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Royal Holloway’s Independent Student Newspaper
VOLUME VIII, ISSUE VI • FRIDAY, 28 APRIL 2017 • Royal Holloway, University of London • Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX
MPs back May’s Election Call DANIEL BRADY CO-EDITOR
Campaigning has begun after the House of Lords backed Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a General Election on the 8th of June. Last week, MPs voted by 522 votes to 13 in favour, whilst Labour and Lib Dem helped to secure the two-thirds majority needed to bring forward the election from 2020. The move comes after May triggered Article 50 at the end of March, starting Britain’s process of leaving the EU following last year’s referendum. May recently urged voters to give her ‘the mandate to speak for Britain and to deliver for Britain’. Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said a Labour government would stop Mrs May from using Brexit to make the UK an ‘offshore tax haven’. Corbyn also stated that the case for renewing Trident was still being discussed, however, a Labour spokesman said it remained official policy to keep the de-
terrent. Speaking at his first campaign stop in Croydon, Corbyn stated he would raise the minimum wage to £10 an hour and increase spending on the NHS, social care and council housing. He also confirmed there would not be a coalition deal between his party and the SNP. The prime minister is hoping to significantly boost her current Commons majority of 17 to increase her authority, ahead of 18 months of talks which will determine the manner of the UK's exit from the EU. Mrs May, who became PM last July after the EU referendum, told MPs that it would wrong for the UK to find itself reaching the most ‘difficult and sensitive’ phase of Brexit negotiations in late 2018 and early 2019 at a time when a general election was ‘looming on the horizon’. During a special Commons debate, she said it was the ‘right and responsible’ thing to do hold the election now
Photo via https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/sa-may/news.
to help the UK prepare for life outside the EU. Responses to the announcement on social media have been varied, with many criticising May’s decisions to not take part in TV Leadership Debates. An online petition for her to partake
in debates has been signed by more than 100,000 people. In other election developments, George Osborne has made the decision to quit as an MP and focus on his role as Editor of the Evening Standard. It has also emerged that
UKIP's manifesto will include proposals to ban full veils, whilst Green MEP Molly Scott Cato stated her party would consider ‘higher taxes for the better off ’ to increase NHS funding and roll back cuts to local council spending.
RHUL Performs, p. 3
Lemon Drizzle, p. 11 Vegan Ventures, p. 13
Index News..............................................................................1 Opinion And Debate......................................................6 Lifestyle...........................................................................9 Features........................................................................12 Arts...............................................................................14 Arts: Film......................................................................16 Arts: Music....................................................................19 Sports...........................................................................22
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2 NEWS
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Monkey's No More RHUL Goes Green Will the Packhorse be Packed with Students?
SUZANNAH BALL DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
Students at Royal Holloway recently donned their rubber gloves to take part in the Great British Spring Clean. Alongside taking part in the Big Spring Clean, which has been run at the University for over a decade, students joined volunteers nationwide to help with the campaign which aims to clean up communities all over Britain, in two separate events. Melissa Murdoch first had the idea in 2015 to bring people together to do a clean sweep of the community. In 2016, alongside a range of supporter such as Keep Britain Tidy and Country Life magazine, the Clean for Queen Campaign inspired
250,000 people to get involved in local clean ups through March 2016. This year, the Great British Clean Up campaign, which follows on from last year’s campaign, aims to get 500,000 people to take part. The students took part in litter picks, painting and tidying all around the Surrey area. Local resident and community litter pick organiser, Pete Deane, commented ‘Everybody got to see what great support we get from Royal Holloway’. Royal Holloway’s Community Action scheme has received a nomination for the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary service in recognition of their volunteer work over the past decade.
The Founder Board 2016/17 Co-Editors Daniel Brady & Lilia Vargas Costello
Photo via Royal Holloway's Student's Union. SUZANNAH BALL DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
Royal Holloway Students’ Union recently announced The Packhorse will be open from the 22nd of May, with an official launch party on the 26th. The SU has recently released photos of the venue, giving students an idea of what the new pub will look like. The University purchased the pub, which used to be known as The Mon-
key’s Forehead, in late 2016. The Facebook page answered comments from students who were understandably concerned about the future of the venue. The pub was a key part of students’ weekly night out, with Monkey’s Mondays an established social night out. However, with the arrival of Toast Monday’s at Royal Holloway’s venue Medicine, the event was becoming increasingly out of favour. The Students’ Union stated
the pub was being sold regardless of university involvement and that if the college hadn’t stepped in there was a chance of the pub being lost forever. The pub name is being reverted to The Packhorse, its original name over a hundred years ago. Student Steve Bacci commented on the pictures stating that The Monkey’s Forehead had become ‘tired and rundown’ and that the ‘designs look fantastic’.
News Editor Rosa Smith
Film Editor Ryan Nair
Deputy News Editor Suzannah Ball
Lifestyle Editor Emily May Webber
Opinon and Debate Editor Amanda Hudson
Sport Editor Elizabeth Silverberg
Features Editor Thomas Hawkins
Music Editor Sam Barker
Arts Editor Gemma Tadman
Designer Lilia Vargas Costello
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. THE FOUNDER is printed in Cambridge by Iliffe Print
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NEWS 3
RHUL Performs In Performance SUZANNAH BALL DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
Royal Holloway has been ranked among the world’s best institutions in the world for the study of performing arts subjects, including Drama and Theatre and Music, in the 2016 World University Rankings by Subject. The rankings are based upon academic peer review and the feedback of top graduate employees. Royal Holloway have been ranked 16th in the World and the 4th in the UK. Professor Katie Normington, Dean of Arts & Social Sciences, said ‘Royal Hollo-
way’s excellence in music and drama is well established and this result serves to highlight our standing in these areas’. The University that currently holds the top ranking is the Royal College of Music. Adam Wallace, Undergraduate music student at RHUL, commented that the recent success ‘makes him feel really proud’. Adam also takes private lessons at the Royal College of Music in addition to his studies. More than 4,200 universities around the world were evaluated, from which a total of 945 made it into the rankings.
Barrier Reef Gets Bad News ROSA SMITH NEWS EDITOR
From Top to Bottom, Left: Andean Band performance, Gamelan performance, Royal Holloway Symphony Orchestra. Top to Bottom, Right: Andean Band poses with instruments, Student Workshop Performances and Rehersals. Photos courtesy of Florence Roberts and Alicia Ingram.
Aerial surveys have revealed the devastating effect global warming is having on one of the world’s greatest areas of natural beauty, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The ‘unprecedented’ bleaching, or loss of algae, has damaged over two thirds of the middle section of the reef, a 900 mile stretch. The enormity of the area, combined with the proximity to last year’s bleaching of the northern section, has lead experts to express concern over whether the coral will have time to recover. Professor Terry Hughes from John Cook University revealed, ‘Since 1998, we have seen four of these events and the gap between them has varied substantially, but this is the shortest gap we have seen.’ Coral bleaching occurs with rising water temperatures, resulting from two natural warm currents. The situation is not helped by man-made climate change, with the oceans bearing the brunt of it, absorbing 93% of the increase in the Earth’s heat. When corals experience stress from the wrong environment they drive out the algae (zooxanthellae) that gives them colour, causing the visible bleaching. If conditions return to normal for them, they can recover, but the process can take decades. Professor Terry Hughes added, ‘The sooner we take action on global greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels to renewables, the better.’
