Quench 172 March 2019

ISSUE 172 | MARCH 2019

Long Live the

Podcast

Interview with a

Masterchef

Death of the

High Street

SPECIAL

TY CELF EDITION

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Editor’s Note I bloody love singing. My housemates can tell you all about my performances in the shower singing the octave below to all of Lady Gaga’s tunes (my voice doesn’t go that high in the morning, or ever…), my singing-along-with-the-wronglyrics cooking musical theatre times and my leaf-kicking sad times listening (and singing along) to Adele while walking back home.

Dylan, who’s got the front room in the house, can even hear me walking down the street and getting closer and closer due to my singing, and the worst part of all this is that it’s all true.

The point is that when I sing I feel great. My brain empties of every thought, whether bad or good. All I can feel is the music and positive vibrations that shake my body all the way down to my toes. My heart is light and free to express all its emotions without having to worry about what others may think. Singing is like a drug I cannot go without, even for a day.

I’m sure many of you have experienced something very similar with anything that is creative, expressive, anything that is art. Whether it being painting, writing, composing music, or cooking a meal, art is always in the air. From the little sprinkle of parsley on your eggs in the morning, to going to see one of those amazingly artistic productions on the West End. Our lives are constantly surrounded by creative touches here and here that make everything more enjoyable.

Quench celebrates the arts constantly with our sections and the artistic works of the creative team. However, this issue we are delighted to bring back our annual art pullout Tŷ Celf, this year edited by my dear friends Orlagh Turner and Luisa De La Concha Montes. Tŷ Celf, Welsh for “art house”, explores various art forms that are usually not covered in Quench, from artworks of different kinds to poetry and photography, embracing the concept of identity embodied in this year’s pullout.

The issue in itself is as creative as it can be. Our Features section explores many difficult, yet extremely important topics such as facing university whilst struggling with mental health problems, how Brexit will affect our student lives and the danger of STIs and STDs. Food & Drink have a glossary for Vegans that will enlarge your knowledge of terms from the world of veganism that you have probably never heard of, while Music investigates whether reaction videos can be considered a new form of journalism.

Our Quench 172 is an explosion of art and creativity and, probably, even though I have said this about all the other issues, my favourite Quench this year.

Buona lettura, Andrea! xxx P.S.

Could not end without having thanked my beautiful princesses Katie, Ashley and Orlagh for being my rocks, even in the hardest times and sitting countless hours of work during sending off nights. Thank you to Luisa, for her smile and happy attitude that brings sunshine in my life every time I meet her.

And finally thank you to Dylan and Caterina for being the best friends, gym buddies, food buddies, study buddies and every-minute-of-my-life buddies, one could ever wish for.

Contributors Matt Lewis Poppy Jennings Bethany Griffiths Anthony Stonestreet Sai Sophia Vahdati Sarah Belger Abi Dudbridge Zoe Bangs Kate Waldock Janari Suri Amelia Field Emily Stanton Lottie Ennis Kiana Stevens Anna Hughes Megan Tomos

Gwen Davies Caterina Dassie Angharad May Josh Ong Yasmin Begum Martha Hughes Abby Wilson Ellie Ball Shayna Chaplin Boadicea Dowd Molly Geddes Aris Stefanou Rowan Davies Victoria Maria Martina Merenda Zhang Mengyang-Eva Nicole Rees-Williams

Katie Walker Camille Stanley Dylan Graham Max Modell Emilia Jansson Rimante Bivainyte Jess Roberts Katie May Huxtable Victoria Bond Sallie Phillips Saoirse O’Connor John Jones Orlagh Turner Mel Lynch Alex Daud Briggs Maya El Moussaoui Ashley Sterio

Designers Ashley Boyle Katie May Huxtable Luisa & Orlagh Abi Dudbridge Steph Rowe Ula Rodakowska Alessio Grain Rowan Lees Emily Stanton Esther Loi Lottie Ennis Luisa DCM Orlagh Turner Yana Milcheva YL Lang Caterina Dassie Andrea Gaini

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Meet the team

We asked our editors what colour they would pick to paint their lives...

Editor-In-Chief Andrea Gaini Red & Gold for Gryffindor

Social Media Team Benjamin Cresswell, Molly Govus, Emily Stanton & Abi Dudbridge Amber, because beer is beautiful - Benjamin Orange - Orange VKs are definitely my soul and being - Molly Mahogany - a constant spray tan disaster - Emily Yellow, the happiest colour - Abi

Deputy Editor Katie May Huxtable Is wine a colour?

Head of Photography Luisa De La Concha Montes Deep Blue: Arcade Fire reference

Head of Design Ashley Boyle Lime green like my speed machine

Head of Illustration Izzy Wright Camo, so nobody can see me

Deputy Designers Orlagh Turner & Urszula Rodakowska Razzmatazz, sounds cooler than it is - Orlagh TIE DYE!!! - Urszula

Copy Editors Sofia Brizio, Harry Dixon, Nidhi Pattni, Angharad May and Lauren Ryan Blue like the sea, because I love swimming - Sofia Pastel pink, because it’s pretty - Harry Rainbow because I’m indecisive AF - Nidhi Sparkle: it’s definitely a colour...definitely! - Angharad Metallic - spice up my life a little - Lauren

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Columnist Matthew Lewis

Features Editors Bethany Griffiths & Poppy Jennings

Culture Editors Mel Lynch & Ilona Cabral

Multicoloured - I can’t decide

Pink, because it matches my soul - Bethany Porcelain solitude (sounds edgier than silver) - Poppy

A ginger nut hue of orange - need I say more - Mel Azure - living like the sky and water look like on the best sunny days - Ilona

Clebar Editor Megan Tomos

Food & Drink Editors Caterina Dassiè & Josh Ong

Travel Editors Martha Hughes & Molly Geddes

Green because I’m from the mountains of North Wales

White - all the colours combined - Caterina Red (deserved a GRAMMY) - Josh

Rosé - most palatable of the wines - Martha Bubblegum pink with a hint of magenta - Molly

Music Editors Dylan Graham, Camille Stanley & Max Modell Green, because grass - Dylan Yellow because it’s sunshine in a colour - Camille Pink! Because obviously - Max

Fashion & Beauty Editors Maddy Steele, Rimante Bivainyt & Katie May Huxtable

Film & TV Editors Hannah Ryan & John Jones

Sunset peach, because with every sunset comes a shiny new day - Purple, like the rain that Prince so often talks about - Hannah Maddy Orange - warm, dynamic, effortlessly cool - John Black, because half of my closet is black- Rimanté Is wine a colour? - Katie

Technology Editor Mike O’Brien

Agony Aunt Hannah Stait

Q3 Editor & Deputy Editor Lucy Aprahmian & Sam Harford

Jet black

Burgundy with glitter mixed in!

Deep purple, because... well, isn’t it obvious - Lucy Blue, because the sky is looking gorgeous today - Sam

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Contents

Column 8

Drama King

46 World’s Coolest Hostels 48 How to be an Environmentally Friendly Traveller

Features 10 12 14 15

Cardiff University is in the RED Brexit Means Brexit Sexual Health: The Big Taboo?

Struggling with Mental Health at University

Music

culture 16 Chivalry is Dead - Should we leave it that way?

18 Long Live the Podcast 20 Leonardo Da Vinci

clebar 22 Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol 24 Y Gwirionedd mewn Teithio ar Fudget Myfyriwr 26 Dim Opsiwn Cymraeg mewn Holiadur I Brifysgol Caerdydd

Food & drink 27 Interview with MasterChef Quarter Finalist Imran Nathroo 28 A to Z of Veganism: A Complete Glossary 30 Cardiff Brunch Photoshoot 34 The Michelin Pressure 36 Reclaiming the Kebab 37

Ty Celf Pullout Travel

45 Become a Budding Travel Blogger

50 The Best Girl Power Anthems of the 21st Century 52 Why Should an Artist say No to a Gig? 53 Music Reaction Videos 54 Lucy Rose Interview 55 Who are Hejira?

56 K-Pop: Now What’s That All About?

Fashion & Beauty 57 58 60 64 66

Cultural Appropriation or Recognition?

Red Carpet Fashion Paint and Jewellery Photoshoot Death of the High Street High Tech Fashion

Film & TV 68 70 71 72

Best Book-To-Screen Adaptations Has Hollywood Learnt its Lessons?

Colman Up Roses One To Watch: Asa Butterfield

Technology 73 Whatever Happened to Atari?

74 Internet Dragonflies 76 Quench’s Top eSports Picks of 2018

Agony Aunt 78 Big Girls Definitely Do Cry 79 Your Questions Answered

DRAMA KING

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I

’ve been inspired for my next piece of bespoque literary art by a very serious event in my life that happened a few months ago. Imagine the scene; it’s nil-nil in a nail biting game of football against our arch rivals Cardiff Met, and despite their well known lesser status in society, they were proving to be a tough team to beat. This is when I come in; the star substitution, nick-named Matty, and infamous for playing the last ten minutes of the game. I quickly found myself with the ball and running in any direction that the opposition were not in the way of. However, my tactics were soon worked out, and I was quickly bulldozed to the ground by what I can only describe as being a ‘mature’ student who took up significantly more space in the world than me, and I was then proceeded to be kicked in many areas of the body which unfortunately included my arm. Now, I’m no expert on refereeing, but I was pretty sure I should have had a free kick, but clearly I was wrong as the game continued to play around me as I lay there crumpled on the ground like a flattened pheasant in the road. As it turned out though, this wasn’t the biggest issue in my life at that point in time, because unlike most kicks I’ve received in life, the pain refused to end. Thankfully, because I was only

9 COLUMN

required for the last few minutes of the game, I was soon put out of my misery, so I headed home ready to be nursed by my house mates, one of whom is a physio.

Strangely though, after explaining my injury in the most dramatic way possible, calling upon all my creative writing skills from sixth form English lessons to shock them into attending to my every need, I received nothing more than ‘oh no’, and ‘shame you lost’ as though I cared one little bit about the result of the game and not the state of my arm. One so called ‘friend’ even had the audacity to complain about an injury of his own! This called for drastic action, so I got straight on the speed dial to the person I can guarantee will dish out the sympathy rain or shine, 24 hours a day, fake or real problems. Her name is, of course, Mum. I explained the drastic situation, and to my alarming surprise, the nurse of 20 years offered no more advice than a ‘see how it feels tomorrow’. Clearly she, along with the ref, my team, the opposition team, and my housemates, didn’t quite understand the severity of my injury and that I could quite easily have no working left arm by the next morning. This left me with only one option, because obviously I wasn’t going to sit in A&E for eternity only to probably to be told exactly the same as my mum, the ref, my team, the opposition team, and my housemates, so I sat in my room and gave the most sympathy I could possibly muster all to myself. It was a good job I was feeling nice.

This debacle got me thinking though; maybe I was slightly over exaggerating the extent of my injury; maybe I could actually be a drama queen. Surely not?!

You might be wondering why the thought of this acute possibility scares me so much, and it’s because of the sheer amount of times I’ve had the exact same situation happen to me throughout my life. Was I really just being dramatic when I got stung by a wasp in my back garden years ago and insisted on self diagnosing myself as poisoned therefore entitled to a day off school? Did I really not require three ambulances and four hours of the hospital’s time when I a ball was kicked rather hard at my face? I thought I had concussion, but maybe I was just still hungover from the night before? If this is the case, which I still firmly deny, I have wasted a disgraceful amount of people’s time, resources and mental stability. This would put me alongside some of the worst time wasters known to man. We’re talking daytime television, PE lessons, even Wednesday nights at the SU. They have all wasted less time than me. That’s if everyone else in the world is correct and I am indeed a drama queen, but that debate is still clearly up in the air.

However, in the case that it turns out I am a ‘you know what’, I had better think of some kind of form of justifying my actions, because, and I’m not exaggerating, that would be the literal end of my life. Maybe it could be a blessing in disguise that I didn’t go into uni for a week because I thought my arm could fall off at anytime, because if you think about it, very, very hard, if I had left the house that day, I could easily have started World War Three by not watching Jeremy Kyle for six hours solid. Don’t ask me how that series of events could possibly progress, but you really never know. All we can say is, I am definitely not a drama queen.

WORDS BY: MATT LEWIS DESIGN BY: KATIE MAY HUXTABLE

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Cardiff University is in the Red

WORDS BY: POPPY JENNINGS DESIGN BY: LOTTIE ENNIS

Cardiff University is currently at £22.8 million deficit and recently shared their decision to cut 380 posts over the next five years, causing worrying reactions across its student and staff bodies. We decided it might be worth looking back at some of the big changes on campus this past few years, and look closer at the plans to cut staffing, and whether it really is a good idea.

In five years I’ve seen change after change at Cardiff University, most notably of the buildings more than anything else. Cardiff Uni use a lot of big words, that’s for sure, when advertising their transformative goals for the future of our uni, innovation being one of the key words used over and over again. In the past few years we’ve seen the CUBRIC (Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre) come to life, the Haydn Ellis building take form, new student residences, the Postgraduate Teaching Centre, seemingly never-ending construction on the Students’ Union, the Centre for Student Life has started construction, and a brand new Journalism library that excludes every other student from entry.

This snapshot into the architectural changes at Cardiff Uni does not truly show the extent to which the university has been making changes, and to a lot of students and staff, the changes are merely aesthetic changes. In their proposition to cut staffing, despite the fact that many argue the rise in student numbers and the much slower increase in teaching staff is already poorly affecting the student experience, it does seem like they value their image more than their actual academic responsibilities. Cardiff University has decided to focus on cutting costs by cutting staff, but a lot of people argue that the costs the Executive Board are presenting lead a misleading story. Apparently the 59% staff cost to income ratio they’re focusing on is only the figure from ONE YEAR. They are basing cuts on one financial year despite being well aware that income fluctuates frequently across time. So how does it compare to the last

few years at Cardiff University? On average, in the last 5/6 years, staff costs have barely risen by 2.6%, completely changing the perspective of the Exec Board’s position.

Student numbers have increased massively in comparison to teaching costs, and over the past few years, as we see the number of students going up, the number of staff is pretty stagnant in comparison. So, if student numbers are going up, and staff numbers are pretty much staying the same, how can the university justify cutting their staff by several hundred? You think it’s hard getting one-on-one time with your lecturers and tutors now, wait until the number of staff in your school rapidly decreases and the number of students continues to rise. There’s no way that these supposed ‘rising’ staff costs are a major cause of that £22.8 deficit, because, by comparing the past few years of income and costs, it just isn’t true. The uni is financially unstable DESPITE the staff costs.

Income is a major issue affecting the university, and there are so many factors that we should be focusing on instead of teaching and staff.

Government grants, capped tuition fees, research income, all affect our uni’s income. And a number of other costs affect the expenditure figures we see, only 2.6% being staff costs, depreciation taking up 10.2% and 72.9% being ‘interest and other finance costs’. I know a lot of that doesn’t really make much sense, but just in looking at the vast difference between staff costs and finance costs, you can see how unrealistic the university’s plans to cut staffing really is. It just doesn’t make sense, and it will not affect positive change in the long run.

The university has planned this huge £600 million transformation for the university, investments that they may not be able to afford after all. The

11 CULTURE

brand new and swanky buildings that have been flying up across campus the past few years are having massive effects on the university’s financial situation, but they don’t seem to want to acknowledge this. By shifting the blame to staffing costs, it highlights the ease at which the contracts can be cut, redundancies can be forced or ‘voluntarily accepted’. People are a lot easier to reduce that a lot of other things in the ‘Transforming Cardiff ’ plan, even if they really aren’t the issue at all. More students, less teachers, but at least we have fancy new buildings, right? And despite the huge deficit the university has, they’re moving ahead with their high risk plan anyway, and continuing to blame staff costs as the leading expense that needs to be cut.

It doesn’t seem like our university is particularly bothered with investing in us as students, nor in our academic leaders and staff, or even as a university.

It’s more important for them to build modern buildings with fancy sculptures in their lobbies than to invest in increasing academic merit. I always thought going to university and working in academia was about getting a fantastic education and the necessary training for whatever field or career we choose, but apparently it’s more important to have aesthetically pleasing buildings.

Cardiff University is ‘supposed’ to be one of the top universities in the country, a leading Russell Group university, and yet, it’s priorities seem to be skewing far away from providing what it should be: education.

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Brexit means Brexit, or so we’re told, but what this drastic political change?

We asked Cardiff University students for their input on the Brexit conundrum that we have

Anthony Stonestreet

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via F

HAVE

To not be too rude, I will simply say that as a second year EU student I am in dismay about Brexit. Not only because of how sad it is to see people vote for something so excluding and pretentious, but also because the entire thing was mis-sold, and those in charge of it can just carry on. How can you expect people to vote in their interests on a matter they have no clue about, and have even been lied to about? I’ve lived in Brussels for 10 years and even there, people know little about the EU, but that by far does not measure up to the ignorance of some leave voters here. Learning to appreciate the EU is as easy as reading a few signs when you visit a public place, as it was likely partly funded by the EU. Because of this mis-sold and misleading referendum, with a tiny majority voting leave, the economy is failing already and necessities like funding for the NHS are decreasing. Apart from my worry that as an EU student I’ll have to pay more to study here, I am in a University which in a few years will mean a lot less to employers than when I applied. I might be slightly pessimistic but, honestly, I wish they’d just pretend the whole thing never happened and went after why people thought it would be a good idea in the first place.

Sai

THEIR SAY.

At the time of writing, the referendum result was announced 942 days ago. Since then, I have found love, started uni, lost love, learnt to cook, visited several countries and started to go grey. As distant as June 2016 may seem, Brexit has been a constant. Since 2016, it has wormed its way into our everyday lives, becoming the source of panel show jokes and colonising news-feeds across the land. It is not so much the elephant in the room, but more the termite infestation gnawing away at the foundations. I have lost faith in the Labour shadow cabinet, the Government is unworthy of trust, let alone support, and even the previously indomitable Good Friday Agreement is at risk of tumbling into a sinkhole of absurdity.

As I think back to conversations with extended family, venting their frustration about Poles speaking Polish to one-another in the Sainsbury’s car park, or even the once relatively innocuous “it’s more Romanians coming here these days”, the Leave vote’s success seems, retrospectively, obvious.

And yet, I also know these views existed long before the referendum, and that they’ll continue to exist for the foreseeable future. Most people didn’t vote Leave out of malice, they voted Leave out of concern for their livelihoods, much like the Remain camp. The problem of the referendum lay not with the electorate, it lay with the tabloid press and mass media, playing on the fears of the electorate to generate emotion. The referendum became less an exercise in opposing rhetoric, more a sparring match. The absurdity of Brexit, and what is to come, stems not squarely from the mentalities which led us here, but the insidious replacement of reason with passion. It cannot be placated, diverted or reasoned with. Le Brexit est mort. Longue Vie au Brexit.

Bethany Griffiths

t

suddenly found ourselves in.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

CARDIFF

are the implications of

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Brexit Blues: it’s not a set of special edition paint colours by Deluxe. It’s not a satirical musical genre. It’s a phenomenon that has swept the country; perhaps the only thing that is uniting us at this troubled time. Whether you feel disillusioned because the outcome you voted for is slowly disappearing in front of your eyes, or you feel the inclusive environment that you used to associate with Britain becoming a little smaller every time someone says the B-word, it’s not looking good.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to escape the descending curtain of Moggsian dystopia for a city break in Madrid. As the (severely-delayed) plane took off, I felt a hidden weight leave my shoulders and something fell into place in my mind. A country is a system within a larger system. Brexiter (I refuse to use the term ‘Brexiteer’ because it reminds me of the three musketeers) or Remainer, we’re all part of the same choking, spluttering engine, that is looking dangerously close to backfiring.

As I returned after a weekend of respite, tapas and art, I felt the heaviness return. This weight isn’t resentment, it isn’t a fear of closed borders, it isn’t outrage at what I perceive to be racism, it isn’t even pessimism in the face of impending queues, bureaucracy and truck traffic. It’s a deep sadness that my little system is no longer working. A depression caused by a complete absence of collaboration, comprise and understanding. It’s the Brexit Blues.

Sophia Vahdati

As much as politicians may like to say that they know what’s going on and what’s going to happen when (if) we leave the EU in March, the truth is that it really can’t be predicted. The impact it may have on universities and its students is a topic I feel like I’ve heard particularly little about. I’m sure if I did some more in-depth research, I’d be able to find out more. Yet, should it not be something that’s discussed openly and often enough that I don’t have to spend hours reading through articles and documents that in reality don’t really answer my questions?

I want to know how Brexit will affect me and the many other language students at Cardiff when we embark on our year abroad in September.

Am I still going to receive an ERASMUS grant? Or do I need to start working out how else I’m going to fund my year? Are the range of ERASMUS schemes and internships in various European countries still going to receive as much support as they do now? Brexit has already been blamed for a drop in the number of students opting to study languages, what does this mean for the future of university language departments? What does it mean for my teachers and friends who are EU nationals? I know it’s unlikely there is a single answer, but to me that’s simply a sign that we’re either not yet ready to leave the European Union, or that we just shouldn’t leave in the first place.

Sarah Belger Needless to say, I’m not a fan of Brexit. I’ve marched alongside Sadiq Khan and fellow students at the front of the People’s Vote march in October, and really do think that what we are set to encounter will be a massive mistake. I say mistake, as I genuinely believe not all leave voters really wanted this, and therefore were hugely misled by the Vote Leave campaign strategies when making their decision. Leave voters aren’t the enemy in my eyes, and in fact, I’ve met many leave voters, at the People’s Vote march and beyond, who think that the decision they made in 2016 was based on fiction, which they have since come to realise. How the actors involved in that campaign, such as the infamous Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Arron Banks and many more, have gotten away seemingly unscathed is tremendously disappointing to me; if played fairly, maybe the country wouldn’t be in the situation we are all facing today.

Regardless of one’s opinion as to whether Brexit is a good idea, what cannot be denied is the lack of choice people have in hearing about it every minute of every day. Sometimes it seems like Brexit is never-ending, and the thought of leaving the EU on the 29th of March seems like an impossible feat.

Internally, months, years, decades could pass, and the headline news ‘Brexit means Brexit’ will still be ringing in my ears. Unless you choose to never turn on the TV, or read the news, or never leave your house, the dreaded Brexit discussion is inevitable, and you have little choice but to sit there and let Brexit related thoughts flood your mind with worry.

Abi Dudbridge I remember sitting in my old school counsellor’s office in November 2017, contemplating which Universities to apply to for the 2018/19 academic year. ‘Do you really want to try the UK?’ I recall her asking, her knowledge of Brexit being as little as mine, but knowing that there might be some complications down the line. ‘I’ve always wanted to go to the UK, let’s try it I guess’ I said, wondering what would happen in two years’ time.

Fast forward to 2019, and as the UK is set to leave the EU in just a little under a month, my fears from 2017 have yet to subside. One of my main concerns about Brexit is the uncertainty of EU citizens’ status, and what the criteria will be for gaining settled status. Initially, the UK promised that EU citizens already residing in the UK will automatically be granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK, but since the referendum that has changed drastically. I plan to continue living in the UK after I finish my Undergraduate degree, and hope to apply for a Masters. However, with the uncertainty of Brexit I’m not sure if I’ll be eligible for any funding, or if I’ll have to apply for a Visa to continue my studies. It’s scary not knowing what the future holds, and the only thing certain for me right now is that things will change. Regardless of what Brexit holds, I have loved living in the UK, and I can’t imagine leaving anytime soon. I have learned to call this place my home, and it would be a shame to leave after everything I have gained from living here.

