The Arts in NYC

I’ve been hopelessly trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, and I’ve started to become very interested in the world of Advertising. A family friend in the business has been giving me a little crash course about it and recommended I check out some ad websites. I stumbled upon two very interesting videos that aren’t necessarily promoting anything, but are incredibly intriguing. At first glance they both seem like the normal promos for two movies I’m sure we are all familiar with. One of them is Mary Poppins and the other The Shining. However, these promos have been tinkered and toyed with and they now seem to have switched genres. By merely splicing the videos in a certain manner, and adding particular music for the desired effect, Chris Rule was able to turn a movie about a magical cleaning lady into a chilling horror film, and one of the most famous and bone chilling horror flicks into a heart warming movie that the family can all enjoy. What Rule is doing here is similar to some of the ideas we have discussed in relation to cognition and emotion. Our brains are trained to associated certain feelings and emotions with certain sounds and images. If we are watching young children merrily playing, while also listening to dark and ominous music, our brains have to quickly try and make sense of what is happening. At least for me, I tend to use the music as my deciding factor(or at least my brain seems to). I don’t really understand the intricacies of music, but I can generally tell what is a “happy piece” and what is a “sad piece.” Although I can understand music in more complex emotions, I think it’s easier in this case to have two extreme categories. While, images can definitely evoke particular emotions, if the music has a distinct mood it can mold and shape the images being watched in order make them conform to its feeling. I think it’s extremely fascinating to see things that we are familiar with(ie: Mary Poppins or The Shining), have a completely different feeling when the environment and context in which they are being experienced are altered.

A “Horrified”Mary Poppins

The Shining 🙂

Playing piano is difficult enough as it is, requiring years of practice to be truly good at it. Now try playing the piano upside down and backwards, and you’ve got yourself a very difficult task. The MoMA has recently opened an exhibit of Allora and Calzadilla called “Stop, Repair, Prepare” where a pianist is placed into a hole made in a baby grand piano and plays. Aside from playing in this odd position, the piano was placed on wheels and the pianist has been choreographed to move the piano in certain directions and with different intended movements. There are 5 rotating pianists who play Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, otherwise known as “Ode to Joy”. The hole carved out of the piano, which is a Bechstein make, causes the loss of 2 octaves of notes, so all that can be heard when a note from those octaves is played is a “percussive thump”. Calzadilla and Allora’s pieces of art usually have extremely symbolic underpinnings. In this particular showcase, pianist and piano form an intimate relationship, becoming closer than ever. As Roberta Smith of the NY Times put it, “The concentrated embrace of musician and instrument is more intense and exclusive than in normal performance.” Because of the difficulty of the task in playing upside down and backwards, the pianists are often required to make minor note changes to the piece by their own free will. Smith said of the piece, “‘Stop, Repair, Prepare’ destabilizes all kinds of conventions, expectations and relationships. The music is often muffled and fragmented, the players prone to error…Precariousness ensues; things teeter on the brink of disintegration. Chaos, Romanticism’s energy source, threatens or titillates.” Ode to Joy was also used intentionally because of its history and familiarity. Ode to Joy has been used as an anthem for Rhodesia, prone to apartheid, and was noted as one of Hitler’s favorite pieces of music, to name a few of its histories.

If only this exhibit would have been installed a few months ago, it would’ve been a nice addition to our outing at the MoMA. I think that this really does take music and art to a new level, and I particularly love how premeditated the symbolism of the piece was. It adds true depth to understanding and appreciating it.

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Recently a posthumous (after death) album of entirely new Michael Jackson songs was released. “Michael” is the first of what many believe to be several “new” Michael Jackson albums to be released in the coming years. The album already has a lot less material than many of his other albums. Also people believe the songs were released in ways that Jackson himself would not have necessarily approved of. This raises the question of whether this is a way to release music for listeners all over the world to enjoy or simply a rushed attempt at making a profit off of the death of one of the most influential and controversial artists of recent years. It is not possible to know how Jackson himself would have went about releasing a new album but it is clear that the material he recorded that was used for “Michael” has been edited and toyed with, obviously without his approval. “Michael” is considered beneath the level of many other Michael Jackson albums. With that Sony, the company who now holds a lot of unreleased Jackson recordings and rough edits, is faced with a decision. Either they can release the versions that Jackson personaly weighed in on while he was alive, or they can continue to mix and edit as they please. Personally I think they should not mess around with what he did while he was alive. Imagine if someone painted over the Mona Lisa because they thought it would make it better. We all learned the rule as kids, if it’s not yours don’t touch it without permission.

