Category Archives: New Utopia

For their new Utopia in Dystopia issue, our friends over at i-D bagged two superstar cover stars, Travis Scott and Naomi Campbell.

You can order that issue right here and read the interviews with said cover stars here and here but to whet your whistle while you wait for your copy to arrive, weve compiled five of the key takeaways from director Robert Rodriguezs chat with Cactus Jack.

Travis has returned to rapping over his own beats, while collaborating with new artists on his upcoming album Utopia, and is determined to create a new sound

I am working with some new people and Im just trying to expand the sound. Ive been making beats again, rapping on my own beats again, just putting everything together.

I want to make a fucking new sound. I might spend days banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out, but once I do it, its like ultimate ecstasy.

Its never about repeating something, Im just trying to make the next saga, each album is like a saga.

And the pandemic hasnt slowed down the creation of the album.

It made me way more productive. You know, youre not doing any shows. You not really doing too much travelling. You in the crib, and I got the studio at home and I have the peace to record all day, you know?

Astroworld festival might be coming back in November for the post-pandemic world.

Hopefully we can bring it back at the end of this year. Around November.

Becoming a father changed his perspective on the importance of his role in society.

Its so crazy, Stormis generation is way different from mine, and shes way different from my younger brother and sister. Kids show you a different outlook on life, how they view things, the type of pressures they have and what makes them happy, what makes them move.

Like, when she watches certain movies or listens to certain songs. Or she watches my concerts on YouTube and she realises shes there, shes ready to see now. I realised my job is way more important than what I thought because of her. More responsibility, you know? Youve got to use that properly.

He wants to evolve as a collaborator in 2021.

You know, its like with Nike those are the shoes I wear, the shoes Ive been wearing since I was a kid. Playstation when it was rough, when I was a kid, gaming was an escape. When I was younger and in the studio, sometimes we couldnt really afford to eat, you know? So McDonalds held it down. That double cheeseburger got us through those moments.

But its about being able to create an experience, even if these are small things. These collaborations are tools in a way, pieces of everyday life, big brands that allowed us to generate ideas. In 2021, we want to keep evolving, keep generating.

Read i-Ds full Travis Scott interview here.

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Five Things We Learned from Travis Scott's 'i-D' Interview - VICE UK

Yale College Dean Marvin Chun will host a virtual reception on March 2 to honor the recipients of the annual Poorvu Family Fund for Academic Innovation award, created to recognize excellence in teaching. This years recipients are Yale faculty members Jennifer Allen, Aimee Cox, Wendy Gilbert, and Jonas Elbousty.

The award, given to outstanding junior faculty members at Yale who have demonstrated excellence in teaching in undergraduate programs, enables them to dedicate the summer to research essential to their development as scholars and teachers.

Allen is an assistant professor of history who studies late-20th-century European cultural practices. She is currently working on a book manuscript titled Sustainable Utopias: Art, Political Culture, and Historical Practice in Late Twentieth-Century Germany. In it, she charts the history of Germanys relatively recent efforts to revitalize the concept of utopia after the wholesale collapse of Europes violent social engineering projects. In a related research project, Allen traces how Germanys grassroots commemorative practices became a model for international communities as diverse as Moscow and Buenos Aires over the past 30 years. In Yale College, she teaches courses on modern German history, modern European history, the theories and practices of memory, and the history of the Holocaust.

Cox is an associate professor in African American studies and anthropology. Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of anthropology, Black studies, and performance studies. Her first monograph, Shapeshifters: Black Girls and the Choreography of Citizenship (Duke 2015), won a 2016 Victor Turner Book Prize in Ethnographic Writing, and honorable mention from the 2016 Gloria E. Anzalda Book Prize, given by the National Womens Studies Association. Her next ethnographic project, Living Past Slow Death, explores the creative protest strategies individuals and communities enact to reclaim Black life in the urban United States specifically in Cincinnati, Ohio; Jackson, Mississippi; and Clarksburg, West Virginia. In Yale College, she has developed and taught new courses including: The Theory and Methods of Performance Ethnography, The Roots and Routes of Black Feminist Theory, and Anthropology of the Young and the Dispossessed.

