Teenage Democracy #3

TEENAGE DEMOCRACY

A DISCUSSION WITH POLITICAL ACTIVIST, HUMANIST, ARTIST-NEW YORK’S MOLLY CRABAPPLE

ISSUE THREE

FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the summer edition of Teenage Democracy Magazine.

‘I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people’. Vincent van Gogh. I found this quote the other day and I think it sums up this issue perfectly. Art, freedom and peace.

Creative expression is perhaps our most powerful human trait. Whether through poetry, painting or piano, experiencing art can evoke every feeling you own, broaden perceptions, give knowledge, awaken senses and cause deep inspiration. Personally, I believe that Art is the strongest and most effective voice of protest. Art can span countries, races, religions and propel revolutions. In this issue I had the privilege to speak to a woman who with her art and writing promotes humanism and dignity ranging from the Occupy Wall Street Movement to the World

Street. Molly Crabapple is an inspiration not only to me but to every young artist/writer/poet out there who wants to mould their creativity into action. I hope you enjoy this issue of Teenage Democracy…

Brigitte de Valk

TEENAGE DEMOCRACY MANAGED TO MEET UP WITH RUSSEL BRAND AT THE MARCH ON AUSTERITY IN LDON. HERE HE IS HOLDING THE SECOND ISSUE OF TEENAGE DEMOCRACY!

CONTENTS Students for Palestine 3-4 Homeless ‘Studs’ 5-6 Rebelling against the intolerable Bourgeoisie; The Bohemian Counter Culture 7-9 Youth Activist of The Week 10 Why Art cannot be taught 11-12 Review of Novel/Theatre Performance of ‘The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time’ 13-15 Summer Headlines 16 The Molly Crabapple Interview 17-22 Film Review: A Clockwork Orange 23-24 Rage against the Maching: The baltle of Los Angles 2527 28 more songs you should really listen to 28 The Addiction of Likes 29-31 Favourite places in New York 32 La Vie de Boheme Prominent figures 33-34 Sharkocide 35-36 In My Opinion 37 Why so serious? 39-40 Art and the Human Experience 41-47 Mobility International USA Cultural Exchange Trip 4951 The Babylonian Marriage Market (Poem) 53-54

Cover: Art by Moly Crabapple

Tie Dye Backgrounds: Molly Foulkes

Students for Palestine Unless you have seriously avoided the news recently in all shapes and forms, you must have heard about the Israeli slaughter operation on Palestinians living in Gaza. After nearly a month of heavy shelling and bombing, we are now awaiting to see how the future of the 72-hour ceasefire, which began on Tuesday 5th of August, will unfold.

With 1.8 million Palestinians besieged in Gaza, it is the world’s largest open-air prison, which means that the entire population has been affected by the slaughter. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 96% of the fatalities on the Israeli side are Israeli soldiers while 4% amount to 3 civilians. On the other hand, over 1,312 (86%) of the Palestinian deaths are civilians in addition to at least 9,500 civilians injured including 2,877 children and more than 3,000 women.

This brief overview of statics alone is capable of reflecting the reality of the military offensive that the IDF rather cunningly called Operation Protective Edge. Operation Protective Edge is a genocidal war. Israel’s attacks have not only resulted in an overwhelming number of civilian fatalities and injuries but has also deliberately targeted children playing on an open air beach area, houses with large families, UN schools, hospitals and markets. The genocidal motives behind this assault are portrayed by the statement of Ayelet Shaked, an Israeli politician and MP, who called for the murder of Palestinian mothers. She said: “They should follow their sons, nothing would be more just. They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes.

3

Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there”.

While focus on statistics is an immediate response to large-scale massacres, it is dangerous to depict the situation in just numbers. Every count means a lost human life of a person who once woke up in the morning to get ready for work or school or going about their daily activities, who had friends and family, who laughed and cried, and who had dreams and aspirations - just like you. The dehumanization of Palestinians is one of many biases present in the mainstream media and political discourse. The assault has been rationalized by social, political and economic analysts with reference to several immediate events such as the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation and the murder of three Israeli teenagers that has been blamed on Hamas without evidence of the party’s involvement or responsibility.

However, it is clear that Operation Protective Edge, as it is misleadingly called, can no longer be believed to be about self-defence or countering terrorism. The more appropriate pretext that the offensive must be placed in is not the abovementioned recent incidents. The pretext is sixtysix years of ethnic cleansing,

occupation and forced deportation and expulsion. It is the colonisation of an indigenous population and an ongoing catastrophe that, despite some goodhearted efforts, humanity has until this day failed to bring to an end.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe marched in solidarity with the Palestinians against the brutal Israeli attack on Gaza. In London alone an estimate of one hundred thousand people marched on the 19th of July, one of many demonstrations that took place in London as well as different cities across the United Kingdom. Here in Southampton several vigils and demonstrations brought different members of community together who stood united in humanity against barbarism, complicity and media bias.

Whether or not either side observes the ceasefire, the oppression and colonisations of the Palestinians will continue. In our contributions, no matter how big or small, we, as citizens of the world, are capable of reaffirming faith in humanity as the many demonstrators and protestors have done in Palestine as well as in Europe, North and Latin America, Asia and Africa. It is always the right time to plan, to mobilise and to take action.

Stand in solidarity with the Palestinians, promote Palestinian art and culture, call upon your governments to stop arming Israel, and join the global boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS). Now is the right time.

Juman Asmail, Founding President of Southampton Students for Palestine.

4

sleepers: ”Over the last three years rough sleeping has risen by 36% nationally and by 75% in London. More than 6,400 people slept rough in London last year."

After reading up on these studs being used, I was astounded that the Government thinks that treating the homeless like vermin would reduce the percentage of people sleeping rough.

And I’m extremely disgusted that they think that metal studs in the ground, instead of actively helping homeless shelters, charities and reducing cuts, (especially to housing benefits).

I didn’t want to make this an all-

Homeless ‘Studs’ Installed in London Streets and Used as Deterrent Imagine having to spend your days on the streets, desperately searching for a safe (as safe as a street can be) place to sleep, out of someone’s way, out of the rain, the cold, the disapproving glares or sickly sympathetic looks from passers-by. Imagine.

Now imagine finding a safe place to sleep, but instead of there being a concrete floor, there’s now a bed of one-inch metal studs in the floor.

A few days ago I was scanning trough The Guardian online and came across a highly disturbing, and personally disgusting article: ‘Anti-homeless studs at London residential block prompt uproar.’ A luxury block of flats in London have seen the installation of ‘Anti-homeless studs’ used to deter people who are sleeping on the streets within the last month after a homeless man had slept there for a few nights. These studs are an inch long and made of metal and have also been seen outside of a Tesco’s on Regent Street.

Many residents in the area have taken to Twitter to post their photos and vent their outrage at the recently-installed deterrents, one user comparing the studs to those used to keep pigeons off of buildings. Although these studs seem to have just started to cause a storm in the media recently, Homeless charities are saying that these methods to reduce homelessness have been used for almost over a decade due to the rise in rough-

too-familiar ‘I-hate-theGovernment’ rant, but I’m deeply disturbed that human beings would even think about treating people who need help like this, not only ignoring the fact that they’ve lost their homes, but actively making sure that they can’t even find a safe place to sleep in the streets too. There have been years and years of tailoring modern urban life to be as uncomfortable as possible for 5

homeless people: carefully placed rocks set in concrete under bridges, benches that are impossible to sleep on and bus shelter benches that are so thin even the people who are catching a bus (often the elderly relying on buses) can't sit on them. This step has taken things way too far, and people are finally seeing the dehumanising and scheming acts of the government, shouting in everyone’s faces and especially to the homeless: we don’t want you making our streets look bad so we’ll pretend you don’t exist.

Instead of trying to actively help and solve the rise in homelessness, the government are trying to hide away the problem, thus making life even more dangerous for the people who have to find shelter on the streets.

These people aren’t just pigeons that can be shooed away because they make the scenery ‘look bad’, these are humans who have emotions, need help and guidance, not a democracy that has given up on them, has made them ashamed of themselves for not having a home and wants them to be shoved somewhere else where no one can see them and taint the façade of a society that should be helpful and accepting.

Unfortunately it’s clear to see that even in this day and age, a time where you’d think politicians would be more tolerant to every class, race, gender and sexuality, they’re still trying to eliminate everything that is hard for them to sort out and overlook situations that they’ve never had to experience.

It’s deeply depressing that we

live in such a society that would rather make a homeless persons life more dangerous (than it already is) instead of wanting to improve their quality of life.

Ellie Harman-Taylor

6

Rebelling against the intolerable Bourgeoisie; The Bohemian Counter Culture

1914; an era born from political disappointments and Romantic ideals.

In an age devoid of major wars, distinction could be achieved through intellect and art and it was not long before the freedom of a non-conformist lifestyle serenaded the daily imagination: blossoming into the golden age of Bohemia.

