PLATFORM Youth Culture Magazine - Issue 8

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PLATFORM Youth Culture Magazine

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LEMONADE VACATION ISSUE 08 // 2016


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hat puts a bounce into your step? How do you get your fizz back in this ever-changing, chaotic world? The theme of this issue is Lemonade Vacation and as this title suggests, we go on an exploration into the effervescent side of life. This is a SUPER SPECIAL ‘new look’ edition, where we’ve not only changed the skin of the magazine, but also handed over complete creative control to young people in Tasmania who tell us what matters most to them. Written entirely by young people for young people, we stripped away the rules for this edition and handed over the drawing board to learn about the issues closest to your heart! Lemonade Vacation transcends everything we have known about our beloved Platform Youth Culture Magazine, taking us forward to a brand new world of insights. We welcome our amazing new co-editor Stephanie Eslake to the crew, who helped make an amazing shift from the Platform you have known, to the incredible Platform

we’ve become. Congratulations to Stephanie and all of the brilliant contributors who have been a part of this momentous change. I hope you enjoy this bubbly read as a refreshing companion over the spring and summer holidays, and that it offers you bright perspectives that you can carry into the New Year! Melinda Antal Editor of PLATFORM

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elinda Antal invited me on as coeditor and publication mentor for this stunning edition of Platform Youth Culture Magazine - and with her infectious positivity, passion, and big ideas, how could I say no? Over the past few months, we have worked tirelessly with you to share your stories and produce the greatest youth magazine in town. Now, we invite you to experience our exciting shift from a glossy, exclusive arts publication to a sharp street press mag that showcases YOU. We don’t want you to be a passive reader - we want to talk to you and to know what you really think. We want Platform to give you a voice, so you can tell us

why we should put down our phones and live a little (Jaye Bowden, Pg. 28); why two genders – he and she – are not enough (Michael Stratford Hutch, Pg. 38); what it’s like to grow up in the foster care system and end up with a dream (Tahlia Higgins, Pg.10). We want Platform to push for positive change while giving us a space to call our own. And that’s what it’s all about. Over the past few months, I’ve made some beautiful, talented friends and found a little place where I belong - and I hope that in these pages you will find the same. Stephanie Eslake Co-Editor and Mentor of PLATFORM


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Contents 4-5 Contributors

26-27

Vandy Kanneh by Atak Ngor

6-7

Mintie and Riley by Zoe Cooney

28-29

Technological Haze by Jaye Bowden

8-9

Christopher Leon by Arianne James

30-31

Tom’s Entertainment Hole

10-11

Looking for Jane by Tahlia Higgins

32-33

Emma Magnusson-Reid

12-13

Healthy Lifestyle Changes by Jaye Bowden

34-35

Project: ART HOUSE by Edon Costello

14-15

Taly Hamilton by Rhona MacTavish

36-37

The Exchange Program

16-17

Kat Edwards by Tim Chivers

38-39

Op Ed by Michael Stratford Hutch

18-19

The Wild at Foundry

40

TasPop by Simon McKeown

20-21

Theresa Chisholm by Jess Schiro

43

Writer’s Block by Steffi Kokkoris

22-23

Fiona Collins

44-45

Alinta by Evangeline Drinnan

47

Poems by Tess Harkin

24-25 Voxpop

Clockwise from Left Mintie and Riley, Emma Magnusson-Reid, Theresa Chisholm, Taly Hamilton, Vandy Kanneh

Disclaimer All content in PLATFORM Magazine remains the property of the Hobart City Council and all content is copyright to Hobart City Council and cannot be reproduced without written consent from the Hobart City Council and Youth Arts & Recreation Centre. Every effort has been made to seek signed consent for the publication of photos and comment in this Issue of PLATFORM Magazine. Hobart City Council will not be liable for incorrect use of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in PLATFORM Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the Hobart City Council and the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre.


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Contributors

Arianne James Psychology and Creative Writing student at UTAS Arianne is a writer of fiction and a lover of words, books, people, long conversations, eavesdropping, music, stars, cats and many other beautiful things in between. She says completing a recent writer’s residency at Varuna House was the most rewarding and enriching experience of her life. Her published works include, ‘The Secret Art of Grieving’, a collection of micro fiction and ‘Prelude to the Dawn’. Keep an eye out for this little firecracker!

Jaye Bowden Writer and Arts student at UTAS Jaye adores green tea, thriller movies, yoga and music festivals, loving nothing more than to escape to another world through her writing or losing herself in Tasmania’s wilderness on hiking adventures.

Tess Harkin Creative Writing Student Tess is a 14 year old writer, mainly of poetry and short stories, who loves reading, being outside and playing sport and who wants to travel and try as many new foods as they can.

Edon Costello Musician + Writing student at Elizabeth College Edon is a musician and creative writer, studying at Elizabeth College. She’s a lover of any good music or book, regardless of genre. Edon studies Euphonium and Trombone, but really enjoys singing and playing guitar in her down time. She’s also a renowned slob and will be in her pjs anytime she’s not in public.

Michael Stratford Hutch Writer and Artist Michael Stratford Hutch (19, they/ them) is an emerging artist living and working in Hobart, Tasmania. They are passionate about Tasmania and opportunities for Tasmania’s young people. They are currently involved in a number of community-based organisations such as UN Youth Australia and The Story Island Project.

Timothy Chivers Musician, Writer and student at UTAS Tim is a writer, music producer and singer songwriter currently studying music technology at the UTAS Conservatorium of Music.

Edward R Williams Film maker Edward started making films as soon as he finished college in 2013. Mid last year he started work on his own projects. He’s always wanted to be a filmmaker.

Simon McKeown Convener of AICon (Tasmania’s largest popular culture festival) Simon is a massive fan of all things geeky, such as Pokemon, anime, Star Wars, video games and everything in between. He is also very passionate about science and the natural world, which was reflected in his university studies in Zoology. In between organising AICon events, Simon spends his time playing games, socialising with friends and painting Warhammer models.

Wayne Ye Science Student at UTAS + Photographer “I am a nerd, and I am bored, and I am awkward, but sometimes, only sometimes though, I do have a rapidfire mind pace” – Wayne.


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Jess Schiro Journalism Graduate I am a Journalism graduate who loves coffee, foreign films and trashy gossip mags. In that order.

Skylah Fisher UTAS Masters Student I’m really passionate about the art of hand embroidery. I love to do embroidery and other craft things when I’m feeling really overwhelmed and it is my way of zoning out and staying happy.

Stephanie Eslake PLATFORM Co-Editor and Publication Mentor Stephanie Eslake loves to learn about people and share their stories. In 2014 she founded CutCommon, an online magazine for young classical musicians. She also writes for local and national publications such as Limelight and The Mercury, and in her spare time likes to cosy up with a good book and cup of tea.

Melinda Antal PLATFORM Editor. Youth Arts Officer. UTAS Fine Arts Student Mel works with teams of young artists, writers, photographers and designers to produce PLATFORM Youth Culture Magazine. She found a map to Neverland and decided to be a kid forever.

Steffi Kokkoris Freelance Writer Steffi loves soccer, athletics, listening to music and hanging with her friends. One morning, reluctant to get out of bed, Steffi said she was “Experiencing technical difficulties”.

Zoe Cooney Journalism, Media and Communications student at UTAS Zoe enjoys producing content about music and entertainment, art, culture, the internet and the community. She loves music, pugs, anything to do with chocolate and you can often find her trawling through YouTube.

Evangeline Drinnan Year 12 student at Collegiate + Creative Writer Evangeline began writing earlier in 2016. She composed this emotional narrative, imagining an intimate relationship between Dick Thornhill and a young Aboriginal woman, Alinta, as part of her English Literature Independent Study. She chose to study The Secret River because of its mix of fiction and strong historical basis, as it confronted Australian history with a certain directness which she had not experienced before.

