The Politics of Art & Authenticity

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From the first punchline I knew what I was in store for. Every aspect, every story line, every punchline, every character was as predictable as can possibly be. Not that the play wasn’t entertaining, some of the jokes were a little outdated (Bruce Lee action figure), but I also just knew what jokes were gonna be made. It was like watching a Tyler Perry movie live, “Madea Gets A Gay Nephew.” The only unpredictable aspect of this play was the scene changes. The way the scenery came from changing the coffins was very innovative and creative, I wasn’t expecting to see a car come out of a casket. The quick scene-changes from a giant map of the eastern seaboard to the room in Disney World were seamless and well thought out. The actors played the four main characters well and did have a very distinct portrayal of each character. Unfortunately I knew the entire character within two seconds of meeting them, there was no real character development, once you knew them, you knew what they were gonna say, what they were gonna do, and the jokes they were gonna make. Of course the main characters had an epiphany about how their loves should continue after the death of their most important family member, it would have been real if they both hated each other and walked away from the situation. I understand it’s supposed to be an upbeat and happy play, that’s why it’s called Wild With Happy, but there is such a thing as too happy.

When I think of Happiness, I normally imagine a touching moment of realisation when you feel your heart warming up and making this smile you cannot resist. Maybe it’s just my reserved personality but placing the word “WILD” with happy, at first, only made me think of all these different people going WILD, whether portrayed by animal-like behavior or yelling, screaming, and shouting. Without any clue, I started watching the show.

In the beginning of the show, just like I imagined, people went WILD. The church scene with people dancing and yelling, I couldn’t understand much but was somehow offended. I knew that it wasn’t the happiness the overall show was about, but being a Christian, I couldn’t quite figure out how to take it. I was pretty much befuddled and could not concentrate. Maybe it was the way the protagonist narrated the scene,with his strong vocal style, shouting out every word and then. To be honest, it took me a while to fully indulge into the play.

As it moved on to the scene in the casket shop, I finally found my pace and started enjoying the play. I believe everyone may have realized this but, I HAVE to reiterate that the use of caskets were immensely clever and truly amazing. It was not only efficient but they were so intricately designed to help the flow of the play: from the past to the future, state to state, indoors to outdoors, and inside a car to a closet! Speaking of closet, I cannot leave out a comment  on the acting. Of course, all of the actors did such a wonderful job, but whom I remember the most was the only female of the play, splendidly switching over two significantly different personalities,  the magnificent Sharon Washington. (now i just made her sound like a magician but oh well, she was pretty MAGICAL) I don’t know whether it was because of her fit body or just me sitting in the back with blurry vision, at first, she seemed just too young to play the mother. But I was wrong. Her motherly innocence portrayed in her voice when playing Adelaide, and the comical yet strikingly realistic portrayal of the aunt were good enough to put my unnecessary worries away in no time. I loved the way the aunt was able to put on everything in Adelaide’s closet, the glass cup, and her rant about the Internet. It was really interesting how she seemed to hate new technology yet was able to utilize the tracking system to follow Gil and his boyfriend all the way up to Orlando, Florida. It was fascinating to see the play incorporate some of the major issues nowadays into the dialogues and characters and still make it entertaining and not disruptive to the overall plot or message.

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/165288/colman-domingos-wild-with-happy-extends-for-one-week-at-the-public-theater/

But what’s best of all, for me, was the scene at the Cinderella Suite and the moment when all the characters each realized something special in their hearts. Personally, seeing Adelaide still maintaining the youthful innocence and believing in Disney made me think of myself and my mom. No matter how much I’ve grown up, no matter how much I’ve heard about the notoriousness of Disney it still is part of my childhood and just the thought of a day in disney world with my family makes me smile and dream. The scene also reminded me of my mom and her frustrated dream of continuing Piano in college due to unexpected finger joint injuries for it seemed to draw a resemblance to Adelaide dreaming of going to Disney World. By the time, my mom was about to have a big surgery so it saddened me as I saw Gil making his mother happy by fulfilling her dream while at the moment I could do anything for my mom but pray.

