Much like how a smell can magically trigger certain memories, songs hold a similar power. Because bits and pieces of memories are encoded within songs, many albums have become snapshots of my years at SLU. Some are much older, whose previously associated memories moved me through the good, the bad and the ugly. 

“Heard It In a Past Life” by Maggie Rogers

“Heard It In a Past Life” is home to one of my all-time favorite songs, “Alaska,” which will forever remind me of drives with my best friend, whom I met sophomore year. Despite technically being a high school era album for me, the comfort of the album has carried me through the past five years. I had never smiled harder than when I first heard “Alaska” and have never felt more myself than when listening to “Say It”. 

“Messy” by Oliva Dean

“Messy” is the product of Dean’s lyrical ingenuity, dreamy soul-forward voice and a mashup of soul, pop and jazz. “Dive” is the ultimate love song, describing a free and easy love fit for a girl to just “dive” into. “Messy” is all about growth, whether that be in friendship, romance or with yourself. 

“Stranger in the Alps” by Phoebe Bridgers

“Stranger in the Alps” is an arguably obvious choice, but “Motion Sickness” is wickedly addicting. “ICU” single-handedly got me over dealing with my ex’s crazy mom. Every day is a perfect day to listen to “Stranger in the Alps,” and it’s the go-to for when the going gets rough. 

“This Thing Called Living” by Eloise

Although technically an EP, “This Thing Called Living” contains some of the most endearing songs I have ever heard. “You, Dear” romanticizes the stumbled-upon sort of love that usually does not make sense, yet cannot be ignored. A sort of sweeter and more sincere breakup anthem, “Left Side” is for the lovers who hold no regrets and appreciate all of the moments of love despite how it ends.

“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan

Elton John calls himself a “huge fan” of Chappell Roan, a Missouri native who has skyrocketed to fame in the past year. Roan is the kind of creative genius that comes once in a blue moon; not a single song on the album misses. Her lyrics are wickedly funny, undeniably catchy and, at times, deeply sensitive. 

“Rumours (Super Deluxe)” by Fleetwood Mac

“Rumours” is a timeless work of art and a simple pleasure. It narrates love and loss in a way that anyone can find a piece of themselves within it. While just about anyone knows “Rumours,” its lesser-known Super Deluxe version contains incredible live performances from the ‘70s, demos and some surprisingly cut outtakes. 

“The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)” by Lady Gaga 

Lady Gaga, aka the God of the Gays, changed my life that fateful year of 2007 when she released “The Fame.” Life only got better when she released the “Monster (Deluxe Version)” of the album two years later. At the ripe old age of eight, “Just Dance” and “Paparazzi” were on the radio daily, and I could not get enough. “The Fame Monster” is the perfect pick-me-up, hype-up and go-to karaoke.  

“Pure Heroine” by Lorde

In a time when pop was increasingly overproduced and quantity became favored over quality, young Lorde put out an inimitable album that would become the album of nostalgia for Gen Z. Lorde has the clear voice of an old soul, making for an album that just never gets old.  

“Up All Night” by One Direction

Tragically, 1D has made my Spotify Wrapped three out of four years of college. I am ashamed to admit it, but have learned to own it. If you are not still jamming out to the songs that made your world turn as a child, that’s the real problem. 

Gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) falls for the transient Jackie (Katy O’Brian), who has stopped in town and is preparing for a bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas. After closing at the gym, Lou chats with Jackie outside. When one of the gym’s regular guys shows up trying to get a little too handsy, Jackie “handles” the situation with a swift punch. Naturally, Jackie and Lou then leave together and have a steamy sex session. 

At the very least, the film successfully captures a realistic lesbian sex scene, a rarity on the big screen. The morning after, a dirty-haired Lou makes breakfast with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. Jackie asks to move in (after, yes, one night of sleeping together) and Lou is happy to oblige. The two fall for each other and Lou provides Jackie with steroids in preparation for her big competition. Before meeting Lou, Jackie had taken a job at the local shooting range, owned by none other than Lou’s estranged father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris). The gun range serves as a front for Lou Sr.’s gun smuggling operation. 

