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#5 We Have Always Lived in the Castle
A small town in Vermont, late 1960’s
Fashionable Times of the Past: 5 Movies to Watch Post-Midterms
We Have Always Lived in the Castle simultaneously shocks and entertains. Based on Shirley Jackson’s eponymous novel, the movie depicts a distraught family, as they succumb to superstition and absurdity. The youngest sister, Merricat, nails a book to a tree and buries evil objects in the woods. Uncle Julian rambles about the past and attempts to write a book. And the oldest sister, Constance, suffers from her reputation; she purportedly murdered the rest of the family, by placing arsenic in a sugar bowl.
Thus, only three members of the Blackwood family remain in the “castle”: two sisters and their deranged uncle. And then the Blackwood’s estranged cousin, Charles, arrives. And the Blackwoods’ lives begin to unravel.
However, despite the movie’s tension and dark undertones, it nonetheless succeeds in being truly funny. Constance is always immaculately dressed and poised; her beauty clashes with the fading glamour of the family’s mansion. Meanwhile, Merricat traipses through the woods in a loose green button-down, only returning to the castle, to demand lunch from her sister.
And the juxtaposition of these two characters - their conflicting personalities and self-presentations - elicits laughs. Constance bakes cakes and feebly tends to her “castle,” while Merricat’s child-like behavior demands constant attention. Dressed in tulle, pearls, and bold floral prints, Constance always looks as though she’s ready for a ball. Meanwhile, Merricat is obsessed with digging in the dirt. And as the movie progresses and the Blackwoods’ lives begin to fall apart, the viewer is pulled into a complicated world that is both thrilling and entertaining. And to top it off, the viewer enjoys 96 minutes of bold fashion and beautiful sets.
#4 Downton Abbey: The Movie
England, 1927
In 2016, I was worried that I’d seen the last of the Crawley family. But, to the great excitement of Downton Abbey’s fans, the Crawley family returns. And this time, they prepare for the arrival of King George V and Queen Mary - on the big screen.
Following such a successful six seasons, the movie had a big reputation to live up to. And to my great surprise, the movie undeniably succeeds. It is exactly what I had hoped for. Violet retains her snarky wit. Tom becomes entangled in a nefarious plot and searches for happiness. Mary grows into her role as head of the family. Daisy and Mrs. Patmore quibble. Anna and Bates instigate a staff rebellion. And viewers watch, as Barrow becomes a more complex and endearing character.
To loyal fans, the movie therefore exceeds expectations. Downton Abbey maintains its characteristic beauty and style; the cast is always immaculately dressed. Lady Mary wears everything from a professional, tweed vest and ribbon tie, to a feminine, Prussian blue Delphos gown (see the image above). Meanwhile, Lady Edith wears authentic 1920’s outfits. Mosley and Andy sport classy, royal uniforms. And Mrs. Patmore wears her characteristic chef’s cap.
And yet, the movie also possesses substance. Michael Engler’s film poses intelligent commentary on the nature of happiness and the many complexities of England’s strict social hierarchy. The movie also importantly exposes the brutal mistreatment of homosexuals in 1920’s England. Oscillating between dress fittings, silver polishing, and critical social commentary, the movie thus intertwines aesthetics with purpose. The movie is physically beautiful, without sacrificing substance. And of course, the outfits themselves are worth the watch.
“Royal women are not meant to grin like Cheshire cats.”
-Violet
#3 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Post-WWII England, 1946
A Netflix Original, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an adaptation of one of my all-time favorite books. The plot follows the life of Juliet Ashton, a London writer who unexpectedly receives a letter from a mysterious pig farmer. This stranger found Juliet’s copy of Charles Lamb’s Essays of Elia, and the book provided comfort to him, during World War Two. A long correspondence between Juliet Ashton and Dawsey Adams thus ensues. And as they correspond, Juliet soon learns the story of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - a book club accidentally formed during the German occupation of the island of Guernsey.
In order to survive the German occupation and maintain a sense of community, the residents of Guernsey met to discuss books and eat potato peel pie. Thus, in addition to being a poignant historical drama and romance, the story also illustrates the power of books to combat suffering and build community. The movie is populated with complex, likable characters who bravely support each other, while enduring extraordinary suffering. And the movie is both a testament to the personal strength of the British people, during World War Two, and a paean to the written word.
And in addition to that, the movie is also filmed beautifully. The depiction of Guernsey’s green fields and beaches is stunning, while Juliet Ashton (Lily James) wears everything from a yellow satin dress and jewels, to a light grey jacket and beret. Meanwhile, Dawsey Adams (Michael Huisman) wears thick sweaters and a hat, succeeding in being both realistically dressed and stylish.
#2 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Europe in the Cold War: East Berlin and Rome, 1963
At the height of the Cold War, a thief-turned CIA agent, KGB Operative, and East German Mechanic unite, in order to prevent Nazi sympathizers from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And what ensues is a glamorous action adventure - complete with high speed chases, big sunglasses, and high fashion. The actors and actresses drive everything from sporty Jaguars and a Vespa motorcycle, to an Italian Riva Boat. Meanwhile, the East German mechanic, Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander) wears vintage outfits and custom dresses, such as a a bright orange mini-dress (see below). To complete each outfit, Gaby also wears lots of accessories, from white Henry Holland sunglasses to a Marni handbag.
And the men are no less stylish. Both Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Arnie Hammer) are immaculately dressed. Solo wears G.J. Cleverly Oxfords, Thierry Lasry sunglasses, and wool suits from Holland & Sherry and Misan. Meanwhile, Illya wears a suede Ralph Lauren bomber jacket, turtlenecks, and a W. Bill wool cap.
A Guy Ritchie production, the movie is based off of the eponymous 1964 hit tv series. And it does not disappoint.
“So you’re a thief? I hope you wear a mask.”
-Victoria Vinciguerra
#1 Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window
Greenwich Village, 1950’s
Viewers call this movie a classic for a reason. Intelligent and beautifully filmed, Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller depicts a pessimistic New York photographer, Jeff (James Stewart), who believes that he has witnessed a murder through his apartment window. Stuck in a wheelchair with a broken leg, Jeff is unable to leave his apartment. He thus occupies himself with constantly observing his neighbors from his rear window.
Jeff soon endorses help from his girlfriend, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly), and his insurance company’s nurse, Stella (Thelma Ritter), to solve the murder mystery. And what follows is a suspenseful mystery and a highly intelligent commentary upon the characters’ voyeurism.
And a significant highlight of the movie is Grace Kelly’s wardrobe. Over the course of the movie, she wears five different “outfits” - from a negligee to a famed V-neck, black Paris dress, designed by Edith Head. From full skirts of tulle and chiffon, to red lipstick and a light green skirt set, Grace Kelly stuns the viewer with her immaculate dress - adding even more aesthetic beauty to Hitchcock’s technicolor classic.
“We’ve become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their house and look in for a change.”
-Stella
Click here, for thumbnail image source.
Minorities in the Arts: The Review
Off-Off Campus, the country’s oldest collegiate improv and sketch comedy group, usually boasts a packed show. On the night of November 15th, the crowd was off the charts—even by their measure. By 7:00 PM, there was already a line outside the Revival Theater, where Off-Off presented Minorities in the Arts: The Musical. By 7:15, the show was sold out. Campus was abuzz with excitement for the 33rd Generation’s musical comedy, and judging by the length of the line, expectations were high.
The show started in an unassuming way. Six students sit in a classroom, accompanied by their guidance counselor, Ms. Squiggles (Liva Pierce). Though it’s obvious from the start that we’re looking at a group of oddball seniors, we don’t know just how bizarre they are until the plot line begins to unfold. Over the loudspeaker, Principal Mommy (voiced by Zavior Phillips/Andrew Olmstead) begins his morning announcements by monologuing about the fact that his last name is, in fact, Mommy. But then, bad news strikes: because of budget cuts, there will only be five letters of recommendation given out to the senior class. To figure out who will receive the letters, these six high school seniors have to compete in a talent show.
