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A constant point of contention in the artistic and literary theory realm is the idea of subjectivity versus objectivity. “Who decides whether art is good?” is one of the most basic intellectual queries, yet it is an immortal unknown that staunchly refuses to be resolved. The most remarkable logicians and creative minds can’t agree, and their ancient debates stretch forth to our present and predictably to any time in the future, granted that humans are around to deliberate on it.

It would seem that in our post-modern age, subjectivity looms large, and perhaps, is the only way to describe reality. That is, there is no objective truth, only impressions from our unique interactions with the cold marble, with the spread of colors, emotionless in it of themselves and only forming into coherence when we are places in position to view it. Something occurs as the, we assume, objective piece interacts with our subjective consciousnesses. We dab memories on to the work, our individual life histories, philosophies, viewpoints – all are nearly indiscriminately are thrown forth on to this material object in order for sense to assemble. What is tasteful to my senses may be vulgar to yours may be commonplace and mundane to theirs. The thread of the apparent story surrounding the piece is woven perhaps, slightly differently by every viewer that stands before it. Emotions elicited are as deliberate as reflexes, and the ways in which we choose to methodically reason the aesthetic quality out are influenced by our education in artistic form and theory or our lackthereof. Our reactions to a work of art is the art itself, a Rorschach piece, that we can only be aware of occurring.

Yet, this is not to say that there are no agreements. Hence, the objectivism seems to gain some ground in that there can be standards established. What is good art? Is what defines art as good precisely the fact that it is not subjective? Lessing’s qualifications for visual art is that it ought to be at “a pregnant moment,” — that suspension and enlargement of a moment preceding that of the most extreme of human feelings. But maybe Lessing is wrong. Perhaps good art ought to be propagating maxims about morality, maybe it should be purely aesthetic, striking us visually through our senses, bypassing any reasoning apparatuses. Perhaps the only qualification should be that it is innovative and bold in the sense that we have never seen anything quite like it before. By setting some standard, some theory encompassing our more or less collective agreements, we have turned more to an objective viewpoint. The canons of art and of literature are established because we (or the critics sipping tea in their ivory towers) agree on their relatively grand worthiness.

So what’s your definition of “good” art? Do you agree with the established canon or is it simply hogswash?

I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed the halftime show last week. It was energetic, brightly lit, surprising (all those guest appearances), and it definitely pumped up the mood. Granted, I didn’t expect the vocals to be amazing or the dancing (the Black Eyed Peas aren’t known for their stellar voices or fantastic choreography) and perhaps I was heavily influenced by the people I was watching the show with who felt energized by the pumping music, but call me crazy and I didn’t mind the show as much as most people did, apparently.

The comments on the performance range from displeased to downright caustic, with every analysis and word meant to indicate a sneer and looking down upon at the pop group.  Take this editorial by an LA Times writer who called the Black Eyed Peas’ Halftime Show “pop absurdity at its finest”.  Ouch.

For me, it’s not so much the overall quality of the performance that caught my attention but rather the striking similarity in concept to that found in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  The use of a large uniform group of people that performs in sync is a concept seen heavily two years ago by the Chinese, not to mention the  similar use of the light suits to create colorful and bright contrasts between the darkly clad BEP and draw attention to the lit elements of the show.

It just goes to show that art can be found everywhere– who would have thought that the world’s biggest sporting event that took place in China could generate subsequent copying and changes in the halftime show for what is now probably America’s greatest pastime event (the Superbowl)?  Did anyone ever imagine that sports would inspire creativity and serve as muses for other artistic endeavors?!  Probably not.  But the halftime show this year was a witness to the fact that art is truly a powerful tool, able to influence the way people think, act, and express themselves.  Even during the Super Bowl.

Today, I finally got to try lab, a coffee, tea, and yogurt shop on E. Liberty. I’m usually more of a tea girl, but I decided to be adventurous and tried a cappuccino. I have to say it was a good choice. It was by far the best cappuccino I’ve ever had  – not too sweet, not too strong, and just the right amount of foam.  To make it all better, the cappuccino was served with a pretty design in the foam, much like that in the image above from lab’s tumblr page.

