Digital
Volume 6 | Issue 5
who’s on staff? editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alana Valko CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kenzie King FEATURES EDITOR Sophie Cloherty PRINT FASHION EDITORS Nick Farrugia Jenny Ruan DIGITAL FASHION EDITOR Alexa DeFord DESIGN EDITORS Mackenzie Schwedt Manda Villarreal PRINT PHOTO EDITORS Katie Corbett Evan Parness DIGITAL PHOTO EDITOR Francesca Romano STREET STYLE EDITORS Lucy Carpenter Ryan Little MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR Natalie Guisinger VIDEO EDITOR Hayley Danke DIGITAL CONTENT EDITORS Alice Huth Alex Sterchele
business PUBLISHER Claire Dickerson ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR Colleen Jones MARKETING DIRECTOR Molly Shulan FINANCE COORDINATORS Kate Burns Drisha Gwalani EVENTS COORDINATORS Paige Dobies Courtney O’Beirne OUTREACH COORDINATOR Ellery Benson SALES COORDINATORS Julia Barofsky Maya Jerath Kira Mintzer Julia Napiewocki SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Liz Haley
ILLUSTRATOR MANDA VILLARREAL
SHEI /’sh(ay)/ Magazine was founded in 1999 as an Asian Pop Culture Magazine and became affiliated with University of Michigan Student Publications in 2013. Our Digital Magazine, known as SHIFT at the time, was launched in 2015. Since then, SHEI has grown to campus wide recognition as a publication that students can come to for fashion, art, and culture commentary and inspiration.
who’s on staff?
contributing members DIRECTORS Anthony Huynh Jessica Peterkins Alexandra Plosch Jacob Ward Megan Young STYLISTS
Sophie Alphonso Josie Burck Isabelle Fisher Anastasia Hernando Hannah Leonard Karly Madey Juan Marquez Natalia Nowika Catherine Small Katy Trame Dhruv Verma Caroline White Abby Ziemkowski WRITERS Sophia Layton Lily Marks Will Pederson Melina Schaefer
PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Andersen Blake Borgeson Gabby Ceritano Sophie Hendric Nicole Kim Michelle Lin Gabrielle Mack Heba Malik Juan Marquez Gwen McCartney Emma McKillip Eva Russa Vera Tikhonova Rita Vega Fern Vichaikul Alvin Yao VIDEOGRAPHERS Sara Cooper Miranda Felty Kendall Ka Francisca Lee Vera Tikhonova GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Dana Dean Julia Dean Maddie Fox Tung Tung Lin Halley Luby Gabi Mechaber Yuki Obayashi
in this issue
MASTHEAD 02 LETTER FRO DR THE R THE A
2 OM THE EDITOR 08 RESS UP 10 REIGN OF SELF CARE 20 POP! 24 INDULGE IN BLUE 30 GIVE A FIKA 36 ROYAL FEVER 40 AMBIGUITY OF STREET WEAR 48 THE VIENNESIAN 50 IMPULSE ANN ARBOR 60
letter from the editor
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Whether over-reporting a coveted celebrity couple or placing loves stories into nearly every storyline about women, the media tends to overconcentrate on relationships and love. And if you’re not in love, according to common media narratives, you’re moping and eating chocolates by yourself on the couch. Backlash against these frequent storylines has birthed us both the “Galentine’s Day” (thank you Leslie Knope) and even today’s favorite buzz word: self-care. While not the most scientific method, I polled Instagram to garner feelings around Valentine’s Day, selfcare, and indulgence in light of this digital issue. Respondents were plenty and answers were mixed, but the consensus preferred Valentines Day in a contentious 56/44 split. Considering the conflicting messages tossed around, it’s not too surprising that the holiday brings mixed feelings in tow. In this issue, we examine indulgence without its overt commercialization and clichés. Our writer Melina Schaefer dissects “self-care” for the lover and the skeptic—considering nearly 96% of voters favored self-care in my Instagram research, it’s a must-read if you think bath bombs are solving your problems. As Schaefer notes on page 20, and as many of my IG respondents
recognized, self-care also means looking inward with compassion, facing difficult but honest truths, and building a sense of vulnerability for yourself. I urge you to not get too caught up in the commercialized versions of selfcare as we do so often with Valentine’s Day. If self-care is our alternative to the common tropes around February 14th, we must tread with caution on how we celebrate it. Self-care in mind, I do insist you indulge in the beautiful imagery produced by our members. Photography throughout the issue encapsulates indulgence with technology, history, royalty, and simply fun. For those of you that indulge with sweet treats, you will want to read up on Fika, the Swedish act which permits indulgence as a shared experience, on page 36. Our writer Sophia Layton gives two delicious recipes to share with a friend, a partner or simply yourself. We must remember that Valentine’s Day is a holiday, not a mantra. Love is not reserved for a constructed day, and even love itself is quite the construction. Everything lovely has room for critique—we can love everyday and indulge when we want. February 14th is another day to do so.
Alana Valko Editor-In-Chief
D U DIRECTOR JESSICA PETERKINS STYLISTS SOPHIE ALPHONSO ANASTASIA HERNANDO NATALIA NOWIKA KATY TRAME PHOTOGRAPHERS SOPHIE HENDRIC JUAN MARQUEZ RITA VEGA ALVIN YAO VIDEOGRAPHER FRANCISCA LEE GRAPHIC DESIGNER MANDA VILLARREAL MODELS JE TOI GREEN SUMMER NGUYEN
DRESS UP
Pink Coat - The Children’s Place Butterfly Dress - SWAT
Corset Shirt - whatevernbd Star Earrings - Salvation Army Striped Fur Coat - Forever 21
Dream Of Sweater - H&M White Skirt - Salvation Army Black Boots - Target Mossimo
Cheetah Coat - C.U. Soon Heart Shirt - Depop Black Dress - Forever 21
Leather Jacket - Lazy Oaf Newspaper Shirt - Salvation Army
The time is 60 BC. The place, ancient Egypt. At least, that’s what I imagine as I settle into a steaming bath, silken waters enveloping me. I am Cleopatra, soaking in my modern day milk and honey (a Lush bath bomb). If cleanliness is next to godliness, then I guess self-care is close to royalness. I indulge in this unabashed selfishness. There’s something, a feeling, that accompanies the time we take for ourselves. This feeling arises when we choose to go beyond hygiene, to pursue relaxation for the sake of relaxation.The experience is always joined with a certain sense of defiance. When I sit in my dingy old bathtub with the peeling paint and choose to be a queen for a little while, I am also turning my back on all those things I should be doing—-those expectations of what I’m supposed to become.
By taking a stand and sitting in my bathtub, I’m saying I have a right to enjoy taking care of myself. I’m saying I have value in myself, derived from nowhere but myself. Self-care manifests in more than face masks and nail polish, it’s in an irreverent insistence that we deserve to take care of ourselves. This insistence speaks to more than our outward appearance. All those tools for self-care, like work out regimens and 30 minute showers are vehicles for a larger concept: there is not shame, but rather pride, in addressing what we need. In a world that asks us always to give to our friends, to give to our family, to give to society, give to our work, giving to ourselves is an act of mutiny. It might seem silly, maybe even high maintenance to make commitments to myself. To
promise myself time to recharge and recenter. But those promises empower me to make more difficult promises too. By investing in myself through Sunday baths and cups of tea, I’ve enabled to invest in better mental health and wellbeing. The construction of this culture was founded on self value, on investing time and energy into the betterment of the self. It’s a counterbalance to the way of life that demands so much of us professionally and socially, to the exclusion of our own internal environment. Self care is more than bath bombs and yoga. Self care is looking inward with honesty and love, and seeing where your mental health is struggling. It’s addressing these things out of care for yourself, and legitimizing your pain and suffering. And unfortunately, we live in a world
that de-legitimizes this suffering all the time. First seeking help for my mental health was everything I thought it would be. I was scared, nervous, uncertain and hesitant. It took a herculean amount of frankness and self reflection. It took commitment and faith in myself, and more love than I had ever bestowed. What I did not expect was the strength required to overcome stigmas I had internalized. In this country, more than half of people with mental health disorders choose not to seek treatment. There is a prevailing idea that mental illness warrants less consideration than physical illness, that it’s an excuse or a joke. Depression and anxiety are a feeling, an illusion, something with no physical evidence and there for no merit. Those who seek help are attention seeking, weak, needy. Whether you’re
royalty or a regular person, the world does not respond well to prioritizing yourself. These were all thoughts that stood in the way of me living a better life. These were all ideas perpetuated by a standard of life that measures happiness by concrete things. The solidness of a promotion, a big house, or new car are the yardsticks for a life well lived. We know these things don’t bring fulfillment, yet still the first thing we ask a person is what they do for a living. Cleopatra was a queen. She was confident
and beautiful and she indulged in herself, her wealth, and her power. She lived in a society that inherently valued her, and she occupied a place of privilege that enabled her to invest time in herself. But how do I, in my tiny little bathroom with the leaky sink, create this space for myself? I’ll never be a queen, but I think we can all strive to find a space of queenliness in our lives. Because at its core, this means believing you deserve the room to relax and reflect, and more than that do so in the defiance of a culture that looks down on this.
Destigmatizing self care is the first step to a world that stops valuing the material, the concrete and the monetized. Prioritizing self care is the first step in prioritizing our experiences as humans over our display of well-being. So I’ll soak here in this tub, in my modern milk and honey, as history and society scorns me. I am Cleopatra, I am beautiful, strong and confident. I am selfish and I am vain and I am happy, because I’ve decided that I deserve to be.
WRITER MELINA SCHAEFER GRAPHIC DESIGNER YUKI OBAYASHI
POP!
DIRECTOR MEGAN YOUNG STYLISTS HANNAH LEONARD JUAN MARQUEZ CATHERINE SMALL PHOTOGRAPHERS GABBY CERITANO MICHELLE LIN EMMA MCKILLIP VIDEOGRAPHER KENDALL KA GRAPHIC DESIGNER HALLEY LUBY MODELS ANASTASIA HERNANDO HALEY JACKSON
Boots - Dr. Martens
INDULGE IN BLUE
DIRECTOR ANTHONY HUYNH STYLISTS ISABELLE FISHER DHRUV VERMA PHOTOGRAPHERS GWEN MCCARTNEY FERN VICHAIKUL VIDEOGRAPHERS SARA COOPER MIRANDA FELTY GRAPHIC DESIGNER GABI MECHABER MODEL JIANMARCO BARBEAU
Dress Shirt - Valentino Pants - Valentino Boots - Doc Martens T-Shirt - Uniqlo Chain - Undercover
Trench Coat - Commes des Garรงons Jeans - Calvin Klein Makeup - Chanel Blue Eyliner
Give a Fika Over the holidays I began reading Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living by popular Swedish writer Linnea Dunn. The book is a how-to guide inspired by Swedish culture that suggests ways to live modestly, and indulge in simple pleasures. Curled up on my couch with the book in my lap I had the urge to jump headfirst into an icecold Nordic sea then wrap myself up in a hand-knitted Icelandic wool sweater. Then I learned about Fika. Fika is a magic word that guiltlessly permits indulgence. The word describes the act of ‘taking a break for coffee and a small treat’ but the essential part is that it’s a shared experience. The Swedes partake in this ritual daily. Making time for Fika is making time for cake and friends. From the perspective of American culture, which so often admonishes sugar and caffeine consumption, the Swedish daily sugar consumption seemed too good to be true. Reading further I found that adopting Fika isn’t a permission slip to stuff your face with bonbons and slurp Starbucks caramel Macchiatos with extra
caramel whenever you see a friend around. Instead, it’s about the intention of connecting with someone. The coffee and treat is simply the occasion. The best part about discovering Fika was the discovery of Swedish pastry. Semlor like jelly-filled donuts covered in powder sugar, neat green and brown Punchrulle logs, raspberry thumbprint Hallongrotta, and cinnamon Kanelbullar rolls circled in my mind as I read. Inspired by this mirage confection filled glass cases, I decided to bake. Naturally, I enlisted the help of my Nordic sweater-wearing boyfriend. I wanted to treat the baking experience like a Fika. Taking time, being in the moment, and sharing things with people you love are all things the act of baking has in common with Fika. The day before we shared a carrot cake Fika. We sat, sipped coffee and tea, and avoided the distraction of technology. We were entirely present with each other and our carrot cake. The first evening my boyfriend and I baked together, I hosted a get together
with a number of vegan friends attending. To accommodate everyone we made Chokladbollar (chocolate balls coated in coconut shreds). The recipe was easy and fun to make. Rather than feel a twinge of guilt licking the sticky chocolatey dough from my fingers, I only felt excited anticipating the finished product and the smiles on my friends’ faces when they took their first bites. The beauty of Chokladbollar is it can be eaten in two bites; one bite for you and one for a friend. The next evening we made cardamom cinnamon rolls, Kanelbullar. We mixed the dough without an electric mixer and kneaded it with our hands. We forgot to add most of the butter to the dough, but in the end, it didn’t matter! We went out to a movie and left the dough to rise. A beautiful sweet-smelling mound welcomed us when we returned. Shaping the rolls was equally delightful as rolling the Chokladbollar in the coconut. The night ended with two other friends and we huddled around the steaming plate of rolls with a bowl of icing and a
spoon, carefree, pulling apart and nibbling the perfectly spiced bundles. The experience of sharing something you make with friends is so rewarding. In a culture where we are all scrambling to get to work, rushing to finish our homework, forgetting to eat lunch, and canceling plans because of stress, the simple act of stopping to enjoy is a profound solution. Tomorrow, take a break, eat a treat and check-in with a friend. Give a Fika.
