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TWO ISSUE SIX
KARLEY SCIORTINO
TALKS SEX, NEW SHOW AND FEMINISH.
VOICES OF MYANMAR LO C A L S TAL K U S TH R O U GH TH E C O U NT RY
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14 REGULARS OPENERS SEX HOMEGROWN FACES CALENDAR THE END PIECE
4 7 17 24 32 34
FEATURES ABBEY CONTROVERSY CAMERON RUSSELL LIVING ART KARLEY SCIORTINO OSCAR CAMPAIGNS VOICES OF MYANMAR
8 10 12 14 20 22
REVIEWS FILM GAMES // LITERATURE MUSIC FILM TV ART // STAGE
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Editorial Staff Gabija Purlytė // Issy Thompson // Louise Hynes // Eoin McCague // Sarah Lennon Galavan Cian Clynes // Alex Milne-Turner // Chris Rooke // Patrick Cremen // Lily Ní Dhomhnaill Práctica de maquetación de una revista de 16 páginas, en dos versiones: PDF para imprimir y PDF enriquecido, multimedia e interactivo. IES Puerta Bonita. CFGS de Diseño y Producción Editorial 1º curso, turno de mañana. MP de Procesos de Preimpresión. Curso 2013/2014 Alumno Javier González Moreno Sistema operativo Apple Mac OS X Aplicaciones InDesign, illustrator y Photoshop. Tipografías Stag Sans, Futura STD, Times New Roman, Rockwell, ITC Avant Garde Gotchic, Noteworthy. Formatos de archivo .pdf, .txt, .ind y .pages. RIP EFI Fiery Graphic Arts Package Premium Edition Impresión Ricoh ProC 651ex ISSUE SIX // 3
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ART Famine by Edward Delaney. The north-eastern corner of St Stephen’s Green is, at the very least, an exciting entrance to the park. In the early 1960s a com- petition was held for architect and sculptor partnerships to rede- sign the site which had been designated for a longplanned Wolf Tone monument. The win- ning entry by Noel Keat- ing included a granite screen which provides a background, not only for the monumental Tone figure, but also for the Famine group on the park side, both created by sculptor Edward Delaney in 1967. The latter sculptural composition is one of the earliest memorials to the Great Famine. Set at ground level and on a human scale, somewhat removed from its surroundings by its scenic backdrop, it is just as appealing aesthetically as it is emotionally gripping. The roughly textured bronze serves here to convey a sense of decay and death; the elongated bodies can be read as emaciated, yet they are also endowed with an undeniable grace and plas- ticity — note the elegant sway of the figure on the right, poised in a classical contrapposto. The sculpture was very well received, with the exception of the dog figure — though justified by contem- porary Famine testimonies of dogs “well fed on human flesh”, it was seen as grossly out of context, so much so that it was stolen and hidden for a while by a particularly outraged member of the public... GABIJA PURLYTE
GAMES Technology conferences are a naw full otlike buses:you wait months and months for one, and then a whole slew arrive at once. With CES over, eyes are turning towards Barcelona and the annual Mobile World Congress at the end of February. Will Mobile World Congress reveal some brand new ideas? In short: no, although it seems that the potential announcements could still be very interesting. Two of the tech world’s newest acquisitions will be front and centre: Nokia’s first show under the control of Microsoft promises to be very interesting, and could well be the first official showing of the newest version of the Windows Phone operating system. Beyond that, it seems a brand new Windows Phone tablet could be on the cards: the first of its kind, and potentially a real con- tender in the tablet market for Nokia. LG and HTC are both expected to release updates to their flag- ship models from last year in the next few months: the LG G2 will be given a spec bump in the form of the G Pro 2, while the HTC One is likely to be replaced by a new flagship Android phone from the Korean manufacturer — although with the success and popu- larity of the aforementioned One, it would be odd if some spec or design decisions didn’t translate to the new model. And, never to be forgotten, after a relatively quiet January, Samsung are likely to be in full swing with phones and tablets of all shapes and sizes, specs and prices. All of the updates are very much incremental, with no truly new innovations or features. With Apple expected to release the iPhone 6 with a new design and new features later on this year, it seems odd that other phone manufacturers aren’t pre-empt- ing that release as they have done in the past. The iPhone 6 is rumoured to be bigger, potentially with a curved screen, and is likely to include some new tech such as NFC (Near Field Com- munication) chips. Perhaps the tameness of this year’s MWC gives a glimpse of a fairly quiet year for mobile devices: they’ll be faster and prettier, no doubt, but perhaps there won’t be much beyond that. CHRIS ROOKE
THE START OF THE FRANCHISE FILM The 1980s offered bodacious babes, awesome action, and wardrobes and hair des- tined to be laughed at by future generations. Beyond the birth of the Brat Pack, the decade also brought forth the beginning of movie franchises; Batman, Terminator, Predator, Die Hard, Back to the Future, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. All of these heavyweight film enterprises began in the 80s and have spawned sequels, prequels and retellings for the last 30 years. The period was the time in which Hollywood realised people had tremendous loyalty to certain characters and storylines. Later decades gave us some decent, and some brilliant, sequels — most notably Die Hard with a Vengeance. As the audience we were happy to see our leading heroes again, and they kept coming because original ideas have long since become extinct in the realm of major studios. Why risk 80 million on something new when you know Indiana Jones 5 is going to fill seats? They may not be as exciting as the originals, but Hollywood can keep pumping away at remakes of our favorite 80s adventures — if nothing else, we are guaranteed nostalgia. CAROL DAVEY
