ARGUS Issue 2 2016

THE PART Y ISSUE Issue 2 2016

How can houses like this go down like this Detroit's abandoned houses

Ph allu s- i e s Australian bachelorettes parties

Full Norwegian drinking culture

S el fi e s fr om S h a n g r i - l a Goa's tourist beaches

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ISSU E 2 | 2016 ABOUT:

The Argus is a student-run, non-profit visual journalism magazine dedicated to showcasing students' investigations and unique perspectives of local and international issues.

DEC L AR ATI O N :

All opinions and views expressed within are those of the authors and do not represent those of the editorial board or QCA, Griffith University.

CO NTRI BUTO R S:

We will always welcome anyone who feels they can contribute to the exciting future of our magazine, be it through material or expertise. Please pitch your ideas only (no attachments) to submissions@ theargus.net.au

CO PY RI GHT:

All content is copyright of the contributors and must not be copied or reproduced without permission of the creators

FI N D US:

www.theargus.net.au www.facebook.com/THEARGUSQCA Twitter and Instagram: @theargus_qca subscribe to our RSS feed for new issues and content.

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A digital landscape of visual stor y telling

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LE T TER FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the second edition of The Argus e-zine 2016.

This is the online visual journalism magazine produced by Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art students.

This Australian e-zine has a strong focus on emerging visual journalism, which pushes us to find untold stories, and to ask questions of those already pursuing careers in photojournalism.

The title of this issue is “party,” showcasing broad interpretations and definitions of the word. We sent the call out for work using this word as a jumping off point into broader contexts; what are “parties” and what is their politic.

The quality and broad range of works submitted to this issue has not only impressed the editorial team, but has stressed the importance of supporting emerging artists.

We have stories ranging from drunk Norwegians, to bridal showers, to the closure of Thailand’s largest tiger temple. There is a strong international flair in the range of stories published in the issue. Norway, Thailand, U.S.A. and India are featured in visual stories by talented young photographers, as well as a healthy selection of work created domestically.

The issue features interviews with established photojournalists about their works and their politic.

We talk with them about human rights issues, project immersion, and celebration of culture.

Finally, I’d like to thank this issue’s hard working editorial team, all of whom this issue would not exist without. Their biographies can be read at the end of this issue, please don’t hesitate to contact any of us for more information about our own work or the work in this issue. I’d also like to thank editor-in-chief Dr. Heather Faulkner for her encouragement and support.

We sincerely hope you enjoy this issue and thank you for your readership.

Emmy Peterson Managing editor, The Argus

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EDITORIAL TE AM

Editor in chief Managing editor Picture editor Art director Multimedia editor Multimedia editor Graphic design Marketing manager Social media manager Listings editor Sub editor Assignment manager Contributing editor

Dr. Heather Faulkner Emmy Peterson Jonas Ottesen Sofie Aanonsen Skadal Zakariyya Paruk Ola Kosberg James Campbell Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza Magnus Westerlund Elizabeth Louise Ralph Aliah Murillo Kingston Seinafo Feala Samantha Manchee

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IN THIS ISSUE

Full page 8

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Artist profile - Danielle Villasana page 18

Artist profile - Klaus Pichler page 52

Dizzy page 58

Furries page 83

Tiger Temple's Last Days page 94

Selfies From Shangri-La page 26

Phallus-ies page 40

Jesus Live in Siberia page 64

How can Houses Like this, go Down Like this page 72

BIOS Singles page 108

Editorial Biographies page 116

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Bewlinda Berg Svensli 2014

FULL

by Belinda Berg Svensli & Martine Kolstad

Norwegian photographers Belinda Berg Svensli and Martine Kolstad, combined have created a series based on the youth drinking culture in Norway, using grungy aesthetics and disposable film cameras.

"FULL," meaning drunk in Norwegian is a documentary project about drinking habits and party culture. There is a distinct drinking culture in Norway, which involves predrinking an extensive amount before heading out, on the premise it will become more enjoyable and to avoid exorbitant drink prices charged in bars.

This insider perspective delves into the lives of Norway’s young and drunk, capturing all the typical aspects of this drinking culture. As insiders the artists both celebrate the behaviour and caution the affects of alcohol over consumption on behaviour, health and common sense.

MartineKolstad.com

Martine Kolstad 2014

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Belinda Berg Svensli 2014

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Martine Kolstad 2014

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Belinda Berg Svensli 2014

Martine Kolstad 2014

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Belinda Berg Svensli 2013

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Belinda Svensli 2014

Belinda Berg Svensli 2014

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Belinda Berg Svensli 2014

Belinda Berg Svensli 2014

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Martine Kolstad 2016

Martine Kolstad 2016

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DANIELLE VILL A SANA The Argus’ Emmy Peterson Skypes with independent human rights journalist Danielle Villasana about her work on transgender people in Peru, the future of long form photojournalism, and her current work with the survivors of Boko Haram in Nigeria.

E: What made you start wanting to photograph the transgender community in Peru?

D: In college I started a multimedia project on LGBTQ families in Texas. I documented four different families and one of those families was about the life of a transgender woman. While I had always been familiar with lesbian, gay and bisexual issues, I had never really [known much about transgender people]. I spent quite a lot of time with her [Nikki Araguz] who’s very interesting and has an amazing story. It really opened up my eyes to what it means to be transgender and the challenges they go face.

I believe that a lot of transphobia comes from misunderstanding of what it means to be transgender.

I was very inspired by Nikki and her story. The following summer I recieved a grant from my university and I went to Argentina, originally planning on doing a story about the Muslims community there, but that fell through. My plan B was to focus on the transgender community because at the time [2012] Argentina had just passed the world’s most progressive set of gender identity laws, still to date.

I followed the lives of three people; one transgender man and then two women (from the to be reborn series http://www. daniellevillasana.com/volver-a-nacer). My experiences in Argentina opened up my eyes and inspired me even more, so for my last semester as a college student I decided to study abroad. I double majored in Spanish, so naturally I wanted to study somewhere in Latin America. Long story short I decided on Peru and once I started thinking about going to Peru, I

started wondering if the transgender community in Argentina has these laws protecting them and supporting them, what is it like in Peru? So I started researching beforehand and of course was completely shocked by what I found out.

For example, 30% of trans women in Peru are infected with HIV. By the time I got to Lima I already knew that it was something I wanted to focus on. I had an internship at a newspaper in Lima so I just started asking my colleagues and co-workers there if they knew anything about the transgender community or where I could get in touch with them.

I tried reaching out to NGOs while I was in the U.S. but I didn’t really get any responses, so it was just something I decided to do on my own.

One evening as we were leaving the newspaper one of my colleagues offered to show me where they work and live. It was ten or twelve blocks away from the newspaper which is located in the historical downtown. He took me down there and actually the photo of the woman getting arrested and pulled away by the police from the series in Lima was actually taken that night.

