Remembering Tragedy Through Art

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Katherine Roszkowski

The events of September 11th affected all New Yorkers, some more than others. But NYC has never witnessed such a tragedy as the terrorist attacks that happened on that day. Because it was such an enormous tragedy, September 11th has become almost synonymous with strength and spirit of New Yorkers. Therefore, a lot of art in New York City is reflective of the events of that day, and the many days that followed, when New Yorkers were trying to heal and get their lives back to normal, even though they would never be the same.

The Responders At Work

There is an exhibition currently at the New York City Police Musuem, called “Artist as Witness: The 9/11 Responders,” which focuses on the events that took place long after the attacks. The exhibition consists of 25 sketches and watercolors by Aggie Kenny. Kenny was a courtroom artist when she decided to take her sketchbook to the ground zero site during the Spring 2002 World Trade Center Recovery Operation. She didn’t take any photographs for reference and instead just sketched what she saw. Kenny explains, “After the attacks on 9/11, I was compelled to visit the site with my sketchbook. Sketching the scenes of the aftermath was my attempt to comprehend in incomprehensible.”

Exhausted Responders Resting

Kenny’s sketches focus on the responders, during both heroic and mundane moments. In her sketches, she captures the intense focus and strength of the responders, as well as their exhaustion. I think it’s important to see this exhibit to get a sense of what the responders had to go through. I can only imagine how exhausted, both mentally and physically, the responders must have been everyday after having to sift through all this dark, incomprehensible tragedy. I think that this exhibit can also provide at least some closure to the people who lost their loved ones on September 11th, and is an example of how art can heal. Through Aggie Kenny’s sketches and watercolors, we can honor the brave 9/11 responders, as well as the people who lost their lives on that tragic day.

Official Site

Posted in Visual Arts | 1 Comment

Wagner at Symphony Space

Posted on November 29, 2010 by NA

Das Rheingold

In my music history class, we were recently discussing Richard Wagner and his grand German operas. A particular work of his that we studied was Der Ring des Nibelungen, which translates to “The Ring of the Nibelung.” This piece contains four operas total, and is thus classified as a song cycle. In song cycles, pieces of music must be performed in a certain arrangement in order to tell a story fully and correctly.

The first part of the cycle, Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold), was recently performed live in Milan last December, and was shown as a film on Sunday at Symphony Space. The second and fourth divisions of the cycle – Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) and Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods) – will be shown at the same venue later this December (if you are interested in seeing these operas, click here for information). Of course, the operas cannot be performed together all at once; Wagner’s song cycle in total is approximately 15 hours!

Wagner, whom composed both the music and the libretto, claimed that this piece is a fine example of Gesamtkunstwerk, which is a term he created in order to describe artistic pieces that included multiple types of creativity. These expressions include theater, dance, music, and the visual arts, which explains why this blog is tagged in multiple categories. The German composer knew how to combine artistic styles very well. He assigned many characters, objects, and places with leitmotifs; these are musical themes that specify and associate with particular ideas, and that sound in the background as the said ideas are mentioned. In this way, the music and the text interact intimately and both add to the drama unfolding on stage.

A synopsis of Das Rheingold can be read here.

Posted in Dance, Music, Theater, Visual Arts | 1 Comment

Slash Paintings

Posted on November 29, 2010 by ToniAnn Fanizzi

Matthew Chambers has been known to use many interesting materials to create some of his artwork.  Some of the art premiered over a year ago at the Rental Gallery consisted of works made using hamburgers, cats, and glass bottles.  The most interesting artwork there, perhaps, were those which was made up of “strips of canvases deemed beyond help or hope.”  These pieces, called “slash paintings” are comprised solely of things that would normally be thrown in the trash, which, as Chambers feels provides, “the perfect testament to the old adage, out of failure comes success.”  He takes the old and ugly, and transforms it into something new and beautiful.

(Sorry the picture is so tiny! It wouldn’t let me make it any larger.)  This picture especially reminds me of the artist’s work who made pictures using chewed gum.  And the idea is the same–taking something that most people would discard as garbage and using it to create something very cool.  It seems as if I could have done something like this, but maybe it takes one person to come up with the idea first, and coming up with that idea in itself is a work of artistic genius.

Chamber’s most recent art exhibit at Untitled (on Orchard Street) features 36 vertical four-by-eight canvases of the slash paintings.  This show differs from the last in that there are two large books upon entering the exhibit that explain each piece in detail.  They tell the story behind each of Chamber’s works, providing insight into his creative mind.

