Sphere

SPHERE - ART - MUSIC - LIFESTYLE - TRAVEL-

Featuring Photography

by Lewis Gault

Contrib L

auren Rafferty Magazine Editor

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allum Mullen Assistant Editor

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ethany Ransom Head of Photography

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regor Caul Chief Photographer

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butors G

abriel Antoniazzi Feature Writer

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ucía Núñez Head Magazine Designer and Illustrator

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avin Rittoo Feature Writer

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nne-Florence Neveu Feature Writer and Magazine Designer

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A

lex Welburn Feature Writer and Magazine Designer

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aimee-Lee McKenzie Feature Writer

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ederica Finnochiaro Feature Writer

Photos and content were taken and produced by the contributors. all photos taken from outside sources have been credited.

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Dye My Hair - Alma Cloud 9 - Jamiroquai Everyday Struggle - The Notorious B.I.G. (L’IndEcis Remix) Saturnz Barz (Spirit House) - Gorillaz Venus Fly - Grimes ft. Janelle MonAe Hallucinations - dvsn No Plan - David Bowie Say Something Loving - The xx Shore - Daniela Andrade Heavydirtysoul - twenty one pilots I Feel It Coming - The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk I Feel Love (Every Million Miles) - The Dead Weather In Cold Blood - alt-J

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Contents

Contributors 2-4 Playlist 5 Music 8-11

Jonny Jewel

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CIty Profiles 12-25 MĂŠxico City, Siem Reap Brussels and Berlin

Food & Drinks 26-43

Oktoberfest, Dal Baht, Proost Italian Meal, Cocktails and Budget Meal

Book Reviews 44-45

People 78-99

Art 46-75

Aikido, Yoga, Theo, Cosplayer, Football and Rugby

Kiasma, Lewis Gault, Pietila, Now what?

Fashion 76-77

Horoscopes 100-101

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Jonny Jewel Article and photography by Gregor Caul

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eleasing a fully-fledged album with zero live gigs is an unconventional move for an artist who works just as hard on image and theatricality as he does on his music but that is precisely the move that self-proclaimed glam rocker, Jonny Jewel, made two years ago with his self-titled debut album.

Now, keen to rectify his lack of presence in Scotland’s music venues, Jonny has set up a number of shows across the country in which to show off his sparkly guitars and jungle themed wardrobe.

Two of his undisclosed number of planned gigs have already gone underway and have both been well attended and well received.

His debut performance was an intimate gig in Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s, a snug and suitably grungy venue for any aspiring musician’s first live appearance. The band is set up as a frontman with a session band. Jonny provides the vocals and lead guitar and scrambles together a different drummer, bass player and rhythm guitarist for every recording and show – the reason Jonny gives for his late arrival to the stage.

He said: “It’s been difficult trying to get a gig sorted out.

I’ve been trying since before the album was finished. I haven’t found anyone that has the time that I have to put

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into the music so I’ve had to get help from anybody who’s available at the time.

“My dad plays rhythm for me pretty consistently and that’s working for now but it’s not an arrangement I see being permanent.”

Jonny’s vocals on the album are not dissimilar in tone and attitude to those of Tom Verlaine from Television, the band whose song, Little Johnny Jewel, acted as the inspiration behind Jonny’s stage name.

The bass and drums seem to be intentionally simple perhaps because of the bands setup or perhaps to let the unique guitar playing shine through.

Besides the tiger print jacket and the array of glitter finished fenders, it is the guitar that stands out in most of Jonny’s work. He plays very busy music with notes in places you wouldn’t expect and with guitar moves that few would think to try. Performing live, Jonny takes inspiration from the Ramones, playing through the set list as fast as possible only talking when introducing the next song.

Despite some radio play, Jonny still has a ways to go in getting his name out there but in the words of his favourite band: “Now Little Johnny Jewel, Oh, he’s so cool, He has no decision, He’s just trying to tell a vision.”

Mexico City > CITY CONNECTION <

Article and photography by Federica Finocchiaro

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éxico is a nation of many contradictions. It’s rich and poor.

Beautiful yet dirty. Mexico is the beautiful smile of a mariachi playing a sweet and sorrowful song in its empty and silent streets after 6 pm. And in a region of such contradictions, its capital, Mexico City is the crown jewel. Without any doubt, Mexico City is becoming one of the world’s greatest capitals. Despite its reputation for being crowded, dirty and dangerous, this city has a rich history, a dynamic street culture and some of the best food in Latin America.

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Centro Histórico One of the most important places in the whole city, the historic center, was founded as Tenochtitlan by the Aztecs in 1325. A century later when the Spanish invaded Mexico they understood the strategic and symbolic importance of this site and decided to fund the Spanish Capital of Mexico City on that same spot.

Nowadays, at the heart of the city is the vast Plaza de la Constitución, otherwise known as El Zócalo.

Walking around and exploring the historic center is a unique experience as it will give the chance to visit the grandiose Catedral Metropolitana (Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Santísima Virgen María a los cielos) considered as one of the most iconic structures in the whole city. Another “must see” of the city is the Templo Mayor (a large Aztec temple complex discovered in the 1970s).

And finally, situated only six blocks west from the Zócalo is the Torre Latinoamericana (Latin American skyscraper) considered one of the city’s most important landmarks.

Xochilmilco Xochilmilco is a system of canals particularly known and appreciated both by tourists and locals. Originally this system of waterways was a very popular and useful transportation venue, especially for goods from the pre-Hispanic period until the 20th century. Nowadays, Xochilmilco is particularly known for its trajineras (special boats whose shape is reminiscent of the famous Venetian gondolas) and artificial island called chinampas.

During the weekend, this amazing and colourful water system is filled by masses of tourists who cruise along the water canals while the sounds of mariachi bands fill the air with cheerful songs and taco makers sell their fresh and delicious speciality from their canoes.

Estadio Azteca For those who love football, an important place to see is the Estadio Azteca. The stadium was built in the 1960s and its name is a tribute to the Aztec heritage of Mexico City. This stadium is also known with the nickname “Coloso de Santa Úrsula” translated in English as “Colossus of Saint Ursula”. “Coloso” or “Colossus” due to its large structure while “Santa Úrsula” refers to the suburb where the stadium is located. Presently, it is the only stadium to have hosted two World Cup finals (in 1970 and in 1986).

This is without any doubt a must see for football lovers, and if booked on time, it is possible to participate to one of the many football games hosted within the stadium.

Coyoacán If you love art and are a fan of Frida Kahlo then Coyoacán should be on the list of places to visit when in Mexico City.

In the southern neighbourhood of Coyoacán Frida Kahlo’s childhood home is situated and is known as La Casa Azul (The Blue House). It appears that much of the home remains as it was in the 1950s and works by Kahlo and her husband are also on display.

Teotihuacan Finally, located approximately 40km from Mexico City is the stunning Teotihuacan known for being the site of many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in the preColumbian Americas.

The word Teotihuacan is the Aztec name for the city, meaning “Place of the Gods” although the exact origins of this site remain still unknown. In fact it is thought that the construction began around 100 BC (more than 1000 years before the actual arrival of the Aztecs in Mexico).

The size of the remains is majestic and the whole site gives a mysterious and particular vibe to those who visit it.

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Siem Reap > CITY CONNECTION <

Article and photography by Bethany Ransom

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ot many people would be able to tell you off the top of their heads exactly why Siem Reap is –or should be- one of the most popular destinations. It’s a small city in the North West of Cambodia, surrounded by flat lands and jungle forests. The city has sprung up around a river whose estuary is home to an ever-growing “floating village” of Vietnamese migrants. Their houses, shops, restaurants and community spaces all exist on wonderfully garish boats that light up like arcades at night.

But it’s a much older metropolis that makes Siem Reap really worth the visit. In contrast to the ever shifting slums that have so recently sprouted, the cold hard stones of Angkor Wat

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still stand. Translating as “city of temples” this ancient Khmer network dates back to the 13th Century. Though still deemed a holy site, much of what remains is completely open to the public to explore. A pass to the entire national park area can be purchased for the duration of a day, or for a certain number of days within a space of time – i.e seven days within a month of purchase. The sights are spread apart, sprawling 160 hectares through the Cambodian jungle. Luckily, tuk-tuk tour guides are available to hire. They will pick you up from Siem Reap and ferry you around between major temples and sites. They all have basic knowledge of the history of the site and even specific monuments.

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As previously mentioned, Angkor Wat is a holy site. A strict code of respectful conduct is encouraged. The most important to observe is the dress code. As with most holy sites and indeed most Asian countries, it’s considered inappropriate to display excessive skin on the shoulders and chest, and any above the knee. The tourist office specifically requests that visitors – specifically women – stick to a modest dress code as many monks live in the area or make a pilgrimage to visit the largest surviving religious structure on the planet.

Spending the day walking around this ancient place and climbing to the top of the towering structures in the East Asian heat can be very tiring, so make sure you take plenty of water and make use of the stalls and cafes. The heat and exertion are easily worth it though. The spectacular architecture has re-

mained stunningly articulate. The main gate of Angkor Wat is a popular site to view the sunrise from, and certain sites have provided the set to some very famous films – like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider for example.

Siem Reap itself lives to serve Angkor Wat. It would be impossible to find a hotel that didn’t offer tours of this wonder of the world.

However there are many other alternatives.

While staying in Cambodia it would be rude not to see the vast rice fields, or sample some of their rice wine. Phare, the Cambodian Circus is also based in Siem Reap. They put on thrilling shows and offer the chance to do workshops with their artists. This city and indeed this country is a truly wonderful holiday destination. It’s cheap and relatively safe, beautifully exotic and full of ancient history.

Well worth a visit.

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Brussels > CITY CONNECTION <

by Gavin Ritto

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russels, the capital of Europe – yet one of the most underrated and underappreciated cities around.

Brussels may not be number one choice on everyone’s list when it comes to planning a sightseeing holiday or weekend retreat but this article will hopefully open your mind to this gorgeous city.

Brussels has got so much to offer. From the medieval buildings, cobbled stones and astounding architecture of the Grote Markt.

Take a tube three stops north and you’re in Molenbeek – from medieval Belgium to North Africa. The flea markets optimize the community culture of these areas and highlight actual lives that would normally be hidden from tourists. From this to the hustle and bustle surrounding the European Parliament that could be mistaken for located in New York or Tokyo.

With a multicultural city comes multicultural food. However, who needs food from all over the world when you’ve got Belgian food? The home of frying, although the French would argue otherwise, the double frying system is truly unique along with the vast array of sauces to choose from which makes the Belgian fry undoubtedly the best in the world. Fancy something alongside your chips? Look no further than mussels, another Belgian classic and the country’s favourite

Photography courtesy of Flickr

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finger food. For pudding, take your pick although deciding between a waffle and fresh Belgian chocolate is easier said than done. The chocolate comes in all shapes and sizes and it is far from hard to come by. The city centre is littered with shops selling all sorts; from the famous Brussels praline to a little chocolate statue of a boy peeing, there will be something for you. If you can’t decide what to go for or if you’re low on money you can usually get away with hopping from shop to shop trying out the free tasters. Waffles or ‘gaufres’ in French are also highly recommended. It is impossible to walk around the city and not bump into a waffle stand or someone eating a waffle.

