Love
There were thousands of beautiful works of art during the 2015 Burning Man festival in Nevada, but there’s one that caught people’s eyes and invited them to interpret its meaning. The “Love” sculpture by Ukrainian artist Alexander Milov features two wire-frame adults sitting back to back with their inner child reaching out to each other from within. At night, the inner children lit up as well.
Take a moment to view the sculpture and jot down your ideas of the sculpture’s meaning.
“Love” was constructed by Ukrainian artist Alexander Milov for Burning Man 2015.
You’re free to come to your conclusions about the sculpture’s meaning, but here’s what Milov wrote about the sculpture on the festival’s website:
“My concept is Love”, Alexander Milov says. “Figures of woman and man seat with their backs to each other, symbolizing human insults and relations, but at the same time they support each other with their backs. These are the cages, which we drive ourselves into as we become older. The woman is in fetal position, meaning that all her worries are in her soul and heart. The man rests his head on his hands, showing that his worries are determined by his thoughts.
It demonstrates a conflict between a man and a woman as well as the outer and inner expression of human nature. Their inner selves are executed in the form of transparent children, who are holding out their hands through the grating. As it’s getting dark (night falls) the children start to shine. This shining is a symbol of purity and sincerity that brings people together and gives a chance of making up when the dark time arrives.”
As we dive into the chapter’s topic, Understanding Families’ Goals, Values, and Culture, like our own “inner child”, one must also consider the power of internal human nature.
At the beginning of our course studies, it was articulated in my ‘welcome note’ that the motto of this course is:
“Everything I do, has a ripple effect. What kind of ripples do I want to create?”
So in order to understand other peoples goals, values, and culture, we must understand our own. In that, everything YOU have been studying, reflecting about, writing about, has been intentional; to serve as a catalyst to strengthen your own self-identity, perspectives, and values; as well as respectfully consider other’s as well. In that, now is where we look at how each of you begin to form Understanding (of other) Families’ Goals, Values, and Culture. We must keep in mind that none of us are perfect and strive to give others grace. This will help us to show respect and compassion to others, which will ultimately support us in forming partnerships.
The sculpture created and shown at Burning Man in 2015, pictured above, is a symbol of internal and external conflicts….kind of like what most humans experience every day. If humans chose to work together even amidst conflict, then we all must learn how to be respectful of differences, even when it is hard to. Differences in religions, parenting styles, cultural approaches to what respect looks like, communication styles, personal values, and other things strike at the heart of all of us, as those are some of the things that make up our identities.
This week, in addition to your textbook readings, you will review and reflect on the following two videos, before responding to the following discussion questions.
📝 Take time to jot down notes about your thoughts and what strikes you most in these videos.
👀 WATCH this 14 minute video: 13, and a Bride:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K69c_ylO5v0
👀 WATCH this 5 minute video:
The Importance of Your Mother Tongue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubejua6vZfI
Response Format
- Always separate your responses to the questions with numbered paragraphs, starting with the question (type it in bold), with your response following (typed in APA, paragraph format, using 12 pt Times New Roman font).
- Very important: all writing is inclusive of proper sentence structure/grammar is at the college level. Include citations from our assigned course resources to support your ideas.
- First person “I” statements are expected. You are writing from your perspective (so please avoid generalizing “we/us”).
- Review DB Rubric to ensure you are addressing all assignment components and Use the checklist below.
🔍 Extended Learning & Reflection Connection
💡 Answer each prompt:
1. In the video 13, and a Bride, there were most likely things that you watched and heard that went against your own family’s goals, values, and culture. Please indicate the most triggering statements that you heard or images you saw. Why did they trigger you? Did you experience feelings of empathy, rage, sadness, etc towards anyone in the video? Towards whom and why? What was it that they said and/or did that created that/those emotional reaction(s) in you?
2. In the video, Your Mother Tongue, the young man speaks about not losing his language for fear of his grandmother. Why do you believe he stated this? What was the audience’s reaction to this and why? How does this connect with our text readings this week?
3. Choose one of the following to respond to:
(Option 1)Try out using the RERUN strategy with a family member and write about your experience, sharing it with us. //OR// (Option 2) Discuss your findings from some of the other videos you watched – answering questions posed and connecting these ideas to this week’s reading.
🐝 IR: Your Initial Response should be one that uses the lens of authenticity and reflection to generate self-discovery into who you are and the experiences that have shaped your views of yourself in comparison to others. Remember to include an in-text citation, citing something from our course resources to support the ideas you are sharing.