The Founder May 2019

The Founder VOL. X, ISSUE VIII | MAY 2019 |

@RHULFOUNDER

Royal Holloway Receives Share of £9 Million to Research into a Treatment for Rare Disease IFFAH AHMED

A share of more than £9 million to start research into a treatment for Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) has been awarded to Royal Holloway, University of London and its partners at the University of Alabama.

Neurofibromatosis is a rare disease that affects 1 in every 3,000 children born around the world.

World renowned Professor George Dickson and Linda Popplewell, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway will be leading a team to look for a treatment for NF1 which is a genetic disorder

that causes tumours to form on nerve tissue. The tumours have been identified as being usually non-cancerous (benign).

Thanks to the Gilbert Family Foundation, in America, the funding has been made possible. The Foundation was set up by Dan and Jennifer Gilbert, whose eldest son, Nick suffers from NF1. The Foundation’s primary goal is to accelerate the progression and development of curative therapies that address the underlying genetic abnormalities in NF1 patients.

NF1 is instigated by a faulty gene which creates uncontrolled tumours

Photo via Royal Holloway Website

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Index News..................................................................................1 Opinion And Debate................................................................6 Features..............................................................................9 Lifestyle............................................................................10 Arts: Arts And Culture...........................................................13 Arts: Literary Reviews..........................................................15 Arts: Film...............................................................................18 Arts: Music............................................................................23 Sports................................................................................26

Facebook.com/HarbenLets Twitter.com/HarbenLets

Earth Day Articles p. 5 Van Gogh Exhibit p. 9 Varsity Results p. 27

2 NEWS

THE FOUNDER May 2019

A Note From The Editor

CASSANDRA LAU EDITOR IN CHIEF 2018/2019 Working with The 2018/19 Founder Team has been the most rewarding experience – I have been incredibly lucky to be surrounded by a group of hardworking, supportive, and inspiring individuals who have put an unimaginable amount of time and effort into making The Founder what it is. Within our first month, my team tripled online views and sparked greater engagement online: h t t p : / / w w w. t h e f o u n d e r.

co.uk. Without the patience and eye for detail from our Designer, Helena Keeble, our ideas would not be brought to life, and without the skill from our Marketing Director, Sally Gibbs, The Founder’s first fair would not have been so successfully documented and advertised. Not only have editors shared their expertise and advice with me but they have also taken time out of university to travel across the country to investigate and attend conventions, events, and shows which I am extremely grateful for.

Huge congratulations to our Sports Editor, Frankie Christou, who will be starting his career in Sports Journalism this August; Deputy Sports Editor, Jack Wright, who has been awarded a Crest Award at the Colours Ball 2019 and will be working on his poetry with Royal Holloway’s MA Creative Writing; our Arts Editor, Mimi Markham, who will be going to York to study MA Public History this September, and our Literary Review Editor, Rachel Farguson, who will also be continuing her studies in literature at postgraduate level. Additionally, I am also excited to confirm that Graciela Mae Chico will be staying on as The Founder’s Film Editor.

With final examinations and essays due this month, I wish everyone all the very best and hope everyone enjoyed reading this team’s work as much as I have!

Iraqi Christians Return After the Defeat of Daesh ZAHRA HUSSEIN

After years of exile, thousands of Iraqi Christians return to Qaraqosh.

Qaraqosh, or otherwise known as Bakhdida, is a historic Christian town in northern Iraq, southeast of the city of Mosul. It is home to the first Christians and has one of the most ancient histories in the world. Under Daesh, many Christians in the region were forced to flee their homes, some moving to southern cities, others seeking refuge in

western countries. The town was the largest Christian town in Iraq, and many refugees are planning to return, even though thousands have already returned. The damage in the Christian regions is heart-shattering, with many desecrated Christian churches.

The Christians, alongside their Muslim brethren, are slowly rebuilding Christian regions, renovating damaged churches and public buildings.

Hundreds of thousands of Christians participated in the Palm Sunday ceremony, in Qaraqosh. In other regions,

like the town of Karemlash and Mosul, many more Christians have gathered to worship and parade the streets waving palm leaves. As the Holy Week approaches, Iraqi Christians pray for the reappearance of the Messiah. The desire to return to the motherland, the cradle of civilisation, for Iraqi Christians around the world is clear. As stability slowly returns, Christian towns will undoubtedly return to their grandeur.

The Founder Board 2018 - 2019 Editor in Chief Cassandra Lau Managing Editor Zahra Hussein Designer Helena Keeble Online Content Editor Tom Conlon Cartoonist Jack Waters Marketing Director Sally Gibbs News Editor Iffah Ahmed Deputy News Editor Sindhooraa Satheesh Features Editor Cassandra Lau Lifestyle Editor Kyrie Roxby Arts Editor Mimi Markham

Arts & Culture Editor Molly Williams Film Editor Graciela Mae Chico Music Editor Charlie Catmull Literary Review Editor Rachel Farguson Sports Editor Frankie Christou Deputy Sports Editor Jack Wright

The Founder is the independent student newspaper of Royal Holloway, University of London. This means we are not affiliated to the student union or the college. We pride ourselves on our investigative journalism and aim to keep our readers up to date with news on and off campus. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Editor, particularly of opinion and debate pieces. Every effort has been made to contact the holders of copyright for any material used in this issue, and to ensure the accuracy of its stories.

To book ad space in The Founder, contact our managing editor at managingeditor@thefounder.co.uk.

THE FOUNDER is printed in Cambridge by Iliffe Print

NEWS 3

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Continued on from front page developing in the nervous system. In more than half the cases, it has been identified that the faulty gene is passed from a parent to their child.

Dr Linda Popplewell, commented on the research and grant by saying; “We are very excited to be able to research into curing Neurofibromatosis type 1 and to be working alongside the Gilbert Family Foundation and esteemed colleagues at the University of Alabama.

“The three-year grant will allow us to take a deeper look in to this rare disease to help the 10s of thousands of people who suffer from this across the world.”

Presenter, campaigner and UK actor Adam Pearson and his identical twin brother, Neil both have NF1 and Adam also commented on the research and grant; “As someone who is both effected by NF and considers the Gilbert Family as friends and fellow NF warriors, I could not be more excited about this grant.

It will go on to fund pioneering research into NF1, seeking to improve to lives of those effected by the

condition, be it directly or through proximity.

I’m equally excited because, in the field of medical research, it is far too easy to boil things down to rudimentary numbers, medical jargon and desirable outcome - we depersonalise the process. This, however, feels different. This feels highly patient focused with a clear ideology, that whilst we are undoubtedly operating in the medical sphere, we all still hold humanity in highest regard.

It’s that humanity, that common characteristic, coupled with an unwavering passion and desire to end NF that makes these next three years an exciting journey to be a part of.”.

The Gilbert Family Foundation strongly believes that directly bypassing, replacing or repairing the NF1 gene mutation is important to find a cure for NF as Dan Gilbert stated, “We are committed to funding revolutionary and big-idea research. The teams we have partnered with share this vision, and our family is honoured to be working closely with this talented group of researchers and physicians.”

Applications for The Founder 2019/20 positions are now open and available online.

Royal Holloway to showcase critically acclaimed photography on post-Castro Cuba

Photo via Royal Holloway Website SINDHOORAA SATHEESH

Royal Holloway is hosting an exhibition on the changing face of Cuba over the summer.

Beginning on the 29th of April, the works of worldrenowned photographer such as Raúl Cañibano and Michael Christopher Brown will be on display at the Exhibition Space on the Egham campus of the University. The exhibition, entitled This is Cuba: Documentary Photography after Fidel, explores contemporary photography after the Castro era via a series of previously unseen photographs; and includes people from both inside and outside the country as they go through a period of drastic change.

This exhibition is part of a research project by

Dr James Clifford Kent, a Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Royal Holloway.

A culmination of a decade of research, it highlights his recent work that explores iconic revolutionary images in contemporary Cuban society, as well as the relationship between photography, language, and identity.

Dr. Kent commented “Following a series of watershed moments for Cuba, we are excited to be featuring new documentary work produced by both Cuban and foreign photographers. Cuba continues to be conceived in the Western imaginary as an island on the cusp of change and the exhibition represents an opportunity for visitors to reflect on photography’s role in both contesting and reinforcing this idea.”

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of talks and workshops on

visual culture, language, and photographic practice.

Sarah Creed, Exhibitions Curator at Royal Holloway, said: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to exhibit the photography of such revered and accomplished photographers at such a pivotal time in Cuba’s ever evolving landscape, especially as we are able to represent both the male and female gaze.

“Projects such as this highlight Royal Holloways’ academics’ ongoing innovative research in visual culture and language and highlight the importance of photography as both a documentary and fine art medium.”

This is Cuba: Documentary Photography after Castro runs from the 29th of April to the 23rd of June 2019.

4 NEWS

THE FOUNDER May 2019

How Twitter helped Trump win the US Elections

Trump made out of Twitter birds IFFAH AHMED

On the 9th April 2019, new research was published which found a movement of Twitter followers help and aid President Donald Trump collect support during his

election campaign for the 2016 US presidency.

The research paper named Underlying sociopolitical processes behind the 2016 US Election and published in PLOS ONE is a collaboration between

Royal Holloway, University of London and The London College of Political Technologists in the UK. The research saw that creating slogans such as ‘Make America Great Again’ on their profiles gathered and increased a substantial following. This is how a influential group of Trump supporters formed on Twitter over a period of many months.

In light of news such as the Russian interference in the 2016 US election from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the research results shows that there is in fact little evidence surrounding the issue of foreign intervention.

Royal Holloway’s Dr John Bryden, who researches social networks and language transmission at the School of Biological Sciences said; “Mr Trump's ascent to the

Presidency has prompted a great deal of effort amongst pollsters, political scientists and social scientists to unearth the reasons for his unexpected success.

“By developing the more robust understanding of how political factions can be identified and analysed, it gives us a way of following these fast-appearing and highly-motivated supporter groups, and their influence on politics.

“Recently, we have witnessed a number of rapid shifts toward populism in the rhetoric and policies of major political parties, as exemplified in the 2016 Brexit Referendum, 2016 US Election, and 2017 UK General Election.

“Our perspective in the research was to focus on understanding the underlying societal processes behind

these recent political shifts.”

250, 000 Twitter accounts were identified and looked at during the time the research was being conducted.

Dr Eric Silverman from the University of Glasgow added: “During the recent surge of populist movements around the world, we have seen that traditional methods of political polling are at times falling short in terms of predictive accuracy.

“Our research shows that Mr Trump’s supporters mobilised and usurped the Republican Party’s Twitter following surprisingly quickly, and our method is able to identify and analyse these mass movements.

“We hope that this work will help to improve the analysis of political movements in future elections, both in the US and elsewhere.”

NEWS 5

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Trump Receives Backlash from Earth Day Statement

People rebelling against Trump's statement CASSANDRA LAU

On 22 April 2019 – Earth Day – President Donald Trump released a statement concerning the environment, stating that, “Economic growth enhances environmental protection.

We can and must protect our environment without harming America’s working families. That is why my Administration is reducing unnecessary burdens on American workers and American companies, while being mindful that our actions must also protect the environment.”

Also adding that “rigorous science depends not on ideology, but on a spirit of honest inquiry and robust debate.” President Trump’s anti-science message, and failure to address pressing issues of climate change and other environmental threats posed by habitat and species loss, pollution and

so forth has sparked outrage amongst environmentalists worldwide. Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club – an American non-profit environmental organisation – said that Trump is “the worst president for the environment our nation has ever had”. Leading advocates of climate change have also pointed out that the White House statement “is really the antithesis of environmental protection…

They are not mentioning the gravest existential threat facing humanity.” And many have taken to Twitter to call for the impeachment of Trump “before it’s too late.”

Despite the backlash, Trump later tweets at 10:39 PM: “I am committed to keeping our air and water clean but always remember that economic growth enhances environmental protection.

Jobs matter!”

Climate Change and the Inequality Between Countries CASSANDRA LAU

Whilst President Donald Trump’s Earth Day statement claims that “Environmental protection and economic prosperity go hand in hand”, new research published on the same day in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science suggest otherwise.

‘Global Warming Has Increased Global Economic Inequality’ by Noah S. Diffenbaugh and Marshall Burke found that “global warming has very likely exacerbated global economic inequality, including ~ 25%

increase in populationweighted between-country inequality over the past half century.” The authors stress the importance of “[u]nderstanding the causes of economic inequality” as it “is critical for achieving equitable economic development.” This suggests that the country-to-country gap between 1961 and 2010 could have narrowed more than it has if not for climate change. Diffenbaugh says, “The countries that are most responsible for global warming are different from the countries that are bearing

the brunt of global warming”.

It has long been argued by economists and development experts that climate change hurts poor countries more than rich ones: “Recovering from disasters like hurricanes or floods or drought is more challenging when resources are thin, and extra heat hurts more when humans and crops are already near their limits – the case for many countries in the climate-sensitive tropics” writes Alejandra Borunda from National Geographic.

