A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' Essay

A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery - Essay Example The paper "A critical review of the contemporary Art Exhibition 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery" gives a review of 'The light Show', Art Exhibition in Hayward Gallery. The ability of the art to transform space and to influence and alter perceptions through the application of modern materials that had not been polluted by the traditional art, forms the basis of the 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery. Thus, the application of fluorescent tubes and Neon tubes struck the world in the early 1960s as the means through which the materials that had not been used before became the basis of creating an optical environment that has enabled making of the intangible materials into more tangible substance achievable. The combination of Dan Flavin’s ‘electric light art’ that applies the fluorescent tubes, with the Franà §ois Morellet’s Neon tubes and the Carlos Cruz-Diez concept of Chromosaturation installations, as well as the Bill Culbert time-based installations of light bulbs are aspects of the 'light Show' in Hayward Gallery that has made the psychological response to illumination and colour a more conceptual and sensual experience for the art audience. The Contemporary Art Exhibition Art Exhibition, 'The light Show' in Hayward Gallery forms atmospheric light installations and intangible art sculptures that the audience can go through. The light installations and the combination of the light bulbs, the Neon tubes and the fluorescent tubes enables the visitors to experience the mystery of light as a tool for art.

Violent Video Games Children

Violent Video Games Children The Effects of Violent Video Games on Children Computer video game is one of the most popular trends among children as well as young adults. From the time it was invented it has evolved into a more exciting and challenging media games of all time. The technological advancement has made it even more exciting for the players to religiously play and challenge themselves of what are the things in store for them while they are playing. The graphics and sound effects fascinate its audience, as if they are really there in the setting of the situation, especially those three dimensional computer machines which are seen mostly in computer arcades. The ability of the player to control and maneuver the situation made it more even exciting. Violent video games have been one of the most sought themes among the players. But with the increasing number of people engaged into this computer games, a lot of issues has also been raised, as to the negative effect and the benefit of these violent video games to children and young adults. This essay wi ll argue that violent video games do have a negative effect on children. Early experiments using physiological measures of arousal such as: galvanic skin response, heart rate and respiratory changes found that children are emotionally responsive to even animated television violence. The effects of violent video games on young adults arousal levels and aggressive thoughts have been measured. Results indicated that college students who had played virtual reality game had a higher heart rate and exhibited more aggressive thoughts in a post test, than those who played a non-violent game (Grossman DeGaetano 70-71). These physiologic changes stimulate the sympathetic system which creates excitement and this â€Å"good† feeling makes them to do it repeatedly. Similarly, as cited in an article in AllPsych Journal entitled, The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children, The Academy of Pediatrics states â€Å"More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a ‘meaner and scarier place than it is† (Tompkins). According to Tompkins, if children become accustomed and believed that this violent behavior is acceptable and normal it will be hard to change that belief as they grow older. She also relates this to the study of domestic violence where in a person exposed to this violence tend to be either abused or abuser. She further explains this by citing the Columbine incident as an example, where in the two students, who committed a violent act are video fanatics. Their exposure to violence was linked to their violent act since both of them came from a good family. Moreover, â€Å"reward increases imitation† (Gentile 136). And this process of rewarding in computer games makes it more addicting because children tend to be reinforced when they are rewarded, which in psychology termed as â€Å"positive reinforcement† but this reward system in computer games defeats the true purpose of â€Å"positive reinforcement†, that good acts should be rewarded in order to reinforce the action, where as computer rewarding rewards its players after killing or defeating their opponent. Furthermore, â€Å"Participation in violent video games cast a negative cloud over the childrens views of interpersonal interactions. One research revealed that preschoolers most likely experienced fear and anxiety when they saw bloodied victims and watched expressions of emotional distress in connection with the medias constant showing of the events of September 11th and their aftermath† (Cantor, 2002). These experiences that are internalized by children, unconsciously affects their behavior, and when they are placed in situations similar to what they have seen, the child could become anxious and restless. On the contrary there are opposing reaction from different sectors regarding this matter, the president of the Interactive Software Association, Doug Lowenstein stated, â€Å"I think the issue has been vastly overblown and overstated often by politicians and others who do not fully understand, frankly this industry. There is absolutely no evidence, none, that playing a violent game leads to aggressive behavior† (qtd in Bushman Anderson 353). But how can we expect them to see the negative effect of these violent video games, well in fact what they mean is purely business. Likewise, Steven Johnson said: â€Å"The most debased forms of mass diversion-video games and violent television dramas and juvenile sitcoms-turn out to be nutritional after all (9). It is nutritional in the sense that learning comes along while playing these violent video games, such as mastery and control and hand-eye coordination. But this paper totally disagrees with this notion. There are more appropria te ways of learning these things, without jeopardizing the minds of these children of what is good and what is wrong, such as art camps, and other indoor and outdoor activities that utilizes the body, where in physical, psychological and emotional aspects are given importance, which builds friendship and the values of sportsmanship, as well as maintaining a healthy active body, which computer games dont give. Furthermore, computer video games promote isolation, aggressive behavior and a sedentary life style by sitting long hours in front of these computers. In conclusion, violent video game has a significant effect on children, not only on their behavior but also on their physiologic state as well as the emotional state especially that of a vulnerable individual. The government sector should be more critical and sensitive on how to protect its citizen with this kind of media. Parents on the other hand, who have the first hand decision whether to buy this violent video games or not, since they are responsible in giving money or buying this for their children, and what ever decision they would take they should know the consequences of the possible effects of these materials to their children. And users of this video games should be reminded that everything in excess is not good. Annotated Bibliography Anderson, Craig A., and Brad J. Bushman. Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior: a Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature. Psychological Science 12.5 (2001): 353-359. Apr. 2008 Dr. Craig A. Anderson, a professor and chairman of Department of Psychology in Iowa State University. He is a distinguished professor and Director of the center for the study of violence. Most of his current researches focus on aggression especially on the potentially harmful effect of exposure to violent entertainment media. Dr. Brad J. Bushman, a professor in University of Michigan, has a PhD in social psychology in University of Missouri. His focuses are the consequences and causes of aggression. In this research, the authors used methods such as literature search literature, criteria for relevance, coding frame and meta-analytic procedures, to test if violent video games will result to increase aggression in children and young adult. They found out that after conducting the experiment using experimental and non-experimental designs, in both male and female, that it poses public health threat to children and youths including college individuals. Exposure is negatively associated w ith prosocial behavior, and the long term effect on the development of aggressive behavior is absolutely related to exposure to violent video games. This is in contrast to the study made by Tompkins in 2003, which shows no proof that signifies either negative or positive effect of media violence. It is important in this research as it illuminates the side taken by this paper. Cantor, Joanne. The Psychological Effects of Media Violence on Children and Adolescents. Joannecantor. 19 Apr. 2002. HEC  Montreal. 19 Apr. 2008 . Joanne Cantor is an expert on the effects of the mass media on youth. A Professor Emerita and Director of the Center for Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a well-known expert on children and the mass media. Joanne Cantor and her associates have conducted a program of research to explore developmental differences in media-induced fright reactions based on theories and findings in cognitive development. This study illustrates the effects of media events and images are less bothering on older children, where as other things become potentially more upsetting. This gives another highlight to the side taken by this research that there is a significant negative effect on the part of the children. Gentile, Douglas A. â€Å"Media Violence and Children: a Complete Guide for Parents and Professionals†. London: Praeger Publications, 2003. Douglas Gentile, a known developmental psychologist and a research director for the National Institute on Media and the Family. He conducts many researches about children and adult. In this book, he contends that learning comes from repetition. The fact that the violent games require violent acts to be played over and over again creates an ideal learning situation. But what the players are learning is antisocial behavior and the idea that violence is a good way to resolve conflict. He used data from other books, studies made by different authors, and other references in order to come up with a book that serves as guideline for parents and professional with regards to the effect of media violence to children. One important insight was when he said that the difference between television and computer games when it comes to the response of the individual is that violence in televisions are rarely sustained, because of commercial gaps and changing of scenes, in contrast to video games whe re violence is continuous. Where in players should always be alert for hostile enemies and must constantly choose and enact aggressive behaviors, exposing children to continual stream of violent scene. In contrast with the book of Grossman and DeGaetano, where in the authors were more subjective of the subject matter; by trying to make a call and make action on media violence, Douglas A. Gentile showed neutrality on the issue and focused more on how to guide parents and professionals decide on the issue after presenting the datas. Grossman, Dave, and Gloria Degaetano. â€Å"Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: a Call to Action Against TV, Movie Video Game Violence†. First ed. New York: Crown, 1999. LT. Col. Dave Grossman, who is a retired US Army and a professor of military science in Arkansa State University. He is the author of On Killing: Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, and specialized in the study of psychology of killing, which he called â€Å"killology.† Gloria DeGaetano is a known educator in the field of media violence, and the author of Screen Smarts: A Family Guide To Media Literacy. The authors, used datas from different resources: books, journals, researches of different authors, in order to come up with a book which calls for an action against T.V.., movie and video game violence The book talks about different factors as to the effect of media violence on children. They are very much concern of the negative effects of this violence in media as well as video games to children. They presented in their book the negative effects of media violence to society, that in reality there are a lot of children and teenagers engage themselves in to violent acts, and the disadvantages that this gives to the individual, their family and the society. This research used this book, because it gives a distinct description on what this paper is trying to point out, that there is significant negative effect on the childs behavior, it does not only gave comprehensive details, but the insights of the authors made it more meaningful. Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good for You. Canada: Riverhead Books, 2005. Steven Johnson, who is a well-known author Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life, and a distinguish writer in New York, put emphasis on his book that violence on television and video games are not really bad for children. For the author, the kind of education that video games are giving is not learned in classroom situations or cannot be seen in museums. There are benefits in playing violent computer games. He wants to tell the reader that the learning in computer games enhances cognitive faculties, not dumbing them down. In his book, he made comparison between reading books and playing video games. According to him, reading books or novels enhance our imagination, while playing video games help you to choose the right decision by evaluating facts, examining situation, and by considering your long term goals. In contrast with the study made by Bushman and Anderson and that of Joanne Cantor, where in the two believed that there is significant negative effect of violent video games on children. Tompkins, Aimee. The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children. AllPsych Journal (2003). 20 Apr. 2008 . Aimee Tompkins used the reports of the studies made by the Academy of Pediatric Society, The National Coalition on Television violence and cited stories where in violent video game fanatics were involved in shooting incidents and killing people, in order to assess the psychological effects of violent media on children. After presenting and analyzing the studies made, the author concluded that there was no proof either positive or negative long term outcomes of violent media and that parents should pay more attention on the activities of their children. In contrast on the result of the study made by Bushman Anderson, that there is a significant effect on the behavior of children by increasing their aggression. This study was given importance in this essay because it gave another perspective on the issue discussed.

