Gallery Review : Binding Desire

The current show at the Ben Maltz Gallery is called Binding Desire. When I first saw an advertisement for the show, it said “Unfolding Artist Books” and my first impression was:  “Oh? So is it just art books?”  However, when I entered the gallery space I realized I was wrong, they weren’t just books, they were pieces of art that were uniquely designed.

There were accordion books, flag books, pop-up books and much more. Many of these art pieces surprised me. For the first time it wasn’t just a regular gallery with paintings on a canvas.  Instead, they were printed on paper and formed into new shapes.

This particular piece by Arnaldo Pomodro interested me. What was it that he was trying to say? The artwork had me stumped, so I did some investigating.  The slotted cards are made out of mirrored paper that feature photographs and text.  In the photographs, the artist’s previous sculptures are depicted, giving us a general idea of what he specialized in.

As I continued on through the gallery, I noticed they also featured current student's book binding work as well. I never knew that current students were allowed to enter their work in the gallery at the school. I think it is great that Otis shows how much the value of student's work in this way. Through this exhibit, Otis also shows how it values its faculty.

***

Before spring break Katherine Sullivan had the opportunity to briefly interview the Communication Arts Assistant Chair, Barbara Maloutas. She presently has her work featured in the show.  

Where are you from? 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Going into The Philadelphia College of Art, did you know what you wanted to major in?

Yes ,I knew I wanted to major in Graphic Design because I was involved in creating a publication there.

How was attending an art college during that time different than how it is now?

Because I went to art school with a lot of Liberal Arts credits, I had a lot of opportunities to take strange classes like jewelry making. I could have even taken glass blowing. I think I had more opportunities to do craft work.

Is it true that you previously taught at Otis?

Yeah, I was hired right off of Fairfax Avenue in 1988 by Ave Pildas. I was just walking with my family when that happened. I didn’t even expect to see him there.

While getting your Master’s Degree at the General Arts And Trades School (Allgemeine Kunstgewerbeschule) in Basel, Switzerland, you started to write, and while working at Otis you started to write poetry, in between that time did you know you wanted to start designing books?

I knew I wanted to design work that had to do with communication and words. Not just images. So, yes, I knew.

What inspired you to design your own books? 
There used to be a guy who taught here named Stephen Sidelingerand he studied book arts in France which is a little bit different than studying book arts in America. It’s more “art” than it is “design”. Steven taught me how to bind and I used to work with him in his classes so that’s when I started.

What do you mean by “more art than design”?
Steven didn’t care so much about following the constraints of paper, he would just make things work. He would push things to work whereas designers tend to create things that must cater to a bigger audience and follow more rules.

What new directions have you been taking with your work?

Recently, I’ve decided to loosen up the way things look visually. With current writing, you might not know where a poem begins or ends. I’ve realized that the people who are more successful now are very loose with how they make a poetic connection with the white space in front of them. It's not so “look at the words” but “feel the flow”, so I’ve changed a little bit recently, in that way, as the world changes.

Binding Desireends on March 30th so make your way to the gallery before then. You won’t be disappointed!

Review by Jonathan G.

Interview by Katherine S.

MH370 Missing!

The investigation into the bizarre disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with its 239 missing passengers will go down as a landmark in the history of aviation safety. With all the technological advances of the 21^st century, no one could imagine how a big jet could vanish. With highly computerized flight decks, satellite communications, and 21^st century tracking systems, it seems ridiculous the finalized search of the flight took over two weeks long. The fact it did will raise an endless array of questions the Malaysian government will have to answer to. 

The response from the Malaysian government however, was heartbreaking. Before the public announcement by the Prime Minister, relatives of the victims received a text message from them saying, “We have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived.” I think this tops the worst way on how to break bad news. 

The nonchalant response from Malaysian Airline and the government of Malaysia has garnered great skepticism and complaints from the public and the relatives of the passengers. All week long there have been countless accusations made against the pilot, the captain, and two flight members with stolen passports. The week long teaser, however, ended with a simple, “I’m sorry, your beloved ones did not survive.” The family members are definitely not going to be appeased unless they receive more information and evidence on exactly what has happened. Especially since we have as of yet no physical evidence of the plane's fate.

