Author Archives: shujatkhan

The NYC Christmas Tree

Rockefeller Center is the home of New York’s very own festive holiday tree. Over the last 80 or so years they have set it up with decorations and lights for all of New York and the world to see. I got the chance to go and see it over the previous weekend and as always, it was as spectacular as ever. Lights encompassing it completely and the fact that its huge makes it a nice and iconic sight to see. I’m sure everyone has seen it in the pass but there is something about it that keeps people like me coming back. I wasn’t even going to originally stop by but, after seeing it in the side of my eye it basically drew me in and I figured I would go get a better look. For New York this tradition is in itself a way for the whole city to collectively show their festive side. Everything around you can be considered art depending on one’s perspective and the Rockefeller Center tree is just another example of how this can be done.

Botched Holiday Songs

Creative Subway Performers

As I walked down into the Time Square subway station I noticed a group of performers playing music. Now although this might be a common sight for a lot of us, what I noticed about this group of performers was that they had a complete set up of musical instruments with around five people that were constantly transitioning between classical and modern hip hop and rnb music. For a couple of seconds you would hear classical music mainly being played on the piano only to have the base and saxophone jump in changing it straight into melodies that belonged to trending hip hop and rnb songs like Macklemore’s thrift shop and One Republic’s Counting Stars. At first I thought there must be another performer that I’m not seeing right now but to my amazement it was all coming from this one set of guys. I thought it was really creative in the way they did that and managed to capture the attention of everyone in an unorthodox way. Rather than being loud, in the middle of everything or something else along those lines, these performers caught my attention because they were unique.

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Tosca

The Opera, Tosca by Puccini was one to remember. First Opera I ever attended, one of the last days of my first college semester, and all on the day of my birthday. Going into the Opera while knowing that it was going to be a performance that would last around three hours, I became a bit skeptical and honestly was afraid that I might doze off and become uninterested. Thankfully however it became one of the best performances I ever attended. It was nice to see that even if the entire performance was an opera they were still able to add a bit of humor into all of it and give it a nice story. Being in Italian, I originally thought that I would be constantly looking at the screen with the English translations and thus fail to see what the performers were doing but considering that it took them quite a while to fully say each sentence, it all worked out nicely. Of course I don’t mean this in a bad way, I honestly felt that the performers did a fantastic job in executing their roles.

Presentation and location are both also major contributing factors in regards to shows like the Tosca as well. Both of these aspects were spot on, from the Lincoln center with its very classy and professional ambiance and general aura to the manner in which they conducted everything. Events like these are not only limited to the performance but rather the entire experience that you get from attending it. By having a very orderly and professional way of organizing the event, and treating the guests regardless of who they are with respect really made me appreciate the entire experience even more. Small details like the ones that I had mentioned are what make people willing to pay such large amounts for the tickets.

Alongside being an opera where the vocalists were absolutely amazing, I also have to give a lot of the credit to the conductor and the orchestra. They controlled the tempo of the entire performance and were able to give it added emotion through use of multiple musical techniques such as crescendo, vibrato, and an overall grasp over tempo. In regards to the organization of the performance I also really enjoyed the fact that they gave intermissions where they allowed the audience to stand up and grab some fresh air while utilizing the time to create completely different stage set-ups. In doing so I personally felt I was able to come back each time refreshed ready to watch the performance rather than looking back at my watch constantly waiting for it to end.

Overall this performance was one that I very much enjoyed and will truly remember. From the laughs I had during the performance to the ones I had during the intermissions, making the most out of an experience is what matters at the end of the day and I’m happy that I did. 

Unexpected Art

Hey guys, so I recently stumbled across this one video where a homeless man shared one of his original poems. Within the poem he shared his story and truly expressed his feelings. Before watching the video I really never considered poetry and or great art coming from homeless people. Going to school in New York we pass by many homeless individuals on a daily basis but unfortunately we have become rather numb to their presence and as a result have gained to ability to easily walk right pass them without giving it a second thought. Art is a tool that can be used by anyone, and that being said inspiration for that art can come from anywhere. It made me rethink all of the times I walked by the homeless and reconsider the stories they might have behind their current lives.

A Glimpse at the Originals

For the archive project I was lucky enough to have been given the chance to go and have the interview at a place where Irma Ostroff, an artist, had worked before to create her pieces of art. After the interview was over I got the chance to talk to her more about many of her pieces and to my surprise, she even had some of the original works within the residence. When we walked into the common area I immediately noticed a piece of art hanging on the wall which had a unique style, that was of course the work of Professor Ostroff. It was titled Plan C and was made using a pattern of stamps of varying colors among other techniques all of which contributed to the final product. That’s when I remembered something that Professor Ostroff had told me during the interview where she had said that she made the work because she enjoyed doing so, and she herself knew that it had value. To believe in yourself is something that doesn’t only have to be limited to art; it is something that everyone should strive towards accomplishing and surely will allow you to move forward and aspire toward any ambitions you may have.

OOF

While at the MoMA I stumbled across this one painting titled OOF by Edward Ruscha. It caught my eye immediately, most likely because of the vivid contrasting colors and made me appreciate the painting for what it had done. Initially before having any significant knowledge in regards to art I would have probably looked at the painting and then wondered to myself how it even managed to get in a museum. I mean, all it says is “OOF” and only uses two colors. Now I can see that the painting not only reads “OOF” but also has a way of expressing it. When I look at the painting the description fits rather nicely and because of the way the word is complimented the painting for me is basically an embodiment of the meaning of the word “OOF”. To make a person think like this is what makes art so great. Its more than just surface value, and as long as you’re willing to give it a chance, you can more often than not surprise yourself.

