Hapqy Hapqy belated Birthday

1 years old

on the 21 July 2010

osmosisBLOG is 372 days old 

"The wall of a building in the sun is never twice the same"

(Szarkowski 2007: photographer, curator, historian and critic)

Over the past week I have been working on the beginnings of my writings for my Masters. Some of you might already know this (but then again some of you may not)... that this blog forms part of the practical component of my Master Study_ and in many ways functions as both a journal and an electronic newspaper. I have recently been going back to some of my writings dated as far back as 2009_ and was equally surprised and pleased to find that part of my original thinking, although not well articulated or theoretically supported (due to my lack of research, honing in or finding some relevance in the topic) nonetheless, expressed fundamental aspects as to  why I started this blog and its purpose... I wanted to find a place on the internet to inspire, reveal, inform, express and create dialogue... a means to communicate... between myself, the students and the world (this all sounded incredibly zealous).

so this is where osmosis comes in...
(click on the hyperlink above... but scroll down to read what osmosis means to me)

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going back to Szarkowski...

John Szarkowski • 1962

IMAGE: http://www.artnet.com/magazine/news/ntm5/ntm9-1-43.asp

He is known to say this about a Photograph:

" It is a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?"

www.moma.org/docs/press.../5624/.../MOMA_1978_0060_56.pdf?

perhaps I could say the same of osmosisBLOG...

some STATISTICS 

(say statistics 5x) 

ALL TIME STATS

These 'stats' were taken off my Apple Mac as screenshots (shift apple 4) and show the years activities of osmosisBLOG.

Pageviews today: 1

Pageviews yesterday: 12

Pageviews last month: 215

Pageviews all time history: 3188

most popular pageview: 161--> quote for the month_pre Valentines_ 02/02/2011

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TRAFFIC 
countries, audience, browsers, devices, operating systems

South Africa 2414... the rest of the world 774

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REFERRING SITES:

Google

google.com: 231 •  google.co.za  221  •  Facebook: 40  •  osmosisPROJECTS: 16

  

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 KEYWORDS:
osmosisliza, osmosisblog, that is inspiring and, broken heart quote

 

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The Tribe Skated

REMEMBER THIS?

This was such a fun day_ we must do this again sometime...turned a Web Album into a slideshow and posted it on YouTube using Picasa... what soundtrack should I use?

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1 guess who this is...

Can make-up really disguise WHO (and what) you are?

 

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Beauty in the eye of the Beholder

KiriKat becoming more Kat

sent by "Q" via her BlackBerry

Quraisha Roopnarain from 2nd year was most appropriately "adorned" for  the second year Digital lecture without even knowing so. The second years are soon to do a Digital Assignment on Body Art and in today's lecture they gathered internet resources to tattoo, adorn, pierce and sculpt the body, using Photoshop techniques and effects only.

sent by "Q" via her BlackBerry

This is what Q had to say about her new look.

" I love these 'crazy eyes'  because of the colors and the effect they have on people. The contact lens gives you a dramatic and scary look when walking in public but I feel confident when using them. I love being unique and crazy. Soon I am also going to get a  'fire' contact and a 'full white 1 with a black dot in the centre'".

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I love this statement by Kat von D

Click link above to view her website 

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People do things to themselves all over the world that don't make sense

buka lapha

Watch a YouTube Video that highlights many cultural Body Art modifications. 
Please read comment by 'friskytoast247".

Warning: Not for Sensitive Viewers 

No animals or humans were harmed during this lecture

Triptych

TRIPTYCH: 
3=1
a work of art in 3 pieces

A triptyches historical roots lie in hinged alterpieces during Medieval times

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A photographic triptych is made up of 3 images placed side by side in a vertical or horizontal format.

Lauren Steed 2010

Bwalya 2008

It is a creative and conceptual way to express an idea/narrative or theme by combining 3 Photographs.

 

One may test the strength of the idea/triptych by seeing what happens when one removes one of the images.  

Question whether or not, by removing one image this breaks up the mood, rhythm, movement or idea?

 The strength of a triptych lies in that the 3 panels TOGETHER will bring forth the theme, message or story. If one were to remove one panel, that idea [theme/message/story], would be lost.

Meaning is created by the relationship between each photograph and the whole.  One 'reads' each photograph , generally from left to right, or top to bottom, separately an then all together. 

The centre image, the most important, is flanked by the 2 outside panels or photographs.  

Mzwa 2010

Chillies 2008

 Meaning is embedded in how each of the 3 "communicate" and "feed" each other, and then bring forth an overall narrative, message or theme.

Jocelyn 2010

There is no formula as to how you chose, make-up or compose the 3 photographs to form a triptych. The main criteria is that there are 3 photographs bound by one idea. The strength of the triptych lies, not in a random placing but in a carefully orchestrated, 'thought about' unity of the relationship of each photograph to each other and the whole, accentuated and bound by the * aesthetic quality of the photographs. 
 

* aesthetic = guiding principles that are concerned with appreciation of beauty/art.