Elbousty is director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He previously taught at Al Akhawyeen University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Columbia University. He has taught widely in the areas of North African and Middle Eastern studies, with a special focus on literary narratives. His research interests focus on the theories of world literature and its tie to Eurocentrism, problematics of literary translation, cultural history, the image of the Arab in U.S literary narratives, postcolonial literature, modern Arabic fiction, Maghrebi studies, and the life and works of Mohamed Choukri. Besides his academic responsibilities, he is a literary translator and a short story writer. In Yale College, he teaches courses in elementary to advanced Modern Standard Arabic, The Trilogy of Mosteghanemi, and Mohamed Choukri's Narratives.

Gilbert is an associate professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry. Her work focuses on regulatory elements in messenger RNA that control the cellular expression of the information stored in the genetic code. In recent years, her work has expanded to include studying the biological functions of chemical RNA modifications. She was recognized with the RNA Societys Early Career Award in 2017 for her paradigm-altering contributions to the field of post-transcriptional gene regulation. She teaches Methods and Logic in Molecular Biology and Advanced Eukaryotic Molecular Biology. Her teaching engages students to evaluate the experimental evidence that forms the basis for understanding biological processes.

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Yale College honors recipients of Poorvu award for excellence in teaching - Yale News

The hip-hop superstar is set to release his hotly-awaited fourth studio album, which he previously hinted is called 'Utopia', later this year, and he's revealed he's been working with new collaborators on the follow-up to 2018's 'Astroworld' in a bid to evolve his music.

Travis told i-D magazine: I never tell people this, and Im probably going to keep it a secret still, but Im working with some new people and Im just trying to expand the sound.

Ive been making beats again, rapping on my own beats, just putting everything together and trying to grow it really. Thats been one of the most fun things about working on this album. Im evolving, collaborating with new people, delivering a whole new sound, a whole new range.

The 'Highest In The Room' hitmaker relishes the challenge of cultivating a new sound and insists all the "banging my head against a wall" is worth it for the "ultimate ecstasy" he feels in the end.

He continued: Its never about repeating myself, Im just trying to make the next saga each album is like a saga.I dont feel no pressure, except to keep the fans alive. Theres so much more ground I can cover, and I want to cover it, and I love the challenge of it. I want to make a f****** new sound. I might spend days banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out, but once I do it, its like ultimate ecstasy.

The 'SICKO MODE' rapper - who has three-year-old daughter Stormi Webster with Kylie Jenner - also admitted he has never been more productive than amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He explained: You know, youre not doing any shows. You [are] not really doing too much travelling. You in the crib, and I got the studio at home and I have the peace to record all day, you know? Obviously like, you lose a little bit by not being able to travel and, you know, just see the earth.

Link:

Travis Scott teases that new album has a 'whole new sound' - Music News

Frieze is giving its annual Artist Award to Precious Okoyomon, a New York-based artist, poet, and chef, who will use the $30,000 budget for anew commission at this years fair in New York, which is being held inscaled-back fashion at the Shed.

Simultaneously playful and critically inquisitive, this singular artist-poets work highlights the inevitability of change, decay, death, and rebirth, said jury chair Jenny Schlenzka, executive artistic director at Performance Space New York, in a statement. By extending poetry into the organic world, Okoyomon reminds us that apocalypse and utopia coexist and always have.

The prize for emerging artists, supported by the Luma Foundation and launched in New York in 2018, has previously recognized rising starsLauren HalseyandKapwani Kiwanga.

Kapwani Kiwanga, Shady installation view at Frieze New York (2018). Photo by Mark Blower courtesy of Frieze New York.

Okoyomon is planning a site-specific performance-activated installation that ties together poetry, sculpture, light, and sound. This piece takes its structure from the story of the tower of Babel, the mythological birthplace of difference, and differentiation, the artist told Artnet News in an email. Footage of the performance will be available online as well.

