The Hunting Ground

                  This film was released in the beginning of the year of 2015. It focuses on the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses and the unjust in the way the cases are handled. The director and producer, Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, had previously made a documentary on sexual assault in the military and the ways the military has avoided dealing with the issue and the struggles that victims face. They were then approached by college students who saw their film and expressed that

essentially the same situation was occurring except within college campuses. In present day, in order to achieve success, you have to go to college. Many parents are sending their kids off to far away places and this film revealed the fallacy that exist on these so called “safe campuses”. The cast and directors chose to give personal narrative of their attacks. Many of the people who appear in the film are students who are able to provide first hand experience of the issue and explain their mistreatment. College is getting increasingly more expensive and this film called into question what colleges value more, funding or safety? Many colleges nowadays have become essentially a business. They advertise, draw in students, and make money. However, this need for a spotless reputation left some victims being silenced. Sexual Assault prevention groups and rallies shave existed for decades and has been a prevalent issue. This documentary incorporated the time line of the issue and the small response to such a large issue.

                       This film’s message was extremely direct. It discussed the inequality between women and men alongside the corruption of universities. The film discusses how this is a largely female victim crime. It includes anecdotes from primarily women to convey this point. The lack of reaction shows how

women have once again been overlooked by the government and now institutions. Male athletes and students have managed to rape and assault people without repercussions. By doing this, campuses essentially say that an athlete is worth more to them than the safety of their students. The film provided horrifying statistics and reports of the weak punishments administered to those accused of assault to reveal the true inequality in the way women are treated in means of campus safety. The film also uses first person narrative to reveal the horrific interactions between victims and staff of the university. The staff has been severely negligent and been encouraged by the school to look the other way on this issue so as to keep the crime numbers “artificially low”. This film focuses heavily on this aspect of corruption and how it stems from a need for applicants and a desire to steer clear of a reputation as an unsafe school when the reality is, is that it is happening on every campus. It challenges this idea of cover up and says that the issue is universal and the only way to attempt to improve this issue is to take accountability. The film included the refusal of presidents to speak on this issue to show the universal corruption that exists in universities across the nation.

            This piece’s power and bravery is what gives it beauty. Many people who suffer from assault have trouble speaking and advocating for themselves. This documentary provides a voice for those who cannot speak up. It’s narrative based format gave a face to this national issue. It also inspired global change. The result of the film was huge and many schools began to address the issue. The way

the directors constructed the film outlined the problem extremely well and definitely included a call to action. The bravery of the women and men who were willing to share their very personal stories contributed a lot to the piece. It made the issue hard to ignore. I thought the film was pretty revolutionary in the sense that it generated both conversations and change. It followed the stories of two women who single handedly found a way to force colleges to change. This documentary showed that anyone is capable of calling out an injustice and working t fix it. It challenged people to refuse the current and injustice and not except anything but equality and respect. This film gave a voice to an extremely prevalent issue and its honesty is what made it extraordinary

El Columna Rota by Frida Kahlo

                     Frida Kahlo's heavily dark and depressing life played a pivotal role in her pieces. In "La Columna Rota" which stands for broken column was greatly influenced by the tragic accident that Kahlo endured. When she was eighteen years old, Kahlo suffered from a severe spinal injury that would leave her with chronic pain for the rest of her life. Outside of the emotional suffering Kahlo endured in other aspects of her life such as her abusive husband and miscarriage, Kahlo was simultaneously

suffering from an immense amount of physical pain. Kahlo produced this painting in 1944 while she was forced to wear a metal brace for five months. She described the experience as "punishment". She also Kahlo also suffered from polio which intensified her already profoundly severe amount of pain. includes aspect of her turbulent relationship with Diego Riviera. During the time of this painting, Kahlo's relationship was undergoing constant arguing and infidelity. Their relationship was founded on an abundance of lies however Kahlo's outlet of honesty was through her paintings.

                     Frida Kahlo used this piece to express the deep-seeded pain that existed in her constantly. In the painting, Kahlo has removed the skin and revealed her broken spine to emphasis her physical disability. She has also placed small nails all over her body to portray the holistic feeling of pain that traveled through her whole body. She paints subtle tears in her eyes to show the internal battle she is fighting. The painting also includes a desolate background to intensify the way her pain has isolated her from others. With a closer look, a larger nail in her heart can be seen. This nail served to represent the emotional pain she underwent in her tumultuous relationship with fellow artist, Diego Riviera. A central theme that Kahlo attempted to convey was how we must laugh through our sorrows. She spoke to a fellow artist who was concerned by the message of the piece and said that if one were to look closely into her eyes they would see peace. She felt it important to savor the better moments of life because that is what kept her from drowning in her own life's tragedies. She heavily emphasized the notion of "if you don't laugh, you'll cry".  Another theme displayed in this work, outside of her

physical ailments, was the emotional suffering of women in abusive relationships. She uses the nail to show the lasting pain Diego has left her with. She also specifically draws herself without any animals or objects to place emphasis on the isolation she felt from him. The domestic oppression of women was a prevalent during this time and Frida expresses that with the small detail of this piece.

                           This painting is beautiful because it shows the relationship between beauty and suffering. Frida Kahlo has a life that lacked beauty and happiness however she was still able to create something so beautiful. Her use of art to communicate her feelings was impeccable. The creative way she chose display her pain was thought provoking and moving. Her ability to convey the vast amount of emptions she felt required extreme precision and articulation. She painted from the most personal parts of her soul and she was not afraid to reveal the pain she was enduring. I think that gave a strong sense of bravery and power to a woman who should have been broken by her tragic life. She had an

incredible talent for conveying emotion that made her work memorable and touching. She also had very dark and depressing themes that were relatable to people out there struggling. Her use of art as an outlet for these pains was almost generous. She used her sorrows and sufferings to create beautiful things for her audience as well as serving as a sort of therapy for herself. She didn’t have a great life, but she had great paintings. They were unique, personal, and raw.

