Festival of The Kite

Image by Sumiko Yamashita 2012

by: Jonathan Taylor

For over forty years Los Angeles has brought local as well as traveling families to its sandy beaches for the annual Festival of the Kite. This event is completely free of charge and will be held at the Redondo Pier on Sunday March 9th 5pm. As this is one of the longest-running kite festivals in Southern California, the Sunshine Kite Company and the Redondo Pier Association are working very hard to make and organize free community events throughout the year such as this one.This is a way to show your kids a great day out having fun in the sun. Not only will there be hundreds of kites flying above spectators heads, there will be contests. What better way to enjoy the day than by adding a little competition? Some of the contests are who can fly the highest kite, the best handmade kite and a new contest, the youngest kite flyer. Another project this year is launching a 25 foot wide kite that the attendees can volunteer to help soar through the air. Seeing a kite that large held down by a string is amazing to see. Even if you’re not into kite flying there is definitely room for you at the festival. Random novelty activities will also be present, such as a hot dog-on-a-stick eating contest, folk rap performances and a yo-yo competition. I don’t know about you but the miscellaneous activities alone make me want to go this year. Live bands, fresh food, a sandy beach, kite flying, and even nice bars for the adults to enjoy a treat all lead to a wonderful fun-filled day.

Redondo Pier
Sunday, March 9th
100 Fisherman’s Wharf Redondo Beach 90277
12pm to 5pm

- Jon Taylor -

App Review: Venmo

The Smartphone's Paypal

It's 2014 and we are still awkwardly fumbling for cash when splitting checks or paying back friends; sometimes it's too tiring to remember a debt after ten separate excuses of, “I haven't been to the bank yet.” In an age when we're doing everything on our phones, isn't it about time to dust our hands of IOU's as well? Now, there's an app that seeks to remedy the hassle of cheques and cash in a social setting. That app is Venmo, and it allows easy transactions via your smartphone with people in your social circles.

Venmo is free to download and use if you link your bank account or a debit card. Credit cards carry a 3% fee if your are making a payment, but you are never charged when you are receiving money. The data is sent over a 256-bit encrypted connection and protected by the FDIC (that's a lot of protection)! Transactions via Venmo are fun, easy and fast with users offered the option to hold money in their Venmo account or “cash out” to their synced banking account.

But there is a catch, Venmo can only be used with other Venmo users, thus you must convince enough friends to download the app to actually use it.  It’s akin to adding friends on Facebook; interaction only works if both of you have one.  That being said, Venmo is a quintessential app for OTIS students: twenty-something year olds scrounging for cash underneath couches and trying to avoid a life as a hermit in the hills. Venmo your utility bills, that food you stole/borrowed from your roommate, and countless other things!

- Sara Ji -

 

Game Review: Flappy Bird

The 28 Day Wonder

Even with its removal from the App Store, Flappy Bird remains a prominent hot topic around the world, perhaps even more so due to its untimely death.  It was part of an amazing phenomenon swirling around simple game mechanics, simple visuals--simple everything--that had millions hooked internationally.

Dong Nguyen, creator of the international hit game, says that he took the game down out of guilt.  Despite allegations that he used bots to propel Flappy Bird into the top charts, Nguyen upholds his innocence in the matter.  In an exclusive interview with Forbes, Nguyen said, “Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed.”  He also maintains that Flappy Bird’s death was not the result of any legal disputes and explains that his conscience was taking hits.  “...It happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem.  To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird.  It’s gone forever.”

Perhaps it was with a hint of masochism that so many people were playing--and enjoying--Flappy Bird.  I’d managed to avoid this little game until just a week ago, only a few days before it was taken down from the App Store and Google Play.  I learned a few things very quickly when I began playing:

1. Your existence is short and miniscule and you will die.  You can and will die in the first second of Flappy Bird.  You will die when your bird even just barely grazes the Mario-esque pipes.  You will die if the character nosedives into the ground.  You will die even when you think you won’t.  

To avoid dying, which is the whole point of the game (unless you like watching the protagonist repeatedly slam beak-first into the ground), you must tap the screen to ‘flap’ the bird’s wings, hence its name.  The objective is to weave in and out of the gaps left between pipes appearing from the right of the screen’s Y-axis, with each successful dodge counting as a point in your favor.

2. You will come to hate the game as much as you love it.  You will consider throwing your phone against a wall, but ultimately click the ‘start’ button and resume the cycle of trying to beat your high score, however low it is.

3. You will begin to hate

this

face.

It’s a good game, truly.  Simple, addictive, and life-ruining.  Too bad it’s gone from the stores, but, hey, if you have $100k to spare, why not buy yourself a used phone preloaded with Flappy Bird from eBay?

