BUMF // Issue 05

Alice Pomfret // Rory James // Brittany Sutcliffe // Sarah Gomes - Munro // Katie Charleston // Daisy Leigh-Phippard

Harry Dunkerley // Beatrix Hatcher // Elliot Lacey // Rebeka Tarane // Matthew Ponting // Gemma Gibb // Ellie Clarke // Lucy Abbott // Zoe Dennis

Issue 05 // The Earth Issue

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what’s in issue 05? bumf is the student publication supporting the creators within arts university bournemouth, we have 3 strands to our brand these are bumfmedia - our online platform. bumfzine - our printed publication. bumfgallery - our in-house gallery.

Our gallery focuses on student-run exhibitions which are then featured and reviewed on bumfmedia along with any submissions we recieve. Our printed publication comes out termly and aims to cover relevant topics, students work, interviews and reviews of recent events.

Thanks to our great success last year, we are now supported and sponsored by our printers,

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editors letter Hey Pals, So, Issue 05 aka The Earth Issue, is a 24 page newspaper jam packed full of both great visual work and written articles concerning the world in which we live in. This issue came about after a little chat with the Green Team over at AUBSU we wanted to make something in collaboration with them and their events in February.

We’d like to say thanks to everyone for submitting their work, you guys really know how to fill an email inbox sharpish. Don’t be too disheartened if you didn’t make it into issue 05 we are publishing all submissions over on our website from now until eternity (a very long time.)

We hope you enjoy issue 05 and yes BUMF is recyclable.

(Yay) All the Best, Rory & Alice FB // INSTA // TWITTER - @BUMFMEDIA

pg 04

Being an Alien Extra Sarah Gomes - Munro

pg 06

There Was Once A Giant Beatrix Hatcher

pg 07

A Mac Odyssey Elliot Lacey

pg 08

Gushing Gold Rebeka Tarane

pg 10

AUB Goes Green Davina Gilbert

pg 11

Watercolours of the Natural World Matthew Ponting

pg 12

In Appreciation of the Odd Ball Katie Charleston

pg 14

A New World Gemma Gibb

pg 16

The Tempest Ellie Clarke

pg 17

How To Fight a Creative Block Brittany Sutcliffe

pg 18

Imagination Triptych Lucy Abbott

pg 20

Dramatic Context Zoe Dennis

pg 21

Expecting an Age of Art Daisy Leigh - Phippard

pg 22

WWW.BUMF,MEDIA

Wild Country Harry Dunkerley

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Wild Country Harry Dunkerley H: I created this series of illustrations

That notion really resonated with my own

for the Introductory Studies unit of the

interpretation of the locations, and became

Illustration course, in which our brief was

something that tied all the images together

to create a body of work inspired by two

quite well. I aimed to communicate those

locations around Bournemouth, exploring

themes of youth and wonder through

the possibilities of drawing. For my project,

characterisation and narrative, as well as

I chose to base my work on the beautiful

in the image making process itself – most

countryside of the New Forest, as well as

of the illustrations are collage pieces and

Corfe Castle over in the Purbecks, as these

incorporate a lot of instinctive mark making,

were two places I found really inspiring and

scribbling, ripping up paper, and generally

rich in both history and natural beauty.

approaching illustration in a playful, exploratory fashion. However, there is a

Specifically, I wanted to focus on the sense 4

sense of mystery which manifests itself in

of freedom and adventure I felt in these rural the images as well, both in the dark colour locations, something which is summed up

scheme and in the recurring motifs of the

perfectly by this quote from Ralph Waldo

ruined castle and the full moon, and I feel

Emerson, which I illustrated and included as

like these elements help maintain a feeling

a kind of epigraph for the project:

of adventure and discovery.

‘In the woods… a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever in his life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth.’

I took inspiration from traditional children’s fairy tales in the way there is that presence of the ‘unknown’, a certain trepidation or uncertainty in the narrative that moves through the illustrations.

Overall the project has been a good opportunity for me to explore an illustrative style that is relatively new to me, and focus on creating a cohesive body of work which is centred on experimentation and locating my own practice.

www.harrydunkerley.com

ba (hons) illustration level 04 5

Being An Alien Extra

Sarah Gomes-Munro Everything about the day functioned

Another important ingredient in a good shoot

because of planning and teamwork.

day is constant and open communication.