To read the New York Times article check here.

In class on Monday, Professor Smaldone was telling us about a lecture done by Steve Martin at the 92nd Street Y. He told us that the crowd was not pleased because they were expecting a funny performance, and shockingly, in return, the 92nd Street Y offered the whole audience a refund. I happened to find several articles online about the controversy over this lecture. Steve Martin, as expected, was very offended by this. Sol Adler, the executive director at the Y, issued an apology to Martin, saying, “We realize now that offering a refund, especially without consulting with our guests who graciously gave of their time, was disrespectful. We have learned our lesson, and this will not happen again.”

When the Y offered its patrons a refund, they were just thinking about trying to smooth things over after this “disappointing” performance. They failed to recognize how it might be upsetting to Martin, and it certainly was. It was a live conversation; just because Martin didn’t talk about what the audience was expecting, doesn’t mean they should get their money back. He was not assigned to make the audience laugh by his wittiness. I think it was wrong and disrespectful to give the audience back their money just because they didn’t particularly enjoy the lecture. I’ve been to concerts that I didn’t find to be the best but I didn’t request my money back. In what other live performances do you get your money back, just because you didn’t enjoy it?

Here are some articles about the issue, if anyone is interested:
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3

It seems as though every once and a while someone blogs about “art and science.” Another common theme has been “art and food.” So i figure why not blog about “art and science and food.” Art is something that can be experienced and appreciated on many different levels. Part of this experience and its multifaceted nature can be due to the art stimulating multiple senses. Looking at visual art(whether a movie or something like the microscopic art I blogged about earlier), while music is simultaneously being played not only can raise the quality of each art form, but it can make you feel as though you are being completely engulfed by creative fusion. Being able to physically feel something with your

Scrambled Egg Ravioli

hands, while at the same time connecting to it on an intellectual level is another way art’s complexity can be felt. So how about appreciating the beauty of an artistic creation, witnessing a creation that was made possible by scientific

and technological innovation, and being able to PUT THAT MASTERPIECE IN

YOUR MOUTH AND EAT IT ? I love

watching Food Network(as I’ve told you all before) and one of my favorite chef’s is a creative genius, his name is Wylie Dufresne. Dufresne is currently one of the most prominent American molecular gastronomists. He approaches every dish, both well known favorites as well as odd combonations, with the mind of artist and scientist. I can’t even begin to explain some of the techniques he uses. Just know that one of his creations is “cold fried chicken” where he somehow is able to make a piece of chicken that is hot and

The Amazing Cold Fried Chicken

fried on the exterior but when you bite into it, it’s chilled. He was inspired by leftover fried chicken, and wanted to somehow concoct a way to infuse both temperature qualities in to one dish. He also likes to work with liquid nitrogen, which allows him to quick freeze substances that under normal conditions would never freeze. It’s almost as if he’s toying with the rules of nature. All of this creativity and he manages to create enticing and delicious food(or so I’ve heard), he truly is an “Einstein of Edible.” You can check out other examples of molecular gastronomy online like edible cocktails that have been treated with liquid nitrogen as well.

Ricotta and Honey Dessert

The Website of Dufresne’s Lower East Side Restaurant wd-50
wd-50 promo

Recently a popular Cuban band has been permitted to play in New York. Ever since Obama has cut back on trade and visa restrictions with Cuba, Los Van Van, the jazz/funk fusion band has been trying to tour for its American followers. Last year these very restrictions caused the cancellation of an American performance. The three night, New York leg of Los Van Van’s tour quickly sold out because of a large cuban following here. According to the New York Times the performance so far has been below the standards the band has been held to. This ties directly into the idea we discussed in class about how a big name may not necessarily be the most talent. Amount of fame doesn’t directly translate to amount of talent. It was said that the performance lacked luster and many songs seemed to be copied from popular tunes. They were compared to the Rolling Stones. I feel this is appropriate. The Rolling Stones are one of the most popular bands of all time. However, around the same time The Rolling Stones peaked in popularity, there were many bands who were far more talented waiting for a break. Los Van Van is a big name among Cuban music. It is a shame that, with such limited appearances in America, they don’t bring every ounce of energy to the table in every performance. On a different note, I am personally happy about the slack that Obama is putting in the Cuban trade relations because, even tho Los Van Van may be falling short of expectations, there are a lot Cuban musicians who are spectacular. The music culture and history in Cuba is very influential and I say the more we can get of that in America the better.

