Performers such as the Ars Pacifica Trio provide students and Davis residents with stunning live musical shows

By NATALIE SALTER—arts@theaggie.org 

Live musical performances can be one of the most exciting and enjoyable ways for us to engage with the arts. However, concerts organized by bands, soloists and orchestras alike often come with steep ticket prices, dissuading potential attendees from attending. But, what if a seat at a show was completely free?

Enter the Shinkoskey Noon Concerts: a series of free musical performances taking place every Thursday from 12:05-1p.m. in the Ann E. Pitzer Center on campus. The concerts are named for the late Joy S. Shinkoskey, in honor of her lifetime passion for music. Her daughter, Deborah Pinkerton, and son-in-law, Bret Hewitt, donated to support these noon concerts in the UC Davis Department of Music.

These concerts host a variety of professional musicians, allowing Davis students and community members access to their stunning performances — free of charge. Staged in the beautiful Pitzer Center rehearsal hall, each concert is as atmospheric and immersive as they are musically masterful. Anyone who wishes to attend any of the hour-long concerts simply has to walk right in, take a seat and enjoy the show.

On Thursday, Oct. 9, the Shinkoskey Noon Concerts hosted the Ars Pacifica Trio. The group is composed of Iryna Klimashevska on violin, Jon Mayhew Anderson on horn and I-Hui Chen on piano — a UC Davis lecturer in music. Formed by Anderson, the group also leads classes and interactive concerts to engage closely with their audiences. 

“I am glad that this is a free concert; as a musician, this is a very good opportunity to share our work,” Chen said. “As faculty in the music department, I always love to share my experiences within the music, both in performance and teaching.”

After the lights had dimmed and the crowd fell to a hush, the trio opened their performance with Mozart’s “Allegro from Horn Quintet in E-Flat Major, K. 407.” The warmth of the horn, the liveliness of the violin and the delicate melody of the piano knitted seamlessly into an enchanting composition. The entire piece came together like the perfect backdrop of a fairytale ballet, dancers twirling through an iridescent garden. The trio followed this performance with Brahms’ “Horn Trio in E-flat Major, O. 40,” another masterful showing of their individual and collective talents.

Throughout these performances, each of the three musicians shone. Klimashevska’s violin playing was enthusiastic yet carefully controlled, keeping an electric energy coursing through each piece. Anderson’s horn provided a resounding depth and fullness of sound to the concert, each note alive with incredible feeling. Lastly, Chen’s work on piano stunned, dancing across each tune with a brilliant combination of gracefulness and passion. 

As each of these shows are only an hour long and completely free, they are an incredibly accessible way for students and Davis residents alike to easily immerse themselves in the wonder of live music. Further, they can be educational experiences for anyone curious about musical artistry; an avenue to engage with a variety of musical styles and discover new pieces to fall in love with. 

More weekly performances have been planned by the Shinkoskey Noon Concerts through late November, with a variety of offerings worth taking the time to discover. Nov. 6 will feature the opening concert for the Taproot New Music Festival, and on Nov. 13 audiences can hear Sakurako Kanemitsu on piano, accompanied by a display of visual art works.

If you want to support and discover more about the arts, or find yourself yearning for a magical concert experience, stop by one of these shows — each is a wonderful experience that will make you fall in love with musical arts more than ever before.

Written by: Natalie Salter—arts@theaggie.org

The eagerly awaited third installment of this popular indie horror title is, in short, disappointing 

By BELLA PETERSON — arts@theaggie.org 

On Oct. 3, the beloved indie horror game “Little Nightmares” made its return with a third installment. “Little Nightmares III” (“LN3”) takes place in the fictional world of Nowhere, made up of different, but equally terrifying, realms. While the first two games were set in the realms of the Maw and the Signal Tower, “LN3” takes its players through The Spiral, which links one creature-filled area to another through mirrors. With an unfamiliar environment and entirely new characters, this third installment is more distanced from its predecessors. The creators decided to take a chance on something new: but did it pay off? 

An underwhelming run time

An irritating factor of the game actually comes up even before you press play, and that’s the price. Priced at $39.99 on Steam, it can be frustrating having to pay that much for a game that’s run time doesn’t exceed 10 hours, especially when other games listed for similar prices can be played for much longer. 

While the “Little Nightmares” franchise isn’t known for its longevity, and shorter games can still feel worth taking out your wallet, “LN3” falls short in how effectively it uses its time. Even though the previous two installments were listed at only slightly cheaper prices, the depth of their storytelling and detail made the games feel worth it. The lengths aren’t significantly different from each other either — the difference comes with the fact that this time, they couldn’t make the most out of the short run time and fell short in fleshing out their chapters. 

New characters 

As for the characters, it’s hard to find a complaint. Players are able to choose between two new characters, Low and Alone. You can select one to play for the entirety of the game, and depending on whether you choose co-op or single player, the other character is played by a friend or an artificially-intelligent bot. 

Low, who’s fighting to escape the Nowhere realm, is a character determined to return home. As a child, Low found comfort in a doll, which manifested as Alone when he arrived in the nightmare world. While quiet, Alone is loyal to her companion as the two travel through the game together. 

The designs for Low and Alone show how much the game creators have grown from past games, with adorable but intricate visuals. Low wears a bird mask and cape while Alone’s face is obstructed by her green jumpsuit, hat and goggles, complimented by her giant wrench and offset by her orange pigtails. The designs are both offputting and endearing. The villains, on the other hand, efficiently send nothing but a chill down your spine. 

Mechanics & gameplay 

The game mechanics are definitely where the “LN3” proves to be weakest, with the gameplay being a direct copy of its predecessors. The game incorporates puzzles and chase sequences as the leading element, while action itself takes a backseat. Where the puzzles of “LN1” and “LN2” felt interesting and complex, created with expertise, the new challenges players face don’t even feel like puzzles at all. 

For “LN3,” a puzzle can be something as simple as pushing a switch on the lever on a minecart to change the tracks. A player then finishes the puzzle by allowing the other character to push the cart the right way, filling it up so that both characters can proceed to jump on the cart and move to the next portion of the game. It’s not always easy, but, for the most part, the puzzles in this installment didn’t shine as bright as the puzzles seen in previous games. 

The chase sequences in which Low and Alone try to get ahead of the game’s monsters also suffer from abnormal programming. While the sequence of necessary actions and platforming paths the characters need to take may be straightforward, it seems that the characters jump when you want them to only half of the time. There’s also little to be done about glitches that prevent you from progressing, making interacting with objects feel clunky. 

Those aren’t the only issues. If you choose to play the game alone and are joined by an AI companion instead of a real person, the change in gameplay is glaringly obvious. At one point during gameplay, the AI companion was unable to keep up, getting caught by the antagonists and causing the sequence to start all over. Even if you’re completing a level or task well, the AI companion has the capability to ruin your progress. Including a co-op option in a video game game isn’t new, and definitely a strong point considering only one person has to purchase the game for two players. However, the problem arises when someone chooses to play on their own and finds they can’t effectively complete levels because of the other character’s default play quality. 

An underwhelming conclusion 

A handful of stories have a common, melancholic ending: one where you’re left feeling a small pit of sadness in your stomach as the credits begin to play, and you realize that’s all the closure you will be getting. It’s haunting, unresolved and adds a value to the game that stays with you even after you finish. While “LN3” aims for that pattern, they leave the player with not just a pit of sadness, but more questions that they began with. One could argue it was with the intention of making space for future installments, but a game should be able to have an open-ended conclusion without leaving the player with almost no new takeaways.  

When it comes to future installments, the past developers of the first two games, Tarsier Studios, actually have plans for their own title. “Reanimal,” set to release in March of 2026, is separate from the popularity found in “Little Nightmares,” but shares similar themes: two young characters, in this case siblings, journeying through an eerie horror realm. While not entirely fair to either game studio, many fans have stated that this will be the true “LN3.” 

So, what’s the consensus on “LN3”? The clear reason behind the confused feelings surrounding the game’s quality lies in the evolution of its originality. When “Little Nightmares” first released in 2017, it received an immense amount of positive reviews for how unique it felt. The environment was reminiscent of unsettling but comforting childhood oddities: “Coraline,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Corpse Bride.” It’s hard to follow up the experience of seeing the “Little Nightmares” world for the very first time, but “LN2” was a success by choosing to keep its beloved character Six in the story. 

On paper, “LN3” isn’t completely distinct from the other two. It’s possible the concept of the universe is already starting to wear out, or that fans’ expectations for the future of the series are simply too high after so long. Despite its flaws, “Little Nightmares III” isn’t entirely unplayable. While it may not be a favorite of the trilogy, its original charm, themes of childhood growth and the amount of effort put into characters like Low and Alone remains visible. 

Written by: Bella Peterson — arts@theaggie.org

In the age of the over-invested fan, parasocial relationships turn into real life consequences

By IQRA AHMAD — arts@theaggie.org   

Parasocial relationships in the digital era have come to more recent attention, as many recent cultural reckonings do, with a TikTok. Last year, pop artist Chappell Roan addressed her fans via video, telling them that their devotion had crossed into obsession. The clip resonated not just because of Roan’s candor, but because it exposed a growing tension at the heart of modern fandom: the muddied relationship between admiration and attachment.

Parasocial relationships, defined as, “nonreciprocal socio-emotional connections with media figures such as celebrities or influencers,” are not new. They began when the faces of TV anchors and movie stars first entered our screens in black-and-white, with the era of social media only exacerbating this phenomenon. Through incessant livestreams, interviews and a constant stream of rumors, however, these one-sided bonds have never felt more intense.

The psychology behind the obsession

At its core, parasocial behavior is not just about celebrity worship — it’s about connection. What begins as harmless admiration can, over time, deepen into emotional investment. 

Research shows that parasocial attachments can become intertwined with psychiatric symptoms like maladaptive daydreaming or a desire for fame, factors that jointly explain about 31% of the variance in celebrity worship behaviors, according to a 2019 study. Psychologists suggest that for some, these relationships act as a coping mechanism for loneliness, offering stability and comfort in an unpredictable world. 

Some believe that parasocial relationships aren’t inherently unhealthy. They can foster empathy and connectedness, especially through engagement tools on social media, like live videos and the ability to leave comments. Fans often report that their favorite artists help them through personal struggles or inspire creativity and activism. For these artists, that appreciation can be fulfilling, but often draining or invasive when it goes too far. 

“[It’s] not normal, it’s weird,” Roan said via TikTok. “It’s weird how people think that you know a person just cause you see them online or you listen to the art they make.” 

When fantasy crosses the line

Quickly, what starts as internal feelings of attachment can turn into physical manifestations. One darker example is the 1980 murder of John Lennon. Fan Mark David Chapman stalked the musician after becoming obsessed with his lifestyle, eventually assassinating him outside his home. In 2018, a man was arrested after breaking into Taylor Swift’s home and sleeping in her bed, another disturbing instance of fans blurring boundaries to the point where they become criminals.

Just recently, on Oct. 9, Billie Eilish was singing to fans and giving out high-fives in Miami when an audience member grabbed her, almost pulling her down to the ground. What was meant to be an intimate moment for Eilish to connect with the crowd became dangerous and possibly terrifying.  

While extreme cases, these echo everyday worries about the potential intensity of these relationships and the deep emotional investment fans feel in the lives of celebrities. Consequences can be not only physical, but violently emotional. In most cases, while they don’t hurt artists physically, their presence is made known by impacting real-life relationships. 

When actor Robert Pattinson began to date musician FKA Twigs in 2014, the Twilight fandom flooded the internet with racist remarks over the interracial relationship and criticism of Twigs, leading to their eventual split.

 More recently, fans have begun to “ship” and share rumors about the chemistry between celebrity pairs like India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest from “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” and Lola Tung and Chris Briney from “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” despite both male leads being in long-term relationships. Actors trying to stay professional were then accused of “icing-out” their costars via TikTok, with fans speculating that the rumors led to the end of their platonic friendships. 

“While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying celebrity love stories and rooting for our favorite stars, many forget that they’re real people, not characters in rom-coms,” a Forbes article by Mark Travers reads. “It’s important to recognize when admiration turns into entitlement.” 

Reframing the relationship

The attention brought to this type of treatment of social figures by fans isn’t about condemning fandom, but instead redefining it and forming healthy boundaries. Artists like Roan are beginning to speak more openly about their experiences, encouraging fans to engage without losing themselves or their morals in the process. This evolving dialogue acknowledges that interest in celebrity culture is normal, but fantasizing intimacy or entitlement can lead to harm both for fans and the figures they idolize.

As our screens continue to narrow the space between public and private life, perhaps the healthiest move is not to retreat from fandom, but to engage with it consciously: with empathy, curiosity and self-awareness. Admiration connects us, but obsession consumes us.

Written by: Iqra Ahmad — arts@theaggie.org

The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for music, movies and more 

By JENNA LEE — arts@theaggie.org

Album: “Disintegration” by The Cure (1989) 

The Cure’s “Disintegration” is the perfect fall album. Its majestic and melancholic atmosphere transforms sadness into something beautiful and nearly otherworldly. The lyrics touch on themes of aging, heartbreak and despair — the latter of which I especially relate to during midterm season. From the grand, lush opening of “Plainsong” to the somber ending of “Untitled,” I can’t wait to walk through campus on gloomy days with this album on repeat.

TV Show: “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” dir. Victor Cook (2010)

As Halloween nears, I am reminded of my favorite childhood show. Of all the media in the “Scooby-Doo” franchise, this one stands out for its dark, character-driven narrative. The series follows the high school gang as they solve mysteries in their hometown, Crystal Cove, also known as “The Most Hauntedest Place on Earth.” While this version follows the standard one-mystery-per-episode formula, it simultaneously delivers an overarching story with serious consequences and plenty of character development. Between the drama, the show manages to provide hilarious comedic relief and pop culture references that I am now finally old enough to appreciate.

Song: “Frozen Love” by Buckingham Nicks (1973) [2025 Re-release]

I am kind of cheating here because I actually want to talk about the “Buckingham Nicks” re-release, not just “Frozen Love” — although it is my favorite song from the album. As a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, the Buckingham Nicks re-release was a welcome surprise earlier this year. The album showcases Lindsay Buckingham’s intricate guitar work and Stevie Nicks’ distinctive vocals from before Fleetwood Mac. Songs like “Don’t Let Me Down Again” and “Frozen Love” seem to foreshadow “Second Hand News” and “The Chain,” respectively. If you’re a fan of Fleetwood Mac or enjoy 70s folk-rock, this album is a must listen.

Book: “Dust” by Patrick Wack (2021)

Over the summer, I had the privilege of visiting the Géopolis Centre for Photojournalism, a small education center in Brussels, Belgium. There, I discovered the work of French photographer Patrick Wack. In his photobook, “Dust,” Wack documents the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang and the Uyghur communities inhabiting it. The book is split into two parts. The first section, “Out West,” features images from Wack’s expedition through Xinjiang in 2016 — oil fields, abandoned buildings and vast landscapes comprise many of the photographs. The second section, “The Night is Thick,” takes a grave turn, portraying Uyghur life under the oppression of the Chinese government. Wack depicts rampant Chinese nationalism and pervasive surveillance, offering an early glimpse into the grim reality of Xinjiang.

Written by: Jenna Lee — arts@theaggie.org

The UC Davis Design Museum’s latest installation presents viewers with a range of sensation and a message of simple joy 

BY JULIE HUANG – arts@theaggie.org

From Oct. 8 to Nov. 5, the UC Davis Design Museum is displaying “Embodiment,” an installation by Master of Fine Arts (MFA) design graduate student Emily Tonnos. Free of charge and available for viewing to all, the exhibit seeks to merge theatrical and narrative design elements into an immersive experience of human struggle and growth. 

“I broke ‘Embodiment’ up into six scenes, hoping that each one would trigger a different emotion or series of emotions,” Tonnos said. “For the first couple of scenes, I wanted to take audiences on a downward spiral, reflecting how we might feel anxious, sad or angry when difficult situations pop up.”

When viewers walk into the darkened space, they are immediately met with a curtain. Upon passing through at the stagehands’ behest, viewers are transported into a shifting environment designed to induce an uncertain flurry of emotions.

