Remember Rachel Feinstein’s “Folly” in Madison Square Park? Well, I walk through this park everyday on the way to class, and noticed a new exhibition placed in the park. It’s called “Walks of Life” and is composed of three large bronze sculptures. The artist behind these large-scale works is Tony Cragg.
Tony Cragg is a British artist (now living in Germany) who has had his art displayed since the late 1970’s. He arrived last year to scout out Madison Square Park and decide how to arrange his exhibition in the park. These sculptures are actually very big, but as Cragg puts it, “They’re quite big sculptures, but everything in New York is big.” He makes a point…
I find it intriguing that foreign artists are interested in displaying their art in New York City (let alone a park and not a gallery). The effort put into traveling halfway across the world in order to display his art in a foreign culture is ambitious. Cragg has received various awards in Europe, but was he so sure his art would be praised here just as much?
I’m sure Cragg is pleased at the sight of his bronze sculptures fitting right in – they seem to always have a large crowd surrounding them or taking pictures.
Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottlynchnyc/
Just like much of the art displayed in the park, the sculptures have an approachable feel. I enjoyed the three dimensional aspect, and felt as if Cragg wanted the audience to engage with his work. “Caldera” is the name of the first sculpture (shown above). The other two are called “Mixed Feelings” and “Points of View.” The pictures are shown below, respectively.
Credit: http://art-nerd.com/newyork/worth-a-stroll-tony-craggs-walks-of-life-at-madison-square-park/
The last two sculptures seem more related to one another than the first sculpture. They remind me of the rocks in zen gardens that are stacked on each other and have peaceful surroundings. The sculptures generated the same kind of peacefulness in the middle of the park for me; after walking through hectic streets, it was refreshing. I wonder if that’s what Tony Cragg intended to do.
As I stood outside the David Zwirner Gallery and waited for the rest of the class to arrive, I took a good look at the building itself. It had an “industrial” sort of look to it, but it was also modern, unique, and aesthetically pleasing. I believe it perhaps suggested what was to be found on the inside. However, what I found inside was quite contrasting.
The exhibition, “PeaRoeFoam,” by Jason Rhoades was being displayed. He used a combination of “whole green peas, fish-bait style salmon eggs, and white virgin-beaded foam,” and glued them together to create various physical objects.
It’s quite possible that this “PeaRoeFoam” was Rhoade’s attempt to parody the idea of spending large amounts of money on useless material objects (luxury items and the like). His art is made of inexpensive, disposable materials and can be categorized as dada. It’s a form of “anti-art”: it’s nonsensical, irrational, and not aesthetically pleasing. The entire point is that it’s unconventional. So unconventional, in fact, that a theory to why the movement ended was because “it was in danger of becoming ‘acceptable.'”
The entire idea is too ironic for me to truly comprehend. Rhoades thought consumerism/materialism was ridiculous … so he sold people “junk” for high prices? I suppose if you can’t beat them, join them? And if any person who was interested in buying a piece of this artwork for such a hefty price is self-respecting, they would try to discover what it means. Then, they would understand the ridicule behind consumerism and extreme materialism Then … they buy it anyway? What?
I appreciate the concept, and I enjoyed being exposed to something very unique. However, I continue to have a hard time finding the fine line between portraying a message/being creative and just being ostentatious, fancy, and bombastic. Don’t get me wrong; ultimately, I haven’t decided what I believe PeaRoaFoam really is.
One of the most stigmatized, popular games in existence is “Magic the Gathering.” Yes, it’s a fantasy role-playing game that includes wizards, spells, creatures, and monsters that is created for … adults. But bear with me! It’s far more interesting and relevant than one would believe…
In order to explain the artistic aspect of this card game, I will cover some of the history and basic rules. It’s a trading card game that was published in 1993 and is played by two players. Each game represents a battle between wizards (the two players) who use creatures, spells, and more, all depicted on their cards, in order to kill the other opponent (think pokemon). There are organized tournaments, a world championship, and local games. It’s a complicated and strategic game that requires a sharp mind but is equally as fun and exciting. You need to be able to devise strategies, think ahead, read the other player, and think quickly!
Now, there is a certain aspect to the game that is almost as popular as the game itself: Magic the Gathering artwork.
