iNKBLOT 5 - The Now (Spring 2019)

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THE NOW NOW THE

CARY CARY ACADEMY ACADEMY WINTER WINTER 2019 2019

1 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Maya Agnihotri Bella Cole Cara Messer Maia Rosenbaum WRITING CONTRIBUITORS Aditya Surana, Vibhav Nandagiri, Finn Kerns, Natasha Sachar, Ashley Grubstein, Emma Hughes, Bella Cole PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS

Mary Kate Englehardt, Haley McGuire, Maya Agnihotri MODELING CONTRIBUTORS Bella Cole, Maya Agnihotri, Cara Messer, Grace Goetz, Jonathan Williams, Koen Winemiller, Jaya Winemiller, Emma Hughes, Natasha Sachar, Quinn Vaughan, Leah Bezuayehu, Ian Washabaugh FACULTY CONSULTANT Cayce Lee

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THE NOW The NOW. A topic just as a elusive as it is ubiquitous. For this year’s issue of iNKBLOT we wanted to examine the crossroads of the past and the present—the intrinsic and the extrinsic, the yin and yang—as lenses through which we construct our lives.

To reflect the contrasting effects of intrinsic and extrinsic value we created the magazine with two parts. Two parts, that equally contrast as they compliment, that demonstrate just how intertwined we are as a society. We are not one thing or the other, nor should we try and define ourselves as such. Society is a mix of different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

For this year’s photoshoot we took photos at three different settings in the hopes to encapsulate the intricate simplicity of our intrinsic selves as well as the vibrancy and confidence of our extrinsic personas. And, of course, to show the crossroads we had a “studio day” shoot to get clear projections of extrinsic and intrinsic beauty.

Encompassing unique textures, colors, fabrics, and design, we focused on highlighting different facets of individualistic beauty. Artists Bella Cole and Cara Messer personally styled and constructed looks to specially fit each model. The looks were inspired by outside influences, but also by introspection and personalization, which portrayed the dichotomy of The NOW. Pieces like Music’s Great Recession and Be A Man exhibit the innate aspects of being human, exploring what defines us and how we define ourselves. For this issue we wanted to focus on aspects of life that are uniquely human, like our ability to comprehend music.

This issue includes current trends in fashion and makeup, exhibiting the current methods through which people express themselves.

The NOW also examines identity not only through fashion and makeup, but through film in Finn Kern’s Reflected Reality. This insightful article reveals the connections between our deepest fears and film, examining how film cyclically reflects society as well projects our hopes for the future.

It is our pleasure to share with you all of the hard work we have put into this issue.

This is iNKBLOT. This is our NOW.

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CONTENTS ART // PHOTOGRAPHY 45 / Dirty Myrtle // Bella Cole 49 / Featured Artist: Luke Johnson 53 / New York Transformed // Ashley Grubstein

FASHION 17 / Ivy: A Collection // Cara Messer 33 / Table for One: Fashion Trends // Cara Messer

39 / Virgil x Louis // Aditya Surana 42 / The Shoe Fits: But Whom? // Emma Hughes

BEAUTY 11 / Makeup Trends 2019 // Bella Cole 43 / Linski Dare: Coloring Outside the Lines // Bella Cole

CULTURE 7 / Music’s Great Recession // Vibhav Nandagiri 21 / The Quiet Craze // Vibhav Nandagiri 35 / Be a Man // Anonymous 57 / Reflected Reality // Finn Kerns

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DEDICATED TO MARET JONES Mrs. Jones, You have continued to be an influence on our school through your passionate leadership and strong transition into your new role as Dean of Students. Through your involvement in X-factor you exhibit an understanding of all aspects of student life and support students in all their endeavors.

Your work as Dean of Students and as a history teacher combines your knowledge and skills of the past and present, similar to the intrinsic and extrinsic theme of this issue, making Cary Academy a kind and inclusive place. Thank you Mrs. Jones for all that you do!

This issue is for you.

Music’s Great Recession Understanding the gift of music in the Modern Age

Vibhav Nandagiri 8 PM, Friday – New York City. Audiences are glued to their seats as they witness the beauty of Broadway. Nearby, on the banks of the Hudson, performers at The Village’s most renowned jazz clubs are paying homage to the old and promoting the new. Less than a mile away, one hundred of the most talented instrumentalists in the world grace the stage of the acclaimed Carnegie Hall. Across the East River, bars and clubs showcasing Brooklyn’s burgeoning indie music scene are in full swing. A mere taxi ride away, Harlem’s best are performing at Apollo Theater. Twenty minutes in the subway, and a band is midway through a performance to a sold-out crowd at the Madison Square Garden.