At the news, the characters break out into their first musical number: The Letter. Through this delightfully rhythmic opening number and the following dialogue, we begin to learn more about the characters. Dawn F. Kennedy (Anne Lim) is destined for Yale, Topaz Lee Miller (Sofia Nam) is half-penguin, Blade Wrunner (Alex Rosencrance) has serious daddy issues, Leo Sagittarius (Joelle Blankson) is secretly a teenage spy, Jazz Z. Hands (Joey Cipriano) is a musical theater geek, and Peter Sampson (AJ Kinstlick) is a champion squash player. Most importantly, none of them have any idea what they’re going to do for the talent show. Janitor Wishbone (Bradley Goldsmith) goes around the school trying to support the students, but most of his energy is spent pining after Ms. Squiggles.
Off-Off Campus’ 33rd Generation: Alex Rosencrance, Liva Pierce, Bradley Goldsmith, Joelle Blankson, AJ Kinstlick, Anne Lim, Sofia Nam, Joey Cipriano (from left to right); via https://offoffcampus.org/
We slowly learn that what’s more important than beating their classmates in the show is the friendships they form along the way. This is, of course, an excruciatingly cheesy message, and the script is filled with purposeful jabs at itself the whole way through. Despite the inherently self-deprecating nature of the show, the music is still engaging and surprisingly good—well, actually, rather unsurprisingly: the music and lyrics were written with the help of Greer Baxter, a member of Off-Off’s 31st generation and a Grammy Award-winning producer and singer. Though the quality of the music was expected, the execution is still potently funny, impressive, and all-around fantastic.
The hour-long musical is full of twists and turns, character bonding scenes, and a budding romance. It would be difficult to mention every hilarious moment in detail, but the two most notable ones are worth describing.
All the characters feel pretty helpless when it comes to competing in the musical, but Peter Sampson feels particularly so. As a champion squash player, he seemse to have no other talents. We see him attempting to play the piano (and epically failing), until Janitor Wishbone comes onto the scene and outs himself as a genie. He pretends to grant Peter his wish of being able to play the piano, but as it turns out, he didn’t grant him the wish at all, but instead instilled in Peter a sense of self-confidence.
Another fantastic scene in the show occurs in a Left High School bathroom. Topaz and Dawn are getting ready for the big show and begin to discover that their lives have a lot of similarities. They both carry around a piece of egg shell in their back pockets; they’re both half-penguin, half-human; and Topaz has a single dad, while Dawn has a single mom. In fact, they’re twins that were separated at birth! This delightful Parent Trap moment is one of the pinnacles of the show. From mentions of how the penguin gene is recessive, to the hilarious seriousness with which Topaz and Dawn smear red lipstick and eyeliner all of their faces in an attempt to get ready, the scene sent the crowd into continuous bouts of laughter.
Before the talent show begins, Principal Mommy announces that there is in fact only one recommendation letter for the entire class—only the winner gets it. In response, the students, Ms. Squiggles, and Janitor Wishbone revolt, belting the fantastic Recommendation Revolution. The future looks grim for the seniors at Left High School, but Janitor Wishbone—who, as we know, is a genie—saves the day. He turns Left High School into Left College, giving everyone a shot at a college degree.
Minorities in the Arts: The Musical is a fantastic show. It mixes catchy, clever music with the hilarious wit that Off-Off so masterfully embodies, to create a piece that left me excited more than ever for their next performance. Here’s to hoping that this isn’t the last musical comedy we see from them!
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Read MoreTop 10 Breakup Songs of the 2010s
With 2020 approaching, MODA Blog rounds up the best, worst, and most iconic phenoms of the 2010s.
My very first article was on the “allure of the breakup anthem,” and being the self-diagnosed oldhead I am when it comes to music, all of my picks were pre-2010 bops. But the 2010’s were chock-full of stellar breakup songs—there’s been a lot to sing about, as we’ve broken up with a multitude of things like cable, iPods, and the Paris Climate Agreement. Here’s my take on the top breakup songs of the past decade:
Jar of Hearts (Christina Perri, 2010)
Christina Perri’s star burned briefly and brightly in 2010 with this sweet, raw, and unforgiving track about a neglectful ex. Some dismissed her catalogue of sad love songs as Adele-lite, but there was a unique sort of vulnerability in her sadness. And who can resist a good Cruella De Vil/Manila Luzon/Hayley Kiyoko-esque light hair streak? Come back Christina!
The One That Got Away (Katy Perry, 2010)
Katy’s star, on the other hand, has perhaps overstayed its welcome, but 2010 undeniably belonged to her Teenage Dream album. The One That Got Away was seriously crushing for supposed ‘pop drivel’, and that video? Old Lady Katy crying for her true love gone too soon? I’m traumatized to this day.
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye, 2011)
You simply could not exist in 2011 without hearing this one. With an artsy video that spawned a decade’s worth of memes, this one hit wonder hit us hard. I once heard someone describe this song as sounding like “The Police as remixed by the xx” and my life was never the same.
Someone Like You (Adele, 2011)
Adele was the Queen of Sad Songs in this decade. Every breakup post-2010 was officially sponsored by Adele. 2010’s Rolling In the Deep inspired Carrie Underwood-esque flipping exes off, but Someone Like You flipped the script and encouraged a hearty cry. I, at all of 11 years old, spent many a night applying this song to any and every perceived injustice in my life in order to evoke a dramatic cry session.
Climax (Usher, 2012)
Is it a true breakup song or a sex song? Highly contested, but the clever lyrical double entendres don’t fool me: this is full Sad Boy Usher. In the tradition of Burn and Confessions, this is mistake-making, anguished Usher. That falsetto never fails to pull at my heartstrings.
Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus, 2013)
Miley’s Bangerz era was truly Something Else. But behavioral opinions aside, Wrecking Ball was a truly touching and heartwrenching ballad that dug deep into the (now officially terminated) on and off relationship between Miley and (now ex-husband) Liam Hemsworth. Wrecking Ball is what I love about pop: hungry but structured, it winds you up and excites you and makes you feel the hills and valleys of the song. More of this, please.
Don’t Hurt Yourself (Beyonce, 2016)
“But what about Sorry?!,” you may ask, and to that I present you with my hot take: Don’t Hurt Yourself will always be the superior f-you track on Lemonade to me. While Sorry is more about dismissing toxicity, Don’t Hurt Yourself is about slapping it right back in the face. Don’t we all wish we could just slap whatever problems we have right in the face? But if, as it often is, our problem is in the form of a person, that would be unadvisable. Don’t Hurt Yourself is pure musical catharsis. It’s bold, bombastic, raw, distorted, with almost heavenly backing vocals as a musically contrasting yet complimentary cherry on top. Plus it samples Led Zeppelin’s When The Levee Breaks. Pure power.
Praying (Kesha, 2017)
Praying is one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard. It chronicles the extreme difficulty of breaking up with a toxic presence in favor of falling in love with yourself again, while still hoping that those who hurt you can do the same. Minimal production, distant vocals and strings make the song soar with the emotion it deserves. Kesha’s Grammys performance of the song in front of the very people involved in the industry that cast her aside in favor of her abuser, joined by Cyndi Lauper, Julia Michaels, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello and Andra Day, is beyond moving.
New Rules (Dua Lipa, 2017)
Dua Lipa’s New Rules are the Ten Commandments of break ups. And musically, its got everything: 90s influences, tropical instrumentation, EDM, and girl power! The video is stylish, minimalist and colorful, seemingly very ‘now’ but somehow carries an air of timelessness. More of this, please!
thank u, next (Ariana Grande, 2018)
To quote an excited freshman and first-time writer: “The song is unique in the breakup song genre in that it both focuses on Grande’s personal growth and her love and appreciation for the loves that didn’t last. She artfully blends self love and the ability to reflect on things that didn’t work out, not regretting them but instead using them to make herself that much more ‘amazing.’” It holds up! Plus, any video that takes the time to reference four of my very favorite rainy day rom coms can do no wrong.
Feature image via.
Feeds to Follow: Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang describes herself as the first Asian woman in hip hop. She’s been a key player in the industry, having managed influential artists such as A Tribe Called Quest and members of the Wu-Tang clan. However, her impressive career doesn’t just end with her prominent role in the music industry: she has also written a screenplay, produced runway shows, managed a Shaolin temple, and published a memoir.
