Art and Culture

Art and Culture – (Vogon poetry, Norway’s fjords, TV programs, Spaceships)

Art and Culture

1. Art and culture are great things in Hitchhiker's Guide, especially if you want to hurt people. That's what happens with Vogon poetry, which probably should be prohibited by the Geneva Convention, since it seems like torture. In Hitchhiker's Guide, we sometimes find art and culture in strange places—like Norway's fjords, which are an old Magrathean's art project—or doing strange things—as in the Vogon torture poetry. There are also times when Adams presents our own culture to us to emphasize our ridiculousness. Remember that story about how everyone wants to meet the President of the Galaxy just because he's a celebrity? It doesn't matter that he has no power. The important thing is just that he's famous—famous for being famous.

1. Are there any times when Arthur's culture comes into conflict with alien cultures? How does Arthur deal with different cultures? Is there any culture shock?

2. Besides the Vogon poetry, does art have any power in this book? Can art do anything but hurt people?

3. Besides poetry and art, how else does culture express itself in this book? Food? Games? Television programs? Spaceships?

• Research how culture and art influence each other. Summarize 3 online articles. Turn these in with your art and written explanation.
  • Look up and read about the cultural influences of Grandma Moses, Andy Warhol, Banksy, Jackson Pollack, and others. Then, create an authentic piece of art that represents your culture.
• Provide a written explanation of how your art reveals your culture (what does it say about the culture; how does the audience recognize which culture the art represents)

• Projects:
• You can create a painting, sculpture, movie, or any other form of art and culture.
  • Resources:
    • Online art: http://bomomo.com/
    • Movie: https://www.kizoa.com/Movie-Maker or https://biteable.com/
    • You can talk to Mrs. Boyd about using her 3D printer