WLIW Arts Beat

WLIW Arts Beat - December 2, 2019
In this edition of WLIW Arts Beat, one piece of art goes on a journey to its new home in Texas; and editor share his experience creating films with Ken Burns; a musician pursues her passion; and a fashion designer's creations hit the runway.
TRANSCRIPT
♪♪
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>> In this edition of
"WLIW Arts Beat"...
A sculpture's remarkable
journey...
>> It's been a long time coming.
This is an exciting, very
exciting moment for the museum.
♪♪
>> Exploring the art of the
edit...
>> When you pull out all the
dull stuff and figure out a way
to put all the dynamic stuff
together, it suddenly pops, and
you can make the audience feel
like they were really there.
>> The magic of making music...
>> I spent a lot of years just
feeling pretty lost.
Something snapped in me, and it
was like, "I think I need to
just do music."
>> And rocking the runway from
day to night...
>> When you think about it,
it's really high-quality.
It's good textures.
Sometimes you use front and
back.
I love upholstery.
>> It's all ahead on this
edition of "WLIW Arts Beat."
Funding for "WLIW Arts Beat" was
made possible by viewers like
you.
Thank you.
♪♪
Welcome to "WLIW Arts Beat."
I'm Diane Masciale.
In our first segment, we visit
the Museum of Fine Arts
in Houston, Texas, which
features a monumental public
sculpture.
It's called "Cloud Column."
And while the sculpture
is quite the sight,
its journey to its new home
is quite the story, as well.
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>> Well, today is a really
exciting and important day
in the history of our museum,
and I hope in the history
of the city.
>> We're installing
this extraordinary work
by the British and Indian artist
Anish Kapoor, "Cloud Column,"
here at the
Brown Foundation Plaza.
The sculpture has arrived,
and it comes
in its big metal frame.
It actually came on a ship
from England about a year ago,
and we've had it in storage.
For the last week or so,
artisans from Anish Kapoor's
studio have been polishing it
and cleaning it inside of
its cage, its support system.
>> We have 18 all installing
stuff.
We travel all over the world.
We ship, arrange customs
clearance, logistics,
installation.
It's a full turnkey service
from fabrication, construction,
shipping --
everything you can need to move
a work of art from "A" to "B"
anywhere in the world.
We fabricated a steel travel
frame that encompassed the
entire sculpture in the
vertical, and we shipped it from
London down to the port of
Southampton in the U.K. and into
Galveston.
We had a trucking company
pick it up in Galveston and take
it to the storage of the museum
about a year ago, where it sat,
braving the hurricane that came
last year.
And then we came on site.
>> It's been
a long time coming.
This is an exciting,
very exciting moment
for the museum.
Currently it's horizontal.
It's in its travel frame
sideways
on a large flatbed truck.
It's gonna be lifted
and set on the ground
and then inverted upright
so that it's in
its correct position.
We change all the strapping
and the rigging around,
and then we pick it up
in the correct orientation,
and then it flies over to
the spot right behind me.
That's a lot of stainless steel,
and it's a lot of organizing and
getting the ground ready for it,
the plinth that it gets attached
to, getting the cranes
ordered in the right-size crane
because we have to fly
this thing through the air.
We've got to go over a building
and set it down.
And that part of it, that's
the fun part.
That's the glamour shot,
but it's quick.
You don't want it in the air
very long.
♪♪
This had a lot of planning
ahead of it.
As you can imagine,
you're not gonna move this
around a whole lot.
It's going to go to one spot.
You're you gonna pull it down.
That's it.
But all of that had
to be preplanned.
We actually made a very large,
full-scale mock head of it
just so we could see and grasp
and determine
where the best place is for it.
>> So, we work with
Anish Kapoor's studio
very closely.
He looked into where
it's positioned,
how it's positioned,
and even when it's viewed
on certain days.
You have to install it
in its raw state,
and then you have to build
a scaffold around it to polish
it.
>> What is distinctive about
Cloud Column and what really
makes it appealing to me
is that it's hand-hammered.
It has this marvelous
not rippled but wavy surface
applied by the artist,
which breaks up the reflection
into almost like a bee's eye
or an insect's eyes
into multiple reflections.
And you're consciously --
you're always conscious
of the hand of the artist.
It's a very human piece,
very human in its scale.
It relates to the human figure
standing, and it invites you
to participate with it.
You can walk around it,
and you see yourself
and the surroundings reflected
in different ways.
Facing north, this concave
interior grabs the heavens
and brings them down to earth.