Okoyomon wrote the proposal for the award in the spring of 2020, just before the onset of the pandemic. The piece, which centered around the collective cooking and eating of a day long meal, was mostly concerned with togetherness, Okoyomon said.After returning to that project this year at a time when, for obvious reasons, realizing it has become impossible, I shifted focus to looking at failures of communication, places where language collapses, breaks down, arrives at impasse, etc.

Precious Okoyomon, installation view of Earthseed at the Museum Fr Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt (2020). Photo by Axel Schneider, courtesy of the artist and Museum Fr Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt; and Quinn Harrelson/Current Projects.

This years award jury members were Ralph Lemon (artistic director of Cross Performance, New York), Vassilis Oikonomopoulos (senior curator at Luma Arles), and Stuart Comer (chief curator of media and performance art at the Museum of Modern Art, New York).

During the run of the fair, Okoyomon will also present a solo show, titled FRAGMENTED BODY PERCEPTIONS AS HIGHER VIBRATION FREQUENCIES TO GOD, at Performance Space New York (March 20May 9, 2021). They will transform the space into a site for grief and mourning, with an installation featuring Kudzu ash, water, algae, moss, and stone.

Precious Okoyomon and Hannah Black, installation view of I NEED HELP at Real Fine Arts, New York (2018). Photo courtesy of the artist.

The artist has previously had exhibitions at the Luma Westbau in Zurich (2018) and the MMK in Frankfurt (2020), and performances at the Serpentine Galleries, London, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, London (both 2019). Their first show, I NEED HELP (2018), was a two-person presentation with Hannah Black at Real Fine Arts, New York.

Okoyomon will present a new commission at the Aspen Art Museum in June, and will release a book, But Did U Die?, with the Serpentine Galleries/Wonder Press later this year.

Frieze New York will be on view at the Shed in Manhattan, 545 West 30th Street, New York, May 59.

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Frieze Has Awarded Artist, Poet, and Chef Precious Okoyomon With Its Closely Watched $30,000 Commission in New York - artnet News

The legendary Elektra Abundance. Looking like a tall glass of lemonade. Giving us daffodil realness. Giving us sunflower. Sun power! Making the little things grow!

Making the little things grow.

That is exactly what Ryan Murphys new show, POSE," aims to do. The show's cast consists of five transgender women of color (the most of any mainstream television series), and American Horror Story fan-favorites Billy Porter and Evan Peters.

For a majority of people, we've grown up in a Eurocentric world with the support, education and betterment of the white man in mind. Our white teachers teach lessons of white-saviorism, and our curriculum treats Black history as an impediment upon our otherwise spotless antiquity.

The TV programs we watch star white, cisgender people. The God we have come to know in the Christian faith is white and declares that being gay is a sin. These are the truths of our world for a lot of people. But for the Black child, they are living in a world that feels like it doesnt belong to them.

The LGBTQ+ child is made out to be an outsider, and thousands of children grow up with a distorted picture of what being Black or a member of the LGBTQ+ community looks like.

But Murphy dares to challenge these ideas and creates a different world. A realm where people are accepted and celebrated for who they are. A utopia, where age doesnt matter, Black is beautiful and queer culture is created and defined. More importantly, beyond all the glitz, glam, fur and stilettos, it's a safe haven for those who couldn't make themselves smaller to fit in to their predetermined place in society.

Making the little things grow, as they say.

This utopia I speak of is the ballroom culture of the '80s in New York City. The show focuses in on the culture, language, fashion and dance stylings of an underground Black and Latinx subculture that emerged during the time and is rooted in challenging ideas of gender identity.

At the balls, different houses compete for trophies in various competition categories. Historically, houses consisted of mothers," who were members of this inclusive and eccentric community themselves, and children," who were predominantly LGBTQ+ youth that were abandoned by their parents and left to live on the streets of New York City.

The show sheds light on what is otherwise a community that existed in the shadows of the mainstream.