The atmosphere inside the cafe is very unique. The decorations are mostly white and grey, with some lime green accents, and there is a projector playing silent videos on the wall behind the counter. The baristas are very nice and willing to help customers navigate the menu. The shop has only a few tables and a small bar, so seating is limited, but it gives the place a cozy feel that is very nice.

With midterms coming up, this place is a great option for refueling during a study break.

Flash games are a dime a dozen. They proliferate across the internet, especially if one knows where to look. Some, however, are so well-constructed and intricately designed they are a work of art unto themselves. One such is 6 Differences. Although it has already been online for several years and is by no means new, it is certainly worth a look if you have never seen it before, or a revisit for those who have. Even those who do not usually care for flash games (such as I) might find this one interesting if nothing else. Recall, if you may, those side-by-side nearly identical illustrations one used to find in puzzle books or in the back of the daily paper. As its name suggests, Ivoryboy’s 6 Differences takes this classic and transforms it into something entirely new and worthwhile.

The game holds a strange and distinct atmosphere in a way that is difficult to lay a finger on. It is clear, however, that both visual and aural elements work in concert to create the slightly eerie ambiance that permeates the game. The sets of images appear largely photorealistic, sometimes mixed with vector-style rendering. Each set depicts a cold, empty nighttime scene. Some are urban, some are fantastical, some are industrial, and some look very ordinary but for the darkness, the only light the yellow wash of a street lamp somewhere off to the side. Everything, after all, looks different in the dark. All have a surreal, desolate air to them, some more than others.

Every time the player finds a difference, he or she is rewarded by a clear, piano-like tone that moves progressively up the scale with each subsequent find. One or two of the scenes, however, jolt one out of whatever calm, complacent place into which they have been lulled- the scale suddenly takes a unusual turn, something which, when paired with the surrealism of the image, can be decidedly disconcerting in effect. Another clever feature: however many things the player has left to find, there is an indicator of the number remaining, somewhere. Graphically, everything is almost seamlessly integrated. Animations are also built into the scene, natural regardless of how surreal everything else is. Many of these are meant to be distracting; others, environmental and repetitive, but they all do so well.

None of this, however, would have half the impact it does without the soundtrack, something so subtle one would hardly think to notice it at all. Every scene is backed by a subtle, sparse music that is augmented by the individually insignificant but integral white noise. The harsh caw of a crow. Wind. Crickets and cicadas. The sound of the smooth stream of traffic flowing down the highway a block over, unidentifiable environmental noises. The music consists of a slow, heavy rambling of piano, an electronic beat and faint drone insinuating themselves into the mix of sounds. In fact, the music sounds positively upbeat in comparison to everything else. It turns out the track comes from the Nine Inch Nails’ Ghosts album, an experimental collection filled with other pieces of similarly mesmerizing and eerie quality.

(Click through to play original with larger resolution)

Cooking is my safe haven.  I enjoy washing, dicing, cutting, pealing, sizzling, stirring, baking, and yes of course, eating.  I had a few friends over the other night and I prepared a new dish called Incredible Baked Cauliflower and Broccoli Cannelloni that I found off the cooking channel.  The ‘incredible’ preface is not deceiving.  This dish will make your mouth water and leave you wanting more.  Here’s what you do.

Total Time:                         1 hr 30 min

Prep:                                     20 min

Cook:                                     1 hr 10 min

Yield:                                     4 to 6 servings

Level:                                     Intermediate

Ingredients:

Sea Salt

1 pound broccoli, washed, florets and stalks chopped

1 pound white cauliflower, washed

Olive oil

7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked

2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups crème fraiche (found at Trader Joe’s)

7 ounces Parmesan, finely grated

16 cannelloni tubes

7 ounces mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and drop in the chopped broccoli and cauliflower. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until cooked, then drain.

In a new saucepan dribble some olive oil and the garlic.  Stir around for a few minutes before adding the cooked broccoli and cauliflower.  Add a couple tablespoons of water.  Stir everything together and then cook slowly for 15-20 minuets.  Mash up the veggies with a potato masher and season with salt and pepper.