Yasmin Donnelly Creative Artist Yasmin is a Tasmanian artist/creator who works predominantly in drawing, painting, photography and video.

Harrison Tew, Zoe Rose, Sarah Clark Designers PLATFORM Issue 8 Current students at Foundry Hobart, Harrison, Zoe and Sarah were responsible for the design of the magazine that you hold in your hands. Their pages reflect their personal design aesthetic and styles and come together to form the final Platform publication.


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Mintie and Riley Words Zoe Cooney Images Wayne Ye

The stars aligned when 16-yearold Minseo ‘Mintie’ Cho and 15-year-old Riley Allardice started playing music together in their grade nine music class. Although they’re still in the early stages of writing songs and performing, this dynamic duo could easily slip into one of Hobart’s bustling pubs, colourful markets, or busy restaurants as a regular live act. Mintie and Riley met last year after Riley moved to Tasmania from Western Australia. They were put in the same music class at school, where their friendship and passion for music quickly brought them together. “It’s really fun having someone to play some music with and just chill out with,” Mintie says. Mintie sings and plays guitar, while Riley plays lead guitar over the top, experimenting with different riffs and solo melody lines. The pair is often asked to perform at school events, and has played a few gigs in venues across Hobart. The musicians have spent the past year experimenting and developing their sound, which they describe as having a chilled-out acoustic vibe, echoing the likes of Sticky Fingers and Triple J’s Like A Version. The sky is the limit for Mintie and Riley, who let creativity take them as high as they can go. “We like to take songs and change them,” says Mintie. She adds that Riley doesn’t always know the song she brings into the mix: “I’ll just start playing and he’ll play along and make up a lead over it”. Riley chimes in, recalling the time they covered Jane S. Piddy by Rodriguez. Riley had no idea how the song went, but this gave him the creative freedom to do what he wanted with it.

When it comes to writing their own material, Mintie and Riley take inspiration from their lives as students (even their least-favourite teachers are not off-limits!). Now in their final year of high school, Mintie and Riley have a few years of musical experience under their belts. Mintie started learning the guitar in grade seven for a health assignment and Riley began when he was about 11 years old after rocking out on Guitar Hero 5. When they are not at school, doing homework, or playing music, you can find the two absorbed in their own hobbies. Riley loves to ride bikes around Hobart and enjoys riding his BMX at skate parks, while Mintie visits an art studio down the road from her school where she brings the ideas in her notebook to life. She also plays basketball when the season is on, and likes camping and hanging out with her friends. But music seems to be the number one passion for Mintie and Riley, and they both give insightful and honest reasons why it’s is so important to them. “Everybody has this reality that we live in, and there are things that people do to try and escape from that for a little while because of things like stress,” Mintie explains. “I guess for a lot of people [the escape] is music.” Riley continues by pounding on his chest, over the top of his heart, with a closed fist. “We were all born with a rhythm: da-doom, da-doom, da-doom. It’s a great thing to study to, great thing to do homework to, great thing to party to, a great thing to sleep to; anything.” For now, Mintie and Riley are enjoying the music, friendship and creativity that brought them together a year ago. They have open minds about what the next few years hold for them; as individuals as well as band mates. Hopefully, we will see Mintie and Riley in the not too distant future performing at a gig in Hobart, and playing the music that makes them happy.


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INTERVIEW WITH

CHRISTOPHER LEON Words Arianne James Images Stephanie Eslake


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Not many people would consider music to be a science. However, Christopher Leon has taught me otherwise. Being involved in the electronic music scene for the past five years, Christopher explains that to write great music, you need to understand the physics of sound. Different wavelengths work together and interact to form melodies – a complexity that isn’t always easy to notice as a listener. Christopher has a quiet, friendly personality and is easy to chat with. Music runs in his family. His mother performed with leading rock musos in her day and bought Christopher a guitar when he was 5 years old. Initially, he rejected the idea of learning to play, finding the various chords too difficult to grasp. However, from the age of 12, he started to gain interest and was introduced to Spanish guitar by his neighbour, who had studied with Flamenco star Paco Pena. What followed was a love affair with acoustic guitar and years of dedication and enjoyment. Christopher studied both Journalism and Music Technology at the University of Tasmania. Finding the courses rewarding and eye-opening. This kickstarted his electronic music journey. Interestingly, Christopher mentioned that to start with, he had no respect for electronic

music. “It has to be a real instrument,” Christopher first thought, saying he believed music should only be made with tangible instruments. “I had a really ignorant mindset.” This view quickly changed and now, his major aim is to break away from the acoustic guitar and perform mostly electronic songs. I was curious to get to know Christopher’s daily creative process – though he doesn’t really stick to one. He prefers to go with the flow and jot down ideas as they come – at concerts, in bars, from life itself! According to Christopher, most of his best songs are written in about two hours when he is able to sit down and let the music pour out of him. Like most of us, he wishes he had more time to spend working on his passion, and is thinking about dedicating a few months of the year to focusing solely on his music. One of his motivations for this includes performing at the Youth Arts and Recreation Centre for the launch of this Platform issue. Christopher has many other ambitions, and in the next 10 years he hopes to create scores for film, television, and video games; release a few albums; learn to sing; and become successful as a producer in his own right. I can easily imagine

all of his dreams being made a reality, simply from the quiet determination and confidence he exudes. Christopher has been greatly influenced by K-pop and J-pop, and is also a fan of experimental singersongwriter/producer Beck (known for many styles including hip-hop, funk, soul and rock); and Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi, who delights audiences worldwide with his romantic and joyful film music. Christopher’s favourite performance venue has so far been Brookfield Vineyard in Margate. He has also played at the Republic Bar, considering these some of his greatest local gigs among many others. To young and aspiring musicians, Christopher advises: “Don’t ignore the importance of electronic music. Learn to write music on a computer because it really opens up a whole new world of creativity”. Christopher aims to take his listeners on an emotional journey and make them really think about the music. Of his role in it, he says: “It’s like being a scientist, combining all the elements to create new objects or compounds in terms of musical genres and sound”. I know next time I listen to one of his songs, I’ll be trying to make connections between the melodies, notes, and harmonies. I’ll be trying to find the physics of sound.


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Jane was in the foster care system until turning 18, continuously moved between respite carers and foster and group homes. At almost 4 years old, she was placed in “the system” due to unhealthy living conditions and abuse. She wasn’t being fed and her mother was a heavy drug user who didn’t take Jane’s siblings to school.

“My mother and I had a terrible, terrible relationship. I only ever had social workers as my parents, my guardians, the people I looked up to. That’s why I wanted to do social work.” In her fourth year at the University of Tasmania and first year of placement in Masters of Social Work, that is exactly what 23-yearold Jane* is doing. Her strength, determination, and passion are infectious, as is her ability to keep her fizz and look at the bright side of life. But it didn’t come with an easy start.

