The Electronic Music concert in LeFrak earlier tonight was an interesting and different concert than I have ever been to. There were no musicians on stage, just the director of the concert and his helper at a computer playing the different soundtracks of unique musical sound. The lights were also turned off so the audience would focus on the music.
I think it is safe to say that the pieces of electronic music that were played could be considered the musical version of abstract expressionism. Each piece had a multitude of different unique sounds, many of which could not be replicated by any real instrument. Many of the sounds sounded like the music for the introduction to a modern movie, but blended in a bizarre and abstract way. Many other sounds sounded like musical background in a video game, also blended together in a puzzling and abstract fashion. Furthermore, a couple of the pieces were accompanied with a visual slideshow of abstract moving colored blobs, lines, and streaks, the kind that you frequently see in screen savers. In a way, these “screen saver” animations could also be considered animated abstract expressionism.
So just when we thought that abstract expressionism was limited to de Kooning and 2D visual art, the art form has actually made its way into modern technology as well in the form of music and animation.
Steve Jobs would be very happy, but what about Da Vinci? The technological world is quickly taking over our day-to-day lives, whether an app helps deter one from procrastinating, or an app that supplies recipes for dinner, if there is a need, there is probably an app for that. The app world has slowly been creeping up in our world, and now it is affecting our arts
As we grow in our technological world, things are expected to go digital; but can we please draw the line at digitizing the arts? On my iPhone, I have an app called “Louvre”, and as one would expect, the app displays many of the paintings on display at the Louvre. On the side of a selected painting, the viewer has the option of reading “About the work”, “Technical information”, and “Location”. This particular app was free, but the recent price of digital art has spiked. Artists including Damien Hirst, Isaac Julien, Shepard Fairey and Wim Wenders have recently created limited edition digital works for a web platform, with Prices ranging from £5 to £500. The capability to now globalize some of the greatest artworks, both old and new, faces possible art enthusiasts with an interesting dilemma. Can we substitute the real masterpiece with a pixelated version delivered directly to the palm of our hands?
Yes, technology does make it simple to view the art, but what about appreciating the art? There is definitely a different experience when viewing and contemplating a piece of art when the piece is in front of you rather than from a computer screen. We can speculate this dilemma through our class’s own personal experiences. When we looked at a painting of Franz Halls in class, I saw the painting as just a picture that was in front of me; there was no excitement or feeling of being in the presence of greatness. Though my sentiment immediately changed when we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I saw the painting in front of my eyes. Just by being in front of the painting I was able to see how each brush stroke worked, and I suddenly had the ability to appreciate the tiny details that the digital copy could not accomplish. Even if the digital picture could see the intricate details, the ability to admire the minor discrepancies and then to step back and see the picture as a whole elevates the painting to a different level that cannot be accomplished in some app or Google image.
Science has even decided that the real artwork is the only real way of experiencing art. In the book Blink, a study is referenced, in which people were able to determine that a certain statue was fake based on just a first glance, even though scientific research was thought to have proven otherwise. This study can then be applied here, where our brain can tell that the artwork is not the real thing when looking at it online, but when viewing the real piece, a true sense of excitement should take over a person. As an example of the excitement we feel when seeing the real thing, when a person has a certain role model, one can look at pictures of him/her endlessly, but when offered a chance to speak to the role model, a person would probably freeze up in awe of standing in front of the person he/she has dreamed about for so long.
Technology has brought with itself, both up and downs. Now, many people who have thought that they would never be able to see the Mona Lisa are as close to it as just downloading an app. People can now appreciate and have knowledge of great works of art; but the true appreciation, I think, cannot be accomplished until seeing the piece in front of you. The digital age has allowed us to broaden our knowledge of the arts, but we have to remember that the art itself is awe-inspiring. My parting message to all of you reading this, is to go out there and take advantage of the opportunity you have to see the arts for what it is, inside the museums; for it is only a train ride away.
This is the time of year that every thing starts winding down and moving to a more peaceful time. The semester is almost over, and soon we will all be separating for a month. First, I wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this seminar, and I thought it was a great learning experience! I think we all turned into partial snobs.
