Lennon Wall Magazine - Spring 2019 by Lennon Wall Magazine

Lennon Wall SPRING 2019

From Orphan to Boss the power of hard work and determination

Hana Podolská, Czech Fashion For The First Republic

Dr. Alexandr Vondra a samizdat journalist’s fight for freedom

From Orphan to Boss - the power of hard work and determination Dr. Alexandr Vondra - a samizdat journalist’s fight for freedom Meet the new Dean of Humanities: Dr. Karen Grunow-Hårsta The Indian Nightmare Hana Podolská, Czech Fashion For The First Republic People Of Old Town Square Tattoo Story - “She is Flying with Her Own Wings” The Student of Prague Douglas Arellanes, technologist, broadcaster, software developer and AAU professor. Alena Foustková’s “Dictionary” Exhibition From Independent Artists to Young Entrepreneurs of YouAllDroveMeCrazy

From The Editors This issue is about the people of our university, the people of our families, and the people of our world. In this Spring Issue 2019, we discover inspiring personalities and document their stories of success and failures. Read about how they have revolutionized their environments through their strengths, persistence, and resilience. With our time as the editors of Lennon Wall coming to an end, we wanted to leave you with a magazine embodying a different style than our previous minimalistic issue. To celebrate the differences and struggles reflected by the stories in the magazine, we have incorporated bright colors and graphics into the pages of this issue. We would like to thank Tony Ozuna, theâ&#x20AC;&#x2039;â&#x20AC;&#x2039;Associate Dean of the School of Journalism (Media & Communications), for the opportunity to work as the editors of the magazine. Shout out to our Lennon Wall team members who made this issue possible through their hard work and dedication! It was a pleasure producing the magazine and a valuable learning experience that we will carry into our futures. Good luck with the rest of this semester and have a great summer break!

Maria Bakhturidze, Editor-in-Chief Irina Nikolaeva, Assistant Editor

Editor-in-Chief Maria Bakhturidze Assistant Editor Irina Nikolaeva Section Editors Angelina Nikonova (Culture) Janel Umarbaeva (Creative Writing) Koto Haramiishi (On Campus) Natalie Kejhova (Opinion) Eliana Christianson (Multimedia) Design Martin Ranninger Website Editor Valeria Novitskaia

Writers Iryna Volkovska Maria Bakhturidze Irina Nikolaeva Megan Chotrani Koto Haramiishi Anelya Kadyrova Angelina Nikonova Mariam Bakhturidze Natalie Kejhova Cover Image by Anastasia Mezenina

www.LENNONWALL.AAUNI.edu

By Maria Bakhturidze “When I started first grade, our neighbors would constantly say, ‘They’ll never achieve anything’, or ‘Look at the state they’re in’, or ‘They’ll just start prostituting’. They already decided my future. In the end, it worked out in the opposite way.” After losing her father to gangrene, at the age of 1, and her mother to Leukemia, at the age of 3, Qaliashvili recalls the pitiful and underestimating remarks from her neighbors in the rural village of Bakuriani, Georgia. Specifically, she describes feeling her kindergarten teacher’s sense of disgust towards her. “I hated the pity. It was so annoying and made me feel like I wasn’t normal. They would always compare us to their own kids, saying that they would have bright futures because they had parents to support them but that my sister and I would be left behind in the village.” Qaliashvili shares her journey growing up as an orphan to working managerial jobs at DHL Global Forwarding, one of the largest logistics companies in the world, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for 18 years. Eventually, she was promoted as the Airfreight Product Head at the firm during which she managed 160 employees and was the only female in the leadership team of 16 people. “It felt a little weird because the transport industry is male-dominated. But I didn’t experience any sexism. On the contrary, I was given so much respect and flattery. My boss would say, ‘We need more women on our team. Why do we only have one woman on the team?’”

the power of hard work and determination

However, Qaliashvili’s career had small beginnings. While studying civil engineering at Moscow Technical University, she worked at a factory during the day and attended classes at night. After her graduation, she returned to Georgia where she worked at the national parliament and, simultaneously, taught English. For Qaliashvili, romance took a back seat in order to prioritize her education. “Education was the most important thing for me. I didn’t care about guys and I was very strict with that. I didn’t want to get distracted by anything.” This mindset encouraged her to learn English at an early age which, during the turbulent ‘90s in Georgia where electricity outages, water outages, and unemployment was nearly a daily occurrence, became her source of income. “I never thought I would ever need it for survival, but there came a time when I did. By working at the parliament and teaching English, I supported myself and my sister.” Although, Qaliashvili married before moving to the United Arab Emirates where she gave birth to her daughter. “Now, I have a lovely husband and daughter,” she says. Much of her determination to excel in her education and career stemmed from the words of her high school geography teacher who took Qaliashvili and her sister under her wing. “Everyone respected and feared her in our village because she was very intelligent and had

No one dared to mess with us because they

From Orphan to Boss

knew we were under her protection.