“I was put in the oven and called a ‘devil child’ because I cried a lot. It wasn’t healthy,” Jane says. She recalls that she wasn’t aware of the scope of her childhood abuse until reading formal reports later on. Taken away from her family home, she was placed into foster care, which “sucked, to be blunt”. “My foster carers were all horrible. They were really mean.” It took Jane until grade 4 to meet her kindest and warmest influence, Mrs Daniels*. Instead of sending Jane to be cared for by a “random person every second week”, Mrs Daniels filled out the paperwork and became Jane’s respite carer for two days each fortnight during those primary school years. “She was incredible; an idol in my eyes.” However, Jane lost contact


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with Mrs Daniels without having a mobile phone or other way to remain in contact. Jane’s transition to high school was tough, as she was forced to rely on herself without guidance from teachers or parents. She attended counselling sessions and was put on tablets; “happy pills” for her mental health. “I went through unhealthy habits because I just wasn’t happy. I didn’t want to be around anymore.” Despite this, Jane remained wellbehaved and “scared of breaking rules”. It wasn’t until grade 10 that she moved schools to St Mary’s College and found a teacher who actively helped her, “rather than giving a new counsellor or more tablets”. In preparation for turning 18, Jane was taught how to apply for jobs and rent a house. One of her most defining moments was when she was 14 and decided to become a social worker. The school had a careers week and Jane was unaware of what she wanted to be or do. She just knew she wanted to work with kids. “I don’t have parents; I don’t know what it’s like to be a doctor, or a nurse, or a fireman, or whatever,” she says. She decided she would become a

social worker and during her own weekly sessions with counsellors she began seeking advice on her career path. “I was talking to them and digesting it and realising this is what I want to do. I’m going to help kids...They deserve respect, they deserve to be heard, and I’m going to help do that.” Fast forward nine years and Jane’s passion for social work has “doubled” – and she’s putting her plans into action. She is currently undertaking a work placement and is involved in mental health projects. “I just want to help the kids as much as possible,” she says. “That’s my goal, as well as be a guardian and look after kids; the disadvantaged ones mainly, the ones that are a bit too quiet to ask for help. I’m going to be that person, that’s me.” Jane has plenty of advice for others: • • • •

Don’t be scared to ask for help Embrace your friends Don’t be ashamed Try not to burn any bridges.

*Names in this story have been changed.

Words Tahlia Higgins Images Wayne Ye


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Healthy Lifestyle Changes Living with Energy and Passion

Words and images Jaye Bowden

At the beginning of 2016 I struggled to balance everything in my life. Work stressed me out, university assignments piled up; I constantly felt agitated and drained. I was on edge with friends and family and my mental state was in complete chaos as my self-esteem slowly leaked down the drain. Then I began to realise one of my problems was that I’d let myself become so busy I hadn’t been investing any time in myself, my body and my happiness. I was allowing myself to become swept up in the chaos around me and I couldn’t enjoy anything in my life. So I decided to change my lifestyle and eat healthier, take advantage of my gym membership once again and start working out more. Here are a few little fitness suggestions and meal plans that really helped uplift and change my outlook on life and my general wellbeing. This includes my go-to meal plan options that give me the booster I need to feel happy and healthy throughout the day! I hope in sharing these, you might feel inspired to try them out and find what makes you happy, too. Be sure to have a chat with your doc first about any possible allergies or injuries you might be worried about!

JAYE’S WORKOUT IDEAS For me, working out isn’t about pushing yourself to exhaustion and overworking your body. You have to listen to and love your body, or else it can be far too easy to push yourself to breaking point. I find four different styles of work-out effective in keeping me energised, while also genuinely having fun. INTO THE WILD Throw on your hiking boots and a cosy raincoat and head off to your favourite wilderness destination to have a wild trek out in nature with your closest pals. It’s always a fun adventure and great exercise because you’re walking over all kinds of different terrain. It also gives you the chance to get some peace and soak up the scents of the damp moss, the ferns and the crisp air. Some of my favourite locations to hike are in Fern Tree or at Mount Field National Park. GYM PUMP-UP The gym is great to discipline yourself and exercise when it’s too wild, wet and windy to hike outside on your favourite trail. A recommended gym routine that works for me is: 20 minutes treadmill, 20 minutes cross-trainer, 10 minutes rowing machine, and then sets of squats and sit-ups before cooling down

with gentle stretches. IMPORTANT: if you have any injuries or you’re worried about using the equipment, be sure to have a chat with your doctor and the gym staff first. LET YOUR HAIR DOWN This is one of my personal favourites. When you’re home alone and you have the chance to - clear some space in your lounge, blast your favourite playlist and be completely free - jump up and down, do squats or sit-ups, dance and stretch; get your whole body moving to the music and have fun with it. Be spontaneous and have a boogie for half an hour until you work up a sweat. YOGA UNWIND Yoga is another amazing form of exercise that helps stretch your entire body, focusing on working out muscles by holding complicated, pretzel-like poses. It’s a physical challenge and also can help you to bring yourself into your body and focus on your breathing. I always feel incredibly peaceful and relaxed after a yoga class. It completely helps me unwind after a stressful day, and the instructors are mostly very down to earth and kind to Yogis of all walks of life. I recommend Fit Hot Yoga in the city!


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MY GO-TO MEAL SUGGESTIONS Breakfast

Snacks

Lunch

Dinner

• Banana on toast with peanut butter, coconut, muesli and cinnamon

• Hummus spread on quinoa rice cakes

• Rigatoni pasta with broccoli, tomato, baby spinach, zucchini, mushroom, garlic and onion with a splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar

• Brown rice and a spiced Indian curry packed full of veggies plus ovenbaked tortillas sliced into makeshift dipping chips (meat optional)

• Cacao porridge with banana, raspberries, strawberries and almonds • Homemade baked beans with sweet potato mash, baby spinach and feta • Banana, honey, cacao, soy smoothie

• Chopped zucchini, carrot, capsicum and dip • Roasted spiced chickpeas and/ or almonds

• Burritos with lettuce, salsa, brown rice, cheese, corn and beans with a meat of your filling. Wrap in a tortilla and foil then heat for 1-2 minutes in a hot grill

• Home-made veggie nachos with beans, tomato salsa, guacamole and a light sprinkle of cheese • A light ginger-chilli vegetable stir fry with a lean meat such as chicken and a side of quinoa brown rice

Please always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. This general information is not intended to replace advice from your healthcare professional. Consult with your healthcare professional to design an appropriate exercise plan for you. If you experience any pain or difficulty with these exercises, stop and consult your healthcare provider. There are also a number of helpful youth service providers in Hobart who specialise in health related issues experienced by young people. If that’s you, make a start by contacting Headspace Hobart, a free youth-focused health service for young people aged 12-25. Make an appointment by calling 6231 2927 or email them at headspace@thelink.org.au. For crisis support and help right now call Lifeline on 13 11 14.


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“Goddesses are imperfect in a different kind of way. Goddesses are imperfect in the way that they’re going to burn your village down”. Intrigued by the unusual and the out of place, Taly strives to bring meaning to her art and represent the other side of the situation at hand. She doesn’t dwell on the insignificant imperfections within people, but instead focuses on the goodness in life and as a result, she is wise beyond her years. Through high school, Taly began to develop her own style and in that discovered her own little thoughts and philosophies. “The thing I’ve done above all else is have the right mindset, the mindset that understands people… I don’t go for facial imperfections, because that’s not the sort of thing you stare at for too long because you don’t want to. You stare at something that seems out of place. Something that’s different. I’ve tried to analyse that and I’ve always done that and it kind of put me as an outcast.”


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Words Rhona MacTavish In discovering more of the wonders of art, she has become increasingly transfixed by the nature of human emotions, and certainly having matured so much in a short space of time has helped her grow in more ways than one. “Anyone who’s been through sh*t will say that if they haven’t been though that sh*t, then they wouldn’t be anywhere as near as strong as they are now… And I have very strong parents.” Taly is a young artist who grew up drawing straight out of her imagination. Sitting watching television, she would place herself within any story and put pencil straight to paper. “I was watching a movie and I was like I want to be made out of lava, I want to have wings, I want to be this and so I just started drawing,” and through this Taly discovered one of her central influences today: comics. DC Comics, particularly those featuring Batman, the Joker and Harley Quinn are some of her favourites. “I like comics for the style, for adventure, for their dramatics, and [that] I can do anything I bloody well want.” Studio Ghibli also holds

a special place in Taly’s heart, and the music has helped her through the years. “I have a very vivid imagination… I used to listen to Ghibli music on the bus and imagine the most beautiful thing I could think of. I felt really happy doing that.” Currently, Taly is in grade ten at Taroona High. Working largely with fine liners and watercolours, she has also recently begun focusing on anatomy and structure. Her extraordinary growth in confidence over the years has truly shaped Taly as the person she is today, and her efforts to share the knowledge she has gained in the process is beautifully thoughtful and inspiring. Taly would like to pursue art as a career, and is beginning to decide about what to do after secondary school. With her talent, wisdom and positivity there are no ends to the possibilities that can open up for her.


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KAT EDWARDS Words Tim Chivers Image Timothy Coad

Up-and-coming Hobart muso Kat Edward’s introspective and mature sound has permeated the Hobart music scene, earning her plenty of attention since going public in 2016.

Irish Murphy’s. Kat is passionate about other local musicians, citing how everyone is cool, close and cooperative, and how her fellow artists work together to create a warm and accepting environment.

Her music comes deeply from her soul, both vulnerable and sincere. Kat draws inspiration from moments in her life and she sometimes uses music as an escape from frustration. However, her motto in life is: “Everything happens for a reason”. Music is an outlet with which she can vent her frustrations and, as a result, her creations come from a personal place. She finds difficulty in writing about unpassionate issues and prefers her music to be genuine.

Since starting, Kat has been busy writing and recording new music, and sharing it on the stage or online. The Triple J Unearthed crew quickly picked her up and her song Stranger in my Room was played on national radio last June, garnering well-deserved recognition. When asked about uploading her work online, Kat talks about the internet as a “powerful tool”.

“Music is all that matters at the moment,” Kat claims. Though she lives and breathes music and has little room for other passions, the singer also has a strong history with creative writing. Her first song Glory Boy is an expertly written example, laced with flawless lyricism, both intricate and infectious. Glory Boy is a bittersweet break-up ditty that marks an explosive start to Kat’s music career. Inspired by acts such as Bon Iver, and Angus and Julia Stone, Kat’s music evokes cold imagery but feelings of warmth. Though she grew up with contemporary folk influences, similar Hobart folk musicians have reinforced Kat’s musical instincts. She names many local artists such as Christopher Coleman and Zac Henderson as people who helped her find and develop her style. Having met Zac early in her musical career, he introduced her to the musical community by offering her an open mic position in local venue

“Before Facebook, you would have had to play around and tour everywhere. But with the click of a button, anyone can listen to you, anywhere in the world.” In the short term, Kat hopes to play full sets on stage and independently tour around Tasmania. Ultimately, she hopes to make music for the rest of her life, seeing how far it can get her, and establishing herself so people can eventually listen and respond to her music in their own ways. Kat is currently working on recording her first EP in the Hobart College dance studio. For this, she has lined up collaborations with Oscar Bosch and Callum Metcalfe, and she hopes to release it in this year’s spring. After playing seriously for only a short time, yet coming so far, Kat Edwards is definitely one to watch.


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t h e

Don’t jump blindly into higher edu cation, or take the fatefu l gap-year we have the answer

w w w . f o u n d r y. c o m . a u


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L E A R NI NG + GAP YEAR = THE WILD Writer Brayden Towns Photo Foundry

S

tudents fresh out of higher secondary school are every year making decisions that will cost them from $6000-$10,000 that often gives little or no return. A recent Grattan Institute study showed that every year, school leavers are deciding to study university courses without a firm idea of what they want to be, who they want to become and what they want to achieve. Twenty to 40 per cent drop out in the first year, having paid for units they never actually wanted to study and wasting both their time and money. So what about a gap year? Studies show that students who take them are happier and more motivated when they continue study and they outperform students who go straight into study. The problem, however, is that only a small percentage of people who have taken a gap year actually return to study. One local educator is looking to “take a fresh approach.” The Wild is an initiative of creative school and education collaborator Foundry. Started by Chris Billing, Foundry has campuses in Launceston and Hobart. Foundry has been operating in the state for over two years and has seen more than 150 students engaged in creative disciplines such as design, interior design, business and animation. “Education just has to be better. How can a 20-40 per cent nationwide drop-out rate make

sense in 2016? The stats say it all; obviously students are entering into higher education without having really taken the time to decide what they want to do,” Chris says. “Most people know that Tasmania is statistically worse off than most of Australia, which is frustrating. However we also know that Tasmania is one of the most incredible places to live in the world, a thought mirrored by global business leaders and designers.” The Wild is, in Chris’s words, “a ‘kind-of’ gap year” that gives students the time and flexibility to discover their place in the world after 12 years of formal education, to trial creative fields, adventure in Tassie’s great wilderness and gain opportunities to learn from national leaders and designers. “The Wild is built around an educational backbone to ensure students come out the other

end with something to show for their effort. Beyond this however, Foundry has full creative control of the experience. We think it’s time students unlearn a little and take their education back into their own hands,” Chris explains. “Students don’t often know what to do after year 12, but they also don’t know where the creative jobs and career prospects are. We designed The Wild to help students trial different pathways and creative disciplines before committing to one. It offers students a qualification that goes towards further higher education and is recognised by universities Australia wide. The Wild is a mix of workshops, formal lessons and self discovery. It’s quite literally a new way of doing education. We’ve fought really hard to make it and we know that students are going to love it!” foundry.com.au/wild


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WORDS Jess Schiro IMAGE Wayne Ye

I am almost tragically addicted to the American television program Veronica Mars. The show deals with a female heroine who juggles her school work while helping run her dad’s private detective agency. So I was pretty excited upon finding out I was interviewing Theresa ‘Tess’ Chisholm, who works at a private investigation agency here in Hobart.

Tess is 23 years old and was a university student before embarking on her supersleuth career path. She got into private investigation serendipitously; applying for a job online that she felt suited her professional background in administration. As it turned out, the job was for a private investigation company. “When I got an interview... I googled it and it came up as private investigation. I was like: No way! In the movies surely, but not here?” Tess has now worked for the company for two years. When new cases come in, she is responsible for all the administration work pertaining to the cases. For example, she allocates the cases to specific agents, and researches the clients and suspects. She tells me an ominous warning about the pitfalls of social media, whereby anyone can gather information about another person if they do not use proper precautions. Tess has used the limitations of individual’s privacy settings various times when researching her cases. “You can find a lot of information online about people. They tend not to set their settings to private, or they post stuff on social media. You can get a lot of information from social media.” She also says that people rarely pay attention to their surroundings and are unaware of agents following them for hours at a time.

“We would follow someone for eight hours a day or five hours a day, shopping or doing their daily routine. People are just completely oblivious.” As a result of her work in the private investigation industry, Tess now goes about her day a little differently than she did in the past. She is no longer nonchalant about walking the streets and she definitely checks her rear view mirror. Tess also leads a busy life away from work. She is studying a Diploma of Youth Work, where she volunteers at the Youth Arts & Recreation Centre three nights a week. She’s also getting married in February and recently bought a house with her fiancé. Tess knows people are curious and interested in what she does for a living. However, she views her job a little differently and maintains that what she does is not that unusual. “When I tell people what I do, they get so excited – absolutely blown away. For me though, because I’ve done the role and been in the industry, it’s just a normal daily job, I go to work nine-to-five. That’s just what I do.”


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WORDS Minseo ‘Mintie’ Cho + Riley Allardice IMAGE Wayne Ye

I’m Mintie and next to me is Riley. Last week, we went into the Youth Arts and Recreation Centre’s Bunker Studio to interview a girl whose talents range from horse riding and figure skating to playing violin with the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra.

We were all sitting down sort of awkwardly because, well, it was our first interview. However, we quickly broke through that feeling and asked the girl a few questions about her lifestyle and what she wants to do in the future. The name of this girl is Fiona Collins. She’s a grade 7 student at St Michael’s Collegiate, and she has a very musical family background. When we were talking to her, Riley and I were both quite surprised to learn that Fiona has been jumping from place to place during her life. She was born in Germany and speaks the language fluently, but she comes to Hobart from Sydney and has only lived here for two years! Fiona has many interesting hobbies and her main one is playing the violin. She explained to us that she picked it up naturally from a very young age, as her mum is a violinist and dad a conductor. Fiona said she’s never had a formal teacher – she just learnt music from her mum. She’s also a member of the TYO’s Academy Strings, plays in her school’s senior orchestra, and performs with an Irish fiddle group. On her weekdays, Fiona plays for around seven hours through her ensembles alone (personal practice time not included) and Riley and I both thought that was pretty impressive.

Outside violin, Fiona likes to read and run, and looks toward her grandparents as role models because they are always happy. The young violinist has her foot in a lot of other doors too, such as musicals and operas. Even though she’s only 13 years old, she’s already been in two school musicals and two children’s choirs in opera productions, and on top of this she figure skates every weekend. We asked her about what she wants to do in the future with these things; if she wants to become a musician, and how she plans to balance things out through high school. Fiona wishes to continue all of her musical activities, and she’s already made sacrifices, dropping numerous other activities such as netball, horse riding, and ballet so she can keep playing the violin. Fiona realises it’ll be hard to balance her activities in the future, and that taking violin as a main hobby could be pretty stressful. She used to do dancing and netball, but quit when they overlapped with the orchestra. One thing is for sure, Fiona is a girl of many talents and whatever she chooses to do in the future, we’re sure music will stay at the top of the list.


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Some situations are just plain uncomfortable.

How do you say ‘no’, when you’re feeling awkward? Research by Skylah Fisher

VOXPOP


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In a calm, friendly, yet firm manner. But I guess it would depend on the situation and the other person involved. Male – 24 –Hobart Me, I just say no sternly. If I’m pressed, I still say no. Running away is also a good option. Female – 15 – Hobart ‘Look mate, just nah...you know?’ Male – 17 – Hobart By verbally saying ‘no’, or by leaving. If you can’t do either, body language can contribute to the non-verbal ‘no’. Female – 17 – Sorell By saying ‘no’ or getting the attention of people around you. Male – 17 – Hobart Not say anything and just leave. Female – 14 – Kingborough You ask them to stop what they are doing, then walk away and leave them. Female – 18 – Hobart ‘Sorry, I’m not interested.’ Male – 19 – Hobart ‘Be strong’. Male – 19 – Hobart I usually just let the situation just ride out, but sometimes I say it outright. Male – 22 – Kingborough ‘No, it’s ok, I don’t want to.’ Female – 15 – Brighton ‘No thanks, let’s do something else.’ Female – 14 – Warrane


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WORDS Atak Ngor IMAGE Wayne Ye

Vandy Kanneh is a 19-year-old athlete living in Hobart. He was born in a war-torn Liberia before moving to the neighbouring country of Ghana, West Africa, at the age of one.

Living in a refugee camp was hard, Vandy recalls; “everyone is for themselves”. A camp in Guinea became Vandy’s home for five years. Then something changed that would determine the rest of his life; he was accepted to come to Australia. “I thought at first I was going to America,” he says, but he was still happy with the result of coming to Australia. Though quite humble, Vandy has a powerful drive to achieve greatness, both as a professional sprinter and outside the athletic track. Vandy started running competitively at a young age, mainly through Little Athletics – a community organisation in Australia. “I want to go to the 2018 Commonwealth Games,” he says. “That’s my dream. I have two years to train.” I can see that he is working and training hard. Vandy is one of those people who seems very focused, which is interesting to me because not many teenagers of his age have such a strong drive to achieve greatness. I ask him if he remembers much of his earlier years in Africa, “Not really” Vandy said.

“I remember I ran a lot in the refugee camp. I left my father … that’s the hardest thing,” he recalls after a moment of silence. I begin to understand what’s behind this man, and why what he’s doing is not a choice, but a necessity. There is a reason people who move from one country to another with almost nothing may have greater chances of succeeding. It comes down to a few simple factors; drive, motivation, and determination. “The main reason I do what I do is for my mother,” Vandy says. His mother has been there for him and now all he wants to do is to make her proud. Vandy will continue training for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and is an ambassador for Skins (an Australian company that designs and manufactures underwear for professional athletes and sports enthusiasts). He is also sponsored by them and says this contributes greatly towards his improvement. Vandy no doubt has a great future ahead – and I feel he deserves nothing but the best.


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WORDS Jaye Bowden IMAGE Wayne Ye

Technological Haze

Our lives have become overrun with technology in this modern age. It’s slowly consuming our ties to reality - the lines blurred by the pulsing of a machine in our warm palms; our life source.

Glance around in the street and we witness endless streams of people with heads down – eyes fixed on the flashing screens of their phones, iPads, smart watches – fingers typing furiously, ignoring the world around them. The hum of life, the technicolour of being, the wind in the trees, the roar of the ocean, the sharp hot sand between naked toes, and the soft murmur of human voices become lost in a sea of technological noise. The true meaning and depth of life, the heat of a human touch, is shrouded by the buzzing of phones in our pockets. Children as young as toddlers are receiving iPads; families perched around restaurant tables with their mobiles out, oblivious to each other. Wedding anniversaries, relationship updates, deaths, the birth of a baby are all posted on Facebook for hundreds of friends to see. Our lives have become performances on digital screens, identities carved into our online profiles, blemishes edited out of our photos, happy-go-lucky statuses updated to hide the festering, darker realities of our own lives. We hold our phones up on public transport, at tables in cafes, and at music

festivals, like a shield: defending ourselves from the surrounding world on the other side of our screens. We should experiment with popping our phones away and chatting to someone in person, truly investing ourselves in them, noticing the way they smile crookedly, the crinkles in the corners of their eyes, their nervous energy as they tap a rhythm with their feet. We should spend more time noticing how beautiful the world can be in reality and connect with those around us before we lose touch with it entirely. So escape the modern age of technology every once in a while, and find an appreciation for the smallest things. Cut back on your computer time and invest in experiences, in humanity, and the buzz of life. Travel, imagine, laugh, feel. Open yourself up to the world into which you were born, and embrace the wonder. Don’t be blinded by the haze that technology has created.


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WORDS & IMAGES Edward R Williams

Thomas McGlone I met Tomas McGlone at a Dungeons & Dragons night, organised by a mutual friend. I recall shoving my cat in his face, for some reason, and somehow this (the D&D, not the cat) led us to start making films together. I suppose our joint interest in story creation is what did it. Our latest film, A Pleasant View, (still being edited), is a story set in a zombie apocalypse. Though, whenever we say that, people seem to think it’s a zombie flick. Not entirely sure why; it’s more of a dark comedy about some weird youths trying to survive the social breakdown of a zombie apocalypse. A farce in the bushland. We have an upcoming film in the works, though the script isn’t finished and is super highly top secret; suffice to say, it has a wicked code name: Thunderbirds Are G is A Go, and that’s dandy. Tomas and I sit down for a brief catch up so I can ask him some questions about himself. Why did you want to become a filmmaker? I was a storyteller from a young age. At some point, I started imagining myself in movies because I knew I wouldn’t have real adventures. But eventually, I realised that I really liked the specifics of the adventures I pictured myself in, and I knew that the only way to make those adventures actually happen was to be the one writing and directing them rather than acting in them. So I guess I came from wanting to be an actor to wanting to be a filmmaker. My drive is the desire to tell stories.

Your emerging production company broke onto the scene by the name, “Tom’s Great Dealer of Theoretical Washing Machines Featuring Ed”, Why? I came up with “Tom’s Great Dealer of Theoretical Washing Machines” when I was in college and I just wanted something stupid. And at this point, I thought: ‘Why not? Let’s just double down on the stupid’. If we have a good track record, that will help it to stand out. But I think if our goal is to make a very specific name for ourselves, then it does help to establish ourselves to an extent. Do you concern yourself with potential limitations of such a name? And how about your production company’s new change of identity, called: “Tom’s Entertainment Hole Featuring Edward’s Best efforts”? No. Nope. I don’t care.

Tom’s Top 5 Tips for Filmmakers 1. Critical thinking. Always think critically of your work, never take your opinions about your work for granted, and always think critically of responses from people. Think critically about everyone’s subjectivity. Never consider yourself perfect. 2. Vision. Have a vision of what you want to achieve. Be specific with yourself and your goals. 3. Be open-minded. Be willing to change your vision and what you want if you find something better. 4. Practice. Makes perfect? I guess? 5. Work well with people. Keep high morale, be willing to listen to them. Don’t necessarily go with every suggestion and every piece of advice, but always listen and always be good to them; be excellent to each other.


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Emma Magnusson-Reid

Words Michael Stratford Hutch Images Michael Stratford Hutch & Emma Magnusson-Reid

Emma is a fine arts student at the University of Tasmania, with a focus on sculpture and printmaking. I’m meeting with Emma to discuss her recent work – soft sculptures of fleshy, bodily organisms that paradoxically repel and allure. They incorporate scavenged materials such as fabric fragments, clothing, hosiery, jewellery, and animal teeth and bones. Tell us a bit about yourself. I grew up on a little farm in Tasmania’s North West. I had very creative parents and my self-expression was really nurtured. I’m now living in Hobart, and am in my third year of university. I like making 2D and 3D artworks—they both affect so differently, yet there’s an obvious cross-over in ideas. You’ve described your childhood as ‘magical’. How do you think that affects your practice today? Magic is very subtle. If you allow yourself to see it and be affected by it, the energy of it will find you. Magic is learning about materials, how to convey your

ideas. Materials have to be learnt and understood to a certain degree before you can manipulate them in a way that has esoteric power. It’s unrealistic to think that one person can make things perfectly – we all have our own standards. Materials have limits! They break and die. I feel like I’ve been quite lucky – my work is experimentation that has gone well. I think of this magic a lot when I see your work. In animating things, you yourself are animated. Yeah, they draw the magic out of me! It’s reciprocal. These works started out with the idea of parasites, symbiosis, and energy. They’re absurd! Absurdity is magic, and it’s beautiful. We have to laugh at things and how ridiculous it all is. Contemporary art is absurd! It’s a little bit of a running joke. Some people are just going to look at it and think it’s bad, but other people will pick up on the magic. Someone may find magic in the monstrous, as well. It all depends on that perception of meaning and acceptance of magic. I like my work to have beauty and caring and love. I want that to be felt by the people who see it. It’s hard to maintain that notion – some of my work is revolting with the hair and the latex and so on, but it


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is the combination of that beauty that is so alluring. I’m really drawn to all the paradoxes wrapped up in them. There’s the grotesque in your work; a balance struck between repulsion and attraction. What they physically represent are organs; that confrontation of our physical, inside selves. I let people touch them - as if you don’t want to touch them! I’m not going to take that power and exchange away. My works are characters, they have personalities. They are all very different. Would you say these characters have evolved through your experimentation? Every time I make a new one they’re evolving off the next. Sometimes I go backwards to revisit work, always trying to get better. Refinement frustrates me, maybe as an institutional notion because there has to be some kind of ‘full-stop’. It comes down to being more particular and more articulate about it. I don’t try to justify it, I just do it. That over-significance of things becomes a hindrance. I feel like my work is an indulgence, visually, I mean. Sickly sweet, almost, with the pearls sewn in and the reflective pink fabrics. I scavenge! These things are archives. I feed all of these things into it. It’s a rush finding these new components and adding them in.

It offers clarity when you make a work and you’re actually really happy with it. It becomes an anchor. All people should have some craft of true expression – music or science or anything. It’s human, and it’s becoming less viable. So, what’s next? I’m content being in Hobart for some more time. I’d like to go overseas, apply for residencies, make work, have exhibitions. Continue evolving. There shouldn’t be any added pressure! I think we all have a bit of responsibility for the next generation. I want to help people with my art. It’s sharing that love, being humble. Being interviewed is weird. It’s surreal and conflicting. But it’s almost like, in accepting this attention, you are suddenly exceptional, you are unique. Not humble. You can’t feed off that, though! If you stop making work for reasons other than people receiving it, it loses that magic.


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PROJECT:

ART HOUSE

Project: ART HOUSE was an incredible student exhibition, featuring artwork from various college aged students over three nights in the secret tunnels of a historic gun magazine under Battery Point’s Princes Park. What really took the exhibition to the next level was that all artworks were inspired by and created in response to the space. The exhibition even included music the was produced by two local young musicians, Carl Renshaw and James Nutting which only worked to further elaborate on and capture the magazine’s eerie ambiance. Sophie Ambler, the curator and coordinator or Project: ART HOUSE opened the gates to the convictbuilt gun-magazine underneath the park, allowing artists to be inspired by the creepy space. Sophie had been inspired ever since she was young to coordinate a site-specific exhibition and that dream was realised with the help of Dee Taylor-Graham, resulting in the success of this exhibition with over 150 people crowding the tunnels on opening night. Sophie also had one of her own art works featured in the exhibition, in the form of a video art piece that projected stairs onto a wall in the magazine where there was once a passage to the park aboveground, referencing the passing of both time and history. . The artists chosen for the exhibition were all current Southern College students, with the exception of young Tasmanian ceramicist, Calia Ratcliffe. Each artist’s work reflected different aspects of the environment provided, ranging from the history of the tunnels to the local flora. Elizabeth College’s, Lilly Rudd who specialises in taxidermy, squeezed her ethicallysourced sculptures into the


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Words Edon Costello Images Yasmin Donnelly

nooks and crannies yielded by the sandstone brickwork of the magazine. Lilly’s work was inspired by the obsessive way that flora and fauna were categorised in the Victorian Era. Alexandra Paine, a year 11 Elizabeth College student, worked with collage and film photography that depicted Tasmanian landscapes and architecture that reflected the space within and surrounding the magazine. Rosny College’s Amy Castledine created etchings of native plants which were inspired by colonial botanical illustrations, and left prints of them raw, contrary to traditional printing methods. Dylan Collidge, Elizabeth College student, created scenes of colonial architecture placed in rugged Tasmanian bush, using very textural brush strokes to create moody paintings. Miriam Boulton of Rosny college dabbled with mixed mediums to create pieces that discussed the collision of Aboriginal and colonial cultures. Rosny College’s Stuart Jenkinson also used mixed mediums, exhibiting still life photography with props sentimental to the images. Stuart’s work centered on the period directly after the magazine was abandoned, when children would play in the halls by day, and men would drink by night. Calia Ratcliffe, ex-Launceston College student, used ceramics to express nature reclaiming the Earth, displaying a piece that depicted fungus growing over a person’s back. Project: ART HOUSE was an entirely youth run exhibition that reached unsurpassable success. The art pieces displayed were perfectly representative of the space provided and the ambiance was unsettling without fault. I look forward to Sophie’s future ventures.


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The Exchange Program Words Johanna Paterson Illustration Harrison Tew

Johanna writes a fictional story about her real friend Laura. However, Laura is a real French exchange student, loves the state and Elizabeth College - and has an obsession with Tim Tams. “Have you finished packing?” I asked, running across the road to keep up with Laura. “No,” she replied. “I have to do that tonight. I won’t be able to take everything; it won’t all fit in my suitcase so you’ll have to send me some of my things in the mail, if that’s okay.”

Dropping into a chair beside me, she held up the empty packet: “I’m going to miss these so much back in France”. “I bet you will,” I laughed. “Are you looking forward to going home, though?” “Not really,” Laura said, lowering her voice slightly. “I don’t actually want to go back. Australia’s more like my home now, and I like Elizabeth College more than my school in France. Everybody’s nicer, and school is actually fun here.”

