A. BEST PIECE OF CREATIVE WORK BEFORE
COMING TO THIS COURSE:
This creative piece of writing was my proudest
work that I developed in HSC. I loved the concept; I found it incredibly
stimulating & applicable to all elements of everyday life. I also loved
playing with the structure of the text, by challenging traditional linear
structures & following a more post-modern style. I loved writing it, &
hope you love reading it..
Character
Profile:
Mark
Zuckerberg – creator of Facebook.
Steve
Jobs – creator of Apple Macintosh.
Charlotte Richards – childhood friend. Stubbornly Atheist. South
African descendent. Moved to china.
Bob
Smith – coworker. Fed up with Desk Work. Escaped to India to see the other side
of life.
What’s on my mind? My computer suddenly cares
about me. It’s as if Mark Zuckerberg & Steve Jobs are unexpectedly sitting
along side me on this suede bed, in my hotel suit, reading my consumed eyes.
Well since you asked so solicitously...
I read it over twice – taking advantage of this virtual kingdom where you can be whoever you want to be; I make sure I formulated a sophisticated and cultured depiction of myself, dropping the right names and all - before scrolling my mouse, and pressing ‘post’.
Simultaneously I received ‘one new
notification’. I click the little red flag that guides me to the message, and
I’m pleasantly surprised to see ‘Charlotte Richards shared a link on your
wall’. I know what you’re thinking, ‘what relationship did she divide among the
structure that concurrently supports, divides and encloses a portion of your
house?’ - no, not that kind of share, not that link, not that wall. Yes the
year of 2003 certainly marked a monumental historic shift that largely occurred
peacefully - with the exception of ownership rights. The development of
‘Facebook’, or rather what was once, ‘Facemash’ eroded traditional boundaries
as it united the world into one single network. But let’s not get carried away…
I make my way to my wall to see a youtube clip.
Suddenly I’m part of the American realm of Fox News, in an out-of-my-league
discussion about ‘Christianity Growing in China’. The disembodied synthetic
voice talks.
“One
rapidly emerging influence on Chinese society is Christianity. That might be
surprising given Chinese Communist System – but Fox religion correspondent
Lauren Green reports, the numbers don’t lie...”
This Capitalist driven technological innovation
brings both the East and West into this bland room that waits to be painted.
The chamber metamorphoses from a US studio to overpopulated Chinese churches.
“This is the face of China in
transformation. The officially Atheist country of more than a billion souls are
experiencing an explosive (one hundred fold) increase in the growth in Christianity.
It's
the result of a spiritual vacuum that occurred in the country because everyone
got fed up with Marxism, Leninism and Mao thought.”
I go back in time as images of aggressive yet
defensive tanks pervade my screen. Civilians frantically scour the wreckage,
their terror and confusion compounded by the nauseating mobile camera shot
jerking from side to side.
“The greatest growth came after the
Tiannemen Square crackdown. Of the student leaders arrested, 20% became
Christians.”
The explanation of the Journalist sheds light
on the pandemonium – a political demonstration to
encourage liberalization. I imagine the generational gap forming; the
heartbroken elderly, as their grandchildren become emotionally estranged from
their Confucian heritage whilst accepting the more globally inclusive,
Christianity.
“Based
on registered churches…”
A flicker of the assumed institution is
displayed – yet the undecipherable Chinese symbols leave my mind wondering what
was actually shown.
“…The Chinese Government claims
it has 28.6 million Christians. But off the record…”
An image of the Chinese flag emerges to the
council.
“…Communist Party members
admit, the real number is somewhere between 80-150 million.
First generation Christians are very
willing to share their faith. This generation of Chinese Christian Growth will
reach anywhere from 200-500 million.”
Swiftly, I’m back in the US. More specifically,
what I simulate to be the streets of New York; based on the popular depictions
of busy streets and high skyscrapers.
“Unlike the US which has scores of
Christians ranging from the far right to the far left politically. In china,
while Protestants far out-weight Catholics. They are of one theological mind
and represent the worlds largest homogenous group; a block that could have a
profound effect within China and on the world’s stage.
