Play, Art, Myth and Ritual Flashcards
Characteristics of play
An open system, relates to thinking, a conscious process you have to think about, establish clear differences between play world and non-play world, Cognitive revolution:different from animals - we think outside the concrete reality, humans play the most throughout life, natural selection: gave us exercise, help for future experiences - brain development & new motor skills, can also be a social message: you are healthy, you would make a strong parent.
Effects of Play
Exercise, preparedness, exploration, alternative experiences, learning, imitation, rehearsal (ex: playing house), Alternative Views of Reality: “Play allows unlimited consideration of alternative referential perspectives on reality “What can be”. Some effects of play - stimulates innovation & creativity in adults.
Aspects of Sport
Aggressive, competitive, physically assertive, governed by game-like rules, ritually patterned, agreed upon by all, used to help modern societies unite, build political union, promotes allegiances
Artistic rules
Transformation and representation, transform to give new meaning, if you transform something you give it a representation and vice-versa, art is symbolic, culturally defined: by defining it you include the object, the artist and the audience
Art includes…
Sculpture, Drawing, Painting, Dance, Music, Theatre, Literature
Is art ethnocentric?
Because it meets your parameters of what you culturally think is good? Is there objective criteria that makes good art of is it subjective? – How we interpret art is dependent on our cultural contexts, there is some techniques that can be used in art but in terms of appearance it is subjective
Who is an artist?
Cave art in France thousands of years ago… is this art? Were they trying to evoke an aesthetic response or is it a documentation? Is there an intended audience? Is graffiti art when it vandalizes someone elses property? – These are definitely art even if they are perceived as detrimental/not important
Bigenho’s 3 Forms of Authenticity
- ) Experiential Authenticity
- ) Cultural-Historical Authenticity
- ) Unique Authenticity
What was the significance of the video on art trade in Cameroon and Belgium?
The problem of authenticity… people were selling new objects but using techniques to make them look old and historical so they would be worthy of higher profits
How do Myths reflect and shape societies?
Origin myths for ex. are used to shape how one behaves today and in the future, people can explain where they came from and how their world was created - gives them purpose
Myths can be used as…
Social charter (Charter of Rights and Freedoms of ex.), Tools for overcoming any logical contradiction that cannot be otherwise explained, Cognitive explanations, Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy
Claude Levi-Strauss saw myths as tools/performance, what were the 3 different social actors?
- ) Suggests that a myth in a ritual process requires the healer to believe in the myth and has to believe in their powers to symbolically communicate that belief
- ) Need to be patient to believe in the myth and your power to carry it out & must be a willing participant
- ) The social group/community must believe in the healer or spiritual leaders abilities, believe the participant legitimately wants to participate, the publics expectations are necessary for the myth to work & social group must participate (they acknowledge, approve, believe and participate for it to continue to be relevant)
Types of Ritual:
- Symbolism
- Repetition and redundancy
- Order and formality
- Cognitive transformation
- Intensification
- Perpetuating power
Why do we have ritual?
It allows people to participate physically, mentally and emotionally - in the cosmological order; the deep truths that explain reality (enacting myths/truths/ideas, divination, transformation and change, move with the ordered passage of time)
Psychological explanation of Ritual:
(Malinowski): Ritual as a means of reducing anxiety when faced with perceived peril or threat; a way to reduce tension generated by a sense of helplessness (praying before a hunt)