In 'binding' I refer to their framing and aesthetic quality:

• colour or black and white or duo/split-toned 
• digital effects_ filters etc
• surface: grain, texture, sharpness
• lighting and focus: high or low key, mood
• design elements like: pattern, flow, line, shape, negative space
• movement: leading lines, horizons, rhythm
• size and point of view

Below are some examples of previous years works where attention has been given to 'binding':

 

Zelna 2006

YaYing 2007

Nolwazi 2006

Martin 2009

Gcobisa 2010

Buka Lapha on flickr

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When student whereabouts go viral...

NDUDUZO XULU goes viral... 

and his Political alliences remain secret

'Caught' by Taetim on TV_ 2nd year student Nduduzo

... the rapid spread of information made possible with 'viral' devices like BlackBerry 

WIKIPEDIA says: A viral phenomenon is an object or pattern that is able to 
induce some agents to replicate it, resulting in many copies being produced and spread around. 

I love the way I came about to getting and seeing this image. Taetim de Villers (part-time lecturer) showed me this image the other day on her BlackBerry [BB]. She said that she was watching TV (another viral marketing tool) and saw a student she recoginized... she took a photo with her BB camera... passed it on to me through BBM [BlackBerry messenger]... I subsequently emailed this image from my BB... from my one email account, osmosisliza (yes I could have bluetoothed it too) ... downloaded it... and am now able to post it on osmosisBLOG... which is linked to Buzz ...so  anyone can then email or send it to other social networking sites like FaceBook, Twitter etc from these 'spaces'... this is an example of  viral networking or marketing and I am out of breath.

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but...for me

this is osmosis

 "The scientific notion of “osmosis” became a personal metaphor for learning with “movement”. This movement is coerced by communication whose spirit/flow is embedded in gestures of reciprocity, exchange and sharing. This communication initially resided between lecture [single] and students [many]. However, it became evident to me, that there was more of a necessity to create “osmosis” amongst learners and their peers and eventually amongst the learner and the “world”. I have also come to recognized that the insertion of hyperlinks, share and customization add ons  included in my web pages also supports my notion of osmosis."

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Nduduzo Xulu's BLURB: " The below is the experience you asked me to write for you, in my experience when I met Zanele kaMagwaza Msibi on the 16th of May. The experience of holding mom Zanele kaMagwaza Msibi's hands for five minutes felt like spending the whole day with her. Talking to Zanele was like a cherry on top of a Chocolate Brownie cake.  It all happened unexpectedly and very fast outside The Workshop Shopping Centre (Durban). People were singing very loudly for her with their orange T-shirts, surrounded her behind and in-front, left and right. The funny part to me though is that I did not push my way through the crowd, but took two steps towards the crowd and her. The lady just walked straight to me. She smiled behind her sunglasses and asked me "How are you?' "I'm fine, and yourself?" I answered and asked. "Please vote for me" lady Zanele said, handing me a flyer.  I do not even remember what my answer was, because I was overwhelmed by seeing and talking to her I couldn't believe my eye and ears.  If I think about the experience similar to that and counting the years from then it's been almost ten years. Meeting the former and current, premiers and presidents then was breathtaking.  So what or who did I vote for? You may be asking yourself: Well being in a older parties dominated environment that struggled years ago.
I voted for ........ Oh my Vote is my secret". 

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feelings of emptiness

FEELINGS of BEING

Yolanda Zondi_YZ (a second year Student) created this 'extremely personal' image in response to a wonderful Viscom2 assignment set by Taetim (see Tae's blog on my blog list) a few weeks ago, where Taetim asked students to submit any one image that spoke of feelings of being:

• completely consumed by life
• completely fearless and carefree
• in complete control of a particular situation
• empty

I asked YZ to email me her 'blurb' and this is what she wrote:
"This image might not be one of my best works but it has sentimental value to my life, it takes me to a place I have not been in a very long time. A cold place filled with sadness and emptiness a dark place of wanting to belong and be loved by the person who left a void in my soul that can not be filled by anything. It brings emotions and expressions involuntary of tears and sorrow. The image portrays a child looking down from the sky with innocence and the empty suit which my father is suppose to be wearing but its empty because he is not there. The child is in the background representing me in black and white to show that he is now a part of my past,the suit is in colour to show the presence and that he should be here but his not! This image represents my dad and I, how he left my mom and me when I was three years old,young and innocent making my mom carry his burdens and leaving me with questions which will never be answered. Why did he leave? What did I do wrong?  He is the missing link to my life. I wish he could see the young lady I have become today and I no longer blame myself for him leaving. My mom has done an excellent job in raising me and I forgave him long ago but there will always be that hope that he might one day fill that space in my heart. Although he is not there, he is a part of my life because he has influenced my past negatively and my future positively in making me independent and to strive to be better in life. He is the one who is missing out!"

Thank-you to Yolanda for YOUR individual story and sharing this with us.

 

I hope that Yolanda will inspire others to make images (and share these) that are close to their hearts_ where they reveal an image maker's authentic creative response to life and life's matters from a personal world. Please can other 2nd year students email me their images with a short 'blurb' outlining their ideas on osmosisliza@gmail.com in response to 'feelings of being' assignment... I would love to add them to this Blog post and showcase other images.

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