- Sara Ji -

A Few Memories of Shirley...

“My mom had me in curls because of Shirley! All 56 curls!”

“I love that she kept such a level head. No Lindsay Lohan meltdowns.”

“I can still hear the Lollipop song in my head!”

“When my parents had a cocktail before dinner, I had a Shirley Temple."

“I remember putting animal crackers in my soup…but it didn’t taste very good.”

“My grandma had a Shirley Temple doll I used to take a bath with.”

Shirley Temple
(April 23, 1928 - February 10, 2014)

Thank you for making generations of us smile. You will be remembered.

- Eden, Ming & Sharon -

The Creative Economy Breakdown

Since 2007 Otis has produced an annual presentation and report on the state of the economy in regards to creativity in the job market. A selection of very large companies attend these presentations including Nike, Mattel, Apple, YouTube, etc.

Los Angeles is home to more people working in the creative industries than any other city in the United States and the world. In recognition of this, the goal of the Otis Report on the Creative Economy is about convincing LA (and all of California as of this year) to promote and discuss ways in which to preserve, maintain and nurture this. 

An underlying reason for this gathering may also be to encourage companies to hire Otis College of Art and Design students. Hopefully when these companies leave the meeting, they will have Otis stamped in their brains and I’m sure that they will remember the school when graduates send in their applications.

It felt amazing being a part of something that people dream about. Okay, okay, people may not dream about attending an annual presentation by Otis, but the people that are attending this are the people students dream of working for someday. Thinking of this as a professional preview of what meetings and important gatherings will be like was a great experience. 

We as students are constantly told not to check emails and text messages during meetings. With these guys it’s another ball game. I did see many doing this, but it may be slightly more acceptable for them as professionals with real money and jobs on the line (although no less rude). Nonetheless, it was a privilege to attend this gathering and to see hard-working creative professionals in action.

During the event I heard Otis mentioned many times. The following Thursday I asked Laura Kiralla, the Dean of Student Affairs, if she thought this event actually had an underlying agenda to encourage companies to hire Otis students,or if she thought it was strictly about the report. In her opinion Otis is informing the elite of elite. In a sense these companies are gaining knowledge from Otis and learning how important our students are in the community, which in fact does leave a big ‘O’ stamped in these potential employers heads. I also asked what she thought was the overall goal of the event. She replied, “a chance for Otis to claim space in LA as a creative engine." This is a great way of saying LA is thriving with art and culture and what better way to help it thrive than to bring Otis into the equation.

Many fascinating ideas were discussed on how to get the city unified more unified in a creative way. One ideas was to brand LA itself. There was a suggestion of creating a standardized logo and monogram of LA with customizable text that would correspond to an LA event or neighborhood. In a way this would unify LA as one creative force that is unstoppable and with a bit of hometown roots in each logo.

This event provided artists/designers/students with some important information: the amount of money certain creative careers make and how the economy is affecting them and is affected by them. 

The reason students may not have heard about this event is because it’s not really for students. It is for creative professionals and is presented in a professional environment for professional people. These are the ones that are hiring and leading the worldwide industries. 

Just soaking up the atmosphere gave me a glimpse into what my future in the job market could be.

- Jonathan T. -

Art & Drugs?

Honest thoughts and questions of a design student on the drug use and abuse in the creative field.

On the morning of Sunday, February 2nd, I woke up to sorrowful news: The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman had been found dead in his New York apartment. First, I couldn’t believe that this amazing, talented, Oscar-winning actor’s life really came to an end after only 46 years. I was sure it was just a hoax until I read the cause of death: heroin overdose. Another brilliant mind and creative genius lost to that relentless devil.

As sad as this loss to the creative world made me, I wasn’t necessarily feeling shocked or surprised. This is when I realized that I had gotten used to the death of actors, singers and other great artists due to drug abuse; Corey Monteith, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland – all gone before their time. The list seems endless.

Growing up in Germany, this world of fame was always far away; No international star shopping at the same Wholefoods or eating at the same restaurant. Of course, drugs of all kind find their customers in Germany as well, but I remember growing up with the general assumption that even weed would doom you to a life of failure.

But moving to LA has changed things for me: I live at the heart of show biz now, and Marihuana is consumed openly on the street. In fact, I can smell my neighbor smoking some right now. 

LA, what an inspiring place! I can feel the city pulsate, creativity running through her veins. This is why I moved here, to be part of this creative world, find a creative community – Otis. When I came here about a year ago, I accepted the frequent and very casual drug consumption of people of all ages here as a cultural difference I would have to get used to. Back then, I was more concerned with wrapping my head around it and dismissing prejudice. Trying not to question this new culture, I did my best to fit in without losing myself. To live and let live.