It's a true exclamation point
for the Plaza, and I know
this instantly will be
a hub for all things cultural
here in Houston.
♪♪
>> For more information
on the Cloud Column,
go to www.MFAH.org.
♪♪
♪♪
Film editor Paul Barnes
is known for transforming
classic stories
into masterpieces.
Up next we get
an inside look at the art
and style of film editing.
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>> What do you love
about editing?
>> I love taking
the raw material
that was shot and figuring out
how to put it together
to make it dramatic and dynamic
or comic or, you know,
to make this raw footage
that when you look at it
often seems very dull,
but then by the judicious
editing of it, you can suddenly
bring it to life.
I get into this funny kind of
Zen headspace in a way,
where the world disappears,
and honestly all I can think of
is what's on the screen.
And I am totally
absorbed in that.
And it's like how do
I make this work?
What's the next shot
I should go to?
What's the best piece of music?
Do I need a sound effect here
to punch something in?
Should I put in the close-up
here?
Is that the right image?
And the wheels of my head
are going like crazy.
But there's something
about the creativity of all
that, that
it's very satisfying to me.
And when you see the end
product, when you finish a
scene, and it's working well,
and you've taken all the things
that weren't working out,
and all of a sudden the
director's intention was coming
through, the actor's intention
was coming through, the story
intention was coming through,
it's very gratifying.
It really is.
>> How can the art and style of
editing change certain stories?
>> First of all, you know,
the script is like a blueprint,
and then the dailies
are like raw material.
They're not finished works in
and of themselves.
In a documentary,
it's all in the editing.
Everything is so raw.
[ Laughs ]
I mean, if you watch some of
the raw footage of Vietnam,
it's like some of the sequences
where they were shooting,
you know, in a in a battle area,
there's a lot of dull stuff
where the cameraman
was hiding behind a tree
and following some troops,
but nothing was happening.
There's some distant shooting,
and then every once in a while
there'd be a little scuffle,
a little skirmish.
When you pull out all
the dull stuff and figure out a
way to put all the dynamic stuff
together, it suddenly pops,
and you can make the audience
feel like they were really there
by the way in which you cut it.
>> One of the things
that I learned in the war
is that we're not
the top species on the planet
because we're nice.
We are a very aggressive
species.
It is in us.
And people talk a lot about
how well the military turns kids
into killing machines and stuff.
And I'll always argue
that it's just finishing school.
>> When's a time that you
felt editing has helped
tell the story
in a more impactful way?
>> For example, to go back
to "The Civil War,"
which was the second film I
worked on with Ken.
Gettysburg is
an important pivot in the war.
And we had to rely on paintings,
which is a difficult
thing to do.
But there are some very famous
Gettysburg paintings.
There's the Gettysburg diorama
that is preserved
at the park now.
And we went there and shot
and shot a lot of close-ups
of different actions
from the battle.
And I think the combination
of the voices that related
a part of the battle
with the strong narrative
that Geoff wrote,
but in conjunction
with the battle sound effects
and then the quick cutting of
even the painting images,
it brought the battle to life
in an incredibly
interesting way.
And Ken and I were both
thinking it's
so hard to make paintings work.
We were really scared.
We thought, "We're not going to
be able to do the Battle
of Gettysburg really well."
It worked like gangbusters.
[ Cannon fires ]
>> Suddenly the Union artillery
on Cemetery Ridge
in Little Round Top opened fire,
and a great moan went up
from the Confederate line.
"We could not help hitting them
at every shot,"
a federal officer recalled.
As many as ten men
at a time were destroyed
by a single bursting shell.
[ Horse neighs, cannon fires ]
>> You have for many years
brought the human experience
to these films and projects.
How important is it to tell
these stories?
>> Oh, it's hugely important,
I think.
What Ken does that I love
is, and as he describes it,
he calls it "emotional
archaeology."
It's like if you want people to
learn history, make them feel
it.
So, it's not just tell
the facts and figures,
but it's explore the underlying
emotions of what was happening
at the time with the individual
characters, with the events.
And if you can bring
the feeling out,
then it really hits an audience.
And so that, you know, the
experience of FDR having polio,
I think you really feel that
in the Roosevelt series.
There are tons of moments
in "Vietnam" that you're going
to feel like gangbusters
because you feel like you're
in the battle of Ia Drang,
or you feel like you're
on the street photographing
the girl who got hit by napalm.
You're in the moment when
that Vietnamese police officer
shot the man in the street.
All of those moments
just come alive
and hit you in the gut
and hit you in the heart.
