Alien creatures

I came across a structure, and it was foreign to the things around me.
The size was magnificent, with a strong set of antennas standing tall above its head.
Massive as it was, it displayed a confidence unlike anything around it.
I found personality in this creature's pose,  and I felt it was imbued with the personality of its creator. 

This next creature was quite different from the previous one in every way.
The size, shape and color failed to match the magnificence of the dauntless metal being before it.
This creature came from the earth itself, rooted into the ground upon which it stood.
I wondered how the artifact before it came to be, since nature was clearly not to blame.

Once again, another metallic being was in front of me.
This one was also rooted to the ground, but it stood upon a hard, square pedestal.
I had seen a similar shape before, but it was smaller and floated through the air.
These colors seemed familiar, but their composition upon the surface seemed forced.

More beings rooted into the ground, yet these did not require a pedestal to stand.
These colors were vibrant, much like the large beast that stood in front of them, but these were not forced at all.
Confusion set in quickly as I pondered the how the nature made creatures were small and humble
compared to the massive shiny beasts that towered over them.

Wandering into the large structure just past the garden of animals, I came across these small platforms.
The television spoke of "fire" and it's affect on the surrounding land and objects such as these.
I now see that nature can tower over the world quite easily.
The metal behemoths I once found powerful were now made powerless.

Part 2

Ways of Seeing posed a very interesting argument when the author spoke of the transformative powers of reproduction.    In the case of photographs, the author states that "the invention of the camera changed the way men saw. The visible came to mean something different to them. This was immediately reflected in painting" (18). While it is clear that photographs gave artists the ability to try new perspective that differed from true to life representation, the author finds further transformation on the medium of painting when a photo of a painting is taken. "When a camera reproduces a painting, it destroys the uniqueness of an image... This is vividly illustrated by what happens when a painting is shown on a television screen. The painting enters each viewers house. There it is surrounded by his wallpaper, his furniture, his mementoes" (19). In the current digital age, we see this type of reproduction constantly occurring. While the uniqueness of a painting might very well be changed by a reproduction, I propose that the uniqueness of a photographic image is also removed by a recreation. Note the following photo as an example. This photo features a collection of images by photographer Bill Starr. In my own photographic process, I added a layer to his already created images in an attempt to create a new image with a unique perspective. In addition to his own artistic vision, I have now filtered mine on top of it, thereby turning it into a new artwork. In my attempt to document Documentation, I still added my own flair. Similar to looking at a painting in real life, I believe that photos must also be looked at in real life, as they were intended to be displayed. Photos are constantly tossed around from computer to computer without any thought to how the printed image on the wall may look. While paintings encompass brushstrokes, photos encompass certain exposures and apertures that act as the photographers unique brushstroke. Only by viewing the photos as the artist intended can we truly appreciate their unique qualities.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1972. Print