As a class group, we had the opportunity to visit the MET for the required homework from the internship course. Our main objective was to analyze the exhibition ” Before Yesterday We Could Fly “. This collection was inspired by Virginia Hamilton and her storytelling about the Flying African tale, which exposes and celebrates the enslaved people’s imagination. When we got into the room, the atmosphere felt creative and special. The collection was displayed in a square area and people could go around it. Many objects caught my attention, such as the tv with multiple screens displaying African movies, or the kitchen potions to make sorcery.
Summer Azure from Tourmaline, was quite interesting for me. The combination of contemporary art using space objects such as the snoopy cap or even the subject flying in the middle of the sky. This goes well with the theme of the gallery and the colors are bright as the gallery itself. However, Tourmaline had a different vision with this type of composition. He wanted to represent people of color in the nineteenth and twentieth century in New York, from Seneca Village who struggled in society as queer and trans. The fact that the subject is flying is to represent the escape to a utopian place to forget the present moment.
Another piece that I liked a lot was the Double flasks from the 18th Century. Herbalists and healers of African descent used to create body and soul remedies to cure illnesses. I can certainly say that it looks better in person as the museum had some herbs inside it and gave the feel of some ritual being made. It caught my attention because the story description mentioned how creative Africans from the north used to do some sources of spiritual ritual or sorcery before getting their ideas. Mostly getting high or something similar using herbs.
I also took this picture with my phone to have a better reference of what the gallery looked like. It was an amazingly inspiring experience to see such cultures develop a different approach to creativity. Personally, I loved the lamps and the paintings, and how despite their situation, they continued to create.
Another exhibition that caught my attention was the Arms and Armors collection. This department in particular looks to collect, preserve and research the art of the armorer, wordsmiths, and gunmakers. I’m a fan of the art displayed in movies about swords and armor for soldiers. In this collection, we can see highly artistical swords not only from medieval times but also from other cultures and time periods. Since we only had a few minutes to see some other departments that we liked, I decided to stay on this one and watch closely some of the pieces. The details that were put into some guns and weapons were incredible. Made me thought how much effort it takes to make one piece when it comes to my creative process as well.
