Erica Loo and I (Daniel) will volunteer to do the “Worst of!” page in the new website. Are you guys okay with that?
Worst of the Arts
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Author Archives: Daniel Seo
Tara Sabharwal’s Visit Reaction
Tara Sabharwal’s visit was contrasting to the previous guest. Instead of videos and music, she talked about painting along with many visuals for support. She passed around the books, and while I was looking through the artwork, I was fascinated. I remember the book in which she drew the same artwork, however with distinctive colors for each drawing. It explicitly showed the effect of color in the painting, and Tara Sabharwal, specially said she spends a great deal of her time trying to make the color that she wants to use to portray her image. In other words, it was a memorable experience to have an actual painter talk about her own paintings and have a live description of what was going through her mind and what her intentions were in drawing such product.
Straight White Men
This post is a little late, however, this play is too good to not be posted. First of all, as soon as I went into the theater, the irrelevant music caught my attention. I expected a smooth and a calm music for the crowd to settle in. However, that was not the case, since it was a very loud and electronic music. However, when the show started, the mood changed.
The overall story line was great, filled with suspense and humor. There was a great shift in mood in the second part of the play. The ending, however, did confuse me since I expected an additional scene. It felt as if something was missing, and I left the building confused and not satisfied. However, the fact that this play only used four characters and one setting to create such an amazing product, was shocking. In addition, I found it really interesting that when the scenes ended, the lights turned off, and when the lights turned back on, the staffs were moving all the props back to where it was originally and when they left, the characters came back in again, and continued to the next scene. That was something that I have not seen previously.
Reaction to The Waste Land
One of the most unique documentaries I have ever watched. This documentary was exposing a huge part of life in the world that I have never been aware of. Whenever I throw out anything, I never give it a second thought about where this is going, who is dealing with my trash, or who is making money off of it. At first, I saw the movie in disgust because of all the trash, and I did not understand why people would go through such hard conditions to pick up dirty things for a living. However, as the documentary went on, I realized how desperate those people are and all they want to do is to support themselves and their family.
It was really interesting to show the world that dirty things can come together to create something beautiful. My favorite part of the documentary was when they gave the picture that was made of garbage to the pickers and they felt proud of it. One of the workers said that she used to be embarrassed about how she was a picker and she did not wanted others to know, but now she proudly tells them that she was a picker and that was the reason why she was part of the famous portrait.
Carnegie Hall Experience
This was my second time going to an orchestra, the first time I went was back in Korea. This was when I was very little, and I ended up leaving the orchestra with my brother early to play outside. It was way too boring for me to just sit there and listen. However, this time, it was different. I listened and watched all the movements on the stage. The movement of the conductor, the movement through the music, and the movement of the singers were all interesting. The music went from soft to hard and the transition was very smooth as well.
Carnegie Hall definitely looks amazing from the outside as well as in the inside. I passed by Carnegie Hall several time and always wondered what the inside would look like, and it did not disappoint me. Although the seats were uncomfortable, it was a great experience and would love to visit again.
BAM Experience
First off, the outer appearance of the Brooklyn Academy of Music was astonishing. The lighting and the crowd outside was fabulous and as I was walking nearer and nearer, BAM really gave me the “BAM” effect.
However,the seats were very uncomfortable compared to the other places that we have been to and I felt really awkward the whole play. The subtitles were really annoying me because I had to look up and look down every time. When I look up to see the subtitles, I miss the action that is happening and when I look down, I am already confused.
The play in general was definitely different from the ones that I have seen before. It was more dramatic and there were a lot of characters in the scene for a very long time. The story itself was confusing and I found myself lost several times. There were many surprises in the play, which made me really focus on trying to figure out what is happening. At the end, the experience was really nice since I was able to see a different play compared to my previous ones that I have seen.
Macaulay Snapshot
This was a station at Broadway 74th Street. I was on my way to the City and I was transferring from the 7 train to the F train. This station is usually crowded, however, this time, it was too much. The delay in the 7 train caused everyone to transfer and as soon as I saw this scenery, I had to take a picture because it showed New York City. The crowd makes up what the city is and the people around me were irritated and annoyed. However, I did not mind too much because I knew this doesn’t happen too often. On the side note, I made the picture black and white to add dramatic effects and make it old-fashioned.
Fall for Dance
Fall for dance was another new experience provided by this wonderful class. Again, I was put all the way at the top and did not feel comfortable in the beginning due to my fear of heights. However, I was able to see the entire stage and I knew I would see the angles that the front rows will not be able to see. I was not a huge fan of the beginning performances due to its repetitiveness. However, post intermission performances were amazing and the way the performers made the audiences go up the stage was a surprise. In addition, I love the way there were many variety of performances and I was able to experiences made new forms of arts that I did not know it even existed.
My Reaction to the Opera
![Snapchat-20140925072750[1]](https://files.eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4802/2014/09/16054122/Snapchat-201409250727501.jpg)
This was my first opera experience and as soon as I heard that it was going to be more than three hours long, my immediate reaction was: I don’t want to go. I had couple of experiences with plays and I did not like them. Therefore, I automatically assumed that opera is not going to be much different. In addition, I realized that our seats were all the way at the top, and being scared of heights, I thought I would not enjoy this opera.
First 20 minutes of the play was very slow. I do remember falling asleep couple of times. However, waking up to the sound of music was very calming and very peaceful, just like the professor said. It was a bother to pay attention to both the subtitles and the play simultaneously, however having a understanding of what is happening in the opera made me focus on the opera.
My favorite part of this opera was the humor. I never thought that I would laugh in an opera because I never thought it would be presented as a form of comedy. I also loved the fact that the music never stopped. It played a great support in what was happening in the opera, such as building suspense. Overall, this experience was worth the time because I was able to encounter a form of art that I never saw.
My Memories of 9/11
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
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.
Hello. My name is Daniel Seo. I was born in Busan, Korea and immigrated to United States in 2004. Assimilating in this country was not too difficult for me and I was able to get along with other students without any problems. I initially lived in Flushing, but moved to Whitestone when I entered high school.
I attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, BELL Academy for middle school, and The Bronx High School of Science for high school. I am a type of student who only tries on subjects that I like and does not like to explore new subjects. I love mathematics because it seems to make perfect sense to me and the fact that it has an answer makes me feel certain and secure. However, I am sure that this class will break many ices for me and explore the arts, which I am not too familiar with.
My main hobby is basketball. I have been playing for 9 years now and I played in team sports and during my high school years, I used to just go to the gym and play until late at night and come home. I love to listen to music such as R&B, hip hop, rap, Korean pop, etc.
In terms of Daniel as a person, my personality changes based on the environment that I am in. In a classroom, I try to be more open-minded and socialize with others more, however when I am at home, I am very quite and like to be alone in my room. Also, I am a night-person. In other words, I love to hang out with my friends late at night and I purposely take a long walk home instead of taking the bus because it is really soothing and calms me down a lot.
Anyways, I am excited to see what this class has to offer and I would be delighted to explore the new types of arts that I have not encountered.