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FRON SQUARE FASHION
ANNA O’SHEA BY MOLLY ROWAN-HAMILTON
This is a girl who knows what’s what. She knows black is the new black, covered is the new sexy, that paireddown luxe grunge is the most hotly anticipated trend for SS2014. Understated, simple, stylish, this ensemble is sultry yet sophisticated. Content with block colour, this sophister plays with texture, contrasting her skinny cropped jeans with a boxy leather jacket, toughening up her soft leather bag with a chunky pair of boots. Braving the cold to bear her ankles, this tou- sle-haired Social Policy and Sociology Student works her waif-like glamour in a way that would make Kate Moss weak at the knees. ISSY THOMPSON
STONE LEVITATION ALE Stone Brewing // 4.4% abv. DRINKS Having found it virtually impossible to get my hands on Stone Brewing Company beers since spending the summer in California, their recent arrival in Dublin is nothing short of amaz- ing news. Best known for their bold and aggressive beers loaded with alcohol, Levitation Ale — a gold medal winner at the Great American Beer Fes- tival in 2007 — is one of the few beers I’ve come across with a low alcohol content that isn’t lacking or devoid of flavor. This beer packs as much depth as countless IPAs and is brimming with hops too. Unlike many craft beers, this is one you can enjoy all night, and very easily at that. AVAILABLE AT: BAGGOT STREET WINES, THE BREW DOCK, CELTIC WHISKEY STORE. €4.29. CONOR DALEY
LITERARY MILESTONES LITERATURE February 13, 1976 Mario Vargas Llosa punches Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In 1976 one of the greatest modern literary showdowns took place in Mexico— appropriately perhaps, at a film premier — when Peru- vian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa sucker punched his then best friend and contemporary, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The story goes that, after not having seen each other for a period of time, both authors attended the film screening. When Garcia Marquez picked his colleague out of the crowd of milling Latin American intellectuals he advanced toward Vargas Llosa with arms outstretched crying “Mario!”. Vargas Llosa’s response to this gesture of Romantic companionship was a quickly administered and effective right cross which left the Columbian Nobel Prize-winner with a less-than fictional shiner. Speculations about the motivation behind Vargas Llosa’s fury have ranged from the two authors’ divergent political views (Garcia Marquez being a personal friend of Fidel Castro and Vargas Llosa drifting more decidedly to the right) and professional jealousies (Mario wasn’t happy that Gabriel was picked for the Swedish Academy’s team first). More recent illuminations have suggested a more operatic reason for the spat: an alleged and still ambiguous love triangle with Vargas Llosa’s wife Patricia. Don’t let the Nobel Prizes fool you; these authors are no strangers to the baser urges. LOLA BOORMAN
BRUNCH OF THE WEEK THE BAKEHOUSE FOOD Dubliners are spoilt for choice at the weekends for quality brunch destinations, however, such offerings are scarce come weekdays. The Bakehouse is one of the few eateries that fills this void in the market. Among the midweek brunch options, the Pork and Leek Sausage Sandwich (€6.95) and Bacon Buttie (€8.95) are, surprisingly, the highlights of the menu. Both are considerable portions and
come served with signature Bakehouse relish and bloomer bread. What differentiates the Bakehouse from other Dublin brunch spots is the array of freshly baked pastries and cakes from which to choose. On open display at the front of the restaurant, these sweet treats alone make the Bakehouse worth a visit. CIAN CLYNES
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SOUNDS OF THE CITY
MUSIC Malamulele in Limpopo, South Africa, is the mecca of what has been termed “shangaan electro” — a type of music characterised by its high BPMs, marimba based beats, and the frenetic dancing that goes along with it. It has moved from Limpopo to Soweto, which is now the shangaan hotbed, and has produced many of the artists which Honest Jons (the main label releasing shangaan) have released. The connection between the London-based label and shangaan came through the work of musicologist Will Glasspiegel, who was studying in South Africa and helped the influential shangaan kingpin, Nozinja, hook up with Damon Albarn’s label. Traditional shangaan music is a mix of flowing guitar lines on top of live drumming and is best illustrated by artists such as Thomas Chauke and General MD Shirinda, the latter of whom appeared on Paul Simon’s classic album Graceland. From its traditional roots it has moved onto the electronic version that Nozinja has popularised, with some of its tracks hitting a breakneck 180 BPM, although it took quite a few years before his take on the genre was accepted. Nozinja runs a studio from his Soweto home, where he appar- ently produces over 50,000 records a year and edits a stream of music videos which are mostly filmed in front of a green screen and interspersed with footage of dancers outside shangaan townships. From its humble roots, shangaan music has been introduced to the world of electronic music via Hon- est Jons. From here a slew of remixes followed from perennial UK producer Actress, Ricardo Villalobos and Chicago foot- work dons Spinn and Rashad.