Everybody depended on each other to keep

As extras we were always told where to go,

things rolling smoothly and smooth did they

when to be there and most importantly,

roll.

when we were allowed to go inside to hide from the cold. But even between the different

When I arrived on set on a chilly Friday

teams everybody was chatting and moving

morning, Nina Teixeira (Producer) greeted me around, there was no such thing as staying with warm drinks, snacks and release forms.

tethered to one room just because that was

Her bubbly and talkative demeanour as well

‘your space’.

as the promise of diet specific sandwiches at lunchtime put you in the right mood that

It was a low budget assignment and half

early in the morning.

of the fun was finding ways around the obstacles.

Next one by one we got called into the

Most of the props for the set came from a

make up room where the team, lead by

skip for free, the location was the director’s

Gigi Rainsbury, created downtrodden and

shed and extras were asked to rummage

working class aliens on our faces. Ili Newson, through their wardrobe’s to come prepared.

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Anna Kovalenko and Toshiro Gohma all

There were also time constraints and the

worked together, deploying their best skill

actual physical limitation of how much

on each face to create the unique looks of

film they had to shoot on to consider. For

the alien market place we would soon be

everything to keep working the team needed

populating.

a hands on approach and never was that more obvious than when Alex White (Head of

Sarah Gomes - Munro // BUMF Subject Scout

Once we were ready, we braved the

Costume) employed a bin bag with holes cut

November air and the strange alien magic

in for arms as my jacket accessory. It was

began to happen… On the actual set the

quickly replaced by a leather jacket found

collaborative approach to working was

on a sofa.

very impressive. Marti Guiver (director) and Luke Rogers (cinematographer)

The whole experience can be summarized

worked closely for just the right take,

by Charlie Harris: “It was ambitious, but you

helped out by Connor Wells (1st Assistant

should be” and the outcome of how well the

Camera). They practiced each shot

day went is a testament to how true you can

before taking it on actual real film, minute

prove that sentence to be.

changes were the key to the perfect shot.

Between takes Charlie Harris (Production Design) andErica Harding (Art Director) darted about the set making sure everything was still tilting at the right angle or looking appropriately rusty. As well as them the make up team zoomed around, touching us all up and keeping us extraterrestrial.

Photographs by - Arnas Pigulevičius

instagram.com/bea.hatcher/

ba (hons) illustration level 04

There Was Once A Giant...

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Beatrix Hatcher There was once a giant who lived on his own

sat inside his new home however instead of

under the sea. One day a fishing boat came

feeling happy, he felt sad because he had

and sailed along past him and he became

no one to share his abode with. Soon people

curious about the humans living on the

began to gather in the giant cave, angry

land so he decided to visit the coastal town

and sad that he had stolen their houses.

nearby.

Ashamed of what he had done, the giant On coming ashore in the middle of the night, returned all the houses to where he had the giant looked at all the tiny houses with

found them and he trudged back alone to

the sleeping people inside but began to feel

the ocean. It was beginning to rain as the

sad because he was too big to fit inside

giant approached the sea when suddenly

and visit the inhabitants within. Instead,

he noticed a giant figure coming out of the

he decided that he would build himself his

darkness holding an umbrella to shelter

own giant house, and he used all the little

himself from the storm.

people’s houses as bricks.

Overcome with joy at meeting another giant, Eventually he had piled up all the buildings

he ran to greet his new friend and took him

in the town until there were none left on

to show him around his home under the sea.

the ground where he had found them! He

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www.elliottlacey.com

ba (hons) commercial photography level 06

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Gushing Gold Rebeka Tarane R: Gushing Gold is a part of my ongoing

experience, creating yet another version of

practice where the materiality of paint and

the pieces as soon as they are not viewed in

the different non-painting

person.

materials has been forced to meet on the same surface which allows the materiality to

The work becomes two different works

be explored on the level of chance vs. control. depending on the viewing experience – The paintings aim to explore the current

“live” or online. My current work is rooted

situation of painting in the contemporary

in questioning and understanding the

world where it is often denied as a fully

millennial, post-internet age of viewing art as

recognised participant in the contemporary

well as yet not yet understood stance and

art world.