a lot of authority in the region. She raised us and, honestly, she was like our guardian angel. No one dared to mess with us because they knew we were under her protection. She would always tell me, ‘You have to set an example for others. You have to lead a life that will make us proud.’” There is no secret behind Qaliashvili’s success. “It’s all about hard work. I never tried to get promoted at DHL because I was already so happy with my job. I just worked really hard and the promotion just happened unexpectedly,” she says. Qaliashvili thanks her late grandmother, Natasha, for not being sent to an orphanage and living with a roof over her head. Working as a local trader, Natasha supported Qaliashvili in her youth before passing from a heart attack at 85 years old. “She always guided me and said, ‘Dear, you don’t have parents so don’t give people anything to talk about. They’re all watching you and waiting for you to fail. You have to achieve something in your life and prove them all wrong.’” Most of all, Qaliashvili thanks her faith for her strength today and wishes she had discovered it earlier. But having spent most of her youth in the Soviet era when religion was forbidden and mocked, she only turned to Christianity in her 30s. “If I had found God earlier, my life would’ve been so much more peaceful and happy.” With her voice softening, Qaliashvili reminisces about her three memories of her mother. “One night, it was raining hard and I was left home alone. I heard a mouse and got really scared so, of course, I started crying and hid in a corner and tried to be really quiet. Then, my mom comes into the house so I ran and hugged her. But I remember her face. She looked so tired and weak because that was the period when she was already getting the Leukemia.”

Her second memory of her mother was when she was released from the hospital and carried into the house where she spent her remaining days. And the third memory was of her mother in the casket. “I remember, when she was laying in the casket, her eye just opened because of a reflex and one of the men at the funeral shut her eye and put a coin over it. I was mad at him for days because I thought she was coming back to life and he had just killed her again,” she says, chuckling. Qaliashvili’s single memory of her father is of him in his casket. “During the funeral, I was reaching for him and so they sat me on his chest. And I was eating an apple and tried to feed it to him.” Seeing orphans in movies and shows always tugs at her heartstrings and wishes she could tell them, “Never give up because you can achieve anything through hard work. But, most importantly, God has a special place in his heart for orphans and always protects us a little more. You’ll be okay.”

DR. ALEXANDR VONDRA

A SAMIZDAT JOURNALIST’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM By Koto Haramiishi A former dissident and spokesman for Charter 77, a petition of freedom opposing the communist regime, Ph.D. Alexandr Vondra devoted his youth into fighting for the freedom of Czechoslovakia under the communist repression. Today, he hopes for peace in Europe for the next generation.

“I was a young guy who loves freedom in the country you couldn’t express yourself freely. You need something like fresh air.” “I could experience the turning point of freedom in Poland when I was visiting during the time of Solidarność in early ’80s. It was my decision to express this openly because I was convinced that we needed freedom like oxygen which you need for your life.” Vondra was determined to establish freedom from the totalitarian control of the Soviet Union in Czechoslovakia after witnessing an important milestone of Polish independence in October 1980. He resigned from his teaching job to become a

samizdat journalist in an underground community, with many other young Czechoslovakian writers, authors, and artists focusing on publishing censored and anti-government material. Later, their publication would be called ‘Respekt’, an investigative journalism magazine in Prague, Czech Republic Vondra sought for the justice of his country by joining the “gray zone”, an opposition group whose prime goal was to pursue and protect the basic human rights flouted by the repressive Soviet government. “I was a dissident since the early ’80s. I was printing the magazine in the underground, so I was under police observation for a long time.” The group of samizdat journalists was arrested by the Czech Communist Government for protesting against the regime. He considered himself as a medium between the young and old generation. “But as a younger guy, it was somehow easier for me to communicate with other younger generations from this gray zone,” he said. Vondra played a significant role in leading Charter 77 with other dissidents and his friend Vaclav Havel, the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic. Vondra was imprisoned for two months due to his illegal initiative of Charter 77. In December of 1989, he was arrested again during the Velvet Revolution for founding the Civic Forum within Czechoslovakia and released on November 17th during the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Once the Velvet Revolution was over in 1989, Havel was elected as president. Uninterested in becoming a politician, Vondra simply congratulated his friend. “You must follow me! I am not going there alone!” Havel told him, urging Vondra to become his political partner. “It is against my will but I could not say ‘No’ to him, because he was great decent man,” Vondra said. He was appointed as President Havel’s Foreign Policy Advisor. Throughout his time in office, he built the fundamentals of Czech diplomatic services as the First Deputy Foreign Minister, 1992-1997; the Czech Ambassador in the U.S., 1997-2001; the Czech Government Commissioner for 2002 Prague NATO Summit; the Czech Foreign Minister, 2006-2007; Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, 2007-2009; and Minister of Defence, 2010-2012. However, eager to pass his experiences and knowledge to the future generation, he left politics in 2002 and began teaching it at universities in Prague. “I said, look, I am exhausted and I need some break. I even sold some factory that I owned!” he laughed. He wants his students to understand the principle of human and freedom rights.

have already like this existence and because of their families. The basics of this regime was that if you express yourself freely, then they punish. Not just you, but your wife, your family, and your children. But if you are young, you don’t have so much to lose.” Despite being caught twice by the authorities, he still had not given up on his dream.

“I knew what I have done. I knew that I schemed, so I was not taking it by surprise. I was expecting that, one day, they to come. There was a price for my activity. Yes, I was ready for that to survive.” “I have long hair, and this is not a type of expression that was allowed back then. But, this is my freedom of choice. I do not seek for the special status or anything in the society.”