Posted in Visual Arts | 1 Comment

Video Art Pioneer

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Alexa Lempel

I’ve recently found myself getting pretty interested in how physical structures can be used to store information.  It’s a concept that features heavily in everything form computer science to genetics and neurobiology, and its really an all around fascinating topic.  As far as relating to our art blog goes, during my most recent session of internet browsing on the topic I discovered that one of the pioneers of video art based her first pieces on precisely this idea.

Beryl Korot, an artist (and Guggenheim Fellow), has been a leading figure in the field of video art since the early 1970s, and was co-editor of Radical Software (1970), the first publication to discuss extensively the possibilities of the new video technology as a   medium for art.  Among other things, her work tends to focus on exploring the structural relationship between the ancient technology of the loom and computer programming.  Her most recent exhibit, Beryl Korot: Text/Weave/Line, Video 1977-2010 is currently running at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut. 

Her most famous piece is Text and Commentary (1977), clips of which can be seen in the video interview below.

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Black Swan

Posted on November 29, 2010 by bweinstein


Swan Lake is by far one of the most well known and most beloved ballet performances to have ever hit the stage. Even in our own Arts class we have seen a few clips of ballerinas mastering the art of ballet, specifically that of Swan Lake. A new movie is in the works, called Black Swan, featuring Natalie Portman as the lead role of Nina, which is a psychological thriller based on the ballet Swan Lake. Ms. Portman discusses the incredible amounts of work that she was required to put in even before the movie began filming. Almost a year in advance, Portman began training with Mary Helen Bowers, a former dancer with City Ballet. Even after strenuous workouts and months of formal ballet training, a body double was required to do difficult point work and turns. Portman, who took ballet until she was thirteen years old when she began acting, says that, “I really thought I was better than I was. It was a rude awakening to get there, and to be, like, I don’t know what I’m doing. If I had known how not close to ready I

Ms. Portman trains with New York City ballet principal and choreographer, Benjamin Millepied.

was, I never would have tried it. I’m glad I was a little ignorant slash arrogant.” Mila Kunis, who is Portman’s rival in the movie, says that for her it was also quite close to impossible to be able to master the art of ballet is such sort time, as opposed to balletrinas who begin at a very young age and never stop training until the end of their careers. She referred to her experience as “ballet on crack.” Ballerinas must look graceful and weightless and make ballet appear effortless, when in reality, ballerinas strain every muscle in their body to look that way. Portman said, “The contrast between what you see onstage and what is underneath is part of the resonance of this film. That it’s supposed to look easy and painless and carefree and light and delicate and just pretty, and underneath it’s, like, really gruesome.” Actress Emily Blunt, who will also star in a movie about ballet as a member of a real troupe, the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, says that it’s extremely hard as an actress to pull off the task of pretending to transform into a ballerina because you don’t want to misrepresent the brilliance of what these dancers do. Portman trained with some of the best dancers in the ballet world including Kurt Froman, Jock Soto and Marina Stavitskaya, the ballet mistress Olga Kostritzky and the beloved coach Georgina Parkinson, who recently passed away. Portman also watched various YouTube clips of Swan Lake Queens such as Alicia Alonso and Natalia Makarova. At the end of the article Ms. Portman makes a beautiful analogy to describe the physical and mental sacrifices she was required to put in in order to complete her role. She said, “It was very religious in my mind. The ritual of, like, breaking in your point shoes and getting them soft, all of that, it’s almost like tefillin wrapping in Judaism, this thing you do every day, this ritual.”

I think this will be an extremely interesting movie to see in terms of whether or not the actresses were able to pull off the ability to appear like prima ballerinas in only a few short months. Ballet requires talent and loads of hard work and I think that is why this movie is already creating Oscar-buzz.

Posted in Dance | 1 Comment

Miracle on 34th Street, Literally

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Samuel Nathanson

I was in the city yesterday for an AMAZING Michael Buble concert, but that’s not what I’m talking about. My mom and I were walking up and down 7th ave looking for a restaurant and passes the Macys on 34th street. The window theme this year is, you guessed it, Miracle on 34th Street. The windows displayed iconic scenes from the movie and the irony did not escape me that Macys is on 34th street. My mom and the other tourists around me didn’t find it as amusing.
I found this to be art. I mean, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of tourists see these windows every year. Something intentionally seen by that many people of course takes a lot of planning and is very beautiful. Here are some pictures of this year’s windows

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The Super Bowl’s Going Young Again

