Art Occurrence 3

This past weekend I attended the Symphony concert in Jacksonville. The concert was conducted by Maestro Fabio Mechetti and consisted of American classical works.

The concert began with the Star Spangled Banner. Maestro Mechetti is very known for doing this to start every concert season. Everyone stood including those in the orchestra who were able. The effect was quite marvelous and an excellent way to begin the first concert of the year for the Jacksonville Symphony.

The official program began after that. The first piece for the evening was by Ives and was quite exciting and well played by the orchestra. After that, we heard Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. The pianist for the concerto was a 17-year-old Asian man whose first name I cannot remember; his last name was Tao. He was an outstanding pianist who gave a wonderful performance of a very difficult Gershwin work.

The final piece on the concert was Copeland’s Third Symphony. It’s a marvelous work filled with wonderful melodies and intriguing harmonies. I found this piece to be really enjoyable and probably my favorite of the evening. All things considered, it was a very good concert and a great way for the Jacksonville Symphony to begin their season.

Art Occurrence 2

For extra credit in my RCC class I had to see a film in the Global Film Festival. The film that I chose to see was Semper Fi, which was about Camp Lejeune in North Carolina that had toxic chemicals in the drinking water from 1957-1987. The chemicals that all the Marine Corps were drinking had an effect on hundreds of people that lived there. The effects that it had on everyone was that babies were being born with important organs missing or that many children and adults were getting cancer. Before watching this film I really didn’t know what to expect and thought it would be boring, but I really found it interesting. Seeing what those people went through and not told about what could happen is very sad. It left a mark on me in the end.

Art Occurrence 1

Friday night Hailey and I went to the movies and saw the new movie Abduction. This is the new movie with Taylor Lautner starring as the lead role. I found the movie really entertaining throughout the entire time. When I first saw the previews I wasn’t quite sure if it would be a movie that I enjoyed, but surprisingly enough it was. Abduction was an action-based movie that also was romantic. The movie was about a code that was stolen and the bad guys wanted it back. If I was able to go see the movie again I would!

Art Occurence 4

So time to let you guys in on my dirty little secret. As embarrassed as I am to say it, I like Teen Fiction. I know, I know not the greatest stuff on the planet but that's not the point. So my friend let me borrow City of Angels. It's the fourth book in The Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare. Lets just say it was amazing. Sure it's a stereotype supernatural romance but the action sequences are really. It's set in this world of Shadowhunters (Nephilim) and Downworlders (Demons, Vampires, Werewolves etc) There are political tensions and tons of inter-societal tensions. We learn exactly what the Mark of Cain rune will do. My favorite thing about the about the book is that Lilith shows up. Lilith mythology is some of my favorite types of mythology. We also get a more in depth view into the werewolf society. No wonder it's a New York Times Bestseller. All of you should read the series!

Art Occurence 3

I watched the movie Contagion with my RCC. I didn't really enjoy it. It's been done before. This one was a bit ridiculous. The focus was pretty much on trying to make us paranoid about what we touch and how often we touch our faces. It was a bit ridiculous. Man did Matt Damon get fat for the role. Well anyway, yeah the plot while decent was full of holes. The science was incorrect and they covered it up by playing music over the science parts. The most ridiculous part of it was when they show you the origins of the disease. Highly, highly improbable. If I wasn't for the fact that I was with my RCC I probably would have walked out of the theater thirty minutes into the movie.

Art Occurence 2

I went to see a RIP : Cut To performance and it was amazing. The house was packed and people were being turned away even though the performance was at eleven at night. RIP : Cut To is a style of improv that involves movie language and moving backwards and forwards through time. This time Jaz and Christian and were the main character's of the improv movie. (Thank God this one didn't involve Brian masturbating) Anyway they were old high school friends who liked each other but never had anything develop because of Alexa's meddling. It was very funny and interesting. Lots of laughs. I forced a friend of mine to go with cause she just needed a break from her studies. Watching the RIP shows makes me want to audition for RIP.

