The Arts in New York City

This is the response I got while speaking with one of my peers about the concept of and eReader versus a good old fashion paperback novel. The stimulus for this conversation was an interview that we attended with author Jonathan Safran Foer. Foer was openly vocal about his stance against modern technology and the power that it holds over today’s society.

When asked his favorite part of living in New York City, Foer unexpectedly declared that he loves riding the subway. While many New Yorkers dread the public transit system, Foer explained how he enjoyed the opportunity to indulge in a novel, and occasionally make eye contact with those around him. He then went on to criticize the modern subway patron who spends the entirety of his commute with his eyes glued to the screen of his cell phone. Foer then took the opportunity to warn those present to be wary of technology, and to explain how he will occasionally leave his own phone home in an effort to force interaction with his surroundings.

I have since then found myself contemplating why technology has such a hold on our lives. Why is it that something that has the power to connect us to so many resources also has the ability to disconnect us from the world directly around us. Why do we choose to spend hours browsing Facebook, yet cannot partake in conversations involving modern events?

I believe disconnecting oneself from technology allows one to have a greater appreciation for the various forms of art around herself. For Foer, art has no boundaries. A painting is congruent to a novel, which is in addition congruent to a film or sculpture. I am not certain what my concept of art is at this point, mainly because I have not exposed myself to much of the artistic world. However, I am certain that technology, in many ways, prevents us from embracing the various forms of art around us.What would happen if or phones and social networking sites were deactivated for a day? A week? Perhaps we would remember what it was like to read a good book while waiting for the train to arrive at our station. Perhaps we’d have a few more paper cuts.

The Theater Day orientation did not seem as interesting to me as I was expecting.  I did not feel we touched on anything about theater, though the interview with Safran Foer was an interesting experience.  I was a little misled in the beginning and very confused as to the purpose of the day.  The activities offered did appeal to my likes and I signed up for a couple, but again, I was looking for something more.

Foer’s interview was the most captivating part of the day.  He spoke with eloquence and sophistication, but I couldn’t help but detect a sense of condescension. He spoke of art in a very abstract way, but it didn’t resonate with me.  He read to us from the novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, in a very different way than when I had read it to myself before.  The words seemed to pop out more and create a very vivid image.  But when the interview began, my interest was lost.  The questions asked of him were not at all about the novel, which I had been more interested to hear about. Instead, he was sharing insight on his college life and his opinions on our society and how we deal with technology.

Foer made an interesting point when he referenced the subway. He said something along the lines of how many years ago, people riding the subway could look up and spark a conversation with someone, while now everyone was so absorbed in their technological contraption that they had no time to look up and even smile.  There truth in his words; whenever I ride the subway, it catches my attention that everyone, or a majority, has their head down and is looking at a screen. Foer’s words allowed me to look a little at my life and the choices I was making, which was at least a little enjoyable.

The name of the day was Theater Day, but I did not see a single reference to theater nor any discussion about it.  I did find enjoyment in the day, but I was greatly disappointed.

The final day of the Macaulay Honors College orientation was least memorable in my point of view. Before getting on the train that day I was excited to meet the author of a novel that contained a likeable character that reminded me of Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield. I felt very proud to be a Macaulay student after the first two days of orientation and did not know what to expect for its finale.

After an enjoyable talk with Dean Ann Kirschner and spending some time with my future classmates it was finally time to meet Mr. Foer. From his picture on the back cover I expected a New York hipster and when I saw him he looked liked an artist with a sense of style in the way he stood. He began to read from his novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and I found it to be the most enjoyable part of the evening. The way he read his novel is different from the way I read it or different from the way anyone else would read it. He read it the way he wanted it to be read. That gave me a different experience and I experienced his art. That was the only part of the night that felt like an art performance. His appearance at the event was exciting but ultimately he expressed himself best when reading from his work.

When Associate Dean Tim Caron began to interview Jonathan Safran Foer the mystery of the author faded away. He seemed like a normal New Yorker that has a passion for writing about his city. That is his art and that was why we gave him importance. Tim Caron asked him questions about his life and his views on living in New York City and all of the culture that the city was famous for. Foer had his own opinions and would answer the questions in the way that was most comfortable for him. It added to characterizing the author in general but not necessarily his literature. The question and answer session did not add to the artistic goal of the evening especially in the way the questions were being answered. Art is an exploration and an expression of feelings through something tangible. Mr. Foer even said himself that he does not just think of these inspirations out of thin air. He takes his time to sit down and really thinks hard about creating his novel. He says that he only feels like he’s thinking when reading or writing. I took that to mean that he experienced life daily and that his thoughts came out when he was writing and that it’s hard work.

