Viva la Revolucion: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape

The artwork I viewed at the Viva La Revolucion gallery was
different to say the least.

I would not have gone to the gallery on my own.
Although it wasn't exactly thought
provoking in my own opinion, it was still
an experience that I am glad I was able to
be apart of.

I now have a much greater appreciation for
graffiti art than I did before going. Which
I think is as much as can be expected when
doing things out of our personal 'comfort zone'.

When I first looked at these different pieces of art I was like "
What the F is this? Seriously a pile of newspapers is art?"
I still am not quite sure how the pile of newspapers is considered art because I am not the least bit artistic but I'm sure I could bundle and stack a giant pile of newspapers. However, when you look at the artwork above you have to realized someone is trying to get a point across to you. Someone spent the time to make this so that you will feel a certain way when viewing it. 

So what is trying to be portrayed to us here with a pile of cardboard in the midst of a bunch of sand? That's a great question. I have no idea.
But,you have to be open to understanding and learning. Somehow the cardboard represents something that alone would mean nothing. I see cardboard everyday and don't think of art. The artist here spent time turning each box a certain way looking for the perfect effect, even having one of the boxes collapsed and falling forward toward us. You have to ask yourself why. Why is the sand necessary here? Why is there sand on top of the collapsed box and not on the others? Why is the collapsed box out of the perfect square that the rest of the work is in? Why are some boxes stacked on top of one another?
Once you become apart of the work, you will appreciate it more.

Shall We Dance

I'm starting to think this is more of a Anthro class than an arts class based on the movies we've been watching. This movie is a remake of the Japanese version released in 1996. I think the main point of the film is really directed at us guys who have no intentions of signing up for dance lesson anytime soon (although I might think about if Jennifer Lopez was my instructor too!). It's really a romantic comedy of an accountant with a fairly lucrative job who seemingly has all that his heart could desire yet feels like he is missing something in his life. In attempt to fill this void he joins a local dance studio and begins taking lessons. There is quite a bit of drama that builds throughout the movie around him and his family leading towards an explosion of events near the end of the movie. But definitely the general concept of the movie = don't be afraid of trying new things no matter what your peers might think ie: guys don't be afraid to take dance lessons. Although it may have slightly softened my view of dance I'm still holding strong on not taking lessons, at least for the next 40 years or so.

Billy Elliot

Both a musical and a film, Billy Elliot is the story of a young boy fascinated with dancing, in particular ballet, and the struggles that he survived through with his family. Ballet is usually associated as being very feminine especially since it is often only woman performing ballet. This film tries to show us that ballet isn't only for girls as shown through the story of Billy Elliot. It's sad that we/I tend to think negatively toward male dancers even to the point where they may disliked or hated because of what they enjoy doing in their spare time. Billy Elliot succeeds in proving that dancing can be like any other sport and is for both boys and girls. It emphasizes that thinking otherwise is not only dense but also hypocritical.

Maya Lin, A Strong Clear Light

This film documents the many great achievements Maya Lin has made since her major piece of art back in 1980. "Maya" means courage and she uses every ounce of courage and determination in each of works. Her first major art piece was the Vietnam Memorial, she was 21 at the time and submitted her art piece into a competition of which she was later chosen as the winner. In each of her works she places an emphasis on contrasting her work with the environment surrounding the location. This in effect makes it more inviting and not as stark. Sometimes even before even seeing the location she might take several months to learn in detail about the monuments meaning.

The Buena Vista Social Club

When I think of musicians I tend to think of mega wealthy people singing in high class recording studios somewhere in Los Angeles, whether the artist is good at what he/she does is determined not only by talent but often by poplarity. (ie: every singer that has come through Disney's pipeline) The Buena Vista Social Club opened my eyes to a whole other side to the music industry. The side where there is little to no money received, the side where studios dont fix your errors in order to make you sound better, where looks don't matter; all that you have to be is the best at what you do. The individuals in this film started with really nothing at all, but what they had was a love for music and this love eventually transformed into talent which they showcased together in many small settings and eventually at Carnegie Hall. Their music was impressive enough for me to download every one of their songs.

Stomp Live

Throw the STOMP Crew together with the contents of your garage and you'll have an unbelievable musical demonstration. From trashcans, to tether balls, to even basketballs, it seems as if these guys can make a beat with just about anything. They prove that you don't need several thousand dollars for the latest and greatest drum set all you need to have is some rhythm and you can make music with anything. STOMP travels all over the world showcasing their talent always looking for new things to make music with. You can check out these percussion experts out at http://www.stomp.co.uk/ or at http://www.youtube.com, they'll be coming to San Diego from 4/19/11 to 4/24/11.

Songcatcher

Songcatcher, named after a recorder used to document the music of the Appalachians, was strange and unique film. The main focus of the movie is to increase appreciation for the hillbilly type banjo music and the people who both play and enjoy this type of music. They succeeded in increasing appreciation by creating a bond between the viewer and certain characters in the movie through Professor Lily Penleric. Like the viewers Professor Penleric is very skeptical of these 'strange' mountain people initially but builds bonds throughout the film; most notably that of her husband to be, Dean Pembroke. The film does do a good job of    tearing down the cultural barriers noted in the movie and the storyline is clear and concise, however, the lesbian scene and general lesbian agenda throughout the movie took away from the main focus of the film.