Currently, Vondra is the director of the Prague Centre for Transatlantic Relations faculty at the CEVRO Institute College in Prague, as well as a Political Science instructor. “The current mood in the West regarding freedom rights has been my concern.” Now, at the age of 57 and father of three, Vondra boasts about his son working in IT and his two daughters, one working as a doctor specializing in addiction medicine and the other majoring in construction. “I am very happy that my children chose their paths on their own and succeed in what they like. If you were a politician, you are so much depending on the others. They are more independent.” Being a part of the political opposition group, Vondra was always prepared for the worst. “Many from old generations were afraid because they

By Ludvik Hradilek, Aktualne.cz

Meet the new Dean of Humanities:

DR. KAREN GRUNOW-HÅRSTA By Anelya Kadyrova

The early rays of sun hit her keyboard, and she is already in office hammering away at her plan to improve Anglo-American University’s humanities program. It is the start of another day for the new dean of the School of Humanities Dr. Grunow- Hårsta, who has been selected out of 39 candidates for this position. “When I left home at 16, I thought I had left high school too, but the irony is I have never left school,” laughs Grunow-Hårsta. She joined AAU’s School of Humanities in 2014 and teaches Intercultural Communications, Composition, and Thesis courses. Grunow-Hårsta has also taught at Uppsala University (Sweden), Brock University (Canada), Middlesex and Wollongong University (Dubai), and the Polytechnic University and Chinese University (both in Hong Kong). “Some people who get a Ph.D. just do not know when the party is over,” jokes Grunow- Hårsta. She got her Bachelors in Literature and Art History at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada and got her Master’s Degree in Art History from the University of Toronto. She completed her Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee while raising two preteens and lecturing full-time.

THE GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURE OF LANGUAGE UTTERLY FASCINATES ME 8

“I have always had a passion for art and language. The grammar and structure of language utterly fascinates me,” says Grunow-Hårsta. Her career in education began as a lecturer in Art History at Uppsala University in Sweden, where she moved after marrying Johan, Swedish engineer whom she had met in Toronto. “In Sweden, I taught Art History, and at the university, as a foreign lecturer, they asked me to teach English, and then I began to have to understand the grammar of my language more explicitly,” says Grunow-Hårsta. “I lived in Sweden for six years; my two children, Nickolas and Hanna, were born in there. We had a great time in Sweden, but the winters were so long and dark there, and when we had an opportunity to move to Italy, I said, ‘Oh yes!’” Since her master’s thesis was about Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel in Florence, she was already very familiar with the country and the culture. After living in Italy for two and a half years, she and her family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Having developed a great interest in linguistics as a language professor at Uppsala University, Dr. Grunow-Hårsta enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to get a Ph.D in linguistics. “I packed my stuff and went to live in foothills of the Himalayas for 6 months,” says GrunowHårsta. While studying in Milwaukee, she won the National Science Foundation grant and moved to Nepal. “That was the beginning of one of my largest projects: to research the grammar of an endangered Himalayan language called Magar.” After Milwaukee, Grunow-Hårsta and her family moved to Canada, where she had lived and worked for ten years before moving to Kolkata, India for two years. In Kolkata, Grunow- Hårsta did charity work, charity teaching, and helped orphanages;

would like to redress that balance.” One of the other main goals she has is to maintain a good relationship with the faculty, “I want to listen to my faculty and to understand what their strengths and ambitions are.” she also had her second post-doctoral fellowship that moved her to Hong Kong for three months, where she taught at the Polytechnic University. India and Nepal helped Grunow-Hårsta understand that material values are overrated. “Spending time with the people in Nepal, having them open their homes and lives to me, teaching me their language gave me a new appreciation for different values,” she says. After India, she and her husband moved to Dubai where they had stayed for two years. There she taught composition, linguistics, and intercultural communications in two different universities: Wollongong and Middlesex Universities. In 2013, Dr. Grunow-Hårsta and her husband moved to Prague where she began teaching at AAU and became popular among the students. “It is great that she became the new dean of humanities,” says Dariia Sydygaliyeva, a secondyear journalism student who has taken Intercultural Communications with Grunow- Hårsta. “She is nice, but at the same time demanding in a good way,” adds another student Veronika Vedernikova, who took Composition II with Grunow-Hårsta. Grunow-Hårsta has also talked about some of her goals as the new dean of Humanities. “I have to say that my plans are at the beginning stages; I want to create a solid core of liberal arts with a stronger, more balanced program within the School of Humanities. Courses were a little more driven by lecturers’ personalities than it was a creation of a balanced core set of courses, and I

When asked about the hardest job, she responded with, “The hardest job I have ever had is being a mother. You never believe you are doing enough, and it is the job that never ends and means the most.”

“The HARDEST JOB I have ever had is being a MOTHER. You never believe you are doing enough, and it is the job that NEVER ENDS and means the most.”

Grunow-Hårsta likes to spend her free time reading; one of her favorite authors is Steven Pinker, a Canadian psychology and science writer. She also likes Romantic and Victorian poetry and audits online Yale courses on ancient Greek history.

