CUB Issue 561

M AGA Z I N E

CUB I S S U E 5 61

C R E AT E D BY S T U D E N T S , F O R S T U D E N T S

WELCOME TO ISSUE 561 My vision as Editor in Chief of CUB was for a magazine that reflected the best of Queen Mary University: diversity, inclusion, and quality. This, our first print edition of the year, delivers. In trumps.

Our talented writers, editors, photographers, and designers come from across all departments and have delivered articles from across the world.

Inside, you’ll find an article on the New York Film Festival, a peak into life as a year abroad student in France, as well as articles centered on our own wonderful city, London.

There are an array of cultural topics covered, from the fourth installment of Arts Editor, Connor Gotto’s MATRIARCHS series, an article on Terence Donovan, an exploration of Britpop, and an insight into London Fashion Week.

There are original works from your fellow QM students, as well as graduates like Viktor Vadolia. We review nearby Kitchen Pizzeria.

There’s an article about Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Tinder, an update on the US Presidential

EDITOR IN CHIEF ANGELICA HILL

DESIGN EDITORS

ISABELLA ASHFORD & NIKITA MURPHY

FEATURES EDITORS

HARPREET PAL, SARAH HOPKINS & ELEANOR JACKSON

ARTS EDITORS

ALISON MURPHY, CONNOR GOTTO, THALIA CHIN, BETH GRAHAM & BRIONY APPLETON

LONDON EDITORS

race and on Theresa May. Think what any combination of the above might have looked like.

Since this edition was put together our team of 31 has grown to 53. We are particularly pleased to welcome the incoming first years, who will have already begun uploading material onto our website and working on our second print edition. CUB belongs to you all. We DO accept unsolicited material.

Don’t hesitate to drop us a line with what you would like to see more of. Or, even better, send us your draft.

I am grateful for all the hard work the CUB Team has put into this edition. It is filled with well-written, interesting pieces, which I hope all you lovely CUB readers will enjoy.

Happy reading!

Angelica EDITOR IN CHIEF

STYLE EDITORS

ALICE BARNETT, JESSICA CARROLL & AMY HEDGECOCK

UNISEX EDITOR EMILY DEMPSEY

COLUMNISTS

DIANA STANISLAVOVA, JULIA MARGETTS, JOLA JASSY, ZAC TURNER & ELLEN ROBERTS-JAMES

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS

ELEANOR JACKSON & JOSIE DURNEY

ONLINE EDITORS

AISHA DIAMONDE & DANIELLA HARRISON

SARAH HOPKINS, SOPHIE HAINES & JOSIE DURNEY

FILM EDITORS

TREASURER

AARON WEST, PAUL WEBB & GREG DIMMOCK

SOPHIE HAINES

ARTS

C O LU M N S

LO N D O N

FILMS MUSIC ST YLE UNISEX

FOOD

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW

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A COMPLETE MISUNDERSTANDING

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LILLIAN HELLMAN

CUB’S GUIDE TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

QUESTIONING THERESA MAY’S CRITICISM OF SAFE SPACES

THE ORIGINAL PENTIMENTO (4TH IN THE SERIES)

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DANCE DISRESPECTED

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VIKTOR VADOLIA

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PERSONAL PLATFORM

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DAMSEL UNDISTRESSED

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EXCUSE MY FRENCH

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TERRENCE DONOVAN: SPEED OF LIGHT

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LET VOICES GUIDE YOU

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CERTAIN WOMEN @ THE NY FILM FESTIVAL

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BRITPOP: THE MARMITE OF THE 90s

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FREEING THE NIPPLE (contains

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BEING ACE ON TINDER

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CATEGORY IS PROGRESSIVE REALNESS

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FOODIE CONFESSIONS

KENDALL JENNER’S TOES UPSET THE DANCE WORLD

QM GRAD TURNED PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER

CREATIVE WRITING FROM YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS

IMAGINING A CASHLESS SOCIETY

A QM STUDENT ADAPTS TO UNI LIFE EN FRANCE

A LOOK AT THE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY EXHIBITION

A GUIDE TO EXPERIENCING LONDON THROUGH SOUND

A FILM REVIEW FROM THE BIG APPLE

LOOKING BACK AT BRITISH MUSIC’S DIVISIVE AGE nudity)

HOW TO EMBRACE THE LATEST CRAZE

IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF RU PAUL’S DRAG RACE OUR REVIEW OF KITCHEN PIZZERIA

WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE

F E AT U R E S

What You

NEED NEED TO

It’s been a whirlwind of a summer – which isn’t necessarily unexpected given that Queen Mary student’s summers are four months long – but with Fresher’s week behind us and three months of lectures, seminars and assignments (and for some

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KNOW

unlucky few, exams) standing between us and the glorious Christmas break, things like global politics, national politics and campus politics understandably take the back burner. If you’re feeling out of the loop – or, alternatively, are very much in the loop

Image c/o Buisness Recorder

Words by Sarah Hopkins

and only wish to read this to fact-check – this article will (should) give you a brief rundown of the most need-to-know event of 2016…

This feature is, of course, going to be centered upon the most controversial battle for President of the United States the world has ever seen. It began back in June 2015, when businessman (amongst other things) Donald Trump announced his campaign for the Republican primaries, which he went on to win. Built on promises to build walls and ban Muslims his campaign undoubtedly attracted a lot of criticism, but also garnered a lot of support.

Trump’s rallies, held routinely throughout his campaign, have received a lot of attention; his rally held in July 2015 in the Phoenix Convention Center drew in crowds of several thousand supporters.

With the election just weeks away, the American populous must now decide between its two delegates; a Republican President in the form of Trump, or a Democratic one in Hillary Clinton. Clinton herself has been making waves in this election. Having held the position of Secretary of State between 2009 and 2013, and being the former First Lady of the United States during her husband’s presidency from 1993 to 2001, amongst many other notable positions, her background in politics is firmly secured. Her announcement to run for

F E AT U R E S

THE US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Presidency in April 2015 was no surprise, as she had long had a campaign-in-waiting in place amongst a huge donor network and, of course, copious amounts of experience within office. Clinton, if elected, would make history as the first female POTUS, however, she also comes with her fair share of criticisms. It was revealed in March 2015 that during her time as Secretary of State, Clinton used her private email server for all official communications and was investigated by the FBI following claims that the emails contained classified information. The public reacted badly, and for the first time, Clinton and Trump leveled in the polls.