Germany Essay -- essays research papers

Germany is the fourth largest country in area in Europe, with a total area of 356,970 square kilometers (137,827 square miles). The country has a varied terrain that ranges from low-lying coastal flats along the North and Baltic seas, to a central area of rolling hills and river valleys, to heavily forested mountains and snow-covered Alps in the south. Germany has a long, complex history and rich culture, but it did not become a unified nation until 1871. Before that time, Germany had been a confederacy (1815-1867). The country has a total of 82,071,765 people (1997 estimate). Germany is overwhelmingly urban, and most people lead a prosperous, comfortable lifestyle, with adequate leisure time and comprehensive social welfare benefits. Berlin is the capital and largest city, although Bonn, which was the provisional capital of West Germany, is still home to some government offices. The principal language is German, and about 70 percent of the people are either Roman Catholic or Protestant. Germany has a very large and modern industrial economy and is a leading producer of such products as iron and steel, machinery and machine tools, and automobiles. Germany is an economic powerhouse in the European Union (EU), and its currency, the deutsche mark (DM), is among the strongest in the world. Germany ranks as the fourth largest country in Europe, after European Russia (the part of Russia west of the Ural Mountains), France, and Spain. Germany ...

Why Did Hitler Hate the Jews?

In this book the end of more than three decades of historiographical research on Nazi Germany is talked about by one of the period’s most distinguished historians. The book brings together the most important pieces of Ian Kershaw’s research on the Holocaust for the first time. The writings are arranged in three sections—Hitler and the Final Solution, popular opinion and the Jews in Nazi Germany, and the Final Solution in historiography. Vail-Ballou Press. Binghamton, New york. In this book, Anti-Semitism that spread quickly is talked about.The author, Yehuda Bauer shows how Hitler’s actions affected the Holocaust in a way that anyone could understand. Survivors of the Holocaust are also introduced in the book. History about concentration camps, the inmates of them and stories told by inmates are told to readers. Scholastic Inc. Danbury, CT. 2001. This book shows inside one of the most tragic events of history, the Holocaust. It gives you a description of t he history of the Jews, Christians and the history of Anti-Semitist. David Crowe allows you to see how Adolf Hitler was able to bend to the mind of many Germans and Nazis. 008 Westview Press. Boulder, Colorado David M. Crowe. In this journal, Hitler’s Anti-Semitism is shown through many different views. Some people have recognized Hitler’s actions against the Jews as pure evil and nothing more or less. Many see his actions as simple immoral. Whereas others believe that you could look deeper into it, as if there are deeper reasons behind Hitler’s morals. 2008. Analytic Press, Inc. Hillsdale, NJ. In this book, the top 10 choices of history to Ian Kershaw are chosen. A choice by Hitler happens to be one of them.Although it may seem as if it has little to do with his hatred for Jews, it plays a part in the war; which would tie it in with his Anti-Semitism. Hitler decides to declare war on the U. S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor and it turns the odds against him. Important decisions are told about not only Hitler but Stalin, Roosevelt and etc. 2007. The Penguin Press. New York, NY In this online passage, one would say that Hitler’s hatred for the Jews was from jealousy. He was an aspiring artist and at the time many Jewish people were getting the spotlight in the artistic field, which Hitler didn’t like.He did not want politics soiled by Jewish people and believed that an Anti-Semitist economy was best. http://www. jewishvirtuallibrary. org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler. html Martin Gilbert narrates the story of Jews during the time of WWII in the form of a picture book. This book shows the good days, the bad days, the horrific days and the days where Jews were uplifted and joyful. The tragic history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust is seen through the books in picture form, allowing one to understand the record of the Jews during the 20th century. Schocken Books. New York, New York.

