Rianna Segal – ARTS IN NYC

The Truth In Color

October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 Rianna Segal 0 Comment Public Art

My small apartment is located next to one of New York’s main attractions, the Coney Island beach and boardwalk that includes an aquarium and amusement park. Occasionally on the boardwalk, you can see these phenomenal murals and street art. Recently, on one of my afternoon strolls, a particular mural caught my eye. It’s artist, Danielle Mastrion, designed this masterpiece in a way that made people stop and truly be in awe of the beautiful piece, along with it’s alarming truth. It begins by showcasing a fish that you might see in the ocean on the left, and as the viewer continues to move towards the right, its body slowly becomes plastic water bottles, cardboard, cigarettes; different forms of garbage and litter that humans constantly use to pollute the waters around us. The end of the painting showcase the bones of the tail of the fish. The color scheme of the background also transitions from a lighter to a darker blue and the viewer continues moving from left to right. The clear purpose of this was to get people to recycle more and dispose of their waste in an eco-friendly manner. However, if you observe the mural from the right to left, it shows the bones and all of this trash to becoming a fish full of beautiful color and life, which can show the viewers the impact that reducing, reusing, and recycling can have on the fauna in our oceans. The mural also depicts air bubbles that give examples of how people can help make this change and make the world a healthier place. As Mastrion describes it, the fish depicted is a “Phoenix rising from the ashes”.

For as long as I can remember, the art on the boardwalk has been constantly changing. This piece is reasonably new, made in 2017, as a response to the ongoing human-made issue of water pollution. Originally, this piece was one of the winners of the New York Aquariums 2017 Mural Competition to protect oceans and marine wildlife. Since then, the artist has continued to paint walls and canvases all throughout New York and many other cities. According to the New York Aquarium site, the prize for the winners was a $2,000 cash prize, and a one-year Family Premium WCS membership to each individual listed on the entry form. Although I was unable to find satisfactory information on the materials used to create this mural, Mastrion is known to be an oil painter with abilities to translate her work into aerosol as well. Although placed in the midst of a sunny and crowded boardwalk, this mural stands out and catches the eye of any observer. Especially when the sun goes down, the vibrant colors truly speak to the people that pass, and they can’t help but glance at the story that it tells.

Black Panther (2018): A Revolutionary Masterpiece

September 18, 2018September 18, 2018 Rianna Segal 2 Comments Film Reviews

With a compelling lead performance by Chadwick Boseman and a phenomenal soundtrack, Marvel’s Black Panther is an amazing production that represents true creativity and African cultural spirit. Marvel has truly outdone itself in this action packed, futuristic film. Wakanda is a fictional nation in sub-saharan Africa. The people of Wakanda use a fictional element known as vibranium to technologically advance them in ways that the modern world has no knowledge of. This use of vibranium has also led to the nation becoming completely isolated to the outside world. T’Challa, Chadwick Boseman’s character, must ascend to the throne of king while also maintaining his “superhero” status of black panther. When an enemy becomes a sudden threat to Wakanda and it’s people, he must learn to balance and survive the fears of losing his family, his love, his home, and his ancestral right of the title of black panther.

Throughout this spectacular film, the soundtrack, created by Kendrick Lamar and Ludwig Goransson, leaves the viewers pumping with adrenaline. The uplifting hip hop music makes the viewer feel as if their heart is thumping in synchrony with every beat. The soundtrack also represents genuine African culture with its spectacular integration into the plot in order to further the understanding of the theme. The music from this film was so respected that its very own album was released. The music from the movie was heavily inspired by African Tribal music, as well as modern African Hip Hop. Garansson went on tour with a prominent Senegalese musician to capture the uniquely African sound for the film. Lamar included multiple African Hip Hop artists in the film to get a sense of the culture and pride in the film.

A second major aspect of this film that I thoroughly enjoyed was the makeup and costume design. At one point during the movie all of the tribes of Wakanda had to gather. There, you could see the true beauty from the specific choices of the makeup artists. Not only their face and body makeup, but also the choices of prints and colors truly lit up the scene and represented the heritage of the actors. The weapons seemed to be authentically African which made it that much more realistic as well. Each tribe also had specific hairstyles: locks, braids, twists, or no hair(for the warriors). Some tribes had extravagant piercings such as one that had massive plates on their lower lips and ears. Also each tribe was depicted as African animals; gorillas, rhinos, crocodiles, panthers, lions, etc. The black panther suit was made to fit snugly on Boseman’s frame, and would occasionally change (watch the film to get more information) and the suit really made the character look like a real life black panther. It had night vision, claws, and panther ears just as its real life counterpart has. All of these amazing and thought out details makes it fairly easy to conclude why it has been nominated for the 2019 Oscars Award for the best technical categories and the best original songs, along with many others.

The acting in the film made it extremely relatable and lovable for the viewers. King T’Challa, the black panther himself, was very charismatic and charming. He showed how self-assured and selfless he is throughout the movie, and how heroic, strong, and capable he is, while at the same time having the all too familiar feelings of nervousness and “butterflies in the stomach” of ascending to the throne and being around his love interest and dealing with the loss of his father, who he was very close too. His sister, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, brought most of the humor the film with her childlike yet comedic jokes, along with her genius intelligence that led to the success of Wakanda. She is one of the most loveable characters who brightened up every scene she starred in. The warrior, Okoye, played by Danai Gurira, and Chadwicks love interest, Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o, both show immense bravery and loyalty throughout the film, while each retaining their individualities. Michael B. Jordan plays the antagonist of the film, Erik Killmonger, a Wakandan born and raised in America who return to take his “rightful” place on the throne. He proves to be a very complex villain, one that viewers can’t help but sympathize with at times, which makes this film that much more unique. The entire cast of Black Panther does an incredible job working together to create a truly exceptional and remarkable film.

In short, the Black Panther is a truly remarkable and inspirational film that combines authentic African culture with modern day African-American culture and ideologies. Its creativity and imagination knows no bounds, and is a movie I would recommend to any film enthusiast.

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September 4, 2018September 4, 2018 Rianna Segal 0 Comment Cabinet of Curiosity

Our cabinet of curiosity represents the contrast between city life and nature; the aspects of our world that were created versus those that were already there. Both usually go hand in hand, they lead to one another. We find curiosity when drawing parallels between the environment that was made for us and the environment that we altered. We focus on the pond located at Brooklyn College for our cabinet, because it represents nature that arose from a man-made project. The original landscape was not made up of animals and water, but most likely dirt that was then covered with pavement. When created, the pond became a home for living organisms that were left to thrive in their new community. What was originally manufactured then became a natural environment.

In our cabinet, we have curated images that demonstrate this curious link between man-made and nature. We started off with the turtle that was placed there to develop. We then transition to the koi fish, another animal that would not naturally reside there if not for the installation of the pond, but was left there to reproduce. Next, the tree and flowers were, presumably, planted by a human, and began to grow and flourish similarly to the animals that were left in the pond. The final image represents the truth behind the nature we perceive. The only possible way nature can flourish in this concrete jungle is a direct product of mans intervention. This then begs the question, is the life we will to create natural or simply artificial?

Authors:

Dave Dodson, John-Abraam Ibrahim, Rianna Segal, Rachel Wolf