Daily Bruin – Page 141

Historical play ‘Oslo’ explores human aspect of international diplomacy

Two Norwegian diplomats pulled off one of the most ambitious peace accords of our time – but few people know about it, said Brian Kite.

Kite, the chair of the theater department at UCLA, is directing L.A. Theatre Works’ production of the Tony Award-winning play “Oslo” – the true story of back-channel negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians that led to the Oslo Accords in 1993. The play, which premieres Friday at the James Bridges Theater, will be recorded for radio as well as performed in front of a live audience. “Oslo” examines the conflict from a behind the scenes perspective, exploring the secret negotiations that occurred before the accords to understand what made such an unlikely peace agreement possible, Kite said.

“It couldn’t be more human than just a couple of people sitting down out of the spotlight to try and figure out their differences, and sometimes the only way to do that is through friendship,” Kite said. “That was one of the things that the Norwegians insisted on – that we’ll go in that room and work through our differences all day, but then we’ll come together at night to have dinner, laugh and just be people in the world together.”

People tend to think of issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as large scale world affairs, but in reality, they’re just human-to-human conflicts, Kite said. Such conflicts, he said, can be boiled down to disagreements between neighbors, and in “Oslo,” it took Norwegian diplomats outside of the conflict to organize and mediate negotiations. Kite said “Oslo” considers both sides by humanizing the Israeli and Palestinian characters alike to help people understand the event by showing the fear, trust and love behind it.

The play takes a delicate political situation and explores the limits and possibilities of diplomacy, said Susan Loewenberg, the show’s executive producing director. “Oslo” shows what can happen when leaders go beyond the constraints of rigid policies and norms and unite as people of goodwill, she said. It’s also a portrait of the Norwegian diplomats who risked damaging their careers to push the boundaries of normal diplomatic behavior and make a breakthrough in the conflict, Loewenberg said. The risks they took regarding their careers helped to humanize them by emphasizing what was at stake, she said.

“These are people who have various skins in the game as it were, various political objectives and personal agendas at work, so you’re getting a full-bodied look at their personalities, their inner personal issues,” Loewenberg said.

Devon Sorvari, who plays Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul, said that performing a show recorded for radio can be freeing in terms of developing a character. She said talking into a microphone and staring out into the audience can be awkward at first, but allows the actors to be unconstrained by sets. However, Sorvari said the historical basis of the show grounds it in reality. While the play is a fictional rendering of what went on behind closed doors, Sorvari referred to videotapes of the real life Juul to emulate her accent, poise and professionalism.

“For something so outward-facing, it feels incredibly intimate, like I’m just in a room with the person I’m doing the scene with, but we’re also in close-up for the audience,” Sorvari said. “It really opens up a lot of unexpected, really human things.”

Kite said “Oslo” remains relevant today, when updates of Israeli and Palestinian attacks and land occupations regularly fill the news. “Oslo” demonstrates that peace is in fact possible, he said. He added he wants to galvanize audiences to play their role in ending this conflict; “Oslo” shows that taking small steps is the only way to enact big change.

“We have to be reminded that there is a way to just sit across from each other and shake hands,” Kite said. “It just takes people – two people sometimes – coming together to decide we’re going to do it.”

University police investigating case of off-campus assault

University police are searching for a man involved in an off-campus assault Tuesday.

The man allegedly approached the victim on Westwood Boulevard and Weyburn Avenue. He then struck the back of the victim’s head with a metal rod at around 9 p.m., causing minor injury, according to a UCPD alert.

UCPD described the man as black, about 40 years old, 6 feet, 4 inches tall, with a tattoo on his cheek. He was last seen wearing a green hoodie and maroon athletic pants.

This case is still under investigation. Anyone with information about the case can call UCPD detectives at 310-825-1491.

Folk band showcases traditional Irish music and style with a modern twist

The Gloaming, amid folksy fiddle notes reminiscent of Irish childhood, inserts its own modern take on an age-old art form.

The band, consisting of fiddlers Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, guitarist Dennis Cahill and sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, blends together traditional Irish fiddling with more contemporary elements such as jazz and dance-oriented music. The Gloaming will perform songs that delve into the depths of love, history and emigration, as well as lighthearted drinking tunes at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on Friday.

The Daily Bruin’s Kaia Sherry spoke with Hayes about the band’s formation, the history of Irish fiddling and modernity.

DB: Can you tell me about the formation of The Gloaming and the history of how it began?

