Lateral and Vertical Thinking Essay Example

Lateral and Vertical Thinking Paper Lateral and Vertical Thinking De Bono (2010) in ‘Lateral and Vertical Thinking’ explains the positive and negative features of the two ways of people’s thinking, and he tries to clarify it by giving examples. The core advantage of the lateral thinking is the overcoming styptic assumptions and understanding the problem in an completely different way (De Bono,2010). On the other part, vertical thinking is the way of thinking by exact and logical reasoning of the situation. So, the vertical thinkers do not try to see at the problem from different viewpoints, it is easier for them to see straight to the problem; otherwise, the lateral thinkers prefer to study the problem from all possible angles and usually very quickly. Therefore, the lateral thinking gives more probable solutions; it means more advantages for thinker. Once I heard the interesting for me theory that first group of dancers focuses on definitions and rules, categorizing then standardizing the categorization. And they always ask themselves questions:  Ã¢â‚¬ËœDoes it belong in this box or that box? Which style is correct? So, there is understandably an emphasis on technique, more specifically on defining and enforcing one  correct  technique. Therefore, the second group focuses more on the way dance feels — the subjective experience of dancing. And accordingly ask themselves other questions: ’How does it impact us? How can we enhance the experience for our partners? â₠¬â„¢Ã‚   This group’s thinking therefore embraces more creativity and flexibility, to adapt to partners who are different from our own style. Does it really true? Does it really two types of dancing? As it turned out, no; there is no types of dancing divided by these criteria. We will write a custom essay sample on Lateral and Vertical Thinking specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lateral and Vertical Thinking specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lateral and Vertical Thinking specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer So it is a difference between  vertical thinking  versus  lateral thinking, which can happen anywhere. According to the dictionary, lateral thinking is idea generation  and  problem solving  technique  in which new concepts  are created by looking at things in  novel  ways. Whereas the vertical thinking carries a chosen idea forward, the lateral thinking provokes fresh ideas or  changes  the  frame of reference. And, while vertical thinking tries to overcome  problems  by  meeting  them head-on, lateral thinking tries to  bypass  them through a radically different approach  (http://www. usinessdictionary. com/definition/lateral-thinking. html). I want to conclude that vertical thinking is selective, lateral thinking is generative; and importance for vertical thinking is a correctness, whereas for lateral is a richness. According to original Whiteys Lindy Hoppers superstar Leon James, ‘Want to dance Lindy Hop correctly? Then dont be real c oncerned about correctness! ’(Judy Pritchett Frank Manning,2003). But lateral thinking is not better for  all  kinds of dancing. As I wrote, I believe that both vertical and lateral thinking are valid where appropriate. Rule-based vertical thinking makes perfect sense for ballet and competition ballroom dance for example. You cannot hold a competition unless everyone agrees on the rules. But one of the strangest mismatches you will find in the dance world is when someone applies a rigidly vertical thinking attitude to a lateral thinking dance form, like Lindy hop, Argentine tango, West Coast Swing, salsa or blues. Those dances were born and bred in cultures which valued spontaneity, flexibility and personal variations. The original spirit of those dances is lost if their freedom is replaced by an emphasis on rules and restrictions. So, the types of thinking have a place to be even in the dancing. The exact, logical vertical thinking is for dances with very strong techniques, but the lateral thinking gives more emotions to the dance. And always the most fascinating part of dancing is the individuality of the dancers. Keep the spirit alive. List of References Business Dictionary, nd, viewed 19 October 2011, http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/lateral-thinking. html Marlys Mayfield, 2010, Thinking for yourself, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, USA Judy

Castigo por matrimonios falsos para sacar la green card

