By Carl Huber at theWAREHOUSE Comic
Fashions of the world wars’ intermission
By Daryn Wright
‘Golden age thinking’: the belief that a time before our own was better, more progressive, and in this case — more chic
Serving as a reminder of a time before our own, mannequins stand sentinel in the Museum of Vancouver, donned in garments from the early ‘20s to late ‘30s, an era of shifting trends and irrefutable allure, as part of the “Art Deco Chic” exhibit, which stays on display until September. Almost all of the 66 pieces are picked from the collections of Ivan Sayers and Claus Jahnke. Sayers started collecting vintage and antique pieces when he was 15 years old, in part so that the pieces wouldn’t go to waste. Parts of his collection date back to the 1700s.
The exhibit is organized chronologically, and so the first few pieces you’ll encounter are date back to the early ‘20s, and reflects a rising fixation on Egypt and the ethnic east, fueled by the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. Aluminum sunbursts are embroidered on a shift the colour of desert sand, and a sheer lilac dress has pyramids and palm trees extensively embroidered along the top and bottom hem. Dresses have a drapey shape and are almost childlike in their form, with the emphasis on surface design, all characteristic of then-emergent flapper style. “The ‘20s were a time for women’s liberation, not only of mind, but also shape; they were fighting for the right to vote, and to be considered more for their intellect than their figures,” said Amanda McCuaig, an organizer of the exhibit.
The straight shapes and geometric prints of the time’s apparel indicate the heavy influence of art deco, an artistic movement that, like its name implies, was very decorative and ornate and embraced modernism, while maintaining a certain elegance as well. Think the Chrysler building in New York City, or the German expressionist film Metropolis.
In the ‘30s section, you’ll find a jewel case of accessories displaying leather oxfords, hats with tiny brims, a clutch shaped like a Volkswagen Beetle, and a small, headless velvet teddy bear, which reveals itself to be a perfume bottle. Many people tend to associate this decade’s fashions with the Great Depression, said McCuaig, and are often surprised that their preconceived notions of ‘20s and ‘30s garments are usually quite off the mark.
In this era, an emphasis on shape becomes fashionable again, with the waist coming back up and in quite literally. The focus turns to cut outs in the actual form itself, rather than surface design. Many dresses have intricately detailed and open backs, so they are the focus when dancing with a partner.
The drastic change in design from the ‘20s can be explained by the fact that fashion is an industry: by changing what is fashionable, designers are able to continue to sell new pieces during the grim economic state, which in itself also contributed to the drastic change: modesty grew in value, and liberation movements were put on hold.
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the exhibit is the sense of nostalgia one gets from the garments. Much of the art deco details are making their way back into designs today. Some of the exhibit’s pieces, such as a short cream flapper dress, could easily be worn to a cocktail party today, while others are transferable from the ‘30s to the context of the ‘80s: the angular shoulders, kitschy pins, and black and white leather gloves.
“If you take it out of the ‘80s context and into the ‘30s context, then it becomes glamorous. Maybe men with big hair and tight pants will come back too,” McCuaig laughed.
Old styles have shifted forward to the present, reflecting the changing ideals of the people in the clothes. Nostalgia for the decades past now rules the fashion world. “People just don’t dress like this anymore. Any chance I get to recreate it, I take it,” said one elderly woman at the opening night exhibit, glamorously dressed in clothing of the exhibit’s era.
What’s your sign? Part 2
You’re in a bar after promising not to spend another Friday night drinking and watching Doctor Who. You spot someone eyeing you from across the bar, you sidle up to them and ask them a question, the first question, the oldest in the universe. Hidden in plain sight: Hey baby, what’s your sign?
Spotlight on GSS elections
Elections for the Graduate Student Society (GSS) are just around the corner. The positions up for election, which will take place online from March 22 to March 29, are the coordinating and elections officer (CERO), the academic and internal relations officer (AIRO), and the operations and finance officer (OFO). However, since there was only one candidate running for the AIRO, Logan Ansell has won by acclamation.
