Daily Archives: September 21, 2014

Man On Wire

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For some odd reason, I feel as if the beginning of any documentary is bound to bore me, however, as this particular film went on, past a certain point I could not peel my eyes off that screen. I was so intrigued by the process Phillipe and his crew had to go through in order for him just to walk that tightrope between the Twin Towers. So to me, the feat that amazed me and demanded my attention the most was not necessarily the actual walk across the wire itself (although it was extremely out of this world), but rather the successful act of breaking into both Twin Towers and stringing the wire between each tower before daylight without getting caught or seen.

I’m pretty into video games that involve stealth and not getting caught, so I guess that explains why I was so drawn to the whole process of breaking into the Twin Towers and setting up their equipment in the middle of the night.

~Pun

Keep Spinning, World- Reactions to LTGWS

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It’s kind of intriguing to see how the World Trade Center has such an effect on people in the last half of the century. From the time construction started in 1968, to its opening in 1973, to its tragic incident in 2001, and even extending to now in 2014, and to the future, World Trade Center is and will always be a symbolic representation of New York. This thought really hit me while I was on the E train today, one that was bound for none other than World Trade Center.

My Japanese class made 1000 cranes and attached it to one of the trees in the 9/11 Memorial. The 1000 cranes symbolizes hope. (March 8th, 2014)

Upon finishing Let The Great World Spin, I’m really disappointed- disappointed at the fact that it had to end. I started off with an indifferent attitude to it, since it just felt like a lost piece of novel. I didn’t understand what anybody had to do with each other. It was like a puzzle, with pieces fitting in as the novel progresses, jumping between different people’s viewpoint. It really shows what a small world we live in. I guess the whole “Six Degrees of Separation” thing is true!

In the story, World Trade Center acted as a reference point for everything. So does our lives today as New Yorkers. It symbolizes that even though we were attacked in 2001, we didn’t give up. We get up, rebuild, and are stronger than before. I guess the “world” can mean the World Trade Center in Let the Great World Spin (play on words, doesn’t mean that of course).

~Christopher Chong

On Mannahatta

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After reading “Mannahatta,” by Walt Whitman, one thing really stood out to me. The overall mood and flow of the poem completely relates to the theme of the stereotypical Manhattan. Not once in this poem does Whitman come to a full stop, that is until the end. This matches the “hustle and bustle” that many people use to describe the fast-paced life that is demanded by Manhattan. He describes scenes separately, yet he is able to create a single picture. His word choice, even, causes the reader to keep the images of speed and grandness in their minds. He uses words such as “swift,” “ample,” “numberless,” and “countless.” Even in his descriptions of the seasons, he ignores spring and autumn, causing the readers mind to simply jump forward in time, adding to the element of speed. Overall, I generally enjoyed reading this poem, as it reveals how true the Manhattan culture has remained since the late 1800s.

The D(ance) Train

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On the way back from what was an unfortunate failed trip to Smorgasburg at Central Park, (we arrived, but police wouldn’t let us in due to “too many people” at the event) me and several friends took the D train back to the towers at around 9:30 pm or so and I witnessed something out of the ordinary to me for the first time on the subway.

Between the long 59th Street/Columbus Circle and the 125th street station stop, a group of 8 or so guys provided entertainment during the ride that otherwise would have been a normal NYC train ride. In the middle of the train car, they blasted music and one by one, each of them break danced with their own particular style as well as humor. They cheered one another on and brought the train car to life, eliciting quite an applause and earning what seemed to be a decent amount of money.

I was extremely impressed and they for sure earned my respect as well as a couple dollars for their performance. As a group they had such energy and synergy together and I admired their talent and courage to perform publicly without fear of failure or being judged especially on a moving train car. I’m glad I was able to see this group do what they were passionate about, and I hope and look forward to seeing more things like this and what else this city has to offer.

