Shirley’s post about comedian/musician Victor Borge reminded me of my favorite comedian, Demetri Martin. This comedian is an equally talented funny man whose style is a bit unorthodox. He uses an immense amount of elaborate word play and one liners, as well as occasionally incorporating a large notepad into his act. Additionally he often plays music while delivering his standup. You would expect him to play some guitar or maybe some piano(which he does), but this eccentric jokester also throws a harmonica, tambourine,ukulele,toy bells, and glockenspiel into the mix(sometimes many of these instruments at once). Many of you may have heard of him from his Comedy Central program “Important Things” or from his appearances in “Talking Woodstock” or “Flight of the Conchords.” I personally have been to a show of his at Bowery Ballroom and it was incredible. His comedic timing is perfect and his humor is witty and intelligent. I even got to meet him after the show and he laughed at some of my jokes. As you can imagine this made the night even more memorable(it’s like Michael Jordan complimenting your jumpshot). I’ve been looking for another show of his that I can attend and may go to his show this Thursday at the University of Maryland. You all should definitely watch some of his standup online as soon as you can…Trust me.

Click here for some good laughs

The circular outer walls of the Guggenehim Museum will be turned into a video display for the winners of a video contest. the winners will be announced today:

click here for more info:

Here is the Youtube site: click

Here is what the building will look like: click

I’m not a “YouTuber”. That’s not to say I don’t view my fair share of videos from the website, but I’m not that guy who can spend hours upon hours video jumping. I don’t see the humor in a cat riding a turtle(Beth) and if a video like that ever did tickle my fancy, I definitely would not NEED to see more like it. Because of my YouTube ignorance, I had never seen nor heard of a young guitar phenom by the name of Yuto Miyazawa. I have now, and let me tell you, this kid is ridiculous! He hails from Japan and is all of ten years old. Miyazawa started playing guitar at the age of three and became a YouTube sensation from around the time he turned eight. The Guinness Book of World Records hails him as the youngest professional guitarist in the world. He has an “encyclopedic knowledge of heavy metal” and while playing famous songs from this genre, he improvises like a seasoned veteran. He gained notoriety from one song in particular which he has now played a multitude of times while making rounds on the talk show circuit. Many of you have probably seen at least one version of this clip, it is Miyazawa playing Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.” Miyazawa has been on a small tour in the United states and will shortly be returning back to Japan. He aspires to tour in Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China. Additionally he hopes that he can transition from a jaw dropping “cover band” to an artist with his own material. So maybe the next time you’re on your computer at 2 in the morning with nothing to do except further delay an Honors 125 blogpost, you’ll check out Yuto Miyazawa rocking out on an “axe” bigger than his body.

Click this for a video of Miyazawa on the Ellen Degeneres Show

also enjoy this article compliments of the New York Times

Commuting into Manhattan has become a regular occurrence for me now since becoming a college freshman. However, there are moments when I still cannot help feeling like a tourist in the greatness that is New York City. Maybe that is why I found the recent article in the New York Times entitled “Fasten Your Seat Belts and Embrace the City” so amusing.

This article discusses a new attraction called “The Ride“, which consists of a tour of specific Manhattan highlights with a twist. This tour bus leaves from the Marriot Marquis for a 75 minute, 4.2 mile ride. “It is the tallest vehicle allowed by law; its audio systems emulate the punch of club sonics; and its cushioned 49 seats face the transparent side of the bus, allowing outsiders to see in, once its 40 video screens and 3,000 LED lights are illuminated.”

The bus offers a huge panoramic view of the City, which is incredible in itself, but that is not all. The company instrumental in producing this attraction also employs actors and spreads them out along the tour route. “A man purchases three hot dogs, then suddenly starts juggling them. A man with a sequined top hat and party paraphernalia reserves his spot for New Year’s Eve; he leaps around in celebration after the bus broadcasts a New Year’s countdown. A sailor just home from World War II bends over to kiss a nurse, recreating the renowned 1945 Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph.” These are just a handful of events to be witnessed over the course of this ride.

While “The Ride” does not aim to give tourists a realistic journey through New York City, it certainly seems like quite the amusing experience.

