https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky en-us 2023-01-28 10:36:42 UTC 2023-01-28 19:22:40 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f31f.png kristinaregino https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459725551 • Oil on canvas
• 1910
• Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
• Germany
• 101 x 76 cm

Marcella, the girl in this painting, is a common subject in a number of Kirchner's paintings along with her sister Fränzi; they were the daughters of Kirchner's neighbour. Here, Marcella is painted sitting next to her sleeping cat.

As a cat owner myself, I was struck by this art piece, particularly in the way it documents––and, effectively, humanizes––a mundane moment from the past. People tend to think of history solely through its 'big' moments, such as wars or disasters; this comes as no surprise because those are the most documented parts of the past, and are hence the most remembered. Thus, many tend to forget that people from the past were still people, and had similar experiences and felt the same emotions we do today. For example, people in the past also owned cats, and thought these cats to be exceedingly adorable, and found comfort in simply sitting next to them as they curled up and slept.]]> 2023-01-28 10:50:00 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459725551 kristinaregino https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459786883 • Gold, onyx, agate, diamond, blue enamel, hair, glass
• c. 1861
• Photograph by Camille Silvy
• Great Britain
• 3.7 x 2.4 x 0.6 cm

Mourning jewelry was commonplace in mourning practices between the Middle Ages and the turn of the 19th century. It was especially popularized in the Victorian period by Queen Victoria I herself, following the death of her husband Prince Albert in 1861. One unique material used in mourning jewelry during this time was hair; it was often kept in lockets alongside a photograph of the deceased (as seen in Queen Victoria's locket above), or even intricately woven to create items such as bracelets, necklaces, and rings. Additionally, for those who could not afford getting photographs or painted miniatures of their deceased, using hair in mourning jewelry was an affordable way to preserve their loved ones' memory.

While I initially found it rather macabre to use the hair of deceased humans in jewelry, I have come to appreciate its significance as something that helped people of the past cope with the pain of loss. By turning a part of their deceased loved ones into something painstakingly beautiful and intricate yet part of their daily lives, they can remember their loved ones with fondness.]]> 2023-01-28 13:35:46 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459786883 kristinaregino https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459809330 • Engraved rock wall
• Neolithic period (c. 2500 BC)
• Unknown artist/s
• Philippines
• 63 x 5 m

These petroglyphs depict ancient Filipinos performing religious rituals to heal sickness; as such, they are, according to UNESCO, “symbolic representations associated with healing and sympathetic magic.” The Angono Petroglyphs are considered to be one of, if not the oldest known art piece in the Philippines, and have been declared a National Cultural Treasure by the government, alongside other petroglyphs that were discovered in different parts of the country. 

This art piece strikes me as a rare and valuable memento of our ancestors during pre-colonial times––a snapshot, if you will, of an ancient tradition untouched by our colonizers.]]> 2023-01-28 14:20:12 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459809330 kristinaregino https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459813965 • Animation film
• 2001
• Hayao Miyazaki
• Japan
• 2 hours 5 minutes

Spirited Away is regarded as one of the best animated films of all time with numerous accolades under its belt. It follows Chihiro, an ordinary 10-year old girl, who is thrown into the realm of gods and spirits after a misadventure forces her to work at an otherworldly bathhouse––where she must survive and find a way to bring herself and her parents back home. 

It stands as my personal favourite film since childhood. While I didn't have the fates of parents-turned-pigs in my hands at the time, I empathized with Chihiro's struggle to navigate an unfamiliar and seemingly dangerous world as a young girl, and continue to be deeply struck by the emotions portrayed in the film. Miyazaki also revolutionized the adding of "breathing room" in animation, through seconds-long scenes that seem to show nothing in particular, but actually serve to deepen the emotionality of the film as a whole; a silent car ride through the city, grass being ruffled by a gentle breeze, a slow train rippling waves into the ocean. Spirited Away is an example of technique and emotion in perfect artistic harmony.]]> 2023-01-28 14:31:20 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459813965 kristinaregino https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459885078 • Ice-skating performance
• 2016
• Yuzuru Hanyu, David Wilson
• Japan
• 4 minutes

Yuzuru Hanyu's "Notte Stellata" exhibition program was first performed during the Skate Canada competition gala in 2016, accompanied by a song of the same name by Il Volo. 

Hanyu was one of the thousands affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. A power outage occurred the same night of the disaster, and looking up at the sky from the makeshift evacuation center where he and his family temporarily resided, he saw a sky full of bright and beautiful stars which he described as little lights of hope. Through "Notte Stellata" (Italian for "the starry night"), Hanyu hopes to embody the same hope and light that he and many others felt and witnessed under that starry sky all those years ago.

This program, marrying the technicality and artistry of figure skating, has grown to become incredibly special not only to Hanyu, but also to the audience that has watched him perform it through the years––making it an art piece that has proven itself capable of extending hope that transcends the boundaries of time and experience.]]> 2023-01-28 17:01:47 UTC https://padlet.com/kristinaregino/1w2bpm8a3vxmr7ky/wish/2459885078