Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Julz_AustralianBikerSubculture Post 3

Biker
Communities
Bikers have used Tattooing for generations as unique markings to identify themselves.
Many Biker gangs have their own Tattooists and the Tattoo is often associated with the initiations that new members are required to partake of.

Tattoos are used by both men and women and on all parts of the body.
The Tattoo is used to enhance 'sex appeal' and also to show a sense of 'Toughness', 'Rebellion' and even to induce 'Fear' into those who see them.
















The gangs use similar designs to decorate their bikes as well as themselves and there are regular shows where they show off their tattoos.
The pho
to above is taken at a local Bikers Club show of the 'Odins Warriors'.
These image
s were accessed from http://www.flickr.com/photos/















Female tattoos are especially prized in Bi
ker Communities and the showings of these Tats are usually accompanied by partying and celebration.























Alternatively the female form or name is often chosen as the design image.















Even the face is used as a blank palette, I can't image how painful this would be!
He must be really TOUGH....






















Oriel - Street Art

All of the above!

I'd like to think First and Foremost drawings on street walls are artworks.  Often humorous for their simplicity and ability to create characters out of that simplicity.
 
Social commentary is ideal.  It is an opportunity to have a voice and make people think, without being famous or having a turn on the soapbox in the park.
However, unfortunately, most "street art" is just plain grafitti - scribbles on an otherwise 'clean surface'.  (also known as Tags).
I'm very open to public expression, (what's life without it?), but the 'scribbles' are an ego driven exercise.  I don't see the aesthetic quality in them.
I love love love street art that makes me smile, whether because it's quirky, 


or that some clever, bold person/people have made a social comment worthy of being heard.



cradle to cradle - Eddy




the theory on cradle to cradle is a new way to think about caring for our environment. it it questions things such as recycling ,driving hybrid cars, etc. which are known as cradle to grave methods. these methods are better then just leaving your trash out on the street but are still not as good as cradle to cradle methods
the main people in charge of cradle to cradle are : William McDonough and Micheal Braungart. together these 2 people have released a book thats main focus is cradle to cradle which helps both world and people.
the difference between cradle to cradle and cradle to grave  methods are thats cradle to grave things such as plastic bottles will eventually degraded and become useless. were as cradle to cradle methods are sustainable and can be used over and over again.
companies are starting to change as we sore in the movie and nike is one of them they are changing things with easy to manufacture bio degradable running shoes using: untreated leathers, stitching rather then glues, and recycled rubber from old nike shoes.
very soon hopefully cradle to cradle methods will be in more everyday use.      
http://images.google.com.au/images?gbv=2&hl=en&safe=active&q=cradle+to+cradle+recycling&sa=N&start=80&ndsp=20  http://socialandenvironmentalgraphicdesi.blogspot.com/2008/05/lee-cradle-to-cradle-vs-cradle-to-grave.html

cradle to cradle CHRISTOPHER

Cradle to Grave - Occurring or persisting from beginning to end: “the cradle-to-grave effects on the environment of making, using and disposing of a product (Cynthia Crossen, Wall St. Journal 5/17/94).

Cradle to Cradle - Is a holistic economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient but essentially waste free. (Lovins, L. Hunter (2008). Rethinking Production in State of the World 2008, pp. 38-40.)

The simplest thesis idealistically showing the corresponding differences portrayed by the two philosophies cradle2cradle and cradle2grave is that one promotes positive regeneration of products and the other looks at the life cycle and end disposal of the product. The difference between recycling and and actually improving a product can be defined by these two labels.


the first symbol so commonly known as the recycle symbol shows that the life cycle of the material is re-used and re-used, but in this instance of cradle to grave the material is usually downgraded and downgraded to something of less importance or value each time. The sense behind cradle to cradle theory is to actually upgrade a product. This is the perfect way to create an innovative new design that is ecologically sustainable.



This figure shows cradle to cradles use to optimize the design to create something environmentally friendly and socially beneficial. Which is perfect use of the cradle to cradle theorem.




This image shows the product being totally re used to make the same product to save it from adding to landfill. Which is an important factor in todays consumerist capitalist society.



