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“Two Boys” was a haunting performance driven by raw talent. Every aspect of the show, from the staging to the singing, delivered a chilling sensation that captivated the audience. The plot, though  disturbing and extremely off-putting, conveyed an incredibly strong message, exemplified all the more by the outstanding showmanship of the cast, crew, and orchestra.

This opera strayed from the traditional, yet its power cannot be denied. The singing was absolutely remarkable. The talent of all the characters was incredible, whether they were a main character, a member of the larger choir, or simply made a brief appearance. The biggest strength of the performance was the soprano end of the spectrum. The young boy who played Jake delivered the most chilling performance of them all, his range was absolutely remarkable, and his altissimo notes made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. However, Brian’s tenor was undeniably powerful also, the pair making the opera embody the haunting and disturbing effect that the plot intended to deliver. The detective’s alto sound fit her role perfectly, her pain and her vibrato simply pierced right through the soul. But these singers, as talented as they were, would be nothing without the orchestra that supported them. The composition and arrangement of the songs set the haunting atmosphere even before the opera began, and carried the mood throughout. The muted trumpets and strings created a dissonance that left the listener uneasy, making them remain at the edge of their seats in anticipation of whatever uncomfortable event would come next.

The music was not the only factor that brought life to this performance. The crew did an incredible job with the staging of this opera. The lights cast a bluish and dim shadow upon the characters, furthering the haunting atmosphere. The screens in the background, showing the chat room conversations, the buildings of the city, and the security camera footage, made this opera incredibly realistic. Each area that was shown in the opera was designated a specific location, and each scene stayed within a certain portion of the stage, making the whole opera appear more contained and manageable to follow. Even the dancers were staged perfectly, always in the background so as to add to, rather than subtract from, the actors’ performances.

The talent in this opera was absolutely outstanding, but the story line itself was incredibly disturbing, and made me very uncomfortable. It was incredibly vulgar and explicitly sexual at times. I left both disturbed and confused, as to why some components needed to be added to this opera. I feel as though the writer went overboard in trying to push the theme. Without the insane talent of the cast and crew, he would never have gotten away with such a vile storyline. The talent is what made the show, not the writing.

I walked out of the opera room, still hearing reminisce of applause. Completely floored by what I had just witnessed in the last two and a half hours. Two Boys was an attempted to bring opera into a more current time era by incorporating the use of technology.A quite successful attempt, seeming that my attention was capture and I was enamored the entire show. The first half was slow to develop the plot, however in the second scene all the details that had been laid out in the first scene came together like a completed puzzle. Everything that was set out on stage had a specific purpose and the set was especially impressive. It was always moving and changing to grasp the audiences attention. One of my favorite aspects about the opera was when they displayed the chat rooms and projected onto the walls. During those moments, not once did my attention flutter because i believed that i would miss an important line.

The music was absolutely intense and not what I expected at all. My favorite singer had to be Jake, the sounds that were coming out his body were unreal. I felt goosebumps down my arms and chills resonating throughout my body. I know understand the use of young boys in opera back in the days. All the singers were remarkable, most of the story line was clear and understandable. I consider that impressive because of the fact they do not use microphones and they have to project their voice so that even the person standing all the way in the back could understand what they were saying. Another important factor of the opera was the orchestra. All the music played was for a specific purpose. When the scenes were intense and gripping, the music played by the orchestra would fasten their tempo, create a more eery tone to fit the scene.

One thing that did puzzled me was the dancing in the background. There were certain times during the show when there was so much going on that i had to pick on thing to focus on. However when people are waving and flailing i could not help but stare at the dancers, wondering what was going on. So in some sense, it did take away from the opera  instead of enhancing the overall show.

This opera has broaden my views on the traditional views of opera and the way opera is “suppose to be.” Never will i think of opera as a bunch of fat ladies and old guys singing very loudly until a champagne glass breaks. 9/10  I would definitely recommend this to everyone. Everyone should experience opera at least once in their life time, and this is the show to see. It has the perfect balance of plot twists, amazing, talented singers and beautiful music and set design.

