October 2020

The Founder

VOL. XII, ISSUE II | OCTOBER 2020 |

@RHULFOUNDER

Black History Month SELA MUSA | FEATURES EDITOR

the first time in 1987 in the UK, and it continues to fter the devastating be commemorated every loss of Black life to October. In the UK, and police brutality has further other areas of Europe, it come to light, as well as is a month to recognize the magnificently brave and appreciate the and inspirational overdue contributions that people world protests, perhaps of African and Caribbean this year is one of the most backgrounds have made important years to celebrate and continuously make to Black History Month and society and to culture: to black life. politics, music, arts and literature, to fashion, food, Black History Month to knowledge and opinions, originated in 1915 in the and to every single aspect USA, after the thirteenth of life. amendment abolished the Slavery Act. Since Growing up here, it is then, it has continued incredibly and tragically to be celebrated every easy to glide through February, with each year education and daily life designating a particular whilst remaining mostly theme to be considered. isolated from knowledge Black History Month then of Black culture and its came to be celebrated for origins in British history.

Personally, I struggle to

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Index

News....................................................................................2 Opinion And Debate............................................................6 Features..............................................................................11 Lifestyle.............................................................................14 Arts: Arts And Culture.......................................................17 Arts: Literary Reviews.......................................................20 Arts: Film...........................................................................22 Arts: Music.........................................................................24 Sports..................................................................................27

Facebook.com/HarbenLets Twitter.com/HarbenLets

Source: Houstonia Magazine remember any instance when Black history was offered to me in formal education which was not in a Eurocentric way.

Only now, having actively selected to study a politics module that has a global focus, rather than a Western

one, have I just begun to learn about the impacts of colonialism and slavery on Black heritage, and I am embarrassed that my first in-depth understanding is arising at 19 years old.

But is that so surprising when ‘learning’ about

Where is Brexit Heading to p.3

RHUL Christmas Project p.14

Black culture and history in schools is confined to superficial activities that do not actually teach about black culture and history, but only falsely convince themselves that they do.

Continued on p. 11 Return of Vinyl p.26

2 NEWS

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Second Wave of COVID-19 Limits Mobility Across Europe as Well as Within the UK PAULINA MOTYL

affected. We should acknowledge the efforts that have been put in to make university campus life safe, as well as the efforts to accommodate all students who are abroad or choosing to learn remotely.

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ith the return of students to schools and university, there has been a significant surge in Covid-19 cases worldwide.

The resurgence of the second wave is affecting our lives with new restrictions and lockdowns being imposed.

Recently, Spain has imposed a lockdown in Madrid after the number of cases sprung up to 155 per 100,000, which puts Spain above France, UK, Italy, and Germany. The citizens of Madrid are only permitted to make essential journeys.

A similar curfew of 10 pm has also been imposed, with bars and restaurants closing at 10 pm. Nonetheless, in the UK, new travel restrictions were imposed from the 3rd of October putting those who are travelling from most of Eastern Europe, the Greek Islands and Turkey into quarantine.

Moreover, Liverpool City, Warrington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough have been imposed with local measures from the 3rd of October. For some of the residents of northern England and Northern Ireland, this means that they are not permitted to meet anyone who does not classify as their ‘household’ or ‘support bubble’ indoors.

Derry City and Strabane have also restricted hospitality, as restaurants and bars

The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has organised a plan which could make it necessary for university students to selfisolate before their return to their family homes for Christmas or vice Source: nhs.uk

may only be occupied in outdoor areas, or for takeaway and delivery. Additionally, it is important to mention that other areas in England are also under additional restrictions, this includes County Durham, Leicester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, and residents of Greater Manchester. The restrictions vary, but the common element of not socialising outside one person’s household persists.

There have been outbreaks at universities in the UK with students asked to self-isolate - especially at Manchester Metropolitan University, where over 1,500 students have been

versa. There is hope that students will be able to spend Christmas surrounded by their family.

The new NHS Test & Trace app is now available to download. It tracks whether we have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19 or has symptoms. Moreover, on the 29th of September, Royal Holloway transformed car park 12 into a temporary Mobile Testing Unit. It is worth mentioning that Royal Holloway’s wellbeing services are available if anyone is struggling and you can contact them through wellbeing@royalholloway. ac.uk .Source: nhs.uk

The Founder Board 2020 - 2021 Editor in Chief Izzi Vaughan editor@thefounder.co.uk

Managing Editor Alex Whiteman managingeditor@thefounder.co.uk

Publishing & Creative Designer Laura Nietfeld designer@thefounder.co.uk

News Editor Carlota Santos Movilla

Illustrator Rebecca Weigler

news@thefounder.co.uk

illustrator@thefounder.co.uk

Features Editor Sela Musa

Arts Editor Tessa Pinto

features@thefounder.co.uk

arts@thefounder.co.uk

Opinon and Debate Editor Abra Heritage

Literary Review Editor

Mercedes-George Mayes

opinion@thefounder.co.uk

literaryreview@thefounder.co.uk

Lifestyle Editor Katie Upton

Music Editor Amelia Morris

lifestyle@thefounder.co.uk

music@thefounder.co.uk

Sports Editor Eliot K. Raman Jones

Film Editor Lewis White

sportseditor@thefounder.co.uk

film@thefounder.co.uk

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 October 2020

Where is Brexit Heading to?

ANTONIN LEFEBVRE ight months after Brexit’s official negotiations ended, finishing the process initiated after the referendum held on June 2016, London and Brussels still cannot find common ground. The discussions principally concern three remaining topics: fishing grounds, public aid and the governance of the agreement. Downing Street is hardly negotiating with France, who is desperate to keep the right to use the English sea and coast, as exposed in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). At the same time, George Eustice (British Environmental

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Secretary) and Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen (Norwegian Fisheries Minister) agreed on a historically significant deal allowing the UK to fish 32 million pounds worth of fish per year in the Norwegian Sea. Ingebrigtsen himself defined this issue as ‘The management of shared fish stocks is at its best when the coastal states agree on how this should happen’.

If progress is made in terms of economic agreement, the Source: John Cameron on Unsplash fateful date is approaching.

The European Union has deal’. The main fear is that launched by the European the will to accelerate the the situation will stagnate Union towards the UK was process, as Boris Johnson until the date of December due to disrespectful behaviour could be satisfied with a ‘no 31. The recent legal action challenging the previous Brexit

UK Reports Biggest Fall in GDP Among To p 2 0 E c o n o m i e s

Source: PublicDomainPictures.net

ELLIE MATTHEWS uring the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have seen a notorious decline in their respective economies. The United Kingdom, however, has now reported the biggest fall in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) among the top 20 economies globally– these include the USA, China, Japan, Germany, and India, with the UK ranking 6th. GDP contracted by 19.8% in the second quarter (April to June) of 2020, slightly less than the initial estimate of 20.4%, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is the UK’s second consecutive quarterly decline. This fall was the largest since the ONS records began in 1955.

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Government restrictions have seen record quarterly falls in services, production and construction.

Any industry that relies on social interactions has also seen falling figures, leading to sales in the accommodation, food, arts, entertainment and recreational services is approximately 80% lower than average in the second quarter.

However, households have saved a record 29.1% of their income during the second quarter. This is significantly higher than the 9.6% earned in the first quarter, as access to spending was halted in the most severe periods of lockdown restrictions, especially in shops, pubs and restaurants.

Alongside this, people’s incomes were supported by the government's furlough and

agreement. This tends to alter the relationship between the two even more.

job retention schemes. In addition, furlough is to come to an end on October 31st.

Overall, we expected to witness economic decline following the lockdown.

However, the level of this has been unprecedentedly low. The Government’s budget watchdog has warned that our GDP may not fully recover until 2024. Whilst the pandemic will eventually subside, we may be burdened with its economic consequences for a long time to come.

4 NEWS

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Conflict Between Armenia and Azerbaijan is Reignited in Nagorno-Karabakh ANNA-MARIA LEST

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n Sunday, 27th of September, the border conflict in the NagornoKarabakh region flared up again. This resulted in Armenia calling for general mobilisation and Azerbaijan’s Parliament declaring war against Armenia on that same day. Azerbaijan has claimed major advances in the region, additionally backed by Turkish military forces which Ankara officially denies.