Climate Change Protests over Easter and Earth Day

CASSANDRA LAU

This year, whilst protesters were seen scaling the Universal Studios globe in California whilst waving green flags on Earth Day, over 1,000 environmental campaigners were arrested in the Extinction Rebellion London Protests over the Easter weekend. The climate group has taken to such sites in central London as Oxford Circus and

Parliament Square. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that over 9,000 police officers had responded since the Extinction Rebellion protest began, and said on Sunday, “I’m extremely concerned about the impact these protests are having on our ability to tackle issues like violent crime if they continue any longer. It simply isn’t right to put Londoners’ safety at risk like this.”

Police have reported 1,065

arrests – 53 charged offences – in connection to the nonviolent civil disobedience protests. Amongst the many arrested are Etienne Stott, Olympic gold medallist, and a 70-year-old woman who had been arrested once at Oxford Circus and later as the last person to be arrested on Waterloo Bridge. Police cleared protesters from Oxford Circus on Saturday, and from the Parliament Square and Waterloo Bridge on Sunday.

The climate group have tweeted their demands for: (1) #TellTheTruth – Declare a climate and ecological emergency; (2) #ActNow – Halt biodiversity loss and go net #ZeroCarbon2025; and (3) #BeyondPolitics – A #CitizensAssembly for climate and ecological justice.

Turn to page 7 to check out ‘Extinction Rebellion: A Revival or Extinction of Effective and Inclusive Protest Culture?’

6 OPINION AND DEBATE

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Does Netflix Celebrate or Not Listened Capitalize Body Positivity? To or Valued: Earth Sciences Students Petition Against College’s Academic Restructure Plans to be a misconception that a one-size-fits-all plan can On 19 April 2019, the Earth be adopted, and due to the Science students have joined failure of the College to forces with History students take on-board departmentto take action against the specific concerns raised, restructure and have written many students like those to Principal Professor Paul in Earth Sciences have Layzell, Deputy Principal Dr gradually come to oppose David Ashton, Deputy Principal the idea of an academic altogether.

Professor Katie Normington, restructure Vice-Principal Professor James The letter states: “We, Knowles, Erica Fairhurst, VP the student body of the of Earth Education Jack O’Neill and department Daniel Curran. Attached to Sciences, write to express this letter was a petition with our extreme concern and regarding 142 Earth Science student apprehension signatures.

Earth Science our school allocation in the students are encouraging academic restructure and students from departments the rushed administrative process across campus to unit and make restructuring a public stand. Hayley Hunt, a running parallel to the student from Earth Sciences, is academic restructure.”

I personally feel, at currently working with Devon this point, students would Harvey from History to reach out to Management, Physics, rather a frank, unpolished Media Arts and Geography. answer to the widely Despite the Open Meeting held applauded question posed last term by College and the during the Open Meeting: SU, students still feel that their “What is the actual point voices and concerns are not of this restructure?” By being heard or taken seriously skimming the surface and redirecting questions, enough.

Having attended the ‘Open students not only feel Meeting’ on 1 March 2019, patronised but underI would agree in saying that valued. Considering the there is a problematic one-way large-scale impact the relationship. Whilst attendees restructure will have on listened attentively to what the the students of Royal College had to say, they were Holloway, the College’s met with protective and stand- uncalled for hastiness offish responses to all questions reflects its carelessness. raised. In fact, the meeting *Full letter from Earth itself was somewhat misleading Science Students can be as it felt more like a ‘Lecture on the College’s Academic viewed on The Founder Restructure Plans’. There seems website.

CASSANDRA LAU

Still image from film CASSANDRA LAU

Recent Netflix originals have either starred actresses – like Jameela Jamil from The Good Place, and Lili Reinhart from Riverdale – who have publically advocated for body positivity, or characters who represent diverse ages, ethnicities and body types. Series like GLOW breakdown stereotypes with multi-dimensional and bold female characters, for instance, Carmen (Britney Young) “challenges stereotypes of fat bodies as inherently unfit or unhealthy” writes Mariana Viera from Teen Vogue as she becomes an acknowledged member of the GLOW crew for her physical agility and knowledge of wrestling.

In a TV Insider interview with Scott Fishman, Young says, “it’s so interesting to see how each girl reacts to [becoming little microcelebrities in Season 2].

Melrose wants to be signing autographs and taking pictures. Then you have Sheila who is like, ‘No, I’m just here to wrestle.

Don’t come talk to me.’ It’s really interesting to see how different these characters

are, yet how relatable they actually are.” Body and selfpositivity conscious films like Dumplin and Isn’t It Romantic have placed plus-size females under the spotlight – quite literally as the two main characters, Dumplin’ (Danielle Macdonald) and Natalie (Rebel Wilson) respectively, are pushed to face their stage fright. Both films are incredibly powerful in terms of cultivating body positivity and female empowerment: they set an important precedent for feminism and diversity within the film industry by breaking down long wonted stereotypes.

However, upon second glance, is the rise of on-screen #selflove another marketing tactic? In FGRLS CLUB – a site on ‘feminism, free speech, freedom, & feel-good’ – Katie Muxworthy notes how “there’s something problematic” about the “YassKweens and clapping emojis” and “fuck-it attitude towards one’s appearance [which] is applaudable, commendable and a long time coming.” She argues, “underneath the surface of a new wave of positivity – it’s being used as a capitalist trend.” Whilst Muxworthy picks up on “the movement […] being used to sell us s**t we don’t need, under the pretence of being positive” by

retail giants like Missguided, ASOS, Prettylittlething and so forth, it is also worth noting how the rise in such streaming services as Amazon Prime, NOW TV, and Netflix have similarly been met with a surge of “YassKween” worthy productions. The pressure placed on media industries to star a more diverse range of talent does call for a round of applause but at the end of the day, “we’re still being sold to”. There’s a huge difference between accessibility and reliability: there’s a difference between being able to purchase plussized, petite or tall clothes and being told this is where you should buy clothes; there’s a difference between feeling good when seeing someone relatable on TV and feeling good because a relatable character on TV says you should feel good.

Diverse representation is so crucial in the media, but often for the wrong reasons.

Diverse representation in the media is not a ‘green light’ for individuals to start valuing themselves, individuals are and should always be responsible for their own happiness, and look within ourselves rather than on our screens for value.

THE FOUNDER May 2019

OPINION AND DEBATE 7

Extinction Rebellion: a Revival or Extinction of Effective and Inclusive Protest Culture?

MALIHA REZA

Extinction Rebellion or ‘XR’ as they are abbreviated have emerged in recent weeks to protest against climate change across the globe. Indeed, the aims of this movement are clear: use non-violent resistance to avoid climate breakdown, stop the loss of biodiversity and minimise the potential of ecological and human extinction. For the most part, XR’s protests have continued without contention and encouraged by voices across the political spectrum.

However, many have acknowledged that their tactics – while non-violent– could, in theory, result in violence.

Encouraging activists to get themselves ‘arrested’ sets a dangerous precedent – not only for activists themselves but for the future of protest culture itself.

The main criticisms emerging are of not XR directly or their ‘rebellion’ but the tactics they have implored and their relationship with law enforcement.

Some feel that members in the movement lack a nuanced understanding of oppression enforced by the state and those in positions of power. Simply put, encouraging arrests puts minority groups at immense risk as they are already much more likely to be persecuted for crimes to a likelier extent than white protestors. Police brutality is not a thing of the past, and it is crucial that the

risk posed to minority groups is acknowledged. We also saw with the Stansted 15 protest how fundamentally damaging getting arrested while protesting can be for individuals, with the threat of being charged with terrorism offences looming over them after the protest. With famous faces becoming involved in the protest, it is only a matter of time before young protestors from minority groups end up in a volatile situation with law enforcement.

Some have said that alongside disregard for the impact such protesting tactics could have on minorities, XR has ‘dodgy politics’ which they need to fix. A Twitter thread highlighted that members of XR during a protest in parliament square claimed that ‘mass migration’ alongside ‘flooding and societal breakdown’ were a threat. This is, of course, not true and panders to right-wing rhetoric in which migrant groups become demonised. Yes, displacement can occur as a result of climate change, and XR raising this would be correct; however, ‘mass migration’ as a term implies other agendas, particularly when coupled with strong words like ‘threat’.

The group argues that the status quo of lobbying, voting and petitions are failing due to the economic

and political systems which surround us; essentially, under capitalist means, there is little progress in curbing climate change. That said, many are now arguing that the tactics discussed above by XR, makes an inherently anti-capitalist movement, capitalist. The approach offered by XR instead of the status quo is ‘one of non-violent, disruptive civil disobedience – a rebellion.’ Despite some questionable tactics, their mass mobilisation should be one which we recognise to be an achievement for protest culture as it is extremely difficult to mobilise on such a sheer scale for a cause. In recent weeks, we have seen the likes of Emma Thompson taking to the streets of London in support, albeit she was criticised (not necessarily by XR) for her carbon footprint.

We have also seen a Team GB Olympic Gold Medalist, Etienne Stott dragged away by police from the Waterloo Bridge site and even Jack Harries (formerly known as JacksGap on YouTube), a filmmaker was arrested on an XR protest site.

Stott in interviews after his arrest makes a valid point in that he ‘believe(s) the disruption that will come down the line if we do not declare a climate emergency and do not tackle this situation of climate change, will just dwarf any inconvenience here today.’ Such protests raising awareness of climate change and encouraging the government to enact change are essential. However, other avenues such as the Green Deal should be considered.

What groups like XR should not be doing is encouraging arrests or putting minority groups in alarmingly risky situations.

If they continue as such, then they risk promoting an extinction of inclusive protest culture.

The Millennial Paradox BECCA BASHFORD

Last week, I got into an argument on Facebook with an older man whom I have never met about Nigel Farage, and the potential danger he and his rhetoric poses not only to political integrity, but also the national consciousness’, and most importantly the safety of minority groups.

The post which we were “debating” (I use that term very lightly on this occasion) was a video in which Farage said we should put “the fear of God” back into our MPs after their “Brexit betrayal”. I pointed out that Farage’s language was unsurprisingly dangerous and worrying, particularly when we remember that just three years ago Jo Cox MP was murdered, and plots to harm other MPs are being uncovered at an alarmingly high rate.

The stranger decided, however, that because I’m young, and I’m a student, I am not worth debating with. That didn’t stop him dragging the argument on for about six hours, though. He said: “She’s a student lefty and too young to know what she’s talking about.”, “You have zero life experience other than school and uni”, “If you want to play with the big boys know your subject!”. Despite providing statistics about how hate crime spiked massively immediately following the Brexit referendum, the man kept coming back to the

fact that I was young and a student, so everything I said was either biased or mere opinion.

This experience points to an upsetting fact about what happens when young people try to express their thoughts in today’s political climate.

It’s a paradox, really. We are told that we’re too young and naive to understand the world, so we read books, we follow the news, perhaps we even attend university to educate ourselves and gain a better understanding of the world around us. Then we are told that because we are students, we are entitled, and our worldview is clouded by a sense of superiority; because we dare to educate ourselves, and we dare to fight back when people support farright “politicians” like Nigel Farage, we must be nothing less than young, naive little snowflakes screaming into a void in the hope that people might validate our opinions.

Fortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Young people such as 16year old climate activist Greta Thunberg are a perfect example of what can be achieved when young people take their passion and use it to make the world better somehow. She has travelled across the world staring politicians in the face and telling them that they can, and should, do better for the sake of our shared future. I think everyone should be a bit more like Greta.

8 OPINION AND DEBATE

THE FOUNDER May 2019

The Health Centre Continues To Fail Us All

Image via Pexels MICHELE THEIL

For the last three years of my degree, I’ve heard about how horrible the health centre can be. Both close friends and random strangers on “Overheard” have endless horror stories to tell. I’m sure that some have had good, or at least decent, experiences but the overwhelming consensus of RHUL’s campus is that the health centre... “sucks”.

In the last few years, there have been efforts to improve the health centre among mounting criticism of rude staff members, patronising conversations from healthcare professionals, the lack of doctors or nurses available to serve nearly 10,000 students, and the absence of an STI clinic on a university campus that will likely have sexually active and maybe high-risk students.

Sadly, despite VP Welfare

& Diversity Willow Wong’s attempts to improve the health centre in line with student concerns, it is clear that, anecdotally, not much has changed. Personally, I am lucky to not suffer from any kind of debilitating illness that requires frequent visits to the health centre but the few experiences I have had with the staff there have left a lot to be desired. When I went to the health centre for contraceptive purposes, I was met with judgement and rudeness regarding my desire to get the pill.

Additionally, I requested a refill prescription for anxiety medication and was then told that I wouldn’t be able to see a doctor for two weeks.

Neither of these experiences were particularly nice, and I felt that my personal health was not being prioritised by the health centre. Many students have similar stories, particularly

regarding chronic illnesses, where they have not been able to get prescriptions or appointments for long periods of time. One student, who requested anonymity, stated that she was not given an appointment to renew her anti-depressants prescription for at least two weeks, which is both unhealthy and, in my opinion, unethical. Another student stated that she walked in to the health centre requiring medical advice as “it was an emergency” but the receptionist told her that they “were not a walk-in centre” and she should “go somewhere else.” Not only is this very rude, it is not fitting for staff members of an institution that is supposed to be providing wellbeing and care for the students of this campus.