Run Don’t Run was a one of a kind performance. I could not pull my eyes away. Stepping into the auditorium/room the audience is immediate attracted to the red strings places strategically all across the room. They easily could have been mistaken as red lasers because of the mysteriousness of it all. As the dancers filed out and began performing, I was completely enthralled. I could not take my eyes off the dancers. The movements they chose filled up the room and incorporated the use of the red strings magnificently. The movements were incredible especially during one part where each dancer has a partner and looked almost as if they were fighting each other. It was as if the dancers knew the moves before their partner did. The music that went along with this dance was completely on point. Although it looked like fighting, the dancers were extremely graceful and had a water flow about them.

I loved how they used the entire space of the room, without that the performance would not be what it was. The fact that the dancers use the strings to hold them, such as when they would walk straight towards the audience but never hit them because the string held them back, was fascinating. It grabbed my attention as a audience. It also allowed the dancers to incorporate the audience without acknowledging that they are even there. I would definitely recommend this performance to my friends and family. It’s fresh and new, something I have never seen before. The dancing is thought provoking and you will be unable to tear your eyes away from the performance.

Wednesday’s performance of “Run Don’t Run” at the BAM was interesting to say the least. I started off utterly confused, and I remained that way for nearly the entire performance. It took a long time for me to appreciate the dance, but I think I have found reason to appreciate it in hindsight.

When the dancers partnered up and started going through their “fighting” routines, I couldn’t help but notice certain similarities to ancient martial art techniques and katas. In ancient times, the way martial arts were passed on was through dance. The ancient feudalist governments did not wish for their subjects to learn how to fight, for they were afraid of revolts. The people’s way of combatting this governmental oppression was dance; within dance routines the families would disguise many of their fighting secrets and traditions, so that the government could not understand what the people were really doing. These dances were a serious form of training, which many still do today. If not for these disguised dances, most martial art secrets would have been lost from those generations.

This aspect of the show particularly intrigued me; the techniques were much more abstract, disguised and fluid than the originals, but I would find it hard to believe that the choreographer was not inspired by some ancient forms of dancing. However, finding a reason for the choreographer’s choice was a difficult task. It was not until days after seeing the performance that I had any inkling of an idea for as to what this performance could have been trying to accomplish.

I like to believe that this dance was not supposed to have any deep or hidden meanings. In fact, I truly believe that this choreography was chosen for no other reason than to display the incredible talent and ability of the human body. Each dancer was an incredible physical specimen, and their nonstop hour performance would be taxing for even the strongest person. The way in which each dancer moved seemed to defy what is normal, and instead extended to the extreme possibilities that the body can achieve. Flexibility and static were incorporated heavily into this performance, as well as fast and slow, jumping in the air and laying on the ground, enclosed spaces and open spaces, traditional and abstract, and even fighting and calm. The performance’s title, “Run Don’t Run”, was even a juxtaposition, showing the contrast and extreme range of possibilities exemplified within the performance.

Many people viewed the lights and music as the key components to this dance; I on the other hand, disagree. I thought they subtracted from the performance. In my opinion, the dance was a showcase of ability. The music and lights added to the drama of the ability, but I believe they tried too hard to convey a mood. This is why I believe the dance was so confusing. The music and lights made it seem like the dance was telling a story, and I sat there the whole time trying to understand what that story was. I hated the dance at first, because I didn’t get it. Looking back, however, and looking at the dance simply as a dance, and nothing more, I am beginning to appreciate it. That dance took extreme talent, and showed the wonderful possibilities of the human body, and that is something I can relate to, far more than an absurd storyline that is only known by the choreographer himself.