Like the aforementioned footwork genre, the dances that go along with the music are an essential part of not only shangaan electro as a cultural phenomenon, but also its live component. Fast dance moves are encouraged, but anything too risque or judged to be inappropriate is jettisoned quickly. The focus of the shangaan dance for the female dancers is the waist, from which the dancers’ xibelani skirts (knee-length and covered with beads) accentuate ever y movement. For the males the focus is mostly on the feet. While the scene has grown exponentially over the past few years, at heart its aesthetic has changed little, and this has to do with Nozinja’s strong control over the music’s dissemination, and his firm conviction that it should stay true to its local roots. LIAM MAHER
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UPPERS & DOWNERS SOCIAL CURRENCY // Opening in New York this week, the Daisy Marc Jacobs Tweet Shop is a concept pop-up store offering MJ’s products in exchange for the best tweets, Instagrams and Facebook mentions. KELELA // The LA based R&B singer has just released The High, a slow-burning and seductively minimal follow-up single to her stunning debut mixtape
Cut 4 Me. POOLSLIDES// From the clean, athletic lines of the Adilette to the chic white Arizona Birkenstocks or the more glam golden Stine Goya version, the unexpected shoe trend from last summer is here to stay. NEW GIRL // Prince, who describes himself as a “huge fan” of the show has requested a cameo, telling execs, “I want to be involved in the show in a real way and I want to help Nick and Jess with their relationship.”
TARANTINO SHELVES THE HATEFUL EIGHT// After the script for his upcoming western was leaked Tarantino decided to abandon his filming plans entire- ly, describing himself as, “Very, very depressed. That’s a betrayal.” THE BIG, BOUNCY BLOW-DRY // Spring 2014 is about minimalist, poker-straight hair, whether tied in a sleek ponytail, down with a centre parting, or held in
place with metal barrettes.
MASHAANDNADIASELLOUT// Following an expensive Amnesty International benefit concert hosted by the freed pair, Pussy Riot penned an open letter disowning its former members, “All this is an extreme contradiction to the very principles of Pussy Riot collective.” THE NEXT THELMA AND LOUISE // Cara Delevingne and Michelle Rodriguez are rumoured to have been cast in possibly the most unnecessary remake of all time. MEADHBH McGRATH
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DIL-DO’S AND DONT’S. “WHAT CAN ADD TO A WOMAN’S ALLURE CAN DESTROY A MAN’S APPEAL , LABELLING HIM A LONELY PERVERT FOR NO GOOD REASON”
“BUT THAT’S THE THING: THERE’S ALWAYS A DEVICE IN THE SCENARIO. WOMEN ON SCREEN ARE RARELY ALLOWED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR OWN STIMULATION WITHOUT A PHALLUS IN HAND, WHILE MEN ARE CASUALLY WANKING EVERYWHERE .”
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ou’re kissing in the taxi. Giggling as he fumbles with the keys. Making sure you’ve got his name right as he races you up the stairs. The room is bare, there’s a chest of drawers, the top one’s left open and something catches your eye — you freeze. “That’s just my fleshlight,” he smirks, pulling you closer. What do you do? Let ’s swap the situation. Make this a woman’s house and a clumsily concealed Rampant Rabbit, and you’ve got a celbrated Sex and the City cliche and a tick in the sexual deviant box. Not so for the man in most cases. What can add to a woman’s allure can destroy a man’s appeal, labelling him a lonely pervert for no good reason. While vibrators for women have been lauded as a symbol of liberation, masturba- tors for men have never enjoyed the same sort of attention. They’re unfairly tossed in the same pot as creepy plastic dolls and an over-dependence on porn. If a man is look- ing for more than the everyday wank, he’s ostracised, despite the huge leap in toys available for solo use by men. Sex Siopa, Ireland’s own health and design focused sex shop, has a selection of products that would pique anybody’s interest in a good way. They’re sleek and sophisticated, and are far more impressive looking than your average hot pink dildo. So why the dou- ble standard? Why the insistence that he shouldn’t be able to satisfy himself with anything but his hand or the real thing? This prejudice works against women, t oo. Take Sex and the City again.