movement happening in contemporary art, where I believe we are in the middle of a new

The pieces fully concentrate on the process

chapter within painting that cannot yet be

and the materials used which becomes

pin pointed with a term or an “-ism”.

the context of the work – even if minimal 10

traditional processes are used, does this work still count as painting or does it step over into the realm of another medium, and if so – what is this medium? Does work become a part of a certain movement or medium

ba (hons) fine art level 06

once someone says so or does it stem from the process and materials? This ties in with the overall mood of the work, where it aims to self-question its authenticity. The works also aim to go against the currently common way of viewing art –through screen based media – online portfolios, gallery websites, Instagram and other social media which are a big part of the networking and distribution for artists, collectors and galleries and so on. The materiality of these pieces and installations is very important and it cannot be fullytranslated into a 2D based viewing

www.cargocollective.com/rebekatarane

THE WEEK Deforestation Monday (13th)

AUB Goes Green

Get ready for a day of all things tree - and a game that might surprise you. Prizes to be had!

Davina Gilbert The AUBSU Green Team is an environmental

spread so much that businesses are now

society run by student volunteers and

taking part! It is an excellent opportunity to

supported by the Student Union. The Green

learn about our planet, and our impact on

Team started early in 2016 to actively engage it, whilst having fun and trying something

Love Your Oceans Tuesday (14th) This Valentine's Day, we are going to create a participatory art piece to get people caring about what matters!

students on campus in environmental issues.

different. This is AUB's first year taking part in

With an ever expanding group of caring

Go Green Week and we cannot wait.

Bees Knees Wednesday (15th)

student who wants to do their bit for the

Now that AUBSU has a dedicated team of

Wednesday's theme will involve face

Earth, whether it's one off volunteering or

green volunteers to push the importance of

joining in our weekly get togethers.

looking after our planet, why not start with

individuals the door is always open to any

a national campaign and the support of

In collaboration with Friends of the Earth, painting fun…and do you know what would happen if bees went extinct?

Zero Waste Thursday (16th)

Our first event this year was a hugely

universities across the country! Go Green

successful cakes stall on International

Week is a great place for students and staff

Vegan Day, where we baked delicious vegan

to not only make a difference, but to get to

goodies at a donation and gave out pocket-

know their green society.

your wallet.

despite the freezing cold those treats went

Please do not hesitate to ask us anything

Upcycle recycle Friday (17th)

like hot cakes! Next up was supporting the

or get involved.Keep an eye out for our

sized vegan recipe booklets. Needless to say,

finale of a three year project - planting 3000 first ever JUNGLE 4 JUNGLE club night, an

Come and find out how to reduce your waste while helping to save the planet and

Come and reinvigorate your old clothes in a great upcycling workshop, and find out what can and can't be recycled in Bournemouth

trees in collaboration with Woodland Trust

evening of fantastic junglist drum ‘n’ bass

- which attracted many students and was a

to raise money for the WWF charity, and to

huge success. We hope it will continue for

celebrating going green!

just not fair…)

Like our ‘AUBSU Green Team’ Facebook page

Not only will each themed day be in

years to come.

(because it's different everywhere, and that's

to be the first to find out about our club

the Courtyard from 12-2 with a range of

country come together to take action for

night, Go Green Week, and our film selection activities, know-how and interactive games, we will also be hosting a themed film for in the BUMF gallery! If you would like to

environmental issues, especially those they

find out more about the Green Team, or get

each day of the week!

feel hit close to home. The movement has

involved in any of our projects, please email

Go Green Week is a national campaign in February where students across the

us at green@aub.ac.uk and like our page!

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Come and get cosy in the BUMF gallery each day from 4-6pm, grab a free cup of tea, sit back and watch. Don't miss some projection mapping in collaboration with the Creative Events Management team too.