Posted on November 29, 2010 by dharamati

Ah the Super Bowl, what an amazing night:football, food, friends,commercials(for some the main attraction), and old guys performing during halftime. That is until this past Friday when the NFL announced that the Black Eyed Peas will be performing at “The Big Game(XLV=45) this year. Personally I haven’t minded the league’s attempts to ensure that another Janet Jackson-esque fiasco doesn’t happen again by choosing artists whose ages hover around a half century. The performances by The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, The Boss, and Prince have been exciting and entertaining even though my little brother and his friends have had no idea who they were. I love all types of music but I can’t say that I would choose these artists while listening on my iPod. I tend to gravitate towards newer more pop infused songs when in the iPod mood. The halftime shows of recent years have reminded me why I love these artists and that I should broaden my musical horizon. I also have found it interesting to see older performers juxtaposed to the immense technology and pyrotechnics used during the Super Bowl’s halftime shows. This wasn’t always case. Many people don’t know it but up until the early 90’s the halftime performers were usually various college marching bands. Only after New Kids on the Block performed in 1991 and Michael Jackson in 1993 did pop musicians become the focus. I guess the league has either ran out of “old people” or that the possible revenue that they can make by using a band like the Black Eyed Peas is worth risking a possible wardrobe malfunction. This is perfect timing for the BEP, whose new album is being released on Tuesday, because The Who’s performance last year was seen by around 153 million people. I don’t hate The Black Eyed Peas’ music and often find it annoyingly stuck in my head, but I kind of wish the NFL chose a performer that I don’t hear every single day on the radio. In the end the Super Bowl is going to be about my Giants winning anyway and the commercials and halftime show are just added “gravy” for the hero I’ll be eating.

Here’s a link to 10 of the most famous halftime performances(including the infamous 2004 Janet and JT show)
enjoy

Highlights of the Giants 2007 victory(I’m sure you will enjoy as much as I did…especially David)
Go G-Men!

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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Posted on November 29, 2010 by nzeblisky

Beginning December 1st and ending January 2nd, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company will be returning to New York City and performing at City Center Mainstage.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, it is a dance company that began in 1958 from a performance at the 92nd Street Y, a place we are all familiar with by now.  It was founded by…you guessed it… dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey.
Since then, the company has performed for an estimated 23 million people.   They have traveled to 48 states, and performed in 71 different countries.

In 1969, the company established a dance school and in 1974, they established a program for younger professional dancers called Ailey II.  The company has become quite famous over the years, and has earned a reputation as “one of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.”  The artistic director of the dance company today is now Judith Jamison.

This holiday season, the Alvin Ailey dance company is going to be performing 9 premieres and new productions of works by Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Camille A. Brown, Geoffrey Holder, Christopher Huggins and Judith Jamison. In addition, for one week, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will join Ailey for a live music collaboration.  Throughout the season, the dancers will be performing Revelations, one of Alvin Ailey’s original choreographed pieces.  If anyone is interesting in learning more, here is the Alvin Ailey site and here is the site to purchase tickets.

Below, is clips from the different parts of a performance of Revelations.

Posted in Dance | 1 Comment

Houdini: Art and Magic

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Katherine Roszkowski

One of Houdini's props, which remain shut.

There is an exhibition currently being held at the Jewish Museum called “Houdini: Art and Magic.” It’s about (you guessed it), the most famous magician of all time, Houdini. When I first heard of this exhibition, I was curious about what it would consist of. Would they display all of Houdini’s props and reveal the secrets to how he was able to perform such wild stunts and mind-blowing tricks? Out of respect for the artist and his crafts, the boxes and cartons (which obviously contain trick compartments, like all other magicians’ props) are kept shut, so that the audience can still think of the mysterious Houdini with awe and wonder.

Houdini

An interesting aspect of the exhibit is that it focuses on Houdini’s magic, as well as his personal life and how he was affected by it. His diary, which is also on display, reveals how upset he was with the deaths of his parents, and how he wanted to contact the spirits of them. During a seance in which his mother was contacted, Houdini was very skeptical, because his mother would never have sent a message in English, because she didn’t even speak the language. He hoped that magic was real, as he kept attending seances, but he was also very critical and didn’t just accept the idea of it.

I think it would be really interesting to see this exhibit because it actually explores Houdini as a person instead as opposed to a performer. He was great at his craft, and is considered to be the best magician of all time, but how much do we know about his thoughts and emotions and how they influenced his work?

Houdini: Art and Magic is currently at the Jewish Museum until March 27, 2011.
NY Times Article

Posted in Visual Arts | 1 Comment

Series For the Arts

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Praveena Persaud

Reading this very short description in the New York Times, it appears that the second season of a certain series will premiere online March 1st. A documentary series, to be precise, titled “Made Here,” which “chronicles the lives of performing artists in New York.”  The goal of this online series (according to the director Chiara Clemente and the producer Tanya Selvaratnam) is to inspire support for the arts.  Something interesting to note though, is that this documentary series seems to be based solely on performing artists only.