There's Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain), a shy yet ambitious dancer who winds up on the street after being disowned by his family, Lil Papi (Angel Bismark Curiel), a sketchy drug dealer with a heart of gold who is trying to change his life around despite his living in poverty, Angel (Indya Moore), an aspiring model who faces adversity in a business that refuses her femininity at every step of the way and Ricky (Dylln Burnside), a smooth talker who silently struggles with his health in the face of the AIDS epidemic.

Under the guidance of matron goddess of the balls, Blanca (Mj Rodriguez), and elder queen Pray Tell (Billy Porter), the kids learn the basic rules for survival in their counterculture, how to advocate for their community and how to fight for themselves and their independence in a world that wants to see them dead.

The '80s was a time of cocaine, big hair, loud music and hungry New York City yuppies eager to climb the ranks and stomp necks on Wall Street. But while the rest of the city was becoming young executives, driving around luxurious SUVs and talking about their stock portfolios, in the umbra of gloomy, run-down hospital rooms in the darkest corners of the city under that horrible fluorescent lighting, thousands of people were slowly dying.

Much misinformation about the spread of the virus contributed to the lack of care and resources available. The general publics silence and complacency coupled with former President Ronald Reagans refusal to recognize the epidemic rendered the LGBTQ+ completely powerless.

It was the epidemic no one wanted to cure. It was seen as some twisted version of divine intervention, as if AIDS was heaven-sent to save us from the plague of homosexuality that had befallen our beloved country.

Throughout the show, the characters seem to be constantly running from an inescapable virus that is out to kill them. Pray Tell verbalizes this feeling of loneliness to Blanca: They'll never know that feeling what it's like to love without worrying that you're gonna die, or worse yet, that you're gonna kill somebody. I don't know what's shittier: having that freedom taken away or never having had it to begin with.

One of the most important conversations of the show isn't a conversation at all, making this show all the more unique and culturally significant. Without words, POSE has normalized the relationship between Lil Papi, a cisgender, heterosexual male and Angel, a transgender sex-worker who has suffered a long line of abuse from the men in her life.

At no point does Angel question Papis sexuality, nor does he question Angels womanhood, pressure her to change her body or fetishize her. Their love is unmixed, unalloyed and untouched by the outside world.

What they have is nothing more than a relationship between a man and a woman, and the unquestioning faith and realness in that determination sends a powerful message to heterosexual couples everywhere that transgender women are real women, capable of relationships the same way cisgender couples are.

Aside from having bomb-ass characters, larger-than-life costumes and an engaging storyline, the show exposes the viewer to a lot of drag culture and encourages us to expand or question ideas about gender and sex, how they relate and how they are different.

The show also discusses divisive ideas and trends in the transgender community, like being a passing" transgender woman, which is when a transgender woman can go out into public and be perceived as a cisgender woman because she looks more "traditionally" feminine.

Throughout the show, we watch Angel struggle with her modeling career as people refuse to work with her after finding out she is transgender. We also see characters face discrimination within the LGBTQ+ community itself, which raises intriguing questions about intersections between minorities.

"POSE" recognizes the delicate balance between femininity and masculinity, and how sexuality is a spectrum. It challenges you to engage in conversations about gender and gender roles, and might even inspire you to challenge gender norms yourself.

While it's all of these beautiful, wonderful, prideful things, it has also made me cry more times than I can count.

Making the little things grow.

That's what this show is all about. From where I'm sitting, this show is giant leap forward in the fight towards equality. To see Black culture represented in the mainstream is atypical. But, seeing Black, queer women being acknowledged in popular culture is something else entirely.

For the first time, a show stars an all-Black cast, with the supporting characters being white and straight. Although some may have their critiques, to recognize a culture that's considered so taboo is a daring and remarkable decision on Murphy's part, and I love him even more for it.

Representation in the media is everything, and to be a transgender child growing up, watching this show and for the first time seeing someone who was like them represented in media sends a huge message.

Perhaps it's not Elektra that's making the little things grow. Perhaps its the voices of thousands of people just like the characters of this show who demand to be heard, whose pain demands to be felt, whose stories need to be told.

