Author: avivagonter

The Rainbow Fire Hydrant

avivagonter 0 Comment Public Art

As I walk home from school on a daily basis, I see the rainbow fire hydrant that is located on Avenue J between East 15th and 16th streets. The fire hydrant is situated right outside of the Avenue J subway station for the public to view. The painted fire hydrant is readily visible during daylight hours when I walk home from school. Yet, it is very hard to notice the detailing on the fire hydrant when it is dark outside. Seeing a brightly colored fire hydrant is a very big contrast to the other rusted fire hydrants that I pass on my walk. It always brightens my day to see art in the most unexpected place. The first couple of times I walked by, I didn’t notice it. I didn’t pay attention to the slightly unexpected twists in my surroundings. While walking on the other side of the street, I would have never noticed the fire hydrant. After walking right past it on the same side of the street for many days, I started to look around and notice things that I never noticed before. After about two weeks, the rainbow spray painted fire hydrant piqued my interest.

An anonymous artist used different colors of spray paint in order to create the rainbow themed fire hydrant and its adjacent poles. The fire hydrant has been there forever, yet it was only spray painted in the fall of 2015.  During the summer before it was spray painted, on June 26th, 2015, the United States Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage. By spray painting the fire hydrant as a rainbow, the gay pride flag colors, the anonymous artist is celebrating the court’s verdict in Obergefell vs. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that legalized same sex marriage. The artist is publicly making a statement about the recent victory in the court for couples of the same gender who are now able to get married.

The fire hydrant is a form of street art that was not commissioned by anyone. The artist chose to remain anonymous and not sign his initials anywhere near his work, perhaps because it is a form of vandalism. He used spray paint on an existing fire hydrant to create a dripping effect where the colors bleed into one another. This piece of public art is the size of an average fire hydrant, which makes it relatively small in comparison to its surroundings. Surprisingly, the spray paint has lasted for a while even if the artist only intended for it to be temporary. The artist created a permanent reminder for the public of the Supreme Court case Obergefell vs. Hodges and its effects on the gay population.

Despite the fact that spray painting a fire hydrant is illegal, the spray painted fire hydrant is still a unique site. Even if it is not a conventional form of art, the fire hydrant is still a pop of color on my walk home that never fails to brighten my surroundings.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: A Great Musical With A Not So Great Plot

avivagonter 2 Comments Film Reviews

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, directed by Ol Parker, acts as both a sequel and a prequel to the original Mamma Mia! film that came to theaters in 2008. A decade later in 2018, the film is revived in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again starring the same revolutionary cast: Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters and Stellan Skarsgård. Yet, the film also has some lovely additions including Lily James and Cher.

Like the original, the film is set on the beautiful island of Kalokairi in Greece. Five years after the original movie was set, Donna has died and her daughter Sophie is renovating the hotel and soon finds out that she is expecting. In addition to acting as a sequel to the original film, the second film also acts a prequel clueing the audience into Donna’s life when she met Sophie’s three possible fathers: Sam, Bill, and Harry.

Once again, ABBA’s hit songs are sung with joy and passion as excitement and happiness fills the theater. Unlike the first film that showcases ABBA’s greatest hits such as “Money, Money, Money” and “The Winner Takes It All”, the second film features some of ABBA’s more underrated songs such as “When I Kissed The Teacher” and “My Love, My Life.” While some may be disappointed by the music choices, the new soundtrack gives the movie its own identity and an invigorating freshness, differentiating it from the original film.  Although they may not be as well known as the songs in the original, the songs in the second film remain true to ABBA’s fun and upbeat famous nature. In addition to the music that differed from the first film, the second film also features some of ABBA’s biggest hits of all time that were in the original including “Mamma Mia!”, “Super Trouper”, and of course “Dancing Queen.” Even if the viewers do not enjoy the soundtrack of the film, they will absolutely walk out of the theater in a good mood singing one of ABBA’s catchy hits.

With regard to plot, to put it frankly, nothing exciting really happens. The film traces Donna in her younger years as she graduates from college and embarks on her journey to the island. Throughout the blast to the past, the audience travels with Donna as she meets Harry, Bill, and Sam. It is quite interesting to see Donna in her youth and her journey to the island, but I hoped for something more dense.  In addition to the past, the film also focuses on the future as Sophie recovers from her mother’s death. The island of Kalokairi is nearly uneventful; Sophie simply reopens the hotel and meets some of Donna’s old friends and family. Although the film may have failed in the realm of plot, it definitely didn’t fail to put a smile on my face.

The plot is conveyed through musical numbers which may contribute to the slow pace and lack of action. Yet, the integration of the musical numbers into the plot is impeccable. For example, Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, and her husband Sky, played by Dominic Cooper, sing “One of Us” while they are, to quote the lyrics, quite literally “staring at the ceiling wishing [they] were somewhere else instead.” As they sing together from different locations, the film beautifully transitions between Sophie in Greece and Sky in New York.   

One stark difference between the first and second films is the amount of screentime that Meryl Streep occupies. In the first film, Streep was the protagonist who the film centered around. In Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Meryl Streep is not present throughout the entire film; she simply makes a short appearance at the end and sings several songs. Yet, the film compensates for this and adds a new freshness to the film by introducing new cast members including Lily James who plays a young Donna and Cher who plays Donna’s mother. James does an exceptional job of exuding the vibe that Meryl Streep created for Donna in the first film. She acts with a carefree, jovial attitude and exhibits the same joie de vivre that Streep did. Lily James also has an extraordinary voice and sings ABBA’s hits wonderfully. Yet, the ultimate voice in the film belongs to Cher. As she sings “Fernando” during the second half of the film, the theater felt like a concert hall.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is an extraordinary musical with a simply ordinary plot. The acting is impeccable and the integration of music into the plot is great. Despite its slight pitfalls, the film is worth the trip to the theater.  The lack of plot does not detract from the film’s value as a musical. It is, however, recommended to cozy up on the couch and rewatch the first film before going to see Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.  

Aviva Gonter

The Conscious Eye

avivagonter 0 Comment Cabinet of Curiosity

As humans, we have a tendency to focus on the finer details of conventional artwork found in museums. Yet, we usually tend to neglect the more intricate details of the beauties found in nature. As a group, we decided to pay close attention to the details in things that are naturally accustomed to the eye. Our pieces transition from accepted aspects of artwork to more overlooked ideas that are concealed by our subconscious.

The textures vary in each piece of art— starting from a marble sculpture to an oil painting, both found indoors. Our artwork transitions outdoors to show that beauty can be found in the simplicity of nature and not only in the traditional art setting. Textures and colors both enhance the world around us, and our cabinet depicts this exact notion, especially around our everyday lives at Brooklyn College.

Daliah Ben-Ari, Aviva Gonter, Morielle Tolchin, and Jenny Yedid