The Signal: Spring '16 No. 14

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Market showcases student talent By Alyssa Gautieri Staff Writer

Students and faculty looking for creative ways to decorate their homes or alter their styles had the opportunity to buy original artwork, crafts, T-shirts, music and more at the College’s Arters Market, held on Green Lawn on Wednesday, April 27. Hosted by Rebel Art Movement (RAM), the College’s second annual Arters Market showcased work by various artists, each with their own individual styles across differing mediums, including watercolor, screen printing, painting and charcoal. Sophomore fine arts major Brigid Barber was one of the many students who participated, selling T-shirts, photos and other homemade items at the event. “I think (the Arters Market) is a great way to show people how artists can essentially be entrepreneurs,” Barber said. “I didn’t realize how diverse the artists were going to be or that we would have so many tables.” The current RAM co-Presidents Molly Revie, Kelly King and Owen Lynskey, who are all sophomore fine arts majors, collectively developed the Arters Market in Fall 2015. According to Revie, the three thought the art community on campus was not apparent enough. “We were thinking of ways to make our presence more known on campus and we thought art markets are great,” Revie said. “What better way (for students) to make money by selling their artwork and getting their name out there?” The market featured approximately 30 distinct artists. Although many artists created pieces specifically to sell to students and faculty, some artists chose to repurpose old school projects and transform them into affordable artwork. Meanwhile, some created artwork differently than others. Junior English and interactive multimedia double major Gin Allcock could easily create a new drawing in 10 minutes. For a fast-working artist like Allcock, it made sense that they created work specifically for the market.

“It is cool because in the style I have developed for myself, if I mess up, I can fix it just by thickening the lines in the drawing,” Allcock said. “I just go with it and if I mess up, then I just work it in.” For Allcock, not much planning goes into their art, which was great for earning a profit at the Arters Market. While Allcock can produce their artwork quickly, they have been developing their own style for over one year now. “I think I improve with everything I make,” Allcock said. Sophomore fine arts major Nina Mitarotondo also developed work specifically for the Arters Market. “My work is normally less commercialbased,” she said. “But I wanted to make something affordable for college students for their dorms, so (I made) dorm decorations and prints for them to put on their walls and just little trinkets for them.” The Arters Market challenged art students to produce work targeted to their peers. Sophomore art education major Marisal Finamore thought every student could use a little more inspiration, so she sold watercolor paintings with inspirational quotes on them that were written in fonts she taught herself how to create. According to Finamore, her artwork was

done out of pure fun and enjoyment, but it was a plus that she was able to sell it to her peers. Finamore also talked about her creative process when producing her work for the market. “I definitely need to have some kind of idea of where I am going and then it’s kind of letting it happen,” Finamore said. However, for sophomore graphic design major Rob Birnbohm, the process was a little different because he chose to sell prints of his original works rather than develop all new artwork for the market. “These are pieces I have used before,” said RAM member Birnbohm, who also showcases his artistic abilities as a cartoonist for The Signal. “I decided to use a program to make them an appropriate size for prints.” Birnbohm repurposed his artwork to be useful for students because his original artwork would have been larger and, therefore, more expensive. By creating prints, Birnbohm gave students a more affordable opportunity to showcase his art in their dorm rooms, apartments or off-campus homes. These were only a select few of the many talented artists that participated at the Arters Market. Despite the different processes, styles and mediums of each artist, they all shared one thing is common — their love for art.

Students enjoy RAM’s Arters Market on Green Lawn.

Heiner Fallas / Photo Assistant

May 4, 2016 The Signal page 23

This week, WTSR Assistant Music Director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.

Band: King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Album: “Nonagon Infinity” Hailing From: Melbourne, Australia Genre: Izard Core (Psychedelic Fuzz Jam) Label: ATO Records Put on your traditional Aboriginal garb and bust out your favorite kangaroo because fuzz-rock royalty from down under is back and better than ever. “Nonagon Infinity” pushes the limits of fuzzy garage rock as King Gizzard strives for originality and innovation within the admittedly stale genre. What makes “Nonagon Infinity” stand out from past Gizzard albums is its seamless flow. Each song transitions into the next perfectly to form an album that, as a whole, is cohesive and consistent, but still manages to catch your attention and satisfy fans listening to the individual tracks. Thus, “Nonagon Infinity” is a twopronged audio assault of fuzz. The first prong hits you hard all at once, while the other hits you with pieces like the Zords from “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.” Must Hear: “Big Fat Wasp,” “Gamma Knife,” “People Vultures” and “Wah Wah”