Music is one of humankind’s greatest inventions. It has comforted us, protected us, and inspired us. It has put words to raw emotion; it has put raw emotion into words. It has connected us to the world, to our friends, to ourselves. It has made us appreciate the beauty of simplicity, of complexity. It has perplexed us and awed us. It has provided companionship on long car rides, on long nights spent studying, and on long days with nothing else to do. It is the relaxing strings in a coffeehouse, the radioready jams sung with friends, the soft piano on a snowy morning, the nostalgic beats that harken back to previous decades, the beauty of hymn during a religious service.

As a frequent romanticizer of music, I cannot stress enough the importance music holds to humanity. For millennia, we have performed and listened to music. Before we had settled down, built homes, and created communities, music was our home, the thing that connected us to each other and to ourselves. Music held a special place for our ancestors, a place to celebrate, to enjoy, to commemorate, to remember. Looking around at music’s place in the 21st century, one must ask, have we lost that special feeling?

Full disclosure: I have never experienced life in another century. That being said, I do know one thing: nowadays, music is more accessible than ever before. If the world is the market, then music has thoroughly saturated it. From a convenience perspective, this unprecedented accessibility seems like a good thing. The birth of the streaming industry has simplified the process of accessing music to a mere tap, scroll, and click. It takes seconds to open an app and pick a song. The options, as well, are seemingly endless. Spotify alone has 30 million tracks in its library with around 20,000 being added each day. This impressive figure pales in comparison to SoundCloud’s reported library of 125 million tracks.

With streaming, we have opened the doors to any and all music…at what cost?

million on this planet that are capable of this tremendous feat. Other living organisms can understand bits and pieces of music; some can tap to a rhythm, others can discern pitch; but only humans can piece it together and comprehend music in its entirety.

Why we are able to do this, we don’t entirely know. When listening to music we like, brain scans have shown that the music stimulates the reward center of our brain, releasing dopamine, the chemical associated with pleasure. The reason our brain is wired like this, we don’t know either. The logical guess is that through our evolution as a species, certain sounds were interpreted as pleasing/rewarding whereas others were frightening, and as we began to write and compose music, we picked the appropriate sounds which were already ingrained in our brains, courtesy of our ancestors.

Today, the lines and waiting periods are gone, and with them, the appreciation.

History has taught us that we appreciate something far more when there is less of it. It’s the logic that dominates the world of business, be it the high-end fashion industry, the diamond industry, and what used to be the music industry. As recently as thirty years ago, people were lining up at record stores in anticipation for their favorite artist’s album. For those who got lucky and bought the record, there was a sense of satisfaction that they were part of a select few. For the others, there was an excruciating waiting period until the store restocked, a period that was somewhat necessary in order for them to appreciate the true value of the music. Today, the lines and waiting periods are gone, and with them, the appreciation.

Mired in a pool of downloads and monthly subscription fees, we simply take music for granted. We listen to track after track, not so much enjoying what we have, but worrying about what’s next, what we should queue up, which playlist we should listen to.

The lack of options in the past, while inconvenient, developed an intangible, special feeling that has all but disappeared today.

Every time we jam out to music in the car, feel chills from a particular chord, or are moved to tears by a live performance, we are exercising a uniquely human trait. To put that into perspective, imagine if that weren’t the case.

Imagine not having the ability to understand music.

You hear the pitches, hear the rhythm, hear the harmony, but it means nothing to you. It’s just noise.

Your favorite artists: noise. World class symphonies: noise. It’s already difficult, but the horrifying nature of this scenario would be further exacerbated by its secondary effects. Music is a universal language. It connects our communities, bridges our differences, and gives a voice to our struggles. All of the beauty, all of the love, all of the emotion, would be nothing more than an unrecognizable cacophony.