On social media, Sophia Chang draws upon her unique career as well as her lived experiences as the daughter of Korean immigrants to share wisdom and inspiration. For example, her “Monday Morning Motivated” series on Instagram consists of videos of herself working out at the gym, pushing herself to be stronger physically and mentally. These videos are accompanied by captions that radiate an admirable level of confidence in herself. She also demonstrates not only her pride in her identity as an Asian woman but also the pleasure she takes in defying societal expectations and stereotypes. She refuses to let society tell her that she cannot be powerful or beautiful. In the “Sunday Dome Shave” series, she dances to her favorite songs while shaving her head, sometimes accompanied by her friends. Her joy in these videos is infectious, and her captions are always inspiring and full of sass.
“If I let the world tell me what I could and couldn’t do, whether or not I was pretty, smart, or powerful enough, I’d never get anything done.”
Image via
What makes Sophia Chang’s content so powerful and engaging is her refusal to be anything less than 100% authentic and honest. She’s vulnerable in a way that many people are afraid to be on social media, and she is unapologetically herself in all that she shares. She doesn’t shy away from addressing controversial topics, and she shines light on issues of injustice that aren’t discussed enough. Sophia Chang uses her Instagram as a platform for change, encouraging her followers to live life as more confident and more societally aware versions of themselves.
“When Sophia Chang steps into a room, you will feel my energy because my greatness can’t be contained. My vibrations and frequencies will slap you in the back of your head. ”
Image via Elliot Duprey
MAB Presents Megan Thee Stallion: 2019 Fall Show Review
Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete, is an up and coming rapper out of the Houston scene. Inspired by her late mother Holly who was also a Houston-based rapper, Meg first went viral after a video of her verse in a Houston cypher went viral. After Megan pioneered and brought to prominence the term “Hot Girl Summer” that, at once, took over the Twitter-sphere and became the modus vivendi for summer 2019, her rise to fame was meteoric.
Image via Elliot Duprey
Megan may be known for her beauty, height, and stature (earned her the childhood nickname Stallion), but her smarts are not to underestimated. Megan’s mother urged her to wait until age 21 to start pursuing a career in rap, so she could prioritize her educational pursuits. In addition to performing and recording music full-time, Megan is studying health administration at Texas Southern University. Who better to start off this fall’s hot girl semester (quarter, whatever) than the Hot Girl herself?
From the moment I stepped into Reynolds Club two hours early for the doors’ opening, it was evident that the energy was high. In fact, I’d never seen Reynolds Club look so good. The crowd soon grew into a massive army of the University’s most well-dressed people of color, clad in leather, heels, fringe, and their most Meg-appropriate gear and ready to storm Mandel Hall. And storm, they did.
Image via Elliot Duprey
DJ Laila gave an excellent set that had the crowd rapping to Rihanna and Nicki and practicing their moves in anticipation of the main act. After much sweating and negotiating to get a better spot in the pit, at long last, it was time for the Hottie.
Known for being fashionably late and sometimes, even, a no-show (as she was at the XXL Freshman Class show I attended in NYC this summer), Meg finally stepped onto stage half an hour after her call time. However, all was forgiven the moment I caught sight of her high-heeled patent boots: Thee Stallion is a sight to see.
With only an EP and a freshly released mixtape out, the crowd was familiar with many of her songs, as she stuck to her usual repertoire. Starting with Realer, before calling us “a smart crowd,” and transitioning into Cocky AF, Meg soon realized that we could, indeed, hang like the rest of the ‘em, and challenged members of the crowd to test their knee strength and keep up with her infamous dance routine. To the tune of “Simon Says”, UChicago’s finest put their skills to the test as Meg inspected technique and the crowd spurred them on.
“You better hold your tongue, ‘less you gon’ lick on my clit.”
Meg’s lyrics, while they may be repetitive or raunchy, are purposefully so and catchy: following in the thematic steps of Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj, Meg does what she does and does it well. As she performed her platinum hit and most popular song to date “Big Ole’ Freak”, the songs began to blend into each other in a sea of melodious flow, bombastic stage antics, and much sing-along from the crowd.
Image via Elliot Duprey
It’s hard to pin down what exactly makes Meg such a powerhouse, but as the show wound down and lucky barricaders tried to get a coveted personal video from Meg on their phone (I was one of the successful), it was evident that her power as an artist was not only mesmerizing, but far-reaching. She brought together non-fans and fans alike, faculty and students of all backgrounds, newly recruited hotties and veterans of the Hot Girl regime and undoubtedly gave them a show to remember.
Image via Elliot Duprey
Recently named in Time’s 100 Next list of influential new artists, advocates, leaders, phenoms, and innovators, it is clear that Meg Thee Stallion is carrying on the legacy of the many female rappers that came before her, while blazing a path of her own.
Image via Elliot Duprey
Check out more footage from the concert on Meg’s Instagram.
Winter Has Come: Seeing the World in a Post Game of Thrones Light
Known for its raunchy and fantastical scenes, Game of Thrones has captivated audiences across the country by creating an alien world. In 2011, the show launched from the roots of a poorly received first pilot to eventually garnering millions of views across the world. It is the most pirated television show to exist and has become a cultural phenomenon. With a wondrously magical world and great characters, the show captured viewers’ imaginations. Although it may seem like a far-removed fantasy, the world of Game of Thrones actually echoes the history of our own world. Its callbacks to Western medieval history and early eastern empires have created the perfect Easter egg hunt for history buffs, while the moral dilemmas that arise in the show are often in dialogue with our society’s manipulation of political mechanisms and acceptance and engagement of philosophical interpretations of ethics. Although Game of Thrones ended, it has created a space for socio-political conversation that is essential for our society but is flawed due to orientalist constructions of the show.
Modeling history, Game of Thrones often caused social controversies with its depictions of women and minorities. Image via
Critiqued for hyperbolically lewd and controversial scenes, Game of Thrones has created the space for viewers to debate contested topics such as the portrayal of people of color in the media and the historic role of women in power. Kara Peruccio, a former PhD candidate in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations comments:
“I think in some ways the sensationalized portrayals of medieval societies, eastern and western, simultaneously presents challenges and unique opportunities for academia. For example, it would be easy for a student to accept the television show's depictions of the Dothraki as brutal and barbaric nomads if they have never studied Islamicate, Central Asian or indigenous American history to understand the foundations of these people. Similarly, the kingdom of Dorne (unfortunately terribly adapted in the tv show) was inspired by Welsh history and culturally/materially by Nasrid Spain; thus the writers chose to frame Dorne through an Orientalist lens.”
“The sensationalized portrayals of medieval societies, eastern and western, simultaneously presents challenges and unique opportunities for academia.”
In 2017, Game of Thrones faced massive backlash for the sensationalism of its portrayal of Dornish women.
Image via
Depicting caricatures of eastern societies and people, lauding white saviorism, and seemingly condoning sexual assault, Game of Thrones often misses a beat with its viewers. As mentioned by Professor Peruccio, the portrayal of the Dornish was panned by critics and viewers, with many finding the lewd trope of the feisty, salacious eastern women extremely problematic. While Martin, wrote long narratives and extensive backgrounds to the Dornish characters in his original Song of Ice and Fire books, these plots were written out of the show to accommodate for the transition to television. In doing so, the writers chose to take a long, overarching and significant plot about people of color and compress it into a subplot to the focal plot of the white lead characters.
In the past few years, critics have panned the graphic nature of Sansa Stark’s rape scene and her statement on deriving personal power from men using her. Many of the conversations the show provokes could happen without extreme depictions of rape, racism, and oppression. However, Game of Thrones is not a perfect show with an egalitarian narrative or writers. The decisions and perspectives of its male, white writers color the tone and basis of many of the scenes and events in the show.
The narrative perspective of the show speaks to the many conflicting views of our society. By presenting white saviorism in dramatized and repeated circumstances, especially notable in Daenerys’ liberation of Slaver’s Bay, Game of Thrones provokes viewers to consider the mindset and ethical approach to such actions. Viewers are introduced to Daenerys’ plot through her doctrine and perspective. In this perspective, Daenerys is seemingly gilded, a hero with no flaws. However, the melodramatic receptions and reactions of Essosi to Daenerys’ actions provokes viewers to consider the fanatic nature of her actions. It echoes western traditions of questionable conquests under the justification of “the white man’s burden.” Her actions and crusade is done in a manner that has immediate consequences of liberation, but these are short tern due to her unfamiliarity with the people she rules. Game of Thrones places viewers in an unfamiliar place that parallels our own world’s contentious history. In doing so, Game of Thrones helps people grapple with the consequences of white saviorism by establishing some of the nuances, contexts, and moralities behind it.
