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wanderingbutnotlostsoul · 6 years

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Week Three London Impressions!

Here is week three! AHHHH!!! The end is near!!!!! This week I’m going to focus on Exploring London through the experience of the artist, so I’m going pick five things that fit this theme. This past week was pretty emotional for me so be warned!

1.) My art from the Artist workshop

I figured I would start with me and my own art. We were told by an artist to write interesting things about our life onto a piece of paper and were given tasks to do with our work. And this was something I normally don’t do art wise. I don’t write. I draw, I outline, I erase, and then I color. So while I was writing about, challenging and channeling myself, I felt that I was not as boring as I thought I was, and I felt free, despite being told what to do. I felt at peace with the world while painting, and I actually grew more comfortable with myself in the process, as if all this time, all I had to do was get introduced to myself. The action of making art in a new way sparked a bigger flame of love for myself that SHOULD have already been pretty large. Working on this piece made me come to terms with some of my biggest issues in my life, and I’m thankful for the opportunity I had.

2.) This sign from Steven Wright’s House of Dreams Museum (photo from https://londonist.com/2016/03/inside-london-s-bizarre-house-of-dreams)

This sign was made by Steven Wright, the artist I mentioned above. The sign is from his house, the House of Dreams, and at first I thought the house was different odd. It was hard for me to see little trinkets as art, but then I saw this sign and realized that the house was more than trinkets, it was his life. This sign moved me from apathy to empathy because of how blunt, but emotional it is, and because my Abuelo has prostate cancer, and it’s not getting better. I saw this sign and looked around the house with misty eyes and saw it in a new light, and I realized that “there are no rules”. Art is art and no matter how it is made or why it is made, it has meaning.

3.) The Ending of Exit the King (photo from https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/exit-the-king)

This play was an absurdist play, so it was filled with dark humor, which I love, but that is not why the play is on my list. The play is on my list because of the message at the end of the play. That no matter how old you are, or who you are, or what you do for a living, death will come and none of that matters anymore. I found this message to be one that I took to heart because no matter how reasonable I try to be, I get caught up in the moment, and despite claiming that I don’t care, I try to be as perfect as possible. I try to make every little thing go according to plan, and I stress myself out to the point of physical exhaustion because of this. I know it isn’t healthy and I should calm down, but knowing only does so much, and this play is a strong visual reminded that it doesn’t matter, and I should accept chaos and “death” of plans and go with the flow because in the end it doesn’t matter, so why freak out?

4.) This abandoned chair on the Thames

I saw this chair on my way to the London eye (and could see it floating in the river at high tide from the eye) and thought of how lost it seemed. It was a long way from home, and was probably missed by those who needed it... Just like me all the way here in London. Instead of seeing this chair as the piece of rubbish it is, I’m giving this chair a new identity, a simile of myself, and all others who are a long way from home. Frightened, lonely, but somehow still intact, continuing to soldier on until life takes you where you need to be.

5.) This elegy I had to write for another class : I bid You Farewell, Loneliness

“Loneliness, how long have you have been with me?

How long have you held me in your cold embrace?

Kept me from happiness for your own self indulgences?

No longer can you feed off of me, dear Loneliness, for you are dead.

Voices constantly sound of your hold on their owners.

Sad tones and empty hopes when you’re the subject,

And words whispered to kindred souls about freedom from you.

Do you hear the happy sobs and jubilant thanks to God for your death?

My old acquaintance, I must give you credit for your work.

You did an excellent job of stealing my happiness and hope.

With expert calculation, you made it impossible to ignore you,

Yet despite your well practiced routine, dear Loneliness, you have died.”

Writing this poem, for me, was like a release of all of my pent up angst and hurt that I had just buried inside of me over the years. In the process of writing this, I was forced to confront my long standing tormentor, and by confronting my tormentor, I feel as if I am finally able to start stitching up the wounds left. By writing this and telling Loneliness that it had died was a way for me to realize that I am in a much better situation than I was five years ago, my sophomore year of high school. I am no longer alone, and I needed to realize that, as I still keep my emotions to myself and my thoughts to myself, and I need to stop acting as if no one will listen to me. I have friends, family, and a loving boyfriend who will listen to me, but I was so afraid of Loneliness that I thought all those people didn’t care. Writing this elegy has set the stage for my soul to heal.

