I just watched a documentary film called “A Broad Way” which documented the events taking place all along Broadway during one hour of the day. While I was watching I thought to myself, “I must blog about this movie!” Its not a recent film (it was filmed in 2006) however the ideas and themes developed throughout the movie hold true today. From Harlem to Times Square, hundreds of filmmakers documented the daily lives of hundreds of individuals living in New York City. It is an extremely raw film and has a wonderfully authentic feel.
I highly recommend watching this movie; at least for me it was a great way to spend my time procrastinating.
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?
Recently, the MET just opened an exhibition of Chinese art from the Yuan Dynasty. The most interesting aspect of this is the fact that these artworks exemplify Mongol influence in Chinese society during that time. This exhibition is actually called “The World of Khubilai Khan”, and Khubilai Khan is the Mongolian descendant of Genghis Khan who claimed himself emperor of China from 1271to 1368.
Under his control, he revolutionized Chinese society, especially in the arts “department”. For example, gold was a huge part of Mongolian society, which is very different from the usual Chinese appearance. As the ruler, Khan required many objects to be gold and it ranged from golden dishes to golden clothing. Nowadays, the Chinese incorporate gold with luck and wealth, which are important aspects of the culture. Being Chinese myself, I had not known this and now that I do, I feel more in touch with my own culture.
The Mongolian influence also caused the age of theater to occur in China, which is interesting because Beijing opera is widely popular, and now I understand its origins.
Just by looking at the pictures of the works of art displayed at this exhibition is stunning because it is hard to believe that such art can be created so long ago. It really gives a clear insight on the history and influences on China and after reading this NY Times article, it provided me with more knowledge about my own culture.
The Museum of Modern Art is currently holding an exhibit titled “Abstract Expressionist New York: The Big Picture.” Works in the abstract style by various artists (such as Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Arshile Gorky, and Adolph Gottlieb) are on display to demonstrate the intelligence and magnificence of this artistic movement. By observing early and recent pieces alike, one can contemplate about what artists could have done differently throughout history. However, the exhibit also encourages reflection on the art’s development over time and it’s marveling accomplishments.
This form of expression may seem a bit monotonous to some. Personally, I feel this way at times. I am well aware that each artist has his/her own style and “language” in their work. But sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish one artist’s scribble from another’s. Perhaps this is because I lack a sufficient appreciation for the art itself. I also found myself feeling this way during the Monday’s performance at Le Poisson Rouge. It is difficult to have an appreciation – let alone an attraction – for something that you don’t necessarily understand.
The exhibit is running from October 3rd through April 25th. This might be a good idea for a group trip; it could serve as an expansion on our discussion about the abstract as art.
A while back I remember coming across a video on Youtube about an artist named Julian Beever. His work, unlike what you usually see in museums, is done entirely using chalk using the pavement as his canvas.
Here’s one of his pieces:
Don’t be fooled. There really isn’t a river in the middle of the street. It’s just an optical illusion. In fact, you have to see the work through the lens of a camera in order to get the illusion to work. According to Julian, a camera “limits the brains ability to judge distance.” Without the lens, his art wouldn’t come to life.
Now you may also be wondering what happens to his work after it is completed. The answer is that it will eventually erase with time and rain. However, Youtube and the pictures other people take make his work truly everlasting.
Youtube, the user-generated, video sharing site has paved the way for a unique method of communication and accessing information. Various genres are expressed through this catalyst, which have led to rising stars and pop culture phenomenons. Its presence in the present day is recognized by all, from everyday people to reputable institutions. Youtube’s importance can be measured through the Guggenheim museum’s use of the medium as an exhibition as described here by Beth. The top videos have been chosen, which you can view here.
A very small collection of the diversity displayed on YouTube is shown below.
Makeup tutorials
I have to admit, I mainly watch the cosmetic gurus whenever I browse around on YouTube. This is a tutorial by one of my favorites, Josh aka Petrilude. He’s very talented with drag looks, and stage/movie makeup. He uses his expertise from working with MAC to also share tips on makeup techniques, such as increasing the longevity of makeup products.