Magic the Gathering (MtG) is also known for its incredible artwork that is displayed on everything from its cards to its accessories. There is even a book that was published to document the art. There are websites and forums dedicated to posting the art and discussing it. There are over 10,000 cards, each with a unique scene, creature, or object. A secondary market exists for these cards, and are constantly being traded and sold. The art truly brings the game to life. The artistic community for MtG is very exclusive, and only the most intricate and beautiful artwork is accepted. Here are some examples of the artwork:
MtG players are constantly engaged with the whole concept of the game, as evident by the emergence of “altered” cards. Altered cards are MtG cards that people haven changed or added to in order to create a different card – solely for artistic purposes. These cards cannot be used in gameplay but are a creative and interesting addition to the expanding MtG game-world. Some examples of altered cards (left is original, right is altered):
Magic the Gathering has been expanded to more than just a game. Since being introduced in 1993, it’s still in it’s growth phase; the dedicated fan-base continues to add more and more people. Business-wise, the brand is rumored to never have had a decrease in sales since it’s introduction. The whole concept is strange; it’s a very rare example of physical media thriving in a dominating digital age.
Operas, a drama set to music, originated in Italy and have been around since the 16th century. This art form has spread to many countries and changed accordingly. Georges Bizet, a French composer of the romantic era, wrote Carmen. The first production took place in Paris in 1875. It was not received very well, but we can understand this; in 1875, the French audience were considerably conservative, so Carmen was shocking. Today, we have been exposed to more “liberal” forms of media, so our reactions were quite different then theirs.
Just seeing all the energy the audience had before the show actually created high expectations for me. Also, getting to know the story line, characters, and music beforehand made me look forward to seeing it all put together.
For instance, when the aria Habanera began, I was pleasantly surprised to hear how much better it sounded live! Personally, it is something I have heard time and time again which makes it all the more special to hear it being played and sung live.
The story line was relatively easy to follow, and the actors’ emotions really showed. Regardless, the English subtitles truly helped. I’m sure translating the opera takes away from the overall performance but it’s worth it to understand the story more in depth.
One of the more interesting aspects that stood out for me was the impression of grandeur the entire experience portrayed. Everything was spacious, large, classic, and full of lighting and royal colors. It gives you a sense of humility, as if you are here to experience something profound that you will only get to see once in a lifetime. The entrance was grand, the stage was large, and the actors’ voices were powerful. This impression contributed to my enjoyment of the overall opera and I would love to see another one if I have the opportunity.
Judging by everyone’s (myself included) continued humming/singing of the music in the opera, I believe the music left the most lasting impression on us. Personally, I have heard this music many times, so it was a pleasure hearing it all again live. Actually, I remember being exposed to the opera when I was a child in an old television show: Hey Arnold! If anyone remembers this episode, the children in the show actually played the different characters in Carmen. The same music is played but the lyrics are different. Below is a short clip:
Habanera sung by the Hey Arnold! characters:
According to their website, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s mission is “to preserve, promote, and present jazz by inspiring knowledge, appreciation and celebration of jazz locally, nationally, and internationally.” When we came yesterday to visit, they had a running exhibition of Bebo Valdez.
Bebo Valdez, a Cuban pianist, composer, bandleader, and arranger, was born in Cuba in 1918. He left Cuba in 1960 and eventually settled in Sweden. There he played Cuban music and Latin jazz.
His career boosted in 1994 and released CDs, films, and more. One of the more interesting things he created that caught my attention was the movie Chico y Rita. This movie is about a young piano player, Chico, and a beautiful singer, Rita. They fall in love, and perform together.It’s animated, as well, giving an interesting perspective and vision to an adult audience. What’s interesting about this story, however, is that Chico resembles Bebo himself in many ways.
Spoiler Alert:
In the movie Chico is a piano player from Cuba, like Bebo. He also leaves the music scene for decades, like Bebo, and then has a career revival once again and becomes a success.
The film might not be about Bebo’s whole life, but it definitely has some similar life events. Although it doesn’t depict his life exactly as it was, “….it evokes the era that produced him and led jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie to work with Cubans, giving birth to a new kind of jazz.” (MPR News)
As defined by Wikipedia:
Rock climbing is an activity in which participants climb up, down, or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling.
Here is an example of a rock climber. This is Alex Honnold, and he is climbing a 2,000 foot rock face in Yosemite … without a rope. Although this is the most extreme kind of climbing, you can get a sense of what sort of determination, agility, and connection to nature somebody who climbs must have.
