THE PAPER MIXTAPE Issue 2

TPM

ISSUE 02

TPMMAG.COM

FALL 2015

MASTHEAD

FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR

MORGAN CADIGAN

DESIGN DIRECTOR

MAXINE TSANG

SECTION EDITORS

AMINAH IBRAHIM ALLISON PLANCK AIG PERETZ

CONTRIBUTORS

S R I N U B H A M I D I PAT I Y I N G FA M DARSHIKA KUMAR

“R O C K Y ” R A Q U E L AVA L O S HILLARY CLEARY T H E R E S I A D A FA L I A PA L M O FA R B E R FLEURETTE FONG CL ARA KIM MAI LEE MAEVE MCLIAM SIENNA MOFFITT JENNA OPSAHL ERICA VINCENZI ROBERT PENNA KELSEY STERN

EVENT COORDINATORS

BLOG CONTRIBUTORS

ONLINE EDITOR

L AUREN HAACK

PHOTO EDITOR

EUNHAE YOO

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

A M A R AT H WA L

P. 02

ASSISTANT FINANCE MANAGERS

DESIGNERS

S O P H I A A R R I O L A-G I B S O N SYDNEY DEVLIN S T E FA N I E TA M PA U L I N E T H A I

JARELLE BLANZAT CONNIE CHANG SELINA CHE CELYNNE HEBRON VANESA MARTIN BRENNA MCNAMARA GABI SHEERER TIFFANY TAIMOORAZY

PHOTOGRAPHERS

EMAIL

JOEY CHAN EE WONG BIANCA YUGAR

E D I T O R @T P M M A G .C O M

DANIEL ALCAZAR IAN HOGUE ALEX MADRID J U L I A M A LT Z BRIAN PEA DOROT Y SANUSSI BETSY STRAZZANTE

WEBSITE

W W W.T P M M A G .C O M

INSTAGRAM

@T H E PA P E R M I X TA P E

FALL 2015

WHO WE ARE

T H E P A P E R M I X T A P E is a biannual publication, issued Spring and Fall, produced by UCLA students chronicling the goings-on of LA arts and culture. In addition to putting together the magazine, we directly support our local emerging artist community by funding, printing, and distributing their projects to the general public.

please contact aathwal@ucla.edu.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Individual issue — $14.00 1 year subscription — $25.00 plus shipping Subscriptions and merchandise are available through our website, www.tpmmag.com.

ISSN: 2378-086X

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 03

FOR ADVERTISING

P. 04

CONTENTS

06 1 3 20 32 36 42 52 56 66 70 76 80 90

VA N TA G E P O I N T O N V I N TA G E

LA ARCHITECTURE

A SPREAD ON TOAST

FOLLOWING THE GHOSTS OF L A WRITERS: DOWNTOWN

T H E C I N E M A C AT H E D R A L

P H O T O E S S AY: G L A S S D I S P L AY

E N T E R T H E V O I D : A L A B O R AT O R Y W I T H O U T L I M I T S

ON A MISSION: TWIGGY AND THE GRYPHON

O U R H E D O N I C V E N T I L AT O R : W H Y W E L O V E S O C I A L M E D I A

DISCO SHRINE

P H A L L A C I O U S PA L M S

POWER COUPLE: HOBBES GINSBERY & CHLOE FELLER

INDEX

FALL 2015

EDITOR’S NOTE

Firstly, I want to extend a huge thank you to those who supported us in The Paper Mixtape’s launch this past spring.

We completely appreciate the love, which makes us even more excited to present to you, this. This is our second issue.

This set of one hundred pages is a reflection on culture — a reflection of culture.

Whether it be actual architecture or Los Angeles’ familiar foliage, we invite you to consider these commonplace structures in our environment. Along with physical structures, we also invite you to look at social structures — including the importance of community, the convenience of social media, or even the beauty of musical collaboration.

We say any type of reflection is valuable. Our duty is to reflect, as well as project, like the people our stories are about, like the writers writing our stories.

So for the good of culture, it’s time to step back from the busy schedules, the regular routines, the plethora of Facebook events and store openings. It’s time to read The Paper Mixtape.

MORGAN CADIGAN

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 05

Each one of us handles contemplation differently. Like the images in our photo essay, there are those who take these reflections and are able to see a clear, shining future in the distance, amidst a blurry reality; while there are those who find themselves alone in a parking lot with a spinning worldview. There are those who completely take the form of their environment, and those who look for new colors to fill their outlines, to finally those who grab hold of their thoughts and ideas and project it for others to see, to learn, to change.

P. 06

CLARA KIM

VAN TAGE P OI N T O N FALL 2015

Standing at the forefront of the parking lot at Fairfax High School on a Sunday morning, I felt astonished by the vast sea of vendors before me. The only flea market I had been to before was the monthly flea market in my hometown of Palo Alto.

Now in this intimidating but exciting bazaar of Los Angeles, I found myself endlessly reaching for clothes rather than passing by furniture and trinkets that appeared to have belonged in a garage sale of a Palo Alto-resident. From racks of never-seen-before graphic sweaters and T-shirts to delicate slips, vintage-selling vendors of the Melrose fleamarket quickly devoured me; I was bait.

Were these bulks similar because of the sellers’ coincidentally shared taste, the demand of the customers, or because these certain clothes are most accessible?

V I NTAGE WORD S CL ARA KIM P H OTOS JE NNA OPS AHL

Since shopping for vintage clothing or the ‘vintage style’ has dramatically heightened to mainstream status, trends dominate modern flea markets in fashion-forward cities like Los Angeles. These trends often cast shadow over oneof-a-kind clothes that may carry much more significance or reminiscence. Despite being similarly priced as other one-of-a-kind garments, many trendy garments are made with less valuable fabrics. In some vendors, for example, a cotton athletic-style jumper can be given a bigger price by the seller than a cable-knit sweater from the same era. Thus the interpretative “quality” (stemming from the definition of vintage as “denoting a meaning of high quality, or something from the past or characteristic of the best period”) is sadly withering in the modern vintage market.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 07

However, I was not the only one susceptive to these eyecatching garments from earlier decades. Amongst the eclectic goers of flea markets are predominantly young adults who attempt to express their individual styles by visiting the past for clothes that would be peculiar today. Through ranging sources of style-inspiration and social media (especially Instagram), trends amongst the youth constantly establish themselves. As an art student familiar with the distinctive subculture and dress aesthetic known to other art students and a devotion to expressing my own style, I easily noticed particular trends everywhere around the market. Through my rummaging around clothing vendors even tucked in at obscure crevices in the parking lot, I saw substantial reappearances of brands and designs, such as ‘Members Only’ windbreakers from the 80s, old pairs of Adidas sneakers and — the most popular — Levi’s denim jackets and shorts.

CLARA KIM

It became clear to me that many sellers of the flea-market are indeed more than slightly influenced by trends of the younger audience as they make conscious decisions in choosing and gathering clothes to sell. Contemporary trends are evidently only relied on for the monetary success of some sellers, while for other sellers, their ardor and personal taste are prioritized in making sales. The intense homogeneity I observed with many vintage clothing shops left me nearly longing to go back to my local Palo Alto flea market, wherein more antique goods were at least faithfully individual.

P. 08

Following a trip to another popular but much smaller flea market in Los Angeles called Artists & Fleas, I went on yet another excursion to the Melrose Trading Post in hopes of discovering in-depth the genuine and original traces of vintage clothing and selling. The disappointment that I felt with the lack of distinctiveness in much of the vintage market from the past was rescued when I met Francisco George, the overseer of ‘thekaliman’. Having no recognizable imprinted brands or vintage fads of today, his array of vintage clothes drew me in. Francisco’s clothes were characterized by a casual elegance with attention to detail. The elegance was no surprise when he later informed me how he “never buys lowquality clothes or clothes with cheap material”. Before having the pleasure of talking to a man whose passion and drive for vintage still persists, I got a little too carried away shuffling through his racks.

“ YOU G U YS : TH E ON E S WI T H N O M O N E Y B U T LOVE F O R I N D I V IDUALIT Y, T H E YO U N G PEOPLE WHO WA N T TO BE D I F F E R E N T AND C H A N G E FASHION A L L T H E T I ME. YO U C H A L LENGE M E TO A LWAYS BE CR E AT I V E . ”

Going through all of the alluring coats, floor-touching dresses, and quirky tops in my sight, I had become the beholder of the fashionable taste of a young lady from an unknown past.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

TELL ME A LIT TLE ABOUT HOW ‘THEAKALIMAN’ GOT STARTED ( AND HOW YOU CAME UP WITH THE NAM E) .

When I was a teen, my mother came home one day with a shirt and said, “this is the last thing that I’m buying for you.

You never like what I buy for you!” So ever since then, I have been digging through piles of clothes to find something that I like and can afford. When I started working in a vintage shop in Laguna Beach in 1988, I was laughed at by my white co-workers for bringing the ‘70s and ‘60s trends back in my outfits. They would say, “the Mexican has arrived!” and were mean to me. I have no training but I have a photographic memory for clothes. In the ‘30s and ‘40s, I would go to the movies a lot with my mother as her date when she loved movies, and I would remember what she’d wear. It became natural for me, without training, to find vintage treasures in big piles of clothes. It was an organic transition. I did not have a name for my business at first. Then in around 2000 or so, I started selling on eBay. It asked for a user name to create an account and I wanted something simple, easy, and cool.

I then remembered that as a child growing up in Mexico, there was this superhero called ‘el Kaliman’. He was a comics hero without any superpowers, but a devotee of the goddess Kali and a wise man. What I really remembered was playing with it with my brother, and how we’d always compete with each other to be el Kaliman. In memory of my brother, I changed the ‘el’ to ‘the’ and it became my business name. It turned out to work better than I expected too, since people think it is spelled as ‘the Caliman’ (as in California) and love it.

Besides, how many people can say, “just Google me and you’ll find me.”

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS?

You guys; the ones with no money but love for individuality, the young people who want to be different and change fashion all the time. You challenge me to be always creative. For me, the costumers are my inspiration. They always inspire me to be my best, or I wouldn’t make a sale. Selling second hand clothes or vintage is one of the hardest retail jobs.

