The end of every UC Davis fall quarter is often marked by excitement for the break and the anticipation for what the new year will bring. We’re officially two weeks into winter quarter and with midterms just around the corner, it’s time to check out the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts’ 2009-2010 season lineup before the quarter kicks up and tickets sell out.

The Mondavi Center has already brought in a plethora of talented artists and big names to campus, with jazz performer Wynton Marsalis, distinguished speaker David Plouffe and more recently pianist Emanuel Ax.

To start the winter quarter lineup, Davis welcomes a chamber ensemble of three sisters. The Albers Trio began their debut in Colorado and since then have grown into musicians that have performed worldwide. Now their tour extends to Mondavi’s own Vanderhoef Studio Theatre.

The Albers sisters will perform repertoire by Mozart and Beethoven and even a piece by UC Davis professor Ross Bauer on Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. and again on Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. Tickets are limited but students are still encouraged to purchase tickets at prices starting at $15.

The Mondavi Center is offering a variety of performances for students, faculty and the Davis community. Whether it is music, dance, film, lectures or comedy pieces, the performances and film screenings chosen for this season are specific to this year

The Spirit of Uganda, in particular, is returning on Jan. 24 to the Mondavi Center. It has been brought back because of the message that the young performers convey on stage through their traditional East African music and dance.

“Part of the reason why they come is to raise awareness about aids and ethnic conflicts in the country there,” said Rob Tocalino, marketing director for the Mondavi Center. “It’s a really engaging dance show and by coming to the show you are supporting a really nice thing – you are raising awareness.”

Along with The Spirit of Uganda, the Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company is another dance performance that is scheduled to perform at the end of January.

“It is the first time [the Morphoses group] is coming to the west coast,” Tocalino said. “These are the top dancers from the New York City Ballet, the Royal Ballet in London and a lot of other prestigious groups.”

Highly anticipated, their west coast tour will offer an opportunity for the Davis community to enjoy a performance by a prestigious group of dancers similar to Pilobolus – a sold out show that performed earlier this fall quarter.

February will bring the return of UC Davis’ own Symphony Orchestra. Their repertoire will include Bartók, Lyadov and Mussorgsky.

“Our conductor chose pretty different pieces – it has a different feel to it,” said first-year Joshua Yang and percussionist for the UCDSO. “One of the pieces we’re performing is a concerto by Bartók – the mood of the piece is really soothing. Each piece is actually telling a story and every piece sets a different mood.”

The Symphony Orchestra alongside other performances this quarter range in the different genres that will be performing at The Mondavi Center this quarter.

In the upcoming weeks, you will find performers such as Albers Trio, Spirit of Uganda, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, Miguel Zenón Septet, Alexander String Quartet, and even the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra (just to name a few).

For more information about any upcoming shows, ticket prices and listings, visit mondaviarts.org.

KAREN SONG can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Most objects in the world function to organize and simplify our daily tasks. Without these tools, humans would be operating much more inefficiently. However, it is also often suggested that the appearance of an object may be of equal importance to its function, as form and function are often intertwined. Thus the goal of any designer is essentially to create a useful and aesthetically pleasing product.

Currently, the International House is hosting “The Creative Process Illustrated,” which features the interior and furniture design work of retired UC Davis environmental design professor Helge Olsen. Olsen studied interior and furniture design in Denmark, Sweden and Finland, and has impressive professional experience working in design studios in Denmark, Sweden, France and the United States.

Olsen said “[form and function] should go together,” and that “form should reflect the function.”

Sacramento City College student James Britcher said he agreed.

“Form should compliment function as function should to form. There is always an optimal form that serves to enhance functionality in a living or working space,” Britcher said. “It is very exciting to see forms from nature recur in modern design to optimize functionality while maintaining … pleasing aesthetics.”

According to the designer, the United States and many European countries have been inspired by contemporary Scandinavian designs during the last 50 years. Olsen, having studied in the region, was also influenced by these designs and continues to incorporate them into his work. He draws upon architecture and landscape for new ideas, and many are integrated into his work.

In 1965, Olsen began teaching in the department of environmental design where he also established and taught courses in furniture and interior design, drafting, design delineation and scale-model construction.

The designs featured in the I-House Community Room are taken directly from Olsen’s personal sketchbook and consist of hand-drawn sketches, rendered in a variety of media including pastel and watercolor.

Though many industries (i.e. architectural, industrial and graphic) make preliminary and final designs with computer software such as AutoCAD, Solid Works and various Adobe programs, Olsen prefers to hand-draw most of his designs to quickly and thoroughly render a detailed drawing.