~Pun

My Memories of 9/11

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It was late at night in Busan, South Korea. I am not sure exactly, but what I do know for sure is that it was way past my bedtime. I was thirsty, so I went to the kitchen to grab a cup of water. However, the television was on in the living room and I see my dad all alone, sitting on the couch, quietly looking at the television. “Why..are you here, dad?” I asked. I looked the screen, and I see a tall tower with black smoke coming out. “What is happening….” My dad calmly replied.. “America is under attack.” At that time, I was too young, and to be honest, I did not know what America even was. I was way too tired, I just got my cup of water and went to bed.

 

When it comes to 9/11, that short moment was the only thing that is still in my mind. Who would have thought that I would immigrate to America three years later? When I immigrated to America and started school here, every year they would talk to the class about the 9/11 and I would just sit there and blank out because not only did I have no idea what it was, it did not affect me at all. However, when I read about it and saw some clips, I realized how tragic this event was and how it changed not only America, but the entire world.

Man on the Wire: My Reaction

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When I watched this movie, my initial reaction was “what..is happening?” They were talking about something that I had no idea what it was, talking about how they are going to die and how this is the end. And I was just really relaxed on my chair thinking…”another exaggeration in a typical documentary film.” However, I realized that as the film went on, I felt like I was actually there myself. It was the first movie in which my back has never touched the chair. I was so tense, so nervous, and so nerve-wracking the whole time, after the film, my neck started to hurt because I was so static the entire time. The fact that I did not know what the movie was about played a big part in my impression.

The most memorable part of the movie was at the end when Philippe was talking about why he did it. Throughout the entire movie, I was asking “why is he doing this? He must be crazy.” However, according to Philippe, there was no why. That was the whole point. To Philippe, it wasn’t because he wanted to do it, he just had to do it. He felt the need to so called “conquer” the top of the world because that is what he does for a living. I can say for sure that, this movie will definitely leave some kind of mark in my mind.

Reactions to Man on Wire

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Damn. If I had the talent to walk on wire/cable at even 10 floors above ground level, I wouldn’t be here composing this post right now.

Philippe Petit is probably one of those guys where you just don’t have the correct adjective to describe him. Crazy? Brave? Idiotic? Heroic? To perfectly plot this whole event, and not get caught is definitely an incredible feat. I mean, he wasn’t at the 10th floor, the 20th floor, but the 110th floor. What could’ve possibly been going through his mind?

What I probably most liked about the documentary was the fact that it seemed to made me feel like I was in the moment, especially when they were describing how they almost got caught and stuff. If Petit’s timing was not correct, August 7th, 1974 might’ve just been another ordinary day for all of us, and the prisons might just have an extra guy in there.

However, in exchange for his fame and glory, Petit lost his friends, lost the love of his life, lost everything he had had before August 7th, all because of the 45 mins on the top of the World Trade Center towers. I mean, I don’t know if that’s worth it.

~Christopher Chong

Man on the Wire – Reaction

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I am not a fan of documentaries. I just dislike them. Man on the Wire was a unique case. I actually enjoyed the documentary about Philippe Petit and his whole crew.

I have heard of stories about people who have walked across many dangerous places via tightrope, but I have never heard of Philippe Petit and his story of walking across the Twin Towers via tightrope.

I found it quite amazing that he would have the concentration and the balance to actually achieve all that. I can barely keep my balance on a 2×4! I respect Philippe for doing whatever he wanted to achieve his dream of walking the tightrope 110 stories high. This does raise many questions though.

One of the biggest issues I have with Philippe’s story is the issue with money. I don’t understand how Philippe could even go back and forth from America and Paris ever so often. Where does he get his money to do so? I thought he was only a street performer. Either he hustled a lot of money while doing so, or he acquired his funds elsewhere.

The biggest question that I would have loved to ask Philippe and his crew is this: What did you guys do after the event? I have absolutely no idea how one would feel when a dream is achieved. Where would you go afterwards? What would you do? Will there be anything else in life that will ever feel better than when the dream was achieved?

I am so curious as to what the crew did after the heist was over. Is the ending like the usual ending to a dream? Was it a sad awakening to reality?

Books of Q88

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Over the past few weeks, I feel as if I’m more aware of the diversity around me when I commute.

