ARTalk
Mar 20 2012
Gotterdammerung and The Barber of Seville
Posted in: Miscellaneous
[by Xenia Antipova '13]
The very first time I heard of Richard Wagner was many years ago, in a summer novel: an elegant, cultured but boorish man took the heroine to see a Wagner opera. Being a frilly type of girl though, she did not hear a word of what he was saying about the plot and could only think about the lovely things that he could afford to give to her. It sounded fairly interesting at the time though (I paid attention to the plot) – what really caught my eye was the name of one of the operas: Gotterdammerung.
A couple of years later, I watched a the film that mesmerized me: Tristan+Isolde, which is similar to Romeo & Juliet in the sense that both deal with romantic love unrequited because of overarching politics, although the former is on a grander scale. Turns out one of Wagner’s greatest works was entitled Tristan und Isolde! This reenergized my desire to experience Wagner.
Prospects for me not only managing to get tickets but also find an opera buddy steadily... read the post »
Jan 9 2012
World of Wires
Posted in: Miscellaneous
[by Emily LaVerriere '15]
First of all, I need to second Miren’s statement a while back about 21M.A12: Freshman Arts Seminar Advising Program (or FASAP, or Arts at MIT. It also may be the class with the most names ever!) being the best class ever.
All the way back in September, we talked about a play called World of Wires by MIT Associate Professor in Theater Arts, Jay Scheib. One of our FASAP advisors, Sara Brown, was the set designer, and I ended up being in the cast myself, so I couldn’t resist writing about the show.
World of Wires is such an intriguing show. I did a fair amount of theater in high school, but I had no idea what to expect when I got here. Sara had mentioned the play in class our first week, and I saw an email encouraging freshmen to audition, so I showed up on a whim, not knowing what to expect. We ended up throwing together a workshop of the show in less than 2 weeks with a cast of six people; in other words, the shortest rehearsal period I’ve ever had for... read the post »
Nov 28 2011
Film!
Posted in: Miscellaneous
[by Nathan Kipniss '14]
This semester I am currently taking STS.064J/21A.339J (Documenting Science Through Video and New Media).
It’s ridiculously cool. In the period of one semester you learn how to use serious equipment to create a film. Above is a photo of me shooting outdoor footage from the terrace in Simmons Hall for a practice assignment. I was trying to capture the sunset on film.
We also explore different types of documentary, from the classically framed interview to cinéma vérité and direct cinema (which, I should emphasize are not the same).
One of my favorite films that we watched is Chronique d'un été by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, which follows people in Paris and Saint-Tropez. There is a cathartic moment involving Marceline Loridan Ivens that I love because it is raw and powerful, which makes it beautiful. A still from the original film is below.
Photo credit The Life Cinematic, 1000-films 2009 Edition
A few weeks ago, I went with Doug, a fellow... read the post »
Nov 24 2011
Making Your Dorm Room a Piece of Art!
Posted in: Miscellaneous
[by Elise Ruan '14]
Going to college and moving into a dorm means taking on the job of making a home out of a small shared room with preset furniture, dorm rules, and maybe even a giant curved wall that doesn’t seem to fit with anything. The latter is more specific to my own dorm, but more on that later.
Before and After!
At home, I was offered quite a bit of freedom with my room, even going as far as switching bedrooms with my brother at one point so I could paint a mural on a larger wall. But it still wouldn’t prepare me for decorating and organizing a dorm room. Sure, it can just be a bedspread and a poster of your favorite band or sports team. But it can also be a chance to really customize your living space.
I was hesitant in taking pictures of my current room arrangement, mostly because I rearrange the room usually around once a month. I’ve had some pretty ridiculous arrangements—there was the one time freshman year I had actually lofted my desk so I could sit on... read the post »
Nov 7 2011
Melancholia
Posted in: Miscellaneous
[by Faye '11]
Photo Credit: cmagz.com
tldr; version:
pretty to look at and nice to listen to (the tagline says it all), 5 out of 5 stars!
The whole shebang:
I had originally intended to write this article on the Degas exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), but I saw something equally as awesome during my visit there this past Saturday.
When I reached the Huntington Street entrance of the MFA that afternoon, there was a line stretching all the way down the exterior set of stairs from the door. So many people were waiting to gain entrance to the museum that I would have had to wait half an hour to get in. Seeing a smaller line to the side, I asked the doorman about the differences in the queues. “This line is for the Melancholia film screening. It’s by invitation only.” Serendipitously, I had happened to have an invitation from the International Film Festival (IFF, a series of film events of which I highly recommend you all to attend) to the free showing of Lars von... read the post »