 In one moment, the room reminds visitors of a childhood nursery. In another, it transforms into a messy bedroom, capturing the experience of navigating everyday life through an unhealthy, exhausted headspace. 

“I tried to take audiences through those negative emotions in our daily lives,” Tonnos said. “When we’re faced with these negative situations, how can we come out of it in a way that’s positive, instead of succumbing to the darkness?”

Tonnos described how she was inspired by her time interning with the Disney College Program. 

“My inspiration for ‘Embodiment’ started with my time working for Disney, which really inspired me about how we can use architecture and design to create meaning through storytelling,” Tonnos said. 

Tonnos also noted that she was influenced by her love of figure skating, having skated competitively since the age of 5. 

“I’ve done figure skating shows all of my life, and the idea that we can take a theatrical performance and turn it into something that can share a message is something that I’ve always been passionate about,” Tonnos said. 

With “Embodiment,” Tonnos hopes to give audience members a different way to experience a museum space. Viewers are encouraged to physically interact with exhibit materials and leave their own changes to the space: a direct contrast to the conventional experience at a traditional museum, where viewers are instructed to stay a certain distance away from the artwork. 

Periodically throughout the performance, viewers are prompted to write down certain goals, visions and emotions onto pieces of paper that they can attach to Tonnos’ handmade props, which then become their personal contributions to the installation. 

Tonnos did not start the creative process of designing “Embodiment” with a specific end result in mind. She believes that the fluid, ever-developing nature of the project is a crucial quality in itself. 

“I knew that I wanted [it] to be an experiment, [which] resonates with the fact that none of us have all the answers,” Tonnos said. “We’re constantly going through life, growing and changing. That’s what this show is representative of.” 

The installation has not yet solidified into a final form, as Tonnos envisions new changes that could be made to improve the experience of immersion. The viewers that come into the space of “Embodiment” become a part of the experiment, as their reactions and interactive choices shape Tonnos’ ideas for what to update next. 

“There’s a transformation that is happening now that the show has started,” Tonnos said. “Now that I’ve had groups of people come in and experience the show, I’ve been able to watch how they interact with the different props and how they move throughout the space, which has given me new ideas on how I want this experience to unfold.” 

Despite its capacity for change being essential to its mission, Tonnos knew from the beginning that there were key moments in the installation’s narrative structure that she wanted to include, which form the emotional core of “Embodiment.”

“I was hoping to make a personal connection with the people who come to watch this show because a lot of the emotions that are present come from my personal story,” Tonnos said. “The more vulnerable I was with this show, the deeper it got, and I hope people can take something away from that.” 

One thing in particular that Tonnos hopes audience members can take away is an appreciation for the combination of exhibition and theatrical design practices, which can heighten the sense of immersion that a person feels in certain situations. 

“The next time viewers go to an amusement park or a themed restaurant, I hope they are able to think about how these things are made to be immersive and entertaining,” Tonnos said. 

Tonnos also intended for the tactile aspect of the exhibit to add to the level of immersion experienced by audiences. The exhibit props take on varying levels of realism, ranging from a laundry basket full of real, wearable clothes to a table stacked high with puzzle pieces, inviting the audience to work together to solve it. 

“I see a lot of new virtual experiences popping up and I wanted to do something different, where everything remained physical,” Tonnos said. “We seek out certain experiences for a sense of escape, and part of that is feeling like you are in another world that has been transformed from the one you’re used to.” 

Engaging multiple senses simultaneously, “Embodiment” ends with what Tonnos calls “a tree of hope.” To her, the tree represents the experience of sharing “simple happiness” with others. 

“My goal is for viewers to remember that there is this beauty in simple happiness that we can find in our everyday lives, and it doesn’t have to be something big,” Tonnos said. “It can even be something that brings us joy while we’re still sad.” 

Just as Tonnos is open to making changes to “Embodiment” depending on audience feedback, she hopes that viewers walk away feeling changed for the better.

“I hope that my audience leaves feeling uplifted,” Tonnos said. “I want them to feel like no matter what tough times they might go through in their lives, there’s always a reason for happiness.” 

Written by: Julie Huang — arts@theaggie.org