Macaulay Honors College, Fall 2014
Carnegie Hall
I played in my high school band before so I was very familiar with orchestral music. The level that Ms. Mutter played at the concert however, was beyond what I expected. I really enjoyed Four Seasons by Vivaldi and spent probably the whole time figuring out what season the orchestral was playing at the moment. I think I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the performance because I had a stomachache during the middle of the performance. I guess in a way, the music helped to soothe that pain. Regardless, I was really captivated by the music. The speed that the notes were played was so unbelievably fast. I found myself daydreaming what it was like if I had chose to learn how to play the violin instead of the flute. I think if I had learned to play the violin, I would have respected Ms. Mutton even more because then I could fully grasp the perfection of her violin playing.
I also like how I was able to differentiate Ms. Mutton’s violin playing from the rest of the orchestra’s violin playing, as if her playing stood out from the rest of the orchestra who were also playing perfectly that night. To be honest, the music really led me to daydream. Would I even call it “daydreaming?” The walls and stage of Carnegie Hall became very dreamy and warm through my eyes and I swear it wasn’t because I was falling asleep—I was very much awake. The music kept me at the border of Dreamland and reality; it was as if I wasn’t even there anymore but I was certain that I still was sitting in the very cozy, tightly packed row. I was actually expecting many memories to flood into my mind as I heard it was something music sometime did to you. I was a bit disappointed however when memories didn’t come to me and that my mind was blank throughout the whole performance except the thought of the constant pang of my stomach ache and thoughts on food I was going to eat when I got home.
I also found myself trying to absorb in all the music because I would never be able to witness such a phenomenal performance again. My middle school band teacher always told us stories of Carnegie Hall and to my surprise, it was exactly as I pictured it—the colors of the walls, the ceiling, the velvet seats, even the orientation of the musicians, (Exactly as I imagined it.) I never once researched how Carnegie Hall looked so I was very surprised at how accurate my imagination was; So the whole experience seemed very much like déjà vu. I could never imagine myself at Carnegie Hall but there I was, sitting in the majestic building, listening to a world-class violinist play. It seemed very surreal. Thank you professor Natov for taking us there. I will never forget the experience.
Magic Flute: Choreography
Before we went to see the Magic Flute, we went to see the Valley of Astonishment where I also observed the choreography there. I was excited to observe the choreo. of the opera and compare it with my observations from the Valley of Astonishment visit. The choreography at the Met Opera was in many ways different. The way the characters moved around the stage really reflects their personality. You have Papageno with his jumpy, clumsy movements reflecting the freedom he has being in the lower class compared to Timino’s very rigid, more reserved movements from the pressure of having to act proper and high class. You then see the choreography of bear props. I can’t imagine how heavy the props must have been or how difficult it was to control. The bears were practically flying across the stage. The movements were very flow-y and gentle, showing us the power of the magic flute and how it is was able to control and soothe the beasts of the forest. We soon got to see the magic bells in action as well. The birds that danced to the music were very fairy-like with very dainty and light footsteps. This helps to portray the bells as the dainty, very magical, fragile yet crisp sounding instrument that it is. I really enjoyed our visit to the Met Opera. It was very rewarding and prior to this class, I never knew such a place even existed.
Graffiti in NYC
When I take the subway and see a piece of graffiti that is eye-catching in an absurd, hard to reach place, the first thing I wonder is how the person got that piece of graffiti in that place. It was very entertaining to imagine scenarios the artist took to spray-paint the work for example on rooftops or deep inside subway tunnels. Graffiti has a bad reputation. Many consider it as vandalism and I can’t help but think whether all graffiti is crime. Is it really not a form of art? Is there even such thing as legal graffiti? I decided to choose this topic for the project so I could find answers to my questions. I had never once imagined myself doing even legal graffiti. In my mind, even the thought of doing such art is unlawful. After doing research, I think it would be interesting for me to at least try that style of art. The aerosol products look extremely fun to use and I have gained a new respect for the art (done legally).
This project definitely took a lot of research. First, I looked up the history of graffiti. Who was the first person to create this style of art? After finding out that the concept of graffiti developed from the mischief of one person to gain fame, it was a bit disappointing. The idea of leaving a “marker” wherever you go is a bit interesting though. I would leave behind something like a lollipop or perhaps flowers. My partner and I originally had plans to go to 5 Pointz but after researching, we found that unfortunately the place was whitewashed and torn down. It was very devastating to find that such a beautiful place that was meant to signify unity of the boroughs was torn down for high rises. We decided to go to Bushwick, which was considered the new haven for Graffiti art and were not disappointed.
