My Project Proposal--Revisted

So originally, I had planned to do a live performance part to my project. However, I've decided to nix this idea, since the whole point of my project is to sensuously share my own personal experience between food and culture. Therefore, I've got an audio track and three large foam boards that chronicle my family's history (through food).

Displaying projects at Swem

Hey there classmates, I contacted the folks over at Swem about displaying our personal creative projects from April 15th to May 15th and they said I needed to give them exact dimensions of each piece so they know where our display could fit. Please post how much space you think your project will take up, for example, my scarf could be folded up as small as a shoebox or stretched out the length of two couches. I go by visual measurements, but by all means if you're more exact please list those instead. Thanks!

Amazon.com: Leche (9781566892544): R. Zamora Linmark: Books

Amazon.com: Leche (9781566892544): R. Zamora Linmark: Books

Plays

So, we all discussed our ideas, and I think Tea was the general consensus. We also worked up a cast list (some alterations were agreed on) and we were wondering about how much time we're going to have to pull together all three different aspects of the final. The timeline is going to require a lot of group work, in order to minimize our workload (a play would mean individual memorization of lines, as well as time in class to rehearse) so if anyone wants to cover simply themes of immigration: gender, economic opportunities, general world events that conspired...I think that would be the best.

thoughts etc to Japan...

playssss

hey guys,
had surgery this morning and won't be able to meet with you all this afternoon
but wanted to give my opinions on the plays

tea was definitely my favorite play, i thought it was the best written and an absolutely beautiful play full of real passion and emotion.
didn't like it quite as much as i love Roar though

the other two plays i found too bigoted for my personal tastes. While it was an interesting experience (of which I am grateful for) reading them in class, I did not think that they were as well written as tea. There was certainly some raw emotion exhibited, however I had a hard time feeling much empathy.

I'll try and add some more detail later when I'm not doped up on pain killers.
Let me know if you guys have any questions for me and please let me know what you discuss

Play Choice

Of all the plays read, I found myself to like Bondage the most because of its intriguing dialogue and all the different themes that it touched upon. The amount of characters are few, but even so, the writer really allows you to get to know them through all the witty and quick dialogue. By the end of the story, alot about these characters has been revealed, and through that essentially all the various themes are cleverly touched upon. Its not that the other two plays weren't enjoyable or well-written (they were all great in their own right), its just that I feel like this particular play stood out to me on many more aspects (comedy, story, character development, dailogue, etc...) than the other ones, and I feel as if it would be the best one for us to produce collectively as a class.

play critique

my favorite of the plays we've done has been tea

Class Play

Tea: I loved this play because of the incorporation of many different women, all sharing a common ground and footing while also allowing the audience to feel the intense emotion and hardship of their positions. I also loved the subtle differences in rhythm throughout the dialogue as well as the flow from past to present.

Bondage: The fluent dialogue between false reality and true reality kept me interested and challenged throughout the play. I liked the dynamic between Mark and Terri and felt that portraying this couple may breakdown previously held pretenses if acted by our class.

A Language of Their Own: This play stirred me most in that I felt a level of embarrassment throughout the reading. I admit that I am not as comfortable as some with homosexual relations, but that is what theatre is for and I am happy that my horizons have been widened by the experience of reading it. I hope that we perform this in some respect as a class effort.

If we perform two of these plays I would like to do Tea and A Language of Their Own.

Tea/Bondage/Language of Their Own Response

Although I didn't get a chance to finish Language of Their Own in class, I enjoyed this play the most, then Tea, and finally Bondage. Language of Their Own was a bit unsettling at parts, but in an intriguing way, whereas I found Bondage to be a bit uncomfortable. I feel that Language of Their Own was able to address the racial issues much more subtly than Bondage, in which the racial question seemed more contrived. I enjoyed Tea because of the dynamic amongst the 5 different women, which was emotional and in that regard opposite to the subtle delivery of Language of Their Own, and I especially enjoyed the way in which each of the women played other roles as well.

Bondage response

I preferred the play Tea to Bondage because Tea had more characters and I liked the story better. I liked the interplay of different generations and the struggles with race the characters faced as a mother, daughter or husband. I know that Bondage also has struggles with race as well as dominance/submission and sex as power, but I still prefer Tea.

