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Author: Emily Roudnitsky
Flo Oy Wong’s collection of works particularly drew my attention. Her history as a “paper person” clearly defines the basis of her art. She was a Chinese immigrant whose mother was refrained from coming to the U.S. by the Chinese Exclusion Act that prevented wives from immigrating into the U.S. Thus, Wong’s mother came into the U.S. under falsified papers that claimed she was her husband’s sister, and the artist had to act as though her father was her uncle. The influence of a fake identity can be reflected in Wong’s works.
The gallery exhibits three pieces of Wong’s works, which I found related and unified to one another. Almost a condoned but an interesting detail, every work has a table of nutrition facts somewhere on it. More specifically, the nutrition facts were of “white enriched rice,” which could be interpreted in multiple ways. At first, I perceived this as the artist’s representation of America’s history of as a “White Man’s World” and that these nutrition facts were some kind of recipe to follow to fit into this description. After all, there were limitation that excluded people of her origin from the U.S. and they had to find alternative way to refine themselves to fit into “the formula.”
However, after taking a closer look, I believe that the nutrition facts aren’t representative of a white man’s world, but of Wong’s own Chinese identity. This food was something that could not be taken away from her, and although immigrating under falsified papers, this was a part of her identity that she kept and carried. In all her works the word “rice” is in bold and enhanced, suggesting significance to her.
When I found out that we were going to see Anne-Sophie Mutter at Carnegie Hall I was so excited. Bach’s works are one of my favorite classical pieces and I listen to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons probably at least once a week. So, this was certainly one of my favorite outings, since I was able to distinguish previous experience from actually visualizing it live. It’s one thing to see a digitalized image on a computer or listen to a song through headphones, and a completely different experience seeing, hearing, and getting lost in a performance that comes to life.
One particular detail that I paid attention to was the rhythm and motion of the musicians’ bodies. I find their facial and body expressions so empowering because I can sense the music possessing them. Certainly not choreographed, I found it fascinating that when the musicians play the same piece they end up moving in a similar fashion, as if this “dance” was pre-arranged. I also found that my favorite parts were those when everyone played together, rather than the attention being on a soloist. Having multiple varying notes, beats, rhythms, sounds and expressions coalesce with each other produced an image of a flashing storm of sounds for me, as if I were being overwhelmed and bombarded with multiple waves at once. The irony is that instead of hearing it as chaos, the different degrees of waves still manage to synchronize with each other at the same time, enlivening and heightening the senses.
Right away I sensed an open, welcoming environment at the open mic. When the performers presented, one could tell that experience varied and was certainly not required. I loved the idea of one having the opportunity to openly show what they enjoy doing in their spare time, something they genuinely put effort into that is not simply done for the sake of a class assignment. The judgment-free zone consisted of an open audience, which I believe is encouraging and comforting for performers and shows that their work is valued and appreciated by others.
As for the performances, one of the most memorable one for me was the poem about Tarzan and Jane. When the poet went on stage, I noticed that she seemed uncomfortable and stumbled upon her words at first. Nonetheless, as she progressed, she naturally picked up her pace and rhythm, going about with ease, and the whole work just flowed and moved the audience with it. Her relationship with her boyfriend, running in parallel with that of Tarzan and Jane, was depicted and I personally felt like she had just told me a story that had years worth of value in a span of a few minutes. I felt her emotions, her plea, and her commitment. On a side note, I’m usually not a fan of pubic display of affection, but I actually fell for this story, surprising myself. She was so passionate and as a special bonus, her boyfriend was actually in the audience. I couldn’t help but keep looking back and forth between the two and empathizing for them.
Charles Manson, born in 1937, became the cult leader of the “Manson Family” that carried out a series of Hollywood murders that twisted the 60’s ideals of freedom, expression, free love and peace. After much influence from The Beatles’ White Album songs, Manson believed in Helter Skeltor, an impending race war between whites and blacks. Hoping to initiate the war, he started to form a spiritual “family” of followers established by free love and drugs. He had convinced them that after the Blacks would kill off all the whites, while the “family” hid in a bottomless pit, they wouldn’t know what to do so they would seek out Manson and his followers and have them govern the world.
In August of 1969 Manson instructed a number of his followers to go to a specified house and destroy everyone in it, including actress Sharon Tate and four others who were murdered and tormented with multiple stabs, gunshots and rope. The next night, members of the family murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. After these horrifying murders, the family left bloody marks on walls such as “Death to pigs” and Helter Skelter.” These murders were supposed to be pinned on random ethnic people, triggering the Helter Skeltor war.
Compared to my past experiences, the performance of Magic Flute incorporated less props that I anticipated. Clearly, there’s a predominant use of puppetry and a sense of a very flowy-feel. Floaters and fabrics are used to produce twirlers, bear imitators and even flying food . This sense of the flow of waves creates a whimsical, spiritual feel that takes us on a magical fantasy that is the story of the Magic Flute. Also, it seems as though the servants surrounding Sarastro are used more as props than characters themselves, perceiving him in a hailing manner and embellishing a “Godly” perception of him.
The Valley of Astonishment had the intention of taking every spectator on his or her own experience of the tale of synesthesia through a fresh perspective. The semi-formal costumes scheme involved only plain, solid colors, with no bold patterns or designs. Shades of black, white and blue were prominent. The very slight costume changes with character transitions and consistency of plain costumes seem like techniques used to avoid audience distraction and used to keep spectator attention and thought on the mind-driven journey of the story. White lab coats were worn when the actors represented doctors and slight additions of layers were used to change the identities of the characters. The simplicity that was kept with costume design was used so that spectators would use their imagination, starting from a blank canvas rather than being moved by details that are physically apparent, to experience the vivid images, details, feelings and senses of the story.
The outstanding Umnikelo performance by the Vuyani Dance Theatre is more than simply contemporary African dance, but an incorporation of an “offering” notion as dancers surrender their body to the overwhelming energy of the music. Right away, I got a jungle-earthy feel: The choreography began as the dancers awoke one at a time by the sounds of the jungle and took their individual roles on stage. There were incorporations of slow motion movements as well as built up rapid explosions of strong, controlled waves. During one part of the dance, the bodies seemed to pound as as one heart, signifying unison among the dancers, even when they each encompass their own respective role on stage. At times, the dance style resembled martial arts, incorporating jumps and kicks. In addition, the dancers used their feet and hands to create a live rhythm and used shakers as more than just props, but a source to drive their movement. As the performers left every ounce of emotion on stage, I got an idea that the dancers, or characters, are reaching out for the sun, a force that drives them outside their own body. Even the musicians shined, producing an all-around performance that is more than just a dance but an energy captivating production enlivening all our senses.
Art is above your head
Art is beneath your feet
