An art festival at the Mondavi Center will explore the act of migration through art, dance and music.

Worlds of Discovery and Loss, which runs from Wednesday to Feb. 3, will feature performances from the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, the Empyrean Ensemble, the Calder Quartet as well as members of the Department of Theatre & Dance.

This festival was initially conceived as a follow-up to the Madness and Music festival put on by the Department of Music in the fall of 2010.

“We wanted to do something similar, but include a lot more people in the process,” said Phil Daley, the events and publicity manager for the Department of Music, in a phone interview.

The idea was partially inspired by the Campus Community Book Project, which chose The Warmth of Other Suns, a nonfiction account of America’s great migration.

“A lot of the festival stems from the Mondavi Center wanting to support the book project. I like how this festival takes a more expansive view of the book’s topic,” said Dr. Sam Nichols, a lecturer in the Department of Music.

Nichols, along with Dr. Laurie San Martin of the Department of Music, helped to coordinate this festival.

“We have taken a few events that would’ve happened around this time anyway, such as a concert from the Empyrean Ensemble and a Symphony Orchestra performance, and got them to overlap for the festival. In addition, the Mondavi Center got the Calder Quartet to perform as well,” Nichols said in a phone interview.

UC San Diego associate professor Lei Liang, who was born in China, will serve as a composer-in-residence for the festival, with his music being showcased. In addition to Liang, seven young composers from around the world were invited to work with Liang and to have their work performed during the festival.

“For me, this is a fantastic chance to get to know young composers whose work we would otherwise not hear,” Nichols said.

In addition to classical music, the festival will feature other displays of art. An art exhibition curated by Robin Hill of the Art Studio Department will be on display in the lobby of the Mondavi Center during the festival.

Also, the Institute for Exploration in Theatre, Dance and Performance will hold an exhibition that includes “The Migration Project” by Christine Germain, an MFA student.

“My piece is a combination of dance theatre and autobiographical narrative, based on my experiences in migrating to America. It addresses the frustration and killing of passion that the paperwork and bureaucracy of migration has on a relationship,” Germain said.

In addition to Germain’s piece, ITDP is showing extracts from a play by Susan-Jane Harrison and a dance choreographed by Jarrell Iu-Hui Chua and Bobby August, Jr.

Bella Merlin, a professor of acting in the Department of Theatre & Dance, will perform a set of European love songs for the festival.

“‘Alien,’ ‘stranger,’ ‘foreigner,’ ‘immigrant’ are all potent words, and I wanted to combine the potency of those words with the potency of love,” Merlin said. “I thought I would bring a taste of my European-ness to the stage, with a series of torch songs and street ballads from European music-makers including Edith Piaf, Kurt Weill and Marlene Dietrich.”

Daley encourages visitors to attend more than one event.

“People should really try to attend as many parts of the festival as they can, because it’ll really help them understand the concept and they’ll get something rewarding out of it.”

For a full list of the events and for more information, check out the Mondavi Center’s website at mondaviarts.org.

JOHN KESLER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

David Simpson is more than your typical English professor here at UC Davis. Before arriving at UC Davis in 1997, Professor Simpson was a faculty member at such prestigious universities as Cambridge, Northwestern and Columbia. He has regularly taught and studied Romanticism and literary theory, as well as published several books. His most recent work, titled Romanticism and the Question of the Stranger, was released in 2012.

Simpson will speak tomorrow at The Store Lounge in the Memorial Union from noon to 1:30 p.m. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and book signing. The event is free and open to the general public.

MUSE: Can you give us a brief introduction?
Simpson: I’ve been here since 1997. I am the Needham chair; I teach 18th to 19th century British literature.

What made you decide to become a teacher and later a professor?
I suppose I’d have to say that I had influential teaching at the high school level. I was certainly one of those people who liked reading at an early age. Overall, charismatic teaching.

How does UC Davis differ from the other universities that you’ve taught at?
I’ve taught at two public universities and three private ones. There are more large classes here, as well as more first-generation college students. It seems much the same.

How would you say your works have evolved over the years?
I think, like anybody else, the things that I publish reflect things going on the world. For example, the most recent book would probably not have been written in the same way before 9/11.

Your most recent book, Romanticism and the Question of the Stranger, was released last year. Can you give us a brief overview?
It’s about the issues faced by British culture from the 1790s onwards regarding reception of strange or foreign elements. The French Revolution polarized people over the effects of revolution; it had its pros and cons. There was particular anxiety about the movement of people due to closed borders.