Financed in part by the Rockerfeller Foundation, this series began last spring. It focuses on what an artist needs in order to survive in New York City (real estate, technology, day jobs, etc). In the second season aspects of the career in New York City such as money, longevity, and inspiration will be discussed.

Something interesting to note is that this documentary series seems to be aimed primarily at performing artists. What about other types of artists? Looking at it from this point of view, it seems that the filmmakers are trying to encourage others to pursue the arts as a career. I know that there are people out there that would like an art-centered career, but are concerned about how to make a stable living out of this. Performing on stage is one thing, but what about those that want to pursue art in another form off the stage? This series is very clear in the beginning that it focuses on the performing arts. On their main-page (their website can be viewed at http://www.madehereproject.org/), it states in a big font size, “MADE HERE is a documentary series devoted to the challenging lives of performing artists in New York City.” So sorry to anyone else hesitating to make a living out of any other art form.

If they could perhaps expand their series so that performing artists, musicians, abstract expressionists, or whatever kinds of artists can vouch for their career, then I would find this an excellent idea. However, as it stands now, it’s just a good thought that focuses specifically on one type of art. Maybe different online series for the different kinds of arts?

I wish I could embed the trailer for the second season, but I can’t! But if you click the link above and go to their main-page, it has the trailer right there!

Also, I found this older New York Times Article which discusses the series, just in case the more recent one was too short!

Posted in Theater, Visual Arts | 1 Comment

The Bukowski Project

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Erica Gailing

As I have mentioned earlier on the blog, the joining (in any way) of music and writing excites me because they are two things that I hold close to my heart. While perusing the NY Times music reviews, I found something that did just this–a woman performing the works of a poet using music as part of the delivery (Review is here). Ute Lemper is a German Cabaret singer and actress who has been noted for interpreting the writings of Kurt Weill and has taken on a new project to “journey through the poetry of Charles Bukowski” as described by her.

This journey is called “The Bukowski Project” and consists of Lemper passionately putting her whole emotion into the readings of his poems, which are extremely dark and looming about what the future brings. Then, after reading a poem, there is music played of Lemper’s by the jazz/rock trio: pianist Vana Gierig, bassist Steve Millhouse and drummer Todd Turkisher. This is a very interesting and odd combination for a trio; in my head, trio always automatically means cello, piano and violin. I would like to hear the music that is paired with these works by Burkowski, who wrote extensively about the end of the world in one of the poems named “Dinosauria, We.” He writes “Dante’s inferno will be made to look like a children’s playground/The sun will not be seen and it will always be night.” There is a multitude of ways that this can be expressed via music and I wonder how Lemper has chosen to compose for this sort of grave thinking.

I couldn’t find the performance because it was done this past weekend at a pub in the East Village but I found the two aspects that the performance up: here is the video of the author speaking the poem “Dinosauria, we” is here and is quite a performance in itself! Then, watch a clip of Lemper performing one of Weill’s works here. Can you imagine how intense Lemper’s version of Bukowski must have been?

Posted in Music | 2 Comments

3-D Film, but 2-D Theater

Posted on November 29, 2010 by David Rand

Avatar in 3-D!! Shrek in 3-D!! Kung Fu Panda in 3-D!! Over the past few years, filmmakers have increasingly attempted to make the jump to the third dimension. It seems like half of the previews out there today are for 3-D movies. People wear those thick black 3-D glasses so often that it has even become a fashion statement to wear them out on the streets. However, while cutting edge technology has carried many films into an additional dimension, new technology on Broadway has seemingly taken live theater back to the second dimension. As I was reading this, I thought the same thing that may be on your mind right now: What in the world does that mean that Broadway is now in 2-D? Have the actors become South Park-like cardboard cutouts?

Well, obviously not. The 2-D aspect of theater isn’t referring as much to the actors themselves as it is to the sets around them. In the past, Broadway shows took great pride in their elaborately designed sets, with extremely realistic props and enormous backgrounds that took a great deal of artistic ability to create. As we discussed in class, the set itself impacts how we judge theater performances. In the Iolanthe performance at Pace University’s theater, there was a very simple set. Nevertheless, various aspects of it, including the flags and the design on the floor, impacted our appreciation for the operetta. Recently, a trend has begun to emerge on Broadway, where sets are leaving behind the traditional physical sets that we are accustomed to seeing, and using digital projections instead. Hence, the 2-D classification of a live Broadway show.

