Reflections of a College Student

Perfect background music to set the tone. :-P

In the spirit of having completed my last day EVER as an undergrad, I began reflecting upon my college experience. Actually, it was a colleague of mine, who also completed her last day as an undergrad today that got me thinking. She said that she found herself tearing up as she left Snell because she was thinking about what mark, if any, she left on Northeastern. Further, she was talking about how she noticed all the people on campus and kept thinking to herself 'Why don't I know any of these people? Why didn't I make friends with more people?' Before seeing her, it didn't hit me (probably because I have 2 finals, 1 paper and 1 presentation left before I'm actually done) that it was my last day. It got me thinking about my college experience and how it seems so recent that I was a freshman. I guess, all the talk about Northeastern and meeting people and leaving an impact got me thinking about how Northeastern is like a mini-city within itself. I mean, it's definitely a different feel being on versus off campus, a quick walk from Columbus, through Ruggles and onto campus, leaves one to feel they've entered another city. Essentially, it is a community within itself, equipped with a diverse population and all the necessities of a society including, eateries, a health center, library, jobs, etc. Further, everything is so fast-paced, very much reminiscent of city life. It is rather hard to remain connected with someone if you don't have class with them/share the same major or live on campus. This got me thinking if the city is does not create a space for relationship building and if that is reproduced in mini-cities like college campuses? It is often said that America fosters individual, fast-paced, superficiality...but how can one resist that and still partake in city-life? 

Taking Sidewalk Chalk to the Next Level!

While sitting at work, I casually told my friend about Kobra (the street artist, I referred to in my last post), and how fabulous I thought he was, and she immediately asks, 'Wait, where's he from?' Forgetting that she's Brazilian, she informed me that she knows of his art from Brazil. The conversation got us talking about different types of art, including photography and 3D, Chalk art, which is what I want to focus on in this post. This subcultural form of artistic expression includes creating large-scale pieces on sidewalks that appear to be 3 dimentional. This video offers a glimpse into the world of 3D sidewalk art. This is a brief video depicting the process...

This form of art, while absolutely stunning, also struck me because I was thinking about the communal aspect of graffiti and street artists, and wonder how the 3D sidewalk chalk artists interact. Is it an up and coming phenomenon? Will it one day be as common as graffiti? I'm not sure, but for now I'll enjoy the imagery.

Here's a link to a blog called 'Street Art Utopia', with some awesome pieces. 

Displays of Street Art

Honestly, I first came across this image while casually scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed. I immediately stopped, and clicked on the photo to view it enlarged. I was struck by the beautiful use colors that created a sort of kaleidoscope effect. I'm not sure if I just have revolution on the mind, but if you look at this photo at a distanced view, I see a raised fist, which could symbolizing solidarity and add a whole other layer of political implication to this piece. But, various friends of mine have convinced me that I am 'seeing things', yet art is made to be interpreted in multiple ways! Whatever the case, the image remains striking. The average person sees a whimsical take on the World War II photo of a sailor kissing a nurse. The Brazilian artist, Eduardo Kobra, is a fairly popular graffiti artist and is known for his restoration of historic images.  His art is vibrant and eye-catching!