Carrie Mae Weems.

There are many photographers who tell stories with their work. There are artists (or specific work) you can tell they were thinking something deep, but sometimes it's a little too deep. I assume I'm not profound enough, or maybe not pretentious enough. Sometimes it just has to do with not relating at all. Then sometimes there is an avenue there for my imagination to figure it out.

I have found in researching Carrie Mae Weems' art a profound and universal truth found in her work. While she typically uses black subjects, it is meant to represent all ethnicities. 

One self portrait entitled "I looked and looked to see what terrified you" showed her wearing a dress and beads around her neck, looking into a handheld mirror. Her hand is up to her hair. Without the title, it was simply a nice black and white print.  What is so moving about this particular shot is it's complexity.  At face value, it is not "overly" racial. By that, I mean it's not screaming in your face or racially pointing fingers at anyone in particular. At the same time, you see a beautiful woman decked out in an African-style dress, who is obviously very proud of her heritage and who she is. Even as she is dressed up, there is not an air of higher/lower class, nor a feeling that she may be going anywhere, necessarily. She is a woman, she is African American. She is a human being. 

This portrait naturally brings out in us our own conclusions. What is it about any black person, (or Asian, Mexican, or any other nationality, for that matter) that make anyone nervous? She is proving that she and her skin alone are not terrifying. So it is up to us, the viewer, to ask ourselves what it is exactly. The answer you come up with will not just affect how you feel about the portrait but truly about your own thoughts and opinions, also. 

THE ATLAS AGENDA

On Sept 12, I attended a dance performance, The Atlas Agenda. This "new annual dance festival" featured work from seven male choreographers, celebrating men as a minority in dance. The show ran for two weekends (September 5-6, 12-13) at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Lincoln Park. This black box theater was both comfortable and intimate. Being in the front row, I was far enough away to take in the whole stage, yet I could still see facial expressions and intricate details of costumes. 

With the number of choreographers involved, there was a variety of emotion and themes throughout the evening. There were a few I did not care for much, but others that were truly enjoyable. The third performance was my favorite. It was a one-man performance called "Doll House" which was choreographed by 20 year old Chris Nasadowski. There was a lot of storytelling throughout the evening but this piece was different.  The brief introduction let us know the point was to incorporate body motion and dance directly with the music. With a spotlight on center stage and a collage of sound clips, beats and songs, a limber man in a backward visor, gray long sleeved shirt and pants became a part of the rhythm. For example, when Woody Woodpecker laughed out of nowhere, the dancer moved accordingly by shrugging his shoulders with his hand up to his face. Break dancing and other gestures collaborated with Willy Wonka and DJ Shadow to become a sort of smooth roller coaster. We, the audience, were a part of this experience as we sat back and enjoyed the ride. 

I questioned if there were connections or some meaning, and if so what were they? I still felt a smile on my face into the next act! I stopped questioning. I'm pegging this one as pure visual and audial pleasure.

Classical to Rap: Music lovers have much more in common than you would think.

I came across this article on artsjournal.com and had to post the photographs.  The conclusion of a "36,000 music lovers" survey is that Classical lovers are most like Heavy Metal fans, as their passion for the music is very similar.

      I was impressed to read that the fans of classical music have a passion equivalent to fans of heavy metal. In fact, the news brought a smile to my face. I love music! It's a vital part of my life and I have known quite a few metal-heads over the years. I am not surprised the two genres, as different as they are, have the closest connection of all included.  So it brings up the question, how much does music influence a person, or does the person influence and shape the music? According to this study, perhaps it's both. 

     The survey was conducted at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh by the department of psychology.  It stretched worldwide, including people of all backgrounds to list their personality traits and favorite music.  Ironically, the personalities people think of themselves to have fit directly into the stereotypical association with their musical tastes. For instance, indie-rockers are creative, have low self-esteem, and are not very hard-working.  With this result in mind, indie music does sound expressively heart-wrenching. Same with most rap - it does highlight attributes of "high self-esteem".  

     In our discussion in class on Thursday, Sept 11, our topic was music: selling out vs. marketing, DIY then vs. DIY now, and the importance of craft vs. product.  I think this ties into the results of this study. It suggests that someone who listens to Metallica would be more likely to listen to classical than someone who likes indie-rock to listen to reggae. How much of this is ties into personality vs. the fashion value of the music? Does the person who listens to indie-rock feel bad (or worse) about themselves because of the music they indulge in? The personality traits for Classical and Metal fans (as listed below) are both creative, at ease with themselves, and not outgoing. Professor North suggested it is the "love of grandiose" that connects both groups. 

     Classical and metal both take skill and talent to play. 23 year old John Gregson, a classically trained musician who is also a heavy-metal fan is quoted "As an instrumentalist, out of all the main genres of music heavy metal and classical are the ones which require the most discipline to play- they're technically very difficult and involve playing at inhumanly fast speeds."

     Music is a very personal, important part of our identity. This is true whether you are into it for love of the craft, or because all your friends like a certain song for a few months. It is social, yet intimate. There are those who love the music because of the lyrics it may carry, yet at the same time, the instruments speak in ways that words cannot express. This study shows that musical tastes do, in fact, reflect personality. 

    As each of us continue to grow and learn in our own lives, our personalities can and will shift occasionally. Therefore, our musical tastes must change also. How often is it that our musical tastes shift, therefore influencing our personalities? I have listened to a number of different types of music throughout my life. Some of it was crap, but others still tugs at my heartstrings. The point is that each has expressed different thoughts, feelings, and even actions I have experienced. I have also found music that has opened my eyes and mind to new ideas, which have been life-altering. 

     I feel an appropriate closing thought is a lyric from the song "Grace Car Part One" by the Chicago/Urbana band BRAID: "I don't want to be a part of music vs. the heart. We all stay in tune, we all swear it's true." That's the beauty of it all. There is no wrong or right answer, and we're not locked into one personality trait or just one genre of music.  

 

What your music says about you

Indie: Devotees have low self-esteem and are not very hard-working, kind or generous. However, they are creative.

Rock 'n' Roll: Fans have high self-esteem and are very creative, hard-working and at ease with themselves, but not very kind or generous.

Blues: High self-esteem, creative, outgoing and at ease with themselves.

Classical: Classical music lovers have high self-esteem, are creative and at ease with themselves, but not outgoing.

Heavy metal: Very creative and at ease with themselves, but not very outgoing or hard-working.

Reggae: High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, kind, generous and at ease with themselves, but not very hard-working.

Country & Western: Very hard-working and outgoing.

Dance: Creative and outgoing but not kind or generous.

Rap: High self-esteem, outgoin