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| Walker Hart, Mary Don't You Weep |
Here are links to each student's Digital Notebook site:
Kouros Alaghband (Senior, Architecture) http://theboreoftitles.blogspot.com/
Kyra Baldwin (Junior, Landscape Architecture) http://kyrajb.blogspot.com/
Helen Butler (England, L&S limited) http://helenbutler185x.blogspot.com
Wendy Kay Ho (Sophomore, Sustainable Design) http://wendy-kayho-vs185x.blogspot.com/
Baylor Odabashian (Sophomore, undeclared) http://inumerablelotuslands.blogspot.com/
Aimee Louise Daniels (Senior, Architecture) http://placesaimeegoes.blogspot.com/
Noor Al-Samarrai (Senior, L&S) http://thinkinbouttoes.blogspot.com/
Walker Hart (Senior, Architecture) http://songandplacebywalker.blogspot.com/
Beth Estelle Shephard (Senior, Urban Studies) http://bethshephardvs185x.blogspot.com/
Alon Daks (Sophomore, Computer Science) http://alondaks.blogspot.com/
Valdemar Díaz Hinojosa (auditor, México) http://170wurster.blogspot.com/
Alon Daks (Sophomore, Computer Science) http://alondaks.blogspot.com/
Feiya Ma (Senior, Urban Design) http://feiyama.blogspot.com/
Arami Matevosyan (Junior, Architecture) http://aramiesme.blogspot.com
Arami Matevosyan (Junior, Architecture) http://aramiesme.blogspot.com
______________
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| Aimée Daniels, Delta to Chicago Blues |
Comments 21 November 2013: hi everyone--some comments. a lot of you need to go back in, rework some of the entries, add to the writing where necessary, get the photos right. we'll discuss tonight. I want the digital notebooks to represent your very best work--also, they're public, on the class website--so all the more reason to make them sing! tony
kouros--great still! and we know who...!
kyra--you can probably find out the history of those photos--peter guralnick's book, searching for robert johnson, is excellent. we'll see the actual project..,.,
helen-- painting looks great, maybe a few words too...? of your special selection...
wendy-- give it a little more, wendy! needs better photo...
baylor--we'll see how you pick up with the songs...
aimée-- very nice post, aimée. see youtube interview with painter jake berthot--he talks about "the painting taking over." I can send you link if you wish.
noor-- the poem was over the top--hope your event went good too...
walker, baby--you're behind...!
beth-- really good ideas beth--I'd woirk on the writing a little more. what you're talking about is super important. I liked (in particular): "deal with whats real. And because of the ruthless reality we never fail to have our music heard." ask me about jamaica--sound systems, dubs--and about "ethnic chauvenism" (excellnet book--from a long time back, though--by Orlando Paterson)alon-- you'll catch up, too, alon
feiya--not hugely developed, feiya, but it's a very clear idea--which is good--and has an emotional charge as well. carry things farther. and use spell check!
arami-- this was one of your best projects, arami--writing goes with it. I also appreciate what you added to "gas mask" post--almost too effective... will look forward to more recent work...
valdemar--we know you're back home--see you "a la vuelta" !
tessa-- good to see a project from you, last week!
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| Helen Butler, Woody Guthrie |
Tony's comments on Notebooks -- 14 November 2013:
Written late Thursday morning... look forward to seeing you this evening!
Kouros. Now that's the perfect still, Kouros--I'm sure everyone who saw the film would agree. And I like the very provisional quality of what you write--it's direct, like someone talking to us--and open to contradiction--Mississippi John Hurt's gentle side, as opposed to the violence--or ribaldry--in the lyrics (although compare his "church" songs, which always let another side come forth). Some musicians would make it either-or (Blind Willie Johnson, for instance--or maybe even Robert Johnson. But MJH shows us/reminds us of both. I think that comedy (in the classic sense--the Lysistrata) can address this--and I'm glad you write about it in your own way. You should always do this--share these kinds of thought-sequences! They illuminate...
Kyra-- Looking forward to seeing how you connect Delta Blues to Chicago (and Urban Blues in general)--and to where the change in the feeling of the music takes you--in your projects and your writing both...
Helen--I very much like the way the songs and life itself find ways of merging in your work--which is especially striking in these last two posts. Which says something about how important it is that "art" be motivated by emotion (Tolstoy's definition, slightly amended!) Or Wordsworth's--although tranquility may be harder to come by... The pieces are adventurous, formally, and it's quite wonderful that you're willing to share them with us. They also look particularly good in the way you've posted them, with the apt fragments from the lyrics. I can offer only encouragement!
Wendy-- the scale change from clay to thread--the delicacy of the connections and the rawness of the way you've handled the clay--are particularly evocative. writing about this with your stacks of words seems a good way to start--doesn't commit you to too much narrative--or too much explaining--and let's the visuals speak in themselves. keep the lists as pointed--as specific--as you can make them. or, who knows, one day you'll break into prose... Ask me about this...
Baylor-- Baylor, we ALL appreciate just how real you are in what you share with us. Your willingness to go where your thoughts and feelings take you. Which must feel a bit out of control, at times--pulling out all the stops. Human beings seem to rely so much on convention--which step follows which--so that when you make the toppling of conventions your mode, the ground is harder to find. That said, the on-goingness of your songs--the very fact that you do them--that you need to do them--with such Baylor energy and commitment--and over-the-topness--there's a surge to this which will right a lot of other wrongs. Great encouragement on my part, Baylor--run with it!
