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Soundtracks: the invisible string between movies and their audience
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) If someone asks you what movie comes to mind when you hear the songs listed below, what would it be? “My Heart Will Go On”, by Celine Dion. “Take My Breath Away”, by Berlin. “Eye of the Tiger”, by Survivor. “I Will Always Love You”, by Whitney Houston. “(I’ve Had)…
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A chronicle about ABBA, my mom and funny tricks of time
I was about ten years old when I watched Mamma Mia – The Movie for the first time and fell in love with ABBA’s music. Growing up with parents who love music and would listen to not only local artists, but the foreign ones as well, I was already somewhat familiar with the songs featured…
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The Aesthetic Fantasy of Consumerism: Shopaholics as seen in the media
Imagine working your typical 9-5 and finally getting your check by the end of the month. After paying your bills and groceries, there is something, almost like self-care, in going into a shop just because the mannequin had something you really liked. Maybe a pair of shoes that are perfect for special occasions or a…
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Painted in Secret: When Art Wasn’t Meant to Be Seen
There is something hauntingly intimate about art that was never meant to be shared—a kind of raw, unfiltered truth that escapes the performance of an audience. Before gallery walls, before critics and collectors, artists went through moments where they picked up brushes not for fame or legacy, but for themselves. For grief. For love. For…
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The first women to wear pants in public and how they turned women’s fashion into a matter of freedom, comfort and elegance
The year is 1825. You’re out and about, and suddenly you see a woman walking down the street—only, she was totally audacious—wearing masculine, inappropriate, and out-of-the-norm clothes. Meet Fanny Wright. Sporting long pants beneath a medium dress, she became the first woman ever to step outside in anything other than dresses and skirts. It didn’t…
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What’s for tea time? Maite Alberdi’s intimate storytelling
What’s the essence of good storytelling? Academically speaking it’s a combination of plot, characters, conflict, and resolutions. However, a certain Chilean documentarist would say that there has to be a soul linked to the intimate, profound observations one can catch in the everydayness of often overlooked subjects. Maite Alberdi Maite Alberdi is a film director,…
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The Problem with Exoticism: A Critical Look at Orientalist Paintings
19th Century Italian Orientalist Masterpiece Painting “Four Women In The Harem” c. 1880, in the Circle of Rudolf Ernst. Have you ever looked at an old painting of a lavish palace, veiled women laying on silk cushions, or mysterious desert landscapes and thought, “Wow, so magical”? You’re not alone. Orientalist paintings, especially those from 19th-century Europe,…
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From Shrines to Stages: The Influence of Sufism on South Asian Music
Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, has deeply influenced the musical traditions of Pakistan and India for centuries. Its emphasis on divine love, spiritual transcendence, and devotion has given rise to some of the most soulful musical expressions in South Asia. From qawwalis that echo in shrines to folk songs that tell tales of divine…
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Video games CAN be Art: a medium where art can flourish
The discussion surrounding video games as a form of art is ongoing, with many arguing for the validity of this connection. Gamers and advocates for the medium strive to defend the idea that video games can be considered art against the skepticism of traditional art connoisseurs. To cite Roger Ebert’s claims: “No one in or…
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Why People Romanticize ‘Vintage’ Art Styles
Vintage art styles never truly fade—they always resurface in different forms, reinterpreted by new generations. From the tinted photographs of 1920s, grainy film aesthetics of the 60s to the youthful 90s Y2K style, it seems as if vintage trends remain timeless and people continue to be fascinated by them. But why are we so drawn…
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