Play V.32 Issue 2

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY 2

CONTENTS 4-5 Music +RIP DJ Mehdi +interview:Barbican

6-7 Literature +wurm im apfel +interview: dave gibbons

8-9 screen +review: Weekend +review: manhunter +Bafta screenwriter lectures

7. WATCHMEN 10-11 Stage +interview:non zero one +Review: The veil 12-13 Centre +black history month +interview:logic & lowkey

4. Death of a legend: Mehdi

14-15 arts +Yang Fudong +Kings x with a twist from lavinia greenlaw

16-17 fashion +london fashion week +talking Handbags with carmen woods

22- Listings

Picture courtesy of pingnews.com

EDITORIAL PLAY V32 ISSUE 2

Another fortnight and another issue of play for all you avid consumers of current popular culture. This issue, as usual, we offer you our finest selection of the smorgasbord of treats that London has to offer. Our centre feature is on Black History Month. The month of October has been designated as a time to learn about black history.

We had some difficulty deciding who to talk to about an issue as delicate as this because when allowing a person to talk as a representative of a group their views may be contentious. That is why we decided to interview rappers. Enjoy. play editorsJake pace-lawrie gwilym lewis-brooke kevin guyan

18-19 food +The great british bake off +student eats

20-21 travel +interrailing +must have travel apps

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X

Screen editorsaustin raywood, dakid katz

stage editormatt williamson

12. Logic and Lowkey

literature EditorsZITA ABILA, ROBERT KIELY ARTS editorTravis Riley

MUSIC EDITORSRICHARD HALL, RINA BUZNEA

FASHION EDITORS KATE VINE, FLORENCE CORNISH TRAVEL EDITOR EMILY RAY

Food Editor Helena Goodrich brand designDanny WIlson

Cover MontageZoe Williams

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 1 extent of distracted- pauses to check his mic mid-song, fluffs lyrics and his voice initially shows signs of strain. His willingness to experiment with texture attests to a background in visual art, coating his vocals in layers of distortion, the strains and imperfections in his vocal amplified and co-opted into the performance. It attests to Sawyer’s skill that he’s able to turn a weakness into strength and incorporate his flaws into the broader texture of a performance Television Personalities’ penchant for wry observation finds its way into Sawyer’s writing, though his deadpan delivery is tempered with more a surreal sensibility (the white, retiring, jacketed Sawyer as an aborigine extra in Zulu), and makes, all in all, for an affecting opening.

RIP: DJ Mehdi

‘Just want everyone to know that we were all laughing our asses off 1/2 a second before the accident’ were the words of Riton (aka Henry Smithson), in the aftermath of DJ Mehdi’s recent death.

The two, who together formed the group Carte Blanche, were celebrating Riton’s birthday with friends at Mehdi’s apartment in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, when the plexiglass roof on which they were stood collapsed. The man born Mehdi FavérisEssadi was the only one to not get back up.

Whether it be his insouciant jiving onstage, his customary address to all that he met ‘t’es beau’ (you’re beautiful), or the titling of his album Lucky Boy (2006), Mehdi always arranged a sense of deep appreciation in the furniture of his mind. An elfin figure, who was universally adored, wore nothing but smiles. Close friend and fellow musician, ATrak remarked ‘He’s the only DJ who could stand on a table and not look self-indulgent.

It wasn’t look at me, it was share this with me’.

Mehdi was born in Gennevilliers, a NorthWestern suburb of Paris, to a Tunisian mother and French father. A testing upbringing (acknowledged in his video for ‘Signatune’), not only forged his earnest and amiable persona, but a desire to clasp any opportunity. This led to precocious initiative; he had already begun his career at the age of 15, joining a French rap trio named Idéal J. Focused and gifted, he was soon prominent within the Parisian scene and went on to work with MC Solaar, Rocé, Mafia K’1 Fry, and the hiphop leanings of 113. It was with Idéal J that Mehdi released ‘Hardcore’; the track banned from French radio and television in 1998 for its inflammatory politics. He actively kept his beliefs with the pride-infused name Black Billionaires (2010) and

4

dedicated a DJ mix to the recent uprising in Tunisia.

During the ascendence of Parisian electronic music in the 1990s, Mehdi worked with Cassius and Etienne de Crécy. His growing stature and technical prowess embedded him within the scene as he joined the influential collective Club 75 alongside Cassius, Pedro Winter (aka Busy P) and Justice. The foundations for Ed Banger Records were laid and Busy P immediately formed a sincere bond, describing Mehdi as ‘a thousand times more cultivated than us others’. The pair soon began to curate successful nights at Le Pulp in Paris together.

Mehdi launched his solo work with The Story of Espion (2002) and as Ed Banger’s ‘French touch’ was taking shape, his sets evolved towards house and techno. He accredited ‘Timbaland and other labels from the US’ who helped to bridge the gap and constantly reminded how Dr Dre is one of Daft Punk’s teachers. His latest project Carte Blanche were a homage to Chicago house.

Mehdi further collaborated with New Young Pony Club, Asian Dub Foundation, Erol Alkan & Boys Noize, produced a Ryuichi Sakamoto soundtrack and wrote the score for Romain Gavras' Megalopolis. His celebrated video for ‘I am Somebody’ revealed a wit, eloquence and understanding confirmed by his posts for Cool Cats blog.

Paris Social Club closed its doors on the day

in respect. Even the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Fréderic Mitterand, paid his tributes, saying Mehdi was ‘a magician of the turntables, an audacious producer and a virtuoso of blending musical genres’. On 17th September, he was buried in Père Lachaise cemetery, in the company of Chopin, Proust and Jim Morrison.

Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, DJ and music producer, born 20th January 1977; died 13th September 2011, aged 34.

PETER YEUNG

Live Review: Critical Heights’ Finest...

Critical Heights Presents: Dead Rat Orchestra, Delphic Vapours, Savaging Spires and Matthew Sawyer For those unacquainted, Café Oto is a venue in Dalston specialising in the experimental and avant garde - essentially a younger, spikier Vortex with an Asian inflection (though increasingly more evident in the alcohol than the music).

The programme for Saturday September 24 seems then typically eclectic - starting with post-punk royalty and ending with free-folk fuzz by way of pastoral psychedelic pop and drone improvisation. The connecting thread is the record label, with the night’s line-up all drawn from the Critical Heights roster.

If you’re in your forties and had an adolescent interest in post-punk you may remember Matthew Sawyer as the drummer for Television Personalities. If not, he’s also had some acclaim as a visual artist and heads his own musical collective.

Sawyer’s has a long-standing aversion to live performance and it shows. He acts coy to the

I’ll admit to feeling slightly nonplussed when duo Delphic Vapours take to the performance area wearing Jack Wills and bearing electric guitars, so it was reassuring then when they started playing the guitar strings with (respectively) a violin bow and an iPhone and subjected us to 20-odd minutes of near continuous drone. It was all perfectly listenable but perhaps, with drone of all genres, that’s not really the point. Had they played something more abrasive they would perhaps have at least left some kind of impression. As it was, the music proved almost hilariously polite and, right down the band’s name, bordered on cliché. The Vampire Weekend of drone.

Savaging Spires were up next, and were probably the evening’s biggest draw, having had the relative profile boost of a spot on the last Wire Tapper compilation. They played a strong set, mildly hampered by a set-up that caused the guitar at points to more or less drown out the rest of the instrumentation, upsetting the lusher and more even feel of their studio recordings. It remained a broadly very impressive set- inventive (a 1960s telephone used as a microphone), accessible and - at this relatively early stage in the band’s lifespan - a hopeful indication of developments to come.

Closing the evening was semi-improvisational folk act Dead Rat Orchestra, whowith two encores and a standing ovationproved one of the best-received acts I’ve seen at the venue. They delivered an at points brutal and genuinely surprising set, dragging a log into the audience and beating it with axes (points for invention, less so for health and safety), anchoring the song to the rhythmic pulse of simple labour. The set wasn’t composed, instead loosely improvised around a basic compositional framework. From logs to wine glasses and water, the Dead Rat Orchestra take clear pride in the sourcing of their sounds, an approach suggesting more genuine invention than the strangulation and denaturalisation of a growing number of other improv acts (not least Delphic Vapours). It’s a situation that lends itself to a cooking analogy, with the Dead Rat Orchestra standing as perhaps the Mikael Jonsson to a growing number of increasingly staid Homaro Cantus.

The latest Fete Quanta celebration in London’s Vortex emphasised how the post-Bailey improv scene has become leaden with misplaced reverence and cliché. The Dead Rat Orchestra, despite their deliberately anachronistic name and dress, suggest perhaps a new way forward.

STEVEN EDMONDSON

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 1

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble will perform at the Barbican Centre.

Contemporary Music from Around the World

Richard Hall talks with Chris Sharp, the Barbican Centre’s Associate Music Programmer about their Autumn Contemporary Music Season.

RH: How is music of this season at the Barbican relevant to young people?

CS: Times have changed from just a few years ago – young people listen to a much wider range of music; the internet makes music so accessible. Although a lot of popular music has its roots in dance music, people seem engage with the music through attentive listening, not just dancing. Young people are listening at home to the music they hear on nights out. Genres such as dubstep involve the combining of modified sound clips and often have complex stratified textures. Close listening is something people seem to enjoy doing. To sit and listen to music is extremely rewarding and therapeutic.

These days we are blessed with a musically ambitious youth – young people who want to learn how to push their music further and to create something uniquely exciting.

Something that is evident when working with young bands is that they don’t bow down to the demands of the lowest common denominator in their audience. The Barbican provides a stage, funding and resources to help young bands put on projects and to expand their musical palettes. For example, many groups haven’t thought about/or had the chance to work with an orchestra, but when we provide that chance they love the new sounds that it can bring to their music!

RH: The internet makes music so accesible, why do you think people pay £25 for a seat at the Barbican?

CS:You cannot replicate the experience of being in a room with a musician. If you like music, of any form or genre, there isn’t a better way to listen to it than to sit with the

musician making it.

You’re right, there is a lot to be said for the wealth of music accessible online but you’re so easily distracted online – you listen to one thing and then half way through you switch to something else and then someone Facebook messages you and then… There is something intensely therapeutic, in the deepest sense, about being able to listen without distraction. People think they want the freedom of online browsing but what they need is to be absorbed in listening.

Music festivals are massively popular and they boast the excitement of live performance, but the nature of festivals and their euphoric atmosphere again makes them distracting. I believe there is a place in the human psyche that needs the time to be immersed completely in music, and that is what a live performance at the Barbican provides…

RH: A lot of the music you have chosen for this season is defined by the culture from which it comes. In a time and a city characteristically cosmopolitan in nature, what role does music play in helping people from different cultures maintain their cultural identity and why is the market for world music so successful?

CS: The Barbican has a long history of world music. I really don’t like term ‘world music’ though – all music is ‘world music’! I suppose we must call it something… Over the years the Barbican has developed a very good affinity with the industry. We never marginalise it or put it in a niche – we see it as wonderfully exciting music and we’re all hugely enthusiastic about it.With the exception of perhaps Paris, London is Europe’s biggest centre for world music and has a big appetite for it. The great thing about putting on these kind of events is that you have a unique chance to interact with people from different cultural communities in London, communities you might not otherwise come into contact with. We go out and meet people, put adverts out in different languages.

It’s so exciting - people are really happy and excited that a UK concert hall is putting on an event celebrating music from their culture. It is very important to reach out into the community, engage with people and bring them in. This is not only an artistic desire, but a moral responsibility – we’re pub-

licly funded and so we cater for the people in our area.

RH: The first event you’ve programed with Iain Sinclair is very politically charged and the subject matter very close to home. Did you chose this piece to link in with the financial crisis that our country is currently going through, similar to the one sweeping the world during the time that J B Priestly was writing?

CS: I did and I didn’t. For a long time I’ve been very interested in the work of Sinclair, and have read everything he’s written. The Barbican has a longstanding relationship with him and this event is, in a way, a renewal and revisiting of that relationship. To be honest, the whole thing is going to be very unconventional and I don’t know what will be happing. There is a large element of spontaneity that characterises events like this and they evolve into a performance as the final preparations progress. I like those sorts of projects though – they are mini acts of creation.

I think what is most interesting about this project is Iain’s openly critical view of the 2012 Olympics. He is extremely fond of East London and is very much against the changes and corporatisation of the unique urban landscape that will be taking place over the next few years. Of course the Barbican is extremely excited about the Olympics and is involved in all sorts of projects, most notably the Cultural Olympiad. There are some undeniable tensions of ideologies underpinning this event, but we have a great working relationship and art is all about a difference of opinions.

RH:What is your favourite aspect of your job?

CS: I spent the first part of my career working in recorded music rather than live music. For me the main difference is the working relationships you have with the artists - here I watch them mature and develop and help with that process. Young artists and groups come and play on our stage and we can introduce them to new resources and ideas, and it is wonderful when they return years later and we see how they’ve run with ideas and developed as musicians.

The response of the audience. That is my favourite part – the reaction of a crowd at the end of a performance; a performance that grew from an idea scribbled in a note pad and developed to really have an impact on the audience and the musicians themselves. It’s great to see bands taking on a challenge and getting a wonderful response from a crowd – it creates an energy and excitement you just don’t get from producing a recording.

Young Talent...

Just two years ago singer/songwriter/pianist Marie Dahlstrom moved from Denmark to London and has since shown tremendous growth as an artist. Taking inspiration from Neo-soul and fusing this with her Scandinavian roots she has managed to create a refreshingly unique sound. Studying music here in London and currently working on releasing her first EP, she writes and produces all her own music. “Since I can remember I’ve had a clear idea of what I want to achieve musically, my songs are about everyday life. I’m never more honest with myself than when I sing”.

Marie Dahlstrom currently has a residency at The Native Tongue in Barbican where she performs and showcases other artists every first Thursday of the month.

Love music? Fancy writing for Europe’s largest student newspaper?

