Before I Die: An Art Project

I recently stumbled upon this project which I find really unique and a great reflection on a community in New Orleans. Candy Chang took this abandoned house's wall and wrote 'Before I want to...' and allowed community members to write their deepest desire. Read all about it here. These are a few of the pictures of the project on the website. What do you want to do, before you die?

So, is Foursquare still a startup?

I love infographics. And I love Foursquare. Best of both worlds. Congrats to the Foursquare team for everything they've done these past few years.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Alexander McQueen (British, 1969–2010). Dress, autumn/winter 2010–11.
All photograph from exhibit website.

It wasn't until his untimely death in 2010 that I first heard the name Alexander McQueen. Earlier this year, with the wedding of the year, the world learned that Kate Middleton's dress was by Sarah Bernhard current head of Alexander McQueen's label. This year, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art paid tribute to McQueen in their annual Costume Institute's summer exhibit, Savage Beauty.

The much hyped exhibit is worth all the buzz. Thinking that the lines would be short in the early morning I trekked to the Met only to be in line for two hours. Fortunately the line took me through galleries of Near Eastern art which I had never seen, and one of my all time favorite galleries, the 19th century European paintings and sculptures (including Rodin, the greatest of sculptures if you ask me).

Not only was the work a true beauty, full of excitement and with beautiful detail, but it was one of the best curated exhibits I've ever seen (by curator Andrew Bolton). Each gallery captured a different essence of McQueen, and in the end the exhibit gives, what I believe, is an accurate portrayal of the great mind behind this intriguing pieces. The background music was exceptionally well chosen and the displays - from an industrial setting, to a Scottish hall, to a hall of mirrors - portrayed the perfect background for each of the pieces.

In one of the quotations scattered through out the exhibit, McQueen said he wanted to be the person to define the woman's silhouette and the person to define fashion in the 21st century. Even with his early death, it is clear that he has left a legacy that will inspire hundreds of artists and designers empowering women in a new way.

If you're in New York sometime between now and it's closing on August 7th, you must pay a vist to the Met, any wait time is worth the wait. For more on the exhibit click here.

Romantic Gothic and Cabinet of Curiosities


Romantic Nationalism

The End of a Wonderful Adventure

Harry and I
Almost ten years ago I came across Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and as soon as I finished the first book, I knew Harry would be a part of my life. Harry Potter defined my generation, it brought me closer to the world of books, fantasy and innumerable valuable life lessons from bravery and courage to friendship and death. Yes, as a 'full grown' adult, I can say these may be cliches, but let's be honest, anybody who grew up with me learned a lesson or two from famous boy wizard, even making a quote from the first book the quote on my senior yearbook page.

Today, this adventure came to an end. I wasn't a part of the phenomenon when the first four books were published, but became one of the millions of fans who joined Harry in his fifth year at Hogwarts. I remember being out of town when the fifth book came out, frustrated to have spend a few days away from the book that eagerly awaited in the mailbox back home. Then came the sixth book on a day were I was miserably sick, and the Half-Blood Prince was possibly the best medication. For the last book, I came all out, planned a trip to the nearest Barnes & Noble with six of my friends and together we traveled three hours to be a part of the magical midnight party, where silence followed for two days as everyone read their book. As each movie came out the excitement grew, culminating in one epic final movie. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the glorious finale to ten magical years.

The Last Battle
Prior to seeing the last installment in the Harry Potter series, I made sure to watch all previous movies and reread the seventh book in its entirety. When the time came, just today at 12:15am, I was ready.

The movie theater, in Union Square in NYC was unreal. Crowds gathered outside. Fans came in in costume. The theater's multiple theaters were all sold out. I came prepared to cry through out the entirety of the movie, and most importantly, I came with a judgmental eye to really appreciate this movie - how true would it be to the second half of the final book?

For the most part Steve Kloves, the screenwriter for seven of the eight movies, did an exceptional job with the adaptation of JK Rowling's story. The dialogue was generally intact or true to its roots, most changes seemed to be made towards a greater good. Artistically the movie was beautiful, with its astonishing effects, beautiful cinematography and overall exceptional art direction.

The cast did an incredible job, and it is truly wonderful to have seen the cast intact for the most part since Sorcerer's Stone and all the young actors have blossomed into talented young actors - perhaps creating the exciting generation of actors, which the adult actors currently hold, for the future. Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint proved to be true actors, the characters grew with them as well as the talent and skill. Perhaps one of the most surprising things in this movie is how the director and producers managed to get all those actors from previous movies for quick cameos in this movie. Actors like Emma Thompson as the eccentric Professor Trelawney, Gemma Jones as Madame Pomfrey or Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas, played no significant part in the last installment of the movie yet they were there, they belong at Hogwarts, creating true scenes rather than scenes full of extras. Alan Rickman was exceptional as Snape, exceeding all expectations one more time. But I must say, I was mostly excited for Maggie Smith's Professor McGonagall. This woman beat cancer between films, and she shined in this movie like never before. I have always been a fan of Professor McGonagall, and Maggie Smith was the perfect casting choice and her role developed beautifully through out this film. Although she always kept a distance from Potter, unlike many who treated him like part of their family, you could tell how much she cares for him, really standing up to defend him, to me perhaps one of the most exciting points in the movie. And one of the biggest surprises of the story, Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), rose to the occasion and saved the day.

