By Eylül Yel

SALT LAKE CITY – Illuminate, Utah’s first light art projection and technology festival, took place on November 10 and 11 in downtown Salt Lake City.

According to the Utah Arts Alliance website, the free event for Utahns combines light art and technology. Artists presented their artwork by using the city’s architecture as a blank canvas for their projections. The purpose was to create a citywide museum that would illuminate Salt Lake City’s history and culture through art.

Illuminate used projection mapping – a technology to project light on any 3D object instead of merely using a flat screen. Projection mapping offers a new medium for artists to present their artwork. Illuminate is the first to use the technology in Utah.

“I have been wanting to create an event like this in Salt Lake City for a few years as I have been observing light art festivals all around the globe.” said Derek Dyer, executive director of the Utah Arts Alliance and the producer of Illuminate. Dyer said that he had a few challenges along the way that prevented him from making Illuminate happen. Initially it was difficult gathering enough artists in Utah to create an event this big. Dyer started approaching artists during the Urban Arts Festival and eventually got enough participants.

Dyer’s next challenge was funding, but over the years technology has evolved and became more affordable and accessible. “Luckily, a lot of our artists have agreed to work under budget.” said Rio Wimmer, an employee for the Utah Arts Alliance. She explained that they have received a grant from the city and were also grateful for all the sponsors that helped them put the festival together. Of the twenty two sponsors, Mountain View Staging, the company responsible for setting up the technology and electricity for the event,  and Meru Interactive, which created the Illuminate AR app for the festival, were particularly helpful Wimmer said.

A big part of the Illuminate’s innovation , is an app called Illuminate AR said Dyer. Illuminate AR allowed everyone to interact with different artworks during the event using their phone.The app made it possible for participants to view additional artwork during the festival available only to those who use the app. The app also provided additional information on the artwork and it’s creator. Although the app was useful and provided an in depth information on the artworks showcased at the festival, unfortunately, during the event, the app proved difficult to navigate and had a technical bugs that prevented users from scanning markers on certain art pieces.

There were a variety of different activities for children in the Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway and Utah Film Center where kids could witness educational demonstrations. A separate part of the festival was held indoors at the Gateway. The Light Lounge, the largest part of the festival, participants met artists and learned more about the events creation. Several artists displayed their artwork and were available to visit with the public.

Two offsite locations were in an alleyway between the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and Abravanel Hall and on Regent Street behind the Eccles Theater. The alleyway between the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and Abravanel Hall showcased a demonstration regarding the short animation file, .gif, asking the question “what is contemporary art”. According to the Utah Arts Alliance, .gifs may have not been considered art in the past but now a combination of traditional color theory, the aesthetics of painting, and the use fractal mathematics make it possible for .gifs to be seen as art. The Eccles Theater was used project artwork on and there were food trucks and a DJ booth on site.

The Utah Arts Alliance website called Illuminate a festival where “artists working with technology and using light as their medium will use the city as their canvas and create projection mapped artwork, light art displays and exhibits for the community to enjoy and experience a first of its kind experience”. However, the initial Illuminate only used two buildings and it was only a small portion of the festival.

Illuminate was different than any other art festival Utahns have ever witnessed in the state. It was innovative and interactive. It was a good opportunity to see unique artworks by artists who use light and technology as their medium.

Though Utah Arts Alliance is a reputable organisation that organizes the majority of the art festivals in Utah, it was their first time creating a light art festival. Getting an event set up that involved this much power and technology was new to them. “There were little issues here and there, but overall we think the event was a success.” said Dyer on an interview after the event. “We were really pleased with the turnout, over twelve thousand people attended the festival.” said Dyer. According to Dyer, Illuminate will become an annual festival in Utah. He said that they will start contacting artists from an earlier date for next year in order to get more artists and artwork involved to expand the festival.

More pictures can be found: Assets

Reflection Blog

MY STORY:

• You can be the “somebody” who can help make a difference in animal rescue transportation

MY BLOG:

My story on Rescue Animals Needing Transportation (RANT) found me. I was scrolling through Facebook one morning waiting for the train. A childhood friend had posted about a new animal rescue organization she had founded. After reading her post, I knew that my story had to be about her and her foundation.

The sources for my story came with the organization. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly.

The founder was the best source for my story. Her passion was inspirational and I wanted to communicate that in my story. I hope that everyone who reads my story will find value in it.

I fortunately did not encounter many obstacles that affected the story.

After many, many drafts and reading and re-reading my story, I started to see a flow of how the information should be written and told.

The writing process was slow at first. It gained momentum and flowed out of me. I learned that when I put my energy into writing it turns out to be something I can be proud of.

There was more detail than the story had room for.

I was surprised that after the first interview, the other two were easy. I wasn’t personally invested and I didn’t have to be. The story wasn’t about me. The story was about them and their passion for animal rescue transportation. I had to tell it in a way that they would make them proud.

ABOUT ME:

Lori Kunz has worked in real estate for over 25 years. She began working in residential mortgage. After a divorce she raised her daughter and found that working in residential and commercial mortgage provided her with a stable salary and benefits.

After her daughter was grown and had moved out, Lori made the decision to go back to school for a Bachelor of Science in Communication. Previously she graduated from Snow College with an associate degree.

Today she is employed at a commercial mortgage company and is a junior at the University of Utah as a part-time student. She hopes to graduate in 2020.

MY STORY: 

• Developing mindful awareness as a proactive approach to ending the stigma on mental illness

MY BLOG: 

Everything that I know about writing starts with passion. If there is no fire behind the words you are writing, then why are you writing at all? As I began to search for the topic of my story, I knew it had to be something I cared about.

On Oct. 1, 2017, there was a mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas. Concurrently in my course, Family Health in Communication, we were reading on the topic of mental illness. Over the many different news sources that I read about the shooting, so many articles tried to link the shooter to having a mental illness. This idea instilled a stigma into so many people’s minds that because someone has a mental illness, they could be the reason behind a catastrophic event such as this.

This is where my new passion began.

My initial search of people to interview started with the thought that I needed to educate myself on the topic. And who better than some of the experts in the field, who work with people diagnosed with a mental illness every day. Once I became more educated on the topic I needed to find the reason why people would care.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Bob Woodward, who spoke at the University of Utah in November 2017,  discussed the importance of “plugging into people’s red hot center.” And that was exactly my goal. Within most of my interviews, I was able to locate that red hot center through questions that were difficult to even ask, let alone for my interviewees to answer.  

Although I chose a topic that is more sensitive than most, I learned so much throughout each part of the process. I must have listened to each of my recorded interviews about a dozen times. Then I would start dissecting each one to get exactly what I needed from it to start writing. Just to listen to them another dozen times, and rewrite what I had already written. This process was relentless, but completely necessary to get the right story out.  

The main thing that I really took from this class was that no matter what you’re writing about, you have to find that passion. If there is no fire behind the words you’re writing, you won’t give readers a reason to care. Although interviewing people may be difficult, if you show that you care through your questions, you’ll be able to plug into their red hot center. By doing this, you will get the answers you need, and most importantly — your story will mean something.

ABOUT ME:

Savannah moved to Salt Lake City in 2015 with a goal to finish her bachelor’s degree at a university. She was born and raised in San Jose, California, and although she was comfortable living in beautiful weather and close to family, she knew that she had to leave home to figure out life for herself.

Savannah began playing softball when she was 10, and made it her passion for the next 11 years. She played year-round on competitive traveling teams, and loved every second of it. But softball was more than just an outlet, it taught her many life lessons that she still incorporates in her life today.

Staying busy has always been a lifestyle for Savannah. Excelling in school, while working multiple jobs and playing collegiate softball all at the same time, allowed her to figure out the kind of person she is — busy.

Although playing softball at a four-year college didn’t end up being in Savannah’s future, finishing school at the University of Utah is.

Attending junior college allowed Savannah to save a lot of money when it came to school. However, transferring to the U this semester, has been the greatest experience she has been a part of since her move to Utah.

Savannah expects to graduate in December 2018, with a Bachelor of Science in Communication with an emphasis in strategic communication. She is not completely sure of what career path she will take after achieving her degree, but has a few ideas in mind.

Her passion for sports and what it can do for a person’s life has always struck her interest. Being able to have a career that involves constantly staying busy, as well as incorporating her passion of sports (sports journalism?), is the next goal she is striving to accomplish.

MY STORY:

•  Veganism finds permanence and thrives in Salt Lake City

MY BLOG:
I really wanted to write a piece that required putting myself into the community. By interviewing the owners of places I already visit at least once a week, I opened up the opportunity for those who may not know much about the vegan lifestyle to learn more about the things happening specifically in their own backyard. I found that the owners of Vertical Diner, Boltcutter, Monkeywrench and Mark of The Beastro were my best options, because they’re all located in downtown Salt Lake, which makes them more accessible and convenient to locate for those who are curious and because they’re easy to recognize.

Enter a caption

I took all of the information I gathered and spun them to fit a more educational approach. Veganism is a somewhat “taboo” subject, especially to those who already have formed opinions on it. I wanted my angle for this piece to be serious and informative while also addressing the fact that vegans aren’t missing out on delicious food, and eating plant-based foods doesn’t have to be scary or “gross.”

I was surprised by how open the business owners were to answering the questions I had, and how willing they were to share their opinions on animal liberation and the state of the vegan community. I had a lot of fun talking to them, learning more about them and sharing stories. I hope this excitement resonates with you, as well.

ABOUT ME:
My name is Zaina Abujebarah and I’m currently working on my bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah. I’m a declared communication major with my sights set on journalism. On top of my school work, I’m currently fulfilling an internship at SLUG Magazine, while also working as a barista at The Coffee Shop. When I’m not working or going to school, I love being a part of the local music scene and attending shows. I have a passion for poetry, veganism, photography and film.

By Ashley Meier

Timo Hatziathanasiou is the owner of local Salt Lake City record store Albatross, located on 900 E and 1300 S next to White Elephant Boutique and Koi Piercing Studio.

Hatziathanasiou was only 29 when he opened the first Albatross location. The original store was located in the back corner of what is now Diabolical Records. Originally from Utah, Hatziathanasiou moved to New York after high school for about 9 years. He opened the store when he came back in 2013, “After moving back I was just kind of drifting professionally and just personally trying to figure out what to do,” he explained, “As far as knowledge and skill set goes I kind of just combined it all into this. So yeah, opportunity came up in 2013 to share a shop, or to have two different shops in one space, so that was [for] about six months and after that I just decided to keep going.” The next year, in October of 2014, Hatziathanasiou moved to a store located at 9^th and 9^th and in January 2016, moved Albatross to its current location.

Hatziathanasiou explained that he believes the current location is by far the best, “As far as the space it’s much more comfortable, I like the separation into different rooms because I was able to create a different feel or space for each section. The structure is much more sound,” he said, “My neighbors on 9^th and 9^th were great but I wasn’t happy in the building, I didn’t enjoy spending time in that space at all. It never really felt right.” With neighbors such as White Elephant Boutique, Koi Piercings and Good Times Tattoos, the new location has a shared clientele.

As a kid Hatziathanasiou grew up around music, beginning to play guitar at the age of 7. He would ask his mother to drop him off at local record stores, such as Smokey’s records, while she would go grocery shopping. “I’m sure I was bothering all the employees there,” he chuckled, “but yeah it’d either be that or just Raspberry Records or other shops that aren’t around anymore. I just kind of grew up in record stores.”

Being around music all of the time, Hatziathanasiou gathers new sounds frequently. This year some of his favorite releases include Jenny Hval and Thor and Friends. Thor and Friends will be playing in Salt Lake City on November 19 and Thor will be doing a reading at Albatross that same day earlier in the afternoon. Hatziathanasiou tries to do events like these about once a month. He wants people to know that his door is always open from everything like performances, readings or other events.

The Albatross store is decorated very peculiarly. The walls are full of dark art that has been collecting over the years. The main room has Hatziathanasiou’s desk with a shelf full of records behind him, and a magnificent record player that has been engineered locally with some pieces from Seattle. “It’s my favorite part of coming in here every day,” he says, “I’ve just been kind of tweaking it you know just changing parts out and stuff so it’s been an ongoing project.” He described the speakers as being based off of the Western Electric 22a’s speakers or the sound of the theater speakers from the late 1920s.

Hatziathanasiou is always playing a record while he works. There is never an exact genre that he is playing; it’s different every day. In fact, unlike many record stores, he has no specific genre that he plays or sells. The variety of records in the store is wide. He even has been shipping records out of the country to places like Vietnam and Brazil. He gets his records from different distributors or even from the artist/label itself. The products in the store are mostly random. He collects things that he thinks sound well instead of trying to predict his audience. “I don’t do it anymore but I would think ‘oh yeah this is selling really well I should order more of these’ and it would always backfire.” Hatziathanasiou said, “Maybe just because it’s kind of cynical and you think you can kind of guess what’s going to work or guess your audience instead of just getting stuff that you feel is good… I don’t know how to describe it but. It hasn’t always backfired, but it seems like that stuff always sits longer than I expect it to.”

Hatziathanasiou has had live shows at the store, and plans on having readings, movie showings and even craft nights. His future plans include pressing records and using the name as a label. “I like the space and I’m happy to share it,” he said, “Otherwise, [my goal is] not just staying open but actually thriving.”

Follow Albatross Recordings & Ephemera on Instagram & Twitter @AlbatrossRecSLC

My name is Anna Stump. I am a Junior at the University of Utah, studying Communications (Journalism) while pursuing a minor in Parks Recreation and Tourism. My dream job is to work in the outdoor industry, working in sales as a semi-professional climber and brand ambassador. I hope to someday travel as an adventure journalist, capturing stories that will empower women to defy the odds and look past gender limitations in the great outdoors.

My Stories:

Climate Change Sceptic in Office Could Help Environment

Life On The Rails

Hi I’m Ashley Meier and I am a student at the University of Utah. I am interested in Entrepreneurship and plan on having my own record label one day. I love listening to and  researching new musicians. I love discovering new things and can’t wait until it is my career one day!

Stories by me:

Albatross: Salt Lake City’s Best Kept Record Store Secret

PJ’s Forgotten Children: Giving Back For Christmas

Hi, my name is Allison Peterson. I am a stragtegic communications major at the University of Utah. I love the media and journalism aspect of this major. I hope to run a top companies media account once I graduate.

Opioids, Good or Bad?

An Interview with Kim Kettle

By Allison Peterson

When you hear “prescription drugs” what is your first thought? There are many different reactions to this, good and bad. Some people have personal stories of loved ones who are either addicted or have died from addiction or misuse. On the other hand, there are those who will tell you that they have saved their life in a time of crisis. There are so many mixed emotions about this topic and it has been a big controversy, especially in Utah.

Utah has increased 400% since 2000 in prescription drug related deaths. You probably wouldn’t have guessed that right? The question is, why? According to Thegaurdian.com Utah has a high rate because of the primary religion, Mormon or LDS. It goes on to say that many Mormons fall back on prescription drugs to deal with the pressure of the religion. It talks about a faithful church member who was unknowingly addicted to prescription drugs. Her sister said that she had been addicted for about 15 years until they would not prescribe them anymore. She didn’t think that it was an issue or an abuse because they were prescribed to her, they weren’t illegal, but soon after prescription was taken away she went to more extreme measures. To cope with the sudden loss of her pills she tried heroine. She tried it one time, and then died. In the article it says that “Maline Hairup was a devout Mormon. No alcohol, no coffee. She didn’t smoke. Until the day she died, she had never used illegal drugs. Yet she was an addict for most of her adult life.”

According to Health.utah.gov every single month in Utah there are 24 people who die from prescription drug overdose. They are killing more people than fire arms, falls, and motor vehicle accidents in Utah. Some of the dangers with prescription drugs include: dependence, slower brain activity, irregular heart beats, high body temperature, heart failure, and lethal seizers. You may wonder how people get these drugs when they do not have a doctor to prescribe them, well a story from Strib.com can answer that. In this article it talks about the biggest opioid pill press in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. This man was a “narcotics trafficker” and was selling thousands and thousands of these knock off prescription drugs. He was said to have 1.3 million in cash just at his house. This was a huge bust in Utah’s history.

You may be wondering why we even have prescription drugs at all? What is the point with all these negative aspects? According to psychecentral.com “people who take their medications consistently demonstrate more healthy behavior overall.” I talked with Braxton Rose, a pharmacy tech at the LDS Hospital, and asked him his view on prescription drugs. His response was, “They are fantastic and do a lot of good for those who need it. There are blood pressure and cholesterol issues that these drugs help regulate. Pain pills that people genuinely need in hospitals after serious accidents.” He may be saying this just so he can keep his job, I still cant tell!

When prescription drugs are used correctly, they are a huge help with pain. Can you imagine shattering your femur and all the doctor gives you is a few ibuprofens? Or if you have a serious mental disease and the only way to regulate your behavior is through prescribed drugs? There are times when prescription drugs are at need for the comfort of others. Pharmacist need to make sure they are giving the right prescription as well, if not, it could be a bitter pill to swallow!

Prescription drugs cure what you need. If one uses their prescription exactly how they are told to, it can do much good, it can save peoples lives, and it can prevent other diseases in the future. They can be the answer to life threatening conditions. Something that is beneficial as well, is that they have short term effects such as,  helping when someone is sick with strep throat or another common sickness.

Some prescription drugs can not only help with what you are suffering, but other issues as well that you may not be aware of. According to AARP, there are drugs that have multiple benefits, some of these drugs include Paroxetine, an antidepressant, causes lower risk of heart failure, Beta-blockers, for lower blood pressure, can reduce risk of dementia, Metformin for diabetes, avoids breast cancer, and many more. Many people do not realize that prescription drugs can have benefits as well.

There are so many good and bad facts to prescription drugs. This is one of the reasons why it is a huge topic of conversation here in Utah. So next time you or a loved one is prescribed a narcotic, what will be your action?

By Felicity Henderson

I had the opportunity of interviewing a manager at the local downtown Wal-Mart in Salt Lake City, Utah. Seeing as Utah has had a slow, but steady, increase in the transient population over the past 10 years; also the fact that a large part resides downtown and mostly around the area of that Wal-Mart, I thought it would be a good idea to see the thoughts of people who come into contact with that population on a day to day basis.

Questioning Mary* who is a night time manager at Wal-Mart, she had quite a few insights into the company and the homeless population.

Sitting across from me is Mary, her hair slicked back into a ponytail and wearing the standard uniform. She’s clearly exhausted and she rubs her eyes as we sit together in the attached Mcdonald’s to the store. Her shift has just ended, it’s nearly 2am, and she’s been here for 12+ hours.

How prevalent is the homeless population in this Wal-Mart?

“Very. There are people in a here day in and day out. They are here… 24 hours a day basically.”

Does this have any effect on business?

“Yes.. and no. Example being, we like.. Don’t put out anything that could be moderately stealable on display. You might go to the other Wal-Mart here in the valley, and you’ll see a display of lotions saying “Try Me!,” that would never, never ever happen here. There are a lot of people who would take advantage of that, and walk out with products without buying them. I’m not saying it’s solely the homeless people, though . There is a lot of lower income people who come to this location as well. But definitely, I’ve seen both of these kinds of people take advantage of stealable things. They don’t even lock up their jewelry on the Foothill location. If we did that, our things would be stolen in a hot second). But also, business isn’t hurting. Lots of people come in here day in and out. We are a huge location.”

How often do you have to deal one-on-one with the transient population?

“I would say… that that is a hard question. I talk to them almost every day. See them every single day. Have to take action against their actions and our store? I would say like every other day. And you would be surprised. There is obviously homeless people, but also there are homeless people that you would have no idea that they are homeless unless you worked here and started to see them not go home. And maybe go wash up in our bathroom every now and again.”

How do you personally feel about the homeless population coming to this area?

“For the most part? Sad. I feel sad that there is nowhere else for them to go. In the winter it gets super cold out here. And once I was just barely coming into my shift, and there was this homeless guy just nodding off outside of the store. Later we had to call the police over, that we always have here. It snowed in the middle of the night, and he had fallen asleep on the ground. He had died. I was never the same after that. He had nowhere safe to sleep and, as a result, he passed away. I think we need better systems in place.”

What piece of advice would you give a customer who was annoyed by the homeless population present in the store?

“That.. (sigh) for the most part, they are harmless. We don’t want them here any more than you do. But a lot of them have nowhere else to go. Now obviously there are some homeless people who do drugs in our bathrooms and we have to kick them out or harass shoppers every now and again. But those instances aren’t often. And I just want everyone to know that the homeless people here, they see you buying your food. They see you complaining about prices, and they watch you cart away loads of fresh fruit and veggies and clean socks and new underwear. They don’t have  any of that. They couldn’t even dream of any of that. I know it’s the holiday season and a lot of people are going to start being the giving mood. But I wish more people cared more about others during the whole year in general. Try and be kind to others. And have compassion.”

Hearing the compassion I didn’t expect from this Wal-Mart worker, who is hands on with a lot of lower income, and transient people day-to-day; we can all learn a lesson and take heed to her her words about how some of our fellow Utahns living every day on the lower income side of Salt Lake City.

*Named changed for security of Wal-Mart employee.