Art Show Pictures

Do It. (A Peculiar Art Show)

Close your eyes. When I say Art Show, what do you see? I know I picture white walls everywhere, a room so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Lining the walls are pictures and/or paintings with curious spectators trying to uncover the true meaning behind the image presented in front of them.

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight I went to the Do It art show that took place at Ithaca College in the Handwerker Gallery. I can honestly say this show was like no other. There was artwork everywhere, on the floor, in the corners and on the walls. And every piece of artwork was done by someone here on Ithaca campus, not an artist or photographer whom had talent that was hard to reach. Even walking in, this show was inviting and warm, the pieces were asking to be looked at by everyone. I even remember there being snacks like cupcakes and fruit and recall a worker telling a little boy to try dipping his broccoli in chocolate. Not the kind of art gallery you pictured when you first closed your eyes, huh?

 

My first favorite piece of art that appeared in the show was instructed by Kathryn Andrews. The instructions said that you have to create a piece of art that resembles the real world and you were supposed to try to replicate it as close as possible. With having taken an AP Art History class in high school, I knew immediately they were trying to copy Pollock. I think this was most interesting to me because having studied Pollock, I think it would have been very cool to have gone through the exact process he did when creating his masterpieces. Although, they did deviate a little from the painting by adding pink when Pollock usually used dark tones and they also used artist paints where Pollock used House paint for his projects.

 

My second favorite piece was one where the entire process of it, from beginning to end, was a work of art.  The instructions on it were “Get 180 pounds of a local wrapped candy and drop it in the corner”. The people who had participated in this one had to take the candy and wrap it up themselves and then place it in the corner one by one. Then, as the show went on, people were allowed to take from that pile and eat it. So from the initial wrapping of the paper to the gradual decline in the numbers of candy lying on the ground, it was all a piece of art that anyone could take part in. I think I liked this piece the most because its not a type of artwork you would usually see in an art show. I think it was welcoming even though it was different and I think that it made a statement that things don’t have to be hung up on a wall and expensive to be called art. It was just a different piece that you would never see in an art show and that is why I liked it so much.

 

Needless to say, I was very pleased when walking out of this art show. It had a welcoming environment that offset the general assumption of what an art show is like. The fact that it was a show that was completely made by students and others on campus was the most impressive part. It proves you don’t have to be an amazing artist to make art.

 

 

For more on the Handwerker Gallery you can visit:

 http://www.ithaca.edu/handwerker/

Fires in the Mirror

After recently watching the play Fires in the Mirror at Ithaca College, I can say that I am very impressed with all aspects of the show that was put on. To prepare for this play, my seminar class had read it out loud first in order to get a sense of what was going to happen, the setting and so on. To be honest, the book bored me. I had no idea what was even going on and there were so many characters it was hard to keep up. It was written in a way that people were being interviewed and you read their responses, reactions and stories but not the questions they were being asked. So needless to say, this was not my favorite. Although, I am not here to criticize this written play, I am here to write about how it was performed and I will do just that.

To start off, I will touch base on the setting to give you a little visual context. The play took place in a black box theater so there was seating on all four sides of the room and the stage was viewed at every angle. I had never been in one of these before so I was awe struck by its design and wondered how they would use this to put on a production. Above us was a large steel block (it looked like the side of a bridge with triangles being made) that also had words cut out of it so that light shone through it and it appeared on the ground. A subway entrance was on one wall and a street sign was put up with a memorial in front of it. There was also a table with a chair and a mailbox tipped over and had graffiti. There was lighting in multiple different places but it always seemed to stay dim other than when shining on an actor. With this setting you knew you were in New York City. The props made for this did exactly what they were meant to do and took you to another place.

The actors were incredible. I have no talent whatsoever at acting and my eyes were stuck on them the whole time. Each and every one played their character so well and their accents were impeccable. These actors used the whole floor as their stage, walking around and talking to members of the audience and also going up in the stands and interacting as well. They used the floor in a great way and even when they were talking to the other side of the room you knew exactly what they were saying and followed them every step of the way. I remember one woman using props like a laundry basket and she was folding clothes and things and it was  interesting because it made her become more like a real person than an actor and got me into the play. The last thing that I have to say about the acting is that since each character was answering a question to an interview, they were talking to you as an audience member instead of interacting and building a story with each other which I thought was very different than anything I’ve ever seen before.