Understanding our gifts is the first step on the journey to appreciating them. Once we appreciate them, we’re well on our way to regaining that special feeling. Music is no different. Every time we plug in our earbuds, tap to a rhythm, or smile because of a particular lyric, we are showing the fruits It's clear that streaming isn’t going anywhere of a process thousands of years in the making. It’s a soon. We’re not about to give up tangible progress process so much bigger than us, a process we can for an intangible feeling, and we shouldn’t. We need only admire and respect for what it’s given us today. to find a way to retain both, at the expense of neiThis miracle of ours to emote based on our music is ther. How can it be done? The answer to that quesbeyond rare, and it confirms that music isn’t merely tion, perhaps, lies in a fascinating body of research. our invention; music is part of us.

As it turns out, human beings are the only known living things which can feel emotion based on the music we hear. We are the one species in over 1.5

MAKEUP: Current Trends Bella Cole

The recent season of shows has brought about some amazing takes in makeup so here is a look back on some of my favorites‌

BOLD BROWS: Bold brows, plumb Acne andpiercers Gary Laroche featured minimal, fresh faces with big bursts of color in the brow department.

PLUMB PIERCERS: Brandon Maxwell and Oscar de la Renta featured smudgy plume liner on the runway.

FAUX LASHES: Crafted by “Mother” Makeup Pat McGrath, Valentino’s SS19 show featured models dawned in feather eyelashes. Yes, FEATHER EYELASHES. Also, Prada featured a faux lash by using eyeshadows to mimic the look of more lashes. It was pretty cool.

A twist on the boring monochromatic metal.

Switching up color schemes on each eye adds a playfulness without going overboard.

Check out how COURTNEY TROP (fashion blogger @alwaysjudging) styles this look.

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iN iNK BLOT

NEON DREAMS: Featured in this issue’s photoshoot, neon accents add a fun pop to any ordinary look. I used SUVA Beauty’s Hydra Liners to create dimension on the models’ faces.

BUTTERFLY EFFECT: This is more technique (by MUA Bea Sweet) than trend but using a MAC Acrylic paint can achieve symmetric eye looks that creates a new design with every use and has been a favorite discovery of mine this year.

Overall, don’t be afraid to play with color this season. Spring is all about the new and fresh so go bold.

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A Collection by Cara Messer

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THE QUIET CRAZE The cost of silence in an increasingly noisy world

Vibhav Nandagiri

The sound of a quiet night on the countryside. The sound when you turn on noise-cancelling headphones.

The sound of, well, nothing. What I am currently describing is one of the biggest wellness trends in recent years: silence. You heard me right: silence. Over the past few years, practices such as silent meals, float therapy, and monastery garden retreats, have slowly but surely been gaining steam. Propagated by reports of increased stress and anxiety, deteriorating mental health and an addiction to all things digital, wellness blogs, celebrities, and corporations alike are promoting the practice of silence. In the last couple of years, demand for silence has been resounding (pun intended).

It feels a little weird talking about something so basic and universal as a new-and-improved luxury product.

In a way though, this drastic rebranding was inevitable. To put it in blunt terms: Earth is getting louder. Centuries of unchecked development have led us to the point where a mere minute of silence is near unattainable. We have become so used to the sounds of this new world: the constant hum of machinery, the beeping sound indicative of construction work, the music blasting through our earbuds 24/7; but our ears and brains haven’t.

Take the example of the New York City Subway. With thousands of daily riders, the system efficiently delivers people to their various destinations‌at the expense of their ears. The noise level in the New York City Subway frequently exceeds 100 decibels, a volume at which permanent damage to the eardrums can occur over time.

22 our wallets. The price tags for some of the practices involved in this wellness trend are not exactly cheap. An hour of float therapy – where you are essentially placed in a lightproof and soundproof tank of salt water – goes for around $90. Another practice, ten-day silence retreats, also Now would be an important time to note known as vipassana retreats, are often far away, and that hearing loss is one of the most common disabil- tend to require flight/train fees in addition to the ities suffered around the world. In the United States fee to attend the retreat. Silent meditation alone, 1 in 4 adults show signs of noise-induced centers are also springing up, and are quite hearing loss. Sadly, this figure is only expected to pricey, with one center in California costing over increase in the coming years, with large cities, New $1500 for a week stay.

