Aubrey’s Kansas City Adventures
(Photos by Aubrey Makar)
more publicity to the park. This lovely the sculpture a voice sounded saying the lense of her sculpture. I quickly agreed to return so that I would be able to witness the celestial spectacle through the filter of DiPiazzo’s moon unit. immediately caught my eye. Numerous she was happy to explain her process Each of the sculptures has a colorful creations wrap around the behind her cosmic creation to me. plaque that explains what it’s called, “I made this for the people who the artist’s name and the material each trees with gloves on each end to make the grand picture of someone hugging live here so that they can see the city is made of. I approached a plaque but the trees. The art pieces are scatter all that they live in in a different way, and couldn’t find anything near it and around the park, and everywhere you for people from other cities to see this became disappointed and a little afraid look a technicolored tree hugger is city in a different way. We’re going to someone might have stolen it. But fly it to the moon one day. I always call after I looked up a shining chandelier attached to a nearby tree. A silver painted sculpture lies it my moon unit just in case,” DiPiazzo hanging from a tree immediately across the grass entitled Moon Garden said. washed away my fears. It’s placed in a DiPiazzo had me step inside the perfect spot so that the sun reflects off by William Vannerson near the edge of the park. This piece frames the city orb and showed me that by looking of it causing its lustrous appearance. behind the carefully crafted beams. through each of the holes it would Now only if the sign said something to The Sprint Center, Western Auto sign point to a different location that was the extent of look up just in case some and the Opera House loom in the important to this area and a special people like me would miss it on the background along with the skyline of opening in the top for viewing the first try. Downtown. Each of these creations moon. By peering through each of Washington Square Park is a great had been specifically made by Kansas the tunnels I could see the Western place to go and hang around the city. City artists for this spot to share with Auto Sign through a tube, one of the Benches and tables make it a fantastic many KC fountains through another spot to study or just to spend time the locals and those visiting. The next thing I noticed was and other focus points that DiPiazzo with friends on a nice day. Kansas City a massive orb with playful colors thought the creation would be has so many fantastic nooks that a lot pointing every which directions. incomplete without. of people don’t know about. But by Before DiPiazzo returned to her looking at what’s right in the midst of As I drew nearer to the sculpture, an audible “Wow this is so cool” work, she reminded me to return Sept. the city, you might find something to escaped my mouth and from behind 27 to witness the lunar eclipse through enjoy for a long time.
Hidden in the middle of the five acre field is open to everyone and “Thanks”. city, Washington Square is located right outside Crown Center. It turned out to be the artist behind Park’s creativity shines with While walking from my car the creation of the orb titled “Oculus”. into the park, the vibrant sculptures Her name was Denise DiPiazzo, and the addition of local art.
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Singer-songwriter Halsey’s long awaited debut album, “Badlands,” quickly climbed to number two on iTunes. The album, released Aug. 28, is brimming with electronic noise and monotonous angst, eventually blending into one long 40 minute song sounding exactly like every other indie pop album. Halsey’s Instagram bio reads, “I write songs about sex and being sad. I will never be anything but honest.” While honesty is something almost everyone can appreciate, the heavily recurring theme of sex and depression is worn out in the music industry and painfully overused throughout “Badlands.” In an interview at the FireFly music festival, Halsey describes her sound as “an attempt to create space with sound... It was about creating a
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BY TARA JUNGDEN REPORTER
universe and making it so that people felt like they were actually being transported somewhere.” It is apparent through the duration of the album and Halsey’s own words about, “transporting listeners to another place,” that the album is trying to push its way into the widely recognizable playlist of, “Songs to get high to,” giving off a sort of Vines vibe circa, “Mary Jane.” However, the album falls flat of that otherworldly feel the artist seems so desperately to be seeking. Halsey, singing the entirety of the album solo, has a voice which is strong but takes on forced characteristics of the classic, and commonly mocked, “Indie girl voice.” At times (especially in the verses) sounding very similar to artists like Ellie Goulding, and Mandy Lee of Misterwives. While Halsey may have the voice and songwriting ability to potentially write an album worth lasting, her debut’s overall sound is forced and unoriginal.
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Halsey’s debut album sells big despite sounding blah.
“The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” opened in theaters on Sept 18, the second movie in the well known trilogy “The Maze Runner.”
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“Badlands:” Boring Songs, Below-par Lyrics
Stepping into the Scorch
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Kansas City’s Annual Chalk and Walk Festival was held at Crown Center Sept. 12-13. Go to lejournallive.com for a review and pictures from the event.
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Kansas City is a pretty cool place. Everyone knows the iconic shuttlecocks and the Plaza fountains that make up every Kansas City greeting card and occupy every corner of the KC themed shops. But only a few people know where the really cool stuff is. I like to consider myself one of those people. Places that hold significant beauty and alluring history hide in the shadows of the city waiting to be noticed. Concealed in the middle of the city, Washington Square Park creates a fun environment to hang around. New art installments decorate the park from actual tree hugging sculptures to a moon machine and many more. The artwork was recently added to bring
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BY AUBREY MAKAR A&E COLUMNIST
(Illustrations by Aubrey Makar)
“The second movie was better because it left you with less questions and had more action, depth and Dylan O’Brien.” -senior Maya Visesio “It was an action packed movie with more than one surprise that I never saw coming.”- freshman Elise Bishop LE JOURNAL September 2015
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