...Body Art and Ornamentation: Different Cultures Angel Torres ANT 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Dr. Marissa Kesel June 29, 2014 Body Art and Ornamentation: Different Cultures For centuries, body art and ornamentation haves been in existence in many cultures around the world with each piece of art on the body having a symbolic meaning to one’s particular culture. Culture, as defined by Richley Crapo, is “a learned system of beliefs, feelings, and rules for living around which a group of people organize their lives; a way of life of a particular society” (Crapo, 2013). Some of these forms of body art that cultures represent consist of tattooing, piercing, painting, shaping, and scarring, all of which communicated a visual language to their people. Body art has significance within each culture that may translate as a relationship with their ancestors or peers, a protection against evil or a meaning of good luck, and an expression as someone’s status of individuality. Decorating the body until present day is a way of communicating. In some way it sends a perception to others who you are and to which group you may be a part of. Every society has many different forms of expressing body art used by people. A person’s body art can represent their beliefs, gender, power, and hierarchy. Decoration of the body to some may seem more attractive to people when displayed in a certain part of their body. For the purpose of this paper, body art of two different cultures...
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...Equal Opportunities for Minorities in the Criminal Justice System Wendell Wrice English 122 English Composition II Prof. Deborah Zeringue October 7, 2013 For many Americans the scales of justice is blind. It stands as a symbol that everyone is treated fairly in the eyes of the law. Many Americans, especially minorities this is simply not the case. In fact the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world-five times the world’s average. A total of 2,380,000 are now in prison. The US has five percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of the world’s prison population (Fisher, 2010).In fact minorities make up a large share of the prison population in the U.S. African Americans have a 32 percent chance of serving time in prison at some point of time in their lives, Hispanic males have a 17 percent chance, while white males a 6 percent chance (Fisher, 2010) . Such disproportions of incarceration rates gives reason to believe that minorities, especially African Americans commit the majority of crimes requiring incarceration or the fact that our justice system is flawed to the point where it singles out a specific racial or ethnic group. The question of why there are so many minorities especially African Americans being held in our...
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...Persian Ornamentation in Contrast to Ottoman Engineering Although Persian masjids predate the Sinan mosques of the Ottoman Empire by nearly half a millennia, the two styles both incorporate the similar elements of the mosque: a courtyard leading to the prayer hall, a qibla wall against which the mihrab and minbar lay, the incorporation of a dome or several domes, and sacred Islamic geometry that dictates decoration of the mosque. Aside from these basic elements, the mosques of Persia differ greatly in overall shape and ornamentation from those of the Ottoman period, however neither style could be called less sophisticated than the other. Both techniques can be appreciated equally in terms of the architectural genius and amount of meticulous care that went into...
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...Body Art and Ornamentation across Cultures Sheryl Strickland ANT 101 Dr. Cynthia Livingston 08/05/2013 Body Art and Ornamentation across Cultures The skin has been a canvas for human expression for centuries. As a result, body art and ornamentation have been a source of interest among anthropologists beginning as early as the 1900’s, and gaining a strong foothold during the 1970’s. “Inscribed skin highlights an issue that has been central to anthropology since its inception: the question of boundaries between the individual and society, between societies, and between representations and experiences” (Schildkrout, 2004). Through anthropological research, we have learned that many cultures worldwide use forms of body art and ornamentation such as scarification, tattooing (permanent and nonpermanent), and piercings for a variety of reasons, ranging from ceremonial religious rituals to tribal identification purposes. The process of body art and ornamentation signifies a figurative death and rebirth that typically involves a painful experience as a means to encourage an individual’s self-discovery, as well as establishing his/her place in society. For the purpose of this paper, I will explore the various aspects of body art and ornamentation across three specific cultures- the Yoruba’s of West Africa, the Samoan’s of the Pacific Islands, and the Hindu’s of India. Throughout the history of African culture, anthropologists have noted a wide variety of body markings among African...
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...CLAIM AGAINST THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO (FOR DAMAGES TO PERSONS OR PERSONAL PROPERTY) Present claim by personal delivery or mail to the City of San Diego, Risk Management Dept., 1200 Third Ave., Suite 1000, San Diego, CA 92101. Received via: U.S. Mail Inter-Office Mail Over-the-Counter TIME STAMP FILE No. ________________ TO THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, the City of San Diego, California I, _______________________, hereby make a claim against the City of San Diego and make the following statements in support of the claim: 1. CLAIMANT INFORMATION a. b. Claimant’s Name: ______________________________________________________ Post Office Address of Claimant: _____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ (CITY) (STATE) (ZIP) c. d. e. Claimant’s Home Phone No.: ______________________________________ Claimant’s Business Phone No.: ___________________________________ Post Office address to which the person presenting the claim desires notices to be sent, if different than above: ____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ f. g. h. 2. Social Security No.: ______________________________ Date of Birth: ___________________________________ Driver’s License No.: _____________________________ CIRCUMSTANCES GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM a. b. c. Date of the occurrence or transaction which gave rise to the claim: ________________ Time...
