The Lowell Multimedia Magazine April 2023

Dear readers of The Lowell,

The Multimedia Mag has been in the works for the past year – it’s an entirely new territory for The Lowell, one that we were excited to explore! This is a completely multimedia-themed magazine put together by our illustrators, photographers, and multimedia editors.

We wanted to allow our photographers and illustrators to fully pursue creative projects and find art among the Lowell population. In “Under their skin,” our photographers showcased art on Lowellites’ bodies by finding students with tattoos. One of our photographers wrote haunting poems, and in turn, one of our illustrators provided the artwork for the poems. We also asked photographers and artists to explore new mediums and techniques: in “Soundscapes,” one of our artists painted while listening to different songs.

We encouraged our photographers to seek out new inspirations. “Spring Lookbook” draws from the flash photography and maximalist aesthetic of FRUiTS magazine, which showcased outfits from Tokyo’s fashion district in the early 2000s.

Thank you so much to all of our multimedia staff and contributors for working hard to break new ground and make this project happen.

Multimedia Editor-in-Chief, Marlena Rohde

The Lowell is published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School. All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes. All rights reserved. The Lowell strives to inform the public and to use its opinion sections as open forums for debate. All unsigned editorials are opinions of the staff. The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members. Send letters to the editors to thelowellnews@gmail.com. Names will be withheld upon request. We reserve the right to edit letters before publication.

The Lowell is a student-run publication distributed to thousands of readers including students, parents, teachers, and alumni. All advertisement profits fund our newsmagazine issues. To advertise online or in print, email thelowellmanagement@gmail.com. Contact us: Lowell High School 1101 Eucalyptus Drive San Francisco, CA 94132, 415-759-2730, or at thelowellnews@gmail.com.

The Lowell April 2023

WE’LL BE ALRIGHT SOUNDSCAPES

LIFE OF THE PARTY

PEOPLE, PEOPLE

UNDER THEIR SKIN

SPRING LOOKBOOK

Editors-in-Chief

Chloe Chon

Kelcie Lee

Marlena Rohde

Multimedia Editors

Libby Bowie

Marlena Rohde

Yeshi-Wangmu Sherpa

Art Managers

Darixa Varela Medrano

Elise Muchowski

Photographers

Kahlo Friel Asay

Samir Azmi

Malena Cardona

Kylie Chau

Katharine Kasperski

Lauren Kim

Ava Rosoff

Illustrators

Joey He

Charon Kong

Katey Lau

Hugh Macdonald

Danica Yee

Emily Yee Advisor

Eric Gustafson

COFFEE CUP PSYCHOLOGY

BY DARIXA VARELA MEDRANO

The Lawless Mind

By Ava Rosoff

my thoughts spiral into an ornate cage, locking themselves inside and swallowing the key, spinning faster and faster and faster until I cannot glimpse them.

my thoughts scribble on the blank walls of my psyche, except their drawings are ugly, black sharpie lines with no shape, no cohesive quality, sticking out on the stark white wall. i try to scrub them away but their residue remains until my fingers are raw from scrubbing and i let out a sigh of defeat. my thoughts are endless, scorching suns, hot and unforgiving, blinding me when i examine them for too long. my thoughts are endless night, dark save for a few spots of light. i gaze at those spots of light, squinting to better see tem, stars amidst the seemingly endless darkness of my mind. someday, i know the night sky will crack open to reveal a sky of endless stars, brightness conquering dark, an inverted version of my current state of mind. the curtains that are the night sky will open, the walls will be clean, or may be they’ll come down entirely, i’ll find the key to the cage and unlock it. and then i’ll feel true joy.

We’ll It’s Okay Not

Evocation

By Ava Rosoff

BeAlrigh t

toBeOkay

you capture each moment so you don’t lose it, lose it in the furthest reaches of your mind, off in some forgotten coat pocket, some roach-filled corner, some bucket filled with sand and taken with the tide of forgetfulness. write in your journal; oh, how did it feel to be young, to have worries like butterflies, so beautiful, innocent, fleeting, caught in a net and released? tell me, show me; were you ever in love? did your love camouflage itself so others wouldn’t recognize it, so you’d never have to face the bitter rejection that comes with loving people without caution? weave memories together, fragments, puzzle pieces, put them together and ponder what your life has become. it doesn’t look how you thought it would look, but somehow, that makes it prettier.

SPREAD DESIGN BY ROMAN FONG

SOUNDSCAPES

By Danica Yee

Have you ever been moved to tears or hysterical laughter by a song that reached into your chest, clenched your heart, and told it how to beat? Have you ever closed your eyes and seen past the music, into the life of the song? These three pieces of art are meant to visually express the physicality of the songs they represent — the rhythm, the way they flow, and the atmospheres they evoke. It represents the swirling feelings when you listen to it with your mind and not just your ears.

By Pink Floyd

4 The Lowell April 2023

“Call it Fate, Call It Karma”

By The Strokes

“Plastic Beach”

By Gorillaz, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon

SPREAD DESIGN BY KELCIE LEE

the following is false party portraiture. no models were under the influence of any substance. they were only under the influence of emotion and fun. two friends meet at a party. chaos ensues.

PEOPLE, PEOPLE

By Katharine Kasperski

From crosswalks to art galleries, people are continuously flooding and leaving spaces. Crowds push forward and retreat in a matter of hours, minutes, and seconds. Yet the relationship between the crowded bustling parts of our city and empty public spaces reveals we are not just visitors. No matter how fleeting, it’s the people who define a place and create an atmosphere.

UNDER THEIR SKIN

A look into tattoo and stick-and-poke art at Lowell.

PHOTOS BY MARLENA ROHDE, YESHI-WANGMU SHERPA, AND LIBBY BOWIE

SPREAD DESIGN BY LIBBY BOWIE

SPRING

LOOK BOOK

By Katharine Kasperski,

Beatrice

Quinn

Sam Erica

Samir Azmi, Lauren Kim, Kahlo Friel-Asay, Kylie Chau, and Ava Rosoff

Lillian

Sammy

SPREAD DESIGN BY ELISE MUCHOWSKI

M U L T I M E D I A

M A G A Z I N E