A scene of Daenerys liberating the people of Slaver’s Bay.
Image via
With the tools of media and music to establish tension and deliberate tone, viewers have the option to reject the moral compass of the show. Across the world, Game of Thrones has sparked conversations extending from how power should be divided, shared and yielded to the intersection of justice and humanity in judicial systems and beyond to vital discussions on the effect the brutality of rape and sexual assault has on victims in both living rooms and text group chats.
It is not in spite of, but because of Game of Thrones’ many flaws that viewers can engage with the show in an open dialogue. Viewers are not directed by the show or its writers’ moral compasses, rather, the show provokes all to seize their own morality and decide for themselves what is right and wrong. Many viewers gave up the show following the brutal depiction of Sansa Stark’s rape, following their moral compasses past sensationalizing the show. Game of Thrones' is not just an ethical journey for characters; its flawed narrative is a terrain for viewers to cross. Due to modern media outlets, viewers are given many perspectives from members of academia to the cast members of the show to consider controversial scenes and dialogues.
The graphic scenes of physical and emotional abuse during Sansa Stark’s marriage to Ramsey Bolton were met with massive criticism.
Image via
Television has historically served as a way to address many problems that are otherwise taboo. In the 1960s, Star Trek took over television and media. In its (literally) alien worlds, characters explored issues that paralleled contemporary subjects like race, feminism, and militarism. By creating an alien world with allegories to then-contemporary problems, Star Trek established the necessary dimensions and circumstances for viewers to discuss these conflicts. Without its intangibly, imaginary nature, Star Trek never would have been able to provoke such conversation. Today, like Star Trek, Game of Thrones has created a space to address our human history of bigotry, ignorance, and failure, giving us an “in” to these sensitive topics that would otherwise be difficult to address.
If Game of Thrones is a great Easter egg hunt, then UChicago students are amongst its most eager participants. This quarter, the Department of Medieval Studies held a screening of the show’s first episode, creating a forum to discuss the many social and cultural aspects of medieval society the show touches on. In the past few weeks, I’ve engaged and witnessed in conversations about Game of Thrones in classes, house meetings, and study groups. These conversations extend beyond complaining about plot and character development.
“When racism and colorism are central to an idealized fantasy world, it says a lot about the society that we live in today. ”
My peers and I have debated the waxing and waning power of women, like Sansa Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, on the show, the flippant treatment of civilian beliefs and desires, specifically with the finale’s distasteful comic relief at the expense of the masses, and the diminishing voice and presence of people of colors noted at the end of the eighth season. One student notes:
“Game of Thrones (GOT) definitely provokes necessary conversations about our society. Although the show is fantastic, it also has numerous shortcomings. Many of the conversations that I have about GOT actually revolve around race and the treatment of POC in the show. When racism and colorism are central to an idealized fantasy world, it says a lot about the society that we live in today. It reflects the fact that our society has trouble witnessing worlds where racial equality is the norm, and that is deeply troubling. I think that GOT has certainly inspired me to speak to my friends about this particular issue in our society.”
Through the fantastical world of Game of Thrones, people are given a forum to form and vocalize opinions that are essential to understanding the dynamics of our world. While the show exists in an imaginary world, based on the dynamics of civilizations from hundreds of years ago, its themes of rising up to oppression rejecting unfair norms, and working to create systems that reflect collective values and ethics resonate to modern viewers and events by. Today, we are living in a post-Game of Thrones world. While the show and its magic fade into history, we must continue the dialogues about representation and portrayal of women, people of color and minorities in both media and reality it has catalyzed.
The Art Institute's Homage to Andy Warhol
The new Andy Warhol exhibit—the first to be organized by a US institution in 30 years—was recently unveiled to the public at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a pivotal and leading figure in the 1960’s art scene. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Warhol received notoriety for his whimsical and garish style that emphasized the vapidity of material culture in America. As he began to establish his rightful place in the visual arts scene, Warhol soon became the pioneer of Pop Art: through a variety of mediums such as silk screen printing, painting, printmaking, and photography, Warhol cemented himself at the forefront of a new, emerging, and controversial art movement.
Triple Elvis, 1963 — Image Via
From the birth of the pop art movement came his most notable works: paintings depicting commercial goods such as Campbell’s soup cans and celebrity portraits of the likes of Marilyn Monroe. Timeless in their essence, these pieces are crucial to analyzing the aesthetics of art and culture (and its insipidity) even today. However, this exhibit offers much more to see.
Shot Orange Marilyn, 1964 — Image Via
Displaying more than 400 pieces of Warhol’s, the exhibition merges the more rare pieces of his later work with the iconic and easily recognizable. Museum-goers can observe his work in an all-expansive timeline, notably from his work as a commercial illustrator, to his fascination with the celebrity, to his experimental collaborations with then-emerging artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“…his true genius lies in his ability to identify cultural patterns and to use repetition, distortion, and recycled images in a way that challenges our faith in images and questions the meaning of our cultural icons.”
Art Institute of Chicago on Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again, Via
The Art Institute of Chicago’s newest exhibit, Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again, takes its roots from last year’s exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. After receiving major popularity, the exhibit is on the move, landing in Chicago from Oct. 20, 2019 – Jan. 26, 2020.
Buy tickets to the limited-time exhibit on the Art Institute of Chicago website here.
Featured Image Via
A Conversation with Purple Corporation
Purple Corporation was formed by University of Chicago students Matt Williams and Miles Donnelly. Self-described as “psychedelectric,” the band has three studio albums (Mind Phonics, Atomic Bionic Sonic Chronic, and Memos from Space) and two EPs (BeatPack and BeatPack: Season 2) available on all digital streaming services.
The band features Miles Donnelly on guitar, vocals, trumpet, and production, Matt Williams on bass and production, Nick Olosky on the guitar, Sam Jacobson on the drums, and Jacob Walter on the guitar. Their next album, Indigo Sesh, is dropping on Monday, November 18th, and their next gig is on November 19th at Martyrs’. The following pictures were taken at their most recent gig at Tonic Room in Lincoln Park on November 5th.
Jacob Walter on an Ibanez guitar
Nick Olosky on a Fender Longboard Stratocaster
Can you talk about the initial inspiration for the band? How did you meet?
Miles Donnelly: Matt and I met up through this RSO (Recognized Student Organization) called Blue Maroon on campus and we just decided to do our own thing and turn the studio into our instrument. We started about a year ago.
Matt Williams: Word, we just wanted to make songs. Blue Maroon was doing more covers and we wanted to do originals, so we started songwriting in the studio.
Sam Jacobson on drums
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?
MD: It's eclectic. I would call it "psychedelectric" because I don't know if we could fit into any genre already. But it's got definitely rock and roll, a little bit of hip hop in there.
Nick Olosky: I think the produced versions lean a little bit more into hip hop and the live versions lean a little bit more into rock.
Sam Jacobson: It's a little bit proggy (progressive rock) at parts too.
MW: But it's definitely psychedelic overall.
SJ: Yeah, I would say so. It's pretty atmospheric, too.
MD: We definitely set out with the goal of making something that doesn't sound like anything that's been made before.
Do you have specific artists that you're influenced by?
MW: For me, Parliament Funkadelic. I'd love to be a little George Clinton but with less drugs. And I think Metro Boomin's a genius with the production. I'm inspired by him.
NO: Lately I've been inspired by Tame Impala with the guitar sounds, less shred-dy and more atmospheric and out there.
SJ: That kind of approach fits a lot of our sound better.
MW: When I make riffs for guitar, King Krule. All of the guitar shapes that I know are from King Krule songs.
What does your songwriting process look like?
MD: It depends a lot on what we're working with in terms of instrumentation. Sometimes I'll just start with the acoustic guitar, lay down some chords, and write lyrics. Then I'll bring it in to the rest of the band and we'll flesh it out.
SJ: I'd say there's a lot of fleshing out. Most of the tracks come from a chord progression or a melodic hook. A lot of those have come from Miles because he had written a lot before we met him and started playing with him. Matt, too. They started a while before I met them.
MD: They'll take something that Matt and I wrote in the studio, and it's very electronic, and they'll translate that into a live instrumentation.
NO: Jacob and I will try to figure out the chords -
SJ: That sometimes takes a while.
MD: When I learned the guitar, I kind of just made up chords. I never took lessons. I have no idea what I'm playing. It's kind of just like, "This sounds good, right?"