Andrea Drobna

DESIGN BY: URSZULA RODAKOWSKA

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Sexual health: So, it’s 2019, and I think it’s fair to say that we have come a long way in terms of raising awareness of and helping to prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s).

However, the question remains of how seriously we take STIs and STDs. It’s no secret that the realities of sexually transmitted infections are often the butt of crude jokes online, but does this mean that the realities of STIs and STDs are often overlooked? Are we as clued up as we should be on the realities of unprotected sex, and is there enough being done in Cardiff to ensure that practising safe-sex is as easy as it should be?

Bethany Griffiths

THE BIG TABOO?

Sex. The big S-word, whispered in the corner of playgrounds, accompanied always by the giggles that shadow ‘adult’ topics. But now we’re all adults, so why do we still find sex, and, more specifically, sexual health, remarkably difficult to talk about?Let’s talk about Chlamydia, the most common STI in Britain. It’s as easily cured as a chest infection, with a quick course of antibiotics. Treated quickly, it’s no more troublesome than a common cold and should be dealt with in the same manner: without shame. Left untreated, Chlamydia can cause far more severe issues, including infertility. Despite common misconception, testing takes seconds, requiring a quick swab that you can even do yourself. In fact, the scariest thing about getting tested is the queues at the clinics!

What can you do to prevent the spread of STIs? Talk. Do your research. Get checked out.

And until then, we’ll continue acting like school children, hiding the dangers of untreated STIs behind sniggers and whispers, as if their vulgarity could land us in detention.

Zoe Bangs Cardiff currently has four articles under the tag ‘sexual health’, on the Cardiff blog. The Student Union site has a brief article about the topic and going to an NHS clinic for support is top of the list. Going to a clinic, however, can be daunting. I think it is important to campaign for services like ‘SH:24’, an online free sexual health clinic that delivers discreet STI test kits to you. There is a lack of information handed out openly to people about sexual health, as the UK unfortunately still has a Victorian unease on the topic. With more and more people having sex, free services protecting people’s health are so significant. There are so little people that understand how different STIs affect you, or how common they are. The University should have volunteers or a society handing out leaflets at accommodations, and there should be openly advertised information everywhere for people to see.

Kate Waldock When I came to Cardiff University, I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about sex education in general. I had not been taught much at school, and I was still unaware about a lot of the concepts that go into it. When I got here, I realized that Cardiff is actually quite well-informed about sexual health. There are student organizations such as Sexual Health Awareness Group (SHAG), that focus on teaching Cardiff University students and making sure they are aware of everything from changes in their bodies due to puberty, all the way over to STIs and how to identify and make sure that you don’t get a sexually-transmitted disease. The members of these organizations are quite knowledgeable, and most of the students seem quite aware of how to take care of their sexual health. The Students’ Union makes sure that all students can obtain free condoms, and there is a list of contraception clinics and sexual clinics listed on the website for students to consult in case of any problems. There is also a walk-in clinic nearby on Park Place. I believe that the students of Cardiff University are well-aware and careful about their sexual health.

Janani Suri

DESIGN BY: URSZULA RODAKOWSKA

University is often described as being riddled with STDs and STIs. Despite this huge influx of STDs, the reality is that they are not widely talked about. Knowledge about the reality of casual sex and the dangers it may bring is very much ignored within the university sphere. In my experience accompanying worried friends to clinics and having heartfelt conversations with those concerned about the reality of STDs becoming a part of their life, I have seen how little information is readily available to students to the point where they may go untreated, meaning an STD may hugely impact their life as a result. Within my experience with friends, Cardiff sexual health clinics have been rammed upon arrival but despite this, discretion and privacy are encouraged through a number system with different problems being addressed using numbers which the patient presents to the receptionist. I have found that despite the busy nature of such clinics, patient care has been brilliant. I just hope that the university would work harder to promote a message to students engaging in casual sex that it may bring consequences, and ensuring that more conversations are able to happen.

Amelia Field

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WORDS BY: BE THANY GRIFFITHS DESIGN BY: ANDREA GAINI

Taking on university whilst suffering with a mental health problem is tough, to say the very least. You are thrusted into a completely new environment, and often have to adapt to a completely new way of living. During my first year at university, I suffered from anxiety and really struggled adapting to life in halls of residence. For starters, living in halls meant spending a lot of time alone, for, if like me, you struggle talking to new people, then you were often faced with the reality of sitting alone in your room after lectures. I found this particularly hard to adjust to, because I was used to sitting with my family every night at home, eating together and chatting about our day.

Of course, I know this isn’t the reality for all students, and I know that there are other options available. However, I do think that the realities of suffering with a mental health problem at university are seriously overlooked. I feel that going to university is too often depicted as a fun, carefree experience, while the reality is in fact quite often the opposite. Universities grab prospective students’ attention by advertising the wonderful new friends you will make, the exciting new places you will explore, and the incredible nights out that you will experience.

They do not advertise the loneliness many will encounter.

I would not replace my 2nd and 3rd years at university with anything in the world, for, since moving out of halls, I have had many memorable encounters and have become a lot more involved with the ‘university life’ advertised to me when taking my A levels in 2016. However, I do feel that more needs to be done to ensure that university students are, firstly, aware of the realities of university before applying and can make an informed decision about their choices. This is achievable by simply being honest about what university life actually entails, without going overboard on the crazy life experiences spiel. Secondly, universities could make more of an effort to offer more support to students who are struggling – be it support groups, or even more non-alcoholic, chilled events.

University In light of this, I asked students at Cardiff University for their own experiences of mental health while at university. Here are some of their accounts: Struggling with my mental health at university has been tough. Following a disappointing experience with the counselling service I was essentially left to take care of my mental health on my own. Although there are students who have had a good experience with the service, it has mainly only been negative for me due to the long wait for an appointment, the lack of continuous support available and the rigidity of the system. I do believe that the staff are doing the best they can, but without enough funding and support they will never be able to give adequate, specialised help to all students.

- Anonymous

I was aware of my mental health problems before coming to university, so my situation was known to the university from the beginning. Student Support has been there every step of the way. They helped me make the decision to take an Interruption of Study last year and were the first people I contacted when I was ready to come back. When I felt like I wasn’t getting the support I needed from my school, Student Support helped me sort this out. The only issue is that often an email is all they can manage and face to face appointments can be few and far between.

- Emily Stanton

For me, my depression means that everything takes a lot more effort than it should.

Even if I want to, sometimes I physically cannot go to lectures, especially 9 am ones, or the Journalism ones in Central Square. The University is very accommodating with that, allowing me to change seminar groups and providing lecture recordings and additional time, but I wish there could be some kind of long-term help offered.

Wellbeing and Counselling only lasts for four sessions and long-term health issues like mine won’t just disappear after that. Moreover, in my two years here, I haven’t gone to a single social and still barely have friends. But I am sure things will get better at some point!

- Sai

FEATURES

Struggling with Mental Health at

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I spent my new year binge-watching ‘First Dates’. Several hours into one particular session, I reached an episode where a woman was perfectly happy, and insistent on paying for her own food and drinks. After an uncomfortable minute watching the backand-forth between man and woman, he told her to “shut up” and let him pay for her. It was portrayed as a light-hearted, cutesy interaction (as it usually is when it comes to the bill on these dates), but this is quite unsettling. It made me consider how men and women both view dates and their responsibilities. Why is it that there is such a huge contrast between one woman wanting to pay for herself, another who politely insists but allows the man to pay, and those who sit waiting, expectantly for the man to pay and kick up a fuss when he doesn’t offer? It’s so common for women to berate a man for asking to split the bill and to insist a guy isn’t worth someone’s time if he can’t afford to pay for his food and hers - even if they are both earning similar wages.

So, in a world where women are still fighting for equality, working full-time jobs, voting, earning a wage, and supporting themselves, why are we so judgemental when a man wants to split the bill? If I, as a woman, am earning good money, potentially more money than the man I’m dating, why is it expected that he should pay for the bill? Is he paying for my company? Is he not worth my time as much as I’m worth his? How does this insistence on being ‘chivalrous’ and ‘gentlemanly’ contradict our want for equality with the men in our society and upset the gender balance that people fight for?

I know what most of you are thinking, that it’s really not that deep. But how is it not? If you wanted to pay for your food and you were told to shut up and take the compliment, wouldn’t you feel belittled and offended? Why is there still a stigma attached to men being the providers after women have fought so hard to be regarded as equals? There are so many implications in this payment. In the history of dependence between men and women courting never went away, but it has evolved in the twenty-first century, and that first date meal is only one instance of this concept of ‘chivalry’.

If a guy asks to buy someone a drink in a bar, they say ‘yes’ and then walk away without any further interaction, does the guy have the right to be mad? Logically no, right? Because all he did was offer to buy someone a drink. But it’s that subliminal message of buying the drink that unsettles the situation. He’s not just buying a drink, he’s buying your time, your gratitude. He’s buying the possibility of it leading to something more. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen someone called a bitch or treated as ungrateful because they refused to let that guy at the bar buy them a drink. If you accept the drink and stay to talk to him for a while, how much of your time is enough to equate to the cost of that drink? Maybe it shouldn’t be so complex, so subliminal, but it is. That ‘payment’ between men and women always underlies these courting situations.

It’s no surprise that the #MeToo movement has prompted so much discussion about the dynamics and relationships between men and women. I can’t help but roll my eyes every time I see a guy writing or saying that they’re too “afraid to approach women” now. Obviously, chivalry is not tied to any of the issues exposed in this movement but it has revealed the supposed conflict of certain

men who feel uncomfortable in the new light. It’s very simple though, if you want to buy someone a drink or a meal, there’s really nothing to worry about. If you operate the dating scene with implications of gaining something in return, then maybe you need to avoid using chivalry as part of your vocabulary.

Chivalry was a concept for courting women, way back when medieval knights roamed the kingdom and women were ‘property’ passed from father to husband. Thankfully, times have changed. Women can support themselves. I’m not trying to encourage the idea that everyone should split the bill but I think it’s interesting to consider the reason—or lack of reason—why people insist on men footing the bill. Is it an old age idea? Should we let it go?

WORDS BY: POPPY JENNINGS DESIGN BY: ORLAGH TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY BY: HERNÁN PIÑERA

CULTURE

Chivalry is dead- Should we leave it that way?

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WORDS BY: LOTTIE ENNIS DESIGN BY: STEPH ROWE In the past 6 months I have been recommended a variety of podcasts from my friends and family. From a podcast focusing on Brexit, to one on feminism, to one on personal favourite dishes. It seems as though podcasts have mastered the art of variety. Podcast creators also seem to be able to create a real connection with their listeners as in the US, 80% of listeners listen to all or most of each podcast episode and listens to an average of 7 shows a week.

Much like listening to music, podcasts offer the same aural stimulation whilst also delivering an interesting conversation on a certain topic. The fact that listeners can experience podcasts whilst also doing anything else such as walking, working, cooking,relaxing means that it replaces background music for something requiring slightly more response and thought. In a world full of content this format does not require to be watched and listened too like YouTube or Netflix does. However, podcasts do provide the same sense of personality such as Youtube does and is symptomatic of our influencer culture. It is telling that a lot of personalities now produce content for multiple different channels as demand for more intellectual and personal conversation has peaked after an oversupply of punchy well-edited videos.

One of the main attractions of podcasts is the breadth of subject matter available. According to Fast Company there are 525000 active shows , more than 18.5 million episodes available on the platform, spanning 100 languages and 155 countries. Just looking at the top 10 shows in the UK on the podcast app, there is a huge variety in titles and subjects from ‘David Tennant does a podcast with…’ to ‘My Dad Wrote a Porno’. It seems that audiences are willing to commit to a show and personality once they find it and due to the choice there seems to be something for everyone. We see the familiar talk show formula with the likes of David Tennant and Oprah offering conversations with different celebrities in a more intimate setting than television might offer.

It even seems to be the more abstract the better, as there are also slightly more alternative options such as ‘Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster’ where two comedians invite guests to describe their dream meal, or ‘My Dad wrote a Porno’ where Jamie Morton discusses the pornographic work his dad wrote, a chapter a week.

Albeit slightly abstract, it is no mean feat to appear in the top 10 podcasts when there are thousands of shows, meaning that the consumer is hungry for something a bit different.

Podcasts offer a new type of storytelling and give the reader some responsibility for imagining their own version of the story they are hearing. It is perhaps this aspect which has gained this format so much popularity.

Readers can think for themselves and imagine the backdrop to podcasts focusing on topics such as unsolved murders or individuals’ experiences with money and death.

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This break from the visual, gives the modern consumer space to use their brain in a different way to watching something and even offers a different experience to radio as podcasts can build on topics over time creating a deep and impactful experience.

The accessibility of podcasts also offers some explanation to their explosive growth and popularity. Free and readily downloadable to anyone with a smart device this format differs from other entertainment sites such as Netflix or Spotify which require monthly payment for downloading services. Audiences can listen to their favourite show with their favourite personalities without having a television or even a laptop making it an incredibly desirable product. Due to its accessibility, variety and offer of intellectual conversation I am sure podcasts will continue to gain popularity at an exponential rate as more personalities realise the value of this space for deep conversation.

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Leonardo Da Vinci WORDS BY: KIANA STEVENS DESIGN BY: KATIE MAY HUXTABLE

The work of Leonardo Da Vinci; art or science? Five hundred years since the death of such a renowned polymath, it is easy to overlook what this man represented with regards to his work. With some of his eternally famous work including his influence on a flying machine and perfectly proportioned figures with technical notes beside them, it can be difficult to remember Da Vinci for his personality in addition to what we see on the page.

As one of twelve children to his father, there is little historical evidence of Da Vinci’s childhood other than the basic facts and figures. He had few close relationships with his siblings due to their age gap, with his youngest sibling’s birth occurring when Da Vinci was forty years old. In amongst all of this, it seems clear that it would have been difficult for Leonardo to gain access to any limelight. As a young man in a small town called Vinci in the Republic of Florence, he did not seem the obvious choice for his later international legacy and fame.

However, Giorgio Vasari, 16th century biographer of Renaissance artists, recognised Leonardo’s talent. Vasari describes Leonardo, ‘as a very young man: A local peasant made himself a round shield and requested that Ser Piero have it painted for him. Leonardo responded with a painting of a monster spitting fire that was so terrifying that Ser Piero sold it to a Florentine art dealer, who sold it to the Duke of Milan. Meanwhile, having made a profit, Ser Piero bought a shield decorated with a heart pierced by an arrow, which he gave to the peasant.’

However, Leonardo has always been one to ignite curiosity in others. As an incredibly secretive man, we simply know he was a vegetarian, and since the 13th century there has been continuous speculation regarding his sexuality due to a close and loving relationship with two of his male pupils, Salai and Melzi. Over the last two centuries it has been decided by deduction that Leonardo was more than likely to be homosexual, which is believed by some to have affected his paintings of John the Baptist and Bacchus. With such an in-depth analysis and discussion of Da Vinci’s personal life in the five centuries since his death, including from the likes of Sigmund Freud, there is obvious emphasis that he is simply everlasting as a person, let alone as an artist.

The current exhibition in The Cardiff National Museum celebrates exactly that diversity of character. The work displayed seems to specifically focus not on the astounding scientific accuracy behind Da Vinci’s art, but instead, the personality of the artist himself.

Although a relatively small and temporary exhibition, it showcases Da Vinci’s work to capture alternate parts of himself and his interests, including descriptions to give further insight into the artist’s process behind each piece.

Besides scientifically perfect drawings of the arteries in

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the female body, the museum displays other drawings, including what Da Vinci preferred to call, ‘the ugly body’, a caricature-like profile sketch of a man Da Vinci claimed to be unattractive. This shows us his humorous perspective on the human figure which he understood so well.

A drawing of the plant Job’s Tears reminds the viewer of Da Vinci’s passion for plants in their natural beauty rather than just through scientific means. The relaxed nature of the simple plant on the piece of paper before us emphasises that despite his almost seemingly omniscient experience and powerful legacy as a scientist, this piece remains a visual reminder that he believed that ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’.

The Cardiff exhibition itself is not on its own in using this significant moment in time to comment on the life of Da Vinci. Galleries around the UK are all temporarily displaying these delicate pieces that have managed to remain intact for the past five centuries. Therefore, if you decide to go see this exhibition, remember to keep your ticket as this will grant you 50% entrance fee for the Da Vinci exhibition in Bristol.

This exhibition is not something solely based in Cardiff.

As a national celebration of Da Vinci’s artistic influence, twelve galleries across the UK are temporarily displaying works of Da Vinci to specifically embody his passion for what he drew, such as anatomy, geology and botany. The 144 pieces currently on display throughout the galleries will eventually come together for two major displays in The Queen’s Galleries in Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. As a man who had sculptures and buildings now demolished, and anatomical work never published, his paintings and drawings remain an integral and essential selection of

works that continue to be celebrated as the legacy of an outstanding man. The opportunity to visit his work so locally to Cardiff University is something that cannot go unmissed. This is an experience that generations to come will not experience, and therefore deserves a tribute from students to take a moment out of their weekly schedule and visit.

The last time any of Leonardo Da Vinci’s work was displayed in the National Museum of Wales was in 2007: this was before roughly 90% of current undergraduate university students had even started secondary school; before America had experienced a black president; and before the first iPhone. So much change occurs throughout space and time, including the opportunities laid out before us. Wales Online describes the current display on our doorstep as, ‘an unparalleled insight into Leonardo’s investigations and the workings of his mind.’

I urge you, take a moment inbetween lectures, avoid that 3 for £5 Jagerbomb deal, and educate yourself in a way your academic education cannot!

Overall, even for those that have little knowledge of Da Vinci’s influence throughout history, this exhibition marks the importance of his work over time and reminds us of Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Of the ever-adored man, who was such that the King of France carried him away like a trophy, and was claimed to have supported him in his old age and held him in his arms as he died.

Just like this movement, artists nationally have decided to hold up Da Vinci like a trophy, in the legacy of his artwork. They still comprehend the often-forgotten talent of people of the past. So through this exhibition we are asked to remember him. Not as a famous prodigy, or a polymath, or even as an artist. Simply as the man he was.

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Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Dy Ddyfodol, Dy Iaith, Dy Ddewis Di GEIRIAU GAN: ANNA HUGHES LLUN GAN: ABI DUDBRIDGE

Gyda changen mewn wyth Prifysgol ar draws Cymru, prif nod y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol yw datblygu’r cyfleoedd sydd ar gael i fyfyrwyr sy’n astudio’n Gymraeg ledled y wlad. Ond beth yw’r Coleg medde chi? Nid coleg o frics a sment ydyw ond sefydliad, fel petai, i annog darpar fyfyrwyr i astudio canran o’u cyrsiau prifysgol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg ac yn sgil hynny, cael eu hariannu trwy sawl ysgoloriaeth hael iawn – ac fel myfyriwr mae pob ceiniog yn help!

Erbyn hyn, mae’n bleser cael dweud y gellir astudio dros milloed o gyrsiau prifysgol yn rhannol neu’n gyfan gwbl trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg yn amrywio o’r Gyfraith i Feddygaeth gyda sawl mantais i fyfyrwyr yn dod yn sgîl hynny boed y rheiny yn gyrsiau is-raddedig neu ôl-raddedig. Ceir sawl mantais o astudio’n Gymraeg a hynny’n cynnwys fod y grwpiau dysgu yn llai, gellir cael tiwtor personol Cymraeg ac mae’n ehangu geirfa a therminoleg i fod yn un ddwyieithog ym mhob maes pwnc.

Mae’n hawdd iawn dod o hyd i unrhyw gwrs sy’n cael ei gynnig drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg ar draws y wlad, a hynny drwy defnyddio’r chwilotydd cyrsiau sydd ar wefan y coleg Cymraeg www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk. Bydd y chwilotydd yn gallu dweud os yw’r cwrs yr ydych yn awyddus i’w astudio ar gael drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg ac os yw’r cwrs yn gymwys am un o ysgoloriaethau hael y coleg. Mae amryw o ysgoloriaethau gan gynnwys yr ysgoloriaeth Cymhelliant i rai sy’n astudio 33% o’u cwrs yn Gymraeg, y brif ysgoloriaeth sydd i’r rheiny sy’n astudio 66%, ac yna ysgoloriaeth William Salesbury i un ymgeisydd ffodus sy’n cael astudio 100% o’r cwrs yn Gymraeg a chael derbyn £5000 am wneud hynny.

Yn sgil derbyn yr ysgoloriaeth mae modd yna i gymryd rhan yn y Dystysgrif Sgiliau Iaith a fydd yn arf gwych ar gyfer y byd gwaith. Mae’n gymhwyster sy’n dangos gallu ieithyddol yn Gymraeg ac nid yw’n dystysgrif rhy heriol i’w chwblhau. Er mwyn derbyn y dystysgrif mae’n rhaid cwblhau tasgau, a’r cyntaf ohonynt yn brawf llafar a’r ail yn arholiad ysgrifenedig tair rhan. Mae’r dystysgrif yn dangos eich gallu i gyfathrebu’n effeithiol ac yn hyderus trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg boed hynny ar lafar neu yn ysgrifenedig.

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Yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf mae’r, Coleg Cymraeg wedi ehangu ar eu cynllun staffio academaidd, hynny yw, cynllun sy’n darparu grantiau i roi’r cyfle i brifysgolion Cymru gyflogi mwy o ddarlithwyr cyfrwng Cymraeg mewn nifer o feysydd amrywiol sy’n newyddion gwych.

Gellir dim ond canmol gwaith y coleg Cymraeg, felly, ar eu hymdrechion diddiwedd i sicrhau addysg Gymraeg o’r radd flaenaf i fyfyrwyr Cymru.

CLEBAR

I gael gwybod mwy am astudio yng Nghymru, a phrofiad myfyrwyr sy’n astudio rhan o’u cwrs yn Gymraeg, mae modd dilyn tudalennau gwefannau cymdeithasol y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol/Dy Ddyfodol Di ble y cewch ddilyn hynt a helynt 25 llysgennad y Coleg sydd wedi eu lleoli o amgylch Cymru yn ogystal!

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Y Gwirionedd mewn Teithio ar

Fudget Myfyriwr

Mae tymor llwm o’ch blaen sy’n gaddo gwaith, dyddiadau cau a lot o amser yn y llyfrgell! Ond, os ydych chi fel fi, rydych yn edrych ymlaen at wneud y gorau o’r amser yma drwy procrastinateio ac yfed gormod o goffi! Dwi’n tueddu i ddisgyn i mewn i drap yn y flwyddyn newydd o edrych ymhell at yr haf – gan drio anwybyddu realiti llwm a llwyd y misoedd yn y canol!