4 NEWS
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
The Attack on Westminster
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Inside Out Festival
London shows strength and defiance in aftermath of terror attack Royal Holloway showcases
ROSA SMITH NEWS EDITOR
London was left shocked and horrified after the terror attack in Westminster at the end of last month. The attack, which took place over Westminster bridge and outside the Houses of Parliament, resulted in the death of five people, and left over 50 people injured. On Wednesday 22nd March, British-born Khalid Masood, aged 52, drove a hired car over Westminster bridge at 2:40pm, mounting the pavement and knocking pedestrians down. He was believed to be driving at speeds of up to 76mph. He was then reported to have crashed the car into the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster, before leaving the car to run towards Parliament. Masood was shot dead by an armed police officer, however not before stabbing and killing unarmed officer, PC Keith Palmer. It has been reported that Masood may have been shot by a member of Defence Secretary Michael Fallon’s protection team, as opposed to one of Parliament’s officers, however this has not been confirmed. During the attack, which lasted a total of 82 seconds, five people were killed, numerous injured, and London brought to a total standstill. PM Theresa May was evacuated by her security team, whilst MPs, journalists, visitors and staff inside Parlia-
ment were not permitted to leave the building. As well as PC Keith Palmer, the fatalities included 44-year-old mother of two Aysha Frade and 54-year-old American tourist Kurt Cochran. Romanian national Andreea Cristea died weeks later in hospital as a result of her injuries, along with 75-year-old retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes. A’maq news agency, closely affiliated with ISIS, claimed responsibility for the attack shortly after,
'This was not only an attack on our city and our country, but on the very heart of our democracy...' - Sadiq Khan
claiming Masood was a ‘soldier of the Islamic State.’ Masood, born in Kent, had a criminal past and had been previously investigated by MI5. However, Theresa May told MPs that although Masood had been investigated regarding ‘concerns about violent extremism’ he had not been ‘part of the current intelligence picture.’ Masood was believed to
its academic talent.
have acted alone, however in the days that followed seven men and five women aged between 21 and 58 were arrested in London, Birmingham and Manchester under the Terrorism Act, but have since been released with no further action. Londoners reacted to defiantly to the latest British terror attack, with solidarity shown worldwide through social media. A minute’s silence was held nationwide the following day to pay respect to the victims of the attack. Emergency service teams Photo via https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk. were praised widely for their actions, with particular gratitude shown to medics and ROSA SMITH Olsen, and Dr Libby Worth hospital staff from the near- NEWS EDITOR all took part in this year’s fesby St Thomas hospital who tival, discussing topics from worked tirelessly to help the Academics from Royal choreography to photograinjured. Holloway recently took part phy, philosophy to phones. Mayor of London, Sadiq in the Inside Out festival, Victoria Mapplebeck’s Khan, said in a statement, an event hosted by Times short film, TEXT ME, shot ‘This was not only an attack Higher Education and cu- entirely on an iPhone 6, on our city and our country, rated and produced by the looked at the mobile phone but on the very heart of our Culture Capital Exchange. culture in today’s world, democracy and the symbol The festival has been run- while Dr Borelli deconof the values we cherish most ning since 2009, showcasing structed the idea of cool, and – democracy, freedom, jus- work from academics across what it means to be cool in tice and tolerance.’ He stated the country, as well as hold- Latin America. that Londoners ‘will never be ing workshops, discussions, Giuliana Pieri and James cowed by terrorism.’ debates, performances, Kent, both from the School Royal Holloway Principal walks, screenings and exhi- of Modern Languages, LitProfessor Paul Layzell tweet- bitions. eratures and Cultures, and ed his support for those afThis year’s festival focus Cecilie Sachs Olsen, Lecfected, later following up by was on how technology, arts turer in Cultural Geography, announcing the wellbeing of and culture intersect. The looked at a photography prothose in our community, stat- festival was held on March ject of Dr John Perivolaris’, ing: ‘Good to know many of 24th to 25th at Somerset Shoreditch Bridge Portraits. our alumni and friends who House, and London South Libby Worth celebrated the work in Westminster are safe Bank University. launch of her book, Jasmin and well, even if they don't Royal Holloway academ- Vardimon’s Dance Theatre: yet know when they will get ics Ms Victoria Mapplebeck, Movement, Memory and home.’ Dr Melissa Blanco Borelli, Metaphor, taking part in a The UK’s terror threat level Dr James Kent, Prof Giuli- conversation with Jasmine has remained at severe. ana Pieri, Ms Cecilie Sachs Vardimon herself.
NEWS 5
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Terror In Stockholm: Four Left Dead SUZANNAH BALL DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR
Stockholm was left reeling after a terror attack that saw four people killed and fifteen injured at the beginning of this month. The attack took place on Friday the 7th of April when a lorry was driven into the front of a department store. On Saturday the 8th, Swedish police reported that a man had been arrested on suspicion of the attack. Although the suspect has not been named, Swedish Media say he is from Uzbekistan, and is currently being held on a prolonged detention. The chief suspect was arrested in Märsta, north of Stockholm, shortly after the attack took place, after being found ‘behaving suspiciously with mi-
nor injuries’. The police are reportedly in the process of analysing the man’s phone, contacts and online activity. Local media has reported that the suspect had expressed support for Islamic State on social media, however, prosecutors would not confirm any link with the group. Police said they were unable to confirm local television reports of explosives being found inside the truck, but that the lorry was hijacked from outside the front of a local restaurant. Anders Thornberg, head of Swedish Security Service, said that the man had been on the authorities’ radar for a while. He stated at a press conference that ‘The suspect didn’t appear in our recent files but he earlier has been in our files.’
Photo via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Terrorist_attack_in_Stockholm.
Thornberg added that the Swedish Security service are working alongside international partners in their ongoing investigation, and probing whether the suspect is part of
a wider terrorist network. Dan Eliasson, head of the national police, said they believed the man arrested was the driver of the lorry that smashed into Ahlens de-
partment store on Friday. The incident, which was treated as a terrorist attack immediately, came just over two weeks after the attack on Westminster.
Sanction Proposal Rejected At G7 ROSA SMITH NEWS EDITOR
Photo via http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/html.
Following the deadly chemical attack on Wednesday 5th April in the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun, the G7 summit in Italy focused on finding a way to pressure Russia to distance themselves from President Assad, the main suspect behind the attack. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had hoped to gain the G7 nations backing on his call for sanctions against Russia. Although nothing has been confirmed, Johnson denied he suffered ‘defeat’, claiming that there was support for sanctions if further evidence of the chemical attack was gathered. The two-day meeting in Lucca was aimed at for-
eign ministers deciding on a unified approach to Syria before the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went to Moscow, hoping to persuade the country to abandon its Syrian ally. However, the G7 nations failed to reach an agreement over new sanctions against Russia and Syria. The meeting comes in the wake of the deadly attack that left 89 people dead and numerous in critical conditions. The attack took place in the early hours of the morning, whilst many people slept. The Turkish health ministry confirmed that the nerve agent, sarin, a highly undetectable liquid, had been used. Syria denied responsibility for the attack, however the US carried out a retaliatory strike, firing 59 missiles at the Syrian airbase from which the chemical attack was apparently launched.
6 OPINION AND DEBATE
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[Debate]
Point And KATHERINE RIST STUDENT WRITER
F
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Counter-Point
A major part of being a celebrity or politician is a reliance on the public as a collective of invested listeners. Whether or not your opinions are agreed with by this collective doesn’t matter, the words that come out of your mouth will be listened to because you either have a position or a talent that the public generally respects. With this comes responsibility and a realisation that you have the power to infiltrate and affect the lives of others. The columnist and unpleasantly avid twitter user, Katie Hopkins, is just one example of how public figures must be held responsible for their previous views. She has recently been sued by food blogger, Jack Monroe, for tweeting defamatory and libellous tweets about Monroe’s opinions of vandalism on war memorials. All this began when Hopkins accidentally tagged Monroe in the tweet rather than Laurie Penny, the New Statesman columnist. Penny originally said that she ‘[didn’t] have a problem’ with the vandalism as a form of protest, as ‘the bravery of past generations does not oblige us to be cowed today’. Hopkins then replied to Jack, ‘Scrawled on any memorials recently? Vandalised the memory of those who
fought for your freedom. Grandma got any more medals?’. However, instead of retracting and apologizing to Monroe, Hopkins deleted the tweet and responded with a barrage of abuse towards the food blogger. In this instance, Hopkins had a responsibility to: first, direct her opinions to the correct person; and second, own up to what she said. Hopkins may not hold some of the opinions she preaches. However, as Hopkins decided to share these opinions on such a popular platform, she must’ve known that there would be backlash to her views. Furthermore, if she didn’t want to take responsibility for all of her opinions (whether she still believes them or not), then she shouldn’t share them with the public. Similarly, former President of the United States, Barack Obama, is known for having made a ‘U-turn’ on the subject of gay marriage. He claimed in 2004 that ‘Marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman’, indicating that civil unions were more appropriate for same sex couples. In 2006, he changed his mind: ‘Decisions about marriage should be left to the states as they always have been’. However, in 2015, his views changed once
again, as he supported the American Federal Court’s ruling for same-sex marriage to be legal across the whole country. While in this case it’s certainly a positive that Obama changed his mind, he still must take responsibility for the views he originally held. By releasing these statements into the public domain, and placing himself on one side of the argument as part of his politics, he had to be prepared for repercussions. Obama once held the belief that marriage was only for a man and a woman. The fact that he has changed this belief (albeit a positive change), doesn’t give him a hall pass. We should still hold him responsible for how his words may have effected others in the past. With fame comes an enormous responsibility, and those in the public eye must be held accountable for everything they say, even if said celebrity has since changed their mind on a particular view. We as members of the public are often held responsible for our past views, and if we share these with others, we are held responsible for them. So why should public figures not have the same responsibility?
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OPINION AND DEBATE 7
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The Question: Should public figures be held accountable for things they've said in the past, even if they might not currently hold the same view?
AMANDA HUDSON OPINION AND DEBATE EDITOR
It was the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus who once said, ‘Change is the only constant in life’. This can be applied to the world in many forms, though I think the most apt implementation of this quote is when it’s used in regards to the human mind. Humans have the unique faculty to adapt mentally according to experiences of our own and the experiences of those around us. It’s for this reason that I’d argue that a change in mentality is not only natural, but encouraged. It shows a growth and maturity that’s intrinsic and exclusive to humanity. To remain stagnant in one ideology is to go against the advantages of human nature. The issue begins with the age of technology, the accessibility of media and publication, and celebrity culture; or rather, when one human mind is more closely examined than another. An average person might be able to look at their life and separate it into phases of ‘beliefs’ or ‘ideologies’ that we’ve had. Take my father, for example: He grew up in a small town in South Carolina in the 1960s. His town was predominantly white, and he was raised in a Republican, Christian household. So you could only imagine the ideologies he must’ve formed as a child as a direct result of the environment he grew up in. However, once my father went off to university, he was
exposed to different ideologies and experiences of the world. Although there was no sudden or identifiable switch, 40 years later he’s a Democratic atheist, a self-proclaimed intersectional feminist and an LGBT ally. My father has never been in the public eye. He can leave his past views in the past without worrying about how they might impact other’s opinions of him or his professional life. However, the same cannot be said for public figures. When a person is put under the microscope, everything they say and every action they make is closely dissected by the public, and people can dredge up quotes from the past that contradict their current views, and use this against them. A good example of this would be Hillary Clinton’s views on gay marriage. There’s a video clip of an interview Clinton did back in 2000 that resurfaced around the time of the 2016 Presidential Election. The clip shows the interviewer asking Clinton whether or not she supported gay marriage, and her response was unsavoury to say the least. She grinned with a delighted smugness, and stated, ‘Marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and
a woman’. This was used by opponents of Clinton to discredit her current stance on same-sex marriage, which was one of full acceptance and support. However disreputable her previous view might’ve been, it would be foolish to disregard the fact that 16 years had passed between the time of the interview and the election. Yet, many people still used this clip as hard evidence that she didn’t truly support same-sex marriage. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that public figures such as Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be held accountable for opinions they’ve had in the past; but I would say that while they should acknowledge their previous opinions or actions, they also have a right to develop mentally and change their opinions without judgment for doing so, just as any of us are able to do. Public figures have a unique position to influence the masses through a platform exclusive to a select few. It’s important that they are conscious of what they say for obvious reasons, but it’s also important for us to realise that they are only human. Instead of holding them completely accountable for their previous views, hold them accountable for change.
8 OPINION AND DEBATE
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
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[Editor's Opinion]
Anxiety: Not An Excuse, But A Valid Reason
AMANDA HUDSON OPINION AND DEBATE EDITOR
‘Just turn around and go home.’ ‘All this studying won’t help. You’ll fail anyway.’ ‘You don’t have what it takes.’ ‘They don’t like you. That’s why they’re not replying.’ These are the kind of thoughts that careen in never-ending circles through my head on a train that seems perpetually headed for selfdestruction. I’m diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which is a pretty ambiguous disorder to have. It can appear in various psychological or physical manifestations that overlap with the symptoms of many other mental disorders. The cause of GAD is unclear, though psychologists postulate that it’s related to an amalgamation of genetic and environmental factors. It is, to my dismay, an umbrella term that is neither shocking enough to gain much sympathy (because ‘general’ sounds like ‘it’s not that bad’), nor specific enough to peak much interest in peers or teachers (because feelings of anxiety are so common). On top of all this, I have high-functioning GAD; which means that I’m very good at hiding my physical and psychological manifestations from the people I interact with on a daily basis. This doesn’t help with ambiguity. Often ‘invisible’ symptoms don’t hold weight on the scale of people’s understanding about why I couldn’t make it out tonight, or why I skipped class yesterday but appear perfectly fine today. However, GAD is more than an uncomfortable feeling of anxiousness. It’s worrying that you said something
stupid during a conversation, and fearing that you may’ve upset the person you were talking to. It’s constantly replaying an embarrassing moment in your head until it becomes borderline obsessive. It’s not being able to send a message to someone because you think you’ll annoy them – even if that person is a very good friend or family member. It’s irrational, excessive, and continuous. Last year, I had a particularly bad spell of anxiety. My symptoms became debilitat-
T he lack of understanding from my department comes from a harmful and outdated view of mental illness.
ing; I couldn’t eat without feeling nauseous; every time I tried to go to sleep, my mind raced; I dreaded going to seminars for fear of not knowing what to say if the seminar leader asked me a question. Because of this, I was unable to attend a large portion of my required contact hours – which my department inevitably picked up on. Fast forward a few weeks, and I’d been summoned to the department to discuss attendance and missed deadlines with a high-up member of staff. In retrospect, I’m surprised I even made it to the meeting. Perhaps I’d
hoped they’d be able to help. But with a condescending, ‘Everyone experiences anxiety in some form or another. You just have to push yourself to do better’, and a firm, ‘The department does not recognise anxiety as a valid excuse for not attending class’ from the staff member, I knew the straightforward answer to whether or not they could assist me was a resounding ‘No’. The lack of understanding from my department comes from a harmful and highly outdated view of mental illness. Instead of thinking about mental illness as a disorder, it’s thought of as a ‘feeling’ that can easily be persuaded by facilitating logical reasoning, or pinning cringingly cliché quotes to the board above your desk. This kind of ‘we can fix you up like one of your mother’s DIY projects’ advice that I received from my department is, in fact, extremely unhelpful. It perpetuates the stigma that Anxiety (with a capital A) is not a real mental health issue, and is even more troubling when you think about how this happened in a University setting – where anxiety rates are proven to be staggeringly high, and where many people’s Anxiety disorders first manifest. Perhaps it’s just my department in particular that handles students with Anxiety in this way. Perhaps my department has since changed their outlook on Anxiety as an excuse. However, the fact that this happened so recently, combined with the fact that Royal Holloway’s mental health centre is meant to be one of the most successful out of all of the London uni’s, leads me to believe that we have a long way to go in regards to managing Anxiety within University.
Student Sentiment "I feel like mental illness gets romanticised to the point where its actual impact on people isn't taken seriously. If someone has a serious, diagnosed issue with anxiety they should be given some slack with their work" - Anonymous, Third Year
Student Sentiment "Anxiety should not be normal. Experiencing a panic attack in a lecture, feeling crushing nerves whenever you face the beginning of an essay - those things shouldn't be seen as a normal part of pressure and stress. Maybe there isn't one right answer on how to deal with them, but if no one thinks they need an answer to begin with, then students will only keep carrying on like they've been told to, and suffering for it.."
- Anonymous, Third Year
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l l a B r e m m u S e h e T d i u G l a v i v r Su
LIFESTYLE 9 EMILY MAY WEBBER LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Summer Ball 2017 is just around the corner and so, with the lessons I learnt as a fresher, I felt obliged to share my wisdom on the do’s and don’ts of the event. From fashion to food, here is the must have guide on how to enjoy the Holloway night of the year.
THE LOOK If you, like many, have hibernated in the library for most of term, or failed to move from your duvet, your skin might be looking a little tired to say the least. Ahead of the event, here are the tried and tested products to turn your skin from grey to glow. No orange tan disasters in sight.
Scrub away:
Grounded Body Scrub: £15 Boots Despite the price tag, this scrub will outlive you. It is a dry scrub made up of coffee beans, brown sugar and Himalayan salt. Just take a handful and apply to damp skin. Packed with caffeine, and almond oil your skin will be the smoothest of them all.
Smooth it:
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula: £3.79 Superdrug
A body moisturiser that smells like chocolate, what more could one ask for? Buttery goodness packed into a bottle, and a high street must have. Apply all over after showering, and in no time at all you can wave goodbye to rough, rhino-worthy skin.
THE OUTFIT The best advice on what to wear is surprisingly something that you already own. A week before many of us are scouring the high street, ending in an endless pit of ASOS orders that are never returned and a floordrobe to rival London Fashion Week. However, wearing something that you know suits you, and can last a 12-hour night, is the best route to go. Yet, if you have a wardrobe full of clothes yet nothing to wear, here are the best tips for choosing a Summer Ball outfit: To sleeve or not to sleeve: Despite the ‘summer’ title, when the sun goes down, it can feel more like January than June. Wear something that covers the shoulders, and is not completely strappy. Be the envy of your friends whilst you dance away instead of waiting for your jacket in cloakroom queues. Shoes: If like the innocent fresher I was last year, you decide to wear your most uncomfortable stilettos, arm yourself with spares! With this in mind, wedges are a great alternative and will also prevent sinking into the grass. The top and skirt combo: A combination never to be underestimated and one that you can be sure no one else will be wearing. Opt for a high waited midlength skirt, and a cropped style top. Also an outfit that can be re-worn, you’ll be saving the pennies all round.
