Issue #1 - December 2018
Media Magazine
OWEN PETCH TALKS 2AM
Media Magazine
Contents... FILM : - Bohemian Rhapsody Review ........................... pages 4/5 - The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Review ............................................... pages 6/7 - Sound in Film .................................................. pages 8/9 MUSIC : - The History of Carnaby Street ......................... pages 12/13 - Interview with Owen Petch .............................. pages 14/15 - So Here’s The Thing With Emo ........................ pages 16/17 ART : - The Beauty of Film Photography ..................... - JJ. Waller - Capturing the essence of Brighton and Inspiring the Amateur ................ - The View ........................................................ - Poetry Corner .................................................
Page 1
pages 20/21 pages 22/23 pages 24/25 pages 26/27
FIL
LM
Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox
Bohemian Rhapsody, the ambitions biopic exploring the rise of Queen and the emotional story of Freddie Mercury’s life. There was a lot of hesitation from the public as well as critics, before the release, surrounding the fact the original director, Brian Singer, was removed from the production and replaced by Dexter Fletcher. As well as this, it seemed unfathomable to try and capture the complex character of Freddie Mercury. However, there was no need for concern, as the film has turned out to be very popular. Rami Malek did a marvellous job at portraying the majesty of Freddie Mercury. In fact, all the cast fantastically captured their characters. The film mainly focuses on Freddie Mercury’s tribulations throughout the 70’s and 80’s. We start off by witnessing the humble beginnings of Farrokh Bulsara, working as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport. In his free time going to see his favourite band, Smile, the band consists of two of his future bandmates Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Rodger Taylor (Ben Hardy). It just so happens, the evening a young Bulsara introduces himself to the band, is the same evening the lead singer quits. Page 4
“I was brought to tears multiple times as the plot seamlessly carries you through 15 years”
A
At this point Bulsara was name of Freddie, he later name Mercury. Although racies in the plot, for exam met when Mercury was s clothes at a market, he th with the other members o open about wanting to be day. However, we can for as it is understandably, ai
Everyone knows that Mer away in 1991, but this did emotion of the film. I was tiple times as the plot sea through the 15 years lead Live Aid performance. Th before Mercury’s death a explanation, simply statin to AIDS related pneumon with boyfriend Jim Hutton glossed over Mercury’s d However, I feel this show than any illness.
A Scene that really stood the band was in a press c
Bohemian Rhapsody - A Review By Imogen Smith
Alex Bailey TM & © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
already going by the r adopted the second there are some inaccumple May and Mercury selling second hand hen became good friends of Smile and was very e their lead singer one rgive these inaccuracies iding the flow of the plot.
The scene shows the press hounding Mercury, and him trying to deflect the questions as well as the other members trying to keep the attention off of him.Mercury is clearly distressed in this scene as well as hungover/on drugs. Many of the shots in this scene use a blurred effect and echoing sounds so express how Mercury is feeling. This helped me to understand how the fame really was, and how he didn’t enjoy the attention of the press.
rcury, sadly passed d not detract from the s brought to tears mulamlessly carries you ding up to Queen’s 1985 he film ends six years and ends with a brief ng he passed away due nia, after six happy years n. Some thought the film diagnosis too quickly. ws how he was bigger
One shot particular shot of the film has stuck with me. During the Live Aid scene, there is a close up of Mercury’s eyes as he takes in the massive crowd singing his lyrics. The crowd is reflected beautifully in his eyes, as opposed to his sunglasses, which occurs throughout the film. The shot took my breath away as I feel it perfectly encapsulates the life of this legend. It is evident that Mercury’s goal was always to make others happy, and make them feel included as he often felt alone. This shot was one of the final shots of the film, and it really sums up that Mercury was finally happy with what he had achieved throughout his career. I was not at all disappointed by this film, it embodies Mercury and the rest of the band perfectly.
d out for me, was when conference.
“The crowd is reflected beautifully in his eyes”
Page 5
Courtesy of Netflix - @sabrinanetflix Instagram.
Page 6
A Diffu-CULT Decision The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina - A Review By Emily Thorn
The time setting of the series is hard to place, it could easily have bee 50 years ago or modern day, again linking to Riverdale, another Archie Comics adapted television show.
