Macaulay Honors College, Fall 2014
When I first walked into Carnegie Hall I was awe-struck. It was beautiful. The gold accents against the white walls and ceilings and red velvet seats gave the hall an elegant feel. I had never been to a concert like this before so I did not know what to expect.
Anne-Sophie Mutter herself was a graceful vision in yellow. She played the violin with such experienced hands. What I liked was how Mutter brought forward the soloist violinists to play with her. The sound of the soft, high notes of the violins was complimented by the lower notes of the cellos and double base. The swaying movement of the musicians also contributed to the rhythm of the music.
Moreover, I liked how the musicians played classical music but also added some modern pieces. I think that if we don’t include modern pieces such as those, we will always be stuck in the past and future generations will not remember the musicians today.
Honestly I never took an interest in classical music and orchestras so this was a new experience for me and I’m glad I was there to see it.
Siona Benjamin
On our recent visit to the Flomenhaft Gallery, I was delighted to see some interesting paintings and works of art from different cultures around the world but the exhibit that really struck me was that of Siona Benjamin.
Benjamin is a woman who grew up in India and was brought up to be Jewish in a predominantly Muslim and Hindu country. She also attended Catholic and Zoroastrian schools all the while maintaining her Jewish heritage. Her artwork really reflects this diverse cultural background.
What attracted me to her paintings were the Hebrew letters written on them. Being raised in a Jewish community and attending Yeshivah for 12 years, I was able to read what she had written and felt an instant connection. Most of her paintings show women with their names written underneath and I realized that they are mostly heroines from the Torah/Old Testament and I have learned the stories behind a lot of them. What was also interesting was the way Benjamin incorporated her Indian culture into the paintings. The figures are the blue color that is shown in most depictions of Indian deities. Some figures also have multiple arms or legs, as is portrayed of most Indian deities.
The painting that I analyzed was of a woman floating inside a fire with her arms held over her head. On the bottom of the painting there are Hebrew letters spelling out the name Sarah. On the top Hebrew letters (תמיד נר) that, translated to English, say “perpetual candle.” The story behind Sarah is that she is the mother of all Jews, one of the matriarchs that built up the Jewish nation. It is written that she was beautiful, free of sin, and extremely modest. A holy cloud always hovered above her tent and the candles that she lit every Friday evening miraculously lasted until the next Friday evening.
Millions of Jewish women today partake in the tradition of lighting Shabbat candles every Friday evening, as Sarah had done. To me, this painting is saying that although Sarah is no longer living, her legacy and flame of her existence lives on in Jewish women as they ritually light the Shabbat candles.
Upon closer examination, I saw that Sarah is wearing a kippah (the head-covering) and tefillin (the band worn around her head), customarily worn by Jewish men when they pray. The background is covered with intricate designs and Jewish symbols. There are also white lines radiating from her waist, the outline of a long, flowing skirt. In accordance with her Indian culture, Sarah is also painted blue and is wearing jewelry usually worn by Indian women.
The way Benjamin incorporates so many aspects of her life and culture into her paintings is astonishing. All in all, a lovely exhibit!
Open Mic Review
To be honest, I was not expecting the amount of people who came and was certainly not expecting the amount of people who stood up in front of a room of strangers to voice their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It was quite a spectacle that more people should see, but at the same time, I think the intimacy of the smaller crowd contributed to the speakers’ candor. There were many different people there with a variety of writing styles. The pieces presented were songs, performances, and poems.
For me, the most thought-provoking and awe-inspiring pieces came from the people I least expected. One on my favorites was the “Robo-Cop” performance which focused on racism. I could not take my eyes off the performer as his facial expressions and voice changed with each character he portrayed. Another one of my favorites came from the girl who had her heart broken by a boy and kept wondering what was wrong with her that made him break up with her. Was it her hair? Was it her laugh? I related to this piece a lot and had the same thoughts run through my head at a point in my life. She put words to the feelings and thoughts I had.
As I listened to everyone’s pieces, I wrote down some quotes that sparked my interest. These included:
“When the sky turns black, why is it that I feel blue?”
“It’s always good to know that someone cares about you.”
And my personal favorite,
“God hasn’t promised tomorrow so how can we promise forever?”
Jackson Pollock
Theater and Audience
Story
Art is color
Art is dull
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