If
you have 25-30% of people of a major power that accepts Christianity as a guide
to life; that's going to change the worlds view of the leaders of China.”
To conclude this rendition of the conforming
society; Fox News takes me back to China. Images of skyscrapers and an English
titled ‘Chinese Merchant Bank’ align to the previous American Picture that splashed
across the screen. Of course, closing with the synecdoche of local
culture, the five star red flag.
“With China’s emergence as an
economic superpower, it could also soon take over the United States as the
nation with the largest Christian population. “
Write a comment? Why, I’d love to.
Satisfied with my words, I hit ‘enter’.
That trivial yet outrageously provocative red
pennant is blushing my blue & white screen. ‘Bob Smith has added a new
photo to the album ‘India’’.
Bob Smith – good old, stick up his ass, Bob
Smith. I smile as I briefly reminisce over his perfectly organized desk,
forward defense attitude, and complete reliance on our friend Steve Jobs to
instantly gratify his every wish. I still wonder what drove him out so quickly;
one day cows are walking hamburgers, the next, the Nandi Bull is a sacrosanct
symbol of mother earth. I decide to have a look at the album – eager to see how
this commercialized Ivy League graduate functions in the eastern environment. I
cough out a fatigued laugh at his outlier effect within the first photo; a
pasty, platinum blonde, suited up with cheesy Ray-ban glasses among a
congregation of darkened, beaded Indians. The digitalized pictures have a spicy
colour to them. I wonder if it is the effect of chai mixed with the various
hues of chili or the clever effects of Photoshop. It amazes me how technology
can modify authenticity, let alone capture reality & function as a time
machine. As I passively pass through the snapshots, Bob converts. My mouth
begins to drop. I’m flabbergasted at the transformation – his clothes lighten,
his smile looks natural, his skin begins to glow. I begin reliving his
experiences.
I’m now in India. Walking through the
spice markets. Kids fly their kites. Women sew rainbow Saris in hope to sell
them to tourists, like myself. I’m wearing a Kurta. I pass a storm of curry
puffs - a breeze of paprika and bay leaf diffuses though the long white sheets
of cloth. The gentle u.v. rays tickle my skin. I feel rejuvenated, revived.
Unfortunately, this is but a mere façade. Not
only am I delirious in my exhaustion, but I realize that my perception of this
local world is shaped by what Bob subjectively decides to illuminate. I ponder
if in actuality it is an urban-centrism, technological totalitarianism and
commercial commodification, or if this culture has genuinely abandoned
Capitalist culture due to the social costs that potentially outweigh the
technological and medicinal innovations; if Bob is genuinely satisfied in this
rudimentary world, or if this rudimentary world even exists. Is it possible for
a local culture to prosper in contemporary times if it is not gaining something
from the global world? If so – that’s brilliant.
This self-debate encourages my melatonin to
kick in. Yet such a heated deliberation requires a status update.
 |
| Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia |
Gaudi is an inspiration. In my eyes he
developed the practice of Architecture into an art form. Unfortunately, the
construction of the Cathedral outlived Gaudi. Although we are led to believe
that Gaudi intended that the Cathedral be influenced by other architects &
consequently to incorporate alternate architectural & artistic styles.
Fittingly, the design is based on the teachings of Catholicism. For example, at
the top of the Glory Portico, he represents the Seven Heavenly Virtues, and at
the base, the Seven Deadly Sins.
C. SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
C. SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
What's more beautiful then a typical sunrise? I
have a soft spot for this photo. It was taken the morning after a freezing cold
night under the stars in Morroco's Sahara Desert. I love that it is not
perfectly centred as it indicates my not so centred situation - bouncing on the
humps of the clumsy Camels - praying they wouldn't fall down those dunes. This
photo reminds me of the small things; the peak of the sand that divided two
different set of textures created by the wind, the sound of the camel chewing
it's cud - hoping they wouldn't spit it on me, & the hilarious cries of
ladies in utter horror of the possibility that they may fall off!
NOUN, VERB, ADJECTIVE
ANTONIO STRADIVARI'S 'Stradivarious'; classic, relaxing, smooth
JIRO ONO; ethereal, fuse, elegant
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