Most people who rock climb do not consider themselves creating art, and they’re not. However, when they do climb, they are engaged, dynamic, and bold. Dean Fidelman, a rock climber and photographer decided to make rock climbing an art by expressing the qualities he found in this sport in an interesting way: nude pictures. He called this project: Stone Nudes.
Stone Nudes: an extract of the art of climbing. Intended to inspire and celebrate the human form. Stone Nudes draws from the community it represents. Over the last ten years, a body of over one hundred photographs drawing from three generations of climbers has evolved. (Taken from the project’s website)
Dean tries to explore the themes of nature-unrefined, pure, and organic-and the way this theme and the human spirit unite. The rock climbers are photographed climbing nude, because this coincides with the unrefined and natural essence of the landscape. These photographs give a sense of harmony between humans and our natural environment; the person in the picture isn’t separated from the rock, dirt, grass, or trees, but rather a part of it.
The website and gallery of this project is linked here. Some discretion is advised, as the pictures are of people climbing without any clothes. I hope you can see the true beauty in these pictures and this project, enjoy!
Marcel Dzama’s Une Danse des Bouffons, is a film that can be described as a “Dadaist Love Story.” It is currently part of an exhibit at the David Zwirner gallery along with related two and three dimensional work.
These works deal with many themes, among them “death.” Inside, I gravitated toward the long piece in the back of the room and, honestly, in the first couple of minutes this theme did not really stand out. It looked more like a circus; it was as if the people in the piece were in costume and doing all sorts of acrobatic acts.
Once I looked closer, I began to see the men with guns and the people surrendering. There is also a man holding a presumably dead man. I continued to walk around and look at the other pieces with this idea in mind. I then saw another piece:
Just some chess pieces, a chess board, and a beheaded human, head rolled away, but still close to the body. And another two fitting pieces:
Exploring death in art (or in anything for that matter) always puzzled me. Death is confusing, frightening, and eerie. I always approach the subject by, well, avoiding it altogether. I suppress any kinds of thoughts relating to it because it’s simply overwhelming. Many use the same approach as me. So, I admire artists like Marcel Dzama. To create works of art that have this kind of idea in them must mean the artist dwelled on it. They must have contemplated for hours on end in the preliminary process. Then they must have dealt with the idea while physically creating the projects. Just having the works in an exhibit continue to remind the artist of this theme. How do they do it!?
As I continued to contemplate this throughout the exhibit, I thought I stumbled upon a possible answer. Besides art being a way to cope with this difficult concept, there is also the idea that death makes way for the new. There must be death for birth to occur.
There are various methods to creating art. Sometimes the art, the finished product, serves a purpose. I personally connect more to art that is functional or useful. It’s easier to comprehend the reasons for creating it, and therefore helps me appreciate it more. Flint knapping is one of those methods.
According to FlintKnappingTools.com:
Flintknapping is the process of chipping away material from high silica stones like “flint” in a carefully controlled manner with special tools to produce sharp projectile points or tools. Only the purest silica based stones will provide fracture predictability required to achieve the finest works.
For instance, this is an arrowhead made of obsidian; it is a classic example of a finished tool created with the flint knapping method.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview a “flint knapper!” His name is Mordechai and he possesses a set of outdoor skills having to do with nature. Among these skills is flint knapping:
Me: Why do you consider this an art?
Mordechai: Well, before it was an art, it was used for survival purposes by our ancestors. As a person who “flint knaps,” I feel a special connection to them. It is an art because you must master the action of hitting the rock with the correct amount of force and at the correct angle; precision is key. The finished product is a functional tool that is also very beautiful and unique. It’s a kind of modernization of an ancient necessity that became an art form over the years.
Me: How long does it take, on average, to create a tool?
Mordechai: First of all, it depends on the tool. A knife can take up to six hours, an arrowhead would probably take less. The bigger the object, the longer it takes.
Me: What would you say is the hardest part?
Mordechai: In contrast to some other art, making a mistake here is completely fatal. Sometimes you can work on an object for five hours and almost be done. Then, with one strike that is slightly off, the entire piece breaks and is unusable. All your time and effort goes to waste. It’s quite a humbling experience.
Me: Wow. That requires a lot of patience. Well, thank you for your time and good luck with your work!
Today, flint knapping is mastered by a very few. A great deal of effort and many hours are put into creating each and every rare object. These dedicated few create the objects for the purpose of art, while truly connecting to it’s roots. It’s unique, pure, unrefined, and even instinctive in a way.
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