The Arts in NYC | Seminar 1 | Fall 2011 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11 Professor George | ITF Chris Caruso Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:12:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://files.eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/var/www/webroot/ROOT/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/01/15140022/mhc_logo_NEW-favicon.png The Arts in NYC | Seminar 1 | Fall 2011 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11 32 32 A Rose Grows In The Concrete https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/17/a-rose-grows-in-the-concrete/ Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:09:05 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=706 Continue reading ]]>

Standing on the ivy-laden terrace, I look across the vast expanse of the garden. Suddenly, I spot leaves being tugged from the branches and ushered beyond the iron gates. I hear the sweet melodic voices of the children carried out to the far-nether regions of the garden. I see the serene façade of the water begin to ripple, destroying the illusion of the sunbathed iron-and-stone giants. She tumbles over the immaculately cut grass that alternates in a pattern: dark, light, dark, light…she tousles the hair of a mother, a tourist, a child. Can she reach me so high up? Is it possible for her to change me as well? Of course it is, I think, as she caresses my cheek. She already has while I stood watching her move with grace. She is the wind, a force of nature. She has the power to change even in the metropolis. And I can see, hear, feel that the change is beautiful.

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Belonging Among https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/16/belonging-among/ Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:15:45 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=695 Continue reading ]]>

I stand as stoic as the figure before me, trying to understand, trying to analyze. It is colorful, and texturally captivating. I wonder why this figure excites me, it is a representation of me, and of all the rest that reside in this city. For some reason i cannot stop  but to stare, and look for a meaning beyond this. I want to stand beside it, touch it, be among the others that this figure congregates with. I want to travel through them, like i travel on the streets of the city, encountering other, less captivating figures. I realize it is the boldness that saturates my eyes. It is the limitless views that is captured in this scene of unhindered personas expressed through the means of art. For now, i will stand as stoic as i started, becoming one among them.

 

 

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https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/16/690/ Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:29:53 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=690 Continue reading ]]>  


A murky blanket encompasses the sky as the sun tries to illuminate the scene below, lend some clarity.  It doesn’t have much success, only a few rays permeate the atmosphere.  They afford a bleak view of homes they shroud, residing in the less exciting side of New York —not the image most tourists see.  There are even tree tops peaking out over the roofs of the houses.  It’s quieter and has less bustle, but that’s what most of New York really is.  You stare out the window of the train, but at first you can’t see past the glass.  All you see is the grime accumulated from what you hope is flying debris, but you don’t really want to know either way.  But then your eyes shift focus and now you’re watching your world fly by the way you would watch a filmstrip play. You get a sense of the community, of neighbors you’d say hello to, but wouldn’t invite for dinner, of houses that are just slightly different, of content.  But you get it one moment at a time.  The train you’re on gives you only fleeting glimpses of every facet of its path, and that’s enough. It’s enough to contemplate each vision individually, yet still absorb the inescapable sense of New York as a whole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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All of the Lights https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/16/snapshot-to-ekphrasis-3/ Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:51:11 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=679 Continue reading ]]>

The crisp, cool night air is the perfect early autumn evening. As I turn my head upwards the daylight dims to an indigo sky. I peer around me— people are going about oblivious. They’re focused on their destination, whereas I’m standing there amidst all of them. They’re my destination. People, buildings and lights are everywhere. Everywhere is my destination. I look up again. The lights become the beautiful daylight. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, savoring the taste of the chill. Time doesn’t stop for anyone. The changing sky is moving. People are moving. It’s bustling city nightlife. I think, Wow, this is NYC.

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Sundown https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/16/sundown-2/ Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:26:59 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=668 Continue reading ]]>

I watch the daylight’s momentum slow to a beautiful speed.  I feel the earth’s tension as she anticipates the sun’s exit.  The sun gathers his remaining strength to release his final burst of energy.  He sends out pulses in colors: purple, orange, pink, blue, red, and gold.  The waves of hues pass over me and leave me with a feeling of excitement, then peace.  They spread over the ocean, sand, forest, homes, and roadways.  The vibrations then settle.  They release a collective sigh and seep into the earth, who swells with anxiety and color.  I know that I take this daily event for granted.  What if the sun never left the sky, keeping the world awake and leaving no vacancy for the moon?  Now is the moment, however, where I must be a passive spectator to this ritual.  The earth finally gives in to the sun’s departure, taking solace in the thought that he will return to her tomorrow.  The earth will soon be dark, but for now, the sea and the ground glow with heavenly light.  All I can do is stare, in awe of my surroundings.

