In 1926, Wassily Kandinsky Published Two Essays On His Theory Of Form, The Essays Were Accompanied By

Week 2: September 13

This week, I started out thinking about collage, but ended by deciding to focus more on juxtaposition.

Day 1: Found material collage on printer paper

Explores collage as something that can be made of putting things together around you.

Day 2: Digital collage

Exploring the digital collage. Based on more “aesthetic” collages that can be found on the internet.

Day 3: Printer scans 

Explores alternate ways of making collage with non-2D objects, and flattening them.

Day 4: Moodboard

Exploring mood boards as a type of collage

Day 5: Ugly moodboard

Exploring mood boards as a type of collage, but purposely making one that is ugly, and seeing how we make connections between the unrelated images and colors. 

Day 6: Autofill poems

Used autofill in the Notes app to generate poems that are a collage of words. On the last one, it ran out of word suggestions.

I thought that it was interesting that in the one below, autocorrect ran out of suggestions.

Day 7: Cake! (Chocolate with vanilla frosting) 

“Anyone who's ever put a stamp on an envelope or a note on their refrigerator knows what it's like to make a collage. There's no esoteric technique.” - Elliot Hundley

This is what I hate and like about collage - anyone can do it.

Going back to the ugly moodboard, I tried really hard to find things that were random, did not go together, or were just not aesthetically pleasing (some of the images were even a little gross. I gave it a nauseating pink background, and the colors were bright and clashing. However, despite my best efforts to try and make an anti-moodboard that seemed completely random and ugly, the more I look at it the more I feel like it works....? I couldn't tell you what mood it is giving, but I feel like I'm putting things together that aren't there. 

This made me think about how humans tend to find patterns all the time in things that aren’t really there. There are actually several psychology articles about the subject.

Mattson, Mark P. “Superior pattern processing is the essence of the evolved human brain.” Frontiers in neuroscience vol. 8 265. 22 Aug. 2014, doi:10.3389/fnins.2014.00265

Chandrashekara, K. “Finding Patterns in Nature’s Maze: An Endless Quest.” Current Science, vol. 69, no. 5, 1995, pp. 406–09. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24097149. Accessed 19 Sep. 2022.

I feel like this week was just exploring juxtaposition as a new aspect of my topic, rather than just focusing on collage. I noticed it in my “ugly” moodboard how people find relations between things that aren’t there, which the articles by Mattson that I mentioned above basically says that our ability to recognize patterns to the extent that we can is part of what makes us human. I should keep this in mind in terms of how people perceive my project I suppose. Can I take advantage of this?

Also not as related, but speaking of two things that I didn't think would work but it does, a Kpop song I like by the group TXT called Eternally sounds like two different songs blended together, to the point that when my friend first showed it to me I thought it was two different songs. It switches from slow to dark and fast. But I really like it. 

https://youtu.be/60RWCfwmfYc

Week 1 Update: September 12

After reading the articles that Nancy sent this week, and after our conversation, I have decided to not purse the 3D printing idea specifically. While I am not against using it in my work, I already don’t feel like the passion for it is deep enough for it to be the main topic of my capstone. 

I did really like MERRICK by Daan van den Berg. I like how it created a relationship between computer and biology (how the computer virus cause mutations similar to the way a real virus would). I also like how it was sort of out of your control what exactly the results would be like. 

I also liked Damien Davis’s work. While I don’t think what it’s what I'm trying to do in particular, I do think it gave me some inspiration about exploring process and material. For some reason, his work kind of reminds be of the interactive puzzle things that you would find on the jungle gym at the playground. Maybe it’s the way the material was used.

(the other articles I read and was sent were posted below)

I think I’ll try thinking about collage as a medium this week. It still doesn’t feel quite right through? But maybe will help get me to a better direction.

7 days of making to be posted soon. 🎂

Get Space-Crafty with Earth Science!

It’s time to get space-crafty! (Get it?) We’re getting ready to launch Landsat 9 into space this fall, and we want to know, how does Landsat inspire you?

