Monday, May 23, 2016

Continuing Participation with "LIVE" Blogging

On Saturday, May 21st my role for the Public Raffle was to be a "LIVE" blogger during the On the Line event. I chose to feature a couple of set-up activities from the event to be included as posts, since the raffle concept is integrated with the other programming that is scheduled. By communicating Edith’s previous structure for the Public Raffle (refer to March 29th and April 1st, 2016 blog posts) to Christopher and Kelsey, University of California, Riverside Anthropology students, I became aware of their familiarity with the area of Casa Blanca and memories of clotheslines. To stay focused on the multi-voice initiative that began this blog, I extended their participation beyond managing the raffle at Casa Blanca Library.
Public Raffle - Clothesline Objects
During the drawing of the raffle, I refrained from interviewing the raffle winner. We did have a casual conversation and I offered the opportunity for him to include a post concerning his experiences with the winning clothesline objects from the raffle. I understand with this approach there is a chance of not obtaining any future content, but I wanted the raffle winner to feel comfortable with sharing his experiences on a public post and have a chance to utilize the objects. The malleable characteristics of the blog offer an unlimited time to post as long as the blog is live.
Other technical aspects that I have considered from my experience of "LIVE" blogging are the strength of the Internet signal and unedited video footage. Posting unedited video footage to the blog posts made me consider my content for the post. I chose activities that offered more action related scenes than conversational pieces between participants. I believe the activities lend themselves to the unedited footage style, while documenting a few of the preprogramming events. There was not a strong Internet signal in the garden area of the Casa Blanca Library to upload video and images efficiently to my blog draft. I had to spend time in the library to upload and post. While this element is out my control it does affect the timing of my post and the media contents availability. My four posts are suitable for the shorter time-period event and type of accessibility of the Internet.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Casa Blanca Site - Afternoon of May 21st

The garden area of the Casa Blanca library was an enjoyable environment to have private conversations about clothesline experiences, view the performances and a suitable backdrop for the storytelling circle. 
This afternoon I got to experience the On the Line programming, while working with two other University of California, Riverside Anthropology students who were managing the public raffle. We kept Edith's methods of collecting names from the two previous library sites. I announced the winner of the raffle and learned more how they were going to use the objects. I am glad to have the opportunity to  experience the raffle within the program today.

Started Collecting Names

Collecting names for the public raffle. Drawing will be at the end of the programming at Casa Blanca site.

Continued Set-Up Casa Blanca Library Site

Tensegrity has just arrived for On the Line programming! Tensegrity is a principle by which elements subjected to continuous tension can compose a structure that is self-standing. The elements of the structure are held together by a continuous action similar to the subtle forces that join people in society. So, the structure not only evokes or symbolizes social connection with its clothesline-inspired shape, it enacts them.

Tensegrity by Nathanael Dorent (architect), Mike Grandaw (construction), and
Manja Van de Worp (nous engineering)

Casa Blanca Library Begin Set-Up

Begin set-up for Casa Blanca Library site Riverside California On the Line

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Laundry Stories

During the Arlanza "On the Line" event raffle, I engaged in conversations with people who entered their name. The topic of laundry is something that could be seemingly insignificant, but the stories I gathered show us how meaningful laundry can truly be.

One of the stories that stood out to me was that of Young Oh. He was raised in South Korea and remembers seeing his mother hunch over to wash clothing regularly. The constant strain on his mother's back caused her to need surgery. Oh expressed how grateful he is for his mother's effort and care. It made him want to pursue a career as a doctor and cure people who were sick like his mother once was. Oh's family found that in order to make their mother's life easier it was necessary for them to purchase laundry machines. He then explained that laundry machines are a luxury to him and his family. Young Oh's story made me realize that what may seem as something common in one part of the world, may be a very luxurious item in another. Most importantly, however, I learned of the undeniable sacrifice that mothers are willing to put for the care of their loved ones. 

Another story that comes to mind is that of Azeem Rahman. He told me that in England, where his family is from, there is almost always rain. Hanging clothes on clotheslines can be a very frustrating chore because the clothing may never get dry. Relative to the weather we have in California where it is mostly sunny daily, England can rarely enjoy "nature's dryer"; the sun.

In addition to these two stories, a couple of people expressed that doing laundry is very soothing. It is as if with every new change of  freshly washed clothing there is the start of something new. Another said that he dislikes the disappearances of his clothing in  the dryer. Having one sock without its pair can be frustrating. Ultimately, we all have at least one laundry story that has, in one way or another, shaped our perspectives on aspects of our daily lives.

Azeem Rahman (Far Right): winner of Arlanza raffle