ALCHEMY
SPRING 2017
Letter from the Editor
In Alchemy, similar to spring, we are focused on the idea of change. A lot of time autumn is the season that is most associated to change, with the transition in color of the leaves from green to orange, the temperature dropping, and the skies become drewery. We wanted to focus on the positive change we feel going into spring. Much like how the old alchemist would focus on the change of base metals into gold, spring is a seamless process of transformation from a the barren season of winter to one where you see a rebirth of nature.
Let me define the modern alchemist as we envisioned it. They would be the forerunner in style and constantly be pushing boundaries. Most people do not understand their outlandish drive or can even comprehend the direction they are going. They feel as they are in tuned with the stars and they allow themselves to be directed by astrology. Inspired by the elements they feel their emotions wholeheartedly, which creates burning passion. With embodying all of these qualities they walk through life with a sense of ethereal mystic. Hold this sense of the Alchemist’s mystic as you flip through this issue. The editors worked hard to bend the perception of reality and what we would normally view or imagine “change�. One of my favorite shoots from this issue I saw this whole year, is Erraticus. Every image in his shoot was shot through a mirror. Visually, this made it almost impossible to understand where the model and photographer actually are. It gives the illusion of entrance into another world and an overall feel of a parallel universe. Another shoot I am really proud of is DistilledPond by Levi Pitters. He focused on the change of old to new by designing multiple pieces for his shoot that is re-worked old denim. While it is not featured in the Distilled-Pond, Levi Pitters also designed a white patch work denim jacket that
Photography: Jacquine Gamelgaard he entered into the Boldly Me Fashion Show and awarded best overall garment. The award, given by a panel guest judges, composed of most overall points in creativity, wow factor, representation of theme, and construction. Levi is one of many designers taking fashion in the right direction. The huge trend of patch work denim not only looks amazing, but also does a great job in lessening the environmental impact the fashion industry has. Many designers like LEVIs, Fear of God, and Off- White have been taking old and outdated garments to revamp them back to their prior glory. In doing this it helps minimize the amount waste we produce by just throwing away old garments. So take a hint from these trend setters, so instead of throwing out an old garment or going to buy a brand new pair of jeans, take a moment to think about how you can transform something old into something fashion forwarded. This spring, take notes from the Alchemist, hold yourself with confidence, be a forward thinker, and transform the conventional into gold.
VICTORIA ROBBIE EDITOR IN CHIEF
ALCHEMY EDITOR IN CHIEF VICTORIA ROBBIE ASSISTANT EDITOR TAYLOR COLLINS CREATIVE DIRECTOR RACHAEL MEADER FASHION DIRECTORS SOFIJA RAUDYS MELANY MAILANGKAY FASHION MARKET & ACCESSORIES DIRECTOR JENNIFER-JANE JEFFRIES ART DIRECTOR PAIGE HAHS PRODUCTION DIRECTORS LAURYN MOORE, MADELINE MOELLER WEB AND MOBILE DIRECTORS HEEN SUNG CHIU, KAILY SWINFORD FACULTY ADVISOR DON BOUCHER
WOMEN’S FASHION EDITOR CATHERINE WONG MEN’S FASHION EDITOR JONATHAN DENERSON BEAUTY EDITOR MARIE RECINE GLOBAL EDITOR MEGAN BRYANT STREET STYLE EDITOR LEVI PITTERS LOCAL EDITOR KRISTY MCINNIS CONTRIBUTORS PAYTON SMYER, JORDAN FARRIS JENNIFER JEFFRIES, RYLIE LAWRENCE MADELINE MOELLER PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER ENRIQUE GONGORA VIDEOGRAPHER PAYTON SMYERA ASSISTANT FASHION MARKET & ACCESSORIES DIRECTOR RYLIE LAWRENCE ASSISTANT WEB AND MOBILE ADALBERTO MARQUEZ
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WOMENS
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GLOBAL
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STREET
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MENS
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BEAUTY
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LOCAL
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CLOTHES: Lulus
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Dark Ages BY | Catherine Wong PHOTOGRAPHER | Hussain Al Balushi
ACCESSORIES: Second Glance DRESS: Runway
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DRESS: Lulus SHIRT: Second Glance bodysuit: MODEL’S OWN maxi shorts: LULU’S 06 35
SHIRT: Second Glance DRESS: Lulus
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Distilled-Pond BY | Levi Pitters PHOTOGRAPHER | Andrea Mitev
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“
The way that we live our day to day lives has been changing at a rapid rate since the turn of the century. With Distilled Pond I want to depict the plastic wrapped, silver plated world that we now live in. Technology and the internet has made information much more accessible to us but it needs to be
“
used in the right way to be beneficial and not unproductive.
All of the custom denim work shown in Distilled Pond is made by Levi Pitters. All of the custom denim work shown in Distilled Pond is made by Levi Pitters.
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BOLDLY ME: LEVI PITTERS BY | Taylor Collins PHOTOGRAPHER | Kaleb Reyes
Levi Pitters is currently a sophomore studying
city.
apparel design here at Oregon State University.
by both of his parents which enabled him
He believes that the process of much practice
to stretch his creativity through the years.
can lead to great expertise if one is patient. After practicing this theory himself, he participated in the Boldly Me Fashion Show
All things creative were encouraged
“My parents influencing me has given me confidence in my artistic career.” Says Pitters.
at OSU this past March where he took home
His interest in art was only enhanced
the grand winning prize. Throughout this
from this point on. He was put into
interview, it was noted how creative thinking
the
has shaped and molded Pitters not only into
and
Da
who he is today, but who he will be in his future.
both
increased
Orginally from Portland, his mom makes
“It was based on growing your creativity
jewelry, clothing and organizes the Crafty
instead
Wonderland events while his father curates
had math classes and stuff but it was
a variety of art shows in throughout the
just more focused on the arts.” he said.
art
schools, Vinci
of
Buckman Middle
his
technical
Elementary
School,
knowledge
learning.
which of
We
art.
still
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Though he is a fashion major currently,
in and stopped painting but then later on I was
his first love for creativity stemmed from
like ‘Okay let’s keep doing this again,’” he said.
painting
pop
culture
celebrities
which
he sold at his mom’s fair. The item that sold the most was his Mr. T paintings.
creative passion in a different direction than before. This time around, it revolved around
“I was making a good amount of money doing
fashion. I’ve always had a really good business
this as a kid. My parents would put away
mindset in creating my own businesses. When
half for savings and I would get to spend
I was younger, it was selling my paintings
the rest on LEGOs and stuff, ” says Pitters.
and then later on in high school, I would
Though painting was his biggest medium for art at the moment, his fashion interest started
to
peak
after
middle
school.
“When I got to middle school, kids started making fun of me for wearing cowboy boots to school, tying my laces all weird or wearing neon or whatever. After that, I got a bit more closed 12 05
‘Doing this thing again’ meant taking his
buy clothes at thrift stores and resell them online for three times the price.” he said. According to Pitters, the key to reselling successfully is knowing the value of different brands and selling what will gain more value over time. Gaining this insight into the fashion world made him want to be a part of it. “That’s
“I like the idea of taking an existing garment, breaking it down and turning it into something new” what built my interest in fashion; starting to
before a few times in his past, he would
learn what brands sell a lot, and then learning
like to create a brand that would focus on
about the history of those brands. It became
construction and quality instead of the bigger
more than just for profit. I started wanting to
quantities that come with mass production.
collect them too...that interest that got me into it propelled me into wanting to do it as a career.”
“I just enjoy making things with my hands myself and being able to give it to someone
He soon wanted to add his own custom
and they like it, rather than just making it on
renditions to the clothing he collected over
the computer…” He wants his customers to
time. He would rework already made garments
own something that was individually made
by tapering his jeans or adding patchwork
by him personally.
designs. Pitters said, “I like the idea of taking an
my own brand, but I want to see where my
existing garment, breaking it down and turning
career takes me first so I can do it right.”
I would love to start
it into something new,” when referring to the recycled white denim jacket he made for the Take Over shoot in DAMchic’s Spring issue. This is the garment that took home the ‘Best Overall’ award at the Boldly Me Fashion Show. When he realized how competitive the apparel major was his freshman year, he decided to make garments from scratch. His roommates and him thought they can increase their chances of getting into proschool by entering fashion shows on campus. With their combined set of expertise and skills taught through YouTube, they were able to achieve the ‘Off the Rack’ award at last year’s Recycled Fashion Show with their denim jacket. They then collaborated again to design another garment for the OSU’s Family Weekend Fashion Show. Pitters now wants to propel his passions into a career where he would sell custom made designs of his own. He has done this 13
DRESSES: Lulus
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EXPLORING OPPOSING FORCES BY | Madeline Moeller PHOTOGRAPHER | Morgan Eckroth
The idea that opposites attract has
Have you ever considered what type of partner
always bewildered people in their quests to
you attract? Answer these questions to discov-
understand the chaotic world we live in. The
er who you can have the most powerful con-
polarities encircling us in the world are often
nection with:
thought to be bound by the physical and chemical laws of attraction or divine power. Alchemy
I enjoy challenging situations.
is a mystical undertaking that searches for ways
a. agree
to transform ordinary elements into valuable
b. neutral
creations. This editorial encapsulates the forbidden attraction between two opposing forces, that ultimately creates a powerful symbiosis.
The moon is the alchemic symbol rep-
resenting silver, holding metaphysical characteristics of femininity, intuition and contemplation. Most apparent when it is darkest out, the
c. disagree I take pleasure in learning new things on a regular basis. a. agree b. neutral c. disagree
moon helps to bring clarity to those it reflects
I believe there is always a middle
upon.
ground in any situation.
The sun on the other hand represents
a. agree
creation, creative energy and enlightenment in
b. neutral
alchemy. Symbolized by gold, it epitomizes per-
c. disagree
fection in all matter, often symbolic of the mind or intellect. Capable of creating its own light, the sun illuminates the world during the day.
These two otherworldly forces come
together in a forbidden love affair at dusk, one of the few times they can be together. The unification of these opposing elements creates an enchanting combination characterized by the dichotomy of power, beauty and other properties of the natural world.
My friends and I have very similar viewpoints and values. a. disagree b. neutral c. agree I seek out opportunities and organizations that are familiar to me a. disagree b. neutral c. agree
Grading Your Results: Answered mostly A: Opposites Attract. You are attracted to someone who can teach you new things and share their unique interests with you. Don’t shy away from someone who seems different from yourself; be open to new experiences. Answered mostly B: Neutral. You match well with all types of partners. You appreciate new experiences, but also appreciate having some similarities with your partner. Answered mostly C: Seeking Someone Similar. You are most comfortable with someone who shares many of the same interests and qualities as you. Having a set routine is important to you and your everyday life.
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Erraticus BY | Jonathan Denserson PHOTOGRAPHER | Hussain Al Balushi
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LEFT AND RIGHT CLOTHES: Zara
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LEFT AND RIGHT CLOTHES: Zara 19
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FROM GRAPE TO GLASS BY | Kristy McInnis PHOTOGRAPHER | Brigette Medeghini And
DAMChic was lucky enough to work with Joe Dobbes, the owner of the Dobbes Family estate, who worked for 19 years before taking the leap and opening his own winery. Dobbes explained “The differences of my winery come from years of experiences and finding your own path about techniques such as tank style and size, yeasts, length and heat of fermentation, ripeness of fruit when picking decisions are made, etc. There are literally hundreds of decisions and variables which are additive to the final quality”. Dobbes owns a 250-acre vineyard which supplies him with about 25% of his total production needs. He sources a balance of fruit from about 40 other vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley and several from the Umpqua and Rogue Valleys in Southern Oregon. Dobbes produces up to 16 different wines under the Dobbes Family Estate label. The label makes at least 10 different Pinot Noirs under the Dobbes label, as well as one Chardonnay, one Grenache Blanc, one Viognier and three different Syrah’s, including one dessert Syrah. Under the value priced Wine by Joe label, he produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. The most highly sold wine is the Grand Assemblage Pinot Noir, which is an entry-level offering that sells for $28 a bottle.
All vineyards begin the winemaking process by collecting white grapes, and then picking the red varietals. These grapes are collected in bins and are transported to the crushing pad, where the process of turning grapes into juice starts. Wineries use a destemmer, a tool that removes all the stems from the clusters of grapes and lightly crushes them. When making white wine, the grapes are transferred to a press where they extract the juice and leaves behind the grape skins. The difference with red wine is that the skins are left on the grapes to create the signature red color. Next, they will be transferred to tanks where the sediment will settle and then be ‘racked’, so they can move the juice into another tank before fermentation. During the fermentation process, yeast is added to create carbon dioxide, causing the grape skins to rise to the surface. Winemakers will often punch down or pump over the ‘cap’ several times a day for the skins to contact the juice. When a winemaker feels a wine has reached its full expression in aging, then it’s time to bottle the wine for sale and finally, consumption. All wines, red or white, are best served with good food, friends and conversation.
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IBM’s Watson X Marchesa: Smart Apparel BY | Megan Bryant
Imagine a garment that can relate to the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment and reasoning. IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence collaborated with fashion house Marchesa to dream up a technologically advanced, yet whimsical dress for the Met Gala Ball, a charity event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. This event showcases the most extravagant black-tie ensembles and high-fashion trends. With the same concept as a mood ring, this dress changes colors in accordance to what people were feeling and experiencing at that moment in time. This creation is a huge stepping-stone for the apparel, as well as the technology industry. Marchesa is a high-end fashion brand designed by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig that specializes in womenswear, such as eccentric gowns. On the contrary, IBM is a company that specializes in artificial intelligence and brilliant software to create cutting edge advancements in technology. IBM approached Marchesa and explained to them Watson’s capabilities and how otherworldly it would be to develop a high-fashioned dress that was self-thinking. From there, the ideas and innovation started to unfold. Although Marchesa and IBM differ in their creating and developing processes, they took their fields of knowledge and formed an incredible masterpiece. Marchesa’s creation process for constructing garments includes developing mood boards to envision their ideas and make them come to life on the runway. On the other hand, Watson uses facts and statistics to develop a reasonable plan for their inventions. When choosing the materials and colors for this dress, Watson sampled 200 dresses from Marchesa collections from the past few years and constructed a ranking system according to
the amount of colors used and the amount of times those colors had been photographed. From there, Marchesa received criteria and perimeters from Watson on what they had to follow in order to make this garment. Components such as weight, cut, fabric and style were crucial in the fabrication of the look and function of the dress. This gown transformed from fashion to artificial intelligence in just five short weeks. This cognitive dress communicates with society and expands the possibilities of technology embedded in design, such as LED lighting to make the dress glow. The brains behind this mood changing apparel were tweets made by viewers such as fans or other celebrities who were watching the Met Gala event. It was the emotions behind the tweets observers, rather than the model wearing the dress, which caused the fabric to change colors. Each color was designated to an emotion, rose translated to joy, coral signified passion, aqua correlated to excitement, lavender expressed curiosity and butter symbolized encouragement. IBM fed multiple images into application program interfaces to allow the technology to recognize the connection between the emotion and colors chosen, thus creating cognitive responses. Taking a high fashion design and combining it with a highly advanced technological system produced an amazing result. Transforming an inanimate object into something that can enable human like behaviors is the future for our world. Senses and experiences are what diversify people from machinery, but the fact that this boundary can be broken is what sends this piece of art into a new realm of innovation. The way this dress plays with the natural functions of the human brain in relation to technological knowledge is eye opening. It begs the question, what more can be made by this discovery in terms of turning the impossible into reality? 23
Simulation BY | Rylie Lawrence and Jennifer-Jane Jeffries PHOTOGRAPHER | Enrique Gongora
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SIGNS OF SPRING BY | Marie Recine PHOTOGRAPHER | Allison Barr
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Aries The year ahead calls for perseverance and new opportunities. If you take the right steps and limit distractions, your quarter will end in favorable conditions. To help you accomplish this you’ll need a quick makeup look that has one element that pops. Add something like striking liner or a bright lip to add a statement to your look. This look will only take minutes in the morning so you’ll have time to conquer the busy day ahead of you.