NO: And then Jacob and I are like, "Um, I think that's a G minor seven with an add 9?"
MW: We come in with ideas, they make it sound like music.
SJ: It's a two step process.
Matt Williams on an Ibanez Soundgear Bass
Do you have specific topics currently inspiring your music?
MD: A big thing that gets me going is climate change.
SJ: He's pissed.
MD: And then I write songs about that, like protest songs, calling back to the sixties when they were protesting Vietnam. I think a lot of musical movements are tied to some kind of protest.
SJ: We've got some of that sixties psychedelic rock sound too.
MD: And then love and shit. Also I like making up stories. I imagine I'm a little kid playing with action figures.
Can you talk about the visual component of the band and the album art?
MW: I’ve got Photoshop. I've been messing around with that.
MD: I have an art connect through my family. We've been collecting art for years, but it's always artists making art in the moment, it's never after the fact. And when you collect an artist's art, they become your homie, just because you're supporting them. So I have a lot of connections with young artists, for example Louis Granet. He's out of Paris. There's also Christian Schumann and Michael Bevilacqua. My mom also runs an art gallery where she represents all these artists. I call her up and am like "I need an album cover," and she'll be like "Alright, I'll see what I've got in the portfolio." And so I pair it up with these paintings that these artists are making.
MW: Shoutout Yara, she's on campus, she did our most recent album cover. It was a picture I took on vacation with palm trees.
How do you feel like your music has evolved since you started the band?
MW: Well, the production's gotten better.
MD: When we started, I'd never played the guitar before, and I'd never played synth or produced. So I've been learning all of that stuff as it's gone along.
MW: We were making beats and he was like "Yo, I wanna sing on this." And he'd never sung before, just started the summer before this past summer. So over the course of the year we've grown together.
MD: And then the biggest shift has definitely been when we brought the whole band together. That's the crucial shift. Now we're playing gigs and we've got this really energized sound that the guys are bringing to the group which is sick.
What's your dream gig in Chicago, or dream gig period?
MW: Madison Square Garden.
MD: Staples Center.
NO: The Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.
MW: That would be sick. Yo, Soldier Field though.
SJ: It'd be sweet to play Lolla. I think a festival would be cool.
NO: Yeah, then you can hangout with the other artists.
SJ: But also the whole outdoor aspect, everyone is just hanging out, everyone is clearly there just to experience music for the day.
MD: I mean, even Summer Breeze would be sick. Put that in the post.
What are you currently working on?
MW: We're trying to do a live album before the quarter's over.
NO: We've got the current versions of a lot of the songs we've recorded. But a lot of the live versions are rather different, so we want to get a session in the studio or something where we can crank out and record some of the live versions, which would be fun.
SJ: Something to mark the transition of when they brought us in. It's such a completely different feel and sound, but a lot of them are the same songs with the same ideas. It'll diversify the Spotify page a little.
MD: And it'll also give something for us to send to venues. And then we're also about to drop a studio album next week. So that's about to roll out, it's 12 songs called Indigo Sesh.
Do you improvise during live performances?
MW: We opened with a jam at our first gig we ever played.
NO: Oh yeah, the bar night gig.
MW: Yeah, so there's a lot of improvisation in our songs. We have pretty large solo sections on most tracks too.
SJ: We like a good solo. We've got a couple of virtuoso guitarists on tap.
To finish off the interview, who are your favorite artists?
SJ: That's a huge question. I'm going to throw Jimi Hendrix in there.
NO: John Mayer's my guitar hero. I really love a lot of his songs. That's not the direction I try to go towards, but I love his guitar playing and a lot of the stuff he does is really cool.
SJ: Yeah, that's a tough distinction to make. All of my favorite drummers aren't necessarily part of my favorite bands. Benny Greb is probably my favorite drummer, but purely as a drummer. I was also revisiting some Led Zeppelin last night.
NO: I listened to some Santana on our record player. Some of the percussion stuff that he does -
SJ: It's the Latin rock thing which is so cool.
NO: Yeah, right. And the way he plans it how you have one beat in your left ear and one beat in your right ear, it's just weird but it works.
MD: MF Doom is my favorite hip hop artist.
SJ: I think he's my favorite hip hop artist too.
MD: And then Freddie Hubbard is probably my favorite jazz musician, on the trumpet.
NO: I already threw Tame Impala out there.
MW: My favorite has got to be Parliament Funkadelic, George Clinton.
SJ: Yeah, P Funk's so sick.
MW: I love those guys. In terms of inspiring me to produce, Metro Boomin definitely. Pharrell has got to be in there. And let me throw SZA's name out there. She's a modern artists that makes albums, like complete works that are just phenomenal.
NO: Yeah, Ctrl is great.
MD: I mean like, The Beatles. You've gotta mention The Beatles. The thing I strive for is being The Beatles with the last fifty years of context, because they were making weird stuff for their time.
I was definitely reminded of Joy Division at your gig.
SJ: I was about to say - when we're hashing stuff out in the rehearsal room, I think of Joy Division and Radiohead a lot.
MD: But it's interesting because everyone who is like "Oh, you know who you sound like?" it’s always something different.
What else have you gotten?
MD: The Killers. Jim Morrison of The Doors.
SJ: I've gotten Jim Morrison before I had a haircut. Sometimes it gets really heavy and we kind of sound metal-y.
MW: Oh, King Crimson.
SJ: I mean, Metallica.
NO: Would you go that far?
SJ: Yeah, I don't know if I would go that far. Maybe more Black Sabbath.
MD: And we've got a lot of jazz and classical roots in there.
NO: These guys like to throw in a lot of Major Seventh chords, which is very jazzy.
SJ: Sometimes I swing the hi-hat rhythm. It's that jazz influence.
MD: Yeah, I started out of classical composition at pre-college at Juilliard in New York. I learned music theory and ear training, but now I just don't think about any of that. I've learned the rules in order to break them.
Any last words for the interview?
MD: We’ve got an album dropping Monday the 18th and then gig Tuesday the 19th at Martyrs'. And then we've got another gig on December 13th at Silvie's Lounge.
NO: That's the Friday of finals week so it will be a send off for winter break.
Check out Purple Corporation on Spotify and Apple Music, or on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Top 10 Pop Albums of the 2010s
Don’t be mad at me please I tried
Read MoreGet to Know the Photographer: Grace Peguese
Grace Peguese is a third-year Public Policy major and, more importantly (sorry, UChicago), a photographer who drives a bright red 1997 Saab 900. It doesn’t have a name, but it’s so amazing it might not need one.
As we wandered 57th Street, Dorchester, Kenwood, 58th, we started chatting, and I asked her how she got into photography. “My mom gave me my first camera,” she said, smiling, “she was kind of the family photographer.” Grace is from Michigan, and when her extended family gathered at her grandmother’s house, as they often did, her mom would move from group to group with her camera. “She’s really incredible at capturing moments.
I think that’s what all photographers are trying to do, really – capture moments.”
When she first started taking photos with a DSLR, Grace’s main focus was architecture. She still loves the beauty in buildings – as we passed a rounded, neutral-pink toned house, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a few shots in front of it – and since her junior year of high school Grace has had a freelance photography business. Her true passion, though, lies in street photography. “I don’t usually include people’s faces,” she told me as we stood in line for coffee at the Med Bakery. She doesn’t feel comfortable sharing her subjects’ identities in that way, especially if the viewer has no way of getting to know them.
Every now and then we stopped in front of a house, fence, or set of stairs that caught Grace’s eye, and she gave me an idea of her vision for the location. We would shoot for a few moments, adjusting levels, poses, exposure, focus, and then she would click through the photos to see which had turned out well. When she was satisfied, we continued.
Working with her was effortless. She is easy to talk to and flexible, and she welcomed my input on shots, even when it was silly (case in point: I wanted to throw leaves up over my head, and she snapped some photos as they floated down around me).
On our way back to her car, we talked about the more technical aspects of her photography. She said that she doesn’t consciously think about the composition of her photos – the way she frames her subjects is instinctive. I told her that seemed like a pretty rare gift, but she brushed off the praise.
Grace has some advice for aspiring photographers, too:
“one of the most important things is finding and trusting your own style. It can be really easy as a young creative to try to imitate others you look up to, but I think it’s more sustainable in the long term (and also healthier for you) if you trust in your work without comparing it to that of others.”