Photos courtesy of Emily May Webber, Saffron Mackay, and Lilia Vargas Costello.
WHAT NO ONE TELLS YOU The 8pm rule: Everyone will be on the grass attempting to get the best picture, so don’t miss out! This will give you plenty of time to take the group pictures without being the first to arrive. Spare shoes: If you opt for the heel, fold up some pumps in your handbag. This will be a lifesaver at 3am, when the walk to the cloakroom seems like a mile away. Carb up: A summer ball ‘all nighter’ is not for the faint hearted. If you intend of making it to the survivor’s picture, make sure to eat well before, and avoid the expense of the food outlets. Pre-Drinks: Gather your friends at your flat or house for some pictures and drinks beforehand. Try not to feel the need to drink lots, the night itself it worth remembering! Handbag must haves: Take some plasters, deodorant, an energy bar, and even a hairbrush to spruce yourself up after midnight.
10 LIFESTYLE
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Your Egham: Summer Term With exam season fast approaching, we all need a welcome distraction.
Photo via Kew.org.
KEW GARDENS CHARLOTTE RUBERY STUDENT WRITER
Just a short train journey away, Kew Gardens really is a ‘must see’. With regular exhibitions and simply stunning views the botanical gardens are incredibly popular with students. It’s fairly reasonably priced, with tickets marked at around £12.75 . Since you are taking the train, you may as well make a day of it and explore the surrounding areas. Richmond, a short trip down the road from Kew has plenty of shops and restaurants for you to enjoy. Richmond Park could be a good revision / picnic location in the summer term. Check out Kew Gardens’ website for ticket prices and details of upcoming exhibitions: http://www.kew.org/
WINDSOR PARK
Photo via royalcollectiontrust.org.
Windsor really does cater for everyone. For the foodies, the shoppers and the historians, Windsor has something to offer. Take the bus down here during the summer term and enjoy a scenic boat ride down the river, or relax and unwind on the grassy bank surrounding Windsor Castle – which, should you wish to, you can also take a tour of and, with a recognised promotional deal allowing you free return within a year of your tour, it really is a fabulous offer to make the most of. The shopping here is excellent and the restaurants are just as good so, if history isn’t necessarily your thing, you won’t be limited. Windsor Racecourse is also worth a look – a fabulous day out at a fairly reasonable price and the boat ride entry to the racecourse is certainly an experience. A little hidden gem is Eton; a short wander over the bridge will reveal a quaint little street with coffee shops and one-off boutiques, with Eton School looming in the distance at the end of the street.
VIRGINIA WATER
Photo via windsorgreatpark.co.uk
Another short bus ride away is Virginia Waters home to some of the best views in the area! Take a walk round the lake with your friends or enjoy a drink in the little café by the water … unless you’re feeling super savvy and want to pack your own picnic, of course. You can while away the hours relaxing in the sun and enjoying the views – it could even be a potential study spot for a change of scenery in exam season. Surrounded by little pubs and the infamous Piccolino restaurant, you won’t be short of a snack on the way home either.
LIFESTYLE 11
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at lifestyle@thefounder.co.uk
Graduate Blues
A message from the other side. CHLOE PEARCE GUEST WRITER
It’s coming up to that time of year- you’re trudging through those dissertations and final exams and many of you will be coming to the end of your studies and preparing for graduation. Some of you will be looking forward to it, finally getting closer to the blissful freedom of summer and a fresh start away from university. However, many of you, as I was at this point last year, will be bricking it. It’s natural to be feeling apprehensive about what lies ahead, but for many university students, the prospect of going back home to your parents does not come with the same relief that it did over the summer breaks while studying. University, particularly in small, tight-knit campuses like Holloway’s, has become the cosy nest that your parent’s home once was and leaving it feels a little heart-breaking. For many graduates faced with going back home, it can be difficult to adjust when you’ve got used to living away from your parents and have come to enjoy living independently. It also means leaving the friends and housemates you’ve become so close to, who have now literally dispersed across the world. Of course, not all of us do go back home - there are always other options. One obvious alternative for many is to stay on at university for further study in master’s courses, PhDs, conversion courses or diplomas. Many of my friends have chosen to do this. There are also options like PGCEs (for the very brave) and even the dreaded internship (too often unpaid). However, the main option for many, like myself, is to pop this lovely university bubble and go in to full time work. This should be an exciting path but if, like me, you have no idea what you want to do with your life, then it’s pretty bewildering and can
leave you feeling very lost indeed. What is important to remember and what I had to keep reminding myself is that you are certainly not alone. Entering in to a full-time career is understandably a daunting transition for graduates. It is a new way of life and the new responsibility can be crushing for young people who have only ever known the education system and whose only real experience of work is casual part time work, or even less than that. It seems that we are not always fully prepared for a future of work when we have become so used to the regimented schedule of the academic system. The thought of 40+ years in work can seem like a vast and empty ocean compared to the rockpools of school and university education. We are all aware of the importance of mental health in young people and students, with the pressures of academic life, but no one seems to be talking about how significantly depression and anxiety spike up during this point of immense change and uncertainty in our lives. It is a huge transition during a time when it may seem there is little support around you. However, there are a few things you should remember to keep you going. I’m not perfect and am still uncertain about many things in the future, but these are the things I have learnt, one year on from graduation: 1. Don’t panic and don’t rush in to anything- You have a lifetime of work ahead of you, so you don’t need to rush in to a career immediately. 2. Give yourself a wellearned rest and reward yourself- you really do deserve it. 3. Grades aren’t everything. 4. Money isn’t everything. 5. Stay in touch- it’s hard to keep in contact with friends after uni, but a quick catch up could really mean a lot.
[StudentRecipe]
LUSH LEMON DRIZZLE LYDIA CASTELLANO STUDENT WRITER
For the sponge… • • • • • •
3 large eggs (170g) Self-raising flour (170g) Caster sugar (170g) Unsalted butter (room temp) (170g) Zest of 2 lemons If using food processor, add 1 small tsp baking powder
For the drizzle… • •
The juice of the 2 lemons that were zested Icing sugar (110g approximately – depends on how juicy your lemons are)
Method: • Pre-heat your oven to 180C, and grease and line a bread tin (around 24 x 10.4, but any standard bread tin will do). • Cream together all the sponge ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy. • Pour into your bread tin, making sure it’s all spread out, and bake for 30-35 minutes. • Meanwhile, juice the lemons into a bowl, ensuring that none of the pips have slipped in. • Gradually add the icing sugar while mixing together until you’re satisfied that it is a thick, smooth, pale yellow drizzle. (I’ve found that with juicier lemons, it takes quite a bit of icing sugar to reach this stage, so persistence is key, and you can never have enough sugar anyway!) • When the sponge is golden and has risen, remove from the oven and insert a skewer to check that it’s baked through. • If the skewer comes out with mixture on then return to the oven for a few more minutes, and if you’re worried that it might burn on top I often pop some tin foil over the top. • When the skewer comes out clean, use it to poke holes all over the sponge, right through to the bottom (taking care not to totally mash it up). • Pour over the drizzle and leave to set, it should form a gorgeous crystallised top to your cake. • When you’re happy that it has set and cooled sufficiently, remove the cake from the tin and serve – this cake is so delicious that it really won’t last very long, but if you have more self-restraint than I do, then store in an air tight container for up to 3-4 days.
12 FEATURES
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at features@thefounder.co.uk
Breaking Vegan THOMAS HAWKINS FEATURES EDITOR
Against the advice of several friends and seminar leaders, I decided it was a good idea to try breaking vegan for a month before I had 24,000 words due. I wanted to try and dispel the many myths surrounding the lifestyle and see for myself what it’s like to cut out all animal products from my diet. My initial reaction was to pick-up on how many of my favourite things I couldn’t eat any more. No more throwing things into a shopping basket because they look nice, but more of me carefully scanning ingredients lists looking for bold warnings. It’s easy to list what you can’t eat, but it’s a lot harder to list everything you can when you’re in that mindset. But I persisted for a full month, despite the worrying number of deadlines I had looming, and the disappointingly tiny proportion of my staple stress foods that didn’t contain milk powder. As I learnt: it apparently is too much to ask for a simple pack of crisps not to be hiding milk inside it. Despite missing chocolate and cake, the thing I found easiest giving up was meat itself. My first meal of veganism, stuffed peppers with Cajun roasted vegetables, was lovely AND filling. However, sheer laziness combined with starting this at the end of term when I had no money meant the momentum for drawing on my inner Gordon Ramsay was bound to run out sooner or later. On day 8, the devil called and I answered with about 250g of cheddar hastily dumped on a vegan burger. Despite the initial fulfilment of what I told myself was an inevitable moment of weakness, I felt pretty bad about it. I feel like there are a few reasons people will have in their head about why they won’t at
Photo by Thomas Hawkins. least try veganism, and one of them is bound to be that it is difficult. Going vegan was difficult, but this was largely because of the culinary routines I had already gotten myself into. I was used to throwing a load of parmesan on top of pasta, or just buying a pizza when I couldn’t be bothered to cook. Without relying on dairy to make a meal easier I had to think about how I was going to prepare my food. No meat was fairly obvious, but a lot of meat analogues such as Quorn contain egg, and therefore I couldn’t use them. Linda McCartney products were a bit of a staple, and dairy free butter I found to taste largely the same. I also found the variety of milks useful – hazelnut milk in a coffee, soy in tea, coconut milk was nice on its own or I could cook with it. After about two weeks I really got the hang of cooking again without any animal products, and even trying my hand at baking, something I assumed would end in tragedy. It seemed to be about breaking out of comfort zones and changing more than just being addicted to cheese or eggs. My biggest challenges came with eating out or ordering takeaway. Without calling a
takeaway and asking, you have no idea really of how the food was prepared. For example, a curry cooked in ghee isn’t vegan, but if it used vegetable oil you’re safe. Food in pubs was a bit of a write-off as well, but solace can be found in the menus of restaurants such as Zizzi or Nandos, the former offering vegan mozzarella on pizzas while at the latter you can ask for no mayonnaise or yoghurt with your veggie burger/pitta/wrap. Ultimately, I would definitely recommend people at least trying veganism. As much as you might think it’s too hard, or even if it’s not something you can see yourself doing forever, it’s worth trying it. I complained a lot about what I couldn’t eat until I started to notice what I could. Granted, there are lots of ways in which the lifestyle isn’t made easy by pre-made foods, but once-upon-a-time things were the same for vegetarians. Now we have (far superior) Percy Pigs. I don’t think I’ll go back to being 100% vegan all of the time, but it’s something I’m going to try and do more often, maybe at least once a week. And if I can try it, so can you.
FEATURES 13
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at features@thefounder.co.uk
[StudentRecipe]
e k a C d a e r som b d e r e e N g n i G n a Veg Ingred ients! ..
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sta o t e r ewhe
• 100g
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Photo
Directions:
vegan butter, plus ex tra for • 75g m greasin uscova g do sug ar • 150m l golde n syrup • 150m l black treacle • 5 tsp ground ginger • 2 tsp mixed spice • 1 tsp bicarb onate of sod a • 2.5 t sp bak ing po wder • 2 tsp apple cider v inegar • 275g flour • A pin ch of g round sea sal t • 300m l non-s weet s oy or a lmond milk
1. Grease and line your cake tin (I used two loaf tins – it made a lot of mix) and preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. 2. Add the vegan butter, sugar, golden syrup, and treacle to a saucepan. Heat gently over a low to medium heat until the butter has melted. Take off the heat and stir in the spices; mix well.
3. Sift the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and flour into a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the centre with a spoon.
4. Add the vinegar and soy or almond milk to a jug. Mix up a little then set aside.
5. Tip the warm butter/sugar mixture into the flour mixture, stirring constantly as you do, till fully incorporated. 6. Beat the milk/vinegar combo into the cake mix a bit at a time. Mix till smooth, but take care not to over-mix.
7. Pour the finished mix into the tin and bake for 30 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 8. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
14 ARTS
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at arts@thefounder.co.uk
The Power
Of Literature:
DANIEL BRADY CO-EDITOR
I recently had a conversation with a friend about the role of literature (and journalism – although I do not touch on that here) in our post-truth world, and how he felt they could be held responsible for many of the failures of our society. I decided to write down some of my thoughts and share them. I am a strong advocate of the belief that literature can heal, mend, build and transform. If language is truly the bedrock of civilisation that binds humanity together, literature is the flock of birds that sores above, drawing our gaze upwards to ponder those notions often intangible to us. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: ‘of all that is written, I love only what a man has written with his blood. Write with blood, and you will experience that blood is spirit.’ This touches on a crucial aspect of literature – its curious power to simultaneously heal, energize and torture a writer, all whilst invoking raw and unconscious human emotion within a reader. Created through this blissful selflessness, it is the unembellished purity of literature in its recollections of the struggles of humanity that I find myself admiring, and seeking out.
When finding oneself wracked with despair and drowned in melancholy, literature helps to confront the tempestuous war that the mind wages with itself. When one finds themselves lost in a world dictated by illusion, literature helps guide us through its pestilent circles, teaching us a fierce reverence for our ability to think as an individual. Like art and other forms of artistic expression, many may argue that literature in the present day runs the risk of being marred, torn apart and exploited by a popular opinion that is shaped by falsity. That being said, the medium of literature is not to blame for the prevailing power of emotion and belief over fact; it is only accountable for lending itself to the people of a certain time. Ultimately, the power of literature is that it transcends blame; it lends itself unbiasedly to thinkers, explorers and challengers who decipher meaning and expound it. In this sense, one could argue that post-truth ideologies—whether they exist literature or not—are an expression of the yearning society has for a better-connected race, united by the very things which make us human. Whilst our current population claims to be the most connected in the history of our race, we are far from it; pieces of our humanity are gradually being
stripped from our discourse and replaced with networks that benefit from the idleness they inculcate. For the sake of progress, we willingly oblige. In our search for meaning and answers, we have developed ‘blame’ to combat that which we believe is at fault. To blame is to never truly understand, and to blame literature is to turn ones back on what it means to understand ourselves. We cannot simply blame concepts, philosophies or movements for the failures that arise, but must instead continue to probe our own desires and needs. Although this may seem a futile solution, literature has proved itself to be valuable tool to bring about change. Above all—and irrespective of its practical uses—literature exists, and will continue to do so, because it teaches, satisfies and stimulates, all whilst capturing the true essence of what it means to be human. It cannot be tossed aside and disregarded along with other mediums we feel have outlived their usefulness, because to do so would be to tear out our own spirit and sacrifice the pleasures that make us human. It is too fundamental to our existence to be debased, for if language is the loom that weaves the threads of human experience, literature is the golden tapestry that adorns the walls of eternity.
ARTS 15
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
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Barnes & Noble Honours Kei Miller GEMMA TADMAN ARTS EDITOR
At the end of last month, Royal Holloway’s own Dr Kei Miller was named as one of, ‘5 Modern Day Poets Who Will Legit Get You Excited About Poetry’. The article, which was run on the Barnes and Noble website, is a well-earned honour for Miller. Not only is Barnes and Noble the largest retail bookseller in the United States, but it also publishes select titles, and, in 2003 the empire acquired renowned Sterling Publishing house. Kei Miller’s spotlight will no doubt bring even more attention and acclamation to the successful poet, novelist and creative writing teacher. The accolade should come as no surprise to Miller; the talented writer has already earned multiple awards and honours. In 2014, he was
named as one of twenty Next Generation Poets by the Poetry Book Society, and was the 2014 winner of both the Forward Prize for best poetry collection, and the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. Miller has also been shortlisted for the international Dylan Thomas Prize, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, among many others. The Barnes and Noble article draws on Miller’s collection The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion, commenting on Miller’s ability to create poems that ‘writhe and twist, pulling you along with lines that wrap into the next’. It is Miller’s keen focus on moments in history, both the important and the non-important moments, that makes the work so poignant, and allows the exploration of language and its development. Check out The Cartographer Photo via https://wellcomecollection.org/whats/kei-miller. Tries to Map a Way to Zion.