Aimée--I like that you get involved with the actual making of the projects. The Delta one had a presence on the wall that was quite good. At the same time, I sense that there's more to your thinking and feeling that you could share with us--either in what you write (the entries tend to be a little schematic)--or in the actual making (where a sense of involvement and commitment become a metaphor for meaning--in fact, they can actually become the meaning!) So, what I'm saying is that I want to encourage you to take more leaps... Not just for this term, but in how you show your creative side beyond Songs & Places. I know from hints in what you say--a stance, or an attitude--that it's in there. Just that I'm not sure you always find a way to let it out... That's why the pieces can feel "in the middle"... We can talk about this if you'd like...
(Also--this is present in the title you've given your notebook--that it's in the present tense--which is a way of saying that things are en media res!)
Noor-- hmmm... You know that I always appreciate how you find your own way, Noor--which also means finding your own pace--and you know I encourage you in this... On the other hand, there's such an opportunity here to use the songs from each week as a kind of reflection of life. would be nice to have you share more of this... So my role is to push you a little. That said, I also know that you're in this for the long haul--which also gives me--paciencia...to wait and see what for you must needs come next...
The print last week was intrigiuing. I always like it when what you show us has that of-the-hand directness. the drawing previous had it too--even more... maybe it was those deportee lyrics...and your own experience (real as well as imagined...)
Walker-- I liked that you put up the two paiitings, and the half-way-showing drawing tucked underneath. That revealed a lot. It would help to see the Boston ICA work you mentioned--how you're riffing on what you liked there. (Color, shape, movement, theme, handling, all or any of the above)--and maybe how you'd discuss this. Your reticence can be appealing (the Walker "look") but as I've mentioned, I also think that this S&P class can be a place to move beyond the familiar. The two paintings (I don't see them yet on the notebook) are an opening--hope to see more...!
Beth-- You need to catch up a bit in the digital notebook! You've said many wondeerful things in class--sometimes just in passing--would be nice for you to articulate them in relation to the visual work (quite strong!) that you've been doing. Would be a good (and ongoing) challenge, I think. And this is a particularly sympathetic place in which to test the waters, try it all out...
Alon-- Do keep on with the posts, and with you musings. I think the most important thing about what you're doing is that (despite the modest scale and the seemingly everyday materials) each piece shares a kind of presence. An intensity. That's important. The question is--do you find it a sufficient personal challenge? In a class like this, water seeks its own level. I want you to maintain your Alon level!
Feiya-- Haven't seen you in class, and the Notebook is a little behind. Your comments--and your piece--on This Land Is Your Land--are interesting. I'm not sure that all you say is actually in the song. Implicit, maybe--but they also bring in your up-to-date undertstanding. Ultimately that's good--to be able to state how you understand the world. And if Woody Guthrie leads you to this, even better. I do like that this piece has many levels working at one time (open/contained, inviting/controlled) and your intuitive juxtaposition of specific materials... That make it evocative--a way of asking questions in visual terms...
Arami-- honey is a very good metaphor (an ancient one, too). I hadn't understood how broadly you were using it when you showed us the piece last week--but your thoughts here help make that clear. And I think you're right when you say you have trouble entering these songs. Maybe that's one of your three questions, rephrased a bit? Visually, the central opening of the vessel (point of view) and the flow of the honey are very well captured--expressively so, even when your means (your approach) is measured. That can be a powerful combination. It's the "formality" I alluded to last week--about your coming from where you do. Also, closing with Baylor's lines also seems just right. We all make own questions--and find our own ways to express them...
Valdemar-- as so often with your work, this is a beautiful piece. Both the painting (good photo this time, if modestly small on your notebook page)--and the circuity of your writing. You always push us to consider our own agency, Valdemar--and find ways to make the push compelling relative to the material we're following. Robert Johnson is a great example. Maybe follow up on the notion of the trickster--the legba figure in African mythology. There's a connection with the sensibility you describe as "Hermes believers--which also figures in Native American lore. (I rememeber first reading Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan books as an exposure to this...el brujo yaquí...y su poder...) In my grad class last week we were talking about drawings for Dante's drawings Inferno. It struck me that Latin-based words for "Hell" (inferno) or the Greek (hades?) are so enticing to pronounce. The sound is opposite to the meaning. Particularly l'enfer in French! I think this contradiction is in Robert Johnson's songs--maybe his life itself...maybe (thereby) in all our lives...
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| Arami Matevosyan, MJH, You are My Sunshine |
Hola everyone. I missed doing the comments last week, got to a good look at what you've been doing on the posts just this morning. Here you be:
Kouros--posting the films is good. we'd still like to see some evidence of your thinking and your approach--the questions you ask yourself, maybe via still images (the figure in the alleyway, last film--or specifics of figure on bench). maybe a question as to why this one didn't work in all the ways you demand of yourself? getting feedback on this could be good, kouros...
Kyra--interesting thoughts, as often with your posts. "Parts of the story are missing, and that's haunting." I'd say take on a single song--that's fine--but also reflect on the broader topic for the week--the british ballad sources in general, and all the references I gave you about cecil sharp. It would br great to see you weave them together. This in general for the material I give you. The specifics are always good (a particular song) but also good to see them against the wider landscape (social, cultural, musical).