“Everything evolves from the sketchbook,” he said. As the design process begins to develop, modifications to the drawings are made accordingly and more detailed drawings are created along the way.

Many of Olsen’s sketches displayed in the I-House Community Room show pieces of furniture with multiple functions. For example, Olsen designed a children’s chair that can be turned on its two other sides to form a table or a slide. Another rendering shows that all the parts of a chair may be rearranged to form an ottoman or coffee table.

Olsen, who does interior design for many international corporations, said that designing furniture for clients requires more attention to their specific needs. The university, on the other hand, allows for more creative lenience.

“Most of the time the client doesn’t know exactly what they want because they don’t know all of the possibilities,” said junior design major Yekaterina Novikova. “You have to talk to them to get a feel for what they want and ‘translate it’ into something visual you can create. It can be a very long process … and requires good communication skills.”

The renderings assist the viewer in understanding the objects’ characteristics, qualities, materials, texture and finishes for the furniture. Through these preliminary drawings, Olsen shows his design intentions and explores an assortment of concepts and approaches. Many of the full size drawings in the exhibit serve as the final drawing of the piece and may be used for the actual construction.

For the most part, Olsen’s designs show that furniture is as multi-faceted as any other form of art. These drawings show Olsen’s creativity and innovation in all steps of the design process, allowing viewers to engage with his imagination and ingenuity. “The Creative Process Illustrated” showcases the graphic design and development relative to contemporary furniture design and emphasizes the significance of form and function.

Nourish International

As always, the I-House serves as cultural and artistic education center. Next Thursday, Nourish International will host “Explore the Shadows” to showcase and auction local art, and fundraise for the organization’s tentative project for 2010. The event features a segment entitled “Nourish Yourself, Nourish the World” and a guest speech by Freedom from Hunger’s Eden Rock. Students had until Jan. 10 to submit artwork to be displayed at the event. For more information, visit the I-House at 10 College Park.

SIMONE WAHNG can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

UC Davis art students should feel honored. David Humphrey, a New York artist, has agreed to lecture and hold a book signing at the Technocultural Studies Building today from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

The event is open to the public. The seminar will feature his new book, and will have a reception after the event for students to ask him questions.

Humphrey’s speech will “compress 30 years of painting and sculpture into a slide talk augmented by short excerpts from my new anthology of art writing called Blind Handshake,” Humphrey said in an e-mail interview.

Humphrey, born in Germany, has spent most of his 20-year career in New York. He currently teaches art at Yale University’s graduate program, and his work has been shown in famous galleries around the country, such as the MET in New York.

“[Humphrey] draws on a wide range of influences – from popular culture to classical Rome,” said UC Davis professor Gina Werfel, who teaches in the studio art program.

Humphrey recently won the highly acclaimed Prix de Rome, a scholarship that was started in the 17th century to honor artists who excel either in architecture, painting, sculpture, musical composition and engraving.

Art studio program lecture series coordinator Aleksander Bohkan said “Humphrey’s work contains really unusual juxtapositions of images, like a kitten next to sliced bread.”

“[It’s] very surreal, but referencing so many different elements of our culture,” Bohkan said. “He would be best described as post-modern.”

Not only is he an accomplished and respected artist of the modern world, Humphrey has authored several books. His latest work, Blind Handshake, will be featured at the signing.

“[Blind Handshake] is a remix of reviews, catalog essays and occasional pieces published between 1990 and the present,” Humphrey said. “I collaborated with the San Francisco designer Geoff Kaplan to create a space on the page in which image and text jockey for priority and make a case for writing as an extension of studio practice.”

Humphrey is considered by the art studio program to be the kick-off event of this season, which will continue to bring a new and exciting repertoire of guest speakers this year.

Professor Kurt Rohde, an esteemed musician and music department faculty member, also received the prestigious Prix de Rome award several years ago.

Humphrey was planning a visit to see him, and Rohde, along with several colleagues, asked Humphrey to consider giving a possible lecture during his stay.

Bohkan says Humphrey’s work is, “funny and smart, witty, complex and very in depth because he layers images uniquely.”

Humphrey looks forward to student interactions.

“Apparently the grad students have been asked to read my book along with Jerry Salz’s new book of art criticism,” Humphrey said. “I’m eager for some unexpected perspectives and challenges.”

BRITTANY PEARLMAN can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Indecisiveness is frustrating.

