Art & Authenticy

To look at music is to look at how it has evolved over the span of decades. Music is an element in our mainstream culture that has been evolving through several centuries in the U.S. The biggest change, however, was witnessed during the 1970s and was well chronicled by Looking At Music Side: 2. From the moment you walk into the exhibit, the large, yellow mural with those words “Looking at Music: Side 2” creates a bold and significant impression on the exhibit in general. The font they used is also cleverly designed–as if scribbling the words “Looking At Music: Side 2” is in a sense, implying that music is still a work-in-progress and will continue to evolve as time goes on. Patti Smith’s collection of her self-portrait and her early works is a reflection of these “changing times”. I am also particularly glad that she came into the punk-rock genre because of how intriguing this genre of music has become. The fast paced melody, tempo and electric guitar rhythms is just like musical paradise and to get a first hand feel of how it came to existence is sensational. Another breathtaking aspect of the exhibit was the collage on the wall. By blending in the myriad of photos into a whole symbolizes how music in America is very diverse, culturally influenced and yet, it is very broad in general.

After reading Brantley’s review of “West Side Story,” I expected harsh criticism of Bill T. Jones’s “Fela!” But I was surprised to see that many of his views were similar to mines. He was able to capture a combination of all of our presentations in reviewing “Fela!”

Continue Reading »

An interesting point that Ben Brantley brought up was the fact that he was surprised at how the audience members weren’t in such a groove after the show. It was quite obvious to me that the show was all the rage and everyone was talking about it afterwards. Although Brantley’s comment on how people should have left the show swinging their hips was an exaggeration, the powerful aura of the Shrine and the theater itself was enough to give people a subconscious urge to rotate their “clocks”. Ben Brantley’s review touched upon a lot of the aspects that we covered in class: the political activism of Fela Kuti, the height of his career in Nigera when he was all the rage and of course, his powerful, aggressive demeanor both on and off the stage. FELA! was also a means of revival, according to Ben Brantley. Much of Broadway has focused on the theme of revival of classical works such as West Side Story and FELA! was no exception. Bill T. Jones was determined to capture the essence of the production as it was in the 1970s and that style is still relevant in today’s theater. Although he had the help of some elaborate collaborators such as Shawn Carter, Bill T. Jones drew and conceived FELA! as an original and authentic piece of work. If we didn’t know that we were living in NY, we would’ve left the show thinking that we were taking a trip in a time machine back into Fela Kuti’s prime.

Watching, watching, watching, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, watching.

Continue Reading »

The exhibit “Looking at Music: Side 2” embodies the time of the 70’s. As I walked in, the first thing that caught my attention was a song by Patti Smith called “Piss Factory.” The lyrics were full of raw passion and hope. “I’m gonna be somebody, I’m gonna get on that train, go to New York City,/ I’m gonna be so big, I’m gonna be a big star and I will never return.” This represents the spirit of the 70’s. Everyone wanted to break out from where they were, and go some place new. Everyone had bigger dreams; no one wanted to be locked in. In a way it was inspirational, representing people who dreamed big dreams and even encouraging them to go for it. It’s music that speaks to people. Continue Reading »

I have had many assumptions about operas before seeing Barber of Seville. Some of them are from the way operas are mentioned in TV shows, most of them are from my experience with Chinese opera. While waiting for the curtain to rise in the opera house (which was a sight itself), memories of falling asleep in the theaters in China while my grandmother enthusiastically hummed along with the performance under her breath came to my mind. I started hoping that Barber of Seville would have some aerobatic moves, since those where the only factors that kept Chinese operas from being a complete torture for me in my childhood. Continue Reading »

Boy, was I disappointed.

There was nothing of substance in this exhibit.  Nothing to really marvel at.

Maybe it’s just me

Continue Reading »

Let me just say – Best. Art. Exhibit. Ever.

If you were fond of the “Looking at Music: Side 2” exhibition at MoMA, you will definitely appreciate this.  If you weren’t impressed by the one at MoMA, you will appreciate this a lot more.  If you’re a fan of 60s-90s music (particularly Rock) you will appreciate this exhibition tremendously.

Continue Reading »

Feminism, as defined by the dictionary, is “the doctrine of advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” Brooklyn Museum of Art’s participants of the exhibition of “The New Feminist Video” took that notion to a different level.

Continue Reading »

Modern films (regardless of the style) that are shown in black and white have a much deeper meaning than just a color malfunction. Nowadays we regard these films as depressing, sad and also, powerful. Much of today’s society functions just like the alien world that was conceived in the short film. We are working nonstop to meet the deadlines because that is how society has pushed us to become. Standards have been raised and thus, if we do not execute, we will be left behind. Similarly, the film featured the alien workers being whipped by the overseer to perform at maximum efficiency-anything less is unacceptable. When we are pushed to our limits, our moral drops dramatically and we seem to lose the will to work any further. And this is when the “genius” plays in. By inventing a device to alleviate our stress and perceive the world in “technicolor” so to speak, we find artificial ways to motivate ourselves to carry on whether or not they are truly motivating in a sense. The malicious, intimidating bosses, look like they’re having the time of their lives and the workers are lulled into believing they’re achieving a purpose when, in reality, they’re still stuck in the same old situation. The film featured a powerful ending, and that was to snap back into reality. While we may not be content with our lives, it is by no means an excuse to live in a delusional world that is too good to be true.