8A - Monday, March 12, 2007 ..a The Michigan Daily - mich 6 0 A'Transition' told gracefully with art By PRIYA BALI type of vulnerability and lived Daily Arts Writer outside the stereotype in mascu- linity. Sligh the did the name with With compelling art, some- women who seemed to be antith- times all it takes is a good story. It eses of femininity. Exploring isn't necessarily beautiful or elab- gender through these deviations orate, but it's remarkably hon- from societal norms presented a est, the kind of greater question of what makes work that fort- each of us male or female. es the audience Jake in In her lecture, Sligh ques- out of a com- Transition tioned if every part of an individ- fort zone and ual's body was assigned a gender. into a dialogue from Female "Do muscles have gender?" she with the both to Male asked. Sligh attempts to answer the subject and such gender-based questions in the self. It chal- Through her exhibit, and in some cases the lenges you to April15 physical line between both gen- look beneath ders may seem quite thin. the actual At the Lane Hall Sligh tried to include an image for the Gallery, 204 expression of her own changing work's soul. S. StateSt. identity, as Jake's transformation Artist Clarissa Free caused her to examine her own Sligh presents identity as a black woman. "As I this challenge observe and support Jake in his in her photography exhibit "Jake changes so that his body can pass in Transition from Female to as a white man, I cannot help but Male," running through April 15 think about the fact that I will in the Lane Hall gallery on State never be able to change my brown Street. skin to escape the layer of oppres- The 44 black-and-white imag- sion one experiences from being es tell the struggle of a man who black in America," Sligh states in felt trapped inside his female the exhibit's catalogue. body. Arranged chronologically, The accuracy of Jake's photo- the photographs follow Jake graphs depends on Sligh's will- (then known as Deb) as a woman ingness to become part of the through her sex change to the process. She learned that the final aftermath of an arduous and camera became a safe place for her and Jake's exploration to take place and allowed her to slowly, A life narrative yet fully, accept Jake's transi- tion. Standing opposite of Sligh's f the audience lens allowed Jake to do the same. or "aIt became a mirror for him to and the artist. explore his body and his feel- ings," Sligh said. Sligh found herself facing the same challenge she indirectly emotional process, many featur- gave people through her artwork. ing Jake's own super-imposed "I saw my own vulnerability. I words. saw my own fears - and I had to In order to tell a true story, face that," she said. "I was look- the photographs are understand- ing at a situation in a person that ably graphic in their portrayal of brought out all this terror inside Jake's sex change. In a brown bag of me." lecture given by Sligh during the The artist and the witnesses of first month of the exhibit's open- the product experience the same ing, the artist admitted it was disarming feeling of despair - initially disturbing to see Jake's this is where the catharsis comes physical transformation, mak- from: shared humanity. ing it more challenging to accept Perhaps we aren't as deeply Jake's new identity. involved, but we can certainly Before Sligh met Deb in the fall attempt to undergo the transition of 1996, she had been photograph- from outsider to insider, especial- ing men who had unusual norms ly in this exhibit. for their male identities. These Difficult? Yes. Impossible? men were willing to show any Never. Ember burns FOLK ARTIST'S TRIO IMPRESSES AT THE ARK By ANNA ASH DailyArts Writer It's a tough dig when everyone considers you the Canadian (and blonde) version of Ani DiFranco. Yes, Ember Swift started her own record label. Yes, she uses her music as an agent for her activism. And yes, she's a hot Ember Swift babe who can kick ass on the guitar - but do not let these Saturday similarities fool you. Swift and AtThe Ark her trio are far and beyond any need for Ani comparisons. In fact, while the scads of Ani-Ember comparisons may be accurate in regard to the veneer of a solo Swift, they are terribly derisory in regard to the entirety of Swift and her trio. Anyone who saw Saturday night's show at The Ark would understand why. Accompanied by the distinctive pluckings and bowings of bass and electric violin player Lyndell Montgomery and the percussion beats of Adam Bowman, Swift and her social import were enthusiasti- cally received by the Ann Arbor audience, most of which only knew of the group because of their brief January performance at the Ann Arbor folk festival. After beginning the night with a taste of her bilingual lyrics (English and French), mouth trombone and opinions of our