People like Alexus Braxton, Dustin Parker, Monika Diamond, Nina Pop, Tony McDade and thousands of others whose only crime was loving themselves enough to live freely. People who were punished for liberating themselves from their sexuality. Or perhaps, its the people who move mountains who advocate, who donate, who protect, who create.

We must remember that healing isn't linear, and although we may not be able to change popular culture today or tomorrow, we must continue to make strides towards ending oppression, regardless of small those strides may be.

And the little things will grow: strides will become steps, steps will become leaps. As the LGBTQ+ icon Andy Warhol once said, They say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

See more here:

Making little things grow: 'POSE' is challenging heteronormative culture, status quo - RU Daily Targum

Travis Scott has continued to tease his fourth album Utopia, ahead of its anticipated release later this year.

The rapper, who seemingly revealed the album title last summer, opened up in a new interview with pioneering film director Robert Rodriguez for i-D Magazine.

I never tell people this, and Im probably going to keep it a secret still, but Im working with some new people and Im just trying to expand the sound, Scott said about his new album.

Ive been making beats again, rapping on my own beats, just putting everything together and trying to grow it really. Thats been one of the most fun things about working on this album. Im evolving, collaborating with new people, delivering a whole new sound, a whole new range.

When asked if he feels pressure to create something as ambitious as 2018s Astroworld, which spawned its own music festival, he replied: Its never about repeating myself, Im just trying to make the next saga each album is like a saga.

I dont feel no pressure, except to keep the fans alive. Theres so much more ground I can cover, and I want to cover it, and I love the challenge of it. I want to make a f*cking new sound. I might spend days banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out, but once I do it, its like ultimate ecstasy.

Reflecting on the last year, Scott also explained how the pandemic has allowed him to spend more time creating the record.

It made me way more productive, he said.

You know, youre not doing any shows. You not really doing too much traveling. You in the crib, and I got the studio at home and I have the peace to record all day, you know? Obviously like, you lose a little bit by not being able to travel and, you know, just see the earth.

Scott added that the album is coming soon, although a release date is yet to be confirmed.

His most recent release came in The Plan, a 2020 collaboration with Ludwig Gransson for Christopher Nolans Tenet.

Link:

Travis Scott teases new album Utopia: Im trying to expand the sound - NME

Travis Scott is no stranger to stirring up a frenzy, whether its with teases of his new album or unexpected drops of his buzzy sneakers. Yesterday, the Astroworld rapper caused another bout of madness after announcing a surprise pop-up shop in Los Angeles on social media for his upcoming i-D Magazine cover issue.

Travis Scott.

CREDIT: MEGA

The musician himself appeared on the scene for the store as well, swamped by fans upon arrival. Scott stood out from the crowd as he modeled a mix of apparel from his Cactus Jack line including a new Utopia Issue sweatshirt inspired by his magazine cover and his upcoming album title.

Travis Scott (C) stirs up a crowd after Tweeting his location and attracting scores of fans, Los Angeles, Feb. 23.

CREDIT: Rachpoot/MEGA

A closer view of Travis Scotts rare Nike Dunks.

CREDIT: Rachpoot/MEGA

His footwear choice of the day, too, was frenzy-worthy as he tapped one of the rarest Nike collabs. The snekaer istitled the Nike SB Dunk Low What the Dunk, a design that dropped all the way back in 2007 and has since become a sought-after shoe for its multicolored paneled uppers and mismatched patterns. The style pulls details from iconic Dunk colorways including Pigeon, Huf and Heineken amongst others. Originally retailing for just $120, the sneaker now is available on the resale market at elevated prices.

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StockXoffers the shoes anywhere from $10,500 up to $14,688 depending on the size whereas Stadium Goods has the pairs for $24,465 in just three available sizes.

Travis Scott (C) stirs up a crowd after Tweeting his location and attracting scores of fans, Los Angeles, Feb. 23.

CREDIT: Rachpoot/MEGA

A closer view of Travis Scotts rare Nike Dunks.