Willow Wong responded to a request for comment regarding her efforts to improve the health centre

with the following quote: “Lobbying for changes is challenging and takes time, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. Across my two years in office, I have pushed for a review of the NHS GP Surgery on campus which led to some positive changes, including online registration with the practice, self-certification for extensions, self-checkin terminal and additional staffing resources to help students better access mental health support services. But that doesn’t mean we should take our eyes away from the lack of adequate on-site sexual health provision at the GP Surgery, which has negatively impacted Royal Holloway students. I will continue to work closely with the College and the GP Surgery to deliver positive changes on campus before I finish my term in office, whereupon my successor,

Lucy Simpson, will continue with the project.”

After requesting anecdotes from students regarding their health centre experiences, I was inundated with messages. A few students have found that the health centre was helpful in their particular situations but from what I’m getting, these positive experiences are few and far between. There are plenty more stories to be told of students receiving poor care from the health centre, and I do not have enough of a word-count to tell those stories. The point of this is that we need to continue to lobby the SU and the college for accountability and improvements to the health centre – we’ve made some changes but we shouldn’t be complacent. Our students deserve better.

FEATURES 9

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Review: Van Gogh and Britain

Photo Credit Wendel Moretti JACK WRIGHT

In writing, I won’t be able to express just how good the Van Gogh and Britain exhibition is; but rest assured I will do my best.

Featuring over 50 works

by Vincent van Gogh, this exhibition at Tate Britain seeks to convey the link between the Dutch painter and Britain; particularly London, where van Gogh lived for several years. A series of artworks, including work by Gustave Doré, reveals a variety of influences that ultimately contributed towards van Gogh’s own artistic output. Similarities between one of Doré’s pieces, for example - an 1872 engraving of the Houses of Parliament - and van Gogh’s Starry Night over the Rhone, are clear to see.

I point out this piece in

particular because I believe that this 1888 van Gogh painting is the highlight of the exhibition. The striking colour in the paintings, many of which are on loan from the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, is initially made apparent in the first room within the 1890 painting entitled L'Arlésienne. A pink background contrasts with the woman depicted in this painting, one of six similar pieces with the same title and concept.

Yet it is in Starry Night where the colour quite literally floods out of the frame and fills the room generously. The opposing blue tones of the sky and river juxtapose, with the former holding the yellow stars that, reflected, form brilliant slashes that coincide with the visible streetlight across the water. As soon

as you enter the room, the painting grabs your eye and attention and encourages you to linger. Two anonymous figures, distinguishable as a man and a woman, and some empty sailboats by the shore foreground humanity in a landscape that captures the uncompromising beauty of a starry sky, a scene so unfamiliar to central citydwellers nowadays.

At the risk of sounding a little exaggeratory, I truly believe that the exhibition is worth attending just to see Starry Night in person. The wonderful thing is that the exhibition continues to give more.

In one of the following rooms, after several fascinating displays regarding van Gogh’s letters, wherein he praises the city of London, and of the sketches by artists he admired that

he saved from various publications, a painting from van Gogh’s most famous series, Sunflowers, hangs.

Much like Starry Night, a picture of this piece, one of which you are likely familiar with, does not do the painting justice. Once again, colour takes centre stage. How an artist was able to take the colour yellow one so often associated with happiness and positivity -and encourage a transformation to melancholy is astounding.

I think that the publication of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892 and The Yellow Book between 1894 and 1897 are interesting to note, too.

There are several other works featured within the gallery that warrant a viewing, if I haven’t convinced you already.

Pollarded Willows (1888),

Shoes (1886) and Francis Bacon’s inspired piece Study for Portrait of Van Gogh (1957) are all captivating in their own right. My personal favourite, At Eternity’s Gate (1890), painted close to the end of van Gogh’s life, depicts a man sat by a fire with his head in his hands.

There is clearly despair in this painting, yet in the blue strokes that make up the man’s clothing, similar to that of the starry night sky, I prefer to see a shade of positive and creative energy surging within.

The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh and Britain is at Tate Britain until 11 August 2019.

Tickets for this exhibition, and other Tate exhibitions, are only £5 for 16-25 year olds when you register with the Tate Collective scheme.

10 LIFESTYLE

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Life on Wheels Do You Have Leavers Anxiety?

CHELSIE WHITE

Photo by Laura Vasile KYRIE ROXBY

There is a new cliché in the millennial hippy-dippy concern for the world type of lifestyle that has taken over in popular travel and backpacking culture: the #vanlife movement.

A way to travel and live cost-effectively; the uncomfortable, luxuryfree, minimalist freedom of living in a van.

Rises in rent and mortgage prices have resulted in a trend of people around the world opting to live rent-free in their own customisable converted vans, old school buses and tiny houses as it reduces the normal living costs you’d otherwise have to suffer. It’s a great way to save money, minimise and stay organised; providing a simple to use but often detailed and designed layout to be converted and make the most of your use of space.

Van life is one of those choices people make in an attempt to escape from the check boxes in life that we all know about and envision as the normal, reasonable

and inevitable landmarks we’ll go through. It is seen as a way of escaping by having the freedom of travelling that instantly fixes everyone’s problems – but it’s not for everyone. There are drawbacks about this lifestyle that may not suit most people, unless you want to escape the usual monotony and travel occasionally.

The harsh truth about van life is the question of how sustainable that kind of lifestyle is. A lot of people that choose to live in a van are willing to sacrifice comfort and luxury for the freedom of travel – but that still requires money for gas, food, emergency repairs, traveling costs, and fees for parking (it’s harder to find free places to park than it is to pay a small fee to stay on a camping ground).

Sustainability depends on a lot of things, but mostly on the type of van you buy and how you run it. One guy managed to run his (very small) van purely by the power sourced from solar panels installed on the roof, instead of running it from petrol or diesel. I doubt that you could run larger vans

purely from the electricity of solar panels.

The creative types may find ways to earn money on the road doing carpentry, freelancing, waitressing or travel blogging to cushion their day to day finances. It may not be the most reliable income to depend on but gives the freedom for the lifestyle and adventure they enjoy.

Travelling is the main reason for van life, giving the freedom to not be tied down to one location like you would be in a normal house.

As your house-on-wheels, with your own aesthetic and customisable space, van life can also provide a comfortable down-sized cosy nook for travelling by yourself, with a friend or in a couple. As a considerably cheaper way to live and travel pretty much full-time, this alternative to the regular life grind presents a viable and sustainable lifestyle choice for our younger generation where sustaining rent, bills, debt and still saving money for travel might not be as easy an option.

Leaving University does sound a bit daunting when you realise three years of your life really have gone from zero to a hundred real quick.

However, as daunting as it may be, it’s the beginning of another new chapter of your life! That’s what my mum always says anyway.

I must admit I never really had much fear about leaving uni because I’ve been ready to leave since second year… (that’s just down to a bad second year though).

Recently though, seeing as leaving really is only a few months away, I’m getting more nervous about it the more I think about it.

I really hate going home and working for all the lovely elderly customers to come into work asking “so, what are you doing next year?”

NOBODY THINKS THAT FAR AHEAD CYNTHIA. We can all hope that we eventually plan something but are we every really sure?

The anxiety of leaving uni can be very strong for people who are unsure of what they want to do after uni. Whether they want to do something with their degree (like a Masters, PGCE or graduate scheme), or whether they want to do something completely different, it can be difficult to apply for things, do the interviews and get the job.

It’s important to remember that not everything you apply for will be a yes, and that’s OK. It will hurt a lot, but it’s a part of life. If I could tell you

how many times I applied for TeachFirst and got denied it would probably hurt my ego. However, I applied for a PGCE in Secondary teaching at three universities and was invited to some interviews.

Interviews are terrifying!

The small room, all the questions, yes of course I’m going to tell them about that one time I showed leadership skills because I helped plan part of a starter for a lesson in college. They are scary, but they do help you get better at answering questions concisely, and it prepares you for job interviews. The best thing to do in interviews, is search the criteria the company are looking for in you and answer tailored to that! You can’t go wrong.

And if by third year you still don’t know what you want to do, that’s OK. It can take years to find what’s right for you. Just make sure you have some sort of job to earn some money while you’re figuring it out.

I think by third year everyone gets a little anxious about leaving university. All those friends you made that live hundreds of miles away, finding time to see them again so it wasn’t a wasted friendship (it will make for a lovely holiday if you all go away somewhere though).

But I’m sure once we leave our time here and move on to something new, something better, we’ll wonder why we were so terrified in the first place. Just enjoy the life you have, it’s too short to be stressed and worrying.

LIFESTYLE 11

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Getting Through Health A Difficult Year Benefits of Religious Fasting

ZAHRA HUSSEIN

Other than the obligatory fasting in the month of Ramadan, Muslims have followed a 1500-year-old tradition of 5:2 intermittent fasting. Prophet Mohammad began the sunnah (tradition) to fast on Monday and Thursday every week, and it has proven to have immense health benefits.

5:2 fasting has become popularised recently, and regular intermittent fasting can be a healthy weight loss technique. Fasting regularly can prevent health problems, like diabetes and lower high blood pressure and decrease cases of anxiety and depression. There is another tradition whereby Muslims are recommended to fast on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of every month (lunar calendar), which also has scientific benefits,

according to the relationship between the moon and the earth.

In a few days, Muslims prepare for a month dedicated to worship and self-discipline. For a whole month, healthy Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, and are encouraged to think about the poor. Even though fasting has many health benefits, the principle of fasting is not entirely to maintain good health. The month of Ramadan is one of humility, charity and self-control. Muslims are encouraged to break their fast modestly, on some dates, water, and a light meal. The reward of giving charity is multiplied in this month, and bad habits are controlled and moderated.

The month of Ramadan is undoubtedly cleansing, bodily and spiritually.

Photo credit energepic.com CHELSIE WHITE

Teachers at school or college always say, ‘University will be the best years of your life’. Well, it’s not necessarily true. From my experience at university in the last three years have been a rollercoaster of emotions.

I know everyone goes on about how third year hits you like a bus and that it is undeniably tough (which yes, yes, it is), and that first year is new and exciting but different to everything you’ve already done. But nobody warns you about second year. Nobody tells you that it’s more common than not to fall out with all your friends and have everything hit you at once.

In my second year, I fell out with most my friends, and since, we haven’t really

spoken. It’s difficult to say the least, because at the time I was struggling with my own mental health as well as other family issues that nobody that I lived with or was friends with could see.

I shut myself away. I didn’t know what else to do really, I was always going home and barely ever at University.

A big part of that was down to me taking the time to help care for a terminally ill family member, I think I just needed a bit of support from the people around me which I didn’t seem to get up at Uni. So, I spent more time at home with my close friends and boyfriend, which made people decide to distance themselves further from me.

Everything built up and by this time last year I was at breaking point. I didn’t think I would make it through the

second year.

But, somehow, I did. I ended up with a 2.1 overall in second year and it was definitely the motivation I needed to finish my degree and get the hell out of Egham. I know not everyone experiences the same thing, but I think everyone goes through a rough patch with their friends or has a difficult few months at uni.

What did I do? Well, I spent time talking to the few friends at Uni that I had about the things I was struggling with and we’d meet weekly to check in on each other. We would take time away from studies whether it was going to the gym or going for food to just breathe. At home, I spent a lot of time helping, going to work and making my family proud.

You just have to find things to do and surround yourselves with lovely people who will do whatever they can to help you. Coming into third year I was terrified it wouldn’t work out, but I met some of the best people who are supportive and motivating, and a laugh to be around. I think I’ll miss them a lot.

Nobody warns you about second year, the dramas, the fall outs, the loneliness. Find yourself a good pal, or be a good pal, someone will need it. Enjoy life.

12 LIFESTYLE

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Low Waste Swaps You Can Make To Be A Little Kinder To The Planet (And Your Bank Account) TASMIN FATODU

As the sea levels are rising and animals are going extinct, it’s hard not to feel a sense of hopelessness. Maybe David Attenborough has made you realise that you can do a lot more than not use a straw when you order your third Vodka and cranberry on a

night out. Whatever it is, here are 5 low waste swaps to get you there. Before we begin, remember that it is pretty much impossible to make zero waste! It is not our fault as consumers, it is the company’s that we buy from that are making it harder to do our best.

Take a tote bag everywhere you go!

Plastic bags are nasty for the planet, yes some are recyclable but only 30% of things in the UK are recyclable. Bring a tote bag where ever you go, and save some money on the way!

Photo Credit Alexander Mils

Ditch the plastic water bottle and the disposable coffee cups

Photo Credit Mali Maeder

13 billion bottles are used in the UK every year and only 59% get recycled. Even if you keep reusing them, they are bad for you. A steel water bottle is the most sustainable but if you do have a plastic one, then as long as it a BPA free your good to go! When buying any hot beverage bring a reusable cup and most places will give you at least 10% off. Or, you can always make coffee at home, saving you even more money.

Compost your waste!

When food goes to landfills, the food gets trapped without air, so it cannot break down properly. This food produces methane, a greenhouse gas which is worse than Carbon Dioxide. Your council will either provide one for you or you can apply for one, make your own or take it to a farmer’s market, and they will do it for you! Or simply try not to overcook.

Photo Credit Lisa Fotios

Stop buying things covered in plastic and lots of packaging Try not to buy cosmetics such as deodorants or shampoo that come in a lot of packaging.