T
Imperfect Republic: Plato and Poetry An argument for excessive emotion in the world around us. AMANDA HUDSON OPINION AND DEBATE EDITOR
Plato’s famous (or infamous) stance on poetry has called to action a debate that has expanded across centuries. This debate is whether or not poetry is immoral, as Plato claims it is. The philosopher did not dislike art and poetry in the way one might think from his blatant stand against it in his The Republic. He asserts that he enjoys it a great deal. So why does he ban poetry from his Republic? Plato is first and foremost a philosopher. But apart from that, he could be perceived as a moralist- a person who promotes moral duty in so-
ciety. Morality deals with doing the right thing and truth. This is where Plato’s theory of Mimesis comes into play. According to his theory, Plato believes that everything in our world is merely an imitation of a ‘real’ and more perfect world- the World of Forms. Because all art forms are reflections of things that we see and feel on Earth, they are imitations of an imitation. Since imitations are falsehoods, they can’t possibly contain the truth. And Plato was, as a moralist, against anything that does not contain the truth. But Plato does not explicitly connect the imitation that poetry establishes itself in with the ethical harm that it will cause, until the very
end of Book X, in the chapter titled ‘The Effects of Poetry and Drama’. He explains that tragedies depict characters who act according to their feelings and behave irrationally. According to Plato, this creates a psychological effect on the audience. We see the characters expressing their emotions so passionately that it makes us weep and act inordinately, just like the characters do. He claims that it is not right ‘to admire [...] a man we should ourselves be ashamed to resemble’ and that we should ‘pride ourselves [...] on our ability to bear [our emotions] in silence like men, and [regard] the behaviour we admired on stage as womanish’ and therefore inherently bad.
In contrast to Plato’s belief that excessive displays of emotion and ‘false’ imitations of the world around us would be harmful to a perfect Republic, I would have to argue the opposite. Countless works of literature show us exactly why we need catharsis or otherwise an outlet in which to express ourselves. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a perfect example of how suppressing emotion can affect a person. Edna Pontellier, a married woman living in the late 19th century, feels pressure to conform to the strict gender roles provided by society at the time. She finds solace in poetry, art, and music. However, when Edna’s husband sees these creative outlets distracting
her from her life at home, he concludes that she is mentally ill because any woman using art as a form a selfexpression or articulation must subscribe to an attitude of rebellion. In the end, the pressure to conform to society’s predetermined roles for women and the inability to express herself which resulted in a perennial state of ennui, leads Edna to commit suicide. If Plato were alive to read The Awakening, he might have perceived Edna’s sudden displays of ‘immorality’ as a direct effect of the art she was so engrossed in. Perhaps instead, it was the bottling up of emotion—that Plato claims is so honourable—that lead Edna to her untimely death.
16 ARTS: FILM [Review]
LOGAN: The Conclusion
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at film@thefounder.co.uk
Art and Propaganda Rehabilitating Leni Riefenstahl JACK SALVADORI STUDENT WRITER
Photo via http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/gwinnettdailypost.com/content AIDAN BAYFORD STUDENT WRITER
Seventeen years and nine movies later, the Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) narrative comes to the 97 million-dollar conclusion he deserved; even if it’s not the one my tender, little heart needed right now, but I’ll take it because Twentieth Century Fox didn’t exactly nail the first two attempts. Despite the Wolverine’s best efforts to avert Sentinel induced apocalypse, the X-Men succumb to the devastating fate they always had coming. Now, hiding out with Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Caliban (Stephen Merchant), the Wolverine has decided his immortality impairing illness is a sure way out. The story is gritty and rough, but thrilling for the most part – there’s something terribly compelling about the Wolverine when he has to drag himself along by messing up a wall real bad. The director, James Mangold, packs this mostly wellpaced, conflicted, and unapologetically brutal outing into just
over two hours. Hit the midway point and things slow down a little, and it gives off an obvious ‘if you stay, everyone will die’ vibe. Hack through that, and Mangold has you covered with more goon fatalities then you can swing your rusty claws at. So, he gets a pass and an 88 million-dollar box office. A 92% on ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ can’t hurt either, right? Thematically, the film doesn’t disappoint, and it ventures into some dark places (but that’s the benefit of being the first X-Men film tagged with a 15 – unless we’re including Deadpool, of course). You’ll witness everything from the struggles of old age, to experimentation on children, to suicide, and it’s a real whirlwind of fresh air for the super-hero genre. Sure, I’m certainly not ready to see old man Thor, but the genre has a major problem within the fact that one can rest just a little too easily on a hero’s safety. Knowing some of my childhood heroes are genuinely fighting
Final Rating:
for survival really elevated my interest in this story. Hugh Jackman delivers his usual class act: massive biceps and massive charisma. Dafne Keen’s Laura, or X-23, is unforgettable, as she gives a crushingly ferocious performance despite the absence of any dialogue for the first two acts of the film. Patrick Stewart represents a slight wildcard as he drip-feeds the occasional (sad) old man gag, whilst simultaneously being frustrated at Logan’s shortcomings. The film’s villains will not likely be a topic of major discussion for anyone as they leave the cinema. They’re admittedly okay and they certainly serve their purpose, but that’s it. Boyd Holbrook and Richard E. Grant are great, but the script just renders them kind of forgettable – and I went to see the film twice. Ultimately, what Logan provides is the last chance to see daydream Hugh Jackman grunt his way to peace and redemption in this fitting farewell.
Nowadays, the term ‘fascist’ has become an ordinary insult, often misused, being adopted as synonymous to evil. This phenomenon is attributed to American writer Susan Sontag and her essay ‘Fascinating Fascism’ (1975), an inquisitor comment on Leni Riefenstahl’s photographic reportage about an African tribe, The Last of the Nuba (1973). Art could be regarded as the most precious and essential element, as it is the only thing that permeates through time. From the primordial rock-paintings of the first primitive men to the sculptures of the Renaissance, from Shakespeare’s theatre plays to Mozart’s requiems: art is really the only artificial thing preserved by history, unchanged in its creative value. Thus, the film industry, producing works that are appreciated for their beauty as well as their emotional power, is classified as the Seventh Art, and for this reason, ‘artist’ is how Leni Riefenstahl proudly defined herself. Being one of the most successful female filmmakers of all time, Riefenstahl started her career as an actress and became herself a director – an auteur – producing cinematic milestones such as Triumph of the Will (1935) and Olympia (1938). However, while her films earn her a place in history, her artistic genius is destined to be forever overshadowed by moral consideration, since her career is inevitably linked to National Socialism and the Third Reich. Once World War II was over, she could not manage to regain her lost prestige, because several international critics and political activists incremented Riefenstahl’s seclusion from the Arts, preventing her return. They harshly condemned the publishing of any of her post-
war artistic productions, by accusing the German artist to continue pursuing a ‘fascist aestheticism’. Can artists exist in a vacuum, or do they always have to be aware of the social implications of their work? Was she an artist in search of beauty, or a propagandist at the service of the Nazi Party? Triumph of the Will was conceived to be a two-hours long absolute spectacle, a creative piece of art with the distinct purpose of instilling the national socialist propagandistic message. The Führer was enthusiast and committed in realizing a motion picture about the 1934 party rally in Nuremberg, and the film managed to achieve astonishing artistic results, turning life into a work of art. It is recognized by many critics and experts as a superb example of documentary cinema art - the overenthusiasm was truly there, and the film just recorded reality. Still, the moral controversy surrounding the motion picture is still debated nowadays, almost fifteen years after her passing. It would be impossible to deny the huge support of the Nazi Party, that heavily contributed to her success, but what has been called fascist aesthetics is simply Riefenstahl’s style, her search for visual harmony, not linked to an ideology, but rather to the classic canons of beauty. She deserves to be remembered as an artist, who worked for an infamous institution, but albeit managed to create art even from propaganda. Propaganda can be art, too, and Riefenstahl’s filmic accomplishment lies in the fact that Triumph of The Will allows the past to come to life again. As time goes by, and the scars of National Socialism are getting less painful, Riefenstahl is righteously being recognised as an artist, and not a criminal, and rightfully so.
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at film@thefounder.co.uk
ARTS: FILM 17
[Review]
GET OUT
The Perfect Horror-Thriller? Warning: Spoilers Ahead. Photo via http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumb_730/public/blogs_2017/03/getout2.jpg?itok=5h41uWqc RYAN LEWIS NAIR FILM EDITOR
As far as horrors/thrillers go, most revolve around the integral duality of both hype and shock factor, and once you’ve seen a fair majority of them, it’s rare one comes along that lingers and leaves the viewer feeling genuinely ‘scared’ with what they’ve seen. Earlier last month, when internet movie rating site ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ awarded a 99% rating to the new slick psychological horror/thriller Get Out, there was unparalleled anticipation for the film’s success, in an otherwise saturated film market of that genre. Directed by comedy guru Jordan Peele (known for his comedy series Key & Peele), the plot follows a young African-American man Chris,
played by Daniel Kaluuya (Black Mirror), due to meet his white girlfriend’s family for the first time. The twist is not the usual Guess Who or Meet the Parents comical line we’ve seen in dozens of rom-coms before, but rather something much more insidious and terrifying. Unlike the awkward meet and greet between extreme West-liberalists that the film captures, and a nervously-disposed Chris, it is revealed as the film progresses, the girlfriend, Rose, and her family are members of a cult that hunt and hypnotise black people to conduct psychological experiments on their bodies. Packed full with genuine moments of awe-inducing horror, alongside a ground-breaking scene revolving around the aforementioned use of hypnosis,
Get Out is refreshing in the sense it toys with the rather real anxieties of racism still prevalent in America (and worldwide). Well worth a watch for its innovative style, complemented by genre switches between comedy, horror and psychological thriller all at once, what did feel was its decision for a happy, almost fairy-tale ending, rather than one that could’ve—and arguably should’ve—left audiences speechless. What Get Out rather attended to was a ‘hero’ moment in the form of Chris’ friend, who working for a small-time law enforcement agency (and trying to track down Chris ever since he loses contact with him and suspects something is amiss) saves our protagonist, arriving just in the nick of time
rather misleadingly in a police car, as Chris is escaping the estate and is mid-strangling Rose…after killing the rest of her family. Jordan Peele, commented on the choice of a feel-good ending over what was the original plan: ‘In the beginning, when I was first making this movie the idea was, “Okay, we’re in this post-racial world, apparently.” That was the whole idea,’ he revealed. ‘People were saying, like, “We’ve got Obama so racism is over, let’s not talk about it. It’s a wrap.” That’s what the movie was meant to address. These are all clues, if you don’t already know, that racism isn’t over. So the ending in that era was meant to say, “Look, you think race isn’t an issue?” Well at the end, we all know this is how this movie would end
The Founder's Final Rating:
right here.’ Hammering home this claim by saying racism was ‘more woke’ than when the film began production, Peele chose a more comedic ending because of several AfricanAmerican shootings consistently making the headlines in the news. Although, to sympathise with this claim is logical, what the audience expects to happen when the police car pulls up is an accurate reflection of reality and the ‘woke’ fears of racism in the modern world. By swapping out such a controversial, yet powerful ending for a temporary, cheap, heart-jumping moment of happiness when the day is saved, was a big copout, and made this new-age pseudo horror less than perfect, and a film of a different calibre entirely.
18 ARTS: FILM
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
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Industry Celebs Visit RHUL Via Video Stream JACOB JEWITT-JALLAND STUDENT WRITER
Before this filmmaker masterclass, organised for Royal Holloway by former MA Screenwriting student Candy Eash, I had been to too many careers events at Royal Holloway to be particularly enthusiastic about this assignment. They have tended to pander to the pseudo-expertise of mid-level professionals, intent on delivering the same advice that any parent or lecturer would give, while assuming that their advice is somehow far more relevant coming from them. They have been condescending and only occasionally useful. I am a bitter person, and I don’t much like being proven wrong - I have been proven wrong. The Masterclass impressed me for two reasons, the speak-
ers were genuinely helpful to the audience, and they were film-making heavy hitters that I was impressed Royal Holloway managed to pin down for two hours of their incredibly busy lives. Here are some of them: Brigham Taylor, producer of John Favreau’s live-action reboot of The Jungle Book, and head of his own production company TaylorMade Productions (who make movies with Disney, rather than golf balls): giving concise but detailed insight into his life of ‘nitty-gritty’ film production, budget meetings, audience analyses, and constant project development, his laid-back style encapsulated the general atmosphere. How somebody can be relaxed when making a film with a 200 million dollar budget still baffles me perhaps it’s all that California
sun. Matthew Janzen, Senior Vice President of Production at Lionsgate, who has overseen the company produce all four of The Hunger Games films, as well as the phenomenal Denis Villeneuve picture Sicario, and is currently working on the upcoming Power Rangers film that he assures us won’t be as awful as we are all expecting it to be: in fact, he spoke honestly about the silliness of the idea, but his decision to green-light the film to give young newcomer Dean Israelite a chance to realise his vision of what the film could be, was fresh honesty that one would not expect from an industry executive. J.D. Payne, a particularly articulate and witty screenwriter credited with collaborating on the screenplay for the most recent instalment of
the Star Trek franchise, as well as the next sequel (and, presumably, the eight after that): his background tutoring in Los Angeles to make enough money to write rang so true with my own ideal existence that I’m afraid I lost my journalistic integrity and was briefly daydreaming about my own aspirations. However, the general theme from all the speakers that hard work is constantly required rather dashed my hopes of success. As soon as they began to speak, I realised that we were engaged in conversation with some of the most important people in their fields. These are not the celebrities we are used to seeing plastered all over our magazines and on our televisions, reading about their tantrums and their colossal pay-cheques, no, these are the people that actually do
the work. This experience was a very measured and interesting account of life in the film industry and it was a major coup for Royal Holloway to land these film-makers. The credit, of course, goes to Candy Eash, a former student who took these people’s advice and went to LA and worked. Specifically, what is most admirable about her achievement is that she hasn’t forgotten us over here at little-old Royal Holloway (impressive as the new Library is, it’s hardly Grauman’s Chinese Theatre). Credit for that must be split between herself, University fellow Ivan Levene, and the writer’s retreat programme for which the event was organised. A fantastic experience overall, maybe all that debt is worth it after all…
ARTS: MUSIC 19
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at music@thefounder.co.uk
[Column]
SOUNDTRACK The Smith Street Band THIS [Review]
‘More Scared of You than You Are of Me’
THAT ONE DEAF MUSIC CRITIC
Recently while watching Yorgos Lanthimos’s film, ‘The Lobster’ (a fantastic film, by the way, that I highly recommend), I was struck by the fact that there was almost no audio in the scene that I was watching. There was no speech, no music playing, and the background sounds were so quiet and simple and natural so as to be imperceptible. On the one hand, this shows an impressive bit of work having been done by the foley artist in question, Ronnie van der Veer, but it also spoke to the effectiveness of the editing of the film. Sometimes it’s when you don’t notice something that it means that that particular thing has been done well. Now, a fact about my hearing loss would probably help for the discussion of this topic. I get used to not hearing anything, at times. Lack of noise is not a thing that I am surprised by, nor is it something that I necessarily notice. It is only ever the presence of another noise, or signifiers, that make me aware that I’m not hearing something. It is the audio around the silence in a song that makes me aware of the silence. It is the movement of someone’s lips, or the sight of something moving, that makes me aware that I’m not hearing something that I should be hearing. Or it’s just someone turning to me in a fit of forgetfulness, asking a deaf man, about a faint noise that they can hear, ‘do you hear that?’ I’ll be honest, sometimes I pretend to be straining to hear it and wait for them to remember that I’m deaf instead of just telling them that I can’t hear the noise. You need to find a way to have fun with things that happen often, right? Spice up the routine. The point is, to try and
That One Deaf Music Critic, Sam to those who know him, can be reached for bookings at Samuel.Barker.2013@live.rhul.ac.uk make this column about something, that sometimes I don’t notice silence. But, then, do you? How can you hear silence? In the same way that you can’t see something that isn’t there, you can’t hear the lack of noise. I praise the film for its usage of silence, something that is utilised sparingly in films, but is my recognition of it a good thing or a bad thing? Or am I genuinely that self-obsessed that I manage to make almost everything about my hearing loss by watching a movie and then wondering if I’m missing something due to my hearing loss. Or, and this is entirely possible, did I just have the sound down too low for me to hear whatever music or sound was soundtracking the scene? Entirely possible given that I was watching the movie on my laptop, on a plane, next to a stranger, and had just turned down the volume after a particularly prolonged screaming scene that involved a fair amount of sideeye from said stranger next to me. And here I was trying to make a point out of my own idiocy.
