Industrial designer Dylan Mulder brings wearable technology to movie magic

Thursday, May 15, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art in the Community Education Room

An Alberini Family Speaker Series Lecture

Dylan Mulder is an award-winning industrial designer, lecturer, consultant, and digital fabrication expert whose work encompasses product design, feature films, and wearable technology. Mulder will give a talk titled “Weaving Heritage and High Tech: From Wearables to Movie Magic” for the UC Davis Department of Design’s Alberini Family Speaker Series in Design.

This talk explores the intersection of cultural heritage, cutting-edge technology and sustainable design through the lens of Mulder’s award-winning work. Drawing from his Ngāti Maniapoto roots and global experiences, Dylan shares how he integrates indigenous wisdom with modern innovations like generative AI and reactive diffusion. Highlighting key projects, including wearable art and digital fabrication, the talk inspires people to embrace inclusivity, push creative boundaries, and envision a future where design bridges culture, science, and technology.

Mulder’s experience includes projects with prestigious companies such as Weta Workshop, Cirque Du Soleil, Netflix, Air New Zealand, and Soul Machines Ltd. He has created iconic costume pieces for high-profile clients such as Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Jacinda Ardern. By drawing from his Dutch and Māori heritage, he creates artwork that resonates on both personal and universal levels connecting people from all walks of life, regardless of cultural background, indigenous roots, or socioeconomic status.

Get tickets here.

‘Rules of Play’ explores structures and systems in place

Running from May 15 to May 24, various times, Main Theatre in Wright Hall

Rules of Play aims to explore how, and in what ways, people navigate through the game of life. Through dance and movement, collaborators are encouraged to creatively explore the systems around them and present work that helps audiences reflect upon what rules are of benefit to society and which may need to be revised or upended. Featuring nearly 30 dancers, the program is curated by Doria E. Charlson, visiting professor of theatre and dance, and showcases new works developed and performed by undergraduate students.

Film still of dancers on stage.

The concert features new choreography created by recent alums Eva Anderson and undergraduate students Kasey Basya, Naomi Duncan, Daniela Durkin, Leslie Figueroa-Borja, Mikayla Freeman, Eliza Gilligan, Diyansha Magesh, Sia Puri, Sam Qiao and Gabriel Wahid.

'[RE]Vision" spring 2024 (Bea Agustin, UC Regents)

Purchase tickets here: Rules of Play - Department of Theatre and Dance

This week’s Shinkoskey Noon Concert is an ode to spring

Thursday, May 15, 12:05 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

Dagenais Smiley, violin and UC Davis lecturer in music
with Shinae Kim, piano

Program includes:

Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in E Major, La primavera (“Spring”)

Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major (“Spring”)

IN BOX - ONGOING ART

Attend creative writing lecture on fiction and poetry

Thursday, May 15, 4:30 p.m., Shields Library, Room 205

The Department of English presents fiction writer and poet Tim Z. Hernandez for an author reading and Q & A as part of its Creative Writing Series. This event is free and open to all, and will be available in person and livestreamed.

Tim Z. Hernandez is an award-winning author, research scholar, and performer whose work includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. He is the recipient of the American Book Award and the International Latino Book Award, and his work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, C-Span and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” In 2018 he was recognized by the California Senate for locating the victims of the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon, which is chronicled in his book, All They Will Call You, and the sequel, They Call You Back.

Learn how Ifá practitioners in Cuba, Nigeria and the Caribbean reshape Yorubá rituals

Friday, May 16, noon, Room 2203 in the Social Sciences and Humanities Building (L.J. Andrews Conference Room)

Attend a book talk on the first book-length ethnographic study on music and Ifá divination in Cuba and Nigeria. Ruthie Meadows (University of Nevada, Reno) explores how Ifá practitioners in Cuba, Nigeria and the Caribbean are reshaping Yorubá rituals through cross-cultural exchange. In Cuba, worshippers turn to Yorubá traditions for their perceived effectiveness. Meadows’s study of the “Nigerian-style” ritual movement reveals how women and men Ifá priests use music and ritual to transform gender roles, challenge state policies, and redefine religious authority. 

Efficacy of Sound: Power, Potency, and Promise in the Translocal Ritual Music of Cuban Ifá-Òrìsà was published in 2023 by the University of Chicago Press.

"Efficacy of Sound: Power, Potency, and Promise in the Translocal Ritual Music of Cuban Ifá-Òrìsà" was published in 2023 by the University of Chicago Press.

(Right) Ruthie Meadows (courtesy)

Mirror Image Dance Company returns for 10th annual showcase

Sunday, May 18 to Tuesday, May 20, various times, Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Mirror Image Dance Company is more than just a place to learn technique from world-class instructors. Founded on the idea that everyone should have access to dance, MIDC proudly fosters a fun dance environment where everyone is welcomed with open arms: all body types, ethnicities, genders, socioeconomic statuses, and experience levels.

Dancers have been working all year on their skills and choreography and they are so excited to share their hard work with everyone.

Get tickets for Sunday, May 18 at 10 a.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

Get tickets for Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

Get tickets for Monday, May 19, at 6 p.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

Get tickets for Tuesday, May 20, at 6 p.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

UC Davis Jazz Bands and Combo heat up spring

Tuesday, May 20, 5-7 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

The UC Davis Department of Music turns up the heat with two jazz concerts this spring.

The Jazz Combos of UC Davis, under the direction of Otto Lee with additional coaching by Michael Schwagerus, give a free concert on May 20 at 5 p.m. in the Ann E. Pitzer Center. Open to all, the lively program is an ideal way to end the workday. 