Note for everyone: remember that the class works at several levels. The S&P: American Roots blogsite I've got going is new this semester. Likewise the music downloads on berkeley box. Using rapidshare was clumsy. The box links have made accessing the songs much more flexible. But the contents of each download represent all the earlier iterations of the class--and the emphasis does shift from semester to semester. (This semester, for example, the cecil sharp material). That said, ALL the song material I give you remains worthwhile. For your projects and blog posts--follow what most engages you--but also make reference to the broader themes. This is what I just wrote to Kyra.
Helen. Your Barbara Allen painting remains one of your most engaging--the way it does seem to capture the theme of the song. The polaroids fit well, too--it's always interesting to get a look into each of your individual worlds (this goes for everyone!) In Helen's case--the look is particularly visual--because the choice of the images is pertinenent and evocative. Note for the group: I posted Helen's selection of English folk material on the blog--it's there along with the other posts for Barbara Allen/British Ballad Sources as a Week 6 Supplement. I encourage each of you to take a listen!.
Wendy-- I think the playfulness on your part is good. However, Louis Collins is a pretty deeply mysterious song, so giving it a light approach misses something of what the original is about--more, it misses something of why mississippi john hurt sang the song the way he did. has to do with the story he told--and what he left out. I know that last week you were out sick--and that sometinmes the ideas behind a project get clarified in conversation. But they should also work first-time-through on the notebook post. All said, I do like the playfulness!
Baylor--the song was wonderful--in part the words--
I’m gonna take my family into
the hills
We’re gonna live off roots and
rocks and dollar billsand in part your true Baylor performance--all the kinds of emphasis you insert--musically and psychologically, through your presence. It's a gift you share with the whole group-- a good thing! In your rangy intro (free-association is fine here, Baylor) the idea that gets me the most is commual music becoming a music of lonliness. That being folk music today, or some such. It holds as an idea--but I'd also have to say that (sometimes--sometimes more often than not) when we sing together in class, there is a kind of coming together. It's my hope that you all will take that with you, find your own ways to go on re-creating it. (I know some of you already do). / Dylan is such a complicated soul--I'd have a hard time boxing him in any regard. His gift (ultimately) is that he can bring so much together so astutely--intelligence, vision, music, the whole thing--while managing (often at a steep price) to avoid letting the world categorize him.
Aimée-- Very glad you're making these posts again. I do want you to share more of your thinking as to process. I think I missed that in last week's review, when I made my comments about your gradient rectangles. Aimee--I hope you know that when I say things, ultimately I'm trying to encourage you--find out what you're about, where you're going, where you need to go... (I see again that you even chose this as your blog title!) The reason I said look at Richard Tuttle is that is he uses "intractable" physical materials not referentially, and not symbolically--but for their own physical properties--these he fashions into relationships of meaning. In this, he could be a guide to you. I want each part (every aspect) of what you make to add up... We'll continue to discuss. I don't care if it shares working methods with the architecture studios (after all, that's what you've been doing here.) But I DO want all the parts to have an "absolute" physical presence... Let's continue to discuss this in class...
Noor. "He sings with such tenderness ..." Well, that is about the most accurate thing one could say about MJH. And that it happens in virtually every song--this remains a miracle. A Mississippi John Hurt miracle. The bio I have on reserve (yes, biography can be a sometimes tedious route--but it IS a route...!) offers much evidence as to why this is so. (The tenderness.) So does Betsy's retelling of Max Ochs' story. But listening to the songs--yes, that's ultimately the most important.
Walker. The visuals are good, Walter. But some more of your ideas would add a lot... You need to find the right way (for yourself) to do this... That's what the "digital notebooks" are for. Nonetheless, the visuals are good, Walter.
Beth. What you write about the cuckoo (this didn't come in class as I recall) is super. The emphasis--how you say what you say, how it reflects your concerns in the painitng. All good. With Barbara Allen--again, we all responded to the "Beth approach"--your way of drawing (guileless--in a good sense). It's important that you're willing to do these paintings, Beth--and to share them openly with the group. To be applauded!
Re the site: think about whether the more complex background adds to or takes away from your own visuals. In a way, I'd like to see your own work, unadorned. That would allow it to shine forth more...
Alon. It's always interesting to read your discussion of your work, the way you make explicit how you see the challenges you're taking on. All good. And you know the group is behind you as to your iconic 'bean heads'"... Also good. Making memorable characters is not an easy thing to do--and people appreciate it when they see it! Regarding last week--you'd written me prior that you had an exam earlier that night. When you came in, I realized later, this had slipped my mind. Remembered later. In any case, you're an important part of the group--look forward to this evening!
Feiya. I don't see a post yet for lat week's work. Look forward to what you present on the site. I did think that the project itself was quite coherent. And it represented an approach (in terms of making, of vision, of how to do things) that you seem comfortable with. I did give some thought later as to whether the stark geometry of the floor, and the isolated literalness of the "pallet" captured the feeling in the song. I'd like to hear more from you about this... In general, the more clearly you write, the better we'll have access to your projects. I know there's a language issue--and sometimes it seems to me that what you present is simplified (maybe for this reason)--so let me encourage you to show us a more engaged/complex understanding of what you're about in the course... More nuance...