But to get to the main point of the post, I wanted to mention a few snobbish things to do while on vacation if anyone is interested in keeping up their noses. So here are some of the great things to do in this wonderful city come holiday time!
1. Walk around! Our city is fantastic, and in the wintertime there are displays everywhere! Obviously the most well known ones are Times Square, and Rockefeller Center. Those are great places to start to se the Tree and the various lights in the City Center. But once you hit the tree on 5th keep walking! There are the Macy’s and Lord and Taylor Window’s near Herald Square that are great places to go see.
2. Do something fun! At the Jewish Museum, there is a Children’s exhibit that allows you to pretend as if you are an archeologist for the day. You can “find” vessels that relate to the time of the Maccabees that tie in directly with the holiday of Chanukah. It is a great thing to do around the holidays. It will be a slightly different experience than seeing the Cone Sister exhibit, but it promises to be more hands on than walking around and staring at the various Matisse and Picasso’s that are on display.
3. See a show! As everyone knows, the City is one of the best places to see a show. But instead of seeing a Broadway show, if you want to maintain your snob status, maybe check out Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center is beginning it’s annual run of the Nutcracker, which is sure not to disappoint. It will be simmilar to the Ballet that we saw in the first act of “Fall for Dance.” Just do not go in to it expecting to hear someone counting to ten in another language.
4. Visit a Museum! You have your choice of museums in the city as we all know, so try for something out of the ordinary. From now until April 22nd, the Cloisters is having an exhibition entitled, “The game of Kings: Medieval ivory Chessmen From the Isles of Lewis.” These Chessmen are similar to the pieces used in Harry Potter, and they will not move on their own, but will still amaze you. Obviously this will be different than any other exhibition that we as a class saw at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I hope some of you take up my suggestions, but more importantly, I hope you have a great vacation doing whatever it is that you all end up doing!
One thing that many of us tend to forget about musicians, as well as artists, is that their work is not simply a hobby or a pastime–it is their job. Before reading this NY Times article, it had never occurred to me that professional musicians had a union.
The Musicians Union has thousands of members, though most of the beneficiaries of its minimum wage and pension standards are classical musicians and Broadway performers. Jazz musicians, on the other hand, do not have these benefits.
Last week, several jazz musicians stood outside Blue Note, a major jazz club in Greenwich Village, handing out leaflets campaigning for a pension push. The musicians want the clubs that they work for to give them pension plans. However, the club owners are claiming that this idea is far too complicated, given the nature of the business. Jazz clubs usually hire a bandleader, who in turn hires individual musicians. Many club owners are suggesting that the bandleaders be the ones to provide pension plans to the musicians, as the process will be a lot simpler that way.
This issue seems to be causing a lot of tension between the musicians and the clubs that they work for. Only time will tell whether the professional jazz musicians succeed in their campaign for pensions.
As discussed in class, the issue of initial reaction versus acquired taste arises. You may like something at first but after a few times lose interest. On the other hand, you may not like something initially simply because you do not understand it but later, after learning about the artists struggle and purpose, learn to love the work or at least respect it. Many of the artists and events we went to this semester can fall under these two divisions. However, which division each experience falls under is entirely subjective. It depends upon a person’s opinions and preferences. Let me explain using specific examples.
Personally, the jazz portion of the Fall for Dance performance falls under the initial reaction category. I enjoyed it the first time I saw it. I thought it was very theatrical and full of spunk, however, if I was to see it again, I doubt that I would have the same reaction. I would most likely tire of it rather quickly. The last portion of the performance, on the other hand, falls under the acquired taste category. When the dance began, I was shocked and very confused. Many questions were running through my mind at that point. Why are they dancing like this? What are they doing? Why are the genders split? Why are they counting in this language? What is the point of all of this? But, as it continued, I became rather intrigued and started interpreting the dance. The counting began to entertain me. The dance became, to me, an acquired taste.
