hitchens also used reason to see if his theories made sense. By doing so, he calls female comedians like Fran Lebowitz and Nora Ephron to discuss the theories. Ms. Fran states, ” “The cultural values are male; for a woman to say a man is funny is the equivalent of a man saying that a woman is pretty. Also, humor is largely aggressive and pre-emptive, and what’s more male than that?” The way men and women attract each other ties again with the need to be comedic especially for males, towards the opposite sex. In society being pretty for women is important to attract guys like it is for them to be funny to girls. Hitchens brings Ephron’s views by saying she agrees with Lebowitz’s on the topic of comedy between men and women. This concludes that women do not have an easy time with comedy as her fellow male partner does.

The Superiority theory: Hobbes has stated that laughter is a way people respond to feeling they are better than others, which results in laughing at their mistakes.

Kant’s theory explains how laughter is a form of relief of tension when experiencing uncomfortable situations.

Schopenhauer’s theory states that people laugh due to a surprising situation or when an unexpected moment occurs.

Spencer’s theory explains that people laugh due to the way our bodies respond in the moment like our nervous systems do when experiencing a certain uncomfortable situation.

Herbert Spencer’s theory further argues the idea of relief like in Kant’s theory. In his essay, On the philosophy of laughter he states ” always tends to beget muscular motion, and when it rises to a certain intensity, always does beget it.” The nervous system is a form of laughter one cannot control which can result in more stress. When an uncomfortable situation occurs our body or nervous system chooses to laugh as a way to reduce that stress and for the body to be in a more relax state. Others may see laughing at a certain situation offensive since it may be serious at times, yet this is due to the way their nervous systems operate.

Shutz discusses the experience someone undergoes when they enter a new social group. New information is shared to the newcomer that can help in future situations. In my community I observe diversity of culture, languages and religion. This helps me become more open minded about the customs each person I meet has. This gives me more knowledge on what their likes and dislikes are. Once I am a stranger to a group, I make sure that I know the personality of the people first. It is smart to see the similarities between me and the group to know how to understand their views on topics.

Technology is essential to keep. I believe that it is the key to evolution and is the way innovation comes to life. Everyday technology is not only increasing but improving people’s daily lives. A piece of technology I value is the virtual reality headset. It is meant to give the user a world that they have never experienced before. The headset can also give me an escape to problems through my own fantasy world. This connects with video games as well. I get to see characters being brought to life in front of me and interact with them. I appreciate the beauty behind the different worlds seen in the virtual reality. It is always exciting to be part of a story that has me solve mysteries and puzzles like a horror game. Technology is truly impactful.

Its interesting to think about how the world will progress into the future. Will we have a utopia or a dystopia? Maybe there will always be a mixture of wrong and bad along the way, a balance of both. I like to focus on topics that deal with how society is viewed based on different points of view. One can say that the present is a utopia because of more acceptance to sexuality, race, and religion. Laws like gay marriage in fifty states shows that society has progressed positively. Yet, one can say that the world has grown into dystopia because of the controversial views of our president. I see that the world is a balance of grey. There will always be people opposed to rights and others will constantly defend them until they are accepted into the world.