B4

        Throughout my life, I have been blessed to be able to attend several Broadway productions. I have been to The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Waitress, Rent, Chicago, and others. Going to the theatre is one of my favorite activities to do—I love to watch the talent of the actors and actresses. Their meticulous chorus and choreography amazes me, and it surely demonstrates their intense practice schedule. With very show I’ve been to, I always find myself glued to the stage, entertained for the entire duration. I love the plot of the original stories, and when it’s turned into a musical production, it makes me gloat. I highly appreciate the dedication of the staff; it makes the show genuinely extraordinary. 

A1- Opera Essay

Giulio Cesare: An Opera

            One of the most famous Roman leaders, Julius Caesar and the elegant, Egyptian ruler, Cleopatra were two of many influential icons of the ancient world, yet could you picture them as opera stars? In Giulio Cesare written by George Frederic Handel, the emotional and complex storyline portrays an ingenious range of sentiments including betrayal, vengeance, agony, and love through music. Displays of considerable “mise en scene” using detailing and technology emphasized the viewer’s reality of the show itself, which therefore resulted in a pragmatic opera that twists history with the modern world of entertainment. 

            When watching Giulio Cesare, the usage of the “mise en scene” detailing is what made this opera come to life. All of the details about the actors and actresses looked their part, which resulted in a believable character. The performers also used fantastic body language to express their emotion, which made viewers essentially jump into the story. The lighting detail in the opera was exquisite. Lights would shine directly onto the actor’s face during scenes of deep sadness, which would result in an emotional angst. The lighting seemed to be strategically lit to express the actor’s costumes. On Caesar’s costume, the lighting would make the red fabric of his cloak prominent and the metal of his armor shine. A large part of the décor used throughout the production was part of the lighting detail. There was lighting on a blank wall to make it appear as ancient architecture. The simplistic décor of the production was appropriate considering how extravagant the costumes and the actor’s voices were. Each costume was meticulous. The necklaces, makeup, hairstyles, dresses, togas, jewelry, accessories…it fit the characters precisely. For an example, in Act 1 of the opera Cleopatra is introduced. She is wearing Egyptian clothing made of sequins and silk. On her head there is dark kohl around her eyes, and her hair is tied up in a bejeweled, gold crown. By the details in her costume you could sense her royal status as well as a realistic idea of how Cleopatra looked in 47 BC. Some of the props used were war armor, exaggerated pilums, chariots, gold accessories, fabrics, and many others. The detailing of the props showed the time period of the opera and made it seem extremely realistic. Overall, the usage of the “mise en scene” details in Handel’s production was simply astute. 

            When watching this opera, the details used made me discover numerous things about Giulio Cesare. The conformity of the diverse “mise en scene” in the opera made me discover emotion and a sense of appreciation for opera. The way that the actors used their body language while they were singing made the show more realistic, in which created realistic feelings. This made me feel similarly to what the actors were feeling and I found that I seemed to be connected to the story. I found that the actors, lighting, décor, props, and the costumes, could take you back in time to 47 BC (1). Although the production was performed in Italian, there were clues to what was going on in each act. This helped me drastically to know what was happening and helped me to connect better to the emotions of the story. I discovered that the detailing in the costumes were significant because they historically matched nicely, therefore making the opera that more realistic through the details. Watching Handel’s show helped me discover the importance of technological detailing in opera through the “mise en scene”. 

            When this opera was first presented, I would suspect the audience to have several reactions to the detailing within the technology used. I believe they would have a sense of awe in the appearance of the costumes. For an example, just in Cleopatra’s costume, there were carefully placed jewels and gold sequences. Her makeup emphasized her beauty, and with her extravagant costume, her character took your breath away. As with my mentality, the original audience was probably transported back in time during Caesar and Cleopatra’s reign. I would also suspect that the audience had several emotions during the production. During Cornelia’s grief of her dead husband, the audience probably felt deep sadness. When the news of Caesar’s death flooded the stage, the crowd was probably shocked, yet they discovered later that Caesar was still alive. This most likely brought them hope for his future relationship with Cleopatra as well his aspiration for seeking vengeance. During the growing romance of Caesar and Cleopatra, the audience probably longed for their love to be made official and for them to finally be together. Along with triggered emotion and costumes, I believe that the audience would probably be astounded at the detailing within the décor and props used throughout the show. The aristocrats who attended the opera were most likely astounded at the detailed technology that constructed the production. 