Not all people however believe in the distinction that I make, as revealed through a fellow classmate. That is where the issue of subjectivity arises. Some people think that art is an objective field. It is either good or bad the first time around, that there is no such thing as an acquired taste. Some people believe that abstract art is not art. Others believe that realistic art is not art. Everyone has a different point of view, a different judgment. That’s the beauty of it. If everyone had the same ideas and the same creations, art wouldn’t be interesting. Life, in itself, wouldn’t be interesting. This class discussion revealed many insights to me that I truthfully was not expecting. It made me realize how much I really learned and how my views on art broadened. Thank You, Professor Smaldone for allowing such a comprehension to occur.
After reading the article about the largest daytime fireworks launched in Qatar, I suddenly realize that firework is another form of art.
With GDP per capita of around $101,000, Qatar has much excessive amount of money. Therefore, that is no wonder that the Qatar Musejm Authority actually pay the check for the largest firework show. This fireworks display is the product of the collaboration of Chinese firework artist Cai Guo-qiang and Grucci family from New York. Cai Guo-qiang is the person who “dazzled international audience with his fireworks display at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.” Grucci family is America’s first family of fireworks; they put on the 4th of July fireworks in NYC.
This fireworks display is spectacular. Even though it is shown in the daytime, you can still see colorful flares. These colors seen are actually the color of smoke. The firework artists use special technology to make this effect. After hearing the burst of the shell, you can see thousands of “birds” appear in the sky suddenly. I most like the second one in the video. It is incredible; it is like uncountable amount of colorful butterflies dancing in the sky. Even though the daytime firework is not as pretty as the night one, I think, it has its own distinguished characteristic, which makes you feel like that what you have seen is just your illusion.
Like the motorcycle-carving by Aaron Young, the firework creates huge piece of art work. They both use violence to create beauty. Aaron Young utilize the intense friction between the wooden floor and the tires of the motorcycle to carve the floor to create patterns. Cai Guo-qiang and Grucci family use explosion to create stunning flares. But unlike the enduring carving, it is such a pity that the fireworks last only a second.
The Pompidou Centre is one of those museums that you should have heard of, but probably haven’t. At least, that’s what it was for me. I was introduced to it by the most unlikely of sources – a Rabbi in Israel – and the context in which he mentioned it was quite interesting as well, but nonetheless irrelevant to our discussion here.
Centre Georges Pompidou, as it is known in French, is a museum in Paris, France. Now, if I were to finish with my introduction now, I would not quite do the museum justice. Why’s that? Because I left out one teeny, tiny fact. And what might that teeny, tiny fact be? It’s kind of built inside-out.
Inside-out? Yes, inside-out. What’s that mean? I hardly know the extent of it myself, my friends. But I can tell you that the piping is all on the outside so that if you were to pass by the museum, you’d think it’s just some kind of extensive scaffolding. It’s really quite an eyesore. Supposedly, the builders of the museum were protesting against the idea that art has to be a certain way. To that end, they built a museum that defies the idea that a museum has to be a certain way.
I guess I just have one question – would you go so far as to compromise aesthetic for the sake of “art?” I think that like ALL matters in art, the answer to that is entirely subjective. There’s a number of issues that can arise:
The Pompidou Center is not quite, shall we say, pleasing to the eyes
Who says that piping on the outside of a building is a compromise of aesthetic? Just because I think so doesn’t mean that it is unequivocally so for all others. On that note, is there even a standard of “aesthetic?” Sure, we’ve come to the conclusion that art has hardly any standards. But is aesthetic subject to the same terms? And maybe compromising aesthetic for “art” is essentially art? Like we said in class, being unafraid to push boundaries when following your “vision” is something that defines an artist. So maybe forgoing aesthetic is a part of that? Lastly, maybe museums DO have to be a certain way? I don’t know about anyone else, but I am a selective purist when it comes to architecture (selective meaning to say that sometimes I do find unconventional structures appealing here and there). I would be, and am, put off at the thought of a structure like the Pompidou Centre. I probably wouldn’t even enter the place, which you can say is my loss but then I’d have to ask you “what exactly would I be losing, pray-tell?”