Campaigns and projects
The suicides of multiple teenagers as a result of homophobic bullying lead Perez Hilton to start the “It Gets Better” campaign, which involves celebrities of all genres and levels to increase awareness on bullying and encourages others to keep on going despite one’s hardships in life.
Music videos
I’ll admit, I never really listened to Boy and Bear. In fact, I just stumbled across this music video by browsing the channels of major record labels, which I highly recommend if you want to discover new music. I ought to look into this band further, because I am enjoying folk artists as of late (Fleet Foxes, anyone?).
Music covers
I am a sucker for great covers. It’s even better when a great cover involves a ukulele. Here is Sophie Madeleine, who was featured on Boing Boing several times for her sweet renditions.
This cover is a special one, for it’s metal…played on the piano, by our very own, Ms. Nicoletti!
What do you do when you flunk out of art school? Well if the running joke is to be believed, then becoming a comic book illustrator is right up your alley.
But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the originators of that joke never saw Alex Ross’s illustrations. Mr. Ross has become well known in the comic book world as the man behind some of the most beautiful and celebrated illustrations of our time, the artistic mastermind behind now legendary works such as Kingdom Come and Uncle Sam.
Ross’s illustrations are instantly recognizable: each panel is a masterfully staged, lusciously vibrant, realistic oil and watercolor painting of the quality that would likely have had Raphael and Rockwell salivating. Admittedly, the both men may have had some questions about the subjects’ garish primary colored outfits, but every artist has their own muse, and the superheros are precisely what makes Ross’s work interesting (and fun).
More information HERE.
Choreographer Yasmeen Godder, who was born in Jerusalem and then moved to New York (where she studied at the High School of Performing Arts and Tisch School of the Arts at NYU), opened her new work entitled “Singular Sensation” at the Kitchen in New York City this past Thursday night.
This piece features five dancers who create a horror movie-esque feel and scene. They “slap themselves and poke out their tongues; they stick scissors in their (fake) breasts and wield blood-red talons on their fingers; they eat their appendages and vomit them out; they wrap their heads in stockings and smear green paint and red jelly over their bodies. By the end, they are drenched in sweat and goo”, according to a recent New York Times article entitled “With Flesh Like This, Who Needs Food?” (which can be read here).
The ultimate purpose of this dance is for the dancers and audience members to bring focus to sensations and consciousness. I think that through the grotesque and provocative nature of this performance, such a focus is reached. However, I personally find this display disturbing.
Take a look at a snippet from “Singular Sensation” here:
“The Tenth Inning”, a four hour documentary series by Ken Burns will be airing on PBS on upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday nights. This series is the continuation of Burns’ Emmy award winning documentary series “Baseball” which aired in 1994. The topic of these documentaries is fairly obvious. They cover the storied and entertaining history of Major League Baseball.
The newest installment picks up in the early 1990’s where “Baseball” left off. In”The Tenth Inning” Burns recaps all of the major events and controversies that have occurred since ’94. The series contains commentaries and insights from many well known and not so well known historians,journalists,and players. These segments are surrounded by electrifying and captivating game footage. Burns is well known for his proficiency in the art of story telling, and he effectively highlights the various scandals that have recently plagued the MLB. As can be expected, he focuses a lot of his attention on the ubiquitous Steroid issue. Despite the many disgraceful events which have occurred in the sport, Burns is able to keep the viewers’ love for the it intact. He shows that although we may not love the politics surrounding the game or its players, it is and forever will be “America’s Past Time.”
As an avid sports fan I am very excited about getting the chance to relive events which took place during my childhood. I will definitely try to tune in and watch this series hoping to take a small trip down sports memory lane. Additionally I am interested to learn more about the stories which transpired when I was too young to fully grasp their significance. Although many people might find documentaries boring and slow I have always loved history and relish the opportunity to learn additional information and back story. The combination of these two interests will certainly make me appreciate Ken Burns’ new series and I hope that all you “sports fans” and “sports indifferents” check it out.
