PENTATHLON

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.

PENTATHLON 1: WORDS BUBBLE UP LIKE SODA POP

Event Logistics 9.18.21, Movie Streaming (Netflix)

Pentathlon category #film, #ArtScholars

For my first Pentathlon Event, I watched the movie Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, an animated movie on Netflix. The astoundingly bright and saturated color scheme was the first thing that drew me into this movie after my Art Scholars peer mentor recommended this movie to me. The movie follows two narratives: A girl named Yuki who is a famous blogger who is particularly insecure about her buck teeth (wears a mask constantly), and a boy named Cherry who's passion is writing Haikus (Japanese poetry) and looking after the elderly at a senior center. They meet and become friends after accidentally switching their phones at the mall.

I'm usually not one to like poetry, but the simplicity of haikus amazed me - a haiku is just one sentence, yet it carries so much weight and truth about the world. One in particular I liked from the movie (last line of the movie) was "Yamazakura. I like the leaves you have hidden". People with buck teeth are referred to as yamazakura, since it is a plant where the leaves grow before the cherry blossoms. This haiku is directed towards Yuki, telling her she is beautiful with her buck teeth and she has no reason to hide them. The theme I collected from this movie was that art is meant to be shared and can help overcome one's insecurities. Another aspect of the movie that highly intrigued me was the animation and the art itself. As an aspiring animator, I like to take note of the colors and art of any animated movie. Before watching this movie, I thought that super saturated colors in any movie was a big no (I tended to avoid them in my art), but after watching this movie, I decided that I should incorporate more lively colors in my art.

PENTATHLON 2: EXQUISITE CORPSE

Event Logistics 10.2.21, Zoom, Exquisite Corpse

Pentathlon category #literature

Today, I went with several of my Art Scholars peers to an event that was hosted by our group's peer mentor, Reshma. The objective was to create a short story where one of us writes one sentence, then the next person writes the next sentence, and it keeps going in a loop until Reshma decides the story is finished. It was an exciting experience and I had the opportunity to express my creativity however I liked. The story we wrote went off in all crazy directions, and it was exciting to surprise everyone else with wayward continuations. The story followed a sailor who came across a mysterious amulet, only to have this amulet turn into a clone of himself. Then, a stranger approached him and told him he was his father.

As someone who hasn't creatively written in a long time, it was liberating to finally write without fear of judgement, or the pressure of how the piece is going to look like in the end. These two components usually keep me from writing for the most part, or stop writing in the middle of a story. This obviously isn't a very good habit, and it can be related to why I procrastinate on any given task, not just in the realm of art and writing.

Though I don't intend to incorporate creative writing into my career, storytelling effectively will be an integral part of animation, and this short exercise helped boost my creativity, knowing there weren't any limits and it was a judgement free zone. I learned that I should incorporate this judgement free mindset in upcoming writing exercises, instead of solely focusing on the outcome.

PENTATHLON 3: AAB ARTHOUSE

Event Logistics: 10.15.21, Art Scholars, AAB Arthouse

Pentathlon category #ArtScholars

At this event, there were a series of performances at CCC 1100 with a very fun and exciting fall themed atmosphere - there were drinks, tea, and candy, and everyone was non-judgmental and were just there to have a good time. One of my favorite aspects of the event was the connection as Art Scholars we all felt as we all laughed, drew, or colored together as enjoying the various performances, even if the person performing "messed up".

The performances themselves were fun to watch: There was an electric guitarist at the beginning who played two amazing original tracks and I hope he uploads them onto a listening platform. There was also standup comedy from confident performers. There were also amazing vocals from singing performances, and lastly, a slideshow presentation featuring memes from middle school. – The most important thing I learned was that since no one performed or left the event feeling nervous, I realized that I was free to express my art without judgement within the Art Scholars community), and with this expression comes learning how to grow as an artist. It is a group of non-judging artists who share a common goal of connection or sharing their art with others, specifically a group of like-minded people. It was also important that I took a night to relax after a tough week.

PENTATHLON 4: RAJAS: CONCERT IN THE QUAD

Event Logistics Date - 10.28.21, Venue/organization - Clarice Performing Arts Center, Art Scholars Title of event - Art Scholars)

Pentathlon category #Presentation

This was my first time seeing a Jazz concert, and I was mainly mesmerized by how focused the players were in making improvisation work. Coming from an Indian origin it was refreshing to see traditional Indian music with a Jazz approach. Every instrument that was played had a chance to go solo, and this aspect of the concert sold the show for me. This was my second experience - A few weeks ago I had my first experience in Arts Scholars Colloquium when Sami and Pepe came to visit, combining music with poetry. This was only a hint of exposure to improv - the rest came with attending this event.

After watching this concert, I gained more insight into what it takes to do improv - it takes focus and time, as well as knowing best what harmonies sound good together and how to blend instruments together in a way that sounds smooth instead of cacophonic. The main questions I am still pondering after attending the event include: How do they know when to jump in to the track? Is improvisation a skill that comes naturally for musicians that have been dedicated to their craft for much of their career? What I did understand, however, is that improv is a creative act, as it allows freedom to create your own melodies - at the same time, these melodies still have to match the song. I am still fascinated on the nature of improv, and this may lead me to attending more musical events at the Clarice.

PENTATHLON 5: PODCAST COVER ART

Event Logistics 11.21.21, Art Scholars, Art Project

Pentathlon category #visualart

My podcast group made the decision to talk about how artists skyrocket in their popularity after their death. More importantly, we explored how this phenomenon connects people together to share interest in music and mourning. One particular artist we explored was XXXTentacion, the most famous example of this case. Given my graphic designing skills, I decided to take up the task of designing the cover art. I wanted to encapsulate the combination of death and music, and I made the decision to draw a blue skull with pink flowers with music notes flowing out of its mouth.

I did research and started digging into X's personality- using this information to make a color palette. Blue was X's signature color, as the topic of his music was usually melancholy but lively. I used a bright blue as a result. The flowers represent the lively aspect of the art - what grew as a result of his death, literally. Flowers are usually given as a symbol for mourning, and I wanted to show both these metaphors in this piece to decorate the skull. I wanted to draw the skull on a stage presence, hence the curtains in the background. I made sure to draw the skull in an appreciative light instead of exploitative (painting the artist in a respective light was my first priority), and this consideration caused me to mull over what this "stage presence" would look like for the background. I was going to put the skull on a podium with a crowd settling around, but the podium ended up looking like a platter - thus, I drew the skull floating in the center of the piece with curtains in the back.