The statistics of casualties vary on both sides with Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities reporting widely different figures but it is estimated that nearly 230 civilians and military personnel have already been

killed in the conflict so far (BBC).

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory but it is governed by the self-declared Republic of Artsakh and inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians.

A historically Armenian territory, the region was controlled by the Azerbaijan SSR for many decades until Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over NagornoKarabakh in 1988. The bloody conflict resulted in the mass expulsion of Azerbaijani ethnic minorities from the region.

A ceasefire agreement was eventually signed in 1994 in

Image caption: Abandoned houses in Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, previously belonging to the Azerbaijani families before their expulsion from the region in early nineties Source: lifehack.org

Bishkek but the region has not resettled afterwards. Smaller military skirmishes have been the unfortunate standard in Nagorno-Karabakh since the

1990s. The current conflict, however, has aggressively surpassed the violence of previous years.

The recent developments have raised major international concerns, especially within the US and France. The situation is further complicated by Russia and Turkey backing the Armenian and Azerbaijan sides respectively. At the moment, Moscow remains silent on the matter of Nagorno-Karabakh but given the recent military disputes between Russia and Turkey in Syria and Libya, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict threatens to escalate into a larger international conflict if fighting persists.

Egham Suffers Financial Losses Due to COVID- 19 the UK, we would now be ‘determined to do everything in our power to work with our friends across the UN’.

CARLOTA SANTOS MOVILLA | NEWS EDITOR

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he current pandemic has brought upon us many negative consequences.

Even though Egham is a small university town in the UK, it is at the top of the list when analysing which Source: Katie Maundrell, Studee university areas have lost students find their perfect fit in terms of location, more economically. departments and many other It has a very high rate filters. On this ranking, of students within its Warwick and Farnham rank population. Studee estimates right after Egham with a that Egham has lost up to significant decline in their 18 million pounds due to student economy too. fewer students attending These economic losses Royal Holloway; whether it is not returning to campus could be the result of or deciding to not arrive as widespread fear or a feeling newcomers this year. Studee that it would be a waste of is a free advice service time to go back to campus online which, since 2002, at the moment. Thus, a helps prospective university waste of money. It has been

calculated that 8 million pounds have been lost on groceries and 1.5 million on takeaways. On health and wellbeing, there have been £662k not spent as well as great financial losses in gifts and charity.

Supply chains must be secure if a future pandemic is to be solved. Johnson highlighted how many countries imposed export controls, with about 2/3 remaining in force. He also

noted how many of these were for ‘what we need most’, including disinfectant and soap. The fifth step, thus, would be to lift these controls ‘where possible’ and cancel tariffs on vital tools to fighting a pandemic: gloves or thermometers for example.

Johnson claimed, ‘we cannot make these mistakes again’. After alluding to Edward Jenner, the man who found the first vaccine to smallpox, being from

The UK will contribute 340m over the next four years to the WHO, an increase of 30% to our core contributions. Johnson also promised to lead the fight for gender equality, from quality education to sexual and reproductive health services. Along with 70 other countries, the UK signed the #LeaderPledge4Nature committing to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.

The pledges indicate to what Johnson views as his post-Brexit foreign policy and how he sees ‘Global Britain’ keeping Britain’s leadership status through the twenty-first century.

NEWS 5

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Donald Trump Tests Positive for COVID-19 Amid Election Campaign CARLOTA SANTOS MOVILLA | NEWS EDITOR n Friday 2nd of October, President Donald Trump posted on Twitter that his wife, Melania Trump, and himself had tested positive for COVID- 19. He added that ‘we will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately’ in the same post.

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Most times Donald Trump has been asked about his health regarding the pandemic, he has responded that he is tested frequently.

Understandably, the trip for the Florida campaign was removed of his schedule following his positive result to the COVID- 19 test. In terms of his health conditions, he is a man in his seventies who may be overweight; so these are factors that could slow down his recovery or worsen his condition.

he was ‘feeling great’.

This event was organised, in part, to gain AfricanAmerican and Latino support for the President.

Those who attended the event had to agree to have their body temperature checked and wear face masks at all times.

Now assuredly is a They also communicated decisive moment in the US that their quarantine will election process which we take place within the private will have to watch closely. quarters of the White House.

He delivered a speech after being hospitalised and said

Source: Library of Congress on Unsplash

6 OPINION AND DEBATE

THE FOUNDER October 2020

A Murder, an Apology and a Campaign Promise – A Change of Direction for North Korea?

EMILY HOWE n Monday the 21st September a 47-yearold, father of two, civil servant from the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, disappeared from a patrol boat 6 miles from the North Korean border waters near Yeonpyeong. On Tuesday afternoon the man, Lee, was found by a North Korean lifeboat in their territorial waters. North Korea has stated that the patrol placed a gas mask over Lee and interviewed him from a safe distance. However, after he failed to declare who he was and his intentions, he was killed for ‘trespassing.’

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Controversially, there is a clear discrepancy in the series of events when the North Korean report is compared against that of South Korea. According to the South Korean Government, whilst the fisheries officer was questioned, he was then dragged behind the North Korean Patrol vessel for 3 hours before being lost at sea. After they discovered him again, two hours later, an ‘order from superior authority’ directed a shoot to kill order. Lee was shot 10 times before being burnt at sea. North Korea has denied this record of events.

How the South Korean government obtained such information has not been publicly declared. As the military hotline between the two nations was cut by the North in June. Furthermore, the inter-Korean liaison

their state-run Korean Central News Agency, that the South should be careful not to ‘trespass’ as Lee did, into North Korean waters in the search for his body. For if they were to, tensions would surely rise and another ‘unsavoury event’ would surely occur.

Equally, the North has repeatably denied the South’s request for a joint investigation into Lee’s death.

office was blown up due to Northern resentment towards Southern activists, who sent propaganda leaflets, which were critical of the Kim regime, across the border. As such, it has been suggested that it was through espionage that the South Korean military was able to intercept North Korean communications. However, this would not be unusual for the South to do.

Officially, Yoon SeongHyun, the South Korean chief of the investigation team into Lee’s disappearance, has declared that the official was trying to defect to the North, in a rare but not unprecedented move. Lee was aware of his location in retrospect to the Northern Limit Line (the border between the two states), was wearing a life jacket, holding onto a floatation device, had left his shoes on board the ship and could not have reached the location he was found without swimming to it; due to the currents at the time.

It’s speculated that Lee’s incentive for defection was his vast gambling debts.

Casino gambling is illegal in South Korea, incurring a three-year prison sentence if one is caught. Additionally, the social stigma towards Lee’s family would have been immense in Korea’s collective society, this is thought to be his driving incentive towards defection. On the contrary, Lee’s family are adamant that he would not have defected, as he was a proud South Korean citizen; instead, he is being disgraced due to circumstantial evidence.

Furthermore,

Source: Pikrepo

they suggest that the South Korean government, are attempting to not be seen as to having failed to protect one of their citizens, against North Korea.

North and South Korea are still technically at war, tensions between the two nations have been increasingly high and rising in the last few months.

Recently, there has been much controversy around Supreme Leader Kim Jongun, who for some time vanished from sight and was presumed dead. Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, was thought to have assumed power as heir apparent, who quickly performed progressively more violent actions towards the South.

The murder of Lee

by North Korea came to light only a day after the South Korean President’s declaration to the United Nations, that he believes that an official peace treaty should be drawn up between the two countries. President Moon has made it his campaign promise to improve relations between the two nations.

Shockingly, one week later Supreme Leader Kim issued an apology for the tragic killing of Lee. This is the first time in North Korea’s history that an apology has been issued by the country’s leader. Historically Kim has refused to even acknowledge mistakes on his military’s part, even when killing civilians. In 2008 a South Korean tourist was shot and killed by a North Korean soldier, no acknowledgement or apology has been made for her death since.

Such an unusual statement has done well to blow over this murder, with President Moon stating that the apology displays North Korean willingness to co-operate and to prevent any further decline in relations.

Kim Jong-un has sensed that co-operation with the South may be more beneficial for him than for his neighbour, as currently, President Moon appears keen to do whatever it takes to meet his campaign promise and earn his place in history, by being the President who ended the Korean War. Despite what President Moon may hope, however, the North has repeatably threatened, via

Therefore, it is evident that regardless of what President Moon and Supreme Leader Kim may say, tensions between the states remain high with lives very much still at risk. It appears, therefore, that whilst these men engage in faux diplomacy and political correctness, North Korea is still allowed to pursue violent and aggressive actions mercilessly, without regard to the consequences.

As the South remains committed to their stance that they did not abandon one of their own, due to his attempt in defection, there is no risk to an escalation in tensions between the two countries. Conveniently, it appears that Lee’s attempt at defection, alongside Kim’s apology, means that no harm has been done to negotiations and the path towards peace. It appears that President Moon’s campaign promise may be, one-day, within reach.

THE FOUNDER October 2020

OPINION AND DEBATE 7

It Doesn’t Matter Who Wins in November: You Can’t Vote out Fascism IZZI VAUGHAN | EDITOR IN CHIEF

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n November 3rd, America has a decision to make.

Between a rapist and a rapist.

A racist and a racist. A fascist and a fascist. In this respect, it is not all that different from most elections in US history.

But this time, the wave of antifascism and Black Lives Matter protests hitting the US in 2020 has, perhaps permanently, altered the circumstances of American elections.

the United States and the rather obvious example of constructing a wall along the southern border. But Joe Biden is also racist in a very real and dangerous way. He may not directly incite violence, condone the use of police brutality against Black Lives Matter protestors, or support the racist policies of Donald Trump, but his version of racism is still a very real threat. When condemning the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades on BLM protesters, Biden said ‘I won’t traffic in fear and division. I won’t fan the flames of hate’.

Donald Trump is a racist, undoubtedly. After multiple incidences of failing to condemn white supremacy, refusing to support the Black Lives Matter movement, to policy decisions such as However, such sentiment banning Muslim people from is hard to swallow when certain countries from entering Biden also suggested, in

It’s Time To Talk About Male Body Image

Source: Manual

ELLIE MATTHEWS emale body image is a subject close to the hearts of many women in the world. The unrealistic beauty standards that social media makes you feel you have to adhere to have plagued most women from a young age, but now we must ask, how has it affected men?

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Let's start with social media. I am sure we have all seen pitched, tucked, and cropped photos of celebs

and influencers on social media and scoffed at how unrealistic their standards are. But there comes a point when you start to fall for the lie as well. Scrolling endlessly through image after image of rock-hard abs leaves many men feeling as though they aren’t good enough. Whilst we may see more diverse male body types on TV, the bodies receiving praise all look the same: unrealistic.

a now infamous Town Hall meeting, that police should be trained to shoot people in the leg instead of shooting to kill. He has also taken the moderate approach to police brutality, claiming that systemic injustice exists in law enforcement, but that the blame lies with individual ‘bad apples’ in the system.

His moderate approach to the current political scene does nothing but maintain the side of the oppressor. As Martin Luther-King said, ‘I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s greatest stumbling block in his strike toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice’. to buoy them up about their appearance when others bring them down, discussing the way you feel about your looks as a man to other men is commonly seen as quite taboo. Internalising feelings of self-doubt or loathing can be extremely damaging to anyone and experiencing this about something you feel unable to share without ridicule makes it all the more difficult. A man speaking to a male friend about their looks can feel embarrassing, meaning that men with a majority of male friends may feel there is no place to turn, and will never discuss the self-doubt plaguing them.

Whilst women typically discuss body image amongst We all like to talk about themselves, the story is very different amongst fatphobia, wherein people men. Whereas women often will actively disadvantage have female friends happy or dislike people of a larger

Biden has pledged a ‘commitment to justice’ and to ‘reform the US criminal justice system, focusing on redemption and rehabilitation so that no one profits from the incarceration of others.

But how many times have leaders and politicians pledged to ‘reform’ criminal justice and policing? How many more times will it have to be promised before we give up trying to ‘reform’ an institution built on slavery?

Biden may seem like the safer option. But as VicePresident Biden oversaw the deportation of 1.8 million immigrants in Obama’s first three years in office, compared to 800,000 deportations in the first three years of the Trump administration.

Obama’s presidency also undertook 10 times more air strikes in the covert war on terror than under Bush, with more strikes

in his first year as president than the entirety of Bush’s presidency. I am giving these examples not to minimise the actions of Bush or Trump, but rather to highlight that the moderation of liberal presidencies is a far cry from the principles of justice they claim to uphold.

frame. These campaigns are often run by women, for women, and whilst it is a problem for women, it is also something that men face regularly. ‘Culturally attractive’ men are often expected to be of a certain height, weight and body type. Anyone falling outside of this struggles to feel adequate, despite the fact this is not something they can necessarily change.

media could also improve, with shows like Love Island showcasing a wider variety.

Canada’s Drag race was recently commended for using a more diverse body range in its infamous pit crew.

So, what needs to change? I think we can all agree that men probably need to spend more time talking to each other about these things. Being able to constructively talk about body image is the first step in relieving some of the stigma surrounding specific body types. Representation in the

You may well view Biden as marginally better on his policy promises than Trump. But how far are we willing to let the ‘lesser of two evils’ argument go? It is fundamentally a choice between the white supremacist or the ‘white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice’. Both ultimately resulting in fascism. It doesn't matter who wins in November, or how Trump responds to the election results. Because whatever happens America will remain, as it always has been, a fascist country.

All in all, it's time we start supporting diversity across the board. All people of any size should feel welcome, and by showcasing more variety we can begin to see a better future.

If you have the chance, give www.manual.co a look.

They cater specifically to men on everything from hair loss, to skin regimes.

They put a priority on mental health and wellbeing, and at the end of the day, what more could you ask for?

8 OPINION AND DEBATE The Anglican Church Can No Longer Plea Ignorance As To Its Moral Failings THE FOUNDER October 2020

poverty through reference to charity performed at least equally zealously by secular individuals and groups.

JACK MACKAY

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n independent report released on the 6th October has made clear that the Anglican church has, for decades, failed to take positive action on behalf of the vulnerable and child victims of sexual assault within its ranks, and has engaged in a culture more sympathetic to the perpetrators of rape and sexual assault.

A story such as this regarding any sect of Christianity may appear banal or expected, however, this perception should strike all who recognise it as deeply disconcerting.

This institution, headed by none other than our head of state, is purportedly founded within divine moral teachings – although the consequential realities of basing an ideology upon the family values of Henry VIII has become demonstrably clear – and receives, reportedly, almost £1 billion in donations per annum. Yet this institution has, for decades, shielded rapists from justice.

This fact in a time where individuals, against whom only the worst of interpretations of their words are required in order to ground retaliatory action, can be removed from their position upon this bad faith alone, makes the matter far more pressing. The Anglican church has appeared capable of evading procedural

Moreover, to euphemise the rape and sexual assaults of thousands of children and vulnerable young adults as merely a failure of safeguarding appears to present an astonishingly disingenuous comprehension of these assaults that have irreparably impacted the lives of so many. Despite a minority of victims witnessing justice brought against members of the church the culture, which has had nearly 500 years to align itself with the basest expectations of human morality, the issue appears to persist in its existing ideological practices.

Source: Wikimedia

justice in the aftermath of its reprehensible treatment of those innocents entrusted to its clergy by fair-minded parents and guardians. Not only that, but it has also dodged the public outcry for ethical intervention regarding the lives of those tormented by hypocritical oath takers.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Webly, responded ‘To fail on safeguarding casts a profound stain across every good thing we do’. Although I understand the need of the Archbishop

to state such, professing the good done by the church is too often cited to temper the interpretation of its most harmful aspects. It seems to be an attempt to disarm those who believe that this church has been riding the coat-tails – as it were - of other, more purportedly, harmful sects of Christianity or indeed religions generally. In light of the findings of the inquiry it is no longer reasonable to conceal the extent to which the Anglican church must be publicly held to account for its profound moral

Regarding money, Dr Gibbs stated the church commissioners have ‘quite deep pockets’, so could fund safeguarding and redress for victims. However, what price can be placed upon a life so reluctantly and disgustingly menaced into sexual initiation raises itself as an appropriate question owing to the evident fact that there is no such price payable to the generations of children irreversibly affected not only by the individuals, but by a system established to knowingly move offenders to the safety of other dioceses.

Indeed, Archbishop Webly has himself has evaded legal proceedings after allegations

made against him due only to the absence of an investigator being appointed. The fact of this in conjunction with his statement of hope for the future of the church’s safeguarding work should speak to the irreconcilable problems with the notions of infallibility and of forgiveness central to the doctrinal teaching and the importance of accountability.

For Webly to ‘pray this report and its recommendations will result in the changes needed to make our Church a safer place for all now and for future generations’ simply leaves this institution in much the same position as after the last report over 5 years prior where measures were implemented to cease this same evil.

It is clear from the context and statements made that nothing fundamental has changed within the Anglican church. Thus, to permit the church to continue in ‘policing’ itself is a ludicrous notion and it is the duty of the public who recognise this moral deficit to take action upon this feeble recognition of fault and demand, at least, that institutions which have proven themselves unwilling or unable to prevent harm befalling children and vulnerable adults be excised from the worlds of such people to cease the spread of evil.

The Bulgarian People Have Spoken: Prime Minister Borissov, It Is Time To Go ZAFIR ZAFIROV

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ctober 8, 2020, marked day 91 of Bulgaria's nationwide protests against the government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. 91 days in which thousands of

people in the capital, Sofia, and in the whole country, have been protesting for their right to have a decent life in their own European country. And in Bulgaria, a decent life has been a privilege of the few

over the many.

statistics. To name just a few, The country has, for many from being Europe's heaviest years now, and certainly cigarette smokers and having in the last 10, of which the worst life expectancy in Borissov's been in power the whole European Union, 9, topped many horrifying to experiencing severe

demographic crises and still being at the bottom of the EU living standard ranking, Bulgaria has been in a permanent turmoil in the last decade.

THE FOUNDER October 2020 The facts that the country still has the lowest minimum wage in the region, and a broken healthcare system, have also added to the mixture of discontent of the Bulgarian citizens.

And if all of those serious problems were not enough, for the past few months the political scandals in the country also reached new heights. There was a massive water shortage crisis in some cities, caused by the negligence of the government in maintaining the proper infrastructure, then huge scandals on the Black Sea coast involving former politicians and suspicion of illegal construction on different beaches. On top of that, several photographs were leaked to the public, showing Borissov sleeping naked and having a bedside table full of golden bars, tons of euros, and even a gun.

OPINION AND DEBATE 9

The coronavirus crises, of course, has also been a problem, with the government's actions being more inadequate than helpful.

Confusing morning briefings, numerous conflicting opinions, and strange decisions have marked the Bulgarian struggle with the pandemic.

And although the deathrate has been kept relatively low, many expressed clear disappointment with some of the government-provided schemes to protect jobs and the economy, and even with the way testing is done – it is unclear to this day how many people, and how accurately, are tested every day in the country.

When combined, the general problems of the past decade, and the current political climate, have been a logical catalyst for the antigovernment protests that have been going on for more than

three months now. Thousands of people gather every day in the squares to demand Borissov's resignation. Not only that, the protests have been largely supported by Bulgarians all over the world, and world media have also given significant coverage to the rightful demands of the people.

Unfortunately, the government has been reluctant to resign, making and promising everything they can to last to the next regular general election.

Borissov has not hesitated to remove close ministers, to make cabinet changes, and to even offer money to pensioners and other groups of the population only to survive the crises. He has also been making many empty promises and has been trying to find people to blame for his humongous failures – from some imaginary communists

Source: Stoyan Nenov/Reuters

to the president, everyone has been a target. According to him, everyone is wrong for Bulgaria's current state, except for him, of course.

The difference now is that the people have had enough.

They are tired of the lies, the dust throwing in the eyes, and the half-baked decisions.

The Bulgarian citizens have taken to the streets as their ultimate, and democratic, form of civil disobedience. They have done it for more than 90 days now, and they will continue until their message is heard. And the message, this time, is more than clear – it is time to go.

The Power of Individual Activism in a Time of Global Catastrophe

ABRA HERITAGE | OPINION AND DEBATE EDITOR here is nothing exaggerated in saying that we are living through a time of heightened global catastrophe. Nationally, we are witnessing a healthcare crisis burden our NHS, an ever-growing unemployment rate, an ignored climate emergency, a rise of 120% in those in poverty and reliant on Government benefits, and a mental health crisis looming for those who have to bear the brunt of Tory incapability.

When you scroll through Twitter in the morning or click on your news app, it’s hard not to feel morbid. The ‘us’ and ‘them’ divide between those suffering from the

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consequences of government choice and those in power is so extreme that it often feels impossible to ever make a difference.

Sometimes, though, individual activism is more helpful than you may think.

Localised activism is not a ‘one size fits all’ job; its flexibility is what makes it so appealing to individuals. You can write, sing, publicly speak, create resources, make art, read and share articles. Your niche can be used for greater good, and these localised examples of individual activism help struggles and systemic inequalities appear human and relevant.

When you take on the role of activist with friends and

family, they are more likely to engage and respond in comparison to how they may view corporations, celebrities or politicians engaging in any form of activism. A best friend or aunt actively living a sustainable lifestyle would certainly motivate me more through example, than if I saw a post from an Instagram influencer I followed giving the same message. In turn, individual activism, online or in-person, helps to personalise different strands of activism, whether you are fighting for awareness, material change, or for people to adapt new lifestyle choices.

cause you are truly engaged in and researching around the topic provides purpose to those who might feel lost against the wave of crises we see every day in the news. Pursuing an interest in activism also enables individuals to meet with those who share similar values and ethics and help people to feel less isolated in their passion for change. The ease of falling into situations of loneliness in a socially distanced world can thus be combatted through a shared desire to do good and to help educate those around you.

Of course, the national Individual activism can also and global catastrophes benefit a person's confidence we are facing must not be and self-belief. Fighting for a blamed on the population’s

choices, but on the handling of crises from our political leaders. This should not, however, stop individuals from pursuing forms of activism.

Without Greta Thunberg’s solo school strike in August 2018, there wouldn’t be an internationally recognised Youth Strike for Climate. We don’t all need to make quite the global mark as Thunberg, but just try to imagine a world where everyone strived to better the world around them.

It’s easy to fall into a mindset that ‘I can’t make a difference’ but finding a cause that you believe in and want to aid is the first step to changing the world around you.

10 OPINION AND DEBATE

THE FOUNDER October 2020

The Presidential Debate: What’s in Store Next for America?

PHOEBE HUNT

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t is in no doubt that this year has had many significant highs and lows in all aspects, but on the political front the presidential debate that took place on the 29th September has certainly been a debate to remember. America has already seen an immense increase in tensions this year.

With the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, the upcoming presidential election has the potential to bring the nation to a breaking point.

This particular presidential debate is said to be one of the most watched in modern history, with both candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden sparring each other over issues including the US economy during the pandemic, racism and Trump’s decision to

hold rallies during the pandemic. What is to come for the nation that Trump once promised to make great again? When we look at Biden’s prepared statements that call out the incompetence of Trump’s leadership, this signifies Trump’s presidency as marking a downfall and decline in US presidential History. A prime example of this, when Biden argues that Trump ‘has Source: NDLA no plan for healthcare’, Ultimately, what impact a key component to a does this debate as well as the stable society and nation. presidency of Trump have on Trump’s presidency is also the upcoming election? A rea massive contrast to that of election for Trump is already Barack Obama. Obama not looking less and less likely, only introduced financial as already the future of and healthcare reforms, further presidential debates but also showed genuine is declining due to the engagement throughout his refusal of Trump partaking time in office, unlike Trump in virtual debates. However, who is refusing to take part it is the presidency of Trump in a virtual TV debate. itself that has done the most

damage to America and a reelection of Donald Trump for president would be a disaster for America in the current social and economic climate.

The United States was once one of the most powerful and influential nations in the world, but four years of failed foreign policy and neglect from Trump have been massively destructive to

the nation. Overall, it is clear that although it is unknown what exactly is in fact in store next for America, it is safe to say that after observing the presidency of Donald Trump as well as the most recent presidential debate, there is great hope that America will not have to once again endure a presidency of destruction from their leader.

Invitation of Chris Williamson Ignores Antisemitic Past IZZI VAUGHAN | EDITOR IN CHIEF n the 4th of October RHUL Debating Society announced that former Labour MP Chris Williamson would be speaking at an online event the following day, despite the Students’ Union Guest Speaker Policy introduced following the October 2019 referendum, after Debating society invited Katie Hopkins to speak.

Williamson was suspended from the Labour Party last February over his antisemitic remarks, and was banned from running as Derby North MP for the Labour Party in the 2019 election. Inviting a figure suspended from a political party for antisemitism is a clear violation of the Students’ Union Guest Speaker Policy, regarding No Platform for Hate

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Speech, and irresponsibly Labour Party in the High puts the Jewish community Court, but was unsuccessful. on campus at risk.

He has failed to challenge antisemitic remarks at a Williamson was meeting he addressed, while suspended in February also denying the existence of after a video emerged of antisemitism within Labour. him telling a meeting that He has promoted multiple the Labour Party had been antisemitic conspiracy ‘too apologetic’ over claims theories and cartoons, on of antisemitism. During one occasion promoting a the same meeting, he was conspiracy theory which shown to brag about how he claimed that Israel was behind sung Celebration by Kool the Salisbury poisoning. The and Gang when he found Jewish Board of Deputies out that Jewish Labour has condemned Williamson MP Joan Ryan had left on multiple occasions. While the party due to a ‘culture Williamson has apologised of antisemitism’. He was for his past remarks, he reinstated in June last year, continues to claim to be a but suspended again two victim of a ‘Witch Hunt’ days later after widespread against the Left in Labour, outcry.

Williamson clearly another example of continued to fight the his antisemitic beliefs. His

apology does not negate the The Students’ Union hate speech he has shared in issued a statement on the the past, and does not excuse event, where they state his behaviour. that they were not made aware of the event prior to For these reasons, Chris its announcement, and that Williamson’s invitation was RHUL Debating Society clearly in violation of article had not followed guidance 13 of the Students’ Union No and training provided over Platforming policy: the summer. President Kate Roberts also added that there ‘The Union Resolves is a ‘zero-tolerance approach to prevent any individual to any form of hate speech with a sustained history of at the Students’ Union’. In making statements that can their own statement, RHUL reasonably be interpreted as Debating Society issued an hate speech from entering apology to the Students’ Students' Union premises or Union, but no apology to speaking at a Students' Union the Jewish community on events or activities in any campus, which I would capacity, including affiliated argued is well overdue. groups to the Students' Union.’

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THE FOUNDER October 2020

Continued from the front page: Thus, Black History Month cannot ever be over-celebrated. It is one of the only times to dedicate learning and understanding of black history and culture, and to appreciate the efforts of black people

who dedicate their time to ending discrimination and promoting education of black history. We can, of course, recall black key figures who have made colossal contributions to society – Diane Abbott, for example, who was the first Black woman to

be elected to Parliament in 1987, and has since used her platform to raise education achievement levels amongst Black children. Mary Seacole – the first Black woman to make a mark on British public life during the Crimean War, though her

huge efforts were initially unwanted purely because of her skin colour. Nina Simone – a musical icon who used her platform and success to highlight racial injustice in America. Black key figures who have given their lives to educating and ending discrimination

can be listed forever, but this month is not confined to them. It is about Black culture, and Black history, and every single Black person. It is about ending discrimination and racism, that is still so devastatingly present, and continuing to strive for a world that is simply fair.

The Surreal Life of Surrey Campus; Founder’s Way of Living Amidst Crisis grows fonder of each other, and what initially looks posh is in fact genuine and lovely.

It is surreal on many levels and gets even crazier once the conservative way of living gets mixed with sci-fi ways of teaching.

It is hard to come to terms with calling this campus your home unless you had lived in a castle before. It does not matter how much you have in common with the men of Eton or whether you are from a tiny village like I am. It is quite easy getting overwhelmed by the beauty of this campus once you get here, no matter what your background is, and still struggle this year as the crisis keeps rising.

Queen Victoria opening Royal Holloway college in 1886 Source: Royal Holloway

from across the campus; you must rely on your household s freshers’ week was mainly, preferably in groups burdened with rules this of six. year, one could easily think it Founder’s is a household did not happen. The truth is it did, and it was even more held on a massive single-sex intense than before. From corridor, consisting of kids running away from security who ended up at a place to Hogwarts, to feeling homesick. In these compared times you suddenly can’t though in reality it is like a rely on your new friends boarding school with an adult

ALI KRAUSOVA

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twist to it.

You dine surrounded by Victorian paintings and read sat next to ivory sculptures.

The whole university life is already daunting on its own, but it gets even more intimidating once you realise you possess a strange kind of privilege, you had not known you have before.

Strange times divide this prestigious way of living though, as even those who wear jewellery made of real gold are struggling to find a part-time job. Private school background and wearing preppy jumpers mean nothing once you see that even those who are out every night feel lonely too. Maybe because of the loneliness everyone

Because of that, it is left to a great question: what will this boarding-school state of mind veventually do to us? Will it turn us good or bad? Coming to this lifestyle at the age of eighteen may be too late to do much harm, but current issues could strike us all soon. The more satirical it gets, the less I would be surprised if we had to leave the mesmerising campus again. After all – nothing gold can stay.

12 FEATURES

THE FOUNDER October 2020

The relatable story Away – of a journey to Mars CORY BAKER

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the spacecraft gets further from Earth they are forced into more primitive means of communication such as text messages.

way is a Netflix series which premiered on September 4th, 2020. As of writing this article, although it has been over a month since the show aired, Away is certainly worth a watch for binge-watchers who have not seen it yet. It tells the story of an international crew of astronauts on their perilous seven-month journey to be the first humans to set foot on Mars, and of the lives of their loved ones back on Earth. As hinted by the title, Away is primarily about the emotional tolls inflicted on astronauts and their loved ones by longterm spaceflight. It is worth noting that Away is not the first story to explore this theme in the context of space travel, and honourable mentions go to Apollo 13, Interstellar, and Mars (the 2016 Netflix miniseries).

The fact that Away was released in 2020 makes it all the more relatable to our experiences this year.

The crew depart from Earth, knowing that not only do they face a seven-month journey to the red planet, but that they will then have to live on the planet’s surface for another two years before the planets’ orbits align for an efficient return trip. The astronauts leave behind family, friends, and the lives they knew in pursuit of their goal. They go off into space knowing that they will miss over three

Source: House of Hedon, 2020

years of their children’s growth and be powerless to help should a family crisis arise. The multimillion-

mile separation causes some back on Earth to feel abandoned, and frequently drives the astronauts to

doubt if they should have gone at all. At first the crew can speak to their loved ones via video calls, but as

Watching Away, one cannot help but draw parallels between the characters’ experiences and ours in the ongoing pandemic. The image of being locked in a tin can with a handful of strangers for several months, relying on social media to connect to loved ones, does not seem too dissimilar to being forced into quarantine.

And then there is the all too familiar scenario of a crewmember falling dangerously ill, forcing the crew to don facemasks as they struggle to care for him without being exposed to the virus, regularly taking their own temperatures to see if they too got sick.

But despite all of the perils they face on their journey, both psychological and mortal, the crew persevere by helping and supporting one another. No matter how bleak the present situation may be, the crew remain strong and determined in the knowledge that an exciting future awaits them on Mars, and that one day they will be reunited with their loved ones. Watching Away through this lens can be cathartic in coming to terms with the strange and scary times we are living in, and inspire us to look forward to better times.

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THE FOUNDER October 2020

White Supremacy and Genocide: The Making of Britain’s Hero IZZI VAUGHAN | EDITOR IN CHIEF

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his October we celebrate Black History Month, a time to learn and reflect on the history of Black people and the Black struggle across the world. In doing so, it is important to also recognise our own racist history which still lives on in today’s society.

The recent Black Lives Matter protests in London saw the Winston Churchill statue in Westminster Square vandalised, causing widespread outrage. In 2002, Churchill was voted ‘Greatest Briton’ of all time (BBC). But his heroic status in British history hides his much darker past.

Churchill was fundamentally a White Supremacist, who ‘saw himself and Britain as being the winners in a social Darwinian hierarchy’ (John Charmley). Dr Shashi Tharoor, an Indian MP, put Churchill in the same category as some of the worst genocidal dictators of the 20th century.

Churchill’s statue in Westminster Square has been vandalised many times.

In student protests, football riots, but most recently, and most controversially, as part of the Black Lives Matter protest when his name was crossed out and the words ‘was a racist’ written underneath. A man who in 1937 told the Palestine Royal Commission ‘I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the Black people

Source: Eastern Eye

of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a highergrade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place’ (BBC). Speaking on Islam, in his 1899 book The River War, Churchill claimed that ‘improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live’.

Churchill’s world view was vile, his view of race one of colonial White Supremacy.

His actions, by no surprise, reflect his attitudes.

In 1919, speaking of the use of chemical weapons

against Kurds and Afghans, he said ‘I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes’ (BBC). In 1943, up to 3 million people were killed in the Bengal Famine (BBC), where Churchill diverted food to British soldiers and countries such as Greece while people in Bengal starved. Churchill, aware of the situation in Bengal, refused to meet India’s need for wheat, instead continuing to insist that they export rice to fuel the war effort. The War Cabinet, meanwhile, ordered stockpile of wheat for feeding European civilians after liberation. 170,000 tons of Australian wheat bypassed starving India for storage.

Speaking on the famine, Churchill blamed the people

of India, who he claimed as Secretary of State for War and Air, the Irish War ‘breed like rabbits’ (BBC). of Independence began.

Churchill’s appalling Churchill deployed the Black actions did not stop at the and Tans, with a reputation UK border. In 1910, the for excessive violence and Tonypandy riots in South brutality, to fight the IRA and Wales saw a dispute between Irish independence. miners and mine owners lasting almost a year. There He may have been Prime were clashes with local Minister at the time that police, and the then Home Britain defeated the Nazis, Secretary Winston Churchill but it was not Churchill sent in soldiers, rather than who won the war. It was the meet the demands of the ordinary working people in miners. A similar event the trenches, factories and happened a year later in fields who defeated them.

Liverpool, where soldiers It was them who sacrificed were called to strike related their lives and loved ones. riots. And in 1919 10,000 Churchill was a White troops with tanks were sent supremacist. He committed to Glasgow during a period genocide in Bengal. And he of widespread strikes (BBC). used brutal force against his In Ireland in 1919, 11 days own citizens. He was no hero. after Churchill’s appointment

14 LIFESTYLE

THE FOUNDER October 2020

RHUL’s Christmas Project

KATIE UPTON | LIFESTYLE EDITOR

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ver the last few months we have had plenty of time to reflect on life’s luxuries and what we take for granted on a daily basis, and for a group of Royal Holloway students, they’ve decided to redirect positivity into a beneficial cause. The Christmas Project set up by Olivia Migliari (Third Year PIR Student) is a volunteerbased organisation used to pack and distribute Christmas gift boxes to vulnerable children and families in South East Europe. Other team leaders include Niya Ivanova (Third year Law with Criminology Student) and Jenna Bray (Third Year Maths Student).

They are working on two projects named ‘Love in a Box’ and ‘Santa’s Workshop’, and in a recent series of Instagram posts they each said what they were most looking forward to in the festive season of volunteering.

clean and/or entertained – and wrapped in bright Christmas wrapping paper, will bring a little joy into people’s lives.

Each shoebox, once opened, will certainly bring smiles, wonder and delight to a child ‘Making a difference in our or pensioner living in dire community and reaching out circumstances. All too often, to those who need our support they are living in poverty and have come to expect little of the most.’ – Niya the joy of Christmas.

‘Tackling the challenges Please help us to fulfil that we will face having to take on this role virtually.’ – the unique promise and commitment that each Jenna shoebox filled by you will Why fill a shoebox? be in the hands of a grateful child or pensioner living in This appeal reaches out poverty, before Christmas to Europe’s poorest, the Day. You will make a abandoned, the terminally real festive difference to or incurably ill; those with disabilities, those living with HIV or AIDS or dementia or the multiple challenges CHLOE STORER loneliness, poverty in old ver lockdown between age can bring, showing that writing my dissertation whatever their challenges and working in a supermarket there are still people who care. I found myself to be incredibly ‘Watching the Christmas shoeboxes pile up in the coming weeks so we can really try and make a difference even during these strange times!!’ – Olivia

What can you include in a shoebox?

- Special Item: Include a toy that a child will immediately love as soon as they open the box. Ideas include cuddly toy, deflated football & pump, toy truck, doll (baby, Barbie etc), musical instruments.

- School Supplies: Pens, pencils & sharpeners, crayons or felt pens, stamps & ink pad sets, writing pads or notebooks & paper, solar

calculators, colouring picture books etc.

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- Hygiene Items: bars of wrapped soap, comb or hairbrush, flannel.

- Other: Hat, cap, gloves or scarf, sunglasses, hair accessories, jewellery set, wind up torch, slinky spring, matchbox cars.

For more information on how you can take part in the appeal please get in contact with one of the wonderful volunteers on The Christmas Project RHUL social media channels.

Find Your Inner Zen!

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stressed and unable to unwind Your shoebox, once filled in the usual ways, i.e. with with little gifts – perhaps a friends or at the SU! So, I took few things to keep them warm, to the internet and found yoga was highly recommended as good for stress relief and general wellbeing. I downloaded the app Daily Yoga and I’ve never looked back!

1. Yoga is a good work out – although not exactly HIIT training, it takes a lot of core strength and helps to improve flexibility. Yoga is also not just for women, with famous athletes such as Lionel Messi admitting to mediating and doing yoga to stay physically and mentally fit.

Source: Instagram

every single parent family involved, each child and every pensioner with your ‘Love in a Box’ Shoebox.

2. Yoga can help you sleep – I often did the morning yoga sessions in order to prepare for the day, however there is research which shows the practice can help with insomnia amongst other things – light some candles and relax!

to the body such as aiding digestion and increasing the mobility of the organs and muscles and as such can help you to lose weight.

5. Yoga can be cathartic – essentially, it can help you think and feel emotions you may not have dealt 3. Yoga relieves stress – with properly and help with perhaps the most commonly healing. associated benefit of yoga, 6. Yoga is as long or it is scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety. short as you make it – it can This is because the breathing take as long as you want it to, techniques and relaxation aids if it is something you want the lowering of hormones to do at the start of the day such as cortisol in the body, you can just do a ten minute it also lowers blood pressure stretching session or if you’re and heart rate, improving in the middle of deadlines you digestion and boosting the could do a longer mindfulness session. While there are apps immune system. to guide you, you could 4. Yoga can help with also do it in your own way weight management – you meaning yoga can slip into do burn calories while doing your life easily as it is not a yoga and the physical benefits massive time commitment.

THE FOUNDER October 2020

The app Daily Yoga is really easy to navigate and has a number of sections targeted at what you want to use the yoga for – skill improvement, weight loss, stress relief, mental health, toning, staying healthy etc. It then has lots of one-week courses for free to try out to see if you get on with that particular style or not. Yoga is beneficial for both mental and physical health and is something that is part of my everyday lifestyle and routine and it could be part of yours too!

of Asian-based media doubling, revealing a clear interest for brands that are seeking to reach their Asian consumers through digital activations.

Meanwhile, at the recent three-day New York Fashion Week, Launchmetrics found that smaller brands greatly benefited from the exposure of an abbreviated schedule less populated with big names.

Source: Zen Yoga Blog

Was the World’s First Digital Fashion Week a Success?

KATIE UPTON | LIFESTYLE EDITOR When the coronavirus outbreak clutched the world in March 2020, Paris Fashion Week had just come to a close. Months later, fashion week federations around the globe decided to migrate.

Now, six months on from the last women’s fashion week, the four fashion capitals displayed a hybridized, but mostly digital, fashion week — their attempt to still buoy press, buyers and consumers alike.

Having grand fashion shows be replaced by a twodimensional digital version of itself poses an opportunity for the fashion industry to reconsider its gluttonous approach to how we consume collections, across four cities in four weeks, for twelve hours a day, in similar anonymous, crammed spaces with a handful of exceptions.

While it may prevent the exchange of ideas in person, it comes at a time when the way we see fashion was already undergoing a period

LIFESTYLE 15

of upheaval. The pandemic merely accelerated fashion’s digital makeover.

Bringé notes that the Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture event this summer provided a much larger exposure to ‘While the current health the Asian markets with the crisis has disrupted business Media Impact ValueTM as usual, we’ve seen a lot of (an algorithm developed by positive results nonetheless Launchmetrics that measures from brands who have quickly the impact of placements and navigated the situation,’ mentions across different said Alison Bringé, CMO voices in the fashion, luxury at Launchmetrics, a brand and cosmetics industry) performance cloud company.