Paul Laffoley, a visionary artist, I believe is at the cutting edge of cradle to cradle design, he has art works of how to bio create a house with by planting a seed and the house is made out of the land. Other designs are that of an aircraft that cleans the oil of the surface of the ocean and uses it to fly from country to country. But he is too far ahead, I'm sure everyone will have to wait years to get what he means.

References:

cradletocradle.jpg (JPEG Image, 312x299 pixels)

image_cradle_practice.jpg (JPEG Image, 313x300 pixels)

Cradle to Cradle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cradle To Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Cradle to Cradle: Sustain by Design : StevenClark.com.au

Cradle to Cradle: Rethinking Sustainability

Life cycle assessment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Cradle to Grave: Waste Management for Conservators

adxGetMedia.aspx (JPEG Image, 525x358 pixels)

MBDC: Cradle to Cradle Design

vegetable_house_view.jpg (JPEG Image, 600x565 pixels)

Post 5 Susie B - Cradle to Grave vs Cradle to Cradle


At a time when the world is seriously looking at global warming and the environment, are we really doing enough?

“Reduce, reuse, recycle” should go without saying. But in fact, most of us have only really heard the last third of the phrase, and they’re ranked in order of importance. Reducing the amount that we consume, and shifting our consumption to well-designed products and services, is the first step. Finding constructive uses for “waste” materials is next. And tossing it in the recycle bin is last. 


Action to reduce waste, save water, recycle plastic bottles, turn off the lights, walk to work etc. is this enough? Using less off these resources is not enough. Sustaining is minimum. We must do more or think better or are we just lazy?

"Cradle-to-Grave"

Cradle-to-grave is how products impact natural systems.  It is the full Life Cycle Assessment from manufacture ('cradle') to use phase and disposal phase ('grave'). For example, trees produce paper, which is recycled into low-energy production cellulose (fiberised paper) insulation, then used as an energy-saving device in the ceiling of a home for 40 years, saving 2,000 times the fossil-fuel energy used in its production. After 40 years the cellulose fibers are replaced and the old fibres are disposed of, possibly incinerated. All inputs and outputs are considered for all the phases of the life cycle.

"the cradle-to-grave effects on the environment of making, using and disposing of a product" Cynthia Crossen.




"Cradle-to-Cradle"

Rather than seeing materials as a waste management problem, as in the cradle-to-grave system, cradle-to-cradle design is based on the closed-loop nutrient cycles of nature, in which there is no waste. Just like nature, the cradle-to-cradle design seeks, from the start, to create buildings, communities and systems that generate wholly positive effects on human and environmental health. Not less waste and fewer negative effects, but more positive effects of regeneration, seed, growth, plant, product, "upcycle" and/or seed, growth, plant, product etc etc. One organism's waste is food for another, and nutrients and energy flow perpetually in closed-loop cycles of growth, decay and rebirth. Waste equals food.

This thinking was developed and popularized by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart in their 2002 book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.



This is not just wishful thinking or "concept" design. The cradle-to-cradle philosophy is driving a growing movement devoted to developing safe materials, products, supply chains and manufacturing processes throughout architecture and industry. It is being adopted by some of the world's most influential corporations, including Ford Motor Group, Nike and Herman Miller Furniture. Even densely populated China is looking at development and the impact of the rapidly growing population on housing development.


Nike has announced 11 new shoes, shirts and jackets developed with its Considered Design principles of reducing waste, eliminating toxic substances and using environmentally preferred materials.  Nike's Considered Design is aimed at reducing the impact of products through rethinking, replacing or eliminating materials during design, development and manufacturing. Recycled materials, stitching replaces adhesive etc.

Cradle-to-cradle design also makes extraordinarily good sense economically and socially. This is especially visible in the workplace. When designs for large-scale factories and offices are modeled on nature's effectiveness, they generate delightful, productive places for people to work. This not only encourages a strong sense of community and cooperation, it also allows efficiency and cost-effectiveness to serve a larger purpose.

post 4 Cien Argus - G r a f f i t i A r t i s t s

Graffitti artists,social commentators, propaganda artists or vandals? Everyone has their own way to describe these forms of 'art'. I think it depends on the personal morals of the person and what their trying to prove to which cateogory they fall into, either it be;

G r a f f i t i    a r t i s t s :Definition: A person who paints graffiti in public places, especially one who specializes in high-quality work rather than vandalism.