New York City. It is considered one of the greatest cities in all of the world. Internationally acclaimed, people come here for business, (NYC also claimed to be the city of opportunity, at least it was) for pleasure or for the fact that they can brag that they have visited the greatest city in the world. New Yorkers, often dubbed as cold, mean and rude are what makes up this great city. A “true New Yorker” could tell a tourist from a mile away. However, a person who walks the streets of New York City can be a totally different person at night. Also known as The City that Never Sleeps, NYC is aglow during the night, and sometimes just as busy. Cars still buzzing by, people still rushing down the sidewalks to get to their restaurant, the only difference? The sun is not out.

The bottom of this photo, you can still see the constant stream of people. It’s blurred which is quite interesting because it represents the fluidity and movement of the pedestrians. The buildings and the streets are all lit up to accommodate the night life. Although the sun is not out, the street lamp glows meticulously and almost stands as a replacement of the sun. It stands true that New York City is one that does not sleep. This picture taken on the west side really captures the essence of New York City. Many places that people past by on a daily basis are virtually ignored. However if you take a step back and take a look at your surroundings, the sounds, smells, and sights you can be surprised by how intricate New York City actually is. Underneath the persona of fast cars, mean people and tall buildings, there is a sense off community and life.

This photo portrays both these personas. The top half shows the artistic and architectural part of New York City. The tall skyscrapers that most people would expect of New York City are what is so iconic about New York City. But then your eyes travel down the photograph and you see the blurs of people and movement and the life that is not always associated with New York City which is so interesting. The hidden persona of this great city.

This image of the Chrysler Building was taken on the corner of 42nd Street and Lexington Ave. This was the only photograph that I took on October 11th, and I knew immediately that it was the perfect shot for me to describe my snapshot of New York City. It is the perfect blend of the hustle-bustle city life mindset, mixed with the tourist thought process that I as a commuter still possess.

I often find myself in between the worlds of familiar and foreign when it comes to the city. As a Long Island native, I am used to the slow paced suburb life that I have been living for eighteen years. The city was a huge shock to me at first, but spending virtually every day here for the past few months has forced me to become familiarized with this place. I find myself very used to the sights, sounds, and smells of the city, and most have become somewhat boring to me. However, there are still the traditional landmarks, such as the Chrysler building shown in this photograph, that still leave me amazed and in awe; sights that a kid from the suburbs will always find incredible and fascinating.

The photograph is not particularly clear; in fact almost everything in the photograph is blurry except for the Chrysler building, which stands tall and clear in the center. This blurriness could not have worked out better if I tried for it to happen; this picture perfectly represents the world as I see it in my mind. The fast paced life of the city is just a blur to me now, for I no longer focus on the ordinary sights of the taxis speeding by, or the surrounding buildings and street signs. These objects, which would have shocked me or caught my attention merely a few months ago, have quickly become banal. There is basically no more wonder to the everyday life of the city, because it is the life that I am now accustomed to. However, a small part of me still remains rooted to the suburbs. I cannot, regardless of how often I see them, get over the magnificence of the historic landmarks and skyscrapers that decorate New York City.

This photograph is representative of more than just my own thoughts on the city. New York City is such an incredibly diverse place; there are those who have lived here their whole lives and find nothing about it fascinating, and there are those who have come from all reaches of the world, who cannot help but marvel at every little detail that the city possesses. Besides being a personalized snapshot, this photograph serves as a source of contrast that displays both the banal and the magnificent, and how they coexist to make New York City the incredibly unique place that it is.

America has always been known as a bastion of capitalism. Perhaps the most symbolic stretch of road in all of New York City, Wall Street embodies the for-profit mentality of American industry. Two blocks south of the New York Stock Exchange, one can view the “Charging Bull” by Arturo Di Modica. This particular piece has a warm history and has held a place in the hearts of New Yorkers and tourists alike since 1989.

