'Human Countdown' and Iconic Realism (Click onto this title to see and hear about this event.)

On September 20, 2009, Central Park in New York City was filled with individuals who were interested in making a change in the public's attitude concerning the need for environmental stewardship. These individuals gathered in Central Park to create a living, visual image to highlight the message of this change to occur worldwide. 
An excellent example of iconic realism, this community event demonstrated how a creative vision in the midst of one of the world's largest cities can bring awareness of cultural reform to the attention of the world. 

Blade Runner and Iconic Realism

The 1982 film, Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, screenplay written by Hampton Fancher, is based on the novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. In the film, set in a futuristic Los Angeles, Harrison Ford’s character, Deckard, has a mission to terminate 4 replicants. However, his iconic figure of a rugged cop experiences a change of conscience as emotional turmoil enters his stark reality. This film contains several illustrations of iconic realism through the use of iconic images overlaid an obscure, futuristic setting, that bring the audience to an awareness of the ambiguous reality of human strength and weakness.   

'The Great Escape' and Iconic Realism

I was channel surfing the other day and landed on The Great Escape, a 1963 film directed by John Sturges. I couldn't help notice that this film illustrates the semiotic theory of iconic realism in that the audience perceives icons of both freedom and constraint through character representation of the Allied prisoners of WWII and the German Gestapo. As the film progresses with bucolic settings that also provide a perception of freedom, only to be constrained by the Nazi forces, the viewer becomes poignantly aware of freedom and its multiple forms of limitation. In the end, those characters who are still alive, question their need for physical freedom from the pow camp as they learn to appreciate their individual spiritual, intellectual and emotional autonomy. 

Ode to Skunk Cabbage

Below, you will find my favorite spring poem. It has nothing to do with iconic realism. Today is a beautiful, cold, early spring day here, and I just felt like sharing this. Hope you enjoy it!

Ode to Skunk Cabbage
by Jeanne I. Lakatos

Bursting forth from its ruddy milieu
a flower erects from its hooded spathe.
This courageous prophet boldly
faces the frigid air with confidence,
radiating silently, as if to say,
“Come to me, for I offer
nourishment you need now.”
Sweet attraction allures, and she comes:
the beetle, the spider, the queen bee,
warmed by the generosity
of Spring’s first flower.
Odoriferous, proud, protective,
he inspires other fragrant flora
to engender beauty.
Now, Spring has arrived
with the burgeoning
of the exceptional Skunk Cabbage.

Not iconic realism, rather irony and circular condition

Okay, so today was a very odd Monday, there must be some kind of planetary retrograde or something taking place. Anyway, the end of the day was arriving, and a colleague of mine asked if I'd be interested in ordering a pizza. "Sure!" I replied, and quickly put on my red coat to quickly walk over to the Student Center ATM and get some cash. 

That's when it happened. I decided to walk through one of the buildings to avoid the ice outside. However, as I turned the corner in the hallway, I slipped and fell on some melted ice. My cute, Dooney-Burke slid across the hall, and there I was on my knees. Well, thank goodness no one was around to see this....Ah, but had there been, a possible law suit might have been easy to win...and I could have been a millionaire! 

Not the case, however. I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and started all over again, heading toward the ATM for a couple of 20's. When I returned, I noticed the area of my foot that hit the floor was swelling, hurting....a lot! Now, it is a lovely shade of bluish-green, throbbing and determining exactly how I maneuver this crazy frozen world. I have some old crutches, which have come in handy, and I just know that this, too, shall pass. 

Now, here is the irony of the situation. I am now applying ice to this swollen entity at the southern end of my person....ice! ....that which caused this condition in the first place. Full circle.

*** Having visited the hospital, I am now learning to navigate with crutches, for this little spill has resulted in 2 broken bones in my left foot. Should be interesting!

Have fun with Zen Meditation Chimes!

Whilst you play this musical instrument, perhaps, you will be transformed into a state of total relaxation, from which you, too, will conjure some ideas regarding iconic realism. This theory can be applied to many forms of human experience. Aw, come on, give it a try!  

Always check your mail! Today, I happened to check my mailbox at the university, and sitting there on top of the mailbox shelf was a package addressed to me. In this package (YES!) were five copies of my book! I'm still not satisfied with the photo of me on the back cover, but oh well...The book is written; the theory is out there, and there ya go! Any questions about the cover photo? It's pretty cool, huh? 

Oh....and TFE? Love that photo of you, brilliant smile! You look a bit pale, though. Need a little sun, do we? 

Iconic realism in Irish literature

An example of iconic realism in Irish literature is Cathleen Ni Houlihan. Her character appears in a number of novels and poetry through a variety of personas. I'm thinking of such obvious writers as James Joyce, Brian Friel, William Butler Yeats and Maria Edgeworth, not to mention my personal favorite, Sydney Owenson. 

Iconic realism in Art

As you gaze upon the art by Dali, below, you will note that he uses iconic realism in most of his artistic renderings. He will place a recognizable figure in a position in which this figure is not expected to exist. Through his placement of the figure in this unrealistic setting, he creates a realism that brings awareness of an aspect of culture that needs reformation in some way.