-
Period: to
2000-2014
-
Life of Pi
READ AN EXCERPT Canadian Yann Martel's novel, which became a worldwide phenomenon, tells the story of Pi, an Indian teenager stranded on a life raft with a Bengal tiger. Through the adventure, the book explores issues of spirituality and existence. Pi’s ultimate conclusion—that his enemy is part of himself, and they must depend on each other for survival—presents an allegory for globalization through the lens of magic realism. -
Hedwig's Theme
LISTEN The song, by noted composer John Williams, was part of the soundtrack for the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Originally intended as a motif just for Hedwig, Harry's pet owl, the tune became the recurring theme for the entire film franchise. Williams’ use of ethereal bells, minor chords, and an almost waltz-like tempo create an ambiance of fantasy and intrigue with the buoyancy befitting a boy wizard. -
Tribute in Light
The public art installation in Manhattan, originally intended as a temporary display, ran for a month in 2002 but since has been relaunched annually to mark each anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. In the display, produced by the Municipal Art Society of New York, 88 searchlights pierced the sky near the World Trade Center site, replicating the shape of the fallen twin towers. On clear nights, the lights could be seen from 60 miles away. -
The City
The City, by American artist Mark W. Stevens, is in many ways a traditional painting—watercolor on paper—in a time when the unconventional often gets noticed. But the painting is a unique landscape, as it bypasses bucolic settings and scenic greenery for the world that Stevens knows—the hustling, bustling, gritty New York City. The realities of modern life, like infrastructure and mass transit, are included in the wide-angle view of the city and its environs. -
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Construction of the concert hall, designed by architect Frank Gehry, stalled for years by funding troubles and design revisions before finally reaching completion in 2003. The hall now sits, surrounded by swooping, gleaming silver sails, in downtown Los Angeles and is home to the city’s philharmonic orchestra. Gehry envisioned the building with a grand, sweeping exterior that opens up to a wide, welcoming lobby and accessible auditorium, creating a sort of “living room for the city.” -
Doubt: A Parable
READ In New York playwright John Patrick Shanley’s drama, set at a 1960s parochial school, a suspicious nun raises questions about alleged improprieties between a priest and a young male student. Through Shanley’s structure, the action takes place in just one act; the second act is meant to take place among audience members afterward, as they weigh and debate the undetermined guilt of the priest for themselves. -
After the Deluge
In “After the Deluge,” inspired by the stark racial inequities exposed by Hurricane Katrina, American paper artist Kara Walker uses her usual silhouette figures to tell a story. Her work, which never shies from pointed political commentary, emphasizes the struggles of the marginalized society through the contrast of delicate paper figures placed in clearly unjust situations. -
Cloud Gate
Indian-British artist Anish Kapoor’s public sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park made its debut in 2006 and soon became a landmark for Chicago. The mirrored sculpture, nicknamed “The Bean” because of its distinctive shape, gleams in seamless silver and reflects distorted images of both the surrounding buildings and spectators who gather around and beneath it. The sculpture has been heralded for its artistic appeal as well as its engineering. -
Center for Art, Design and Media
In Singapore, Nanyang Technical University's Center for Art, Design and Media, designed by architectural firm CPG Consultants, incorporates nature and technology, organically blending form and function into a single structure. A wide green stretch of grass sweeps over the rooftop of the five-story building, creating a unique open space and situating the building in an environmentally friendly landscape. -
Descending Light
The sculpture from artist Ai Weiwei, known as a Chinese dissident, mimics the chandelier form of some of his past works but collapses it, leaving an illuminated, multi-tiered lamp seemingly captured mid-fall. Despite its broken appearance, the sculpture appears warm and gently glowing. The dominant red color is reminiscent of the bold red of communism as well as traditional symbols in Chinese culture. -
Levees
LISTEN Jazz musician Terence Blanchard’s song, part of his 2007 album A Tale of God's Will, is his musical interpretation of the devastation of his hometown, New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. The haunting, melancholy tune reflects the despair of the ill-fated levees and the helpless residents as the water rushed in, forever changing their world. -
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
READ AN EXCERPT The first novel from Dominican-American writer Junot Díaz places “ghetto nerd” Oscar Wao as its protagonist, but the story spans generations of Oscar’s Dominican-American family and their experiences in New Jersey. Dominican history is woven with the family’s modern American life to create a magical story of fate and blessings for the 21st century. -
Out of Shadows: Disavowel