Places such as Lush or looking online have lots of minimal waste packaging for most cosmetics. If you find this unavoidable, try buying the biggest volume of the product, or even try making your own!

Photo Credit freestocks.org

Try buying less stuff and invest in key items We all love a bargain but when buying a £7 pair of jeans, it’s very unlikely that it’s going to last you more than 7 minutes. It is a lot better to invest in a new pair of jeans that will last. If you really are a perhaps host a clothes swap with your friends!

Photo Credit Mica Asato

THE FOUNDER May 2019

ARTS & CULTURE 13

Night of the Living Dead Live! Review KAYLA MULKINS

Sitting ‘supposedly safe’ in London's Pleasance Theatre, I was thrilled to be at Night of the Living Dead™ Live! My threat level was determined by my seat, as the theatre is divided by carnal predictions of the undead. If you like to live (or die) on the edge, you may prefer the SPLATTERZONE a circle of wooden chairs placed centre stage.

Those were slowly filling with audience members wearing grey coveralls, hairnets, and nervous smiles in anticipation of the soon-tobe gore fest.

Night of the Living Dead™ Live! is a theatrical adaptation of George A. Romero’s cult classic zombie film. As a fan of the film, I found the set to be most reminiscent. The stage was designed as the interior of the Pennsylvania farmhouse: open plan with a side kitchen, a few dilapidated windows and doors around the perimeter, and a staircase where the body of the previous homeowner resides. The cast innovatively use boundaries of the set to expose the vulnerabilities of the American home, an

anxiety that largely inspired the Cold War era film. Also like the original, both set and cast were entirely in black and white. This was so well done that the flesh coloured faces of the visible audience in the SPLATTERZONE stood out in a slightly irksome way. However, attention was drawn to the characters’ faces, where the greyscale shading was the perfect touch for creating the dramatic expressions we associate with classic films.

Above all, the cast can be credited for making death so lively. Highlights include Marc Pickering’s confident performance of the cowardly Harry, Ashley Samuels’ rational strength as Ben, Mike Bodie’s command of the stage as Chief McClelland, Tama Phethean’s endearing voice cracks as Tom and Vince, Jennifer Harding’s talented ability to play contrasting characters Helen and Judy, and of course Mari McGinlay’s masterfully neurotic acting as Barbra.

Each embraced their archetype with exaggeration and energy that clearly

reflected in enthusiastic audience reactions.

The key to the play’s success was not only satyrization, but also the subversion, of horror tropes.

The zombie story has been told repeatedly since the release of Romero’s influential film, but Night of the Living Dead™ Live! resurrects the old plot as an experimental ground for the ‘if only’s posed by decades of viewers. Vince questions “how could a group of people with different backgrounds and agendas work together?”

They can’t, in any logical reality. With more fourth wall breaks than broken windows, the play appeases fans while highlighting the ridiculousness of the old film.

No matter how safe your seat is from the spilled blood, you can’t avoid your own blood swelling in your heart as you leave the theatre with the feel-good sensation typically reserved for Disney films rather than the undead.

Photography & I

Photo by Laura Vasile LAURA VASILE

“All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability.

Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.” ― Susan Sontag.

I don’t remember how and when I stumbled across this quote, but it stuck to me ever since. From the day I started photography I considered it to be such an unique experience. You feel like a spectator observing the beauty of the world

unveiling in front of your eyes.

Every aspect of it, no matter how big or small it is, connects everything into a ravishing moment.

In this context, you are fighting ephemerality with your camera. You freeze the moment and every feeling behind it.

That’s why photography is an extremely intimate act. You create your own world within a photograph and you are the only person who can relieve the moment through it.

I started photography nearly six years ago and I am in love with this form of art. I capture all the moments important and dear to me. I do it for myself and I enjoy sharing how I see the world through my lenses.

Hello Europe: A celebration of the EU after Brexit SVILENA IOTKOVSKA

Stanley Chow and Dave Sedgwick, two British ProEU illustrators and designers, have collaborated to create 27 prints celebrating the remaining 27 European countries in the European Union in their project Hello Europe.

Chow and Sedgwick portray the countries of the European Union in a retro, vintage style to illustrate

what makes each country special. It is interesting to note that the artists do not include the name of the country in their prints but only aim to represent it through symbols, a colour palette featuring the colours of their representative flags and the word ‘Hello’ in the country’s native language.

For instance, the artists celebrate the uniqueness of Bulgaria through the white, green and red colours of the

flag found in the print, the depiction of a red rose – one of the predominant symbols of the country – and the word ‘Здравей’. What is more, in their print of Italy, Chow and Sedgwick depict an espresso-maker as a symbol of Italy. In an interview with My Modern Met, they claim: ‘we didn’t want to go down the route of having to illustrate pizza or pasta. On reading more about Italy we discovered

that the espresso maker was invented in Italy and visually it worked really well with the type that was created.’ As with the Bulgarian print, the Italian includes the colours of the Italian flag, the word ‘Ciao’ and an icon which highlights the country’s uniqueness.

Hello Europe can be seen as an artistic political statement. The two artists claim: ‘We wanted people to feel proud of being European

and that the diversity we have in our country is something to be celebrated’. In other words, rather than titling their project Goodbye Europe, Chow and Sedgwick aim to say hello and welcome the remaining 27 countries of the EU into Britain.

All 27 prints can be found online on Instagram (@ hello_europe) and can also be purchased from http://www. thestanleychowprintshop. com.

14 ARTS & CULTURE Betrayal at the Harold Pinter Theatre Review

RACHEL FARGUSON

Betrayal, currently showing at the Harold Pinter Theatre, is the last instalment in The Jamie Lloyd Company’s eight-part Pinter at the Pinter Season – and what a finale it is. The show stars Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton, and Charlie Cox as Robert, Emma, and Jerry, respectively.

Betrayal details the story of Robert and Emma’s marriage and Emma and Jerry’s extra-marital affair, beginning with a conversation between Emma and Jerry long after their affair has ended and ending with the moment in which it first began. While many affair-driven plots often culminate in one major revelation followed by a major confrontation, Betrayal offers successive scenes driven by an ongoing but everchanging imbalance in knowledge.

Earlier in the season, The Jamie Lloyd Company hosted a gala dedicated to Pinter’s memory, featuring scenes from many plays in isolation. Betrayal’s contribution to this gala was the scene in which Emma first confesses the five-year affair to Robert, played again by Ashton and Hiddleston. In isolation, the scene drew an audible gasp from the audience.

During the full-length play, however, the scene – proceeded by many others in which Robert already knows of the affair and so, therefore, does the audience – carries a deep sadness more than shock. It is muted, and more powerful for it.

The ongoing imbalance of knowledge often requires Hiddleston and Cox to be playing at two different levels of tension when playing opposite one another. In the early stages,

Jerry believes that Robert has only just been informed of the affair that he has in fact known about for years. Cox gives a heightened and more intense performance as Jerry apologises for something that Hiddleston’s presently calm and collected Robert has already come to terms with.

Later in the play – but earlier in the timeline – these roles are reversed as Hiddleston plays a newly-enlightened Robert opposite Cox’s ongoing nonchalant façade as Jerry tries almost too hard to needlessly continue masking the affair. The two perform this balancing act sublimely.

Ashton’s Emma holds more knowledge than any other characters, aware of the affair and of who knows about it at any given moment. In scenes that feature all three major characters, she anxiously engages in conversation that is fragile and strained, trying to ensure that neither man alters the balance of information. Ashton shines in this role, expertly playing love, guilt, and anxiousness simultaneously.

The most striking feature of the staging of the show is the set itself, comprised of two concentric circular platforms that each rotate clockwise and anti-clockwise at different moments. Each scene is precisely choreographed to account for the moving set, the actors themselves moving two chairs to different spots on the platforms. It appears almost as though the characters are orbiting one another, often managing to just miss each other and creating the image of time physically pulling two people apart.

Though impressive, the set is deliberately minimalistic, and so lighting in these moments of transition beautifully transforms the set.

Betrayal at the Pinter is, simply put, a beautiful production. The run has been extended to the 8th of June.

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Notre-Dame Cathedral’s Incredible Survival After an Unimaginable Accident

Notre-Dame Cathedral after the fire MIMI MARKHAM

Like millions across the globe, I watched in horror on the night of Monday 15th April as Notre-Dame Cathedral was consumed by flames. The photos and videos were horrendous.

There were a solid few hours when I thought every window had exploded and the entire structure would collapse. But morning arrived and NotreDame still stood, albeit with a few bits missing. Now the big question remains: what happens next for the twelfthcentury cathedral?

It appears Notre-Dame survived the fire remarkably well. After its nineteenthcentury spire collapsed directly through the centre of the roof, I thought it would bring the flames and all kinds of unimaginable destruction inside the cathedral. Fortunately, this was not the case. Recent photographs of the interior show a scattering of debris, but also the survival of the pews and golden cross. There are major holes in the stone vaults, but most still stand proudly. Most reassuringly,

the thirteenth-century Rose Window seems to have remained intact along with its younger counterparts.

The firefighters risked their lives to control the fire, standing as close as twenty feet from the flames, and they were helped by the foresight of the original architects. The roof was cleverly designed so the vaulted ceiling protected the interior. Although drone images appeared severe, the fire rested on top of the vaulted ceiling where it could only harm a few of the smaller windows. When the spire collapsed, the loadbearing ribbed vaulting held strong, minimising the size of the damage. The stone structure has been severely weakened by a combination of the fire’s heat, the water in the battle against the flames, and centuries of crumbling and weathering, but the cathedral lives on.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, has stated his plans to rebuild Notre-Dame in the next five years. This is incredibly optimistic. After a fire in 1984, it took four years to restore York Minster, but

its damage was only a small fraction of Notre-Dame’s. It will likely take decades until restoration is complete.

We might not see NotreDame return to its glory until our old age, but I want to spread some hope into the situation. Sections of the vaulted ceiling and stainedglass might need replacing, but many restorers of historical sites use original construction methods. As one of the largest of its kind, this could be the biggest construction efforts of this nature since the Middle Ages. Eyes will be fixed on the rebuilding work and this could be an opportunity to remember the talent of the original architects. In York, a stonemason’s yard sits outside the Minster where original methods, and a few modern touches, are used to carve new grotesques and new stonework for the ancient buttresses.

Something similar could take place at Notre-Dame to remember and celebrate the medieval mastery that went into building the cathedral over 850 years ago.

THE FOUNDER May 2019

LITERARY REVIEW 15

The English language Circe – in all its colours Madeline Miller Review DOMINIQUE GEARING

Photo credit Pixabay KATIE PHILIPPOU

The English language contains a myriad of dialects that literature has explored.

This exploration is not only contained within Britain but extends to many Englishspeaking areas of the world.

Dialects, with their unique patterns of sounds and spellings, create more work for the reader, but the flavour they add to literature is immense and invaluable.

You don’t need to look far to find a different dialect used in English literature. Take J.K. Rowling’s creation, everyone’s favourite halfgiant, half-human Hagrid, for example. From his introduction in the worldfamous Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone right through to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hagrid charms readers with his gentle West Country accent combined with his jovial and warm persona, which first comes across when he greets Harry: ‘Las’ time I saw you, you was only baby, […] Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh’ve got yer mum’s eyes.’

With familiarity, honesty and friendliness, Hagrid immediately connects with Harry and he is Harry’s first face-to-face contact with the

wizarding world. Perhaps this dialect comes with the stereotype of friendliness, or perhaps for English readers around the world, Hagrid has contributed to this stereotype of friendliness that comes with the soft rounded sounds of the West Country dialect.

In Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh, the reader must make a huge adjustment at the beginning of the novel to understand the heavy Scottish dialect and Edinburgh slang.

The protagonist, Renton, talks about his brother with a psychoanalyst: ‘Aye, as a bairn, a wee laddie, like. Then he went intae the hoespital.

Ah suppose it wis, likes, problem solved, ken. Sortay ootay sight, ootay mind.’

Unaccustomed to seeing the Scottish dialect written out in such a way, the text can come as a shock.

Once tuned-in, what the reader experiences is complete immersion in the drug-fuelled, turbulent lives of the protagonists Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie. The novel depicts Edinburgh’s dark side of drug addiction in an unfiltered light, carrying the reader through to the grimiest and most sickening details.

In Anthony Burgess’ The Clockwork Orange, the use

of dialect is taken to a new, very experimental level, with the invented dialect ‘Nadsat’, which is influenced

by Russian. ‘So down I ittied, slow and gentle, admiring in the stair-well grahnzy pictures of old time – devotchkas with long hair and high collars, the like country with trees and horses, the holy bearded veck all nagoy hanging on a cross.’

The distinct, unique dialect pulls the reader into the teen group who defy society’s rules in the dystopian landscape of the novel. As the reader is included in the ‘droogs’ gang, they experience their violence first-hand. The ‘Nadsat’ dialect rewrites youth culture in this thrilling and brutal narrative.

Dialects in written form can give a real context to the world of magic, like Harry Potter, or they can take the reader into a more fictional setting with invented dialects, like The Clockwork Orange.

Whilst this skill is difficult to master and the use of dialects risks reinforcing negative stereotypes, it has the benefit of creating an engaging setting that pinpoints the details of the characters’ lives and builds a vivid picture that is hard to beat with other techniques.