At the time of writing, the first official presidential debate has concluded, with 62% of viewers deciding that Clinton won. Without discussing the topics they debated, the form of the two potential POTUS’ contrasted starkly. Clinton remained composed and unfazed – even in the face of Trump’s constant, shouted interruptions – even when Trump promised to release his proof of tax payments once Clinton published the ’33,000’ lost emails. Trump shouted, made false claims, and acted, on the whole, like a child. Clinton behaved like a President. The Charlotte Whitton quote springs to mind, ‘Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.’

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TheresA May’s criticism of safe-spaces:

Thanks to the current accessibility of the world-wide-web we have information at our fingertips, as the cliché phrase goes. Recently, it has become notable in activist circles that this reality has led to a heavy degree of expectations when it comes to knowledge and awareness, resulting in an exercise of verbal punishment for those who have not

yet learned these lessons. “C’mon you can google it” are modern lyrics of frustration at those who don’t quite get it.

By all means, it is no activists’ (unpaid) job to be an educator, spending their time and energy providing casual online lessons where history, sociology and theory meet, but it’s difficult to ignore the aggressive call-out culture which only leaves people alienated; therefore unable to actively learn through discussion and dialogue in spaces open at least partly for the purpose of this kind of dialogue (and not simply as places to preach to the converted). But we must distinguish between a case of misunderstanding and a lack of awareness and a case of disregard, insensitivity and hate-speech. Safespaces, my dear children, are there to repel the latter.

Bigotry and prejudice should not be ignored and it should not be accepted on our university campuses just because “racism, sexism, ableism and homophobia are facts of life” according to Ms May. Clearly, if they are then it’s not the university campuses that must change. For some odd reason I’m doubting that our Prime Minister has had much actual experience on university campuses recently, luckily I have and I can tell you there is plenty respectful yet ripe discussion that’s happening in these spaces – because hey, you CAN have the best of both worlds.

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Image c/o UK Department for International Development

Words BY: Dani Nowokunska

COMPLETE MISUNDERSTANDING

Teaching students that they should not tolerate bigoted and exclusionary behaviour isn’t ignoring real life – it’s acknowledging that these things happen in “real life” but one shouldn’t have to put up with it. Trigger warnings seem to be another controversy that fall into the same category. No need to write a long-winded essay explaining the reasoning behind my woes towards arguments against safe spaces and trigger warnings - I only really have to reiterate the arguments themselves. I mean, if you can’t have something all the time then why have it at all right? Forget about offering your friend that umbrella to protect them from the rain while you walk together; eventually they’re going to have to face the fact that they’ll be completing their journey without one once you yourself reach your destination. Why provide them with something they can’t have all the time and cater to this total delusion of the world at large? (Note the sarcasm.)

F E AT U R E S

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Safe spaces are not “shutting down debate” Ms May, they are shutting down prejudice and discrimination which are things that don’t belong in our society. Safe spaces do not exist to make ignorance feel comfortable; they are often places created by minorities for minorities to gather and discuss very real parts of life; a discussion free from the prejudice of somebody who hasn’t spent a single day in their shoes.

I imagine most of us have a friend who has had something nasty happen to them. Are we then to gather the necessary materials and proceed to shove them in their face to remind them of those moments because of our warped perception of reality and what it means to face it? How dare society be more tolerant of human emotions? It’s not like they’re… human and a natural part of life.

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n a m l l e H n a i l l i L

The Original Pent iment o

This is the fourth article in a five-part series – MATRIARCHS – in which Arts Editor Connor Gotto explores some of the forgotten women from across the arts; pioneers of their craft, but so often lost in the shadow of their male peers. Head over to cubmagazine. co.uk to view the rest of the series, plus more exclusive, online-only content.

Often, when we observe art – be it in the theatre, on the printed page or silver screen – we consider the artist as being innately present. There is an assumed connection between the two. One such example of this may be cited as Lillian Hellman, who the New York Times posthumously labeled “playwright, author, and rebel”.

Despite living as a successful playwright (winning two Tony Awards and holding a further two Academy Award nominations before her death), Hellman was blacklisted by the US government in the 1950s. When her name was one of eight given to the House Un-American Activities Committee (UAAC)

by Broadway’s Elia Kazan as a Communist she, along with fellow playwright Arthur Miller, refused to testify about the opinions of others. Referring to the prospect as “inhuman and dishonourable” in a letter to the UAAC (as famously recited by Liza Minnelli), she consequently saw her income drastically deplete from $150,000 to practically nothing.

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Her beliefs were something she held onto tightly. This was encouraged, perhaps, by the strong republican mindset and the rise of McCarthyism that surrounded her; a climate close to that today, with the seemingly unstoppable Republican campaign in the US elections, headed by Trump. Despite the success of her works, it is for her views that Hellman is most commonly quoted.

Her 1941 Broadway hit Watch on the Rhine, called for a united international alliance against Hitler. In the same year she and novelist Ernest Hemingway co-hosted a dinner to raise money for anti-Nazi activists imprisoned in France. The only original screenplay of her career, 1942’s The North Star, tackled and exploited fascism. It is declarations like these that led to her being refused entry to England in 1943/4 due to her being considered “an active Communist”.

As Hellman has stated many times, though, she was not a communist – she was too much of a maverick personality for that, which she stated was “no more suitable to the political left than it had been to the conservative background from which I came”. This argument stands, if her life is paralleled with her work. Her first play The Children’s Hour deals with a false accusation of lesbianism; Hellman herself has admitted to having intimate lesbian encounters. Several of her

ARTS works during the war years explored the ill treatment of Jews and the rights of anti-Nazi protesters; Hellman was Jewish and actively smuggled money into Germany to assist the anti-Nazi cause. It is the aforementioned endeavour, detailed in her second published memoirs Pentimento that became the subject of 1977’s Oscar-winning Julia.

