August 17
It is on this day 34 years ago that one of the greatest icons of all time past away. Elvis Presley died at the age of 42 in his home at Graceland. I myself have been to Graceland and can honestly say it was one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had. I will admit that Elvis was my first crush. His midday movies mesmerized me with his charisma and sex appeal. But that was just a young girls crush. It wasn’t until I ate fried peanut butter sandwiches in Memphis, spent the day at Sun Studios where the likes of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley recorded music and got swept up in the homeliness and fun that Elvis had created at Graceland, that my crush had grown into respect.
It is on this day 34 years ago that one of the greatest icons of all time past away. Elvis Presley died at the age of 42 in his home at Graceland. I myself have been to Graceland and can honestly say it was one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had. I will admit that Elvis was my first crush. His midday movies mesmerized me with his charisma and sex appeal. But that was just a young girls crush. It wasn’t until I ate fried peanut butter sandwiches in Memphis, spent the day at Sun Studios where the likes of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley recorded music and got swept up in the homeliness and fun that Elvis had created at Graceland, that my crush had grown into respect.
Elvis Presley had charisma, style, talent and compassion. He challenged the social and cultural boundaries of his time and did so without hatred or anger. He loved his music, his fans, his friends and most of his family. It is only at Graceland that an outsider such as I, can feel and appreciate all that is Elvis Presley.
The impact that Elvis Presley had on the culture and society of his time, should not be forgotten. In our time of technology, the death of such a legend should act as a reminder to ourselves that people, not technology, are still of the greatest importance. Idolizing a fellow human being for their talents, accomplishments and human spirit is healthy. Idolising technology is not. Yes, technology can be appreciated and congratulated but it is a tool, an enabler, to do more. An idol is as enabler to become more. Thank you Elvis for being who you are. An Icon. Its time for a return to a hieracy of E-lvis not E-life.
Elivis Presley (Image) Available from: http://www.amillionlives.net/elvis-presley-biography-the-king-of-rock-and-roll.html
The following entries are responses to Web 101 unit first semester:
Anthropology & Cultural Inversion.
The following entries are responses to Web 101 unit first semester:
Anthropology & Cultural Inversion.
Anthropologist Mike Wesch speaks about 'cultural inversions' in his An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube. Contemporary cultural patterns of expression are that we...
Express: Individualism Value: Community
Independence Relationships
Commercialization Authenticity Upon pondering these patterns I came to the following conclusions. (exert from my essay Shared Space & Shared Experience: Furthering the Discourse between Web 2.0 & Curator.)
Non-linear Navigation & Narration.
All of these forms of expression and value can be visualized in such platforms as Web 2.0 and Art. Artistic practice has always been either a response to what is happening in the mind of the artist or the world around them. We can begin to see the importance of shared spaces such as blogs and the gallery as a need for the individual to communicate and reciprocate through interaction.Non-linear thought is common place amongst the art world. As an art student I would be constantly challenged by my lecturers to 'think outside the box', 'view my thoughts from another perspective' or 'step out of my comfort zone'. The term non-linear thought lay dormant to me until it was used to describe Hypertext. I instantly began to draw parallels between the application of non-linear thought to technology and non-linear thought to art.
Hypertext = an alternative form of navigation in the 'virtual' world.
Artistic expression = an alternate narrative in the 'real' world.
Technology & Art share an ability in the visualization & exploration of non-linear thought.
Shared Space, Shared Experience.
Galleries and Museums are great spaces in which experiences can be shared. But in contemporary societies this 'space' is turning virtual. The many platforms of Web 2.0 can now offer shared space and shared experience to the individual. After watching Clay Shirkys insightful talk about the 'cognitive surplus' I began to think of it in reference to institutions such as the Art Gallery and the Museum. The following passage is taken from an essay I wrote entitled Shared Space & Shared Experience: Furthering the Discourse between Web 2.0 & Curator. We as a global community do no longer exist in an institution of non-participatory media. Instead we have expectations and want the ability to react with a media that includes consuming, producing and sharing. Exploring platforms through which an institution can invite participation has the potential to integrate the surplus and put in motion the opportunity for social change.
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