How many times a season did one of the women reach over to her nightstand for something battery-operated? How few times did we see any of the women “drop the hand”? In a show that made masturbation such a reg- ularity for its characters, manual masturba- tion was still out of the ordinary. Let’s take something a little more recent. When Sketch broke into Maxxie’s room in Skins, it was always going to be freaky. However, don’t you think if she had pulled out something with bunny ears for the scene, instead of just going for it by her- self, things would have been a little bit more frivolous and flirty? Catch up to 2013, and we’ve got the controversy sparked by CW’s censoring of a manual masturbation scene in an episode of Reign, a historical fiction series notably filled with
graphic and sometimes violent sex. The original depiction of the self-pleasure of a teenage girl was stripped down by the network to a few suggestive shots, despite taking place in between two explicit sex scenes. While men are restricted to their own natural resources, single women are able to have fun with whatever device they want. But that’s the thing: there’s always a device in the scenario. Women on screen are rarely allowed to take control of their own stimulation with- out a phallus in hand, while men are casually wanking everywhere. I must here praise HBO’s Girls, which had Marnie reaching under her dress in a public bathroom in a scene that matched Lena Dunham’s usual surprising openness. But why was it such a surprise? Why are men disclosing their weekly wanking number at the water cooler when a woman can only go so far as admitting ownership of a vibrator? Sex toys are a personal choice, and obviously the cast of SATC could afford what- ever pleasures they fancied and maybe pre- ferred a little electrical help. But wouldn’t it make sense if the playing field balanced out a little? If men could head into a sex shop for more than just a Valentine’s present for their partner, and women could open up about their real habits without displac- ing the power to an inanimate object? Sex toys and simpler masturbation should be openly enjoyed by anyone looking for fun. WORDS BY HEATHER KEANE ILLUSTRATION BY GRAHAM HAUGHT WWW.GRAHAMHAUGHT.COM
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J NOTES ON A SCANDAL KAYLA WALSH INVESTIGATES THE RECENT FEUD BETWEEN THE ABBEY THEATRE AND THE IRISH TIMES, AND REFLECTS ON HOW THE ARTS AND THE MEDIA HAVE BECOME INEXTRICABLY BOUND 8 // TN2MAGAZINEJE
anuary was a controversial month for the arts in Ireland. It began with scandal over the policies of the board managing the Limerick City of Culture project, which saw the resignation of its artistic director, two non-staff programmers, and, eventually, its CEO. We then witnessed the appearance of Dublin’s most famous drag queen, Rory O’Neill (alias Panti Bliss) on the Saturday Night Show, during which he referenced John Waters, Breda O’Brien and The Iona Institute in a discussion about homophobia in Irish media. This sparked a backlash of complaints and threats of legal action, lead- ing to RTÉ removing the interview from its website and handing over €85,000 in dam- ages to the offended parties. Finally, to add to the chaos within the arts sector, 79-year- old playwright, filmmaker and peace activist Margaretta D’Arcy was sentenced to three months in prison for protesting against US military use of Shannon airport. These events attracted a huge amount of media coverage, drawing more and more people into the debate. People and institutions within the arts have always had a complicated relationship with the press. On one hand, they rely on journalists for their livelihood — to get the word out about their work, to write reviews of their shows and encourage readers to see them, or to give them feedback so they can improve. On the otherhand, the press can destroy them, exposing their flaws and corruptions and deterring potential audi-
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ences and patrons from supporting them. The power and influence held by the media has resulted in an uncomfortable situation, wherein artists court and flatter the press, giving them special treatment, while at the same time viewing them with distrust or resentment. The tension between journalists and art- ists can clearly be seen in the recent feud between The Irish Times and the Abbey Theatre. Last month, the newspaper pub- lished an article revealing that, according to a panel of assessors, the Abbey is failing to meet its goal of producing “world-class the- atre”. The judging panel consisted of Mike Griffiths (former administrative director of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh), Ray Foster (a professor at Oxford University), and Nicolas Kent (an English theatre direc- tor). They were appointed by the Abbey, in conjunction with the Arts Council, which provided the national theatre with €7.1 million in funding last year — almost half of the total annual grant awarded to per- forming arts organisations in Ireland. The evaluations were commissioned in order to “attempt to resolve continuing tensions between The Abbey and the Arts Council”, but the results were undeniably disappoint- ing. The panel, who assessed twelve pro- ductions in all, ranked only four as “very good” or “excellent”, while elements of some productions were determined to be of an unacceptably low professional standard. The director of the Abbey, Fiach MacConghail, penned an angry response to