Netflix’s new series ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ was exactly what it says on the tin, a hauntingly chilling reboot of the 1996 show ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’, as well as 2014 comic, ‘The chilling adventures of Sabrina’, published by Archie comics. The series starts off with introducing Sabrina and the mortal life she leads, the happy, seemingly normal life. Before introducing us to the other side of Sabrina’s life. Both sides of her life have their demons (pun intended), but also their positives which makes the decision that Sabrina must make all the more difficult She wants to live her life on her own terms but everyone close to her has other ideas, even Satan himself. These add to the obstacles that prevent her staying in both worlds, even her dead parents had been conspiring separately to try and get her to choose a side. Kiernan Shipka delivers the role of Sabrina beautifully, capturing both the light and dark sides of Sabrina’s personality, which was part of the series charm: that Sabrina isn’t 100% morally sound. Shipka really picked the show up and was a large part of why the show was so good. Being truthful, the casting of all characters is spot on. The character who particularly shone was Ambrose Spellman, acted by Chance Perdomo, he stole the attention in each scene he was in and had an interesting storyline of his own that allowed his character to develop alongside Sabrina’s tale.
There are other links to the neighboring show sprinkled throughout ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’, which act as easter-eggs for the fans of both shows to spin. Since the target audience for the shows seem to overlap most of these easter eggs don’t go unappreciated. With the new cult-like developments introduced in recent Riverdale episodes, along with the matching style and colour schemes, the idea of a crossover between the two towns and shows could be possible. Speaking of the style and colour scheme of the show, I must say that the camera team and the art department have done an amazing job with the cinematography and the look of the series. I absolutely loved the costumes and makeup, the way they related to the characters and the setting of the show worked beautifully and looked amazing. What I didn’t particularly like was some of the writing, and names. Calling the baptism, a ‘dark baptism’ and other things relating to the witches being referred to as ‘dark’, seemed a bit childish in the writing and didn’t work with the creepy eeriness of the series. As well as this Netflix received some backlash from the Satanic Temple themselves for violating copyright laws. It seems the Baphomet statue featured in the series was an almost exact replica of one the Temple had designed themselves. They also got annoyed because they believed the series represented Baphomet in an evil light, which is not what it represents.
Page 7
Sound In Film By Emily Thorn
A lot of the time in film, sound is overlooked. Perhaps, because it seems so natural, it is something that just comes along with the moving pictures on screen, almost like a positive side effect of a movie, but other than creating a more realistic viewing experience, sound has and can completely change how we view a film. Sound has become such an obvious and important part of films, that often the most striking way to play with sound is when, there is an absence of it. When silence takes centre stage in a film, it is often to draw attention and cause tension to whatever is happening visually. Context can be established through sound, for instance if an actor looks up, alerted but there is no sound of a doorbell, the audience will be left confused about what is going on. And of course, there is dialogue. In these modern times it is the script that makes some films so good. Quentin Tarantino, for example, is renowned for the ways his characters interact and the speech between them. An interesting way that filmmakers utilise sound is by connecting specific pieces of music with certain people of events, a leitmotif. Lord of the Rings does this well and systematically, giving each character theme to introduce their entry to the film.
However, this technique went a bit array in the Harry Potter series as ‘Hedwig’s Theme’, what should only have been played to signify the owl’s presence instead became the iconic theme for the entire franchise. This was maybe because of the constantly changing directors and composers on the films. Use of changing a films motif can be effective, using Hedwig’s theme as an example again, the sixth film is when the series took the biggest shift in tone towards a darker feel. This was shown within the beginning of the film where Hedwig’s theme plays but almost morphs into a more sinister sounding theme, showing an echo of the happier times themselves morphing into these gloomier times. This use of music can help to determine the genre and mood of the film in a clear way that otherwise may have been misunderstood. I think the delicacy of noises and sound is such an important factor, and often overlooked. Without sound, plots would be hard to follow. Audiences would lose interest. However, too much sound would be distracting I some cases. It is such a small and vital part of the film world.
