New York Times Arts Blog: Destruction of 5Pointz

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Vandalism or art? Graffiti is often categorized as vandalism instead of art; however, the “graffiti mecca” known as 5Pointz has re-define the terms “art” and “graffiti.” Located in Long Island City, Queens, 5Pointz consists of warehouses covered in the colorful works and pieces of hundreds of street artists. Over the past decade, 5Pointz has united and connected not only aerosol artists from the five boroughs but artists from all around the world.

New York Graffiti Mecca Erased By Developer

Since August of 2013, plans had been made to build residential towers on the site of 5Pointz to provide affordable housing and with a recent order from a federal judge to advance with the demolishment of the building by the year’s end, Jerry Wolkoff, the building’s owner, had the building re-painted secretly in the night. When the sun rose Tuesday morning, the hub of urban art had been re-painted white. The amazing works of these street artists had been erased and 5Pointz had been destroyed. Considered a graffiti museum, artists and fans of 5Pointz were in an uproar; however, Wolkoff, believed that painting over the walls would be more humane than tearing down the building. 

Although Wolkoff has stated that there will be plenty of room on his new building for the artists to work, many are still outraged by the destruction of the previously standing pieces. Personally, I am in agreement with these people. Having only seen photos of 5Pointz, I was planning to visit the site someday; however, now, I will never have the opportunity. I believe the better solution was to retain the artwork and renovate the building’s interior. This solution would please both parties by providing housing without destroying the art. I think many people would pay top dollar to live in a graffiti masterpiece like 5Pointz.

Hopefully, Wolkoff will remain good to his word and provide these street artists a place to legally work. Until then, I hope these artists can find new places to create their amazing pieces for the public to enjoy.

 

Buckley, Cara. “Night Falls, and 5Pointz, a Graffiti Mecca, Is Whited Out in Queens.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/nyregion/5pointz-a-graffiti-mecca-in-queens-is-wiped-clean-overnight.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0>.

A Shocking Pink

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A few things come to mind when we think about Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy. One is her enormous popularity and beloved image as the First Lady of the United States. And the other is probably her pink Chanel suit, topped with a matching pillbox hat and garnished with a pair of white gloves. In the eyes of many, Jackie and her pink suit were almost inseparable. One could not be without the other. In fact, Jackie donned the suit on six occasions. However, the seventh time proved to be her last.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while the First Lady was by his side in the presidential limousine along Dealey Plaza in Texas. As soon as the president was struck, Mrs. Kennedy flung herself over her husband’s body, staining her iconic pink suit with a ghastly red.

Since that day, Jackie Kennedy’s suit has not been seen in the public, nor has it been washed. After the incident, the First Lady refused to clean her suit, stating that by leaving the bloodstains untouched, she wanted to “let them see what they’ve done.” The pink suit that was originally associated with pop culture, glamour and contemporary fashion hence became a symbol for loss and violence.

Jackie Kennedy’s pink Chanel has been carefully preserved in its original condition in the National Archives since 1964. After Mrs. Kennedy’s death, the suit transferred to her daughter’s legal possessions. In 2003, a provision under the deed put the suit out of public view for a 100 years in order to avoid any possible undignified use of the artifacts that could cause any grief or dishonor the memory of the president.

Jackie Kennedy’s suit is undoubtedly historically significant as it is a chillingly accurate depiction of what happened on the day of JFK’s death. By preserving it, we make note and remember a tragic event in history. Honoring the past is what helps us maintain our cultural identity. Furthermore, the suit is also of symbolic importance as it shows how easily innocence can be tainted by murder. It’s a little unnerving to think how one object that was originally made to be viewed in one way could be twisted so easily so as to portray something else that is completely different – something much darker. On the surface, it is an old bloody pink suit, but it goes to show how delicate everything in the world really is, and how everything has a duplicitous nature. Even though Jackie’s pink suit is out of sight, because of its metaphoric imagery, it is forever etched in the hearts of many Americans.

 

Link to article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/fashion/jacqueline-kennedys-smart-pink-suit-preserved-in-memory-and-kept-out-of-view.html?src=recg&gwh=D23C41C7580E6070647D40FF675D817C

Mood Diary: Brainstorming Final Video Project

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We began our brainstorm by throwing ideas around. We didn’t restrict or tie down our ideas to any logic. But that is how it should be to encourage creativity.   ThrowingIdeasAround

We mentioned ideas such as language, light and dark contrast, darkness, horror, beatbox, story, and dancing by yourself. Of course, we probably won’t use all of these ideas, but we considered each one individually. We figured since we are a diverse group, we would be able to incorporate various languages in our video and provide subtitles to those who don’t understand. The idea of multiple languages came from the various shows we have been too. For each show we attended, the performers spoke a different language. stock-photo-welcome-in-multiple-languages-composed-in-the-shape-of-speech-bubble-106172195

We included ideas of light and dark contrast, darkness, and horror as a reference to Nosferatu. These elements are taken into account in the form of lighting and setting. The lighting in our video may seem lighter or darker at certain points to put emphasis on situations or things. The idea of horror can be used to reflect the setting and the environment we might film in.

Some ideas may seem random such as beatboxing, but we included that because we had to create our own music. Beatboxing seemed like a reasonable sound activity. I don’t believe anyone in our group can beatbox, but we have garageband. Our other options for music were instruments. There are a few people in our group that are capable of creating music.

Of course, this was just our thought process. It isn’t set in stone and we may or may not create a video based on these ideas.

By Alan Chen, Kevin Cheng, Cheng Dong, Karen Choi, Nicholas Arniotes, Christine Yan, Hanna Yoo 

Citations:

Malan, Ruth. “A Big Idea.” Trace in the Sand. 17 Nov. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. JPEG.

