tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50839151709783387062024-10-07T02:52:03.727-04:00escaping reality through cultureLanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-723734263328524272011-08-22T20:12:00.001-04:002011-08-22T20:12:19.196-04:00

AboutThe Orris is a digital space for the critical and creative engagement of culture. We seek a sustained study of culture in its many manifestations. From the arts to sciences, humanities to technology, our studies are linked together by the common pursuit of knowledge.  This journal features critical and engaging pieces, which uphold the research standards of academia, yet seek

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-87784205417207820992011-06-27T11:24:00.002-04:002011-06-27T11:30:38.272-04:00

tree-of-life-movie-trailer.blogspot.com I saw Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life this weekend at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Since its release, this film has gained both its admirers and its critics.  At Cannes, it both won the prestigious Palme d’Or and was booed by some audience members.  I’ll state right off the bat, this is not a movie for everyone. It is a non-linear, messy, quiet,

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-29409797405611224332011-06-04T12:45:00.002-04:002011-06-04T19:15:27.490-04:00

Blind in a Red Dress- Jinyoung Kim Yesterday I scoped out the Flash Forward Festival down on the waterfront in Boston. Flash Forward is an contemporary photography festival showcasing emerging artists from the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sponsored by the Magenta Foundation, a Canadian publishing house for the arts, and juried by respected editors in the photography

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-50510760984344357852011-05-19T18:34:00.001-04:002011-05-19T18:44:45.289-04:00

I've been learning how to use the Internet lately. Or, to be more specific, I'm learning how to use the Internet professionally.  How does one craft a professional persona online? And what is the value of doing so?  In part, these questions have much to do with the transparency vs. anonymity debate that is becoming increasing pressing in our digital age. To what extent do we want to

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-8457544565020957832011-05-11T12:57:00.005-04:002011-05-11T13:12:32.432-04:00

The object of the book is changing. This has happened before.  Bounded manuscripts replaced the papyrus scroll. From stacks of bounded paper, we turn to the e-book. In this digital age, we are experiencing the written word in new mediums: online, on phones, via Kindles and IPads.  As the technological medium changes, we should consider, how might this shift affect the content of books

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-62180261388519600242011-05-06T12:46:00.004-04:002011-05-10T13:32:21.916-04:00

As some of you may know, I am working on a new online journal.  Myself, and the members of this project, have been sharing our favorite online journals and blogs.  Sharing these sites, we’ve been considering their content, style, and design, and trying to get a sense of what rhetorical and design strategies work in the online sphere.  It’s been an interesting process as I try to

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-8596031303713790012011-05-05T14:35:00.005-04:002011-05-05T16:39:19.128-04:00

Sherman, Cindy. Cindy Sherman: A Retrospective. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1997. Print. Amazon.com Looking through a retrospective of Cindy Sherman’s work is a strange journey through the photographic history of American identity and perception.  Cindy Sherman:  A Retrospective (1997) begins with Sherman’s series of Untitled Film Stills, images she produced throughout the

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-86149198852432335222011-05-03T18:17:00.001-04:002011-05-04T14:07:45.849-04:00

I recently reread Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451  and was immediately struck by the parallels to our contemporary moment.  Bradbury's novel, first published in 1953, follows the personal  transformation of Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to set fire to houses that contain books. Set in the not-so-distant American future, the novel depicts a society that "

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-18514848010737746102011-04-08T15:14:00.000-04:002011-04-11T16:55:00.526-04:00

Birth of a Party (2010) is an experiential look at the contemporary American political system from the vantage point of three aspiring political activists working to create a third party, Conservative Party USA.  Inspired by the Tea Party's emergence in American politics, these three white, middle class men attend a three day convention in New Orleans. The documentary follows their travels

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-64063605020955202522011-03-31T18:59:00.001-04:002011-05-04T14:08:49.723-04:00

I'm an English PhD student and I'll admit that from a financial standpoint I've chosen the wrong career path. But I did not choose it for the promise of riches, but rather for the love of ideas and art.  I do it because I love it. But, the material realities of my life demand a certain level of financial stability (gotta pay those bills). Talk of career prospects in humanities  graduate

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-25842647474936271332011-03-28T17:02:00.002-04:002011-05-04T14:14:19.314-04:00

Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" : This weekend I read The Poem that Changed America: "Howl" Fifty Years Later, a collection of essays from poets, academics, and friends of Ginsberg's who recount their initial encouter with Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl."  A common thread throughout these accounts is the immense disruption that the poem caused to readers' understanding of themselves, of

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-65970773145740911882011-03-25T13:32:00.002-04:002011-05-05T16:24:00.985-04:00

The vision Progress and Roadblocks   .... in a row on the road experiencing raw realities Running on a Tightrope Reflection Feedback?