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Taurus Since Mars and the asteroid Ceres started the year in your sign, you have the energy to strengthen yourself with nurture and care. Since your planet Venus is in retrograde this year, keep those who make you happy near by. When this retrograde ends, reevaluate what is important to you. To help make these things happen, try a new fresh faced look that won’t rest to heavy on the skin. Take care of your skin before putting too much effort into the makeup you put on top of it.
Gemini This term will be the time you take more opportunities and shine creatively. Don’t be afraid Gemini! So far, Mercury, the Sun, and Pluto got your year to a good start. The Jupiter -Uranus opposition will put your creativity in good fortune. Make sure to make new connections with those who could help you in your future. Have fun with your makeup and play with colored eye shadows or use a surprising lip color.
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Perception Bound BY | Jordan Farris and Payton Smyer PHOTOGRAPHER | Stephanie Kutcher
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NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING MEDIA We’re a modern media network made up of 450+ students who run a TV station, radio station, newspaper and three magazines, social media and digital strategy, marketing, and advertising.
Students are advised and mentored by industry professionals, experts, and alumni. Here are the ways you can support this national award-winning, educational experience.
DAMchic—This quarterly fashion magazine is the authority on all matters of style at Oregon State University. Check out the latest edition at OrangeMediaNetwork.com
AWARDS The Barometer
Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper 5 state, Region 10
2014 & 2015 2-years in a row Society of Professional Journalists
Prism—The quarterly literary arts journal features content created and submitted by student artists around the campus, including poems, paintings, sculpture, essays, and photography; and hosts an artist showcase each year. Check out the latest edition on racks now, and at OrangeMediaNetwork.com
KBVR 88.7 FM, “You’re On”
Apple Awards, Best Radio Promo 2015 College Media Association
The Barometer
KBVR-TV—Ch.26 in Corvallis and livestream in HD at OrangeMediaNetwork.com, KBVR-TV is one of the only college TV stations with 24/7 student-made shows and programing. TV shows include live music and event coverage, game shows and talk shows, and the Emmynominated State of the Arts and daily NewsBlasts
The Barometer—The 120-year-old campus newspaper of Oregon State University covers local news and events and brings awareness to important student and community issues. 15,000 copies of The Barometer are printed each Monday, and available on racks the same day. The Barometer is also delivered through The Gazette Times each Tuesday.
First Place, General Excellence
2015 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
DAMchic Magazine, Blurred Lines
2nd Place Best Magazine Design
2016 College Media AssociationKBVR-TV
Ch.26, Beaver News
Best Public affairs program
2016 Oregon Association of Broadcasters
The Barometer, Brian Rathbone
Beavers Digest—This quarterly magazine launched in 2014 and focuses on student life, food, style, and fun. Check out the latest edition on racks now, and at OrangeMediaNetwork.com
1st Place: Best Sports Columnist
2015 Society of Professional Journalists
KBVR TV, Ch. 26 “Locals Live”
Best Uniquely “Oregon” Program
2014 Oregon Association of Broadcasters
KBVR-FM—88.7 FM and livestream at OrangeMediaNetwork.com, more than 140 student DJs select what music they want to play, or topics they want to talk about, each hour. KBVR-FM can be heard anywhere within a 30-mile radius of the OSU campus. 36
KBVR 88.7 FM, Prime Time Sports
Pinnacle Awards, Best Sportscast 2015 College Media Association
PHOTOGRAPHERS HUSSAIN AL BALUSHI KALEB REYES ALLISON BARR BRIGETTE MEDEGHINI ANDREA MITEV ENRIQUE GONGORA
HAIR AND MAKEUP KESAIA FIFITA EMILY CARTER AMANDA FINSTAD LEX PORTER KRISTY MCINNIS MADELINE MOELLER
MODELS JUSTIN JONES TIGER HU HEEN CHUI RAE MA MIMI BALLINGER EKAETTE ESSIEN LEONORA HUYNH-WATKINS MCKAELLIEWOLFE JULAN SITATHANMMAVONG MADISON BYER KYRA LOGAN SPENCER RUSSELL NIKI BIANCHINI MARIAH WYATT
OSU VALLEY LIBRARY DOBBES FAMILY ESTATE
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ALCHEMY