Final Project Proposal for Four Mile Creek Operetta

This topic submitted by Zoe Brickley, Dustin Daugherty, John Neborak, Kathryn Cheney, Jason Thompson ( bricklze@muohio.edu ) on 3/8/03. [ Rivers Team: Zoe Brickley, Dustin Daugherty, John Neborak, Kathryn Cheney, Jason Thompson-Section: Blaisdell/Wolfe]

I. Introduction

Hypothesis: Does the overall health of Four Mile Creek affect the human experience and cultural perception of the creek habitat?

We plan to interview human inhabitants of the Four Mile Creek area, with their consent, to collect personal impressions, historical relevance, and the significance of the creek’s role in the community. We plan to study the human affect on the creek through a study of synthetic pollution that the people of the area cause and contribute to. We also plan to do research on the recorded history of the creek, including any important events regarding its development by the city and any movements to protect it. We feel that interviewing is a more personal way of connecting to a community and understanding their impression and feelings toward their surroundings. The aesthetic value that the community holds for the area will be investigated through the interview process in order to attain a comprehensive understanding of the community’s view of their environment. We plan to incorporate the pollution study of the creek’s health in order to ascertain knowledge of the health of the creek and to juxtapose the community’s view of the creek with its biological health. The knowledge and information gained through these studies will then be synthesized into a rock operetta to put a creative slant on our presentation.
We feel that the most interesting and interdisciplinary way to incorporate this sociological, cultural, statistical, scientific and emotional information is by utilizing the arts; specifically, musical and visual. Therefore, as stated above, we plan on writing and producing an operetta comprised of many movements that will express the varying concepts we will acquire through research conducted in the areas of social science (the aesthetic value that the community places on the area), natural science (the study of various synthetic pollutants), and the artistic study on visual representation. The operetta will incorporate various musical styles from roots music to rock, from country to gospel, from techno to instrumental; in other words, it will be an eclectic and diverse musical representation of the information and knowledge which we will acquire through our studies.
We will then create a pamphlet of visual representations of Four Mile Creek to complement the music and overall eotional reaction to the visceral experience of the community and ourselves toward the creek. This will include photographs and artistic interpretations and representation of the creek and the surrounding area. The pamphlet also creates a venue for graphical results of biological surveys, and further development of the themes presented in the music.
We feel this project is the essence of interdisciplinarity and draws inspiration from almost all of the course material we have utilized thus far. We have a large group and we feel that a basic cultural or scientific study of Four Mile Creek would hardly be engaging enough or worth our time. We will have to do a lot of work to make this project successful, but we feel it will be much more interesting and enjoyable than narrowing our focus to a specific problem; that to incorporate all of our ideas into a synthetic creative output would make for an interesting projection of our study.

II. Source

Keats, Daphne M. Interviewing: A Practical Guide for Students and Professionals. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 2000.

This book outlines interviewing styles and techniques for different age and social groups, as well as other things in the interviewing process. Question formation and structure are explained as well as question order in terms of relevance. Research methods are also discussed.

Opdyke, George Howard. Art and Nature Appreciation. New York, The Macmillan Company, 1932.

This book describes the connection between visual arts and nature and how the inspiration of nature has led to many influential and classic works of visual art, from paintings to architecture. Art and nature are presented as inextricably linked in a symbiotic relationship of inspiration and output.

Huth, Hans. Man in the Landscape: A Historic View of the Aesthetics of Nature. New York: Knopf, 1967.

This book explores the relationship between man and nature as it relates to the aesthetic views of man and why they form the way they do. Artistic views of nature are explored in terms of aesthetic appreciation of the surrounding of the artist. The view of nature’s influence is explored in depth as inspiration for art, specifically visual in this case.

Tuan, Yi-fu. Passing Strange and Wonderful: Aesthetics, Nature, and Culture. Washington D.C.: Shearwater Books, 1993.

This book takes into account cultural views on nature and how they are represented and understood as well as formed. It shows and explores the interconnectedness of the three title topics and how they feed off of one another in a quest for representation of an idea, specifically a creative idea or an idea of identity within nature and the environment.

Tobias, Michael. A Vision of Nature: Traces of the Original World. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.