Page 8
sheetmusicnow.com
Page 9
MUS
Page 10
SIC
Page 11
The History of Carnaby Street By Seb Rajan-Iyer
Carnaby Street is known worldwide for being one of the greatest art capitals in modern-history, yet it’s only a small street (as the name suggests) of roughly 50 shops. So how is it that a former dumping ground for plague victims is now competing with the likes of Paris and Milan as one of fashion’s most desirable destinations? Carnaby Street has been relevant nearly as long as it’s conception, but originally it was important in the medical field. As previously mentioned, Carnaby was the home of the first ‘Pesthouse’ for plague victims in 1665, where the sick would be forced to live in cramped and disgusting conditions. Much later on, in 1854, it was crucial in the outbreak of cholera, where a doctor found a contaminated well and shut off its supply... An action that’s cemented his name in history, in the form of a pub, ‘John Snow’. Ironic that in stopping the poisoning of the area’s residents, the alehouse has continued to do that for nearly 200 years... Carnaby got its first lot of shops as a food market in around 1720, but it wasn’t until the 1950’s that it began to break its way into the fashion industry... ‘His Clothes’ was an ‘adolescent fashion’ shop that had a couple of locations before Carnaby Street, but was by far owner John Stephen’s most successful store - so successful, in fact, that he went on to open a further 5 shops on Carnaby alone. The stores introduced pop stars like Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles to the area, increasing its renown to teenagers in the area. An alternative range of shops called for alternative places to eat, and in 1961 we had Carnaby’s first vegetarian restaurant!
Page 12
Carnaby Street - www.carnaby.co.uk 1966 was a brilliant year for the area in terms of promotion for the area, with Tom Jones attending the opening of local fashion boutiques and the Kinks writing a song for Carnaby. Most importantly, 1966 was the year that London received the title of ‘Most Swinging City’ from Time Magazine, with many people crediting that solely to Carnaby Street! The area has been home to a lot of minor events too; for example, Beatles frontman Paul McCartney met his wife at the Bag O’ Nails bar on Kingly Street, which also happened to be a venue that Jimi Hendrix played at frequently during his time in Carnaby. Speaking of Hendrix, some London lore emerged out of his residency in Carnaby Street; many have noticed the sheer number of Parakeets flying around the city, causing Londoners to speculate where these exotic birds came from. Well, one such theory is that Jimi Hendrix released a couple of his pet birds when living there in the mid 60’s, which began to breed and spread throughout Greater London, from Archway to Hanworth Park! This myth, unfortunately, has been debunked. It does, however, show how crazy Carnaby Street was back in its heyday. The fact that one of Music’s (and Psychedelia’s) most well recognized icons lived there, performed there, and inspired strange urban legends like this is wonderful, and it proves how instrumental Carnaby was to the ‘Swinging 60’s’.
It is, however, still at the centre of ‘alternative fashion’ in London. Of course, you’ll still find brands like Supreme or Starbucks dotted around, there’s a plethora of amazing independent stores for all cliques. Dr Martens still have a large shop in the area, trying to keep things punk, whereas the younger generation can find garments they love in shops like Drop Dead or Lazy Oaf. Most notably (for me, anyway) is the Great Frog of London. An old school heavy metal jewellers (argued to be the creator of the infamous ‘Skull Ring’) that’s been in the area since 1972; this shop can also act as a museum for any lover of metal, they showcase all sorts of wonderful things, like a belt buckle they made for Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden for a tour in the 1980’s, to pictures of Metallica’s Cliff Burton wearing a number of rings from the shop. I could write so much more about the history of Carnaby, but these are the key points that I think made it known throughout the United Kingdom as the spiritual home of the disenfranchised.
Truth-be-told, it isn’t what it once was. You’ll no longer be able to see fights between old punks and young metalheads outside the Clachan pub, or bump into Johnny Rotten hanging out underneath the famous Carnaby Street sign (not that you’d want to). Page 13
Owen Petch - An Interview By ByImogen ImogenSmith Smith
Owen Petch by Imogen Smith Q: What is your process for making a song? Owen Petch is a 19-year-old musician based A: I record like drums or guitar or synth, in Woking. He is studying music production normally drums and add more instruments at ACM Guilford. I had the opportunity to ask around it.Yeah and then I check my notes on Owen some questions about his music as well my phone and then see if there is any decent as doing a photoshoot for an upcoming song, lyrics and use those. If not, I wait until I write slow. more. Q: How did you get into making music? A: Basically, I listened to Paramore so I learnt guitar. I listened to grimes and decided I wanted to make music like that with electronic synths because being in a band didn’t work out. I could never find people that wanted to stay in a band and really go for it. I have been in a fair few bands too. Even writing music as a band was a struggle so in the end I decided focusng on my own solo music would be best.
