Author: Laura Crowley

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Arts & Life News

Lintott encourages awareness, self-reflection

By Ally Kebba

Contributing Writer

Originally from Sea Girt, N.J., just a few hours from campus, Dr. Sheila Lintott has always been familiar with the University. As an undergraduate student she attended Montclair University and went on to earn her Ph.D at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002. After hearing of an available position in philosophy of art and aesthetics, she applied, was offered a position in the Philosophy Department at the University and took her place among the ranks of prized professors in Coleman Hall. Her teaching and research interests include aesthetics, the philosophy of art, ethics and applied ethics. She is especially interested in matters of environmental and feminist philosophy, particularly as they intersect.

Lintott had the childhood dream of serving as a Supreme Court Justice. She later came to find interests in nutrition and legal studies, but after just one philosophy course, she knew she was hooked.

“The questions were so fascinating and I loved that there was room for argument and discussion, that there weren’t easy answers or the illusion of easy answers,” Lintott said.

She enjoyed the freedom of being able to question conventional answers and the challenge of thinking in new and unusual ways.

Lintott welcomes the difficulties that come with teaching an introductory philosophy course.

“It is challenging, but really fun, enjoyable and satisfying, probably because its challenging. I think people are naturally philosophical regardless of whether they’ve been encouraged to ask questions. Everyone wonders about morality, the existence of a god, what makes something ‘true’ … philosophy has something for everyone to relate to and find personally interesting,” she said.

Lintott identified Feminist Philosophy as her favorite course to teach because she feels that it allows her to correct many misconceptions and stereotypes that people harbor about feminism and feminists. She appreciates the openness she finds in the students who select the course and their ability to delve deep into real-world issues.

Lintott proudly considers herself to be a feminist and defines that as someone who believes that men and women deserve equal respect, rights and treatment and is willing to stand up and say so. She works to rid common misunderstandings people have about feminists.

“Feminism is in the interest of both men and women,” she said.

Outside of the classroom, Lintott encourages students to be more self-reflective and aware of societal issues. She leads a reading group which discusses the book “Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & A World Without Rape” and works on the advisory board of the Women’s Resource Center and the Women’s Gender Studies coordinating committee. Recently she has supported the stand against degrading party themes headed by the chapter presidents of the seven sororities on campus.

Her students appreciate Lintott’s involvement in issues beyond the classroom.

“As a first-year female at Bucknell, it has been a huge help to find a professor who is aware of gender issues on campus and is willing to discuss ways to improve campus climate. I feel it is important to unpack rape culture and double standard issues through discussion, and her willingness to facilitate these usually taboo discussions offers great encouragement,” Kate Albertini ’14 said.

Lincott reciprocates by explaining that her favorite part of the University is the people.

“There are so many people here who are just incredibly creative and ambitious in both teaching and research,” she said. “It creates a really inspiring and motivating environment, a good climate, good intellectual air to breathe.”

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Arts & Life Music Review

A journey through the music of the 1990s

By Michelle Joline

Writer

While the Internet is constantly pouring information into our computers, phones and brains from all directions in this new age of technology, the music scene is changing. We rely on devices like iTunes and Pandora to introduce us to our new favorite artists, rather than discovering them on our go-to radio stations. There was something adventurous about tapping into the bands and artists that, we thought, no one else heard of. Now that we have become accustomed to the convenience of immediate gratification on the Internet, we could never go back to our more traditional ways. But, the greatness of the past does not only lay in how music was found but, more importantly, the music itself.

If there is one thing a lot of people can agree on, it is that we still love the 1990s. Hearing the classic songs of that decade brings us straight back to those feelings of excitement when we first heard them and the memories that they ignite. As more influences from the 1990s are popping up in the fashion world, with overalls and knee socks on current runways, it is inevitable that we turn to our favorite 1990s hits for inspiration.

After being bombarded with the new electronic sounds of today, which also can offer some pleasing listening, it is a great relief to hear the grungy, organic sounds of artists like Nirvana and Alanis Morissette. Their lyrics are gritty and perfect for the many teenage listeners who declare their problems to be bigger than anyone else’s. These songs influenced a generation and are still bringing in new fans, along with the many other artists who created the anthems of that decade.