She says that though some aspects of photography come naturally to her, it’s important for new photographers to learn the basics “like composition, lighting, how to use manual functions.” If you don’t get a solid grounding in those, “it doesn’t really matter if you have the most expensive camera and the most expensive lenses, or if you have a starter camera.”
I had one final question as we rounded the corner back to her car. “Is your mom proud of your work?” She smiled, and I saw how much the woman who inspired her love of photography means to her. “Yes,” she replied. “She is.”
Want to see more of Grace’s work? Check out her website and Instagram (@gpeg_photography)!
An Ode to Disney Channel Stylists
In the early ‘00s, kids around the world were treated to verifiable visual feasts, courtesy of Disney Channel’s costume department. We idolized Disney girls and their overflowing closets of sequins, sparkles and low rise jeans. The ever elusive and constantly innovating Disney Stylists™ have taken us on many fashion journeys that made us laugh, think, and attempt to pull off far too many questionable looks. Let’s carefully remove our nostalgia glasses and take a closer look at the style icons of yesteryear:
Hilary Duff, Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004)
Is it too much of a stretch to say that the entire fashion industry is indebted to the Disney Stylists that brought Lizzie McGuire to life? Everything Lizzie stood for has skyrocketed back on trend in 2019: monochromatic looks, loud print mixing, PVC accessories, flares/ruffles, you name it. Rumor has it that she invented couture in the cinematic masterpiece The Lizzie McGuire Movie. She would, on occasion, stretch the imagination to its limits, such as wearing a total of five hair accessories at once or two different patterned, sequined separates. But Lizzie was bold, creative, and sang What Dreams Are Made Of… approved.
Raven-Symoné, That’s So Raven (2003-2007)
Raven’s Disney Stylists treated fashion as an art form. An aspiring fashion designer on the show, Raven gave us everything from CEO to New England prep school to fashion week. Raven had the flair of Lizzie before her, but with slightly more coherence and less nihilist 90s contrast. This was the start of the Stylists’ too-brief era of outfit unity. Her aptitude for color coordination and matchy-matchy fits that somehow always fell just on the right side of tacky was unbeatable.
Brenda Song, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2005-2008)
“Yay her!” Brenda Song’s London Tipton, resident air-headed rich girl, reaches icon status on the basis of her absolutely insane diversity of outfits. From classy socialite to Vegas dancer to 00s pre-teen to NYC it girl, London covered all possible bases. Like Raven, her outfits always told a clear story. Her Disney Stylists get bonus points for her signature accessorizing tendencies—Blair Waldorf wishes she could pull off as many hair accessories as London did!
Ashley Tisdale, High School Musical series (2006-2008)
One word: fabulous. Sharpay Evans gave us bigger, better, and certainly best with her looks. Coordination and proportions are the biggest pluses in my book, and she excelled in both. Sharpay came up in the peak of the Disney Stylists’ outfit coordination era. Her accessories always so perfectly tied it all together in a big, sparkly bow. That Sherpa vest?? The hoop purse?? Bonus points for her very on-brand hot pink, vanity plated, monogramed convertible.
Jennifer Stone, Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012)
Selena Gomez, who? Her outfits on Wizards of Waverly Place were at best trendy and at worst basic. The true style star was undeniably her quirky best friend, Harper. The fact that Harper wasn’t invited to this years’ Met Gala to showcase her campy excellence is nothing short of criminal. Whether you’re into kitschy styles or you think these kinds of clothes belong only on absurdist runways (read: you’re boring), you have to respect the way the Disney Stylists spared no creativity with Harper. In this case, the pictures are worth more than I could ever say about them. The girl had a dress composed of hundreds of markers… case closed.
(Dis)Honorable Mention: Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana (2006-2011)
Finally, the rose colored glasses can come off, because as much as my childhood memories taint my feelings about the early 2000s, these eyes don’t lie. The greatest irony in all of history is how much hype the show put on her colossal closet… only to have her dress like that. Just because she had a gigantic, amazing closet doesn’t mean that she had to wear the entire contents of said closet every time she stepped outside. Subjectively, I love the aesthetic as a cultural relic. Objectively, looking at her outfits makes me dizzy. To be fair, Lizzie and Raven were both devout maximalists, and I had to dig deep to figure out what separated them from Hannah. It ultimately comes down to creativity. The Disney Stylists modeled Hannah Montana to be the ideal style representative of her time, but unlike Lizzie or Raven, they made the crucial error of going beyond era accuracy into total trend absorption. Hannah Montana’s style was ripped straight out of the windows of Justice and Limited Too. The aforementioned girls that are lauded as style icons were distinguished by their creativity and unique take on the trends of the time.
(Even More Dis)Honorable Mention: Bella Thorne & Zendaya, Shake It Up (2010-2013)
Shake It Up was Hannah Montana on steroids. Shake It Up was every single trend blended in a god-awful trend smoothie. The Disney Stylists who brought us Shake It Up’s looks are the only ones I deem to be a lost cause. Bella and Zendaya wore nothing short of 7 articles of clothing per outfit. But the deadliest of Shake It Up’s style sins was the utter homogeneity of the clothing. Though wildly uncoordinated and abrasively loud, each outfit had the same essential elements in terms of the layers, silhouettes, and a put-upon sense of wackiness. Perhaps connected to the hipster movement of its time, there was a crudely manufactured sense of attempting to seem ~different~ in each look that they all ended up so painfully monotonous.
In conclusion: I’d like to give a warm thank you to the brave Disney Stylists for introducing us to fashion as an art. Kid shows are so important because they are where we model much of our young personas from—their senses of humor, their friendships and certainly their taste in clothing impact what we think we should have or who we think we’re supposed to be. Creative styles of dressing encourage young people to take risks on their own visual expression (see: my middle school outfits that ranged from sporting a cropped red leather jacket to neon yellow jeans to graphic tees to crazy patterned leggings to blazers). Disney is the apex of young adult entertainment, a shared language across the world, and when the Disney Stylists treat TV show fashion as something worth innovating we all benefit from the diversity in style it can inspire.
Image via from The Cheetah Girls.
Artist Spotlight: Kaan Tarhan
Hi, I’m Kaan. I’m a second year chemistry major and visual arts minor. I like to do a lot of arts and related things on campus, such as the Game Design RSO. I have these wild, dynamic sculpture ideas I’m currently pursuing - I’m really interested in interdisciplinary art and science integration. Over the summer, I scammed the school into paying me to write a book. It’s about reversibly color changing paints and pigments, which can change colors with light, heat, or water. It’s fascinating.
When did you first begin creating art?
I think I’ve been doing art ever since I’ve known myself. It was always my thing. I started very young, making games for my friends to play with. It transitioned into more fine art and painting in high school, but I’ve always been interested in creating.
“Reg Party 5” by Kaan Tarhan
What forms and subjects do you focus on in your art?
I would consider myself a painter, although there is a lot of debate in art theory about whether painting is dead and what qualifies as painting. I really like playing around with colors. I do a lot of classical watercolors, a lot of people, a lot of architecture and cityscapes. Apart from watercolor, I really like urban sketching. When I travel, I always have a sketchbook with me. I sketch people on the streets and talk with them. I love both studio painting and sitting down on a busy street and sketching there.
“Refraction 1: Andrew” by Kaan Tarhan
Where do you find inspiration for your art?
It comes from within. I see art as a tool, a mode of thinking. I’ve been actively thinking about why one produces art. Is it for money? Is it for fame? It’s none of those. It’s primarily for yourself, then for other people. Art for me is really closely tied to making sense of the world, to mental health.
“Reg Party 3” by Kaan Tarhan
What is your relationship to art?
I’m always thinking about the subject-painter relationship and what that means. I think that painting portraits is not a singular affair. People think of it as unidirectional - you create something to relay a feeling. I’m finding it to be more bidirectional. There’s a lot that you learn from the subject and they get from you. It’s a relationship. If you paint on your own, it’s contemplative. If you do it with someone else, there’s a lot of give and take.
“Refraction 2: Nuhamin” by Kaan Tarhan
What are some art projects you’ve been working on?