P. 09

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

CLARA KIM

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED OR NOTICED A CHANGE WITH THE FLEA MARKET?

W H AT I S Y O U R M O S T M E M O R A B L E M E M O R Y Y O U H AV E AT T H E F L E A M A R K E T ?

Oh, yes. I have traveled to Europe and saw the flea markets there. The Melrose Trading Post used to be characterized by its local essence, but now it is the kind of the place for tourists to go to. There are people from all over the world who come to this place, when it wasn’t like that before.

We are the flea market of LA, a destination like Portobello Market in London.

There are so many that it’s hard to choose. I guess — and I’m not saying this because I’m throwing names — meeting and becoming friends with Jeremy Scott as he was becoming who he is today. Why? I’m not friendly with designers because they have ripped me off, got the money and the glory, and used me. But Jeremy was sweet, tender, and friendly with me. He was open about his business and sincere. I really appreciated that. I know he used me too but at least he was nice about it. But he still doesn’t spend money in my booth.

Oh well, c’est la vie!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE IDEAL REPRESENTATIVE OF YOUR COLLECTION?

One word: style. I provide you with what I think it can work.

You play with it and make it part of your style.

P. 10

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR OWN ST YLE AND IS YOUR LIN E A REFLECTION OF IT?

LOL hard one. Many years ago, that question was asked to one of my best friends and she said, “Francisco is! Francisco is his own thing.” So in a way, yes. I don’t wear vintage from head to toe like a costume, but I use vintage to create the look I’m going for depending on where I’m going. My line is for people who mix and match different things while using vintage as an accent.

WHAT IS YOU R M OST CHE RISHE D ITEM?

My collection of vintage Moschino jackets and my metal mesh shirts (think of medieval armature.) I’m still mad at myself for selling the long sleeve one!

W O U L D Y O U S AY Y O U S T I L L H AV E T H E S A M E PA S S I O N A N D A S P I R AT I O N S F O R V I N TA G E C L O T H E S A S Y O U S TA R T E D O U T W I T H ?

Absolutely. After 25 years, I still wake up with excitement to see what I’m going to find or what I’m going to sell.

HAS YOUR COLLECTION CHANGED IN RESPONSE TO CONTEMPORARY TRENDS?

Of course, in the 80’s it was about the rockabilly 50’s look, in the 90’s was the vintage adidas, in the 00 Rock t-shirts, now is designer, designer, designer.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 11

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 12

MAI LEE

FALL 2015

ART

S TAR + =

WOR DS & PHOTOS MAI LEE

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 13

A R CH IT E CT

MAI LEE

P. 14

Drive through downtown Los Angeles (DTLA), Santa Monica, or Venice, and you can easily find an example or two of modern or postmodern pieces of architecture. Modernism was a response to the many transforming aspects of twentieth century life.

Modernization, globalization, environmentalism, technological innovation, historical context — all were important factors that contributed to the shift into the Modernist era. In architecture, use of new materials, attentiveness to functionality, and more are characteristic of this period. Los Angeles played a key role in helping shape and influence the Modernist movement, but many who are not familiar with architectural history or discourse are unaware of how the city remains a rich hotbed for modern architecture.

Architecture is a peculiar field — it seems like everyone has a set idea of what it is. As an architecture student, one of the most common questions I receive when I tell them my major is, “Oh, so you like, build things and stuff, right?” That is a more difficult question to answer than you think. We live, work, play, sleep, dance, and pray, in these buildings, but the conversation can quickly become too abstract and conceptual for those not in the architectural field. The “corner problem” or “inside vs. outside” are common recurring issues that architects deal with, but many people who have no background in architecture don’t understand, or rather, don’t care about such conversations.

Clearly, part of architecture is the appearance and functionality.

Does it look cool? Is it sustainable? This article is a small profile of a few important pieces of architecture found in Los Angeles, and it is an attempt to highlight the multitude of underlying ideas and issues that go into completing such a feat as constructing a building. The design process, intent, historical/environmental context, related artistic/architectural movements — all are just as essential as the physical appearance when trying to understand a piece of architecture. So next time you see a building you deem looks cool? Ask yourself why it looks cool. What was the context during the time it was designed/built? Are there similarities/ differences you can point out between this building and other pieces of “cool” architecture?

FALL 2015

ART

GETTY CENTER Y E A R : 19 97 L O C AT I O N : L A A R C H I T E C T: R I C H A R D M E I E R

The issue of a “parts to whole” is a prominent theme in architectural discourse, the idea being that the designers must find ways to create a cohesive whole while individual parts retained their own particular identities. Meier explored this “parts to whole” relationship with his design of the Getty Center, giving each building a design, program, and orientation of its own, while arranging them in ways that allowed the center to unify fluidly and function as a single site. Stone and white, square, metal panels, are the main materials used. The use of travertine stone signifying the symbolism of the museum itself: permanence, solidity, simplicity, warmth, and craftsmanship. The clean, open, spacious feel of the center is not purely aesthetic; his attentiveness to environmental sustainability is visible in the way he considers the use of natural light, circulation, and energy-saving technologies and materials. The Center was the first to be LEED certified after the US Green Building Council (USGBC) established the standard in 1998. The fact that a museum arts, making it accessible to the general public — was the first to achieve LEED certification perhaps is symbolic of the fact that art and science aren’t so different after all.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 15

— an institution dedicated to preserving the

MAI LEE

EAMES HOUSE (C A S E S T U D Y H O U S E N O. 8 ) Y E A R : 19 49 L O C AT I O N : PA C I F I C PA L I S A D E S A R C H I T E C T: C H A R L E S A N D R AY E A M E S

P. 16

Charles and Ray Eames were designers of modern architecture and furniture and were a prominent power-couple in the design world.

As part of the Case Study House program for John Entenza’s Arts & Architecture magazine, the Eames created multiple houses that explored the notion of a modern household. They explored the possibility of designs that were functional, easy to build, and of modern style.

Rigid geometry and its almost Mondrianesque (similar to Piet Mondrian’s paintings) appearance are characteristic features. Not only was this house an architectural experiment, but the Eames couple resided and worked here for many years.

T H E S T E A LT H Y E A R : 20 0 1 L O C AT I O N : C U LV E R C I T Y A R C H I T E C T: E R I C O W E N M O S S

The design of the building arose out of the initial need to excavate a part of contaminated earth on the west street. Two of the three former warehouse structures, which were kept, were then and connected by a concrete block wall that unified the buildings into a single form.

From the excavated site developed a sunken garden and meeting space. The shifting exterior and interior form make for an interesting discussion about what is “inside vs. outside”, which is a current conservation in the discipline of architecture.

FALL 2015

ART

C A LT R A N S D I S T R I C T 7 HEADQUARTERS

P. 17

Y E A R : 20 0 4 L O C AT I O N : D T L A A R C H I T E C T: T H O M M AY N E

Designed by one of our very own UCLA professors, the Caltrans District 7 Headquarters spans an entire block in downtown Los Angeles.

The overall appearance of the building has a “mechanical” feel with its use of materials such as perforated aluminum panels, thick metal rods, and glass. The skin (exterior surface) also reacts to the surrounding environment; depending on the temperature and the amount of sunlight hitting the building, the individual panels rotate and reorient themselves to increase or decrease the amount of light that enters into the building, helping stabilize the internal temperature. Attention to environmental factors are also apparent through observations of the entire southern façade being covered in Photovoltaic cells, which produce 2% of the building’s energy use through converting solar energy into electricity. Mayne’s circulation scheme (or how the people are meant to move throughout the space) was attentive to the needs of the public and to the museum’s employees.

In his design, he increasedsing the amount of immediate gathering spaces available for employees, which aimed to foster a healthy and interactive working environment.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

MAI LEE

GEHRY RESIDENCE Y E A R : 1 978 –19 9 1* L O C AT I O N : S A N TA M O N I C A A R C H I T E C T: F R A N K G E H R Y

Frank Gehry’s own house has been a kind of architectural laboratory. Throughout the years, the architect has experimented with different building techniques and unconventional materials (i.e. chain-link fences, corrugated steel). Even a quick passing glance will yield an observation of multiple eccentric features.

Arguably, Gehry’s residence was an early example of Deconstructivism in architecture, with his ideas of unity + fragments, raw + refined, and old + new. Keeping the existing Dutch colonial-style home intact, Gehry expanded the house by building around it and drastically changing the house’s interior.

Much to the dismay of his neighbors, his bold, experimental house provides a stark contrast to the surrounding houses (others in the neighborhood hated his modifications to the house) and remains an important iconic piece of LA architecture.

P. 18

*elements periodically added

WA LT D I S N E Y C O N C E R T H A L L Y E A R : 2 0 03 L O C AT I O N : D T L A A R C H I T E C T: F R A N K G E H R Y

Starchitect Frank Gehry (star + architect) designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall using his distinctive style of curvilinear forms that appears in much of his work. This creation is a clear example of an architectural style known as Deconstructionism, a postmodern development of architecture that is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, manipulated structural surfaces, skin (exterior surface condition), and nonrectilinear shapes. The Hall’s striking exterior and intimate interior is exemplifies Gehry’s aim to demystify and democratize classical music. Unconventional and provocative, the physical appearance of the hall surprises any passerby. Inside, the arrangement of the seating surrounding the performance stage reflects Ernest Fleischmann’s (former Executive Director of the LA Phil) hope for breaking down social hierarchies and separation between performer and spectator that balconies and boxes entail.

FALL 2015

ART

P. 19

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 20

AMINAH IBRAHIM

WORD S AM I NAH IBRAHIM P H OTO S ERI CA VINCE NZI FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 21

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

AMINAH IBRAHIM

There is nothing quite as comforting as toast. The crunch in the first bite, followed by the sensation of warmth and the smooth, full taste of melting butter, finished with undeniable, unadulterated bliss. For a moment, all is right with the world. Mmm.

P. 22

Yet, with the ongoing war on carbs, our lovely toast has been relegated to a guilty side-dish and even more blasphemous, the warning of what not to fill up on before dining at a restaurant. The travesty!

We, however, won’t forget how fundamental toast is and has been, pivotal in feeding the global population in its many variations since the Romans first popularized tostum, Latin for scorched.