The legitimacy of such memoirs (and, consequently, Hellman’s writing) has been widely questioned. American psychologist Muriel Gardiner drew comparisons between the character of Julia and herself – accusing Hellman of basing such works on her life, questioning the likelihood of two millionaire American women at medical school in Vienna in the 1930s. Due to her notoriety, many sided with Gardiner, including critic Mary McCarthy, who stated that “every word she writes is a lie”; a conflict for which Hellman is now more often remembered for, in spite of her fabulous works.

woman’s dress, a child makes way for a dog, a boat is no longer on an open sea. That is called pentimento because the painter ‘repented’...”

Throughout her life, Hellman came under much fire. What she always maintained, however, were her beliefs, whatever they were. Maybe we should stop scrutinising the fine details on our hunt for truth? Instead, we should view her works didactically, as Hellman herself did when reflecting upon her life: “The paint has aged now and I wanted to see what was there for me once, what is there for me now.”

Words by Connor Gotto

What I want to consider, though, is the interplay between Hellman’s life and her art. In the opening lines of Pentimento, she defines the title: “Old paint on canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens it is possible, in some pictures, to see the original lines: a tree will show through a

Image c/o Clive James

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dance disrespected

Words by: Alison Murphy

When Kendall Jenner recently posed for VOGUE ESPANA, clad in Pointe shoes and a dress in some way reminiscent of a romantic tutu, no one predicted the onslaught that would ensue.

Critics from the dance community and the general public alike took to social media to express their exasperation at that Jenner’s appointment to pose en pointe. Jenner’s work received criticism for “tarnishing” the reputation of ballet. “Having models pose as dancers when they cannot execute proper form is disrespectful” states Ali Webb in Washington Square News. Several articles, including Webb’s, have also suggested that Misty Copeland would have been a more appropriate choice to bring the poise of ballet to VOGUE. If it was VOGUE’s intention to showcase ballet as the focus of their cover then, yes, Copeland would have been a wiser choice. But, the fact of the matter is, ballet was chosen to showcase Jenner. Jenner could have posed with a hockey bat, a netball or golf club and the piece would still have Jenner at the forefront. In the midst of the uproar that the piece caused it is crucial to remember that Jenner was posing for VOGUE - not The Dancing Times. In series 17 of Americas Next Top Model, when Lisa D’Amato produced a rather ungainly hurdle with a considerably well maintained highlight in the strenuous race she was depicted as partaking in, no one considered whether the depiction of hurdling was accurate, let alone respectful.

What seems alarming is the grey area between accurate representation and respect. Jenner was not ‘disrespecting’ ballet with an unfair representation. She was not trying to establish herself as a dancer; she merely modelled in the context of ballet. Her posing does not cause us to forget or subdue the tremendous displays of strength we see frequently on television or on the stage that accurately

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represent ballet.

Delving deeper into the discussion, the term ‘cultural appropriation’ begins to emerge.

Whilst Matthew Waterton argues avidly against the use of the term cultural appropriation towards such a ‘petty issue’, his article still suggests that the image could hold negative implications towards the discipline of ballet.

Has anybody really suggested that the cover of VOGUE was an example of cultural appropriation? Or is the bandying around of terms such as ‘disrespect’ and ‘tarnish’ simply a worrying sign of misunderstanding and misuse of a heavily weighted term?

Waterton shoehorns Jenner’s story into a debate of the negative or positive cultural appropriation of Carribean culture. Cultural appropriation is defined as ‘Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language […] It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited.’ The pointe shoe is not a specifically ‘white’ cultural object, nor is it an exploited object of an oppressed community. To load the pointe shoe with the weight of cultural appropriation allows it to be considered alongside items such as the bindi, which are part of a minority cultures dress used in an unauthorized and commercialized manner when placed upon the white European face.

Whilst Jenner’s awkward posture and sickled feet provide an annoying portrayal of ballet, this cannot be considered within the same terms as the use of another culture’s dress, to transform it into something more ‘white’, which in turn alienates its initial culture.

To term Jenner’s work in this way detracts from the hugely important issue of cultural appropriation, and in some ways even commercializes the fight of appropriation itself.

P

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ARTS

Viktor Vadolia Y

“I studied German at QMUL and went on the ERASMUS program to Berlin in Third Year. While out there, the whole Instagram movement was really kicking off and somehow, I accidentally went along to an ‘Instameet’, where loads of instagrammers meet in person, hang out and take photos.

It was the biggest one in the world, with the top grammers each having 500k+ followers, whist I had 200 followers and photos of my lunch.

I never knew this world existed and through mobile photography, I got hooked on showing my friends back home what my year abroad and living in Germany was really like. Since then, I’ve been shooting anything from travel photography, to fine art photography and more recently fashion, blog and commercial photography for clients. I’m completely self taught and through experimentation, my journey continues. I struggle to stick to one style of image or photography, purely because of my experimental ways, though this probably gives me an edge over other photographers.

Now, when I am not working to pay the bills, I’m out shooting. Whether its commercial or just for my own work, you’ll always find me out and about in London and other cities across the globe with my camera or iPhone!”

To see Viktor’s full feed, head to his Instagram:

@VICKYVISUALS

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w a L n i l b o G e Th

By Jessica Clot

All the goblins in the land live hidden amongst humans; using ancient magic necklaces to take human form and conceal their true nature. The Goblin Law states that a goblin must never remove their necklace.

In the ten thousand years that goblins have lived in secret The Purity Crystal, kept hidden at the Supernatural Police Headquarters and the source of their protective enchantment, has ensured that no goblin has ever broken this vow.

Agatha, a malicious goblin in disguise was out riding when she spotted a children’s playground in the distance. Feasting her eyes on young flesh, she realised how hungry she was and decided to eat them.

‘How could I not get caught?’ she wondered.’

Poisoning would be far less suspicious than outright murder’.

Nearing the river besides the playground, she spotted a couple canoodling in a row boat. She pushed them into the water. What happened next?

They drowned. Oh, how she reveled in their misery! After hijacking the boat she sailed to a distant mountain, collecting ingredients for a potent poison. She found all she needed; except for the fabled lethal waterlily. As deadly as it was beautiful the lily grew deep in an enchanted glen, accessible only by crossing the Bridge of Sighs, paved with white and black stones. Goblins can only

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step on white stones and humans on black; one wrong move and the Bridge of Sighs swallows them whole.

Agatha rode back home and her good friend, Scientist Mac agreed to help. He concocted a potion, giving Agatha the ability to step upon the magic black stones for a quarter day. After returning to the bridge, Agatha stepped across the stones.

Her reward in sight, Agatha charged forward.

Her eagerness cost her footing, and as she fell the chain on her necklace snapped. The talisman fell into the watery reeds below. The enchantment broken; Agatha’s true goblin identity bled through her human disguise.

Back at the Supernatural Police Headquarters; the Purity Crystal flashed red and Agatha’s name appeared – she had done what no goblin had dared do before; revealed her identity. Based entirely on theory, the approximated time for a human to discover a goblin is fifteen minutes, otherwise the entire goblin community would be exposed to humans! Their punishment? Lifetime Imprisonment in Maui Prison.

With a twist of luck, the Chief Inspector of Supernatural Affairs captured Agatha before she was discovered. Agatha promised to never to eat children again and that she would find an alternative diet; she was given a new necklace and released with a severe warning. The Goblin Realm was safe again.

Palindrome Palindrome I pulled you in and it hurt like hell, Like childhood I found you too late, The innocence you drew me back and back and back again. I found you at the closecornered hollow, you surpassed me, You carried green light.

But you left me, needing you with every fiber.

Unanswered and restless I was trapped, pulled in and drawn out.

Your taste in my mouth and half way around a cheap craving a used refuge.

And a life time to my memory; the bind.

A flutter and a rush to the head and part of missing you became missing you.

And not missing you was not loving you and not Needing you and that was hunger.

Emptiness in every promise and electric depth, When the craving overtook and shook and my body, Numb.

Siobhan Vanessa

ARTS

Personal Platform One One ‘It’s just all in my head’ But I’ll never say that.

People are looking at me.

My weight gain; the reason I can see this.

Paranoia.

Because it’s what they tell me, and that’s not true.

My loves ones are against me I think.

And they all sniggered.

Like when I started school with that bob-cut and some horrid shoes.

It commonly follows every teens ‘ugly phase.’

And they tell me, there is so much I see in my head.

Joan of Arc (Anonymous Submission)

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Damsel

UNDISTRESSED Money was once only funny in a rich man’s world. Columnist Diana Stanislavova asks: is that now true for all of us?

“Money is the root of all evil.”

Suprisingly, this popular saying is actually a misquote from the Bible, in which Timothy says: “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”. The essence of these age old words still ring true. The problem lies not in money itself, but in man’s ceaseless seduction with what it can buy. What is money? In reality, a piece of paper with a bunch of scribbles on it.

However, the value we assign to money - now that is a wonder. Your heart desires a fancy new set of earrings, well the key to unlocking said desire can be found with a fifty-pound note In the not so distant past, everyday actions that seem simple now were a pain-stacking process because anything and everything had to be done with a fat bulging wad of cash.

Stacks and stacks of money are a cumbersome nuisance because they take up too much space and plunge our once neat wallets into an eternal disarray. Money is one of those fleeting, ambivalent things because securing it physically seems to be the life goal of so many people. Picture the classic Hollywood shot of an elated individual falling back onto a bed of dolla’ after a heist gone right. However, once we actually get the green and it is dispatched into our consumer-crazed society, it is virtually impossible to get it back. Long and hard to earn, tragically easy to spend.

So if acquiring and keeping money is such a nuisance, it seems there are two options.

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First, cunningly engineer a rebellious robbery in order to instantly gratify all your desires for money and all it can buy. Imagine September 23rd 2009: three masked men steal a helicopter and flutter off to the roof of a cash depot in Stockholm, smash the skylight and creep inside. The depot is filled to the brim with cash as eager Swedes look forward to a muchneeded payday. The clever ploy does not stop there as accomplices place road spikes to deter oncoming police and buy the invaders enough time to stack sacks full of capital and bolt with a whopping $6.5 million that has still not been found. Tempting and exciting as this first option may seem, we’re sadly not all mastermind deviants that can plan and execute such a badass operation without getting caught. Most of us are a little more mellow.

Sweden’s first attempt at solving the money problem was an adrenaline-junkie adventure, but sadly unsuccessful.

Option two may be more attainable: a cashless society. In Sweden, since the time of the heist, cash circulation has declined from a hundred and six billion Swedish crowns to seventy-seven billion last year. The Swedes’ need for the physical note is vanishing as their preference for the one-click-buys-all phenomenon grows.

Tap a card here and there and pay for virtually anything without the need to enter a PIN. Or forget the card entirely and move on to your phone. No need for the fantastic plastic wonder card anymore, it too, is in decline. In 2013, Sweden got rid of its largest note, and demand for the second largest note, the fivehundred-krona note (about fourty-five pounds), soon fell too. By 2014, only a fifth of all retail transactions were done in cash. Some shops started putting up signs barking the command:

Our desire for money may be too big a vice to break, but the inconvenience of bulging pockets could become a thing of the past.

We would no longer have to fiddle with silly paper and coins. Gone would be the days of desperately counting the chaotic innards of our dishevelled wallets while the cashier scrutinises our attempt at payment from behind the till.

On the downside, what would happen to our understanding of the worth of money? Think about it: if we do not have the notes in our hands to make us realise the physicality of what we have earned, then the translation of our labour from the workplace has no physical

outcome. It’s all virtually transferred from our employee timesheet to bank account to wherever the money gets spent. All of a sudden, the cash doesn’t feel hard earned because we are not mindful of how we spend it. No physical conception of money, partnered with the excuse of not knowing exactly how much we have in our accounts spells out the illusion of affordability, even if we’re broke.

Then there’s the issue of privacy, or, more clearly, the lack of. Every little transaction that we refuse to pay for with cash is recorded. That sorry quid you couldn’t produce at the checkout because you had no change pin points exactly where and when you were at that point in time. Suddenly, you’re handing over a lot more than just a pound.

Develop a truly global perspective With our vast repository of knowledge and expertise on our specialist regions, we are uniquely placed to inform and shape current thinking about the economic, political, cultural, security and religious challenges of our world.

Come to an Open Evening

From day one at our central London campus, our students are encouraged to challenge conventional views and think globally – and that’s one of the reasons why they develop careers that make a real difference.

Saturday 28 January 2017

Find out more www.soas.ac.uk/pgevents

Thursday 3 November 2016

Thursday 23 March 2017 Thursday 8 June 2017

C O LLU UMN NSS

‘We Don’t Accept Money.’ A world without money might sound mad, but Sweden seems on track to be the world’s first cashless society.

The Photographers’ Gallery S T N E S PRE

Image c/o GQ Magazine

Images c/o The Photographers’ Gallery

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LO N D O N

Terence Donovan: Speed of Light WORDS BY: AISHA DIAMONDE

Capturing the zeitgeist requires a sense of sharp instinct, observation and a need to be submerged in the folly of it all; Terence Donovan immortalised the captivating social changes of the 1960s, with his striking shots of the evolving youth culture and style. In light of his talent, The Photographer’s Gallery hosted a retrospective of Donovan’s most poignant works last September, offering an insight into his dynamic imagination.

Born in 1936, Donovan grew up in the East End of London, amongst a landscape of greyness and hardship, which later became the backdrop of much of his fashion photography.

Living in a working class area provided the foundations of Donovan’s down-to-earth approach to photography, finding inspiration in the minimalistic and bringing it to fruition.

The naturalism evident in his early work, was developed during his time as an apprentice for the eminent John French during the late 1950s.

Although Donovan is lauded for his freshness and spontaneity, much of the accurate technical skill and considered deliberation taught by French provided the ideal framework to harness his creativity.

The cult of glamour became entwined with Donovan’s innovative representation of the jet set; yet, there is a fresh quality to the images as his boundless curiosity and relaxed demeanour is reflected in his subjects. The rapport between photographer and subject radically changed during the 1960s, as images revealed the greater intimacy and excitement between the pair.

With the individuality of his artful images

glimmering through, Donovan was treated with the same reverence as the pop stars of the day; the craft of fashion photography became elevated, as it elegantly depicted the shifting social consciousness of the period.

Terence Donovan’s vast catalogue is a testament to his imagination and ultimately, his longevity within the fickle world of fashion, where the “It’ figure is fleeting as a dragonfly’s life. The mosaic of experiences captured by Donovan is captivating and stylish, as his eye for the iconic remains unparalleled within the realm of fashion. Positioned at the vanguard of style, his charismatic documentation of youth in revolt and confessional celebrities is the crux of Donovan’s genius.

As the 1960s dawned, Donovan rose to prominence as part of the post-war renaissance of the creative industries.

Alongside David Bailey and Brian Duffy, their shared working class background brought forth the reality and nuances of contemporary life to their photographic styles, which thrillingly juxtaposed the arch elegance and deliberate posturing of the previous decade. In particular, Donovan’s photo reportage of the burgeoning youth-quake gave the masses accessibility to the unfolding events of the time; magazines became the ideal space to foster the medium of photography, as images became the focal point of mass communication.

As an arbiter of style and personality, Donovan absorbed himself in navigating between the revolving carousels of social scenes and celebrities, immortalising their energy and gestures.

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Let the

s e c i o V

London is vast cavern of exciting places, which we often miss out on exploring. Audio walks are the perfect way to discover new places in and around London.

They’re easy to use, too. All you need to do is download the tour onto your phone, plug in your headphones, and do as it instructs you. It’s kind of like the predecessor of Google Maps.

I spoke with blogger Shaun Nolan about the audio tour he has created with the app VoiceMap. ‘Light the Lights: How Culture Defines London’ is a tour which begins at Victoria Embankment Gardens, and takes listeners on a ninety-minute tour of central London – but it’s more than just a glorified sat nav.

Words Daniella Harrison

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“Arts are in my core, especially the theatre, so I knew that this tour was going to be focused on this area.

I’m also a very passionate storyteller and love working creatively handson so I did that whilst working on this tour.”

Shaun tells me his array of knowledge about the entertainment side of London informed this audio tour, and walkers will be able to find out lots of new facts about central areas they did not know. He also loves social history, so the tour is also peppered with interesting historical facts such as the historical importance of red and black telephone boxes. “I rarely get to share that love of social history with other people”, says Shaun, “so it was a joy to get to do that”.

The tour is not merely for tourists, though, as the range of facts and information given in the tour is prefect even for those who have lived in London for a long while.

“Londoners can still do the walk and take loads away from it that they didn’t know already; that’s something I’ve heard from a lot of different people and it’s fantastic”.

Another tour I’ve recently taken is the Wapping audio tour, which takes a more “story time” rather than factual perspective. The speaker is from the past, and tells a fictional story which is still rooted in the area’s history, so as you walk, it feels as though you can see the ghosts of the past around you. For example, it is noted that a field is where an old school used to stand –

LO N D O N

Guide Your Way all that remains is a crumbling post – and the walk takes you through the speaker’s life, walking through village streets, a graveyard, down a fairy-lit canal, and finally ending at a dock, where the story culminates.

The highlight of this tour is the small alleyway next to a pub which leads to the edge of the River and is a beautiful sight in what can otherwise be a dreary city.

So have a browse online or on the VoiceMap app, pick a tour which sounds interesting, plug in your headphones and get exploring. Let the voices guide you…

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CERTAIN WOMEN @ The NY Film Fest

WORDS BY: Seren Haf Morris

Living in New York City and being friends with two film students meant that I was fortunate enough to attend the 54th New York Film Festival, at the iconic Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The festival lasts two weeks, running from 30th of September to the 16th of October, showing twenty-five new feature films as well as hosting talks with stars such as Kristen Stewart and Adam Driver. Film festivals were, and still are to some extent, uncharted territory for me, therefore I am so thankful that my friends allowed me to tag along with them, so I could experience this wonderful occasion.

Fast forward three hours of queueing online for tickets, and two weeks of impatiently waiting, we arrived at the festival.

The venue, Alice Tully Hall, was gorgeous.

It was flooded with people, all dressed with anticipation and excitement. The film screening I attended was Certain Women,

starring Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, and Laura Dern. Directed by Kelly Reichardt, Certain Women was adapted from short stories by Maile Meloy. The movie follows three hardworking women in the American northwest, who battle against the adversity of being women. Based on three separate short stories, the lives of the women barely overlap, and when they do, it’s only through secondary characters. The atmosphere was buzzing when it was confirmed that there would be a Q&A with the director and actors after the screening.

The distinct lives of the characters were reflected in the structure of the film. Each story was told in two parts, with no intercutting between stories. This gave the film a slow, but definitely effective, pace. In the Q&A afterwards, director Kelly Reichardt said the reasoning behind this was “so the audience

FILM Film is usually a form of escapism. It can be extremely difficult to portray the ordinary in a way that keeps the audience gripped. So although it is not the most thrilling of films, Certain Women is definitely successful in presenting a topic regularly shunned by

movies, the monotony of everyday life, in such a compelling way. Its ability to depict the smaller struggles women face on a day-today basis, simply because they are women, is something I have not seen in a film before. This meant that I was engaged throughout, even when not much was happening. Furthermore, the film is aesthetically stunning: captured on 16 mm film and set in the desolate northwest, the visuals are breathtaking. The beige and white palette complimented the humdrum of life in a small town - making it almost beautiful.

Reichardt’s skill and empathy in telling stories is truly remarkable. This was not an easy story to tell, but the direction made it seem effortless.

To make an audience want to spend almost two hours watching the routines of life in the northwest is an incredible talent; a talent that made Certain Women a triumph.

Image c/o Freepik

would have enough time to connect with each character individually” - therefore there wouldn’t be any unintended parallels made.

Certain Women was an unusual film in the sense that not much actually happened.

Kristen Stewart pointed out that instead of a character overcoming something huge and learning a moral lesson, it focused on the “small stuff,” the stuff that people don’t usually make films about. It centred on the mundanity and routine of everyday life, whilst highlighting how women have to work harder in order to be respected in their careers and families.

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P O P T I BBR P O P T RI 9s0s e h t 0 f 9 o e e h t it f m o r e a it M m e ThTehMar

WORDS BY: Hermione Sylvester

So why am I writing about it now?

I don’t have dementia. No, it’s because of the recent release of the new Oasis documentary, Supersonic, which has led to Britpop being coated with nostalgia and shoved back down our throats. Though I’m not complaining. It was a great era for music. Suede, Elastica, Oasis – great bands that were resurrected visions of the ‘indie’ groups that had disappeared in the late 80s due to Acid House. Yet, more to the point, Gallagher brothers and company offered an alternative to grunge music. The British press were bored of covering endless music from across the pond. They wanted something more “British” as they arrogantly thought that the British youth couldn’t relate to ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’. *frustrated sigh* Yes, this is where we turn on to the crooked highway. Some snotty

nosed journalist, probably from the then debunked NME (funny, things don’t change), thought it would be a great idea to name the up and coming British bands as ‘Britpop’ – a term already penned by Journalist John Robb. So, Britpop was a beast forged in the fiery depths of the media because they weren’t invited to Kurt Cobain’s birthday party.

And what a beast it was. A mini cultural movement that lasted from about 1994 to 1997. ‘Britishness’ was at it’s core. Union Jacks were in one and hand a pint in the other. People were mad to talk, mad to live, mad to dance – Thatcher was gone after all. Pulp’s ‘Common People’ blared out of car speakers as they drove into the night. The disenfranchised felt they belonged. Still, ‘Britishness’ does worry me. I have never warmed to Nationalism. But, what does “Britishness” really mean in this context? Bands like Radiohead, who

MUSIC Images c/o of That Eric Alper, ClashMusic & Steregum

are arguably one of the most exciting and progressive British bands now and back then, were not part of the ‘Britpop’ era. They hid behind it’s shadow and gained more popular success after it’s eventual demise.

If you put Oasis and Radiohead side by side, they do have monolithic differences. Radiohead’s records sound more unusual and progressive than Oasis’s sound, which is recycled Beatles chord progressions with a bit of attitude. It seems that the media created Britpop looking to the future but consciously or not, declined back decades. Although, to me, ‘Live Forever’ encapsulates a feeling of roar dynamism that no song has ever reached.

Regardless, it still doesn’t really make sense. How did a very progressive band like Radiohead get placed behind a good band like Oasis? They both should have been placed next to each other. They are both British

after all. It just seems dysfunctional.

Yet, that’s what the nineties was. It was full of debauchery (heroin and champagne), bitterness (Oasis and Blur) and revolution (New Labour).

Ironically, the media, the creator of Britpop, now look back it as the cult of nothing, ‘a cultural abomination’.

Though I am certainly critical of the era’s birth and death (Oasis’s album Be Here Now), there is no denying my love for the in-between. It was a time that was subversive and exciting. To me, Britpop seemed to be the everyman’s cultural resurgence. It wasn’t pretentious, it was witty (‘Gonna start a revolution from my bed/ cos you said the brains I had went to my head’).

What’s more Britpop’s electricity was inherited by the noughties and it lives on today. Look at bands like the Arctic Monkeys. As a music lover, I owe a lot to it. So yes, I loathe to love Britpop.

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Free the

WORDS BY: ALICE BARNETT, JESSICA CARROLL & AMY HEDGECOCK

Nipple Piercings: the new trend many celebrities have been rocking as of late.

Kendall Jenner, Rihanna, Kristen Stewart and many other celebs have all been spotted sporting nipple jewellery.

Once deemed alternative and unconventional, nipple piercings are currently being seen all over the mainstream media, and are fast filtering down onto the bodies of women everywhere.For decades, the absurd and unfair sexualisation of a woman’s nipple has meant even a slight outline under a shirt would lead to negativeassumptions about themselves and their character. For this reason, in the past, a pierced nipple would have been kept a secret – something only those you are most intimate with would know about. You only have to think back to the cruel and archaic remarks that Janet Jackson was bombarded with, after her wardrobe malfunction during her 2004 Super Bowl performance, to see evidence of this old-fashioned idea that female nipples are dirty, distasteful and something to be hidden.

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Thankfully (although at a slower pace than ideal) times and attitudes are changing. Female nipples are finally being celebrated for being something other than just sexually-appealing.

Women are suddenly embracing the nipple, not caring whether or not they are able to be seen. In this way, they are winning back control of their own body.

Although, perhaps not all celebrity styles are practical for day-to-day attire (see Rihanna’s incredible 2014 CFDA dress), it is easy to embrace this look simply by ditching the bra before you enture out of the house. All that is needed for this ‘look’ to work is the knowledge and confidence that your body is one-of-akind and amazing. Despite what the media portrays to you, there is not a single person who owns breasts that are perfectly shaped or symmetrical. There are no prerequisites for going braless; anyone can rock it. As long as it’s what you feel good doing, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

As previously mentioned, this nonsexual celebration of a woman’s breast has led to an increase in those willing to brave the needle and get a nipple piercing. Unfortunately there are not many alternative options for those of us reluctant to take the (somewhat) permanent plunge. A few websites, such as Etsy and other online shops, advertise magnetic nipple ‘piercings’ for a relatively cheap price. Worth a try – even if just to test how a real piercing would look on you. However, I’m not overly sure how well they would work when being worn for a long period of time.

ST YLE

nipple

As with any piercing, nipple piercings are not something to rush in to, and you should always take great care in making sure you get it done in a sterile, safe environment, by a qualified piercer.

They have a relativelylong healing process and can be quite sore during this time. Saying this however, they look great on anyone and can be as subtle, or as obvious, as you fancy.

Additionally, many piercers offer discounts to students with NUS or university cards, so they are attainable for anyone, and not just the models and actresses you see online.

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BEING ACE ON TINDER ( IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE )

WORDS BY: EMILY DEMPSEY This week I got to interview CUB’s very own Briony Appleton, you may have seen her sharing her creative writing on the personal platform or just being a general social media wiz for us. A few things you may not know about Briony, she has an insta-famous family of five adorable pugs, she has her own popular vlog where she talks about theatre books and all sorts, she’s also on the asexual spectrum.

Briony explained to me that asexual can mean a lot of different things to different people. Despite not experiencing sexual attraction in the same way as others she still sees herself on the straighter end of the kinsey scale. For some asexuality can mean a repulsion to sex, finding it uncomfortable and generally unappealing. However for Briony, it isn’t about a lack of sexual arousal, but rather than seeing someone and finding their appearance attractive or arousing she gets this feeling from touching or in making another person feel good sexually. Briony admits that even though she is open and comfortable talking about her asexuality she is still figuring it out as she is growing up. We can all relate to that sister.

Last summer, after her previous relationship came to a not so neat ending, Briony took to tinder in search for a new match. She said she was encouraged by friends who had been lucky enough to find themselves a partner on the app and feeling open to new experiences she started swiping. Like all of us on tinder she had a few flops, promised meet ups that came to nothing, until she met Sam. Her and Sam connected quickly and in more ways than they imagined, and after a week they were together and had had sex.

She said Sam is a sweetie who has changed her attitude to relationships for good, she feels like it’s more adult this time and she seems very happy.

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For her and Sam the subject of asexuality didn’t come up straight away, but she says the strength of her relationship comes from communication so when the time was right they had a big lovely talk all about it.

Briony says “There’s a lot of erasure around asexuality” and discussion just aids this understanding of each other. She has not always told partners in the past either because she didn’t feel like they would understand or because it didn’t feel necessary. She stresses the importance of how it is a personal choice and differs from person to person.

We finished our interview with a little advice Briony wants to pass on. To those who are dating someone on the asexual spectrum she said that every person is different depending on where they lie on the ace scale, but the important thing is to discuss their boundaries and respect them. She stresses again the importance of communication. And for those ace people out there looking for love, romance, companionship, whatever it may be- she says don’t close yourself off, don’t be afraid and don’t feel obligated. Your sexuality is your business and it’s important to understand yourself first. She says the right person will respect you for being exactly who you are.

I think we can agree these are wise words for all of us when looking for love, but especially for those who fear there may be barriers. But be yourself and embrace your differences.

Someone will love you for being exactly you.

UN NIISSEEXX Image c/o Channel 4

CATEGORY IS PROGRESSIVE REALNESS Unisex Editor Emily Dempsey explores how Ru Paul’s Drag Race is changing attitudes to gender and sexuality.

What is Ru Paul’s Drag Race you may wonder?

Well it’s only a competition which pits the best drag queens in America against each other to win the elusive title of America’s Next Drag Superstar and $100,000. It’s also one of the best talent shows in what is a much diluted field. Furthermore it is changing attitudes to gender and sexuality one sickening season at a time. It now being in the middle of All Stars Season 2, which invites some of the previous Queens to come back for another chance at the crown, it shows no signs of stopping its ascent.

This show keeps us gagging with every death drop and lip sync, while opening the minds of viewers everywhere.

Now, I’m sure you’re thinking it’s unsurprising that a show about female impersonator’s challenges concepts of gender and sexuality but what makes this show special is the way it does it. It doesn’t force a main stream audience to become drag super fans. In fact Ru Paul believes that neither the show or drag will ever be main stream nor should it be. It is the sheer talent of the competitors and the entertainment value this show has which is drawing fans from far, wide and unsuspecting places, the likes of which nobody anticipated.

Charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. These are qualifications needed to be a drag race contestant and these girls do not disappoint.

Serving looks, lip syncs and laughs in spades it would be hard for anyone to not appreciate the quality viewing that is this show. However these four words carry more than just queen

credentials, they are inspiring words to fans. This show is one of the biggest proponents of selflove, whatever your body shape, personality or style, this show reminds you how sickening and unique you are. This is summed up at the end of every episode as Ru reminds us “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else”. It teaches us to embrace our difference and reminds us that we are fabulous and oozing with eleganza extravaganza.

It’s also incredibly refreshing to see a TV show where the usual token characters are literally the entire cast. With representation always being brought up in the media, this show has never had to worry. And even though there is a visible lack of actual women , the praise and respect they give women is outstanding. This season they dedicate an entire episode to important women of history. And you know they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We also see multiple queens come out as transgender during the show, and they offered a wealth of support from fans.

Ignorance in most cases is just a lack of education and until I had seen the show I had certain prejudices that I may not even had known. When I stumbled upon it on Netflix I was shocked by how much I loved the performances and looks. But more than that, I felt enlightened, I had never seen a group of more confident people despite the adversity the world throws at them. It opened my eyes to self-love and embracing what makes you queer, in both senses of the word.

So you better werk - make sure you sissy that walk, lip sync for your life!

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Let’s be honest - how many times have you actually been inside Mucci’s?

Come on, you know Muccis. You must do. It’s that vaguely depressing looking restauraunt on the edge of Library Square. You know – the one that serves pizza and pasta and other Italian food in a slightly drab interior, with a view overlooking the library, the ‘smokers shelter’ and a solid brick wall? No? Well, luckily I have an alternative for you. Claiming its place between the student stalwarts of Nandos and Roosters, Kitchen Pizzeria (@kitchenpizzeria) is a friendly, cheerful Italian which stands out for all the right reasons.

Close to campus? Check.

Bright, airy and with plenty of space?

Check.

Great food at reasonable prices?

Check check check.

Just walking past, it’s clear that this new business embodies a very different vibe from the multiple chicken shops of Mile End Road.

It’s still friendly, still relatively cheap, but it’s somewhere you wouldn’t hesistate to take your family or bring a date you were really trying to impress. With wood fittings and soft lighting, plus authentic Italian food,

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FOOD there’s a definite rustic atmosphere which Tower Hamlets has definitely been missing.

So, what’s on the menu? We started with the starters (crazy, I know) and chose the rice balls with peas, parmesan and mozzarella, along with grilled aubergine with ricotta, pine nuts and pesto sauce from the Lite Bites section of the menu. Although we’d expected them to be hot, the aubergines especially were amazing.

If you know me you’ll know I’m not exactly the biggest vegetable fan, but the combination of pine nuts and pesto was a definite winner and I would 110% order this again. For a pre-lecture snack, for a post-exam snack, for lunch, everything. I’m sold.

Next up was a combination of salads, pastas and pizzas, the chance to quiz our waiter and to take some deep, steadying breaths in preparation for the onslaught of food to come.

We opted for the wild rice salad (with cherry tomatoes, beetroot, mozzarella, avocado and vinaigrette), which at £9 was one of the more expensive options but definitely worth it for the amount of food you got. We also tried the sun-dried tomato ravioli, which comes with either a butter or a tomato sauce.

While both were good, we much preferred the butter sauce, although if you like tomato by all means

go crazy! Again, though, these were much more filling than we’d imagined and would definitely stand as a meal on their own.

Unless, of course, you were tempted by the staple of the Pizzeria and opted for pizza instead. You can make your own, which I think is a great idea and means that the restaurant really stands out – it’s also useful when you’re as picky as I am! Although we opted for the standard menu, the pizza we did have was honestly one of the best I’ve tried (and I’m quite fussy, you’ll be surprised to know.) Think Pizza Express but with a chewier, springier dough and a better sauce- mozzarella ratio. Aaand finally, dessert! I think in this case I might let the photo speak for itself.

Except to say that the chocolate and salted caramel fondant might be my new obsession, and I’ll definitely be returning to inhale it again soon.

With takeaway (traditional and Deliveroo) offered, a Halal menu and a selection of Vegetarian choices, plus a BYOB offer of £1 per beer bottle and £3 per wine bottle, it looks like Kitchen Pizzeria has all bases fully covered. They also have an online menu and a great website – but CUB code KP15 gets you 15% off all dine in meals until the 16th November, so make the most of it!

WORDS BY: JULIA MARGETTS

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excuse my

FRENCH

Year Abroad: Education

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WORDS BY: ZAC TURNER

Accustomed to 10 hour weeks and 50 minute lectures, the system here has been somewhat of a culture shock.

I can’t help but imagine a meeting, centuries ago, filled with the brightest minds of the francophone world, in which one sterling individual, to the deafening applause of his peers, proposed a working day running from 8am to 8pm. I then can’t stop wondering that whilst enthused by the ovation, whether he was hit by a second brainwave, and that over the clamour he cried: “But wait my friends, for I have another idea! I propose four hour lectures!” Bravo monsieur, bravo.

So that’s how that’s been. In all fairness, the lectures here are actually really good. Of course, this is excluding the incredibly strenuous task of concentrating for four hours at a time, in your second language, to information which is sometimes rather boring, whilst trying not to fall asleep during your eleven hour day that you’re attempting on four hours sleep, with a hangover, because you gave into peer pressure last night because it was “Oktoberfest Night” at Expresso, and you love Expresso, and you thought the beer was going to be cheap, but it wasn’t that cheap, and because all your new friends called you names for not wanting to come out, so you went out, and now you’re sitting there, in the front row of your four hour lecture, listening to your really nice teacher, who you’ve just met, talk about Rousseau’s philosophy of self, of which you have no prior

C O LU M N S

French university is a strange thing. knowledge, trying not to make it obvious that you keep falling asleep, even though you’re in the front row and directly opposite her.

But yes, the days are getting cooler now, thanks for asking. Sometimes I have to take a jumper out with me in the morning, but sometimes I forget and it doesn’t really matter. It is a problem however, if I forget my sunglasses! Can’t be without those bad boys.

Therefore, with beach days threatening to become a thing of the past, we’ve turned now to sport to fill our time.

Of course, since all of my friends are female, I use the term sport cautiously, because, in addition to making a fool of myself playing volleyball with seasoned veterans, I have been invited to both Zumba and Legs, Bums and Tums. I politely refused the kind offers, you see, I lack the enormous amounts of self-confidence required to be the only male dancing in front of a mirror with 100 French girls. I was however, convinced into attending a yoga class, and seeing as a certain, flattering physiotherapist once compared my body to a corpse, I felt I could do with the extra suppleness. And, to my surprise, I actually really enjoyed it, although I did divide my time between being uncomfortably aware of how ridiculous I must have looked, and praying that someone I knew didn’t walk in.

fin.

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COVER IMAGE BY ISABELLE ILAYA