(n) Gypsy. Wanderer. A person

musician, artist or writer who lives a free spirited life and believes in truth, freedom and love

The Bohemian movement offered a way to defy the French establishment in protest of a social structure based on money, uniformity and drabness, all of which threatened to suffocate individualistic creative expression. This incited the vagabond lifestyle of the 19th century Bohemian where the image of the impoverished artist became the epitome of rebellion. The Bohemian family consisted of those seeking to escape the ubiquity of social conventions, people who valued creativity far higher than materialistic wants and desires. This included Henry Murger, a prominent author of the times, responsible for popularising the avant-garde attitude through penning ‘La Vie de Boheme’ (published in 1845) and subsequently romanticising Bohemian life through literature.

Charles Baudelair; commonly known as ‘The Prince of the Clouds’, is renowned for his poems in the publication ‘Les Fleurs du Mal’ which feature themes of eroticism and decadence. The first edition published was put on trial in 1857 over perverse imagery and offence to religion, resulting in a fine for ‘outrage a la morale publique’.

Revolution. Revolution. Revolution.

Where has all the la blague gone? This means cynicism, for those who didn’t struggle through A-level French.

Resounding contentment, I would contend, is the sweeping dilemma of the Twenty-first century. As such, the majority of people are head down, tapping aimlessly at cracked I-phones with utter indifference at their individual influence on society.

However, a cursory view into history reveals that short bursts of collective social defiance can demonstrably shift and alter the course of public opinion, attitudes and behaviour.

Paris in the 19th century is a beautiful example of a defiant counter culture.

La vie de Boheme lay between 1830-

7

It sounds so simple, a life of beauty and unease, roaming the streets of Paris to haunt the stimulating wine bars and literacy Café’s such as Brasseire de Martyrs, where minds combined in a cacophony of unorthodox dreaming.

However, this way of liberal breathing and thinking is never allowed to prosper due to the continual promotion of

consumerism, capitalism and the need to ridicule those who try to stand for something more spiritually substantial.

It’s a catch 22 syndrome, where the sane realisation that it is mad to covet the hierarchal class system and its insinuation of inequality, is labelled as insane.

‘I think we’re being run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we’re being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I’m liable to be put away as insane for expressing that.

That’s what’s insane about it’. John Lennon.

oppressive nature of war, police brutality, discrimination and the previous generations in their set mannerisms of social conformity. The similarities to the 19th century are numerous. Jack Kerouac’s novel ‘On the Road’ was proclaimed as the defining of a new beat generation, while Allen Ginsberg’s poem ‘Howl’ faced a court case due to obscene references, much the same as ‘Les fleurs du mal’ and ‘La Vie de Boheme’. The festival of Woodstock in 1969 is a prime example of peaceful cohabitation without the need for the presence of authorities with lethal weapons. Its popularised exposition of ‘3 Days of Music and Peace’ foreshadowed the calm rainy weekend with an attendance of 400,000 people. As a further affront to the bourgeois attitude of money and high couture, the festival ended up being free due to its popularity. It was free and it was beautiful. This highlights why counter cultures are vital, as alternative ideas and expressions are given a higher level of consideration when more support is given. Lone voices and

The Bohemia in Paris faded with the onset of The First World War; a war which emphasized the seriousness of life. For the first time since 1815, France was consumed in vast campaigns, in heroic actions and brave sacrifices which held Bohemian recklessness in contempt. The movement had begun as a reaction to the severe Napoleonic age, as a means of realising fragile dreams of love and beauty, but the clamour of war tore those dreams apart, replacing them with constructed lust for glory on the battlefield. Perpetual war is the ultimate tool in oppressing new innovative, unconformist ideas. It does not take reading Orwell to understand this concept. War is a machine, a business, a maddening kaleidoscope of unity in hate.

However, it appears that certain wars, such as the horrific Vietnam War (1959-1975) are responsible in propelling Bohemian counter cultures.

The 1960’s is commonly referred to as the ‘hippie revolution’ where flower power (a phrase coined by Allen Ginsberg) fought peacefully against the

8

actions are far more vulnerable of being torn apart by the vultures of plutocracy.

This leads to the question of whether or not the romantic ideals of bohemia are all that far away? The twenty-first of June saw protests against war, cuts and overbearing conservatism. This march on austerity included 50,000 people marching through London’s high street in pursuit of change chanting ‘Stop shopping, save the NHS’. In 2012 the SOPA bill was defeated (Stop Online Piracy Act) through the resilience of the late Aaron Swartz and the overwhelming public response to a bill which undermined the existence of internet freedom. There is an ongoing tide of shock at the revelations of Edward Snowden on the NSA alongside the Occupy Wall street movement in 2011 protesting the unlimited powers of the 1%. There are countless other examples where the bitter truth has resulted in action after action of sweet resistance.

A new counter culture is coming.

The vagabond lifestyle of the 19th century Bohemian citizen of Paris was the epitome of rebellion in conforming to a social structure based on money. It still is. Protesting against the bourgeois is a basic necessity in the never ending struggle for nonfantastical democracy.

So lift your head from the lure of indifference and join the Bohemian mantra of truth, freedom and love.

Brigitte de Valk.

9

YOUTH ACTIVIST OF THE WEEK Sophie Scholl was born on May 9th 1921 in Forchtenberg in Bäden-Württemberg and was a member of the White Rose movement that was formed in Nazi Germany during World War Two. Sophie, along with a small group of others, was anti-Nazi and therefore by definition antiHitler. It was only a matter of time before the authorities knew the identities of those who were writing what was described as ‘subversive’ leaflets and Sophie was put on trial and found guilty.

Sophie and Hans took a bundle of this printed leaflet to Munich University on February 18th 1943 where both of them distributed what they could before attending a lecture.

However, they did not have time to leave them all before their lecture started. After they left their lecture they made the fatal decision to leave the rest of the leaflets at the university as they were convinced that students would be very important in any uprising against Hitler. They decided not to waste the leaflets as a great deal of time had been put into illegally printing them. Both Hans and Sophie went to the university’s atrium where they left the remaining leaflets.

However, they were seen by a caretaker called Jacob Schmid. He called the Gestapo and held Sophie and Hans until the secret police arrived.

Their fate was sealed as the Gestapo had all the evidence they needed actually in the university.

Sophie’s execution took place in Munich’s Stadelheim Prison a few hours after the trial had finished. She was beheaded by guillotine. Although no student revolt took place at the time, her courage to fight for justice in the face of adversary can be felt today through the brave actions of Edward Snowden, Aaron Swartz, Pussy Riot. The empowering act of standing up for peace will never stop inspiring.

10

Why Art Cannot Be Taught Before we agree whether art can or cannot be taught, we must first address what we mean by the word ‘art’. If we mean honing and finetuning technical skills such as drawing, sculpting, etching or painting to an advanced level, to a certain extent the answer is yes, although of course one is limited by one’s natural capability in these areas. However, according to Tolstoy, “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced”. Therefore, perhaps the development of technical skill counts as ‘handicraft’ by Tolstoy’s definition and ‘art’ is something that communicates a truth about humanity to others.

“All

children are artists. The problem is remaining an artist once he grows up.” This famous quotation from

Pablo Picasso suggests that everybody is born with an innate ability to produce art, which is usually lost as the child begins to be influenced by the concepts of art surrounding them and loses their originality. Why, then, have the overwhelming majority of artists attended art school? And how can art be evaluated and graded if its purest form is produced without external influence?

It is true that some artists who have received no formal education occasionally achieve recognition in the art world, such as Alfred Wallis and Henri Rousseau (who sadly did not attain this status until after his death, and was ridiculed throughout his life for his unconventional painting style.) However, even when the work is as revered as that of Wallis, it is firmly side-lined into the genre of naïve art.

In the 2013 Reith lecture named ‘Beating the Bounds’, Grayson Perry lays out a list of criteria which he has assembled to ascertain whether a piece of classifies as contemporary art. These included whether the work was in an art context; he referenced Marcel Duchamp’s pivotal 1917 work: ‘Fountain’. The infamous urinal was only categorised as an artwork once it was curated in a gallery. He also said that contemporary art cannot be made for pleasure, referencing the Tolstoy quotation: “In order to correctly define art, it is necessary first of all to cease to consider it as a means of pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life.”

Furthermore, he says that to be a work of art, it must be made by someone who is an artist.

Grayson Perry’s boundaries are contextual; applicable within the art world rather than describing a philosophical definition of art.

However if we believe that contemporary art can be so formulaically defined, surely it must be possible to teach a person how to create it.

In the words of James Elkins, art historian and critic who penned ‘Why Art Cannot be Taught’ in 2001, "Great art cannot be taught, but more run-of-the-mill art can be." He also says that “Art cannot be taught or even nourished, but it is possible to teach right up to the beginnings of art so that students are ready to make art the moment they graduate." This suggests that he believes that you can be equipped with the tools and skills to physically create work, but the thing which makes it art has to come from within the student.