So was there anything that bothered me from the movie? (If you are planning on seeing the movie, better stop reading here). Of course, but overall this was a great movie experience. I knew the story by Aberforth about Dumbledor's past would be scraped from the movie, but to dismiss it by having Harry say he is not interested in his relationship with his brother is simply ludicrous, as through out the entire novel, Harry questions who Dumbledor really was, the man he knew as his mentor or someone else. Towards the end of the novel, Narcissa Malfoy has a change of heart, abandoning the Dark Lord's side to join the good side and protect her family. However, in the movie, the Malfoy's intentions seam to change out of fear, creating a the family to leave cowardly rather than thinking of the greater good. As many subplots in these movies, the return of Percy Weasley to fight alongside his family vanished from the story, which would have been a valuable moment to see the Weasleys together one last time before Fred's sad death. The fan loved line 'Not my daughter you bitch' was almost everything we could hope for, but where was the build up to this? Just a few more seconds of Ginny dueling Bellatrix would have been enough. I did enjoy Julie Water's smirk as Mrs. Weasley after killing Bellatirx; in my opinion it seemed as she broke the fourth wall just for a second and took a moment to take in the appraisal of fans. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort was an exceptional scene visually, but the book has some of the most personal dialogues Harry and the Dark Lord ever hold, and most of it was scrapped, truly a missed opportunity of both David Yates (director) and Kloves. Lastly, the movie needed a moment were Harry is applauded for his bravery and courage by his peers, and the ending scene in Dumbledor's office, where all the portraits of the past headmasters applaud Harry was sorely missed from the movie.

Many might disagree with me on this, but some of the changes from the book were the right moves, or at least welcomed changes. I for one did enjoy the change from the Shrieking Shack to the Boat House for Snape's death. Story wise, I don't believe it made a difference, and visually it did create a more poetic and visually stunning scene. Lastly, at first I was hesitant about the scene with the sacking of Snape, but in the end it turned to be one of my favorite scenes, having Harry confront Snape in front of the entire school, while having McGonagall there to be the first to fight for Harry as the battle approaches.

The closing installment to the Harry Potter series was an exceptionally well produced movie, where we see the story come to the end we've all been waiting for. Through eight movies we saw our favorite student witches and wizards grow and develop, and the birth of a wonderful generation of new actors for Britain. I cannot wait to see this movie once more and to share it with my children one day.

The End of an Era - Beginning of a Legend

Over twenty years ago JK Rowling began to write the story of Harry Potter. We all know the story, so I won't go into detail. But, fast forward to July 2011, when Harry Potter premiers it's last of eight films. Yes tonight is the night. Harry has become a phenomenon and has been a part of many of us. Through books, movies, toys, food and even a theme park, it is foolish not to acknowledge the impact JK Rowling's world has had on us.

All of this would not have been the success it is today if it weren't for the fans it has created. Yes, most of the time I question the passion a lot of fans have - camping out at movie premiers, dressing up at every occasion, purchasing every possible piece of memorabilia - but today, just a few hours from the last movie, I have immersed myself in this extremist fan base. This week I wasn't just an avid reader of the book, a faithful follower of the movies and someone thankful for JK Rowling's world. No, this week, my world revolved around Harry's quest to destroy Voldemort. I rewatched all six movies, reread the book, and followed every media source covering the last battle. I purchased my movie tickets, put on my Gryffindor shirt and I'm ready for tonight.

Tonight is not only the culmination of a long awaited story, but it is also the time we must say thank you to all the fans who took there own creative minds and joined the Potter world. Here are some of my old, new and favorite fan pieces pertaining to the world of the boy who lived.


The Harry Potter Puppet Pals - Even at London's premier, as Alan Rickman walked down the red carpet, the crowd went wild, "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape, Snape, Snape...."


HELLO: Harry Potter Book of Mormon Parody - Book of Mormon meets Harry's friends.


Harry Potter: Marchin On - I'll have to admit, I've seen this video multiple times, and every time it gets to me.

Harry Potter Movies By The Numbers, An Infographic




And these are just a few graphs my friend Abbyella shared with me.

A Much Neglected Blog

It's been almost three months since I posted on this blog, so it's about time I get back to writing and sharing my thoughts with my few readers. The past few months have been both busy and quite free, so actually there is no excuse why I've been a bad blogger. So instead of writing a series of posts, I'll bring you up to date through one post.

Personally I have...

...finished my thesis. Well, at least I presented a successful thesis which was received mostly well by my critics (turns out I want to rework it some more, and I should be done by the end of the end of next week). Thesis Review was much more simple than expected. I was scheduled to present mid-morning, but due to my classmate's lack of organization I presented first to just a few critics: my two professors, my two advisers and a guest critic, who was much less terrifying than when he taught me in first year.

...graduated. Yes, five years at Pratt have come and gone. As much of a cliché, it does feel like I started just yesterday. Maybe I am wiser, more mature, and ready to become an architect, but to me, it seem like I just got started. As much as I try to stay positive, the ceremony itself was quite uneventful and anticlimactic . I expect Pratt to step up for my friends' upcoming graduation in the next few years (Barclay Center, could the rumors be true?)

...I turned 24 - oh, hello mid-twenties! My birthday was uneventful, part of my roommate's graduation weekend, so I took a step back and made sure it was her weekend. Some of my friends from Mexico did celebrate me later on in the week which made it into a simple happy birthday week.

...kept strong as I look for a job. This job market really is terrible, but I'm determined to stay in New York and start my career here. Wish me luck.

I wish everybody a happy and restful Fourth of July Weekend! Go out and enjoy the outdoors!