Brussels or Liege style? Toppings? Sauce or ice cream? The world is your waffle. If you like food come to Brussels. If you want to watch your weight – don’t come to Brussels.

Now, after all that food it only makes sense to wash it all down with a refreshing Belgian beer. The question again is which one? Belgium and Brussels pride themselves on the quality of their beer.

The variety of beer is extraordinary too, whatever mood you’re in there will be a beer for that mood. The presentation of

the beer also contributes greatly to the whole experience. Just like every beer is unique, every glass is unique too. Each pub is slightly different to the next and the outdoor seating all year round contributes to the perfect drinking atmosphere. The beers are all served in either 25cl or 33cl glasses, ordering a pint is very uncommon.

The main tourists attractions are all within walking distance of each other, allowing tourists to leisurely stroll through cobbled streets in the pedestrianised city centre.

This is because the beers are almost double the strength of those back in the UK – so you will be forgiven for feeling a little tipsy after two half pints.

The Grote Markt is a magnificent spot for relaxing. No matter what time of day it is there are always hundreds of people simply sitting or standing in the market square, basking in the beauty of the town hall and the surrounding architecture. Historically however, the Grote Markt was a much more hostile and depressing place. In the 16th and 17th century, hundreds of people have been executed on the town square for various reasons. Witches and protestants were burnt at the stake, while criminals were decapitated. It’s safe to say now there is a much more peaceful vibe around the place. The 110 by 68 metre Grote Markt is also home to the Flower Carpet in the summer featuring a colourful carpet design using more 700,000 cut begonias. In the winter, a Christmas lights display is projected onto the buildings and a vibrant Christmas market stretches from the Grote Markt through to Place SainteCatherine and Marché aux Poissons. From the meter tall ‘manneken piss’ statue to the 102 metre high atomium landmark there is plenty to see and do in Brussels.

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Berlin

> CITY CONNECTION < Article and photography by Gabriel Antoniazzi

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erhaps no city in the world was as divided as Berlin once was. The ‘Iron Curtain’ and the start of the Eastern Bloc began halfway through the city as the Soviets occupied the East and the Americans, Brits and French occupied the West. However, the wall was knocked down in 1989 symbolizing the fall of the Soviet Union, its satellite states and the re-unification of Berlin and Germany as a whole. There is no doubt that Germany’s unification is complete - it is one country and the economical and political powerhouse of the EU at that. But is its capital city as unified as its mother or is it still a city stuck between old differences.

There is no city in Europe as high on history as Berlin. Its museums, monuments and memorials sets it apart from the rest.

Museum wise, there is a whole island dedicated to it. The duly named ‘Museum Island’ is a little piece of land in the middle of the river Spree with 5 or 6 museums on it. Mainly art and culture museums, the island is so important that it is an official

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World Heritage Site. Other famous art and culture museums can be found but unsurprisingly the best ones focus on the horror of the Second World War. Perhaps ‘The Topography of Terror’ is the best one.

It is certainly one of the most harrowing. An outdoor and indoor museum, it is based where the old SS and Gestapo HQ’s were and depicts the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WWII. Continuing the journey through history, Berlin offers some of the most significant landmarks in Europe. Checkpoint Charlie (the gate between the East and West of the world) is a known spot for tourists, as is the giant Fernsehturm, Berlin’s answer to the Eiffel Tower. But the two most iconic monuments are the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate.

Only 500 meters from each other, the two buildings stand out in the grandest of cities. The Reichstag, with its famous phrase ‘Dem Deutsche Volke’ and its glass dome roof, is one of the most well-

known government buildings in the world.

The Brandenburg gate has bore witness to significant historical events and has stood through every one of them. Today it is viewed as a symbol of peace and European unity. And who could forget about the Wall itself? Dotted throughout the city, the best part of the Wall can be seen in the East Side Gallery. The Wall is decorated with plenty of different pictures, each telling its own story. Art, culture and history all in one.

History is not the only reason to go to Berlin.

Its nightlife is second to none in Europe. The city is throbbing with bars and nightclubs -

partying is a way of life here. Bars are open later than other cities in Germany and they come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you are looking for a traditional German tavern, or a calm, relaxing atmosphere or a buzzing bar with live music, Berlin has it. One bar, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mein Haus Am Seeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a renovated library. People can sit, drink and socialise on the sofas at the bottom or higher up amongst the bookshelves.

Restaurants and cafes follow the same tag line. From Vietnamese cuisine to currywurst stalls to chic patisseries, Berlin caters for all tastes. Nightclubbing is essential to being a Berliner. The best clubs are littered in and around the river on the

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East side of the city. Berghain, Watergate, Tresor and many more are elite clubs and amongst the best in Europe. However, they are very strict on who they let in, as not everyone is privilege enough to get in. Dark plain clothes are advised and entry in small groups will maximize your chances.

Clothes and fashion are also a part of being a Berliner. The place is a cultural trendsetter. It always has been. Even at the height of the Cold War it was still the place to be, the place where David Bowie and Iggy Pop would hang out. As a multicultural metropolis, this is expected of a city, but Berlin goes one step further. There is less focus on material wealth and status symbols that you might expect and people care more for creativity and personal freedom. Many areas of the city, like all large cities, have been gentrified. However, this results in many ‘underground’ areas forming across the city and has led to an international village feel.

Berlin is less of a ‘high’ city and more of a ‘wide’ city. This means there are lots of open spaces, especially green spaces, giving opportunity for young designers and the public to make the most of the space. An abandoned airport in the South of the city, Templehof Flughafen, is a prime example of this. The massive space is capitalized upon on summer days with hundreds flocking to the fields to relax, drink, play football, music, picnic and just live.

So is Berlin still divided as it once was? The presence of the wars (First, Second and Cold) can still be felt here. There is still a difference between the East and West. The city juxtaposition of old and modern architecture. There is no true city centre, with mini centres in several districts such as Mitte, Kruezberg, Alexandraplatz and Templehof. But that is what makes it so great. These differences, these divisions all in one place are what makes the city unique.

This unique vibe can only be felt here. It makes everyone feel that they truly are, in the words of the 35th President of the United States - “ein Berliner.”

Oktoberfest Article and photography By Gavin RIttoo

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ktoberfest in the largest beer festival in the world. It is celebrated all over the world by all kinds of different people. In the UK, it is usually an excuse to go out and drink the same beer in the same place but this time wearing a cheap lederhosen. However if you want to celebrate Oktoberfest properly then follow this guide.

WHERE? With over 600,000 flooding through the gates each day, it’s safe to say if you are going to celebrate Oktoberfest properly Munich is the place to be.

The Oktoberfest takes place on the famous “Theresienwiese” grounds in Munich. During the festival these grounds are scattered with huge beer tents, hosting up to 10,000 people in one tent.

The construction of these tents takes about three months so preparations start well in advance of the festival.

WHEN? The festival begins in September and ends in October, hence the name.

It usually ends on the first Sunday of October or on October 3rd - ‘Tag der Deutschen Einheit’ (Day of German Unity). This year will mark the 184th anniversary of the festival dating back to the first celebration in 1810 held in honour of the wedding between Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. For 5 days the people of Munich were invited to eat, drink, be merry and join in the celebrations in the town.

Since then the festival has been held every year (aside from a few breaks during the war). Entry to the festival is free, as is entry to the tents. However be prepared to dig into your pocket for food, drink, costumes and souvenirs.

FOOD Oktoberfest not only attracts beer lovers but also food lovers. Nothing goes down better with a beer than a whole chicken with chips and a pretsel. Or why not try something more traditional? Bratwurst sausages, knuckles of pork, oxen freshly smoked fish and lots of colourful

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gingerbread creations are all on offer too.

Hints Eating is NOT cheating. Make sure you make the most of the food on offer.

DRINK One of the most important tips is this - If you like beer, go to Oktoberfest. It’s as simple as that. What’s so brilliant about Oktoberfest is that each tent sells a different brand of German beer. Each tent only serves one specific brand of beer though so if you don’t like it then you best relocate yourself.

There are no half measures at Oktoberfest either; no pints, or half pints, All beers are served in ‘steins’ – a traditionally German Bavarian beer mug which holds one litre of liquid gold. As most tents only serve one beer per tent, this makes the ordering process much easier as everyone is drinking the same thing. Waitresses simply walk around carrying up to 15 steins at a time and if you want one all you need to do is simply put up your hand.

Hints Steins cost between €8-€11 and it is advised you tip your waitress so she keeps coming back.

If you really don’t fancy beer then there is an alternative. The Weinzelt (wine tent) is where you can choose from more than 15 different wines and champagne.

There is also tents specifically for coffees, cakes and detoxing juices.

TENTS The tents are incredible. Each tent offers something totally different to the next; different beer, different food different atmospheres, sizes and types of people.

There are party tents for young people, family friendly tents, outdoor tents and private tents. Some play live music, some serve food and drink – most do all three!

On the opening day of the Wiesn, at 12 pm on the dot, the mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter will tap the first keg in the Schottenham el tent and call out “O’zapft is!” confirming that the tapping was successful. It is only after this that all

other tents may begin to serve beer.

Hints During the day access to the tents is relatively easy and hassle free. But during the evenings make sure you get into a tent early to avoid disappointment as a lot of the tents fill up quick and stop letting people in at around 7pm.

DRESS CODE There is no official policy on dress code however in order to get the most of the experience most people tend to wear traditional lederhosen or a Bavarian shirt. Traditional lederhosen can be very expensive however there are plenty of shops and pop up stalls dotted across Munich en route to the festival, which can sort you out with a quick, cheap and appropriate costume.

WEATHER When we were there the weather was fantastic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bright sunshine and highs of 25 degrees during the day. But be prepared for a steep temperate drop at night. If you can, bring a jacket or jumper for the dreaded walk home when the festival closes its doors.

ACCOMMODATION We stayed in a campsite on the outskirts of Munich. It was cheap, had warm showers and was filled with fellow Oktoberfest goers. There was also a direct tram route which took us straight to the festival.

Aside from sleeping we spent no time at all at our accommodation, it is probably one of the least important factors when it comes to planning a trip to Oktoberfest.

There are also plenty of places to stay in and around Munich but book early to avoid disappointment.

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Dal Baht

Recipe and photography by Bethany Ransom

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al baht is the national dish of Nepal. It consists of steamed or boiled rice and a kind of lentil soup. It is often served on a heavy metal dish, with the soup placed in a metal cup. It is eaten with vegetable curry (tarkari) and achar (spicy pickle).

