Arts
Harvard Today: Sept. 20, 2013
With October approaching and fall weather drawing nearer, the year’s summery days may be numbered. Take advantage of this weekend’s sun by lounging out in the Yard—or at least work on that p-set somewhere far away from Lamont.
Walter White Is Not Your Friend
The death of adorable Gale, too—if you really wanted to still love Walter—could be seen as a desperate act of survival. But now, as the fifth and final season approaches its end, I deeply hate Walter White, and it constantly shocks me how many people still defend and love him. His badness used to be fun. Now it just makes me sick.
Bearstronaut
For the Boston-based Bearstronaut, there’s a constant tension between trying to push boundaries and please audiences at the same time. They are heavily rooted in an ’80s synth-based style of huge choruses and jittery keyboard licks, yet try to work around the fringes of the constricting genre. Recently, the tightrope walk has worked out: they played in front of energetic audiences all across the country this year on a tour that culminated with their homecoming dance at the Boston Calling music festival.
Raising the Bars in "Orange is the New Black"
Holding her tray, wide-eyed Piper Chapman enters the prison lunchroom in her new orange jumpsuit, uncertain of where to sit. A nearby inmate tells her out of pity, “Go sit there, she’s a nice white lady,” and Piper, relieved, obeys. During this scene from the new Netflix dramedy series “Orange is the New Black,” one phrase comes to mind: one of these things is not like the other.
TV's Fall Lineup: Worth the Hype?
Every fall television networks do the equivalent of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks by premiering dozens of new shows, hoping at least one of them is a hit that will make them millions in ad revenue. These are four of the most heavily promoted new shows of the fall—and our take on whether or not they live up to their hype.
A "Bigger, Better, Faster" Museum
The Fogg Museum's galleries are closed now. One of the largest collections of art in the country, spanning numerous continents, periods, and media, has been under wraps since it closed for renovation in 2008. But from the remnants of the Fogg, a new structure has risen—devoted to broadening and refining the role of the "teaching museum."
VES Exhibition
VES faculty members and members of the Harvard community gather for an exhibition reception on September 1 in the Carpenter Center to view the work of the department's visiting faculty for the Fall.
VES Exhibition
An attendee of the VES visiting faculty exhibition reception on September 12 in the Carpenter Center views a piece of work on display.
"Insidious" A New Chapter in Horror
The focus on tight writing and visual artistry in "Insidious Chapter 2" is such that when the film does appear to stumble, it seems almost intentional.
Earl Sweatshirt Recreates Himself at the Tender Age of Nineteen
Upon his return from Samoa, Earl tweeted that “I anticipate a loss of fans [upon releasing ‘Doris’].” Earl Sweatshirt's sincere approach to “Doris” is enhanced by his usual astonishing lyricism. The internal rhyme schemes and relaxed delivery that helped made “Earl” so mesmerizing become the foundation of “Doris.”
Ceramics Studio
Potting wheels sit in the main classroom of the new OFA Ceramics Studio in Allston. The 15,000 square-foot studio is open to all Harvard Affiliates, as well as members of the community.
How Harvard Teaches Artists (Or Doesn't)
The College continues to increase the presence of the arts in its curriculum—including offering course credit for extracurricular arts organizations this year—but students and graduates worry that Harvard as an institution does not fully prepare them to pursue a career in creativity.
Artist Spotlight: Kalup Linzy
Controversy and raunchy humor are recurring elements in the work of performance artist and musician Kalup Linzy, who is one of the fall 2013 visiting lecturers in the Visual and Environmental Studies Department.