Worlds collide when Lou’s sister, Beth (Jena Malone), lands in the hospital at the hands of her abusive husband, J.J. (Dave Franco). At the hospital, Lou Sr. notices Jackie in the room and quietly laughs to himself.  Lou, Lou Sr. and Jackie all share an unequivocal rage for J.J. and what he has done, but only Jackie takes this rage into her own hands. This sets the stage for a series of gory murders that Jackie will commit, with Lou often trailing behind to clean up her girlfriend’s mess. 

On the surface, the film explores the lengths people will go for love. Realistically, though, the film is hardly one of love but one of toxicity and lust. Each character is a sorely unreliable narrator determined to fulfill their own desires. Jackie craves the stage, yearning to win the bodybuilding competition in Vegas. Lou wants Jackie, despite Jackie’s fits of steroid-induced-rage that put her in a bind. Lou Sr. wants guns and power, with an unsettling fixation for exotic insects. Consumed by obsession and propelled by performance-enhancing drugs, Jackie turns into a killing machine that Lou cannot help but still find desirable. 

“Love Lies Bleeding’s” weird plot, unnerving violence and rich visual language make it a sure fit in the slew of A24 films. The gritty 80s New Mexico landscape is peak Americana, completed by Lou’s lesbian grunge look and Jackie’s sculpted body. Intriguing natural visuals are mixed in with flashes of gore only imaginable in nightmares. Each storyline is hardly seen through and viewers are left profoundly puzzled. Viewers learn just enough about Jackie and Lou’s history to make the film make sense, but there a are few vulnerable moments that reveal character. The film wraps viewers into the isolated world that its characters experience and yanks them around with quick cuts from one plot point to the next. Expect to leave the theater shocked, confused and curious to experience the chaos that is “Love Lies Bleeding” once again.

The New Romance

1. “SYNCOPATE” by MICHELLE bottles up the energy of undeniable chemistry with a new love.
2. “Pulling Me Closer” by Aeris Roves is a soothing neo-soul hit that describes how nearly impossible it is to leave an unexpectedly intense romance. 
3. “ELECTRICITY” by Evann McIntosh celebrates taking risks in love and being sure to not waste a spark with someone. 
4. “Feels Like” by Gracie Abrams sounds like a melodic lullaby at the start, quickly shifting to a dance anthem celebrating that “just right” feeling in romance. 

In Love 

1. “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski captured not only everyone’s hearts this fall, but also the core feeling of being loved in a universally relatable way. 
2. “Walk” by Griff expresses the unconditional admiration people feel as they watch the person they love move through life, as well as the fascination for even the smallest things that person does. 
3. “My Lover Is Sleeping” by Wasia Project is a dreamy ballad that follows the story of a person watching their lover sleeping, wondering what they are dreaming about.
4. “Subside” by Eloise captures the almost uncontrollable attraction that takes over when in love. 
5. “All I Really Want is You” by The Marias is sultry and smooth, longing for the intimacy and devotion that comes with true love. 
6. “Fired Up” by Grace Carter captures the feeling of falling in love for the first time, when being so intimately understood by another person is nearly frightening. 

“It’s Complicated”

1. “On My Mind (acoustic)” by Preditah, Jorja Smith expresses the slightly toxic albeit relatable desire for the person you love to be just as wrapped up in you as you are with them. 
2. “Cool About It” by Boygenius explores the foolish feelings that come along with unrequited love and the self-affirmations that this love can somehow be ignored. 
3. “Sappho” by Frankie Cosmos reflects on love (or lust) from afar and that feeling where just a glimpse of a certain someone is enough to make your day. 
4. “Shut Up Kiss Me” by Angel Olsen is a punchy rock song chronicling a “love so real it can’t be ignored” complete with exasperated demands to “Shut up! Kiss me! Hold me tight!”
5. “Echo” by Olivia Dean is a deeply magnetic song that reflects on the desire for support and mutual resilience in a relationship. 

