Final Project: Serenity

V'nai Vazquez

12/2013

Humanities 1302

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It is the year 2100 and I, Saturn Nebulous, have been selected as the coveted curator for Serenity, the home, the museum, the future of humanity as we know it. I have been directed to chose four works from four very distinctly different time periods to preserve for future generations to appreciate and learn from. There was simply no way to take every piece of beautiful, challenging, amazing piece of art. The decision was not a simple one, nor one I took lightly. I have done a lot of research and chosen pieces that speak to the time and culture of each time period, some were front runners in their style, all are pieces I believe in and will do my best to find the most efficient way to preserve them for many future generations. Considering our limited amount of space aboard Serenity I was given only one room in which I am confined to hold these larger than life works. The works I have chosen are as follows: Venus of Urbino, A Modest Proposal, The Barber of Seville, and The Matrix. These are all very different types of art created by humans and all very noteworthy for their time.

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This is the layout in which I believe would best display these works. The entirety of the room will have sound proof walls, for the opera of course. The front of the room will be a theater large enough to hold 50 audience members. The theater will have dimming lights and a large red curtain that opens on the stage, with lights facing the stage. In front of the red curtain a large screen will expand and be retractable from the ceiling. There will be a very high grade projector that hangs from the ceiling facing the stage. There will be 50 extremely comfortable theater seats with headphones attached to each one. In the back of the room there will be a museum style room and open space for two of the works. The feel and vibe of the room in it’s entirety will be open, homely, and welcoming. The works will be preserved in different manners, each according to how I feel they would be the most beneficial to our future generations.

The original Venus of Urbino will be in the back of the room hung on the back wall, behind glass which is exactly the right temperature for the best preservation possible. It will be of the upmost importance for a painting curator to be aboard, or in the least one who is dedicated to the preservation of this piece. Once someone learns how to take care of the original work, my hope and goal would be that this individual would take an apprentice to teach their ways and that generationally there would be a curator to take care of this beautiful piece. Beside Venus of Urbino, A Modest Proposal will be incased behind glass in larger than life fashion, also preserved on paper. Additionally, A Modest Proposal will be saved on 50 tablets in as many languages as we are able to translate it to before we must board the ship. The paper version will be written in English. Since we all know how much technology changes there will be someone responsible aboard the ship who will transfer the pamphlet onto the newest piece of technology how ever frequently is necessary. If at any point one of the tablets no longer works the newer type of tablet will replace it. This will be a full time apprenticeship job as well. This individual will also be responsible for The Matrix and it’s preservation. It will be preserved on the latest form of saving digital data, at current it would be several solid state drives. The Matrix will be played on a very high grade projector with high definition for the best experience in watching it, onto the white screen for the audience to view. The headphones will translate the movie into the language selection of the viewer’s choice. The attendees can sign up for a particular language to be played over the loud speakers for more of a group experience, once there is about 35 people signed up for the same language the movie will be played. The Barber of Seville will also be saved on the tablets in several languages. The play will be performed by the best of the best as soon as possible, we will use the newest technology to record them so the entire performance can be played back in holograph form on Serenity. Sign ups will be taken at the beginning of the year for anyone that is interesting in performing the opera. The opera will be performed by the residents of Serenity every year in December.

The people will interact with the works in a number of ways. They will be engaged with the humor of The Barber of Seville because they can watch in their own language. It seems that when watching a comedy it is much more entertaining when there are others to laugh with you. On the same side of the token it is much better to discuss philosophy after watching such a mind bending film with someone else who just watched it while it is fresh on one’s mind. The museum side of the room is open and welcoming, this will encourage discussion among the visitors because people will feel as though they are in their own living room. The more people discuss a piece of art, the better it will stick in their minds so they remember the implications and meaning of all the forms of art.

Each of the works I have chosen exemplify the artistic or cultural trends of the time. They are special and above the rest. I know that many reading this paper may not agree with my decisions and think perhaps there are other works that you would prefer aboard Serenity. I would like to provide everyone with a little more information to further your understanding in regards to my choices.

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Venus of Urbino is a class above many other works of it's Renassiance era because Titian was able to set a standard for the figure of women in paintings that many others after him attempted to imitate. While many nude paintings of the time were popular, several high society members thought that she appeared to be too relaxed and comfortable with her nudity. Even among other paintings done by Titian, this Venus appeared to be okay with all of the onlookers of her body. At the time this type of painting was considered pornographic, many of these same high-society members would have these works painted for them and then keep them hidden in closets and back bedrooms. It is important to remember the differences in the thought process of sexuality. In recent years it has become a norm to see a woman's naked body portrayed as an object, and even men have now become objectified. This is not something I believe will ever go away, but it is important to take us back to our roots. A piece so beautiful that can speak to many types of people, such as Venus of Urbino used to be something that was considered vulgar. Let our future generations decide upon what they think is vulgar or art, but let us give them a foundation to stand on when making their decision.

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Future generations ought to care about art and painting, for they will be the ones creating all of the new art that their children and their children's children will view and appreciate. We may not be able to take every single painting aboard Serenity, but Venus of Urbino certainly can teach many lessons on anatomy, depth and layer as well as symbolism to inspire and teach those who will be the next artists. With this painting they will be taught how much art can change with the times. They will hopefully be inspired to create things that will stand the test of time, even through literally the end of the Earth. I hope they will be challenged to change others' perspective on any number of topics by realizing how much perspective has changed from when this piece was originally done.