Wedi dathliadau’r Nadolig ddod i ben, a’r aduniadau flwyddyn newydd ddiflannu o bob pwrpas o fewn wythnosau cyntaf y flwyddyn, ma’n meddyliau i yn troi tuag at yr haf – yr haul, yr antur a’r rhyddid! Gan amlaf rwy’n eistedd yn y llyfrgell efo llyfr fy mlaen i, ond yn scrollio drwy instagram yn breuddwydio am fod yn yr haul. Does ddim rheswm pam na all unrhyw fyfyrwyr deithio tra yn y brifysgol – boed hynny’n benwythnos dramor neu yn wylia hir ac anturus yn yr haf ! Felly yn siarad o fy mhrofiadau personol i dros y tair blynedd dwythaf – dyma i chi run down o’r realiti o deithio ar fudget myfyriwr…

Dwi’n credu’n gryf fod misconception mawr ynglyn a chostau a pha mor hawdd gall teithio fod. Gan amlaf, dydi pobl ifanc ddim yn ystyried teithio yn yr oed yma gan fod stigma mawr amdano fel rhywbeth ofnadwy o ddrud. Mewn gwirionedd, mae’r fath stigma yn hollol afresymol. Dwi wedi profi i’n hun ac i’n ffrindiau dros y blynyddoedd fod teithio yn rhywbeth ellwch chi neud am bris dwy noson allan yng Nghaerdydd! Mae mynd ar wyliau bellach wedi dod yn hobby i mi, sydd yn swnio yn hollol ridiculous, nai gyfaddef. Y gwirionedd ydi, dydi hi ddim yn hobby glamourous beth bynnag, a dwi’n sicr lot mwy sgint wan na fyswn i pe bawn i’n aros i wneud fy nheithio ar ôl gadael y brifysgol! Ond mae’r ysfa yno gennai i fynd am antur, a drwy hynny dwi wedi dod i ddeall y ffyrdd i wneud hi ar fudget – ac mae hynny’n wirioneddol yn rili hawdd!

Erbyn hyn mae gen i swydd broffesiynol rhan amser sy’n sicr yn helpu fy ngalluogi i wireddu fy mreuddwydion o deithio mor aml. A heb actio fel cyfrifwr depressing, dwi’n meddwl mai un o’r tipiau gorau i’w gynnig ydi rhoi 80% o’ch cyflog (neu unrhyw incwm) mewn cyfrif safio bob mis – a cyn chi droi bydd clwstwr o arian yno yn barod i chi ei wario ar deithio! Meddyliwch amdano fel virtual travel fund!

Mae budgetio yn beth ofnadwy o bwysig, heb os! Yn aml iawn nai ddim mynd allan ar benwythnos (neu gal noson sobor – dwi’n notorious am rheini) er mwyn safio’r arian i dalu am agwedd o wyliau! Ma’n rhaid bod yn gall a chyfaddawdu gan benderfynu beth yw eich blaenoriaeth ariannol ar y foment honno! Yn sicr mae’n rhaid cael strategaeth ariannol wrth gynllunio

gwyliau, ond mae pobl yn synnu am ba mor rhad mae rhai tocynnau awyren yn mynd!

Y realiti o’r sefyllfa ydi fod modd teithio’r byd tra yn stiwdant tlawd – ond mae’n rhaid chi gadw eich pen yn y lle iawn a derbyn mai antur fydd hi, nid gwyliau moethus mewn gwesty pum seren! Syth ar ôl gorffen fy mlwyddyn gyntaf yn y brifysgol mi wnes i backpackio Ewrop gyda fy ffrindiau – nathom ni ddal awyren i Athens am £6 a ffwrdd a ni rownd y cyfandir am fis! Mae ffeindio fflights rhad yn un o’r prin bethau dwi’n dda yn gwneud! Ond yn sicr dydi hynna ddim yn nodwedd sy’n arbennig i fi, gall unrhyw un arall ffeindio union yr un deals yr un modd hawdd! Mae o mor syml ac edrych ar Skyscanner – fy ffrind gorau – ac edrych arni gyda meddwl agored. Un tip fyswn i’n argymell ydi dewis ffrâm amser i weithio gyda, yn hytrach na ddyddiadau penodol. Wrth reswm, dydi hyn ddim yn ddelfrydol i bawb ond drwy fynd ati i fwcio gwyliau, ond dewiswch yr opsiwn ‘whole month’ wrth edrych ar ddyddiadau er mwyn cael trosolwg llawn o ba ddyddiadau sy’n rhatach nag eraill! Gallwch osod ‘flight alerts’ ar ddyddiadau a gwledydd penodol hefyd er mwyn cael y fargen gorau.

Mae hi mor syml ac ymchwilio, ymchwilio, ymchwilio!

Dwi wedi aros mewn fair share o hostels rili dodgy dros y tair blynedd dwethaf ! Y gwirionedd ydi mae’n rhaid chi flaenoriaethu’r opsiynau rhad pan mae’n dod i bopeth! Pan dwi dramor dwi wastad yn dewis y peth rhataf ar y fwydlen (gan amlaf margarita pizza) ac yn aros yn y llefydd mwyaf rhad (o fewn rheswm)! Does ddim cwestiynu pa mor ddefnyddiol ydi Hostelworld a AirBnB dyddiau ma! Yndi, mae’n meddwl lot fawr o waith ymchwil ac amser, ond dyna di’r cyfaddawd o deithio ar fudget – ma popeth jest tipyn bach yn fwy anghyfleus! Byddwch yn gall, fodd bynnag, gan nad ydych eisiau diweddu fyny yn aros mewn ystafell llawn hen ddynion fel gwnes i yn Rhufain cwpl o flynyddoedd yn ôl am £4 y noson!

Dydi teithio ar fudget ddim at ddant pawb, ond mae angen pwysleisio ei bod hi’n bosib (ac yn bwysig) i wneud y gorau o’ch amser yn y brifysgol. Wrth edrych i’r dyfodol agos at fy amser i yma yn dod i’w derfyn, gallwn ddeud yn sicr fy mod i wedi gwneud y gorau o fy amser i! Ie, efallai fod gennai tipyn yn llai o arian rŵan ne fyswn i pe bawn i heb deithio dramor gymaint tra yn y brifysgol – ond ydw’i yn difaru hynny? Dim o gwbl. Mae teithio yn gyfle i fagu hyder a phrofiad, ac yn sicr dyna yw’r peth fwyaf pwysig all ddod allan o’ch profiadau yn y brifysgol – a gan amlaf y profiadau hynny ydi’r rhai mae cyflogwyr efo mwyaf o ddiddordeb ynddynt beth bynnag!

GEIRIAU A LLUNIAU GAN: MEGAN TOMOS LLUN GAN: ASHLEY BOYLE

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“Mae’n rhaid chi gadw eich pen yn y lle iawn a derbyn mai antur fydd hi, nid gwyliau moethus mewn gwesty pum seren!”

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Dim Opsiwn Cymraeg mewn Holiadur I Brifysgol Caerdydd GEIRIAU GAN: GWEN DAVIES Sut all ymchwil cenedlaethol sy’n canolbwyntio ar brifysgol Cymraeg gwbl anwybyddu’r Gymraeg fel iaith? Os ydych yn eich blwyddyn olaf yn y brifysgol ac heb gael eich gofyn eto i lenwi holiadur myfyrwyr ‘The Times’, rydech chi’n lwcus! Mae dwsinau o gynrychiolwyr o fewn prifysgol Caerdydd yn ceisio cael cyn gymaint o fyfyrwyr a sy’n bosib i gwblhau holiadur y bapur newydd, sydd yn ymchwilio faint o gymorth mae gwasanaethau gyrfaoedd y brifysgol yn darparu er mwyn paratoi myfyrwyr at y byd gwaith. Felly, digon parod oeddwn i lenwi un o’r holiaduron yma, er nad oeddwn yn gwybod ar y pryd fod hyn yn mynd i gymryd dros awr! Er oedd yn honni ei bod hi i fyfyrwyr ‘Cardiff University’ yn benodol, ni chefais opsiwn i lenwi’r holiadur yn y Gymraeg, ond nid oedd hyn yn fy mrhyderu gormod. Yr un hen gwestiynau oedd i ddechrau, megis oed, rhyw a chartref. Ond, erbyn cyrraedd cwestiwn 10, sef ‘Which languages, in addition to English, do you speak fluently?’, siom mawr oedd gweld bod DIM UN o’r atebion aml-ddewis yn cynnwys ‘Cymraeg’ fel ateb.

Mae hyn yn warthus. Roeddent yn cynnig atebion megis ‘Tamil’, ‘Urdu’ a ‘Farsi’, ond oedd rhaid i’r 3000 o siaradwyr Cymraeg Prifysgol Caerdydd ddewis opsiwn ‘v’, sef ‘other’. Nid diffyg ymwybyddiaeth ydy hyn, oherwydd yng nghwestiwn am ba gwrs ydy’r unigolyn yn astudio, roedd ‘Welsh’ yn opsiwn. Y diffyg i dderbyn y ffaith fod yr iaith yn swyddogol ac yn fyw ydyw hi. Nid dyma ydy’r tro cyntaf i’r ‘Times’ ddigio’r iaith, oherwydd mis diwethaf roedd eu pôl dadleuol ‘Should Wales continue to support the teaching of Welsh in schools?’ wedi achosi llawer o feirniadaeth. Heblaw am y Saesneg, y Gymraeg yw’r iaith amlaf ei defnydd o fewn y brifysgol: gweler defnydd ohoni yn swyddogol ar draws y campws, heb son am yr Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd ac ymysg aelodau’r Gymdeithas Gymraeg. Yn ogystal, mae cyrsiau ar wahan i Cymraeg, megis y Gyfraith, Hanes a Meddygaeth yn galluogi myfyrwyr i dderbyn rhan o’u haddysg drwy’r Gymraeg. Felly, gyda’r iaith mor fyw yn y brifysgol, mae’n druenus fod y cwmni cenedlaethol allanol yma yn methu cefnogi hyn. Mae’r ffaith hefyd bod yr holiadur yn anelu at Gaerdydd yn benodol yn cynyddu’r gwarth. Cysylltais â ‘The Times’ ar drydar mwy nag unwaith yn gofyn iddynt am esboniad am eu holiadur, ond ni chefais ymateb. Gobeithio yn y dyfodol byddent yn fwy ystyriol wrth ddewis eu hatebion.

“Roeddent yn cynnig atebion megis ‘Tamil’, ‘Urdu’ a ‘Farsi’, ond oedd rhaid i’r 3000 o siaradwyr Cymraeg Prifysgol Caerdydd ddewis opsiwn ‘v’, sef ‘other’.”

LLUN GAN: ASHLEY BOYLE

Tamil?

Urdu?

Cymraeg?

Interview 27

FOOD & DRINK

Imran Nathoo I had the honour to interview Imran Nathoo who took part in MasterChef 2017, reaching not only the quarterfinal but won a place as one of the final 10 contestants.

Working as a Dentist for the last 11 years, his love for food and cooking has always been part of his life...

Full name Imran Nathoo Age 37 (Argh! Too close to 40 for my liking!)

Nationality British Where do you live?

Cardiff!

Academic background Graduated from Cardiff University Dental School as a dentist in 2006.

What is your favorite food?

Ah, this is a difficult as I’m one of those people who is thinking about what’s for dinner while still eating my lunch. I think about food all the time so it’s hard to pinpoint a favourite type of food. I’m a bit of culinary magpie, if it’s good, then I’m into it. So my tastes are quite diverse.

Who is your favorite chef?

My mum is the best cook I know, but I really look up to the likes of Yotam Ottolenghi and Raymond Blanc. TV chef-wise, I love to watch Jamie Oliver, Tom Kerridge and Rick Stein.

If you had to choose a motto, what would it be?

There is no such thing as the right time. If you want to do something, there is no time like now!

What was the programme itself like? Was it stressful?

It’s the most stress I have ever experienced! I was still working full-time during filming, and we had my 3 year old boy to look after so it was bonkers.

Coming back in the evenings from work then practicing cooking late into the night! That, coupled with the whole surreal experience of being filmed, interviewed and judged! I think the constants that deal with stress well do the best. I was not one of those people!

Did the programme make you like more, or understand things better, that you

didn’t like about cooking?

Yes, I thought if this doesn’t break me or put me off food, then I must try and pursue my love of food. It taught me that flavour and taste is everything. It also taught me that I shouldn’t try to be a cook that I’m not, meaning I needed to stay true to my style of cooking.

Let’s get to real questions.. have you always been

interested in food/cooking?

Food has always been a part of my life, as mum is such a great cook and food was always at the centre of any family get-together. As a family, we always tried to eat together also. So with mum cooking, there was no need for me to get involved, that is, until I went to uni and needed to eat! Hence it started in earnest way back in my second year at uni (my first year was a blur of ready meals and takeaways). My passion for food really grew once I had graduated and got hooked on cooking shows!

What made you decide to apply to Masterchef?

Best and worst moments of the programme?

“There is no such thing as the right time. If you want to do something, there is no time

I’m a big fan of the show and over the years, as my cooking was improving, I had toyed with the idea of applying, however I never did.

Then one year I though stop messing around and apply, what have you got to lose? I thought MasterChef would be a great test for me to see if I could cut it, and if I wasn’t completely put off by the stress of the whole thing, then I must really love food, so it was worth giving it a try! I’m glad I did!

WORDS AND DESIGN BY: CATERINA DASSIE`

In the knockout rounds, getting glowing feedback from both the judges on my trio of desserts was brilliant. Also, getting a great response from a proper food critic (Amol Rajan) was amazing! Obviously leaving the show was gutting!

You

have done many things since MasterChef, from cooking live on BBC Radio Wales to being part of the like now!” Royal Welsh Show to having you own supper club...but what has really changed the most since getting eliminated from the programme?

I’m a better cook that’s for sure! You learn so much after the show - its unreal!

I now work part time as a dentist and the rest of the time I cook for supper clubs, events and recipe development. It really is a great balance as I get lots of family time too. I just sleep a little less as I’m so busy!

Has Cardiff been supportive since then?

Massively so! I had great support from the people of Cardiff during my time on the show and after it also, both online and people coming up to me in the street! It means so much as Cardiff is now my home and I’m so pleased that I have such great support for my events from the good people of this amazing and vibrant city!

What is the next chapter going to entail?

I’ve just launched my next series of supper clubs. Think sunshine food, think spice and think good times! I’ve also launched cooking classes for people who want to eat tasty and ideally nutritious food but are pushed for time or don’t know how to! Hopefully I’ll be popping up at a few food festivals also. So look out on Instagram and Twitter @kitchenclonc for more information.

28

A

to

Z

VEGANISM

Hummus

H

Dip/spread full of protein, made from chickpeas and tahini.

Ice Cream

I

Can be vegan by using coconut, soy or almond milk, or even by blending frozen bananas and adding your favourite flavours.

Tofu

T

A bean curd made from soy milk, high in protein and calcium and when cooked it absorbs the flavours of herbs, spices or marinades used.

U

Upland Cress Related to watercress, this is a leafy green with heart-shaped leaves, is one of the most nutritional vegetables out there, being a good source of calcium, iron and vitamins, with more vitamin C than oranges and more vitamin A than broccoli. It has a peppery flavour and is great in salads, soups or even in smoothies.

of

A Complete Glossary WORDS BY: ANGHARAD MAY

Grains

G Wholesome and flavoursome carbs.

Jackfruit

J

High in fibre, used as a meat replacement but contains no saturated fat or cholesterol.

Seitan

S

A protein-rich mock meat made from wheat gluten flour.

Veganuary

V

A charity which spreads the word of veganism, inspiring people to become vegan for the month of January.

DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

Falafels

F

Deep fried morsel made from chickpeas and spices.

Kale

K

A leafy cabbage, high in vitamin K, A, C, B6 and more.

Roasts

R

Who doesn’t love a comforting roast dinner?!

Vegans needn’t miss out, as a roast dinner can easily be made plant-based with a few substitutions.

Think nut roast, whole roasted cauliflower, vegan cauliflower cheese, mushroom wellington, tofu ‘turkey’ with stuffing, garlic sprouts, roast potatoes, vegan gravy and even Yorkshire puddings!

Walnuts

W

Contain many vitamins, good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, are a valuable source of omega-3 which helps to improve brain signalling and may boost mood.

29

This article will help clear up and clarify some of the cloudiness around the buzzwords that are thrown around Veganism as a whole.

Edamame

E

These are unripened green soybeans fresh from the pod, contain fibre, support bone health and are one of the few plant-based sources of complete protein.

Versatile as they can be eaten raw from the pod, cooked or dried as a crunchy snack.

Lentils

L

Cheap, easy to prepare, incredibly adaptable, good source of protein and fibre.

Aquafaba

A

The liquid leftover from cooking beans or legumes like chickpeas, used by vegans to replace eggwhites as it has foaming, binding, gelatinizing and thickening properties.

Dried Fruit

D

Perfect snacks full of flavour but also an important for vegan diets as a source of fibre, vitamins, iron (usually found in non-vegan red meats) and calcium (usually found in non-vegan dairy and fish).

Mylk

M

Almond, coconut, hazelnut, hemp, oat, rice, soya – plenty of dairy-free choices, including Mylk which tastes like milk and made from coconut cream, salt, brown rice, cashew nuts and nutritional yeast.

Quinoa

Protein

Xanthan Gum

Yoghurt

Q

(pronounced keenwah), a grain rich in complete protein, fibre and vitamin B, gluten-free, fluffy texture and nutty flavour makes it a good alternative to rice or couscous.

X

An additive used as a thickener, however, be aware that it is sometimes made with egg whites or lactose products.

P

Non-vegans are sceptical, but there are a whole host of vegetal protein sources such as beans, chia, chickpeas, edamame, lentils, nuts, nutritional yeast, oats, quinoa, tofu, seitan, soy, spelt and any sprouted grains.

Y

If made from coconut milk, almond milk or soy, are vegan-friendly.

B12

B

Fortified foods and supplements are reliable sources of B12 for vegans to prevent anaemia and damage to the nervous system.

Caesin

C

A milk protein, hidden unexpectedly in many plant-based foods such as soy cheese, mock meats and even cosmetics.

Nutritional Yeast

N

Fortified foods and supplements are reliable sources of B12 for vegans to prevent anaemia and damage to the nervous system.

Omega 3

O

Best comes from oily fish, but sources available for vegan diets are flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil, soya-based foods and walnuts.

Zoodles

Z

Otherwise known as courgetti spaghetti, if using a spiralizer is your idea of fun then these are for you! By spiralizing zucchini/courgettes, you can use them as an alternative to pasta and they are gluten-free, low-carb, a good source of fibre in the peel and of antioxidants and a great source of potassium and vitamins.

FOOD & DRINK

Are you often confused by the multitudes of Vegan jargon-like words thrown out across modern marketing nowadays?

30

Our favourite Cardiff brunch spots

Stag Coffee

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: LUISA DE LA CONCHA MONTES DESIGN BY: ABI DUDBRIDGE

31 FOOD & DRINK

THE EARLY BIRD

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JOSH ONG

32 PHOTOGR APHY BY: LUISA DE LA CONCHA MONTES DESIGN BY: ABI DUDBRIDGE

Barker Tea Rooms

33

FOOD & DRINK

34

WORDS BY: JOSH ONG DESIGN BY: STEPH ROWE

The pursuit of Michelin Stars within the fine dining scene is almost a given in the modern culinary world. When it comes to the comparison of esteemed restaurants across the globe, Michelin created, and still maintains, quite the monopoly over ranking qualifications. Whilst the pursuit of these coveted and illustrious stars can provide healthy competition and the resulting artistry is nothing short of genius, is there not more to food than a simple ternary gradation system?

One of my favourite movies is the lesser-known Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper. I love it for a multitude of reasons, the most prominent being its detail to accuracy and authenticity, most likely by virtue of Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, both accomplished Michelin-accredited chefs, serving as executive producers Burnt’s portrayal of the pressures of the pursuit of perfection within a high-intensity, fine dining kitchen are second to none. The film’s core is very much based around the stresses of chasing the approval of Michelin trends and the consequent effects on everything from relationships to one’s own mental health. Whilst the movie itself is fictitious, there lies an undoubtable truth within its narrative.

There lies a prominent example of this in Wales itself. Checkers in Powys, a small restaurant that had held its Michelin Star since 2011, refused to be listed in the 2019 Michelin Guide last September.

Whilst an initial reaction may leave the majority of the population perplexed as to what would appear to be a business undoing years of hard work and shooting itself in the foot, the reasoning goes beyond economics and classification. In reality, it is often the simplest things that get left behind, and in the case of Checkers, it was family.

The human aspect within the world of food is often overlooked and sadly forgotten. As a chef, juggling families and relationships whilst maintaining a healthy balance between work and social life is near impossible once accredited with a Michelin Star.

The Stars are unquestionably favourable to business; reflections from the public tend to show a general consensus that any restaurant holding the accolade is worth both paying the price and travelling the distance for. However, once any restaurant enters the exclusive club, the increased business and recognition amounts to an equal increase of all-encompassing pressure.

35 FOOD & DRINK

Don’t get me wrong, pressure in any competitive environment is more often than not a good thing.

The existence of healthy competition prevents stagnation through complacency and tends to encourage improvement by default. However, when it comes to Michelin, however, it can certainly be argued that it is both the food and chefs that end up making a loss. Whilst the quality of food itself may be improving, by having the constant pressure of the proverbial Michelin Man looking over your shoulder at all times, it takes away from food as an art.

The debate over food as a science versus food as an art has, more often than not, dumbfounded me. I have always understood molecular gastronomy and using elements of scientific wizardry in the production of food, but, quite frankly, I have never bought into it. It is like claiming art is a science by utilising colour theory; it just does not add up.

Food, fundamentally, is broken down to feelings and senses and is therefore entirely subjective.

Sadly, this is where the Michelin Guide loses the mark. It plays an undeniably useful role in helping to understand the level of quality one comes to expect when dining anywhere, but it fails to expand on that. Food and its unquantifiable nature cannot be translated to a simple system of three stars.

The relationship every individual holds to food is unique, whether it be from a professional or casual perspective, and we need to continue to honour that relationship. People often forget that, behind the exotic and mesmerising creations emanating from the dish, lies a human with the weight of the world pressing down on their shoulders. Quite frankly, I would not blame them for being tyre’d. (NOT A TYPO)

36

Reclaiming the Kebab

WORDS BY: YASMIN BEGUM

DESIGN BY: ALESSIO PHILIP GRAIN

Middle Eastern cuisine has been overlooked by most of the public. Where Cardiff succeeds in providing a smorgasbord of food from across the globe in streets such as City Road, perhaps there needs to be a greater love for Britain’s favourite late-night snack: the Kebab. With its own British Kebab Awards to follow suit, the Kebab is best eaten out of a polystyrene container, smeared with various sauces of your liking and poked at with a flimsy plastic knife. Should we as a nation aim to remove the stigma for this food that is overwhelmingly merely consumed after a skinful on a night out?

In recent times, the kebab has seen a renaissance of sorts. Middle Eastern cuisine has lately become more and more prominent as the palate of the British public is changing.

From the first kebab shop that opened in Stoke Newington, to the strip of takeaways and restaurants on City Road, the kebab has grown from strength-to-strength. Vendors like Bristol-based Murray Mays are selling charcoal-cooked kebabs over a speciallymade Turkish mangal grill. The stigma has dropped considerably compared to its poor depiction 20 odd years or so ago.