At the end of the show, my mind was boggling with ideas and realizations that I felt my heart grow warm, tear drop a little and SMILE without any restriction of my mind or my facial muscles. I was WILD with Happy.

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wild |wīld|

adjective

1 (of an animal or plant) living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated.

2 uncontrolled or unrestrained, esp. in pursuit of pleasure: 

Wild With Happy was an enigmatic but energetic performance in which vibrant characters, scenes, and the complex plot line were beautifully exhibited mainly using one set. With minimal characters, minimal props, and very few set changes, using the same large props for more that one purpose is practical; the multi-purpose caskets were amazing. Not only did the transforming “furniture” add humor to the play but it added creativity and innovation. At first, the caskets were just in the background. I had thought that they were only there to re-inforce the fact that the mother was, in fact, deceased and the scenes with her in it were either supposed to be in the past or supposed to be within the protagonist’s imagination.

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As the play unfolded, however, the a casket was unfolded into an armoir. One unfolded into a bench. Another unfolded into a car. Each change in form was so unexpected, much like the play itself. The caskets were a brilliant addition to an already mind-blowing performance. They were honestly my favorite part.

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=702&tbm=isch&tbnid=S3_-gO45TU0XiM:&imgrefurl=http://www.facebook.com/barnarddance&docid=vxU3FfgOfeIM7M&imgurl=http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/549058_201705063297090_490145004_n.jpg&w=403&h=403&ei=A8mvUJ2yGYTH0QHgjoHYCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=303&vpy=366&dur=1441&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=61&ty=198&sig=102592201894873628021&page=1&tbnh=146&tbnw=146&start=0&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0,i:127

You can ask me what happened during The Barnard Fall Project performance but all I could tell you is, “I don’t know.” I really don’t. From a technical standpoint, I admire all the dancers for their courage and talent in executing such a dance. I know how hard it must be to time each dance perfectly, how difficult it was to develop such muscle strength yet still look so graceful, and how impressive it is to remember each detail of the choreography. From the art standpoint and the meaning behind each work, I have less to say. I was and am still stumped. The first dance was not so bad. I thought I could feel a theme of competition, teamwork, and the like. I understood a small bit. The second one was absolutely confusing. But I thought that maybe that was the point of it.. to tell a confusing story of four women, entangled in each other’s rough lives. All I can really be sure of is how I felt. And I was scared. It struck me as creepy and negative. I was entranced and slightly frightened. It definitely kept my attention. The Barnard Fall Project proved to be a successful projection of art because it brought about an emotional response. I just wish I could have understood it also.

This maybe extremely ignorant of me but walking into MoMA during such a hectic week,  I did not recognize Scream at first. In fact, I passed by it casually and said, “I feel you, man.” It was only moments after I felt as if this face knew all the stresses I had  been going through lately that I was able to clear my thoughts and really focus on the pieces of art. As soon as I did, all I thought and felt was awe and curiosity. Sometimes, it seems to me that art is so arbitrary. I mean, I made a drawing like that in third grade. Come on, how is it art. But when one looks closely at each stroke, the selection of colors, the execution of the artwork itself, it suddenly becomes a project larger and more complex than anything I would ever dare to tackle. Even the giant luxury leather raft that I, at first, thought was there for weary art appreciating amateurs, became an actual piece of work in my mind. Now, I am not saying that I am an expert or will be anytime soon but I believe I see exhibits differently now. But off the record, I am glad I connected with that screaming art somehow. That’s the point of art isn’t it?

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=658&tbm=isch&tbnid=9hc8DRdW-eklpM:&imgrefurl=http://www.forbes.com/sites/lynndouglass/2012/09/18/moma-to-exhibit-most-expensive-painting-at-auction-the-scream/&docid=PLF_CMFhl9oUAM&imgurl=http://blogs-images.forbes.com/lynndouglass/files/2012/09/The_Scream-290×290.jpg&w=290&h=290&ei=pD6tUNj9JIit0AGi0IDYDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=4&vpy=140&dur=2150&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=148&ty=119&sig=102592201894873628021&page=1&tbnh=147&tbnw=147&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:88