The first night I went down there I was like oh wow, this is exactly like what I read. I think I was in the right place at the right time for that picture. As I continued to work on the project for about two and a half years, I realized that even though arrests happen frequently, it’s really hard to be there when it happens. A lot of the time I would hear that there’s a police raid happening, so I’d run a few blocks and by the time I got there it’s gone. It was just pure luck that shot. But from that night forward, I kept going back to the community.

Right top: Tamara,right, does a line of cocaine with a friend. 29th Nov, 2014 Right bottom: Police officers follow a transwoman before arresting her during a nightly police raid. 5th June, 2014

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Right: Jordy, left, gives her friend a shoulder to cry on after she found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her with another transwoman.

According to anthropologist Ximena Salazar the structures and traditions of gender are very rigid in Peruvian society, thus making it very easy for society to discriminate those who do not fulfil traditional roles. “The family is the first big social space where the female trans is going to have a fight.” Because of this constant fight, many leave home and move to Lima where thet know there is a network already waiting. “[Sex work] is a complete social world. There is a network, friends, enemies, the family is there. Your real family rejects you so your family is also there. 5th Jan, 2014

E: So it sounds like it was all a very natural progression then?

D: Yes, absolutely and I hope to continue to work on it because I really believe in these women. Even though I moved from Peru in December, I am still close to this community.

I recently found out that one woman I knew quite well died from Tuberculosis and AIDS. What’s ironic about her death is that she was a friend of another woman I knew who died from the same complications, Piojo, whose story is on my website. Her [Piojo’s] friend away was helping me at that time taking care of her and almost exactly a year later she died of the 20

same thing. So I really care about these women.

It’s this huge human rights issue and people are – especially in Lima – just letting it happen; nobody cares. It’s and issue I will continue to work on, I just needed some distance. The constant violence and death in the community was getting overwhelming for me, because it was something I was witnessing every single day for two years.and a lot of women looked to me for answers, which I didn’t always have, though I try in the way I can.

E: What challenges did you face photographically and emotionally with this project?

D: After that first night when I photographed the arrest I really waited until I started taking pictures. I would go down to the neighbourhood and hang out, talk with the women. I was always very clear and honest about who I was, what I was doing there and what my intentions were, but I didn’t take pictures right away. It took me a couple months before I felt comfortable enough – knowing the environment, knowing the women – to start photographing them.

Once on assignment, I saw three trans women walking down the street and I thought do I say something? I hesitated. Do I say something or do I go up to them or do I let it go? But I

decided to approach them and in that moment I met Tamara – she’s one of the main people I have photographed in the series [A light inside http://www.daniellevillasana.com/light-inside]. I explained who I was and what I was doing and she said “Sure here’s my phone number you can call me” and I said ‘Cool, would it be alright if I came over to your house one day?’ and she was like ‘Sure’. So I met her for lunch and we talked about the situation and what it’s like for her, and then from that point she let me come to her house and there I met more women. I lived in the same neighborhood for six months, so I really became known in the community.

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It’s a really intense environment. There’s a lot of jealousy and inner fighting, but there’s also a lot of support and family. People would get together and cook, and by the end of it people would be fighting, but then a couple hours later they’d be fine again and laughing. So it’s a very highly charged environment. Everything is extremely saturated and concentrated especially because in that community about 100 women live within 10 city blocks of each other.

They live together, they work together and I was a part of that.

There’s a lot of drugs, there’s a lot of violence, from partners, from family members, from police. Seeing that on a day-to-day level, eventually did make me feel very tired. Because I lived in the same neighbourhood, even when I was at home I was essentially working.

There was never a moment where I could take a breath or be away, and if I was away from it I was working because I was on other assignments, so I was just constantly going.

Also forming close relationships with people sometimes put a strain on me because I felt like Tamara and a couple other women looked to me for answers. I can do my best to help and provide them with resources – I’ve helped Tamara a few times with medical bills and stuff like that – but I don’t have the sort of power to make changes immediately.

I can only try to raise awareness through the work I’m doing to hopefully bring about change.

I think after documenting Piojo, I really needed a break. I met Piojo at the end of January and she died at the end of March. From January to March I was with her almost every single day. That’s the way the health system works in Peru – unless a family member is there that person doesn’t get what they need. You have to buy everything.

Even the cotton ball that they put the rubbing alcohol on before they prick you. Piojo didn’t have any family– she had a surrogate family but had been estranged from them for 10 years and they had only recently come back into her life after hearing she was ill.. She had a couple of friends but it was hard for them to be there everyday.

When Piojo died, I had been documenting the community for almost two years at that point and I had lived with them for half a year, I had seen death on a personal level and I just needed a break. At the same time Piojo was sick there was another woman in the hospital who I was photographing and visiting but thankfully her mother from Colombia flew to Peru and was there by her side, so I didn’t have also have to be a caretaker.

For the technical aspect of it, photographically speaking I guess it was difficult on a few levels. One would be how do you document a whole community? The violence, the drugs, the abandonment, the sex work. How do you get everything? It did take a long time.

A lot of things happen so fast – the violence on the street, it happens in a second and 22

if you’re not there you miss it. Same thing with photographing someone’s health and sickness. It was a project that took time, so photographically it wasn’t something that was going to be quick.

How do you photograph an entire community, and this is something I’m still working on. How do you keep your photographs interesting, how do you make sure that all of your pictures are not looking the same. I had some guidance from mentors who would look at my work periodically and say ‘Hey, I feel like you’re shooting everything from the same distance, try to get further away, or in your portrait do this…’ and then technically I got robbed once in the neighbourhood of my phone and then once in Lima in a different neighbourhood of my camera. Suddenly photographing on the street at night became that much scarier for me, so I actually started avoiding that. Even being in the neighbourhood I started feeling not as safe, so there was the security side of it as well.

Photographing in hospitals is always a challenge because in Peru if you want to photograph in hospitals, you have to get consent and by the time you would even get an answer it would most likely be “no”. I decided to just do it anyway, because one: I’m not going to name the hospital and two: because it isn’t about the hospital it’s about the person.

So I decided to just take photos discreetly.

Most of the pictures you see in the hospital, I had to do really discreetly and after a while I felt like a ninja. I’d be in the emergency ward and I had to figure out who’s looking, and I’d take out my camera really quickly and I’d have to compose the shot before I even took out my camera, and figure out the settings and do the autofocus dial before I would even take the camera out. By the time Piojo was in her own private room and the doctors knew me, I could take pictures more comfortably, but in the emergency room it was like being a ninja with the camera!

E: How have your images given agency to the transgender women of Peru?

D: I would say my relationship with them more than anything has probably been the most positive thing for all of us. I think probably my relationship with them and sitting down with them and doing interviews, especially if something happened, if someone had been hurt by a police officer, I could interview them and they could tell me about it and perhaps they felt some sort of vindication, or at least felt like, ‘Somebody is listening to my story and cares about it’.

On a certain level I think they were aware of what I was doing and why and I know that they’re appreciative. They’d start calling me ‘madre’ which is Mom, and I became very very close to them, so I think that they appreciated that I was there because I wanted to somehow through my photography, fight for them.

