Volume 138, Issue 4
BY MILES HARWELL
Staff Writer
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Jarring scenes of ecocide, destruction, and an angry Gaia in mourning; curious sculptures made from scraps of metal, wood and various “found” objects; otherworldly landscapes depicting the fused imaginations of man and machine: all can be encountered at this month’s City Arts Gallery Exhibit featuring mixed media art from three artists: Glenn Hirsch, Robert Haemmerling and Pamela Lanza.
The work of Pamela Lanza is immediately visible when entering the gallery. Lanza’s unflinchingly political paintings are saturated with social commentary; many protest crimes against women and the environment. In her artist’s statement, Lanza presents a poem which states, “Earth is angry, she’s going to roll over,” leaving “a few ravens, some plum blossoms and snow monkeys.”
Perhaps the most visibly striking piece of Lanza’s is “Two Bandits,” a mixed media painting that incorporates newspaper clippings into a silver acrylic vision of terror and chaos. One columnar clipping proclaims “Jihad” as two falling figures and collapsed structures evoke powerful images of 9/11.
Sculptural artist Robert Haemmerling offers a new approach to looking at the human shape with “Philip” and “Roxanne,” male and female figures constructed of wood and studded with metal screws. “The process [of sculpting] allows the form to emerge as something new and unexpected,” Haemmerling said. “I feel like an explorer of my own ideas and the world around me.”
Another dedicated explorer is Glenn Hirsch; his art is a result of over 19 years’ development. “It’s the same ideas, but the pictures are completely different,” Hirsch said. “My pictures represent an idea of nature and technology coming together.”
Hirsch compares beginning a painting to doodling on paper. “Puddles and smears begin each piece,” said Hirsch, whose work involves heavy use of watercolors and ink. “You make shapes, and try to imagine what you see. Texture is as important as image.”
Epitomizing Hirsch’s process is “Holiday in the Matrix,” with blotches of multicolored watercolor paints transforming into singular objects: a hand, a skeleton, a light bulb hanging from a stick. Blurring the line between humanoid and mechanical parts, the piece exemplifies the tension between artificial and organic.
“Perhaps these are the dreams other creatures have,” Hirsch writes in his artist’s statement.
Hirsch was pleased with the exhibit’s reception. “Fine art isn’t for everyone, but those who have seen it really like it,” Hirsch said.
The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 29 in the Visual Arts Building.
e-mail: mharwell@theguardsman.com
THE FRENCH CONNECTION: Jacques Brel comes to life in exuberant musical revue
BY ZURI BERRY
Contributing Writer
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A collaboration of the music and theatre arts departments of City College allowed for a successful opening night of the musical revue “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well … And Living in Paris.”
Students sang a collection of songs by legendary singer/songwriter Jacques Brel in a dinner theatre setting.
The revue was first staged off-Broadway in New York in 1968 and has been performed regularly since.
The event had something for all theatre patrons and was presented in cabaret style for the comfort of the audience. Dinner was made available to guests who sat at candlelit tables. Table service was provided by the Player’s Club (City College’s Theatre/Drama Club).
The presentation in the Pierre Costa Dining room added to the sensuality of the production, providing an intimacy with the audience not normally felt in larger arenas. The stage was designed right amongst the crowd in the center of the floor so audience members could get an intimate feel.
The lyrics were translated by Eric Blau and Mort Shulman and sung in both French and English. Eglantine Granier-Gwinner did a wonderful job performing “Old Folks” in both languages.
The rendition of “Old Folks” epitomized the ambiance of the revue. Although this writer could not understand what was being sung, Granier-Gwinner sounded as if she was seducing the audience in a most elegant fashion. It was a heartfelt performance that had this listener on the edge of his seat. More surprising was the fact the song was not about love.
As a writer, Brel was not one to stray away from socio-political topics in his lyrics. Many songs spoke of love and finding women but in the song “Middle Class,” men of the bar scene show the upper class their rear ends. In Brel’s classic “If We Only Have Love,” he makes a stab at uniting all the nations so there would be “no more foreign lands.”
Michael Shahani, the musical director, did an excellent job of keeping the audience on its heels, from mixing the voices of Tom Sway and Supilcio Mariano in the “Middle Class” to his own performance of “No me Quitte Pas” (“If You Go Away”) which varied greatly in tune and tempo. The upbeat “Brussels” was sung by the entire company of singers and even included some Broadway-style high kicks.
The music, for the most part, was light-hearted and up-tempo ‘40s and ‘50s pop with a taste of folk and classical hints.
The band, which was made up of a bass, guitar, piano, and percussion, was superb. Never missing a beat, the band led the singers in their performances but never overshadowed them.