11 1.)

Having taken these opinions and factors into account, I feel I have to conclude that art cannot be taught. Although the skills needed to make an artwork can be, perhaps not every individual has a fundamental truth to express concerning the human condition, combined with the capability to bring that understanding to other minds through art, visual or otherwise.

Ula Taylor-Reilly

12 1.)

Review of Novel / Theatre Performance of 'The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime' by Mark Haddon

same time as a single parent he had to look after his son whom he loved dearly. So much so that he had to be cruel to be kind, the book his son was writing to record the notes of his murder mystery (an obsessive, compulsive trait typical of somebody with autism) was taken away from him by his father after he promised to his father that

So, what is the fuss about ‘The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time’? Well, there is every right for such a fuss. The way the author Mark Haddon in the novel wrote about Asperger Syndrome in a sensitive yet simple way through the eyes of the 15 year old Christopher Boone suffering from the condition gives you a real insight into the condition. If you do not know much about the autistic spectrum in general then this novel is a good place to start. Basically somebody who is autistic can be the most logical person you are likely to meet but the most complex at the same time.

The whole story is based around Christopher trying to work out who killed Wellington, his neighbour’s dog after he finds the dog stabbed to death with a garden fork in the middle of the night on the neighbour’s front lawn. He is caught by the neighbour (Mrs Shears) and the police turn up to take him to the police station. After he comes away with a caution he then sets out on a mission to work out who the murderer of this dog is.

Obviously logic says those who kill should get punished but when you put this into practice it is not as simple as first thought.

he would stop his detective game and did not obey. His dad read the book and found out that Christopher was told something from a neighbour he was never supposed to find out. Christopher’s project would not stop though and he was determined to get back his book and that he did from under his dad’s bed.

Christopher’s Dad (Ed Boone) whom he lived with had to work long hours for his boiler engineering business but at the

The drama continues when the letters he found under the bed were 13

all addressed to him. Funnily enough these letters had been written in his mother’s (Judy Boone) handwriting who he thought had died before the letters had been written. He was so confused that reading the letters was his only option. For Christopher doing so would be one of the toughest things to ever happen to him.

to handle. He understands this though and explains on his train journey to London that when train passengers look out the window they may consider one thing but he would have to consider everything and so literally that he would have to numerically process the houses or trees.

Metaphors and autism is certainly not a match made in heaven, (pardon the metaphor).

For example, Christopher rightly so does not understand what people mean when they say things like ‘I’ve had a pig of a day’. Many with autism treat life literally which explains their understanding of maths, ‘A mathematician with behavioural difficulties’ is how Christopher describes himself and this is a perfect fit. He may not talk to strangers, or he may refuse a gift as well as telling you outright that having an affair is ‘doing sex’ which can sometimes be an awkward way of behaving but a Mathematician he is and it would not take a genius to work out what his A-level maths result would be. Siobhan, his mentor at school exclaimed ‘Aren’t you pleased?’ but this was responded to with ‘Well yes, it’s the highest grade you can get.’ He does not mean to be but can come across big-headed like when he states that ‘I will get a first class honours degree and then become a scientist.’ You cannot argue when he questions whether there is a heaven if it is not in our universe though.

However, the moments in the opening scene when we understand what living with autism is like gives you a flavour of the novel from the off. Autistic people like Christopher feel a real sense of discomfort when someone goes into their personal space and so this was proved when he hits a policeman hard and screams after the policeman tries to pick him up and put him in his van. Also, his parents had to connect with their son by letting their hands touch palm to palm only, which sensitively dealt with the fragile topic.

When Christopher’s thoughts were narrated to the reader this showed us how autistic people can pick the information they are given through all of their senses with a fine tooth comb. For instance, ‘the policeman had a big orange leaf stuck to the bottom of his shoe’ and ‘It smelt of bleach and gravy’ refers to somewhere he once visited explaining the cognitive difficulties people on the autistic spectrum can have as they have to process everything that goes into their head. Later on in the story this is shown when Christopher arrives at Paddington station in London (74.9 miles from Swindon in Wiltshire) where the atmosphere is too much

Seeing the novel adapted into a theatrical performance allowed the honesty of the story to be shown.

With a book you have the tool of 14

imagination, however sometimes with Theatre and Cinema real-life can be difficult to depict. This was overcome through using a stage with limited set that was similar throughout, therefore the one thing you will remember coming out the theatre is how the novel was performed. Luke Treadaway who played Christoper Boone got autism down to a tee, for instance probably the most typical autistic trait of averting the look of others would make you think the actor actually was autistic. However he was not and it blew your mind to know that the likeliness is he would have had to understood how to solve a terribly difficult maths equation when the average person, ‘wouldn’t have a clue.’ The one thing we can all take from the novel or play is that many will not treat autism like other conditions because they think that an autistic person is so clever so they will make their way in life. You can be the cleverest person in the world though and still have problems in your life. The performance really captured this and I am sure will have made many look at not just autism but mental illness in a different light.

Sam Waddington

15

SUMMER HEADLINES -More than 100 cities joined in a national moment of silence Thursday night to honor the memory of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The unarmed AfricanAmerican teenager was shot to death by police last Saturday in Ferguson, Missouri.

-Earlier this month, The Intercept published documents provided by Edward Snowden that revealed the deep ties between Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies. In a recent article, journalist Glenn Greenwald cites one 2013 document that described a "far-reaching technical and analytic relationship" between the National Security Agency and its Israeli counterpart against "mutually agreed upon geographic targets." The partnership includes a "dedicated communications line" supporting "the exchange of raw material, as well as daily analytic and technical correspondence."

injured. AP president and CEO Gary Pruitt paid tribute to Camilli.

-The World Health Organization is now saying the number of reported cases and deaths of Ebola in West Africa vastly underestimates the scale of the outbreak. The official death toll from the Ebola outbreak is now at 1,069 since February. Guinea has become the fourth country in Africa to declare a national health emergency as it battles the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the worst outbreak since the disease was discovered in 1976

-Amidst the ceasefire, five people were killed and several more wounded on Wednesday as Gaza’s bomb disposal team dismantled an Israeli missile. The victims included two journalists with the Associated Press: Italian journalist Simone Camilli, who was killed, and Hatem Moussa, a Palestinian photographer from Gaza, who was seriously 16

Source: democracynow.org

Molly Crabapple: Artsit, Activist and Writer currently living in New York is renowned for her involvement in Occupy Wallstreet movement, the Shell Game Exhibition and for her fearless reporting and illustrating for Vice Magazine.

Taking time out of her busy schedule, Molly discusses the impotency of creative expression, the internet, student activism and revolution‌ 17

Do you feel that creative expression is a crucial tool in readdressing issues which many fear to talk about?

The Molly Crabapple Interview

Do I think creative expression is a crucial tool- well I think that in America especially the media has really slandered and turned people away from a lot of political action, it’s sought of stereotyped it as something for dirty hippies or something that is ineffectual and scary and no decent serious person would be involved in. And I think the arts can have a crucial role in introducing people and teaching people that yes this is important, yes this is something vital to you. That’s how I try to use my own art work around political movements.

I would like to begin the interview by talking of your involvement in the occupy Wall Street movement in 2011. Was there a specific part in the movement which prompted your participation and were you surprised by the subsequent reaction to your art?

So I’ve always been a political person, but I hadn’t really been very publicly political since the complete failure of the Iraq war demonstrations. When I was 18 I basically spent so much of myself, like so many did, on the demonstrations and they just failed. They were a bit like theatre and so after that I became like quietly political and I used my art to raise money for stuff that I believed in. I didn’t really be vocal and I also thought that I didn’t deserve to be, like it was a too big a topic for me as I just did art with pretty girls. And then when occupy happened, I saw the incredible brutal police reaction to it and I felt that this was a moment where people should take sides and people, if they agree with occupy, should be out about it so that occupy wasn’t isolated and slandered the way that it was and that’s what I did.

And then I just kept doing more and more art for it and I was really honoured that people involved in occupy liked my work a lot and eventually the work that I did ended up being pasted all around the country and it ended up being very very associated with occupy and was a great honour.

The decade of the 60’s saw a rise of revolutionary acts and opinions heavily articulated by the populist music at the time. Do you think that this can reoccur through populist art?

I think that it can reoccur through all forms of creative expression, although I think it’s very important that we not fetishize the 60’s. That we not think of aesthetic decisions that were totally creative and bright for the 60’s are the only way that we can articulate our political work. I mean I love Bob Dylan so much, but Bob Dylan is not the only political singer in the world. I think we need to make sure that the art forms that we are using to express our deeply held beliefs are ones that are authentic to our own time.

I feel like artistic oppression has been recurrent throughout the last few decades, from the obscenity court case 18

over Allen Ginsberg’s poem ‘Howl’ to the threat of prosecution over John Lennon’s gallery of art, were you at all apprehensive over facing any kind of ostracism over your exhibition The Shell Game and could you talk a little bit of the meaning behind The Shell Game?

So the first piece that I’ve ever written really written professionally was after I was arrested. I was very very angry and I wrote about the experience. I drew my own jail cell that was in October 2012, and I had always, I had wanted to be a writer when I was younger, I just wasn’t I don’t

So I’ve never been part of the real art world until very very recently. I’ve always been someone people viewed as an illustrator which is seen as grubby and mercantile and not considered fancy fine art. I was never ostracized for my work. I don’t feel like the art that I’ve done has been some great Ai Weiwei style act of courage, if anything I’ve been celebrated for my political work. But why did I do Shell Game, well I wanted to. I don’t know, I fucking loved Diego Rivera, I wanted to do something big and ambitious that was about the sort of love that had dominated my life for the last two years, and especially as I was seeing these populist uprisings crumble, I wanted to do something to memorialise it, I wanted to make these big giant motifs to remember.

know, I wasn’t very good at it. I even wrote a novel when I was in school, it’s really bad, it’s not like a published novel, but then I started hanging out with all these really inspiring writers and started reading all their work and I started being In such awe of them. When I got a chance to write myself first for CNN about my arrest and then later vice gave me a column, you know I worked really really really hard at it and I started to develop a voice. The first reporting I did was I went to Madrid for their general strike there, where I visited squatters that were taking over buildings to deal with austerity, and I drew what I saw there and I interviewed them. I’m interested in Hunter S Thomson and Ralph Steadman and I like the idea of trying to fuse that in one. People, they don’t care about art the same way they care about writing, so I wanted to do something where I both took my art,

In being one of only three artists in the last decade to have drawn images of Guantanamo bay alongside your amazing reporting from Guantanamo and places like Istanbul, when did you first begin combining illustrations with your reporting and do you think this makes your journalism more effective in conveying its message?

19

which you know is my fucking blood, it’s my skill, and use my words to talk and I think that this thing creates a really interesting and powerful cocktail, especially in places that are very visually censored, like Guantanamo bay is.

have to support, so I’m sorry I just can’t talk to you. And that’s sort of the thing, the internet sort of creates in some ways the perfect way for a government to spy on its citizens because you’re able to cash everything, order everything, you’re able to identify and track everything, and this is fucking terrifying. It creates in some ways this tool of immense freedom and connection for us and also creates the perfect system of censorship and oppression.

Linking back to the premise of occupy, the future of internet freedom is a critical discussion in a technologically advancing world although with new rules stating fast lane access for fees, do you think the internet is slowly being fitted into a hierarchal class system which repeatedly favours the one percent? And how does this affect your work?

Linking to contemporary feminism, I recently read your article on female victims of conflict and the focus drawn ton to what was done to them and not to what they stood for, however with rising awareness of the courage of Malala Yousafzai and yourself, do you think the future holds a more promising outlook for female activist recognition?

God, internet freedom is a fucking fascinating thing! So I was just in Abu Dhabi working on a piece about migrant workers there, and Abu Dhabi is a country that’s very very surveilled, its very censored and it buys a lot of the technology that it uses to spy on its citizens for the US. And so I was interviewing a taxi driver about how members of a religious minority were being systematically deported from Abu Dhabi based on their names. And I’m talking to him on WhatsApp and then midway through he’s like, I’m worried this conversation is being surveilled and I’ll get fired and I have a mom at home that I

I think we’re actually living in an amazing time for the recognition of female activists, I just think that there’s something about the photography of conflict, the way that these images are taken and then endlessly endlessly endlessly reproduced and decontextualized to the point where frequently on my twitter feed I have an image from a protest and someone will say this is in turkey right now, and then someone else will pop up and say no actually that’s Bahrein five years ago.

There’s this real sense of these images just becoming this decontextualized surface motives of pain which is what I was writing about, but we’re paradoxically living in this time where people can talk and be more visible in a way that they 20

never would have been able to before.

There’s a very famous essay, the title is ‘Is the internet bad or good?’ Yes. And I tend to agree with that.

young working class people, who are doing jobs is vital and so fucking crucial.

Could you talk a little more of your experiences in Abu Dhabi and some of the people who you met there?

Yes sure, I’d be delighted to. So I recently spent eight days in Abu Dhabi and a day in Dubai working on a piece about the migrant workers who are building these giant museums on Saadiyat Island. The Louvre, the British museum as well as NYU are all building wings on Saadiyat and the idea is to make this island a cultural beacon for the region. However, migrant workers in Abu Dhabi make less than 300 dollars a month, they have their passports confiscated, and they have no right to strike or to unionise. If they try to strike they will be deported back home. In order to get their jobs they have to pay a year’s salary to a local recruiter just to work these brutal construction jobs, and so I was really interested on how high culture has always been built on the backs of poor people, and that why I decided to do this piece. For the piece I went to a number of migrant labour camps and also tenements that the workers live in in the city. I interviewed people, people are actually very willing and eager to speak about the conditions of their labour, I think because they feel very ignored, they feel like they’ve not had a chance to speak about this and basically the happy claims of institutions like NYU about how the labours are treated are complete lies. I repeated some of the claims back to the workers and they laughed, they thought it was ludicrous. Meanwhile while I was in Abu Dhabi I saw a real visceral

Following from Malala, I recently watched a film recounting the fearless acts of the young student Sophie Scholl, against the oppressive Nazi regime in the white rose movement, have you seen this and how significant do you feel youth and student activism is for the future?

I haven’t seen that film, but in terms of student activism oh my fucking god it’s vital. One of those tragic things about America right now is the way that student debt works. It makes it so that most people begin their lives in thirty-forty thousand dollars of debt and so they’re not able to have those few years of freedom. They begin their lives already indentured and already knowing maybe I can’t do activism, maybe I can’t do the job that I love because I have this huge huge debt that I have to pay off that is never ever dischargeable. I think the activism of young people, students and also you know 21

atmosphere of fear and oppression, where people from every aspect of society, from members of the ruling class right down to taxi drivers were scared to speak frankly on the record about the government. And you know while I think that it’s very dangerous, we create this lens where we’re like the west good, the east bad when it’s simply not true. I mean we’re very oppressive in our own way here and also we enable oppression over there by selling certain technologies and so I think it’s very dangerous to exceptionalise them. I also think that it’s important for these institutions to know that Abu Dhabi is not a free country. It is not a country that in any way treats its blue collar migrant workers fairly.

jobs that people used to use to break into things are dead. I look at Hellen Thomas, the journalist who, she’s such a hero, she’s one of the real people to speak truths to power, she got like an entry level job as a secretary at a news company and then was able to Segway to a journalist.

That wouldn’t happen now, a working class girl wouldn’t be able to do that now, you would have had to be like an intern and work for free for years and then have the appropriate degree and kiss ass and move up that way. So what I would advise young artists is to be intensely idealistic about your dreams and what you want to do and then intensely mercenary and cynical about how to get there. I would advise you to always look at the actual financial mechanisms behind things, whether its behind galleries or behind media companies and when those people are like ‘oh be a team player, work for free, sacrifice this or that’, I would advise you to be intensely cynical and always look out primarily for your own interests not for those of larger institutions and companies. By doing that you’ll put yourself in a place of freedom where you can do the work that’s meaningful to you

I read about how you spoke to the Donald Trump guy. That was really brave.

Thank you so much.

Well the final question, I recently found a quote of yours which reads ‘I don’t think pleasing powers should be a perquisite for making art and doing what you love’.

What would your advice be to young artists wanting to pursue a career in art and creative expression?

.

and that you believe in

God, I would say work hard make friends and don’t give up. I think we live in a really interesting moment for artists right now, where simultaneously the barriers are very low and very high, they’re very low because major institutions and major media companies aren’t the people who dominate discourse anymore. You can fund your own projects, you can speak on a creative platform on the internet, but the barriers are high because entry level

Brigitte de Valk

22

Film review: A Clockwork Orange (1971)

1999, after Kubrick’s death. Stanley Kubrick was certainly one of a kind! His films were in your face, on the edge and very powerful. They were never safe.

I knew that this film was going to be both violent and controversial. This is because this film has been chained to these words since its release. It was Stanley Kubrick’s vision of what Britain was going to be like in the future. He saw it as a disintegrating society, where crime was increasing and authority was losing influence. Many people in Britain, came out of cinemas disgusted and horrified with what they had seen. The film has also been accused of causing acts of random crime. Such as the murder of an elderly vagrant by a 16 year old boy in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, who pleaded guilty after admitting to the police that his friends had told him of the film. A Clockwork Orange was eventually banned for 27 years, until it was re-released in

To me, A Clockwork Orange has two halves. The first half is the violence that Alex and his gang cause for their own enjoyment and amusement. The second half is the aftermath and about the consequences of committing violent acts.

The first half of the film is shown most in documentaries about the film and is talked about the most. The ultra-violence (meaning extreme violence) in the film is controversial and has a light-heartedness feel to it. This can be clearly seen where the gang break into a couple’s house. Two of the gang members are holding down the husband and another member has the wife on his shoulder. Alex is dancing and singing, “Singing in the rain”, while he kicks the husband and rapes the wife.

Before I saw the film I was wondering whether or not I would be able to even sit through the whole film, but I did.

Obviously though, it would be a challenge for a film that was made over 40 years ago, to be so compelling, that it would force that person to leave. Beethoven is Alex’s favourite music and is used in the film to give the ultra-violence a more, dramatic, glamorous and psychotic feel to it. This very much drives the film and the story. Whenever Beethoven is playing, we are almost in the film, observing from Alex’s point of view.

The second half of the film, was the bit that I found the most difficult to watch.

When Alex is undergoing the treatment to turn him into a good and non-violent 23

citizen, was particularly hard to watch.

This was because of the Ludovico technique, where Alex is forced to watch violent scenes from films, with the use of specula (to hold his eyes open) in order to completely change his attitude towards violence. Once he has undergone the treatment and is cured, he is let out of hospital. The treatment was so extreme, that if some were to use violence against him, then he physically wouldn’t be able to use violence against them, even if he wanted to. This happens to him when he encounters a tramp that he and the gang beat up, before he went to prison. Things turn even worse, when he goes back to his parents flat, where he lives and discovers a lodger called Joe. Joe has a good job, earns a lot of money and sleeps in Alex’s room. Alex has no choice but to go back out onto the street. I found this the most compelling part of the film! You feel sorry for Alex; because you know that he is a reformed person.

40 years. Nevertheless, it is virtually impossible to hide from the fact that this is a famous film, from a gifted director. All films deserve a chance and A Clockwork Orange, should be seen!

Harry Demuth

Similarly to the way that some people look at Trainspotting as a pro-drug film but others look at it as an anti-drug film, I have a similar the view on A Clockwork Orange. The first half of the film is the pro-violent half, where the gang are enjoying the violence and rape that they are causing, with the violence being glamourized by the sound of Beethoven.

The second half is the anti-violent half, where we see Alex as a lost soul, being tortured both physically and mentally by the people he hurt before. The overall message is don’t be violent!

This film has been much debated and has received mixed responses for more than 24

anarchistic style of playing or their public outrage towards consumerism or the war in Iraq, the band always seems to find a way of voicing their opinion, which they have certainly achieved in The Battle of Los Angeles. With each hip-hop verse slowly building up into huge explosive hard rock choruses with powerful lyrics, it seems the “we-don’t-give-a-fuck” ideology seems to be paying off for the fourtet, who have been nominated and won several Grammys and even won the acclaimed Heroes of the Year awarded by NME. A band considered one of the most influential and authoritative bands of the last 60 year, they have gone on to top rock charts around the world and it appears their legacy is to continue with this new release.

Recorded in Hollywood, the 45 minute epic is just as much a two fingered salute to the US as it is a commercial album. One of the key features that help provide the hostile, rebellious sound is lead guitarist Tom Morrello’s use of spectacular guitar effects.

Rage Against The Machine: The Battle Of Los Angeles

The Renegades of Funk For some bands, the third album is a hard sell. The commercially successful first two records have been consistently strong; therefore the pressure of creating a third can be too much. This has not been the case for Rage Against the Machine, the Los Angeles rock outfit who took the world by storm after their first album Rage Against The Machine in 1992. Their funky, rap-rock crossover third album has combined features of heavy, rock guitar adapted by the virtuosic style of Tom Morello, and the intense, hard hitting lyrics that highlight the bands “rage” on the US government foreign and domestic policies (written by Zack De La Rocha).

Whether it is the bands thrashing,

“This great band has ended up with a fantastic album that is free of faults.”

Instead of using a huge selection of pedals and different guitars, Tom keeps it old school and creates the wailing screeches on songs such as “Calm Like A Bomb” and “Voice of the Voiceless” 25

using only his guitar and picking technique. The solid, heavy drum beats are largely influenced by hip-hop and funk, and drummer Brad Wilk helps provide the album with a key percussion section that I feel every rock album needs. Influenced largely by MC5, the bravery and ability to write lyrics is very clear when you listen to certain songs. De La Rocha’s half rap, half shouting style may have been questioned in the bands early work, but on TBOLA, the mix of the two styles helps forward the bands style, and powerful rhymes on tracks like “Sleep Now in the Fire” the full solid sound that the whole album delivers, entertaining ages from young, impressionable teens like I was, to current bands in search of a new direction, all the way to adults who still have a little bit of punk left inside them. With this new album, I am struggling to unplug my speakers because I simply cannot get enough of it. I am bringing the noise to my crowded flat every night, and I can safely say the neighbours love it. I often find myself leaping around the NME offices trying to recreate the energy De La Rocha delivers every time on stage, similar to that of Iggy Pop or At The Drive In. After downloading the album onto my computer, then buying the CD, THEN buying the vinyl, I can certainly say that this is one of my favourite rock albums of my collection.

The thing that sets The Battle of Los Angeles apart from other albums its pure simplicity in terms of studio recordings. For 1 guitarist, 1 bassist, 1 singer and 1 incredibly steady drummer, it can be hard to create a fully layered sound while sticking to

funk and rock conventions, but the different tracks on the album each show the bands writing brilliance, playing ability and you can almost feel the stage presence through your headphones. A pure album of its time, I personally find it hard to fault.

Fuck You I won’t do what you tell me!

Morello and De La Rocha playing live in Washington last year.

Certain critics will continue to disagree with me, stating that the antigovernment band mindlessly shout lyrics that they have copied out of a bible, and replaced the word God for “Imperialist” and saviour for “Fuck”.

Although the bands antics at awards ceremonies and live concerts threaten to overshadow the albums greatness, beneath the hype and uproar it seems that this great band has ended up with a fantastic album that is free of faults.

26

Many “Rage” fans disheartened with the bands lack of tours, but I’m sure many are hopeful with the release of a new album, praying that the bands amazing stage presence will be revealed once again. It’s clear that this band have produced another fantastic album, I would not only recommend it, but demand you buy it as soon as possible.

Listen to the songs, feel empowered by the lyrics, and get mad. In the words of Zack De La Rocha, “Your anger is a gift”.

Sam Seymour

27

28 MORE SONGS YOU REALLY SHOULD LISTEN TO….. *Starry Starry Night- Don McLean *Blowin’ In The Wind- Bob Dylan *Sound of Silence- Simon and Garfunkel *Who is he( And what is he to you) –Bill Withers *Imagine- John Lennon *Maybelline- Chck Berry *Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds- The Beatles *Universal Soldier- Buffy Sainte-Marie *Jennifer Juniper- Donovan *Heart attack and Vine- Tom Waits *Doom and Gloom- The Rolling Stones *House of the Rising Sun- The Animals *Let it be me- The Everly Brothers *Saffron- Jake Bugg *Whole Lotta Love- Led Zeppelin *Diamonds and Rust- Joan Baez *Riders of the Storm- The Doors *Castles made of sand –Jimi Hendrix *Tiny Dancer- Elton John *Library Pictures- Arctic Monkeys *Heart of Gold- Neil Young *Life On Mars- David Bowie *Waterloo Sunset- The Kinks *Walk on the Wild Side- Lou Reed Brigitte de Valk *Pink Moon- Nick Drake Art by Samuel Bowser *Walkin’ after midnights- Patsy Cline *Don’t mess with cupid- Otis Redding *One Inch Rock –T-Rex

28

The Addiction of Likes. A Study into social media.

About a month previously, I joined the grand internet community known as Tumblr, one of the largest social media outlets on the internet and a draw to many teenagers and young adults. It’s set up is simple, you sign up, search for interests such as ‘Dogs’, ‘Sherlock’ or ‘Pictures of Food’ (which is apparently a thing), then you get onto following people who post things you are interested in, who’s blogs and re-blogs turn up on your homepage every time you log in for you to laugh at, cry at or realize that you really should get onto writing that essay you’ve been putting off (oh, but just one more funny cat video can’t do any harm…)

and all friend requests, even the spam ones from those odd fake celebrities that you pretended to have heard of or a friend of a friend of a friend of a cousin’s aunts friend in Norway who had an image of a halfeaten bacon sandwich as their profile picture and a penchant for ceramic ducks.

However, nowadays people are going more for the anonymity aspect of the internet, liking strangers fan art of Attack on Titan or Sherlock and posting funny or rude replies to someone else’s Youtube commenting. Now this ongoing trend to get as many likes on a picture or a comment on a video may be for that feeling of belonging on the online community or a deep seated need to have some kind of impact on society, no matter if that impact is of a Supernatural fan fiction or a post about the poverty in Africa (that many people think that if they like it, it will send a thousand pounds of imaginary money to the people you are posting about.)

However, some things are useful, such as things Tumblr users call a ‘Signal Boost’ where people can post warnings about fake accounts that try to get your person information while pretending to be administrators and suicide helplines that people can call if the worst ever came to the worst (I personally re-blog these whenever I get the chance)

Addiction of Likes and reblogs and Why is social media so popular?

Now, Tumblr is an interesting sight, not only for the number of funny or talented things people can post and some of the more… interesting instances of rule 34 on the internet, but also for the social studies people can pull off. A few days ago I was wasting time surfing my Tumblr dashboard when I realized something. As soon as I log onto Tumblr one of the first things I check is my Activity page to see who has re-blogged, liked or followed my posts, and I found that whenever I found someone had done so I got a great feeling and that got me thinking… Most of the successful social media sites are centric on who has viewed your posts, such as Facebook’s ‘Likes’ and Tumblr’s ‘Reblog’ and ‘Favorite’ buttons.

Now we all remember that when Facebook began to get really popular a few years ago there was an ongoing battle among us to see who could get the most friends, some bragging that they had over 500 while some little liars claimed to having over a thousand; which involved accepting any 29

Fandoms are a large part of our culture, some shows even spawning cult like properties (I’m looking at you, Sherlock and Harry Potter…), however it is not all bad, not at all. Fandoms have created huge opportunities for ordinary people to show off their talents such as writing and drawing (though some of these fan-fictions and fan-art leave a lot to be desired, taste most of all) and sometimes gems can be found.

This ability to share all your obscure hobbies and fandoms has caused not only some underground fandoms coming into mainstream media, but also long forgotten fandoms being rediscovered, such as 1930’s comedians like Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers still holding a fanbase over 20 years after their deaths.

This mix of old and new has allowed people to become far more well-read in books, television and cinema than they have been in previous generations, having archives, videos and books all at their fingertips.

The Impact of Social Media on Modern Culture Social Media has a huge impact on the latest trends and styles of modern culture, the types of clothes we wear, the songs we listen to and what celebrities we love (and hate). One person’s post on Facebook and Tumblr can make or break a trend or a career, all it needs is to be seen by the right person.

Some of these trends are still popular today (such as certain memes that have been around since the Internet became popular) and some have been relatively short-lived, such as Charlie Bit My Finger, although that meme has come back slightly with images like this gracing the internet:

Above pictured: Definitely not one of them.

Social media has also created new opportunities for the job market, allowing some people’s soul income to be from online blogs and videos and has also created several stars (make of this what you will…)

However, it has also caused changes to how you apply for jobs in real life; your bosses will actually go out and check your social media webpage to check if you’re the type of person they are willing to hire.

You also may have heard of instances where people have gotten themselves fired because of this; one of the most famous examples being a girl who was fired from her office job because she was posting “So bored, LOL.” On her Facebook updates (She ended up suing)

30

On the other hand, however, companies are also marketing over their social media sites, one of the most well-known and hilarious examples being Taco Bell’s Twitter updates: Molly McDade

31

Favourite places in New York –David Allison *Soho

*Times

Square

*Museum of Modern Art

*The High Line 32

LA VIE DE BOHEME PROMINENT FIGUURES Louis-Henri Murger, (27 March 1822 – 28 January 1861) was a French novelist and poet.He is chiefly distinguished as the author of Scènes de la vie de bohème Henri de Toulouse- 24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draught sman and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in the late 1800s yielded a collection of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern and sometimes decadent life of those times.

Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, his plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death.

33

ACROSS THE CENTRURIES Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast pio neer of the Beat Generation. Author of the renowned ‘On the Road’.

Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC (born February 20, 1941) is a CanadianAmericanCree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist,[1] educator, pacifist, and social activist. Wrote the song ‘Universal Soldier’.

Amantine-LucileAurore Dupin[1] (1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pseudonym George Sand was a French novelist and memoirist

Allen Ginsberg (/June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the counterculture that soon would follow. He vigorously opposed militarism, eco nomic materialism and sexual repression. Ginsberg is best known for his epic poem "Howl”.

34

SHARKOCIDE You may remember my article about ‘shark fin soup’ in the first issue of this magazine. Unfortunately, this is not the only thing sharks across the world are in danger from. This article focuses on the current shark cull going on along the western coast of Australia – well known for its vast variety of shark species.

Sharks have been in our oceans for hundreds of millions of years, so should we not be protecting them rather than endangering them more?

even backed up scientifically – there is no way that destroying the natural ecosystem of the ocean by removing the top predator does any

The cull in Western Australia was in response to the five fatal shark attacks that occurred on the west coast in the last ten years. Five fatal attacks in ten years? That doesn’t sound like a lot to me. To put that into perspective, 1,193 people were killed on Australia’s roads in 2013 alone, yet there hasn’t been a ban on motor vehicles?

“I don’t even eat human” good. These oceans are the livelihoods of many people, and without sharks, all could be lost.

Although supposedly designed to make the oceans off the coast of Australia ‘safer’ for swimmers, how much safer will it really be? There will always be a slight level of danger, despite how few sharks are left in the sea. The oceans are the sharks’ natural habitat, and humans are the ones invading their space. Surfers and swimmers should know the danger before they enter the water, that

So far, the cull has been designed to get rid of any shark more than three metres in length.

Drumlines – the baited traps that lure sharks in – were spread along the coast. 172 sharks have been caught thus far, with over fifty of the largest ones destroyed. The thing is that the whole program isn’t

35

way they can use their own judgement to decide whether they want to take that risk by going out into the sea.

Do your part today by signing the petition against this monstrosity: http://www.marineconservation.or g.au/petitions.php/9/save-washarks-stop-the-cull

It is impossible to eradicate the danger of shark attacks from the oceans altogether – without removing every shark. Hopefully that day will never come, and the Australian government will do the right thing and stop the cull.

Tom Rodgers

36

Clothing restrictions…right or wrong?

To wear, or not to wear? That is the question! But has your decision ever been influenced by the unfair and restricting dress code of today’s society? If the answer is yes I’d like you to take a moment now to wonder why, why shouldn’t a woman wear strappy tops and short skirts to work or figure hugging jeans to a meeting? Why shouldn’t a fit and healthy male teacher wear skinny jeans and a tight t-shirt to class if that’s what he finds comfortable? Many people would answer “because it’s inappropriate and distracting for those around them” and while this may be true does this mean we should wear conservative clothing or is this a question of selfcontrol?

Along with every woman in the 21st century I’ve of course been called an obscene abundance of insulting names justified only by my appearance and have begun to accept that in order not to be judged unfairly I must dress according to the rules of others and not my own. However I believe that male or female, young or old, what you wear should be based purely on how you feel and who you are as a person and not whether or not you’ll be ‘distracting’ others.

So how can we break the chains of this ridiculous cult of aesthetically oppressed people? Let’s begin by refraining all judgement of our peers based on their appearance and being true to ourselves, because who really wants to see a planet full of clones? This is a serious issue that is spreading across the world like an epidemic, already in Uganda people have attempted to ban the miniskirt so let’s stop this before it goes too far.

In my opinion, it’s time we let go of convention and followed our instincts. We are who we are for a reason, don’t let yourself be oppressed.

Have a lovely day from Evie  37

TEENAGE DEMOCRACY TeenageDemocracy@facebook.com

Why so serious?

Hello again. In the previous edition of Teenage Democracy I queried the influence of technology upon our lives but today I will be delving into the interesting topic of why there is such a demand for films that are darker and for want of a better word ‘grittier’. Once again whether you agree with me or not I hope you find my standpoint interesting.

Shawshank Redemption. The Godfather.

The Godfather: Part II. The Dark Knight.

Pulp Fiction. These are the top five films determined by the IMDB and they all share a common thread; a representation of the effect of darkness upon people’s lives and an overwhelming tone of seriousness. What can we therefore infer from this? Although a lot more data would be needed to verify any hypothesis that I have, I feel that there has definitely been an increase in the extent to which darker films go to represent the degradation of humanity and how characters subsequently deal with such in their own unique way. Some may go out of their way to help others whilst some will exploit those that they deem weak; and subsequently benefit.

‘Why so serious?’ is a brilliant one liner from a brilliant movie: The Dark Knight. But why has the movie industry become so serious in respect to the darker genres that are in such high demand in this current day and age? Is it a subconscious desire to see the onscreen fictional characters that we follow having to endure the vicissitudes of their universe and the challenges that they face? Is it a need to see that despite the situations we find ourselves in, things could be worse? I only ask these questions as it seems to be human nature to have to justify oneself especially in times of hardship whether it be economical or emotional. Thus a subsequent influence upon the movie industry can be seen, as more and more people wish to observe how others survive and endure, often using a darker means to do so.