So what happens now? I think this event has increased the public’s ire and has shown the incompetence of the Malaysian government. This event has yet to reach an ending, in fact, according to the NY Times, the families of the passengers have presented, "a Malaysian diplomat with a scathing statement saying...(they) would regard Malaysian leaders and the state-controlled operator of the flight, Malaysia Airlines, to be “murderers” if it emerged that missteps had led to the deaths of their loved ones."

- Emily & Stephanie -

Life @ Otis

In no particular order...

1. Elevators

If you are an Otis student you have definitely experienced the chaos of the school elevators. Yes, they may be less strenuous than taking the stairs, but the things that we have to put up with for taking the elevators makes it less and less appealing (but we do anyway because, let's be real, who's going to walk up seven floors?). Annoyances include: the line out the door in the mornings, the line at the end of class, feeling like a sardine crammed in a can full of other sweaty art students, foundation students and their portfolio bags trying to fit in when it's already cramped, trying to get to your class on time but having to stop at everyone else's floor first, people who take the elevator to go down one floor, etc. 

2. Complaints from Non-Art Students

Nothing is more annoying than sitting through your 3-6 hour LAS/studio classes and getting a text from your friend complaining about how boring their 55 min class is.

3. Ospace

This probably doesn't need too much explaining. Does anybody remember trying to figure out Ospace foundation year? It was like trying to cut a steak with a spoon or trying to tie your shoes with gloves on. Traversing the endless maze that is Ospace just adds one more stress-filled experience to our already stress-filled Otis live.

4. Cafeteria

“Hmm...what should I get for lunch today? Breakfast burrito? Nah, had that yesterday. Sandwich? I already ate that last night... Chicken wrap? Ehhh... What about the specials? Salmon? No, I had that earlier this week...*sigh* guess I'll just get a chicken wrap.” 

5. No Student Store

New students to Otis may not know, but the lot now being developed at the Playa Del Oro apartments used to be the home of the Graphaids art store. Since their closing around 2 years ago, students have been forced to travel to the next closest art store: Blick (previously Utrecht). However, Blick is still a ways away down the overcrowded Lincoln Blvd (especially for those without cars). How great would it be to have an art supply store on campus? It'd be fantastic. Maybe if we dream hard enough, it'll become a reality one day (probably won't happen until after you graduate though). 

6. Constantly Being Tired

Self-explanatory. Being an Otis student means sacrificing precious, sweet hours of sleep so that you get your work done and don't look like a slacker in class. However, this is kind of counter-productive because it's probably making you fall asleep in class, so you look like a slacker anyway. 

7. The Size of The Student Body

With our whopping student body number of 1153 students, everybody has a vague awareness of who everyone is at Otis. Hell, you might even follow a couple of people on Instagram but never talk to them in real life (or vice versa). This could either blossom into a wonderful new friendship or just add to the awkwardness that you already experience when you walk by that one student in your studio class, but never really talk to. One thing's for sure, whatever happens at or around Otis LITERALLY stays at Otis. And everyone will hear about it there eventually. 

8. The Speed Bumps in the Parking Garage

Let's be real, the speed bumps in the parking garage aren't so much speed bumps as they are miniature mountain ranges that spear the hell out of your tires. It's commonplace to drive wherever possible to avoid these car-wreckers. Hopefully you're not sipping your little Starbucks latte while driving over one of the bumps, otherwise you can say hello to the giant stain on your new shirt. 

9. 2nd Floor Office Referrals

If you have had to deal with any of the offices on the 2nd floor, you might already know what it's like to try and sort out your problems. You start out at one office but then get referred to another because you asked the wrong office about the wrong problem. Once you make it to what you think is the right office, you are referred yet again to another office. The best way to get your problem sorted out is to collect a group of your friends, and ask every office about your problem all at once, that way one of you is bound to be in the right office. 