“But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.”

Madeline Miller’s longawaited second novel, Circe, follows her criticallyacclaimed debut The Song of Achilles with another subversive retelling of Greek myth. This time, Miller charts the birth and immortal life of the Goddess Circe, witch and least-favoured daughter of Helios. Exiled from her father’s halls for the threat her magic poses, Circe learns to harness the very power which ostracises her, shaping her own fate as she manoeuvres through her new life amongst six-headed monsters, Olympians, and mortals alike.

I could not put this novel down. The prose is lyrical yet economical, striking in its restrained artistry. If there is one author this year who should be highlighted for the elegance of their writing style, it is Madeline Miller.

The section quoted above is possibly one of my favourite lines from the novel, but there are such moments of heart-wrenching poignancy scattered throughout. As for the world which Miller has crafted, it is equal parts horrifying and exhilarating to read about. The Gods are as mercilessly cruel as would be expected, with an added element of childish petulance which makes them entertaining. Miller’s interweaving of the fables of characters such as Odysseus and Daedalus is beautifully handled.

What truly makes this story, however, is Circe herself. Miller has managed to craft one of the most compelling, complex, and tragic characters I have read about in recent years.

As Circe comes into her power, proving herself a force for even the Gods to reckon with, she still retains her child-like desire to be accepted and loved by her punishing family. Even in her immortality, there is something undeniably human about Circe which sets her apart from her kin.

In her dealings with mortal people, she learns the pain of eternal life, as she watches those she connects with age and die. Miller’s retelling takes the Goddess from her position on the periphery of Greek legend and makes her both the heroine and antagonist of her own story.

As the novel continued, I both cursed and cheered for Circe in equal measure, felt her losses and her triumphs.

That, for me, is the sign of a memorable protagonist.

Circe has picked up accolades from critics and readers alike, including Best Fantasy in the Goodreads Choice Awards. After diving into it myself, I can certainly see why; this may well hold up to be my book of the year. You don’t need to be a great scholar of Classics to read and enjoy this book (I certainly am not) but if you are you will find plenty within to rave about.

Alternatively, if you are a lover of rich fantasy, macabre fables, or simply want to read an epic ‘coming-of-age’ story spanning thousands of years, this is my red-hot recommendation.

16 LITERARY REVIEW

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Vicious – VE Milkman by Anna Burns Schwab Review

Bookcover artwork GRACE BARBER

VE Schwab’s 2013 fantasy novel Vicious is the first book in her critically acclaimed Villains series. It follows two college students who discover a correlation between neardeath experiences and the onset of superhero-like powers and abilities. What they do with this knowledge initiates a chain of events that leave us asking who the hero is and who the villain is in this story, turning the typical superhero tale on its head. As Victor Vale, the main character, himself says, ‘[p]lently of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.’

The unique shift between past and present storylines throughout the novel may at first appear confusing but serves its purpose in keeping you flicking through the pages to try and connect all the dots and discover how the characters have ended up in their current situations.

This fast-paced structure only heightens the violence that is slowly simmering under the surface in the novel. The resulting climax is undoubtedly explosive.

Though Vicious is part of a series, this book can easily act

as a stand-alone novel. I’d be surprised, however, if it didn’t have you picking up the recently released sequel, Vengeful.

While the plot of Vicious, without giving too much away, is thrilling for sure, what Schwab undeniably succeeds in throughout Vicious is her characterisation. All the characters, including the protagonist, have dark sides hidden behind their cool and collected exteriors.

This fine line between the archetypal good guys and the archetypal bad guys establishes an exploration of morality that is certainly thought-provoking. Though the abilities of particular characters and their potential for destruction is terrifying, you can’t help but begin to root for their ragtag team: ‘I have a hacker, a half-dead dog, and a child. It’s hardly an arsenal.’ The character who shines the most is Mitch, Victor’s friend, partner in crime, and former cellmate, who despite having ‘trouble follow[ing] him like a shadow, clinging to him no matter how much good light he tried to stand in’ simply because of the way he looks, manages to remain an all-round decent man and is fiercely protective of both Victor and Sydney and her adorable dog, who by the end of the novel, become like family.

On the whole, if after the 24th April there is an Avengers-shaped hole in your heart, I’d highly recommend picking up this superhero, or rather antihero, book. It is a dark, unpredictable, and complex, but addictive read about the dangers of power and ambition that will grab onto your heart strings and not let go.

Bookcover artwork JACK WRIGHT

Milkman, the third novel

by Northern Irish writer Anna Burns, was published in 2018 and won the Man Booker Prize in the same year. The novel was also shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year. Burns has received incredibly high praise for her story of nameless – or, rather, nicknamed – individuals living their lives in an unnamed city at the height of the Troubles. But is the praise warranted?

I think, for the most part, yes. Burns writes with an incredible precision, whether it be in the way that she captures Seventies culture and Belfast tones, or the unique distinctions that distinguish her characters, each well-crafted and unique, despite their lack of names.

This lack of naming is, in reality, merely superseded by an alternative form of identification. The main character of Milkman, ‘middle sister’, is stalked by a notorious community figure known only as ‘Milkman’.

He offers her lifts in his flashy cars, observes her every movement and eventually threatens her ‘maybeboyfriend’, a mechanic whom ‘middle sister’ cares

for, despite the uncertainty in their relationship.

In the background of all this interior drama is the ongoing rift between communities and religions, coupled with an intense sense of paranoia. Rumour and suspicion are rife in the community. In one scene, for instance, ‘maybe-boyfriend’ is placed under scrutiny by his neighbours for keeping a piece of a car in his front room. This supercharger is purported to come from a car with a certain flag on it: a flag from ‘over the water’, which is a place almost as bad, if not worse, than the place ‘over the border’.

This scene with the car is a great example of what Burns does so well in Milkman. The narrator’s entry into ‘maybeboyfriend’s’ living room is funny, as she observes the “car on the carpet”. This is followed by a brief period of mounting sexual tension between the two, interrupted by, and contrasting with, the tension that mounts between the men who debate between themselves the origin of the car and the significance of the flag which, though absent, is enough to tarnish both the supercharger and the individual possessing it.

Burns plays with long sentences and syntax, further

emphasising the setting of the novel, and the friendly yet fraught relations present between individuals within the community, who may at any point turn on one another as renouncers, state informers, or ‘beyond-thepales’.

If I had one criticism of the novel, it is that Burns often opens door after door across 350 pages, some of which remain ajar when the novel ends. Characters are introduced with rapidity and, at times, events that happen are strange and unexplained, presented in an almost Alice in Wonderland feel that invites the reader to tumble down the rabbit hole along with ‘middle sister’. Though the world presented by Burns continues to expand, almost exponentially, the protagonist receives a relatively satisfying conclusion to her journey.

I’d recommend Burns’s novel most of all for the captivating Beckettian humour that pervades her writing. The way in which characters interact is often funny, despite tension that may exist between them.

Burns has a knack for interspersing humour in and amongst poignant moments of sexual growth and intimacy.

THE FOUNDER May 2019

LITERARY REVIEW 17

Revisiting Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent: Victorian Hysteria for the Modern Era

Ottessa Moshfegh, My Year of Rest and Relaxation Review

ELIZABETH TRAMPE

Bookcover artwork DOMINIQUE GEARING

It is most often in rereading that you are able to fully uncover the depth of an author’s tale. This was certainly the case for me when revisiting Sarah Perry’s second novel, The Essex Serpent, in February of this year. Perry, a Royal Holloway alumna, has been acknowledged on several prominent literary platforms, winning numerous awards including the Waterstones Book of the Year in 2016, whilst also being nominated for many others such as the Dylan Thomas Prize.

The Victorian neo-Gothic narrative was esteemed then, but I recently discovered that it has become all the more poignant in the light of the Brexit era.

The story follows Cora Seaborne, a recentlywidowed amateur naturalist who has fled her life in Victorian London, and the trauma associated with it, to the rural Essex town of Aldwinter. There, she meets a cast of characters seemingly frozen in time, and immediately butts heads

with the local rector, William Ransome, a man as devoted to his faith as Cora is to her fossils. Both are drawn into one another’s orbit by the mysterious scare which riddles the little town, that of the Essex Serpent, a mythical creature blamed for the drowning of one man that is believed to be prowling the waters for its next victim.

As the mystery thickens, the inhabitants of the sleepy town gradually become afflicted with a sinister sickness of the mind, as a whole classroom of children slip into a zombie-like trance.

Meanwhile, miles away in London, unrest divides two nations, the rich and the poor.

Perry’s Victorian England is bursting apart at the seams, rife with division, injustice, and fear. The novel charts the seemingly-impossible task of repairing these wounds, depicted in the hunt for the aquatic beast which may or may not exist.

Perry’s prose is vivid and compelling. Her characters are complex people instead of caricatures dictated by Victorian trope. So much can

be pulled from the story, whether it be questions of faith in a time of crisis, or the opposing rise of science.

But, as previously stated, it was Perry’s crafting of the growing, collective hysteria in Aldwinter which struck me so deeply in my most recent re-read. In the post-EU referendum era, when the country once again appears to be defined by difference rather than unity, the story offers an interesting commentary on the danger of clinging to fairy-tales and speculation, and of a ‘he-said-she-said’ culture which is quickly becoming the basis of our politics.

The Essex Serpent is not obviously didactic. It does not claim to offer answers to these issues of division, but portrays the consequences of manufacturing fear via Aldwinter’s slow descent into collective hysteria.

Whether re-reading the novel or picking it up for the first time, you will find plenty in Perry’s Gothic tale which rings true in the modern climate.

ROSE

VAN

What constitutes a good life? In My Year of Rest and Relaxation, American author Ottessa Moshfegh (born 1981) delves into the mind of a narcissistic twentysomething woman living in the heart of New York in the time immediately preceding 9/11.

The plot of the novel is simple enough; our protagonist is thoroughly dissatisfied with her seemingly excessively privileged life, and thus decides to go into (narcotically induced) hibernation for a year, hoping to wake up at the end of the experiment as a new and improved version of herself.

On the surface, the subject matter – attempting to ‘find yourself’ in the post-modern world – is not original.

However, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, wins the reader over by stubbornly refusing to paint the protagonist in any artificially good light. Our heroine is unapologetically selfish, rude, and incapable of showing compassion for anyone except her abusive on-and-off boyfriend. This relationship, however, seems to rest less on actual love than mere complacency as she has simply gotten used to their troublesome relationship and refuses to engage in fresh social interactions with any marked enthusiasm.

The book thus follows a trend that has surfaced in the past few years of placing unpleasant female characters at the centre of stories.

Where the male anti-hero seems to have become more or less integrated in popular culture – from Holden Caulfield to Walter White – the female anti-heroine now seems to wish to claim her place amongst her male counterparts. As a type not unlike Scarlett O’Hara – beautiful, narcissistic, and privileged – Moshfegh’s anti-heroine is a character who is as fascinating as she is occasionally intolerable. As a reader, there is something almost ironic about following someone who, to all intents and purposes, does not fit the criteria for being a ‘good person’, in search of ‘the good life’. There is nothing altruistic about the protagonist’s wish to better herself – she does not long to be better in order to please others; she simply wants to be better for herself.

The unapologetic way in which Moshfegh portrays her anti-heroine serves as a mirror to the generation whose primary goal is the elusive self-realisation.

Through our wealthy Upper East Side protagonist, we see ourselves reflected mercilessly.

Nevertheless, the novel does not serve as a moralistic tale – on the contrary, it opens the door to the possibility that our projects of selfrealisation might just work.

We just have to admit – to ourselves and everybody else – how thoroughly selfish and occasionally utterly ridiculous and pointless our project of ‘finding ourselves’ really is.

18 ARTS: FILM

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Not in Cinemas

GRACIELA MAE CHICO

Our 'Not in Cinemas' section is back, this time with four new reviews.

As we enter a new film festival season, with Cannes opening its shores to a new wave of films this May, streaming juggernaut Netflix is pulling out more tricks from its sleeve — especially now that more companies are putting their two cents in the streaming business, Disney with Disney+ for example. A new addition to the neverending Netflix versus

Photo credit rawpixel.com

Hollywood debacle, the streaming service is reported to be in negotiations to buy the grand Los Angeles cinema, The Egyptian Theatre. While it is not yet confirmed, this will certainly fuel the complexity and discourse surrounding the eligibility of Netflix films to qualify for various awards — with the likes of Spielberg believing they should be barred from eligibility (we’re yet to see whether Spielberg will be applying the same rules for his prospective original content for Apple TV). Despite the various controversies, Netflix is

unfazed and is determined to continue their awards season push — extending to the print market with their new publication, Wide, just in time for the Emmys this September. Luckily, we have a whole year to prepare for whatever drama onslaught will surround the next film awards season. But as future Oscar favourites premiere during festival season, it will certainly be interesting to watch what Netflix, and other streaming contenders such as Amazon Prime, acquire for distribution.

The Silence (2019) Annihilation (2018)

Film poster LUKE HETHERINGTON

Within a year, the exceptionally tense A Quiet Place and the serviceable but illogical Bird Box have been released. Now The Silence joins the wave of sense-based survival horrors.