Top: Oftentimes transwomen play volley ball or other games such as Bingo before work for extra money. Since many of them live together in communal houses it is easy to organize afternoon games. 21st Nov, 2014

E: Do you have hope for reforms for the transgender people of Peru?

D: I do, of course I have hopes. There’s a big group of transgender women in Peru who are activists and they are working really hard to change the laws, get a gender identity law.

They’re working really hard and I would say that they are making progress. Peru is still extremely far behind most countries in Latin America with respect to transgender rights. Will it eventually happen? Absolutely. The question is how long will it take, and it will probably take a while. Even if there are laws, is that going to change society’s viewpoints from one night to the next? No, not at all. Peru is extremely conservative and very religious. The community speaks out against gay and lesbian families and transgender people all the time. Male chauvinism is very high and there’s skyrocketing rates of violence against women.

Do I see this being an issue for a long time?

Absolutely, but is there progress being made?

Yes. Also what I hope is at least in the health sector people are starting to understand that

they have to address what is going on with the health of transgender women because death is so common. It’s crazy. So, I’m starting to see a waking up in the health sector – at least with a few people [saying] “Hey, we need to do something, people are dying from HIV every other week, but it’s slow, and moving at the rate of molasses.”

E: What do you think about the future of photojournalism?

D: Most of us have assignment work, whether it’s editorial or for NGOs or commercial work. This is the work that pays the bills. Then the other side of that would be the personal projects, usually long form storytelling that people do because they want to do them. So they spend their own money on it, or get a grant to do it and then the search for publishing comes after. Long form storytelling always comes with a personal initiative to do it. Especially because the industry doesn’t really support long form storytelling like it used to. Honestly I think that the long form storytelling has to come from the photographers themselves and then try to publish it later.

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Above: After resisting sexual relations with a client without a condom, Tamara was injured with a broken glass that he threw at her face.

"You have to be careful with clients because they're not clients, they are bad men that can cheat you, that can take you somewhere. They treat you bad, they beat you, they rob you‌I have suffered through that a few times," said Tamara in a previous interview. 13th March, 2015

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Above: Tamara, a 27-year-old transgender woman, quit school in the 5th grade because her classmates constantly teased and insulted her.

At 16 she began sniffing glue for a couple years to deal with depression and loneliness. At 18 she began prostituting. Though she has looked for other work she says that people think they have diseases and are vulgar, so they are turned away. “I want to have a job with somebody I know, someone who trusts me. Because otherwise, the discriminate you, they look you up and down when you’re looking for work.”

8th Aug, 2014

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As long as photographers still have an interest in documentary storytelling then I believe that it will always be there. The industry is so multifaceted, there’s breaking news, there’s reportage, there’s entertainment aspects, so I think it’s hard to say that it would be only one thing, but of course the industry values that work [long form storytelling] because it’s important and goes deeper than breaking news.

I would say the industry values that- but maybe can’t support it the way it used to. So, that work is funded through grants and published after the photographer has already completed the work– as opposed to being commissioned beforehand.

to me, is amazing in many ways and I think that maybe social media may be the future of photojournalism as we move away from physical newspapers, and start to consume our news more digitally. I think that social media is already playing a huge role in how we produce and consume the media.

E: You have an involvement with the #everdaylatinamerica tag on Instagram – what do you think of the role of Instagram within photojournalism?

D: I love social media! I think that it’s a really incredible tool that we can use to spread awareness about issues in a way that a newspaper or an online news site can not.

For one – it’s free and most people have it.

I think what’s so cool about Instagram is it gives a photographer the ability to take the picture, edit and publish all within the same platform – so YOU have the control, completely. So the everyday movement was started by @Everydayafrica and that spurred this global movement. I think that it motivated people because it showed how you can use social media to show a different side to what we normally see in the traditional media. The Everyday Project’s mission is to break stereotypes in traditional media.

What’s so appealing about the project is the photographers don’t show what people see in the news. It’s the everyday – it’s what happens everyday.

E: How did you get started photographing in Nigeria?

D: I happened to read an article in March last year (2015) about how the majority of women in a group of around 300 that the Nigerian army had rescued from Boko Haram were visibly pregnant. That was really alarming to me, so I started researching about it a lot and I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. I felt compelled to document what was happening and how women were recovering from these gruesome experiences. I was really honest with myself and asked myself a lot of questions about my intentions and why I should document this, and from my research I noticed actually very little people were covering the long-term effects of Boko Haram violence. Boko Haram is the world’s deadliest terrorist group, but it’s really not receiving very much media attention. There was a period where it was constantly in the news because of the Chibok girls – the nearly 300 schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014- but they were not the only girls who were kidnapped. Lots of women have been kidnapped. So, as I started looking at the situation in Nigeria and what stories were being produced. I started noticing that there wasn’t a lot of coverage, which was mostly likely due to the fact that the violence is no longer at its height.

What I appreciate about the Everyday movement is that it shows a different side to the headlines. It says ‘Hey Africa’s not just war, poverty and famine’, that’s just one tiny little part of it but the everyday is happening and it’s beautiful and people are going to school, and have money and resources etc.

I started Everyday Latin America with three other friends and colleagues and it’s been very rewarding. What I also love about Instagram is the community aspect, because you connect with people you don’t know. You connect with someone on Instagram and they live halfway across the world but you follow each other, perhaps comment on each other’s stuff, and a year later you happen to meet in person. So there’s also the added benefit of building a community. #EverydayLatinAmerica is a group of 24 plus photographers and even though most of them I’ve never met face-to-face, I’m very close with them because we’re part of this community together. So social media,

E: Can you tell me a bit about what you’re working on in Nigeria at the moment?

D: I am documenting the aftermath of the Boko Haram violence and insurgency in north eastern Nigeria, with a focus on women, but also trying to photograph the larger context of it. It’s challenging for many reasons.

I can count the number of people working on this issue long-term and they are all doing extremely powerful and impactful work but there still isn’t enough coverage even with all of us working on the issue. I think it was the right decision to focus on this issue, but it’s definitely challenging in ways I was not expecting. I will continue to try and document the aftermath of what’s happening and keep raising awareness that these people who have suffered violence, especially women – they’re still dealing with consequences. Nigeria has fought back a lot and is regaining a lot of territory but it doesn’t mean that the issues that women and communities are dealing with are just going to go away. daniellevillasana.com

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Above: Though prostitution in Peru is not illegal, many transwomen are oftentimes taken by police on the bases of not being able to show their identification cards. Here Kiara is taken by “serenazgos,� or municipal police officers, in a nightly raid. According to a study by the Peruvian Cayetano Heredia University, Serenazgos and the Catholic Church are the two most homophobic institutions in Peru..6th April, 2013

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Above: A woman walks by an abandoned tank left by Boko Haram on the road to Michika, a town formerly occupied by the insurgents in northern Nigeria's Adamawa State.