In your opinion, what makes Romanticism important in today’s world?
The past is always important. Many of the concerns that we still have took on their rhetorical forms in the late 1700s. You have the first global war; the mass mobilization of armies on the European continent, you have a slave economy in the West Indies, you have a concern with global events. On top of that, you have the beginnings of the ability to communicate those effects with the telegraph system. A very high number of Romantic concerns are still our concerns.

Anything else that you would like to share with us regarding your work?
Right now I’m working on the idea of the “rhetoric of terror”: When you have a war on terror, what does that mean? Whether that will become a book I don’t know. I will be teaching classes again in the fall of 2013.

BRETT BUNGE can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Game of the week

This issue’s game of the week is Ni No Kuni, a Japanese RPG from developer Level-5 and animated film company Studio Ghibli. The premise involves a young boy named Oliver, who soon finds himself in a fantastical world full of deadly creatures and magical spells in an effort to save his mother and rid the world of evil.

I grew up on JRPGs, so any time a new one comes along I find myself interested. But the most intriguing aspect of Ni No Kuni is Studio Ghibli’s involvement. This is the company behind animated classics such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Ni No Kuni features the distinctive art style from those standout films, including fully animated cutscenes. Having played the game for a few hours earlier this week, I can say it is an absolute wonder to look at.

Ni No Kuni also evokes the childlike wonder of the Studio Ghibli films with its innocent protagonist and sweeping landscapes full of absurd characters and talking animals. Some early moments are admittedly melodramatic, but once the narrative falls into place it presents itself as a riveting tale with a colorful cast of characters.

The battle system — handled by the Level-5 half of the development duo — takes influences from more action-based RPGs and the handheld Pokémon games. Encounters are a mix of real-time and turn-based systems, with creatures known as “familiars” doing most of the fighting. Familiars are collected throughout the player’s journey, and a handful of items can be used to increase their stats and abilities. It’s not new for anyone who has played the aforementioned games, but the execution is top notch.

I’ve heard reports of 40+ hour play-times for Ni No Kuni, so it looks like this one should last me a good while. I’m definitely looking forward to spending more time with the game’s beautiful landscapes and charismatic characters.

This week in news

The biggest piece of news this week concerns two popular video game companies in financial disarray. Atari is the first of those studios, with its U.S. division filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Atari’s U.S. branch plans to shift from the retail landscape to digital publishing with the move, but that means the sale of some big-name franchises in the next few months. Included among them are classics such as Asteroids, Centipede and Pong.

The other video game company making headlines is THQ. The studio already filed for bankruptcy back in December of last year, but this week marks the auction of its assets, including developers and franchises.

One of the games not being auctioned off is the upcoming RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth. South Park Studios has filed a complaint claiming that a new owner must be approved by them before any potential sale. Furthermore, South Park Studios also believes it can buy the rights to the game back from THQ and choose a new publisher.

The Mar. 5 release date for South Park: The Stick of Truth looms on the horizon, so hopefully any issues involving that game and THQ can be resolved soon. In the meantime, it should be interesting to see which THQ assets go where in the aftermath of the auction.

ANTHONY LABELLA can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

“Sample This” film screening
Saturday, Jan. 26
Sciences Lecture Hall
Doors at 6:30 p.m., film at 7

ASUCD’s Entertainment Council will be hosting a special free screening of the documentary “Sample This” on Saturday with a Q&A with both the director Dan Forrer and writer/producer Bob Burris after the screening.

“The story fascinated me from the very beginning not just because it’s an amazing music story, but because it is an incredibly interesting story about pop culture and politics,” Burris said in an email interview.

It is no easy task summing up the immensity of influence a song can make nor the influences surrounding it that generated its inception. Four decades, a blog post by a music historian and an article in The New York Times probably only broke the surface of the song that “Sample This” revolves around alone. Such was the task of the very ambitious Forrer and Burris. Forrer himself spent almost four years working on the film, including one exclusively dedicated to research. What is the name of such a momentous song, you might ask? “Apache,” by the Incredible Bongo Band (IBB).

“Hip-hop starts here,” Forrer said. ”‘Apache’ by the Incredible Bongo Band has been sampled hundreds of times by artists including Kanye, Jay Z, Nas, Amy Winehouse, Missy Elliot and Grandmaster Flash.”

Here lies some irony: “Apache” was covered by the IBB in the early ’70s, its original having been written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded in the ’60s by a British group called The Shadows. This version had a more western vibe. IBB’s version, however, is suited to its time, pulling in the very essence of funk. The now-dubbed “hip-hop anthem” IBB version is considered to be one of the most sampled tracks in music history. Even such performers outside of the hip-hop genre like Moby and Goldie have taken a tune or two from “Apache,” and some artists have even garnered awards for their music that have sampled this song.

