Historically Australian Indigenous Art Is Often Politically or Spiritually Motivated Essay Example for Free

Historically Australian Indigenous Art Is Often Politically or Spiritually Motivated Essay Historically Australian art is often politically or spiritually motivated. This statement is proved by a number of indigenous Australian artists including, Nellie Nakamarra Marks, who uses traditional techniques and motives to relay her spirituality, and Tony Albert, who recontextualises mainstream items, to create a postmodern collection, challenging the idea of stereotypical representations in mainstream culture. All spiritual beliefs in Aboriginal culture relate back to the idea of creation and dreaming. The dreaming is the ongoing cultural and spiritual progression that informs identity and knowledge, which is expressed through traditional indigenous art. This reflects a spiritual connection to the land, which is represented by signs and symbols as well as other various techniques, which are unique to traditional indigenous art. Signs and symbols can represent a particular location, object or landmark, or a particular story or totem that would be specific to a particular tribe, corroboree or dreamtime story. In traditional indigenous artworks, there is no perspective or fixed vanishing points for landscape artworks because indigenous Australians do not see their environment as a landscape, but their particular world and universe. They create a concept of place by using signs and symbols to create a map-like artwork, which represents their particular ‘world’ and universe. Essentially, traditional indigenous Australian artists are painting their spirituality, by expressing their connection to the land through signs, symbols and their world. Nellie Nakamarra Marks is a traditional indigenous artist, from the east of Kintore in the Northern Territory. In her work Kalipinypa, there is no set pattern and everything is connected which suggests her spiritualty and connection with the land. Her use of the traditional form of dot painting for her particular area of the Central Desert Region symbolises her world as she sees it, and how she heard about it through stories. In the middle of the right hand side there is lack of colour, which could symbolise a particular place that has particular spiritual significance. The dark shapes also look like leaves, which could represent the end of season and the coming of autumn, which is supported by the deep, vibrant colours in the painting. The colours also represent her region and place in Australia. The many different varieties of the same shapes could symbolise diversity within their own tribe, as well as the different shapes and movements of the land. The purpose of this artwork is to educate and pass on a particular story to younger generations. Postmodern art challenges mainstream ideas, which usually creates a political or social statement about modern society. Contemporary indigenous art in particular would be classified as postmodern because the artists are communicating their feelings and thoughts about certain aspects of society in modern Australia, which in turn, challenges some pre conceived notions about indigenous Australians in today’s society. These particular works by Tony Albert are postmodern, because he recontextualises items from recent history, that were used to create an unrealistic connection between White Australia and indigenous Australia in the 50’s and 60’s, to challenge history, both politically and socially. Tony Albert’s collection recycles kitsch black velvet paintings produced in Australia in the 1950’s and 1960’s. These velvet paintings were very popular in the last fifty years as home decorations, and like many objects from this period, they were characterized by their depictions of Aboriginal people as simple folk. These ornaments enabled white Australians of the time to have a distant and unrealistic connection to indigenous people. Albert recontextualises these paintings by introducing stenciled slogans to the paintings to create a complex and identifiable character. He uses the languages of politics and pop culture to reconnect the artworks with modern Australia and therefore reality. These slogans reclaim the faces of the aboriginals, transferring them from helpless and cute, to bold and complex, which asserts a modern identity and sense of self. This makes the characters more personal, which then creates a connection between the viewer and the subject that is mimicked throughout the collection. The slogans are derived from pop songs, nursery rhymes, advertising, political speeches and life stories, which has launched these velvet paintings into a new identity, which enables the viewer to connect with the characters beyond a stereotyped context. The generic and common velvet paintings have become empowered and personalized, asserting a new sense of self, which makes this collection truly compelling. This collection by Tony Albert, addresses the issue of stereotypical representations of indigenous Australians in mainstream culture. He challenges this present and historic issue of cultural alienation and displacement experienced by Indigenous Australians by appropriating slogans and recontextualising them to create a sense of lost identity and estrangement. Through the use of many different mediums, Aboriginal artists are motivated by their spirituality or political standpoint to produce art. This is shown by Nellie Nakamarra Marks, who is motivated by her connection to the land and her spirituality, and Tony Albert, who was trying to communicate the stereotypical views of indigenous Australians in mainstream culture. Kalipinypa – NELLIE NAKAMARRA MARKS Acrylic on linen, 90? 90cm Kalipinypa – NELLIE NAKAMARRA MARKS Acrylic on linen, 90? 90cm.