Emran. “Welcome in multiple languages composed in the shape of a speech bubble.” ShutterShock. n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Zenger, Felix. “Beatbox- Felix Zenger.”Youtube, Youtube. Online Video Clip. 13 Jun. 2007. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Where True Beauty Lies – Feature Article

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Mariana Gurevich

Professor Wollman

IDC 1001H EMWCH

November 2013

Where True Beauty Lies

            Imagine a world where models are not stick thin; instead, clothing and products are advertised using people of all different ages, skin colors and sizes. The Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty,” launched nine years ago, focuses on this idea of broadening the typical definition of beauty. Through different short films, surveys and images, the company has been challenging the stereotypical norms of desirability, stirring up much conversation and controversy on the subject. While many of today’s ad campaigns depict a version of allure and glamour that is very limiting, Dove has been working on pushing these boundaries. The movement began when the company held a study and discovered that only 2% of women around the world would describe themselves as beautiful. Thus, since 2004, Dove has been using several vehicles of communication to challenge the typical ideas of splendor and appeal. Through the use of television and social media, this campaign has brought more attention to the standards of attractiveness in society today, and has made an unprecedented effort to turn everyone’s beauty into a widespread source of confidence.

This Dove campaign began its efforts in 2004 with a picture featuring women of all different ages and sizes. The ultimate goal for this reinvented venture was to help increase sales of the company’s beauty products. A supplementary mission for these advertisements was to make women feel gorgeous every day by challenging the typical notions of beauty.  In essence, Dove hoped to inspire women to take great care of themselves, which, in turn, would hopefully lead to a growth in sales. Overall, this campaign was a move, not simply to alter women’s views of their bodies, but also to change the beauty market. In an industry dominated by size two supermodels, Dove was distinguishing itself from others, one of their biggest objectives. Unlike other companies who were utilizing the standard bombshells in their campaigns, this new movement featured real women and abandoned the conventional, cynical idea of “perfect” women being role models.

Throughout the years, Dove has created many pictures and videos to go along with this idea of promoting universal beauty, but, just recently, the company presented one particularly striking advertisement. This past April, the corporation released a video, entitled “Dove Real Beauty Sketches,” in which several women describe themselves to a forensic sketch artist who cannot see his subjects. The women then mingled with other participants in the study. Later, they were asked to describe each other to the forensic artist. Finally, Dove compiled two sketches of each woman, and put them side by side. Each time, the stranger’s descriptions led to a more flattering and accurate depiction of the ladies’ appearances. In this manner, the video was extremely poignant and inspiring because it depicted the skewed perceptions that women have of themselves. Overall, the video truly highlights Dove’s desire to showcase that everyone is special and remarkable.

The Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” is a gem for our society, in which so many girls are consumed by body issues. The portrayal of the ideal, skinny body type in western media has been a consistent factor in promulgating eating disorders. In addition, the spread of social media has facilitated an increase in exposure to the expectations of society, which in turn has led to the growth of eating problems. For instance, in recent years, the prevalence of anorexia in children and teens has been on the rise. For these reasons, Dove’s project is a great concept, since it presents a more universal sample of what women look like, thus exposing adolescents to more realistic role models.

It is ironic and dreadful that a campaign aimed at depicting more beauty in the world has brought out such ugly behavior in thousands. Many people have taken to social media to express their negative opinions of these new advertisements. Although there is certainly a wide range of supporters for this campaign, who praise its efforts at tackling unrealistic media images, there are many others who are not buying into the company’s initiative. For instance, an article by Erin Keane, entitled, Stop Posting That Dove Ad: “Real Beauty” campaign is not feminist, completely bashes the latest video featuring the forensic sketch artist. Keane declares, “Here’s another experiment. Find a four year old and ask her to draw a picture of you…You might be surprised to learn that through a child’s innocent eyes, you’re actually a potato with a shock of purple hair, sticks for limbs and a triangular nose.” In her piece, Keane seems to pick apart the video featuring the forensic artist, while, in reality, she appears to miss the overarching goal of the campaign: there is beauty in everyone. Dove’ central objective is to alter the skewed perception of attractiveness that has been adopted in our society, not to highlight the drawing ability of youngsters or professional artists.

Clearly, people have been buying into the Dove campaign, since, only two months after the movement was initiated, sales increased by 600 percent. It is obvious that the intentions of these new advertisements are positive, and are great for society to adopt. Meanwhile, if Dove wants more people to understand their perspective and purchase their products, they must stop being hypocritical. Unilever, which owns the Dove brand, also owns Axe, a company which, quite controversially, fully adopts the stereotypical notions of beauty. For instance, advertisements for Axe products are usually overtly sexual and often feature scantily clad women. These ads are degrading for women, and go against everything that Dove is trying to promulgate. Thus, if Dove wants more people to understand their cause, they must make sure that companies they are closely tied with, such as Axe, also adopt these ideas of showcasing real people in their advertisements. It is not enough to simply make a statement through this novel campaign; if Dove wants to spread its beliefs on a greater scale and make its objective more believable, the company must, as the famous saying goes, practice what it preaches.

 

Works Cited

Belcamino, Kristi. “My Anorexic 9-year-old.” Saloncom RSS. N.p., 5 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.salon.com/2013/08/06/my_anorexic_9_year_old/>.

“Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign: Hypocritical? – The Week.” The Week. N.p., 30 June 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://theweek.com/article/index/204565/doves-real-beauty-campaign-hypocritical>.