The actual dish, which most people consider to be the ‘real kebab’ has changed a lot throughout time. My family, first generation Pakistanis, ran takeaways in South Wales in the 1980s and 1990s. In reality, what we call a kebab is not what is actually sold as a kebab: shish kebabs, shami kebabs, doner kebabs (and now the

German Doner place on City Road), Greek kebabs, kofte…the list goes on and it is expanding in an ever-globalised age. You can see the change of attitudes towards kebabs reflected in the local cuisine in Cardiff, ever-present yet constantly in flux owing to the creators of kebabs, along with the communities who are consuming them.

The stigma of the kebab cannot be removed from the communities and diaspora groups who traditionally have opened and staffed takeaways and restaurants. From Indians to Arabs to Kurds, it has overwhelmingly been migrant groups who have set up shops in the form of takeaways. Hole in the walls and other ingenious methods of selling which have resulted in dishes such as chicken tikka masala and the kebab take pride of place as British national dishes. They are frequently taking pride of place as “national dishes”, over more conservative offerings such as a Sunday roast or toad-in-the-hole. These restaurants, or rather kebab shops, have been the backdrop of our lives: as workers, as family-run businesses, as punters, and as students and ever-contributing to the humdrum of life.

What’s more, the kebab shop is always open and Cardiff has got a wide range offerings of kebabs. It is about time that we widened our conceptions of different cultures and different cuisines because by not doing so, we are doing ourselves a disservice.

TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ TŶ

CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF CELF TŶ CELF

TŶ C E LF 2019

ARTWORK | WRITING | PHOTOGRAPHY

T Celf

Editors’ Notes.

The world often leaves very little space to project what our true identity is. Globalisation has not only defeated our environment, one shiny building at a time, but it has also defeated our individualism, through the projection of unattainable ‘idealistic’ views as to what values a ‘perfect’ person harbours. Major pressures are put onto people to appear or act a certain way so that their life appears idealistic, with constant competition of having the newest car or the slimmer hips it can sometimes be difficult to go back to your roots and understand your intrinsic identity: What makes you, you. In light of this we wanted to explore how the surrounding environment affects this decision through literal and visual modes of art.

Our decision to make this year’s Tŷ Celf an identity issue, was based on how malleable we are as people to our surrounding environments.

Our environment has so much influence on us; every day we put on a performance for other people in order to claim an ‘identity’ of some sort; whether this is through the way we dress, the way we speak, the way we act and our decisions; each decision has been premeditated by the environments we have surrounded ourselves in. This then begs the question how do we find our identity in an ever-globalising world?

The submissions in this booklet have the full intention of answering this question. Each artform provides a different answer, but each conclude the same- that the enhancement of identity is through the experiences provided by alternative cultural, traditional and urban backgrounds.

Orlagh Turner

In a world of constant movement and change, it is easy to forget our human need to stop, reconsider, and breathe. Each year, Tŷ Celf is not only Quench’s art section, it is also intended to be a space that reminds us to take a pause from the ongoing rush of our daily lives. With that idea in mind, every year we try to keep the content minimum to give each piece of art enough space to be truly appreciated.

This year, we decided to make the issue about identity; in the context of Brexit, we thought it was necessary to take a step back from the complex political context that surrounds us, and look at the core of what defines us as citizens, students and more importantly, humans. In our globalized and digital environment, it seems increasingly harder to define the traditions, values, and concepts that define one’s own culture and identity. Because of this, we wanted to invite our contributors to demonstrate how these complex topics can be expressed and questioned through artistic mediums.

In the following pages you will find a powerful collection of visual art, poetry and narrative that links back to the idea of identity. We have included pieces that talk about the role that social media plays in defining who we are, photographs that explore the extent to which human identities are tied up with urban environments, and pieces that explore the tensions and complexities of having multiple nationalities and living abroad.

Luisa De la Concha Montes

Front and Back photos by: Ella Cuss

Artwork By: Lucy Ramsdale

1

2

Photography by: Sophie Chan Models: Alfie and Janaki

Idea: The blue and red show the polarization of the concept of ‘female’ and ‘male’ in the intimate settings of the bedroom. The idea is that one’s own culture and personal identity being painted on the skin, under clothing where few can see. This displays the sense of the self in the isolated compartment of what it means to be human in the modern world. The dragon represents masculine power and the phoenix represents feminine power, which are distinct Chinese symbols.

3

Tŷ Celf

London Tube By: Eduardo Karas

It’s funny what you can find on the London Tube. About 5 million journeys are made per day and, naturally, people leave stuff behind. These small objects that may as well be lost forever, are one of the many urban treasures of this city. Just the other day, on the Central line, I saw this small little orange stick on the ground that popped against the grey palette of the train, almost as if it was calling for me. It was one inch away from the door, the poor thing could fall out at any minute. Naturally I rescued it.

It was a glowing orange crayon, ridiculously small; about half a centimetre of radius, four times that of length. It would be a perfect fit for the hands of a 3 year old, but in mine, and anyone else’s, it looked miniscule. Perhaps it was a baby’s who, unbelievably attached to it, as babies are, carried it when going out with its parents. Their fingers slipped without them noticing, as happens with babies, and they lost their treasure to the world. The first of many. But there were no bite marks, which would be against a baby’s expected behaviour.

Maybe, then, it belonged to a street artist, dedicated to the pursuit of the minute. He carried a whole set of colours in his pockets, from the darkest black to the brightest yellow. He spent his days using the whole rainbow to make the gray parts of the city vibrant in his canvas. He loved the glowing orange, so much, in fact, that he used it just a bit more than the rest of the palette. As he grew to enjoy it even more, the crayon lost, bit by bit, its size, until it just fell out of his pocket. That sounds more like it.

Alas, that is not the only thing one can can find on the Tube. You can also find people themselves. While Londoners make it a rule to ignore the people sitting next to you, I ignore that rule and pay close attention to my surroundings. Doing this, you end up seeing and hearing all kinds of things.

Just last week, I was on the District line when a group of musicians came onto the tube. There were four, one with a clarinet, the second one with one of those flutes with multiple entries, the third one with a violin and the last one with a slightly larger violin.

They played quickly, wholeheartedly and happily. It was impossible not to get a smile on your face if you actually watched them play, which, unfortunately most people in the carriage didn’t. Their song ended and, as they moved down to the next car, I asked: “What style is that?” The one with the violin answered, with a thick Eastern European accent: “Gypsy music, the song of our people”. I smiled more widely, I had never heard it before.

A couple of weeks before that, I was going somewhere, on a Friday afternoon, with friends. The three of us were talking in Portuguese, which, in London, is just one more language in the crowd for most, but I noticed that the man to my right was listening attentively. I turned to him, as if acknowledging it, and he promptly asked: “Are you Brazilian?”, he asked me, in English.

“I am”- I pointed to one of my friends- “he isn’t, though. He’s Chilean, but is learning Portuguese… Are you?”, I was puzzled, if he was, why was him asking me that in English? Still, I said all that in English.

“Yeah, I am. It’s not that common to hear Portuguese here, so I was a bit surprised.” - I looked a bit closer at him, a modest beard rested on his face and a leather jacket protected his body.

He wouldn’t be out of place in my home town, Curitiba, I thought. -“Are you from Curitiba, by any chance?” He laughed dryly and gave a nod.

Photography by: Finley Clarke

And there I was, an ocean away from home, sat next to a man who might as well be my neighbour.

4

Medicine Men By: Dill Tootill We operate the stage light To salivate our audience The depressive a cyclical phantasm He the over-reactor attacking their tone.

Rhossili Bay, taken with hand-made cardboard camera

Who gave us the right to be men?

Was it gifted by a sage?

Or God’s foresight tickling towards?

I would have to disagree.

My stare and his stare become One shared scare.

Make them fearful of our friction Have them question “Who are the Medicine Men?” I don’t care for an answer.

The blonde and the brunette The artist with his regret And the lover lead by loss We self medicate with woe worded furrow.

Why gather to a calling When we each carry a phone To make our calls is to control our foretold He is the folk-law and I am the cautionary tale But we are The Medicine Men, controllers of All.

Photo by: Lucy Aprahamian

Everywhere, Nowhere

Photo and poem by: Katie Renker

I am everywhere and nowhere.

I am a third-culture-kid.

My mother is German; she gave me a Reisepass, Schultüte, Heidesand, Nikolaustag.

My father is a Burgher- even more everywhere and nowhere than I He told the best stories…

I was born in the English countryside and speak like I was, But it is not my home.

I dream of sweet mangoes from the gnarled old tree the coucal coo I remember when a kind old lady with a sack on her back taught me how to pick tea Two leaves and a bud.

Two leaves and a bud I dream of tuk tuks and monitor lizards And the Maalu man on his bicycle Loud, always loud I wondered how a man so small, could cry so big When I was 18 I say goodbye I cry This little country, torn at by war, a tsunami…my grandfathers Pearl Island: Teardrop Island Home?

At the embassy they asked me my name. They laughed when I said it.

The German sounds wrong on my tongue At Heathrow I smile at the luggage attendant its cold outside Christmas and I’m back My mum is waiting at the airport The touts spot me first “Madam! Madam! Taxi” Maybe I’ve only ever been a tourist

5

Tŷ Celf

Miracle of the Bread By: Denise Dogan Their faces were like something from a beautiful unknown. He couldn’t help but realise their gratefulness, but beyond that their inner peace. How did he not see this before? He didn’t pity them. No. He understood them, but didn’t feel sorry. The inner peace was something not to be disturbed, it didn’t need someone’s pity, they already had all the luxury they needed. They had an unbreakable bond. A bond so strong it would devour you of your all. He looked at them, silently observing them. He wanted to know how miracles worked. How their beliefs were devoted to the One. But miracles didn’t exist. He created it on his own, by making the simplest of decisions. It’s as if he knew society would remain the same, throughout centuries and the human race will have the same instincts. He just wanted to create a miracle, see it happen. He didn’t realise he was the miracle for these people whom sat there so silently. Their melancholic faces contradicted their fulfilled hearts. And he didn’t realise he could create miracles with bread meant for his master. It felt good to see them smile. Felt good to make a small change. It was just so simplistic and beautiful. It was the miracle of the bread. The man looked at the boy and softly smiled at him, ‘you wanted to see a miracle, you just saw it.’ It was after this that he had walked home with a heavy heart, comprehending the way he had felt. He told him, ‘the great you had just done was out of the goodness of your heart, and God will see that in you.’ He felt fulfilled, accomplished. He felt not a single bit of regret, so he realised. Realised what he had to do.

Photos by: Finley Clarke

6

Disconnect By: Morgan McGowan The girl in the photograph does not exist.

She has no story: No future.

No past.

She has only a moment in time, And the blank stare of a serial killer.

Has she ever laughed?

Cried herself to sleep?

Soared on the wings of euphoria?

No. She is frozen— —a snapshot of a person who never existed.

I look at the girl in the photograph And see a stranger.

Maybe, once upon a time We were the same person, But I cannot see myself Reflected in her empty eyes.

I have grown, and she?

She is not me.

Her face is mine, I know But I do not know her.

I look at her, This girl from three years ago, And I wonder: Would she know me?

Photo by: Ella Cuss

Idea: Cities are places of ever-present growth and decay - cranes and demolition sites - and our identities are inextricably tied up with these environments. We mirror the growth and decay around us, yet equally we are the actors that build and destroy it. I find it interesting to focus my lens on these sites of action to highlight the parallels and contradictions that exist between humanity and nature.

Photos by: Rowan Lees

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TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF TŶ CELF

45

Budding Travel Blogger

TRAVEL

Become a

D E S IG N

BY: AS HLEY B OY L E

When you have a genuine passion and interest for something such as travel, it may have crossed your mind to share your experiences with others. What better way than in some form of blog? The idea of starting a blog can be daunting but it’s now easier than ever to set up your own blog either via social media or your very own website! Fellow students share their experiences and tips to give you plenty of inspo to step up your own blogging game… Enjoy and happy blogging! - Martha Hughes

“Don’t worry about how many views you get, if you love writing, do it” - Abby Wilson I’d wanted to start my own travel and food blog for a good few years. I’ve long been passionate about travelling and eating and I absolutely love writing. But for some reason, unbeknown to me, I was scared to create my own blog. The main reason, I assume, was that I wasn’t actually sure how to. I was scared I would make it and it would look rubbish or that people wouldn’t want to read what I had to say. But I did it. I asked my friend to help me set it up and it was actually really easy. I used Wix, which is a free and easy site to use. I would highly recommend it if you’re wanting to start a blog. My blog is somewhere for me to share my experiences and passions with others. And if no-one reads it? Who cares?!

My top tips for new starters would be:

bby’s blog Check out Apo: abigailfor more inssite.com/ wilson.wix rseatery theexplore

• Bite the bullet. If you want to start a blog, do it.

• Choose a unique and interesting domain name that reflects your blog subject.

• Write about things you are passionate about.

• Don’t worry too much about how many views you get. If you love writing, do it.

“Make it as natural and personal as you can!” - Ellie Ball You can find Ellie’s blog here: elstravelnostalgia. wordpress.com

Having been lucky enough to grow up in a family who lives for and loves to travel, it was pretty inevitable that I would grow up to share the addictive travel bug. The main reason I set up my travel blog was to document all the incredible adventures I have had over the world with the intention of inspiring others to go and do the same. I have so far been to over 48 countries and I guess my blog is like a sort of diary which details where I have been and any tips I have to share.

My top tips for new starters would be: • If you are hoping to enter the field of travel, having a blog will be a useful addition to your CV and is a good way of improving writing skills.

• It is extremely easy to set up your own blog and there are tons of platforms which you can do this on; Wordpress and Wix being just two examples.

• Always consider who you are trying to write for but try not to overthink it all. Just make it as natural and personable as you can!

“Show them that the world is beautiful” - Gwenddolen Sai Miyoshi Woebking As my father was a diplomat, I’ve always felt drawn to different places and cultures. For memory’s sake I started documenting my travels, both within in the country I grew up in, but also whenever I went on holidays. As I started taking photos when I was about 8, I quickly got together quite a collection and noticed that people were happy when I showed them where I’d been.

My top tips for new starters would be:

•Pick a theme; this will make your blog look awesome and attractive!

• Why not try and make people you don’t know smile, show them that the world is beautiful and inspire them to go see for themselves.

•Create a solid ‘About Me’ page. The ‘About Me page’ is likely one of the first pages people will click on when they land on your site. Make it count.

•You can use a simple platform such as Instagram to share your travels, it doesn’t have to be a full website.

•Install Google Analytics. From there you can track your stats month to month and eventually these numbers are what you can use when you are pitching brands.

You can fo Gwenddolen’sllow here: @sai.miy travels os Instagram.comhi on

Pro travel blogger ‘Liz Carlson” aka ‘Young Adventuress’ also has some handy tips to consider if you want to get serious about your travel blog:

Chec

k out he

ou n r amazing professional blog at: y

e gadv

com ss. e r ntu

46

Image by Where Is Your Toothbrush? via Flickr

DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

World’s

T S E L O O C Hostels

Image by Hatters! via Flickr

Image by Yassef Briceño García via Flickr

47 TRAVEL

Both weird, yet wonderful. A bit like marmite, you either love them or you hate them. They come in all shapes and sizes and you can find them pretty much anywhere in the world. Yes, I’m talking about hostels!

Earlier this year Hostelworld released their annual 2019 HOSCARs, charting the best hostels the world has to offer based on a number of categories. These included best hostels for solo female travellers, best hostel by continent, best small hostel etc. As I browsed the list, I realised that there was a category missing, one I so greatly wanted to see. So we’ve compiled a list of the coolest, flashiest, quirkiest and most unique hostels in the world.

The Skyewalker, Isle of Skye, Scotland Arcadia Backpackers and Waterpark, Kampot, Cambodia

Arcadia doubles up as both a hostel and a waterpark, and for this reasons alone it is one of the coolest hostels out there! The rooms at Arcadia are basic (as you would expect for somewhere that charges £3.83 per night) yet clean and friendly. It’s the extensive range of facilities and BRILLIANT value for money that make Arcadia so world class. The hostel has its very own water slide, zipline and rope swing! There’s also a two man wooden swing that lets your catapult your friends into the water; endless entertainment. There’s even options for when your fingers turn to prunes and you need a break from the water with a volleyball court, gym and lots of table games such as pool and table tennis right on site. Arcadia is also the perfect place to meet other backpackers with it being a hotspot for travellers within the area. This makes the social atmosphere at Arcadia, just about as cool as the hostel itself.

The team at Arcadia also run lots of amazing events to encourage you to get to know both the other guests and the surrounding area; they frequently run walking and boat tours for guests and also event nights. Considering the price of a room is a little over the cost of a Tesco meal deal, it’s very hard to fault this fantastic place!

By Shayna Chaplin

Caveland, Santorini, Greece

If you haven’t yet visited Santorini, I urge you to place it very high on your list of must-gos! The island itself is so beautiful, and easily my favourite place on earth to watch a sunset. Considering the islands small size and popularity, finding somewhere to stay for a reasonable price can be a serious challenge, this is why hostels are definitely your best bet. Caveland is set in an 18th century winery, and as the name suggests, it is set in a cave.

All of the rooms are cave houses, giving them a completely charming and old fashioned feel. The walls are entirely white stone, which brightens up the interior so they never feel dark and dingy. The decor is extremely picturesque and very traditional. To top it all off, Caveland has lots of terraces and even an outdoor swimming pool area to enjoy the burning Greek sun. I would certainly recommend visiting in the summer months, to see the island at its busiest and get yourself a glowing tan. My favourite part about Caveland is that it’s located in a small village called Karterados, which is far quieter than some of the nearby tourist hubs. In the village there are a number of other cave houses, making it extremely Instagram worthy.

By Aris Stefanou

Think of starry nights, fairy pools and incredible mountain ranges.

At £17 a night, The Skyewalker Hostel, a ‘home from home’ in the Isle of Skye, offers a variety of experiences which contrast with the traditional city hostels.

You can sleep in shared or private bedrooms or outside in a ‘glamping’ style “Jedi” hut, which is decorated with fairy lights and offers a perfect getaway for all. As there is little light pollution, sitting in their outdoor glass solar dome creates the perfect chance to see the Milky Way and sometimes even the Northern Lights! Situated right by the Cuillin Mountain Range, the hostel is ideal for anyone who craves access to fresh air and long walks. The Skyewalker is just a short drive away from a sea view, the Kilt Rock cliffs and The Old Man Of Storr stone formation. Nearby, The Quiraing has also been the set for many films, including ‘Prometheus’, inspired by its dramatic landscape. For those wishing to really embrace the cold, you can take the plunge in the icy Fairy Pools with underground caves, renowned in Scottish folklore, and then warm up with a tumbler of local Talisker whiskey. The Skyewalker Hostel provides the ideal base for these enchanting experiences.

By Boadicea Dowd

Casa Elemento, Minca, Columbia

If you’re deeply afraid of heights, this hostel probably isn’t the best for you. The casa Elemento in Columbia offers the most incredible and picturesque views; these are made even better by the fact that you can enjoy them from a giant hammock. Set high above sea level and nestled amongst wildlife, the hostel overlooks Minca, providing panoramic views of the city below and its neighbouring mountains. Staying at Casa Elemento really does make you feel completely at one with nature. The bunks are made out of pine from the jungle, there are nightly campfires, and there is even no general WiFi access, making Casa Elemento a retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The highlights of this unique hostel are the social areas, which set is so far apart from any other hostel I have encountered. Whether you want to chill out with your new found friends in a towering wooden tree house, or a giant netted hammock big enough for 20+ people, this hostel truly does provide an experience like no other.

By Molly Geddes

Hostel Celica, Ljubljana, Slovenia

If you fancy staying somewhere completely wacky and quirky, whilst still sticking to a budget, then Hostel Celica is a prime candidate. For just £11 to £14 a night you can stay in a transformed military prison! The hostel itself is rated a fantastic 9/10 overall on Hostelworld and it’s easy to see why. Whilst the hostel has been refurbished to create a funky and laid back vibe, some of the original elements remain, giving the hostel a unique charm. Some of Hostel Celica’s rooms are located in old prison cells and this is evident from the metal barred, cell doors that provide an eerie yet charismatic feel. However, whilst relaxing in the hostels outdoor garden area, and glass terrace - it’s hard to believe you’re in what used to be a military prison. The garden area gives off a very traditional backpacker vibe with deck chairs and hammocks to lounge on in the warm weather. For the small price they ask, Hostel Celica is definitely a must visit for anyone visiting Slovenia.

By Molly Geddes

48

How to be an

Environmentally Fr

It would be fair to argue that mankind as a collective does not have a history of being particularly nice to the planet. Climate change, ocean pollution, and environmental problems that arise from an increase in landfill sites are familiar topics. Across social media we are urged to reduce our meat intake, use less plastic and avoid clothing brands that encourage fast fashion. The positive change we see from a growing generation of environmentally conscious citizens is a breath of fresh air and a step in the right direction. However, we can influence necessary environmental change by doing more than just cutting down on the beef we eat and remembering to turn off light switches. Travel, despite being one of the most invaluable gifts we have access to, has negative implications for the environment. Environmentally friendly and sustainable travel is an area that has received limited coverage. In a social media study we conducted, the majority of participants disclosed that they were not aware of how they could travel sustainably, showing a clear need for more awareness and education on environmentally friendly travel. By travelling consciously and making a few small changes to our trip, we all have the ability to be sustainable travellers.

When travelling I’m sure only very few of us consider the environmental effects that our trip may have; we spend the run up to our trip re-packing our suitcases to fit in as much as humanly possible, researching the destination’s best photo spots and building up an unparalleled sense of excitement. It is unlikely that we will be considering whether our method of travel will contribute to global climate change or how the places we visit may cause a deterioration in the local environment. By providing travellers with a brief education about these issues, we hope that at the least it will instill a sense of consciousness within that enables them to make conscious decisions whilst exploring the world.

Of course the greatest limitation travel has in being entirely sustainable is the impact of various modes of transport. Although most methods of transport contribute to climate change, travelling by plane is notoriously bad. Where possible it is advised you take a train or car instead of taking to the skies. However, if you’re heading down under in Aus for a year or you’re off backpacking in SE Asia, flights are likely going to be your only feasible option. To suggest not to visit these places at all because of the environmental implications of your transport would be unreasonable, not to mention consequential for the local economies which are aided greatly by a booming tourism industry. Yet, there are some factors you can take into consideration which can minimise the damage caused by your flight. Firstly, take some time to research the airlines available for your journey; flights with higher occupancy rates are naturally more efficient. Secondly, when you arrive at your destination try to make the best use of public transports such as buses or trains as opposed to taxis, to minimise the journeys taken and in turn reduce carbon emissions. In order to completely erase the environmental impact of travel we would have to sacrifice travel altogether, and for those of us who are infected with that infamous ‘bug’, this proposition is frightening. However, by taking these small and easy steps to reduce our transport pollution, we are helping to do our bit.

You can also make steps to be a sustainable traveller before you even step out of the front door. When packing for a trip, toiletries, underwear and sunnies are considered our essentials. If we placed this same emphasis on reusable bags and water bottles, we’d never leave home without them. If we pack a reusable canvas bag (so minimal you won’t even have to leave behind any outfits), it eliminates the need to request plastic carriers every time we make a purchase. I’m sure this is something that so many of us try to do at home, and we must reinforce this habit

whilst travelling. Taking a similar initiative with a reusable water bottle minimises our plastic consumption; however make sure the country you’re in has safe drinking water, or otherwise stick to water fountains.