Get in touch with this year’s music editors, Rina Buznea and Richard Hall... play.music@london-student.net

5

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

Wurm im Apfel Acting the maggot since 2008

The Calder Bookshop & Theatre

Photo Courtesyof GWILYM LEWIS-BROOKE

Concrete poem by Reinhard Döhl

“I think that much poetry in Britain and Ireland took this great shift towards the boring, highly moralised and ordinary after the Second World War: the Great Dullness Shift if you like... ”

Setting up a successful small press is no easy feat. You’re sure to never make a profit, and it will swallow a lot of your time. But when it is done well, the fruits of small press’s labour can give us exceptional literature... without them, we could we have modernism?

Avant-garde poetry is experiencing something of a resurgence in Ireland; with the Soundeye poetry festival every year, Default Press (recently morphed into Runamok), and now Kit Fryatt’s Wurm im Apfel. Yes, there is more to Irish poetry than Heaney and bogs and grandmothers’ nails. “We decided to call it Wurm im Apfel, after this concrete poem by Reinhard Döhl. [pictured] It's a very accessible piece… some people would say simplistic… but we wanted to signal accessibility rather than elitism.” Kit started running Wurm im Apfel in 2008 with Dylan Harris.

“Because we wanted to be a paying market and we didn't always have funds to pay, we would produce a cheap lo-fi chapbook that the poet could sell on the night of their poetry reading and go home with some bus money...” Kit got to know Dylan through poetry events in Cambridge in the late 1990s.

“Dylan had recently moved to Dublin, and although things seemed to be getting more

lively in the city in terms of spoken-word events, there didn't seem to be so much going on, in terms of events, in the poetry which is sometimes called linguistically innovative, modernist or experimental, or avant-garde. I'm not, in common with most people, very happy with those terms. I think that much poetry in Britain and Ireland took this great shift towards the boring, highly moralised and ordinary after the Second World War: the Great Dullness Shift if you like, which made work that might have otherwise been the post-Modernist mainstream suddenly madly left-field. But there were, and are, lots of counter-currents to that...” Nonetheless Kit found Dublin sorely wanting: “… even at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, in the capital city, no regular poetry night that catered for that sort of work. So Dylan and I decided to make one.” Kit now runs the press alone, as Dylan has moved to Paris, where he runs corrupt press.

Wurm’s most recent publication is Spitting Out The Mother Tongue, by Christodoulos Makris, a fantastic book of poetry, with poems about Daniellle Steel and Mötley Crüe, which can be purchased from the Wurm site (http://wurmimapfel.net/). Kit explains why she chose to accept the collection: “What I liked about it was his take on what might be seen as very conventional first-collection material, family, home, growing up: the intellectual and formal approach I think is different, sophisticated, urbane, as you might expect from the Greek Cypriot experience of displacement.” What next for Wurm? “We have more books on the way from Harry Gilonis and, um, me - we've been working on these very cheeky ‘translations’ from Old and Middle Irish.

Let's say they won't help anyone with their homework as Gaelige. I'm also hoping to bring out a chapbook by David Wheatley, and a performance poet Karl Parkinson's first collection.” This Wurm appears to be growing at a healthy rate. The first issue of Wurm’s new poezine, cancan, will appear in 2012 which “will emerge irregularly but regularly.” Submission guidelines can be found online.

6

Kit Fryatt MCing at a Cabaret

“We don't earn any money, not a bean, would can seat up to 40 people, more than half on that make us stand out? We're running a original red velvet London Palladium seats. business but not as a business, more a labour Recently the store ran a season of Buster of love, no maxing out and no profit Keaton films for free, another was a imperative, for as long as we can.” Such is booklaunch for The People Demand: A Short the predicament of the independent History of the Arab bookstore; it goes without Revolutions. Information saying, though it must be We don't earn any about upcoming events can said. I recommend you visit be found on the website or money, not a the Calder Bookshop & instore.

Theatre, across from the bean, would that Two Englishmen and two Young Vic. Argentinians own the store. make us stand It was opened approximately The Argentinians have a 10 years ago by the publisher thoroughly theatrical out?

We're running John Calder, a close friend of and pedigree Beckett's and publisher of his a business but not background having worked in theatre as prose works. John Calder is actors, directors and teachers as a business, also a writer and poet for more than 50 years himself. He runs a regular more a labour of between them, the majority Thursday night event, usually of it in Argentina during the love, no maxing a reading from a political or dictatorship, with the last ten literary work followed by a out and no profit years in London. They chose discussion. He was so they could master imperative, for as England responsible for publishing the language well enough to and promoting the works of long as we can. be able to read Shakespeare many controversial 20th in the original. One of them, century novelists including Sergio Amigo, teaches drama Marguerite Duras, Borges, at Wandsworth prison where Celine, Nathalie Sarraute, and Alain Robbe he has recently become a union Grillet. Their work and Beckett's features representative. Sergio is well known in heavily in the store.

Buenos Aires and to some extent here as an However, it is primarily a theatre bookshop, actor and director of Beckett. Later this year with plays modern and classic, with a special they will be staging a series of plays by a focus on overtly political work. There is also movement that originated in Argentina as a a growing range of practical stage books response to the crimes committed during the (directing, producing, lighting, stage dictatorship known as Theatre For Identity. management etc.) anything to do with for more information, check out: theatre. They also stock books on politics, http://calderbookshop.com/ current affairs, and Marxism. Their political focus is definitely left, left of centre, with quite a few Verso publications, and a table dedicated to the work of Slavoj Žižek.

Half of the shop is given over as a fringe theatre space which they have extended and refurbished since February of this year. They

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

an Oxford Literary Review, reviewed

by Alexandra Hills

Jean-François Lyotard’s maxim (“We read because we do not know how to read…”) introduces the latest issue of the path-breaking publication, the Oxford Literary Review, which for over 40 years has set the standard for brave deconstructionist readings of literary texts. This edition is no exception; the contributions focus on the convergent, and sometimes conflicting, processes which how we read. In his editorial chapter, philosopher Geoffrey Bennington posits the tension underlying the process of reading: on the one hand, to read is to decode, to unscramble; on the other, to read is to strive toward what is ‘unreadable’ in a text. In short, this volume asks the question: is a book the sum of its words? The essays of issue 33 are provocative theoretical and literary insights into the lacunae which make up a text. Michael Jonik hones in Melville’s literary murmurs through an analysis of his literary characters, who make themselves unreadable through their inherent contradictions. This unreadable murmur becomes an ineffable shock in Nicola Spunt’s examination of Joyce’s Ulysses as an unreadable text due to its transgressive rhetorical excess. In a similar

vein, Hunter uses the examples of Rousseau, Baudelaire and Stendhal to prove that the amorous encounter is the ultimate ‘unreadable’ moment. Małecki moves the volume into more political territory by questioning the ethical value of impossible readings in politics, by contrasting the viewpoints of de Man and Rorty. By navigating the conflict of the hidden (the unreadable) and the unhidden (the script, a text’s ‘decipherability’), Tom Toremans’ exploration of Paul de Man’s ideological critique sees unreadability as a central ethico-political criterion of a text which should not try to circumscribe its own readings, and thereby become ideologically suspect. In his final chapter, Bennington offers a broadening view on the problem of madness and authenticity in Kierkegaard by asking whether unreadability can be performed through linguistic play. That, whether madness, as it appears in jokes and play can communicate with non-sense, which leaves one dumbstruck. This edition of the Oxford Literary Review asks us as reader to rediscover the lightness of reading; demanding us less to decode than to accept a text’s invitation to pay attention to a its nonsense, key to its elusive meaning.

PRESSFREEPRESS

by Penny Newell

This month saw the initiation of a series of performance/writing/thinking events, raising the bar for free poetry readings on offer to Londoners. Pressfreepress started as a poetic collective, a group of writers who threw caution to established publishing houses and magazines, picked a selfup a microphone at their local Dixons, motivated, and did their own self-publishing, thing. How refreshing! And self-defining how apparently rewarding! As a clique of self-motivated, selfwriters, their publishing, many artistic self-defining clique of writers, their projects feel style and methods fresh, realistic, of poetic composition appear and anything to have saturated many artistic but arrogant. their projects, which feel fresh, realistic, and anything but arrogant.

This was the sense that presided over the first of their series of ‘first Monday of the month’ meets, which I attended at the Curzon cinema in Soho. The evening was introduced by a single theme, chosen by a non-collective performing writer- the ‘outsider’- to which the audience was asked to respond. Not without irony, the first week was ‘HOW DOES THE PLACE/SPACE YOU ARE IN INITIATE YOUR FIRST ACTION?’ Thinking of ‘beginnings’, ‘actions’, ‘fears’ (and twats in tweed) I arrived to find a microphone set up in the lounge area of the Curzon cinema, surrounded by canvas prints of cult classic, and a group of booky-looking people… hmmm. I had my doubts. I got a beer. However, the evening began with the established ‘outsider’, Nat Raha, and her 20minute performance of a collection of lucid poetry, soaked in imagery that sparked creativity around the room. This progressed into sharing of ideas and words in phase two-

writing – wherein audience members placed their phone numbers on a sheet of paper, and texted responses to a text-prompt. The texts were projected onto the stage. This part of the evening was apparently inspired by the fact that Nat Raha composes much of her poetry on her phone… Carol Ann Duffy, eat yer heart out! The final-thinking-phase was sharing audience responses to the theme of the week. The audience celebrated as we formed a fractured, vocal essay – exacting together the theme’s final blow. I raised my beer.

A testament to the humble nature of the collective, the audience effectively owned two thirds of the evening; pressfreepress had only the ‘first action’. The collective are the initiators of the event, but it can grow in any direction, move to any place, become another thing entirely. Following the first action of organizing the evening, pressfreepress temporarily dissolves, and for one night a collective of strangers forms around a deepening theme.

For information on forthcoming events, visit: www.pressfreepress.com

Nat Raha reading

Dave Gibbons

MANZINE REVIEW

Graphic Novelist

Talks to Play

Dave Gibbons’ and Alan Moore’s Watchmen is one of the few comic-strip texts commonly said to have crossed over into the realms of, what literary critics patronisingly call during coke-fueled trips into egocentricity; literary respectability.

A tale of a superhero conspiracy to end the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction; Watchmen subverts the genre and tears the masks off of the psychotic personas that are drawn to the essentially crooked street-justice of superheroes.

The book causes a rereading of the likes of: Captain America, Batman and (the almost nietzchean fantasy) Superman as vigilante-thugs with mental health problems that are lionised because they serve the law. In an interesting sign of the times a recent Batman Future strip showed the caped crusader breaking a strike at Wayne Industries with chemical weapons.

Despite the attention of literary critics and film-makers to Watchmen, the format is comic strip, not the book that the literary critics view it as, or the huge films that are adapted from it: “I turned the corner on the soundstage and the owlship was towering above me 25 feet high” Gibbons told me the story of his visit to the set of The Watchmen. Designs that he had drawn some two decades ago were recently built by an army of filmakers for millions of dollars.

Gibbons humbly suggested that the experience was “a bit surreal”.

While Moore was opposed to the adaptation Gibbon’s sees that comics could be rescued from its slip into the hands of a small niche of fandom, and hopes for the restoration of film to a popular audience through cinema adaptations.

Gibbon’s described how the slow frames between frames and the subtle elements of each story are more important then the “money shots” that younger, university trained, artists tend to focus on. The “muscly superheroes and superheroines” that fanboys present to Dave at conventions are only a small part of the craft. “I’m far more impressed when someone shows me how they tell a story.” It’s only through a more widespread understanding of the form, theory and practice, that younger artists and writers can begin to learn how distinctive the needs and potential of this form really are.

JAKE PACE-LAWRIE

Manzine is “a publication about the male phenomenon” which seems to take off from the website The Art of Manliness (http://artofmanliness.com/) combined with Vice magazine. You know the deal: playful postmodern mishmash of high and low and nobrow, articles titled À la recherché du pints perdu. But it works; it is by turns witty and random: Manzine Muscle Building Tip No.567 (on their blog: http://www.themanzine.com/) is: “1. Buy a 15lb bag of Mutant Mass. 2. Lift it up ten times. 3. Repeat 100 times. 4.

Eat it.” It is edited by Kevin Braddock, a contributor to GQ magazine and many other quality journalists. Manzine is a biannual magazine on the “modern masculine experience”, and claims to offer “an alternative to mainstream men’s media.” Having read Manzine I am no less enlightened as to what the “modern masculine experience” is.

Issue 4 includes a googletranslated article on manzine itself from Belgium (here’s hoping they googletranslate this), meditations on male-female friendships, female pubic hair, the typography of bins, how much editors love misery (especially of the feminine kind), American misapprehensions of rugby, crying, charity shops, finding stuff in skips, nuclear bunkers, and a bit on pencils.

There are some nice images too that I would have torn out for my wall if I owned a copy; a satirical ripoff of an Economist cover, an ad for “Nietzsche Marketing”, and, just to assure you it’s a ladmag with added wit, a fullcolour page with the word “TITS” emblazoned thereupon. Also worthy of note is the recurrent use of “schadenfreude” in this particular issue, at least six times, a word I had not come across in at least two years. Issue 4 also includes some pullout fiction by Dick Valentine: a witty little piece on demons, aliens, and monsters.

Dick asserts unequivocally, even scientifically, that they exist. He has, after all, seen them in his house. He gives a helpful Linnaean classification of the monsters; demons, it must be noted, have a good “knowledge of pop culture”.

Overall this is a publication which doesn’t take itself too seriously, and delivers a decent payload of content while doing so.

7

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

Johnny English Reborn Dir: Oliver Parker / Release: Out Now

We’ve been starved of a good British spy film for quite a while now, and while this film could have been a wonderful remedy for this loss…it just isn’t. Johnny English Reborn delivers a good performance from Rowan Atkinson, but seems to be unsure if it wants to be a spy-spoof or an actual spy film.

The film kicks off with the inept British super spy having left MI7 in disgrace, after a botched mission causes the death of an African premier. Now no longer Sir Johnny, he visits a Tibetan monastery to rediscover himself. After the pre-requisite training montage, he’s summoned back to London by MI7 post- haste for a mission that only he could possibly carry out. It’s here that the film drops its first clanger of a joke. Apparently the intelligence services have been sponsored by Toshiba. Johnny walks into MI7 headquarters to find it renamed Toshiba British Intelligence Service, manned in the manner of a computer repair call-centre. Quite why we’re supposed to find this amusing is never explained (perhaps it’s because they put their logo, “Spying for you” on their parachutes) though it’s not long before English is off on a mission to stop a cadre of international assassins from killing the Chinese leader.

It’s here that things start going wrong with the film. With a less-than-excellent supporting cast (despite a good turn by Dominic West as the new Agent One), Atkinson has a much harder time when he has to carry the film single-handedly. The excellent Ben Miller sadly doesn’t return, and is instead replaced as English’s sidekick by new agent Tucker (Daniel Kaluyaa) who does a lot of being the suffering straight man and even more of delivering particularly unfunny lines. Gillian Anderson does a turn as the new straight-laced head of MI7, whilst former Bondgirl Rosamund Pike plays the love interest that the film thrusts on Johnny English with but the thinnest of excuses to properly explain why they fall for each other (or in this case, why she falls for Johnny).

The humour in the film simply isn’t up to scratch. Jokes are repeated far too often, and are visibly telegraphed. Whereas the first Johnny English rather masterfully bombarded you with a constant stream of slapstick and embarrassing humour, Johnny English Reborn never quite manages to find the right note to make you laugh.

However, despite the film’s various flaws, it still manages to be a mostly entertaining romp.

The storyline of the mysterious cabal who may have infiltrated MI7 plays out quite well, and the film manages to have a fair few chase sequences and fight scenes that grab the occasional laugh, though there’s few jokes that you’ll be remembering and chuckling about the next day.

Indeed that’s probably the most damning criticism one could give Johnny English Reborn.

When it tries to be a spy film, it doesn’t do anything that stands out and its jokes fail as often as they get a laugh. Atkinson is a brilliant physical comedy actor, and this film simply doesn’t give him much to do. At times its lack of good gags makes it feel like a typical spy film, and it’s certainly not going to be challenging James Bond or Jason Bourne anytime soon.

Despite this poor second effort, I still find myself hoping there will be a third, hopefully better than the weak retread of the first film that is Johnny English Reborn. Maybe it’s because I really enjoyed the first Johnny English. I still find myself singing the original film’s theme song, A Man For All Seasons – there isn’t a good theme song in Reborn either.

JULES LIPTON

Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English Reborn

8

Courtesy: Universal Studios

Weekend

Tom Cullen and Chris New in Weekend

Courtesy: Getty Images

Dir: Andrew Haigh / Release: November 4th

Weekend is a little British indie film that I’ve been raving about to almost everyone I know.

It’s a gay romance compressed over the course of an ordinary weekend, from the shy first glances to the passionate one-night-stand sex, into a stretch of almost uninterrupted searching conversation that confirms this relationship as possessing something more enduring than either man expected. It is staggeringly naturalistic, bravely unaffected, and touchingly resonant of an atmosphere common to most cosmopolitan young people, whatever their sexual orientation. The film is as much a document of our leisure culture alongside a standard romance, navigating the contrasts between the blinding strobe-lit club, the woody pub tables of awkward overlapping social circles, all leading back to the intimacy of our bedrooms, a haven to brood and ponder over the night’s events. Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New) are our guides and also our representatives on screen: they initially come together through impulsive attraction, and wake up together, naked, side-by-side as the Saturday sun rises. Luckily for us, the two men have much to offer one another besides the tryst, and begin to explore and compare their own sexuality, gay identity, wants and desires, all with profound philosophical implications.

One one level, each of the partners represent an easily recongisable strand of modern gay identity. Russell is certainly ‘out’, yet he is still appears quite insecure about his sexual image, keeping mainly straight friends and working as a pool lifeguard alongside crude Nuts magazine-type colleagues. His sexuality only seems to be a recreational outlet, seen by his early departure from a straight house party to a gay club, where he stalks the loos and dark corridors in search of someone to take home. Glen, on the other hand, wears his sexuality as a badge of honour: he dresses conventionally gay in a tight-fitting t-shirt, and seems to covet a lifestyle with stronger opportunities for his own selfhood. After they have sex on the first morning, Glen introduces Russell to his art project in which he interviews his intimate partners about the night just passed, with a focus on reminiscing and re-living the experience: ‘what did we do next?’, ‘where did you touch me?’ ‘how did it make you feel?. The project’s aim is to challenge the disconnection between our actions and our own perceptions of ourselves; a markedly political statement, with radical-queer undertones, exposing how we can often live in fear of expressing our sexuality. The avenues of connection offered by modern life and leisure culture cement Russell and Glen together, allowing their distinct world-views to interact, clash and press together, all tenderly captured by director Andrew Haigh’s handheld camera. His film is a testament to those inspirational weekends that can seem to encapsulate and even change your life, just as they dissolve away into the murk of the working-week, as concrete as a fading dream.

DAVID KATZ

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

Manhunter Dir: Michael Mann / Release:

Out Now on DVD and Blu-Ray

criminal, and the oppressive atmosphere of the modern city. Many thematic parallels can be drawn between Manhunter and Mann’s stunning 1995 LA crime opus Heat.

What makes this more than just an observation on a directors developing style is that a draft of Heat already existed at the time, intended to be passed on to another director so Mann focus on Manhunter.

Surprisingly there is little real violence in the film, at least until the jarringly edited, virtuosic conclusion. Mann holds on to the Hitchcockian tradition of implying rather than showing which works in the films favour to produce an atmosphere of true dread rather than exploitation.

William Peterson attempts to outpsyche Lecter Courtesy: Optimum Releasing

The first addition to the Hannibal Lecter canon is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’ 1981 novel Red Dragon which was later remade by director Brett Ratner in 2002, reprising the book’s original title. The story follows the brilliant but haunted FBI profiler Will Graham (William Peterson), who is brought out of retirement to track a voyeuristic serial killer and enlists the help of the imprisoned Dr. Lecter - whose traumatic arrest led to Graham’s retirement- in order to catch him. When watching it, especially for the first time, it is impossible not to draw comparisons with The Silence of the Lambs and the other more lacklustre additions to the Lecterverse. In the end, Mann’s film is a profoundly different experience to Jonathan Demme’s 1991 Oscar sweeper.

First port of call must be Brian Cox’s portrayal of the cannibal killer. In the film, Dr Lecktor (not Lecter in this film, don’t ask why) plays an important part but has relatively little screen time. Cox’s performance is darker than Hopkins’ and lacks the black humour and diabolic playfulness that made the Lecter of Lambs so iconic. This does not detract from memories of Hopkins but it has to be said that Mann’s Dr. Lecktor carries a certain realism and coldness that feels sharper and more threatening than the Lecter we know who has become a popular culture icon and subsequent mainstay of parody.

The real jewel in the film’s crown is the performance given by Tom Noonan as Frank Dollarhyde: the voyeuristic serial killer known to the press as the “Tooth Fairy”, and to himself as “Red Dragon”.

Noonan crafts a character as vulnerable and pathetic as he is dangerous and grotesque. The result is chilling, realistic and profoundly unsettling. Dollarhyde is introduced about halfway through the film and we do not see him in full until even later but Noonan manages to establish a very rounded portrayal of a psychopath.

Entering a romance with a blind co-worker

played by Joan Allen does provide some ability to empathise with the killer as he struggles with his monstrous urges giving a viewing experience that is genuinely disturbing and does not seek to rationalise nor trivialise the subject.

As opposed to the darker, almost gothic world of Demme’s film, Mann creates a world of excessive cinematic style; polished art deco landscapes, unusual, alienating camera angles and vibrant pastel colouring - reminiscent of Miami Vice that Mann executive produced and later updated in 2006. Through precise framing and a meticulously composed mise-en-scène Mann, cinematographer Dante Spinotti and production designer Mel Bourne reframe the banal modern environment of offices and government facilities into oppressive and tense environments for the characters.

Spinotti’s sublime cinematography singles out Manhunter as an ideal candidate for Blu-ray transfer. Mann’s signature night time cityscapes are combined with heady, expressionistic use of colour. The films palate largely consists of rich, saturated blues and greens with occasional use of lurid purples and magentas when showing the environments of Lecktor and Dollarhyde. There are also several gorgeous Malick style “magic hour” shots showing beachside sunsets of hypnotic oranges, yellows and reds. The camera stalks around its subject, often distant before ominously closing in or hiding around corners, behind TV sets and watching from above. One memorable sequence is a long POV shot from Graham’s perspective as he runs in fear from Lecter’s cell. The fast and smooth camera movement seeks depersonalisation rather than identification, catching the delirious mind-set of a man who has intruded, perhaps irretrievably, into a dark and sinister world.

The film deals with classic Mann themes: the pressures facing isolated professionals, detailed depictions of technical procedures, the bizarre relationship between cop and

However, there are some shortcomings.

Mann’s excess of style may be too much for some - reviews upon release often characterised the movie as feeling too cold and detached. The soundtrack is composed of ‘80’s synth pop and a closing theme by Red 7 has not aged well. More often than not, especially towards the end of the film, this now incredibly clichéd sound undercuts the crafted tension with an unintended campiness, though for a lot of die-hard fans, therein lies the appeal.

Peterson’s performance as the driven Graham is solid and benefits from its degree of understatement in a very intense movie, a standout scene being a supermarket conversation between him and his son about his work. Unfortunately, the strength of the two villains often tend to overshadow that of the hero and Graham does not lodge in the psyche like the electric Jodie Foster’s agent Starling in Lambs.

The Blu-ray includes both the original theatrical cut of the film along with the director’s cut, which includes a few different scenes and even more visual flair.

Special features comprise the theatrical trailer which proves to be unintentionally amusing (they just don’t make ‘em like that anymore!), a 10 minute interview with Spinotti and a 17 minute featurette “Inside Manhunter” which details the making of the film and has interviews with the main cast, but unfortunately not with Mann.

Overlooked for many years, Manhunter has since seen overwhelming critical reappraisal and elevation to cult status amongst cinephiles and ‘80’s aficionados. It now stands rightly as a major work in the oeuvre of one of the most interesting and technically innovative directors of the last two decades. The hugely influential narrative and visual style can be seen everywhere today, be it in TV series’ such as Millennium and CSI (starring Peterson in the lead role), countless titles in the serial killer and police procedural genres or in th slick, glossy style of directors from David Fincher to Mary Harron. A classy and intelligent thriller and a gorgeous new transfer by Optimum, Manhunter is a highly recommended addition to any film lover’s burgeoning Blu-ray library.

Will Harding

Next Issue: •Coming Soon: first week coverage of the BFI London Film Festival •Interview with the cast and director of Weekend

BAFTA Screenwriter’s Lectures

In part one of our series on the BAFTA lectures by screenwriters; GUILLERMO ARRIAGA (Amores Perros, 21 Grams) talks about why everything they teach you in class is wrong.

At the BFI Guillermo’s Arriaga illustrated his style of writing with the story of the “Washington Version” of his film Amores Perros.

At a screening in Washington for pre-release feedback of the movie Arriaga skipped the film and snuck out for a meal. When he returned for a Q/A after the screening,the audience warmly congratulated him, but they were more surprised by the non-linear structure then he hoped. After a few strange comments that the writer dismissed as matters of individual taste , an audience member asked why Arriaga had, unconventionally, chosen to place the credits in the middle of the film; before the finale?

The projectionist had mixed up the sequence of reels. The final reel was placed in the middle and everything was distorted to a new timeline. But the credulity of the audience is understandable. Arriaga’s style makes such an implosion of structure entirely plausible.

The film was probably even more linear then intended.

The slick composition and sharp casting of Arriaga’s films work like a trojan horse for an incendiary style of storytelling. His style contrasts sharply with much contemporary cinema. He suggested the reason so many films are dull is “Not much happens to these people... They are mostly middle class... They go to school, occasionally they have sex” and guessed that his writing is so explosive because he came from a place “Where everything happens”.

“Storytelling, like love, is all about surprises” Guillermo argued to the other writer’s in the room, and railed against conventions of theory: “Start without knowing the ending... You do not choose who you fall in love with” just as you do not choose how the story will end.

JAKE PACE-LAWRIE

9

Stage

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

In conversation with...

Non Zero One

Non Zero One make innovative pieces of headphone and interactive theatre.

Formed at Royal Holloway only three years ago, they have performed at venues as diverse as the Barbican, Latitude Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe. I caught up with them, minus Cat Harrison, at the Bush Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush. Not the sorts to rest on their laurels, they have just finished creating two new pieces, almost simultaneously: The Time Out, a touring production, and This Is Where We Got to When You Came in..., which will be the last ever show at the soon to be relocated Bush Theatre.

The latter, in particular, was a daunting project. Creating an hour-long show from the entire history of the Bush was no easy feat. “We’ve got a duty to the whole building, the whole history of the theatre,” says Alex. “We weren’t born when this place started,” adds Fran. Even the Bush Theatre’s choice of company was a daring one.

“This theatre has been producing new plays for thirty-nine years and then oddly for the last show it’s an interactive piece by a devised company,” says Alex. There can have been few complaints at the result, however. This Is Where... combines a traditional theatre setting with a diverse range of recorded audio in order to create a compelling piece of headphone theatre. It has received rave reviews.

Such an emphasis on technology is fairly typical of Non Zero One. From their first production, headphones, for example, have been central to their work. But they are anxious to make it clear that these technological aspects do not define their theatre.

“We think about the work first and about technology second,” says Sarah, “we use technology if we need it to achieve what we’re asking the audience to believe in.”