Keane, Erin. “Salon.” Saloncom RSS. N.p., 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.salon.com/2013/04/18/stop_posting_that_dove_ad_real_beauty_campaign_is_not_feminist/>.

Kurtzleben, Danielle. “Do Dove and Axe Sell the Same Message?” US News. U.S.News & World Report, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/04/18/unilever-faces-criticism-for-real-beauty-ad-campaign?page=2>.

“Real Beauty Sketches – Dove.” Real Beauty Sketches – Dove. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/>.

Stampler, Laura. “Why People Hate Dove’s ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ Video.” Business Insider. N.p., 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-hate-doves-real-beauty-ad-2013-4>.

 

“The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty.” The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dove.us/social-mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx>.

 

Cheng Dong- Feature Article

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Anime Asylum: An Inconspicuous Experience That Might Change Your Life

            Every Thursday, Baruch College students spending their time on the twelfth floor of the Newman Vertical Campus building would notice a strange cluster of their schoolmates gathering in a hallway. Shortly after the hour hand reached twelve, a group of students would stand outside room 12-135, as if waiting for the professor of their next class to open the door to the room and show them in. Strangely, no professor ever arrived, and instead a student opened the door by swiping an ID card through the card swiper mounted on the wall outside the room. Had there been anyone that stood outside out of curiosity, he would had noticed that the voices of those students that entered the room quickly subsided after an initial racket, but soon the sound of conversations came back to life, in Japanese! Some would have concluded that this was a gathering of Japanese students, but they would have been mistaken. Instead, this was one of the weekly meetings of Baruch’s very own Japanese Anime Asylum!

Though not the most spacious of all clubs, sharing an office with Baruch’s Japan Club and FUSION Club in the room 3-248, the Japanese Anime Asylum performed its functions well. The Asylum held weekly meetings on Thursdays from 12:30 to 2:30 in the effort to achieve its goal of “introducing and promoting Japanese Animation to members who share a common interest in this style of animation and graphic design.” Judging solely from the introduction of its goal, people were quick to decide that the Japanese Anime Asylum was a laidback club whose sole function was for its members, currently with a estimated number of seventy, to watch anime together once a week. These people couldn’t be more wrong, as they underestimated the power of the Anime Asylum to affect its fellow members. The Anime Asylum has had tremendous influences on the lifestyle, studies, and fates of its humble members.

To those members that joined the Japanese Anime Asylum due to their already developed love for Japanese anime, the club’s effects on them were most visible in the changes of their lifestyles. Despite the fact that Japanese anime is a praise worthy form of art, its fans often ended up isolating themselves in their own world. As some Anime Asylum recall, in the early days of their involvement with the club they have wished to “watch anime and shut ourselves in.” One can only imagine what kind of bleak lifestyle these members used to have, trapping themselves indoors and accompanied only by their favorite works of anime. Yet, as it was mentioned before, these members soon changed as they started to be engaged in Anime Asylum activities.

The activities that changed these members greatly were results of the efforts put forth by the Asylum’s new president, Peter Yip. Peter is a member of the Golden Key International Honors Society, and being so he had utilized knowledge learned from the Golden Key in operating his new position. By putting himself in the frontline of all events, Peter demonstrated what he called “put yourself out there and network with others.” Peter hopes that the Anime Asylum experience could help the members better themselves in fields such as connections and leadership. As Peter says “the Asylum is a stress relief club, but that’s what it is, it shouldn’t be your way of life.” The Asylum welcomes all those interested in anime to join, but it does not tolerate members isolating themselves from the rest of the world as they indulge in anime. The Anime Asylum goes beyond the traditional anime screenings and hosts social events such as Karaoke, attending Japanese Festivals, Zombie fest, and more. Through these events a large proportion of the members are able to improve in their skills to connect with others and better manage their social network. In a sense, the Anime Asylum pulled them out of their boxes.

It is interesting to mention, though, some members of the Anime Asylum did not join due to interests in Japanese anime. According to the management members of the club quite a few of their current members joined the club due to the animated nature of club members preceding them. In a stressful environment such as Baruch College, where everyone strives to achieve high ends and is always weighted down by new assignments, the cheerfulness of the Anime Asylum members holds a certain kind of attraction to others. Some members confessed to have joined the club “not because of liking anime, but due to the [stresses-reliving atmosphere] that existed for Anime Asylum members.” Although these members joined the Anime Asylum merely to find a harbor of peace in the competitive college environment, some of they ended up finding more than just that.

While enjoying the comfortable atmosphere within the Asylum, some members that lacked interest in Japanese Animation began to appreciate it as an art. Not only did they appreciate the art, these members became actively engaged in creating such arts. Former president Will Driscoll described to us how many members became “fans of aspects of anime art such as, fan-art, fan-fiction, and graphic designs.” Their newly-developed hobbies even led these Asylum members to adjust their area of study toward the direction of animation, a true surprise indeed, even for these members themselves. One can only be amazed at the power of animation to turn business students into art lovers. Even the current president, Peter, admits to have began his interest in graphic designs after falling in love with Japanese Anime.

For a small art club with the common perception of having only stress relief as its goal, the Japanese Anime Asylum had great effects in the development of its members’ lives. For the anime-loving members, the Asylum had salvaged them from the prison created by themselves in an unconscious attempt to isolate themselves from the world. For the member who joined anime club out of their search for a harbor of peace, the Anime Asylum provided them with new hobbies and even new possible studies and careers. It is true that experience in the Anime Asylum may seem trivial, but no matter how insignificant an experience seems, there is always a chance it could have affected the path of one’s life.