A reflection on the class discussion

After Tues's class (2/22/2011) coupled with the statement that Francis said about himself in a constant struggle to discover his identity, something clicked in my head that made me realize that I think to a certain extent, we all are on this quest of constantly attempting to ascertain who we are in terms of origin and identity. From my perspective, I always assumed that I was a 100% Pakistani and that was the extent of my background, however deeper thought into the subject made me think for a second of the obvious fact that Pakistan as a country itself is relatively new (only 60 years old) and that my true identity is that I am from the South Asian region, perhaps mixed with Afghan from the North, and slightly even Arab from the Middle East. Now does it really make a difference to understand fully what I am and will it even impact my life greatly, probably not on a day to day basis, however in the scheme of things, it certainly is interesting to learn and find out what different nationalities and peoples that one is comprised of, and it is for that reason that I want to constantly keep finding out more and more of who I am.

TEA Response

TEA gave me a new perspective on picture brides I didn't see in the film, though it may have been because of the difference in location. In the film, the brides were sent to Hawaii where their primary role was to work in the fields with their husbands and then to provide companionship. While there was romance, I felt that in TEA the women actually knew and somewhat loved their husbands before they were married, and so their role was primarily companionship. It is this focus on companionship, rather than the labor issue, that makes it more clear of the brides' actual relationship with their husbands that I felt was a little bit lacking in Picture Bride. Also, the variety of the husbands' backgrounds and the wives' personalities gave a more wholistic view than did the single story of Riyo and her husband.

I enjoyed reading TEA (and not just because we were able to go outside when the weather was so nice) and while I'd love to have TEA be our performance for the APA History showcase I'd still be interested in reading other plays as well. I haven't had much experience with theatre, I've only watched plays/Broadway shows or read some Shakespeare for class, but the last time I was in a play was in elementary school.

Project Proposal

Experimental Film exploring the complex set of relationships between history, humanity, and society today.

Topics to be explored:
War, Peace, Psychology, Corruption, Humanity, Revolution, Nationalism, Imperialism, Colonialism, Nation-building, Religion, Crime, Capitalism, Climate Change, Energy

Secondary sources to be examined (more to be listed as research ensues):
Film:
Che (2008)
The 11th Hour (2007)

Literature:
Cosa Nostra (2004)
Imagined Communities (1983)
Strangers from a Different Shore (1990)
Various works of Philosophy

Timeline (transient):
Now until March 1: ongoing background research and introspective thought
March 1 - March 15: pre-production stage
March 15 - March 21: filming
March 21 - 28: post

Project Proposal

Final Project Proposal

Description:

This project will contain a combination of three artistic components, spoken poetry, dance, and graphic art. I will author a spoken poetry piece, record myself performing the poem, and then compose a choreographed dance set to the words of the poem which will be performed live to the recording on the day of the presentation. I will also create a visual representation of my poem, which I will convert to a digital file and then display on a projector screen as the backdrop of my dance performance. Dance choreography will incorporate elements of Bharatanatyam, and the overall performance should take approximately five minutes. I choose to symbolically utilize three talents I have that are in various stages of development, in order to show my past, present, and future. Visual art is something I have always had an interest in but left behind as a child without any serious attempt to develop my talents in this area. Dance is something I took up instead of art, chose to train seriously in, and am now most familiar with. Spoken poetry is something I have been introduced to recently at college, and will be attempting for the first time; perhaps something I will keep up with in the future. I will use all three mediums to express what I believe is my own culture, and history. I am choosing to do it this way because as I create this project, I expect to find myself along the way, and gain an understanding of myself through the arts. I seek to challenge myself, and understand myself.

Schedule:

February 19-March 5 – Compose spoken poetry piece, practice various ways of reading it, and record a final version.

March 6- March 19 – Choreograph dance to spoken poetry piece and find appropriate costume.

March 20 – March 27 – Practice dance and create visual backdrop for performance.

March 27-? – Continue practicing until performance, including a few run-throughs at the actual place of performance.

Future Plan:

I would like to record my performance on the day of the actual project, and perhaps one other time at another location. This way I can upload my video to youtube, and gain publicity this way. I can also perform this piece after I graduate at cultural programs that I will most likely be asked to participate in.