As you can tell, I have a personal connection to all of these items and experiences. The poem and the art have been ways for me to express myself and expel my problems out of my head and onto paper so I can begin/continue to heal. The play was able to help me confront one of my issues, and taught me how silly of an issue it is, and how to fix it, while the chair showed me that even if I’m far from home, battered, and alone, I need to keep going strong so I can get back where I need to be. The sign was probably the hardest one for me to see, but arguably the most important as it taught me how similar experiences can change your perspective, and that something that is odd shouldn’t be looked down upon as they could be just as meaningful as something “normal”. This week, my vision of London was one of self healing and mending that I may have not been able to do without leaving home and stepping out of my comfort zone.

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wanderingbutnotlostsoul · 6 years

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Week Two Impressions!

Here I am again! (technically I’m writing this at the end of week three but SHUSHHH it’s not important) This time I’m discussing five artifacts from week two that struck me!

1.) This thing from the Thames river

So I don’t know anything about this piece, but I picked it up because I thought it was cool, and it was big, and I liked the idea of finding something and carrying something that had not been touched by another human for a long time. It was found along a wall by the Thames during low tide, and I think it was either a pole carry or a scale of some sort. It looks hand made, and so I was holding someone’s living in my hand.

2.) These shoes from a store in Soho

I liked these shoes because of the pineapple on them. Since I go to Bellarmine, the pineapple has become a big symbol for me, since it stands for hospitality, and BU has become a second home for me. So it was nice to see a piece of my home all the way out here in London. Also, the shoes are two colors and pretty nonconforming to the societal expectations of shoes, and I felt like the shoes related to me, as I am not one to consider myself “normal” and I often times, do not do what society says I should do.

3.) These sparkling water cans from a store in China Town

So seeing these cans in a window made me think of my childhood when my brother and I would agree (for once) to watch the same show. That show, was Pokemon. And let me tell you, we were obsessed with it. It was nice to see something so familiar in London, as it helped with my home sickness! (and the Pikachu and MewTwo flavors were delicious).

4.) Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Portrait Gallery

I was so excited to see this piece of art, as I love Van Gogh’s work!!!! His use of paint to make textures is so interesting, and makes it seem as if these flowers, despite their cartoon appearance, could actually exist in our world. It was hard to weasle my way in the crowd to take this photo, but it was worth it, as Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists, and I learned he is also one of my mother’s favorite artists, so it was nice to be able to bond with my mother over this photo I took.

5.) The play Red

So I was not looking foward to this play if I’m completely honest, but by the end of it I was loving the story. It stared Alfred Molina (Doc Oct from 2004′s Spiderman 2) as Mark Rothko and Alfred Enoch (The OG Dean Thomas from Harry Potter) as his aspiring artist of an assistant. The play followed Rothko’s creation of his temple designed for the Four Seasons. It was a two man play, that was 90 min with no intermission, but I was interested in the whole think. It was cool to see how the pieces were created and it gave me a better appreciation of abstract art.

All of the artifacts I have picked have the common theme of being out there, weird, and personal. I feel like during this second week here in London, I have started to adopt the city as home, and all of the unique and weird pieces I have picked out have helped make this place home for me. Like the shoes remind me of who I am and my second home, the Van Gogh piece reminds me of my mother, the cans remind me of my childhood and simpler times, the play taught me that abstract and odd is unique and beautiful (like myself) and the hand made piece from the Thames tought me that I may be lost and left behind, but I am never truly gone, no matter if I leave home and go on an adventure.

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wanderingbutnotlostsoul · 6 years

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Week One Theater Reactions!

So for week one here in London, I saw two plays for my fine arts class, one being The Play That Goes Wrong and the other being The Tempest. Below I will be reacting to the shows.

CONTAINS SPOILERS

1.) The Play That Goes Wrong

This play was hilarious, and I loved it. I loved the play inside of a play aspect, and the suspense that happens when everything is going to shit and you’re left to ask “now what could possibly go wrong?”. I loved how at the beginning the actors were out in the seats looking for a dog that wasn’t there and how they were interacting with the audience, and I also loved how desperate and frustrated the actors were acting as the make believe play was going horribly, horribly wrong. It just seemed so relatable.

As for the atmosphere of the play, I liked the traditional theater house as it fit with my idea of seeing a play, and also it matched the setting of the play as they were putting on a murder mystery play at their own theater. So in a way, the theater itself became part of the set, therefore making us, the audience, also part of the set, as what play has no audience?

Last week on the day I saw this play was the first really bad day I had here in London, as first my credit card wouldn’t work anywhere, then I almost ran out of cash, then I got really homesick, so seeing this play go wrong was like watching my day go wrong, which made me relate to the play even more. My shitty day helped me to appreciate this play and helped me realize that even shitty days can later be funny stories.

