Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!
Feingold Gallery: Student Soul
Feingold Gallery:
Student Soul
The design of this gallery is aimed at encouraging conversation involving both immediate and reflective thought, individual and collective. Rather than starting by reading comments of others, please first put your own immediate thoughts in the on-line forum below. This way, we'll all be able to see how much similarity and difference there is in our initial reactions and interpretations of the images. Then go back to see what others have said about this image and add whatever new thoughts you have as a result of that. More general thoughts about the collection of images and/or this exhibit as a whole are welcome in the on-line forum on the exhibit home page.
Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities
Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 50 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching.
What's New? Subscribe to Serendip Studio
A Random Walk
New Topics
-
4 weeks 1 day ago
-
4 weeks 4 days ago
-
4 weeks 4 days ago
-
4 weeks 5 days ago
-
4 weeks 5 days ago
Comments
fearful LONGING...the
fearful LONGING...the intensity of this picture emanates from those eyes. very very effective
Circumstance
I see someone who is trapped, trapped by circumstance and possibly genetics. Someone who can't fully articulate what's going on because they barely have a grasp of it themselves. Someone who might try hard to keep tight lips and a brave face, wary of the response of their peers because of the stigma surrounding mental illness. Maybe looking for something or someone to show them the way.
Do you understand this is
Do you understand this is you? You are talking about?
Chair.
I am a scientist, having spent, over 15 years in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery, most of my work has been centered on CNS and other cognitive/neurolgical disabilities. I have suffered from sever spinal cord disease, dystonia, paraplegia, quadraparetic generalized spasticity, extreme clonus, amongst many other "symptoms"....I have evolved. I lost my legs and my hands, but gained remarkable gifts of insight and perception that seem to somehow nullify the void left by lack of bipedal locomotion and everyday tasks. I am strapped into an electric wheel chair EVERYDAY, but it has not stopped my quest as a student and Practictioner of truth finding through my R&D Science, medicine and the brain research. This chair to me reflects on how some may view such CNS or neurological disabilities. Yes I am trapped in my chair, but my mind is free to continue my work. It's all about perspective.
Chair
From someone with neurological impairments I personally want to thank you for your work dedicated to CNS/neurological disabilities. I found your comment about being "trapped" in your chair but your mind being free to continue your work, very interesting. Interesting from the standpoint that you feel trapped physically in your chair, but feeling free mentally to do your work. For those with mental/emotional illness, we can feel free physically but trapped emotionally and mentally. It makes me wonder how many different ways there are of feeling trapped. Perhaps "feeling trapped" is a condition of being impaired/disabled. That being the case, there may be many more "disabling conditions" worth considering that might limit one's quality of life, such as being too materialistic, having prejudice, passing judgment, and harboring resentment. I'm sure that at some level, these too have a neurological connection. But I'll leave that up to you CNS scientists to think about!
DF
Looking at this chair and
Looking at this chair and straps the only thing that comes to mind is abuse. Probibly a hidden memory of a past experience the person standing outside is either the person with the memory or an outsider observing but which ever it might be they can not see to clear through the window just looking to find but not getting everything because there is not enough in the memory or in the room. There is only a a chair with some evidence to show that it is there just hidden. The little mirror below the chair has a face with evil looking eyes representing a big prob with that memory.
No problem
Ryan,
No problem--I admire your candor, honesty and confidence in having expressed your point of view. In addition, it appears that you are doing some good, self-reflection, which is not always easy! Keep up the good work...
df
Response to Ryan's comment
Ryan, thank you for your reflection on "My Tortured Student Soul". Your reflection is very poignant from the standpoint of showing how individuals can have such diverse education experiences. I am very happy that you have been able to benefit from your past and present schooling in such a positive manner. You are very fortunate in not having had to suffer or go through your education as a miserable student. Realize however, that there are many students who have not been able to have the positive experiences that you have had in your studies. Even if you cannot relate to this image, you still have an opportunity to understand the challenges that perhaps even some people you know may have to endure: Disabilities are not the only thing hidden from others--so is the pain.
df
You're absolutely right
Looks like fear of failure
Seems like delayed
I don't relate much to this
The soul wants
There is an apparatus for
Trapped
The feeling of being
The image of the electric
The yearning to embrace
No choice and no end in
held down, being watched
School seems to be a great
Student soul comment
Reaction
Such fear of school should be avoided at all costs. Students should never feel alienated or punished by their learning environments. Does only the student who is different get the electric chair? What defines such a difference, thus what defines who is punished by the school system?
chair picture
What is a "tortured student"? Bullied? Under-acheiving? Having pushy parents?
Merely having student angst problems pales into insignificance compared to some adult problems. Mental ill-health can probably be nasty even at school, but to the extent of a torture chair? Maybe. Would like to know more.
Post new comment