These men and woman spend many hours perfecting their art and take it very seriously. It is a almost like a trademark style that they eventually get recognized for using a tag n
ame that the public knows them
 as.S o c i a l  c o m m e n t a t o r :Definition: Someone that makes comments on society

Social commentators create a message through their art works. Creating strong messages they can hopefully get their personal points across to the public and make people think about the problems of society.P r o p a g a n d a    a r t i s t s :
Definition: Information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause

By focusing on an issue these artists can create meaningful and special artworks getting into the minds of the public viewers to get their point across.
V a n d a l s :
Definition: Someone who willfully destroys or defaces property

These are the people that give the artists a bad name and create a stereotype for them that is unfair creating problems for the artists to prove themselves to society as artists and not vandals.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Vandalism_Shibuya_Tokyo.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Tf4qLbAyWFf9ju8U4-FWdYoHUBlXvxnDGGarlJEsoAdBfYEDH_A4xezKIh_PrQtogrg8ElorC77vOeJuTNkk0RcITLH2xkEfF0TuEcI8f5yMGXRyJAMZeIIHotvXuiR8uh3aZ8JTFRg/s1600/supermanobama.jpg
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/jun2008/lisbon_graffiti_dublin_10.jpg

http://www.spectator.co.uk/article_images/articledir_59/29851/1_listing.jpg

LOUISE : post 5: cradle to cradle...


Cradle to Cradle Design is a biomimetic approach to the design of systems. It is a holistic economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient but essentially waste free. The model in its broadest sense is not limited to industrial design and manufacturing; it can be applied to many different aspects of human civilization such as urban environments, buildings, economics and social systems.


Cradle to grave design is the full Life Cycle Assessment from manufacture to the 'being used' phase and then the disposal phase. For example, trees produce paper and are recycled into low-energy production fiberised paper insulation and used as an energy-saving device in the ceiling of a home for 40 years, saving 2,000 times the fossil-fuel energy used in its production. After 40 years the fiberised paper fibers are replaced and are not re-cycled, but are disposed of.



"When designers employ the intelligence of natural systems -- the effectiveness of nutrient cycling, the abundance of the sun's energy -- they can create products that provide nourishment for something new after each useful life. Every element of a product can be conceived as "food" for either biological cycles (the systems of nature) or technical cycles (the systems of industry). And when these biological nutrients and technical nutrients flow within their respective cycles, they allow both nature and commerce to thrive and grow."
- William McDonough and Michael Braungart, green@work, September-October 2001


 
Chinese town in Cradle to cradle design

The concept of Cradle to Cradle Design is particularly delightful because it is founded on the idea that every product can be a nutrient. In the documentary, Waste Equals Food, Michael Braungart mentioned an innovative design that really got my attention and made me think hard about the products i use everyday that are inevitably through-away-items. He speaks of a ice-cream wrapper design that stays compact while frozen, and after a few hours of de-frosting, actually decomposes into a liquid form. Think of all the packaging we use during our day; the water bottles, cereal boxes, and plastic wrapping - imagine if they could all be placed nicely in our gardens in the morning, and by the afternoon they would simply have faded into be a part of our backyard, without harming any creatures in the soil or affecting our lovely plant life.
Amazing. However, Michael Braungart went even further with the mundane ice - cream wrapper! He told us that the same liquifying wrapper actually is embedded with rare plant seeds, so that not only does the wrapper not impact on the environment, but it improves it! Imagine if our streets, in place of all filthy litter was instead a cluster of colour and flowers!!
wow, talk about inspiration. Think of the possibilities...!