This book looks at perspectives on nature and people’s surroundings. It focuses on the connection of modern man to his/her historical roots in nature. It delves into the connection of modern views on nature with views in the past and how man can gain a better working idea of himself in nature by combining what we know now with what we knew then; to fuse our ideas and feelings towards nature into a working comprehension of life within nature.

Heidleberg, Michael. Vistas of a Continent: Concepts of Nature in America. Heidelberg; Winter, 1979.

This book expounds upon the changing view of nature within American society by looking at science, social and artistic movements. Different ideas of nature in America are explored as an overview to the idea of and reaction to nature which is constantly shifting and changing within this country.

Heller, Chaia. Ecology of Everyday Life. Montreal, Canada: Black Rose Books, 1999.
This book discusses how, because of society, humans have become separated from nature. The natural world is necessary for physical survival as well as emotional well-being. In this book there are methods for people to become more conscious of their place in nature, and why this is necessary for people to understand how they need to live their lives so as not to harm nature.

Grossinger, Richard (ed). Ecology and Consciousness. North Atlantic Books, 1992.

This book explores the connection of human consciousness to the environment and how we react to this phenomenon through social and artistic means. The book also explores environmental consciousness and the degradation of our natural environment.

Berleant, Arnold. The Aesthetics of Enviornment. Temple University Press, 1992.

This book shows the interdisciplinary approach to environmental aesthetic representation. It shows how the artist, as well as others, gain influence through their surroundings. It brings into question the formation of environmental beliefs for the artist, whether reactionary or political response or solely based in aesthetic representation such as “atmosphere” or ambient music.

Berleant, Arnold. Living in the Landscape. University Press of Kansas, 1997.

More exploration of the relationship between the environment and humanity in regards to aesthetics and the arts. In depth analysis of the human interference within the environment and how human shaped landscapes should not be ignored as natural landscape and how this intrusion of the artifice is reflected in artistic representation, the ultimate in artifice.

Carter, Erica et al. Space and Place: Theories of Identity and Location. Lawrence & Wishart, 1993.

This book deals with identity theories and how humans gain a sense of identity through their surroundings and how this can affect human theories and stances on the environment and the inspiration that comes from that understanding. The book deals with how artistic interpretation of the environment can form or deconstruct people’s view of that environment and their connection to it.

Bordman, Gerald. American Operetta.

This book provides a history of American Operetta in the form of an overview. It discusses how operetta has been used as an art form and its influences and its construction. A good reference tool for forming a narrative idea around a concept for an operetta.

Traubner, Richard. Operetta: A Theatrical History.

This book goes further into the history of operetta, branching out from American operetta. It is useful in understanding how operetta is used and what ideas and concepts have been explored using this art form.

The Book of Music and Nature: An Anthology of Sounds, Words, and Thoughts.

This book and compact disc explores the instrumental reaction to nature and environment from a wide variety of modern composers such as Philip Glass and John Cale. It is mainly a modernist/post-modernist take on the merging feelings of industrial man and nature and how they can be integrated into a synthesis, much like we are attempting to do with this project.

Bohm, David; Peat, David. Science, Order, and Creativity. Guernsey Press Co., 2000.

This book makes observations about levels of orders in relationships between science and society. It theorizes about how creative dialogues can create a more harmonious relationships between people and nature.

Cantrill, James; Oravec, Christine; Editors. The Symbolic Earth. The University Press of Kentucky, 1996.

In certain articles, environmental problems facing humanity are addressed from an ecological perspective. It assumes that our environment is a product of how we talk about it. This will help us integrate scientific and social findings.

Hooke, Anne. Basic Microbiology for Biological Concepts. McGraw-Hill Co., 1999.

This guide to microbiological concepts will help us better understand and interpret results from bacterial and chemical tests. There is also information about how the presence of certain bacteria can affect human and other important organisms to the ecosystem

Campbell; Reece. Biology. Benjamin Cummins, 1999.

This source will help us to identify the presence and importance of organisms whose habitat surrounds the creek. The principles of conservation biology are presented, as well as the significance and effects of any observed pollutants. The information bout ecology and habitat structure will give us an ideal model for comparison to our findings. There is also information about how to detect stream health by noting key biological indicators.

McPhee, John. The Control of Nature. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1989.