Arami. First of all, your title--the Black Lamb--is quite wonderful. Evocative and (in ways maybe known only to you) probably very accurate. Your project--the color drawing--was also very good. (And I never say this lightly!) So take it as a big encouragement to follow your own path--heart and feelings and ideas all interwoven. What you write is likewise engaging--how you understood the jas olbrecht overview--and the max ochs story (I'm pretty sure you know how close that is to me--but if not, ask). I'm glad you found it meaningful--especially in terms of the language. Betsy would have liked that, too... (She liked that I shared her chapbook with the class--sometimes I bring in an actual copy. I have one upstairs in my office--ask me to. If you stop by there a little before class--say 5:50 Office 482 upstairs, I'll remember to.) This that you wrote was particularly fine: "He is the wooden ring and I always hold him to a standing higher than he will ever really know..." Says it all, Arami...
Valdermar. I got a little behind, wasn't able to get to my comments last week. Pero como sabes, siempre me interesa la dirección en que llevas las canciones, las ideas. Lo americano, digamos. Lo siento un poco que me queda mas "a una distancia" este semestere. No se por que pasa así. Posible tenes idea... Pero todavia, me alegro verte cada semana. No te agaches de ofrecer comentario cuando hablamos de los projectos juntos en clase... Te esperamos!
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| Alon Daks, Banks of the Ohio (Sarajevo Hagaddah) |
10 October (Week 6) / Comments:
Appalachian Songs: Will the Circle be Unbroken, Banks of the Ohio
British Sources: Barbara Allen, Down by the Salley Gardens / Comin' Through the Rye
Kouros-- New film tonight... at some point the right way to handle words will become part of this. It's ongoing... I do like what you start with, non the less, and seeing the films posted is great.
Helen. Thanks for your looking into the English country songs, Helen. Will find ways to share with the group.
Kyra. All good thoughts. If there were easy answers, we probably wouldn't have--or need--the songs, although each culture expresses them differently. (How for instance, lost love plays out in blues lyrics). Good connection between love, garden, leaves and willows--you can imagine the weir being made of the same--or the "wattle fence" in old Chinese poems. Enclosure then opening. It's the opening that holds the loss--but also the exhilaration...
Wendy. Circles, yes. The middle photo (where piece is horizontal) is particularly powerful in conveying the feel of what you made. Also, regarding Ralph Stanley--there's been a lot written about African rhythmic sources for banjo playing (the banjo was originally an African instrument)--partoicularly in blue grass. That plus the importance of the communal--the African village form where houses are arranged in a circle--might tell us something. At least it ads another layer to the Anglo-Saxon Protestant sensibility. (Another connection--the cyclical sense of time in so many things from Chinese culture!) All of these together resonate... Music included...
Baylor. We'll hear the new song tonight...!
Aimée. I like that you're intrigued by connections between artists as different as Lead Belly and Maybelle Carter (although remember the story of Lesley Riddle--the African American man who made song collecting trips with A.P. Carter. You can hear some on YouTube if you poke around.) However, I'm not sure what you mean by "can share a genre..." Maybe you'll say more in class about this, and write more here.
Noor. Bring in some of what you're doing "outside"--even when it seems to relate only tangentially. Everyone will enjoy it!
Walker. Keep up with this, Walker!
Beth. You, too, Beth!
Alon. When we first looked, I hadn't made the connection between the background you used and that in the Sarajevo Hagaddah image--including the X's... As I wrote you, I think everyone responded to the directness of the drawing. I also like your noticing the "explaining" gestures in the two images. An interesting part of human culture, no--that need to include others by making an ex-plan-ation...? Maybe the etymology of explain points to something here--to make level or smooth out, but also: "Originally explane, spelling altered by influence of plain. Also see plane; occasionally used more literally, of the unfolding of material things: Evelyn has buds that "explain into leaves" Unfolding--that's important--implies revealing something yet unseen...
Feiya. We'll talk about the "simplicity" here, Feiya (bring both week's projects this evening). A question of how much you FIND in the music--and in the specifics of its cultural conext. That's why I suggested starting with a particular place, in a particular time. For example, Deep Gap, North Carolina (Doc Watson), in 1923--or the birthplace of any of the other of the musicians we're listening to...
Valdemar. This "class analysis" of Barbara Allen is quite delightful--especially since you both mean it, but also allow for playful elements to peek through--which of course subvert the seriousness of anlysis per se! Using the bell as your running motif--or an un-named (but clearly powerful) "the landlord" figure. A question-- dikes...or dykes? Also, isn't it interesting that a song stays with us regardless of the social precepts? And is sung by people of all classes? (I have an American cowboy version by Don Edwards for tonight.) Have a conversation with Kyra about what you've written here--and Kyra--you with Valdemar!
Tessa. These are really Tessa's songs, but she's delayed in the southland, so we'll have to wait till next week for her thoughts and comments...
Arami-- Glad that you're also doing this. Just read your first entries--very much on the right track. Will offer more comments next week! For now, here's my favorite recording of Katyuasha: YouTube - Катюша_-_Лидия Русланова
October 3 (Week 5) / Comments:
There were a dearth of posts this week--you need to stay with this, you guys!
Kuoros-- Very nice to see the films posted, kouros--and the feel of the site in general. I know you had a question about words, I'm wondering how some of the film makers you admire handled the writing? I agree that "explaining" is a non-starter. Also not what I'd want. The films themselves--and where they come from--are the main point. But you could also use this semester to explore what you'd say (writing wise) in a sympathetic setting... and see how everyone responds. The films, though, have been great to see!
Kyra. Thoughtful, again, Kyra. I don't know the answer to the appropriation question. Not even sure it's the right word. Noor said something a while back (I don't think she posted it) about "no more folksongs, just wandering singers..." Either way, the sings are ours if we make them ours... I love the Clarence Ashlewy photo, too... Much better to see him "down home..."
