Author Archives: Jennifer
Posts by Jennifer
57 Drawings
(I want to write about the Cosmic Closet but I’m pretty sure almost everyone is going to write about that one, so I’ll choose 57 Drawings instead. Here’s a picture of the Cosmic Closet anyway though.)
As a venue for music and film, Club 57 is a place which supported the amalgamation of culture, art, performance, and movies. Identity was a big motif of the club, as is exemplified by the piece “57 Drawings”. The caricatures show many different people of different identities, as well as how they capture the nature of socializing among Club 57’s members. Each person’s poses and clothes offer clues to their own identity, personality, and duties hey performed at the club. It’s easy to see how different people in these pictures were invested in performance, video, photography, fashion, modelling, cruising, and drug dealing. Some people look like pirates and vampires, and others wear outlandish clothing as a representation of fashion. Some people are seen socializing, and others lament in their isolation. Some people are drawing pictures or writing, and others are watching movies (which can relate to the movies shown in the exhibit, which were some put on in Club 57 originally). These pieces fit in well into the exhibit because they show how so many different people with so many identities and interests can still have one common goal and support each other within the club. Personally, I really like how some of the pictures use negative space to create a feeling of isolation and “a bubble” of people in their own world, because that’s something that Club 57 was really all about.
M. Butterfly – A Paralleled Universe
M. Butterfly was one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen. It is full of rich detail and hidden backstories, and it’s setup makes the viewer constantly question their awareness of the situation or understanding of what’s going on. One of the things I constantly found myself questioning was Song’s sexuality. He looked like a boy, and publicly he was supposed to be a boy. However, he told Gallimard that he was a female, and to be honest, I found it hard to believe that he wasn’t a female. His movements were very feminine, and his voice almost seemed to prove that he was a female (it was not deep at all!). During the beginning of the play I was actually wondering if there was a female doing a voice over with Song. There was even a scene where he stood behind a screen, with only his shadow being seen, and he was taking off his robe the way women do, daintily. He always dressed as a woman on stage and performed amazingly, and he had a cheeky, sarcastic attitude towards Gallimard which I often associate with women standing up to men. I did not want to believe that he was a man – I only truly believed him when he fully stripped in front of Gallimard.
Another part of the production I found extremely interesting was the constant connections to the opera Madame Butterfly. At the beginning of the play, Song ridiculed Gallimard for liking Madame Butterfly since it was only beautiful because the Oriental girl died for the white man: A white girl who died for a Chinese man (who obviously didn’t love her) would have just been seen as stupid. What I wasn’t expecting was that flipping this view entirely on it’s head was exactly play was about. Gallimard was constantly chasing after Song, getting inklings here and there that Song wasn’t being truthful to him (about his sexuality, or about his role in the Chinese Revolution), and yet continuing to stay unbelievably faithful to him. Song was the one who knew he was playing Gallimard like a game of chess, strategically getting closer relations with him and even moving to France with him to continue getting information for the Revolution. Song loved Gallimard, but never enough to confess the truth that he could never be with him due to his being a man. The play always interlude specific scenes with music taken from Madame Butterfly, as well as quotes from the play and certain actions as well. Throughout the play, Gallimard always called Song his “butterfly”. However, by the end of the play, the entire audience could only watch in shock as Gallimard wore the white robe of Madame Butterfly and killed himself, with Song regretful as he held Gallimard’s body in his arms.
The City From The Air
Our group is doing our project on the Roosevelt Tram. We wanted to focus on how it is such a different form of transportation in comparison to the normal methods taken by New Yorkers. A variety of people take the tram, from commuters and city workers to tourists, and all get to experience the amazing view of Manhattan, Roosevelt Island, and the Queensboro Bridge during their ride. When my group visited the tram for our field work, we took many videos of the entrances to the tram, to try and capture the life right outside it, as well as the view on the tram itself. We were able to get footage which starkly showed the difference between the busy and constantly flowing traffic of New York versus the more peaceful park area right outside the entrances. The photo I took shows this well – you get a classic view of New York. It looks so normal, but it is a common mode of transportation which includes an amazing, uncommon aerial view of the city. We also got the amazing view of Manhattan from inside the tram. We had an interview with someone on the tram as well and recorded footage of that for our project. We are planning to use it to get our video viewer to really understand how the tram is both an integral part of New York, as well as how it stands out from it. We need to compile the video footage into a movie, and put in voice-overs and music. We have a large portion of our project completed already just by getting the videos we need.
