endless possibility.

Tuesday was one of the best CIVA classes we've had this semester! We had a really interesting discussion/lecture about Kitsch: a German word denoting art that is considered a tasteless, tacky, and inferior copy of a style of art (or a useless imitation of art). This might seem confusing, but if you think about it, most of the art we encounter day to day is undoubtedly Kitsch! After class, I grabbed a sandwich from my room, before heading out with Sarah for the rest of the afternoon to explore some new sites in Vienna! Our first stop: The Museum of Modern Art, where we saw two different exhibits, the first contained works by 19 artists that deal directly or obliquely with the precarious conditions of life in an economically motivated and mediated globalized world (mostly through photography). The second exhibit featured works by Thomas Demand, who shows deserted architectural constructs of explosive socio-political events – for example 'crime scenes', which are anchored in the collective consciousness. Both exhibits were great! 

Our next objective took us to Schwedenplatz, where we saw the remains of Vienna's Jewish District. We had the opportunity to go into the Stadttempel, the only synagogue in Vienna that survived WWII. This Orthodox synagogue is just beautiful, and I plan to go back in the next few days to get a free guided tour! Sarah and I also went into Shakespeare and Co., an English bookshop a few blocks from the Jewish district. Lastly, we went inside the Ruprechtskirche, the oldest church in Vienna! Seeing the differences in style, architecture, and interior ornamentation between this church and Stephansdom, Notre Dame, etc. is very interesting. Ruprechtskirche is almost completely devoid of any decoration, which I found comforting. Upon returning to the hotel, we had a quick pilates session, then got ready to go with Matt and Cari to a local theater in Vienna to see Arsenic and Old Lace! (We had second row seats for only 9 euro!) The play/acting was better than expected. Seeing shows like this stirs in me an even stronger desire to pursue my non-existent acting career. I still have a few years, right? After a full day of enjoying our lovely city of Vienna, we arrived back at the hotel around 1030!