the “cruel” and “unprecedented” publica- tion of these reports, which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. He claimed that The Irish Times failed to provide a clear context for the evaluations, that their contents were “private” and that the process was not yet completed. Understandably, he defended his theatre, explaining the difficulties of working with diminished resources and stating that “art- ists should be able to create theatre and art in supportive and respectful conditions”. In his opinion, the venue is meeting its goal of engaging with and reflecting Irish life, and the newspaper had no right to jeopardise its commercial success or refuse to take into account the artistic sensitivities of the theatre practitioners involved in its produc- tions. Other artists, journalists and writers are divided over the debate. Some have berated the Irish Times for its apparent opportunism and attempts to undermine the Abbey during the three-day Theatre of Memory of Symposium it hosted last month. Others are firmly on the side of the publication, believing that information of this nature should always be made availa- ble to its readers. The Irish Times theatre critic Peter Craw- ley spoke to tn2 regarding the controversy. He declared that, given that the Abbey was responsible for calling in the panel, the problem is one of the theatre’s “own crea- tion”. Like any publicly funded institution, it must be available for public scrutiny. The Arts Council, too, should be submitted to
such an examination. The public wants to know where its money is going and whether it is being used wisely. In addition, Crawley explained how the term “world class” is problematic and unclear: “It’s about who’s asking whom. Who regulates the standards of ‘world class’ and what does that term actually mean: that a production can play as easily in Delhi or Wroclaw, Sao Paulo or Hamburg? Or does it mean that a produc- tion can play, more specifically, in Lon- don or New York? Or is it something more uncomfortable, insecure and postcolonial: the Irish National Theatre seeking ‘world class’ legitimation from the UK?” Regardless of whether or not one agrees with the publication of the reports, it is obvious that they have placed strain on the relationship between the theatre and the press. In the eyes of MacConghail, The Irish Times have launched nothing less than a malicious attack on the theatre. Taking into account the events mentioned above, this only adds to the idea that the arts are currently under siege in Ireland. In today’s society, the arts are often under- appreciated, shunted aside or forgotten about in favour of “more important” issues. Newspapers and theatres are (usually) full of creative, hard-working people who want to make a difference. If you ask me, they should be working together. WORDS BY KAYLA WALSH WITH KATHERINE MURPHY ILLUSTRATION BY ALICE WILSON
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CURTAINS UP
GROWING UP IN AN ART INSTALLATION HAS AN EFFECT ON YOUR CHILDHOOD. MAISIE COTTELL REFLECTS ON AN EXTRAORDINARY 13 YEARS. THIS PAGE (L-R): BACK TO FRONT, 2011; STILL LIVE, 2003. OPPOSITE (L-R): “MAISIE” IN COLLECTING TIME: THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, 2005; COLLECTING TIME: THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, 2005. ALL PHOTOS BY TERRY WATTS.
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Ever felt you couldn’t bring your friends back to your house because you were too embarrassed? Or you simply wouldn’t know how to explain what they would find there? To this day I can count on one hand the amount of times some of my closest school friends, people I’ve known for over ten years, have been to my house. I like to think of my family as a mix of Fawlty Towers and Absolutely Fabulous: openly dysfunctional either way. My dad devours books, plays instruments and can build his own furniture. Equally he accumulates — no, hoards — antiques to a point where he has filled three sheds in the garden and we have four pianos and an organ in the house. And this is not a large house. Not to mention, in one of his finer moments, he was banned from my school parent’s evenings after turning up stoned one year and upsetting the geography teacher. My mum is your average artist who takes her kids on anti-war marches, has a perchance for asymmetri-
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“IMAGINE EATING YOUR BREAKFAST IN A KITCHEN BEHIND A BLUE NET AS A PILE OF RANDOM STRANGERS STAND ON THE OTHER SIDE TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOU IN FASCINATION.” cal haircuts and Dr. Martens, and loves to dance. Actually they both love to dance. All in all they are a very supportive, per- haps slightly offbeat, pair who have been known to throw a good party or two. Also, for the last thirteen years they have turned my house into an art instal- lation. My mum is an artist who works pri- marily in installation, often with a live element (although she has dabbled in performance art — I once watched her stand in a UV lit room and stab herself, causing pockets of UV paint to burst from her dress, a sight for any eight -year-old). So as my dad’s burgeoning antique collec- tion started to touch the ceiling my mum decided the best way to deal with it would be to convert the house into art. Inviting random strangers to come into our house and watch... Really, I like to think of it as a meta- phor for their marriage. Whenever my dad had overstepped the mark and we once again had two layers of furniture against a wall instead of one, my mum seemed to respond with a “well I’ll just have to do an art installation then!” To be fair to her, one day I did come home from school to find my dad had taken up some floorboards in the living room and was proceeding to hide various items of taxidermy under them. And so what began as an attempt to stem a flow of cameras, old microscopes and a lot of stuff that seemed broken in the first place, from entering our house has ended up lasting thirteen years and been affectionately titled “The House Projects”. “The House Projects”, in conjunction with Cafe Gallery Projects, have involved building huge installations that have carved through our house, operating as viewing
