Author: Suhaib

On the night of December 5th, I was mesmerized and astonished by the marvel that was “The Jungle,” at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. The play was unlike any other I had seen or experienced. It was based on the refugee crisis in Calais, France and the setting of the play accentuated the feeling of being placed in the refugee camp. While I had not known about the complications and hurdles that plagued the lives of many refugees looking to claim asylum in U.K, I was slightly familiar of the overall situation regarding the refugee crisis. However, upon watching the play, all my prior impressions disappeared. The proximity of my seat to the entirety of the play really highlighted the personal nature of the play and it allowed me to understand the true and heartbreaking story behind the plight of the refugees.

One the most striking and moving moments of the play was structured around the question “when does a place become a home?” The scene that followed included the restaurant owner, Salar, and the community of the The Jungle as they celebrated Salar’s birthday. As Salar was presented by the cake, he was brought to tears as he reminisced about his hometown and his friends. He recounted the fact that many of friends claimed to have birthdays on the first of January due a lack of time at the hands of various wars. While he presented a humorous anecdote, he explained that although the Jungle was a horrendous place, it was starting to feel like home. This distinction between house and home really brought out one of the major themes of the play.

As I thought about Salar’s monologue, I criticized my own definition of a home. I have always associated my home with a house, a place where I live, but I understood at that moment that a home is far greater than just a living space. I realized that no matter the terrible nature of your situation, a home is where people care about you and will do anything to protect you. The materialistic nature our society has forced us take for granted all that we have been blessed with. However, as Salar explained, we can never take for granted what we have and we must always appreciate those who care for us.

Additionally, the moment when the audience was presented with the video of a child’s body washed up on shore, really brought the reality of the refugee crisis into perspective. It allowed me to disregard my own perception of the refugee crisis and the narrative regurgitated by the media. I realized that we are the ones who have the opportunity and the resources to make a change in the lives of those in need.

Overall, I was extremely impressed and moved by the play. It far surpassed my expectations and presented me with various ideas and issues to contemplate.

Martha Rosler: Irrespective

When we think of art, we imagine very articulate and imaginative paintings with easy to comprehend meaning and complex colors. Often these paintings define our definition of art, restricting the diverse genre of art to a very specific style However, art is much broader than such a narrow field of expression. The category of Avant-garde art pushes the boundaries of traditional art and challenges the accepted norms and guidelines of accepted art. Martha Rosler, an American artist, embraces this genre of art and uses various mediums in order to present radical and thought provoking art. She challenges the image of women in society by presenting very abstract art pieces to convey her message.

In the art piece shown above, North American Waitress, Coffee-Shop Variety, Rosler challenges the treatment of women workers in the food-service industry in the 1970s. She experiments her presentation of ideas by displaying it in a memesis of a scientific point-and-label diagram. By using such an abstract way of presenting her message, Rosler brings attention to the way women were patronized and discriminated against in the food-service industry. She highlights the various restrictions placed upon women, such as the need to have cleanly pressed collars, well-polished shoes and slip concealed skirts. This utilization of her abstract art brings more attention to the plight of women in the 70s than a regular painting might. It allows for the representation of a larger issue of sexism in the 70s and its various forms in different industries.

Rosler’s usage of the scientific point-and-label diagram, allows her to highlight specific and outlandish restrictions women faced in the workforce. This underlying idea serves to politicize this artwork and makes it a far grander art piece, in terms of meaning, than a simple diagram. By pointing to specific aspects of a woman’s uniform in the food-service industry, Rosler highlights the larger issue of discrimination against women; a political issue. The presentation of a larger political issue molds the art piece into a political statement and serves to present the ideas of inequality.  Such display of hurdles that women faced, allows for subconscious comparison with men and furthers the need for equality between men and women.

The combination of Rosler’s experimentation and the underlying political message of the art piece serves to enhance the overall message and impact of the art. The radical and boundary-shattering presentation of sexist ideas and restrictions against women stretch the extent of simplicity behind the art piece and allow for a profoundly displayed message.

On November 9th, I decided to take a walk on the Manhattan Bridge. I had not gone home after work on Friday and I felt tired and hungry but I thought I might as well do my IDC assignment while I’m in the city. I started walking up to the bridge and the emptiness of the sidewalk made me feel uncomfortable. There were usually a lot of people running and biking across the bridge. But the bridge sidewalk was empty. I felt crazy to be out there in the cold. I looked down at my light parka and hoodie and felt sheepish at my choice of clothes. It was so cold. I should have grabbed some food before walking up to the bridge. My stomach rumbled and I drank some water to settle it down. I hoped I would not have to go to the bathroom and instantly the cold made me want to go to the bathroom. I questioned my decision to walk the bridge. Turn back. Go home. Get some food. Get some warmth. I continued to walk.