Ralph T. Coe was quoted saying in the New York Times article, ““There is an idea of the dying American Indian, and we keep counting them out. But I keep wondering, if we have counted them out, why is all of this here?” Although the title of the article notifies us of his death, the article itself largely documents the works of Ralph T. Coe. Mr. Coe, a former museum director and a private art collector, played a large role in promoting Native American Art. In the 55-year period of fascination with Native American Art, Mr. Coe managed to collect over 1100 objects and curated several major exhibitions. The objects were gathered with Mr. Coe’s travels to many different reservations in Canada and America. There, he learned about the techniques and symbolism of the art.
Mr. Coe’s exhibition titled “Lost and Found Traditions: Native American Art, 1965-1985” was one of the first major exhibitions dedicated to the art of Contemporary Native American artists. Another of his exhibit,“The Responsive Eye: Ralph T. Coe and the Collecting of American Indian Art,” showed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I chose this article mainly because I remembered being really interested in the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas exhibit at the Met when we went to see the Big Bambu. And I also agree with Mr. Coe’s quote; Native American Art is very much alive. We just don’t really see much of it, because there aren’t many people who advocate it. Unfortunately, I am unable to upload pictures of his collection, but the provided link of his exhibition has some pictures.
Last year in my Music Theory class, I had to choose a musical artist and write a research paper on that person. I am very into jazz, and especially love vocal jazz, so I chose to research Billie Holiday. (I will not post the biographical information and career of Billie Holiday on the blog, but if you want to see it, I would be happy to show you my paper.) However, I will say that Billie Holiday was an African American jazz singer during the early-mid 1900s. One of her most famous songs — “Strange Fruit”– is known as one of the first ever anti-racism songs. The song is about the lynchings in the South, and was so controversial at the time she came out with it that her record company (Columbia) would not even record it. In stead, Holiday recorded the song with Commodore, and it quickly became popular.
What interests me about this song is not the voice per say, for I don’t think this song shows off Billie’s vocal talent as well as some of her other recordings. But what makes this song (and the performer) stand out is the emotional power with which the song is sung. Listeners can feel everything that Billie is feeling as she sings the song, and it evokes such strong emotions. The following video is a live recording of Billie singing “Strange Fruit”. The recording is simple–just voice and piano–but the phrasing, tone quality, and use of dynamics make the song into something very powerful. As Billie sings this song, she does not really have a set tempo. In stead, she leads as she feels, and the piano just follows along with her. This helps paint the imagery of the lyrics in the song, especially the lyrics “black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze…” as the lack of tempo gives the song a “swaying” feel.
All of my music teachers in the past have told me that while I have good technical abilities, I sometimes lack the emotional power behind the music. Incorporating emotion and feeling into the music can make or break a performance. After watching this video, I became determined to add as much feeling into whatever piece I played/sung. A difficult task, but one that makes all the difference.
I wanted to blog about something I had a personal interest on so I thought beatboxing would be a good topic. I am sure many of you have heard of beatboxing and therefore know what it is. I was always fascinated with this form of “art”, though some people may not see it that way. I find that it takes certain skills for an individual to be able to make the sounds that come out of some of these beatboxers. The more technical term is vocal percussion. It is the imitating of drum sounds and beat patterns using your lips, tongue, mouth, throat, and voice.
Where did the term beatbox come from?
Human Beatbox literally means human drum machine and beatbox was originally used as two words ‘beat box’.
It is usually documented that beatboxing, as we know it, has its roots in the beginning of modern hip-hop, on street corners in placed like Chicago, the Bronx, and LA. However, vocal percussion – the art form from which beatboxing spawns – has been part of the music and urban scene for a lot longer than people think. This art goes back to the era of jazz, swing, and barbershop music. It has been well recorded that jazz musicians where the first group of artists who used their voices, and indeed, their whole vocal chords to imitate instruments. This art form contributed to a huge part of the hip hop community and has evolved it to what it is today. There were the three kings of beatbox of the 1980’s: Darren ‘Buffy’ Robinson, Doug E Fresh and Biz Markie. My personal favorite is Doug E Fresh especially his song, “La Di Da Di” collaborated with MC Ricky D. Another very well known beatboxer is Rahzel who was the first to ever simultaneously sing and beatbox at the same time, which is now a skill quite popular in the beatboxing community. This can also be categorized as multivocalism is a term used for artists who use beatboxing, vocal scratching, singing, MC-ing and poetry in their performances.