York included, being among those hardest hit by While expensive, the people who have opted noise pollution. for the more opulent options have described the Noise pollution not only detrimentally practices as transformative experiences. Nonetheless, affects our ears, it’s bad for our brains and for the frugal amongst us, there are ways to preserve bodies. Frequent exposure to noise pollution both our wellness and our wallets. Added bonus: it increases stress and anxiety, wors- ens insomnia requires minimal effort. Seeking out a quiet spot nearand sleep disorders, and increases frequency of hy- by is usually the first step. If a quiet spot isn’t nearby, pertension and cardiovascular disease. It’s clear that use some earplugs. Once in a quiet spot, simply we need silence, now more than ever. sitting and doing absolutely nothing rests That begs the question: is this sithe brain and ears. Meditation and breathing exlent wellness trend the answer? Before we ercises in a quiet spot are also fantastic ways to reanalyze the trend, let’s look at the benefits of fresh. If you eventually tire of the stationary solutions, silence. Research has seen silence with quite the fa- take a hike – literally. Quiet walks through nature vorable eye. A study in 2013 published by the jour- have frequently been shown to have similar refreshing nal Brain, Structure, and Function found that extended effects to meditation. When it’s time to get back to periods of silence in mice caused new cells to grow work, occasionally trade in the headphones for some in the hippocampus area of their brain, the area as- quiet. Tapping into just a few minutes of silence sociated with emotion, memory, and learning. For through these common practices can go a long way. those who don’t have extended periods of time to All in all, this wellness trend was born out of give to the cause of silence, a 2006 study in the journal Heart found silence linked with lower levels of tension within just two minutes.

To put it in blunt terms: Earth is getting louder

Scientifically, silence checks the boxes. Historically, it does so as well. Silence has long been used in various cultures and religions spanning millennia. In both Buddhism and Islam, silence is an important tool to achieving inner peace. In Hinduism, silence is considered key for inner growth. In addition, silence has been

Noise pollution is a threat to public health

good intentions. Noise pollution, in the words of the World Health Organization, is a “threat to public health”. As we continue to develop this planet, as our cities continue to get more and more crowded, as our lives grow even more hectic, noise will in- evitably go up. Investing our time and efforts in siused across the board in cultures as an important lence is one way we can stem the detrimental part of the reflection process. effects of noise on our wellness. The price tag may It’s clear that silence, on its own, be op- tional, but the message isn’t. is a good thing. However, once the frills and fees associated with this wellness trend are attached, things begin to go south for

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TABLE FOR

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MORNING Burberry

Acne Studios

Max Mara

Dior

NEUTRAL BEIGES AND EARTH TONES AS WARM AND HOMEY AS A BOWL OF OATMEAL

Escada

Off-White

Fendi

Valentino

MATCHING SETS AND TAILORED TWO-PIECES: DUOS AS UNIFIED AS BACON AND EGGS

Fendi

Jacquemus

Roberto Cavalli

Mugler

BIKE AND BERMUDA SHORTS AS LONG AS A STACK OF PANCAKES ARE HIGH

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MAIN

ACID WASH AND BLEACHED DENIM MIRROR THE PORCELAIN PATTERNS OF OYSTERS

NEOPRENE, NETTING, SHELLS, AND BEADS: FISHING BUT MAKE IT FASHION

LAYERS OF LACE, MACRAMÉ, FRINGE, CROCHET, AND FEATHERS AS INTRICATE AS RATATOUILLE

DESSERT

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BUTTERY SHADES OF YELLOW AS LIGHT AND BRIGHT AS LEMON MERINGUE PIE

BOILER SUITS AND UTILITY WORKWEAR RUGGED LIKE A HEARTY BREAD PUDDING

SATURATED, CITRUSY SHADES AND TUTTI-FRUTTI COLORS COMPRISE A MACARON PALETTE

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BE A MAN .

ANONYMOUS

The longest societal strife has been the battle between the sexes. The continuous outcome has been that men come out on top whether it is in the workplace, familial roles, or in what is expected of them. Because they do have many advantages that women don’t, the only sex related struggles that are discussed are focused on women. However, with the advantages that men have, also comes pressure and burden. Men are not able to talk about these struggles because of the common opinion that women have it worse.

Boys have close, simple friendships with each other when they’re young. They do normal activities like help each other with homework, play with Legos, or just talk. Most importantly, they’re there for each other and don’t think that their bonds will change as they get older. By the time they get to high school, many male teens find that they don’t have close friends like they used to. This shift tends to occur during the teen years because of the stereotype in America that if a boy is sensitive or in touch with his emotions, he is gay.