The bleakness and the dullness of the day made me feel even more tired. I plugged in my earbuds and turned on some music. How can people create such great music? I felt so much more alive. “Close your eyes and listen carefully. Imagine you’re stood on a beach. Water gently lapping at your feet. And now you’re sinking, what were you thinking?”, my music hummed and I bobbed my head to the music. I wondered what it would be like to be on a beach at that moment. I should have worn a thicker jacket. The wind blew hard again and I turned around so the wind hit my back. I looked around thinking in the back of my mind if someone was watching me. Everything seemed too quiet. Chinatown was usually so lively so I wondered why things were so quiet.

A women in shorts and a tank top ran past me and I shuddered. Is she not cold? I walked up further on the bridge. I looked up at the massive steel beams and awed at the incredible structure. How does such a massive structure stay up? At that moment a train rattled by and shook the entire bridge and I awed even more at the marvelous engineering. I remembered I should take a picture for my blog post so I pulled out my phone, slipped it past the railing and snapped a couple of pictures. I gripped it harder. What would happen if I just dropped it? I shuddered internally. I pulled back my phone.

I turned around to look where I walked up from. I have to walk all that way back? I groaned and leaned against the railing. The East River flowed underneath me. I thought of my fear of the ocean. The crashing water made me feel even more cold. I looked around.  The massive buildings arose all around me. I wondered what it would feel like to be living in one of the massive buildings. I want to be really wealthy one day. A large boat crossed the river underneath the bridge and the wind picked up again. I felt flecks of rain fall on my face. I checked my bag and I had forgotten my umbrella. Run. I hurried back to the train station, desperately hoping it would not start to rain harder.

On October 31st, I attended the Fall Poetry Revel at the Newman Vertical Campus of Baruch College. The event was planned to be a free for all poetry exhibition, looking to give young poets an opportunity to share their work or perform resonating works of others. I arrived early for the event and was slightly disappointed by the lack of audience. I had a preconceived idea that people may not want to show up to a poetry event. However, as time passed, the flow of people increased and eventually the room was full of students and professors, intermingling, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. I realized that my preconceived ideas were based on my reluctance and lack of interest towards poetry. The lively and jubilant atmosphere made me realize that many people were excited about the idea of sharing their work while also appreciating works of others. As the event began, professor Kelly of the english department performed a six-part poem on zombie love. This unique and slightly unsettling poem set the foundation for the event. As much of the audience shuddered at the gruesome details of the poem, many also began to relax and felt more comfortable to share their poems. Once professor Kelly concluded her poem, she offered the floor to a new poet. At this point, the room went slightly silent, contrasting the jubilant claps at the conclusion of professor Kelly’s poem. A student from the back of the room braved the silence and walked to the front of the room.

The student who walked to the front of the room was a young girl named Kalani. As she introduced herself, she visibly tense and took several very audible breaths. Her demeanor displayed her desperation to draw any sort of confidence that she could. Kalani announced that she would be performing the poem “Daddy’s Little Girl”. She did not mention whether this was her own work or whether she was performing some poem which resonated with her. However, I soon came to the realization that Kalani was performing her own work. As she began reciting her poem, Kalani appeared to be trying very hard not to glance at the crowd which showed her shyness and anxiety in result of standing in front of a crowd. I assumed that was case however, I was quite wrong. As I listened to Kalani’s poem, I realized why she was uncomfortable. The poem was extremely emotional and personal. It was from Kalani’s account, talking to her father and telling him how she wished she could make him proud. Her poem poured out her inner thoughts and feelings which she could not possibly formulate into speech. As she continued reciting her poem, Kalani visibly became teary eyed and her voice began to crack. Her reluctance had turned into a very sad emotion as she continued to take audibly deep breaths in order to hold back her tears. By the end of her performance, Kalani’s entire demeanor had changed as she appeared moved and touched by her own poem and the audience mirrored the same feelings. As she walked back to the back of the room, the entire room broke into resounding applause.

After listening to several poets perform their poems, I found a stark difference between listening to someone else perform and reading silently to myself. Listening to others reciting their poems allowed me a look into the meaning behind their poems thanks to their emotions and body language. In contrast, had I read those poems on my own, I would not have understood the emotional stories and the feelings behind them. This also allowed me to understand the need for a true feeling and emotion behind every piece of writing. I witnessed how true feelings and emotions transformed the poems.

Overall, the Poetry Revel was a very interesting experience. I understood the importance of watching someone perform poetry and the different emotions and feelings such performances add to the overall message and interpretation of the poem.

For our STEAM festival project, we plan on incorporating several topics into our final presentation. We would like to document the beauty and life of New York City in our project and to display it in different mediums. We believe that portraying and documenting New York City in several different ways would allow for a better representation of our city. Additionally, using several topics and mediums would allow our project to complement the diversity of New York City while telling the stories of the city through different lenses.