A great deal of our power to be environmentally friendly travellers, comes with our decisions whilst we are away. Quite often the actions we take to be sustainable environmentally, also have huge benefits for our destination; for example by pushing us to support local businesses. Instead of eating at a widespread chain restaurant, choose a smaller establishment with locally sourced food, not only will you be making a positive environmental impact, but you will be helping to contribute to the local economy. Picture this, you’re in Thailand, engulfed by heat and humidity and you’re gasping for a cold, refreshing beer. The bar you’re at serves a lovely, local Chang, or a more familiar Heineken.

By choosing the local alternative over an imported brand you can ensure that the process between its manufactured to you cracking open a cold one, will have been far more environmentally efficient; and local beer will most definitely be cheaper too. By simply opting to get more beer for your money, you’re helping to cut carbon emissions!

We can also be environmentally conscious of the places we choose to stay whilst travelling. By selecting accommodations that have adopted methods of renewable energy, or have efficient waste removal systems, you are successfully doing your bit. The wonderful wide web has a whole host of sites and pages that partner travellers with sustainable accommodation. In fact there are a huge number of companies, across the globe, that specialise solely in eco-travel. Responsible Travel (www. responsibletravel.com) offer around 6,000 trips which they describe as authentic travel experiences that cause the least damage to people and places. These include homestays in India and tours of the Galapagos with eco-lodge accommodation. As expected, eco-tourism often works out slightly more effective than other less efficient holiday providers.

However, in the social media study mentioned before, I asked participants if they would be happy to pay an extra 5% on the price of a holiday/ trip to ensure that it is as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. With a huge 65% of my sample voting that they would be happy to pay this extra cost in order to travel sustainably. It is clear that there is definitely a market for eco-tourism outlets such as responsible travel.

In a generation of growing environmentally conscious citizens, it is unbelievably positive to see a large number of people feel willing to part with extra money in order to reduce the environmental implications of their travel.

Technological advancements have greatly aided the rising awareness of worldwide environmental issues. We can now sign a petition and join a movement without leaving our beds. The digital era has allowed environmental activism to reach all corners of the nation.

You can be an advocate for climate change reform or eco-tourism by simply using your position on social media to share educational content and spread awareness throughout your online network. In turn, the digital sphere provides us with a ever growing space of information right at our fingertips. We’ve never before had greater access to the tools we need to become environmentally friendly citizens, or travellers. If you’d like to know more about environmentally friendly travel, wwf.panda.org and ecotravelling.co.uk are great places to start.

By simply making the small behavioural changes suggested, reading up on environmentally friendly tourism and sharing this information online, you can become an environmentally friendly, sustainable traveller and help others to become them also. These may only seem like small steps, but if we all try consciously to follow them, our influence will be anything but small.

49 TRAVEL

riendly Traveller

WORDS BY: MOLLY GEDDES DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

50

Best Girl Power Anthems of

the 21st Century DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

Demi Lovato By victoria Maria

Beyoncé

By Rowan Davies

Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. There has never been a more important time for the rise of modern feminism than the 21st century. Our era has allowed women all over the world to project their voices through a variety of different platforms, with the music industry being a large contributor. However, there is one artist in particular who I believe to have had major impact on feminist movements all around the world: One name, living legend, Beyoncé. In 2016, Queen Bey dropped her most professional and political album to date, ‘Lemonade’, with all tracks paying homage to deep southern culture and women of all ethnicities. Her song ‘Formation’ is an optimistic protest piece with powerful lyrics expressing extreme pride for being a black woman among a dangerous and unpredictable political and social climate. The music video accompanies Bey’s lyrics with innovative cameos of police brutality protests to celebrating southern cultural traditions from marching bands to Bey flawlessly sporting a corn row weave along with her army of talented dancers (all women by the way). One of the most memorable lines in the song, ‘when he f**k me good, I take his ass to red lobster’, truly puts men in their place and reminds people that women like to have sex! Beyoncé will always be an artist who pushes the boundaries of feminism, fighting for equality of all genders, skin colour and ethnic backgrounds. I salute you. Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation!

She’s the queen of girl power anthems, whether they come in an emotional ballad, as in ‘Skyscraper’, or in a fun, bold manner. Her previous singles show what she came for. ‘Really Don’t Care’ is like the coolest break up song ever, with lyrics such as ‘You don’t deserve to know the way I used to think about you’, even featuring Cher Lloyd in the song rapping about how Demi should’ve picked the other guy because he was cuter than the other, is the definition of what a girl power anthem is supposed to sound like: upbeat, with a ‘thank u, next’ attitude.

Meanwhile, ever catchy ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ shows Lovato in her most confident, powerful, ‘’slay girl’’ vibes. Why ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ is one of the biggest girl power anthems in the past 5 years? It’s sassy like no other song! Need proof? Lyrics such as ‘I’m out here lookin’ like revenge, feelin’ like a ten, the best I’ve ever been… I know how bad it must hurt to see me like this, but it gets worse’ and ‘it’d be nice of me to take it easy on ya, but nah’ shows why Demi is the best artist to listen to after a break up.

Her savage approach lyrically makes ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ a must-have for any breakup playlist.

SELF love The Regrettes

By Martina Merenda

Despite not being an all-girl band, the LA-based punk rock group The Regrettes perfectly qualify to have at least one single in your girl-power anthems playlist.

Led by frontwoman and lead singer Lydia Night and composed by guitarist Genessa Gariano and drummer Maxx Morando, The Regrettes blend genres from the 1950s and 1960s with punk rock, forming a unique and lovable sound that will keep you hooked to the speakers.

Singer and songwriter Lydia Night’s lyrics empower women, with a clear message to not underestimate girls.

Their first album, Feel your Feelings Fool!, came out in 2016 and displays a various collection of strong feminist anthems. ‘A Living Human Girl’ is a brutally honest description of what women are and is a perfect example of the band’s sound. Another good song with a strong message is ‘Ladylike/WHATTA BI*CH’ that blends two different songs in one track. On the one hand, Ladylike describes everything that a woman is expected be to fit in society and in ‘WHATTA BI*CH’, Night describes herself by using high school rumours, based on the negative idea people have of her.

This band is perfectly capable of pairing a brutally honest text with a sweet pop tune that will help you smash the patriarchy with style.

51 MUSIC

GRL

PWR Little Mix

By Nicole Rees-Williams

It’s funny to think that at the start of 2011, Little Mix were grouped together as complete strangers after being unsuccessful at their solo auditions in ITV’s The X Factor. Although at the time they must have felt bummed to say the least, this decision has created one of the most successful UK girl groups of the 21st century.

Little Mix are renowned for their ‘girl power’ anthems.

‘Wings’, ‘Salute’, ‘Woman Like Me’, ‘Hair’, and ‘Shout out to my Ex’ are just a handful of the hits that promote women supporting women and creating a positive music scene with a good message.

In their 2017 summer hit, ‘Power’, they proudly held hands with their mothers in the video, promoting healthy female relationships in the song that includes the lyrics ‘you can be a woman and a boss’.

Their 2018 female empowerment song, ‘Strip’, has a meaningful message. ‘Take off all this makeup ‘cause I love what’s under it […] Finally love me naked, I’m sexiest when I’m confident,’ is a small snippet of the song’s lyrics that promote loving your own body whatever shape, size or colour it is. The girls literally ‘strip’ in a powerful shot with words such as ‘fat,’ ‘ugly,’ and ‘talentless,’ written across their skin. This shows the lasting impact hurtful words can have on women’s confidence, but to believe in your own beauty despite the negativity you may receive.

With a young, majorly female fanbase following them, Little Mix are always aware to promote positivity to their audience which is what makes them such good role models and still successful eight years after their formation in 2011.

Femi

nism

Selena Gomez

By Zhang Mengyang-Eva

Born in 1992, Selena Gomez is not the little girl from the Disney television series Wizards of Waverly Place any more. Her talents vary from singing, acting and producing, but music has always been her main passion.

This amazing lady inspires people not only by being the youngest UNICEF ambassador and getting involved in other charity work, but also by producing many girl power anthems.

Her music career began from the set-up of a pop-rock band, Selena Gomez & the Scene. The group released ‘Who Says’ in 2011, in which Selena sang ‘Who says you are not beautiful’ and encouraging girls to believe in themselves. In January 2012, Selena confirmed that Selena Gomez & the Scene were going on a break. After that, she started her solo music journey. Her first solo album ‘Stars Dance’ was released in 2013, but was not so successful. Some music critics noticed her inability to create her own musical identity and her lack of vocal abilities. However, she keeps on trying different styles.

From her early pop-rock style to EDM and electro-pop, she keeps moving on and making progress constantly.

During her solo music career, Selena Gomez has released some love songs expressing girls’ feelings in a relationship. For example, ‘the heart wants what it wants’ tells girls to be true to their feelings; ‘Same old love’ suggests girls get rid of the old love when they need to.

She wrote ‘Wolves’ to record her struggle with lupus and appreciation of getting through it, showing an image of a strong woman.

Adele

By Katie Walker

Adele’s approach to song writing has provided us with heartfelt girl power anthems to sing along to in any element of life. She is the normal girl’s musician, penning songs that speak of heartbreak, but also reaffirm empowerment. Adele writes to accompany our lives, famously titling her albums with her age when she wrote them. The ultimate anthems can be found on albums ‘21’ and ‘25’, between which her own life settled down, somewhat shifting the focus from misery to newfound strength and clarity, which all of us can hopefully achieve in our twenties! Whether you need a sing-along break during assignments, attempt karaoke or are belting out an anthem after a few beverages on a night out, Adele’s songs are the antidote. If you’re looking for a more upbeat anthem with conviction, then ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ and ‘Rolling In the Deep’ are the perfect choice to release your angst. If you need a therapy session, try ‘Someone Like You’ to instantly help scale new heights of glorious emotion with conviction.

If you’re ready to move on with your life, I defy you not to sing along to ‘Send My Love (To Your New Lover)’ as the ideal signifier of fresh starts, whether heartbreak related or not. There’s a reason that audiences actively participate in singing along with Adele’s music, because her songs are so relatable. Adele writes anthems that are not sugar-coated, demonstrating raw strength that girl power increasingly requires every day.

52

When should an artist say No to a gig?

We all want to be a ‘yes’ person, but at what point should our morality take over and make us say ‘no’ with confidence. A common perception for emerging musicians should say yes to every gig prospect, to every mystical chance of ‘exposure’ that comes from playing countless of live shows. However, for more established musicians, as the public begin to question (in light of recent controversies) that perhaps it’s time to separate art from the artist, then is it also time for musicians to separate their morals from the opportunities afforded to them? When should an artist really say no to a gig?

For more upcoming artists the musician and writer Ari Herstand from the blog ‘Ari’s Take’ outlined some key issues for a band to consider before accepting a gig: is the payment fair, will it build your career and will the gig bring you enjoyment. Herstand acknowledges that a gig may not fulfil all these requirements and that’s okay. A gig may only pay moderately but the potential enjoyment may be high enough to balance this out. However, I am going to add another factor to these considerations - will you be comfortable playing at this gig? If you feel at threat from discrimination whether due to your sexual orientation, race or gender, amongst other factors then that gig is not worth the exposure. There will be another.

Yet, how does saying yes or no to a gig change when you are the 1975 offered a place at Coachella? It has recently been announced that the band are due to perform at the festival in summer 2019 and the decision has not been met without criticism. Firstly, a Coachella back story: the festival of guaranteed sunshine, no mud and Instagram models. We might not be able to relate over here on the other side of the Atlantic with our iconic British

festivals, but we sure have heard about the controversy surrounding Coachella’s owner Phillip Anschutz. Fader released an article in 2017 detailing how Anschutz allegedly gave nearly $200,000 to Republican politicians throughout 2017. It is not his personal political leanings that are the issue, but instead how some of the money was given to recipients that included a pro-gun senator and a congressman who opposes same-sex marriage. Understandably, people who look to care-free festivals as a safe space were disappointed and shocked by the potential relationship between Coachella and these discriminatory ideologies. Anschutz responded to these claims with a statement that declared his support for the rights of all people and his opposition to any discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. However, celebrities such as Cara Delevingne remain outspoken about not attending the festival in protest against Anschutz’s alleged financial support to people who do hold such values. Therefore, should a band like The 1975, who openly support LGBTQ+ rights and backed the opening of a new centre for the LGBTQ+ community in London, be playing at such an event?

Well, yes and no. By pulling out and outlining their reasons for doing so The 1975 may generate negative press surrounding the festival for a few days, but at a festival as renowned as Coachella they will simply be replaced with a new act and the issue dismissed. For every billionaire, like Philip Anschutz, who may or may not inadvertently support gun use and LGBTQ+ discrimination there are twenty more. This

does not excuse their actions but it makes avoiding their businesses harder (but definitely not impossible). For example, AEG Live, the company in charge of Coachella, also own popular soccer and hockey teams like LA Galaxy. The problem of wealthy individuals involved in discrimination and supporting gun use spreads far further than the stage on which the 1975 will be playing on.

Instead, the 1975 have the unique opportunity to make their voice heard on a global stage.

To say yes to the performance and publicly denounce the funding of any pro-gun organisations and gun violence may be more impactful than not attending altogether. The band, if they so choose, should uplift LGBTQ+ communities and support the voices of those affected by gun crime on and off stage.

Of course, each case is unique and the decision of saying yes or no to a gig is affected by a multitude of factors. Saying yes won’t always lead to guaranteed approval and saying no may keep an artist from an opportunity to spread their music and message. In a world that is so influenced by the idolisation of musicians artists are met with higher expectations. Their decisions may need to become more conscious and their voices louder, for not everyone is afforded their platform and it should be used wisely.

WORDS BY: CAMILLE STANLEY DESIGN BY: ALESSIO PHILIP GRAIN

53 MUSIC

Music Reaction Vid eos The colossal rise of social media over the past decade has resulted in seemingly endless discussions regarding its effect on ‘traditional’ forms of media. Such debates are ostensibly born out of fear from those who are concerned about change to the status quo. There is an ongoing tug-of-war between old and new forms of the media, and it looks as if social media is winning. But is this a good or bad thing? Should traditional media be more open to move with the times, or should music journalism simply return to how it was 10-15 years ago?

I’m going to attempt to throw my hat into the ring regarding this debate, discussing a particular modern phenomenon regarding music journalism that you’ve probably heard of - music reaction videos. Reaction videos were spearheaded on YouTube by channels such as ‘The Fine Bros’ with their popular series ‘Kids React’, launched in 2010, which saw several children reacting to popular viral videos.

Since then, the ‘reaction’ trend has grown exponentially in popularity, with a notable subgenre being music reaction videos. Prominent music reaction channels now amass hundreds of thousands of views per video, figures that would make old-school music publications such as NME and Pitchfork’s eyes water. Many are heralding this phenomenon as a new form of music journalism, but what is so appealing about watching people sitting in their bedrooms, nodding along to the new Ariana Grande single?

Do such reactions really offer anything of substance, or are individuals jumping on the

newest trend that will be dead in a couple of years in order to heighten their social media presence?

Music reaction videos give the viewer a ‘first encounter’ experience that you can’t really get from magazines or blogs. They allow the audience to discover new artists alongside the content creator, or alternatively witness a stranger listening and reacting to your favourite artist or song for the first time. The appeal seems clear; you may wish to relive your first experience of listening to your favourite song or artist, or you may feel a disconnect from written album reviews that require prior knowledge of an artist or song. Music reaction videos successfully cater for these needs.

Some of the most successful content creators involved in this trend are individuals who are self-proclaimed fans of a particular musical genre exploring a completely new style of music that they’re unfamiliar with. One of the more popular examples of this would be metal-heads reacting to hip hop and vice versa. Such channels allow the viewer to experience the journey that the content creators make as they delve into the rabbit-

words by: dylan graham DESIGN BY: alessio philip grain hole of these vast and popular genres. This also creates a connection between the creator and the viewer, with the audience having the ability to suggest songs within particular genres that would be worth reacting to.

However, it is argued by many that reaction channels gain popularity by leeching off of the artists music. Content creators don’t always provide analysis or anything of substance.

Instead, they can get away with sitting and listening to a song on camera whilst gaining thousands of views. It is also difficult to decipher the authenticity of such videos, with many content creators likely overreacting for entertainment purposes rather than giving their honest opinion.

Given the strict monetisation regulation on YouTube, many music reaction content creators struggle to keep their channels afloat in the ever-competitive social media industry.

Even by sticking to YouTube’s own codes of conduct, content creators of this genre often receive copyright strikes for reacting to music live on camera. But is this fair? The majority of popular music reaction channels create authentic, analytical content, just like traditional forms of music journalism.

Many of these content creators now rely on crowdfunding services to continue their reactions. Has this new form of music journalism reached a point where it cannot exist on YouTube anymore? Where does it go from here? Only time will tell.

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What was the recording process like on the new album?

It was familiar in ways as it’s with the same producer Tim Bidwell who recorded my last record. I knew I didn’t want any drums, just percussion and I really wanted fretless bass and a lot of strings on the record. The process was intense, fun and very rewarding. It helped me through some time that I didn’t quite understand at the time.

You’ve been making music since your teenage years and this is your 4th studio album. How has your writing process changed over time?

I imagine it has in ways, as every part of me has changed but I wouldn’t be able to analyse what has changed and I wouldn’t want to as the one constant is that it’s an unconscious act, more so than ever on this record. I don’t remember much of writing the album.

What has your experience of working with Communion Records been like?

Best record label and people I’ve ever worked with. Truly a family feel, people who genuinely care, I didn’t think people like this existed who I could work with. I’m very lucky.

My favourite song of yours is the acoustic version of “Our Eyes” from Live at Urchin Studios. Do you prefer that version to the original recording?

LUCY ROSE INTERVIEW

I got the chance to speak to Lucy Rose on the verge of the release of her new album No Words Left, on 22nd March and before she embarks on her upcoming UK tour.

I don’t really like any of my songs looking back, but the more acoustic version feels more like me.

You deleted all of your old Instagram posts. What made you decide to do that?

I’m not sure I like social media, I wanted a fresh start to find a way to use the platform in a way that didn’t make me feel terrible.

What can we expect from your gig at The Gate in Cardiff? Because last time you played Cardiff at the Tramshed I cried, so expectations are high.

I think it’s going to be a really special show. I’m really going for it, more musicians than ever, lots of live strings, congas, I really excited to play the songs how they have been recorded.

Samantha Crain is joining you on tour. How were you introduced to get music?

We did a radio 4 session together back in 2015, she’s a great person and a truly inspiring artist.

Finally, what has been your favourite experience of performing live?

I think it’s on the horizon.

WORDS BY: MAX MODELL DESIGN BY: URSZULA RODAKOWSKA

55 MUSIC

Who Are Hejira?

WORDS BY: MAX MODELL DESIGN BY: ROWAN LEES PHOTOGRAPHY BY: BRUCE COLLIER ARTWORKS BY: SABRINA SAMSOODIN Hejira are a London band, comprised of Sam Beste (Keys, Guitar, and Vocal), Alex Reeve (Lead Guitar and Bass) and Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne (Vocals and Bass), alongside other musical collaborators. Sam and Alex met playing in a big band in Hackney as teenagers and they met Rahel a few years down the line. However, they didn’t form immediately, working as professional musicians in the interim. In this time Sam toured with Amy Winehouse. Reflecting on this time he said “Often it was very challenging and depressing and difficult. But sometimes it was really great and I have lots of fond memories of her and being in that band, which at its best was a really really good band.”

Forming as a three-piece around 2009 the band originally came together in jamming sessions which quickly evolved into what we know today as Hejira, a name which came to the band through the 1976 Joni Mitchell album. It was in these early jam sessions that the band’s sound began to develop.

Hejira’s sound is quite hard to define, drawing on a very diverse range of influences and is seemingly constantly shifting. Descriptors I have seen range from Neo-Soul to Afro-Funk to Folk-Prog-Jazz.

When I asked Sam how he would describe the sound he said “We’re going for this experimental soul title or alternative soul. I feel like there is this soulful underpinning to all of our music, even though the influences are relatively diverse. I feel there is a cohesion to what we do, and I do feel we have quite a unique sound. I think that is why it is quite hard to put your finger on what our sound is.” Considering the imperfect nature of genre, experimental soul seems an adept title to describe a band combining rich soulful vocals, with sophisticated harmonic structures in a way which is truly distinct to the band.

The heritage of the band is diverse, covering Ethiopia, Germany and Hungary. Alex described how the band “are trying to distil that mixed heritage into sound.” This can be seen in songs such as “I Don’t Belong to Anyone” which is critical of restrictive borders, exploring how we all desire the same freedom and how no one should be able to limit that; “We came into the world the same way. And we will leave this world the same way”. What could

be a stronger statement of our fundamental equality than that? This is also thematically reminiscent of the Arabic meaning of Hejira, “mass migration away from a dangerous environment to a more desirable place”.

These ideas are expanded in the video which explores the duality of growing up in London but having heritage elsewhere. This idea is most explicit in reference to Rahel’s heritage, due to the distinct cultural differences between Ethiopia and London.

But heritage also plays a role for the rest of the band.

Alex explains “it’s less of a complex mixture. I see myself as a Londoner with a bit of external influence…

For Rahel, that was a more interesting thing to explore and we were really keen to help her.”

It is this journey which will form the basis of the much anticipated second album Thread of Gold, released on 22nd February. In 2016 the band journeyed to Ethiopia on the behest of Rahel after the passing of her father.

After an acute personal change and heartbreak, Rahel wanted to connect with her homeland in a deeper way than ever before. Exploring this unknown land, with unfamiliar people, environment, culture and music proved a potent source of musical inspiration.

“It’s amazing, the culture shock getting off the flight from London to Addis Ababa. The smells, the sights, the sounds. Sam managed to capture a lot of it on his portable recorder, so there is a lot of field recording from Ethiopia directly on the record” said Alex.

Out there the band started to write in their hotel room, very different from their usual writing environment. Based on Sam’s recollection “Most of the words on the record were written in Ethiopia, and I think, four of the pieces of music.” On their return, the band worked intensively on these ideas in the studio and combined with fragmented recordings from before the trip they had a backbone for the new album.

2016 was a busy year for the band who also

launched Lima Limo Records that year. “After having released our music on other very smaller labels, and having had that experience, we were keen to have full independence” explained Sam. The label truly does this, providing a structure for the band to release their own music without the need for any outside help. It also allows the band to provide a platform to other artists that they care about, providing a home for innovative music and creating a community around their art.

With the release of the new album and a string of live dates lined up across the UK and Europe, 2019 is shaping up to be a pretty exciting year for Hejira. If you are looking to expand your music taste, Hejira are the perfect place to begin.

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: P O P K

Now What's That All About?

KPOP KPOP –– now now what’s what’s that that all all about? about?

You may know PSY and think of crazy music videos and weird outfits. But the world of Kpop is so much more than just fun and entertainment, even being used as a military strategy in the war against North Korea.

With influences from all over the world, Kpop offers a lot to explore.

Although Kpop stands for “Korean pop music” it refers to a specific type of Korean pop which originated in the early 90’s when boybands became very popular and a specific subculture was formed.