The New Marvel: Ethnic Heroine

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Spider-man, Ironman, Captain America, are all super heroes that we have come to know and love whit, resolve and for their emphasis of the American way. But have you ever thought of a Marvel super hero wearing a hijab? Imagine a few years from know seeing kinds dressed up in costumes of great American superheroes, which have a totally different cultures and beliefs. Know doesn’t that sound like a real “melting pot” image the United States is supposed to represent. Marvel is taking leaps and bounds producing a brand new hero, a female Muslim, whose comic should debut in February 2014.

Marvel Comics a well-known comic book publishing company, has introduced a new super- hero: a young, female Muslim. The company established in 1939, has slowly made innovative changes, expanding from the blonde-haired, blue-eyed heroes of its origins toward a more multi-cultured universe that is relevant to the culture surrounding its headquarters in New York City.

Marvel Comics announced earlier this month a new superhero comic book series featuring Kamala Khan: a Muslim, Pakistani 16-year-old girl who lives in New Jersey City, New Jersey. She’ll be taking the name of Ms. Marvel, after the former Ms. Marvel who is now going by Captain Marvel. Sana Amanat is one of the editors who originated the idea for Kamala Khan. It was derived from a conversation she had with a senior editor, Stephen Wacker. Kamala Khan is based on Amanat’s life growing up as a Pakistani Muslim in New Jersey. “In the town that I grew up in, there weren’t many people who looked like me or who had my background,” Amanat said. Amanat further explains how she felt different by saying, “In different ways, not only in terms of me being Muslim or Pakistani, but just in terms of my personality and how my family was.” The writer for this comic will be G. Willow Wilson, a comic writer who converted to Islam 10 years ago. From these two women’s input this new Ms. Marvel is going to be written for young girls who are growing up in similar conditions or just people who feel different or possibly like outsiders.

Kamala Khan’s struggle involves her figuring out who she is, while dealing with the discovery of her superpowers. She’s a polymorph, which means she can shrink, grow, and shape shift. Her creators wanted to give her physical powers and avoid the mainstream girly powers. The fact that Kamala is Muslim is not meant to be a central point in her stories, just a facet of her identity. She is the daughter of two immigrants so she will struggle with being an American teen with conservative parents, this will make her strong and vulnerable. They wanted Kamala to live up to the Ms. Marvel mantle, a hero that Kamala admires greatly.

The comic character Carol Danvers was created by writer Roy Thomas in 1968. She was originally the damsel in distress for superhero Captain Marvel. Carol was such a strong female character she had the potential to one day play a starring role. In the 1970’s, Marvel decided that it wanted a powerful new female superhero that could represent the modern liberated woman. Roy Thomas and Archie Goodwin then began designing what eventually would become Ms. Marvel. In 1977 Carol Danvers, as Ms. Marvel, finally made her debut as an empowered heroine of her own comic; the first issue of Ms. Marvel was written by Gerry Conway and drawn by John Buscerna.

Carol Danvers receives her powers in a Captain Marvel story in which he must save her once again. Carol as a result of the rescue is accidentally exposed to alien radiation that transforms her into a superhuman warrior. Her powers include super strength, super speed, super agility, super stamina, flight, invulnerability, energy absorption, energy projection, regeneration, danger sense, and minor molecular control. These powers allow her to be one of the strongest women characters in the Marvel comic universe. Besides her physical prowess she has a strong personality and willpower, fit for an independent woman.

One of Marvel’s other projects in the realm of ethnic diversification is the new Ultimate Spider-man. Miles Morales after the death of Peter Parker takes on the role of Spider-man, he first appeared in Ultimate Fallout #4 in August 2011. Miles is a teenager of African American and Latino descent. He is also the second Spider-man in the Ultimate Marvel comic storyline. The character possesses powers similar to those of the original Spider-Man, which were derived from the bite of a spider genetically engineered by Spider-Man’s nemesis Norman Osborn in an attempt to duplicate those abilities. Reaction to the character varied, some, including Spider-Man’s creator, Stan Lee, approving the creation as a positive role model for non-white children. Others, especially Spider-man fans were displeased by the replacement of Peter Parker, with some criticizing it as a publicity stunt motivated by political correctness. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli. Bendis and Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso were inspired by numerous ideas, especially the election of U.S. President Barack Obama, but he denies it being a stunt political correctness.

At Chameleon Comics loyal customer Rick Alvarez was asked what he thought of Marvel creating a Muslim heroine. He said, “It’s a good thing that Marvel is creating ethnically diverse characters, although I find their characters tend to be very diverse already. It is fine as long as the new characters are true to what the old characters stood for. Did you know that Marvel actually had the first black super hero?” When asked how he believed readers would respond to this he responded, “In the long term, it would probably go over well it might be strange for some readers because they may have trouble relating, Muslim readers will probably embrace the idea and others may find it strange before they get to know the character. If they stay open-minded and the stories are interesting enough I don’t see it as much of a problem.” Alvarez responded to the question should marvel continue making heroes like this by saying, “Definitely, they should expand their universe and make their heroes as relatable as possible. In order to look up to heroes you have to believe they are going through the same thing you are going through too, otherwise they really seem like make believe.”

This is the first time a Muslim character has been showcased in Marvel comics, possibly this is a glimpse at the future of comics. Any person can be a superhero there are no longer boundaries or limitations in the super-universe. Now any person can pick up a comic and find a little bit of themselves in the heroes they read about.

Work Cited

 “Axel Alonso: Reinventing Today’s Heroes.” August 17, 2011. Web. August 17, 2011.LatinRapper.com.

Files, Emily. “Meet the new Ms. Marvel.” November 11, 2013. Web. November 19, 2013.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2013-11-11/meet-new-ms-marvel-female-muslim-pakistani-superhero.