Q: How do you come up with your lyrics? A: At 2am. I will just think of something and write it on my notes on my phone. This is why half the time I don’t know who or what my lyrics are about, because 2am Owen wrote them. Even if I do know the meanings of my songs, I don’t like to tell people. Partly because it’s embarrassing but also because I like to let people decide for themselves.
Page 14
Q: Who/what are your influences? A: Paramore, I like them. Grimes! grimes is cool. Umm, I guess like the 1975, because I sound like him a bit [Matty Healy] but I don’t do it consciously. And lil’uzi more because of his beats, I’m not really a rapper, but he makes his own beats and I take some influence from that. Q: What is Synesthesia and do you think it helps you in making music? A: Synesthesia for me is when I hear music or a sound, in my mind it appears as a certain colour. I don’t know if it helps me making the music but it helps with the art work. Maybe subconsciously I don’t like some of my songs because of the colour I hear them, so I change them. Q: What is the inspiration behind this photoshoot? A: It’s bloody and spooky. I don’t know I will probably use it for Spotify pictures and stuff. We are going with blue lights because I think I will use it for a new song I am making and it’s a very blue song.
Q: Your images/videos match your sound very well, how did you come up with your sound? Is it accidental that your images/videos match? A: I change the colours of videos to match the colours I hear when I listen to music. I wouldn’t say I came up with my sound it is just what I can make. If there is a small gap in a song I will just get my mic out and make a weird noise, and then addd a bunch of reverb to it and it works. Q: What is one project you would love to work on in the future? A: it would be cool to do music for a film. Q: Do you have any projects in the works at the moment? A: I do! My new favourite song. I am keeping it under wraps at the moment. I don’t know when I will make another ep, I am just making lots of different songs at the moment. I will do a full album if I ever get signed to a label, but for now it will be collections of eps.
Owen Petch by Imogen Smith Page 15
So Here’s The Thing With Emo..... By C.J. Hurst
If you were to hear the word ‘emo’, what would you think? Guyliner? Lip rings? Sweeping fringes? Gerard Way? You wouldn’t be too amiss for thinking this. Emo has built itself a rather strange image over the last decade and a half. What was once blue jeans and a flannel shirt became drainpipes and leather. Now, it wasn’t always like that. There wasn’t always this dichotomy between the two sides of the emo coin. Here’s some great bands to challenge the modern idea of what emo is. This might just sound like me waxing lyrical, like a complete madman about a genre of music that means a lot to me, however if you’re a fan of the darker side of the aural world, you should definitely check these following bands out.
Copyrigh - Jade Tree Records
Cap’n Jazz: Widely regarded as one of the first modern emo bands, Cap’n Jazz formed all the way back in 1989. The first foray into the alternative world by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella (The latter going on to form another of the greatest emo bands of all time, but we’ll touch on them in a bit), Cap’n Jazz truly embody the stereotypical Midwestern emo sound. Wirey guitars, thunderous drums and a scattergun, pained vocal performance from Tim Kinsella, Cap’n Jazz weren’t around for too long, but if you want to gauge where some newer bands have drawn influence, look no further. Check out their compilation, Analphabetapolothology on Jade Tree Records. Page 16
Copyright - Sub Pop Records
Copyright - Revelation Records Texas Is the Reason: Another band that weren’t together for too long were New York’s Texas Is the Reason. Formed by former Shelter guitarist Norman Brannon, Shelter were one of the cornerstones of Nineties emo. Having only released one record Do You Know Who You Are? in 1996, Texas Is the Reason are widely regarded as one of the most influential bands on today’s alternative scene. Check out their only record, Do You Know Who You Are? on Revelation Records. American Football: There seems to be a trend on this list of these bands not hanging around for too long. This is something also true of emo titans American Football. Formed by Mike Kinsella (Told you we’d touch on him later), American Football are somewhat at the other end of the spectrum to Kinsella’s former band, Cap’n jazz. Combining soft, ambient guitar work with math-rock time signatures. American Football are truly one of the greatest emo bands to ever grace the planet. Not only that, but their successful reunion back in 2014 led to an excellent second album, a full 17 years after the debut was released. Check out the 1999 album, American Football, on Polyvinyl.
