Art & Authenticy

I actually liked it. Especially the second segment, “Afternoon of a Faun”. The movements were organic and gentle. There wasn’t a background and the costumes were simple, but the music and dance flowed so nicely together. The movements themselves were illustrating the music. I thought that they were supposed to represent some type of creature, but I would have never guessed it to be the faun. “Afternoon of a Faun” was the only dance that I really enjoyed because most of the other work was conventional; even the modern dance in the end. “Faun” was a combination of both elements: modern and contemporary. It made it fresh but also familiar.

The Beatles

Me If I Actually Saw The Beatles

While I dreaded having to go to the museum, I still enjoyed this trip greatly, 1) i have always wanted to go to the MoMA and 2) I am a child of rock and roll (I LOVE The Beatles). This was one of my favorite cultural events because of its content and mixed media –like posters, intimate photographs, album covers, magazine spreads, videos, and music. While it’s a bit chaotic and overwhelming when you first walk in, it does not take away from the whole experience.  The selection of artists showcased there was phenomenal, it ranged from Patti Smith to The Ramones.  It was also refreshing to see people from all walks of life looking at the exhibit; music really is universal. The only downside of the exhibit was that it didn’t last longer.

There were three specific works that really intrigued me. The first was Pinar Yolacan’s photographs of elderly women wearing satin dresses laced with animal innards. When I first saw the pictures, I thought the innards were fake and that they were fabrics made to look like innards. It was not to be disgusted after finding out that they were real, bloody animal parts. The plaque next to the display described the project as a comparison between the qualities of the sheen on rich fabrics and the sheen on raw animal innards. The idea itself is so strange and the concept is a little difficult to understand, but the photos were still very graphic and they drew me in.

The second piece that I found interesting would have to be the video by Grace Ndirita. In the video, she is wearing a black velvet mask. She continually strokes the mask; the clip is a commentary on the vanity of “attaining the ideal image” and it’s titled Artificial Beauty. Most of the other viewers found it to be a little eerie. It quite appropriate because often those who had already reached their idea of “ideal beauty” can look plastic and cold.

The last piece has aesthetic beauty– the set of photos containing the Lacrimacorpus. The bodies of the creatures were made entirely of inflated latex and they were dressed in elegant clothing. The location of the shoot was Germany, a site that had celebrated Goethe and also became a Nazi concentration camp at different points in time. The name of the creature is means “tear” and “body”. The photos are both beautiful and melancholy.

Watching “Wasp” have changed my view on single mothers. It have showed me that they can selfish, but at the same time selfless. There wasn’t much of  a script and some of Zoe’s (single mother) actions had made me wonder about her judgment, but in the very end she did show that she cared for her children the most. Even though she had tried so hard to cover up the fact that she had children, she still revealed her secret in end because of her concern for their safety.  The acting was actually pretty good, considering that this is a short film. It was short, but sweet; all the information packed into those 11 minutes made it feel like a full-length featured film.

So I read other’s posts in the short film section and I notice a disturbing recurring theme in the blogs about Wasp. Everyone is talking about how hard the mother has it, and how she is a victim of circumstance . . . rather than her own actions. This is shocking and terrifying if it is truly a reflection of our mentality today. I understand that they are poor and struggling and she is young, but that in no way is an excuse for her behavior or the way she acts with her children. Having witnessed too many times young girls that get pregnant and neglect their children because they decide drinking and getting high is more important because they’re young and they want to act their age, I’m disgusted that everyone seems to find this as a reasonable excuse. Every action has a consequence and before they tried to act like adults, they should have thought about everything they stood to lose. I’m not a big fan of abstinence only programs, but if this is really how we treat young mothers then I’m ready to help Nathalay as much as I can so more girls (and guys) make the same mistake.

One of my least favorite IDC events during this semester was the Fall For Dance Festival. Although some of the moves and performances were indeed crafty and showy, only a true master of dance could understand the concept of these dances. For a novice like me, these performances were about as bland as watching the grass grow. I noticed how various members in the audience were laughing during certain intervals of the dance performance, however, I have no idea as to why the subject was humorous or comical in any sense. Looking at the audience also revealed that many who were in attendance were of the upper-class. Perhaps, it is as simple as personal preferences. I was definitely expecting a much more engaging and if not, thrilling experience when it came to dancing because I have never been to these types of performances before. It is safe to say now that my perception on dancing hasn’t changed much. When I view dance, I seem to associate more with the “pop-cultural” aspect of it because of how much it has dominated the music industry with these hip-hop/rap genres of music. Nonetheless, for those who want a classical and casual view on dance, this is the show for you.

When I read the excerpt from “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” I was immediately struck with Danzy Senna’s story, not so much because of the details of her plight, but of how much it sounded like everyone else’s.

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Danzy Senna’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Rating: 4.5 stars

Reason:

I was so surprised when I saw a tall, Caucasian-looking woman walking towards the podium after the name Danzy Senna was introduced. I said to myself, where is the half African American side of Danzy Senna or does it only exist on paper? Then the all the pieces in her new book, Where Did You Sleep Last Night, clicked in my head–ever since she was a kid, Senna has been battling with her own identity.

From what I have read about her family member, I was also shocked that Senna would talk so openly about them. She didn’t mind giving us a scoop on how her family is like on the night of Christmas, and how her niece was acting at the age of 14. I think that takes courage, especially for a woman who comes from such prestigious heritage in Boston.

I don’t know about you but I am definitely buying this book by Senna.

Like Fela Kuti the man, Fela! the play pushed limits and raised the bar. From the moment you walk in there is an energy in the air that is unexpected and refreshing from a Broadway play. Fela!, as cliche as it sounds, is truly a must-see for everyone from everywhere. Not only is it possibly the most fun you can have on Broadway, but it is also educational in a sneaky way that you don’t notice you’re learning until the performance is half way over   >.>

Truly a renaissance man, Fela! was seriously the highlight of the year (even though doing the multimedia projects involved literally no sleep x_x). He was a talented musician, singer, and a well-educated activist. It was also nice to see how one man was so heavily influenced by the women in his life. But it’s a shame that almost none of us had ever heard of him now. He made (I think) as big of an impact in the world as Nelson Mandela, but he seems to exist in obscurity. On the bright side we should be seeing a biopic on him pretty soon. The world could really use more Fela Kutis.

Shannon Plump's Commercials

I am what you would call a feminist. [However, I’m not the kind of feminist that Abushale often describes with his beautiful language as a “lesbian” with “unshaved legs and armpits”.] Since I’m a constant fighter for women equality, I found the Brooklyn Museum’s New Feminist Video to be closer to home than many other contemporary artwork on feminism.

Out of all of the short films at the Brooklyn Museum, Shannon Plump’s Commercials definitely caught my attention. She straightforwardly made fun of the “it girl” and the women’s thirst for running after physical materials to make them look better (but not necessarily feel better).

To me, Shanno Plump got exactly what feminism is about: having a thought of your own and having the guts to stick by it.

DISCLAIMER: Abushale wants be to add the word “jokingly” in front of the feminist comment. So instead, I will put it here.