American artist Joseph Nechvatal is known for his avant-garde works incorporating digital techniques, but his 2008 Out of Shadows pieces represent a more broadly accessible collection. Nechvatal, in the Out of Shadows series, played with light and shadow as part of his focus on the shifting line between reality and virtual reality. The works began as digital images that Nechvatal injected with a computer virus, manipulating them until just shadowy figures remained. -
Unaccustomed Earth
READ AN EXCERPT The short story by writer Jhumpa Lahiri, part of a collection by the same name, carries on the author’s recurring depictions of the immigrant experience. The characters in this story, united as family but divided by custom and geography, struggle to find themselves. Lahiri’s descriptive, symbolic prose traces themes of assimilation and identity. -
Jai Ho
LISTEN The Indian influences are apparent in this song, composed by A.R. Rahman for the film Slumdog Millionaire, though it carries global appeal with lyrics in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and Spanish. The catchy, uplifting song caught the attention of audiences around the world and became a celebratory anthem, crossing borders and languages. -
Infinity Bridge
The structure, designed by Expedition Engineering, spans the River Tees in Stockton-on-Tees in northeast England. The bridge design is unique in that the delicate double arches, which are of different sizes, are connected as one continuous curve. The bridge takes on new form—and gets its name—from its appearance after dark. Custom LED lights illuminate the bridge at night, with the arches' reflection creating the appearance of an infinity symbol. -
Time As a Painter
When seen from a distance, Time As a Painter, a mixed media on paper collage, appears to be a simple painting, accurate in color and proportion. However, a closer look at Texas artist Mary McCleary’s mosaic reveals a much more intricate, symbolic story, revealing the deliberate use of bits of materials—some found objects—that combine to create a larger whole. McCleary has compared her layering of objects to a painter’s layering of pigment, as both add impact and intensity to the work. -
The Sun
The sculpture brings artist Dale Chihuly’s glasswork to life as a burning orb, shining fiery orange in the daylight and igniting into glowing life at night. The Sun has made an appearance at various locations, but it was in its brief installation at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, that it truly shone, framed by stark buildings and overlooking the wide, blue expanse of the Pacific. -
Particle Falls
WATCH The public installation piece by environmental artists Andrea Polli and Chuck Varga blends science with art to illustrate microscopic particles that pollute our air. The exhibit, displayed as a cascade of light on the side of a building in San Jose, California, pulsed and changed as toxins were detected from a nearby meter. Philadelphia played host to a display in 2013. -
The Vortex
The Vortex showcases the delicate, deliberate paper cuts of Japanese artist Tomoko Shioyasu. Inspired by nature in her paper works, Shioyasu uses knives and irons to meticulously hand-carve through paper, creating openings for light and air to pass through. The result is floor-to-ceiling tapestries that undulate with the barest movement and cast textured shadows on surrounding surfaces. -
Synchronicity #11
Sonomi Kobayashi, a Japanese artist now living in New York, reinterprets some traditional Japanese techniques in her paintings, as in Synchronicity #11, an oil on canvas work. By keeping her canvas natural and blending pigments, she aims to produce layered imagery. Her representative use of circles and shapes from nature further strive to create an organic balance between uncertainty and serenity. -
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie aimed to create a balance of art and nature in the museum, which is nestled in a ravine in Bentonville, Arkansas. The bridge-like structures form pavilions that seem to float as they cross and connect over ponds. The copper-hued rooftops take on a warm glow, giving the impression of a jewel tucked away in the heart of the Ozarks. -
3x3 Dealing with Abstraction
Los Angeles-based artist Geoff McFetridge’s graphic design work translates to his painted canvases, bringing simple shapes to life with clean lines and bold colors. He often, as in 3x3 Dealing with Abstraction, finds inspiration in exploring the ordinary from a different perspective, turning common viewpoints into new experiences. As the people here go about their business, independent of each other, only the observer with the bird’s-eye view can see the balance and connections they create. -
One Today
WATCH Cuban-American poet Richard Blanco’s poem, written for and delivered at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, speaks of a universal American experience, through the eyes of his immigrant childhood. A humble poem, it was meant to offer quiet reflection amid the frenzy of modern life and to soothe and reknit frayed edges torn apart by differences. -
Gravity
WATCH Though reaction to the plot of the film was mixed, audiences were widely in awe of the sumptuous celestial visuals on display. The film, directed by Alfonso Cuaron with cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, heralded a new finesse with 3D technology as well as with computerized effects. Their dazzling work might just influence a great many forms of digital art in the future.