Julia Lane, Maryam Dehghani Estarki, and Ikechukwu Udevi-Aruevoru are the candiates for the position of CERO. In her platform, Lane shows her history of involvement in the GSS by emphasizing that she is the current AIRO and previously served on three of its committees: social, environmental, and social justice, as well as collective advocacy and campaigns. According to her, such experience has increased her awareness of current challenges, including the expansion of graduate student space at all SFU campuses, cooperation with the SFSS, and the proposed creation of a provincial scholarship for master’s students.
Franclin Verla, a candidate running for OFO, is currently pursuing his master’s degree in risk management. He emphasizes his previous work as a financial analyst, which he believes will serve him well when managing the budget of the Graduate Student Society. He pledges that, upon election to this position, a thorough spending review will be conducted and that any improvements to ensure the efficient use of financial resources will be made accordingly.
Zest Zhang is also running for the position of OFO. He believes that international students should have a greater say as the number of international students is increasing and pledges to represent their interests.
Dissatisfaction in rez highest among international students
Lack of “diverse interactions“ with other residence students, despite increase of international students over the past six years
For the past six years, SFU’s residence management has been collecting survey data on student satisfaction in residences on the Burnaby campus. They’ve been using the Educational Benchmark Institute (EBI) standards, which collects data every two years.
Now that three sets of surveys have been completed, the data is reaching the point at which it can be put together to determine if there are any existing trends in attitudes towards residence.
At this juncture, the statistics themselves remain unavailable to the public. However, sources working with the data have suggested some of the potential implications.
Perhaps the most notable are the alleged responses indicating that dissatisfaction with both the campus and residence is highest with international students. Both the Fraser International College (FIC) students living in SFU residence, as well as registered SFU international students living on campus were surveyed, and were categorized accordingly.
However, sources indicate that although the dissatisfaction seems higher for the FIC students, the trend of the relative international student dissatisfaction remains true for SFU students as well.
This is particularly notable on two fronts, the first being the rising proportion of SFU residence students coming from abroad.
Although 2006 was reported to have seen a spike in rez students from the Fraser Valley, the subsequent years are reported to have seen a drop in such numbers, as international students coming from numerous foreign communities have replaced them.
Further adding to the issue is the fact that diverse interactions have been reported to have been on the decline over the past six years, despite the increase in international students. “This really confused us,” said Chris Rogerson, associate director of residence life, at a student services ‘Lunch and Learn’ last Tuesday. “Our international population was going up, our number of FIC students was going up, but our diverse interactions were going down.”
However, Rogerson continued to attribute the drop to the nature of the Louis Riel building, which contains apartment style housing for grad students and families, an environment in which residents are reportedly more inclined to “stay to yourself, and do your own thing.”
Currently, sources could not yet indicate the time at which the full data set will be released to the public. However, the presentation of much of the information to student services staff last week would suggest that the time at which more conclusive answers become available may be approaching.
Woodward’s vibrant arts community
Social cohesion continues to thrive among the fine arts departments despite geographical separation from the main campus
At the beginning of the semester, after finding herself alone in Woodwards’ Audain Gallery, Daryn Wright wrote an article for The Peak “Ghost Town: SFU’s absent arts community”, January 23, which came to the conclusion that SFU had art, but lacked a community to enjoy it.
Wright was perhaps too quick in her assessment. What she missed was that the Audain functions as more than just a gallery. Had she picked up a brochure or looked on the website, Mapping the Future, the exhibit at the time, also included over a dozen community events held right in Audain spanning over the course of the exhibit’s residence. Events included workshops on Japanese brush painting, panel discussions, and a collaborative performance with Red Diva projects, all of which were free to participate in.