1.5 hour of daily commuting to class has tamed me to bring a book–any book, to spare myself from mental torture. Usually, I finish my homework between classes (4 hours. more than enough time), so I am almost always in dire need of brain stimulation. I carry around 2~3 books at a time, not because I enjoy reading, but because subway rides can become unbearable for someone like me.

When 7 train closed down on Saturday of the Macaulay museum meeting, I was forced to take Q88 to Woodhaven for the first time in my life. As soon as I claimed my seat on the back of the bus, I found my self sitting in front (because the seats of the bus allowed 4 people to face each other) of a hispanic man holding red “Sacra Biblia.” He had quite a tranquil look on him, as if he was going for a church meeting, or as if he is a deacon or an acolyte, giving a heavy impression of piety, not according to the definition of Euthyphro and Socrates, but by the definition engraved in our natural human-ness, in that one can imagine that the man is having a relationship with God on his ride to wherever he was going.

Next to him set an elderly lady, murmuring at a volume inaudible, holding a small crimson book. As she mouthed each word, I became curious to see the contents of the book, as the title written on the spine of the book was too faded out to be legible. Luckily, I was able to see the chapter title of the page, which read: “Sanctuary Spell.” That was a great brain stimulant. I started to think: is the “spell” the “spell” that I know? Like… Witchcraft? Sorcery? Magic? I hate to be rude, and if anyone is offended by this post, I will gladly apologize, but I just have to say: I loved the irony that the lady had to sit next to the man.

When I and Sam went to Book Culture to buy the required reading, I noticed that there were several sellers of books around the block.

How much longer would such things exist?

What if books become like scrolls; what if archaeologists in the years to come take my journals and notebooks and infer that humans of 21st century actually wrote things on a bundle of bound papers with ink and graphite?

 

Books are cool. We should love them.

Macaulay Media Arts Workshop

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So today was the Monet Workshop at the Macaulay Center and I was told to take a part in it.

What we did, in a nutshell, was to get back together with our groups when we were at the Brooklyn Museum and make a video with the audio file and pictures that we acquired.

What my group did was to split the work. Three of us would work on the slides and pictures and set them up beforehand while the other three would work on the audio file. I was working on the audio file as I did not have high quality pictures to use.

My experience today was stressful. On the day of recording, I thought that my group recorded everything flawlessly. Now when I was editing the audio, I realized that certain ideas and thoughts about the painting were unfinished. All of those issues made me edit the audio for about an hour, which was obviously not fun.

When the video was finished and played back, I recognized how one should analyze artwork more often. This is because in the video, there were many assumptions about John Singer Sargent’s An Out of Doors Study. For example, there was an assumption that the line behind the man was a fishing pole. Later in the video one person stated that the line may just be an umbrella instead.
Although today was somewhat stressful for me, all in all, it was fun.

Man on Wire Reaction

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While reading Let the Great World Spin, I didn’t know that the story of the man walking between the Twin Towers was true, nor did I find it easy to believe once I was told that it was. I’m sure that this is an understandable reaction, as Philippe Petit’s feat was seemingly impossible, even to himself at times. I really admire the determination that Petit had, as if there was nothing in the world that could have stood between him and his dream. Honestly, I believe that if everyone lived like that, the world would be a much better place. I like what Sharouk said, that Petit really lived. He didn’t just go through the motions of daily life, he truly took every day as a dare to accomplish whatever it is that he wants.

However, as Sharouk and Chloe both mentioned, there was great sacrifice that had to be made in order for this dream to be realized. Yes, he did lose many relationships with other people that he supposedly cared about, but I think that the real sacrifice that he made was much more deep-seated. Petit was so absorbed in his art, that it didn’t seem as if he truly cared at all about any of the people around him were hurt by his actions. It was unfortunate that he lost many of these relationships, but it was even more unfortunate to me that the viewers likely care more about the end of these relationships than he did.