Although projections aren’t entirely new to theater, lately they have become much more common. Do you think that digital sets enhance theatrical performance as whole more than they take away from it? Do you want this trend to become more mainstream or do you feel that it diminishes the tangible nature of experiencing a truly live show?

Read The New York Times article

Posted in Theater | 1 Comment

Wu Man

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Shirley Mak

Remember the Pipa soloist in the Year of China Concert?  Wu Man is coming out with her new CD, called “Immeasurable Light”.  According to the  New York Times article, her new CD includes ancient Asian traditional melodies (from the Tang Dynasty), which were notated by a university professor (ethnomusicologist) from ancient tablatures.  Wu Man takes these melodies, which weren’t notated by pitch but rather fingering, and adds her own compositions to it.  The Kronos Quartet is a frequent collaborator with Wu Man, and they are in “Immeasurable Light” as well.  And kind of in reference to Susan’s post about guitar slapping, Wu Man uses her pipa in various ways to imitate sounds of a gong, cymbal, and wood block.  She also sings in this album.
Wu Man was the first person to earn a Master’s in pipa from the Central Conservatory in Music of China.  She made her way up from Chinatown to Carnegie Hall after arriving in New York without speaking a word of English.  That is very admirable, and I think it’s really cool that she was able to go so far with pipa, which isn’t a traditional western instrument.  The article mentions that she has played bluegrass and jazz too, which I found interesting.  Another interesting thing is that in addition to Bright Sheng, Evan Ziporyn, the composer whose pieces we heard at Le Poisson Rouge, has also composed a song for Wu Man.

Posted in Music | 2 Comments

Jeremy Penn

Posted on November 28, 2010 by nzeblisky

As I am now beginning to appreciate artwork more than I used to, I decided to look up artists in New York City for my next blog and the first one I stumbled upon really intrigued me. I’m not really sure what his artwork genre would be classified as, but Jeremy Penn has a lot of pieces on his site that I really liked. It is said that his lust for understanding the mind’s interpretations have been inspiration for his recent work and that he is known for “his use of color, materials, and familiar faces in order to elicit an emotional response”. I can definitely agree with that statement. Before I read the about section on his site, I was thinking to myself that you can really see the emotion he put into some of his paintings.

Penn has had his work exhibited internationally and in particular, in NYC, in the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2009 he was the “Featured Artist” for New York’s first Freedom Week, and in 2010, he was awarded the ADEX Gold Medal, the ASFD’s Pinnacle Award, and the Peace Maker Award for his painting “War Child”, which I’ll post below. If anyone is interested in learning more, here is his site.

War Child

^ Some of the variety of Penn’s work
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The Legendary Frank Sinatra

Posted on November 28, 2010 by ToniAnn Fanizzi

Frank Sinatra has always been known as one of the greats, and his music has been present in my household for as long as I can remember.  You can imagine my excitement when I saw a New York Times article featuring a biography on Sinatra himself!  The biography (and the article) praise Sinatra, referring to him as “The Voice That Has Thrilled Millions.”  Author of the biography, James Kaplan wrote about how Sinatra’s drive and ambition are the two main factors that allowed him to become so great.  He learned so much so quickly by watching and studying with people such as Gene Kelly, Montgomery Clift, and Bing Crosby.  When Sinatra attended a performance by violinist Jascha Heifetz, he was amazed at how fluid Heifetz was able to play the lines, not breaking any phrases whatsoever.  But of all Sinatra’s role models, Kaplan claims that trombone player Tommy Dorsey was the most influential.  From Dorsey, Sinatra learned the importance of singing all the way through a line, not taking a breath until the phrase ended.  This feature of Sinatra’s singing gave his words meaning and feeling, and became a big part of why so many people loved him.

Professor Smaldone pointed out how excellent Sinatra’s diction is.  One never has a problem understanding the words to a song when sung by Sinatra.  Kaplan touches on this fact in his biography as well.  He called Sinatra’s diction “another crucial contribution to the magic”, and he couldn’t be more right.  Like Professor Smaldone mentioned in class, Sinatra never leaves off the ending of a word, yet he does not overdo it.  He creates a perfect blend of sound that allows for a clear pronunciation and easy understanding.  Listen to the following clip and allow yourself to be immersed in the wonderful crooning of the legendary Frank Sinatra.