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...Carol Zhang November 22, 2014 Final Assignment “Embellished 16th Century Music” Saying that embellishment was a big deal for sixteenth-century musicians is hardly a bold move as evidences overflow in treatises, music collections, and written accounts from the time. But making sense out of what musicians of the time actually did in performance and trying to reproduce it today has proven to be more difficult, mainly because improvisers, by nature, do not tend to record what they do. The modern current view seems to be that ornamentation was important, mainly because evidence suggests it was so widespread. But ultimately it was just something that could add colour or texture to the surface of the music but that always left the original clearly visible underneath. Embellishment is adding notes to a part to make it more interesting for the player and listener. After some research I have come to the conclusion that the easiest embellishments to improvise are the graces. These are trills and other short ornaments. Among them are 3 main types: Inverted mordant, trills, and cadential patterns. Who performs embellishments depends on the nature of the music. In homophonic music like dances where the melody is in the top part and the other instruments mostly just play chordal accompaniment, all the embellishment should be done by the top part and that player can really go to town with elaborate graces and divisions. On the other hand, in polyphonic music like fantasies where...
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...Sexual dimorphism in animals - that is the difference in appearance that subsists between the male and female sexes and the expression of certain exaggerated traits - is thought to be caused by balancing sexually selected benefits and naturally selected costs. The researchers (Darrel J. Kemp, David N. Reznick, Gregory F. Grether, and John A. Endler) posited that three effects could cause the evolutionary courses of the ornamentation of male Trinidadian guppies: founder effects, population-specific female preferences for certain characteristics in males, and sensory drive (that is, the greatest change in ornamentation would be best perceived by guppies and their main predator C. Alta). The researchers transplanted two populations of Trinidadian guppies (Aripo and El Cedro) that have been previously studied by Endler into areas with a similar decrease in predation to the Classic Aripo experiment (1980) in order to compare the path of evolution between them. Initially, the researchers noted that the “starting point” of the two populations differed in that there was limited evolution at the control site for El Cedro over 29 years which contrasts with the marked evolution of the El Cedro introduction population in 2-3 years. After cross-examining the two introductory populations, the researchers showed that “El Cedro introduction fish only evolved brighter iridescence” while the “Aripo introduction fish evolved more extensive black, orange, and iridescent markings” (pg. 4340). The...
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...influences in history, the Classical era focused on simplicity and hierarchy to produce a style still prevalent today. The Baroque style emphasizes above all else, a love of ornamentation. This love of ornamentation spawned a completely unique and incredibly influential style that focused on complexity in several facets of art and design. Multiple layers of musical instrumentation, melodies and harmonies combined to produce a polyphonic musical style. An overly exaggerated emphasis on exuberance and grandeur could easily evoke the intended emotions of the artist or composer as was seen in opera. This combination allows a person who does not understand the language of the presentation to still understand the story and emotions they were meant to. This complexity must metaphorically dance a fine line and not stray too far into extreme opulence. Too much ornamentation has the potential to present with an element of unintended confusion. This same excess of grandeur can easily alienate entire segments of a potential audience due to a lack of cultural understanding. The absolute antithesis of the complex and tense style of the Baroque era, the Classical style was born from distaste for grand opulence and sought to focus on lucidity through bright contrast and a lighter, clear texture. A lack of ornamentation took music in a...
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...Adolf Loos believed that “ornamentation was crime.” Although his beliefs were radical, his underlying message that, moderately, the modern man ornamentation is excessive is plausible and a recurring theme through art history. Most explicitly seen is from Professor Muzaffar’s lecture about Loos himself. Loos, through his beliefs, started a reform in art. Following Loos, and with the help of the introduction of “more primitive” cultures allowed for abstraction and the overall simplification of the form to become a new art style. Yet, this need for simplicity isn’t only shown through newer styles of art. The modern man refuses to acknowledge that the “classical” style is an illusion created by ourselves in order to ground tradition. The modern...
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...application of the principle CHAPTER 3: Brutalism Architecture Contextual Sources: * The great concrete architects * Brutalist Paul Rudolph’s Orange county Government centre saved from demolition at last minute * Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe: Working Theses Buildings to demonstrate my points: * The Chapel, Ronchamp, France * Paul Rudolph’s 1971 Orange county government centre * Trellick Tower, Erno Goldfinger * The Barbican Centre * The cube * Unite d’Habitation CHAPTER 4: Ornamentation Buildings to demonstrate my points: * The Villa Muller, Adolf Loos * Goldman and Salatsch building, Adolf Loos * He felt the lack of ornamentation was the sign of spiritual strength. Loos insisted that functional objects should not be decorated as he believed that it was a waste of effort and materials * Adolf Loos had completed the Steiner House in Vienna, which clarified his strong principles against ornamentation CHAPTER 5: Concrete Utopia: Talk about Roehampton estate (Alton east and Alton West) and link the idea of concrete and social housing Robin Hood gardens- What is good about it and what is bad? CHAPTER5: conclusion- summarise your...
