Author Archives: Tasha

Finding Beauty in Unusual Places

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This Wednesday, I went to a reception for the new art display in Rose Dining Room featuring prints inspired by poisonous plants. I thought this was a very unique theme for an art exhibition, so I was interested in seeing how the artists interpreted it in their works.

The prints were made by students in an Introduction to Print Media class last year, and the plants that they depicted are all specimens from the Cornell Plantations. The students learned about these plants through a guided tour given by the director of the Cornell Plantations, Todd Bittner. Prof. Bittner explained at the reception that he only taught students about the different types and attributes of the plants, and then let them decide on their own how to depict the plants in their art.

I was fascinated by the range of different approaches that the students used to portray the plants. Some pieces like Infected emphasized the plants’ dangerous properties, by showing the face of a man discolored by contact with a poisonous plant. On the other hand, some of the prints like Wallpaper, depicting a bouquet of flowers on a yellow background, highlighted the plants’ beauty rather than their danger.

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Bringing Shakespeare to Life

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Attending last night’s performance of Hamlet was a truly unforgettable experience. The play was a screening of the production from the National Theatre in London starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet. I had read Hamlet in high school but never seen it performed, so I was excited to see how this production would bring Shakespeare’s classic to life.

The one thing that initially surprised me about the production was its mixing of different time periods in the costuming of the characters. The first scene opened with Hamlet listening to big band music on a record player, and many of the characters including the King and Queen were dressed in 1940s era clothes. Hamlet, however, wore sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt for most of the play, and his friend Horatio had tattoos and a backpack. I’m not sure what the significance of these costume designs was supposed to be, but I was surprised at how smoothly I felt the words of the play fit into a more modern setting.

For me the highlight of the performance was Cumberbatch’s brilliantly nuanced portrayal of Hamlet, in which he was able to show both Hamlet’s overpowering grief for his father and his humorous side in the comic scenes. My favorite scenes were a few of his soliloquys during which the lights would focus on him while the rest of the cast was moving in slow motion in the darkness behind him. I felt this staging beautifully emphasized how Hamlet’s internal struggles alienated him from those around him.

Watching this production gave me a new appreciation for this classic, and reminded me that reading Shakespeare can never compare to seeing it performed on a stage.

Ithaca’s Outdoor Art Museum

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Last Saturday I went on a fascinating tour of public art in Ithaca. I was amazed at how few of the artworks I had seen before, despite having lived near Ithaca for most of my life. On the course of the tour we saw examples of murals on parking garage walls, electrical boxes, and underneath bridges. Each one had a different theme, but they all featured rich, vibrant colors which stood out against the greys of the city streets.

Our tour guide was part of the committee that commissions the works to be painted, so he was able to share a lot of information with us about the artists and the inspirations behind their work. I was impressed at how quickly some of the murals have to be painted, since many of the artists are from out of town and some are even from other countries. One of the electrical boxes, painted with the elaborate design of a blue and green fairy, was completed in only a few hours.

Our guide also talked about his plans for the future of public art in Ithaca. He eventually hopes to have every wall of the college town parking lot painted with a different mural, and then to start decorating the ceiling as well. I look forward to seeing how Ithaca’s outdoor art museum continues to grow during my time here!

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Politics and Political Machines

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This Tuesday I went to see a screening of Marshall Curry’s film Street Fight at the Cornell Cinema. The documentary covered the 2002 race for mayor in Newark, New Jersey in which Cory Booker, a political newcomer, ran against Sharpe James who had been mayor of the city for over 30 years.

I was amazed at the level of corruption that existed in the city government during this race. Curry interviewed many residents who described being threatened by the city police with the loss of their businesses if they openly endorsed Booker, and the film showed footage of police officers tearing down Cory Booker signs on Election Day. Sharpe James himself made derogatory comments about Booker and accused him of being a “carpetbagger” and not really African American. I kept expecting throughout the whole film that Cory Booker would win, so at the end I was very surprised and disturbed that the James political machine was ultimately able to beat Booker through the use of these corrupt tactics.

At the end of the film, Marshall Curry took questions from the audience and talked about the reception of the film. For me the most memorable part of his talk was when he described the international reaction to the film, and how people from all over the world have told him that this race was similar to elections in their hometowns. This film really made me aware of the amount of political corruption that is still present in our society and around the world.

What constitutes a war crime?

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In his talk this evening, Professor Ohlin from the Cornell Law School discussed how military actions are classified as war crimes and how these war crimes can be prosecuted internationally. After listening to his lecture, I realized how little I had previously known about the process of international criminal cases and the complications which they involve.

Focusing on the example of the recent U.S. bombing of a hospital in Afghanistan, Professor Ohlin began by explaining that there is no easy answer to the question of what constitutes a war crime, as the killing of civilians is a frequent occurrence in war. He said that the only legal way to determine if a military action is acceptable is to look at its proportionality, in other words, the ratio of civilian lives lost against the military benefits gained. However, there is no clear objective rule for a court to use in determining how this ratio should be calculated and evaluated.

Professor Ohlin also noted that even in cases where it is clear that a country has committed a war crime it can be difficult to prosecute them. He illustrated this by mentioning that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the president of Sudan, al-Bashir. But since they have no way of enforcing this warrant, al-Bashir has been able to travel around Africa without repercussions.

These insights into international law gave me a better understanding of the many complexities which surround the issue of war crimes in today’s society.

 

One of Cornell’s Treasures

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Saturday was a beautiful day for a hike, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to visit Cascadilla Gorge for the first time since I arrived at Cornell. The views of the gorge were simply breathtaking and I really felt like I had stepped into another world far from the noise and bustle of campus.

House Fellow Todd Bittner joined us for the hike and talked to us about the history of the gorge from its formation during the ice age to the present day. He said the structure of the gorge is constantly changing due to the effects of weather and erosion. Because of this, the trail has to be carefully maintained to ensure its safety. As we walked down the gorge, Mr. Bittner pointed out areas where the path had been moved away from over-hanging rocks and other areas where stones had been cemented to the path to strengthen it. I was impressed by how well these changes blended into the natural environment of the gorge.

Mr. Bittner also emphasized how rare it is for a large university to have so many nature areas such as Cascadilla in the middle of its campus, and encouraged us to make the most of them while we are here at Cornell.

 

The Inspiration Behind the Art

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Yesterday I attended a very interesting and informative art showing by artist Nicholas Carbonaro. As soon as I entered the Rose Hall dining room, I was immediately drawn to the paintings’ use of bright colors and interesting textures and materials. In particular, I was fascinated by the design of the piece “Welcome to my Home” which incorporated the portrait of a person on top of an upside-down screen door. I also was struck by the interesting angularities of a painting entitled “Rose” which depicted the face of an older woman.

What made my visit to the art show especially memorable for me was the opportunity to listen to Mr. Carbonaro answer questions about his artwork. From this I learned that “Welcome to my Home” symbolized for him the coming of age people experience in their twenties when they finally learn to accept their distinctive personal identities. He also revealed that the painting entitled “Rose” was a portrait of his Italian grandmother who had been an important influence on him during his childhood. This ability to have “behind-the-scenes” explanations of the artist’s use of symbolism and sources of inspiration was a new experience for me and really heightened my appreciation of Mr. Carbonaro’s work.