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VOLUME 115, ISSUE 1 | JUNE 5. 2019
nasher meets ruby A new green space will visually connect the arts buildings, page 3
did someone say ‘camp’? The Met’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion” exhibit honors the excessive, page 11
story+ reimagines the archives Duke students use archival research as a storytelling venture, page 4
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recess editors How’s your summer going? Nina Wilder................................camp Will Atkinson.............smith warehouse Miranda Gershoni.................... appley Selena Qian............................ storyful Sarah Derris............... i’m walkin’ here Eva Hong....................RIP black widow Alizeh Sheikh................... teen movies Sydny Long................... a bar in space Jack Rubenstein............... florida man Kerry Rork.................. shower murders
on the cover: Billy Porter at the Met Gala. Design by Nina Wilder.
recess I find myself in solitude most days. Not alone, but turned inward rather than outward, not seeking conversation or companionship, just existing by myself. Part of it is a reaction to the summerinduced diaspora that has driven my friends and family miles away from me; part of it is the desire to preserve some energy to make the day-to-day demands of living independently less exhausting. Inevitably, my solitude drives me toward a movie theater. Last semester, I had only been in New York City for one full day before I went to the Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Brooklyn, where I caught a screening of “Pretty in Pink.” It was the eve of my 20th birthday, and I knew I wouldn’t be celebrating it with anyone whom I cared deeply about, and I’d suddenly become overwhelmed with sadness and loneliness. So I went to the movies. Movie theaters have always been deeply therapeutic for me. It’s not about film as a medium, per se — that’s a different conversation altogether — but the establishments themselves, the idea that whenever I walk into a cinema, I’m connecting to a cultural practice that’s been shared for well over 100 years. And, across different venues and cities, I can expect a relatively unvarying process and experience. It’s a way to immediately ground myself in the familiar no matter where I am. So I suppose it’s my version of going to church. I methodically pick a seat that centers me exactly within the auditorium, the best vantage point to view the screen. I tuck my phone away, because even if it turns out to be the worst movie I’ve ever seen, I would never text in a theater. And when the lights veer into darkness and the projector’s bulb flicks on, catching dust in its beam of illumination, I fall
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silent, like a pastor has opened his Bible, and I hold my breath in anticipation of bearing witness to something beautiful and spiritual and godlike. Nothing holds more importance in a cinema than a film, certainly not the patron nor his concerns or woes; quite literally, everything else surrenders to the shadows. In the darkness, film works its magic, and you begin to understand why Plato’s subjects stayed in the cave — although projections on a wall are supposed to be mere replications of reality, once you stumble out of the theater and into the light, you find that nothing is quite as in
staff note focus or immediate as the images you saw onscreen. And if you’re watching one of the greats — Kurosawa or Fellini or Hitchcock — the sheer detail of a film’s composition floors you, and you quickly realize that you never want to watch a movie on your iPhone again. It’s indisputable that the technological era has given us every reason to avoid movie theaters, or perhaps even view them as nearing obsoletion. Movies are no longer restricted to cinemas and televisions since the rise of the screen era, and some filmmakers don’t even shoot movies with big screens in mind anymore, given the understanding that their film will most likely be watched on a 13-inch laptop.
And, sadly, we have less time in our day for indulging in movie theaters, with our bloated 40-hour work weeks and hourlong commutes, and phones are easy to pull out on the train or bus. Plus, I get it, movie theaters can be shitty. Old, torn fabric seats and overpriced popcorn, couples making out in the back row, someone chewing with their mouth open, sticky floors and loud whisperers — they suck. And yet, we still flock to stadiums to watch football games and arenas to see bands perform, in spite of the fact that watching the game at home or streaming an album are far more economical, convenient, and superior in quality. Of course, we all know why we do those things — to experience what we love with other people who love it too, to view art in a communal setting, to feel a little less alone. (I’d also like to point out that all of these places — stadiums, arenas, movie theaters — have been targeted by violent men with guns or bombs. Remaining in public is an act of resilience.) Perhaps most importantly, movie theaters are one of the only tangible things we have left with regard to movies. Film lost its body when celluloid was rejected for digital cameras, and DVDs are slowly slipping into extinction with the rise of online streaming. Cinemas are spaces in which film is treated as a medium deserving of full, undivided attention, where everyone collectively agrees to reserve two uninterrupted hours of their day to participate in a communal filmwatching experience. And, most certainly, no one cares if you’re alone in a movie theater, because when the lights dim and the projector flicks on, “me” and “you” fade into a movie and its audience, a pastor and his congregation, preaching its sermon to an enraptured crowd.
JOIN US FALL 2019! Looking for a freshman (89S) seminar class? COMPOSERS OF INFLUENCE (MUS 89S-01) ALP, CCI MAKING MUSIC TODAY (MUS 89S-02) ALP MUSIC PIGEONHOLING & PREJUDICE (MUS 89S-03) ALP, EI, W MUSIC OF THE BLOCKBUSTER (MUS 89S-04) ALP, CZ, W
Broaden your knowledge WORLD MUSIC (MUS 130-01) ALP, CCI, CZ MUSIC AND CRITICISM (MUS 190S-02) ALP US MODERN FEMALE COMPOSERS (MUS 190S-03) ALP, CCI, CZ, W
Engage more deeply INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY (MUS 161) ALP MUSIC THEORY I (MUS 261) ALP MUSIC THEORY III (MUS 461) ALP
more at music.duke.edu
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 | 3
campus arts
Green space between the Nasher and the Ruby ‘will bring art outdoors’ By Miranda Gershoni Managing Editor
When the Nasher Museum of Art opened in 2005, its founders envisioned an outdoor space to accompany the art within its walls. In a $1.5 million project scheduled to inaugurate next fall, this vision will finally come to fruition, with an outdoor space and sculpture garden connecting the Nasher and the Rubenstein Arts Center. “We hope this project makes the arts more accessible for all (both for the Duke community and those passing through), that it will offer an exciting space for Duke programming and events, and that it will bring people together within the Arts District, an area of campus that is changing rapidly and has a lot to offer,” Molly Boarati, assistant curator at the Nasher wrote in an email. The Duke Arts District spans across Campus Drive from the Duke Gardens to the Center for Documentary Studies. While the District offers many opportunities for students to get involved artistically, these endeavors are somewhat disparate from one another. The outdoor space connecting the Nasher and the Ruby hopes to create a greater feeling of cohesion in the Arts District. “This green arts space will bring art
outdoors, and will also offer a unique venue for performances,” Arts Communications Specialist Katy Clune said. The outdoor space will officially open September 28, featuring performance art by Israeli-born artist Naama Tsabar and local musicians. The Duke Dance Program will also host an after-party following the performance. “When the Rubenstein Arts Center opened in early February 2018, and then the faculty house between the Nasher and the Ruby was torn down in August last year, the opportunity arose to create a new green space and expand the conversation surrounding what the Duke Arts District could be like in the future,” Boarati said. Connecting the Nasher and the Ruby will not only create a visually cohesive arts space, but it will help mark a cultural shift in the Duke community towards a greater appreciation of the arts. Rather than merely providing a space for artsinclined students to practice their craft, an Arts District that is more integrated into the fabric of the Duke student’s routine could encourage more holistic learning and diverse community-building. “Making art a part of everyday life in this way will not only offer a bit of beauty and reprieve, but I think it will also draw people in to discover what Duke offers in its many galleries,” Clune wrote in an email.