privileged culture, Swift strayed away from the overtly political No DiFranco stand-in here, Ember Swift and her band have a sound of their own - and it's good. saturation for which her music occasionally gets criticized. Instead, she opted for a bit of humor. "This is really a song about alternative thera- pies," Swift told the crowd, "... like bowling." While this tune rounded out the lyrical con- tent of the evening, it wasn't until her modified version of the jazz standard "Summertime" that the full breadth of Swift's vocals was exposed. In almost every previous song, her vocals (with exception to her mouth trombone skills) had unfortunately fell into constant simile. In one song her voice sounded like Gwen Stefani, another like Fiona Apple and a third - of course - like Ani DiFranco. All it took was a slow, sul- try, minor key jazz standard to bring out her own signature voice. But the musical climax of the show was undoubtedly at the end of the first set with the Middle Eastern instrumental "Pek." Swift's occasional chanting and rhythmic accompani- ment gave her band members a few minutes of due glory. With Montgomery's bow alternat- ing between her violin and an acoustic guitar, and both Bowman's hands and mallets taking their appropriate spotlight, the two made a very strong argument that this group should official- ly attach trio to Ember Swift's name. Montgomery's experimental violin chops and distinguishing bass slappings and plucks partic- ularly warrant this modest, Mohawked wo$ian some well-deserved recognition. Fortunately, Swift's latest album, The Dirty Pulse, featues a few co-written tunes of hers. Although the second set couldn't quitellve up to the feverish culmination of the first, it wasn't completely lackluster. For a '50s-style tune, Swift used her loop pedal to create three part harmony do-wops for her backup singers. The song itself, with its old sound and mildly fervent lyrics about a 10-foot tall, bulletproof, beer-drinking person was strangely entertain- ing, but Swift's excessive dialogue leading into the song drew it out beyond its allotted atten- tion span. After 11 years of writing and performing music, it's no surprise that Ember Swifthas poise and skill. A successful D.I.Y. musician, Swift has released nine albums under her label Few'll Ignite Sound, ranging from folk, jazz, funk and even punk. Though a few of the songs played last Saturday merely echoed the expected activist/ guitarist/Ani DiFranco counterpart role many critiques have thrown her into, a tune like "Pek" and that version of "Summertime" overturn these expectations to reveal a group - not just an artist - that is unlike any other. 6 6 Like all bad parties, By ANDREW KAHN DailyArts Writer bly inconsistent throughout the album. But it's not Those who purchase Math- the production ematics Presents Wu-Tang Clan t that prevents Friends: Unreleased expecting a Unreleased from heavy dose of Wu Tang will be dis- reaching its full VariOUS satisfied. The project is saturated potential. It's the AtIStS with the friends, but appearances lack of Wu-Tang from actual Wu Tang members are rappers. Of the Mathematics few and far between. 20 tracks, only Presents DJ Allah Mathematics, the pro- seven feature Wu-Tang Clan ducer of many of the Wu-Tang any of the origi- Wu.Tan Cla Clan's hits, has compiled a disc full nal nine mem- & Frends: of remixes and previously unre- bers of the Clan, Unreleased leased material. and only three Nature Given Mathematics's reputa..of those feature tion, there are high expectations. more than one on And while he doesn't entirely did- the same song. appoint, the production is palpa- It's too bad, because the Wu- too little Wu-Tan Tang tracks are, unsurprisingly, the best on the album. Raekwon Compi spits street tales over simple keys la11tion on "Treez" and joins Inspectah lacks Deck on the dark "Rap Burglars." C On L But a few true Wu songs aren't enough to elevate the album from relevant artist mediocrity. The (misleading) title aside, you can make a strong argu- ment that this shouldn't even be the original. "Da 'N' (Remix)," considered a Wu-Tang project. though, has a laidback vibe and Mathematics' remixes are hit or is a pleasant take on a classic Wu miss. Some don't improve on the track. originals, like "Maxine (Remix)," With the first group album since which replaces the grit of the 2001 expected to be released 's original with a light guitar that summer, Unreleased could e clashes with Ghostface'sdelivery. e e r a great preparato t. The funky horns on "Wu Banga Instead, the few bright spot (Remix)" don't compare to .he .oershadowed by the glaring k piano-driven soul sample used on of Wu-Tang members. ___________________________________ -~ ~ -~ U I El Gain real world FRESHMEN! SUMMER SOPHOMORES!. AND FALL JUNIORS! 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