Despite being based on a book that predates A Quiet Place, The Silence still feels like a Sci-Fi channel knock-off that meanders across a brief runtime and a quickly sketched landscape as Stanley Tucci’s family flee prehistoric bats that hunt on sound. Rather than let the audience’s imagination do the work à la Jaws or Alien, John R Leonetti opts to frequently show the bats in all their poorly-rendered, unintimidating glory. Leonetti (director of Annabelle and

Wish Upon) seems to have staged as much action as possible in single, awkwardly framed shots; churning out the scene as quickly as possible. Added to this mix of rushed world-building — including the formation of an apocalyptic cult within three days of the bats appearing — are his ill-advised comments about actress Kiernan Shipka immersing herself to the point where she has an “almost innate sense of what it’s like” to be deaf that offended the hearing-impaired. With The Silence, an exploitative film based on the Manson murders, and an infamous Mortal Combat sequel, what unintentional comedy will he create next?

Film poster NIAMH CUNNINGHAM

Intelligently blending horror, mythology, and stunning visuals, Alex Garland’s Annihilation is seemingly the perfect sci-fi. Biology professor, Lena (Natalie Portman), joins a five-strong female team as they expedite into an area of Florida swampland, recently hit by an unpredicted meteor. This area, now surrounded by an unexplainable ‘shimmer’ blocks all communication with the outside world.

Joining his prior film Ex

Machina, his 2018 offering continues to raise the bar for exciting and intricately crafted science-fiction; asking big, difficult questions that refuse to provide easy answers.

Another reoccurring characteristic of his work, Annihilation must be lauded for its complex writing of female characters.

Each of the five female leads provides a different skill set (a biologist, physicist, geologist, paramedic and psychologist). Although the film does not make an issue or pull too much attention

towards gender besides the odd line of dialogue, it remains an exquisite and necessary attribute of the film. Each of the carefully constructed characters is essential in exploring the sensitive themes the film tackles; depression, grief and the human susceptibleness to self-destruction. The impeccable blend of quiet sensitivity and exhilarating action is an impressive reminder of Garland’s promise as a filmmaker.

ARTS: FILM 19

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) SARAH-LISA HENNING

Almost exactly a year after her ground-breaking Coachella performance, Beyoncé releases a documentary depicting the creative process leading up to this monumental event.

Under the category ‘This movie is:’ in the Netflix description box, it only says ‘Inspiring.’ And it certainly is! Homecoming: A Film

By Beyoncé establishes the importance of taking the opportunity to make a statement. Beyoncé was the first black female performer to headline the festival. The

Film poster

documentary interweaves performance videos, quotes from HBCU graduates (a range of black scholars and public intellectuals), and her narration over behindthe-scenes clips. Beyoncé emphasized the doublemeaning of her personal homecoming for her people and culture, and also as her return as a performer following a difficult twin pregnancy.

The documentary truly highlights the immense attention to detail Beyoncé puts into this performance.

She voices her wish to ensure that everyone who

has ever been dismissed because of the way they look “to feel like they were on that stage.” During the almost one-year preparation period, Beyoncé’s entire team studied their community’s history, current events, all of the failures and triumphs of her 22-year career, to pour into this two-hour set.

Ultimately, the documentary truly captures the beauty and magnificence of gathering this group of individuals, which accentuate one another’s strengths through their unique performances.

Definitely worth a watch.

that its “Feeble writing and two-dimensional characters make [it] an unsuccessful, embarrassing endeavor for creator Ricky Gervais.”

His more recent production, After Life, on the other hand has been highly praised for its “beautiful, sympathetic and very honest handling of a very real subject matter …”. As dark as it may sound, it is about a “fat, lazy, self-pitying lump”, Tony (Gervais), who loses his wife to cancer and doesn’t want to live anymore so goes through a battle against himself and others who just want to help him. Besides threatening a “tubby little ginger cunt” with a stolen hammer, this series surpasses Special Correspondents not only in depth but in its discussion of suicide, grief, drugs, and the self. The most we get from the 2016 comedy is Finch’s attempt to win his wife back in a lengthy letter in which he misspells “suicide” and his coked-

up Scarface-moment where he shoots his Ecuadorean kidnappers.

Meanwhile, within the 6 episodes of After Life, there is room for the bitter and grieving character to learn and change. At the beginning, we are introduced to his ‘superpower’: “If I become an arsehole and I do and say what the fuck I want for as long as I want, and then when it all gets too much, I can always kill myself.” With the support of surrounding friends – an intern, a sex worker, a depressed drug addict, his brother-in-law, and a widowed elderly – he comes to the realization at the end that “I could go on punishing the world, but I’m gonna punish people who deserve it. I’m gonna use my superpower for good.”

Overall, the series fully encapsulates Gervais as a comedian and writer, it is relentlessly honest, crude and sentimental.

Ricky Gervais on Netflix

Ricky Gervais JACK ANDREWS

Whilst Ricky Gervais’s The Office (BBC), Extras (BBC; HBO), and Derek (Channel 4) are now available on Netflix, Gervais has written two Netflix Originals, which he stars in, that similarly skirt the bittersweet life of

the everyday man. Premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, Special Correspondents was released

by Netflix. The AmericanBritish-Canadian satirical comedy film was a remake of the 2009 French comedy Envoyés très spéciaux, starring Eric Bana as Frank

Bonnevile, a popular news radio journalist and Gervais as Ian Finch, a sound technician who collects superhero action figures and plays videogames to escape the reality in which his selfcentered wife, Eleanor (Vera Farminga), cheats on him.

Labelled ‘dark comedy’, the film touches upon sociopolitical issues such as suicide, ruthlessness of the media industry, terrorism and drugs. Within 100 minutes, the meek “stupid, incompetent piece of shit” that is Finch transforms into your cliché rom-com hero: the film itself becomes selfconscious of this at the end.

Whilst Finch and his loveinterest, Claire Maddox (Kelly Macdonald) walk out into an air-field sipping coffee, the cameras pan out and the screen dims, and Maddox says, “This is like the end of a movie.”

Special Correspondents was received quite negatively as Rotten Tomatoes notes

20 ARTS: FILM

THE FOUNDER May 2019

BFI FLARE: The UK's Leading LGBTQ+ Film Festival at 33.

GRACIELA MAE CHICO

Last March saw another successful year of the BFI Flare Film Festival, the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ film festival. The 33rd edition of Flare was opened by Chanya Button’s highly anticipated Vita & Virginia and closed by the European premiere of Justin Kelly’s JT LeRoy. Over the elevenday festival, the BFI also programmed insightful talks such as Lethal Lesbians and Trans Creative at the Movies to accompany the selected titles, as well as discourse currently surrounding the community. This year, the BFI also partnered with the British Council for #FiveFilms4Freedom — a digital campaign that gave the public free access to five selected LGBTQ+ short films. With the endangered rights of the LGBTQ+ community in countries such as Brunei, the campaign truly proved itself as groundbreaking. The BFI reports that the films were played over 3.9 million

Festival poster

times globally.

With screening attendance and online viewership numbers higher than ever, the public interest for queer content is unquestionably there. In a media landscape which is still just scratching the surface at LGBTQ+ representation, events such as Flare offer filmmakers and audiences a platform to share their stories and to finally be represented on screen. Split into ‘Hearts’, ‘Bodies’, and ‘Minds’, the festival must be lauded for its showcase of stories from marginalised voices within the queer community itself. While not as heavily advertised as the white-centric opening and closing feature films, Flare’s selection of short films such as Amrou AlKadhi’s Anemone — a wondrous insight into a second-generation teen’s exploration of gender identity — and Singaporean animated film Between Us Two by Wei Keong Tan, promises an even brighter and more colourful future for queer cinema.

Vita and Virginia: The Reinvention of Literature's Oldest Love Affair

Still image from film

As if mirroring its elusive subjects, Chanya Button’s highly anticipated Vita and Virginia finally had its UK premiere after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. While the love affair that catalysed one of Virginia Woolf’s most iconic novels, Orlando, is no secret, this cinematic reimagining of Woolf’s legendary relationship with Vita Sackville-West is the first of its kind. With Elizabeth

Debicki playing Woolf and Gemma Arterton portraying Sackville-West, the magnetic chemistry between the two literary figures is there, but the latter manages to steal the show. Arterton depicts the twentieth-century socialite’s beguiling charm so effortlessly that you are seduced to focus on her electric performance throughout the film. Button binds the century-old tale with flares of contemporariness;

using CGI to anchor the two lead’s fourth-wall breaking monologues, and having an electro-pop score

by Isobel Waller-Bridge.

This undeniable feeling of modernity perfectly anchors the ‘contemporary’ nature of its subjects — fantastically encapsulating the story of Vita and Virginia in a way that is unafraid to reinvent the conventional period drama.

Vita & Virginia comes out in UK cinemas on July 5.

ARTS: FILM 21

THE FOUNDER May 2019

GIANT LITTLE ONES: A Confused Coming of Age Tale Canadian coming-of-age drama Giant Little Ones focuses on sixteen-year-old Franky, the typical happygo-lucky jock, he seemed to have it all, a picture-perfect suburban neighbourhood surrounding him as he cycles to school every morning. With a white, male protagonist at the forefront of an LGBTQ+ high school drama, it is easy to see why it has been compared to last year’s Love, Simon.

However, writer-director Keith Kehrman presents a film with a much grittier

Still image from film

and complex narrative.

Rather than Franky coming out, the film focuses on the consequences of an incident with his best friend Ballas.

The two drunkenly stumble in the same bed after Franky’s seventeenth birthday party, their ‘experimentation’ eventually making its rounds across the high school.

However, rather than facing the bullying together, Ballas is revealed to have initiated the gossip — telling everyone that it was solely Franky who initiated everything.

Reflective of the teenage

stories it’s trying to tell, the film is, at times, messy, inconsistent, and fuelled by raging hormones. While the film must be lauded for its attempts at representing older generations coming out, as well as inferring characters’ embrace of sexual and gender fluidity, it tries to tackle too many narratives in its short ninety-minute runtime. In the end, it leaves you hungry for more concrete conclusions and backstories, but it does succeed in portraying a glimpse of the ever-changing world of teenagers.

JT LeRoy: Stewart and Dern Shine in a Monotonous Biopic

Bookending the other half of the Flare programme is another film about a literary icon, this time about the fraudulent literary persona JT LeRoy. Created in the 1990s, JT Leroy was a persona created by Laura Albert (Laura Dern) to author three ‘autobiographical’ books based on JT’s life as a teenage boy who experienced immense poverty, drug use, and emotional and sexual abuse during his coming-ofage. Eventually the success of the novels needed its author to face the public, Laura asks her sister-in-law (Kristen Stewart) to play JT — playing on gender and public presentation. Albeit a

hearty bio-pic, the film fails to go beyond the conformities of the genre. Alongside the newfound ‘relatability’ for today’s social media age, the only other key selling point of the film is the remarkable performances from its two stars, the film really allows Dern and Stewart to flex on their comedic skills. While Justin Kelly might not have created a revolutionary addition to the world of biopics, it is still a film wherein Laura Dern purposefully puts on a ghastly British accent and Kristen Stewart gets to be her mysterious and alluring self. J.T LeRoy comes out in UK cinemas on August 12.

Still image from film

Carmen and Lola (Carmen y Lola): A Tender Tale of First Love

Still image from film

For her feature directorial debut, Arantxa Echevarría explores an untouched area in coming-of-age films.

Centring around a close-knit Roma community in Madrid, Carmen (Rosy Rodriguez) and Lola (Zaira Romero) fall deeply in love in place which strives to tear them apart. The classic tale of opposites attract is revisited in Echevarría’s film, while Carmen is a recently engaged and glamorous aspiring hair salon owner, Lola is a tomboy and street artist who dreams

of becoming a teacher. Albeit the film does fall into wellworn narrative tropes, the film is absolutely vital in starting the conversation surrounding a community that is not often represented on screen; the script unafraid to point out the community’s rather patriarchal and heteronormative ways.

What creative risks the cinematography and editing lack is retrieved by phenomenal performances — not only the actors playing the titular roles but

the supporting cast, too.

Consisting of mostly nonprofessional actors, Carmen and Lola has such a purity and realism in it that makes you fall in love when the characters do, as well as feeling their heartbreak and pain during the scenes which showcase the consequences of their romance. Echevarría and her team clearly made the film with such passion and love, and that unquestionably comes across on screen.

22 ARTS: FILM

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Us [REVIEW] Shazam! [REVIEW]

Still image from film ERIN LEONARD

Burdened with high expectations, Jordan Peele’s sophomore feature was always at risk of falling into the shadows of his much-acclaimed debut, Get Out. But Us is a film truly worthy of its own acclaim.

Led by Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, the ensemble cast made sure that Peele’s intelligent script successfully made its way onto the big screen. The competition in the horror industry is ever increasing, but Peele remains at the top of his game — an amazing feat for someone so new to the directorial role.

Us follows the disturbing days that ensues after a family's holiday getaway is invaded by their doppelgängers. From start to end, the film keeps its audience engaged and is sprinkled with clever 'Easter eggs' that Peele incorporates so effortlessly.

From a cinematographic stance, the film is absolutely stunning to watch; the artistry of Mike Gioulakis (also the cinematographer for Shyamalan’s Glass) reflecting in every shot.