Art Occurence 1

I saw the play Legacy of Light with my RCC. It was about two female physicists and their struggles to juggle family with work. Emilie Du Chatelet was a french female physicist of the 19th century. She produced the theory that light has no mass. Oliva was a modern day physicist watcching the formation of an embryonic planet. Watching this play gave me a total nerdgasm. My two great loves are theatre and physics. To see both combined in an entertaining, thought provoking, existentialist way was extremely exciting. It was also cool that my Acting I professor's wife was one of the female leads. The production itself was extremely well done. The period costuming of 19th Century France was exquisite and detailed. Emilie Du Chatelet's gown was a perfect example of women's clothing of the time. The set design was simple which made the acting stand out more as were the lights. All together it was a great experience.

Art Occurrence 2

Last night I attended the faculty concert given by the Music department. The concert was given at John M. Tiedtke Hall and begun at 7:30pm. Because the concert consisted of various members of the music faculty the range in styles of the music performed was very wide.

The concert began with a Schubert trio for Piano, Voice, and Clarinet. In my opinion, it lasted too long. It was very good but I wish Schubert had put more ideas into the piece. It was rather repetitive and became boring. Next was Mr. Norito Irei performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2. This sonata had always been one of my favorite pieces and Norito played it very well. It is also very long but the intensity and musical ideas throughout the work make it very exciting and enjoyable for the audience. It was my favorite piece of the evening. Following that there were a few vocal works and a piece for violin and piano. The violin piece was by Henri Viextemps and was very virtuosic. It proved to be a big crowd pleaser as the audience lit up with applause after it ended. Following a few more vocal selections was a guitarist playing some very nice jazz melodies by Duke Ellington and Maurice Jarre. Preceding the final number of the concert was a piece for English horn and Electroacoustic music. This was by far the most interesting of the whole concert. Mr. Aaron Hilburn performed the piece on his English horn with his speakers and computer set up playing the almost sci-fi-like sounds to go with it. This piece also proved to be a crowd pleaser. The final piece in the recital was “Go the Distance” from Hercules being sung by James Ray. His voice was very strong and could easily be mistaken for the actual actor in the movie. The ending to the piece was dramatic and convincing. You could tell everyone enjoyed the performance because everyone left the concert singing Hercules. All things considered, the faculty put together a very nice concert.

Zimba's definition of Art

Art : - personal expression via creation; opinion of beautiful (opinion being key)

SCAR!!!!!

Art is an expression of an idea or an application of human creative skill and imagination. Art must be created, and anyone can be an artist. People alone cannot be art, but what they do may be considered art. Common examples of art are: drawing and paintings, architecture, music, dance, writing, acting, sculpture, or any form of human creativity.

Timon’ s Definition of Art:

Art is a way to express ones-self. It has to have some kind of reasoning behind it. Something created without a reasoning or purpose/meaning would not be consider art (ei: knitting a scarf vs. Fiber Art)

Pumba's Art Definition

Art is the overall idea of self expression. It includes anything human created that someones find aesthically appealing, but can be up for debate. Art can be created by any type of material, from any type of medium, or even technology. Art isn't formed for it's reaction, but for the artist and his/her idea of beauty.

Mufasa's Definition of art

Expression of one's self that's recognized by society. Art is also something that is unique to an individual perspective.

Land of the Dead

I believe that this play came out way to early and definatly crossed the line. I think it is good that we remember what happened, but you need time to help heal the wound a little. 9/11 will always be a sensitive topic, but you can still bring it up if you are being reverent about the event. I don't believe that this was what the play was doing. The play was saying that not everyone who died in 9/11 was a hero. Yes, i do believe that not everyone was a hero that day, some might have been horrible people, like the guy in the play. But, I dont think it matters how bad a person was, no one deserved to die that day and they should still be honored.