On special occasions or in wealthy families, it may be served with chicken or goat meat curry. Traditionally, dal baht is eaten with the fingers of the right hand only.

Nepalis eat dal baht twice a day every day, at mid morning and early in the evening.

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You would think they would get fed up of it, but it’s the ideal meal with almost everything you could want. It’s tasty and satisfying and varies according to the vegetables in season. Changing the type of lentil between black, green or red dal instead of the more common yellow, also provides variety. Dal baht provides carbohydrates, protein, fibre, vegetables, vitamins and spices. It is the most perfectly balanced meal for the people who live on top of the world.

Though I grew up in Scotland, I ate dal baht often as a child. Though hard to recreate with vegetables and spices available here, we often tried our own variations. Nothing truly compares to proper Nepali food, but here’s how you can try yourself: INGREDIENTS: Baht - rice 2 cups of rice 4 cups of water Salt Dal - lentils 1 1/2 cups lentils 4-5 cups water 1 onion, finely sliced 2 chillies, sliced 1 tsp garlic - minced 1 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp garam masala 1tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ginger Pinch of salt 6 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or oil

Tarkari - vegetable curry: Oil 1tsp turmeric 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp ginger 1 tsp cumin 1 small chilli or 1 tsp chilli powder Salt and pepper Potato, tomato, onion and spinach.

Method: Put rice in cold water and bring to the boil. Add salt to taste. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice grains are soft.

Soak lentils in water for 10 minutes. Rinse and put in a medium pan with fresh water and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, heat the ghee or oil in another pan and fry the garlic, onion, chillies and mustard seeds. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the spices and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the spice mixture to the lentils and bring to the boil. Reduce to a medium heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and the mixture has thickened.

Tarkari: Heat a little oil in pan. Add turmeric, salt, bay leaf, cumin, chilli powder and ginger and fry.

Add diced potatoes, sliced onion, chopped tomato and spinach. Fry until vegetables are soft, stirring often.

Other vegetables may be used as available.

Serve the lentils and tarkari in small bowls beside the rice or poured over the top.

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Proost!

Article and photography

by Gabriel Antoniazzi

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cross many countries in Europe, beer, is a nation’s pride and joy. Beer is the most consumed alcoholic drink in almost every Western and Central European country. We are beer obsessed. If you go to Italy, an Italian will tell you that his beer is the best in the world. If you go to Germany, a German will tell you the same about his beer. And so on. But whose beer truly is the best?

If you ever visit Amsterdam then the Heineken museum is a must-see.

There you get to experience close up what makes Heineken the ‘best beer in the world’. Or so they’ll tell you. But it is hard to disagree. The name Heineken is everywhere, be it a James Bond film or the Champions League final. When in the museum you can witness how the hops make the beer taste as it does and you truly begin to appreciate the effort that goes into an everyday pint. Although on the slightly more expensive scale, Dutch beer is still affordable and stylish for sure. And did you know, unlike the stereotypical Brit, Dutch people love the head of the beer.

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Germans are the World Champions at football and they’ll tell you they are the World Champions in beer too. Perhaps the most famed beer drinking country in Europe, and maybe even the world, the German’s certainly do love their beer. At Oktoberfest, set in Munich, Bavaria, their beer drinking heartland, a beer stein cost around €11. A stein is a one litre tankard designed purely for drinking beer, and it is the only drink on the menu in a beer tent. It is worth every penny though, as the atmosphere and taste combine to make it worthwhile. Could it get any

better? Yes it can. If one litre isn’t enough, there is always a beer shoe, a two litre boot a little bit more expensive than the stein.

The Czech Republic borders the South of Germany. Prague is a stag-do hotspot as the beer and nightlife is as cheap as it gets.

Right in the centre of the old town where you would expect prices to be their highest, there are hundreds of small pubs that serve beer at an alarmingly low price. Just below the castle and before Charles Bridge you can find this small tavern that serves a pint of beer at the Czech equivalent of 80 pence. And it does a great goulash too.

Czech’s appreciate beer so much that side dishes on a menu come under the title of ‘with beer’. Beer is not an option, it’s a necessity.

Austria, often overshadowed by her big sister Germany, is a force to be reckoned with. Whether it is in a beer garden in Vienna or up the mountains in Innsbruck, the beer is sure to be classy. Austrian beer tastes similar to German and Czech beer, almost a mix between the two. Steffi is quite popular as is Gosser but perhaps the most famous is Stiegl from Salzburg.

Unfortunately, it cannot compare to the price of Czech beer, or the taste of German.

Italian beer is slightly different from other countries’ beers as it has that taste of Mediterranean. Peroni or Nastro Azzurro are very old and popular, not just in Italy but all over Europe. The beer is reasonably

priced too, but not the cheapest.

And so finally we arrive to Belgium. A country in which beer is one of their most famed exports, their beer differs widely to others.

For such a small country, their number of microbreweries is higher per capita than any other in Europe. There are thousands of different beers to try, each from a different tiny village in Belgium. There are white beers, blonde beers, amber beers, dark beers, special beers, fruit beers. You name it, they have it. In Delirium, Brussels biggest bar, you can select any of over 2000 beers that they have on their menu.

Each has its own distinctive taste and its own distinctive glass. It’s not only the taste, or the presentation or the variety that separates Belgium from the rest though; it is the amount of alcohol in each beer.

Unlike Germany or Czech Republic who drink pints or even litres, the Belgians prefer half pints.

And here’s why: special beers, amongst the most ordered beers, average at around 8% alcohol. Some even go up to 12 or 13%. This is more than double your standard beer in many countries. So you can drink less, spend less, savour the taste more, but still feel just as merry.

So, Belgian beer comes out on top just pipping the Germans with the Czech’s not far behind. The taste, price efficiency and overall experience is just superior to everyone else. But that’s just me.

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2 Course Italian Meal Recipe and photography by Federica Finocchiaro

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have always been passionate about food and the fine art of cooking. Almost all of my happiest memories as a child happened in a kitchen or at the dining table. For my family food is not just a mere means to nourish the body. For us food has always meant love, sharing and most of all happiness. Therefore, within these pages you won’t just read some old family recipes, you will also be able to learn a piece of

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my family’s history and also a piece of Italy’s unique cooking history.

The recipes proposed in this article are specifically easy to replicate because I believe that the best meals of all are those where the food is made with love and simplicity. So, be bold and try out one, two or just all of the three recipes that I have written.

Starter: Bruschetta

Main: Pasta alla Norma

The bruschetta is, without any doubt, one of the most famous Italian starters in the world.

Historically, this dish was invented by a group of farmers who used to prepare bruschetta as a snack between the long hours they used to spend in the fields.

Some regions of Italy, have obviously developed their own versions of this ancient recipe. For example, in Tuscany the bruschetta is prepared with sausages and meat while in Sicily the main ingredients are tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano.

Pasta alla Norma is a classic dish of the Sicily cooking tradition. The lore of its origin goes back to 19th century composer Vincenzo Bellini.

Bellini was born in Catania (Sicily) and was an artist of great renown who composed many operas. One of his most famous and appreciated pieces of work was called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Normaâ&#x20AC;?. According to the tradition, a chef from Catania then decided to name this delicious pasta dish in tribute to the famous Sicilian composer.

Ingredients:

1 baguette 2 tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic Basil Olive oil Salt Oregano

Method

Slice the bread and toast on a hot pan or the oven.

After this proceeding the bread should be rubbed a couple of times with a cut clove of garlic.

Meanwhile wash the tomatoes and slice them. Now place them in a bowl and season them with salt, oregano, garlic and some basil and a bit of olive oil.

Finally place the tomatoes on the bread and serve!

Ingredients:

200 gr of pasta (penne) 1 eggplant 300 gr of chopped tomatoes Parmesan 2 cloves of garlic Basil Salt Oil

Method

Trim the eggplant and slice it. Meanwhile pour some olive oil in a wide pan then fry the sliced eggplant and place them on a plate when ready. After frying all the eggplant, add into the same pan the two cloves of garlic and the chopped tomatoes, add some salt and cook for at least 10 minutes.

At the same time cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the sauce. Now add the eggplants, the parmesan and the basil.

Now stir-fry the pasta for a minute or two and serve!

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Cocktail time

Recipe and photography

by Callum Mullen Cocktails are a great way of bringing people together. Whether provided to accompany a meal or simply sharing one with someone special in your life, cocktails are sophisticated and tasty beverages and they are relatively simple to make. These recipes will provide step by step instructions to show you how to create your very own cocktails using an Absolut cocktail making kit as well as providing insight on which mixers and garnish to use.

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Equipment you will need: Cocktail shaker Jigger spirit measure Ice box (optional) Glasses for serving

Raspberry Fizz (2 UK Units)

You will need: 50ml Absolut Raspberri 2 parts fresh cranberry juice 1 part lemonade Lime wedge Maraschino cherry (optional)

Fill the shaker full of ice and pour in 50ml Absolut Raspberri Add in 2 parts fresh cranberry juice Add in 1 part lemonade Close the lid and shake for anywhere between 30 seconds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 minute for best results before allowing to settle.

Prepare your lime wedge by cutting a lime into eighths and then making a small incision halfway into your lime wedge to allow it to sit on the glass or flavour the drink if positioned inside the glass.

Pour the mix into a glass with some ice blocks as well as a lime wedge and serve.

Additional features Maraschino cherries are a great way to make the drink a little sweeter and should be positioned inside the glass A sugared rim finishes off the cocktail in style and adds extra flavour to the drink.

A sugared rim can be achieved by squeezing lime juice onto a side plate and then pouring sugar onto a separate side plate, the glass should then be placed down in the lime juice ensuring all sides are touching the plate. The glass will then be transferred over to the sugar side plate and placed fully down in the sugar and twisted to achieve an even spread of sugar around the glass.

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Lazy Cosmopolitan (2 UK Units)

You will need: 50ml Absolut Citron 2 parts fresh orange juice 1 part fresh cranberry juice Lemon Wedge

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Fill the shaker full of ice and pour in 50ml Absolut Citron Add in 2 parts orange juice Add in 1 part cranberry juice Close the lid and shake for anywhere between 30 seconds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 minute for best results before allowing to settle.

Prepare your lemon by cutting a lemon into eighths and then making a small incision halfway into your lemon wedge to allow it to sit on the glass or flavour the drink if positioned inside the glass.

Pour the mix into a glass with some ice blocks as well as a lemon wedge and serve.

Absolut Kurant Noric (2 UK Units)

You will need: 50ml Absolut Kurant 3 parts bitter lemon Lime wedge

Fill the shaker full of ice and pour in 50ml Absolut Kurant Add in 3 parts bitter lemon Close the lid and shake for anywhere between 30 seconds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 minute for best results before allowing to settle.

