Created by Jaclyn Tortora & Josh Solomowitz
11
Group members: Cindy Chan, Tiffany Chan, Lisa Huang
(We suggest listening to the piece with headphones in.)
Here is our finished sound sculpture: “Emotional Descent After a Dispute”
For our sound sculpture, we were drawn to the unusual break from emotional passivity in part three of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. After Gregor’s perceived attack on his mother, the two fractures of the divided family are left to come to terms with the dispute in their own manner. This basic human instinct to recover after a fight or argument inspired our interest in creating a sound sculpture that followed that reaction. We used a quote by the narrator, “Gregor was a member of the family…. something one should… just endure,” (66) to understand Gregor’s emotional progression; his human nature had always compelled him to selflessly give to his family, therefore, he felt internally conflicted when his new insect nature reveled in independence. Knowing this, we were able to follow the emotional peaks and troughs in Metamorphosis and then expanded the idea to loosely fit all human conflicts.
From there on, we focused on our musical interpretation of that idea and how we wanted to see the violin as the highlight of the sculpture. We felt that throughout Metamorphosis, the violin symbolized the narrative’s conflict and was a good bridge between our interpretation and the text. In “Emotional Descent After a Dispute,” aptly named for what the music interprets, the listener will hear a range of dissonant sound bites and clips from orchestras and symphonies with a focus on the violin. The clips of various symphonies by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Allan Pettersson, Jean Sibelius, and Dmitri Shostakovich have been molded together to bring the listener through a musical construction of disparaging, caring, and renewing emotions. Our goal was to use music to clearly elucidate (1) the rough emotions after a dispute, (2) the sedating of the resentful emotions, (3) the gradual emotional buildup towards conflict resolution, (4) the small conflict that arises from trying to resolve the issue, and (5) the ultimate resolution. We hope listeners can connect to the overall theme and, more importantly, enjoy!
Works Cited
Tremblay, Charles-David. “Symphony No. 6.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 29 May. 2011. Web. 29 Sep. 2013.
avihu4. “Sibelius- The Swan of Tuonela. AVI OSTROWSKY- Conductor, Norwegian Radio Orchestra.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 28 Dec. 2008. Web. 29 Sep. 2013.
orangejamtw. “Shostakovich- Symphony No. 5.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 2 Jun. 2011. Web. 29 Sep. 2013.
Faina1612. “Vladimir Ashkenazy performs Prokofiev Piano concerto No. 2.wmv.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 8 Jun. 2012. Web. 29 Sep. 2013.
Huang, Shao Gang. “Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor op. 16 Part 2.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 11 Jun. 2013. Web. 29 Sep. 2013.
Lam, Alex. “Yundi Li- Prokofiev.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 7 Dec. 2007. Web. 29 Sep. 2013.
Gallery
I felt a the theme of darkness vs light throughout my reading of this book. I felt that Gregor was slowly falling deeper and deeper into despair as his family slowly gave up on him. There were clear contrasts between the family’s lifestyle and Gregors. He was trapped in his room, trapped in his body and trapped in his mind, unable to speak out. Losing that ability to voice himself has engulfed him into darkness.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/arts/sammy-obeid-on-his-1000th-comedy-show.html
In this article, Sammy Obeid a rising comedian comments on the comedy industry and reflects on his own personal journey performing stand-up for 1,000 days consecutively.
Sammy describes his approach to comedy as very systematic, an approach we don’t usually consider used in comedy. But more and more we see that comedy and even entrainment can be a game about numbers. With a near perfect GPA at UC Berkley and a major in applied mathematics and business, Sammy was more than aware of this perspective, utilizing it in his own routines.
Sammy gave his jokes grade letters based on their performance on a scale of A-A+++. I actually found it quite funny that he lowest grade on his grade scale was A, and then he just added plusses for the best jokes. Treating his jokes and routines like an equation, Sammy discovered that sometimes you just have to change a variable here or a number there to get the right response from the audience.
The second part of the article and the primary reason behind Sammy’s 1,000 day tour is the 10,000-hour rule. This rule was popularized by a writer named Malcolm Gladwell. Basically what it says is that even though natural talent is important in mastering a skill (in this example stand-up comedy), what’s even more important is an extensive amount of practice. We’ve all heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”, and this rule is somewhat similar. Although it does not literally mean 10,000 hours, the rule is an extrapolation of data. According to Gladwell, examined masters in respective fields show that a small amount of innate talent plus a large numbers of hours dedicated to practice is required to master a “cognitively demanding pursuit” most notably: forms of art.
I remember my freshman year of high school, our art teacher told us that everyone in the room is an artist, and that you have to pump out at least 10,000 ugly drawings before you start drawing well. He didn’t exactly mean that all the drawings we were going to draw or have drawn were ugly, but rather I think he meant before we can even begin to mastering drawing, we have to pump out a enormously large number of drawings.
Personally, I find this is the case with many things I’m involved in. I consider myself a graphic designer but not an artist. I’ve been interested in print design since elementary school, and have been pursuing it for more than 6 or 7 years now. Although I can’t draw, sketch or even illustrate, once I get on a computer and open up Illustrator or Photoshop, I can produce some pretty intricate designs. I believe that I have a very small amount of talent but I’ve hit my 10,000 hours years ago. I’m definitely not a master, but the sentiment of the rule still applies.