Castigo por matrimonios falsos para sacar la green card Es un hecho que se celebran matrimonios falsos con el à ºnico propà ³sito de que el contrayente extranjero obtenga asà ­ la tarjeta de residente permanente (green card) en los Estados Unidos. Pero lo cierto es que la mayorà ­a de las bodas son reales, hechas por amor, aunque ms tarde la relacià ³n acabe mal. Este artà ­culo trata de por quà © se celebran matrimonios fraudulentos para sacar la green card, cules son las estadà ­sticas, cul es el castigo si se descubre la mentira y, por à ºltimo, quà © se puede hacer si se descubre que una boda no es de buena fe. Por quà © se dan enlaces fraudulentos para obtener la green card De todas las formas que existen para sacar la green card, la residencia por matrimonio es la ms comà ºn. Aproximadamente 1 de cada 4 tarjetas de residencia se consiguen de esta manera. La ley permite que tanto los ciudadanos estadounidenses como los residentes permanentes legales puedan pedir los papeles para sus cà ³nyuges, tanto en casos de parejas conformadas por un hombre y una mujer como cuando se trata de parejas gays. En los casos de matrimonio de extranjero con ciudadano se da la mayor incidencia de matrimonios fraudulentos porque ofrece dos grandes ventajas respecto al matrimonio de extranjero con residente: Las peticiones son ms rpidasEn algunos casos, pero no en todos, los indocumentados pueden ajustar su estatus y arreglar sus papeles. Esto no sucede nunca en el caso de boda con residente. Los datos sobre matrimonios entre americanos y extranjeros Aunque no hay estadà ­sticas oficiales se estima que en un aà ±o fiscal tà ­pico se pueden presentar aproximadamente 250 mil peticiones de green card por matrimonios entre estadounidenses, por un lado y extranjeros por otro. De ese total de peticiones, aproximadamente en unos 7,000 casos directamente  el USCIS no reconoce tales uniones como matrimonios, por entender que hay  fraude  y, por lo tanto,  ya no se da la tarjeta de residencia permanente al solicitante. En los casos en los que sà ­ se da la green card, se estima que  hasta un 30% de los mismos pueden ser matrimonios fraudulentos. Sin embargo,  se investigan menos y aproximadamente en 7,000 la green card es revocada. Generalmente porque ha habido una  denuncia de matrimonio por negocio o conveniencia, que puede ser anà ³nima. En estos casos, tanto el ICE (institucià ³n encargado de hacer cumplir las leyes migratorias) como el USCIS (servicio de Inmigracià ³n) estudian si realmente investigan el asunto. Castigo si se descubre que un matrimonio es falso En el caso de que se castigue a una persona por matrimonio fraudulento con el fin de obtener o dar los papeles, la condena puede ser de un mximo 5 aà ±os de prisià ³n y multa de $250,000. Aunque el castigo se puede aplicar a ambos cà ³nyuges, lo cierto es que el extranjero recibe, en general, una mayor pena: puede ser deportado y, si ya le habà ­an dado la green card cuando se detectà ³ que el matrimonio era de conveniencia, se le quitar la residencia. Mientras que en la mayorà ­a de los casos  el ciudadano americano recibir sà ³lo un llamado de atencià ³n. Aunque hay excepciones y a veces depende mucho de la jurisdiccià ³n  en la que se  ventila el caso lo ms comà ºn es que los ciudadanos americanos sean multados e ingresen en prisià ³n por fraude inmigratorio por matrimonio en casos muy excepcionales. Adems hay otra importante diferencia en cuanto a las consecuencias. Si un matrimonio entre un ciudadano y un extranjero es fraudulento y se descubre al menos cinco aà ±os ms tarde, al estadounidense no le pasar jams nada. Esto es porque el delito prescribe (statue of limitations). Sin embargo en el mismo caso el extranjero ser privado de su green card y deber abandonar los Estados Unidos, asà ­ hayan pasado ms de cinco aà ±os desde la boda, porque en este caso no hay prescripcià ³n. E incluso en los casos en los que el extranjero pidià ³ la nacionalidad americana por naturalizacià ³n podrà ­a llegar a perder la ciudadanà ­a. Son proceso muy raros de desnaturalizacià ³n, pero son posibles. Quà © se puede hacer si se es và ­ctima de un matrimonio de conveniencia Es comà ºn que en este tipo de bodas falsas los dos contrayentes està ©n de acuerdo, a veces por amistad entre ambos y, a veces, porque se paga una cantidad de dinero. Esto es asà ­ a pesar de que cuando una persona pide los papeles para otra se est comprometiendo por aà ±os a responder econà ³micamente por ella porque ha firmado el affidavit of support, tambià ©n conocida como declaracià ³n de sostenimiento. Sin embargo, en ocasiones el ciudadano o el residente ni siquiera sospecha de lo que hay no es amor, sino simplemente interà ©s. En estos casos, dependiendo del momento, son posibles diversas situaciones, como por ejemplo:  cancelar la peticià ³n  o incluso solicitar  el divorcio  o, como se seà ±alà ³ ms arriba en este artà ­culo, denunciando. A tener muy en cuenta El matrimonio de un indocumentado con un ciudadano americano no siempre sirve para regularizar la situacià ³n. Depende, en gran medida, de cà ³mo se ingresà ³ a Estados Unidos. Por à ºltimo, seà ±alar que en ocasiones un matrimonio por amor puede levantar sospechas, por la razà ³n que sea. Estos son 12 documentos que sirven para mostrar que el matrimonio es real. Y estas son 65 preguntas que se pueden formular en la entrevista en el consulado para la visa de inmigrante o en la de ajuste de estatus o para el levantamiento de la condicionalidad de la green card (casos especà ­ficos de matrimonio con ciudadano). Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Globalization and Worldwide Poverty Dissertation