Judge for yourself by checking out Los Van Van here.

“We live in a world obsessed with image. What we look like, what out clothes look like, houses, cars…” This is a statement made by artist Nick Veasey. He is x-ray photographer whose main goal is highlight inner beauty. He believes x-rays strips away the obsession with superficial appearances.

To create his photos, he constructed a building that looks like a black box. He creates most of his work there in order to contain the radiation. Inside the box, there are several different x-ray machines and a film processor. The items that are to be x-rayed are placed on a lead floor or wall and film is placed under or behind it. The x-rays that pass through the subject is what makes that image on the film.

He also uses x-rays to mock the gadgets used in airports and security. Nowadays, we can’t go anywhere without being surveillanced. His work therefore, is a comment about that.

Here are some of his photos:

Recently a show, curated by Trombone Shorty, a jazz musician from New Orleans, hit the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The two night run of the concert, which was primarily a jazz show, featured such acclaimed artists as Marc Broussard, Ivan Neville, Kermit Ruffins, and brass bands, the Dirty Dozen and Rebirth. The stage was decorated in a Mardi Gras style and a constant video of New Orleans scenery was running on a backdrop throughout the show. The friday night concert which was three hours and change was meant to raise money for AIDS research for NO/AIDS Task Force. A New Orleans based charity. The show also proves that even after a disaster as devastating as Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans music scene soldiers on and is even getting stronger.

Here is a link to Hurricane Season by Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue

While you consider the frustration and anxiety of preparing for the final exam, you should take some comfort in the fact that my exam will do more to prepare you for the real world than a simpler exam of short answers and definitions.  See this blog post.

and this article:

Of course, being an artist and getting your art out there into the world is not an easy task. Struggling artists are pretty much a staple of New York City. Well, Jacob Lewis and Dana Goodyear made it easier for one group of artists to get their work out there. Figment.com is a new website where young writers can get their work out there for others to read. It is a user generated content site designed for any type of literature postings. Its actually a pretty fun site.

Ok, I don’t know the reaction I’ll get to this but I’ll say it anyway. My friend recently made me a tumblr account and demanded I at least give the site a shot. tumblr.com is basically a huge blog site where people can “follow” other people and create one massive “feed” of posts. Now you can tailor your tumblr to anything you like by choosing who you follow. If you want poetry you can follow users who post poems, if you want art you can follow users who post photography or visual art. Since the site is user generated it is an essentially unlimited supply of culture streaming through. (ok, true, some people just use tumblr to post funny online videos and pictures but you can tailor the tumblr to whatever you’d like).

An article in today’s paper talks about the re-release of a film about the Nazi Holocaust called “Shoah.” The article makes specific references to the movies “Life is Beautiful” and “Schindler’s List” two other highly acclaimed films on the same subject. How do the intentions of each film intersect with our current (i.e. Final Exam Essay) discussion of high art vs. low art and the relationship of the art to the audience? click here to read the article:.

Here are two clips from the film. this is not light stuff.

Have you guys ever seen the music video for Katy Perry’s California Gurls? It features a candy wonderland with cotton candy clouds and chocolate rivers. If you watch the whole video, you can see that it is very artistically done. The various creatures and buildings that are shown in the video, such as the candy cane snakes, are very creative ideas:

While listening to the song on the T.V. on day, I watched a behind-the-scenes shows about the video and found out that it was based on the artwork of Will Cotton, an American painter that now lives in New York City. His work mainly features landscapes composed of sweets that are often inhabited by humans.

His work is largely influenced by pop culture and advertisement icons, such as the Candy Land board game or the Nestle Bunny. When Katy Perry came across his work, she approached him and asked if she could use his ideas. Cotton then created original props for the set, that you will see in the video. He is also the designer for her album cover.

I chose to blog about this because I feel like the art world and the technological/ pop culture world are becoming more closely related. I think this is because artist know what interests the majority of today’s youth. That’s why on Youtube, we continuously see artists covering popular songs in order to get more views. It’s interesting to see how the art world has evolved.

Here’s some images of Cotton’s Work: