Issue 24 (March 2015)

Arts Cup 2015: UAL win 11-4 Full coverage of this year’s Varsity on page 24.

Official Goldsmiths student newspaper

Cyril Nri Interview

Goldsmiths Occupied

Heidi Mirza Interview

Spoiler Alert! Actor and Goldsmiths grad takes us behind the scenes on Channel 4’s Cucumber. Page 8.

Exclusive coverage from inside the occupation in Deptford Town Hall on Page 3.

Goldsmiths professor discusses the need for a broader curriculum on page 6.

@leopardnews

www.theleopard.co.uk

Issue 24 March 2015 Free

Photo Credit: Sha Luo (shaluo.co.uk)

Goldsmiths “going into deficit” according to Senior Staff Member Revealed: Goldsmiths plan to increase student numbers by up to 50 per cent by 2023

Goldsmiths is going into deficit according to a senior staff member, despite the university claiming to have “significant resources” last financial year.

Liz Bromley, registrar and secretary at Goldsmiths told students that the university needs to find an additional £2 million this year, to cover rising national insurance and pension costs.

“That’s before any additional costs come in,”

said Bromley at the Departmental Student Coordinator (DSC) annual project meeting on March 18.

DCSs meet with department heads and university management every year, to present detailed feedback from students.

Bromley added: “We’re not running an even balance sheet, we’re going into deficit quite quickly.”

If true, this means that Goldsmiths is bringing in less money than it has to spend.

but also includes money tied up in fixed-term savings accounts.”

When asked by The Leopard how Goldsmiths was going into deficit when it’s financial statement from last year said the university had significant resources including a positive balance of cash and investments of £35.6 million, a spokesperson for the university said: “£35.6 million ‘Cash and investments’ relates to money we have in the bank. This is not just cash we could withdraw right now,

“You’ll see [on the financial statement from last year] that we have £25.6m owed to creditors to be paid within one year. This will typically be suppliers who have payment terms of 30 days.”

“Once all that’s paid, the figure is £10 million.

We owe a further £25 million with payment (…continues on page 2)

2

NEWS

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

(…continued from page 1) terms of longer than one year. This is largely our lease on Loring Hall. The £10 million is retained for contingency (burst pipes in the main building, for instance, which happened only last year) and provides a buffer in case our income does not come in at the same time as our expenditure.”

In a mass email sent out on Goldsmiths’ emailing system, Bromley also confirmed plans to increase the university’s student intake by up to 50 per cent by 2023.

She said the future of Higher Education will “surely” be a big topic as election day approached. “As well as the obvious issue of tuition fees, there are other big decisions to be taken by whichever Government is formed.”

“For instance, whether to restrict the numbers at each university and which areas of research to invest in.”

“As a relatively small institution and one which does not specialise in the STEM subjects that attract the greatest funding, these decisions will make a huge difference,” said Bromley.

She said Goldsmiths needs to ensure it is “resilient” and can “weather any future changes.”

STEM subjects include Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

“This year, (and possibly this year only) there are no restrictions on Home/EU student numbers and so we must recruit as positively as we can. In the longer term, this will mean offering new programmes, attracting new staff and investing in our estate to provide

Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Zak Thomas Deputy Editor: Cristina Lăpădean Chief Sub-Editor: Erica Masserano News Editor: Sebastian Kettley Features Editor: Medhashrree Dutta Features Editor: Jake Russell Roberts Culture Editor: Cornelia Prior Sports Editor: Marthe Holkestad Photography Editor: Alex Turner Social Media Editor: Lamees Altalebi Chief Designer: Nina Smale Chief Designer: Alaa Alsaraji leopard@goldsmithssu.org @leopardnews www.theleopard.co.uk The Leopard is published by Goldsmiths Students’ Union. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Student Union, Goldsmiths, University of London or editors.

new facilities such as accommodation, social learning and teaching spaces.”

Bromley did not clarify how many students they planned to recruit next academic year.

The university is also looking at offering a series of short courses in the evenings, weekends and out of term time.

The registrar and secretary previously talked about this issue in the DSC meeting, responding to students’ concerns about limited space on campus, after they said they had been told by Goldsmiths warden Pat Loughrey that the university was planning to double its intake in the next five years.

“I genuinely think that was a slip of the tongue, because I’ve never heard that – honestly,” said Bromley.

She said: “We have the opportunity this year, when there is no student number to control, to increase the intake this year, but we have no idea what will happen after the election.”

Bromley added that doubling the number of students from 8000, to 16,000 was not possible. Goldsmiths currently has a student population of 8840, excluding associate research students.

held at £9000 while the university’s costs are rising.

Sarah El-Alfy, education officer at Goldsmiths SU said: “With student numbers growing, now would be a great opportunity for Goldsmiths to find out what it is that students really want, and incorporate this into their future plans - from helping to design their curriculum to building plans, students feedback will always be invaluable.”

“As has been brought up again and again, Goldsmiths need to keep in mind that students already feel that the college is overcrowded, and that they need to expand their resources everywhere, including

academic and non - academic staff, alongside their planned student expansion.’

Pat Loughrey was unable to attend this year’s DSC meeting as he was delivering a speech at one of Goldsmiths’ partner institutions.

A spokesperson for the university said: “Unlike many Vice Chancellors I suspect, Pat has attended all the annual DSC presentations to date and met with DSC representatives informally earlier this year.”

Photo credit: Alex Turner Zak Thomas Editor-in-Chief and Cristina Lăpădean Deputy Editor

The only way Goldsmiths could increase its number of students by just half (up to 12,000) students over the next five years would be to create new academic buildings, Bromley told the meeting.

“Without the buildings there is no space for new students,” she added.

Bromley said she could see the argument from “both sides,” as whilst student fees are more expensive than most people at the DSC meeting have had to pay, they’re being

Computing Department & Technology Collective Raise Over £300,000 From Crowd Funding

A

technology collective that has teamed up with Goldsmiths’ computing department to build a brand new travel app, has managed to raise over £300,000 in just three weeks.

Firef.ly and Goldsmiths have created a mobile application that will combine trip planning, travel guide expertise, journal writing, and social media.

A team of researchers from Goldsmiths including Dr Mick Grierson, who is known on campus

for his cutting whit, will work on an artificial intelligence system for Firef.ly’s app. The aim will be to match user profiles with potential places of interest when they’re on holiday.

Firef.ly founder Chad Cribbins said: “Firef.ly started out as a bunch of sketches drawn on a napkin in Moscow.”

“It’s a response to the fragmentation of apps commonly used by travellers - photos on Instagram, social media on Facebook and Twitter, personal blogs for travelogues, journaling on

Path. Firef.ly will elegantly capture the entire travel journey.”

The Computing group will also work on the development of GPS technology that does not drain battery life as quickly, through intelligent and selective use of the technology.

A campaign on the crowd funding website Seedrs raised over £300,000 in March and the project was awarded a further £380,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board.

The app has also been accepted into the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator programme, receiving three months of mentorship, workshops, and a space to work.

Chosen out of more than 600 companies, the app has been selected as one of 30, to be part of the London Traveltech Lab, a workspace where travel startups can network and build their product.

By Sebastian Kettley News Editor

NEWS

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

3

Deptford Town Hall Occupied: Students List Their Demands

G

oldsmiths students occupied Deptford Town Hall on Thursday afternoon demanding changes to the way the university is managed.

All staff left the building except for one security guard, and the students planned to occupy the building for an indefinite period of time.

The occupiers implemented a safe space policy and anyone who wasn’t “oppressive in any way” was free to enter the building.

The occupiers demanded full transparency from the university, about how and where student fees were being spent.

Calling for a free education, the students wanted the university to stop cutting down jobs and called for fair wages.

“They [management] should come stand in front of us,” an occupier said about presenting the demands.

The occupiers wanted to get in touch with lecturers from the University and College Union to help organise events with them, as well as establish a link with the “Free University of London” occupiers at the London School of Economics.

The student who led the occupation meeting made it clear that as long as the occupiers do not break into any of the rooms that are locked, the police will not have to get involved.

“If management call police on this occupation and drag us out, it will be the worst move they can make,” he said.

Music students were rehearsing in the building when the occupation took place.

The occupiers tried to keep quite in order not to disturb them.

“We want peace and quiet. We don’t want noise.” A music student told the gathered assembly of occupiers.

Concerns were raised about exams that were due to take place on Friday morning in the building. The occupiers voted not to interrupt them.

At time of writing, there were no plans for the occupiers to leave the building. To keep up to date with the protest, follow the #OccupyGoldsmiths hashtag on Twitter.

The occupying students published an official statement at around 10pm on Thursday evening, which listed their demands: Counselling services: Recruit more counsellors to meet demand.

We want to see a tangible reduction in the waiting list for the service Resist the planned restructure Secure jobs within the service, and stop any redundancy DSA: Resist any cuts to the Disabled Students Allowance Demand more investment in making the university accessible to students with disabilities Bring all services in-house and put an end to all outsourcing Sustaining Goldsmiths: Establish an all union (UCU, Unison, Unite, GSU) committee to oversee the implementation of the Sustaining Goldsmiths plan.

Resist any increase in student numbers without matching it with an increase in resources.

Freeze Senior Management pay for five years and reduce their pay before anyone else’s is.

Students from Goldsmiths, London School of Economics, University of Amsterdam and Kings College London were in occupation on Thursday night.

Lack of space: Move the Senior Management Team to Warmington Tower to free up their spacious offices for teaching space.

The students at Goldsmiths divided themselves into various groups tasked with different activities, ranging from producing and distributing pamphlets, to a media team.

Curriculum: Curriculum should be organised by students alongside academics, and not from the top-down. Open forums should be held to

By Sebastian Kettley News Editor

consider what the students want to learn Transparency in the department- including better communication with students The DSC system is a broken mechanism for communicating between students. The DSCs are overloaded with work, not respected by management and this leads to students to feeling alienated and disempowered from their departments Wider Aims: A commitment to working towards a Free University of London Full financial transparency A radical reduction in the pay disparity of University staff, at the maximum of 6:1 Cut ties with unethical companies in regards to funding including those complicit in fossil fuel Investment Liberation: zero tolerance policies on all forms of prejudice, discrimination and oppression.

One way we think this can be achieved is for annual funding to be provided for a fulltime Women’s Officer who would be tasked with campaigning on Women and Liberation issues Police not welcome on campus Free Education Fight marketisation and privatisation of higher education Workers’ rights for everyone who works at Goldsmiths All on-campus staff including security to be brought in house, receive a living wage as minimum and solidified union recognition.

Solidarity with LSE, UAL, University of Amsterdam and King’s College London who are all in occupation.

4

NEWS

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

Psychology Exam Jam

Departmental Student Coordinator gets a major win for year 3 psychology students who have a packed exam schedule

“T

iring” Psychology exam schedules have been altered thanks to tireless work from a student coordinator. Hannah Scott, a third year Psychology student and a Departmental Student Coordinator (DSC) for the psychology department, managed to convince her head of department and the Assessment Office to alter exam dates after receiving complaints from students about sitting multiple exams in the course of a few days.

Elizabeth Hill, Teaching, Learning and Enhancement Warden at Goldsmiths University said that the work of DSCs is “the beginning of a dynamic and engaging conversation and partnership working on these particular topics.”

This issue was due to year three Psychology students having a wide range of optional modules to choose from and hence more tests than students from other departments and the number of days available to set exams on.

Head of Department in consultation with the students, to move a couple of the exams around to minimise this problem. As a result we have already moved one exam, which helped 36 students. We are looking at moving one or two more.”

Scott said that the timetable had five clashes with two exams being set on one day. The dates for these exams were May 28, June 3 and 9.

She added: “So some people had five exams in the space of three days. One exam, two exams, two exams. It is tiring and people can not do it”.

Due to her determined work on Psychology exams, the DSC of The Year Award was given to Scott.

Howard Littler, Goldsmiths SU President, presented the award at the DSC Annual Report Meeting for 2014/15 on March 18. During his speech, he said that Scott deserved the award as she is “a pioneer for the DSC position.”

Kim Boxall, Interim Head of Assessments said: “We are currently working with the

Littler added: “She has been involved in many things and she is a vocal DSC; although,

she comes across as quiet and a shy person.

She is one of those quiet ninja types who will be the most well researched person in the room and know not just about problem but solutions too. She is great.”

After winning the award, Scott told The Leopard: “I’m lucky to have worked alongside such a fantastic team of individuals who dedicate themselves to making positive changes at Goldsmiths. Shout out to my fellow psychology DSC, Ben Buckley, without whom I’d be nowhere near as effective.”

Photo credit: Pete (flickr - creative commons license)

By Lamees Altalebi Social Media Editor

NEWS

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

5

Banner: Goldsmiths Students “Have driven me out of my home!”

A

banner, which claims Goldsmiths students have been abusive and driven someone out of their home, has been linked to gentrification.

It reads “Goldsmith’s students have been abusing me since May 2011…They have driven me out of my home.”

The blue sign attached to 10 Amersham Road, was first noticed on February 25, and has been seen by a number of Goldsmiths’ students.

On Facebook, Goldsmiths students were discussing whether this banner was a “prank,” “comical” or a serious warning of abuse.

Maisie Mclnnes, an English and History student, who first saw the banner on February 25 said: “If this person really had been ‘driven out’ I’m sure the banner would have been taken down by the next residents and not left as some sort of landmark.”

The Leopard tried contacting the resident,

but no one was found at the premises.

A Goldsmiths spokesperson said: “Our local community is very important to us and we take all complaints seriously. If we were to receive a complaint from a resident, we would investigate it thoroughly.”

Bahar Mustafa, welfare and diversity officer at Goldsmiths SU said that the message behind this could possibly be about Goldsmiths and gentrification.

“Loads of middle class, predominantly white middle class students have been coming here [New Cross] and as a result the rent prices and house prices have all gone up.”

Mustafa advised Goldsmiths students to “do more outreach community work” as an attempt to fight “gentrification and social cleansing.”

A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police stated that they have not received any complaint about abuse or this banner.

Photo credit: Maisie McInnes

By Lamees Altalebi Social Media Editor

Guaranteed Hours For SU Staff: Union Waves Goodbye To Zero-Hour Contracts All staff at the SU will be guaranteed hours by the start of next academic year.

T

he SU will no longer dish out zero hour contracts to employ any of its staff. The SU said in a statement: “Discussions about these types of contracts have received plenty of discussion in the media recently, but the organisation has decided to be proactive and take action on the contracts before any new government provides legislation this year.”

Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has been a vocal critique of zero hour contracts, describing them as “Victorian” working practices last year.

Zero hour contracts mean that workers are employed on a flexible basis, but they are not guaranteed any working hours, so they could find, that they don’t receive any work at all.

“The amount of people on these types of contracts has ballooned in recent years and have led to a trend in precarious work and

Photo credit: Goldsmiths SU under employment, giving bosses the lion’s share of flexibility,” said the SU. Howard Littler, president of Goldsmiths SU said: “I’m happy that we have finally made this step and eradicated zero hour contracts from the organisation.”

“Our student staff are also our members and it’s important, even if we take a hit, that they are given the best possible conditions.”

The SU had employed about 50 students across its services on zero-hour contracts, on an hourly rate of at least the living wage. But from now on they will be given guaranteed hours on a monthly or termly basis.

This “will level the playing field when it comes to flexibility,” said the SU. All staff at the SU will be guaranteed hours by the start of next academic year.

By Sebastian Kettley News Editor

6

FEATURES

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

Heidi Mirza: “Knowledge is not neutral” Making Black history or other types of knowledge part of the curriculum is not a UK only issue

M

odern societies are becoming more diverse and multicultural; but this does not mean that racism is completely eliminated.

The twenty first century we live in has also given rise to postmodern racism and discrimination. Heidi Mirza, a professor of Race, Faith and Culture at Goldsmiths acknowledges the need to “rethink what knowledge is and where it comes from, as knowledge is not neutral and objective. It has a past and it reflects power relations.”

Mirza is not only a professor in the Sociology department and a Goldsmiths alumna but also a writer who has books published on race, gender and educational inequalities. Many of her publications have become best sellers and were even used in teaching Sociology A Level at schools. Her work reflects the issue she is most interested in: inequalities in the Education system.

Coming from Trinidad and Tobago to Britain at the age of 16, and having experienced racism at school, Mirza was inspired to research what made “people tick in terms of racism and how it becomes institutionalised”.

The outcome of this was her Phd thesis, which then became a best seller book called Young, Female and Black. In it she discussed her

experience at school and of other girls from the Caribbean Islands, issues of racism in Education and how it reproduces itself. One of her findings in this research was that our cultural identity influences how “we position ourselves as minorities” which is also shaped by racism we might experience. For instance, how some Black girls in schools would engage in what Mirza calls “subcultures of resistance” where they would put on an antiinstitutional persona.

Hence, Mirza recognises that racism exists in schools, but also at university too. This might be reflected in the limited number of modules about different cultures and races, and the twitter hashtag #WhyIsMyCurriculumWhite which went viral recently. In addition, she said courses such as Caribbean literature are usually not compulsory. This is the core issue, which should be looked at and dealt with. She thinks because these are optional modules students can pick, this means some can go through their three years at university without learning about other histories. Also, having them as special sessions or lectures, which she described as “add and stir” solution to diversify our curriculum is not really resolving the problem. “While it is important to have acknowledgment of Black contribution to knowledge, it should be mainstreamed”.

Making Black history or other types of knowledge part of the curriculum is not a UK only issue. Mirza said that during her education in the Caribbean, she was taught about Shakespeare, Durkheim and Weber, but not about Black thinkers such as Du Bois.

She believes: “Still today, it is still largely a European based curriculum”.

In February this year, Mirza was invited to talk about diversity in schools at London Festival of Education, which had around 1,500 attendees including teachers, politicians and policy makers. During her talk, Mirza touched upon issues regarding integrating Black history into school’s curriculum but also looked at how White Knowledge is reproduced as unchallenged. She said it is mainly “White male knowledge which is fixed and elite.” Mirza gives an example of how students do not learn about Angela Davis who is a great philosopher because “we put value on certain kinds of knowledge and not others.” “What we need now is a curriculum that respects other kinds of knowledge equally. We’re still a long way of from that”, she followed.

Due to ignorance of other cultures and ideas, Mirza stresses the need for teachers to

“always be cognitive of those other texts, cite them and bring them to our classes”.

However, Mirza does not have a totally pessimistic view regarding integrating studies on race into the curriculum. She appreciates that she’s running a masters course at Goldsmiths called Race, Gender and Social Justice which is the epitome of what she advocated for and that it’s making cultures of ethnic minorities an integral part of the curriculum. In this course, students look at “pedagogies of knowledge and how it is presented as neutral. We look at Islamophobia and the ways in which intersectionality or race, class, gender, sexuality and how that comes together to create different kinds of social phenomena”.

Mirza said Goldsmiths has been an inspirational institution and is “intellectually vibrant” even after having taught at other universities in America and travelled around the world doing her research.

She added: “I always had a really soft spot [for Goldsmiths]…I thought I would come back [after graduating in 1988] in my later years and enjoy that atmosphere of stimulation.”

By Lamees Altalebi Social Media Editor

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

FEATURES

7

Meet the next Leopard Editor: Sabrina Sharif

Photo credit: Goldsmiths SU

S

abrina Sharif is Bold and ambitious, she has great plans, and can’t wait to get stuck into the challenge of editing The Leopard next academic year.

Three weeks after the SU election results, the Leopard speaks to Sabrina and finds out about her love for journalism and fears about succeeding Zak Thomas as the editor-in-chief in September.

Sabrina is currently studying history in her second year, and leads the Goldsmith’s History Society, but her interests are broad, academic and creative. “What I’m studying is my passion. Predominantly because my Dad was such a storyteller, it made me see history as a fun thing. I feel in love with the politics of history and the subject of race in relation to history; the ideas of black culture and identity, black women and exploring ideas on how to get over the deep-rooted colonial processes and impacts.” Something Sharif is really interested in is discussing how women of colour have come and are still finding their place in both the western and post-colonial

worlds. “I love reading authors such as Frantz Fanon, he was writing about de-colonisation - the idea of post-colonial Africa.”

to be a writer or editor. “I didn’t want to go around University telling people to vote for me. I thought, ‘Am I really that person?’”

You must be so excited about your new role, how did you come to discover your love for writing and journalism? “I started writing when I was in High school; I was part of the anti-bullying council and began writing a section in the school newsletter about what we were doing, I was in year 9. It was really important to me and one of my friend’s has kept cuttings of my writing, even though it was just a small section!”

Elections were the most nerve-wracking part for Sharif. “I didn’t know whether I could really put myself out there. But with the help of my friends I finally felt confident in applying.”

What made you want to be the editor of the Leopard? “I’ve always loved journalism, because I’ve done it from secondary school and then in sixth form where I was the press officer, during this time I wrote for local newspapers. We also got to write for the student section of the Guardian.”

But when Sharif first came to Goldsmiths, she didn’t really have the confidence to apply

Any worries regarding the responsibilities of the role? “Definitely balancing the editorin-chief role with university work. That’s my biggest worry, but I’ve had a lot of reassurance from Zak and those in the SU coming out and telling me there’s a lot of support. I don’t feel like I’ll be doing it by myself. More than anything I’m excited.”

What are you looking forward to the most?

“Getting to know the uni a lot more, as well as the local area. As president of the History Society I’ve got to know the uni a lot more, but I feel like as the editor I can really reach a lot more people.” That’s one of her biggest goals, she wants to make the Leopard a lot

more accessible. “I want to engage and represent more people. As a writer it’s such a massive platform and a great space, the main thing I want to do is promote it, that’s from the get-go!”

Did you secretly believe you would win? “It was the strangest three days, you’d get an atmosphere thinking you could get it, but then you’d also get low moments too. It was so up and down, you’d think positively, then negatively. Some day’s people would come up to you, you’d convince a few people.

But yes, those three days of campaigning were weird. There wasn’t a moment where I believed I 100 per cent had it in the bag.”

Sabrina is set to become the new Editor in September when she’ll be in her third and final year at Goldsmiths. The Leopard welcomes her in her upcoming role.

By Melanie Smith

8

FEATURES

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

Cyril Nri: “In the end there is only love” Actor and MA Television Drama grad talks Cucumber, Russell T Davies and that infamous death scene

“I

t should be as shocking as when Stringer Bell dies in The Wire and everybody turns round and goes… what the fuck? NO!” Cyril Nri, actor and Goldsmiths MA Television Drama grad, was talking about the infamous death scene, where his character Lance is killed in Cucumber, the recent gay drama on Channel 4. “It was very important to make it realistic, these things are very quick. And in real life I believe they’re short, sharp and violent.”

Lance is killed with one fatal golf club blow to the head.

What was it like to film the death scene? “It was harrowing, because the bits of stuff that you don’t see, with the prosthetics and the effects that we were trying to get.” On TV, the scene goes through flashbacks of Lance’s life as blood pours from his head with shocking realism. Nri had to sit in the same position for over two hours to film that sequence and the whole distressing build up scene to where his character is killed took two 13-14 hour days of filming. “I got a lot of use out of having done meditation. I could sit there and just go into my breathing and remain still.” But equally as difficult was the scene in an earlier episode where his killer to be (Daniel) wanks off in front of him. When he’s done, Lance asks “what about me?” “You can lick that up you dog,” Daniel responds. “All those things are quite sadistic and they’re quite abusive - I personally found doing those things over and over again, quite harrowing as you’re in the position of being abused.”

Everything that you see in the death scene is in the original script said Nri. “Practically everything is right down to Russell [T Davies, the writer] and is in the original script. The only thing for the actors to do, would be to follow that. If you don’t… you fuck it up.”

Nri recognises how privileged he is to have landed such a great role. “In my career of 32 years, I’d say there have been two jobs for television that have reached that height.”

What was your relationship like with the actor who played Lance’s killer? “James [Murray] is great, he is just lovely, he’s a wonderful actor and we got on really well.” In terms of what Nri feels and Lance feels, they’re different things. “I came away from those scenes, both the wank scene and the death scene feeling quite traumatized.” The audience sees one tear role down Lance’s face, as he’s getting closer to death. “Obviously I was seeing all those things going through my head but what you didn’t see, was half an hour after that single tear.” Nri went into

convulsive crying and couldn’t stop, because it felt abusive. Much of the show is focused around the tension between Lance and his ex-boyfriend Henry, who he brakes up with in the first episode. In nine years, they never had penetrative sex. “He’s so battered down by the relationship that he’s had over the last nine years, that he allows himself to walk into that point at which he’s clubbed.” There were all sorts of emotions. “Of loss…of the pitty of it all” You never get to see what Davies wrote at the end of the script. “It was just, as Lance died and you see the last image of him seeing Henry, it was a line of stage direction in the script that said, ‘and in the end there is only love.’”

What made you decide to take on the role?

“The writing basically, when I first read it.”

There’s only been a few jobs in Nri’s 32year career that have peaked his interest like Cucumber. One in particular, before he studied at Goldsmiths, called This Life, in the 90s. Which was about barristers, solicitors, and sexual politics in the office. “This was the first time since then. That I’ve read a TV script, that I just thought I’ve got to be in this.”

Nri only read the first episode of Cucumber, and was drawn in by the proposal scene in which Lance gets rejected by Henry. “It was just the cruelty and the humour of that, which made me think ‘I’ve got to be in this.’” He recognised the characters as real life people.

Was it a simple case of you ringing up Russell [the writer] and saying I want the role? He laughs. “I wish,” Nri had played the Shopkeeper in Davies’ Sarah Jane adventures, a children’s Doctor Who spin off. “I think I was originally meant to be in Doctor Who but it didn’t work out because I was working on something else and then they came back with that.” Just as they were thinking about the shopkeeper becoming a regular character, unfortunately Elisabeth Sladen who played the main character passed away from cancer. He also played a character in another kid’s show written by Davies called Wizards vs Aliens. “It was very different from the Queer as Folk and Cucumber line of things – but Russell is such a great writer that he turns his hand to anything.”

Nri went through a rigorous audition process for the role of Lance. “The first audition was over an hour and that’s very unusual.” And then he had an hour and a half of further auditions at the production company’s office in Manchester with Davies. Were you competing for the role with other actors?

“It was quite rigorous. I don’t know if there

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

FEATURES

9

Cyril Nri (Lance) right and Vincent Franklin (Henry) left in Channel 4’s Cucumber were other people... I’m sure there were.”

He laughs. “But luckily for me, I didn’t let on too much that I really really, really wanted the part.”

Do you think Lance would have blamed Henry for his death like other characters in the script? “No, I don’t think Lance is that sort of guy. What you get to see over episode six is Lance has been in a lot of situations and always remained optimistic.” He’s been through rejection, loss of his mother, his father not coping with his sexuality. “He’s accepted himself, but what he isn’t ready for is this slow drip, drip of compromise, compromise, compromise and hopefully you get to see those things from the very first episode when Henry turns him down and the shock and surprise and bitterness, that ‘oh well maybe I’ve given all this time, hoping that it’s going to change and nothing ever will change.’ So I wouldn’t say the Henry was responsible for Lance’s death, I think Lance is as responsible for his own death in staying there. But there is a slow attrition, it’s a way in which only people who have been together for a very long time can be as crewel as they are to each other.”

Before you go I better ask you something about your time at Goldsmiths. So how did you find your time here? “Well I loved it, I was a mature student. I came back and I was doing TV Drama. It was really about directing on Film and TV, and writing for me.” Nri kept to himself in terms of the stuff he wanted to do whilst he was on the course. “Goldsmiths allowed me to do that. And I wrote some stuff.” His film Constance managed to win 7 out of the ten prizes at the Fuji Film Scholarship awards in 1997. Each production was given 15 minutes worth of film, and they had to set up their own production company.

“I got students from all courses and it was fantastic. I was actually filming the second series of This Life at the time. It was one of those things where you really had to utilize your time, but it was a fantastic opportunity and I loved being at Goldsmiths.”

The great thing about being a student is that you get to meet all these “wonderful people” said Nri. “That for me is the real joy of being back on a campus.”

Photo credit: Red Production Company

By Zak Thomas Editor-in-Chief

10

FEATURES

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

SU Election Results 2015/16 - The Full Report Complete list of full and part-time officers 2015-16: President: Adrihani Rashid Education Officer: Daniel Nasr Welfare and Diversity Officer: Bahar Mustafa Campaigns and Activities Officer: Alex Etches Union Chair: Laith Whitwham Women’s Officers: Serena Savini and AliceIndia Garwood LGBTQ Officer: Polu McEwan Black and Minority Ethnic Officers: Emma Marie Rodgers and Eva-Grace Bor Disabled Students’ Officer: Eliane Edmond Housing Officer: Sian Cannell Ethics and Environment Officer: Nazneen Master Palestine Twinning Officers: Tara Mariwany and Alessia Cancemi International Students’ Officer: Divya Rao Societies Officer: Aisha Khan NUS Delegates: Charlotte Hamilton, Liam Renouf and Ibrahim Abdille Student Trustees: Luize Lazdane, Cece Egan, Ibrahim Abdille, Amy-Louie Palesa Ball [Smiths] Editors: Autumn Chawner and Adam Morby Leopard Editor: Sabrina Sharif Wired Radio Managers: Sean O’Daly and Natasha Shehata Photo credit: Goldsmiths SU

T

his year’s SU elections came to a nail biting finish, with a voting turnout of over 20 per cent and a landslide victory for the incumbent Leopard editor.

Above is a complete list of full and part time officers that will represent Goldsmiths SU next academic year.

With 470 votes to 137, the position of next year’s Leopard editor was handed to Sabrina Sharif.

“I feel like it’s a relief now because I felt like the whole Student Union was depending on me to win. I’m just so relieved. It’s been so nerve wracking the last few days. I’m just happy, I’m so happy,” Sharif said.

The only candidate to run for welfare and

diversity officer was Bahar Mustafa, who was re-elected for the position with a total of 693 votes.

“I’m really grateful for everyone who came down and voted. I’m glad that I participated, I’m grateful for all the support, and I’m excited for a new year,” Mustafa said.

The fight for education officer was resolved in two rounds with a total of 1079 votes. Daniel Nasr won the position with a total of 549 votes.

“It’s been really good. I honestly wasn’t expecting it. So I’m really glad that my campaign team was very independent and guided everyone through it. I’m really looking forward to revamping our education,” Nasr told The Leopard.

The position for campaigns and activities

officer was battled out between four students, and was won by Alex Etches in the third round of voting with 408 votes cast in his favour.

“It’s a bit surreal. I’m tired, I’m just really, really tired. That’s how I feel. I’m over the moon as well.” Etches said.

Finally the position of SU president was handed to Adrihani Rashid, after three rounds of voting with 1,297 votes cast. Rashid won the vote with 598 votes.

“I want to make sure I make all my election promises come true. Thank you so much to everyone who supported me, I got a lot of support from really unexpected places.

Everyone’s been so kind and helpful, so thanks to everyone.” Rashid said.

Elections night came to an end with a round of applause to all the candidates who participated and the party carried on with music from Wired Radio.

The Leopard asked Howard Littler, current SU president, if there was anything he would like to say to the new president. He said: “Stick to your principles, don’t be scared of challenging power, and have fun. Well, most importantly have fun.”

By Sebastian Kettley News Editor

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

FEATURES

11

Interview With Natalie Bennett “Power needs to rest locally and only be referred upwards where it’s necessary”

B

ritish citizens live as though not only one planet is expendable to them, but three. That is the verdict of Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, who is determined that if her party has any chance of coming into power in May, they will deliver the “radical and humane change” that this country so desperately needs – as well as the purging of two, fundamental political philosophies – neo-Liberalism and neoThatcherism.

According to Bennett, it is these two philosophies that have made owning a home seem like an absolute luxury. When asked what she fundamentally believes in, the first thing she cites is “access to resources for a decent quality of life - that means without fear or worry or concern about food on the table and a roof over your head.” It may not be surprising, then, that the Green Party is seeing its much –referenced “surge” in ELL boroughs such as Hackney, where housing is a decidedly pressing issue.

BME Women —

Coffee hour Every Wednesday 1–2pm Angela Davis Room #goldbme

sarah.el-alfy@goldsmithssu.org

Bennett, originally from Australia - where she now couldn’t imagine going “out of choice”came to London in 1999 after contributing to various campaigns for women’s rights in Bangkok. She is an unflinching radical, openly writing about Marx and “what drives the super-rich” in her blog, Philobiblon. She has worked for the likes of the Independent and the Guardian, making her no stranger to the workings of the media – an entity that to her is dominated by a “handful of right-wing media tycoons who oppose everything the Green Party stands for.”

It wouldn’t just be the “fraud-ridden and feckless” financial sector that her party would aim to tackle. “One of the things we think we desperately need to do for our democracy and economy is restrict media ownership so we get a greater variety of voices”, she says.

think it’s right to recognise that where they’re at now is unsustainable – if we continue down that road then we will end up with no one able to buy anything.”

The “radical change” that Bennett has in mind could be simplified as a mere scaling down. Big business should become small businesses; Government should be localised (“power needs to rest locally and only be referred upwards where it’s necessary”, she insists) and Britain needs a much smaller financial sector and no financial product should exist “unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the benefits outweigh the risks.”

This reaction to Britain’s on-going financial crisis is garnering swathes of new supporters – membership is now at an all time high of 29,000, according to the leader. But not every disillusioned Briton is flocking to join the “peaceful revolution”- and her selfconfessed “terrible” interview on LBC radio earlier this week may add to voter suspicion that the party is one that nourishes ideals at the expense of policy.

In the unlikely case that the Greens do find themselves in some sort of power in May, ‘voices’ will be at the core of their identity.

Their proposal of a People’s Constitution Convention, whereby members of the public would be picked at random to draw up a new written constitution (something Britain has famously always lacked) was ridiculed when she presented it to Westminster Hour back in December. Bennett accepts that her ideas are radical. But she maintains that the status quo is simply not sustainable. “We cannot continue as we are”, she says. “There is no alternative but radical change.”

This article was first published on East London Lines.

The Green Party, like their leader, undeniably has a polarising effect. Voters either love the Greens for their earthy, non-materialistic and unthreatening image, where the quality of one’s life is valued over the quantity of things they have managed to acquire; or despise them for attempting to take politics out of the world of logic and reason and into one of fantasy - and some say - real economic danger.

Bennett’s response doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise, then, when bluntly asked if big business should be afraid of her. “Afraid is not usually a word I would use in terms of the Green Party but...yes. Big business has been allowed free reign; it’s been allowed to act like a parasite on the rest of society [by using cheap labour and not paying tax] and it’s been taking out more than its fair share. But I

Photo credit: Edinburgh Greens

By Alexandra Rogers

12

COMMENT

MARCH 2014 THE LEOPARD

The heart of politics should be in the local community “Politicians today are too distant from the realities of the real world”

L

ast time I checked – politicians weren’t doing anything to impact the local communities they’re elected to represent. That is other than making lives that are already taxing in austerity Britain, more so by breaking up cultural programmes, removing local support and increasing the cost of day-to-day provisions.

What we’ve been missing is a politics of care, a politics that takes the position of representing the people, not just the global elite who fuel the fire under which a huge majority of the population suffers. It’s partly this reason that José Mujica, the self-styled president of the people, recently made headlines for his leadership in Uruguay.

“He rode to parliament on a battered Vespa, wore everyday clothes and peppered his speech with slang” (Journalist, Gilles Tremlett on José Mujica) Mujica did much more than just put himself in a position that was relatable. He defended the rights of locals, ciphered 90 per cent of his yearly salary to charity and other good causes, and chose to live a simple life rather than one bankrolled by the Uruguay taxpayers. Which drives a point home – why are today’s politicians so detached from their local communities? Considering they’re elected through their constituents, why are local issues never fully represented? Instead, constituents are cherry picked at random for whatever political story matches that day.

today’s politicians. Think about it when austerity bites hard, it’s the members of the local community who are fixing reparations to hold up those struggling – not politicians.

And in times of tension, it’s local members of our society who find themselves on the frontline; acting as troubadours of peace to whatever prevailing argument has ensued. This has been proven time and time again – in the case of the riots, widespread flooding, and racial abuse.

For me – Notting Hill Carnival tells us the perfect story of the unique power of communities. It’s a story that prises together issues of local tension, racial divisions, and community segregation – working as a cause to combat these issues.

Born out of the tension between the different ethnic populations Carnival was about fixing the tension between the different communities on the Portobello Road. Starting as a march between two different adventures playgrounds - Carnival helped bring together the community through sharing food, music, culture and traditions.

It’s these subtle nuances that keep a community connected, as culture is shared and replicated through citizens from all different cultural backgrounds. It’s these kind of stories, like that of Carnival, that empower communities.

All this got me thinking, what if there was a different option, a democratic decision making council, elected from a broad spectre of local residents, who defended and represented the position of their peer group?

Politicians today are too distant from the realities of the real world, that it’s impossible for them to understand the tension experienced in communities.

Ultimately – it’s the position of local peer groups that fix things – and so too, is it the position of local people to swing the politics of place into a certain political favour.

Communities are brought together by their varying opinions – but they still mire a collective consciousness.

It’s through this, I believe, that we could find a new political strategy.

It strikes me that the local community has always been a fine source of fully-fledged democracy – one far better than that upheld by

Part of the problem with politics today, is that it’s a system that sets out to cater for everyone, when in reality politics right now favours a

small class of the wealthy. It’s shied away from making the tensions its point of interest, instead investing in areas of economic benefit over social benefit.

What I’m appealing for is a system of local democratic representation.

A local council, made up of a dedicated board of local residents, that represent the diverse range of ethnic and social backgrounds found in a community. Instead of a council chaired by elected leaders, it’s an open assembly structure where residents offer their opinions on issues in a democratic and understanding way. Imagine it – a council chaired by a shared community of residents – the students, the recent migrants, the office worker and the new mum – each given their say, and being represented in a system involves citizens in the deciding of local issues.

Ultimately – it’s the residents who have to live in these areas and who embody a huge breadth of local history and knowledge, a huge spectre of multi-cultural origins, and a whole range of very different but very respectable perspectives about how society should work.

Not the MP’s who defy their constituencies again and again in Parliament.

We have a situation in this country, where everyday consumers are suffering whilst capitalists are gaining. We live in a time of contradicting news, where we’re told one thing and then another.

And daily we’re subject to political contradictions, where politicians promise one thing, and deliver the other. But what’s the answer to all this unhappiness?

For me it’s the power of the local community. It’s time we turned face and respected our local hubs for what they are – cohorts of knowledge, passion and power.

By Robbie Wojciechowski Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Young, Left and want to change the world?

The Greens aren’t the answer!

“Whether it’s the Suffragettes or the Chartists before them, working people and radical movements change the world”

Photo of Australian Green Party Rally

A

general election like this is going to be a headache for those who consider themselves left-leaning.

Recently, the Green Party have positioned themselves as the left-wing alternative, but beyond the “Vote Green, get Cameron” rhetoric, there’s more to why a vote for the Greens might not be the solution you are looking for.

I am a socialist and found my politics through the 2010 anti-fees student movement.

Despite being from a family of trade unionists and Labour voters, I couldn’t stomach the thought of voting for them myself after the Blair years. So, you may wonder, why wouldn’t I vote for Natalie Bennett’s Green party who are promising, amongst other things, a living wage and free education? The answer doesn’t fit neatly on a sticker, but stay with me.

In 2010, I learnt a valuable lesson about politics. I was one of the many first-time voters who naïvely put their faith in Nick Clegg and the “Fib Dems.” So, first of all, I would warn that voting for a party based on their policies, aka voting someone just because they say

they will do something, may not be effective: the actual propensity they have to implement the policies is far more important.

In my opinion, the only thing that can transform society for the better and create a more equal world is the organised efforts of everyday people. Whether it’s the Suffragettes or the Chartists before them, working people and radical movements change the world. Class politics have already demonstrably changed society and they’re lacking in a Green party who, with slogans based around fairness, seem more inclined to make capitalism only a bit fairer, whilst paying lip service to a few token pro-worker policies. These politics are, in my opinion, more easily found in a party like Labour because of its history and composition.

At the end of the nineteenth century, working people demanded a voice in Parliament and the trade unions created the Labour party, who in 1945 went on to create a welfare state. Things have gone somewhat sour since then. Although I sincerely doubt we can revert the Labour Party to what it was while

it remains structurally and financially reliant on the unions, there’s still something to fight for, even if it’s for a radical split, taking the 6 million strong union movement with it.

To me, the problem with the Greens is that they have no such link to the organised labour movement. Within its structure, there are no groups of organised workers who can hold the party leadership to account as the trade unions can in Labour. You can’t just legislate progressive change, you need a movement that can challenge and disarm power too.

If you look across the continent, the proof is in the pudding that when other Green parties have got a whiff of power, they’ve sold-out their good intentions very quickly. In Ireland, they got into a coalition with the right wing Fianna Fáil and implemented spending cuts to schools, whilst the German Greens quickly dropped their anti-war stance when it came to the Kosovo conflict, not to mention supporting nuclear power.

Although I may not have convinced you to vote Labour in May, remember that parties

with ostensibly good ideas don’t change the world, people do. There are lots of ways to get involved with national or local campaigns that are having a tangible effect and are shifting the political landscape. Examples include the Unite trade union’s community scheme, and groups within the student movement fighting for free education, like the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts.

But be warned: if you put your faith in the Greens because you want to help create a left-wing alternative, history suggests that you might get a disappointment of “I’m with Nick” proportions.

Photo credit: Fusion Vision (flickr - creative commons license)

By Jamie Green (No irony intended)

14

COMMENT

MARCH 2014 THE LEOPARD

It’s The Sun Wot Won it: tabloid backs next prime minister for 30 years “I want to show you how they have done it before and how they could do it again”

Photo credit: John S (flickr - creative commons license)

Y

ou know that paper, The Sun? Well, get this; since 1979 they have backed the winner of every general election in the UK. That makes The Sun a version of Derren Brown with lottery numbers, or Paul the match predicting octopus from the World Cup 2010, but in print and for election time. With less than 50 days till the 2015 election, I want to show you how they have done it before and how they could do it again. I like to think of it as an election special of How It’s Made.

It all began with this headline by the Sun on polling day 1979: “Vote Tory This Time – It’s The Only Way To Stop The Rot.” Away from the public eye, this headline did much more than sway voters; it laid the foundation for generations of political relationships. In 1981, Margaret Thatcher allowed Rupert Murdoch, who already owned The Sun, to buy the

Times and the Sunday Times, and Murdoch made millions from this deal alone.

During the election dogfight of 1992, Labour’s Neil Kinnock held a consistent lead over John Major’s Tory party. Kinnock was bashed from pillar to post by The Sun, the killing blow dealt on polling day, with the headline: “If Kinnock Wins Today Will The Last Person To Leave Britain Please Turn Out The Lights.” This was followed by nothing short of gloating when the Conservatives snatched a late win: “It’s The Sun Wot Won It,” was the headline announcing the Tory victory.

Kinnock’s successor, Tony Blair won paper’s heart, and in 1997 they came out in full support: “The Sun Backs Blair,” the headline read.

In 2007, the Sun went swanning back to David Cameron’s Conservatives. As they praised his name and bashed Brown’s, Cameron’s popularity grew and grew. The paper even went so far as to publish an Obama-style “Yes We Can” poster with a picture of Cameron, stating he was “Our Only Hope.”

As Miliband and Cameron go toe-to-toe in what sounds like the most hilarious boxing match ever, who will the Sun back this year?

On February 17, the front page of the paper had “Election Bombshell” stamped across it.

What has happened? Has Cameron accepted that Miliband was correct about the list of tax dodgers that have funded the Tory party?

Nope, it’s much more important: it’s Ant and Dec. The TV duo, who has watched people eat testicles for a living, apparently “can’t

stomach” a man that will keep the NHS free and raise minimum wage too its highest ever.

This is somehow front page worthy.

Thatcher, Major, Kinnock, Blair, and Cameron have all felt the power of the tabloid. The fact is, The Sun has backed all the leaders since 1979. Coincidence? I think not... This election is very similar to the one in 1992 as the polls between Labour and the Tories are very close and the opposition bashing has started early.

As the election draws near, voters should keep an eye on who The Sun backs.

By Lars Hamer

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

COMMENT

15

Challenging the Taboo: The Value of Comedy in Society “Comedy often reveals more about us as a society than serious drama”

It’s rare for comedy to be appreciated in the same way as other forms of art. Dramatic theatre, opera and ballet are all seen as memorable events in social calendars, steeped in history and housed in grand and beautiful buildings. Comedy, on the other hand, is often reserved for pubs, old buildings, and back rooms. The Soho Theatre hosts wonderful comedy line ups and gives many comics great platforms to get their work heard, but even such an interesting space fails to be exclusive to comedy: the venue is shared by theatre and cabaret. The construction of a joke, delivery, timing, the exact mix of words in a particular order, are all just as key components of the creative process as brush strokes in a painting or notes in a song. The frivolity and entertainment connected with laughter perhaps mean that when something is funny, it is not accorded the same cultural status.

In Katy Brand’s debut novel Brenda Monk Is Funny, a stand-up comedian says to Brenda: “Think about what you want to say, then try and work out how to make it funny. If you can do that, you’re worthy of the word comedian.”

This highlights something essential about comedy, and what can be said through using it as a medium: that it is creative, and that it has no range limitations in terms of content.

Although the format is reliant on evoking laughter, that doesn’t mean it can’t reveal something about the human condition. In fact, comedy often reveals more about us as a society than serious drama.

Sit-coms like The Thick of It are wonderfully funny works of satire, cutting right to the bone with their wry observations in a way that often causes scandal; comedy is considered offensive more often than the dramas that damn the same establishments. Similarly the

sit-com Getting On, set in a geriatric ward, manages to be both funny and touching, with a melancholy undertone to its jokes. But because of this, the show manages to say something much deeper about the NHS and our treatment of the elderly.

When real issues are addressed through comedy, they often have more power. In her stand up show Am I Right Ladies? Luisa Omielan talks about her depression in a frank, open, and most of all funny way, opening up a discussion about mental health and stripping away the taboo that surrounds it. By making the audience laugh at her pain, Omielan takes control of her mental health history and transforms it into art. In the same way, when comedian Bridget Christie or journalist Caitlin Moran talk about feminism using comedy, the medium humanises something that can be alienating to those who don’t experience

Photo credit: Image of comedian Eddie Izzard credit.Robert Linsdell (flickr - creative commons license)

those issues directly and makes them easy to relate to. Through comedy, they are able to highlight how ridiculous misogyny is, and to make a mockery of it.

Sharing a joke with other humans, be that the person making the joke or the audience who is laughing, creates a bond and joins us through that moment, and at times allows something more serious to be said and understood.

Making people laugh is a difficult task, and we need to see that it should be recognised as important not only in cultural terms, but also as a tool for driving social change and challenging taboos.

By Sian Brett

16

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

CULTURE

The Old Nun’s Head

The Year of Taking Chances

Food Review

Book Review

Every place, little, big, fancy or plain in London has now entered the competition of best burger joint in town. In the south-east, it has been rumoured that the Old Nun’s Head serves awesome burgers, so the place demanded a visit.

What was your New Years resolution this year? Did you keep it? In Lucy Diamond’s The Year of Taking Changes, Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin form an unlikely friendship when they vow at midnight that they will make the coming year the best one yet. And while each has their own struggle to deal with, they become best friends.

This pub, situated in Nunhead, has a very welcoming atmosphere and a chilled vibe, which ensures that you can truly unwind after a long day at work. Candles on the tables, dimmed lighting and the warm fireplace create an ambiance that every pub strives to achieve.

The concept of their menu is attentiongrabbing as it functions on the basis of popup restaurants, another food trend around the capital. During the start of the week you can indulge in juicy burgers made by Burger Bear, a touring burger service, then treat your taste buds towards the weekend with Brazilian BBQ. The staff were friendly and ready to explain everything about the menu, which is refreshing after being a customer in other pubs where the staff don’t even greet you.

The food arrives in little baskets like the kind you find in a classic American diner; the burger sits happily in one basket and a mountain of chips in the other. The worry about the burger being dry and not cooked properly fades after the first bite, it is juicy,tender and drenched in sauce. But then as the eating process continues due to the moisture of the dish the whole burger falls apart, so a minus point for that. On the whole, the meal is enjoyable but there is definitely better out there.

The most exciting part of the whole evening was the amazing bargain of £3 pints, which in this day and age is rare to find and can truly make a student smile.

Photo credit: Lauri Rantala (flickr - creative commons license, image modified) *image not burger reviews

By Luize Lazdane

Goya Exhibition Art Review

The Courtwauld Gallery has reconstructed Goya’s Witches and Old Women album for the first time. The 22 images have been collected from around the world and brought together for this small exhibition. Sixteen museums contributed, and each drawing has been placed together in their original order.

The album was created when Goya was in his seventies, in the early 1800s. Never intended to be published, the notebook is a peek into his mind, but this slant on the work should be treated with caution – we can’t really see into the mind of the artist, and ultimately the works of art should take precedence over this. The historical approach the curation takes sometimes feels a little overdone.

The drawings are postcard-sized, and mostly brush and ink. Cannibalism, witches, madness and dreams all make a prominent appearance, but the collection is much less gory than his more famous paintings.

Wicked woman depicts a grotesque figure looking directly at the viewer, apparently having been caught in the act of cannibalising a baby. Another witchy figure carries a collection of babies on a stick over her shoulder. Dreams are also a large theme in the exhibition including, He wakes up kicking, and I can hear snoring, and the message of this work seems to be “witches have dreams too.”

The album ends with an old man stooped down, propped up with the aid of two walking sticks, it is called He can no longer at the age of 98. The exploration of vulnerability and human nature can often be quite touching. Though it is at times disturbing and tends toward black humour, and there is an overall sensitive and sympathetic tone, even sometimes light-hearted.

The exhibition is £4 for students and closes on May 15 Photo credit: Courtwauld Gallery

By Alina Weston-Ihnatowicz

First up is Gemma, who needs to come to terms with who she has become since giving up a promising career in fashion for motherhood. Throughout the story she learns to grow into someone she and her children can be proud of. However, as she unravels, this character struggles to cope with a repressive husband.

On the other hand, Saffron is an independent woman who has just been dealt a blow to her freedom. After one failed marriage, she never pictured herself as maternal. Finding herself completely alone in London, she must learn to balance her career as a PR specialist with the unforeseen challenges of pregnancy and single motherhood. W Lastly, Caitlin faces the most difficult challenge. She must say goodbye to the one person she thought she could trust, her mother. But as she works towards this, Caitlin discovers that her mother had a closely held secret that could destroy her childhood memories and make her question everything she ever knew.

Teaming together to rebuild their lives, Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin show the readers that new friendships can flourish within the deepest struggles. Although the book is heart warming at its core, the story ultimately ends in a predictable outcome with everyone achieving what they resolved.

That being said, I found it highly entertaining, with the witty one liners, strong characters, and overall humour, which is truly essential even in life’s darkest moments. Might I suggest a beach read for this summer?

Photo credit: Christopher (flickr - creative commons license)

By Caitlin Burns

The Ruling Class Theatre Review

“How do you know you are God?” “Because every time I pray I find I am talking to myself.”

Thus reasons Jack, the main character of The Ruling Class, played by James McAvoy: a madman who returns home from an asylum after inheriting the family estate, believing he is God. His family try to swindle the fortune away from him, but are foiled by Jack’s madness and his doctor, who believes he can be cured.

It is often strangely distracting when a play has a big star cast as the main character, but McAvoy is so energetic and enigmatic as Jack that you soon forget about anything except the craziness onstage.

McAvoy goes from riding a unicycle to crucifying himself and fighting a hairy monster. The role is difficult to pull off, but his performance is electrifying, and his recent Olivier nomination for the role is well deserved.

Of course the wittiness and sharpness of the script helps. Peter Barnes wrote the play in 1968 as a comedic protest against the rich minorities’ rule over Britain. The message carries well into 2015; the jokes are still relevant and the tone still on point.

The play is very well cast, from the drunken butler to the snivelling Tory cousin. However, one weak spot was Kathryn Drysdale, who plays Jack’s cockney love interest. You may recognise Drysdale from Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, if you’re unfortunate enough to have seen the show; her acting is just as poor now as it was back then. It’s a wonder why she was cast, especially amidst such a fantastic group of actors.

Yet, her performance was not enough to dampen this massively entertaining play, and especially James McAvoy’s unforgettable performance.

The Ruling Class, at the Trafalgar Studios, runs until April 11.

Photo credit: Emma Holland PR

By Alice Sidgwick

SEPTEMBER 2014 THE LEOPARD

CULTURE

Sivu

Plague Inc.

Something On High, the much anticipated debut album from Sivu, finally arrived in October last year, and as he comes to the end of his spring tour, we thought we’d give his album another a listen.

There are games that draw you in with intricately woven narratives, about dragons, gritty survival stories (see The Walking Dead), or an octopus dressed as a man, trying to make it in the human world as a loving husband (see Octodad: Dadliest Catch).

These games require emotional investment.

You begin to care for the characters, and cry when they are taken away from you, or hunted for sushi.

Game Review

Album Review

The album is a wash of rich electronic and indie influences from the last two decades, experimenting with the jilted rhythms of Alt-J, hazy anthems of Bombay Bicycle Club and the tortured falsetto of Thom Yorke to name but a few.

This record is routed in British Indie Electronica, on the surface it’s production rich as expected, but underneath that anarchic glossy exterior is an evocative artist that cuts to the root of human emotion. At times Page is cryptic, at times he tells you exactly how he feels, but above all his gift is story telling and that’s what makes you listen.

From the biblical imagery of Better Man Than He, and Bodies to the revealing stripped back performance of secret track Family Tree, Page showcases his effortless ability to convey emotion, mixing a haunting Thom Yorkelike faulcetto with the grit of Jack Steadman, underpinned by a rich collection of rock and classical instrumentation. Whilst it’s easy to compare aspects of Page’s performances to previous indie greats, it’s very hard to nail down exactly what the Sivu sound is.

And therein lies his authenticity. This album hops genre and feel, jumping between a mash of electronic pulses on opener Feel Something to the hazy summer sounds of Can’t Stop Now. It’s a blend of sounds that could quite easily feel disjointed but it doesn’t, Page’s provocative and haunting vocals hold the album together. Like Yorke to Radiohead, Steadman to Bombay Bicycle Club, what strikes you on first listen is Page’s voice, the rest is all decoration. But that’s all you need, there’s more to come from Sivu in the coming years, that’s for sure.

By Zak Thomas Editor-in-Chief

17

Lonely The Brave Gig Review

Bands rarely get the crowd singing from the first word, but David Jakes’ hypnotic baritone demands it. Lonely The Brave’s lead singer utters every word like it’s his last and it’s borderline spiritual. As the intro’s gritty delays fade, the 90s infused grunge vibes of their epic single Victory Line blissfully consumes the now defunct University of London Union [rebranded the cringe worthy Student Central]. “So our steps begin to synchronize,” sings Jakes in perfect harmony with the crowd, it was an apt opening.

In front of a largely student audience on March 19, Jakes and the gang demand complete attention. With the enigmatic Jakes, near the back in his usual position and Mark Trotter on guitar conducting proceedings, it’s an unusual set up but it works. It allows Jakes to sing his heart out whilst Trotter pulls the crowd in with his infectious charisma.

“They’re the best band in the world, they just don’t know it yet,” one super fan dressed in Lonely The Brave paraphernalia told me before the gig. And I’m inclined to agree, rarely do band’s build such a collective euphoria amongst their fans and it’s evident again tonight.

Every track on Lonely The Brave’s debut album The Day’s War is a hit, and they rifle through them with gleaming precision.

Trotter takes just one moment to ask if anyone has bought the album. Of course they have.

“Thank you so fucking much for coming, it means the world to us,” he says.

The chilled tones of Dinosaurs interweaves with explosive tracks like Deserter and Black Saucers, and perhaps the only disappointment is that they don’t return for an encore. But like I said before, this band doesn’t play by the rules.

Nevertheless, they finish on a classy note with drummer Gavin Edgeley throwing set lists into the prying hands of dedicated fans.

I haven’t seen a guitar band this good since Bloc Party, circa 2006.

By Zak Thomas Editor-in-Chief

Plague Inc (iOS), however, is not one of these games. It is a simulator come strategy game, in which the goal is to eradicate humanity.

There isn’t really a story per se - the game simply plops you onto a map of the world, hands you the beginnings of a deadly virus, and says “have at it.” And if you do your job, any endearing characters the game might have had will end up dead. The news feed at the top of the screen is what elevates Plague Inc from “death simulator”, to “chuckleworthy death simulator,” offering tidbits of information, the usefulness of which various from “Madagascar issues pandemic alert” to “Miniature black hole ‘not a concern’ says scientists.”

Plague Inc is difficult. So difficult, that after playing on and off for weeks, I had to look up a walkthrough before I could progress past the first level. The game makes it seem like there is more than one way to win by providing little guidance and many different mutation options to choose from, but I found this to be untrue: any play-style other than “keep a low profile, amass enough DNA points to quickly evolve deadly traits, and kill anything with a pulse”, results in those pesky humans developing a cure, and “Game Over.” Also, the pacing is atrocious.

It’s meant to be realistic, but you frequently swing between doing SFA for minutes at a time, and frantically tapping blue things to stop the humans from killing your deadly funthing.

It’s a simple concept that had been done a while ago in an online flash game, but Plague Inc. polished up the visuals, gameplay and funnies, and generally took it to the next level. It’s a brilliantly frustrating game, even though the pacing is utter pants.

Photo credit: Chicko (flickr - creative commons license)

By Antoni Devlin

Boyhood

Film Review Richard Linklater, famous for directing Before Midnight (2013) and School of Rock, (2003) released a film some describe as bold and brave last year. Boyhood, a motion picture filmed over a twelve year period tells the story of Suburban child, Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his adventures growing up in middle America.

Many credit the movie it for its ambitious yet very pure and real account of a young man growing up in the twenty first century, a character who we can at many points in the film, relate to a lot. Be they problems in school, in relationships or in family scuffles.

However, the film’s predictable white-centric, middle class, male American story will be, for many, frankly tiresome and seemingly repetitive. The film is inarguably un-reflective (at least for a narrative founded on the basis of realism and current affairs/culture) of multicultural suburban society, the film began being shot in 2002 and was finished in 2014, notably, through time in which America elected it’s first black President. There is hardly any significant performance from a BME actor or actress, (unless you are counting a small role of the neighbourhood immigrant working manually across the street from the main family - who, incidentally, the white, middle class university lecturer – (Mason’s Mother), heroically saves by convincing him to get an education).

Although, I hasten to add, the film was good.

And did succeed in what it was aiming to do. It was very pure, emotional and not too overdone sequence of relatable, human experiences, that, no matter what your background, you can relate to.

This is a film, however, that I wouldn’t let reviews sway you too much on, you must definitely watch it for yourself, and while rather long (it’s running time is 3 hours), it is nice. Make yourself a hot drink, have a revision break, and read into it what you will.

The film is definitely worth watching once, and has a cheerful and light undertone.

Photo credit: Matt Lankes

By Melanie Smith

18

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

CULTURE

Fringes to the mainstream: Tif kas exploring today’s queer spaces.

Photo credit: Rosie Hastings and Hannah Anderson

A

rtists Rosie Hastings and Hannah Anderson join forces again for Tifkas, at Arcadia Missa: a strong project digging up the political roots of the LGBTQ movement.

Opened on March 19, Tifkas explicitly refers to Stone Butch Blues, a pivotal novel by transgender activist Leslie Feinberg from 1993. The Goldsmiths alumnae’s work aims at recreating an imaginary queer bar – the symbolic Tifkas in Feinberg’s text – by combining visual and acoustic media in a one-room exhibition. The work is the artists’ first solo installation for Arcadia Missa; it explores the critical dimension of gay spaces, recalling the activism that originally informed these communities.

The sound installation presents a 30-minute texture of different audio samples.

Demonstration chants from the Seventies shade into today’s kitschy, catchy disco music mixed with the suburban frequencies of trains on a rail. This interchange goes on, with

slight modifications, for the whole duration of the track. All the recordings are original, expressive of the mutual tension between participatory action and slackening.

a @Gaybar book including texts by the artists and contributors, including: Caspar Heinemann, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Jesse Darlin, Hannah Black, Kate Tempest, Leslie Feinberg.

Within the sound, visual references to the gay world are evident. A large picture on the wall shows a dreamy landscape encoding peculiar features of queer imagination; besides, a small-screen video foregrounds perturbing hints to AIDS and other particulars from Feinberg’s book. The images are wholly digitally created; the artists accentuate the HD, camp quality of the details on purpose.

All this enforces the iconic value credited to LGBTQ communities of the past.

The employment of diverse media is a typical trait of Hastings&Anderson’s productions.

Also because of that, Tifkas is definitely convincing. The concreteness of the audio materials firstly contrast, then merges with the artificiality of the visual. It provides a manifold of layers that is accountable to the compresence of historical, iconographic, spatial references, joining the documentary and expressive forces of the artistic means.

Most notably, down from the ceiling falls a rainbow flag salvaged from the wreckage of the East London gay pub The Joiner’s Arms, which closed down in January. Its presence well recalls the amount of commitment that should characterise LGBTQ movements; a tangible proof of the need for solidarity.

The exhibition also provides, on purchase,

Hastings describes Tifkas as “critical, affirmative”. It picks up the legacy of their 2014 interactive project @Gaybar, and continues the artists’ exploration of LGBTQ communities as authentic political spaces. Recently, their current installation was preceded by Ecocide, a one nightevent at Rye Lane Studios on March 10th.

The duo involves queer spaces directly,

since exhibition environments are carefully selected. By addressing underground independent locations, the artists’ critique of gentrification of fringe antagonisms into the mainstream becomes an active dialogue with the members of those realities.

Tifkas is not only an artistic reflection, it has effectiveness. The artists’ work questions LGBTQ spaces from the inside and requires a participative consciousness raising. This is definitely admirable. The exhibition appears to be embedded in the social fabric and to operate through it thanks to a clever combination of means and technical resources. Aiming at the re-discovery of the political dimension of the queer through participation, Tifkas itself is a step in that direction.

The exhibition is running until April 4, at Arcadia Missa, Peckham. For further information see: arcadiamissa.com/index. php/exhibitions/tifkas/

By Gabriele Cavallo

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

CULTURE

19

Interview with Artist Kirk Palmer “All that remained were charred carbonised human forms, barren skeletons of former homes, and an eerie silence framing the desolateness” - Misui Bishu, 81, Hiroshima.

S

eventy-years ago this summer, an American B-29 bomber called Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on a “small island” in the South Pacific, changing the course of history forever.

This “small Island” is called Japan, specifically the city of Hiroshima, and “Little Boy” was a four-and-a-half ton atomic bomb, which destroyed an area the size of London, vaporising 225,000 human beings. August 6, 1945 quickly became one of history’s most horrifying dates - the birth of nuclear warfare.

Although, separated from Hiroshima by 5,870 miles, and the business of everyday life, how are we to remember the lesson taught by one-quarter-of-one-million deaths?

Artist Kirk Palmer of the Royal College of Art London refuses to let the idea that a place, people, and such horror can be forgotten over time. He has devoted the last decade to producing powerful commemorative art works, undertaking yearly pilgrimage to both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the second city to be destroyed by an atomic weapon, three days later.

After a decade spent living with survivors, and gaining an in-depth knowledge of the

culture, Kirk was in a unique position to keep history alive. Subsequently in 2010 and 2013, he won prestigious awards from both The Conrad Foundation and Elephant Trust, and held solo exhibitions in London, Milan. Tokyo and Berlin, and was hailed the hero for international relations by the AngloJapanese foundation, the Daiwa Trust. With a new series of work currently exhibited at the London Tate Modern titled Precious Fragments, Kirk was keen share his journey thus far.

“Who would have thought a straggly, working class, Northampton-born artist would ever have been chosen to keep this cataclysmic world event alive,” he tells me.

Sat in an artisan cafe in the depths of Soho.

Sat opposite Kirk - a somewhat shy and underwhelming man, I struggled to see how he could ever be up to the task of bringing this event to life in the twenty first century.

Especially where other more notable artists such as Jan Letzel have clearly failed, but this was not the case.

“My Journey began after winning a scholarship to read a masters degree at Tokyo University of Arts, arriving to Japan in 2005 the year of the atomic bombings

sixtieth anniversary, I was heavily influenced by the national grieving. I decided to produce a series of photographs commemorating the events. This is where my 10-year pilgrimage in order to keep the memory of the hundreds of thousands dead, and wounded alive.”

“I focused my latest photographic series, currently exhibited in the Tate, on the former village of Urukami, once home to a threehundred strong Catholic farming community one-kilometer from the blast’s epicenter. To capture the images I used an 1888 Anthony Eureka, a pinhole turret camera manufactured from wood with large black bellows similar to that a poor Japanese farmer of the time would have used.”

“The Camera’s one hour exposure time created a timelessness in my pieces, which led me to explore the reflective nature of humanity, in the hope to appeal to the human emotive responses of empathy and reflection. Upon seeing my work you will notice the almost absent timelessness of the images, but also the over-whelming feeling that something isn’t right, with the occasional subtle relic reminding you of the tragedy of past events.”

“Scenes of utter destruction obviously portraying human suffering and the tragedy of the event, have a strong place in the art world. For example, the very effective and real works depicted in the famous Astana exhibition showing charred human remains carbonised by the 4,400kg plutonium filled bomb. But for a modern generation far removed by both time and culture from the event, and within a society surrounded by grotesque imagery and actions defined as entertainment, the photographs are less about what is there to see, and more about what there isn’t and the response in the mind of the viewer.”

“From meeting survivors of the locally named ‘dishonorable attack’, from hearing stories of flesh vaporizing instantly, life-long blindness and crippling cancer, not to mention the disabling mental scaring, I refuse to let the bombings fade into the oblivion of Historical amnesia. Living in a tense nuclear age, and growing through The Cold War I am troubled by the idea that a place, people, and such horror can be forgotten over time - this work rails against such forgetting.”

Photo credit: M M (flickr - creative commons license)

By Jake Russell Roberts Features Editor

20

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

SPORT

A note from your Sports Officer

Photo Credit: Sha Luo (shaluo.co.uk)

I

n my opinion one of the reasons we lost the Arts Cup this year is because the arrangement of sports at Goldsmiths has been sub-par. Although the training facilities have improved for the majority of teams this year, there have been problems with where the training grounds were located, as some were far away. Another issue has been the suitability and times that trainings were booked on. An obvious consequence is how well prepared the teams have been ahead of the Arts Cup. I believe that if we had left on time for Varsity, a lot of the teams that had matches kicking-off at 13.00 would have had more time to warm up, train and in general be more prepared ahead of their games. It is not unlikely that

more time to warm up quite possibly would have enabled some of the teams to perform better and win as opposed to having to rush, starting of the match stressed and ultimately loosing. Instead we left almost 40 minutes later than scheduled and that may have been detrimental.

First day of Varsity did not run as smoothly as it should have, as the volleyball team ended up having a heated discussion with an employee at Deptford Green school after he attempted to stop the match at 10pm.

Apparently the court was only booked from 8 to 10pm. It ended well, as the teams got to finish their match. However this made them lose focus. What happened was in my opinion unacceptable. There should have

been better communication, so the teams knew they that they should have started earlier and finished by 10pm.

Seeing as there is currently no Sports Officer elected for next year, the time has come for sports to be taken more seriously in the realm of Goldsmiths, as teams are on the back burner. I am hoping that we will retain the cup next year. With a little TLC for the sports teams we will go very far.

In preparation for next year’s seasons and next year’s all-important Varsity, I think that the teams should have better access to a gym. That would allow them to work on their fitness and overall strength, which would be very beneficial to them.

Overall the Arts Cup 2015 was good, however some things need to change. Nevertheless, people seemed to have fun, which is the most important aspect of Varsity. I believe wholeheartedly that we can win back the cup next year, and that Goldsmiths sport can be at a high level.

This year with the introduction of the activities assistant role, I hope that there will be a change that will allow the sports teams to thrive. We have the potential to be great teams, if given the opportunities and resources.

By Greer-Alyce Robinson Sports Officer

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

SPORT

21

Top 5 moments from Arts Cup 2015

D

espite Goldsmiths failing to win the Arts Cup this year, there were a lot of memorable moments that deserve to be brought back to life.

The Leopard gives you the top five moments from this year’s sporting highlight: 1 The friendship and team spirit among the Goldsmiths students. It might sound like a cliché, but it is nice to see the teams support each other, regardless of whether or not the team is winning.

Of course, not all of the matches had the same number of spectators, but the Goldsmiths spirit was definitely present for

the Men’s Football 2nds and 1sts. So much so, that spectators crossed the side-line onto the pitch when shouting at the ref for the Men’s 1sts. The crowd could be heard saying that they could have done a better job!

Two: A Goldsmiths student celebrating his team winning started the after-party a bit too early.

As he was about to get on the bus back to Goldsmiths, he was told by the driver that he had to wait for the next one, because he had consumed so much alcohol, that he couldn’t stand straight. Like most drunk people, he was in a good mood and not affected by this decision. He stood smiling along with a couple of friends watching the first bus leave

the sports ground.

Three: The Women’s Football team left one of their strikers behind, as everyone thought she had gone home when she was, in fact, playing Ultimate Frisbee. No one knew, so when the busses arrived, the team made their way to the first one, believing that every one was there. They apologised for the incident and really did not intend to leave her behind.