And when you affect the audience
emotionally
and bringing history alive
like that, then it means more.
And people think about it more.
They remember it more,
and it becomes more a part
of their consciousness.
And I think they carry that
with them into events
that are happening now
and what's going on
in the world now.
So, I think it's vital
to be telling these stories.
>> As an editor, you spend
all this time
with other people's stories
and looking back at history --
people's stories now, people's
stories in the past.
What has that taught you
about yourself and about being
a human being?
>> To be able
to really study the ins and outs
of these people's personalities,
the complexity
of these historical decisions
and the fraught politics in
so many periods of our history.
It's time and again
you get inspired by the story
of these great American men
and women, who really
have helped to develop
and create the democracy that
we have and the kind of country
that we have.
It's incredibly inspiring.
And I think it's made me
a better human being
across the board.
I'm much more compassionate.
I'm much more empathetic.
I'm much more willing to look
at the gray areas of things
and not immediately go
to the white or black of any
issue, to want to see what
the other side's point of view
is, to figure out a compromise.
I think all those things history
can can teach you.
And so, yeah, it's been
a great journey in that regard.
So, you know, I do feel like
it's made me a better person.
>> It was so nice to talk
with you about editing and your
process and your career.
Thank you so much for being
here today.
>> Oh, it's my pleasure.
Thank you so much for having me.
>> For more about Paul Barnes,
visit PBS.org/kenburns/
about-the-filmmakers.
♪♪
And now here's a look
at an "Arts Fun Fact."
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A lifelong journey
of discovery has led artist
Sunny Gicz to her true passion,
making music.
Now she's finding her way
in the Virginia music scene
with a little help
from a friend,
and we have a listen.
♪♪
>> ♪ Is there anybody
going to listen to my story? ♪
♪ All about a girl
who came to stay ♪
I've not really ever had
any motivation or ambition
or anything like that
until the past few years.
The biggest thing music
has taught me about myself
is that I am passionate.
It's really the only thing
I've been passionate
about in my life.
♪ Oh, gi-i-rl
♪ Gi-i-rl
I got to experience a little
bit of my parents doing music.
They would kind of do it
on their spare time.
I wasn't really pressed
into it from my parents.
You know, what influenced me
the most from them
was their records --
all the record players,
they had tape players,
a big mixer, all the speakers.
It was always around me.
I went after it on my own.
Yeah, didn't really want it
to become too important,
I don't think.
[ Laughs ]
They hate the music business.
♪ Oh-oh
♪ Taken its toll
In middle school, it was all
covers.
In high school,
it was covers and some
original music that wasn't mine.
I was a bass player.
It wasn't like a creative thing
for me.
And then after high school
I just kind of -- I took
my guitar with me to college and
stuff like that, but I didn't
really play anymore.
I spent a lot of years
just feeling pretty lost.
Something snapped in me, and
it was like, "I think I need to
just do music."
I was doing, like, cover songs,
YouTube videos,
and I had a friend tell me,
"You know, it's cool,
but you should maybe write
your own songs."
And I was like...
[ Gasps ]
"Ouch. Oh, well..."
And then I think within a month
I had written a song
and came to a realization
that I wanted
to do something really different
than what I was kind of
creating on my own.
Yeah, I mean, long story short
I found Gabe.
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>> Well, the writing process is
pretty much
as if we were cooking.
I'll pop the top off of ragu
Alfredo any second.
>> [ Laughs ]
>> She's like, "We got to make
our own Alfredo sauce.
It's easy."
So, you know, it's like
a good mixture because
sometimes we help each other
cook.
>> Gabe and I met each other
Cinco de Mayo,
I think, at Lola's, and I think
he was deejaying or something.
Within a few months, sent me
an e-mail with some drums
on one of my songs
that I had on SoundCloud.
I was, like, defensive
immediately, because
I was like,
"What did you -- I didn't say
you could do this" or something.
And then I finally -- that
feeling only lasted a second.
I would have never thought of
that, like, what he put on the
song.
>> When I heard her stuff,
it was just like,
"Oh, man, she's dope.
I can't believe this is her
voice."
I thought she had, like, a band
and, like, you know,
producer, boyfriend,
and all this stuff
to get involved with.
When I hit her up
and I found out that she was --
>> I'm like, "I'm all alone!
Please!"
>> She was like, "I'm all alone.
I did it myself."
I was like, "Oh!"
>> So, with me and Gabe, it's
definitely a true collaboration.
I'm not just singing.
I'm also doing music, too, and
he is also writing melodies
sometimes.
So, he's definitely
somebody I trust.