A year ago, I would have dismissed Hoffman’s tragic death after a few days just like everyone else. But I am not the international student who’s just trying to fit in anymore; In the past year, I learned that as an artist and designer I must ask questions others don’t bother thinking of, make connections and break down problems others would much rather avoid. I grew part of this community and I am now slowly beginning to understand what it can mean.

Hoffman’s Heroin overdose came to me like a wake-up call. It made me realize that I can’t just accept drug abuse in the creative field anymore, because I am now part of it. The profession that I – no, we all here at Otis – strive for can offer similar conditions and circumstances. We may all be tempted, challenged and tortured by the same monster – for all I know, too many of us already are.

I have aborted my passive approach of acceptance and ignorance; Instead, I decided to ask questions –loudly and openly. This is my attempt to start a dialog about something we are all affected and surrounded by. This is the first of a series of articles where I will examine the drug culture in the creative field and how it relates to Otis.

It’s important to talk about the possible reasons, misperceptions, reactions and cultural expectations behind the use of drugs. It is on us to decide whether we control these factors or let them control us.

–S.K.–

Happy New Year!

Preparing dumplings

Last Thursday, theChinese and Korean community welcomed another new year. Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. It is now the Year of the Wooden Horse! 

Chinese and Koreans have historically used animals to mark each New Year. There are twelve of them: rat, oz, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. There are many fairy tales that provide an explanation for the history of the twelve zodiac signs. One traditional story states that Buddha needed twelve guards to protect his palace. He held a race for the positions and the first twelve to arrive at his palace became not only his guards but also members of the zodiac.

In addition to 12 animals, each animal is one of 5 types of qualities of fire, earth, metal, water and wood. According to the “Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes," wooden horses are thought to be the most sensible of the five types of horses. WoodenhHorses are considered to be less impatient, more organized and self-disciplined in comparison to their brothers. They have bright personalities and are known to be good conversationalists who are active in social settings. They are also strong-willed, self-centered, and stubborn.

Although Korea and China have very similar history and culture, they have different ways of celebrating the New Year. In China, we call the Lunar New Year the Spring Festival. Every year on this day, Chinese families gather together and have a sumptuous dinner, “Nianyefan," which means “New Year night dinner." Dumplings play the leading role in Nianyefan. The Chinese usually put a couple of coins into the dumplings. Those who eat the dumplingswith coins will receive better luck that year. This tradition originated from a story about a monster, named “Xi”, who was scared of the color red, and was defeated on the day of the Spring Festival. That is why the Spring Festival in Chinese translates to “ChuXi”, which means killing the monster “Xi." This is also why Chinese write lucky words and wishes on red paper and hang them outside to bring good luck. And for the finale, they set off fireworks as part of the celebration and to drive away bad luck.

 

The Korean New Year is the first day of the Korean Lunar calendar. This day the most significant family holiday. Everyone visits their hometown and gather with families. Koreans dress up in colorful traditional clothing called hanbokto show their respect. All the ladies in the family prepare traditional food like Tteokguk, soup with sliced rice cakes and dumplings. Everyone eats and gains a year. So, Korean New Year is not only the beginning of a year but everyone's birthday! After a big feast with family, people perform sebae. Children wish their elders like their grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles a Happy New Year by performing a traditional bow while chanting, “Please receive lots of luck in the New Year”. Then the elders reward the young ones by giving them money. 

Tteokguk, Korean rice cake soup

Even though Chinese and Korean celebrate the Lunar New Year in different ways, both cultures consider this a sacred traditional day of new beginnings. 

- Yimei & Eung Jung _  

CALLING ALL LOVE STORIES!

Valentine's Day is all about love. But a good love story is timeless. Where would we be without Romeo & Juliet or Katniss & Peeta or Kim & Kanye?

So, whether you are happy because you've met your soul mate and you'll never have to troll another meat market or sad because you've lost the only person who'll love you even when you're having a tantrum worthy of a toddler, we are calling for love stories.

In 200 words or less tell us your love story.

Send to

Ozineotis@gmail.com

by Monday, Feb 17th

Subject : Love Story

Include your name, year (if you are a student) and major or department.

Open to Everyone at Otis!

We'll pick TWO. 
One that lifts our hearts 
and 
One that breaks our hearts 
and post it next week. 
Winners will get Otis Swag and bragging rights.

We'll get the pleasure of printing your beautiful stories!

- the folks at Ozine -

Are We Really Doing Plus Size Couture?