Grunow-Hårsta says that her motto in life is Capre Diem, a line from Latin poet Cattulus which means seize the day. “[Capre Diem] means do something every day; do not let the day go to waste,” she explains. Besides learning, teaching and traveling, Dr. Grunow Hårsta’s passion is gardening because it lets her mind wander. She owns a lake house in Canada, which is where she gardens for hours on end and experiences her Zen moments. “It is my artistic outlet,” she says. “One of my dreams is to be a good dean,” says Grunow-Hårsta. And we all know that she will be a great one.

THE INDIAN NIGHTMARE

By Megan Chotrani

India can be a strange place. Your whole life is based around elders shielding you from the opposite sex and teaching you to be wary of strangers. That’s unless they organize these interactions for you. My parents weren’t like that though. They moved away from India, in an attempt to get away from everyone’s sanctimonious attitudes, and settled down in an equally hypocritical country — the United Arab Emirates. My parents, however, had a sadistic sense of humor. Indians are competitive, and Punjabi’s love to drink. After making a drunken bet that I could beat my brother and my dad at foosball single-handedly ended poorly, these traits became apparent in me. I don’t remember a lot from that night, but my family gleefully told me how I threw up all over the table when I lost. The next day, when I was nursing a deadly hangover, my family was discussing the various ways they could torture me. They were exceptionally excited due to the fact that I usually win the house bets and I’ve been known to empty their pockets more times than I can count. (Actually, I can, just by counting all of my lipsticks.) Then, my mom’s bitchy childhood friend called, subtly hinting that her son would be interested in settling down soon. I’d never seen my mom smile so villainously as she’d said that I would love to meet him. I could only watch in silent horror.

located at the very top of the Burj Khalifa, also known as the tallest building in the world. The guy I was supposed to be interested in was named Rahul. He sent me a text saying that he would like to eat there without asking me what I would have liked. Begrudgingly, I conceded and got dressed, per my mother’s request, as ‘sanskari’ as I possibly could. It’s meant to symbolize someone cultured and morally principled in India, but really it’s a way of dressing and acting to convey a virginal quality. (Sorry Rahul, but that ship has sailed more times than I can count.)

That’s how I ended up at the most expensive restaurant in Dubai,

“Great city isn’t it? I think I might try and find a job here,” remarked Rahul.

“You must be Megan?” came a voice from behind me. ‘Oh no’, I thought to myself. ‘He has the accent!’ Every Indian knows the accent. The famous accent of an Indian that travels and adopts the accents of the U.S or U.K, p oorly. Honestly, some Americans are too illiterate to string together a coherent sentence half the time, so I didn’t know who this guy thought he was fooling. After we both exchanged pleasantries, I spent my time staring out of the revolving windows, looking down at all the glittering lights of the skyscrapers. I really didn’t want to look at his perfectly gelled hair, expensive suit, and fair skin. You could practically smell the bleach he used.

Of course, he loves it. It was as flashy and shallow as he was. “So, great. I loved growing up here,” I lied, with a big smile, while noting how he kept finding an excuse to check the time, just so that he could flash his Rolex. “So tell me a bit about yourself. No need to be shy around me,” he laughed. ‘Okay Megan, those higher level theatre classes can finally pay off now,’ I silently encouraged. “Well, I just graduated from Anglo-American in Prague--” “Oh that’s great, I just graduated too, from IIT, which of course you must have heard of...” he interrupted. Of course, he graduated from IIT. Such a man could only be found in a traditional Indian parent’s wet dream. A graduate from the

hardest technical university in the world, trying to settle down in Dubai with an educated girl who’d spent her whole life there. I could almost see my life with him: me, a shiny trophy wife, who spoke English without the accent, and who knew which fork to use at restaurants. Little did he know there was no way that I was going to be so docile as to let him steamroll me into the ground. “Actually I wasn’t done speaking,” I said cooly, cutting him off mid-way in a story about his volunteer work in Nepal. He looked a bit taken aback and promptly apologized. “Also why don’t we just cut the crap? You think you might want to marry me, right? So what do you have to offer as a husband?” I questioned, staring at him. ‘I mean, if I have to do this, I might as well have some fun,’ I thought inwardly, as I sadistically saw him fumble for words.

“Well... I... I... I’m a really modern man. Like, a total feminist. I’d definitely let you work if you wan--” “I’m sorry, you’d letme work?” “Yes, why? Do you not want to? That’s fine too, I can make enough to support us both because I also have a masters--” “Man, fuck your masters. I don’t know how you think you’re a feminist if you think that it’s a man’s place to allow his wife to work.” 11

“That’s... No that’s not what I meant, you’re reading into it too much ...” “I’m not reading into shit. You’re a walking stereotype. Look at you. Bringing me to the most expensive restaurant, talking with an accent that’s faker than the shoes I’m wearing, hoping to settle down here, but let’s get real, the dream is moving to the U.S isn’t it? That’s what the Indian Dream is after all.” “What is?” “Moving to America, and fulfilling the American Dream.” He was silent as he pondered what I had said. I knew he was angry, it showed in the tensing of his neck and in how he frantically ran his fingers through his hair. At the same time, I knew I was being a bitch. Everything about Rahul represented

exactly what I despised about India. The hypocrisy, the sexist attitude, and wanting to be anything but Indian. “Fine then. If I’m a stereotype, what about you? The typical Indian girl who grew up in Dubai. Sheltered, snobby and judgemental,” he retorted, dropping the accent. ‘Now that’s surprising,’ I thought. “Damn right, I’m a stereotype, but do you know how much I pushed myself? I left this shitty place, I went out into the world, and I also fucking volunteered in Nepal, but you don’t see me rubbing it in people’s faces. I understood my privilege. I was sheltered, but I’m not anymore. I don’t judge people,” I retorted, boldly. “Please, you judged me the second you saw me,” he scoffed.