He's almost like
a pair of ears for me
because he's kind of opposite
for me and thinks about things
a different way.
>> I think it's good, the clip.
>> With the bass?
>> Yeah.
Because when I'm mixing it,
it's just going
to be a fuller sound.
>> There's definitely
progression
with the relationship
between me and Gabe.
I used to freak out
after every single show,
whether it was good or bad.
It was just too much
to handle getting off the stage.
It was like the adrenaline.
>> She's so passionate.
I understand when she gets
upset.
Like, she loves getting it
right.
So, whenever it doesn't,
it's a real big issue to her.
>> He's always been good with,
"Don't worry about it."
♪ I can't help it
if I put you down ♪
♪ Oh, downtown, baby
♪ Down where the stoned folks
get around, baby ♪
♪ She said she knows you
>> ♪ You wrote your name
>> ♪ I get around
>> ♪ I saw your name in...
>> ♪ I get around
Anything that's been hard
for me was hard for a reason.
So, when I had the feeling
that I wanted to do music,
had I not been through
some hard stuff,
I would have probably
just been comfortable and okay
with doing somebody I didn't
really care about doing.
Kind of gave me
a different perspective.
I'm not going to do anything
I don't really want to do.
I'm just not.
Life's too short.
♪♪
♪ You make me want to scream
Aah!
♪ Playing like you've got
a place to hide ♪
♪ Thinking that you got
a better ride ♪
♪♪
>> If you want to hear more,
Head to Facebook.com/SunnyNGabe.
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From daytime to nighttime
wear, fashion designer
Voszi Douglas
is rocking the runway
with her versatile designs.
We go behind the scenes
of her annual fashion show
for a glimpse
of her latest collection.
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>> Even when I was a child,
before I went to school,
I would draw fashion.
I wanted to be a fashion
designer.
I didn't think I'd have to sew.
I thought I would just create
these outfits
and somebody would sew them
because I'd be so fabulous.
I didn't start sewing
till I was 25.
So, that's one thing.
So, when I first start
sewing, the drawings
that I was doing were
looking like Vogue patterns.
So, of course,
I'm buying Vogue patterns,
and they're kind of hard to do
because you got to buy
the pattern, then you got
to cut out the pattern,
and you got to pin it
to the fabric, and you got to
cut that out.
Then you got to follow --
it makes my head hurt.
It evolved over years.
I didn't do great right off,
that's for sure, but...
What inspires me is fabric
and color and texture, and I
just get oh, excited about all
that.
That's exciting to me.
I do hats, jewelry, jackets.
One my favorite things to do
are jackets.
I do jackets out of upholstery
fabric.
And I think
that's what I'm best known for.
When you think about it,
it's really high-quality.
It's good textures.
Sometimes you use front and
back.
I love upholstery.
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Now the show
that I'm doing next month
is once a year since 1982.
I do a fashion show where
preview my new collection.
And so this is a 34th year
of doing that.
And I will be sewing
and making jewelry and purses
and hats up until they take
the sewing machine and say,
"Okay, the models are here
to try their clothes on."
I have two lines.
I have Voszi Designs,
which is maybe like what I have
on, kind of maybe everyday-wear
type of things more.
Then I have the
Alvoyce Collection, which is my
higher-end collection.
This show is gonna be a whole
show of the Alvoyce Collection.
That's something I've never done
before.
So, it's exciting and scary.
But it'll be probably a
hundred-and-some pieces.
Yeah, I have, like, 18 models.
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I like colors, and I
like putting things
together that are unusual.
I think a lot of people, if
they lose a little weight
or gain a little weight, they
can still fit in my outfits,
and they're changeable because
you wear them frontwards,
backwards, sometimes
upside down
because they're not structured.
I like outfits when you walk
in a room, you might love them,
you might not love them,
but you're gonna notice them
because
they're going to be different.
I love people.
I love fashion.
I like color, and I just want
to leave something, a legacy
when I leave, that people loved
my clothes.
They were easy to wear.
I want to also be a nice
and a spiritual person.
♪♪
>> You can browse more designs
at Facebook.com/Voszi.Douglas.
♪♪
That wraps it up for this
edition of "WLIW Arts Beat."
We'd like to hear
what you think.
So, like us on Facebook,
join the conversation
on Twitter,
And visit our web page
for features and
to watch episodes of the show.
We hope to see you next time.
I'm Diane Masciale.
Thank you for watching
"WLIW Arts Beat."
Funding for "WLIW Arts Beat"
was made possible
by viewers like you.
Thank you.
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