History HELP!

Alright, I am in school, and I am taking Sculpture. This will be my third year in sculpture, and my finnal year of sculpture in High School. I will be continuing the corse in college, and that will be my major!

Well, In APS (the class) we have to have a theme, for our final year. I have decided to do history around the world. I will be doing 18 countries:
US, China, India, Russia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Britain, Ireland, Mexico, Egypt, South Africa, Madagascar, Greece, Isreal, Peru, and Cuba.
In each project there will be a disk as my base, there will be a large center piece that represents that country, something that people could look at and know it is that country. On the sides, there will be 6 sub pieces on this disk, around the center piece. An example is the US, the center piece will be about Native American culture. Then around it will be 9-11, Pearl Harbor, Civil War, etc. Those pieces I have a plan of how I can visually represent those things.

Although, I would like some opinions on Russia, and other countries if you have any advice. These projects will be my determaning factor to if I get accepted into Art School.

If you have any adivice let me know! I will some how have pictures by this time next year of all of my projects, possibly on Myspace, or Photobucket if anyone wants to see them!

Thanks!

Liz James

PS not olny do I want history I need a current cultural piece too!

Hmm... I hope some one has some ideas... I really need help, I know Rytom has helped me some, but I need some other ideas... SOMEONE PLEASE.....

I can't understand your post, because it is in English! :D

not really sure if I understand what is it exactly that you want, but are you looking for some associations/ideas what should you focus on?
If so, here are sme random ideas, basically the very first thing that pops my head when I hear the name of the country (hope it IS after all what you've asked, or that it will be helpful and I'm not just making an idiot out of myself :lol: )
India - I'd definitely do something about the Bollywood, as it's quite characteristic for their culture; as for the history - Mahatma Gandhi
Ireland - IRA, st Patrick (the story of the Trinity & shamrock), but these are quite obvious
South Africa - definitely apartheid, Nelson Mandela
Greece - ancient Greece, i.e. the rise of democracy, definitely the philosophers
Cuba - Che Guevara, Castro etc
Spain - guess you could do sth on inquisition; and corrida perhaps, for the culture?
Israel - you could start off with the Promised Land; then the Palestina vs Israel conflict; you could also mention the Munich thing, as it concerns both in a way: history & culture :dunno:

the rest of the countries either don't bring any asocciations to my head, or they are pretty obvious (well, not that the ones I've just mentioned weren't obvious :lol: )

And I can't understand your post because your school project sound really stupid and a great waste of time and energy. Is this how you are expected to become knowledgeable in USA schools now?

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Originally Posted by DDT

And I can't understand your post because your school project sound really stupid and a great waste of time and energy. Is this how you are expected to become knowledgeable in USA schools now?

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so was about 50% (if not more!) of the projects at school, in a way ;)

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Originally Posted by DDT

And I can't understand your post because your school project sound really stupid and a great waste of time and energy. Is this how you are expected to become knowledgeable in USA schools now?

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Whoa...come down now. She is just a kid. You could've explained it in a better way.

I think it is a great idea and it won't be too difficult for you to find something about every country, a little research in each country's history and you should be fine!

For Russia you have plenty of subjects:

Communism (subpiece) - or Stalin
Tsarism (centrepiece?) - or Peter the Great
Ballet/Music/Art
Tsjernobyl
Sputnik / Space-related stuff
Putin
Trans-Siberian Railway
Vast land of taiga and forests
Bears roaming in streets
etc.

Thanks for the help from both Kalinka_vinnie, and kamka!
Those are some starting pieces.

Sorry that I didn't explain it very well... My apologies.

ALSO DDT

I'm sorry that you think my project is stupid. As a Sr. in high school, we have to come up with our own projects, and because I like both other countries and other cultures, I chose to do this.
Unlike other students who are doing boring things, like teapots. You cant LEARN any valuable lesson from a TEAPOT can you? So by doing a history based project, I figured I COULD TEACH the uneducated.

Anyway.

Thanks for the help, and I hope you change your mind on your opinion about my project.

I am not picking on your project Jamesy old girl. I am picking on your entire American school system.
I have been volunteering as a teachers aid in the ELL department of a local school here in the USA for the last 6 months. Predominately I help with newly arrived Russian kids with poor English skills.

Having been schooled in another country myself, it is a real "eye opener' for me to see what actually passes for "education" in this country, USA.

Too many meaningless class projects and coloring of useless pictures for my tastes. And to make it worse, since the students learn so little while actually in class, the teacher sends the kids home with 3 hours of homework every night!

Most of the homework being more useless projects and cut and pastes.

