Venue 389

The Apt Philosophy of Kintsugi

By George Barsted Arts Writer

Kintsugi roughly translated from Japanese means “golden repair”. Practically, it’s the fine art of restoring broken pottery with delicate lacquers of gold, silver or platinum. But, the method doesn’t seek to hide the fractures; instead it highlights them. The practise dates back to the 16th Century. It’s incredibly precise with the lacquer derived from the Urushi tree, then dusted with precious metals and intricately brushed onto damaged edges.

16th Century Japanese pottery repair techniques may have little bearing on the state of the arts in Britain today. However, with many artists feeling the pinch as the budget for the arts is deflated by the government, can the theory of Kintsugi provide new ideas to struggling artists? Perhaps it can, proponents may point to Van Gogh’s Bedroom In Arles, a work born out of poverty from a great artist who died penniless. Surely this means that work born out of damage and destitution will be highly acclaimed amongst the critics and public. The trope of the starving artist being able to create their

best work is damaging and wide of the mark. Forcing creatives into poverty is not exactly a noble cause in the attempt to make them produce celebrated pieces.

With this being said, Kintsugi may provide a different way of viewing things. Arts Council England’s budget is roughly 30% of what it was in 2010. Innovative ways of looking at producing good

art is needed for those who can’t rely on nepotism or deep pockets. The philosophy of embracing imperfection can provide an outlet for a new look at art in Britain today. The clear and obvious answer is to increase the funding for the arts, allowing those with genuine talent the ability to express themselves without fear of falling into hardship. This however, is unlikely to take place with the government currently in charge. Embracing the imperfection in art is one solution, looking at broken or repurposed pieces as a story of their work, instead of as a cheap and lazy alternative to high value artwork. Kintsugi can also be interpreted into the old adage “Waste not, want not.” Which is sage advice for these trying times.

scrounge: an insight into the way our country kills disabled people

By CLEM HAILES

Books Writer

Every able-bodied person should read this play. Every disabled person has already read this play as they have lived this experience. Amie M. Marie presents the horror story of how disabled people are treated in this country.

Though my disabilities are not relevant in discussing this play, it still resonated with me. It made me angry. As every able-bodied person has asked me: ‘What is wrong

with you?’ You are what is wrong with me. You view me as a scrounge, looking to get easy money and sit on my arse all day - emphasis on sitting on my arse because if any disabled person dares to stand or walk they are an undeserving scrounger.

Scrounge covers the story of Abby, debt-ridden and out of work, who applies to be a PIP (Personal Independence Payment) assessor, and Carol, a disabled person who is constantly in pain, yet perceives herself as a faker because that is what she has been taught to believe.

For those of you fortunate enough to never meet a PIP assessor: their job is to actively stop disabled people accessing benefits they need

to survive. PIP assessors are taught to manipulate disabled people into exposing themselves as ‘not really disabled’ to meet the specific target of causing 80% of claimants to be rejected. Eighty percent . If they meet this target, they receive commission. They economically benefit from the death of disabled people.

Through the voice of Dino, a mysterious and ominous presence that is reminiscent of Priestley’s Inspector , Marie states that each month eighty disabled people die from being denied benefits and declared fit for work. Abby is groomed into disregarding and actively threatening disabled people’s lives. She needs the money. It’s her or them. Their lives do not matter.

The play also references the ridiculous and insidious call-toarms by Nadine Dorris, MP, to report a blogger with arthritis for claiming benefits because if a disabled person can tweet, they can work. According to

the very lovely Nadine, I am not disabled as I am able to use a keyboard. According to Nadine, when I cannot move either of my hands and drink a glass of water, I am a scrounger in my own room, crying, looking for attention from no one.

Abby starts off in her interview optimistically suggesting to her employer: ‘You help them. That is what any worker wants to believe they are doing.’

She ends it with ‘This is my job. We do not help.’

She begins the play as ABBY, and ends as THE ASSESSOR. There is a particularly horrific moment where she asks CAROL, now referred to as the no longer human CLAIMANT, after she has attempted suicide: ‘if you’re really in that much pain, why didn’t you succeed? Why did you fail to kill yourself?’ Then promptly asks if she can use the bath. This play is based on real interactions with assessors.

When I was 15, I had to go to a tribunal and explain to a judge why I needed basic sup-

the wave of grief

By louise collins venue editor

Grief is a funny thing. Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don’t. It’s unpredictable. Uncertain.

You have this idea that grief is all consuming. That it sticks around as a constant for several months, years, and then poof. Gone. But it isn’t like that at all. Grief hits you at random moments in time. You’re sitting in the doctor’s office, being told that your partner has months to live. You start grieving

before they’re even dead. You break down into tears, the panic swelling around you. What will you do without them? But then, a few days later, you find yourself laughing again. You’re with your friends, out for drinks, and there’s tears rolling down your face. The good type.

Two weeks later, your partner’s at work and you can’t get out of bed. The sadness has drowned you. You’ll never feel happy again. It’s weird that you’re grieving them before they’re dead. But you are.

And then. It happens. Several months down the line, your partner takes their last breath as you hold their hand. They told you they loved you,

and their eyes shut forever. You’re smiling, softly. You stand there for a few minutes. A few hours. You’re not smiling anymore, but there are no tears either. Nurses come in and check on you. Look at you, waiting for the tears to come. But they don’t. They’re at peace now. There’s no more pain. That’s all you can think.

Their parents come in at some point, wailing. You hold them tight, comforting them both. They tell you that you’ll always be part of the family. They thank you for being with their child. You hug them harder, but still no tears.

When you get back to your house, your best friends are there. They hold your hands all night. They guide you to bed when you’ve drunk a little bit too much wine. But you fall straight asleep. Eyes dry.

But then comes the next

day. You wake up and you feel like you’re drowning. The tears don’t stop coming. Your friends rush into your room, prompted by the wail you didn’t realise you’d let out. You can’t breathe. Can’t speak. Can’t even move to wipe your eyes. You’re just sat up, taking gasping breaths, whilst the grief consumes you.

For days, this is your life. Waking up with a moment of peace before reality sets in. You don’t leave the house. You can’t. Your friends have moved in with you at this point, scared to leave you alone in this state.

But eventually, you start to heal. You mourn your partner, cry at their funeral. But you manage to go back to work, back out for meals. Every so often, a wave hits you. Maybe you watch their favourite film and find yourself crying. Maybe you catch a whiff of their shampoo and your heart breaks. Because you see, grief is like a wave. It ebbs and flows, before breaking on the shore.

Mourning our future memories

By libby hargreaves editor in chief

Standing over their tombstones, I remember our last day together;

JUNE, HOME

Of the eldest summer day. Her mother Sun, shining upon a favourite daughter.

She lends a hand to her siblings, One a curious young man, The other a bonnie little one. They set out the feast; A harvest of berries on a blanket hugging a bed of daisies.

They pull the corners tight, Wanting everything to be just right. Will He join the merriment of summer Or once again cast an autumn rain?

Sweet bonnie lets out a giggle, Her sister had become a one-woman pantomime. ‘He’s behind you’ she exclaims, The phrase once sparked joy, now only fear lingers.

The misplaced laughter awakens the man In the moon, from a trance not unlike a lovespell. The light fades, leaves fall.

I trace their names, moss just beginning to cover the stone.

Every step now crunches with guilt, A reminder of moments not savoured, As our future becomes a mere memory.

halloween on a budget

By louise collins Venue editor

It’s that time of the year where people are frantically trying to figure out their Halloween costume. Whether you’re going to a house party or going to the club, getting the costume just right can be a stressful job. So, if you’re struggling to think of what to wear, don’t worry, you won’t be the only one! That’s why I’m here, to help out with your own Halloween horror. Sometimes, a good costume is full of items already in your closet. Halloween is scary enough without having to alter your bank balance.

Group costumes

These are always a good laugh, and you don’t even need to go out any buy anything specific for them at all! Grab a few of your friends and dress up as the Scooby Gang - even if you just wear the right colour clothes (with fun little twists of course) you’ll be easily recognised as the mystery solving team.

Or dig through your closet, maybe buy the odd wig, and go as the Spice Girls - each has their own distinct style, but most items aren’t that far out to mean you can’t use what you already own.

You can also make your costume simply by buying fake blood. You and your friends can don white t-shirts, and a comfy pair of jeans and cover yourselves in fake blood. If one of you doesn’t mind splashing out a little more, make them the

killer! All they’ll need is a funky mask or a fake weapon and they’re set!

If you decide you do want to spend a little money, why not reflect upon movies of the past few months and go as different Minions – but don’t forget your Gru!

Individual costumes

If you’re wanting to wear your own thing, that’s no worry!

Grab an old cream jumper & make an old house phone with some leftover cardboard. Bam, you’re Casey Becker from

Scream. Alternatively, grab your denim jacket, a grey t-shirt and some fake blood, and you can have your main character moment as Sidney Prescott.

If you love a bit of drama in life, and you’ve been following the Don’t Worry Darling discourse, find an all-blue fit, your shadiest sunglasses and a cocktail to channel Florence Pugh during the press conference. You could even find your own entourage with your friends wearing their very own ‘Miss Flo’ t-shirts.

Whatever you go for, whether you’re a big pop-culture fan, or you really love the spooky side, you don’t need splash the cash to find a great costume.

Norwich’s Own Record Label: The Wilde Club

By Lily Boag

Venue

Deputy Editor

The Wilde Club changed the Norwich indie scene, hosting a wide variety of bands such as Nirvana, Muse, Oasis, Snow Patrol, Coldplay, amongst other acts. Founded by Barry Newman (Baz McHat) and booked and run by Oli Redmayne who joined in 1992, on 17th January 1989 the first gig was held at Norwich Arts Centre. It soon became the main venue for Wilde Club alongside occasional gigs held at The Waterfront and Fat Pauly’s. These venues became the beating heart of the Norwich music scene, offering the community the opportunity to attend live gigs from acts who were previously unable to play in Norwich due to the lack of an essential music hub.

After listening to bands play on John Peel’s radio show, Barry started running gigs so he could see the bands perform live. Volunteering at the Norwich Arts Centre, he soon discovered there were no indie bands that were getting booked, and so he decided to host gigs for the bands he liked, hoping for a successful turnout. Tracking promising local bands down for the booking using

demo tapes, and promoting the gigs alone for 3 years, Barry soon developed the Wilde Club until it became Norwich’s ultimate music hub, an important component of the city’s social structure.

Booking new bands with the best sounds, Wilde Club brought in an eclectic mix of talent, with many bands going on to reach the top charts, while some reached the height of their success playing in Norwich, and other acts like the Stone Roses slipped away after being turned down by Barry. But not only

were musicians drawn into Norwich by the opportunity to support national acts lured in by the Wilde Club and to perform at venues that were keen to allow local bands and performers to play, but helping launch the musical careers of local musicians and artists was the investment and support provided by the Wilde Club’s two record labels, Wilde Club Records and Jawbone. Soon, more and more musicians were drawn in with the hopes of receiving record company interest. With the profits made from gigs, Wilde Club began investing into record releases to help local bands reach wider audiences, releasing the first two EPs for Great Yarmouth alternative-rock band Catherine Wheel.

Reaching legendary status, The Wilde Club has left its mark on Norwich, infusing the city with its indie musical influence. It defined the city’s arts and entertainment culture and holds a chapter within the city’s rock and roll musical heritage.

Don’t Worry Darling: Plethora of Plot holes

By Chloe Thompson Film writer

Following the tsunami of toxicity and tensions of the press tour for Olivia Wilde’s ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, buzz for the movie has been at an all-time high. Whether you fled to the cinema this week as a devoted Harry Styles fan, a thriller enthusiast or just curious after the seemingly never-ending scandals, the film finished number one in the box office and racked up a healthy $19.2 million. Not bad for Wilde’s first largescale productive movie. But is the movie any good?

The movie is set in a 1950s eutopia community of candy-colour and saturated perfection, but the audience comes to very quickly realise that not everything might be as it seems. Alice (Florence Pugh) is the housewife to breadwinner Jack (Harry Styles) and the couple seem almost disgustingly in love. The world building reveals that the wife’s role in this community is to be a housewife in the traditional sense, while the men head off to work each morning in their fancy cars to a very mysterious location to do an even more mysterious job. This whole community has been curated by Frank (Chris Pine) and he has named it the Victory Project.

The premise of the movie has potential to be a hybrid Truman Show/ Groundhog Day with Pinterest-worthy aesthetics and a picture-perfect cast but the messy plot holes holts the movie at a B+ grade. With a slow start and an abrupt ending, the movie feels as it should begin 30 minutes in and continue 30 minutes after the end credits roll.

The movie generates more questions than it answers, with a random plane crash being the main catalyst to the drama but never explains how or why a plane got into a perfectly constructed simulation.

But even the nuanced micro details are difficult to understand with ease, for example, why were the eggshells empty? It wasn’t until further reflection that I realised it had something to do with that terrifying scene of a long-haired, dispirited Jack devouring tuna out of a can.

The sensational Florence Pugh was a glorious distraction from the messy plot. Pugh secured her title as the Queen of psychological thrillers after starring in ‘Midsommar’ in 2019, and this film only confirms that her reign continues.

It is captivating watching her originate as a fun-loving housewife with a bouncy personality and even bouncier hair to then descend into a bundle of destruction and determination as the truth of the Victory Project unfolds.

While Pugh received enormous praise, the same cannot be said about Harry Styles’ debut into a lead acting role. While his scenes playing a charming husband came naturally to Styles, the sinister aspects of his character seemed too forced to be believable meaning he’s unlikely to be holding a shiny gold Oscar’s statue for his role as Jack Chambers any time soon.

However, this doesn’t mean that this movie is not a worthwhile watch. The Hollywood A-lister cast, multi-million-dollar budget and plentiful drama both in and around the film are just a few of the reasons why the film is worth a trip to the cinema.

BBC Centenary: 100 Extraordinary Years of Broadcasting concrete deputy editor

By matthew stothard

The BBC was formed on 18 October 1922 by six wireless companies, with its first radio station, 2LO, launching in London on 14 November, featuring two news bulletins and the latest billiards scores. It may have been a humble beginning, but it marked the start of an organisation which would come to define much of 20th and early 21st century British culture.

After 14 years of radio broadcasts, the BBC launched the UK’s first regular television service, BBC Television, on 2 November 1936 at 3pm. The opening hour comprised of speeches, news and weather before half an hour of variety performances, including American duo Buck and Bubbles, who became the first black performers on television. The service then closed down until 9pm, when a documentary, Television Comes to London, was shown, which remarkably, given the scarcity of archive material from the early BBC, can still be viewed on their website. It featured a recording of a song from the variety show, aptly called ‘Television’, sung by Adele Dixon, which provides a rather entertaining listen in hindsight!

BBC Television took a break during World War Two (although radio broadcasts did continue), but from its return in 1946 the service really began to make its mark with the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II being watched by an estimated 20 million.

In 1964, BBC Two was launched, although its opening night went less smoothly than that of its older sibling, with power cuts at Television Centre meaning an evening of light entertainment was replaced by a news bulletin which was silent for the first few minutes. The first programme officially shown on BBC Two was pre-school show Play School the next morning, whilst that evening’s programmes opened with a candle being blown out, acknowledging the previous night’s events. The other BBC channels we know today followed in the late 90s and early 00s.

In the years since 1936 the BBC has shown a wide array of programmes, most a far cry from the launch day’s variety acts. Nevertheless, it has always stayed close to the aims of its first Director-General, Lord Reith to inform, educate and entertain, with its three longest running programmes (excluding news and events) that still air –Panorama, The Sky at Night and Blue Peter – clearly fulfilling that brief.

Those shows all began in the 1950s, but subsequent decades have brought more varied entertainment. The 60s saw the launch of BBC juggernaut Doctor Who, and enduring comedy series Dad’s Army

and Monty Python’s Flying Circus, as well as Points of View, beginning the corporation’s long tradition of airing criticisms of itself!

The 70s saw an innovation in children’s television with Newsround (which marked its 50th anniversary this year), as well as more sitcoms like Fawlty Towers and The Good Life, whilst in the 80s the BBC beat ITV to launch the UK’s first national breakfast show, as well as broadcasting the landmark concert Live Aid and Only Fools and Horses, voted earlier this year as the BBC’s best programme. The 90s brought Keeping Up Appearances (surprisingly announced as the BBC’s most exported programme in 2016), whilst the 21st century has already seen lots of great shows, Strictly Come Dancing, Pointless and Call the Midwife being just a few of the most successful.

The corporation will be celebrating the legacy of this extraordinary century of programming with documentaries and special episodes of shows like Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing, whilst next year will see them host the Eurovision Song Contest for a record ninth time, continuing the BBC’s reputation as one of the world’s most prominent and respected broadcasters.

G2 Esports has set a precedent for the industry by drawing the line on Misogyny and Discrimination

By jessica clifford games editor

Carlos Rodríguez has been CEO of G2 Esports since he created the company’s first Esports team for League of Legends in 2014. G2 have steadily climbed to the top of the Esports game, being one of the most successful League teams in the LEC (European Tournament) and frequently making it to the World Championships.

This was until September 17th when their bubble of success came crashing down as Carlos posted a video of him partying with the Internet’s favourite misogynist and self-proclaimed ‘nice guy’ Andrew Tate to celebrate a G2 win. Andrew Tate was banned from all social media last month for his “controversial” views of relationships with women and his overall toxic masculinity. Following immediate backlash from the post, Carlos tweeted back:

He later deleted the tweet after even more backlash, including from other teams, G2 players themselves and many of the members of the newly formed women’s League of Legends team saying that they no longer felt safe. G2 Esports came out with a statement saying that Carlos had been placed on 6 weeks of suspension from his role with no pay and a couple of days later, when the G2 Valorant team was denied a coveted franchise spot in the North American league that they should have been given, they announced that he was stepping down from his role as CEO and would be selling his shares.

The quick turnaround by the G2 Esports board of directors in acting on Carlos’ wrongdoing in promoting and normalising figures such as Andrew Tate to his large audience who he has significant influence over has set a precedent in the industry for a new intolerance of discrimination and in particular, misogyny that moves away from the previously male-dominated industry rife with stereotypes.

From now on this ruling sets a standard for other Esports corporations to act when there are similar situations and I believe that this is a great step forward for inclusivity and tolerance in Esports. Way to go G2.

Opening up and setting boundaries from anon

Q: ‘’I don’t know why but I have really have trouble opening up to people. It also results in me not setting boundaries with people and letting them know when I’m stressed. Equally, I worry that it puts a strain on friendships because I struggle to let my self be truly vulnerable round them without making it into a joke.’’

A: Hi! I completely get what you mean, I feel like there are two aspects to your issue that need unpacking. Firstly, finding it hard to open up to people is completely understandable and logical. This is because having a defence mechanism on an emotional standpoint is necessary for our emotional wellbeing. Because of this, it’s important that we do not resent or feel frustration that we can be closed off or find it difficult to open up, we do it as protection, and that’s okay!

However, I do feel that with your problem here perhaps it is the extent to which you find it so hard to opening up to others. Opening up to someone requires a huge amount of trust in the other person. This kind of trust doesn’t just come from nowhere as being vulnerable with someone can be really scary and daunting.

That’s why I’d focus first on be-

ing vulnerable with yourself before anybody else. A lot of our behaviours and our emotions towards others are a projection and reflection of ourselves. So I recommend doing some inner-work on really allowing yourself to be there for yourself.

This could look like writing down your worries and then underneath writing down your solutions, having a good sob, or talking out loud about things that upset you. Being there for yourself and feeling okay in your own vulnerability is key to then welcome others into that emotional space. Know that it is okay to not feel okay and work on validating all your emotions from the uncomfortable and sad ones to the better ones also! Find a personal outlet for how you feel and try and stay really present for yourself, this is all so vital to your own journey of navigating your feelings and realising that you are so valid in how you feel. Your feelings are not small, they are actually everything, and to treat yourself well you’ve got to understand the value of vulnerability!

Secondly, I feel that your lack of setting boundaries is the main issue here. Boundaries are equally as tough as they are paramount to maintaining healthy relationships. The one thing I’ve really realised about boundaries over the past year is that they are there for your benefit just as much as they are for the person you’re putting that boundary up for. This means that if you do not assert boundaries in

relationships, it is just as bad for the people around you as it is yourself.

Personally, I find this really useful as it makes me feel less bad about putting these boundaries up as I know I am doing something that benefits both me and the person I care about. For example, if you struggle to say I can’t talk to you about this right now to a friend who is constantly trauma dumping then that person will become emotionally dependant on you in a way that isn’t healthy for them either. In your case not letting your friends know that you are stressed will not help them as when we let those around us know how we feel they are then able to modify their behaviour in a way will help.

You do not owe anybody and explanation of your feelings and if you don’t feel comfortable enough yet to say why you’re feeling stressed, saying something along the lines of “Hey I’m feeling pretty stressed at the moment, I thought I should let you know.” Is perfectly reasonable.

Finally, thank you for your submission!