Courtesy of Duke Today Graphically rendered to the right is the planned outdoor space and sculpture garden, which will be home to various events and visually connect the Nasher Museum of Art and Rubenstein Arts Center.
THE RUBENSTEIN ARTS CENTER IS DUKE’S NEW HUB FOR THE ARTS. Laser cut a gift for a friend, listen to student-run WXDU, study in the Ruby Lounge and more.
LOOKING FOR A CAMPUS JOB? Duke Arts is hiring! Apply to be on the Creative Arts Student Teams today. Visit arts.duke.edu to find your creative community at Duke!
artscenter.duke.edu follow @dukearts
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campus arts
FHI’s Story+ program uses archival research to rethink storytelling By Selena Qian Design Editor
On May 16, Duke students in the Story+ program began their two-day bootcamp to train in various humanities research methods. Unlike the typical image of a researcher in a lab, hovering over an experiment, the six-week Story+ program focuses on methods such as archival research, visual and audio content analysis and oral histories, along with an output that tells a story to connect to a wider audience. This year, the program — which is born out of the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute as well as Bass Connections — consists of 10 different project teams that each explore a different topic. For instance, according to the Story+ project summaries, the “#MyVoiceMyBody” project aims to dive into the history of female preachers at Duke Chapel through the years, while the project titled “The Other Side of Hungry River” plans to use “the honesty and irreverence of art to find new insight into the history and culture surrounding the treatment of mental illness in the southern United States.” Another project, “23 and We,” will look into genetic ancestry testing advertisements to understand the context and consequences of the choices made in those types of ads. Adam Hollowell, one of the project team leaders and senior research associate at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, said this project is particularly interdisciplinary, making use not only of his background in ethics but also the expertise of Keisha Bentley-Edwards, fellow team leader and associate director of research at the Cook Center, in racial socialization and the consequences of stereotypes. The graduate student working on this project, Patricia Bass, also brings experience with visual content analysis to the table. Hollowell said the team is “extremely fortunate” to have Bass on board due to this specialty, as the project will primarily use visual and audio content analysis. Reference archivist Joshua Larkin Rowley is also one of two faculty members heading up a project that will analyze advertisements. However, the project, “Consuming Women, Liberating Women,” will focus not on modern-day advertisements, but on the history of women, feminism and
Nina Wilder | Contributing Graphic Designer One of this year’s Story+ teams is investigating the “relationship between women, feminism, and the advertising industry.”
the advertising industry throughout the 20th century. The project team will use archival research methods and analyze the materials found in the Rubenstein Library to create a website that will aid future researchers as well as bring the stories to the general public. Larkin Rowley wrote in an email that this project also provides an opportunity for student exposure to the archives and primary source research, as this type of project is often the first time that students have that experience. “We’re always looking for a way to deepen undergraduate engagement with our collections and Story+ is ideally suited for that,” Larkin Rowley wrote. That aspect of engagement is particularly important because, as Tracy Jackson, head of the Center of Manuscript Processing in Rubenstein Library and one of the team leaders for the “Teaching Duke History” project said, archival research can be “intimidating” at first but becomes enjoyable once students start diving in. The “Teaching Duke History” project also encourages
1317 W. Pettigrew St., Durham, NC 27705
student engagement with archival material. The project intends to create a syllabus and outline for a house course on Duke history, and arose from a growing demand for information about Duke’s history. The three undergraduate students on the team have already begun to sift through boxes of material, and a theme for the course has emerged. Amanda Lazarus, the graduate student mentor for the project, said the title is still a working title, something like “Student Voices” or “Student Changemakers,” focusing on the stories of Duke students through the years. That focus ties into what Amy McDonald, assistant university archivist and one of the team leaders for this project, called “subverting the archives,” something that the faculty at the University Archives have an interest in. “Archives historically tend to be kind of a top-down enterprise where the people in power are the most carefully and extensively documented,” McDonald said. “We’ve kind See STORY+ on Page 14
STUDENTS FROM EVERY DISCIPLINE TAKE OUR COURSES IN PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO, AUDIO, WRITING, MULTIMEDIA, AND MORE. COME JOIN US. FIND YOUR VOICE. Fall 2019 Center for Documentary Studies Courses with Space Remaining: DOCST 101 Traditions in Documentary Studies DOCST 279S Documentary Poetry DOCST 326 The South in Black and White as well as FOCUS courses Questions? Contact csims@duke.edu
documentarystudies.duke.edu
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 | 5
in retrospect
How Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ transformed the film industry By Kerry Rork Campus Arts Editor
Imagine the date is June 16, 1960 — the premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s newest film, “Psycho.” You are sitting in a crowded theater, filled with bated breath and tense muscles. A shadow approaches Marion Crane’s shower curtain, a barely visible human form with an arm slightly raised. The music builds. The shower curtain is suddenly ripped to the side. The audience hears Crane’s screams as a knife swings down from the ominous figure. And Crane is brutally murdered, the water from the shower still rushing down the drain with her blood. I have often imagined this cinematic moment, an event that permanently transformed and shaped the film industry for generations to come. The possibility for a single film to have such power was fascinating, leading to “Psycho”’s permanent place in my list of favorite movies. Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” was a cinematic masterpiece of the 1960s, telling a story of love and romance blended with shocking horror. The lead actress, Janet Leigh, plays Marion Crane, a young woman attempting to steal $40,000 to pay off her boyfriend’s ex-wife and begin a new life in California. When she gets trapped at Bates Motel, owned by Anthony Perkins’ character, Norman Bates, and his mother, the story takes a terrifying turn. It is up to Crane’s sister and boyfriend to solve the mystery without meeting her same fate. As a genre, horror had existed since the beginning of film, dominated by monstrous creatures of the night and medical experiments gone wrong. Audiences had been captivated with films from the 1922 classic, “Nosferatu,” to James Whale’s “Frankenstein.” Yet Hitchcock provided another source of terror, one more hidden, more disturbing than these demonic beasts. No longer were the monsters physical manifestations of our worst nightmares; they found their home within our minds, barely out of reach and out of sight. This radical departure shocked movie viewers and film critics alike, as Hitchcock cleverly manipulated his audience throughout the film. Not only that, “Psycho” challenged the strict Hays Code placed on films of the time that banned everything from flushing toilets to the depiction of blood. “Psycho” was the new extreme, even if its overtly violent content still does not match today’s standards. Following the shocking murders carried out by the Butcher of Plainfield in the late 1950’s, Ed Gein, the real-world inspiration for “Psycho,” this novel film trope of hidden monsters exhibited shocking parallels to 1960’s society. Henry Adolph Busch Jr. was even inspired by the film, committing similar crimes as “Psycho” depicted until he was executed in 1962. In his book, “The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder,” film critic David Thomson writes, “Most films of the ‘50s are secret ads for the American way of life. ‘Psycho’ is a warning about its lies and limits.” And entering the 1960s, “Psycho” foreshadowed the social upheaval yet to come. No longer were films and media merely seeking to build the false realities of the American identity and promote its conformity, from movies like “Best Years of Our Lives” to shows like “I Love Lucy.” The breakdown of this “lie,” as David Thomson states, is most apparent in “Psycho,” as the real world finally caught up to the film industry. I found myself drawn to this film for both its historical and cultural significance in this early 1960s society and even into today. “Psycho” was my introduction into psychological thrillers, a genre that has long since captivated me. As a lover of Agatha Christie and murder mysteries in general, I found “Psycho” to be a more modern rendition, one in which Christie’s own Poirot and Miss Marple themselves could not guess the ending. The clues and puzzles to solve the mystery required a new kind of analysis, one of the mind, rather than scavenger hunts around the scene of the crime. It keeps the detectives and even the audience themselves guessing until the end of the film, as Hitchcock intended. The monsters Hitchcock depicted in “Psycho” continue to live among us, expressing themselves in often disturbing, haunting ways. This nightmarish possibility inspired films to this day, from “The Girl on the Train” to “Shutter Island.” Modern moviemakers now often attempt to create similarly dramatic endings, in which the audience is left shocked, nearly unable to believe the film’s true ending. Without this momentous contribution to film, who’s to say we wouldn’t still be absorbing the “secret ads” Thomson describes through our TV screens and in our theaters?