There may be those however who say ‘recently there has been an outflow of films that show a lot more positives than negatives about human nature’. Examples cited might be The Fault in Our Stars or Boyhood. Admittedly there is still a demographic who enjoy watching these types of films, however I feel that these examples of a brighter representation of human nature only further show the extent to which darkness is now an underlying theme in films today. A yinyang type structure can be observed in every film concerning good, an element of

But to what extent can a more serious and darker genre be seen to influence the movie industry. One only has to look at the IMDB top 5 to find out. The 39

darkness must be overcome whilst in every film concerning darkness, often an element of good overcomes such.

Hopefully I’ve shown that in my opinion, films are showing a greater and greater degree of darkness within their theming and plots, perhaps due to a human desire to see such depicted on screen or perhaps in simpler terms because it just makes for better viewing. Films concerning struggle are generally seen to be better than those without such, and therefore the easiest representation of struggle is to implement an element of darkness. Many of you may not agree with what I have to say in this article. But in the words of Heath Ledger’s Joker: ‘See, I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.’

Connaire WIlliams

40

dullness and groaning and singing into a language to express and to experience.

‘Art’ and ‘The Human Experience’ The human experience is ultimately entirely surreal and entirely trivial.

We exist in fragile, easily perishable bodies with corruptible minds.

Art is, therefore, highly influenced by the very living of life in human,

world society.

The nature of a

human, of the artist, is essentially determined by the way he/she experiences life, which is arguably determined by the way he/she must survive. The way in which someone must survive and live conditions them to be the way they are – affecting, arguably, every facet of their being.

Through holes in our heads we perceive the world carved around us, drenched in colour. All the while, reality sits, like a tormented child behind the eyes of the old and in the palms of strangers, and indeed our brothers.

Art, running, like the athlete, or crawling, like the machines which mark the tarmac with steaming hot, white paint –travels alongside and as part of this human existence. Art is the essential documentation and expression of the human experience, it is the expression of humanity, it is the breath on the glass, it is the grey raindrops in the white snow, it is the gentle handprint –of humanity. Art is the definition, in thick paint or in blocks of malleable metal or in twisted spidery words, or in heavy graphite, or in sculpted sounds, or in moving, flickering image, of the human soul. It is the translation of life -with all its facets and feelings and textures and sounds and pleasures and pains and sex and death and lust and life and anger and heat and cold and boredom and greyness and

Humans, in more modern, recent societies need and want particular recourses to live, survive and/or to attain some sort of solace or pleasure. These resources include food, drink, means of transport, services, accommodation, even art.

Some of these are natural resources which have become commodified, such as water; a natural resource which is a prerequisite to life has been branded as a product and bottled to generate profit. It is bought and sold nearly everywhere in the world. Naturally, the way in which these resources and commodities are parcelled out and also the relationship between them and their production and between them and the means of production and between them and the workers that 41

produce said commodities and the relationship between the workers and the means of production, and their relationship with the product significantly effects the human experience because all humans have a relationship with the resources and commodities and all humans have a relationship with the means of production.

A human’s relationship with the means of production affects either virtually everything in his/her life or everything in his/her life depending on how one looks at it.

resources and the labour of the workers. With this system and the economic classes it creates, –one’s relationship to the means of production, whether they own them, whether they must sell their labour to the people that own them, whether they are in middle management, effects all aspects of human life. As a result all thought is ‘socially determined’. Individuals are not born with all their ideas built into them but are socialised from birth, they enter into and sign a social contract by the very act of their birth and automatically becoming part of an already established society, born into an already established class.1

The current world economic system is one where the means of production are owned privately, generally by a very small percentage of the population. Those who do not own the means of production must sell and commodify their labour in order to survive and/or live comfortably. Of course the degree to which one must sell their labour and how much they must sell varies greatly. With the current economic system, the production and distribution of these commodities and resources is done according to profit and for the accumulation of profit. This system of production for profit, (not need) creates a class system where a small elite gain the profit and riches extracted from

1

"It is men, who in developing their material inter-course, change, along with this their real existence, their thinking and the products of their thinking. Being is not determined by 42

capitalist, class society. 2

Perhaps in this system where capital and growth are most important, the dominant class, has the capacity to impose its own ideas and values and ideologies upon the subordinate classes as a means of defending its position of power. The ruling class can spread its ideology through society with its ownership of and control over the mass media, the political, judicial, military and religious institutions. Perhaps this spreading of the bourgeois ideology is not necessarily a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate the masses but a necessary and inevitable consequence of the economic, social and political relationships in a

Arguably then, the human mind is conditioned by its socio-economic circumstances, by the human’s relationship to the means of production, by the indoctrination of the mass media and capitalist state which will inevitably support the ruling class and therefore aid the suppression, repression and oppression of the proletariat, aiding the proletariat’s exploitation by the ruling class, whereby the worker is paid less than the value of his labour and is, in simple terms: ‘poorer than the bosses’.

As a result of the arguable existence of the class-socialised mind, the ‘false consciousness’ of humans, art, then, the expression and documentation of the human experience and humanity itself is also conditioned by the artist’s socio-economic circumstances and the artist’s relationship to the means of production, which will nearly always, due to the nature of art as a profession (selling artworks for financial gain) make the artist a proletariat, a member of the working class. This makes, by extension all 2

(Source: Political Ideologies by Moyra Grant and David Wendelken.)

43

art political. This makes all art radical, because it is speaking, it is expressing, it is documenting, from a working class stand point, whether or not the work or the artist is conscious of this political, economic significance. Even if the artist amasses great wealth, the nature of an artist’s profession -selling the product of their labour in order to receive an income, in order to survive/live comfortably -is still working class. An artist does not, generally, own the means of production. But, an artist can become middle class, if they employ workers. If the human experience is dictated by socio-economic circumstances, by capitalism, if it is coloured in by it, bleached and filtered by it, then so is art, whether it or the artist realises this or not.

Marshall, The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology) Art is still an expression of the human ‘soul’ which even if filtered by capitalist socialisation is still a pure, beautiful and essential mode of self-expression for humanity and it is, as Oscar Wilde said in the Soul Of Man Under Socialism (in which he expounds a libertarian socialist worldview) -“the most intense mode of individualism the world has ever known”. Furthermore, not all art is bought and sold, not all art is created as a product of waged labour or in hope of financial gain, much art is created purely for self-expression or is created as something free, in these senses, art cannot be seen as a commodity but as a vital indication of a human soul.

The realisation of these factors that affect our minds and creativity is important for our liberation as artists and –as individuals. The human mind and its creative soul can only be truly free without the blinkers imposed by capitalism, without the filters, inevitable and necessary for capitalism, which cloud our inner and outer vision, without the limitations of capitalist socialisation.

The human soul, the human mind, the human spirit, the human heart, the human experience itself can only be truly liberated, -a truly free

Art itself, when looked at from a certain point of view, is of course merely a commodity when bought and sold, and so is directly affected by capitalist economy and markets, as everything produced in a capitalist economy is arguably dictated by the ruling class and the need for profit; “Capitalism is a system of wagelabour and commodity production for sale, exchange, and profit, rather than for... immediate need” (Gordon

44

experience when a libertarian socialist/collectivist anarchist/libertarian communist society and economy is in existence.

Not only do we need freedom from the interference of an oppressive, totalitarian state like the one that existed in the Soviet Union (one often used as an example of communism or socialism but was in actual fact “State Capitalism” as Tony Cliff put it in his groundbreaking and essential book: State Capitalism in Russia), we also need freedom from capitalist totalitarianism where the ruling class dictate all, including what we buy, where we buy it, how we buy it, what we buy it with, what is built, where it is built, how it is built, etc. and then arguably what we think and by extension feel. In addition to this, capitalist totalitarianism affects not only our relationship with the means of production negatively but it also affects our relationships with each other. Ridding ourselves as humans and ridding our planet of this poisonous system would be an essential and progressive step forward. Wilde suggested that socialism and the end of capitalism is essential to the allowing of true beauty and art created by humans; “With the abolition of private property, then, we shall have true, beautiful, healthy Individualism.

Nobody will waste his life in accumulating things, and the symbols of things. One will live. To live is the rarest thing in the world.

Most people exist, that is all.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man under Socialism 1891.

Economic and social circumstances are not the only external influences on art. There are many other psychological, cultural or otherwise influences on an artist’s artwork, for example: where someone is born (what country) and when they are born –to mention a couple of simplistic examples. Dr. V.S. Ramachandran was a visionary in developing the theories around neuroesthetics, this term received its formal definition in 2002 as ‘the scientific study of the neural bases for the contemplation and creation of art’. This, like understanding the social influences on the mind in the creation of artwork is important in understanding influences on and the workings of the artistic mind and the creative process. Neuroesthetics uses neuroscience ‘to explain and understand the aesthetic experiences at the neurological level’.

