How Improv Helped Me Respond to Change

Over the past three years, I have turned into just about every kitchen utensil. I have held a conversation in Elvish, spent a few minutes as an oompa loompa, developed a personality for a Post-it note, and conducted a few symphonies by playing tennis. For the past three years, I've participated in Comedy Sportz, a competitive comedic improv show in which two teams face off in comedic games.

My team looking fab in baseball pants

Last weekend was the last Comedy Sportz show of my high school career. While I am relieved to not have to wear the baseball team's actual baseball pants any longer, I am going to truly miss everything I gained from Comedy Sportz. I have learned all puns of the words "banana" and "sock" and "lamp". I can name just about every possible answer in the categories "colors" or "movies about magic" or "androgynous names" from playing the games such as Concentration or Left Hand Larry. And how many one-syllable words can I rhyme with the name "Matt" from playing Beastie Rap or Doo Doo Run Run? Probably about thirty.

But most importantly, improv taught me to be flexible. No, not physically flexible (even though it is a sport). It taught me to learn to quickly change respond to the direction of the scene. Improv is all about staying in the moment, adapting to what you are given by your audience and fellow performers. So I offer unto you:

THE BASIC RULES OF IMPROV AND HOW THEY HAVE SAVED MY LIFE OR AT LEAST HELPED ME CONCEPTUALLY REALIZE THAT HOW I HAVE BEEN LIVING MY LIFE IS INEFFICIENT AND COULD BE DONE BETTER

1. "Yes, and"
Saying "no" kills a scene. Saying "yes" lets a scene continue, but adds nothing to the scene. Saying "yes, and..." lets a scene continue and adds a new creative twist to the scene or another variable to work with. In my opinion, this is the best tip in improv. and in life. It not only makes dealing with people more enjoyable, but selfishly, it lets you contribute to a great idea. It also creates room for creative solutions or discussions. For the past two summers, I have participated in Hands of Peace, an organization based in face-to-face discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I found it easier to understand others when I make an effort to follow along and respond to what was being said. Saying "no" or "you're wrong" not only frustrates both parties but doesn't lead to any valuable discussion or change.

2. Make your partner look good
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you had a funny line if the rest of the scene went poorly. Improv is all about give-and-take. Additionally, there are no mistakes, only opportunities. It's all in the justification. I am a Peer Group leader, and one of the major things we focus on is the idea of "it's not how high you climb, it's how many people you bring with you". Being a leader is all about synergy and cohesiveness. A dysfunctional environment helps no one, whether that environment is academic or a workspace.

3. Don't ask questions
It is easy to ask "Where am I?" "Who am I?" "What am I doing?" but by verbalizing those questions, I do nothing to initiate movement. Instead of asking "Where Are We Now?", and placing all the responsibility on my partner, I should say: "Look, a yellow brick road! Toto, I think we are in Oz!" It's easy to ask questions, but the challenge really comes with seeking an answer. In actuality, I find asking questions to be an imperative skill. Questions are how knowledge is achieved, and questions are how change is achieved. If no one ever questioned why we have certain ideals, how would there be any social change? But ultimately the basic principle is the same: the questions should be more about what the questions create. Questions would be meaningless if there was never a follow-up to the question. That's part of the reason why this blog exists, it's a way for me to express my questions and explore the various answers of contemporary culture.

If you still think improv is no more than a joke, check out this article by Forbes. The article describes how taking improvisation classes leads to healthier workforce habits and more creative business solutions.

And yes, Comedy Sportz is a sport. I deserve a gym exemption.

Oh! Sweet Nothing

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." Andy Warhol

Clearly, Warhol was not an art conservator.

Earlier this year, Nautilus posted an article titled "Should Science Save Modern Art?" Art conservators work to preserve art in its original form, and chemists have been developing newer, increasingly efficient chemicals to combat the decaying nature of common art materials. But what happens when artists don't want their work to last? The article cites a challenge posed by the minimalist art of Eva Hesse. Minimalist art, art not meant to refer to anything but itself, propelled the usage of non-traditional materials in the 1960s and 1970s. Upon trying to display her 1968 piece "Aught" at the San Francisco Musuem of Modern Art, the head conservator faced a dilemma. She didn't want to alter Hesse's art, but Hesse had intentionally chosen non-traditional materials not meant to transcend the tests of time. Her sculpture "Aught" was built of organic latex, a material quick to decay. According to Hesse, "Life doesn't last, art doesn't last".



A more in depth analysis of Eva Hesse's materials from the art conservator at the SFMOMA.

The Nautilus article raises the interesting question of whether or not art must be permanent. "Great" art is conventionally determined by a piece's timelessness, but must art be permanent to be timeless? And must art be timeless to be great, or is that an outdated notion?

Conceptualism began growing around the early 1920s, and is built on the idea of questioning the nature of art, believing that art is more than the physical manifestation of the artwork. It was the first movement to begin to question the permanence of art. This led to a dematerialization of art, prompting works such as Marcel Duchamp's Fountain and Yves Klein's IKB 79. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, alongside minimalism grew performance art, influenced by the Fluxus and conceptual art movements of the time. Performance art most delineated art from the conventional forms by creating live art, art that had no means of preservation. Klein (above) was a famous early performance artist, questioning materiality in his piece Zone de Sensibilité Picturale Immatérielle. In the 60s Andy Warhol also participated in performance art beginning with his videos with The Velvet Underground.

One of Warhol's most famous performance pieces was in Jørgen Leth's 1982 film 66 Scenes From America. Warhol sits in front of a camera eating a hamburger for a little less than five minutes. Warhol, upon finishing his burger, looks directly at the camera and states "My name is Andy Warhol and I've just finished eating a hamburger".



Warhol's stint in the film is famous, but is that due to the timelessness of the piece or the timelessness of the artists? Warhol was fascinated by fame, claiming that "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes". Everyone gets fifteen minutes, but only a special few get timelessness.


Check out the Department of Conservation at the Museum of Modern Art for more information on how conservation is done and to see videos of current and past projects.