CREDIT: Rachpoot/MEGA

Nike Dunk SB Low What the Dunk

CREDIT: Courtesy of Stadium Goods

When it comes toTravis Scott and sneakers, you always have to stay on your toes. In February 2020, he surprise-released his Nike SB Dunk Low and the kicks quickly sold out before select Nike stores stocked the style at retail price weeks later. Then, in the spring of last year, the buzz around his Nike Air Max 270 React Cactus Trails collab caused never-ending anticipation as the release date continued to be switched around. Now, the Sicko Mode rapper has a mix of rumored Nike and Air Jordan collaborations in the work, teasing pairs on social media and continuing his steak of leaving fans on the edges of their seats.

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Travis Scott Causes a Frenzy at Fairfax in Rare Nike Dunks That Resell For Up to $25,000 - Footwear News

by Ella Niederhelman

IPSWICH Sandpiper Bakery and its staff are moving to town from their current location in Gloucester.

Sandpiper Bakery will be situated at 29 North Main Street atop Town Hill, in the Odd Fellows building next to the Ipswich Public Library.

New space, new expansion, same Sandpiper flavor, baker Molly Friedman said.

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We are excited about it being a little off the beaten path, because we do want it to be a residential bakery and cafe, Friedmans co-partner Susanne Clermont added.

Clermont focuses on the sweets, while Friedman brings a more savory side. Molly is going to expand our breakfast, lunch, and early-dinner takeout menu, Clermont said.

Ipswich resident Clermont has been a baker for over 25 years. She previously owned Canto 6 Bakery in Jamaica Plain before moving to Sandpiper Bakery in Gloucester. She and her four-and-a-half-year-old daughter are up pretty early, Clermont said.

Friedman currently lives in Essex. Her background includes marketing for a food hall in New Orleans. It was there that she realized she wanted to be in the kitchen instead. She finds the quiet mornings very special particularly in the summer.

My biggest challenge has been sort of making most of the decisions in the past, wishing I had someone to collaborate with to bring more inspiration, said Clermont. I am very excited for Molly to partner.

Friedman said, We are both just passionate about our craft creating stuff we want to eat with really talented hands.

In their Gloucester location, Friedman and Clermont have persevered through the pandemic, only closing for one day last March.

It was just her and I for three months, said Clermont. If we can survive this, we are good to go.

I think we learned a lot of lessons and we came out in a good spot, Friedman said. COVID causes hardships for everyone, but we learn to pivot and work with it.

Sandpiper Bakery is already well known for their croissants, puff pastries, pies, and scones. The newly added savory side of the menu will include in-house made focaccia, a variety of sandwiches, soups, and salads.

The bakery itself is farm-to-table, so it is mostly influenced by seasonal produce and working with all the farms in the surrounding area, Clermont said. We will be changing the menu often, depending on the season and what we are tasting.

Sandpiper Bakery works with local farms, including Iron Ox Farm in Topsfield, Alprilla Farm in Essex, Cedar Rock in West Gloucester, and Utopia Farmstand in Manchester. They work with Bonny Breads in Beverly as well.

We are hoping to work with Three Sisters and Marshview Farm, which are in Ipswich, said Friedman. We are lucky to be around all of these really talented farmers.

Clermont and Friedman both find bliss in creating food for their community and the meaningful connections they form with their customers as a result.

It is the best when you see somebody bite into something and smile, said Friedman. The immediate satisfaction you get with seeing somebody enjoy something you made, and them having a better day from that. We are excited to be a part of the community and give to them.

Clermont added, We really look forward to people coming, getting a box full of croissants and hot chocolate, and bringing that home to their family. There are a lot of things that we are going to do that I think people will be happy with and crave. We are excited to be a place where residents can walk to, and we can be part of either their morning or afternoon commute and routine.

You get to know those people, said Clermont. You get to meet children and watch them grow up. You get to be part of their birthdays, their holidays, and it is such a blessing.

Sandpiper Bakery will be opening its doors for a soft launch Friday, Feb. 26. It will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but hours could vary depending on the season.

The bakery plans to provide indoor seating after COVID.

