I understood parts of Rauschenberg’s work because I agree with the idea that there exists almost no line between life and art. Furthermore, I don’t believe anyone has the right to decide what is art and what is life. Therefore, I appreciated Rauschenberg’s art since he took ordinary things and didn’t try to transform it into art, but instead, he highlighted the mundane character of such objects. For example, he took a taxidermied goat with a tire around it and put on it on a collage of materials. He didn’t transform the goat or tire into art, but simply put it on a pedestal and made people realize that this can be art. Furthermore, in my opinion, Rauschenberg let his audience discover the meaning behind his work, and I really appreciated that freedom. For example, his piece of 5 or so blank canvases was interpreted as a mirror, or as silence by the tour guide, but for me, it, simply, was blank canvases. I am not claiming it is not art, or that it doesn’t mean anything, but I am a literal person and all I choose to see are blank canvases. He took the mundanity of blank canvases and presented it to the world because anything can be art, anything can be life.
Author: Mariyah
Look and Look Again
When I initially looked at the painting labeled “Late Afternoon, New York, Winter,” I saw a collage of color. There were dots of pink in one corner, a dash of light blue across the center, and white splotches all over the painting. It was as if the artist had captured what I would see if I were looking ahead of me while it was snowing. However, when I looked at it again, the image of Central Park began to materialize in front of my eyes. The trees started to take shape, the carriages pulled by horses were becoming clear, and more importantly, I could see the snow. When I walk through snow, I often fail to see the actual snow, only the blurry white streaks are seen. However, looking at it from another perspective allowed me to see what was in front of me but also what was underneath the painting.
The artist did a brilliant job capturing the chaos and serenity of snowfall. Yes, it is blinding. Yes, it makes the roads slippery. But, the white that it blankets everything in, the calm it instills on a city like New York City, makes one appreciate a snowfall.
Steam Festival 2017
I really enjoyed the Steam Festival, more than I thought I would have. I thought that the make your space station was absolutely brilliant, except there wasn’t much instruction on what to do there. Since I was part of the first group to go to the station, there was nobody there to tell us what to do. Most of us were confused on what to do, and that led to us wasting time and not finishing in 15 minutes. I thought that getting stamps was a fun way to make sure we were participating and actually learning. I liked how we were paired with Seminar 3 kids because we go to learn about a lot of interesting topics like post-partum depression and the cycle of mental illness. I would like to suggest maybe one or two more activities to do besides the make your space station because towards the last 45 minutes everyone had already gotten stamped and we were just standing around our table talking to other people in our group.
I really enjoyed the Steam Festival in its entirety and walked away with a lot of interesting information.
Turandot Review- Venue
For me, the venue for Turandot was my house, since I watched it on my laptop. The venue of the Metropolitan Opera definitely adds to the elegance and formality of the opera. However, I surprisingly was moved by the piece even though I was watching it in my home. The story of Turandot is very interesting one and it keeps viewers engaged. Furthermore, the music for it is absolutely breathtaking. I would have loved to see the orchestra play live. Furthermore, even though I wasn’t seeing the opera live, I could still connect to the characters and the opera overall. I believe this speaks to the wonderful job Puccini has done at adapting this play to an opera. Also, I did not expect the people on stage to act, I was just expecting them to sing. Their acting added to the emotions their voices held and helped convey the story even more. I feel like I took a lot away from just watching it on my laptop and hearing the music. It was a beautiful blend of Persian, Oriental and Italian culture.
Rubin Museum- Ancient v. New
Prior to entering the museum, I knew about three things about the exhibit. One, it was about sound. Two, it had something to do with Buddhism. Three, it was in some museum in the city that I had never heard of before. When exiting the museum, I knew, felt, and saw things I have never even thought about knowing or imagining.
My focus for this exhibit was on the juxtaposition between ancient and new and how this juxtaposition presented sound. The Rubin Museum is a beautiful, complex structure with technological advancements like speakers placed in strategic locations. The exhibit itself was composed of a labyrinth of soundproof walls and hidden speakers, providing the audience with a complete sound experience. Yet, the actual sound was something ancient and therefore, mysterious and captivating. Ancient Buddhist prayers were being projected to me in a room that looked almost futuristic in its design. The stark white walls contrasted deeply with the colorful intonations of the prayer, and that left me with this powerful yet serene feeling. Furthermore, I believe the only way the integrity of the Buddhist’s song and chants could be preserved is through the technology and architecture of the Rubin Museum. The soundproof walls and speakers allowed the sounds to consume all the space in the room and enter our minds.
This exhibit made me realize that sound is not something to be heard, but to be understood. I, as the Buddhists did, need to hear sound with my ears, mind, and heart. It is only then that I can say that I know what sound is.