36 The fear of being called gay or not fitting in with other guys often causes teens to completely desensitize themselves. They drift farther apart from their former inseparable buddies and closer to isolation and loneliness. They see their bonds slowly breaking but feel there’s nothing much to do about it- things happen. This lack of true companionship follows men all throughout their lives.

Many find it hard to reach out to other men or women to begin deep, meaningful connection without coming off as weird or creepy. When a study was done to ask men how many people riding on the same train as him that he thinks would be willing to start a conversation, the average percentage of people he estimated was less than 50%. Then, when the other people on the train were asked if they would be willing to have a conversation with that particular man, the average was close to 100%. This demonstrates the unfortunate truth of men feeling they are unable to seek out and create close friendships even though it is very possible.

Later in their lives, a lot of men end up relying on their wives to plan their social lives and introduce them to new people. If the wife somehow leaves the picture or is even gone for few days, some men become closed off or even describe themselves as “hermits”.

This inability to have meaningful relationships goes further than just emotional health, it affects men’s physical health as well.

A study was done on a group of men from Harvard University that has now lasted over

eighty years. As a part of the extensive study, the men were asked if they had someone that they would call in the middle of the night if they were sick or afraid. The men that said yes and had a person they could rely on, later went on to lead healthier, longer lives and showed lower levels of stress. The men who didn’t have someone they felt they could call, showed higher rates of common illnesses such as heart disease. This is not to say that women would not experience the same physical effects of loneliness that men would, but men are far more likely to even be in these types of situations.

However, people don’t know that men feel so lonely because they never want to talk about their feelings and come off as soft. Although it sounds unrealistically simplistic, even just a bit of communication between the sexes could eliminate the misconception that women are more sensitive than men and that men feel nothing. The only reason people think that is true, is from men choosing to not show emotions. Men have just as many feelings as women (as they are human), but they are told that “real men” are supposed to always be tough, strong, invincible. This lack of awareness and sensitivity towards men’s emotion is a universal obstacle that can only be overcome once the subject is no longer considered “taboo”. But how do we, as a society, break down a societal norm? Men need to start talking, and people need to start listening.

They see their bonds slowly breaking but feel there’s nothing much to do about it

Men need to start talking, and people need to start listening.

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The New High “FASHION ” Streetwear is the new luxury. The titans of the industry are losing their grip as the new market is rocking box logos over Italian leather. Supreme, off-white and FEAR OF GOD are reimagining the landscape for high fashion. Skaters, rappers, kids are calling the shots now, and people are taking notice. After experimenting with a simple yet vastly successful Supreme x Louis Vuitton collaboration, Louis opened the flood gates, appointing Virgil Abloh artistic director of menswear. It was the old and the new, the Luke and Yoda, the dynamic one two punch that let everyone know that high fashion was changing forever.

The streetwear guru, DJ, and “off-white” pioneer is the first African American to debut a men’s-wear line in Louis Vuitton history. His company “off white” has garnered attention and success since its inception in 2013, lying at the crux of the youth hype movement. Louis Vuitton’s Chairman, Michael Burke, praises Abloh on his creative and disruptive approach, claiming,

“He will be instrumental in taking Louis Vuitton’s menswear into the future”.

Because of his innate skill to create fresh and revolutionary designs, while still paying homage to the classics, Abloh is the perfect choice for Louis. Nothing embodies his knack for fusion more than off white’s collaboration with Nike: The Ten Icons. The project took the ten most memorable Nike sneaker silhouettes and mixed and mastered them with today’s wave, creating one of the most successful shoe collaborations in recent history. Seriously, those shoes are dope.

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With all the hype, controversy, and risks surrounding the appointment, the fashion world was eager to see what the young “visionary” would create.

At the gardens of the Domaine du Palais Royal, under the bright summer sun, Abloh debuted his work.

The set was framed around The Wizard of OZ, as Abloh hoped to follow Dorothy’s path of discovery and otherworldly escape.

Abloh’s technicolor, multicultural parade of models and artists donning mohair jumpers and bright leather trench coats, all of them affixed with L.V. monograms and Abloh-esque flourishes, was a decisive statement:

With Kids See

we’re not in Kansas anymore.