For nearly 50 years, Landsat satellites have been collecting important data and taking beautiful images of Earth, as a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Scientists and policy makers alike use this data to understand climate change, deforestation, the growth of cities, and so much more.

In celebration of the Landsat 9 launch in September, we are calling all crafters to create space-crafts inspired by your favorite Landsat image! From watercolor paintings to needlework to frosted cakes, let your creativity flow and show us how you see Landsat images.

Post a picture of your craft on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #LandsatCraft. We will spotlight some on social media!

For a little inspiration, here are some #LandsatCraft examples from some of the people who work with Landsat:

“Looking through the Visible Earth Landsat gallery for inspiration, I saw the Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) and knew immediately what I had to do -- recreate it in a mosaic of my own. LIMA is a composite of more than 1,000 cloud-free Landsat 7 images of Antarctica, and when it was released in 2007 it was our first high resolution, true-color look at the icy continent.” – Kate Ramsayer, NASA Landsat Communications Coordinator

“I love embroidering satellite imagery and NASA data. For Landsat, I wanted something with lots of straight lines -- much easier to stitch! -- and crop fields like these fit the bill. It’s amazing how clearly we can see the influence of human activities in satellite imagery like this. It’s a constant reminder of the effect we have on our home planet.” – Katy Mersmann, Earth Science Social Media Lead

“We didn’t have the discipline or the organizational skills to do any of the really, really fancy images, like Lena Delta, so we chose Garden City, Kansas in 1972. We added a model of Landsat 1, too.” – Ryan Fitzgibbons, Earth Science Producer, and Charles Fitzgibbons, Age 8

"I was inspired by this Landsat image which demonstrates how we can use satellite imagery to remotely monitor cover crop performance, a sustainable farming practice that promotes soil health. Since I began working with NASA Harvest, NASA's Food Security and Agriculture Program, I've come to understand the critical importance of conservation agriculture and resilient farmlands in support of a food secure future for all, especially in the face of a changing climate." – Mary Mitkish, NASA Harvest Communications Lead

“I chose particular ingredients that represent the Landsat qualities that we celebrate:

The base spirit is gin because Landsat data is clean and precise. Vermouth represents our foreign collaborators. Using both lemon and lime juices signifies the diverse uses of the data. The ginger is for the land we study. The apple, well, because it’s American. The club soda makes it a long drink, for the long data record.” – Matthew Radcliff, NASA Landsat Producer

“Last year for the 50th Earth Day, I created this poster, inspired by our views of river deltas -- many captured by Landsat satellites -- which are particularly beautiful and evocative of water coursing through our land like a circulation system of nature. In 2000, Landsat 7 took one of my favorite images of the Lena Delta, which is the basis for this art.” – Jenny Mottar, Art Director for NASA Science

Are you feeling inspired to create yet? We’re so excited to see your #LandsatCraft projects! Follow NASA Earth on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to see if your art is shared!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Week 3: Sept. 20

This week, I went with Jack to Nick’s show titled Voluntary Attempts to Overcome Necessary Obstacles at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts. Here is a short description below: 

https://www.projectspace-efanyc.org/voluntary-attempts-to-overcome-necessary-obstacles

While I don’t think my project will really be involved with the game design space, this was a good opportunity to get some ideas for interactivity with museum pieces, as well as how work is presented. 

The wall when you first walk into the exhibit:

Sheet we were given about the exhibit:

Second packet with all of the works in the show: 

Special highlights: 

Let’s Play Greek Punishment, 2011

By Pippin Barr

This was a series of games about mythology. In this one about sisyphus, you click in order to push the boulder up the hill. However, you are never able to actually complete the task, so continue to click until the player gives up. It’s supposed to be an “anti-game”, where the conventional goals in most mainstream game play are taken away, and this is what you are left with. 

The Soft Rumor of Spreading Weeds by Porpentine Charity 

This really got me thinking about how to present objects in a gallery space. The small rounded carpet felt super intimate, and made me thing of playing games on the computer on the floor as a kid. This also made me think a little bit about my talk with Kelly McGowan last year, and how she did her capstone project about her bedroom. It gives me similar “cozy” feelings. 