Doug E Fresh
Nowadays, there seems to be an increase in beatboxing artists especially with the Internet where many of these artists are able to share their talent with each other. There is even the “Beatbox Battle World Championship”, in which there are events all over the world in different countries for many artists to compete. Browse through interviews of different recognized beatboxers from around the world.
Here’s the video of Doug E Fresh & MC Ricky D’s “La Di Da Di” (You might want to fast forward to 00:48 because that is when the song starts to pick up):
Make comments about the venue; the experience of the sound check; comparing the sound check to the concert; comments about Todd Reynolds; comments about Evan Ziporyn; the role of the academic composer (Ziporyn is a professor of music at MIT, it was two of his students who invented Guitar Hero – though it was not Ziporyn who was responsible for any of it; Here was a concert with two long pieces, how does that compare with the usual “concert” experience? What did you think about the amplification? The electronics? The “required” two items at the tables?
Any other comments? You can compare this with other experiences of the semester, or experiences you have had outside of class.
Don’t forget we meet at LeFrak Hall for the 12:15 concert on Wednesday. Don’t be late.
Julie Mehretu’s abstract, described in the article from the New York Times as “reminiscent of Chinese calligraphy, scribbles that vaguely resemble Cy Twombly canvases and bolder architectural shapes,” is a work that is truly to be admired. Inspired by the “Grey Area” show at Guggenheim Museum (available until October 6th), this piece consists of twelve equal parts, divided by a grid that was used for pacing.
“Augeries” will be the main attraction at the “Notations After the Ring” exhibition at the Metropolitan Opera’s Gallery Met, with nine other black and white abstracts to compliment the piece.
Abstract art has always caught my interest. When it comes to interpretations, nothing at all is set in stone; we all see the lines and shapes create different images for us, similar to a Rorschach inkblot test. When I look at this certain piece, I actually feel a little frightened. I can visualize a Stalin-like figure in the middle of the piece, pale skin peeping out from a dark hideaway. I’m pretty sure that no one else is gonna see the eye I’m visualizing, or the crudely drawn mustache a mile above a gleeful smile.
What do you guys see in this picture? Does it invoke any particularly strong emotion?
If you watched the 2007 film Juno, you either loved or hated the whimsical soundtrack. Two of the songs featured in the movie are by Belle and Sebastian.
Belle and Sebastian is a seven member band from Glasgow, Scotland. Since their arrival in the music scene ten years ago, they have released seven studio albums, and have received quite a cult following for their music, which has been described as “bookish songs rooted in ’60s folk-pop.” 2010 has proven to be a busy year for the constantly traveling band, for they worked on their new album, Write About Love. Based on the songs that have been released, this album seems to share the same quality of easy-listening that their former albums contain. A nice surprise is their song that is of the same title of the album, since it features guest vocals by actress Carey Mulligan. Belle and Sebastian is currently on tour in the United States. They are performing on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show on Wednesday, September 29th, and have a concert at the Williamsburg Waterfront on Thursday, September 30 with Teenage Fanclub and their opening act.
You can enter to win on-stage tickets to see Belle & Sebastian perform on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon here. If you win, take me with you.
Here are three songs from Write About Love – “Write About Love”, “I Didn’t See It Coming”, and “I Want the World To Stop.” The album releases in the United States on October 12.
It’s pretty sad that we live in a world where a dance performance can’t be put on without bringing political protesters with it. Currently, an Israeli dance troupe called Batsheva Dance Company is performing at the Joyce Theater. On Saturday night’s New York Premiere of the male dancers, a huge crowd of members of Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel showed up not to watch the dance performance, but to protest the country of Israel and anything associated with it. “Adalah-NY has been protesting throughout Batsheva’s run, picketing and handing out pamphlets criticizing Israeli policies toward Palestinians and urging a boycott of the company.” In fact, protesters were seen yelling political accusations outside the theater like, “You’re dancing around apartheid.”