All in all, the Pompidou Centre is an intriguing place. Like most post-modernist art, I am more fascinated by the debate it elicits than “it” itself. But maybe that’s all it’s there for in the first place. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this semester, it’s that I’ll never quite know how to settle that issue once and for all. (The fact that I am actually okay with that just proves how far I’ve come.)
On the night of December 7th, I went to see the Colbert Report. The show was its usual funny self, and Colbert was very funny. While watching the show, I began to realize the affect that comedy had on the media. Everything Colbert said was factual, but the spin he put on his jokes made it seem as if our political system is heading down the wrong track. Most of his jokes centered around the Republican presidential campaign, and it left many in the audience unsure of their support. It was an interesting experience.
What struck me the most about the show was the special guest. The guest was David Hallberg. He is a ballet dancer who was born in South Dakota, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona learning ballet. He has worked for the American Ballet Theater, and is now employed by the Russian Bolshoi Ballet as well.
I thought it was interesting to see the synthesis of comedy and art in a new way. Typically, Colbert’s guests are politicians and people who are typically associated with Hollywood. David Hallberg does not fit into these two categories. At the end of the interview, Hallberg performed a piece from the Nutcracker and he was extremely graceful.
It was great seeing the ballet dancers on Fall for Dance, but we were up in the audience. Hallberg was fifteen feet away from me, and so I could see his every move perfectly. The concentration and effort it takes to dance ballet was not lost on the audience.
Holidays are all around us now, especially in New York City. The holidays can be both a positive and a negative experience in several different ways. The holidays can be a reason for families and friends to come together or it can turn into a moneymaking scheme. New York successfully does both through the use of art, performances, and displays.
Holiday artwork can be enjoyed at locations such as the Jewish Museum where they exhibit “Hanukkah around the world” and New York Botanical Garden where large-scale gingerbread houses can be admired. Performances such as Radio City’s Christmas spectacular and New York City Ballet’s: The Nutcracker can serve as entertainment for those who find themselves in New York for the holiday season. Last but not least, displays throughout the city such as the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center and the 5th Avenue Holiday Windows Tour can capture the attention of families and shoppers alike.
Now that I’ve said all of this, the question of why this is relevant comes up. Well, I’d like to discuss the negative aspects of the holiday season and how beautiful art is commercialized just for the sake of making a profit. Commercializing art degrades the value of the art, the meaning behind it, and its essence. (As we have read previously) Finding this commercialization is too easy. Let’s list some more examples: holiday cards, holiday movies, decorations, gifts, wrapping paper, holiday stamps, and much more. Greedy people turned the season of compassion and joy into a season of demand and hunger (for money and items). Art that was made intricately over a long period of time is now used on cards and stamps. The problem I have with that is that people tend to look over the art itself and look for what’s inside or what they can gain from it. If people took the time to really appreciate what they were buying and receiving and returned to a state of humbleness then it would be an entirely different story. Art should be treasured for the intrinsic value it possesses not the money it can make.
If I had to guess, I would say that the fascination inspired by our short encounter with the world of Gamelan had more to do with the juxtaposition of the Indonesian music and its Americans-in-jeans musicians than with the development of a true taste for the tinkering tunes.
Sure, the music has an ethnic charm, the kind that motivates the Bali government to sponsor costumed performers in hotels, and, while this contrived ‘experience’ may attract tourists, us Mac’lers got a look at something a lot better.
The Queens College Gamelan Orchestra made no secret of its background—there were a few giggles in the crowd when some of the musicians spun their sticks drummer style. When we met them prior to the performance, they were just regular guys in college willing to kick off their converse and sit on the floor with us to make some noise. Happens to be their noise is of a superior strain, a new idea in the desert of over-proliferation. Bali music in New York, played by New Yorkers is as refreshing as pop music played by Californians is nauseating.
Another instance of the first phenomenon that comes to mind is that of Idan Raichel.
