Author Archives: jlarsen
Fight the Power!
I also watched Do the Right Thing in Intro to Film, so the first time watching it, I was more focused on the filmic aspects, like the use of color and specific camera angles. It was nice to view it a second time and focus more on the plot and character development.
I think Spike Lee does an excellent job of making us sympathize with the entertaining characters of the neighborhood. While they are often pinned against each other, the only people we really feel distaste for are the man with the expensive car and the police officers. I find it fascinating how effortlessly Lee makes the viewer fall in love with these rather rough characters, while dislike those one might typically idealize. There is such a diverse representation of perspectives, yet to me they don’t feel overwhelming but rather a unique opportunity to delve into issues and situations.
I also found myself thinking about the context of the time period. It is essentially modern, but yet before this current era of internet and technology dominating our lives. I think the film’s period fostered more dialogue and sense of community that is often lacking in our slightly more current society. Relating this to the Community Arts project, it is as though the internet has replaced these important face-to-face interactions.
However, I think what I love most about the film is that it is unapologetically bold. Perhaps this is over-analyzing its cinematography, but I find the intense close ups, bright reds and low camera angles very engaging. I also think the music choices are perfect. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that walked out of the room with “Fight the Power” stuck in my head.
You Lost Me At “Shakespeare”
I’m afraid I must agree with the majority of posts in my dislike of Shakespeare in general. I have read and seen various Shakespearean plays and, quite frankly, have not enjoyed any of them. Maybe it’s my lack of knowledge or interest in old words and expressions or my lack of patience in general, but I can’t seem to emotionally connect. Unfortunately, I found this piece to be just as unbearable, if not more so due to its complex historical context.
I can’t help but question the relevance of this to today, save for the historical significance. I don’t find any of the characters to be relatable as they were to some extent in Don Juan. While both use stock characters to some extent, I feel as though Shakespeare’s characters are more complicated and, thus, more difficult to identify with.
I don’t mean to attack the piece as a work of literature-it certainly employs beautiful language. I can respect it as a piece, but it’s just simply more analysis than I find enjoyable. However, hopefully the magic of theatre will bring it to life when we all see it performed.
-Jacqui Larsen
Don Juan: Relevant to Today?
To be honest, I was less than excited to read Don Juan. I rarely ever enjoy literature that is not contemporary, because I tend to question its relevance to current times. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the play to be not only interesting but relatable to scenarios of today.
The humor is similar to that of many sitcoms, with a main male character as a “womanizer,” with his sidekick as the voice of reason. Sganarelle offers many asides during the play, providing humorous bits for the audience to enjoy. He also exists as the source of information about Don Juan and balances out the character. This is often used in television shows for both comedic and dramatic effect.
Gender relations, while much more proper in the era of the play, bear a striking resemblance to the present. As is true in today’s world, women are judged more harshly for having multiple partners, or, in this case, even dating around. Charlotte, for example, is criticized for allowing Don Juan to kiss her hand. It is as though it is the woman’s fault for being attractive rather than the man for not controlling himself. While circumstances are not quite that extreme today, there still is a certain undercurrent of different treatment for similar actions. Therefore, I would argue that Don Juan still holds pertinent to modern times, as it is a tale that both genders can relate to, and even poke fun at.
-Jacqui Larsen
High Line Project
Here’s the link to my video about the High Line! :]
-Jacqui Larsen
Tranquility
Amidst the thresholds of Mother Nature and metropolis,
Together they are sisters holding hands.
Joggers revolve around this route,
Eagerly braiding in and out
Through patches of tourists from far and wide
Who in their confusion stroll the wrong side.
Bikers breeze the margins of the trail,
Forming space to all avail.
Meanwhile everywhere across this space
There exists a different place
Where traffic screeches and cries,
In agony of the hustle and bustle,
The skin and the muscle
Of all who trek and glide the bulky pavement
With not enough time and too much rent.