For our first idea, we plan on incorporating photography, NYC and gallery space to create a single cohesive project. We plan on going around New York City with the mindset of capturing unique and eye-catching moments and documenting those moments by taking photographs. We also plan on taking photographs that capture the passage of time in order to portray the concepts presented in the book Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes. In order to present these photographs, we plan on printing the pictures out on high quality photo paper and adding it to our replica of a gallery. This brings us to the second part of our project. In order to incorporate the topic of gallery space to our project, we plan on creating a gallery space by using styrofoam or cardboard to create walls and spaces which represent a gallery space. In order to present this project at the festival, we plan on placing the printed pictures on the created gallery walls in order to simulate the appearance of an actual gallery. This would allow us to present our photographs in a way that would allow for proper contemplation of the message behind each photograph. It would also allow for people to understand how a gallery space affects the way a pictured is viewed.

For our second idea, we plan on incorporating photography, NYC, gallery space and poetry in our project. We plan on documenting the beauty and diversity of New York City while also capturing the decisive moments around us. In addition to capturing moments around the city, we also plan on capturing poetry displayed around NYC subway trains. We believe this will allow us to further portray the beauty of New York City by adding an element of writing and poetry. This will present a shift from the bustling streets and buildings of the city. In addition to this, we still plan on creating a small replica of a gallery space and adding the pictures on the gallery walls. In the second part of the project, we plan on creating a presentation on powerpoint which would portray our interpretations of studium and punctum in our photographs. In order to present this, we could use a laptop to make it accessible for people to view and interpret on their own. This would allow us to present the photographs in a gallery space while also showing our interpretations.  In addition to this idea, we thought of maybe printing out the poetry seen around the city and displaying it in a book. We could create this book with paper or cardboard and it would allow people to easily access the poetry.

Henri Cartier-Bresson
Fire in Hoboken, facing Manhattan. 1947

This photograph was captured by the infamous street photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Cartier-Bresson was the French pioneer of street photography and gave rise to candid photography as well. His oeuvre is filled with extremely decisive and awe-inspiring photographs of very peculiarly captured moments.

After reading Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes, I have come to see every photograph in a very different light. As a photographer myself, I have always seen a photograph very differently but Barthes has allowed me to bring out a new meaning within each photograph. As he struggled to define photography, he introduced the terms studium and punctum in order to distinguish the most personally animating and piercing parts of a photograph which in turn assist in understanding a photograph.

This photograph is called Fire in Hoboken, facing Manhattan and the moment I saw it in the works of Cartier-Bresson, I was taken aback. I instantly noticed the studium in the picture. The studium in this picture is the charred remains of a building left behind after a fire. I noticed the billowing spoke that engulfs the horizon of the picture, cradling the ruins as a solace of the aftermath. Additionally, I noticed that the spray of water further adds to the studium of the photograph by bringing the subject into context. The aftermath of the fire can also be seen as the spectrum, the subject posing for the picture, in this photograph. After thoroughly examining the studium in this photograph, I decided to look for the punctum. As Barthes explains, the punctum is different for everyone and it incites a piercing response in the viewer. Remembering those words of Barthes’s, I viewed the punctum to be the rising Manhattan skyline in the background of the picture. I recognized that as the punctum because it is very odd to see the contrast of towering skyscrapers along with the rubble of a burned building. It brought out a completely different response within me to notice the towering buildings while seeing what would be the result or future of said buildings after a such a tragic event. The skyline is also the spectator in this case, looking down at the charred remains of the building. The inclusion of the skyline also lowers the tragic nature of the photograph by adding a layer of contrast. Overall, this photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson contains both a studium and a punctum and the identification of said studium and punctum leads to a deeper and more thought provoking understanding of the photograph.

L’archeologo by Giorgio de Chirico
(1927)

The painting shown above is an oil painting called “L’archeologo” by Giorgio de Chirico from 1927. The most prominent thing I noticed was the similarity of the figure represented in the painting to a human. The figure possesses two arms, two legs and a human-shaped head. However, the most jarring detail of the painting is the center or the body of the figure. The body of the figure is made up of a compilation of various arches and columns. The columns are of different sizes and colors, representing different internal organ of a human body. Upon taking a closer look, the columns and arches are surrounded by what appears to be reddish guts or blood, instilling the fact that the various structures represent the internal organs of a human body. Additionally, the head of the body lacks any features, making it completely blank and quite alarming. The lack of features definitely evokes the feeling of wonder while also dehumanizing the figure considerably.