From Land To Sky
Those unfamiliar with the city will probably not be aware of the Roosevelt Island Tram, a mode of transportation which really sets itself apart from the traditional ones in the city. While most transportation is restricted to land (whether on it or underground), the tram takes a different approach and aims skyward. Despite that, it fits right in place with the business of the city and the height of the buildings. It provides yet another way for New Yorkers (and tourists) to get to Roosevelt Island, whether for work or simply for a gorgeous view of the ocean underneath the Queensboro Bridge.
The entrance to the tram from 2nd Avenue is surrounded by a small park, a place filled with greenery and benches for people to relax as they wait for a car to board. I enjoyed resting on a bench, watching people walk by in a hurry while some stopped for a moment to sit down as well. The tram ride itself is a wonder of its own- it’s view of the ocean and bridges, not to mention the traffic of the city, is magnificent. The sun looked incredible glittering on the ocean, and the view of the tram from Roosevelt Island was beautiful as well. The ride was relaxing (although there wasn’t much space to sit down), and it really changes how one views Manhattan – from being a part of the bustling crowd of people to becoming a simple onlooker, contrasting the individual people down below to the enormous view of the buildings and ocean.
Buried Child- Script vs. Production
Sam Shepard’s play, Buried Child, has an essence of disconnection which is strongly captured in its 1996 production. Right from the very start, when Dodge is viewed on stage and Hallie starts talking, it is easy to see how Hallie appears to be concerned for Dodge and wants him to take his pills to make him stop coughing, and at the same time, she is constantly talking and yelling at him from the top of the stairs, forcing him to repeat himself and yell back to her, which only increases it. Hallie also constantly talks and runs around the house, acting seemingly busy, but it is obvious that she actually has nothing important at all to do. Tilden, their son, seems almost like a mere shadow in the house, constantly hiding behind Dodge’s commands and speaking as little as he can, avoiding all conversation and yet somehow being in the middle of it all. Bradley’s introduction to the scene makes it easy to see how he seems to think the world involves only his desires, since in the past he apparently was forced to listen to other’s commands, and Vince tries to make himself known to the rest of his family, only to run out of the house in despair when no one recognizes him. The 1996 production also capture’s Shelly’s character extremely well. In this house of disconnect, she is the only one who seems to have some sort of awareness of reality, and is the only one who tries to bring order to the house. The “Buried Child” script made me feel like Shelly was someone who feared the family, and yet wanted to do something to make the house feel more like a “home”. The production also makes Shelly have these strong feelings, as she constantly pulls Vince aside and begs to leave, and yet she acts so comfortably around Dodge once she feels more “at home” and tries to instill the same feeling into the other characters (expect Bradley, for obvious reasons).
The Form of Pina Bausch
The differences in style of “Café Muller” and “The Rite of Spring” is astonishing, since both were created by the same choreographer, Pina Bausch. In a way, both are representative of her beliefs about dance, from aligning to society’s expectations to altogether destroying its sense of meaning.
“The Rite of Spring”, made 10 years earlier than “Café Muller”, features two distinct sets of groups (women and men) who fit firmly in their gender roles. The women are more graceful and seem almost lightweight and playful, while the men are more heavy-footed. This changes when they join together, forming a large, organized mass of stomping feet and heavy breathing. Then, there’s the woman in the red dress, who seems to fit into neither of these two set groups, and is thus excluded from both and seemingly disgraced. Café Muller, on the other hand, was a ritualistic mess of repetitious patterns combined with seemingly useless and potentially harmful movements, such as slamming on walls and running into chairs. Every character had their own “job” (one man kept trying to move chairs from a running woman, while another kept trying to make a couple kiss or hold each other instead of hugging), even though each job did nothing in the end. The dancing of “Café Muller” seemed to almost symbolize a dream-like insanity, with characters ignoring each other and their own environment, while “The Rite of Spring” showed a strictly organized harmony of characters who shunned those who stepped outside their role. Both dances, however, were capable of inciting strong reactions from their audience: Café Muller purposely wanted its audience to feel confused and helpless, much like the characters in the dance itself, while The Rite of Spring made its audience breathless and taken aback by the power showed by characters.
