Author Archives: lurnlum

Assignment 4 In Paul Virilio’s Speed and Politics, he describes the open sea to “compensate for every social, religious and moral constraint, for every political and economic oppression, even for the physical laws due to the earth’s gravity, to continental crampedness” (Virilio 65). In many ways, this relates to how many viewed the Internet atContinue reading “COVID-19, America, and the Dangers of Being Connected”

Assignment 5 I heard the train starting to leave at the top of the steps of Union Station’s Madison entrance; people, clutching their briefcases and backpacks, pushed their way past me to fly down the stairs and shove their way onto the train. I did not change my leisurely pace down the stairs, keeping aContinue reading “Missing a Train at Union Station”

Assignment 2 For many, visiting Chicago’s chinatown means visiting a flashy tea place or eating at a trendy dumpling restaurant. For the more adventurous, you could even go to a dim sum restaurant to choose from a variety of buns and other small-portioned dishes. But my family often chooses a restaurant on the lesser-visited topContinue reading “The Chinatown a Staircase Away”

Assignment 6 Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), created in 1991 and currently installed at the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, represents a stark contrast from the Renaissance paradigm. This work of art consists of a pile of candies that weigh 175 pounds. Viewers of the piece are allowed to takeContinue reading “Felix Gonzalez-Torres and the Renaissance”

Assignment 3 Innovations in movement, communication, and knowledge has made our society ever increasingly interconnected and diverse. Cultures, previously separated by mountain ranges or oceans or forests, now have a chance to be spread worldwide. This flow of ideas and cultures have laid the groundwork for heterotopias, something that Foucault describes as an establishment thatContinue reading “Of Other Spaces”

The story of Leonardo da Vinci’s horse starts in 1482 when the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza,  commissioned da Vinci to create the largest equine statue dedicated to his father (Italian Tribute). Now a patron of Sforza, Leonardo started preparations for this statue along with creating other pieces for the Duke. He first drafted aContinue reading “Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse: the Project that Spanned Centuries”

For a country that is many times defined by the diversity of people in it, it’s difficult to give an exact description to ‘American’ food. The American eating experience itself is characterized by the wide variety of ethnic foods you can choose from and the ‘fusion’ foods that this diverse environment creates. When comparing LaContinue reading “La Scala, Olive Garden, and America’s Take on Ethnic Eating”

My name is Lauren Lum and I’m a Junior majoring in Computer Science with a minor in creative writing. I’ve always loved traveling, and have enjoyed visiting other countries with friends and family. My favorite trips, however, have been to places where I knew locals; during these trips, I could get a better look atContinue reading “Personal introduction”