Natalie_Hair Exhibit

Hair and Pride

While visiting the Quai Branley museum we not only were able to see primitive pieces from the Philippines, we were also able to see those pieces juxtaposed against a special exhibit about hair and how it has kept its significance for a number of tribal rituals over the years. 

I had made it halfway through the exhibit when i came upon a video piece that was showing woman during the 30's era who were suspected of sleeping with the enemy getting their hair shaved. The photographs, but especially the video were so haunting to me. I know much about the history of World War 2 and the surrounding years, however, I wasn't aware that the shaving of heads extended to friends of the enemy in this way during these years. 

From my Notes: 

in the museum there is

marching

i hear it in the back, behind the walls

its the shuffle shuffle I imagine she made

as they poked her back

back in line

and I didn't think they were the enemy

I dont even know her

or them

or if they were nice people

but I do feel 

that they 

dont deserve to 

be cut

And these were some more photographs from the rest of the exhibit. 

Branly....museum of historical proportions.

Musee du quai Branly was interesting so to say. Walking to it, I thought we were viewing another art museum. The exterior had a lifted building. Underneath were gardens with a mess load of paths in every direction. The building had a maroon/dark brown exterior. I didn’t quite understand this until I got inside. When I got inside, I was greeted by this glass case that went on for several floors filled with musical instruments from all around the world. It was cool to see archives in view then from being stored away in the museum’s basement. Going up to the actual museum, the exterior’s color made sense to me. Major of the exhibitions focused on ancient history from Australia, Africa, Americas, and Asia. The dark brown represented the color of land seen in mountains and the maroon reminded me of a sunset. So for example, the Grand Canyon in the US could be one representation.

Going into our class discussion, we were asked to find something new that collaborated with something old. I chose a Mayan sacrifice table that was placed on top of a new table stand. The stand was built somewhat like the Mayan, but wasn’t the same color. That was the only difference.

 I ended up finding this Mayan skeleton that reflected back the shape of the windows on the Branly.

Overall, it was a cool experience both architecturally and historically. I thought it was especially wicked that I found these ceremonial skulls that were shaped in weird ways.   

Day 8- PRIMITIVISM By: Robert Matthiesen

Walking around the outside of the Musée Quay Branley I really liked the brick coloring. When we got inside the museum  I loved the glass storage unit. I wish that we could see more glass storage units in more museums. Then when we went upstairs the museum displayed there pieces in glass boxes. The displays are just asking you to interact with the  pieces. 

Then when we went to the  Orangerie  I was just moved by the large Monet pieces. I was very upset that we were not able to take photos of the water lilies but I will always remember them. I know Im going to be going back to  the Orangerie to sketch and just soak in more.  

Keri - Musée quai Branly

Challenge Old in the New, New in the Old Inside-out Mission

1. Define your definition of primitive 

2. Find something new in the museum that represents that definition

3. Photograph the new item with something ancient in the museum

After walking around the exhibit I identified patterns as my primitive. Below are my examples of the old in the new surrounded by the old. Ha! that made sense right?

Primitive Idea: Patterns

New item representing that: Red board floor creating a pattern

Old item: Patterned hanging 

Primitive Idea: Patterns

New item representing that: burberry bag the woman is holding

Old item: Patterned wood in the glass reflection 

Primitive Idea: Patterns

New item representing that: Patterned fish hanging (1996)

Old item: Patterned hanging on the right.... except it's not old (1991) so I just included this one for fun

QUAI BRANLEY

  Musee Qaui Branley really made my head turn into scrambled eggs. First of all the whole building on the outside is amazing! it has such great landscape, with wild flowers and plants growing all around, and then this massive structure that like a boulder, with beautiful reds and steels. The building is really unique on a lot of different levels, first of all the had each side of the building designed beautifully (top, left, right, and bottom)

 

  on top of having such a beautiful exterior In Interior was absoultly mind blowing. with the exhibits that had, to the lay out of the exhibits.

I was really interested in the upper level exhibit, it was all about hair and women, and it just really floored me I was speechless. above, theres a photo of the back of a bust that was in the Hair show, and within in that, there are reflections all around of different photographs and then the best part of that is a little girl. She just really made the image for me.

>to the side here and right above were some photos I took outside of Quai Branley. There was this giant glass wall, separating the rest of paris from Quai Branley. So the wall was absolutely stunning, but was even more intriguing to me was the reflects, and watching people walk past.