Ask this evening about musican portraits--what and why...
Helen. Ask about what blogger is doing in term of contrast. (It affects everyone's work). That said, the painting is good to see again, on line--but I'm glad we saw it first in person. I very much like what you're writing--the way it spans the sources and the personal. (As in, "told not to cry...") And I like that you bring in the second reference to Mary's tears over Lazarus... That's the link between the two testaments, in a way. Does everyone on the group understand what happened in the Exodus story--and how that connects with the Lazarus being raised? Let's discuss in class... Also, in your writing week prior--I'd also like you to bring up what you said here about "the breadth of the material..." Again, we'll discuss with the group!
Alon. That second paragraph is quite something, Alon. Your particular use analytic language. Do you think your visual work is equally particular? That is, how would you compare the two (for your own understanding)? That said, reading what you write brings a new dimension to the visual work--always good.
With the Tostitos piece (a first, Alon!)--everyone liked it (found it delightful) when we first saw it. I think your written description only adds. The writing and the working is a good combination for you. As for the work--maybe consider this: not everything has to add up...
Valdemar. Another engaging exploration, Valdermar! Hearth and hogar. And their gods...and goddesses... I think you're right about hearth being central. Also, I appreciate the ways you find to re-cast a "this-world" understanding of things. Yes, the songs often go beyond, in their various metaphysical ways--but your linking those "heavenly" ideas back to our more earthly experience is important. And a preoccupation that you often voice (also good!) I wonder if we could connect this notion with the physicality of painting?.
British Sources: Barbara Allen, Down by the Salley Gardens / Comin' Through the Rye
Kouros-- New film tonight... at some point the right way to handle words will become part of this. It's ongoing... I do like what you start with, non the less, and seeing the films posted is great.
Helen. Thanks for your looking into the English country songs, Helen. Will find ways to share with the group.
Kyra. All good thoughts. If there were easy answers, we probably wouldn't have--or need--the songs, although each culture expresses them differently. (How for instance, lost love plays out in blues lyrics). Good connection between love, garden, leaves and willows--you can imagine the weir being made of the same--or the "wattle fence" in old Chinese poems. Enclosure then opening. It's the opening that holds the loss--but also the exhilaration...
Wendy. Circles, yes. The middle photo (where piece is horizontal) is particularly powerful in conveying the feel of what you made. Also, regarding Ralph Stanley--there's been a lot written about African rhythmic sources for banjo playing (the banjo was originally an African instrument)--partoicularly in blue grass. That plus the importance of the communal--the African village form where houses are arranged in a circle--might tell us something. At least it ads another layer to the Anglo-Saxon Protestant sensibility. (Another connection--the cyclical sense of time in so many things from Chinese culture!) All of these together resonate... Music included...
Baylor. We'll hear the new song tonight...!
Aimée. I like that you're intrigued by connections between artists as different as Lead Belly and Maybelle Carter (although remember the story of Lesley Riddle--the African American man who made song collecting trips with A.P. Carter. You can hear some on YouTube if you poke around.) However, I'm not sure what you mean by "can share a genre..." Maybe you'll say more in class about this, and write more here.
Noor. Bring in some of what you're doing "outside"--even when it seems to relate only tangentially. Everyone will enjoy it!
Walker. Keep up with this, Walker!
Beth. You, too, Beth!
Alon. When we first looked, I hadn't made the connection between the background you used and that in the Sarajevo Hagaddah image--including the X's... As I wrote you, I think everyone responded to the directness of the drawing. I also like your noticing the "explaining" gestures in the two images. An interesting part of human culture, no--that need to include others by making an ex-plan-ation...? Maybe the etymology of explain points to something here--to make level or smooth out, but also: "Originally explane, spelling altered by influence of plain. Also see plane; occasionally used more literally, of the unfolding of material things: Evelyn has buds that "explain into leaves" Unfolding--that's important--implies revealing something yet unseen...
Feiya. We'll talk about the "simplicity" here, Feiya (bring both week's projects this evening). A question of how much you FIND in the music--and in the specifics of its cultural conext. That's why I suggested starting with a particular place, in a particular time. For example, Deep Gap, North Carolina (Doc Watson), in 1923--or the birthplace of any of the other of the musicians we're listening to...
Valdemar. This "class analysis" of Barbara Allen is quite delightful--especially since you both mean it, but also allow for playful elements to peek through--which of course subvert the seriousness of anlysis per se! Using the bell as your running motif--or an un-named (but clearly powerful) "the landlord" figure. A question-- dikes...or dykes? Also, isn't it interesting that a song stays with us regardless of the social precepts? And is sung by people of all classes? (I have an American cowboy version by Don Edwards for tonight.) Have a conversation with Kyra about what you've written here--and Kyra--you with Valdemar!
Tessa. These are really Tessa's songs, but she's delayed in the southland, so we'll have to wait till next week for her thoughts and comments...
Arami-- Glad that you're also doing this. Just read your first entries--very much on the right track. Will offer more comments next week! For now, here's my favorite recording of Katyuasha: YouTube - Катюша_-_Лидия Русланова
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| Arami Matevosyan, Banks of the Ohio |
October 3 (Week 5) / Comments:
There were a dearth of posts this week--you need to stay with this, you guys!