Fran points out that “for the next piece we might not use it at all”. Perhaps as a result, the type of equipment that the group uses

This Is Where We Got to When You Came in... Photo by Sarah Butcher

Review: The Passenger

Non Zero One: L-R: John Hunter, Cat Harrison, Sarah Butcher, Alex Turner, Fran Miller and Iván González

has changed radically since they first secret to the form’s popularity is generaformed. “Every time we use a piece of techtional: “We’ve grown up with this technolnology we discover its potential, but also ogy, so now we’re employing it in the its limitations,” says Sarah. While early theatre that we’re making.” works centred on the use of recorded What’s their advice for young theatre pracaudio, more recently, the use of microtitioners today? “Meet people. Ask advice, phones and silent disco style headphones ask questions - people are so willing to has opened up possibilities for theatre that help,” says Fran. “See as much theatre as is genuinely live and interactive. “We really you can,”adds Alex. “We’ve been ridicuwanted The Time Out to be a conversalously lucky and very fortunate to be in the tion,” says John. “With pre-recorded all right place at the right time,” says Ivan, you can do is leave a gap. But once you’re “but at the same time we’ve worked very able to create a piece that’s live you can rehard.” ally take input.” The results can be excitCertainly, hard work seems to encapsulate ing, and occasionally a bit disconcerting, the company’s ethos. All six members hold but the method is always a playdown full time jobs while simultaneful one. “We like to be a bit ously working on a variety of creative cheeky with the audience and “We like to be projects. Fran explains that halfway a bit cheeky get them to do things that they through the production period for with our might not expect,” says Alex.

This Is Where..., they had to travel to audience and Edinburgh to perform The Time Out. The approach has proved popuget them to lar, and not just for Non Zero do things that Even during the interview, John and they might One. Fran comments that: Sarah rush off to run a workshop. Yet not expect” the group give out few signs of discon“Headphones were the buzzword at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.” tent. “There’s been blood, sweat and With interactive theatre events tears,” says Ivan, “but I think we’ve such as You Me Bum Bum Train and Non come out the end with two pieces that Zero One themselves gaining notoriety and we’re really proud of.” acclaim, much the same can be said for Non Zero One will perform The Time Out London. Asked why this might be, the at the Tate Modern on Saturday October company were momentarily at a loss for 22 at 12.30, 14.15 and 16.00. Free tickets words. For Fran, it’s about intimacy, the will be available on a first come first chance to get “that personal experience”. served basis from 12.00 at the Manton InAlex agrees, arguing that “there’s someformation Desk. The show will be returnthing very thrilling about having someone’s ing to London next year. voice speaking to you so closely in your MATT WILLIAMSON ears”. Ivan, however, wonders whether the

Despite being written in 1967 and only fully premiered in 2006, Mieczysław Weinberg’s hollocaust based opera The Passenger has lost none of its impact. It evokes the tragedy of the event without being histrionic, and remains a truthful and candid account of the autobiographical novel of Auschwitz survivor, Zofia Posmysz.

Michelle Breedt sings the role of Annaliese (Liese) Franz, who is on board a ship with her German diplomat husband, Walter, bound for Brazil. Initially cheerful, her mood suffers a sudden plunge when she spots a passenger who reminds her of a Polish prisoner, Marta, under her charge in the Auschwitz concentration camp. With the secrets of her past threatening to undo the couple, Liese is forced to relive the atrocities of the Nazi years and face up to her actions.

The set by Johan Engels is brilliantly designed. The dichotomy of past and present is conveyed through juxtaposition of the ship’s deck, painted a pristine white, and the grimy compounds of the concentration camp, circular like in Dante’s inferno, and lined with railway tracks. With the latter propping the former up, Liese is literally forced to descend into the hell of her memries and of Auschwitz as the story progresses.

Breedt played the conflicted Liese masterfully and her powerful, almost masculine timbre suits her role as an SS overseer like a glove. This was matched by Giselle Allen’s portrayal of Marta, nicknamed the Madonna of the camp. Despite her caring nature towards her fellow prisoners, the 19-year-old girl harbours an intense hatred for her oppressors. Vacillating between moments of strength and delicacy, Allen’s pliable singing negotiated the corners well. And when these ricocheting emotions climaxed in the birthday aria, a tear or two were wrenched out.

It is also worth acknowledging Julia Sporsén’s stunning execution of a Russian folk song, almost entirely without instrumental accompaniment.

The opera is doubtlessly Weinberg’s triumph. While the ship scenes are underscored with a sultry, almost irreverent, jazz promenade, the scenes in the Auschwitz sing, scream and claw, as if the entire score itself were a crying lament of every woman in the camp. At times, Weinberg allows the music to fade to no more than a single quivering melody, and in these moments one feels a woe so visceral that one cannot help but empathise. And while the usual awkwardness in translating operas intrudes from time to time, some of David Pountney’s rendering, especially the birthday aria, were exquisite.

It truly is a pity that it was almost four decades before The Passenger was premiered. Perhaps too long overshadowed by the works of his mentor Shostakovich, it is time Weinberg’s gem of an opera be appreciated. David Pountney has definitely put up a rendition that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

The Passenger runs until October 25 at the Coliseum.

ZEE YEO.

10

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

In Conversation With...

Dickie Beau

Emily Taafe as Hannah Lambroke in The Veil. Photo by Helen Warner.

Review: The Veil

another form of decrepitude that pervades the air – the crumbling moral fibre and psyche of individuals, which extends into the collapsing of social order in a commuThe supernatural has always been integral nity where servants fall in love with their to the works of Irish playwright Conor mistresses, children are abandoned, and McPherson, and in no less chilling a manthe young speak out of turn. This malaise is ner, his latest play, The Veil, introduces the skilfully rendered perceptible in the exhaunted Mount Prospect House in rural quisitely designed set – with its dark reIreland, wherein resides the remnants of a cesses rotting away and a deeply unsettling great family. The widowed Lady Madeleine mirror, scarred with mildew, hanging like a Lambroke prepares to sell the estate, while guillotine above the mantelpiece – and the her daughter Hannah, who is to be married constant decaying tinkles of a piano. to a marquis in England to resolve her Ghosts, social anxiety and misdirected love mother’s debts, is haunted by strange – ingredients for an overwrought play, but voices. When the recently deposed Revin true Irish black comedy tradition, The erend Berkeley arrives to escort the girl to Veil punctuates the plot with droll huEngland, he is intrigued by the mour and comedy of manners, which nether-worldly energy in the while providing respite from the heavy mansion and proposes a séance “Although enmood, injects a new shade of pathos. that leads to disastrous consetertaining in The talented cast tackled these roles quences. its own right with great craft and presented a tightAlthough entertaining in its own as a ghost knit ensemble; and while one might right as a ghost story of sorts, The story of sorts, sometimes find the plot difficult to folVeil is so much more. Inspired by The Veil is so low at times, the nuances of the charthe recent financial problems bemuch more.” acters, cleverly coaxed out by the setting Ireland, the story is set in actors, constantly kept one intrigued.

1822, amidst a similar economic The Veil is intelligently yet subtly writcrisis that brought the country to ten and is very impressive for a first ather knees shortly after the Napoleonic tempt at writing for a predominantly Wars. Change is inevitable, and the ghastly female cast and in period. What appears a presences in the house, more manifestatypical country house story is in fact a comtions of a ubiquitous, though unseen, destiplex embodiment of an ethos swept by contution than mere supernatural encounters, fusion and contradiction. And just as how threaten to undo the glory once possessed even the past and future seem to merge in by this now-bankrupt family. Reflecting Mount Prospect House, the concerns exthe playwright’s own ambivalent Irish plored in 1882 are still relevant today, espride, the nation’s precarious sense of self pecially amidst our current economic during this period of her troubled colonial troubles. history is explored through reminiscence The Veil runs until December 11 at the Naof the household’s opulent, aristocratic tional Theatre. past as well as their almost reverent belief in and fear of the folkloric faeries.

ZEE YEO. Beyond poverty, the play also investigates

Review: The Playboy of the Western World

When first performed, J.M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World provoked rioting and indignation. References to ‘shifts’ and perceived slights to Irish nationalism prompted such fury that the mob had to be literally fought off the stage. It’s hard to see the play eliciting a similarly Tottenham-esque response these days. But even so, the story of Christy Mahon, who shows up in an obscure Irish village claiming to have killed his father and is promptly lauded as a hero by all and sundry, has lost little of its punch.

Above all, it’s a play about words and the telling of tales. The fictions that Christy constructs around himself are told in lyrical, almost musical, language. It is this

command over language that gives the character its fascination. Robert Sheehan, of Misfits fame, does not entirely convince in the initial incarnation of Christy as the traveller one step away from despair. But as the character grows in confidence, so does the actor, with Sheehan’s performance growing in wit and bravado, until he dominates the stage. Likewise Ruth Negga is on top form as Pegeen Mike. She gives a performance which is commanding, and pleasingly raucous. No less formidable is Niamh Cusack as the Widow Quin. The barely concealed feuding between these two powerful characters drives the show, giving it its bite.

Another highlight was the use of music.

Asked to describe his work, Dickie Beau explains with a laugh that he calls himself, “somewhat pretentiously”, a ‘Drag Fabulist’. For those not in the know, that means he produces a startling combination of performance art and conventional drag, with a strong element of post-modern cultural appropriation thrown in for good measure.

The work draws on a wide ranging set of influences, including cabaret, clowning, mime and music hall, but the result is wholly individual.

Now, as he prepares for his role in the King’s Head Theatre’s new production of Stephen Berkoff’s Kvetch, I asked him how his work has changed in the five years since he first performed as Dickie Beau. Dickie explains that initially he was primarily concerned with the music, spending his time “knocking up tracks on a digital four track”.

The act was simply a vehicle for “putting the music out there”. Over time, however, it has evolved, becoming something far more sophisticated.

A landmark shift occurred about three years ago, with the decision to concentrate on the use of ‘found sound’. The aim of the strategy, Dickie explains, is to “turn the body into an archive”, filling the stage with “people missing from the general landscape” but who are nevertheless still on Dickie’s radar. A key example is his groundbreaking deconstruction of Judy Garland.

Combining an incredible proficiency at the ‘low culture’ lip-synching style characteristic of many drag performances with surreal make-up and manikin-esque stylised movement, the piece rapidly won him acclaim and recognition.

The work has a clear political edge. Indeed, as Dickie argues, how could it not, since “all of our lives do”.

But Dickie is not interested in simply performing a manifesto. Rather, the work is about “playing with images”. For Dickie, “good symbols are universal”; they allow each spectator to take what they want from a performance, rather than simply being dictated to.

At first glance, such work seems worlds away from the more conventional performances required for a theatrical production like Kvetch. Yet while Dickie, a trained actor, acknowledges that the performance in part entails “going back to my roots”, he nevertheless argues that in many ways it is also an extension of his more recent work.

For Dickie, the play is arguably a queer text, perhaps even a feminist text, and has more in common than one might assume with his usual performances.

Above all, the change has been a pleasant one. The opportunity to work as part of a team, rather than “slogging it out as Dickie Beau” has been refreshing, he says. Naturally, however, Dickie will not be abandoning his own act. He is currently reworking his show Blackouts, for an intended tour in 2012. And for those who can’t wait that long, he’ll also be performing as part of the much acclaimed Duckie Christmas show at the Barbican this year.

Dickie will appear in Kvetch at the King’s Head Theatre from October 9, and in Copyright Christmas at the Barbican from December 10.

MATT WILLIAMSON

Dickie Beau as Hal in Kvetch The production combined traditional Irish instruments with cross dressing, ensuring that the piece had an element of verisimilitude, without ever seeming quaint or folksy. The effect was to accentuate the air of musicality to the production, lending it an almost ballad like quality. Like much of the rest of the play, the music played with rather than simply accepting caricatured notions of the Irish stereotype.

The set too is impressive, but perhaps a little indulgent. Given that the action of the play takes place almost entirely within one room, it was hardly necessary to shell out for the spinning monstrosity which dominates the Old Vic stage. You can’t help wondering how long the Old Vic will have that much money to chuck around. It doesn’t damage the production, but neither

does it help it; the funds could surely have been put to better use.

Even so, in general the performance is highly impressive. Admitedly, at first the production seems somewhat slow paced.

The young cast struggles with the complexity of the language, leading to performances that are ever so slightly lifeless. But as the play progresses and the cast throw themselves into the action, it gains rapidly in comic intensity. The second half, in particular, is a masterpiece of both physical and verbal comedy. With front row seats available at only £12.50 for under 25s, it is well worth a trip.

MW

11

This is Black History

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

To mark Black History Month, Play caught up with Logic MC to speak about his music, the month and the struggles that lie ahead..

What inspired you to make the track This is Black History?

Because I feel that the next generation are not being told about black/african history and what our ancestors actually done. It was bad enough for our generation but its even worse for the youngsters growing up nowadays.

How did you go about organising?

This was a spontaneous thing really. Everything was done within 2 weeks, probably less. I had idea and originally said it to Lowkey. Then I was in Last resorts studio with Big Cakes and we found a beat and came up with a chorus. We basically just emailed the track to as many artists as we could and told them the plan/deadline etc.

Then we approached Globalfaction to see if they could bring a visual and the rest is black history.

black people?

Music has been a tool that black people have used since slavery and before then. It has always been a way to round up people and put a message across to many people and its even more so nowadays. So many people listen to and are influenced by the music they listen to that we can use it as a tool to teach and pass on information that they might not come across in everyday life.

What do you think are the major struggles facing black people today?

Black people will always face racism within our society yet however the times have changed slightly. They have changed for the fact that being poor now is similar to being classed as a nigga years ago. Its much more of a class thing yet ethnic minorites will always be looked down on.

As a black musician, what do you think your role is?

What does Black History mean to you?

My role is to show people that my artform, hiphop, is not all about guns and cars. That the essence is about unity and anything that goes against that grain is not hiphop.

Its important for me as a person to understand history on the whole, not just black history. But I'm nigerian, jamaican and Irish so its more important for me to research the history of these countries as the old saying goes 'you don't know where your going till you know where you came from'.

How important is music in conveying the struggle of

12

What advice would you give to young and up and coming musicians?

Logic performs his familiar salute

Stay positive and keep hiphop positive.

This month is Black History Month. Do you have anything planned?

I have a few shows here and there but mainly want to raise as much money from the 'this is black history' single so we can do something constructive. Also look out for

part 2 coming out later this month.

What advice would you give to activists?

Stay active A message on Black History Month from Deejay Steaz: I believe we should embrace every opportunity to gain and share a greater understanding of the deep, diverse, unifying and revolutionary histories which have shaped our worlds, but which are given little truly positive or equal focus in the mainstream.

How can any of us struggle for, or believe in, the equality of all people, without a balanced understanding of the histories of all peoples.

We should challenge the asymmetrical, biased and often racist prejudices that exist in many of our interpretations of history, and which often blind us to the truths which exist and underlie our societies, our everyday interactions and lives. Black history runs through my veins, through the very thoughts that manifest and shape the path I walk in life. For me Black History is our history. One People - One World.

The Men Behind the Music Logic (image above, lefthand side): Logic's music, including collobrations with well-known artists, is available at http://logicpeoplesarmy.bandcamp.com/ Lowkey (image above, righthand side): Soundtrack To The Struggle is available for pre-order on iTunes and HMV now. The launch party is being held The Garage, 20-22 Highbury Corner, N1 at 7pm on Friday October 21.

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

Soundtrack to the Struggle

By Carlos Martinez

As Lowkey says in the intro: it’s been a long time coming.

Twenty-five-year-old rapper Lowkey (aka Kareem Dennis) has been well-respected on the underground hip-hop scene since he was a teenager, winning notoriety for his humorous battling style and rapid-fire lyricism. But it was a few years into his career, in early 2009, that he really emerged as the leading voice in the “soundtrack to the struggle” – making music representing the hopes and dreams of oppressed peoples around the world; people struggling for freedom and equality.

A key moment in this process was the massive rally in Hyde Park on 10 January 2009, protesting against Israel’s brutal bombing campaign against Gaza. Lowkey’s impassioned acapella performance of the poignant ‘Long Live Palestine’ (which has since become a massive hit) caught a lot of people’s attention, and Lowkey quickly became a leading voice in the anti-war movement, one of very few with the ability to put radical ideas in a form that young people can relate to.

Since then, Lowkey has released a string of hits and established himself as the leading voice of political hip-hop on these shores (in

and knowledge around the world, speaking and performing in the US (alongside respected anti-zionist academic Norman Finkelstein), Palestine and Australia. Along with activist Jody McIntyre and rapper Logic, he has formed the Equality Movement, bringing young people from different ethnic, political and religious backgrounds together to learn and act in the struggle for a better future. A true activist-musician, he’s as comfortable with the megaphone as he is with the microphone.

Throughout these last nearly three years of intense activity, the anticipation has been growing for a Lowkey album – a body of work that sums up his experiences, and our whole generation’s experiences, over the past few years; years characterised by imperialist wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Libya; bombings of Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen; global economic crisis; massive cuts to public services in most of the affluent countries; and rising resistance to the status quo. Although Lowkey’s debut album, Dear Listener, appeared in mid-2009, and was a very solid release, it was clear that it was a prelude to his first *major* album, which has finally arrived in the form of Soundtrack to the Struggle.

addition to gaining the respect of some of the major radical voices of US hip-hop, such as Dead Prez and Immortal Technique). The reach of his singles has been unprecedented for a fully independent artist with no mainstream media support. His tracks ‘Terrorist’ and ‘Obamanation’, both hard-hitting pieces of political and social commentary exposing the lies and hypocrisy of imperialism, have received 1.6 million and 1.4 million YouTube views respectively. A generation of young people has been inspired and educated by these songs, which have successfully captured people’s imagination in a way that the many organisations bringing a somewhat similar message have failed to do.

And although there are a few that want to ghettoise him as a ‘Palestine rapper’, Lowkey has continued to make music about police brutality, about respect for women, about the music industry, Cuba, Diego Garcia and much more, and has collaborated with leading London rap voices such as Wretch 32, Klashnekoff, Akala, Black the Ripper and Sway.

In addition to his music, Lowkey has also spoken at meetings, rallies and pickets up and down the country, speaking out against war, racism, islamophobia, government cuts and police brutality. He has taken his skills

And it’s a classic.

No weak tracks, no cringe moments, no need to skip or fast-forward; just 20 exceptional pieces of thought-provoking and soul-stirring music. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that this album sits Soundtrack to comfortably alongside the Struggle the best UK hip-hop redeserves a leases of all time (such as place alongSkinnyman’s “Council side the best Estate of Mind”, Rodney political/radical P’s “The Future” and hip-hop reKlashnekoff’s “The leases Sagas”).

Furthermore, given the international relevance of the subject matter and the intensity and lyrical ability Lowkey brings to the table, I would argue that Soundtrack to the Struggle deserves a place alongside the best political/radical hip-hop releases (such as Dead Prez’s “Let’s Get Free” and Immortal Technique’s “Revolutionary Vol. 2″).

Soundtrack to the Struggle is available now.

The album cover for Lowkey’s highly anticipated Soundtrack To The Struggle

13

Pretty Young Things

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

Yang Fudong’s One Half of August at Parasol Unit

The Night Man Cometh. Still Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Marian Goodman

It is difficult to know where to begin with Chinese artist Yang Fudong. That is not to suggest his work is unapproachable. It is just that most of his works in this new exhibition involve up to eight HD wall mounted video screens, each projecting a part of a mysterious unfolding narrative film. There appears to be no beginning or end, no clear place with which to enter or leave the story, if you can call it that. You'll probably quickly stop trying to focus on one screen and spend the rest of the time wandering in a circuit around each exhibition room here in Fudong's new show, much like the drifting characters in Fudong's films themselves.

One half of August is Yang Fudong's second show at Parasol Unit, following his 2006 No Snow on the Broken Bridge exhibition which introduced him to the UK art scene. Born in 1971 in Beijing and now based in Shanghai, Fudong actually trained as a painter in the China Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou and only came to filmmaking seriously in the late 1990's. As with his 2006 show, this is entirely film work and addresses similar themes and conceits with similar tools.

Through the actors he uses in his films, Yang Fudong is concerned with depicting his own generation: young Chinese in their late 20's and early 30's, confused by a China modernising at dizzying speed and hovering between the past and present. The characters we see on screen in his works are young and (usu-

Signing Your Life Away

the complex and terrifying randomly acti“Elevator Gallery Informs you that the art vated tripwires blocking cantine access. works presented by the artist Ben WoodeIn the current exhibition works from this seson throughout the exhibition “Causality” ries include Architectural Garroting Cable involve a very high degree of risk of injury and Subservient Shoe Brush Open Toed Sanor death to visitors… The works constitute a dals Thing. Woodeson’s use of space means severe risk in the following ways: slip, trip, that these works can provide a great source of suffocation, cutting, impact, head trauma… amusement as viewers duck under and scuttle which may result in injuries to the limbs, over them in order to access other parts of the back, head, neck, face, hands, ankles, legs, exhibition. etc.”

Other works on show are from The Causality Introducing Ben Woodeson, a sculptor with Series, the namesake and theme of the exhia complete disregard for his own safety and bition. These pieces investigate the safety of his viewers. His show many of the same concerns and are comprises of sculptures from two “A very high still very much unsafe to have of bodies of work. The first, Health degree of risk around. But there is also a new facet and Safety Violation Series, will that neatly separates them from preresonate with anyone who has of injury or vious works. As the title suggests, ever come up against the oppresdeath” they all have a direct, visible action sive regime of health and safety all and consequence inherent in their too often instituted in this country’s public mechanism. In Ball Droppingly Awesome spaces. In the past this series has led WoodeGlass Sculpture there is a pane of glass lying son to create a scheme of works that throw haphazardly on the gallery floor that is safety concerns right back in the face of the smashed by a small metal ball, which falls lawsuit-conscious institutions where artists from ceiling height. One Shot Pretty Sculpexhibit. In the past his gestures have proture is similarly temporal, but uses matches ceeded from the very small and simple, such rather than glass. These randomly activated as an overand usually self-destructive sculptures act loaded plug more as a performance that leaves a permasocket, all the nent trace in the gallery, than simply a kinetic way through to

14

jects such as statues, spiral staircases and ally) gorgeous to look at, but seem to be either walls. The aim of this piece was to pose quesshellshocked or melancholy, their faces extions about the experience of watching a film pressionless or downbeat and their moveof a film, along with issues of the subconments eerily slow and precise. It is like scious, reality and dream. But it is is not enwatching people underwater, what should be tirely successful in this and the composition dynamism and energy sapped somehow by keeps the viewer more at arms length rather some unseen lethargy. This atmosphere is enthan being immersive. Watching a film about hanced by the use of multiple cameras to film Fudong's films doesn't seem to carry the same the stories, with it being unclear if all the camimpact. eras are running at the same time and shootThe only single-screen work, Ye Jiang (The ing the same set. At times you will think night man cometh) takes place in a frozen you've figured out the positioning of the charwinter landscape and features an acters and the sequence of events.

But such moments of clarity as to Undoubtedely isolated and wounded Chinese warrior from the ancient warlord pehow it all might fit together don't some will write riod musing his destiny via three last long. ghost-like subconscious characters Fudong has three new video of Fudong’s who wander the snow, each seemworks here: Fifth Night, One half of August, 2011, and Ye Jiang (The films as stylish ingly personifying the state of his heart and mind. Again, uncertainty night man cometh). All are techni- irritating pervades - the warrior seems to cally stunning with sharp crisp HD image clarity that enhances the empty games swing from enthusiasms to disappointment, hope to despair. There significance of every glance and is still no linear narrative to latch onto and it gesture; rich colour palettes and striking comis as hyper-real as the other films, particularly positions. Fifth Night's seven synchronized with the exaggerated winter effects and bold screens show a circular, open ended story set costumes straight out of the now ubiquitous in a square of Shanghai's old town at night in Chinese epic martial arts movies. what seems like the 1930s. Carriages, rickUndoubtedly some will write off Fudong's shaws, vintage cars and old suits and hats are films as stylish, irritating, empty games that on display, but the good-looking characters could easily slide into becoming commercials wandering these streets do little other than for Prada or Chanel. It is easy to imagine plod around looking either bored or stunned. sticking a few upmarket handbags into the A constant background hammering on an hands of Fudong's beautiful cast members. anvil only increases the lulling, hypnotic efBut as an immersive visual and audio experifect. Are these people even aware of each ence, strikingly composed, and tinged with other? Are they looking for something? Nothreferences to classic film genres, this show ing is clear, though it is an immersive, lush, should appeal to film as much as art students. and very melancholy experience.

One half of August is an eight-screen, blackOWEN VAN SPALL and-white, HD video installation, for which Yang Fudong projects scenes from some of his Parasol Unit, until November 6. Nearest earlier works onto props, structures and obtube: Old Street.

Mind your feet! Woodeson’s Subeservient Shoe Brush Open Toed Sandals Thing.

Photo Courtesy of Ben Woodeson

sculpture. They take time as their subject matter and make a profound statement about the nature of cause and effect.

As the press release points out, The Causality effect means that the “exhibition will continuously evolve, and no two visits will be the same.” You may not necessarily see all or any of the Causality sculptures acting, but you will see a clear remnant of their past action encapsulated by the new state the sculpture

finds itself in. Although there is the thrill of danger and institutional critique incorporated into all of the works, a draw in and of itself, I urge you also to look deeper into the fabric of the work to see a more pressing motif that Woodeson hides just beneath the surface.

TRAVIS RILEY

Elevator Gallery, Open Friday - Sunday until October 16. Nearest tube: Hackney Wick.

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

A Moment Alone in a Crowded Place Lavinia Greenlaw At Kings Cross International For all of you who have wandered the city’s concourses in a haze of modernist commuter ennui there is in Lavinia Greenlaw’s latest work Audio Obscura, a tailor made antidote.

Based in King’s Cross St Pancras this beguiling piece promised to be “a framed and heightened reflection of the passing world”, a case study to perception, and it certainly delivers.

On arrival you make It is the comyour way through the milling throngs to muter experithe Audio Obscura ence but kiosk near M&S, phone or debit card profoundly at the ready to leave humanised hostage while you borrow a pair of headphones. It was clear that the women patiently manning the piece had been rather more frequently harassed by those confused by their presence than by the art pilgrim’s amongst us; “let me guess, you’re wondering what we are right?” greeted our arrival.

Once you put the headphones on though you seem to be pulled out of reality and into some sort of theatrical montage. A series of voices unfold the personal thoughts and worries of a disparate catalogue of characters ranging from a man too anxious to communicate with the outside world to a painfully venomous scorned elderly woman. The diverse gathering reminded me of a reimagined Canterbury Tale of the modern age, these unrelated traveller’s narratives meeting in Greenlaw’s melting pot and forming a cohesive tapestry of social commentary.

It is, in essence, an experience of amplified voyeurism. The piece not only hints at engagement but actively encourages those within it to associate the audio with the station surroundings, going so far as to instruct you to “follow someone” (an edict I ignored, the internal struggle between authority figures and social acceptability being won by the latter, but which was sorely tempting).

The piece wastes no time dragging you into its alternative world. The haunting whispers that overlap and blur, meld with the natural sounds of the station, at times forming a coincidental synergy. For me one of the strongest turning points came when the French voice’s dulcet tones lamented “he’s going to walk straight past her, he always does, poor man, poor man” and I began to search for this imaginary man and his unrequited, unrecognized love. From this point you can’t help but fall down the rabbit hole.

Every narrative is careful unraveled, and you come to see those around you in a sort of haze, transforming their unaware activities into a performance that is uniquely personal. It is the commuter experience but profoundly humanised.

For a brief omnipotent moment you feel you can see these people’s real lives, you can wonder about their day and their journey as if from inside their thoughts (“everything evaporates and what is there is what’s really there”

The entire concept of visiting a gallery, viewing the various creations that line the walls and bypassing the overpriced handbook guide can be seen as a pretty tedious affair at times.

People often visit these places in a bid to tick the box stating that they have experienced the ‘culture’ of London whilst the actual artwork passes them by, not that they don’t buy a souvenir postcard at the gift shop. The relevance of renowned works of art in our modern society, filled with the instant capabilities of digital cameras, can sometimes seem to be increasingly fading which may in itself present the reasoning behind the influx of purely photographic exhibitions in both small and major London galleries in recent months.

The paintings of famous creative types may tend to be the main reason for a visit to a gallery yet the continuing accessibility and fascination with photography has allowed the format to become more widely accepted on the level of art. The very familiarity of the processes and often the scenes represented creates an immediate connection between the viewer and photographer, inviting a new view

of a familiar world. Over the summer months the Whitechapel gallery devoted its space to the German photographer Thomas Struth, presenting his images of beautiful and extensive panoramas of far off places and, ironically, his photographs of viewers captivated by renowned art and architecture. Though the mechanical process of photography may be a seemingly more literal method of portraying an artistic idea, the photographs merely accepted the theme they were filed under and subsequently moved on to communicate a multitude of different concepts of the human condition, potentially shifting viewers’ previous thoughts and viewpoints of the physical world.

Photography’s predominant use as a means of documentation, both of our surroundings and the people within it, increases the voyeuristic tendencies of our image savvy population. The photograph allows us to study both past and present culture particularly thanks to the celebrities favourite, the paparazzi. The nature of celebrity has only been heightened by the incessant demand for their image and many photographers answer

emerged as poignantly astute). The whole experience for me seems encapsulated in the fragment proffered by our French narrative host, “I want you to know that someone has seen”, said with such empathy it lost the Stasi like connotations and took on an affirmative, comforting aura.

If this seems all overly sentimental and emotive I can only tell you to try it for yourself, for me it was nothing short of profound. This sort of philosophical gushing might tint my opinion as a bit arty but they are the only sorts of terms that really frame the experience Greenlaw gives you. The clichéd condemnation of metropolitans as unerringly individualized merges with more poignant social critique in Greenlaw’s well conceived and brilliantly executed work. VICTORIA YATES Kings Cross St Pancras International Station, until October 23.

Photography Beyond the Paparazzi

“I want you to know that someone has seen” Audio Obscura 2011 Photo by Julian Abrams

this by creating portraits of the figures in the public eye. During the month of September the work of Corrine Day was displayed at the Gimpel Fils contemporary art gallery, summarising her work with The Face magazine during the 80’s and her close association with the career of model Kate Moss. The sense of the photographs as a depiction of one fleeting moment in time allows a certain level of collective response instead of the isolation of personal opinion associated with some forms of art.

Though in the broad narrative of art history, the photographic image registers as only a blip it is evidently enough to affect the climate of art culture, from the main art institutions to the grassroots pop-up galleries. The qualities the medium of photography shares with fine art and those that distinguish it are clearly definitive of a new line in creativity.

ELLIE GREEN

Do you want to add to the debate?

Email arts@london-student.net or tweet @LS_Arts

The Craft in Art With the cluster of craft events surrounding Grayson Perry’s Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman there is suddenly a buzz in the London air. What is it about craft that so catches people’s attention?

I recall a conversation with my late grandfather, he an aged artist, and specialist in sculpture and painting, I an ambitious young fine art student specialising in photography. Although not completely against all contemporary art, he held some very conservative views about contemporary practices. For him the magic stopped with Picasso. I delved deeper to get to the bottom of our disagreement.

He could appreciate that these works were about the concept, but “why couldn’t this involve an appreciation for material and process?” There was no element of craft in the art produced these days. The thing was, his views rang true to me, and invited the question: How was I to have a blazing career in the avant-garde international art scene with this newfound conservative standpoint?

A year or two later I came across the work Articulation, by Tihana Mandusic. In the piece Mandusic had sent away for instructions to make, amongst other things, felting wool and a basket out of rope. This struck a chord with me. Not only was the struggle of the process quite apparent but the objects themselves, the fruits of her labour, were there to see alongside the video of their creation.

Felt making and basket weaving are in their way, quite outdated crafts, I thought back to my grandfather, and something about a performative video artist using these traditional crafts stuck with me. Despite this, I had to ask the question: “where is the actual artistic handiwork being done here?” It took some dexterity to follow these instructions, but so do plenty of things that aren’t considered art.

For me the real artistic skill in the piece was in the filming, performing, and presenting of these objects, not the objects themselves. My interest in craft doesn’t relate to beauty., but what does it stem from? I want an explanation outside of the rather flaccid point of everyone having his or her own personal taste.

I’m fascinated by the Heideggarian idea of readiness-to-hand, the idea that a thing can be absorbed entirely in its use, but then the whole point of a work of art is that its ‘thingly’ nature is not entirely used up in its use. To work at a craft is to experience the full range of possibilities that Heidegger explores. I won’t pretend I’m anywhere near getting to the bottom of the hermeneutics of materials that Heidegger opens up, but I’m excited by the idea that working at a craft gives me a way of trying.

So should we abandon contemporary art in favour of crafts? I think the archaic view that there is no craft in conceptual art is based on the difficulty people have in judging the skills used. If there is no discernable object how can I measure the level of skill involved? In this sense, there is a new set of crafts to be appreciated. HENRY MULHALL What do you think of the Art/Craft debate?

Email arts@london-student.net or tweet @LS_Arts

15

It’s all about the bag...

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

The world of handbag design has long been dominated by the power houses of fashion. But there is a new label to contend with. Meet Carmen Woods, creator, owner and force behing Carmen Woods handbags. Discussing work, childhood and why she loves London style, Play talks to Carmen to find out how to get ahead in the industry without losing your integrity.

By Florence Cornish

The world of fashion design can seem more than a tough nut to crack. Handbag design especially. The Louis Vuitton’s, Mulberry’s and Chanel’s of the industry have definitely put their stamp on the field – making it seem less like a competition and more like a monopoly. So, when I come to interview Carmen Woods, the name and force behind Carmen Woods handbags, it is both refreshing and inspiring to see someone build a business from scratch, without the use of a famous surname or Goliathesque fashion house behind them.

Carmen Woods may not be a name you have heard of right away. But you will certainly recognise it in the future. Blending together high quality leather with continental flair (drawn from her time working on Jael – an label she set up whilst living in Italy), Carmen’ bags are classic yet contempoaray. “I always knew I wanted my own label” she says whilst fighting off the remains of a harsh flu “But I also really wanted a workable business. I love working with expensive materials, but it has to be practical fashion.”

Wise words from a woman who has already seen the likes of Jessie J and Charlotte de Carle sporting her latest pieces.

Based in Essex, family values and personal experiences feature heavily in the collections (Carmen, CW and Animal Skin Collection by CW) even down to the names of her pieces. “I was on holiday in Forta Ventura which is visually stunning. The nature and the animals were all so beautiful”.

Hence naming her CW range after towns on the island.

Papaver Clutch, £225

The obvious question it seems is how did you do it? How does an ordinary person, with a love of fashion and a drive to create something for themselves start up a business in a world so dominated by the Big 5? (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, Burberry and Yves Saint Laurent). “It is overwhelming. I made a lot of

mistakes, the main one being that I was too creatively minded when I started the label. You need to think about it as a viable business, not just an artistic project”.

Having studied Fashion and Textile Design at Ravensbourne College, and later taking a business diploma in Brighton, by 2008 Carmen Woods - the label - was up and running. More than a little impressive.

This brings me to my next question – what is your best piece of advice to any student or graduate looking to break into the industry?

Where internships and even less frequently, jobs are viciously fought for, what can you do to truly stand out? To my pleasant surprise the answer is not “Put your job before everything else” or worse “Push all competition out of the way to get ahead”. It is simply “Just be yourself. Always be yourself. If you are honest and hardworking, people will warm to you and trust you.” So does this mean that the industry has become soft? That employers now value the ‘likeability factor’ (yes it is a quote from the X Factor – judge what you will) over all else?

“By all means it takes a lot of

This Week I’m Making...

Punk Rock Tee

16

Step 1: This is probably one of the easiest customisations you will ever do and the results look great. Start by putting on the tshirt and marking with pins or chalk where you want to cut the sleeves.

Step 2: Lay the shirt down on a flat surface and cut along the line that you marked, bearing in mind to follow the curve of where the sleeve joins the body.

Step 3: Trim the shirt if it does need to be altered. Then cut along the bottom of the tee to shorten it how you like. If you’re feeling brave, make it a crop top.

If not, just chop off a little length to give it a more worn-in look.

work. The trick is to stay simple. If I could go back in time, I would have started with my diffusion range not my main collection” – a rare hint at encountering difficulties amidst her impossibly serene exterior.

Filbert satchel, £335

Affordable, quality and style are the epitome of the Carmen Woods handbags. “In the future?

I’d love to expand into home wares. Also to create stores which feature more designers than just myself. I think it is really important to give people a variety of items.” Achieving a broad enough range of designs to suit shoppers from humble student to renowned fashion editor. The future of the brand remains to be seen, but there is no doubt in my mind that we will be seeing the initials CW almost as much as CC in the coming years.

Visit www.carmenwoods.com to see all the collections and shop online.

Step 4: Fit the shirt one last time making sure that it is exactly how you want it and pair with some embellished shorts, a leather biker jacket and suede ankle boots.

One last thing, don’t hem the edges, leave them raw. Easy.

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

Hannah Lee Hannah was the first fresher spotted for her style. Her mix of denim and leopard print formed a quirky interpretation of Shoreditch chic, while her accessories added a classic touch. Hannah cites her style as ‘a mess’ and looks to Kate Moss and Blake Lively for fashion inspiration.

Nicole Nadig

Nicole was spotted for bringing some of her NYU style to London. The vibrant print pays homage to the A/W trend, and her colour clash of red lips and blue dress made her stand out from the crowd. Her ultimate style icon is Joanna Hillman of Harper’s Bazaar, and she describes her own style as ‘eclectic’ and ‘girly’.

Freshers Fashion

SPOTTED! At the ULU Freshers’ Fayre, we sought out the most stylish of this year’s fashion fleet.

By Kate Vine

You never forget your first time...

There are many firsts in a girl’s life. The first time she leaves home...the first time she she drinks too much...the first time she realises how much debt she’s willing to go into for that dress...but none will compare to her very. first. FASHION WEEK. By Kate Vine derland to shame. Most were there for that moment alone, to be photographed by bloggers and find their faces online – those of us there for the shows were oddly in the minority. Opening the week was Paul Costelloe in the central tent – and for the first time I had a ticket.

As a student of King’s College London, I have from my first year had close-up sightings of London Fashion Week. Held at Somerset House, LFW meant that walking to my lectures at college was like wandering through a parade of wild hats, sky scraping heels and models that could each really use a donut.

While exciting, it was also brutal; as a fashion fanatic I was so close to the action – and yet still that crucial step away. I was constantly on the periphery, and it made me hunger all the more for the shows, the clothes and the industry insiders within. Twice a year, I would decide that next time I would make it in, next time I would find a way to see just one of the catwalks that strutted down the British Fashion Council tent that filled the courtyard. This year, as newly appointed Fashion Editor, I finally got my wish.

Simple, it was not. The first step was to apply for a press pass because, as the website sternly informs you, LFW is not open to the public. I filled out the relevant online forms, offering evidence that I was a member of the press through photos of my articles and links to the London Student website. Sufficient proof, no? It was a whole, excruciating month until my application was finally accepted, and believe me, that was a good day.

Next, came the appeals to designers’ press teams for tickets to their LFW shows. The best bet is to simply apply to them all, and hope for the best. The press teams are as unpredictable as John Galliano, and there was no telling who would offer you a place. A few days before fashion week began, I was greeted in the office by six invitations. Not bad for a rooky.

Tara Parks Tara was chosen for her laid back and effortless look. The eccentric scarf gives the outfit a priceless individuality, and her translucent top gives a nod to the sheer trend of the season. She currently studies Chinese at SOAS, and says her attitude to clothes is “relaxed, casual and bohemian.”

Diana Ihring Diana was immediately spotted for her unusual and eclectic ensemble. Her mustard tights are the perfect Autumn staple for any wardrobe, and her feminine dress works perfectly with her androgynous boots. Also a SOAS student, Diana looks to charity shops and vintage boutiques for her characterful pieces.

I woke up on Friday 16th September, feeling like it was my first Christmas. I had two outfits prepared, one for my inner dare devil and one for my nervous self. Nervous won out that morning, and I walked into the courtyard top to toe in black; T-shirt, high waist jeans and my favourite heeled lace-up boots. My friend Amy (fashion editor at Queen Mary’s CUB Magazine) was dressed equally demure, we were there to see, not to be seen. Others, however took a different approach. Stood around the front were rows of loyal fashionistas, out in their Tim Burton finest to put Alice in Won-

The queue was long and hazardous, but thanks for the green sticker on my invite I was lead in to my (THIRD ROW!) seat before trails of others. Inside was like a contemporary fairy land, the photographers larger than life at the end of the catwalk, the atmosphere electric. As the show began, the flashes were incessant and from every angle, and the models walked tall down the catwalk. To see the originals of the collection was indescribable, and from my seat I could see the intricacies of the design and construction.

As the weekend wore on, the shows grew more and more eccentric. At an old warehouse location on New Oxford Street, Corrie Nielson’s show was a surreal promenade of oriental style interspersed with modern shapes. The models this time glided down the catwalk in a slow motion walk, while the setting itself was lit dim scattered lights creating a bizarrely serene effect. Other shows were more dynamic, with models marching together in a unified form down the length of the venue, and the Exhibition was a sartorial maze of clothes, shoes and accessories.

Celebrity sightings included Nicola Roberts and Hilary Alexander, but I was unfortunately not invited to the already legendary Mulberry show that sported Kate Moss and Kristen Stewart on its front row.

While LFW was great fun, it was also hard work. Many venues are not at Somerset House which lead to much racing around London, and the seemingly limitless queuing is hard on the feet (after the first day, I took flats in my handbag for transfers and tube journeys). It can be difficult to navigate the venues, and to photograph the right people, but as with most fashion events, working LFW is a skill to be practiced. Am I looking forward to the next one? Definitely yes, but it will never be as exciting as the first show, when the lights went down and the first model stepped out.

17

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 1

Interview with ‘The Great

British Bake- Off Contestant Jason White

‘Chef Jae’ aka Jason White, recent contestant on ‘The Great British Bake Off’, the latest cookery extravaganza to hit BBC 2 on a tuesday night, paid London Student a visit last week. He brought with him freshly baked Lemon and Rasberry Cupcakes and Pear and Apple turnovers, which were both delicious, in particular the cupcakes. The cake itself was beautifully light and moist, infused with tangy chunks of fresh raspberry. The icing on top was sweet, yet not too sickly, with a refreshingly sharp flavour from the lemon curd. Jason explained to us that pink lemonade provided the inspiration for the lemon/ raspberry flavour combination. He has given us his recipe, so why not try it for yourself?