It is no wonder that I was once asked by a well meaning American educated person if I arrived in the USA from Australia by TRAIN! And that was right after I was asked what language we speak in Australia.


So, good luck with your project. I doubt that it will make you any smarter but it certainly could give you an "A" on a piece of impressive looking paper.

Well, frankly speaking, iamjames doesn't do it just because of some school project. She is fond of sculpture and arts and wants to make it her future occupation. Just choose a new angle to look at the situatation.

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Originally Posted by Rtyom

Well, frankly speaking, iamjames doesn't do it just because of some school project. She is fond of sculpture and arts and wants to make it her future occupation. Just choose a new angle to look at the situatation.

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Yes, you are right,Ramil. I did not understand her post at first. But when I read it in the light of a sculpture it all makes sense.

Sorry for my rant, Jamie.

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Originally Posted by DDT

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Originally Posted by Rtyom

Well, frankly speaking, iamjames doesn't do it just because of some school project. She is fond of sculpture and arts and wants to make it her future occupation. Just choose a new angle to look at the situatation.

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Yes, you are right,Ramil. I did not understand her post at first. But when I read it in the light of a sculpture it all makes sense.

Sorry for my rant, Jamie.

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Why did you call him Ramil :o ? It's Rtyom :lol: No more vodka for you today :lol:

do make sure to show some photos when you're done; I'm REALLY curious how will it look like :D
and good luck with the project :D

I like the idea. Though it is not a new one, but very fertile for the artproject. And no doubts it is very difficult. Take one country of this list and you can devote all your life to depiction of the figures and events of its history and culture. If I were you I would try to answer these questions:

What mean these 18 countries for me? Why there are 18? Will it make some complete figure or object?

If I take away one or a pair of the countries of this list - will it change a lot? Or will it if I add five other countries?



What are the foundations - the main idea which make these project unit?
Does it have logic?

then the next questions:

What do you think the first when you think about every country?

Who do you remember the first? Columb? Shakespeare? Ceasar? the scientists, geographers, artists, writers, kings, philosophers - there are too many of them in every country.

I would make my idea more clear for perseption. I would take a symbols, alegories or signs. Not the events or people.

And in my opinion any culture or history does not consist of WARS and conflicts like you said about America.


One of my teachers - the man of a great talent made a set of the graphics dedicated to the Literatures of the different countries. It is very close to your idea from my point and it was made with excellence. Here what he did:

In the center of every picture he drew a fine woman's silouette, which was white, but the field which made the silouette was overfilled by the easily recognisable allusions on the cultures and histories - the Spirit of different countries (England, Italy, Greece and so on). The English muse was made by the ship of the Elizbethan times, the sea waves, the Lion and Unicorn, the architecture, oak leaves and I can't recall all what was there - it was made with complete excellence. So it was very inventive and beautiful alegories, though no muse had a face or a costume (the silouettes were nude), but the idea was fine.

I would take the idea of evey country.

Take the banknotes of every country - you will find what every country itself is being proud of. (The last sentence was not in English I suppose and many other).

And have the best luck - you can have a nice project.

Alright, I understand now what you meant on the fact that America has bad schooling, I will not disagree with you any more, in fact, I wish I was not attending any public school, I wish I had the money to go to a private one. It was just a manner of misunderstandment towards one another.

I will have some pictures on both myspace and on photobucket.
Here is something I have made last year. It is noting spectacular or special. We had to make something that makes us happy.
I personally like FEET. I don't know why, but I always have. I think that a human foot is the balance to everything. Also, I am proud of my Russian heritage, so I put the word happiness on the sculpture.

Here is the link:
http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=DSCF1556.jpg

Also I think I have an idea.
I am tossing out the disk portion, and I am going to do something close to Leof's idea. You have inspired me.

18 countries: We have to have 20 projects in the whole year, I am doing two sub pieces to tie all of the countries together.
There really is no logic, but... I'm not sure I understand the question, could you rephrase it?

I am going to be using symbols, they were going to be painted on the disk, somewhat as a base along with the current flag of that country.

I think you are right about the war portion, but... I think it is some what important to learn about what a country has been trough... While wars are bad, they help make an understanding of what that country stands and believes in. Does that make sense?

Any who. If you have any more ideas or suggestions please let me know! Thanks!

James

I try to explain with my bad English why I have voted"no". :)
This project is art work but not school work. It's different things. I agree with DDT here that you should make more academic study than simple 'flight of soul.'

Russian proverb: "to separate flys from cutlets'

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Originally Posted by charlestonian

Why did you call him Ramil :o ? It's Rtyom :lol: No more vodka for you today :lol:

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Must have been bad olives in my Martinis.

