Today we had a tech lab on using Storymap JS. IT WAS SO COOL! To finally do what we’ve been talking about this whole time was invigorating. What a cool program! I sensed that most of us in the room felt this way. All of us were plugged in, and in the best sort of way. Now I know where the sweetness of this project lies.
I decided to map out all of the buildings that my family members work in, in Center City, Philadelphia. I chose a map “Open Street Maps: Standard” as my map design, which provided an incredible amount of detail for that particular area of the city. It was colorful and beautiful. I put about six locations on the map all within about a six block radius. This felt a little clunky though. I was mapping out 3 peoples work places, so I wish there was a way to identify each of the pin points as an individual person (i.e. my moms pins are blue, my dad’s are green, etc.). I also wish that there was a way that we could draw lines between the points. How cool would it be to see how their commute route? I also had an idea of putting the transportation systems that they use on the map to show where they are all coming from, but without a line connecting the spots it seems a little silly. Also, I was thinking that it would be really cool if we could find the exact distance between each spot. What a useful tool this could be!
One can use Storymap for so much. You could map out your vacation, or use it to show your hometown. The possibilities are numerous. Another thing that I also noticed Storymaps is lacking is the ability to put multiple media clips/links at one location. It looks like one has to decide between putting a video or a photograph, etc. It would be ideal if we could put a street view image with the location as well as a link to the website and a clip of what they do over there. The way it is, I felt a little confined in what I chose to show.
A cool project I thought of was to map out contemporary photography scene in China. Are any of us researching contemporary topics? It would be pretty cool to research and then actually see these places or meet the people running them. I guess we’re doing this to a degree already, though.
I can’t believe how much fun I had on the computer today. Usually, I try to avoid the computer at all costs. Today though I was totally infatuated. Hopefully today was just as inspiring for my classmates as it was for me. I can’t wait to meet up with my group and hear about their experience. I wonder if today’s lab changed their vision of the what our project will be. Maybe it also helped them to narrow down what it is they want to research and show.
Lets hope xx
Category Archives: Team Heart
All of the blog posts for the Team Heart research project.
The Head and the Heart: Finding Balance
Hello again!
It has been a while since my last blog post, so I’ll begin by catching everyone up to speed: it’s been a busy two weeks! The pace of the semester finally picked up, which of course means that all of my classes got exponentially harder. I have had trouble finding the time to sit down and do diligent research for this course, what with the other readings and the map test that Eric and Zhihong assigned us.
However, I am still excited about this project! All of the interlibrary loans that I requested for my research have started to come in, and seeing them sitting in a cute (albeit towering) pile on my desk is certainly inspiring. The team that I am a part of is also chock full of really intelligent and fun people, and every time we meet (even if we just end up talking about the reading that is due that night) I am reminded of the potential we have as a group.
In the sparse amounts of research that I have been able to get done, I have been finding commonalities of various shamanic traditions throughout our chosen region. Many of the books I have on Shamanism are actually more focused on shamanic figures on the western world, so I of course have had to filter those out. Hopefully our group will meet this weekend and we will discuss our new knowledge of storymapping.
Moving forward I really plan on pushing myself to find balance with this project: even when I’m feeling overwhelmed I still need to take the time to sit down and get a little bit of research done every few days.
Old Friend
Blogging has been hard to keep track of. I think I need to set an alarm or something to remember to do it. More and more I’m questioning my scheduling tactics–I don’t write anything down. I just rely on my own memory. How much more productive would I be if I scheduled out blocks of time to do specific things? Organization, I’m finding, is key to being a TA. I’m fairly organized, but there are certainly areas in which I’m lacking.
This week I have greatly enjoyed the readings on Islam. We read a piece written by Seyyed Hossein Nasr on Islamic religion and history, as well as some writings on and by Rumi. Islam is very unfamiliar to me, but what I read I loved! Many of the ideologies we read about reminded me of what I know about Hinduism. There is something about non-dualistic religions that strike me as beautiful. Islam is that, but pays particular attention to God. These readings hit close to home for me. More than that, they fueled a fire from within that I’ve left to dwindle over the last few years.
I first encountered Rumi in my yoga studies–there is always a Rumi poem that comes up in practice. It is cool to read about Rumi in a different context. In yoga, we only take what applies to our own life. In the context of Islam, every line is relevant. What does this say about the importance of presentation? Is it ethical to read the words of Rumi in all scenarios? How can I apply these thoughts to our map project?
The project…isn’t going too hot at the moment. The Map Test really set us back. Hopefully this weekend we’ll be able to dig our teeth in and get a clear picture of where we are at before starting Fall Break.