Folds of Separation by Studio Oleomingus 

I was a big fan of the artwork for this piece, it was very intricate maze game. Not necessarily the type of gameplay that I enjoy (it was very frustrating), but I did enjoy looking at it. 

The Cloister by Everest Pipkin

The artwork for this pice was stunning as well. 

If I recall, this was the box that held the cards for World Ending Game by Everest Pipkin. The instructions for the game were long, and it took an hour to play it, so I felt that it was a bit of a risky move for the exhibit only because not everyone (including me), would have the time or patience to read the instructions and play the game. But I did appreciate the attention to detail (for example, as pictured here, the slot created for the cards and dice for the game in their storage box). 

The Tearoom by Robert Yang

It was in a separate corner of the exhibit. You interacted with the game that was projected on a wall with a mouse that was on a pedestal in the middle of the room, giving it a super simple interface. It was a very weird game, where you played as a man in a very dingy bathroom. You were at a urinal, and were able to watch men who came in and out of the bathroom to pee, except all male genitalia was replaced with guns. Ultimately, after watching someone too many times at the urinal, the player was able to pleasure the man to completion in the gross bathroom. I was really confused after watching Jack play, but after talking to Nick about it, he explained that it was about how in videogames and on many social media platforms (although we were specifically talking about Twitch in this context) censor male genitalia, but guns are allowed. I guess it is a little weird when you think about it that objects that inflict violence are less censored than our own bodies on the internet. I will try to get the video from Jack and post it here, if Tumblr allows it 

Also, in a smaller amount of creative research, I found a new material? 

I went to an event for CSA (Chinese Student Association), and we made these foam clay moon cakes in celebration of mid autumn festival, using mooncake presses like the one I’ve attached here. I’ve somehow never used clay like this though, and when it dried (which it did much quicker than any clay I used growing up), it was super lightweight and more like foam clay than the hard, more pottery-like textures that other clay I used growing up. I also liked the idea of the presses. They remind me of the carving blocks we used in design I to create prints of letterforms, but they make a 3D object instead of 2D. Maybe I will explore this idea in a future experiment for my capstone, although I don’t know exactly how I am going to position this in terms of juxtaposition yet.

Overall this week, I feel like I am still working through exactly what form my project is going to take. I feel like the foam clay in an interesting medium for a future creative research or making, but not necessarily for a final medium. Same with the stamp/mold/block printing idea. They’re fun mediums that I may experiment with, but am not sold on yet for the final project. I really enjoyed going to see the exhibit that Nick curated. To be honest, my interest does not really lie in games, but I did get inspiration from seeing how works were presented in an exhibit space, and made notes on what did and what did not work, as I have elaborated above. I will definitely plan to see more exhibits in the coming weeks as well.

7 Days of Iteration

REMINDER: Official post coming soon 🔥🔥

Week 11: November 15

This week for creative research I made video collages/GIFS.

(Could not get videos to run here but screenshots are attached) 

This collage of GIFS is again an attempt to deconstruct meaning, in a similar way to the Surrealists. The imagery was chosen randomly, but the composition was up to me. The first one to me is reminiscent of a dreamland, with the clouds and swirling mirror. The girl in the upper left is sitting in a way that it looks as if she could be lying on a bed, which further reinforces the dream. The second one feels less like a location than the first one. The imagery that comes to my mind is “crazy cat lady”. This is likely because of the common image of a lonely old lady who watches television on an Old TV, with several cats like the one sitting above the TV. The socks on the legs that the cat has is also reminiscent to me of  comfort and relaxing in front of the television. Finally, the last collage to me feel vaporware/space theme. The sphere with the waterfall in it as well as earth are reminiscent of space, as well as the astronaut. The robotic hand relates to the future, or maybe a robot in space. Finally, while usually sharks make me think of the ocean, the way they swim here suggests a lack of gravity such as in space. The juxtaposition of objects together creates a somewhat cohesive theme to me. 