In 1989, the bull was placed under the Christmas tree of the New York Stock Exchange. Di Modica placed it there as a Christmas gift to the American people. However, it was quickly removed and impounded by the NYPD for being in violation of city ordinances. In a stark example of American ingenuity, Di Modica actually drew publicity from his artistic stunt. His “Christmas gift to the American people” proved to be very beneficial to Di Modica’s career as an artist. So much so, in fact, that his piece was moved to its current location where is has been a tourist sensation ever since. He retains full ownership of the piece and is only allowed to display it with “temporary” permission from the city, though it is doubtful that the city has any desire to remove the piece or relocate it.

The “Charging Bull” quickly became an iconic symbol of market fluctuation and the strength of American industry. Di Modica described it in his own words as a symbol of the “strength and power of the American People.” This idea of “strength and power” is apparent from the posture of the bull. Anyone who visits the site of the “Charging Bull” (located in Bowling Green Park) may notice the positioning of the bull. It is specifically postured to convey a sense of force. The bull has its head leaning down, as if posed to charge. The flare in its nostrils and the menacing look of ambition of its face make for an excellent example of site-specific art.

Of course, the bull is symbolic of all things financial. Namely, it represents the economic concept of a bull market, as opposed to a bear market. The former represents confidence in investment; it means that the financial sector is doing well in all things profit related. This is especially important with regard to the placement of the bull. After all, it is in the quite appropriate setting of the Financial District in New York City: the capitalist center of the world.

East River Park has always been a beautiful public site for both tourists and the residents of New York City alike. However, as of June 26^th this year, East River Park has become the home of even more beauty. Now, up until the beginning of November, one can visit the East River Park Promenade and take in the beauty of Lina and Gus Ocamposilva’s 12-feet tall Dancers of the Wind sculptures. These abstract sculptures represent the natural beauty and grace of the human body, as expressed through ballet.

Gus and Lina Ocamposilva are husband and wife, and have been working together on various pieces of public art for about fifteen years now. The Ocamposilva spouses are both Latin-American artists hailing from Columbia, who have obtained enormous respect in North America. They have been awarded over thirty public art exhibitions throughout various North American cities, and have won many awards and honors over the course of their partnership. The pair is recognized by their extremely unique style of bending and transforming hard aluminum into life-like and abstract images, giving the illusion of softness. Their art includes very unique styles of balance, the use of empty spaces, and bright coloring to bring a vibrant and alive feel to their art. Their mission is to demonstrate the naturalness and liveliness of all of their subjects, as well as capture the ideas behind individualism and the human spirit.

The Dancers of the Wind exhibition displays three 12-feet tall sculptures of abstract art, depicting the grace and beauty of ballet. Classical ballet steps and styles, such as the grand jete, adagio and arabesque, are what inspired these site-specific sculptures. Whereas all three sculptures have a similar theme of dance and grace, and even seem to imitate the others’ actions, each dancer is extremely unique. The bright contrasts between the yellow, red, blue, and teal colors show a sense of individuality between each dancer. However, the contrast can also be found within each individual sculpture, showing the personalized features of the soul. Gus and Lina Ocamposilva are true believers in the expression of the individual, and believe in the uniqueness of everyone.

The reasons for these sculptures being displayed at this site, and during this time period, truly demonstrate the idea of site-specific art; that is, there are particular reasons that make this location and time the ideal situation for these sculptures. The East River Park is a common place for people to visit during the warmer months of the year, and is famous for its breathtaking view of the East River, as well as its incredibly strong winds. The gust from the river to the park is demonstrated clearly in each sculpture by the positioning and direction of the “ribbons” on the dancers’ feet. However, the idea of Dancers of the Wind implies that these dancers are not simply performing in the wind, but are of the wind. That is to say, the abstract manner in which these sculptures were created is meant to symbolize the intangibility of wind, and how it correlates to the human spirit. Individuality and spirituality is a very abstract concept; there are no clear-cut answers to questions pertaining to the soul. This idea is displayed through the abstractness and contrast within each dancer, and how each is similar while remaining totally individualized.

East River Park is the ideal place for this public art to be displayed, being both easily accessible, and surrounded by the concepts that help define the sculptures.