Prepare your lime by cutting a lime into eighths and then making a small incision halfway into your lime wedge to allow it to sit on the glass or flavour the drink if positioned inside the glass.

Pour the mix into a glass with some ice blocks as well as a lime wedge and serve.

Additional features This drink can taste quite bitter due to the bitter lemon/lime/blackcurrant

combination so this can be offset by using a sugared rim. A sugared rim can be achieved by squeezing lime juice onto a side plate and then pouring sugar onto a separate side plate, the glass should then be placed down in the lime juice ensuring all sides are touching the plate. The glass will then be transferred over to the sugar side plate and placed fully down in the sugar and twisted to achieve an even spread of sugar around the glass.

A cucumber wedge can be used instead of a lime and is slightly easier to prepare, cut the end of one side of the cucumber and cut into a slice, make an incision into the slice to allow it to sit on the side of the glass or flavour if placed within the glass.

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2 Course Budget Meal Article and photography by Jaimee-Lee McKenzie

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Homemade Pizza Recipe

Low Fat Brownie Recipe

(from jusroll.co.uk)

(From goodtoknow.co.uk)

Ingredients:

Makes: 16 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Skill Level: Easy Peasy!

Jus-Rol™ Puff Pastry Sheet 3 tbsp Tomato purée 2 Tomatoes, sliced 1 Green pepper, sliced 50g cheese, grated 1 Egg, beaten to glaze A few leaves rocket or basil to garnish

Equipment required: Baking Sheet Baking paper Pastry Brush

Method:

Preheat oven to 220ºC (200 ºC for fan assisted ovens) 425ºF, Gas Mark 7 Unroll the pastry and cut 4 equal circles.

Lay the pastry circles on a lined baking sheet, spread centres with tomato purée leaving a border all round each circle.

Arrange the sliced tomato and green pepper on top of the purée, finishing with the grated cheese (again leaving a border all round). Brush borders with beaten egg and bake for 12 – 15 minutes until the edges have risen and the cheese melted.

Scatter with a few rocket or basil leaves if desired and Serve hot.

If preferred, melt the chocolate in the microwave on a low heat in short bursts; stirring every time

Ingredients:

100g bar dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, in squares 2 medium eggs 75g each golden caster sugar and light muscovado sugar ½tsp coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water 1tsp vanilla extract 90g 0% fat Greek yogurt 90g plain flour ¼tsp baking powder 15g cocoa powder Icing sugar, for dusting 17cm square tin, lined with baking parchment

Method:

Set the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Melt chocolate over a pan of hot water.

Cool for 5 mins.

Whisk the eggs with the sugar until light. Stir in the chocolate, then the coffee, vanilla and yogurt. Gently fold in the sifted flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.

Smooth the mixture into the tin. Bake for 25-30 mins. Leave to cool. Cut into 16 squares. Dust with icing sugar.

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Book Reviews by Federica Finocchiario

Article and photography by Federica Finocchiaro

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strongly believe that books have the power to connect and become an impo rtant and essential part of anybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. When we read, we tend to find a special bond with the characters we read about and we also find similarities between our lives and the storylines told.

So, just take a look at my picks and see if any of them grab your attention. Pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the reading.

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Different Seasons

by Stephen King “Fear can hold you prisoner.

Hope can set you free.”

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his probably will not come as shock to those who know me well but I have a deep and profound adoration for Stephen King’s work and as always (and I would also say unsurprisingly) this time King did not disappoint my expectations.

This book gathers together a collection of four stories all tied by subtitles that relate to each of the four seasons. In order the stories are: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Hope Springs Eternal), Apt Pupil (Summer of Corruption), The Body (Fall from Innocence) and The Breathing Method (A Winter’s Tale).

The opening novella of the book is one

that particularly impressed me and is definitely one of my favourite stories ever.

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (which was also turned into a Hollywood movie “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)) is a powerful and dramatic story set in a fictional prison in Maine.

This story is told in the first person by Red, a prisoner and “entrepreneur” who will narrate the misfortunes of an innocent man Andy Dufresne wrongly convicted and forced to face a lifetime in prison.

This collection of stories is probably not the most famous and praised pieces produced by King. Possibly because this book tends to take a more dramatic turn than the horror fiction for which King is known but it is, undoubtedly, worth a read.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee â&#x20AC;&#x153;People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.â&#x20AC;?

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his all-time classic was forced upon (a fifteen years old version of) me for the first time by a summer reading list provided by my high school English teacher.

And I will always be grateful for that.

Recently I decided to read this undiscussed masterpiece again and although the book was based on events and facts that occurred in the 1930s it is still (unfortunately) quite close to reality.

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This novel has the astonishing power not only to provide a portrait of an America completely blinded by the racial prejudice, but it also teaches the importance to fight against injustice and inequality.

And still, unfortunately, the topics covered by this book are relevant now more than ever.

Through the eyes of the innocent Scout, the trial of Tom Robinson left an impression and the name Atticus Finch will always be remembered by me as a name synonymous with moral decency.

Therefore, my advice is to read (or reread) this classic because we still can learn a lot about our society nowadays which still (in some ways) resembles the southern America of the 1930s.

An Unnecessary Woman

by Rabih Alameddine

meanderings of a soul who dedicated her whole life to the written word and to literature.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I long ago abandoned myself to a blind lust for the written word.

Literature is my sandbox. In it I play, build my forts and castles, spend glorious time.â&#x20AC;?

Aaliya will be your guide in a Beirut first destroyed and disfigured by the civil war and then reborn as a cosmopolitan city.

To describe in a few lines the complexity and depth of this novel is a strenuous task.

But I can assure you that you will hooked

by Alameddineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digressive narrative and by its didactic and unapologetic writing style.

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his is one of those books which made me laugh out loud with its remarkable and witty inner monologues but also made me reflect and tear up because of the way the book describes life and all the different aspects of the human heart.

Through the eyes of the titular Unnecessary Woman, Aaliya, the reader has the possibility to explore Beirut and the

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Tuulikki Pietilä

A mistress of multi-coloured prints Article by Anne-Florence Neveu

D

espite being one of the most influential figure of finnish graphic design Tuulikki Pietilä’s work rarely stand on its own. She is all too often presented as the life companion and lover of Tove Jansson - creator of the Moomins and remaining to this day Finland’s best selling translated author. As much as the Moomins have sunk in popular folklore, the work Tuulikki Pietilä has escaped international attention. For the first retrospective of her work, Ateneum museum presents her work in its near entirety, spanning several decades of printmaking - both abstract and figurative and covering the wide range of technique the

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artist has used along her life.

Born in Seattle, Tuulikki Pietilä first studied drawing at the Turku drawing school before continuing her study of print and graphic design in Stockholm and Paris. It is during her study that she met Tove Jansson, the woman who would become her lover and life partner. It is said that Tove asked her for a dance but Pietilä refused in a the deeply heteronormative state of Europe in the 1950’s. The two women then visited each other and started an artistic and romantic relationship that would last until Jansson’s death in 2001. As one of the first openly gay couple in the international art world, the two women had a lasting impact on queer culture.

Pietilä and Jansson traveled extensively

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across Europe and north Africa, before spending their summer in a hut on the desert island of Klovharu in the archipelago of Pellinki. The cities they visited became a recurring theme in Pietilä’s drawing along her daily activity and her cat Psipsina. The influence of her travel can also be seen in her varied choice of techniques visual style. She started creating her first work using colour after studying in Paris. First using a small range of colour, her work soon included as many as 12 different colours. Constantly exploring and re imagining her work, it is difficult to pinpoint a specific style of print that embodies that art of Tuulikki Pietilä.

In the beginning of her career, she mainly produced landscape and urban scenes.

In 1948 she started making her first non figurative and non representational

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work. Her work on abstraction developed further as her techniques evolved and matured toward constructivist and later free-form prints.

Throughout decades she used various printing techniques and often combined them to create a variety of textures and shape on paper and wood. She progressively abandoned graphic design when the printing process became too physically demanding for her.

In her later years she turned to ceramics and designed whimsical characters loosely based on Janssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moomins.

Images courtesy of Tuulikki Pietilä

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In at the deep end > Photography by Lewis Gault <

By Bethany Ransom

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ith the advance in technology and the ease of sharing and replicating ideas on the internet, it’s harder and harder to break the mould. Anyone with a camera on their phone can be a photographer of sorts, so those pursuing it as more than a hobby have their work cut out. Lewis Gault, a 20 year old photography student from Dumfries and Galloway knows this to be true. After a prolonged interest in photography he got his first DSLR three years ago. Studying the HND has allowed him a creative platform to use the skills he has learned, and also the time and means to create new and exciting images. The course teaches all styles and allows each individual student to gravitate towards their favoured type of photography.

Lewis favours portrait photography. People are what inspire him the most. The challenge to him is how to paint his human canvases in artistic and unique ways. So far his efforts have ranged from a series of images of people’s faces under UV light to more extravagant sets involving paints, flour, LED light trails and a Mongolian yak skull. Lewis refers to it as “Yak-a-lyn.”

I’ve had the pleasure of shooting with Lewis for the past year, and together we have created some of his favourite sets. This weekend we embarked on the most challenging shoot yet. Underwater photography. The holy grail of photography. Howard Schatz, a very famous photographer, created some hauntingly beautiful images of models floating in an unfathomable depth of water, draped in long flowing silks. However, Schatz is one of the best photographers in the world, with huge technical facilities built especially for achieving the exact aesthetic he wants.

Lewis has battery powered LED lights, and an oversized paddling pool.

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An enormous amount of preparation went into this shoot. The most precarious detail was the matter of waterproofing the camera kit Lewis already had. To buy a specially designed box would cost almost 2 grand, and that didn’t include lenses that would definitely fit inside.

So Lewis set about making his own. First off he tried making a box purely out of Perspex. That was a no go. It couldn’t even keep water in it, let alone protect a camera while submerged.

His final bright idea came from the travel casing for his equipment, which he knew to be waterproof. He bought a small case from the same company, big enough for a camera with a lens and drilled a hole in the side. Covering the hole with some of the Perspex from the illfated first attempt, he had created a window out of which the camera could peek. He sealed it with silicone and tested it in his bath by leaving it submerged but empty for days at a time. There was minimal leakage over a period of time, but for a shoot lasting only a few hours during which he would be checking it constantly, this would do. To keep the camera running while the box was closed, Lewis installed an intervaometer.

This is a remote panel plugged into the body of the camera, that allows the photographer to set the camera to take a certain amount of photos over a certain amount of time. We had it set to roughly a photo a second. The modified box filled with equipment would be valued at over £4000 worth of technology altogether.

