park ave illusions

I have left New York for the summer, and I must say … it’s weird. It’s weird because I don’t walk. It’s weird because I have to drive everywhere. It’s weird because it’s so quiet. It’s weird because everything is SO SLOW. Sigh. While I do appreciate the relaxing pace here and the fact that every interior space is air conditioned, it’s a change. I think I definitely prefer city life. I still have some pictures from New York that I’ve been meaning to blog about, so here are a few from the end of April.

One of the things I miss about New York is all the art. For example, on Park Avenue (I think they’ll be there until June) there were sculptures by Rafael Barrios … and they were awesome! When you first see them, they look like three-dimensional geometric shapes, but as you crossed the street you realize that BAM! They’re pretty much flat.

Pretty cool, eh? I thought so. There was a whole series of these sculptures on Park Avenue of different shapes and colors. Here’s another one:

And as you cross Park Ave and stand on the median:

So cool. New York is able to have sculptures like that because the optical illusions rely on the perspective of the viewer. Since there’s heavy traffic (car and pedestrian) along and across Park Avenue, it works. Plus, they’re pretty. And New Yorkers generally like art. There are few wide medians like these that don’t have a sculpture of some sort, and since they change every now and then, it’s always nice to just walk around the city. I couldn’t imagine the same series of sculptures working in a city like Houston. Unlike New York, Houston is so spread out and lacking density that most people probably wouldn’t even notice the sculptures since streets are so wide and cars just drive on by.

Anyway, this summer I have an internship lined up in the Museum District, so that’ll give me a chance to check out what this city has to offer in terms of the arts. I don’t think it could possibly compare to New York, but hey, few cities can.

studio chicken

I have come to the conclusion that late nights in architecture studio is like a game of chicken. Who can last the longest? Who can endure the pain? You watch people pack up their laptops, wind up the long white charger cords, and tuck their headphones away in pockets. And internally, you smirk. Part of you envies them, as they wipe their eyes and stretch their arms and talk of going home and the softness of their beds that await them there. Yet as much as you truly envy them, you imagine them envying you more. As they pass by your work station, bags slung across weary shoulders and various empty soda cans and takeout containers in hand, they glance over at you. Their looks attempt to convey a sense of sympathy, but you interpret them as saying: “Ah! If only I could be that strong!” And at that point, despite the kink in your neck, the bleariness in your eyes, and the weight in your typing fingers, a sense of victory surges within you. For as the clock strikes three in the morning, you have won the game of studio chicken.

art on campus … 1st-year mfas!

Two weeks ago I attended the opening of an art exhibition on campus for the first-year MFA students. Some of the stuff was cool, some was confusing, some was merely eh. It was … an interesting mix. Nice change to escape studio for a bit though, and there was alcohol (always a plus)! Below is a selection of some of the pieces I found interesting.

“untitled (blue monochrome 1 to 88),” “untitled (yellow monochrome 1 to 97),” “untitled (red monochrome 1 to 100)” – Arches 88 paper and ink – Jason Kraus

“Between the Lines” – Newspaper, see-through mirror, wood, string, smoke – Jin Joo Chae

“Live Forever” – Microsoft PowerPoint, clay – Laura Miller

“April Showers” – sugar, T-shirt, video – Wang Xu

finals. nor’easter. sigh.

Tonight is going to be an all-nighter. Sigh. It’s that time of the year when massive amounts of caffeine and sugar get ingested and I seclude myself in my room and my room turns into an absolute mess. Oh yes, it’s finals time. No exams of course, just papers. And a presentation tomorrow … er, in nine hours. I kind of feel disgusting right now. A few days ago the weather was really warm, then cold, then kind of nice. Today my room once again turned into a sauna, because outside it’s cold and rainy and the heater (which I cannot control) only has two options: off or full blast. Apparently there’s this thing called the “Nor’easter storm” which is a type of storm that affects this area, which is causing the frigid rain outside and thus this tropical ecosystem in my room. Sigh.