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Kubilai Khan

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Lara Porter

“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/a stately pleasure-dome decree”. This famous opening line of the Coleridge poem that also opened “Citizen Kane” used to be pretty much all I knew about the great Khubilai Khan. Then I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and all that changed. “The World of Khubilai Khan” exhibit was an amazing and comprehensive view of life in China during the Yuan Dynasty. I learned this year in my History and Civilization of Islam class that Mongol Empire brought together formerly isolated cultures under one rule, specifically Chinese and Persian. This is brought to life in the exhibit that features every possible form of art found in archeological digs.

For example, this is a picture of a tombstone written on one side in Arabic and the other side in Chinese.

The religious part of the tombstone is written in Arabic, reflecting the Muslim Mongols living in China. The other side lists official name and ranking of the deceased in Chinese, signifying the specific location and culture of the region. For more interesting information on this piece check out the exhibit website.

I thought that this exhibit was spectacular for two reasons. One was the obvious pairing of history and art, which seems a to reflect a larger curatorial theme in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All throughout the museum there is this sense of art being celebrated for both its aesthetic

and historical significance. Each piece in this exhibit was explained in both its historical and artistic context. The significance of the  specific style of calligraphy piece was described in great detail to ensure the utmost clarity.

This leads to me to the second reason for my deep admiration. I was totally blown about by the deep attention to detail employed by the curator, James Watt (also known as Qu Zhiren). The exhibit is organized into different comprehensive categories. The sections each make up their own room and are then divided by subcategory. The sections are made up of Daily Life, Religious Life, Paintings and Calligraphy, Decorative Arts and Textiles.

The exhibit is running until January 2nd. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in art, history or Eastern culture.

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Slappin’ the Bass

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Susan Xu

Has anyone ever watched the movie August Rush? If you have, you probably remember this scene:

The boy in the video is guitar slapping, which is technique used by many musicians. You’ve all probably heard about slap bass before because it has been around for much longer, since at least the 1920s (it became popular later on in the 1940s). It often combines plucking, muting and slapping of the bass strings and body. Slap bass is used because it provides a “strong downbeat when the string is plucked and a strong back beat when it slaps back onto the fingerboard of the bass.” The noise that is created is very percussive and is great for a lot of dance music and forms of funk/disco. If you recall the show we went to at the 92st Y, the bassist, Victor Wooten, sometimes used the technique.

Now it is spreading over to guitar players. Guitar slapping has become much more popular and you can see it being used by a lot of different artists, such as Kaki King:

In this video, you can see how she combines a variety of slap bass techniques in order to create a beat groove. It often sounds as if two or three instruments are simultaneously playing.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Music and Spirituality: Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Alyssa Blumenthal

This past October, Lincoln Center introduced the White Light Festival, a new annual fall festival which focuses on “music’s transcendent capacity to illuminate our larger interior universe”.

The Festival aims to explore the spiritual dimension of music. Performances throughout the series span many differing cultural and musical traditions. Instead of concentrating on these differences however, the Lincoln Center staff has formatted this festival to stress the similarities and to allow its patrons “to experience moments of connection and wholeness in an increasingly frenetic and fragmented world”.

The Festival has sparked a whole thread of commentary, accessible online through the New York Times’ Arts Beat Blog.

Music for me certainly has a very spiritual element. I was privileged in high school to sing with HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir and work with some phenomenal musicians and conductors who focused on both musicality and Judaism’s connection to music. Jewish texts took on new meaning and I learned about the intricacies of music and text to song associations.

Through my time with HaZamir, I grew both spiritually and musically.

I think this Festival is a wonderful thing and I hope that it enhances lives as my experiences with HaZamir have enhanced mine. And though I am upset that I am first learning about it now, I’ve already added the Second Annual White Light Festival to my calendar for next fall.

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A Great Artist That I’ve Never Heard Of: Robert Rauschenburg at Gagosian Gallery

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Praveena Persaud

I was browsing a New York Times Article, and it spoke of an artist by the name of Robert Rauscheburg who passed away a few years ago. And the author of this article put the artist in such an amazing light that I was tempted to read on about him. Robert Rauschenburg (1925- 2008) made over 6,000 pieces of artwork from the years 1950- 2007, no two pieces being the same. He slid in and out from different styles, and used different mediums and sources of inspiration to make his art. Not only that, but in the 1980s Rauschenburg created the “Rauschenburg Overseas Cultural Interchange.” He gave grant money and funds so that artists and large scale projects could be able to make art. Robert Rauschenburg believed that “if he, or we, or anyone could just produce enough art, then art and life would be the same thing, and the world would change for the better.”

