Student Posts

Posts written by students in The Arts in New York City (Fall 2017).

Rubin Museum

alicemvarghese

Calming, evoking, frightening, curiosity, peaceful, and impressive are a few words that instantly came to mind as I reflected on our trip to the Rubin Museum and though about what the fluidity of sound means in reference to the exhibit we experienced. Similar to the fluidity of sound extending from life to death in Tibetan Buddhism, the fluidity of sound we experienced seemed to transport us into new realm, a new unknown. The “Oms” voiced by various individuals, the sounds of the river, the wind, and the reflecting piece we analyzed on the 1st floor and the Buddhist mantras heard throughout the space created such a natural and harmonious atmosphere for the art on display. The various sounds were manipulated in a way that was far from overpowering or distracting, and instead fluid, free, and comforting.

 

Steam Festival

alicemvarghese

We presented our work on Chorus of Stones at the STEAM festival a few weeks ago. The chapter my group and I chose was Denial. We depicted Denial’s many forms with various photos and quotes. We used jail bars to depict the various political and social forms of denial as well.

In my opinion, the STEAM festival was a very nice ending to an amazing semester of observing and appreciating art in our city. It was so nice to see fellow Macaulay students we met at orientation once again, and the overall mood of the day was very encouraging and had a communal sense to it. I felt this festival was a great way to incorporate different projects, ideas, and different types of student under the banner of Macaulay. There were many interesting and stimulating conversations and it was really nice to see students from other campuses and share our experiences as Freshmen. Being able to observe the projects of the 3rd seminar was also beneficial as it allows us to look forward to what is to come in our future seminar classes.

 

Steam Festival

Sam Gosda

The Steam Festival was a unique experience. I enjoyed mixing the arts of seminar one with the science of seminar three. As a music student, it was satisfying to see the science which I haven’t even thought about since high school. I also enjoyed explaining my collaborative art piece to everyone. With each person that I talked to I discovered something. I discovered that I learned a lot more about art than I had realized this semester. I was able to explain the process of the piece as well as its inspirations and intentions. My partners and I impressed ourselves with each conversation we were able to carry. It was a liberating experience to realize that we knew more than we thought we did. The steam festival allowed us to showcase our knowledge to other people and even ourselves.

Om: Ruben Museum

Sam Gosda

The World is Sound exhibit in the Ruben Museum was very exciting for me as a musician. I have been a musician since I started piano lessons when I was five years old. The most interesting part of the exhibit was the Om Room. It was a room which played recordings of visitors saying “om” on top of one another. Each om was unique yet, they worked together to create a kind of music. I’m not sure if it is because I am trained in music, but for some reason I could hear an imaginary melody over the background oms. It was a relaxing place to sit and just listen to all these people. They never met each other yet all their voices came together to make art.

MOMA- Rauschenberg

eitanarm

Despite the journey being much longer than the actual event, it was still a very fun trip. What still amazes me is what is considered art. I mean Rauschenberg found a taxidermy goat and called that art. He called a tire tract a piece of art. We as a society have deemed this so. What can or cannot be art? Are they any guidelines to what art can’t be? What distinguishes Rauschenberg’s tire and Van Gogh’s Starry Night as they are both art?  What distinguishes “good art” from “bad art”? If I draw a circle, is that art? If someone like Rembrandt or Picasso drew the exact circle, would that be art? Is art something only famous people can create? Are these even questions we can answer?

Torch Song: Lighting

Sam Gosda

Torch Song was an intimate play about a man’s private life. The lighting in the show played a key role, more complex of a role then it usually does in most performances. It not only allowed the audience to see what was going on but it moved the story along. In the opening scene it portrayed the silhouette of the main character, Arnold, in drag performing a song on stage. Throughout all three acts, lights are the first things the audience sees. The title of each act was always in neon lights above the scene. In the final scene, Fugue in the Nursery, the stage very gradually get brighter to show the morning breaking. It was not something I would have even taking note of if I was not assigned to dictate the light beforehand. It was so artfully done that it seemed natural, as if the sun was actually rising outside. Light played a special role in this very special play.