To this day, Israelis hold the world record as the only country to actively bring Africans to their country—as free men. In 1984-91, when the Ethiopian Jewish population was threatened by political upheaval and famine, Israel organized covert operations Joshua, Moses and Solomon, airlifting thousands to safety and developing programs to help the newcomers integrate. Idan Raichel volunteered at one such program, where he became acquainted with the rhythmic Ethiopian music that he later developed into the Idan Raichel Project. His music features songs that blend Amharic, Hebrew, and Arabic. It is this combination of cultures that makes his work so powerful. Most recently he performed with India Arie, earlier this semester at the Beacon Theater on Broadway.
(kol isha heads up—if its below your standards I don’t want it to be my gehenom 😉 just skip to the next video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtwfZZX5E4I
Translated Hebrew lyrics: (and if anyone understands Amharic please post!)
Come, give me your hand and let’s go
Don’t ask me to where
Don’t ask me about happiness
Maybe it will come too
And when it comes
It will fall down on us like rain
Come, let’s embrace and let’s go
Don’t ask me when
Don’t ask me about home
Don’t ask me for time
Time doesn’t wait, doesn’t stop, doesn’t stay.
Another, more current, more local, and perhaps even more bizarre example of cultural integration would be the Yeshiva University acapella group’s attempt at reggae holiday music. Like the case of the Queens Gamelan, one can only wonder, how on earth did this happen?
We discussed in class how often in art you’ll see new and daring artists attempting pieces of art that have been previously explored. Sometimes this experimentation gets them worldwide popularity, and sometimes it doesn’t. Bonnie and Clyde are one of those more common times where experimentation didn’t bring very much success. The reviews of the musical in the daily news has already ravaged the play. An article in the Village Voice discusses some of the reasons why this musical failed so miserably. The play tries to romanticize the characters Bonnie and Clyde, who historically were not very admirable nor likable. Bonnie and Clyde, who went on an infamous crime and killing spree in the 30’s, were originally admired as Robin-hood style villains who robbed banks.
Fedoras were popular '30s bathwear: Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes
But as their spree continued, more and more innocent people and police were killed, and more hardworking people-the owners of stores and gas stations, became the victims of Bonnie and Clyde. They were not appealing characters in real life, or on stage. They lived uncomfortably and unglamorously, and the play did not turn their deplorable acts into broadway magic. As the author of the article put it:”But the creators don’t even seem to have thought about the difficulties of building a show around two people who said, “We rob banks,” in an era when, far more frequently, banks seem to be robbing us.” I think this is another example of how “make it or break it” Broadway is. The music for the musical, obviously a large part of the show, was deafening. Over-amplified belted high notes seemed to be the musical’s method of curing any problems the play had; unfortunately for them, nothing could save that musical, no matter how many power ballads they put into it. Experimentation has great potential in art and music, but is also liable for major failure. Look at the musical “The Book of Mormon”, Trey Parker’s and Matt Stone’s innovative creation that has become a box office hit. Then again, musicals like Bonny and Clyde, and Spiderman have faced endless adversity. Broadway is like any other scene in show business, far more lose than win.
This course has been focused primarily on the appreciation of the different art forms in New York City through watching, looking at, and talking about them. It occurred to me recently that it was only with Professor Lipsey and the Gamelan percussion instruments that we actually actively engaged in the art that we have seen and appreciated. Not only did we see the fantastic Gamelan group perform, we got to play the instruments, get a feel for them, and get a sense of what playing Balinese Gamelan is all about. Don’t get me wrong; It is wonderful to look at, watch, and talk about art. That is the primary way to gain an appreciation for it. But I think that when we are able to actively engage in a particular art form that we are analyzing and appreciating, it gives us a whole different perspective on that art form. The Gamelan sounds and actions look and sound cool onstage. But when I was playing my xylophone (or whatever that Balinese instrument is called) during our class prelude to the performance, I felt something very different from when I was watching; maybe it was a sense of contributing to this unique and cool art form, or maybe it was simply working as a group to make the art. I’m not really sure. Either way, it seems likely that participating in art that we analyze (when possible) will help us gain an even better understanding and appreciation of that art form. Vision is one way to appreciate art; participating is a whole different ball game.