Recently Broken Up 

1. “Don’t Forget Me” by Maggie Rogers provokes a nostalgic feeling, craving the simplest pleasures of love and the fear of being forgotten when that love is lost. 
2. “OMG” by Suki Waterhouse jumpstarted the release of her forthcoming album with a recollection of getting so entangled with someone that you begin to lose yourself. 
3. “Goodbye to Love” by Carpenters, covered by Phoebe Bridgers, may have been produced for the “Despicable Me 3” movie but do not let that fool you. Bridgers takes an already-somber song and transforms it into one of heartbreak, expressing the hopelessness of finding love again. 
4. “Poison Poison” by Renee Rapp is the spiteful sing-along you should be screaming if your ex is of the toxic variety. 
5. “The girl (that you can’t get over)” by Lili-Ann De Francesco calls out the ex who refuses to offer the closure you need and the feeling that despite how well you treated them, you did not receive what you deserved in the relationship.  

Happily Single

1. “Feminomenon” by Chappell Roan directly questions whether men can really provide pleasure the way that women do, but serves as an anthem for femininity with lyrics that make it impossible not to sing along.
2. “Be My Own Boyfriend” by Olivia Dean shares a similar sentiment to nearly every self-love song, sans corniness. Dean refutes the concept of “the other half”, proclaiming her ability to love herself the best out of any partner possible. 
3. “Hold U” by Indigo De Souza is among her few upbeat tracks, celebrating the loving desire friends hold for each other to receive the best in the world. 
4. “Honey” by Samia reminisces on moments with past romances, without intention of revisiting those relationships.

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On Jan. 29, multi-hyphenate visual artist Alexander Gavillet spoke to SLU students at the Kristen Peterson Distinguished Lecture in Art and Art History. Originally from Chicago, Gallivet now lives and works in Los Angeles directing narrative films. Her commercial and editorial photography can be seen in “Vogue, Billboard, GQ, Complex, Fader, The Hollywood Reporter and Spin” featuring personalities like Billie Eilish, Victoria Beckham, Dua Lipa–the list goes on. Her commercial film clients include Sauve (Barbie campaign), Lululemon, HBO Max, Nike, Converse, Reebok, Vogue, Amazon and Jose Cuervo. Gavillet’s career began during her college years at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, a time she recalls as especially transformative. 

“Being in school was such a beautiful part of me finding my network, my best friend I literally met in my freshman year dorm and a lot of people that I’ve ended up working with, I literally met when I was a freshman,” said Gavillet. At the lecture, she shared some of her industry wisdom with students, as well as some insights into the business side of self-starting in the art world. 

Share, share, share! 

Gavillet encourages students to get their work out there as much as possible. “Marketing yourself if you want to work professionally is the most important thing. A lot of times we are afraid. We’re afraid to market ourselves. We’re like, ‘Oh I’m not going to get any likes.’ No, just put this stuff out there and be fearless because when people want to work with you in the industry, or as a creative, they are going to look at your Instagram.”

Just as important as social media marketing, Gavillet told students to create a website and stay up to date with it. “Share your work, be ruthless because the only person that’s going to advertise yourself well is going to be you,” said Gavillet. 

Reach out.

Right after one of her first shoots in her early years at NYU, Gavillet rushed the photos to a nearby modeling agency. “I went to this old school modeling agency and was like ‘Can you hire me to take tests of your models?’ And they did, which is so cool,” said Gavillet. Gavillet got her start from reaching out and asking for an opportunity, which would continue to serve her in the years to come. 

Throughout her career, Gavillet has been a big fan of the reach-out. “I would spend my Tuesdays and Wednesdays sending out hundreds of emails like this,” said Gavillet, referencing a screenshot of emails with an introduction about her work. “If you want to work for someone, their emails are online. You would be surprised who answers and how that can change your life,” Gavillet said. 

Why Tuesdays and Wednesdays? “If you ever cold call people, do it Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. On Mondays, people have work to do. Tuesday, they’re like ‘Okay I’m gonna open this email’, Wednesday the same. Thursday, ‘I have to finish my thing for Friday,’” said Gavillet. 

Gavillet recommends reaching out to anyone and everyone and keeping the message short. Stick with one or two sentences that explain your work and what you want to do with them. 

Archive your ideas.