With places to go and people to see
With places to own and people to be.
Where dreams are devised and bestowed and destroyed
Where people walk fast and eyes avoid.
Yet people can marvel at sights enjoyed,
At buildings colossal and employed.
The sun filters through these two domains
The inseparable reign
Of peaceful moments and roaring buzz,
Of beauty and brilliance.
Struggle and Sacrifice
A recurring theme I noticed in both the book and the interview was that of sacrifice.
Patti Smith leaves behind her family and friends to head to New York City in the hopes of locating comfort in the company of other struggling artists.
She gives up her child for adoption in the wish that it will have a more stable life than she could offer.
Smith abandons her safety, living day to day on the streets and in friends’ apartments in order to feel the freedom her art requires.
She and Mapplethorpe are forced to choose between food and new art supplies due to the confines of their budget.
Mapplethorpe sacrifices his fervent love for Patti so that he may explore his newly discovered sexual orientation.
Both find they often must relinquish their devotion to art for stressful, monotonous jobs to make ends meet.
However, these sacrifices prove worth the pain for the final product. Both artists, in all of their loss and suffering, manage to create such raw, wondrous pieces. They became not only a part of their generation but creators of it. As Smith mentions in the interview, she did not know at the time that what she was doing was so revolutionary. Nonetheless, both endured monumental hardship but forged ahead, also forging the artistic and political framework of a new generation.
-Jacqui Larsen
“We Are All Made Of Stars”
Perhaps the most unique aspect of Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival, other than its obvious use of solely pictures to tell a story, is its ability to put the reader in the perspective of a new immigrant. Rather than merely relay stories of a journey to a new land, Tan directly immerses you into the mindset of confusion in coping with the norms of a different world.
I noticed several references to New York City from a bizarre, complicated transportation system (symbolizing the subway) to street fairs, passport confirmations and laborious jobs similar to those available at the turn of the century. I also observed the foreign language, which also aids in putting the uncertainty into perspective and helping the reader sympathize with the main character.
The book reminded me of a story I read long ago in which a variety of seemingly strange rituals were ornately described. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the rituals illustrated were all typical American habits, like brushing one’s teeth. I think this relates because both force you examine what you find most familiar and consider the possibility of this being unusual to those who simply have not had the same experiences or cultural upbringing.
I think Tan’s purpose is to highlight that we all have similarities in this sense, which he exemplifies with the pictures of a myriad of beautifully diverse people in the front and back of the book.
-Jacqui Larsen
Memory, in Relation to Art
We talked in class about how memory is shaped around the pieces we remember, forming a composite idea that fades over time. I couldn’t help but compare this to art, which is also influenced by our perspectives and can mean vastly different things to different people. How artistic expressions relate to our lives also changes through different periods of life over time, all based on our experiences.
In a similar way, I think 9/11 affected people in many different ways. Those who literally experienced it firsthand have vivid memories, like those who directly connect to a piece of art. However, even people like myself who had never even seen the towers, much less know someone affected by it, will not directly connect. Nevertheless, they will still respect the highly emotional nature of the tragedy (or piece of art).
Therefore, I somewhat disagree with Rieff’s assertion that 9/11 will be forgotten as memories fade. The event might resonate differently to different individuals, but the powerful sentiments can and should still be felt. Just as art can generate fervent emotions, memories can always be revived if they are constantly reflected upon. 9/11 will always be an intense memory for those who experienced it and saying otherwise, especially nearing the 10th anniversary is disrespectful.
Of course as generations pass the remembrance may lose its sensitivity, that is true for anything. It doesn’t justify diminishing the rightfully strong feelings of those who are yet in the wake of the tragedy, nor does it make them less valid.
From Adam’s interpretation with “On the Transmigration of Souls” to the 9/11 memorial itself, there are many art forms with which to reflect upon Semptember 11th. When observing these mediums, I believe people should not repress their genuine emotions, for this is when history is doomed to repeat itself.
