John Cage's Ordinary Objects

Over time, every one changes or transforms. Most often people transform after a traumatic incident or after a failure. Woody Allen’s film Annie Hall captures the changes of a man named Alvy Singer. Alvy is just coming out of a failed relationship to a woman named Annie Hall. Although Alvy is sad, he begins to learn from his mistakes. Alvy (played by Woody Allen) begins the film as a death obsessed comedy writer with a bleak outlook on life. He is consumed by the fear of death and the desire for physical affection. Annie Hall is the story of Alvy’s growth as a person after the relationship has ended. While sifting through the good times and old haunts of the relationship, Alvy begins to realize what he did wrong and what he can take away from the experience. As Alvy relives moments from the relationship, he realizes how he can change into a better person. The first change is Alvy’s outlook on life. By the time the film has ended, Alvy begins to live life with hope and not fear. Next, Alvy transforms from a closed off man, into an open guy. Alvy does this by trying new things and even writing about his personal life. Then, Alvy slowly begins to reach out to people in his life. As the film is ending, Alvy and Annie meet again for lunch, which helps bring closure and security to Alvy. Last, Alvy begins to come to terms with himself. He begins the film with a lack of self-confidence and an inability to let himself enjoy the world around him. But before

An allegory is a piece of art or literature, like a poem or story, in which people, things, or events have a hidden or symbolic meaning. Yuri Herrera’s characters and their actions in his short story “The Objects” fall under this category. Herrera uses allegories to portray his theme. He uses his characters to proclaim to his audience about the truths of the world they live in. He portrays his emotions through his characters and the threats they face. Herrera utilizes these events to express the truths of the the world in which the people live.

This performance was intended to mock Western concepts of the exotic but instead took on a different facade when most audiences did not realize it was a performance piece. Their cage became “a metaphor for [their]

We live in the age of constant technological innovation and endless information; in which we are so connected and dependent on the technology we use that we sometimes don’t even realize how much we’re relying on it. In The Glass Cage by Nicholas Carr, Carr defines automation as, “the use of computers and software to do things we used to do ourselves,” and argues that there are daunting consequences to our reliance on technology (Carr 1). In his book, Nicholas Carr sets up three arguments related to automation, tacit knowledge, and the idea of work. His main arguments throughout the novel are that humans are overestimating the benefits of automation, losing tacit knowledge through our reliance on technology, and

On Sunday noon around 2 pm, I was standing in line with my ticket at the Wortham Theatre exciting to see Our Town. One more time, I observed how the arrangement of this lobby was, and I like the reality that all across the lobby they had the paper amusement of object comparable to the costumes we were around to notice. I was able to purchase my ticket earlier, and even though I was not so much excited to sit there for about 2 hours and 30 minutes, I was shortly realized that the time went by so fast and that the show was outstanding and enjoyable. This play was directed by Philip Hays and is a tale about a love between a two young children, where each moment of life should be treated like a valuable and treasured and memories are just emotions of life. During this analysis, I will be exploring the scenery, lighting, costumes, stage, setting and acting of this production.

André Breton ran the Surrealist Movement with impressive discipline and rigidity, making an interesting contrast between what the Surrealists preached and the management style of its leader. An interesting story, for example, tells how Salvador Dalí, one of the most prominent members of the Surrealist movement, attended a New York costume party dressed up as Charles Lindbergh’s son, who had been recently kidnapped and murdered. New York’s society did not take the statement well and eventually made Dalí apologize for his behavior. Breton, however, almost dismissed him from Movement because he claimed that “no one should excuse himself for a Surrealist act[6].” This anecdote demonstrates the seriousness of Breton and his Movement towards its final objective: revolution and the slashing of society’s conventions in the interest of a subconscious reality.