Gavillet suggests a lot of reflection when it comes to building a career as a young person. She recommends writing lists of the people students dream of working with and even writing down their general creative dreams. “I think writing down your dreams, literally on a piece of paper or on a document is one of the best things you can do. It kind of starts to give you direction in life.”

Keeping track of inspiration comes in handy later. “If you see something that inspires you please put it in a folder somewhere. You’re always going to need an archive,” said Gavillet. Gavillet spoke to her own archive of inspiration pictures that came in handy that morning during a pitch. 

Stay savvy.

Gavillet scrolled through some of her most recognized photos, including a vibrant shoot with Billie Eilish. She recalled that the shoot did not even have a budget, but she was able to connect with friends to create the set. She suggests making use of the resources nearby, especially other friends in creative industries or equipment from school. While vibrant colors have become somewhat of a signature for Gavillet’s work, she has also found this method is a great low-cost option. “I think color transforms spaces and if you don’t have that much to work with, it makes your production value really good,” Gallivet said.  

Use your voice and be enthusiastic.

About her start in commercial photography, Gallivet said, “I was a little intimidated, honestly, because I thought I didn’t know enough technicality. But then I learned that everyone has their own way of working and just because I wasn’t that technical didn’t mean that I didn’t know what I was doing.” Gallivet believes that just about anyone can fake it until they make it. She finds that personality and enthusiasm can be better selling points than actual technical skills. 

“Be confident in your voice, and sure of yourself. That’s all you need,” Gallivet said.

“Saltburn,” a psychological thriller written, produced and directed by Emerald Fennell, transports viewers to Oxford University in 2006. Lonely and studious Oliver (Barry Keoghan) is ushered into a life of elitism after making nice with the alluring and evocative Felix (Jacob Elordi). After Oliver loans his bike to Felix, the two Oxford students develop an intimate friendship at warp speed. It is unclear if Oliver wants to be Felix or be with him, or perhaps both. Oliver transitions from the bookish outcast to one of the cool kids, integrating himself into Felix’s popular clique. After Oliver shares that his father has passed away, Felix extends an invitation for Oliver to go home with him for the summer. Oliver’s perception of Felix as a filthy-rich boy of high status takes on a whole new form when he visits the aristocratic family’s estate. The Baroque mansion is surrounded by a hedge maze known as the Labyrinth, ponds and lush gardens. The greatest merit of the film’s production is its dreamy and luxurious visuals. 

Upon arrival at the sprawling estate, Oliver meets the motley crew that is Felix’s family. Rosamund Pike embodies the definition of posh as Felix’s mother, Elsputh. Richard E. Grant plays a curiously cute and shallow Sir James, the head of the estate. The captivating yet tragic sister, Venitia, is played by Alison Oliver. Archie Madekwe plays Felix’s cousin, Farleigh, the outsider to the family and one of the first to catch onto Oliver’s strange antics. 

The summer goes seemingly well; the group spends their days by the pond, playing games and enjoying black-tie dinners in the comfort of their own home. Things take a horrendous turn at Oliver’s birthday party, a 200-person rave takes over the estate, complete with impressive “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”-themed costumes and cocaine around every corner. Until the party scene, the “psychological thriller” is puzzlingly un-thrilling. Oliver’s obsessive nature reaches new heights, making the film unnecessarily dark. Though visually impressive, scenes become perversely graphic and disturbing. After the first major twist, viewers could assume the rest of what will come. The unsettling sexual scenes lack eroticism, urging watchers to look away rather than get sucked in. Each shock serves as fleeting sensations, rather than a catalyst for contemplation.  Emerald Fennell stimulates viewers with opulent styling rather than a compelling plot. Impeccable production is the redeeming value that makes “Saltburn” a cinematic experience well-worth viewing.

An assumed commentary on the rich, “Saltburn” says more about the lonesome souls who commit unconscionable and depraved acts that violate nearly every moral code in the book. It contributes to the illusion that the rich are figures detached from the struggles and vulnerabilities that unite humanity.  Expect rich visuals, entrancing characters, and devilishly twisted sequences. 

