Jeff Lamson – Arts & Entertainment Editor
Versatility. Inspiration. Expression. These are qualities of what some students chose as under-appreciated forms of art.
From functional architecture and design to striking fashion and the roots of music as we know it today, students say that these styles of art can often go overlooked.
“If you just have one idea of something,” Lilian Matute said, “then you’re never going to unlock its full potential.”
The freshman and psychology major said that functional items that one may just see in passing can often be taken for granted. She said that one might not notice how useful something may be until it is needed.
She said she knows that she is frustrated when having to stand for a long period of time and it is only then that we appreciate the use of these commonplace tools. Matute also said that many do not appreciate the varied utility of such things.
“A chair is not just for sitting for example,” Lilian Matute said. “You can use it for probably a million things if you really thought about it.”
She said that it can be used as a form of expression and that the materials themselves are versatile. For people to see that, she said she would dismantle a chair to show how despite perhaps losing its original functionality, its pieces can be repurposed and how without its specific and deliberate design it loses.
Joseph Bedell, a senior, philosophy major, said that classical music is often overlooked by music listeners. He said that modern can often blend together, but that we owe, “the syntax,” of music as we know it to the distinct stylistic differences of composers like Bach and Mozart.
“I think everyone should listen to it at least one time in their life,” Bedell said, “just to know what the roots of today’s music are.”
Bedell said he understands that many classic pieces are too long for modern sensibilities and that part of the problem is access and exposure.
People mainly just buy what is hot and that classic pieces are not promoted or advertised anymore, Bedell said. Part of what is holding some people back comes to the cost of live concerts and events in terms of access. Bedell said that being free was key to getting the music out there.
Fashion is a way to express oneself on first impression without ever having to say a word, according to Nella Klos.
The sophomore and biochemistry major said she draws on the costume design of old films and the fashion icons of yesteryear to express herself in a unique way. She said fashion is often overlooked as an art form because of societal pressures to conform.
“It’s easier to just go along with what you think is socially acceptable,” Klos said.
Rather than just throw on a pair of jeans she said that she would rather just do what she wants and use each outfit as a new opportunity to be expressive.
“Every day you can change,” Klos said. “It’s not something you have to subscribe to.”
Photo Credit: Anne Helmond