The Kpop subculture grew exponentially and quickly grounded itself as an integral

part of the Korean music industry.

In the middle of the 1990’s idol agencies started to form.

Young hopefuls auditioned for the companies and if accepted were put through gruelling idol trainee school. Initially there was a high concentration of power with the “Big 3” companies – YG entertainment, JYP entertainment and SM entertainment being the only agencies that existed.

However, there are now a multitude of companies operating within the Kpop industry, although the process of becoming a Kpop star has remained the same.

to form groups and once someone debuts in a Kpop group they are referred to as an ‘idol’. Trainee contacts are infamously known for being exploitative and are sometimes referred to as ‘slave contracts’. These contracts can include long training hours, horrendous diets, no phones and relationship bans. The standard of the contracts varies according to company; however, the South Korean government has attempted to stop unfair practises with the Fair Trade Commission in 2017 ordering several companies to change their contractual terms.

The Commission also limited the Whilst going through these idol length of contracts to only seven trainee schools, the young hopefuls years, as contracts had previously are, perhaps unsurprisingly, called spanned as long as 15 years. ‘trainee’s’. Trainees are handpicked

eed

A A unique unique idol idol culture culture Kpop has its own culture and vocabulary and if you don’t understand the lingo there is a big risk you will be very confused.

you n s p u o r g P O KP to know:

BTS – Also known as “Behind the Scenes” and previously as “Bangtan Boys”. The first Kpop group to truly break into the Western music scene. Sold out two shows at the O2 arena in London within minutes.

Kpop groups will give their fans a collective name, which is supposed to have a special meaning. Every fandom will also have its own official colour which is used for merchandise.

Fashion is very important and Kpop artists are not afraid of taking risks, with some interesting stage outfits having been showcased throughout the years. Catching a plane is more like a catwalk for idols as their so called ‘airport fashion’ is an occasion for them to show off their style. Their outfits are often widely discussed on social media. As well as clothes, makeup is also important and it is the norm for male idols to wear it.

Every member in the group will be given a specific role. The oldest member is usually the leader and acts as the spokesperson for the group. The youngest member of the group is called the maknae and is often portrayed as the cute member. Kpop groups also tend to have many members with over 10 members being completely normal. Another integral part of idol culture is loyalty. Most Korean fans will only support one group and it is seen as disrespectful to support multiple artists.

Photo by LG via Flickr

While there have been instances of Kpop attempting to break into the Western music scene, it is BTS that have managed to be the most successful. The group has managed to amass millions of fans around the world and have won AMA’s, Billboard Awards and even spoken at the UN. The success of BTS in the Western world has been surprising, especially as most of the band members don’t speak English.

Many have tried to explain why BTS was the group to finally succeed in bringing Kpop to the Western mainstream sphere.

Explanations include the bands active use of social media and the fact that they write their own songs which makes them feel more genuine than other Kpop acts. The company behind BTS have also been praised for treating the members respectfully and allowing them to be themselves, making the group seem more approachable and down-to-earth. Whatever the reason is there is no denying that BTS have managed to establish themselves as a firm favourite around the world. In 2018 the band reportedly made an $88 million profit and were rewarded with medals for cultural merit by the South Korean government.

It is not just the Kpop stars themselves that benefit from breaking into the global market. Do Jong Hwan, the head of South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, recently told the press that he estimates that BTS will have a $1 billion impact on the South Korean economy. The increasing interest in Korean pop culture around the globe has been referred to as Hallyu (Korean Wave) and is a wave the Korean government certainly wants to surf. When forming the Ministry of Culture in 1998 Kpop was identified as an important asset and nowadays the Ministry has its own department dedicated to the music genre. The Korean government also actively supports the music genre financially.

Kpop groups also performed at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Seoul in 2018.

KPOP is currently experiencing its shining moment on the world stage. Although no one can predict how long it will last, we should all enjoy the shiny music videos and synchronised dancing.

Mamamoo – Don’t let the slightly silly name fool you, this girl-group is actually a lot cooler than you’d think. Known for their retro sound, Mamamoo are known for being a vocal powerhouse and are considered some of the best live performers.

Photo by Hancinema via Wiki Commons

Kpop music videos are well known for being high-quality productions and are considered as important as the song itself.

Normally called “MVs”, the videos are essential to the Kpop scene and easily put Western music videos to shame. Usually they are not made in-house; instead, there is a small group of production companies that make most of the MV’s.

Photo by Hey Day via Wiki Commons

WORDS BY: EMILIA JANSSON

Kpop Kpop as as an an international international success success

DESIGN BY: YL TANG

Twice – A rival girlgroup to Blackpink, this nine-member group was formed through a reality TV show where girls compete to score a place in the group. The South Korean president used one of heir songs as his jingle during the presidential elections in 2017.

BLACKPINK – The girlgroup was formed by YG entertainment in 2016 nd have achieved massive success in South Korea and worldwide. Their latest song “Ddu-du Ddu-du” is the most watched Kpop music video on Youtube ever. You can catch them at Coachella later this year.

Photo by YG Entertainment via Flickr

Photo by Delicato JJ via Wiki Commons

Big Bang – The four-piece are considered the legends of Kpop and were the first Korean artists to enter Forbes 30 under 30 list of most influential musicians in the world In 2017. The group is currently on hiatus as members complete their mandatory military service.

BACKGROUND PHOTO BY: JORDON CONNER ON UNSPLASH

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WORDS AND DESIGN BY: RIMANTE BIVAINYTE

L

et’s talk about cultural appropriation. For the past couple of years various fashion brands faced public backlash against cultural appropriation. Gucci’s Autumn/Winter 2018 collection in Milan received massive attention not only for its unique and dystopian looks but also for excessive use of a turban on nonSikh models, the majority of them being white. Marc Jacobs, in 2017, used dreadlocks on white models for his collection, while, during the same year, Victoria Secret for its annual show demonstrated white models in Native American headdresses.

I could list a number of different brands and fashion houses that have been criticized for the usage of traditional and cultural clothing items for their fashion shows and collections, however, the question stands: where is the boundary between appreciating foreign cultures and abusing them?

Well, first of all, let’s look at what ‘cultural appropriation’ actually means. The Oxford Dictionary defines this phrase as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.” This can be applied in any kind of industry and field whether that be the food, music or film industry. However, the biggest backlash was faced by the fashion and celebrity culture. Looking at the particular fashion brands, designers were prone to incorporate various cultures into their clothing items, such as African hair and accessories, Slavic patterns, Chinese ornaments and particular shades that are given to the imperial history of China (e. g. Rihanna and her Met Gala look in 2015). There is a great deal of other applications of customs, nevertheless, the haute couture demonstrations of ‘integrated’ collections very often lack of diversity among models which lead to overly sensitive and exaggerated opinions in media platforms.

The word “diversity” is beginning to be seen as a more banal concept with the breakthrough of new gender norms, freedom of speech and the representation of minorities, however, in contemporary society, diversity is continuing to be one of the most vital and dominant elements. For instance, let’s look at Marc Jacobs and his 2017 Autumn/Winter collection. The brand received ample opinions on the internet criticizing famous models and designers for the specific look that sparked sensitive and angry comments.

Yes, as white models, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner wore dreadlocks, yet Marc Jacobs made a valid comment responding to the mass reaction, saying “funny how you don’t criticise women of colour for straightening their hair”. At this situation, all of us can take sides, whether to support Marc Jacobs arguments or specific cultures where dreadlocks originated from, despite that, there is a bigger issue that might still dominate multiple industries which is a power struggle. Sercan Delice, a lecturer from London College of Fashion, noted that cultural appropriation happens due to power inequalities between different cultures, emphasizing that even at this day white people and various institutions have much more power than those of colour.

On a positive note, I believe that being inspired by various cultures to create new makeup looks and patterned fabrics is a great way to elevate those particular countries and their traditions as well as to honour them and, eventually, encourage progressive diversity. Moreover, it is important to set boundaries here and try not to repeat Victoria Secret’s example of “sexy Indian” - Karlie Kloss wearing suede bikini and a massive feathered headdress representing Native American culture. It is critical to research the culture and its features to create trendy clothing pieces as well as not to try to make it cheap and vulgar. Famous Belgian designer, Dries Van Noten, once stated that, ‘You can’t just do whatever you want.

When it’s sacred, when it’s religious, you have to be careful. It’s not just an object. It’s important that it feels honest.’ To be culturally appreciative is vitally important to be delicate and subtle as well as respectful towards rich and cultural civilizations and their customs.

FASHION & BEAUTY

Cultural Appropriation or Recognition?

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Red Carpet Fashion WORDS BY: JESS ROBERTS

DESIGN BY: URSZULA RODAKOWSKA

With a new year comes a new awards season, where the best films of the year are voted upon and celebrated in lavish, A-list ceremonies.

However, judging from tabloid coverage, you

could be forgiven for thinking that it is the fashion that is being scrutinised, rather than the films. Take the Daily Mail’s coverage of this year’s Golden Globes, where Olivia Colman was described as being “a far cry from her dowdy portrayal of Queen Anne in a mesh shoulderless black gown” in an article headline, rather than as that night’s Best Actress winner. A piece from the same event describes Killing Eve stars Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as leading the glamour, rather than the talent, giving a clear hint as to the Daily Mail’s priorities in their reporting. However, this is just the positive coverage. Journalists appear to take delight in savaging the fashion choices of awards ceremony attendees, with headlines describing the red carpet as being “flooded with neon nightmares, tulle terrors, and awful animal print”. USA Today compared Lucy Liu’s dress to a skin disease, and referred to the “alien-esque nightgown” and “unflattering babydoll silhouette” of Kate Mara, who was later revealed to be pregnant. Could they not have given the woman a break?

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There has been a growing backlash against the image-focused coverage of women on the red carpet, frequently led by the actresses themselves. At 2014’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, Best Female Actor winner Cate Blanchett took exception to E!’s red carpet camera, which panned slowly and lasciviously down her dress, demanding, “Do you do this to the guys?” There have also been times when red carpet coverage is not only superficial but downright infantile. Take E! News’ infamous Mani-Cam, a set-up where actresses were encouraged to walk their fingers down a mini red carpet to show off their manicures and jewellery to the camera. The Guardian’s Hadley Freeman described the Mani-Cam as a way of “ensuring not an inch of [the actresses’] bodies remain unjudged by the public”. While originally accepted as part of the general red carpet pantomime, the Mani-Cam eventually became an emblem of the shallow treatment given to women at such events, and at the 2015 SAG Awards, actresses including Jennifer Aniston and Julianne Moore point-blank refused to take part. By the Oscars ceremony the following month, the Mani-Cam was no more.

As part of the growing backlash against demeaning, shallow red carpet coverage, the Representation Project pioneered the #AskHerMore movement in 2015, intending to empower people to reject sexist red carpet reporting and instead to suggest more meaningful questions based on women’s achievements, such as “what accomplishment are you most proud of?”, or “what potential do filmmakers and characters have to make change in the world?” Reese Witherspoon embraced the project, describing it to ABC as “a movement to say we’re more than just our dresses”. However, in 2017, knowing that the media was still intent on discussing fashion over social and political causes, the Time’s Up movement subverted the intense focus on women’s outfits on the red carpet, when women wore black to the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs to signify their support for the movement. It was the definition of a fashion statement, where dresses were used to make a real impact and send a message of solidarity. This was of course facilitated by the media’s history of paying more attention to what women were wearing than what they were saying, and so the Time’s Up red carpet blackout was all the more impactful - after all, who would notice if all the men had showed up in black?

The intense double standards applied to women’s appearances with those of men have led to almost laughable discrepancies in acceptable red carpet attire. When attending a promotional photo-call in 2015, Selena Gomez wore a strapless red silk dress and gold Louboutins, only for her male costars to show up looking like they’d been interrupted whilst doing the decorating, with Adam Sandler clad in a baggy t-shirt and trainers, and Kevin James in a baseball hat and shorts. Commentators wondered why women were expected to make so much effort, while the men’s lacklustre attire was accepted. This was repeated three years later, when Jennifer Lawrence posed in a strappy, low-cut Versace dress with a thigh-high split, surrounded by her four male co-stars, all of whom were covered up in at least three layers to ward off London’s February weather. The discrepancy didn’t go unnoticed, and sparked an online discussion of the different expectations for men and women. However, Jennifer Lawrence defended her dress, writing on Facebook, “that Versace dress was fabulous, you think I’m going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf? I was outside for five minutes. I would have stood in the snow for that dress because I love fashion and that was my choice.”

As Jennifer Lawrence’s defence suggests, some of the criticism of red carpet coverage implies that the women themselves have no autonomy, and are forced into obeying the unspoken rules of Hollywood media. However, some have harnessed the power of fashion to use for their own benefit. Vanity Fair described how Lupita Nyong’o was a Hollywood newcomer when she was nominated for 12 Years a Slave, but through her ‘fresh, modern, and compellingly confident’ choices in clothing, she became ‘an immediate favourite in the film and fashion worlds’. Her red carpet fashion choices made her stand out, and made others sit up and take notice. Following her Oscar win, Nyong’o starred in blockbuster hits like the Star Wars sequels and Black Panther, and also became the face of Miu Miu and Calvin Klein, and was the first black woman to become the face of Lancôme.

Other actresses have used fashion as a way to express themselves, such as Letitia Wright, who attended the Met Gala in a dress inspired by Ethiopian pastors to demonstrate her Christian beliefs, or Tiffany Haddish, who wore a traditional Eritrean dress to the Oscars to honour her father’s heritage.

Thanks to the intense media scrutiny of clothing choices, women are able to use the media spotlight to shine a light on causes close to their hearts.

While red carpet fashion has traditionally been in the domain of women, menswear is also gaining media attention. The traditional suit or tuxedo is of course still a red carpet staple, but recently more men have been experimenting sartorially, like Chadwick Boseman’s prints and outerwear, or Donald Glover’s twist on 70s style. More dramatic was Ezra Miller’s floor-length twist on the puffer coat, complete with black lipstick, which sparked headlines like the Independent’s ‘An ode to Ezra Miller’s fashion sense – the style icon we all need’. Other young actors like Timothee Chalamet, who wore a Louis Vuitton embroidered bib to the Golden Globes and leather trousers to the SAG Awards, are becoming staples on the front row of fashion shows. Media coverage is also turning its gaze towards menswear, as men are appearing in both ‘best-dressed’ and ‘worst-dressed’ lists, and GQ magazine features a weekly rundown of the best-dressed men of the past seven days. In 2018 Esquire magazine held their own ‘Style Trials’, an online tournament where voters could choose between the fashion efforts of pairings like Tom Hardy vs Daniel Craig, or Harry Styles vs Tom Hiddleston. However, as men’s hairstyles aren’t quite as elaborate as women’s, and as most men aren’t wearing dramatic make-up on the red carpet, general men’s fashion reporting is still far less in depth, and therefore equality still has quite some way to go.

It’s obvious that the fashion industry continues to play a key role in awards season, and it’s been pointed out that in trying to bypass the focus on fashion, the work of an entire team is being neglected, with the efforts of stylists, designers, and dressmakers going unsung. Designer Tom Ford argued that the #AskHerMore campaign failed to acknowledge the lengthy process involved in creating a red carpet gown, explaining to Yahoo Style that “people do spend months and make 5 dresses for them and send them. If you wear one of those dresses and a company has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars, or has paid you. Yeah, you say who it is, of course”. It’s clear then that a balance is required, where the immense effort behindthe-scenes is acknowledged and rewarded, without making those being photographed feel like dehumanised mannequins.

In The Hollywood Reporter, stylist Karla Welch suggested in response to #AskHerMore, “how about ask her both? Feminism and turning it out on the carpet shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. There needed to be a backlash to mani-cams and, to be honest, there could be some better journalism from fashion experts”. Fashion can evidently be used to make a statement, whether it’s containing a deeper meaning or to draw attention to a particular cause, and therefore it’s natural that reporters should ask questions about this. However, as most women have been invited to an awards ceremony for a reason, surely it’s at least sensible and polite to ask firstly about the achievements that have brought them there? After all, it’s talent and acclaim that creates the need for awards ceremonies, not purely superficiality, and in a world striving for respect and equality, it would be refreshing to see this recognised by the media.

FASHION & BEAUTY

It’s understandable then that stars have felt the immense pressure of the red carpet and the sea of photographers. Carey Mulligan told Psychologies Magazine that she “hated all of it - the interviews, the red carpets. I used to get to the end of a red carpet and start crying - I felt so uncomfortable”. In the Huffington Post, Blake Lively said that she had to pretend to be someone else as a coping strategy, saying “I am so not confident on the red carpet…

This [Met Gala] red carpet is always so scary”. Meanwhile, Evan Rachel Wood explained to E! that she had decided to wear suits on the red carpet as a response to the red carpet expectations, as she “felt pressure a lot of times that I had to look or dress a certain way, especially growing up in the industry. I’m not trying to protest dresses, but I wanted to make sure that young girls and women knew that they aren’t a requirement, and that you don’t have to wear one if you don’t want to”.

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Paint & Jewelery PHOTOSHOOT

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Luisa De la Concha Montes MODELS: Meg Sharma Polly Denny Sai Zhang Mengyang (Eva) PAINT: Janaki Selvaratnam

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63 FASHION & BEAUTY PAINT BY BROOKEPINK4 VIA FLICKR

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As a young child, proudly armed with my £1 pocket money, a brazen 6-year-old Katie would often be let loose to rampage through the Woolworths pick ‘n’ mix section. My hair would be parted into bunches at the mercy of two fuchsia pink scrunchies and my chubby fingers would shovel mini egg after mini egg into those striped paper bags. I would go as far as to say that the death of Woolworths back in 2008 was the first significant loss in my life, and I think I am still yet to fully recover.

In our digital age, it’s no secret that the concrete jungle of shops that makes up the high street is in tight competition with online-only brands.

Former giants in UK retail like BHS, Toys R Us and, more recently, HMV, are seemingly stuck in a newfound domino effect, all falling victim to the repercussions of online shopping. A shift in consumer behaviour has seen online companies like ASOS and Boohoo dominate the spending chain, with larger brands that once felt secure amongst our high streets slowly vanishing off the shopping agenda.

An obvious reason behind the consequential writing of the retail obituary comes down to the ease and convenience of the online shopping experience. From the comfort of your own duvet, you can avoid the queues and chaos of shopping centres and with speedy delivery your items can be on your doorstep – or possibly in your wheelie bin if Hermes are involved – at the click of a button. Furthermore, online clothing sites allow you to search for specific items, with all their products sectioned up into specific categories allowing customers to avoid shifting through rail after rail in search of the perfect pair of jeans.

Now, I too can absolutely understand the appealability of the online market. I regret to admit that I am on a first name basis with my ASOS delivery driver after ordering over 40 dresses in the weeks leading up to my Year 11 Prom (thank you for always having my back Martin). But nobody wants to witness the repercussions that the death of the high street has the potential to wreak on jobs, livelihoods and local communities.

So, we need to consider what brands can do to ensure their online and offline performance are tailored to boosting their retail success.

1.

In-store deals & events The introduction of different deals through which customers can save more whilst they shop could be a successful catalyst in increasing instore custom. Buyers often have access to site-only deals and flipping this on its head would mean customers could find a new incentive to go shopping at their nearest store. Moreover, here in Cardiff shops like Lush and Topshop often host in-store events to promote their latest products.

This is a successful way in giving stores an increase in custom whilst also promoting their own produce. Finally, in the same way in which café’s like Costa and Caffe Nero give customers their own loyalty card, another suggestion might be the introduction of loyalty cards for clothing consumers who can earn rewards for regular spending in store.

2.

Opening for longer hours With a large majority of people working in 9-5 jobs, the decision for shops to shut during the early hours of the evening often restricts when people can cash in on the latest styles. Not only would longer opening hours make shopping more accessible to full-time workers, but it would also increase shift lengths for retail workers and, thus, open up further opportunities for increasing the number of employees and jobs available in these stores.

3.

Merging the online with the offline Here I’m thinking along the lines of a McDonalds meal ordering screens but for clothes. If shops introduced an online aspect to their stores it may provide a more instant experiences for customers. Systems could be put in place where consumers could look up the products available in that store in their different categories, as well as demonstrating whether or not items are available in their size. This combines the easy layout of online shopping with the convenience of being in store to try items on. Linking to this technological aspect, brands also need to appeal to their online audiences to a greater extent. Digital technology is such a powerful tool and creating eye-catching product shots and editorials could be another method in which stores could drive up sales.

4.

Make shopping more of an experience A trip to the shopping centre used to create the same sense of excitement as a family day trip. Shops need to replicate this experience feel – perhaps with the introduction of different activities to keep children entertained, or, the placement of cafes and coffee shops to give people an excuse to spend more time there. This kind of thing is seen in shops like IKEA, which is not only famous for its homeware but also for its kids creche and Swedish meatballs!

5.

Sharing Overheads A final idea that might be an option implemented in the future is the sharing of overheads. If numerous shops came together under the same roof, it not only splits the cost of overheads but also increases convenience for shoppers who can find a wide range of products and stores in one space. This is already seen with stores under the same management such as Monsoon and Accessorize as well as Topshop and Miss Selfridge – but could be expanded to include other retail brands.

Although it’s clear that we won’t be attending the looming funeral of our beloved high street just yet, we can expect a change in the way shopping works to mirror this new change in consumer behaviour. Hopefully retail isn’t set on self-destruct, and a development in the shopping experience will see an adaption in shopping behaviour to allow brands to thrive both online and off.

WORDS & DESIGN BY: KATIE MAY HUXTABLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY: GATO-GATO-GATO VIA FLICKR BOTTOM RIGHT IMAGE BY JOHN HENDERSON VIA FLICKR

FASHION & BEAUTY

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his winter break, I spent many hours strolling aimlessly through winding high streets in search of some post-Christmas bargains.

Yet, in and amongst the striking abundance of sale signs, I soon became aware of the prominent appearance of one particular statement – one that was often framed by the glass windows of shopping outlets. “Closing Soon” it would read, prompting me to remember a reoccurring narrative in recent news bulletins: a narrative that hinted of declining sales, well-known shops falling into administration, and the echo of the imminent death of the high street.

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High Tech Fashion HOW TECHNOLOGY IS REDEFINING THE FASHION INDUSTRY

WORDS BY: YANA-MARIA MILCHEVA DESIGN BY: YANA-MARIA MILCHEVA

The digital revolution of the past two decades has completely transformed our everyday lives- the way we communicate, work, travel and meet new people. Now, technology is on its way to redefine the fashion industry as well, combining digital innovation with art and design. Here are some of the major trends in High Tech Fashion which are promising to change the economy behind this milliondollar industry and, hopefully, make fashion accessible to all:

Trendy for a day: the rise of the Fashion Rental Economy The sharing economy has already disrupted the travel, food and accommodation industries.

Companies such as Uber, Deliveroo and Airbnb leverage the power of technology to provide access to various services within a community based online platform. The whole idea behind the sharing economy model is to utilise online data in order to share physical assets as services- such as cars, apartments, and food. Technology has the potential of moving the fashion industry away from unsustainable ways of production and distribution towards a more streamlined, transparent business model.

So, is the fashion industry ready to adapt to the digital economy, by using social media and data analytics tools to create innovative purchasing experiences?