Where It Is ~ What It Is
Duhduhduduhn! I just completed the first map test! And it took me way too long. The test was (although very long) pretty cool. I must say, I learned a lot. For the first time all semester, I finally have some clue as to where all that we have been learning is–and let me tell you, by knowing where it is, I feel like I have a better grasp on what it is, too.
The test covered a large range of topics from routes explored, to current events, to geographic terrain and borderlines. It required a lot of looking at the map and not just memorizing where each place is, but understanding the geographic pattern of terrain. That said, I had to look at the map a lot just to be sure. I found interactive websites the most helpful–there was one that took us through Marco Polo’s route and one site that had a map that showed not only the routes of explorers, but also the religious belief of each region, the language primarily used, etc. I also did many extensive google searches. Wikipedia and Google Maps became my best friend.
It was really cool to see what’s already out there (mapping wise). There are some neat maps I found on China made with Google Maps and Timemaps. The Timemap I found seemed a little clunky. There were many dates, but the organization of them all was not quite clear. I think that when my team builds our Storymap, we should be weary about how many slides we include. Also, it kind of makes me want to set a window of time that our project is focused on (maybe over a 200 year span?).
I also wanted there to be more pictures. On Friday, we had another tech lab with Tierney about Shared Shelf. Of course I had heard of Shared Shelf, but I had never used it before. It seems pretty straightforward and simple. The only thing that bums me out is that I now have to take an extra step to put any picture in my blog–which makes me not want to put any pictures in my blog. See, I’m already doing it. I’ll get over it at some point, I’m sure.
My team hasn’t met for a few days now. We’ve all been overwhelmed with work and the current events going on in Charlotte. So long as we get back on the horse this coming week, I think we will be just fine.
Till then…
Technicalities…
The tides are high here on the Digital Silk Road. Right now we are in a bit of a adjustment period. Think about it: Digital Humanities can seem a little like chaining a bunch of humanities students to the computer. We’re humanities students! We like books, not blogging! I keep thinking back to a phrase that a teacher of mine once said: when the tides are high and the winds are strong, lower your sail.
This week has been hard. The work load has gotten the better of us. My whole team has been working hard, but so far there hasn’t been any great pay off. My fear is that we are getting lost in our research and forgetting to keep our scope narrow. Because we do not have a vision for our finished product, it is hard to find direction.
Here are things that I think we need to keep in mind as we move forward:
- We will be using a contemporary map! We can attach photographs of old maps into our Storymap, but we cannot trace our route on it.
- We have to be explicit in what we are and are not looking at. It is only ethical to do so.
What I have been stressing to the team this week is to be mindful of how our information is being presented. What story we tell must fit the framework of Storymap JS. Therefore, we do not have to think about time as much as we do about space. Check out some examples of Storymaps here.
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Speaking of presentation, the other Silkworms and I met with Tierney to discuss how to be administrators of the blog. I won’t go into the nitty-gritty details, but we did stumble upon the subject of web design. I realized how much I care about making this site look good. I think in all our efforts to get this course up and going we have made one over-site: making a webpage that people actually see is not EASY! And if anyone actually does see it, it better be visually enticing–otherwise they will exit right out of the window. To address these problems, we need to do a few things:
- Start placing “Tags” on our posts. I suggest that each team comes up with a series of tags that they consistently use in their blog posts. This will be key in getting viewers!
- Because we are blogging so frequently, we should start to make our posts pretty. We should stress that everyone incorporates at least one image in each post, and should use at least one hyperlink. Keep it interactive!
Both of these things should be started sooner rather than later. It will make going “live” smoother.
The image above was taken by the Japanese photographer, Hiroshi Sugimoto. It is a silver gelatin print taken in 1992 of the Yellow Sea, Cheju. I first stumbled upon this artist, actually, while I was staying at a friends house. They had an original hanging right in guest bedroom! I did some research and quickly realized that Sugimoto is a BIG deal. Check out the rest of his Seascapes series here!
A New Journey for A New Heart
Hello everyone. I haven’t really blogged before, so I’m not quite sure how to begin, but I’ll give it a shot. I’m a member of the Heart Team, although, like Emily, I was previously a member of the Earth Team. My team transfer initially left me a bit out of the loop. The Heart Team already had a general idea of their focus when I joined, but my new group members and our Silkworm Elena were kind enough to get me up to speed. We eventually decided, based on the collective interests of all Heart teammates, to chart a dual course combining elements of music and dance with religion and ritual. Our newly-established focus led us to examine the cultures of the steppe, where we discovered Mongolian horse culture and the horsehead fiddle. Our topic is temporally broad at the moment, stretching as far into the past as the invention of the iconic instrument and as close to the present as the Mongolian metal scene, but I’m confident that we can create something great out of the wealth of information we stand to uncover.