Isabel and Ruben Toledo

Join us as we journey through the Otis Fashion Campus and explore the new concept of designing for plus-size models instead of the idealized model.

 

That’s right no more, skinny, everything fits models. This time they must face reality.

Do you remember this yellow outfit worn by Michelle Obama in 2009 during Obama’s inauguration parade?

This outfit was designed by Isabel Toledo, and a group of seniors were fortunate enough to be mentored by her for the senior project. Isabel is a Cuban designer who works along with her husband Ruben Toledo. She is an amazingly creative fashion designer who has inspired other designers and is known as a "designer's designer." She’s recently gave the seniors the task of designing for plus-sized women.

Michelle Obama represents women who have full sized bodies, but can still look confident and elegant. However, can you find a size 12 or higher in stores like Saks Fifth Avenue or Neiman Marcus? The answer is obvious. A resounding No. Full-sized women have problems shopping for clothes. Many of them prefer shopping online, and even then finding a size that fits them is hard.

Join us as we follow these students, through a huge life experience designing for plus-sized women. Hi, I'm Aida and I’m a sophomore in fashion. My partner is Na, a senior in fashion. Here’s a little overview on the project.

Aida: Hi, could you explain what the project you are working on is about? 

Na: Isabel Toledo is a great designer. She has worked with Otis many times. The project is about designing for full-sized women to make them look modern and chic. We took inspirations from cubism and futuristic metropolis and combined it with soft and hard constructions.

Aida: Was this project one of your first choices? Why?

Na: This project is my first choice. I have looked up every Isabel Toledo mentor project. I am really excited to work with her. 

Aida: What was your reaction the first time you heard about using plus-sized models? 

Na: When I first heard about this project I thought they were joking, because I haven’t known Otis to work with plus-size models before. When I got back home and started researching, I found out a lot of information on Isabel being interested in the plus-size market. After that, I realized it wasn't a joke. 

Aida: Why is it hard for you guys to work with plus-sized models?

Na: It is our first time designing for plus size model, and we need to make the garments in 6 weeks for the fashion show. Full size women have a variety of body shapes. Even though women are the same size 12, different parts of their body can differ by up to 5 inches. Unlike the slim models, designing for plus-sized models have limitations in terms of fabric choices, garment constructions, color choices and etc.

Fig. 1

Aida: You said that there are limitations, can you give me an example? 

Na: Dark, grey colors make them look slimmer. We need to limit the design for their full areas. If their shoulders are wider, we can’t make them wider. Full sized women always look shorter, so working for their proportion is really hard. We really have to control their proportion to make them look taller and slimmer.   

Aida: What parts of this project do you like and don’t like so far? 

Na: Working in this project wasn't like working in the other. I was really excited to work in this project at the beginning, because my parents are going to come to the fashion show for my graduation. My mom gained 30 pounds, after giving birth to me and my brother. It is really hard to find pretty clothes that can fit her. I hope to design something that can make her look modern and pretty. 

At this point Na gave out a huge sigh and put her hands on her face saying how their project wasn’t going as planned.

Aida: Why isn’t everything going as planned? 

Na: We are having a hard time grasping the idea of the plus sized model, but we are working hard to make it work.

Aida: So what’s next for the seniors? 

Na: We are going to have a Skype interview with Isabel Toledo and she will choose a design that we will start creating. I wish it turns out well, ha ha. 

Aida: Okay well keep updating everyone on the project. That’s it for this installment and you'll hear from us next week!

Sources

Fig 1. http://msdianekennedy.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/plus-size-proportions-a-four-part-series-on-dressing-for-your-body-shape/

- Aida & Na -

Single on Valentine's Day?

As art and design students, we are taught to walk around with our eyes open. At Otis, there is always a lot to observe: art in progress, interesting people, different languages and much more.

But let me be honest with you guys: all I see on campus are couples everywhere! And of course, all of them are just so happy.

As one might guess, I am single. Most of the time, I don’t really care about my or anybody's relationship status, so I started to wonder what triggered my sudden awareness of couples in my surroundings. I was already fighting myself trying to accept my ticking biological clock when my last excursion to Target showed me the answer: Yes, it is that time of year; Red and pink hearts and other symbols of cuteness for sale everywhere. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!

For one day a year, we must all be good to the one significant other in our life and show our appreciation in 

buying: 

1.  Anything pink, or red, or heart-shaped
2.  Flowers, preferably overpriced roses
3.  Stuffed animals that are as dazzlingly cute as our loved one
4.  Chocolates or anything chocolate-covered (preferably heart-shaped)

You know what, scratch that list: to sum it up, anything that helps the businesses make loads of money. 