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...gypsies, music has always just been a part of life, and it has been extremely important in helping them to cope with the harsh reality of their existence. As a result of the years and years of traveling throughout the world, a myriad of musical influences have left their mark in the traditional gypsy music. Beginning of course with Indian roots, tinges of Greek, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Serbian, Czech, Slavic, Romanian, German, French, and Spanish can be heard in the music. Indian influence can be heard through the use of the harmonic minor scale and the double-harmonic minor, or Hungarian minor scale. This scale is strongly colored with harmonic minor keys due to the use of the augmented second. The gypsies also have very strong ornamentation skills. Grace notes, arpeggios, and passing tones are among some of the things they use to add color to their improvisations. Gypsy music has an extremely large variety, due to its many different places of origin. Defining local...
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...For a long time now body art and decoration has been a custom in many cultural groups. Through research we have learned about the different types of body art and ornamentation such as permanent and nonpermanent tattooing, scarification, and piercings. These forms of body art and ornamentation are done for a variety of reasons, ranging from identification purposes to religious rituals. “Skin, as a visible way of defining individual identity and cultural difference, is not only a highly elaborated preoccupation in many cultures; it is also the subject of wide-ranging and evolving scholarly discourse in the humanities and social sciences” (Schildkrout, 2004). The process of ornamentation and body art is usually a painful experience, but it is a way to signify a person’s self-discovery and their place in society. In this paper, I will explore the different aspects of body art and ornamentation in two different cultures; the Maori people of New Zealand and the Yoruba’s of West Africa and explain the cultural importance of their art. Throughout West Africa it is not uncommon to come across people that have scar stripe patterns on their cheeks. The facial stripes that they wear are not produced by paint or tattoos, like many other cultures, but only by scarification. However, in his article, Orie explains that not all of the Yoruba people have the facial stripes. Okola is a term used for describing someone whose face is scarred, it means ‘the one with facial stripes’. People that...
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...The Renaissance and Baroque Periods Renaissance is a word of French origin and means new birth and is the name given to the period in which humans were inspired to throw away the constraints of the Middle Ages and experienced an awakening of the mind and a thirst for new knowledge. The Renaissance began in the early 15th century and is considered to be the beginning of modern history. The emergence of the Renaissance style coincided with new developments in philosophy, literature, music, and science (Renaissance, 2014). Humanist philosophy, an approach that emphasized the individual and the secular over religion, became extremely popular (MindEdge, 2014). The art of the Classical period was the foundation of Renaissance art. That tradition was transformed by the influence of recent developments and the application of newly discovered scientific knowledge. The integration of science into art was an important development. The social transformation that occurred during the Renaissance greatly influenced the arts. The change in the overall atmosphere contributed to artistic experimentation and innovation. Urbanization led to the accumulation of wealth in cities and allowed for patronage of the arts by other than the Church. The public became much more diverse with wider tastes and interests which created a new demand for a variety of artistic forms and content. Prior to the Renaissance, painting and sculpture were focused mainly on religious themes and were...
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...different texture stones brought a new Gothic scheme for the building which extended to its interior, such as wallpapers, carvings, furnishings, and stained glass. Though this eclectic ornamentation was pleasing to many there were a few that were passionately disappointed with this style of architecture initiating the social movement for art and crafts. The leading organizers of this movement believed, “Art and Crafts had degenerated into a narrow and tiresome little aristocracy working with great skill for the very rich” (p.31). This movement came from a desire to break away from set formulas and the production of historical styles. Seeing the shift in preference change, gothic revival was implemented with Art Nouveau. The can be seen in Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church. With the rise of industrialization, construction also evolved, particularly with the introduction of sandstones, granite, and most importantly reinforced concrete. While the concrete was displaying gothic style the emphasis on the fluidity of lines, natural forms, including flowers and animals, with logical structures and decoration perfectly integrated is an aspect of Art Nouveau. Forms and geometries inspired by nature, with light and color playing a central role in the Art Nouveau style. Making more use of the wall as ornamentation continued to be a steady design throughout the style of architecture. Art Nouveau was a short-lived style however, it flourished in Europe and the USA, and lasted until the outbreak...
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...Mies’s German Pavilion as an Expression of Modernism Constructed for the International Exhibition of 1929, Mies van der Rohe’s German Pavilion at Barcelona was designed “to represent Germany’s openness, liberality, modernity and internationalism” at the conclusion of World War I. With its logical free plan, glass and marble walls, steel supports and lack of ornamentation, it embodied the principles of architectural modernism. An object of simple serenity for those living in the perils of a chaotic post-war nation, the structure provided an opportunity for reflection to those seeking a new national direction. The pavilion’s modernism was perhaps best exemplified through its technique. It “consisted of a rectangular slab roof supported by steel columns, beneath which free-standing planes of Roman travertine, marble, onyx and glass of various hues were placed to create the feeling of space beyond.” Noted for its austerity, the lack of ornamentation signaled the rejection of a corrupt imperial regime and the classical structures associated with it. Mies instead intended to develop a new form of modern architecture appropriate for an impending industrial democracy. For it was his aesthetic belief that “architectural beauty resides in the simple, spare, almost chaste execution of a logical system.” “The boldest contribution of orthodox modern architecture was the development of what has been called ‘flowing space’…This kind of space produced an architecture of related...
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