Nina Wilder | Contributing Graphic Designer Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) screams in terror as Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) rips open her shower curtain.
Exclusive Neon Glow Party for New Duke Students!
Saturday, August 24, 9 – 11 PM Come get your glow on and be ready to mix and mingle with your classmates at Duke’s renowned art museum for a night of fun, art and socializing. Photo booth, music, dancing, face/arm painting, art activities, free neon swag and dessert. Enjoy an early look at Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now, the first exhibition to chart the development of contemporary Indigenous art in the United States and Canada. Fall exhibitions at the museum will complement the book There, There by Tommy Orange.
nasher.duke.edu Photo above by Megan Mendenhall.
Admission is always free for Duke students.
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6 | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019
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Vampire Weekend makes a satisfying return with ‘Father of the Bride’ By Will Atkinson Managing Editor
It’s been a busy six years for Ezra Koenig. In the time since his band released the criticallyacclaimed “Modern Vampires of the City” in 2013, the frontman has hosted his own radio show on Beats 1, wrote and produced a Netflix anime series, had a child, stumped for Bernie Sanders, nabbed a production credit on Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and seemingly everything in between. The one thing missing? Another Vampire Weekend album, whose progress — as documented in spurts by Koenig since he hinted at the working title “Mitsubishi Macchiato” back in 2016 — lurched from 80 percent to “94.5 percent” and finally to 100 percent over the span of the last three years. Not since Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” has the wait for an album provoked so much anticipation. One has to believe that Koenig feels the pressure, too, and no one could have blamed him for quitting while he was ahead. With the departure of producer and multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij in 2016, who was equally responsible for the sound the band forged through its first three albums, the future of Vampire Weekend, for a time, seemed very much in doubt. Squarely at the reins of the project, it was unclear how Koenig would adapt. Now we have the answer: “Father of the Bride,” an 18-song double-album that, in its sheer size, more than rewards its years of waiting. Coming at the cusp of summer, the record’s release arrives nearly six years to the date after “Modern Vampires of the City.” But while the meditations on religion, death and doubt that graced “Modern Vampires” evoked a foggy Manhattan winter, “Father of the Bride” finds this quintessentially East Coast band in California,
and it’s far more suited to its billing as a summer album. Koenig has never lacked for wit — and even on “Modern Vampires,” Vampire Weekend couldn’t be described as dour — but the unrelenting sunniness on this record is certainly a new look. Koenig pursues it through a newfound spirit of collaboration (Danielle Haim, Steve Lacy, Mark Ronson, Jenny Lewis and Dave Longstreth make up part of the guest list) and looser, freer arrangements carried by dense production. It’s an album that sounds like it was as fun to make as it is to listen to, and that’s usually (but not always) a good thing. The ethos of “Father of the Bride” is perhaps best summed up by the Steve Lacy voiceover that begins the track “Sympathy”: “I think I took myself too serious. It’s not that serious.” Indeed, tracks like “This Life” and “We Belong Together” — one of three pleasantly surprising duets with Danielle Haim — venture into outright camp, expertly toeing (and sometimes crossing) the line between sincerity and tackiness. The chirpy, “Brown Eyed Girl”-aping guitars of the former, for one, are ridiculous on paper, but if you have a soul, it’s impossible not to be at least a bit moved when Koenig sings, “Baby, I know pain is as natural as the rain / I just thought it didn’t rain in California.” On the other hand, “We Belong Together,” with its laundry list of fill-inthe-blank similes traded between Koenig and Haim, is cloying in its sweetness and more than a little corny. Along with the peppy horns that punctuate the subsequent track, “Stranger,” it is one of a few moments on “Father of the Bride” where it seems the record could have benefited from some editing. On an 18-song album, after all, there are bound to be some duds. One gets the sense, though, that the excess is the point, or at least an unavoidable side effect of the looser approach in the studio. Influences
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Vampire Weekend made its much-anticipated return May 3 with the sprawling “Father of the Bride.”
collide from every angle on “Father of the Bride,” and if the album doesn’t boast as many immediate earworms as “Contra” or “Vampire Weekend,” it certainly doesn’t lack for flourishes of production. It’s an entertaining experience of its own simply to trace the sheer variety of sounds and reference points that cross the surface of the album. Even the first single, “Harmony Hall,” pulls a sly trick of self-plagiarism, its refrain relying heavily on a line from “Finger Back,” an underappreciated cut from “Modern Vampires of the City.” The Danielle Haim duets, meanwhile, are the closest Vampire Weekend has ever gotten to country, but “Married in a Gold Rush” — the strongest of the three — is indebted as much to disco as to Sonny and Cher. “Sunflower” takes CAN’s “Halleluhwah” and pairs it with a scatting Steve Lacy, while “Big Blue” starts with a minimalist R&B fake-out before sliding, multi-tracked guitars transform the track into what could be a “Jesus Christ Superstar” deep cut. “Unbearably White” could have been an
outtake from fellow New York indie rockers Dirty Projectors’ “Swing Lo Magellan,” while “Rich Man” and “2021” ride crate-digging loops that nod to hip-hop. The final track, “Jerusalem, New York, Berlin,” scans as a standard piano-ballad album closer à la “Young Lion,” but the rave-like bass line that bubbles from under the surface keeps things interesting. At times, as on the overstuffed “Harmony Hall,” all this indulgence can be overwhelming, like a haphazard substitute for original ideas, but as often as not, it’s a treat. (Fittingly, it’s the comparatively minimalist tracks on this album — like “2021” and “Big Blue” — whose novelty demands the most replays.) Like the White Album or “The Life of Pablo” before it, “Father of the Bride” trades economy for excess, and if the results are mixed, then perhaps it’s by design. At its best, the album stares cynicism in the face and stubbornly breaks down its defenses — a move that, in 2019, feels almost radical. After six years of silence from Vampire Weekend, there’s enough here, at least, to satisfy the next few summers.
DUKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Mark Your Calendar! Duke Dance Program Open House Mon, 8/26, 5-6:30pm / Rubenstein Arts Center 102 Meet faculty and dancers! Free food & drinks!
AUDITIONS
Repertory Auditions
Saturday, August 24
Information Meetings, 1 pm or 2:30 pm (you choose), 101 Biddle
Jazz, Wed, Aug 28 / 4:40pm, w/Nina Wheeler, DANCE442
Monday, August 26
African Dance, Mon, Sept 2 / 7:45pm, w/Ava LaVonne Vinesett, DANCE432
Viola, Cello, Bass, 6 - 9 pm, 084 Biddle
Ballet, Tues, Sept 3 / 3:05pm, w/Tyler Walters, DANCE422 Modern, Tues, Sept 3 / 6:15pm, w/Andrea E Woods Valdés, DANCE412
Tuesday, August 27
Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, 4:30 - 10 pm, 104 Biddle
danceprogram.duke.edu
Wednesday, August 28
Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, 6 - 9 pm, 019 Biddle
Thursday, August 29
Violin, 6 - 11 pm, 084 Biddle
l
l Formal Concerts in Baldwin Auditorium l Family Weekend Concert Outdoor Pops Concert l Benefit Concert in Beaufort, SC
Harry Davidson, music director 919-660-3324, hdavid@duke.edu
Sign up: music.duke.edu/ensembles fall 2019 audition ad 2.indd 1
5/20/19 1:06 PM
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 | 7
Marvel closes out an era of filmmaking with ‘Avengers: Endgame’ By Eva Hong Local Arts Editor
Note: This review contains spoilers for the movie “Avengers: Endgame.” Yep, I went to see “Avengers: Endgame,” despite my feigned disdain whenever my friends — some of them film-school movie buffs, like me — express their love for Marvel movies. “Why would you like Marvel movies? They’re not real cinema!” But I knew why. Just like any other franchise, Marvel serves as a witness of a generation’s memories, with its superheroes acting as guardians of dreams, fantasies, first kisses and secrets of teenage summer nights. When I let go of my artistic arrogance and allow myself to be vulnerable, I find escape and comfort in the adventures of heroes who always seem capable and indestructible — just like anyone else who has grown weary of reality. Except I’ve become old enough to learn that superheroes are not that super. In “Endgame,” Black Widow sacrifices herself for the Soul Stone, Tony Stark dies for the survival of humanity and Captain America decides to live a normal life with Peggy Carter, effectively quitting the superhero life. My three favorite Avengers, gone. The young and aspiring Peter Parker, whose standalone movie as Spider-Man is scheduled to be released on July 2 and will officially close Phase Three, will likely take on the responsibility of appealing to the next generation of millennials and become their Iron Man, as Stark mentored the young Avenger. Parker will apparently gain his first love interest in the upcoming film. As for Steve Rogers? He passed his signature shield onto Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon, who will likely become a more central character in Phase Four — though it is unclear yet how Marvel
Studios will play this one off. As speculation goes, there could be a show called “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” that will feature Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, but we cannot be sure whether the show will be set before or after the timeline of “Endgame.” My friend group used to only go to the cinema for Marvel movies, because they were basically all we knew about movies from the posters and billboards that bombarded our streets. We were no indie teens or art kids, but we knew that our bucks would be worth something if we could gain five seconds in a conversation at school the following week when everyone started talking about the characters and plot lines. I remember that I was the sole Captain America fan among my friends, back in the days when most high school girls found capitalist genius playboys more attractive than moral selfsacrificing gentlemen (or perhaps they still do). But I would fight for Rogers’ honor and boast
his performance in every Avengers movie that we walked out of, until my friends conceded that he did play a major role in the mission. “But not as major as Tony’s, of course,” they would always add. In the end, to wrap up, we would all praise Black Widow for her skills and bravery and wish that her standalone movie would be coming soon. Natasha Romanoff was my female role model for a long time, and she still is. Usually, she is in an all-black, quite unflattering outfit that does not overly sexualize her. As Marvel’s first female hero, she is extremely skilled, intelligent, courageous and tough — an equal to any of the male superheroes. She has also consistently been in the center of Avengers squad, though she would never be the focus like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. To be honest, her death in “Endgame” is rather odd and unnecessary, and only serves for a cheap shock effect. Or, for many viewers, her absence from the remaining Avengers does not even stir up
Nina Wilder | Contributing Graphic Designer The blockbuster hit “Avengers: Endgame” brought many iconic Marvel superheroes’ storylines to an end.
got jazz?
much emotion and is completely overshadowed by the departure of Stark and Rogers. The fact that Marvel Studios would rather create a talking raccoon than invest in a standalone Black Widow movie that fans have been waiting for the past decade is deeply disappointing. The character deserves better. However, now that Romanoff is dead, it seems that Marvel Studios is finally considering a Black Widow movie on its slate. There are too many threads about her past to ignore: a Russian spy working for KGB, the red in her ledger, Budapest. Besides Black Widow, Marvel fans can also expect sequels to Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy in the coming years. Marvel Studios also plan to create a new team of superheroes called “The Eternals,” super-powered beings created by the Celestials on Earth millions of years before humans. The first installment will be directed by Chloe Zhao, and Angelina Jolie is reportedly in negotiation to star in it. Another potential Marvel newcomer is Shang-Chi, a martial arts hero. Once confirmed, this project will likely feature many Asian American talents. But still, it’s the end of an era. Sitting beside me in the dark movie theatre was only one of my friends back home. The others were scattered all over the world, chasing different summer internships. We’ve outgrown arguing over whether Iron Man or Captain America is better. Walking out of “Endgame,” my friend and I were both silent for a while. Then: “Oh my God, I still can’t believe Tony died!” “And Cap! Why did he have to retire?” “Honestly I don’t really care about Captain America. But why Tony? Why?” “What? I don’t care about Iron Man either! I knew he would die even in the beginning!” “BUT BLACK WIDOW, THOUGH ...”
Wanna PLAY jazz? Wanna LEARN about jazz? The Duke Jazz Program wants YOU! Get into the groove! with these courses:
Intro to Jazz (MUS/AAAS 140) Jazz Guitar (MUS 104-6) Jazz Ensemble (MUS 210-4) Private lessons are also available!
For info on courses and auditions check us out at music.duke.edu/ensembles/jazzprogram or contact Professor John V. Brown, Director jbrown@duke.edu 919-660-3385
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8 | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019
The Chronicle
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‘Booksmart’ is a teen comedy for a generation of dreamers By Alizeh Sheikh Campus Arts Editor
Nina Wilder | Contributing Graphic Designer “Booksmart,” the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde, has already been deemed Gen Z’s coming-of-age classic.
#mydukegardens
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Your gateway to science, art & community
Where will your gateway take you? Hone your acting and movement skills for opera & musical theater in
Opera Workshop (Mus 213-1)
Info Meeting Wednesday, August 28 4:30 - 6 pm, 104 Biddle No experience needed! All are welcome!
Interested in voice lessons? We offer Beginner & Advanced Beginner classes as well as private lessons.