Instead of four seasons, we should have six: Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Since we don’t have much of a variation in the weather in Southern California, at least we'll get a sense of change through the merchandise in the stores. 

While all other “seasons” don’t necessarily bother me, Valentine season seems completely pointless to me. Why do happy lovers need one particular day to remind each other of their love and appreciation for one another? Valentine’s Day – or rather the vast economy profiting from it – misleads us into measuring our partner’s dedication by purchasing goods. And here we are every February 14th, giving away cards saying “You are all I need,” oblivious to the capitalistic trick that has been played on us. What a wonderful day of love and hypocrisy!

On the other hand, there is the rest of us and certainly the majority of people I know: the singles. For them, Valentine’s Day is nothing more but Single Awareness Day. Do we really need a day to make us feel bad that for some reason we are single this time around? Again? Should we believe all the cards and illustrations telling us that only a couple is worth a day of celebration? I say no, we shouldn’t. 

Even though I generally think Valentine’s Day is the most unnecessary of all “holidays,” I have a suggestion this year. No matter if you are part of a couple or single, take February 14th to remember yourself as the most important person in your life. Let’s take the 14th to celebrate ourselves and love ourselves for our decisions and achievements. Forget Valentine's Day, let's make it Single Awareness Day! And to all of you who can only think of Single Awareness Day as the darkest day of all, remember all the other 364 days of the year, you don’t count on cards or candy to make you feel good about yourself either.

So, here's to Happy Single Awareness Day!

- S.K. -

Sisters Before Misters : A Crit of Frozen

Disney has been criticized in the past for their extremely conservative and traditional values. Values that say woman are reliant on men for their identity and romantic love is something that one must "fall into." However, recently Disney has taken a turn for the better with the addition of a new princess film, the Academy Award nominated Frozen.

Before Frozen came out, I found one of their promotional poster ridiculous and misleading. The male and female characters were neatly paired up with a comic character in between them. Although the setting was an unusual harsh Icelandic winter, I assumed the plot had remained the same. The usual artificial romance. So, I was surprised that it wasn't. Frozen is first and foremost a tale of two sisters. Elsa and Anna tragically drift apart and eventually come to each others rescue.

Here a young lady did not need a man to save her life and I found that exciting. I wondered what others thought about this story, so I scoured the halls of Otis to find out. Josh Inpina, 20, said, "Frozen was a major step forward for Disney as far as story and characters go, in my opinion. It's the first of the princess films that doesn't focus on a romance but more on a sibling relationship. Disney decided to show that the love of family is just as powerful. It was perfect. Not only that, but they went for much more realistic characters and personalities."

Frozen's Internet Movie Database (IMDB) comment section reveals that audiences were shocked one of the main characters, Elsa, lacked a male companion. I wondered if anyone else agreed. Katrina Louie, 20, commented, "No. I think that's just what society wants. I see no problem with Elsa being single. There are women in society who are single and are doing well independently. I think if Elsa had a male companion it would weaken Frozen."

The film also presents a character that is not the usual Disney princess who falls head over heels in love instantly. Maya Jiminez, 20, had this to say, "People today get into serious commitments with people without really knowing who they are [getting into a relationship with]. They rush into marriages and relationships based on what they think is true love. I think Disney movies in a way reinforce this infatuation with love and it causes young girls to become obsessed with it. One of the major messages [of Frozen] was don't rush into relationships until you know [the other person] because they may not be the prince charming you thought they were. I think this message is so good for young people."

I felt the plot of Frozen was amazing. But there are still some people who love the older princess story lines, like Katherine Sullivan. “Although I did enjoy the film Frozen, I don't think it is so terrible to write about love in, what many believe to be, an ‘unrealistic' way. I find comfort in the prospect of randomly meeting someone who ‘completes me' and when I watch a film I want to see that fantasy sometimes. I think the real world is an irregular place where anything is possible, even true love. I have heard plenty of real stories about people falling in love fast and they claim it works out in the end. However, my belief in instant chemistry does not completely encourage me to jump into relationships at a moment's notice but I can see how it might for others. I think Frozen serves as a good PSA for women who are potentially endangering themselves in such situations. As for the "women need to be saved by men" portion, I feel lucky to say that I have never believed that. However, it's not unrealistic to believe that everyone is in need of saving sometimes which Frozen skillfully acknowledges whilst still maintaining the strength of its female characters. I agree with Jonathan that Frozen's storyline is refreshing, and I'm excited to see what Disney will do next, but I'll always have admiration for windswept romance.”

I highly recommend Frozen. It is completely fine even if you like the older princess plots like Katherine. Frozen is spectacular and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

- Jonathan -