About a month ago, I deactivated my Facebook account. For the majority of winter break I was free from the Farmville requests, ambiguous photo album titles and status updates everyone loves to hate. It was vindicating and I was proud.

Then school came around, and I reactivated it again. Looking back, the whole process made me look like an indecisive idiot. Even if nobody noticed, I still feel like one.

I’ve gone through this whole process probably six or seven times already, for various reasons each time, but always when I’m in a disgusted, bothered mood. Sometimes I deactivate it over the overly optimistic updates people post about their day at an ice skating rink in San Francisco. Other times, it’ll be over an epiphany that I’m not actually friends with the majority of my “friends,” and that by keeping it alive, I’m just lying to myself. It’s probably true.

But what bugs me the most about the whole thing is the fact that I actually do need it – or so I tell myself. I need it for my job at The Aggie and for my current technocultural studies class. I need it for the added communicative ability, the desire to stay relevant and the fact that Twitter still sucks.

And then minutes later, I’ll convince myself that I won’t need it. It will seem annoying again, for more and more reasons every time. For instance, a relatively new feature called “suggestions” adorns the right side of Facebook’s homepage – a little sidebar that shows pictures and links to people you either haven’t talked to recently or share mutual friends with.

“Say hello,” Facebook suggests about a friend I haven’t seen for years. Ever since Facebook implemented the whole instant messaging feature, it’s gotten a lot more chatty.

“Hell no,” I replied. I never really liked the guy anyway. He was pretty snobby, and I haven’t really missed him since he graduated. I removed him from the suggestion box – at least Facebook provides this option, too.

A familiar face then takes his place in the suggestion box as “someone I might know.” She and I have 30 mutual friends.

“You probably know her, so add her, bro,” Facebook suggests. Facebook’s right – I do know her. Only I deleted her from my friends a month ago because I can’t stand her. Thanks for making it awkward.

I usually tell my mom to delete her Facebook when she pops up on my news feed. She can’t stand it, either – mainly because of the corny attempts at poetry her middle-aged friends post as their status updates. But she keeps it to stay relevant and to check on her two sons.

An arts writer once wrote last January that “old people on Facebook” was the worst trend of 2008. Whether they’re here or not doesn’t matter to me. I just don’t know how they can stand it themselves. My uncle posts around 20 Youtube videos a day on his status updates. This bugs the hell out of my mom, who generally restricts her usage to her family and therefore sees nothing but his videos on her news feed.

What really prompted my last deactivation was when my eight-year-old cousin tried adding my mom to the HOT or NOT application. I think she did it to my grandma, too. What an idiot.

I know I’m not alone, either. Type “delete” into Google and the first auto-fill suggestion that pops up is “delete facebook account.” How many of them actually mean it? And is this really Facebook’s problem, or my own?

I think it’s Facebook’s. Time to delete the damn thing, once more.

JUSTIN T. HO actually likes Twitter, since it’s so simple and concise. Everyone should convert, and truly “share the news,” as Facebook suggestions often suggests. Agree at arts@theaggie.org.

For most of today’s music listeners, the words “classical” and “guitar” probably do not sound like they belong in the same sentence. But if the only guitar you’ve ever heard is of the rock-and-roll variety, a performance by the San Francisco Guitar Quartet might be an ear-catching event.

The quartet performs this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Davis Art Center, concluding the DAC’s summer/fall Classical Guitar series. The series began in July and has featured classical guitarists from Davis and San Francisco, according to DAC executive director Erie Vitiello.

“We thought that [the series] would fulfill a need in the community for smaller, less well-known groups of really good musicians,” Vitiello said. “People have told me that it’s really great that we’re having this, and attendance has grown over the course of the series.”

The SFGQ was initially formed by David Dueñas in 1997. Today, it includes Dueñas, Mark Simons, Patrick O’Connell and Jon Mendle.

The group has performed all over the world and prides itself on a diverse repertoire that blends classical, jazz, world music and more. It concentrates primarily on contemporary composers, and as a result, the SFGQ frequently performs pieces that were written specifically for them.

“We have a established a reputation as advocates of new music as well as for presenting engaging new works in concert and via our recordings, so many excellent composers seek us out to offer their latest creations for our consideration,” Simons said in an e-mail interview.

Mendle said that Friday’s concert will feature contemporary pieces that utilize jazz, South American influences, the avant-garde and even improvisation.

“One piece we’re playing is a really awesome suite by a composer named Gary Eister, written for us, called ‘Chasing Lights,'” he said. “The last movement is supposed to be a musical depiction of driving down an L.A. freeway at night.”

