4B - Thursday, September 27, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
GOSSIP COLUMN
SURPRISING SCULPTURES.
Mistakes
make celebrities
seem mortal
4
MARLENE LACASSE/Daly
The 'Wave Field' on North Campus is often not recognized as art.
Secret art all around 'U'
Students react to
obscure pieces of
artwork on campus
By GIACOMO BOLOGNA
Daily StaffReporter
Students spin it in on their
way to class, tour guides point it
out to prospective students and
campus visitors stop by to have
their picture taken with it. The
Cube - or the "Endover," it's
official title - is the most rec-
ognizable sculpture on campus.
But this campus staple is just
one of many University-owned
pieces around campus.
The University President's
Advisory Committee on Public
Art highlights pieces of pub-
lic art the University owns or
has been lent and lists about
100 pieces on its website. Those
include the Block M on the Diag,
Michigan Stadium and the giant
spindles of orange I-beams that
seem to have fallen onto each
other in front of the University
of Michigan Museum of Art.
But throughout campus, there
are University-owned artworks -
particularly sculptures - that are
unknown, unclear, hidden in plain
view or just painfully obvious.
"They just call it the naked
statue, that's all Iknow about it,"
LSA junior Chris Chou said. "It's
kind of like a landmark."
Chou is referring to the
"Regeneration of Time": a stat-
ue of a man holding a small boy
next to a woman holding an
apple, and, aside from a taste-
fully placed leaf, all three are
completely nude.
"Regeneration" stands on the
corner of Glen Avenue and Cath-
erine Street near the Medical
Campus, in front of a parking
garage by Angelo's restaurant.
According to its description
on the committee's website, the
man and woman are carrying.
the child to the hospital, though
casual'observers often miss the
intent.
LSA freshman Lili Thomases
discussed the work with friends
as they waited for lunch at
Angelo's, a restaurant across the
intersection. from the "Regen-
eration of Time."
"I know an apple is a sym-
bol of temptation, so it could be
Adam and Eve," Thomases said.
"Doesn't it symbolize knowl-
edge though too?" another girl
suggested.
They thought aloud for a few
moments, positing different pos-
sibilities for the statue. When
it was clear there was no one,
clear answer, they mostly came
to agreement that the statue was
different.
"I think it's really weird ... out
of place," LSA freshman Leah
Schatz said.
Still, Thomases questioned
the validity of that assertion,
asking if there could even be a
right space for the statue.
"Is there honestly the prop-
er space for art?" she said. "I
wouldn't say that's an improper
spot for anything ... you don't
need to go to the museum to go
see art."
"Where else would it be put?"
another friend quipped.
Nonetheless, the statue con-
tinues to have at least one specific
purpose, even if wasn't the sculp-
ture's intended purpose, LSA
freshman Krista Moussavi said.
"It definitely is a point where
people reference to," she said.
"We're always like, 'oh there's
the naked statue we'll meet over
there."'
Much farther north than the
"Regeneration of Time," there
is a sculpture whose purpose
is abundantly clear, but whose
existence, and even designa-
tion as a sculpture, is relatively
unknown.
It's not even marked on the
map of North Campus outside
the Pierpont bus stop. Unless
a student is familiar with the
"Wave Field," the small bumps
drawn on the map would give
no cartographical indication of
what those bumps mean to the
viewer.
The field is known almost
exclusively to Engineering and
Art & Design students and the
residents of North Campus brave
enough to venture beyond the
Duderstadt Center. The "Wave
Field," designed by Maya Lin,
the designer of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial, is tucked
away in a courtyard of engineer-
ing buildings and consists of
rows of crisscrossing waves that
intersect the turf to form grassy
moguls.
Engineering sophomore Eldy
Zuniga said he was unaware that
his frequent nap spot was also a
work of art.
"I'm very bad with arts. I'm
not sure what defines a sculp-
ture or not," Zuniga said. "It's
just a place to chill - it's nice to
look at. I go to the (Wilson Stu-
dent Team Project Center) all
the time so whenever I get here
early I just lay down and nap for
a little bit."
While the "Regeneration of
Time" can bring about discus-
sion regarding the purpose and
intention of where we display
art, the "Wave Field" has tran-
scended those questions.
"The thing is just to be enjoyed
regardless of whether or not it's
a sculpture," Zuniga said. "You'll
always find, at least some point
in the day, someone will be here
just chilling. That's constant, it
doesn't matter what day it is."
'' llg a ''II
But Zuniga added that the
time of day does change how stu-
dents use the "Wave Field."
"It's most popular at night,"
he said. "Every other (oscilla-
tion) will have a random couple."
When Zuniga took a moment
to think over the field, he said he
recognized its beauty, but noted
its special meaningto engineers.
Engineering and Art & Design
students are different lots, but
the small grassy dunes are actu-
ally made up of sine and cosine
waves, which are relevant to
both groups.
"It fits here," Zuniga said, add-
ing that the machine used to cut
the grass was specially designed
at the University.
Apart from the "Regeneration
of Time" and the "Wave Field,"
public art abounds throughout
the University. Most students
might be surprised just how
much art they could be missing
ae thevwalkiktoslss.
'S
sip ma
celebs
tions s
as "Th
Have'
Arms:
"They
Caugh
Rain!"
"They
Water
(Reall
magaz
attem
show
aren't
rich a
mer, U
next le
stars a
not th,
On.