Because our country grants freedom of speech to all its citizens, the protesters were legally aloud to be there; however, it is morally important to our society that people have the common sense to differentiate between politics and art. Regardless of your personal stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I believe that it is inappropriate to transform the purely artistic pursuits of an Israeli dance company into a platform for protest.
Maybe, if the Israelis and Palestinians started recognizing the beauty in each other’s societies, such as dance, they would be able to make more progress in their goal of achieving peace.
Since being recently intrigued by Susan’s post (Deadly Performance Art) about interactive exhibits, I just found another artist that includes human beings in her actual artwork while surfing a website theawesomer.com. When first looking at her works, it seems very possible that it is just like any other traditional painting: done with a paint brush on a canvas. However, if you study it more closely, you realize that it is a photograph of a human being that has physically been painted. This type of artwork is classified as trompe l’oeil, a style of painting that gives an illusion of photographic reality which Meade has creatively taken to the next level.
Meade takes a 3D scene and turns it into a two dimensional photograph. She paints the representation of the person directly onto the person’s skin. This way, the people and what Meade is having them represent are the same thing. It is almost as if these subjects are caricatures of themselves. When looking at Meade’s creations, the relationship between what is real (meaning the person’s actual features) and what is an interpretation of the image becomes extremely blurry. What do you see when you look at her pictures?
Below are two pictures: the first is of Meade creating the work of art and the second is of the actual photograph of the painting, which goes on display as the final finished piece.
If you’d like to see more of Meade’s work, click here.
In the current state of economic depression, I’m always interested to see what kinds of art thrives and what kinds of art fail. The company “Dance New Amsterdam” is facing eviction from their school/performance space and even though they are stuck between a rock and a hard place, they are still performing unconventional pieces.
In this article in the Village Voice, one of their recent pieces is examined. What first drew me to the article was the phrase “Africa-Themed Duet”. I read on and I discovered that some parts of the dance piece didn’t seem very culturally accurate (including one part of the dance where rubber bands are thrown at the dancers).
It would be interesting to follow this story and see if the dance group can save their space and continue their unconventional work.
I was looking through the NYT Arts section when I found this article about an exhibit that just arrived in New York from Paris. The exhibit is called “Franz Xaver Messerschmidt 1736–1783: From Neoclacissism to Expressionism,” and it consists entirely of character heads. The first thing you will probably notice is how disturbing they are. Messerschmidt began working on these character heads when he developed an illness known at that time as “confusion of the head,” which caused him to have hallucinations until he became very paranoid. All of his character heads have a quality of mental disturbances, which I think makes his art so much more interesting.
Just by looking at his work, you can see that he was a very talented artist. There is so much detail present in his artwork that the character heads look life-like. But the combination of his art with Messerschmidt’s biography makes his character heads a more thought-provoking experience. The audience can sympathize with the artist by imagining what it was like to live with these hallucinations and this extreme paranoia. Because of this, I think visiting this exhibit, at the Neue Gallery through January 10, is a worthwhile trip.
I’m sure all of you have heard of the TV show Glee, that just premiere its second season on Tuesday. I love the show and am a totally Gleek. Glee uses a pretty wide variety of songs from popular music to broadway to old songs. They re-sing it and give a nice glee spin to it. So I was wondering how do songs that are re-sang compare to the original? Not only music, but many other things as well, such as movies or plays. I know that some people have the notion that the original is always better, and I don’t necessarily agree with that. For example, I happen to like many of the glee versions of the song better than the original ones, but there are cases where the original is better (LIke frozen yogurt, I like the original favor.) It’s like the dances we talked about in class the other day, and while traditional ballet isn’t called original ballet, it’s like the same thing, and I’m a person who prefers traditional ballet.
Here’s a video of Wicked’s Defying Gravity:
Here’s a video of Glee’s Defying Gravity:
How do you think the two songs compare? Original? Or not?