Globalization and Worldwide Poverty - Dissertation Example As the discussion stresses globalisation provides a wide-ranging and an all-embracing set of opportunities for worldwide development but evidently, is not progressing uniformly. A few countries have assimilated into the global economy swiftly more than others. Countries that have been able to assimilate are experiencing faster growth and reduced poverty. Likewise, outward-oriented strategies resulted into added economic vitality and wealth to much of East Asia, converting the region from one of the most pitiable territories of the world forty years ago. Together with the ascent of living standards, it became possible to make progress on democracy and economic matters such as work standards and the environment. According to the research findings poverty incidence escalated and high inflation became the norm. In several circumstances, especially Africa, hostile and unfavourable developments made the problems worse. However, as these territories changed their economic policies, their incomes began to rise and vital transformations were on track. They found out that promoting this trend and fostering such economic scenario and not quashing it is the best course for propping up growth, development and poverty reduction. As globalisation made its way into every fiber of human life and human activity, it can be safely deduced that it has both increased and reduced poverty. ... So, how can the developing countries, especially the poorest, be assisted to pull alongside its more affluent neighbors Does globalisation aggravate inequality or can it help reduce poverty What about those countries that assimilate into the global economy, are they inexorably vulnerable to instability These are some of the imperative questions that need to be answered. Literature Review As globalisation made its way into every fiber of human life and human activity, it can be safely deduced that it has both increased and reduced poverty. A process involving the intricate sequence of events - symbolized by the surge of privatisation in public utilities and state-controlled industries, changes in domestic financial markets, taxation systems and liberalised labour markets -- resulted into an unmatched swiftness of international trade and FDI flows (United Nations, 1999; Sala-i-Martin 2002a and 2002b). When social outcomes of globalisation have been closely investigated and deeply scrutinised, academics and logicians have recognised the direction, significance and repercussions of this correlation. And as its effects have been evaluated and analysed, reference was made to two diverse components in the literature - one that connects growth to poverty and inequality and the other pertains to the association of trade to growth. Academic analysis and pragmatic evidence result from the blend of contentions utilised in each sphere of study, one is if 1) growth is distribution neutral as asserted and 2) trade enhances growth, so much so that it can be claimed that 3) trade is helpful in order to alleviate poverty. The notion that growth

Impressionism and Its Effect of the Development of Art Essay

Impressionism and Its Effect of the Development of Art - Essay Example The essay "Impressionism and Its Effect of the Development of Art" discovers impressionism and it's effect of art development. The Impressionist form of art was peculiar in the sense that unlike other traditional paintings at the time of its origin, Impressionist paintings included relatively small, thin but nevertheless visible brush strokes. Impressionist paintings focused more on depicting light accurately in its altering qualities. Contrary to the fine finish detail to which most traditional artists always wanted to achieve in their works, the Impressionist’s were focused on capturing the immediate effect of a scene in their painting. It was often the case that still lifes and portraits were always painted indoors by artists before the emergence of Impressionism movement. The Impressionists realized they capture the momentary and transient effects of sunlight simply by painting en plein air. As a result, their paintings were a realistic reflection of modern life characteri zed by rich visual effects as opposed to details. In order to achieve the visual effects, the Impressionists often used short â€Å"broken† brush strokes composed of mixed and pure unmixed color. This provided the effect of intense color vibration in their paintings. Prior to the formation of the Impressionism art movement, art painting was being practiced. The earlier painters the 17th-century painters including the Dutch often focused their attention on common subjects but somehow their composition remained largely traditional.