The Economics of Despair :: essays research papers

Since the late 1970s, social science researchers, the media, private foundations, and policymakers have directed considerable attention to the labor market problems of young adults and their families. Most of this attention has focused on high school dropouts, the poor, minorities, and inner-city youth. But an equally troubling—and broader—problem has received comparatively less notice: the steep and sustained decline since 1973 in the real (inflation-adjusted) earnings of young men and women generally. Even adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, the labor market problems of young workers are disproportionately severe—they include higher than average unemployment and relatively low earnings when employed. This sustained drop in earnings has been especially dramatic for young adults with no postsecondary school education. Most proposed remedies have emphasized the quality of the labor supply. But improving education and training, while often worthwhile and necessary, is not by itself sufficient to raise earnings. If this downward trend, which has persisted through recession and recovery alike, is to be reversed, then policymakers and educators must address the demand side as well as the supply side. Raising young adult wages will require not only better academic performance, training, apprenticeships, and school-to-work programs, but also full-employment policies, changes in the configuration of jobs and careers, and larger young adult union membership. Prior to 1973, the annual and weekly earnings of both young adults and older workers had been improving markedly. Between 1967 (the year the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking weekly earnings of wage and salary workers) and 1973, the real median weekly earnings of 16- to 24-year-olds rose by approx i mately 8 percent. Since 1973, however, the ea rnings of young adults have fallen almost continuously. Between 1973 and 1979, the weekly earnings of young men working full time fell by 7 percent. Young men experienced a 19 percent decline in earnings (a real value of $72 per week) between 1979 and 1989. This decline cannot be attributed solely to business cycle contractions. About half of the 19 percent decline did take place during the recessionary period of 1979-1982. But between 1982 and 1989, a period of strong overall job growth, the weekly earnings of young men fell by another $33, or 9 percent. Earnings declined still more between 1989 and 1994, dropping yet another 9 percent. The result of all this decline? A young man under 25 years of age employed full time in 1994 earned 31 percent less per week than what his same-aged counterpart earned in 1973.

Prop 34: the Death Penalty

The Death Penalty, also known as Capital Punishment is a world wide controversial issue. Should the death penalty be repealed and replaced with life imprisonment without possibility of parole? California voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have repealed the state's death penalty. Supporters against Prop 34 claim that California is broke and taxpayers would pay at least $50,000 annually, giving lifetime healthcare and housing to killers who tortured, raped, and murdered children, cops, mothers and fathers. A yes on Prop. 4 states that no offenders would be sentenced to death under state law. Offenders who are currently under a sentence of death would be resentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The state would provide a total of $100 million in grants to local law enforcement agencies over the next four years. I strongly agree with a vote yes on Prop. 34. The death penalty isn’t an effective way to prevent or reduce a crime. Not only does this no t prevent future crimes and murders, but sometimes the death penalty is applied unfairly to innocent people.Evidence has shown that more than 100 innocent people have been sentenced to death in the United States and some have been executed. Prop. 34 means that the state of California will never execute an innocent person. Franky Carrillo was 16 when he was arrested and wrongly convicted of murder in Los Angeles; it took 20 years to show his innocence. Judge LaDoris Cordell, from Santa Clara said â€Å"If someone’s executed and later found innocent, we can’t go back. † I agree with this judge because what if later we find evidence that the offender is innocent there no way we can bring someone back to life.So then again who has the right to take the life of a human, when God is the one who decides when our time on earth has come to an end. Life without parole would be less expensive than the death penalty. California’s death penalty is too costly and is ha rdly used. Only 13 people have been executed since 1967 and no one since 2006. Prisoners are put to death row but die of old age before they make it to there punishment. We waste millions of tax dollars on special housing for these inmates, when they just sit around doing nothing.To me it makes more sense to keep a killer in a prison for the rest of his/her life until they die. An impartial study found California will save nearly $1 billion in five years if we replace the death penalty with life in prison without possibility of parole. The savings would come from eliminating lawyers’ fees and special death row housing. California is broke and Prop. 34 will save us money. We all know that killing another person is the most evil crime that one can commit.But it seems that our government is being hypocritical when it states that capital punishment is allowable because, after all, the criminal did murder an innocent victim, and therefore should be killed. This is known as the â⠂¬Å"eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth theory. † Of course, if we used this system all the time, there would be no need for laws. The majority of countries in Western Europe, North America and South have abandoned capital punishment. Why is it that the United States remains a user of capital punishment?The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It denies criminals their natural born right to life. The death penalty should be abolished because it has never been shown to lower crime rates or stop serial killers from killing. It costs far more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for life. Capital punishment is against the humanity, we can find other alternatives to it. As Voltaire once said, â€Å"It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one. †

In This Class I Have Learned That Sociology Is Everywhere.

In this class I have learned that sociology is everywhere. I got a better understanding of how our life chances and shape by social structure and how it could have affected our self and society. We get understand where the people come from and understanding of behaviors and struggles of other people. We all watch movies right? Well in the movies they also replicate and show the understand of sociology even the movies that are base on true story. I watched two different movies such as â€Å"Stand and Deliver† and â€Å"The Color People,† that demonstrated the sociology perspectives that I have learned. The movies are good way to manifest learning and teach us how the world views characters in their movies and understand values. I learn there are†¦show more content†¦Stand and Deliver can even been seen as an example of functionalism, â€Å"a group whose values, beliefs, norms, and related behaviors place its member in opposition to the broador culture†( ). Also in the film women of the Hispanic race are portrayed to drop out of school because in the Hispanic culture woman are expected to stay home, be homemaker and care for the children. Parents also are a factor in Hispanic culture that they question are motives to have an education. That men didn’t like women that are smarter and of course independent. This factors are betray in the movie, and also in real life is the Hispanic culture. Through out the movie you see difficulties that the students are trying to finally fit to be part of the system but they still may not be accepted because of their classes. With low achieving school, have a suspicious amount of high test scores the reliability and dependability are questioned. Conflict theory is used that the struggle in society and schools between the haves and have nots. For example, not funding for computer, not having computers, no air conditioning for summer and less opportunities for students in ge neral. 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