The evening with Jonathan Safran Foer was unique in that I never experienced it before. It ultimately was not as much of an artistic performance by itself as reading the novel gave a more full experience. Although I don’t think it to be so memorable it did give the other students and me an opportunity to experience art through a novel and a follow up by meeting the author as well.

What one person views as garbage, another can view as art. Art is subjective and means different things, to different people. I remember walking along an alleyway one day with my father, as he pointed out the graffiti on the wall. My initial reaction was something of disgust, but my dad, who had a different view of artwork than me, remarked on the ingenious of the lines and colors.

This memory ran through my mind as I heard Jonathan Safran Foer speak on the last day of orientation. His view of art was, as expected, unique and individual. He believed that different forms of art are just means through which artists express messages or values. It does not matter so much the form of art, as long as it conveys what it should to the viewer. In this way, Jonathan Safran Foer’s view on artwork blurs the boundaries of what is differentiated styles of art. He believes that art is anything a person has intended to make as art. This could explain why he incorporated so many images into his novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Personally, I don’t see art in the same light as Jonathan Safran Foer. If art is just anything intended to be artwork, then what makes my scribble on the back of my math notebook any different that Pablo Picasso’s La Guernica? I doubt very much have my artwork has the same effect as his. To me, art is something powerful that is separate from other types of art. For example, a meaningful book is not the same as a inspiring song. Although their messages may be similar, a book and a song will not convey the same idea in the same way. They are two totally separate mediums and although the end result may provoke the same feelings, the way in which these emotions are brought upon do define different styles of art.

Overall, I really did enjoy the experience of listening to of one of the most inspiring writers to me. Although I did not share his views exactly, I was able to listen to him and see his perspective. I admired Jonathan Safran Foer’s creativity and individuality, as well as his sarcastic sense of humor. He reminded me to appreciate the little things in the world around me that I often take for granted, or am just oblivious to. He inspired me to try new things out, and to feel comfortable not knowing where I want to be in the future. He may not have been so helpful when it came to advice about how to survive college, but when it came to advice about living life and knowing who you are, he seemed to know what he was talking about.

Theater Day, day three of the Macaulay orientation, was interesting for me.  In a way, I can say that I had mixed feelings. While I enjoyed the experience of “meeting an author”, and hearing what he had to say, I think I enjoyed the idea of it, more than I enjoyed it itself.

Maybe it was because I came in with expectations, and I felt that they were not met.  I came in thinking I’d hear a lot from the author, and that the Q&A segment with him would give me a lot of insight about his life, his experiences, his thoughts and feelings. While I did enjoy what he had to say about enjoying NYC for everything it has to offer, and his idea of disconnecting from technology to better to help that, I had the feeling of wanting more.  When he turned to the next part of his “speech” (I don’t think that’s quite the word to describe it) of reading an excerpt from his novel I remember thinking “that’s it?”.  A few seconds later I alleviated that feeling by reminding myself that at at the Q&A “conversation” with him, I’d get to hear more.  Unfortunately, I did not feel like  I did.  I don’t mean to critique, but I did not feel that the questions Foer was asked were relevant, or interesting to me as the audience.  What’s more,  I felt like he was being asked the same one question many times, with a small nuance in between each question.  I turned to my friend sitting next to me multiple times during this session and he agreed with me. “He isn’t asking good questions”, he said.

The other point I want to address is the excerpt reading.  While nkornbluth really enjoyed it, I was not moved.  I’ve never really been moved by authors’ excerpt readings.  I don’t see much of a point to them?  If I read the book myself, why do I need it read to me? Some would say that it’s different when the author reads it out loud because you hear the tone of the book.  I can see this applying to an author reading his picture book, or an action book author reading with the “special effects” the book is supposed to have.  However, with such a novel as Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I don’t see the necessity in this.  When I read it, I did not read it with tone; it wasn’t an action novel. Foer himself, if I recall correctly, did not read it with a different tone either.

If we consider Foer’s reading as the “performance” part of the night, I would not consider it a performance.  A performance to me is acting, singing, dancing, something beyond the scope of regular human speech or conversation.  By this definition, neither did the “Q&A conversation session” count to me as a performance, or art really.  Performance, to me, is a branch of art.  Therefore, if the night did not count to me as a performance, it did not count as art either.

To me, art is a form of expression beyond regular human speech, interaction, and behavior.  For me to consider a conversation as “art”, it would have to be extremely enhanced.  Otherwise, we could consider almost anything art in this world, and I just don’t see the point in that.  Why not reserve art as something special, something more than just regular.  Would it touch us and influence us so much if it was “regular”?