Just in case you missed it today (or would like to see them again) here are a few final projects from last year:

Sabiha Toni

Veronica Gavryushenko

Michelle Guo

My encounter with modern dance will be something I will never forget. I sat dumbstruck in

that theater as I tried to make sense of the disjointed spectacle i was observing. The lack of synchrony and th
point of modern art but if it is I don’t find it appealing. I’m comparatively old fashioned when it comes to art, ae obscure choreography left my utterly perplexed. I don’t mean to take anything away from the dancers because I’m sure they put in hours of hard work but as I’m beginning to notice that modern art forms are very difficult to interpret when you don’t have any prior knowledge on the subject. Maybe that’s the

ppreciating century old paintings and dances like the ballet or the waltz. In my opinion dance should remain what it is: dance. There is no need for it to have a deeper meaning and if it does, make sure that it’s clearly demonstrated my the performers

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This was the first time I had seen this iconic piece of art in person. Although it wasn’t the finished product, these various drafts contained the elements that make the finished painting what it is. The facial features of the piece are very pronounced exude a feeling of surprise more than sorrow or distress. The eyes of the subject are completely open showing that the surprise is genuine and unexpected. The open mouth also reinforces this notion. As I continued to gaze at the artwork I tried to pi

ece together what this surprise could be attributed to. I observed the location and thought of what types of events could take place near the dock. Is some one drowning? Is there a boat that can’t stop? These are the things I sat and pondered as I gazed at The Scream.

I was blown away by the architecture of the Museum of Modern Arts. I was curiously browsing from room to room admiring the beautiful works of art. Then I texted my friend asking her if there was anything I should see, and she told me to look at paintings by Edvard Munch. This one caught my eye, and I am glad I texted my friend because I probably wouldn’t have seen this painting. The painting is amazing! The contrast of colors creates a wonderful contrast between land and the river beneath the bridge. I like how Munch makes the picture grainy instead of the more smooth look that pictures have. It kind of looks like a blend of painting and pastel. So many emotions can be felt from this painting like the horror the character has on his or her face. I like how Moma juxtaposes traditional paintings like The Scream with more traditional paintings from artists like Picasso and Van Gogh. This is more abstract art, while Leonardo da Vinci’s is more of a traditional portrait. This juxaposition shows how art changes over time along with styles. It also shows modern artists can create wonderful art as the big name traditional artists. I can sense the person’s fear of death and angst.

The photography was fantastic, but I was overwhelmed by the wide spectrum of photography and the number of pieces. I am very interested in photography, and I enjoyed seeing how each artist expressed their feelings and ideas through their photography. The contrast and black and white images added to the emotion the photographers felt because pain and sadness can be conveyed through darkness like the picture we saw at the end. It challenges my notion of photography beacuse I thought photography could just be pictures of people or places, but it can take many forms. It speaks to what a photo means in the twentieth century by exploring the concepts of modern photos and diferent ways artists can express themselves. I can’t wait to go back to MOMA!

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I was expecting dance like you would see on an episode of Dancing with the Stars, but I was glad that I got to become familiar with a new form of dance. It was hard to follow, but I really enjoyed it. I learned that modern dance can take many forms, like when I learned how art could take many forms like it did at The Museum of Modern Art.

Modern dance shows that our culture changes rapidly and new forms of dance can influence culture. Also new styles of music and art can influence modern dance. It suggests that dancers need to be strong and athletic in order to endure the physical stress of dancing. This dance suggests the human form can take many shapes and sizes. It also suggests that it can morph into several things and perform many actions like swimming. It shows the versatility of the human form like the versatility of modern dance. I thought the costomes were well crafted and wholeheartedly added to the performance. The silence added to the performance by making the audience think and focus their attention on the dancing.

The Pond Dance confused me, but I thought it was pretty good. I didn’t understand why the dancers said swim, but I later figured out that they were in a pond. The LindenLeahMarthaScottCatherine dance also confused me, but I liked it. I didn’t understand  why when one dancer would be introduced and dancer that was introduced would say she was someone else. I felt the dances got better in the second act with the Beth Gill dance being my favorite.

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