The end of the play where all of the characters came together and blew out a candle at the same time for the child who had died was the part that impacted me the most. Here you had all of these people of different races taking sides and blaming others for this child’s death and without even talking to one another during the whole play they come together. I thought it was an interesting spin on the written play. I do have to admit that even though I did enjoy the setting and character aspects of the play, I did not enjoy the actual play itself. Honestly after a while it lost my attention and I was itching to get out of there. To me it just felt like it was being dragged on and there wasn’t really a moral to the story or a point, it just felt like people talking at me.

I can honestly say I did not like this play but I did not hate it. It was just okay for me because of its dull storyline. But I won’t let that take away from the amazing actors and the setting. I was in awe from all of the work that was put into that play and I would gladly go and see another one in the black box theater again. It was definitely an experience. 

Preview for Fires in the Mirror: 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5IrEDXyKg8

 

The book and the black box theater before props

Why We Need Music

It took me about four times to read through the article Why We Need Music but I think I finally got the main points. Basically the article is saying the music should be an important part of everyday life for what I have broken down into 3 main reasons. It is essential not to cut the arts and deprive people from it because it impacts every person in one way or another. I believe the arts are a great way of expression and connection and agree it cannot be disregarded. The following reasons are why we need music.

1.     

           1.“It’s how we explain ourselves to others and future generations”

When you think of the 1980’s, what artists come to mind? Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, Van Halen and the list goes on and on. The songs that were made in the 80s became a trademark for that era. Without music we wouldn’t be able to know or feel the things happening in this generation.  Songs made in the 80s become the epitome of the 80s. Kind of like a theme song to your favorite show. When it plays, you know your show is on. When a song plays, it brings you back to the time it was made, even if you weren’t alive for it. It’s a way of communication and relations to others without having to experience it firsthand. It’s a way of expression everyone is familiar with and it makes you able to connect with those around you and show people of other future generations where you came from without having to explain it verbally  

      2. Music is a way of expression

Music allows one to put into sound what they cannot say in words. It helps them express their feelings through sound and also can be used through songs. Ironically, you cannot “translate music into words”.  The music you create instrumentally evokes feelings and responses from others by taking what you feel and expressing it.  The cool thing about music is that everybody interprets it in a different way. If a song makes you feel sad it could make another person feel lonely or angry. It’s always absorbed differently from different people. It’s even hard to write on paper how music helps to express one’s self. I think it is a way to express emit and feel emotions that are hard to put into words and that is what is so special about music.

3.        

      3. All people can think musically, even in the simplest of ways.

The truth about music is everyone likes it. Everybody feels a connection to at least one type of music once in their life. It starts off as a baby, listening to lullabies and nursery rhymes to help you sleep and learn and eventually you get a sense of what you like. There are so many genres of music this day and age that there is a kind for everybody. There is jazz, classical, pop, rap, hip hop, etc. the thing with music is you don’t have to have a talent for making it in order to enjoy it. You just have to be able to say “hey I like the sound of this” and feel a connection toward it

What this article is saying is that music impacts everybody in one way or another. It affects you and those around you and also tells a lot about who you are and where you came from to many generations to come. It is a way to express yourself and your emotions in a way that words cannot by making you feel different ways through different types and experience feelings you can only get from listening to music. Music is also a basic connection everyone can make. If you go to someone and ask what their favorite type is I can bet you on everything I own that no one will reply that they hate music. Music is an important part of daily life that everyone experiences and can relate to. It’s not just music it’s more a way of life and expression.