WRITER SOPHIA LAYTON GRAPHIC DESIGNER DANA DEAN
Chokladbollar Serves: 12 1 1/2 c. rolled oats 1/4 c. sugar 2 Tbs cocoa powder 1/4Ÿtsp sea salt 1/3 c. coconut oil 1 1/2½Tbs cold coffee 3 Tbs grated coconut Directions: Mix all ingredients in a food processor, shape into 1 inch balls, roll in coconut, chill for 2 hours. Serve with coffee or tea.
Kanelbullar Serves: 8-10 1 c. milk 1 package active dried yeast 3/4 c. white sugar 1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk 2 Tbs. Cinnamon divided 4 tsp. Cardamom divided 3 Tbs vanilla extract divided 2 tsp salt 3-4 cups flour 1 stick butter Sliced almonds for garnish Directions: Heat milk to 110-115 ËšF and stir in yeast, whisk for 5 min. Combine frothy milk, c. sugar, egg, half the spices and vanilla, salt, and 3 c. flour with hands until dough is stretchy and smooth. Add butter slowly and extra flour 2 tbs at a time if needed. Shape it in a ball, cover, and let rise in an oil-coated bowl for 2 hours. Combine the rest of the spices, c. sugar, 4 Tbs. butter in a saucepan, boil and remove from heat. Roll risen dough into an even rectangle and spread half of sugar and spice mixture over the rectangle, fold like a letter, then cut 1-2 inch wide strips, twist into the desired shape. Let twists rise for 30 min, top with the rest of sugar mixture and almonds. Bake for 20 at 350 ËšF. Voila!
ROYAL
FEVER DIRECTOR ALEXANDRA PLOSCH STYLISTS CAROLINE WHITE PHOTOGRAPHERS ALEX ANDERSEN HEBA MALIK VERA TIKHONOVA VIDEOGRAPHER VERA TIKHONOVA GRAPHIC DESIGNER TUNG TUNG LIN MODELS ERICA STRAUS LOCATION MICHIGAN LEAGUE
Black Velvet Turtle Neck Top - TJ MAXX
Red Velvet Slip Dress - PITAYA
Glitter Long Sleeve Mesh Top - H&M Assorted Jewelry - Madewell
The Ambiguity Of Street Wear When I ask my friends what they think streetwear is I get a different answer from everyone. The conversation about streetwear’s definition is crucial because while it is tempting to declare a style dead, just declaring it does not make it so. The problem is that although one definition of streetwear could be dead, the purest form will never die because it is something that is larger than just a style. In many cases streetwear can be defined as hypebeast style. This part of the so called “streetwear” is dead. We’ve all seen the person around campus or on an Instagram feed wearing distressed skinny jeans or joggers, some sneakers, and some sweater or shirt that has a logo on it. This look peaked in the past three or four years with the rise of many fashion labels such as Fear of God and Off-White and influencers cashing in on the success. The effects of this sect of streetwear resulted in logo mania. This phenomenon describes how every designer brand has tried to put their logo hoodies or shirts and then proceeded to sell them en masse. Eventually the oversaturation of logos began to fade but we still see logo mania and hypebeast style cause ripples in the fashion world.