20th Feb, 2016

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SELFIES FROM SHANGRI-L A

By Eliah Walton

In the pursuit of the ultimate paradise and luxury, humanity en masse will inevitably destroy the very beauty that originally drew them to a place. Yet image and ideas of an Eden remain strong. Copies of the original paradise come in the forms of photos, shirts, mugs and tans.

Yet the reality of a place in which both humans tourist stands in stark contrast to the idyllic myth. Ironically, the pursuit of these souvenirs of paradise are the very things that destroy it. The gaudiness of a tourist beach and the excess encountered floods the senses. The

peace and quiet so often sought after in nature are replaced with beaches that are crowded with sunbeds, bodies bearing bumps, lumps and simply bad taste, rubbish dumps and souvenir stands. Vanity clouds the scenery and the horizon is littered with selfies. Large beach parties thump music through the sand as the water churns with debris from all this excess.

What is lost when paradise is found and then turned to profit?

Above: Interstate tourists show off their souvenirs while posing for a photo on Anjuna Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: An international tourist poses with a 'selfie stick' on Anjuna Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: A flag hangs listlessly on Arambol Beach as a tourist enters the water. Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: An international tourist poses in swimwear on Anjuna Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: Interstate tourists about to take a ride on one of the many water sport activities available on Anjuna Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: Two men watching the sunset on one of the many boats sitting on the shoreline on Arambol Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: Interstate tourists persuade an international tourist to join them for a photo on Calangute Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: Interstate tourists pose for photos on a rocky outcrop at Anjuna Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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Above: International tourists enjoying the shoreline of Anjuna Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016 Next Page: Pigs sift through a rubbish pile behind the sand dunes of Arambol Beach, Goa, India. Feb, 2016

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PHALLUS-IES

By Athena Zelandonii

There's a man wearing boots, kneepads, and a Speedo g-string grinding his crotch into the veiled face of a heavily pregnant woman, flat on her back on the floor beneath him.

Every project has a genesis story, and this just happens to be mine.

penis straws too!' Hen’s nights act in flagrant opposition to society's moral code, and so humour becomes a powerful buffer to minimise the participant’s sense of deviance and to process the absurd, upsetting, or disappointing.

If the sexual objects and atmosphere can be treated as something funny, then the participants cannot be accused of being 'bad' women.

In late 2013 I attended a bachelorettes party- or 'hens night', in common Australian vernacularoffering my photographic services as a way of gaining access to a cultural institution I had never seen in person. I was curious about the idea of female spaces in general, and particularly what was happening in this mythical, solitary institution for so-called female sexual expression.

Items found at various events appear in 'Phallus-ies' as artefacts on a stark background, highlighting the absurdity of each object and its symbolism. Separate from any context that would usually provide them with an air of legitimacy emphasises their artifice, and assumes that in spite of their differences they are all equally important in creating meaning.

Tricia's night had been planned by her best friend and bridesmaid, and promised to be a crazy time for all. 40 women filled a rented space on the Gold Coast, each of them wearing a homemade netball bib with a sexually explicit position printed on the back. They rode around in stretch hummers, were entertained by drag queens, engaged in simulated oral sex with chocolate bars, and watched as their friend and bride-to-be was felt-up by a mock fireman.

And come nights end, I had more questions than ever. Expecting freedom and frivolity, what I observed was restraint, discomfort, and humiliation. How had it come about that women defaulted to modes of expression which they did not seem comfortable with, and was this a common feeling and experience?

From a young age every one of us is deeply influenced by the dominant scripts of our particular society and culture. Determined by indicators such as our sex, class, or ethnicity, we adopt patterns and behaviours that are subconsciously sanctioned by those around us. Very little human behaviour can be spontaneous under these circumstances, however the authenticity of feelings, doubts, and pleasures can reveal much in moments before and between more controlled responses.

These in-between moments in ourselves and in our physical surrounds can tell us so much, if only we look.

Why were they engaging in acts they found humiliating or impersonal? Why was everything about men and dicks? Do we have choices, or only the illusion of choice?

These impressions would end up grounding a visual research project named 'Phallus-ies'; an attempt to explore in more detail not just what was happening in women's pre-wedding celebratory spaces, but how women were experiencing these events and what could be learnt about contemporary sexuality and expression in the process.

"It was disgusting, he was so aggressive" Arriving at one hens event, I asked the Maid of Honour in charge of organising the night, 'Why did you decide to go with a roaring 20's, Great Gatsby theme?' She responded with a laugh, 'It's so classy and ladylike... but of course we thought we'd just have to have some 44

"It's all a play, we're practicing"

And so I went looking. Women who celebrate before a wedding tend to adopt one of two very distinct binary roles, endorsing either a puritanical or a debaucherous performance of sexuality. There is a tension in the deliberate decision to be seen as naughty or nice, to be the partying hen or the demure bridal shower hostess. Both are a performance of censorship and restraint, deliberate in their attempts to be seen in a very particular way.

In an image titled 'Modesty', a faux fireman hoists the Bride to Be up to straddle his waist.

Rather than surrender to the sexual license the night implies, she pulls desperately at her skirt to cover her underpants, surrounded by a ring of her friends. Behind the laughing faces the closed body-language sends a clear message.

Although the scene is chaotic, the elements within are tightly controlled; there will be no 'letting go' here.

Artefact 1: Mr and Mrs diamante studded knickknack. Oct, 2014

Above: A woman wearing hot pink heels splays her feet awkwardly beneath the table at a bridal shower high tea. The pressure to perform and to rigidly assume roles at these events make many women visibly uncomfortable. June, 2014 Next page: A generic symbol of domesticity and homemaking, this backyard washing line becomes a lingerie display during a hens night sex-toy party. Sep, 2014

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Artefact 2: A plastic tiara. Oct, 2014

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Above: In the front yard of this Brisbane family home, the forthcoming bride entertains friends at a demure bridal shower. While it may not be as visceral as other forms of pre-wedding celebration, the roles are just as deeply defined, constricted and policed. Aug, 2014

Above: In the moments between organised activities on a three-night hens bender, the cracks beneath a cheap plastic veneer of authenticity and excitement begin to show. July, 2014

Artefact 3: Matching teacup & Saucer. Oct, 2014

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Right: The room at this hotelbased event is dominated by a human sized, comically disembodied inflatable phallus. The omnipresence of men as represented through phallic imagery and objects at these events has no female counterpoint in the age-old Bachelor parties from which modern hens are said to draw their inspiration. Sep, 2014

"It doesn't make sense, if you're going to copy men, wouldn't you copy the best of them?"

Unwittingly women acknowledged the irony or discomfort of the roles they were expected to fill; each heading in this article is a direct overheard quote from an event.

In some way 'good' women constantly enforced their own purity and goodness, while conversely efforts to explore and celebrate sexuality lead to a mimicry of masculine tropes and events, and the label of 'bad' women. Instead of the liberation, status and power projected by male explorations of sexual agency, double standards entrapped them.