We walked onto school grounds at 8.37am and there was nobody in sight. Everyone had made it into their classrooms already, out of the cold air. Laura pulled the hood of her cardigan over her hair as a sharp breeze picked up in the courtyard, and I zipped up my jacket. The sky was an easy, delicate blue, and the leaves on the trees throughout the grounds were falling in steady, crimson flurries to the pavement. “I didn’t want to be late on my last day,” Laura laughed, nearing the door to our first class of the day.

“Laura!” Leah called from across the table. “We have a present for you!”

“Oh well, I don’t think we’re going to be doing too much work today, anyway,” I smiled. Laura opened the door to our English Writing classroom and went inside.

The gift was one of the Elizabeth College hoodies, with the school logo and year printed on the front and back. Laura cried when she took it from the bag, and she wore it to the airport the next day.

Three tables had been moved into a single row through the middle of the room, and packets of chips and cookies and bottles of soft drink almost completely covered the tabletops. Everyone from the English class – including our teacher, Leah – sat around the tables, smiling at Laura. “Happy last day!” Leah said, reaching for a bag of chips. “We decided to have a going-away party for you.” Laura laughed: “You didn’t have to do all of this”, and I drew two packets of Tim Tams from my bag. “Of course we did,” I said, opening a packet and handing it to her. Before long, all of the bags and boxes of food had been opened, and most had been eaten. Laura had been pulled into dozens of photos, and had eaten almost an entire packet of Tim Tams herself.

Leah was holding a blue gift bag for Laura, who took it with hesitation. “You really didn’t need to do all this for me,” she said. “We all chipped in for it,” Leah said, sitting back down in her chair. “We thought you needed something to remember us all by.”

One year later, Laura came back to Australia. She said that the exchange program had changed her life, and that Tasmania was where she wanted to stay. When she got off the plane from France, she was wearing her Elizabeth College hoodie from the year before.


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OP ED Words Michael Stratford Hutch Image Wayne Ye

The first time I felt like I had words to describe my gender accurately was when I was 17 years old – almost at the end of my secondary education. While I was happy that I could finally put into words the frustrations I had felt for years, I was also incredibly upset that it had taken that long – and that I had to do it myself. Why had the education system failed to provide such a vital service as to let me know there were options other than ‘he’ or ‘she’? That I could choose my gender; that it wasn’t determined from birth? To put it bluntly, I am not a man. I’m not a woman, either. I’m not ‘in-between’ man and woman because there is no in-between. Man and woman are two genders in a very loose assemblage of identities, some of which predate Western civilisation, such as the indigenous North American two-spirit, the Samoan fa’afafine, and the South Asian Hijra. I experienced intense distress during my high school years. I developed a lot of negative perceptions of my body, so much so that I became chronically anxious and could barely function for the first half of grade 10. What’s worse, mine is probably one of the less serious cases. I know a lot of young people who, as a result of these problems, end up taking things out on themselves. Their mental, emotional, and physical health suffers.

No one ever asked me what I wanted to know about sex, sexuality, or gender; nor was I convinced that my teachers were qualified to talk about these issues in an objective, positive, and affirming manner. They used to play half-hour videos from the ‘90s, which focused on heterosexual couples, and condoms and ‘the pill’ as the only forms of contraception. They barely approached gender as a concept. We used to leave those classes joking about how bad they were. But I didn’t realise the effects they would have in the following years. This brings me to, well, me. I had been scrolling through my Tumblr, taking in pop culture, music, art, and society, when I came across a post quite plainly labelled; An explanation of nonbinary. Two-and-a-half years later, I can still remember its contents clearly. Not only did it state that there were other genders besides man and woman, but that there was a gender itself that questioned and challenged that very binary. And so the idea of non-binary gender was what resonated with me so strongly. After struggling with my mental health for a number of years, I had finally found something that helped me: the support of a community of people who had experienced the same hardship (or worse) because they were simply not aware of their options.


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It would have saved me years of mental anguish to have had access to such a resource. There is no grey area — I believe our education system misleads and underrepresents the true diversity of young people. People can feel like outcasts when they find themselves lost or misunderstood. And when they feel like outcasts, with little to no support system or selfcare strategy, they can turn inwards. They may not ask for help, or even share their feelings with loved ones. They can self-destruct. The more we stall on providing safe spaces for our young people to respectfully and safely experiment with their gender identities and sexualities, the more we isolate generations of young adults. The more we stall on providing comprehensive sexuality and gender education, the more we expose the young people in our community to minefields of mental health issues. It may seem extreme but I feel it’s the reality of the situation, and we absolutely must do something about it. There are limited services available in Hobart, and Tasmania more broadly. There are services that offer fantastic programs such as Headspace and The Link, which work with young people of diverse cultural backgrounds, sexualities, and gender identities. However, these services must be better integrated

into our education system. Schools form some of the building blocks of our society. As such, their curriculum should account for the diversity of their students and the students’ families. It’s only through public and private schools that a whole generation of young people can be reached with one comprehensive program. We should be working with young people to develop such models — after all, during adolescence, neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change in many ways, even into adulthood) is at some of the most active levels you’ll ever see during a lifetime. We should be making use of this fantastic, natural receptiveness to foster a more loving and accepting social culture. Obviously, we need to implement changes regarding the existing curriculum of sex education – for one thing, making it sexuality and gender education. We need to incorporate a holistic understanding of the diversity in our societies, and the widely different needs for varying sociocultural groups. Once we’ve instituted positive changes in our education system, a shift in community values is bound to happen. We owe it to our young people to listen to them, and accommodate and facilitate their diverse identities and needs rather than just managing. We owe it to our young people to allow them to thrive.


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TasPop Words Simon McKeown Popular culture is on the rise. From superhero movies to the mobile game Pokemon Go, it is almost impossible to go out and not see how pop culture has influenced society today. There are even days of the year dedicated to singular pop culture fandoms. For example, May the 4th is recognised as international Star Wars day due to the date sounding similar to the franchise’s iconic quote, “May the force be with you”. Last July at the Youth Arts and Recreation Centre, a Geek Market was run by university society TasPop. The event was well received by traders and attendees, as more than 350 people braved the icy weather in order to get their hands on some merchandise from their favourite pop culture franchises. As the TasPop president, I was excited to be in amongst the action. I would consider myself a geek. I am a massive fan of Star Wars, Marvel, Warhammer, Pokemon, anime, video games and other ‘nerdy’ things. I am proud of it, which highlights another goal of TasPop, to bring together a community of people young and old, who share similar interests, so they can feel comfortable talking about their passions without the fear of being judged by others. I have even expanded my interests into the realm of cosplay (dressing up as pop culture characters), and have gained knowledge in prop and armour-making, thanks to our group and other cultural festivals.

I became the TasPop president this year, though I’ve been part of the society for three years. Having started as a volunteer, I soon joined the committee and became head volunteer before a promotion to secretary. When our last president left, I raised my hand to take on the position. TasPop is a not-for-profit organisation backed by the Tasmanian University Union. The goal of TasPop is to promote youth-based pop culture and to bring together people who share similar interests, because the Tasmanian community is relatively starved for pop culture events when compared to other states in Australia. Every year, we run two popular culture festivals, AICon in Hobart, which gathers about 2600 attendees, and MAICon (mini AICon) in Launceston, with 600 people normally rocking up. Running and organising these events takes a lot of work from our committee members. We are all volunteers and committee members invest their own funds to help keep these festivals afloat. These are the only pop culture festivals in Tasmania. We promote many interests at our festivals, including Japanese anime, manga, comic books, popular TV series, movies, cosplay, alternative fashion, video games, and everything in between. We enjoy bringing this community together and have helped to form friendships across all corners of Tasmania as well as other states.