Toast has had an interesting role throughout history. One thing is for certain people are passionate about their bread. Caesar decreed that toast, or brown bread, could be consumed by the peasants but serving brown bread to the Roman elite was a crime.

Centuries later, French peasants’ discontent over the coarse rye and barley bread that they were forced to choke down versus the soft wheat bread that the aristocrats had the pleasure of

consuming led to riots in France. In fact, by the 17th century bread was so significant to the French identity that George Sand declared that bakers were second only to the church. Stewart Allen writes In The Devil’s Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food, that “The French believed the baker’s oven to be the national womb, and the baguette to be the penis.” A harsh bread shortage motivated the entire French Revolution. Bread represented not just sustenance but pleasure, comfort, warmth and safety — signs of privilege, as historian Piero Camporesi in the Bread of Dreams wrote, “the history of bread is the dietary expression of a long battle between the classes.”

The Victorian Age brought the toasting fork, a revolutionary invention eventually leading the British to manufacture the first toaster in 1893.

Toast has captured the heart of the Western world irrevocably. An edible indulgence that is no longer just for the privileged, toast today prevails in countless forms.

Turn to the following pages to explore an assortment of scrumptious toast recipes from the classic bread-andbutter to the quintessential cali avocado toast.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 23

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 24

AMINAH IBRAHIM

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

D E C A DE N T MU S HR O O M TOA S T 1.

2.

Brush cut bread with olive oil on the side facing up. Toast in the oven for 7-10 minutes at 400째F.

3.

Preheat the oven to 400째F.

4.

Remove any hard or dry stems from 1 lb fresh wild mushrooms.

Cut into slices. Toss the mushrooms with olive oil, 2 tsp chopped thyme leaves, 2 tsp chopped marjoram and 3 cloves sliced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms into a baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer. Roast the mushrooms until tender and juicy, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add sauce to the mushroom pan, and return entire mixture to the oven, cook for another 5 minutes. Serve on top of the bread.

Sink in.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 25

Sautee 2 minced shallots in 1 1/2 oz of butter until browned.

Add 1 Tbsp Cognac. Flame and remove from heat. When the flame subsides, add 1 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 cup creme fraiche. Season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.

P. 26

AMINAH IBRAHIM

I TA LI A N F L AG TOA S T 1.

2.

3.

Brush cut bread with olive oil on the side facing up.

Prepare tomato base: pick any basic tomato base (marinara, etc.), add a clove of minced garlic and 3–4 fresh basil leaves, salt and pepper to tast over heat. If you’d like, add parmesan cheese to the tomato base until melted.

Spread base onto bread. Toast in the oven for 7–10 minutes at 400˚F. Remove bread from oven and place cut fresh mozzarella cheese on top. Consume immediately.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 27

TH E C L A S S IC B EAUT Y 1.

2.

Cut good quality bread, pop into oven and toast for 7–10 minutes at 400˚F. Butter. Bite.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

AMINAH IBRAHIM

AVOCA D O TOA S T

P. 28

1.

2.

3.

Brush cut bread with olive oil on the side facing up.

Place bread onto baking tray and toast in the oven for 7-10 minutes at 400째F. Mash two avocados (without the seed), olive oil, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of chopped cilantro and lime juice to taste into a bowl until the paste is a spreadable consistency. Spread on toast and top with either parmesan reggiano or feta cheese. For a spicy variation, add red pepper flakes.

Devour. Never pay ridiculous prices for avocado toast again.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 29

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 30

AMINAH IBRAHIM

Nothing gives the learned cook so much joy as devouring prose, poetry, image or lyric right before and during cooking — these other mediums enhance the preparation and the entire meal.

That is the aim of this photo essay: A Spread on Toast, to explore the history, variations and even create toast the way fellow artists would have.

P L AY L I S T

Berceuse - Coeur De Pirate Comme des enfants - Coeur De Pirate Hang on Little Tomato - Pink Martini

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

extra recipe

C L AU D E MONET’S MILLET’S B R EA D R O LLS

Heat the milk with sugar to just below a boil.

Leave it to cool until lukewarm. Add salt and butter. Meanwhile in a bowl sprinkle the yeast over a 1 cup of warm water. Stir in 4 tablespoons flour. Leave in a warm place for 20 minutes, by which time mixture should be spongy. Add the rest of the flour Mix the lukewarm milk mixture with the eggs.

Beat it into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand, until the dough is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.

Sprinkle flour on board and knead the dough on it for another 5 minutes. Use a warmed knife to cut the dough into 29 pieces and roll each of these into the shape of a fat cigar, about 1 inch by 3 inches.

Place the rolls in a warm place in the kitchen, cover with a damp cloth and leave for 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Flour 2 baking sheets.

Place the rolls on the baking sheets and brush them with eggy yolk and milk mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 29.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 31

1 cup milk 5 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 scant tablespoon fresh yeast or I envelope dried yeast 4 cups flour 2 eggs, beaten 1 egg yolk, mixed with 3 tablespoons milk

P. 32

THERESIA DAFALIA

FOLLOWING THE GHOSTS OF L A WRITERS: DOWNTOWN WORD S TH ERES I A DAFA LI A ILLU STRATION S PAULINE THAI

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

Artists define, redefine and refine the world around them.

A piece of art relies on a creative environment, making the space of inspiration an important element in the outcome of the art.

LA, like any self-respecting grand metropolis, inspired a slew of important writers — both American and foreign. LA represents the ultimate urban setting of magnificent decay; a kind of decay that does not destroy but rather adds charm to the city’s image. The city of angels has bragging rights to so many names in the list of classic writers, young and old.

I was inspired by the former and followed their steps, but I am addressing the latter, suggesting sources of inspiration around the city of Los Angeles, specifically downtown LA.

Under a series of vast renovations of the building there lies the same walls where Charles Bukowski wandered in. A library is for a writer what a museum is for an artist. The LA Public Library is where Bukowski got inspiration to write. The themes and scenes in his works have a raw, urban character that is derived straight from his life on the streets of LA. Significantly, the famous post office he was working for many years, not far from the library itself (900 N Alamenda St), which inspired his well-known novel Post Office.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 33

Entering the halls of the LA Public Library (630 West 5th St), a mix of contemporary and old is prevalent. The interesting architecture of the building had me going down escalators, diving deeper and deeper down the levels and the knowledge it contains: the popular literature section, then business and economics, science and technology, social sciences and philosophy, all the way to the History section; History being metaphorically and literally the basis of this building.

Interestingly enough, even four levels below the ground, the space is abundantly illuminated.

THERESIA DAFALIA

Surrounded by the genius of grand figures of literature of the past, Bukowski fell in love with the idea of escaping through writing. He then sought for themes outside the library walls.

P. 34

Few sections of the library have stayed the same since Bukowski’s time. However, one thing is certain, every corner is still seeped with inspiration gathered after generations, rife with potential.

Downtown has more to give. Around the library, and towards the jewelry district there exists small alleys where one can mentally travel to Europe: French coffee shops, little Italian bistros, all tucked under tall brick buildings and colorful clothes hanging from windows. On my trip, I randomly enter a coffee shop with plastic tables and old fruit on display. As I sip my coffee I see trucks noisily entering the alley, people passionately yelling and walking fast from one corner to the other, I see the pulse of this particular part of LA, the pulse that inspired writers like Jack Keruac to say “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same

time.” Jack Keruac spent time around South Main St, right next to the jewelry district, where he concluded that “LA is a jungle.” Just by sitting on a bench of a bus stop, one can grasp a hundred stories developing all at once.

Although no literal ghost haunts them, there are places downtown where one can search for inspiration successfully.

Little bistros and coffee shops perfect for working are spread all over main and smaller streets of downtown.

Truth is, what is most inspiring is not merely the area of downtown, but the fast-pace and vivid motions that color the streets juxtaposed with the dirtier, raw side of the city.

This is what made LA a great setting for noir novels, like Black Dahlia by James Ellroy, in which the murder of Elizabeth Short takes place on West 39th St and South Norton Avenue, just outside downtown area. The unique Los Angeles juxtaposition of metropolis and grime is what still inspires the old and new writers of the city — famous or discovered, ghosts with flesh and bone.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 35

“ LA is a jungle.”

JACK KERUAC

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

JENNA OPSAHL

P. 36

TH E C IN E M A

C ATH E D R A L WORD S & PHOTOS JEN N A OP S A H L

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 37

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 38

JENNA OPSAHL

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

The air is electric outside The Theatre at Ace Hotel. The bright lights of the United Artists sign illuminate the sidewalk; chatter and excitement radiate from the folks dressed in their evening best. To the people down the street, the scene might just look like another theater left over from the Golden Days. And who could blame them?

The building is a bit plain, the sign we’ve already seen on other theaters. What could be so special?

But we know. We know that magic happens here.

It’s time to go in. The space is huge, all in red and gold, and it looks like countless other Art Deco theaters at first glance. There’s something else here, an almost ancient beauty. Above the stage is a molded screen that looks like it belongs over an altar in a church. There are ornate pulpits on the walls where there should be box seats.

The architecture feels not only Gothic,

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles was founded in 1927 by the revolutionary film production company United Artists. Headed by Mary Pickford, D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks, United Artists redesigned the world of film. The early days of Hollywood were dictated primarily by the studio system — where a few major studios had control over all production aspects involved in making and distributing films. On February 5th, 1919, the four banded together and shook up the entertainment industry.

With a manifesto claiming complete authorship and production rights for the producers, the new company became a safe haven for independent filmmakers. Over the coming years, United Artists would distribute various films by independent producers including Walt Disney Productions and Walter Wanger. The company began to create their own chain of movie theaters for the screenings of their own films, as well as those of artists not signed to a particular studio. Soon, there were United Artists theaters in over 40 countries. Among these theaters is the movie palace masterpiece we know today as the Theatre at Ace Hotel.

P. 39

Outside, there is fluorescence, there is pavement, there is Downtown Los Angeles.

Inside, there is a strange darkness, a mystery, a new world. The lobby is eerie with wrought iron lantern light and vaulted ceilings almost too high to see. There are hidden corners and strange peepholes.