“Ms. Marvel.” November 6, 2013. Web. November 19, 2013. http://www.comicvine.com/ms-      marvel/4005-21561/.

 

 

In The Blood: Here and Now

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In The Blood: Here and Now

 

      In The Blood by Suzan Lori Parks, a riff on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s acclaimed novel The Scarlet Letter tells the depressing story of Hester La Negrita, a homeless black woman living in poverty with five “bastard” children.  She seeks assistance from various sources including a close but manipulative friend, a corrupt reverend, a pressured doctor, her promiscuous welfare lady, and her wayward first love all with who she’s had sexual encounters.  These characters all take advantage of Hester and her situation throughout the course of the play and society turns its back on her.  The play deals closely with the issues of oppression and how society treats women, the impoverished, and especially poor black women like Hester.  In The Blood is a play with many unpleasant, uncomfortable images, but they are images that will surely stick in the minds of both actors and audience.  As Rena Fraden writes in her essay about the two “Hester” plays Parks has written, Fucking A and In The Blood, “There is no relief for Hester or the audience watching.  Tragic conventions loom overhead in both plays.”

 

           This same play will be produced the week of November 18th – November 24th at Baruch College. One actress playing the role of Hester in the production was so emotionally connected to the character that she was brought to tears delivering her final monologue during one of the rehearsals.  Notably, this is a point in the play where everything comes to a head for Hester.  Everyone she’d loved is drifting away from her, she has just killed her oldest child in a spurt of rage, and she’s reflecting on her life and whether she should have had her children.  The actress was visibly moved, and everyone watching was equally captivated.  It was as if she became Hester in that moment. After that, she needed a few minutes to herself to regroup.  This is the power of theatre.  The job of an actor is to make situations and characters such as these come to life on stage, but with all of the pain and suffering that Hester goes through in the play, tapping into her emotions must be a difficult task.  It is difficult not only in the respect of connecting with a character that is unlike you, but also in bringing yourself to truly experience the character.  Is it too much for the young, vulnerable minds of college students?  We see the emotional effect material like this play has on people.  We pose the question: “Should we be representing the themes that we find in In The Blood on a college stage?” And what is the importance of doing so?

 

     Director of the Baruch production, Christopher Scott, answered that question with a resounding “Yes.” and proceeded to explain his process in choosing the play: “I think it is important for young people to challenge their minds and talents and stretch themselves… (I want to do a play) that illuminates life and makes people see life in a different way.”  Scott believes that it is not only important for the development of the talent to experience doing plays that may be “out of their comfort zones”, but it is also important for the audience to see such plays and possibly change their perspective a little bit.

 

      The issues that are present in In The Blood are those that many people would be quick to turn away from, but what Suzan Lori Parks does is force us to look at ourselves.  It may be uncomfortable for some people to talk about, but when the stage acts as a degree of separation between the issue and us, we are able to come to terms more with the reality of it.  Parks, an African-American woman herself, was quoted as saying the message of her plays is misunderstood such as this one: “It’s insulting, when people say my plays are about what it’s about to be black-as if that’s all we think about, as if our life is about that.”  Sure the main character is an impoverished African-American woman, but Parks insists her work is about identity, image, and societal standing.  Christopher Scott didn’t seem to put too much emphasis on race when casting the role of Hester, which is double cast.  Only one of the Hesters is African-American and the five children are of different races than their mother.  The play definitely speaks to more than just race.  The setting of the play could be seen as just as powerful as the message it is trying to send.  It simply reads here and now.  Talk about hinting at society’s problems.  These are all difficult topics to talk about and admittedly may be overwhelming for some audiences to watch and actors to portray, however they are topics that need to surface and having young people play these roles make these issues even more pressing.     

 

     Scott admitted that he “doesn’t like to do safe things” when it comes to theatre.  He wants to “do things that we don’t like to look at.”  The last play he directed was entitled The Motherf*cker With A Hat.”  As you can see, Scott draws from his plays pushing boundaries not only with content, but also with its subject matter.  I would have to agree with Scott on his standpoint.  It is quite easy to recycle those plays done over and over again.  At the risk of sounding too cliché, college is about finding yourself.  It is very possible that by portraying something that one is not, they find out more about who they actually are.  By doing plays such as In The Blood, we are in Scott’s words, “raising the bar intellectually and on an emotional level.” 

 

     I think that is exactly what the Baruch College production of In The Blood will achieve. 

 

 

Art as Advertising

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Paying Artists for Advertisement Design: Is It Art or Is It Business?

 

 

In New York City we are surrounded by all different varieties of art. We cross paths with street performers (wearing varying amounts of clothing) outside of Times Square and Grand Central. Every time we commute to and from the Subway station we likely pass by graffiti paintings sprayed onto the sides of skyscrapers. This constant exposure to art is one of the defining characteristics of the city, and few New Yorkers would advocate decreasing investment in the arts.

 

But we are also constantly bombarded with advertisements at such a high concentration that it is difficult not to become overwhelmed. I would challenge anyone to find a ten-foot radius in the city without a single advertisement. So what happens when these two defining characteristics of New York City are merged into one?

 

Many companies have begun to hire artists to design their advertising campaigns: experts in the fields of media design, graphics, sculpture and painting. In New York City especially, great efforts have been made towards the ‘beautification’ of advertising. Stores are doing much more than plastering posters on the side of a subway car; they are recruiting painters and sculptures to create ads that double as art. But can these advertising campaigns really be considered works of art? If artists are given so many parameters: what canvas to paint on, which logos to use, and which slogans to incorporate, can they simultaneously maintain a sense of artistic integrity?

