The Arts in New York City

When I saw the performance of “Pamina Devi: A Cambodian Magic Flute” at The Joyce Theater, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “What would Mozart say about the Cambodian adaptation of his epochal opera ‘Die Zauberfloete/ The Magic Flute’?” Though this wasn’t out of disinclination towards the performance, it was a question that was adequate to ask oneself. For anyone who had an opportunity to see Mozart’s “Magic Flute”, differences and similarities were easy to depict and a slight preconception about what was going to be expected could inhibit one from truthfully enjoying the performance. A major difference was the fact that the Cambodian Magic Flute was solely performed through movements. Besides the rather “quote-like” surtitles above the ten musicians upstage, there were no spoken words at all. Dressed in absolutely stunning, traditional Cambodian costumes, the dancers performed traditional Cambodian movements, which are mainly focused in the hands and feet. Dances almost seemed like a sequence of striking poses that progressed very slowly from one to another. Though I found that “Pamina Devi” at The Joyce Theater was a captivating experience, I personally found it extremely difficult to stay focused during the 120 minute performance. The story that was told through the movements was very similar to Mozart’s original– the five main characters (Pamina, Tamino, Papageno, Papagena and the Queens of the Night) were all translated into Cambodian names- but it took deep focus and endurance to follow the story throughout. To fully immerse in this adaptation and not simply get carried away by the beauty of costumes and Cambodian tradition, one must have had a deep appreciation for movement and dance and the rather trained mind and etiquette of a frequent dance spectator.

Digital Art is relatively a new style of art. I embraced this new form of expression during the tech fair and it has gotten me excited. Garageband is an audio program that allows the user to manipulate sounds to form unique pieces of music. The program is remarkably simple to operate and overwhelming in its amount of content. With this program, the possibilities to express the musical ideas within ones mind are endless. One can modify existing forms of music or create their own with the keyboard style piano using this program. Combined with the program Audacity, where sound effects can be added to perfect any piece, a musician can create a piece worthy of radio play or create a piece perfect for accompanying a visual performance. Whatever the desired goal, these two programs will surely help you reach your target. Like a match made in Heaven, Audacity and Garageband not only complement one another but make each other better. One of the simplest programs to use out in the market, the category of Digital Art is greatly aided and enhanced by these simple yet efficient programs.

Located at 43rd street and Avenue of the Americas, the ICP (International Center of Photography) touched my heart deeply through it’s photographs. Containing no other forms of art other than photography and posters, the images that are presented are astounding and powerful. The current exhibitions were about war, which is a topic that is serious and touching. As I stared at the photographs, sadness settled into my heart as I saw blood pouring from a dead snipered soldier, a soldier being carried out in a stretcher, a soldier recently shot, and a mass grave of 46 Spaniards. Bravery is also presented as you see real soldiers heading toward war, an inevitable destiny for them, and their expression of bravery yet fear hidden behind it. Photography is such a powerful form of art where you can appreciate and witness what really happened in the past. Photographs allows us to know the true emotion of a certain event and those affected in the process.

New York City with its Broadway productions, art galleries and tireless inhabitants, is the cultural hotspot for tourists. Yet, most leave without ever reaching the core of the art movement in New York City. Art in NYC is about expression and what better way to live the art of NYC than to experience graffiti, the living breathing words and dreams of actual New Yorkers? While most people believe that graffiti is an act of vandalism, the 5 Pointz building, a yellow painted building covered in graffiti, treats it as a work of art. The building is iconic and a familiar of 7-train riders; my first encounter with the building was upon looking out the windows of the train and coming face to face with it. While those who have seen it have always wondered about it, I am sure few have actually visited it. Unfortunately, I too only stumbled upon the neighborhood on a trip to P.S. 1, a popular contemporary arts museum, which is ironically just across from 5 Pointz. Rather than waiting on line at P.S. 1, I took a bit of a detour to view the building up close. The view is fantastic. According to sources, the building is a haven for graffiti artists who decorated the former “fun-house.” Today, those who want to paint in the area have to first attain a permit. Impressively covered from head to toe, the building is covered with tags and all kinds of illustrations. While I was not comfortable going inside on my own, those who have been there say that the inside is just as decorated. While some people may have seen it from a distance, I have to say that nothing compares to seeing it up close and whether or not you believe it is art, it is truly a sight to behold.

            The small woman wearing purple puffy short-sleeves stroked the strings of her small violin with the slender red hairs of her bow.  She reached onto the tips of her toes as she smoothly elongated a high A.  Her wrist shook with vibrato and slowed as the note dwindled into softness and she rested steadily on her feet.  Her face was the image of satisfaction and serenity as she continued among the orchestra that played from her squat little radio.  Again, she rose like she was breathing for the first time.  Her eyes were shut, remembering an enchanting dream, and again she settled onto her feet, swaying with her notes.  The silky voice of the violin was striking against the ceaseless grumble of trains and the robotic female overhead that cautioned travelers about safety.  The small woman with her small violin stood out as a tiny persistent ray in a bustling underground world.