Ghosts rocking in the background, models strutted the yellow brick path with first with comfy monochrome fits, followed by brighter and more vibrant fabrics, reaffirming the thematic journey of Dorothy. The collection combined everything from illuminated puffy jackets to furry yet sleek duffel bags. While receiving praise and love from some, the older, more traditional folk scoffed at the simplistic streetwear-oriented designs. Nonetheless, the set proved to be a wakeup call; Virgil and Louis are plotting their own course for the future, leaving everyone else in the dust.

Whether you like it or not, high fashion is being redefined.

- Vanity Fair

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THE SHOE FITS: BUT WHOM? A look into the controversial and surging industry of footwear by Emma Hughes A multi trillion-dollar operation, the fashion industry is among the most successful and helpful trades for our modern-day economy. Though once strictly geared towards women, it has begun to open itself up to men with shoes being at the forefront of this change. Shoes have become a common ground, allowing fanatics of both genders to bond over their shared interest. Many men are just as crazy about shoes as women supposedly are. A recent article from Time Magazine revealed that men spend nearly as much on shoes each year as women do. Furthermore, from 2011 to 2016, men’s shoe sales have grown 27%. Last year was no different; the world’s most coveted sneaker brands—Yeezy, Nike, Adidas, and Converse—have continued on their ever-expanding track.

Kanye West’s “Yeezy” is reportedly worth 1.5 billion and was the second fastest growing business in history. Despite the brand’s struggles against counterfeits, Yeezy has managed to foster some of the hypest releases the fashion industry has ever seen.

On a more controversial note, Nike gained much of their publicity last year through the mixed emotions sparked by their affiliation with Colin Kaepernick. Despite this controversy, Nike’s sales have continued to increase, their designs have progressed, and the ad itself earned 6 billion for Nike.

Adidas, perhaps Nike’s most intense rival, has picked up speed in the past few years with several tremendously popular models such as the Stan Smith’s and NMD’s. In 2018, Adidas produced and sold over 403 million pairs of shoes worldwide.

Other smaller but still influential brands include Converse and Vans, both being particularly popular in 2018. These brands have targeted a younger audience, capitalizing on assets such as custom colorways and youthful silhouettes. By giving control to the buyers, these brands have opened doors to creativity, and created a bond between the product and the buyer.

The growth and continuation of shoes’ influence in both men’s and women’s fashion is demonstrative of the shared natures of each. The fashion industry has fostered a diverse community comprised of both men and women. Whether actively participating as designers or consumers, this growth in inclusivity speaks to the fact that our society is on the forefront of change.

COLORING OUTSIDE THE LINES @lynskiii on Instagram gained quite a following this past year after posting a video performance in which the subject puts red lipstick on then proceeds to draw and smudge the product all over their face. This unconventional piece draws on the basic elements of makeup while emphasizing the creativity and artistic expression behind the medium.

Trends come and go, but stigmas and standards seem to stay prevalent. Everyone has an opinion on what someone should look like, what is the perfect this or that, and that is why so many people can get behind this movement. There have been times where everyone has felt less than perfect and asking for anything more than that seems absurd. So Lynski dared everyone to make a statement, to color outside the lines, to make mistakes.

The dare speaks to the sometimes harsh and restrictive standards within the beauty community and questions what beauty really means. Beauty should be about experimenting and having fun and shattering the expectations of those around you. Wear the lipstick that clashes with the skin tone. Wear that eyeshadow that many people would call too bright.

Paint with passion, and color outside the lines.

The #LynskiDare by Bella Cole

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dirty myrtle.

A LAST MINUTE PARSONS CHALLENGE BY BELLA

COLE

For my P arsons Challeng e, I wanted to experiment mor e with the diff erent types of photography as well as take photos that ar e impr omptu and less structur ed. My mother and I went to an estate sale one day, and I came acr oss an old Fujica X -3. Tr aditional photogr aphy intrigues me, but I felt there was so much pressure on every photo I took because of the limited amount of film I had.

The photographs were taken on my class trip to M yrtle Beach earlier this year.

Instead of focusing solely on making every pictur e count, I was able to find freedom in my photography while engulf ed by my f riends and the memories we wer e cr eating.

The first f ilm photograph was taken in between slides on accident as I was still trying to f igure out the logistics of the camer a. Likewise, the shutter speed was extr emel y low causing the jellyfish I was photogr aphing to look like a blob or some sor t of alien lif e for m.

