The Lowell Multimedia Magazine April 2023

Dear readers of The Lowell, The Multimedia Mag has been in the works for the past year – it’s an entirely new territory for The Lowell, one that we were excited to explore! This is a completely multimedia-themed magazine put together by our illustrators, photographers, and multimedia editors.

We wanted to allow our photographers and illustrators to fully pursue creative projects and find art among the Lowell population. In “Under their skin,” our photographers showcased art on Lowellites’ bodies by finding students with tattoos. One of our photographers wrote haunting poems, and in turn, one of our illustrators provided the artwork for the poems. We also asked photographers and artists to explore new mediums and techniques: in “Soundscapes,” one of our artists painted while listening to different songs.

We encouraged our photographers to seek out new inspirations.

“Spring Lookbook” draws from the flash photography and maximalist aesthetic of FRUiTS magazine, which showcased outfits from Tokyo’s fashion district in the early 2000s.

Thank you so much to all of our multimedia staff and contributors for working hard to break new ground and make this project happen.

Multimedia Editor-in-Chief, Marlena Rohde

The Lowell is published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved. The Lowell strives to inform the public and to use its opinion sections as open forums for debate. All unsigned editorials are opinions of the staff. The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members. Send letters to the editors to thelowellnews@gmail.com. Names will be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit letters before publication.

The Lowell is a student-run publication distributed to thousands of readers including students, parents, teachers, and alumni. All advertisement profits fund our newsmagazine issues. To advertise online or in print, email thelowellmanagement@gmail.com. Contact us: Lowell High School 1101 Eucalyptus Drive San Francisco, CA 94132, 415-759-2730, or at thelowellnews@gmail.com.

The Lowell April 2023

CONTENTS 2

WE’LL BE ALRIGHT

4

SOUNDSCAPES

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LIFE OF THE PARTY

10 PEOPLE, PEOPLE 14 UNDER THEIR SKIN

Editors-in-Chief Chloe Chon Kelcie Lee Marlena Rohde Multimedia Editors Libby Bowie Marlena Rohde Yeshi-Wangmu Sherpa Art Managers Darixa Varela Medrano Elise Muchowski Photographers Kahlo Friel Asay Samir Azmi Malena Cardona Kylie Chau Katharine Kasperski Lauren Kim Ava Rosoff Illustrators Joey He Charon Kong Katey Lau Hugh Macdonald Danica Yee Emily Yee

SPREAD DESIGN BY LIBBY BOWIE

16 SPRING LOOKBOOK

STAFF

Advisor Eric Gustafson

18 COFFEE CUP PSYCHOLOGY The Lowell April 2023

1

The Lawless Mind

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DARIXA VARELA MEDRANO

By Ava Rosoff

2

We’ll

my thoughts spiral into an ornate cage, locking themselves inside and swallowing the key, spinning faster and faster and faster until I cannot glimpse them. my thoughts scribble on the blank walls of my psyche, except their drawings are ugly, black sharpie lines with no shape, no cohesive quality, sticking out on the stark white wall. i try to scrub them away but their residue remains until my fingers are raw from scrubbing and i let out a sigh of defeat. my thoughts are endless, scorching suns, hot and unforgiving, blinding me when i examine them for too long. my thoughts are endless night, dark save for a few spots of light. i gaze at those spots of light, squinting to better see tem, stars amidst the seemingly endless darkness of my mind. someday, i know the night sky will crack open to reveal a sky of endless stars, brightness conquering dark, an inverted version of my current state of mind. the curtains that are the night sky will open, the walls will be clean, or maybe they’ll come down entirely, i’ll find the key to the cage and unlock it. and then i’ll feel true joy.

The Lowell April 2023

It’s Okay Not

Evocation

to B eO

ka

y

you capture each moment so you don’t lose it, lose it in the furthest reaches of your mind, off in some forgotten coat pocket, some roach-filled corner, some bucket filled with sand and taken with the tide of forgetfulness. write in your journal; oh, how did it feel to be young, to have worries like butterflies, so beautiful, innocent, fleeting, caught in a net and released? tell me, show me; were you ever in love? did your love camouflage itself so others wouldn’t recognize it, so you’d never have to face the bitter rejection that comes with loving people without caution? weave memories together, fragments, puzzle pieces, put them together and ponder what your life has become. it doesn’t look how you thought it would look, but somehow, that makes it prettier.

t gh

Be Alr i

By Ava Rosoff

SPREAD DESIGN BY ROMAN FONG

The Lowell April 2023

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SOUNDSCAPES

By Danica Yee

Have you ever been moved to tears or hysterical laughter by a song that reached into your chest, clenched your heart, and told it how to beat? Have you ever closed your eyes and seen past the music, into the life of the song? These three pieces of art are meant to visually express the physicality of the songs they represent — the rhythm, the way they flow, and the atmospheres they evoke. It represents the swirling feelings when you listen to it with your mind and not just your ears.

“Eclipse”

By Pink Floyd

4

The Lowell April 2023

“Call it Fate, Call It Karma”

By The Strokes “Plastic Beach”

By Gorillaz, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon

SPREAD DESIGN BY KELCIE LEE

The Lowell April 2023

5

the following is false party portraiture. no models were under the influence of any substance. they were only under the influence of emotion and fun. two friends meet at a party. chaos ensues.

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The Lowell April 2023

BY ELISE MUCHOWSKI AND LIBBY BOWIE

SPREAD DESIGN BY ELISE MUCHOWSKI

The Lowell April 2023

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The Lowell April 2023

SPREAD DESIGN BY ELISE MUCHOWSKI

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The Lowell April 2023

PEOPLE, PEOPLE

By Katharine Kasperski

From crosswalks to art galleries, people are continuously flooding and leaving spaces. Crowds push forward and retreat in a matter of hours, minutes, and seconds. Yet the relationship between the crowded bustling parts of our city and empty public spaces reveals we are not just visitors. No matter how fleeting, it’s the people who define a place and create an atmosphere.

10 10

The Lowell April 2023

SPREAD DESIGN BY KELCIE LEE

TheLowell LowellApril April2023 2023 The

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The Lowell April 2023

SPREAD DESIGN BY KELCIE LEE

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The Lowell April 2023

UNDER THEIR SKIN A look into tattoo and stick-and-poke art at Lowell.

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The Lowell April 2023

PHOTOS BY MARLENA ROHDE, YESHI-WANGMU SHERPA, AND LIBBY BOWIE

SPREAD DESIGN BY LIBBY BOWIE

The Lowell April 2023

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SPRING

E

LOOK BOOK

By Katharine Kasperski, Samir Azmi, Lauren Kim, Kahlo Friel-Asay, Kylie Chau, and Ava Rosoff

Beatrice

Quinn

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The Lowell April 2023

Sam

Erica

Ethan

SPREAD DESIGN BY ELISE MUCHOWSKI

Sammy

Lia

Lillian

The Lowell April 2023

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M U L T I M E D I A

M A G A Z I N E