It’s alive with activity and excitement as everyone gets their refreshments before the show starts.

but somehow organic as well, as if the theater was sculpted by nature…

P. 40

JENNA OPSAHL

More than stately, this theater feels holy.

Straying away from art deco’s painted-on façade, Mary Pickford had more ambitious plans for the company’s crown jewel of cinema. She had recently traveled to Segovia, Spain, and had fallen in love with the cathedral there. And so, the concept for the United Artists theater was born.

In order to bring her own cathedral to life, she brought in architect C. Howard Crane who would come to build over 250 theaters throughout his career. The United Artists theater, however, would be his only project on the west coast. As the only modern iteration of Spanish Gothic style in Los Angeles, the theater is a bold move away from the norm. Every detail has been attended to. The ceiling’s sunburst design creates a strange opening to a fiery heaven.

The murals on the walls of theater depict the films of the United Artists founders. The fan vaults that support the roof are equally ornate, and curve the room in as if it were a cave. It is hard to ignore the influence of another Spanish architectural style: that of Antoni Gaudi. His organic, almost corallike forms in Catalan Art-Nouveau style are almost definitely referenced in this American palace. And why not? The theater

is a perfect place to mesh the modern styles of lands separated by oceans. In a room that transports us to another place and time, why not make us dream of a different world through the very architecture we sit in? Crane’s creation took the earthy style of Spanish architecture and situated it in a city of silver screen royalty with the passion and dedication of United Artists to guide its course.

Old Hollywood lives on this in cathedral.

Passion is embedded into its walls, cultivated in this cave of creativity. The theatre is brimming with an electric energy.

The ghosts of the revolutionary creatives who founded this place whisper all around us. Today, Ace Hotel has carried on the tradition of celebrating courageous design when it established its DTLA location on top of the movie palace in 2012. With the trendy boutique hotel brand at its helm, the theater shows some of the most creative and loved acts in music and film alike. Still, the theater itself awes and inspires and the spirits of the weird walls beckon us toward them. Once you’ve seen the mysteries of the Theatre at Ace Hotel, you can’t ever forget them.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 41

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 42

PHOTOGRAPHERS

PH OTO D OR OT Y S AN U S SI

FALL 2015

P H O T O E S S AY

photo essay

G L A S S D I S P L AY P. 43

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 44

PHOTOGRAPHERS

PHOTO JULIA MA LTZ

FALL 2015

P H O T O E S S AY

PHOTO EUNHAE YOO

P. 45

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 46

PHOTOGRAPHERS

P HOTO B R IA N PEA FALL 2015

P H O T O E S S AY

P. 47 PHOTO IAN HOGUE

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 48

PHOTOGRAPHERS

P H OTO B ET S Y S T R AZZAN T E

FALL 2015

P H O T O E S S AY

P. 49

P H OTO A L EX M AD R I D

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 50

PHOTOGRAPHERS

P HOTO D OR OT Y S A N U SS I FALL 2015

P H O T O E S S AY

P. 51

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

HILARY CLEARY

P. 52

e nte r the void:

A L A B O R AT O R Y WITHOUT LIMITS WO R DS & IMAGE R Y HIL ARY CLEARY

FALL 2015

ART

The void Lab was founded by Design | Media Arts graduate student HsinYu Lin in early 2015. Her objective: to provide a safe space for women to share, discuss and collaborate on art created primarily with or relating to digital technologies.

You might be surprised to know that the void Lab isn’t the first of its kind.

Tech-focused female art collectives have existed for as long as the digital computer has been around.

More recently in 2013, an online group called The Ardorous organized Gynolandscape, an exhibition at The Four82 Gallery in New York which “rejected the classic phallocentric narrative of sex and sexuality of the female body and demonstrated how a new generation of female artists are paving the way for a more fluid future.”

The show consisted of female artists from diverse backgrounds, ranging in ages 16-50, who illustrated their struggle with identity and sexuality in the context of femininity.

Dating as far back as 1991, an Australian group known as VNS Matrix saw new internet-based technologies as a way to dissolve sex and gender divisions altogether. They envisioned that the

Put shortly, there are a lot of females who work and collaborate on art that explores what it means to be a woman in tech out there today. But where exactly does the void Lab fit into this

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 53

Hsin-Yu stressed that her vision for the space is grounded in a collaboratory “playground style” system with an intentionally minimal structure.

Basically, the void Lab is a space for women to do whatever it is that they want to do. “Perspective is valuable,” Hsin-Yu explained, “and I want to broaden my own. I’m interested in workshops, community activism, as well as having a space to talk, share resources, and work on projects that aren’t mandated.”

binary gender categories of male and female would eventually fuse to form virtual androgynous automatons or “cyber beings.” In a 1998 publication of MIT’s arts journal called Leonardo, the group stated that “the question is not one of dominance or control or of submission and surrender to machines; instead it is one of exploring alliances, affinities, and coevolutionary possibilities... between women and technology.”

P. 54

HILARY CLEARY

narrative? For Hsin-Yu, “it’s really a place to push identity representation, and to not be afraid of not fitting into gender normative contexts.”

Digital technologies and the internet offer many women a sense of liberation through creation; it provides a space where they are free to produce and remix art that can be seen by a widespread audience. However, the highly accessible nature of the internet also lends itself to aid in the reinforcement of deeply ingrained cultural conventions that regarding femininity and other systems of gender normativity in contemporary society. Women consistently encounter directives about their cultural roles in society on social news sites such as reddit and Slashdot, in which traditional positions are reinforced and claims of female empowerment

are negated by the incessant repetition of phrases like, “GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN AND MAKE ME A SANDWICH.” Inevitably, these imposed cultural categories influence many females’ sense of identity and artistic practice both on and offline.

Lab member Lauren Mahon stressed the essentiality of “support systems and community networks” for women working in art and technology. For her, the Lab is “really important for helping one another not to fall through the cracks—it’s a space that is not exclusive to one medium or goal, but supportive towards individuals.”

The void Lab hopes to foster a space where women can think, design and collaborate without any imposed restrictions or limitations. Hsin-Yu expressed that she often felt like she FALL 2015

had to pretend to be good at something, like knowing how use new software.

The void Lab is an inclusive space where women can feel comfortable at being “bad” at coding or 3D modeling in hopes of experimenting, learning and challenging themselves to grow as artists. In this understanding, Hsin-Yu believes that “bad is good”.

A crucial feature of the Lab is the intentionally minimalistic structure of the meetings. Different lab members are encouraged to sign up for and lead meetings in the Broad Art Center every week. This enables the members to broaden their perspectives and to promote collaborative learning.

The group has already organized several collaborative projects, including one workshop that has involved the 3D modeling of different

ART

members’ vaginas. A workshop led by lab member Regina Napolitano, regarding gender and sexuality, also took place in November. Attendees were informed about current issues in the field of Gender Studies in order to operate more sensitively within contemporary discourse about gender.

Other workshops that are planned for the future include learning how to work with touch designers, web development and shell scripting.

Perhaps to the disappointment of our friends in VNS Matrix, technology and the internet have in no way merged the genders into unisexual automatons.

If anything, digital computers have complicated notions of gender identity and what it means to be feminine, masculine or neither in the technological age.

Up until recently, the void Lab held a different name. “We used to go by the CLIT Lab,” Sofia explained, “but we ultimately agreed that referencing the word clitoris in our name might deter women who are not biologically female from joining.”

In programming languages like C or Java, the word “void” is used as a placeholder for a data type that represents “no data” in functions.

Perhaps symbolically, the void Lab hopes to encourage a creative space where nothing and everything can exist in artistic and technological synchroneity.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

Presently, there are five guidelines that the group has agreed to abide by during meetings and events: 1. As it stands, the lab space can only be occupied by biological and selfidentified females. People of other orientations are encouraged to participate through our femalelead events.

2. Opinions expressed in the lab stay in the lab, especially the ones that could put someone in a socially vulnerable position.

3. Opinions come from a place of subjectivity and should be stated as such.

4. “Don’t ‘yuck’ my ‘yum’”. This means respecting one another’s personal views and avoid attacks on a person’s character during discussions of sensitive topics.

5. When facing a technical problem, try to research and solve the problem on your own for at least 30 minutes before asking for help.

Ultimately, the future of the void Lab remains, like its name, adaptable. It is a space of inclusivity and support in which women can experiment, learn and grow alongside the rapid advances of technology in the digital age.

P. 55

Lab member Stofia Staab, a 4th-year English and Design|Media Arts double major stated that for her, the Lab is a place where she wants to “explore new narratives of identity-formation “that are not dependent on biomorphic femininity.”

Some members of the Lab are also uncomfortable with the notion that individuals who identify as male are not currently allowed to attend Lab meetings. If the void Lab is a group that fosters inclusivity, it seems problematic that certain individuals might not be allowed to share and contribute to the group. As it stands, the lab space can only be occupied by self-identified females, however there is always room for a dialogue and potential alterations to these regulations in the future.

P. 56

MAEVE MCLIAM

ON A M IS S IO N:

T WI G G Y & G RY PH O N THE

WOR DS MAEV E M C L I A M P HOTOS DANIEL ALC A Z A R

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

P. 57

Not wearing the medical alert jewelry recommended by your doctor? It’s time you met Twiggy and The Gryphon’s President and Designer, Stephanie Davidson. Twiggy and The Gryphon, LA’s own fine medical alert jewelry company, is on a mission to redefine medical alert jewelry.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

MAEVE MCLIAM

For Stephanie Davidson, President and Designer of Twiggy and The Gryphon, it happened while attending a concert at The Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood, California.

stands out against the backdrop of the gray Los Angeles sky, her vibrant red hair lying against her black blouse with confident ease.

“All of a sudden it just hit me out of nowhere,” she says of her body’s sudden need for insulin. “I started blacking out. I thought ‘Oh my gosh, there’s no way I’m going to get a juice at the bar fast enough.’ I had already used what I brought in my purse. I already had low blood sugar.”

Type 1 diabetes entered Stephanie’s life when she was fourteen. While the engraved silver platelet along the chain of her necklace hides her diabetes from my view, medical first responders breathe a thankful sigh of relief at the sight of it.