Complexions

Having never gone to an official ballet performance I wasn’t to sure as to what I should expect with the Complexions performance. Sure, I had seen performances on Television before but, all of them seemed to be in cartoons and more often than not depicted women wearing the infamous tutu that were complimented with pink tights and shoes. Despite having these ideas circulating in my head before the performance I decided to put them aside and view the performance without any other influences rather than the essence of the performance itself. The performance was taking place in the Joyce Theatre, a small theatre in respect to many of the others that I had been in before but, nonetheless, a nice and rather luxurious place.

After walking in and taking my seat within the performance hall I looked around and everything about the place looked like a broadway performance. From the seating arrangement to the deep red curtains covering the stage, the aura that the place created was appropriate for what was to come next. Once the lights dimmed and the curtains were raised a few people stood on the stage in a statue like composure all waiting for the cue to begin. Right from the start I knew that this ballet wouldn’t be one with tutus or pink ballet shoes and knowing that became far more attentive and interested than I originally was.

As the performance began, all of the dancers began moving and executing carefully choreographed movements which really made the performance and the entire idea of ballet come alive in my eyes. The amount of effort each individual was putting into the performance truly made it self known as all of them did actions that most people probably couldn’t even attempt to do. As they raced from one side of the stage to the other all in harmony with one another, the beauty of their effort and the performance began to reveal itself. With such swift and carful movements, all of which having to be learned by each individual within their team to make the performance that we so calmly sat down and saw, required an immense amount of effort. Knowing that and for them to make it so easily seen for us as their sweat literally shot through the air while all of them gasped for air, I realized that I had a new found respect for ballet. One that I never knew I had but after seeing the Complexions performance and the amount of work and devotion that went into creating it, it was one that was well deserved.

The MET

One of the first things I noticed during my past visit to the MET was the beauty of the building itself. The entire museum is renowned as one of the biggest art museums in the world and the amount of detail that went into constructing it was really brought to my attention. A lot of the people who visit the MET often go to appreciate the main art work that is inside and being displayed. Some of the work may be displayed for a period of time and then be moved but, there is one form of art that has remained in the structure since it was built; the architecture and design that went into creating it. The high vaulted ceilings, the multiple pillars, and various designs that are everywhere through out the building truly caught my eye during my past visit. Having been founded in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has not only become an icon of New York because of the quality of the art work inside but also because of the independent grandiose and opulence of the structure. Stretching for basically an entire city block the MET is something that catches the eye of anyone who walks by it. It stands out for its size at first and then for the amount of detail that went into it. Once you go inside it also truly does not disappoint and maintains a high level of quality as you walk around inside.

Much in the same way art galleries are made to be completely white in order to highlight the works being displayed, the MET acts in a similar fashion by exhibiting various art works in a work of art to reinforce and essentially create an aura supporting the artistic and historical importance of everything in the room. While walking through out the MET through the hallways and large arced entrances into each separate section it became very clear to me that many people go into the MET not only for the art being displayed but for the actual structure where they can appreciate and gaze in awe. One of the main rooms that I had walked into was displayed statues that were large in size but in comparison to the height of the vaulted ceiling with intricate designs etched on to the surface made them look relatively small. Other rooms displayed pillars that were huge in size but still managed to look small when I looked left and right upon the openness and space of the area.

As I walked outside and down the steps in front of the MET and turned around the pillars that were part of the structure looked surprisingly similar to those that I had seen inside. Of course this is because of the incorporation of different styles of architecture that were used in creating the MET, but isn’t that the point. To display art in such a place where it can really be appreciated for what it is. After doing an in depth analysis of architecture in New York I now have another structure to site whenever I talk about architecture as an art.

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Fun Home Review

On October 23rd, Fun Home the musical was something that we all got the chance to see at the Public theatre. Going into the performance, already having read the comic styled novel I wasn’t exactly sure how they were going to make it into a musical. The way the book read made it seem as if it could be composed into a play but to think of making into a musical quite didn’t click for me. Boy was I wrong, the moment the performance started after having taken our seats we were immediately entertained by Allison in her youth singing a song. The context of the song was in my opinion gracefully executed because it encompassed both the uncertainty and frustration Allison experienced growing up.

As the performance progressed all of the little details that were put into the musical began exposing themselves and working so well with both the production of the musical and the messages and motifs of the work. The changes in perspective were done with elegance in which they constantly changed between the three different phases of Allison’s life being her early childhood, confused teenage years, and her current self being represented throughout the musical as a outsider looking in trying to debunk the mystery of her life. I felt as if the incorporation of the flashbacks although vital to the story were also done in such a way that it not only respected the original intent of the author but also added to the production. It made the audience want to stay focused on the musical because it constantly was introducing different perspectives from different times in Allison’s life which is different from a typical story simply going in chronological order.

After watching the musical I was also defiantly introduced to the work in a different light. While reading it many of the scenes and situations took on a rather dark feeling in which although there were at times humor it wasn’t as relevant as it was in the musical. The musical took the work and transformed it into a true performance that would not only tell the story but would make sure that the audience was constantly entertained and not given a chance to think of it as being boring for even a moment. The sudden changes in lighting, the absolute stunning performances by the actors, especially the children who gave a performance nothing less than professional, along with the physical stage and music allowed the musical to mold into a true success. They made the performance fun, keeping true to the title I suppose without sacrificing the meaning behind the work. Incorporating song and dance scenes such as the one about the fun home commercial where the kids decided to dance on top and inside the coffins gave me the impression that they sincerely understood the elements that made the work so unique. The irony of every situation and the juxtaposition of the different ideals being some of the concepts which made the musical and work so different and special.

The incorporation of each element of the work and the distinct qualities of each character such as Bruce and his personality along with Allison and her uncertainty were done so with a true understanding of the novel Fun Home. Nonetheless the performance is surely one I would recommend to anyone wanting to have a good time and experiencing the story for themselves.