“It’s not so much judging as I’m recognizing the same habits from people like you that I’ve encountered countless times over. The engineer who graduated from IIT? The guy who wants to move to the U.S? The guy who wants an English-speaking wife? Someone classy, light-skinned, and from a good fucking family? Please tell me if there’s anything I’m saying that isn’t accurate,” I smirked, as I leaned back in my chair.

“You might think you have me all figured out, but you’re wrong. This was a mistake,” he snapped, beckoning the waitress to bring us our check for the bottle of red wine we drank during this fiery conversation. “I’ll just tell my mother you didn’t like me. And you don’t understand India so don’t act like who I am was completely up to me. You grew up in Dubai, and you didn’t have a whole nation telling you weren’t shit till you became an engineer, might I add at a university where the constant pressure

almost killed me, and the next step is to leave India, go to the West, but still hold on to traditional fucking values. You just got lucky. If you’d grown up in India, you’d be begging to marry me.” “Come on Rahul. That’s all you got? Actually, who am I kidding? I bet there’s nothing you could tell me that would shock me,” I boasted, cockily. He was silent for a few beats. Then, what he said next scared me off bets for the rest of my life. “Well, for starters, I’m gay”.

HANA PODOLSKÁ, Czech Fashion For The First Republic by ANGELINA NIKONOVA photos courtesy of Museum of Decorative Arts

May 19, 2019, is the last day for fashion fanatics to visit Hana Podolská’s exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts and to dive deeper into the history of Czech fashion. Podolská, born in Germany in 1880, was a Czech fashion designer whose Couture House rose during the First Czechoslovak Republic and survived through World War II and the post-war period. Most of the prototypes of Podolská’s dresses and female suits reflect fashion trends prevalent during World War II. Being a reputable professional, Podolská was manufacturing clothes for Czech celebrities, such as actresses Lida Baarová (1914-2000) and Adina Mandlová (1910-1991), and for Czech films, such as “Zlatá Kateřina” and “Katakomby.” Podolská’s father died when she was young, leaving the whole family in an arduous financial situation. Working hard to earn enough money to support herself, Podolská lost hope of becoming a designer. However, in 1907, Viktor Podolský, a Polish nobleman, photographer, and academic painter, married Podolská and helped her to achieve goals, supporting his wife both emotionally and financially. Podolská’s talent and connections with Czech celebrities brought the designer substantial success. Besides manufacturing high-quality clothes, Podolská established “Eva” and “Fashion 14

and Taste”, C zechoslovak fashion magazines. Podolská’s business was nationalized after the Communist takeover in 1948. Nevertheless, she continued working at her fashion house as a saleswoman. In 1991, 19 years after her death, the fashion house closed down. However, the Czechs still pride themselves on Podoloská’s legacy: the designer who developed Czech fashion to match French Couture.

Besides the most important facts from Podolská’s biography, the exhibition displays her QUOTES about FASHION, significant dates in her CAREER, video INTERVIEWS, and SKETCHES.

Moreover, spectators have an opportunity to touch Podolská’s textiles and view their intricacies through the microscopes provided at the exhibition. Fashion became an emotional outlet for those living during World War I and II. According to the sketches, mid-length skirts and jackets with

shoulder pads and a narrow waist emphasizing women’s elegance and femininity were the most popular components of Podolská’s designs. V-cut necklines and belts were integral to her outfits. Coarse, practical fabrics; low-key colors, such as blue, brown, and black; plaid,

polka dot had become the most preferred details in fashion. Headwears and gloves tied the outfits together. The exhibition also provides brief information about influential fashion photographers of Czechoslovakia, such as

Jaroslav Balzar (1884-1945) and František Drtikol (1883-1961). Between the museum’s high painted ceilings and colorful stained-glass windows, Podolská’s exhibition invites the audience into a period of Czechoslovakia’s past.

FASHION BECAME AN EMOTIONAL OUTLET FOR THOSE LIVING DURING WORLD WAR I AND II.

People Of Old Town Square By Natalie Kejhova While walking in Old Town Square, one may notice the diverse group of people passing by. As you take a moment to look around, it becomes apparent that the people here are from all corners of the world. If you allow yourself to stand still a little longer, you’ll begin to notice every individual’s unique story. To the right stands a homeless man counting his coins. Not

too far from him, an elegantly dressed long-bearded man with feathers in his hat enjoying a cigarette on his wheelchair. Behind him, individuals from various ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds are planning their next adventure with a tour guide. Nearby, you hear a jazz band’s street performance and, next to them, a giant dancing panda. In the distance, a pensive man is

sweeping the streets and, next to him, a family is embracing their puppy. These images capture a small sample of the people of Old Town Square, freezing their moment in the crowd. This square is profoundly known for its Gothic and Baroque architecture, but the people are what give the Square life and meaning. The next time you walk this path be sure to pause and observe the crowd.

Tattoo Story - “She is Flying with Her Own Wings” By Koto Haramiishi

“An action of getting tattoo itself and my tattoo both symbolize my world of freedom and independence.” Asal Davlyatova, 23, graduated Anglo-American University (AAU) in 2017 with a bachelors in International Relations. Originally from Uzbekistan, she currently works as a Procurement Specialist at McKinsey & Company and lives in Prague with her husband.

start a new adventure,” Davlyatova said. Davlyatova has been interested in law and linguistics. However, as a former member of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan’s current educational system remains similar to the Soviet model along with the national government restricting academic freedom.

Its male-dominated educational system made it DIFFICULT for

ENROLLING INTO AAU AND LEAVING HER FAMILY BEHIND WAS A DIFFICULT RISK SHE WAS WILLING TO TAKE.

“I was long to seek the better education and better life that fit my personality. While I was looking at many other options, I found AAU’s International Relations program and thought it would be nice to

Davlyatova TO PURSUE her desired course of study.

Women’s education in Uzbekistan is still lacking, especially at the university level, due to high tuition fees and social expectations pressuring women to focus on housework after high school. Since her early adolescence, she longed to move outside of her home country to look for a better quality of life with freedom. For her, it was Prague. At the age of 18, she decided to get a tattoo representing her will to be free as a bird in the sky. Currently, in Uzbekistan, tattoos are taboo and even considered to be ‘dirty’. At 21 years old, she got her first tattoo on her ribs to keep the tattoo

hidden, closer to her heart, and at the center of her body. “One day, I felt today is the day I am getting my tattoo. I just googled tattoo studio, which in Pavlova, and walked in there and got my first tattoo there on the same day. I did it without telling anyone. It was my own decision that I had for over two years.”

“ALIS PROPRIIS EA VOLAT” The Latin phrase translates to “She Flies with Her Own Wings.” “When I found this quote, I felt this would represent myself the most.” To her, this was a special quote she wanted to live up to. Her tattoo became the motto by which she lived and overcame the hardships of studying and living in a foreign country. Her family learned about her tattoo about two years after she got it. She reminisces about her mom’s confused expression but her father’s admiration which illuminated their support for her, despite their physical distance.

BY SHARING HER TATTOO STORY,SHE HOPES TO INSPIRE OTHER STUDENTS WHO STRUGGLE FINDING THEIR OWN PLACE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC. “Decisions that you make will eventually result in a good way no matter what because that is your decision and you will never regret it.”

CURRENTLY, IN UZBEKISTAN, TATTOOS ARE TABOO AND EVEN CONSIDERED TO BE ‘DIRTY’.

THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE By Iryna Volkovska

On average, in the past decade, 104 horror movies were made each year. Although only one horror movie, “The Silence of the Lambs”, has ever been awarded an Academy Award for best film, the horror genre is popular with audiences worldwide and has long been accepted as one of the essential film genres. The creative method and exact date of the first horror feature is, however, something that even the avid moviegoer may not know; interestingly enough, the same film was also shot in Prague, Czech Republic. In 1913, while legendary artists like Georges Méliès and the Lumiere Brothers experimented with creating short spooky films before, the genre of horror was only an idea in the minds of two young filmmakers, Paul Wegener and Stellan Rye.

The ambitious duo’s first film in the genre was set to become a joined adaptation of three notable horror writings: Edgar Allan Poe’s novel “William Wilson”, the classic German legend of Faust, and a poem titled “La Nuit de Décembre ” by the French poet Alfred de Musset. Unlike many films from its era, “The Student of Prague” gained popularity upon its original release and is one of the most remade films up to date.

“The Student of Prague” belongs to a significant cinematic movement of German Expressionism, which, in time, would give birth to horror as we know it. Expressionist films were dark, often featured eerie music and suspenseful settings. Many of their characters were supernatural beings: vampires, sorcerers, undead creatures, or, like the student of Prague himself, dealt with the Devil. The striking difference between modern and early horror films

is in the message. While the horror flicks of our time mainly mean to entertain the public, the monstrous characters and terrifying plots of German Expressionism were intended to represent the flawed morals and social issues of the period; they were, by all means, horrifying and haunting, but only due to their honesty and metaphoric realism. With that in mind, who was the student of Prague and what lesson did he learn at the end of his film? 31

Balduin, an excellent swordsman and a student, leading a humble life in the 1820s Prague, falls for Margit, a countess who cannot be associated with a penurious man like him. Balduin’s accidental acquaintance, sorcerer Scapinelli, offers the desperate young man 100 000 gold coins in exchange for a single object from his room. Balduin immediately agrees, convinced he doesn’t own anything worthy of such reward. Unfortunately for Balduin, the deal goes horribly wrong. Starring its co-creator Paul Wegener as Balduin and distinguished German actress Grete Berger as Margit, “The Student of Prague” is a sinister tale of social injustice and selfhood. In addition to the many indoor settings, several notable landmarks of Prague were featured in the film, including The

Prague Castle and The Golden Lane. The critical acclaim of “The Student of Prague”, earned Prague an essential role in the 20th-century film culture, later prompting many filmmakers to set their own motion pictures at this location. Its innovative camera techniques, original musical score, and meaningful message made “The Student of Prague” a cultural phenomenon, which will forever be remembered as a masterpiece of early horror and independent European cinema. “The Student of Prague” (1913) is now in the public domain and available for online streaming on YouTube.