I serve as the facilitator for the Heart Team. I took on the role when group members noticed that even in my first meeting with the team, I was listening to everyone and offering solutions to potential conflicts in an effort to help guide the brainstorming process. My role also involves keeping group members up to date on the research process and organizing meetings and discussions as they become necessary throughout the process. I haven’t had to perform these duties just yet, but I’m prepared to help keep things on track whenever the need arises. In terms of research, my focus is primarily on the role of music in religious ritual. I also hope to look into how music might be involved in medical practices, if I can find resources on the subject. I’m planning to focus on steppe practices of Shamanism first, and branch out if I can’t find enough information on that topic, or if I come across anything else that I find particularly interesting.
I’ve never conducted a project like this before. From the looks of it, neither have most people in this (completely new) class. I have some limited experience with programming within the relatively specialized setting of a physics laboratory (and maybe a little dabbling with Python), but I don’t consider myself very technologically proficient when it comes to creating digital content. Most of my code has been written for machines (or bewildered humans who aren’t quite sure why hypothetical rockets are hitting the center of Andromeda at the speed of light), so I’ll have to learn a new design mentality alongside any new coding skills I acquire. That said, I have used programming languages before so I hope the thought process isn’t too foreign to me should I need to pick up coding again. Web design on the other hand is an entirely new experience for me, and while it feels relatively intuitive at this early stage, I’m sure the project will find ways to challenge me that I haven’t even begun to think of just yet.
It might also be prudent to mention that I don’t have much of a background in history or religious studies. Although I greatly enjoyed the one religious studies class I’ve taken here at Guilford (Eric’s Tibetan and Himalyan religions comes highly recommended, just be prepared for a challenge), as a lab science double major (Biology and Chemistry), I haven’t had much space in my schedule to take any others. That said, religion and spirituality have always interested me. I don’t consider myself religious or particularly spiritual (I don’t have any adamant convictions one way or the other), but I enjoy learning about and considering all sorts of spiritual and philosophical traditions. I bring this up because I realize that in this endeavor, enthusiasm may be no substitute for genuine depth of knowledge and experience. I expect to learn a whole host of new terms, ideas, modes of thought, customs, rituals, worldviews, and much more. I also expect to have to ask for help somewhere along the way. There will likely come a point where I’m researching a topic that requires insights that others may possess. In this case, I plan to bring up the issue with my teammates and see if our combined capabilities can’t take care of it.
In a similar vein, I don’t have much musical experience. Long ago in ages gone past, my teenage self purchased a guitar to practice with for the summer and more or less forgot about it around a month later. Aside from that non-expertise, I don’t really have any musical background to speak of. Nevertheless, I’m excited to look into musical traditions in the hope that I might learn more as I progress. If our musical research becomes too technical for my limited expertise, I’ll focus more on the ritual side of things and leave the more advanced details to those with the skills to handle them. I’m also looking forward to listening to many different musical pieces as the project progresses, and potentially broadening my taste in music as well.
As I’ve already repeated more than enough times, I haven’t really done anything like this before. I’ve tended to do well with writing-focused research projects in the past, so I’m fairly confident as far as the research side of things is concerned. I do sometimes have issues with time management and sometimes find myself submitting assignments just past the deadline (look at the time this post was created), but I’m aware that I’ll have keep such tendencies in check for the benefit of the group. That said, I also do my best work when I’m given ample time to produce it. As a result, I’ll have to keep constant track of deadlines and make sure to set aside enough time for each stage of the project if I want to succeed. Though it will likely test many of my current skills and a few I haven’t learned yet, I’m looking forward to working with the Heart Team on this exciting endeavor.
Be Still My Beating Heart, An Initial Blogpost
When we first began the discernment process I was admittedly a little frustrated. As a seasoned (possibly even a slightly jaded) senior at Guilford, I am at the point in my academic career where I have figured out the exact formula for group projects. The catch is that this silk road endeavor simply doesn’t fit into my meticulously sculpted mold due to its experimental, multi-faceted shape. I think the most difficult thing for our group (once we all fell into our respective places regarding broad topical interests) was the sheer breadth of possibilities for our research. Our lack of prior knowledge on the silk road and its endless intricacies made us feel a little bit helpless, like we were flailing around in a stormy sea of JSTOR links, and reminded me of something that one of my favorite theatre professors, Marc Williams, always says about directing exercises: “Limitations are freeing.”
