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Show Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 StatesmanCampus News Page 3 Students and professors take runway by storm By RHETT WILKINSON staff writer A dress created from chair parts and lamps, illuminated at the flip of a switch and designed by USU students and two professors of interior design, took home some serious hardware at the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Fashion Remix 2010 Show Oct. 21 in Salt Lake City. The luminous dress, named "The Age of Innocence" by the team, was a product of more than six months' design and assembly. The unorthodox dress merited both the Best-in-Show and People's Choice awards at the event. Fashion Remix was attended by 45 Utah State students, according to USU interior design lecturer Susie Tibbits. The proceeds made from the show are to be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The team was compiled by USU assistant professor Darrin Brooks and operated under the name of "Darrin Brooks Associates" in order to receive entrance and professional credibility, despite being a university-based crew, said Brooks. A main purpose of the competition was to display the teams' ability to create a dress based on items not typically used as clothing. The items were provided by various companies throughout the state. Darrin Brooks Associates was allied with Humanscale, a company that typically manufacturers accessories for systems furniture. The team competed against 23 professional architectural and interior design firms in taking home two of the four primary awards. The "Fire and Ice" dress, created by Interiors West, allied with Forbo, won "Most Innovative Use of Hard Material," while "La Sirene De La Mar," a product of Architectural Nexus and Regency Royale, won "Most Innovative Use of Soft Material." After competing but taking home no awards last year, members of the team were ecstatic that their creativity and hard work were recognized as they dominated the event. "It was an amazing feeling to win both (main awards)," Brooks said. "The judges loved the simplicity of our design. It was crisp, clean and cuttingedge." The cutting-edge style, particularly because the lamps' lights illuminated the dress while on stage, was the key to earning the credentials, said senior Nekku Saine, who modeled the dress. "The (audience) was so intrigued by the lights," said Saine, a native of Finland. "The judges said we really embraced the materials that we had." Saine stunned the audience by turning on the lights and illuminating the dress while she was on the catwalk. Once she had walked about halfway onto the runway, the show's technicians, on command, turned off the auditorium lights so that Saine could flip a switch on the side of the dress and give its entire bottom half a glow that shocked and impressed the crowd in a moment that graduate student Adam Nelson, one of the team members, described as "super dramatic." USU IIDA chapter president Beccah Hardman said the support provided by the Utah State students at the event were critical at that moment, as they cheered the aesthetic twist. "The enthusiasm from the students as she went down the runway was so important," said the senior. "It was beautiful design all the way around, especially on the runway. It was magnificent and (the lights) were definitely the element that put us over the top. There was nothing like that in the show this year, or last year." Although the bright side of "Age of Innocence," described by Hardman as "Marie Antoinette in a modern way," put the team far above the competition, the beauty didn't come without its share of pain. "The dress hurt to wear," said Saine, who had to wear the dress for six straight hours the day of the show after having worn it the previous day in rehearsal. She also traveled to Salt Lake from Logan several times to practice walking on the runway. "It was digging into my waist. Once I wore it for a long time, it became uncomfortable. But once I saw other people cheering, and appreciate our work, that made it worth it," she said. "(The dress) was extremely heavy," Hardman said. "(Saine) was a trooper." The final outcome of a project, begun in April, bore little resemblance to what was originally conceived. "Our sketch in June didn't look like the final design at all," Tibbits said. "We knew it would be far beyond what anyone else was going to do. Designwise, we knew the lamps could be used to make it very creative. But lighting (the dress) put it over the top.' "There wasn't a lot of luck involved," said Nelson, who was recruited to the team primarily for applying the lights to the dress' assembly. Nelson said one would have to travel to Denver to find an accurate comparison of the level of competition they faced. "A lot of skill and hard work took home the win," he said. Tibbits said the success was worth the sacrifices. "(Fashion Remix) was this extracurricular thing that we didn't think we had time for, but we did it anyway, because we felt like it was important," she said. "Winning made all the long nights and weekends worth it." Further photos and news of the competition can be viewed atwww. fashionremixslc.wordpress.com . — rhett.wilkinson@aggiemaiLusu.edu NEKKU SEINE, a USU senior, modeled a dress created by a group of four students and two professors that is illuminated by the flip of a switch. Photo courtesy Andrea Hanks continuedfrom page 1 The Reactions "I feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick where we still had to pay money, and lost the majority of our budget to a low-level comedian," said Grayson Creer, an undeclared freshman. With more than 17,000 students who attend classes at USU's Logan campus, and less than 10 percent of this population attending the event, some students question whether the big loss in the arts and lectures budget was worth it. Out of the 1,469 people who attended the event, not all of them were USU students. Twenty-one people were selected to meet Novak after the show —14 talk on stage?" Harris said. "A comedian act was of them contest winners. not a good idea. I just think it's poor program"The B.J. Novak event accomplished exactly ming." what we intended it to, that is: increase the She said she has observed the programming quality of entertainment on execution and believes it has campus and draw publicity to been one-sided, and the corn"If you are going the university," Atwood said. mittees do not keep the interto spend that much "High quality, memorable ests and needs of the entire money, spend it on events, with well-known artstudent body in mind. something every ists, create lasting memories in addition to attracting stuMeet-and-greet student can attend. dents from other universities. I'd rather watch This has a positive effect on Novak's manager told pro'The Office' on my university recruiting efforts." gramming staff that 25 people Harris said even if the event Netflix account for total could meet the comedian had sold out, only 8 percent of backstage, Parkhurst said, and $8 per month." the student population would Kayla Harris, 21 were selected. He said out of have been able to attend, and the 21, 14 were awarded with — prior Programming VP for $51,000, the event was not the VIP access after winning a worth it. contest. "What if you were sitting in the way back? The additional seven people who were allowed Who wants to pay $25 to watch one little guy to meet Novak included Parkhurst's younger brother, who helped plan the event, as well as two other friends who Parkhurst said contributed to the event. He also allowed a friend and her cousin to meet Novak because he had promised them the opportunity several weeks before. "It's not like she is my favorite person, she came to me early and asked, I said yes. When I make a promise I intend to keep it," Parkhurst said. When Parkhurst was asked how the girl received entrance backstage to meet Novak, he replied she was there as a reporter when she was not. He later said, "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry." Ian Anderson, the cousin of a USU student who does not attend school in Logan, was promised he could meet Novak and was able to go backstage and talk with him for a brief period of time. He said no matter who was allowed to meet Novak, someone would have been upset. "It's hard to draw the line somewhere, and no matter where you put it, someone on that line is going to feel that it was wrong or that it was right," Anderson said. "Granted, maybe Skyler made the wrong decision, but it's not like he brought every one of his friends in, but there were some. Parkhurst said, "It's not like we had this elaborate scheme to have this sweet party with my friends." Parkhurst said the list of backstage guests was unofficial and written in crayon. Many students who wanted autographs from Novak were turned away following the show. 25 PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED to meet B.J. Novak after his performance. 21 were chosen and many were turned away. CARL R. WILSON photo Campus & Community C.S. Lewis scholar to speak Thursday Well-known C.S. Lewis scholar Dr. Christopher Mitchell will present Out of the Shadowlands: the Spiritual Journey of C.S. Lewis" Thursday at 7 p.m. on the USU campus. The event will take place in WIDT 007. Dr. Mitchell's presentation is open to the public and is free of cost. Dr. Mitchell holds a position as director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. Mitchell is known for his study of C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity. Mitchell's work includes contributions to over ten scholarly books, publication in journals including The Canadian C.S. Lewis Journal and Christianity and the Arts and presentations at universities worldwide. "Out of the Shadowlands: the Spiritual Journey of C.S. Lewis" is co-sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian University Students and the Christian Faculty Association. For more information, please contact: Rob Gunn at 435-770-2661 or rob.gunn@uscm.org . Donahue returns for performance Programs: Coordinators say event went as planned I Novak's performance will not hinder the number of activities arts and lectures will be able to do, because half of their budget is still intact. They are now planning spring semester activities, which will include an appearance by NBA Jazz legend Jeff Hornacek. It will be a free event to students and the general public, Atwood said. Briefs — catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu Back by popular demand, the Caine College of the Arts presents the return of Grammy Award-winning guitarist Pat Donohue. "Pat is an amazing guitarist and one of the most popular entertainers to visit Utah State University," said Mike Christiansen, music professor and director of guitar program at the Caine College of the Arts. "His performances have excited audiences nationally, and we are proud to bring him back." His music is admired by professional musicians as well as the nonmusicians throughout the world. From swing to jazz to bottleneck blues to folk, Donohue plays it all with a flourish of artistry and melodic inspiration, Christiansen said. "With a music range from the sublime, to the impossible to the hilarious," Christiansen said. "It's inspirational." The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 in Performance Hall at Utah State University. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $5 for USU students with ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office in the Chase Fine Arts Center, Room 139-B, or at the Caine College of the Arts Dean's Office Box Office, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online or by phone at 435-797-8022. Seminar presents bone marrow study The Utah State University Veterinary Diagnostics and Infectious Disease USTAR team is hosting a seminar by Nicole Meissner-Pearson on her research involving bone marrow failure. The seminar is Monday, Nov. 8, at 10:30 a.m., in the Merrill Cazier Library, Room 154, on the university campus. The seminar is free and open to the campus community. A mixer will immediately follow. Meissner-Pearson is an assistant research professor in the department of veterinary molecular biology at Montana State University. She received an MD from the University of Wurzburg Medical School, Germany, and conducted her post-doctoral research at Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute for Laboratory Medicine. Her research focuses on understanding the role of preventing bone marrow failure during the systemic responses to Pneumocystis-lung infection and analyzing response to other fungal infections. The Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR) is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah's "knowledge economy" and generate high-paying jobs. !Compiled from staff and media reports |