Volume 8

Letter from the Editor

October 2017: almost a full year since the 2016 presidential election and 12 months away from the midterm elections in 2018. American contemporary culture is defined and inscribed by polarities now more than ever. While daily life in New York is perpetually changing, these polarities—whether it be left or right, male or female, minimalist or maximalist—seep into how we see the world and ourselves in relation to each other. While we often seek solace in the constancy of the labels that define who we are, at Embodied, we’ve noticed that despite social norms, there is still space for fluidity and immense instability; the grey area, the space “in-between.” Gallatin students are often caught between these poles, but still forge space between them through our interdisciplinary endeavors. Conversely, we can also find space in subverting these same labels in order to effect change—whether it be personal change or a sociopolitical change. The newest edition of Embodied—our inaugural edition as we transfer from print into the digital realm—aims to explore this transitional and moving state: a state of flux.

Nicole Chan and Kristen Chiu, Embodied’s creative directors, conceptualize a photo series focusing on how the body is inseparable from dance as an art form. Capturing still images of isolated body parts in motion as well as clothing in motion, Nicole and Kristen showcase different forms of dance as expression and amplify the emotions associated with dance in their feature “Forms In Flux”. 

Adjoa Walker reflects on musical artist Sza’s body of work leading up to the release of her most recent album Ctrl. A stunningly uncompromising portrayal of womanhood, for Walker Sza's Ctrl was well worth the wait. As artists evolve in style, the venues which their music is played throughout New York does as well. Mandy Freebairn goes deep on New York’s DIY venues after the closing of beloved Webster Hall in her piece “DIY Venues Open Doors”. 

In The View Annabel Meschke explores what it means to be a “ho,” looking at the relationship between “being a ho” and “being classy,” and the tension society places on the two in a piece called “Liberated: Mind, Sex, Body?” She aims to take down contemporary hook-up culture and find peace with her own comfort zone on the battlefield of modern romance. The result is a hilarious reflection on navigating the rocky shores of sexual expression

Much has changed since our last issue was published in the Fall of 2016. American politics now operates as a form of entertainment, with its unique hybrid of a horror film and reality TV; something akin to The Real Housewives of Orange County ( Who Know What You Did Last Summer). Breaking news headlines read as jokes while the President of the United States, a former Reality TV star, actively assails the truth. Despite a new leadership team and shiny digital platform, Embodied’s commitment to broadcasting our truth and the opinions of Gallatin students remains steadfast.