Four: The moment when a player from UAL Men’s 2nds faceplanted. It was A “spectacular” faceplant, according to the reporter who was lucky enough to have seen it: “His legs

Photo Credit: Sha Luo (shaluo.co.uk)

#A r tsCup2 015

Highlight s in Tweet s

#MenFootball1 slight tussle between #Goldsmiths and #UAL, disagreeing over a foul #ArtsCup2015 Update: #UAL supporters on #netballseconds courtside are so annoying #ArtsCup2015 “Get your hands off the ball you dirty ual b****” has just been overheard courtside. #netballseconds #Goldsmiths #ArtsCup2015 Dat cardio doe - this looks exhausting. #ArtsCup2015 #netball2 #ArtsCup2015 #UltFrisbee with no referee, it’s just total anarchy on the pitch. #ArtsCup2015 #UltFrisbee #UAL scores. I think. I have no idea how this game works. #ArtsCup2015 #UltFrisbee is up next. Let’s hope a stray dog does not invade the pitch. #netballseconds #UAL player takes an elbow to the face. Limbs are everywhere #ArtsCup2015 Oh sorry, apparently playing proper #netball means you get brutally scratched #whoknew #Goldsmiths #ArtsCup2015 #notcoolUAL #ArtsCup2015 #MenFootball2 #UAL goalie trying hard not to get rekt UAL player face plants spectacularly! #ArtsCup2015#menfootball2 #ArtsCup2015 #MenFootball3 #UAL granted a corner. No one sure why So, a brief history on Varsity. It’s an old school grudge that’s plagued London’s arts Unis for years #ArtsCup2015 Badminton: I’ll be honest I don’t actually understand what’s going on here, but I’m sure everyone’s doing well. #ArtsCup2015 “Currently switching back and forth between the Varsity games and the Israeli election on twitter. This is becoming a stressful night…” “@LeopardNews Left Goldsmiths about 20 years ago, but these are good updates.”

looked like they were above his head. Well not quite above his head, but they definitely flew up in the air.”

Five: The utter chaos that was Ultimate Frisbee.

This was the sport’s second year on the programme, but there was no referee for the match, which led to the players doubting the importance of the sport they competed in. In addition, the match was played at the same time as Men’s Football 1sts, which to drew a much bigger crowd. Ultimate Frisbee only had two supporters, one for each team.

By Marthe Holkestad Sports Editor

22

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

(…continued from page 24) Finally, the Volleyball was another tight contest, with Goldsmiths taking the first set.

But it was UAL who eventually took the glory coming out 3-2 winners in the final set, and once again opening up a two point lead in the overall standings.

After some great performances from Goldsmiths Men’s Basketball, the Mixed Badminton and the Volleyball team running UAL close, it’s Goldsmiths’ rivals who lead 4-2 at the end of the first day.

On the second day of Varsity the “Gold Army” did everything they could to reduce the UAL’s lead from the first day but to no avail.

For a while, it looked like Goldsmiths Men’s 3rds would win the first match of the day after Isaac Emmerson fired them ahead. A lead they kept for 80 minutes, but UAL managed to grab an equaliser in the last ten minutes. The

Photo Credit: Sha Luo (shaluo.co.uk)

SPORT

game levelled out after that, but not enough for either team to snatch a victory and it went to penalties. It was a thrilling shoot out with Goldsmiths missing two and UAL one. But UAL finished the game as victors, providing UAL with a 5-2 lead overall.

On the other side of Quinton Hogg Sports Ground, Goldsmiths Women’s Football tried to build on their victory from last year. Both teams ferociously threw themselves into the fray. After fending off Goldsmiths’ early attempts on goal, UAL’s number 9 scored a stunning hat trick in the first half, and added a fourth in the second half. On a couple of occasions, players looked in danger of being harassed by a number of very low-flying seagulls, but strong winds kept them at bay.

The “Goldies” managed to snatch one goal back, but it was not enough and UAL won 4-1, extending their overall lead further to 6-2.

In the Mixed Hockey UAL scored goal after goal, but Goldsmiths remained optimistic throughout the game, despite UAL walking

away with a landslide victory. Which brought the overall score to 7-2.

The Netball 1sts had The Leopard on its toes for most of the match. As soon as UAL got a goal, Goldsmiths answered with another. This lasted until the last quarter, when UAL started to dominate.

Incredible technique was executed throughout, coupled with impeccable sportsmanship, and it seemed like stamina became the downfall for Goldsmiths. The final score was 28-19 to UAL, with Goldsmiths’ rivals opening up a comprehensive 8-2 gap.

Netball Seconds started off very strong for Goldsmiths, players relentlessly scoring point after point, with the occasional UAL point thrown in. The second quarter however, saw a rapid change in dynamic as Goldsmiths grew tired, and started playing “hard and fast instead of taking their time,” as some bystanders said. Players kept their cool, but

fan tempers grew heated as the game neared it’s end. The Netball seconds were also defeated by UAL, bringing the overall score to 9-2.

The first half between the Men’s Football 2nds and UAL was fairly uneventful, with Goldsmiths repeatedly making valiant attempts at scoring and much of the action happening around UAL’s goal. But UAL managed to snatch two goals before half time.

The second half opened with a spectacular face plant by one of UAL’s players, and Goldsmiths came back in full force and were able to get two goals. The final score was 2-2 and yet again, another football match had to be decided on penalties. The nervewrecking shootout ended victoriously for the “Gold Army” as they netted all five of their penalties, denying UAL from taking their last, as Goldsmiths had already won. Goldsmiths had clawed the overall score back to 9-3.

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

SPORT

With sunshine and dry conditions under foot, there was potential for fast expansive rugby in this year’s fixture. Both teams started off strong but nerves showed through a few early handling errors. In the first half, UAL were awarded two penalties and that gave them some easy points. After a slow start, the Goldsmiths Greyhounds settled into their groove and number 8, Andy Miller, scored under the post. Competitive rugby was played by both sides and the score was left at 11-7 with UAL in the lead at the break.

Both teams came out equally strong in the second half and Goldsmiths caught the lead early on, after superb play from Goldsmiths’ Will Barnes and Laurence. This put the Greyhounds three points ahead of UAL. Around the 60 minute mark Miles Brooks fell victim to a dubious decision by the referee, which resulted in the replacement 8 spending ten minutes in the bin. This decision was significant and UAL got back in the lead, a position they managed to hold onto until the

final whistle.

Despite the disappointment of coming so close to the win, there were plenty of positives to be taken from the game for the Greyhounds, as they had given an outstanding account of themselves in light of a difficult season. They look forward to the start of next season after the summer break with both excitement and optimism.

Even though UAL had won the Arts Cup by the time the Men’s 1sts had kicked off, having racked up a 10-3 lead, Goldsmiths were determined to get a victory. Despite Goldsmiths having slightly more possession the score remained 0-0 at half time, and UAL had not let complacency sink in.

The second half was way more intense and the ref struggled to keep control of the match.

But the Goldsmiths players showed brilliant technique and control, and were rewarded as Conor Okus snatched the winning goal

for Goldsmiths with a fine strike, bringing the overall standings to 10-4.

Ultimate Frisbee was the least spectated event of the day, with only two students cheering on the teams – one for each team.

In fact there was no referee for their game, and the players had to mediate, which was not ideal. The game started very poorly for Goldsmiths with UAL racking up a 7-0 lead.

It was only towards the end of the game the Goldsmiths seemingly woke up and despite losing the game, almost tied with 13 points to UAL’s 15.

Despite a valiant effort, Goldsmiths couldn’t quite do enough to reduce the 4-2 deficit from the first day. UAL were too strong, and eventually ran out 11-4 winners overall. Which means the trophy was taken back to Elephant and Castle, and perhaps various other places around London. The Leopard is unsure of how the trophy was split between all their colleges. If they need any help, Goldsmiths

23

has a pretty nifty design department that could hack it into a series of smaller trophies.

None the less, UAL are champions of the Arts Cup for the first time in three years. Bitter?

Not at all.

By Marthe Holkestad Sports Editor, Robbie Wojciechowski, Jake Russell-Roberts, Sebastian Kettley, Antoni Devlin, Grace Ignacia See and Jordan Brant-Witcombe

Photo Credit: Sha Luo (shaluo.co.uk)

Photo credit: Charles Clegg (flickr creative commons license)

By Olly Bellamy Sports Editor

24

MARCH 2015 THE LEOPARD

SPORT

Arts Cup 2015: UAL crowned champions with 11-4 victory

H

alfway through the final day, it was already clear that Goldsmiths’ rivals had won the Arts Cup 2015, but our teams put up a valiant effort, winning two out of nine matches on the day. The final score was 11-4 to UAL.

a back injury, Goldsmiths lost 21-7 and 215. “There was a lot of downward shots and close rallies. Everyone played well,” said Goldsmiths Badminton captain Jakeo. After the Badminton the two teams were level with one point each.

But the cup kicked off with some intense battles on the first day as Goldsmiths and the University of the Arts (UAL) renewed the greatest sporting rivalry in London! We’ve fact checked it. It’s true.

The Women’s Basketball was an exceptional display of talent from both Goldsmiths and UAL, but Goldsmiths’ rivals edged it by 13 points winning 42-29. With fewer than 5 fouls across the whole 48 minutes and 71 balls hooped, it was a tense game from start to finish and UAL took the lead for the first time in the overall standings.

With Goldsmiths taking an early lead in the mixed Badminton Doubles, winning 21-7 and 21-5, cracks started to show in the Men’s Badminton. With one player suffering from

Photo Credit: Sha Luo (shaluo.co.uk)

The UAL Royals’ four weeks of un-interrupted

practice showed through in their victory over the Goldsmiths Lions in the Cheerleading, achieving a 17.4 to Goldsmiths Lions 15.7.

This opened up a two-point gap in the overall standings with UAL leading 3-1.

But riddled with injuries, the Goldsmiths Lions expressed disappointment at their performance, despite this being the first time they performed their routine all the way through. UAL Royals’ captain Miranda Hart said she was pleased with her team’s performance, but she was also happy to have finally been able to compete against Goldsmiths Lions after a season of rescheduled matches.

Kept on edge for the whole game, the Men’s Basketball was the closest competition in the 2015 Arts Cup so far. Although only five points separated both teams for 90 per cent of the game Goldsmiths clinched the win with 53 to UAL’s 48. Closing the gap to 3-2 in the overall standings. Shay Olupona, campaigns and activities officer at Goldsmiths SU said: “Despite having a tough season, the Men’s Basketball [team] showed resilience, with the standout performance coming from Ted Low a third year design student.” Both teams expressed how tough the competition was and how much they are looking forward to next year’s competition. (coverage continues on page 22)