MH: (Cahill) and I had worked as a (duo) for many years and I know that sometime after, (Ó Lionáird) had expressed an interest in maybe perhaps performing and touring with (Cahill) and I. So he asked to see if he could do that. I didn’t necessarily think that trio would be a good combination, so then I thought about it for some time and interacted with Thomas Bartlett, who I’d known for many years as well. I thought he, (Cahill) and I would be a good combination with (Ó Lionáird). I kept that in my head for a month or two, and then I started thinking that I needed maybe one more person, an instrumentalist who didn’t just play a harmonic instrument. I had been working with (Ó Raghallaigh) for some time before that and I thought he would be the guy. That’s how the band came together. It kind of gradually fell into line.

DB: In terms of your own professional musicianship, can you tell me more about your musical background and how you began playing the fiddle?

MH: I grew up in a family home where traditional Irish music was prominent. My father and uncle were two fairly prominent musicians nationally at that point in the ’50s and ’60s. They had been making records going back to the late ’40s almost. I grew up in that environment. Also, the locality in which I grew up was a region which was well-known as an area of music and culture, so I knew many of the older musicians as a child and I heard a lot of that music close-up. It became something that I was immersed in and began to love and to be knowledgeable of. It felt very natural for me to take up music as a trade, especially the fiddle.

DB: Can you tell me more about the history of fiddling within Ireland?

MH: The fiddle might be one of the more popular instruments of traditional music and there’s a huge variety of stylistic approaches up and down the country in various regions and even within each region. It’s an instrument that doesn’t get taught in the normal, formal way that you have in music academies and conservatories of music where they have classical music. Instead, with Irish music, there’s a lot of the musician coming to know the instrument in their own unique way and coming to find solutions for playing tunes unique to them. So you end up with a lot of very distinctive style and a lot of variety.

DB: How would you describe The Gloaming’s music within this historical context? What elements would you say come through the most?

MH: The Gloaming touches on a few things. I think it goes into a part of the music that is quite elemental and very old and traditional. I think there’s a fascination among the musicians of the band to explore that. There’s also, I think, a shared idea in the band and that we are open to all kinds of modern music for new ideas. … It could be anything from Arvo Pärt to Sigur Rós, all these things are floating around. It’s not like we try to put these things into our music, but we are also quite careful not to exclude them if they come naturally into our music. We play a traditional music form that speaks to the now, that speaks to this moment and then also has a cultural resonance. The feeling is that we love the depth of the tradition, but we’re not interested in it as an artifact. It has to be a form of expression in this current moment.

DB: In what way would you say The Gloaming has taken modernity and applied it to music?

MH: For example, Bartlett is a record producer and a collaborator who has collaborated significantly in the modern folk and indie worlds of music. (Cahill) is a guitarist who has had a unique approach to this music for many years and (Ó Raghallaigh) is a bit of a free-improviser and avant-garde musician in his own way. (Ó Lionáird) has had a background working with composers, so he has a cutting-edge background in music, also working in a dance-oriented, African-infused type of music. It took all of those things combined to make a sound that is a bit more modern and connected to the sounds of the world around us right now.

Actor draws from Muslim-American identity in show exploring challenges of dual cultures

Flooded bathrooms at mosques are something Muslim actor, comedian and writer Ramy Youssef is all too familiar with.

This is often a byproduct of wudhu, an Islamic ritual where individuals wash themselves before prayer. Using personal experiences, such as dealing with messy washrooms during prayer times, Youssef created stand-up comedy routines that eventually inspired his upcoming television show, “Ramy” which he created with A24 and Hulu. The series is based on his life as an Egyptian-American Muslim and will premiere April 19 on Hulu.

In collaboration with A24, Bruin Film Society and the Cultural Affairs Commission hosted a screening of the first three episodes followed by a Q&A with Youssef on Tuesday. BFS events coordinator Kevin Yang, a fourth-year political science and economics student, said the purpose of screening “Ramy” was to highlight relatable representation. The show presents topics that can be difficult to discuss in Muslim communities, such as the diaspora involved in being a part of two conflicting cultures, Yang said.

“There’s an interplay and conflict between two sides and the search of trying to figure out your identity, while wanting to stay true to your parents and your culture,” he said. “And also knowing that you’re born in the U.S. and you have a different upbringing.”

Throughout the three episodes, “Ramy” explores situations relevant to Arab Muslims and American Muslims, but can also be relatable to individuals from other backgrounds, Yang said. Ramy straddles his Egyptian and Palestinian traditions with his American upbringing. Though he has premarital sex –which can be considered taboo in Islam – he doesn’t drink or do drugs, and he also performs his daily prayers. During the Q&A portion, Youssef said he had seen previous narratives about religion where the main character seemed to completely reject their cultural upbringing – something that did not reflect his experience with Islam.

“I felt like a lot of stories I saw about first-generation kids, or about anyone who comes from a strong cultural or faith background, was them fighting their parents and telling their parents, ‘I don’t want to be this. … I want to be white. I want to be like everyone else,” he said. “And that didn’t really resonate with my life.”

However, Youssef said the intent of his show is not to represent all Muslims. Since there are multiple differing Muslim populations – including black, Arab and South Asian segments – he doesn’t consider there to be one, solidified community. Due to such diversity within the faith, he said it is hard to pin down a universal perspective.

Youssef also spoke about the pressure he sometimes feels as a Muslim artist having to focus his work on his religion. Ultimately, however, he said he’d rather write these stories himself than see them handled by people outside of the faith.

Specific storylines in “Ramy” do rely on an insider’s viewpoint, he said, as they focused on issues within Muslim and Arab communities. In the second episode, Ramy’s Palestinian uncle, a diamond jeweler, is depicted as an anti-Semitic misogynist who also makes homophobic remarks. Though this role could have easily become another Arab caricature, the dynamic between Ramy and his uncle speaks to the contrast of opinions between different generations within the Muslim community, as Youssef said he used his real-life experiences as an Egyptian-American to inform the show.

In response to an audience member citing the poor representation of Muslim women in previous films and shows with Muslim leads including “The Big Sick” and “Master of None,” Youssef said he also wanted to create complex and nuanced characters that went beyond stereotypes.

UCLA extension student Magen Jennings, who attended the event, said she especially appreciated the way Ramy’s sister, Dena, was depicted, particularly in one scene where she is admonished for her clothing. Jennings said Dena provided her with a better understanding of what it is like to be a Muslim woman but was also relatable to her own life as well.

“The simple act of her wearing shorts and people making comments about it, … as a woman, there are people that will comment when you wear shorts. (The scene) felt so universal no matter what your background is,” Jennings said.

Along with providing Dena with agency – she doesn’t allow her parents or uncle to talk down to her – the first episode also includes an Egyptian Muslim woman who, rather than allow others to see her as innocent or oppressed, takes pleasure in her sexuality. When hiring writers for his show, Youssef said he included Muslim women – such as co-writer Minhal Baig – to ensure the characters felt authentic.

Although many attendees spoke highly of the series and its progressive values, some students also expressed discomfort with a few of the sex scenes. Youssef said this reaction was something he expected and also intended for viewers to have.

“The (sex) scenes are in there by design, it’s to push uncomfortable conversations, and people feeling uncomfortable about it is good,” Youssef said. “I feel uncomfortable about it, and I made the show, but I knew I had to push past my comfort to talk about things (the Muslim community) is not talking about.”

As the night came to a close, the final question focused on whether Youssef had any backlash in the industry when creating a series that focused on a Muslim family. He said the show actually had offers from multiple platforms since there are so many streaming apps that producers need new content for. The industry is also currently invested in telling new, authentic stories from marginalized communities, he said.

“Hollywood is at a spot where they’re trying to be on the right side and get ahead of things … because people care and want to humanize people who are being dehumanized,” Youssef said. “This is a story that people were excited to tell and it’s an exciting time for (narratives) that haven’t been told.”

Art to Heart: Films examine monetization, paradoxes of value, elitism in the art world

Art, the universal language, can transcend space and time to reach a diverse audience. We hear this all the time, but do we truly feel the weight of these words? A cloud of elitism envelops the “art world,” alienating the perspectives of some while glorifying those of others. In efforts to challenge ideas that reinforce the intrinsic validity of one individual’s take on art over another’s, columnist Lisa Aubry will explore different creative spaces and outlooks on art and reconcile the fields of arts and sciences through discussions.

In 1919, French artist Marcel Duchamp slapped a mustache onto a postcard of Leonardo Da Vinci’s revered “Mona Lisa.” In the same way that Duchamp’s absurdist gesture knocks the artwork clean off its high horse, two recent movies do the same to the idea of the art institution – with a resounding thud.

Both “The Square” and “Velvet Buzzsaw” navigate the choppy waters of the art world through different routes. A Swedish curator’s revelatory encounters within his museum and in his personal life structure “The Square.” Meanwhile, the horror-mystery “Velvet Buzzsaw” zooms in exclusively on the art world’s socioeconomic dynamics through multiple gallery personnel capitalizing off a dead man’s artwork. In efforts to deconstruct the perceived superiority of the art world, I turned to these films’ exposition of two-faced intentions and problematic social details involved in the display of artwork.