There was the never-ending, wonderful battle between Britney and Christina and the boy-band craze that many of us hoped would never end. Our generation grew up with our baby-sitters blasting *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, making us fans for life. There is something about this music that is not really a part of current genres, something perhaps outwardly ridiculous at times but still fun.

Besides the bubble-gum sounds of Spice Girls and the chart-topping pop groups, there is nothing pretty about many of the artists of the 1990s. Metallica mastered the art of sounding angry, and Weezer influenced the alternative artists of today, still making hits now with current styles. Many of the songs that are so appealing may be guilty pleasures, but we must like them for some reason. The sulky voice of Fiona Apple has every girl identifying with her woes and No Doubt proclaims that we are more than just girls. Obviously, these artists appealed more to the female spectrum than Dr. Dre and Jock Jams did.

The music of the 1990s is the perfect example of us not appreciating what we have until it is gone. As the millennium approached, no one really made an effort to hold onto the great aspects of the passing decade. Even though the 1990s are long gone, we can still appreciate the music that were the soundtracks to our lives growing up, and perhaps helped to make us who we are today.

If you are interested in reconnecting with some of the 1990s hits, here’s a playlist of some top songs from the decade:

 

Alanis Morissette, “You Oughta Know“

Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Spice Girls, “Wannabe”

The Smashing Pumpkins, “1979”

No Doubt, “Just a Girl”

*NSYNC, “I Want You Back”

Weezer, “Buddy Holly”

Backstreet Boys, “Larger than Life”

Sixpence None the Richer, “Kiss Me”

Britney Spears, ” … Baby One More Time”

Christina Aguilera, “What a Girl Wants”

Sinéad O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U”

Counting Crows, “Mr. Jones”

Fiona Apple, “Criminal”

Ben Folds Five, “Brick”

The Cranberries, “Dreams”

The Notorious B.I.G., “Big Poppa”

The Pretenders, “I’ll Stand by You”

Blink-182, “Anthem”

Coolio, “Gangsta’s Paradise”

TLC, “Creep”

Destiny’s Child, “Bills, Bills, Bills”

Fugees, “Killing Me Softly”

Categories
Arts & Life

Top 10 places to study

By Katie Monigan

Staff Writer

Top 10 places on campus to study, other than the library

  1. The academic quad. If you’re outside on a sunny (rainless) spring day, you’ll no doubt see people studying on the quad. Amongst the Frisbee tosses and the sunbathing, the sun-loving and studious among us sprawl themselves out on blankets with friends and simultaneously soak up some rays while soaking up knowledge.
  2. Seventh Street. For the less-than-sunny days this spring, a great choice is Seventh Street Café where students can listen to background music, chat with friends, enjoy a specially-prepared beverage and get some work done in the process. Added bonus: it’s open 24 hours, so your 4 a.m. cram-sessions can be properly caffeinated.
  3. Your room. For those of us who are tidy enough to have the desk space, studying in your room can be a convenient option for when you don’t want to brave stormy weather. It also works if you haven’t showered in a few days, or if you happen to have a really comfortable chair.
  4. Your bed. For those of us who are too lazy even to make it to our desk chairs, studying in bed is another option. It is, however, very difficult to stay awake when studying in this manner, so those who choose this location are likely to not actually get anything done, or are just freakishly perky.
  5. Breakiron lounges. Every floor of Breakiron Engineering has a lounge with couches, some with vending machines and computers as well, and it’s not just for engineers. They’re usually quiet, the building is open 24/7 if you walk there through Dana Engineering, and it’s much newer and brighter than Dana which is students’ usual destination after 2 a.m.
  6. Willard Smith Library. Okay, technically it is a library, but it’s not THE library, so it gets to be on the list. Willard Smith is located on the uphill side of Vaughan Lit, across from DU, and is great for reading. The large room is warmly lit, and filled with old wooden furniture. It’s sometimes reserved, but when it’s not it’s quiet and all the old books are academically inspiring.
  7. The caf. For hungry students who also need to study, this is a great option. Every time you need a break, a variety of foods is at your fingertips. Plus, since some groups of friends make it a habit to “caf sit,” or stay for an absurdly long time after they finish eating, students studying for hours fit right in.
  8. A friend’s room. Boring things are always better with a buddy, so if you have a class with a friend, you might like to do your studying together. Although there is a possibility that immense amounts of actual work get done, there is also a possibility that your study session will become an all night chit-chat. Choose your buddy wisely.
  9. The new student space. For those students who enjoy people-watching, studying in the new student space is entertaining, since in a few hours about half the student body will pass by. It is also conveniently located next to the mail room and across from the Bison, which allows for convenient snacking when necessary but doesn’t have the added temptations of unlimited food like the caf.
  10. Dana Lobby. It’s a big engineering secret, but everyone deserves to know: Dana lobby houses the most comfortable couches on campus. The lobby’s not very well-lit, it’s not terribly inviting and it smells a little funny, but the couches make it well worth its drawbacks. If your studying is going to run a little late and you only have time for an hour or so to sleep, there’s no better location for your studying and naptime than Dana Lobby.
Categories
Arts & Life