'Bachelorette' shows the aftermath of a hen’s night strip show. A semi-circle of empty chairs are expectant while the banners and balloons attempt a celebration in the empty and dimly lit room.

A phallic straw lies discarded, and the anticlimax is palpable.

Beneath a dining table in 'Mrs', hot pinkhigh-heels splay uncomfortably, and above them hovers floral skirts and floral tablecloths, all elements combining to perform soft femininity for a bridal shower.

Identity and event have been pulled together in alignment. Above the table and out of frame, three separate conversations on diet and weight-loss are occurring. At the end of the afternoon, the beautifully frosted event cake will remain uncut and uneaten.

"That wasn't for you, that was for us, we enjoyed it" There can be no doubt that women engage freely in these events, but nonetheless social expectations and self-policing dominate their sense of fulfilment or enjoyment. In 'A Woman's Place', shiny satin lingerie hangs in a mundane, domestic backyard. Be sexy, but not too sexy. Be homely, but also adventurous. Women are aware of the potential or existing dual nature of their identities, and contemporary women's sexuality is burdened by mixed messages and characterized by uncertainty. athenazelandonii.com

Artefact 4: Engagement Ring

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Left: A future bride pulls desperately at her skirt as she is hoisted astride a male stripper.

Her friends surround her, laughing, but subconsciously covering their own bodies and hoping the attention will not turn to them. July, 2014

Above:A male stripper forces a prospective bride's hand into his boxer shorts during a strip show. The use of force and neglect of consent dominated each strip interaction over the course of this project. Apr, 2014

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Above: A woman applies a condom to a cucumber placed between her friends thighs, at a zombie themed celebration. Highly sexualised game-play and phallic imagery is incredibly common on the bachelorettes scene. July, 2014

Left: A guest at a Gold Coast hotel hens night poses with a double-ended dildo between her legs, and a 'pin-the-penis-on-the -man' poster.

Sep, 2014 Next page: A hotel room sits abandoned after a striptease, which nearly reduced the bride-to-be to tears, at a Great Gatsby themed bachelorette party.

Apr, 2014 Far left: Artefact 5. Cupcake with moulded chocolate male genital decoration.

Oct, 2014

Above: The bride-to-be flinches away from an approaching male stripper. Like most brides, she had explicitly requested no male entertainers for the night. Sep, 2014

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K L AUS PICHLER The Argus’ Aliah Murillo interviews photographer Klaus Pichler about his photo book series ‘Just the Two of Us’ based on the costume community, giving an insider look on the person behind that mask through the juxtaposition between being in costume while at home A: What drives you to photograph, and has your politic changed throughout your photographic journey?

K: My main motivation is to explore the world, to find out new things and to experiment with the things I have found out, all through the lens.

Photography is a way of seeing the world and taking part in it. This is the essence of what I have found out in the past years. Therefore, I have learned to take my voice more seriously, to dare to be critical and to be more open-minded in order to create projects with more depth.

A: Our series “Just the Two of Us” is captivating in regards to the strong contrast between dressing up in costume while being at home. What was your initial reasoning towards creating this series?

K: I think that alter egos are getting important more and more and that there are different ways to create one – and creating a costume is probably the both most simple and most visual way to step into a new personality. I wanted to illustrate that by creating a concept which would involve both – the ‘civil’ person and the alter ego.

A: Since there is a large group of people within the cosplay community, what was the process in choosing your subjects? Did their costumes need to speak out to you, or did you need to learn more about the person?

K: Of course, when doing research, I firstly tried to find elaborate costumes because I knew that they would make the images more spectacular.

Nevertheless, there was one element I could not plan in advance: the question how the homes of the people, which were the backdrop for the images, would look like. This made the whole working process quite thrilling since I was not able to foresee how the final image would look like. My main goal was to unite the two persons, the ‘civil’ person and the alter ego, in one photo, therefore it was the main interest to find out as much as possible about the person(s) in order to be able to create the photo in the best way.

A: You found it complicated to find people to photograph as they felt uncomfortable with the series. Did you have to change your approach with your subjects to make them feel at ease with your intentions?

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K: They did not feel uncomfortable with the series itself, they just did not want to have the photos taken in their homes out of different reasons: some were not too happy about their flats, some considered their flats as private and some did not know how to think about my intentions and therefore were a little shy and preferred to say no. It would have been much easier if the concept had been to photograph them somewhere else because being photographed is also part of the game when creating a costumed alter ego and taking part in related activities, but in their own flat?

Difficult. Since the concept was fixed from the beginning I did not change the approach, I just needed a long breath until I found enough people who were willing to take part in the project.

A: You photographed your subjects in their own flats. Was the room they were photographed in chosen by yourself, or the subject? Did the specific room have any significance?

K: In most of the cases I visited their homes for the first time when I did the photos, therefore everything was quite spontaneous. All the time it started the same: I asked the people not to wear the costume in the beginning and to have a drink and a chat in order to find out more about them and their personalities. During these talks, in most of the cases we developed an idea of how and where to take the photos – so it was some kind of a cooperation between the portrayed persons and myself. I like the idea that planning, staging and taking a photo is an act of cooperation between the portrayed person and the photographer because this way of doing things enables the person to bring in his or her personality to a high amount. So my mindset was to let things happen and to be open towards suggestions, so the room itself did not have any significance, it was more the idea and the process which has lead to the images.

A: How did you plan out each photograph? Did the subjects personality reflect the way it was taken?

K: Oh yes, but not out of my perspective, but out of the perspective of the photographed persons.

I did not feel like being the person who gives commands, it was more the other way round, so I am sure the photos do reflect the personalities.

Above: Venice carnival mask. Aug, 2012

"Unite the two persons, the ‘civil’ person

and the alter ego, in one photo"

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Above: Weeping Angel from Dr. Who. Aug, 2013

A: Did this series make change your perspective on cosplayers from how people stereotypically view them?

K: I can’t answer this question properly because I simply don’t know the stereotypical way of how cosplayers are viewed by other people.

If you mean that they are ridiculed by some people, I can just say that sometimes laughing is the short track to ignorance and by that one can easily ignore all the meta layers, the selfunderstanding of the peers, the effort it takes to create and alter ego and so on – all things I really respect and I really find crucial if one wants to develop a reflected view upon society.

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A: In the process of the series, was there any particular outcome that you wanted to achieve for your audience other than looking beyond the costume itself?

K: Yes, it was the combination of the ‘civil’ person, sensible through the design of the flat, and the alter ego, represented by the costumed entity, that I wanted to combine on one image in a balanced way. This has been a quite difficult task since some costumes were that dominant in their look so we had to find ways in how to stage the images in order to break this dominance and to get a balance between the two elements.

Above: Stormtrooper from Star Wars. Aug, 2012

A: Your series of work is incredibly diverse from one project to the other. Which body of work was the most challenging for you in the process of creation, and which one has stuck close to you?