The Big Bands of UC Davis, also directed by Lee, perform selections from the Great American Songbook including charts by legends by the likes of Gershwin, Porter and Ellington as well as more contemporary jazz stylings. The concert includes the music of Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Stevie Wonder, Bill Holman, Annie Booth, and more. The evening concert is at 7 p.m. in the Pitzer Center.

The Big Bands’ tickets are $24 for adults and $12 for students and youth and are available at the Mondavi Center Ticket Office in person or by calling 530-754-2787, Tuesday-Friday, 12–5 p.m. Tickets are also available online at tickets.mondaviarts.org.

For more information about music department concerts in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, visit music.ucdavis.edu.

(Phil Daley/ UC Davis)

Concert Bands of UC Davis feature student composer

Wednesday, May 21, 7 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Concert Band
Pete Nowlen, conductor

Katahj Copley performs Infinity

Percy Grainger performs Australian Up-Country Tune

Alfred Reed arr. Robert Longfield performs El Camino Real

Johan de Meij arr. Paul Lavender performs Symphony No. 1 (“The Lord of the Rings”)

Campus Band
Matthew Okumoto (acting director)
Garrett Rigsby, director

Cecille Chaminade performs Concertino with Benjamin Saetern, winner of the Concert Band Soloist Competition

Jason Chen (major in physics) performs Dreams and Science

Philip Sparke (transcription) performs Bohemian Rhapsody

Dennis Llinas performs Un Cafecito

Akito Matsuca performs Suite from Liz and the Bluebird

Julie Giroux performs Evening Snow at Kambara

Get tickets here.

Let Art Jam sweeten your week

Thursday, May 22, 6-9 p.m., at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Head to the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art for a sweet combination of free food and art, featuring a mix of creative experiences from UC Davis student groups at Art Jam. This spring, Davis Data Driven Change, a club that aims to create change through interdisciplinary projects, presents an interactive exhibition celebrating culture and experiences in the LBGTQIA+ community in Davis and beyond.

Photo by Jose Luis Villegas [his photos are usually good. Is this photo okay for top?]

UC Davis Shields Library hosts Black Family Day author event

Saturday, May 24, 1:30-3:34 p.m., Shields Library

Visit UC Davis Shields Library for a special exhibit on the history of Black Family Day at UC Davis, a talk by Professor Psyche Williams-Forson, author of Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America, and wine and dessert pairing (must be 21+ to participate) hosted by CoCo Noir Wine Shop of Oakland and Midtown Bakery of Sacramento.

Psyche A. Williams-Forson is one of the leading thinkers about food in America. In Eating While Black, she offers her knowledge and experience to illuminate how anti-Black racism operates in the practice and culture of eating. She shows how mass media, nutrition science, economics, and public policy drive entrenched opinions among both Black and non-Black Americans about what is healthful and right to eat. Starkly exposing the rampant shaming and policing around how Black people eat, Williams-Forson contemplates food's role in cultural transmission, belonging, homemaking, and survival. Other Black Family Day events, activities and entertainment can be found at the Cross Cultural Center website.

Register for Book Talk: Eating While Black

The Davis Filmmaking Society holds student-run film festival

Saturday, May 24, 4:30-8 p.m., California Hall

The Davis Filmmaking Society,  a student-run organization at UC Davis, hosts their annual film festival. The festival aims to highlight the work from DFS members and other student filmmakers on campus in narrative, documentary, and animation based works.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. followed by film screenings starting at 5 p.m. Get tickets here.

UC Davis alum premiers new film 'Bound'

Alum Isaac Hirotsu Woofter (B.A., theatre and dance, ‘00) is the director and writer of the new film "Bound," which will have its Bay area theatrical premiere May 16 – 22 (7 p.m.) at the Alameda Theatre and Cineplex. A debut feature film by Woofter, Bound is a drama exploring themes of abuse, trauma, and the struggle for survival. The story centers on Bella, an introverted young woman living with her abusive uncle/stepfather, Gordy, and a sick mother. When Bella discovers Gordy has hidden her college acceptance letter, she kicks him out, but he later returns with her mother’s permission. Forced to flee, Bella and her pet pocket squirrel, Bandit, seek refuge in New York City, where they find support from new friends and face a difficult decision about their future. Read more here.

Student Recitals this week

Check back here for changes in time or location.

Carson Schmitt, saxophone - Friday, May 16, 5 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

(courtesy photo)

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program

Paul Creston: Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, op. 19

Astor Piazzolla: “Night-club 1960″ from Histoire du tango

Hiromi Uehara: Cape Cod Chips for Saxophone Quartet
with Matthew Ali, Riley Villa, and Jeremy Qin

Voice students of Zoila Muñoz - Friday, May 16, 7 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program

Works to be announced.

(Phil Daley/ UC Davis)

Ben Saetern, flute - Saturday, May 17, 11:30 a.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program

Works to be announced.

Ben Saetern (Phil Daley/ UC Davis)

Shuhan Wang, flute - Saturday, May 17, 2 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program

Works to be announced.

Annamarie Basco, flute - Saturday, May 17, 4:30 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

with Claire Zhang and Robi Castaneda, piano

Program

Works to be announced.

(Phil Daley/ UC Davis)

Estevan Romero, flute - Saturday, May 17, 7 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program

Works to be announced.

(Phil Daley/ UC Davis)

Valerie Navarette, voice - Tuesday, May 20, 2 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program

Roger Quilter: ”Weep Ye No More” from Seven Songs, op. 12

Giovanni Pergolesi: Se tu m’ami

Gabriel Fauré: Mandoline

Sara Bareilles: “She Used To Be Mine” from Waitress

Alan Menken / Howard Ashman: “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors

Stephen Schwartz: “For Good” from Wicked

Francis McPeake: Wild Mountain Thyme

Joni Mitchell: Both Sides Now