The second film photogr aph was taken on the pier outside of the aquar ium. I loved the color of the blue benches and the whimsical f eel the entir e pier gav e off, but when photographing I was f acing directing into the sun causing the large amount of light exposur e.

My fi nal P arsons Challeng e film photogr aph featur es my friend Car a in front of a neon green wall we found while roaming around. I think it captur es the chall eng e of the goals I set f or myself perfectly as I was compelled to make do with the surroundings I was given. The lack of control I had over the end product or the lighting or the amount of film I had left to g et a good pictur e contri buted to the overall experience of the unscr ipted nature of the photos.

Bringing my camer a on the trip made me r ealize ther e is beauty in everything around us and even in the mistakes we make. I lear ned some of the most r aw and vul ner able moments cannot be stag ed, but ar e for med by the people you are wi th and how you choose to spend those moments with them. Like my photo series, my Par sons Challeng e demonstr ates the importance of not onl y friendshi p, but also living in the moment.

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LUKE JOHNSON Featured Artist

“no matter what you can always find a way in which [art] relates to yourself “

50 What inspires you?

Q&A

I’m inspired by a lot of things on Pinterest - I have almost 50 different boards from everything from oil techniques to watercolor swatches. I also follow a bunch of artists on YouTube and Instagram from all over the world who can paint and draw things I can’t even begin to dream of. And I would also say I am inspired (and intimidated) by my other classmates in ADV Art, like Liya Chen and Sasha Kostenko.

What is your favorite artist?

I’m a big fan of a Korean gouache (a medium that’s like a mix between acrylic and watercolor) illustrator by the What are your favorite subjects and why? name of Noma. The way they can layer the gouache creates an insane level of detail- and with a medium that’s Aside from art, my main interests are in biological science and chemistry, specifically neuroscience. I think the not at all easy to render with. Their color choice is topway things relate to the human body, especially how the notch, as they use a lot of cool grey-greens and blues. I nervous system governs and stimulates every biochemi- also like Kasey Golden, a YouTube I’ve been subscribed to for a while, because she is amazing at what she does cal and motor reaction the body is capable of. The and is very stylistic in her techniques. It’s really interestwhole subject is just very applicable, and no matter ing to see someone with such a unique way of inking what you can always find a way in which it relates and painting with watercolor. to yourself and why you find it interesting.

In which medium do you prefer to work in and why?

Describe your artistic process

I think value is really important because getting shadows right is what makes a painting look that much more impressive. I would say developing an understanding about the way light and reflections work and how it helps you understand form has really taken my art to another level in the past few months. As soon as you can make a complex 2D object realistically appear like it’s 3D, I would say it’s kind of a benchmark of your skill.

Do you envision a future career in art/design?

First, I try to work with some prompt that either my My top two are watercolor and oil, specifically watercol- teacher has given me or I come up with on my own and sketch out what I want to say with the piece. Then I or the most because of how vibrant the colors can be look on Pinterest boards and Unsplash.com for referand the techniques that you can come up with. I really like how the paint diffuses through the water as a medi- ence images, and then from those images I play around um and it’s easy to get a lot of naturally intriguing effects with the composition and tweak various elements to make it my own. I always keep those images up on my that you wouldn’t be able to contrive. Oil paintings in general come across as really impressive and it’s fun to computer when I’m working through the final product. I gather all my paints and brushes, determine my local blend rich colors, but it is a very messy medium and colors (the “base” color from which the other surroundnow I have paint stains on everything I wear. ing colors are derived from), and then I try to be as free and loose as possible with how I continue on with the What is your favorite element to manipulate? Why? rest of the painting.

(Color, Shape, Size, Form, Line, Texture, Value)

I would say I want to incorporate it as a minor to whatever I’m doing. I’m very interested in neuroscience right now and I think art brings a lot of balance to a hectic day. And also it’s just fun (most of the time). When a piece goes well and you’re happy with it, it can feel very rewarding.

@LUKES @LUKES ARTART STUFF STUFF

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NEW YORK TRANSFORMED: A photo journal by Ashley Grubstein of some of NYC’s greatest attractions.

54 The Opry City Stage was based off a classic Nashville Venue that has evolved into a chain. There is always live music and all the Southern cuisine you can dream of!