"Twip
tos we
ten Ste
longti
tering
Pattin
Ruper
of her
Hunts
two yo
Kr
fi]
rea
Wh
consta
pages.
Weekl
theirc
saucy:
Act
article
tograp
ing wi
locatio
17. The
sessio
grainy
and sh
for the
let) an
mome
Aft
lished
issued
loved
the mi
backla
Sande
force,
enemi
Wh
the ph
make:
a happ
whose
their b
Pattin
ers an
the ac
remai
chose
send g
light"
into a
too fat
they n
Star
mome
everyd
ferent
pages
into n
town,
Had a
tars Are Just Like Us!," or scandal occurred betweentwo
some variation, is often a students in Ann Arbor, someone
section in celebrity gos- might have viewed the act of
gazines. With photos of canoodling in the Arb, but they
doing daily tasks and cap- wouldn't document the moment
uch with their iPhone and splash the 4
ey photos across their Facebook
Their page without the consent of the
Fully," two individuals.
Get We can't justify Stewart's
t in the actions; the mistake she made in
and cheating is evident. But what we
Guzzle can recognize is the larger mis-
take she made in failing to rec-
y?!), the HALEY ognize the pressure put on her
ines GOLDBERG as celebrity. Celebrities can't get
pt to away with any mistakes, wheth-
us we er it's a nip slip on the red carpet
that far removed from the or a tumble on the sidewalk.
ad famous. But this sum- The errors Stewart and Sand-
s Weekly took it to the ers made happen every day
'vel when showing how to regular people: They make
re just like us, and maybe mistakes! They cheat on their
e best of us. significant others! They aren't
July 24, the aptly named the best at finding secret spaces
ocalypse" occurred: Pho- to canoodle in the Hollywood 4
re released showing Kris- Hills! But Sanders and Stewart,
wart, 22, cheating on her in the heat of their make out, for-
me boyfriend and sun-glit- got to realize they aren't just like
"Twilight" co-star Robert us. They can't escape the media!
son. The accomplice? And moreover, they can't escape
t Sanders, 41, the director the critique of the entire world!
film "Snow White and the I feel bad for Pattinson and 4
man," who is married with the wife of Sanders for any pain
iung children. they've endured, butI mostly
feel bad for all the celebrities
involved. This embarrassing
scandal was revealed to them
isten Stewart and the entire nation at the same
nally finds a time, and once the photos were
released, there was no stop-
tson to smile. ping any tweeter from stating
their opinion on the matter in
140 characters or less. Going
through a cheating scandal is
ile accusations of cheating tough, but to have everyone
ntly flash across the front from a Twi-hard in Kentucky
of glossy magazines, Us to the host of the MTV Video
y had evidence to back up Music Awards weigh in on the
laim: photos of Stewart's issue adds pounds of salt to the
rendezvous with Sanders. wound.
ording to the Us Weekly But now, People.com reports
that broke the story, pho- that Pattinson and Stewart are
hers caught Stewart driv- back together after their post-
th Sanders to a secluded cheating hiatus. The two have
in in Los Angeles on July been spotted spending time
y began a steamy makeout together in the homes of their
n, which was captured in mutual friends. Maybe their
'photos by the paparazzi press tour for "Breaking Dawn"
low Stewart smiling (a first won't be the hot, awkward mess
forever-frowningstar- everyone was envisioning. Hope-
d fully caught up in her fully, these past few months have
nt with Sanders. taught Stewart not to make her
er the photos were pub- mistakes again (hooking up with
, both Stewart and Sanders her married directors), but also
public apologies to their - to realize her celebrity status
ones and families, owning will amplify any further mis-
stakes they made. But the takes she makes. It's not fair, but
sh for both Stewart and it's the way the celebrity gossip
rs had already gained full world works.
making them the latest The public is fascinated with
es of the Hollywood scene. celebrity success, but engrossed
en Us Weekly received by their failures. And maybe
otos, they had a choice to these moments are so tantalizing
rock the entire world of to the public because they show
y family and a young girl us they are just like us, not per-
fans tattooed her face on fect humans who have it all. Or
odies, or secretly inform maybe they just make for good
son, the wife of Sand- conversation in the awkward ten
d the two canoodlers of minutes Michigan time gives us
t of unfaithfulness - or before class starts.
n silent. Obviously, they Whether celebrities are
to expose the scandal and "Wheeling Luggage!" or "Flying
ossip sources and "Twi- Commercial!," we want to see
fans around the world the photos. But realize the fact
tailspin. But did they go that we are viewing a photo of
r in exposing the mistakes Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise
nade? catching a commercial flight
s are just like us, but their shows the difference between
tnts of success, failure and the celeb life and our own: Their
lay activities are much dif- lives are ours to watch, scruti-
They are flashed upon the nize and #tweet.
MAOLtNE LACASSE/Daiy
Students are puzzled over the meaning of'Reeneration oftTime.
WANNA
LEARN
HOW TO
DESIGN
PAGES
LIKE
THIS?
JOIN THE
DAILY'S DESIGN
TEAM!
To learn
more, e-mail
alimarko@umich.edu.
of magazines and turned
ot only the talk of the
but the talk of the nation.
similar Stewart/Sanders
Goldberg is removing her
Kristin Stewart tattoo! To be like
her, e-mail hsgold@umich.edu.
VOTING FOR
OBAMA?
4
JOIN DAILY ARTS!
I
Request an application by e-mailing
arts@michigandaily.com.
f