This is the first week in DC it has felt like fall, so happy autumn!
Today was a rough day, but last week was a really good week, so I'll just focus on the bright side for a bit.
I'm really excited about my research project for this semester. I think I'm going to write something about representations of queer women in American cinema during the "Golden Age of Hollywood." I checked out some books on the subject from the museum library and I actually find myself excited when I read them, which is not always when it comes to reading academic texts.
I haven't felt this excited about research in a really long time, and it feels good right now! I feel like I remember just how much I really do love movies. If I could work on this project all day, I would.
I also finally visited the Natural History Museum last week, which is a long time coming since it's literally right next to the American History Museum. It made me feel totally like a kid again, especially with the dinosaurs at stuff. They had so many cool things, including this big hunk of whale's earwax! Apparently scientists can measure the amount of cortisol in the earwax and determine how stressed a whale was during its lifetime - woah!!
On Friday last week I went with some of the other archives interns, and my friend Laura who's also in the Smith program, to visit the Hirshhorn Museum of Art.
They have this exhibit right now called "Manifesto." It's what we call a "blockbuster exhibit" in my museums class, because the piece is associated with the actress Cate Blanchett, so it draws in big crowds. Basically the piece is this one exhibition hall with a bunch of video screens with films being projected on them. They all star Cate Blanchett as different characters - a stockbroker, a lead singer of a rock band, a Russian dance instructor, a kindergarten teacher, for example - and all of the films are playing simultaneously in this one room.
Each of the videos (they're probably about 5 minutes each, give or take) is supposed to represent a different art movement and usually she's reading a kind of confusing script in each one, talking about art theory and revolution in pretty general terms. But at one point during each video, she starts, like, sing-talking, and it's the only point where all the videos line up. But they only line up in the sense that she's sing-talking in each one at the same time - she's sing-talking a different script in each video and each one has a slightly different pitch so it creates this kind of strange harmony. It's a hard to explain because it's a very sensory experience, and I don't know that I really understand what she's saying about art movements or whatever but I still think it's a really cool piece! It's pretty overwhelming to hear all these films playing at the same time, competing for your attention, and I love Cate Blanchett so I'm thoroughly biased.
Then on Saturday, after my ESL class, I went to a roller derby game with my co-teacher. It was super cool! Her friend was competing but we missed her game because it happened before our class ended. We still managed to catch the second game though! I really like the names that the players get to come up with for themselves, I think my favorite was "Bunsen Burn Her."
Also can now confirm that Whip It is very realistic, which I think we suspected all along.
And finally yesterday, I went to the National Museum of Women in the Arts with a couple other people from my program. The museum was fine, I really liked this one Judy Chicago exhibit they have on right now. But honestly it was just a nice day with some nice people.
The other students doing the program are super interesting, and my favorite part of our Friday classes is always just hearing what people have been up to at their internships and what cool things they've been learning.
I feel like since the summer ended my posts have become much more stream of consciousness. Ha, maybe I haven't had a real second to reflect? I don't know what it is. But that's most of what's new with me this week! I'm anticipating next weekend a lot, I can't wait to see some friends again :^)
Also...here's some good tiktoks:
I like the Rat one! It really visually captures the idea that to go somewhere doesn’t necessarily means you need a destination. The journey is all you need. I really like the states with the TVs in them. It’s really pretty. I would love to have that on my wall or something. And the exhibit with that woman, Cate (I literally never heard of her), sounds pretty cool. I wish I could’ve experienced it! But your endeavors sound so fun, you really making DC your oyster (am I using the idiom right?).
@aboni: rly puts things in perspective, huh @rachel: hearing u believe in my roller derby abilities means so much :') gotta learn how to skate first but Smith college roller derby league senior year here we come! And apparently the pictures are related to the States but some of them are just like...videos of an artist that this guy was friends with who was from that state,, which is sweet :')
Yay!!! I’m glad you’re feeling into the work you’re starting. I know you were feeling worried bc of not having that spark so it’s so good that you found it :-) The whale thing is interesting... weird but interesting. Wonder if you do that with humans? That exhibit on cate blanchett sounds really neat!! Tbh at first I didn’t remember who that was but yooooo carol and oceans 8 (and probs other stuff but those were the first ones on google that I recognized) and also I remember the national portrait gallery quite well :-0 last time I was in dc we spent so long there but it was nice reading all the little portraitures that went along with the portraits which…
I loved the Tik Tok about going through stuff lol