mag
FEBRUARY 2015 | VOL. 4 N o . 5
HAPPY V-DAY 06
V-DAY The Vagina Monologues
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ART DIRECTORS EDITOR IN CHIEF
Emma Beckett
DESIGNERS WRITERS
Jacob Colosi Karen Keung
Betty Zhang Craig Clark Curtis te Brinke D-M Hansen Diana Edelhauser Eric Schoenberger Jamielyn Mariano Melissa D’Angelo Nadia Rompas Peter Ellman Tavish Gudgeon
Amanda Hoff Ally Pelligrino Anna Campbell Autumn Lu Emily Munro Erika Sternberg Lucy Bilson Maryanne Cruz Michelle Fok Scott Osborne
CONTRIBUTORS
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EWAG FEBRUARY 2–13 FEBRUARY 16–27
Jing He Solo Painting and Video Exhibition
Emily Austin's Curatorial Project Emily is interested in the concept of "failed" artworks. She has been collecting these failed projects and will exhibit them in a gallery setting to question the authenticity and integrity of art making.
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
HEY WINTERS Now that the Artichoke has moved online, I wanted to take this opportunity to give thanks and dedication to everyone that has made this magazine possible over the years since it’s conception, and helped make it what it is today. First of all, of course, Lindsay Presswell and Brian Cass for starting the Artichoke back in 2011. They made incredible steps to creating this great student-run publication, and their work is still present in every issue of Artichoke that we publish. Jacob Colosi, Karen Keung, and the rest of the design team, for making such incredible work seem so easy, and for turning visions that I could never even dream of into a reality.
Winters College and WCC, for providing support, funding, and a welcoming community of brilliant artists. Mayeesha Cho, for writing the feature for this issue, and working closely with me this semester to learn more about the editor’s position at Artichoke. All the writers that have stuck with me throughout my two years as editor. It has been amazing working with you all, I have learned so much, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us all as writers and as artists. And finally, thank you so much to all of our readers and contributors! This magazine is about you, by you, and for you, so your support means everything to us. EMMA BECKETT EIC
CONTENTS
VOL 4.
No. 5 | FEBRUARY 2015
WORDS (ON) PAGES 06
V-DAY The Vagina Monologues
MAJOR SPEAK
CREATIVE
10
VISUAL ARTS YAOI (Y Ashamed Of It)
18
ODE TO CBC RADIO By D-M Hansen
16
THEATRE Screen Musical vs. Stage Musical
20
THE FLY By Craig Clarke
22
TWENTY OR SOMETHING By Curtis te Brinke
ENTERTAINMENT
LIFEST YLE
24
THIS ONE TIME AT BANDCAMP Releasing Music Online
30
IT’S OKAY TO BE ALONE How to be Alone
26
INDO INDIE INVASION Indonesian Bands You Should Know
32
FITNESS Tips for a Successful Workout
28
PEACE, LOVE AND SHREK How Shrek Changed the World.
34
BEAUTY The Look of Love
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CEL THE
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LEBRATING E VAGINA: V-DAY AND THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES BY MAYEESHA CHO
V-Day, or as most of us call it, Valentine’s day, is a day to celebrate love. We do so very obnoxiously, might I add, by ensuring that those of us who have the luxury of loving or being loved are making everyone around us absolutely and completely aware of the love they don’t have in their life. Okay, let’s take a step back. Valentines day, as most of us see it, is a day to celebrate love. V-Day is an organization at York who have declared the fourteenth of February as a day to celebrate and love the vagina. *Did you shudder a bit? At the mention of the word “vagina” –* As unconventional as it may sound, V-Day is out to create a convention, one that ensures all women, biological or not, are given the rights, attention and justice that they require. But what makes them different from every other organization that fights for the rights of women? V-Day empowers
women through art. The Vagina Monologues is an infamous play written in the form of a series of monologues, which are performed individually and as choruses. The play was written by Eve Ensler in 1996 and V-Day as a movement is inspired by Ensler’s work. The monologues remain constant and every year a new monologue is added to the list, dealing with issues which pertain to that specific year. Initially the performance consisted of Eve Ensler performing every piece on her own, but as time went on, the performance began to involve a wide array of women who come together on stage and perform these highly personal and controversial monologues. V-Day is a global activist movement and an organization that works to end violence against women. Violence that doesn’t limit itself to rape and assault, but the lesser known issues such as female
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Let yourselves out of your self-created cages, and celebrate the vagina genital mutilation, battery incest and sex slavery. V-Day and The Vagina Monologues have shaped their works around pressing global issues. Their creative events, e.g. the production of the Vagina Monologues, raise awareness and funds to assist antiviolence organizations. Their work is a creative and organized response against violence towards women. York has put on V-Day for the past five years, and every year, the outcome has been unique and humbling. This year the show is being put on from February 26th to February 28th at Joe Green Theatre at the CFT. The show is being directed by past actors Hilary Roskey and Winnie Nwakobi. The directors and producers of this year’s show have all been past performers and shared their experience regarding V-day and performing The Vagina Monologues. A lot of the actors did say that they weren’t very aware of V-Day as an organization before they just happened to stumble across these audition calls, however, they did mention that once you become a part of this production, it stays with you. The Vagina Monologues is a brilliant product of philanthropy and art. Having seen and read the
Vagina Monologues numerous times, I personally feel that it transcends its existence as a stage production due to the intimacy of the show. This show is notorious for being controversial, right from its opening night. Eve Ensler in one of her performances even mentioned that people were extremely hesitant about even uttering the word “vagina”, to which she responded by telling those people that if they cannot say the name of the show, they definitely shouldn’t be coming to the show. This controversy is inherent in the topics that are explored through these monologues. There are various subjects stretching from genital mutilation to domestic abuse, to rape and even the plight of trans-women. What keeps this show universal, despite its strict list of monologues is the fact that every year, a new monologue is added to the list that pertains to a current issue. The issue addressed this year is the discourse around women’s apparel—how consent and apparel do not go hand in hand and that a woman is never “asking for it”. A lot of the actors mention that when they are performing the Vagina Monologues, it is not necessarily the
easiest thing to have your family watch them, especially perhaps their father or brother. The word “vagina” comes with tonnes of negative social stigma. However, what the Vagina Monologues does is directly address the vagina rather than the word itself. They say the word, make overt references and talk about what noone, for some reason, wants to talk about, so that women and society in general aren’t so ashamed to utter the word “vagina”. One of the monologues in the play discuss various names for the vagina, the “punani”, the “muffin”, etc. Many of us don’t realize that in every day language we use some of these
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names as insults to other individuals, primarily to point out a man’s “femininity”. For example, words such as “pussy” or “cunt” are a few of the most offensive things one can call a man. Vagina, and all the words associated with it hold a very strange and confusing place in the English vocabulary, and it can be argued that this has played a huge role in normalizing backhanded misogyny. Sexism is ingrained in various aspects of our society, and sometimes we aren’t even aware of how much we normalize such problematic views of women— even during sex! During the act of sex, where the effort is to be a group effort, it is almost always one
sided—the woman is considered to be the passive participant. As one of the actors put it so eloquently, “Sex ends when the man comes”, because we are too afraid to even address the pink elephant in the room, the vagina. So, this February, let yourselves out of your self-created cages, and celebrate the vagina, be it yours or your loved ones’, at York University’s production of the Vagina Monologues. (February 26th-28th, 7pm, Joe Green Theatre, CFT). All the proceeds from the show’s ticket sales are given to the North York Women’s Shelter.