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Now that he had waterproofed his camera, Lewis needed water. Several enquiries to local pools about shooting after hours yielded nothing, so he sourced his own pool. It was a 29000 litre inflatable pool that took a day to fill with a hosepipe. At 4ft deep, we would both be able to stand, but it would be deep enough for me to fully submerge and swim around in to give the impression of greater depth. Originally set up outside, the water was well below 10 degrees and not a comfortable temperature to spend a day shooting in. He had no choice but to drain the pool and move it into a garage, taking another day to shift and fill. Being inside brought the water up to a balmy 14 degrees but it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough. Setting up an electric heater would be risky and expensive, so with the help of a friend Lewis plumbed a central heating radiator up and put it in the water. It was hooked up to a renewable energy source which was an extra bonus. The radiator was resting on two curling stones to keep it raised and was left running in the days before the shoot.

By the time the day arrived and we got to the pool, the water had reached 46 degrees. We were now faced with the opposite problem. The water was unbearably hot. Neither of us could stay in any longer than 10 minutes, and it burned my face every time I submerged. It also meant that every time we opened the camera box the lens and the Perspex fogged up. This incredibly warm water had been left sitting and, though filtered intermittently, had begun to become stagnant.

That first hour was one of the most frustrating hours

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of both our careers. We turned off the radiator, left a cold hosepipe running into the pool and took a lunch break, leaving all the windows and doors open.

Over lunch, we were able to look at the test shots on a computer screen and evaluate what could be done. Firstly, the visibility was poorer than we’d hoped. Allowing the water to continually filter would hopefully bring about some improvement, but there were some factors that we couldn’t change. The lights we were using were 12v LED headlights, on tripods over the pool and hooked up to a car battery.

Maybe they weren’t powerful enough.

Focus was also our enemy. The only lenses that Lewis could put in the box were ones with manual focus. While the box was closed and I was underwater, Lewis could neither see if the camera was focused or be able to adjust it if not. To work with this, Lewis set the focus and we measured the distance from the window of the box to myself with a measuring tape. Then it was just a matter of pointing the camera in my general direction while I ducked under and flailed around in what I could only hope was an aesthetically pleasing manner. Lewis kept his head above water so he could better see exactly where I was when under, which made it almost impossible to direct me until I came up for air. After a few takes we would take the camera to a dry resting point and scroll through the photos to see what we had captured.

Often we would find something had gone

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wrong that we couldn’t have fixed – the camera would move slightly and catch the edge of the box in its peripherals; maybe I wasn’t in focus at all or Lewis had aimed in the wrong direction and simply captured a fleeting limb or tendril of fabric. The whole process was tedious but positive attitudes and a floating snack bar (crisps and juice on a lilo), the time passed quickly.

The water cooled to the perfect temperature, making it really rather pleasant to be in the water after all. It also helps that Lewis and I have been friends since the start of High School. Even if we hadn’t managed a single usable shot, I still wouldn’t have felt like I’d wasted a day.

Over the course of the seven hours we spent shooting, we tried several different types of shots, lighting techniques, several changes of clothes and even lining the pool with black silo sheeting to create a low key backdrop. The ones that worked best were the simple ones with the white fabric.

Colour saturation was difficult to manage due to the lighting and clarity, but the white of the light on the meters of silk and satin complimented the hazy blue of the water and backdrop. Overall, Lewis was pleased with the outcome, but could see plenty of room for improvement. This was a practice round to him. The initial technical difficulties were only accommodated; to fix and eradicate them completely would take more time and equipment than we had to hand. For now, out of over 4000 images, Lewis only needs a set of six put together to pass his graded unit.

Even if we don’t get a second try, I still think we came away with some fantastic shots. Not too shabby for DIY high fashion.

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Kiasma A new exhibition explores the relationship between comtemporary art and the various impacts of technology in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives.

Article and photography by Anne-Florence Neveu

Andrey Bogush Proposal for image placement

The print on the vinyl drape is based on an image the artist found on tumblr. He explores image placement by plucking an image found on the web and displacing it in a new environment.

The distorted and pixelated image highlights the manipulative of web format. In his choice of material and technique the artist strive for a neutral, impersonal impression, his work could be mistaken for a corporate commodity.

Julia Varela

Nandita Kumar

X/5000

Polymorphic humanscape

On the floor many lcd screens have been torn and rendered useless. On their black screen, fragments of lights can still be seen. This project is a part of an expanding serie in which the artist aims to explore the different ways in which people express their discontent through goods. The work relies on the heavy use of propaganda by IS in Mosul where the group posted various screens around the city to diffuse their ideology. She describes the screens has being ‘captured’ thus the propaganda has been taken outside of its circle of mediation and negates itself.

The tiny LCD screens in this interactive piece portray scenes about urban life. The screens react to movement switching from restful scenes of nature to images of uncontrolled urban sprawl.

The artist is intrigued by how urban environment shape our consciousness.

She highlights india’s mega metropoles where uncontrolled urbanisation is exceeding sustainable limits resulting in slums and impacting negatively on our well being.

Charles Richardson Headbone Sculptures are made out of everyday items that distort their normal use and create a sense of estrangement.

The video hangs over the two hollow characters that the artist has modeled 3D photo scanner. Charles Richardson is interested in how people construct their identity by means of goods, equipment and appendages. Goods are also important for the people in the virtual world. This is emphasized by flowerpatterned sofa and a pregnancy belly, which are included as well as a video that physical objects.

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Element Earth The soundscape in the bottle emits the sound of the big bang, the pattern of the rain, the sound of the wind whale mating calls and birds songs. The pcb boards emitting the sound from part of a tangle of ornamental vegetation. The circuitry is charged partly by a tree in the bottle that is constructed of solar cells.

The works reacts to movement around it, producing high pitched electronic sounds that mirrors human activity and our carbon imprinting on Earth.

Unwanted ecology The work is based around weeds collected by the artist around her studio in Goa India. Each weed in the bottle produces a sound at a particular frequency. A plant is deemed ‘weed’ if t is unwanted and grows in the wrong place. Many weeds having medicinal properties that have been forgotten in contemporary society. The book accompanying the bottle contains information about the medicinal application of various weed

ED Atkin Ribbons is a video piece installed across three rooms of the gallery. A solitary, nude male figure demands empathetic connection by singing and addressing us directly. In his attempts to connect, he sings Randy Newman’s I Think It’s Going to Rain Today, Henry Purcell’s 17th century drinking round, ‘Tis Women Makes Us Love and an aria from Bach’s St Matthew Passion. According to the artist, the emotional sincerity of the songs is at distinct odds with the character’s intractable artifice.

Ed Atkins reflects on technologies that seek to achieve realism and a human connection. He sees this piece as illustrating the disconnect that occurs when the desired bond is not achieved: true intimacy perhaps

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remains an irreplaceable fundament of communication and identification. The figure is animated by the movements and voice of the artist himself, using motion capture technologies.

Counting #1 & #2 2014 HD video (13:19 min) The animated severed heads keep bouncing down the stairs over and over again. Counting 1 and 2 are synchronized with the video piece Ribbons in the adjacent rooms, acting – according to the artist – like a “metronome” or aesthetic primer for the main work in the other rooms. Ed Atkins regards the loop as a signature mode of contemporary presentation.

Hito Steyerl Factory of the sun The video depicts a factory that manufactures light by harnessing the movements of dancers. The work weaves together the imagery of video games, news reportage and internet dance videos. It looks like a video game, but is unplayable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a twist the artist sees as mirroring our digitized world.

The grid schematics of the video and viewing space suggest a motion capture studio in which human movement can be recorded and converted into digital data.

Hito Steyerlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s video installations probe issues related to the media, technology and the global circulation of images.

What is the meaning of this world in which everything is watched and filmed? Steyerl addresses these burning topics through her particular brand of quirky humour.

How not to be seen: A fucking didactic educational .Mov file The video teaches five lessons on how to stay invisible from prying eyes and cameras. The piece also comments on the difficulty of evading surveillance while alluding to the cultural invisibility of women. The video was filmed in the California desert where the US air force painted calibration targets in the 1950s and 1960s. The title refers to a popular sketch from the Monty Pythonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flying circus imitating a purported British government video on the importance of not being seen.

Now what?

A guide for creative graduates across Scotland

Article by Lucía Núñez Images courtesy of Flcikr

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ou have a BA in Communication Design, or Events Management .

Or even maybe in Contemporary Art Practice despite the fact that your parents don’t even know what that means. And now, with your diploma under your arm, you are finally ready to face the professional world, right?

But what if you’re not willing to give

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up dreams and aspirations to be part of a huge media corporation, or end up giving art classes to kids who don’t even like art?

With this in mind, we have selected exhibition spaces, volunteering programmes and the best options for online publishing around Scotland.

Collective Gallery

They define themselves as a supporting network in Edinburgh for artists “who are at a pivotal stage in their development”, providing them opportunities and audiences.

Through their Satellites Programme, Collective Gallery offers artists and producers a development programme with open submissions every year, including features such as seminars, discussions, events, exhibitions, retreats, mentoring and annual publications, “seeking to foster criticality through peer development and review”. They are always looking for new volunteers to help assisting new projects.

Edinburgh Printmakers

Established in 1967 as the first open access studio in Britain, Edinburgh Printmakers is an organisation that has been supporting artists to expand the practice of arts related to fine printmaking for the last 50 years. Not only they have a gallery and shop available, but the heart of the organisation is their studio, that offers extensive facilities in etching, lithography, screen-printing, relief printing and digital printmaking.

Although the access to the studio is open to any artist, there is available a wide range of specific courses that can help you define your style: introductory classes, short workshops or weekend/evening/featured courses lead by their expert staff.

Can it get any better? Yes, it can: if you decide to learn with them you will have a 3 months free membership that allows you to “have your work available for sale on their website, receive regular updates of artist opportunities and news through our newsletter e-bulletins and be eligible to be included in group exhibitions

organised by Edinburgh Printmakers”.

Fruitmarket Gallery

Not even a mile away from the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh, this space established in 1974 is one of the best samples of art-audience engagement.

The gallery shows the work of both Scottish and international artists, always having in mind to welcome all type of audiences. Because of this, exhibitions, commissions and publications are made directly in collaboration with the artists. Also, every new event is usually presented through talks that “offer you a chance to get closer to the art we show and be involved in the life of the Gallery”. That is the purpose of events like “Artists’ Talk”, a heartto-heart conversation between the artists and the board of Fruitmarket Gallery; “Twilight Event for Further Education College Tutors”, aimed at Education lecturers teaching art and design courses exploring the exhibition as a unique learning resource; or “Creative & Corporate Love: Growing Pain & Pleasure”, Creative Edinburgh’s regular event, that brings the creative and corporate communities together in order to spark a variety of new working partnerships and opportunities.

The Common Guild

Visual art organisation, established in 2006 in Glasgow. The highlight is the international programme of contemporary visual art projects, exhibitions and events. They have also collaborated with Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) on the “Art Fund International”, “building a new collection of international contemporary work for the city”. A study space is also provided, so you

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can make use of their unique library that counts on with an expansive collection of art books, magazines and periodicals. Alongside the exhibitions, numerous talks and roundtables are going on, so it’s always a good idea to pass by the centre and check out new artists and trends.