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New bakery to open Friday - The Local Ne.ws

Undeniably,the indefinite closure of overseas borders has been amisfortune for the NZ travel industry, which is stillstruggling to stay afloat during the gloomy situation.However, some promising signs that seem to hit the groundrunning for the nations travel industry warrant closerattention to assess the near-term growth trajectory of thesector.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit thepause button on travel plans last year, derailing NZstourism settings. While the rebuilding process initiatedimmediately after the early relaxations in shutdown, thetravel industry may have to hold their horses for the timebeing to witness the sectors return to pre-COVIDlevels.

The time and pace of the travel industrysrecovery to the pre-pandemic shape hinges upon the emergingsituation & the policymakers support for thedistressed sector. Although a full-fledged revival lookssome time away, some trends are infusing positivity into thetravel sectors gradual resurgence from the COVID-19storm.

Let us have a quick look at these trends thatcan define travel in 2021:

Resumption ofTrans-Tasman Travel Bubble

Tourismbusinesses across Australia and NZ have been hoping for asooner return of non-quarantine travel between the twonations that can provide some sort of cushion to thebattered travel industry. While Aussies entry into the KiwiLand is not yet open, the ban on quarantine-free flightsfrom NZ to Australia has been recently lifted by theAustralian government.

In late January 2021, Australiapaused quarantine-free travel from NZ after a smallcoronavirus outbreak in Auckland. However, the one-waytravel bubble has now resumed, allowing Kiwis enteringAustralia to travel without having to quarantine forfourteen days. The recent development reflects theconfidence of Australian health authorities that their NZcounterparts have brought the highly contagious strain ofCOVID-19 under control.

With the initialcommencement of the COVID-19 vaccination programme inAustralia and NZ, the long-awaited two-way travel bubble maybecome a reality soon. However, much depends on theeffective containment of virus outbreaks in both thecountries and their sound arrangements to build COVID-safetravel.

Potential Use of IATA TravelPass App

NZ is gearing up to experimentthe International Air Transport Associations (IATA)Travel Pass app on flights to Australia, which canunlock the potential for contactless travel.

Air NewZealand is the first airline to test this digital travelpass app to ensure the safety of travellers cross borders.The Kiwi airline will test this application onAuckland-Sydney flights for 3 weeks in April 2021. Launchedby IATA in late 2020, the digital Travel Pass app isalso being trialled by other airlines across the globe,including Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

Amid theglobal rollout of COVID-19 vaccination, the app promises tosupport passengers securely and easily oversee their traveldocumentation digitally in accordance with currentgovernment requirements. Besides, it allows travellers tosafely store as well as present information related tocoronavirus tests & their vaccinationstatus.

The IATAs Travel Pass app canemerge as a one-stop solution for safe international travelin the post-COVID era. Besides, the application might givethe much-needed confidence to the government to re-openoverseas borders and to the passengers to travelinternationally. The successful trial of the travel passsystem is also anticipated to chart out the course ofrecovery for the pandemic-hit aviationindustry.

Probable Travel Bubble withFiji

Fiji has constantly been pushing fora one-way travel bubble with NZ and Australia, which willallow quarantine-free travel to the island nation. Akin toNZ, Fiji has proven itself as a safe travel destinationduring the COVID-19 pandemic, with zero cases reported forover 300 days.

Fijis travel bubble, known as BulaBubble, has been designed keeping in mind the islandnations sizeable dependence on the tourism industry forstimulating economic growth. Majority of tourists used tocome from Australia and NZ to Fiji in the pre-pandemicphase, producing considerable revenue for thecountry.

The potential execution of the Bula Bubblemay deliver a further push to the tourism industrysrecovery from the virus crisis. However, uncertainty loomsover the timing of initiation of this travel bubble amid adaily increase in coronavirus cases across different partsof the world.

BottomLine

Kiwi Land has finally stepped intothe year of optimism wherein the rollout of vaccinationprogrammes has started to rekindle hopes for the travelsectors revival. While the utopia of the tourism boom ismuch like a pie in the sky in 2021, these promisingdevelopments appear to be breathing life into the hammeredtravel industry.

However, only time will tell how thetravel scenario will pan out amid the coronavirusimmunisation drive that is likely to take a full year forcompletion.

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Is The New Zealand Travel Industry Out Of The Woods? - Scoop.co.nz

After several months in the making, the Utah Infrastructure Agency (UIA) has just completed its latest round of funding that will infuse the UTOPIA/UIA network with $52.5 million for the expansion of its network.

That will help legacy cities like Brigham City and Orem reach a built-out stage earlier than expected.

It is great to be in a position where the revenues of the system can pay for the buildout of the system, said Steven Downs, Orems deputy city manager.

UIA is a sister agency to the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA). Although legally separate entities, UTOPIA and UIA functionally operate as one integrated system and both are marketed as UTOPIA Fiber.

This is the third round of financing UIA has secured recently, attracting $113 million in the last 14 months.

UIA secured the latest round of funding in partnership with Lewis Young Robertson & Burningham, Inc. (financial advisor), KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc. (senior managing underwriter), and Gilmore & Bell (bond and disclosure counsel), according to Kimberly McKinley, chief marketing director.

UTOPIA connectivity has been going on much longer than the pandemic, but the desire for open infrastructure fiber optics is at a high demand as people continue to work and do school from home.

As we come out of the pandemic you wont see people automatically changing, McKinley said. The demand for fiber optics will be more.

McKinley said UTOPIA currently has a list of 20 Utah cities that are contemplating the feasibility of putting fiber optics in the ground.

The pandemic has accelerated the demand for fiber. People realize the importance of having access to high-speed internet in meeting the needs of their personal lives, Downs said.

We cant wait to complete this project. Our residents have waited patiently, Downs added.

One of the great things, thanks in part to COVID-19, is the fact that UTOPIA/UIA has the revenue stream to get the final funding to complete the original cities buildout without having to go back to the cities for more money, according to McKinley.

For many years, naysayers have said comparing fiber optics to, say, electricity is not sound. Now, communities see fiber as a utility and as a necessity, McKinley said.

The cities who started this so long ago are considered visionary now, McKinley said.

Since 2011, the majority of UTOPIA Fibers growth has come from its synergistic relationship with UIA, designing, financing, building and operating state-of-the-art ultra-high-speed fiber-broadband networks, firmly securing its position as the largest publicly owned Open Access fiber network in the United States.

What were seeing with this latest round of funding is stronger-than-ever demand for high-speed fiber networks, said Roger Timmerman, UTOPIA Fibers executive director, in an email.

The $52.5 million provides the capital to build out the remaining areas of our original 11 cities and to add customers throughout our coverage area. We continue to have the best partners in the business, who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point, Timmerman added.

UTOPIA Fiber provides fiber-to-the-home services in 15 cities and business services in 50. It serves as operational partner for Idaho Falls Fiber in Idaho and is in talks with additional municipalities to bring the network to their communities. Other legacy cities include Perry, Tremonton, Centerville and Layton, which saw the installation of its fiber network completed in March 2020.

UTOPIA Fiber is available to 130,000 homes and businesses, offers the fastest internet speeds in the United States (10 Gbps residential and 100 Gbps commercial), and enjoys being ranked as the highest-rated internet option in Utah.

This round of new funding is the largest that UIA has closed on in agency history and the third in the last 14 months. They received $48 million in November 2019 and $13 million in August 2020.

UTOPIA Fibers open access model enables communities to have access to a free and open internet without throttling, paid prioritization, or other provider interference. Participating cities can also benefit from various Smart City applications that are enabled by the UTOPIA Fiber network, including early wildfire detection systems, free public WiFi, smart water and energy management, and air pollution monitoring services.

The pandemic has shown us just how important fast, affordable and reliable broadband service is. We believe publicly owned open access fiber networks are the future of American internet connectivity and are excited to be at the forefront of that movement, Timmerman said.

The public is invited to visit UTOPIAfiber.com for service maps, build-out timelines, and information on how to sign up for UTOPIA Fiber services.

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UTOPIA dials up funding to build out all 11 original cities with fiber optics - Standard-Examiner