In one of her previous posts, Sandra blogged about wearable art.  In this case, instead of scarves and handbags, we have jewelry.  In the Museum of Arts and Design, they are showing an exhibit called “Think Again: New Latin American Jewelry”.  This exhibit shows accessories as art made by artists who use influences from their culture and surroundings.  For example, “Plátano Pride” a big gold plátano necklace created by the artist Miguel Luciano.  He states that this piece reflects the transition from a “production-based society to one that is grounded in consumption” (Puerto Rico and the United States).  Notice how the plátano, which is grown in Puerto Rico, is made into bling jewelry, something that reflects American culture.  In another example, Elisa Gulminelli made a flower brooch with currency and a coin, giving it the self-explanatory title of  “Inflation”.  I feel like these accessories are very innovative.  It is a creative way to make a statement rather than just wearing a t-shirt with a slogan.  The exhibit runs through January 9, 2011.
link to article
link to museum

I’m sure a lot of you saw (or at least heard of) the Bravo art-based reality show, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, that aired its first season over this past summer. Not that I’ll ever admit to being a Bravo fan, but let’s just say I may or may have had Work of Art on my TiVo list.
Being that this is an arts blog, it seems like a good idea to take a little time to consider what a popular show like this might mean for the traditionally “snobby” and insular world of so-called “fine art.’

I think that, in an important way, the show serves the same sort of function as our own blog and others like it: it’s a convenient way exposing a wide audience to art that they may not have otherwise heard of, without requiring much effort on their part to find it. But there’s a reason why our class hasn’t been entirely about blogging, or reading the blog posts of our fellow classmates. The museum and concert field trips we’ve gone on have been more than enough proof that there’s a definite difference between seeing (or hearing) something in person and experiencing it through the mediation of a microphone or camera lens.

A TV show like this is nice, and serves an important function in breaking down the walls of the fine art world, but there has been much talk of it representing “the end of art snobbism” that I think is essentially unfounded. Seeing art first hand is essential to really experiencing it, and until that kind of first-hand experience becomes as easy and accessible as turning on a television, I think it’s safe to say that art snobs won’t be going anywhere.
What do you guys think?
HERE‘s a link to the New Yorker blog post that got me thinking about this.

I posted many blogs that had people questioning what art is or is not. My most recent one about the public toilet is another controversial piece that received an interesting response. Beth commented and asked ‘what is “artistic” about a toilet encased in glass?’ and “where is the creativity behind this?”. Her response reminded me of the work of another artist named Marcel Duchamp. His work is most commonly associated with the Surrealistic and Dadaist movements, which challenges the viewers perception of reality. His most famous piece, however, is one known as Fountain, which is basically a urinal. He submitted it to the Society of Independent Artist exhibition in 1917 and people rejected it from the show.

I think it’s interesting to see the reaction people have with the work. I personally believe that the urinal is not art. However, the idea to challenge people’s view is actually pretty artistic in itself. Here’s a picture of Fountain:

I recently read an article about a usable public toilet that is enclosed in a case made up of one-way mirrored glass. At first, this may seem like nothing more that what it looks like, but the toilet actually is part of an art exhibition called “Don’t Miss A Sec” that is being showcased in London. It is designed so that the whoever is in the stall could see outside. Pedestrians, however, can’t see inside.

The artist, Monica Bonvicini, thought of the idea while watching people at art openings. She realized that nobody wanted to leave the room because they were afraid that they would miss something important. As a result, she constructed the piece so that the art-goer could “remain in action” even while using the toilet.

I thought this piece was very clever and unique because it tests people’s limits. It toys with the concepts of “privacy and voyeurism” and captures people in their most vulnerable state. However, the piece also serves a utilitarian function, which is not something all art does.

Here’s the link

Here’s a picture:

“Who has the power to write the news, or make art, and by extension to create something called history? What are the similarities between newspapers and museums? To what degree are both responsible for providing social information as well as entertainment?”

These are questions raised by art reviewer Holland Cotter in his recent article entitled “Art and News, Intersecting in the Digital Age“.