Voguing, a dance form characterized by an outside projection of fluid, yet strong and definite shapes. Named after the famous high couture publication, the form of dance was presented at the Whitney museum in Manhattan over the spring. Since I am a huge fan of vogue, I figured I would disregard the obvious outdated timestamp on the NY Times article from March in order to express my uncompromising love.
The article focused on the artist’s reworking and “reframing” of vogue, which has been around for 3 decades. Based around a single dancer, Newsome, who coordinated the installation, mainly concetrated his piece on a fairly recent form of vogue, called “vogue femme”.
“I like that style because it’s all about trying to portray this hyper-femininity,” he is quoted as saying.
Inspired by the 1990 film, “Paris Is Burning”, Mr. Newsome found his first “ball” (a vogue and drag competition) in New Orleans.
Unfortunately, the vogue installation at the Whitney only ran for a short time. If anyone is interested in attending a ball with me, please let me know! I’ve always wanted to share my love of vogue with others.
I happened to stumble across this video tonight while doing my usual YouTube surfing. Some of my fellow classmates have been discussing graffiti as a form of art, and I found this worth posting as an expansion on the idea.
BLU is an anonymous street artist whom resides and works in Europe. His art is very abstract, much like the graffiti we typically see. Yet, his work is more complex and innovative, combining two-dimensional paintings on walls and streets with nearby three-dimensional objects. The figures and creatures he creates are interesting visually, and how he animates them is fascinating conceptually. When you think about it, it’s astounding that one man painted each image by hand repeatedly to create a video over seven minutes long. Even if you don’t enjoy the artwork itself, it’s easy to acknowledge the time and patience dedicated to the creation and to appreciate the final product.
This is nothing you have ever seen in opera. On Septermber 27th, Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” will open at the Metropolitan Opera for the very first night and will introduce the first new “Ring” cycle in nearly a quarter century. Produced by Robert Lepage, this may be the most complicated production to ever be put on stage. What is so special about this particular set-up is the 45 ton structure composed of rotating planks and a rotating platform that the performers would have to keep balance while performing their pieces. It is obvious that Lepage is attempting to convey the advancement of technology since the last showing of the “Ring” Cycle many years ago.
The success of this new “Ring” Cycle is questionable because a lot of pressure from the MET’s budget deficits has given many the hope that this production will alleviate those issues. It was only after watching a video of how this new structure is going to be used during a performance that astounded me. The way the scenery and costumes will be set up as shown in the video looks amazing as well. Therefore, I, like many other critics might have to agree that this show will definitely be a success.
By far one of my favorite performance artists is Marina Abramović. I remember going to the MOMA to see her show, which was an interactive performance piece where she challenged her viewers to sit across from her for as long as they could. She sat in the same seat for hours staring directly into the eyes of her challenger and didn’t bulge. It was as if she were a statue.
I loved that piece because it was very unique and a bit quirky. After seeing this show, I searched up some of her past works and found that a lot of her art tests the relationship between the viewers/the performer and the body/the mind. These tests can sometimes involve a lot of pain. For example, her performance of Rhythm 0 involved many dangerous weapons. She assigned a passive role to herself and allowed the public to do whatever they wanted with 72 different objects placed on a table. Some of the objects gave pleasure, but many could inflict pain, such as scissors, a knife and even a gun and a single bullet. She then let the audience manipulate her body and she quickly learned that people could be cruel and aggressively. One person even took the gun and aimed it at her until another person intervened.
Her work takes art to a whole new level. Never before have I witnessed an artist put himself or herself in danger. However, I think her work is great because it really depicts human nature and how people can be either cruel or caring.
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I just watched a documentary film called “A Broad Way” which documented the events taking place all along Broadway during one hour of the day. While I was watching I thought to myself, “I must blog about this movie!” Its not a recent film (it was filmed in 2006) however the ideas and themes developed throughout the movie hold true today. From Harlem to Times Square, hundreds of filmmakers documented the daily lives of hundreds of individuals living in New York City. It is an extremely raw film and has a wonderfully authentic feel. 