The painting is comprised of very visibly strong strokes which gives the painting a slightly rough and unrealistic texture. The columns in the body of the figure also seem to be broken, certainly the one near the top of the body. The figure is visibly leaning back on the ground, appearing lazy. The surrounding space of the figure appears to be very blank and bare, much like that of a gallery. The figure rests its right hand upon a column or step, with its finger pointing towards his leg. The figure is also wearing a white cloth over its legs. The cloth also appears around its neck and underneath it. The numerous ripples and folds in the cloth make it appear very realistic, evoking a feeling of almost touching a soft white cloth. The cloth very naturally and elegantly curves around the figure’s body which also seems very realistic.

The surrounding environment of the art is very bare and uninteresting which allows for minimal distractions while routing all of the viewer’s focus towards the artwork. The walls are empty and white which makes you feel close and personal with the art, forcing the outside world to disappear. In this gallery, this painting was the only one on its wall, forcing all attention to one art piece. As seen above, the environment allows the viewer to think of absolutely nothing but the art itself while absorbing every detail in its fullest.

This mural is painted by Pixel Pancho on the corner of 10th avenue and West 22nd street. It depicts a very fancy and elegant robot woman. The woman is made of various mechanical parts and instruments. The cheeks of the woman are depicted as hollow gears while every joint on the woman’s body is represented with a gear. The robot has very human-like features, making it seem extremely realistic. The woman is wearing a white blouse which is also made of machine parts and appears very textured. Additionally, the woman is wearing a blue dress and two pink shoes. The top of the dress is very intricately designed to show various floral patterns. The woman is resting her feet upon a flower bed and a flower pot can also be seen on a column next to her. There are various representations of flowers all around the woman. The wallpaper behind the woman and her also depict a very intricate floral pattern. The mural is depicted to be very realistic even though it depicts an unrealistic robot woman. The ripples in her clothes give a very soft and smooth texture to her clothes, adding to the overall realistic feeling. The mechanical parts also appear to be very textured and layered.

The surrounding environment of the mural is very lively since it is painted in the heart of Chelsea. The surrounding area is filled with various buildings and restaurants, attracting numerous people along with an enormous amount of vehicular traffic. All of these aspects give the surrounding area a very loud and unappealing feel. This allows the mural to contrast the liveliness of the environment by introducing an aspect of calmness and elegance. The relaxed and beautiful feelings evoked by the mural harshly contrast those produced by the environment.

Overall, the environment and the space surrounding the art shapes the viewer’s perception of that particular piece of art and allows for a unique meaning to the art. For example, the lack of distractions in the environment allows the viewer to fully absorb the art and contemplate it, without any distractions. In contrast, the addition of distractions allows the viewer to relate the art to its surroundings, producing a unique meaning.

Human-headed winged lion (Lamassu) ca. 883–859 B.C.

“Human-headed winged lion (Lamassu)” is a sculpture from the Neo-Assyrian period, sculpted around 883–859 B.C. This statue is displayed with its pair at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 401. It is crafted from gypsum alabaster in the image of the beliefs of the Assyrian culture. The statue stands tall adorning the entrance to the gallery with the dimensions ofH. 122 1/2 x W. 24 1/2 x D. 109 in. As a description of the statue, it is stated, “Among such stone beasts is the human-headed, winged lion pictured here. The horned cap attests to its divinity, and the belt signifies its power. The sculptor gave these guardian figures five legs so that they appear to be standing firmly when viewed from the front but striding forward when seen from the side. Lamassu protected and supported important doorways in Assyrian palaces.”

The most distinctive and the most emphasized feature of the sculpted lion is the face. The lion has been sculpted with the face of the human which is quite realistic. All facial features resemble a human along with an earring in the left ear of the stature. Additionally, the chin of the statue is quite similar to nose depicted in the relics of the Ancient Egyptians. There also rests a hat on the head of the statue. The hat has been very masterfully crafted as it shows folds and ripples of the supposed cloth.

As the eye falls lower upon the statue, massive wings can be noticed on the body of the statue. These wings remind of the fiction beast Pegasus. The depicted feathers on the wing are quite realistic as well. Each feature can be seen by itself, differing from an action wing. The feathers are portrayed in a very symmetrical fashion. The feathers spread to the chest of the lion and get smaller in size. Compared to the feathers on the chest, the feathers on the wings are quite large and are shown with more texture. The texture of the feathers does not invoke a feeling of soft to the touch, but rather it displays roughness.

The body of the lion is very unlike a lion. The structure of the back and abdomen closely resembles that of a dog. Additionally, there are five legs depicted on the statue rather than only four of a normal lion. The paws of the lion are more like clawed hooves rather than paws. They seem very sharp and almost seem like there is no flesh of muscle, only bone. The legs of the statue are adorned with lines which seem like bones or muscles.

As a viewer, I believe the lion is depicted to represent majestic features of beasts, humans and birds. The lion bears the face of a human, the wings of a bird and paws of a beast. The overall effect of the sculpture is quite daunting. It represents power and fear.