Last month when I went to Boston over spring break, I visited the New England Aquarium. The jellyfish were so pretty. And so peaceful-looking. And definitely not dying of stress or heat. Sigh.

oil in them thar … manhattan

This is the “Manhattan Oil Project” by Josephine Meckseper, down at the corner of 46th Street and 8th Avenue … in Manhattan. Oh yes, there are oil pump jacks (from Electra, Texas) plugging away down in Manhattan. All in the name of art, of course. There’s no actual oil, which would be a ridiculously crazy notion because Manhattan is basically rock due to the schist.

It’s just one of those weird juxtapositions, of the skyscraper versus the oil pump, of the quintessentially New York with the quintessentially Texas. It was fenced off with signs warning of danger, and although I knew it was meant as an art piece, there were obviously many other people who did not. It was interesting like that. It was less about the sculptures themselves (although the repetitive movement was quite relaxing to watch) and more about how people perceived the structures in a space such as downtown Manhattan. There were no indications that it was art, no signage to that effect, but even if one didn’t have the prior knowledge about Manhattan’s schist, there was still this sense that the oil pumps did not belong in that space.

passover + easter = festivities

Passover started on Friday, and today is Easter Sunday. Last night we had a little dinner party that ended in a sleepover and brunch this morning. Well now, this weekend has been oh so not productive. On the other hand, I did get to stuff my face with chicken and matzo. So … wash?

april showers

There’s the old saying that April shower bring May flowers … goodness gracious I hope that’s true. It’s been raining ALL DAY today and it’s quite annoying. I was extremely low on groceries so I forced myself to trek out there. Ugh. It’s very awkward carrying groceries while holding an umbrella. But now I have food in the fridge and I’m all cuddled up in my pajamas, so all’s well that ends well.

This is a sculpture in Times Square that I visited a few weeks ago. It’s called “Soñando New York (Dreaming New York)” and is by Pablo Atchugarry. It was hand-carved from a single block of marble – amazing, eh? It was a nice piece, but I think I would have liked it much better if it was in the space of a museum or gallery. I’m not too fond of when they put sculptures in Times Square because most pieces just get overwhelmed by the surroundings, and it always makes me sad to see so many people just walking by a piece without appreciating its art. I need to make a point to trek back down to the Chelsea galleries one of these days. The New Museum and Whitney are still on my list as well. Sigh. I might try to make a day of it for this Friday … if I can squeeze in the time.

spring … already?

Have you heard the news? It’s basically spring. Already. I’d expect this kind of weather for Texas, but up in New York? Oh wow. It’s been absolutely lovely. Flowers are blooming all over campus, I almost don’t mind going to class. Although when I’m stuck in the library scanning things, then a beautiful outdoors is just taunting.

back from boston

A few days ago I took a trip to Boston with roomie D and it was a doozy. Boston was fun, but it’s nice to be back in the city. Anyway, there were a whole host of tourist attractions that had to be seen, so we definitely did the Freedom Trail and saw all those places. One of the places I was most excited to see was the Old North Church, where two lanterns were hung to warn the patriots of the British troops’ arrival by sea (“One if by land, and two if by sea”). Ah yes, the American Revolution was always my favorite war to study in school. The picture is of a chandelier hanging in the church.

my, what a large david you are

“David (inspired by Michelangelo)” by artist Serkan Ozkaya is a double-sized replica of the famous statue “David” by Michelangelo. Tuesday night I went down to Storefront for Art and Architecture on Kenmare Street because they were hosting a lecture about the nature of the double and the statue. I had been at a lecture earlier that evening by Srdjan Weiss that was held uptown, so by the time I got down to Storefront the place was packed and I didn’t stay long. Then again, given how small that space actually is, it’s always packed so I don’t know what I was expecting.

“David (inspired by Michelangelo)” was hanging out on a trailer in front of Storefront. Quite a shocking thing to see on a Manhattan street. I mean, it’s a gigantic 30-foot-tall statue that’s golden, horizontal, and on a freakin’ trailer. I knew it was going to be there and I was still taken aback by the sheer size and out-of-placedness of it. Ah, yet another quiet night in the city, eh? Anyway, it’s headed to a museum in Kentucky called 21c Museum, so goodbye, David, it was fun to see you!