Google Art Project

Last weekend, I explored museums and great artworks in the Google Art Project. Google Art Project is an online platform through which the public can access high-resolution images of artworks housed in the initiative’s partner museums. The platform enables users to virtually tour partner museums’ galleries, explore physical and contextual information about artworks, and compile their own virtual collection (Wikipedia).

Let's play google art project

Through this play, I could experience the borderless play in spaces between virtual and reality. I could virtually ‘walk through’ the galleries of each partner museum such as MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, using the same controls as Google Street View or by clicking on the gallery’s floorplan. Even though I played in virtual spaces, I could see ‘actual’ artworks as much as genuine artworks in there. From the Gallery View, I could zoom in on a particular artwork to view the picture in greater detail. Microscope view provided users a dynamic image of an artwork, and scholarly and contextual information to enhance their understanding of the work. When examining an artwork, users may also access information detailing the physical characteristics of the image (e.g. size, material(s), and artist). Thus, I could play in virtual spaces with actual artworks.

Moreover, I had role as an observer and a participant in this play. For example, I could log in with their Google Account to create my own collection. Users can compile any number of images from any of the partner museums and save specific views of artworks to create a personalized virtual exhibition. In other words, I was an observer to watch artworks which was created by artists, but also an owner to create my collection gallery. Thus, I had opportunities to experience borderless play about play spaces and play roles.   

My hobby is to collect cards with human pictures

In last weekend, I stayed at home and enjoyed a ‘solitary play’. My hobby is to collect cards which are with pictures, especially children and lovely people are shown in these pictures. Before reading this book, I wondered whether hobbies can be classified as play or not. I figured out; it’s true that hobbies, collections, listening to music, art projects, pets, reading, yoga or crosswords can be included in the solitary play.

According to chapter 10, the rhetoric of the self is usually applied toward solitary activities, but can be characterized by other ideas such as fun, relaxation, and escape. Even though there are several multiple meanings of the self, the central focus is in the experience of the player. In other words, play as self is idealized by attention to the desirable experiences of the players. For me, I had individual’s personal freedom to choose the collection of the cards as play, it is intrinsically motivated. It is also true that this subjective play experience is fun to me. Additionally, I realized that sometimes I felt like lonely after came in U.S.A.; however, the collection of the cards with people pictures always can make me be relaxed. For example, when I saw children with bright smiles or friendly people in these pictures, I could not feel lonely. Rather, I was warm in heart and peaceful. After then, I desired to play the collection of cards with pictures.

Moreover, when I collected several cards with people pictures, I often imagined what they spoke each other or what happen next steps in these pictures, then I made narrative stories and scribbled something on backsides of the cards. Thus, I think the rhetorics of self as play could be connected to imagine as play. According to Brian Sutton-Smith, he also said that it is not always easy to keep them apart. The imaginary and the self share the common ground of freedom. Also, these two are individualistic rather than communal. Both of rhetorics seem to overlap in this notion; players are actively engaged in their activity. Above all, players’ active experiences are supposed to be central in play. 

Experience ambiguity of play: fate as play, power as play, or identity as play.

 Last Sunday, I celebrate the Korean New Year day with my Korean friends. We ate rice cake soup and played a game of yut. Before have taking the J762 seminar, I just thought that play is easy or simple to define. However, I knew that play can be explained by different views and several rhetorics (e.g., fate as play, power as play, or identity as play). In this celebration, I have opportunities to think about ambiguity of play, especially rhetorics of fate, power, and identity.  First of all, traditionally in the morning of the New year, entire family gather together to eat rice-cake soup, tteok-guk. It is the most representative dish eaten on New Year’s Day. Tradition dictates that New Year’s resolution is embodies within the tteo-guk and when one eat that tteok-guk, one is withing New Year’s wishes. Long cylindrically shaped rice cake symbolizes luck and good health and long life. Koreans enjoy same custom, culture about Lunar New Year’s Day if other people even don’t know. By doing so, Korean can build a sense of community or identity through play.

Moreover, a game of Yut is Korean’s popular folk game, make two teams and play with yut. There are Do, Gae, Gul, Yut, Mo. Do means pig and Gae means Dog. And, Gul means sheep, Yut means cow, and Mo means horse. When you get Do go 1 block, Gea go 2 block, Gul go 3 block, Yut go 4 block, go 5 blocks when you get Mo. A game of Yut looks like a game of chess or board game. A game of yut can win as throw yut well, but it stands on how use marker well. As I mentioned, this game can be shown as fate as play because if you throw yut well, you are likely to win. Fate as play positions the “events and outcomes of lay origination outside of the player (p.68). Fate as play embodies a belief that one can exercise control over life’s circumstances even when it is known complete control is impossible (p.53). However, it is also important to how use marker well or how plan your strategy in this game. In terms of power as play, physically skill and intellectual strategy are important forms of contest (p.74). Additionally, from a social play perspective, power as play is an expression of conflict that is realized through competition. During playing this game, we were praying to throw yut well and were planning strategies to win. Through celebration to New Year play, I could experience identity as play, fate as play and power as play.

Find, Foster, and Fun(Funny)

After was watching a Cain’s Arcade video clip, I could have opportunity to think about what happy/fun play for human is. Above all, I think if someone plays with imagination or innovation, this play would make people feel really happy/funny. For example, Cain could also keep self-esteem and proud by himself through making something by using recycled materials. He really seems to be a happy/fun innovator in his own play. Moreover, according to website of The Imagination Foundation, it can be shown that our Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual event that invites the world to build anything awesome out of cardboard, recycled materials, and imagination. Likewise, it is reasonable that play which is accompanied by ‘creativity’ would make all people, adults as well as children, be happy and fun in their life. We always expect to just children have creativity in their idea; however I believe that adults also can play with creativity or innovation.

Furthermore, I played with creativity for fun play. I found funny photos at unusual angle in this website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S81EjM1Oifs

According to this website, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes this ain’t exactly right. Distance overlapping, positions, and timing can sometimes create a brand new perspective of a photo. we want to show you 100+ Funny Photos Taken At Unusual Angle, a compilation of photos taken at the exact right timing and angle, thus creating a humor side of the story; intentionally or unintentionally. After watching video and funny photos, I also took several funny pictures to create new perspective of a photo. During this play with funny photos, I could feel like as become an innovator or a creator for humor/fun. Thus, we need to find play, foster creative play, and enjoy fun play.