This complete self-indulgence and complete focus that defined Petit’s work makes me question if that’s where “true” art comes from. Do professional artists, the ones that truly earn fame for their work, all have this common theme of seclusion from actual, real-life, healthy relationships with other people? If yes, this is the biggest sacrifice that artists have to make for their work to be realized, and it’s a price that I don’t think I would ever be able to pay.

My reaction to “Man on Wire”

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It occurs to me that Phillipe really enjoys walking on cables.

He says it’s “illegal but not hurtful” but he was said to have done it because it was like a bank robbery.

Also, when he was taken down from Notre Dame he snatched an officer’s watch.

To me, the art here lies in his fine control of his body’s position down to the hands.

On Man on a Wire

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 Man on a Wire was a incredible documentary! In fact, at some points in the movie, I totally forgot that I was a watching a documentary. Some scenes were so intense, engaging, and emotional, that it might as well have been a drama. The documentary gave us a deep look into the walker, Philippe Petit. Through the interviews, and through various home-videos, we were able to realize the type of person he is. He is a dreamer, a man who is incredibly passionate about his hopes and goals. I believe that is one lesson that one should take away from watching this documentary. While I would not advise going about and breaking the law, I believe each and every one of us should have a goal or passion in life.

I truly admired the cinematography of the documentary. The mixture of black and white footage with colored footage was visually engaging and pleasing. Old footage from France and New York, provided me with a sense of what the world was like in the late 70s. Seeing footage of Petit, from his early days of tightrope walking through his grand display at the Twin Towers, caused me to feel as if i knew him his entire life. I felt as if  I grew along side him. The various interviews with all those involved with the Twin Towers project were able to provide me with multiple point of views, while still maintaining the theme that it may take a team in order to achieve one person’s dream.

One part of the movie that stood out to me was the end. I could not help but find disgust with Petit, as he allowed short lived fame to interfere with those who supported him along the way, with his friends. I felt sympathy for the one man (John I cannot remember his last name), who cried during the interview. We discussed that he cried twice for possibly two distinct reasons. The first may have been for the sheer beauty of Petit’s act, and the second may have been for losing Petit as a dear friend.

 

Broadway Boogie Woogie

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We seem to talk a lot about New York City poetry and writing. I would like to focus my attention on art for a moment.

“Broadway Boogie Woogie” (1942), Piet Mondrian 

Mondrian_Broadway_Boogie_Woogie

Piet Modrian, Broadway Boogie Woogie. (1942)

What does this painting seem to depict? (Think about this question before reading any further.)

I visited the MOMA in the late spring and discovered “Broadway Boogie Woogie” by Piet Mondrian. This painting displays NYC in a very distinct way. Mondrian created abstract art, yet this particular painting is based on a real world example. This painting represents the city grid of Manhattan. The artist illuminates the streets with a bright yellow grid of intersecting lines. The intersections between the lines are blocks of different colors as well. In fact, “Broadway Boogie Woogie” depicts NYC streets and traffic lights. Mondrian demonstrates the movement and dynamics of the city through the use of this particular palette of colors. The city seems to immediately illuminate and it becomes alive. NYC is just like the Boogie Woogie, it is filled with energy and shining lights.

My friends and I initially through that “Broadway Boogie Woogie” is displaying the NYC subway system. The subway, however, is an essential component in the dynamics of the city. Therefore, we weren’t far off in understanding Piet Mondrian’s idea for the painting.

What do you think about this painting? Does it depict New York City accurately? Were you able to immediately realize that the painting is depicting NYC? 

My experience at the Macaulay Workshop

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I have been at the Macaulay Rembrant workshop at Macaulay central yesterday.

I worked together with students that I met at the Brooklyn Museum on Sept. 3. We had made recordings on that day about pieces of art we liked in the museum. During the workshop, we worked with one of these recordings to make a video. We were provided instructions on how to make these videos. Someone in my group worked on editing the recording, while another person worked on gathering the right photographs for the video. I was just motivating my peers to get the job done well, and trying to get familiar with the software we were supposed to use to make the video.

In the end, my group and I were happy that we completed the video.