I started this series last year. I call it “Chat and Sketch.” I sit down to sketch someone, and we have a conversation for an hour or two hours. I stopped doing it outside, in the subway or in the airport. I started doing it in the bedroom, which is a lot more intimate. It’s definitely a different state of consciousness. While I sketch, I spend 90 percent of my capacity thinking about the sketch itself. I have less mental energy to deceive myself or to build barriers. It’s the only time where I’m fully honest with myself, because you can’t have coffee with a friend and be fully honest with yourself. Everyone has a very strong mind, and it twists reality. We create our own subconscious experiences. When I sketch, I’m able to respond and speak on a more surface level, which allows me to learn so much about myself and about other people. It’s like a trance. It’s an interesting experience, and I’ve been thinking about it less as a sketch and more as a performance art piece with two people and no audience. It’s very intimate, them and me.
“Chat and Sketch 01.09.19” by Kaan Tarhan
“When I sketch, I’m able to respond and speak on a more surface level, which allows me to learn so much about myself and about other people. It’s like a trance.”
I use Tinder to find people. Instead of looking for dates, I put in my bio that I’m looking for people to sketch. Every single time that I’ve met with someone, it’s been a really nice experience. It’s complete strangers, but the process of art creates venues for conversation. It’s a beautiful connection. So many random strangers have become good acquaintances or even friends after a few hours of sketching. Some of them I still keep in touch with after months. Looking at it from a more formal art analysis perspective, I’ve really been thinking about text and image together, because sketching people is nothing new. People have been doing that for thousands of years. If I wanted to sketch people, I could go to figure sketching. What I’m trying to get at is less a sketch but more of a documentation of the conversation that has happened, the performance. I inscribe something that I cannot forget from that conversation, that haunts me for days, and I find somewhere in the sketch to put that text. I’ve been thinking about how the text interacts with the subject. This exploration teaches me a lot about art but also a lot about life and how I relate to people. I am so glad that art is allowing me to meet and talk to different people who are coming from all sorts of backgrounds, establishing a connection and learning. Everyone has so much to give.
Image of the artist is courtesy of Festival of the Arts (FOTA). All artwork is courtesy of Kaan Tarhan.
Kanye West’s ‘Jesus is King’ Album review
Before anyone yells at me, this is purely based on my unprofessional opinion
Kanye West is no stranger to controversy, he’s pretty much nailed the art of shock, and these days he’s really been outdoing himself. If you haven’t already heard, West has started his own church–if you’re thinking this feels a little cultish then I’m right there with you. Basically he holds sunday services across the country where he brings along a choir to help him, and I admit I think the musical aspect of it is pretty cool, but the part where Kanye steps in as preacher is too much for me. I’m pretty sure he also has plans to buy land and build a grounds for his church at some point which is very much past the line of normal behavior. Just do a quick investigation of Kanye Wests’s most recent interviews, tweets, and overall interactions with the public, and a lot of it is unsettling. But amid all his new responsiblities as a religious figure, Kanye West has still been able to whip up a new album.
“Jesus is King” was released this October and as the name suggests, it’s entirely dedicated to his faith. And while you do not necessarily need to be at the same level of devotion as Kanye West to enjoy this music, that isn’t the issue with this album. The main problem is that the music just isn’t good (please dont come for me, i’m not here to start a fight with all 250 members of the West-Kardashian-Jenner family). But the music is just not on par with some of Kanye West’s previous albums– we all just had higher expectations.
Image via
For me, the flow of many of the songs on this album simply did not sound right. The lyrics felt a little too preachy rather than someone expressing their devotion to their own faith– it is one thing to incorporate religion into art, but it is quite another to claim that a higher power is directly speaking through you. A lot of the music was just creepy and after listening to the whole album I felt like Kanye West was yelling at me. I just can’t imagine in what setting it would be appropriate to play this album and not have people be afraid of God smiting them. For me, the most unsettling song has to be “Closed on Sunday”– the whole tone is eerie yet somehow seems like a joke from all the chick-fil-a references, it just wasn’t a good mix of two opposites. Plus, I’m not sure chick-fil-a is beloved for their religious or political stances at the moment, so maybe not the right time Kanye. In a lot of the other songs, Kanye sounded like he had just woken up and decided to record himself rapping (pLeaSe dOnT cOme FoR mE). That being said, there was at least one song I actually liked, “Follow God”, for me, is the best song on the album.
All that being said, I’m not sure if it’s just that his vibe has recently felt alarming and that has been able to seep into his music, or he was trying to convert people through this album, but relistening to “Jesus is King” is probably not an experience I’m going to actively try and relive. I wish Kanye the best of luck in his endeavors and applaud him for the effort he put into creating this album, but I think ill just move on from this one and wait for what he releases next.
Featured image via
MODA Blog Favorites: October 2019
Welcome to MODA Blog Favorites! This is our monthly series where MODA Bloggers, photographers and editors let you know what we’re loving this month! Here’s what the team is loving, hopefully bringing you a monthly dosage of inspiration.
Andrew
Euphoria on HBO
Probably the most groundbreaking show to drop this year, HBO’s Euphoria earns a coveted spot on this month’s favorites. From its riveting storyline focusing on the strifes of adolescence, to the amazing hair, makeup and styling teams to the most beautiful cinematography I’ve seen on television in years; Euphoria exemplifies what is possible for a television show today. Seriously, if you haven’t watched it yet, you’re missing out. I highly recommend.
COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
Over the summer, I really decided to invest a little bit more into my skincare and adopt a stricter regiment when it comes to my skin. While researching products for my particular skin concerns, I stumbled across the Korean Brand COSRX, which is known for their cruelty free, and highly effective products including their holy grail Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. Containing a whopping 96% snail mucin, this essence hydrates and repairs dry, damaged and hyperpigmented skin, and I’ve found that it makes my skin feel much softer.
Hanskin PHA Pore Cleansing Oil
Awarded one of SokoGlam’s coveted Best of KBeauty Awards this year, Hanskin’s PHA Pore Cleansing Oil is a game changer. It is so important to oil cleanse especially when removing makeup, because it’s the most effective way to remove oil based impurities. What I’ve noticed about this PHA oil is that despite having a chemical exfoliant, the product itself is quite gentle, so much so that I can use it daily. If you’re looking for an oil cleanser that’ll hydrate as it cleanses, especially for Chicago’s dry season, this cleanser comes highly recommended.
Joseph
Niche Halloween Costumes
O… you are an angel? how pedestrian. I’m am Reese Witherspoon playing Madeleine Mackenzie in Big Little Lies dressed as Audrey Hepburn playing Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanies. You don’t get it? its called culture: look it up.
Bojack Horseman S6
My favourite show is back for its final season which is bittersweet to say the least. Regardless, the first half of season 6, which dropped October 25, has been great. The last half of the season will only be released at the end of January, and I am really looking forward to it.
Trader Joe’s Thai Shrimp Gyoza
Trader Joe’s opening 2 blocks away from me has been dangerous… and delicious. I love their frozen foods for being both healthy and delicious when you are not feeling up to making your own dinner, with the shrimp gyoza being a standout option.
Alexandra
Matcha lattes
My favorite autumnal beverage is in fact unassociated with pumpkins! To me, matcha invokes the feeling of a rainy day, wool peacoats, and the crunching of a patchwork of colored leaves scattered along the sidewalk. My favorite on-campus matcha latte is from Grounds of Being because they serve it sweetened and I’m a not-so-lowkey sugar addict. Plein Air comes in a close second place, great autumn vibes.
Tim Burton’s entire filmography
Nothing gets me in the Halloween mood like a good Tim Burton movie. If I can have spooky creatures, romance and musical numbers in one film, I’m set! When it comes to horror movies I’m quite picky and easily bored, but Tim Burton’s intensely curated aesthetics and sweet misfits warrant infinite rewatches. My Halloween staples are Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, Dark Shadows and the Nightmare Before Christmas (which is definitively not a Christmas movie).
Clementines & mandarins
Two strains of petite citrus fruit that I recently discovered are not, in fact, the same! I bought a bag of at least 50 of small citrus fruit (still unsure of which is which) when the new Trader Joes opened. I worried I wouldn’t eat them all, then proceeded to polish them all off over one weekend as I came down with a cold. Vitamin C is key!