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A Modest Proposal, formally named "A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being a Burden to Their Parents, or the Country, and for Making them beneficial to the Public" in short was one man's satirical suggested solution to the famine that weighed heavily on the people of Ireland in the 1700s. I see how large your eyes got when you read that, this was not an honest to goodness resolution to the issue. At the time it was written the British were severely oppressing the Irish People. They had limited the Irish ability to export and allowing only a few imports, making them extremely expensive. It was a terrible condition that they were now in. Many thought they had solutions to the problem at large, they wrote pamphlets with their "grand" ideas of ways to feed the 1,000s of people dying of hunger, in hopes that if everyone got together to pull off their idea, the nation would be okay. However, these ideas were just fanciful ways of killing off more people to have less mouths to feed, and cannibalism was actually a theme amoung the pamphleteers. These people believed that the Irish were so below humanity that it did not really matter what happened to them anyway. The pamphlets were crafted so articulately that some of those who were starving actually began to believe these were good solutions. When A Modest Proposal was released it was actually taken literally. For those who were able to pick up on the satirical stand point, they wanted more of his to be printed, because it pointed a laughing fingure in the face of those who had these awful ideas. A Modest Proposal is truly a genius piece, at the very start it describes the terrible conditions, given almost as an entertaining historical piece and then takes the suggestions of the pamphleteers of the past 70 years and mulls over the idea. This pamphlet is one that is a great lesson on the history of what was going on in an entertaining way, which is not an easy thing to find. It clearly describes the situation as well as the suggestions that were given.

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There is the old adage "history repeats itself". In current times we are in such the situation that we have had to make incredibly tough decisions, who lives where, what will we do when the Earth is no longer inhabitable, it seems the "end of the Earth" is approaching faster than we could have ever imagined. It would be a complete shame to see our grandchildren coming up against a situation where they no longer value the life of an entire race of people. Over the past 50 years it has become so abundantly clear that every life is important and pertinent part of society, to go backwards at this point would be completely absurd. A Modest proposal could serve as a grave warning to not repeat what could have been done, to not even consider the killing off of other's an option as a solution. Not only will this work be preserved, but it will assist in preserving the human race should it come to that point.

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Barber of Seville was what was not yet known as an operatic comedy. It was the very first comedy scripted to be comedic! It had been based on an already famous play by Paisiello, a very dramatic love sick story. It is similar to the styles of then current times because it was based all around the hero, during the Romantic era. During this romantic era the hero was celebrated, with someone to love and fight for, he went against the grain and had better challenging ideas for society. Count Almaviva, the main character, is many of these things, he does everything in his power to be with his beloved Rosina. The entire story is written to go along with the lyrics and music was really a front runner in leading the way for the outlandish performances that would soon came to fruition. It was innovative because it opened the gates for the middle class to feel comfortable and to become the predominate class for the audience, they wanted to cheer for the hero and they loved the upbeat constant tempo. It was so well written, that it still provoked emotion a hundred years later and even now, when performed.

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The satirical and comedic driving force of current can tip a hat of thanks to The Barber of Seville, as it brought comedy of this style to the middle class, which most of us are at this point. It is always an important thing to remember to not take one's self too seriously. When it comes to one's work and passions you must truly fight for what you believe, but if you are not able to smile and laugh along where the journey takes you, you are not truly enjoying all life has to offer. Although the story can be tragic on some parts, after all the man is having such a difficult time getting with his lover, Rossini did such a marvelous service turning it into something so overwhelmingly satisfing. This will also teach the children that humor does not need to be crude or offensive, which much of the culture in recent times has lent itself too. The new generation that we will rise up will understand comedy and the healing powers of laughter when they view this performance.

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The Matrix has so much to offer to Serenity. It was released in 1999, a mere decade after the internet was launched. To any young folks reading this essay knows that was a long time ago. It was a time when there was a wellspring of information that offered itself with only a few clicks away. Visual stimulation seemed to take over like a wild fire. With all the technology surrounding us today, we are well aware of how much it can be truly damaging as well as life saving. This film shows the negative connotations that were believed to be brought along with the new types of technology. It was also around the time that new discoveries and theories came to fruition. While some of those have been disproven, many have stayed with us. There are not many ways that The Matrix was typical, only in that it took all of the newness that was going on in society, and what seemed so normal and put it into perspective for it's viewers. There are many ways that it was innovative the intense type of special effects and usage of certain effects that hadn't been used before, as well as the onslaught of philosophical questions it bores onto one's mind. This movie has meaning and entertainment, it shocks and awes on the face of it, but it delves deeply into the questions of humanity.

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I believe as we live further from our home planet, Earth, and depend further on technology, it is very important for us to remember the repercussions that could be lurking behind our decisions. Although we do need it for our oxygen and the necessities of life, it is also necessary for everyone to take a step back and consider the big picture of where our choices will take us. Now that we have a chance to start over without the pollution and political parties and all that ruled us before, we need to be weary and tread lightly. While this movie is fast paced enough to keep the attention of the smaller children, for the teenagers and even the older people can watch this movie and have deep discussion in regards to what is happening on Serenity as well as humanity as a whole.

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While I know that even still many will not agree with my decisions, as the curator of Serenity I believe these will be the best to take aboard our ship. There are plenty of things on Earth that ought to be remembered, and even though I wish and in my wildest dreams I can take all of them with us, alas we cannot. By word of mouth as well as a few other ships on our fleet, we will pass on the lessons and beauty of what we have in our memory and use these artifacts I have chose to learn from and apply to our real life.