Watercolours Of The Natural World Matthew Ponting M: This project involves my exploration

Throughout the project I explored the

of various natural forms in an illustrative

potential of making my patterns more

context. I’ve always been fascinated by

complex by including more elements

natural forms with regard to their aesthetics

and components. This helped to create

and anatomy. By using a variety of

more charisma and identity within my

watercolour inks and markers, I was able to

artworks. Once the composition of the

create these repeat patterns in response to

design has been finalised, the colours are

different aspects of the natural world.

then tuned in order to create the most aesthetic configuration. The majority

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Each pattern begins with a collation of

of my colour palettes focus on earthy

visual research, mostly identified within a

tones with references to colour theory

particular area of nature. The notion for

and fundamental design practice. Where

each design is then usually developed into

appropriate, I traditionally choose to then

an arrangement of individual watercolour

add finer detailing to areas where I believe

illustrations exploring my chosen theme.

it will enhance the individual compositions

After selection, the finest of these drawings

of the design. This helps give the imagery

are then scanned into Photoshop where they increased definition and visual texture. ba (hons) graphic design level 04

are digitally manipulated in order to perfect their design maturity. I enjoy engaging with

After the repeat pattern has been completed,

multiple processes as I craft my watercolour

it can then be duplicated as many times

artworks by hand to see how they’ll react in

as required to cover a set dimension. In the

a digital format.

final stage, I enjoy applying and drafting my prints onto retail products to gain

This process allows me to develop my style

a perspective on their potential design

of drawing as an artist whilst experimenting

application.

with new concepts, layouts and types of media. Composition plays an important role throughout this process as it contributes towards the core structure of the pattern.

There is a great degree of digital trialling at this stage as each illustration is carefully composed to fit within the repeat pattern.

Instagram // @matthewpontingdesign

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In Appreciation Of The Odd Ball Katie Charleston

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Katie Charleston // BUMF Article Writer Instagram // @katie_charleston

Five designers, born within five months of each other, four of which died within twelve. Each was deeply successful. They were fierce rivals, and fiercer friends. This was the unlikely but true story of design giants Paul Rand, Abram Games, Josef Müller Brockmann, Tom Eckersley, and Henri Kay Henrion. Equally renowned typographer Alan Kitching collaborated with Monotype to celebrate these men’s contribution to graphic design and typography, a little over a century after their birth, in our own gallery here at AUB. I attended the panel discussion surrounding the exhibition, hosted

by Visual Communication course leader Sally Hope, and featuring Alan Kitching himself, in addition to his archivist Daniel Chehade, who is also founder of Studio Chehade, and Naomi Games, daughter of Abram Games, and freelance designer in her own right.

These designers served as inspiration to each other, their competitive nature pushing each to achieve more than the next, and in turn they influenced Alan Kitching in his own work. Alongside Kitching’s work, The Gallery exhibited prints by Visual Communication and Graphic Design students, including my own, influenced by his techniques and artistic style. Our industry thrives because of the inspiration we find in each other, inspiration that we then pass on to our colleagues, and our friends.

When asked about who, and what inspires him, Kitching said

“I see things all the time and think I wish I’d done that, I wish I’d thought of that”.

This was also a sentiment repeated time and time again at this year’s D&AD Festival back in April. God, I wish I’d done that. The affectionate resentment of competition pushes us ever forward.

Competitiveness is not the only quality commonly found amongst graphic designers. It is, to a greater or lesser extent, obsession. When faced with a warehouse crammed full of letterpress blocks, Kitching asked himself,

“Do you want a pension, or do you want the type?”

Of course, he took home the type.

Even with the projects themselves, Kitching described the process as like an actor learning his lines, you learn the script; you learn the project by heart. It’s not a job. It’s a lifestyle.

Naomi Games said that her father often said that courage and curiosity is something designers should have.

It’s the same as in many fields, science and mathematics for example.

Curiosity, leads to experimentation, which leads to discovery. And through the process, we find ourselves acquiring not only knowledge and

understanding, but also new skills.

Skill was something Abram Games was very proud of, showing off his expertise with an airbrush at every opportunity, even when signing cheques. But what if you haven’t honed your skills yet? Chehade joked that when he started archiving, he hadn’t a clue what he was doing, but wearing his white gloves convinced everyone he was competent. “People trust people in white gloves”. Okay, well in most situations, maybe not, but the point stands. Fake it ‘til you make it. Look the part. This is something I certainly find myself doing, presenting my work while wearing the mask of confidence to hide the crippling insecurity in my own ability. However, Kitching noted that something these five men had in common, aside from compiling impressive portfolios of world-renowned work, was that they were all “oddball loners”. He said that, in this industry, you kind of have to be.