Ramachandram developed the 8 laws of Artistic Experience with the help of fellow researchers like 45

William Hirstein, these essentially only refer to visual arts.

The Peak shift effect is essentially when the artist highlights an object’s effective features that identify it as said object, getting rid of irrelevant features which are shared by other similar objects –making the picture more like the object than the object itself. This is generally considered to give a more aesthetically pleasing effect than the initial object will. So maybe a role of art is to exaggerate the world, to exaggerate the human experience, to intensify life.

harder for the visual system to detect. Segmented, separate, sections and easily detectable edges are more pleasing to the eye. This may be why line drawings are aesthetically pleasing, why people will automatically start a drawing with outlines when in actual fact they do not truly exist –they are merely when different shades and tones of colour meet, if there were no differing tones in an object it would have a homogeneous surface of colour with no easily detectable ‘outlines’.

Another law is that of Isolation; there is a need to isolate the main form, the desired form before that aspect is amplified. So when an artist creates work, the sketch or outline can be more effective or pleasing than the original full colour photograph it may have been drawn from. This law suggests the importance within art of translating reality, recreating it in the artist’s unique language, rather than simply copying it.

Also important as a rule is that of Perceptual Problem Solving, whereby, the discovery of an object after some working or a struggle is more pleasing and gratifying than one which is already obvious. From an evolutionary, survival stand point, this may be important for prey’s constant search for predators but also predators’ constant search

An important law is that of Contrast; the cells in the retina and the visual cortex (the part of the brain responsible for processing visual information, located in the occipital lobe) respond mainly to ‘step changes’ in light rather than to smooth gradients which are much 46

for prey to feed on, to sustain them.

Ramachandran goes on to link this to how a woman who’s breasts are about to be revealed are more provocative to a heterosexual man than the breasts of woman which are already revealed. This is arguably why underwear and lingerie can be sexually attractive and very provocative. This rule is also linked to the idea of the ‘thrill of the chase’ and how the longing for something or someone or the seeking them can be more satisfying or captivating than actually having the object of these desires.

and the creation of art. It is important to be aware of these factors as artists, but also it is important for human beings to be enlightened to the actual nature of their being –as creatures controlled and conditioned by a manmade economic system and as creatures ruled by a complicated set of scientific processes. This of course is a rather simplistic conclusion to a colossal topic, a topic which is essentially all about the large issues of what mankind is and what the nature of humans is.

At the end of it all, the luminance of oncoming days greys out the night’s blackness into a reincarnated light, a beautiful light.

With the rule of Visual Metaphors, Ramachandran calls a visual metaphor a ‘mental tunnel’ between two concepts or objects that initially appear very dissimilar on the surface but actually have a deeper connection. Grasping the analogy, finding the link, solving the problem is satisfying.3

Questioning life, in any area, or department, is a sacrament.

Mataio Austin Dean

In conclusion, the creation of art and the experiencing of art are effected by a great many things, here I have looked at first of all a definition for art and then how society, class and capitalism effects art by socialising the human mind, and I have looked at how neural functions and brain functioning effect the experiencing

47

the program. Apart from two night spent camping in Oregon's largest nature park. The whole trip will be funded for by MIUSA and they are not just providing opportunities to witness a different culture with people from different cultures, the chance to carry out voluntary work combined with team building with other American peers will be a great way of gaining a cross-cultural experience.

Mobility International USA Cultural Exchange Trip‌ For two weeks this summer I, Sam Waddington a current student, will be jetting off to Eugene, Oregon in the USA to complete an exciting one-way, cultural, voluntary work exchange program courtesy of an organisation in America known as Mobility International USA (MIUSA) all about promoting disability rights through cultural inclusion.

For me, this will I am sure be a really positive experience and hopefully I can take a lot from it.

See what I got up to and what I took away from the program‌

After a lengthy application process, I was chosen as one of the seven disabled young adults (aged 16-18) from the UK for the exchange. From the 19th of July to the 2nd of August time will be spent with these youngsters, all of whom have varied disabilities and backgrounds.

Engaging in a diverse range of cultural activities, from workshops involving well known disability rights campaigners enhancing understanding of disability rights to team-building excursions like city visits, encouraging disabled youngsters to unite in an effort to promote cross-cultural disability inclusion. This will allow the candidates to broaden their horizons via eliminating any cultural barriers.

Sam Waddington

Five nights will be spent in a local American family home to gain a first-hand experience of a different culture. Whilst staying in all accessible hotels in Eugene and Portland in Oregon, for the rest of 49

Week 1 – Mobility International USA Cultural Exchange Trip

Tuesday where we all took part in the Outdoor Ropes Challenge, swinging and flying high up through the trees.

How they were going to get me up there I never knew but everyone was going to take part, no matter what!

If week 1 is anything to go by (of my

My stay with an American Host Family has been nothing short of amazing, to live in their home for these past few days, it’s been a

cultural exchange trip here in Oregon, USA) then week 2 will be full of enjoyable experiences. Variety is the spice of life and that has been so evident from the activities I have partaken in thus far.

One of the main purposes of this program has been to understand disability rights and pride in the US and more specifically learn about it here in Oregon. The seven UK delegates (including myself) have been to several workshops/meetings to discuss these issues and compare it to disability rights in the UK. We learnt that in this area there is still room for improvements across both sides of the pond.

privilege.

Hearing stories and looking at photo’s about their travels in America, watching deers stroll into their garden it has all be a first hand experience of their culture including sharing my own life and culture with them. After tomorrow’s venture to the Pacific Coast (where the views are going to be spectacular) just 90 minutes west from here in Eugene, it will be time to say goodbye to the family after a free day with them.

On the flip side though this trip is about us young leaders from the UK coming to gain a cross-cultural disability and recreational experience. We all have differing disabilities affecting our lives in a variety of ways but there has been no stopping us having great cultural experiences together as one. Oregon, famous for its wonderful woodland regions was the place to be on

That’s not to say there is not more to look forward to though. Next week’s camping at the Silver Falls State Park 50

should be great fun with the whole group uniting as one once again.

What I have learnt from this past week is that no matter what your ‘disability‘, where there is a will there is a way. The motto of this program and MIUSA in general is ‘exhaustive inclusivity’.

Sam Waddington

51

CHECK OUT THESE SITES!

The Babylonian Marriage Market

It’s the silent keen that keeps us awake The abject longing to escape the pale delicacy Thrown upon us in our laden state of anxiety The song of freedom cut short Loss of youthful vitality As the jewels are crammed tight upon our bodies Though they weigh less than the lead inside Curdling the imagination we once knew Of dancing rivers, spectacular blue Weaker than the palest shade of tile That lines this room.

Hunched girl beside me They are my eternal sisters of graceless sorrow Punished at birth for the sex they wear Confined to purity and the defilement of man Wilting in strained silence like dying heather Under the brutal, overbearing sun Seated high above us in contempt monarchy At the female litter of belittlement Cast aside in turbulent water By the dictator half-moon of mankind.

Tattoo me then and slash my hope Brand me with your carnal breath Hunger after me I dare you It’s the only power I have left To invade your lust and taunt you with nothing While my gold chains crumble in rust At the slather of your indifference of me The soul inside of archaic beauty.

Pieced together as fragile as my heart I see her in the reflection But more importantly I see them Like adornments of men we sit in docile rows Bartered, battered and abused It’s raucous in here, clamouring want Suffocating, enclosed in four walls Patiently waiting For the cold bruise of dawn and to be awakened Beside the perpetrator of our existence.

Claw away this mash of femininity Taint my future with anything but this I want to dance Dance like the rising dust But wine red blood spills over the crimson meadows Of decaying fruit

There is no name for me Not here It’s lost in the fathomless cruel sea Of today and tomorrow’s plain orthodoxy She’s frightened of the certainty of unknown 53

Ink stained caresses of contracts are signed By the black velvet of your eyes Violet tear drops of incandescent loss Slabs of stone the new bright sky Parasite in the gathered moss of oppression I sit and cry As harsh as the laugh of the gull Salivate over sensation-less salvation Beckoning from nowhere and none.

A few of us wear circular bands As though we’re princesses of futility Creatures of lost fertility Ruled by the govern of gilded misogyny Drunken orange sunset of our last night Where the whispering was unbearable Excitement of naked naivety Relish the dark contours of your existence While they are still your own.

My stance upon the podium is soon I can taste my time left Rotting sugar upon my tongue The girl on the stand throws one last beseeching look back At us Lethargic snowdrops in heady white gowns Suffering more than the dying rose Blow ash into my eyes As I weep for him and I weep for you While the grass withers under the too bright hue.

Brigitte de Valk

Art by Molly Foulkes 54