Never Forget

While some may say that art such as Land of the Dead and other pieces which use material such as 9/11 as obscene or tasteless or even insensitive, I take a different approach. They are necessary. We must keep such events engrained in our memories. In doing so we honor the dead. Art using the events of 9/11 lets us do that. "Never Forget" We as a country must never forget. Now for those opponents of using 9/11 as a subject I say unless there is blatant disrespect for the dead, every painting, every movie, every play, book, sculpture etc., that uses 9/11 as it's subject is a memorial to the victims of that day. I personally see art like this and it doesn't remind me of tragedy. It reminds of my cousin who was a firefighter on that fateful day. Though the day is negative, raw and painful still for many of us who had family there the day will always be that whether there is art about it or not. Why get upset by it. Embrace it. See it for what it is. A monument to the lives lost that day not a blasphemous use of an event for shock value.

Reaction to Land of the Dead

“The Land of the Dead” was way too soon and insensitive. This play tried to prove the point that not everyone who died on 9/11 was a hero. Sure the guy who went out to breakfast with his boss instead of going to support his girlfriend when she went to get an abortion isn’t a model human being, but still is an innocent soul who did not deserve to die. I’m from New York and have many personal ties to lives lost and families left behind on that day and I did not appreciate this dramatization one bit. No one is perfect especially the victims of the horrendous act who, under no circumstance, should not be made a mockery of by Neil LaBute’s advances to make a statement. The man is still a son and someone’s partner and doesn’t deserve this. This play hits way too close to home and I honestly do not care what this man needs to show to promote his agenda. The unfortunate people lost in this terrible event should be honored as they are people’s loved ones. My advice to LaBute is that something’s are just better left unsaid.

Wesley Ritter: About Me!

Wesley Ritter: About Me!: To the left is my twin sister Julia, and to the right is my good friend Alessandra
Hey everyone! If you haven't rememberd my name...

Art Occurrence 1

Last weekend I attended the 9-11 remembrance concert at the Knowles Chapel. The concert consisted of three works. First was a movement of an Orchestral Suite by Bach. Following it was the massive, emotional Requiem by Mozart. This was the heart of the concert. The performance was concluded with a movement from Brahms’ German Requiem.

The concert was very packed when I arrived and I was forced to sit upstairs where I couldn’t really see. However, this did not upset me because I knew with the acoustics of the chapel that the concert would sound much better up stairs- and it did! The Bach movement was lovely and the strings did a wonderful job with this always popular piece. The Requiem followed. It was very emotional and Dr. Sinclair did an excellent job executing all parts of it. The vocalists sounded wonderful and gave me goose bumps as they grew into the climaxes of Mozart’s most emotional work. It’s always a pleasure to hear this work performed in public. It is definitely one of those pieces that sounds so much better in person than it does on a recording. Lastly, they played a movement of Brahms. It was really quite wonderful also. It was much less intense than the Mozart leaving the audience with a friendlier taste in their mouths as they left. In short, it was really a very marvelous experience.

Land of the Dead

For hot topic Monday we read a play called land of the dead, which was about 9/11 not knowing till the end when it was taken place. The play was preformed days before its one-year anniversary. Some people thought that it went to far with it not being a full year until it was preformed. I personally don’t think that they play writer took it to far because if he waited 5 years or 9 years then it wouldn’t have had the same impact that it might have had on some people. I think that there is no right time for something like a play or a movie, which makes a play like this perfect.

Land Of The Dead

If the question is whether or not Land of the Dead is insensitive or shouldn't have been performed when it was: then the answer is an absolute no. Yes, 9/11 is a very sensitive subject and it touched all of our lives in many different ways, but that doesn't mean we should shun LeBute's production because it makes use of that subject matter. In the week's after 9/11, many artists and song-writers started painting and composing songs in requiem, tribute, and patriotic pride based around that day. What makes their paintings and songs any more acceptable than this play? Why should we accept their paintings as works of art and praise them for the emotions they portray but tell the writer of this play that he's gone "too far"? I believe that we as a public need to view this play as the equivalent to the artists' painting. This was LeBute's way of expressing and portraying his emotions and thoughts about that day. Just as the painter painted - the playwright wrote - and they both created masterpieces that we should view, accept, and maybe even cherish as art forms that help to make this country strong in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy.

