CUB Magazine Issue 577: Time by CUB Magazine

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C U B

Time Edition

EDITORIAL

Issue 577

Dear Reader, The second, and sadly last, theme of our academic year is Time. As we press forward into 2021, we would like to not only think back over the past year, but also contemplate what the future holds in store for us. We hope that our hindsight imbues in us wisdom, and our foresight awards us percipience. In our last edition, we stated that university is a time for finding and developing yourself. However, like all things, our time at university is transitory. Indeed, many of the members of the CUB editorial team are, like us, finishing their undergraduate degrees and are preparing to progress to the next stage in their lives. As we do this, we want to not just recollect the past and ponder the future, but to question time’s effect upon us, its depiction in culture and how we perceive it. Ultimately, we would like to bring you, the reader, a collection of musings upon, analyses of and introspections about, Time, and its dominance in our lives. We hope to psychologically prime you to consider temporality, like a Nolan film might or a certain Mulholland Drive. We want to provide you with a tour of how RnB and the art of contouring have evolved throughout the years. We want to make you query whether the way we historically arrange time is proper, and make you wonder how long it would take you to become a master at photography. Whether we are successful in this endeavour or not, though we have the utmost confidence that we will be, we hope that time will look favourably upon you. Joshua Fraser and Ruby Punt Editors-in-Chief

TABLE OF CONTENTS 01

BOOK CLUB

PAGE 4

Te n P o e m s a b o u t T i m e

COLUMNS

PAGE 6

End of Timeline: The problems with periodisation

F E AT U R E S

04 05

PAGE 8

Big Ben: Just how late are you running?

FILM

PAGE 10

Mulholland Drive: Time in Cinema

IDENTITY

PAGE 14

Because Time doesn’t heal when love wounds

INKPOT

PAGE 16

Hourglass Our World has shifted

LONDON

PAGE 18

The brief history of GMT Doctor who’s times of London

MUSIC

PAGE 22

How UK RnB developed over time: from 1950s to 2020s

PHOTOGRAPHY

PAGE 24

Time to Pro

STYLE Diving into the past for present fashion and make up trends

PAGE 28

BOOK CLUB

TEN POEMS ABOUT TIME As we might expect from Plath, this particular poem has a slightly different take on time than Larkin and Duffy. As she laments the passing of time and all that it takes from a variety of characters, each representative of different aspects of her own troubled personality, there is a tangible sadness. The sonnet structure raises some interesting questions though, as Plath melds the depressive with a romantic ode to the passing of time.

‘Time hates love, wants love poor But love spins gold, gold, gold from straw’ Hour, Carol Ann Duffy

his stunning poem is a classic Duffy piece, with dripping enjambment and rich extended metaphors. As this sonnet gushes and overflows with a beautiful story of love and happiness, it is the perfect poem for the theme of time, but it is also one of the best romantic pieces of the modern poetry age whilst embodying tradition. This is a poem that I’ve read time after time, and each reading is a brand new experience of delicate yet incredibly deep love.

‘Red sky at night - shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning too much to drink again trying to free your mind from the brain it was born in’ Killing Time, Simon Armitage

‘They come, they wake us Time and time over. They are to be happy in: Where can we live but days?’

This 1000 line epic poem was commissioned to mark the dawn of the new millennium, so if you’re looking for a lengthier read in verse form, this might be perfect. Our poet laureate considers the past, and envisions how the future might look in a wonderfully all-encompassing poem, in which every one of us can see ourselves. This is a classic Armitage work, and it absolutely buzzes with questions about time.

Days, Philip Larkin

A short and sweet poem from Larkin is deceptively simple, as it subtly and delicately reveals universal anxiety about the passing of time. As Larkin asks ‘where can we live but days?’ he reminds me of the fleeting and fragile nature of life – he seems to tell us that the only way to waste time is to worry about the passing of it, rather than embracing every day. This poem is a valuable reminder that our lives are formed in the passing of each day, and that we can take our lives only one day at a time.

‘Love is not Love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove’ Sonnet 116, Willliam Shakespeare

Another poem that draws together the themes of love and time is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. Shakespeare eloquently explores how love is not something light, nor something that can change over time

‘Time is a great machine of iron bars That drains eternally the milk of stars’ Sonnet: To Time, Sylvia Plath

BOOK CLUB Similarly to Thomas pondering life on his birthday, we see Emily Dickinson considering the flowing of time by looking ahead to the inevitable. As she thinks about death, she explores the beauty of life. We get the impression that she is ready for death, and has spent time considering the inevitable direction in which life takes us all, so this exploration of time is one viscerally connected to all of us who read it.

or when under pressure. This is a beautiful expression of the strength and importance of love, and it stretches across the broad expanse of time to remain true. Perhaps more about love than time, it reminds us how interwoven the two are. ‘And the mystery Sang alive Still in the water and singing birds’ Poem in October, Dylan Thomas

‘I wasn’t lost, i had myself and lungs the size of concert halls. I had it all, a stomach full of life’

In this beautiful, life-affirming poem, Thomas takes us through an interesting perspective on time, as he takes a walk on his birthday. Memories of childhood and swirling natural imagery takes us on a journey with him through life, as he paints a pensive image of happiness and love.

Prayer, Luke Wright

Anyone who has ever listened to me rambling on about poetry will not be at all surprised to see Wright on this list. Prayer is a masterpiece. Looking back through time and dropping into crucial moments of life, it whizzes through youth and crashes into adulthood. Growing up isn’t what it originally seems, and Prayer makes this cascade of emotion incredibly visceral. Reading it is great, but I would especially recommend listening to his rendition of it - in his collection Twenty.

‘I have witnessed this, in one swift moment like a photograph, This sudden crumbling of their sweet and childish Lack of self-consciousness like a conquered city’s wall’ Page 41-42 All Damn Day, Jemima Foxtrot

‘Time flies... slides down the wall Part of me dies under my overalls’

In classic Jemima Foxtrot style, this poem is a delightful pondering on growing up; she watches her nieces becoming aware of femininity and how bound up it is in desirability. Her aching nostalgia and need to cease the relentless passing of time could not be more relatable, and it has a charmingly feminist edge. She creates a narrative, and edges it with song, this is a beautiful poem which marks how suddenly time takes its effect.

Thirty-six hours, Dr. John Cooper Clarke

A very different selection than the others on this list, this poem (more of a song) from the legendary punk poet Dr. John Cooper Clarke has a groove and a bite to it. Based on his experience of prison for 36 hours, back in the days of his youth, this poem is comical and revealing of the culture it came out of. Taking on time in a slightly different sense, 36 Hours considers a lot in a short space of time, with JCC’s characteristic charm.

‘Because I could not stop for death He kindly stopped for me’ Because I could not stop for death,Emily Dickinson

- Jasmine Rothan

COLUMNS

END OF THE (TIME)LINE:

THE PROBLEMS WITH PERIODISATION

hether your knowledge of history peaked with the golden age of Horrible Histories, or you’re an absolute history nerd who runs a successful historical meme page on Instagram, you’ll be familiar with the concept of periodisation: the division of historical ages into neat little boxes such as ‘Classical’, ‘Ancient’, or ‘Medieval’. The problem is, you see, this kind of categorisation is somewhat problematic. The beauty of life is that, most of the time, things don’t fit into boxes, and that’s certainly true here as well. So, what’s all the fuss about?

Modern period is, of course, easy enough to place. But in 100 years’ time, will our understanding of the Modern period change? Will it be called something else? Or have we reached the ‘end of history’, as Hegel and Fukuyama have argued. With a fully globalised world and the reduced differences in ideology, some postmodern theories suggest that history will cease to exist, because no major changes or events are on the horizon. Pretty dark, yes, but it’s an interesting concept. Conceptual stuff out of the way, the reason I, and many others, dislike periodisation is simply that it only applies fully to Western Europe, and potentially North America. And of course, aspects of periodisation have then been used as excuses for colonisers to dip their toes in the business of other countries, in the name of ‘advancement’ or such. Time periods often have certain technologies or ideas associated with them, and if a distant country (which so happens to be full of spices, gold, or oil) didn’t meet the European standards of advancement, it was considered fair game to colonise and exploit. A difference in technology or thought process has always been the great justifier of conquest. So, while rich white men in Europe patted themselves on the back about scientific advancement and enlightenment values, they deemed anyone without those specific technologies ‘hardly beyond the bronze age’, even if the native populations of conquered countries had

Why does periodisation matter, anyway? Well, it’s useful to study specific years in history, akin to literature experts wanting to study certain authors, and movements, and mathematicians desiring to study… different numbers. Plus, it’s easier to look at things in specific chunks and compare them. The problem with categorising history with arbitrary categorisation, though, relates to the all-consuming mess that is Eurocentrism. Historical categories were created in the Christian West, relating to Western histories, values, and in the end, asserted a perceived Western superiority. If we don’t focus too much on the little details, periodisation thus generally works well in terms of European history: it follows the emergence of new ideas, such as the Renaissance and Enlightenment, for example. The switch from Medieval to Early Modern can be marked by the ever-important printing press, and the

COLUMNS more egalitarian views on women or sexuality, for example. Not a great track record for periodisation so far.

rest of the world helps to perpetuate the ‘us versus them’ mentality. Another way periodisation is harmful, in ways we might not realise, is actually through video games. Now, I love video games as much as the next person, especially during lockdown. And, as my favourite video game, it pains me to say this, but historical simulation games such as Sid Meier’s Civilisation, and its contemporaries, really don’t help our perceptions of timelines. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on just Civilisation alone, but it’s still important to understand what it does wrong. Essentially, your goal is to progress the empire of your choice through the ages, conquering your neighbours, and generally having a grand time until you realise it’s 4AM. It’s what got me more interested in history. But the narrative of progress it presents- where it’s basically impossible to win unless you discover new technologies, build bigger cities, dominate othersskews our perceptions of advancement and instils the recurring idea that, unless you hold European technologies and values, your culture isn’t capable of success. I’m sure there are countless other examples of video games, literature, and media that present these outdated views, too, but this is the one that came to mind first.

The major problem with periodisation in the modern world is, surprisingly or not, in museums. Many museums orient their collections thematically and bundle items together based on areas, especially more modern galleries. But some museums still have a nasty habit of sorting their collections by time period, and that reveals some awfully antiquated ideas, especially because in some cases, items from Africa, even recent ones, or from aboriginal Australia, are grouped together with Ancient or Classical cultures, while European objects are generally featured in the modern sections. This kind of discrimination reveals the innate, unshakably racist element that still exists in historical categorisation.

Even with periodisation’s nasty role in colonialism aside, another problem is that it simply doesn’t help with many other areas of history. Whether you’re studying the Arabian Peninsula or the Kingdoms of Africa, or pre-Columbian America, the use of epochs, such as Medieval and Early Modern, simply don’t apply. They create awkward gaps and stops in otherwise coherent timelines; change often happens at different speeds, depending which area of the world you’re studying. Some empires and countries are stuck in-between time periods. With this in mind, the rich history of nations and peoples around the world is often simply referred to as ‘global history’, despite the multitudes of elements it covers, while European history enjoys specific, focused time periods to study. It might be a small issue to most, but this subtle distancing from Europe and the

Of course, I’m not saying we should remove the idea of periodisation completely. It’s so ingrained that it’s hard to even think of other ways to categorise history, other than by land and theme, but that has its own issues. Maybe it’s time we took a look back at the way we group history together, and understand the complex and often discriminatory places time periods came from. In other words, it’s time to draw the line on timelines. - Hannah Cragg

FEATURES

BIG BEN : JUST HOW LATE ARE YOU RUNNING?

B I G BEN T

his time five years ago, I was busy preparing my university entrance applications. Having grown up in a small rural city, I knew that I wanted to be situated in London, among the bustle of city life. I was excited to be surrounded by the iconic landmarks of our country: The London Eye, The Shard, and, of course, Big Ben. These attractions have become synonymous, with Britain, across the world and play a huge role in the tourism industry. In fact, approximately 75,000 UK residents visit Big Ben annually! And, like many others, I was drawn in by the ambience of grandeur that cloaks most of London. Unfortunately, just as I was about to enter university, Westminster announced their plans for a four-year renovation of the tower. The work underway was expected to include significant repairs to the Elizabeth Tower, as well as the Great Clock, as both are said to have: cracks in the masonry, leaks, erosion, and severe rusting of the metalwork. At the time, I felt disappointed, but understood the importance of this renovation. As a UNESCO world heritage site, it would be disastrous to the preservation of British culture if the buil-

FEATURES ding were to collapse. However, now that these works have been delayed due to COVID and labelled an “ocean-going cock-up”, by Tory MP Mark Francois, wider cracks have begun to emerge. Shockingly, it came to light that the tower’s fitted lift will not be accessible to disabled visitors, rendering it impossible for routine public use. Comically, they have announced that this lift is only for emergency purposes, a notion which contradicts most safety guidelines. What’s more, after being initially awarded a budget of £29m, to renovate the Elizabeth Tower, and £5.8m for unexpected challenges, the total budget has grown exponentially, now reaching £79m – well over double the original amount. When we take into account the rise in costs and the dip in public accessibility, the following questions are engendered: where is all this money going? How can this expenditure be justified? And, finally, when will we receive further information regarding the completion date?

now, the gross mismanagement of free school meal parcels, it becomes evident that the government have a history of negligence and can no longer continue to use the guise of COVID to completely explain these delays and excuse their incompetence. Like many, I am exasperated by the country’s repeated failure to adhere to the guidelines and schedules they set for themselves.

While, of course, COVID has impacted the construction of Big Ben, it would be naïve to say that the virus was the only factor in these delays. Understandably, construction was halted in March 2020 during the first national lockdown and since then the work has continued fitfully. However, I would have assumed that a statement clarifying the changes to the schedule caused by these delays would have been announced. As no such statement has been released, we continue to be left in the dark.

As COVID presses pause on almost all facets of life, the uncertainty of Big Ben’s completion date echoes the vagueness and lack of communication that is taking place across Britain. Sadly, to the rest of the world, the UK has become a place of ridicule. The indecision surrounding COVID, as well as the chaos of Brexit, has made it clear to the rest of the world that the UK is beginning to behave a little lap dog: all bark and no bite. - R u by P u n t

I worry that this lack of communication signals a wider issue within the country. If we take into account the serial delays of the Elizabeth line, the periods of uncertainty during Brexit negotiations, and

FILM

MULHOLLAND DRIVE: TIME IN CINEMA

ulholland Drive (2001) is a classic. It is scary, sad and sexy, even funny at points, and it is an example of David Lynch being at the top of his game, as a director and writer, being home to sequences that will terrify and confuse you beyond words. Also, like a lot of David Lynch films, it is bafflingly incomprehensible, yet home to a narrative that is more coherent than one might think at first glance. Lynch muddles the chronology of the plot, and plays around with the idea of Time to present the story in a more engrossing and interesting light.

he discovers that his wife has cheated on him, loses all his money, and is made to go to see The Cowboy (Monty Montgomery), who tells him that he must go along with the choice of the lead actress, in order to regain his power. He does this later on.

After Betty and Rita disappear, the Cowboy tells a woman lying on a bed to wake up. She does, revealing herself to be Diane Selwyn, also played by Naomi Watts. It is revealed that she has been in a romantic relationship with the real Camilla Rhodes, played by Laura Elena Harring, only for that relationship to have gone south, when Camilla cheated on her with Adam Kesher (still Justin Theroux). As a result of this, and a particularly painful party, where Camilla kisses a woman (Melissa George) - and where her and Adam announce they are getting married, Diane hires a hitman to murder her. After a day of feeling guilt ridden and having a hallucination of the dream version of her grandparents (who previously welcomed Betty into LA), she rushes to her bed and shoots herself.

In as straightforward of a plot description as possible, Mulholland Drive is a film of two sections. On the road of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles, a woman who later refers to herself as “Rita” (Laura Elena Harring) survives an attempted assassination, yet loses her memory in the process, and wanders to the house that aspiring and newly arrived actress Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) is staying in. Betty finds “Rita”, and they both go on a journey to find out who “Rita” is. In this purist, they find the dead body of Diane Selwyn and start a romance in the process. After a visit to an eerie nightclub, they go home and suddenly both “Rita” and Betty disappear. Meanwhile, movie director Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) is forced to cast actress Camilla Rhodes (Melissa George)in his film, against his will, and has production on his set shut down, as a result of refusing. Furthermore,

The first 116 minutes of Mulholland Drive seem clear, in terms of chronology, despite the strange atmosphere. Events blend into one another naturally, and it seems to take place over the course of a couple of days. The only noteworthy structural dissonance is the following of multiple characters, as well as the strange non-sequiturs such

FILM

as the famous “Man Behind Winkies” scene, where a man talks about a terrifying dream he had. But, time wise, there are no clear jumps or non-linearity, with the only subtle clue to the reveal in the final act being a first person blurred visual of a person waking up and then going back to sleep, a visual cue that happens right at the beginning.

In a similar fashion, there are jumps between various flashbacks, such as to Camilla being thrown out by Diane, Adam and Camilla not so subtly showing their relationship off on a film set and Diane asking the hitman to kill Camilla. The flashbacks are chronological, yet they are spliced in with the last day of Diane’s life, as if she is reflecting on these moments. Overall, time is more fragmented in this section, with there even being references towards certain sequences in the first 116 minutes in a way that doubles as both call backs to prior events and call forwards that explain how they ended up in the dream, such as the man talking about the dream in the Man Behind Winkies scene appearing in a diner, The Cowboy appearing in the background of the party and the woman who would end up looking like the dream version of Camilla Rhodes.

Whilst the final 30 minutes ostensibly take place in reality, it embraces a fragmented structure, as it moves between the present and past. Diane Selwyn’s relationship with Camilla Rhodes is presented through disjointed flashbacks, with the first scene of Diane waking up subtly establishing that Camilla’s murder has already taken place (due to the reference to detectives coming by the apartment). Then a sudden transition to Diane and Camilla, in a sexual encounter that takes a turn for the worse.

FILM

“A classic. It is scary, sad and sexy, even funny at points”

FILM From a certain point of view, one could see the first two acts as a dreamlike version of what happens after the second half (essentially confirmed with Betty and “Rita” discovering the corpse of a “Diane Selwyn” in her bedroom). It acts as a “What If” scenario.

None of these potential scenarios are possible for several reasons, but Diane, in a depressed and broken mental state, imagines them as possibilities and desires. Chronologically,, this dream takes place the day after Diane has ordered Camilla’s assassination, and the night before Diane wakes up at the Cowboy’s command, but the first 116 minutes is presented before either of these things are shown onscreen.

The film presents its major dream section, at the start rather than at the end, creating a loop that is especially notable on second viewing. By the end of the film, and upon a rewatch, there is an understanding of the context behind the first scene of “Rita”’s attempted assassination and several other key visuals and characters. Reversals are even done in smaller instances, such as how the hitman appears within the dream, with no relation to the story before, appearing for the key scene of Diane ordering him to kill Camilla, explaining his place within the dream, or Betty and “Rita” seeing Diane’s dead body lying in the bed, in the dream, before her death becomes a reality. Time is sometimes linear, but it often is not.

IF?

What if the assassination of Camilla Rhodes did not work out? What if the hitman that was hired for the job was too incompetent to be able to pull it off? What if she were stripped of her identity and independence, only being able to create the two from other sources, like Betty or the Gilda poster she gets the “Rita” name from? What if Diane, through this Betty persona, managed to find her new success? What if Diane could restart her career under a new name, persona, and identity (that being of Betty)? What if everyone respected her? What if Camilla and Diane had a fresh start and a new romantic relationship? What if Adam Kesher became a total failure as a director and person? What if he rejected Camilla being in one of his films and what if that rejection started a downward spiral? What if he was cheated on as well?

Overall, Mulholland Drive reverses and plays around with time in a manner that is confounding on first viewing, yet clear on second, as it changes the chronology of the story in a way that makes it stand out amongst other examples of non-linear cinema, as it blends linearity with non-linearity perfectly. - Robert Stayte

IDENTITY

BECAUSE TIME DOESN’T HEAL WHEN LOVE WOUNDS

icture yourself in this scenario. One of your friends unexpectedly gives you a call in the middle of the night. They apologise for disturbing you, since it’s late and normally you’d be sleeping, but they need your advice urgently. Their relationship just ended in disaster, and they’re looking for some comforting words of wisdom. Typically, they’re really upset and you don’t want to make things worse, but every phrase that comes to mind, like ‘that really sucks, mate’ or ‘welcome to the single bin’, will do exactly that. Suddenly, you realise there’s only one thing you can do; there’s only one way to give them what they want. Your lips open and spout out the age old proverb’:

I’ll admit that was harsh of me, but life’s harsh and so is the dating game. The lessons it teaches us aren’t easily forgotten. Neither are the people we love. Craving someone is like craving drugs; it’s an addiction. To kill the addiction you struggle through a painful period of withdrawal, so the physical need for drugs stops. But in your mind, you’ll never stop wanting them. You’ll have trouble sleeping, frustrated by vivid dreams about the object of your desire. That is, until you find a new addiction. Herein lies my point: it’s not time that makes you get over someone, but finding a better partner instead. Then you can look back on the first relationship, and claim that everything happened for the best so you could meet this new person. You’ll realise that your previous partner wasn’t right for you. You’ll wonder how you ever thought that was love, now you’ve experienced it today. Your history will become just that: a step along the path to self-actualisation.

Don’t worry, time heals all wounds. Let me guess, that hit fairly close to home. This whole situation seems a little too familiar, right? Why is that, you ask? It’s because we’ve all been there. We’ve all told that same lie to our closest friends, even though we know it’s a load of codswallop. It’s the last thing we’d want to hear after a breakup, but we’ll force it on everyone else anyway. Clearly, a second popular adage: ‘misery loves company’ is the name of the game.

The TV & film industry has done a lot to shed light on this topic. It’s taken us on journeys with plenty of characters who find true love, after losing the person they thought was their ‘one and only’. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favourite example. Her high-school relationship with the brooding vampire Angel is the ultimate

IDENTITY combination of doomed romance, angst and good looks. They can’t be together, because he turns into his soulless alter-ego Angelus when they have sex. He has no choice but to leave, running off to star in his own eponymous spinoff. I couldn’t understand how the show continued for another four seasons. No Angel equals no story. I was certain that Buffy and the audience wouldn’t be able to get over him. And that was the case, but only until Spike came along.

original. As humans, we tend to play the comparison game. In this case, it involves juxtaposing new loves with old ones. We’ll never be present with the person we’re seeing, if they’re dwarfed by their predecessor. Their inadequacies will remind you that your former partner was superior in some respects. They’ll remind you how much you still love that person. Old wounds are dug up again and the rest is history. Except it isn’t. In essence, don’t assume that time is a quick fix for heartbreak. You’ll be wasting yours. Don’t let yourself be led by quick witticisms, and so-called universal truths. Feelings don’t change themselves; you just have to learn to accept them. Otherwise commitment would lose its significance, and love would turn into a byword for impermanence. Take charge, and see the future for what it will be: a place for better things. The ultimate relationship is yet to come if you clear the way for it. Why? Because time doesn’t heal when love wounds, it provides the opportunity to.

Spike’s relationship with Buffy is less Romeo + Juliet and more The King and I. It’s adult, and not in the pornographic sense. It’s a slow-burner. Theirs is a meeting of compatible personalities, full of sacrifice and selflessness. Their transition from enemies, to frenemies, to lovers, to partners, is done effortlessly and convincingly. Conveniently Spike, who’s also a vampire, acquires his soul without conditions attached: no pesky alter ego to deal with when they have sex. Suddenly, Angel had become a stopgap on the way to Spike; he took on no significance of his own. Remarkably, it was like he’d never existed at all.

- Ta l i a J a c o b

Angel was substituted. It wasn’t time that made us forget about him, but the fact that he’d been replaced. On the flip-side Rose, the old lady from Titanic, never forgets her one-time lover Jack. Even though she eventually gets married to someone else, he’s the guy she’s metaphorically reunited with at the end of the film. He changed her life, and he changes ours with his magnetism. Now that doesn’t mean that my theory’s wrong, just that it comes with a proviso. You’ll forget someone in time only if you didn’t love them enough. To clarify, you must like the replacement more than, or at least as much as, the

INKPOT

HOURGLASS Through a constricted narrow neck they flow, unnavigable. They cannot return to your world, unless of course that godlike being that inverted your realm deigns to reverse that course of action. Soon the still world you saw beyond your boundaries becomes one of chaos and you might feel concerned that things are moving too fast. That ever moving world outside is now on course with your own. For a set period of time, your existence and theirs is matched, in parallel, like a train track, you have joined the inescapable passage of time - as tangible as the journey from the top to the bottom. You may struggle with inertia, resisting, in a futile manner - fighting the change. But, you shouldn’t. This change is only temporary… it too will pass and your solace will return, neutrality in abundance. You have only to wait for your glass system to find entropy, to descend from chaos to order. Yes, you too will slip through that non-negotiable doorway to another world, but you won’t be alone, or the last, and your fellows are on the other side. Perhaps you have even been to this place before, you might return to where you are again. But don’t be concerned; you should relish your time spent aligning with the world of the moving, the world of time, the realm of the verb. Because, this too will pass and all will be still again soon.

wonder what it is to be a grain of sand in a glass… not just any glass, but an hourglass, encased in your own being heated and cooled, to form a conglomerate solid. Your whole world is static, unmoving, fixed with no change. With thousands of your kin around, you are in a chamber that is perfectly serene, but unchanging. You watch the world pass by, the passage of time slipping away. You can see the sun and the moon and the creatures outside of your boundaries moving always, constantly, perpetually, while you stand still. But, it isn’t always that way. One day, at any given moment your whole world can be turned upside down. You were on the ground, but now in the sky. Your fellow grains, comrades - family and friends begin to leave your world. In ones, twos, threes and fours they skip from your part of your little glass domain to the next.

- J o s h u a Fr a s e r

INKPOT

OUR WORLD HAS SHIFTED

became a part of our clockwork the world is standing still for us as we march –

no. Delicately tread. you never wake up before me but I still beg to stay in bed overheating and unfresh shrouded in yesterday’s breath. it’s my turn to make coffee and toast. I prefer cereal but that’s none of your concern

ur world has shifted spun around with us in its unsuspecting grasp and dropped us on our heads with wandering eyes wondering where we call home now we used to be all 2-ams and sharing a bottle of rum and half a packet of digestives your hair was longer mine was shorter too short really and intermittently curly

I look at us and lament as my friends whisper soft I love yous and smile on their way home swallow. Next. no more haze of a rum-soaked lamplight dropping un-savoured cigarettes into the bushes below dangling our gleam from the upstairs window oh, where are the wake up calls from an over-zealous august sun?

when you would speak to me with a sharp tongue and keep me at arm’s length I would sometimes wonder what made me stay but in the end i suppose that it was that you made bus journeys home at 2:37 bearable iridescent even

I used to work at 7:30 and you would pull me back into bed now your early morning thirst is quenched

everything around us used to move in a fit of pure chaos we would make plans in Soho for 5pm when it was already ten past four and I would change back out of pyjamas to come and see you

you loved me when the world turned too quickly for us to ever dream of catching up now there is time to listen to avert your gaze close my mouth let my lips linger unkissed.

we settled somehow softer nesting just landed at our feet I have classes and you needed the money so 8am alarms

- Jasmine Rothon

LONDON

THE BRIEF HISTORY OF GMT

espite having lived in London for over 3 years, I only recently visited Greenwich Park. I had always wanted to visit the observatory, but never found the perfect weekend to make the trip. However, now that my weekends are filled with walks in the park, I no longer had an excuse not to visit. Of course, COVID restrictions had closed the observatory, but luckily a friend was able to show me around the park and point out the meridian lines running out of the observatory. Since this trip, I have had this nagging question in the back of my mind: How did London become the central point of time?

adopt GMT to prevent further confusion. Due to social resistance, it wasn’t until 1880 that the British legal system implemented the Statutes Definition of Time Act, in which GMT was legally enforced across the country. This Act meant that all legal matters would be held using GMT as opposed to local mean time. In the past there had been many difficulties standardising poll opening times, leading to issues such as polls opening at 8:13am rather than 8:00am.

Around the same time, Fleming Sandford published a series of papers advocating for an international universal time measurement.

Greenwich Mean Time, dubbed GMT for short, began as a construct in 1675, when the Royal Greenwich Observatory was founded. As a term, GMT refers to the mean solar time of the longitudinal 0 degrees of the observatory. However, GMT wouldn’t be used outside of this context for well over a century.

In fact, it wasn’t until 1840 when the Great Western Railway implemented a common time for all stations that GMT would begin to be used in the wider community. Before this, each station set its own clock causing confusion across the country and making it impossible to coordinate train schedules. However, with the growing demand for travel, the need for a standardised time had begun to develop. By 1847, an industry standards body known as the Railway Clearing House recommended the rest of the stations in the country follow suit and

LONDON

In his paper Time-Reckoning and the selection of a prime meridian to be common to all nations (1879), he recommended that Greenwich be the central point for this measurement as the Greenwich meridian was “being used by 65% of ships”. As Greenwich was the most common meridian to be used by sailors, and already had a history of unified timing within the country, it made the most sense for London to be the central point for quantifying time.

time. Japan was the first country to make a “concrete” change, by formally adopting GMT+9 hours between 1886-1888. For many other nations, the switch to GMT took much longer and was met with more push back from the public.

Interestingly, the difficulty implementing a standardised time can still be seen today. For instance, many countries such as Iran and India deviate from standard time by 30-45 minutes. Whilst China uses a single time zone, despite its large body of territory. These differences mean that sunset and sunrise occur at completely different times in these countries, in comparison to those following standard time. In summer, Xinjiang’s sunsets have even been recorded to occur at midnight! While there may be some international discord, surrounding time standardisation, the use of a shared measurement of time allows us to comprehend, and cooperate with, each other temporally. This, in turn, promotes unity between nations, and brings the world closer together.

In 1884 at the International Meridian Conference GMT was officially recommended for international use. As the conference only provided proposals, it was up to each government to implement standardised

- R u by P u n t

LONDON

DOCTOR WHO’S TIMES OF LONDON

ondon is the center of an alien activity hub, in the well-loved British time travel show Doctor Who, and who can blame the otherworldly visitors? It’s a great city to visit, and home to the likes of David Tennant and the current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker. With so many stories based in the city of London, fans all over the world have grown up knowing the homes of Rose Tyler at Powell Estate and Sarah Jane Smith on Bannerman Road. London is also home to quite a few baddies, such as Missy and the Cybermen’s debut at St Paul’s Cathedral. Just what is it that gives the city its magical charm to inspire, and provide the backdrop for so many stories, keeping the cameras running since 1963? Allow me to take you on a stroll down memory lane, as we discover hidden locations and historical settings without ever leaving the streets of London- unless we have to film in Cardiff. Every Doctor who fan remembers their first time watching that iconic shot of the Doctor and Rose Tyler running across Westminster Bridge as epic music, composed by Murray Gold, blasts in the background. Everyone also remembers their first time hiding from a DALEK behind the sofa, and their first time seeing the TARDIS interior. It’s moments like these that percolate the Sci-fi fantasy of London through the cracks of modern day reality. After a 16 year period off air, Doctor Who returned to our screens in 2005. The show struck a chord with avid viewers of the classic series and introduced a new generation of fans to Rose Tyler’s version of London.

A 19 year old girl who worked in a shop and probably wore Doc Martens, Rose Tyler was a London every-person. She got the opportunity of a lifetime and seized the chance to travel with the 9th Doctor. However, the team frequently revisited London to deal with their fair share of alien invasions, and visit Rose’s worried mum Jackie Tyler, who lived in Powell Estate. Brandon Estate in east London was dubbed for Powell Estate, and it’s an easy visit from Queen Mary, within a 20 minute tube ride. Take a quick stroll around the buildings, which haven’t aged since 2005, to see the park where Rose chased down the 9th Doctor, the street where Pete Tyler’s death was changed, and the spot where David Tennant started to regenerate. Rose saw the rise and fall of Harriet Jones as prime minister, hunted down ghosts with Charles Dickens, in Victorian London, and fought the Slitheen from inside 10 Downing Street. It all came to an end, with the episode Doomsday, at Torchwood Towers, located in Canary Wharf. A ride on the DLR will take you past the tallest tower, used for The Battle of Canary Wharf, between the Cybermen and the DALEKS, and where we said goodbye to Rose. Martha Jones next joined the TARDIS as a nurse trainee living in London. Her travels with the Doctor were very Earth based. Who can forget the creepy Wester Drumlins house, where the Weeping Angels were introduced, or when the Master invaded London after a successful run as Prime Minister? Royal Hope Hospital is fictional, but St Thomas’ Hospital, which is attached to King’s College London, can easily be accessed from Westminster Station. The hospital was used for exterior shots in the subsequent episode “Turn Left” where the building failed to be retur-

LONDON ned from space because of the Doctor’s absence. Another prominent location in Martha’s travels was the Globe Theatre, where she went to see Shakespeare himself in the Elizabethan times. True to the time period, the show, the Doctor and Martha watch from the Groundlings as a play is acted by men dressed as women. ‘London never changes’, the Doctor quips. The Globe Theater is easily found on Southbank, along the Thames, or a short walk from London Bridge Station. I’d highly recommend a trip to the Globe at least once; everyone should purchase a 5 pound ticket for standing shoulder to shoulder, whilst the actors bellow down at you from an open roofed stage. David Tennant is very familiar with the Globe Theater, having featured in Good Omens and acted in many plays here.

over London with the cybermen. The cathedral is well worth a visit, even for the non-Whovian with breathtaking interiors and jaw dropping architecture. Catching the choir in performance is magical, along with a visit to the crypt and the Whispering Gallery. Wrapping up our time travel tour of London is the mother of all companions, Sarah Jane Smith. A companion since the third Doctor in 1973, and brought back with David Tennant in 2005, she’s a testament to this issue’s time theme. Sarah Jane comes from Croydon, and after meeting the 10th Doctor again at Defry Ville High School (See? I told you we’d go to Cardiff), she was granted her own spin off show, the Sarah Jane Adventures. While the iconic 13 Bannerman Road is based in Ealing, London on the show, it’s actually a three hour trek to the house in Penarth where filming took place.

A bit further down the line, London based teacher Clara Oswald joined the TARDIS alongside Matt Smith. In her debut episode, the Bells of St John, Smith’s Doctor is seen riding a motorbike up the side of the Shard Building, the highest in London. Admissions are a bit steep for student pricing, but the view is definitely worth it, especially from the top at night, with an ice cream and wine bar to top it all off. When Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, London featured heavily in the Day of the Doctor episode, with locations of the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square and The Tower of London. All of these locations are very close together; one could plan a Day of the Doctor tour, whilst stopping by the Globe Theater. The National Portrait Gallery and Trafalgar Square offer student discounts and are within a stone’s throw of Tower Hill station. Another ‘towering’ Doctor Who location nearby is St Paul’s Cathedral, where Missy formed her evil hideout to take

Try out Greenwich, for more easily accessible Sarah Jane locations! It’s the perfect way to end the time theme. The line of Greenwich mean time can be accessed with incredible views of London from the planetarium. Dimensions in Time, a one off episode from the 90s was filmed at Greenwich Market and the National Maritime Museum, featuring multiple Doctors and the Rani. It just goes to show that in a city teetering between time periods, from Victorian to modern day, companions and baddies alike will always find some place to call home. With all these locations, you’ll have the ultimate Doctor Who walking tour of London right at your fingertips. Of course, one could simply skip all the waiting for the tube, with a certain police box hiding in Earls Court. - Sy l v i a L u p i e n

MUSIC

HOW UK RNB DEVELOPED OVER TIME - FROM THE 1950S TO THE 2020S. As more UK RnB talent is beginning to break through to the mainstream, I wanted to take a look at how it got here, and how the genre has developed in the UK over time. This breakthrough in the UK’s RnB scene did not happen overnight, however. The genre’s origins begin in 1950s England, with a resurgence in the 90s and 00s, and a rise in popularity over the past few years.

The distribution of American Jazz and Blues music by major British labels began just 66 years ago in 1955, with HMV and EMI’s Decca. Folk, Skiffle and Jazz became popular genres, particularly in trendy areas such as London’s Soho. Venues such as the Marquee Club, founded by trad jazz band-leader Chris Barber in 1958, were able to showcase Jazz and Skiffle acts.

Throughout the 1950s and 60s in the UK, the ‘Rhythm and Blues Movement’ gained momentum, which was mostly due to an influx of American influences. African American soldiers who settled here after WWII, and had brought over American Jazz and Blues records played a significant role in the growing demand for Jazz and Blues in Britain.

1964 is marked as the year that Rhythm and Blues reached its peak in the UK. It’s estimated that there was an over 500% increase in RnB bands in England throughout the year. However, by the 1970s, rock, pop and accompanying sub-genres had taken over the music market. Meanwhile, the demand for Blues music and its sub-genres slowly began to fade. Throughout the 80s and 90s, musicians, most of whom were African Americans, began to experiment with rhythm and blues. Through the merging of funk, hip hop, and soul, that was sonically lively and electronic, ‘Contemporary RnB’ was thereby founded. By the 90s RnB had found a way to rebuild its fanbase in Britain and make its return to mainstream music again.

British ‘Skiffle’ developed from the growing British Jazz scene post-war. The music was a lively alternative to American Jazz and Blues, including instruments like the guitar, the washboard, and the teachest bass. By 1956, pioneer Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group attained the first British debut gold record and spent 8 months in the top 20. Rolling Stones member, Ronnie Wood, began his career as a guitarist for Skiffle Group ‘Birds’. Similarly, bandmate Mick Jagger launched his career playing Skiffle music, under the original name ‘Rollin’ Stones’. This included a cover of a song by Muddy ‘The Father of Modern Chicago Blues’ Waters.

By the late 80s, Sade and Soul II Soul had found chart success again within the RnB genre. Sade, who began her career singing backup for British band Pride, began performing smooth jazz track ‘Smooth Operator’, which showcased her vocals and saw her reach a top 20 hit in 1984. Soul II Soul is a British music collective who gained traction performing as a

MUSIC sound system. In 1889 they scored a global hit and a UK number 1, with ‘Back to Life (However Do You Want It)’, a record with influences of reggae, house, and RnB. The track displays the strength of their vocals, yet remains upbeat and catchy.

played their role in the ‘second resurgence’ of UK RnB. Jorja Smith’s soulful, sultry vocals went viral after the release of her first song ‘Blue Lights’ on Soundcloud. These vocals have since seen her receive a Grammy nomination and win a Brit Award for Best Female.

After fading into almost obscurity for the past two decades, RnB was beginning to gain popularity again in the UK. Though it now had many sub-genres, and many artists drew on accompanying genres for commercial success. Influences of Gospel music can be seen in late 90s R’n’B, such as Eternal’s 1997 chart-topper ‘I Wanna Be the Only One’, and Mark Morrison’s 1996 number 1 hit ‘Return of the Mack’ - an RnB song with hip hop influences that give the track an upbeat party-feel, fit for success.

Smith, along with fellow artists Mabel, Mahalia, and Ray BLK (to name but a few), have seen success from cross-genre collaborations. Features with the likes of Kojo Funds, Burna Boy, and Stormzy, appeals to fans of an already successful genre, and draw on the nostalgia of the American R&B and rap collaborations of the 90s ‘Golden Era’. Many have seen their breakthrough hit or chart success from these joint efforts.

From the mid-90s to early 00s, UK Garage (UKG) built up a large fanbase in Britain. As a fusion of RnB itself, garage house, pop, and jungle, UK Garage influenced some of the biggest RnB artists at the time. British songstress, Ms Dynamite fused the genres together in most of her music. Her most popular song to date, peaking at number 5 in 2002, ‘Dy-Na-Mi-Tee’ features this fusion of RnB and UKG. Girl group MisTeeq also used a blend of RnB and Garage, such as their 2001 single ‘All I Want’. The mixing of the genres successfully created an upbeat, sing-along vibe. The group continued to mix the genres successfully, eventually topping the charts with 2003 hit ‘Scandalous’.

Social Media has also aided the rise of emerging RnB artists in the UK. 2015 saw RnB/Rap group WSTRN dominate social media feeds with their hit song ‘In 2’. Similarly, the past year has seen RnB artists such as Mnelia and Odeal increase their fan bases through viral clips of songs ‘Say Yeah’ and ‘24/48’. Since its origins in the country in the late 1950s, RnB has built up a far-reaching fan base. Though it experienced the heights of commercial success in the 60s and 00s, it’s clear to see that modern artists are pushing the genre to new levels and already seeing success from Britain’s love for catchy melodies, soulful vocals, and sultry lyrics. Many say RnB is just ‘having its moment’ again, and perhaps it is just a period of success as it was in the 60s and later the 90s. Though it seems more likely, after the genre’s rise in Britain once again, we are witnessing RnB finally solidify itself as a genre that will withstand the test of time in the UK music scene. - S o p h i e H a r m a n

It seemed like UK RnB had seen it’s best days, as pop, grime, and afro swing dominated in the UK throughout the past decade. But, in recent years, RnB has seen a new wave of British artists rise. Cross-genre collaborations, social media, and more accessible platforms have all

PHOTOGRAPHY

TIME TO PRO

When looking at photography in relation to time, a variety of concepts emerge; from the time-lapse technique to different camera models throughout modernity. However, with the idea being increasingly broached that we should use our copious amounts of free time (thank you, Covid-19) to take up a new hobby, or do something we’ve always wanted to do, CUB’s resident photographer, Maxine Alleyne, and I decided that we should take some time to lay out some tips and advice on how to join one of the world’s most popular professions and pastimes. As you can likely tell, Maxine has some impressive experience as a photographer, from commissioned portraits to some experimental pieces. I, on the other hand, have never owned a camera more powerful than the 8-megapixel one, built into the iPhone 6. And, much like the 20th page on a Google search, you would have to be pretty desperate to come to me for your headshots. With this notable difference in our expertise, I wouldn’t fault you for wanting an 80s montage of Maxine training me up to be a professional photographer, in order to out shoot Annie Leibovitz or something. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to moving images on paper at CUB yet, so you will have to settle for my rookie questions and Maxine’s answers. But, I am confident that if both you and I follow her tips, we will know which way the business end of a camera is by the end of the article, at the very least. Q: Starting with the primary barrier to becoming a photographer, what things should people bear in mind when investing in a camera, and are phone cameras a viable option?

A: I think the most important part of any activity is to trust yourself, with the second being to trust your equipment. I was blessed enough to have been gifted a camera for my 16th birthday, but my relationship with photography began when I was 13, and I was taking photos of objects and plants around my house with a Huawei Ascend G620s (well, this makes me feel old!), and overexposing them to bring the tones out. Now, I work with a Nikon d3300 (my first camera), but I don’t think we should be ashamed of working with phone cameras at all! I am not very big on technological trends, so I had an iPhone 5S (2013) until a couple months ago, and that was my on-the-go camera for most of my outings! The photos I took with the phones I have had over the years have allowed me to learn more about the importance of all the smaller factors that build a photograph (ie. lighting, composition, editing), and a phone is always easier to carry around if you’re just taking photos on a day out. It is also important to divert from the easiest choices - working on Automatic will give you great results a lot of the time, but then we tend to get stuck in what is comfortable, and don’t seek to learn more about it. And if you can, get your hands on a film camera! Even if photography is only a hobby at the moment, it would be best to learn how your equipment works: read the manual, watch Youtube tutorials, and experiment with your camera. Not only will you learn a lot about the camera, but the process can become an adventure that allows you to learn more about yourself as well.

PHOTOGRAPHY Q: It is all well and good having a camera, but, like any other artist, I imagine a photographer requires inspiration when they get “Photographer’s Block”. Is this the case, and do you have any tips for acquiring said inspiration?

A: Yes, I think every artist has artist’s block at least once a month. In the same way that we have days or weeks when we are super productive and get ideas that we are itching to try out, everybody falls into a period of time when we have used up all our energy and creative thinking, and we can’t think of new ideas. I think the media industry has become such a fast-paced environment that it often ends up with the artist looking at the piece of paper for ages, trying to force themselves to come up with new content that will satisfy their audience, and still be work that they can be proud of. I think it’s very important to write down ideas when they come - have a little sketchbook that you can put in your bag or your pocket, because you never know when creativity will hit! I have a very unhealthy sleep schedule, so I often get my ideas around 3am (which might account for the darker mood in my self-portraits), but anything can be a source of inspiration. For me, music and my mental health have been key factors in the photography that I practice, but I also get ideas from watching people go about their day (If you’ve watched 2003’s Honey, the scene where she’s watching the guys play basketball was a HUGE moment in my photographic journey) and from media I consume everyday. OH! My friend gave me a book with “365 creative writing prompts” (A Writer’s Year, 2019), and I actually use it for photoshoots as well! Books are amazing weapons against creative blocks - just open a book on a random page, and practice with the sentences that catch your attention. Q: Following on with photography as an art form, are there any photographical artist movements, like the Surrealists of the photographic world, and should an aspiring photographer read up on these movements?

A: To be honest, I don’t know much about artistic movements of the past - I am more interested in the events that are taking place in today’s society, both creatively and historically. However, a strong influence on my work from the beginning has been ‘spirit photography’, and during my Photography module in my BA, I found Alix Cléo Roubaud, with whom I have identified a lot, both personally and creatively. Although her work is not directly related to spirit photography, her content is centred around mental health, memory and death. My photography is a very personal process (hence I haven’t had a public Instagram account until now), so it is mostly based around my mental health and the way I react towards the situations I find myself in. As a result, I have little knowledge when it comes to artistic movements, although I am sure my work would fit into many of these. Instead, I am inspired by what I consume in the media. I am in love with ballet and theatre, so many of my concepts are influenced by The Royal Opera House productions, which I have been interacting more with since they started streaming their work online, as a way to survive the lockdowns.

PHOTOGRAPHY Last year, I did a photoshoot based on their production of Kafka’s Metamorphosis, and it was definitely a new experience that has shaped my photography since then - I am looking forward to future projects once my deadlines are over! Similarly, social media content is highly influential for creativity anyways. I began self-portraiture after following Steven Gindler (@cvatik), Maggie Kirkpatrick (@hlcyon) and Natalia Seth (@escapingyouth) around 2017, and a lot of my work has been inspired by their content. Most of the accounts I follow on instagram are photographers of all branches of the industry, so I am never starved for creative content on my feed! Q: Artistic movements or not, lighting is important in photography, do you have any tips for achieving perfect lighting in your photographs?

A: I will echo what many professional photographers say here: natural lighting is always ideal! Light is the most basic element of photography (photography cannot exist without lighting!), and it is therefore, the most important. Not only will lighting determine the mood of your photograph, but it will make the editing process significantly easier. Having said that, I live in a small apartment that faces away from the Sun, and as all of my self-portraits are taken in my bedroom (damn you, anxiety!), I rarely use natural light in my photographs. Instead, I use a RF550E Macro LED Ring Flash, and depend on my aluminum sink and my translucent umbrella to regulate the light in my photos. Sometimes, you just gotta hustle! For commissions, these are always taken outdoors, with plenty of natural light and a lot of space for a variety of photos. This gives you more room to experiment with new ideas (although, always keep the client’s needs in mind… don’t get carried away, and always ask for feedback throughout the shoot!), and makes editing easier on yourself. Q: Should a new photographer worry about using photo editing programmes in their early stages? If so, what software do you recommend?

A: Honestly, I think I have used Photoshop once during my photographic journey, though I am not sure that’s such a good thing. When I started photography, I was also creating marketing content (ie. banners, tickets, promotional posters) for school plays and charities I volunteered with, so I pretty much had to teach myself this whole process relatively quickly. And as a teenager, I was intimidated by the price range of the Adobe products. So, much like what I implied in my first answer, I stuck with what was comfortable, and opted for using PicsArt for my photography as well. I have always found what I want on PicsArt, and the fact that the app is free and can be used on any device has definitely been useful when I’m editing work on public transport. Photoshop can be a complex software, but it can also be a very useful tool. However, I found that there are apps and software out there that you can use to familiarise yourself with the process of editing.

PHOTOGRAPHY If you are looking to work in the Media industry, then it is likely that you will need at least a basic knowledge of the Adobe products (there is a lot of related content on Youtube!). Otherwise, using editors like PicsArt, Fotor and Pixlr is a great way to go! Q: What is one thing you wish you had known when you started taking photos?

A: There are many things I didn’t know back then, and some of those things I still struggle with today. I wish my personality was more adventurous in exploring my creative side, so that I could experiment with ideas I have had in public places, instead of doing a lot of my work alone in my room. I have a lot of ideas for self-portraits in green spaces, or with props that you can find on the streets of London, but my anxiety always stops me from doing so, because I am conscious of how it would look to people walking by. Luckily, I have had many people in my life who have allowed me to explore my photography with them as the subject, so a lot of the ideas I have had for self-portraits have become the inspiration for the portraits I take of others instead. The one thing I wish I had known then was to trust myself enough to try out new ideas! The people walking past likely don’t care much about what you’re doing, and if you don’t try to explore these different, more adventurous sides of yourself, you won’t ever get to see the amazing work you could have created! Also, PLEASE get involved in the social media scene, and create content consistently! Many creators increased their exposure considerably through Instagram and Youtube, and now their algorithms have made it much easier to increase your visibility! Q: How long does it take to become a good photographer, if not a pro?

A: I am not sure I could give a straight answer to this question, because I don’t know that there is a specific criteria to become a “good” photographer, or even a “pro”. I think photography is a journey where you are constantly taking steps to better yourself - not just technically, but emotionally and even spiritually. As such, being a good photographer is more about the quality of the effort you put into your work - always trying to learn new skills and technology, and experiment with new ideas - which will ultimately lead to your work improving significantly. And a ‘pro’ photographer is just someone who has learned enough about the trade to be able to charge for their work; it is not an “unattainable dream”, as long as you put in the effort. There is a lot of personal growth that comes with photography as a whole, and there is no definitive length of time it takes to become good, or great, at any skill. So, whether you are taking pictures of trees and train tracks (two of my favourite inanimate subjects) from your phone, or doing commissioned photoshoots with your professional camera, there is always room for improvement, and there should be no shame in that. - M a x i n e A l l eye I n t e r v i e w e d by J o s h u a Fr a s e r.

STYLE

‘DIVING INTO THE PAST FOR

PRESENT FASHION AND MAKE-UP TRENDS’

It cannot be ignored that lockdown (the first, the sequel and the third instalment) has drastically influenced our buying habits. Undoubtedly, we have all experimented, with all this time on our hands. We’ve seen a rise in graphic liners and half cut creases inspired by the 60s, to a dark liner and glossy lip combo, which is very 90s. Although, on the other hand, we have the New Natural movement - a fancy way of calling it the ‘can I really be bothered to put in the effort now’ campaign. Looking at these trends, it is easy to see many influences from earlier time periods, especially when considering historical natural makeup looks, looking to enhance the face as well as upper class women who would enhance their faces more drastically. The Renaissance period itself was a cultural and artistic ‘rebirth’ following the Middle Ages, a time of renewed interest in the arts and radical ideas about science, politics and religion. During the 1500s to the start of the 17th century, the need for unblemished skin was one of the prevalent beauty standards of the time. Although this has stayed as the epitome of beauty throughout the ages, during the Renaissance this was emphasised as this period came after the Middle Ages where hygiene was not a top priority. During the first lockdown and up till this year, it seems that there has been an increased focus on skincare routines rather than makeup. According to analyst Mintel, face washes saw a rise to 55% in

May 2020 in comparison to 50% the previous year. In Vogue Business it was reported sales of spa tools such as the skincare fridge rose to 203%. Serums such as Niacinamide (193%) and Vitamin C (37%) boomed as of June 2020. In terms of makeup, the more prominent trends seem to favour the New Natural of brushed up brows, dewy skin, natural contour and blush to suit different skin tones as well as glossy or sheer lips. There seems to be a link in both periods of history in feeling well both within ourselves and in our appearances in times of uncertainty and sickness.

STYLE Moving from the Renaissance period to the Regency era (1811-1820), the only similarities in makeup was maintaining the paler base, as exemplified by Elizabeth I towards the end of the Renaissance. In fact, the Regency era favoured the natural beauty of women as a reaction to the early Georgian period, influenced by French royalty, of extreme white faces, red lips and rouged cheeks. Many lotions were released such as ‘Gowland’s Lotion’ and ‘Milk of Roses’ claiming to cure the skin of ‘stationary pimples’ and redness. The only beauty trend that survived the French Revolution was blush or rouge. Pear’s ‘Liquid Blooms of Roses’, pictured below was the trending product of the time and came in many shades and much like the famous cloud paint by Glossier of today, a light hand was recommended to achieve a subtle rosiness as a little did go a long way. line and silhouettes. During the Regency period necklines were experimented with all different shapes and sizes. During the day, wide necklines would be covered with chemisettes or scarves and would be exposed during the evening. Waistlines travelled up and down throughout the period into the Georgian era which emphasised the silhouette. Bridgerton is a classic example of a modern take on Regency dresses such as the addition of lace/mesh sleeves. Searches for this type of dress going up in 2021, perfect for the summer. We never seem to let go of the past when it comes to fashion, amongst other things and ‘Regencycore’ as the movement has been dubbed doesn’t seem to be going away. I’m also here for the Renaissance painting inspired clothing items being produced by independent slow fashion sellers. If I were you, I’d cop an item, whether it be some fancy gloves, an ankle length flowy dress or the controversial corset. - A b i n a y a a Ve l a ve n t h a n

Contrary to popular belief there were less prominent corsets during the Regency era, as shown in scenes of Bridgerton; however, Lyst reports a 123% increase in searches for corsets since December 2020. Instead, women would interchange between stays which were more structured and formed a silhouette and corsets which were significantly softer. Although corsets would come to indicate a waist cinching undergarment as it started to have more boning in the early 19th century. The corset trend did exist before Bridgerton but it seems to have increased because of the show. Rather than traditionally wearing it under clothes, the modern spin of wearing it on its own or layered on top of blouses is the current favourite. In the famous words of Yung Baby Tate, ‘you can’t out do the doer’... but you can give it a great try. These periods were, in my opinion, the trendsetters of the neck-

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