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Becoming more than a Traveller https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/16/becoming-more-than-a-traveller/ Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:28:21 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=662 Continue reading ]]>
As I advanced down West 32nd St. leaving Penn Station behind me, I entered another cultural niche in the vast city of New York. Stuck in the midst of strangers on the crowded street, my cone of vision could only point upwards. The red, green and yellow signs became more illustrious against the dusky sky with each passing minute; the night was coming. The approaching darkness, the foreign murmur of the pedestrians, the blasting incomprehensible music from the nearby karaoke bar and the incomprehensible bright signs present in my cone of vision made me panic and feel a sense of insecurity. I felt like a novice in the very city, which I spent several years exploring. But I did not quail, for I had yet to accomplish my goal. I still needed to shed my fear of the unknown and explore this foreign setting, because I wanted to take a further step in becoming a better New Yorker. Maybe then, I would not feel like a traveller anymore.

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Real Sweetness… https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/16/real-sweetness/ Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:21:29 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=647 Continue reading ]]>

I was flying along with a few other friends of mine. A yellow colored leaf flew by me. I looked down and realized that it was already fall. I felt glad and welcomed by the yellow, orange, red, brown and green leaves on the tree. My friends were apprehensive about my excitement to spend time around the place. I really wanted to eavesdrop and find out what people felt about my spirit, the spirit of mélange. My friends thought I would be disillusioned and wanted to take me away. They however accompanied me. We saw  differently colored and dressed people sitting together. I felt proud and accomplished that I was the reason we were witnessing people of different ethnicities sitting together and enjoying themselves unlike what my friends expected. All of us took a drink at the fountain. It tasted sweeter than the fountain in our Elysian lawns. I told my friends that the reason was the love for me by those she is sitting around. Though they could not see or feel me, they recognized my presence. They happily accepted me and what I brought to Earth. I told them I would never be disillusioned because They truly love and respecte each other and thus my spirit would always live on. After telling them so I walked out of the victoriously, spreading my magical fragrance and reached the top of the tower. My friends followed me and we continued our journey.

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The Wanderer https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/15/the-wanderer/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:50:50 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=641 Continue reading ]]>

I wander around the city without a place to stay, not knowing where I’ll sleep just like every other day. I reach the serene park that offers much comfort, but I wanted to be more than the homeless man that I was. I didn’t want to accept my true identity because I knew it wasn’t what was meant for me. The day passes by and through the foliage I can see an unfinished building with great potential. The tall mass of construction picked my brain as if it was a detective. I couldn’t bear the brisk air stricken by the winds and knew the building was my destiny. I hurried up the steps of the building and nestled myself on the 5th floor: perfect for watching my surroundings. I didn’t know what would become of the building, yet I commanded it as if it were my own. Pride and dignity sunk into my mind, making me stronger by nightfall.

 

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Innumerable https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/15/innumerable-2/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:34:29 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=638 Continue reading ]]>

Individual, Identical, Innumerable, for here they are. Repetition is repeating itself; repetition is reoccurring. I gaze upon an endless stream of windows that dot the apartments from the top to presumably the bottom. I can feel the air moving through the windows to and fro, carrying away my sweat and shivers. The sunlight and skyline flow through and enter my dwelling place.  Sight shoots both ways, out to repetition and into my mind. Peer in and I reveal the identity of a man. Peer out and I discover the unlimitedness of a city. Gazing skyward or streetward, I can see that it is all the same. Perception pays attention to periodicity. It is the construct of The Architect’s mind, a community with distinction. One window works with another to create the apartment’s façade. One person lives in fellowship with another. One building stands in communion with the others. Down below repetition happens again, the branches and leaves follow suit. Individual. Identical. Innumerable.

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The Commuter’s Curse https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/2011/12/15/the-commuters-curse-2/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:07:39 +0000 http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/george11/?p=626 Continue reading ]]>

I wait; angrier and angrier I become as each second ticks. The concrete platform shakes; the metallic beast groans. As it approaches I release a sigh of relief that splices the air. The metallic snake slowly, but surely, makes its way into the station and as the wheels roll and grind on the tracks they let out a chorus of childlike squeaks. Closer and closer just inches away now. It slows to a stop and hisses as if to tease us. I slowly approach the edge of the platform, like a lion slowly stalking its prey. A final groan is released; the beast has been tamed and warmly invites me in. The heavens open up and light colors all that was gray, spirits are lifted. “This is a Manhattan bound Q train the next stop is SheepsheadBay.”

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