Postmodernism

I had mixed feelings reading these articles about Postmodernism. At first, I was happy to see that I live in a time where cultures can be mixed and appreciated by all. I liked that we embrace traditions and practices that we might not even understand, but we try to dive into them nonetheless. I do recognize that in this practice, we may voluntarily or involuntarily misrepresent or disrespect certain cultures, and I believe that in that case there needs to be an amendment. On the other hand, all of these experiences and exposure prep us to be a generation that has an appreciation for learning new cultures, and in the best case scenario, treating them with the respect that they deserve. I know that will not be the case most times, but at least we now have the opportunity and freedom to do so. 

Going deeper into the article, I came across the idea that postmodern artist often misrepresents cultures as they strive to understand them. They were compared to explorers who "simply plunge into the unknown and then try to represent it." I think this goes back to my point above that there may be times that in the process of trying to embrace new and foreign things, we may create a muddy image that may even be offensive to others, but without explorers and bold artists who take these first steps then we would live in cultural isolation. The article referred to global companies like Coca-Cola who try to bridge the gap and use a universal language/understanding to spread their brand. This is another form of unity that can be embraced and represent the appreciation of other cultures. If they only cared to cater to one group then they automatically ostracize another. In an attempt to be inclusive, they show their respect. 

Jean Baudrillard proposed the idea of the death of the real. I agree with his logic. I see so much superficiality in the world today that I cannot tell what is real or fake any more. We know that there are secrets behind every door and finding a genuine corporation or organization is a task. After a while, we start to make our own version of reality and convince ourselves that it is real. That becomes our reality from then on, and some people spend their whole lives living in this altered version of reality. The media and the images on TV and movies feed into this reality and in some cases, help to shape it. What we see on TV is often taken to be a true depiction of what life should be like and then we strive to imitate it. This is dangerous for a number of reasons, but the main one is that most people never achieve the ideal image of what they think happiness or peace looks like. The only thing stopping them from true happiness is their idea of reality is set at a level that may be impossible to reach. We need to come back to the true roots of reality and embrace the life that is right in front of us.

Whitescapes - Odili Donald Odita by PBS Digital Studios

I watched the video on Whitescapes and I will say that the concepts brought up were very interesting. In the first half of the video, Odili explained his process of creating his art, which can be described as abstract. He explained his interaction with color and all the analysis that goes into color, most of which I never would have even thought about. He talked about how he puts colors into a time period and how his past experiences with his mom shaped that view in his head. He also mentioned the difference between time period specific colors and then pop colors. I can understand what he means with the timed colors because I have read and seen with my own eyes that certain colors where more prevalent and widely used in some time periods rather than others. So when we see that color scheme together it can remind us of a certain time or setting. Odili then started getting into how colors change depending on how they are displayed and the lighting in the room and that discussion led us into whitescapes.

When the idea of whitescapes is first introduced I understood the concept, but then found issue when it was put into practice. I can see how a color can change based on the scale and the lighting that it is under. We see things differently when it is displayed differently. However, when Odili led the demonstration with the three different types of whites I found it less amusing. It almost seemed forced in my opinion. He compared the whites and started reassigning with these colors that were totally abstract from what was being shown. I could recognize that there was a difference in the three white pieces, but I did not see a pink and blue when I compared them. He said that the use of the word "white" itself was confusing because there are so many different colors that things really are and we just make ourselves to believe that they are white. To be truly accurate we must identify colors and call them by their true name.

I can appreciate Odili and many artists area of expertise but in my opinion this level of detail is only really useful and relevant to a handful of people. Depending on the context and use, being able to decipher between the different colors of white in a painting or canvas is not a skill or discrepancy that most people care to acknowledge. If my brain has been morphed to believe that all white is created equal then so be it. I don't see how that makes my life or my experience any less meaningful. I think our brains subconsciously does the distinction for us. For example, if I go to buy a car and the salesman shows me two different styles and tells me that both are white. I might be able to tell that the two whites are not the same, and I will pick the white that I prefer. In that case, I can see where the distinction is necessary, but between this piece of paper and the next is less needed in my opinion.

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