Art & Music

Fragments of an Improbable Universe

How to Approach the Selections

For each work, consider how it and/or its creator might relate to this years
theme. Has it been made in an unconventional way? Does it have an improbable
meaning or depict an unlikely subject? Was it received in a surprising manner?
Has the creator overcome unexpected obstacles in his or her career? Though the
works have been categorized for your convenience, you will find that many relate
to the theme in multiple ways. Later in this outline you will find some guided
questions for some of the selections; you can use them as models as you explore
the others.
Set I | Unexpected Forms and Inspirations
Art
Habitat | Glenda Len
The Artist is Present | Marina Abramovi
Collective Success | Samsul Arifin
Maracana | Nelson Leirner
Bombs in Love | Kiki Kogelnik
Cube Houses | Piet Blom
Tongari-Kun | Takashi Murakami
Untitled (2001) | Maurizio Cattelan
Yammy at Home and Deep Breathing | Cao Fei
Nightmare of George V | Huang Yong Ping
The Makoko Floating School| Kunl Adeyemi
Music
Symphonie fantastique | Hector Berlioz
Fugue in G Minor K. 30 | Domenico Scarlatti
Murder Ballades: Omie Wise | Eighth Blackbird
Alexander Hamilton | Lin-Manuel Miranda
Piano Quintet No. 1, 1st Movement | Louise Farrenc
Kln Concert | Keith Jarrett
Set II | The Unlikely Days of Our Lives
Art
Convertible | Gerald Laing
David with the Head of Goliath | Caravaggio
The Nubian Giraffe | Jacques-Laurent Agasse
Retroactive I | Robert Rauschenberg
Music
La valse dAmlie | Yann Tiersen
Forrest Gump Main Theme | Alan Silvestri
Miracle of Miracles | Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick
Epochal Times | Bii, Andrew Tan, Ian Chen, and Dino Leex
Lost Boy | Ruth B
 Ironic | Alanis Morissette
Dream Lantern | Radwimps
Romeo and Juliet | Dire Straits
I'll Make a Man Out of You | Matthew Wilder & David Zippel
Set III | Peering at a Strange Universe
Art
In the Ocean of Storms | Alexei Leonov
Concept Sketches for Star Trek Aircraft | Rick Sternbach
Into the Wild | Jakub Rozalsk
Saturn as Seen from Titan | Chesley Bonestell
Music
Drops of Jupiter | Train
Space Oddity | David Bowie
The Planets, 1st Movement | Gustav Holst
Moonwalk | Michael Jackson
Polaris | Thomas Ades
La Cration du monde | Darius Milhaud
The Unanswered Question | Charles Ives
Set IV | The Many Faces of Chance
Art
Horses Running Endlessly | Gabriel Orozco
Fortune Teller and the Cat | Hamed Nada
Conditional Risk | xkcd
Jackpot Machine | Wayne Thiebaud
The Illusionist | Sigmar Polke
Music
Over the Rainbow | Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Shape of My Heart | Sting
If I Could Turn Back Time | Cher
Nostradamus | Al Stewart
Why does it Always Rain On Me | Travis
Ppruda | Surorile Osoianu
When I Grow Up | Tim Minchin
Guided Questions (Samples)
Discuss with your team: can chess be used as a metaphor for
anything in real life? If so, what might we learn from this version of
a chessboard? If not, is its disconnectedness from reality the
source of chess's enduring appeal?
Is the artist of Habitat implying something about the world we
inhabit? Be sure to consider the larger sweep of her career,
including works such as "Hairdo for a Silent Moment". What seems
to most draw her artistic attention?
The Makoko Schools seemingly unlikely approach to building a
school has been celebrated as a sensible architectural solution.
 What problem is it solving, and why might its innovative approach
be even more relevant in the future? What is its current condition,
and are other schools like it in the works? Be sure to bring your
discussion home: how would you describe the design of your own
school, and does it have an impact on your student experience?
Paintings of controversial events can themselves become objects of
controversy. Consider why this might be as you examine Gerald
Laing's "Convertible", which spent many years out of public view.
Discuss this vision of something far less unlikely than it might
seem in retrospect, co-created by a cosmonaut who could have
been the first man on the moon. Can a depiction of something that
never happened still be authentic?
Consider this "retroactive" work by Robert Rauschenberg and the
elements of his era that might have inspired it. If you had to make a
similar retroactive of our own time, what would you include?
Consider Jakub Rozalski's painting "Into the Wild"from a series
in which he imagines an entirely alternate version of the 1920s in
his native Poland. There are alternate histories based on one thing
changingall the way down to the death of a butterflyand there
are others that play freely with the laws of time and space. This
work belongs to the latter category. Discuss as a team: what can we
learn by juxtaposing reality and fantasy (or the past, present, and
future) in such an improbable way? Is this painting a work of art or
simply entertainment?
This well-known piece by the 20th century artist Hamed Nada is
said to blend (perhaps uneasily) elements of superstition and
modernity he encountered in his homeland of Egypt. With that in
mind, consider: is fortune-telling a particularly Egyptian cultural
tradition, or is it something more universaland does it (and
superstition more broadly) still have a role in the world today? Be
sure to conspire with your team to analyze this work's finer details.
For instance, why might it feature a cat instead of some other
animal, and why might the cat be lounging on a chair while the
fortune teller squats on the ground?
Discuss with your team: is it possible that a better understanding
of risk could put you at greater risk?
Consider this French modernist composer's rhapsody on the
beginning of the world itself. Is the biggest moonshot of all the
making of a planet? How does the composer capture the feeling of
such a moment?
Fame may have been unlikely in her lifetime - explore the reasons
why as you listen to this remarkable piano quintet.
Consider the sacred geometry of chance. Does being unlikely
make something more sacred?
 Explore the story of Amlie and the ways in which she interacts
with the lives of others in her community. How does it relate to the
ideas of destiny and chance? Does this musical theme capture the
heart of the storyline?
Children can predict the future too. Listen to this song from the
musical Matilda, then discuss as a team: what common mistake in
future forecasting are these children making as they predict what
life will be like when they "grow up"? If you met these children,
would you try to clear up their misconceptions - or is it possible
that even "bad" predictions can be an important source of hope?
What predictions do you have about your own future that might
seem unlikely (or even naive) to someone older than you?
Concluding Questions
Can some stories only be told through unlikely genres?
To what extent does the medium of a work affect its message?
In art, is there a relationship between spontaneity and value?
How can unlikely stories be told in unlikely ways?
To what extent can artists utilize unlikely media and still have their
work be considered art?
Can an unlikely artwork be the solution for a difficult problem?
What effect does music with lyrics have versus music without? Can these two
types of music tell different stories?