Sunday 27 March 2011

How art gives shape to cultural change

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The work of art I've chosen is the picture that appears at the 09:45 of this video. On this picture, which was certainly shot by a photographer, we can see the back of the head of a black man ( or maybe a woman, as we cannot see the face of this human being it's quite difficult to guess, but the wideness of his neck makes me thing about a male). On the right sideways of his shaved skull, we can notice a scar. The way this scar looks like is a bit unusual, it seems to be a comma and it strangely reminds me the logo of the well-known brand Nike. This work of art is also only made of black and white colors: the white background highlights the darkness of the male's skin, and it's just as if the photographer had wanted to shine the light on the scar. So it could be an advertisement released by the famous brand. But the sober aspect of the picture makes me think about something else. It might be the denunciation of consumerism, an implicit criticism of wide spread aspect of brands in our society. Just follow the evolution because it's cool, just have one of our products, just make me us earning money: Just do It. And that is maybe why we cannot see the face of this man, because being an actor of over consumerism, one follower between all the others, is sometimes a bit difficult to admit. Just my point of view.
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According to Thelma Golden, art can change the way we are thinking about culture and more exactly about black culture, since she is a specialist of this kind of art. Artists can change the history, their works and the pictures they spread have a really strong power. Images question us about the past, the present and the future, they may participate in the creation of a new history. Art deals with beauty, power, human beings and it enables us to have some dialogues with ourselves or with the others.
Thelma Golgen considers the museum as a catalyst. The works of art gathered in this place are meaningful and open to the dialogues. Then, the museum becomes  a catalyst for dialogues, a place where we can discuss, where people share their ideas and their point of view. It’s a boost for sharing. But the museum also enables us to have some dialogues with ourselves and to learn more about your soul.


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What I believe in is that artists can see what common people do not have access to. They are out of limits and beyond the borders. They can have their mind broken free and create things completely unusual. And that, just through the objective of a camera. They manage to highlight the feelings of a personality sometimes buried very deeply. They succeed in giving life to inanimate objects, to make them express themselves through a fixed picture. And these pictures, directed by professional photographers, can wake up the spectator's mind, bring out his awareness, and make them thinking about the necessity of a change.

Friday 11 March 2011

Informal letter

1 rue de Normandie
38000 Grenoble
Dear Margaret and Geof,
I want to thank you again. I really spent two incredible weeks in your company.
It has been three weeks since I came back in France and I miss Los Angeles, really .
The weather was perfect and the visits were extraordinary. We had a lot of fun when we visited Mickey in Disneyland. But when I remember the visit of the Universal Studios in Hollywood and the Walk of Fame, it tempts me a lot to go back there and to try to become an actor.
The moment I preferred was when we ate at your friend Britney's, she is charming. I enjoyed her private concert, she is an excellent singer but she is not as good as a cooker.
To you thank again, I invite you next summer in France. I will show you Grenoble and its area, Lyon and Paris too. We will visit the most attractive places and we could go to eat in the best restaurants.
Best wishes
JeremL

Thursday 3 March 2011

Never give up

Liu Wei, a Chinese pianist, is twenty-three. He was born in Beijing. At the age of 10, Liu Wei lost his arms being electrocuted. To survive, he learnt  how to use his feet like his hands, in order to get dressed, to wash his teeth and to eat. 
But Liu had a passion: playing the piano. And so, he decided to play it with feet and to compete at «China’s got talent». He won the final performing «You’re beautiful» , the song by James Blunt.
Liu Wei explained to the jury: " I had two solutions after this accident. The first one was to abandon my dreams, what pulls a fast and hopeless death. And other one was to fight without my arms to live an incredible life "...
The moral of this story is: fighting enable you to achieve your dream.

Thursday 24 February 2011

Cool places to hang out in Grenoble

I’ve been living in the Grenoble area only since September so I don’t really know lots of places to hang out. I didn’t make paying activities because I am student just like you.
However, I know a nice place to be visited near my home, which is called "La Frange Verte". Do you like walking? Well, that's a good point because it’s a ballad in  the mountain I 'm suggesting to you.
Firstly, you have to come up to the town centre of Échirolles by tram. Then, it would be better to join, in this way I could show you where it is (about 5 minutes away from my home).
The ballad begins with a fitness trail of 2 kilometers long, it’s the warm-up session. Because after there is the hard climb ! The walk is very nice, when the weather is warm it cools your body because we walk through the shade of trees. We might see squirrels and horses if we are lucky. Once arrived at the top of this tiny mountain, the view is very clear and we can see the other mounts which are much more higher. This ballad is maybe 8 or 10 kilometers long.
After, I can suggest you to come and eat at home and I could cook for you «Croque-Moniseur», because walking gives you a real appetite.

Friday 18 February 2011

Who am I ?


"Who am I ? Are you sure you want to know ?"... Sorry I am not Spider-Man.
Welcome on my blog !
I am Jeremy. I am twenty-four. I was born in Normandy the 15th of march, 1986, and I've been living in Grenoble since September. My family still lives in Normandy. I have a brother who studies physics and chemistry in an engineering school. He lives in Caen, where is located the Memorial of Normandy, a centre for history and peace. When
I was a child, I enjoyed sciences and I wanted to become a biologist but now I'm studying communication... Spot the deliberate mistake ! This year of studies is quite boring but it is necessary to be admitted in the Master class that I'm looking at. As I have some free time, I take advantage of it to practice sport, to swim, to run, to play video games on my PS3 and to cook for my friends.
If you want to know some more about me, just ask me !