K: This question is really impossible to answer since I have worked on all the projects for long times and faced different challenges throughout the periods I have been working on them, depending on the subject. I want to put it the other way round: If a project does not bring up any challenges, any frustrating moments and any little dramas, it is possibly shallow and therefore not really satisfying when it is finished.

I don’t want to miss all the little and huge efforts it needed to finish the different projects, and

it is also my main interest to do them all quite differently in order to learn something new with each and every one of them. According to that, the dearest project is always the one which either just exists as a plan or which I am in the middle of doing it – it’s the constant hunger for creating new stuff I like best about my work.

A: Are there any new projects, or plans for them in the near future?

K: Yes, I have a new series ready to be published in early 2017, it will be a book and it will – as always – look quite different from the others.

It’s a little bit too early to reveal details, but one thing I can already say: it will probably be the strangest project I have done so far. kpic.at

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Left: Batman. Feb, 2014

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Jarc - Alishk Ace. 29th Aug, 2016

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FURRIES

By Emmy Peterson

Wearing anthropomorphic animal costumes empowers some of Brisbane’s young people with social anxieties to open up, make friends and love themselves. Brisbane's South Bank Fur Meet is one of the largest of its kind in Australia. Members of the free group gather weekly, some costumed some not, in order to socialize with likeminded individuals. The change in character is almost instantaneous for some, as soon as they put on their heads their attitudes shift, often going from shy to outgoing by donning the fur suit. Each person plays a specific role called a 'fursona', creating personalities and characteristics for their costumes. Many members of this group are also involved in the LGBTIQ community and find the meets a safe space to be themselves and show

affection publicly. This is also true for those who suffer with anxiety disorders and social awkwardness who are able to overcome these feelings when surrounded by other furries. While costumed emotional bonding occurs in the form of scratching bellies, cuddling and laying on each other- actions that would otherwise be considered odd or uncomfortable. Though the fandom has received bad press due to not-safefor-work (NSFW) content that appears online, the Brisbane group disassociated itself with any NSFW aspects of furrydom. The group has it’s own buy/trade/sell economy of commissioned art and handmade costumes. In most cases it seems using the fur suits or masks allows them freedom to express themselves, and as a way of escaping the drudgeries of normality.

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Gabby - Blue Moon 29th Aug, 2016

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Yan - Kandakka 29th Aug, 2016

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Tayla - Aardi 29th Aug, 2016

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Brandon - Bedlam 29th Aug, 2016

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Jarc - Alishk Ace 29th Aug, 2016

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DIZZ Y

By Emmy Peterson

Students from QCA Bachelor of Photo Media were invited to photograph the 110th annual Gold Coast Show. They captured a feeling, an overwhelming dizziness, disorientation and looming sickness of the blinking lights, sugary foods and carnival games. These street images capture the anxiety and excitement and reveal to the viewer a perception of the show, rather than an explicit explanation. Best to view these images with a side of fairy floss.

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Above: A young man videos his friends as they scream on a rotating ride at the 110th annual Gold Coast show in Bundall. 26th Aug 2016 Previous page: A ride operator stands by while patrons ride a boat swing ride at the 110th annual Gold Coast show in Bundall. 26th Aug 2016

Above: People wait in line for one of the more popular rides at the 110th annual Gold Coast show in Bundall. 26th Aug, 2016

Above: A ride in motion at the 110th annual Gold Coast show in Bundall. 26th Aug 2016

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Above: A spinning ride operates while the riders’ friends and family wait at the 110th annual Gold Coast show in Bundall. 26th Aug 2016

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K YRRE LIEN The Argus’ Sofie Skadal interviews Kyrre Lien about his seminal work Jesus Lives in Siberia, documenting the lives of a closed religious cult in a remote Siberian community.

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Previous page: The believers on their six hour long march in biting cold to meet Vissarion. The whole day is a homage to Vissarion, who gives a 10 minute speech at the end, with followers listening intently. 14th Jan, 2013 Above: He is walking down a snowy hill, his hair is long with streams of grey, his white cape and slippers made off wool. He is smiling, waving and sits down on a wooden chair with his hands folded in his lap, following a 10 minute speech. Vissarion preaches of about inner change and leaving behind old sins. After the speech he turns waves one last time. This is very emotional for the believers. 14th Jan, 2013

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S: We became attracted to your work thorough your series “Jesus Lives in Siberia”, how do you proceed in beginning a project like this?

K: A lot of the project work is to find the good stories. This is something I am always looking for. Inspiration can originate from something I read, or something I hear from a friend.

Per Christian Selmer-Andersen and I came across the Siberia when we read an old Trip Advisor book. When we arrived in the country we knew we wanted to do the story, we began the job with the logistics and tried to contact them. We often use local sources to help us, be it journalist, translators or similar.

They often have the local knowledge that we do not poses, then help us establish contact.

S: Were you the one that made the first move or did the group invite you?

K: We were the ones that initiated the project.

S: Was it difficult to get access to the group?

K: After hours of flying, some hours with bus and a long car ride we arrived at the sect. We wished to stay with a family out there, and we where allowed. The sect is located so far out in the wild that it is impossible to drive there in the summer, you have to walk for days to reach it. When where invited they where incredibly hospitable and we got a warm welcome.

S: How did the people there react to you being there as a photographer? Were there some changes?

K: This reportage went fairly smooth. We stayed with them for three days and photographed from dawn to dusk. Other than that, the days where long and the wind was fresh, however getting to know the people and get close to them was easy.

S: What is the meaning of this series for you, what is it you wish to communicate?

K: The Siberia series is about documenting a group of people doing something completely different from what we are used to in Norway. We find people living on nature’s premises, there is something lovely about that. At the same time the series is about an incitingly religious Russia and how they are growing more conservative. We were trying to cover both sides of the story.

S: How is it to work and document in areas that are so different to Norway (home country)? What are the biggest challenges that come with photographing a conflict area? Did any of the projects like this that went better than expected?

K: One of the best things with working as a photographer is just to get the opportunity to enter different peoples home and get to experience situations you normally would not have access. Even though it can often be exhausting, unpredictable and stressful, it’s the best job in the world. In a conflict zone a lot of what you are doing is demanding. That includes ensuring safety, getting access is usually difficult.

Then reporting something that is new and insightful for the people at home. When I am out on assignment I invest a lot of time and energy to make the job as safe and responsible as possible. I try to get a good overview of the situation of the place. I am going to get as many sources as possible before traveling. But at the same time I have experienced situations that aren’t that lucky, one time I got punched in the stomach by an angry rebel soldier before he the threatened to shoot all the journalists in East Ukraine.

S: Are you currently working on a project you would like to share?

K: At the moment I am working a lot on a project where I visit web debaters in their home and read the pretty out there comments they have written. Hopefully this will be ready to publish in not to many months. kyrrelien.com 83

Above: Deep in the Russian tundra, miles from civilisation 4000 people celebrate their spiritual leader. They believe he is the new Messiah.

