ISSUE 09
FLUME MISTER LIES WORK DRUGS MICROBREWERIES LEGALLY ADDICTED BANGKOK
MUSIC
07 LEVEK 09 FLUME 11 LOCAL ARTISTS 12 MISTER LIES 13 PAPERFANGS 14 WORK DRUGS 16 SNOWBEAST
QUICKBITES 18 MICROBREWERIES
ART
22 SARAH WINFIELD 24 SHAYLI HARRISON
FASHION
28 ALL DRESSED UP & NOWHERE TO GO
THEATRE
FILM
38 PERTH THEATRES 40 CORPORATIONS AND THEATRE
34 CHLOE HURST 36 VIDEOGAME FILMS
BOOKS
42 ANTIQUE BOOK COLLECTING
TRAVEL 44 CANADA
PHOTOGRAPHY
52 SVEN MAYER: BANGKOK
SOCIAL PROFILE 43 UPSIDE NEPAL
SOCIAL ISSUES
47 RISING WATER COST 48 POPULAR MEDIA ACCESS 50 LEGALLY ADDICTED
CEO’S LETTER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Colosoul Readers, With the support and assistance of Johann from Pigeonhole, Colosoul has recently moved to a prime location in the city. As a result, 2013 is going to be a very exciting year for us - you’re going to start seeing a lot more Colosoul campaigns around Perth and Melbourne. Be on the lookout for the Colosoul Crusaders - doing spontaneous and community-engaging stints and stunts. Whenever you spot a Colosoul magazine or one of our crusaders, send a picture to us via our FB page and you will go into the draw to win some awesome prizes. Recently we had the opportunity to do a promo video for Don’t Drink and Drown in January. The video proved to be a great success, and is available on our Colosoul Youtube Channel! We are looking forward to working alongside Don’t Drink and Drown for future projects. Our Business Design and Media Hub is definitely expanding and we are excited to be supporting local communities and small businesses through this section of the Colosoul Group. For more information on services we provide please check our Business Hub Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/colosoulbusinesshub.
The Colosoul Lights Out Arts Festival in support of Earth Hour for WWF was a great success and we look forward to a bigger and better festival next year. Make sure you jump on board and support local musicians, designers and artists. You can check out the Colosoul events calendar to see upcoming events. By attending these events you are not only supporting the Colosoul Group and helping towards our mentorship program, you are also supporting all our other not-for-profit organisations that are doing fantastic charity work both here and overseas. You can check out who we support under our social responsibility link on the Colosoul website. Colosoul is on the move again for 2013 so be a part of or support an inspirational group of young people reaching out and making a difference where they can through the arts.
WHO WE SUPPORT: Tricia Ray CEO/Publisher/Founder www.colosoul.com.au
OUR PARTNERS:
The Esther Foundation - Perth Halo Leadership - Perth Help Save the Kids - Thailand Fair Tradie Project - Uganda Extinction Sucks - Perth PMH Childrens Hospital - Perth
FA I R T R A D I E P R O J E C T
Student Edge, Ticketbooth, ABN Group, Pigeonhole, Transit, Obese Records, Don’t Drink and Drown, World Online Print The Colosoul Group Inc is open for memberships in 2013 $35 for one year includes a copy of the quarterly magazine and discounts to all Colosoul events. You also have the opportunity to win great prizes throughout the year and receive discounts from our advertising sponsors. Become a Colosoul member today and support our not-for-profit media and arts organisation, which in turn supports young people in the industry. Contact: mag.colosoul.com.au facebook/colosoulmag Editorial: editorial@colosoul.com.au Marketing & Advertising: marketing@colosoul.com.au Administration: admin@colosoul.com.au Want to contribute? volunteer@colosoul.com.au
ABOUT THE COVER:
The cover of this issue features the artwork of Andrew Kuypers, a graphic designer and illustrator from Perth. After graduating from Edith Cowan University with a BA in Creative Industries, he moved to London to work for a creative agency for 2 years. Andrew now resides in Melbourne, where he is freelancing on a myriad of creative projects. Andrew’s personal art and illustrations are developed under the pseudonym – Kype. He is inspired and influenced by nature, geometry, and the interconnectedness of life – playing with whatever mediums he has at his disposal. Check out Andrew’s art/illustrations at: www.facebook.com/akype Instagram: http://instagram.com/akype Design: www.akuypers.com
09: TEAM
Publisher: Colosoul Group Inc Editor in Chief & Magazine Editor: Graham Hansen Director & Events Coordinator: Venus d’Scarlett Creative Director: Lilian Yeow Fashion Director: Marty Collister Copy Editor: Maxwell Keeble Movies Editor: Katie Moore Theatre Editor: Annie Blatchford Music Editor: Nathanael Rice Fashion Editor: Ysabel Tang Social Issues Editor: Ariel Gardiner Photography Editor: Kieran Peek Graphic Designers/Illustrators: Lilian Yeow, Connie Tan, Nastaran Ghadiri, Priscilla Yeow, Lexy Ramirez, Alannah Long, Laura Mosquera, Sammy Kwong, Stanka Budosova Contributing Writers: Nathanael Rice, Rhian Wilkinson, Matthew Tomich, Rebecca Mery, Sarah Henry, Georgia Leaker, Annie Blatchford, Dani Sunarid, Chloe Kyriakis, Graham Hansen, Chloe Kyriakacis, Katie Moore, Matthew Tomich, Alastair Ingram, Andy Chew, Tristan Mamotte, Courtney Rawlings, Ariel Gardiner, Kieran Peek Contributing Photographers: Daryl James De Rozario, Alastair Ingram, Daniel Kwabena Craig, Katie Moore, Henry Whitehead Website developers: Matthew Storms, Melissa Cheah, Harry Court The Colosoul Group Inc is a media and arts NFP organisation which serves as a banner to its other publications, its Fox Feet fashion angency, business hub and is a platform for its events held during the year. These events support other NFP organisations which young people are actively involved in to help others either here in Australia or overseas. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. The views expressed in Colosoul Magazine are the views of the respective writers and may not necessarily comply with those of the publisher and staff. Colosoul Magazine is a publication of Colosoul Group Inc. © 2013 Colosoul Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Globe FROM THE F IN ES T
CORN ER SO FT
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PIGEONHOLE www.PIGEONHOLE.COM.AU
MUSIC LEVEK WORDS BY NATHANAEL RICE IMAGE COURTESY OF LEFSE RECORDS
RIDING THE LEVEK BUS
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT DAVID LEVESQUE
Ever wondered how a career as a bus driver mixes with a career as a musician? Answer: it involves Disney. And Levek. David Levesque, the man behind the steering wheel and the folk act explains. How would you best describe your sound? I would say layered and diverse. The music also comes from a very rhythmic foundation. When I describe the music I try to keep it simple and open-ended. A lot of people have noted the Disney connection. You’ve mentioned that you rifle through Disney VHSs and use imagery from old Disney classics along with other images that are reminiscent of the old Disney era. How does that affect your sound? Honestly, I find it hilarious that I get the Disney thing as much as I do, considering how that Disney description was made years ago before I had a demo or anything. In the past, Disney was a huge influence and I still find the recordings aesthetically wonderful, but it is something I’m trying to move away from to keep moving forward as a musician. Was that a connection you always planned for your music to have? Is this due to a love of these films, or do you just enjoy them visually in the way they fit your music? At the time of the description I was trying to go for an overall aesthetic that people could relate to and attach themselves to. It challenged me to interpret those old films in my own world, and on my own terms. It helped establish the feel of Levek.
You have such a unique sound - distinct and almost surprising. Were there any particular musicians/artists that have influenced it? Every artist has people they steal from. It’s just a matter of how tasteful and slick you are with your interpretation. For me, it’s certain combinations of tones that I listen for when I’m digging on a Francois de Roubaix album or a harmony on an America [the band] song. Foundationally, I would say Bobby McFerrin and Paul Simon were huge influences.
“WHEN I’M BUS DRIVING IT GIVES ME TIME TO JUST THINK OF IDEAS, JUST LIKE SINGING IN THE SHOWER CAN HELP DEVELOP IDEAS” When did you start making music, and how did you get into it? What was the first instrument you learnt to play? I started writing songs the year after I graduated high school. So that would be in 2008. I started messing around with instruments in fourth grade. My father taught guitar to me and by the time I hit middle school, I was banging on the drums. Do you play all the instruments on your tracks? There is a wide range used on the album - did you learn them specifically when crafting these tunes, or have you always been interested in a wide range of instruments? On the old material it’s all me for the most part. On this new album I wanted
to involve my talented Floridian friends. Usually I’ll use a song as an excuse to start leaning an instrument. I won’t hesitate nowadays to bring in outsiders to play instruments like clarinets and saxophone. You released your debut LP, ‘Look A Little Closer’, on September 25th – did you do any touring to support it? Any plans on coming to Australia? Have you been over here before? Yes! As Levek is a six-piece band now, we hit the road fairly soon after the album came out, mainly around the US. We would absolutely love to come to Australia. I’m a fan of what has been coming out of that region for quite some time now. I’ve never had the pleasure though. I hear that you are a bus driver? How does that mix with making music? When I’m bus-driving it gives me time to just think of ideas, just like singing in the shower can help develop ideas. I have to ask, do you drive your own tour bus? I don’t have a bus personally, the collective (Milagros) that I’m involved with does and I have had the chance to drive it on our tours in the past. What is your favourite Disney film? I would have to go with Pinocchio. Every element of the film is spot on from the art to the character development along with a great soundtrack of course. Levek’s EP and LP can be purchased from fatherdaughterrecords.bigcartel. com/ and lefserecords.bigcartel.com/ respectively. COLOSOUL 09 |07
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MUSIC FLUME WORDS BY NATHANAEL RICE IMAGE COURTESY OF BOSSY MUSIC
THE WAKING FLUME
HARLEY STRETEN HITS THE BIG TIME It seems like years have passed since I sat down to chat with Harley Streten, who performs under the name ‘Flume’. Certainly a lot has changed for him over the past few months, since our chat in October. After listening to his self-tilted debut LP, my mind was blown. It’s not every day you hear a debut so gamechanging, genre-bending and all out awesome from any artist, let alone a 21-year-old lad from Sydney. I had previously seen Flume play at Perth’s Wonderland Festival and also had the privilege of catching his set at the Triple J House Party tour. I was rather impressed by his performances, but at that point the only track I had heard was ‘Sleepless’. Though it was and still is without a doubt a killer tune, I was unsure if he was capable of creating an album’s worth of songs as strong as this one. The first song set the bar so high, I was unsure if he was capable of sustaining the high standards he set upon himself. So when I was sent through the record, it was with cautious optimism that I pressed play. I should never have worried – his debut is a fantastic release, certainly near the peak for any Australian artist in 2012. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to have a chance to chat with him on the day before the first official single ‘Holdin On’ dropped, ahead of the album’s release a few weeks later. Of course, neither of us knew at that point that ‘Holdin On’ would become one of the biggest hits of the year, scoring Flume the number four spot on the Hottest 100, and that the album would go platinum and hit the number one spot on the ARIA charts. What I was aware of was that the record deserved the kind of recognition it did eventually go on to receive, and I did get the impression Harley was quietly optimistic and anxiously confident about it too.
Famously getting his start from a music mixing software disc found in a cereal box when he was just a kid, Streten always wanted to do something involving music but never really planned to make it a career or gave it enough time. ‘I just made the decision at some point to really commit to making something of it, putting proper time and effort into it. I started fucking around on my computer a few years back, but just in the past year it has become a more serious work thing.’
release his debut after he has had time to properly tour it in Australia, and only after he finds a label he is happy with. ‘We are just looking for the right kind of label to put it out in the US. We already have something lined up for the UK and Europe, but we want to get the right people involved for America, so we are going to go over, meet a lot of people and go from there. I think it will be good to meet people face to face rather than through email all the time.’
“I STARTED FUCKING AROUND ON MY COMPUTER A FEW YEARS BACK, BUT JUST IN THE PAST YEAR IT HAS BECOME A MORE SERIOUS WORK THING.”
