CONTRAST
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 2
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Letter from the Editors ShapeUp Curated Street Style Formation A Space for Every Shape Burlesque at Vassar College
To the MAX: a conversation with Adrian Kondratowicz
Line Work Exec Board 5
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
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Dear Contrast reader, With this volume we explored the simple concept of a line and stretched it past boundaries. With this in mind we were able to study form, shape, light, movement and beyond. We celebrated the body, and how our bodies interact with their surrounding space, light, and structure in complimentary and oppositional ways. We also saw artists capable of influencing the perceptions of entire cities with bold manipulations of the most familiar forms. It is always a pleasure to chronicle the shapes of the campus each year, and we wish to do so for many years to come. And finally, we hope you are inspired by these pages to appreciate lines and all of their possibilities.
With love,
Ellie Winter & Paulina Vigoreaux 7
SHAPEUP
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Photography:
Stylists:
Makeup:
Leah Pan Lucas Katz Jackson Hardin Mitch Davis Jake Brody
Billy Porges Hannah Nice Dana Chang
Claire Murphy Ellie Winter Gabby Miller Leah Pan Jonathan Perez
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Makeup Geometry
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Serious style by seriously fashionable VC students.Take a look at Contrast Street Style submissions in response to the word “geometric.”
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Photographed by Lucas Kautz & Jackson Hardin
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Daniel Sachadonig “The main element of the outfit is the head wrap. Last semester, I was trying to discover new places in New York City, so I ended up somewhere in Harlem, where I found this Senegalese store with the most amazing and beautiful selection of African prints. Frankly, it was my housemate Rachel Simmons who came up with the idea. She wanted to combine the geometry of the print with her futuristic Zara sweater to articulate an Afro-futurist vision. It’s not very common for men to wear a head wrap, so there was also an effort to express queerness. The headwrap transgresses gender binaries and I feel like the African print brings me closer to my Nigerian/ Yoruba heritage.”
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Isabel Marvel “Perhaps due to my irrational and excessive love of french shit, stripes became my uniform at a young age. Competing with that love is my inability to introduce colors other than varying shades of blue, mostly navy, to my wardrobe. Peak performance puts me in navy stripes, and I’m cool with that.”
Sophia Steinert-Evoy “Most of my clothes are pretty shapeless, but I have a few bold marimekko dresses like this one that either belonged to my grandmother or were given to me during high school. These pieces add a little excitement to my otherwise simple wardrobe.”
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Lena Redford “This vest was given to me when I was studying in Berlin. It’s way too big, which makes it look even more ridiculous than it already is. But that’s kinda what I like about “geometric” outfits. They are committed in a way that is deliberately extra. Here, I played that up with the silhouette, and the black and the yellow. Most people stay away from that color combo to avoid resemblance to a.) bumble bees and/or b.) Wiz Khalifa’s 2011 banger. But I like wearing stuff that people aren’t so sure about. It makes waking up and getting dressed everyday more fun.”
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FORMATION Through dance and form, these three models consider the relationship between bodies, buildings and the architectural aspects that exist amidst the two.
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Stylists: Billy Porges Hannah Nice Dana Chang Photography: Leah Pan Lucas Katz Jackson Hardin Mitch Davis Jake Brody Makeup: Paulina Vigoreaux Kerri Bell Models: Kibi Williams-Brown Natalie Westgor Kerri Bell
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My relationship with space is best a journey through realizations of the self and at worst an uphill battle. I am Black and I am a woman and have in many coded ways, shapes, and forms been taught to shrink and remove myself from space. My ability to move through space through space (physical and mental) is something that has always been heavily policed. Many of these dynamics from my social life are repeated if not intensified in my dance life. Growing up dance was something that I loved but caused me a lot of anxiety. I became obsessively aware and self conscious about my body and the space it occupied and as a result I shrank. Because I felt so hyper visible, in studio spaces or on stage, I tried my best to make myself as small as possibly, physically but especially in terms of the way I moved through space. Until,( maybe I was in middle school at the time), one day in class my ballet teacher came up to me, grabbed my leg and yanked it up to my ear. She looked at me and quite matter of factly said “Your leg can reach here, so get it up there”. I would love to say that from that point on I leapt and extended my limbs and twirled about as great as I possibly could… But in reality it took a long time for me to realize that that moment of being called out was a catalyst to the process of renegotiating my mind into developing a healthy body image and my body into developing healthy relationship with space. 20
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At present there are times when the wide open spaces of the studios in Kenyon Hall make me feel exposed and vulnerable in such a way that I feel trapped and overwhelmed and leave ballet class immediately after barre. But on my best days I feel alive and real and radical when I move my body in space; whether that space be the studio, on stage, at a parties or even grooving silently with headphones around campus. At this point in my life I think I’ve reached a place where I find it hard to separate my perception of the world and the energy I put into it from how I chose to move through it. There is a quote by Judith Jamison, former Ailey dancer and artistic director. She says, “Dance is bigger than the physical body. Think bigger than that. When you extend your arm, it doesn’t stop at the end of your fingers, because you’re dancing bigger than that. You’re dancing spirit.” I read this quote so vividly in my mind because I think Jamison quite elegantly but so simply articulates dance into a metaphysical existence.
Kibi Blaze Williams-Brown
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A SPACE FOR EVERY SHAPE
Photography: Jackson Hardin Mitch Davis
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Models: Kaitlin Prado Daisy Walker Madeleine Briggs Tiarra Rogers
Author: Sam Greenwald
Twirling titty-tassles titillated over two hundred students this semester as Vassar Burlesque made its breakout debut. For two nights, they packed the Shiva for two hours of spectacle and seduction. These performances were more than just entertaining, they also served an important political function. By providing the cast with a space to creatively explore their identities and sexualities, Burlesque encouraged the audience and entertainers alike to take a bold approach to sex. The term burlesque most often refers to a variety-show style of performance that was popular in clubs and cabarets across the US from the 1860s to the 1940s. Characterized by jazz music, lowbrow comedy, and strip tease acts, these productions were primarily intended for the male gaze. More recently, the art form has been reclaimed as means of radically body-positive community building. Burlesque came to Vassar through the joined efforts of Daisy Walker and Madeleine Briggs. When the two Juniors met in a drama class last year, they quickly bonded over a mutual passion for Dita Von Teese. Together, they imagined the potential for a burlesque scene on campus. Madeleine explained, “To us, giving women and queer folks and people of color physical space in which they can explore themselves and their identities and their desires and fantasies was just invaluable.� The Philaletheis Society shared their vision and got on board to provide them with resources and support. 33
The production process proved unique in the realm of student theater. Since no formal auditions were held, the group drew a diverse range of seasoned professionals and self-proclaimed “non-performers.”. Fortunately, the variety-show structure of burlesque was able to accommodate everyone’s unique goals, while also providing opportunities for collaboration and exploration. Before winter break, meetings placed more emphasis on personal development and trust building. This was essential, given the intimate nature of performing burlesque with others. While emotionally taxing, this process was ultimately rewarding. As Kailtin Prado, who eventually chose the stage name Madison Thick, explained, “Every time I had a Burlesque meeting or rehearsal, I left feeling scrubbed clean. It became so important to me when I realized I got to take a small piece of the happier healthier version of myself home.” After break, everyone had just three weeks to turn their ideas into full-fledged burlesque routines. From costuming and choreography, to lighting, blocking and set design, the show seemed to come together all at once. By opening night, the result was about a dozen pieces spanning a myriad of mediums and messages. Some group numbers were campy, others were kinky. Two soloists sang while they stripped, and there was more than one drag queen. A few acts prompted the audience to consider more somber topics, such as self-care and body image. Whether playful or pensive, every act was met with thunderous applause. For performers, like Madison Thick, this was more than just applause. “After I did it for the first time through on opening night I went to our backstage space and cried. I’d never felt so validated by a performance before.” Not long after the show went up, Vassar Burlesque received more good news. Their preorg application has been approved, so they’ll start next year as an independent club. With excitement already bubbling on campus and more time to prepare, their next show is sure to be a crowd pleaser and a body positive space for years to come. 34
TO THE MAX A CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST ADRIAN KONDRATOWICZ 35
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Stylists:
Photography:
Makeup:
Article:
Hannah Nice Dana Chang
Lucas Katz Jake Brody
Claire Murphy
Jane Pryzant
This March, Contrast’s very own Jane Pryzant caught up with artist Adrian Kondratowicz to talk about art and environmental issues in conjunction with his ongoing installation, maximalism. Our style team was lucky enough to snag some of the vibrant trash bags used in the installation and explore the forms present in sites of waste on Vassar’s campus. Q: How did the trash project get started? A: I’ve been working in Harlem for the past 10 years and I started the trash project back in 2008 as an art installation called maximalism. I’ve always found it fascinating how much trash we produce and how monumental it looks all piled up on the street. People were really interested in the concept of beautifying the neighborhood through the means of manipulated trash bags while simultaneously creating awareness of the often overlooked but extremely relevant issues surrounding pollution. From there it just started traveling. Did it in Holland. Did it in Italy. Did it most recently in India. Essentially, we are considering this mundane thing that we constantly see on the street as a piece of artwork. It goes along with the old saying, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”
Q: Can you tell me a little more about the term ‘maximalism’ and what it means to you in relation to the project? A: The term maximalism is an antonym of minimalism. It is a quite contemporary term and was popular in literature of the 1950s and 60s. At the time, it was a term used to reference the overindulgence in language and has since been carried into other creative fields. For me, I use the term as a way to describe something at its highest volume. For example, changing the color of the trash bag in order to give it a new life and a new sensation that maximizes the environment and the participant’s experience. It is a play on visual psychology. You walk down the street and you see the same thing every day and then, boom, something seems different-pink polka dot trash bags lining the streets. Something is unusual but the natural preexisting landscape has not been disrupted. 37
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Q: How do you make the bags accessible when an installation is first established?