P. 58

Knowing time was limited, Stephanie used the bodies around her to push herself free from the crowd. When she passed through the doors and reached the sidewalk, she realized her vision hadn’t left the venue with her.

“I was walking down Sunset Boulevard blacking out — I couldn’t see anything,” she says of the sudden disorientation.

“My vision was completely gone. It was terrible. In that moment, I thought ‘Oh, if I had a piece of medical alert jewelry on — ’” she pauses and shakes her head. “The fastest way to get help would have been to drop to the ground and collapse. But then I realized I had nothing on me that identified me as a diabetic.”

“That first day — getting diagnosed, going to children’s hospital — was one of the scariest, most overwhelming experiences,” she says of the day diabetes entered her life.

“You’re there for twelve hours and they tell you basically that if you give yourself too much insulin you can die. If you don’t give yourself enough insulin you can die.”

For many type 1 diabetics suffering from undiagnosed diabetes, the reveal is a slow and gradual one. If left untreated, type 1 diabetes causes blood sugar levels to rise, leading to diabetic coma. Many enter the hospital malnourished prior to the diagnosis. For Stephanie, the sudden realization and confusion happened within the fall of her first year of high school.

For those with medical conditions, medical alert jewelry is highly recommended by doctors for daily use. In the event of an emergency, medical first responders can identify the wearer’s medical condition within seconds in order to provide the care necessary to save lives.

“I had been having episodes in the beginning of the school year,” she says of the onset. “Right before lunch we had to stand up in front of the class and do these equations on the board. Every time I would stand up I would almost black out.” It wasn’t until a month later that she was diagnosed.

“Luckily I was able to get somewhere in enough time, but had I not, it would have been potentially life threatening,” she says. “It definitely is good for those situations.”

“At the very end of the day,” she recalls of the day she was diagnosed, “they presented me with this really ugly bracelet that had the little red emblem on it. “And they were like ‘Oh, and you have to wear this every day for the rest of your life in case you’re in an emergency.’ And that was just like a crappy icing on the cake.”

It’s a Friday morning and the billowing awning over our heads is sheltering us from the misting clouds above. Stephanie

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

P. 59

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

MAEVE MCLIAM

For a fourteen-year-old navigating her first year of high school, the medical alert bracelet her doctor presented her with said only one thing: Stephanie was different, and she had an ugly bracelet to prove it.

“It just felt like,” she pauses and considers the words, “the worst day of my life. I just wanted to crawl under a rock and not come out.”

P. 60

The rain picks up and falls quietly on the awning above us.

Her eyes glance upward and her lips form a smile. Her smile, big and welcoming, pulls mine up further with ease.

“I was already really shy as a kid and as a teenager,” she says of herself prior to the diagnosis. “The last thing I wanted to do was pull out my meter and check myself when I felt weird. Then people all the time would be like, ‘Oh my god you’re pricking your finger!’ And, you know, ask a million questions. It was already so embarrassing to be me that it made it so much worse.”

After turning twenty and having coped with her diabetes for six years, Stephanie’s realization of the importance of medical alert jewelry led her to reflect on her diagnosis several years ago. “That first day, getting diagnosed and getting told I had to wear this ugly and crappy piece of jewelry, really inspired me.”

In her breaks between work, Stephanie started researching the medical alert bracelets her doctor advised she wear years ago. She was dismayed at the lack of improvement. “All of a sudden it popped into my head and I thought, ‘Why don’t I just design my own?’” she says of the origins of Twiggy and The Gryphon.

“All of these ideas popped into my head,” she says, smiling.

“This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to help people. So the whole idea behind it is that I don’t want people to feel embarrassed about who they are and what they have; I want them to embrace it and feel like they can be proud to have that be a part of them.”

Stephanie’s interest in mythology and ancient civilizations served as inspiration for what would become Twiggy and The Gryphon. After speaking with her younger brother, her vision developed further. “They’re mythological creature[s] but they are thought to be protectors and have healing powers in their claws,” she says of the decision to include The Gryphon in her vision. In the end, Stephanie’s close friend suggested naming her company “Twiggy and The Gryphon” and the name stuck.

Stephanie places herself at the forefront of the company through the presence of “Twiggy” in the company’s name.

In her early twenties, Stephanie adopted the stage name “Twiggy” in her band, Brass Knuckle Voodoo. Through the conception of “Twiggy and The Gryphon,” Stephanie — “Twiggy” — joins forces with The Gryphon to protect those with medical conditions.

While most medical alert bracelets are standardized to include a single platelet with an engraved red medical alert emblem, Twiggy and The Gryph on offers diversity in the designs of the jewelry available to the customer. Twiggy and The Gryphon’s boutique bracelets and necklaces are available in silver and gold-plated silver.

Each piece also features the medical symbol sought by first responders, as well as a platelet engraved with the words, “Save me.” On the reverse side of the platelet, customers can personalize the engraving to include their name, medical condition, and any dependencies. These boutique pieces

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

“SO THE WHOLE IDEA B E H I N D I T I S T H AT I D O N ’ T WA N T P E O P L E TO FEEL EMBARRASSED ABOUT WHO THEY A R E A N D W H AT T H E Y H AV E ; I WA N T T H E M TO EMBRACE IT AND FEEL LIKE THEY CAN BE P R O U D T O H AV E T H AT B E A PA R T O F T H E M .”

P. 61

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 62

MAEVE MCLIAM

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

run anywhere from two hundred to three hundred dollars.

Stephanie’s personalized engraving reads, “Stephanie Davidson. Type 1 Diabetic. Insulin Dependent.” She reaches behind her neck and unclasps her necklace and lays it in my hands.

For those looking for a more affordable option, Twiggy and The Gryphon features several pre-engraved designs in pewter, plated in gold or silver, in order to marry affordability and luxury. Many of these options run between forty to fortyfive dollars.

“I don’t want to discriminate against anyone. For people with medical conditions, health insurance is such a high price to pay—supplies, doctor appointments—I really wanted to give people that option.”

Through the creation of Twiggy and The Gryphon, both men and women have the opportunity to wear medical alert jewelry on their own terms, with pieces that adhere to their own personal style.

“I want it to combine the necessity and the luxury,” she says of the conceptual construction of the jewelry. “Jewelry in itself is a luxury. Medical ID bracelets are a necessity. I feel

As the company expands, Stephanie plans the addition of precious stones and big statement pieces to the line to provide more variety and luxury. “We want to brand it like any other jewelry company. That way people get this potentially lifesaving component of it but it’s cool jewelry that they’d want to wear anyway.”

Stephanie started living on her own in Los Angeles just before turning eighteen. While her AA degree in Fashion Design from LA’s own Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising presented her with a foundation that encouraged innovation, starting her own jewelry company provided its own challenges. “I think the thing that is most tricky is sticking to your guns, for lack of a better word,” she says of her entrance into the field. “Especially being a woman.” Stephanie notes that while respect for women in the workplace has increased, she often finds herself having to speak in a stern voice to be taken seriously.

After watching her mother succeed in the workplace, Stephanie became inspired to achieve the same success.

“Living with my mom, her being a single mom, engrained within me the importance of being a strong independent woman. I knew that at some point I wanted to have my own business and be self-supporting,” she says of her desire to remain independent. “I always had that itch to have that one thing that I create. But I knew it wasn’t going to be a fashion design company.”

With experience in both the music and film and television industries as a musician and wardrobe stylist in Los Angeles, Stephanie’s relationship with LA’s creative landscape beats quietly through the metals of Twiggy and the Gryphon. “The

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 63

After speaking with others who have medical conditions, Stephanie notes that feeling “normal” is essential to their recovery process. “It’s already such a traumatic thing to have a life-threatening condition or chronic illness. It’s there with you for the rest of your life. I still have days when I get really frustrated but I have a better understanding now. Acknowledging it, respecting it, and taking care of it, whatever the condition, is very important. But I also think having a certain amount of separation from it and feeling like a normal human is also really important.”

like a lot of people don’t wear the necessity because it doesn’t have the luxury aspect.”

MAEVE MCLIAM

jewelry district in downtown LA is so perfect. It’s really helpful in the sense where that’s where all the production can happen.”

While Stephanie envisions the company’s international growth within the next five years, she is confident that a children’s line will be available for those struggling from an early diagnosis. “I feel that while the jewelry won’t cure whatever disease you have, my hopes are that it helps brighten your look on it a little. I think if I had been given a piece of my jewelry at the end of that terrible twelve hour day — it wouldn’t have fixed the problem, but I probably would have thought, ‘Okay, I like jewelry.’”

Stephanie laughs and glances at the Twiggy and The Gryphon bracelet hugging her forearm.

P. 64

“As the company grows I want to find lots of ways to give back. It’s helped me knowing that there are other people out there who care about helping other diabetics. It really helps me feel like I’m not alone.”

While her ability to accept her diabetes has been an uphill battle, Stephanie hopes to inspire that same acceptance in others who struggle with medical conditions. “I think now it’s just a daily struggle of acceptance. I still remember life before diabetes. You know? But I think today I have a better understanding of the fact that I am in control of how I handle it.”

The rain lightens as passersby walk by our table and head into the café. Stephanie reaches with her tattooed hand and lifts her necklace from the table. She shifts her red hair to her left shoulder and repositions the necklace around her neck. Her smile sneaks back into her cheeks.

“I don’t have plans to ever stop,” she says of her vision for Twiggy and The Gryphon’s future.

“I want the business to be international.” She pauses and continues, “I’m not one to get up and preach if I’m not doing what I preach. I think that taking care of your health and safety and doing what you need to do is important. Having this company and putting myself in the forefront will force myself to take better care of myself even better than I already am.”

She meets my gaze and smiles.

“Hopefully it will push other people to do so too.”

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

P. 65

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

AARON PERETZ

P. 66

OUR HE D ON IC V E N TIL AT OR :

WHY WE LOV E SO C I A L

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

P. 67

L M EDIA WORD S AARON PE RE TZ I LLUSTRAT ION PAU LINE THAI In a 1996 interview with Charlie Rose, David Foster Wallace comments on his generation being one to grow up with television being their “main kind of artistic snorkel to the universe.”1 Wallace cites television as an instrument of social and artistic change due to its ability to deliver large quantities of pleasure to the audience, more efficiently than literature was able to do under the then-current vein of fiction writing which he saw as dry and lacking in fun. Because of this, he believed that fiction writers would have to rediscover and reanimate writing as something that was fun to read. Whether or not the literary community responded, it

seems obvious that literature lost the entertainment battle to a younger and more vigorous opponent.