On Thursday, December 1st, we were treated to a sneak peak of what is involved in the Gamelan Orchestra, a Balinese art. We sat on cushions in a room filled with instruments like xylophones, metallophones, gongs, and drums. The instruments were beautifully designed and looked expensive. We were even instructed not to step over the instruments out of respect. We were taught to play over-simplified tunes in order to give us some experience with the instruments; at times it sounded like noise, but it was still fun and I appreciated the different rhythms.
Then, on December 5th, our experience playing some of the instruments was followed up by the Gamelan Yowana Sari (orchestra concert) in LeFrak Hall. I was especially able to appreciate the performance because of the lesson we had had prior to the performance. I loved how the director, Professor I Nyoman Saptanyana, led the different parts of the orchestra simultaneously with simply one drum; I can tell that everyone was paying attention to him carefully and that he mattered in the fluency of the pieces.
Everyone on stage was wearing a cultural costume, and during one of the pieces two women came out and did a dance to the music. Seeing it performed in a cultural context added to my appreciation of it as an art as well. The piece, Brayut, is interesting because it is the name of a husband and wife in Bali with 18 children; the family is poor now, but as they grow up, the family will acquire wealth. Pendet Penyambutan also has cultural and traditional significance as it is a welcome dance for visitors to the island of Bali. Overall, It was refreshing to see art with a cultural value. Seeing performances and/or art in context has proved time and time again to be extremely important.
Here is a video I found of Balinese Gamelan music that shows a lot of what we learned (including one of the same beats we were taught on Thursday):
The musical duo Bluebrain has created an album, Central Park (Listen to the Light), that is specifically supposed to be the soundtrack for Central Park. How does that work exactly? Well, the soundtrack is an app for the iPhone and iPad that’s meant to measure the listeners movement and location and know which piece to play. So, the music will not play until the listener enters Central Park. There are 400 tracks that play depending on where the listener walks or stops. For example, the Lake has a specific track that supposedly follows water-like melodious movements. The app is currently free, but Bluebrain hopes that it becomes a commodity, which brings up the argument of creating art for money.
Although Bluebrain hopes to make some money out of it, I don’t think that changes the beauty of the art. I feel that any artist, nowadays, hopes to make money while they do what they love to do because in the end, that’s how our society works. I actually think it’s quite neat that someone was able to come up with this idea and isn’t capitalism supposed to encourage innovation?
Honestly, I find this to be fascinating! I’ve heard a snippet of Central Park (Listen to the Light) here and I find it to be very beautiful and relaxing.The music is all instrumental and there are few instruments that are interchanged, depending on the track. I think this is a great thing to have for someone who is just looking to have some alone time, strolling down Central Park with some soundtrack music lightly playing. I will surely be downloading this app before it becomes a commodity!
“Villainy is more seductive than virtue.” With this in mind, New York Times Magazine prepares to launch the latest edition of its Hollywood issue. Aptly titled “Touch of Evil,” the magazine features this year’s best performers in film playing “baddies.” The print issue is accompanied by videos, which have already been published online and can be viewed here. I highly recommend watching these short clips because they feature excellent cinematography and the actors do a really good job of getting into their characters (Can you guess which nefarious movie icon each of them portray? If you can’t, you can use this cheat sheet!). Above all, the videos are just plain fun to watch.
These specific thirteen minute-long clips were directed by Alex Prager, who also shot the photographs that will be in the print issue of New York Times magazine. Born in 1979, Prager is “a self-taught photographer who takes her cues from pulp fiction, the cinematic conventions of movie directors such as Douglas Sirk and Alfred Hitchcock, and fashion photography.” Her work can be found in the collection of both the MoMA and the Whitney, among many other museums. Anyone interested in seeing more examples of Prager’s fantastic work can browse through this gallery on the MoMA website.
This concise article in the New York Times features some more behind-the-scenes information (with a few pictures) about this year’s project and this article offers some commentary about villains (and their portrayal in movies) in general. This site features the videos that accompanied last year’s Hollywood issue (These were directed by Solve Sundsbo and featured “classic screen types” (Do we want to play the guessing game again?)). I think all twenty-seven videos were fantastically done (Award-worthy, maybe?), and I am absolutely excited to see how the print issue turned out.
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