Girshishwok+Metaphor

1. "Slate arch made over two days, fourth attempt" by Andy Goldsworthy inspired me with the thought of how much work needed to be put into this. The fact that the title includes, "fourth attempt" makes you realized that visual metaphors aren't as easily created as one may think. The metaphor--building a man-made arch out of natural objects creates a sort of balance and unity. The process (figuratively) isn't easy, but after many tries it can be done.

2. "The Time Traveler" by [xetobyte] influenced me because of the surrealism and atmosphere it presents. The photography is realistic yet it feels out-of-this-world which makes it all the more interesting. The dull colors and contrast brings out a story along with the metaphor, something along the lines of, "The lonely time traveler is running out of time...etc."

3. "Eye" by M.C. Escher is a classic and started the whole eye metaphor. The idea that the human is a window to the soul, life, death, etc, was all started by Escher, and this classic piece verifies this. It's influential because if anyone has taken the time to really look into the human eye, they notice that it is more than a human organ, but really an empty space surrounded by ridges and waves of color. The skull in the drawing reminds us that we are all human, made of flesh and bone.

"Paradise" - Coldplay:

When she was just a girl She expected the world But it flew away from her reach So she ran away in her sleep Dreamed of para- para- paradise Para- para- paradise Para- para- paradise Every time she closed her eyes Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

When she was just a girl She expected the world But it flew away from her reach And the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on It gets so heavy The wheel breaks the butterfly Every tear, a waterfall In the night, the stormy night She closed her eyes In the night, the stormy night Away she'd fly.

And dreamed of para- para- paradise Para- para- paradise Para- para- paradise Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

She dreamed of para- para- paradise Para- para- paradise Para- para- paradise Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

La la la La La la la

So lying underneath those stormy skies. She said oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. I know the sun must set to rise.

This could be para- para- paradise Para- para- paradise This could be para- para- paradise Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

...

I chose this song because I've heard it for about a week--and it is currently my favorite song. It evokes an inspirational/dreamy/emotional response every time I hear it, and (honestly I want to make a music video/film for this song!) I can think of a number a metaphors, one, a girl being surrounded by violent/angry events in the world we live in, while she tries to ignore it all and imagine her own peaceful, beautiful world ("In the night, the stormy night / Away she'd fly"). The whole chorus of "paradise" makes me think of a girl flying into a neverland/wonderland-like world, where everything is magical, unlike our own, which is dark and dreary, full of war and pain. Others have interpreted this song similar to this; others have branched off more, explaining that the song is about life in general, and that the girl is trying to escape into her own world. Some say that the girl is depressed/suicidal/has committed suicide, and the song is about why this is so. I always want my artwork to be influenced by something "out of this world," so this song fits perfectly with my own sort of theme. (Whenever I've listened to this song I've been mentally putting together a music video), so I'm going to try and incorporate these ideas into a picture/screenshot-like. I'm thinking of Karen in a dull, never-ending, colorless world, looking through a (semi-transparent) mirror that holds a whimsical, colorful world.