Rennaisance Humanist Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rennaisance Humanist Movement - Essay Example Therefore, this paper analyzes the difference between their ideologies on liberty and their earlier views about the Catholic Church. Martin Luther started his protests about the protestant reformation through his first essays by attacking the Catholic Church. These assertions may not be the truth as Martin Luther started his mission in 1511 to Rome as a delegate to protest about the Straupitz improvements. He was enlightened with the catholic knowledge due to his earlier knowledge as a monk and a priest. Luther was able to see deceptive and corruptions in the Catholic Church. He was in a position to develop views about the church and God after he became close to the church. Earlier in his life, he had limited faith in God but he based his beliefs on personal experiences he had with God. He further believed that God had deserted him and thus he punished himself through starvation. Starvation could act as a cleansing mechanism to remove all the impurities, which God refuted. According to Luther, man’s relationship with God was through purification that all things could together, praise, and love God. Other people could not find peace with God due to personal conflict. He spread his understanding of the bible to save the oppressed to overcome the battle with the church. Luther maintained that salvation was not just through laws or works, but also through God’s work. This is a biblical allusion where salvation also demands God’s glory and righteousness that man has done and by his mercy and the work of his grace which we have believed. According to Luther, a person who believed in God and his personal relationship with Him meant that the church had no mandate to condemn that believer because he could not afford to pay the taxes or attend the church proceedings each Sunday. Furthermore, the church had no mandate to control people’s personal life and their God’s beliefs. People had the right to elect their own pastors to resolve the corruption cases. This was after the new understanding about the new relationship between God and man. Therefore, God’s word should arise from people with similar views as others. In this regard, the new free cities could not elude this, which relived them from paying taxes. Through his theological views, church powers were contained in its own state. Several towns launched complains about the powers and high influence that the church had. This proved that the church possessed too many powers over the city-states. Machiavelli had different views from what Luther earlier asserted. He asserted that the key quality in any true person is the value of the word he has. In the prince, the author expresses his deep feelings about the person in the story of one prince. He values integrity for he wishes that the prince keeps his word. In our daily live, all princes who have successfully accomplished great deeds have cared less about keeping their valued promises and have good knowledg e on handling men in a shrewd manner. Machiavelli posits that people were in a position to do things that are more important but they may be interfered by laziness, which hinders them from accomplishing their tasks. Furthermore, the individuals may be too manipulative to allow their efforts go unrewarded. He likened this to the princes whose skills aided them acquire the principles with some difficult but they easily hold on and the growth of the

Issues with Cameras and Privacy in Modern Day Technology