 

In general this relationship has been positive. Artists who may otherwise be unemployed are able to earn a salary and we as consumers have something more interesting to look at than a generic billboard. In fact, over the past decade this concept of using art as advertising has gained significant traction throughout the city. Four years ago Hugo Boss set up what they termed an ‘outdoor gallery’ of murals around Lower Manhattan. The company paid artists to paint wall designs that were eye-catching and that also included the logo and brand name ‘Hugo Boss.’ But, aside from these details, the murals were created at the discretion of the artists. An article in The L Magazine that featured this outdoor gallery stated that these murals ‘confounded’ the distinction between art and advertising.

 

Today there is a company based in SoHo that is devoted entirely to bridging the gap between these two sectors. In 2004 Colossal Media was created with the express intention of bringing new life both to the marketing industry and to the steel and whitewashed exterior of New York City. In their mission statement, the founders of Colossal Media make it clear that they consider their advertisements art. They compare their employees to the “the wall dogs who graced New York City’s facades during the 1920’s -1940’s, the peak years of hand painted outdoor advertising.” The company even offers an apprenticeship program to cultivate artists with the skillset necessary for the unique demands of outdoor artwork.

 

Over the past nine years Colossal Media has substantially expanded in size, taking on new and larger clients who clearly want to capitalize on the augmented public appreciation of artistic advertisements. They have created ad campaigns for Heineken, Marc Jacobs, Vans, Halo, Pepsi, Disney and dozens of others: the list is impressive. But even though the company has grown in terms of capital and notoriety, its founders have still maintained their dedication to artistic integrity.

 

The Colossal Media website features an entire section devoted to the artistic process of creating these advertisements. There are dozens of videos available that chronologically show the path from a white wall to a work of art. The company interviews their artists and encourages them to give feedback about working on each advertising project. In fact one of the films, entitled Sky High, which followed the construction of a Stella Artois hand-painted ad, has become an award-winning documentary. One of the artists in the film states that his work is comparable to that of Michelangelo on The Sistine Chapel. Not in terms of skill perhaps, that would be an ambitious claim, but with regard to the means of construction. The Stella Artois ad was painted on the side of a skyscraper. The painters had to create an image with attention to light, shading, texture and brushstrokes all while suspended hundreds of feet in the air by thin metal cables. I dare anyone to say that that is not art.

 

This brand of advertising, whether you consider is an innovation or a throw-back to 1920’s hand-painted work, has received rave reviews. The media seems to be uniting behind the fact that these are not only advertisements but also works of art. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both published articles recognizing Colossal Media’s success. The New York Times article, entitled ‘For a Faded Tradition, a Fresh New Coat’ credits Colossal Media for nearly single-handedly reviving the technique of large scale, hand-painted advertisements. As the article points out, this technique is more expensive and is not as precise compared to a vinyl billboard, but is does take much more artistic skill. The Wall Street Journal article, entitled ‘Resurgence of a Dying Art, shares this sentiment:

“Most of New York’s commercial billboards are what Colossal’s artists—a cadre of painters who range from old-time sign painters to reformed graffiti artists—refer to derisively as “vinyl.” These ads get printed and then hung on billboards with little more ceremony than wallpaper. Colossal’s work—for clients such as Stella Artois, Bushmills Whiskey, H&M, Virgin Airlines, and, yes, even MOMA—is painstakingly painted by hand.”

 

These murals and hand-painted billboards are advertisements, but they are also art. If the work of Colossal Media and the artists responsible for the Hugo Boss gallery have taught us anything, it is that these two terms are not mutually exclusive. At any given time there are several dozen of these hand-painted advertisements put up around Manhattan. And I for one will consider all of the effort that went into them next time I walk by.

Works Cited

 

“About Us | Colossal Media.” Colossal Media. Colossal Media Group, 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

 

Gardner, Ralph, Jr. “Resurgence of a Dying Art.” Wall Street Journal. N.p., 20 May 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

 

Kurutz, Steven. “NEW YORK UP CLOSE; For a Faded Tradition, a Fresh New Coat.”The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Oct. 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

 

Sutton, Benjamin. “The L Magazine.” The L Magazine. N.p., 14 Oct. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

 

 

 

Feature Article: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Banksy!

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It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Banksy!

How can a single unknown artist captivate a city known as the arts capital of the world? Is it through the expression of intricate ideals via an archaic medium in a public setting?  What makes people flock so rapidly to a new piece of work, as if it were the discovered birthplace of Jesus Christ? While a vast array of classical pieces remain stagnant within the city’s many museums, Banksy’s short appearance in New York City managed to keep everyone around the world on the edge of their seat.

Every global news company eagerly published article after article about a man who rarely conducts interviews, whose main goal is not aesthetic beauty but instead radical protest, and whose only public persona is his publicist.  How did the visit of a single individual spraying graffiti spark so much interest, when just a couple decades ago the equivalent form of art was considered vandalism?  Perspective is the key to understanding graffiti’s growth as an art form. The entire world continually watches as Banksy’s works are viewed, defaced and confiscated by police for evidence; the public waits for the return of what many call the “world’s most famous spray-paint satirist.”

The beginnings of Banksy’s career could not have occurred at a better point in history.  His works revolutionized the developing art of graffiti by establishing simplistic beauty and political controversy.  For the first time, the distinction between graffiti as a crime and an art was truly blurred.  Banksy was able to further the progression of graffiti towards a form of expression that was not illegal and crude.  Although the origins of graffiti go back to the beginnings of human societies, preserved on the walls of walls in Pompeii or found on ancient Egyptian monuments, the real origin of graffiti as art occurred in the late 1960s.  This is because not all forms of graffiti are considered art.  The “I was here” on the side of a park bench possesses no aesthetic value and delivers no important implication to the viewer.