The film “Sample This” stems from inspiration brought forth by an article written for the New York Times by Will Hermes in 2006. The article outlines the twisted tale of “a nearly forgotten album and the birth of hip-hop music” which draws upon the creation of IBB, its history adorned with cameos from John Lennon, Robert F. Kennedy, Charles Manson and many others, along with any epic journey’s tragedy, suspense and intrigue. The article points out, for such a highly used track, the album from which it came originally flopped.

“Dan Forrer, the director of the film, approached me through a mutual friend several years ago to see if I would be interested in writing the script. After I heard the story, I not only wanted to write it but told him I wanted to help him produce it,” Burris said. “The most surprising thing to me was the way that so many seemingly diverse storylines interwove to tell a story that you couldn’t make up.”

The interconnectedness doesn’t stop with the film, however. No matter when you were born or where you’re from, some part of the story resonates with your own personal history. In fact, Burris lived only five miles from the Manson family ranch.

“We used to have birthday parties in the park right next to where they were living. Luckily they never stopped by and asked for cake,” Burris said.

Even though Forrer’s background is mainly in broadcasting, he still enjoys learning about musical history and collecting records. For him, hip-hop as a musical genre is a part of his own personal history.

“I heard the music when I was a teenager and it never let go,” Forrer said.

First and foremost, both Forrer and Burris agree they aim to entertain, and that you don’t need to be a hip-hop enthusiast to enjoy the film. ASUCD Entertainment Council’s Cinema Director Andrea Hasson, who organized the screening for this film, knew entertainment was exactly what the film would deliver.

“Entertainment Council is all about music, movies and bringing entertainment to the UC Davis students and community and this event incorporates all three,” Hasson said in an email interview.

All in all, it seems there are greater implications in the film, and according to Forrer, there is something that he wants audiences to take away from his documentary.

“Music is the universal language. It transcends racial and socioeconomic boundaries by bringing people together,” Forrer said.

The free screening of “Sample This” will take place this Saturday in the Sciences Lecture Hall, room 123. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the film starts at 7 p.m., with time to ask Forrer and Burris questions at the end of the screening.

MARIA MARCELINA CRYSTAL VEGA can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Last Thursday, Trampled by Turtles, a bluegrass band from Duluth, Minnesota, rocked the halls of The Fillmore in San Francisco. I had the pleasure of witnessing this invigorating show.

Never before have I seen a mandolin played so fast. With notable moments such as their songs “Wait So Long” and “Widower’s Heart,” Trampled soothed my aching soul with melodramatic flare. I will note that on a regular occasion, I am not a man for bluegrass music.

Also, I do believe, in the heat of hillbilly passion, they may have rushed some of their offering. But boy, did I feel the music in my bones. That beautiful fiddle slowly broke me down and I assure all of you a little bluegrass will alleviate even the most vicious of maledictions. My curiosity was piqued, they never broke their rapid tempo and I felt the rush.

It is with a heavy heart that I must confess, tragedy struck halfway through the presentation. The Turtles had counted their chickens much too early. Though they retained their rapid style, I believe the effects became numb in the cacophony of sound. If only I could have reached them, whispered in their ears, “tone it down a notch, bro,” then maybe they would have retained my interest. But, alas, their concert became very monochromatic, and by the end of the set I felt they had only touched at genius instead of firmly mounting its rugged peaks.

As with all the music I consume, if I am subjected to a plethora of sounds from a single band, I expect variety. This does not mean they have to experiment with entirely different genres, but when you can’t tell where one song begins and the other ends, I must protest.

There are, of course, exceptions. Some albums, most notably progressive rock, are attempting to create a sort of narrative. I would not allocate Trampled that luxury. If I had to give my overall take, I’d say it was a good show. Variety is a fickle mistress. Originality is hard, and if one sound works, I understand why some would retain its favor.

BEAUGART GERBER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

As I wait yet another quarter to hear about upcoming shows at The Mondavi Center, Freeborn Hall or the Pavillion, I continue to question whether this job was worth it. I only wanted to be Arts Editor for free tickets, y’all!

Just kidding. My god, I’m so kidding. I love this job. Don’t fire me, Hannah. I love and wanted this job for a thousand other reasons. But back to the subject of this week’s column.

Is it just me, or am I among many who wonder “Where the eff are my concerts this year?!” I would be ignorant if I went on a whole rant on how multiple groups aren’t doing their job or how perhaps we’re not that cool of a school to host famous performers.