University’s Annual Student Art Exhibition opens student art up for public enjoyment

By Laura Crowley

Arts & Life Editor

This past Friday, the Samek Art Gallery exhibited the culmination of a year’s worth of student art. The art showcased was mostly from graduate students and seniors taking a capstone studio art course.

Ona Rygelis ’11 felt that the exhibit offered students “an opportunity to create a body of work.” These bodies of work consisted of photos, videos, paintings and sculptures. Students were allowed to request how much space they wanted beforehand and could then fill the space however they wanted.

During the gallery opening, students provided an “artist statement,” in which students outlined and gave significance to their work and answered questions. Johnny Picardo ’11 described his oil paintings as representative the “spiritual search and sexual awakening” during the shift from boyhood to manhood. Rygelis said she explored dreams in order to question reality and the state of the natural environment through her art.

“[The exhibit] felt like our whole own art show,” Picardo said.

This passion was evident in the quality and originality of the work. Graduate student Anikke Myers used both photographs and videos of balloons in a room to represent “each idea I have during the day.”  Her video begins with a nearly empty room and ends as one filled to the top with balloons, or ideas, nearly drowning her out.

In another video, she writes and crumples up love letters and leaves them scattered on the ground.  “[With these works, I hope to] point out the problems of overwhelming depression and anxiety, plaguing characteristics of my early childhood that greatly impacted the way I see the world now,” she said.

The show is free and open until May 3. The gallery, which is located on the third floor of the Elaine Langone Center, is open weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (8 p.m. on Thursdays) and weekends from 1-5 p.m.

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Arts & Life Books Review

Kim Echlin’s moving novel tells believable story worth reading

By Carolyn Williams

Staff Writer

Only an elegant novel can combine an overwhelming love and a horrifying genocide without becoming unbelievable, but Kim Echlin’s “The Disappeared” makes it look easy.

Anne Greves is a 16-year-old student living in 1979 Montreal when she meets Serey. Her mother deceased, she lives with her father, an engineer of prosthetic limbs, but they operate at a distance. This loneliness prompts Anne to begin a habit of frequenting nightclubs, escaping via the blues music she loves.

There she encounters Serey, a Cambodian musician five years her senior. The two date and form a bond that will come to defy societal norms and become the cornerstone of Anne’s life. Despite her father’s disapproval, Anne dates Serey, boldly living with him on weekends, and hanging around his band, whose name is aptly lifted from Sartre’s famous play “No Exit.”

Serey is himself trapped. He was already studying at a university in the safety of Canada when the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror began in Cambodia. Left with only a yellowing photo of his family and his father’s last telegram warning him not to come home, Serey is wracked by worry and survivor’s guilt. He falls in love with Anne as an exile and inevitably has to leave her when the Cambodian borders open.