Personally, I think hypebeast style lacks creativity and focuses more on vanity and money rather than style. People have begun to take the hypebeast style and shape it into new things such as growing popularity of e-boy, “artistic” or soft boy style. However, these are just the next iteration in a long line of sensationalized styles that take over social media. With this shift from hypebeast style people are rightfully saying that streetwear is dead. However, this is where the definition of streetwear becomes important. The main issue is that streetwear should not be defined in such a narrow sense but rather represents a much larger style. Only with increased exposure has streetwear become more pigeonholed into expensive clothes and certain brands. In my opinion, streetwear has two definitions that can be used. 1. Style outside of runways. This definition is more egalitarian, taking into account different peoples and identities that do not get exposed during runway shows. Under this definition, fashion is much more broad and important than what is found in runway shows. Runway shows may affect street style but in
the end it remains independent definitionally. In addition to this, under this definition streetwear will likely never die out as long as normal people wear clothes. 2. The style of those aware of fashion. This definition makes fashion important and separate from clothing but still attaches a degree of reality to them. The clothes must be wearable and not just art. This definition emphasizes style and the awareness of clothing while keeping it grounded, because at the end of the day clothes aren’t just things to display but are rather something to be worn. Both these definitions reference the act of wearing the clothes. Fashion seems to be shifting more and more from actually wearing clothes to portraying ideas. We can see this with fashion getting more experimental and also with the attaching of ideology to brand. Although I agree with experimentation and with promoting positive change, at the end of the day what is being talked about here is the physical clothes. Currently, many brands are interested in the abstract connotations of their clothing. Brands
are constantly trying to sell an idea of what their clothing means rather than the practicality or wearability of the clothing itself. Streetwear is a way to ground clothing in what it truly is. Issues often arise when runway fashion tries to appropriate the concept of streetwear even though it is definitionally opposite. Runway brands using the term streetwear blurs the definition and makes it seem rational. A fashion company trying to make some kind of mass appeal is doomed to fail. Street fashion is so diverse that hoping to encapsulate even a fraction of it is impossible. There is no way that one single brand can encapsulate the vast nature of everyday fashion. Only recently runway fashion has come to terms with that. What I predict will become more common is fashion labels attempting to lean more into their brand rather than appeal to as many people as possible. Although brands may borrow and influence popular aesthetics, what people wear from day-to-day is and will always stay different from what brands want them to be. So then the question becomes what to wear if you want to truly embody “streetwear” and the answer is simple, whatever works.
WRITER WILL PEDERSON GRAPHIC DESIGNER MADDIE FOX
The Viennesian
DIRECTOR JACOB WARD STYLISTS JOSIE BURCK KARLY MADEY ABBY ZIEMKOWSKI PHOTOGRAPHERS BLAKE BORGESON NICOLE KIM GABRIELLE MACK JUAN MARQUEZ GRAPHIC DESIGNER MACKENZIE SCHWEDT MODELS CAMILLA MUNACO
Headdress - Sophie Hochwald
Lace Choker - Abby Ziemkowski
impulse ann arbor: the shared history of our campus and techno Seniors Cat Kenzie and Jordan Stanton are co-presidents of MEMCO, Michigan Electronic Music Collective, a student organization which fosters Ann Arbor’s electronic music community through student-run DJ workshops, collaborative fundraisers, and monthly parties at sold-out Ann Arbor clubs. Stanton, majoring in Film and Business and Kenzie, studying Computer Engineering, spoke with SHEI about the org’s role in their lives and on campus. Recently, Stanton created and produced an original documentary, “Impulse Ann Arbor,” which dives into the history of Ann Arbor’s underground techno scene up until the present. The documentary includes interviews with techno legends like Shigeto, BMG and Erika of Ectomorph, and DJ Holographic as well as multiple student DJs in the Ann Arbor scene. The documentary touches upon all of the aspects of the history of the Ann Arbor scene while also emphasizing the roots of techno in Detroit.