platforms in which the audience move through the building and observe the occupants. Starting in 2001 the instal- lations were listed in Time Out and The Guardian and every Sunday the house would be open to the public, with up to 200 people coming a day. The installa- tions have had various reincarnations, from raised white platforms to blue netted tunnels, but what has remained constant is the separation between the viewer and the occupant. Of course the point was that the house was ours and the occupants were my sister Lulu, Dad and I. More often than not still in our pyjamas. Imagine eating your breakfast in a kitchen behind a blue net — which you’ve only managed to get to by going into the garden and climbing back in through the kitchen window — as a pile of random strangers stand on the other side taking photographs of you in fasci- nation. Or stubbing your toe on a newly erected installation and swearing loudly as you walk into the kitchen only to find an art critic sitting at the kitchen table. An art critic who incidentally had just asked your mum how her family copes living with this, to which she’d replied, “Oh they’re fine with it.” Although my mum did generously wait till I’d come to Dublin before she decided that one of the instal- lations should carve straight through my bedroom, a difficulty that comes with having a bedroom downstairs. We would live with these installations for months, sometimes years, at a time and so they became part of the furniture. We ate Christmas dinner on them, did our homework on them and of course they were our very own stages. Mum once heard a woman on the radio
telling her daughter that it didn’t matter what life threw at you because she could put it all in a book one day. To which, mum came straight into the living room yelling to me and Lulu, “See, you’ll put all this in a book one day!” I think we just looked up from the TV rather unim- pressed both having just put on our fourth jumper as, due to a new installation, we couldn’t close any doors and it was December. Only on going back into the kitchen did she catch the rest of the radio program and realised that said woman was describing escaping civil war. Mum did admit this Christmas that perhaps the whole thing had been “a bit mad” but if I ever write that sketch show I’m not short of material. And I am sure it has, in part, led to me spending the last four years knocking round Players designing sets. Plus, although I’d never say it to her face, you do really appreciate your sibling because you realise they saw it all too. A visitor to the house who discov- ered me eating breakfast one Sunday morning behind the blue net once asked whether I was at art school myself. On replying that I was studying English Lit- erature she gasped disbelievingly, “Oh god you must have no idea what’s going on then!” Restraining an urge to throw my cornflakes at her, I smiled, shrugged and allowed her, with her MA in Critical Theory to enlighten me — why were there all these people in my house? But perhaps she was right, not that I didn’t know what was going on, but that, as most people find, it has taken having distance from my house to take stock of the upbringing we had and what we lived in. In hindsight I do sometimes think someone should have called social services.
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PLAYING UP TO THE CAMERA DURING AWARDS SEASON, STUDIOS EXECUTE LENGTHY, EXPENSIVE CAMPAIGNS FOR THEIR FILMS IN AN ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE OSCAR VOTERS. tn2 INVESTIGATES THE PHENOMENON AND THIS YEAR’S MOST AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGNS. 12 // TN2MAGAZINEJE
The whispers began weeks before its debut. Analysts armed themselves, preparing for a systemic shift in book- ies’s odds, while other studios recal- culated their marketing accordingly. For days there was radio silence, fol- lowed by the vocal pundits; it couldn’t be that good, they claimed, could it? Then finally the news was confirmed in Telluride. It was over, time for the competitors to go home. 12 Years a Slave had the Oscar race sewn-up. It was 30 August 2013, 194 days until the statues would be handed out in Dolby Theatre and already the mechanisms of the beast that is the awards sea- son campaign trail were in full swing. Director Steve McQueen along with actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o were instantly ubiquitous. McQueen’s past as an art-school rebel was unearthed and thrashed around the media, while the influence of
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everything from his Ghanaian ancestry to his residence in Amsterdam on his film was rigorously deconstructed on the internet. Nyong’o quickly emerged as a style icon, and was embraced by the fashion world, appearing on the covers of Dazed & Confused, Vogue Italia and Vanity Fair, as well as the Miu Miu Spring 2014 campaign. Ejiofor meanwhile was suddenly everyone’s dark horse; “the most underrated actor of his generation” adorned the cover of numerous maga- zines as everybody claimed to have spot- ted him first. Only one man stood apart from the hysteria that surrounded the package that 12 Years a Slave had become, Michael Fassbender. Clearly (and justifi- ably) bitter from his 2011 Oscar shutout wherein he campaigned tirelessly for a Best Actor nod for his work in Shame, Fassbender, while appearing at every press junket to heap praise on his director and costars, adamantly declared
he will stay apart from the circus that is the campaign trail. But it’s not a circus; if anything, the 2014 Oscar race has shown it’s a slaugh- terhouse. A Best Original Song nomi- nation for Alone Yet Not Alone, a film released in only nine American cities? How could this little known composi- tion emerge from seemingly nowhere to join the ranks of U2 and Pharrell Williams, while denying the likes of Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift their first nominations? Once it was revealed that Bruce Broughton, a long time Academy member of the music branch, was the song’s composer the answer became clear. Understanding (better than most) the major financial boost an Oscar nom- ination can bring to a film even if it has little chance of winning, it emerged that Broughton had sent personalised emails to roughly 70 of the branch’s 239 mem- bers. For the first time in its history, the Academy revoked an Oscar nomina- tion, citing improper campaigning by Broughton. The composer has recently cried foul in the press, stating he was merely drawing attention to the gulf that has emerged between Hollywood stu- dios and independent financiers in terms of campaigning on the awards season trail. “They had previews and parties and huge promotions,” Broughton said of his (former) fellow nominees. “We had no budget. There’s no Oscar campaign.” But it’s not enough to just have a cam- paign in this slaughterhouse. You have to be prepared to roll with the punches. Pick up any recent interview with Best Actor frontrunner Matthew McCo- naughey and you will invariably find him dismissing allegations that Ronald Woodroof was bisexual and probably contracted AIDS through homosexual sex. McConaughey’s Dallas Buyers Club portrays Woodroof as a homophobe who contracted the disease through intrave- nous drug use. This hasn’t dampened the desires of rival tudios to tarnish the film’s chances in March. Similar claims of factual error were also made by the family of William Ford, a slave owner portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. They argue the film was innacurately represented their ancestor, described in Solomon Northup’s autobiography as a kind, caring, Christian man who just so happened to condone slavery. The 12 Years camp has yet to respond to these allegations. It is impossible to talk about awards season hysteria without mentioning one man, but surprisingly 2013 was a quiet year for the pioneer of the modern Oscar campaign, Har-
vey Weinstein. His bag of tricks for securing nominations is legend- ary (this is the man who once got Shake- speare in Love enough votes to beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture) and the results speak for themselves, with his films securing more than 300 Academy Award nominations to date. His first big campaign came in 1989 with Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot, wherein he convinced Sheridan and producer Noel Pearson to move to L.A. from Dublin, so that they could more easily attend the numerous meet-and-greets with Acad- emy members. He even persuaded Best Actor nominee Daniel Day-Lewis to tes- tify in the Senate for the Disability Act (ironically Day-Lewis also presented his film Lincoln to Congress last year in a bid for publicity). In 2009 when Slumdog Millionaire was suddenly hit with nega- tive press implying the filmmakers had exploited the movie’s Indian child actors, many assumed Weinstein (who was backing The Reader) was behind it. Last year, he secretly hired Obama’s deputy campaign manager to help with the cam- paign for David O. Russell’s Silver Lin- ings Playbook. Weinstein’s only player for Best Picture this year is the dark horse Philomena, expected to trouble John Ridley’s (12 Years a Slave) clean sweep of Best Adapted Screenplay awards, but little else. Instead, 2013 saw the rise of a new super producer, Megan Ellison, daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison. Elli- son’s Annapurna Pictures for years now has quietly been churning high-quality, auteur-driven films that contemporary Hollywood studios are frankly too scared to finance. With two Best Picture nomi- nees in Her and American Hustle, the 28-year-old has announced her presence on the world stage in a big way. Only time will tell if she will adopt Weinstein’s proven methods of whisper campaigns and old-school cold calling in her bid for Oscar glory. And maybe she shouldn’t. Perhaps the campaigning should be left to the pol- iticians and we should adopt a Woody Allen-like approach to the “circus”. Per- haps we should keep in mind what Ejio- for recently said when commenting on his film’s campaigning and buzz, “I love the film. I think it’s a really strong piece of work. But I also want people to come to it without all the buzz and the hype and this and that. I do feel it needs to be engaged within its own quiet, reflective way.” WORDS BY EOIN McCAGUE ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALICE WILSON
ISSUE SIX // 13
OPENERS
HOUSE OF CARDS // SEASON 2 The wait is finally over for the highly anticipated second series of Netflix’s original show House of Cards. The stakes are even higher for Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood who has success- fully maneuvered himself into the vice-presidency, embolden- ing him to delve further into the abyss of political intrigue, con- spiracy and power-plays. With a new position comes new opponents and allies, forever blurred by the mercurial nature of pol- itics and ambition, particularly from the president’s confidante Raymond Tusk (Gerald Mac- Raney) and third-term congress- woman Jacqueline Sharp (Molly Parker). Robin Wright reprises her Golden Globewinning role as Claire Underwood who struggles to stay afloat amidst
14 // TN2MAGAZINEJE
7 DAYS
the even greater scrutiny of her less than illustrious private life and whose resolve is questioned when the dynamics of power in her marriage turn overwhelm- ingly in favour of Frank’s ruth- less ambition. Meanwhile, the secret surrounding the death of Peter Russo threatens to spill out onto the political stage, with journalist and Frank’s former mistress Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) determined to pursue the truth even in the face of intimidation, fear tactics and threat of occupa- tional ruin. Having achieved new heights in his career, Frank’s fall from grace would be spectacular, giving him all the more reason to protect and defend it, but will it be enough to prevent his precari- ous position from crashing down all around him? All episodes of House of Cards season two will be available on Netflix on 14 February CF.
SAT 15TH
SUN 16TH
TROPICAL POPICAL SOUTH WILLIAM STREET
AGAINST THE ENAMEL TEMPLE BAR GALLERY
Head up South William Street to Tropical Popical, a bright, garish nail-bar that aims to pro- vide highquality nail care at low prices. Inspired by the abun- dance of drop-in nail salons in New York, Tropical Popical pro- vides a manicure for just €7, and a mani-pedi for €30. It is also known for its notorious Disco Bar, where you can get your hair styled for the weekend. As well as offering a standard blow dry for €15, it also caters for those who are more daring. Try the retro style disco-crimp, or clip in some extensions for the night. Boys need not worry, they too are provided for, and can get a blow dry for a steal at €10. IT.
Against the Enamel is an exhi- bition of newly commissioned work by Portuguese artist Pris- cila Fernandez. Taking its title from one of the more peculiar neo-impressionist paintings by Paul Signac, it brings together references to early twentieth century art education, changing labour conditions, scientific dis- covery, anarchistic utopianism, and spectacle. Fernandez sets the psychedelic background of Signac’s painting into spiralling motion on a LED video wall, whose radiating light reveals five cast iron sculptures. Their shapes, inspired by art textbooks of the time, and their materiality speak of an era where industrial production called for the crea- tion of good working habits: a sense of effort, patience and per- severance in the students. 7 February until 29 March. Admission free.
OPENERS
IN DUBLIN MON 17TH TUES 18TH WED 19TH THUR 15TH
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?
THE VORTEZX GATE THEATRE
A VISION: A LIFE OF W.B. YEATS
DJ RASHAD TWISTED PEPPER
Featuring Brian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Richie Hawtin and James Murphy, the Red Bull Music Academy’s first full-length fea- ture will be a treat to anyone fas- cinated by those who make music their life. They have teamed up with award-winning director Ralf Schmerberg to shoot inter- views at the 2013 RBMA Awards in New York. It aims to capture the atmosphere of the multigen- red institution it hopes it has become after 15 years in action. Bringing legendary musicians to a different city each year, it fol- lows artists which the academy have inspired since it started in 1998. The film brings them all together for a reunion at its anni- versary last year. The Sugar Club will once again put on a great show, with tiered seating and cheap pitchers. Screening at 7.30pm HL.
If Pride and Prejudice became the fastest selling show in the Gate’s history then the theatre’s new venture, Noel Coward’s The Vortex — called the “theatrical shock of the jazz age” — is risque indeed. Florence, a fading beauty and socialite, is having an affair with Tom, a much younger man. But when her son Nicky returns from Paris with a fiancé, the fab- ric of these relationships are torn apart. The talented Annabelle Comyn (The House, Pygmalion) directs a solid cast in a show that balances the elegance and pomp of the Gate with the debauched world of sex addiction and cocaine. In the author’s words, it’s still “un peu shocking”. Previews: 3-17 February. Shows until 22 March. Tickets from €25 KM
The life of this hugely influential 20th century literary figure has been well documented, but so far no account has taken the form of a “filmpoem”. A Vision: The Life of WB Yeats foregoes details of his public life in favour of an exploration of his mind. Blend- ing biography and artistic trib- ute, the project combines Yeats’ own words with hallucinatory visuals to “take the viewer on a cinematic journey of sorts into Yeats’ extraordinary imagina- tion”. An ambitious and intrigu- ing venture funded by the Arts Council’s Reel Art scheme and screened as part of JDIFF. 6.30pm, Tickets €13 LND.
Footwork don DJ Rashad will bring one of Chicago’s most explosive musical forms to Dublin’s Twisted Pepper while touring in support of his latest LP Double Cup released on Kode 9’s Hyperdub label. This release has been receiving rave reviews from various media, as have Rashad’s DJ sets with the likes of DJ Spinn, Trax- man, RP Boo and the members of the Teklife Crew. Support on the night comes from Dub- lin’s own Bentley Riddims and Well Known, while Funkin’ N Skankin’ deliver reggae and funk in the bar. In the basement Sunil Sharpe, Sonel Ali and Clu will be keeping the techno and bass coming thick and fast for an event that will not soon be forgotten. 10pm, Tickets €10 LM.
ISSUE SIX // 15
ONE CANNOT
THINK WELL
sleep well OR
Study well
If One Has Not
EATEN WELL KC
Pe a ch e s
Fork out less when you take away! â‚Ź6 student meal deal Offer includes a small salad box cookie & small tea/coffee or bottle of water Available in all four locations Nataus Street, Pearse Street, Daje Street and St Stephen Green during the academic year.