Author: Vivi

The Blessing Angel

In the final Epilogue, Prior, Louis, Belize, and Hannah sat on the rim of the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. That was one of the most memorable shots in the HBO series for me. These four characters sit under the giant statues of an angel, surrounded by the wings of the angel. This angel is a sculpture by the lesbian sculptor Emma Stebbins. Emma Stebbins was openly part of the LGBTQ+ community. She sculpted this artwork based on a biblical story. It is an angel holding a lily, blessing the water with healing power. Back in the day when the queer community is strongly looked down upon. Central Park became an important spot for the gay community to hang out and meet. By setting the final act in the central park in front of the angel, the play linked itself together by referencing this important artwork.

read more about the artist: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/obituaries/emma-stebbins-overlooked.html

Our Preception of Time, Non-biologically Speaking

It is amazing how our body has a built-in rhythm that allows us to perceive time and beats in music. (see more in Chi-Ting’s post) These eclectic signals tell us when to wake up; when to go to sleep; when to eat; and how to enjoy music. However, each body’s clock functions differently so we created a socially constructed ruler to unify everyone’s experience of time. 

Miranda’s perception of time changed drastically when she contracted influenza. The 2021 audiences who read the novels also find a resemblance (less dramatic though) in their perception of time: Everything happened in 2020, but it feels like nothing happened because it passed by too fast. How does Covid change everyone’s perception of time in the same way? Why do we all feel like time passes so fast during covid?

One answer to this question is that we register new experiences differently in our brain than in our mundane everyday tasks. When we experience something new and exciting the times feel longer and it is more memorable. When we are constantly locked inside a room with no new stimuli, the perceptions of time blurs. Today feels like yesterday, and tomorrow feels like last Friday. 

This video elaborates on the covid experience and raises an even more interesting issue. We rarely have the language to communicate the experiences of time. Maybe that is why we all feel weird but it is hard to communicate it.