But it is too late for Anne to turn back. She lives a life of apparent normalcy. She attends university, later becoming a professor of languages herself, but in truth she is hollowed out. She feels Serey’s absence, the danger of life in so unstable a country as post-genocidal Cambodia and her many unreturned letters and phone calls acutely. As a way of bringing herself closer to him, Anne studies the Khmer language, perfecting it. She rents his old apartment, unintentionally wallowing in memories of their past. Eleven years have passed when, watching the news, she believes she finally sees Serey, standing in the crowd at a memorial service. Without hesitation, she buys her plane ticket.

Upon her arrival in Phnom Penh, Anne gruelingly spends her nights searching nightclub after nightclub, until, at last, she and Serey are reunited. Unfortunately, their love cannot outweigh the residue of horror left to the recovering country. Anne’s narration of her time in Cambodia contains equal parts horror and history. Despite the atrocities, she maintains her unflinching love for Serey and manages to convey to he audience the beauty of the people, the culture, struggling to repair the irreversible damage done.

Anne and Serey fall into the familiar rhythm of quotidian existence, but something is off. After the stillborn birth of their daughter, Anne begins to suspect Serey of becoming detached. And when he disappears, Anne would do anything to get him back.

Echlin evokes something of Marguerite Duras’s style in “The Disappeared,” besides the similarity of a romantic relationship between a Western girl and an older Asian lover. Anne narrates from a future without Serey, turning the story into an extended love letter, addressing him throughout as “you,” pouring her grief and her longing for him into their story, her lasting tribute to their love. The eloquence of Echlin’s writing and the real, raw feelings of her narrator makes “The Disappeared” a truly moving read.

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Arts & Life Columns Cooking Corner

Cooking Corner: Blueberry Cobbler

By Emily Fry

Staff Writer

Blueberry Cobbler

Now that spring has finally arrived, there are so many opportunities to find fresh fruit. Why not enjoy the spring season with a delicious blueberry cobbler? Happy baking!

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh blueberries

3 Tbsp white sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).

2. In an 8-inch square baking dish, mix blueberries, 3 tablespoons sugar and orange juice. Set aside. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring just until ingredients are combined. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons over blueberry mixture. Try to cover as much of filling as possible.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Source: AllRecipes

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Arts & Life Featured

Choreographer’s Showcase Preview

By Laura Crowley

Arts & Life Editor

Each semester, the Choreographer’s Showcase displays the efforts of a 200-level Dance Composition class required for dance minors. This year, the Showcase is expected to attract sizeable crowds to view its 25 separate choreographed pieces that display “the final culmination of their acquired skills and understanding of dance as an art form,” student director Leigh Bryant ’11 said.

Bryant said she and co-director Abigail Mason ’11 “have worked together for three semesters now on the Showcases” and are “excited to be ending [their] senior years with this event through the dance program.”

This semester, the Dance Composition class was co-taught by professor and director of dance Er-Dong Hu and Visiting Assistant Professor Kristy Kuhn and met twice a week to work on theory, composition and improvisational work, Bryant said.

Allowing students to choreograph their own pieces opened new doors for the students. One such student choreographer, Samantha Gosnell ’13, had never choreographed her own piece. “It was really interesting to see my style of dance on other dancers … [since] I never really knew that I had a style until people came up to me and said that they knew it was my piece right away,” she said. Through choreographing her own piece, she realized her “power to influence people and to create something out of [her] own inspiration,” she said.

Another student choreographer, Leigh Arnold ’13, realized the difficulty involved in getting the messages of her dance across to an audience.

“I knew what I wanted,” she said, “so I then had to focus on how to communicate that to the people watching the piece.”

Given the 25 pieces and 70 people involved in the production, Bryant is “proud of everyone’s collaborative efforts this semester” that enabled the group to “find enough space to rehearse and enough energy to get us to the end,” she said. While she admits that the production was “daunting” at times, she is proud that the showcase company was able to succeed by staying positive and supporting each other.

Dancer Patty Meegan ’12 felt this support in the “truly special” relationships between choreographers and dancers.  “[I am] thankful to be a part of this group that is constantly sharing support, friendship and memories through the art of dance,” she said.

For the production, students were allowed to focus on whatever genre of dance they chose and as a result, the genres include pointe, jazz, modern and hip-hop. By showcasing a number of dances, Bryant believes that the performance will display a “diversity of talents” and attract an equally diverse crowd.