For scholarly research this week I read a chapter called Communication, Meaning, and Signs from Introduction to Communication Studies by John Fiske. This chapter was given to me by Nancy, and it essentially is about semiotics and how we make meaning. This relates to juxtaposition because in order to understand how a connection is made between two things, how meaning is derived from those things in the first place. Important quotes are highlighted below: 

What is semiotics and what does it consist of

There are a few systems of making meaning, but generally these systems have three main components: the sign, what the sign refers to, and the user of the sign. 

Saussure divided the sign into two parts: the signifier (which is the sign) and the signified, which is the mental concept that the sign brings about. 

I have come to realize that semiotics was an important piece in the mechanisms of juxtaposition (particularly in media). The imagery in a work of art become signs, and bring about mental images of many signifieds, which are based on previous experience or our cultural or personal association with the sign. The brain then jumps from signified to signified that come about from the two distinct signs, until there is one in common, or two that are close enough that a connection can be found between the two objects. Because of our pattern processing brain, we will almost automatically, subconsciously, and very quickly will come to a conclusion to what the two objects or signs mean in relation to each other. 

I am glad this week I was able to make something animated or digital. Right now, I am unsure if I want to go more in a physical or digital direction for my final project. I liked using the gifs because they are looped, and I think it makes this kind of format (or a similar one good) if I wanted to do a digital collage of any kind. I think that they all bring about very strong connections between the objects in the collages, and they definitely all point to a very particular signified. I also am intrigued by semiotics in relation to juxtaposition, as it can explain the basis for how our pattern processing brain make meaning in terms of media. I plan to explore it more, 

Hi!

This page is dedicated to explorations and updates about Rachel’s senior capstone project. 

Week 9: November 1

This week for creative research/inspiration I went to a special exhibit at MoMa called Never Alone: Video Games and Other Interactive Design.

Note that I will be attaching videos here since the games are better depicted as videos of gameplay.

Flower

By Jenova (Xinghan) Chen and thatgamecompany

“In flower, the player becomes the wind. The game is presented as a potted flower’s dream, in which the wind blows one of its petals away from the city and into a verdant landscape. The wind picks up more petals as it goes, and the pleasantly aimless journey becomes increasingly vivid and intense. There is no goal, only complete immersion in nature and whatever sensations that brings - whether thrilling, soothing, or contemplative”

Walkthrough of Gameplay: 

My notes when playing: 

There is only a mouse. You can move the mouse around, but can’t do much with the buttons.

You can move up, down, left, and right

You have to stay above ground and can only go so high

There is a glowing orb in the center of the petals that is the center of control for direction.

Is very simple in the sense that there are not to many signifiers or menus

There is a sky and a ground that is a landscape

Grass at the bottom blows in the wind

There are some sparkles, especially near the grass

You are an orb and petals move in a whirlwind trail behind it

Sometimes there is a glowing trail or two of sparkles beneath you reflected on the grass like a shadow if you are close enough

The glowing orb that is the main center of control is mapped to the cursor. Moving the mouse up causes you do move up, down causes you to move down, left causes you to move left, and right causes you to move right

Going through the grass causes the grass to part, and sparkles to fly around, as expected would happen based on physics

You approach with a sense of curiosity because there are not too many signifiers on the screen, and the colors and simplicity draw you in

It is contemplative because you just wander the environment

There is a sense of thrill because you are able to fly, and the moving petals and grass provide a continual sense of movement

You pick up petals as you go along

The backstory was given through reading the wall, as well as in the beginning of the game

There isn’t really a goal, but you can pick up some petals as you go along, and some areas gain more color as you go through it

You get more colors as you go along

When you get closer to the ground, there is a glowing path that follows you.