John McPhee gives an account of humanity’s interference with the course of the Mississippi. This information will help us understand how and why stream systems are altered and what this implies about ecological and human health.

London/Upton/Kobre/Brill. Photography. Prentice Hall, 2002.

This is a comprehensive guide to documentation using black and white SLR cameras or digital color photography. Techniques that can be used to best capture subjects artistically and symbolically or realistically and accurately are presented, as well as developmental methods for maximum desired affect.

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/processguides/interviewing.html

This site is very helpful for the inexperienced interviewer. With this site, the interviewer will get step- by-step instructions on how to properly contact participant, how to interview them, and even how to conduct themselves during the session.

www.restore-earth.org/restearth.ecores.html

This site makes people aware of their connection with nature, how they can get reconnected with life, reconnect with each other, and restoring the earth. It explores the aesthetic value of nature and how it is connected to humanity.

www.cia.gov/csi/books/1910////////4/art5.html

This site first defines what a person’s perception is with regards to the world around them. The site also describes the experiments that were done to asses how people perceive events as small paper flowing around them

www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/112/noor.html

This site defines the importance of biodiversity as an indicator of the health of an area. Later it says that people should not take biodiversity for granted and that they should not exploit the land around them for their personal gain.

III. Interdisciplinary Approach

Though art is the central product of our project, it is certainly not the basis for our research. The operetta and pamphlet are but creative expressions of the synthesis of cultural, social and scientific perspectives. The basis for our project is a reflection of the Rivers course itself, in that we hope to build a representation of Four Mile Creek, including its place in society and its place in nature based on a social survey of the community investigating the cultural feeling and understanding of the aesthetic value of the creek and a scientific study of the health of the creek and the surrounding area by studying and analyzing the pollutants in the area. The source of the pollutants we would be looking for is agricultural run-off. Farming is an important aspect of the community, and any information gathered on this socio-scientific subject will greatly add to our perspective on a particular relationship that exists between nature and culture here. It will be interesting to compare sentiments about the creek from people in different positions in the community. This investigation will enable us to address the question of environmental resonance that our class has discussed all semester. For example, how effective any environmental movements have been, and what community feelings and circumstances contributed to these successes and failures. We will note linguistic cues from interviewees to construct a representation of the infrastructure of thoughts and ideas that pertains to the creek, and shows a general concept of natural reality. To do this, we plan to see how the aesthetic value of the creek differs within the community, and if it does, what the difference in view is based on. We also hope to see if the idea of a polluted or non-polluted area has an effect on the view of the creek or surrounding area. To find out the answers to these questions and to produce a creative means to express our findings, we need to use an interdisciplinary approach, which encompasses social and natural science along with creative aspects such as literature and musical influences in accordance to synthesizing our study into an operetta. We will study how other artists have shaped reality into a personal, meaningful expression to make our production as unique and effective as possible.

IV. Specific Research Design

To incorporate all areas of interest and core areas into our project we must take a research approach that can remain interdisciplinary yet focused. To accomplish this in the area of natural science we will experiment on several sites to determine pollution levels. Weekly tests will indicate levels of pH, nitrates from fertilizers, and bacteria from fecal contamination. Statistical tests will be applied to our findings so we can determine if the sites are significantly different from a typically healthy area or from each other. If pollutants are found, the upstream causes will be investigated, and related to social scientific findings. In this area of social science we plan to contact and interview people who live near Four Mile Creek to acknowledge, appreciate, and understand their experiences and history as connected to the natural surroundings of the creek. Questions asked to all interviewees would include how important they feel the creek is in the community, what their particular view of nature is, how or would they benefit from healthy ecosystems in their area, and what threats they perceive a polluted system would present. Other questions would be created specifically for each interviewing situation. For example, we will ask a county clerk about which civilians have lived in the area the longest, or perhaps a there would be a retired clerk we could interview. We would ask an older citizen to recall any memories of the creek, or impacts on the community from alterations and developments, and people with young children about how they think the creek affects their children’s safety. Environmental engineers from private firms would be asked how they interact with the community and its government, as well as to compare expected impacts of development with actual ones or what building stipulations would benefit a healthy creek system. The information office in the Butler County building would direct us toward government officials or retired chair people that have been involved with issues that have affected the natural area. We will attain their perspective about the cultural and natural relationship and see if any future developments are under way. Farmers will be questioned about what fertilizers and pesticides will be used and when, so our test results will be meaningful. Their knowledge of the impact their practices have on the creek will be assessed as well as any predictions for the future of their business. Opinions will be gathered from the academic community in Oxford as well. Students that have recently been introduced to the area will be asked about their impressions of the creek, and professors that have led studies about the creek will be asked to share their findings. These questions can also be extended to employees and volunteers at the Hueston Woods Ecological Research facility, for they would have a complete understanding of the state of the creek’s over-all health, as well as factors that affect it. This insight will help us understand how the community contributed to the preservation or degradation of the stream system. Different motivations for current and future participation in activities that affect stream quality will be studied so we can raise awareness and encourage positive involvement most effectively. For the humanities portion of our project we plan to synthesize the understanding that we accumulated from the gathered information into an operetta, which will express our cumulative experience through artistic representation. To help us do this we will reflect upon the musical and artistic resources we have gathered, and determine how we can best relate the message we create in an entertaining and compelling way.