The Audain Gallery is a place where various communities witness and collaborate on a variety of engaging and pertinent issues, and community shouldn’t necessarily have to be limited to students. On that note, however, there are many students who are invested in SFU’s arts. So Crazy it Just Might Work, a student-run exhibition with artwork that engages visitors in themes of utopia and dystopia, and attracted over 150 visitors on its opening night, most of whom were students. One attendee even commented that this number was an improvement over the previous year’s turnout.
Vanessa Wong, one of the student artists at So Crazy, said that most people came to the galleries at their own leisure, but in the same breath emphasized that many people turn up to the community events. “That’s where everybody is!”
Many visual art students agreed with Wright that the move of the arts faculties from the Burnaby campus to Woodward’s has caused a spatial void, but what the latest exhibition hopes to achieve is attract students from other campuses as well. Student art used to be located at a campus offshoot along the industrial border of Gastown, and its recent move to the more central location reflects an increased effort to display student art in a more professional environment that is more accessible to both students and the public.
Much else is being done to increase visibility for arts at SFU, with building an online presence a priority, according to Audain curator Sabine Bitter, though she also noted that past gallery events were very successful with people from the neighbourhood as well as faculty and students. Yi Xin Tong, a fourth-year visual arts student, also suggested that using online sources such as email would be ideal for students to keep informed with upcoming events at Woodward’s.
SFU’s arts community is more than just the campus’ students. It also includes families, friends, and people from the DTES community of Vancouver. As Tong puts it, “Community shouldn’t be limited to just the campus but should encompass everyone.”
That being said, it’s a little surprising how low student involvement is to begin with. One the major student gripes is that they’re always broke, yet free events are held on campus all the time, some of which even include refreshments, from screenings of film festival award winners to workshops.
Visual arts student Andrea Creamer, whose work is also included in the show, was confident in the draw of the show. “The pieces in here are engaging, people will want to come.”
So Crazy It Just Might Work runs until March 24 at the Audain Gallery. Gallery hours are 12:00 to 6:00 p.m., Tuesdays to Saturdays.
Good to Know!: March 19th
By Brad McLeod
A 42-year-old man in Vernon, British Columbia has stumped the scientific community by growing a full beard made of bees.
Tom Johnson, a school teacher, claims his bee beard only started to grow three months ago when he started using a new honey-based aftershave. “I woke up one morning and my face had broken out in hives,” Johnson explained, “and a week later my face was covered in tiny insects”.
After a visit to his dermatologist, Johnson was sent to various specialists in the field who could not explain his condition. “The bees seem to only grow on his face”, said Professor Bill Burnham, an expert in hair growth. “We’ve checked extensively and there are no bees in any other normal hair-growing areas.”
When asked how the problem could be solved, Burnham had no immediate solution. “I’m trying to develop a special razor for bee beards but the process is moving very slowly and he’s going to have to live with it for a while”.
Living with a beard of bees has been not easy task for Johnson, who says his personal and professional life is in shambles. “I can’t teach anymore because of kids allergies to bees, my wife won’t sleep in the same room as me because of the buzzing, and everywhere I grow I’m treated like some sort of attention-grabbing freak.”
Johnson says his life has been turned upside down by his bees. “I can’t go to grocery markets, restaurants … anywhere that doesn’t allow bees, which turns out to be a lot of places. I never asked for any of this, I just want my old beard back.”
World of News!: March 19th
Several reports are coming out of the Shell building in residence regarding the sighting of the rare and elusive seventh year student, a creature whose existence has long been speculated by prominent anthropology majors.
The last sighting of the mythical creature was in 2009, when a christian club spotted a shadowy figure in a bath-robe hunched over one of the sandwich trays. However this was never substantiated.
More recently, what was thought to be a seventh year’s nest was discovered in the basement of McTaggart-Cowan Hall. Tucked away in a storage closet, custodial workers found thesis drafts, shredded Mr. Noodle packages and SFU rec tags dating back 2004.
Administrators advised any students who spot the haggard creature to avoid any confrontation and immediately book an appointment to declare their major.