New Project Proposal

I have changed my mind about my project, here's what I'd like to do instead:

The final project I would like to propose involves working with my hands to create a product that embodies who I am as well as benefitting others. I am interested in knitting a scarf as my final project because it is a visual representation of my history or folklore. I have actually never knitted anything before but I have always been interested in starting up the craft. I have two roommates who are avid knitters and very advanced. At night they relax by creating socks, slippers, mittens, blankets, scarves, and sweaters. I see knitting as a way of bonding with others through the act of physically creating a garment that can be worn. This garment then becomes a physical expression of who I am.

Beginning knitters always start by creating a scarf and that is what I plan to do. I plan to use red yarn to symbolize my Asian heritage. Red is the color of blood, my ancestry, and red is also a color of celebration, acknowledging and glorifying my heritage by eventually wrapping the scarf around my neck – which is a very vulnerable spot on the body. I am interested in working with my hands to create something because of my background as a dancer. I typically just focus on creating art by moving around using my feet, but knitting will allow me to express my artistry using my hands and then wearing it around my body.

My timeline for this project is to first purchase needles and yarn and then get my roommates to teach me the basics, how to knit and purl. I will then have until April to complete the scarf. The length of the scarf will be based on how much time I devote to the project. And I plan to use my newly acquired skill to benefit those in need. I know of different organizations that ask for handmade scarves to hand out to the homeless during the wintertime, as well as to senior citizens. The Special Olympics also asks for handmade scarves to hand out to their athletes. I would like to know that my work benefits others.

Also, when we present our pieces as a group for APA month, the public could wrap my scarf around themselves and then photograph themselves wearing it -- symbolizing them "wearing" my history.

Project Proposal

My idea is to incorporate at least three different forms of art to create a multimedia experience that involves the audience and the performer in a creative discourse about my own family’s personal experiences in America.

The first part will be an audio recording/splicing of interviews with my mother, father, and my older sister, all of whom were born in the Philippines. I want to ask them all questions about where they are now versus then, their experiences in coming and going, what home really means to them, and why remembering the past is so important. I want to remix these ideas into an ambient track that allows the audience to discern individual experiences without detracting from a larger image.

Second, I will make a visual backdrop to the entire thing. I want it to incorporate a lot of words as well as very tactile materials—silk, rice, maybe even crab shells. I’ll approach it as a visual diary—a way of chronicling my own experiences as well as key phrases picked out of the track. After the “performance,” I’m going to invite the audience in to read, examine, and touch the backdrop, in much the same way as Maya Lin encouraged people at her Civil Rights Memorial.

Third, I want to incorporate some sort of movement to go with the entire project as the audio track is recording. I’m a bit scared about this part, and I would be much more comfortable slamming some poetry, but I feel like movement will go with the audio track more than competing for verbal space. I like the idea of branching out as part of the creative experience.

Calendar:

Order of events:

1. Interview with my parents/sister—get audio equipment etc.

2. Purchase art supplies and figure out a way to create a good, sizeable backdrop
3. Remix track together

4. Get started on backdrop

5. After backdrop is finished, create a working dance

I’m not sure about time constraints, but I think if I try to do a stage every two weeks, I’ll be able to work it through.

How to Get the Word Out to the World:

I’ve been involved in a lot of performance art shows, and I think that’s where this fits. I’d like to organize an open mic night venue for performance art—I think I could get a lot of organizations involved with it. I want to see the entire class come together to create a cohesive piece.

Ideas for Personal Project

I think perhaps one of the things that I feel I could do for this class, as a means to connect myself with my past in hopes to gain insight on the future, would be to make a documentary on the lives of 1st generation Asian American Immigrant, specifically hailing from the South Asian region, as that is more personal to my history. I feel that if I express the stories of South Asian Americans trying to reconcile with their cultures they experience at home with the dynamic of their lives outside, it would in turn reveal the struggle I go through to best blends these two worlds into my daily life. I feel that if this was executed through the use of the medium of film, it would best capture the essence of my story in terms of the popular history.

Maya Lin

The documentary on Maya Lin was inspirational. It was very impressive how a 20 year old could be capable of such things. Kind of makes me feel like I am wasting my time and opportunities...