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Originally Posted by DDT

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Originally Posted by charlestonian

Why did you call him Ramil :o ? It's Rtyom :lol: No more vodka for you today :lol:

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Must have been bad olives in my Martinis.

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Yeah, that was it :lol:

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Originally Posted by Mikhail_S

I try to explain with my bad English why I have voted"no". :)
This project is art work but not school work. It's different things. I agree with DDT here that you should make more academic study than simple 'flight of soul.'

Russian proverb: "to separate flys from cutlets'

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I dont follow you. 'flight of the soul'? Make more of an academic study? What do you mean by that?

счастливый

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Originally Posted by BappaBa

счастливый

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Yes that is what my feet say!

I see счастлйвый

Oh, I thought... dang, I am stupid! Ha ha! I thought you were correcting me, and I was confused... Sorry!

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Originally Posted by iamjames

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Originally Posted by Mikhail_S

I try to explain with my bad English why I have voted"no". :)
This project is art work but not school work. It's different things. I agree with DDT here that you should make more academic study than simple 'flight of soul.'

Russian proverb: "to separate flys from cutlets'

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I dont follow you. 'flight of the soul'? Make more of an academic study? What do you mean by that?

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I'm sorry.
I have meant that the studies and the hobby should be separated between one another. If you want be a sculptor so it should not hamper learning of history or anything alse.

But I think that this controversy is perpetual between of a technician (like me) and a humanist (like you). :)

Well I really disagree with you Mikhail_S. I think with any piece of art, you are trying to convey a story, or something. It shouldn't be something pretty to look at, it should be more than that. I would like to teach people through my art.

Also, when I am out on my own, all of my pieces will be about Breast Cancer, and how they affect us. I have had a long history with Breast Cancer.

Its all about your message. My message in this is for others to realize that America is NOT the only country out there, there are other places in the world, and they all have their history and culture.

I hope that made sense.

James

James

it seems strange for me, your objective is to drawing attention to history but no history...
You should know the history but not persuade for study its. It's like Soviet propaganda: a lot of words but little the affairs. In your case: many pictures - too few knowledge.

Mikhail

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Originally Posted by Mikhail_S

James

it seems strange for me, your objective is to drawing attention to history but no history...
You should know the history but not persuade for study its. It's like Soviet propaganda: a lot of words but little the affairs. In your case: many pictures - too few knowledge.

Mikhail

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Don't you take it global? :D

The idea is very interesting, but if your main focus is history you should provide more info on every subject you represent visually.

How to do that I have no idea. Find a way to incorporate audio, narrating corresponding (valuable) cultural or historical facts, songs etc. (make a button on every "piece" of culture and hidden dictaphone or something :))
Or make it more interactive, providing a historical quiz to every such piece. After answering correctly the person is rewarded with some mini-show (the star on the Kremlin tower is blinking, little toy indians moving... er... anything).

Ok, my suggestions are not very realistic. :) What I mean is try to make it more educational and interactive. Otherwise it doesn't really relates to history, as somebody has already said, and isn't very entertaining.

The main idea is art itself, and history, I guess, is just one of the ways of application of the result.

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Originally Posted by Rtyom

The main idea is art itself, and history, I guess, is just one of the ways of application of the result.

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Oh. :oops: You're right. He said he's taking Sculpture.
Ok, so idea is great as it is. ;)

iamjames is a girl. ;)

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Originally Posted by Rtyom

iamjames is a girl. ;)

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Да что ж такое! Надо внимательней читать. :lol:
Sorry, iamjames. :)

haha yes, it is ART. But it will be based around history.

And yes, I am female.... :oops: :D

:oops: stupid situation...
I thought that the subject is history... I'm sorry too :?

No, please do not apologize, it was my mistake for not explaining it properly.

I'm sorry!

Worthy subject.... Representing different countries through art. Social, political, artistic and scientific merits (among many others) that define the cultures of said nations... The problem I'd have is how to present the image; from an internal or exteral perspecrive. The USA for example. Americans think we are the greatest place that invented sliced bread, other see us as loud, dumb, arrogant nut-cases... I think you took a good first step asking our Russian friends how they see themselves. Best of luck, it will be in your college application portfolio.


A couple asides.
I have a good friend that studied sculpture at RISDi, he used to hang around the foundry there. I met him when we made molds for for shoe insoles. He has a sweet job at Rebokk as a head designer now. Sculpting happy feet if you will.

You can get a good education whever you go if you take the initiative. I know some brilliant people that went to public schools and some real friggin morons that went to private schools. I think you have a grasp on that.

Edit: I gave you a "yes"