With creative freedoms, Mason was able to choreograph a dance exploring the “tension between staying young and growing up” in her piece called “These are Hard Times for Dreamers.”

Performances will be held tonight, Friday April 15 at 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Tustin Black Box Studio Theater. Tickets will be sold at the door if seating remains available. Tickets can be guaranteed ahead of time if bought from the Elaine Langone Center box office, the Weis Center for the Performing Arts box office, the downtown bookstore or online.

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Arts & Life Movies Review

The old vs. new ‘Arthur’

By Michelle Joline

Writer

Looking for a break from the build-up to finals? A nice retreat from the scariness that is a college student’s reality can be found at the movies this week. The remake of the classic film “Arthur” builds a fantasy world that the audience just can’t resist. The remake stars Russell Brand as the story’s leading protagonist and Helen Mirren as the story’s true leading lady, Hobson.

The plot takes us on an enjoyable ride through the unrealistic life of Arthur, heir to a multi-million-dollar fortune. His life comes to a crossroads when his workaholic mother, who was absent for most of his life, provides an ultimatum to either marry Susan (Jennifer Garner) to get his life back on track or lose all of the money that he has become accustomed to living with. The plot unravels the humorous side to his mental turmoil while he chooses between money and love, telling the ever-compelling traditional love story.

Luckily, Brand plays a very convincing drunk in this contemporary remake and the majority of the laughs in the film stem from his alcoholic antics. We get to see what extreme wealth combined with alcoholism will get a socialite in New York, leaving nothing to be desired by the viewer (okay, maybe a lot, the Batmobile left everyone a bit envious). Even though Brand plays the alcoholic Arthur, he still manages to not only be forgivable in his innocence but also capture the heart of Naomi (Greta Gerwig). The on-screen relationship between the two seems very honest and leaves the audience rooting for them to beat the odds of love by the end of the film.

These qualities hold true from the original classic, which starred Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. The only difference that stands between the performances from Minnelli and Gerwig is the change in their character’s name from Linda to Naomi. Gerwig managed to embody the effervescent and quirky quality that Minnelli brought to the original role, making us want to see more of her in future big screen hits.

The remake is a success because it does not tell the story with the same plotline as the original but spins it to make a contemporary film for a modern audience. Since the original was so well done and has such a strong following, a remake with the same screenplay could never stand up against it. With the help of new one-liners and Mirren as one of the most unexpected comedians, a new hit is made. Expect to be surprised if you venture out into the rainy spring weather to see “Arthur,” because the quirky film is a feel-good break that lets us live in a world devoid of responsibilities with Brand as our guide.

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Arts & Life Headline

Goo Goo Dolls headline University’s spring concert

By Katie Monigan

Staff Writer

For typical students, the spring concert is a Friday night activity requiring no more planning than making sure their tickets are purchased before they sell out and picking out what to wear.

For the Concert Committee, it’s all about details. The concert is an exercise in coordinated planning, advertisement and physical labor the day of the event, and it all starts when the performers are selected.

The artist selection is actually quite simple. According to Concert Committee co-chair Brenna Deck ’11, the process starts with online surveys distributed through the Message Center. The committee then works with a “middle agent” to see if the top choices are on tour and assesses whether they fit within the budget.

According to Deck, the Goo Goo Dolls have been thrown around as a possible choice for her entire four-year tenure on the committee because of a successful show they played in Sojka Pavilion the spring of 2007. The committee was waiting for the final class to see that performance, the class of 2010, to graduate before having the Goo Goo Dolls return to campus.

As for Mike Posner, “He’s just all over the place right now—just a strong player in the fun, contemporary, dance-party music scene that Bucknell tends to respond to the most,” Deck said.

Once the performers were selected, the committee was tasked with advertising. For University students, advertising came in the form of a Facebook group, posters and music in the Elaine Langone Center mall to direct students to the box office. To reach the community, advertisement also took place downtown and as far as Penn State with flyers, posters and local radio stations.