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Y
AoI
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ASHAMED OF IT As a Chinese-Canadian who is fluent in Mandarin, I am involved in Asian popular culture and am an active member of the online “yaoi” community. Yaoi is fantasy created by women who are interested in homoromantic relationships between men. “Yaoi” is an acronym of three phrases: yama nashi, ochi nashi, and imi nashi (no climax, no point, no meaning), and the title of this piece YAOI – Y Ashamed Of It? borrows from the formation of the vocabulary. Women who associate with yaoi refer to themselves as “fujoshi” or rotten girls because they are consciously aware of the digressive nature of their fantasies, hence the meaninglessness denoted in the name yaoi. I believe that people should not feel ashamed to admit that they subscribe to different romantic fantasies. However they should be aware of the implications behind these fantasies, because it is necessary to be critcal and analyze the creation and manifestation within these fantastical worlds. The main components of YAOI – Y Ashamed Of It? are 18 body pillows with anime characters printed on them since body pillow is a loved commodity by virtual communities. The pillows are 50cm x 150cm in dimension with images printed on one side. It is a bridge between 2D and 3D dimensions where people can physically embrace their beloved fantasies. Takashi Murakami is the main inspiration that encouraged me to address yaoi in my artistic practice. Murakami has incorporated Japanese animated pornography “hentai” in his exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery in London to comment on the otaku (stay-at-home anime fans) culture and men’s sexuality in Japan. Hentai is similar in nature to yaoi in that it is also a fantasy with hypersexualization of the female body, depiction of BDSM (Bondage Discipline Sadism Masochism), and many more socially unacceptable genres. By removing these female figures from their original context, they represent more than just Japanese male fantasy but become a symbol for idealized sexual desire and visual stimuli. Another major influence is Yinka Shonibare, his clever use of African fabric patterns and commercial logos in combination with European garments has a comical yet heavy political undertone. I have employed the same level of humour in my project to address this unconventional romantic fantasy.
Artist Statement BY BETTY ZHANG Yaoi as a genre was first created in 1960s by female manga artists as a reaction to the patriarchal society in post war Japan. Men in yaoi were “neither real-life boys nor dream-prince” for females to fall in love with, but they symbolize qualities of independence, beauty, and intellect which girls wish to acquire (Toku 27). Yaoi has developed since and is now a well-known aspect of Japanese manga culture. It is especially poplar for that it gives females the power and voice to challenge and resist the social restraints forced upon women in East Asia and other countries. Men become the sexualized objects to fit the ideals from a female perspective, and they are also used as tools to exercise the freedom women longed for in Japan (Welker 843). This undermines both the masculine gaze and the objectification of the female body because female writers and spectators are examining the male body in a female dominant community. Since yaoi is a narrative created by females for females, girls no longer need to struggle to identify with heroine created by men (Welker 844). This fantasy gives females the power to challenge and resist the social restraints forced upon women in Japan and other countries. Although the creation of yaoi was inspired by the empowering of women to challenge the social constructions that neglect the minorities, there are still problematic aspects of yaoi that perpetuate those ideas. Common themes such as love, family, and friendship conceal the patriarchal ideas of gender roles, violence-sex duality, and even borderline child pornography. Some male characters are feminized to fit the subordinate role, and some are hyper masculine to coincide with the idealized union between masculinity and femininity. Explicit representation or mentioning of male genitals or sexual intercourse are either censored out or sanitized. Similar editing also applies to sexually transmitted illnesses, body hair, nipples, and so on. This sterilized androgyny is a common strategy used to represent men in yaoi. Each pillow explores one specific aspect of yaoi, for instance one focuses on hairless male characters, and another deals with grotesque infections genital diseases. YAOI – Y Ashamed Of It? investigates these selective censorships and both transgressive and patriarchal ideas embedded within yaoi.
A
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Interview BY EMMA BECKETT What is the significance and history of the characters that are represented in your piece? From the literature that I have been reading, before it was called Yaoi it was called Boy’s Love. It’s a genre created by female manga artists back in the day, when females were still very oppressed in Japan, and they didn’t have much occupation outside of nurses and teachers. These manga artists needed to use male-sounding pen names in order to get published, so they created male characters but then they projected themselves onto those characters so that they can go on adventures without the social constraints that they had as females in society.
What I found was that it became very popular later, and mainstream anime industries took this opportunity and commercialized it. Now it is just a romantic genre. No one really cares about the history, or pays much attention to the literature or meaning to interpret and analyze what has actually been drawn or told. What was your primary artistic vision for this project? My vision was to use my own personal experience and my involvement with this community, and to create a body of work that, when it is placed in a gallery the entire gallery becomes a space that is open and inclusive and invites people to talk about their own fantasies, that they may otherwise hide. From
my personal experience, I have been involved with this community for almost ten years, and there is a lot of shame associated with it because it is not heterosexual. In any way. Although most of the girls involved are heterosexual, they enjoy reading gay, homoerotic romance between two men. A lot of times, even their closest friends don’t know about that. They have to find a place to read where no one can see what is on their screen, or they have to wait until everyone is asleep, and I didn’t like that. I felt like we should be able to express this sort of fantasy, and I wanted to create a place to talk about that. When I was in grades 7 and 8, this was the first romantic world that I encountered, so I constructed my world view around homosexuality as the mainstream, or normal, sexual
13 | Major Speak orientation, and heterosexuality as the minority group. So the only way for me to fit into this world that I created for myself as a straight female, was to see myself as a homosexual man trapped in a girl’s body. That created a lot of problems for me, but at the same time opened a lot of doors, because I was able to see things very differently and to experience things that I normally wouldn’t. For instance, I experienced judgement from people because I was very open about my fantasies and I saw people treating me as abnormal or avoiding me because they didn’t like what I was saying. Which is why I really wanted to do whatever I could to offer a safe space and a positive space. An inclusive space. The gallery becomes a place for this conversation to emerge, and they don’t have to worry about the consequences. What was the significance of the images and materials that you used? I used body pillows as the primary material because body pillows signify something that is completely different in asian countries, especially in Japan, than in the west. A body pillow is a very private and sexual object. A lot of guys like to order or print naked girls, either real or animated, onto these pillows, and they can hug them and sleep with them at night. There was even an extreme case in Korea where this guy takes this body pillow everywhere they go, and the body pillow is like his girlfriend. I wanted to take this object out of the private realm and place it in a public place, so that people are educated and exposed to things that exist in the world that they are not aware of. For some body pillows I also added a three dimensional aspect to it. For example, one of them Dōjinshi has
a chain attached to it. It is a bridge between two dimensionality and three dimensionality, where I would like to break the fourth wall between what we look at on the computer screen or on the TV screen versus what is in real life. With that body pillow specifically, with the chain and the image of the guy being tied up from behind, it feels like you could pull on the chain and the image on the body pillow would give you some sort of reaction. Where did most of your images come from, and what was the process of creating and printing those images? Most of them are original. I have appropriated some characters from existing anime, that is a very popular genre in Japan called Dōjinshi, it is the same thing as fan art or fan fiction. Basically the artists take their own spin on the characters, and they create romance or adventure outside of the original story. I did that to spark interest in the audiences who may know which anime I am talking about, as a way to draw them in. Once this is the case, that I was alluding to the age of the character that I drew, so I chose very specific characters in some cases. The original characters, I just simply created them from my head, and most of them fall under the pretty/cute/handsome category because being beautiful is a very important thing in this genre. Usually characters that are liked, meet the specific standards of beauty. One thing that I made sure to include were the images of genitals. Lots and lots and lots of them. In fact I counted with a friend, and I drew in total around 539 penises and 77 vaginas. Give or take, like, 20 plus or minus. That is because all of the images, even including literature of Yaoi and Boy’s Love are extremely
14 | ARTICHOKE censored. It is a very sterile world where the word “penis”, or “nipple”, or the drawing of them, does not show up. They are either just very suggestive, or just blank, and there is a suggestive hand motion or something to show that they are engaging in sexual contact. That is one thing that bothers me a little bit. I’m not sure whether it is negative or positive, but I just wanted to challenge that. What did the project look like in the planning stages, before you started working with the materials? In the planning stages, I actually wanted to create regular body pillows that you could purchase in a store or online. It was set more heavily on the interaction with the audience, where the audience could pick specific body pillows and pose with them, take photos with them, talk with them, treating them like real people. Then I thought about how to actually change the meaning of the pillows, and how to actually critique what is being portrayed. That is when I started looking at whether I should add, for example, genitals onto the pillows. Adding three dimensional aspects. Making them into sculptures instead of keeping them as body pillows. What did you learn or use from the Visual Arts program at York that facilitated the project? What really helped me in terms of making this is installation art. I really wanted to get away from two dimensional work, and I started exploring that in second year, and just it got out of hand from then. I didn’t want to take sculpture courses, because I felt that the material that they wanted us to use was too limiting. So I did my best work in drawing and painting classes where
I had the option to use whatever material I wanted to use. A lot of professors allowed that, so I had that flexibility on my side. Then for this specific project, I started working with the professor in a class called Installation Art. I was able to develop my initial thirteen pillows in that class, and then later on I added another five for a total of eighteen for my solo exhibition. What exactly is installation art? Installation art probably has so many different definitions, but to me and what I am doing, installation is almost like sculpture, but it changes the space around you instead of
having a sculpture that you walk around. You may not even need to interact with it, it is just that you are embodied by the things around you. Most installation art works are fairly big in size. It is almost like a spectacle, and while you are looking at it there is an experiential learning process. Installation art has the ability to transform the space, and in turn, transform or affect how people experience art. Does this project have a future beyond this show? Are you planning to expand it or take the pieces elsewhere?
I
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This art project started off with thirteen pillows, because thirteen is the average age of when girls start to explore and get into Yaoi and Boy’s Love, and it is also the age that I started. Right now there are eighteen, because eighteen is the age where everything sexually related becomes legal. From now on, it is a matter of how much more I want to create and what other genres I want to include. Some people have been asking me, what about Bara? What about Yuri? What about furries? What about all other sexual fantasies? And I will do my research, and make more pillows that talk about those things. Lots of people were also asking me whether I am making any, for example bedsheets, with those patterns, will I
be working with fabric companies or industries to manufacture my own line of penis sheets, or whatever. There is quite a bit of possibility out there. Beyond this project, what do you think the future holds for you as an artist? Personally, I am not just and artist, I am also an educator because I am in concurrent education. So what I really want to do is, yes, I want to do my best to have shows and continue to make art, but what I really want to do is use the experience that I have had, and to transfer that knowledge onto students in the next generation, and the generation after that, to
change the way they see art. Really, right now what they are teaching in school is drawing, or painting, it’s not art. A lot of teachers don’t understand what art is, and they are teaching it. Also, I am really against the idea that artists are bad at math. Math is my minor, so my other interest is to see if I can teach them at the same time, so using art to teach math and math to teach art, integrated. Maybe from that, I will have more artwork that brings those two things together. I want being an artist and an educator to happen simultaneously.
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The Screen Musical Vs. The Stage Musical BY ERIC SCHOENBERGER as a film would typically have a larger budget than a theatrical production along with editing capabilities that are impossible on the stage. However this doesn’t explain why the transition is made the opposite way with films like The Producers and Hairspray which were turned into stage musicals and eventually back into musical films.
The language of film being translated into the language of theatre simply results in that story being told in a different manner and vice versa.
While I may be a theatre writer I am also a lover of film. Yet the medium transition from stage to the screen however has always felt like an odd one to me. While I can understand wanting to add visual elements to something like a novel, a theatre to film transition is a visual medium being transferred to another visual medium. That’s not to say that the two mediums are the same, far from it in fact, and yet it has still always seemed to me like a somewhat redundant transition. The musical in particular I found myself looking at the most as it seems to be the most commonly seen to be adapted. I found myself questioning, what exactly one could get artistically from one medium that couldn’t be achieved in the other? You could suggest that it’s a matter of higher production values
Take the recent film version of Les Miserables starring Hugh Jackman. Even though I personally thought it was a fairly enjoyable film I couldn’t help but see some problems come in when it tried to be more faithful to its theatrical counterpart. The choice to try and make it more like the theatrical version through the use of live performances for instance, in my opinion at least, ended up hurting the film more than helping. It led to the actors often over singing and performing as if they were acting on stage when acting on stage is a far different thing. When trying to tell a serious story like the one seen in Les Miserables these instances of overacting often take away from the tone of the film whether or not they worked on stage. Mind you in more comedic films this over the
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top tone can actually prove to be quite successful, enhancing comedic performances and improving the tone of the film as a whole. Does this mean that the film version of a musical can’t tell a serious story? Not at all. Take something like the film version
of Sweeny Todd which, despite being presented almost exclusively in musical format, has more understated performances which help create a stronger suspension of disbelief and a more serious, immersive tone. Understated that underacting isn’t quite as at home in the stage musical due to a greater need to project your voice to the entire audience as, before the advent of microphones, the design of an auditorium could only do so much to spread out sound. In film though this acting method works quite well due to the advantage of controlled vantage points and sound editing that allows for more avenues in performance.
It’s through these avenues that film can take advantage of elements only it can utilize. It gives a reason as to why this musical which was originally produced for the stage would now move to the big screen with relatively few changes. Theatre on the other hand can capitalize on its history of bombast in order to have somewhat more over the top performances to keep the audience entertained rather than necessarily immersed in an experience. It makes sense then that a non-musical film may be turned into a musical in its transition to the stage as, with less need for immersion, one is given more freedom to be expressive and creative. In many ways it’s not really so much a transition between the two mediums but a translation. The language of film being translated into the language of theatre simply results in that story being told in a different manner and vice versa. It does not mean that one is superior to the other as they’re really two completely different things. Simply two separate creations
that just happen to share a plotline and some characters. To disregard this and treat one of these versions as a poor imitation of the other is not only doing a disservice to those who worked on it, but a disservice to yourself as you’re not allowing yourself to see the performances for what they are, their own story in their own style here to entertain you. So next time you hear about your favourite stage play being turned into a film or your favourite film being turned into a musical try to hold off on your initial judgements and see just what can be done when the show is given a whole new style.
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AN ODE TO
CBC RADIO BY D-M HANSEN
Goodbye, my love, My Endless Love It wasn’t meant to be We were Lovers in a Dangerous Time Ours is a cold and broken Halleluiah This was the soundtrack Our soundtrack To that Paradise from the Dashboard Light and long Drives anywhere, Nowhere, With you (for a Buck65) that will make me forever Lonesome Once You’ve Gone. Oh, how it Cuts Like a Knife. You were Ahead by a Century Right Out of the Gate, but we’ve gotten Lost Together, and now we’re Free Fallin’. The Weight is nearly too much to bear.
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Gone are the care free days Of Mack-in-the-Morning. It’s time to Wake Up Lost forever: the strange and surprising hum Streaming through the Night airwaves That illuminating frequency has been lost At least the Signal still remains For now. But alas Your fate was sealed long before the Stars (came Out Tonight) I guess Business always has to be Taken Care of first. We could feel things start to Shift Our Deep Roots uprooted And now I’m left here only with the Constant Craving Of our Glory Days That Purple Haze I’m just so Blue-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh There is no song left for you. Oh, how I once adored you Glowing emblem that you were The voice in the dark The concert festivals in Victoria Park Why am I left Walking with a Ghost? It’s the worst case of Bad Timing This Crazy Train of a scandal The Q now eternally without its A And to think how just a year ago I itched to tell the tale Of that fateful night when a song was sent my way You seemed a Heart of Gold But I see you’re just Insensitive I guess it’s true: we can be Heroes… Just for one day.
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A buzz sped passed my ear as I saw a small black dot disappear into the background of my apartment. The black dot floated upwards and rested on the white stucco. “Oh no,” my fiancée said as she perked her head over the laptop. That’s the first thing she has said to me in hours. It’s been one of those weeks where everything I do annoyed her. As she stood up the fly buzzed around her head. She swatted at the irritating insect and it continued to move away from her waving hand.
The bug eventually landed on the sofa. I slowly crept towards it. Slammed my hand on the couch. Waited a few seconds. Removed my hand and the bug flew away unharmed. The afternoon sun began to transform and the evening glow of summer beamed through the shutters. The fly was still alive and enjoyed the spacious rooms of our condo.
We haven’t lived together for very long. We’re still in the phase where our little flaws annoyed each other. Things started to come into focus as to how we are as a couple. We have never been alone for so long before. Usually there was an end to our time together, but now we’re only apart when locked in the bathroom or at work. It was almost like we forgot what brought us together. It’s sometimes difficult to see when adjusting to life on your own.
BY CRAIG CLARK
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“ That’s the f irst thing she’d said to me in hours. It’s been one of those weeks.”
“Maybe we need to work together,” she said. “We’re just waving at the air and it keeps flying away,” she disappeared into the washroom and came back with a giant can of hairspray. She began to spray the fluttering black dot. The fly dropped out of the aerosol cloud and hit the floor. I smashed the crippled creature with a magazine and took a step back. We stood next to each other having worked together to vanquish the fly.
We stared at the motionless insect. It laid on the carpet as we stood over it. Its leg twitched and we looked at each other. Our time evaporated into strategies of killing the fly. Although the insect battle raged for a long time it had been a while since we argued. I reached my arm out and touched the small of her back. She sighed as her eyes drooped. For the afternoon our differences had been put aside until the next time a small annoyance fluttered around our heads.
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Photo taken by Breather.
BY CURTIS TE BRINKE
23 | CREATIVE
It was the posters that did it. I left them sitting in my Being stationary was where I slipped up, I should closet all first semester, staring at me every time I went have known to avoid conversation by changing positions. for a sweater. Practically accusatory. First semester third One by one, well meaning relatives ask me what I was year was a rotating kaleidoscope of weird choices, while currently doing with my life (all answers of which seem I swung from anxiety ridden to drunk at the drop of a to baffle them) and what I intend to do afterwords. By hat. All the while, these posters, accumulated from all my the end of it I told an aunt over my wine glass that I previous sleeping quarters piled up and collected dust. intended to “sleep my way to the top. And then...you know. So why couldn’t I just hang the things up on my wall? Whatever.” She stopped asking after that. Maybe it was because I saw my room serving as a Being faced with the chasm of your own uncertainty metaphor for my current state of affairs. Cracked paint, isn’t as enlightening as it seems from the outside. Don’t cluttered with papers, half decorated walls. If this was the get me wrong, I’m not exactly worried about my future. case, I need to get over myself. Its not the future that worries me. Its the now, and the For all of first semester I could not bring myself to way the now becomes your future. tape these posters up. It wasn’t because I was too lazy, and Meanwhile, at York, my walls are still bare. So I they are great posters. Looking back, it was something unpack. Put my new plant (named, in impeccable Dad-joke bigger than I was willing to give credit to. I’m twenty. fashion, “Robert Plant” by my father) in my windowsill Turning twenty- one. Still very young, yes. At this point and listen to the empty sound of the house. And the we are always told how young we are. And I love being posters finally make sense. young. But at the same time, we are all at this impasse of Taping them to the wall was always too final. Too trying to figure our selves out, and wallowing in the mess “hammering stakes”. Too “reaching the promised land”. that is our twenty-hood. I guess there is a part of me (and if I may generalize I rent a house. I have bills and a plant sitting in my here, probably a part of everyone) that is looking for a window. Its mid winter. And I have no idea what I’m going sense of stability in my every day. We want to know that to do with myself this summer, let alone after I graduate, our lives have begun, and that it’s all finally happening. let alone the rest of my life. Not that I need to know these That we are no longer living in the preface of our lives, details immediately, but it can’t help but illustrate how but rather that we have plunged headlong into the story. our youthful naivete and our increasing adulthood start to That our lives as we live them now are within the movie wear on one another. montage moment, not the opening credits. We want our But there I am, still starting back at these posters. instability to have a modicum of stability about Moments like this call for a “Sweet Disposition scene from So, this is it. Set up shop or let yourself be stuck in 500 Days of Summer” moment. But as I am increasingly the in-between. Sitting surrounded by fully decorated aware, The Temper Trap do not soundtrack my life. walls as I write this makes me think that while maybe I Flashback to this Christmas. My (massive) family has have no idea what I’m doing, this is exactly the time to do gathered into one house, and are currently attempting to so. Twenty years old and declaring my own space. This is behave in a way that won’t get brought up next Christmas. the moment where the montage kicks in. We have reached I sit quietly at the counter, drinking never ending glasses chapter three, people. There is no turning back. of wine, and less about making conversation than I am about scoping out opportunity for a perfectly quipped one liner to make myself feel better about the day.
24 | ARTICHOKE
THIS ONE TIME AT
Bandcamp
My Recent Experience Releasing Music Online BY PETER ELLMAN
Ok let’s get the obvious out of the way first: yes, I realize that writing something like this, based on my own experience as a musician, is a little self-centred and narcissistic. I hope that fact doesn’t overshadow the rest of this, but I mention it because I feel a little awkward doing this. Anyways maybe you’ll find something interesting here. This past winter holiday I decided to release my previously recorded EP online, after sitting on it for a few weeks. I had been telling myself that I was busy with school and work, but I was also uncomfortable, shy, and hesitant about putting more music out into the world since starting to study music (my last release was in April 2012, and with no formal music training I didn’t feel that anxious or self-conscious). Back then I released my music for free download
from Bandcamp and Mediafire, and I planned to do the same thing this time around too. This time around I decided to do a bit more in terms of promoting on different social media platforms. I continued my tradition of pay-whatyou-want on Bandcamp plus a free Zip file on Mediafire (with the links to both posted on my personal Facebook page), and also tried my hand at SoundCloud, Last.FM, Tumblr, Twitter, and Reddit. So what worked and what didn’t? I’ll start with the latter and I’ll be blunt: SoundCloud, Last.FM, and Tumblr seem to have done nothing for me. SoundCloud and Last.FM both show only a couple plays each, and my Tumblr post was only reblogged once by a nice friend. Though I uploaded the whole EP to the first 2 sites and made it available for free download, I suspect they are much more worthwhile for artists who already have a following. As for Tumblr, I didn’t expect much to begin with because I have very few followers, and just as few posts.
25 | ENTERTAINMENT
I assume Tumblr would be more fruitful for me if I cultivated more of a ‘presence’ there by posting more and interacting with the few followers I do have. The tried and true method of Bandcamp, Mediafire and Facebook is still a winner in my books. Granted, I’ve been using Facebook longer and more frequently than any other social media site, so that’s not a huge surprise. Mediafire, as a simple source to download Zip files from, is pretty user friendly, and I have about as many actual downloads from it as from Bandcamp. Bandcamp is much more than straight downloads though, with streaming, a pay-what-you-want feature, and perhaps best of all for artists: stats for streaming, page views, and downloads. While my downloads seem evenly split between Mediafire and Bandcamp, the latter gives people (perhaps shy of the commitment of a download) streaming galore, and with the tags and discovery options built in to it… game over, homie. Itunes, lookout. So according to Bandcamp’s stats for my page, many people seem to prefer streaming to downloading. This section also provided the perhaps obvious insight that the first couple songs of a release get the most streams and then they peter off as one gets deeper into the record. Most interesting for me was the page views section, which showed me where people come to my page from. As expected, for the first day or 2 facebook was at the top, with twitter supplying a few views as well. Then a friend posted my music on Reddit, after a conversation we had about the idea, and it quickly shot to the top of the page views section for my stats. I have no idea why this is- my reddit posts weren’t exactly swimming in upvotes. I can only guess that Reddit is just the latest and greatest trend in social media, Tumblr and Twitter having had a few years to cool down. I don’t know. Other
people study this stuff much more than I do. But I can say that Reddit has given my Bandcamp page a lot more views at least. In summary: a) SoundCloud and Last.FM seem to benefit artists who already have a following, b) social media sites might only be as fruitful as your ‘presence’ is cultivated (I use Facebook way more than Tumblr so I got better results there), c) Bandcamp is the best, but free downloads from sites like Mediafire are nice too, and d) Reddit has a strong, built in community of curious, active users. For now I’m taking what I’ve learned from this experience and I’m trying to post a little more regularly on some of these sites. I’ll also try Youtube next time around if iMovie becomes less terrifying for me. In the meantime you can let me know what you think by Googling my name along with any of the above-mentioned social media sites, or just check out peterellman.bandcamp.com!
26 | ARTICHOKE
BY NADIA ROMPAS I MUST ADMIT UP UNTIL last winter I had little to no interest in listening to indie Indonesian music despite having lived there for seventeen years. It wasn’t until late 2013 that the soundtrack for the film Rocket Rain came out and some of the songs stuck with me. From then on it’s been an endless exploration of new bands which consistently proves Jakarta’s music scene as a diamond in the rough. Despite the heavy influence of Western music, the bands manage to have an unexplainable grounding Indonesian flare, be it from singing in Indonesian to hints of nostalgic pop sounds.
White Shoes & The Couples Company Creating music that sounds close to home is the reason why this sixpiece is amongst the most popular in the community. White Shoes & The Couples Company plays funky pop music within a retro framework that starts from their 1930s jazz-inspired sound to their clean-cut 1960s fashion. Incorporating traditional folk and pop notes, this uniqueness has caught the attentions of Chicago label Minty Fresh and Paris-based music video project La Blogotheque. Listen to: “Kisah Dari Selatan Jakarta” (“A Story From South Jakarta”) and “Tam Tam Buku”. Rabu Wednes Mandra and Judha Herdanta are a duo from Surabaya that plays haunting mellow guitar music. Known for their hypnotizing melodies,
listening to them literally feels like driving through a tunnel of your darkest thoughts with goosebumps on your arms. Resembling a stripped back but similarly powerful atmosphere as Beach House, hearing them live was one of the most mentally intense experiences ever. Listen to: “Dru” and “Baung”. Bedchamber If you enjoy the likes of Beach Fossils and DIIV, you will love Bedchamber. The release of Perennial EP via Kolibri Records in November 2014 marked the arrival of the signature Captured Tracks dream pop sound in the Jakarta indie community, and boy, this fourpiece did it well. Listen to “Youth” and “Petals”. Jirapah Started five (or more) years ago as an experimental pop project by Ken
27 | ENTERTAINMENT
Jenie in New York, his decision to go back to Jakarta made Jirapah flourish. Not only are the free serial demos on Tumblr extremely accessible, but the absence of any extravagant production leaves Jenie’s incredible indie rock songwriting talent in the spotlight. Listen to: “Crowns” and “Summer” Glovvess If chillwave is more your thing, this duo may be your cup of tea. With Herald Reynaldo Sinaga on guitar/ vocals and Wing Narada Putra on synths, they create the most eargrabbing fusion of electronic ambient and indie pop that reminds me of a toned down Toro Y Moi. Listen to: “Curiosity” and “Let The Lust Decide (feat. Saski)”. ATSEA Every instrumental track by mastermind Omar Prazhari is an
effortlessly constructed wave of dreamy melodies that makes you feel like you are traveling at sea. Sibling of Bedchamber, ATSEA’s Bleak Tropics EP is darker, hazier, and filled with bluer tones. Currently living in Vancouver, Prazhari has formed a band to play his songs live, so... I guess a Toronto date may be probable in the future? *smirks* Listen to: “Gloom” and “High Tides”. Unsatisfied with this fix of Indonesian music? Check out these online publications and start exploring: deathrockstar.club / whiteboardjournal.com / gigsplay.com
28 | ARTICHOKE
Peace, Love, and Shrek How the meanest and greenest childhood hero of my generation helped change the world BY TAVISH GUDGEON
It started off in a fantastical faraway land, where gingerbread cookies have complex emotions and donkeys are voiced by successful black comedians. It started in the figurative butthole of a fairy-tale world, in the mystical depths of a squalid cartoon swamp. It started with a reclusive ogre who flaunted an attitude as callous as his sickly green skin. It started with Shrek. In 2001, when the film Shrek opened in theatres, audiences and critics alike had no idea what to expect. They had the facts; the film was in constant production for nearly 6 years, it once starred Chris Farley as the voice of the titular protagonist before the actors untimely death and eventual replacement by an especially Irish Mike Myers, it was based off the 32-page picture book of the same name by William Steig, and the rights to the film were once upon a time owned by Stephen Spielberg. But what the public didn’t know was
what the heck this film would be about. Would it be a classical fairytale adaptation in lieu of Pinocchio or Robin Hood? And what no one knew, or could predict, was just how important this film would be. By creating a character and universe so in opposition to the Disney-normative animations of the time, DreamWorks pictures introduced the young millennials to (probably) their first deliciously sinful taste of anarchy. Shrek was an outsider the likes of which children had never seen. He shattered any pre-existing molds for fairy-tale protagonists with his profound toilet humour and affinity for onions. Through his unwavering belief in his certainty of self, Shrek embodied an existential hero; a leader who transcends groupthink. He taught children that it was acceptable to be different; it was OK to construct your own unique values and opinions. Although children’s films often depicted underdogs as
29 | Entertaiment
their protagonists, because children living in an adult reality can inherently identify with characters that are less powerful, Shrek was by far the prominent. This is for two main reasons: Shrek was amusing for children and adults alike, and it helped cultivate a self-referential type of humour for our generation that is salient today. The latter reason facilitates the former because the comedy was the driving force behind Shrek’s proficiency, so let us examine the humour. Shrek may very well have been the first film to employ metahumour to such on such an allencompassing scale. Meta-humour is more than a comedy device for Shrek; it was intrinsic to the plot of the film, which constantly mocked its own Disney-inspired universe with sharp sardonic wit. The Simpsons are renowned for popularizing metahumour, where references to the real world were constantly being made,
for a largely adult audience. Shrek took this principle and introduced it to the kids. What resulted was a film accessible for grown-ups and children. It relies on the viewer’s knowledge of fairy tales and famous characters from their stories; the film operates on a tacit relationship between the real world and the fantasy universe in which it takes place. Humour of this pedigree automatically acts as commentary on an existing society, therefore allowing children to, at least on a rudimentary level, examine their own society through a critical lens. Consider this: When Shrek and Donkey first arrive at Duloc (the kingdom where Lord Farqwad rules) they are greeted by singing puppets. These robotic puppets not only satirize the hoity-toity constructions of Disney, they are also representative of what citizens living in a society like Duloc actually are: puppets who fake contentment through echoing songs of regulations for happiness
and order. The film did not pander; it delivered in a meaningful and real-life applicable way that made it a classic for years to come. I mean, for crying out loud, somebody add Shrek to the Criterion Collection already. Evidence of Shrek’s lasting influence is apparent in constant memes and YouTube videos, which portray the rotund ogre as a pillar of comedy (Shrek is life, Shrek is love). Not to mention it precipitated 3 sequels, 1 movie spin-off, 2 television specials and countless in jokes. Shrek may not be an ideal role model. He surely isn’t perfect, but even upon repeat viewings of the film, children of all ages and shapes and sizes may feel inspired to stand in front of a mirror and sing along to themselves: Hey now, you’re an all- star, get the show on, go play, ‘cuz all the glitters is gold, only shooting stars break the mold…
30 | ARTICHOKE
IT’S OKAY
TO BE ALONE
BY JAMIELYN MARIANO
Humans, by nature, crave companionship – whether by a family member, a lover, a friend or a pet – we all thrive on the interactions that shape our emotional states. This month, as I’m sure many of you are well aware, the pressure of being in a relationship is at its peak; it is our society’s media-hyped celebration of, for the most part, romantic love. There is nothing wrong with expressing one’s love for another; I mean, let’s face it, sometimes it’s a comforting, wonderful feeling to give into the cliché of it all – but what of those who find comfort in their own hearts?
31 | LIFESTYLE
Last year I came across a poem written by Canadian poet Tanya Davis called, “How to Be Alone”, and in its beautiful simplicity, there was a profound message about the concept of human loneliness that parallels the importance of human companionship. As Davis stresses, it’s important to embrace “being alone” because it is a side of us that, in complete solitude, allows us to explore and discover parts of ourselves that in turn helps us to understand the world around us. “Society is afraid of being alone, though.” If you have ever read the poem yourself, or even listened to Davis’ lovely reading of the piece on YouTube, it’s like the words flow right out – naturally, coolly, and effortlessly expressed. Davis emulates the serenity of being alone through her words, but many find it strange to consider loneliness as something as natural or cool or effortless as the poem itself.
In society, the concept of being lonely is often frowned upon, pitied, and closely associated with unhealthy human conditions, when in fact, it can be just the opposite. “But lonely is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless, and lonely is healing if you make it.” People are constantly pressured to avoid feeling and being seen alone because society favours companionship over loneliness. However, having that “me time” does wonders for the mind and body. As Davis explores in her poem, it is in solitude where we can find peace within ourselves; it is in loneliness where we can experience those thoughts and emotions that are oftentimes hidden because of societal constraints. “It doesn’t mean you aren’t connected.”
The truth is, in one form or another, there is always a part of us that will always be alone. Our minds are ours alone, and it’s important to remember to always nurture that side of us, especially as artists. Being alone doesn’t mean we aren’t in tune with the world – in fact, it give us a unique perspective in the interactions and relationships we constantly come across throughout our lives. So the next time you find yourself sitting at an empty park bench or requesting a table-for-one, just remember: it’s okay to be alone.
32 | ARTICHOKE
s p Ti FOR A
SUCCESSFUL
WORKOUT BY MELISSA D’ANGELO
Now that the New Year has begun and you’ve kept your resolution to stay in the gym, you may want to know how to maintain your goal with a healthy routine. I’ve decided to include some great ways to keep up your energy and to explain what a good workout should look like.
carb can be a range of fruits and vegetables or simply a few glasses of juice. Our complex carbs include pasta, breads, or even a bagel prior to your workout.
3. WARM-UP 2. HYDRATION
1. PRE-CARBS It’s important to know that carbohydrates are the primary fuel source of the body, readily available in our blood. Carbs are 50-60% of our daily intake, which provides us the energy we need to get through the day. With this in mind, we need to plan our workout accordingly so as to have enough energy for our fitness plan. Before a workout, we can choose to have a simple or complex carb, where the first provides us with up to ~1 hour of energy and the latter provides up to ~6 hours. A simple
workout, that way you don’t suddenly become hydrated or dizzy during your reps.
Throughout the day, it’s important to keep hydrated at all times. Lack of hydration can lead to dizziness, loss of concentration, fatigue and irritability. It has been calculated that for every 100 lbs of weight, you should drink 2L of water, not including any physical activity that you take part in. Water is lost naturally throughout the day and we must keep it replenished. Some alternatives to your “boring” water can be adding lemon, a natural metabolism booster or mint and cucumber, which act in the same manner. See to it that you try to add a bottle of water prior to starting your
You must always warm up, no matter what. You want your muscles to get loose and warm before you put them to hard work. Whether you ride a bike for 5-10 minutes, roll with a foam roller to take out those knots and warm up your body, do some cardio exercises for 10 minutes or stretch everything for 15-20 minutes. If you should choose to hit those trigger points with a foam roller, some areas of focus are the following (from head down): neck, traps, highmid back, front of shoulders, lower back, glutes, hamstrings, I.T bands, quads, groin, calves, shins and use a ball for your feet.
33 | Section
4. CARRY OUT YOUR PLAN You’re ready to go now, so here are some pointers to keep in mind. First, try to select areas of focus rather than just walking into the gym and using a bit of everything in the room that you come across. For instance, if on day 1 you should choose arms and back, then on day 2 you might choose legs and abs. Try to avoid the same areas of focus two days in a row; you tend to strain the muscles rather than help them get stronger. Secondly, when you do your reps, you want to try to pair certain exercises together to create “super sets” and separate everything with a stretch or 1.5 minute rest. For example, for the mentioned day 1, your first super set could be 10 pushups, immediately followed by 15 curls, and then 12 back crunches. You would then rest for 1 minute and repeat until you’ve done this “super set” 3 times. Then move on to the next “super set” that you’ve decided on. Finally, you should always push through it! It’s hard but not impossible; aim to execute with precision and proper form rather than quantity of reps. Never try to
lift anything that you cannot handle – it’s better to start with less weight and more reps than to jump to weights you can’t lift.
5. COOLDOWN Now that you’ve completed your workout, you want to slow down your heartrate. This means you’re done any cardio for the time being. You want to focus on stretching out anything that may be in pain, and consider rolling out to get rid of any knots that you may have. A cooldown should be no less than 15 minutes. Don’t cut corners!
6. POST-CARB AND HYDRATION You’re done and leaving the gym now. You don’t want your body to feel tired so a great idea is another healthy carb. Take out your snack and make sure you replenish your body’s water supply. Mentioned earlier was
your intake: we’ll assume your daily is the 2L (that’s 4 water bottles) not including prepping and finishing your physical activity. So aim to have another bottle since finishing at the gym and keep in mind the number one rule: DON’T go to take a nap, work through your tiredness and replenish your body so you can feel 100% to get through the day.
For any readers who may be confused with any of the mentioned tips or would like a simple workout to get them started, feel free to contact me with any questions or to meet up at Tait for a little help: I don’t mind getting to know my readers! Also keep in mind that I am one of our very own YorkU athletes so I promise to share my knowledge and make sure you avoid injury at all costs. (dangelo5@yorku.ca) As mentioned in the performance gym: “Don’t throw in the towel, use it to wipe the sweat off your face”.
“Don’t throw in the towel, use it to wipe the sweat off your face.”
34 | ARTICHOKE
look
the
of love
BY DIANA EDELHAUSER
“The look of love has different hues and shapes for each of us, although I would argue that it could be universally found in a smile.”
To pay tribute to Valentine’s Day this month, I thought it only fair to admit that I love love. And as a forewarning, the word ‘love’ will be used many times in the next few minutes. Simply put, I really enjoy moments in time when love is the focus, be it through a conversation or through a piece of art, maybe a stolen moment or even unsaid words. I remember being in Europe when I was younger and seeing all the beautiful women with their handsome men, just looking so in love, and it seemed as though that’s all there is to life: the beautiful look of love. But anyone who’s ever put his or her heart into it will tell you, it’s not always a beautiful journey. Or, at the very least, it isn’t always physically beautiful (I could raise
the question ‘what is this universal concept of beauty I speak of?’ but that’s a discussion for another time). What I mean is this: true love exists independently of outwardly appearances. About a year ago I came across a heartwarming yet equally heartbreaking story about a woman married to the most picturesque man, a dashing Marine. While on duty, the husband suffered facial burns and partial paralysis, of course completely changing his outwardly appearance and initially making it difficult to maintain the spark between them. As time passed, however, she learned to fall in love with him even deeper, not once thinking of turning to other men. And I think that’s so important, to know how to value a person beyond the visual. I could relate that to any sort of relationship, be it a
35 | ENTERTAINMENT
friendship or a romance, or even meeting someone casually for the first time. Too often do we judge and foreshadow relationships based on the way somebody looks, without giving them a chance, and I find that so sad. The look of love has different hues and shapes for each of us, although I would argue that it could be universally found in a smile. What can be better than making someone laugh, or even just making the lips of someone’s mouth shake off a frown? And you know, the reason I can tell you with confidence that love looks differently for everyone is this: take any song, any quote intended to be about an infatuation and realize that automatically your mind wanders to one person. I can guarantee you the song wasn’t written about that
individual, but the tender words always seem to apply. Perhaps it’s because our heart knows to look at the soul rather than the body. If you leave someone because of his or her body, is it really love? I think the dictionary would call that ‘lust’. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of lust, but no great lines were ever written about it. No one ever stuck through tough times for lust. About love, however, one of my favorite lines is this:
“Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences.”
Emery Allen