Jerry Yuan
Arts Scholar
Pentathalon Semester 1
As an experiential component of College Park Arts Scholars, I attended a selection of five art events during my first semester. These events ranged in art mediums and each sparked dialogue among my peers.
Why People Believe They Can't Draw
September 20, 2020
I watched a TEDx Talk presented by Graham Shaw, educator on art and communications. Initially, a vast majority of the audience believed they could not draw, but Shaw made them lose that mindset by teaching them a simple algorithm to draw cartoon characters. Once everyone, including me, got a hang of the simple procedure, we varied the hair, the eyes, and other features and were able to create infinitely many unique characters. The presentation was not only inspiring in the sense that it showed most people do have the ability to draw, it also utilized the concept of abstraction, a central concept in computer engineering, my field of study. Complex things can be abstracted down to a few essential elements so that people can accomplish seemingly difficult tasks with minimal requirement on skill and advanced knowledge.
Skyfall
October 3, 2020
After finishing a complex bundle of labs and projects, I decided to revisit a James Bond film to relax. Skyfall is a movie that I only have faint memories of, but after seeing it again years later, I feel that I have now developed a strange liking towards the main villain, Raoul Silva. I think this character speaks very well to me not only because of our shared obsession in coding (hence my major), but also because of the constant atmosphere of mystery and surrounding him. Having been betrayed by M, the head of MI6 and his own mother, Silva invades her system as a virus and leaves her the message, "think on your sins". This artistic rendition of a warning has been rearranged in letters by some and shown to read "your son isnt in hk" as an anagram. This kind of enigmatic and deviant word play reflects his quirky and dramatic personality, as well as his supreme intelligence, and that has led me wanting him to succeed all along. It was a shame in the end that he had to die, bested by James Bond's badassery, affirming to Silva's dramatic speech that only one "rat" will survive.
Western Pond Turtle
October 16, 2020
I decided to work on an origami project when I found some thin, crisp sheets of Korean hanji paper lying around my drawer. Being an origami enthusiast, I'm into creating very complex figures that contain tens to even hundreds of steps. I decided to fold a turtle model designed originally by physicist and origami artist, Robert J Lang. It took a while to measure and divide the sides of the square and fold 3 hexagons precisely in the center of the paper, which eventually became part of the turtle's shell. Then, I collapsed the paper to form the model in the middle, which contained the flaps that eventually got shaped into the head, the tail, and the legs. After all the folding was done, I shaped the shell by applying a tiny amount of water to the paper, which allowed the dome to stay in shape beautifully. Having folded turtle models before, I am quite pleased with how well this one turned out.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
November 14, 2020
I watched Borat 2 with my friends over the weekend, in the midst of the political chaos that's been going on recently. Sacha Baron Cohen has done fairly well at bringing the relevant, real life materials into this film and portraying them in hilarious scenes throughout. Some unscripted parts were especially funny, such as the pastor visit and the trolling of the RNC. The interview prank with Guilliani came as a real jaw-dropper as well. In my opinion, the only down for this movie is that the plotline is not quite as interesting as the first Borat, but given the explosively funny scenes and the meaningful story, the movie is still going high up on my list. At these challenging and divided times, it is good to make a laugh out of the situations we are all in together.
Pomodoro Study Session
December 12, 2020 (Category: Presentation)
I attended a study session on Saturday that used the Pomodoro technique to maximize the effectiveness of independent working. The technique involves repeatedly studying/working for 25 minutes and taking a 5 minute break. During the breaks, we did some stretching and relaxing to replenish our minds so that we can propel ourselves better in the next 25 minutes. This technique worked for me, as I got a major assignment done in just a 50-minute time frame. However, I was not sure how much of it was due to peer pressure, since I was in a live session where everyone appeared to be diligently working. I also tried to listen to the lofi playlist offered by the session director as I worked. The music was very calming, but I wasn't sure whether it had an effect on my efficiency. Overall, I feel that the Pomodoro technique has made me more productive, and I will try to employ it in the future.
Image Resources
“Pencil and Books,” 2017, Tsherin Sherpa (Myanmar, b 2017), photography. www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/books-pencils.html
Pentathalon Semester 2
Below are my personal reflections on the Pentathalon Events I attended in the second semester.
Speed
February 7, 2021
On Saturday, February 7th, I watched Speed, an 1994 action film starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. It tells the story of a young police officer (Jack) who takes on the feat to rescue all the passengers on a bus, one which is armed and cannot drop below 50 miles an hour, or the bombs will detonate. Assisting Jack on his challenge is Annie, a love interest of his who has to drive the bus, and the Los Angeles Police Department, which monitors road conditions and eventually rescues the passengers off the moving bus. The film is features several breathtaking stunts, including one which the bus drives through a 50 feet chasm on a highway, and another one where Jack lies on a platform under the moving bus in attempt to defuse a bomb. It is these stunts that made Keanu Reeves famous worldwide as an action icon. However, Keanu Reeves couldn't have done the stunts without the assistance of a tech team and careful planning. As someone who studies engineering, I researched into the production of the flying bus stunt, and I found that the actual leap was done on ground level with a ramp. Also, the gap on the highway did not actually exist in real life; it was created by removing a section of the highway via CGI. The footage of the flying motion of the bus was later edited onto the highway chasm to create the in-air effect in cinema. Of course, what made the scene great is beyond the superb editing technologies; it is also the suspense embodied in the characters and the music, all of which get passed on to the viewers to create a breathtaking, thrilling experience.
