Macaulay Honors College, Fall 2014
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As we went up the stairs into the gallery, there were many art pieces that caught my attention. The most mysterious and shocking pieces however, were right in front and to my left. I had never seen anything like this before; and to my luck it was last part to be discussed. I was fascinated by it. A person in the picture and drawn on the person, there were symbols that depicted different ideas. Who was the creator of these wonderful works? Rimma Gerlovina.
I had never heard of her before, but the pictures were stunning. Out of her display, I loved two pictures. The first one was a picture of her, with a bird drawn on her. The wings spanned right across her forehead, with its tail coming down to her nose. The odd part was it was caged… not by metal bars, but by what seemed to be her hair. As you looked, it seemed that the eye of the bird, and Rimmas’ eyes were looking at you. My mind wondered how she created a cage out of her hair, and I thought it was all wrapped around in one piece. It made me feel tense, because it reminded me that we all have secrets, which we do not let out and it could make us feel, locked away. I felt reminded that we all abide by societies standards, and that we may have talents, or new ideas, but we are all too afraid of not being accepted that we lock it away.
The bird is the symbol, of the soul and how beautiful our minds are. I felt the wings are spread through the frontal lobe because this is the powerhouse of decision-making. I felt that she may have wanted to portray, that we have the ability to make the bird wings flap, but we don’t either because of our fears of others perceptions, or we ourselves feel trapped and do not know how to express our thoughts. The frontal lobe is what regulates our movements. It has been hypothesized that we move without thought, and it is our brain that says; “yes, go ahead” or “no, do not do that.” If this is true, then we are all unconsciously moving and acting, but our brain itself, is what makes us feel locked away.
The frontal lobe aids with problem solving, the control of purposeful behaviors, and emotions. I feel that the bird is also a symbol of a person’s unconscious thought. I feel she had a cage made out of her hair, to show that it is we; in our bodies that hold back our brains. We can allow ourselves to be set free, but we don’t. She writes a small explanation on her paintings; “BIRD: Self-enclosed spirit, or beating against the bars of one’s own mental cage.”
The other painting dealt with the concept of time. She has a Spiral coming out from her face. The arrow is turning and for this picture it is at the top, towards her forehead. There are roman numerals; like a clock, XII, 12; III, 3; VI, 6; IX, 9. I thought that it was a paradox, because our concept of time is wrong. Time can be bent and twisted, like the spiral dawn. It may change upon your speed, and your mass. This is what makes it a paradox, we are all familiar with time, but it has a misconception of measure, There have been experiments which have proven that time can be slowed down for an object that is traveling at a fast speed. They wrote, “SPIRAL CLOCK; It is believed by most that time passes; may be it stays where it is. ‘Never was time it was not’”
In the photograph, she is sleeping. This made me think of how time passes no matter what we do. I receive a message from the picture that says we have to also allow ourselves to let go and be happy.
She is a Russian born artist who works with Valeriy Gerlovin. They were both founding members of the underground conceptual movement in Soviet Russia. Their art is based on Paradoxes. Their art is also philosophical and mythological based on the writing in their book.
I also wanted to say that it was beautiful, and I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to visit and see the beautiful paintings. Although these paintings drew my attention, all of them were beautiful.
References
Going to see the performances at the open mic was different because I did not know what to expect. I have never attended an open mic before and I just expected students to sing or show a talent. I was gladly surprised when I saw such a variation of performances.
There were performers that made me feeI that this meant a lot to them, and they had such passion in their voice when they spoke or sang. I loved the Robo-cop performance because it was different and it drew my attention without ever making me think any of it was boring. Although the words had a powerful message, the performance and the form in which was delivered made it a jaw-dropping act. I knew something was great when I would feel goosebumps crawling up my arms and down my back. I loved that feeling, and especially how all the performers supported each other when they performed and it was interesting to watch how they had such an amazing connection with each other. Especially if some of the performances had negative feelings, like when the girl read her poem about her insecurities, the next performer told her that she was beautiful and amazing. It was a very touching moment to see that a stranger would do that because in N.Y.C we see many people with the mentality that is self-centered and all about them. I was also really happy to see an alumni come in to perform, it touched my heart to see someone come in and actually still be part of the college even though they graduated many years ago. It was a moving and touching experience.
Brooklyn College has so a ton of diversely talented students. I hope to see open mic grow and other alumni come in to perform.
Coming into the warmth of Carnegie Hall after walking out side in the freezing cold wind was a relief. I was very excited to be here and be able to hear Ms. Mutter play. I felt as if I was going to get a gift or something, it was that kind of excitement as I went up the stairs. I just wanted to know where my seat was so I could relax and tune in to nothing but the sweet sounds of the strings. The first half of the show consisted of the Concerto for Two Violins, Strings, and Continuo in D Minor, by Bach. We had discussed in class about the genius of Bach. He is able to make the strings resonate and answer each other by incorporating a change from high to low and then back to high frequency. He also changed the speed at which the notes where played giving me having a sense of anxiousness until the deeper strings were played. I have to admit that it was very enjoyable and I did not think I would be so drawn into this style of music. Ms. Mutter was very elegantly dressed and her technique was amazing.