At the end of the day, you’ve got to work on your own, and it’s all down to you.

I find that we often idolise successful people, assuming that behind every thought are meticulous, flawless concepts and planning, but Kitching gave an extremely relatable response when posed with the question of why he did one of his pieces of work; it seemed like a good idea at a time.

When discussing the time he first moved to London, he described the district he lived in by saying,

“the shops were lousy, and there were no restaurants, no pubs. It was perfect”.

He also told us about his rejection of technology, which I suspect makes him a bit of an anomaly in this industry. Maybe even a bit of an oddball. But with such a mastery of the letterpress, who cares if all he can do is send emails and see what the time is? Kitching described the letterpress as ponderous, and wondrous, as something that makes you do things you never thought you would do. Even though one fact remains - nobody knows what it is.

But that said, Kitching noted that the success of the design solution has absolutely nothing to do with printing, letterpress, or whatever technique you choose. It’s all about the idea.

Concept really is everything.

I took the opportunity to ask Kitching a question of my own. I asked whether, in a life of so much achievement, he still has goals he hasn’t met yet. He told me;

“I’m still trying to work it out, I relish being invited to a project, and sometimes I just make it up myself.”

You really do have to live, sleep and breathe it. He said he never rejects projects and commissions, there’s always something to get out of it.

Humble as he is, I think we can all learn a lesson or two from this man.

So to anyone admiring Alan Kitching’s work, or reflecting on the lives of Rand, Games, Müller-Brockmann, Eckersley, or Henrion, remember this.

It’s okay to be a bit of an oddball.

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ba (hons) graphic design level 06

Instragram // @22gems

Ellie Clarke

Ellie Clarke E: For this project we got given a design from Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ which we had to interpret. I got given the character of Prospero in a burnt orange colourway, which I was excited to make it as I love textile embellishment and manipulating fabrics. As the costume was so huge there was a lot of mass to cover, so I managed to get lots of the fabric second hand.

For my costume I wanted to create a very textured, rustic look for the cloak to make it feel as if Prospero had been on the island for a long time and to make it look like the cloak was put together with found materials, however also adding elements of his past with brooches - representing him as former Duke of Milan.

Embroidery was a key element to my costume, mainly on the gown. I I used bits of wool, beads, book pages free machine embroidered all of the and scrap materials, as well as using blackwork on the gown - the collar, facing, hem and cuffs. I looked at different textile techniques such as historical references to help with how free machine embroidery, couching and felting to create an effective wild it should look, however made the pattern up as I went along. I feel this and wind swept look with patchwork gave a real beautiful floral period elements. I also spent a bit of time in finish to the costume. the dye room playing around with various coloured dyes and dyeing techniques to create quirky colours that matched my colour way.

ba (hons) costume & performance design

The Tempest

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How To Fight A Creative Block Brittany Sutcliffe Breaking news. Deadlines aren’t our worst enemy. You could allocate a certain set of hours each week to do your project, go to sit down at your desk and have no ideas at all.

Creative block, that’s our problem.

That’s what puts us off doing our work.

That’s what pushes our deadlines. You then have to force yourself to think of an idea, often one you’re aren’t confident on or proud of, that you’re left to base your whole project around.

You’re then stuck doing something you aren’t passionate about, further drowning yourself (boo).

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01) Break everything down into little jobs. Sometimes, being able to tick a few things off in one hit can spur you on to do more.

02) Experiment with different materials. Often trying something new, no matter how disastrous, can either come out better than expected or point you in the right direction.

Nine times out of ten, doing something rather nothing, no matter how far off the beaten track, is going to count towards your work. As long as you can analyse what you’ve done and justify it, you’ll get something from it.

If you’re beating a creative block, it’s never a waste of time. Try looking at Richard Serra’s Verb List to get you started.

03) Try not to work on a sketchbook.

Brittany Sutcliffe // BUMF Chief Article Writer

People are often put off by having to spend time perfecting the look of a double page spread when in actual fact, having ideas are the most valuable part. Work on scraps of paper, envelopes. Anything where you can let go of the idea that the sketchbook is the polished piece of work instead of the outcome. Just, you know, keep it legible.

04) Tea breaks. One of my favourites.

Once you’ve done four or five things off your small tasks list, go take make a tea. To hell with it, why not some toast too. Keeping yourself hydrated and fed, rewarding yourself for ticking a significant amount off of your checklist and giving your brain the

Instagram @brittsut

15-minute stretch that it needs. We aren’t built to work over long periods of time. Even if you want to smash it out all in one go, if you’ve got plans after, you’re going to feel drained from not taking a few minutes out at a time.

I need to get this writing done and I also know that if I carry this work into my bedroom, I’ll procrastinate hard.

I’m not letting myself go to that space until I’ve done it. I’m also right by the biscuits and the kettle. Score.

05) Get out of the house. Nature

09) Take a little book with you. Whilst

everyone has something to say about what’s in them! I can then feed this into my projects to back them up or even churn them into an entirely new piece.

Our brains are built to make new walks are the usual suggestion here I’m at work, all I have to do is put items pathways. Each individual neurone but actually I’m referring to the on shelves so there’s a lot of mindless can form thousands of links with other neurones. Your thought train might stuff that you might consider as activity going on. I have plenty of procrastination. Have a look around thinking time and often ideas come to feel random but your head will put it together eventually after enough tea town. Go for a coffee with a mate. me whilst this is going on. Writing on and biscuits. Hang in there folks.

Often, things come to you at times my arm became impractical, hence you don’t expect them. I got one of I’ve brought the beautiful A6 notebook my ideas for a piece from the way into my life and I’ve never been someone decorated their house party. happier. Here’s to many more happy To go out and socialise without feeling projects, babe. Mwah.

19 bad about it is living the dream for university students.

10) Obvious one now, talking. Use

your sign-up tutorials. Present to your 06) Brainstorming. A little bit of word friends and tutors. They’ll come out association never hurt anybody either. with something like “You know what that reminds me of? Take a look at 07) Clean something. Maybe not the such and such”. By having a different perspective on your work, people can most fun thing on this list but for me, it works. Taking a minute to clear your point out things you never thought of.

Especially try approaching someone working environment or just doing who doesn’t know your work very well, something as mindless as hoovering can give your brain the break it needs they might have something a bit more out of the box for you. whilst you have the reward of a tidy house.

11) Another obvious one, further 08) Break out of your comfort zone. reading. Not just your standard Pinterest flick but the library. If you’ve Most of you can relate to the notion just started a project, this can be that if you go home, you won’t get the most helpful one of all. Reading any work done. I can fully relate to National Geographic, New Scientist, this so I often sit in weird places in my house. To write this, I’m sat on the The Economist. They present big kitchen floor with my back against the concepts that affect us all. They’re easy for people to digest because oven (very toasty I must say). I know

Imagination Triptych Lucy Abbott

L: My Project is inspired by the 'Power of Imagination'. I like the idea of looking into a face but not seeing the mouth, eyes and ears and having to explore what's 'behind the face'.

Everyone has a part of them they may not want to show. Its all about looking into personality and what's within the emotion and facial expression. The book 'The ways of Seeing' by John Berger gave me the idea about 'The Power of Imagination'.

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ba (hons) fine art level 04 lucyjabbott.wixsite.com/mysite

I decided to start by looking on Pinterest for inspiration and to get the project started I made a mind map of all the images that stood out for me. I was inspired by artists like John Stezaker, I really like his work because it's very unusual and thought provoking. It's a simple idea but I feel like it has a big impact and this is something I wanted my work to do. It's really cleaver how artists are able to do this. Another Artist I found inspirational was Tom Butler, he also plays around with the meaning behind peoples fascial expressions. However, he paints and works on top of his images where as John Stezaker's work is edited digitally.

After I researched into the artists and Pinterest I started editing on photoshop to work out how I was going to edit a piece which related to my inspiration. I started by taking a

photo of myself and editing layers of my ink experiments and photography until I found the right combination.

Once I had the right layers I had to get the right shape, this was important because I wanted it to look like an outline of a face, but I didn't want it to be obvious. I then focused on the back ground, I felt like a white space with a faint texture would be best for this piece. For this I copied the finished edited face onto a new layer and turned down the opacity. The reason I decided to do a triptych was because I felt like three faces was a good number to emphasis the power of imagination.

Overall, I'm really happy with how the piece has turned out, to make sure it was provoking thought I asked people what they felt when looking at the piece.

Zoe Dennis

ba (hons)makeup for media & performance level 05

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Expecting An Age Of Art Daisy Leigh - Phippard

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Daisy Leigh - Phippard // BUMF Article Writer

It can be said pretty much unanimously that 2016 will go down in the history books as being a train wreck of a year. From the saturation of hate crimes like the Orlando shooting, to the deaths of icons like David Bowie, Alan Rickman and Victoria Wood amongst others, all the way back to the rise of Trump and Brexit. Every time something new came up we were surprised and more than a little upset.

‘We can’t think about the silver linings right now’ we yelled, but looking back there were more than a few. 28,000 pints of blood were collected from volunteers after the Orlando shootings - the biggest response since 9/11 - and Britain saw its so called ‘inactive’ millennials voice their feelings of betrayal from the older generation openly and furiously on social media as well as through young political representatives. Amongst the arguably unexpected new era of political activism from young people, there are other positive consequences we can expect from 2017 and the future, and they all start on the creative drawing board.

One of the things we know in human history is that when times are hard, art flourishes. You need only look at the introduction of jazz music from the African-American communities of New Orleans in the 1910s, or the development of expressionism in Weimar Germany to see how movements in art have succeeded in turning a dark reality into an expression of emotion or belief that is remembered for a long time to

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come. Famous sculptures like the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin with its 2,711 concrete ‘stelae’ immortalise the memory of terrible events. The creator Eisenman spoke about his work’s suggestion ‘that when a supposedly rational and ordered system grows too large and out of proportion for its intended purpose, it in fact loses touch with human reason’. The moving memorial spanning 4.7 acres in the capital of Germany certainly communicates a loss of humanity with its grave-like uniformity. Likewise, artist responses to 9/11 were used within the World Trade Center memorial as a way of bringing the people of New York City together in commemoration through art. Now, 2016 doesn’t quite stand up to the horrors of some of these conflicts, but they showcase just how vital the arts are to the collective human survival and understanding of our society. These things are sometimes hard to live through but they push people towards creative outlets they might not have used otherwise.

So will the new year bring a sudden tide of artistic expression? The pianist Stephen Hough commented earlier in the year that ‘musicians keep playing when the lights go out, when people are suffering, confused or angry. In every generation, politicians let us down but music can lift us above the fighting and the mistakes’. Art, at its most basic purpose, is to express emotion. When people get emotional, art is often a consequence. ‘In a weird way, we’re in the circumstances in

which poetry can come to the surface in a different, more powerful way because people need something,’ said Richard Blanco, poet, after Trump’s election. His statement can apply to the whole spectrum of the arts, as we’ve already seen in many responses to our changing political and cultural climate. Artist Hank Willis Thomas released a work entitled ‘Thirteen Thousand, Four Hundred and Twentynine’ that hung a flag with as many stars in a photograph, commemorating the victims of gun violence in the US In recent years.

It must be said that many people all over the world have supported the new changes that we’ll see the consequences of in 2017, but with the 75% of people aged between 18 and 24 voting remain in Brexit, and 54% of young people supporting the democratic candidate Hilary Clinton in the US elections according to exit polls, it’s a fair statement to say that the younger generation is moving into an era of politics that widely they didn’t choose. And while the online sphere of opinionated politics can be an aggressive platform, we are the most present and active generation that has ever existed on it. Social media not only allows us a methods with which to stay informed of the changes in our world, but also an opportunity to express our beliefs, frustrations and creations, whether through words, illustration, film, performance or design. Creative types have a bit of a reputation for being rebellious and politically driven, and if

the imagination of the AUB community is anything to go by, in the next few years it is undeniable that we can expect a surge of artistic creations from every direction, especially from young new creators.

Rufus Norris, director at the National Theatre said in June that ‘art can have no boundaries - in spirit as well as in practice.’ In 2017 we move into a new age that seems to hold uncertainty in its hand higher than progress, so maybe it’s time to break out the paintbrush, the pen, the camera, sewing machine, dance shoes and keyboard. And get creating.

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