From Jan. 22-25., the Upper School art department hosted the “Art in the Dark” exhibition in the MPR. The exhibition is in its second year and displays a variety of student artworks, including many interactive pieces. Free souvenir key chains were also available for visitors, and they were designed and laser cut by US art teacher Mr. David Badgley.
US art teacher Ms. Michelle Kao said, “It’s a great learning experience for the art students to see what goes into pulling together an exhibit. Many of the works on view are far from the artist’s initial plans and are products of constantly adapting to challenges and finding creative solutions.” She hopes that those who view the exhibition will gain a “sense of awe and magic that is viewing art.”
“This year is great because we get to see many mediums like clay and plexiglass prints,” Vivian K. (’19), co-president of Art Honor Society, said. However, she felt that last year’s exhibition was more attractive. She said, “Because the robotics students also did some projects, it was a lot more interactive.”
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On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, there was a live performance during flex, blending different mediums of art. Yuka M. (‘20) curated a dance performance in collaboration with Ai Li M. (‘20) and created the background projection to it. The dance piece was choreographed to “Homesick” by Dua Lipa.
Yuka was inspired to curate a dance performance as she was watching Kyle Hanagami’s choreography on his YouTube channel, which frequently features hip-hop choreography. “I thought it would be really cool to play with the shadow with a light projection,” she said. As she typically creates 2D work, she found it more challenging to create the background projections.
Ai Li had choreographed the whole dance herself, though she asked Yuka for advice as to whether she liked the movements. “We tried to execute the sad and emotional vibe of the song,” Yuka said. The piece featured many movements of Ai Li reaching upwards, and she said it was complementary to the lyrics, “But I wish I was there with you.” “I interpreted it as Dua longing for someone but unable to have them by their side and eventually giving up on them,” Ai Li said.
Aaron C. (‘19) focused on working with shadows this year and the previous year, and he created a wire sculpture titled “i am a leopard not a tiger.” The piece is also interactive, with a small light coming from an iPod that visitors can move around to create different shadows for the sculpture.