Source: Grazia

‘This goes to show that harnessing the power of digital not only allows you to respond to fast-paced changes but it enables you to amplify your content and collection launches, to reach new markets and global audiences,’ said Bringé.

This is also the case at Milan Fashion Week where, according to the week’s leader, Carlo Capasa, the September edition of the event that combined physical and digital shows garnered 43 million views on streaming channels.

The earned media value from the event, he said, was €35 million, a 325 percent increase from the predominantly digital July men’s edition.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Vanessa Friedman, fashion director and chief fashion critic at The New York Times about her take on this year’s events: ‘It makes you do your job differently. You see whatever show in whatever form. Whether it works depends on what role you’re in in the industry; you need something different if you’re a critic versus a buyer. I was interested to see how creative designers were when forced to deal with what’s happening. I was interested in those who took different approaches to how to show because this new situation demands a new way of doing things. Thebe Magugu used a substantive narrative about apartheid spies and dressed them for a reenactment. The clothes played a supporting role which may seem wrong to some designers but that’s how clothes function in real life.

Maybe the future is a mix of everything we’ve seen, different forms of digital shows, experiences, and intimate presentations.

A successful f a s h i o n week should combine all of this.’

16 LIFESTYLE World

Mental

Self Care Tips

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Health home; livelihoods being threatened; or coping with the isolation that comes with social distancing. During the coronavirus lockdown, 49% of the population had feelings of anxiety or worry and, with reduced social interaction, more than one in five felt lonely.

Top tips for ultimate selfcare: 1) Write down three things you’re grateful for every day.

Source: Pinterest

KATIE UPTON | LIFESTYLE EDITOR

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orld Mental Health Day has been celebrated on 10 October each year since 1992. It was designed to be an international day which would promote mental health advocacy, educate the public, raise awareness and try to prevent the stigma which is still often associated with mental health issues. Mental health is central to everyone’s well-being and it is important to recognise that these issues can affect anyone.

In any given year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem of some kind. This year’s Mental Health Awareness Day comes at a time when many people have been feeling the particular impact of the COVID-19 situation.

This year’s theme, ‘Mental Health For All’, recognises that these impacts have been felt by everyone. Challenges have come in many forms, such as providing childcare while working from home; going to work with the fear of bringing COVID-19

Social Media Stalkers, STOP! CHLOE STORER While it has always been incredibly easy to find an ex, an ex’s new partner, an ex’s old partner or even an ex friend given that we have grown up in a world ruled by social media, it has only got more tempting given what 2020 had provided us with.

BUT IT HAS TO STOP. Firstly – it is weird! Thanks to the advent of social media, it is all too easy to check in on your ex’s new partner, or your partners ex or someone

you see as ‘competition’ for someone you are interested in. The truth of the matter is they have absolutely nothing to do with you, and the sooner you realise this the happier you will be! Often these people were not part of your life and have no need to be now.

Secondly – it is inevitable to compare yourself to these people when you are on their pages, particularly if the reason you are stalking them is because of a romantic interest. We have to stop

There have been so many studies linking gratitude to better mental wellbeing, increased life satisfaction, and a lower risk of burnout.

An easy way to bring more gratitude into your life is to make it a habit. Every evening before bed, take some time to reflect on your day and write down (writing it down is important, so do that rather than just thinking about it) three things you’re grateful for. They can be big things, like ‘I’m grateful for the existence of my cat’, or small things, like ‘I had a great cup of tea today’. The bonus of thinking about ourselves in comparison to others as we are all individuals. We also have to stop putting other people down in order to make ourselves feel better.

Comments are always harmful even if you are just thinking them in your own time as you are hurting yourself by wondering why you weren’t good enough but this person is, or why they dated a certain person as you are the opposite of them and their type. You are good enough and by looking at their social media you are achieving nothing good.

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doing this is that once you’ve built up the habit, you can look back on all the things you’ve been grateful for – really useful when you feel like everything’s terrible.

2) Try mindfulness.

Practising mindfulness is associated with lower stress and increased life satisfaction, so if you haven’t already given meditation sessions and mindfulness guides a go, you really, really should. Headspace is the goto because it does the trick.

It’s quick, easy, and you can do the guided meditation sessions anywhere, meaning there’s no excuse for not at least trying it as part of your

2020: day-to-day routine.

3) Spend time in nature (or just outside).

Time and time again we’re shown that time in green spaces does wonders for our mental health. If you can, head to your local park and hang out with some trees. If you have a garden, just reading for a while out there or watering the plants will help. There’s something mentally healing about being out in the fresh air and seeing the natural wonders of the world – if only because this means you’re not stewing in bed, un-showered and in a blocking-out-the-world duvet cocoon.

Source: Rebecca Weigler, illustrator Thirdly – social media is just a snapshot of someone’s life. Instagram for example, is a self-curated space where people share their best moments and best angles often. By stalking such sites not only are you only seeing what they want you to see, i.e. their best, you are also no longer seeing a whole person with flaws and feelings.

Social media is fantastic most of the time, however it is all too easy to obsess over it, not even just over other’s pages, but over your own and how other people will view you.

Instead, focus on yourself!

STOP typing their name in the search bar, what you do not know cannot hurt you and it cannot hurt others. By not stalking it will also help you to heal and move on quicker or enable you to be happy without having to drag others looks and behaviours to briefly feel better about yourself. It is such a difficult thing to do, especially with how easy it is to find these people but trust me, you will feel much better once the urge is gone!

LITERARY REVIEW 17

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Sherlock: A Timeless Hero CHLOE BOULTON

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opular detective novel A Study in Scarlet was published in 1887, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; the novel in question marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes. For forty years after this, Holmes appeared in fifty-six short stories and four novels written by Conan Doyle. Since his first on-screen appearance in 1900, the character has been adapted to both television and film over 290 times, making him the most filmed fictional character of all time.

At first glance, Holmes is an ill-tempered, selfimportant, society-rejecting

Beatrice

MERCEDES-GEORGIA MAYES | LITERARY REVIEW EDITOR

workaholic; he is, quite simply, the unlikeliest of inspirations, much less a hero.

However, these flaws make for an excellent protagonist.

In spite of his faults, Holmes is intelligent, logical, and imaginative. At times it is hard to believe that he is even human: he is simply that good at what he does. It is a combination of all of these traits that makes Holmes the unexpected inspiration and hero that he is. Whilst many fictional characters that are seen to be heroes have something that takes them from ordinary to superhuman, for instance Harry Potter and magic, or Iron Man and his suit, it is Holmes’ intelligence that makes him superhuman.

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nown predominantly for writing Life Of Pi (2001), Yann Martel is an award-winning Canadian author, with a string of highly thoughtful novels exploring wildly different themes and stories. After winning the Man Booker Prize for Life of Pi, Martel spent the next few years working on Beatrice and Virgil (2010). Though lesser known, it is no less impactful, subtly and then suddenly confronting the reader with hard questions, and painful associations.

Beatrice and Virgil starts with an insight into the life of a writer, Henry, and the rejection of his flipbook, which contains one essay and one fictional narrative on the Holocaust. In the wake of this rejection, Henry moves

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to a new city and finds new ways to fill his empty hours: amateur dramatics, part-time work, pets, and answering fan-mail. One day in his pile of letters, however, he receives a much thicker passage, and thus begins his association with a taxidermist, a monkey, and a donkey. Through these characters and the play that they are struggling to piece together, a new way of looking at, and understanding, the Holocaust is put forward. A new way of talking about it.

Martel manages to create a world where the reader is able to think critically about the Holocaust, by revealing the terrible acts which demoralised, dehumanised, and destroyed the lives of six million Jews and five million others through symbolism.

The use of animals as an allegory, surrounded by the symbols of suffering, helps to

Conan Doyle’s stories about the detective are accessible to all, and with the many on-screen adaptations of the character, Holmes is widely open for interpretation.

One person may see him simply as a temperamental but genius detective, whereas for others, Holmes is one of the few sound fictional representations of intelligence and academia being used morally and attainably. Whilst it is not often a person will be able to see their brain as an empty room, as Holmes does, an ordinary reader or viewer can in fact use their own skills of deduction and problemsolving to achieve what they wish.