DOUGLAS ARELLANES, technologist, broadcaster, software developer and AAU professor. By Jane Piachenina

“I hope to be continuing to try new things. I think there’s a lot to be done in the space of visual storytelling, the tools that we have to tell stories visually are not quite perfect and they can always be improved. I think that there`s an opportunity there for better tools.” Douglas Arellanes, an American technologist, broadcaster, software developer, and professor at AngloAmerican University (AAU), has been living in Prague, Czech Republic, for 27 years. He is also a co-founder of the Czech nonprofit institute “Sourcefabric” and has been its member for eight years. Arellanes grew up in California, United States and has always been interested in media. He wanted to become a reporter since the age of 13 but was quickly fired from his first job at the radio station. “It was a really boring job. One day, the first video game just happened and I decided to try it. But, somehow, I managed to get the computer into a mode that it only played the commercial for three days straight and no one could figure out how to get it to work again,” Arellanes said. In high school, he started working in telemarketing where he learned TV broadcasting. After he went to the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa 34

Barbara, he got involved in a local newspaper that won many awards. “The area that interested me was the area that combined computers with reporting for informational graphics, so I did that,” Arellanes said. During his internship at the Los Angeles Times newspaper, he received a letter from his friends in Prague inviting him to help in designing a newly-established English newspaper in the Czech Republic. Their invitation kickstarted Arellanes career in Prague in 1992. One of Arellanes’ greatest career achievement was translating the book “Economics of Good and Evil” by Tomáš Sedláček from Czech to English which experienced high sales worldwide. “It’s a really fun book to read,” he said. “I enjoy when someone is able to get his or her ideas across really clearly and entertainingly. For me, that was like a labor of love.” He has also translated for several prime ministers and various publications of the Czech government. One of the projects he led for Sourcefabric, with West Africa Democracy Radio, won the special distinction of the 2011 Knight-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism. Arellanes expressed the thrill of experimenting in his field of work.

“I like to see what will work and what won’t. You try something out and it works and you show other people how to do it and then becomes a regular established thing,” Arellanes said. However, having to continuously persuade sponsors to be more bold and liberal in their financial donations is the least exciting aspect of his job. Arellanes expressed, “I don’t like having to scrounge for money. Not many people like to make risky decisions related to technology, so, oftentimes, they are very timid. It does not make my job easier to try to find money to do these things.” Arellanes is also a long-term moderator at Radio 1 in Prague. Given the increased popularity of podcasts nowadays, he thinks that we live in a very interesting time with the radio. “There are more people creating radio now than have ever created a radio in its entire history, there are more things to listen to now than there have ever been and I think that’s very exciting and I would expect some of that to continue,” he said. To illustrate, Arellanes raised the topic of blogging. “There are not so many personal bloggers anymore, they’re focused on one thing or another. I would expect podcasting to go that way and the big players to start getting involved in the distribution of podcasts,” Arellanes explained. Other forms of technology are progressing alongside the radio. Arellanes believes that, eventually, voice controls will be installed into automobiles because that is where the vast majority of radio is consumed. “What I try to tell my students is to be human. The way

we`re going to compete against these robots is to be human. When we play a playlist of songs, you have to have a feeling that there is a human on the other side of the wire.” AAU has established its very own radio station, which is also a course he teaches, called “Sound Bricks Radio”. “I am really encouraged that students start to feel like it’s their own. People are coming in and doing their show because they feel like it and that’s outstanding. As long as students feel like it’s theirs, then it will survive and thrive.” After Arellanes left Sourcefabric, he started working in a new company. “I left Sourcefabric to have my own startup so that`s what I’m working on now, a new company called Mural that makes tools for visual storytelling.” In the future, Arellanes will continue trying new things. He believes that there is a lot to be done in the space of visual storytelling. “The tools that we have to tell stories visually are not quite perfect and they can always be improved.” His advice to journalism students is very simple: experiment more and try new forms of journalism. Coding, for example, will make familiarize you with the process of developing software that will help in the creation of new products. Arellanes believes that the stories we want to tell will require technical skills and a better understanding of the target audience. “Don’t be afraid to do things on your own. Keep trying, keep failing. You have to learn from the failures. Those few things that are going to succeed are going to succeed in a big way.”