However, once we met outside of the classroom setting in a library alcove and began bouncing ideas off of each other’s bewildered brains, I became immediately inspired: while limitations can certainly be freeing in the sense that a thesis should be pointed in a specific direction and prompts can spark new stories in creative writing, we were actually able to choose our own limitations, to set our own parameters. This is such a cool opportunity because we are picking subjects that legitimately matter to us. We knew that we were interested in everything from music, shamanism, animals, and the steppe regions. Within just a few meetings we came up with the following goal statement: our goal is to determine how the movement, spread, and dispersion of musical traditions in the Mongolian Steppe are related to regional religious and ritual practices. If we do find that they are related, we plan to examine how growth and change in one area might have affected the evolution of the other. One instrument that may have been particularly impactful is the horsehead fiddle, traditionally played in Mongolia and often made at least in part from the animal it emulates. We aim to investigate how the use of the horsehead fiddle is connected to Mongolian horse culture, riding, and ritual. We also suspect that music, dance, and spiritually significant instruments play important roles in the shamanic traditions of the region. In light of this, we may also cover some shamanic practices that relate to our overarching focus on music in the Steppe. Overall, we hope to determine how musical and religious traditions intersect within Steppe culture, and how the exchange of ideas throughout the Silk Roads may have influenced them or helped them spread to other regions.
I am so lucky to have experienced the initial discomfort that I mentioned previously, because I think that it is expanding my previously narrow views of what roles students and teachers should and shouldn’t take in the classroom. We are claiming our own academic autonomies in ways that I don’t think any of us expected coming into the course, and it’s honestly awesome. Intuitive, self-motivated research is such an important skill, and I know that it will serve me far beyond this course. The technological aspects will also serve me farther on down the line, although I am currently feeling very comfortable with WordPress because I have used systems similar to it before. I am also learning about what it means to legitimately trust my peers with important project tasks: Jilly volunteered to upload the final version of the proposal for our team, and it was actually a relief to release my typical inclinations towards micromanagement. I think that this project is already helping me become a better (and more pleasant) team player.
My individual role is technically reporter, which means that I will be articulating our progress to the class. Serving as the vehicle for our syncretism will be good for me because I often approach my personal research in a fairly haphazard fashion: one thing will interest me, and then while I’m delving into sources on that thing I’ll find something else… and so on and so forth until my research becomes a black hole. It will be really nice to be forced to report in an articulate fashion exactly what we have been working on. In addition to reporting our findings, I also have a specialized area of research within the more broad parameters, due to my particular interest in shamanism. Rituals across the entire span of the Silk Road employed various types of music, and I will be researching the introduction of different musical movements and the impact that those changes had on the performative qualities of Shamanism. I am particularly interested in the implementation of horses and horse imagery in rituals, which our group has included in the proposal through the idea of the horse head fiddle.
This is a very busy semester for me, as I am conducting my senior thesis for my Theatre major this fall. While I am beyond excited about all the things that I am learning in this course (my research on the silk road and shamanism currently serves as a sort of break from the madness of the semester), I have not allotted nearly enough time to this project so far. I have only skimmed one of the books that I checked out from the library last week, and I still need to devote a good chunk of time to doing preliminary research online. I am proud of my team’s excitement and our ability to listen compassionately and intelligently to one another, but I am aware that I could be bringing more to our meetings. I plan on doing more research outside of group meetings so that I can focus more on cohesion and that syncretism that I was so excited about when we are all together.
Overall, I think that The Heart team is off to a smooth start, and that we will continue to thump regularly along for the rest of the project. I look forward to updating you all with our findings as the semester progresses.
Inside the Heart
The Heart…
I am [the head of] the Heart. Puns aside, this simply means that I am the Project Manager of the Heart Team. Thus far, my role has led me to take a bit of a backseat in developing our research topic. My work instead is mainly advisory. I’ve facilitated the team as they’ve delegated their own roles, developed a timeline for their work and a topic proposal. I sit back and try to visualize their ideas as a digital project—that is, I try to determine if there is enough information on the subject matter, if the topic needs to be narrowed down, if there is a narrative, if it’s in our technical means, etc. If I can’t see it, then something needs to be modified. Funny as it may sound, this vantage point isn’t easy for me—if anything, I’m a bit of a backseat driver.