Kuoros-- Very nice to see the films posted, kouros--and the feel of the site in general. I know you had a question about words, I'm wondering how some of the film makers you admire handled the writing? I agree that "explaining" is a non-starter. Also not what I'd want. The films themselves--and where they come from--are the main point. But you could also use this semester to explore what you'd say (writing wise) in a sympathetic setting... and see how everyone responds. The films, though, have been great to see!
Kyra. Thoughtful, again, Kyra. I don't know the answer to the appropriation question. Not even sure it's the right word. Noor said something a while back (I don't think she posted it) about "no more folksongs, just wandering singers..." Either way, the sings are ours if we make them ours... I love the Clarence Ashlewy photo, too... Much better to see him "down home..."
Ask this evening about musican portraits--what and why...
Helen. Ask about what blogger is doing in term of contrast. (It affects everyone's work). That said, the painting is good to see again, on line--but I'm glad we saw it first in person. I very much like what you're writing--the way it spans the sources and the personal. (As in, "told not to cry...") And I like that you bring in the second reference to Mary's tears over Lazarus... That's the link between the two testaments, in a way. Does everyone on the group understand what happened in the Exodus story--and how that connects with the Lazarus being raised? Let's discuss in class... Also, in your writing week prior--I'd also like you to bring up what you said here about "the breadth of the material..." Again, we'll discuss with the group!
Alon. That second paragraph is quite something, Alon. Your particular use analytic language. Do you think your visual work is equally particular? That is, how would you compare the two (for your own understanding)? That said, reading what you write brings a new dimension to the visual work--always good.
With the Tostitos piece (a first, Alon!)--everyone liked it (found it delightful) when we first saw it. I think your written description only adds. The writing and the working is a good combination for you. As for the work--maybe consider this: not everything has to add up...
Valdemar. Another engaging exploration, Valdermar! Hearth and hogar. And their gods...and goddesses... I think you're right about hearth being central. Also, I appreciate the ways you find to re-cast a "this-world" understanding of things. Yes, the songs often go beyond, in their various metaphysical ways--but your linking those "heavenly" ideas back to our more earthly experience is important. And a preoccupation that you often voice (also good!) I wonder if we could connect this notion with the physicality of painting?.
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| Beth Shepard, Work Songs and Spirituals |
27 September (Week 4) / Comments
Hi--here are some quick comments from mr. D...
Kouros Alaghband ??? mister kouros, where are't thou?
Kyra Baldwin good thoughts, kyra--the notes are great--but I also want to see kyra go beyond her school self... (am I right here?) I think you're right about water--ask me about Po Chü-I. keep the work open and expressive--always!
Helen Butler keep up, helen
Wendy Kay Ho very thoughtful entries! you're using this well... be sassy...
Baylor Odabashian intro is beautiful, and funny--and honest, just like your songs
Aimee Louise Daniels good on jumpin' judy--your enthusiasm is just right--let it guide you even more--let us see a fuller version of what you cn do...
Noor Al-Samarrai thank you for this noor--it's beautiful-- "God's salty tears..." you bring so many things to bear...
William Walker stay up with this walker... make it meaningful...
Beth Estelle Shephard good beth "They would take the clothes rub them against the board and stroke back and forth using all their might." Strength and perseverance...
Alon Daks keep up, Alon
Feiya Ma the painting has the same sense of surprise as your face, feiya. thoughts are good, too...
Nikita Mariette Aitkin please keep up, nikita
Nikita Mariette Aitkin please keep up, nikita
Tessa Shipey--tessa--why don't you do some posts, too?
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| Helen Butler, Down in the Valley |
19 September 2013 (Week 3). Comments on your posts:
Kouros-- I see two post titles, but would like to see the the
corresponding entires! USE this as a notebook, Kouros--just the way you
use your smartphone... The ideas you present in showing the films are
good--your notes, so to speak. Maybe include some stills plus notes
here, week by week... That would be excellent. Tell us about this in
class...
Kyra. Very good. The reproduction of your drawing is clear, and a good scale--and I like the way you make your way through the meaning of the verses in terms of direction (up and down, near and far) as well as in terms of personal psychology. Somehow makes me think of the wooden bridge path boardwalk in Tilden over the marsh, near Lake Anza... The painter I mentioned was Ni Zan (Ni Tsan, old Wade-Giles spelling.)
Helen. Repro looks good. Bumps the contrast a little. Your writing is quite to the point, I like "aeroplane." But then, we Americans are always suckers for British usage... Look forward to seeing more of your paintings, Helen--this is a good "poetic" medium for you... especially when you can make the kinds of connections you did in this one... PS. Who was the Irish painter--a woman--you mentioned in class?
Wendy. Our in-class discussion brought out a lot about the back of your images, too. People were intrigued by the discrepancy (Miles, for one). That seems to also go with the song--the Andy Griffith version is homey, but the lyrics themselves leave an element of doubt... Same relationship in You Are My Sunshine between verse and chorus...
Baylor. Your musings are always interesting, Baylor--the emerge from some (unknown?) place, just like your singing. That's good! As far as "unfree and rabid…" (nice way of putting it) who could argue? I used to do the class with hand notebooks--where everything shows, and everything becomes a part of the rhythm (and maybe the harmony, too, if one is so inclined...) But this blog thing (forced on me by a bunch of Architecture grad students in 2007) seems like a necessary way of being in the clime of today. Maybe the handling can offer a bit of redemption (as of old)...like hearing the telephone operator (in a seemingly endless phone call with your bank) laugh unexpectedly... So many ways to be human...so many ways that it shows...
