This is the picture that I took for the snapshot event. I think that the NYPD is not just the police department in New York City, but also one of those things that are related inherently to the city and add to the culture of the city. You see the police everywhere in NYC, patrolling the streets, in their cars, or in guard towers. Only in New York City you would need to have such a strong police presence, and the NYPD guard tower really displays it well.

On my visit to ICP recently, I explored the relatively small number of exhibits there and enjoyed a few of them. One of them was a picture of Times Square in the early 1900s. It was an interesting picture because it displayed a historic war monument that was there, but in the background you can see the neon lights and advertisements that would soon take over Times Square. The picture was taken in a time when Times Square was going through its transformation to becoming that entertainment center we all know it as, and it’s interesting to see it being it contrasted with a historic monument.

The 9/11 part of the exhibit was interesting, and also quite graphic. One of the pictures that really stood out to me was one where there were a couple of firefighters lying down near all the debris. At first I thought that they were just resting, or maybe even sleeping, because they have been working so hard. Then I realized that it looked like they were not alive. I couldn’t know for sure because there was no photo description. It just was all really shocking. It’s hard for me to comprehend the deaths of all the people who passed on that day, especially if I can’t do so for a couple of firemen. And I’m still not sure if they were dead or not. That photo really got me thinking and feeling for what happened that day…

On our trip to the Brooklyn Museum, I noticed that a wide variety of exhibits were displayed in the museum. From displays of rooms in houses of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to a tree/piano piece, it definitely seemed like the Brooklyn Museum did not have a particular art theme as in other museums, like Beacon. I particularly enjoyed the room display; it gave a first-hand view of what living conditions were like for people in those times, something I find fascinating.

The Dinner Party, as pointed out by others in the class, was a very feminist art display. The piece looks very quiet and passive, yet, it really displays some very strong themes. But, because this is all passive, I don’t consider it pornography as others have. The piece displays what seems like a dinner party with a bunch of other things that seem out of place, like the words in the center of the table and the art pieces on the plates. Yes, “art pieces” and not “pornography.” The piece merely displays things that at first glance don’t mean anything, and after personal interpretation, some find it to symbolize other things. The fact that interpretation is needed to get to that conclusion of the meaning of the piece doesn’t mean it’s pornography. It’s just good art.

Having been born and raised in Brooklyn, my “New York” should really be “My Brooklyn,” naturally. I never really was proud of living in New York or really understood what it would mean for others to be in my place. Once, when I was away from New York, I remember telling someone I was from New York City, and they responded in a hysterical “New York??? You are sooo lucky!!!” I was really puzzled by their response as I did not see anything special about it.

I always thought that tourists have more fun in NYC than actual New Yorkers do. I just don’t make anything of the fact that the greatest city in the world is just a train ride away. “My New York” is primarily just my neighborhood in Sheepshead Bay and a few other places in Brooklyn. I’ve had a few experiences in Manhattan, but nothing that can warrant it to be called “mine.” I don’t think that there are many who can call Manhattan “theirs,” but there are a lot who are definitely trying. I should start taking more advantage of my proximity to the city, and try and capture as much of the city as I can. It would be a shame to let such an opportunity go to waste.

Meet the Artist with Alicia Hall Moran turned out to be a big learning experience for me. There was much more talking done than singing on her part (we were, in fact, “meeting the artist”). But that turned it into a learning experience instead of just a performance. She gave us advice that applied to everyone regardless of what our interests were. She said that the thing we are desperately seeking for in life can be right in front of us and we won’t have the slightest clue. She believes that we should stop searching and just let it come. It will hit us. And I believe her.

Her singing was very creative and well thought out. Her mix of opera and mow town music seemed really genuine, and there is nothing more that I appreciate than a genuine singer or musician. In terms of technicality, I think that her performance required a ton of practicing, so much that only those who really love singing would commit to. It definitely is not something I would ever listen to on my own time. But, again, I truly appreciate the insight of achievement she gave us, coming from a well-accomplished person like her, and I thank her for teaching me some important life lessons.

With those frightening screams still ringing in my ears (yes, even now), I can’t help but feel a little confused at the interpretation of art at Dia Beacon. One of the clauses in their modern contemporary art handbook is that the art is not supposed to make you feel anything. Walking around and looking at the exhibits, I could not stop myself from trying to think of some sort of meaning to the art, until I remembered that there wasn’t supposed to be one. After training myself to think of art as symbolic and metaphorical, I found it hard to not try and feel. I think that modern art’s purpose should be to make you feel, but in a different way. Beacon did that to me, but according to them it’s not supposed to. It’s just a little confusing.

Specifically, though, I did enjoy the exhibit where there were hundreds of squares containing every possible combination of four different lines in possible combinations of two. It’s just amazing how having such a one-dimensional, organized, and logical inspiration for art can create such an interesting piece. It’s kind of an oxymoron. It was also interesting that the blue print was displayed as well. The other exhibits were nice to look at, but nothing more. Beacon was interesting, more in a peculiar way than anything else.

I want to start off by saying that I expected the opera to be something completely different than what it actually was. Clearly, I never had any kind of exposure to this type of art and I judged it just on what it seemed like. To me, the opera was just a place where people sang things that were completely alien and had nothing that I can relate to. After my first trip to the opera, I realized how mistaken I was.

The opera turned out to be something totally relatable, well, at least Faust did. It was just an amazing story that involved many interesting elements that are normally found in your typical movie. The fact that it was in another language made it even more interesting. People were upset that they had to look at the subtitles in order to understand the plot. I think that this is a unique attribute that makes the opera different from all the other forms of storytelling. I don’t even think you can consider it storytelling. It’s so much more especially with the live orchestra and amazing dance and athletic performances.

For those who were complaining about having to alternate between the performers and subtitles, I don’t really think it was that bad, especially since we were sitting so high up (another thing that many complained about) it meant that the angle our eyes made with the stage was very close to the angle made with the subtitles screen. So instead of having to actually shift the positions of our heads, which is what I’m assuming those sitting closer to the stage had to do, we could’ve just shifted our eyes, a less of a bother! Two negatives make a positive!

Overall, the opera was a great combination of theater and music- one that I would definitely experience again.

Brooklyn is made up of many neighborhoods, each individual in its own way. I particularly think Sheepshead Bay stands out a lot from the others. There’s this gorgeous sidewalk art by the Sheepshead Bay train station that was just restored. It spans the entire block and depicts the scenic environment of the neighborhood. Because of the length of the piece, I could only get a picture of part of it.

On our trip to the 9/11 memorial, I noticed a lot of interesting metaphors. One of them was the appearance of the Freedom Tower in the NYC skyline. The tower is built with glass that is very similar to a mirror. If you take a look you will see that the glass of the Freedom Tower looks exactly like the sky around it. You can even see the clouds clearly reflected on the glass. I think that there is some very strong symbolism here. The tower looks “blended in” with the sky. The message is that although we are rebuilding Ground Zero and moving on from the tragedy that occurred here, never forget what happened. Never forget that Manhattan was robbed of the World Trade Center and all those lives, and if you were to look up at the skyline, all you would see is… the sky.