Aa Muse: Audrey Flack

#3

Friday night I stopped into the Art Gallery at school. Untitled #53 by Sam Gilliam looked like large calendar days with some very bright colors. I wondered if Obama got a chance to see “Obama and St. Martin” by Joyce J. Scott, it seemed very fitting considering he spoke at our school. Untitled # 12 by Larry Poons reminded me of when little kids draw in their food. I really loved “Aa Muse” by Audrey Flack, the muse looked like Medusa at first, I love the colors and the shadowing. I also really enjoyed Ed Paschke’s “ Pharaoh Series #12”, probably because I am interested in anything Egyptian. Overall I’m glad I took a look and was interested in the short biographies of all of the artists.

I really don’t want to watch an entire opera. I am glad however they have subtitles and I am thinking of trying to find Elektra. The Flower Duet sounds so pretty; I know I have heard it in many commercials but never really paid attention to the voices. It is very beautiful and it sounds filled with both inspiration and sorrow. Maybe I should look for the opera Lakme in case Elektra doesn’t work out. At first I thought this class would be full of unfamiliar material, which in part it is, yet it is all related to the current. Even learning that operas were the precursor for every type of mood enhancement in movies makes me more interested because it is something relatable. I loved seeing the clip from Salome, it was both chilling and entertaining.

Apple & Class #2

When you put Apple’s accomplishments in a lineup such as this it is astounding to see all of these extremely sleek and popular devices loved by so many people. I don’t think “loved” is an inappropriate word to use. I think some people really do love the fact that all of their favorite music can be stored and accessed so easily in such a portable device. These devices are very cleverly designed; they allow people with very little experience with technology to use them fairly easily. My girlfriend’s grandmother just got one and she listens to her iPod everyday and is so happy that she can both work it and that she has it. Having a vision both of what the people want as well as integrate easily into their daily life is very hard. So many people know of the Apple name, know of their service and know that their products deliver an easy and effective means of communication. In this sense I find Steve Jobs to be a very smart man in consistently delivering technology that the people want and can use easily.

So I’m pumped about the larger room. I love organized lectures, yet they tend to get tedious. However this class had the perfect balance of information supplemented with video clips, music etc. It brought aspects from history into a relatable context, for example the Fibonacci spiral and musical experimentation. I am going to sound like a huge nerd but the Fibonacci spiral being found in nature so readily is so cool. I have never seen nor read the Da Vinci Code but now want to see it. I didn’t realize we would be learning about history during this class but I am glad. The Baroque period seems much more fascinating then I had previously thought. I was disgusted when I learned that the average times a person showered during this period was two days a year. Also I had no idea that wigs help cover up the scars from syphilis, or that so much makeup was worn. This time period seemed so grand, ornate and excessive, yet at the same time I got the idea that everything was filthy and covered up instead of taken care of. This is why I liked when Santiago introduced the term “theatrum mundi” meaning the world is a stage, and the world can frame or hide the truth. Some of the scenes from the video clips were absolutely beautiful. I also felt like some of the men performing in these clips looked very much like drag queens.

first day

I shared a dance with Santiago at Sensory Overload last year. Therefore, I was mildly thrilled when I saw this course was being offered as Honors. I admit that the first day of class was both exciting and intimidating. I hope this course will open up different ideas within others and myself that have for so long been repressed and unappreciated. The most daunting notion of this class for me is that there are very little restrictions.

My name is Catherine but I go by Cat, unless you are my mother…and I really hope my Mom won’t be reading this. Mom if you are reading this 1. Who taught you how to use the Internet? 2. Please send me money…just kidding. I am a Psychology major, without any real idea what I want to do. I have lived my life in the same house in MA, my family has never had cable TV-which pretty much sucked as a child. It was character building perhaps? However, I feel like you can build character in much easier ways than people make character building out to be. The way people talk about character is like it is one of the pyramids of Egypt…and we don’t even really know how those were built.

I hope this class provides a space where students can connect on a different level and actually interact in an energetic manner.