Overall Quai Branley gets a two thumbs!

Musee du quai Branly Coincidence

There are very few moments that I remember where I have been completely floored and emotional over a piece of art, let alone experience a coincidence like I did at the Quai’ Branley. A museum that I thought was just filled with primitive art, actually housed a show on Hair in the upstairs section, that little to my knowledge, housed a section of the exhibit on the elderly, a huge focus within my work, let alone the C.C. Boston by Nicholas Nixon—the photograph that inspired me to go within this field.

As soon as I turned the corner, and saw the Nicholas Nixon photograph of C.C. Boston, I was floored. I have been looking at this photograph since High School, and it’s the single photograph that prompted me to start taking photographs of my family-more specifically my Great-Grandparents. There is so much raw emotion within this photograph that is so relatable, so palpable, and so heartbreaking. The way that Nixon is able to capture this kind of moment without exploiting the subject I have always been in awe of. 

I am honestly speechless at the fact that this photograph just happened to be part of this temporary exhibition upstairs while I’m in Paris. While I thought the photograph was powerful over the computer, it does no justice as it does in person. The way that the figure is close to life-size, how close you can get to their sharp, stray wispy hairs, and the veins protruding from their paper-thin skin is unreal. The pain is so much more apparent when you can get up close to their expression-see the wrinkles, the frustration, the confusion, and just how tired C.C. Boston is.

This photograph functions as a reminder to me that even at our most tired, frustrated, moments where society does not perceive us as beautiful, there is beauty in being raw, in being real, and being honest. Seeing how

I can’t explain how 4000 miles away from home that I found the single piece that prompted me to photograph, hanging in a wall at the Quai Branley museum in Paris. Seeing that reaffirmed my love for this medium. Every person within this field has moments where their passion fluctuates; where their works lives up to their expectations or completely sinks below them. And as of late, I’ve felt like I’ve been more lost than usual with my work. This piece, this exhibit completely inspired me to keep pushing forward and reminded me why I chose to go into photography within the first place. I am absolutely speechless at the amount of chance and coincidence that led to that moment and me seeing this photograph. This piece has completely re-inspired me and recharged me-I am beyond ecstatic that I got the chance to experience it in person. 

Water Lillies

Day 8:

I had no preconceptions about the Musée De L’Orangerie going into it, mostly because I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know of any artist that might be there or what type of work I would encounter, so I wasn’t particularly over excited about going there. Realizing that this was where the Monet lily pond paintings where housed was a great surprise. Upon seeing them and actually sitting down with them I found that for the first time on the trip I was truly overwhelmed by the beauty of the painting. The soft peace that the painting, and the construction and color of the room offered was something i’d never felt so strongly from a painting before. I willingly sat in front of the Monet lily paintings for well over an hour and for the first time since the beginning of the trip had a real desire to sketch the piece. Normally I only sketch because I feel like I should. Though it wasn’t the greatest representation of the painting, I loved the time I spent sketching in front of it and taking it in. 

I think what made the experience so powerful was the shear scale of the paintings. They were enormous and so long that you could truly become lost in the painting. You can visit and visualize his lily pond through the painting, and for a narrative thinker like me, I really engaged with that imaginative and experiential aspect of the painting. 

I was however, frustrated by the amount of people in the room, and where they chose to stand. As many of us were sitting trying to take in the grand beauty of the paintings, some chose to stand in front of the paintings while looking at their maps or phones. I just so badly wanted to experience the room and the paintings as they were intended, or maybe not so much intended even as implied. I’m sure they knew that there would be an abundance of people coming to the museum but they still wanted to create a space where one could have an intimate moment with the paintings. 

The noise level and the shear volume of people turned a peaceful painting and potential experience into a stressful situation, which I found to be counter productive to what I saw as part of the motive of the painting. 

Towards the end though, as the museum was closing, I finally got my one on one experience with the paintings. It was a little rushed, but seeing the paintings free of any inconveniently placed extremities, butts, hats, bags, maps or anything of the like was such a liberating feeling. It was quiet, and peaceful, and somewhat intimate, the way I imagine it ought to be. 

Also, I secretly took some pictures of the Monet paintings but i’m not sure if i’m allowed to post them. So all you get are my terrible sketches and one poor attempt at water color.