“Velvet Buzzsaw” paints a vivid landscape of the different agents – the gallerist, art critic, artist, installer and assistant – involved in the monetization of artworks. Those uninvolved in the realm of art production or marketing submit to insiders’ critiques and evaluations, from assigning monetary value to simple appreciation. But “Velvet Buzzsaw” reveals that a rigid hierarchy prevails within this network of occupations. Everyone relegates the installer, for example, to the lesser realm of manual labor and fails to see his role as integral. No installer means no installation. Even in the art world, the obvious is overlooked.

Artists, however, appear to occupy a more ambiguous role. In the movie, viewers at an Art Basel Miami Beach gallery opening “ooh” and “aah” over artworks created by an artist named Piers. At the event, a young gallerist pleads with Piers to submit his work for display in his gallery. While Piers’ works are appreciated and autonomous in the public eye, the private market treats the maker himself as an object to be acquired and ping-ponged between gallerists for profit.

Jake Gyllenhaal encapsulates the hypocritical art critic through his character Morf, who is delighted when he hears, “In our world, you are God.” His ego bursts at the seams because these words suggest critics’ opinions on an artwork’s value are as good as law. Morf speaks idealistically of art’s ability to be an exploration of origin and essence – a metamorphosis of spirit and reality, but all the while, he caters to only a tasteful and financially prosperous few.

The role of language in reinforcing the exclusivity of understanding artwork is again highlighted in “The Square” during an awkward interview between a museum curator and a literal-minded journalist. The curator botches a simple explanation of the museum effect question – whether an ordinary object acquires status as artwork by virtue of being placed in a gallery setting – by employing jargon like “dynamics of the exhibitable and construction of publicness.” In the realm of the real world, his words fail to communicate anything substantial and instead leave laypeople feeling intellectually incompetent.

[RELATED: Movie review: ‘The Square’]

There are, however, efforts to collapse the gap between life and art – but with dire consequences. Christian, the curator in “The Square,” invites a performance artist to mimic an ape in an exhibition’s opening gala. At first, the ape man’s four-legged hobbling and grunts amuse the elite crowd. But things escalate quickly: The show comes to an abrupt halt after the ape man grips a woman’s immaculate hairdo to drag her across the ballroom. His actions quickly expose the audience’s false sense of secure boundaries separating life and art, an illusion they subscribe to.

In “Velvet Buzzsaw,” artist Vetril Dease’s spirit takes vengeance upon those who attempt to profit from his work. The gallery assistant who initially stole his paintings meets her demise when paint begins creeping up her legs until she becomes artwork herself, immobilized with an eternal expression of horror. In an absurd and supernatural way, the scene speaks to the movie’s overall framing of artwork as triumphant over a world that attempts to fasten absolute and objective values to it.

Vetril’s drastic postmortem popularity also perpetuates a well-known phenomenon: glorifying a dead artist who was dismissed in life. Similar cases, such as that of Vincent van Gogh, expose the contingency of taste and reveal another paradox. If taste is subjective and dependent on external functions like place and time, how could any individual, like an art critic, dictate its definite value? Suddenly, the critic’s prerogative flakes away to reveal a position designed to provide a sense of direction and prestige to clients – clients who wish to funnel their money towards whatever their peers deem groundbreaking.

From Duchamp to contemporary film, art about art tends to be critical and revelatory. Similar to a scene in “The Wizard of Oz,” the curtain reels back to reveal that the great wizard is but a small, insecure man. Once demystified, it’s easy to shrug off the imposing illusion that certain artwork is the intellectual and emotional property of only a select few.

Press conference showcases process behind search for new men’s basketball coach

If UCLA’s 99-day head coach search was an increasingly strenuous workout, then Wednesday’s introductory press conference was a refreshing shower.

How long it takes until the aches and pains set in is still to be determined, but the Bruins’ lengthy search – which included thorough background checks and at least three other reported candidates – is over.

On Wednesday, UCLA Athletics Director Dan Guerrero, UCLA alum and Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers and new men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin each provided insight into UCLA Athletics’ hunt to replace former coach Steve Alford, who was fired New Year’s Eve.

“A lot has been made about the search itself, no question we had a lot of runway, a lot of opportunity to really spend some time doing a thorough search and that’s in fact what we did,” Guerrero said. “I can say once again beyond a shadow of a doubt that we explored all opportunities, all avenues and we engaged with several strong candidates.”

Some of the candidates who the Bruins courted reportedly included Kentucky coach John Calipari, TCU coach Jamie Dixon and Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. UCLA reportedly offered them contracts, but each spurned negotiations to stay in their current positions.