Glasgow Print Studio

With a similar focus than Edinburgh Printmakers and based in Glasgow, it was first opened to public in 1972 as “an artist led initiative providing facilities and workshop space to artists using fine art printmaking”. Being one of the most acclaimed centres in Scotland, it continues providing space and learning opportunities through workshops and printmaking classes for a wide range of audiences (family and kids welcome). There is also a specialized workshop for emerging and established artists, that will “nurture and provide the support to realize ideas”. They have a Member Programme, offering annual memberships to artist with printmaking experience, allowing them access to workshop facilities, and encouraging to apply to exhibit in Glasgow Print Studio’s gallery spaces and to display work to sell in the retail gallery.

Additionally, they often publish job/ volunteering opportunities, so keep an eye on their webpage!

Good Press Gallery

Good Press Gallery was formed in October 2011 in Glasgow, part to provide an independent space to see visual art from new and established international artists,

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and part to support the promotion, production and sale of independent publications. Good Press stocks hundreds of independently published books, zines, prints, comics, newspapers and other printed items from individuals and publishers across the world. But they also provide a selfprinting and self-publishing service to their artists/writers costumers. They affirm that the Press is “committed to providing a platform for independent publications produced specifically

by Scottish publishers, galleries and practitioners.” So if you have your zine or book ready to be published and you are only missing a good indie press, just get in touch with them.

Hatch Aberdeen

“Exhibition, workshop, event, and incubation space in the city centre of Aberdeen”. This is how these two Gray’s School of Art alumni define the space that they direct from 2 years now. Not only they curate Robert Gordon’s student and graduate work, they also seek for the most innovative ways to interact with audiences through workshops and collaborations with festivals. They currently accept works to show through an agreement with Aberdeen’s universities.

Peacock Visual Arts

One of the eldest contemporary art centers around the Granite City, it was established in 1974 by a group of artists led by Arthur Watson. With digital and printmaking facilities, they offer as well numerous workshops aimed at art students and amateur printmakers. Checking their website

for new workshops is a must, as they not only centre its education in printmaking, but you can find digital workshops on digital animation or filmmaking. It also counts on a volunteering programme, gallery and online shop.

Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Currently housing a wide variety of collections, from normal objects to

art, while Aberdeen Art Gallery is closed for a major redevelopment and refurbishment. The Hub offers tours and exhibitions and also counts on a volunteering programme. It may sound like the least interesting option in the list, but that is only because they are in a transition period. Definitely worth taking a look once the items are relocated and all the exhibition spaces are defined.

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Volunteering: festivals and local venues Not only gives you a much needed experience, but volunteering often can be the perfect way to sort out what you are good at, and even better, it will provide you with an opportunity of networking and making connections with organisations and business. Even if you are not an Arts student/graduate, volunteering in a festival or a local venue can give you a good amount of perspective on how to run an event, and gives you a chance to practice several skills: photography, edition, writing, public relations, etc.

Because of this, we thought of giving a short glimpse of the festivals that are soon to come in different cities across Scotland. Starting with Edinburgh, give yourself a chance to contact with the

organisations of festivals like Edinburgh Art Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival happening during the months of July and August.

If you are from Glasgow, you would be interested in Glasgow Open House Art Festival, during April, and Graphic Design Festival Scotland, the biggest Graphic Design festival running through in October, which actually accepts student and graduate works to show and compete. Finally, in Aberdeen, during April you will be able to walk through the city streets and run across the impressive Nuart Festival, street art festival that storms into the city with huge graffiti-like pieces.

LookAgain Visual Art & Design Festival also runs in April with a close collaboration with Robert Gordonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University, showing a wide range of studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work.

Finding and funding: online platforms We all know that in this era of online connectivity social networks play an important role in sharing content.

Without forgetting that Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are useful ways of showcasing your work as creative content creators, we have selected for you a couple of examples of how using crowdfunding can give your business a boost.

Crowdfunding Patreon may be the most famous crowdfunding website for artists. Not only is an intuitive site to use, but it also gives you a lot more freedom to create your content. It gets better: your income will be predictable thanks to a “patron” system, a number of persons following your content, interested in what you do and, last but not least, engaged enough to pay every month an amount of money that will allow you to create without (too much) worries.

After Patreon went famous, helping artists such as Amanda Palmer, Walk off the Earth or Kinda Funny, a lot of websites followed, and currently you can find similar systems in these ones: Open Collective, Ko-Fi, Flattr or Tipeee.

More info in: National Galleries of Scotland Website Visit Scotland|Attractions and Galleries Website Scotland|What’s on? Website Patreon Website Creative Scotland|Opportunities Website

Spring Fashion Best Buys Article and photography by Jaimee-Lee McKenziie

Outfit One: Fancy Playsuit: Primark (£13) This stripy monochrome playsuit was a great find in Primark. At just £13, it’s excellent quality and washes very well.

The deep plunge really breaks up the heavy pattern, and the wide sleeves and legs are very flattering when on.

The mid-section is secured by a belt at the back, so it hugs your figure as neatly or as loosely as you like! You can make this as casual or as dressy as you like (I paired mine with chrome silver platforms) as both styles work really well. It also looks great with a denim jacket and tights!

One of my favourite spring purchases – great for wearing on a night out!

Rating: 9/10

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Outfit Two: Casual Jeans & Top: Primark (£13 & £4) Band tees are a wardrobe staple that never seem to go out of style, especially when they are as inexpensive as this one! This top was reduced to £4 in a past-season sale in Primark; the jeans were £13 from the current season. The light wash of the jeans make them the perfect stale for spring, and the rips and frays give them a little more edge.

The statement leopard print tee needs equally edgy trousers to match, and I think these styles and colours go really well together. Tees and jeans can be dressy or casual depending on footwear; again I paired with chrome platforms to give the outfit an extra lift. But for dayto-day casual, I would pair with regular trainers. The jeans are great-fitting and are very comfortable to wear, as is the tee-shirt. If you’re brave enough to try double denim, this looks great with a denim jacket too!

Great casual outfit, perfect for everyday wear! Rating: 7/10

Outfit Three Skirt & Top: Primark (£3 and £10) For this outfit, I tried to go out of my comfort zone and mix and match a few different clothing styles to see how they would blend together. I took this floral patterned skirt and paired it with a statement crop top; and I do really like the result. It was very difficult to find the right kind of top that best suited this skirt however, as it needed to be plain enough not to detract from the skirt’s pattern. It was a difficult pairing! Plain black crop tops did nothing for the skirt, but I felt that the “Call me” crop didn’t flow 100% either. I feel as though it is quite an edgay look – blending very different styles is difficult to do. I paired with chrome platforms again; this dress definitely needs the lift as it is quite long! I think this skirt might be nicer paired with a brighter top – like one of the pinks featured in the floral design.

A nice experience to practice stepping out of my comfort zone, but I wouldn’t be overly confident in this combo. Rating: 5/10

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o d i k i A

> For Daily Life <

Article and photography

by Alex Wellburn

W

ith an interest in Japanese culture and “grappling”, Jo Duncan head of the Aberdeen Aikido City club sees the martial art as more than a sport. Rather, he sees the practices as an opportunity to be “fascinated” by the body and nature.

Aikido focuses on redirecting the momentum of your opponent’s attack and is more than a simple one on one confrontation. One basic principle that Jo explain through his sessions is understanding the relation you have with your Uke(opponent). This philosophy goes in hand with Morihei Ueshiba’s - founder of the art – goal to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.

The knowledge of your opponent’s intentions makes you much more aware of your own posture and techniques which can fall in line with the reciprocity between your opponent’s energy flow and your own.

The basic philosophy of Aikido lies with its etymology. The first two syllables Ai mean joining, unifying, combining or fitting, the syllables Ki translate to Spirit, mood, morale and finally the Do means way or path giving a direct translation of “the way of unifying with life energy” For Jo, it is the underlying principles of mind and body that have influenced his involvement with aikido, “Standing up is a chance to practice, opening a door is a chance to practise, mowing the lawn, speaking to colleagues about unpleasant things… All opportunities to practise the underlying principles”.

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My Experience in an Aikido Class The warm-up

Ten minutes into the session and the whole class is still standing on their feet exhaling and inhaling deeply. They look like ghosts with their eyes closed and their white kimonos (garment) not moving a single muscle.

Sweat from the sensei’s face starts to drip down as he is standing still inhaling deeply through his nose and then loudly exhaling thought his mouth. The exhale is so loud it seems like he is about to say a word. “remember to breath is the most important technique in aikido” he says “This will help you align your mind with your body and understand where you’re standing”.

The sensei’s voice sounds like a soft bumblebee on a warm spring day, loud enough to understand him but soft enough to soothe your ears.

Thirty minutes into the class and the warm up finally ends with the whole class shaking their body in the place they are standing.

Understanding your body.

“Eh Ok” shouts the sensei as he claps his hands twice to indicate that he is about to demonstrate the next movement. This clap gets the sweaty faced students rapidly into the initial formation on the floor to what they call “Seiza”. With much discipline and almost counting their movements, the class gather themselves to the far left of the mat and sit there panting in a very controlled manner as they start to regulate their breathing with every second that passes.

The wooden floor from the Church they train in trembles every couple of seconds as the whole class begin throwing themselves onto the practice mats. They use small and slow baby movements to improve what the sensei explains as basic falling aikido technique. “Eh ok” he says again followed by a clap and once more the class begins sitting in alignment.

The first technique they teach you in Aikido is falling. Learning how to fall will allow for the rest of the techniques to flow much easier as it creates a sense of com-

fort. This is because you realise that even if you don’t get the technique right the first time, you will not get hurt whilst being thrown around by your opponent.

Building up the technique

“Eh ok” reverberates within the church and the students enter into attention position. The sensei pulls up his big black skirt-like pants called “Hakama” up to his belt to show his legs and proceeds to point at his feet. “See where my feet are positioned” he says, “well from this point I want you to channel and feel the energy coming from the floor all the way to your centre. Feel the tension you are creating with your muscles and understand where it’s going.” He then instructs a student to grab his arm. “Now feel the tension your opponent is creating with the grip, analyse where his strength is going and coming from. This will allow you to understand your balance, his balance and even where the next attack might go and as well as your balance, remember to breathe.”

For every demonstration, the sensei gives 3 to 5 minutes to practice with a partner.

Everyone practices with each other from amateur to expert -there is no real division within the class nor between belts or levels - as soon as the head-master finishes the demonstration of the exercise, each student is asked to rapidly find a partner to practice on. You can see a smile of excitement spread across their faces as they scatter around like ants eager to find someone as quickly as possible to practice the given technique before forgetting.

The students simultaneously bow to each other in reverence and appreciation to their partner before engaging with the opponent, allowing them to practice with their body and to throw them around.