            George Handel’s Giulio Cesareis important to the chronology of opera because of how he inspired Europe’s opera movement of the 18^thcentury. Handel’s passion for Italian opera was expressed ever since he was a boy, and that passion followed him as he went to serve King George I. Because the king saw Handel’s talent, he said, “the composer at the center of the (king’s opera) company was to be George Frederick Handel” (3). Because of this, he changed the world of opera in London and eventually throughout the Europe. “It was the music of Frederick Handel that really established the popularity of opera in London. Handel was sent abroad by the Royal Academy of Music to attract the best available singers to London. Senesino the famous castrato was offered the vast sum of £2,000 a year to perform in London in 1710” (2). It was Handel who started the Italian opera movement, with one of his best Italian productions, Giulio Cesarewithin his works. Handel worked with some of the most talented people of the age to perform his original piece, because he longed for a good “score” for his production. Handel’s score consisted of, “A sumptuous, gorgeous score it is with the unusual addition of four horns, recorders, transverse flute, gamba, bassoon and theorbo, a large lute-like instrument, alladded to the usual pit band of strings and winds” (3). This score revealed that the musical details in Giulio Cesarewas uniquely different in sound, which made the opera more majestic. Handel’s production was successful in the following years of its original showing in 1724 (1), as it still is today. Handel’s work can be summarized, “…the current revival of Handel masterworks for the stage, Julius Caesar in Egypt holds the primary position. Its strongly written characters hold the stage today as well as the operatic creations of a Verdi, a Puccini or a Bizet. It is a great piece of music and a great piece of theatre” (3). Giulio Cesare is a piece that will never be forgotten. Handel was extremely important to the chronology of opera because he started the Italian opera revolution, in which Giulio Cesare was one of the products of.

            Technology is used throughout the entire production in numerous ways to produce the opera’s generous detailing. During the modernized production of Giulio Cesare they used pulleys during the transition of scenes. When they pulled the scenery up or down, it was a smooth transition to the next scene. The pulley system has a similar ideology to the original theatre system: In a theatre designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel in the 1700’s, during a performance a pulley system was used for changing sceneries (5). The detailing of the movement of the pulley, added for smooth transitioning and for the audience to admire the coming scenery. The modernized opera used large chariots that were pushed by the soldier actors. They used great detailing on the chariots to symbolize a similar style of chariot in the appropriate time period. The production also had delicate lighting effects that would be shown on the background set. The lighting created a sense of historic architecture that made it seem that the actors were in Egypt. There was also a trap door used in Act 2 of the production. Both details of lighting and trap technology have been used since before Handel’s opera was written. “…the Greeks also used moveable scenery, mounted on wheels or on revolting prisms…plays of the Middle Ages also used stage machinery, including a trapdoor…but the art did not reach its zenith until the Italian Renaissance” (6). Incorporating ancient theatrical technology methods, Giulio Cesare was produced by successful technology techniques. The detailing within the various technology used in the production gave an impressive accuracy to the actual timeline of the story resulting in the realism of the show. 

            If I were a modern director, turning this opera into a video game would be surprisingly similar to today’s video games. Many of today’s popular video games have a common theme of war, violence, revenge, and battle. We see in 2018, that games like Call of Duty, Halo, and Battlefield all have these characteristics (7). I would use Handel’s Giulio Cesare by creating a similar video game based off the plot.For an example, I would incorporate the war at the beginning of Act 1 into the game, where players could choose to play as Caesar to fight among his soldiers. So by using small detailing I could create a character that would be extremely similar to the actual character. For an example, by observing Caesar’s dress code from the opera, I could incorporate his Roman armor into the video game’s character. Also players could have a mission to return to Cleopatra by wandering through the desert to find their way back to the royal palace. Players could listen to a recording of the performed music while in battle or talking with one another in the game. If I were to create Giulio Cesare into a video game, it would be in the details of the game that would make it appealing to play. 