We are most likely to associate subway stations of Manhattan with stifling heat and disgusting stench.  Personally, I dislike the subway stations of Manhattan because of the unbearable heat, especially in the summer.  Recently, at Union Square Subway Station, I was in a hurry and saw a quite unexpected display: a light blue underwater-like picture was projected on the wall, approximately one foot in length and width.  When I looked at it the first time, I thought to myself, “It is weird to put up such a display at subway station; and no one really stop by and appreciate it.”  The second time I slowed down my pace and looked at it again.  The wavy shapes and ocean-blue colors reminded me of the ocean and breeze and relaxed me a bit.  From then on I have felt the relaxation when I walk by and look at it.  It is a piece of artwork to me because it relaxes me by creating a peaceful and pleasant scene of nature. 

Kara Walker, a receiver of the MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant came onto the art scene in 1994 with “Gone, An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred Between the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart.” Like her earliest work, her latest exhibition  “My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love” also focuses on the theme of race. Her medium of art is quite interesting – black-paper silhouette cutouts that adorned white walls, other smaller notebook drawings, collages, and film animations starring shadow-puppets. The film animations are the highlights of the exhibition and provide a sort of background for the silhouette pieces. One of the animations shows the origins of slaves. Cast out at sea after being capture and thrown overboard during a storm, slaves are swallowed by a “giant mouth” and then spewed out into cotton fields to face abuses. What is fascinating is Walker’s range of depiction of stereotyped images of black Southern history. There are graphic depictions of rapes and lynchings. Then there are caricatures of sorts where certain features are emphasized such as fat lips, oversize genitals, and other exaggerations. Her art compels you to come to conclusions of race in the past and Southern America. Whatever these conclusions may be, Kara Walker’s exhibition definitely makes you think.

Listening to the rumbling of the 7 train, I was suddenly hit by a loud and intrusive noise. No, it was not the mumbling of the conductor over the loud speaker. This noise was far more excruciating. I turned to my left and standing there holding an accordion was a short, Hispanic man in a sombrero. This performance was unlike other subway performances that I have heard throughout my daily musings on the train. I am usually amused and pleased with the playing styles of subway performers but this guy was horrible. The only knowledge I had of the accordion was how it sounded when Steve Urkel played it, but after listening to Joseph Petric’s performance on the accordion, I realized that the sounds that are produced by accordions are rather pleasing to the ear. The accordion sounds played by the person on the 7 train were not pleasing to the ear and I could not understand a word he said. He sang and spoke in Spanish and everyone seemed to ignore him. I didn’t mind the fact that he sang in Spanish. Actually, his singing was more like screeching and shouting. I just did not enjoy his performance. He walked up and down the cart, but no money was placed in the sombrero. This didn’t seem to faze him. He calmly put the sombrero back on his hat, picked up his accordion, waited for the train to stop and moved on to the next cart. There was never a finer moment where I was glad to only hear the rumbling of the train and the mumbling of the train conductor.

For this week’s art event I attended the Filarmonica Della Scala at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, October 13. The Filharmonica Della Scala is the resident orchestra of Milan’s celebrated opera house, an orchestra established 25 years ago this year, and as a celebration took part in a North American tour, the first time it has ever done so. I happened to receive these tickets from a friend at the UN who had heard about my search for a cultural event. I accepted these tickets hesitantly; I had never before been to an orchestra performance and was not too sure if I would like it. But lately I have been in the mood to try out new things, so I took the tickets, dressed up in suit and tie and made my way for the historic Carnegie Hall. Read the rest of this entry »

Do not be daunted by the small size of Sadie Benning’s “Form of a Waterfall” exhibition; it has many hidden meanings behind the seemingly simple works of art on display. Fortunately, the artist herself was there to explain them, otherwise I never would have guessed the ideas behind the creations. Using audio and visual mediums, Benning depicted the concept of contact in her video and colored-pencil drawings. For example, an eerie black and white video, which reminded me of the movie The Ring at first, showed a pen scribbling lines across and making contact with a surface. Many of the symmetrical figures in the drawings represented a sense of balance and a back-to-basics notion. What looked like basic shapes and colors also symbolized different aspects of genders. They looked like the images one would see when meditating. My favorite part of the exhibition, however, had to be the vinyl record playing in the center of the room. Music accompaniment made viewing more enjoyable and relaxing, going back to the idea of art as meditation. Besides acting as a soundtrack, the reasoning behind choosing a vinyl record over a cassette was also for aesthetic and physicality purposes. I had never actually seen an old record player before, so it gave an interesting vintage feel. While the exhibition was not exactly exciting, it did raise my curiosity. Anyone who enjoys deciphering abstract drawings would appreciate Benning’s work.