As a final ritual of the session, the club stands in a circle and completes a final 10 minute breathing exercise. The sensei reminds the class to breathe and with one minute to 9:30 they are all sitting in “seiza”- sitting position - bowing from the floor in reverence to the sensei, the club and the class and in unison all the students shout “Arigatou gozaimashita” – Thank you in Japanese.

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Yoga

a guide to

“Yoga has also shown me I can do things I never thought I’d be able to do, which is empowering!”

Article by Jaimee-Lee McKenziie Photography courtesy of Stephanie Forrest

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hy not use the positivity that spring brings to branch out and try something new?

Taking good care of your mental and physical well-being can be hard to do sometimes, but yoga is one way to practice great self-care on a dayto-day basis.

I caught up with Stephanie Forrest, instructor and owner of Yoga Blossom in Aberdeen to find out how to make the most of your yoga practice.

Why yoga?

There are many well-known health benefits of taking up yoga, including relaxation of the body and mind, increased physical strength, flexibility, and better coordination - many people are attracted to the practice for these reasons. Yoga is a practice that impacts on many aspects of the mind and body. Many think of yoga as just the physical postures but, in fact, yoga involves many other aspects including breathing practices, meditation, and self-study.

Some people also enjoy yoga as a spiritual practice. A regular and well-rounded yoga practice can help improve the strength and flexibility of the body, as well as improving balance, coordination and posture, promoting better sleep, lower stress levels, enable deep relaxation and help with focus and

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concentration.

Yoga can provide people with a more positive outlook on life and can make people aware of tension or emotions they may be unnecessarily holding on to. A regular practice can really help you to become a more balanced person. If nothing else, yoga can be a great way to connect with others and coming along to a class is a great opportunity to meet a group of like-minded people!

Why is yoga a great way for students to stay healthy?

Mentally, students may find that yoga helps to increase energy and motivation levels, which can be useful during periods of intense study for exams or when working to deadlines. As well as this, aspects of yoga such as breathing practices, mindfulness exercises and meditation may improve memory function and the ability to focus for long periods of time. Yoga may also enable a deeper sleep state, which can also positively impact on memory function. Yoga brings about an awareness of the mind and body and therefore can promote a healthier lifestyle and may inspire some students to become more conscious eaters. Physically, students may find yoga can help to relieve headaches and neck/ shoulder pain caused by poor desk posture or slouching over a laptop or books for long periods of time.

Yoga practices may also be useful for students who are dealing with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety or stress, by providing tools to help them deal with some of their symptoms - e.g. breathing exercises to promote relaxation, and/ or mindfulness exercises to interrupt and help prevent further unhealthy thought patterns.

is not a wonder cure for anything you have to put the effort in to get anything out of it. It is not an immediate thing either, it is a lifelong practice. My advice would be to make a commitment (perhaps one class a week for 2 months, or 15 mins a day for 30 days) and then go from there.

You will see the benefits, I can assure you!

Do you have any tips for how to get the most out of your yoga practice?

Yes! Firstly I would say to just give it a chance! Secondly - don’t expect a miracle. And lastly, make a commitment. Many people only go to one class and then give up as they don’t feel the benefits immediately. Yoga

Starting your own yoga journey If you feel like yoga might just be the thing for you, there are plenty of opportunities to find the right class for you! Check out Yoga Blossom Facebook page or check Robert Gordon University’s gym page for a full list of classes within the university!

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Photography courtesy of Theo Robertson

Mr Pole Fit

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fter being made redundant from a long term position in the Oil and Gas industry, Theo Robertson decided to branch out into a completely different sector. He now reigns and one of the best male pole dancers in the country.

Theo told me, “I got into it years ago through a girl I was seeing who had been badgering me to give it a go. For the longest time I gave her the typical guy response of dismissing it as just for women, But I found out that one or my friends had actually been doing it for a few months, so I ended up going along with him, he showed me the basics and I ended up absolutely loving it.”

“Obviously there’s a certain stigma around pole dancing, but no one realises how physically fit you have to be to do it well. I don’t think you can truly appreciate the strength and flexibility it takes to pole dance until you try it out yourself.”

Theo is the co-director of a pole dancing and circus arts studio where he teaches pole and flexibility classes. He has also just qualified as a licenced masseuse.

When he’s not working, Theo also competes and also judges at pole competitions up and down the country.

His titles include champion at the Edinburgh Pole Competition, Mr Pole Scotland and Mr Pole Pro, as well as placing second at the last UK pro finals in London.

Theo’s message to anyone considering pole dancing is to look past the stereotype and give it a go, regardless of experience or body type: “It’s a great way to build up muscle, tone yourself, sort your body out and have fun while doing it – much more fun that endless reps at the gym. In recent years it’s become a much more fitness-orientated sport, so give it a go and you’ll be surprised at how fun it is.”

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Aberdeenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dark Knight Article by Callum Mullen Photography courtesy of Mighty Cushion Cosplay

Revealing the man beneath the mask.

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ust where can you meet the ‘Aberdeen Batman’? The rooftops above Union Street might be a good place to start.

Or perhaps it might be wise to search for a Batcave hidden away from the city itself.

Lighting up the night sky with a bat symbol might also draw his attention. The solution however, is to seek out his alter ego who is slightly easier to find than the Dark Knight himself.

Ian Cushnie has been cosplaying as Batman and other superheroes publically since 2013 and has set up a Facebook page, Mighty Cushion Cosplay, detailing all of his superhero exploits. “I’ve been gifted the moniker of the ‘Aberdeen Batman’ because a lot of people see me up on roofs when I’m having my picture taken and it’s something that’s been thrown about when people see me at events in the city.” Ian explains.

Chatting to him in the bar of the Belmont Filmhouse, an ironic meeting place, it is hard to establish whether Ian is out of character

despite being out of the Batsuit. With his hair well-groomed and dressed in a sharp suit as well as being physically fit he could quite easily be mistaken for paying homage to Batman’s secret identity - Bruce Wayne.

Leaning forward in his chair and tapping his fingers lightly on the table, he says slowly, “It all began with Batman. The first comic book I ever had was Batman, issue 466, February 1991.” He smiles. “I remember the exact comic book because my folks never had that much money so the comic books that I did get are the ones that I always remember.”

A far cry from Bruce Wayne’s privileged upbringing in Wayne Manor.

“I first suited up when I was 23 or 24 when I worked at Virgin Megastore. My friend and workmate Ewan and I had watched Batman: Dead End which was released back in 2003 and had the idea to replicate the suit from the film. You have to remember that cosplay was still relatively young back in those days despite there being comic-

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cons since the 70s.” Turning around his laptop to show off the finished product of his first Batsuit, Ian explains, “I started assembling different bits and pieces for the costume without the knowledge of my now ex-wife and my first suit was just a load of different pieces cobbled together.

You had to be quite savvy about where you sourced things from and I was lucky enough to source Shawn Reeves of Reevz FX who produced my first cowl for the suit that I wore in 2009.”

He says proudly, “I created and attached the cape myself and I spray painted the symbol on the chest with a template. The suit was created and then sat in my wardrobe for about four years.”

Although he had created a near perfect interpretation of the suit used in Batman: Dead End, it wasn’t until a Dark Knight themed night at work in 2013 that the suit would be brought out from the wardrobe. “That night was my first major foray into wearing the suit publically.

I’d never wore it in public before so I was incredibly nervous going into it. Not many of my workmates even knew I had the suit let alone wearing it to work. But it turned out to be a great confidence boost and certainly made it somewhat easier to suit up in future.” The experience provided a break through that would lead to Ian donning the batsuit in public a further eight times in the next two years.

His confidence high from previous good experiences from cosplaying as Batman, Ian felt ready to attend Glasgow ComicCon 2014 in costume for the first time. “I went down with my pal Paul Middleton and he dressed up as a Colonial Marine from Aliens. I went as Captain America.”

Not Batman? “I wanted to see how well I would be received in another costume.” He replies. “That experience was really nerve wracking. It wasn’t like the Dark Knight themed night where I was in a familiar

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environment surrounded by folk I already knew. Going down there, I felt exposed to everybody and there wasn’t a filter on anything.” Ian decided conquer his nerves by challenging his friend to see how many people they could get to want to take a picture with them and throwing himself right into the character. He laughs, “By the end of the day, we had well and truly lost count.

It’s funny that I started off worrying about how people were going to receive me but the general response from everybody that day was absolutely fantastic. You have to be as brave as you possibly can and just put yourself out there.”

Captain America was Ian’s second costume after first love Batman and the story of its origins includes painstaking dedication and fierce attention to detail. “I found the shield online and it was a blank canvas when I got it so I etched out the details and spray painted it myself.” Pulling up another photo and pointing at the helmet he says, “I got that from a guy in Greece. The helmet sat awkwardly on my head and moved around a lot even with the straps attached. So my

old flatmate Ru Cable, who runs Corbus Props, and I decided to mould it to the shape of my noodle.” His answer is not very health and safety conscious. “He stood with a heat gun and melted it around my head. It got closer and closer to the point where it was almost stuck on my head so we had to stop. In hindsight, it was bloody stupid but this is how you learn the base of techniques of how you make these things. It’s all trial and error.” In addition to Captain America, Ian has also made costumes of Deathstroke and Star Lord with the former having never left his wardrobe.

So just what makes the man who masquerades as these superheroes tick. Why does he devote all the time and money into the costumes, not to mention having the confidence to step out in public wearing them. “I feel a sense of achievement from suiting up.” He pauses for a moment, “Especially when I’m Batman as it’s a character I’ve been in love with for as long as I can physically remember so just to be able to adhere to that iconography and do it justice is a really great feeling. Obviously a lot of people think it’s a daft pursuit, a childish pursuit, I’ve had people reminding me that I’m a 30 odd year old man running about in a superhero costume but it’s something that I just enjoy doing, it’s an extension of the body of everything that I love. I love comic books, sci-fi and I love the nerd culture.” Ian then smiles and leans back as if he has remembered the most important reason, “Kids just go absolutely crazy when they see me in costume. There was this one kid, he was fantastic, he just stood for 15 minutes totally transfixed on me and that alone was enough to justify all the effort of going out in my costume.” To them, Ian isn’t just a man in a costume or even the ‘Aberdeen Batman’ he is the Batman, jumping straight out the silver screen and comic pages and into their day. an also stresses the importance of the cosplay community in his life and in helping him create his costumes. “The cosplay community is very interactive and if you were to ask someone a question or ask for help, while they may not know the answer themselves they will put you in touch with someone who can help and we all very much help each other out.” Ian then notes that he met some of his best friends through cosplaying, “We hang out all the time, we go to gigs and have get-togethers, it’s just a great collaborative environment to be a part of.” Recent cosplay events like the first ever Granite City Comic-Con and Cosplay North have had huge turn outs and Ian believes that this is something that will

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only continue, “I think the reason that the turn out for Granite City was so big and Cosplay North was also a success is that there is a massive cosplay community in the North East that we never realised was there in the first place. I can definitely see cosplay getting bigger, it doesn’t seem to be slowing in pace at the moment.”

