Dr. Temple Grandin, a Successful Story of Autism, and Iconic Realism

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(Click here to view a trailer of the HBO film.)

To view a video of Dr. Temple Grandin, click here:

https://youtu.be/aF4sP-uC-yI

Dr. Temple Grandin's Website can be found here:

http://www.templegrandin.com

A number of years ago, HBO released a film, entitled Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes as the title character. This movie tells the life story of Temple Grandin, Ph.D., whose revolutionary method of treating animals in the slaughter houses of western United States has changed the manner which cattle are handled in a more benevolent and respectful manner. This has led to more efficient business practices in the meatpacking industry as well as a higher quality of meat.

As this film illustrates, Dr. Grandin was diagnosed as autistic in the 1950s. Her determination and fortitude placed her in a number of situations which qualify as examples of iconic realism. She was a woman, struggling with her condition and dedicated to work in the 'man's world' of raising cattle for the food industry in the western U.S. during the 1950s-60s, before the women's movement took hold in the 1970s. Moreover, she introduced innovative ways to reach children and adults with autism before U.S. Public Law 94142 was passed, providing free and appropriate education for children with special needs.

For that reason, I have placed the wonderful HBO film of Dr. Grandin's life experiences in this category of iconic realism because this iconic figure of a woman, placed in a setting where women were not usually found, brings awareness not only of the condition of autism and the possibilities of individuals who deal with it, but the audience becomes aware of the beef industry and the positive results associated with treating cattle with respect.(Click here to view a trailer for the HBO film.)

White Wolves-"Fear" and Iconic Realism

Click HERE to view video

In this beautiful musical presentation by IceFloeSoul, with lyrics sung by Sarah McLachlan's mystical voice, the concept of stewardship once again appears through the illustration of the iconic white wolf in late winter/early spring, a symbol of freedom. This video lets the audience see this animal and hear its haunting voice, along with voices of other animals and sights of natural parallel structures. 

The juxtaposition of this visual and aural experience with contemporary music and words that describe a love theme provides the audience with awareness of the human connection to and responsibility for maintenance of a healthful environment, alerting us to possible limitations of freedom and corollary fear, if we are not watchful.  

Sydney Owenson's (Lady Morgan's) "The Musical Fly and William Blake's "The Fly"

                

 
Photos above:

 Left: Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) with harp, compliments of NY Public Library

Right: the-fly-shapiro.webp from Google Images

Below is an excerpt from a paper presented at the Association for Franco-Irish Studies, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland: 

In Sydney Owenson's poetic collection, Lay of an Irish Harp,  her chapter titled, “The Musical Fly,” renders a quote in French: “De pouvoir sans nous ennuyer Eterniser une bagatelle,” which translated into English generally states, “We cannot perpetuate a trifle annoyance.” Her poetic rendition continues with the tale of a fly’s encounter with the silent strings of a harp and an allusion to William Blake’s “The Fly” (See Blake's poem below.)

In the third stanza, she writes: 

Not seem’d unconscious of the charm
That lurk’d in every silent string
For oft the little vagrant swept

               O’er every chord his lucid wing. 

A fly not only is an insect that displays independence, but the word, fly, is both transitive and intransitive, with multiple meanings, all of which are related to transcendence. This fly, then, could be representative of independence. While Blake’s fly has an inevitable brush with death, “For I dance/And drink and sing, /Till some blind hand/Shall brush my wing,” Owenson’s fly, with a touch of its lucid wing, flirts with the silent strings of the Irish harp, a symbol of Ireland, and manages to create a resonance with the origins of the harp’s music. 

Both writers use a melodic format with metaphoric representations of the human aspiration for independence and the complexity that occurs when this spirit interacts with annoying governmental and societal dictates. Both poets elucidate for their audiences the dire consequences associated with submission to an overt power. 

Whereas Blake’s fly dances until it receives its fatal blow, Owenson’s fly dances to silent strings. Hers lives in a paradox that illustrates her desire to convince those in the British government, who could create the true music to allow their constituents to experience a reality based on tolerance, but choose instead to manage their constituents like that of the insect-vagrant, whose truth consists of momentary felicity. 

Owenson’s careful choice of lexicon in her poetic representation of independence reveals the antagonism that echoes throughout Irish history, like the strings of her harp, often resonating in a cultural vacuum of silence. 

***********************************************************

The Fly 

by William Blake

Little fly,

Thy summer’s play

My thoughtless hand

Has brushed away.

Am not I

A fly like thee?

Or art not thou

A man like me?

For I dance

And drink and sing,

Till some blind hand

Shall brush my wing.

If thought is life

And strength and breath,

And the want

Of thought is death,

Then am I

A happy fly,

If I live,

Or if I die.

The Tiny Hand of Samuel Armas (In honor of Respect for Life )

Photo from Google Images

In 1999, Michael Clancy captured on film the little hand of Samuel Armas, held here by Vanderbilt University Hospital surgeon, Dr. Joseph Bruner. The iconic element here is the hand of the human fetus, for it represents life, innocence, and complete vulnerability.

This is an excellent example of iconic realism in photography, for one usually would not think that the connection between a 21 week old human in the womb and a surgeon could physically take place in this manner. See how the tiny hand grasps the finger of the surgeon, illustrating the need for human touch even when the baby is in the mother's womb!

One cultural dilemma that this photograph reveals is that even though there exist limitations and possibilities of medical science,  the beauty in the touch of a human hand is a divine statement that life is precious and can be meaningful from the womb... before birth.

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee..." (Jeremiah 1:5) kjv

Brandon Balengee, Bio-Artist, and Iconic Realism (Click onto this title to see and hear Brandon Balengee discuss his research/art.)

Here, Brandon Ballengee, artist and scientist, collaborates with communities around the world to bring awareness of environmental change. His source is the iconic feature of ancient civilizations, the pond. Ballengee's research follows the phenomena of mutation in the amphibian populations worldwide. Then, he uses his skill as an artist to create awareness of this biological variance, focusing his audience's attention on environmental transformation.

How does this relate to Iconic Realism? 

 1: Iconic natural pond

 2: Scientific research of pond creatures within the pond

 3: This brings audiences to awareness of the importance of clean water sources

An added feature here is taking the scientific research and turning it into an art form, again, to bring awareness of the need for environmental stewardship.  

Click the link below to see and hear Brandon at work: