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Half a dozen professors, several faculty and 70-something students walk into a room. This is either the setup to a very convoluted joke or it’s the annual State of Sustainability Forum at Brandeis.
Clarification appended.
Art rooted in the political is not a new trope. Even in the time of the Old Masters, it seems like the political climate of the time seeped into each painting. Whether it requires the decoding of colors (a martyr in a painting, for example, clothed in the colors of the governing power — think Francisco Goya’s “The Third of May 1808”) or a figure’s striking resemblance to a monarch, art is latent with political opinions, some more obvious than others. There is nothing inherently negative about political art. However, what is negative is using politics as a crutch to make art relevant and reassert the importance of art — the ‘political explanation.’ With the Museum of Fine Art, Boston’s new installations, “Seeking Stillness” and “Mark Rothko: Reflection,” which spans the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, the Museum falls prey to the ‘political explanation,’ weighing on the wonderful works shown.
Brandeis students come from everywhere around the globe, including Houston, Texas, one of the areas most devastated by Hurricane Harvey, which caused 82 confirmed deaths and produced damages of approximately $200 billion, according to a Sept. 14 Washington Post article.
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” and, as proven by Brandeis student artists, so is a painting, a sculpture or any other piece of artwork.
This week, justArts spoke with Alli Steinberg ’19, who went on the Brandeis in Siena summer abroad program.
It’s that time of year again when we send off the sweet sounds of summer. Summer 2017’s soundtrack was full of experimental and enticing album drops; this was possibly the best selection the season has ever brought. As September comes to a close, here is a recap of what I listened to these past few months.
A brooding and overcast national atmosphere hangs over Brandeis. In the past couple of weeks, Brandeis students have confronted the prospect that their friends and family may face deportation, in addition to the threat of nuclear war with North Korea. The events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in particular, have charged the environment. The sight of Confederate flags, white, pointed hoods and swastikas openly and proudly displayed was terrifying. So, too, were the videos of ordinary-looking men, dressed in polos and khakis, chanting, “blood and soil” and, “Jews will not replace us” at the University of Virginia — as well as a president who fails to adequately condemn them. As the semester gets underway, we must all rise to the challenge of supporting one another, furthering meaningful conversation and seeking to expel ignorance and hate from our University.
In 2017, who is a person? Our online persona, rather than public records, define our identities, and the internet is an unregulated space where people falsify their identities for their own nefarious purposes. A Sept. 7 New York Times article exposed new details of the Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election — specifically, how Russians created several hundred inauthentic Facebook and Twitter accounts which “spread anti-Clinton messages and promoted the hacked material leaked.” These accounts posed as individuals and “friended” real people in hopes of influencing them with these shared posts. According to a Sept. 6 New York Times article, these fake accounts also purchased over $100,000 in ads targeting divisive social issues such as immigration and gay rights. They did all this under aliases such as “Melvin Redick,” which did not exist in the public records of their states.
On Monday afternoon, 16 years to the day after the deadliest terrorist attack in world history, members of the Brandeis community stood on the Great Lawn in remembrance of the 2,996 lives lost by 9/11.
This week, justArts spoke with Rafi Diamond ’18, Gabi Nail ’18 and Raphael Stigliano ’18 who directed the 24-Hour Musical.
“Good Time,” an independent film made by Benny and Josh Safdie, revolves around a bank robber stuck between a rock and a hard place. His mentally disabled brother was arrested and blamed for their robbery gone awry, his romantic relationship with an older woman is poisonous for both parties and his financial woes are already overwhelming when his brother’s bail payment is added to the list.
A spotlight shone on a white- and red-striped hat in the middle of the stage, and as the lights came on in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater, the actors erupted onto the stage with a burst of raw energy. In a regular musical, that would be what you’d expect when the curtain rises for the beginning of the first act. However, this was no ordinary musical.
The Rose Art Museum hosted a partial opening this past Thursday to kick off the fall semester’s exhibitions. The opening, which boasted free popcorn, cotton candy and lemonade, offered the public the opportunity to see new works, some of which, unfortunately, are not part of the Rose’s permanent collection. One of the exhibitions, titled “Body Talk” welcomes interesting conversation about abstract yet relevant ideas — a great example of how art can mesh aesthetic and message. Of the four shows downstairs, including a collection of Joe Bradley’s work as well as an exhibition curated by Bradley himself, only three were open, including a new film by John Akomfrah and Kevork Mourad’s “Immortal City.”
“Why our screens make us less happy” was the title of a TED talk given by psychologist Adam Alter this April. During his talk, Alter identified a marketing phenomenon called “dog-fooding,” where companies test-drive their own product, so-to-speak, to boost investor and consumer confidence. Alter described how he once heard that the head of a large pet food company would go to the annual shareholders meeting and eat a can of his company’s own dog food. His point was, if it’s good enough for people, it’s certainly good enough for dogs. According to an Oct. 28, 2013 New Republic article, “dog-fooding” has been a standard practice for years now and there are a few notable exceptions.
Jack Peters ’20 is a typical sports-loving student with an exceptional accomplishment; he is the 2017 champion of the division three North American Scrabble Championships.
One might be under the impression that after the dismal reports of this summer’s low blockbuster turnout and disappointing box office performance that there has been a shift in audience preferences. The last four months’ films have been a combination of critical bombs and uninspired sequels and remakes. Instead, this summer has been home to indie darlings and the occasional blockbuster phenomenon. This shift has proven that audiences are fatigued by CGI-riddled action movies and watching the “nth” installment to nearly decade-long franchises.
This week, justArts spoke with Tres Fimmano ’18 who is the president of the Undergraduate Theater Collective.
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History cannot be taken for granted, especially by those who have felt the pain of injustice, Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella reminded the class of 2017 at Sunday’s commencement exercises. Abella delivered her address to 904 bachelor degree recipients and 884 graduate degree recipients.