#5. Think of various cultural, religions, political, personal, scientific associations and symbols of “light” and “darkness”. Discuss some that come to mind. http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/
In the Chinese culture, the Yin-Yang is the understanding of how things work. The Yin (black) is the "dark" energy, referring to the passive, downward, cold and weak. The Yang (white) is the "light" energy, which is bright, hot, strong, and active. The shape of the symbol alludes to its continuous energy, as both of these energies need each other to make things happen.
Personally, when it is lighter outside I am more productive, when it is darker outside I feel as though I am more relaxed.
In many cartoons, an example being Snow White, the lighter white symbolizes the good as the dark symbolizes the evil (The queen wears a black clock and her chamber is full of darkness).
#6 Think of some experiences that you have had in which you felt a sense of “lightness”. Describe one or some of these experiences.
When I have gotten a lot accomplished or I achieve something that I am very proud of, I feel an adrenaline rush and begin to feel lighter or somewhat floating (literally lighter in weight). When I am very happy my head feels lighter and it feels as though my stress levels are much lower, thus making my energy feel lighter.
#7. Think of some experiences that you have had in which you felt a sense of “darkness”. Describe one or some of these experiences.
I lost a close relative to death a few years ago, and when this happened I felt a sense of darkness within me. My entire energy became very dull and gloomy and I didn't want to do anything productive. Darker things seem more natural in this mind state, and I would always keep my blinds closed so that sunlight couldn't get in. Loss is a huge ignitor for darkness in the mind.
#8 From the reading on light and shadow, pick an artist/photographer whose work inspires you. Describe why you like her/his work.
The photograph by Bapak Gogon Margono, Javanese Shadow Pupper of Hanuman, is the most interesting to me. It reminds me somewhat of a Tim Burton character and I think it be isolated from anything else enhances its eerie-ness. The distortion of scale in this photograph is very successful in that it could appear to be 10 feet tall, instead of the few inches high that it probably is. It would be cool to see this photograph in large scale, and this photograph makes me want to explore scale distortion.