We are very passionate about what we do with our society for Tasmania’s youth, who would otherwise have to go to the mainland to experience events like the ones we run. Every year, I tried to better my efforts for TasPop, so here I am now. The TasPop group has definitely been a great experience. I have learnt a lot, made many friends across the pop culture community, and shared experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It really brought me out of my shell during university. I am now much more sociable and confident than I used to be. So if TasPop can help me, it can help you, too. My favourite TasPop past time is hanging out with the group and our extended friends, usually after meetings or events. We have a wide range of characters and personalities in our circle. We always have fun, which is what TasPop stands for. The next AICon will be hosted next year at the Wrest Point Convention Centre on 4-5 March 2017.


4th & 5th March

Wrest Point Convention Centre, Tasmania AICon is a family friendly popular culture festival, that encourages and support local artists. Join us for an enchanting weekend featuring: Costume Competitions, game shows, traders halls, auctions, a games room and much more! Find out more by visiting our website:

www.aicon.org.au


Secret Sounds Presents

The 24th Annual Music & Arts Festival

marion BAY tas m an ia

29 dec • 30 dec • 31 dec

New Acts Just Announced!

CHILDISH GAMBINO (NO SIDESHOWS) • LONDON GRAMMAR (NO SIDESHOWS) • THE AVALANCHES • VIOLENT SOHO MATT CORBY • ALISON WONDERLAND • CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN • FAT FREDDY’S DROP • TA-KU THE RUBENS • YOU AM I • THE JEZABELS • BALL PARK MUSIC • DOPE LEMON • GROUPLOVE • BERNARD FANNING JAMIE T • BROODS • TKAY MAIDZA • GRANDMASTER FLASH • ILLY • MØ • HOT DUB TIME MACHINE • DMA’S KINGSWOOD • ALUNAGEORGE • BOOKA SHADE • CLIENT LIAISON • VALLIS ALPS • NORTHEAST PARTY HOUSE PARQUET COURTS • CITY CALM DOWN • L D R U • MODERN BASEBALL • TIRED LION • REMI • RY X MARLON WILLIAMS • LEMAITRE • SHURA • SPIT SYNDICATE • MOONBASE COMMANDER • MALLRAT

Tas s i e Lo ca l s T i c k e t s

CENTERTAINMENT HOBART • COLLECTORS CORNER BURNIE • MOJO MUSIC LAUNCESTON • RED HOT MUSIC DEVONPORT

tickets on Sale now fallsfestival.com


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Writer’s Block Words Steffi Kokkoris Illustration Harrison Tew

My head slumped and my feet dragged across the bumpy, grey pavement as the clouds turned grey. My thoughts seemed to have floated away, so close, but too far away to reach. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach, weighing down my shoulders as my thoughts piled up. “Why can’t I figure out what to write?” I whispered aloud, my fingers tangling in my hair-bands which clung tightly to my wrists. So many thoughts tumble along as I dawdle down the back streets of Hobart. A drop of rain trickles right down the middle of my nose, breaking my thoughts for the slightest moment. I stop walking and take in the dark sky. Everything seems to have a grey tinge to it, and a mist appeared, making the air humid. I continue walking and I see brown leaves falling off tree branches, reminding me of an Autumn when I was five years old... “Steffi, smile for Mummy’, Mum says, and I grin as big as I can; a cold breeze blowing through a gap where my two middle teeth used to be. “I got ice-creams!” I hear Dad call out from the park bench. I race to him, my older sister Georgia catching up to me, and my little brother Jules not far behind. Georgia beat us there and chose the biggest scoop. Jules falls over and gets to choose before me so he could stop crying, which left me with the smallest one. I don’t care, because the other two had already eaten almost half, so we all have the same amount. Once we are done, I beg Mum and Dad to let us have a go on the merry-go-round. They say: “Yes!”, and all three of us cheer and climb onto our favourite horse. Mine is called Star Light because she was red, gold and creamy white, and reminds me of the glow-in-the-dark stickers on my bedroom ceiling. Mum sits with Jules on Santa’s sleigh, and Dad and my Georgia sit on Piper, a green and purple horse. I didn’t need to go with a parent because I’m a big kid and I can do it on my own. A man with a white beard, fluffy white eyebrows, bright blue eyes, silver-framed glasses and flushed red cheeks that matched his vest sits in the middle of the merry-go-round and starts the music. As the music plays, the merry-go-round spins and the horses go up and down with the music. Lights around the rim of the circular ceiling light up and change colours. I stare around me in awe of everything. It finally comes to a stop and the man winks at me as I wave and got off. “He reminds me of Santa, Mummy.” I say. “Maybe

he is, Dolly Girl”, Mum says, patting my white and pink beanie that’s perched on the top of my head. We keep on walking until we find a big tree with leaves falling off it and my brother, sister and I start making a big pile of leaves to jump into. Jules jumps in the pile before I’ve finished piling them up. Standing there in the cold, I smile as leaves float all around me. I quickly jot everything down on my note pad and zip up my bag. A smile settles on my face as I walk closer and closer to home. THE END


PLATFORM

Alinta A creative response to The Secret River by Kate Grenville Words Evangeline Drinnan Illustration Harrison Tew As I looked up from my pale feet sprouting from the river sand, I noticed a figure not like the others around me. Confident. Inquisitive. Playful. Beautiful. Her thin, young body appeared strong and frail at the same time. She was at that stage in childhood where one plays rigorously from dawn to dusk, but seems like they could snap at any moment from the strain of it all. Waves of thick, jet black hair hung over her shiny chest, hiding her face. A sheepish smile which unveiled her glowing white teeth escaped from behind the strands lifted by the late afternoon breeze. The shadows of dusk came, but did not darken her. She was always a bright flame in a world which was becoming increasingly dark. A world in which Da regularly let off a gunshot to scare away her and her people, as if they were cockatoos feeding on the crops. Where Smasher and Saggity often turned up in the hut, bringing with them stories reeking of violence, torture and dehumanising acts towards the natives. Where Da either scowled at me or beat me every

night when I returned from the camp, disapproving of my playing with the native children. She made me rise from my bed each morning and not dread the day ahead entirely. The figure made its way down the rise, through the sticks, until its dark feet sprouted from the sand like my own. It planted itself next to me, calm and still. I grabbed my knees, expecting it to sit down with me. But it didn’t. A branch swayed, reaching towards my body. It creaked gently. I wasn’t scared. I did not know whether I would be attacked, stripped and eaten as Da’s friends said I would, or whether I’d make a friend better than any I currently had. But I took her hand, and followed her into the lanky, dark figures, whether they be spindly trees or grown men sharpening their spears.


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PLATFORM

PAGE 47

Bird Words Tess Harkin

It flits and dips, as if it’s searching

Setting sun

for something lost, or perhaps, never really there. It is frantic but at the same time,

Words Tess Harkin

somehow serene as though it’s happy to look, for now, because it knows the prize will be worth it,

The sun streams through the trees,

and then, it can eagerly spread the word

catching insects floating lazily in its gaze.

with so much childish wonder.

It lights the leaves up gold;

In the dappled sunlight,

an impossible, unrepeatable gold,

the blue in its wings glints,

found only in that minute

glimmers

as the sun

and flashes, as it swoops through the light

is at that perfect height and even the clouds part for it,

and disappears, melting into the brownor is it black?- of all its other feathers

stop what they’re doing and watch, not wanting to miss a single moment

when it darts through the dark,

as the sun completes the day’s journey

the shadows.

and sinks gradually, finally, behind that branch, the hill,

Was that startle of

down past the horizon, to make way

turquoise ever really there?

for the stars and the rising moon

The bird continues its

who also light up the trees, but more quietly,

convoluted path, dives into the sun-

reservedly, as if they know their audience is

and there it is, another flash of bright

sleeping, tired out by the youthful antics of the sun, unaware of what a show the night would give,

as it plunges into the shade of the trees,

if only someone would turn up to watch.

searching, searching.



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