Auditions (075 Biddle Music Bldg.) Tuesday, Aug. 27 12:30 - 4:30 pm
Wednesday, Aug. 28 10:30 am - 12:30 pm & 1:30 - 4:30 pm Be prepared to sing scales & a piece of your choice. (Bring music for the provided accompanist.)
More info:
dheid@duke.edu or visit music.duke.edu/ensembles
The “teen movie” is the Baby Boomer of film genres, harkening back to the James Dean classic “Rebel Without a Cause” and the concurrent cultural emergence of the “young adult” designation. It’s a genre that is perennially reborn, continually updated to fit the zeitgeist. Films like “The Breakfast Club,” “10 Things I Hate About You” and “Mean Girls” each defined their own generation, and “Booksmart,” the feature directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde, has already been deemed Gen Z’s coming-of-age classic. It’s a generous yet deserving title for the all-female-helmed film, which successfully renovates the genre while staying true to its historical foundations, even as those roots are increasingly being called into question. “Booksmart” follows best friends and academic overachievers Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) on the eve of their graduation day, destined for Yale and Columbia, respectively, to pursue futures they consider to be well-deserved. Their all-around nerdiness earns them a mild disdain from their fellow students, one that up until then had been deftly deflected by Molly’s individual superiority complex. But when Molly finds out that the party-going classmates she’d once derided as irresponsible and dense are heading to schools of similar caliber as her own, she vows to spend her last night as a senior catching up on all the sex, drugs and fun she’d missed out on during high school. Amy, for her part, is drawn into Molly’s scheme by the glimpse of a potential hook-up with sweet skater girl Ryan (Victoria Ruesga). Their late night search for the hottest grad party hosted by cool guy Nick (Mason Gooding) ends up taking them on an odyssey across Los Angeles, and they come to realize that the classmates they’d once disparaged are much more compassionate than the rumor mill would have them believe. “Booksmart” sounds like any other teen movie, but its Damien Chazelle-esque visual ambition (including one fantasy musical scene) and its all-encompassing commitment to character are what strip it from tradition. Each character, including the adorkable rich kid Jared (Skyler Gisondo) and resident hip teacher Mrs. Fine (Jessica Williams) convincingly carries their own mini arc, jam-packing each moment with fervor and a fresh iteration of comedy. The film also carries the mark of a new generation: Students are surprisingly empathetic and generous, treating each other with a due respect that feels like an optimistic vision of a future world. When two jocks launch into a criticism of Molly in their high school’s all-gender bathroom, one half-expects that they’ll be berating her body or her looks. In fact, one of them admits that he finds her attractive and instead condemns her admittedly uptight personality. One hook-up scene in particular is refreshingly communicative and open in a way that is reminiscent of the ongoing cultural conversation among younger people about sex and consent. And Molly’s eagerness to cheer on openly gay Amy throughout the latter’s romantic escapades, without ever once asking whether Amy is into her, is unexpectedly open-minded and meaningful. It’s as though the film’s entire character lineup grew up with many of the values that young people discuss and deliberate today, and they’re now demonstrating the best version of that ideology in practice. Nonetheless, the film’s semi-allegiance to teen movie tradition has garnered it a small handful of critics. BuzzFeed’s Alison Willmore argues that the film “has a blindspot” when it comes to class, and it’s a criticism that holds some water, particularly bearing its weight when Molly realizes that her classmates cruised into equally good colleges on half as much effort. Although the adage that our fellow human beings are often richer than we give them credit to be is inoffensive and timely, it arises from a bout of situational comedy that feels somewhat detached from most teenagers’ reality. Granting that college admissions is far from a transparent meritocratic process, many students who do get into “elite” schools work much like Molly and Amy did: very, very hard. This means that when the respective valedictorian and salutatorian’s supposedly lax and party-hard classmates’ finally disclose where, exactly, they got into, the scene embroils the loopholes and backdoors of the recent college admissions scandal more than it does Molly’s ego. When one skater kid who demonstrates no athletic prowess or interest admits that he’ll be playing soccer at Stanford in the fall, one wonders how fairly he was recruited. For the Georgetown-bound yet supposed class clown Nick, there’s the lingering question of whether his parents were wealthy alums of the school. And then there’s the further point that the film’s larger maxim can be fulfilled without its minor characters ever needing to See BOOKSMART on Page 14
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The National shines on new album ‘I Am Easy To Find’ By Jack Rubenstein Culture Editor
Is The National’s music boring? This question has dogged the band since its debut album, largely due to a combination of frontman Matt Berninger’s baritone and sometimes monotonous voice, subdued instrumentation and probing, gloomy, occasionally ambiguous lyrics. The band’s discography is critically acclaimed but much of it remains inaccessible to the average listener, who needs more than Berninger’s soulful mumbling about suburbia, love and the drags of life. The band’s excellent 2013 release, “Trouble Will Find Me,” showed signs of providing this and disrupting the “boring theory,” with elements of pop and humor thrown into the mix. Their similarly brilliant 2017 album, “Sleep Well Beast,” was laced with electronics and featured especially poignant performances from Berninger — both unseen on previous efforts. Orchestral arrangements, addictive riffs, needed guest performances, and thunderous performances by Berninger make the band’s eighth album, “I Am Easy To Find,” its most daring record to date, proving The National can make interesting music that appeals to a wider audience. The album explores failed, failing or fraught relationships, with the album’s title highlighting how rocky relationships can be held together by the fear of change and the familiarity of a long-term companion. The addition of female voices is integral to the record’s success, turning its stories about inherently two-sided relationships into conversations instead of Berninger’s usual monologues. Stunning performances by Lisa Hannigan, Kate Stables, Mina Tindle, Sharon Van Etten, Eve Owens and especially Gail Ann Dorsey, who frequently collaborated with David Bowie, add layers to songs like “Hey Rosey” and “The Pull of You” that could have otherwise become tedious. Their performances enhance the album’s best songs, creating a sense of vibrancy not found in Berninger’s vocals. Lead single “I Had My Soul With You” was already a stand-out, with an addictive stuttering beat, beautiful lyrics and a passionate performance by Berninger. Dorsey’s addition to the third verse altered the entire landscape of the song, keeping it interesting and adding to its abundance of energy and charisma. Berninger and Tindle strike up one of the most impactful conversations on the album with “Oblivions.” The song’s characters struggle with confidence in their marriage, wondering if the spark is still there or if the relationship has become one-sided. “You won’t walk away, won’t you,” they ask each other, hoping that the relationship can overcome the man’s self-destructive behavior. “Where Is Her Head” is wonderfully chaotic and frantic, featuring roaring instrumentals and powerful vocal performances from Eve Owens and guitarist Aaron Dessner that are laced over each other to create its unique sound. In other ways, “I Am Easy To Find” pushes The National out of its comfort zone. The band experiments with elements of psychedelic and dream pop on “Underwater,” “Dust Swirls in Strange Light,” and parts of “So Far So Fast,” which all sound like they could be off of a Beach House album. The National also collaborated with indie film director Mike Mills to accompany the sprawling, 64-minute album with a 26-minute black and white short film of the same name. Relying on immaculate cinematography, a score made up of the album’s most touching moments and an eyeopening performance by Alicia Vikander, this simplistic yet deeply emotional tearjerker may be as much of a revelation as the album itself. Vikander plays the unnamed protagonist from birth to death, masterfully capturing the nuances of each age without saying a word as she struggles with her distant mother growing up and a turbulent marriage as an adult. The film touches on many of the same themes as the album, as she finds herself going back to this husband whom she fights with constantly and may not even love because he is easy to find. Both the album and film advance an alternative interpretation of the phrase, I am easy to find. “Surprised at how much others delude themselves / She wonders how much she deludes herself,” reads one of the film’s many short messages. Vikander’s character struggles to understand her identity, making the phrase a distant dream. She will never truly find herself. On “Rylan,” a fan favorite and staple of The National’s live shows that was originally recorded for “Trouble Will Find Me,” Berninger sings about an introverted kid named Rylan who struggles to find himself among a world of extroverts. See NATIONAL on Page 14
Courtesy of YouTube The National collaborated with indie film director Mike Mills to produce a short film starring Alicia Vikander to accompany the album.