From researching, I was able to see how graffiti evolved over time. Different styles blossomed, rich colors were used and graffiti in this form really began to look like a masterful art piece any artist would do. The fact that the canvas is the city itself is a unique aspect of graffiti. Because it is done on public walls, more people have access to this art on a daily basis. Similar to subway art, I think graffiti art really promotes creative thinking and can brighten someone’s world.
A big limitation was time. The idea of covering all of NYC’s graffiti was a little absurd. Where should we start? What areas should we go visit? Because Graffiti can also be associated with gang activities (as a way of marking territories), we did not want to go to areas that might have been dangerous. Graffiti meccas like 5 Pointz are also going extinct. Not everyone appreciates graffiti as art; even the most beautiful piece of Graffiti writing on public property without consent is labeled as vandalism. If I were to do this project over again, I would like to explore more Graffiti meccas or perhaps try art (not necessarily Graffiti) with aerosol.
Review of Flomenhaft Gallery Art Show
Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin
When I walked into the gallery, the very first art pieces I saw were those of Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin. Three very beautiful and mysterious pieces too realistically captured to look like a painting, hung side by side in the corner of the gallery. All three of the art pieces captured the face of a young, white woman; the same face in all three pieces. There was always some sort of symbol on her face—a bird, a Greek-like letter and in the last painting, a spiral line and around it the roman numerals: XII, III, VI, IX.
In one of the pieces, the woman had a bird tattooed on her forehead. Her face was covered with braided hair aligned to form some sort of helmet. To me, the hair was to represent a helmet, like the ones hockey players wear to protect themselves. The bird was a manifestation of freedom; the woman in the art piece wished for freedom but wants to protect herself from the possible dangers of the outside world. I told my interpretations to a classmate who pointed out that the hair I was calling a helmet resembled a torture mask he saw in a museum on his trip to Berlin. And I thought, but why the hair and the braids? Hair, representing beauty could be the “torture mask” that is keeping women, in general, from being who they wished to be. I connected this with the stereotype that women are supposed to be beautiful and behave in a feminine way and how that might be suffocating.
The second art piece was of the same woman. Her hair in the artwork was not braided but instead, loose and created a veil over her face with an indecipherable symbol tattooed onto her forehead, similar to the way the bird was drawn onto her face in the first work. The way she is letting her hair cover her face reminds me of the way I would let a section of my hair cover part of my face when I don’t want the professor to notice me to answer a question. Her eyes looked somber and she is glancing down. Because I couldn’t understand the symbol, I could not understand why she was letting her hair dangle in front of her face.
In the last piece, the girl had a spiral line and around it the roman numerals: XII, III, VI, IX drawn on her face. The roman numerals were those on a clock—12, 3,6,9. I interpreted the piece to represent aging and with it comes deteriorating beauty. I also saw it to represent a woman’s biological clock and the fear that comes with becoming too old to have children.
After I made my interpretations, I researched the artists. The two artists, Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin were leading proponents of the Samizdat art movement, which was formed to circumvent official censorship in the former Soviet Union. Rimma’s face is central to the artworks, which are photographs. They are used for personifications of different stages of psychological and visionary experience (“Fabric of America”). “By presenting visual and textual conundrums, they invite the viewer to participate in unraveling the paradox, thus forming a bridge to spiritual and mystical transformation.” (Sloan, Curator)
The first photograph was captioned, “Bird: Self-enclosed spirit, or beating against the bars of one’s own mental cage.” Here, freedom is personified into a bird and this sense of freedom is trapped behind the bars of a mental cage, which could symbolize fear. It is very interesting to compare my interpretations with the artists. The second photo is captioned: “Real: seems from behind our own veils. It is only when we wake from a dream that we know we have been dreaming.” I looked at the complex symbol on the photo again and I begin to see the letters that spell out “Real.” Gerlovina and Gerlovin plays with the concept of fantasy versus reality and implies that only a thin veil separates the two dimensions and how things may not be what they appear; “it is only when we wake from a dream that we know we have been dreaming.” The last painting by the artists is captioned, “Spiral Clock: It is believed by most that time passes; may be it stays where it is. ‘Never was time it was not.’” The phrase, “Never was time it was not” seemed just as perplexing as the photo.