10. Tension Between Departments

While you may have friends from every department at Otis, departments as a whole definitely talk trash about other departments. These grudges can stem from anything, like the fact that another department may have something that your department doesn't, the way you've seen people from other departments act, the way you've heard people from other departments talk, the way other departments are organized and how yours is not, the way one of your teachers may talk about other departments, etc. Can you say, “school spirit?”

- Ethan -

Bob Marley in Pix

DENNIS MORRIS / BOB MARLEY: GIANT

Opening: March 29th, 2014 | 8-11pm

Known Gallery 
441 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Click here for Known website.

On Saturday March 29th a new exhibit called “Bob Marley: GIANT” will open at the Los Angeles Known Gallery. It will showcase photographs that were taken by Dennis Morris, who is a professional photographer and best known for his photographs of Bob Marley. In this gallery, there will be 28 intimate portraits and live shots of the Reggae artist. Dennis Morris is a British-based photographer who used a camera to create a body of work on extraordinary individuals, such as the Sex Pistols. 

Morris was just a teenager in high school when he met Bob Marley. He was just another kid in line waiting to meet him, but he asked if he could take his photograph, and that was the start of a friendship. Dennis Morris ended up joining Marley and The Wailers on their 1974 tour of Northern England; gathering a trove of photographs that show the band on stage, smoking, playing, laughing, etc. 

So, if you’re the type of person that enjoys Reggae music, or are an admirer of the great Bob Marley, or simply like him because he's cool, then head over to the Known Gallery to see these rare photographs.


                                                                        - Alex S. -

Food On Sawtelle

Everyone loves a good Japanese restaurant and us Otis students are lucky enough to be so close to some of the best Japanese eats in the city. It takes around ten minutes (by car) from the Otis campus to Sawtelle Boulevard. This street offers a variety of different Japanese restaurants with a reasonable price range of ten to fifteen dollars. Here are my favorites on Sawtelle!

CURRY HOUSE

This restaurant offered a variety of Japanese style curry. For those of you unfamiliar with Japanese curry, it is less spicy than Indian curry and less sweet than Thai curry, but just as good. It is served with a choice of breaded meat (or tofu if you are a vegetarian) and eaten with a side of white or brown rice. Customers have the option to make their curry spicy. This restaurant also offers curry udon for those looking for something unique!

Click here for their website.

 TATSU RAMEN

This ramen restaurant is located right across Curry House. The restaurant offers fast service and you are able to order your ramen on ipads located near the entrance of the restaurant. Even though there is usually a line waiting to get a seat, the service is fast. The ramen broth are rich and delicious. There are five different broth flavors offering individual tastes. Try the naked ramen for something truly different. Best part is that they open up until 2 am, so if you are looking for a late night snack, come taste Tatsu ramen!
Click here for their website.

FURAIBO

My favorite on the list goes to Furaibo, a Japanese “tapas” restaurant that offers food like chicken wings, grilled fish and hanpen cheese (grilled breaded cheese). Try the tori soboro, rice with ground chicken and egg yolk on top, along with their chita, a Japanese style grilled chicken that is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The restaurant has a very relaxing and cozy atmosphere so it is the perfect place to eat and chill with friends. Furaibo has a selection of Japanese food that other restaurants do not usually offer and it is definitely something worth trying! 
Click here for Furaibo on Yelp. 

- Sharon B. -

Budget Spring Break

Looking for fun things to do for spring break, but you're on a limited student budget? Don't worry we're here to help you out. This is a selection of fun, interesting - and most importantly - free or affordable activities for each day this spring break:

Saturday, March 15th: Archery Class

If you’re willing to get up early Saturday Morning, get out to Pasadena and take a free archery class. Release your inner Katniss and learn how to use a bow and arrow. It’s a great way to meet new people as well! Every Saturday morning from 8:30-12:00 at the PRA-Range in Pasadena. For more information, click here.