The grass blows in the wind and moves out of the way when you go through it

There are swirls of color in the grass

It is understood that the user is supposed to use the mouse as it is the only input interface. Based on prior experience using computers, it is understood that the mouse moves you up, down, left, and right when you move it in the same direction

Flying Letters 

By John Maeda

My notes: 

You can right or left click with the two buttons below the touch pad

The rectangle in the middle of the screen tells what areas of the screen are actually active/you are able to interact with

There is a menu with numbers 0-9 in boxes that you can right click on to access a new interaction. The mode you are on will have a white box with black text, while the others are inverted with white text and black background

The cursor arrow only appears when hovering over the menu to show that you are able to click on it

Is very simple. There is rectangle in the center that tells what areas of the screen are actually active/you are able to interact with

There is a menu on the right labeled 0-9 that lets you select a new interaction mode

There is only a touchpad with a left and right button to interact with

The touchpad is on a table that is waist level, and the screen is an old fashioned computer above you, pointed down in you direction. You have to look up to see the screen.

The numbers 0-9 on the menu map to different letter interactions you can play with

The letters follow the cursor, and act in a way that one would expect in real life. In one mode, the cursor is the front letter in the word “Flying letters”, and the other letters follow it. Each letter follows in the letter before it’s previous position, making the letters flow as they follow the cursor. Letters that rotate on an axis in one mode move up, down, left, right depending on what direction the cursor moves. In another mode, the word ‘vertical’ is written in all caps vertically across the screen, and horizontal in all caps horizontally, and the cursor is the intersection. The cursor controls where the two words intersect, and it moves up, down, left, right with where the finger is on the touchpad to drag that intersection point across the screen.

There is a sense of curiosity. When clicking on a new mode, you don’t know what it will do at first, and some of the interactions are surprising.

There is a sense of wonder because you have to look up at the screen.

Letter interactions are satisfying

No particular goal

You play with each mode until you understand or are bored or satisfied, and move into the next one

Everything is black and white

Older screen provides some movement because it flickers just a little

No sound

Letters follow where the player is touching the touchpad, and moves up, down, left, and right in a way that would be expected. It does pull from interactions the user has had before. The sphere made of letters rotates like a 3D one, or the horizontal and vertical lines create an intersection that can be moved like maybe the user has seen before in other apps. The interactions are simple enough though that it can be figured out just by moving around on the touchpad.

Getting Over it with Bennett Foddy

By Benett Foddy

Foddy bluntly says, “I created this game for a certain type of person. To hurt them.” It’s the kind of player who feels entitled to make progress and eventually win - an expectation Foddy delights in thwarting. The goal is to climb a mountain of rocks and garbage, but the character attempting it is awkwardly stuck in a cauldron, and the game’s controls are infuriatingly - deliberately - clumsy. Players cannot save their progress; mistakes can tip the character down the mountain. This near-futile exercise prompts reflection on what we expect from a game, and what keeps us playing.

My Notes: 

There is only a mouse as an input interface

You can right click to grab onto something with the ax

There is a slightly transparent white circle where the cursor is, which controls the tip of the ax.

You can click to grab onto something

There is only a mouse

Is very simple in the sense that there are not to many signifier or menus

There is a sky and a ground that is a landscape, and lots of rocks and trash to grab onto. The rocks and trash create a mountain to climb.

Otherwise relatively desolate

Player is stuck in a cauldron.

Occasionally text appears at the bottom, which is the maker of the game sort of mocking you

The semi-transparent white circle represents the tip of the ax and is where the cursor is, so the player can control how the ax is swung

The ax movement is limited by range of the human arm, and can really only be moved up or down in a circle, so the ax moves with the cursor, but only to an extent

Incredibly frustrating

You get frustrated because it feels a little bit like the controls don’t follow exactly the way you feel like they should

Also it’s very easy to lose all your progress

Make it’s little hopeless, but when you do make progress it fills you with determination

You start at the bottom of the mountain and climb your way to the top of the trash/rock mountain. You generally move right.