 

To listen to many different genres of music: 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3GhDWMb_3E

Symphony Orchestra

I did not attend the symphony orchestra on October 5^th played in Ford Hall on Ithaca College campus. Although, I did watch the web stream online and it may not have been as good on sound quality but my review and thoughts can be written and told to you as my first and initial reaction. To start off, I am going to admit I am not a musical person. I played piano and the violin but I never did exceptionally well or had enough interest to continue and better myself. What I can say is that this orchestra was amazing. I have never seen or heard much like this, I figured it would be equated to my middle school concerts and I can now assure you it cannot. The orchestra was large in size and filled with many musicians that were talented. I found it very amusing to watch the conductor throughout the whole time to see his gestures and what impact they had made on the musicians playing. Like I said before, I am not musically inclined but when listening to this music I can’t help but visualize scenes happening in my head or relating these pieces to real life.

The first piece was written by Gutierrez and I feel as though it started off the concert well. The music being played was eerie and mysterious. It reminded me of scary movies when suspenseful parts play. The instruments would be soft  and light at times, kind of stable and constant and then they would become bold and loud, bringing me on the edge of my seat. It also reminded me of cartoons that don’t play music, like Tom and Jerry. The music played sporadically got louder and quieter and I felt as though they could be sound effects to gestures a person could make. Since this was the opening number I was amazed at the way the groups of instruments were really together on movements of their bows and instruments. It made it visually appealing for me to watch. I also paid close attention to the conductor and it was amusing to see his gestures toward a certain instrument and how the song would be influenced by it. For example he conducts regularly at one point and all of a sudden swiftly thrusts downward in a certain direction to a certain group of instruments and they reply with a bold loud noise. The interaction between the conductor and musician was especially interesting for me to watch since I am a visual person. It is kind of like when a child bounces a ball or hits something just to watch what happens to it. The conductor was the child directing those around him and I was the one being able to watch what happened as a result of his movements.

Jolivet had composed the second part of the concert and I found this music to be more upbeat with a faster tempo. I especially enjoyed watching and hearing the bassoon player. To begin with, she had a certain spunk to the way she looked. With her blue hair and edgy dress she looked like she was ready for a performance and boy could she play. I had never been familiar with the bassoon but even though I don’t know how it sounds normally, she was exceptional. The music she played was very upbeat and fast moving which I think caught me off guard the most. When looking at the instrument it seems like it would be large and low pitched but it turns out it ranges from low to high and everything in between. It’s safe to say that her solo was my favorite part about the whole concert. The second half of the music by Jolivet was slower. It brought me emotions of sadness and depression in a way. You know in movies when a character is sad and they’re looking out a window as its raining outside? That is what I pictured in my head the whole time and I thought it would be a fitting scene for this music. I did notice that the conductors arms stopped being full of energy and started to slow down with graceful and gradual movements which also showed the speed of the song and helped to see what the musicians should have been doing. The music did get louder at the end of the piece which I thought was interesting and made it more of a dramatic ending to a continually slow paced piece.

The last part of the concert was written by Shostakovich. The beginning of it reminded me of music they would play during a royal ball. My favorite part was when it would get really quiet with only one type of instrument playing and then all of a sudden a lot of instruments would come in as a bold statement. What I didn’t like about this piece was it was very slow a lot of times so it was hard to hold my attention. Although, toward the end the tempo did pick up and it got faster and more dramatic which I liked. My favorite part was when there was a constant noise like a long stroke of the bow on strings and other instruments plucked. I think it sounded different than the other music performed during this concert which made it intriguing to me. What also made it interesting is that it would sound very upbeat and suspenseful, scary, intense and magical and then it would sound slow and sad or heavy. It was an interesting blend of different types of sound and it was exciting to hear. Once again, the piece ended in a very dramatic, loud and upbeat way which was intense and amazing. I thought it was a perfect ending. Although this one was the longest, it was also my favorite. It blended together many different types of tempos and loudness which made an impact on me as a listener.

After watching this concert I can say I am thoroughly impressed by this concert. You can tell a lot of time and effort was put into it and the music was interesting to listen to even over a long period of time. I thought the musicians were very talented and this does not compare by any means to my middle school orchestra concerts. It was lively and entertaining and brought different moods to me as a listener which I think exactly is the purpose of music. It’s supposed to make you feel something as you listen to it and that is exactly what this whole concert did for me.

If you want to watch the concert on for yourself:

http://www.ithaca.edu/music/live/2013_2014/20131005_icso/