Sunny Day Real Estate: Possibly the most well-regarded band on this list, Sunny Day Real Estate were one of the fist bands to start to push this kind of music into a mainstream eye. With appearances on network television and being parodied on South Park, for a while Sunny Day Real Estate seemed poised to push through to a mainstream market. Their 1994 debut record Dairy, is one of the most revered albums of the 1990’s, gaining somewhat cult status after the death of Kurt Cobain led a certain Dave Grohl into hand picking SDRE bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith to build the rhythm section of original lineup of the Foo Fighters. Check out the 1994 album, Diary, on Sub Pop Records.
Page 17
AR
Page 18
RT
Page 19
The Be Of Film Photog By Imogen Smith
Film photography is a passion of mine. I find it useful because it teaches you to be considerate of what is included and excluded from the frame, this helps with filmmaking as well. You can’t take an abundance of images and delete the ones you don’t like and retake them. You can’t even view the images until they are developed. Some people see these as restrictions. However, I think it’s beautiful. I love to forget what pictures I have taken and then look through them months later when I remember to get them developed. I think a film camera captures the light in a different way, I often find that using a 35mm film camera gives images the feel of the golden hour. Romanticised and heart-warming. Most of my photography focuses on nature. I tend to steer clear of people as the often ruin images. I have been a keen photographer ever since I was around 10-years-old. My father always used 35mm film when I was younger and refused to move to digital for some years. Of course, I was different in the facts that I began using digital cameras and then began to take an interest in film. Thankfully my father let me use his old camera and my hobby, of many years, was born. Page 20
eauty m graphy
I think these days, most people don’t have the patience for film photography, we are so used to having pictures instantly and not having to manually change storage every 24 photos. When using film, I have frequently found myself waiting around for shots to align, but this is peaceful if anything. When I am using film, I can take my time and just wonder around. Film photography has seen a great decline over the years. However, there are some photographers that still favour film. There are even many directors such as; Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan and Wes Anderson, that shoot movies using film. This is incredibly impressive considering the majority of their films are big blockbusters. I feel their insistence on using film it keeping the marvellous creation alive. Taking film and photography back to basics is sometimes the best way to go in order to create something truly original in this digital age. I hope 35mm film continues to be used as it really is a beautiful art form. There are so many positive effects from using film and it teaches you so many useful things that you can apply to digital film and photography. To me there is nothing more satisfying than the *click zzzzzp* sound of the film reloading. Page 21
JJ. Waller -
Waller truly captures human nature and there’s plenty of that in Brighton. Some shots feature big events like the naked bike ride and Pride and some just an ordinary day in Brighton (although these aren’t always too far off from a naked bike ride or the craziness of pride!) his Avant Garde way of shooting just captures Brighton in a way that many tourists or causal visitors don’t get to see and he just manages to make such ordinary things so beautiful.
Capturing the essence of Brighton and Inspiring the Amateur By Megan Jagger A few years ago, as a young photographer, by chance I came across a glossy photobook in a photography shop, that book was JJ Waller’s Brighton: vol 1. Before I even knew what a DSLR was I had a fascination with photography and carried my point and shoot camera everywhere I went, and this book really pushed me into my passion for photography. I’ve always been obsessed with Brighton since my auntie moved there when I was just 9; Its quirky laines juxtaposed with the huge typical shopping centre like Churchill square and of course the piers of Brighton’s breezy seafront. All of which feature in JJ Waller’s streetphotography, but in the most extraordinary way.
Waller has inspired my photography ever since I turned the first page of his Brighton: vol 1 book as an aspiring photographer trying to find my style, Waller showed me you don’t always need an expensive camera, insane natural beauty locations or fancy editing software; you just need a bit of creativity and flare.
Since moving to Brighton I’ve had a lot more of a chance to explore it and just take a whole day to myself to dabble in street photography. It really is crazy what you can do with a few hours of your day, a camera, bit of sunshine and lots of Brightonians.