That’s what captivated me about this article. I’ve heard many philosophies on how life can be improved, ideas that range from genocide to using love as the answer to everything. I’ve never heard a philosophy that states that by making art a prominent aspect of your life, life becomes art, therefore life becomes better. I may not entirely agree with it at this point but it is certainly interesting. And his way of achieving this philosophy through the use of generous grants out of his own pocket seems even more admirable to me.

Not to mention, he would always pull a few strings for the sake of art. He recommended four new artists to the Stable Gallery (new artists were always invited to the show) but after the gallery said no, Rauschenburg gave these artists the chance to display one of their works in his exhibition.

Robert passed away two years ago, and now the Gagosian Gallery is handling his estates. Not to mention, the work that they are displaying of his is also for sale. That is another matter apart from the deceased artist, but I almost wish they put up authentic copies of his work for sale and not the original piece. I think original art should be priceless and for “display only.”

This isn’t a suggested outing, but Robert Rauschenburg definitely sounds like a remarkable artist.

Short Circuit (Combine Painting), 1955 Just one of his many pieces

For more information on the exhibition, click here

For the New York Times Article, click here

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All About the Balance

Posted on November 27, 2010 by ToniAnn Fanizzi

“Wintuk”, Cirque du Soleil’s last seasonal show, will be continuing at the Theater at Madison Square Garden up until January 2nd.  This show is about a young boy and girl who stumble upon an ice kingdom, where they search for snow and meet lots of crazy characters along the way.  However, the majority of the audience does not see “Wintuk” for the plot line itself.  Instead, people come to hear the New Age music and see the amazing stunts performed.  The creators of “Wintuk” must keep the attention on their talented performers, while still managing to sell enough tickets to make a profit.  Because of this, the amazing “stuff” going on throughout the show has to be so great that people will be longing to come see the performance.

This reminded me of what we had talked about after going to Fall For Dance and seeing the Keigwin production.  Even though the dancing was not extremely complicated and there was no main story line to follow, the audience was wowed by the sparkly costumes and exciting music.  Is is more important for playwrights and choreographers to focus on the actual content of a performance, or on what they think will please the audience?  It all comes back around to a balance between the two.  It seems as though everything in music, art, theater, dance, etc. all comes back to this idea.

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Baryshnikov Arts Center

Posted on November 27, 2010 by nzeblisky

We all know about famous places to go see different arts performed in the city, such as the Met, Broadway, and Lincoln Center, but a lot of people don’t know about the various lower scale places to go in the city.  Places like the Poisson Rouge are not as well known but can still provide us with great talent and entertainment.  A new place I have just discovered is the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

The Baryshnikov Arts Center was established in 2005, mainly as a place to house the Baryshnikov Dance Foundation events.  Since then, the center has broadened its horizons and now hosts music concerts, film screening, jazz concerts, arts festivals, theater and dance performances, visual art exhibitions, and workshops for the public.  Everything at the Baryshnikov Arts Center is little to no cost for the public. Up to date, over 500 artists work has been displayed there.

Some upcoming events at the Baryshnikov Arts Center include, the St Lawrence String Quartet on November 29th, the Ensemble Organum on December 8th, and Azure Barton & Artists Busk on December 17-19th.  If anyone is interested in these events or seeing what else the Baryshnikov Arts Center has to offer, here is the link 🙂

Posted in Dance, Music, Theater, Visual Arts | 1 Comment

The Hip-Hop of Your Body

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Corina Yee

B-boys Near City Hall

One of Sandra’s earlier post about performances in NYC subway stations reminded me of the many times I have stopped to watch breakdancers perform in the stations. I have always loved break-dancing and b-boying, which is why I stopped to watch almost every time. It was just a couple of days ago that I saw a b-boy crew showing off their skills in the 34th Street station. What I find most admiring is how tough it is for these performers to make a living because it is for sure that they don’t make a lot collecting change from bypassers. Some of these performers are very talented and I believe should receive a little more credit than they get. They don’t stop at subway stations because while I was downtown, near the court houses, I saw another group of breakdancers setting up. I took a picture too.

Just as I was finishing up this post, I opened a new window and coincidently saw this article about a crew performing on the actual platform of the subway.

Check out the video below. (My favorite part is at 1:11) It is a video of some breakdancers at a subway station. This type of dance really exemplifies and utilizes the use of acrobatics in dance.

Almost other elements of hip-hop have been blogged about in previous posts such as graffiti, MC-ing, and beatboxing, therefore I am going to add to the hip-hop theme with b-boying. B-boying began in the late 1970’s in Brooklyn when Latino and African-American youths “moved” before hip-hop music even emerged. It slowly began to develop into the hip-hop culture that has now assimilated into our society so widely. The terms ‘b-boys’, ‘b-girls’, and ‘breakers’ are the preferred terms to use to describe the dancers. B-boying consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes/suicides.