Creativity is required for graffiti to make the jump to art, and often this involves the use of a spray can for added development of size and color.  After the rise of tagging one’s name and street number on New York City subway cars in the 1960s, spray paint became a way for people to differentiate themselves.  Modern graffiti art relied on doing something different, and evolved from scribbling your name everywhere to creating pieces that held substance.  By the 1970s, subway cars became a canvas for many developing artists to share their work.  Subway cars were unique both in the way that they allowed for mass viewership, and in the way they were covered in large amounts of work from people all over the city, all who aspired to be most recognized.  As indicated by an essay on the rise of graffiti, “the goal was and is to create burners which are pieces that stand out because of creativity, color, vibrancy… and overall artistic appeal.”

The essay indicates that, to the surprise of most people, a large portion of graffitists come from Caucasian middle class families.  Graffiti was not a product of the urban poor trying to vandalize and deface a city. By the 1980s, the art form had undergone a metamorphosis from lowly tags on every uncovered surface to intricate pieces involving a base sketch and a crew to complete the job.  This was the point when Banksy stepped in.  He came at a time when graffiti was becoming recognized for its artistic and political potential.  In addition, his rise came at a time when graffiti art was so flooded with contributors that recognition required the ability to push the bar and create something that would leave viewers in awe.  Banksy did just this.

From 1990-1994, Banksy began the process that would lead him to becoming the most recognizable graffiti artist on this planet.  Even though he started with freehand graffiti, he slowly built his techniques and by the turn of the century he was displaying his works at exhibitions around the world.  He was able to combine important content with interesting and innovative aesthetics, and this is what allowed him to rise past the taggers of the New York City subway system.

Over the last decade, Banksy has established himself as a world-renowned artist capable of depicting anything on public property, and flaunting his ability to get away with it, too.  He climbed into a penguin enclosure in the London Zoo and painted, “We’re bored of fish” in seven-foot high letters.  He also created images of athletes throwing missiles instead of Javelins just before the London 2012 Olympic games.  His satirical works are genius, and he combines elements of humor and protest into pieces that display magnificence.  Whether it be the location of his piece or the manner in which it was designed, Banksy’s artwork deserves all of the recognition it gets; he is one of the few Graffiti artists whose work is rarely deemed an eyesore and he possesses a characteristic that almost no modern artist can claim to have: all that is seen is his works.

On October 1st, 2013, Banksy began a one-month tour called ‘Better Out Than In’ that consisted of placing unique works all over New York City.  He created at least one new piece each day, and documented these pieces on both his website and Instagram account.  Already, dozens of his works have encountered interaction with the people that live among them and all the while, everything about his work is being captured and published.  Whether it is someone looking to remove the art or charge a viewing fee for their personal gain, or simply the police cleaning out the work of someone they consider a vandal, the Internet stays ever vigilant.  Because of this, Banksy’s tour became the art sensation of New York City and overshadowed all the other great feats of artistic creativity that existed within the month of October.

He has had documentaries written about him.  The most popular documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, was nominated for the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary Film, and all the while the identity of the artist remained unknown.  In our age of technology, Banksy has gained a unique ability to thrive.  Often, his works only enjoy a brief shelf life before they are defaced or taken down, and in almost every case people are not seeing Banksy’s work face to face.  However, the widespread distribution of media has allowed for Banksy to become a worldwide sensation, whose every disguised footstep is broadcast for everyone to see.  He can maintain his hidden identity while sharing his ideas and works.  Banksy blossoms, at the crossroads between the culmination of graffiti as art and the widespread availability of information.  Banksy is the product of a unique situation, and it has allowed him to use his specialized talents to rise to the top.  This is why he draws larger crowds than any developed or classical artist could ever hope; Banksy exists as an almost supernatural force whose pieces seem to magically appear as the city awakes each morning.

Twelve days into his show, an old man put up a pop-up boutique that consisted of about 25 spray-art canvases.  The table outside central park sold original autographed canvases for $60 each, and the BBC estimated that the pieces could be worth as much as $31,000.  Even though the elderly boutique owner spent his day yawning and waited hours before a sale, it brings up the controversy that is Banksy.  Is it just for a man who claims to bash the wrongs of capitalism to also benefit off of the institution?  The majority of his works allude to either political or social themes, and often he is protesting the very thing he is engaged in.  While he cites centralized authority and capitalism for causing many of the wrongs in modern society, he can spray over a stencil, sign it and rake in tens of thousands of dollars.  In his book, Wall and Piece, Banksy says, “We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles.  In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves.”

 

Works Cited

Banksy. Wall and Piece. London: Century, 2006. Print.

Ellsworth-Jones, Will. “The Story Behind Banksy.” Smithsonianmag.com. The Smithsonian, Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Goodman, David J., and Cara Buckley. “Police Confiscate Banksy Balloons and Say They’re Not Art.” Nytimes.com. New York Times, 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Guardian. “Banksy Captivates New York with Guerrilla Graffiti Art Blitz.” Theguardian.com. The Guadian, 19 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Stowers, George C. “Graffiti Art: An Essay Concerning The Recognition of Some Forms of Graffiti As Art.” Graffiti.org. Art Crimes, 17 Oct. 1997. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Feature Article: “The Wind is Rising! We Must Try to Live it”

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Edward Mordechay

Professor Sheehan-Saldaña

IDC: Featured Article

11 November 2013

 

“The Wind is Rising! We Must Try to Live it”

After nearly six decades, animator, manga artist, producer and screenwriter, Hayao Miyazaki is retiring with his last feature film, “The Wind Rises.” Released at New York City’s Sunshine Cinema on Houston Street for one week, “The Wind Rises” is a fictionalized biographical representation of Jiro Horikoshi, the engineer who created the devastating warplane, A6M Zero Fighter. Because of the plot, which focuses on the construction of the warplane, and other images, many groups, both domestic and foreign, have criticized the film.