JJ Waller’s Brighton Vol. 1
Brighton By Megan Jagger
Page 22
Brighton By Megan Jagger Although Waller is a big inspiration of mine I also like to dip my toe in the waters of portrait and landscape photography. I experimented a lot of with light and studio photography in my school years but found it restrictive to set up and so whilst I do direct models in my portrait photography I feel the model always reacts to the environment more than my directions, especially in such a stimulating environment as Brighton. Nothing really beats a brisk evening on Brighton beach at sunset; starlings circling the infamous West pier, silhouettes run along the wet sand as the stunning sunset mirrors itself down.
When talking about great portrait/street photography locations The North Laines cannot go unmentioned whatsoever. It’s packed with independent shops and cafés, you could find just about anything there, it’s a staple of Brighton’s culture. If you’ve never had the chance to see them I’d say they’re not too dissimilar to a crooked little Croatian street, there’s winds and bends, tiny restaurants with quant tables and chairs outside, you turn down what feels like hundreds of side streets and end up in the same place you started half an hour ago.
Brighton By Megan Jagger You go once and return looking for the same shop but it seems that shop has fallen off the face of the earth and is lost in an abyss of cobbles streets and rows upon rows of shops. Now imagine that in the middle of modern Brighton, the laines filled almost 24/7 with tourists, commuters, punk rockers, emos, hippies, buskers, school trips, dogs, zebras playing the piano (I’m being serious) …and then you’ve got the Brighton laines.
Brighton By Megan Jagger As mentioned I experiment with portrait photography and Brighton is just the place to, it has its mix of urban packed streets and graffiti with a natural seafront or countryside. Hove Lawns is a particularly interesting place to shoot as it has a huge line of beach huts which pose as the perfect backdrop for any sort of portrait!
All things considered it’s no surprise Waller has made 3 volumes of the Brighton series with it being such a diverse, colourful and cultural place to shoot. I just know he’s inspired many people to shoot in the same location/way and I’m certainly one of those people.
Page 23
The View By Elizabeth Yelland
I come from a very blue family. That’s not to say we’re glum. No, we are loud, merry and quick to laugh. But perhaps this is why the colour adorns our house; found in the little trinkets, the denby, the paintings, the miss-match of blue crockery parading across the dresser. Even my Dad’s books, all three hundred kept in our conservatory were bleached by the sun. Together they form a line of subdued whites and blues. We live by the sea too, where if you look on the right day - sand, sea and sky reflect the same colour back. On those days there is no precise horizon, just the same wash of colour above and below. Perhaps this is why the view before me stuns me. The quiet rick-rack of the train lulls me into a stasis as I gaze out across the Beacons. The images flit past. Scenes of water marshes swarmed by geese and other birds. Their bodies teetering on stalk feet as they daintily tread. A cluster of three trees stood in profile on a hilltop. with winding trunks. Their bark the colour of ash with the texture of parchment, all cracked and aged. Their leaves a dulled bronze, a dusty rust. Their roots are twisted into the grey slate on the hillside, exposed by time so passers by can see their struggling grip. Tipping to the right on the track, we are carried inches from a sheer rock face. Black slate, set off by the persistence of the weeds.
By Imogen Smith Looking at their sheer edges they seemed to project animosity. You could almost feel how they would slice into your skin - if you had the misfortune to meet them with any force. My vision is clouded by the quick flitting of trees bunched near the track, until suddenly it opens to a clearing. Quietly on a gentle mound a chapel emerges. Steeple high, black stone built into a gothic masterpiece. The intricate filigree outlining on its roof did nothing to soften where it met its landscape. To its left, scattered lopsided over the mound in matching ebony were the gravestones. Their uncompromising colour a stark contrast to the world of nature around them. For miles my vision can stretch and roam. Rich green rolling fields, turreted by the range of hills. They arch to the left, leaving a direct view through the valley. In the distance the hills become invisible, their vague shapes blending into the whitewash of cloud and early morning fog. The morning mist still cloying to the edges of the scene, pulled an ache from my chest. However, as your eyes trace nearer the hills take on their character. Their ridged spines figures resemble sleeping giants, as if they’re hunched in slumber.