Issues with Cameras and Privacy in Modern Day Technology Scam Cams Nick Doran Introduction and Significance of Issue As a citizen, governmental laws have always played a major role in the way we conduct ourselves. Whether it’s when we vote or when we sit down in our car to travel, they always have a say or way to regulate us. When it comes to the motor vehicle, being a daily driver of suburban and urban areas are stressful enough. Within the last few years, the government has introduced a new X-factor causing many drivers anxiety and even possibly altering a driver’s ability to use their own intuition on being safe and respectful. This new x-factor can come in several forms of traffic violation cameras. The increasing number of cameras being put into effect raises concerns. Having a camera on every street corner leads to concerns about privacy and overreaching by the government in its ability to monitor the movements of people. Even worse, the accuracy and efficacy of these cameras can be called into question, meaning this invasion of privacy does not even have tangible benefits. Thes e cameras are truly an abuse of power by the government, and are an unethical used of technology in our society. A topic that people are very reluctant to realize is how quickly technology has advanced in the recent years. Of course the majority of our society is up to date with the latest version of the iPhone or the newest model of Dr. Dre Beats headphones, but not many people take a second and look around to realize that everything they do from the minute they wake up, to the minute they go to sleep is being monitored. Regardless if it’s the government monitoring them or a computer hacker sitting in his or her basement, your activity and whereabouts are being watched. With every installment of a traffic violation camera, another pair of virtual eyes is watching you. The most common cameras that are being used are Red Light Cameras and Speed Limit Enforcers. Currently, being used in smaller numbers are Bus Lane Cameras and Stop Sign Cameras. With so many flaws in this growing system of cameras, how can we possibly sit back and give away our right to privacy? True Purpose The true reasoning behind the outbreak of these cameras is pretty obvious, revenue. Both state and local government are defending these allegations by claiming that the cameras are for safety. According to the local government of Chicago â€Å"Red Light Camera Enforcement is designed to increase safety on Chicago streets. Cities across the country, and throughout the world, have been using the technology for many years.† (Red Light Camera Enforcement). While this defense seems nice on the surface, many studies have actually shown an increase in rear end collisions due to red light cameras. Drivers are becoming so indecisive and hesitant; the roads are becoming more dangerous. Many drivers are slamming on their breaks when the light turns from yellow to green out of fear of a camera flash following a fine, causing the car behind them to slam into the back of their car. It was found that in certain areas, the yellow light time was actually decreased, often below legal limit, in order to increase the amount of red light offenders. The increase in offenders clearly resulted in greater revenue to the government that issued the cameras. When the goal of increased safety is proven wrong and local governments such as Suffolk County, NY are â€Å"estimated $6.8 million a year† (Brown, J. 2014), it becomes evident that the dollar sign greatly out weights the cameras intended purpose of safety. In retrospect, an extra $6.8 million a year to the county may seem nice, a better plan should be put in place to raise these funds. This plan of traffic violation revenue seems more like a way of taking advantage of a poorly handled situation to get a quick fix of cash. Many individuals and organizations are fed up with these â€Å"scamras† (Werner, A 2012) and are leading successful oppositions of the use of cameras. â€Å"Brothers Michael and Paul Kubosh led a successful rebellion against red light cameras in Houston. The city took the cameras down more than a year ago. The brothers say the only reason cities install the cameras in is to make money. Its estimated that Houston earned $44 million during the four years the cameras were operating.† (Werner,A. 2012). There is no denying that the facts are in the numbers, these cameras are 100% appealing to anyone who rather focus on making money off others mistakes and than protecting us. Smile for the Camera Have you ever looked up on your way out of a grocery store and saw a flat screen television with multiple camera angles of you being displayed? Some may think well, the store has a right to know if someone’s stealing from them, while others may feel uneasy that they are being recorded in their pajama pants. Now think about all the other aspects of your life could have been learned from the time you woke up to the time you walked out of the grocery store by the government or any person or agency with hacking abilities. An outburst of use of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook on your smart phone early in the morning may suggest the time you woke up. The pictures you like and comment on suggest your interests. Software has the ability to turn your smartphone camera on and see through it from 100 miles away. Your neighbors’ security camera catches you walking out of your front door without locking it behind