Performance Art Activism Post - 11/12 - Ishmael Adams

 

    Ishmael Adams

    Professor Doris Cacoilo 

    Activists, Interlopers and Pranksters 

    11/12/2025 

    

    Ch. 5: Cognition  

    "As we grow older our neuroplasticity — the ability of our brains to grow, change, and regenerate — decreases and it gets harder to absorb new information and think in new ways." (pg.185)

The older we get, the more stagnant our brain becomes over time and though physically we can still learn things our brains become less malleable and become in some ways as hard as iron. Though the quote makes a well researched effort, I do think there are always exceptions to the rule as there are also, though not many, people in older age that make a career out of something they recently learned or have their mind changed from a core belief. This quote feels as if this is the one and only route to aging and learning and fails to take into account the exceptions too.   

"People are inconsistent, and pointing this out will not further your cause. We need to recognize that people are full of contradictory ideas, then bypass the ideas and associations that run counter to our objectives." (pg.193)

In order to reach people, to persuade others to our perspective, there needs to be a connection with a common idea or goal to tether on to, then expand that connection out into other things to make that person or group realize that their original perspective isn't as pristine as originally thought. 

Performance Art Piece   

Audience: Classmates or any community of people

Setting: Preferably a room with a desk or somewhere with a surface to place things on

Message: We as people are all important from all walks of life, no one is unimportant and we all need each other as people. Without one person, even a seemingly small one, everyone else can fall. Everyone is important.  

Performance Directions :  

1. Get into a group of 4 to 6 

2. Grab a piece of paper

3. Each person in the group folds that paper into a shape, any shape is fine, but square or triangle is preferable

4. Balance each paper on top of one another to make a sort of paper tower