Mendle and Simons believe that the SFGQ offers the chance for fans of all styles of music to be engaged and entertained by the classical guitar.

“Anyone who enjoys the guitar, contemporary, alternative, world music or even pop will almost certainly enjoy the music we play,” Simons said.

Local guitarist Elizabeth Busch performed in the DAC series in November. She agreed that the classical guitar can be easily enjoyed by today’s audiences who may not be familiar with classical music.

“Classical guitar is very audience-friendly,” said Busch, who also teaches guitar lessons in Davis. “People who have heard very little classical music can still relate to the guitar as a familiar instrument, and are often pleasantly surprised at all that can be done on a guitar.”

“I’m so glad the Art Center is making this a part of Davis’ cultural life,” she said.

SFGQ member Patrick O’Connell is excited about Friday’s concert and the chance to showcase the group’s unique style.

“It is a great feeling to play a role in expanding the guitar’s repertoire as well as presenting some incredible new music to our audience,” he said. “It’s going to be fun!”

The San Francisco Guitar Quartet will perform on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Davis Art Center, 1919 F St. Suggested donation is $15 general and $10 for students.

ROBIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Snoop Dogg

Malice N Wonderland

Priority, Doggystyle

Rating: 4

The laid-back king of cool, Snoop Dogg, presents his own vision of Alice in Wonderland in his latest album, an amusing homage to the rapper’s own world. Each track is done in the traditional Snoop style, with straightforward beats and calm, confident raps. It’s unfortunate that, given Snoop’s distinctive star quality, nearly every track features another artist. While the inclusion of such artists as R. Kelly, Soulja Boy and Brandy provides nice variation, the album is not really a solo effort.

Ultimately, it’s the small details that make the album clever: The “Intro” is spoken by Snoop’s son, a flight attendant informs us of our current “flight” over Wonderland in “Pronto” and a voicemail message is featured in “Secrets.” Snoop takes the listener on a journey through his own gritty, backstreet Wonderland and it’s a memorable ride.

Give these tracks a listen: “I Wanna Rock,” “Pronto,” “1800”

For Fans Of: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre

– Robin Migdol

Artist: Delphic

Album: Acolyte

Record Label: Polydor

Rating: 4

After releasing a handful of popular singles on Kitsuné, Modular and R&S over the past year, Manchester’s trendy dance-rock quartet Delphic released their much anticipated debut LP Acolyte on Tuesday. The band currently holds third place on the BBC Sound of Music 2010.

Acolyte features 10 tracks filled with trippy soundscapes and dance beats. Although the LP consists of three previously released singles – “Doubt,” “This Momentary” and “Counterpoint” – there are hardly any feelings of overplay or loss of auditory pleasure. Delphic continues to creatively bridge the gaps between electronic, pop rock, new wave and dance music. Moreover, their live sets consist of considerably less electronic “studio additions,” and consequently show their musical facets and knowledge of multiple production approaches. Acolyte is a polished collection of just that.

Give these tracks a listen: “Doubt” “Red Lights”

For fans of: Cut Copy, Late of the Pier

– Simone Wahng

Miike Snow

Miike Snow

Downtown Records / Republic Records

Rating: 5

Miike Snow, a Swedish band formed in 2007, is a great listen for the indie electro-pop fan. Their music is marked by interesting fusions of instrumentals with electronically altered sounds, and subject matter that compares the singers to elements of the natural world. By reducing himself to his animalistic basics in songs such as “Animal” and “Plastic Jungle” (“I fucked a gorilla / I change shapes just to hide in this place but I’m still an animal”), lead singer Andrew Wyatt intensifies the trance-like mood common in most of the band’s music. Each song’s use of synthesizers always seems fresh and innovative rather than repetitive. Toe-tapping beats, varying subject matter and the impressive vocal range of this group keep the album interesting and refreshing.

Give these tracks a listen: “Burial”

For Fans Of: Passion Pit, MGMT

– Eleni Stephanides

Artist: Local Natives

Album: Gorilla Manor

Record Label: Frenchkiss

Rating: 4

After playing a series of nine shows at the 2009 SXSW Festival, Los Angeles-based Local Natives soon gathered a flurry of positive reviews, briefly toured in England with the help of NME and landed themselves on the endearing indie label Frenchkiss Records (The Dodos, Antlers, Passion Pit) in late November. The alternative rock quintet, previously known as Cavil at Rest, released their debut LP Gorilla Manor earlier that month on UK’s Infectious Records and look forward to the official US release of Gorilla Manor in mid-February.

