4/10 - reef
By Evan Hynes and Octopus(s)

Started on: 04/22/10 20:25:06
Medium: Other

I recently went with the class to check out the REEF. As a biology double major, I have vsited the reef before, but never got to really experience it. I loved all the animals, especially the juvenial sharks and the octopus. In many respects, the octopus seems to share many human qualities, in terms of its apparent emotional states it seems to display through its coloring. The octopus’ ability to change color and texture (or so it seems) according to its surroundings or emotional state fascinates me.

I think I will try to work with the octopus. Although I understand that I may be very limited to how I can actually work with the creature, I feel that there may be other ways I can work with it besides actually handling it. I did hear of one student in a previous year that mimicked the octopus’ behavior via changing clothes in a gallery space depending on how she was feeling. I may do something similar, but I want to make it personal and specific to my experience in life.

One idea I have is to record a video of the octopus and then play it on a screen faced tward to same octopus. I would like to see the octopus’ reaction to its own image, to see if it can recognize itself or whatever. I’m not sure if this will play out well or if I will even go about working with the octopus, but nonetheless, I was really intrigued by the octopus’s human-like qualities.

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