Brown Taiko
Almost every night, the vibrations and echoes of Gendo Taiko, the Japanese drumming ensemble, can be felt and heard from afar. Gendo, originally named Brown Taiko, was one of the earliest collegiate taiko groups on the East Coast. Almost two decades later, they are now a staple at Brown Baccalaureate.
Gendo’s spring practices are dedicated to preparing for their annual spring show, Come Rain or Shine, which took place this past April. The name is inspired by how during the pandemic, they “were practicing outside, so they had to figure out if it would rain or shine.” The show brilliantly demonstrated the ensemble’s unmatched synergetic nature. Many members performed impressive tricks, from blind-folded playing to bachi (drumstick) juggling.
Read more about them here: https://bit.ly/3JuP36f
#BrownU #japanese #taiko #RISD #music #drumming
As many alumni know, the Open Curriculum can present itself in unique and innovative ways. These three students certainly reimagined their concentrations as they embarked on the course entitled Choreorobotics 101. Taught by Professor Sydney Skybetter, this course aims to allow future engineers to take on the emerging industries of robotics and AI technologies, while minimizing harm and generating a positive impact on society.
In our Jan.-Mar. issue, Kimball writes, “Yet beneath the shiny spectacle of making the robots dance, there was a lot more to unpack. Through a mix of time spent in the dance studio, in the robotics lab, and in engaging discussions, students explored the kinds of questions they may confront in their careers: What are robots for, anyway? How can they improve peoples’ lives? And how can roboticists ensure their creations aren’t used to exploit or hurt people?”
Students were encouraged to look beyond the surface level of these technologies and analyze the questions of ethics for themselves.
Read more here: http://bit.ly/3M1x6hF
U.S. histories often neglect to mention the millions of enslaved Native Americans who were “fundamentally central to European colonization of the Americas.” Scholars estimate that there were between 2.5 and 5 million Indigenous peoples enslaved from the colonial era to the late nineteenth century.
Shining a light on these lost and buried histories, Professor Linford Fisher of the Department of History has been working on creating a database that shares and highlights the stories of those Indigenous peoples that were exploited and silenced. Stolen Relations: Recovering Stories of Indigenous Enslavement in the Americas—will make publicly accessible a wide range of documents pertaining to the enslavement and forced labor of Indigenous populations.
The project has progressed with the help and input of many Indigenous nations, tribes, and communities in New England. In fact, the title Stolen Relations emerged from conversations with these partners. Lorén Spears, a Narragansett citizen and a collaborator on the project explains how the documents in the database “speak to the resilience of our people, the determination and the steadfastness for survival.”
Read more here: http://bit.ly/3lbHCrH
#brownuniversity #history #Indigenous #Narragansett #stolenrelations
Everyday many students can be found studying in the Willis Grand Reading Room, housed in the John Hay Library, as sunlight beams through the great windows. Students study from light to dark in this beautiful historic building as this quiet study space has a classical and academic ambience not found in any other part of campus. The Hay has proven to be timeless as generation after generation of students continue to frequent it.
The library sits directly across from the Van Wickle Gates and is home to Brown’s rare books and Special Collections. A number of extraordinary and unique items can be found in these collections such as Walt Whitman’s personal copy of Leaves of Grass and even the original manuscript of George Orwell’s 1984. Novelist Donna Gordon ’78 captures the essence of the collections, explaining that “there was a power to exploring the special collections at the John Hay Library, where I often went just to sit and be in that space where rare books were kept.” In total, the Hay has an extensive collection of over 3,000,000 items for visitors to browse and explore.
#brownu #browncampus #timelapse #history #brownarchives
Read more about the Hay’s Special Collections here: http://bit.ly/3mC6Cst
#ThrowbackThursday An exclusive interview with Elana Horwich ’97 on the story behind her comedic cookbook-memoir Meal and a Spiel: How to be a Badass in the Kitchen. Inspired by her experiences living in Italy while taking time off from Brown, her cookbook shares anecdotes and practical wisdom to teach intuitive cooking.
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