Daily Archives: November 15, 2014

Arthur Rimbaud

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This is the picture that is often used for “Illuminations” which is a collection of poems by the poet referred as “Arthur Rimbaud” in Smith’s memoir.
Let me share one of his many prose-poems from “Illuminations.”

“Graceful son of Pan! Round your brow crowned with flowers and berries your eyes, precious spheres, move. Stained with brown lees, your cheeks are hollow. Your eye-teeth gleam. Your breast is a cithara, chords chime in your pale arms. Your pulse beats in that belly where a double sex sleeps. Walk, at night, gently moving that thigh, that other thigh and that left leg.”

Strong and mystical word choices with prophetic tone (meaning, it sounds like apostrophe or an excerpt from anathema/archaic sacred text).

123rd Street Rap

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One of the most important things that I look at in a poem is structure. Willie Perdomo does a fantastic job in mimicking  the life on 123rd Street by the structure in the poem. The poem is a bit choppy and the lines are very short, perhaps reflecting the neighborhood and creating an eerie vibe of the street. The structure of the poem creates a bit of a disturbing, starting atmosphere in the poem. Clearly, the street was a filled with crime and violence which Perdomo represents by saying, “Automatic bullets bounce off stoop steps.”

As to the content of the poem, I initially argued that the poem reflects the hopelessness on the street and in the neighborhood as well. It seems that even the poet thinks this way. He says, “And I can’t tell what’s wrong fro what’s right.” But, I do not believe him anymore. By noticing the terrible situation itself, Perdomo knows what is wrong and what is right. Further, by writing this poem to express himself, Perdomo gives hope to this street. The hope lies in the poem itself.

-Angelika

Banksy

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When Banksy was in NYC for a month, I visited his instagram, youtube channel, blog posts quite frequently. Just how Professor Drabik said that NYC is like a giant art gallery, this was exactly how Banksy treated the streets and people of NYC. He did many public performances, such as this one:

He plays with his fame in this public performance. All these people were unaware that they were buying the artworks of Banksy which could’ve been sold for thousands.

Just Kids by Patti Smith

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I read much further into the book than we were required because I could not get enough of Patti Smith’s frank and simple style of writing. She is very candid about her lifestyle with Robert and provides a glimpse into the life of an artist during the 1960’s. Smith shed light on an entirely different world for me: a world of rebellion, disorientation and yet artistic genius. I greatly admire her decisiveness in leaving her parents’ home, living a homeless life in NYC at the beginning and further confronting all her struggles with diligence. When she desired to go to Paris, she simply began saving up money and she flew out to Paris. This kind of reckless character trait is very important to her being. Often we have great dreams, but fear to pursue them; Patti Smith did not fear to pursue her dreams.

Another aspect of the book that I would like to emphasize is that the book is not about Robert as it may seem. He is a bit of a whimsical, lost “Kid.” I believe that the book is about Patti Smith finding herself in life and creating meaning for herself. For a long time, she tends to emphasize the genius in the Robert and in the book she highlights his importance and her subordination. Though, I believe that she is the pure artist in this book and that she is the outmost important character in the book. Perhaps I will get a better impression of Robert as I continue reading.

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My favorite picture of Patti Smith

-Angelika

The Waste Land

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This documentary felt complete to me. Since it was a documentary the ending wasn’t planned, and could’ve gone any way that life wanted to take it.

Even though I wasn’t there for the beginning of the film, I was still able to see the transformations of the workers. Vik Muniz was able to change the lives of these people by allowing them to work for it and seeing the fruits of their labor. He knew about their life stories, and could just have easily raised money for them, instead he connected with them and used his talents as well as theirs to bring change. He gave them the hope and recognition by bringing their stories to light. The work the catadores did weren’t the ones that were greatly sought after but they still made money through their humble works. Vik was able to see them as equals even when the people of their own communities didn’t. When they would take the public transportation home, people would turn their noses up and look down on them because they smelled from a day’s worth of hard work. They all had the drive to do something better with their lives, but not through the easy way out. The catadores wanted a better lives for themselves and saw that they could accomplish something through hard work.

