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Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Parkland kids' Rube Goldberg machine illustrates the aftermath of school shootings
Boing Boing: Alex Little writes, "The Parkland kids created a rube goldberg machine that shows the predictable domino effect of responses from politicians and media after every school shooting."
7 comments:
Annika Evens
said...
This video is so powerful. The way the video changes each time they show it is so incredibly effective in telling their story and getting the message across that they want to share. The way the signs being changed at the beginning are the true call to action for this video. Seeing those messages on the signs allows you to know what these students want to say before the machine is done. Choosing the emphasize the victims’ names the second time and then finally the song lyrics point out things in the video that one may have missed the first time and again helps them show their message in a very personal and moving way. I think everyone needs to watch this video, immediately after I finished watching it, I shared it on Facebook to make sure that more people see it and more people hear this message and more people vote. Something I love about this video is that they say exactly what they want to say. Their message is clear and direct. My favorite kind of art is art that is being used to change the world and change the way people think and that is exactly what these students are doing, I really do think this is incredibly well done and so meaningful.
I really appreciate and admire the way these students chose to demonstrate the post-shooting cycle of events this country sees all too often. Their Rube Goldberg machine combined with the emotional song by Sage, Kesha, and Chika leaves behind powerful sentiment and a heavy message: the United States, despite the scary experiences of thousands of people, is not doing anything about gun violence. Those in power continue to accept donations from the NRA, ignore the pleas for change from survivors, and provide their “thoughts and prayers” instead of being committed to ending the problem at hand. The message at the end of the video clearly states what Americans must do to change that: vote. The youngest members of the voting pool are standing up for what they believe in such a strong and eloquent way, and it is inspiring. I hope their actions have left a lasting effect on the country, and that this effect will be seen at the polls this November.
I thought this video was extremely powerful because it's unlike any other form of awareness for school shootings. Although all awareness is going to alarm any students who are actively attending school because it carters to us, but this video in particular i feel can resinate with many people, especially my audience. To put the reality of a school shooting into a visul film form is more effective because its a physical representation. This video is filled with different types of symbolism which are successfully evocative of the emotions one would feel in a school shooting. I think the shoots with the students running away from the bullets was a very real depiction. I think that the signs are also an element in this video which made is powerful because is represent the rallies and protests that go on with school shootings. The entire concept of this video was a domino effect which was a smart and clever way to show the overall theme/problem with school shootings where its saying that they aren;t going to stop due to that fact that everything is running in a “vicious circle” and no change is being made.
I thought this video was incredibly striking and interesting. It is clear that the creators knew exactly what they were doing and had a clear vision for the message they wanted to convey. This video is very well done and I particularly admired the repetition of it with very subtle changes that ensured that you could not miss any part of it and forced you to experience the damage that this cycle has done and will do. I’ve noticed in other artwork or performances on this topic that there is authenticity missing in the work. I think authenticity in this topic is one of the most important things when it comes to making art about it. Without the understanding of what it was like to go through something so horrific, it can be hard to portray it accurately without dramatization. I think these students put together a video that is emotional, informative, and is, at the very root of it, completely honest.
It goes without saying that this is an incredibly creative and effective means of spreading awareness and speaking up about gun violence. The aspect that I found to be most profound was the emphasis on the repetitive, cyclical pattern of these school shootings in America. The whole Rube Goldberg machine only takes about three minutes to complete, but the full video is over nine minutes long because it repeats this same clip three times. It also drove home the idea that an event as tragic as the Parkland shooting could happen unexpectedly on any one of our many average days at school. I also thought the medium of a Rube Goldberg machine was especially effective at the very end. Typically we think of massive Rube machines as having some grand, showy finale to celebrate the successful run. Instead, a school custodian sweeps away some of the debris made from the machine, leaving the audience without a climax and then restarting the video of the Rube all over again. The imagery of the aftermath being quietly swept away is also exceptionally symbolic. Of course, there is a central political message to this piece and it is done with a beautiful emotional punch. I think that ultimately it was the design choices and cinematography that leveled this piece up to the seriousness and impact that it needed to have to be truly effective.
What I brilliant and haunting piece. First, this is an incredibly creative piece that is so impactful and well thought out. I don’t know where to begin with how important and how connected this piece is to us as humans of the twenty-first century. There were so many subtle and not so subtle stabs at our government and the changes that need to be made while the government is just hiding behind glass. I loved how they brought all of these issues to the forefront through a Rube Goldberg machine. It’s truly genius because not only are Rubes an example of cause and effect, they are also an eve catching creative machine that draws people in. This was a brilliant way to bring such an important conversation to people who may not have been involved before watching their creation. Their Rube has so many different meanings that you could pick it apart for hours. My only criticism is that it’s a little over-produced, and while that may attract the masses, I think it cheapens the machine and makes it a little to commercialized.
First of all, I can’t imagine what the process of making this must have been like. I know how much time and how many attempts it takes to make a Rube Goldberg machine run correctly, and pairing that with how much trauma is tied to the content seems incredibly difficult. This is the first time I’ve seen a Rube Goldberg machine that is actually making a statement, and I think it is actually a very good medium for conveying this problem due to the sense of inevitability from the chain reaction. I really hope the students involved in making found the process helpful to them. I’d like to think that people might see this and consider gun violence differently, but realistically if a school shooting itself doesn’t make you want to improve gun regulation in the United States, I don’t see how a Rube Goldberg machine will. That being said, I think the project itself was very valuable and chilling to watch, and I think it is important to keep being vocal about the problem rather than having it only get discussed in waves as shootings occur.