Baking is on trend once again; from niche bakeries such as ‘Hummingbird’ selling their recipe books to the masses to online bloggers giving tips on how to make the perfect frosting, baking is no longer confined to the WI cake competition as witnessed in ‘Calendar Girls’ or the Mr Kipling pre- packaged variety. Jason is an inspiration to all aspiring bakers; entirely self- taught, he promotes the philosophy that ‘anyone can bake’.

He is refreshingly modest about his achievements, and happily tells us about his biggest baking disaster, attemptng to make a Baked Alaska aged 13; ‘the recipe book said to whip the egg- whites into soft peaks, I didn’t know what this meant, so I whisked them by hand.

A few bubbles appeared, so I added the egg on top, thinking it was fine. It didn’t turn out well’. He has come a long way since then, in particular during his journey on the Great British Bake Off. He describes his macaroons, highly rated by harsh judge Mary Berry, which contributed to him winning

Bea’s of Bloomsbury Review

: 44 Theobald’s Road, WC1X 8NW

Behind an unassuming café front, Bea’s of Bloomsbury is loved by many and it’s easy to see why. Established in 2008 by Michelin trained Bea Vo, the cafe has a sound philosophy and a staff almost as sweet as their cakes. The food (not to mention the

18

‘star baker’ in the biscuit week as his greatest achievement to date. Jason’s blog, ‘Preheat the Oven’ contains plenty more delicious recipes and photos to depict what the finished product should look like. My personal favourites are the Apple and Cinnamon cupcakes which use custard powder to create a creamy vanilla icing, and the Cheese and Onion Tear and Share loaf. Have a look yourself at preheattheoven.wordpress.com.

An engineering student at Loughborough university, Jason adopts a precise scientific approach to his baking. He explains that baking requires more accuracy than other styles of cooking. He is currently taking a year out to focus on his baking; hopefully The Great British Bake Off has only been the start of his baking career.

We had a lovely long chat with Chef Jae, so check out the London Student Food web page to see our video interview.

HELENA GOODRICH

Recipe: Method: The cupcakes: preheat the oven to 180°C (170°C fan)/350°F/gas mark 4 and fill a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. In a bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy using an electric hand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Combine the flours and add half to the bowl, beat until smooth. Pour in the milk and lemon curd, beat once again, followed by the remaining flour, beat until smooth. Gently fold the crushed raspberries into the mixture (leaving visible streaks of fruit).

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, filling each no more than twothirds full (this should be about 60g of

Ingredien ts for the cup cakes 125g unsa lted butter, softened 175g caste r su

gar 3 medium eggs 125g self-r aising flou r 65g plain flour 45ml milk , at room te mperature 3 tablespo ons lemon c urd 80g raspb erries, cru s h ed with a fork for the bu ttercream frosting 80g unsalt ed 40ml lemo butter, softened n juice, at room tem perature 320g icing sugar, sifte d for the dec oration 1½ tablesp oons lemo n curd cake mix if you’re being precise) and bake for 20 minutes before rotating the tin and baking for further 5-7 minutes until risen and golden (and an inserted skewer comes out clean). Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The buttercream frosting: beat the butter with the lemon juice and half the icing sugar until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar, a heaped spoonful at a time, to produce a thick and creamy mixture. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle and pipe onto each cupcake. Decorate each with a drizzle of lemon curd and a raspberry on top.

JASON WHITE

décor) is gorgeous on the eyes and even better on the tastebuds. I went to try an afternoon tea and recieved a sky-high sugar rush.

The full afternoon tea arrives on a quirky, three tiered stand. It includes savoury baguettes, scones with lashings of clotted cream and jam, homemade passionfruit marshmallow, Valrhona brownies and Belgian blondies, almond financiers, miniature rum and raisin cheesecake, macaroons, signature cupcakes and, of course, tea.

The home-baked baguettes were filled with mouthwatering ingredients such as brie, chorizo and salmon. For a sweet tooth, however, the cakes stole the show. Deliciously tart raspberry buttercream topped a rich chocolate cake, while a second light vanilla sponge hid under blueberry covered lemon frosting. It comes as no surprise they were amongst TimeOut’s list of London’s best cupcakes.

Little could be faulted with the meal. The light, crumbly scones weren’t too sweet, the weightless marshmallow was packed with

sharp flavour and the presentation was beautifully quaint. That all elements were freshly handcrafted was really evident, and all this for £15! What’s more, if you’re not as gluttonous as my friend and I who ploughed through the lot, any leftovers are packed for the journey home.

Why not try baking yourself? Tea with Bea, the business’ first cookbook, is now available in store and online. Featuring over 60 favourite recipes from the shop – everything from red velvet cake to raspberry marshmallows – it’s easier on the student purse strings and a great starting point from which to experiment with your own ideas. Bea herself will also host a series of ‘baking the book’ classes.

It’s not a flashy afternoon tea venue like the Ritz or the Wolsey, Yet what Bea’s lacks in celebrity is more than made up for by its unique, intimate charm. Afternoon tea is all too often considered a formal occasion so the cafe’s egalitarian pricing makes it something we can all indulge in more frequently.

For those not close to Bloomsbury, there are branches in St. Pauls and Chelsea. Bea’s has also joined Borough Market breakaways – St. John’s Bakery, Monmouth Coffee and Neal’s Yard Dairy – in Druid Street railway arches, selling their favourite sweat treats from the shops every Saturday morning, from 8am – 1pm.

RAE BOOCOCK

Dining out...

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 1

Cheap student eats accross London

The Marquis of Cornwallis

(84 the Cut, Waterloo, SE1 8LW, http://www.culturegrub.co.uk)

There are days, such as last week’s final gasp of summer, when we tend to crave light, simple meals of leafy greens and grilled fish, enjoyed languidly and alfresco. However, as the mercury duly plummets and darkness sets in, we remember that there are also times when you’d like nothing more than to hastily stuff your face with carbs. When you feel that inevitable urge, few places will satisfy more than Culture Grub, a terribly named and totally innocuous Chinese restaurant on The Cut. What Culture doesn’t offer is artful, lovingly prepared noodle dishes- head to Koya on Frith Street if that’s what you’re after. They do however specialise in huge plates of noodles and rice, all under the £6.50 mark, which are very moreish and filling in the extreme. Noodles come either in broth, with sauce or wok-fried, and I’d recommend sticking with the latter. From there you pick your preferred meat option (there’s always mixed meat for the undecided carnivore) and wait about 5 minutes for your food. The roasted pork and duck vermicelli is always excellent, tender and with a smoky char siu tang. As for sides, all the standard Anglo-Chinese options are available here. Standout choices include the hot and sour soup, which is sinus-clearingly punchy, and the crunchy, salty bundles that are the crispy fried won tons.

The service gives new meaning to the term perfunctory, and at times I’ve feared being stabbed with a chopstick after repeatedly asking for tap water.

Loitering post refuel really isn’t advisable, and you’re often handed the bill as you’re swallowing your last mouthful. To be fair, you’re not paying for smiles and small talk; this is rapid fire canteen dining that does what it says on the tin.

So don’t be put off. Culture Grub is cheap, satisfying and a little bit dirty.

You’ll love it.

NATASHA BLOOR

Culture Grub 31 Marchmont Street, London, WC1N 1AP

438 Kingsland Rd, Hackney

By Maya Korn

At a first glance you may be put off

by The Marquis of Cornwallis, it does after all exude a gastro-pub like aura.

However, on entering the pub you instantly feel at home and it’s this intangible quality that keeps on drawing me back- well that and the amazing food.

The food at The Marquis of Cornwallis is no ordinary 'pub grub'. Although they may serve all the classics, the food very often has a modern day twist to it, such as the salmon and smoked trout fish cakes or the lamb shank shepherd’s pie.

Furthermore, the food is locally sourced and the menu changes with the seasons, so there is always something new and tempting to try. In particular, Sundays are a must, as they dish up a heavenly homecooked roast with all the trimmings.

If that doesn’t entice you, then the brunch menu will, with eggs Benedict, bacon chops with artichoke and a traditional breakfast, being just a few of the delights served up. Food prices range from £7 to £15 for a main course and although some may say this is rather steep for a student, I think the prices really reflect the high quality of food. Also let’s be honest once in a while you just have to treat yourself.

Aside from the food, as pubs go The Marquis of Cornwallis really has it all. From large comfy leather sofas to board games to real ale, there are plenty of ways for you to entertain yourself. So if you’re looking for a new local pub or just somewhere to eat and drink like a Marquis- I would highly recommend that you pay a visit to The Marquis of Cornwallis.

SAPNA SIAN

It’s the season when last minute students like me are trying to find a place to live for the coming academic year. On one unsuccessful house viewing in Dalston, I stumbled across ‘The Haggerston’, a renovated dive bar formerly know as ‘Uncle Sam’s’ that has risen phoenix like from the ashes to become a trendy pub, favoured by an East- London hipster crowd. The grub on offer specialises in very thin crusted pizza with a flurry of extravagant toppings. I sampled a seasonal special, the very fresh fig and basil. The pizza is big enough to share, relatively healthy (see the beetroot, spinach, courgette, artichoke and olive), and reasonably priced (starting at £6.50). The rest of the menu is equally unusual; the French classic Moules Marinieres (mussels) is only £7.50. It’s well worth a trip into trendy town to sample the well priced gourmet cuisine.

Unfortunately drinks wise it isn’t so cheap, although they do include a varied selection of alcohol. Drinks on tap starts at around £3.70 for a pint or glass of wine and a single spirit mixer will set you back £4. The atmosphere ranges from unbearably busy with hoards of people clustered around a table, robbed of seats to extremely empty in the daytime.

Also notable is the ‘Sunday Night Jazz’ with Uncle Sam’s Jazz Band for a relaxed end to the week. Overall this is a pub of varied experiences, as well as food.

MAYA CORN

Get Coffee Cookbook Review:

Good Food’s latest book promises simple and healthy recipes for students on a budget.

It includes classics such as a Chicken Caesar salad, Spagetti Bolognese or Cottage Pie, as well as more unusual dishes such as Halloumi with Couscous and Chickpea Salsa or Spanish Bean Stew. It has sections on ‘Express Dinners’ practical for if you’re cooking in a hurry, and the ‘Food for Friends’ section is a nice addition for any ‘Come Dine with me’ fans. Recipes for the perfect Steak and Chips or Sweet and Sticky ribs will be popular with carnivores whilst the Thai Coconut and Veg Broth and the Spicy vegetable eggfried rice are amongst the tasty vegetarian alternatives. The ‘Easy Puds’ sedction offers recipes for classics such as Bread and Butter Pudding and an Apple Berry Crumble. The book is practical, being small enough to carry around, and gives clear in-

The Haggerston

structions. It uses an interesting range of ingredients, for example, Mexican Veggie Wraps made using butternut squash. This is definitely a cut above the average student nosh: the recipes look tasty and it’s a great book for novice chefs.

HELENA GOODRICH

Competition!

Cooking failures, in particular the ones that leave you confused and covered in sauce, can make you want to cry, and swear off using ovens for weeks. I once drunkenly tried to combine couscous, alphabetti spaghetti and soy sauce - who knows what I was thinking there, but even in my inebriated state it tasted bad. A student who will remain anonymous once tried to make soup by mixing white lightning, tea bags and vegetable stock- need I even comment? So whatever your cooking disasters, we want to hear about them; the funnier and the messier the better. Send in 100 words or less to play.food@london-student.net by 17/10/2011. Our 5 favourites will receive a copy of the Good Food Student Cookbook, to help you with your future cooking endeavours, and they will be published in the next issue.

Tayyabs Nestled behind Whitechapel’s East End Mosque, Tayyabs has for the past 30 years been London’s go-to place for “authentic” Pakistani fodder - or so I’ve been told by a throng of foodies who talk about it with an almost seminal avidity. Queuing for an hour and a half on a Thursday to eat dinner is something completely new to me, and the experience definitely allowed ample time to reflect on more than whether I wanted a lamb or chicken Karahi (in between consoling my agitated dining partner). Admittedly, the aforementioned posse did recommend I book in advance in same fervour with which they waxed lyrical about the Karahi Lamb chops and Tandoori Roti, but I guess I learned my lesson – the Tayyabs way.

Arriving at our table 90 minutes after entering the joint (and feeling somewhat spiritually enlightened) the time had finally come to savour the many delights on show around us. Peering at the plates of the privileged few whilst in the line that snaked round the restaurant gave me a good idea of what I wanted to order, so no time was wasted in hollering one of the fraught waiters to order a starter of Lamb chops, followed by a Chicken Karahi. My vegetarian friend opted for the Karahi Dhal Tarka with a side of pilau rice and after enjoying watching a couple of chefs squabble over what appeared to be a burnt popadom from our courtside seats next to the kitchen, the food finally arrived.

Four lamb chops are served sizzling hot on a miniature griddle, with a small salad relish and whilst packing some serious spice, the meat was a little too dry to ignore. It’s a shame because the garam masala seasoning would have perfectly complemented what should have been a succulent chop. I dipped into my chicken Karahi whilst gnawing at the chops, fearing my hard worked for prize would turn cold – a fate unthinkable at the time. I order Karahi at nearly every Pakistani/Indian restaurant I visit due to the diversity of the dish – it’s almost always made using a different recipe. Tayyabs officially has the best Karahi in London, England, Europe, The World, The Universe (for now). The hunks of marinated chicken are more tender than a night with Don Draper, and the rich masala smothering them even more spicy.

Garnished with finely chopped coriander, and served in a deep metal bowl, the Chicken Karahi is a real winner.

Despite the wait, the poor service, and the dry chops, I would recommend Tayyabs if only for the Karahi and exceptional range of sides. This is traditional Pakistani fare at its best; just book in advance unless you want some sort of paneer enduced epiphany in the queue.

TOM ALVAREZ

19

Planning to Interrail?

