What is your substance, whereof are you made,
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
Since every one hath, every one, one shade,
And you but one, can every shadow lend.
Describe Adonis, and the counterfeit
Is poorly imitated after you;
On Helen’s cheek all art of beauty set,
And you in Grecian tires are painted new:
Speak of the spring, and foison of the year,
The one doth shadow of your beauty show,
The other as your bounty doth appear;
And you in every blessed shape we know.
     In all external grace you have some part,
     But you like none, none you, for constant heart.
 
Analysis
Sonnet 53 claims that all that is good in the world is just a reflection of the beloved’s wonderful qualities.

Willy wonders aloud what the young man is made of that allows his reflection to appear in myriad ways? Normal people have only one shadow, but this splendid young fellow is reflected in everything. Paintings of Adonis are only a faint imitation of him; and Helen of Troy is merely him in Greek dress. To talk of springtime or harvest time is to speak of mere shadows of his beauty and fruitfulness. He is in every beautiful thing Willy sees, but one way in which he is unique is in fidelity like none other.
 
Scholar’s Corner
Many scholars note the Platonic underpinnings of the poem. The theory is that most of our experience is merely a shadow of reality. Every ideal or form has its shadow in the material world, and all material things derive their shape and existence from these forms and therefore have something of the ideal in them, but it is only a severely restricted version of the ideal[1]. In Willy’s eye, the young man is this pure ideal that can barely be grasped.
 
References
1. Wikipedia – Allegory of the Cave

Isamu Noguchi Museum, Queens
The Noguchi Museum, chartered as The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, was designed and created by the Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Opening on a limited basis to the public in 1985 the purpose of the museum and foundation was and remains to preserve and display Noguchi’s sculptures, architectural models, stage designs, drawings, and furniture designs. The two story museum and adjacent sculpture garden, located in Long Island City section of Queens, one block from the Socrates Sculpture Park, underwent major renovations in 2004 allowing the museum to stay open year round.
 
History
To house the museum, in 1974 Noguchi purchased a photogravure plant and gas station located across the street from his New York studio, where he had worked and lived since 1961.[2] The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum opened to the public in 1985 on a seasonal basis. In 1999 the Foundation Board approved a $13.5 million Capital Master Plan to address structural concerns, ADA and NYC Building Code compliance and create a new public education facility. During renovation, the Museum relocated to a temporary space in Sunnyside, Queens, and held several thematic exhibitions of Noguchi’s work. In February 2004, the museum was formally chartered as a museum, and granted 501(c)(3) public charity status. The Noguchi Museum reopened to the public at its newly renovated space in June 2004. The museum building continued to suffer from structural issues into the early 2000s and a second $8 million stabilization project was begun in September of 2008. [1]
 
About the Museum
“The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum is devoted to the preservation, documentation, presentation, and interpretation of the work of Isamu Noguchi. The Museum, the first in America established by a living artist of his own work, contains the world’s richest holdings of Noguchi’s art.”

“The Museum seeks to honor and preserve the unique setting designed by Noguchi and to exhibit a core group of works for permanent viewing. Through changing exhibitions and educational programs the Museum aims to illuminate the interrelation of his sculpture, works on paper, architecture, and designs for furniture, lighting, landscapes, and theater, as well as the intellectual environment in which the works were shaped.” [2]
 
Tree of Heaven
Until March 26, 2008, a 60-foot (18 m)-tall 75 year old Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) was a prominent centerpiece of the sculpture garden at the museum. The tree was spared by Noguchi when in 1975 he bought the building which would become the museum and cleaned up its back lot. “[I]n a sense, the sculpture garden was designed around the tree”, said a former aide to Noguchi, Bonnie Rychlak, who later became the museum curator. By early 2008 the tree was found to be dying and might have crashed into the building, which was about to undergo an $8.2 million renovation. The museum hired the Detroit Tree of Heaven Woodshop, an artists’ collective, to use the wood to make benches, sculptures and other amenities in and around the building. [3]
 
References
1. Sinking Noguchi Museum gets $8M. New York Daily News. March 21, 2008.
2. http://www.noguchi.org/museum/mission
3. A Tree that Survived a Sculpor’s Chisel is Chopped Down Collins, Glen (March 27, 2008). New York Times

ACTOR – Nina Fleck
Originally from Germany, Fleck left Fashion to pursue acting and directing in NYC. Her love for theater, led her to direct her first play Gentrified Minds which premiered at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival in 2011.

As of 2012, Nina Fleck is working on her first feature film entitled Beyond the Ashes. The film focuses on one woman’s civil disobedience in an unjust system and the consequences that follow.

DIRECTOR – Sriya Sarkar
Sriya Sarkar is an NYC-based writer, director, editor, and producer. A recent graduate of the film program at NYU Tisch, she has worked at the BBC, Comedy Central, Discovery, and Upworthy, among others. She currently freelances in the ever lucrative and predictable production world. She is also a member of the improv and sketch comedy group, The Improvisation News Team, which boasts a surprising number of Shakespeare aficionados. Her short film, Rocket Man, is currently in post-production. More captivating details and links to her work can be found at www.about.me/sriyasarkar
 
CINEMATOGRAPHER – Olivia Divecchia
Olivia Divecchia graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2010 with a BFA in photography. She now resides in New York where she is pursuing fine art photography and cinematography. Her work can be viewed at www.oliviadivecchia.com
 
SOUND MIXER – Alexa Harris
Alexa A. Harris is a Washington,DC-based producer. She graduated from Syracuse University with a Masters degree in Documentary Film and History and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College. She also holds a doctorate in Communication from Howard University. Alexa also completed a certificate program in Producing for Television and Film from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She has worked in television for nearly ten years, in the script department for an array of variety-genre shows. Most recently, she has conducted research, provided recommendations, and executed solutions to meet the needs of clients ranging from non-profit organizations to production companies at her own boutique consulting practice. She also facilitates media literacy, self esteem, and production workshops for middle and high school students. Through each of her projects, she hopes to educate, empower and inspire audiences to think critically and strive to be change agents.