Armor and whatnot. . .

For my armor, I plan on using plaster of paris to create a mold of my chest and stomach. I have purchased a metal plate from Goodwill that I'm going to use to create a breastplate. The breastplate will be attached to suspenders to keep it in place. I also have a child's storm trooper mask that I found at Wal-Mart. . . I may put some kind of padding on the inside, since it's made of cheap plastic and likely will not be very durable. I have a pair of white pants, a white t-shirt and I'm going to paint an old pair of tennis shoes white. I am considering painting my arms white but haven't decided yet. I have also considered the option of wearing white shorts instead, and painting my legs white as well, but I know it may be too cold for this to be a reasonable option. In case you're wondering, I do realize that my arms and legs are not going to be well protected, which I feel is an important aspect of my armor. I feel that my armor represents myself in the sense that I try to protect myself from people on an emotional level, yet I'm still vulnerable to the harsh realities of the world. From a biological perspective, I also think it's important that the only areas of my body that will be protected are where vital organs are located. In nature, animals are more likely to survive after damage to an arm or leg, but will likely die if there is severe damage to an organ such as the brain or heart.

I also think it is important for everyone to know what action potential is and how it occurs. These are some notes that I took from an old Biopsychology book that I think might be helpful:

-The action potential is an abrupt depolarization of the membrane that allows the neuron to communicate over long distances.

-The potential across the resting neuron membrane is stored energy. Imagine countless sodium ions being held outside the neuron against the combined forces of the concentration gradient and the electrical gradient. Opening the sodium channels allows the Na+ ions in that area to rush into the axon at a rate 500 times greater than normal; they are propelled into the cell’s interior so rapidly that the movement is often described as explosive.

-Just as abruptly as the neuron “fired,” it begins to recover its resting potential. At the peak of the action potential, the sodium channels close, so there is no further depolarization. About the same time, the potassium channels begin to open. The positive charge inside the membrane and the force of the concentration gradient combine to move K+ ions out; this outward flow of potassium ions returns the axon to its resting potential. The action potential and recovery require about a millisecond (msec, one-thousandth of a second) or so to complete.

-The action potential causes nearby sodium channels to open as well. Thus, a new action potential is triggered right next to the first one. That action potential in turn triggers another farther along, creating a chain of action potentials that move through the axon; thus a signal flows from one end of the neuron to the other. Nothing physically moves down the axon. Instead, a series of events occurs in succession along the axon’s length.

-Action potential operates on the all-or-none law, which means that it occurs at full strength or it does not occur at all. A larger graded potential does not produce a larger action potential; like the fuse of a firecracker, the action potential depends on the energy stored I the neuron. Also, it is non-decremental; it travels down the axon without any decrease in size, propagated anew and at full strength at each successive point along the way.



From my perspective, the name of our group is not just a name at all. It is a process. It has a direct relationship with who we are and we are doing with this project. I also thought this information might help us develop some ideas for movements during the performance.