 I have grown so used to the concept of never running out of simple products that i hardly even think about where they end up once i have finished using them. As a consumer though, there are endless possibilities of products and many things would be very difficult to find in a 'waste to food' form. I think what McDonough and Braungart are instigating is amazing and inspiring, not only economically for the design world, but also one of inspiration and hope in our day-to-day lives :)
 
http://www.c2ccertified.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_to_cradle
http://www.mbdc.com/
Links
http://www.thesugarcanepapercompany.com/
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199810/environment
http://www.mbdc.com/c2c_mbdp.htm

Oriel - Pagan Tattoo



The term PAGAN refers broadly to a wide variety of religions outside the Abrahamic monotheistic group of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Spiritual belief ranges from polytheism (belief in more than one god), to animism (belief of spirit in all things).
Since the late 20th Century modern scholars have begun to apply the term to three separate groups of faiths: Historical Polytheism (such as Celtic polytheism and Norse paganism), Folk/ethnic/Indigenous religions (such as Chinese folk religion and African traditional religion), and Neo-paganism (such as Wicca and Germanic Neopaganism).
Thus the designs used by the followers of Pagan religions are based on ancient magical symbols, gods & goddesses, natural objects and forces of nature, eg. the Green Man, the Tree of Life, .
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

A common Pagan “badge” is the Pentacle – a five-pointed star used in magical evocation.  Each of the five angles represent the five metaphysical elements of the ancients: earth, fire, water, air, spirit. The Circle around the star represents the God-Goddess. The origins of the pentagram go as far back as pre-Babylonian Sumer. In ancient Greece, Pythagoras (586 - 506 BCE) established a school that pursued knowledge in mathematics and other specialties; his followers used the pentagram as a secret sign to identify themselves to each other.
From: http://www.helium.com/items/1039979-the-meaning-of-the-wiccan-pentacle
http://altreligion.about.com/?once=true&
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/contemporaryissues/ig/Pagan-Tattoo-Gallery/index.01.htm
Comparing Cradle-to-Grave and Cradle-to-Cradle by Jade

Cradle-to-grave is the investigation of the environmental impacts of a product. This has been overlooked in the past but now that many products have been designed, manufactured, used and thrown away they are simply turning into waste. Which is not good as there may be some dangerous materials or chemicals in the products thrown away, leaving negative effects on our environment and other species.

A german chemist Michael Braungart recently stated that in nature everything that is waste is good. If it is animals waste, food that animals drop, leaves or flowers falling and dissolving into the ground. His simple statement was that, WASTE = FOOD.

And with this it raises the idea, if our waste was not harmful but biodegradable maybe instead of constantly destroying our environment perhaps this would help to sustain it. 

Michael is also inspiring companies around the world to look at better, more organic ways of manufacturing products. Which of corse has not always been what companies most care about, but now companies are looking at new ways for many reasons, some being to keep their customers happy, some materials may actually be cheaper, also to help sustain a resource and money can be made if they can mass manufacture something with little resources lost or any environmental impacts. 

This is different to an even new idea, Cradle to Cradle. Meaning as the name suggests returning a products to its original form with equal value. This differentiates from the idea of Recycling. An example of recycling is Nike taking back all used shoes and breaking them down to re use some of the rubber out of their shoes to make such things like; tennis courts. Not all of the shoes were reusable and the value of the rubber was lost. Cradle to cradle is talking about designing products that are easy to dissemble to completely reuse it and make a new products as good as it originally was. This is the first time companies have been so interested in such techniques, but there  is allot of waste that could be saved if it is successful.

cratle to cratle

RECYCLING 
LDPE plastic good for mixing with virgin materials to make a natural clear coloring bags
LDPE #2 is a clean washed LDPE bag good for making PE bags e.g garbage bags
PP red house hold products   mould use 
there are some e.g of plastics that are recyclable but are not natural or good for the environment but after they have been recycled properly the new bags u get from your supermarket will be safe for yours and my environment.as plasic is one of the most wasted producted that man thorughs away it is great that we care engough to start making a new reusable plasic
  http://sdcpolymer.trustpass.alibaba.com
www.google.com
www.rescycle.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.yahoo.com/news

STACY: POST5 Cradle to Cradle

  • First view the dvd "Waste Equals Food" 60 mins duration
  • Explain with the use of examples the difference in philosophy and practices between the cradle to grave model and the cradle to cradle model.
  • 250 words, 5 images and relevant links

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Post 4: Clare - Graffiti - an Alternative Media?

Graffiti - an Alternative media?

