Semiotics.

 

SIGNIFIER	SIGNIFIED	LITERAL (SIGN)	LITERAL (METAPHOR)
Tiger’s passage	A hidden pathway	Voyage	Movement
Vein of water	Free flowing	Narrow water channel	Weakness
Statues and shields	Defending	Knight	Metaphor
Cornucopia	Supplier of good things	Container	Abundance
The Brothel	House of ill reputes	Creep joint	Immense joy
Voluptuousness	Desire	Sensuousness	Act of pleasure
Thick coating of signs	Disconnected feeling	Hard to understand	Dreams

Constructed Environment.

 

1. How does Calvino describe his cities?

He describes the city as deceptive. He describes the city with too many symbols and signs. Every element in the city has a sign or a symbol.

2. What is the role that the monuments play?

Monuments play a really important role, in my story the monument are the trees and the stones.

3. How does urban interact with the natural?

Basically trees are and the stones are the most constant things throughout.The trees , animals and other natural things interact with the pythagorean school, the brothel and other urban things.

4. How do we distinguish between nature and man made?

We distinguish it between signs and symbols. The manmade are the structures which are evolved during the years, but the natural are the nature, the animals etc.

Cities and Signs – Poem

Amongst trees and amongst stones for days you walk,

On reaching Tamara signboards jutting from the walls you stalk.

When you come to Tamara in this case,

Everything is different in such a place.

Things don’t mean what they are actually supposed to mean,

This just makes the traveller all the more keen.

Discovering Tamara is difficult on the whole,

Hence signboards play an important role.

A new story- Tamara

After travelling different cities of this country, it was time to explore Tamara. Tamara, ‘the city of wonderland’ got me goosebumps each time I spoke about this city. I did not remember anything of the past except this beautiful experience of my lonely life. I lost my parents in a car car accident when i was 12, I was 22 now. My childhood went in grief and pain. The only way to overcome this distress was to travel. Travelling made me happy. So i decided to travel the world, meet new people explore different places. Entering the city, I witnessed tall tress everywhere. I walked through many places, sometimes hearing the hustling of the leaves, I could feel the tiger walking besides me but they were just the footsteps. Nothing seemed usual to me. Fascinated by the sight of footprints of the rat into the building, I ran rapidly behind it. Being left alone from the new environment , I was clueless where to go. I came across this building but I couldn’t decipher like any other place in the city, but when I looked around I realised it was a place of worship. The very next minute my eyes flashed on a shadow of a person nearing me. She didn’t seem like a high power, but someone lonely like me. My heartbeat was on race, my face went numb, I was unaware of what to do. I sat, hearing the shrieking footsteps of an unknown soul. Instead of just acquainting myself with the structural aspect , I turned around in hope of meeting with an inhabitant of this beautiful city. But unfortunately as I looked at her beautiful  blue satin gown I realised I was not looking at a lady but medusa herself. For a fraction of time I could visualise my end. That confusion pushed me towards to confront her that , “ is this it?” the medusa replied, “ Yes, I have frozen you to be in the city.” It didn’t take me a second to replace herself with a good identity. I started visualising branches of the trees on her head instead of those snakes. She didn’t seem a monster to me, in fact a signboard itself. I had got an opportunity to explore the city now. I happily explored the pythagorean school, the hour glass, the palace, the prison, the mint, etc. That  encouraged me to create more signboards describing the city. Signboards, for those ones who felt they left the city undiscovered. Mainly to emphasise on how beautiful the city was actually in real after having a total different perception towards it. Medusa turned out to be an eye opener for me towards the city. To acknowledge existence not based on our perception or interpretation I had accomplished to discover Tamara with all its signboards.

Tunnel Narrative

After travelling different cities of this country, it was time to explore Tamara. Tamara, ‘the city of wonderland’ got me goosebumps each time I spoke about this city. I did not remember anything of the past except this beautiful experience of my lonely life. I lost my parents in a car car accident when i was 12, I was 22 now. My childhood went in grief and pain. The only way to overcome this distress was to travel. Travelling made me happy. So i decided to travel the world, meet new people explore different places.entering the city, I witnessed tall tress, huge houses, big doors, many four legged animals. Everything was three times bigger to its actual size. Nothing seemed usual to me. Fascinated by the sight of footprints of the rat into the house, I ran rapidly behind it. Being left alone from the new environment , I was clueless where to go. The very next minute my eyes flashed on a shadow of a person nearing me. My heartbeat was on race, my face went numb, I was unaware of what to do. I sat, hearing the shrieking footsteps of an unknown soul. He showed up, this handsome soul took my eyes and mind off everything around.  Couldn’t get over that magical moment. It didn’t take me a second to realise that I had already fallen for him. That soul got me into million dreams, I approached him. All I did was just a smile, he had understood. Eyes were just enough to express my feelings for him. Leaving the house, going towards the woods I shared my experience with him. He smiled at me in mute. All was going good till I sang a song for him.He pushed me away, and said I reminded him of his past, which he had already forgotten. Henceforth, refused to see my face again. That got me all shattered and heartbroken. And made me come to a conclusion of leaving the city forever, and never turning back. I had not explored the city at all. All i experienced was an encounter with this handsome boy. After leaving the city, I realised that I failed to discover the most beautiful city. But I had no regrets, inspite of not discovering the city, I had experienced the most beautiful thing.