‘Gears’ multiplayer beta shows promise By Michael Battista Sports Editor I reviewed “Gears of War: Ultimate Edition” for the Xbox One a few months ago and praised its ability to recapture and reinvigorate the game series on the next-generation console. Now, the game developer called The Coalition is set to add another game to the series, “Gears of War 4,” to be released for Xbox One on Tuesday, October 11, pending any delays. The Coalition also recently gave the public a chance to play some of the game’s multiplayer features. Starting on Monday, April 18, for those who played “Ultimate Edition” — Monday, April 25, for the general public — the “Gears of War 4” multiplayer beta allowed players to take part in three game types, while putting the game’s servers and matchmaking abilities to the test. This lasted until Monday, May 1, when the beta ended and all of the stats set during the two week span were reset in anticipation for the game’s October launch. Unfortunately, there were issues when finding a multiplayer game throughout the two week span. Whether it had been due to the game only being a beta or an unreliable internet connection, I was not able to find a game, had to deal with lag — or slowed down matches — and was even kicked out from games multiple times. Hopefully, if this was a beta issue, it will be fixed by the time the game comes out. Nonetheless, the game looked great. Although it is several months from the release date, it clearly showed that the graphics and technology will be using the Xbox One to its full potential. The best example of this was in rainy Harbor — one of the three maps available in the beta. Some of the rain droplets moved in the wind and the entire map shined with the coating of rain, however, the characters’ appearances were unaffected by the weather. The “Ultimate Edition” had a bleak color palette, with a few brighter colors thrown in to show off the new graphics, which matched the tone of the original game. “Gears 4” introduced more dynamic settings in its environments that allowed for new colors to emerge. These ranged from the dark and stormy Harbor to the bright and sunny Dam map, which takes place on a mountainside. Dam has

bright equipment and other set pieces that allowed it to standout. Regarding the gameplay, the beta felt somewhat similar to the “Ultimate Edition,” but brought some of the feeling from the third series installment. Unlike previous games, the characters were more nimble, so movement around each map was smoother and more natural. Matches felt more fast-paced, with some matches lasting under 10 minutes. The camera was also farther back from the character than it was in the “Ultimate Edition,” allowing for an open view of the surrounding area. This made the biggest difference since the maps included several points to observe large amounts of land, so spotting an enemy and observing others’ movements played a larger role than in previous games. All the standard weapons returned to the game with one new piece making its debut — the Dropshot. An interesting weapon, the Dropshot launches an explosive into the air and, while the player holds the right trigger, the explosive moves forward until the player releases the trigger to slam the weapon into the ground and explode. However, the Dropshot may need balancing before the full game is released because the blast radius was too large. There were deaths that came seemingly out of nowhere with no nearby explosion. The modes available included the standard Team Deathmatch, as well as a Co-op Team Deathmatch, where players can take on a team entirely composed of high difficulty artificially intelligent players and a new game mode called Dodgeball. Dodgeball is an extension of Team Deathmatch, and each team starts with five players. Once someone is killed, it is up to their teammates to kill someone on the other team to bring them back into the game. A round can only be won when all players on the opposing team are dead and the ultimate winners have to win the best of five rounds. Overall, the “Gears of War 4” beta showed merely one-half of the upcoming game and not even all of the multiplayer gameplay, but was enough to gain a solid idea of the game. The multiplayer looks to be shaping up quite nicely with enough new advancements to keep players interested, while staying true to the series’ traditions. Although I am more excited for the story of the upcoming game, I was entertained for hours while playing the beta.

Band: Nothing Album: “Tired of Tomorrow” Hailing From: Philadelphia Genre: Dream Punk Label: Relapse When asked what one word would best describe Nothing’s sound, most people would respond with “LOUD,” though some wise guys might say “silent.” “Tired of Tomorrow” is the follow-up album to 2014’s “Guilty of Everything,” and it came just as everyone’s eardrums have finally recovered from the tremendous wall of sound that album delivered. The band picked up right where it left off with this album, from the hard-hitting chords of the lead-off track, “Fever Queen,” to the mourning arpeggios of “Eaten by Worms.” The sheer volume of these songs creates more than the shoegaze-y sound that these guys are going for. The absolutely brutal guitars over thunderous drums and bass convey the pain and struggle that singer Domenic Palermo’s soft, soothing voice cannot. “Tired of Tomorrow” shows Nothing moving more toward a very mature, heavy sound that will hit you hard and stay with you long after you listen. Must Hear: “The Dead are Dumb,” “Vertigo Flowers,” “A.C.D.,” “Curse of the Sun” and “Eaten by Worms”


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