Because we are a cool school to host famous performers. Are you kidding me? Just last year we had Ke$ha, LMFAO, Florence + The Machine, The Shins, Bon Iver, Steve Aoki and Drake, just to name a whole bunch of impressive performances to occur on our campus. I nodded in approval as I perused ASUCD’s Entertainment Council’s website that listed all of the artists that have ever performed on our campus.

My freshman year, I remember being surprised that Snoop Dogg (now Lion) would even step foot on our campus, let alone put on a concert at Freeborn Hall. My sophomore year, my jaw remained dropped as performers’ names were released throughout the year. This year, however, I’m left waiting. Where’s my One Direction concert? Why isn’t Justin Bieber singing to me? I know he’s on tour.

And I understand that budgets are tight and Another Planet actually works with groups on campus to bring such popular performers to us, but I can’t help but be disappointed at this year’s lineup. The Mondavi Center brought David Sedaris and is bringing Yo-Yo Ma later this month and will host Morrissey and Alabama Shakes next month. Gold star. EC started a house show series and continues to host movie screenings of popular films.

I just can’t help but feel sorry for the freshman and senior class — the freshmen don’t know how many awesome concerts we can and have had, and the seniors might graduate without a legendary Ke$ha concert to remember forever. At least I have one more year of possible performances, and hopefully I’m not speaking too soon about this year. I will retract all of my statements in this column if all of a sudden a One Direction concert is announced.

I’ve even compiled a list of dream performers, based on the caliber of celebrities we are known to host. Macklemore just had a free concert at UCLA. Why can’t we have these nice things? Let’s bring back Allen Stone. He’s blowing up, and we had him when he wasn’t so famous last year. What about Grace Potter? fun.? The xx? I can see all of these names on this campus.

But I don’t want this column to be of me complaining — although that is my specialty. I know that it’s out of people’s hands sometimes and that concerts also depend on whether or not certain artists are even on tour. I’ll do my part in making things happen by continuously emailing performers’ agents until they block me.

Share your dream UC Davis concerts with ELIZABETH ORPINA at arts@theaggie.org.

As we wrap up with the month of January, we anticipate and welcome a new batch of art shows coming to Davis’ galleries in February. Some galleries are still hosting their January shows — swing by to check them out before they get replaced by these upcoming exhibitions.

Nelson Gallery
Design+Build: An open call exhibition for all artists, designers and techies within the student body, faculty and general public; this exhibit will be made up of works from any and all contributors and will reward a $500 prize to the piece that fits closest with UC Davis’ vision for the future of art at the university.
Opening Reception: Feb. 8, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 to Mar. 17
Nelson Hall, UC Davis

Natsoulas Gallery
Bark! Celebration of Man’s Best Friend: A display of dog-related works by over 30 different artists honoring our canine companions. Also featured are solo shows from Roy de Forest and Amber Aguirre.
Opening Reception: Feb. 10, 7 to 9 p.m.
Feb. 1 to 25
521 First Street

Pence Gallery
By Hand: Extraordinary Fine Craft in California: A carefully selected exhibit of artwork by modern Californian artists, ranging in material from wood to glass to ceramics.
Opening reception: Feb. 8, 6 to 9 p.m.
Feb. 8 to Apr. 5
212 D Street

Design Museum
Structures, Signifiers and Society: People and Textiles: A display of the way textiles from around the world communicate, in conjunction with the book Textiles: The Art of Mankind, by Mary Schoeser.
Opening Reception: Today, 6 to 8 p.m.
Museum Walk with Curator: Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.
Jan. 22 to Mar. 18
124 Cruess Hall, UC Davis

Gorman Museum
The Weavings of D.Y. Begay: A fourth-generation Navajo weaver depicts Tselani, Ariz., her tribe’s homestead.
Artist Reception: Feb. 12, 4 p.m.
Jan. 8 to Mar. 15
1316 Hart Hall, UC Davis

Craft Center Gallery
2.5 Dimensional: A study in fragmented sculpture by Joanna Kidd, an instructor at the Craft Center and a sculptor of international renown.
Closing Reception: Feb. 8, 6 to 7 p.m.
Jan. 7 to Feb. 8
Craft Center, South Silo, UC Davis

And in celebration of Biodiversity Museum Day 2013, the biological museums of UC Davis will be open special weekend hours, Feb. 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. These museums include the Bohart Museum of Entomology, the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, the Botanical Conservatory, the Center for Plant Diversity, the Anthropology Museum and the Geology Museum (all located on campus).

TANYA AZARI can be reached at arts@theaggie.com.