Page 24
By Imogen Smith The Gaia and Gebs of the soil. It’s all muffled edges and tightly packed ruffles of shrubbery and leaves. Leaves of all the colours of autumn, no blue in sight. Fathomless in their intricacy, each coloured - decayed differently. The combination of each coming together and startling me through the haze of this weary morning. The combination of hickory and cinnamon. Of the deep richness of british fields, the lush pine giving way to the darker tones of red. In the trunks and leaves scattered across the hills my eyes find plum, mauve, deep blush, blood, mahogany, cherry and currant. All deep dark colours, which highlight the yellow. The faded leaves of tan, beige and oat had sunk to the floor. The brighter canary gold and ginger flaked on the ends of branches, just past ripe. The stronger colours of clay, bronzed honey and marmalade had a new vibrancy, busting from within the deeper packets of forests. The light flaxen butter leaves sit on the highest branches, waiting for a breeze to carry them off.
All the colours are reflected in the silvery pools which had puddled in the dips of the land. They showed no blue, reflecting back the leaves and sky. The sky shrouded the valley in a unforgiving layer, a frosty porcelain. Serenity, it was magical. So calm and unchanging. The chapel had passed a few centuries, but even when it crumbled this scene would remain. The seasons would change and the blanket of trees will shift through their colours. The hunched backs of the sleeping hills would persist. The ferocity in the lines of the slate would dull but endure. The early morning fog would still roll down the hills and settle into the corners of the valley. It would still be here long after I - or even human eye - was gone. It was too early for an existential crisis but still, I suddenly felt so incredibly small.
Page 25
Poetry Corner Those Dreams Deep slumber turns to waning haze From daze awoken to harsh rays The after faze of Broken oaths and token kisses Near misses and dear wishes To know and feel To touch and love To run with it Is naïve bliss Before with ease it prys itself from mind and wafts away – as should wistful thinking. What an abstract sensation, this resounding conclusion, that it’s my doped illusion. As if I have an inclination to infatuation. My personal narcissus, leading to vicious craving and twisted yearning. Nature’s worst hypnotic No alternative narcotic The bitterness such dreaming births. The wrath and singe of disappointment, settles to a blue and purple despair Such quiet sorrow it strokes and stirs. A dream. A wishful fantasy. Back. To, reality.
By Elizabeth Yelland
Page 26
White oppression Is a unicorn with a fairy sat on its back sipping from a teacup the size of a thimble White oppression is having the upper hand throughout the whole of history White oppression is white feminists being forced to let black women speak, it’s intersectionality It’s being able to say, ‘omg look at all this immigrant taking our jobs’ while sitting on a nice sofa and not worrying about your next pay check because you got your job because of your name and your class and your colour not despite it. How oppressed are we White oppression is complaining about multiculturalism after centuries of stealing parts of other cultures It’s being forced to integrate. It’s thinking that racism only applies to black people, it’s only learning about the slave trade, only learning about one atrocity and not having to learn about all the other times white people have had the upper hand. All the times we have had power all the times we have abused it. What is white oppression if it isn’t having amnesia If It isn’t forgetting so easily, our past
White oppression is not being able to say the n word a word we never should have used in the first place a word that should never have been created. A word that we do not have the right to White oppression is letting non-white people speak up, it’s sitting down when someone else needs to stand up It’s When police see white and think protect It’s When police see black and think gun It’s when black boys coffins are made in advance It’s misplacing their names so quickly Like ‘do you remember Trayvon… or Freddie… or Sandra… or…’ Sorry that’s my amnesia coming back again. White oppression is me using these names it’s wrapping their bodies up in a poem It’s giving them to you as a joke It’s expecting your laughter It’s me being able to laugh at my oppression rather than die for it White oppression, is a white supremacist being put in a vest and given a burger after shooting down 9 in Charlottesville’s White oppression is a joke It is fiction It is a story that some people try to preach But it is still a story It is a fairy-tale It is a dream So wake up Open your eyes
By Chloe Clarke Page 27
Media Magazine
Social media links @miseenzine @imy.s.media @sebrajaniyer @meganjagger99 @emilythorn7 @elizabeth_yelland @owenpetch Mise En Zine Owen Petch @callumfiftyfour @owenpetch
Developed and edited by Imogen Smith. Special thanks to Emily Thorn, Owen Petch, Seb Rajan-Iyer, Megan Jagger, Elizabeth Yelland, Callum Hurst and 20th Century Fox. Thank You For Reading.