Elizabeth
Honey Bee Skin Healing Cream
I found this moisturizer at upstate New York’s Erie County Fair and haven’t looked back since. Despite the less-than-glamorous website, Honey Bee’s cream is everything I look for in a moisturizer. It’s light enough that my skin (usually very sensitive) never feels greasy after using it, it works for hands and face, and is made without chemicals. The company keeps their own bees, which ensures humane methods of gathering the honey and royal jelly that – along with aloe vera, ginseng, and a Native American herbal mixture – are the moisturizer’s only ingredients. It protects, heals, and energizes all in one beautiful-smelling package, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. As Chicago winter approaches, your skin (and bank account) will thank you for using this cream.
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Michelle
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
As a native Arizonan, I was not prepared for the harsh Chicago winters that seemed to suck every bit of moisture from my skin. Poor weather combined with the lack of sleep from the quarter system put my skin in dire need of moisture and rejuvenation. After finding this eye cream, I noticed a major difference in my eye bags. Also, despite being labeled an eye cream, I found that this product is also very helpful when dabbed onto dry patches of skin.
Luo Yang
Named “one of the rising stars of Chinese photography” in 2012, Luo Yang’s work depicts women in ways that challenge Chinese gender norms and expectations. Yang’s photography captures different expressions of gender and sexuality to show different representations that come together to represent the identity of the Chinese woman. While aesthetically beautiful, each photograph also delivers a powerful story.
Bestdressed x En Route Jewelry
Like everyone else, I am always skeptical of collaborations with YouTubers. However, when one of my favorite YouTubers released a jewelry line in collaboration with En Route Jewelry, I knew I had to get my hands on it! The unique pieces have a timeless look to them and the quality did not disappoint! The pictured earrings are so versatile and accentuates even the most basic outfit!
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Ain’t No Laws When You’re Drinking Claws! The Rise of the White Claw Halloween Costume.
As I looked over the sea of Guy Fierii (pl.), angels, demons, and scantily clad construction workers this past weekend, I was surprised to see an abundant presence of a new breed of costume – one that not only evokes the greatest tenets of consumerist America, but also our most human quality of needing to fit in. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you a brief analysis of 2019’s White Claw Halloween costume epidemic.
One would think that this trend would end at DIY tee shirts with a taped-on White Claw logos, but no, the costume is, in fact, available for commercial purchase online. In fact, these costumes are so popular that Yandy (which I recently had to learn was a popular lingerie company) not only made a “sexy” White Claw Halloween costume but sold out of them within a week of release.
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The fact that a team of designers had to sit down together, look at an aluminum can of hard seltzer, and agree that it is something the masses want is a decision almost as annoying as buying a Moncler fracket.
After its 250% sales increase over the course of last year, there is officially a White Claw shortage. I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to forget the plastic filled boiling oceans that we have been collectively ignoring. But let’s talk about how this happened.
From my perspective, it’s all about wanting to be part of a group. While yes, the costume is funny and arguably the most recognizable symbol of pop culture, it could not be more basic. People feel the need to prove that they are aware of trends, whether in fashion, music, or memes, and this is just another example. Sure, the costume proves that you know what’s going on the world and I mean that with the utmost irony.
Don’t worry, just like every other millennial trend, this one will soon die. For now, we all get to enjoy profuse White Claw costume posts on our Instagram feeds from people who think that they’re creative.
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Are You Ready Kids? The Collab That Nobody Needed
Apart from my biased opinion that basketball shoes should remain on the court, at first sight, the Kyrie 5 “SpongeBob” looks like it should only come in children’s sizes – but no, the collab is marketed towards adults.
When SpongeBob comes to mind (which is rarely), it isn’t about the shows aesthetic appeal (as it doesn’t exist) but SpongeBob’s horrific laugh, the uncomfortable live-action sequences, and that annoying song about friendship. I can hear his laugh while staring at that wiggly Nike swoosh.
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SpongeBob is a show to watch when there is nothing good on Disney Channel and is about as far as you can get from aesthetically pleasing. The colors are overwhelmingly vivid, as seen on these shoes, to a point that they will hurt your eyes if you stare for too long. If you are going to make yellow sneakers, at least make them a nice mustard-y color!
Plus, I can’t imagine anything scarier than taking off your shoes to see SpongeBob’s face staring back at you from where your feet should be. These are the shoes that nightmares are made of.
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I really appreciate the effort put into designing these shoes, but I think that they missed the mark. If you’re looking for a good childhood throwback sneaker collaboration, the Diadora x Peanuts high-tops are adorable and not for basketball.
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In Memoriam: the House of Z
Current status: shocked, confused, wondering if I’ll ever enjoy a mermaid gown again.
This past Friday, Zac Posen announced the closing of his atelier. Posen, a Parsons grad, 7-year Project Runway judge and winner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s prestigious Perry Ellis Award for Womenswear, was refreshingly transparent about the boardroom difficulties that led to the line’s close.
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How do you create something that evokes emotion and surprise, but also pushes the notion of fashion as an art form? Because I do think that idea is more important than ever.—Zac Posen, via.
Zac Posen’s signature blend of structure, sweeping Old Hollywood elegance, and youthful fun will be sorely missed on the red carpet after a solid 18 year run. With an all-star roster of clients like Rihanna, Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ariana Grande and Amal Clooney, 39-year-old Posen is a creative wunderkind of the fashion world. The House of Z kept ruffles, trains and strong silhouettes in business through the rise and fall of many trends. His looks are consistently statuesque with a clear appreciation of quality and history.
Here is a retrospective on some of my favorite House of Z creations:
Most Iconic: Claire Danes at the 2016 Met Gala
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The most iconic Zac Posen creation was quintessentially Zac Posen: elegant, referential, creative, innovative, timeless, structural, bodice-d and train-ed. Three years later, Zendaya made waves with a similarly stunning gown at the 2019 Met Gala, but no matter the advancements in the technology, Zac set the standard with this fiber optic wonder.
Classic Zac: Mermaid Gowns
You can’t talk about Zac Posen without talking about the Mermaid Dress. Some dismiss this particular wheelhouse as prom-like or overly repetitive, but there’s a certain attention to the form and the exposure of the gown’s structure that makes his take positively architectural.
Coco Rocha at the 2010 Met Gala
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Liu Wen at the 2014 Met Gala
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Rihanna at the First Annual Diamond Ball (2014)
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Sarah Jessica Parker at the New York City Ballet (2019)
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Gone Out With A Bang: 2019 Met Gala
Making the House of Z’s closure even more shocking is Posen’s extremely strong showing at this year’s Met Gala, with 5 of his creations gracing the red carpet. He was a perfect fit for the Notes on Camp theme, as his architectural, structural dresses have an inherent campiness in how they exaggerate dress composition and the female body. In each creation he utilized 3D printing and even met with scientists, engineers and designers at the General Electric manufacturing plant in Pittsburgh. Each piece of these gowns was meticulously crafted, with hundreds of hours going into production.
This is certainly not the last we’ve see of Zac’s one of a kind creativity—I, for one, will be watching the red carpets like a hawk for custom commissioned pieces from his devoted clients.
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Looking For Alaska: Season One review
Not sure how I even stumbled upon this, but Hulu has released the first season of John Green’s Looking For Alaska. For those that dont know, the show is based on Greens novel, which I had forgotten that I ever read until I started watching the show. That being said, I will not be spoiling any elements of the show, but I will giving my thoughts on it.
I’m not usually the type for romcoms or sappy teenage coming of age stories, but this show (so far) has been worth binging. The show obviously has elements of that beloved teenage romance, it is after all based on a John Green novel, but it touches on a lot of issues so much more important–you watch characters deal with mental health, prejudice based on background, family lives, and trauma. And while the premise of the show isn’t super realistic for everyone, it does still have a sense of entertainment as you watch these characters develop and form relationships with each other.
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The first episode starts when Miles Halter, a shy, highly sheltered loner, decides to go to a boarding school in Alabama, called Culver Creek. While the school much more resembles a summer camp as the students live in cabin like structures, and everyone seems to be super artsy and into discussing deep philosophical questions while secretly smoking cigarettes under a nearby bridge and drinking wine coolers, its somehow the perfect setting for the show. When he gets caught in the middle of a prank war (which is for some reason a really big thing at this school), Miles is adopted into his new clique– consisting of himself and three other students, all scholarship kids, all with their own anxieties and issues. After that the show basically follows the foursome as they navigate high school, pulling pranks and not getting caught, and each other. You watch how each elaborate prank they pull brings the four closer and closer (a very wholesome aspect of the show actually) and of course everything comes to a head when tragedy strikes the entire school ~and nothing was ever the same~
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