Local Natives blended together a variety of genres to bring together Gorilla Manors. Each track complements the next in a cohesive manner, making for a solid listen-through. Local Natives intersects a pleasant swirl of upbeat alternative rock with afro-folk pop for an enjoyable listen.

Give these tracks a listen: “Airplanes,” “Who Knows Who Cares”

For fans of: Bishop Allen, Princeton, Fleet Foxes

– Simone Wahng

MUSIC

Shinkoskey Noon Concert: Marimba One

Today, 12:05 to 1 p.m., free

Mondavi Center, Rumsey Rancheria Grand Lobby

Enjoy a free noon concert at the Mondavi Center Lobby today. In honor of Grace Noda’s 90th birthday, works composed and arranged for marimba will be played by Keiko Abe, Evelyn Glennie, Chris Foh and some UC Davis students. So go out to Mondavi in honor of Grace Noda who has made the music department’s new marimba, “Marimba One” possible.

Composer Colloquium: Kurt Rohde & Jennifer Coates

Today, 4:30 to 5:45 p.m., free

203 Music Building

Lectures? Bore. Take a break and walk over to the Music Building where you will find Kurt Rohde and artist Jennifer Coates speak about their collaborative puppet theatre project at the American Academy in Rome last year. It won’t cost you a cent.

Violin Festival – Lecture Demonstration: “The Violin and the Dawn of Recording,” with Dan Flanagan, violin

Tuesday, Jan. 19, 12:05 to 1 p.m., free

115 Music Building

The actual festival will kick off on the Jan. 21 for three days, but the lecture demonstration will fill you in on all the details. Attend to find out more!

Composer Colloquium: Nader Abbassi & Reza Vali

Jan. 20, 10 a.m. to noon, free

115 Music Building

Conductor and composer Nader Abbassi along with Reza Vali from Carnegie Mellon University will discuss composing music inspired by Middle Eastern instruments. This event is co-sponsored by the Sacramento Philharmonic.

KDVS presents: Glass Cake & South China & A Good Pillow

Jan. 17, 8 to 10:30 p.m., donations

The Greenhouse, 928 J St., Davis

South China hailing from Biddleford, Main and Glass Cake from our friendly neighbor, Berkeley now welcomes an addition to the scheduled performances. Davis/Bay area fave, A Good Pillow will now be opening at The Greenhouse on Sunday for Glass Cake and South China. Michelle Shofet (Glass Cake), an acoustic solo alongside South China duo Jerusha and Jeremy Robinson will make for a talent packed evening.

KDVS presents: Rubber (o) Cement, MOM, Grandmother Ham

Jan. 15 8 to 11p.m., donations

UC Davis, TCS Building

Since you n00bz (freshman) will most likely get lost finding the TCS building, a little hint: it is located behind the Art building. You won’t want to miss returning performer Grandmother Ham along with Rubber (o) Cement, Mom, Terror Apart and e-sound scape. KDVS promises the first attendees some fruit punch – incentive to attend perhaps? It’s fruit punch!

THEATER/MONDAVI

Albers Trio

Jan. 16, 8 to 11 p.m., $15

Jan. 17, 2 p.m.

Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre

The intimate space of the Vanderhoef studio will surely allow for an intimate evening on Saturday night. The Albers sisters have been a trio performing first at malls and now even venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, National Theatre in Taipei, Severance Hall and Weill Recital Hall. Touring all over the country and now Davis, you will have two chances to hear this chamber ensemble perform.

“Moon Over Buffalo” auditions

Today, 7 p.m.

Winters Community Center

Tonight is the last night for anyone who wants to audition for “Moon Over Buffalo,” a comedy about four men and four women written by Ken Ludwig. Auditions started yesterday but you still have one more opportunity to be a part of the performances that are scheduled for the weekends of Mar. 12 and Mar. 21. For more information, call Howard Hupe at (530) 756-6187.

LITERATURE

“Awakening Joy” book signing and reading

Jan. 16., 7 p.m., free

1114 21st St., Sacramento

Author James Baraz will be reading and signing his new book “Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness (Bantam).” Kind of seems like a self help book if you ask me…

Poetry Night; Brett Eugene Ralph

Wednesday, Jan. 20, 9 p.m.,

Bistro 33, 226 F. St., Davis

Alas! A poetry reading by Brett Eugene Ralph. Hosted by Andy Jones, the poetry reading will have an open mic session at 10 p.m. *Snap* *Snap*

KAREN SONG can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.