Land of The Dead

The play, "The Land of The Dead" in my opinion is just an unnecssary way to remember the 9/11 tragedy. The timing of it also was way over the line, premiering under a year was just an unthinkable idea. As a country it is very important to remember the day that changed everywhere lives forever, but there other many other methods than a play that mocks the whole tragedy. Every person expresses there feelings in there own way, so there will be some people out there you found this play to be a good idea but as I said before I just feel it liked the respect and class that is need for a tragedy as significant as 9/11. In conclusion, "The Land of The Dead", crossed the line and whether they would premiere the play tomorrow or a little over nine years ago, it doesn't matter. We should be remembering those who were heroes that day, not watching foolish plays.

Land of the Dead

The subject matter presented in The Land of the Dead by Neil LaBute is very controversial. This is so as it premiered very soon after the 9/11 tragedy, which affected the lives of most Americans. I agree that light does need to be shed on 9/11, as it is significant to American history. However, the way in which it is done is very important. Humor is an effective way and grasping one's attention, and therefore the play is able to do so. Although the subject matter is serious, LaBute gives us a different view point on the issue by adding comedic relief. The situation presented in the play is somewhat realistic although it may seem absurd, I do however believe that this play was effective because it reminded us of the significance of 9/11. In addition, the audience was able to understand that the tragedy could have affected every and anyone. The play portrays an important message to society, as we often are more sensitive to people with heroic status, when in fact 9/11 was not.

The Land of the Dead

The play, The Land of the Dead, deals with a sensitive subject because it touches the lives of all Americans, and more so to those who lost friends, family, or any type of loved one. It is hard to create a successful and humorous story plot when the end result is our nation's darkest day in history. However, in my opinion, we need to remember this day not just by the photos, the masses, or the annual memorials, but by creative methods too- Ways that allow Americans to take a different perspective and outlook. The play moved me more than just reading an article in The Times, or watching a nightly special about 9/11. It allowed me to recognize that most people take their lives for granted. The man in the play was cynical and uncooperative which distanced himself from the audience. Instead the audience sympathized with the woman, or his wife, who had issues that the man did not deem his problem; just her own. But when the audience realized his location, his timing, his fate, the sentiment changed. No matter the type of person who was in those towers, no matter how nice they were or bitter, they were still a person; a victim. They were a collegue, a friend, or maybe foe, but still a person who lost their life to terrorism. America is a nation under one, and when a disaster occurs we are brought closer together. We unite because that is all we can do and when a person is lost, we feel lost as well. The play is so effective because the majority of us can assimilate to that couple. We can imagine ourselves being the man who watches the city from above or that woman calling effortlessly to someone who won't pick up because most of us remember that day so clear just as the morning of September 11th was- without a cloud in the sky.

Land of the Dead

Some may say that the play by Neil LaBute that premiered less than a year after 9/11 may have gone too far; however, I disagree. In order to really get the message that the author was trying to portray—a message that states that not everyone who was killed on 9/11 was a hero, the boundaries needed to be prodded. The firefighters, EMTS, police, and others who came to the scene were heroes. They gave their lives in order to protect and save as many others as they could. The people in the building were just going on and about their lives, not necessarily doing anything particularly spectacular. While it is a tragedy that they died, they should be viewed as victims. They went to work. They did what they were supposed to be doing, nothing extraordinary. Not everyone who died on 9/11 was a hero. A play on this subject matter is necessary because it helps people remember the lives that were lost as well as the unification that the country underwent, even if it was only for a short period of time. 

Land of the Dead

The the tragedy of 9/11 may be a sensitive topic, but I believe that writing a play about it is perfectly justified. Awareness of the terrorist attacks is necessary to remind people of the lives lost on that fateful day. I do not thinking making a play about 9/11 less than a year after it happened is wrong in any sense. If anything, the play is a lesson. Though some people who lost their lives that day may not have been the most innocent human beings, like the man from Land of the Dead, they were lives taken without cause nonetheless. I believe that it is up to the public to remind one another of the difficult times this country went through. To me, the play was realistic and relatable and in times of turmoil, it is always helpful to relate to someone or something.