I can’t be dismissive of tv as an art form, I generally love exploring pop media2; and tv is responsible for drawing out emotion, intriguing audiences with complex plots, and even creating discussion. However, let me propose that the thinking involved in the most well-written tv drama cannot compare to the thinking that is required from the reader of the most well-written novel. Television is written in such a way as to draw an audience in, keep them hooked, and do it in a packaged and succinct way.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

The imagery and tone is fed to the reader on the screen and through the speakers; of course, capturing great imagery and crafting great sounds are art forms in themselves. Nonetheless the deciphering is largely gifted to the reader.3 The reward from reading a book is delayed and sometimes laborious. So it only seems natural that after a long day of work/school, one just wants to cozy up to the couch and turn on the tube, and, in effect, decompress from the mundane atrocities of everyday life.

We are to suppose that we are currently living in a New Golden Age of Television as it has been deemed by critics and those-in-the-know.

P. 68

AARON PERETZ

Streaming services and fine writing are largely responsible for hearlding in this new age. But I think this desire to praise television is uncovering the state of affairs of new media within America. The New Age of Television is the beginning of its demise. Social Media stands as the challenger looking to supplant Television from its potato chip-laden-couch of a throne.

The near-immediate gratification of television is nearly convenience in entertainment form. Think: why read a 300 hundred-plus page noir novel when you can watch Castle and Beckett catch the bad guy in less than an hour, all while making puns and setting themselves up for prolonged sexual tension?

systematically narrow our world so that we only welcome those with the same beliefs. What this translates to is a minimization of interaction with those presenting any kind of dissenting opinion because a dissenting opinion is a threat to peace of mind. Hence, social media treats our symptoms of anxiety through almost constant affirmation with little-to-no dissenting opinion.5

The praising and affection we, as a country, feel for television now is the same kind of praise and affection Eisenhower-era housewives gave husbands as death came knocking on his door; she overlooked the decades of scruples and plainness and found the beauty that kept them together: convenience.4

The internet, an ever-ready smorgasbord of information is the newest model of snorkel—it allows us to siphon oxygen at speeds never before imaginable. More precisely, social media is the snorkel connecting us to the ‘universe’. But does it function as an “artistic snorkel” as Wallace imagined tv to be? Before I address this question I should explain what our ‘universe’ is.

Wallace’s artistic snorkel was artistic insofar as it enabled the wearer to view art in her universe. The social media snorkel is artistic but in a different way.

The television snorkel was all about exposure to art. The new snorkel allows for an interaction. That is, while we observe art with the snorkel, namely, the “art” that is present on social media, we also have the ability to input our own “art” and affirm others’.

Ah yes, convenience. It is an adhesive as old as time itself. The scientific community calls it ‘entropy’. It is the reason you spend 11 minutes extra waiting in the drive-thru for all day breakfast at McDonald’s. It is the reason I take food up to my room to watch television (on my computer) versus eating in a dining hall and having to wait until after my food to watch television. It is a word ingrained in the American psyche, and it is, in fact, the new American dream — we long to live a life of convenience.

Our ‘universe’ is the safe space consisting of the individuals needed to affirm our beliefs, our choices, and our general tastes and preferences so that our anxiety (stemming from our need to be accepted) is numbed and nullified.

(Re)affirmation is a sort of temporary anesthesia, in effect, anxiety is reduced when one’s beliefs are reaffirmed by another. In the real world we can’t always avoid those who disagree with us or stir the feelings of anxiety. In the social media sphere, however, we can

1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwfQl2LGhwc

2

http://www.tpmmag.com/2015/02/19/art-in-the-mainstream-navigating-drake-s-new-mixtape/

3

Thank you to Zach Conner for the present example.

4

Imagine a couple reminiscent of June and Ward Cleaver from Leave It to Beaver.

If you’re a member of Generation X or Y then this attitude may spark your memory of an instance in school when everyone was handed a participation award-trophy for completing any rote task.

5

FALL 2015

What exactly is the “art” that is present in social media? Rhetoric — specifically, social media rhetoric. Rhetoric is the manipulation of words generally used as a means to persuasion whether accomplished through appealing to emotion, character, and occasionally logic (when it serves the rhetor’s purpose); and it is an art form in its own right. In social media rhetoric, the constituents of one’s universe are being persuaded to agree/reaffirm the

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

rhetor. The rhetoric is observable and is constantly refreshed and updated by users of one’s universe; at the same time, the user has the ability to upload rhetoric of her own, thus there is an interactive bend. The disseminating of one’s school when everyone was handed a participation award-trophy for completing any rote task.own rhetoric is key for being reaffirmed, for how could one be reaffirmed in her beliefs by another user if she doesn’t let her beliefs be known?

Soon we won’t even have to do our own breathing. What’s more convenient than that?

The willingness for this adaptation to the new rhetoric is because it is so immediately gratifying. Social media bridges the gap where television fell short of converting convenience into entertainment form. There’s no need to work to feel gratification, rather gratification is conveniently spoon-fed to us and we love it.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

AIG PERETZ

P. 69

We have, in part, been raised by social media, so it is only natural that we emulate social media. We talk in non sequiturs. We speak in 140 characters or less. We hear in soundbites. We learned to live as sensationalists. But in addition to social media grooving out some of our nature we millennials tend to be willing to adapt to this new rhetoric.

Speaking in 140 characters or less is convenient. Only allowing for one’s attention span to be devoted to five second increments is convenient. It’s convenient to have everyone always say “yes,” and never say “no.” Eliminating the need for words altogether and communicating through “likes” is convenient. The snorkel is feeding us with oxygen, and we’re having to inhale with less effort all the time.

The next snorkel is an automated respiratory system.

FLEURETTE FONG

DISCO P. 70

WOR DS FLEU RET TE FON G P HOTOS OLI V I A LI M

SHR I N E FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

Tucked in a boy’s flannel like it’s the only thing that can save me, I’m shivering outside a pub in the Westminster district of London. Jess is leaning against a wall in a tee shirt and couldn’t be more at home. She’s a self-proclaimed Valley girl and there’s some five thousand miles separating her from Los Angeles, but she feels at home playing guitar — something she hasn’t picked up in over a year. She pauses. “I haven’t played this in so long.”

We owed our friendship to a mutual appreciation for local musicians and

In all of the bittersweet brevity of that summer, I grew curious about the story of the boy overseas emailing generous instrumentals and the girl whispering songs into iPhone voice memos at 1 am on a balcony in Pisa. So this is just the introduction to that story of Jessica Delijani and Tommy Nickerson. This is the beginning of the dream-pop duo Disco Shrine.

Jessica Delijani and Tommy Nickerson grew up in the unassuming city of Moorpark, California. A quick Google search reveals next to nothing about the music scene, let alone what happens behind garage doors and apartment studios.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 71

Everyone’s a romantic at an open-mic.

You’ve got the twenty-something singing recycled ballads about last month’s lover and the boy strumming buttery chords drowned out by his raspy, haunted voice.

Jess disappears into a crowd pressed shoulder to shoulder and emerges at the front of the pub with a big grin on her face. “My name is Jessica and I’m from Los Angeles,” she says into a mic as she pulls a stool from the bar. “And I’m going to play some folk songs for you guys tonight.”

especially live music. But this was the first time I watched Jess do something she loved, and it inspired me. Maybe it was the sheer spontaneity of it. Maybe it was the excitement and elusiveness of existing solely on a first-name basis in a new city.

Maybe it was how her presence reduced the pub to a swell of quiet murmurs interrupted by the lingering clinks of pint glasses.

P. 72

FLEURETTE FONG

“Moorpark community is a tight-knit group. Everyone’s aware of each other,” Tommy said. “It’s the craziest music scene I’ve been a part of.” “It’s the kind of town where everyone is in a hardcore band at some point…as early as 7th grade,” Jess chuckled, poking at Tommy.

Jess and Tommy are no strangers to music.

Spurred by a relentless love for folk music, Jess taught herself guitar and banjo at the age of 16. Tommy grew up with music and has played bass in the band Private Island.

In June 2015, the two had first met after a Private Island show in Moorpark. That night, they bonded over recently getting out of long relationships. “We were both feeling really backed up against the wall. And when we met, we were talking about how it’s so easy to make sad music and to be inspired by sadness,” Jess recounted. “We promised each other that if we ever did make music FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

together, it’d be fun and sexy and will make people want to get up and dance.”

Overnight, they exchanged numbers and then instrumentals and vocals. Tommy was a little too quick to admit, “I actually had no intention of ever making music with her.

I’m so not into folk music!”

“He told me this an entire month later!”

Jess exclaimed, still as shocked as though hearing the news for the first time. But a mere hour after Tommy had sent over instrumentals expecting nothing compatible in return, he receives a voice memo from Jess singing over it. And we know how the rest of that story goes.

“But you know, I think we always go back to our roots of moody dance music,” Tommy clarifies.

“You’re right… I think we always have touchy, moody parts in it. Like in ‘Shy,’ we’ll have an upbeat chorus, but the bridge will be a bit moody. And we didn’t plan it out like that, it just happens,” Jess said.

“Shy” is Disco Shrine’s first single to be included with three other songs on their forthcoming EP, Soft Fur. “It’s ironic because the song is not about being shy at all. If you see someone at a bar and you think they’re hot, you go grab their ass and get the deed done with,” Jess said.

“But in the video, it takes the perspective of the other person. And that’s what our video focuses on: it takes the perspective of the guy who’s shy,” Tommy said.

For any experimenting artist, surely, it’s not conducive to box oneself into a singular sound or genre. Similarly, for Disco Shrine, structure is stifling to the creative process.

“I have a huge, huge phobia of writer’s block so I try not to think too much about having a process. A lot of times I’d start with an idea and I’ll hear a beat in my head… if I’m away from my studio I’ll do a voice memo.” Tommy looks down and smiles.