L: How do you guys think that MEMCO has carried on the counterculture of Ann Arbor that has been historically associated with this city? What would you say each of your roles have been in this? J: I think the inspiration for creating the documentary was answering that question: what is this phenomenon of young people doing cool shit under the radar, so consistently here? And I think...this is just sort of what happens when you put a lot of fucking young people in the same place, you know? What was so interesting to me is that that’s something I felt in my gut at that first MEDMA party I ever went to, where there were just twenty young kids dancing on a dance floor in a dark room. It was the first time I ever felt it on this campus and I guess I’ve just been chasing it. So when I set out to make the documentary and interview people who are not my age, who are established local artists, who had their pivotal moments or big spurts of growth in Ann Arbor,
I was curious if it was similar for them. It was ridiculous to learn that people as successful as Shigeto, who is honestly at this point a national/ international name...people like BMG and Erika who are about as famous as you can get [in techno]...they got their start here. People in the documentary like Shigeto speak more to how [Ann Arbor] was so close to this huge cultural hub, Detroit, a place that was an incubator for so many artistic movements. Just the fact that we’re a place full of young people in such close proximity to that has made it easy for an underground culture to spread here. C: What I think about is the fact that we are all students at a university. For the most part being a student organization means that your members are going to keep fluctuating every four years or so. You really need to continue and build up energy behind your movement and get people who are as involved as you are to continue that forward, otherwise you won’t be able to continue and build up something. And maybe that’s why some of this had stayed under the radar before. J: It’s also interesting to be walking the line of being a student org that is, of course, open to everyone, but then also being people who are trying to promote underground culture... it’s hard for a real underground to exist without an event existing somewhere on the internet. And given that, as people who value this music—-music that you typically don’t hear in [the] mainstream—-it’s stuff that you don’t just stumble into. And even if you do, you have to be in the right environment to see the value of music like techno and house. It’s not necessarily the most friendly…“listening in my earpods on the way to class”
sort of listening. It’s music that’s used to create a space. I think the importance of creating that space for students is something that has driven us and why it’s important that, at the end of the day, yes we’re an electronic music club, but it’s about promoting these underground sounds that people typically wouldn’t run into otherwise. L: I know that you guys donate a certain portion of the proceeds at your events to different shelters and charities. What types of projects have you started with these intentions, and how have you made an effort to be inclusive? J: That vision for the club really started with Fabiola [Former Vice President], because under Laura [Former President], she organized the club’s first Black History Month party....it was her decision that we now had the fanbase and the enthusiasm to do an event like that, and do it justice. C: Yeah, and ask for donations at the door. J: It started off as a house party. We brought out Black Noise who’s known as Earl Sweatshirt’s DJ. That was the first time that MEMCO a) had a show for a philanthropic cause, so we donated all the money to the Flint Water Fund; and b) had a professional guest on a lineup. The enthusiasm surrounding it was insane...not everyone knew who Black Noise was, but it was one of the most poppin parties...because people were so thrilled that a professional would share a space with students in a basement, you know? [After] that Black History Month party, we brought out DJ Holographic which is arguably an even bigger name. We had a club space at that point, so we were able to charge a larger door cover and we raised enough money to cover two
DJ scholarships at SpinInc., a nonprofit in Detroit that teaches Detroit kids how to DJ.
form of social justice. I thought that was really interesting.
C: We got to see photos of the kid who got the scholarship and it was the cutest thing ever.
J: I think she was talking about our model for party throwing…[the] dancing, DJing, and event promotion by and for students in an affluent city like Ann Arbor, for a demographic of students that is exceptionally privileged—-whether or not financially or just to be attending this university. It’s important for us to be thinking about the ways we can give back because it’s easy to lose yourself in the narrow demographic [of] Ann Arbor and its student population. It’s important as students and organization leaders to be thinking about the ways that we can take ourselves out of that mindset and try to make a difference.
L: How’d you guys find out about that? J: With regards to nonprofits...the concept is always to keep it local. We honestly just crowdsource the coolest, most relevant non-profits for the event. Fabiola did some more research... And the non-profit aspect is... because we can, and we should, you know? It helps all parties involved. People get more excited about an event when they know that just by dancing, they’re making a difference. Their cover is going to a local community non-profit that needs the help! There’s no reason why having fun can’t also be something that raises money for the community. It only intensifies the energy in the room and the excitement around the event. L: One of the people you interviewed in the documentary mentioned something along the lines of trying to make MEMCO its own
C: People around here will drop $5, $10 on a night out anyway where they might hear music that they’ve heard before...at your typical club, [whereas] our parties are...also making a difference. L: What does Ann Arbor mean to you? What is the significance of it in your life?