Increasing evidence has emerged that Get Out and Us could exist within the same universe, much as Shyamalan’s most recent film has shown. Theories have emerged about almost every character and relationship within the film, analyzing the connotations of each intricate decision that has been made. It has become a part of watching films such

as these to discuss the film in depth afterwards, eliciting a sense of social interaction surrounding the film that many horrors miss the mark with. A movie which incites conversation is inarguably a success, especially considering the underlying social commentary that runs through Jordan Peele films.

Perhaps one of the most essential aspects of Us is the soundtrack. It added layers to the viewing experience, giving a feeling of intensity which puts the audience on edge. Michael Abels returned to Peele’s team after his work on Get Out attracted critical acclaim. The score and the camerawork came together to create an essence of high art; Abel drawing the opportunity to amplify the vast importance of sound in a way that is often missed by other thrillers.

After receiving four Oscar nominations for Get Out, people are already discussing what new acclaim Peele can anticipate for Us. With the outstanding collaboration of such well-regarded artists on the screen, Us provided a platform for rising stars Shahadi Wright-Joseph and Evan Alex to show the world their potential. Jordan Peele has successfully set a precedent of black excellence within his films, both on and off-screen, and his future promises to draw the attention of the critics.

Everyone can agree that the film has successfully reached the high expectations it was set, but what everyone is wondering now is: What is next for Peele?

Still image from film SAM MCLOUGHLIN

When Billy Batson (Angel Asher), a transient orphan in search of his mother, is gifted with the powers of a wizard, he becomes a grown-up superhero every time he says the word SHAZAM! Sounds silly? A little bit cliché?

Well, that’s kind of the point.

In a universe populated by a mur-derous Bat-fleck, and a Superman that clenches his jaw so tightly it’s a miracle he doesn’t chew the teeth right out of his head; Shazam!, along with last year’s Aquaman, of course, begins to level the see-saw.

Zachary Levi is truly watchable. The child-like wonder that dances in his eyes and the slapstick quality of his character, of someone suddenly in a body too big for them, like Bambi on ice, is too goofy to resist. The repartee between Shazam and Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) provides the narrative with a charming lifeline and the adolescent cast is truly top-notch, so much so that Asher Angel actually comes across fairly mediocre and unremarkable when compared to the likes of Jack Dylan Grazer, Faithe Herman and Ian Chen; all of

whom play Batson’s foster brothers and sisters.

However, like Mark Strong’s Dr Sivana, I can’t help but think that Angel’s beige performance is a product of the writer’s room.

So much of the wit and dimension of the character of Billy/Shazam is bequeathed onto the superhero portion that it becomes evident Angel has little wiggleroom to make the most out of this breakout role. Even the majority of the poignant scenes, ones which serve to develop the character, with the exception of one, seem to be experienced through the lens of Levi’s bumbling behemoth. This results in a kind of awkward imbalance we saw in 2017’s Jumanji, particularly in the character shared by Kevin Hart and Ser’Darius Blain, where the two performances become so far removed from one another, that they are barely recognisable as the same character.

This doesn’t seem to be any individual or department’s fault, but more a cumula-tive result of the ‘kid in adult’s body’ genre, that may need to be ironed out next time the folks at Hollywood decide to dive back into the niche.

There are plenty of reasons that would suggest this writing gap was a deliberate choice (i.e. Shazam being the manifestation of Billy’s ultimate poten-tial, therefore being funnier, more charming, etc), however, I do believe that Sandberg’s film miss-es a beat in neglecting both Angel and the character of Billy Batson who, after all, is its true pro-tagonist.

Shazam! has everything you love and have come to expect from a Marvel superhero flick: steady laughs, extended universe references, Djimon Hounsou and an eccentric sidekick.

But this DC venture does something more, something that its own cinematic universe very much needed: it slowed down. Sandberg’s film brings big powers onto a small scale. The stakes are high, sure, but at the end of the day, this story is about growing up, family and heart.

Shazam is not only a quirky adventure in its own right, but a chance for audiences to cleanse their palette of Snyder’s last two CGI Royal Rumbles, and proof that DC is ready to play in the big leagues with Kevin Feige’s Marvel.

ARTS: MUSIC 23

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Album Review: Ohtis – Curve of Earth A Note From the Music Editor

Welcome back And... also Goodbye! I hope all the readers of The Founder and in particular the music section have had a great Easter break and a great year overall reading and getting involved with the music section. As this is the last issue of the year it is also my last as music editor (sad I know) I’ve loved the experience of bringing some real interesting and deep articles from our writers to print as well as pieces on some of the most varied types of music written about in the 3 years I’ve worked with the paper. I’d also like to say that the position is now open for all applications so feel free to give me a shout at music@ thefounder.co.uk if you’d like to apply!

Album cover artwork CHARLIE CATMULL

Fun Music Facts

Mozart sold more CDs in 2016 than Beyonce.

Eminem's The Real Slim Shady was recorded just 3 hours before the finished album was due at the record company.

All members of Nirvana were kicked out of their own release party for starting a fight.

Paul McCartney performed at the 2012 London Olympics for $1.57.

For the last issue of the year I thought I’d review an album that genuinely took me by surprise, a possible sleeper hit and one that is mainly based in a genre of music most people can’t stand the sound of. The album in question is Curve of Earth by Illinois based 3-piece Ohtis and the genre this album expertly mimics yet adds a new more up to date sound to, is Folk. I first heard of the band Ohtis via the discover weekly playlist on Spotify, the method through which most people “discover” new music these days, and that’s no bad thing, I’ve found some genuine gems through the algorithm. But it was after reading about the story behind the music that I realised how much of an accomplishment Curve of Earth really is.

The album, some ten years in the making, is a short, sharp release of 8 songs, with the album itself only lasting some 30 minutes, yet the tightly bound collection works due to its brevity and the impressive ground the songs manage to cover in this time. Whether it is the dark Americana of my personal favourite and introductory track ‘Pervert Blood’, a catchy acoustic ballad which conjures up some pretty morbid stuff, or the Bon Iver reminiscent strumming and trumpet and piano sampling of ‘Junkie Heaven’, or even the more pop influenced progression and dancing piano of the upliftingly morbid ‘Black Blood’ all the songs flow just so well. Each track, although surrounding each other in terms of a shared lyrical content and themes, features wide ranging instrumentation

which allows each song to stand out, all the while tying to the others with such a precision and craftsmanship. It becomes clear once you look deeper into the album that you can understand the care put into songs that have taken ten years to come to blossom, and the story they tell.

From the song titles such as ‘Black Blood’ and ‘Junkie Heaven’ and the aforementioned morbidity of the tracks content it becomes apparent, even before you read any of Ohtis’ backstory, that there is an underlying darkness that makes the usually vapid genre of folk so raw and effecting on Curve of Earth. The melancholic and NSFW nature of the lyrics emerging from frontman Sam Swinson’s long-running battle with

drug addiction and leaving the evangelical cult he was raised within, a battle which caused the three friends to put their love of music on hold for a decade whilst Swinson went to hell and back again.

The journey behind the music being one so evocative, that it is definitely turning ears.

With lines about wanting to give yourself a lobotomy and having black blood in your veins, though appearing grotesque and a bit grim at first, give way to a euphoric culmination for both the listener and Swinson, as you realise the depth of the catharsis playing out over this LP. In summary though folk definitely isn’t for everyone (me usually included) this short, sweet and surprising album might just be what turns it around and gives it a bit of the edge its been missing.

24 ARTS: MUSIC Album Review: BTS - MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Album Review: American Football – LP3 YUJI AOYAMA

Album cover IGGY IWERSEN

Following BTS’s radiation into a plethora of musical genres at the tail-end of the Love Yourself era, the idol group’s 2019 retour adopts a more concerted, discrete sound that too often flirts with mediocrity.

Map of the Soul: Persona is twenty-six minutes of music that, broadly, doesn’t mark a strong departure from the musical niche they have carved out amid the K-Pop industry. Instead, it exists comfortably within their well-established sonic framework, deviations from which manifest as a peppering of subtle, stylistic changes. For instance, longtime listeners to BTS will notice experimentations in vocal range and quality from all seven members, something that conjures freshness in the sound of a group that debuted in 2013.

The arrangements of the two tracks at either end of the record also host a rock-heavy instrumentation uncommon throughout the BTS œuvre, choices that constitute the album’s greatest endeavour towards distinction.

However, the wooden power-chords that chug through ‘Persona’, the album’s intro, do little to

create a novel soundscape alongside the track’s synthetic percussion section.

Though fake vinyl crackle and a sample of ‘Skool Luv Affair’, retrieved from deep within the Bangtan catalogue, guides the listener into the first seconds of the ‘MS:P’ journey, the mechanical production thereafter unravels the attempt to snatch nostalgia without full commitment to its retrospective ambition.

The same ills are suffered by the album’s closer, the arrangement of which struggles against its synth overdubs to present something frighteningly akin to the most uninspired of eighties stadium rock.

We need merely consult YouTube to reaffirm BTS’s continued youth where our ears may deceive us. The music video for ‘Boy With Luv’, the album’s lead single, plays out in a pastel dream world replete with brilliant choreography and the charming visages that we have come to love. They are joined by Halsey, who’s contribution, curiously, varies by mix from a few lines in the music video to Englishlanguage portions of every chorus on the album. The track itself elegantly bounces between rhythmically

and dynamically while maintaining its lusciously poppish forward momentum throughout. For me, while it is nothing ground-breaking, every listen of ‘Boy With Luv’ is a replay of my giddy anticipation for the group’s first single as a seven-piece since August 2018. Lyrically, the song corresponds well with that mnemonic legacy.

A whimsical rumination on love refocusing life towards the little things, it’s a track that only scratches the surface of the album’s lyrical depth.

The final track, ‘Dionysus’, another battlefield between music and lyrics, reconciles its perplexing musical philosophy with tonguein-cheek odes to binge drinking. Together, they form a coherent vector for Min Yoon-gi (Suga)’s meditation: “The new record is the fight against oneself”, a concept thoroughly vindicated by its place within a muddled release at the height of BTS’s fame. With the group poised for a years-long military-service-induced period of flux, Map of the Soul: Persona’s hair’s-length step into ‘goodness’ gives me unsettling premonitions for the swan songs of BTS’s near future.

The expectation with most cult bands, after dropping their most vaunted record, is that they reproduce their sound or leave. No longer the 20-something year olds that defined the Midwest emo scene, American Football have finally decided to let go and embraced their maturity on their third self-titled, finding themselves more comfortable in exploring a new sound than rehashing their old one. Even the album cover is a departure from the iconic Illinois home that adorned their first two albums, and which still sees pilgrimages from fans of their debut cult classic today. Awash with heartachingly dark shadows, it promises an ethereal experience unlike either of their other two records.

And rightfully so; their change in musical style is apparent from the outset, treating the listener to airy glockenspiel, mellow harmonies, and walls of sound more akin to postrock than their math rock roots. While front man Mike Kinsella’s guitar still plucks at the heartstrings in the same lonely way, the band finds itself more willing to experiment, unafraid to layer feelings through their sound. Their change in form is also evident in their lyrics, as the coherent narratives of yesteryear are replaced by dreamy, almost stream-ofconsciousness call from the soul, lamenting the loss of youth, baring to the world a confession between lovers,

and overall presenting a much moodier front. No longer are American Football the wistful teens dreaming of a summer heartbreak, or the young adults writing that same love a drunken letter; they are the middleaged, hard-working adult finding those letters in the attic, longing for the times when they could so casually fall in love. Most notable are the songs ‘Uncomfortably Numb’, featuring Hayley Williams and ‘Heir Apparent’. The former, an obvious reference to the Pink Floyd track with a similar title, is a lamentation of indifference; how, with time, the singer feels worse and worse about their inability to relate to others.

And that same mood underpins the entire work, evident in every riff and harmony and failed relationship on the album; even if American Football can never forget their roots, that doesn’t mean they can’t strive to create something better, pushing into unexplored territory and taking their sound into a new direction. It drives home the idea that a band can not only age gracefully but also outlive their roots, growing past just their best-known work to become something more ambitious. Though it’s not often one band can make two masterpieces of two completely different sounds, I’m perfectly happy to say that while LP3 might never live up to the name of LP1, it easily deserves that place in my heart.

ARTS: MUSIC 25

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Track Review: Tame What makes a classic album?

Impala – Borderline

Album cover JOE DANIEL

2015 saw the release of the storming third album ‘Currents’ from Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala and it was inescapable for the years that followed, transforming the Aussie outfit into a worldwide successful band. It seems Parker has worked tirelessly in those years, rarely taking a break; collaborating with the likes of Mark Ronson, Sub-headlining Glastonbury in 2016, headlining Citadel in 2018 and even getting married earlier this year.

So, when it was announced that new Tame Impala music was on the horizon, I was a little surprised that we were already seeing new material without a proper break, but then again, Kevin Parker is one of the most prolific and multi-talented musicians in the world at the moment so fears of it being lacklustre did not enter my mind.

However, the first track of the new releases ‘Patience’, was a damp squib, to say the least and the follow up ‘Borderline’ fails to excite in a similar manner.