What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with the rule? Is it all talent, all practice, or a little bit of both. Also, what do you think of Sammy’s systematic approach of comedy, and is this approach talent or practice? Feel free to comment on any aspect of the article or my post.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/arts/sammy-obeid-on-his-1000th-comedy-show.html
In an industry where sex sells and break-ups are a sure ticket to getting on Billboards top 100 hits, Lorde is emerging as possibly the last teen pop star to know about, or rather care about, world issues. Unlike Taylor Swift who keeps whining about yet another break up, or Miley Cyrus who believes exploiting her body will keep her relevant, the sixteen-year old New Zealand singer/songwriter Lorde is, “singing about class consciousness and conspicuous consumption” according to Jon Pareles’ “She’s 16, but Not Thinking of Sweet”. In his article, Pareles explores Lorde’s technical skills as an emerging star and touches upon how some of her song material differs from her teenage competitors. In her song, “Royals”, Lorde conveys her social awareness and reveals the struggles associated “with being someone who ‘didn’t come from money’.” However, listeners do not appreciate the social issues portrayed in her song. Instead, “Royals” made it to the number one spot on the Billboard top 100 hits because of its well-designed rhythm and Lorde’s vocal talents rather than its content.
With catchy lyrics, a unique multilayered chorus, and Lorde’s deep, sultry voice, “Royals” is a prime example of how fans are only capable of listening to, and perceiving songs that are singable. Without Lorde’s creative techniques, inspired by the iconic Beyoncé, her song would be left to die in a pile of other countless songs not about sex, drugs, or ex-boyfriends. The music industry, in order to appease today’s pleasure crazed public, has successfully transformed a means of self-expression and substance into a materialistic, auto-tuned monster. No longer are artists acclaimed for what they sing about, instead they are idolized for the way they sing it.
Artists such as Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry epitomize this conformity to society. Their songs and music videos feature what American consumers desire: sex, red, emotion, and a memorable chorus. Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” and Katy Perry’s “Roar” respectively take the second and third spots on the Billboard top 100 hits proving success and substance are nowhere related. Instead, it is the melodious tune and “special effects” of their songs the widespread acclaim is attributed to. Listeners find themselves humming Perry and Cyrus’ songs just as often as Lorde’s – ultimately devaluing the meaning behind the innovative artist’s work.
This is the main problem with consumers of music; they do not understand the value of a song because their only concern is enjoyment, not interpretation. They do not care if Rihanna is singing about sadomasochism, or if Drake is contributing to the objectification of women, their only worry is whether the song is pleasing to the ear. Radio stations such as Z100 and KTU play the same five songs on repeat everyday and yet listeners still could not tell you what the meaning behind the lyrics of each is. They could dictate each note, “spit” each line, even attempt to impersonate the auto-tuned performer, but they could not tell you that within Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools” or Lorde’s “Royals” there are burning issues that need immediate attention. They could not begin to comprehend that Lamar’s song is actually about the problems of alcoholism, or that Lorde is preaching about the giant gap between the rich and the poor. They are utterly clueless to the true significance of what they are listening to.
Today, performers are not idolized because they sing about government corruption, social inequalities, or pressing racism; instead, they achieve success by wearing the right clothes, presenting themselves in a “fresh, innovative” way and singing songs that are contagious. In order to create a hit in this industry a well recognized performer has to simply put meaningless words together, attach a catchy beat, and ensure the chorus is memorable. The downside to this easy rode to success is that artists like Lorde who are actually singing about things that matter only achieve fame if they put their meaningful words into the mold of a crappy song.
Works Cited
Pareles, Jon. “She’s 16, but Not Thinking of Sweet.” New York Times. New York Times, 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 4 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/arts/music/shes-16-but-not-thinking-of-sweet.html>.
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- Chained
For my exhibit, I wanted to focus on images that evoked a sense of what Gregor may have felt in his new state. I imagined his difficulty coping with his metamorphosis, his prior sense of duty to his family, the shame he may have felt when he could not provide for them, and his alienation. Thus, the images I chose for this mini gallery are purposefully dark and can be interpreted from any of these points of view. Gregor is trapped, stuck in a broken home, with a huge sense of duty towards his family yet is unable to provide for them. These feelings continue throughout the novella until his death. I felt that Kafka’s portrayal of duty and family show a broken relationship and the sadness that occurs when the two do not coincide.
Art culture around the world seems to be changing rapidly along with the expansion or the internet. Now more than ever, national and even global exchanges can be made by anyone with internet connection. This allows anyone to buy and sell goods via the internet. Before this, it would take exorbitant amounts of money to get started as an artist and then to even sell your works by renting gallery space. Now smaller artists are able to make a name for themselves on a more even playing field.
By selling art on the internet, some may argue that this waters down the value of art. But the huge presence of fine art on websites like ebay, etsy, amazon, Sotheby’s, and even Costco.com can testify to the quality of work being sold. This puts pieces like Norman Rockwell’s “Willie Gillis: Package From Home” within arms reach of anyone with internet connection, that is if you have a spare $4.8 million laying around. Still, it will be interesting to see if this trend can sustain itself, and if the public will start buying in.
This change also impacts the smaller, lesser known artists. One amazing thing about this new market is that it allows an artist who paints in her small studio apartment in Brooklyn to sell her works on the same platform as art culture giants like Warhol or Rockwell. Buying a domain name, maintaining a paypal account, and selling work online allows artists to spare themselves from expensive gallery costs- from rental to advertisements and alcohol.
The accessibility of selling art on the internet also allows for a wider market. Although Amazon doesn’t disclose their numbers, it will be interesting to see if this mode of selling art will change the marketplace. While, I’m sure we will continue to see independently run studios in pop up spaces, the ease of online galleries will surely change the number of them. After all, selling art online reduces cost and increases the chance of selling pieces with a literal world wide market. And while I’m sure hipsters will still enjoy sipping on free booze in a LES gallery, discussing pieces that they probably wont buy, gallery culture is sure the be reduced to a rarity.
You can access the original article here.
Work Cited:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/10/01/amazon-creating-70000-full-time-seasonal-jobs-in-t/