Sunday, March 16th: Fairfax Flea market 

Take a stroll at the flea market at Fairfax High School on Sunday! Here, you can find everything from vintage furniture and clothes to delicious food trucks. Admission is only 2 bucks and parking is free! 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, come early to get the good deals!

Get more info and a little preview here.  

Monday, March 15th: Innocents- Photos by musician and artist Moby

In this show, musician and architecture blogger Moby displays his fascination for underground extremes in the Hollywood hills. The boldly colored, large-scale photographs portray individuals and groups involved in cults and obsessions. All photographs were taken in Los Angeles and are now displayed at the Project Galerie Hollywood. For more details check the gallery's website.

Tuesday: Watch Jimmy Kimmel Live

Have you ever wondered how it must feel to be part of the audience of a TV-show? Go and watch Jimmy Kimmel live on Tuesday March 18th at 4:30 pm. If you cant make it, try Talking Dead on Sunday March 16th at 4:00 pm

Get your free tickets here

Wednesday, March 19th: Free Yoga Class

Always wondered what all this yoga craze is about, or you are a Yogi master and want to have some company? Do yoga for free at the Lunchtime Yoga retreat at 12:15pm at Grand Park’s performance lawn in downtown LA. Bring your own yoga mat! 

Check out their website

Thursday, March 20th: Hammer Museum

Go on a free tour at the Hammer museum on Thursday, March 20th, at 6:45pm with a UCLA student educator. There is free admission for everyone at the Hammer at any time. Check for hours and exhibition details at here.

Friday, March 21st: DvF Exhibition

Are you interested in fashion? Learn about Diane von Fuerstenberg’s journey of designing her famous wrap dresses at LACMA. Admission is free for all. Closed on Wednesdays.

Read more about this exhibition here.

Saturday, March 22nd: Holi Festival

Love colors? Grab some friends and head over to the Holi Festival by the Beach at Pacific Palisades. Dance to Bollywood tunes and celebrate colors according to the Indian tradition by throwing color powder in the air! 

Get your tickets here.

Sunday, March 23d: Little Tokyo 

To bring your spring break to a nice end, use Sunday to go to Little Tokyo. On Sundays, Little Tokyo is packed with people of many different cultures and special characters. Everything is in walking distance, so start at the Little Tokyo Galleria and work you way through the masses towards MOCA. When you get ready for a break, go to the Pie Hole and try one of their deliciously exotic pies. 

Check out the website for more information on the area.

- Phil, Sharon & Si Eun -

Twitch Plays Pokemon : The Uniting ‘We’

In the past month it's been almost impossible to avoid news of the internet's newest craze.  Unless you've been camping out under a virtual rock, you've probably heard about (and gotten tired of hearing about) Twitch Plays Pokemon, a live stream and "social experiment" on Twitch.tv.  It has become a monumental success almost overnight and has gained the attention of multiple media outlets.  So what was so amazing about an internet fad that it made the news?

For the unfamiliar, Twitch Plays Pokemon, or TPP as it will be referred to from here on, is a crowdsourced attempt to play emulated versions of Pokemon games, first Red and now Crystal, via the channel's chatroom which parses commands into movements on screen.  For example, you type "left", the player-character (Red the Pokemon trainer) heads left; you type "right", he goes right, and so forth. Sounds simple, right?  Well, it is, until you have over 100,000 people playing.  Simultaneously.

With TPP’s unusual level of interactivity, once simple elements of gameplay have been made into back-breaking hurdles.  Not only was there the difficulty of getting a command recognized and for that command to be effective, there’s also a 10 second delay between inputting it and when the game recognizes it.  The chaos that bloomed from having tens of thousands of people playing a single game at once served as entertainment and also propelled it to internet fame.  As expected of something that requires teamwork, there are often people who work not to propel Red to his goals, but to hinder any and all progress.

After facing major difficulties during a particularly harrowing section of the game, a new mechanic was introduced by the anonymous Australian programmer who made TPP.  Users could now switch between “Anarchy”, the default mode in which the game will try to perform every command entered, and “Democracy”, the new mode that enabled the game to try and perform only the most typed commands in the chat for every 10 second period.