It’s incredibly hard to control the ax accurately to pull yourself up the mountain. You only can use the ax because your legs are useless because your lower body is stuck in a cauldron

Even when you make progress, a mistake can send you all the way to the bottom. There is no real way to save your progress

Along the way the game maker will talk to you and sometime sort of mock you, which can add aggravation

Somewhat realistic color palette

Background is cloudy and green, it seems rocky, industrial, and desolate other than the rocks and trash in the foreground

Dusk can be kicked up by the ax

Water can slosh out of the cauldron you’re in

Some sound effects from the metal of the cauldron hitting the ground, and the sound of the ax hitting the rocks

Sometime game maker will come in and talk/make fun of you adding to frustration

Relatively quiet otherwise for concentration and also no distractions so you can fully feel how excruciating the task is

It is understood that the user is supposed to use the mouse as it is the only input interface. Based on prior experience using computers, it is understood that the mouse moves you up, down, left, and right.

Tweenbot 

By Kacie Kinzer

Tweenbots are human-dependent cardboard robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, they rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal. The Tweenbot’s success is dependent people’s willingness to step outside of habitual actions and engage with a technological object in the city space. As emotive characters placed in the improbable setting of the city, Tweenbots create an unexpected interaction, disrupting the narratives of our everyday experience, and offering a fleeting and playful connection in the context of the city street.

Tweenbot description

Tweenbot

I love how tweenbot is made of such simple materials, yet is such a powerful project. Its design is super cute, which maybe makes it more friendly for people to want to approach it. I also like the level of involvement and interaction that a tiny robot is able to cause. Strangers are all working together to help Tweenbot reach its goal. It is a little heartwarming. 

Visiting this exhibit taught me a lot about designing interfaces, and not just for games. It taught me how people interact with things in museum on display, and the proper amount of information needed for someone to understand how to interact with an object. For example, the labels all also have icons at the bottom that showed what the user was able to use to play the game (mouse, keyboard, touchpad, etc.). I also liked Flying Letters, and thought about what if there were letter interactions that juxtaposed each other, sort of like the horizontal and vertical line interaction that it was able to do. There was a horizontal line made with the letters HORIZONTAL and a vertical line with the letters VERTICAL, and you could play with where the lines intersect. 

For scholarly research this week, I looked at an article called “Why Did Humans Evolve Pattern Recognition Abilities?” by Aditya Shukla.

Citation: Shukla, Aditya. “Why Did Humans Evolve Pattern Recognition Abilities?” Cognition Today, December 4, 2021.https://cognitiontoday.com/why-did-humans-evolve-pattern-recognition-abilities/. 

Link: https://cognitiontoday.com/why-did-humans-evolve-pattern-recognition-abilities/

This article is similar to the previous one I wrote about about Superior Pattern Processing (SPP), but in more accessible language. It discusses why people are wired to see patterns evolutionarily, the brain structures in places that allow this pattern recognition to take places, and some of the side effects of this pattern processing. It also discusses how pattern processing is linked to memory and our senses like smell. This is part of the psychology of juxtaposition, which depends on pattern recognition or associations with symbols. Some important quotes are highlighted below: 

This quote is about how we impose patterns even when there is none. This explains why in previous creative explorations, when I put random works together, I would form connections between objects where there wasn’t necessarily one.

Pattern recognition is evolutionarily advantageous for us, as it allowed us to recognize something we’ve seen before and behave accordingly, This is why it is so ingrained into the brain - part of it is always active seeking patterns. Again, why we see patterns sometimes when there isn't necessarily one - we are always on the lookout for it. 

Pattern recognition can also lead to some negative things like confirmation bias and jumping to conclusions. This ties into some of the negative aspects of soft power, as this can be taken advantage of. 

Overall this week, I got some really good inspiration for how and interactive work can encourage the audience to interact with it with the right discoverability and signifiers. Flying Letters also maybe gave some ideas for how I can make something related to juxtaposition interactive. I was also inspired by the simple material of the Tweenbot, and how it encourage people to come together to help it complete a goal. The article I read provided some clarity to the previous on on SPP, and more directly related to juxtaposition (How it works because of the patterns and connections we are able to make), and soft power (how pattern processing can lead to confirmation bias and jumping to conclusions).  