The next work was by Andre Previn with his Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra. I thought that it consisted of more softer and smoother type of notes and this did not match the excitement that I had at the moment. I did like the soloist playing at the beginning because it drew my attention in and the joining and breaking away from the rest of the orchestra was really nice to hear. I also enjoyed his deeper notes near the end of the performance, it showed me that I enjoy fast paced sounds and really deep slow resonating sounds.
Out of the performances, I know that I enjoyed Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons the most. I think I enjoyed it because it was variable and the stories behind them where humorous. Out of the four pieces, I enjoyed Winter the most. It had a lot of anticipation type of sounds, and I felt as if I was going on a journey. It was very fast paced and also there were a lot of responses from the orchestra to the main violinist. It was very exciting that the movements made by some of the players made their shoes slip of the stage. Its ending was exciting and simply wonderful work of art. I hope I can go back to hear another performance soon.
I was very happy that she played for us, two encores that not only were complex, but super fast paced. I was thrilled and when it ended I just had a jolt of excitement all over my body. It was definitely an unforgettable experience and one that will be cherished all my life.
Where?
Washington Square Park is located on 5’Th Ave, Waverly Pl., W. 4 St. and MacDougal St.
There is a marsh, parade grounds, playgrounds, and cemetery. It is well known for its marble arch that was made in to honor George Washington. The arch is about 43 years old. This is an unofficial icon of both the Greenwich Village and NYU.
In the early 20’Th Century, Greenwich Village was a distinguished upper class neighborhood. Washington Square was a landmark and it was the heart of the neighborhood.
The park in the 70’s was like Central Park today. It was a meeting spot for artists, young adults, and people would often bring their kids to the playgrounds. The park was also a pet friendly park. Many active Chess players would also come here to compete.
Washington Square Park was also known for many important attractions. One of these was “The Cage,” which was officially known as the West Fourth Street Courts. It was accessible to basketball and hand-ball Players. It was also the hosting ground for the most important “street-ball” tournaments.
NYU has held many art pieces in the Grey Art Gallery bordering Washington Square Park since 1975. It is well known for its museum quality exhibitions of contemporary art.
Student activism was a major part of university life. Students often engaged in civil rights movements and anti-war movements here. They also played a role in making changes within the university with the use of sit-ins, boycotts, and marches protesting against the institution and dormitory rate increases.
This park was where Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe met when she first arrived in NYC. This was in the summer, July of 1967. They quickly became friends, then lover’s, and most importantly they inspired each other. In her book she quotes;
“One Indian summer day we dressed in our favorite things, me in my beatnik sandals and ragged scarves, and Robert with his love beads and sheepskin vest. We took the subway to West Fourth Street and spent the afternoon in Washington Square. We shared coffee from a thermos, watching the stream of tourists, stoners, and folksingers. Agitated revolutionaries distributed antiwar leaflets. Chess players drew a crowd of their own. Everyone coexisted within the continuous drone of verbal diatribes, bongos, and barking dogs.”
“We were walking toward the fountain, the epicenter of activity, when an older couple stopped and openly observed us. Robert enjoyed being noticed, and he affectionately squeezed my hand.
“‘Oh, take their picture,’ said the woman to her bemused husband, ‘I think they’re artists.’
“‘Oh, go on,’ he shrugged. ‘They’re just kids.’”
References
1. “Greenwich Village.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
2. “History of NYU.” History of NYU. NYU, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
3. Maslin, Janet. “Bohemian Soul Mates in Obscurity.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
4. “Washington Square Park.” : NYC Parks. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
5. “Washington Square Park.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Prof. Natov
I was very impressed by the performances in the opera. I did not think I would enjoy it at first because I imagined something similar to the Capital One commercial where these people get on the bus and start to sing in these amazingly deep voices. I did not know what to expect, but all the characters made the opera enjoyable. I think that the stage was clearly the scene setter. I could see what appeared to be these huge structures of glass or clear plastic. I noticed the color change and mood change through the staging. The holes inside these walls is what set the tone not only to present the characters, but also what the characters felt. If there was a gloomy mood, a tone of blue or green appeared; fearful mood, red and orange, heavenly and divine mood had a lot of blue or white with yellow. The colors were the fuel of life for the performance. Although the stage had an array of props, it was the colors that made the scene have a mood or particular feel. All the characters had amazing voices; it was particularly Tamino, Pamina, and Papageno who made the colors of show flow with his humor. I thought that the way Papageno moved and acted while singing made him funny and charismatic. Also, the Queen of the Nights Voice was superb, I can’t believe she hit all those notes and they were clear. These were the aspects of the stage that made the show pop out to me.
