Help me!

Posted by David Mazure | Filed under Diagrams, Digital

Help me! I am currently working on an installation project that (surprise, surprise!) involves diagrams and configurations of a scientific nature. I’ve been working on these for the past few days and think I may be too involved with it to be able to rely on my usually sound decision making abilities. Please select your overall favorite configuration from the above list of 18, and then your five runners-up (for a grand total of six favorites) and list them in the Comments section. You can base your decision on any criteria you want. I will be taking a tally of the most popular configurations and including them in the installation. Thanks for your help!

Permalink | August 21st, 2008

32 Responses to “Help me!”

  1. Wig Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 8:21 am

    Fav – #18 – Slug
    Runners up – #10 – Bear
    # 14 – Rhino
    # 12 – Anteater
    # 17 – Bat
    # 6 – Hedgehog

  2. John Cline Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 8:58 am

    Why do I have to pick just one. I like the whole thing, just do two more to fill in the blank spaces at the bottom. Very compelling. Love the contrast between black and white. Love the feeling that someone is trying to speak to me in code, like I am an insider in a secret organization hellbent on restoring peace and order in the universe. (Or the opposite, maybe?)

    Seriously, I could stare at this kind of work for a good long time.

  3. marly Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 am

    #10-bear
    #4-?
    #5-?
    #2-?
    #12-ant eater
    #16-crystals

  4. Rob Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 11:47 am

    I really like John’s comments above…

    #16 … (Sorry Marls) 16 looks more like a bear than #10
    #10
    #14
    #7

    Dave – I got a hint for you…the term “webmistress” is not PC. In fact it implies that you are cheating on your webmaster, by using someone else for web design….stick to “art” and stay away from the jokes!!

  5. Rob Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 11:49 am

    Ouch…sorry Marly, you’re right…#10 is the bear.

  6. Kyra Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 11:57 am

    Rob, we all know Dave isn’t very PC. He prefers MACs ;)
    So, who is this web mistress? He should hire a developer/designer instead.

  7. Tj Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    #4 – I like it being disconnected, like humanity as a whole is from Gaia. Then 15, 10, 14, 6, and 18.

  8. eric Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm

    13 – snail
    12 – ant-eater
    3 – bird?
    9 – butterfly?
    16 – ??

    Wow…that makes me a little spitty mouth staring that for so long. Next time i will bring some dramamine!

  9. David Mazure Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    Wig: First of all, thanks for being the first official commenter on my blog! You win the door prize (I’ll tell you what that is later). Second, it seems as if you started quite a trend with the animals!

    John: Thanks for the feedback — I was actually considering the possibility of using similar diagrams as the titles of my work for my upcoming thesis show! Your comments are the money!

    Marly: Question marks ain’t gonna cut it here, sister! (Thanks for participating!)

    Rob: Thanks for participating in this here first visitor interactive event! And as for the jokes, I will leave that up to Kyra from now on (see her comment for funniness)

    TJ: #4 is one of my favorites, too — hopefully that one will make the final cut!

    Eric: Imagine my eyes after makin’ them all! That’s why I didn’t make it all the way to my 20th version (as alluded to by John’s comment)

  10. Kyra Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    I like the third one best, then:

    2
    4
    12
    5

    In general, I prefer those that have more open lines sprouting out as opposed to the more closed shapes.

  11. David Mazure Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    Feel free to comment on Sacred Geometry (Face 1)! (Just scroll down on the main page if you don’t see it).

  12. erich Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 5:06 pm

    first choice -14
    then:
    1
    5
    6
    17
    4

  13. jason Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    #14 is clearly garbage.

  14. wig Says:
    August 23rd, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    I think that people start from the place of “the known” to bridge the gap to the unknown, thus the animals. It’s similar to Rorschach cards. TJ, do you think that people are disconnected from the Gaia (yes, i looked it up) as a result of increased human/machine interaction that has retarded interpersonal communication? People would rather text than talk. Machines don’t lie, cheat, steal (& the other deadly sins). For some, in ever increasing numbers, this brave new world may represent a safe haven from pain & suffering. The flip side is missing out on the possibility of joy, ecstasy & love, none of which will be found in dots & lines. I prefer “organic” Dave to these, but I guess if complex organic compounds were to be represented in a digital form this is what they might look like. (How’s that for vacillating?)

  15. David Mazure Says:
    August 23rd, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    Kyra/Eric J: The instructions were to pick a total of 6 (not 5) – but, the guidelines for the visitor interactive portion of this blog-site are not being strictly enforced as of right now, so you are free do interpret the them as you wish. :-)

    Erich: Thanks for sharing your opinions! and. . .

    Jason: . . .it is always a pleasure to hear your opinion, but I’m going to have to disagree with you here because, like Erich, I am a big proponent of number 14 as well! (Hope all is well up in VA, and as usual, your trash talk cracked me up!)

    Wig: Regarding your first sentence – I agree, and that is the exact process by which I develop most of my imagery (examples and explanations of which I will be posting soon on this site, that you may find interesting). Not that I disagree with your other points (because I don’t at all), but, don’t you sometimes think that joy, ecstasy & love are simply illusions created by our egos to satisfy our selfish desires? (I teeter back and forth on that one myself). And. . .you can look forward to a mix of “organic” and “scientific” Daves in the future!

  16. wig Says:
    August 24th, 2008 at 11:47 am

    I don’t think that you can truly experience positive feelings from a selfish perspective. There may be positive emotional responses from a “feed the ego’s desires” but they are fleeting & temporary. Thus the quest becomes a never ending cycle of trying to repeat these experiences by manipulating interactions with others, or internally, with drugs, sex, tv etc. It is the intent behind thoughts & actions that matters. If the action or thought is initiated to produce some goal, positive or negative, then it is desire driven.

  17. David Mazure Says:
    August 25th, 2008 at 10:18 am

    Wig: I totally agree that there is something to be said for ‘positive intent’ — but, (just to be an ass), isn’t the Road to Hell paved with good intentions? :-)
    And, just to continue to be the Devil’s Advocate, don’t emotions/feelings fade through time?, or at the very least, lose their intensity?

  18. Wig Says:
    August 25th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    first, the “road to hell…” is meant for good intentions that are not followed through by any action. second, the fact that emotions/feelings fade through time & lose their intensity is why people continually try to reproduce that original intensity, to no avail. thus, the never ending cycle of the snake eating it’s own tail.

  19. David Mazure Says:
    August 25th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    An infinite universe.

  20. J.Culp Says:
    August 25th, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    5
    2
    4
    18
    15
    8

    I picked by letting my eyes wander over them and noting which ones arrested my gaze for a moment in the order in which they caught my eye. Like Kyra said, I think the ones with some open lines tend to be more interesting, or maybe they just gave my eyes a good entry point to the welter of dots.

  21. jeri allison Says:
    August 25th, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    8,16,10, 7, 18,9… don’t know why. just went by my gut. David…what ?? are you doing this time??? you never cease to baffle me.

    ps i love the door prize

  22. Logan Says:
    August 26th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    #15 Polar Bear playing with dots
    #10 Black Bear running away
    #7 Brown Bear laying on back looking at #12
    #9 Two bears playing
    #8 Bear approaching #3 Bear
    #5 Two bears fighting to the death

  23. Big Guy Says:
    August 26th, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    10, 7, 12, 16, 13, 2 – Hope you realize these choices are based on nothing artistic or biologic or for that matter – anything. Since there was no symmetry I had a real problem but #10 was definetely my first choice. Why? Who knows.

  24. Mom Says:
    August 26th, 2008 at 11:56 pm

    These are my picks- 14, 13, 10, 12, 7, 3. Don’t know exactly why but they looked interesting to me. Good luck with the project.

  25. David Mazure Says:
    August 27th, 2008 at 9:19 am

    Jennifer: Thanks! Its always interesting to see how people are making their choices — I had no idea how to pick them, so I’m glad some of you are!

    Jeri: What am I doing this time? It’s a surprise (that you’ll hopefully see at my thesis show!). And, everyone seems to respond positively to the door, guess I might have to put that in my show, huh?

    Logan: Very funny, man! Where are Amie and Ayden’s picks?

    Big Guy: I wasn’t expecting a biological or aesthetic choice — everyone has their own criteria for choosing what they chose (read some comments before yours), but thanks for participating Big Guy!

    Mom: Thanks Mom! #14 is also one of my favorites. . .and it seems as if, so far, #10 is winning the popularity contest!

  26. Doc Jeff Says:
    August 27th, 2008 at 5:43 pm

    #15…you only get one selection!

  27. Heather Says:
    August 27th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

    5 is the winner for me
    followed by
    4
    6
    14
    18
    16
    This sort of art often makes me feel disjointed and confused. Glad to hear other people have more appreciative responses. It’s just a bit too heady scientific for my hot blooded passionate artistic sensabilites.

  28. David Mazure Says:
    August 27th, 2008 at 8:27 pm

    Heather: Well, you’ll be happy to know that these ‘diagrams’ are not yet the finished product, just a means to an end for a final blow-out extravaganza! (well, it might not be THAT great)

  29. kyradk Says:
    August 27th, 2008 at 10:41 pm

    It just might though. I have a good feeling about it. Though feelings do fade so now I have to ponder.

    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    Yes, greatness to come.

  30. David Mazure Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 10:07 am

    Eh right

  31. Kyra Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    And Heather, I’m with you there. There is no mess in these dots!

  32. David Mazure Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 10:00 pm

    I don’t think art is about making a mess – -its more about communicating an idea.

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