2.) The Tempest

This Play was a little boring, and i say that solely on the facts that it was long, and because it was outside it was hard to hear the actors, thus making me question why I was there, or at least if they could have printed and handed out a script. I liked the costumes and the singing of the actors, and the fairy who played the flute was amazing, and I loved her, but I wish that I could have heard the dialog better.

The fact that the play was outside made me appreciate the play more. I have seen this play done indoors and there was only one set (the crashed ship with the island shore), but the fact that it was outside meant a bigger space for more sets. I also liked that because there were more sets, we had to move around, as it made me feel as if I was on the journey with the characters.

The day we saw this play was the day of the England vs Croatia FIFA World Cup semifinals and the screams of people cheering were probably the reason it was so hard to hear the actors during the play. It also made it hard to care about the play because of the excitement of the game, but honestly, it was the day after my worst day here and I enjoyed being outside instead of in some crowded pub with overpriced alcohol due to game day. The play helped calmed my frazzled nerves because of the flute playing and the setting, and I’m glad I watched it when I did.

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wanderingbutnotlostsoul · 6 years

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wanderingbutnotlostsoul · 6 years

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Week One Impressions!

So I have done many things with my class this week, and five of my favorite events/ pieces are going to be shown below!

1.) “Alien Sex Party” at the Wellcome Center.

The exhibit was about the Gay community and the spread of HIV and it was pretty odd. Odd in the best of ways though, as the exhibit was more different than anything I have seen, and I’ve seen museums filled with bodies and organs in jars. It was brightly colored and was pretty graphic, which surprisingly, made the exhibit blow my mind, as I saw crudely drawn male genitalia in one frame, to seeing Spongebob in another frame. The image above though is what drove the exhibit, as these guys were everywhere with various things in their baskets, from condoms to the HIV virus itself. Yet one man only had a condom in his basket but he was behind a veil, showing he was a victim of the scapegoating of the Gay community when AIDS and HIV first became an epidemic, and it was this realization that made the exhibit memorable for me, because as much fun as I had staring at the crude dicks on the wall, or listening to the glory hole puppet, the exhibit had a serious and unfortunate meaning behind its colorful facade.

2.) Modern Jack the Ripper street art.

So this piece does not have a name that I can recall, so do not quote me on the name, but this was something we saw on our street art tour. It’s a depiction of Jack the Ripper but instead of pulling out intestines and a uterus, he is pulling out wires and a connector for said wires. And instead of a prostitute he is murdering, it is an android. I was drawn to the piece by the soft colors in the background of this stencil piece, and of the content itself. Its depicting man killing machine yet everyone is too busy recording it instead of stopping it. I feel like it is commenting on our addiction to technology and how those trying to stop it just end up at the center of it. It makes me think of how much technology I use.

3.) Broken Heart X-ray

Again with the street art tour! I like this piece because of several reasons. A.) its an x-ray of a rib cage. I’m a BMB major who wants to go into surgery. Its pretty cool. B.) Interpretation I make of this is pretty cool. So this person’s heart is literally smashed out of their chest. The person depicted is in so much pain emotionally and medical science can not see it, nor help it. And it, to me at least, seems to be a warning to take care of your emotions too, because one too many heart aches can leave you like this, with your heart shattered and ripped out of your chest. As someone who is pretty emotional (thanks hormones) this is a message I should take to heart. *bu dum tiss*

4.) Palindrome at the Wellcome Center.

So besides this one being a skeleton and appeasing my medical interests, this piece is quite interesting as It shows a pelvis where the skull should be and a skull where the pelvis should be, which caught my eye. I like this piece because of how I interpreted it. I thought that the artist was saying how some people think with their genitalia and not with their brain, so switching the two brings that to light, as the pelvis is now the first respondent and the processor of information and the brain is now the secondary respondent and reacts to what the pelvis wants. I took this piece to be a social statement on our modern world and how “Sex sells” which was something I was in denial about for a long time, as I didn’t want to believe we were a sex centered world, but its hard to ignore that fact now. Especially after seeing this piece.

5.) Melting Pot

This was also pointed out on our street art tour and it is going to be hard to not be too political with this piece. It caught my eye because the USA is called the melting pot a lot, and so I tend to tune into this phrase. I’m not sure how I feel about this piece because it is so raw and emotional, as the UK is having Brexit finalized and the people were not too fond of it. The anger in this piece is easy to see, and I picked this piece because it was sad to see that THIS is how the people have to communicate with their political leaders. Street art.... It makes me think how lucky we are to be able to call our representatives if we don’t like what is going on.