Aimée. Do keep up the posts, Aimée..do some writing each day--it will be good for you, and good for us to read (and see who you are)...
Noor. That is a good photo, Noor. Although the connotations of "under the freeway" are very strong. Saw a woman on Solano in full purdah (is that the word)--just her eyes and her shoes (occasionally) visible... And of course, school girls at Albany High (near the pool) with backpacks and headscarves. Regarding your posts: Would be good to read and see here, too... Hope you will...
Miles. I see Itsy Bitsy Spider. My comments for Baylor probably apply, too, Miles. (See his blog post.) I know that the "digital notebooks" are more some people's medium than others, but I want you to see this as a way of being "present" in this strange new world of ours--and still find ways to keep yourself whole... That's how I'd frame the challenge. And yes, I don't know if it's possible. But that's also the challenge!
Walker. Don't be averse to writing, Walker. Some notes will help you understand your projects as well...
Beth. This is a good post, Beth--and what you write (plus the back yard photo) really do help us understand the project. Actually, I think it's better that the post followed the review in class. Our seeing the work without an "explanation" will help you see what's coming across. Some projects speak entirely visually. (That's not a bad goal.) But regardless, the emotional tone of what you're after should be visible at the get go (that is, just by looking). We live in an "explaining" culture--and yet the advertising that surrounds us (in media works in just the way I've described. Pity. So why not make personal expression (which can be shared--importantly!) work the same way. Let's discuss more in class... Ask about Francis Bacon...
Alon. Hi, Number 87.Let's see some posts! Also, thanks again for the medjool dates--they were delicious!
Feiya. Nice post, Feiya! Somehow your thoughts seem just right. The image involves elements of "expectedness" (which can also be cliches) but I think here it all adds up because you're so open about what the images mean to you. Did you know that Mt. Tamaulpais (in Marin) was also thought to be a sleeping maiden's profile (that was the California Indian legend). And the bird+letter image has a very old history. (I'm thinking of the hoopoe bird that carried messages from the Queen of Sheba to her love, King Solomon... I'll show some images in class--one attached above.
Nikita. Really good post, Nikita. Pix aren't as good as they could be (they don't do justice to your painting), but no matter. What strikes me here is that you're presenting these ideas in the opposite way from how you presented them in class. In class--love and dependence on one person are problematic. Here--your grandparents' connection--even though fraught--is "awesome." So, it's very good you're thinking about these things--and using the projects to express thoughts and feelings. btw, remember that the group responded very positively to what you made. Take that as an encouragement (even when the "I still don't know" creeps in.) Doubt is (often) good... (Ask me about the book title, Yes, But...) And Alberto Giacometti...
Valdemar. I felt we left you a little in the lurch last week. I like very much that you're painting. The scale doesn't matter--small is fine. There were things I thought about after thursday evening--if you bring last week's painting as well as a new one, I'll be glad to share my thoughts with you. Actually, maybe bring all three. They're small-- you could pin them up together. That would give us a point of reference!
Kyra. Very good. The reproduction of your drawing is clear, and a good scale--and I like the way you make your way through the meaning of the verses in terms of direction (up and down, near and far) as well as in terms of personal psychology. Somehow makes me think of the wooden bridge path boardwalk in Tilden over the marsh, near Lake Anza... The painter I mentioned was Ni Zan (Ni Tsan, old Wade-Giles spelling.)
Helen. Repro looks good. Bumps the contrast a little. Your writing is quite to the point, I like "aeroplane." But then, we Americans are always suckers for British usage... Look forward to seeing more of your paintings, Helen--this is a good "poetic" medium for you... especially when you can make the kinds of connections you did in this one... PS. Who was the Irish painter--a woman--you mentioned in class?
Wendy. Our in-class discussion brought out a lot about the back of your images, too. People were intrigued by the discrepancy (Miles, for one). That seems to also go with the song--the Andy Griffith version is homey, but the lyrics themselves leave an element of doubt... Same relationship in You Are My Sunshine between verse and chorus...
Baylor. Your musings are always interesting, Baylor--the emerge from some (unknown?) place, just like your singing. That's good! As far as "unfree and rabid…" (nice way of putting it) who could argue? I used to do the class with hand notebooks--where everything shows, and everything becomes a part of the rhythm (and maybe the harmony, too, if one is so inclined...) But this blog thing (forced on me by a bunch of Architecture grad students in 2007) seems like a necessary way of being in the clime of today. Maybe the handling can offer a bit of redemption (as of old)...like hearing the telephone operator (in a seemingly endless phone call with your bank) laugh unexpectedly... So many ways to be human...so many ways that it shows...
Aimée. Do keep up the posts, Aimée..do some writing each day--it will be good for you, and good for us to read (and see who you are)...
Noor. That is a good photo, Noor. Although the connotations of "under the freeway" are very strong. Saw a woman on Solano in full purdah (is that the word)--just her eyes and her shoes (occasionally) visible... And of course, school girls at Albany High (near the pool) with backpacks and headscarves. Regarding your posts: Would be good to read and see here, too... Hope you will...
Miles. I see Itsy Bitsy Spider. My comments for Baylor probably apply, too, Miles. (See his blog post.) I know that the "digital notebooks" are more some people's medium than others, but I want you to see this as a way of being "present" in this strange new world of ours--and still find ways to keep yourself whole... That's how I'd frame the challenge. And yes, I don't know if it's possible. But that's also the challenge!