The day before the concert, the physical labor started. “We started at two on Thursday afternoon, unloading the truck from the production company, and we finished up at nine,” Mike Christiansen ’13 said. They built the entire stage, which comes on the truck in pieces, and assembled the lighting rigging.

They were back to work at 8 a.m. Friday morning once the Goo Goo Dolls’ equipment arrived and were finished by early afternoon. Then, according to Christiansen, “we took nap breaks in turns.”

“Sometimes we get to watch sound check, which is my personal favorite part. The stage is up, the backdrop is up, the lighting is up and running, the fog machines start and the band or musician comes on and runs through a bunch of material. It’s like a private concert just for us. We get to just sit back and take it in and feel proud of ourselves looking at the massive, very tangible result of all the work we just did,” Deck said.

During the concert, the committee members are responsible for taking tickets, crowd control, line management and just generally helping people safely enjoy the show. They get to watch most of it too.

Once the concert ends, the purpose of their afternoon nap breaks becomes apparent, as they have to break down everything they set up before leaving. This year’s work ended at about 3:30 a.m., which, according to Christiansen, was “early” as they were projected to finish at 5 a.m.

Deck expressed the same positive attitude toward the late-night labor. “We always have plenty of help from student volunteers, so the process moves much more quickly during load-out than it does for load-in,” she said. “We have a fantastic group, and it makes for great committee bonding time. “

Categories
Arts & Life Campus Events Featured Review

Reinterpreted ‘The Bacchae’ performance thrills its audience

By Madison Lane

Layout Editor

Let the bacchanal begin. As audience members filed into Harvey Powers Theater last weekend, they were greeted by the sounds of foreign drums and the sight of a majestic set curtained by long, flowing fabrics. “The Bacchae” was exciting to witness before it even started.

“The Bacchae” is the story of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy, as he returns to his home in Thebes. Dionysus, played by Sam Nelsen ’11, narrated much of the story, telling the audience of his birth and his banishment, followed by everything that happens in the city of Thebes upon his return. The story was originally written by Euripides, but the ensemble of this production used a theatrical production technique called “devising” to stage the entire show and even rewrite some of it to make it more relevant to modern audiences.

“As devisors, our ensemble was committed to ‘writing from the stage,’ that is to say we honored all parts of the collaboration as both artistic and interpretational,” director Anjalee Hutchinson said in her note to the audience. “[The show was] an idea conceived by not one but many–an idea better than anyone could have come up with alone.”

For example, a popular line from the very first monologue, delivered by Dionysus, was “All I have to say to that is ‘Haters gonna hate.’” Obviously, Euripides did not write that line, but its inclusion aided in drawing the audience’s attention and guiding their understanding of the plot, as well as adding humor to an otherwise extensive speech.

Another aspect of traditional ancient Greek theatre that this ensemble chose to reinterpret was the idea of a Greek chorus. In ancient theatre, the chorus was composed of about 12 members, whose purpose was to serve as the voice of the common people, interjecting between scenes of the show. In “The Bacchae,” the “Greek chorus” was literally the voice of the college population, the common people seeing the show. They sang songs (such as a parody of “Grenade” about being respectful audience members) that tied the themes of the show into the lives of everyday students.

“I felt like it was so well done, it was utterly seamless in its presentation of the story, and the fact that it was student-led and student-created was mind-blowing,” Andrew Vogl ’11 said.

At every moment, there was something unexpected going on onstage, from oranges stampeding out from under the projection screen to water being flung into the air as an act of freedom and rebellion.

“It enlightened me to how artistic the department is and peaked my interest in attending more shows,” Olivia Cohen ’14 said.

For nearly two months, the cast and crew of “The Bacchae” put hours upon hours of work and all of their energy into making the show a lively, humorous, engaging work of art, and they went above and beyond this task.

“[Working on this show was] one of the most challenging but absolutely rewarding experiences [I’ve had in Bucknell theater],” stage manager Emma Case ’13 said.

The department is constantly trying to address the campus climate and improve it. This was a show about tolerance and taking the time to understand “them”–the other side, someone who is outside your circle of acquaintances. If the University community should take one message away from this show, it is to strive to find balance in your life and the world around you.