New York City is where anyone can become someone. Whether through Broadway or modeling there are unlimited opportunities. The same is true for its locations and buildings. Overnight a restaurant can turn from Ellen’s Stardust Diner into Ellen’s Stardust Diner Home of the Singing Waitstaff. A single Ice-Skating park can transform into a must-do in New York Winters. A 1,454 foot tall building can transform into a towering building recommended for people of all ages something that is recognizable by shape alone. New York City is a city of opportunity where anything can be something. These sites all show the diversity and extravagance of the Big Apple in their own ways.

At the 9/11 memorial they have a fountain and surrounding it is the name of every loss that day related to this horrific event. Loved ones can put flowers in the names to show that their loss is never forgotten. This is done to honor the thousands of people lost that day.

REFLECTE

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REALITY

HOW FILM CULTURE IS MERELY A REFLECTION OF SOCIETY’S MOST SALIENT ISSUES

FILM NOIR

BY FINN KERNS

Y

Film is an art that can have a variety of effects on its consumers. Film can comfort, reassuring people when perhaps they held a pessimistic view of the world. Film can be humorous, inciting laughs for viewers who simply want to have a good time. Film can educate, enlightening the world about stories and topics previously unknown to the general population. However, film noir, a film movement whose era of prevalence lasted from the early 1940’s to the late 1950’s, managed to flip the world of film upside down by refusing to adhere to prior notions of what a film should be.

58 the revolutionary movement of film known as film noir brought the salient issues of society to the forefront of film culture

Including films such as The Maltese Falcon, Sunset Boulevard, and Chinatown, the genre of film noir boasts classics that defined the early years of film. Born and bred out of fear, film noir played on the anxieties of the masses to create films that united the world in collective pessimism regarding the future. After painfully dealing with The Great Depression for 12 years while also beginning to engage in World War II, the United States was given very little hope for the future.

Following largely cheerful movies in the 1930’s, film noir cut to the hearts of the American people and their worries for the world. These films provided no effort to coddle, instead they attempted to show how cruel the world truly was. Filmmakers created pessimistic protagonists placed in incredibly dark depictions of the world to appease an impoverished nation of veterans who had a new bleak outlook on the world. Characters of film noir often faced indomitable antagonists such as governments or wealthy individuals who would defeat the protagonists, painting a negative view of society. The genre of film noir unified its viewers by harping on their shared concerns and creating incredibly dark and dreary depictions of society.

played on the anxieties of the masses to create films that united the world Stylistically directors were able to create the dark environment of noir films using multiple tactics, some of which are still prevalent in films today. Although color film was an option, directors of film noir largely chose to shoot their films in black and white to literally portray a “dark” society. Rain was also very common in these films, as constant rain forms a gloomy mood which directors continuously utilized throughout the creation of noir films. The darkest and most crucial scenes were almost always shot during the night, again utilizing darkness to create a bleak representation of the world. Essentially, the fatalistic portrayal of the world that noir films attempted to create was represented using dark and gloomy color schemes and settings to bolster the evil tones in these films.

Although the film noir genre completely reinvented film at the time, it held one thing in common with its predecessors; film noir was able to unify its viewers by connecting to the audience’s emotions. Films of the past had simply connected to positive emotions; however, film noir was one of the first genres of film that was able to connect to viewers by harping upon their negative emotions and anxieties. This genre of film became extremely popular as it simply displayed emotions that the people of the world were feeling strongly at this stage in history. The same idea can be applied to modern film. In June 2015, gay marriage was legalized in the United States. Since then, gay culture has become increasingly popular throughout the world, with gay pride rallies becoming more prevalent and popularized throughout society. Directly following this popularization of gay culture, films revolving around gay characters became extraordinarily more popular with Oscar-winning films such as Moonlight and Call Me by Your Name beginning to dominate the industry. The surge in popularity of LGBT representation in film comes as no surprise, as film directors simply use the salient issues of the world as inspiration for their films. It was true in the 1940’s when directors used the bleak state of the world to create the film noir movement, and it is true now as directors continue to create films illustrating how everyone deserves to be loved. Ultimately, the revolutionary movement of film known as film noir brought the salient issues of society to the forefront of film culture by using advanced film techniques to create a pessimistic portrayal of the world.

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