            Throughout the production, we see that the details throughout every aspect of the performance, including the “mise en scene” and technology used, are key to a successful opera. Handel’s Giulio Cesare has been remembered for centuries, and so it will be remembered forevermore. 

MLA

1.     Wikipedia. “Giulio Cesare.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Sept. 2018,         en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulio_Cesare.

2.     Museum, Albert. “18th Century Opera.” Introduction to 20th-Century Fashion,    Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London            SW7 2RL. Telephone +44 (0)20 7942 2000. Email Vanda@Vam.ac.uk, 24 July 2013, www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/0-9/18th-century-opera/.

3.     “Beethoven and Fidelio.” San Diego Opera, www.sdopera.org/Content/Operapaedia/Operas/Fidelio/Composer.htm.

4.     Opernsänger DDR, director. Händel: Julius Cäsar (Deutsch, Staatsoper Berlin,     Schreier, Casapietra, Adam). YouTube, YouTube, 1 Aug. 2016,             www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTBbvrVgkm0.

5.     Izenour, George C., and Clive Barker. “Theatre.” Encyclopædia Britannica,            Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Jan. 2018,             www.britannica.com/art/theater-building/Baroque-theatres-and-staging.

6.     Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Stage Machinery.” Encyclopædia         Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 Apr. 2017,             www.britannica.com/art/stage-machinery.

7.     IMDb. “Most Popular Video Games.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 2018,    www.imdb.com/title/tt0397306/.

B3

    I had several thoughts about Pjotr Sapegin’s video Madama Butterfly. I thought that the way he portrayed the story using stop motion was a very different idea. It was an extremely well edited video with a flawless motion; it was as if the movie were one conformed movie. The story made the viewer feel happiness, love, hope, sadness, betrayal, and other emotions towards the woman, her lover, and her child throughout the video. 

    The artist wordlessly spoke using art and music for a sense of powerful emotion. Using opera, we got the sense of the woman’s broken heart when her lover left and betrayed her. When the opera was being played, the viewer got the sense of extreme sadness, as if connecting to the character in the story.  

   I really thought that near the end of the video, when she ran off of the set, was extremely unique. It was cool to not only see some of the equipment it took to run the movie, but we got to see that the woman was actually “alive”. When she took her own life and became the butterfly at the end, it was a nice way to wrap up the story and to show the viewers that she had gone to a better place.   

X1

Name: Shell City 

Artist Statement: 

            I wanted to merge something opposite of one another, in which this image is an object from nature and an object from the modern world. My work can suggest the dangerous relationship between nature and metropolis. Even though it’s a work of art, it symbolizes an ambiguous idea that there is a deeper issue underneath the aesthetics. I drew a large turtle with a city on top of it’s shell to symbolize how the modern world is overtaking nature around us through the massive universal issue of pollution. Even though the city is smaller than the turtle itself, it is a powerful dominator. It sits on top of the turtle’s shell, in which this area is usually one of the most fundamental areas of protection of the turtle’s shell. Since the city replaces protection, this leaves the turtle not only vulnerable but also exposed to nature's most threatening element: pollution.   

            My inspiration for this piece was seeing pieces of trash and smog in the river. It seemed that there are few thoughts about pollution in the city, which not only affect the land but also the wildlife living within. This ideology can be found not just in my own city, but in cities all over the world. Pollution is a growing problem in the oceans, rivers, streets, and many other locations. Therefore, I wanted to draw something that symbolized something that seemed beautiful yet hazardous. 

            I drew a turtle and a city to symbolize how pollution has a malicious affect on nature. It suggests the idea of how bad pollution truly is and how it is hurting animals in the cities and all over the world. Perhaps my art, inspired from my own pollution experience, will speak to others about the issue of pollution vs. nature. 

