CPSA Colloqium

My scholars experience as seen through my iPhone camera (oh, and some answers to mandatory questions)

[kkcolloqium]

For my final Pentathlon, I explored the videos hosted on the YouTube Channel “Button Poetry.” This channel showcases slam poetry readings by their authors, the likes of which often address issues such as mental health, racism, trauma and more. I have actually been a fan of this channel for a long time, and even dabbled in some slam poetry of my own in high school. The highly emotional delivery combined with the artistic and purposeful writing devices employed in the poems and their performances remind me about the inherently personal nature of art, especially poetry and any form of story telling. Anyone can tell a story, but not everyone can tell a story well, and even less can do so in a way that embodies the need for social change that so many of the great poets on Button Poetry do.

[kkcolloqium]

For my next pentathlon, I watched the Ted Talk by Adam Savage of Myth Busters fame, “My Love Letter to Cosplay.” I myself am a cosplayer, and it was extremely interesting to listen to someone articulate the emotions tied to the craft if character replication in way that I had never thought to do before, despite experiencing the emotion many times. The hobby blends design, sewing, sculpting, wig-working, acting and so many other disciplines to create a truly unique and multifaceted art form which yields wearable art to be appreciated by those who understand the commitment and craftsmanship. It was especially interesting for me to see this talk given by such a notable figure, seeing as some still view cosplay as some kind of taboo kink, rather than the culmination of a love for creating and a passion for pop culture.

[kkcolloqium]

For this special quarantine edition of pentathlon, I chose to watch one of my favorite horror films on Netflix, Hush, on the night of March 31st. Hush tells a typical story of the horror genre: A woman, home alone, is being stalked by a crazed killer and must figure out how to outsmart him despite him seemingly always being one step ahead. The twist that makes this movie so brilliant, however, is that the protagonist is deaf, and thus, the film unfolds with almost no dialogue. Not only does the lack of speaking create a challenging narrative task for the writer and very interesting experience for the viewer, but the knowledge that our “hero” cannot hear leaves the audience with a constant feeling of suspense. Brilliant sound design pairs heavy silence with the piercing snap of a twig that you think means that Maddie can pinpoint that her attacker is closing in - until she doesn’t move and you’re reminded just how disadvantaged she is. Pairings like this evaluate the genuine fear felt by viewers and creates a truly thrilling film.

[kkcolloqium]

For my second colloquium event, I attended Scholars’ “Moving at the Speed of Democracy: Jamie Raskin’s Leadership Journey” panel event, This event featured Congressman Jamie Raskin, of MD’s 8th district, and commentary about his path to political success, as well as his insight into the state of our democracy moving foward. While this event (which took place Monday, 2/24) was not arts based, I still found it interesting and informative. My favorite part of the dialogue was hearing Rep. Raskin remark about his belief in the moral high ground, rather than what maybe deemed as politically beneficial. As this translates to art, one could loosely equate this to one’s adherence to what feels right to them, rather than catering to an audience or style that is popular strictly with the hope for success.

[kkcolloqium]

For my first colloquium event, I attended the Art-Sociology gallery’s exhibition, “Across the Pane: The Art of Djuna Barnes.” This exhibit featured many pieces which depicted vastly different styles and subject matter, all the work of the same artist, Djuna Barnes, who was known not only for her fine art, but for her writing and photography as well. My favorite part of the exhibit (pictured above) featured the way in which her personal style changed throughout the years. Originally, her portraits were made using a more realistic approach, however, ger later work reflects a transition to a more stylized, personal method that reflects many trands used in modern cartooning, such as cross-hatch shading and large eyes. I love the later style, as it feels the slightest but Burton-esque to me.

[kkcolloqium]

For my final Pentathalon, I attended Erasable Inc.’s (UMD’s all improv performances group) longform fall semester show, Windows. The performance was on Nov. 22, 2019 and featured the group’s all improvised performance of different comedy and dramatic scenes, including one that was entirely improvised opera! The performance demonstrated that art and stage theatrics are not always strictly rehearsed and rigid- but can be something fluid still uniquely artistic in the manner that it will never be performed again. It also demonstrated the different styles of each player and how they were able to work together in a manner of “groupthink” that kept the scenes coherent despite being completely improvised. Overall, I enjoyed it immensely and thought everyone did fantastic.

[kkcolloqium]

For my 4th pentathlon, I got to see one of my favorite comedians, John Mulaney, perform at the Xfininty Center on Oct. 30 for the Homecoming comedy show. This was super exciting for me, as someone who is involved in comedy in my own much smaller sphere and who has admired Mulaney for a long time.

My favorite aspect of his performance was how much crowd work and improvisation he worked into his set. This is an extremely difficuot thing to do when performing stand up, as it reqhires that you think on the fly while still considering the more “theoretical” aspects of what makes something funny. As applied to art as a whole, this shows how bot every aspect of an art work, performance, etc. must be meticulously planned out. Some of the best parts of art happen on accident or in the spur of the moment.

