Carmen:

This girl is the bomb dot com. She’s feisty and not afraid to boss people around. Honestly I fell asleep in the second act and regret it. During the first act I was a bit confused because when I would try and lift my eyes up to see what was happening, I’d miss out on some of the words so I’d just read the screen. I didn’t realize that about half of it was repeated multiple times. It would hurt my head to look up and down so after my nap, I would just look at the play or just my captions and keep up like that. Anyway, the opera amazed me because of so much skill that was needed. The cast has to be able to sing and project while acting and remembering lines and portraying so many emotions. It was cool to listen to something in a different language. When our seats moved around, I loved Jeanette’s commentary. What was the most amazing was the fact that they didn’t use microphones and even in the back, we could hear everything they said clearly and the amount of children in the play that they trained to act all at the same time. It must be super hectic back stage. I mainly liked the experience more because it was so different. Everyone was very into the play and wasn’t afraid to shush us if we spoke.

Ballet:

This was probably my favorite trip! Never had I thought ballet could be more than something you’d see in black swan. I laughed, felt sad, and was awestruck throughout the night. I love visual art and watching them dance in sync amazed me. We had great seats (I sat next to Professor! :)) and could see every movement. I loved how they made everything look so simple—“Art is something difficult made to seem easy.” The thing I liked the most was that unlike the opera, the story line was much more easy to follow along with. I never felt lost. I feel like a lot of it had to do with the fact that they didn’t have to speak so I didn’t have to follow with so many senses. It was long enough for me to enjoy it and understand the work of art, but still short that I was left wanting more.

I’ve never really been a fan of comics and never thought they could be a form of art. I tried getting into anime when I was younger and could never understand it. However, this trip was very cool. I had expected to just look at superheroes and talk about their powers. I’m kind of glad we didn’t focus on that and talked more about the political aspect. No offense to any fans of marvel or anything, but this seemed more important because it raised awareness of certain issues. I also learned about cos-play, which was very cool. I wanted that outfit so bad. It takes being a fan to a whole new level and its not even Halloween! Although I felt like the first comic about the teacher felt like she was just advertising Columbia, I like how it showed that anyone could be a comic book artist and how they could be made from just about anything. It was interesting how what they talked about then, is actually what can happen and be talked about now. Often times I felt like the guide would impose her views on certain comics too much, but she was passionate and I respect that. She does what she loves and was excited to share her knowledge on it. I also enjoyed traveling to Columbia before hand with Cale and Josh and meeting Alex’s family member afterwards.

One of my favorite trips we went on. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that our seats were so close so we could actually engage in it. Honestly, with the other performances, I’d lose interest quickly because my eyes would be strained. This one talked about such a controversial topic and brought my attention to a situation I had never even thought about. I liked how they utilized every aspect of the small space they had for the set. It was well thought out. My favorite part that I really thought the acting was perfect was when the son got into a brawl with his father. I could see their veins popping out on their necks when the yelled. It was awesome. I wish I had read the paper they gave us earlier. I thought the whole play was set in modern day, so I felt very angry that they threw out derogatory words like faggot. I was also upset that the mother allowed her “family” to call her that and didn’t stick up for herself. Also with this show, the audience was older which surprised me. I usually associate older crowds as less open minded to things like this. (That’s just me being ignorant. I’m sorry.) I wanted to know an ending so bad! I feel like the whole shebang would not have happened if she had just been honest! I don’t know what I’d do if my significant other told me he had been lying to me since he met me. I’d feel betrayed and hurt that I’d been made a fool out of, but I love them, or had loved them. It was upsetting because I felt awful for the kids. Although they said they didn’t care, this news changes everything. If their friends find out, they could be ridiculed for the rest of their school career and be traumatizing. It’s nice to know that their love for their mother transcends all of that. I’m very glad to have gone on this trip since it inspired half of the class immediately after. I think that’s what makes art good—if it provokes thought or inspiration.

When I first heard about this trip, I think it was the one I was most pumped about. It was about food and was curious as to how food could become art. I was kind of down in the dumps when I heard we wouldn’t be trying any and we’d only be talking about it, but it didn’t matter, I love learning about different cultures. I noticed when we sat down we were the only younger audience members in the crowd. I thought a lot of it had to do with the fact that it was a school night, but when I think back, I think a lot of has to do with what was mentioned in the talk. As generations go on, we lose our culture and the newer generations don’t care as much. I felt as if those in the crowd were trying to learn to prevent it. This was pretty much the only part I understood about the talk. I was kind of upset about that because I really wanted to learn about Jewish food. They spoke as if everyone in the crowd knew about what they were talking about and not everyone even if they were Jewish, knew. I just wish they could have explained some of the meals better because I thought it was meant to be for all people. Afterwards I realized that it was mainly focused on the city instead of the five boroughs. I didn’t mind, I just wish the title didn’t give us false information. Of course, they did have a time restraint. I liked the advertising the man did at the end. That was clever. I also like how they clarified between kosher and Jewish food because I always grouped them the same way. It’s like saying Uzbek food and halal. Two completely different things. The last thing I’d like to touch on that I wouldn’t have noticed if someone from the group I commute to and from events with hadn’t mentioned was that the Jewish food they talked about wasn’t what she had known as Jewish food. What area is this Jewish food specific too? I was left with a lot of questions and feeling confused, but I’m glad/ hope the rest of the audience understood and learned the differences. They were the ones who wanted to and could preserve their culture better.

Overall, I agree with Sally when she says “I guess in the end I came to the talk expecting it to go one way, but was disappointed since I left the talk not knowing about much more Jewish food then I had started with.”