Week 13: November 29

This week for scholarly research, I did a final look into semiotics with by taking look at The Semiotic Perspectives of Peirce and Saussure: A Brief Comparative Study

Citation: Yakin, Halina Sendera, and Andreas Totu. “The Semiotic Perspectives of Peirce and Saussure: A Brief Comparative Study.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 155 (November 2014): 4–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.10.247. 

Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277572736_The_Semiotic_Perspectives_of_Peirce_and_Saussure_A_Brief_Comparative_Study

Summary: The primary purpose of this paper is to make a comparative analysis between two leading scholars’ perspectives on semiotic theory, namely Charles Sanders Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure. In addition, it is also aimed at discussing the linkage between communication and semiotic which can be grasped as a signification of symbol or simply as a study of sign in societal life. Apart from the communication field itself, the theory is commonly used as a reference in various fields such as philosophy, linguistic, arts and literature, archeology, architecture, mathematics and so on. The data has been attained by using content analysis technique of various studies on semiotic and related subject. This article is expected to generate positive contribution in underlining the significance of semiotic theory, not only towards the enhancement of the semiotic epistemology but also to other researchers and academicians in related fields or specific areas.

Specific sections of interest are attached below: 

It’s interesting how all of these texts describe Saussure’c concepts in just a slightly different way. Sound pattern I don’t think was mentioned in the previous articles I read. 

Here, Saussure says that signs are not signs unless they are intended to be interpreted as a sign, which I find interesting but I’m not sure I agree with.  

This article focused on Peirce and Saussure’s theories in particular, rather than on semiotics as a whole like the other articles I have read. I focus on Saussure in particular. The signifier is the physical existence of the sign, which can be a word, symbol, or anything that can represent an object or concept. The signified is the object or mental concept that the sign brings about. For example, the symbol of a snowflake brings up the mental concept of a snowflake, as a small icy crystal that falls from the sky. This then may lead to other associations that come with the idea of snowflakes like winter, Christmas, the cold, snowstorms, etc. This makes sense. What I’m not sure about, or maybe am a little unclear about, is how a sign is only a sign if it is delivered with purpose and specific meaning intentionally. If a sign is delivered with purpose, but a very vague meaning, is it no longer a sign? Why can a sign not represent something signified if the person viewing it sees it that way? If it brings about a signified, I argue that it could be considered a sign. 

For creative research and inspiration, I went to the New York Public Library main branch. I was not able to see all of the rooms as some of them were closed or full for tours for the day, but I was able to see a few objects: 

I just thought the typefaces here were really beautiful

Trompe L’oeil with Paper Money, 1796

By Joseph Hunin After Jacques Callot 

Wall card for Trompe L’oeil with Paper Money

Fan made of ivory and printed paper

Wall card for fan

The book at the top I initially saved because I found the typefaces to be really beautiful, and thought it was interesting that so many different ones were combined on one page. Usually this isn’t cohesive, but here I feel like it kind of works. On the topic of certain signs leading to certain signifiers, I thought about how certain typefaces can seem to go with certain words. Could typefaces sound as a semi-symbol that bring about certain mental concepts, making them a sign? I also enjoyed seeing the samples of the short-lived assignat juxtaposed with each other. The fact that there are so many variations yet it is short lived suggests instability, which make sense since this print is supposed to hint at the poverty that can come with putting all of your trust in paper money. A similar message can be found in the beautiful fan below that is also made of currency. 

This week, I got a new perspective on Saussure and Peirce and semiotics. While I may disagree with Saussure on the necessity of intentionality for a sign, overall I have found his theory about making meaning to be key to understanding juxtaposition. For now though, I think I have done enough research on this subject. I also saw some more historical pieces that I generally found beautiful, but do act as examples of how juxtaposition can be used to convey a subtle message that may not be apparently obvious. My main focus now is going to be on finishing my paper, as well as deciding on an exact idea for my final form.