On March 1, 2014, TPP did the impossible.  Pokemon Red was completed with no less than 1.16 million participants and 36 million views during the experiment.  This accomplishment not only brought with it a multitude of mythology and narrative from the TPP world, but also served as an inspiration to many and a renewed faith in humanity.  TPP’s essence was that it was a simple game with simple mechanics and a simple path, but it was troubled and impeded at every turn by contradicting, irrational forces.

Many people have equated this with life, for what is life but simplicity made into chaos by things out of our control?  If TPP could achieve victory in Pokemon Red, overcoming adversity as a group, then we all have a chance of being successful in life.


- Sarah Ji-

Student Profile : Arthur Aleksander

Sometimes students forget Otis has another campus away from its main grounds, making it hard for students from the fashion department to interact with others. What happens on the fashion campus usually remains an enigma to the rest of the Otis community; we're here to pull back part of that veil.

The most valuable experiences that are available to the fashion students are collaborations with a designer from the industry. Juniors and seniors have two projects every year where they work with designers to create a garment that will appear in the fashion show at the end of the year. For every project, students need to be receptive to the instruction of the designers and work in tandem with them. Every student in the team comes up with mini collections from which the designer will choose one or two pieces to showcase. The students work on the outfits in studio, and the designer come twice to check on the process and critique the designs in terms of the fabric, details, garment construction and any other aspect that will help make the garment better. This process is called 'fitting'.

If you have been keeping up with us (Aida and Na) then you would remember that we previously followed students working on the Isabel Toledo Project. This week we wanted to introduce you to another creative project that the seniors are working on.

The mentor for this project is Todd Oldham, a designer who isn't exclusive to fashion. His field of expertise varies dramatically, and he has worked in product design, graphic design, motion pictures, and interior design. His Renaissance-man skill set as well as his fun personality have made him a student favorite. Oldham is also a designer that is against using animal skins and fur; instead, he likes to use recycled materials, and is good with handicrafts.

One of the seniors who is on this team is Arthur Aleksander, one of the best students in the department. Aleksander has a passion for fashion, and is viewed as a good example for underclassmen who are interested in fashion. We were given the honor of interviewing him and getting a look at his latest design.

Now let’s get to know a little about Arthur and his view on the project.

Na: What is your inspiration for the Todd Oldham project?

Arthur: My inspiration for the Todd Oldham project is drawn from the Native Americans. My dress in particular is driven by the imagery of the raven from mythology, except instead of making the dress black, I opted gray. I wanted it to feel lighter.

Na: What do you find difficult in design?

Arthur: Fabrication. I find it to be difficult because it takes a lot of time to figure out what fabrics and colors go well together.

Na: You did a really good job with your garment, it looks gorgeous. Could you tell us a little bit about your life as an Otis fashion student?

Arthur: Being a fashion student is really intense! It’s a lot of fun but also a lot of stress. I love trying to find creative solutions to various problems in design. There’s so much work that needs to be done every day, and so many deadlines to meet, but I know it’s all going to be worth it because the curriculum here is preparing me for the fashion industry.

Na: Every designer has their own working style. What’s your style?

Arthur: I like to work in my own studio space, away from other people and distractions. It’s not that I don’t like working with other people, it’s just that I’m more productive that way. Sometimes I’ll have music playing if I need to get myself into a particular mood, and other times I’ll work in silence if I need complete concentration. I’m always on the lookout for design ideas, analyzing everything I see. I’m almost always looking at clothes whether it’s on a person next to me or in a magazine. And I always keep my sketchbook with me because I never know when I’ll have an idea pop up!

Na: Thank you for sharing your experience with us and the readers.

Aida: As a sophomore in fashion this is valuable information because many of us are in the dark about how the mentor project works. What also amazes us are how the illustrations come out so beautiful and resemble the garment. Here is Arthur’s garment in motion. Thank you to all the readers for keeping up with us. If there is anything in particular you would like us to talk about please leave us a comment.

- Na & Aida -