B2

Raul Cuero on Sparking Creativity

        I thought that the video about Raul Cuero was inspiring. Positivists of society encourage others to embrace their differences, but Cuero truly expresses this ideology within his words and actions. Cuero’s story was shocking in the way he watched cockroaches as entertainment in his Colombian town, yet ironically this is what guided him to fame and fortune. I can apply his circumstance into my everyday life, because I can be encouraged that though I am from a small town, I can be encouraged that I can do big things futuristically. Without his vile childhood, he wouldn’t be who he was today, especially without the encouragement and inspiration of his intellectual mentors along the way. People told him he was not an intellectual, people told him he wasn’t good enough, and people told him he would not change the world. Barricading the discrimination, he decided to choose the high road and to put his grandma’s advice of “being good and respecting others”(1) into action. I see this as a rare characteristic in people of today’s society and it has shaped his cognitive skills into the inventor he is today. I can apply this outlook into my own life by disrupting conformity and to do the opposite of what people expect. Everyday I can have confidence in my intelligence instead of allowing society to define me.

         Through his story, he has inspired his students to disobey society’s standards and to reach for the impossible. They know they can achieve the impossible if they try hard enough and put their heart into it. We have all heard this, but Cuero’s story is proof that it truly works. In the video, he talked about his theology of “universal consciousness” and explained how it is essential to overcome prejudice. “Take the bad and use it as 'fuel' to do something great”(1). I couldn’t agree more, and I can continue to use this in my everyday life by being reminded of his story. I can use the depressors in my life, turn them into my own powerful fuel source, and continue to pursue my deepest aspirations. 

         Cuero also talked about failure. So many people are afraid of failure, that they don’t even try to begin, yet he says that it’s in the “process of doing something that you find ideas, answers, and creativity”(1). Today, children and adults are missing out on discovery because of a screen. I see this almost everywhere I go. I see people waiting in line for Starbucks, with almost every one staring at their phones. I see people having dinner together, both on their phones. Why stare at your phone when you could talk to one another, be inspired, and possibly change the world? “Creativity has to do with how you perceive nature, you have to be a good observant of nature, you have to understand your place by being in it, but you cannot do this by being on your phone inside a room”(1). Cuero concludes with his definition of an “achieved life” which includes mental development, physical development, and spiritual development while feeling satisfied and content. I agree with this, but I would also add that it is the feelings and satisfaction of others as well that make your achieved life mean something outside of yourself. This is what I strive to live by everyday.  

MLA 

1. “Microbiologist Raul Cuero PhD on Sparking Creativity on Living Smart with Patricia  Gras.” YouTube, Houston PBS, Web. 24 May 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZugtaO85T_Y

B1

            In all honesty, the course Art and Technology portrays a sense of peculiarity. The course topics and projects seem to differ than any previous courses I have taken throughout my college career. When observing the syllabus, some of the projects seem to be quite laborious. Though it may be a prolonged sacrifice of time, I am certain that it will be worth it at the end. 

            My name is Logan Fredericksen and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Tampa. I am currently studying mathematics and digital art. I am from Denver, Colorado and even though my state is known for it’s impeccable skiing, I have never been. I find that my identity is defined by my faith and through this I can change the world through love. 

            Many have described me as being altruistic, clever, creative, faithful, courageous, witty, meticulous, hard-working, intelligent, and shy. Yet, I believe the most commonly heard characteristic in defining me is a nerd. Along with these characteristics, I have great admiration for reading, learning, and art. Some of my passions include bible studies, the Harry Potter series, Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, photography, drawing, taekwondo, and many more. 

            My expectation within this class is to learn and explore the connection between art and technology. I am expecting to diligently work on each project and to learn how to stretch my creativity through these projects. I am also expecting to grow in my education from my instructor and other students. Even though it will be slightly austere, I am also expecting great fun. I am genuinely looking forward to this class.