Well, according to Jennifer Hyman, founder of the fashion rental company Rent the Runway, the industry is ready to enter the era of technology. Nine years ago, Rent the Runway became the first online fashion rental service, offering female customers an affordable and short-term alternative to splurging on a designer garment they are only going to wear once.

“Buy less. Wear More. Be you” is the company’s motto, offering its customers a “closet in the cloud” that takes virtually no space and that is tailored to their budget and style. Rent the Runway offers the option of an Unlimited subscription, allowing customers to rent unlimited pieces on rotation and swap them at any time, with no return dates.

It’s safe to say that Rent the Runway has brought in a new era for the fashion industry, acknowledging consumers’ increased preference for engaging with brands online.

For many, shopping for clothes is not just a financial transaction, but an experience that allows them to develop their personal style.

Some might argue that buying or renting clothes online cannot compare to the feel of entering a high-end designer store and being offered a glass of champagne while choosing a new dress. However, online retailers have started integrating virtual fitting rooms within their websites, which allow customers to have the same kind of experience they would in a store, from the comfort of their own home.

Augmented Reality and eCommerce Smart fitting technologies like Virtusize make online clothes shopping easy, enabling buyers to choose the right size by measuring a favourite item at home and comparing the garments.

Going one step further, virtual fitting rooms provide maximum accuracy for customers when shopping online, enabling them to conduct a 3D body scan using their smartphones on VR glasses. With technology such as the Webcam Social Shopper, online retailers can create an interactive, highly customisable experience for today’s digital shopper.

Virtual Reality on the High Street With that in mind, many physical retailers have started to adopt various high-tech solutions in order to improve the in-store experience.

In 2016, Rebecca Minkoff introduced a selfcheckout option in her Soho store, to appeal to the Millennial customers who are looking for a quick and seamless shopping experience.

This is not the only digital innovation adopted by the brand- customers in the Soho store can also change colours and sizing of different items through a system installed in the fitting rooms, without having to seek the assistance of the store’s staff.

Immersive experiences are being adopted by high street retailers at an exponential rate. In 2016, Nike’s SoHo store redefined the physical shopping experience by installing a treadmill surrounded by screens, on which people can choose different environment to run in while testing out trainers. The store also had a mini basketball court and a football pitch, giving customers the chance to test out trainers on the appropriate turf. Incorporating virtual reality experiences into physical stores is retailers’ response to the growing popularity of online shopping, aiming to draw customers’ attention by reinventing the traditional shopping experience.

Similarly, in 2017 Topshop partnered up with the design studio YourStudio to create a water slide pop-up in its Oxford Street store. Customers had the opportunity to sit on a physical water slide while wearing a VR headset, allowing them to take a ‘magical’ journey around Oxford Street. The immersive experience was further enhanced by the store’s interactive window displays which projected seagull sounds. According to Tom Edington, YourStudio’s associate director, this experience attracted over 400 visitors to the store per day, resulting in increased sales for the retailer.

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Technological Textile

Innovation

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Despite the rapid innovation of how clothing is designed and marketed, the actual production of the garments has remained a relatively low-tech process.

From the raw materials, to textile manufacturing, to putting the pieces together and shipping them to their retail location, the long production process makes the fashion industry the second largest polluter after palm oil. Marrying science and technology with fashion design will ensure that the industry continues evolving within the digital era, while also adopting a more sustainable method of production:

1.LED textiles- from the red carpet to high-fashion

shows, LED textiles have become increasingly popular over the past few years. This type of textiles requires LEDs that run on bulbs, which can be directly sewn or embroidered onto the fabric. The most recent technological advancements have enabled designers to go one step further, programming the lights to change colour or blink. In case you are up for a DIY project, you can customise your clothes with varioussized lights and batteries, which can be sewn using conductive thread that doesn’t require wires.

Back in 2012, the “Pretty Smart Exhibition” travelling around Europe showcased how technology, fashion and art can be combined for the production of innovative electronic textiles: the exhibition featured 16 works and seven interactive samples, among which a clear LED Dress, created by Evelyn Lebis. The dress is made out of three pieces: a bodice, tutu, and a sleeveless blazer. The bodice includes embroidery with glow-inthe-dark yarns that light up when bright artificial light is shined on them, and the blazer is woven with stretch fibers and yarn made out of PMMA- a type of clear plastic that’s often used as a replacement for glass.

2. Smart clothing and wearable tech-

Weaving technology into wearable garments. is a continuously-evolving trend. Nicky Assmann, an artist studying music at The Royal Conservatory and Academy in Hague, has created a Musical Circuit Dress made out of circuit boards, which, according to the designer, resemble a city map. The circuit dress can also be a musical instrument- 12 coils are incorporated into it, each of which is played by connecting it to one another through copper finger plates. The music is being composed as the fingers explore the dress and can be heard through the speakers on the front of the dress.

The dress aims to prove that the innards of a technology device can be presented as something artistic and beautiful, encouraging people to see the beauty in places where they wouldn’t normally search for it.

As innovative as it might be, the circuit dress is not exactly a piece one can incorporate in their everyday wardrobe. However, ‘smart clothing’ appropriate for everyday wear is on its way to the mass consumer market.

Google has developed a technology named Project Jacquard, which is composed of conductive fabric woven into the garment, creating an interactive patch that senses touch and pressure. The search engine giant has teamed up with Levis to bring its innovative vision to consumers. The Levis Commuter jacket contains a weave of the Jacquard interactive threading on the left arm, along with a Bluetooth-enabled loop that connects to the cuff of the jacket. That cuff enables the wearer to connect their phone to the jacket and determine what gestures to trigger which apps.

For example, you can use a swiping gesture to adjust the volume of your music or get navigation directions from Google Maps. Since the Commuter jacket was initially designed as a biking jacket, the purpose of these features was to enable bikers to control their phones safely while riding. The best part? The jacket’s fabric is the same as the classic Levi’s denim jacket, meaning that it can be washed and treated as any other piece of clothing.

Last but not least… robots on the runway?

When talking about high tech fashion, we must pay homage to the innovators who have inspired the modern-day marriage between fashion and technology. Alexander McQueen’s Spring 1999 show was almost a prophecy of the close relation fashion and technology are going to have in the new millennia. The show, under the theme of the Arts and Crafts movement, was closed by model Shalom Harlow, emerging on a revolving wooden platform wearing a white strapless dress.

As Harlow twirled slowly onto the platform, two robots sprayed her with green, yellow and black paint. By creating a stark contrast between the daintiness and elegancy of the garments and the hostile-looking robots, McQueen elevated his work to an interactive experience that audiences can remember even after the season’s gone and the trends have passed.

From the evolution of online retail, to the incorporation of technology within the production and design of clothes- the fashion industry has entered a new era when it comes to its methods of production, distribution and marketing. As the lines between the two industries continue to blur, it is exciting to see how high-tech fashion is going to become an essential part of our everyday lives.

Whether through VR shopping experiences or innovative smart clothing, the fashion industry is on its way to becoming much more inclusive of different people’s tastes and lifestyles, which will guarantee its longevity in the digital era.

FASHION & BEAUTY

The interest for such projects is a further testament that customers are no longer looking for just practicality and convenience when shopping. They want to spend money equally on products and experiences, and fashion retailers are on the right track of satisfying their targeted customers’ needs.

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BOOK 2 SCREEN THE MARTIAN, by Josh Ong In terms of book-to-screen adaptations, I certainly believe that The Martian stands as one of the finest examples of how to translate across the two mediums well without a substantial loss of quality.

Andy Weir's original novel The Martian is fairly well rooted into the scientific end of the sci-fi genre, with obvious homages to the work of Douglas Adams interwoven throughout. There is something particularly alluring about the book to someone who was traditionally disillusioned with classic literature; perhaps this can be attributed to Weir’s background as a software engineer before creating his debut work. However, the depth which the book delves into some of the numbers and mathematics throughout is something which, from a first impression, would be assumed to be particularly difficult to incorporate into a film without sounding like you’re doing a Rain Man impression.

Furthermore, in terms of the basic premise of the film, an abandoned Matt Damon in need of rescue is far from a new concept; so what makes The Martian stand out in comparison to the fairly saturated rescuing-Matt-Damon market? Much of its

success can be found through how director Ridley Scott harnessed and translated the comedy which lies at the very heart of Weir’s book.

The film is undoubtedly a child of Hollywood. From cast through to visuals, the success of The Martian in providing a gripping story line that works on a mass consumer scale across both mediums, mostly untouched, with the exception of minor ineffectual creative liberties, is one which must be praised.

In terms of how the film ranks up against the book, it is genuinely a very tough call. As mentioned earlier, I’m often one who struggles to finish any book. The Martian, alongside The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was one of the few pieces that kept me hooked from Page One through to the end. When it comes to the film, it’s one of those that I can remorselessly re-watch without any sense of impending boredom. It’s too close of a call to make; they both deserve their time in the limelight. The coherence between the two across the mediums is something I have yet to have seen matched. If you’ve only experienced one of the two, you’re certainly depriving yourself of the full picture that is on offer.

FIGHT CLUB by Victoria Bond A personal favourite of mine, the screen adaptation of Fight Club has stood the test of time. From its first release in 1999, this unorthodox and somewhat transgressive film still shocks and entertains film-lovers to this day, and is now even regarded as a cult classic. This begs the question: what is it about this film that is so captivating and just how successful can we deem this screen adaptation to be?

In short, the screen adaptation of Fight Club is very faithful to Palahniuk’s original novel of the same name, which was released only three years prior to the film. In fact, Palahniuk himself regards the film as an improvement on his original text.

As somebody who read the book after watching the film, I would have to agree with Palahniuk. As disturbing as the book already is, the visual aspect of film helps bring these violent images to life. Throughout, we are bombarded with images of depravity, madness and brutality, all of which take us deeper into the mind of the unnamed protagonist played by Edward Norton and we as the viewer become encapsulated within the world that Tyler creates.

On the subject of Tyler, Brad Pitt’s performance in this film is arguably the best performance of his career. Whilst we are given the false impression of Norton’s character being in control of the narrative, it is in fact Tyler who drives the action. He is anarchic, desirable, effortlessly cool and dangerously persuasive. He dominates every single shot he is in, exemplifying the wild energy of Tyler as a character and ultimately, reflecting the power and control he has over the mind of the protagonist. If there is any reason to watch Fight Club, it would be for Brad Pitt’s performance.

I would definitely recommend both reading the novel and watching the film as they both stand as significant and commendable pieces of art. In fact, the novel and the film have alternative endings, and this alone should be a main motive for doing so.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS by Sallie Phillips The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2006 novel originally by Irish author John Boyne, set against the backdrop of the Holocaust, made into a 2008 film of the same name. The plots follow an almost identical arc, in that the film adaptation does not stray far from the original plot line.

wire fence. Like the novel, the film takes the audience on a journey of innocence lost in a world of ignorance. The ending, although horrific and tragic, serves to highlight this sweet tale of innocent friendship against the backdrop of one of the most horrific massacres in history.

The plot’s subject matter, the Holocaust, is obviously extremely heavy, and therefore it was important that the film followed the book accurately. The adaptation keeps the same childlike, innocent tone of the book, as it is seen through the eyes of the two boys – German Hugo, son of the concentration camp’s Commandant, and Jewish Shmuel, a prisoner in the ‘Outwith’ (Auschwitz) camp – as their friendship grows throughout the novel.

For me, given the story’s subject matter, it was vital that the film adaptation followed the book very closely, as its historical background made drastically changing the original plot difficult and risky. To that end, I felt that this adaptation of the novel was very accurate, and was, even if difficult at times, touching to watch.

Mark Herman’s adaptation really brought Boyne’s descriptions of life in the camp through a child’s eyes to life. The ending in particular was interesting to watch – its tragic nature followed the book exactly, yet the film was able to confirm it perhaps more so than the book and leave the audience in no doubt, therefore evoking a more intense reaction to the somewhat ambiguous novel ending.

Like in the book, Hugo remains innocent of the true goings on around him, and therefore fails to understand why his new friend Shmuel is kept on one side of a

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A book to screen transition that hasn’t gone without its controversy is Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, The Shining. King himself has expressed his displeasure at the direction Kubrick decided to take the film, simply saying “I didn’t care for it much”.

Notable aspects in King’s novel that I recall truly scaring me include Jack’s son Danny and his interactions with the inanimate objects in and around the hotel that suddenly came to life before him. Specifically, the instances in which Danny witnesses the hedge animals moving slightly before gradually gaining consciousness, along with the elevator coming to life, were both utterly terrifying.

Considering these are, what I would consider, the most memorable moments of the novel, I was slightly disappointed to discover that they aren’t included in the screen adaptation. In fact, Danny’s powers in the film are extremely downplayed compared to their vital role in the novel. King creates a sense of urgency in his original version, as the hotel is seemingly alive and wants to rid Danny of his powers. Before Danny enters the hotel, he has visions of everything supernatural that will happen, including the famous ‘REDRUM’ message.

Danny’s only interactions with the supernatural in the film, however, include two things that weren’t included in King’s novel: the Grady twins and the elevator

doors opening to a flood of blood.

Although Kubrick’s alterations are not true to the original source material, the Grady twins and the elevator doors are some of the most significant iconography when you ask anyone about their knowledge of The Shining.

Other additions that worked in Kubrick’s favour are Jack’s incessant typing of the phrase ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’, and the universally recognisable catchphrase - improvised by Jack Nicholson - “Here’s Johnny!”

Furthermore, In the novel, Jack leaving the boiler on ends in the explosion of The Overlook and his death. In the film, however, Jack freezes to death in an attempt to hunt down his family in an outdoor maze amidst a snowstorm, leaving The Overlook intact.

Although, admittedly, Kubrick didn’t include various important aspects from King’s novel, I must admit that some of his changes are truly brilliant additions. I personally favour the film’s ending, as I believe the fact that The Overlook remains undemolished creates a much spookier, unsettling ending, as we never know who may enter and encounter the supernatural next.

THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Saoirse O’Connor Rarely have I had such mixed views of an adaptation of a beloved book as I am with The Golden Compass, the 2007 adaptation of the first instalment of the His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman. I was enchanted by Lyra Silvertongue and her cohort from the opening lines, and of course enthralled by the idea of daemons.

It’s a shadowy book filled with greys and blurred lines, where enemies love you as fiercely as your friends and where our beloved protagonist is herself a ferocious liar. The twist at the end of the book wrenched my heart out and left me deeply concerned about the motivations of everyone around me (this lasted only until the next appearance of Iorek Byrnisen, and yes, the bear was the best adult in the book). Rarely has a book meant for children had as much depth and layers, almost like the alethiometer itself.

Yet how far the mighty fall. The film is an obelisk to style over substance, the essence of the book seemed to trickle away with every passing minute of the film. The steampunk take on the gyrocopters and zeppelins of Lyra’s world were beautiful, but there was no depth. The weakness of the good guys and the conflictions of

the bad guys was lost amongst the glitz of the all-star cast. There was never any doubt that the good guys would win, and the bad guys were just bad. Only Nicole Kidman brought any real depth to Mrs Coulter, a mother who hurts other people’s children - what could be more nuanced? The exclusion of the Roger’s murder at the hands of Lord Asriel (the book has been out for over two decades, guys, it’s not a spoiler), robbed the emotional punch of the book and instead sacrificed it to a schmaltzy ‘everything will be ok’ ending.

Yet I still love this movie. For reasons I could not explain in a court of law, I love its melodrama, lack of any real threat and odd plotting which moves events for no real reason. Maybe it’s because Eva Green is really hot in this film, maybe its nostalgia or maybe it’s because there’s a new TV adaptation on the way so I can once again bask in this inaccurate trash. Regardless this will not be the film that convinces me to abandon my healthy distrust of book adaptations.

MALCOLM X by Yasmin Begum The Autobiography of Malcolm X was a joint writing effort between author and solicitor Alex Hayley and renowned black activist Malcolm X. The book was published the same year as Malcolm X’s death, 1965, and has enduringly remained one of, if not the most, powerful autobiographies of the 20th century.

It was adapted to film nearly 30 year later by Spike Lee. The film, entitled Malcom X, tracks the activist’s life, from his birth and youth in Omaha, to his incarceration, conversion to the Nation of Islam, and finally, his conversion to Sunni Islam. This marked a huge change in both his religious and political attitudes.

Lee’s film is widely considered an extremely well-written and well-directed adaptation of the book. The chronology lines up perfectly with the book, and film is generally a more accessible a medium than the written word.

I watched the film with a friend who did not have a black and minority ethnic background. In one powerful scene, Malcolm X examines the negative connotations of the word ‘black’ in the dictionary whilst he’s in prison. Afterwards, whilst having previously expressed confusion at the state of racial tension in the USA, my friend claimed that he had gained a valuable understanding of the issue. Film is a brilliant tool to discuss topics like race, class, gender: and Lee has done a magnificent job in his adaptation of Malcom X’s and Hayley’ book.

DESIGN BY: EMILY STANTON

FILM & TV

THE SHINING by Nicole Rees-Williams

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WORDS BY: JOHN JONES DESIGN BY: ROWAN LEES PHOTOGRAPHY BY: WARWICK SAINT

In 2015, writer and activist April Reign coined the term #OscarsSoWhite with a tweet reading “#OscarsSoWhite, they asked to touch my hair” causing the tweet to go viral. It’s still popular, but three years on, to what extent has racial equality been achieved in Hollywood?

The Academy has publicly promised to double the number of women and black and minority ethnic members. This year’s nominations are a nod to #OscarsSoWhite, but the cohort of nominees were still overwhelmingly white and male, with members of colour being statistically underrepresented in the Academy.

The issue of ethnic representation is just one of several popular focal points for discussion that have emerged over the past few years. The #MeToo movement, for example, took centre stage at the 2018 Oscars. Less than six months after revelations about Harvey Weinstein broke, actresses Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd took to the stage while presenting an award to talk about their experiences, with Judd ending her speech by announcing “Time’s Up!”.

One memorable moment of the 2017 Oscars was Warren Beatty incorrectly announcing La La Land as Best Picture. One star of the true victor, Moonlight, will also be at this year’s awards, as Mahershala Ali is nominated for Best Supporting Actor his role in Green Book. A huge talking point during this year’s awards season, the film looks at the relationship between classical musical virtuoso Dr Don Shirley (Ali) and his Italian-American driver, Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) as they drive through the American South for a series of concerts in the 1960s. However, late Dr Shirley’s family are not happy with the film, claiming it is an inaccurate portrayal of his relationship with Vallelonga, and shows him to be more distant from his family than he actually was.

A favourite for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars is Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek, who is nominated for Best Leading Actor. However, allegations have recently come to light over sexual assault by director Bryan Singer on the set of the film, with young men coming forward in an exposé published by The Atlantic. Though he was replaced on set, with Dexter Fletcher stepping up to the plate, the Director’s Guild of America regulations stipulate that Singer is still the

credited director. Therefore, if he wins, the award will go to him and not Fletcher.

Four years after #OscarsSoWhite, and a year and a half after #MeToo, films like Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody continue to come under attack for facilitating issues that have long dogged Hollywood. Whilst an increasingly diverse American demographic is being slowly represented from the bottom-up in film and TV – with more people of colour employed as leads, directors and producers – there are clearly still problems. This year, no female directors were nominated at the Oscars, prompting calls for better representation, although there’s only so much work that can be done in less than five years.

The lack of women and ethnic minorities in institutions such as the Academy is a structural and institutional issue.

It exists through years of concerted efforts to keep out these groups, and there’s a deficit that must be addressed.

At the height of #OscarsSoWhite, black membership of the Academy was at 2%, whilst African-Americans make up 14.1% of the USA’s population. Even though membership has doubled since 2015, this figure still isn’t enough to reflect the American population at large. Power structures need to change to reflect the diversity of film, or else we are in danger of conversations on race and gender in films becoming just another box-ticking exercise.

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Colman Up Roses WORDS BY: ORLAGH TURNER DESIGN BY: ROWAN LEES

Olivia Colman is no stranger to our screens. The British born actress has delved into a plethora of genres, ranging from comedies to dramas, action to history and thrillers to crime, reflecting her versatility in the acting world.

She has effortlessly portrayed a number of complicated, yet comedically strong female roles, ranging from the indecisive Sophie in hit comedy Peep Show to timid Hannah, a wonderfully warm yet wrongfully abused character in her first major film Tyrannosaur. With multiple awards to her name, Colman has not been short of critical acclaim, which provokes the question: how has she transitioned from national comedy heroine to Hollywood star?

Gracing our screens as early as 2003 in the rib-achingly funny sitcom Peep Show, Colman shot to fame as the relatable, indecisive Sophie, who struggles to find love because of her difficulty in differentiating between her head and her heart. This is a typical storyline that we are all guilty of falling for which is all part and parcel as to why the character is such a loveable one. Her portrayal of such a human character is one that she clearly thrives in, providing an entertainingly believable character that we grow to cherish and is a major benefactor to the show’s comedic value. From this show, Colman went on to partake in award-winning films such as Tyrannosaur, The Orient Express and The Lobster. Each character has entirely different attributes, and yet she executes them admirably, highlighting her adaptability towards roles.

Yet it is her most recent endeavour that has got everyone talking. Colman plays a strong female lead in Oscarnominated film The Favourite (2018), as the disjointed, sexually elusive Queen Anne. The Queen becomes torn when her two maidens fight for her affections, which develops a toxicity in the film that is only neutralised by the effortless humour Colman executes. Her ability to formulate humour in such a formal setting is trademark of Colman, which can only be part of the reasons for her success. It provides an

entertaining yet scandalous outlook on the royal family that is difficult to master, all of which Colman manages to do so irresistibly. Her craft and careful depiction of Queen Anne makes this film highly entertaining and it is therefore no surprise that this film has already won a multitude of awards, with Colman even being nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Academy Awards, an honour which she has been widely speculated to win.

Her success is dedicated to her versatility, careful craft and emotional understanding of characters. Colman appreciates the beauty of effortless humour, finding a perfect balance between cringeworthy exaggeration and simplicity, something that is unique to her style of acting. She does this whilst expertly portraying the raw emotions us as humans empathize with, evoking heart-wrenching performances that are scarily realistic. She enrols in strong female leads, paving the way for younger actresses to achieve such roles in a male-orientated profession, reflecting her as an influential role in the acting industry. Her hard work and dedication to her occupation is reflected in the work she produces that leaves viewers wanting more.

However, it is not just her acting that makes her the true national treasure that she is. Despite her success,

Colman remains down to earth and humble, showing that not everyone is manipulated by the fame and fortune of Hollywood, which is increasingly rare in today’s society. I look forward to seeing more of what she has in store for us this year, as she forms part of the cast in the BBC’s adaptation of Les Miserable and plays Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s third series of The Queen.

72 WORDS BY: MEL LYNCH DESIGN BY: ELAINE TANG

One to Watch:

Asa Butterfield With a name like Butterfield, you’re destined to either be a children’s author or a powerhouse actor, and this issue’s “One to Watch” has comfortably cemented himself as the latter.

At only 21, Asa Butterfield boasts an impressive CV. A successful child actor, he appeared in his first feature film at the tender age of nine. The North London native then went on to receive a nomination for his first major award at only 11, for his iconic yet harrowing role as Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. In his formative years, Butterfield continued to break the box office with his lead role in Scorsese’s animated wonder Hugo, whilst his 2016 performance in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children earned him a Teen Choice Award nomination.

