Category Archives: Ways of Seeing

Frost Flowers

frostflower

Some of the must beautiful art we see in this world is not created by famous painters, sculptors, or other artists, but by mother nature herself. The photo you see above is of a frost flower. Frost flowers are not real flowers, though but are formed by capillary action of an exposed stem of a plant when the air is below freezing but the ground is not. The stem of a plant will expand in the cold weather and crack, but water will still be continuously drawn up from the ground and will freeze into thin layers of ice when it is exposed to the air, forming frost flowers. As beautiful as they are though, frost flowers are extremely rare as they only form in specific conditions when temperatures are just right. The plants create them usually at night but they are extremely fragile and as the sun beams through the morning sky, they melt away. I hope to be able to see one one day but if you are ever lucky enough, make sure to take plenty of photos!!!

frost flower 3

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

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.

NYC Squirrels

Why does it feel like the squirrel population in New York City is increasing? Everyday, I see more and more of them, and its freaking me out. I have always had problems with squirrels, partly because I hate rats, and I feel like squirrels have close connections with rats. So last summer, this squirrel below was just running around the rim on the top of the trash can. My friend and I were trying to walk across Union Square Park, until we saw the little show the squirrel was putting on for the public. I don’t know. Sometimes they’re cute. Sometimes they creep me out. I just hate when I’m trying to walk and they are in my way. Anyways, this one was definitely a creeper. Anybody else have issues with squirrels?

IMG_20130619_180822

Another Original Poem: 9/11: NYC tragedy

The poem below is called ‘Not Today’, and I recited this poem as a rap on stage in high school for a 9/11 Memorial Event my high school did on 9/11/2011. However, I wrote this poem the previous year, on 9/11/2010. The reason I had to write this poem was because I felt really bad after hearing the conspiracies about the incident. Many people claim 9/11 to have been an inside job, sparked by the American government, so that we’d have a reason to be in the Middle East for the oil. Many believe that the it was all just a scheming, selfish plan, and that the media have been lying to the public the whole time. Because ultimately we must think: is the news really what we think it is? Is that really the facts, or 0.0125% of the facts? Its not fair at all! And in my anger, this is what I jotted down in my journal:

Not Today

If the pain brings me down, let it bring me down

but it ain’t no reason to keep this frown.

The dream won’t break cuz the colors are fake

whether the black claim they’re white or the white claim they’re brown.

You could hear the gunshots and see the blood drippin’

The battle’s not over, if you think so, you’re trippin’.

Half the people here still look back until they fall outta track,

and you’ll know they’re slippin’.

Death takes us up, down, out, and away

until a bomb shuts them up and they just could not say

anything more but “stop” or “get out of the way”

cuz we refuse to die today.

The fight won’t stop until we win the fight,

Caught a fit in the cockpit but it’s alright.

People don’t know that by the end of the night,

the bullet bites harder than a damn termite.

God can’t bless a country so racist

when people here are born with so many faces

terror proposed purposely in places

leaving no more empty spaces

Red, white, and blue,

what the hell did you do?

Take the flag down

its lost its value

They still hug, kiss, and throw their peace signs

when America’s flooded with nothing but hate crimes

Back-up, shoot, get out of the way

there goes a terrorist, blow him up today

I refuse to run, I’m gonna have to stay

yeah..okay…I’ll be gone..but that day’s not today.

 

 

 

The Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

IMG_0058

 

When Hurricane Sandy came through New York City last year, it left a path of destruction.  Many houses were destroyed and lives changed.  At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, many trees that stood for over 100 years were lost to the storm, all of which were botanically and historically significant. This tree house, pictured above is the work of Roderick Wolgamott-Romero along with the arborists at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden as they repurposed the many fallen oak trees that were lost to Sandy.  I think this tree house is an amazing work of art that really has a “life after death” feeling to it as they repurpose the the trees.   Along with learning to adapt to the increasing shifts in weather patterns what do you think are some ways we can help better the environment from our homes in New York City?