As mentioned above, Craig holds the notion that these puppets or uber-marionettes will bring about a revival in modern theatre. This revival has to do with the reforming of the governing laws of theatre and acting as an art. In his essay, Craig interprets art as the desired expression of an artist’s thoughts, emotions,

In The Puppet Theatre by Heinrich von Kleist and The Electric Ant by Philip K. Dick, identity and self-awareness play crucial roles as both works progress. The Puppet Theatre argues that self-awareness damages the natural grace inherent in human beings, and is the reason why puppets and gods possess more grace than humans. On the other hand, after being made aware of his identity as an organic robot, Mr. Poole from The Electric Ant obtains more control over his perception of reality as the story progresses. Through a close analysis of two selected passages from these works, we conclude that it is not self-awareness but the method by which a person’s flaws are perceived by him or herself that hampers or benefits the person’s performance

When presented with the words “theatre of the absurd” many are confused and intrigued. They may ask, what is theatre of the absurd? According to Edwin Wilson, and Alvin Goldfarb, Theatre of the Absurd consists of twentieth century plays that convey a sense of absurdity and the pointlessness of human existence (95). One example of absurdism is The Arsonists by Max Frisch. I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of The Arsonists at the University of Tennessee’s Fine Arts Center in the Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre. The following response will discuss in which ways The Arsonists is an absurdist play and notable moments that I experienced during the play.

Surrealism is a movement that built off of the burgeoning look into art, psychology, and the workings of the mind. Popularly associated with the works of Salvador Dali, Surrealist art takes imagery and ideology and creates correlation where there is none, creating new forms of art. In this essay I will look to explore the inception of the surrealist movement, including the Surrealist Manifesto, to stress the importance of these artists and their work in the 20th century and beyond. I also will look to films from our European Cinema course to express how films incorporate the influence of surrealism both intentionally and unintentionally.

To best vicariously appreciate Mimmo Paladino’s evocative installation Dormienti (Sleepers), poke around the internet and find composer Brian Eno’s electronic score of the same title. At Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, this trance-inducing music plays on a loop in a large, dark gallery space, creating a moody and surreal soundscape for Paladino’s ambitious installation, in which 32 life-sized abstracted terracotta human forms rest in the fetal position. It’s as if their inert earthen bodies have yet to experience the spark of life. Although unmistakably contemporary, this collaborative work seems timeless and universal, as do many of Paladino’s other sculptures on view. Even Eno’s electronic music, for all its technological modernity, seems evocative of free-rhythm Gregorian chant.

The compelling shape and size of the unique Lim L table lamp certainly seem reminiscent of a fine art piece, possibly using emotional persuasion. It is likely that this lamp makes up for its hidden technological reasoning with its “emotional” draw. Like with Buchanan’s example of the unusually curved wrench, spectators may take a liking to the Lim L lamp’s uncommonly sleek look, regardless of whether they know the exact purpose of the piece. On the other hand, the Sanrio Hello Kitty table lamp is so kitsch-based and so reliant on its commercial appeal, it is difficult to classify it as something on the same level as fine art. That is not to say, however, that there is no emotional component to the piece, especially because this lamp is intended for a younger audience. As stated before, the table lamp is very inviting and encourages play, even if a child were to be unaware of the ever-popular Hello Kitty character. In this way, the lamp also serves as a piece that, as Buchanan stated, is “transformed into [an object] for pure contemplation, valuable in [itself] rather than as the means to some other

This idea is relevant because on the stage, the Restoration actress, is nothing but an ornament in the male gaze. This attitude is apparent as Thomas Shadwell links the new phenomenon of female performers with painted theatrical scenes, both innovative commodities for audience consumption:

Theatre is a complex art that attempts to weave stories of varying degrees of intricacies with the hope that feelings will be elicited from the audience. Samuel Beckett’s most famous work in the theatre world, however, is Waiting for Godot, the play in which, according to well-known Irish critic Vivian Mercier, “nothing happens, twice.” Beckett pioneered many different levels of groundbreaking and avant-garde theatre and had a large influence on the section of the modern idea of presentational theatre as opposed to the representational. His career seemingly marks the end of modernism in theatre and the creation of what is known as the “Theatre of the Absurd.”

‘Aadhe Adhure’ or ‘Halfway House’ has often been described as a cross between Naturalist Theatre and Theatre of the Absurd. Interestingly, both these elements actually undercut each other as theatrical movements and are said to have polarized western theatre. Naturalism argues for heredity and a global perspective on human behavior, which is said to develop out of the social environment in which a particular individual lives. On the contrary, Absurdism believes that there are no solutions to the mysteries of existence because ultimately man is alone, forced to perform repetitive actions in a world without meaning.