“It’s actually synced to my iTunes so I’ll be driving with a friend and my music’s on shuffle, and then you’ll hear it cut to a track of me mumbling percussion synths.”

Jess’s creative process revolves around what she grew up with: the inevitable commute and the repetitive to-and-fro in Los Angeles. “I get my best ideas when I’m driving. I know that’s so LA of me, but I’m always commuting far distances so I’m always in my car. That’s when I’ll play

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 73

You wouldn’t expect glittery synth pop, gooey vocals and funky guitar riffs born from seasoned veterans of the folk and rock realms, but that’s exactly what Disco Shrine is: unpredictable and oxymoronic.

Their music demands dancing but leaves a

nostalgic aftertaste for something that’s too far gone. They are “Shy” but bold. It makes sense and none at all.

FLEURETTE FONG

Tommy’s instrumentals and I’ll get my best ideas.”

And while Los Angeles is a renowned hotbed for rising artists, it’s certainly not the glitz and glamour it’s made out to be.

“The music industry is all really political.

Pitch to a blog, and you can have really great music and they could love it, but if you don’t have 10k Twitter followers, they don’t care because it has to be a two-way street. They want exposure from your end too,” Tommy explained.

P. 74

“We’ve had to play it really safe. But we’re optimistic. We only have one song out right now but we’ve gotten good feedback from friends and blogs,” Jess said. “And it’s all connections, you know? It’s a really strong network.”

Grit. You can say that word through clenched teeth or you can recognize that it’s a fundamental quality to have while navigating any challenge. The obstacle course otherwise known as ‘The Industry’ requires a profound sense of grit, and boy, does Disco Shrine have a lot of it.

“If you have a dream, if you put yourself in a situation where there’s no other option but to do it…that’s like this. Everyday it’s the only thing I can think about, really.

I’m not leaving myself any other options,” Tommy said. “And this is the most creative control on a project I’ve ever had. For the longest time I could only write one verse and be happy with it but have no idea how to finish the song, but I’m happy and able to do it now.”

“For me, this project really helped to…I wouldn’t say serve as a distraction, but serve as an outlet for me to let go of everything — and you can tell in the lyrics. So it came at a much-needed time. And now I’m much better,” Jess reflected.

FALL 2015

It’s a tale as old as time: music has the profound ability to mend the most wistful hearts. And as Jess said, it’s easy to be inspired by sadness. Maybe we all have a penchant for songs about longing and films about loss and general melancholy because we grew up with people always telling us not to be sad. But sadness is just as valid and necessary of a feeling as happiness.

And I think it’s incredibly difficult to do, but Disco Shrine captures that dichotomy beautifully. The most honest art we can create is often a concentrated amalgam of all the experiences that have moved us the most — and that’s why it means so much.

And that’s what we need more of.

“You know, when I first made the opening synth line of ‘Shy,’ way before I met Jess, I was actually taking Megabus up to Davis to visit my (then) girlfriend.”

Today, there are no seas or time zones separating the two; coincidentally, they’ve always lived fifteen minutes apart. It has been five months since Jess and Tommy began making music together but they’ve already come full circle. By seizing the very circumstances that inspired “moody dance music” and biting it between the teeth, they’ve found peace in heartbreak.

So what’s next for Disco Shrine? While they have their first band practice tonight in preparation for their first live shows in Los Angeles, they’re on the cusp of releasing the Soft Fur EP and writing brand new music inspired by brand new experiences — some shared with each other, others not.

“At the beginning, it was just so fun because I thought we were just writing music. Sixpack of beer, turn on the string lights, and light some incense,” Tommy reminisces. “It was just…so fun. We’re really excited for the next phase when we can write and get back into that again.”

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

P. 75

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

SIENNA MOFFIT

P. 76

PHALLACIOUS

PALMS WORDS S I EN N A MOFFI T T PHOTO S D OROT Y S A N U S S I

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

P. 77

Whether they’re featured on Malibu Rum bottles, In-N-Out cups, or as the focal point of the logo for one particular Californian pizza kitchen, palm trees are an icon of Southern California.

But guess what? While the Washingtonia filifera, named for President George, is

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

native to our great land, all other palms are grown elsewhere, uprooted, and imported to Los Angeles’s fallacious landscape. Not unlike the denizens of Los Angeles, rooted in various cultural backgrounds, yet all existing here together as the ground-breakers and trend-setters who make this city iconic.

SIENNA MOFFIT

P. 78

Los Angeles is naturally quite arid, rendering it unsuitable for the growth of luscious plants. Sourcing water became less of a concern upon the 1913 completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct; thus stimulating Southern California’s turn-of-the-century gardening craze, feat. Palm Treez. Bearing no fruit and providing no shade, palm trees have been nothing but ornamental since the last time a frond was used to weave a basket. California’s eighteenth century Franciscan missionaries were the first to plant palm trees ornamentally — speculatively due to their mention riddled through the Bible. The mania boomed in the early nineteen hundreds as Southern California evolved into America’s Mediterranean littoral.

In the thirties, Pasadena planted palms every one hundred feet along Colorado Boulevard with the intent to rename the drag “Street of a Thousand Palms.” Two hundred palms were planted on Venice’s Washington Boulevard to celebrate the bicentennial of our nation’s first president. In 1931 alone, 25,000 palm trees were planted in Los Angeles as part of a beautification project in preparation for the 1932 Olympic games. Besides aesthetically improving the city, the increased labor demand was part of an unemployment relief program, which put four hundred unemployed men to work. Many trees from this generation surround us to this day, but not without facing trials and tribulations.

Though the bustle and ever-quickening progress in Los Angeles contributes to its draw for our citizens, it also makes for a difficult society in which to stay afloat.

FALL 2015

CIT Y, CUISINE, CULTURE

The land of opportunity entices people looking to pursue them, but when 3.79 million citizens are competing for such opportunities, everyone is fighting to find a way to stand out amongst the crowd. It can be tempting to give up and walk out; but it is the required persistence and passion that has allowed for the success of our city’s myriad trans-occupational icons, human and foliage, alike.

When Walt Disney paid for paradise in Orange County, the previous owner asked him to spare but one tree, which happened to stand in the middle of Disney’s plans for Section C: a parking lot. Amidst bulldozed citrus and eucalyptus flakes, Disney made certain to relocate the 58-year-old palm tree to Adventureland, where it stands today.

“IT IS THE REQU I R E D PERSISTENCE AN D PASSION THAT HAS ALLOWE D FOR THE SUCCE S S OF OUR CIT Y ’S MY RI A D TRA N S OCCUPATIONAL I CON S”

There is no certainty that the rampant planting of palm trees or influx of immigrants will continue as they are in Los Angeles today, but surely neither will disappear from LA’s iconography along with the last four letters of the Hollywood(land) sign.

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 79

Los Angeles’s ever-spreading development has wiped out orange groves, demolished ornate architecture, and has come toe to root with many a palm tree. Believe it or not, on some occasions, the root won. That unassuming palm marking the Figueroa Street entrance to Exposition Park is considered to be Los Angeles’s oldest palm tree, standing tall through three development-induced displacements over 150 years of LA residency.

R O C K Y AVA LO S

P. 80

WOR DS ROC K Y AVALOS

POWER COUPLE HOBBES GINSBERG

photographer & filmmaker

& CHLOE FELLER

actress & filmmaker

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

This is the home to three innovative artists, Hobbes, Chloe, and Mackenzie (the director to “All Encompassing and Everywhere”), who, with Red Lighter Films, build a social space open to filmmaking collaborators advocating for representation of race and gender.

I first met Hobbes during one of West LA’s greatest thrift clothing events, La

Brea Blvd’s Jet Rag Sunday pile sales.

Having learned about Hobbes’s work through my Facebook newsfeed — perhaps only a couple weeks before — I was stunned to see the person whose self-portraits I was in awe of.

Her piercing hazel-blue eyes, stilllifes of colorful splendor yet social commentary, all complimenting her portraits, drew my attention greatly.

After our introduction, I kept Hobbes in mind as an influential contemporary photographer, one with visual styles reminiscent of 17th Century Dutch still life paintings and 1970s punkrock portraiture, who happened to be within our young adult generation.

Since our first meeting, Hobbes has made Red Lighter Films, a film production company, along with girlfriend Chloe Feller, an actress and tattoo artist.

Originally from Texas, Hobbes lived in Nicaragua for six years, from middle to high school. Though the surrounding Nicaragua was very poor, Hobbes’ went to a private school with the wealthier population. Hobbes’s felt out of place there, her values were starkly contrasted to her environment; she,

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 81

A single red lighter beside jars of cigarettes, used but intact, shaping a zigzag pattern and decorating the space of the front door’s steps. As I walk in, I meet Hobbes Ginsberg, a photographer I hold in high esteem, and whose films are now setting a different stage of creativity for female and queer representation, and for blending the lines between fiction and nonfiction. Entering the living room, I am reminded of the set of “All Encompassing and Everywhere,” the first short film to Red Lighter Films, Hobbes’s and her girlfriend Chloe’s, film production company – whose white walls can be seen in the film, connoting a distance between the characters.

Flanking two of the white walls, facing each other in physicality, are two of Hobbes’s self-portraits, framed simply for their potent aesthetic.

R O C K Y AVA LO S

P. 82

being a queer artist, was surrounded by closed-minded, conservative, wealthy students. Without common ground, Hobbes looked to the internet. Not only for a social community, but for creative inspiration.

Hobbes recalls knowing “about four photographers in Nicaragua, and they were all terrible.” The four wellknown and respectable photographers in Nicaragua focused on “cliché HDR landscapes... they weren’t beautiful,” says Hobbes. “There seems to be more of a push for local art out there, but I certainly didn’t know about it at the time.” Though starting with graphic design and being intrigued though initially put-off from photography by its staple in the “hipsterism” phase circa 2009, Hobbes started her craft with street photography. Transitioning from the art exhibition and tutorial site,

DeviantArt, while she was involved with graphic design, to the blogging website, Tumblr, with her increased interest in photography, Hobbes discovered inspirational photographers outside of Nicaragua, and realized, “If this is what’s successful, then I can do that.”