V. Materials and Methods

We will use many tools to record the music for our project, including musical instruments (electric guitar, keyboard, drums, triangle, etc.), recording programs like Acid Pro and Pro Tools, microphones and our beautiful voices. We will also use photography, painting, drawing and collage techniques to create the pamphlet, as well as the written word to explain our project to the prospective audience.
Foremost, we will seek human subjects living in the Four Mile Creek area to interview about their knowledge and experience of the creek. We will use interviewing techniques culled from the Keats interviewing guide and establish a set of questions investigating a range of topics from the aesthetic value of the creek to what people in the area think about pollution in the area. Preliminary emails will be sent to all prospective participants, followed by a phone call to set up an appointment if an interest in expressed. A series of core questions will be created that will comprise the first half of the interview. These will assess individual’s perception of culture’s relationship with nature, as well as their opinion of the creeks role in the community and general knowledge of pollution and fragmentation as it affects an ecosystem. The second half of the interview will be customized for each participant based on his or her role in the community. We will ask everyone if they know of someone else who’s participation would be particularly helpful to us. We will then compile all of those opinions and knowledge and experiences to achieve an understanding of what a basic conceptual perception of the creek and the surrounding area. A photograph of each interviewee and region of interest or habitation will be taken upon consent and added to our pamphlet. We will send tokens of our appreciation like cookies or a letter exclaiming our academic success to thank everyone for their time.
In the area of natural sciences we will be conducting tests for the specified pollutants mentioned above once a week, or when we decide these tests will be most meaningful based on information from farmers. For instance, we would test before and after any chemical applications. Other tests for specific chemicals may be added after these interviews as well. We will use university-supplied equipment obtained from the science centers in Boyd to monitor the specific areas that we will denote as test-sites along the creek. Interesting sites for focus would include portions of the creek in close proximity to farms, residential neighborhoods, highways, and protected or park areas. We will then use Statview to produce a statistical model based on the data we acquire during the conducted tests. The biodiversity will be assessed and compared to these models, so we can decide what factors influence the over-all stream health. Noting the density and variety of organisms as well as indicator organisms, like water striders, in all interest areas will accomplish this. In this assessment we will pay special attention to portions of the creek directly affected by man made structures like bridges and dams, or the removal of forests, so we can compare these to less altered areas. We will keep in mind the normal distribution of organisms specific to geography and season. We will study sites that are fairly evenly spaced along a spectrum of the severity of human manipulation to obtain a most accurate idea of how pollution, human interference, culture and stream health are inter-related.
After the initial fieldwork we will acquire extensive information on the creek to put our scientific and cultural research into context. We hope to understand the history of the creek by utilizing published documents and face-to-face testimonials. Upon accumulating and contextualizing this information we will begin the song writing process, which incorporate all afore said perspectives of Four Mile Creek. Upon writing all of the movements of our operetta, we will record them and produce a music CD. At this time we will compose the pamphlet explaining or work. This pamphlet will be entertaining and informative. Black and white photography will accompany passages and lyrics, all of which will shed light upon the purpose and significance of the musical compositions. We hope to present our operetta to the Rivers class and whoever else will come to the public presentation in Leonard Theater.

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