His name was once Sergej Toro, but for the last 22 years he has taken the name Vissarion, or the teacher. 13th Jan, 2013 Next Page: Far in to the tundra they are celebrating their spiritual leader- the new Messiah. He is name is Sergej (52), a former traffic cop, who has amassed 4000 followers. For the last 22 years he has been known as Vissarion, meaning teacher. Everyone in the village stops to pray four times a day. Residents of Visssarion’s convent village pray to a wooden angel. 13th Jan, 2013

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HOW CAN HOUSES LIKE THIS, GO DOWN LIKE THIS

By Sarah Granholm

Broken doors welcome you into an uninhabitable neighborhood of Detroit.

It sits nearby the mansions packed into suburbs such as Bloomfield Hills and Ann Arbor, rich with restaurants, shops and events- a far cry from the crumbling former homes in the inner city.

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Above: An abandoned house with some windows blocked off, but an open door leading in to piles of dusty objects and remains of memories, only blocks away from the high rises and metro vibes of inner city Detroit. 2016 Previous page: A ghostlike atmosphere near the otherwise buzzing Eastern Market, where silence and stillness are the most overwhelming impressions. 2016

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Detroit was once a thriving city sharing success from the Motown music gems and a flourishing car industry with the rest of the world. The city has been one of the wealthiest in America, attracting many inhabitants to prosper with the city's growth. On the contrary, peeking crime rates, racial tensions, riots and a "white flight" where white residents left their lives in the city, affecting taxes and the job market. Economic instability and the biggest urban bankruptcy known to date in American history awaited in 2013. Detroit and its people were left before the challenge to find a way back.

investors seize new opportunities, construction sites cover many areas of the city. To an extent, Detroit is very much alive. Sport events, concerts, restaurants, shopping centers, bars and all that contributes to the liveliness of a city can be found here. The arts community is evident. Chaos could be assumed to encourage creative input and a motivation to contribute towards change can be awakened. With needs leading to opportunities, artists have taken initiative to lift up the city by decorating its walls with colorful street art. In these senses, Detroit is not dead.

Visiting Detroit in the beginning of 2016, got me thinking of how the aftermath looks and feels like. And it is very diverse. On the one hand,

But still, 8 mile road is argued to be separating low and high income households. From driving along streets with the one house bigger and

Above: The remains of what might have been a family room of a house close to Eastern Market, Detroit. 2016

more luxurious than the other, to driving across the "miles" and getting a sense of the Detroit that was left behind.

I step into the abandoned houses. Fragments of people's lives lay on the floor, the American dream shaken up and scattered all around.

Hand written letters, clothes, broken glass and an odor far from my approval. Then the absurd contrast of the astonishing mansions and high rises with fine architecture and maintenance not far away, where the party never stopped.

The black and white in the photos attempts to capture the most overwhelming feeling of being inside these houses, which is the notion of visiting a time that has already been. The preservations of the remained pieces is like

being inside a ghostly museum. The black and white also represents the contrasts of the city, abandoned (what used to be) homes juxtaposing houses being rebuilt. The houses captured symbolize the upswing and downfall of Detroit in themselves. And the walls that used to embrace families, clearly distinguish the difference between a house and a home.

In these houses, the spirit is gone, but it is to be found in the people that believe in the city and its way transiting forward. These photographs show one side of Detroit, but it is not a full portrait of the diverse contrast of the city.

However, it attempts to capture the part of Detroit that left me with the most questions. sarahgranholm.com 91

Above: An uninhabitable neighbourhood of Detroit, yet these houses are not far away from mansion packed areas such as Bloomfield Hills and Ann Arbor with rich life of restaurants, shops and events.

Right: Light reaching in through a partly open door of an abandoned house somewhere i Detroit, inviting yet discouraging visitors. 2016

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Above: One of many abandoned houses in Detroit. According to RealtyTrac (2016), the city has approximately 53000 vacant properties and is the city with the highest rate of abandoned houses in America. 2016 Next page: Inside of an abandoned house, the sorrow and wondering is marked on a wall that used to be a part of a home. 2016

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Above: A man walking along Woodward Avenue in Metro Detroit area, passing a question posed on the wall, assumably concerning the city's economic decline that led to bankruptcy in 2013. 2016

Above: The floor of a Detroit abandoned house is covered in the sight of cigarette buts broken glass and a bottle of ale juxtaposing a dusty Gumbel's book of "Who is Jesus?". 2016

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TIGER TEMPLE'S L A ST DAYS

By Cory J. Wright

Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno (more commonly referred to as the ‘Tiger Temple’) has become a popular tourist attraction in Thailand’s Kanchanburi province. After growing criticism from animal rights groups and allegations of the temple’s involvement in wildlife smuggling, officials from the Department of National Parks, Plants and Wildlife staged an operation to remove the animals from the temple grounds.

Over the course of six days 137 tigers were removed in a large scale operation involving hundreds of DNP officials, veterinarians, military personnel and police. Much of the international community commended the move while the temple’s volunteer staff expressed concern about the wellbeing of the animals in the government’s care. Since being removed the health of some of the cats has declined and one has died in the care of the DNP. www.coryjwright.com

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Above: Staff secure crates to a flatbed truck with 4 tigers on board. Nearly 1000 individuals were involved in the operation spanning 6 days. Multiple teams worked in different areas of the temple's grounds in order to remove the tigers quickly. 2016

Below: A veterinarian monitors an adult tiger after it failed to wake from a sedative. Volunteers at the temple voiced concern over the effects of sedating some of the older tigers at the temple prior to the operation. 2016 Previous Spread: A long-term volunteer reaches through the bars to greet an adult tiger at the 'Tiger Temple'.

2016 Previous Page: The main entrance of Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno (more commonly known as the 'Tiger Temple') on the first day of the large scale operation to remove the 137 tigers on the temple's grounds.

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Above: 'Tiger Canyon'—where tigers were chained to anchored points in the ground allowing visitors to move around them freely—sits empty after the first day of the operation. 2016

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Above: An official peers through the main staff entrance at the Tiger Temple on Monday afternoon after finding that approximately a dozen tigers had been released by staff into the main loading area in an apparent attempt to hinder the removals. 2016 Next Page: A member of the removal team inspects containers of dead tiger cubs in formaldehyde. In total nearly 70 dead cubs were found either frozen or preserved. 2016

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Above: Officials pictured with a tiger skin found in a vehicle attempting to leave the temple's grounds during the operation. Men in the truck said they were instructed to remove the items by a monk who was worried they would be found by DNP officials. 2016

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Above: Mr. Adisorn, Deputy Director of the DNP, addresses media with a display of the confiscated items found during the 6-day operation.

Included were dead tiger cubs, skins, teeth and amulets which officials allege were part of illegal wildlife smuggling activities that the temple's management were involved in. 2016 Next page: Scratches mark the floor an empty enclosure after all of the 137 tigers had been removed from the temple grounds. Since their removal the health of some of them has declined and one tiger has died. 2016

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SINGLES

Above: In the early morning, a new experience not far from a place we used to call home on the outskirts of Penrith, NSW. By Adam Abela, Sept 9 2016.

