Welcome to our Blog on Strangeness!

Hello there. Our names are Mike and Lisa. We both really enjoy philosophy.

Courtesy of Cory Godbey. Fox River Holiday. 2012. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 4 2017. <.http://corygodbey.com/>

We’d like to gratefully acknowledge the generosity of Cory Godbey for allowing us to borrow and interpret his art on our home page. With that being said…

Mike is the figure standing on the left, while Lisa is sitting down on the right hand side. 

Both are using contemplative and philosophical self-conscious methods.

The bird in Mike’s hand represents viewing what is considered “other” from not only an individual’s perspective (that is, not relying on the opinions or conventional knowledge of the many), but from a non-objectifying perspective: one that allows the other, to be the other.

Lisa on the other hand, has writing utensils in her hand, which of course represent the act of writing: a pouring of the mind onto paper in the form of carefully chosen words and the images they invoke; an act of delving into and exploring the farthest and unoccupied crevices of the mind.

As a result of using these contemplative, philosophical self-conscious methods, both Lisa and Mike have had their fair share of eureka moments. Yet both are well aware that neither of them will ever be omniscient, and that to be human (or foxes) is to be well-acquainted with uncertainty.

As one might notice, the pair are situated on an island separate from the not so distant mainland. The island itself is the intricate grooves that constitute the configuration of a tree: lines not of demarcation but lines of fluidity that weave in and out of each other, making their way up and down to encompass the entire island. 

Like all art, in the many shapes and forms it takes, there is no single, authoritative, interpretation to be invoked by it.

We’d like to express that the interpretation of Cory Godbey’s “Fox River Holiday” offered here is not at all an expression of the objective meaning Godbey intended for his art. This analogy is merely an analogy that was brought into being with the help of Fox River Holiday: words invoked by an image. 

Fox-River Holiday, similarly to this blog itself, is not to be defined singularly and definitively. 

And also similarly, our blog aspires to be a tree-island set apart from the mainland; in the vicinity of the greater digital network, yet an enclave nevertheless. The many lines encompassing the tree-island are the many threads of consciousness, the many discussions, the many debatable and unanswerable questions, the many concepts, the many opinions, the many possibilities. 

 

Courtesy of Cory Godbey. The Gryphon March. 2013. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 2017. <http://corygodbey.com/>                                “All of us willingly walking into the uncertainty of the unknown.” – Us.

Thank you for visiting our blog!

A quick look to the widgets on the left side of the screen, and you will see a list of categories. These categories are the separate portals to the topics of discussion. Though the topics are categorically placed, bear in mind that they tend to overlap and intermingle with each other: the lines that separate them are in fact, quite porous.  

A Brief Introduction to our Website

Strange Video Games

Digital/Virtual Imagery and Art

Interviews with fascinating people


Here is our Mission Statement

This project’s objective is to explore notions of strangeness and normalcy both existing and not existing in two particular mediums of pop culture: the video game and the online communities they are a foundation for, as well as digital imagery and art found on online platforms such as Youtube, 4Chan, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Specifically, our main focus of interest will lie in analyzing the demarcation between the binary opposites of reality and fiction, and how their coexistence presents itself, how the two rely on one another, and how the line between them can be fuzzy to the point where they are one in the same thing. We will conduct interviews with fellow students and community members in order to establish an online community who can participate in this discussion.

Courtesy of Cory Godbey, The Walking Hill. 2011. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 2017.<http://corygodbey.com/>

Again, welcome aboard. Our names are Mike and Lisa. We can be found both as authors of blog posts and interviewers, as well as question askers in the comment sections, engaging with each other and with you, our readers.  

Let’s begin.

Courtesy of Cory Godbey. The Wanderings. 2015. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 2017. <https://corygodbey.com/>

 

Works Cited

Cory Godbey. Fox River Holiday. 2012. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 4 2017. <.http://corygodbey.com/>

Cory Godbey. The Gryphon March. 2013. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 2017. <http://corygodbey.com/>

Cory Godbey. The Wanderings. 2015. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 2017. <https://corygodbey.com/>

Cory Godbey, The Walking Hill. 2011. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 2017.<http://corygodbey.com/>

Cory Godbey. The Gryphon March. 2013. Godbey, corygodbey.com. Web. Mar 2017. <http://corygodbey.com/>

Artist Unknown. Woman at a Window. circa 1510-1530. Italy. www.thenationalgallery.org.uk. Web. Mar 2017. <https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/italian-nroth-woman-at-a-window>

“Avatar: The Legend Of Korra Computer Wallpapers, Desktop Backgrounds | 1920×1080 | ID:691847.” Wallpaper Abyss. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2017.

Leiva, Kevin. “Dibujos.” Pinterest. N.p., 18 Sept. 2015. Web. 10 May 2017.