Ian also has views on the other side of the argument that the public are starting to feel ‘fatigued’ following a sharp increase of superhero films in recent years. “I always like to try and look at things from both sides

of the argument. The market in the last 4-5 years has been totally flooded. I think that’s, like most things in life, monetary. The production companies that make these films understand that these films make a lot of money. As long as there is a solid fan base they will just keep on producing material.”

However, his clear enthusiasm for all things superhero then shines through once more, “There’s nothing wrong with that as long as they keep it fresh and replicate what made the films great to begin with.”

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Red Alert An interview with Aberdeen Under-20s star Chris Antoniazzi Article by Gabriel Antoniazzi Photography by Gavin Rittoo

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t 16 years old, Chris Antoniazzi still has a long way to go to say he has ‘made it.’ However, he has given himself a real opportunity to do so. Chris first joined Aberdeen at the age of 8. He progressed through the youth ranks and broke into the Scotland youth set-up before earning himself a move to Celtic in 2014. However, after a bright start at Celtic, he dropped out of the Scotland squad and decided a move back to Aberdeen was best for his career. Now playing for the Aberdeen Under 20’s and having recently made his debut for the first team - albeit in a friendly match- Antoniazzi is a name you might be hearing a lot more soon.

What is it like playing for your hometown club?

It’s a dream come true. I’ve watched the club since I was five years old and it’s always been a dream of mine to play for Aberdeen FC. I

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joined when I was 8 but back then it was just an after-school hobby but the older you get, the more serious it gets and the more you have to think of it as a job and in terms of money.

What is the best thing about being a full-time footballer?

I think the day to day stuff that we do. The getting up, training, coming home, relaxing.

That’s the best part.

How do you cope balancing school life with football?

I still study one subject at school because I think it’s good to have something for when I stop playing football whenever that may be.

Now it’s easier as football ends early in my day so I have the whole afternoon to do school stuff but when I was younger and at school full time it was very hard to balance school and football, especially at the young age I was at.

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You moved from Aberdeen to Celtic for two years and then came back again, do you consider this a failure?

It was a learning curve, even if I didn’t learn to much about football itself. I think I learned a lot about myself as a person and a lot about life. I have met loads of different types of people and I think it made me grow up quicker, which could be a good thing.

What is Aberdeen as a city like for a young footballer?

It’s improving but I feel the city needs some fresh faces in terms of shops and cafes. It’s trying and it just about gets by but it needs new stuff.

You’ve not been picked for the last few Scotland squads, would you ever consider playing for another country?

I’d never think about playing for another nation. I’m a Scottish boy and it’s probably better for my development that I go and play for Wales but I think international football is more about who you are and what you feel. It’s not necessarily all about football.

Most memorable football moment so far?

I’d say when I made my first team debut in Dubai. It wasn’t a league debut or anything but it was the first time I’d played first team football and that was a massive thing for me, something you always dream about as a kid.

What was Dubai like?

It was pretty mad to be honest. I only got told 20 hours before that I was going when the manager pulled me in to his office and said that ‘you’re going to Dubai with the first team tomorrow.’ I was very fortunate being away with the first team. The things they do, the things they’re allowed to do. I was learning about off the pitch stuff and I was learning all the time, it was excellent. I felt that I competed well when I went up with them too.

Who’s the comedian in the dressing room?

When I was away in Dubai it was really Kenny McLean who was the jokester of the lot. He’s very loud but an excellent footballer nonetheless.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

Hopefully playing first team football somewhere. It might not be Aberdeen, hopefully it will be, but just playing first team football.

Would you ever move abroad to play football?

Yes, it’s definitely a big ambition of mine to play in a foreign country. I would love to play in Australia, I think that’s my dream going forward.

Turning to the Dark Side Article and photography by Gavin Rittoo

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n first year, a lecturer of mine once described public relations as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the dark sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and that only failed journalists ended up in PR jobs. Having worked as part of the Scottish Rugby media and communications team during the RBS Six Nations, I can categorically confirm that this is not the case.

As a journalism student, my knowledge, studies and previous work experience were all tailored to writing or reporting for a news organisation of some sort. This opportunity was tailored more towards PR/media students so it was important to adapt my style of writing, reporting and thought process as when writing for an organisation or company the objective becomes slightly more different.

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I learned to write in a certain manner which communicates the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message, story or information painting the company in a positive light. Having been thrown in at the deep end with just five days before the first match of the tournament, it was essential to learn on the job when it came to understanding the difference in writing styles.

Instead of uncovering the truth or finding a story as a journalist I was on the other side of things, almost forcing out the story by trying to predict what the journalists would write about. We did this through a combination of interpretation and clear communications with the players and coaching staff. Having the ability to interpret a story or news line was vital so that you can plan and prepare a response that doesn’t hinder the reputation of the company or individual. Each morning I would rake through the newspaper cuttings. Any mention of Scottish Rugby online or in the paper (whether it was the national team, professional teams, players, coaches, staff, the stadium, club or domestic rugby) would be printed off, filtered through then divided into categories and photocopied so that everyone at the company had an idea of what was being said in the media about them. By reading each story and keeping up with the whole narrative of the competition as it unfolded I was able to use my skills as a journalist to interpret certain storylines and predict what kind of questions the journalists would ask at their next chance, allowing me and my colleagues to come up with some key messages and responses for the players to get across at the next media opportunity.

Working and communicating with the players and coaching staff was another big part of the role. Interacting with players on a day-to-day basis was exciting to begin with as I was used to seeing these guys on frequently on TV. However after a day or so the effect wore off as and it just became part and parcel of the job. It was important to maintain a professional working relationship with them as opposed to treating them like a normal sports fan would, i.e. asking for photos, signed shirts, bombarding them with questions. Before going up to face the media, each player or coach needed to be briefed on what questions to expect and the key messages coming

from the camp that they needed to portray. It was my role to make sure the players and coaches were well prepared going into a press conference so that they weren’t caught off guard by unexpected questions.

I briefed the players on which questions to expect and what kind of answers to respond with. It was very interesting to create the desired angle before the interview was conducted, from a PR point of view that is. It was fascinating to watch the journalists grill the players in search of a good quote or slip up whilst almost knowing exactly what the players would response would be before even opening their mouth.

Seeing this side of the organisation and industry is not something I thought I would enjoy or be particularly interested in. But after getting a first hand experience of it all, my mindset has changed completely. Many people would’ve dreamed to be in my position - working so closely with the players and coaching staff; being in the changing room after games; reporting and posting content online to thousands of followers on social. It was an experience like no other.

However the affect wears off. In order to maintain a job in this kind of industry it’s imperative that you stay professional - nobody will respect you or give you any credibility if you appear starstruck or nervous around professional sportsmen.

There are in fact far more similarities than differences between journalism and PR than it is perceived.

Robert Gordon University may only be ranked 64th in the UK when it comes to overall university rankings however, in terms of employment and graduate prospects RGU always scores highly.

This is undoubtedly down to the number of vocational courses on offer at the university and the number of courses that include these fantastic placement opportunities.

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H o r o s Aries: Mar 21 - Apr 19 Don’t trust any of your friends, because you can’t be sure of exactly where they stand. Warmth and friendship are overrated anyway.

Depend upon your inner strength and own capabilities and you will achieve a long-cherished goal. With Venus in retrograde, you are sure to succeed, especially in your financial life.

Taurus: Apr 20 - May 20 Your family will surprise you with a great gift next weekend. It may come in the shape of a cake. A holiday is well deserved and on your birthday no less! Enjoy it while you can. Swimming is the best exercise for you this month, so get in the water and have a bit of fun. Dunking is encouraged.

Gemini: May 21 - Jun 20 The full moon means you will become extra sassy – so much so that your friends will notice. Don’t be scared to smile and have fun. Life is looking up for you, no need to make any drastic decisions that may take a negative turn.

Bear in mind the promises you’ve made in the past and how they could affect those involved. If you’re feeling creative, immerse yourself in a meaningful project.

Cancer: Jun 21 - Jul 22 University is keeping you busy, but your personal life is overtaking university and making you miss deadlines. You need to stop and take a breath and start to remember that university should come first, your friends will still be there after the semester is over. You are almost done, just hold out a bit longer on making plans just yet.

Leo: Jul 23 - Aug 22 You’re going to have a very positive encounter with a loved one at the beginning of the month. Friends and family may also show their appreciation somehow; it could be a material offering or perhaps in a more emotional way, perhaps with a compliment. The position of Venus indicated a long journey ahead.

Virgo: Aug 23 - Sep 22 Late night cuddles are the best thing for you right now.

Work especially this coming week will be very long and lonely so having someone to cuddle should make it all better. Or food and Netflix if you can’t find someone.

Binge watch away, I hear 13 Reasons Why is good.

c o p e s

Illustrations by Lucía Núñez

Libra: Sep 23 - Oct 22

Keep level headed when stress comes your way. But if you lose your cool, remember to always apologise to those who took your rage.

Especially when they aren’t the intended target. Take some time for yourself on Friday and relax. You need it.

Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21 Work has you busy, busy, busy this month and you are having a few relationship problems. But don’t worry yourself over it and remember: it isn’t your fault so don’t feel guilty about anything.

Work should be your main priority but remember to rant every so often and release your tension. If you bottle it up, you will explode.

Sagittarius: Nov 22 - Dec 21 You are going through a difficult time right now with your health but your family are there for you every step of the way. You don’t have to worry about going to appointments alone, you will always have someone to go with you and hold your hand. But if there are needles involved you could potentially be alone when your chaperone faints.

Capricorn: Dec 22 - Jan 19

Your career prospects are looking down, with difficult decisions over a new position or opportunity. Good luck working with a large or corporate team, as tension may arise. Through all of this, don’t forget your sense of humour, especially with things that would otherwise not amuse you. If you feel like looking into your family history, you may be surprised by how well it applies to present life.

Aquarius: Jan 20 - Feb 18

April 10th full moon will bring with it new friends or the re-introduction of old ones. Enjoy what this opportunity has to offer as you may discover lots of new things about yourself and what you’re into.

Later in the month, prepare for a big surprise. This is also going to be a fantastic month for family. If you were planning on re-connecting with a distant relative or getting a pet, now is the time.

Pisces: Feb 19 - Mar 20 You won’t get much peace for now, but all for good reasons.

Your friends or neighbours will all want to collaborate and socialise. You will find you can persuade anyone to do almost anything in your favour, but don’t get too confident. Look out for unexpected bills, and reign in your eagerness to spend. A strong spiritual message may also come your way with the full moon.

Copyright Sphere Magazine 2017