However, upon hitting his twenties, Butterfield has certainly upped his game further. For Netflix users, his name may be ringing a few bells for his recent role in the smash hit Sex Education, which hit our screens earlier this year. In fact, Sex Education was actually shot not far from Cardiff, and features some of our own students - keep your eyes peeled when scanning the extras! The programme gained raucous critical acclaim for its charming combination of warmth and vulgarity, with its key selling point being the addressal of important conversations that we all should be having about consent when it comes to sex and relationships.

Butterfield’s starring role as awkward Otis gained him a new fan base and critical acclaim for his heartfelt and tragically humorous performance.

This year, Butterfield is set to star alongside Maisie Williams in Then Came You, a Fault in Our Stars-esque teenage rom-com, and Greed, a star-studded satire about the super rich. By the sounds of it, 2019 is already shaping up to be a promising year for the young actor.

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There have been several titans in gaming, with brands like Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox duking it out at the top - but whatever happened to Atari?

Atari feels like almost a ghost within the gaming world; while the brand still exists today, they haven’t had any major game releases in years. It seems strange that a company who used to own the vast majority of the industry has plummeted to such lengths. Their rule was in a very young video game industry in North America, and as such, it was an environment that lacked the security and regulation of the one we have now. In many ways, these circumstances would lead to their demise.

An obvious reason for Atari’s downfall may be the lack of sales with their final console, the Atari Jaguar. What’s important to understand however is that the Atari who made the Jaguar was not the same company as the one that existed at the height of their influence in the early 80s. In reality, the original ‘Atari Inc’ had become defunct in 1984 when its parent company Warner Communications sold the developer’s assets to several other firms. This included what would become ‘Atari Corporation’, who would go on to make the Atari Jaguar, Lynx and 7800.

Atari Inc didn’t collapse on its own - the industry around them literally began crashing down under its own weight. In the early 1980s, Atari Inc was the biggest name in the gaming industry. Not only had they released arcade juggernauts like Pong, but they also revolutionized the market for home video game consoles. While they were not the first to develop the idea, their Atari 2600 would become the defining example of the concept quickly rising to 10 million in sales and giving Atari a large 75% ownership of the entire North American video game industry.

It showed people the potential of gaming at home, something that in modern times has surpassed the arcade and become one of the dominant forms of entertainment. This, however, is where trouble arose, as where there is success there is of course competition.

Soon after the 2600’s release, several other home consoles also came on to the market. These included the Intellivision, Coleco Vision, Magnavox Odyssey 2, Fairchild Channel F and many more. This was arguably the greatest problem plaguing the 80s.

Today, there is a choice of three fairly distinct home consoles - at this period there were over seven. With so many different options, it was far more difficult to register the differences between each system. This made buying a console seem impossible, heavily alienating many consumers who found the selection confusing.

The reason for this menagerie of machines was due to how trendy gaming was at the time. Video games were a brand-new market rising in profit at a rapid pace. Many corporations entered the market by quickly rushing out consoles and games amidst

a technological gold rush. In terms of the software itself, there was essentially no regulation of who could make a video game, nor were there laws on preventing the publishing of games for a console without approval from the console manufacturer.

The result was a flood of poorly made games, games that were direct plagiarisms of more popular games, games made by dog food companies, and games explicitly about lewd or sexual content, amongst others. There was no quality control, and in a world without the internet, there was no way to fully assess new games beforehand. This made audiences wary about spending their hard-earned money on cartridges, especially with the arcades still going strong. In the end, the video game market saw an enormous decline in sales, going from about $3.2 billion in worth to a mere $100 million, whilst profits staggered by 97 percent. This came to be known as the North American Video Game Crash of 1983, and the event forced several prominent gaming companies out of the industry with it, including Atari.

Not only was the games industry doing poorly, but Atari themselves were making terrible financial decisions. Atari’s plans for game releases to combat their numerous competitors were overambitious. This was first seen with the 2600 port of Pac-Man, in which they ordered 12 million copies despite the fact that they had only sold around 10 million Atari 2600s at the time.

Atari’s implication was that not only would every person that owned an Atari 2600 buy the game, but that 2 million more would buy one just to play Pac-Man. The port was rushed and of poor quality, and in the end, it flopped out the gate at around 7 million.

These game releases would become even more fatal with Atari’s release of a game adaptation of E.T the Extra-Terrestrial. The company spent $25 million on licensing, and the game was rushed into a six-week development process to meet the Christmas shopping period. It was a complete bomb, with three quarters of its stock being returned to Atari (who then preceded to bury them in the New Mexico desert). Today, ET is often referred to as “the worst video game of all time”, and while the title may be exaggerated, it was the final straw for Atari. Their financial situation was dire, and between

1982 and 1983, their share of the home console industry slipped from over 75 percent to under 40.

The company’s assets were split and sold by Warner Communications in 1984, making the original Atari Inc defunct.

The North American video game market was eventually revitalized in the mid-eighties by Japanese electronics companies that remained unaffected by the crash. The most notable of these was Nintendo, who produced the next dominant home console; The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). When localizing the NES, Nintendo implemented 10NES, a lock out chip within the console and its games which would only allow software authorised by Nintendo to be playable on the system. What this meant was that for a company to publish their game on the NES, they had to get Nintendo’s permission first. Nintendo’s policy for the system included restricting third party companies to a maximum of three games a year, and if Nintendo found content in the game they deemed inappropriate, they could force the developer to make amendments.

By modern standards, these policies are somewhat draconian - but then-Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi gave a clear reason for them: “Atari collapsed because they gave too much freedom to third-party developers and the market was swamped with rubbish games”. This was an early form of what we now know as Digital Rights Management (DRM), a policy deployed by console manufactures to ensure that each piece of software for their system is properly licensed and regulated to avoid as the chaos of the early 80s. Atari may have fallen, but their legacy transformed an industry forever..

Atari was a victim of the industry. Video game home consoles had grown too fast without cementing an identity, leading to a market overwhelmed by garbage.

It’s partially thanks to these failures however that the home console market has shaped into a secure environment for both producers and audiences.

Since this time, the Atari brand has found its way to several new owners, and its current incarnation, Atari SA, has announced a new console called The Atari VCS. Whether this new console will live up the 2600 remains to be seen; regardless, the classic Atari still holds one of the greatest legacies of any video game company, and should be remembered for their contributions despite their end.

TECHNOLOGY

Whatever happened to

WORDS BY: ALEX DAUD BRIGGS DESIGN BY: ALESSIO PHILIP GRAIN

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Is our Internet under threat WORDS BY: MAYA EL MOUSSAOUI

from Dragonflies?

DESIGN BY: STEPH ROWE

Hundreds of Google employees protested against the development of an overseas search engine, code named Project Dragonfly, in a storm that would dominate the conversation. But what is it exactly, and could it alter the fabric of Western internet as we know it?

Fundamentally, it was a plan to create a censored search engine in China. Over 300 employees signed a letter in opposition, claiming that it does not follow the companies’ codes of ethics and morals. They have also mentioned that greater action should be taken by company leaders to ensure their actions and projects more transparent. The petition followed a strike, initiated by the group Amnesty. Google previously withdrew from a Chinese search engine project in 2010, due to censorship and cyber attack parameters, which did not comply with the company’s user free expression and privacy ethics.

The letter states: “We are Google employees and we join Amnesty International in calling on Google to cancel project Dragonfly, Google’s effort to create a censored search engine for the Chinese market that enables state surveillance. We are among thousands of employees who have raised our voices for months. International human rights organizations and investigative reporters have also sounded the alarm, emphasizing serious human rights concerns and repeatedly calling on Google to cancel the project. So far, our leadership’s response has been unsatisfactory.

Our opposition to Dragonfly is not about China: we object to technologies that aid the powerful in oppressing the vulnerable, wherever they may be. The Chinese government certainly isn’t alone in its readiness to stifle freedom of expression, and to use surveillance to repress dissent. Dragonfly in China would establish a dangerous precedent at a volatile political moment, one that would make it harder for Google to deny other countries similar concessions.

Our company’s decision comes as the Chinese government is openly expanding its surveillance powers and tools of population control. Many of these rely on advanced technologies, and combine online activity, personal records, and mass monitoring to track and profile citizens. Reports are already showing who bears the cost, including Uyghurs, women’s rights advocates, and students. Providing the Chinese government with ready access to user data, as required by Chinese law, would make Google complicit in oppression and human rights abuses.

Dragonfly would also enable censorship and government-directed disinformation, and destabilize the ground truth on which popular deliberation and dissent rely. Given the Chinese government’s reported suppression of dissident voices, such controls would likely be used to silence marginalized people, and favour information that promotes government interests.

Many of us accepted employment at Google with the company’s values in mind, including its previous position on Chinese censorship and surveillance, and an understanding that Google was a company willing to place its values above its profits. After a year of disappointments including Project Maven, Dragonfly, and Google's support for abusers, we no longer believe this is the case. This is why we’re taking a stand.

We join with Amnesty International in demanding that Google cancel Dragonfly. We also demand that leadership commit to transparency, clear communication, and real accountability. Google is too powerful not to be held accountable. We deserve to know what we’re building and we deserve a say in these significant decisions.”

This is also not the first time a major project has been protested by company staff. Project Maven aimed to provide the U.S. defence department with artificial intelligence for drones. Internal emails were found stating that Maven would open doors to many business opportunities with intelligence agencies and militaries, also having the potential of surveilling entire cities.

However due to the backlash, CEO Diane Greene announced that the deal would end in 2019 and not be renewed.

Current CEO Sundar Pichai has not stated whether the plan for Dragonfly has ended, but employee walkout and public outrage has definitely halted the process.

China is one of the largest markets in the world, and as such, Google will almost certainly deploy some sort of alternative - but does this have implications for the West? The answer, most likely, is no.

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TECHNOLOGY

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Quench’s Top eSports Picks of 2018

WORDS BY: ASHLEY STERIO

DESIGN BY: ESTHER LOI

overwatch Overwatch is a colourful, diverse, and brilliantly tactical team shooter - though calling it a shooter doesn’t do the game’s breadth justice. Each hero plays like a character from a completely different game - from Reinhardt, the hammer-wielding behemoth, to Tracer, the time-bending akimbo adventurer, there’s a character for all skill levels and gameplay types. They each have distinct strengths and weaknesses, and none of them are good enough to brave it alone - Overwatch, then, is about creating the most tactically sound assembly of heroes to counter the enemy team. There are many words for it, but perhaps the most important is ‘welcoming’ - and not just for the players, either. Whilst Overwatch has enjoyed a healthy competitive scene since it launched almost three years ago, Blizzard took things to a new level with the Overwatch League.

Its inaugural season last August left more than enough impact to return again this year, and it’s no wonder why - the OWL is an evolutionary step in mainstream eSports. It’s clear that Blizzard wants to push competitive gaming beyond its comfort zone as a subculture and into something more accessible; instead of standard eSports teams, OWL’s franchise teams are more reminiscent of traditional sports, each with their own unique names (London Spitfire, New York Excelsior, Seoul Dynasty), colours, and, jersey numbers. The emphasis on national teams is important in creating a more accessible spectacle; ask someone on the street who they prefer between TSM and Liquid, for instance, and you’ll probably get an odd look. Flags, on the other hand, resonate with us all in some way - it gives all viewers an instant side to root for. The scheduling went a long way in maintaining momentum, with regular games occurring every week, and there were even halftime shows that graced us with the affectionately clumsy performance from resident meme and rapping Pokémon DJ Khaled. Credit also belongs to the commentators who, whilst nothing new, still managed to provide an informative, light-hearted, and at times tense show which remained engaging even between matches and post-match analysis.

Broadcasting live on both the internet and TV, OWL tapped into a new casual audience whose first impressions of eSports could not have been better. It’s still got a long way to go, but it’s a step towards earning eSports the mainstream recognition it deserves, and an exciting framework for competitive Overwatch moving forwards. The new season began on the 14th, and it’ll be running until the middle of August. Go check it out!

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It’s been quite the year for the legendary GameCube platform fighter Super Smash Bros. Melee, a game which is now old enough to vote (and for the more questionably enthusiastic, old enough to consent). What was initially designed as a harmless Nintendo party game has since evolved into a complex labyrinth of frames and flashiness, a crucible defined by precise tech skill, lightning fast combos, and the sharpest movement ever seen in a video game.

For years, Melee has been dominated by the ‘five Gods’ of Melee: Mang0, PPMD, Armada, Hungrybox, and Mew2King, players so fearsome that they almost never lost to players outside this elite cabal. Along comes Leffen (William Hjelte), a controversially cocky Fox player with a penchant for trash talk and Twitter beef, proclaiming that he would slay the Gods and win EVO - the Super Bowl of Melee.

After years of agony, trial, and public humiliation, he decisively eliminated fellow Swede Armada (Adam Lindgren) in with a 3-0 victory in grand finals.

Despite losing the big one last year, Armada walked away the biggest name of Melee in 2018, as the year also marked his formal retirement. Unanimously recognised as the GOAT of Melee, Armada’s career spanned over a decade, and in that time, he took Princess Peach - a character most considered to be mid-tier at best - and almost defeated then-world champion Mang0 at the first ever Genesis, firmly placing Europe on the map of Melee. Henceforth, Armada became famously indomitable - for eight years, he did not drop a set against a single player outside the top six. Armada’s departure left many in the community sad, but the man had a hell of a run, and can firmly walk away knowing he was the best to ever touch a GameCube controller.

Armada’s retirement has created a power vacuum in Melee, and after years of ruling by the Gods, it’s anyone’s game. At present, it seems as though Jigglypuff main Hungrybox sits on the throne of Melee - but godslaying Leffen, and emerging talents like Sheik-maining youngster, Plup, and the edge-cancelling Marth monster, Zain, pose a serious threat.

It may be eighteen years old, but even with the release of Smash Bros Ultimate, Melee is still going strong, reaching 174k live viewers at Genesis 6 this year. Thanks to help from Twitch streamer Ninja (of Fortnite fame), it was the most watched game worldwide in June!

With so much new blood in the midst of ancient rivalries, it looks like Melee is set to stay.

Smite

Smite, one of the biggest F2P MOBAs about (yay, acronyms!), is a game about taking control of different gods based on real world mythologies (Greek, Roman, and Japanese to name a few), and do some good old fashioned battle.

The competitive scene has been growing since launch, and in 2016, developer Hi-Rez embraced it with their first official international World Championship. The EU region has dominated the scene with teams like NRG, the two-time world champions, and in the 2017 world championships the NA region wasn’t even represented in the finals, instead being an EU versus EU battle.

Along came the 2018 World Championships, and to everyone’s surprise, NRG, the most dominant team in Smite’s history, were eliminated by fellow Europeans Obey Alliance. The finals of that tournament were a nail-biting best of five set between Team Rival (EU), the underdog group that came seemingly out of nowhere and had some of the best teamwork this game has ever seen, and team eUnited (NA). eUnited was not just a good NA team, they were easily the best, finally bridging the gap between EU and NA. Each match was an elegant dance of gods, and before long, eUnited had broken the curse to reign supreme.

With the EU and NA scenes balancing out, the most recent World Championships, during the latter half of 2018, were an incredibly tense watch throughout. To great surprise, NRG and eUnited were eliminated relatively early, coming sixth and fifth respectively. Team Rival and their proficiency for teamwork, however, fought tooth and nail through the competition, finding themselves in the finals again. But this time, the NA team awaiting them was an enigma.

Splyce, a team that was relatively overlooked the entire year due mainly to their poor performance leading up to the championship, took what little momentum they had and ran with it, bombarding the bracket and eliminating teams which fans and analysts alike expected to win. This clash of underdogs led to a brutal five game set, with the momentum swinging back and forth like a pendulum until settling on a heartbreaking defeat for Team Rival.

With NA now firmly on top of the Smite professional scene, it looked like EU were set for a comeback, but recent changes have proven disruptive Each region has been merged into one, and in doing so, players are now reported to have contracts of up to £30,000 per year in salary. The catch?

Players that want a career out of Smite for the upcoming season must move to Atlanta. It was a bombshell; for European players, this meant uprooting their entire lives and moving to a foreign country with major differences in culture and healthcare.

It will be interesting to see the new super teams consisting of EU and NA pros in action, and despite the controversy, this season will test the merits of this seismic gamble.

TECHNOLOGY

super smash bros. melee

Big Girls definitely do cry

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WORDS BY: HANNAH STAIT ILLUSTRATION BY: IZZY WRIGHT DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

Shopping for clothes has always been an issue for me, I either have to stick to the same stores over and over or look online. If there is a plus size section in a store it is always headlined by a sign exclaiming the nature of my size. I know I’m big, I don’t need you to tell me. I feel like stores would do much better by stocking all styles in sizes ranging from as small as you can get to a more reasonable plus size. I’d feel a lot better perusing through the racks with everybody of every size then being limited to a corner of a shop like an outcast. I’ve always had self esteem issues, but being big makes me feel like there are eyes on me at all times. Fatshaming still happens even though there are so many role models that are proud of their figure. Role models like Melissa McCarthy who makes me laugh in every movie that she’s in, Queen Latifah with the big girl anthem ‘Big Blonde and Beautiful’ from the movie adaption of Hairspray and Rebel Wilson in her role as ‘Fat Amy’ in Pitch Perfect! They’ve received a fair share of criticism for their size but a lot more admiration for their fantastic talent.

I’ve had comments about my weight from people before, and every time I wish my reaction had been different. In the past I’ve been on a night out in the Student’s Union and had someone whisper the word ‘fat’ in my ear as they walked past me and while I always thought I’d make some smart remark or stand up for myself but instead I felt myself become weaker and I was more hurt then I thought I’d be. After I got home I started to think about it and I realised how small minded that person had been. Yes I am plus size and bigger than average, but I am still a person and I still have worth. We shouldn’t be defined by what size clothes we wear, we should be defined by our ideas and inspiration, how we treat people and what we achieve. There are some days I feel awful about myself but that isn’t always about my weight. Equally there are some days I feel beautiful, and that is because of my curves. I’m proud of the person I am, but it’s safe to say that big girls definitely do cry sometimes. So to my big girls and my small girls and every kind of person in between - you are beautiful.

Other opinions:“Being a curvy woman in today’s society is hard. A lot of people, brands and companies are very body positive and make you feel just as beautiful as any other woman out there. But there are still a percent of people, brand and companies out there still body shaming larger women and the negative will always stay with you. A lot has changed over the years, including sizing and I think so many people have opened up their eyes to the idea that big is beautiful, curves are beautiful and that flaws and imperfections are beautiful! I just hope that all women can learn to love their curves.”- By Kaleena.

“Being a plus size queen to me means that I can’t shop in 90% of high street shops because they tend to believe that plus size is still small.

I mainly have to shop online. The downfall for online is that you can’t try stuff on and hold a little fashion show for yourself. Before you commit to something you have to buy, try, return and maybe buy another size. The pricing is extortionate compared to a size you could get from other shops which cater for other sizes for people.

A negative experience I’ve had personally was going into a shop where they stock a plus size range online but instore they don’t as if they’re ashamed of stocking plus size clothes.

A downfall to some places that cater for the larger lady is that there’s no shape to a lot of the clothes and they sometimes hang off you like a bed sheet whereas the places with a specifically designed plus size range tend to have more shape and the clothes are more flattering for the more curvy of customer.” - By Jess

My weight has always been an issue for me and I’ve always considered self confidence to be something you earn, and not something you naturally possess. Being ‘plus size/curvy/thick/ big/fat’ has always (in my head anyway) been my defining trait and something that I think is my main identifier when meeting people in person. I’ve always felt like the fat friend; and the society we live in now seems to have this way of making a plus size girl stick out like a sore thumb.

If you’re finding that the way you’re thinking is affecting your day to day life, reach out. Head to the Health and Wellbeing section of Intranet for some guidance on what help you can get, or give Samaritans a call at 116 123 (UK) to talk to someone.

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It’s a difficult situation when the problems you’re having are with someone you live with, ultimately that is your safe space and you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in your own home. When you live with a group of people, the main rule for success is compromise. As hard as it sounds, the key might be to sit down and have a frank discussion about how compromises can be made to make the living situation better. Rather then do it one on one make it a group session where everybody can be open and honest with each other about any problems you’re having. Living as a group is hard and the only way it can really work is if you’re all on the same page and to do this it might be a good idea to maybe draw up a list of ‘house rules’, so that everyone feels included and like they’ve had a say! X

How do you end a friendship? I have a toxic friend that I have to spend time around as we share the same circle of friends. Whenever I have to see this person I dread it, and it ends up ruining my quality time with my other friends. If it were a boyfriend or girlfriend we’d be able to break up, easy, but there doesn’t seem to be an appropriate way to ‘break up’ a friendship. What should I do?

Toxic friendships aren’t good for anyone. They’re exhausting and dangerous and can really damage some relationships in groups of friends. What I would say is that no one can say to you that distancing yourself from a toxic friendship is a bad thing. However, a good place to start could be to try and understand why this person seems toxic to you.

Could they be going through something that needs addressing? Could they be treating others the same way? If you feel like this friendship isn’t worth saving then what I’d suggest is to slowly distance yourself from this person. Give yourself time to be away from negativity to focus on yourself and your wellbeing. Just remember that no friendship could be worth giving up on who you are. X

I am STRUGGLING. So I am seriously under the impression that it is impossible to score above 75% on an Arts assignment.. How do I get there? I’m trying my absolute best whilst juggling everything else in my life and I just can’t quite reach it. I feel like I’m falling behind and ridiculously below the average student in my class based on assignments but I don’t feel like I am beyond the essays. What should I do to improve?

One thing you have to remember is that you can only do your best, don’t push yourself so hard that you burn out completely. University should be a positive experience and it shouldn’t negatively impact you. If you really want to improve your marks it is work going over the marking criteria before and after you do an assignment. It’ll help you make sure you’ve covered all areas to the best of your ability and will help underline any key things you might have missed. Another option is to meet with your tutors and ask ‘what can I do to push my marks even further’ and they will be able to give you advice on what exactly is looked for.

Make sure to really analyse your feedback to see if there are recurring patterns of things you might be able to work on. You can do anything you set your heart to, remember that. X

My best friend goes to a different uni and until recently, we talk regularly. They went through a break-up and I supported them but now they’ve thrown it all in my face. They have started ignoring all of my messages and the support I give never gets reciprocated anymore. They don’t seem to realise how much it’s upsetting me because I don’t know what I’ve done! I miss them so much but don’t want to hinder them. What should I do?

It can be hard when friends separate, and keeping up that friendship can be difficult too. You now have separate lives and groups and understanding what is going on with each other is a constant struggle. What your friend could be doing is projecting their feelings into you. They might not be able to see through their own feelings in order to realise how their actions might be affecting you. It might take some time but they will come to the realisation that friendship is more important than small battles. Maybe message them occasionally but give them time to realise the value of your friendship, it will work out in the end. X

Your Questions Answered

AGONY AUNT

Hi. I recently moved into a new house and there is already tension with my housemates. I find one housemate in particular is very petty about a lot of situations (for example cleaning the house or noise) when really there aren’t any issues at all! Its making the living situation rather difficult as I don’t really want to see him and be around his negative energy. What would you do, Agony Aunt?