SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

THE PIONEER LOG

ARTS

13

Platteau renovations open new creative spaces

BY NANYA JHINGRAN
STAFF WRITER

PHOTOS BY EMILY SEYMOUR

The Platteau, a student-run art center, stands bright and shiny amongst the many spaces on campus that were renovated and overhauled during the summer. Established in 1999 as a place where students could go to practice, perform, work and play, the Platteau is a place for both the student with a serious passion for the arts and the student with a more casual artistic hobby. Located in the basement of Platt West, the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) themed dorm, the Platteau comes with a photo lab, a ceramics studio, a screen printing studio, a sound-resistant music

room and a dance studio. Over the summer, the Platteau underwent a large-scale overhaul to optimize its possibilities as a space for creative involvement, participation and conversation. This renovation was funded and supported by the Campus Living Office. The space was extended in the back to make room for a restroom and a storage space. The carpets were replaced with shiny new concrete floors to make it optimal for ceramics and painting by avoiding the trouble of stained floors. Corkboards were added to facilitate the exhibition of student-made art. Another exciting addition to the Platteau is the sound-resistant music room, which is furnished with a piano and is intended to be a space for students to practice and create music. It is open to all Platteau members. The ceramics studio also comes with new equipment, better cubbies and lockers in which to store art supplies. The photo lab has also been newly restocked with equipment for developing film and printing photographs. The Platteau also got a whole

new staff team, with Owen Phillips (16) as general manager, Chloe Kesten (15) as ceramics manager and Pearl Hesselden (16) as photo lab manager. The Platteau is also managed by Area Director for Platt-Howard Hall Ryan

All of us on the staff team are really excited to make the Platteau a highly used space for all creative endeavors on campus,
Wagner. Phillips said, All of us on the staff team are really excited to make the Platteau a highly used space for all creative endeavors on campus. We dont intend for the Platteau to be exclusively used by the VAPA dorm, but also by all student groups from across

campus. In this effort to diversify the use of the space, the Platteau organizes life drawing sessions on alternating Mondays and open mic nights on alternating Thursdays. Moreover, the staff is in conversation with faculty from the art, music and theatre departments about hosting talks and demo sessions in the Platteau. Also in the works are fun activities like late-night pottery throwing lessons, screen printing demos and film development lessons. Phillips said, Everyone should

follow the Platteau Facebook page for regular updates on all our events and happenings! The Platteau is open to registrations all year long. It charges a one-time $15 membership fee for the entire school year (and an additional $15 to use the ceramics lab and photo lab). The staff hopes to make this a space for active creative conversation, a stage for the exhibition of the reservoir of artistic talent on campus and, most importantly, for some therapeutic artistic indulgence.

The dance center awaits movement.

PHOTO BY HANNAH TURNER-HARTS

A SNIPPET OF MUSICAL FODDER IN COLLABORATION WITH KLCS THE UMBRELLA

BY CJ MACLEOD
STAFF WRITER

KLC Corner

Seattle band Rose Windows was one of three bands to perform

Greener Grass concert brings indie acts to Stamm

BY KATRINA STAAF
ARTS EDITOR

On the night of Sept. 22, KLC transformed Stamm into a showcase for three of the Pacific Northwests up-and-coming bands. The event, titled Greener Grass, began with a performance by The Lower 48. This 60s influenced pop-rock trio resides in Portland, and their eccentric look matches a unique sound. Next came Genders, another Portland group who was named by Willamette Week as one of 2013s best new bands. Hard-hitting drum-

mer Katherine Paul (11) gave a shout-out mid-set to any SOAN majors in the audience. Genders genre-defying sound includes soft melodies layered over surf-rock elements. At last, Seattles Rose Windows took the stage with their blend of classic rock, Middle Eastern influence and intensely soulful vocals. Their first LP was released this summer on Sub Pop to wide acclaim. For more photos, visit The Umbrella on Tumblr at klc-theumbrella. tumblr.com.

A melancholic haze looms over Imperium, the newest LP from Portland-based indie band Blouse, and it is hard to classify. Unlike their 2011 Captured Tracks debut, Imperium is devoid of the layered, synth passages that made the previous record feel dense and sprawling, which was very much informed by the 80s. Choosing to work on song-craft rather than style, Imperium radiates an analog, humanistic feel. What is surprising is that despite a lack of synthetic texture, Imperium still feels plucked from the 80s. Make no mistake, though; while the two records may have different sonic sensibilities, their core makeup remains the same. The production, done by the bands own Jacob Portrait, is still grand and ever-present, and the vocals of Charlie Hilton still gently echo over the changes of the band. Feeling more inspired by 90s alt-rock and Dinosaur Jr. than

80s-tinged macabre pop, the bass line on the records opening, self-titled track lures you into the straight-ahead 4/4 groove of the record, and by the songs end you are convinced that you are in for a treat with Hiltons vocals softly repeating, Are you one of us? Unfortunately, the next track, Eyesight, leaves something to be desired. Never changing except for a slight diversion at the songs bridge, it feels like the band is almost mechanically going through the motions. Luckily, this mechanical stiffness doesnt persist to the records end. Tracks like the excellent Happy Days, with its modulated guitar line and repeating bass riff, are excellent examples of modern psych-pop. The albums closer, Trust Me, feels like it could have been taken from The Stone Roses self-titled record 20 years prior. Ending with a rising and diminishing cello line that gets

occasionally cut off by stabs of distorted guitars, Trust Me adds a menacing period to the sentence that is the record. As the bands first foray into the darker territory of melancholic pop, Imperium suffers from a few hiccups but ultimately is triumphant in getting its spotted, gothic point across. Cloaked in a grey veil, Imperium nicely underscores the ominous looming of fall.

BLOUSE - IMPERIUM (2013)