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Jheanell Bailey

Interview

I asked my friend Rhyan if I could interview him since he has a dog. Down below are questions that I have asked him. Rhyan did not know what taxidermy was, and I gave him a brief explanation and history of taxidermy. He did find it weird that people did do taxidermy in museums for research and to teach others as well as ordinary people using taxidermy as a way to keep their memories alive with their animals.

 

Questions that I have asked:

Have You Ever Heard the Term “Taxidermy” Before?

  • No, I haven’t heard that term before.

Do You Believe That The Practice of Taxidermy Should Be Continued?

I think that taxidermy can be used to study animals, but it is not necessary to use it as a display.

What Do You Think You Think Of When People Say That They use Taxidermy or “Stuff Their Animals” to Keep Them In Memory? Would You Consider Using Taxidermy As A Way to Keep Your Pets In Memory?

I understand the reasons why people would use taxidermy because they love their animals. However, I don’t think that I would ever use taxidermy to “keep the memories alive” with my dog.

 

 

Metaphors We Live By Response

  • Lakoff + Johnson give several examples throughout the text of linguistic metaphorical systems. Are there any you found odd, outdated, or different from metaphorical systems that you use, either personally or in your language, culture, or social sphere? For instance, do you speak about conversation as a battle, or use orientational metaphors the same way the authors describe?
    • A metaphorical system example that I use would be, argument. In my Jamaican culture, arguments are like battles or wars. However at certain points, we do reason, but for the most part, when listening to the arguments there are a lot of metaphors being thrown at each other. For example, “You are dense”, “You are on thin ice”. Arguments like those are to dominate the other.
  • Can you identify a metaphorical system that you commonly use? What do you think is the motivating rationale (“experiential basis”) behind that system – or is there one? Have you ever intentionally (or unintentionally) changed the metaphorical system that you use to speak about a certain subject, to reflect a different experience or worldview?
    • One commonly used metaphor system would be that in Jamaican culture, people will not openly refer to their dogs or cats as their “pets” however in the United States, the word “pets” has a valuable meaning behind it. Pets are considered companions or “part of the family, whereas, in Jamaica, dogs and cats have specific purposes to keep rodents and intruders away. They are not considered “companions, but are needed in the house. I think that growing up in America made me realize the difference between the two experiences.
  • What metaphors/systems of metaphor are commonly used when discussing your topic? If “the essence of a metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another” (5), what other kinds of metaphors might be useful for discussing your topic, or an aspect of your topic?
    • I would say for my topic of Taxidermy, that “preservation is life”. Many people use taxidermy as a way to preserve life, whether to study or in loving memory.

 

System Thinking

  • Which system (type of stakeholder) that Easterbrook identified did you find your own understanding of GMOs most aligned with? Why? What are some of the stakes for these stakeholders?
    • “A system of scientists doing research” I found my own understanding of GMOs most aligned because doing research is the main and the most absolute first step into doing anything. Many scientists and researchers have to thoroughly test and analyze any plant’s reaction to GMOs and as well any human reaction.
  • Can you Identify 3 stakeholders (groups or phenomenon) with different perspectives, and then describe the system (the stakes) from which they are operating?
    • 1 Stakeholder of the Botanical Gardens could be ” A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist”. People who study plants for Gardens have to research which plants can be planted together, the temperature and the “food” that each plant needs.
    • The 2nd Stakeholder could be a system that prepares for drastic changes. For instance, Covid-19 completely changed how people work. It had caused many to lose their jobs, so the system could be used to aid the Garden for loss of revenue.
    • the 3rd Stakeholder could be a system of charity. People who give funding to the Gardens help in landscaping and maintenance.

Skin:System Maps

White creating this map, I had to think more broadly about the skin itself, rather than the basic definition of taxidermy. Taxidermy is specifically used for animals only, which made me also think about a dead human body being “stuffed” with fluid for a funeral. It would be a human”taxidermy”.

While adding to the flow chart, I realized how deeper skin really is, between animals and humans who share similar traits. Humans and animal skin have both been used to make clothing or weapons. According to ‘skybound.com‘ it state “One of the earliest accounts of wearing human skin, in 440 BCE the Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the ancient Scythians and their tendency to scalp their victims. The Scythians would sew together their human scalps to make cloaks. This was the ultimate form of boasting and wasn’t for practicality so much as it was to show off how many people they had killed.” Humans have always used this method of skinning an animal and using it as rugs or clothing to boast of their kill or wealth. They also hang up the head in their homes to represent the number or the “greatest” kill they had made.

Human and animal skin can share different textures. The pattern of an animal and the pigmentation of a human can change to adapt to the environment.

 

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVPVaEnkA=/?share_link_id=249068453514

Wearing Human Skin Throughout History – Skybound Entertainment

Emergent Strategy

Introduction 

“I often feel I am trapped inside someone else’s imagination, and I must engage my own imagination in order to break free” (18)

    • Q: Have you felt trapped inside someone else’s imagination? How have you broken free?
  • I have often felt this way growing up. I had felt as though the person that my parents have in their imagination of me, I had to strive to be. I always had to do beyond what was expected of me and nothing else. I often had gotten frustrated because, although I did want to do really well, the pressure became overwhelming. The way I had broken free from that imagination was to have deep conversations with my parents. The process is still ongoing but has improved greatly.

General Questions 

  • Q: Do artists, designers, and technology have that same or similar responsibility? What are the nuances between those roles?

Artists, designers, and technology do have a similar responsibility. Their responsibility is to create things that will impact future generations. Artists all try to create pieces that will be viewed as a start to a new era in art, whether it be digitally or physically. Designers are the same, fashion is constant and many are trying to create a piece that will stand out to make a new type of style in fashion. Technology is constantly updating to meet and surpass the expectations and reality of many. Each roll will continue to impact future generations.

Skin: Taxidermy

Every organism has a “skin”. Most have skin that we can see, touch, or even taste. The idea of “stuffing” the skin of an organism to preserve it is called Taxidermy. Taxidermy by Merriam-webster.com is, “the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals and especially vertebrates”. Taxidermy dates back to the Egyptians according to “bonesandbugs.com”, “In ancient Egypt, taxidermy was not used as a means to put animals on display, but rather, to preserve animals that were pets or were beloved by pharaohs and other nobility. They developed the first type of preservation of animals through the use of embalming tools, spices, injections, and oils.” Taxidermy evolved from something that was noble to everyday practice. Many museums today, use taxidermy to show animals. Taxidermy is also used by many animal owners who wish to preserve their precious animals.

Since taxidermy is a bit odd for many people, there has been a backlash against it. According to “adventure.howstuffworks.com”, the downside of taxidermy is that people think of it as a way to boast about hunting an animal. Also the risk of getting “Chronic Waste Disease (CWD), which is in the same family as the human disease Creutsfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)”. Humans have not been contaminated with the disease, but can be spread throughout the area, possibly to other animals.

 

Taxidermy Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

The History of Taxidermy – Kodiak Bones and Bugs Taxidermy

Introduction to Taxidermy | HowStuffWorks