Luis Carrasco MCHC 1001
Prof. Natov City Center
“Son Of Gone Fishin’ ”
This was a choreographed dance by Trisha Brown and the music was by Robert Ashley. I did not look at the given pamphlet because I wanted to have only my own thoughts and interpretation. At the very beginning, the dancers were all set near the center of the stage and this strange music began to play, I did not mind it that much at first, but as time went on the dancers seemed to be in despair and I enjoyed it less and less. The dancers had no emotion, and very little interactions with each other. There costumes were simple and the dark brown to golden shirt they were wearing was the closest thing to a symbol of happiness. Very few props were used. I noticed that every now and then the dancers would jump or have a fast paced movement, and who ever did that would then be slowed down and have this smooth movement right after. I felt as if they were trying to be freed from this dance to a happier dance and they couldn’t. There were only one or two dancers doing the fast paced movement, so I felt the other dancers would show them that they shouldn’t do that. The dancers had a very tight core and there back was almost always straight. I almost thought of zombies dancing at first because the music in the beginning was kind of spooky and jumbled. I personally did not enjoy the performance after the first two minutes at all, especially because the music had sharp tones that hurt my ears. I began to want it to stop and then near the middle, closer to the end, the music changed completely. I felt as if they had played the song backwards in a sense. It was more of a happy tone and although I still did not like it, I felt that it had gotten better. To me there was no story here; they were all on their own, and even when they did touch or work in pairs, I felt it was not very connected. I wonder if maybe that is what she was showing? Maybe we are all alone, no matter how we interact or how close we get. I honestly liked the performance after the change in the music. I feel that maybe this occurred because I felt uplifted, my ears did not hurt, and I wanted to feel happier rather than down.
Now that I look at the pamphlet I see that Trisha Brown says, “This choreography was a ‘doozey.’ In it I reached the apogee of complexity in my work. The infrastructure of the piece was related to the cross-section of a tree trunk. ABC center CBA. Complex group-forms of six dancers were performed first in the normal direction and then in retrograde. Bob Ashley gave us a little library of different tapes to carry with us on tour. The dancers randomly chose we music we would use each performance. Something like having the band along with us.” I realized that I had gotten it and that I was noticing the change. I would rather not go through that again, but I must say it was conveyed perfectly to me.
Luis Carrasco 10/1/14
Professor Natov
The Valley of Astonishment.
Costumes:
The play explores the human mind and how we look at things. Words are seen as pictures for some people (Ms. Costas) and others see color or hear music when they look at things or hear things.
When the actors started to talk about the Phoenix, they immediately caught my attention because I used to like mythical creatures a lot. I wanted to know how that was related to the Phoenix. “He knew the exact time of his death and would gather leaves to build a pyre and burnt himself up…But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again.”
Then learning about Ms. Costa’s amazing memory and seeing her re-discover how her own mind worked was neat.
In the beginning they had this floor that was about the size of a small bedroom and a moving table. They had a coat hanger with doctor jackets and other types of jackets too. These I felt were the most important costumes. If we looked at the characters individually, they all had similar regular clothing of jeans, sneakers and a dark color shirt. One of the exceptions was the businessman who was the boss of the company who Ms. Costas originally worked for; he had brown shoes rather than sneakers. I noticed that it was the jacket that turned them into the character that they had to be seen as. Who they were was reflected into that singular piece of fabric and their voice, dialect and tone created the persona they wanted to be. With Ms. Costas, when she was just an employee, she had on all black clothing and once she entered the showroom, where she was a performer, her jacket had a strip of silver plated sparkles around the border of her blazer; she was no longer a laborer and now a performer. We can see that off stage she didn’t have her jacket and when she was with the doctors she didn’t have it as well. I thought it was a way of showing she is still human and that she has flaws just like all of us, because she couldn’t forget and she was going crazy. The boss at first was funny and intimidating and had a casual look to him, and then as a doctor’s assistant, with the lab coat, he was always asking questions and trying to observe every detail about Ms. Costas. Then the actual doctor had a lab coat too, but in the transition where he was a magician, he was wearing a blazer with a hat, and he performed tricks with his sleight of hand and the cards. When he was being an ordinary man who had trouble walking, he did not have his jacket on, he had a grey collar shirt. Then the man who could see painting and each color made him hear a sound was dressed in an ordinary fashion as well, because he was an “ordinary” person with a single role. The character of John Kelly, also had a jacket that made him seem like a performer, and when he was performing he took it off and wore a vest underneath it. The other man, he could see color once he heard sounds. That man had a leather jacket, which was making him look cool and he was locked away, but inside he was one of the people who had a special way of seeing and hearing in their mind. He had not told anyone about how he sees colors when he hears words because someone told him he was weird.
The play was very well done even with the limited costumes and it left me with a puzzling feeling of what is what in my brain and how is it that I forget? Overall it was interesting and made me wonder about the limits of our own language.
Luis Carrasco.
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