Introduction

Our world is full of both the familiar and the strange. As humans, we tend to more
readily observe what is already understood instead of taking a leap into the
unknown. This has allowed conformity to breed in our culture. However, if a
conscious effort is made to find the unexpected in the cultural artifacts surrounding
us, it is possible to reinvent the object and its meaning. In this way, the artifact still
conforms to preconceived patterns while also surprising the viewer. Such
reinvention of an object leads to strong personal interpretations and the creation of
new concepts. When reinventing artifacts, basic background knowledge of the
artifact in question is useful. The history behind an artifact can provide clues about
the situation which caused the conception of the artifact in addition to its creators.

Important Terms
Artifact: an object made by human beings
Cultural Artifact: an artifact that means something and communicates
Rhetorical Artifact: cultural artifact that seeks to persuade
Interpret: to give or provide the meaning of; understand in a particular way

Purpose
• look at cultural artifacts and understand the expected, but more so, search
for the unexpected
• analyze these unexpected factors and describe their meaning
• explain how these deviations create new conceptual ideas

Examples
Below are four images depicting various scenes. Some of the pictures have a
historical background while others are more modern. At the top of each picture is a
brief description, and at the bottom of is a list of expected and unexpected factors.
Finally, a personal interpretation of the picture using background information and
the factors identified as unanticipated was created. These examples are intended
to reveal what cannot be seen with only a glimpse, and then turn those visual
images into new meanings.
Title: Starry Night
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Year: 1889
Description: Van Gogh was treated as a psychiatric patient at the Monastery Saint-
Paul de Mausole in the town of Saint-Rémy in southern France. His oil painting
depicts the view from his asylum window. The execution of this painting was done
from memory.

Familiar: The village at the bottom right; moon and star shapes in the sky; hilly
landscape
Strange: the black object extending upward on the left- this is suppose be a tree,
but it appears to be more like black flames licking the sky; the building (church)
with a large steeple-the most prominent part of the village but no other aspect of
the painting remotely refers to religion; the wind depicted in the sky- the entire
town seems undisturbed by the currents, but they are a focal point
Interpretation: Van Gogh was depicting the scene from outside his asylum window,
so the object at his left symbolizes his desire to rid himself of the psychological
issues plaguing his life. Meanwhile, the wind currents are situated directly above
the church showing his hope that a change is being brought upon the wind. He
wants to find himself through religion in addition to painting. Overall, van Gogh has
a desire to remove himself from the asylum containing his mind and body.
Title: The Night Watch
Artist: Rembrandt
Year: 1642
Description: In the medieval Netherlands, a voluntary militia was entrusted to
protect the city in cases of revolt or fires. This picture shows Frans Banning Cocq
and his lieutenant moving their company.

Familiar: the military members; realistic clothing; weaponry used by militia

Strange: there is only one girl and she appears to be a child- the lighting brings the
focus to her. She appears to have a distressed look and is also bearing the body of a
chicken; one of the two front men is wearing a bright color- this man is obviously an
important character because of his stance and demeanor. He is also the only man
not clothed in a dark garment. However, the golden coloring of his clothing is
paralleled by the young girl; the figure to the lower right of the man in gold- this
shape is ambiguous, but has an animalistic shape.
Interpretation: While there is a lot of action occurring throughout the picture,
obviously the main focus should be upon the only girl. The coloring of her garments
match the lieutenant’s clothes and the items adorning her make her a
representation of the militia’s soul and mind. This girl is the only individual who
seems distressed, and since she is the internal aspect of the company, her
expressions reveal the true results caused by the actions of the militia. Every other
character is joyful, with one exception. There appears to be an animal at the feet
of the men. Like the girl it acts stressed, but unlike the girl, this animal represents
the mind and soul of the town that was just raided. Although this company is
supposed to bring protection, they still evoke fear in the minds of the villagers.
Title: The Kiss
Artist: Gustav Klimt
Year: 1907-1908
Description: Klimt evokes conflict between two and three dimensionality in the
painting which he created during his “Golden Period.” He also manages to
emphasize love and eroticism which leads many to believe he and his lover
modeled for this piece.

Familiar: the central man and woman; physical embrace; facial features of the
woman
Strange: obvious position of the woman- the lower body of the man cannot be seen
so his stance cannot be determined indefinitely, but the woman is clearly kneeling;
general two dimensionality of the scene- everything from clothing to the flowers in
the backdrop is created with only two dimensions, however, the face of the woman
has more depth; the man’s face is hidden- so much emphasis seems to have been
placed upon the woman’s face, yet the face of the man is almost entirely hidden
Interpretation: Every element deemed unexpected deals with the female individual.
Portions of her body are the only aspects which have a hint of a third dimension, so
she is more important than the male even though she is being submissive to him.
Only the emotions on her face are shown because she is more capable of showing
love and devotion than the man.

Title: Jumping Dancer (Body Worlds)

Artist/Original Creator: Gunther Von Hagens
Year (Patented Date): 1977-1982
Displayed: Currently
Description: Anatomist, Von Hagens, created a method of preserving the bodies of
real humans for scientific purposes. This process is known as plastination.
Hundreds of bodies (plastinates) are on display across the world showing the
intricate inner workings of the body, but many have criticized the work, labeling it
unethical.

Familiar: the object being viewed is a human body; the pose can be recreated by a
living being; man behind the model
Strange: plastination of the body- the skin and fluids of a real person have been
removed to expose only the musculature and internal elements of the body in a
preserved state; monkey plastinate in the background- this process is not being
executed on only willing humans, other deceased animals have been made a part of
the display; the pose of the man behind the display- this man is the creator, Von
Hagens. Instead of standing next to his work, he has assumed a position that
parallels it.
Interpretation: These models of the human body were created to give people an
understanding of the intricacy needed for human function. While surprising to see
such an extreme exposure of real bodies, this process combines art and science at
a basic level. The displays weren’t created to uncover only the workings of humans
but to uncover the workings of life in general, as seen by the monkey display in the
background. Finally, the pose of the creator superbly shows the contrasts of what is
superficially seen and what is deeply understood about humans.
The examples above were used to depict how there are multiple layers to every
cultural artifact. There may be a predetermined meaning behind the artifact, but
you must scrutinize it with your own eyes to establish the meaning it conveys for
you. You must also be willing to consciously look for the unexpectedly because
those are the factors that change the artifact meaning. The ability to embrace
these potential alternative meanings allows for a more complete interpretation to
be created.
For my first project, I observed a Buddhist Peace Vigil. Understanding how to take a
common occurrence and search for unexpected elements allowed me to more
throughly comprehend the intentions of the people I was observing. I was able to
fuse the meaning they were obviously attempting to convey with what they
subliminally conveyed. This way, I could create a more comprehensive
interpretation of the event. This ability to step back from your work and find a
startling factor will add dimension to your final piece.

Assignment
Begin by finding three cultural artifacts which can be anything from pictures,
to sculptures, to paintings or books. The possibilities are endless and completely
open. Your examples can come from the Denver Art Museum, the University of
Denver campus, a book, your dorm room, etc. First document each artifact and
write a short description; then list three aspects of the artifact that are obvious and
would seem familiar to the general public. Next find three different aspects of the
artifact you find abstract and can explain as strange. Using your strange and
familiar characteristics, write a basic interpretation about the meaning the artifact
now conveys to you. Once your interpretation is complete you should be able to
understand how the artifact deviates from the norm.