I remember when I was younger, every time the train rumbled by 5pointz I would run to the window to catch a glimpse of the brightly covered walls, full of graffiti. Located in Long Island City, 5 Pointz is known all around the globe for it’s unique street art. Although graffiti is considered illegal in New York, this specific location as well as another 5 pointz in brooklyn, is free from the grasp of those laws. 5 Pointz in Long Island City consists of a large abandoned building that is covered by street art.

Public Art in New York City is extremely vital because it brings visual excitement. Public art is a great opportunity for all new yorkers to view free art and excite them about art around the city. Public art is also a great opportunity for artists who want their work recognized and view by thousands of people out in the open. This is the epitome of 5 pointz. Created in 1993, 5 pointz does not just allow any person off the street to paint the works of art on the walls. Although not obvious, each and every piece of graffiti is placed strategically and there is meaning behind each piece. I discovered 5 pointz after seeing it out the window from the 7 train, low and behold, this is exactly what 5 pointz aims to accomplish.

The site of 5 pointz was picked very strategically, why else would they pick an abandoned building all the way out in long island city. However thousands among thousands of people take the 7 trains to and from work, school and home everyday. The 7 train is almost like a quick aerial tour of 5 pointz. Many people are able to observe the piece of graffiti as they are traveling. This gives the street artists the exposure they need to become more high profile and gives they a huge platform to show off their work. The people who take notice of this bright building are also given their daily dose of Public Art.

Most people think of graffiti as the ugly scrabbling on the walls on the highways or a random building but this is not the type of graffiti that is put on display at 5 pointz. Many street artist take months to complete these projects because they are so intricate. There are different styles of graffiti that are shown through out 5 pointz. The most common type would be “tagging” or what many people refer to as vandalism. Just a name sprayed quickly across a surface. The second type is wheat paste paper graffiti which is a type pf poster that is easily thrown on a wall and posted. Then there is stenciling which is placed on a surface and then sprayed over. At 5 pointz, you will see large murals of extremely detailed aerosol spray paintings.

5 pointz is a world recognized place for graffiti artists. At this site specific place, graffiti is treated as a high class art. Only to find out that the city is fighting to destroy 5pointz and build luxury condominiums. I don’t know about you but I would rather see a place where the art of graffiti painting and international bonds are created rather than another glass tower.

Stephen Shore

This photograph was taken by Stephen Shore, an American Photographer. During his career, Shore went on numerous cross-country trips, devoting himself to capturing banal images. This particular photograph depicts a seemingly ordinary scene inside a tobacco store. Perhaps the most evident component of the studium is the candid scene of a tobacco store in a small town. Moreover, the picture conveys the idea of a quaint, southern town with a quaint, southern young woman working inside a typical looking tobacco shop. Her name is not important, nor is the fact that she, in particular, is the subject of the photograph. Rather, it seems that the setting and the charm surrounding the setting are the most important. Also, the girl’s expression is one that conveys her seemingly contented nature. A thorough analysis of the photograph might allow the viewer some insight into the photograph, enough so that one might venture some conjecture as to the photographer’s intent. Perhaps Shore was stopping off inside a store just to buy a pack of cigarettes, but upon realizing the charm of the store, he sought to capture it.

The punctum of this photograph is the expression on the girl’s face.  The expression is simple. It is non-judgmental. It’s not afraid, nor is it confident. However, the charm that is conveyed in it compliments the entire studium. Here we have pictured a fair, plainly dressed young lady. The expression on her face is markedly casual, yet without it, the picture wouldn’t be the same. It is by her sincere expression that my attention is drawn. It is the girl’s expression that tugs at my emotions. In other words, the studium and the punctum certainly do compliment each other in this case. However, without that expression of sheer honestly, the entire picture would lose its meaning.