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FIND SANCTUARY HERE.
Worship
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Worship with us on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. and throughout the week. chapel.duke.edu/worship
Become part of a Religious Life group and the Chapel Scholars program to deepen your faith through study, service, prayer, dialogue, and the arts.
Audition for one of the Chapel’s three choirs to learn music and form friendships. chapel.duke.edu/music
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playground
A walk through The Met’s ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’ By Sarah Derris Local Arts Editor
“Are you gagging? Because I’m gagging.” Although these words were not directed toward me, pretty much the same thought crossed my mind as I entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, “Camp: Notes on Fashion.” The main exhibit is stunning — two rows of color-blocked display spaces lined an allblack interior, and in each, an iconic piece or set from the likes of Moschino, Christian Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, or from private collections. Each spring, the Metropolitan Museum’s annual Met Gala showcases some of the most noteworthy and daring looks in fashion, and the theme typically aligns with the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition. Accordingly, this year’s theme was camp. The Gala saw outlandish ensembles that many agreed best captured the theme, including Janelle Monae’s stacked hat dress, or Billy Porter, who was literally carried onto the red carpet à la Elizabeth Taylor in “Cleopatra.” Others, including Kim K’s “wet look” and Harry Styles’ jumpsuit, were decidedly boring. But to conclude who pulled off the theme, one has to answer the question on everyone’s mind: What is camp? The Met’s exhibition closely follows Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on Camp” — the work that arguably put camp on the map. The exhibit traces the etymology of the term through historic objects, art and manuscripts. Sontag defines camp as “a certain mode of aestheticism … [camp] is not in terms of beauty, but in terms of the degree of artifice, of stylization,” which is to say, camp possesses an inherent “sensibility” that is easy to spot but difficult to articulate. Camp revels in the excesses of capitalism and simultaneously subverts them; its over-the-top nature refashions bad taste into good art. The best camp is rarely intentional — it possesses a sartorial artificiality, yet it is not contrived. It is exaggerated and ardent, yet serious in nature. “Camp” has become imbued in nearly every facet of pop-culture, including film, television, theatre, music and fashion, and it is difficult to imagine a space in art where camp cannot exist. In her essay, Sontag creates a distinction between naïve and deliberate camp — in other words, calculated and unintentional manifestations of camp. For Sontag, “camp which knows itself to be camp is usually less satisfying.” For camp to be naïve or “pure,” it must possess a seriousness to it that ultimately fails. It is self-indulgent but never selfaware of its campiness. The Met’s exhibit is itself divided into both deliberate and naïve camp, beginning with less conspicuous examples of camp. The first part of the exhibit examines queer subcultures of Europe and the Unites States that explored homosexuality through camp in 19th and 20th centuries. Then, the exhibit moves onto examples of deliberate camp with the aforementioned room housing designer garments that seek to encapsulate the aesthetic qualities of camp. The exhibit succeeds in balancing instances of deliberate and naïve camp and allows visitors to decide for themselves which they deem most effective. For example, the exhibit features dresses by Moschino and Vivienne Westwood that emulate the style of the frilly and over-the-top gowns of the 19th century — the designs play with pastiche, emphasizing the theatrical aesthetics of the period. But later in the exhibit, authentic 19th century dresses from European aristocracy are on display to highlight Sontag’s distinction between deliberate and naïve camp. The displays of quirky couture outfits is admittedly beautiful, as the designs contain an immaculate attention to detail, and together, are a visual delight to behold. But, for me, the naïveté is more satisfying — the gaudy and lavish fashions of the time incite an intrigue and sincere earnestness that cannot be so easily replicated. About halfway in, the exhibit offers another camp (if you will) on camp. In his 1954 novel “The World in the Evening,” Christopher Isherwood presents his own dichotomy: high and low camp. High camp, for Isherwood, is more fundamental; its sensibilities are more sophisticated, like that of opera or Baroque art. Isherwood’s interpretation places value in high camp over low camp, which he cites as a “completely debased form” due to its associations with queer circles. Camp cannot be separated from queerness; as such, camp cannot exist as a purely apolitical entity. Although Sontag’s piece examines androgyny as an aspect of camp sensibility, her essay minimizes and depoliticizes camp’s connotations with homosexuality. The term started
as slang within gay sailor communities in Britain, and stems from the French verb se camper — “to pose” or “to flaunt.” Since, the term has expanded in its usage to theatre and drag. But as queer culture is increasingly commodified, predominantly white and heterosexual institutions have started to assimilate and appropriate attributes of camp. The exhibit does well in tracing camp’s origins in queer marginality. However, like Sontag’s essay, the exhibition glosses over race in favor of class or gender identifiers. Even though camp is rooted in over-the-top expressivity, it is often viewed through a lens of whiteness. Lists of history’s campiest pop-culture icons are quick to name Liza Minnelli, Cher and Lady Gaga, but black and queer artists’ contributions to the camp canon — save for maybe RuPaul Charles — are noticeably absent. The camp sensibility in black culture can be traced from black Vaudevillian acts in the 1920s to drag queen ball culture in the 1980s,
as depicted in the documentary “Paris is Burning.” The emergence of hip-hop brought about flashy aesthetics, exaggerated masculinity and redefined luxury. At the gala, Lena Waithe’s jacket emblazoned with the phrase “Black drag queens inventend [sic] camp” made headlines for reminding mostly-white attendees of the impact of black artists and personalities. On the exhibit itself, “Camp: Notes on Fashion” does a decent job of tracing the origins of camp and including beautiful and well-curated historical and contemporary examples of camp. Although structured around Sontag’s essay, the exhibit does not favor naïve camp over deliberate camp (or vice versa). As for the Met Gala, it seems unfair to boil camp down to eccentric haute couture. Perhaps because the theme was so deliberate, so self-aware, no one could have truly embodied “camp.” But of the attendees who made honest attempts, those who were most educated on its history were perhaps the most successful.
Nina Wilder | Contributing Graphic Designer Lady Gaga, pictured at the 2019 Met Gala, has built her professional aesthetic around camp.
COME SING!
Duke Chorale
John Rutter Requiem and Louis Vierne’s Mass for 2 Organs and Choir with the Choral Society of Durham Spring Break tour to Florida
Info & Ice Cream: 8 pm on Sunday, Aug. 25 in Room 104 Biddle Music Bldg. Visit music.duke.edu/ensembles/chorale to sign up for an audition
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!
