2013 Arts in the City

Midsummer Night’s Dream – Lighting

In the production of Midsummer Night’s Dream that we saw, the lighting was everything. Some of the characters, like Oberon and Titania, had special lighting effects: Oberon’s costume glowed in the dark, illuminating everything around him, and Titania’s costume had two lights stemming from the hood of her costume. These lights made these characters (who are fairies) really appear to be otherworldly. The fairy children also carried lights, helping to distinguish them from the humans.

Other lights were used to create ominous shadows. For example, when Helena chased Demetrius through the forest, small amounts of light were used to cast the tree’s shadows on the floor. This helped to create the frantic mood of the scene.

Der Rosenkavalier – Tenor

The tenor in Act I of “Der Rosenkavalier” had a very smooth voice. He was able to project loudly over the orchestra and perfectly in tune, while retaining the warm and sweet characteristic of many choir tenors. This was astonishing, as most opera tenors usually have some “grit” in their voices because of the volume they have to project; slight natural harmonic distortion is usually produced and wild vibrato usually follows. But this tenor had little of these characteristics. The color of his voice also matched well with the orchestra; he had a very pure tone.

William Pope L., Eating the Wall Street Journal

I thought this piece was extremely grotesque; it captures the race/class division problems that exist in New York, and America. The “simulated” vomit on the newspapers on the floor was almost as bad as if the real vomit was there. For a moment, I felt the rage that Pope L. must have felt– after all, he must have been really passionate about these problems if he was willing to eating newspapers and regurgitate them as part of a performance. I noticed the toilet as the throne for his performance.

After looking at this piece again, I noticed the fishing pole that was apparently used to pull the stacks of newspapers up to his throne. This piece is full of irony, as Pope L. uses common objects to fight against upper class corruption. (Other objects used are ketchup, milk, the toilet).

Romeo and Juliet – Music in the Play

The music was mostly modern dance music, and especially in one of the dance scenes. It was particularly interesting how the director of this play chose to make the dance scene look like a crazy house party. The music was like rave music, and definitely added an exciting modern twist to the play.

There was also what seemed to be cinematic, eerie music that played during certain points in the story. When the plot moved forward dramatically, or there was a fight, the creepy music played. The inclusion of this modern, and unconventional music in this play is an interesting choice and, again, I think it helped to add to the modern element.

Nature vs Car

This picture really shows one of the wonderful contrasts of the city. This picture was taken in Sheapshead Bay, Brooklyn. The tree is beautiful, small and elegant branches, yet tall and “assertive” as a centerpiece in this front lawn. The car is, obviously, mechanical. This picture really represents the “best of both worlds” situation in New York; beautiful but not secluded or wilderness.

Joan Baez: Life of A Woman, Musician, and Rebel

Joan Baez, born on January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York, is a popular American folk singer whose music has permeated the folk scene for generations. Her music is known mostly for its emphasis on anti-war and anti-establishment messages. She is also a strong advocate for the fairness of human rights and sings about violations of these rights in many countries. This concern for human rights could be explained by her own ancestry – her mother and father were both foreigners, and as such, racial prejudice was common to Joan in her early life. Joan had a knack for music since she was little, excelling at guitar and singing more than even her academic studies.
Joan Baez was, at times, seen as a very controversial, and even un-American woman figure in the 1960s. With the Vietnam War around the corner, and the draft already taking place, Baez sang spoke out and sang tunes about resisting the draft, and even refusing to pay taxes aimed at aiding the war efforts. Baez always influenced the young generation, her affect and attitude always aimed at improving America through its children, and hopefully achieving a more peaceful world. She traveled the world and played numerous concerts, combining both her musical talents and political awareness to change the lives of millions.

CHECK OUT THIS SONG, “There But For Fortune,” by Joan Baez

And this one, “The Night They Drove Dixie Down”(Originally by The Band)

ART IS PERSPECTIVE

Art is perspective. The meaning of art is always changing, depending on how you look at it. From a forwards perspective, we see the man holding a bullet shell, with a backdrop of buildings and the sky. From the back, however, we see people are added to the equation, some of them even inspecting this interesting sculpture as if it were from another world. We also see how details in the back are just as important as details in the front.