VOA慢速英语2011--Japanese Art Show in New York Has Specia

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Japanese Art Show in New York Has Special Meaning After Natural Disaster

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. This week on our program: new music from two indie-rock bands ...
A question from Japan about the Cherry Blossom Festival here in Washington ...
And, in New York, a new exhibit of Japanese art.
(MUSIC)
Japanese Art Show
DOUG JOHNSON: A new art exhibit at the Japan Society in New York opened one week after the terrible earthquake and tsunami² struck Japan. The exhibit was planned and the art created long before the disaster. But, the tragedy seems to affect visitors to the show. Faith Lapidus has more.
FAITH LAPIDUS: The Japan Society exhibit is called “Bye, Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art.” The organizers say the show questions Japan’s love for cuteness, called kawaii in Japanese. The most famous image of kawaii is “Hello Kitty.” The black and white cartoon cat with a bow is wildly popular among children and adults. She can be found on telephones, jewelry³, clothing, and nearly everywhere on children’s products.
"Vortex" a cut paper installation at a contemporary Japanese art show in New York City
The art in the Japan Society exhibit is decidedly not kawaii. Gallery director Joe Earle notes the darkness of the works.
JOE EARLE: “This exhibition represents a more mature view, if you like, one which can take account of catastrophes⁵ like earthquakes, problems at nuclear plants and tsunamis⁶.”
Mister Earle says neither the exhibit nor the artists expected the disasters. But Kent Bernard, a visitor to the show, says the disasters could affect how the art is received.
KENT BERNARD: “The things which you normally just do not see, except in artwork, we’re now seeing in real life. It sort of reminds you that some of the fantastical things in art are outdone by nature.”
Visitor Kent Bernard says one example is “Vortex” by artist Tomoko Shioyasu. The huge piece is made of paper. It was all carefully cut using knives and heated devices. The artist says she first began cutting paper after seeing the veins⁷ on a leaf. She thought they made a beautiful design.
“Vortex” represents nature and how it effects changes over time. But the work also recalls the unpredictable path and power of the recent tsunami.
Gallery Director Joe Earle says much of the exhibit suggests a sense of human powerlessness and future disaster. He notes the work “History of Rise and Fall” by Manabu Ikeda. It is an extremely detailed⁸ painting that includes many images of life, death and war. Joe Earle says the piece is appealing for its beauty, yet it also suggests society in collapse⁹. And he says some of the images were born of real events.
JOE EARLE: “Up in the top left hand corner we have the contrails left by attacking jets or missiles from North Korea, an incident that actually happened during the long period Ikeda was producing this painting.”
Mister Earle notes there are images of nuclear destruction. He says Ikeda’s work was made before the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power station. But, a visitor from San Francisco still makes the connection.
SHOW VISITOR: “That decay of humanity and decay of our environment, that may be one that I more resonated with in terms of feeling like you’ve captured life and that it does really decay under you.”
“Bye, Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art,” includes the work of sixteen artists. The show is to close June sixteenth.
(MUSIC)
Cherry Blossom Festival
DOUG JOHNSON: Our question this week comes from Japan. Joruji would like to know about the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC.
This year, the Cherry Blossom Festival ends Sunday. It began on March twenty-sixth. The two week event celebrates the three thousand cherry trees that Japan gave to the United States in nineteen-twelve.
Cherry trees line the tidal basin in Washington. The Thomas Jefferson memorial is also there. When the trees produce blooms, it is as if a large pink cloud has covered the whole area. Lovers, families and visitors enjoy slow walks around the water in the shelter of the beautiful blossoms.
This pleasure is the result of many years of appeals from a woman named Eliza Scidmore. She was a photographer, travel writer and the first female board member of the National Geographic¹⁰ Society.
Ms. Scidmore visited Japan in the year eighteen eighty-five. She was struck by the loveliness of the Sakura, or cherry trees. She decided⁴ these trees should grow along the Potomac River in Washington. She wrote of her hope for a “rosy tunnel of interlaced branches along the river’s banks.”
Eliza Scidmore proposed her idea to the federal official responsible for green space in Washington. He was not interested. Nor were any of the other men who held his job in the next twenty-four years.
But Ms. Scidmore did not give up. In nineteen-oh-nine, she wrote to Helen Taft, the wife of then-President Howard Taft. Finally, Eliza Scidmore found a powerful ally.
In the return message, Mrs. Taft wrote:
“Thank you very much for your suggestion about the cherry trees. I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees.”
On March twenty-seventh, nineteen twelve, Missus Taft and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador together planted two trees at a part of the river called the tidal basin. The ceremony was small but Eliza Scidmore attended. During the next several years, workmen planted the rest of the cherry trees.
Cherry Blossom trees around the Tidal Basin
In nineteen thirty-five, Washington held its first cherry blossom festival. Now, it includes the Cherry Blossom parade, which is held on the last Saturday of the festival. You can see huge helium balloons, bands and costumed marchers. The American Cherry Blossom Queen and the Japanese Cherry Blossom Queen ride together in the parade.
There are also parties, art exhibits, musical shows, kite flying and a foot race. And the last weekend of the festival includes the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival. It is the largest Japanese cultural event in the United States.
This year, the Cherry Blossom Festival is recognizing the tragic¹¹ earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan. Festival organizers set up a collection with the Red Cross to gather money toward Japan’s recovery from the disaster.
(MUSIC)
Two Indie Bands
DOUG JOHNSON: Today we play music by two “indie” rock bands -- The Mountain Goats and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Shirley Griffith has more.
(MUSIC)
SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: That was the song “Birth of Serpents” from The Mountain Goats new album “All Eternals Deck.” The group’s main musician is the singer and songwriter John Darnielle.
He began recording¹² music in California more than twenty years ago. Sometimes he performs alone. Other times he works with other musicians to make albums under the name The Mountain Goats.
John Darnielle is known for writing richly poetic¹³ and often unusual songs about a wide mix of subjects. Critics are praising his latest effort for exploring new musical sounds. Here is the song “Beautiful Gas Mask.”
(MUSIC)
Our next “indie” rock band has an unexpectedly long name: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. The name comes from an unpublished children’s book written by a friend of Kip Berman. He is the band’s singer and guitar player. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart formed in two thousand seven. The group released its first full-length album in two thousand nine.
Here is the song “Belong” from their recent album of the same name.
(MUSIC)
Rolling Stone magazine praised the music in “Belong.” It said the sound of the New York City band is now huge enough to match its big-hearted emotion. We leave you with “Heart in Your Heartbreak.”
(MUSIC)
DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Caty Weaver¹⁴ and Dana Demange, who was also our producer.
If you ever miss a program, or want to search for subjects that interest you, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can download transcripts¹⁵ and MP3s of all of our shows.
You can also send us questions about American life. Write to [email protected]. And we're on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.
Join us again next week for music and more on AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

3 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 catastrophes   

n.灾祸( catastrophe的名词复数 )；灾难；不幸事件；困难

参考例句：

• Two of history's worst natural catastrophes occurred in 1970. 1970年发生了历史上最严重两次自然灾害。 来自辞典例句
• The Swiss deposits contain evidence of such catastrophes. 瑞士的遗址里还有这种灾难的证据。 来自辞典例句

6 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

7 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

10 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

12 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

13 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

14 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

15 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句