This piece reviews a new exhibit in the New Museum in Manhattan entitled “The Last Newspaper”, which revolves around the recycling of newspapers into pieces of art such as sculpture, collages, and performance pieces (to name a few mediums). This exhibit questions the role of print journalism in the artistic world. Where does one draw the line between truth and interpretation? What duty does the journalism world owe the public? How does one balance entertainment with fact?

According to Cotter, “If the show does nothing else, it demonstrates how widely and variously newspapers have served as raw material for contemporary art, old and new.” This is a new angle to journalism which I had not previously considered, but it is definitely intriguing!

There is an interesting Op-ed piece in today’s NY Times by Maureen Dowd. Dowd writes about an awkward young man who is shunned by the opposite sex and who decides to create something magical that will give him awesome power. The story goes on to document the struggles of those around him as they fight over this powerful new tool which includes the ability to “send” yourself to places magically. It turns out she is talking about Wagner’s Das Rheingold (currently at the Metropolitan Opera) and not the new “Facebook” movie. Interesting juxtaposition of classic opera and contemporary culture.

here is the article

Notice how the “troop” dancers hold stylized standard Ballet poses. This is not a Ballet company, it is a circus troop. but the lines and moves of the prima ballerina are unbelievable!

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I was pleasantly surprised today when I discovered that Mario Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature today.  I started thinking about his book, “The Bad Girl” and realized that the only reason I had read it was because my sister had interviewed him and received a copy of his book.

My sister is not a literary writer for the New York Times but rather was at Queens College when he came to speak here a few years ago and interviewed him for the Knight News. I searched the site and found the article she wrote in 2007. This helped me appreciate going to a school like Queens, which allows for regular students to meet and discuss literature with future and past Nobel Prize winners.

To me, this typifies the experience of arts in our city. As Queens College students, we have the opportunity to interact with art as opposed to only observing it from afar. We get to speak to artists before hearing them perform. We get to see original Warhols and Matisse pieces, experience the work Bright Sheng firsthand, and sit among the dancers at the City Center.  Even though I feel swamped with work and am still completely confused by the public transportation system in this borough, looking back at this week I’m almost overcome with appreciation.

You guys know how this blog is supposed to remind us of other things we’ve either read or seen, and how it’s supposed to weave within itself while also branching off? Well here’s a song by a fairly well known band which is relevant to our blog. It is called “Boy Falls From the Sky” and it’s by the Irish rock band U2. They recently performed this song at a concert in Portugal. The title alone doesn’t reveal its connection to “The Arts in NYC” so I suggest you all listen to it and try to figure it out.

The answer will be in a comment to this post.
click here for the song

Just what is Bauhaus design? I first came in contact with it when I took a tour of Tel-Aviv. My father explained that Bauhaus meant modern design.

Now at MOMA there’s a retrospective

piece entitled “Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity,” which runs through Jan. 25, 2010. I never realized that Bauhaus affected so many areas of design. This exhibit covers the area where function meets artistic ideology. Now when I see Bauhaus work it immediately looks dated but through the eyes of this exhibit it all looks fresh and exciting as it was at the time. Here’s a link to the article in The New York Times Magazine article.

There has been much hype recently regarding the proposal of building a mosque near Ground Zero. Some claimed it to be offensive in the recent years following 9/11. However, the Muslim Community Center is much more than just a mosque. The center, called Park51, will include a theater, restaurant, day care center, gym and pool. In fact, the Muslim Center does not meet traditional requirements to be referred to as a mosque. Therefore, the muslim prayer hall will technically be referred to as a musalla. And the Muslim center will include a 9/11 memorial and a place for prayer, contemplation and meditation for those “of all faiths and of no faith”, said Sharif El-Gamal, the project’s developer.

The Muslim Center was designed to imitate the designs of Islamic and Middle Eastern tiles and patterns. It has intricate latticework designed across the entire 15 stories of the building, made of modern materials and glass panels. These “hints of tradition,” while combining with the modern look and feel of the center, create an appearance of translucence and “moving towards the future.”

Will NYC accept the center and put the past behind them, while looking towards a brighter future, as Mr. Gamal hopes, or will the Islamic center fail to win the public over?

Article

There is a good article in the NY Times about the Matisse show we will see on Monday at MOMA. Read it, and look at the links and the art.

click here for the article

See you inside the museum at 4.