A look at one of the originators of b-boy – Crazy Legs:

Here are some videos of some other notable b-boys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJa9-5ajzDQ

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Useful Art

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Susan Xu

If you go to MoMA’s gift shop, you can see that a lot of the products they sell are very versatile. The products are what you would call utilitarian art, meaning they serve as decorative items as well as tools. I recently also went to MoMA’s exhibition called Action! Design Over Time, which showcased a lot of this type of art. I highly recommend this show because it was extremely different from the usual painting, sculpture, and drawing that you see. The point of the show is to see how “design” in furniture and tools have changed to fit the commercial and modern aspects of our society. I loved the exhibit because it was sort of scientific. There were many creative, innovation and artist designs for almost everything.

Here’s an example.

I’ve also realized that utilitarian art is become more and more common these days. For example, Target has a line created by artist Michael Graves that focuses on design and function. You can see his website below.

The art also looks more and more futuristic. I think this is because we are always fascinated with technology and inventions that help us save time, since everyone is always so busy. Another thing I realized is that a lot of our present day technology is getting smaller and smaller. For example, in the MoMA show, I saw an electric guitar that was basically just a metal bar with strings on it. However, it has all the parts of a functioning guitar, except it is much more portable. It is certainly interesting to see how society has evolved and changed in only a short amount of time.

Click!

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More Underground Art

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Shirley Mak

Sitting on the right side of the B train as it heads towards the Manhattan Bridge, I stare at whatever visible graffiti I can see covering the tunnel walls.  Then suddenly, without warning, flashes of colors and shapes appear before my eyes.

It is very delightful and entertaining to look at.  You have to be looking out the windows towards the right of the train, and you have to be angled towards the direction that the train is heading in.  If you’re not, you won’t be able to see the sequences of motion.  Also, the shapes move only when the train moves.  When the train doesn’t, you only see still panels. It is very much like a flip book that way.

Ever since I had discovered this little wonder while on the B or Q train, I have looked for it every time I happened to be going back out to Manhattan from Brooklyn.  But it had only occurred to me to look up more on this mysterious tunnel art work that is not graffiti.  Apparently, this art work is a 30 year old installation called “Masstransiscope”.  It was created and installed by artist Bill Brand in 1980 in an abandoned station that used to be Myrtle Avenue.  It consisted of 228 painted panels viewed through vertical slits in the tunnel walls.  But over the years, it became worn down and covered with layers of graffiti.  But two years ago, the panels were meticulously cleaned and restored, and now it it is up for passengers to enjoy once more.
Here is the article on Masstransiscope
Here is Masstransiscope’s site

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Spring: Displays of Art Compliments of NYC

Posted on November 26, 2010 by dharamati

As Macaulay students we all appreciate art and culture. As human beings we all love getting free stuff. Even more so we all can truly enjoy the awesomeness of free art.

Doris C. Freedman Plaza

Having said that I will inform you all about three great sculpture exhibitions by The Public Art Fund that are scheduled for this spring. All three will be in easy to find locations and are placed in their respective positions for a reason. As director and chief curator of The Public Art Fund Nicholas Baume put it, “These aren’t site-specific installations; they are site-responsive.” The first exhibit is one pertaining to an artist we have recently seen at the MOMA. There will be a ten foot tall bronze statue of Andy Warhol installed in Union Square from March 30th until October 2nd. The statue will be placed right outside of the building where Warhol once had his factory. It depicts Warhol circa 1970, and even has a camera draped around his neck. Another exhibit will be installed in the plaza at the entrance to Central Park (Doris C. Freedman Plaza). This installation will

A Piece by Sol LeWitt

be sort of a “multidirectional arch” and will rise to around twenty feet. It will serve as a “another gateway between two different worlds of urban experience” and is meant to blend in with its natural surroundings. It will be fashioned out of red, green, and black steel piping and will be viewed from March 1st until August 28th. The third exhibit will be placed in City Hall Park, right near Pace University. This exhibit will be a collection of more than twenty pieces by artist Sol LeWitt. Some of the sculptures on display will be making their public debuts, although many of them date back to the 1960’s. Mr. Baume feels that “There hasn’t been a career overview of his structures,” and has procured pieces from all over the world. The installations can be viewed from May 25th until December 2nd. All three of these exhibits sound very interesting to me and I definitely am going to try to see them come springtime.

NY Times Article

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