Take A Walk xx Passion Pit

                               This piece was written by the lead singer Michael Angelakos. He grew up with the patriacharal themes in his household. The song was written during a semi tumultuous economic and social time. Social change was and still is on the rise in the 2000’s. The issue of immigration is a huge social topic being debated politically. Many people argued whether letting people into our country was the right thing to do. Also the oppression of women in general has been a theme in history. A lot of present day social issues that Michael Angelakos had expirienced on a very personal

level were incorporated into this piece. Music being a way of to speak out in this time was a very common thing. He discusses how these various social issues played a role in his writing of the song and the true influence of the sing was not meant to be a politically charged purpose but just an overall empowerment. At the time, America was and is a capitalist nation which he discusses in his lyrics. America was experiencing a recession and the topic of money was a sensitive one for many. The way money was being handled so carelessly was leaving people impoverished due to the dishonesty of many of the bank systems.

                 The central message of the song is the irony of how men are so highly esteemed but yet they seem to be the ones who keep falling a victim to capitalism. He speaks on how men the primary handlers of money and how the capitalist system has preyed on the desire to be wealthy but inly left them empty handed. He speaks of the way women are viewed when it comes to money by saying “she will never flaunt around an empty purse” highlighting the distorted image of women. Their desires for money are only sourced from a need to show tangible items off. I his personal experience, on a familial level,

he felt the males always were corrupted by money and how this was an ironic way for them to view women. Another point being made was the inefficiencies of capitalism. He wanted to share his commentary on this system through the discussion of how people make bad investments based a crazed desire for more money. He wants to convey the dangers of a power/money hungry society and the way, he feels, men have played a role in the destruction of America’s economy.

                        This song's beauty exists in its subtly. When I first listened to it, I was so captured by it’s spunky beat that the message did not even occur to me until I truly listened to the words I was singing. He discusses very first hand experiences of how money has effected people in the present day. I think the choice to discuss a topic that it uncomfortable is also fascinating and captivating. Many people chose to avoid controversy or monetary issue because they are uncomfortable however he challenged this idea. He was organic in the revealing of his opinions of our governmental and economic systems and their effectiveness. I think beauty exists in truth and honesty and that what this song is. It is an honest opinion of the artist and how he has been personally effected by social and economical issues. I also think the point made about women is founded on a lot of very real prejudices that exist. The attempt to acknowledge this is powerful to me.

Flor de Venezuela designed by Fruto Vivas

               

  Flor de Venezuela (which translates to flower of Venezuela) was designed by Venezuelan architect Fruto Vivas. Fruto Vivas was inspired by the Tepuyes of the Gran Sabaana and the national flower of Venezuela, an orchid. The pavilion was constructed during a time when technology was becoming more prominent than ever. Vivas definitely incorporated this increasing popularity in the work. He adhered very closely to his Venezuelan heritage which played a large role in what he placed within the pavilion. He included many material natives to Venezuela in the piece. A huge aspect if the piece was the location and the biodiversity of Venezuela. Venezuela had an abundance of different species of both animals and plants. Fruto Vivas grew up to be a huge political activist supporting the

communist party of Venezuela and spreading his ideas in different political forums. He became a quite controversial man which played a role in the way the audience judged his works. He played a strong role in societal issues and built safe house and routes for the armed forces of nation liberation. He had a heavy alignment with pride for his country and also making sure it’s people were protected in different facets of the government.

                                 Fruto Vivas incorporated many of his beliefs in his work but the two key themes of this work where nature and technology and their relationship with each other. Vivas created this theme of nature through creating an 18 petal flower that opens up in the light and closes during the day. Venezuela has a huge amount of biodiversity, which has made it popular. He incorporated a light weight material to ensure movement of the petals to highlight his theme of nature and make the pavilion more realistic. He then used an intricate lighting system and sleek metal to give the flower a very techno looks. This is a stark contrast with its representation of nature. It served to represent innovation on the technological front for

Venezuela. He meshed these to together to show how one does not have to negate the other. He wanted to stress the importance of the coexistence of technology with nature because he felt that beauty in nature was important to acknowledge and appreciate. He did not want that to get lost in the growth of technology. By incorporating advanced technology with the nation flower, he created a space that many enjoy sitting under while simultaneously conveying the message of the importance of both and the beauty in their coexistence.

                  The beauty behind this piece exists in it’s theme of the harmony that must exist between nature and technology. Fruto Vivas addressed an issue that is so relevant to us nowadays. This idea that with the growth of technology, the appreciation for organic beauty has become antiquated is false and Fruto Vivas shows how the two can exist. Nature in inherently beautiful but the things we have innovatively discovered and created through technology are equally as fascinating. Vivas constructed that pavilion with precision and articulation, focusing on the materials and movement. The combination of the realness of the flower and the patriotism within the piece made it significant. I also think that art that

everyone can enjoy is beautify. Opening up a piece for interpretation is generous to the audience. I also find art that is not only visually pleasing but functional as well to be beautiful. The beauty exists in the use of the piece. It is existing not only to please the eye but also as a space for people to create memories which contributes the message of the piece. Art that betters everyone who encounters it is “good” art. It should move its audience in some way or provoke thought. This piece challenges it's spectators and users to find a balance in nature and technology.