Find a baking sheet and coat the bottom layer with the tomato sauce.  Then to make the white sauce, add the crème fraiche with half the Parmesan, salt and pepper and a little bit of water and stir together.

Fill your cannelloni tubes with the mashed veggies.  Place them on top of the tomato sauce and then add the white sauce over them.  Season with salt and pepper, add the remaining Parmesan and place the mozzarella on top.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

There you have it!  Enjoy and happy cooking!

Last year, I waited until after the Superbowl to write my blog post, certain that the annually awaited football game would exhibit something worthy of mention, and doing the same this year ended in similar results.  The only problem is, now I have too much that I want to talk about.

I will first start with the commercial that emphasized a city neither near nor dear to many people’s hearts in Michigan: Detroit.  The Chrysler commercial featuring Eminem and our Motor City itself was a poignant message of solidarity and strength, as well as hope for the dying D.  Eminem rides around Detroit in a Chrysler sedan and, after getting out to listen to a church choir belt out a hymn, stares directly at the camera, saying, “This is the Motor City.  This is what we do”.

But, indeed, what do we do, Eminem?  Just this past Friday, I took to the streets of Detroit to enjoy a little Mexican dinner and delight myself in the artistic festivities offered by the Detroit Institute of the Arts (DIA).  I hadn’t been to Detroit in the past few years, and suffice it to say, had hardly ever driven around the city, save for the trips into and out of the DIA.  Memories of those trips coupled with the worn and torn down images of what used to be the thriving city (as seen in its abandoned train station and crumbling facades) led me to develop an image of Detroit that rendered my heart more sad than afraid.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a whole new side to Detroit after driving down Woodward Avenue to the city’s new center.  Filled with new parks, new stadiums, new high rises, and new casinos, downtown Detroit was ablaze with fire and bustling with people even after ten at night.  Here, the people walked freely in the streets, seemingly unafraid of street violence, shops were filled with customers, and laughter filled the air.  Only minutes earlier had we passed by abandoned buildings covered with graffiti, shops with faded signs and few customers, and nary a person on the street that looked as carefree as those who walked in the security of the lights flashing from the nearby casinos, business buildings, and parking structures.  This was the New Detroit, where only the rich and fabulous can buy tasty baked goods from the thriving bakery and play Blackjack inside a plush casino.  Now, I know that every city has its segregation between the haves and have nots, but honestly, Detroit doesn’t seem to have any real “haves”; many people come from outside of Detroit and few actually live inside the city.

I understand that the commercial strives to present Detroit in a positive light: yes, Detroit is capable of so many things and can offer so many talents and abilities.  And while Detroit may have been to hell and back, I’m not sure if we’re out of hell yet.  There is still so much to be done in the city, so many people to partner with, so many businesses to help grow.  But who is doing the helping?

Watching the advertisement, part of me wondered how or what Eminem or Chrysler had done for the D.  Just how much of the commercial reflects the involved parties’ true attitudes and actions toward the Motor City?  The Detroit represented in the 2-minute clip and the true Detroit that exists in reality seem to be from different worlds.  The commercial captures all the industrialization, urbanization, glitz and glamor of the New Detroit.  Viewed with pictures of the D in decline that portrays Detroit in its beauty and sadness, the ad pales in comparison.

I don’t mean to present the city as being helpless and certainly not hopeless; no, I firmly believe that it is changing and that further change is possible.  I just want to raise the question of what exactly it is that “we do”.  What do Eminem or Chrysler do for Detroit?  What do I do for Detroit?  What do you do for Detroit?

We spend so much time focusing on the orphans in Africa or the poor in Southeast Asia, but we have a city that needs us and is only forty minutes away.  It is my sincere hope that neither the rapper nor the car company will fail to act in this part– that the commercial wasn’t just for show and that they are taking advantage of a city that needs much more than an ad featuring them.  But I really do hope that this will motivate them to take a greater part in renewing the city– not by rebuilding it and making a New Detroit, fit for the high life, but by restructuring it so that those who have had a place in its history will also maintain a place in its future.