Perhaps this wouldn’t be the case if our project weren’t so darn cool! The Heart Team has proposed to observe the ways in which religion, ritual, and music interact in the Mongolian Steppe. Our hope is that we can trace how the diffusion of musical traditions relate to these practices. If we are able to find that there is a relationship, we are going to follow an instrument that has played a significant role in a tradition across time and space—such as the horsehead fiddle.
Below is a video that explains a little bit about the horsehead fiddle:
An instrument such as the horsehead fiddle, provides insight and narrative about tradition and culture. It not only provides a narrative, but it raises questions about how the Steppe culture has been influenced by music and how music has been influenced by the Steppe culture. For instance, the Steppe are deeply tied to horses—and the horsehead fiddle not only emulates a horse, but is made up of horse parts. Is there any relevance to this notion? We seek to tell a story that approaches this question.
What I am most concerned with is narrowing our topic down. Our tactic in choosing a topic was for every person in the group to state where their interests lie. We then took this cumulative list and worked to find a topic that could encapsulate it all. Ritual is an extremely broad subject. Can we really capture it all?
I trust the team. Partially why I have not put the brakes on our brainstorming is because I believe that if there is a way to do this, my team will figure it out. We won’t know how it all connects until our research is done—then we can be selective.
The Team…
Team roles include a timekeeper, a reporter, a recorder, and a facilitator. All roles have been well matched with a team member. Our process of delegation came pretty naturally. Right off the bat, Nathan helped to facilitate the group. Not all the roles were as clear though; every person seems just as equipped to take on any of the roles. So, more out of default we assigned Emily to be the reporter, Jilly as the recorder, and Emma as the timekeeper. So long as each person stays engaged with their position I don’t think we’ll run into any problems.
On top of their team roles, they all have their individual research to do. Emma is specifically looking at the ways in which diffusion has influenced musical instruments along the Silk Road. Emily is researching musical movements and the ways they have influenced the performative qualities of Shamanism. Nathan is interested in religious ritual as well, but with a specific focus on music’s role in medicine and healing. Jilly is observing the ways in which place, religion and politics have influenced traditions of dance and music.
Research Methods…
I need to stress finding common ground. Of course, there is some overlap in subject matter, but I think we also have to shape our ideas to compliment one another. Thus far, the common thread seems to be the horse. Perhaps I will suggest that in these next two weeks we start focusing our research on the horse and allow this information to determine our personal topics.
I am afraid that having such a broad topic will lead our members to stray far apart, causing our collective body of work to not be cohesive. Because of this, having regular meetings will be very important. Perhaps, we should also have work-sessions in which we allot time with the group to do our own personal research.
How’m I Doin’…
Enough about my team—what about me? When I first started working on the Digital Silk Road Project, my role was a lot different than what it is now. Essentially, I was doing what my team members are in the midst of—deciphering my passions and matching them to a time and place along the Silk Road. I chose photography as my passion and devised a plan to explore the ways in which photography is used and exploited, and how it reflects culture along the Silk Road. This project has been left incomplete. When I chose to be a part of the Heart, I had a secret wish that we would focus on photography. Immediately it was made clear that the team’s interests are elsewhere. We decided on music not because any of us are super passionate about music, but because music has a wide enough scope to incorporate our other interests.
In a way, to create this project everyone has had to make a compromise. At first when I realized that my team was interested in music and not visual arts, I felt panicked. How can I be expected to work hard on something if I don’t care for the subject matter? This is what I’ve concluded: Digital Humanities calls on us to work as a team—it doesn’t necessarily matter what the subject matter is because our personal role is what defines the project. So, what I need to figure out is what my personal skills are and what I have to offer to my team. I believe that my background in visual arts will be essential in making a tangible product. In which case, I am not making a compromise; instead I’m expanding upon my knowledge and skill base.
So in other words, to evaluate myself, I am thinking of myself as less of a backseat driver and more as someone who has something important to offer. Just like my team though, I need to do my own personal work—I need to work with Tierney and utilize other resources at Guilford to gain proficiency and confidence in digital media and databases. Like the rest of my team members, I have to stay connected and keep bouncing ideas off of the group to ensure that their vision is coming true.
To answer the question, I think I am doing well. I am in active communication with the team while being set slightly apart. I’m available for questions and concerns, but also serve as a critic for the ideas that come forth. In the breadth of the whole project, I feel strong in my position. I am a student, a Silk Worm, and a junction between my peers and the amazing resources and people we have available to us.
Just for funsies (and because I’m kind of obsessed with photography), I’ve also included a link to the first art space in China dedicated exclusively to photography and video art, the Three Shadows Photography Art Center.
Here is the work of and a link to the artists RongRong and inri, who founded Three Shadows:
