Exeposé Issue 663, 18 January 2017 by Exeposé

E E FR ISSUE 663 18 JAN 2017 exepose.com

EXEPOSÉ Photo: Natasa Christofidou

The real cost of living in Exeter? Cardens defends raising rental rates yet again for 2017/18

Students say rent increases are “unjustiﬁable” Hannah Butler Editor

TUDENTS have voiced frustration after seeing rental prices increase yet again for the upcoming year – but Students@Cardens have defended the rise. Their properties are still cheaper than University halls or purpose-built accommodation, Cardens letting agent Ivor Bull told Exeposé. Since the 2017/18 property listings opened in Exeter, numerous students have come forward to say their property

is increasing in price next year. While often small increases – for example, £5£10 a week – these nonetheless added up to larger figures when considering the number of students in each property. “The price increase is not a sign of improvement, but greed,” said one final year student - whose 5-bed property will be increasing from £99 per week to £120 next year. Describing the rise as “wholly unjustifiable,” she added: “Cardens and other renting agencies should be deplored for playing on the anxiety of students looking for housing and exacerbating the issue of high rental costs.” Many students said they didn’t

feel the increases were justified. “The house is definitely not worth what they are now charging, especially when you think that bills aren’t included,” one modern languages student told Exeposé. The weekly rent for her 4-bed property is rising by £15 per tenant next year totalling a £60-a-week increase on the 2016/17 rental price. “I thinks it’s unjustifiable considering nothing is being done to improve the house itself,” another student said. “Our landowner is only raising prices in order to fit with the competitive market and to keep up with other raising house prices. “Not all students can pay this amount

Reviewing 2016, Anticipating 2017 ARTS + LIT

PAGES 20-21

and compared to the prices of places such as Cardiff for example it’s completely incomparable.” Her landlord owns several properties in the city, “so really does not need to be raising his prices,” she said. “In my opinion it’s pretty selﬁsh.” Many of the students who came forward rented through private landlords, or smaller rental agencies, including Star Lettings and Exeter Property. However, several were with Students@Cardens – a city-centre company advertising the “largest selection of accommodation available within the city.” In recent years, Exeter students have

notoriously queued outside the central Exeter estate agency in the early hours to secure properties for the upcoming year. November 2016 saw students queuing from 1am, according to Jon Cardens, agency director – and within two hours of opening, the company had let out 50 of its 300 Exeter properties. Exeposé asked Cardens what the average rental increase was for 2017/18, and whether the agency thought these raises were acceptable. However, according to letting agent Ivor Bull, there is “no clear response” to these questions.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

COMMENT Exeter’s highs and lows PAGE 7

EXEPOSÉ

Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ

Editors Print: Jeremy Brown, Hannah Butler, Susannah Keogh & Ben Londesbrough Online: Theodore Stone & Jessica Stanier News Editors Print: Rachel Ashenden & Natasa Christoﬁdou Online: Georgia Roberts & David Smeeton news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Bea Fones & Matthew Newman Online: Olivia Horncastle & Rowan Keith comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Georgina Bolam & Katie Jenkins Online: Samuel Fawcett & Kate Jones features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Jade Beard & Laurel Bibby Online: Alma Crespo & Lucy Ronan lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Emma Bessent & Tash Ebbutt Online: Anna Blackburn & Izzy Hilliard artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Rory Marcham & Helen Payne Online: Sam Norris & Harry Williams music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Mark Allison & Zak Mahinfar Online: Cormac Dreelan & James Hands screen@exepose.com Games + Tech Editors Print: Jabez Sherrington & Sam Woolf Online: Ben Assirati & James Freeth games@exepose.com

Editorial.

Photographers Sachi Minami & Wang Yong Yan photography@exepose.com Copy Editors Amy Batley, Jack Morgan Jones & Ashton Wenborn Proofers Alex Brammer, Maddy Parker, Sakohi Raizada & Rosie Shepard

@ exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exepose Advertising Ross Trant R.Trant@exeter.ac.uk (01392) 722607 The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.

House prices rise across Exeter

I got bills I gotta pay...

O it’s New Year, but somehow we're stuck grappling with the same old ﬁnancial issues. But, 2016 is over and 2017 can be a new start, right? Right? Hopefully you and your housemates won’t have made your ﬁrst mistake of 2017 already: by signing up for an overpriced house... Our investigation in News this week uncovers dramatic price rises from last year, eating even more into your student loan. We all know Exeter is expensive, but has this gone beyond a joke? Prominent estate agents Cardens have defended the rise, pointing out properties are still cheaper than university halls or purpose built student accommodation. Having seen the same situations come up again and again for the past three years, we'd argue these are exactly the kind of issues the NUS are there for, and they should be doing more to help students, rather than hitting the headlines for their political squabbles. In other news... let's be honest, we can't be the only ones gutted that pretty much the rest of the country all got snow whilst we got (at best) a little bit of sleet. Never fear though: Ski Society are bringing snow to campus. To raise money for charity and showcase the top

Science Editors Print: Victoria Bos & Beth Honey Online: Holly Belcher & Rebecca Broad sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Owain Evans & Lara Hopkins Online: James Angove & Ollie Lund sport@exepose.com

NEWS

university-based riders in the UK, they are covering Forum Hill with three lorries' worth of snow. Exciting stuff! Meanwhile, in Comment, we review the mistakes of last year, with our writers bemoaning the travesty that was 2016. Trump, Brexit, celebrity deaths galore let’s hope 2017 is better. Exhibit is looking forward to what cultural offerings 2017 has to offer. Want to know what the Sound of 2017 is? Flick to Music and get Spotify open. Feeling artsy? See what Arts & Lit reckon will be the top exhibitions, art, and theatre to see in the year ahead. Lazying in front of a screen more your style? Then Games & Tech and Screen both have you covered. On pages 8-9, we've also got all the deets if you're thinking about running to be part of our committee this year. With 10 different sections, and roles in everything from photography to copy editing, there's something for everyone. If you have any questions, feel free to drop us a message on Facebook or email us on editors@exepose.com. Want to chat in person? Drop into the ofﬁce and say hello- we promise we don't bite! So, we hope this issue has served as a suitable distraction from your mounting pile of work - welcome to second term!

PAGE 5

COMMENT How bad was 2016? Hannah Stevenson discusses PAGE 6

FEATURES Daphe Bugler assesses this years European elections PAGE 10

SCIENCE Leah Crabtree brings us a 2017 sneak peak PAGE 36

WRITE FOR US!

Join all of our writers' groups on Facebook to be ﬁrst in the know about content calls and (free) press pas ses Just pitch your idea to the relevant section (emails in the left hand column)

send your comments to editors@exepose.com

Worldwide university news UK is the sixth most expensive for study

study by FairFX, an online/money management service, has shown that international universities are offering degrees for up to three times less than those in the UK. The average student spend in the UK amounts to £18,305 annually, wheres a typical German student pays £6,706. The study shows that the UK is the sixth most expensive country in the world to study in, behind the US and Australia, with Germany being the cheapest. Average tuition in Germany came in at £332 annually, and the majority of top 10 affordable universities were also located in Germany. Ian StraffordTaylor, CEO of FairFX said: “To get the very best value, students must not only consider tuition fees but also the local living costs when you get there as these can vary considerably.”

Scientology endorses Free education for degree at Toronto New York students

controversial scholarship for students studying ‘anti-psychiatry’ at The University of Toronto has been introduced. The scholarship has also won the support of an organisation founded by the Church of Scientology, the Canadian chapter of the Citizens Commission of Human Rights (CCHR). The CCHR is widely known for its opposition to the ﬁelds of psychiatry and psychology. The scholarships founder, Professor Bonnie Burstow, argues that there is no such thing as mental illness, and also disagrees with anti-psychotic and mood-altering drugs. Despite criticism, The University’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education is defending the scholarship, saying it’s the right of academics to study unpopular ideas like theirs.

EW York is planning to abolish its tuition fees for students. The US state wants to extend free tuition so it encompasses middle-class families, as well as economically disadvantaged households. This new arrangement would mean that students from families earning up to $125,000 annually will not have to pay fees at New York based universities. New York universities include both state and city colleges. Andrew Cuomo, the New York governor, said that the majority of jobs in the state now require higher education and hence tuition fees could no longer be a barrier. He explained that he wanted to reduce student debt, because in a city like New York, trying to enter the working world is like "starting a race with an anchor tied to your leg."

Thai uni students can pay fees with... rice?

ANGSIT University in Thailand has recently agreed to take rice instead of payment from 19 of its students, all of whom would have otherwise struggled to pay their tuition fees. The private institution, based in Bangkok, has decided to accept the grain as a result of plummeting rice values throughout the country, in recognition of the fact that some families would otherwise struggle to cope. When announcing the deal, Dean Worachat Churdchomjan explained that the goal is primarily to support Thailand’s farming families, as 25% of the population works in the agricultural sector. The rice surplus has had a huge impact on farmers, and some have even resorted to Facebook in their attempts to sell their grain.

News

18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

NEWS EDITORS:

Rachel Ashenden Natasa Christoﬁdou

Councillors call on students to help end Exeter’s recycling nightmare Hannah Butler Editor

S Photo: Hannah Butler

TUDENTS need to do more to improve Exeter’s recycling levels, local councillors have told Exeposé – adding that waste management in general is an ongoing problem with the city’s student population. Exeter students came under ﬁre in early January after reports of “appalling mess” left along the city’s Howell Road. “This is purely down to students,” one Express & Echo commenter claimed. “They’re here for a good time not a long

time […] It’s pure laziness and the attitude that someone else will pick it up for them.” The mess was found outside of University term time, prompting some to question why students were being blamed. “It is disappointing that shortcomings in the council’s refuse collection is leading to students being blamed for the mess,” VP Welfare Alec James said. “The Students Guild, University and council work hard to ensure that student refuse is dealt with responsibly,” he added. “I meet regularly with the University and council to try and make sure this works better in future” According to Cllr Peter Holland, there can be little doubt that students are behind the rubbish. “I’ve gone to the trouble of getting the electoral roll out,” he said – adding that all of Howell Road’s HMOs (houses of multiple occupancy) are rented by groups with different surnames. He and fellow councillor Percy Prowse have also visited many of the houses and spoken to students living there about their concerns. Exeposé met with Cllrs Holland and Prowse to ﬁnd out what the problem is when it comes to students and waste management. “Education and enforcement” is what’s missing, Prowse claimed. Many students are simply not aware which

rubbish goes in which bin – and what to do when they have more rubbish than they can ﬁt in their bins. In 2016, Exeter City Council introduced a new policy on “side waste” – meaning extra rubbish bags left alongside black bins will not be collected. But many students still don’t seem to know this. For Holland, this isn’t a valid excuse. “Anybody living in a HMO has had the opportunity to get it right,” he told Exeposé.

However, residents can put out as much extra recycling as they like alongside green bins – and this is where Holland and Prowse think students are falling short. Exeter City Council currently only manages to recycle around 34% of the city’s waste. The goal is 50%, Holland said - but for this to happen, students will have to get on board. Exeter’s worst areas for recycling are also those with high numbers of HMOs – in other words, student areas. This is something both councillors can attest to. “Black bins are crammed and green bins

don’t have so much in,” Holland said, while Prowse remembered: “before Christmas, I went down Hoopern Street and looked in the black bins, and found there was much more recycling in them than in the green bins.” Both councillors are trying to make students aware of what they can recycle – and the importance of bringing their bins back in after collection day. “This morning we came through Mount Pleasant Road and I counted 37 bins that had been left out since before Christmas,” Holland said. “There’s no litter, but they’re cluttering up the pavement. “I do understand that students have gone away for Christmas,” he said – but on his estate, “when people go on holiday, they make arrangements with somebody,” and t’s a “great disappointment” that students aren’t doing the same. Holland was keen to stress his afﬁnity with the University. “I’ve never come across a group of more gifted, talented and able students,” he sad. However, the “transient” nature of students means getting messages across about recycling and bin protocol is hard. “You’re here for a very short window of your lives,” he said but added, “we are your elected members, and are here to help.”

liquidation. Student Rebecca Broad, who worked for ROCKSOLID as a freelance content creator said “I loved every minute of working with ROCKSOLID RACE. It was fantastic to be part of such inspiring events where Champions pushed themselves to overcome fears, raised hundreds of thousands of pounds, and even get engaged! I”m really sad it had to end but ROCKSOLID RACE just didn’t have the same support it had last year.”

offering refunds out of their own pocket to “refund all participants who purchased registrations on Eventbrite”. They explained that they “are a self-service ticket platform and were not involved in the production of this event or the decision to cancel it”, and hopes that this refund indicates Photo:“how Pexelsdeeply we care about your

experience using Eventbrite”. Ashton Wenborn, a student who bought £75 worth of tickets, commented: “ROCKSOLID weren’t refunding anyone. I had to email my bank and Eventbrite to try and reverse the payment which was a nightmare. My bank totally ignored me, but thankfully Eventbrite have been really

We are your elected members, and are here to help Cllr Peter Holland, Deputy Lord Mayor

The BLACK bin

Non-recyclable waste * Side waste (extra bags that don’t fit in the bin) will NOT be collected. It is up to students to arrange removal of excess rubbish.

The GREEN bin

Tins, cans, foil, plastic packaging (bottles with lids, tubs, pots, trays, film) cardboard and paper (except wrapping paper). * Side waste WILL be collected Bins should only be put out after 6pm on the evening before collection day At all other times, they must stay on the property. More information is available at: www. exeter.gov.uk/ studentwasteguidance/

ROCKSOLID in muddy waters as race cancelled Ben Londesbrough Editor

XETER’S popular ROCKSOLID Race has been cancelled for 2017, only a few months before the event was due to go ahead on 25 March. ROCKSOLID have removed themselves from social media, with their website displaying a message titled “ROCKSOLID Race Ceases Trading With Immediate Effect”. The event, popular amongst students, originated in Exeter - hosting thousands of contenders each year in what was branded the “South West’s largest obstacle race”. The company’s website states that they were struggling to meet their projected sales for the Exeter event, “which normally allows enough proﬁt to subsidise marketing our Milton Keynes event in October”. This projection is on top of a “poor 2016 season” for the company in a “very saturated market”, leading the ROCKSOLID company to enter voluntary

ROCKSOLID Race ceases trading with immediate effect Organisers of ROCKSOLID

For customers who had already purchased tickets, ROCKSOLID’s website offered no clear indication of a full refund, only stating that it is “actively working on a resolution with the booking company in relation to the funds that are being held” On Saturday 14 January, ticket platform Eventbrite sent an email to ticket holders “sincerely apologising”,

good about the whole thing.” Alasdair Gibbs, RAG Brand and Design Executive, explained RAGs disappointment at the cancellation, stating “As a regular event on the RAG calendar, we’re disappointed to hear that ROCKSOLID has cancelled its Exeter race. However, we’re pleased to say we’ve got more fantastic events lined up for the rest of the year, with exciting ways to get involved with our fundraising. One new challenge is the upcoming Exeter RAG Runs Bilbao Night Marathon, with our info night on the 23rd January. We will be revealing our full event calendar for 2017 very soon, so stay posted.” Obstacle course community UKOCR have offered an alternative to ROCKSOLID on their Facebook page. They indicate that “anyone who has signed up for ROCKSOLID can run at The Ram Run free of charge”, which is held in Tamworth. Meanwhile ﬁtness instructor Peter Hardy is reportedly planning a mud run event in Escot, East Devon to replace the cancelled race.

NEWS

American football team shave Research reveals genes heads to raise money for cancer are linked to obesity Theodore Stone Online Editor

N Exeter student is to lead a mass head-shave amongst his friends for the charity supporting his mother’s ﬁght with terminal cancer. First-year law student Tommy Parsons’ mother, Debra Parsons, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, before the disease spread to her liver.

They have done so much for my family and I have always wanted to repay them

Speaking to Exeposé, Tommy told us that Penny Brohn ‘have helped both my mum and my family through her cancer. They continued their support from her diagnoses to now, they work tirelessly to help both people who are diagnosed and their families. They provided cooking courses for my family when my mother was diagnosed secondary breast cancer in the liver so that we could cook food that she would enjoy and would help her ﬁght the cancer. They have done so much for my family and I have always wanted to repay them for their tireless work.’ Penny Brohn UK was founded in 1980 as the Bristol Cancer Help Centre by Penny Brohn and Pat Pilkington. The

charity is based on the outskirts of Bristol since 2006, and provides support and information needs of people living with and beyond cancer and their supporters, with services including nutrition, exercise, relaxation, and work on relationships. The charity has recently developed an innovative weekly Treatment Support Clinic for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy at hospitals local to Bristol, which was developed in partnership with the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre. The JustGiving donation page can be found online under ‘Exeter Demons Charity Head Shave’.

Tommy Parsons, Exeter Demons In order to raise money for the charity Penny Brohn, which has helped his family through his mother’s cancer, Tommy has united over ﬁfteen of his Exeter Demons American Football teammates to shave their heads in the Forum on Tuesday 17 January at 11:30am. The team have also set up a JustGiving page to help with the fundraising efforts. So far, over £1,700 has been raised, with the local barber Prestige Cuts on Sidwell Streets shaving the participants’ heads for free.

Photo: Jordan Robertson

Natalie Kefﬂer Contributor

EW research from the University of Exeter Medical School revealed that the strongest influence on a person’s waistline is from poverty, and genes. Previous studies suggesting that obesity is caused by fizzy drinks or fast food have since been disregarded. Dr Jessica Tyrell, who led the research, emphasised the importance of not targeting specific aspects of the environment or ones’ behaviour in order to get rid of obesity. She went on to say that there is no “silver bullet” to beating obesity, but rather the government should work to target minute fattening factors. It is arguable that genes can further mean people become obese or develop type 2 diabetes. The study, which used 120,000 individuals from the UK BioBank, could influence future policies on reducing obesity. In the UK the NHS believe obesity

affects 1 in 4 adults, and a shocking 1 in 5 children aged 10-11. Previous studies have shown in high income countries those from deprived social backgrounds have a greater chance of being obese, however this recent study undertaken by the Exeter university provides strong evidence that these effects dominate further in people at the highest genetic risk of obesity. Evidence shows that the combination of those in poverty and at high genetic risk are more likely to gain excess weight. It was discovered that within the poorer half of the population carrying 10 additional genetic risk factors for obesity resulted in around 3.8kg in someone 1.73m tall. However, those of the same height and same obesity risk genetic factors approximately only had 2.9kg of extra weight when in the richest half of the population. Professor Tim Frayling, who oversaw the study, said that to improve data in the future we need to understand more about the complex mix of genes, environment, behaviour and lifestyle.

Graduation Ball Theme 2017 Exeter student struck decided in online Guild poll down by Meningitis Emma Bessent Arts & Lit Editor

HE Students’ Guild is currently running an online poll allowing students to participate in choosing the theme for the 2017 graduation ball. The page, found at www.exeterguild. org/graduation/ball/theme, invites “all graduating students to contribute towards selection of the event theme … [which] will guide the décor and entertainment at the ball”, encouraging individuals to submit their own concepts for others to vote on.

Suggestions that receive over 100 down votes will be moved to the rejected list Student’s Guild Website So far, the process seems to have been most productive in offering ﬁnalists light relief from exam stress, with the 41 options proportionally dominated by topical references such as ‘Harambe: in

memoriam 1999-2016’. Internet based trends also feature under options ‘Things only 90s kids will remember’ and ‘Dank Memes’, and running jokes based on the assumed shared background of Exeter students are also given a nod: ‘Oxbridge Interview Nostalgia’. Students have been encouraged to keep suggestions “clean and respectful of others.” At the time of writing, only three options hold a positive vote margin, sustaining enough up votes to counteract negative responses. ‘Black Tie, Green Twist’ leads the table for the moment with an 11 vote advantage on the second most popular option, ‘Masquerade Ball’, which sits on 99 up votes. The real competition seems likely to be between these two alone as ‘Pokémon’, the third and ﬁnal option maintaining a positive vote margin, holds a mere 15 up votes. Although the Guild warns that ‘Suggestions that receive over 100 down votes (-100) will be moved to the rejected list’, none of the options have received enough of a bad reception to be relegated to this separate page. ‘England, 1066 to 1666’ is the closest to being removed from the voting process, currently standing at -82 votes after 130 responses.

Daphne Bugler Contributor

NIVERSITY of Exeter students have been warned about the dangers of not getting vaccinated before they start university, read an email recently sent out to all students regarding Meningococcal (Bacterial) Meningitis.

There is no reason to make any change in the campus routine Public Health England staff

Photo: Pexels

The Head of Student Services, Jamie Horsley, has announced that a student has been admitted to hospital with septicameia, most likely caused by the meningococcal bacteria. Though the university advice that students need not “make any change in the campus routine” or to “stay at home”, they should be wary of the symptoms. First year students are the most susceptible to the infection, due to interacting with many new people, and living in close quarters

It has been reported that less than 30% of students across the country are getting the Men ACWY vaccination, offered primarily to ﬁrst year students. Whilst the Meningococcal Meningitis is extremely rare, the university stresses that students should take immediate action if they notice any unsual symptoms. The bacteria can be found naturally at the back of people’s throats, and can make those who are in close contact with them ill. It is unlikely that this could be threatening, but the vaccination is important. Symptoms can include severe headache, vomiting, neck stiffness and muscle pain, and will become very serious. A doctor should be contacted immediately if anyone should become ill, or 111 can be called. If you are a ﬁrst year, an international student, or a mature student up to the age of 25, the vaccination can be obtained at the Student Health Centre on campus, or with a local GP. Further information is available from: The Meningitis Research Foundation: www.meningitis.org 0800 800 3344 Meningitis Now: www.meningitisnow.org 0808 80 10 388 (9am - 10pm)

NEWS

Cardens defends rising rents in Exeter CONTINUED FROM FRONT Some 1,5000 tenants signed up for properties with Students@Cardens for 2017/18 – and all of the agency’s properties were let within three weeks of listings being released. “Many of the students who have reserved properties through Students@ Cardens are currently in halls and they tell us that the property they will be renting from us will provide them with a saving year on year,” Bull told Exeposé. “However, for those that are existing tenants of Students@Cardens there has been a small increase, year on year, between £5-£10 per week.

The University, Cardens and other renting agencies should be deplored for playing on the anxiety of students

[Cardens] rents are signiﬁcantly less than the newer developments

Anonymous Exeter Student

Ivor Bull, Students@Cardens

Photo: Josh Creek

When it comes to rent rises, “there is a broader picture to consider,” he added. Student number caps in 2011/12 “saw a massive realignment in the student accommodation market” meaning “Exeter had more student beds available than the student intake,” he claimed – which led to rent increases and student

properties being sold for residential use. “Since 2011/12 we have seen a gradual recovery in rental prices and reached parity in 2015/16,” Bull continued. He also noted that Article 4 restrictions have capped the number of family homes that can be converted to student accommodation. The average cost for those renting through Students@Cardens is still around £100 per week, he said – adding: “even when utility costs are added, these rents are signiﬁcantly less than the newer developments available.” The Guild encourages students to “be open to the possibility of moving if prices are increased and they are concerned about the impact on their cost of living next year,” VP Welfare Alec James told Exeposé. “Before signing for a house, make sure you know the full cost” he said, adding: “the Advice Unit can also check your contract and help explain costs to you.” “My housemates have had to move since our rent was going up to £135 a week with bills,” one student heading on a year abroad in September told Exeposé, ““which didn’t seem like much of a rise from £120 but they realised that it added up to an impossible amount of money!”

Snowsports to turn Forum Hill into ski slope Natasa Christoﬁdou News Editor

HE University of Exeter’s Snowsports society is kick starting refresher’s week with ‘one of the biggest, most outrageous and unique event’ the society has hosted thus far: ‘chill hill.’ On Saturday, 21 January, 2017, the society has organised to cover forum hill with 48 tonnes of real snow, where 30 of the UK’s top University riders will showcase their moves. Performances will mainly be focused on snowboarding and skiing, including one freestyle rail competition at the end. Snowsports have announced the conﬁrmed riders from the University of Exeter and the University of Portsmouth. On the Facebook event, Snowsports outline the event’s aims as ‘inspire, expose, and support.’ The society aims to record the event’s occurrences with a

It’s not everyday you get to snowboard on the uni campus Eddie Reeder, University of Exeter snowboarder drone, ﬂying at 400ft in the air. Exeter’s snowboarders include: Eddie Reeder, Dan Barlow, Sean Gee, Katherine Hellier, Anna Haskins, and Becky

Chorlton. Furthermore, competing in the skiing events are Harri Lowen, George Brock, and Ryony spensley. Both skiing and Snowboarding events are split into male and female categories. Katherine Hellier, snowboarding participant and Vice President of Snowsports said: “I’m really excited to be part of this new event, especially to

the University of Exeter is “stoked” for the event: “We’ve got friends and snowboarders coming down from other universities so it should be an amazing time. It’s not everyday you get to snowboard on the uni campus so I’m stoked to get that chance!” said Reeder. A spokesperson from Exeter Univesity Snowsports told Exeposé: “We are really excited to be

We hope that it inspires others to have a go at freestyle A spokesperson from Exeter Snowsports encourage more girls to give freestyle a go and see what it’s all about.” Tickets for the event are set at £1 and include prizes and free goodies for spectators throughout the event. The society is using Tilt for ticket purchases and a wristband exchange will be held in the forum piazza on Tuesday 17, from 2-4pm. A proportion of the ticket sales will go to Snowsports’ chosen charity, which is ‘Disability Snowsports UK.’ Moreover, there is a scheduled RedBull DJ truck, providing music for the duration of the event. An ofﬁcial afterparty for the event will be hosted at Exeter Phoenix, costing £5 in advance, or £7 at the door. Eddie Reeder, a snowboarder from

Photo: Exeter Snowsports

organising such an iconic event for everyone at the University. After 7 months of preparation, it’s deﬁnitely the biggest venture we’ve ever undertaken. We hope that it inspires others to have a go at freestyle, expose the immense skill from across the country and support local business and charities. We can’t wait to see everyone there!”

PearShaped to host gig for Provide a Pad

N Thursday 19th January, Poltimore Festival and PearShaped magazine will be hosting a live fundraiser in aide of charity Provide a Pad, at the the Lemon Grove. Provide a Pad is a student founded and led campaign, which was set up to raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding homeless menstruation. Exeter has the highest rate of homelessness outside London - a third of the homeless population here are women. The charity primarily collects sanitary products for donation, with many collections regularly being held in the Forum. This non-proﬁt fundraising gig has been a long time in the making, with PearShaped magazine appealing to the university for a grant to cover some of the costs. President Robert Scott commented: “We’re really excited to be putting on this fundraiser with Poltimore Festival. It’s been a lot to organise but it’s shaping up to be a great night for a really important cause.” Devon-based musician Alice Jemina will be headlining the event; in 2016, she performed at festivals such as Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Beautiful Days, Larmer Tree Festival and Bestival. In addition, there will also be music from local synthpop band Pattern Pusher, and indie-folk student singer Cara Ludlow. Tickets are £5, or £3 with a donation of pads or tampons, and are available to purchase on the door. Doors open at 7pm, at the Lemon Grove. Rachel Ashenden, News Editor

University Challenge: Exeter picks its team

XETER’S University Challenge Team has been chosen from over 400 applicants across four campuses, and will be interviewing in Bristol with the television studios this month. The team consists of Captain, Edward Mills (French - Streatham), Paul Gratrex (Natural Sciences - Streatham), and History students Ghee Bowman (Streatham), Thomas Chicken (Penryn), and reserve John Williams (Streatham). Trials run by the Falmouth & Exeter Students’ Union in Cornwall decided a winner through several trials, and the Students’ Guild ran its first ever series of UC events to decide on the winning team, with the first ever Exeter University Challenge final being held in the Alumni Auditorium, with an audience of nearly 400 students, hosted by Harry Reeve, VP Education and Deputy Vice Chancellor Education, Professor Tim Quine. Team Captain, Edward Mills said: “It’s a real honour to have the opportunity to represent Exeter this year, and we hope we will have the chance to make the entire community proud.” Bea Fones, Comment Editor

18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Comment

Happy NUS Year

APPY New Year! I hope any new diets and promises of sobriety are still holding up. For those who had exams, I hope they went well or at the very least they weren’t too alarming… but now there is a new term to enjoy! You may well have seen an article this week about some goings-on within NUS leadership. It struck me that we only ever talk about the NUS when something negative happens, and it would be great to show some of the positives for a change... 1. Post-WW1 In 1922 Ivison MacAdam, an exserviceman in the First World War, joined others united by the desire for international peace and became the founding President of the National Union of Students. His vision for the NUS was immortalised in three simple words, “hope for tomorrow”. 2. Council Tax Ever had to pay it? Most probably not, because the NUS successfully lobbied for full-time students to be exempt from council tax. In Exeter the cheapest band starts at £1,067 per house per year. Imagine the amount of money this saves students, (let alone the arguments with housemates). 3. Mental Health Last year the Guild were the first to use a new type of analysis on the mental health of PHD students and published the report alongside the NUS. This has been available to other student unions across the country wanting to improve the support offered to PHD students. 4. Leading the way In 1973, it was the first national body to pass policy in favour of gay rights; in 1977, Sue Slipman was elected as the organisation’s first woman president; and in 1978, Trevor Phillips was elected as its first black president. This year, Conference will elect the first full-time Trans Officer for any representative group in Europe. 5.Value Over four decades ago the NUS worked with British Rail to create the go-to railcard for thousands of people aged 1625, students or not, saving each holder £179 each a year on average. And NUS’ purchasing power means Guild prices can be lower than other outlets on campus.

Bea Fones Matthew Newman

How bad was 2016 really?

THE SABB Toby Gladwin President

COMMENT EDITORS:

Hannah Stevenson Contributor

F your New Year’s Eve mainly consisted of knocking back the tequila to wash away the bitter taste of 2016, you are definitely not alone. Who knows how the history books will describe the year just gone, but none of the words that immediately spring to my mind are particularly tactful. I’m sure I don’t need to point out the instances where 2016 got it wrong *ahem* Brexit, *ahem* Trump, *ahem* that awful thing that they did to Toblerones. But how much of our attitude towards 2016 is influenced by the rhetoric that, even two weeks into the new year, continues to float around on social media and in public sentiment?

You can’t pin the blame for these regressive changes on 2016 itself By the end of the year, it became all too easy to blame practically anything bad on The Worst Year In Human History™.

What started as a handful of unfortunate events ended up as a mass exercise in social and personal self-exculpation. Celebrity death? 2016 strikes again. Bake Off is axed by the BBC? Typical 2016. Aggressively stubbing your toe on a doorframe? 2016, mate. But of course, it is the seismic political shifts of 2016 which will cause many to look back with a shudder in years to come. However, you can’t pin the blame for these divisive, regressive, changes on 2016 itself. The reality is that the outcome of the EU referendum or the US election are simply manifestations of attitudes which have been bubbling under the surface of society for decades. I still can’t actually decide if that’s an optimistic outlook or an even bleaker one, but I think it’s important that we do at least try to look on the bright side. Obsessing over 2016 as some sort of blockbuster montage of apocalyptic self-destruction makes us overlook the whole bunch of

good stuff that also happened. I’ll be honest; when I pitched the question of ‘What good things happened in 2016?’ to some friends, I was met with the conversational equivalent of tumbleweed. Again, I think this is in part because of the mentality surrounding last year, but also because people’s minds tend to drift towards the global and national rather than the local and personal. Thinking about last year for us as students at the University of Exeter, maybe it wasn’t actually that bad. Radio 1’s Big Weekend saw the likes of Coldplay hit Powderham Castle, which, even if you weren’t lucky enough to get tickets, brought a great vibe to the town (or at least was a bonding experience when you and your ﬂatmates had to huddle around a MacBook to watch the highlights on iPlayer). 2016 also saw the university’s very own Semi-Toned acapella group win Gareth Malone’s national search for Britain’s best choir, ﬁrmly putting Exeter on the map. It was a year when the University

won the Athena SWAN award for promoting gender equality in science subjects (yay); a year when a couple actually got engaged in the Campus Cinema (cute); and a year when the Market Place introduced a reasonably priced meal deal (the shock is still pretty raw)… What I’m saying is not exactly ‘Why worry about impending global disaster when you can get a sandwich, a smoothie and a bag of Kettle chips for three quid?’. But this change in perspective does make you think. Whilst you can’t personally separate yourself from what happens nationally or globally, perhaps what’s going on in the wider world doesn’t have to be so affecting as to ruin your year. Maybe this is an ignorant perspective to adopt, but quite frankly, I’m in favour of anything that challenges our regard for 2016 as some nightmarish trope rather than just another year; 366 days in which some good things and some not-so-good things happened. Now that 2017 is ﬁnally here, we can dust ourselves down of excuses and stop wallowing. 2016 has transformed the way that we see the world, but maybe, just maybe, that’s one change that could be for the better.

New term, new me? Yeah, right... Rosie Shepard Contributor

HILE it’s true that we see more people complaining about the ‘New Year, New Me’ statuses than we do people actually professing that the new year will bring a new facet of their personality, we have all thought about the resolutions we could make to better ourselves with the coming of 2017.

Students are probably the main practitioners of all sorts of debauchery You could go in any number of different directions with your resolutions; especially as university students who, let’s face it, are probably the main facilitators and practitioners of all sorts of debauchery. Let’s start with the obvious: drinking less, or stopping drinking at all (“Dry January”, you hear your parents chorus). Imagine your ﬁrst night out after the horror of exams; the clan is back together

after the separation of the holidays, and you know there are all sorts of new secrets you could whip out in ‘Never Have I Ever’. But lo and behold, you’re having a sober night out and are not happy about it. Before long, you’re the boring one; bored with your own decision and bored with your evening. Your friends chanting at you to down y o u r l e m onade just isn’t quite the same. That’s before you even get to the club; the thought of handling a sober Lemmy is mildly horrifying (you might be able to see what makes the ﬂoor so sticky). Make it easier on yourself and just stick to vodka. Secondly, there’s the “more exercise” resolution. There’s a reason that gym

memberships multiply come January, and I applaud everyone’s effort. Nonetheless, sooner or later, your motivation will fail and the hangovers, workload, Netﬂix or, quite frankly, anything, will become more appealing than that slog up Forum Hill and beyond; half the workout is complete before you’ve even made it through the doors. Let the h i l l s and the nightt i m e dancing be your workout, and save the money. Hand-in-hand with the exercise is the diet plan. Again, I congratulate those with the willpower to avoid the calling of cheesy chips after a night out, but let’s just all agree; it doesn’t count if it’s free, and drunk people can be very persuasive. Essays and revision are the other

issue. You want to want those healthy, quinoa-based ‘brain’ foods on sale, but the biscuits are calling to you. Before you know it, you’ve broken the resolution before the end of the ﬁrst week of second term.

You’ve broken the resolution before the end of the ﬁrst week term One of the more ridiculous resolutions I’ve heard are those concerning love. Whilst a cute notion, and the mild terror instilled by those memes which claim you should have already met your spouse by the age of 21 certainly speeds things along, it’s a bit silly to go searching for your husband or wife in the lecture hall or the danceﬂoor. At least let them come to you (maybe you’ll get the Taylor Swift ending you dream of). The idea of resolutions is lovely, but in practice, they are rarely kept for long. Furthermore, breaking them will just make you feel more rubbish than when you started – cursing your willpower and yourself. Quit while you’re ahead. Was 2016 you really that bad?

COMMENT

Exeter’s ups and downs However much you like Exeter, there will always be those things you love, and those you, well, don’t...

HILST the steady stream of “BLEED GREEN” tags plastered over social media may deserve an eye roll, Exeter deﬁ nitely does have something going for it. With stash as far as the eye can see, sport is key; if not for exercise, then for TP Wednesdays. With so much going on, it’s a wonder I ever step foot off campus, but leave I must, for my regular dates with Boston Tea Party and JK Rowling’s favourite haunt, Firehouse. On weekends, a feast at Lopes Hall, as brunch is served to cure Friday night’s hangover and refuel the Freshers. It’ll soon be walked off with a stint up Forum Hill.

The “BLEED GREEN” tag brings baggage...

HE “BLEED GREEN” tag brings baggage. As a member of the “Exetah” student body, I am pooled in to the public school network of Canada Goose, parkas and £300 gym memberships. NO, I am not from Surrey, and YES, the North is a real place (I’m a Yorkshire lass). With 8.30 lectures, the day starts early... But so does the night; pres at 8, leave at 10, home by 2. But it’s not all that bad, is it? Sophie Veitch

FTER spending exactly a month at home for the holidays, I’m ﬁ nding myself ironically homesick for Exeter, a place that has only really been my "home" for a term now. Despite the fact that I spend maybe 90% of my time at uni complaining about the hills, there is deﬁ nitely something about the Exeter landscape that makes me inexplicably happy, just by looking at it; it’s corny, but even the obnoxious Physics tower, and the trek up to Queen’s add to the aesthetically pleasing campus views. Oxbridge can have their old buildings; there’s nothing that makes me smile more than the sight of the Forum Pret after I’ve dragged myself up the hill.

HINK studying abroad is reserved for Modern Languages students? Think again. One of the greatest things about our university is that students from almost every discipline (sorry, Medics!) have the opportunity to spend either a semester or a year abroad. Destinations range from Cork, Ireland to Seoul, South Korea; with a whole range in between, there’s no knowing where you might end up. However, with the highest achievers getting priority over where they study, it’s a kick up the backside to gain that ever desirable 2:1 in your ﬁ rst year.

S much as I’m proud to go to a well-respected Top 10 university, one thing that does sometimes irritate me about Exeter is how much the students do, at times, fulﬁ l the ‘Exetah’ stereotype. Just go to the centre of campus: you won’t have to look far to ﬁ nd several students wearing Adidas trainers or Jack Wills trackies, and while there’s nothing really wrong with buying stupidly expensive clothing, it’s really the lack of diversity that bugs me. The number of conversations I hear about biannual skiing holidays, and friendsof-friends who are Tory MPs makes the uni seem absurdly middleclass… I won’t lie, I’m also fairly middle-class myself, but still, you won’t catch me in Holland Hall. Deepa Lalwani

N Exeter, it is true that the numerous hills do indeed have eyes, and I’m not talking about the abundant squirrel population. I’m speaking of the perpetually present audience of elite, super ﬁt students who watch as the rest of us clamber up Cardiac Hill, red-faced and suffering from severe oxygen deprivation. Having a break halfway is not an option; various cover stories must be used. From the common ‘Wow, the view is good up here!’ casual lean to the ‘Oh goodness, I’ve forgotten something incredibly important. so must think for a moment...’ pause, these are necessary survival techniques that even Bear Grylls would be proud of. Alicia Rees

To intern or not to intern? Susannah Keogh Editor

ONESTLY, the main reason I’m at Exeter isn’t because my career plans relate directly to my degree; I’ve no burning desire to become the next Plato, or enter into politics. If I didn’t participate in societies and intern, I’m pretty sure there’s no way I’d get a job after university - and to be honest, I wouldn’t blame employers for binning an internship-free CV. Regardless of the ﬁeld you want to enter into, internships teach you so much more than just your degree can; especially if, like me, the ﬁeld you want to enter into is unrelated to your degree. When I’m applying for journalism jobs and masters, they won’t give a toss

about my study of Hegelian philosophy; instead, they want to know where I’ve worked, and what practical experience I have.

I’ve no burning desire to become the next Plato or enter politics Upon realising that the study of philosophy was tragically not my true calling in life, I’ve made sure to spend a signiﬁcant amount of every summer and Christmas interning. I’ve worked my way up from a slightly depressing summer at my local newspaper (the highlight of which was chasing an escaped cow down the town high street) to national newspapers, spending this New Year working at the Sunday Times. In each internship,

I’ve been challenged in ways I’d never imagined, improved my skills and learnt how to conduct myself in a professional environment. I just don’t see how, upon leaving Univ e r s i t y, you can seriously expect t h a t you’re entitled to walk into a graduate job, if (other than your degree) you’ve done nothing practical whatsoever

to show your interest in the sector. But I’m on track for a 1st, you might cry! That’s great, and not something to be sniffed at - but nearly one in four students now graduate with a 1st class degree. Just being successful academically isn’t enough anymore. You have to show passion, interest, and above all us, a willingness to work hard and put yourself out there.

A downside of internships is, of course, that they are often unpaid, and without the support of my parents, there’s no way I’d be able to do them. I would never do an unpaid internship for longer than two weeks, however; going beyond that is akin to what should be a paid role.

I don’t see how you can expect to walk into a graduate job None of this is to say that an internship is the only route to a grad job. Of course, other factors matter, but by giving up some of your holiday to spend even a week doing an internship, you’ll be putting yourself in a much better position when it comes to job searching.

HOW TO JOIN EXEPOSÉ COMMITTEE First, get writing!

The more you get involved, the more we’ll start to recognise your name, showing your enthusiasm and ability to produce cracking content.

Come along to proofing... Every other Friday from 11am-5pm, we meet in the Activities & Volunteering Hub (near PieMinister) to look over the paper before we send it to print. Whether your grammar skills are top notch or a bit ropey, come along to help out and meet the team!

Pick a section and apply There are loads of roles up for grabs, so start thinking about which one you’re most interested in, all of which are listed below. Then send in your manifesto of 200 words to editors@exepose.com Elections will be held late February/early March... watch this space!

t for our Also look ou ’ events, s r o t i d E e h t ‘Meet an come c u o y e r e h w rrent u c h t i w e s i l and socia ve your a h d n a , e e t commit swered! n a s n o i t s e qu 2 x Pr int Ne ws Edi 2 x Pr tors int Co mment 2 x Pr Editor int Fe s atures 2 x Pr Editor int Li s festyl 2 x Pr e Edit int Ar ors ts & L 2 x Pr it Edi int Mu tors sic Ed 2 x Pr itors int Sc reen E 2 x Pr ditors int Ga mes & 2 x Pr Tech E int Sc ditors ience 2 x Pr Editor int Sp s ort Ed 2 x Co itors py Edi tors

x P RIN T E DIT 2 ORS x P RIN T D EPU 2 TY x O NLI EDI TOR NE EDI S TOR S 2 x CH IEF PHO 2 TOG x SO RAP CIA HER L S S ECR ETA RIE S

s News Editor 2 x Online tors Comment Edi 2 x Online res Editors u t a e F e n i l s 2 x On tyle Editor s e f i L e n i l rs 2 x On & Lit Edito s t r A e n i l 2 x On rs Music Edito 2 x Online ors Screen Edit ors 2 x Online & Tech Edit s e m a G e n i l 2 x On tors Science Edi 2 x Online rs Sport Edito 2 x Online

Elections Sections have two pairs of editors, a pair for print and a pair for online. If you want to run, you’ll run by yourself, and the strongest two candidates will then be paired up by an all-members vote. If you run for a committee position you’ll need to prepare a manifesto of approximately 200 words that details what you want to do with your chosen section, as well as a one minute speech (two minutes for senior positions) to present on the day. There’ll be some questions to answer too! Below is an example of a manifesto (yes, it really is that easy)... Print Arts & Lit Editor manifesto I aim to subtly split the section into features and reviews, purposefully merging the content to create a more varied reading experience... Other ideas... • add themes for each issue, to unify the sections (especially good for book reviews) e.g. already-used themes (Christmas, Halloween, New Year) and new themes (sci-ﬁ and fantasy, comedy, international) • encourage features/opinion pieces • have one student and one local/national theatre/comedy review each issue • introduce a Top 5 / My Bookshelf opinion piece (example Top 5 themes: classics, reading accessories, graphic novels)

Committee 2016/17

Pho-

18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Features

FEATURES EDITORS:

Georgina Bolam Katie Jenkins

All hail 2017?

Daphne Bugler assesses the upcoming European elections of this year

HE end of 2016 was welcomed with open arms across the globe. Deﬁned by the unexpected victories of Donald Trump and Brexit, the world witnessed an unprecented growth of populism. 2017 holds its own set of unknown possibilities. Elections across some of the most inﬂuential European countries all have the potential to continue and expand the populist wave which has already hit both Great Britain and the United States. A growing scepticism about the value of the European Union, and the shared European currency will also be tested as many European citizens take to the polls. With these events in mind, will 2017 really be the year we are all hoping for? Or is Europe about to descend into political crisis?

Will 2017 really be the year we are all hoping for? Or is Europe about to descend into crisis? Across the international landscape, the growth of populism has signalled a stark shift from the political models of antiquity. Deﬁned as a political movement claiming to represent the views of the masses, populism often sparks political waves on the back of crisis. Crisis is in fact fresh in our memory, as the 2008 recession and an ever present threat of terrorism regularly affect our lives. It is therefore not particularly surprising that

Donald Trump could inspire the American people to vote against the political system they believed had left them defenceless against such crises. The coming European elections therefore represent the same possibility: a vote against the establishment. The upcoming French election in May will be a clear test of how quickly populism is growing on the continent. The current President Francois Hollande has unsurprisingly declined a second term, after he faced extensive criticism and blame for the string of recent terrorist attacks on French soil. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen announced earlier this year she would be a candidate in the election, having placed third in 2012. As leader of the National Front, a far right extremist party, Le Pen has gained a radical growth in support since the last election as the populist wave has swept through France. Similar to Trump, Le Pen’s policies have attracted support for their hard line against illegal immigration, and her plan to send refugees back to their own countries. For the people of France this suggests greater job and national security, however it follows a trend of countries closing their doors to the world in fear of terrorist attacks. In Germany, Angela Merkel stands to be re-elected for her fourth term, as Federal Elections are planned for between August and October. With Germany facing similar questions and fears as the French, it is not surprising that populism will be a force the German leader will have to face. The AfD (Alternative for Germany), are providing Germany with an alternative to continuing with the policies they have now. For many, the reelection of Merkel would keep the country stagnant as they face increasing terror threats at home. Many Germans blame recent disasters, such as the recent Berlin attack, on the number of refugees allowed into the country in past years. Whilst these are clear problems, Merkel remaining in

power could provide stability for Germany in a changing Europe, and allow her to tackle the refugee and immigration crises with the expertise she has gained in her last three terms.

Angela Merkel's re-election could provide the strength that Europe needs The spread of populism could extend ever further than France and Germany, as Austria and the Netherlands will also hold elections this year. Austria’s Freedom Party are polling extremely well, expressing anti-immigration policies similar to those growing in France and Germany. According to Bloomberg if they won it would be "an unprecedented victory for the EU’s populist right". Holland also has a growing populist movement, as hard right extremist Geert Wilders leads his Freedom Party into their parliamentary elections. He has stated he would hold a referendum on leaving the EU and would close the Dutch borders in order to prevent growing terror threats in their country. Upcoming elections in both France and Germany will also question the existence of the shared currency and EU. Following the Brexit Referendum, it is not surprising that other major European powers are beginning to question if they should remain a member. The desire to leave appears to be an important component of the populists movements, as was seen in the growth of UKIP before the last UK general election. A populist victory in either France or Germany, could trigger a major trend of referendums and leave votes across the continent, leaving the future of the EU unknown. Le Pen has strongly advocated that France should reintroduce their own currency, the franc, while maintaining economic relations with the Eurozone. This would be accompanied by a referendum similar to the one in Britain last June, which would decide if France would remain a member of the EU. Germany’s AfD party hold a similar stance to

Le Pen. Were they to be elected in the coming year, it is likely that the leading country of the EU would strongly question its position. If France decides to leave the Euro, this could trigger a wave of Euroscepticism which could boost the number of votes for the AfD in the election. By contrast, Angela Merkel has been a strong advocate of the EU throughout her past three terms, and has been seen to set an example for other European countries. Her re-election could provide the stability and strength that Europe needs, and prove that countries need not rush to extremist parties in the face of crisis. The EU and shared currency have been incredibly beneﬁcial to German trade, and the advantages of such a union should not be overshadowed with fear. Beginning with the Dutch election in March, the coming year therefore holds many possibilities for Europe. The French election could prove crucial to what happens in Germany, and combined could see the end of the EU. Arguably, this may be advantageous to Britain as countries would seek to forge new trade deals. However, the closing of borders could lead to increased nationalism, and see the decline of important modern values, such as freedom. So many unknowns make it a challenge to predict or assess the impact of such changes experience, but they should be changes voted for with intelligence, not with fear.

How To Survive 2017 By Eloise Hardy

Stock up on weapons and isolate yourself, because if 2017 beats 2016 in terms of general shittiness, then the only thing worse I can dream up is a zombie apocalypse. So, a few tips… 1) Stockpile supplies (the apocalypse is coming) You’ll thank me when a zombie comes calling in March and you’re in possession of a meat cleaver that you bought and saved especially FOR THIS OCCASION. 2) Get a cat In a world where Trump is going to be President, owning a cat can only be a good thing. 3) Invest in a bed By this, I mean a top notch, memory foam, luxurious, duvet fort that you can crawl into in times of trouble and become a serial napper. 4) But seriously… This is going to be a tough year for a lot of people; so look after each other. Lend your neighbour your zombie stake with a smile, okay? 5) When all else fails… Keep it simple; save money and don’t die.

FEATURES

From trampoline to World War III W

Jack Morgan Jones, Copy Editor, discusses the prospect of mutually assured nuclear destruction

HILST lying on my trampoline one day, I watched a plane drift across an otherwise perfect blue sky. It was a small plane without contrails and, with its long wings curved at the ends, I thought it looked something like a WWII plane might have. It was only a single mark on a cold sky, but what if, instead, the sky above was ﬁlled with planes? I watched as the plane passed out of my peripheral vision, leaving behind an imagined imprint of chaotic aerial cluster, and, strangely, I thought that I could imagine the fear I would feel if I ever saw such a sight. There is surely something profoundly helpless about the image. Of course, I thought, as I sat up on my trampoline, there was no good reason to think that I would ever see such a sky. If worst comes to worst in my lifetime, the likelihood is that everyone is either going up in nuclear smoke or down under the rising sea.

I could imagine the fear I would feel if I ever saw such a sight... Humanity’s nuclear stockpiles are such that we could obliterate the world several times over. This is rationally unthinkable. It’s called MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction. Major countries have the ability to escalate warfare to such an extent

that there is no longer any beneﬁt in going to war. This rationale is borne out in the statistics – political scientist John Mueller’s research not only reveals that traditional warfare between the major states is now practically obsolete, but he also explains why this is reality. He claims that warfare is now less “rationally unthinkable” than it is “sub-rationally unthinkable”. What this means is that we are past the stage of it being self-evident that countries cannot afford to go to war, and we have reached the stage where the very thought of going to war doesn’t even cross our minds. Just as two archetypal 21st century men arguing over the heart of a pretty girl would no longer think of duelling to settle the matter, 21st century France and Germany likewise wouldn’t ever think of using traditional warfare to ﬁght for the heart of Mrs. Alsace Lorraine. This is a good thing, isn’t it? We don’t want nations thinking about warfare, do we? For those of you who know straw when you see it and are suspicious of the ol’ back-to-back question, you probably know what I’m going to ask next… Is it actually a bad thing? Might not “rationally unthinkable” be good enough, and might not “sub-rationality unthinkable” be a step too far? Imagine, if you will, that in the year 2060 nuclear weaponry became easily disabled. A less nuclear world might be less desirable than is commonly wished (after all, this 2060 would be a world in

which we were at the mercy of whichever superpower has the power to disable nuclear weaponry) and we would have a pretty good idea as to whether the theory of MAD had served us well or if had all been luck. But what if, instead of a less nuclear world, we ended up, overnight, in a non-nuclear world? Currently, cyberwarfare is the discussion going on within military circles. Payloads, Worms, Trojan horses - all these can at the click of a link infect a computer system. The head of the US National Security Agency has warned that several nations now have "the ability to launch a cyber-attack that could shut down the entire U.S. power grid and other critical infrastructure.”

But what if we ended up , overnight, in a non-nuclear world? The rise of the cyber is fast becoming an ineluctable danger. Take Trident. While some claim it is nonsense that Trident can be hacked, the argument going that it’s “airgapped” away from the Internet, many are increasingly sceptical. Dr Andrew Futter’s research into the potential risks concluded that: "It will never be possible to say that the UK nuclear deterrent is entirely safe from cyber-attack… it will be exceptionally likely that one day it will fall, not only that, it could all fall.” While the world order would not be drastically

altered by the hacking and neutralization of Trident; what if, as Dr Andrew Futter hints, they were all to fall? Feasibility level: sci-fi? I stipulate that you must not dismiss this possibility as futuristic. The USA kicked off cyber aggression through Stuxnet, discovered in 2010, a 500-kilobyte computer worm which infiltrated 14 industrial and uranium-enrichment plants in Iran. All it took was for one unwitting person to install it and it spread across a whole country. In the 1960s we didn’t yet have cell phones. Imagine the global reach of cyber by 2060. It has already become the new arms-race of the 21st century – if one looks through the US Defence Department Task Force Report of 2013 and see the seriousness with which they treat the issue. The USA is already expanding the recruitment of qualified ‘cyber warriors’. I stumbled across this lovely passage in the Task Force Report: “Cyber Warrior is a new domain for the Department, and this new class of job will require career paths, training expectations and incentives to attract and develop the needed expertise. It is not clear that highend cyber practitioners can be found in sufficient numbers within typical recruitment pools.” This perky graduate recruitment scheme is frontier stuff – an attempt to turn atypicals (fat guys with Cheetos in their beards) into Konans of the future. The battlefield is being redefined, and the ultimate quest, the final

boss-battle, will be the disarmament of your opponent’s nuclear capabilities. Who can say that this might not end in a nuclear-free world stalemate?

The USA is already expanding the recuitment of qualified 'cyber warriors' Perhaps it would even be a do-gooder, someone who ubiquitously nullifies the world’s arsenal in an attempt to save humanity from itself. Our world would be instantly changed. Might we look back on the bygone nuclear era as one characterised by peace? Terrorism begins to shrink into the mythical mist of the Tora Bora mountains, quaint in comparison to the vengeful return of the state. And what would we call this new world order? The Un-Peace of Westphalia. It is no longer inconceivable that nuclear weaponry could one-day be made instantly obsolete. History is a graph full of jagged lines, not smooth curves. On my trampoline the smooth bound up and the graceful falling down is physics. Thinking that they apply to history is deterministic, and is to be avoided. From the safety of our trampolines, we have to risk imagining a retro sky littered with planes of the past. This might be why John Mueller qualified his findings on the decline of traditional state violence as a “period of disuse.” Period, period.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS: FROM 1917 TO 2017

Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy and Turkey have several hundred US nukes on their soil as part of their membership of NATO

During apartheid South Africa secretly developed, and then dismantled, a small number of nuclear warheads.

Apart from the nine nuclear weapon countries, there are 26 ‘umbrella states’ who have accepted a ‘security guarantee’

The US spent $5.8 trillion on nuclear weapons between the early 1940s and 1996

Iran is pursuing a uranium enrichment Nuclear weapons: programme that could enable it from 1917 to 2017 to develop nuclear weapons in the next few years

FEATURES

The Siberian Hunger Games

Grace Older discusses the indecently dangerous Russian reality TV show, and how it reveals our obsession with celebrity status

USSIA once again graced us with a socially controversial move last month; this time in the form of a sanctioned reality TV show that will show 30 mixedgendered participants thrown into the Siberian wilderness. Yet, rather than just showing viewers the extreme cases of survival that Bear Grylls would be proud of, producers have announced that tactics such as rape and murder are allowed. Anything goes, claims the Games creator, but how can such a dystopian concept be deemed moral? Likewise, how is Russia getting away with the normalisation of brutality that plenty of people are rightfully comparing to the ﬁctional narrative created and supposedly retained within The Hunger Games novels and ﬁlms?

How can such a dystopian concept be deemed moral? The show, which is being advertised under the name Game 2: Winter, could be compared to an array of extreme survival shows that many of us have watched within the comfort of our own homes: glad for the central heating and the lack of potentially dangerous beasts that could eat us in our sleep. However, none throw their contestants into an intense ﬁght for survival quite in the way that Game 2 proposes. From 1 July 2017 until 1 April 2018, all contestants must survive independently in conditions that have the potential to reach -40˚C in the winter months. If that isn’t enough to send a shiver down your spine, the contestants are not allowed ﬁrearms but are permitted to a carry a knife for

self-defense, whether from a Siberian tiger or even other contestants. This is perhaps the element that is causing the most debate surrounding these games, as the mastermind behind the show has stated that "Everything is allowed - ﬁghting, alcohol, murder, rape, smoking, anything." Were there no alarm bells ringing in the minds of the directors and producers considering the show’s proposal in the boardroom?

Their lives are being gambled and used as part of entertainment Siberia, a region that has been part of Russia since the 17th Century, is subject to the laws of the Russian Federation and has responded to the issues raised surrounding the normalisation and legitimisation of criminal acts, stating that the police will retain a right to intervene at any point and arrest the individual guilty of such actions.Yet it still appears that the Games 2 creator's statement gives contestants the go ahead to commit condemnable acts in the name of survival - or is it entertainment? The line is heavily blurred. Likewise, as more of the dystopian conventions of The Hunger Games become reality, I feel we must ask if we are going to hear the cannons sounding whenever someone dies; are the deaths going to be hailed as just an exhilarating part of the games to be streamed live online 24 hours a day? What is most concerning is the way in which these participants will simply become pawns or ‘players’ in a millionaire’s game. Their lives are being gambled and used as part of entertainment. The concept behind all this controversy is

created by millionaire Yevgeny Pyatkovksy, who is asking participants to pay 10 million roubles as an entrance fee to the games. That’s equivalent to paying £130,000 to put your life on the line, all for the hope you’ll come out alive with the added incentive of the celebrity status. The fact you must pay an entrance fee, initiates an exclusivity in the games and thus secures a certain status of people involved. Are we going to be watching a group of rich individuals all turn into savages as the fight for survival kicks in? As I doubt many of us have £130,000 lying about, not to mention the time available to spend nine months in Siberia just to tick it off your bucket list. What can possibly be the incentive driving so many people to apply for the show? On the Game 2: Winter’s official website, applicants are asked to post a short description of themselves, as well as a video explaining why they want to take part and what would make them the ideal candidate. If their video and profile are popular they will gain votes from the public. So far 143 applicants, mostly of Russian citizenship, have applied. From looking at the potential participants, the show is mainly attracting adolescent to middle aged men. Yet, 27-year-old Adriana Elizabeth Bandera is one of the favourite female applicants so far with 174 votes on her profile and claims that she wants to take part in order “to surpass my own expectations of myself.” So are people paying to take part to prove their personal strength, despite having no prior experience to living in such extreme conditions? Alternatively, Dmitry Altunin, a 26-year-old from St Petersburg, is one

of the few who actively mentions the extreme nature of what he is applying for, claiming it would be “hell” to participate. Through such a recognition that the task “is practically impossible to pass” he is still signing up, willing to push the boundaries of what is possible for the small chance of winning.

Is it worth jeopardising your wellbeing purely for entertainment purposes? But one of the most astonishingly ironic aspects of the competition is the set of terms and conditions created by the millionaire for contestants, in which it asks for conﬁrmation that they are ‘sane.’ The stable psychological state of an individual apparently secures the safety of the rest of the contestants, but 9 months in the Taiga of Siberia is bound to place not only physical stress on the applicants but also additional psychological and emotional strain. What are you getting out of this experience and is it worth jeopardising your wellbeing purely for entertainment purposes? The promised celebrity status is the most obvious driving force behind many applications, and the immense amount of discussion created before it has been aired further illustrates that there is a lot of publicity surrounding the show and status to be gained because of involvement. However, is the status you gain going to be long-lasting and leave a legacy you will be proud of? Or will the contestants simply be renowned for their incompetency, rather than the courage that is the basis behind many applicants who believe that they can successfully last nine

months in such conditions without prior extreme living experience? However, we should look to the perks of the experience before ruling these people as completely insane. Katniss Everdeen felt some serious déjà vu when it was announced that much like Suzanne Collins' ﬁctional arena, the public can contribute money for ‘gifts’ or much needed items to their favourite contestants by voting for them online. The show is evidently a popularity contest for the more elite members of society, in which as a contestant you enter the reality TV show as a privileged individual who essentially is paying to become more privileged because of your application. The show has speciﬁed that the winner will additionally receive £1.3 million as a prize. Yet, somehow I feel having gained the prize money which essentially was for surviving the freezing climate, oh and the potential threat of murder from the other members, it seems that these people are willing to take an unnecessary risk all for the potential fame such a win would bring.

The promised celebrity status is the obvious driving force behind many applications So, as we begin the new year, we all can pencil in our diaries the start of this monumental show which is bound to have everyone talking. Or, alternatively as I imagine it, have the world watching it from behind a cushion whilst seeing your ‘favourite’ contestant gets savagely attacked by an Asian black bear I just hope their disclaimers are well written.

lifestyle

ARTS + LIT

E X H I B IT MUSIC

GAMES + TECH

screen

Carrie Fisher 1956-2016

Photo: commons.wikimedia

New year, New me?

Photo: commons.wikimedia

Photo: wikipedia

talentless television

Arts + Lit 2016 in review

2017 in gaming

Photo: Pexels

Photo: Pixabay

16 - 18

20 - 22

24 - 26

28 - 30

32 - 34

LIFESTYLE EDITORS Jade Beard Laurel Bibby

ARTS + LIT EDITORS Emma Bessent Tash Ebbutt

MUSIC EDITORS Rory Marcham Helen Payne

SCREEN EDITORS Mark Allison Zak Mahinfar

GAMES + TECH EDITORS Jabez Sherrington Sam Woolf 18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÃ&#x2030;

lifestyle

New Year, new you? Photo: Pexels

Heledd Wilshaw gives her view on the classic 'New Year, new you' debate

HIS Christmas I was given guilt as a gift but, naturally, with the state of the postal service, it arrived just in time for New Year's Day. Perfect timing: New Year, new me, right? Bollocks. I've never really understood this perverse annual self-depreciation contest, feeling bad about yourself or your indulgences. We roll off the back of Christmas joy and well-wishing straight into hating ourselves, before even the Yule-tide has come to an end and we miserably rip tinsel off the wall. It's a time where we decide to break ourselves down into positives and negatives instead of building ourselves up. These usually stem from things that we've always been self-conscious about - there's nothing really novel about New Year's resolutions - and we usually make the same promises every year. 'This year will be the one where it all changes', we tell ourselves, only to feel crushed when we give in and give up, delicately balancing our self-worth on a vain hope. Collectively around New Year, we allow ourselves more indulgences to do away with the guilt. We lie to ourselves that we'll be healthier, we'll quit smoking, we'll stop drinking but, as the miserable month of January draws to a close, I wonder how many of us will have persevered with our resolutions?

The spirit of New Year is a lie, predicated on our belief that it's a magical time, that as soon as the clocks strike twelve we're transformed like Cinderella. Need we recall that, at twelve, Cinderella turns from a princess to a pauper not the other way round. I hate to break it to you, dear readers, but you probably won't do all the things you promised yourself you would.

NEW YEAR, NEW ME, RIGHT? BOLLOCKS Don't get me wrong, I definitely advocate for self-care and I definitely believe that making informed choices and setting goals are positive things. You want to lose weight? I say 'go you!' You want to quit smoking? I say 'that's incredible, I'm so proud'. But hearing the words 'New Year, new me' brings with it a sigh. There's a marked difference between making an informed choice and genuinely wanting to be better or change, and making a resolution for the sake of New Year. The change has to come from you: it has no timer and no calendar. There's no magical best-before date for the things you don't like about yourself and if you don't really want

to change deep down then a superficial and vain resolution is unlikely to change that. Take me last year. I made so many promises because I felt rubbish about myself, my body, my lifestyle. I decided to make all the cliche changes to my life: I joined the gym, I bought fancy exercise clothes to motivate myself, I bought a lunchbox so I could bring healthy sandwiches to campus. Do you see the common denominator? You got it! It's capitalism. I bought all these things and spent all this money to make myself feel like I was making a change. But really all I was buying into was the consumerist milieu of, what I'm going to call, resolution-profiteering. It's no surprise that gyms advertise around this time with free sign ups and trials, and it's neither a shock to me that exercise clothes are on sale. Companies know that, as the Christmas season comes to an end, there's a perfect balance of the 'treat yourself' mentality that comes with Christmas cash and resolutions that point customers towards certain products. They make millions off selling us back our own self-hatred by convincing us that the way to change and become better is to spend money. I, for one, don't want to buy into that. I don't want to be manipulated by money and good advertising.

So, I'm at a loss. People keep asking what my resolutions are and I seem so pious when I tell them I think it's stupid, kind of like the New Year version of the Grinch. My not-making-resolutions makes other people feel bad, as if I think I'm superior, like there's nothing I could change about myself. But that's not it, I'm just convinced that the construction of resolutions sets us up to fail.

THE CHANGE HAS TO COME FROM YOU I've decided, therefore, that I will try to make resolutions that mean something; I will thank people more often and stop being sorry all the time. I will remind my friends and family that I think they're great more often, I will try to practise self-care, take time out to think about myself and, last but not least, I will promise you, readers, that I will try to write more positive articles, rather than hating everything like my articles often point to. Live and let live, make your resolutions, but don't come crying to me when you've got no money, and no motivation left to go to the gym.

@beth _louise y

arna @sally

@emily _garbu tt

ore iecotm t t a h @

@rache lashen den

EXHIBIT

18 JAN 2017

EDITORS: Jade Beard and Laurel Bibby

LIFESTYLE

Return of the Croc

| 17

Jasmine Prasad predicts the upcoming trends for 2017

HE year is finally, FINALLY over, and we’re all looking to 2017 with apprehension, waiting to see how the tumultuous political and cultural events of last year will unfold. The same is also true of fashion. You don’t get seismic shifts in the workings of the world without them somewhat influencing your wardrobe! So what will we be buying this year? Will the raw hem and velvet everything reign true?

TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCES ARE BEING SEEN EVERYWHERE

Greenery being a thing, as much as you want it to be), you can channel your John Hughes movie hero(ine)s and find the pink power shoulder blazer of your dreams. This year will see the introduction of some very cool accessories trends. We have the speculated (and potentially meteoric) rise of chain mail jewellery: think Joan of Arc chic, well within the pantheon of tough pieces for boss women. The phone case is the new “It” accessory because, in 2017, bags are obsolete if your phone case can carry your phone, have slots for your debit cards and look hella cute in the process. And perhaps my favourite of

y.co aba pix

Perhaps unsurprisingly, fashion has been truly altered by 2016, and we’ll feel the reverberations all through this year. Social justice and activism are working its way into dress at all levels, with more and more people using their clothes as a way to express their own views. When Dior immortalised Chimi-

manda Ngozi Adichie’s already immortal “We Should All Be Feminists” on a shirt in their AW 2016/2017 show, it became pretty much a cert that this would catch on at all levels of the style hierarchy. Watch out for graphic and slogan tees across the board this year, and keep an eye out as this trend hits your accessories too. Yep, statement belts and embellished trainers will be where it’s at. Time to jazz up those white Stan Smiths for a bolder, brighter 2017. As for era inspiration, while 2016 looked to the 60, 70s and 90s for all of the waviest garms, 2017 will be the year of the 80s. Power shoulders will be everywhere, the favoured silhouette in fact, and with pink seriously dominating all of the runways (sorry Pantone, I just don’t see

all this year, the Croc is due to make its comeback, thanks to its showing on Christopher Kane. You may laugh, but this has been a while coming. It’s the new Birkenstock, darling, and I just may be a little love with it. A theme I’m really looking forward to this year is the rise of tech in fashion. As wearable tech is becoming more widespread and (marginally) more affordable, technology influences are being seen everywhere. You could find them in your local Topshop in the form of metallic tones and textures, and maybe further afield in newly developed highly thermo regulating materials.

IT'S THE NEW BIRKENSTOCK, DARLING If 2016 was the year of using far reaching inspiration to express who you are, 2017 will be the year of expressing who you are so loudly that everyone can see. Dress well, and dress responsibly, because in 2017, it’s likely that everyone will be paying attention.

What the hell is hygge? D

Jeremy Brown, Editor, reveals all about 2016's biggest trend - the Danish concept of 'cosiness'

ENMARK — the land of Lego, pastries and Carlsberg — perhaps doesn’t stand out as the most exciting and innovative of countries. But there’s a new export from the colourful streets of Copenhagen, a Viking invader which has conquered our design stores and filled our boutiques, and its name is ‘hygge’.

IT'S BEST UNDERSTOOD AS A WAY OF LIFE That’s “hoo-guh”, to you and me, and in Britain it’s come to represent the Scandinavian concept of cosiness. It became quite the trend in 2016, taking over the bookshelves of mid-

dle-class mums, and finishing as runner-up in a handful of ‘word of the year’ contests (the dying breaths of the dictionary industry). So, curious about this foreign concept (apparently I need to be afraid of migrants) I took to the internet to find out what it actually means. Due to its abstract nature, it’s pretty hard to put a finger on what hygge actually is, but a quick scroll through Pinterest reveals the basic essentials — the starter pack of Scandi serenity, if you will: candles, oversized jumpers and a comfy pair of socks are all essential. The closest we Brits have is the idea of “a nice cup of tea” — which can represent anything from a simple brew to a chance to take a break from the stresses and strains of modern life. A ‘wintery’ feeling is clearly the key, and no

wikimedia.org

wonder, considering that hygge has its roots in the dark, dark north. With an average temperature of precisely 0 degrees celsius in Copenhagen this month, there’s no wonder they take the time to relax and look after each other. After all, a Danish person would tell you that it’s actually best understood as a ‘way of life’: a psychological state of peace which stresses the importance on enjoying life’s simple pleasures: friends, family and comfort. It’s at the heart of Scandi interior design, too: think natural woollen rugs, cushioned window seats, and minimalist wooden furniture. Apparently warm, dimly-lit lamps should also be dotted about the room too, for a comforting candle-like glow. The goal is to create the idea of a ‘home, sweet home’. It’s easy to get involved, too. Next time

pixabay.com

there’s a storm outside and your coursework is getting you down, just turn your off phone, find a roaring fire (or just imagine one) and unwind. It doesn’t have to be indoors either: try a walk in the woods, surrounding by birdsong — like a modern-day Peter Rabbit. I promise you there’s nothing better than a weekend away in a cottage in Cornwall to take a break from the treadmill of university life, surrounded by friends and the comforting warmth of a log fire. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this is the hygge dream. In short, there’s a reason our northern neighbours consistently rank as some of the happiest people in the world. Admittedly, Hamlet thought that “something is rotten in this state of Denmark”, but perhaps he just needed a little hygge in his life.

publicdomainpictures.net

exhibit

18 JAN 2017

EDITORS: Jade Beard and Laurel Bibby

lifestyle

the year when I’m done, but I also wanted to make it interesting, humorous and useful for any other students contemplating studying abroad. I wanted to document the highs and lows, the funny interactions with Canadians, the culture shock and educational contrasts, my genuine recommendations for cities I’d visited, and a proper guide to my own very underrated city, Ottawa. Essentially, my blog has become an online scrapbook of the little moments that have made the whole moving-continents thing the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, and a way for me to document the life lessons I’ve learnt along the way. Tessa Boyd

Tess Takes on Canada tesstakesoncanada.wordpress.com I have always loved writing, and had been thinking about branching out from History essays and attempts at fiction to blogging for a while before my year abroad came around. It’s definitely a trend to start a year abroad blog, but particularly when I started scouring the internet for testimonials and advice before my move to Canada, 90% of the blogs I came across had been abandoned less than a month in. I was determined to keep mine up, and to not get bogged down with overly-emotional, homesick diary posts or dull narrative descriptions of places I’d travelled to. My blog is primarily for me, to reflect and to look back on

Lauren Jane laurenjaneblog. wordpress.com My blog is basically an online expression of my personality – a mix and match of books (stereotypical English student, right?), lifestyle and general ramblings. In 2017, I’m really looking to take my blog further with

| 18

more varied posts, including fashion and more of my photography. I wish my blog was easy to categorise, but I’m absolutely loving blogging at the moment and really enjoy experimenting with my content and working on new ideas. If you love books, you might also want to check out my accompanying Instagram account @laurenjaneblog, where I post lots of book photos with short reviews and updates on what I’m reading. Lauren Geall

One Thousand And One Somewheres onethousandandonesomewheres.com This is a travel blog geared towards young women travelling solo on a student budget. I started the blog after interrupting my first year of university and going travelling. Convinced that the decision was the best I’d ever made, I wanted to share my experiences and tips with others who were con-

sidering doing the same. Being a young woman travelling alone has far more benefits than drawbacks, and I discuss all of these and more on my blog – it’s a truly no-holds-barred view into my travels! I’ve travelled solo in Germany, India, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as several other trips within Europe. I’ve grown so much as a person through travelling, and seen some truly amazing places which I’ll always remember. I’ve volunteered, couch-surfed, ridden motorcycles and bungee-jumped around only a tiny part of the world; I hope to always continue exploring! If you’re considering travelling solo, do it! Don’t listen to those who would second-guess you; the hardest part is making the decision to go! Bea Fones, Comment Editor

New blogs on the block Six Lifestyle writers share their student blogs and consider what inspired them to start blogging wholesome meals such as pancakes and ice cream and pizza - all made from amazing plant foods! So, if you are looking for some inspiration, want to lose weight, get more energy or feel healthier, then take a look at my blog and health coaching options to find out more. Olivia Horncastle, Online Comment Editor

Faraway Lucy

Plant Based Lives plantbasedlives.wordpress.com I am a Geography student and a passionate plant-based blogger and health coach (what a mouthful)! To me, plant-based living is the way forward and my aim by blogging and health coackign is to help others change their lives by changing their diets. In my first year, I was an avid meat and dairy eater and was perhaps the last person you would expect to become a vegan health coach! But within a year, the girl who once laughed at vegan health freaks turned into one! I now truly love this way of living and blog all about the lifestyle and amazing benefits it has. I also coach people into transitioning into this way of eating because I want to teach people that eating well at university does not need to be boring and expensive. You can live off healthy and cheap

farawaylucy.com I run the award-winning travel blog, Faraway Lucy, which focuses on unique, affordable travel for students. On my blog I write travel guides, accommodation reviews and lots of tips to help others travel too. Alongside travel I also write the occasional personal post so you can get to know me better! I've been writing my blog since December 2014 and it has gone from a little hobby to a part-time job. In April 2016 I won Highly Commended in Travel at the national UK Blog Awards which was a huge achievement. Thanks to blogging I have made so many friends from around the country and have been sent on

press trips to Thailand, Ibiza and even glamping in Devon. My next trip is to Belfast where I'll be reviewing their Game of Thrones tour (I'm an embarrassingly big fan)! I also have a YouTube channel where I post travel videos; my blog is very visual, and photography and film are just as important to my blog as my writing is. Lucy Ronan, Online Lifestyle Editor

Rachel Ashenden rachelashenden.com I run a food blog which is primarily a platform for creating my own vegetarian recipes and reviewing local cuisine. Through Instagram, I promote my culinary creations online in the hope that one day Waitrose magazine and BBC Food discover my website and offer me a job (I’m still waiting, by the way). The graduate dream is to break into the world of food journalism, and eat and create my way through life. I decided to build the website - and even splurge on a WordPress domain name - when I worked on the food desk for The

Sunday Times, and wrote two columns to accompany A.A Gill’s restaurant reviews, which were sadly some of the last ones he was ever to contribute to the food journalism world. What makes food so important to me, and integral to my happiness, is that there are certain foods or meals that evoke nostalgia; I try to portray this sentimental value by musings or rants which accompany the recipes. Food journalism is largely an impenetrable territory, but I am working hard to break into the profession by providing a recipe a week in the hope that it will build up my portfolio. A recipe book contract would be the absolute dream, though I’m not sure avocado and tarragon ice cream is everyone’s cup of tea. Rachel Ashenden, News Editor All photos are writers' own.

AW A R D W I N N I N G

PIE & MASH S N ACK S , CAK ES , COFFEE

Beer, Cider

& GOOD

TIMES

OP E N M ON D AY T O F R I D AY 10am – 6 pm EXETER STUDEN TS’ GUIL D – IN DH1, UPSTAIRS FROM COMIDA 1ST F LO O R , D EVO NSHI R E HO USE, STO K ER R O AD EX4 4PZ

arts + lit

Year in Review: 2016

Arts + Lit contributors have collaborated to sum up the best and worst moments in 2016’s cultural calendar...

F anyone could curate my ideal exhibition it would feature the terms“Feminist AvantGarde”. Thank you, The Photographers’ Gallery, for making my dreams come true. In 2016, London was fortunately on the list for the Viennese Verbund collection’s (“Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s”) global tour. The exhibition showcased ground breaking artworks that aided the feminist art movement and second-wave feminism in achieving its objectives of emancipation, gender equality and civil rights. Collecting photographs, collage works, performances and films created throughout the decade, the two floors of The Photographers’ Gallery had amalgamated artwork that evokes a certain thankfulness and pride within the modern day feminist viewer. My favourite works amongst the collection involved the artists who had used their own bodies as central motifs, embodying the patriarchal constraints the female gender battles with.

OW does the orphaned, bastard son of a whore and a Scotsman gain 11 Tony awards (with a record 16 nominations), alongside a Pulitzer and a Grammy, and become one of the standout phenomena of 2016? With diverse casting, relevant themes and some particularly fiery political rap battles, that’s how. 2016 took Hamilton to new heights, peaking on the November evening which saw VP-elect Mike Pence attend a showing. Greeted with booing from the audience, Pence was then directly (and respectfully) addressed by the cast during the curtain call. “We are the diverse Americans who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us,” said cast member Brandon Dixon. Presidentelect Trump later deemed the incident ‘harassment’; I call it a job well done.

INCE the release of Zoella’s infamously ghost-written debut novel “Girl Online” at the end of 2014, YouTuber-authored books have become an entirely new ‘genre’ of literature in themselves. The immense creativity of online creators and the huge amount of variety in the books they release – from novels and diaries to cookbooks and advice manuals – gives this genre an awful lot of freedom to do something completely different. In 2016, we saw the release of Alfie Deyes’ (PointlessBlog) third book “Scrapbook of My Life”, a memoir and interactive scrapbook, while Oli White (OliWhiteTV) released his first novel “Generation Next” about the creation of a new kind of social media platform. Finally, Tanya Burr published her first recipe book “Tanya Bakes” in June last year following the success of “Love, Tanya”.

Graham Moore

Laurel Bibby, Lifestyle Editor

AST summer I had the privilege of visiting the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall. The artwork that had been painted onto the wall that once split Berlin in two was spectacular, but the display of photographs of Syrian children on another section of the wall made even more of an impression than the art. The images dealt with the destruction and loss each child had suffered as a result of the current conflict in their country. It was incredibly clever to use one iconic historical political division to bring attention to a more recent and somewhat under-attended political division with equally catastrophic repercussions. For me, the exhibition raised awareness of the dangers of the current politics of fear and division - a monument to the importance of hope, unity and peace. If you wish help, you can start by signing one of the many petitions pleading for our government to take notice: secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/ aleppo_stop_the_massacre_vircon/

Rachel Ashenden, News Editor

ERHAPS the most tragic blow to the arts in 2016 was the continued de-funding of public libraries. This wasn’t anything new, but the consequences continued to affect art and culture in the UK on both a local and national level in the past year. Between 2010 and March 2016, over 500 council-run libraries closed, with a further 36 closing between April and September 2016. During this six year period, the number of paid library staff dropped by nearly 8,000. As well as a loss of jobs, the closure of public libraries robs communities of free access to literature and computers. Libraries also serve an unparalleled role in the community in providing warm, dry public spaces where, unlike cafes or coffee shops, there is no obligation to spend any money. Libraries play a vital part in ensuring that arts and literature are available to all, and their loss of funding is devastating.

Emily Garbutt

18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Natalie Keffler

HIS year, many major theatrical productions in key cultural cities have centred their casting around the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Gatiss and Nicole Kidman - essentially anyone with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This isn’t an innately bad thing. However, the recent takeover of celebrity names at all of the major theatre award shows of the year has caused many people to dispute whether the winners of various major theatre awards this year won on merit or merely due to their pre-existent platform, filled with avid fans voting for them despite not having seen the actual performances in contention. We’re still asking whether casting in big-budget shows is genuinely merit-based, or whether blockbuster sensations guaranteed to pull in the crowds are given a totally unfair advantage over their lesser-known, but equally talented and experienced, fellows. Let’s hope 2017 gives us a final answer to this question.

Olivia Horncastle

MAGINE a better world. What would you change and why? The V&A’s “You Say You Want a Revolution?” exhibition investigated the generation-defining impact of the late 1960s, taking you back in time to the finished and unfinished revolutions in music, fashion, film, design and political activism. The exhibition truly thrived off its immersive quality. As you step through the doors you are handed headphones with music ranging from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin, flawlessly synchronised to your surroundings. Most poignantly, it reminds you of the extremely corrupt situation the world found itself in during the late 60s and the necessity for revolution, from the Civil Rights Movement and continuous protests of 1968 to ladies risking it with higher skirt lengths in second-wave feminism. It was an exciting, if cataclysmic, time. The exhibition left visitors wondering about the continuing potential for change in the present day. In the words of John Lennon: “We all want to change the world”.

Chloe Kennedy

N 1976 bestseller “The Selfish Gene,” British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins coined a new phrase. He was after something to signify the spreading of ideas through units of cultural transmission. Hitting on the Ancient Greek “μίμημα” meaning something like “imitated thing” – Dawkins tentatively arrived at the word “meme”. Fast forward 40 years, and… well. It’s unlikely he had this in mind. 2016 could well go down in history as the Year of the Meme. Certain *ahem* cultural and political events apparently left the internet world in a frenzy of despair that could only be alleviated by sharing manipulated images with witty captions. It’s understandable, of course. Nothing quite valiates your darker thoughts like a meme. 10.7k shares and half your Facebook friends already tagged in the comments? It’s like the ultimate “we were all thinking it!” excuse.

Hannah Butler, Editor

EXHIBIT

ARTS + LIT

18 JAN 2017 |

EDITORS: Tash Ebbutt and Emma Bessent

Year in anticipation: 2017 ... and plot their culture budgets for the year ahead

ESPITE the fact that it’s only January, 2017 is looking to be a milestone year for theatre. The RSC’s new production of The Tempest will feature projections of Ariel as a computer animated character fully rendered in real time – an industry first. However, there’s no magic going on here, just some extraordinarily innovative tech. Over the past few years, Intel have worked to refine the motion capture technology used to create such characters as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings films. They are now able to register the data created by actor Mark Quarterly’s live physical performance, translating his movements onto digital avatars projected onto the stage. Theatrical technology has been steadily snowballing in recent decades, but this feat is a genuine technical marvel. The only question is where will this technology take live performance next? Gregory Dorian, artistic director for The Tempest is optimistic. “The possibilities of what Intel have allowed are only limited by our imaginations. It’s for other creative minds to see what we’re doing and take it further.”

Sam Woolf, Games + Tech Editor

S a final year student, I’m currently working on my dissertation on Surrealism this term, and I’m thrilled to say that an exhibition dedicated to the relationship between Salvador Dalí and Marcel Duchamp is coming to the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in Autumn 2017. Although I’m a little ambivalent towards Dalí (I actually find his artwork quite monotonous, but I suppose that’s because it’s been commercially reproduced a billion times), I hope that the curators have more to unveil about these artistic greats. If you can’t recall who Duchamp is, think of the famous ‘Fountain’ urinal. I’m thrilled that an exhibition on Surrealist artists is finally hitting London, because such exhibitions are majorly dominated by other European cities, specifically Paris, where the cliquey movement began in fascinating, magical and explosive ways by André Breton and his (primarily) male cohort. I’d also appreciate an exhibition focusing specifically on the female artists who contributed immensely to the movement but are so often overlooked as artists in favour of their male counterparts.

“A

NGELS in America” hits the National Theatre this year. Grappling with hard-hitting themes, Tony Kushner’s play explores the AIDS crisis in 1980’s New York through wildly inventive multi-role casting centred around three Mormons, two imaginary friends and an angel. Part One: Millennium Approaches debuted at the National in 1992, with Part Two: Perestroika, playing the year after. This year, director Marianne Elliot offers the play in its entirety in certain showings, with audience members able to attend both parts in one day or on separate occasions. The running time of these consecutively is a feat in itself, engaging viewers in an immersive seven-hour experience; decidedly not for the fainthearted. The cast is promising, with Andrew Garfield starring as Prior Walter, supported by Nathan Lane and Russel Tovey. After a highly praised performance as suffering Father Rodrigues in Scorsese’s film Silence, playing a gay AIDS patient under Reagan’s conservative administration is certainly not out of Garfield’s depth.

Emma Bessent, Arts + Lit Editor

Helen Payne, Music Editor

Emily Earp

Rachel Ashenden, News Editor

F I could have one single ticket to any play this spring/summer season, I would choose the “Medea” at Bristol Old Vic. I live a mere half an hour’s train ride away from Bristol, and yet – inexcusably – I’ve not yet made it to the building I have idolised, praised and generally adored since starting my A Levels. As the longest continuouslyrunning theatre in the UK, the bricks of the Old Vic have captured an incredible wealth of cultural history irresistible to any budding theatre historian – and the cutting-edge talent gracing the aged stage is nothing to sniff at, either. I love the female narratives woven into patriarchal Classical tales and so a reimagining of Euripides’ story centring this incredible tragic woman and performed by an all-female cast is essentially everything I want in a stage production. The play runs throughout May, overlapping perfectly with the Easter holidays, and with tickets available for as little as £9.50, Hades himself would have to drag me down to the Underworld before I’d miss it.

OLTIMORE Festival is one of Exeter’s hidden gems. Held in the hauntingly stunning Poltimore House, previously a hospital and a girl’s school, now an abandoned derelict stone sculpture that’s transformed into a magical playground for the day. 2017 will be its sixth year running, and the festival just keeps getting bigger. Alongside the unique selection of music on offer, Poltimore will be jam packed with everything your arty heart could desire: featuring cutting edge theatre, spoken word performances, spell-binding poetry and artwork by students, locals and fans alike. The line-up for 2017 is yet to be announced, but rest assured Poltimore Festival is one to put in your beautifully crafted journals immediately, preferably with red and green pens, and some serious doodling patterns alongside.

OUISE Pentland (Sprinkleofglitter) is releasing her yet-to-be-named debut novel in 2017, stepping over into fiction writing following her advice book Life with a Sprinkle of Glitter in 2015. Meanwhile, “All That She Can See” by Carrie Hope Fletcher (ItsWayPastMyBedTime) will be coming out in July this year – definitely one to look out for if you enjoyed her first novel “On The Other Side”, which was published last year. Finally, Carrie’s sister-in-law Giovanna Fletcher, an already-established women’s fiction author, will be releasing her first nonfiction book “Happy Mum Happy Baby” in February, which chronicles Gi’s experiences of motherhood and lines itself up with her “Mumdays” segment on her YouTube channel, Giovannasworld. Noted in the previous feature for its success in 2016, the thriving YouTuber book phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon..

Laurel Bibby, Lifestyle Editor

HIS year’s Holocaust Memorial Day Arts programme promises thought provoking, innovative and inspiring arts projects. Contributions created by individuals as well as specially commissioned works by community and youth groups across the country will form an ensemble of permanent Holocaust memorials in local areas, becoming components of a national commemoration on the dedicated website, howcanlifegoon. hmd.org.uk. Organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the arts project is part of wider annual commemorations taking place across the country in January. We at the University of Exeter will also be participating. On 8 February, following an afternoon of academic discussion and a talk given by Holocaust survivor Ernest Simon, university students will join visiting school students and sixth formers to create a wall of pledges, considering life after genocide.

Barnabus Balint

’M terrible at drama. I think that’s the prominent reason I enjoy the theatre so much; there’s an odd enjoyment to be found in watching someone excel at something which makes you fumble and stutter. I love the way actors make it all look so natural; I adore the costume, the settings and generally being transported into another time, place or even reality. Locally, the 2017 Exeter theatre scene is looking brilliant so I thought I’d give a whistle stop tour of my favourite shows set to air at the Northcott theatre which is amazingly on campus! Firstly, I shall start with our university’s own EUTCO who are performing Animal Farm: I love this story and definitely think it’ll be a worthwhile watch. Moving on to something a little more light-hearted is Dracula: The Bloody Truth, a normally dark and creepy tale yet the theatre company performing have added a comedic twist which I cannot wait to see! Finally, is the wondrous Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare. A fast paced play by my favourite literary genius. Remember Northcott offer student standby tickets for certain shows for £5, so check out the website and go see some brilliant theatre this year!

Tash Ebbutt, Arts + Lit Editor

EXHIBIT

ARTS + LIT

EDITORS: Emma Bessent and Tash Ebbutt

Crossing the line

18 JAN 2017 |

Zoe Case encourages us to take initiative in setting our own artistic boundaries

N 1997, poet Cesar A. Cruz put to paper a quote which had already been bastardized, amended, stolen, re-quoted, and twisted into some entirely different monster than it was before. Then, it was taken to the gift shop, and painted on walls. Cruz said “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” and a million Banksy pieces were born. I had always thought that “the disturbed” in the quote are the mentally ill, the ones in straight-jackets up against padded walls. And in some ways, I was right, but I was more wrong in others. I now know that “the disturbed” encapsulates every single politically-aware person who struggled through the past year. “The comfortable” are not those meanderers in the Louvre. They are not those who walk silently past pieces of art hanging in the ostentatiously-named wing of a highborn gallery. Instead, they are those who see nothing wrong with our world. Those who overlook the tides of racism, fascism, nationalism, and fear that

sweep over us every day. American singer Nina Simone once said “an artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times…we will shape and mould this country or it will not be moulded at all.” She was a wise woman, a kind of mystic, a political force, and above all, an artist.

“THE COMFORTABLE” SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH OUR WORLD I believe, more than I believe most things, that art can always cross the line, whether that line be political, social, or literal. Artwork will always be created to reflect and detonate the world. But as it crosses that line, it may comfort some and incite others. What you find uncomfortable, others might find a spark for revolution. Art is free, and your conscience as

an artist is free. Create. Politicise. Be wrong, be right, but remember these three rules. First, satire is punching up. When art is created to mock or degrade groups of people who have endured holocaust, genocide, systematic racial injustice, or mass-fear/murder/heartbreak, that art is instead, propaganda. Secondly, there is a very wide gap between creating or viewing art about a political act and participating in that act. Will I ever agree with those paedophilic views expressed in Nabokov’s Lolita? No. Will I ever read it? Yes, AND there is a possibility I might read and find value in it. And would I ever dare to say that it should be taken off the shelves? No. Which takes me to my next point— If you don’t like it, don’t read it. If you, as viewer, have some cause to believe that your internal prejudices, opinions, or feelings may incite you to violence or hate over a piece, then simply don’t view it. An artist owes you nothing. There have been so many articles this past year about trigger warnings, and I have found

it to be my view, and the views of many of my fellow classmates, that trigger warnings were originally used to protect students who had endured heartbreak, loss, trauma and hate. Mocking the trigger warning is punching down.

THERE IS NO ONE PROTECTING YOU BUT YOURSELF But you, as an art consumer, must also realise that there is no one protecting you but yourself. Define your own comfort as viewer. Define your own disturbance. Only you can feel your own mind and body; only you can give the green light. But, if at all possible—find the very boundaries. Draw your lines. Explore, to the very edges of your outer limits. On the very border of your view, at the tree line, you just might just find something that changes you.

But what does it mean?

Maddie Davies shrugs off snobbery around the concept of art for the mere sake of art

HEN admiring art, whether it is a book, a play or a painting, it is very rare that it is taken at face value. For some reason, we as readers try to seek a deeper meaning and another layer to the art that is in front of us. We seem to analyze what the writer wrote and begin questioning if it is simply a work of their imagination, or if it is semi-autobiographical. It is interesting that as the general audience we always want more, we almost wish to dig for further meaning and emotion. However, it is this curiosity that created debate – ‘a piece of art should be taken at face value’ versus ‘art is open to interpretation.’ I find it interesting that the Derridean school of thought that argues, “The center is outside of the centre… There is no center,” suggests that in our search for another dimension we are obscuring the technical artistic achievement. I totally agree with this, however - as an English student - I must admit that I find it almost impossible to stop myself

from analyzing a piece of work. My favourite piece of art is Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, which is a book that has been analysed from front to back, one hundred times over and still people are interpreting the text in different ways. So, as a bit of an experiment, my partner and I watched Baz Luhrmann’s production of The Great Gatsby (as my boyfriend is not a huge fan of reading). As the film was going on, I was talking about the green light, symbolizing the

protagonist’s hopes and dreams, which neatly coincide with the concept of the American Dream - or as my boyfriend said “blah, blah, blah.” He pointed out that it should not be symbolised in such a way because it is quite literally the starboard mark that indicates the edge of safe water at port. It is fair to say that this point enlightened me to Derridean thinking and made me think what The Great Gatsby would be without the symbolic

interpretations – the green light is simply a lateral mark placed to indicate the safe water channel (it’s actually the law?!). Also, if we stuck with this thinking, the fading eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg that symbolises the watchful eye of God does not add the eerie effect that it once achieved, it is simply an old billboard that had been forgotten about, much like the rest of the Valley of Ashes. The Great Gatsby soon becomes a story about a man who built a character to live his life by. The simplicity of this sat with me much better than I thought, despite having a very smug, Derridean-thinking boyfriend. However, as much as I can appreciate this way of thinking I also strongly believe that an author shares their art with an audience with the hope that they find their own individual connection to the text. Personally, this is what literature is all about – reading a book, finding your connection to the story or character and cherishing your love for the work based on your interpretation.

music Maddy Parker takes a look at her favourite music videos of 2016 KANYE WEST ‘Wolves’

RADIOHEAD ‘Burn the Witch’

JEFF BUCKLEY ‘I Know It’s Over’

DAVID BOWIE ‘Lazarus’

BEYONCÉ ‘Formation’

While there’s a lot to be said for ‘Famous’, Kanye’s controversial artistic statement on the press’s intrusion into celebrities’ lives, I think his real stand out video this year was ‘Wolves’. Created by Olivier Rousteing, the video also serves as an advertisement for Balmain’s autumn clothing line and so it is aesthetically stunning, shot in black and white so that the light could reflect off the details in the clothes. It intersperses slow-motion shots of the models walking around and crying with the grainy paparazzi-style of the ‘Famous’ video, for example, in a sequence where disembodied hands grasp at Kim Kardashian’s metal-encased chest. It puts across a similar message, but if you were uncomfortable watching naked celebrities in the voyeuristic ‘Famous’, here is a version featuring celebrities who are dressed.

Ahead of their fantastic album A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead released easily the most distinctive music video of the year. It is entirely in stop-motion animation, in a similar style to old children’s television shows such as Trumpton. However, this innocent-seeming setting clashes with a dark plot: an inspector being toured around a town by its Mayor, discovering increasingly eerie and violent scenes as he progresses, and finishing with him being trapped and nearly burned to death in a wooden effigy. Whether you’re interested in the weird contrast or the many political readings it has incited, it’s definitely worth the watch.

While this is a less well-known music video, it’s a personal favourite of mine. Buckley died in 1997, but ‘I Know It’s Over’ was released in March with You and I, a compilation album featuring previously unreleased demos and covers. The video follows a little boy who’s unable to sleep, and his mother who repeatedly tries to get him back into bed. This becomes very poignant accompanied Buckley’s beautiful delivery of The Smiths’ lyrics, repeating the cry of “oh mother”. As well as being a gorgeous video, it contains several references to Buckley hidden in the background, making it all the more special.

David Bowie lying in a hospital bed singing “look up here, I’m in heaven” is a very unsettling way to begin a video released three days before his death. It only gets more disconcerting to watch his body contort in the bed with the knowledge that it was during the week of filming that Bowie was told that his cancer was terminal. Verses about his youth and fame are acted out by the grey-haired Bowie dressed in an outfit he modelled in 1976. He dances, furiously writes songs and, after Bowie sings the words “I’ll be free”, he finally retreats into a wardrobe in the room. Intelligent, emotive, and brilliantly weird, it’s a very fitting goodbye.

I couldn’t write about music videos in 2016 without mentioning Lemonade. “Formation” concludes Lemonade, and what a conclusion it is. It’s the biggest, most elaborate performance on this “visual” album, epitomising it and alluding to its issues. Racism is explored through references to police brutality, as the video starts with her crouching on top of a police car, and the references to her family that she shared are reflected by featuring her daughter in several shots. However, this is all eclipsed by Beyoncé at her b e s t – flawless singing complemented by incredible dancing, and I defy you to find anything more iconic than her declaration of “I got hot sauce in my bag (swag)”.

The Sound of 16/17 2017

George Stamp gives the low-down on everything to look forward to in music this year

AST year was one of the most dynamic for music in recent memory. The year marked the passing of some true legends from David Bowie to George Michael. Simultaneously, the most prolific and relevant artists on the planet were releasing some of their greatest works. From megastars Beyoncé, David Bowie and Frank Ocean to underground heroes Aesop Rock, Death Grips and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, 2016 provided musical gifts-fromGod from every corner of the industry. How, then, can 2017 possibly compete with that? At the start of 2016, many of the albums that were released hadn’t even been announced, and yet I’m gripping the seat of my chair at the prospect of some of the albums on the way very soon. It goes without saying that the imminent Gorillaz album coming our way at some point in the near future is keeping me awake at night. Talk about an enigmatic release campaign. Sporadic Instagram and twitter posts about “The Book of 2D”, a “Noodle”managed playlist released featuring “kick-ass women” such as Grimes and Kali Uchis and the occasional cryptic interview are enough to cause even the most casual Gorillaz fan to start

frantically theorising about when and how the new album will drop. Another unconventional announcement we recently celebrated was the new Mac DeMarco album, confirmed through an amusing champagne-soaked Instagram post. After the endless joys of Another One, this is going to be a highlight. In the spirit of kick-ass women, we mustn’t neglect the alleged upcoming Alice Glass solo project. After the release of the electro-punk angst-fest ‘Stillbirth’, my appetite for post-Crystal Castles material was thoroughly whetted. Even though my hopes were dashed by the shambolic Amnesty (I) under the new CC lineup, there is still a chance that Alice Glass’ solo work will hold up against the gruel that Ethan Kath and Edith Frances are currently serving. On a more optimistic note, let’s talk about the new HAIM album. It was a risky move for HAIM to cancel their European tour dates last summer to finish their new album. Despite this, considering the length of time at which it took them to release their fantastic debut Days Are Gone, it suggests that patience really does pay off with HAIM. It’s not unreasonable to expect their sophomore release to be nothing less that

superb. Despite the departure of their musical polymath Rostam Batmanglij, Vampire Weekend are expected to release a follow up to their beautiful 2013 release Modern Vampires of the City. Furthermore, St Vincent has debuted a new song live (interestingly, while dressed as a toilet onstage) and has announced plans to release her new music this year. In an interview with Guitar World, she claims, “I think it’ll be the deepest, boldest work I’ve ever done” – a thrilling statement considering the quality and impact of her previous self-titled record. A pattern is emerging here; 2017 might just be the year that the follow up albums we’ve craved for so long from our favourite artists finally reach our ears. It’s been a long time since many of the acts mentioned released a project and fans have been dying for more ever since. But well-established acts such as these can’t steal the limelight. The BBC Sound of 2017 longlist is a great starting point for shining light on acts that might just have their breakthrough this year. Declan McKenna, Rag N’ Bone Man and Nadia Rose are just a handful of upcoming acts that might just hit it big this year, and

with future projects from these growing acts on the horizon, we’re likely to hit a slew of debut EPs, LPs and mixtapes that catapult these small names into the stratosphere. So far, 2017 festival season is looking good. A little mixed at times, but mostly pretty great. Although the Reading + Leeds line-up so far is a little hit or miss (Danny Brown, Major Lazer and At the Drive In are the main highlights), Glastonbury looks set to be killer. With only Radiohead announced so far, it’s hard to call who else might make the cut, but considering that London’s Lovebox festival snagged Frank Ocean as their first headliner and Field Day is proudly sporting an eclectic line-up that includes Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Death Grips and Slowdive, how can Glastonbury be anything other than fantastic? We shouldn’t write off 2017 as an afterthought of the successes of 2016. Even after the onslaught of huge albums in 2016, there’s still a myriad of great artists left to contribute this year. With a diverse set of up-and-coming prodigies, follow-up records and festival bookings, 2017 looks set to be just as much of a musical smorgasbord as its predecessor.

EXHIBIT

EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne

MUSIC

18 JAN 2017

TV talent(less) shows N a stroke of terrible luck for those praying that everything awful would be left in 2016, the first Saturday night of the new year saw the BBC’s Let It Shine pitted against The Voice. On television. For entertainment. Viewers were offered perhaps the toughest choice of the year so far: Gary Barlow’s latest televised vanity project and the anonymity-focused “singing contest” which keeps its contestants anonymous from the judges alone, and even that lasts all of ten seconds to two minutes. (Someone at ITV actually paid fifty million to swipe the contractual right to pay will.i.am to sit on a souped-up swivel chair from the Beeb. At least they’re making some good decisions about which programmes to let go.) Either way, you’d be increasing the capital of the billionaire panellists as they pretend to genuinely care about the next generation of talent. The nature of these shows is personified by those very billionaires, bathing in their uncomfortably prolonged limelight: they are jaded, outdated, and - quite frankly - badly dressed. Between close up shots of Simon Cowell’s chest hair and the employment of embarrassingly caricatured personas - Louis Walsh’s famous Irish idiot, Alesha Dixon’s sassy sexpot, David Walliams’ camp pervert - the talent TV genre reveals itself to be at best lazily produced, and at worst a mockery of performance artists who struggle enough as it is to be taken seriously. I’m not sure if Peter Dickson’s godawful voiceover accompanied by that jingle on The X Factor is worse than

the “battles” The Voice broadcasts from a tacky studio mimicking a boxing arena, but there is no getting away from the fact that both are nauseatingly destructive to any genuine musical skill in the performances they frame.

THESE SHOWS ARE NOT REALLY LOOKING FOR THE NEXT TOP ARTIST Now I’m not going to claim to know much at all about music. My understanding of the form is more or less limited to Preparatory Test level recorder. Although my examiner said I had lovely range, my mother has always been more honest and so the sparkly pink plastic instrument didn’t take me to Grade 1. But even I can tell you that One Direction is no Queen. Although I’ve been plonked in front of almost every series of X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent since time begun by my television-adoring father, I can count on my fingers the number of times I thought the performer on screen could’ve passed my Preparatory Test. I love the emotional tenor of Leona Lewis’ voice - although her original songs tend to have totally dross lyrics - Susan Boyle’s rendition of “Daydream Believer” is one of the most soothing things I have ever listened to, and an X Factor contestant named Sophie Habibis once performed Cher’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” so bloody brilliantly on a live show that I purchased the recording on

iTunes despite an innate hatred of audience interference on soundtracks. But let’s be honest - these shows are not really looking for the next top artist. In fact, you almost get the impression that the emergence of real talent in the televised auditions process is a hindrance to their true project; creating celebrities. They’re looking for Big Brother fodder; benignly charismatic individuals who can hold a tune - or not, it doesn’t really matter so long as their face is memorable - and would be willing to be filmed eating dung beetles for money in the future. It’s about endorsing celebrity culture and sustaining the reality TV industry, rather than encouraging real talent and fuelling the music industry. What other plausible explanation can there possibly be for Jedward: the biggest insult of the century to brilliant, struggling artists unwilling to sell their soul to Syco? Music snobbery has little place in a cultural field as diverse as the form is today. Technique is obviously still important to those who know what they’re listening to, but music is an industry which needs to cater to the masses in the modern world. All that matters to laymen like myself is whether a song is enjoyable or not. But being averse to any kind of show that allows individuals like Honey G to become genuine competitors in the field isn’t taking things too seriously. Televised talent shows go beyond satire in their cheapening of art. I don’t like them. And - sorry, Simon - I most certainly don’t love them.

Talent Show MIXTAPE Jeremy Brown ‘X (Factor) Gon’ Give It To Ya’ - DMX Chris Filsell ‘Uber Capitalist Death Trade’ - Cabbage Helen Payne ’That’s My Goal’ - Shane Ward Theo Stone ‘Witch Hunt’ - Rush Jabez Sherrington ‘Battle Without Honor or Humanity’ - Tamoyasu Hotei With Gary Barlow’s new television show Let It Shine battling ITV’s The Voice for peak Saturday night viewing, our playlist is here to help you through.

Ben Londesbrough ‘Fame (I’m Not Gonna Live Forever)’ - Irene Cara Rory Marcham ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ - Simple Minds Helen Payne ‘This Suffering’ - Billy Talent Matthew Newman ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ - The Smiths

MINI QUIZ

1. Can you name a single winner of The Voice? 2. How many times has Louis Walsh disappeared, then reappeared, on X Factor? 3. What is 2007 X Factor winner Leon Jackson doing now?

Answers: 1. No? thought not. 2. 1 billion. 3. Who’s Leon Jackson?

Emma Bessent, Arts + Lit Editor, defends her loathing of television shows discovering ‘talent’

EXHIBIT

MUSIC

EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne

Run out of ideas?

18 JAN 2017

Alex Brammer reviews the hip-hop duo’s surpise Christmas release, but does it stand up to their previous work? RUN THE JEWELS Run the Jewels 3 24 December

AAbB

N screenwriting’s three act structure, the second is the darkest. It’s the moment when everything goes wrong, when all seems lost, and there’s no way that the characters can snatch victory. Of course, the good guys end up winning anyway, since people’d feel cheated if Luke Skywalker just upped and died an hour into Star Wars. There’s a part of me which is pretty sure that Run The Jewels 3 was originally intended to be the moment of victory after the darkness of Run The Jewels 2, a celebration of El-P and Killer Mike’s late-career resurgence. But then, the US election. Somehow I think the script got flipped a bit. Instead of the more upbeat album we might have got from the two ageing rappers, as they moved towards winding down their careers in glory, we instead hear the kind of animated rage and disgust you’d expect from a pair half their age. El-P’s production plays it less safe than on Run The Jewels 2, with hard-edged glitches on “Stay Gold” and the masterwork that is the Kamasi Washington feature on “Thursday In The Danger Room”. Time was that RTJ had a kind of chalk-and-cheese appeal in their

appeal has disappeared with his efforts to play bars – El-P would bring the obscure references comedian. and nerdy rhyme schemes like a hyped-up MF That’s an excusable fault, though – everyDOOM, while Killer Mike would come in with reone wants to be liked, and El-P’s verses are still ally direct, uncomplicated verses which opened far from being bad by any stretch of the imwith stuff like “the beat break and your teeth break.” The same thing’s happening here, but agination. They are a symptom, though, of a far to a lesser extent – Mike’s technical skills have worse problem; the desire to replicate old gloalways been impressive, but it feels like he’s getries. Run The Jewels 3 doesn’t really offer much ting to flex them to their fullest capacity for the in the way of meaningful evolufirst time since 2012’s R.A.P. Music. tion or iteration on the Run El-P might have been the oddball star The Jewels sound. Sure, on earlier records, but RTJ3 is Mike’s album there are a couple flashes through and through – El’s been reduced of something new to lazy internet-bait bars like “Notice me – the more upsenpai” and “I got a fragrance I’m beat ‘Down’ wearing called “I’ll s*** on – but the you basics.” These mov a s t ments are few and far majorbetween but they ity of stick out to me songs – El-P seems on this album to have been could easily have intoxicated been bonus tracks on by the recepRun The Jewels 2. 2. tion of his What this ultimatemore directly ly means for RTJ3 is funny bars on previous that the record works Run The Jewels projects, in the exact opposite and desperately wants to way that the previous replicate their success. It’s two did – where Run Credit: Black Tea Photography. a pity, really – a lot of his The Jewels and Run The

Jewels 2 tended to grow on the listener over time, luring you in with an “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” or a “Get It” before reeling you into loving every track over time, Run the Jewels 3 just doesn’t. That doesn’t mean it isn’t an impressive listen, though. It really is. Once. After that, niggling little feelings about Run The Jewels’ lack of artistic growth tend to nestle into the back of your mind and before long you’re checking how long it’s going to take for the album to finally end. I really do believe that Run The Jewels are a fantastic duo with oodles of talent between them, but you can only do the whole “this is our angry record” thing so many times before it starts to grate. Run The Jewels 3, then, makes a sagging third act from a duo who are capable of so much more. It’s fantastic fun in parts, but it’s not the vital political statement you’d have expected from a post-Ferguson, post-Trump Run the Jewels. I really do hope that Run The Jewels start to show some more artistic growth soon, otherwise we might have to tag them onto the bottom of the list of Things Trump Ruined.

RUN THE JEWELS 3 IS OUT NOW ON RUN THE JEWELS, INC.

You Me in 2017

Sakshi Raizada ponders whether the pop-rockers still have a place in modern music YOU ME AT SIX Night People 6 January

AAAAba

F you, like me, had a scene-kid phase at one point during puberty in which you’d first discovered the world of pop-punk/alternative rock bands (Paramore, Fall Out Boy, All Time Low and Panic! At the Disco all came under this category, so you’ll know who you are), you’ll feel the same sense of nostalgia at the resurgence of You Me At Six with their fifth album Night People, released this January. However, if you also, like me, grew out of the phase and didn’t exactly keep tabs on their every endeavour since the era of ‘Underdog’, ‘The Consequence’ or even ‘Loverboy’, you might be sceptical towards what they could possibly offer in 2017 – after all, in terms of previous exhibitions

of their musical capacity, much of their last album Cavalier Youth couldn’t be said to uphold the remarkable standards we first loved. However, regardless of whether you’re a nostalgic soul or want to bury your emo-phase guilty pleasures somewhere inaccessible, trust me: you’ll want to be caught up with this one. Partially keeping sight of their pop-rock roots, this album presents their fans with a lens with which to view the slightly darker, yet more mature route they’ve decided to take whilst they were under the radar. Formed in Weybridge, Surrey – say hello to your past neighbours who made it big, 80% of the Exeter student population – the group released a first EP in 2006, then their debut album Take Off Your Colours in 2008, won “Best British Band” at the Kerrang! Awards in 2011, and showed no signs of stopping. That is, until they’d established themselves as a wellpolished, popular five-piece capable of branching out their sound to sophisticatedly

reflect their own evolution as artists. With a touch of a Royal Blood vibe mixed with new self-assurance, the flamboyant entrance of title track ‘Night People’ will certainly surprise fans with its rock’n’roll guitar riffs and bluesy tones, instantly cementing itself as a future crowd-pleaser, along with equally electrifying tracks ‘Plus One’ and ‘Swear’, setting hopes for some incredible crowd-pleasing future performances. Structurally, their tracks haven’t changed too much – often containing simple and repetitive choruses, yet still irresistibly addictive. Nonetheless, lyrically the tracks seem to display more maturity and self-reflection than before, seen in ‘Brand New’ (‘If your past calls, don’t pick it up/It’s got nothing new to say’), as well emphasising the darker, grittier tones of the album in ‘Spell It Out’ (‘Should I spell it out for you?/No one here is bulletproof’); frontman Josh Franceschi’s refreshing vocals take a more haunting turn in this track, paired with the transition of softer strums into an intense guitar riff and drumbeat. In contrast, ‘Take On The World’ matches the poignancy of Sinners Never Sleep’s ‘Crash’; a raw and innocent love ballad, softening the album’s pace. ‘Can’t Hold Back’ and ‘Brand New’ arguably take a seat back as the more forgettable tunes of the album, but can still be commended for certain aspects, such as pulsing build-ups in the bridge and confi-

dent vocals. With the emotional rock ballad and fan-favourite ‘Give’ finishing off the album smoothly, it’s then easy to imagine a stadium of entranced fans singing along to the fresh new crop of catchy choruses, alongside the classic old tunes that directed our attention to You Me At Six in the first place. A tell-tale sign of musical progress here, however, is the way in which the tracks from Night People are effortlessly distinguishable from that of previous albums. They’ve matured - both musically and mentally – and it definitely shows. With a mostly well-refined melange of crowd-pleasing rock tunes, emotive ballads, and an experimental mix of genres to create an overall heavier tone, there’s no doubt that You Me At Six have concocted an exciting album that will surprise, if not captivate old fans, and make an impression on a wave of new listeners. It’s a You Me At Six showing that they’re back, they’ve got some slick new tricks, and they’re here to stay.

NIGHT PEOPLE IS OUT NOW ON INFECTIOUS MUSIC

screen Carrie Fisher, 1956-2016 George Pope pays tribute to the outspoken actress, writer, and cultural icon

“W

HILE the place I’ve arrived at isn’t exactly everyone’s idea of heavenly, I could swear sometimes, if I’m quiet enough, I can hear the angels sing. Either that or I fucked up my medication”. Taken from her one woman show Wishful Drinking, this perfectly sums up the late, great Carrie Fisher and her attitudes towards addiction, mental health, and life in general. Always unashamed to admit it, she struggled for years with bipolar disorder and substance abuse. Her self-deprecating and consistently funny demeanour about these issues made her a leading figure in the fight against the stigma surrounding mental health; a star who put her status as such to good use. On 27 December 2016, Carrie Fisher sadly passed away. Hollywood, and indeed all of us, have lost a great talent. Carrie may be remembered by most for her performance as Princess Leia, but her career extended far beyond this character and the silver screen itself.

CARRIE’S CAREER EXTENDED FAR BEYOND THE SILVER SCREEN It is impossible to pay tribute to Carrie Fisher without addressing the elephant in the room. Despite appearing in Shampoo two years earlier opposite Warren Beatty, her launch to stardom was due to her appearance in George Lucas’ space opera Star Wars, in 1977, at the age of only 19. Her powerful performance captured the attention of millions, and her iconic look only made her all the more memorable. The famous side-buns hairstyle, now instantly recognised and much replicated, did nothing but “widen her already wide face”, according to her. She exposed the insidious sexism in Hollywood by revealing that she was asked to lose 10 pounds before shooting the film, an obligation which was echoed before she reprised the role in 2015’s The Force Awakens. “They didn’t hire me, they hired me minus 35 pounds”, she was quoted in an interview prior to the film’s release. Star Wars aside, I will always remember her short but ever memorable appearances

18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

in such films as The Blues Brothers, playing Jake’s bazooka-wielding spurned ex-lover, or as Sally’s straight-talking best friend Marie in When Harry Met Sally. She also notably guest starred in an episode of Tina Fey’s sitcom 30 Rock as the foul-mouthed Rosemary. Her numerous cameo appearances were littered with self-aware references to her Star Wars character, and however brief they were, she was always a joy to watch.

SHE EXPOSED THE INSIDIOUS SEXISM IN HOLLYWOOD Carrie Fisher was a princess in more ways than one. While her best known role was as Leia in the Star Wars films, she was also Hollywood royalty, being the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and Singing in the Rain actress Debbie Reynolds, who sadly passed away only a day after her daughter. Her childhood in the limelight and her tempestuous relationship with her mother were subjects that she wrote about at length in her various published works; the most famous of these, Postcards From the Edge, loosely based on the mother/daughter relationship and her own struggle with addiction, was adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. She was also famously married to Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel fame, stating (humorously) her distaste for the lyrics of his song Allergies, written about her: “But my heart is allergic to the women I love / and it’s changing the shape of my face”. It is a shame that only when famous faces sadly die do we truly appreciate the impact that they had on us, both personally and as a society. If the deaths of Jo Cox, George Michael, and so many others tell us anything, it is that good is being done whether we see it or not. Carrie Fisher was always Princess Leia, but now she will be remembered for so much more. She said what she meant, she didn’t mince her words, and she was totally unashamed and unabashed. As well being an absolute joy to watch and listen to, both in character and out of it, hers was a voice that carried when it came to the important matters that she spoke about so freely. We lost in Carrie Fisher a talented actress, an engaged spokesperson, and a true icon.

EXHIBIT

EDITORS: Mark Allison and Zak Mahinfar

SCREEN

18 JAN 2017

Apocalypse Now Graham Moore lists his favourite post-apocalyptic worlds from film and TV

Mad Max: Fury Road

Waterworld

MPROVING on everything that was wrong with the original Mad Max films (ie. Mel Gibson), Fury Road imagines a world in which a lack of amenities has led to societal collapse. Wars have long been fought over resources, but recent conflicts for dwindling oil supplies indicate that a global calamity may just be on the cards. I’m not fully convinced that starting a post-apocalyptic biker gang would be the best solution, but then maybe I’m just not mad enough yet.

H, Waterworld. I have a strange love for this film – partly because it was so universally condemned (in fairness, Kevin Costner was too busy nearly dying on set to pay attention to silly things like budgets), but also because the concept is fascinating. After the ice caps have melted, rising sea levels leave the world covered in water – and with climate change now reaching irreversible levels, maybe Waterworld wasn’t too far off the mark. I, for one, will be investing in a jet-ski.

The Road

ASED on Cormac McCarthy’s incredible novel, The Road is the harrowing tale of a man and his son struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Although there is no explicit explanation for the widespread devastation in either the novel or the film, a strong argument could be made for a nuclear holocaust. The Road stands out in the post-apocalyptic genre for its haunting realism, focusing on a simple human story of survival and the psychology of hopelessness.

Firefly

HANKFULLY, there is a solution. When the end comes, we do as they did in Firefly, and leave “Earth That Was” in search of a new home among the stars. Although we never find out what happened to Earth (and we probably never will – thanks very much, Fox), I like to dream that by the time the apocalypse comes, humanity will live on. Will we learn from our mistakes? Probably not. But on the plus side, no two words have ever sounded so exciting as “Space Western”.

Is the Academy anti-hero?

Jonathon Chern weighs up the odds of the smash-hit Deadpool recieving a nod at the Oscars

HEN Deadpool came out, it received near-universal praise. Critics were satisfied and fans loved it, and this was reflected in the enormous sums of money it accrued at the box office. Deadpool was a fresh experience, a perfectly postmodern subversion of the comic book genre. This has led many to ponder how well the film will fare with the Oscars. Well, it’s not likely that Deadpool will garner much recognition from the Academy, who are infamously flawed in their selection process. Oscars are voted on by thousands of people who work within the film industry, which leads to a number of problems. The first is that these people are unlikely to see every film which comes out in a year. This means that independent films, foreign films, and poorly distributed films start with an unfair bias against them. But since Deadpool was a big blockbuster, this may work to its advantage. But that’s not enough, unfortunately. The Academy tends to honour more recently released films since they are fresh in judges’ minds. Look at the Best Picture nomination lists from the past few years, and then compare with the release dates of those movies - you’ll notice a trend that most of these films were released towards the end of the

Deadpool does, however, have a small chance of being nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, following its nomination in the Writers’ Guild Awards. But it won’t win. And it won’t be nominated for anything else. A nomination for Deadpool in the writing category would be a token gesture, intended to appease us fans who lobbied its merit.

calendar year. Studios have caught onto this and will invariably release their awards hopefuls at the end of the year (November/December time). Deadpool was released in February. That is Oscar-suicide.

DEADPOOL IS PRETTY FAR FROM A SERIOUS DRAMA Then we get onto the topic of “Oscar bait”. The Oscars tend to pick the same sort of film when handing out awards. True stories such as historical epics and biopics gen-

erally fare the best. Even if your film is a masterwork, if it isn’t a serious drama then the chances it will be nominated are near zero. In case you didn’t see it, Deadpool is pretty far from a serious drama. There are, however, exceptions to the Oscar bait rule. Think of how well The Lord of the Rings trilogy did, or Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which garnered a posthumous Best Supporting Actor statuette for Heath Ledger. But therein lies the problem: Lord of the Rings and The Dark Knight, despite belonging to fantasy and comic book franchises respectively, were still serious, highbrow dramas. Unfortunately, the Academy has repeatedly failed to realise that a great film doesn’t have to be highbrow.

A NOMINATION FOR DEADPOOL WOULD BE A TOKEN GESTURE Any good news? Well, the Oscars may be forced to change. Over the past decade the Academy has made huge adjustments to its membership and its nomination process, in response to high-profile criticism. And with fewer film-goers taking the awards seriously and some celebrities even boycotting the ceremony, the Academy may have to adapt to stay relevant. It will be too late for Deadpool, but future films of the same genre and tone may, one day, gain the recognition they deserve. The Oscar nominations will be announced on 24 January, and the ceremony will take place the following month.

EXHIBIT

SCREEN

EDITORS: Mark Allison and Zak Mahinfar

18 JAN 2017

Silence is golden Mark Allison, Screen Editor, reviews the latest film from director Martin Scorsese SILENCE Director: Martin Scorsese Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver 2016, 161 minutes.

THREARSAAAA

ILENCE begins with a relatively simple premise. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Japanese government has outlawed Christianity and instigated a purge of all Christian influence. News reaches Europe that an experienced Jesuit priest, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), has been subjected to torture and forced to apostatise. Fearing for their mentor’s soul, two Portuguese priests, Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Garrpe (Adam Driver), risk their lives and make the journey to Japan, determined to discover the truth. What follows is a dark and thoughtful tale of religious persecution and personal determination. It’s a film to be endured more than enjoyed, an immersive assault on the senses that reaches to the most innate of human longings; the desire to amount to something greater than oneself. Silence is unflinching in its brutality and bold in its ideas – and it’s unmissable.

SILENCE IS UNFLINCHING IN BRUTALITY AND BOLD IN IDEAS It should come as little surprise that Martin Scorsese had hoped to join the priesthood before he found his true calling as a film maker. Themes of religious devotion and doubt run throughout the director’s expansive body of work, from his featurelength debut, Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967), to his Oscar winning crime caper, The Departed (2006). While most of these films relegated religion to their subtext, Scorsese’s controversial biopics The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Kundun (1997) were audacious in addressing the complexities and contradictions of spiritual belief. In much the same vein, Silence arrives as a methodical meditation on what it means to hold faith, and how it can possibly be reconciled with the reality of human suffering. Andrew Garfield takes centre-stage with a convincing performance as Father Rodrigues, a complex role on which much of the film hinges. Rodrigues is a character who appears outwardly impenetrable, defined by his fanatical devotion to God’s word, but his internal monologues give an insight into a fractured mind, full of doubts and desires. Likewise, Garfield instils the character with a

IT PROVIDES AN IDEALISED GLIMPSE INTO WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN growing vulnerability as the events unfold, making for a sympathetic protagonist despite his questionable philosophy. From the Japanese cast, Issei Ogata regularly steals the show as a fearsome local inquisitor, providing an effectively sinister riposte to the Christian devotion of the Jesuits and their followers. Visually, Silence owes a clear debt to the work of Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa, bringing to mind the colourful vistas of Ran (1985) and the rain soaked bogs of Seven Samurai (1954). To this end, cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto has delivered a beautiful and visceral depiction of seventeenth century Japan. Sitting in the audience, it’s as if one can feel the mud soaking into their pores and the heat beating down upon them. Meanwhile, Scorsese has largely dispensed of his usually stylised directorial technique, opting for a flatter approach that emphasises the story and characters over visual indulgences. Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing is similarly restrained, and the result is a film that fully immerses the viewer into its world, refusing to let go until the final moments. It’s exhausting, but the story has enough weight to feel worthy of such a treatment. Scorsese makes little effort to examine the wider, historical implications of his subject matter – the root causes of the persecution, for example, are only briefly al-

luded to. Instead, Silence uses its setting to deal with broad themes of faith, redemption, atonement, and forgiveness. It posits questions on the endurance of the human spirit and how far one will go for what they believe in. These struggles are represented through the personal trials of Garfield’s Rodrigues, culminating in a harrowing final act which treads similar ground to Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), or even George Orwell’s 1984. As the protagonist tries to cling desperately to his own idea of the truth, his world view is both brutally and casually eroded before him.

A BEAUTIFUL AND VISCERAL DEPICTION OF 17TH CENTURY JAPAN The result of a decades-long labour of love, Silence feels like Scorsese’s final word on a subject he holds dear. Indeed, for all its pontificating, the film acts as a conversation rather than a sermon; one is invited to ponder and explore its mysteries, while definite answers are rarely suggested. It’s easy just to marvel at its beauty, but Silence should be digested and discussed. At times it might feel like hard work, but this is cinema at its most rewarding; a meaty treat of

a film, both technically and philosophically. It may fall short of vintage Scorsese, but in the commodified atmosphere of today’s movie industry, it’s a relief to see the director dedicate himself to a project so personal and affecting. With a career stretching back half a century, he remains one of the screen’s greatest craftsmen.

Want more Scorsese? Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mob classic, Goodfellas, is recieving a UK-wide cinema re-release on 20th January. It’s being screened in a pristine, 4K tansfer, personally approved by Scorsese himself. To coincide with the release of Silence, the British Film Institue (BFI) is also running a Scorsese season at their flagship venue, the BFI Southbank in London. They’re showing a selection of the director’s best films throughout January and February, including Taxi Driver (1976), The King of Comedy (1983), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), The Departed (2007), Shutter Island (2010), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). For tickets and showtimes, head to www.whatson. bfi.org.uk.

Our new collection of pizzas, sides & desserts. Handmade with fresh dough stretched to a thin crust topped with finest Ingredients.

LARGE ITALIANO PIZZA, ITALIANO GARLIC PIZZA BREAD OR ITALIANO DOUGH BALLS,

& 2 ITALIANO DESSERTS

Â£24.99

ORDER NOW AT DOMINOS.CO.UK Premium crusts, bases and extra toppings charged as extra. Not valid with any other offer. Deal can be withdrawn at any time without notice

games + tech Cowboys and aliens

Sam Woolf, Games + Tech Editor gives a glimpse of what gamers can expect from 2017

RIGINALLY known as codename ‘NX’, the upcoming Switch is the seventh in a long line of Nintendo home consoles, going all the way back to 1985 with the Nintendo Entertainment System. Things are a bit different this time round though, for the Switch won’t just be a home console, but a hybrid system of sorts. In fact the Switch’s main identity comes from the fact that it is both a portable and traditional home console. You can hook it up to your big fancy display at home, sit back on the couch, and relax for a few hours with Mario and the gang, and then, when the time comes for you to go out, you can take it with you. Console gaming as a concept has gone fundamentally unchanged since its inception. Gamers play games at home. There have been variations of this formula: online multiplayer, motion controls, and more recently with virtual reality, but the core concept has remained for nearly four decades. The Switch, then, will be a breath of fresh air for the industry. Or at least it appears to be… let’s just hope that we don’t have another Wii U situation.

iHE urge to leave our galaxy and explore the greater cosmos. That is the driving force behind Mass Effect Andromeda, and thankfully it appears to be doing the whole space exploration thing a hell of a lot better than last years No Man’s Sky. Andromeda will feature the familiar third-person perspective, as well as the recycled branching conversations for which the series is so well known, but there’s a lot of new stuff to look forward to as well. Between character customisation, revised combat, and an entirely revamped experience system that prioritises the player’s choices, Andromeda is a new breed of Mass Effect game. At the heart of it all however remains the urge to travel through space. So, with your interstellar spaceship, The Tempest, Andromeda sets you free to explore the vast reaches of the Andromeda galaxy; visiting planets, witnessing cosmic phenomenon, and of course encountering all kinds of alien life. And that’s just the single player. The game will also feature multiplayer in the form of a four player co-operative mode that is an expanded iteration of Mass Effect 3’s horde mode. Certainly, it would seem that Bioware are set to release a game that is out of this world.

Image: BagoGames, Flickr

BYTE-SIZE blast from the past by Sam Woolf

ASSASSIN'S CREED Ubisoft Montreal PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC 2007

ACK in 2010, Rockstar Games struck gold in the Old West with the critically beloved Red Dead Redemption. Now, in 2017, gamers will once again be invited to travel to the forgotten land of cowboys and bandits in Red Dead Redemption 2. The first trailer for the game didn’t reveal much beyond some breathtaking mood shots of the American wilderness, but thanks to subsequent press materials, there a few things we can speculate about. Based on the box art, and expanding upon Grand Theft Auto V’s three playable characters, it’s been suggested that the game will star seven separate characters, each with their own narrative. Be it horseriding, bandit shooting, or varmint hunting, these narratives will then form the basis for the game’s intersecting and connected plot. Given the trailer’s focus on landscapes, and the fact that Rockstar have described the game as ‘an epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland’, it’s also pretty safe to assume that the game will place a great emphasis on exploring its massive open world. A world that I eagerly anticipate getting lost in come autumn.

Image: BagoGames, Flickr

HE most powerful console ever! Those sure are fighting words. Yet that’s exactly what Microsoft proclaimed the next version of the Xbox One to be upon its announcement at E3 2016. The Xbox One Scorpio – as it is currently known – will boast 6 teraflops of power, 320 Gigabytes of memory bandwidth, and 8 CPU cores in total. In layman’s terms that a whole lot of power under the hood. The PlayStation 4 Pro – which launched worldwide in November of 2016 - comparatively houses 4.12 teraflops of power, so it would certainly seem that the Scorpio is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in terms of raw strength. The Scorpio will also make all existing Xbox One games look and perform better, and will place an emphasis on the importance of new and upcoming technologies such as 4K, HDR, and virtual reality. Not much else is known of the Scorpio outside of its broad holiday 2017 release window, but it’s expect that Microsoft will talk more about their plans for the console this year. So that in of itself is another thing that gamers have to look forward to in 2017.

Image: Pexels

Assassin's Creed sees a kidnapped bartender, Desmond Miles, forced to relive the memories of his long dead ancestor, Altair the Assassin, through a device known as the Animus. Ultimately, the game doesn’t hold up. Players take on the role of Altair as he is tasked with assassinating nine key individuals who are either loyal or useful to the totalitarian Templars. Herein lies the biggest problem with the game, there is no variation. You assassinate one target by infiltrating a city, interrogating civilians as to the location of your target, and then actually doing the deed. The first few times this process of combined stealth and combat is exciting, but the game quickly loses any sense of wonder when you realise that’s all you're doing. The game’s rinse and repeat approach could have been forgiven if it shook things up once in a while, but such is not the case. What’s more, Assassin's Creed is not a pretty game, even by 2007 standards. Blurry faces, greyscale colours, and repetitive settings define the sixteen hour experience. Assassin’s Creed would later go on to bigger and better things, but it is clear that the original game served to only sow the seeds of potential.

EXHIBIT

GAMES + TECH

EDITORS: Jabez Sherrington and Sam Woolf

18 JAN 2017

Swords to ploughshares Jabez Sherrington, Games + Tech Editor, gives us his top five feel-good games to start 2017 off on a high note Grim Fandango (LucasArts, 1998) - Why not start off this list with one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time? Grim Fandango is a perfect film noir take on the Aztec afterlife, strewn across a well-crafted world that you point and click your way through. Although the general story may at first seem depressing, with it taking place in the Land of the Dead and all, once you get immersed into this joy of a title you’ll experience a level of comedy, charm and pure good feeling, that is hard to come by in any medium. And now is the perfect time to play it, with a 2015 HD remaster available now on most current platforms, including mobile.

Loco Roco (SONY, 2006) - This is a weird one to include, but I feel it has to be done; not many people played Loco Roco, but not nearly as many games are made with the feeling of pure happiness that is imbued with every single aspect of Loco Roco; even flicking through the option menu makes you feel cosy. The game only really came out on PSP, but even watching run-throughs on YouTube is sure to brighten up your day, as the unique aesthetic, innovative mechanics, and upbeat soundtrack combine into something not only very special, but highly underrated.

LEGO Games (Traveller's Tales, 2005 onwards) - The LEGO games are some of my favourite modern platformers ever made - they’re a perfect mix of childhood nostalgia and destructive stress relief; two things that may seem a bit dodgy next to each other, but become a beautiful combination when portrayed through the timeless lens that is LEGO. There are loads of these games available across an equally wide array of platforms - I’d recommend Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Lego Marvel’s Avengers, or even the older PC titles such as Legoland, developed by Krisalis Software in 1999.

Guitar Hero (Activision, 2006 onwards) - I feel that Guitar Hero is loved by the people who’ve actually played it, and looked at with a bit of prejudice by those who haven’t. People jumping around with fake instruments has never been a good look, but ask anyone who’s gave the Guitar Hero games a decent go and I bet you’ll hear unanimous praise. Perfect to relax with or put on at a house party around 2am, Guitar Hero is just designed to be nothing but fun - so get down to your local charity shop, and wipe away that stress you got from looking at the person next to you in the exam, with what is essentially karaoke (but obviously way better).

Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe, 2016) - A one-man effort that continues to outsell massive dev teams, Stardew Valley came out on Steam and blew everyone away. It's now available on most modern platforms, and for good reason - it’s just so relaxing. Managing your crop rotation, herding cattle, fishing - many other games would make these pseudo simulations a bit tragic, but Stardew Valley portrays them with such grace and pastoral bliss that it might make you want to drop out, move to the country, and be at peace for the rest of days. Or the rest of your evening after a tiring day in lectures - either works...

EXHIBIT

GAMES + TECH

EDITORS: Jabez Sherrington and Sam Woolf

18 JAN 2017

Know what I mean?

twitch his cheek at the right moment to operLTHOUGH a basic skill in the sense ate all of this technology. that it is necessary to our very survival, communication is the most nuanced and elegant tool available to humanity. It shapes and enhances every aspect of our highly-collaborative modern lives with verbal and hand-written forms looked over in favour of more technologically advanced options. Communicative technology should allow It’s been a very long time since keyboards everyone to make personal advancements and reduced the volume of pens and pencils in our afford us all a vast freedom of choice. Free lanlives - well, our parents’ lives, really - but hardguage learning platform Duolingo is a brilliant ware that requires manual operation is hardly example of this concept in action; at the cutting edge of word processing any with around 120 more. Speech recognition software like Dragon NaturallySpeaking is becoming more widely available and, more importantly, used. Its practical use has been recognised by the DSA, which funds Dragon for students who struggle to operate keyboards due to chronic pain or fatigue. Every now and then, you might receive an email signed off with a disclaimer explaining that the message was composed through voice recognition software and therefore is liable to the occasional oddities of transcription programs, and this is going to start happening more regularly - people are adding new technologies to their communication arsenal all the time, a major success for enablement and accessibility movements. Modern technology has even helped to give voices back to those who have lost the ability to speak and move through paralysing accidents and diseases; Stephen Hawking’s computer-based communication system is perhaps the most famous and advanced public example of this. A brilliant combination of Intel’s open source program ACAT, SwiftKey’s word prediction algorithm and a speech synthesizer constructed by Speech Plus allows the renowned scientist to continue writing books and giving lectures, only needing to Image: Lwp Kommunikáció, Flickr

TECHNOLOGY HAS GIVEN VOICES TO THOSE WHO ARE UNABLE TO SPEAK

million registered users all over the globe, the website and app offer 66 courses spreading over 23 languages, and it isn’t difficult to see why it’s proved so popular. With bright, attractive graphics, straightforward but challenging tasks, a high quality and wide ranging photo database and a completely user-friendly interface, Duolingo boasts that it can help you learn an entirely new language entirely on your own in just ten minutes per day. Foreign languages lose their intimidating mystique when faced hand in wing with Duolingo’s peppy green owl mascot. Best of all, they become totally free to anyone with WiFi access. Of course, we can’t totally avoid the obvious and suggest that social media is a base technological advancement in communication, lacking the finesse of computer-based communication systems and the ethical compassion of free language learning platforms. Its sheer volume more than compensates for its comparative technical simplicity and profit-driven, advertisement-focussed monitoring of its users’ interests; it is every-

where, and it is totally, radically changing the way human beings communicate. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat et al thrive on the intrinsic voyeurism of the human race, dependent on our desire to see and be seen. It used to be enough that we could post the entire contents on our lives retrospectively, choosing who could and couldn’t see it and picking out our emoji and hashtag-laden captions with the delicate precision of a neurosurgeon five minutes or five days after we took that expertly filtered photo of our breakfast. Now, with Facebook’s new Live feature, that’s not enough. Our thoughts, feelings, activities, meals, location - even your toilet habits if you wish - can be shared in real time, sending out a push notification to all of our friends to watch, watch, watch. Communication becomes increasingly about the self and its experiences, guided by strengthened concepts of competitiveness and the notion of being continually observed.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS TOTALLY CHANGING THE WAY HUMANS COMMUNICATE Communication, like technology, is neither base nor elite. Its quality is determined by the social and academic education of its users, and what they then decide to make of it. When the two spheres overlap, the result can be offensively crude, but it can also encourage more cultured discussions and breed informed minds. Facebook’s search tool has a word prediction algorithm just as essential to its navigation as the same technology is to Stephen Hawking’s computer-based communication system; neither is intrinsically more culturally advanced than the other. That choice is entirely down to us. Let’s make it wisely.

CROSSWORD # 93

SUDOKU #30 Down 1 Sign (9) 2 Delete (5) 3 Item of footwear (4) 4 Respiratorial allergy (6) 5 Surround - in ledger (anagram) (8) 6 One of three children born in one birth (7) 7 Grease (3) 12 Detestable (9) 13 Mint - Wren band (anagram) (5-3) 15 Laundry (7) 17 Motor (6) 20 Broadcasting live (2,3) 21 Trick (4) 22 Vehicle (in which a 16 and other answers here may be found) (3)

19 Door, 22 Cairn, 23 Isolate, 24 Rug, 25 Wheel, 26 Rot. Chef, 11 Umbrella, 14 Tawdry, 16 Clutch, 18 Resonant, Across: 1 Ice, 3 Brake, 6 Too, 8 Draw out, 9 Grill, 10

PUZZLES BY ALFRED

Down: 1 Indicator, 2 Erase, 3 Boot, 4 Asthma, 5

STUDY BREAK

ANSWERS Engirdle, 6 Triplet, 7 Oil, 12 Abhorrent, 13 Brand-new,

Across 1 Frozen water (3) 3 Stop (5) 6 As well (3) 8 Prolong (an event, say) (4,3) 9 Interrogate ﬁercely (5) 10 Skilled cook (4) 11 Parasol - a Rihanna UK no. 1 single (8) 14 Vulgar - try wad (anagram) (6) 16 Grasp (6) 18 Sonorous - ran notes (anagram) (8) 19 Opening (to a room, say) (4) 22 Mound of (memorial) stones (5) 23 Set apart (7) 24 Thick carpet (3) 25 Rotating ﬁrework (5) 26 Decay (3)

15 Washing, 17 Engine, 20 On air, 21 Fool, 22 Car.

Emma Bessent, Arts + Lit Editor, discusses technology's impact on our ability to communicate

18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Science

SCIENCE EDITORS:

Victoria Bos Beth Honey

2017 sneak peek

Leah Crabtree reports on the research we hope to witness in 2017, from cloning to Cassini and eclipses to editing Evading Extinction

The Great American Eclipse

Gene Editing and CRISPR

Three-Person Baby Race

Saturn’s Shuttle

Unless you were a Trump-loving, musicdespising animal hater, 2016 had something to upset pretty much everyone. And as news broke that current mass extinction will be the greatest since the extinction of the dinosaurs, it was up to 2017 to make us feel a little better about the state of environmental affairs. While we won’t be seeing the return of the dodo any time soon, numerous schemes to bring endangered animals back from the brink of extinction will kick in this year. Dolly the sheep eat your heart out: cloning is about to hit the big-time.

On August 21st 2017 Americans spanning the continental United States will be turning their gaze skywards as a total solar eclipse darkens the sky for the ﬁrst time in almost a century. The Moon will cast an arching shadow from the East Coast to the West, tracing a line of totality last seen in 1918. Over the course of just one-and-ahalf hours, millions across the States will be treated to the remarkable cosmic event. Total solar eclipses occur when the moon is positioned between the Earth and the sun, appearing for a short amount of time to totally obscure the sun’s light. Although the Sun is 400 times larger than the moon, the fact that the Moon is closer to the Earth makes them appear to be the same size, and hence the overlap we see. They occur approximately every 18 months somewhere on Earth, but any area of the world (a city or town, for example) is treated to a total eclipse just once in 375 years. As such, it’s not entirely a surprise that scientists and the public alike are gearing up for what is sure to be a long-awaited spectacle.

2017 is set to herald a golden age of genetic engineering, with CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic) technology leading the charge. CRISPR is a genome editing tool that utilizes unusual RNA sequences (messenger cells) used to protect bacteria from threats such as viruses. Scientists can manipulate the sequences to form a complex with DNAchopping enzymes. The complexes seek out short DNA sequences and exclusively attack them. It is hoped that these editing techniques will be used to treat diseases with a genetic component, such as cancer.

2016 saw the birth of the world’s ﬁrst baby born with a new controversial technique using the DNA from three people to create in vitro embryos. The technique called ‘spindle nuclear transfer’ aims to prevent babies from inheriting mitochondrial diseases from their mother. Eggs with damaged mitochondria are collected and the nucleus removed. The nucleus containing genetic information is then inserted into a donor egg with healthy mitochondria. The healthy egg can then be fertilized by sperm, and the resulting embryo implanted into the mother via simple IVF. Although controversial, the birth of a healthy baby has excited scientists the world over and will fast-track research into three-parent babies. While ethical issues remain a major hurdle for practitioners, mitochondrial disease is not uncommon and so the ramiﬁcations of not implementing such technologies will be carefully weighed up against medical ethics. The journey to end mitochondrial disease will not be an easy one, but 2017 should see the start of some very interesting developments.

NASA launched the Cassini spaceship almost two decades ago, on October 15 1997. Since its insertion into Saturn’s orbit, Cassini has provided us with a huge array of exciting discoveries about the beautiful planet and its many moons. From discovering lakes on Titan to seeing new rings for the ﬁrst time, the shuttle has provided NASA with some of the most spectacular cosmic knowledge to date. The ﬁrst few months of 2017 will continue to bring a plethora of fascinating discoveries.

Genetic and stem cell technologies will be used this year to try and rescue a number of endangered species. The northern white rhino’s population in Kenya has been reduced to just three infertile individuals. A plan involving stem cell technologies and assisted reproduction has been devised to create new rhinos and help the recovery of the species. Across the ocean, the critically endangered black-footed ferret is being given a helping hand in North America by in vitro experiments designed to tackle disease resistance to plagues.

So, forget arms races or space racesthe newest and most exciting contest of the 21st century has been set. At the end of last year, a lab in Sichuan University, China, became the first to successfully inject genetically modified cells into a patient with aggressive lung cancer, fueling a biomedical duel between the US and China. With trials beginning in Philidelphia, USA, and Beijing, China, it really will be a race to see who can make this exciting technology work first.

Cassini will continue a series of 22 orbits carrying the spaceship close to Saturn’s poles, providing scientists with an unprecedented final opportunity to study Saturn’s incredible ring system. April 2017 will see Cassini move into the final phase of its mission, executing 22 daring loops passing through the gap between Saturn and its innermost rings. And then, just a month shy of reaching 20 years of space travel, Cassini will make it final plunge into the Saturn’s atmosphere, bringing to an end one of NASAs most successful missions to date.

Biweekly Breakthroughs Use the Force…

Flash, Bang, Wallop

A new species of primate, found living in the forests of South Western China, has been named the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon by its discoverers after the character Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise. Standing at approximately 32 inches tall the new species differs from other species of gibbons due to variations in colour and size of their fur tuffs. It is not yet known how many are in the wild, but scientists estimate that it is likely endangered and in need of conservation efforts.

Astronomers are predicting one of the largest events in decades will soon occur. It is thought that binary star system KIC 9832227 will merge in a red nova event in 2022. If events unfold in this manner, the brightness of the star system will likely intensify to roughly 10,000 times its current level and and be easily visible to the naked eye. According to astronomer Larry Molnar “you won’t need a telescope to tell me in 2023 whether I was wrong.”

SCIENCE

Waste not, want n t Alex Gewanter discusses the inﬂuence of growing populations on waste management and the potential solutions

ASTE is a byproduct of life, there is simply no way around it. But what was historically not a big issue is now becoming one of cataclysmic proportions due to an exponentially growing population and a change in the composition of our waste. Waste is deﬁned in law under EU Directive 2008/98/EC, Article 3(a) as “any substance or object which the holder discards or [sic] intends or is required to discard”. This only serves to complicate the issue. To highlight the exponential growth in world population and put it into context, I will attach some historic events to each of the population milestones.

Where the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra is not as prevalent, landfills are common and out of control. The population reached 1 billion in 1804, during which time the Napoleonic wars were raging and the current US president of the time, Thomas Jefferson, was merely the third ever after George Washington and John Adams. The population reached 2 billion in 1927 (123 years later): In the same year, Cardiff City beat Arsenal 1-0 to win the FA Cup, and the first transatlantic telephone call from London to New York City was completed. The population reached 3 billion in 1959 (32 years later): In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power after a revolution in Cuba and an Icelandic gunboat opened fire on British trawlers over fishing rights in what would be known as the “Cod Wars”. The population reached 4 billion in 1974 (15 years later): 1974 saw many attacks from the Provisional IRA on the English mainland and Sweden won the 19th Eurovision Song Contest with a relatively unknown group, ABBA, who shot to fame after their winning song ‘Waterloo’ spread like a wildfire. The population reached 5 billion in 1987 (13 years later): Margaret Thatcher was reelected for her third term in office and the 15th James Bond film premiered in London with Timothy Dalton starring. In addition to this, Rick Astley’s classic ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ was released. The population reached 6 billion in 1999 (12 years later): In 1999 the Euro was introduced and more than 20% of the UK population had internet access. The London Eye was lifted into place, to be ceremonially opened on 31 December.

Tony Blair was settling in to his ﬁrst term of Premiership having come to power two years previously. The population reached 7 billion in 2011 (12 years later): A tsunami hit Japan, leading to devastation across the country. Osama Bin Laden was dealt with in Pakistan and Colonel Gaddaﬁ, ruler of Libya, was killed as his hometown was overrun by rebels. The coalition government was in full swing having been elected in a year previously, and some postgraduates reading this were eager-eyed freshers. Why have I mentioned this? It is simply to illustrate the difference in eras, and how much of an impact the growth is having. It is much easier to see the differences between the era of the Napoleonic Wars and that of the Roaring Twenties than Tony Blair’s New Labour and the Conservative-Liberal Coalition eras. The growth is increasing quickly and this is naturally having a consequential increase in output of waste. What of the waste itself? Pre-industrialisation, waste was much easier to dispose of in an environmentally friendly way. A wood based newspaper, for example, decomposes in around 6 weeks. It’s estimated that a smartphone can take centuries, if not millennia, to decompose. In addition to this, harmful compounds of lead, cadmium, beryllium and mercury can leach out causing damage to the environment. The issue of ‘E-waste’ is one that is growing more pressing. This is a problem that is getting worse,

but what are the solutions? Of course we can ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, but what of waste that either cannot conform, or are dumped by owners who choose not to dispose properly? This is known as residual waste. Can we burn it? Can we bury it? Can we shoot it into space? What else can we do?

Can we burn it? Can we bury it? Can we shoot it into space? Will it burn? In developing nations this is a main method of dealing with the problem. It’s estimated that around 40% of global waste is disposed of in this way. The problem isn’t just from carbon dioxide emissions, of which 50% of the gaseous emissions are. There are some other nasty compounds in the remaining 50%. Research from Christine Wiedinmyer, an atmospheric scientist, found that as much as 29% of human emissions of small particulate matter comes from waste ﬁres. Small particulates are particularly dangerous as they penetrate deep into our lungs. In addition to this, around 10% of global mercury emissions are produced, with the effects of mercury poisoning including decreased cognitive function and organ failure. Another pollutant of note are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, noted for their carcinogenic properties in lungs and skin, as well as causing warts through

long term skin contact! Burning waste is therefore not the way forward. Can we bury it? I will admit, I thought this was an attractive solution before I realised the scale of the problem. In developing nations, where the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra is not as prevalent, landﬁlls are common and out of control. One in particular is Dandora, less than ﬁve kilometres away from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The dump is by all measures an environmental and humanitarian nightmare. Covering 53 hectares (76 football pitches), it breached international environmental law standards 15 years after opening in 1990, but has yet to be shut down with the problem still growing. The Nairobi council declared the dump full in 2001, but an estimated 2,000 tonnes of waste are still dumped each day. Inside the mountains of garbage, thousands of workers comb the ground looking for recyclable materials to sell for around £2 a day. A survey by the UN’s environmental agency in 2007 found soil samples containing fatal levels of lead in the surrounding communities. If we view burying as the solution, this problem will destroy countless more lives. Can we launch it into space? Fans of the cult classic TV show Futurama will recall the episode ‘A Big Piece of Garbage’, in which the A-Plot was that in 2052 the city of New York launched their garbage into space. Sadly this is, at present, not a feasible option. With estimates of around £17,500 of costs per kilogram launched

Wikimedia Commons

into space, it would cost the UK alone around £542.5 trillion per year to dispose of their waste in this fashion. I opted to include this because those who have made it this far in the article may be feeling downhearted. Fear not, there is a proposed way out of this nightmare: the Greenpeace Solution. In 2003 Greenpeace published a paper called ‘Cool Waste Management’. It focuses on the potential use of Mechanical Biological Treatment, or MBT, systems. It is a two step process, in which mechanical separation techniques extract valuable recyclable materials such as glass, dense plastics, aluminium and steel, then the remaining waste is digested by biological agents. They estimate that this can reduce waste sent to landﬁlls by 85%, with less hazardous waste byproducts as well. Mark Strutt, Senior Toxics Campaigner for Greenpeace noted that “MBT is not of course a magic box that eliminates the need for a ﬁnal disposal option. What it does do is greatly reduce both the quantity and toxicity of residual waste.”

We need a bigger, politically implemented solution which will hopefully be championed soon. Studies conducted also show that methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide and CFC emissions are clinically reduced. The ﬁnal disposal effects are therefore greatly reduced, mostly offsetting the damage and buying us more time to create a better solution. Waste is an unavoidable consequential byproduct of development. Lest my conservatism be misinterpreted as anarcho-primitivism, I do not seek any radical changes to society. Technology has made so many great improvements to society and the developments to come are incredible. For a further exploration of what great projects are in store, please read the pieces in the Games and Technology section. But the natural consequence of human life as we know it is waste and we need to consider the end of the life cycle for our products as well. What can you do as one person? Reducing, reusing and recycling is a very good start. For the residual waste, we need a bigger, politically implemented solution which will hopefully be championed soon. If not, our technological paradise of a society will become a hellish dystopia of waste.

Owain Evans, Sport Editor, catches up the captain of EUNC, Flora Munro

ETBALL: it's a sport that many of us take part in at university (particularly badly, in some cases), through the AU'S intramural setup. There are those out there, however, who have higher ambition than to play against the hungover masses. EUNC are one of the largest sporting clubs on campus. They have six teams in BUCS, and also enter sides into other competitions. Anybody who has ventured towards the Sports Hall on a Wednesday will be familiar with their presence.

A lot of people come to uni knowing they're going to play netball 2016 is a year much maligned among much of the population as a whole, but it bears particular relevance for EUNC. Last year was not a success story to brag about; instead, the club saw its top two sides fall though the trap door. Despite last season's struggles, there is reason to be confident for EUNC. "It's been a really positive year," Munro begins. "We've got 350 members, which I believe is our highest ever." Such a high membership is undoubtedly helped by the popularity of

the sport - "we're quite fortunate that a lot of people come to uni knowing they're going to play netball." This isn't the only allure, however, with Munro adding "I think what appeals to people is that we've also got the option to play Uni League, which is a non-BUCS environment. You can still have all the coaching and training, but it's not got the pressure, which is really appealing over other clubs." The swelling membership has led to a resurgence in the quality of play at the top. The 1s sit just outside of top spot on goal difference as they look to bounce back at the first time of asking. Perhaps more i m p o r t a n t l y, though, is the youth of the top team. "We've got a lot

of freshers this year - it's quite a new team, quite a young team. We've got Christina Shaw, who's just been selected for Wales U21 long squad. We've got a lot of talent coming in, and also a new coach, Sally, so it's quite a new, fresh team." Promotion this season would be a superb start, but it would be far from a disaster if they failed to achieve it . "With such a new team we're hoping they'll keep building in years to come." Elsewhere within the club, things are looking very stable. "The 6s in particular are doing very well, they're looking to be promoted," Munro adds. "The rest of us are comfortably in the middle. That's better than last year, because the 2s also got relegated last year."

We've got a lot of talent coming in, and also a new coach, so it's quite a new team With the start of a new term comes new challenges, and EUNC are looking to boost themselves further. "Obviously with our Spotlight Fixture, it's our biggest event of the year," Munro points out. "It's a really good way to get people to come and watch netball who wouldn't necessarily consider watch-

EUNC 1s v Cardiff Met 2s Preview

FTER a disappointing 201516 season that saw the 1s relegated from the BUCS Premier South, EUNC have bounced back superbly to mount a serious promotion challenge. To date, the 1s have lost only one match all sesason, coming up short by only four goals on an away trip to Gloucestershire. The team currently sit in 2nd place in the table with a game in hand on the leaders. Cardiff Met 2s, however, have not had quite the same luck. A poor run of form saw them lose their first five matches of the campaign and also drop out of the BUCS Trophy at the first hurdle. One of the trends of these early season losses was a consistent inability to score, and this was displayed in their thumping defeats against Bristol and Gloucestershire. Met did end 2016 on a high with a victory over Bournemouth, yet it wasn't

enough to see them move out of the bottom two and away from relegation. Overall, this should be an easy victory for Exeter. Cardiff Met have not shown themselves to be a signiﬁcant hassle for any team in contention this year, whilst the hosts have consistently proven themselves to be strong contenders against any opposition within their division. Perhaps what will be more important in this match is for Exeter to add signiﬁcantly to their goal difference, which currently lags far behind their main promotion rival.

Cardiff Met aren't having a great season, so it's a big chance for us to boost our goal difference Flora Munro, EUNC Captain

POS

BUCS Western 1A

1 Gloucestershire 1s 2 Exeter 1s 3 Bristol 1s 4 UWE 1s 5 Cardiff Met 2s 6 Bournemouth 1s

PLD

7 6 7 7 6 7

*Table correct as of 16 January

127 61 29 -9 -59 -149

PTS

18 15 12 9 3 3

Fixtures & Results 12/10 Bournemouth 1s H 48-34 19/10 Bristol 1s A 34-46 2/11 UWE 1s H 53-41 9/11 Gloucestershire 1s A 49-45 16/11 Bournemouth 1s A 29-45 23/11 LSE 1s A 35-62 *BUCS Trophy 1st Round*

30/11 Bristol 1s H 18/1 Cardiff Met 2s H 1/2 Cardiff Met 2s A 8/2 UWE 1s A 15/2 Gloucestershire 1s A

47-36 17:30 14:30 14:30 TBA

*BUCS Trophy 2nd Round*

8/3 Gloucestershire 1s H 17:30

ing it on a general Wednesday." This is only the second time that EUNC have held the event. "We started it last year. We thought, being such a big sport club, why not have our own varsity? "We really want to promote people coming to netball matches. I kind of feel like it's one of those things where we see girls going to watch the boys' rugby, or the boys' football, and we want to encourage boys coming to watch girls' sport." Anybody who pays even the slightest bit of attention to University sport would be aware of the biggest varsities - football at St James Park, rugby at Sandy Park...yet there isn't a great deal of female representation on this stage. "I don't really think it's fair, but it's a longstanding thing that'll take time to change. I feel it's not fair that we put in the same training as the boys and don't get that recognition." In Munro's mind, though, there are signs of improvement. "I do think it's getting better," she says. "The Olympics helped by giving more female role models, and it also highlighted the sexism in sport - in the gymnastics, when they say things like 'that's not a very flattening leotard'... well, you'd never say that about boys in their swimming trunks! I think it is quite a hot topic at the moment." EUNC's Spotlight Fixture may not single-handedly bring down bias

'S IN A ER PT N A R C O C

EUNC Spotlight Fixture

SPORT

towards male sport, but it certainly represents an important foray into a larger market. Over the next few years, pehaps we'll see even more female clubs push themselves into the spotlight.

I don't think it's fair, but it's a longstanding thing that'll take time to change Proceedings on 18 January begin with EUNC 2s taking on UWE 3s at 15:00 in the Western Conference Cup. It's then followed up by a crucial league clash for the 1s as they look to draw closer to the top spot. Tickets for the matches are £3, which includes a raffle ticket. Among the prizes being raffled are Netball SuperLeague and Chiefs tickets.

EUNC Spotlight Fixture Wednesday 18 January EUNC 2s v UWE 3s 15:00

EUNC 1s v Cardiff Met 2s 17:30

Main Hall, Sports Park Tickets: £3

EUNC 2s v UWE 3s Preview

ROCEEDINGS on Wednesday start with a Western Conference Cup clash between Exeter 2s and UWE 3s. The 2s' ﬁrst season back in the 2A division has been a turbulent one, as they currently sit in 4th position, yet their best performances so far have come in the Cup. An incredible 1-105 victory away from home to Bath Spa takes the crown as their top performance of the year. Their third round opponents, UWE 3s, ply their trade in the Western 5A division, and also ﬁnd themselves struggling just above their respective drop zone. Exeter are the clear favourites, but Cup matches love to throw up a few surprises along the way.

It's be great for us to make the QFs Flora Munro, EUNC Captain

26/10

EUNC 2s Cup Run Bath Spa 3s A 1-105 First Round

9/11

Plymouth 2s

H 56-22

18/1

UWE 3s

H 15:00

2nd Round

3rd Round

UWE 3s Cup Run 26/10 Southampton 4s H 35-28 First Round

9/11

Exeter 5s

H 39-33

18/1

Exeter 2s

A 15:00

2nd Round

3rd Round

Western Conference Cup Quarter Finals

Bath 4s v Swansea 1s Bath 3s v UWE 2s Bath 2s v Exeter 2s or UWE 3s Swansea 2s v Bristol 2s Ties to be played on 15 February

Sport

18 JAN 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Exeposé Sport catches up with Netball ahead of their big Spotlight Fixture

SPORT EDITORS:

Owain Evans Lara Hopkins

Page 39

The season so far...

Lara Hopkins, Sport Editor, looks at how Exeter teams have performed so this year

ITH 18 teams currently topping their respective leagues across 12 different sports, Exeter have started the 2016-17 season very strongly. The standout club has clearly been hockey, with both the men’s and women’s 1s and 2s still unbeaten in BUCS this sporting year. On this success, EUHC congratulated the impact of freshers on the 1s. “The two fresher centre backs, William Carter Keal and Sam Hooper, have slotted straight in and been solid at the back. You can’t take for granted the importance of having two quality centre backs to build a team around.

Steve MoundouMissi has joined us from Harvard University The future of Exeter hockey looks stronger than ever. Hooper also scored ﬁve goals in one game against Reading. The team are hoping to continue this ﬁne form next season, “we hope to secure

the BUCS league title and then progress to the Final of the Knockout Championship. Most notable team performance was to come back from 2 nil down away at Bath to draw which could turnout very important as winning the group means you’d get a home quarter-final and home semi-final.” For the 2s, captain Charlie Speller praises Alex Manton Jones for marshalling a defence that has conceded only six goals in eight games. Their fresher contingent has also made the impact. Speller says, “the highlight so far would be beating London Imperial away on the first round of the cup - where they pulled it back to 1-1 with 10 minutes to go and we scored straight from the restart to win the game. The aims for next year would be win all BUCS leagues games to complete a perfect season, get to the BUCS cup final and finish top three in our Saturday league” For women’s hockey, “EULHC have started the season very strongly throughout the club. The incredible year the club had last season been built on further with a huge depth of talent entering the club

in September. This is clear to see as the 1st XI have seven freshers and the 2nd XI have an all-fresher forward line, and both gone into the New Year top of their respective leagues. Across the club there is a real team spirit and everyone works hard for each other - it’s lovely to be a part of! Building on the success of this half of the season both the 1s, 2s and 3s are aiming high in the BUCS knockout competition with the 1s hoping to emulate and improve on last years BUCS silver medal and the 2s and 3s also aiming for BUCS gold.” Apart from mixed golf 1s, all other currently unbeaten teams are female; fencing 1s, table tennis 1s, water polo 1s, squash 2s, and tennis 3s. This really demonstrates the strength of women’s sport here at Exeter and campaigns such as #ThisGirlCan. A special mention also has to be given to both Rugby Union 1s teams. The women, who have reached at least the semi-final of BUCS for the last five years, and won their Twickenham final in 2013, may sit second in Premier South but did record a historic first win away

from home against West Country rivals the University of Gloucester. They look certain to reach the knockout stages once again and, hopefully, make the journey to London. Also, being one of very few universities to have 3 teams competing in BUCS, the future of EUWRFC looks very exciting.

The future of Exeter hockey looks stronger than ever The men’s 1s have been battling in the ﬁrst ever BUCS Super Rugby league, which includes the top eight teams from across the country. The reigning champions go into the new year in third position after suffering losses in tough opening ﬁxtures, two away games against rivals Loughborough and Hartpury College, whilst some key players were injured. Since then though they have been unbeaten, turning the losses around when playing at Topsham and giving themselves a chance of successfully defending the title they won at Twickenham last April.

The story of the season so far is men’s basketball 1s. Having survived a tough relegation battle last season they now sit very comfortably at the top of Western 1A Division, with 18 points to second placed Southampton’s nine. Their only loss in the first part of the season was by a mere two points away to Bournemouth 1s. On his team’s performance so far, 1s Captain Joel de Lara Bond says, “A new coach joined us last season when we finished 3rd in the south west BUCS 1A Division. We’ve improved a great deal since though as the team is more familiar with the system, allowing us to teach new players rather than all having to learn from scratch. Our fresh from last year are a lot more confident now so they have had a much greater impact upon the squad. Also, it would be hard not to mention Steve Moundou-Missi who has joined us from Harvard University. He’s having a big impact with his experience which is also helping to build team confidence. I’m sure we’ll achieve our aim for the 2nd half of the season by winning the league.” So well done to all Exeter teams and good luck in 2017.

For live scores and in-depth reports, follow us on Twitter @exeposesport