Q: Why do you think art works well to communicate environmental issues?
A: Most of the time the project is on commission or on behalf of a specific organization or institution. For example, in Montreal we did an installation on maximalism that lasted six months. 34,000 bags were used with 250 businesses and residential units over a one kilometer stretch. Bags were made available to everyone participating. In this particular case we had a pick up point for everyone who paid for the bags. Overtime the new vibrant bags became the norm and the bags were adapted into the natural flow of the daily lives of the residence.
A: As colorful and beautiful as the project is, we get our hands pretty dirty. We use art as a means because it helps bring people together and makes the task at hand more accessible. The project is like a bridge between what is possible and the current state of affairs. Even when I paint, I am polluting water because I am infusing fresh water with acrylic and oil. Artists can be very sheltered--we are often conscious of the current but believe we are outside the ecosystem of greater issues. It is important to me that I take on a more responsible role as an artist and that I don’t create art as a high end luxury good to be hung in people’s homes.
Q: Can you tell me more about what environmental issues the trash project is intended to raise awareness for?
Q: How has this project changed your perspective on art? A: This project has taught me to look past the aesthetic of something, to see beyond the label society places on a situation or person in order to see the essence of things. I want to give people more clarity and more imagination in terms of how art functions and how it can be appreciated. Art changes consistently but the cornerstones—its educational elements and use as a tool of communication--will always stay firmly in place. I intend to form beauty in a way that is accessible to all people. This project has taught me and others to reevaluate what is beautiful. Having a greater purpose as an artist has allowed me to grasp the sacred geometry of the higher dimensions of existence. I hope to experience life through the full spectrum of my existence, not just a few colors.
A: Over the last eight years I’ve gotten really close to a variety of environmental issues from fracking to waste management to plastic pollution. Everything under the sun is tied to waste. The one thing that we really try to emphasize through large scale institutions of the trash bag project is educating those participating about the gravity of the situation. The world creates about three billion tons of trash each year and about a third of that is produced solely by the United States, which makes up five percent of the world’s population. That is a big deal. Simply by functioning day to day as a human, each person is responsible for generating about 1.4 pounds of trash. Most people aren’t aware of how drastic the statistics are and how excess waste contributes to infrastructure and sanitation issues. With this project, I hope to create awareness of the harmful effects of plastic and waste pollution but also inspire others to take a more responsible role in keeping our earth clean.
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LINE WORK
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PHOTOGRAPHY Leah Pan, Lucas Kautz
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EXECUTIVE BOARD Editors: Ellie Winter Paulina Vigoreaux
Editorial: Jane Pryzant Gabby Miller Sam Greenwald
Treasurer: Noah Jackson Publicity: Reina Miyake Layout: 46
Emily Hallewell
SOCIALS BLOG vassar-contrast.tumblr.com INSTAGRAM vassarcontrast FACEBOOK vassar contrast
Photography: Lucas Kautz Leah Pan
Style: Hannah Nice Billy Porges Dana Chang
CONTRIBUTORS PHOTO
STYLE
LAYOUT
Jake Brody Mitchell Davis Jackson Hardin
Aidan Zola Sylvia Peng Nicole Kormendi Emma Brodsky Olivia Guarnieri Katie Spear Makeda Johnson
Kristine-Anna Covaci Katherine Niu Makeda Johnson Dana Chang
MODELS Rori Chuck Cyrus Cohen Emily Hwu Patrick Tanella Ichar Heffernan Kibi Williams-Brown Natalie Westgor Kerri Bell Rose Hedreen Jade Direnfeld Jonah Strand
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