Walker. Don't be averse to writing, Walker. Some notes will help you understand your projects as well...
Beth. This is a good post, Beth--and what you write (plus the back yard photo) really do help us understand the project. Actually, I think it's better that the post followed the review in class. Our seeing the work without an "explanation" will help you see what's coming across. Some projects speak entirely visually. (That's not a bad goal.) But regardless, the emotional tone of what you're after should be visible at the get go (that is, just by looking). We live in an "explaining" culture--and yet the advertising that surrounds us (in media works in just the way I've described. Pity. So why not make personal expression (which can be shared--importantly!) work the same way. Let's discuss more in class... Ask about Francis Bacon...
Alon. Hi, Number 87.Let's see some posts! Also, thanks again for the medjool dates--they were delicious!
Feiya. Nice post, Feiya! Somehow your thoughts seem just right. The image involves elements of "expectedness" (which can also be cliches) but I think here it all adds up because you're so open about what the images mean to you. Did you know that Mt. Tamaulpais (in Marin) was also thought to be a sleeping maiden's profile (that was the California Indian legend). And the bird+letter image has a very old history. (I'm thinking of the hoopoe bird that carried messages from the Queen of Sheba to her love, King Solomon... I'll show some images in class--one attached above.
Nikita. Really good post, Nikita. Pix aren't as good as they could be (they don't do justice to your painting), but no matter. What strikes me here is that you're presenting these ideas in the opposite way from how you presented them in class. In class--love and dependence on one person are problematic. Here--your grandparents' connection--even though fraught--is "awesome." So, it's very good you're thinking about these things--and using the projects to express thoughts and feelings. btw, remember that the group responded very positively to what you made. Take that as an encouragement (even when the "I still don't know" creeps in.) Doubt is (often) good... (Ask me about the book title, Yes, But...) And Alberto Giacometti...
Valdemar. I felt we left you a little in the lurch last week. I like very much that you're painting. The scale doesn't matter--small is fine. There were things I thought about after thursday evening--if you bring last week's painting as well as a new one, I'll be glad to share my thoughts with you. Actually, maybe bring all three. They're small-- you could pin them up together. That would give us a point of reference!
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| Kyra Baldwin, Down in the Valley |
12 September 2013 (Week 2). Comments on your posts:
kouros--nice title...or are we sure?--let's see!
kyra--good start! add some images--your work looked very good on the wall last week--getting photos with that feeling would be a good challenge. I DO like seeing the hi-lighted text! your wall presentation was also super on the "evidence" side, too... all personal, but you showed us where everything "came" from (in the story of the drop-off at college and bancroft, too...
sofia. we await your first post. btw, the course is 185X--the X is important!
helen--excellent. writing is good, too. what you refer to is very much visible in the collages (by feel)--that is, even without the word. but the words add, too. ask in class about "nostalgia." (I do like the idea of "pure" nostalgia quite a lot! as opposed to...) also, skye boat song is one we do later in term. and one of my favorites. did you know???
wendy--excellent, too, wendy. you're using the blog just right--questions as well as answers. and you write about some really important things--like not being able to "remember"--but responding to smells, fragmentary images... I also like how you intyerpret the andy griffith video. my feelings precisely. it was intended as show-business, but a lot of what you write about (the closeness and warmth) DOES come through. Something even redemptive in this...
baylor. I'm really glad you posted the poem. is there a way to include your voice (and your singing??!!!!) the combo was special. but I enjoyed re-reading the words by themselves, too. the sound of the chords is a needle in my mouth...I was going to say use a simpler background--but I think this is really a personal choice on your part. the "noise" might be important...
aimée--we'll see where you take it, aimée... (I like writing that accent). post soon!
noor--I'm so glad you dived in. very tender story, about the dolphins (I also saw them as moons). yes, materials have their own lives--go with that, incorporate it (good word, no?). I hope your mom can say dolphins again... but...
miles--good story. a little schematic--what you write about is crucial, miles. I think that came through in the way everyone responded to your project when we actually sang the song. relates to what noor said about the dolphins...
I was quite amazed how well everyone knew the song, too--what that meant. a good thing...
walker--image looks good, walker. let's see where you take the blog itself. I think the dialogue (and self-reflection) will be good for you--help you to externalize what's on the inside--or find ways to do this (your own ways) don't hesitate to write, and to post intermediate images ("evidence")
beth--hey, I want to see that canine collage (photoshop version) AND a scan of those delightful (because sincere) drawings you made... Maybe not use blog in title--let a better one come to you...
alon--very direct. we'll see where you take it. your writing is good (as in the self-description you sent me). That kind of thing (or an appropriately edited version) would be good as p[art of a post. maybe with some photos that show where and who... (your brother with the violin? a yard in scarsdale?) more "philosophical" writing is fine too, if that suits you--maybe also with images...)
feiya. your story--and the photo of the golden gate bridge--affected me. seagull stayed with me too. depended in part on what you wrote. I liked that you said (almost parenthetically) "my love"...
nikita. really nice writing. keep it up--to your own standards, too. we'll see work and images to follow...
valdermar--all of you should read valdemar's first post!!! and the combination of images works, too. valdemar--consider relationship between image size and text. it's not neutral, but becomes part of the meaning (como bien sabes!) I DID like that small painting, too--of the puppet--maybe in part because it was so physical, and in part because it seemed to (by some coincidence) have to do do with american songs from the south...
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