–Chloe Chai

New York Festival of Lights

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I really enjoy being from Brooklyn and representing this part of the New York City because sometimes Brooklyn gives a great show as well; especially DUMBO, which is essentially the center artistic expression in Brooklyn. As soon as I found out that the first New York Festival of Lights was happening at the tunnel under the Manhattan Bridge I was surely to attend this spectacle.

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On November 7th at 7PM I visited NYFOL. It was a completely free event, accompanied by a great DJ and a super interesting audience. Not too many people knew about this event and thus all the visitors were interested and knowledgeable.

I was mostly surprised by the fact that no where in this installation was thephoto 3 (1) artist(s) mentioned. Clearly someone had to create this masterpiece but the artist’s input was not recognized. Perhaps, the artist wanted his work to become of the people and he wanted the people to emphasize the work rather than him?The entire installation was very interactive and dependent on the audience rather than the artist; wherever one would stand, they would see the installation differently. Finally, viewers even got a chance to put input in the installation by signing a scratch board.

In general, this was a very interesting and enjoyable installation despite the fact that it was really cold that day. I am very proud of Brooklyn for staging such events!

-Angelika

Waste Land

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An image from “Avenida Brasil”at Jardim Gramacho

I was initially introduced to Jardim Gramacho through a Brazilian soap opera Avenida Brazil. It was through this telenovela and through Waste Land that I discovered the human input at the dumpster. One would think that this is an atrocious, pitiful job to have; it is a shame for all of Rio de Janeiro. However, I was amazed by how much pride the pecadores take in their input at the dumpster. The pecadores are proud to be helping their city and the environment. It seems that by recycling the garbage the pecadores cannot possibly improve the situation very much, but in reality they are responsible for most of the rubbish from Rio de Janeiro and surrounding areas. As the elderly pecador said, “99 is not 100” and by joining in this common effort to recycle, each of the individuals matters.

Vik Muniz emphasized the importance of each individual at the dumpster through his portraits. These portraits were a collective job, just like the dumpster. They reflect the human input at the dumpster and in art. Often when looking at an art piece one forgets the human input involved. However, Vik Muniz highlighted the importance of every individual in the process of making art. I marvel at how he said that “I didn’t do it, we did it!” Art is a collective job; it involves the artist(s), the subject and the audience.

Vik’s work at Jardim Gramacho is remarkable in every way and his input in the lives of the people is wonderful. He is a true artist and a true idol because not only did he create a wonderful work of art, he changed lives with his pieces. I believe that the highest reward of any artist is that his/her work makes a CHANGE. In this manner, Muniz is a complete artist and I am very proud that artists like Vik exist during our time period.

This movie moved me very much because I realized that any job is a noble job, whether it is sorting garbage or creating art. One must always accept their importance as an individual in the world and further they can accomplish wonderful things!

P.S. I really hope that the man whose portrait was sold in London will further become the president of Brazil because I certainly loathe the current corrupt presidency in the nation.

-Angelika

MoMA PS1 Reactions (Joshua)

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On the outside, the museum looks like a nondescript building–four walls of concrete surround the exhibit buildings. One wall has a set of glass doors set into it. These doors are welcoming and stretch from the floor to the ceiling — grand doors.

Inside, we obtained our tickets (which through Macaulay’s partnership were less $5 than the student price, i.e., $0) and walked through another set of doors that lead to a central open plaza.

There is a dome named after the German car brand Volkswagen. There are four dumpsters past that dome, labeled with stenciled words reading “THROW AWAY YOUR ART” — one of the current exhibitions in the museum. I wonder…

Behind those dumpsters is the main building. Once inside, we realize the largeness of the Zero Tolerance exhibit. It took up most of the first floor.

There were many interesting and unique videos and photographs in the museum. They ranged from Russian lesbian women kissing female police officers as protest to a Romanian music video made to show the corruption of the country. It made us aware of what change is going on in the world around us.

There were reenactments of famous battles, Islamic protests, and a video screening which seemed to be the centerpiece of the exhibit. This screening featured hoodlums, rapping to the camera over a rock soundtrack. It spoke of the misunderstandings between police/government and these people who live in a dismal state and became hoodlums.

This exhibit underscored the tension between government and its people; it emphasized the failure of government.

Group Joshua, Adrian, and Kevin