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Wine Cups Along the Silk Road: Transmission, Materiality, and Banquets

Videos

The silver stem cup in Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection is an embodiment of the transmission of art and culture along the Silk Road during the medieval period. This talk introduces how the seemingly ordinary shape of stem cups signified an innovation in the form of Chinese drinking vessels under the influence of Central and Western Asia. Dr. Zhang further addresses issues around materiality through an investigation of the production and perception of luxury silverware by Chinese and Nomads respectively. Read More

Object Lesson: Maker Chair by Joris Laarman

Object Lessons

When chemists first successfully extracted aluminum from the earth in the 1850s, the raw element was as precious as gold. Today we take aluminum for granted, though it allows for nearly every facet of modern life through its use in architecture, industry, and transportation. From the nineteenth century until today, artists and designers have increasingly turned to aluminum because its unique properties–lightweight, strong, can be pressed thin, resistant to corrosion–allow for the exploration of new ideas through objects. Read More

A Performance of Bharatanatyam

Videos

In partnership with the Indian Arts Circle of New Orleans and in celebration of Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Masterworks from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society, NOMA presents a performance of Bharatanatyam featuring Aparna Srinivasan and Sanjukta. Read More

A Choice of Weapons: Photography, Surveillance, and Ethics⁠

Photography, Creative Assembly, Videos

Gordon Parks famously stated that photography was his “choice of weapons” against racism, intolerance, and poverty. While photographs have certainly been used to document and advance social justice causes in the past, the use of photography in recent protest movements has demonstrated one of the dangers of the medium. While protest photographs have amplified these movements’ messages and visibility, those very same photographs have been used against their makers by other authorities. This panel explored the new emerging chapter in the ethics of photography, considering how the digital, social world has made photography an instantaneous and global “weapon” that can slip easily from one hand to another, and offering guidance on ethical and inclusive approaches to protest photography.⁠ ⁠ Read More

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