[kkcolloqium]

For my third pentathlon, I attended an A Cappella concert performed by two UMD groups, The Generics and the Treblemakers, on Oct. 18.

The performance was super impressive, and it was interesting to see the performance styles of the two groups. The Generics, UMD’s all male group, opened up for the Treblemakers, the all girls group. Despite each group being solely male or female, the fact that they both express themselves through the same art form and with similar performance styles shows the way that art can be a way to both express and transcend concepts like gender. It is a means of expressing and/or identifying with something, but also a space that allows one to shed labels and the strife that could come with them. (If that makes sense, made more sense in my head)

[kkcolloqium]

For my second pentathlon, I attended the sticker coffee and craft workshop after my evening classes on Monday, October 7th at 8 p.m. The activity leader provided snacks and supplies and everyone, including sticker paper and markers. Participants could design, sketch and color their own stickers for their laptops, water bottles, etc.

While I enjoyed designing my own sticker, I mostly enjoyed the opportunity to decompress and use art as a means of relaxing and creating, as the event directly followed my most stressful class. I enjoyed being able to focus on something creative, and forget for a moment everything stressing me out. It really spoke to me about art’s role as a means of escape for not only the artist but for those who partake in the veiwing of art. I loved seeing everyone elses stickers just as much as I enjoyed making my own.

(Note: I do not know if this counts for presentation or not, I didn’t really know what category this fell into to)

[kkcolloqium]

For this Colloquim, I visited the Stamp Art Gallery on Sept. 17 and spent some time with the exhibit. Much of the pieces revolved around themes of climate change, immigration and other social issues.

I particularly enjoyed one piece that was a “painting” wrapped in a floatation device and accompanied by a matching set of oars. According to the artist’s statement, this piece was a commentary on climate change and rising sea levels - what happens to art when the planet is dying. At what point does climate change reaxh the point of no return, and paintings must be made with their own built in floatation devices as a standard precaution? The piece, while comedic, is also deeply thought provoking, and left an impression on me that I carried through out the rest of my day. It demonstrates the way that comedy amd art can go hand in hand to relay a message.

[lovelymaximoff]

ATTENTION STRANGER THINGS FANS

Peyton Brown, who was supposed to be in st s3, uploaded this to his Instagram.

mmm goodbye duffers

[spidergvven]

one of the script supervisors came forward in relation to this, shes worked on stranger things for years as well as a slew of other things if you check her imdb page so people in the notes suggesting that the woman who originally brought this up is just a nobody looking for attention can eat shit

[h80s]

In Beyond Stranger Things, a series of behind-the-scenes interviews with the Duffers and cast members released on Netflix following the release of season 2, the Duffers admitted to, bragged about, and laughed about adding the kiss between Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin (Max and Lucas) specifically because the idea made Sadie uncomfortable. The Duffer brothers are trash.

[trytochillok]

[stranger-things-trashtm-blog]

Does life imitate art or does art imitate life?

[merlinaddams]

Monster Hunting.

[kaypeace21]

The literal definition of a power 👏couple 👏!

[kkcolloqium]

Nancy Wheeler - bang inspiration

[onscreenkisses]

Joe Keery and Charlie Heaton, Instyle Golden Globe After Party (2017)

[kkcolloqium]

On May 11, 2019 at 8:00 pm, I attended the Pandemonium speing concert and 25th annoversary celebration in the Memorial Chapel. The concert was very interesting, as it included a range of songs that were remixed to not only be a cappella compositions, but had their own flair, both stylistically and compositionally, setting them apart from typical covers of popular songs. It was a sentiment into how an artist can be influenced by someone’s work but still be able to infuse it with their own creativity to come away woth something new and sometimes better than the original. The concert was also a testament as to how the parts can create the whole, as it would only take one person being off key or rhythm to destroy the group’s work. The synchronicity is was makes the performance so impressive, in my opinion.

[kkcolloqium]

On April 14th, I visited the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. The art represented ranged in style, technique, and message. I appreciated the range of artwork on display, as it better helped me hone my own stylistic preferences, as well as determine how to better convey the meaning I wish to embed in my artwork. My favorite pieces, which are not pictured because of photography policy, were those in the Rothko room. I have mever before been “intimidated” by a painting, but Rothko’s work is large and in charge, despite appearing simple at first glance. It makes me want to make my own very large piece (once I am no longer living in a dorm room and actually have space).

[kkcolloqium]

For my third colloqium, I attended a film screening of Marvel’s latest release, Captain Marvel. I went on March 16th at 1 pm, at the Horizon Cinema Theater in Fallston, MD. I quite enjoyed the movie, especially given the feminist undertones throughout the plot. While the writing suffered in the first half (likely because they were attempting to fit so much exposition into the beginning,) I found that the lines became much better and quite memorable later on. As someone who has always admired filmmakers for their craft, I thought that Captain Marvel used a lot of techniques in both the screenplay and the editing that realy made the movie “pop.” While neither my art form nor major have anything to do with film, I do think that it is important to view and critique as many different areas of art as possible in an attempt to more properly understand them as well as better my own work.