Lower Parel

For me, Lower Parel seems home. its just been a couple of months joined ISDI. The two huge bridges covering the area from the top, and the heavy traffic covering the roads. Lower parel is a station itself. The high rise buildings, the mall , the office stations, schools, pubs, the mills are located here. There are different types of people residing , taking their caste, creed, age, etc. The footpaths here are either occupied by the food hawkers or tiny multipurpose shops. One will always find this place crowded at any hour of the day by the school kids in the morning, workers in the noon and evening, families in the nights and teenagers at midnight. The place might not sound happening but has its own charm in itself.

Photographic Memory

1. A pleasant evening, kids enjoying post school at the very famous Juhu beach. The goat cart giving  a very multi feeling in the modernised transport on the beach. The goat given an old vibe and the tyres in the cart giving a new. The flying of the hair giving a sense of a pleasant windy atmosphere. But the wet sand also giving us a clue of the Monsoon Season. The clouds almost ready to pour anytime. The kids are enjoying the ambience after a tiring day at school, working for 6 to 7 hours from the morning. The picture takes me back to my old memories spent at the chowpatty beach with my family and friends.

2. As soon as I saw this picture it got like all the old memories back. JJ school of arts,         has been the start to my artist life, this the the place where i gave my first entrance exam based on art. i remember being really nervous, but as soon as I witnessed my competition, it brought a lot of  motivation. This picture portrays dedication, concentration, attention, silence, and debt in itself.

3. “Lets go for a walk” this is always the first thing that comes to my mind as soon as i see marine drive. The Marine Drive (the queens necklace) the the most beautiful place I’ve come across in Mumbai. Marine Drive in monsoons is a ‘must watch’. however beautiful it might be in the day time, but the LED lights in the night becomes the beauty of the place. people have thousands of memories with this place. people come here with parents, friends, lovers, relatives, etc. You go there at any point of the day, you wont ever find it empty. The best part is that i can see the entire view of the marine drive sitting at home.

Cities and Signs 1

Memory in simple words is just storing the events happening in you life through either vision, smell, sound, touch or taste and recollecting it when you need to. In this chapter of ‘cities and signs’ in the first paragraph it’s said that you rarely understand what some things truly mean and in a silent way what they are actually trying to tell you. So in this memory is just remembering the things the way they are perceived and not interpreting it what they truly try to denote. Like trees and stones are mere objects and are stored in your memory in that way but they can be a sign for some other thing linked to it also. Like given in the paragraph, hibiscus in your memory is just a flower but it’s appearance also has a meaning which means that winter is over.In the second paragraph, the author talks about the city of Tamara seen for the first time. The city walls are filled with signboards and giving information about the particular place, the dos and don’ts, images and carvings about certain things, sculptures, different buildings according to their use, etc. The city is just seen and not discovered. Like a mask, it’s true identity or what the city really is, is not visible. So you have basically stored in your memory what you have seen and what the city has showed you, while you believe that you have actually discovered it.So I understood through this chapter that memory is just primary knowledge for the present. To actually know what things mean you need to understand what they stand for and the reason behind it to be at a particular place at a particular time.

Invisible Cities

Isidora.

2. I sat there watching through the glass, my luck never worked. He sat there with two ladies and i could never impress one. And there it was, a third one walked by and he followed. All i was known as was a luthier. I worked at Mr.Fred’s, one of the best instrument store’s in the city. Here i was in the most beautiful city, isidora.

I didnt live in a fancy house with spiral staircases like the elite did. I neither had the money to bet on cockfights nor could i afford a telescope like the elites. I was one of the young boys who was judged by the old men who sat there without any work or worries.

1. Sometimes, I get a really bad headache going up and down those spiral staircases in order to reach home. So one day while I was off to work I saw this guy come to Isidora , quite shocked as if this were his dream that had become true. However I did not pay much attention and just moved on. It is lovely to see how the telescopes are made with accuracy, so I stood nearby to see how they were being made.On going further I encountered a quarrel between two people and the bettors had a bloody battle, such sights are not soothing to the eyes so I just moved on and got to work. I had to make some repairs to the violins that had come in last night and had to deliver some new ones today. While doing my work I saw this man who was hesitated with 2 women, so that interested me and I went out to look for the matter. In no time from somewhere a third woman came into the drama and became a part of it, this put me into laughter. After working the entire day, I was returning home, I saw the same man whom i had seen in the morning, he sat with the old people and watched the youth pass by, he was old himself. It seemed as if he was recollecting some memories. After that I rushed up the spiral staircase back home to get some rest.