Sonically pleasing,

groovy and catchy, much like it’s preceding single, there is very little offensively bad about ‘Borderline’ but it’s not to the ridiculously high standards that has Parker has set himself over the past decade. The song is good but it’s the same tame impala we’ve heard before. Whereas the jump between previous albums has profited a clear evolution in sound, this feels stagnant.

‘Borderline’ is fine in every aspect, the melancholic groove is still there. The lyrics contradict the music as we’ve become accustomed to and no doubt It’ll go down a treat on a hot summers day, but is that really enough?

The disconnect that Parker wants you to feel comes across but in a hollow, not mind-blowing way. A man of his musical tenacity and prowess should be striving for more, as he has done in the past.

Parker has rarely stopped over the last decade and it could just be a burnout – or has he run out of ways to evolve Tame Impala. Only time will tell, and the album could well be a holistic masterpiece, but, judging from these first two efforts I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

Photo credit Stas Knop BEN JACQUIN

Classic albums that are widely regarded and agreed upon as classics are extremely rare in the music sphere.

From genre to genre, artist to artist, opinions change so vastly that a definitive list of classic albums will never be made. So, what qualities would make the all-round classic album?

The first major factor for defining a classic for most would be how the piece ages.

We often are quick to deny an album the title of a “classic” if it has been released in the last decade, claiming that there hasn’t been enough time for it to age sufficiently for us to then revisit its classic status. But would it be unfair to delay the certification of these albums simply because of their age? In the modern landscape and for the youth nowadays, I would argue that Kendrick Lamar’s albums deserve the title of classic, along with Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’, however the general consensus is that it is too early, despite seeing their impact amongst emerging artists.

The music industry is

shifting so quickly nowadays with the rise of the pluralistic landscape and with bedroom producers changing the way in which music is made, that albums once considered “classics” can easily fall into obscurity, despite their popularity at the time. How an album can survive this shifting landscape is by cementing a solid influence on the artists breaking through into the limelight.

Through influence, an album can have a longer lasting effect on the music industry than through any other quality, as it does not take into account popularity and age.

However, it is rare that you will find an album defined as a “classic” that wasn’t also a successful release. In The Guardian’s ’50 Albums that Changed Music’, they list The Velvet Underground and Nico as their number one.

Although this album may be an exception to the popularity of most classic albums at the time of its release, it was still highly regarded amongst avid listeners, it was merely sales that were poor.

Perhaps the perfect recipe for a classic album is a concoction of the elements

I have proposed; age, influence and popularity. If we then try to define one album in the last 100 years of music that would fit all these categories, and therefore be the ultimate “classic album”, then we might come to the conclusion that The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band would be the best option. However, these value judgements on the classic album tend to sway towards the opinions of our parents, and marginalise or blatantly ignore albums that were not popular at the time of release. It is hard to deny Sgt Pepper’s influence, but for us kids born in the late 90s, perhaps we owe more to The Strokes with their album Is This It? reviving rock and roll and its attitude in the early 2000s, clearing paths for a large contingent of artists to emerge.

However, judgements will differ from each person’s experience, as it is your own unique experience that helps you identify with songs and artists, and therefore the classic album will never truly be fully definable

26 SPORTS

THE FOUNDER May 2019

How Did Fulham Fall From Grace Without Even Reaching There?

The Rising Trend of Bare Knuckle Boxing JACK WRIGHT

Fulham Football Club Logo FRANKIE CHRISTOU

Fulham’s return to the Championship was signed off two weeks ago by a 4-1 defeat to Watford. They conceded three second half goals in a matter of 12 minutes, a second half capitulation which Fulham fans have become so accustomed to seeing this season.

Their return to the Premier League was marked with so much ambition, spending over £100m in the summer to bring in household names.

A statement which even led myself amongst others to believe that they were destined for a top ten finish.

However, the deceitful cheque book of billionaire owner Shahid Khan is exactly what bellied their downfall this season. The 100m spent in the summer through hindsight was impetuous.

From mid-September, it was clear that Fulham had entered the Premier League without a clear vision or footballing identity.

The team which achieved promotion as well as a 22-match unbeaten run in the Championship was brushed to one side. The likes of Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Caireny found themselves wasting away on the bench

while the marquee signings from Europe made their debut in a league they were not accustomed too, for a team they probably had not heard off before they got the phone call from their agents in the summer.

The lack of understanding on the pitch was matched in the dugout. Jokanovic’s mentality was eaten alive by the demanding nature of the Premier League.

Whimpering defeats witnessed changes, creating instability which precipitated even more defeats.

The confidence was drained out of the side, and the players who had just been brought in simply stopped trying. Every game that passed witnessed them being over-run, out-fought and more importantly outscored by their opponents.

It was like they had not witnessed the many teams before them who had flexed their bank balance the same summer of promotion. As Middlesbrough (16-17), Norwich (15-16), QPR (1415) and Cardiff (13-14) all outspent other promoted teams on their return to the top flight but all failed to retain their status the same season.

The Chairman’s toxic mentality of ‘Money buys

happiness’ led the fans, the players and even the manager to believe that Fulham could buy their way to victory without having a clear-cut vision. Even Manchester City’s money couldn’t do that.

Results became so embarrassing that Khan had to let Jovanovic go. But the warning signs where there with his replacement, Claudio Ranieri. Again, the belief that a Premier League title winning manager could mop up the mess highlighted Khan’s inexperience of how to survive in the Premier League. Sam Allardyce was probably at home with his feet up chuckling at the prospect.

With that said, Khan’s money could have been beneficial. Nuno’s Wolves have proven that money is a differential factor if accompanied by a clear style of play and the primary determination of not getting beat.

Fulham have been chewed up and spat back out by the Premier League. The teams to be promoted this season would have been taking notes from their disastrous return to the top flight. An exodus awaits them and it may again be a while before we see them again.

In the main of event of the recent Bare Knuckle FC 5, Jason Knight had an incisor punched out by Artem Lobov in the first round of their fight. The two suffered numerous injuries between them, including lacerations to the face, as both were knocked down several times.

Why, now, has the brutality of bare knuckle boxing started to gain traction?

Combat sports are nothing new. Boxing has an ancient history, with art depicting two individuals fighting with wrapped hands dating back to Egyptian Thebes. Wrestling, too, a significant aspect of Mixed Martial Arts, was first depicted in cave drawings that are at least 15,000 years old. The ancient tradition attached to these sports does not detract from their occasional viciousness, yet, perhaps because of their existing Olympic status, they are viewed with a more generally respectful opinion than MMA, a sport which has battled to move away from the ‘cage fighting’ label and its subsequent associations with unprofessionalism and savagery.

With bare knuckle boxing, though, we have perhaps taken a step backwards. Rather than hand wraps and the eight (or so) ounce boxing gloves, or four ounce MMA fingerless MMA gloves used in most organisations, Bare Knuckle FC fighters have only a single wrist wrap as protection. Injuries to one’s own hand, therefore, are as prominent as injuries to the

opponent’s face.

Watching the highlights from the recent event, particularly the main event, which went the distance and saw Lobov awarded a unanimous decision over Knight, I couldn’t help but feel that a lot of the technique that makes boxing and MMA so entertaining for fans of the sport was absent. Many of the fights were scraps and, given the lack of protection, can you blame the fighters for wanting to finish things quickly?

Despite the lack of dimensions in comparison to MMA, wherein a fighter may choose to implement striking, the clinch, or take things to the ground and utilise wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques, boxing is a sport that has undergone constant refinement. A fighter may not necessarily seek to knock his or her opponent out, but pick their punches carefully, and wear them down over several rounds.

In bare knuckle boxing, however, given the lack of a glove to (somewhat) cushion the impact of a cross or an uppercut, any punch in the fight could be the last. The tactics of boxing and MMA, almost akin to swordplay in their grace and style, are shelved in favour of a sport where both fighters have loaded shotguns pointed at one another. All it takes is for one to pull the trigger and I feel that, in time, the injuries suffered by fighters will eventually prove lethal. Knight said it himself, rather poignantly, post-fight: “I know that I can’t have too many of them gruelling ass wars like that in bare knuckle”.

SPORTS 27

THE FOUNDER May 2019

Bears Come Back Stronger at Varsity

Colossus the Bear at Varsity 2019 FRANKIE CHRISTOU

Wednesday the 22nd of March witnessed 440 readied Royal Holloway competitors and over 150 spectators make the short trip from Egham to Woking for the third annual Royal Holloway versus Surrey Varsity.

Volley Ball being the early risers kicked things off down at Surrey Sports park at 10am. Both the men’s and the women’s teams showed remarkable team work to defeat the Stags 3-1 in both fixtures, giving the bears an early 2-0 lead in the grand scheme of things.

Despite the early tip off, the support for both games were astounding.

Both Surrey and Royal Holloway had students eating their breakfasts in the stands while cheering their teams on.

It was over to Men’s Table Tennis to carry the baton on for Royal Holloway and they did with ease. Smashing their Surrey counterpart’s 12-5 in matches that shared the same tempo of Olympic match ups.

Despite their early setback, Surrey equaled things up by picking up victories in Athletics, Archery and Chess to sure things up for the

Stags.

Holloway however, definitely showed they were coming back stronger in the new contests that were introduced to this year’s Varsity. The Gaming Society won 2-1 in an amazing set up – which allowed the crowded to witness the amazing graphics and teamwork on show. Pole Fitness also shrugged off any amateur concerns by proving to the audience on the squash courts the strength, balance and deception needed to compete – the score ended one a piece.

The victory of the day has to go to Men’s Football.

Not only did they draw an admirable crowd who taunted the Surrey faithful throughout, they also put on an amazing performance for them. Being four leagues above, the Stags rightly found themselves 1-0 up at the break.

However, the Bears battled on, defending in numbers and even putting in come questionable tackles to deny Surrey a second. On the break, the Bears rushed out of their caves where Peter Udida scored an equalizer that turned the tie on his head.

Royal Holloway kept the pressure on in the final moments, knocking on the door looking for that winner and in the dying embers of the game their defiance was rewarded.

Stefan Ladkoukakis started things off, scoping the ball over to Umutcan Kandil who’s pace left the Surrey defenders in their tracks. The winger, instead of shooting at a tight angle slotted in Ladoukakis who was arriving late into the six-yard box, and just like that Holloway created their very own ‘Aguerooooo’ moment.

Scenes ensued thereafter, with Ladoukakis running over to the spectators who bombarded him and the rest of the team in celebrations.

“Our fans were absolutely class throughout.”

Ladoukakis explained postmatch.

“First and foremost, a huge thank you to everyone who made the trip to support us, I think the game would have been lost without them.”

Ending my Royal Holloway career with a lastminute winner in Varsity, there’s no better way to go out really. I still quite haven’t got over it yet.

The fact we were the underdogs did not phase us.

In fact, it was not even spoken about in the dressing room.

It was great to help the team to such a memorable victory.

Once a Bear, always a Bear.”

Football wasn’t the only team to overturn the odds stacked against them. Netball also secured a dramatic win, captivating an incredible match 30-27 and even Colossus fended off the pace of Steve the Stag in the mascot race. He was lightning out of the tracks, sticking down the outside the whole way and claimed an easy victory. Rumour has it he will be running against Tiger Roll in next year’s Grand National after that performance.

The day was rounded off by what turned out to be an atmospheric finale with Men’s Basketball. The stands were jam packed in the arena, with the Holloway faithful in full voice throughout. The Bears managed to grant themselves a narrow lead until the final quarter. Surrey fought back by making their free throws count in the last and won by a narrow 69-66 margin.

“I’ve never played in front of that many people before and the noise was quite deafening.” Ieuan Greaves,

a member of the Basketball team said post-match.

“It was great to see so many supporting us and making so much noise.”

Prior to the match up, the teams were tied 1-1 in league matches this season.

“Every time we play Surrey it is always a close game. If a couple of things went our way on the day then, maybe we could have sneaked the win. We tried our best and I think as a team we can be very proud of how we performed.

“The day itself was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed watching other teams and it really helped build excitement before our match. It was a great way for our team and myself to end the year.”

Overall, it was a fantastic day out, with the weather holding up to carry that notion even further. The support was astounding, and despite running ending the day in defeat Royal Holloway the competitors should be proud of themselves, as despite being the much smaller University the Bears brought home some remarkable victories and performances. See you all again next year!

Competition Time!

As a local business that has provided accommodation for students at Royal Holloway since 2013 with almost 1,500 students having stayed in accommodation built by Danehurst, we wish to ensure that our schemes are planned so that they focus around the living experience of residents.

We have plenty of ideas!

But to help us along further, and for a chance to win a £100 Nando’s Gift Card, we’d like you to tell us the best and worst aspects about your current student accommodation. Whether you rent a house or flat, or live in purpose built accommodation, tell us how you enjoy hanging out in the common room, the free wi-fi, or about the sandwich toaster you can’t live without.

We’d also like to know the least liked aspects about your present accommodation ... noisy neighbours, lack of hot water, or having to clean up after others!

Enter on Twitter or Instagram before 1st May using #danehurstegham and we’ll select two winners at random, one for the best and one for the worst accommodation experience.

Each winner will be notified by DM on 15th May. We really look forward to reading your suggestions and good luck from all of us at Danehurst.

www.danehurst.com