7 comments:
This video is so powerful. The way the video changes each time they show it is so incredibly effective in telling their story and getting the message across that they want to share. The way the signs being changed at the beginning are the true call to action for this video. Seeing those messages on the signs allows you to know what these students want to say before the machine is done. Choosing the emphasize the victims’ names the second time and then finally the song lyrics point out things in the video that one may have missed the first time and again helps them show their message in a very personal and moving way. I think everyone needs to watch this video, immediately after I finished watching it, I shared it on Facebook to make sure that more people see it and more people hear this message and more people vote. Something I love about this video is that they say exactly what they want to say. Their message is clear and direct. My favorite kind of art is art that is being used to change the world and change the way people think and that is exactly what these students are doing, I really do think this is incredibly well done and so meaningful.
I really appreciate and admire the way these students chose to demonstrate the post-shooting cycle of events this country sees all too often. Their Rube Goldberg machine combined with the emotional song by Sage, Kesha, and Chika leaves behind powerful sentiment and a heavy message: the United States, despite the scary experiences of thousands of people, is not doing anything about gun violence. Those in power continue to accept donations from the NRA, ignore the pleas for change from survivors, and provide their “thoughts and prayers” instead of being committed to ending the problem at hand. The message at the end of the video clearly states what Americans must do to change that: vote. The youngest members of the voting pool are standing up for what they believe in such a strong and eloquent way, and it is inspiring. I hope their actions have left a lasting effect on the country, and that this effect will be seen at the polls this November.
I thought this video was extremely powerful because it's unlike any other form of awareness for school shootings. Although all awareness is going to alarm any students who are actively attending school because it carters to us, but this video in particular i feel can resinate with many people, especially my audience. To put the reality of a school shooting into a visul film form is more effective because its a physical representation. This video is filled with different types of symbolism which are successfully evocative of the emotions one would feel in a school shooting. I think the shoots with the students running away from the bullets was a very real depiction. I think that the signs are also an element in this video which made is powerful because is represent the rallies and protests that go on with school shootings. The entire concept of this video was a domino effect which was a smart and clever way to show the overall theme/problem with school shootings where its saying that they aren;t going to stop due to that fact that everything is running in a “vicious circle” and no change is being made.
I thought this video was incredibly striking and interesting. It is clear that the creators knew exactly what they were doing and had a clear vision for the message they wanted to convey. This video is very well done and I particularly admired the repetition of it with very subtle changes that ensured that you could not miss any part of it and forced you to experience the damage that this cycle has done and will do. I’ve noticed in other artwork or performances on this topic that there is authenticity missing in the work. I think authenticity in this topic is one of the most important things when it comes to making art about it. Without the understanding of what it was like to go through something so horrific, it can be hard to portray it accurately without dramatization. I think these students put together a video that is emotional, informative, and is, at the very root of it, completely honest.
It goes without saying that this is an incredibly creative and effective means of spreading awareness and speaking up about gun violence. The aspect that I found to be most profound was the emphasis on the repetitive, cyclical pattern of these school shootings in America. The whole Rube Goldberg machine only takes about three minutes to complete, but the full video is over nine minutes long because it repeats this same clip three times. It also drove home the idea that an event as tragic as the Parkland shooting could happen unexpectedly on any one of our many average days at school. I also thought the medium of a Rube Goldberg machine was especially effective at the very end. Typically we think of massive Rube machines as having some grand, showy finale to celebrate the successful run. Instead, a school custodian sweeps away some of the debris made from the machine, leaving the audience without a climax and then restarting the video of the Rube all over again. The imagery of the aftermath being quietly swept away is also exceptionally symbolic. Of course, there is a central political message to this piece and it is done with a beautiful emotional punch. I think that ultimately it was the design choices and cinematography that leveled this piece up to the seriousness and impact that it needed to have to be truly effective.
What I brilliant and haunting piece. First, this is an incredibly creative piece that is so impactful and well thought out. I don’t know where to begin with how important and how connected this piece is to us as humans of the twenty-first century. There were so many subtle and not so subtle stabs at our government and the changes that need to be made while the government is just hiding behind glass. I loved how they brought all of these issues to the forefront through a Rube Goldberg machine. It’s truly genius because not only are Rubes an example of cause and effect, they are also an eve catching creative machine that draws people in. This was a brilliant way to bring such an important conversation to people who may not have been involved before watching their creation. Their Rube has so many different meanings that you could pick it apart for hours. My only criticism is that it’s a little over-produced, and while that may attract the masses, I think it cheapens the machine and makes it a little to commercialized.
First of all, I can’t imagine what the process of making this must have been like. I know how much time and how many attempts it takes to make a Rube Goldberg machine run correctly, and pairing that with how much trauma is tied to the content seems incredibly difficult. This is the first time I’ve seen a Rube Goldberg machine that is actually making a statement, and I think it is actually a very good medium for conveying this problem due to the sense of inevitability from the chain reaction. I really hope the students involved in making found the process helpful to them. I’d like to think that people might see this and consider gun violence differently, but realistically if a school shooting itself doesn’t make you want to improve gun regulation in the United States, I don’t see how a Rube Goldberg machine will. That being said, I think the project itself was very valuable and chilling to watch, and I think it is important to keep being vocal about the problem rather than having it only get discussed in waves as shootings occur.
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