On Sept. 8, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation celebrated the opening of two fall exhibitions, “Sarah Crowner: Around Orange,” curated by Stephanie Weissberg, curator at the Pulitzer, and “Urban Archeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis,” curated by Michael R. Allen, director of the National Building Arts Center, and Weissberg. Situated in the historical Grand Center Arts District, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation’s fall exhibitions respond to and interact with the character of St. Louis’ built environment, steeped in a history of social and architectural narratives. 

Sarah Crowner, a visual artist based in New York City, created three new site-specific pieces for “Around Orange.” The pieces reflect Crowner’s diverse practice, including paintings, a platform installation and a mural. Crowner responds to Pulitzer’s Tadao Ando-designed modernist building by engaging with its use of natural light and Crowner’s longtime inspiration, Ellsworth Kelly. 

Crowner’s first piece, a glazed terracotta mural, hangs in the courtyard entrance of the building. Upon entering, viewers are invited to experience Crowner’s second piece–a birch wood platform that rests below two of Kelly’s early works. Crowner’s platform takes inspiration from the rounded form of “White Plaque: Bridge Art and Reflection,” bringing viewers onto the platform to immerse themselves into Kelly’s pieces. 

“[Crowner is] very much thinking about how when you stand on a platform versus on the floor, how does it affect your perception of space?  Said Curatorial Assistant Molly Moog. “[Crowner] is also really interested in architecture, and how people move through and perceive architecture or spaces with their bodies,” said Moog. 

Crowner’s platform changes how viewers experience the gallery, asking them to move in a new way, much like how Ando’s horizontal and long open spaces with uninterrupted sightlines call viewers to move through the space. The platform curves around the entryway of the building, an otherwise rectilinear area. Visitors can imagine how the platform, if not constricted by the building’s walls, would continue through space. By presenting art as a dynamic force in the gallery, Crowner inspires viewers to reflect on and reimagine their surroundings. 

On the east wall of the main gallery hangs Crowner’s largest commission for the exhibition. The seventy-five-foot painting, with the same height as “Blue Black”’s 6-foot width, was designed with the horizontal character of Ando’s building in mind. Crowner’s patchwork of repeated shapes in saturated colors evoke minimalist and hard-edge qualities, reminiscent of Kelly’s “Blue Black” which hangs on the wall to the right of Crowner’s.  As they exit the main gallery, visitors are guided from a contemporary world of abstract art into the architectural heritage of St. Louis.

The Pulitzer’s second exhibition, “Urban Archeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis” features a variety of salvaged architectural artifacts from the National Buildings Arts Center in Sauget, Illinois. “The National Building Arts Center was founded in the 1970s by a person named Larry Giles who started salvaging and taking pieces from buildings before they would be demolished. It is the largest collection of building artifacts in the country,” said Moog.

The exhibition’s diversity in pieces emphasizes the interplay between the built environment and narratives embedded within it. “I think one interesting thing about the show is that some of the buildings bring up more social histories, others more technical and artistic histories,” said Moog. The exhibition showcases a wide range of works, from bricks that tell stories about material innovation to lion heads emblematic of wealth.

The Cube Gallery displays pieces of the façade of the Rivoli Theatre, which stood in the Central Business District of Downtown St. Louis, before its demolition. The hand painted ‘Rivoli’ sign, sitting atop display pedestals, was dismantled from ornamental panels seated to the side in their original crate, a deliberate choice. “It’s a nod towards the way this object lives when it’s not in a building like this, and tries to get people to think about when you see an object like this in a museum, where does it come from? And, what is it like to experience something out of context?” said Moog. 

In the 19th century, St. Louis became one of the largest brick and terracotta manufacturing areas in the world. The Fox Theatre, down the block from the Pulitzer, is one of many historic buildings that still showcases the craftsmanship of terracotta bricks. The exhibition’s collection of decorative, paver, and fire bricks showcase the history of brick production in St. Louis. 

The east and west galleries display panel reliefs, pendants, and prominent neighborhood artifacts. Between the two galleries, an interactive space offers a sizable map of the surrounding area as well as note cards sparking reflection. “People can leave their personal associations with buildings and then mark them on the map,” said Moog.

“Sarah Crowner: Around Orange” and “Urban Archeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis” will be on view through Feb 4, 2024 at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.