Photo via http://images.genius.com/759a92100c36b2229aea3a82b2e03445.1jpg AARON SYMONDS STUDENT WRITER
Erupting back onto the Australian Punk Rock scene with their new album: ‘More Scared of You than You Are of Me’, Melbourne four piece, The Smith Street Band, have produced another success. For those that have not listened to the band before, I highly suggest giving them a listen. Wil Wagner’s lyrics create beautiful imagery of personal situations from his own experiences and those of his friends. The tone of the band, as shown in this new album, can be quite dark in its catharsis of emotions to do with depression, loss and regret (‘It Kills Me To Have To Be Alive’). Yet it is also refreshingly upbeat and hopeful, showing that life isn’t so bad if you have others to share it with (‘Birthdays’). The band shows a lot of technique and diversity; switching from acoustic lullaby to thrash in an instant as seen in ‘Young Once’. Michael Fitzgerald on
bass and Lee Hartney on lead guitar can produce quite impressive riffs and transform a melodic song into a powerful frenzy. With Chris Cowburn on drums, the band gives a real pulsing kick that, from experience of their gigs, I can imagine crowd surfing and moshing away to, songs like the opening track ‘Forrest’ demonstrate this. I can also imagine a continuation of the great band interaction with crowds, an audience singalong particularly possible for the catchy single ‘Death To The Lads’. However, the energy of the album seems to deteriorate as it goes deeper and deeper into the narrator’s psyche. The title of the album, encapsulated in ‘Passiona’ (‘I'm absolutely infinitely more scared of you than you are of me’), summarises the vibe of the album. From the trauma Wil’s persona has gone through, it is obvious, in references throughout the album, that he is more afraid of letting love back into his life and getting hurt again, than
the person he is seeing, scared of his pushy impatience. I love this band for this reason, their raw exposure of humanity. They strip away the cliché of heartbreak to leave the fragile interior that we are all desperate to cover up, and show that, although breakable, people can be rebuilt again. In ‘25’ the clear theme is that, whoever you are, we all age and, instead of caring about meaningless things, we should focus on loved ones. I highly recommend this album to anyone looking for a song that summarises hopefulness and self-acceptance. My favourite song from this album is ‘Laughing – Or Pretending To Laugh’ it simplistically completes the album, with Wil’s persona finally finding someone he has the courage to talk and buy a drink with. The story is left to be continued by a crackle of static that leaves the song unfinished, giving the listener a sense of satisfaction but also longing. If you want music that really speaks to you, this is your band.
20 ARTS: MUSIC
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at music@thefounder.co.uk
[ ...Five THE NEXT 5 ] Songs And When To Listen To Them SAM BARKER MUSIC EDITOR
'Treat Me Like A Lover' – Will Joseph Cook Play this as the first song when it’s your turn to try and pick some music that no one will complain about at the BBQ. When someone realizes that you just played a ‘summer’ song that opens with lyrics about running in a cemetery as an act of therapy, put on that NEIKED song that everyone still loves (‘Sexual’, in case you’ve forgotten what it’s called).
'Biking' (Feat. Tyler, The Creator & Jay-Z) – Frank Ocean Play this when you’ve woken up and the sun’s shining just right through your windows with that slightly orange glow where the glare doesn’t hurt and you just want to lay on top of your bedsheets for a couple minutes lazily. Before you ride a bike somewhere, of course.
'Versailles' – Leo Kalyan Play this when it’s you and a couple of friends hanging out and you have music playing in the background out of habit and you’ve just been talking about what happens after university finishes and you realize that it’s almost four in the morning, but you all just want to sit and listen to something quietly.
'Boston' – Dermot Kennedy Play this when you’re bored of playing Bon Iver’s older albums and have forgotten, yet again, the name of that song by Amber Run that you like, but are in the mood for a bit less falsetto.
'Drunk' (Album) – Thundercat I’m cheating by including an album, instead of picking one song, but the album is so brilliant altogether. Play this when you want something strange and brilliant and difficult and fun to listen to on headphones while you take a train any distance that takes longer than fifty minutes to get to.
Don't Bother Searching These Out 'Sign of the Times' – Harry Styles No need to search this one out because there’s no way you won’t hear it anyway. Sounds too much like ‘November Rain’ but without any massive guitar solo pay-off, and also shorter. Not necessarily a bad song, though. Just meh. But stuck in my head.
'Kissing Strangers' (Feat. Nicki Minaj) – DNCE One of the most subdued hook currently being played on the radio, second only to the half-hearted “doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo” in the first half of The Chainsmoker’s ‘Something Just Like This’. Especially underwhelming in the wake of how fun ‘Cake By The Ocean’ was.
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at music@thefounder.co.uk
ARTS: MUSIC 21
[Review]
Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.'
of the album. While he may be referring to himself by another moniker – Kung Fu Kenny ‘DAMN.’, Kendrick Lamar’s – ‘DAMN.’ feels much more latest album, finds an artist immediately about Lamar coming to terms with his in- himself than some of his other creased fame, visibility, and ac- albums. ‘good kid, m.A.A.d countability all while navigat- city’ billed itself as a short film, ing the pitfalls of celebrity, and and chronicled a day in the life the changing relationships that of 17-year old Lamar, while come along with it. The album ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ felt like largely stays away from the an episodic film of sorts. Both suggested bravado of its first albums were personal, but dissingle, ‘HUMBLE.’, instead ex- tinctly told stories. ‘DAMN.’ ploring such themes as target- concerns itself less with storyed violence towards African- telling than revelation and Americans, religion, rap artists meditation upon certain topbeing scapegoated for crime, ics. There is one stardom, famstory-telling deily, and, yes, vice utilized on even humility. ‘DAMN. ’ , howevIndeed, in the er, that stands out. context of the The entire album here is album, ‘HUMis framed as a cyBLE.’ takes one story telling clical work that on a different reaches back furmeaning. Fol- device utilized ther into Lamar’s lowing on from the lyrics in the on 'DAMN' that past as it progresses, while still outro of ‘LOYconcerning itself stands out. The ALTY.’ – ‘it’s with his presentso hard to be entire album day self. The orhumble… Lord der of the tracks is knows I’m try- is framed as a clearly important, ing’ – it feels with juxtaposias if the song cyclical work tions and relationis directed at ships jumping out Lamar himself at the listener as as much as at the album progresses in order. his peers. The last track, ‘DUCKThat’s not to say that Lamar WORTH’ , takes us back to the never exhibits any bravado. beginning of the album by takOn ‘ELEMENT.’ Lamar boasts ing us back to the beginning of about his skills and dominance Kendrick Lamar’s career, and in the rap game, but on the very next track, ‘FEEL.’, he breaks the curious twists of fate and down all of his feelings regard- coincidence that led to him ing his own stardom, which being signed. At the end, afare largely negative and tinged ter a gunshot, we get various with sadness for, despite his sounds from the rest of the alpresence and fame and domi- bum played in reverse, as if the nance, ‘ain’t nobody praying album were rewinding itself for [him]’. ‘GOD.’ also contains back to the beginning, and we Lamar boasting, but then he hear, once more, Lamar’s first immediately reprimands him- line from opener ‘BLOOD.’, ‘So self for it and humbles himself I was taking a walk the other in the second verse. ‘DAMN.’ day…’. If we were listening to is an album of contradictions, the album on vinyl, as perhaps making it an entirely human Lamar would prefer (‘fourteen tracks, carried out over wax’), work. This humanity is one we could lift it up, flip it, and of the most important aspects loop it all over again. SAM BARKER MUSIC EDITOR
'T
Top: Photo via http://res.cloudinary.com/thefader/image/C9H8-PWUIAAzbQ2_kaj1tw.jpg Bottom: Photo via http://www.nme.com/news/music
22 SPORTS
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at sports@thefounder.co.uk
Royal Holloway Varsity Scores On the 29th March 2017, a sea of green and purple made its way to Surrey Sports Park, ready to compete and spectate in possibly the biggest sporting event in the Royal Holloway calendar, Varsity 2017. The first annual Varsity match for Royal Holloway against their new rivals Surrey University was of huge success, with over 30 sports teams and clubs competing. Starting the day at 11am with such teams as badminton and women’s volleyball to name but a few. The day was full of music, food stands and plenty of sport for everyone to enjoy. The competing concluded with a finale of men’s basketball and cheerleading to top off a day of sporting success. Below are some of the results from Varsity:
RHUL Men's
2
RHUL Women's
0
RHUL Women's
81
RHUL Men's 126 RHUL Women's
58
RHUL Men's 1st
0
RHUL Women's 1st
1
RHUL Mixed
3
RHUL Men's 1st
1
RHUL Women's 1st
0
RHUL 1st
32
Badminton Basketball
6
Surrey
8
Surrey
31 Surrey
Fencing Football Golf Hockey Netball
110 Surrey 135 Surrey 3
Surrey
9
Surrey
1
Surrey
5
Surrey
8
Surrey
55 Surrey
Despite the hard work of Royal Holloway’s sports teams, unfortunately Surrey Stags were victorious in the first annual Varsity. Varsity 2017 was of huge success and fun for both teams and competitors and no doubt Varsity 2018 will be no different. Varsity 2018 will take place at Royal Holloway, giving us the home advantage and hopefully giving the Bears a home win!
THE FOUNDER April 28, 2017
Email the editor at sports@thefounder.co.uk
SPORTS 23
RHUL DOES
VARSITY
Photos via Twitter, courtesy of RHUL Sport and Team Surrey.
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