you. Now you get into your car, and every intersection from your home to the store has a camera on it. The cameras know: the route you choose to the store, the make, model, color, year and licenses plate of your car you’re in, if you’re in the car alone or with your kids, and if the camera takes high quality images, it may be able to recognize a wedding band on your finger that’s wrapped around your steering wheel determining if you are married or not. Don’t forget the security camera on the way out of the grocery store that recorded you forgetting to get milk. You may ask, what’s the big deal if the little old lady whole mails me my ticket gets to see pictures and a video of me in my car? The problem is anyone who wants those images badly enough, can get a hold of them. With most new red light camera systems, they are recording video 24/7, meaning all drivers (not just red light runners) are being recorded at all times. The video and still images are stored on privately owned computers servers without any verifiable audit trail of when the video is deleted. Meaning that it is unclear to what really happens to all this information. As a society, where do we draw the line to this invasion of our privacy by our governments? It’s Almost Always Accurate In today’s age we rely heavily on technology and it is safe to say, it doesn’t always work. Technology must be maintained, updated and sometimes restored. Sometimes it can even be defective from the start, â€Å"a setback occurred in 2003 when one vendor, who subsequently went out of business, was found to have provided equipment that was inaccurate. This led to negative publicity, suspension of camera use at three sites, and reimbursements of fines and demerit points to about 90,000 motorists.† (Delany, A. 2005) This is just one of many cases in which this system has failed right off the bat resulting in false accusations to a crime. Many of these cameras are recommended by manufactures, to have regular inspections by specialized technicians. A neglected system can result in similar outcomes as the one stated above. It seems that whatever department assigned to maintain these cameras, often does not. Resulting in thousands of issued tickets to many innocent citi zens that are invalid. Another case of this failed use of technology occurred in Chicago when their camera vendor, Redflex, was â€Å"fundamentally deficient, with little supervision such poor record-keeping that it is difficult to determine why the number of tickets issued spiked during period, as first reported by the Chicago Tribune.† Reflexes’ mishaps with â€Å"one detector at the intersection of Kimball, Lincoln and McCormick avenues was largely nonfunctional for years, meaning that the broken system â€Å"may have failed to have identify as many as 45,444 violations over a four-and-a-half-year period.†Ã¢â‚¬  With an uneducated society on this abuse of technology we quickly pull out are checkbooks to pay off these fines before a warrant is issued to the offender. We are forced to act out of fear rather than fighting for what is wrong and right. Psychology is Stronger then Law â€Å"Although many issues are raised in the numerous and constant debates on the revenue-raising aspects of speed enforcements, one key area of knowledge that can shed some light on it has yet to be highlighted, especially in the research literature. Do we really need to catch offenders to be effective? Can crashes be reduced simply by the presence of police enforcement without the need to issue tickets? Previous research has shown that even plywood replicas of police cars had an effect on driver behavior (Baker and Lawder, 1968) and simply giving a warning also had an effect on driver speed (Ennis, 1967). If the mere presence of police is sufficient to deter speeding, then there is no escape from the revenue-raising allegations† (Tay,R. 2010) The wrong approach is being taken to solve this safety problem. These cameras are not the answer. This plywood cop car study goes to show that the psychological presence of a police officer has a greater impact on how people drive. If a police officers presence if constantly know in a school zone, motorists will subconsciously become alert and be more aware of surroundings. A high majority of people throughout numerous studious have agreed that this would be the more effective method in accomplishing safer roadways for communities. Conclusion It is a hard point to miss that these Scamcams, are exactly that. Their intentions may seem great, but the way our government has chosen to implement them is just outright absurd. The notion that we are installing cameras on almost every major street corner is essentially giving another pair of eyes to whoever has the capability to use them. Whether it’s the national government