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Above: As the sun began to rise, for a short amount of time the sky faded, NSW. By Adam Abela, Sept 9 2016.

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Above: Duke, a working dog, waits patiently for his master so they can head out and do the chores for the day on a family farm in St George. By Samantha Manchee, June 2016

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Above: On the final night of the Gold Coast Show, the Mantis Kung Fu Academy spends the last hours of the event going onto the rides with their Lion Dance outfits, making onlookers smile and laugh at the contrasting sight. By Aliah Murillo 2016

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Above: At the 2016 Canungra Show a ride operator waits patiently for ride attendees. By Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza 2016 Next page: In the morning my father brings his mother breakfast and her medications. Salwa suffers from severe dementia and back pains, but her last days on earth are made easy with the help of her own son. By Christian Nimri 2016

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EDITORIAL BIOGR APHIES Dr. Heather Faulk ner Dr Heather Faulkner is a documentary transmedia practitioner whose action research explores the synergetic themes of identity, place and belonging. Her professional career as a photojournalist and awardwinning picture editor has seen her work published broadly on an international scale. Faulkner convenes the Photo Media Major, Bachelor of Digital Media, QCA Gold Coast. Her teaching comprises transmedia storytelling; action research; photojournalism and documentary practice; ethics and theory; picture editing and online curation. She is the executive editor of the ARGUS, the online transmedia publication published by students in the Photo Media major. www.heatherfaulkner.com.au - www.amatteroftime.com.au

Emmy Peter son Emmy Peterson is a photographer, videographer and writer with an interest in long form trans media storytelling, artist profiles, essays on art as well as the intersection between documentary and art. Currently based on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, she has lived and worked in regional Queensland, with personal identity and modern relationships being recurrent themes throughout her work. Her practice is influenced by domestic and international travel as a way of sharing moments of humanity, and by the multitude of ways in which art functions as a catalyst for social engagement. www.emmypetersoncom - emmypeterson@ymail.com

Jonas O t tesen Jonas Ottesen is a 25 year old Norwegian studying Photo Media at Australia's Griffith University. His interest for photography started in his early years, and developed into an aspiration to go into it further during 2013, when he commenced study at the Norwegian School of Creative Arts. After graduating, he continues to work as a freelance photographer. Working both independently and commerically, Jonas has expanded his skills to include everything from photojournalism to editorial and commerical work. www.ottesenfoto.no - @jonasottesenphotography

Sofie Skadal Sofie Skadal is an international photography student from Norway.

She has begun her third year in studying Bachelor of Digital Media at Griffith University. While living in Australia for three years; studying internationally has given her a lot of opportunities including extensive travel. She comes from a fine arts background from Ås VGS, where photography became her focus. Sofie’s future goals after she graduates is to continue photographing, and travelling, where she aims to see things other people would not necessarily get to see. www.Sofieskadal.wordpress.com - @Sofieskadalphoto 118

O la Kosberg Ola Kosberg is a Norwegian videographer and photographer currently based on The Gold Coast. Growing up wanting to be a movie star, his scholarly efforts eventually made him discover his true love for storytelling across mediums. With the intention of broadening his visual language, Ola is now collecting knowledge and creative ideas while studying photography half the world away from his hometown of Trondheim, Norway. His work aims to inspire good actions in others and provide sensible answers to life’s big questions. Ola wants to remove xenophobia and make the world a more accepting place to live. www.olakosberg.com - media@olakosberg.com

Zakariy ya Paruk Seeing beautiful photography that seemed almost impossible to create has become Zak’s drive to produce amazing photos and videos. His philosophy is “Do what you love, and love what you do”. From the level of demand for his work increasing, Zak has no doubt this could provide for a fun and interesting career, with the end goal of becoming an established photographer and cinematographer, within the fashion and fitness industries. There are many talented photographers and Zak believes it’s important to appreciate, respect and draw inspiration from these artists, while finding your own style to stand out from the crowd. www.litshotz.com - @litshotz

James Campbell Ever since I first put pencil onto paper I would sketch little logos all the time, I’ve progressed a lot since then, and even managed to work for clients towards the end of high school. I’m now at the end of formal education as a graphic designer, but my resolve stays the same; Design serves to inform, a designer serves the public. Otherwise it’s in my opinion that a designer and their work is pointless. It’s this statement that I work with, most if not all my works revolves around serving someone else’s needs, whoever it is in need. www.jcampbell.com - iamjcampb3ll@gmail.com

Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza Growing up, Alexandra Gonzalez-Mendoza has always had a fascination with photography, and throughout her academic career at Griffith University, she’s had opportunities to grow and meet all sorts of people from all walks of life, as she learns to be a photographer and an advertiser.

While delving into many different fields of photography including sports, news and editorial, maternity and even documentary photography, to name a few. Alexandra is deeply interested in studio, documentary and event photography. She also enjoys volunteering for philanthropic organisations. www.alexandramendozamedia.com - @a.mmedia

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M agnus Westerlund Magnus Westerlund is a 20-year-old Norwegian, studying Photo Media at Griffith University. His interest for photography and filmmaking started when he was only 7 years old, when he got his first camera.

Music videos and portraits is what drives him, and what he loves to do.

His philosophy when it comes to shooting is: “In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary� His dream is to make his own brand, and be able to make music videos as a living, and be able to travel to different places to shoot. westermagnus@gmail.com - @westmagnus

Aliah Murillo Aliah Murillo has been thoroughly engaged in the world of photography. Her family and culture are very important aspects in her life, and using photography enables her to express that. Regardless of how one can take a photograph, she relies on the context as the most important aspect. Aliah thrives on her work to have the power to challenge herself emotionally during the creative process. Photography is a platform where she has the ability to take the audience into a journey within her life, beliefs and her heart. www.murillocreative.com.au - @murillocreative

Elizabeth Louise Ralph Elizabeth Ralph is a Bachelor of Arts 2016 graduate from Griffith University, majoring in Sociology and Islam-West Relations. Community arts reviewer and advocate, and visual story teller through the mediums of photography and illustration. Interests include human rights feminism, and equitable opportunity. She volunteered at Women of the World, SWELL Sculpture Festival, interned at Access Community Services and is involved with 4ZZZ community radio. elizabethlouiseralph@gmail.com

K ingston Seinafo Feala Kingston S.Feala is a developing visual story teller currently studying out of Queensland College of Art, Griffith University. Using photography as his medium Feala has explored themes of emotion, place, memory and self. His work with photography has also led Feala into the field of photojournalism, using imagery to tell peoples stories. Deciding to expand on his skills and knowledge of this field, Feala travelled to Cambodia to work with local Non-Government Organisations and hopes to put his ever growing skills and experience too use in his future careers.

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WE WANT YOUR STORIES!

The ARGUS is seeking new submissions for our upcoming issues. We are looking for stories, multimedia, photo essays and single images with strong narrative content.

Please send your pitch or interest to: submissions@theargus.net.au www.theargus.net.au

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