M^2, Midsummer and Modern Art

I absolutely loved A Midsummers Night’s Dream at The Globe! It was the best Shakespeare production I’ve ever seen and kept me enthralled throughout the entire thing. The actors did a great job connecting to each other and the audience simultaneously. It was beautiful how they reacted to everything happening around them in time and acted in the moment. One of my favorite choices was scary Puck. I’ve never viewed Puck in that light, but it makes so much sense. It contrasted with the other characters in the play and created new dynamics more impactful than a playful Puck. I also really enjoyed the music, it kept me glued to the show. Another experience I had was sitting for Act 1 and standing for Act 2. I loved standing and recommended it to everyone for our next show. Being right up on the stage, I got to interact with the characters and also see every little detail of the show. It helped me stay more engaged. Also, I got to mosh! Yay!

          I also had a wonderful time at the Tate Modern Museum. I enjoy spending time walking around museums alone so I can find my own interpretations of art and be introspective. One of my favorite pieces was the Thamesmead Codex by Bob and Roberta Smith. The Smiths interviewed people living in Thamesmead, a large-scale housing project, in 2019-20. They put together the story’s these people told them and put them on painted placards. These stories were thought-provoking to me, seeing so many different perspectives of people living in the same place. Lives can be so different yet so similar. It made me remember to be grateful for everything I have and always be mindful of the moment I’m living in because it could change in a second.

Another piece I loved was an installation by Sammy Baloji. It was centered around colonialism and the mining of Copper in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The installation included plants indigenous to central Africa’s copper belt planted in copper mortar shells that were made from the copper taken from them. I think it was a beautiful way to reclaim the history stolen from them during colonialism.