monitoring, a college student with the self taught capability of hacking, or just your local government sticking you with a revenue boosting fine, you are being watched and there’s no ignoring that. We are allowing a problem to spiral out of control right in front of us. We are allowing our governments to encroach farther into our person space and privacy. Not too mention, they’re making a large sum of money off this program. Are their intentions still to make the streets a safer place or did the find a way to use this safety campaign as a cloak to scamming its people. Our National, State and local governments ethics have always been questioned but now with their scamcams, they have finally crossed the line. References Brown, J. (2014, April 23). Traffic cameras have one purpose: To bring in more money. Newsday. Retrieved from http://www.newsday.com/long-island/columnists/joye-brown/traffic-cameras-have-one-purpose-to-bring-in-more-money-1.7807020?pts=762136 Delany, A., Ward, H., Cameron, M., Williams, A. (2005). Controversies and Speed Cameras: Lessons Learnt Internationally. In Journal of Public Health Policy (4th ed., Vol. 26, pp. 404-415). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Journals. Hinz, G. (2014, October 14). City inspector general slams red-light camera program. Retrieved from http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20141010/BLOGS02/141019989/city-inspector-general-slams-red-light-camera-program Red Light Camera Enforcement. (2011, April 5). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/red-light_cameraenforcement.html Tay, R. (2010). Speed Cameras: Improving Safety or Raising Revenue? In Journal of Transport Economics and Policy (2nd ed., Vol. 44, pp. 247-257). London: University of Bath and The London School of Economics and Political Science. Werner, A. (2012, January 1). Safety or scam? Red light cameras under scrutiny. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/safety-or-scam-red-light-cameras-under-scrutiny/

cyborg performance :: essays research papers

Explore the relationship between the body and technology in the work of Orlan and Stelarc A performer is essentially composed of two entities: the self and the representation of the self. The human body is the physical manifestation of this represented self and is interpreted by the observer depending on its gender, age, colour, attractiveness, adornment and perceived disabilities (these perceptions often being culture-bound as well). In addition to this, the performer uses make-up and costume, and interactions with the performance space to affect the interpretation. For the focus of a performance space, what better place to start with than this powerful physical signifier? In performance, there is a tendency to perceive the actor and the body as a very separate entity to the concrete, technological elements of the stage. Orlan and Stelarc, contemporary performance artists, challenge this perception - Mcclellan (1994, para.14) describes them as â€Å"the post-human Adam and Eve†, suggesting that they are heralding in a new ‘breed’ of performer, inextricably related to, and even created by, technology. This certainly reflects the role of the body and technology in current Western society - medical technology can create life in vitro and, defying nature, can alter its intrinsic genetic makeup, and internet technologies can allow a person to project a fabricated disembodied persona onto the ‘net’ to interact with others over vast distances. Orlan and Stelarc embrace technological integration as a prerequisite to their work – the questions lie in what it means to the self if the way in which it is represented (the bod y) is altered. In combining aspects of endurance and durational performance art, Orlan presented the alteration of her own body in the surgical theatre. ‘The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan’ is her most well-known piece of work, begun in 1990. However, she did begin performing in the 1960s when, even then, she demonstrated a subversive attitude towards the body. In 1964 she used her own body as †a unit of measurement (‘Orlan-corps’)† to measure public buildings (Flande [ed.], ‘Biography’, www.orlan.net). This project continued into the late 1970s. The reduction of her body to a tool of measurement was the less extreme forerunner to the reduction of it as a canvas in ‘The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan’. In both pieces, she objectifies her body, however in ‘The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan’, the implications on herself and her audiences are far more controversial. A surgical textbook defines ideal beauty as â€Å"[that] of a white woman whose face is perfectly symmetrical in line and profile† (Balsamo cited in Auslander, 1997, p.