All of the art pieces at the art gallery were beautiful and breathtaking. I enjoyed analyzing the works and asking myself what the artist wanted to convey in his/her work. It was also interesting to hear different classmates’ interpretations on the paintings as well because there is no “correct” way of interpreting art.
I really enjoyed myself at the Open Mic Event! I think it is a fantastic idea for people to get together and share their stories through poetry and music. I think the interns running the event did a great job as well. One thing that I noticed was that they did not allow late comers enter mid-performance and asked that they wait till the ending of the presentation. I really enjoyed the songs that were performed; I wasn’t sure whether it was a coincidence but all the people there who performed a song they wrote, they always had some sort of climax moment where their tone would become very passionate and emotional. I think they should have used the microphone however just so the lyrics of the songs can be heard above the passionate guitar playing. I loved all their performances nevertheless.
Johnny Winter was a pioneer of blues-rock on the late 60s when people were questioning whether white men can actually play the Blues. He signed to Columbia records in 1969, which is considered the largest solo artist deal of its time. People enjoyed his fresh take on classic blues, which was popularized by artists like Jimmy Page and Clapton. When he is playing, Winter constantly shifts between simple country blues to electric guitar slide blues rock. Later on in his life, he signed another deal with Alligator Records and wanted to play nothing but authentic blues. He released an album called “Guitar Slinger” there, earning him a Grammy nomination. Winter also headlined prestigious events, which also contributed to his developing fame such as the New Orleans Jazz and heritage Festival, Chicago Blues Festival and many more.
Unfortunately, very recently on July 16, 2014, Winter passed away at age 70. He struggled with a drug problem for some time but managed to keep performing and recording until the day he passed away. That summer, Winter was on a tour in Europe and he died in his hotel room in Switzerland. His last album called “Step Back” was released last month.
-Jazz Song
-One female dancer among 8 male dancers
-Very sexy choreography
-Female dancer has her own entrance staged for her, after the male dancers have already been on stage
-All the male dancers carry her across the stage; she is always in their arms.
-Dance corresponds to the music, staircase to paradise. The female dancer “walks” on the men, making it look as if she really was walking on an invisible staircase.
-Very fluid, smooth dancing
-Clothing: the men had the same costume, very smartly dressed w/ suit and blazer, while the female dancer had on a very sexy, short, sort of revealing dress w/heels.
-Slow and leisurely paced
-Ballet style, men do leaps and twirls and even cartwheels.
-The female seems untouchable even though she is being touched by all of the men, dances with each one individually
-Incredible incorporation of acrobats
-Males “crawl” on the floor, “chasing” after the female
-Very proud arm lifts—confident, announcing their presence of stage
-Female dancer always seems to be floating—carried in the arms of the men, who would throw her over their shoulders
-Female is very confident in their abilities, no sign of fear when she is spun in their arms
-Overall, very sexy, seductive, flow-y, flashy, bold, very smooth dance; I loved it.
One observation I made was that each actor had multiple character roles and that each character has his or her own “style” of walking and moving around the stage; for example the man who was hospitalized with his body paralyzed. The way he moved around the stage was much different compared to the doctor’s walking movements played by the same actor. The difference in the style of movements helps the audience differentiate between the characters and helps the audience visualize each separate character and his personalities. I also noticed that when the actors need to leave the scene or when they are not in the scene, they sit in the chair facing the back of the stage. It was very interesting how even though the actor is present on the stage, because he or she is not facing the audience, their presence is not noticed. This shows how important eye contact is when grabbing someone’s attention.
During the scene when Sammy left the editor’s office for the doctor’s, she circled the stage. When she completes the circle the audience could sense that she was not at the editor’s office anymore but arrived at a new location. I find it really interesting how the actors can imply the start of different scenes by the subtle but significant gestures or movements that they do. During the “painting scene”, the actor’s choreography as he “paints” on the floor really describes the movement of his thoughts as he paints and the shapes and colors that went through his mind. Even though actual paint was not used, the audience could visualize the intricate painting when he finished.
ART IS MEMORY
ART IS FORGETFULNESS
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