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

The train from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport hosted so much excitement and trepidation, it almost derailed. A friend and I had planned to go interrailing for the month in March on the Ancient Arab premise: “Who lives sees much. Who travels sees more.” And we saw a lot. Cue lengthy list: Budapest, Pécs, Sarajevo, Mostar, Ljubljana, Bled, Salzburg, Vienna, Munich, Prague, Krakow, Berlin and Amsterdam. So many thoughts crossed our minds that morning, not just the anticipation of the sights and sounds of continental Europe, but also the potential perils and pitfalls of rough rail travel in the East.

on the train from Sarajevo. To say it was pouring it down would be a major understatement. The welcoming deluge of Slovenian rain soaked us through and to make matters worse, it took us two hours, a fight and a fall-out to find the elusive Hostel Celica! Chosen as the “hippest hostel in the world”

by Lonely Planet, it was worth the search.

This former military prison had been transformed into an arty youth hostel.

The resulting impression was a combination of the Tate Modern and Holloway.

“Who lives sees Sitting on the train from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport with much. Who backpacks in our laps, all the planning travels sees seemed futile. We couldn’t predict what more.” would happen. I couldn’t prepare for

Due to those perils, we meticulously planned our route through Europe, provisionally booking hostels in each city. This proved to be a wise move as we were able to get settled in as soon as we found each hostel. We scoured the web for travel insurance and found the best offer. Being essentially skint, we budgeted for every day, taking into account hostel prices, food and fun.

Trains: prepare to see a lot of them.

Every train journey was chosen and written down - although it wasn’t set in stone. Naturally, trains were missed. I even made lists of popular tourist attractions and famous landmarks, lazily pasted from the Lonely Planet website.

There was only one minor incident, in Ljubljana. We arrived at the station at midnight, having been drinking Borovnicevec with friends we had made

How do you plan for a month abroad?

the feelings of fright that came to me on the first night in Bosnia, nor could I foresee the kindness of strangers, who cooked for us and guided us. We didn’t plan to become obsessed with smoky underground bars and jazz clubs, nor did we plan to visit McDonald’s about a thousand times for the toilets and reliable food.

Severely hung-over in Sarajevo, nothing could have prepared me for the winding coach journey to the beautiful city of Mostar.

What I’m trying to say is, you’ll never be truly ready or prepared to travel; like life, you just have to do it.

BEN JACKSON

London: A Foreign Perspective When we think of ‘travel’, we often think of exotic places and different cultures. Yet every year, people travel to London to study - and it’s often their first time out of their native country. Here, Steve Tan, who graduated from the University of London this year and is now a freelance photographer for Lonely Planet, offers his view on arriving in London, along with some tips for foreign students.

Wow, am I really here?

It was the first time I had set foot outside of my home country of Canada. I needed to get out and do something different and then inspiration, along with my school’s study abroad exchange programme, struck.

Voila, here I was in London!

London was so much better than what I’d imagined it to be and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on visiting magnificent European beauties immediately after arrival.

The people were lovely and way too hospitable with their lovely “pleases” and “thank you’s” in their charming accents – they love helping you! I had Marmite for the first time and listened to

20

Stephen Fry afterwards and have decided: nothing beats British comedy.

Moving to London was a surreal feeling.

There was as much fun as I could possibly want to have, with street performers at Covent Garden, random flash mobs at Southbank, amazing personas at Trafalgar Square, break dancing at Piccadilly Circus and theatre on the West End offering something for everyone.

Coming to London – these three words – carry powerful meanings. It’s a life changer and you will leave thinking you’re a fully fledged Brit. I’m still having withdrawals after leaving London and it feels weird to be home in Canada. Less people, more beavers, less pubs, more trees, less potatoes and more maple syrup.

Through immersion with the life in London, I no longer think Canada is that great. For one, there aren’t any Tesco Express stores near me! I’ve made many new amazing lifelong friends and London has definitely changed me for the better to face future challenges and obstacles in different environments. London, you will be sorely missed.

Wow, I was really there.

STEVE TAN

Steve Tan: a UoL graduate

Must Have Travel Apps

PLAY | Volume 32, Issue 2

The advent of the smartphone has meant a creation of a multitude of travel apps that can ease and smooth the occasional grisly, spiky and down right frustrating aspects that inevitably come with a big trip a yonder. Here are some of the best.

1

the world. Simply choose your departure and arrival station and let the app do its thing. Once you’ve downloaded the city you want it works completely offline - a great feature for travelling abroad. An added bonus is the tourist ‘must-sees’ that you can select, which will guide you to the nearest metro station.

Google Translate Price: Free Platform: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

A translator app is perhaps the most useful and important one to have if you do not speak the local lingo. Google Translate contains hundreds of languages, many of which it will actually speak for you.

Although you may seem a little crass thrusting a talking gadget into the local man’s face, it is great for communication.

Perhaps the only drawback is that it does not translate without internet connection.

Roaming charges are so wallet-cripplingly vast that your trip budget will be ravished upon before you can say, “Look what my clever little app can do!” Google’s half answer to this is to allow offline storage of any phrases you have translated before. So simply select your essential phrases (“Do you have anything without chicken’s feet?”) while you have Wi-Fi and you’re good to go.

Other options would be fully offline translator dictionaries. For instance, Pleco is an offline Chinese dictionary, very useful for those hard to predict situations.

Trip Advisor Price: Free Platform: iPhone, Android

2

The Trip Advisor app draws upon all the information from its gigantic online database and arranges into a very pleasing, smooth and speedy interface. It will locate where you are and find the best places to stay or eat and list the top things to do as rated by independent users. The reviews often have photos and the app also allows the user to browse forums and itineraries proposed by others. Its downfall is its lack of offline functioning so do your research on that hostel before you turn up to find out the “rustic dorm room with nature shower” is in fact a shed with a leaking gutter.

3

MetrO Price: Free Platform: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

Metro systems are now peppering the world’s cities and are the perfect transport for the traveller without the time to wander romantically around the city’s sprawling streets. MetrO contains information on metro systems from over 400 cities around

6

Monopoly Price: 69p Platform: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

A classic game to while away the transit hours with a travel companion or two. This app version is surprisingly addictive and you’ll quickly become as aggressive a property mogul as you do with the board game. A warning though: do not play with overly competitive travellers on a train or somewhere with a similar lack of exits. There is little worse than hours on a train with monopoly grumpiness.

MetrO: An essential for finding your way from A - B.

4

XE Currency Price: Free Platform: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

A currency converter is obviously useful and there are a huge number of apps catering for it. XE Currency keeps things simple, smooth and boasts a huge amount of different currency while also being free. You can’t go wrong with it.

5

Kindle Price: Free Platform: iPhone, Android, Blackberry For long, lugubrious train journeys or tiresome flights a good read will surely pass the time with greater ease. The Kindle app gives you access to the Kindle online store, a veritable online library with a huge collection. Of course there isn’t quite the oaky satisfaction of flicking through and finishing a book but it means that you can have with you hundreds of books as opposed to having a few with you in your bag. In addition to the discount that you will often get with the ‘eB-ook’ version of a book, anything beyond copyright (older than 100 years) will often be free or very minimal. So you can acquire the whole catalogue of Shakespeare for just 15p.

7

Fatbooth Price: 69p Platform: iPhone, Android

You may not think of Fatbooth as being quintessentially travel compatible but there is little more entertaining than taking photos of enthusiastic children (with their parents’ consent of course) and ‘fatboothing’ them. Baldbooth is Fatbooth’s sister app and is also cause for great laughs.

Instagram Platform: iPhone Price: Free

8

At uni, it's pretty hard to impress with post gap-year pictures of you tubing in Laos, going to the full moon party or doing the Inca trail. You may even feel like your exotic summer mission was pretty average. You may even feel like everyone you know has done exactly the same thing as you. Calm down and get yourself an Instagram. Not only do the photos it takes make you look about eight times cooler than you actually are, but give the impression that you have mastered the art of time travel. Yes, it makes you and everything you do look like it was in the seventies. Who cares if everyone's got the same stories about Koh San road? You were there during Woodstock.

Monopoly: Not for sore losers

9

FML. Platform: Android, Blackberry, iPhone So you're on a bus, it's 45 degrees and stormy, you haven't eaten in 26.5 hours and the guy sitting next to you smells of dried blood. You realise the journey's actually going to take 40 hours instead of 14. A baby is then violently sick on you, your passport and the smelly man (who then starts to smell even worse.) In these situations, indulging in the FML misfortunes of others can bring a bit of context to your troubles, such as here: "Today, I walked in on my daughter trying to tan herself with a regular desk lamp. She won't believe that it wouldn't give her a tan. She is 16. FML."

Or...

10

The last resort Platform: Any! Price: Free (Apart from the cost of a new phone...)

Seriously, it's your fault for bringing a 200 quid piece of technology to India during the monsoon. It's going to break; either stolen by a monkey, human, or swept away in a storm. You couldn't afford insurance, so you are now the proud owner of an expensive black tile. Cheer up though; if you put a wily eye to it, opportunities start to arise.

Whoever thought you'd get your own personal beer mat, opaque sunglasses, kneepad (singular), shovel and (if you're really scraping the barrel) knuckleduster all in one. Nice one Steve Jobs, you got us a bargain.

WORDS BY MICHAEL JARVIS AND LOUISE CALLAGHAN

21

LISTINGS The Yellow Sea Amidst the Institute of Contemporary Arts film program nestles Hong-Jin Na’s The Yellow Sea. It is the follow up to The Chaser, an ultra-dark crime thriller that made waves. This time Na takes an out of luck taxi driver as his subject, and follows him on a voyage of desperation and murder. The film found it's way into the official Cannes, Un Certain Regard selection and promises to be one of the best crime movies of the year.

Running from 21 October 2011 to 30 October 2011 at the ICA.

Who Made Objects of Ritual and Ornament?

The British museum always has a great array of free talks and events. This one specifically correlates with Grayson Perry’s current exhibit, Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, and should add a great deal to the experience of the exhibition, as well as being generally interesting and informative as they always are. At the British Museum ,Tuesday 18 October, from 13.15pm

Chelsea Psychic Garden Boasting the world’s oldest rock garden, the Chelsea Psychic Garden offers a relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of London city life. The garden is located on Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HS and is open until 30 October. Entrance for concessions is £5.00.

Experimental Food Society Spectacular This annual event returns to London and consists of three parts (an exhibition, a themed banquet and a talk – tickets purchased separately). A must for foodies. Running between October 22 and 23, various locations across London.

See www.experimentalfoodsociety.com for more information.

Saved A timely revival of edward Bond's controversial masterpiece. Originally banned for its for its brutal and uncompromising portrayal of urban life, the piece was central to the eventual abolition of theatre censorship. Showing at the Lyric Hammersmith from October 6 to November 5.

Causality Ben Woodeson’s remarkable self-destructive exhibition has found its way onto all sorts of must-see lists including our own (see the Arts Section p14 for more information). Plus you have to take a big red elevator just to get to the gallery space! It’s closing Oct 16, so don’t miss out. At the Elevator Gallery.

Kvetch A brand new production of Stephen Berkoff's award winning comedy, featuring acclaimed perfomance artist Dickie Beau. This controversial picture of urban paranoia is likely to be well worth a visit. Showing at the King's Head Theatre from October 9 to November 4.

Bloomsbury Festival A free programme of over 150 events, taking place in over 50 venues… all on the door-step of the University of London Union. Expect art, tours, poetry, crafts, music, dance and food. Some events must be booked prior to attending. The Festival runs from October 21 to October 23. See www.bloomsburyfestival.org.uk for futher information.

James Richards Having missed the opportunity to review this show, the Arts section would like to recommend James Richards’ show at the Chisenhale gallery. Richards works with sound, sculpture, and video to create works that are not only surprisingly emotionally expressive, but also very consciously engaged in a their relationship with the audience and current topics, specifically mass media. At the Chisenhale Gallery, 23 September - 20 November.

One Man, Two Guvnors If you missed it first time around, here's your chance to see the Richard Bean's smash hit comedy based on Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters and starring James Corden in the lead role. Showing at the Adelphi Theatre until February 25.

Heroes from Zero Spend a colourful morning with Ignatius Sancho – first Black Briton to vote in a UK election - Princess Caroline of Brunswick, Queen Elizabeth I and Admiral Nelson on this guided walk through London’s oldest royal park (Grenwich Park) and the surrounding area. Sunday 16 October, from 11am.

Concessionary tickets cost £7.50. See www.eventbrite.com/event/2132530456 for more information.

Black History Month Events are taking place across the country this October to highlight issues associated with Black History Month 2011.

Boroughs across London are organising individual events, including talks, film screenings, lectures, walks and exhibitions. Throughout October. See www.black-history-month.co.uk for further information.

Celebrating Forty Years of Mr Benn and Thirty Years of Danger Mouse An interesting exhibition – with works on sale - in tribute to Mr Benn and Danger Mouse, both celebrating anniversaries this year. The exhibition showcases some of the original cels for Mr Benn, alongside illustrations and signed editions of Mr Benn books. Runs until 15 October at The Illustration Cupboard, 22 Bury St.

Josie Long – The Future is Another Place Recently earning an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination, Josie Long brings her pleasantly charged material to London. From 19 October to 22 October at the Soho Theatre, Dean Street.

Switchfoot Live in London

This November friends and fans of the 2011 Grammy winning band Switchfoot can get themselves in on the heart of the action as Switchfoot tour Europe.

22

Sink the Pink Dig-out the spandex, coif-back your hair and learn some flamboyant moves with the camp dance troupe, the Breakfast Club. Bethanl Green Working Men’s Club, Tuesday nights, £10 per class, 7.00pm – 10.30pm. See www.sinkthepinklondon.com for more information.

Switchfoot’s live show is bigger than most... something to do with rock and surf and a way of living that is optimistic to the very core. As live shows go, rarely do they come packed with quite so much life.

Tuesday 8 November, doors 6.30pm

At the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, London, W12 8TT. www.o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk.

Tickets available from www.gigantic.com/switchfoot. Further information from the tour website www.switchfoot.co.uk

ALL

PLAY

AND NO WORK 23