Ensembles & Performance Opportunities Chamber Music Ensembles, coordinated by Jonathan Bagg, explore the repertoire for string quartet, piano trio, saxophone quartet, and other combinations. Groups receive weekly coachings with a member of the performance faculty in preparation for a public performance. The focus is on in-depth study of one or two complete works, allowing students to develop and refine their ensemble skills. The Chinese Music Ensemble, directed by Jennifer Chang, a Guzheng master, is designed for students of varying abilities who would like to further their skill and understanding of traditional Chinese instrumental performance. Students at all levels, including those with no prior experience in Chinese music, but with some background in performance, are encouraged to email jennifer.chang946@duke.edu for information. The Duke Chorale, directed by Rodney Wynkoop, is a concert and touring choir of 50 singers. This year’s annual Spring Break tour will go to Florida. The 20192020 season will include a concert on Family Weekend, a holiday concert in Duke Chapel, and a concert with the Choral Society of Durham featuring the John Rutter Requiem and Louis Vierne’s Mass for 2 Organs and Choir. Rehearsals are 7:30-9:30 pm Tuesday & Thursday. The 20-voice Chamber Choir rehearses 9:30-10:30 pm Tuesday.
The Duke Djembe Ensemble, directed by Bradley Simmons, offers students the opportunity to develop skill in the art of West African drumming. The Djembe Ensemble memorizes each rhythm, just as the Mandinque people have for hundreds of years. The Afro-Cuban Class introduces students to the many exciting rhythms of the Cuban diaspora.
The Duke Jazz Ensemble, directed by John Brown, has a rich history of excellence. The ensemble performs at least two concerts each semester with guest artists noted for their high level of artistic achievement. Last year’s guests included Carol Sloane, Ali Jackson, Chris Potter, and Rufus Reid. Small group Jazz Combos provide additional opportunities. The Duke New Music Ensemble [dnme] is open to all students who make music, regardless of genre or experience level. We perform music written in the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as new works by Duke student composers. [dnme] also collaborates regularly with faculty and guest artists.
Open to all Duke students. Auditions are required for ensembles (0.5 credit) and applied music lessons (o.25 or 0.5 credit).
Ensemble Information Meetings Saturday, August 24 1 pm OR 2:30 pm (you choose) Rooms 019 & 101 Biddle Music Building
Auditions begin Monday, August 26
Auditions are by appointment. Information & online sign-up at:
music.duke.edu/ensembles
The Duke Opera Workshop, directed by David Heid, presents operas, opera scenes, and musical theater revues. In Fall 2019, we will be presenting a faculty/student joint concert featuring famous operatic ensembles. Interest meeting on Wed., Aug. 28 from 4:30-6 pm in Biddle Music Bldg, Rm. 104. The Duke Symphony Orchestra is directed by Harry Davidson. The 2019/20 season will include major symphonies by Dvořák, Brahms, Hindemith and Shostakovich. A benefit concert in Beaufort, SC takes place each spring. Please join us for auditions with a prepared solo piece and the ability to sight-read an orchestral excerpt. The Duke Wind Symphony, directed by Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant (verena.m@duke.edu), performs a wide variety of high level wind ensemble music. Highlights of the 2019-20 season include concerts in Baldwin Auditorium, the annual Viennese Ball, a concert with Imani Winds, and a Halloween concert. We will perform a variety of exciting works, several selected by Duke Wind Symphony members. Join us! Applied Music lessons for instruments & voice: Students may take one-hour weekly lessons (1/2 course) or half-hour lessons (1/4 course). More info at music.duke.edu/lessons
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campus arts
Duke alum Jacob Tobia discusses new book ‘Sissy,’ gender and activism By Kerry Rork Campus Arts Editor
Member of Forbes 30 under 30 and Out 100, Jacob Tobia, T’14, is a writer and producer, known for their work as the creator and producer of MSNBC’s “Queer 2.0” and as producer of “Transparent.” They recently wrote the book “Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story,” a memoir that questions societal binaries in gender. The Chronicle spoke with Tobia about their new book and career in activism. The Chronicle: Can you talk a little about your book, “Sissy,” and what inspired it? Jacob Tobia: “Sissy” is the long form answer to the question, “What’s your gender?” We live in this world where people treat gender like a check the box question. My philosophy is that gender is an abstract term that should live alongside words like “family,” rather than some easily reducible thing that you can fill out on a survey. I want everyone to view the question “what’s your gender” as an invitation for a long-term answer. Asking someone their gender or to describe their gender and expecting a one-word answer is like asking someone to tell you about their family and expecting a one-word answer. And while you can talk about it in simple terms, it’s much more nuanced and beautiful when you’re able to give it 336 pages worth of space. I also had stories that I wanted to put together and bring to life, all in one place for them to stand the test of time. TC: Why did you pick the title “Sissy” to capture that message? JT: The title “Sissy” is about reclamation. But, it is also an acknowledgement of the fact that sissy was the first word that I had to describe my gender. Before I heard the word “gay,” before I heard the word “trans,” I knew the word “sissy,” and I knew that being a “sissy” was something bad. But it was the first term I was given to describe my difference. It was the first gender identity that I had. This book is all about reclaiming and naming what happens to gender-nonconforming people in our young lives. It is also a way to reclaim a term. There is something about when someone uses a word as a slur and you make it the title of your book, a certain power to that. You can say I own that word now. They don’t own that term. They don’t own me. They don’t own
Courtesy of Oriana Koren Jacob Tobia, Trinity ‘14, released their book “Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story” earlier this year.
my story. I own all aspects of my story and all facets of who I am. And you don’t get to take that away from me anymore. And the last reason I like the word “sissy” is that it also stands for sister. And so much of my journey and so much of me learning to own my identity and celebrate my transness and my femininity, I learned through my sisters, through cisgender, powerful women who showed me what it would mean to be a feminine person in this world and what it would mean to navigate the misogyny and sexism that people have to navigate once you put on a skirt. TC: How has your connection to Duke influenced this book? JT: For me, Duke has been and always will be this kind of paradox because there are so many things about Duke that I loathe. Yet, on the other hand, there were so many brilliant
people on campus who helped me deepen my political consciousness, who encouraged me as an activist, who helped me grow as a person and who helped me figure out who I was. But the important thing is that most of the people who supported me in my gender exploration was in spite of the way that the institution is structured, not because of it. And while there were brilliant people on campus who supported me, I probably wouldn’t have needed so much support if the entire social structure of the place wasn’t rooted in this gender binary. TC: And since your time at Duke, you have had quite an impressive career. What are some things you feel most proud of since leaving Duke? See TOBIA on Page 14
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STORY+
BOOKSMART
NATIONAL
FROM PAGE 4
FROM PAGE 8
FROM PAGE 9
of wanted to subvert that and draw out the stories of people who are not as well acknowledged in the archives and try and rebalance that history.” Story+ also creates a framework in which the focus is on student learning and student exploration. Hollowell said that the “23 and We” project does not have predetermined outputs because they want students to identify the aspects that they intend to focus on. “It’s important that the research output account for the students’ own positionality and relationship to the research material, which is one of the core aspects of humanities research, reflecting about your own positionality and the perspectives that you take when you undertake research,” Hollowell said. “Teaching Duke History” also emphasizes the students telling the stories and delivering the message that they’re interested in. “One of the cool things will be that students will be teaching their fellow students about their history instead of it coming from high above,” said Hannah Rozear, librarian for research services in Perkins and part of the “Teaching Duke History” team. In the coming weeks, Story+ teams will continue their research work, culminating in a final presentation. Teams may also display the outcomes of their work in the following school year — for example, the “Black Students Matter” exhibit in Perkins Library, on display until July 7, was the product of a Story+ project in 2018. “Because Story+ is a six-week long project, process is in many ways also product,” Lazarus said. “And that’s something that we’re also helping students to grapple with too. So they’ll have an outcome and a nice product, but it doesn’t have to be completely finished from A to Z.”
