Although the creator of mardi gras beads may have not had our purpose in mind, the observation of the interaction between students and the beads prove a different purpose.
The beads exist in their own linear frame, but contain many functions (neck wear, bracelets, shapes on a table). Each person seems to have a different purpose for their beads, and what is particularly interesting is when those purposes combine, when those beads combine to form an extended frame, an interlocking frame.
However, the "purpose" for the students' actions may not be any purpose at all. It may be unconscious actions that can result in the creation of something worth interpreting, or it may reveal the student's true feelings of what the purpose for the beads actually are.
The most fascinating thing about these beads is that I don't believe that it is possible to create the same formation more than once. It can never be duplicated, each experience with the beads is of its own.
This brings up the importance of documentation. Simply describing a formation of beads is not going to give the visual factor that is actually present at the time. Visual art gives an actual look to the experience, and it can create the possibility of comparison between different uses for the beads, and different experiences with the beads.
Are there other similar objects that may be comparable to this experience?
Is the only reason we believe a certain object has a certain purpose is because the manufacturers say so?
For example, a similar experience may be found in yarn, electrical cords, or even some foods.
What do you think?