Using her After-school time, Hobbes would capture Nicaraguan subjects in compositionally stunning settings: clouds creating a heavenly backdrop to a construction worker taking a break from work, and a woman in 1960s-esque attire, peering beyond her shoulder while standing in an almost European quarter. Carrying through with street photography after she left Nicaragua to go to the USA, Hobbes found herself wanting to try something new from street photography. Once being exposed to studio lighting,

FALL 2015

Hobbes found studio photoshoots to be a more purposeful and “natural extension” to her photographing street subjects. Through such photographers such as Ryan Pfluger (as Hobbes describes, “intimate and clean studio photography”) and Molly Madallan (light-hearted portraiture with matte colored backdrops), Hobbes honed in on her own style, which I would describe as controlled backdrops and naturalized subjects of bruised glamour. Starting with the most accessible subject, herself, Hobbes would later do commissions, create books, and exhibit pieces.

On her move to the USA, Hobbes initially settled in Seattle, befriending many musicians throughout the music scene. At the spur of the moment, Hobbes decided she wanted a change.

Posting a status update on Facebook

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

P. 83

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 84

R O C K Y AVA LO S

to find a roommate in Los Angeles, Hobbes roomed with then-stranger Chloe, and their collaboration came swiftly. As Chloe described, “We’re two really creative people, and we’ve always been, and we’ve always been secure in that. And I think when you’re a creative person, that’s a really big part of your life, it’s just natural that you want to create with other people…

I think that’s always how I’ve bonded with people, doing creative things together.” Furthermore, Chloe says, when she wants to work with someone, it’s because she really cares about them.

What came from Hobbes’s solo and collaboration projects was a mixture of: studded collars, oranges, berries, “existential crisis” cakes, which decorated the colorful backdrops to still lifes and models. She describes her pieces as originating from “amorphous stuff that I’m thinking about, and sort of a framework for the way that I look at all of what I’m doing.” She says she often doesn’t set out with a certain intentional subject for her work, but looking back at them, they have “interconnected pieces.”

“All those things are just kind of undercurrents, that… because they’re things that have formed the way I look at or recognize the world, they’re going

to be undercurrents that form the way my pictures look.” This organic process which Hobbes described really spoke to me; I consider myself an artist, and I found it admirable that she is able to use, in her own words, the “nebula” of thoughts and feelings to make art — a very free forming way of the creative process as opposed to the almost academic subconscious to create art with an intention. It provides a liberty that artists themselves may not understand.

What stood out to me in Hobbes’s studio pieces are the religious elements.

When asked about these, Hobbes said that she is interested in how the way an image looks evokes certain feelings.

In analyzing the portrait Hobbes made of Chloe, these feelings are contrasted by the visual. For example, in the portrait, Chloe exhibits a clear longing and sadness in her expression.

However, peering into what the image presents, Chloe is holding onto a candle decorated with pony stickers.

This play on the religious and pop culture symbolic figures questions the religious art form for its didactic purposes, deconstructing its power in the contemporary world.

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

’RE HEN YOU W K N I H “I T ’S SON THAT R E P E V I A CREAT OF YOUR T R A P G I B A REALLY AT TUR AL TH A N T S U J LIFE, IT’S ATE WITH E R C O T T YOU WAN O PL E ” OTHER PE

P. 85

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

R O C K Y AVA LO S

P. 86

CHLOE FELLER

Chloe Feller grew up on Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton, The Cramps, and theater in Orange County, which she describes as a “little piece of the South but in Southern California,” a setting that, similar to Hobbes, was an unwelcoming environment. “I wasn’t really able to come to terms with being queer until I got out of there. I remember being really scared about being called a lesbian when I was there… and everyone had an opinion about you.” Though stagnating for her to understanding her own queer identity, Chloe had an active voice in feminism, starting a feminist club in her performing arts high school, OCSA, in Orange County.

Outspoken for justice, her passion to protect others is immediately understood when speaking to her. When her college professors spoke in ways problematic to gender and sexuality (such as defining transexual), she has spoken not only based on her own values, but on behalf of those in her classroom who hadn’t openly identified as trans or queer.

She would stick up for those who were marginalized by her school, exerting effort in making safer spaces, as she is doing now with Red Lighter Films. On describing her vocal personality, Chloe explains it was a process for her: “not speaking up made me really unhappy and I don’t want to be facilitating anything that I think is negative by not speaking and by temporarily making myself uncomfortable when I could have the opportunity to help.”

Her social justice involvement aligns with feminists in her family, notably her mom and paternal grandmother. In the 4th grade, her mother encouraged her to do a famous person’s assignment on Gloria Steinem, a 1960s era feminist.

Also in the 1960s, her grandmother marched in the “Pro” movement, a march to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (Chloe still carries the pin

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

her grandmother wore in the protest, and can be seen on her character in “Revenge of the Flower Gang”).

Chloe considers herself an “intersectional feminist”, striving to be a feminist “...that is constantly evolving and learning about ways that the world could do better for [her]...as a woman and… according to [her] intersectional identities.” She wants to utilize what she is learning in order to understand how she can better herself and prevent contributing “to the greater systems in place that oppress other people.” Thus, regarding whichever “systems” one is a part of, whether in academia, the entertainment industry, or even within family and social circles, identifying oppression is a responsibility everyone can tackle on a personal level.

“ I WA S N ’ T R E A L LY A B L E T O C O M E T O TERMS WITH BEING QUEER UNTIL I GOT OUT OF THERE. I REMEMBER B E I N G R E A L LY S C A R E D A B O U T BEING CALLED A LESBIAN WHEN I WA S T H E R E … A N D E V E R Y O N E H A D A N O P I N I O N A B O U T Y O U.”

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 87

In line with the feminist identity and values, the Venus symbol was the first stick-and-poke tattoo Chloe Feller ever did, and it was for Hobbes.

Chloe describes the symbol as a “universal sign of women… [for those who] identify as feminists or where feminism is a part of their identity.”

Being a tattoo artist is one of the

variety of artistic mediums Chloe works in; she also draws, and aside from being a filmmaker and producer, she primarily considers herself an actress. Acting since a very young age, Chloe is familiar with different teaching curriculums for actors, but is uncomfortable in one redundancy she has heard, regarding weight. Besides her belief that booking an acting gig is based on luck (by looking exactly how the director wants their character to look), she believes the entertainment industry has a weight bias towards favoring thin women. Reminded of her acting teachers in high school, Chloe says, “You have grown adults telling you this stuff too, grown adults telling you, you guys need to be working out, you need to be doing this, you need to be doing that, because you’re not going to get hired, and there’s all this pressure, you’re not going to get hired if you don’t do it x and x way… I’ve realized that this is not true, but when it’s said to you over and over since you were really young, it’s so much more engrained and harder to fight against.” To combat this, Chloe is using the power of representation in Red Lighter Films.

R O C K Y AVA LO S

P. 88

RED LIGHTER FILMS

Being artistic collaborators already, creating Red Lighter Films just expanded Hobbes’ and Chloe’s creative platform — each recognizing their talents as creative individuals, they opened Red Lighter Films to others with their own talents.

Hobbes’ and Chloe’s inspiration for starting Red Lighter Films stemmed from recognizing some form of ingenuity and stagnation in the creative world, by a lack of demographic and artistic expression, and they wanted to present what was missing.

The company embodies the representation, content, and style unseen in today’s film industry, it features characters of such backgrounds as queer, fem, and people of color, not as the ‘token’ character either (which are used as the one form of diversity in an otherwise all-white and cis cast).

As told by Hobbes, Red Lighter Films was made to have “a platform and have a community for films that are otherwise not seen, so a lot of that goes into dealing with marginalized identities, and doing so in a very empathic and nuanced fashion. We really just want to show stories and tell stories that are moving something forward, that are progressive in some certain way- that are intersectional, just humane, which we feel you really do not see often enough and there’s no reason for that.”

FALL 2015

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

Recounting the conversation that led to her and Hobbes deciding they should make Red Lighter Films, Chloe said, “I might as well do what I want versus work a system that I really hate.” This system she refers to stretches broadly from the film industry to acting; Chloe spoke of the expectations of being an actress — staples are set and molds are made to create the perfect actress.

“My original plan was, okay, I’m gonna succeed in the acting world and then do producing from there, little two-step approach, but then I was like, f- that, might as well start doing what I want to do now, instead of trying to work a system that I really, really hate. And I think we’re both just really exhausted by the system too.”

For Hobbes, transitioning from photography to film was a matter of reevaluating her commercial work.

As a freelancer, Hobbes found herself making work in the style of her work, but questioning what she was really doing: “why am I taking pictures on these backgrounds, and what am I saying with this work?”

It was an absolute pleasure speaking to Hobbes and Chloe: hearing their stories, reflecting on being artists, and the power to innovate our surrounding creative systems. Their work is growing, expanding the topics of Red Lighter Films, and one day making features. As creative voices and artists, I am very excited to see what more they have in store for us.

To read more about the short films produced by Red Lighter Films, visit tpmmag.com for blog articles by me, Rocky Avalos.

P. 89

P HOTO I A N H OG U E

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

P. 90

INDEX

ARTIST & FLEAS 647 Mateo Street DTLA Every 3rd Weekend of the Month

JET RAG 825 N La Brea Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046 (323) 939-0528

C A LT R A N S D I S T R I C T 7 HEADQUARTERS 100 S Main St Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 897-3656

L A PUBLIC LIBRARY 630 West 5th St Los Angeles, CA 90071

CHARLES BUKOWSKI’S POST OFFICE 900 N Alameda St Los Angeles, CA 90012 EAMES HOUSE 203 North Chautauqua Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90272

MELROSE TRADING POST 7850 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046 Every Sunday T H E S T E A LT H 3528 Hayden Ave Culver City, CA 90232 T H E T H E AT R E AT A C E H O T E L 929 S Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90015 (213) 623-3233

GETTY CENTER 1200 Getty Center Dr Los Angeles, CA 90049 GEHRY RESIDENCE 1002 22nd Street Santa Monica, CA 90403

WA LT D I S N E Y CONCERT HALL 111 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012

FALL 2015

ADVERTISEMENT

P. 91

ISSUE 02

THE PAPER MIXTAPE

FALL 2015