C & J: [laugh] L: It’s daunting. C: This is a place that’s always been a part of my life—-I was born at the hospital at UofM, and my dad has worked in Ann Arbor my entire life, so this is a place that I’ve visited, but only from [the] perspective of an adult who is not involved with the artistic scene. But to come here as a student and to be surrounded by all these really interesting and exciting and energetic people who have so many goals and so much influence on each other to do what we all want to do in our lives has become really, really cool. J: I struggle with this question because I’m not from Ann Arbor—-I’m not even from Michigan, I’m from New York. My experiences here, my experience making that documentary and learning what I’ve learned and becoming a part of the community here is from a very specific vantage point of, you know, a privileged student who is able to go out of state in order to learn here. With all that said, it’s always inspiring to be
around young people who want nothing more than to just collaborate and build a community together. ...But something that’s also come up in speaking to people from Ann Arbor throughout this process is that it isn’t all fun and games. It’s always important to acknowledge the distinction between Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan [laughs] and to consider that for a lot of students there is no distinction. A lot of people don’t consider how those two worlds impact each other. So I mean, there’s a lot about Ann Arbor that I don’t know...and there’s a lot about the University of Michigan that makes it hard for Ann Arbor-ites to, I don’t know, live here, or exist here. There’s an up side to how incredible it is to be fostering an environment with young and enthusiastic students, but there’s also—-and this has been pointed out to me many times—-how important it is to consider what the costs of that institutional privilege are to the people who live here are, and how it’s driven up living costs and pushed people who are historically from Ann Arbor further and further away from the actual city. ...The very phenomenon of the University of Michigan continuing to attract excited, young,
creative students is also...making it such that the very institutions that make this place so special can’t afford to be here anymore.
roots of the Ann Arbor culture. I care about this place a lot.
C: I think that’s very true.
Read the full interview at www.sheimagazine.com
L: Arbor Vitae is what I’m thinking of.
Check out upcoming events with MEMCO:
C: It’s a really well-known university that attracts people..internationally and out-of-state as well. I think now it’s down to like 50% in-state versus out-of-state, which is pretty low for a public institution. And... as the prices are higher for that, you have more [people of] affluence who are able to live here, which then pushes up the housing. [Look at] all these new apartment complexes that are coming up. Now you see tech companies [like Google] moving here, whereas Duo [for example] is a company that started here, a start up, started by people who went to the University of Michigan... It’s a place that’s looking at intelligent minds that are here but also kind of forgetting about the art and punk scene that used to be the
February 15: Detroit Techno and Resistance: A Black History Month Symposium Rackham Amphitheatre (4th Floor) The event will feature a panel comprised of three prolific Detroit-based producers, DJs, and activists: “Mad” Mike Banks (DJ, producer, and co-founder of the Underground Resistance), Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale (DJ, producer, and co-founder of Sheometry Festival) and Ron Johnson (DJ, producer, and owner of Spin Inc). Each panelist will speak about their own work and help to contextualize the emergence of Detroit techno and the genre’s DIY ethos.
February 21: MEMCO x WCBN: Impulse Roots w/ Secret Special Guests Club Above A collaboration with student radio station WCBN, the party is the club’s annual black history month event paying homage to the black roots of techno music, a genre born in Detroit in the late 80s. 50% of proceeds will be donated to Spin Inc, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide DJ and music production education for young adults in the Detroit area. For more details, check out MEMCO on Facebook and Instagram.
WRITER LILY MARKS PHOTOGRAPHERS FRANCESCA ROMANO EVA RUSSA GRAPHIC DESIGNER JULIA DEAN
U-M Society of Women Engineers Presents
Women in Leadership Conference March 29, 2020 11:00 AM – 3:30PM Palmer Commons
Workshops, panel,l,lunch, t-shirt, and more! Free and open to all. rmore info. Visit h ps://www.swe.engin.umich.edu/wil-conference form
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