Although I went to see this exhibit the first weekend it was assigned, I never posted about it because I lost all my footage from that day! I was kind of excited to go to the museum just because it was a trip to the city and I got to see two classmates. Although it was raining, I didn’t want the bad weather to effect my day. We went to the exhibit and I was surprised at the amount of people that went to see all of his work. I didn’t think this guy was that famous honestly. I liked ho his work wasn’t titled, but it gave the location where it was taken to offer some sort of context, but still let our imaginations run free. Some shots I thought were phenomenal—specifically, the one where the man is in the telephone booth talking to someone. I like it because you can see his facial expression clearly and can feel the emotions he feels. You can almost tell a story out of it. I also really like the one with the elephant because when I was looking at it, an older woman next to me couldn’t tell it was an elephant and had to ask the person next to her “Is that an elephant?” It made me realize that not everyone can see the image right away or in the same way that I do. I felt like some of his candid shots really deserved to be placed in the museum because not everyone could take those photos, but a lot of them felt redundant and not so special. Some of the photos I felt almost angry for being in the museum because I feel like had anyone else been in the location he was to take pictures, he or she may have done just as well, if not better at photographing the scene. Overall, it was different though. I never knew candid photography could be considered art and how popular it was. The exhibit was pretty crowded. After we enjoyed some other art in another exhibit and much of it had to do with religion. I thought it was interesting because neither one of us followed that religion, but still found some of that art to be beautiful. We went to go get some extra credit food but the wait was roughly an hour and at that point it was pouring, so we got some pizza instead and discussed philosophy and our lives. I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates. I talked to Heather for the first time that day and made a new friend. So, thank you Garry Winogrand and thank you Professor Ugoretz. 🙂

Reverse Midterm Questions!

1. Compare and contrast the Vietnamese memorial that was upright to the 911 memorial that was underground. What effect(s) do you think they had on visitors because of their structure and location?
2. Is Sol Lewitt an artist? Explain. What about Marcel Duchamp?
3. BONUS: If you had to choose a poem like we did, which one would you choose? Why? Analyze it.

So I’m writing this as I stand in front of the 911 memorial and the minute I look at it I think about standing in the top floor plummeting to my death. The water drops fall and it looks like the light flickering from the windows of the towers. Everything is black like ash covering the air and the rumble of the water sounds like the towers dropping. It’s amazing how all you can hear is the sound of the water. Stop and listen. Really listen. There’s nothing else, but if you look around you’d be surprised to notice you’re still in the city. The water moves more slowly as it goes down and I can’t help but wonder what’s there? Most of the names regardless of who they are are engraved in the same in the same font and text. They are one. People put in American flags and roses in the names I can’t help but think who are these people? Did they try to save us? Will they be forgotten for their deeds? It’s not a square the corners are rounded off.. Why? Making a hexagon type shape. Looking at this water freaks me out and I don’t like the thought of dropping thousands of feet to my or anyone’s death. I’m glad, I’m lucky I don’t have to think about this stuff. My heart and prayers go out to those who do. Some names look cleaner than the rest some are collecting dust. Do they all have visitors? Are they forgotten? I like the idea that their names will be forever engraved. Technically no one will ever be forgotten. Gone, yes, but never forgotten. I saw a tree and it was chained down and I felt sad. It was the last tree left standing in the area.

The Vietnamese memorial is not as populated which makes it feel less important and less moving because for me, it’s about the experience with others too. I don’t have any knowledge about the Vietnamese war really but this memorial I think is more powerful (despite the lack of attention given from tourists) because it’s from actual people who are hurt and impacted. This memorial got the shitty end of the stick though because at this point I’m hungry and tired. The letters are hard to read and my neck is straining yet I’m compelled to read them. I wish this memorial had more people looking at it. I don’t understand why there are doors to go through it though. A person can easily go around. I just noticed I never went around the side of the memorial because of the door! What was on the sides?? Did I miss anything special?! I like how there was a sitting area by the memorial. It was different.

–Farzana Ruzehaji

The last time I had been to a museum was my sophomore year of high school. We went to the Met and I was bored to death by the constant rambling of my teacher. It’s like she was trying to prove to us that she knew history and that she was cultured. By the end of it, I realized I barely looked at any sculptures. We were only allowed to look at the ones she pointed out and talked about. It was difficult trying to tune her out and keep up with her pace. She constantly told us what she and others thought about them and felt was interesting. Sure, the insights were nice, but it didn’t give us room to think and figure anything out on our own.

The night at the Brooklyn Museum was the exact opposite of my previous experience. We were allowed to roam the exhibits open to us (I wish the middle eastern one was open!) at our own pace and leisure with people we chose to explore with. Not only could we look at any of the works of art we wanted to, but we could also try to figure them out for ourselves. Being pushed to discuss it forced us to view other perspectives and think critically. We also had to look at individual works in great detail, something I’ve never tried or had the time for. It was neat to be able to see everything close up and not have a chaperone pressure us by watching over us like a hawk. I enjoyed having the freedom to do as I please and getting to see and hang out with the other Macaulay students. The overall environment was also fun. Everyone was doing the same thing so we didn’t feel uncomfortable talking to one another or ourselves about art and it was interesting to see which groups veered to which paintings and sculptures. After exploring everything and completing our assignment, we were free to leave whenever and pick up free food on the way out! I also got to meet some new people and stay out of the house past my bedtime. ˆ_ˆ Even though it wasn’t a sleep over, it was a pretty gnarly experience over all. I think I may have even started to like museums.

P.S. That text-in-your-response-to-the-following-question thing in the beginning of the event was hilarious and way rad.

Alex and Farzana in Farzana’s Assignment #1! 🙂

[quicktime]http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/ugoretz14/files/2014/08/Movie-on-8-28-14-at-7.21-PM.mov[/quicktime]