 

Hayao Miyazaki has produced over 20 feature films in his lifetime and each has gone on to win various awards throughout Japan. With films that often depict Japanese mysticism and folklore, Miyazaki has become a very popular and highly acclaimed animator throughout Japan and the world.

 

Unlike other films, however, “The Wind Rises,” does not show any form of mysticism, rather, it is fixated on realistic events. As a boy, Miyazaki always had an affinity for the flying machine, which is the focus of “The Wind Rises” because of his father, who worked at an airplane factory. The film follows Jiro Horikoshi as he grows up and becomes an aeronautical engineer and eventually the chief engineer designing fight planes for a leading aircraft manufacturer. After a series of failures, Horikoshi finally builds the Mitsubishi A5M, a precursor to the A6M, and falls in love with Naoko, Horikoshi’s future wife, who is afflicted with tuberculosis.

 

Though the plot is quite simple, many people, from both sides, have criticized its representation of World War II Japan. The biggest criticisms from abroad are the smoking scenes, which they’re a total of eight. The problem isn’t necessarily the smoking, but who sees the smoking. Since the movie is an animation, parents in America, and other countries, expect to take their child to see a child’s movie; unfortunately, Japanese anime is not Pixar. In Japan, anime is treated with the same respect as an actual movie. It is as real as authentic as a real life movie, only in picture form; thus, the confliction was created over differences in cultures.

 

Disney distributed “The Wind Rises” in America, and I’m glad it did although it was releasing it at arm’s length. I believe Disney looked at “The Wind Rises” as a film by a great artist instead of as a film that is meant to keep kids away. When asked if a child should be taken to see the movie, Robert K., an avid anime watcher and Miyazaki fan, says that “some parts are kid friendly, but others aren’t,” and Myrrhia R., another avid Miyazaki fan, believes that “a level of maturity is needed so that the child could understand the ideas of the film.” Myrrhia sums up my thoughts exactly. The movie has many moments inappropriate for kids: tuberculosis, smoking, animated bombs, but we shouldn’t be keeping kids out because of historical context, rather, we should be allowing mature children understand the pain of tuberculosis, the hardships of loss, the coping mechanism of smoking, and the irrational reasoning of human beings. If a parent feels that his child can’t understand just that, then this film is best left for the adults. On the other hand, if a child can understand, then it is a wonderful moment to teach a child the mentality of the past, and the good and bad that came from it.

 

Domestically, all sides have criticized the film. The many liberals of Japan as well as China, Korea, and even America, are disgusted of the film because of its historical context. The film follows the protagonist’s invention a deadly weapon that killed countless lives during the war. Many liberal Japanese out lashed over the depiction because they don’t want to be connected with such a dark part of their history. Koreans and Chinese dislike the film because the workers used to create the A6M were forced laborers from both countries. On the other site, the right purveys Miyazaki as a “traitor” and “anti-Japanese” because his movie also shows the futility of war.

 

Miyazaki expected such backlash for his film, but he had a rebuttal. A pacifist himself, Miyakazi had “very complex feelings” about the war, and saw the Japanese endeavors as “foolish arrogance; however, Miyakazi clearly states that he was making the movie because Jiro Horikoshi created the one thing Japan could be proud of. As the movie itself states, the A6M not only brought Japan to the forefront of aeronautical engineering, but Horikoshi’s creation surpassed all other planes. Miyakazi saw “Jiro Horikoshi (as) the most gifted man of his time in Japan. He wasn’t thinking about weapons – really all he desired was to make exquisite planes.” Robert K. agrees with Miyakazi and doesn’t see the film as Japanese’s World War II aggression, but “a creative endeavor of a man trying to be the best.” Hilary R., an anime enthusiast, sees the film as a “tasteful way of making art, and not nationalistic whatsoever.” I believe the biggest question Miyakazi asks his critics is “should (Horikoshi) be liable for anything just because he lived in that period?” No, in the end, the passion of one man should not be criticized because of what others did with his passion. Horkoshi’s only became a byproduct of Japan’s arrogance.

 

Geoffrey Wexler, the international chief at Studio Ghibli, sees the film as “a love story, between two people and between a creator and his invention.” After watching the animated film, that is my final view. The film is simply following Horikoshi as he passionately works to create a masterpiece. That same passion can be seen with his wife, and all you want in the end is for both Horikoshi’s life and marriage to live on.

Miyakazi’s inspiration for the film was a quote from Horikoshi who said, “All I wanted to do was to make something beautiful.” Besides being his inspiration, the quote also embodies how Miyakazi wants to depart the industry by creating something beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

Barnes, Brooks. “Swan Song Too Hawkish for Some.” NYTimes.com. NYTimes.com, 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Fujii, Moeko. “Miyazaki’s Film ‘The Wind Rises’ Spurring Mixed Emotions.” Japan Real Time RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Keegan, Rebecca August. “‘The Wind Rises’: Hayao Miyazaki’s New Film Stirs Controversy.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

McCurry, Justin. “Japanese Animator under Fire for Film Tribute to Warplane Designer.” The Guardian. N.p., 22 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

“News Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises Opens Today in Los Angeles, New York.” Anime News Network. Anime News Network, 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.