“It’s not uncommon when you do a search for this to have multiple conversations going on at the same time with prospective candidates,” Guerrero said. “You can do a dance with a lot of people, but until you get two individuals to sign on a dotted line, that’s when you hit the finish line and that’s what we did.”

According to Myers, who was a member of the search committee along with Associate Athletic Director Josh Rebholz and Associate Athletic Director Chris Carlson, UCLA cast a wide net for potential candidates, which mostly included currently employed coaches.

“It was more of ‘Let’s plant seeds in various places and see what flourishes,’ and it happened to be (Cronin),” Myers said. “But I can tell you with him, he had great clarity that this was the job that he wanted. He never wavered from that. And that, I think, was something that resonated with the whole committee.”

One of the qualities UCLA was looking for in its new coach was a commitment to the school, the brand and the city of Los Angeles, Guerrero said.

While several national media members such as Yahoo’s Pete Thamel, CBS’ Gary Parrish and USA Today’s Dan Wolken pointed out that UCLA’s search process was flawed and that the coaching position was not an elite opening, the school’s brand still provoked interest.

“When we’re asked to be on the committee, I’d say you’re calling people, offering them a Porsche. No one’s going to hang up the phone on you,” Myers said. “You’re offering an unbelievable brand. But at the same time, that’s not enough.”

On the other hand, there were some coaches who didn’t pass UCLA’s vetting process, while others rose up UCLA’s lists due to positive feedback during the background checks.

Through it all, Cronin survived from the initial pool of candidates to the end.

“You have to go through the process,” Cronin said. “Not to appease people, but to appease Chancellor (Gene) Block and do right by your constituents. To explore every possible option. So I was comfortable with that. That’s my long answer. I did not get caught up in that. We were in constant communication and I was dealt with nothing but honesty the entire time.”

As the last one standing, now it’s time for Cronin to get to work.

Baseball’s strong offense helps it achieve success against ranked teams

The bats are heating up for the Bruins.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (24-6, 9-3 Pac-12) scored just two runs in Friday’s loss to then-No. 2 Stanford (21-5, 7-2) but has scored 30 runs on 36 hits to win its past three games. The Bruins’ offensive production has come in the middle of seven straight games against ranked opponents that will conclude with a three-game series against No. 8 East Carolina (25-7, 8-1 American Athletic Conference) this weekend.

Most of UCLA’s runs have not come through raw power, however – the Bruins’ sole homer during the three games was a two-run shot from junior first baseman Michael Toglia on Saturday against the Cardinal. UCLA is sixth in the Pac-12 in home runs with 19.

The Bruins have instead relied on timely hitting from top to bottom, with 10 different players contributing to the team’s 29 RBIs.

In Friday’s loss, UCLA put 13 men on base, but could only bring two of them home. Since then, the Bruins are batting .444 with runners in scoring position.

Sophomore right fielder and leadoff hitter Garrett Mitchell has helped set the table for these scoring opportunities, reaching base 10 times and batting .615 over the three-game stretch. Mitchell’s 41 hits this season lead the team and are just three shy of his total from last year.

Junior left fielder Jack Stronach had the first four-hit game of his career and UCLA’s first of the season in Saturday’s win. Stronach is batting .420 on the year and has reached base safely in 19 of the 20 games he has started.

While not every Bruin has been on a hot streak, some have still contributed with runs on the line. Freshman center fielder Matt McLain is one for his last 14, but that one hit was a bases-loaded triple Sunday that put UCLA up 9-4.

“(McLain) is going to be a big part of our program the next three years, so we have a lot of faith and trust in him,” said coach John Savage. “Obviously, he’s been struggling. But he’s going to be a really good player at UCLA and he’s had some big hits this season.”

With the extra run support, the Bruins have been able to win despite the pitching staff allowing five runs per game over the three-game stretch. UCLA’s arms own a 2.57 ERA on the season, good for second in the Pac-12.

Freshman right-hander Jesse Bergin, who pitched Tuesday night against UC Irvine and notched his fourth win of the season, said he enjoys having extra runs to work with.

“It’s not fun waiting in the dugout that long, but it’s definitely worth it,” Bergin said. “Getting those insurance runs allows me to stay more calm and feel less pressure.”

The Bruin pitchers will go head-to-head with a Pirates lineup that has scored 27 runs over their own three-game win streak. If UCLA wins the first game of the series Friday, the team will be off to its best start through 31 games since 2010.

“Obviously, rankings don’t mean much when you get into the game because anyone can beat anyone,” Mitchell said. “It does help being able to play top-ranked teams so early in the season so when we get towards the end, we can just play Bruin baseball.”