Culture

Culture

UNM theater students gear up for SCRAP spring fest

Zara Roy | February 28

  Thespians rejoice: starting March 4, the University of New Mexico’s department of theatre and dance and UNM’s student theater organization SCRAP are holding a festival of two new plays written, directed, performed and coproduced by undergraduate students. The two plays are “The Jaw Comb” and “Letters to a Dead Poet.” Performances will be held at the X – Experimental Theatre March 4-6 and 10-13. “I’m really excited, just for everyone to have their own piece of this play … I’m excited to see how it flourishes and how everyone gets to work on stage with it and takes it in a way that they feel proud of,” Savannah Ramirez, writer of “The Jaw Comb” said.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘Drive My Car’ is a smooth, emotional ride

John Scott | February 28

  With “Drive My Car” being both a foreign language film and having an almost three-hour runtime, it checks off two boxes that a large number of successful Oscar-hopeful films have had in the past few years (like “Parasite,” “Roma” and “The Irishman”). But to say that “Drive My Car” is merely a combination of previously successful elements would be almost an insult as Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film seems to defy all definition and explanation. Even with a runtime of almost three hours, “Drive My Car” never lets off the gas. Hamaguchi has slowly been making waves throughout the indie film scene ever since the 2015 film “Happy Hour” garnered him international attention.  

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Culture

Street medic advocates for ABQ’s marginalized communities

Zara Roy | February 21

  Albuquerque resident Ciel Melody works tirelessly to advocate for marginalized communities in the city and is building up a new local street medic coalition where they’ll train other community members in street medicine. Originally from North Carolina, Melody first became interested in activism in 2015, around when they were hospitalized for a chronic illness and also came out as transgender. “Ever since I came out, really … I’ve been interested in trying to make a difference in my community … I’ve been sick and tired of sitting around my whole life and watching things happen and saying I’m gonna do something. I want to actually do something,” Melody said.

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Culture

Local tattoo artists navigate effects of COVID-19

Maddie Pukite and Mackenzie Schwartz | February 21

  While the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up factors of cleanliness around the nation, many tattoo shops in Albuquerque were already adhering to these standards. Now, however, artists are navigating woes in their own safety factors, increased supply chain prices and a changed social atmosphere in their shops. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, artists had to be extremely careful regarding sterilization, according to All Is One Tattoo artist Bianca Sanchez, so the increased sanitation wasn’t anything new to her. “It's not too different, just because everything's already pretty clean … We have to sanitize (tools) out of sight and everything like that so, really, the only difference is masks,” Sanchez said.

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Culture

UNM Art Museum opens ornate exhibition ‘Mysterious Inner Worlds’

Natalie Jude | February 21

 In her first solo exhibition in New Mexico, Anila Quayyum Agha started showing “Mysterious Inner Worlds” on Friday, Feb, 18 at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. With a unique combination of Islamic architecture and personal concepts about sacred spaces’ patterns, the exhibit has four sculptures that are all activated by light. The installation is comprised of works of paper, beads, metal and light, with Agha’s designs being guided by traditional Pakistani artistry and made to convey feelings associated with her experiences with religion, gender, culture and danger, according to the UNMAM gallery guide.   Many of the pieces use the sewing techniques taught by her mother as well as beads and papers sourced from Pakistan, according to the UNMAM gallery guide. 

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘The Worst Person in the World’ revives the rom-com

John Scott | February 21

  Writer and director Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” finally received a wide-release in the United States on Feb. 4 after dazzling movie fans and critics alike at its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. After having the chance to watch the film for myself, it’s no surprise why Trier’s slick, stylish and subversive film has won over the hearts and minds of so many viewers. The opening montage thrusts the audience into the chaos and confusion that is confronting our main character, Julie, and many other 20-somethings all around the world. Initially, Julie is studying to become a surgeon. 

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Culture

UNM theater program showcases original plays at sold-out Linnell Festival

Zara Roy | February 15

  The University of New Mexico theater program kicked off their spring performance lineup with this semester’s Linnell Festival of New Plays in which three original plays, created by students in the Masters of Fine Arts dramatic writing program, were performed by undergraduate students at the X – Experimental Theatre from Feb. 9-13. Every single performance at the festival sold out even with expanded capacity being secured for both nights of “The Eccentrics.” “When you work on a play with the same group of people for a length of time, it’s easy to focus on everything that needs to be improved, and so by the time you get it in front of an audience and they’re seeing it with fresh eyes, you kind of rediscover it with them,” Amy Yourd, writer of “Remain in Light” said.

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Culture

UNM senior works in D.C. for congressional internship

Natalie Jude | February 14

  Matthew Zank, a senior studying political science at the University of New Mexico, is spending this semester — his final one — in Washington, D.C. thanks to the Fred Harris Congressional Internship program. Zank is interning with Melanie Stansbury, the current U.S. representative of New Mexico's 1st Congressional District.  Zank has been interested in politics his entire life and has tried to maximize his engagement in the political sphere of students throughout his time at UNM, serving for two years as a senator for the Associated Students of UNM. “I was an ASUNM senator from fall 2019 to spring 2020,” Zank said. “Student government gave me a precursor to government and working with legislation.”

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Culture

5 and Why: 5 ideas for local dates for new couples

Natalie Jude | February 14

  The weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day can be particularly nerve-wracking, especially for those in new relationships, but Albuquerque has plenty to offer in terms of activities for the dating scene. University of New Mexico sophomores Geronimo Romero Campbell and Cooper Lennon offered five ideas for simple but meaningful dates around Albuquerque for new couples. Go to the movies A classic date is a trip to the movies, according to Romero Campbell. He said the experience is simple and exciting, and there’s not much room for error.  “There’s just not much that can go wrong … Everything is pretty much all set for you,” Romero Campbell said. “See what kind of person they are with the movies.”

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Culture

‘A deeper connection’: UNM professors offer lessons on love letters

Annya Loya | February 14

  In a digital age, classic romantic gestures can go a long way, especially during the month of love. Two University of New Mexico creative writing professors sat down with the Daily Lobo to share tips with readers on why and how to write the perfect love letter. Diane Thiel has been teaching creative writing at UNM for 20 years and believes that “love letters are a beautiful way to build a deeper connection.” “A love letter allows one to consider and reflect and choose words carefully, rather than simply speaking in the moment,” Thiel said.  Love letters can have more emotional value than other mediums and can serve as a mark of seriousness about your feelings, according to professor Sharon Warner.  

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Culture

REVIEW: Examining a graceful yet turbulent relationship in ‘Normal People’

Emma Trevino | February 14

  This review has spoilers for “Normal People”  When news of a television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s superb Ireland-set novel “Normal People” hit my ears, I first thought they could never do the book justice. But when it was released in April 2020, the two main characters’ on-and-off relationship proved me wrong and displayed a master class in understanding power dynamics and how easily your soulmate can slip through your fingers. The show tells the story of Connell’s (Paul Mescal) and Marianne’s (Daisy Edgar-Jones) relationship from high school until the end of college, as the two frequently break up just to get back together again when they realize they can’t be without each other. 

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is a cathartic viewing

Shelby Kleinhans | February 14

  This review contains spoilers A quintessential viewing this Valentine’s season is Michael Gondry’s 2004 sci-fi romance “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” which argues that even the most painful aspects of our relationships are worth remembering. The film follows Joel, played by a woefully sad Jim Carrey, after he realizes his ex-girlfriend Clementine, charmfully played by everyone’s favorite love interest Kate Winslet, used a medical procedure through the company Lacuna to erase all of her memories of him. He then tries to cope with his feelings of anger, grief and residual love.  The film adopts a nonlinear narrative: it begins where it ends and bounces back between the present and Joel’s memories of the past. 

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Culture

Ask the Editors: Relationships edition

Joseph McKee , Shelby Kleinhans and Zara Roy | February 14

  Burnt out with the dating scene? Ex won’t leave you alone? General relationship anxiety? Have no fear, the Daily Lobo editors are here to answer all of your most pressing questions on love and relationships. Zara’s advice Q: Is it okay not to have been in a relationship before being in college? A: It’s more than fine to have not been in a relationship before college. There are a myriad of reasons someone wouldn’t want to date in high school, but at the end of the day, it’s your life. It’s important to respect your own boundaries, especially in regards to intimacy. 

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Culture

Students fall for love, relationships classes at UNM

Megan Gleason | February 14

  Classes about love and relationships at the University of New Mexico help educate students on what makes a healthy relationship and how students can better improve their own love lives. UNM psychology adjunct lecturer Bruno Gagñon has been teaching the Psychology of Love online for the past eight years and understands the depth and impact of love. “All cultures experience love. They may define it differently; they may express it differently, but it’s universal so we’re sort of biologically driven to seek this out,” Gagñon said. Love doesn’t have to be just toward a partner but can also be toward a child, pet and more, according to Gagñon.

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Culture

OPINION: Zara’s Zodiac: February love horoscope forecast

Zara Roy | February 13

  It’s February, which means love is in the air … Or is it? Venus and Mars, the astrological signifiers of love and sex, will be in the pragmatic and ambitious sign of Capricorn for the remainder of the month. Here’s what that means for the respective signs. Aries February may be tense, romantically-speaking, for Aries. There could be some conflict between your career or public identity and the way you approach partnerships and romance. You should remember not to overwork yourself and neglect interpersonal needs in the process. I see Feb. 19-20 as being a particularly important time to be sensitive to this balance as the moon travels through Libra.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘The Love Hypothesis’: an electric read

Elizabeth Secor | February 13

  This review contains spoilers Over the past few months, “The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood has taken booklovers on TikTok by storm, and for good reason. The novel is filled to the brim with clichés that I love and proves that, when done right, the fake-dating trope can be adorable. The novel follows Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith as she begins fake-dating “antagonistic and unapproachable” (Olive’s words, not mine) professor Adam Carlsen, and pure chaos ensues. She does this to prove to one of her best friends, Anh Pham, that she is really and truly over her ex-boyfriend so Anh can feel more comfortable entering a relationship with him. 

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Culture

UNM student first in state to receive Brooke Owens aerospace fellowship

Megan Gleason | February 7

  From aspiring to be an astronaut as a child to becoming the first New Mexican to ever receive the aerospace Brooke Owens Fellowship, University of New Mexico senior Raven Delfina Otero-Symphony is making her dreams come true. Chosen among the top 5% candidates in the most competitive year for the fellowship yet, Otero-Symphony will begin her summer fellowship in Washington, D.C. after graduating from UNM as a first-generation student in May. Selected after an intensive process that included multiple interviews and written submissions, Otero-Symphony will be working for the fellowship program for approximately 12 weeks at Avascent, a global strategy consulting and analytics firm. All 51 fellows selected will come together during the summer for the annual Brooke Owens Summit in Washington, D.C.

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Culture

UNM art student opens first solo gallery

Natalie Jude | February 7

  Nora Vanesky, a University of New Mexico senior studying studio arts, has been reaching into herself and painting with the entrails for years. On Sunday, Feb. 6, she opened her first solo show, “Taking Pictures to Remember,” in the John Sommers Gallery, showcasing photography surrounding the gory hedonism of modern youth and the interplay of sex and violence. The display will remain until Sunday, Feb. 20. Vanesky has been infatuated with the inner workings of the human body and mind all her life. She believes her art showcases the reality of being human without holding anything back.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘The Fallout’ delves into the invisible effects of school shootings

Emma Trevino | February 7

  This review contains spoilers “The Fallout,” the feature directorial debut of seasoned actress Megan Park, premiered at last year’s South by Southwest film festival to critical acclaim. Jan. 27 saw the film’s release to wider audiences through HBO Max, and while the story minorly lacks some character development, Jenna Ortega’s compelling performance as high school student Vada lets “The Fallout” beautifully tackle trauma in the face of tragedy. The film centers on tomboy Vada and resident influencer Mia’s (Maddie Ziegler) journey through the aftermath of surviving a school shooting after the two hid together in a bathroom stall during the gunman’s spree. 

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Culture

Albuquerque rated best big city for filmmakers for fourth year

Tina Memarian and Natalie Jude | February 7

  For the fourth year in a row, Albuquerque has taken the title of MovieMaker Magazine’s No. 1 place for filmmakers to live and work under the big cities category, which considers primarily production statistics, economic growth, housing prices and quality-of-life ratings. Many New Mexico film professionals vouch for the state’s booming industry and unique charm, happy to be part of such an unusually familial production hub. Cyndy McCrossen, a film liaison for the Albuquerque Film Office working primarily in location management, has benefited financially from Albuquerque’s thriving film scene. She contributed to the proposal submitted for consideration in MovieMaker Magazine’s annual location ranking, and, though it was never her plan to enter the film industry, she is grateful to be part of it and doesn’t plan to leave.