Renewal and Revival
#Lizi at the Highline
The Highline was once a desolate track where railroads ran, but its reconstruction has created an essence of renewal and public freedom, where the city, nature, people, and the track’s history coexist and reminisce together. When taking my photo, I tried to envision how a viewer would feel surrounded by this coexistence. The constant movement of the people contrast with the stillness of the viewer taking the scene in, and the bright greens of the plants blend in with the dull buildings which surround it. The plants brighten the image, making the scene feel more welcoming, and the variety of greens and yellows show the variety of plants which live there, just like the variety of people who cross the structure every day. They also show how it is possible for shapeless, natural beauty to work well together with the squared off grays and browns of human construction. The set of horizontal poles noticeably stretch into the distance, and the straight lines within the piece make it possible to imagine a train running in that very spot, coming straight towards or away from the viewer. The stillness of the structure itself also stands apart from the distortion of the constantly moving people. The entire picture converges to one point in the middle, making the people walking towards it, the plants, and even the structure itself imply that they will continue to coexist in the future. And despite all this movement, the viewer can only stop and stare, trying to grasp the beauty of the Highline. They’re trying to catch this moment in time on their phone, in an effort to relive the experience of walking it later on, but by doing so they’ve stopped focusing on what is happening around them – the daily life surrounding them has become a blur.
Comments by Jennifer
"I agree. Walking into the Cosmic Closet was like stepping into a whole other world. When I first saw it, I had to step outside again and get used to it, and then go back in lol. I also think it captures the identity and experience of Club 57 as well, as the club is just a mishappen amalgamation of identities, cultures, and beliefs. Every single piece in the Closet had its own identity, but when put in the room it became lost in the crowd, combining into an essence of identity that it could only achieve together with the other pieces."
--( posted on Dec 2, 2017, commenting on the post
Club 57 )
"I agree: I love the play so much! There's honestly so many things to expand upon, but I really like the topics you chose: the sets and the breaking of the fourth wall. The set design was really well done, being able to change from minimalist grey walls to a loud, clashing color palette during performances. The way it flipped boards really felt like a storybook, with a sudden, but appropriate, change in scenes and emotions. The breaking of the fourth wall was also a really awesome way to narrate the story: rather than simply watching the characters perform, you got an inside look to how they truly felt, and how they wanted their own stories to be told, even if it was different from the truth."
--( posted on Nov 20, 2017, commenting on the post
M. Butterfly )
"I really like your description of the Coney Island Boardwalk! It really makes one feel as they are walking there along with you. I can only imagine how much more active the area would be in the summer, but it was still really nice to see how different it is now, with life moving a bit more slowly there, as stores slowly open up and fewer people outside. Can't wait to see what your final project looks like."
--( posted on Nov 6, 2017, commenting on the post
Another Day, Another Atmosphere )
"I think that the African Burial Ground is a great place to focus on for your iMovie project. I've never been there before, so I would love to learn more about it. The variety of symbols there really make it feel very emotionally charged and is a wonderful connection to the history of the area. Your description also fits the picture you took really well."
--( posted on Oct 25, 2017, commenting on the post
The African Burial Ground )
"I really like your analysis. Yes, Shepard has a very morbid style of writing - the final scene where Tilden carries out his buried child really freaked me out, along with when Bradley stuck his hand into Shelly's mouth as a sign of dominance. Vince's constant despair at being unnoticed by his family really riled me up as well (Note: Dodge is the old man on the couch, not Vince). I also really like the point you brought up of characters hiding themselves too: even the pastor hid his true, insincere self behind a mask and name of a spiritual leader, Bradley hid his own cowardliness behind a mask of forceful dominance, and Hallie and Vince are unseen for the majority of the play. The only person who really doesn't hide much about themself is Shelly."
--( posted on Oct 6, 2017, commenting on the post
1996 Broadway Production of Buried Child )
"You make a very good point. Bausch leaves much of her style up to open interpretation. From my point of view, your reaction to "Cafe Muller" is exactly what Bausch wanted the audience to feel: confused to the point of helpless questioning. Just as the characters in the dance seemed to be sleepwalking, the very environment the dancers formed seemed to be almost from a dream, realistic and yet somehow not making any sense. I also like how you described the exertion of the dancers in "The Rite of Spring", since that was also probably a huge point Bausch wanted to make in that dance. In combination to the banished girl in the red dress, as well as the extremity of emotion, Bausch may have wanted to try and show the basest of human emotion, which is trying to organize the world into roles (which the red dress did not fit into), and raw emotion."
--( posted on Sep 24, 2017, commenting on the post
Pina Bausch Performance )
"This is a great impression on the atmosphere of the Highline. The sculpture area is overrun by weeds, just as the railroad tracks once were, and the buildings surrounding the sculpture acts just the same as the city surrounding the Highline. It’s also very cool how the sculpture itself portrayed a combination of both manmade objects and natural beauty, which reflects the design of the Highline well. The sculpture also reflects the design of both Manhattan and the Highline: metal islands located within a sea of grass, and a pathway of creativity standing tall above the amalgam of grass. Very nice analysis!"
--( posted on Sep 11, 2017, commenting on the post
Humans and Nature )