Why I ask strangers to draw their memories
February 27, 2021
On Saturday, I watched a TED talk given by Janne Willems, founder of an international art project named Seize Your Moments. Her works relate closely to her artistic passion, namely, she travels around the world to collect people's happiest memories on small pieces of paper. She lets her subjects draw or write something that happened last week that they felt was memorable, satisfying or fulfilling. Willems noticed that despite people's happy moments across cultures are vastly different, all of them seemed endearing and relatable to her. For example, a boy in Vietnam expressed that meeting new people makes him happy, but he was too shy to talk. She immediately resonated with him by letting him know that she struggles with the same thing. In fact, her work in this aspect is very similar to the vision of Art Scholars, namely, to bring people together through serving the community, volunteering, and using art as a mode for activism. Willems also observed that happiness does not necessarily mean enjoying a trouble-free life. A man wrote on his card that his cousin passed away that day, but the happy moments he spent with him now lived on as memories. In another part of the world, a family member of a terminally ill patient drew a picture of the hospital bed, as well as the one who is ill telling them that they love them but they will not go back home because it would make it too hard for them. Willems concludes that happiness is not confined to what most people would consider to be good things, rather it can take in many forms, including things that are challenging, difficult, or painful.
Fight Club
March 20, 2021
Last Saturday, I watched Fight Club (streamed on Hulu), a nineties' classic film staring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. It tells the story about a nameless, jaded working class man (Norton) who struggles to figure out the purpose of his existence. One day, he meets a charismatic, metrosexual man who goes by Tyler (Pitt) and seems to have everything that he falls short in. Tyler is street-smart, physically fit, funny, and makes tons of money selling soap (illegally) for a living. The two live together for a while in a worn down house and founded an underground Fight Club, in which people beat others up and get beaten, and miraculously coming out feeling mentally healed and high-spirited like never before. Eventually, Tyler's energy influences the main character, and he becomes more and more confident, shrewd, and even aggressive at times. One day, Tyler disappears, leaving the main character to realize that “Tyler” has actually been his illusion of himself the whole time. Tyler’s life was what he imagined himself to be, living a life free of burden and responsibility instead of plugging away at a boring office job just to make ends meet. The movie comments on the reality of capitalism, about how it makes people pawns to society’s never-ending pressure and about how desperately people want to break free from the institution and live a free life that they want to live. This movie speaks to me because as an engineering major, I know about the heavy competition and workload this field of study brings, both in school and in the job market. I can relate to the feeling of burning out at times, and I'm sure to relate to it even more in the future.
#flim #cpsapentathlon
An Analysis of Debussy's Proses Lyriques
April 10, 2021
On Saturday, I attended Isabella Cadirola's lecture recital (analysis + performance) on Debussy's Proses Lyriques, a 4-movement piece with a soprano vocal accompanied by a piano. In this lecture, Isabella went in detail in each movement to talk extensively about rhythm, chords, key compositions, and other music theory concepts, as well as how each of these concepts emotions each of them aimed to convey. For example, when speaking about the third movement, Isabella talked about how Debussy's use of extended chromaticism contributed to the uneasy tone of the song described by most as a feeling of being hopelessly tangled in a bush of evil flowers. Isabella also talked about the reception of this piece when Debussy first published it in 1893. Despite most classical enthusiasts today regard this song as a masterpiece, the critics then strongly disliked the composition. They were repulsed by Debussy's unconventional style, such as the use of the whole tone scale, which broke Western musical traditions. However, as time passed, people were able to appreciate his piece more and more, which testifies to the fact that just because something new may not be well received by an old-fashioned public, doesn't mean it is not worthwhile or a bad idea. As an engineering major, my field of work constantly involves breaking existing systems and generating new ideas. Virtually all great innovations were born out of something unconventional, something that most people would regard as outlandish. For this reason, creativity is not only useful in the arts, but also useful in science and engineering, as they generate the breakthroughs that help society progress.
#music #ArtsScholars #cpsapentatholon
Alan Pelaz Lopez on Art as Civil Disobedience
April 26, 2021
On Monday, I attended an event featuring Alan Pelaez Lopez, a previously undocumented immigrant from Mexico, who shared his experiences and hardships as an illegal alien and a queer African American-Indian in the US. He spoke out on the biases of the system that are designed to oppress minorities and those in the LGBTQ+ community, such as laws that prevent naturalization and others that condoned violence against LGBTQ+ people. Through reciting an original poem, Alan communicated on how he came across the boarder when he was a child, was discriminated based on his race and sexuality, as well as how he overcame his trauma. Alan also shared and commented on some examples of some artworks about migrants that attempted to sugarcoat the reality or generalize the situation. These artworks, as Alan stated were actually not made by migrants themselves, and they fell short on only showing a part of of truth. For example, the hashtag #WeAreHeretoStay emphasized that undocs have the right to stay in the US, but failed to recognize a lot of the systematic discriminations in place that would cause the US to not be the best place for a lot of migrants. In other words, even when motivated by good intentions, no one should attempt to cast all of the undocs into the same mould. Rather we should recognize that each person has their unique story and the true way to bring people together is not to blindly advocate for change, rather it is to understand them as fellow humans.
#poetry #cpsapentathlon
Image Resources
Pappademas, Alex. “The Movies of 1994: Keanu's Magic Quasi-Buddhist Bus in 'Speed'.” Grantland, 20 June 2014, grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/the-movies-of-94-keanus-magic-quasi-buddhist-bus-in-speed/.