Flume is signed to indie upstart Future Classic in Australia, who found Streten through an original artists competition, and Transgressive Records in the UK, who have an impressive roster of artists including Johnny Flynn, Mystery Jets and Two Door Cinema Club. Not bad considering that eighteen months ago he was virtually unknown. Streten also alluded to the fact that there had been a fair amount of interest in the States, and since our chat has been signed to Mom + Pop, alongside bands like Wavves, Sleigh Bells and Tokyo Police Club.
Even before the huge wave of fame, you couldn’t argue against the fact that 2012 for Flume was pretty massive. Streten seemed to agree. ‘The Triple J house parties were all super loose, there were a fuckload of glitter cannons and all of them were sold out which was sweet, they were a lot of fun. I also did Parklife, which was the first touring festival I have done and was crazy good.’ Streten also has been working on a side project called What So Not, which he describes as ‘a lot heavier than the Flume stuff. Emoh (Chris Emerson) and I have been making tunes every Thursday together for 2 years now. It’s a lot of fun and I’m pretty proud of the new stuff we have. It’s a lot stronger than anything we have released previously.’ The week following our interview, Streten was actually set to head off to the states for the CMJ Music Marathon. ‘Basically it’s a music concert in New York. I will be doing a heap of showcases to get the music out there, which is pretty exciting.’ Streten explained that he will wait to
With a number one album on the ARIA charts, four tracks in Triple J’s Hottest 100 (the most for any artist or band in the 2013 list) and a multitude of women begging for his babies, along with the rare feat of managing to crossover to the mainstream while maintaining indie cred, Streten’s last twelve months are a striking and remarkable achievement, and the fact that he has managed to stay reasonably humble is a testament to his maturity. Expect big things for Flume during the second half of 2013 as he is poised to hit it big in both Europe and the US. For all the fame and all the hype that surround Harley Streten, he and I still have at least one thing in common – we both wake up the same way. ‘I have had a good morning. I woke up an hour or so ago, had some breakfast. The day has begun.’ It certainly has. COLOSOUL 09 |09
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LOCAL MUSIC
SHINING A LIGHT ON LOCAL ARTISTS MAMA KIN
always some kind of cost … emotional, spiritual or physical cost, you can’t be in two places at once.’
Mama Kin herself, Danielle Caruana, is camping for the whole of January with her family in southern WA – out of phone range, she adds. She’s made the effort to get back in range so we can talk about her new album, Magician’s Daughter, released in February this year.
‘It’s all a bit abstract but it was fun to make!’
Mama Kin’s first album Beat and Holler (2010) received nothing but positive reviews: Danielle is celebrated for her vulnerability and boldness, and her soulful personality. Danielle gets asked a lot of questions about the way her musical upbringing has affected her sound – she says it’s never one particular place that it comes from. ‘The main thing I go for in my music is connection through movement, hearing a story in a song or a song that just makes your hair stand up on end, or hearing a groove you just that you want to dance to or that you want to let go to, or hearing a song that completely epitomises the particular brand of heartbreak you’re having at the time.’ ‘I think music has a great way of communicating things that as human beings we sometimes feel that we’re isolated in, so for me it’s about movement and connection.’ The film clip for ‘Was It Worth It’, the first single from Magician’s Daughter, is hauntingly beautiful and quite unnerving. The inspiration for the clip is taken from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - the scene in which Truly Scrumptious is turned into a clockwork doll - but Danielle’s take on it is slightly darker. ‘The video clip ended up illustrating this idea of being this thing that had compromised way too much to be in the position of the dancing doll before the glass, and the separation and the emotional cost was far too much and caused lots of pent up anger in the dolly.’ ‘The song is about the idea of constantly having to toss up between what you want and what the cost is for that thing, it’s
Danielle mentions that she’s been writing – for her family camping holidays are a time for creation and music. With talented husband John Butler and a brood of three children, camping must be a noisy affair, but a welcome break from the busy lifestyles they lead between touring and recording. The Magician’s Daughter tour will be a three-month affair, March, April and May of 2013 and will feature appearances at the Nannup Music Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival, West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots and the Fairbridge Folk Festival.
WORDS BY RHIAN WILKINSON IMAGES COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS DESIGN BY LILIAN YEOW
In 2012 Bears and Dolls played at ScorcherFest and AmpFest as well as supporting Gossling in May. With a big year ahead for 2013, Josh Ellis (drummer) said there was a tentative plan made to release an EP in July, ‘if all goes to plan’. Watch out for Bears and Dolls in the coming year; they’re as beautifully peculiar as they’ve always been.
CHINA DOLL China Doll is the name for familiar faces Spoonful of Sugar. Their debut EP was heaped with praise and 2013 sees them set to release a second and hopefully equally as saccharine EP. Produced by Joel Quartermain of Eskimo Joe, China Doll’s second EP will be launched early in April.
Six band members may seem excessive to some, but for Bears and Dolls it works perfectly. Describing themselves as a ‘group of quirky music-forgers’ their infectious indie-pop is bound to get you dancing, or at least swaying a little bit.
The band’s sweet folksy sound has been gaining recognition and air time from local radio stations and in the industry. 2012 was a busy and successful year for the band; ‘Jump’ was nominated in the folk category for WAM Song of the Year, they took out the Emerging Artist Award at the Nannup Music Festival, and were selected as one of three finalists in the Breakthrough to Blues and Roots competition.
Formed by brother-sister duo Brooke and Tyson Wilkie, all six members of Bears and Dolls are studying contemporary music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Unquestionably a group of talented individuals, the standout point for Bears and Dolls is the way they embrace what other bands often neglect: classical instruments.
2013 will see a year full of festivals for China Doll, kicking the year off at the Nannup Music Festival, the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival and the Folkworld Fairbridge Festival. Lead singer Karin Page’s solo work has won her a place in the finals of the Telstra Road to Discovery competition in Tamworth.
Brooke’s flawless vocals blend over the top of soft violin and an indulgent guitar line. The prominence of violinist Hana Lee-Smith in ‘Mr Wolf’ brings a dynamic extra layer to the track.
China Doll is comprised of Karin Page on lead vocals and guitar, Elliot Smith on drums, Joe Southwell on the double bass and Jacob Diamond on guitar, vocals – and interestingly harp.
January 2013 saw the departure of keys player Kim Heberley to pursue a solo career. Bears and Dolls said they hope their fans will love her replacement Melissa K just as much as they do.
The use of non-conventional instruments in popular music is on the rise. The harp and double bass China Doll employ are engaging and add depth to their otherwise sweet indie folk sound.
BEARS AND DOLLS
COLOSOUL 09 |11
MUSIC MISTERLIES WORDS BY NATHANAEL RICE IMAGE COURTESY OF LEFSE RECORDS
TELL ME NO LIES NICK ZANCA JAZZES THINGS UP
Mister Lies is the alias for Chicago musician Nick Zanca, maker of warm, ambient electronic tunes best suited for late nights and early mornings. We jumped on Skype a few months back to chat with him, while he was busy at work on his debut album Mowgli, which dropped in late February via Lefse. What was the first track you released? That was ‘Hidden Neighbours’. It was done in my dorm room in the middle of winter and was the result of seasonal depression [laughs]. Weren’t you studying music in college? Music is kind of my flesh and blood. I initially started studying that but had a falling out with it because there were so many rules. I think when you are making something that’s so personal to you, there shouldn’t be all these rules and restrictions. Art is all about experimentation, there is no dichotomy. So I got disillusioned and started studying philosophy instead. What have you been listening to lately? I have been listening to a lot of ambient music lately. I was at Pitchfork Music Festival and was watching everything from side of stage and Oneotrix Point Never really struck me. The way they use sampling is really unorthodox, it’s not the way you would see Avalanches or DJ Shadow – the entire album is made out of commercial sounds which I thought was great. I have also been listening to
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# 8
these kind of retro-based synth samples used in a futuristic way – kind of like Hype Williams. And I’m always listening to Steve Wright, Terry Riley, and a lot of jazz like Nina Simone and Chet Baker. Does any of the jazz come through in the new album? I don’t want to say how it’s influencing the record right now, but I think it will make a lot of sense when you hear the new stuff. I kind of want it to be discovered as you listen. Initially I really wanted to go big with this new record and work with orchestral instruments. I kind of decided to stop, slow it down and just go wherever it took me, because whenever I try and wow people I end up making the worst shit I have ever made [laughs].
“ART IS ALL ABOUT EXPERIMENTATION, THERE IS NO DICHOTOMY.” You initially were anonymous under the Mister Lies moniker – what are your thoughts on artists staying masked/ hidden at live shows? I do think the whole idea of masking yourself to the crowd has been done to death. Everyone is trying to fucking be Burial these days and trying to make it about the music. Which, granted, is respectable and I can appreciate it, but it is overkill. I guess initially I wanted to make it about the music and not about my age – I’m such a young person, I mean I’m turning 20 in the fall, and I feel like there are a lot of young producers out these days, like XXYYXX, who is a great producer but people can sometimes turn their back because he is 16.
I never realised he was 16! That is crazy! I’m telling you dude, they are only getting younger! We all used to joke that 19 is the new 22 for producers, it was the age where people were starting to blow up. Now you have these 16 year olds who are killing it, so now I think 16 is the new 19. A lot of people attribute it to the internet, which is probably fair. It’s a lot easier to get attention on a worldwide scale. Would say the Internet helped you get exposure? It seems like you got noticed online pretty much immediately. Yeah, definitely. I started Mister Lies in Jan 2012 and then Pitchfork got a hold of it in March because I knew some bloggers and the Pitchfork writers looked at those blogs. Not to be cliché and say it’s about who you know, but it kind of is [laughs]. It all was going so fast. It was scary how fast. I am really blessed and thankful. How is the new album coming along? Great! I think it will feel less like beats for rappers to spit over, it definitely feels more song oriented. I’m really trying to study the form of the album, records like the untitled parenthesis Sigur Rós album and [Radiohead’s] Kid A have always fascinated me. They have that first side which is geared towards a very light and ethereal mood and then side B is very dark and brooding. It is definitely a change of sound. There is one important difference and I kind of want to keep that a secret until the record comes out. I’m really excited about it!
MUSIC PAPERFANGS WORDS BY REBECCA MERY IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
TAKE A BITE WITH PAPERFANGS REDISCOVERING THE MYSTERY
Paperfangs came alive in 2009 and is a collective of three daydreamers from Helsinki and Tampere, Finland. Their original idea was to combine aspects of audial, visual and audiovisual expression, and the resulting sound and aesthetic is instantly unique, intriguing and involving. Previously, the band has released a digital single for the Norwegian label EardrumsPop and a cassette EP titled AAVVAV (audial, audial, visual, visual, audiovisual). Just before the release of their debut LP, Past Perfect, Colosoul chatted with front man Jyri to chat about the new record, the relevancy of the album in today’s age of reduced attention spans, apocalyptic zombie attacks and more. Who are Paperfangs? Jyri, Tarleena and Mikko – a brother, a sister and a friend. What can we expect from your debut LP, Past Perfect? I think the overall sound has evolved a bit. We’ve tried to move away from the niche and simply create what we think would be our take on a pure pop album. The sounds are warm and more traditional, which for us is a bit experimental. You’ve said that Past Perfect is a ‘concept album’ – what’s the overarching theme/story? Basically, it’s all about layers and overlapping stories. Parallel stories, you might say. It wasn’t our purpose to make it intentionally mysterious, but I think there are elements that will open up after a few listens.
What do you think constitutes a concept album in 2013, and do you think that definition has changed since the concept album’s glory days in the 1960s-70s? Although the process of writing and recording the music may have changed, we think the idea of a concept album hasn’t changed that much.
“PERHAPS POP MUSIC MORE AND MORE THESE DAYS IS THE PARENT TELLING US BEDTIME STORIES AND NOSTALGIC TALES BY THE FIRE.” Maybe nowadays they move more around the themes and stories, and in that sense this might be a golden time for concept albums. People yearn for narratives, something whole. And as storytellers go, perhaps pop music more and more these days is the parent telling us bedtime stories and nostalgic tales by the fire. While looking after the album as an entity, we also wanted to make every track work individually as well. In an age of downloading and supposedly reduced attention spans, do you think there’s still room for or relevancy to the ‘album’ as an art form unto itself? There’s no denying that the mystery of the album has faded in our time, but we believe it’s a form to keep alive and polish up. And there is something really spectacular about it: making an album, no matter what the outcome even, it’s
instantly a voice in its time and an album next to all the albums in the history. You guys seem to have an attraction/ fascination with voices and images from the media of a bygone era. How much of your music is informed by a sense of nostalgia? It’s an inner longing for both our childhoods and to places we have only seen in black and white movies. It’s a longing for innocence, goodness, blueeyed pureness and James Stewart’s accent. It’s possibly a longing for times and places that never existed, but the idea of them does. Nostalgia is a wonderful medicine. If you could tour with any band or artist, living or dead, who would it be? We’d love to see us touring with any solid ‘60s girl group. Shangri-La’s maybe? Or then again something from the ‘80s, The Pastels, The Wake, St. Christopher...! If, on said tour, the zombie apocalypse struck, how do you think you guys would fare with your answer from the previous question? I think our fangs would be a good protection against all scary things. We should have said The Zombies; we would definitely love to tour with The Zombies! Would you rather take on one horsesized duck or twenty duck-sized horses? Are we battling against the other — or the zombies? Or The Zombies? We’d pick the peaceful route and ride the horse-sized duck into the sunset.
COLOSOUL 09 |13
MUSIC WORK DRUGS WORDS BY MATTHEW TOMICH IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
ALL HANDS ON DECK WORK DRUGS SET SAIL
Hailing from Philadelphia, USA, Benjamin Louisiana and Thomas Crystal of Work Drugs describe themselves as a sedativewave/smooth-fi group who make music ‘specifically for boating, sexting, dancing, yachting, and living.’ So essentially, they make music for you. And don’t try and tell us you fall into the ‘living’ category – we know what you use your phone for. How did Work Drugs bring in the New Year? It was a fairly low key New Year for the Work Drugs crew. A nighttime cruise around the French Riviera with some friends. Champagne and cheese to close out the evening. We were even able to squeeze in a little acoustic ‘Cayman Islands Session’ on the beach for a few fans we met down there. The ‘Rad Racer’ video feels like the marriage of disco and old-school video games – are those two things you guys are fans of? I would say that’s a fair assessment. We love the music of the original Rad Racer video game, but we figured it was time for a refresh. We happened to be listening to a fair amount of Italo-disco at the time and, well, Rad Racer came out of those sessions. It’s amazing that the song is almost two years old right now and people are still discovering it. The two of you met in sailing school – would you say boating or music is your main passion now? After Hurricane Sandy, there is a lot of work ahead of us to get the Lady Flying Zambo seaworthy again. Fortunately it’s winter in the States and sailing isn’t too fun with this wind chill. I guess music is the main passion right now by default. 14| 09 16COLOSOUL |colosoul # 8
There’s also the underlying oceanic theme through the music – again, in the artwork and in songs like ‘Third Wave’. What kind of music do you think you’d be making if you grew up in the Midwest or the South, instead of Philadelphia? I really can’t imagine what kind of music we’d be making. Maybe smooth-country jawns? Maybe we wouldn’t have even met.
“WHETHER THE MUSIC REMINDS YOU OF YEARS PAST OR INVOKES THOUGHTS OF THE FUTURE, IT REALLY ISN’T A CONSCIOUS DECISION ON OUR PART” Your music’s often described as chillwave – the Guardian even used the term ‘yacht-rock’, seemingly referencing your sailing background. Do you feel like labels are accurate, or just an example of lazy writing and buzzwords gone too far? We don’t really listen to labels or try to make music that fits into whatever the latest buzz genre is today. We just try to make music that we like and, well, if others like it too then that’s even better. I think my favourite new genre is cokewave. The tinted imagery of your artwork and the dreamy textures of your music lend a reflective quality to your work. Do you consider your music nostalgic? Do you
consider yourselves nostalgists? I think our music and lyrical ideas are somewhat vague. We like to keep it open to interpretation. Whether the music reminds you of years past or invokes thoughts of the future, it really isn’t a conscious decision on our part. Would the perfect Work Drugs show be on a boat? Perhaps SS Coachella 2013? That would be amazing, although I heard the cruise didn’t sell as well as they thought it would. Regardless, they still haven’t responded to our flares. Maybe someday? Given that your music’s built on dense, rich textures, do you ever find yourself asking ‘how are we going to perform this live?’ in the writing process, or does that not come into play at all? It absolutely comes into our writing process. We always try to think about the best way to arrange a song while still trying to keep it simple enough for us to play live. We are not fans of laptop acts and we would never try to incorporate that into our live set. Luckily we have a pretty talented band that can pull off almost anything we throw out there. What’s on the horizon for Work Drugs in 2013? Hmm let’s see. A little US tour in March. At least two new albums. Many new videos. Hopefully a few European festivals. Lots of sailing too. Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or ten duck-sized horses? Definitely ten duck-sized horses. You can pick up Work Drugs latest album, Absolute Bearing, at www.workdrugs.bandcamp.com.
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MUSIC SNOWBEAST WORDS BY NATHANAEL RICE IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
HOWLING IN TWILIGHT COUNTRY THE SNOWBEAST REVOLUTION
Snowbeast first caught my attention with their brooding vocals, reminiscent of Nick Cave, Matt Berninger (The National) and Tom Waits. Hailing from British Columbia, Snowbeast consists of Riun Garner, Brayden Pichor and Jonathan Nickel, who spent a few weeks in a church campground writing and recording their self-titled EP released in November 2012. The track ‘A Howl Like A Wolf’ was picked up on BIRP’s ‘December 2012’ and ‘Best of 2012’ playlists, alongside names such as Beach House, Fanfarlo and Tame Impala. Not bad company at all. We reached out to talk with frontman Riun Garner while he was in the midst of writing their debut album. Hi Riun! Hi there! What are you doing right now? At the moment we’re in the process of writing a full-length album for 2013, and we’re really excited about what we have so far. Are you listening to anything at present? Brayden has been listening to a lot of country music, and I have been listening to the Spring Awakening soundtrack for my upcoming role in a Vancouver production of the musical. How is British Columbia this time of year? Have you watched the movie Twilight? It’s like that year round. Why the name ‘Snowbeast’? We bonded over the album Snowbeast by Luke Temple, which has been the horsehoof glue that has kept us together. How many people are in the band and how old are you guys? First of all, in Canada it’s rude to ask a 16| COLOSOUL 09
man his age, but if you must know, we‘re all fairly young lads from twenty-one to twenty-five. There are three of us: Brayden, Jon and I. Sorry for being so rude. You’re forgiven. How would you describe your sound? It’s hard for us to put it into a genre, because the project is a whole new outlet for us in terms of music. It’s as if we’re the quiet kid in class the day he spazzes out.
“IT’S AS IF WE’RE THE QUIET KID IN CLASS THE DAY HE SPAZZES OUT.” When did you start creating music? Collectively, we met in 2010, and we’ve been jamming in my parent’s basement ever since. Your voice is quite brooding and low. Were Nick Cave, Tom Waits, The National and the like influences on your sound? Weren’t those the guys from The Monkees? If they were, then yes. But, if not, then no. What are your thoughts on Australia – have you been here before? Brayden’s family is actually from Australia. His grandma was born and raised in Toowoomba, but none of us have ever been. Any plans in the future of coming over for a bit of a show? It has always been a dream of Brayden’s to visit/tour his blood land.
What are your thoughts on the state of the music industry - where do you think it’s heading in the next five years? It’s in a bit of a rut right now. Boy bands are making a bit of a comeback, which is never a good thing, but as long as people are always searching for new music we believe they will find it. What’s the scene like in British Columbia? We’re a little fed up with the current scenes. On one side, you’ve got the growit-yourself vegan hipsters, with their tattered cardigans, who work part time as baristas in fair trade coffee shops, putting on exclusive house shows where a dude is crumpled over his electric guitar next to a lamp you‘d find at your grandma‘s house. And on the other side, you have sold out cutesy pop bands playing at churches that charge too much for tickets with kids slightly bending their knees and calling it dancing. We plan on tearing down those walls and starting something different… A revolution. Ok, Pick one album that you couldn’t live without. Riun: Chad Van Gaalen - Soft Airplane Brayden: Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake And It’s Morning If you could tour with any band or artist, living or dead, who would it, be? Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, Spice Girls (in their prime), and Justin Beiber (always). Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or twenty duck-sized horses? After much deliberation, we decided on the horse-sized duck so that we could tame it, and then ride it around the county being vigilantes. We’d name him Sheriff Quackerton.
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QUICKBITES
CRAFTING THE PERFECT BREW A LOOK AT THE MICROBREWERY SCENE
SAIL AND ANCHOR
64 South Terrace, Fremantle WA Fremantle is a veritable hub for microbrew aficionados. Stroll beyond the juggernaut that is Little Creatures and you’ll discover two other gems located nearly directly across from each other on the Cappuccino Strip: Sail and Anchor and The Monk. Sail and Anchor’s actual brewery is currently just for aesthetics, but its signature brews are alive and well, thanks to other breweries which are subcontracted to produce the recipes. Sail and Anchor hosts about a dozen brews and ciders at any given time, some of which are their own. The others are a mix of local WA and other Australian beers, as well as international labels. In a land where palates for bitter brews like India Pale Ales are still in their infancy, Sail and Anchor does a good job of providing horizon-broadening exposure. 18| COLOSOUL 09
Nothing goes better alongside a cold pint than some home-cooked nibbles. Sail and Anchor provides $15 weekday lunch specials, as well as a “deal of the day” with pun-happy names like Parma-gedon Monday ($10 chicken parmigana), the Wednesday Hump-Day Helper ($10 pizzas), and Thursday’s Nice Rump (rump steak) for $14. Try the wagyu burger on an otherwise drab Tuesday and you’ll be treated to a juicy patty with a savoury-sweet combo of blue cheese and caramelized onion jam with chips on the side (a small but worth it $10 portion). Patrons can enjoy the casual brewpub atmosphere of Sail and Anchor inside, but why would you with Fremantle’s notoriously lovely summer weather and upstairs outdoor seating available? Perch yourself at a table on the weekend on the balcony and enjoy the street shows and throngs of people heading to the markets that make up the quintessential heartbeat of Fremantle at leisure.
THE MONK
33 South Terrace, Fremantle WA Gaze up across the street from Sail and Anchor and you’ll see The Monk, an open-air brewpub. All beer is brewed on the premises, so customers can expect ultimate freshness. The usual suspects are all accounted for, such as ales and lagers, but also lesser-known varieties like rauch and kolsch. One characteristic of rauch, a Germanstyle beer, is a smoky flavour created by drying out the malted barley over an open flame. Kolsch, another German-style beer, originally comes specifically from Cologne in Germany. Much in the way that true champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France, the Germans are fiercely protective of Kolsch, and enacted a doctrine in 1986 that states kolsch can’t be brewed outside the Cologne region. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, however, and The Monk serves up a crisp, hoppy kolsch that does the name justice.
QUICKBITES
The Monk menu is tailored to complement the beer, and sometimes beer is actually integrated into the dish itself. The rauch cheese plate, for example, is beer blended with cheddar cheese and mustard with various accompaniments, while the fish and chips are both beerbattered. Main meals go beyond the runof-the-mill options, with both goat and duck making appearances. Although a tad on the expensive side (chicken Caesar salad weighs in at a whopping $24), the quality and freshness are unassailable. If you’re just going for chips, order the Spanish frites; the beer-battered chips, while good themselves, are accompanied by a rather bland, watery (albeit organic) ketchup. Diners can sit al fresco and watch the world go by on the street below, providing a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere.
ELMAR’S IN THE VALLEY
8731 West Swan Road, Henley Brook WA
Head past the hustle and bustle of Perth to Swan Valley, and you’ll encounter another microbrew mecca: Mash, Elmar’s in the Valley, Feral, and Duckstein are all in close proximity of each other.
Elmar’s may be as well known for its German meats as it is for its German brews. Traditional dishes are paired with German beer, and authenticity is placed at a premium. You’ll truly feel as though you’ve sat down in a Bavarian beer hall during Oktoberfest, complete with live music on the weekends. Elmar’s maintains that there should be only four ingredients in beer: water, hops, barley malt and yeast. Some of these ingredients are imported from Germany, lending a truly authentic feel. The three mainstays are a pilsner, a wheat beer and an ale, but there’s also a rotating seasonal choice as well. While the beer menu is basic, the food menu is quite extensive. Entrées, nibbles, salads, summer salads, and a smörgåsbord of meat and sausagebased meals are available, as well as a list of twelve different mains. Desserts sometimes take a backseat in restaurants and especially breweries, where the emphasis is more on the bitter than the sweet, but Elmar’s breaks out of that mould and offers a number of droolworthy desserts. If you plan ahead and make a trip out of it, you could do a tasting tour of the other nearby microbreweries and experience much of what WA has to offer on the brewpub scene.
THE LORD NELSON
19 Kent Street, Millers Point NSW Located a short walk from the tourist hub of Circular Quay, the heritage-listed Lord Nelson was established in 1841, making it the oldest pub brewery in Australia. Despite its location, the pub’s clientele is mostly locals enjoying a beer after work or a cheap meal on a weeknight, which creates a chilled atmosphere both in front of and behind the bar. The downstairs bar menu is cheap and cheerful, packed with modern twists on the classic steak sandwiches, burgers and curries you’ve come to expect from your local watering hole. The Nepalese chicken curry is served with a generous dollop of sour cream and a side of pappadums to mop up the gravy. The steak sandwiches and lamb burgers are popular choices and both come with a generous side of shoestring fries, and the pizzas are thin, crispy and generously topped with gooey mozzarella cheese. The brassiere upstairs is a little pricier, although certainly worth a visit for an ever-changing seasonal menu which highlights local produce. You can watch the microbrewery at work through glass windows visible from most tables while enjoying one of the six ales it churns out. The knowledgeable and friendly bar staff recommend the Quayle Ale for the beer novice, while enthusiasts COLOSOUL 09 |19
QUICKBITES will love the brewery’s take on the Irish stout, the Nelson’s Blood, or the citrus notes of the Three Sheets. Don’t miss a trip to the bathroom upstairs, where beers from around the world identify the time zone displayed on wall-hanging clocks, and if you need a place to say there are rooms available above the bar for the weary traveller.
4 PINES BREWING COMPANY
29/43-45 East Esplanade, Manly NSW A trip to Sydney isn’t complete without a ferry ride to the famous beachside suburb of Manly for a day at the beach. Local brewing company 4 Pines overlooks the water on the eastern side, a short walk from the ferry terminal, and on most afternoons is packed with locals and visitors cooling off after a day of sun, surf and sand. The beers offered on tap are all brewed in house and all boast national and regional awards, except the cider which is still delicious and ideal for non-beer drinkers who still want join in on the fun. For those unable to pick a brew, tasting paddles are available. Manly is traditionally home to surfers and hippies and this clientele is reflected in the menu, which embraces vegetarian fare while still catering to those who demand steak with their beer. For the carnivore, the Manly Mega burger is hard to pass up: cheese is generously melted over two juicy meat patties stuffed between a crusty roll and served up alongside a generous side of ‘chunks’ (beer battered thick-cut chips that are worth their weight in gold). Vegetarians will be delighted by the mushroom burger, which is equally juicy and stuffed with several grilled portobello mushrooms, aioli and parmesan cheese. However, as you are in surfer-dude territory, it would be criminal not to order the fish and chips, battered in 4 Pines Kolsch beer and served with house made tartare sauce. Sydney is bursting with talent and 4 Pines proudly showcases neighbourhood musicians, songwriters and even a magician on weeknights so you leave not only satisfied but also thoroughly entertained. Finish your 4 Pines experience with their short, but certainly still impressive, dessert menu featuring their beers in the form of caramel sauces and crème brûlées. Yum!
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TEMPLE BREWERY & BRASSERIE 122 Weston St, Brunswick East VIC
Tucked away in a converted warehouse in the suburban streets of Brunswick in Melbourne’s inner north is a microbrewery creating craft beers worthy of top awards. The venue’s facade is almost fortified, hidden amongst a strip of industrial buildings between Nicholson and Lygon streets. Behind the heavy wooden doors lies a slick, modern outfit with a capacity for 120 people, combining the brewery with a bar and kitchen, and complementing their beer with great food. The menu features classic pub food with a modern twist. Here, you’ll find your typical bar snacks (almonds, olives, fries), along with your more contemporary variations (beetroot crisps, popcorn, potato cubes), as well as pumped-up versions of the more substantial meals that you would expect to find at your regular pub on the corner. We ordered the popcorn with salt and spice caramel to start and then burgers all round. The popcorn was a standout and a definite must-try, and the sweet and spicy notes in the burger complemented our beverages perfectly, especially against some of the heavier tones of the fuller-bodied beers of the Right Wheel Tasting Paddle (100mL samples of four of the heavier beers in the Temple range), and the lighter Bicycle Ale, whose kitschy name is said to describe the fixie-loving Brunswick locals’ penchant to consume several and still be capable of riding home. With its hidden location and cult following among locals, Temple’s combination of homely food and well-crafted beer won’t be a secret for long. WA: WORDS BY SARAH HENRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSIE BUTTON AND DARYL JAMES DE ROZARIO NSW: WORDS BY GEORGIA LEAKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARIEL GARDINER AND GEORGIA LEAKER VIC: WORDS BY DANI SUNARIO PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANI SUNARIO
Coffee shop 路 Breakfast & brunch restaurant 路 Caf茅 863 Albany Hwy, East Victoria Park, Perth, WA. Mon - Sun: 07:00 - 22:00 Phone: 9361 2600
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ART SARA WINFIELD WORDS BY CHLOE KYRIAKACIS IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
PAINTING THE PHANTASMAGORICAL AN INTERVIEW WITH SARA WINFIELD
Sara Winfield’s paintings tantalise with bold colours, strong lines and vibrant energy. The emerging Perth artist and illustrator says she ‘gave into the alluring and free nature that is painting after having always been captivated by colour, image and line from a young age’. Growing up in rural Western Australia, Winfield surrounded herself with the natural environment, appreciating the beauty of the outdoors and clean fresh air, and this influences and inspires her work. Creating and drawing from a young age, Winfield studied art throughout school. After a small stint studying fashion design at TAFE, Winfield realised she enjoyed the drawing element more than the designing and was encouraged to pursue painting. Winfield describes her paintings as ‘phantasmagorical; a series of real or imaginary images like that are seen in a dream.’ In her latest body of work, she explores ‘the inundation of dreamlike beings and ambitions within our minds as a perfect existence of desire, optimism and aloofness.’ These pieces are visually stimulating with surreal, typically female, figures. ‘I remember looking at works 22| COLOSOUL 09
from Egon Schiele or Del Kathryn Barton and thinking how incredibly empowered the figures in their works were, which is the same future I’d want for the girls in my own pieces.’ Leaving her work open for interpretation, Winfield’s mystical figures appear detached and, in some works, alien. ‘I think it’s important for people to take what they like from the work’. Winfield admitted she finds it intriguing seeing peoples’ reactions to the series. ‘Sitting for the gallery of my last show meant I had a lot of people giving me their interpretation of what my art meant to them. Sometimes they were way off the mark from what I’d intended a work to mean, but if they’re thinking and the works initiated an emotive response then I feel like my job is done.’ When asked what her biggest achievement so far as an artist was, Winfield exclaimed ‘Not giving up!’ She explained: ‘it’s really hard work to wake up every day and have to reassure yourself that the alternative path, or the ‘road less travelled’, is an okay career path. My most recent show with fellow artist Anya Brock was a great success,
and with such similarities in our work it was such a great exhibition to be involved in.’ Winfield has recently been given the opportunity to show and have an open studio space at 140 William. In conjunction with the online magazine it’s now cool, Winfield will be sharing a retail space in the building, allowing people to come and watch the painting in action.
“I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE WHAT THEY LIKE FROM THE WORK.” The young, bright emerging artist hopes to be painting and creating for years to come. When asked where she hopes to be in five years times, she said ‘I feel as an artist it’s really important to stay close to other creative outlets, especially with things like collaborations. I still haven’t totally lost enthusiasm for the fashion world, and believe some of my illustrations would work well in swimwear – but all in good time.’
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# 8
ART SHAYLI HARRISON WORDS BY KATIE MOORE PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAYLI HARRISON
THE ART OF DESIGN
TRANSCENDING FASHION WITH SHAYLI HARRISON Shayli Harrison is the creative force behind innovative Australian fashion label SHAYLI. With a passion for colour and the avant-garde, her sophisticated and progressive designs are works of art, transcending mere fashion trends. In 2012 Shayli released her first readyto-wear collection ‘Vacant Space’ for 2012/2013 Spring/Summer. Originally from Perth, the Melbourne-based designer has studied at Melbourne’s Whitehouse Institute of Design and was named their Designer of the Year in 2008. Shayli has worked with Perth label Empire Rose, Sydney-based Colour Kids, fashion projects 700 Photos and Being Born Again Couture, and is currently a creative consultant for Brazilian shoes label Melissa.
Can you tell me more about your first ready-to-wear collection? ‘Vacant Space’ is inspired by the launch of Virgin Galactic and the future of space tourism. At the heart it questions the idea of synthetic versus authentic experiences and whether or not real adventure is still possible.
“EVERY DESIGNER HAS THEIR OWN HANDWRITING - MY WORK IS MY OWN AND FROM MY HEART.”
How did you get into fashion design and styling? I knew what I wanted to do from early on in high school and so I was prepared when I graduated. I spent my first year out of school working for Empire Rose and completing a Certificate III in Fashion Production at Bentley TAFE. The following year I moved to Sydney where I completed a three year Bachelor in Fashion Design at the Whitehouse Institute of Design. Now I am based in Melbourne and have since spent two years working on the launch of my label.
What was the process like developing your first collection? The process was very different compared to my previous collections. Normally I have made one-off couture pieces, not really designed for the public or for purchase. It took me a while just to wrap my head around the idea of commercial design. Once I finally put pen to paper and made the samples, I had to start dealing with contractors, wholesalers and printers to have the stock finished. In the meantime I was also developing the brand and business, and managing my own event for Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.
What distinguishes SHAYLI designs from others? Every designer has their own handwriting - my work is my own and from my heart. If you are honest you can always be distinguished from another.
You’ve described yourself as an avantgarde stylist and fashion designer; what inspires or influences you? I describe myself this way as I like the challenge of creating something new. Part of this is never looking to the design
work of others for inspiration, although I can admire and appreciate their work. I have developed my style through my own influences and all of them were found in research - mostly in science, technology and philosophy. What have been some of your biggest challenges so far? This past year has easily been the biggest challenge of all. Starting a business was the biggest risk I have ever taken, but it had to happen sometime – may as well be now. What themes or ideas do you pursue in your designs? Every collection is different and expresses an individual concept. Just as an artist displays a work to be interpreted by the viewer - I work the same way. Unfortunately with fashion the meaning is not so as important to the viewer or wearer as the way it looks. My work looks structural, futurist and psychedelic. How would you like to develop as an artist and designer? I would like to further develop myself as avant-garde; I still have a long way to go in that respect. Whether or not I produce any more commercial work will depend on the reception, but for now I just need to be creative for the sake of it. To see more of Shayli’s work and buy some of her pieces, visit: www.shayli.com.au or www.facebook.com/shaylithelabel. COLOSOUL 09 |25
Lucy In Disguise 3/11 Rockeby Rd, Subiaco WA Tel: 9388 3375
FASHION
ALL DRESSED UP & NOWHERE TO GO Photographer: Daniel Kwabena Craig Fashion Editor & Stylist: Ysabel Tang Models: Lydia Taylor and Lauren Bennett from New Age Modelling Hair & Make Up: Krystal Elise Okey from Krystal Cuts and Beautifie Assistant Stylists: Holly Reedman, Isabella Depiazzi and Jos Bartlett Lydia wears Maurie & Eve Venom Leather Peplum Dress and Skin Wonderland Pumps from Style Palace, Milena Zu Mesh Cuff and Angle Diamond Dot Citrine Ring from Behind The Monkey, Rings and Michelle Clutch from Pigeonhole. Lauren wears Maurie & Eve Paradise Peplum Top from Style Palace, LIFE with BIRD Morning Grey Shorts from Style Palace, Nude Little Foxes Platforms from Hobbs, Belt, Bracelets and Clutch from Pigeonhole.
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Lydia wears Lilya Kailani Knit Singlet and Story by Tang Rocky Playsuit from Style Palace, Django & Juliette Repeater Wedges from Hobbs, Alister Yiap Cage Necklace from Behind the Monkey, Bar Necklace from Pigeonhole.
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Lydia wears Steph Audino Ponti Sweetheart Bodice from HATCH, SAMVARA Chitarra Pretty Evening Bag from Style Palace, Cameo The National Skirt and Belt from Pigeonhole, Django & Juliette Repeater Wedges from Hobbs, Mezi Cuff and Ring from Behind The Monkey.
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2013 is set to be an exciting year for New Age Modelling with continuing photo shoots, shows and parades, along with several upcoming film industry projects. New Age is currently involved in the short film The Flowers Don’t Grow Here Anymore, by Melbourne film producer and director Josie Parrelli, which will be screening in the UK, New Zealand, South Africa and New York. New Age after school classes and workshops are in high demand and more classes planned to cater for youths all over WA.
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FILM WORDS BY KATIE MOORE IMAGES COURTESY OF SIMON VARGA ACOSTA AND JOCELIN LE
MAKING OR BREAKING IT IN NEW YORK
CHLOE HURST AND THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS ‘Start spreading the news: I am leaving today! I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!’ Frank Sinatra sang about it and countless actors, writers, filmmakers and artists have followed in the footsteps of Ol’ Blue Eyes to New York City. If you’re a performance artist and have dreamt of packing your bags and buying a one-way ticket to the Big Apple then read on. Chloe Hurst is a Perth girl who made the big move to New York two years ago to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Since then she’s appeared in ‘Threepenny Orchestra’, ‘Into The Woods’ as Cinderella, ‘Can-Can The Musical’, music videos for ‘All Four Seasons’, Jukebox The Ghost’s ‘Don’t Let Me Fall Behind’, and is currently performing at the Westchester Broadway Theatre in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’. Packing up and moving across the world to New York would be the dream for many – what prompted you to make the big move? My dream was to always come to New York eventually. The reason for moving can be simply put to me being hungry for a knowledgeable adventure. I literally went to Google ‘acting schools’ one day in London and America, after getting some great work and auditions in Melbourne, thinking it was such a long shot, but worth a try, and the next thing I know, I am on a plane with my mum heading to the US to do an audition tour of all the schools that had offered me interviews or auditions. Not realizing I was good enough or experienced enough to get in, I just thought the experience of auditioning itself would be enough to help me grow as a performer. After being accepted and offered a place in more than one of the schools was such a shock to my system. Within a month of returning from my audition tour with mum, I booked a oneway ticket to New York. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of family and friends, but my main reason was to study at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. When you research the incredible actors that had once trained at the school themselves you very quickly realize that saying no to this incredible opportunity is not an option.
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Being so far away from home during milestone events, from family and friends has definitely been my biggest challenge so far. Whilst social media has definitely diminished the distance between all of us, I truly can’t express how important human interaction is with loved ones. It’s really daunting to realize that you can’t just jump on a plane to go and celebrate or console a loved one.
“NEW YORK IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST CITIES IN THE WORLD, BUT IT’S ALSO KNOWN TO BE ONE OF THE LONELIEST.” In addition to this, New York is one of the busiest cities in the world, but it’s also known to be one of the loneliest. I didn’t believe this at first because you continuously meet so many people that immediately forms a wide circle of friends from all over the globe, however, you don’t move to New York without a specific selfish drive or purpose. I don’t mean selfish in a negative sense at all, a better way to explain it would be that each person has an over-riding goal, often career based, that they have set out to achieve upon moving here. A lot of the time, this will take precedence over the social conditioning of a friendship. Hence, sometimes in your deepest, darkest, loneliest moments, even with a great circle of incredible friends, you feel more alone than ever. How did your performance career begin in New York? I have been so lucky to have the opportunity to not only study here, but to also obtain a working visa that has enabled me to start a successful performance career here in New York. My main focus is to act, preferably in film and television, however I also sing and dance and would never say no to musicals because I simply love doing them. It all started on my first day of being here when I saw the sign up sheet at the school for auditions for Cole Porter’s ‘Kiss Me, Kate’. I got in and got scouted by a fantastic agent here that has basically begun the foundation of my career so far.
I have also had a good start to a film and television career. I have been a part of a Comedy Central Pilot, many television commercials including Aquafresh and Hite Beer (with superstar Psy), starred as a supporting lead in an independent film and have most recently worked with a fantastic Swedish director on a short film called ‘Indigo’. I do model on the side but have been lucky enough to appear in a Barney’s New York campaign, a recent NARS cosmetics campaign and Uniqlo’s online campaign. My most recent and exciting news is that I am set to play Judy Turner in next year’s ‘A Chorus Line’. The New York performance scene is obviously significantly larger than Australia’s – how would you describe your experience of it? Triple Australia’s industry and then multiply that by about 50 and that only begins to give you an indication of how competitive and crazy this industry is here. There are different unions that you can be a part of, given your experience and ability to perform in shows under them. This basically controls how quickly, or not at all, you get to be seen for auditions. Then you have the advantage or disadvantage of having or not having an agent/manager/stage mum to push your way into auditions. Or alternatively, you can simply be patient and hope that whatever is meant to be will be. The key I believe is persistence. If you love what you do, regardless of the numerous amounts of disappointments and failures you will have, you find a way to take each day as it comes and just work at your talent to consistently improve. Of course, it’s easier said than done and it doesn’t always leave you with a great deal of confidence, but the reality is, there are so many people here all fighting for the same dream, and it’s a combination of talent, looks, who you know and just pure luck that will get you the job at the end of the day. Any advice for any other budding creatives wanting to make the move? Fear is one of the biggest detriments to a creative or performance artist’s career and if you listen to it I promise you it will be your biggest fault to date. Trust yourself and the people surrounding you, because I’m a firm believer that it’s better to have tried and failed than to regret not trying at all. Above all… Be yourself.
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FILM WORDS BY MATTHEW TOMICH ILLUSTRATION BY STANKA BUDOSOVA
FILM FANATIC
VIDEO GAME FILMS AND THE FANS THAT MAKE THEM
Beyond film festivals and rare short film competitions like Tropfest, there’s not much demand for short-form original drama and comedy. As such, short films have a very short life span: write, produce, submit to a festival and cross your fingers that your film is selected for screening. And even that doesn’t guarantee success. But what if your short film already had a built-in audience and there was an established media network chomping at the bit to share your work? That’s where video games come in. Take Wade Savage, a 27-year-old Perth filmmaker and professional editor. He’s had some minor festival success, taking out the Independent Spirit Award for a short horror flick called The Dead Wastes at a Sydney festival. At the start of 2012 he conceived Fallout: Lanius, a film adaptation of Fallout: New Vegas, one of the most successful video games of 2010. In April, Savage announced the film to the gaming press, and within days the news was plastered all over the world, taking the front page spot of huge international game sites like Kotaku and Joystiq. In September, Savage launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the film’s $10,000 budget, by December when funding closed he had raised $19,209. Video game adaptations haven’t fared too well in the cinemas. Franchises like Far Cry and Bloodrayne have been critically panned, and though the Resident Evil series may be an exception of sorts, now on its fifth iteration and still making millions, it hasn’t achieved simultaneous commercial success and critical acclaim.
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At the fan level, there’ve been some amazing shorts achieving millions of views on YouTube and furthering the careers of young filmmakers. American director Dan Trachtenberg released the seven-minute Portal: No Escape, based on the series of the same name, in August of 2011. The film is sitting at over eleven million views on YouTube. Thanks in part to that success, he’s now slated to direct the sci-fi feature Crime of the Century. Other filmmakers opt for the trailer format. Kial Natale, a Canadian film editor, directed Pokémon Apokélypse, a trailer for a hypothetical take on the Pokémon universe which turns the childfriendly franchise into a gritty tale of animal abuse in the criminal underworld. Released mid-last year the trailer currently sits at over ten million views.
“IT CAN TAKE LESS THAN SIXTY SECONDS TO INSPIRE SOMEONE OR MAKE THEM CRY.” ‘I like adaptations that add something to the source material,’ said Natale. ‘I wanted to see where the concepts could go, and in trying to place Pokémon in a real world setting I found that a lot of the core values of the game are really immoral by our cultural standards.’ While the trailer failed to generate interest in his earlier material it offered significant boost to his profile. ‘It’s exciting when people have seen your work. I’m sure
90% of the offers I get…stem from this one project.’ Brian Cook, an American graphic designer, works for an ad agency but in the last two years has produced two incredibly successful adaptations: Beyond Black Mesa, based on the Half-Life series, and Killzone: Interception, based on the PS3 shooter of the same name, both released on YouTube to audiences of millions and counting. Unlike Natale and Savage he’s not looking to make film his trade, leading him to approach his work first and foremost as a fan. ‘Ultimately, we make our films because we genuinely are inspired by these things and we enjoy the process, along with the product,’ says Cook. ‘I honestly don’t think I ever want to do features. It can take less than sixty seconds to inspire someone or make them cry. There are endless two to three hour movies that don’t provoke anything, so I prefer to stick with short form videos.’ Savage echoes that sentiment, remembering that he was a Fallout fan before he was a filmmaker. ‘…I’m treating Fallout: Lanius the same way I would treat any film I direct - with utter reverence and respect,’ he says. ‘But at the end of the day, this is a film made for Fallout fans, by a Fallout fan.’ Savage’s teaser trailer, released a month ago, currently sits at over 80,000 views, and if that’s any indication then he’s on the right track.
Illustrations based on Legate Lanius and Killzone characters.
friends of fancy
Shop 7 Carillion Arcade, Perth,Western Australia 6000 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfFancy colosoul Instagram: @friendsoffancy
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THEATRE PERTH THEATRES WORDS BY ALASTAIR INGRAM IMAGES COURTESY OF ALASTAIR INGRAM DESIGN BY PRISCILLA YEOW
“I STARTED F**KING AROUND ON MY COMPUTER A FEW YEARS BACK, BUT JUST IN THE PAST YEAR IT HAS BECOME A MORE SERIOUS WORK THING.”
ART-DECO PORN AND BABY PARKING
A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO THE HISTORY OF PERTH’S MOVIE THEATRES
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THEATRE PERTH THEATRES
THE ASTOR THEATRE THE CYGNET THEATRE Over the river and down the freeway a few kilometres rests the Cygnet Cinema in all its faded salmon glory. It was erected in 1938 for James Style, who belonged to the Grand Theatre Company (now Ace Cinemas). This same cinema mogul had his hand in the Piccadilly Cinema in Perth and the Windsor Theatre in Nedlands. Originally named the Como Theatre, it opened in direct competition to the Gaiety Picture Theatre, which had already been in operation in South Perth for some time. Yet the brand new Como came in to the game swinging, being the first of the two cinemas to be screening the new and fascinating ‘talkies’ to the public. Prior to 1929, all cinemas could show was the moving pictures themselves, lacking any audible additions aside from those the cinema physically included such as a chorus of singers or an orchestra to follow the movie along with lovely melodies.The ‘talkies’ were more or less films as we know them now. This was the draw card for the Como Theatre in the late 1930s, a high tech facility that delivered the best ‘talkies’ to the south. The inter-war functionalist architectural style of the building comes from the same man that refurbished the Astor Theatre in the 1930s, William T Leighton. The Como Theatre suffered a renaming to the Cygnet Theatre in the 1960s to establish a connection between the cinema and the black swan symbol of Perth. This is one business that opened its doors to a booming industry at the time and worked its way through tough times of television in the 1950s to remain a strong and profitable business. The cinema is still open today and is a strong part of the heritage and community of South Perth.
In 1911, building designer David McClure and Perth builder Simon Alexander knocked their heads together until they came up with the idea of creating the Lyceum Theatre on the corner of Beaufort and Walcott Street. The term ‘lyceum’ was a popular name for cinemas in those days as the Lyceum was the garden in Athens in which Aristotle taught philosophy, which is quite a poignant insight in to how people first viewed visual entertainment and also, perhaps, how seriously it was regarded. Only a mere eight years after opening, the Alexander family, owners of the Lyceum Theatre, become aware of the burgeoning cinema culture and jumped onto the motion picture band wagon. To reinforce this change the Alexander family conducted the first of the Astor’s name changes in the mid-1920s, to the ‘State Theatre’. Times changed and architectural preferences shifted, and thus the State Theatre underwent a somewhat brutal transformation. Its traditional Edwardian style, with its beautifully arched forefront, was replaced by a much more subtle and unassuming Art Deco style, a style so popular that many of the remaining cinemas in Perth today exhibit similar architectural features. Several years after the remodel, WA parliamentarians declared it an offence for any private business to use the name ‘state’. Thus the third and final name had to be searched for, and here finally enters the Astor Theatre, named after a cinema in Brisbane which owner John Alexander, Simon’s son, attended after he married his wife. After the introduction of television in the 1950s, the novelty of the cinema began to fade along with the profit margins of the Astor; at one point it resorted to displaying pornographic films and was used as a venue for a weekly bingo night. The cinema fell into the hands of new owners in 1978 and meandered along through the decades until 2008 when the owners announced that the cinema had been running at a loss and the time had come to close its doors once again. Yet, as many of Perth’s current residents
are well aware, the Astor Theatre has reopened its art deco doors and is now a well established business that not only displays classic and cult films but is also used as a music, theatre and dance venue.
THE REGAL THEATRE The old Regal Theatre on Rokeby Road is perhaps a forgotten icon of the cinema industry in Perth as its history shows an almost backward progression compared to most theatres throughout the state. In fact, the Regal Theatre began as a motionpicture cinema but was later converted to a performing arts theatre in 1973. The theatre was originally titled ‘the Coliseum’ and was fashioned from an architectural sketch by, again, William T Leighton, by order of the owners, the Hewett family. It’s rumoured that Regal Theatre was the first theatre in Perth which was purpose built to show moving pictures in April 1938, making it a significant piece of history for this great state. The beautiful art-deco cinema opened its doors for the first time to the dancing feet of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Shall We Dance and the forbidden affection of Love Under Fire. Although bringing in the dollars and cents, the Hewitt family decided to sell the beautiful monument to industry icon Paddy Baker, who kept the theatre until he passed away in 1986, leaving the premises to the people of Western Australia. Paddy Baker was originally a travelling projectionist, famous for showing good-natured cartoons and newsreels. Paddy implemented one rather odd, or ingenious, service at the Regal during his reign: young mothers could bring their infants and literally park them in a ‘baby-parking bay’ and take a ticket. If your baby started to cry, your parking ticket would flash on screen, letting you know that your child was disrupting the nap time of all the other babies in the foyer and also quite possibly the ticket collector. Buildings like the Regal Theatre should remain for as long as possible as it is in these buildings that so many separate histories exist: the history of the building itself, the owners, the patrons and, of course, the parked babies. COLOSOUL 09 |39
THEATRE WORDS BY ANNIE BLATCHFORD ILLUSTRATION BY CONNIE TAN
THE ARTS INDUSTRY MEANS BUSINESS CORPORATIONS AND THEATRE Just as the ever-expanding industry of mining has enriched our state’s economy, the creative arts has enriched our everyday lives in extraordinary ways. Fortunately, creativity is infinite, unlike the inevitably exhaustible oil, gas and mineral resources, courtesy of the overwhelming desire to express oneself. This commodity, however, is only as sustainable as the companies, productions, organisations and institutions that support the manufacturing of creative talent. As boasted by our own government, Australia’s indigenous traditions of creative expression stretch back millennia before European settlement. Despite this understanding, the question as put by David Williamson still remains: ‘why are they so hell bent on cutting [funding] from the arts?’ Williamson, one of Australia’s most well known playwrights responsible for Don’s Party and more recently Managing Carmen, presented a passionate lecture late last year on the dire state of creative arts in Australia, placing a substantial amount of blame on the lack of government funding. What has become a worn example of late is the closing down of The Deckchair Theatre Company in Fremantle, one of only two companies in the nation solely commissioned to perform new Australian works. Though much can be attributed to certain limitations, such as venue, location and small audience numbers, the final straw was a failure to receive funding from the Australia Council last year. This blow has reignited the debate about the life expectancy of smaller professional theatre organisations in Perth. Meanwhile, the larger, more secure companies, such as the Perth Theatre and Black Swan Theatre Companies, are dominating the theatre scene from their new, bigger and shinier headquarters at the State Theatre Centre. Paige Newmark, Artistic Director of Shakespeare WA, is amused by the vast amounts of funding put towards capital projects. A small portion of the financial energy put into the delivery of 40| COLOSOUL 09
the Convention Centre, Perth Arena, and future plans such as the redevelopment of Elizabeth Quay, could easily make a huge impact on the sustainability of smaller arts organisations.
These included the proper indexation of arts funding, a demand which is representative of the rise in costs and government economy cuts seriously disadvantaging smaller arts companies.
That said, we cannot now turn the tables and start complaining about these ‘modern’ additions to the city after years of whining about Perth’s lacklustre appeal. Furthermore, as Newmark observes, it is understandable that there is a governmental instinct to produce tangible monuments to reflect a term in office and to provide Perth with focal points similar to those of Melbourne or Brisbane.
The existence of such groups is encouraging, but realistically the changes needed in government are only possible in the long term. To fill this void more immediately the arts industry has been known to turn to the world of high rises, suits and important looking briefcases.
“THE ARTS INDUSTRY HAS BEEN KNOWN TO TURN TO THE WORLD OF HIGH RISES, SUITS AND IMPORTANT LOOKING BRIEFCASES.” Beyond these justifications, however, is the conservatism that runs through Government and Western Australian taste. With millions of dollars fed into WA Ballet, WA Symphony Orchestra and WA Opera, it is clear what creative preferences are arbiters for State money. In sheer dollar terms: $2,089,870 was granted to the WA Symphony Orchestra, while only $467,029 was given to the esteemed Perth Theatre Company, $306,563 to Deckchair Theatre and an even smaller $233,958 to The Blue Room Theatre. The scale of different organisations inevitably determines the respective grants and the government can only spread itself so far, regardless of where its priorities lie. It cannot be denied, however, that Perth is far from what you might call a ‘national creative hub’, something that the arts lobby group Chamber of Arts and Culture has been created with the aim to instigate. Most recently they made a number of demands for commitments from the government in the 2012-2013 budget.
The successful ‘marriages’ that emerge are evidence for the phrase that opposites really do attract. There is even a national organisation that is dedicated to providing business connections for the arts. Australia Business Arts Foundation is essentially a matchmaker, facilitating these relationships through workshops, guidance and networking opportunities. One example of the many happy couples is the oil and gas company Santos and Shakespeare WA. Having renewed their vows for a second contract, the partnership has proved to immensely benefit both members. When meeting with the Santos Community Relations team, Tom Baddeley and Courtney Barker, it was clear that they were deeply committed to their partner and strong advocates for the odd but beneficial union. Baddeley explained what was most attractive about supporting an arts organisation over the likes of sticking their brand on a football team - the element of community where everyone has the ability to participate. Shakespeare WA is definitely a well-aligned organisation when it comes to community with the mandate of ‘theatre for everyone’ channelled through projects such as performances for the blind and deaf and the company’s iconic use of Kings Park as a meaningful venue for the population of Perth. As Baddeley says himself, ‘We think Perth is a better place for having that sort of production.’ While this partnership enhances the presence and life of Santos, it practically gave life to Newmark’s Shakespeare WA. Before Newmark took on the role of artistic director, Shakespeare in the Park
was due to collapse when the Australia Council cut funding from the Deckchair’s running of the programme. Newmark’s reign over Shakespeare WA has been termed a ‘resurrection’ and was made possible by the support Santos provided. Corporate sponsorship is no magical ‘pot of gold’. As with the government, Baddeley admits that a corporation cannot have all their eggs in the one basket; ‘there has to be a spread’. Despite the appreciation that a vibrant arts culture and environment is a sign of a healthy community, there are other areas companies want to engage with, such as charities and sports. Even with the help of Santos, Shakespeare WA is not invincible, and like other small theatre companies it is subject to the red-tape culture of Perth. The Shakespeare WA season, once running for three months back in 1999, now only has a four-week lifespan, a trend evident in the quantity of theatre productions across the board. Though Newmark prides himself and the company on its efficient work ethic and strong track record, Shakespeare struggles to compete with current Kings Park bookings such as Delta Goodrem, who might rake in the same profits in one night as Shakespeare WA would over a whole season. So how do we protect what should be the boundless resource of creative arts? Newmark commends the long-standing philanthropic culture in the US, which is hugely responsible for fuelling the arts industry. A sign that WA is capable of following the US’s lead is the emergence of Giving West, an organisation that promotes giving as ‘a way of life in WA.’ It recognises that the WA community has a ‘patchwork quilt of need’, including those arising from the arts sector, and aims to provide solutions. There is a need for individuals to take a more active stance and appreciate the need to sustain valuable possessions of the Perth community. As Williamson concluded his lecture: ‘we all have a responsibility to care enough about this problem; we should not sit by and wait for someone else to do something about it.’ colosoul # 8|43
BOOKS WORDS BY GRAHAM HANSEN ILLUSTRATION BY NASTARAN GHADIRI
HIDDEN ON A DUSTY SHELF EXPLORING ANTIQUARIAN BOOK COLLECTING
In a 1952 Financial Times article, Milo Cripps (the fourth Lord Parmoor) contended that without ‘some arrangement by which our book trade is allowed to buy abroad as well as sell abroad…the market is likely to be lost.’ Though the objects of his then concern were exchange control, export licensing and currency regulation, the sentiment of the sentence can be applied more broadly. During the 30-year period in which he was first manager and later proprietor of Bernard Quaritch, a London firm of antiquarian booksellers, Cripps enacted a number of strategies to ensure the global reach of the market, such as his push for his staff to improve their language skills abroad, in addition to including European and Islamic literature in the firm’s catalogue. It was perhaps Bernard Quaritch’s venture into the online realm however, the first major antiquarian bookselling business to do so, that best realised this internationalist vision, heralding the manner in which countless collectable books are now traded. Today, of course, just about everything can be ordered over the internet, be it fresh socks, used books or blushing brides. As Jorn Harbeck, secretary of the Australian & New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB), explains, this ease of access can actually reduce the value of certain old books, as collectors are on the hunt for the curious, unusual and unexpected – those that aren’t readily available. ‘Age in itself does not make a book valuable, unless it is a book printed before ca. 1550. The four factors determining the value of an antiquarian book are: significance 42| COLOSOUL 09
(or desirability), condition, rarity and provenance (or history of ownership). For example, a fine copy in the fine dust wrapper of the 1939 first edition of Patrick White’s first book Happy Valley, inscribed by him to a friend, is more valuable than most 19th century books.’
“PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS BE FASCINATED BY BOOKS AS USEFUL, PRACTICAL AND BEAUTIFUL CARRIERS OF TEXT AND IMAGES.” With the advent of auction sites such as eBay, a new element of risk has been introduced into the book buying process for even the most experienced of collectors. When purchasing from an amateur bookseller through that kind of medium, there is an increased chance that a book will have been inaccurately labeled, categorised or described. Whether it be the result of this or not, Harbeck divulges that a number of collectors are returning to more traditional and direct methods of purchasing antiquarian books, such as from fairs, shops and catalogues. Despite or perhaps due to it being a niche market, the antiquarian book-collecting scene does suffer the effects of economic crises and downturns. ‘Economic downturns can mean that more books
come onto the market. This can lead to an oversupply and a subsequent fall in prices. But an economic downturn can also mean collectors are more likely to spend their money on what they love, rather than continuing to risk it on investments that have taken a beating.’ Though the scene is small, Harbeck remains optimistic about its continued future. ‘People will always be fascinated by books as useful, practical and beautiful carriers of text and images. Young collectors are starting to build collections now that are entirely unique.’ These new collections, he explains, often incorporate ‘so-called ephemera’, printed and written material that was never intended to be preserved. Items of this nature include letters, invitations, sporting and concert programs, tickets and zines. For those wishing to begin a rare book collection, Harbeck recommends buying what you like and understand. Predicting what may become collectable is difficult, as it is subject to changing interests, taste and trends, but Harbeck explains that there are certain types of books that tend to retain their appeal. ‘Limited edition art books, books on all aspects of history and books on the natural world will always be of interest to collectors, particularly if they are nicely illustrated. Literature is more subject to collecting trends and fashions, with many once popular 20th century writers now largely forgotten.’ You can find your nearest ANZAAB bookseller in the membership directory on the ANZAAB website, www.anzaab.com.
SOCIAL PROFILE UPSIDE NEPAL WORDS BY KATIE MOORE PHOTOS COURTESY OF UPSIDE NEPAL DESIGN BY PRISCILLA YEOW
SOCIAL PROFILE
UPSIDE NEPAL - A LOT MORE THAN JUST THE HIMALAYAS
Nepal is known as one of the best adventure countries in the world but there’s a lot more to Nepal than just the Himalayas. A country steeped in history and culture, Nepal has only recently emerged from a bitter civil war and, as one of the world’s poorest countries, it faces endemic poverty, illiteracy and shortages in basic health care, sanitation and rural infrastructure. Upside Nepal are a Perth-based notfor-profit committed to developing community-owned agricultural businesses in some of Nepal’s poorest rural areas. Upside describe themselves as a ‘social business’, with an emphasis on working with villages to create environmentally and financially sustainable business models that not only give back to the community they’re based in but are run by that community as well. Calum Foulner, the founder and director of Upside, set up the organization after a working in an orphanage in Nepal for six weeks when he was 19 years old. Recognising the need for assistance in Nepalese orphanages, Foulner began fundraising when he returned to Perth but soon realized that sending money was just putting a band-aid on the problem
rather than solving it. Wanting to tackle the big issues of poverty and education in Nepal’s rural areas, Foulner got together with a group of like-minded people to develop social projects in remote areas. Upside began their first project in Nepal in 2009. constructing a boarding house for children in Ghilling, a remote village in the Mustang region of Nepal. Since then Upside have funded a communityowned apple orchard and timber forest in Ghilling and are now looking to develop projects in Makaikhola, a village in the Kaski region of Nepal. Upside is based on a model of development Foulner and his team call the ‘Upside sustainability model’. It means every dollar donated to Upside is invested in a culturally considerate agricultural project in a rural community. All profits from the project are then put back into the community to provide a source of food, employment, income, trade and social infrastructure. To continue the cycle of sustainability and development, 20% of the profits are invested into the next project in another village. In 2012 Upside published Forage, a cookbook featuring over 110 recipes from
some of WA’s best chefs and restaurants, including culinary heavyweights from Amusé, Nobu, Studio Bistro, Pata Negra, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Rochelle Adonis and Greenhouse. The cookbook was created entirely by a team of volunteers, ensuring all profits went straight back into the projects in Nepal. Upside has a dedicated team in Perth and Nepal who work with the Nepalese villagers involved in the projects, and Foulner says he considers the connection and collaboration between the three groups as one of his biggest achievements to date. After spending eight months in Nepal in 2012, Foulner says that it was only when he returning to Perth in December that he realised they’d ‘created something much bigger than all of us’. The next five years will see Upside consolidate its current projects and bring its model of sustainable development to other villages in Nepal. In the long-run Foulner says his vision is to build an organization that other not-for-profits and NGOs in Nepal will want to work with, and to expand the Upside model of development to other countries in Asia.
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TRAVEL CANADA WORDS BY KATIE MOORE PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATIE MOORE DESIGN BY ALANNAH LONG
CANADA, EH? OUR FRIENDS IN THE FAR NORTH
Made up of ten provinces and three territories, Canada conjures up images of snow-topped mountain ranges, beavers, hockey, bears, Mounties and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. Known for being the world’s largest producer of maple syrup (it really does taste better), Canada also offers a smörgåsbord of cuisines drawn from its Aboriginal and European heritage. Head east to Quebec and you’ll find dishes with a notably French flavour, go more central to Edmonton and it’s Polish pierogi heavy, sample some harp seal in the Northern territories, or if you fancy fish you’ll find plenty west in Vancouver from the waters of the Pacific Northwest. But a trip to Canada isn’t complete without poutine, considered by many to be the country’s national dish. Poutine is made up of french fries, smothered in brown gravy and then topped with cheese curd. The dish originated in Quebec but can be found across the country with a variety of ingredients. It isn’t likely to earn a tick from the Heart Foundation any time soon, but is hard to beat on a cold winter’s night or after a few beers. If you’re into outdoor pursuits then you’re in luck. Canada boasts some of the world’s best locations all year round if you’re planning on hiking, snowboarding, rafting, mountaineering or skiing. But
if city dwelling is more your thing, or if you need a break after falling off your snowboard one too many times, here’s a look at some of Canada’s urban areas.
TORONTO Home to the Maple Leafs ice hockey team is the bustling metropolis of Toronto, Canada’s biggest city. The capital of the province of Ontario, there are plenty of museums and galleries to see, from the Royal Ontario Musuem to the Hockey Hall of Fame, home to the Stanley Cup, and even a museum dedicated to the history of the shoe. To get a different perspective on the city, take a ride up the needlepoint of the CN Tower. It’s one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and on a clear day you can see all the way to Niagara Falls.
VANCOUVER The picturesque port city of Vancouver seems to enjoy the best of both worlds. Balmy and warm in the summer, it doesn’t get as bone-chillingly cold as Toronto or Montreal in winter, and the ski resort town of Whistler is only a few hours’ drive away. Gloriously green, Vancouver boasts enough parks to enjoy
all of Canada’s seasons in, including the thousand acres of Stanley Park, which is scenic enough to walk around but even better to venture through. Aside from the greenery, the cobbled streets of Vancouver’s Gastown, populated by restaurants, boutiques and bars, are well worth a visit - don’t miss the Gastown Steam Clock.
MONTREAL Crossing the border into Quebec is in many ways like entering another country, though one that also shares an affinity for Tim Hortons. Quebec City is the capital of Canada’s French speaking province, and they won’t let you forget their Gallic roots. Montreal is Quebec’s biggest city and much of the city’s architecture shares a remarkable resemblance to Paris. The city is named after the triple peaked hill of Mont Royal situated downtown and while pedestrian-friendly it is big enough to get lost in, particularly in temperatures as low as -30 Celsius, so maps are a must. Montreal also has a number of impressive cathedrals and churches worth checking out, including the Notre-Dame Basilica and Christ Church Cathedral.
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SOCIAL ISSUES WORDS BY TRISTAN MAMOTTE ILLUSTRATION BY NASTARAN GHADIRI
PUTTING A PRICE ON WATER THE RISING COST OF WATER IN PERTH Water prices are on the rise yet again, teaming up for the old one-two with gas and electricity to place further pressure on ratepayers across the state. An average increase of 47% on the Water Corps bill over the past three State Budgets has residents and localopposition spokespeople up in arms as Western Australian water prices peaked at the second highest in the country earlier this year. While the Barnett government cannot be held entirely to blame for the recent mark-ups, exception has been taken to the means by which they have been achieved. Opposition Water spokesman Fran Logan says that the general public have been ‘hoodwinked’ into paying more for less as the dramatic price increase has been spread across all Water Corp services (including service charges and other auxiliary faculties). To add insult to injury over the last financial year, the corporation made a $551 million profit, of which the state government received $400 million. With a rapidly expanding population and private sector, the strain being placed on Western Australia’s already meager water supplies could conceivably create a need for a rates increase much like the one we are experiencing. The high expense of water in this state is being attributed to a couple of factors that can be summarised simply as ‘geography’. Particularly in areas with higher population density, local governments are struggling to keep up with demand and many would jump at the chance to have the reserves of some of the eastern states, who experience considerably more rainfall and have resources better allocated to collect it. This is not an atypical symptom, however, as Darwin feels the brunt of the highest water costs in the country with an average yearly water bill of $1116, and Adelaide too felt the heat earlier this year when water rates were increased 26% across the board. Adding another $200 to the water bill, however, has been justified
by the South Australian Government as a means for the completion of their 100-gigalitre-desalination plant, designed to ensure the state is insured against drought. Treasurer Jack Snelling has not hidden behind this significant burden on the average household, acknowledging the load this will place on pensioners and low-income families. ‘The Snelling household toilet gets flushed... once every five minutes, it seems sometimes, so I know as much as anyone the effect of these price increases on ordinary families.’ Unlike the WA government, however, new rebates corresponding to recent increases have been implemented for those hit the hardest. Environmental impact has also been cited as cause for price rises: WA has come in second for highest greenhouse gas emissions in the country according to a recent National Water Commission report. The question remains as to how much of this seemingly lackluster attempt at resource conservation can be blamed on West Australian residents’ wonton usage, or if the rate rise is going to have a lasting impact in terms of preventing further increases. Admittedly the state’s population has increased by 14% since the last census was conducted in 2006, but a rate rise of 47% seems a little exorbitant. Despite the apparently large mark-up, a recent economic survey conducted by the Economic Regulation Authority indicates that the state is not doing enough to reduce consumption and has recommended a further increase of 17% over the next two years. Given the skyrocketing price of water in the current economic climate, sceptics have speculated that this is at best a conservative estimate. Described as reasonable incentive for residents to use less water, Water Minister John Day has defended the recent price hikes implying that the increased cost of water will give people more control over their water bill. ‘Higher consumption charges encourage customers to use less water and provides customers with greater control over the size of their water bill.’
How does a government department increasing the cost of a state resource give the inhabitants of that state more control over their bill for said resource? It doesn’t, but it may encourage them to use less. While Mr. Day’s doublespeak does nothing to assuage the fiscal concerns of the public, the sentiment at the heart of this statement does address the doubt regarding the ability of West Australian water supplies. Simply put, more infrastructure is required to deal with the ever-increasing demand for water. Australia’s climate is arid at best and rainfall is intermittent, so to assume that while the state grows the cost of commodities would remain level seems a tad naive. Especially considering the dramatic change in the amount of economic activity in the past eight to ten years, WA is struggling to keep supply up with demand. Recent expansion into desalination has had some success, but not enough to keep water prices stable over a one year period and, unless measures are taken to increase the amount of fresh water that can be supplied to both industrial and residential sectors, further rate rises seem inevitable. Even if measures are taken, as the state continues to grow more funding will be needed in order to supply the area with enough fresh water to meet the demands of consumers. Mr Logan has called for the government to return profits earned through the highly successful Water Corporation back into operating costs and pass any savings onto the consumers. ‘[The Water Corporation] runs a very tight ship, but they do make an awful lot of money out of Perth households and Perth families: how about returning some of that back to the residents?’ Having just recently expanded into new $25.5 million offices (an amount that could have covered over 100,000 households for the recent price increase in SA), the premier’s priorities seem to currently lie elsewhere.
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LAGGING BEHIND
ACCESSING POPULAR MEDIA ONLINE IN AUSTRALIA
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SOCIAL ISSUES WORDS BY ARIEL GARDINER ILLUSTRATION BY CONNIE TAN
It seems that for at least a decade there has been a denial by large media corporations as to how the current generation consumes popular media including music, movies, and TV shows. Well, it’s either denial or a greedy business strategy. But if it is in fact the latter, can you really blame a company for taking such a strategy? Corporations are what corporations are, and they will do what corporations will do: try to make money. So the likely reason that corporations have not produced a viable online option to consume popular media is that they haven’t found a way to profit from it. Popular media consumer demands have shifted since the launch of peerto-peer file sharing software Napster in 1999. As it became apparent how easy it is to access media via the internet, consumers acquired a sense that they should be entitled to all of it. The new consumer demands to come out of the Napster age are pretty broad, but simple. Consumers want to be able to watch or listen to virtually everything that has ever been recorded. They want it to be online, accessible instantly on demand and, of course, they want it to be cheap. Are these demands a bit steep? Probably. However, the more challenging question is whether or not there is there an equilibrium point where media corporations can afford to pay all the costs required to meet those consumer demands and where consumers are willing to pay enough for this service to make the media corporations profitable. Since, in Australia, there still appears to be a wide gap between what media corporations currently provide and what consumers demand, many consumers resort to BitTorrent, which facilitates the illegal download of copyrighted material with a decreased likelihood of detection over single peer-to-peer networks like Napster. Aside from being dropped by their internet service provider, there is little risk of repercussion for these consumers and no cost. According to Musicmetric, Australians have the most illegal downloads per capita of any nation in the world. Ethically it is hard to claim that illegal downloading like this is fair to the artists and copyright holders of this content who have worked and paid for those rights, but regardless, Australia seems to have a bit of a habit. What disappoints consumers is that many of these copyright holders appear to have focused on pursuing legal recourse for piracy crimes rather than creating improved legal methods of distributing this content. Without reasonable options, consumers will apparently resort to illegal methods. Is there hope for a legal compromise in Australia?
MUSIC
setup fees, and starts at $45 per month for a basic content package with additional fees for on demand services.
Spotify, a music streaming service which launched in Australia in May 2012, appears to be the most exciting advancement for modern music consumption since Napster, even piquing Napster co-founder Sean Parker’s interest, resulting in him investing US$15 million into the company and now serving on its board of directors. Unlike iTunes, Amazon, and other post-Napster download sites that require per album and per song fees, Spotify features a subscription-based model, where users license content for as long as they renew their subscription, which caters nicely to the limitless demands of consumers. Additionally, those not ready to commit to a subscription can still use the service with limited functionality and are merely subjected to advertisements. Spotify is incredibly easy to use, has a vast catalogue of content, allows syncing with devices and integrates with Facebook, making for a fairly complete user experience at only $12 per month.
Foxtel has the market position to get into the video streaming website business, but currently appears to be satisfied with the more than $200 million in annual profits it generates and the stranglehold it has on the market for overseas content. Foxtel’s future, though, is not worry free. As online TV streaming demand increases, expect the number of new Foxtel subscribers to diminish, which would be detrimental for the business, if consumer demands for online viewing options remain unmet.
The problem, however, is that it isn’t profitable. In 2011, the company lost US$59 million, an increase from the US$42 million lost in 2010, unable to overcome the huge royalty expenses that it pays to record companies. Over that time revenues and users have grown exponentially, and the hope is that with significant growth and expansion into new countries the revenues will be able to exceed these costs. This remains to be seen, but with rapid growth and a reported industry-high 27 per cent pay subscription signup rate amongst its users, long-term profitability does seem possible.
TELEVISION While there is adequate streaming on ABC’s iview, PLUS7, and SBS On Demand of free-to-air content, Australia lacks an online buffet style video site with programming not featured on free-toair stations. The US has subscription based streaming sites like Hulu Plus and Netflix that have proven successful, but these sites are blocked in Australia, as are many foreign television network websites that offer free streaming content supported by advertisements. The reason so many of these popular foreign shows are restricted is that Foxtel, the Telstra and News Corporation joint venture and cable TV giant, has exclusive rights to the content. Consumers who wish to view these foreign shows legally in Australia need to sign up for Foxtel’s pricy TV subscription service, which requires additional hardware, significant
Alternatives do exist in pay-per-use sites like iTunes, which charges a rather steep $3 per episode, and the subscriptionbased Quickflix, but television content availability is limited with both of these options.
MOVIES Playing off the US-based Netflix model (and name), Perth’s Quickflix has emerged as Australia’s major player in the digital movie renting business, offering subscriptions in streaming (a reasonable $15 per month) and a DVD-by-post service ($17 per month or both bundled for $25 per month). On the consumer side, the primary issue is that the streaming service lacks high definition. From a business standpoint there are much more significant issues. After suffering loses in 2012 of nearly $14 million, up significantly from 2011 losses around $3 million, the company appears to be on unstable ground, recently announcing plans to sack one third of its employees in a restructuring effort. While piracy continues to be an alternative where there are no better options, moral consumers would ultimately prefer a legal option that involves a price tag. These are, after all, many of same people who support the movie industry by seeing new releases in theatres, and support their favourite bands by going to their concerts. But it is foolish to believe that consumers are going to have a crisis of conscience and begin voluntarily paying for this content without an improved product, and likewise companies are not going to risk a venture into unprofitability just to cater to consumer demands. So the solution appears to be rooted in the subscriptionbased models of Netflix and Spotify, which can attain profitability by growing a significant customer base through providing a service that actually meets consumer demands at a price they are willing to pay. Though this apparently is much easier said than done. COLOSOUL 09 |49
SOCIAL ISSUES WORDS BY COURTNEY RAWLINGS ILLUSTRATION BY LILIAN YEOW
LEGALLY ADDICTED
THE ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION PHARMACEUTICALS In the United States and Canada, the recreational use of and addiction to oxycodone-based painkillers by young people has been described as an epidemic. According to one local recreational user of oxycodone in his early twenties, Perth, as well as other Australian cities, is about to experience its own battle with a new age of highly addictive and legally available prescription drugs.
“YOU TRUST THE PHARMACIST, NOT THE DEALER ON THE STREET. I CAN OPEN THE CUPBOARD AT HOME AND FIND SOMETHING THERE.” ‘It was never as fun. It let our whole night down.’ This is how Max, whose real name is undisclosed for privacy reasons, describes his weekly get together with friends at the local pub when they couldn’t get high on painkillers containing oxycodone anymore. According to Max, they only tried it the first time because they had access to it through one of the friends’ relatives who had a prescription. At first, it was just once a week with dinner. Then it was something to do on the weekend when they went out. Experimenting with something that a doctor prescribes and a chemist dispenses couldn’t be that bad, could it? 50| COLOSOUL 09
When the supply of oxycodone ran out, the weekly get together stopped. What began was what Max describes as a ‘hunt’ for his own supply of oxycodone and he has now been addicted for two years. When he finished high school a few years ago, Max had a trade apprenticeship. Initially he was able to balance his addiction and job by keeping it confined mostly to weekends when he was out with friends. However, addiction is a slippery slope and before long it blew out to once or twice during the week and, for a few months, every day. He finished his apprenticeship a year ago but has since only laboured casually for friends and helped out his parents with their business to fund his addiction. His skin is pale and is covered in scars from picking scabs. If he goes without oxycodone for more than two days he starts suffering withdrawal symptoms like sweats, fever, nausea, severe mood swings and high levels of anxiety. It’s when he’s dealing with these withdrawal symptoms that Max claims it’s easiest to justify his use of prescription painkillers. ‘I’ve got pain, I’m a bit sad. That’s what I still tell myself to justify it,’ said Max. In early 2013, Max will enter a detox program to try and kick his habit once and for all, but in the interim he doesn’t plan on trying to go cold turkey. While high on ‘oxy’, Max says he’s like a fully charged battery: ready mentally and physically for just about anything. But this self-image doesn’t translate to reality. For example, in a space of two
weeks, Max left the gas top stove running overnight on two separate occasions, without remembering a thing the next day. He’s also walked into a shop, picked out an item and has nearly walked out without paying, simply forgetting that at a shop you have to pay for things. These are the result of two or three day benders where he doesn’t see his family and friends, aside from fellow users, when he’ll mostly get high and play video games or go out clubbing at night, and can go all three days without sleep. How did a once casual night with friends turn into a dangerous and potentially deadly drug habit with prescription painkillers? Max freely admits that it was his own choice to take a painkiller that wasn’t prescribed for him, but he didn’t know at the time how severe the possibility of addiction could be. To legally obtain oxycodone, a patient needs a doctor’s prescription for moderate to severe pain; this is usually associated with the ailments of the elderly or terminally ill. Part of the semisynthetic opioid class of painkilling drugs, oxycodone is effective in blocking the pain receptors of the central nervous system, but its chemical makeup also makes it highly addictive. The high experienced by recreational users is described as euphoric and resembles the high described by heroin or morphine users, which isn’t surprising considering they are from the same opioid drug class. Physical dependency is the other side of the addiction for both recreational users
and those prescribed for genuine pain relief. In North America, the growing problem of prescription painkiller and oxycodone abuse was given further momentum by the approval of the Purdue Pharmaproduced OxyContin in 1995, which is also now the most common brand of oxycodone in Australia. A 2007 study published in the Canadian Family Physician regarding the non-medical use of opioid drugs by Ontario students showed that from a total of nearly 3000 students, over one fifth had used opioid drugs such as oxycodone at least once recreationally, and of that amount 72% got them from home. Max knows other users who, he says, have approached pensioners and terminally ill patients and offered to buy their prescription opioids for up to a 1000% price mark up. The Canadian study recommended that better education about the dangers of misusing prescription drugs be provided. In Ontario in early 2012, legislation was passed that will use a pre-existing tracking system to monitor patient’s prescriptions and any attempts to get more from multiple doctors and chemists. There is an added perception of safety in using prescription drugs for recreation. ‘You trust the pharmacist, not the dealer on the street. I can open the cupboard at home and find something there,’ said Max. If not available at home, a common practice amongst users and illegal distributors is ‘doctor shopping’.
The introduction of an the Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs (ERRCD) in Australia in July 2012 has begun to stamp out this practice by making available a national database of prescribed users that provides their controlled substance history, including where and when they get prescriptions filled, to pharmacies and medical professionals. To date there have been no significant studies completed for opioid misuse in young adults in Australia, but the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre based at the University of New South Wales does currently have a four year study underway. Known as POINT (Pain and Opioid IN Treatment), the study aims to monitor and research the patterns of opioid prescriptions in Australia. There are also trials underway by a Melbourne university looking at a painkilling combination of opioid drugs and a substance called flupirtine, an effective non-opioid painkiller that doesn’t have addictive properties. If this combination proves affective, and with the ERRCD firmly in place, the flow of prescription painkillers on to the black market will hopefully become more difficult; this will help insure that oxycodone pain killers are only used by those in genuine pain and not recreationally by the young and foolish. Max has a message for anyone thinking of trying oxycodone for the first time: ‘It has ruined my life. It’s not the life I want to live. If you start on it, you’re not going to stop.’ COLOSOUL 09 |51
PHOTOGRAPHY WORDS BY KIERAN PEEK PHOTOGRAPHY BY SVEN MAYER
THE BUSTLE OF BANGKOK
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: SVEN MAYER
Bangkok is a lively city of more than eight million people and over four hundred years of history. It’s also a photographer’s dream, from the street markets to the expansive city lights that can be viewed from the many sky bars across the metropolis. For Sven Mayer, an amateur photographer from Germany, it was a chance to capture some unique moments. ‘I became a photographer by accident. I was travelling a lot and wanted to record my experience in pictures, so I bought my first used DSLR camera. I like capturing people in their own environment and it helps me see things that other people pass by.’ His attitude towards photography is evident in his work; the view of the motorcyclists through the pipe is simplistic, yet insightful.
Almost pictorialist in style, it’s a view that most people would completely ignore but which perfectly represents the pace of life in the city. The simplicity of the black and white photographs adds calm to the hustle and bustle of regular city life. Sven’s vibrant colour shots contrast beautifully, showcasing a Bangkok that exudes a sense of being a living creature; a breathtaking idea of animation and adventure. Sven plans to spend the next year in Perth, developing his surfing photography before jetting off to capture more of the world with his eclectic eye. You can find Sven’s incredible work online at www.zwen-photo.de.
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