If every single person and creature on our planet was happy, healthy, content and satisfied, would there be graffiti? Is street art inherently an act of rebellion and mutiny of the displeased and disaffected? Is tagging a form of literal self-affirmation? - the writing of one's name over and over: "I exist..I exist..I exist..?"

Or are the streets simply an alternative canvas?

Graffiti comes from ancient words, simply meaning, 'to make a mark' [on something], 'a little scratch.' Ancient examples of etchings and marks can be found on the surface of rocks and pottery. (Collins English Dictionary 1995) It follows then that graffiti is about intent.

Take time to observe the style, ponder the intent and motive behind the expression of each individual piece.



Arthur Stace, writer of 'Eternity,'up to 50 times a day on the
streets and walls of Sydney. (Photo Trevor Dallen, Fairfax Photos)

'Eternity' was written in a copperplate script, apparently after Arthur Stace came out of a fire-and-brimstone sermon one Sydney night. The preacher had been speaking of eternity, and Arthur is reported as saying the word rang out over and over in his head. He had a piece of chalk in his pocket, and he wrote the word in the beautiful, iconic cursive style seen thousands of times on the streets and walls of Sydney for many years. It has been described as a one-word sermon. The font and the ephemeral media of chalk or crayon he used combines to create a powerful symbol. So powerful in fact during the millenium celebrations of 2000 'Eternity' was emblazened in giant size across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (Image below)



However in December 2008 the NSW Graffiti Control Act (The Act) received Royal Assent and was passed. It included laws making it illegal to possess such items as marker pens, among other things, unless you could prove it was going to be used for law-abiding purposes. If the marker pen was invented and used during the years of the Great Depression, not the 1960s, perhaps 'Eternity' would have been perceived in a more negative light. Certainly in today's climate, if Arthur Stace was roaming the streets and a cop asked this street writer to empty his pockets, he would be found in criminal possession of a marker pen. Perhaps though Arthur would still be using chalk, for the very temporal nature of the material suggested a wistfulness of hope, unlike the bold, cursive strokes seen in today's 'tagging.'

In Kingscliff NSW where I live there are countless examples of tagging, ranging from personal tags, to crude obscenities. Just wait at any bus stop for the 601, 607, or the 603, and you'll read who loves whom, personal tags, gang tags (images below) and postcodes suggesting a territoriality. Recently a White Power tag was written on a prominent wall space on Marine Parade, and was shortly painted over. It was personally frightening to think of a neo-Nazi element in my own local community.



Pearl Street, Kingscliff, March 2009. (Image - Clare Bryant)

There are also examples of humourous, or ironic stenciling in Kingscliff.



Pearl Street, Kingscliff Shopping Village car park, March 2009. Writer/stencil artist unknown. (Image - Clare Bryant)

Often the artsist/writer is unknown, as in the case of the birds-eye image below. Reported in the Sydney Morning Herald February 24, 2005, the image of a man, a dollar note, a wave, and a tombstone appeared overnight on the Reg Bartley oval, Rushcutters Bay. It was 60m long, 30m wide and no one definitively knew what it meant. It was speculated that the Picasso-esque figure was referencing the 2004 tsunami tragedy and suggesting to give money to the cause.



The giant visual was painted onto the grass and the figure outlined in red.

In this predominately wealthy area (although bordering the red-light district of Kings Cross) perhaps the artist was suggesting residents "dig deep." While no official complaints were received by the council or police, some residents complained 'they did not want to look at it every day.' (See the Sydney Morning Herald article.)

While graffiti can be used for the promotion of personal or political agendas and propoganda, such as seen in Northern Ireland, The U.S. after 9/11, and many countries, it also "promotes ethnic unity, love, friendship, freedom from oppression, and diversity. Before forming a quick opinion the next time you see graffiti, take time to analyze the markings to reveal the motive behind it and its value to someone other than yourself." (Graffiti Definition - The dictionary of art. 1996 copyright Susan A. Phillips)

Web References:


http://www.graffiti.org/faq/graf.def.html
http://www.wesleymission.org.au/publications/eternity/eternity.htm
http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/now_showing/eternity/stories_from_the_emotional_heart_of_australia/
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/23/1109046992057.html

http://www.taisnaith.com/ (Also check out her performance art vids - very cool)