Student Posts

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

STEAM Festival

Teresa Wrobleski

I enjoyed the STEAM Festival. I think it’s definitely a good idea to get Macaulay students from different years and campuses together and have them interact, since it really is hard to connect with people who seem so far away. I liked seeing everyone’s presentations. Some of them were really impressive. I also liked the Makerspace area.

I do think that everything was really loosely organized from our perspective. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I had the feeling there were more things I should have been doing, even though there wasn’t anything I was “supposed” to be doing. I feel like there could be a little more clarity on what exactly was expected of us while we were there.

STEAM festival-2017

rachelswed

When I first heard about the STEAM Festival, I didn’t want to attend the festival because it was on a Sunday and we had many finals and assignments coming up. As a result of these things, I was really discouraged to go. However, when I went it was the complete opposite of what I expected. I loved looking at the different projects and ideas people presented and talked about. I also enjoyed that it was not only seminar one but also seminar three so we could hear about both science and art and the different seminars that we have in store for next year. I really enjoyed the makers space a lot because it allowed us to be very creative and have fun. Overall, it was a great experience and I would be happy to go there again.

World of Sound: Rubin Museum

Teresa Wrobleski

I was impressed by the amount of effort the entire museum put towards this exhibit. It wasn’t just one area that was immersed in it, the central staircase was an integral part of getting visitors engaged with the exhibit.

I also liked the variety of things that were shown. Not only items, but concepts and sounds were put on display. I liked the interactive portions, especially the “Om” Room and the prayer areas. Both transported you into the exhibit fully, in a way that you can’t get just by looking at artifacts.

I thought our tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I think she mentioned that she had really gotten into studying sound as a concept and it showed in how she led us around. I really appreciated having someone passionate explain the exhibit to us because it was a way for us to get enthusiastic about it too.

Turandot: Scenic Design

Teresa Wrobleski

Turandot takes place in, by the script, Peking, China, but draws it’s design from a more nebulous “Asian” aesthetic that was popular at the time the opera was written. Since it’s first run, large, ornate set pieces matched just as over-the-top costumes. The Met Opera revival plays heavily with thematic coloring.

Each act takes place in a specific area, with the first being in the town square, the second in the royal court, and the third being in a more secluded garden area of the palace that then transitions to the interior court.

The town square is in grey and cool blue tones, which neatly play into the them of Turandot being the light of this country, as her entrance gives one of the few spots of color in this area. This coloring also gives the effect of mourning, as yet another prince has just been killed for failing Turandot’s test.

The royal court is a sharp contrast to the dour look of the town square. It is completely in bright, pale gold, thus showing the opulence and wealth of the nobility. An interesting design choice is the circular river running under the set. In many cultures, water represents serenity, thus giving the throne room a more cultured look, instead of being gaudy.

The river also makes an appearance in the third act, which connects the garden area to the throne room, showing that the cast is still in the palace. It is lit with small lights underneath, which give a more mystical feeling to it. This area is in more blue and green tones, giving more of a sense of traquility, despite the panicked actions of Turandot. However, it is in this place that she finally becomes calm and accepts her fate. It is also a slightly more private and secluded place, being inside the palace, which is ideal for Turandot to fall in love here.

The garden area transitions into throne room to end the show, having a backdrop lift up to reveal the rest of the stage. The stage at the Met Opera House is extremely deep, much more so than it is wide. Thus, it is able to have enough room for a distinct set in front of an entirely different set.

STEAM festival

Allison Wu

The STEAM festival was definitely better than I expected. It was interesting to see how different all the Seminar 1 classes were. Our class focused on different themes in A Chorus of Stones and we all presented different collages that explained that theme. Everyone that came by our table was extremely impressed by how we were able to connect Robert Rauschenberg’s focus on collage in our analysis of the book. While our class did this, other classes from different campuses focused on self-expression, areas in NYC etc. An extremely thoughtful project that I saw was from City College, where the whole class created a book. Each week, the students would post pictures that answered a specific question or had a specific theme. At the end of the semester, they each picked the picture that represented themselves the most and put it in the book. It was interesting to see how different the pictures were, ranging from selfies to action shots and nature. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Makerspace in the lobby. Although my appointment time was short, I was able to make a pin. I felt like this was a nice addition to the festival, and something unique aside from the presentations. Additionally, each student received a little notebook to take notes and collect stamps. In order to get a stamp, the ITFs would ask questions based on the room that we were in It was nice to see how involved the ITFs were in asking questions. It showed how much they care and I was grateful for that. Overall, the STEAM festival was a nice way to get Macaulay students together and have a nice learning experience.

Turnadot – Lighting

Allison Wu

Being able to see Turnadot at the Metropolitan Opera House is definitely one for the books. Even though we were sitting in the second to last row, the experience of being in such a beautiful place was surreal. From the moment I stepped into view of the Met, I was amazed at what was in front of me. The lights shining out of the unique windows of the opera made the opera house look so grand, accompanied by the beautiful fountain in front of it. Everyone around me was taking pictures and I could definitely see why. NYC is known for its beautiful buildings and the Met definitely adds to the wonders of this city.

During the opera, I focused on the lighting between the different acts.  A total of three acts, there were two different setups on stage and each had very different lighting. In the first act, the stage was dark. The common people filled the stage and to exemplify their role during this time, it was almost impossible to see their faces with the dark lighting. It shows how insignificant they are compared to the other characters in this opera. In the second and last act, the stage displayed the beautiful palace. The stage was so bright that it actually hurt my eyes. There was a golden tone and it was so bright for the audience to clearly see Turnadot. Compared to the common people, Turnadot’s face was in the light and I was able to see her facial expressions. There was such a change in lighting to exemplify the different classes of people.