Critical Summary of Conflicts as Property Essay

Introduction The article I will be critically summarizing is â€Å"Conflict as Property†. It is an influential article written by the criminologist Nils Christie in the late 1970s. Throughout the entire article Christie argues â€Å"criminology to some extent has amplified a process where conflicts have been taken away from the parties directly involved and thereby have either disappeared or become other peoples property†1 This statement is what I have found to be Christies thesis in which all of his points refer back to. Christies Argument Throughout the article Christie reflects on why he believes the conflict between two parties, the victim and defendant has been â€Å"stolen† by the authorities, the state, and by professionals. Christie said that not only does the victim loose his or her say in the proceedings but is relatively thrown out of the case in which it becomes between one party and the state. He found this unsatisfying and argued that it should be given back to the initial parties involved, the victim, the defendant and the neighborhood. He says when a conflict is created that we are less capable to take on the situation and are more likely to hand it off to some one else. This is where there is a lineup of professionals willing to take the conflict from us and we are just as willing to give it away. Christie explains his notion of â€Å"conflict as property† as not referring to material compensation but rather to the ownership of the conflict itself. He then recognizes the effects of victim losing the â€Å"property† initially and puts forth a method as a remedy for this process. He proposes a new court model for dealing with conflicts in which the court is victim centered and lay-oriented. My Opinion For most of the part I agree with what Christie has to say. I believe that throughout a proceeding it should be of most importance that the victim’s situation is to be heard whether it is relevant to the law or not. Instead of letting the state or professionals take over and say what they think has the most relevance to a case the court should hear the entire story from the victims point of view. This would show the courts to what affect this act by the offender has caused in the victims life. Also they should hear out what the victim seems fit as a fair punishment or payment in forms of restitution whether it is labour or monetary to go along with the judges sentence. I think that by having the initial parties involved instead of being pushed to the side, society will be more concerned to make sure that everyone is given a fair, equal, and consistent resolution to a conflict. It would ensure that the neighborhood and state have the same set of shared values and goals that the y are working towards to support social order. Most offenders after committing crimes do not want to see the victims or their families that they affected. It is an emotional encounter in the courtroom where the offender can show his remorse and the victim(s) can show pity I think that the two types of segmentation that are observed in our highly industrialized societies are the most important factors in why we don’t have the ability to deal with conflict. The segmentation in space is how we go through our daily lives and not recognizing any of the people we see as who they are but by what they do. Secondly we segregate people based on their physical attributes such as race, gender, and sex. This segregation has many consequences on society as a whole. The most influential consequence that we experience is depersonalization as Christie said. Not having this person-to-person relationship is detrimental, especially when conflicts arise seeing as how we can’t deal with them between the parties involved. We need professionals to step in and take the roles from us, which results in us being cast aside. Conclusion â€Å"Except for execution, castration or incarceration for life, no measure has a proven minimum of efficiency compared to any other measures†2 instead of continuing with the traditional way of a legal proceeding we need to change  things. People need to be able to interact face to face and have a more personal interaction. Conflicts must be given back to the initial parties and not â€Å"stolen† by these other powers. Is it not what somebody deserves? To have a case in which they are heard. Bibliography Nils Christie, â€Å"Conflict as Property† (1977) 17:4 The British Journal of Criminology Pg. 1-15