Revealing People’s Most and Least DESIRED CHARACTER Traits Through Alena Foustková’s “DICTIONARY” Exhibition

By Nel Tomczyk One big whiteboard covered with hundreds of little paper pieces with words on them. At first glance, it looks like a part of a notice board where someone leaves their phone number on little paper pieces under their ad or announcement and the interested people can tear one off. However, this board has no phone numbers on it. Instead, there are 96 positive and 96 negative words connected to the concept of tolerance. Anxious. Allergic. Arrogant. Superior. Scared. Polite. Creative. Kind. Calm. The list goes on as we experience “Dictionary”, an installation by Alena Foustková, initially created in 2015 and shown in several different countries since then. In March, Anglo-American University’s students had the chance to interact with it in their student lounge and contemplate on their understanding of tolerance.

The instructions next to the board are simple. Take one which you want to be. Take one which you don’t want to be. When I saw the installation for the first time, it had already been displayed for a week so by the white spots on the large board, it was clear what words were most commonly torn off by people. Alena Foustková, the CzechCanadian artist says that it is one of the most interesting parts of the exhibition for her as she sees it as a sociological experiment. The longer the installation is displayed, the clearer it shows what are the least and most desired qualities among the audience. “Dictionary”, as many of Foustková’s installations, focus on the topic of tolerance and open-mindedness. The artist migrated to Canada during the times of communistic Czechoslovakia and she admits that her interest in xenophobia and tolerance increased as she saw the multicultural and welcoming environment in Canada that was so different than her motherland.

Now, almost 25 years after she decided to come back to the Czech Republic, Foustková believes that CZECHS STILL STRUGGLE with becoming more open and tolerant and these ideas are definitely visible in her art. Some may say that basing the exhibition on the concept of tolerance and acceptance is overused. With the rise of nationalistic movements across Europe and in the time of hate-speech and skepticism, artists all over the globe come up with numerous installations that focus on that and sometimes it feels like we have seen it all before.

However, Foustková’s work is special due to the fact of exploring and rethinking the idea of tolerance starting on the most basic level, only by looking at ourselves.

There are many qualities connected to TOLERANCE that each of us can name off the top of our heads and categorize them either as negative or as positive. Having said that, picking two specific words makes the viewer think deeper about it and their own behavior. What is the most desired trait? Do you want to be more forgiving? Or maybe you want to be more sympathetic, patient, understanding, progressive. Standing in front of dozens of words on hundreds of paper pieces and picking just two of them is harder than it appears and by the time you’re done, the words stick to your brain. Foustková says that she herself has kept the tore off pieces in her wallet and it constantly reminded her of what she wants to be and what she doesn’t want to be. What the artist does so well with both “Dictionary” and her other exhibitions, such as the “Postcards from the Czech Republic” that was displayed in Gallery Havelka in March, is that she makes an impact in a simplistic way and shows that you don’t need a large space or a large collection of displays in order to create something powerful. We often tend to underestimate small exhibitions. We associate a good exhibition with an expensive exhibition in one of the “big” museums. However, “Dictionary” proves that you don’t have to visit MoMa to see a meaningful exhibition. Sometimes, it is enough to take a look around yourself.

FROM INDEPENDENT ARTISTS

to Young Entrepreneurs of YouAllDroveMeCrazy

By Iryna Volkovska

Early this April, the creative company YouAllDroveMeCrazy debuted in Prague, Czech Republic, with a multidisciplinary art party of the season. Equipped with only their talents and the inspiration from the innovative arts, modern music, and their fellow artists, the young entrepreneurs and cocreators of the company, Zach G. Wilson and Alexandra Stotskaya, reveal that they started their journey together at twenty years old. The company is a collaboration of multiple artists across various disciplines, from music, to design, to tattoos. The creators’ own aspirations form the basis of the company’s activities: Wilson’s as a young musician, unafraid of experimenting, and Stotskaya’s as a tattoo master and painter with a passion for the arts. The company started after Wilson considered reflecting his music through images and planned

YouAllDroveMeCrazy, Wilson explains, was Stotskaya’s artistic nom de plume when she was younger. When it came to naming their company, after much discussion, they unanimously agreed that no other name was a better fit for their artistic collaboration. Stotskaya and Wilson are currently based in London, England. However, some of their colleagues work from Moscow, Russia. After

to create his first ever music video, “Her Words,” with Stotskaya by his side to help. “She [Stotskaya] came up with a plot for the music video, and then we talked about the different themes that I could explore to relate the song to the music video. So, the song and the music video came about together quite organically,” Wilson said. As the two called in some of their artistic connections and were able to gather a full crew, they recognized the power of cooperation, giving rise to the concept behind their company. “When we started planning the music video, we realized that we could do this for other artists,” Wilson said. “When you’re looking down on all the people working on a certain project, you know, a music video can go on like five, six, or eight people’s portfolios. That was the main motivation behind it: trying to create a community of young artists who would collaborate with each other instead of spending three years eating shit as some apprentice or some intern at a creative company.”

familiarizing themselves with the art world of Prague, they are determined to include Czech artists in their future projects. Their first event in Prague, an art exhibition featuring live music and tattoos, was a big success and they are already thinking about their next move in the Prague arts scene. “We have the Karlovy Vary film festival and we will have a nine-day exhibition there which will be, like, a cafe during the

day with some art and then every night there’ll be different types of performances, so light performances on the walls or interpretive dance. Also, we will be having an exhibition in London in October and, within the next few weeks, we will be officially opening our office in London. Under the office, we have a venue and we’ll be doing events there quite often.”