go to these “elite” schools. They can retain — and Molly can still come to appreciate — their empathy and maturity without their attending Harvard or Yale. However, despite its rightful acknowledgement, I would argue the larger ignorance of class issues that Willmore points out in “Booksmart” is, with the exception of choice films like “Lady Bird,” inherent to the “teen movie” genre as a whole. The archetypal “teen movie,” whether it be of the classic John Hughes oeuvre or the more recent John Green ilk, almost always guarantees a suburban setting fitted with the rhythm of high school halls and the inordinate parties of the weekends. These mainstays tend to implicate a certain middle class demographic, and “Booksmart” is no exception to the rule. To critique the film with a socioeconomic lens is to critique its genre. Regardless, a distancing from class does not mean that the paradigmatic “teen movie” cannot offer up something timely and valuable in 2019. The veering twists and turns of Molly and Amy’s last night as seniors — and the progressive reality it imagines — proves that a coming-ofage classic can be relevant and fresh in an era where most other Hollywood traditions are being called into question. “Booksmart” visually and narratively reinvigorates the “teen movie” genre, and its optimistic outlook on the adolescent world feels like a well wishing to a younger generation. Wilde and screenwriters Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman endow their characters with an empathy and self-awareness that reads as an implicit entrusting of America’s future in the hands of Gen Z. Despite its minor flaws, ‘Booksmart’ gives you reason to dream of what’s to come and to appreciate the joys of what’s right here.
“Quiet Light” looks at a different angle of this interpretation, following a protagonist who actually is finding himself again after a difficult breakup. “But I’m learning to lie here in the quiet light / While I watch the sky go from black to grey / Learning how not to die, inside a little every time ... / And I’m learning to live without the heartache it gives me,” sings Berninger. Even when finding yourself is possible, it certainly is not easy. Until now, The National prioritized impassioned lyricism and storytelling over bold instrumentation and experimentation. The band was boring to the average listener, but interesting for those who listened closer. On “I Am Easy To Find,” The National embraces both, sounding anything but boring.
TOBIA FROM PAGE 13 JT: I’m most proud of this book. And everything in my career up until this point has led to it. And when I wasn’t writing it, I was establishing myself as a public voice that could get a book deal. I’m also very proud of the work I did for my show with MSNBC News and getting to work on “Transparent.” There is so much you are going to have to unlearn after graduation about how achievement works and how careers work. If you are doing anything of worth, almost always, you are going to float around, take risks and feel ridiculous. You are going to have to jump with very little safety net. That kind of grit and that learning how to exist without institutional support when you are trying to do something visionary, that is one of
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the skills I’ve learned in my adult life that I’m most proud of. TC: For those at Duke and beyond who are interested in becoming aspiring social activists and media influencers, in what ways have you found success? JT: The best advice I can give anyone right now is to get really good at spreadsheets. And by that I mean to keep track of everyone you know. There is nothing quite like have a multitab spreadsheet where you track different contacts you’ve made and little notes on what you want to ask about them across different industries. Particularly in media and activism, it is all about who you know. It is all about connections. It is all about networking. The best thing to do for yourself is to track how you’ve networked. The other thing I would say is, coming from Durham, which is not a media hub of any sorts, it might take you awhile to get really established if you don’t already have existing connections. And Duke alumni network in terms of the arts and media is super tight community. And shout out to people at Duke like Amy Unell who really helped me make those connections. TC: What do you hope can be gained from your book on both a personal and broader scale? JT: The next step for me is developing “Sissy” into a TV show to help secure a longer life for the book and amplify its message in a major way. On a more spiritual or global level, I hope that “Sissy” provides a way for people who thought they couldn’t understand this nonbinary thing to access what it means to go through the world as a nonbinary person in a way that is effortless and full of heart. No child should ever be told that their gender is wrong or that their gender is not enough or that the way that they are expressing themselves is not appropriate for a boy or a girl. There is no such thing. And the only way to end the cycle of abuse is by healing. And that is what “Sissy” is about.
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Film Studies
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 | 15
Film Practice
HOW TO UNDERSTAND IT AMI studies courses offer in-depth encounters with the history and theory of cinema, from its beginnings to its present: genres, periods, themes, national cinemas, fiction, documentary, experimental, animated, and other moving image forms.
HOW TO MAKE IT AMI production courses offer hands-on introduction to cinematography, editing, screenwriting, directing, and more, in motion pictures and other new media technologies from the celluloid to the digital eras.
AMI 101 Intro to Arts of the Moving Image
AMI 208S/708S The Silent Film: An Introduction
Examination of critical concepts in arts of the moving image from various perspectives. Spanning both traditional cinema and emergent fields. Emphasis on technology in relation to history and viewership. Exercises in film and digital production as well as theoretical writing.
The founding generation of cinema: 30-40 years in which the art form emerges, matures, and produces many of its enduring masterworks. For many—both practitioners and observers—still the quintessential realization of cinematic art.
AMI 350S/750S Sound for Film and Video Theory and practice of sound recording techniques and strategies for film and video. Focus on sound/image relationship, sound design and sound acquisition. Screenings and readings will reinforce practice exercises.
Fall 2019 Courses AMI 101.01 AMI 202.01 AMI 208S.01 / 708S.01 AMI 210.01 AMI 272.01 / 772.01 AMI 301S.01 AMI 301S.02 AMI 303S.01 AMI 306S.01 AMI 320S.01 AMI 350S.01 / 750S.01 AMI 356S.01 / 890S.02 AMI 357S.02 / 757S.02 AMI 499S.01
INTRODUCTION TO ARTS OF THE MOVING IMAGE HISTORY OF DOCUMENTARY FILM SILENT FILM: AN INTRODUCTION FILM GENRES THE MIDDLE EAST THROUGH FILM MOVING IMAGE PRACTICE MOVING IMAGE PRACTICE WRITING THE SHORT FILM WRITING THE MOVIE FILM ANIMATION PRODUCTION SOUND FOR FILM AND VIDEO 16MM FILM PRODUCTION EDITING FOR FILM AND VIDEO AMI CAPSTONE
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MUSIC IN THE GARDENS AT SARAH P. DUKE GARDENS 2019
H.C. McENTIRE JOAN SHELLEY WITH NATHAN SALSBURG BEDOUINE JAKE XERXES FUSSELL & BAND CEDRIC BURNSIDE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12
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