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-4870496325772951822011-03-03T15:57:00.000-05:002011-03-03T16:11:02.088-05:00

It's strange transitioning from a student into a writer.  To call myself a writer feels pompous, cocky and strange, yet I can now acknowledge that this is what I want to do. I love to think about ideas and I want to share that love with others. The problem is the doing. The actual act of putting hands to the keys.  I've recently filled yet another journal of hand written material, notes

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-8445344411121293552011-02-28T16:09:00.000-05:002011-02-28T16:09:45.779-05:00

I've been reading a literary history of American modernism, weaving  my way through the key figures and broad strokes of a past time and the culture those generations amassed in response. A response to the  horrors of the First World War, that battleground of 'experience' and romantic adventure. And a nation churning its way into a new age, its vast land opened up and symbolically

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-81286150313410394102011-01-28T12:15:00.001-05:002011-05-04T14:09:25.866-04:00

Last night on The Colbert Report, Stephen interviewed string theorist Brian Greene about his new book, Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos. Working through advanced physics, Greene suggests that existence is not limited to a single universe, but is composed of multiple parallel universes.  His parallel universe theory comes from his work in math. &

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-5409596933726406232011-01-21T17:10:00.001-05:002011-05-04T14:09:43.701-04:00

Une Armoire Avant et Apres! I found this cabinet outside of my apartment building in Brookline during the summer of 2009, right before my move to Blaine Street, and with my rapid accumulation of things that marks life after college, l I really needed extra storage. Its past owner tried to paint the cabinet over with a blue acrylic wall paint, but since this has the infamous IKEA finish (veneer

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-35885219337631823582011-01-18T11:38:00.000-05:002011-01-18T11:38:18.137-05:00

I saw this Colbert Report interview last night with Sherry Turkle promoting her new book, Alone Together.  She raises great questions about our relationship to objects, especially the ways we interact with digital technology and how it affects our relationships with others.  Watch the interview: The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Sherry Turkle www.colbertnation.com

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-79765767460838181812011-01-17T20:03:00.002-05:002011-05-04T14:11:24.327-04:00

I’m getting really into crafts these days.  Making something new out of something old, used, out of materials found about my apartment. Maybe I’m just a hoarder, but I love to have interesting things around me. Nate and I want a pack rat home, a place where our friends can just idly gaze around and see lots of different objects that interest or inspire them.  When I’m crafting I feel my

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-79811169252069889912011-01-17T11:51:00.000-05:002011-01-17T11:51:32.217-05:00

Though I have yet to experience it myself, it seems 3D Televisions are gaining ground in the market.  Coming from my research in reader and audience relationship to the arts, I wonder, how does 3D Television affect viewers?  How does the experience of watching TV shape our senses of the world, of ourselves, of our very realities?  Since the content on 3D Television is largely the

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-41336016232964981412010-07-27T12:24:00.000-04:002010-07-27T16:57:54.964-04:00

What do I want to say about Inception? Phew. It's hard to even start.  Inception resonates with so many themes of reality, dreams, representations as alternative realities, that I'm so fascinated by this summer.   The confusion of reality and dream, reality and representation are pressing concerns in our contemporary moment, as we experience our lives increasingly through the

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-42339771541927410442010-07-15T15:50:00.000-04:002010-07-15T15:57:56.758-04:00

Why do we read? What do we get out of this activity? These are questions that I keep tossing around, searching for possible answers in the stacks of books overcrowding my office. But, in the search for an answer, I’m finding incomplete evidence. The plurality of “we” in the question resists any definitive answer. How can I say why you or anybody reads? The best I can work with is the scattered

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-31799872762475932512010-07-13T16:03:00.000-04:002010-07-13T16:03:37.065-04:00

Last night I saw Wolf Parade perform at the Boston House of Blues.  Perhaps because I’m getting older and standing still in a crowd for an hour kills my back, but I’m finding myself less able to get wrapped up in the concert experience like I did in high school and college.  I no longer find myself caught up and carried away.  Instead, I found myself thinking about the ‘concert

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-37742856869657908882010-06-30T15:07:00.000-04:002010-06-30T15:12:49.926-04:00

Last night I watched The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (2010) and had one of those kismet moments. This film essentially touches on all the ideas I’ve been exploring in my work lately. Imagination, Dreams, Utopias, Escapes. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is whimsical, visually stunning, while metaphysically thought provoking and challenging.  It is eye candy for the impoverished

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-88647547156166194312010-06-28T17:09:00.000-04:002010-06-29T13:08:13.520-04:00

Yesterday, I saw Toy Story 3 in IMAX 3D. Toy Story 3 was fantastic and I recommend that everyone see it, but that’s not the purpose of this post. Rather, I want to think about the 3-D experience.  Watching 3-D movies, I'm always surprised by how the 3-D animated images invoke a sense of childlike wonder in me. I let myself get caught up in the awe of the spectacle. Watching the movie, I

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083915170978338706.post-34288139291520087772010-06-25T13:32:00.000-04:002010-06-25T13:35:12.268-04:00

I watched another ESPN 30 for 30 the other night and want to return to my discussion of sports. If you haven’t checked out this film series, I heartedly recommend it (check On Demand on Comcast). In his documentary June 17, 1994, Brett Morgen examines the multiple sports events taking placing simultaneous to OJ Simpson’s infamous run from the police. On June 17, 1994, The New York Rangers

Lanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17774544177482905398noreply@blogger.com0