Almost all of my interests were related in some way or another as I think they tell a story. Number 1 related to number 3 because the pain of being “Alien”ated from the community as a whole because you’re gay and “because you’re gay you must have HIV/AIDS, and you must sleep around and only think with your dick (number 4)” could be enough to break your heart. That kind of alienation could destroy a person emotionally. Also strong political feelings (number 5) could also bring horrible heart ache because you feel so deeply for your country but you’re voiceless. So you take your voice or your feelings of alienation out to the streets and the internet, in a desperate attempt to connect with someone like minded but on the internet, you get trolled and bullied and it gets you to want to quit technology but you can’t because of how dependent we as a society are of the internet (number 2).

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wanderingbutnotlostsoul · 6 years

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What Makes Life Worth Living?

Below is my personal list of what makes my life worth living. Some of these were harder to pick than others. (this list is made in comparison to a list in a Woody Allen film)

I can’t really pick one personal hero as many people have had significant influences on my life. For example my father helped me with my love of science and my love of music, my mother helped form me into the strong-willed, independent woman I am, my brother showed me how important it is too be strong when you have no clue what is going on with your life, my boyfriend is helping me (NOT FORCING ME, just to clarify) to change what I don’t like about my personality and to become a better person, my friends help me make it tough emotional situations and give me strength. I don’t think it’s fair of me to pick one person over all the others in my life.

My Willy Mays is not an athlete as I don’t really watch sports (I’d rather partake in a martial art or sport than watch them), but rather a doctor. My Willy Mays is Dr. Sandra Lee, A.K.A Dr. Pimple Popper. As someone who wants to work in the medical field, I find her youtube videos extremely interesting. (her channel is linked below)

https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSandraLee

There is a tie for my Jupiter Symphony album between the albums The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance and Sam’s Town by The Killers. With both albums I frequent very often, and I always find something new in both, whether it be a new song meaning or a bass line I hadn’t payed attention to before. (both album names are embeded with the album’s youtube link)

A song that always cheers me up is 20 Dollar Nose Bleed by Fall Out Boy, it’s catchy, it’s fun, and it has a surprise guest in it!

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So, a category of obsession for me would Probably be music. I don’t mean simply loving music or appreciating it.... No.... I mean making it a point to know album names, dates, track numbers, ect..... I also tend to have a musical quote for almost any situation.... yeah.....

Despite how stereotypical this sounds, I return to the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. Her books (and film series) helped carve my sense of wonder and adventure and are one of the big reasons I want to go to London. I grew up with these, and they’re near and dear to my heart.

I have a lot of actors that I like whose films make life worth living, yet Benedict Cumberbatch’s work moves me more than others, so he would have to be my Marlon Brando.

My Frank Sinatra would be Brendon Urie from Panic! At The Disco, especially with the song Death of a Bachelor.

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From artwork I love the calm feeling I get from looking at Vincent Van Gogh’s Almond Blossom. I love it so much that my poetry journal’s covers have the painting printed on.

My favorite food would be my mother’s Chile Colorado and re-fried beans (I unfortunately don’t have a photo but it’s meat in a spicy red sauce with mashed beans).

My equivalent to “Tracy’s face” would be my boyfriend Kellen’s eyes smile face, from his cute dimpled smile, to his gorgeous blue eyes, as you can tell, it was hard for me to pick something specific.

#whatmakeslifeworthliving #londonblogpost #classwork

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wanderingbutnotlostsoul · 6 years

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A Little Bit About Me

Hello! My name is Victoria, I’m a 20 year old incoming Junior at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, going for a biochemistry and molecular biology major with a biology minor and two tracks, pre-pharm and pre-med.

I have decided to travel to London because I have always wanted to travel across the pond and what better place to go than London? Also I really needed to get my fine arts credit and another gen ed credit out of the way so I can take additional classes in my upcoming semesters. I’m really excited about seeing the theater in London with this class, as I grew up watching Broadway shows every summer since I was a little girl.

Besides seeing the theater, I want to use my time in London wisely to see things like John Donne’s grave in St. Paul’s Cathedral, or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Westminster Abbey, or even to see one of the Egyptian obelisks that has been relocated to London. There are many things I would like to do, but can’t because of scheduling errors, like the WB Harry Potter tour, or seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I’ll just have to come back in the future for those.

I would like to think of myself as a creative person, as I write poems, sing for Youtube (no I will not give out my account name), draw, play the trumpet (and am learning the piano) and design and create costumes for Halloween. I love bands like The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, and many more in all genres (excluding country, folk, and bluegrass).

Well, I think this introduction went on way longer than it should have, so I’ll bid you all farewell, with the hope and excitement of meeting soon!

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