Our Macaulay group visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art hoping to find particular artwork that would strike us in a positive way. As our group traversed across the gallery,my partner Jae and I took particular interest in this photograph. It is titled My Father Reading the Newspaper, taken by Larry Sultan in 1989. It stood out to us because where most of the photos were very gray scale and dark, this photograph illuminates sun light. Although this photograph is filled with sunlight, the element of mystery is very present. The sun lights the newspaper so that we can see the opposite sides headlines and stories yet we’re still very disconnected from the father, whose face we can not see. In our discussions, Jae and I agreed that the punctum is something we can’t see which would be the father’s face. The reflection on the left corner of the photograph stops short of the father’s face as well. The punctum stands out as something unreachable which is very intriguing.

While in the MET, I was partnered up with Kayla and Nick. After a brief span of looking for a photograph to analyze, Jan Groover’s Untitled, 1980 grabbed our attention. It wasn’t long before our group began animated discussion over the focal point of the photo, the woman’s hand. This hand is what we determined to be the punctum of the artwork; with no faces being shown by the photographer, the emotion of this piece was displayed through body language. The way the hand is partially closed, our group decided after long discussion, indicates a “waving away” effect. We actually determined this by making the hand motion ourselves, and listing all the possibilities that this particular hand motion could suggest before arriving at our answer. The punctum was quite easy to find in this piece, and it really helped us to discover the studium when matched with other aspects of the photograph. Grief and tragedy are the overall themes of this photo, with the woman in the background bent over in sadness and the man on the right attempting to extend a comforting arm to the woman on the left. The woman’s hand (the punctum) shows that this particular tragedy, however, is quite severe and that the subjects are inconsolable. We believe that Jan Groover also intentionally avoided capturing the subjects’ faces in order to demonstrate grief as a shared and ubiquitous emotion, rather than one pertaining strictly to these subjects.

The photo that Sam and I chose was Untitled 1988 by Gregory Crewdson. It depicts a normal home scene from the 80’s of a woman sitting in her living room, smoking a cigarette. In the background, a man, whom is assumed to be her husband, is sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper. The curtains are drawn and the lamp is on, softly illuminating the woman’s face, bringing attention to what we thought was the punctum of the photograph: the woman’s lined face. She has a significant amount of makeup on, even though she is just sitting in her living room with her husband, who is effectively ignoring her. The lines on her face attest to a long life, not necessarily an easy one. Her eyebrows are drawn inwards a tad bit, and there is no emotion in her eyes. She looks tired, defeated. This jumped out at us from the first glimpse of this picture.

Dear Students,

We are meeting tomorrow at the Metropolitan Museum at 3pm sharp.

Do not come to class! We will meet at the Met’s lobby at 3pm.

Directions to the MET:

Take the 5 or 4 train to 86th street and Lexington Avenue. Walk towards 82nd street and 5th avenue.

Give yourself some extra time to get there!

Best,

Prof. Calirman

This first seminar of four seminars introduces Macaulay students to the arts in New York City and the Cultural Passport, which provides free or discounted access to the cultural riches of New York City. During the semester students attend theatrical, operatic, and musical performances, exhibitions of visual art, and other highlights of the current cultural season. In addition to experiencing these art forms as an audience, students are encouraged to examine performances and exhibitions from the multiple perspectives of scholarship, creativity, and production. The seminar begins with an arts-related event for all students at the beginning of the semester. Visits to exhibits, performances, and artist encounters continue throughout the semester, on the campuses and at Macaulay central. The seminar’s culminating activity is the annual, collaborative, photographic “Snapshot of New York,” a student-curated multi-media exhibit of “a day in the life of New York City” through the eyes of the Macaulay freshmen.

This course is interdisciplinary; students are introduced to at least three artistic disciplines from the visual arts and performing arts and learn to apply the critical discourse and methods of these disciplines in evaluating their responses to different art forms.  Students further investigate relationships across art forms and analyze similarities and differences in the critical approaches employed by different disciplines. Students will write about and reflect on the work they see as well as create their own original work that reflects their views of the current cultural moment in New York City.