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Unlike countless other heroes, Holmes’ superhuman intelligence and humanity are able to co-exist, neither one suffering as a result of the others’ presence. His involvement with the law, and righting wrongs places him as an authority figure, but he is instantly humanised and taken down from his pedestal by his own personal faults, and habits that contradict his involvement with the law (predominantly his relationship with cocaine, though at the time of writing, dependency upon the drug came without stigma). Not everything done by Holmes can be idolised, least of all in modern society, but it is his fallibility which perhaps

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bridge the mental gap between experiences without softening the blow for consumption and, more importantly, without sensationalising the violence.

Violence towards animals, while by no means easy to read, is more palatable than violence towards our fellow human beings. The allegory is useful in other ways too, with the denomination ‘animal’ connoting a diversity akin to that of the breadth of human experience. It also Source: Unsplash allows the reader to reflect breaks from key questions on the voiceless nature of the he raises, whilst also animals, their inability to be revealing the ways in which understood during or after the Holocaust pervades and the horrors that they faced, haunts these otherwise safe and their constant desire to spaces. find new ways to convey the extremity of the experience, It is strikingly emotional, often without success. but it is also informative.

By framing the narrative around Henry’s everyday life, too, Martel gives the reader the time and the space to take

Those who were not there will never be able to fully understand the degradation and depravity of existence in

makes him a healthier ideal.

As for Conan Doyle, he too was a genius, cementing his name in literary history as the progenitor of this iconic character: Holmes will undoubtedly be reincarnated for the modern audience once again. Meanwhile Conan Doyle’s stories are arguably the cornerstone of detective fiction, each one exciting and thrilling in its own way.

Though Conan Doyle is long past, and Holmes fictitious, the pair inspire and influence, as they have and will continue to do for another 133 years.

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the camps of Nazi Germany no matter how many accounts they read. However, with every new account that is written, whether fictive, real, or a blend of the two, a new group of readers will hear the voices to which we no longer have access. One way or another, they will keep the story alive.

18 LITERARY REVIEW

THE FOUNDER October 2020

The House Without Windows

by Barbara Newhall Follett KINZA AZIRA or many of us our love of books was kindled in childhood. We hid bulky novels beneath classroom tables and torch read under the covers at night. The stories we read shaped us into the people we are today, and, in some respects, probably still do. Undoubtedly, we have all since grown up and whilst we may no longer aspire to be a hobbit, spy or wizard, we most definitely still value the qualities we found in them. With an adult lens and an evolved sense of inspiration we now see qualities such as bravery, strength and loyalty in the characters we once wished to be, taking them on as best we can and applying them to our day to day. After all, if we are unable to ‘Oculus Reparo’ our glasses fixed, we can at least take the courage and thirst for knowledge that will mend our perspective on life.

for nature, she aims to live in the only house without windows: the great outdoors.

Eppership is a young girl herself and she runs from the stability of a nurturing family first to The Meadow, then to The Sea and finally to The Mountains. The novel is one of a human belonging to nature and appreciating, in full, the beauty of the world around her. The freedom Follett gives her protagonist becomes inspirational in itself- touting the bravery needed to run from comfort and embrace the tenuous splendor of the outdoors. At such a tender age, Barbara embellished the story with a beauty some adult writers could only aspire to achieve. Whilst written by a child, and for children, I would recommend The House Without Window’s to any adult reader, to remind them of the boldness often lost with childhood.

It is with great irony that almost all children’s novels are written by adults who have lived and grown, sharing their morals and lessons with the next generation through inspiring characters. The process is endlessly cyclical.

The House Without Windows

by Barbara Newhall Follet provides a phenomenal exception. Follett first started writing the story of a little girl called Eppership when she was but nine years old, and it was published by the time she was twelve (in 1926).

The novel very soon went on to become a bestseller and Barbara was acclaimed a child genius. The story is of Eppership and her desire

Barbara Follett is an excellent example of living the dreams we have as children- perhaps, to the extreme. At age thirty, married and settled, Barbara walked away from her home on a cold December afternoon with some cash in her pocket and was never seen again. Barbara embodied Eppership’s bravery, and readers of her novels will forever wish she made it where her heart belonged.

The stories of both Eppership and Barbara Follett are an undoubtable inspiration to readers everywhere to live the lives they wish to live.

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Source: Unsplash

If Cats Disappeared From The World: Genki Kawamura

ABIGAIL WATERS Japanese best seller, If Cats Disappeared From The World by Genki Kawamura is a quirky novella that plays out the last, rather bizarre, week of our terminally ill narrator’s life with his cat Cabbage.

After his sudden diagnosis of a grade four brain tumour, the estranged protagonist is paid a visit from none other than the Devil himself. Not because the young man is morally corrupt or an evil mastermind, but to offer him a bargain the likes of which we can only dream: one extra day of life. However, in exchange for this, one thing in the world must disappear completely, as though it had never existed.

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Set out as a final letter, will and testament addressed to his alienated father, the colloquial and darkly funny account of a sobering experience hides Kawamura’s complex exploration into the impact of materialism on human values. The removal of modernity’s vices – phones, music, films, clocks – eliminates the excuses we create for ourselves to abandon the emotionally hard aspects of life in an

almost Faustian assessment of the values of the modern world. These embedded distractions force us through a similar monotony to the one in which the narrator had existed prior to the Devil’s comical appearance.

By drawing attention to this, Kawamura asks us to unpack and address our dependency on them. Despite this critique of materialism, the most poignant quality of this story is not the tragically short time we spend with the narrator without technology, but the witness of a lifetime of bottled up sentiment unravelling that comes with it.

In the end it takes the loss of time, a decluttering of the world and two special cats

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to make the narrator see what is really important in life.

We crave reconciliation and human connection under the pressures of impending loss, making our relationships a fundamental element of being human. This is more poignant now for most people than it ever has been, with families and friends stuck together or torn apart by the constraints of what felt like a lifetime under lockdown.

The sacrifice made for a chance at redemption is admirable, therefore. Asking for forgiveness renders us emotionally vulnerable, for a second chance at saving something always come with a risk of rejection, and Kawamura captures this perfectly. It is a painfully and intimidatingly vulnerable story, which is why this act of bravery from the narrator at the end of the novel sets an example to those struggling with how COVID-19 has redefined our relationships.

Rekindling connections is emotionally hard, so now more than ever it is important to keep the relationships we have close while we learn how to reconnect in this rapidly changing world.

THE FOUNDER October 2020

LITERARY REVIEW 19

Tess of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy MICHELLE KENNEDY

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ess of the D’ubervilles was written by Thomas Hardy in 1891, and tells the story of a young girl’s life after a devastating occurence.

The titular Tess has a poor upbringing, yet we learn at the beginning of the novel that she has wealthy descendants. This introduction gives readers high hopes for Tess and her future, which are slowly broken down as time goes on.

Later on in the novel, Tess meets the wealthy Alec, who quickly grows obsessed with her and just as quickly takes advantage of her innocence.

Soon after, Tess falls pregnant with Alec’s unwanted baby and from there the social implications of this follow her until the end of the novel, where she is executed for

murdering her rapist, Alec.

Despite writing in a time when authors did not often consider the precarities of female life, or at least did not empathise with them, Hardy held a torch to the injustices they faced. Within the novel, dissatisfaction is frequently expressed concerning the inherent unfairness of a society that would allow a victim of rape to be shunned by society and blamed for the actions of her abuser. Although our female heroin experiences a tragic end, Hardy indulges in a passionate reflection of how real these issues were, and of how seldom they were addressed.

Tess’ hardships throughout the novel continue to inspire

female readers today, with Tess overcoming the difficulties she faces, and holding onto her passion for life and love despite the backlash. Our heroin never quite gives up hope and it is emboldening to see such determination, from writer and character, to bring to light stories of injustice, as it is only through knowledge of them that we can unite to fight these battles. Along with this strength, another feminist aspect of the novel that Hardy presents us with is the firmness of autonomy and choice. Tess begins her life in poverty, but rather than succumbing to the promise of a rich life without stigma by marrying Alec, she struggles through her troubles and does not validate her abuser.

Here, we see the power of a

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female choosing to live her life the way she wants to live it. Tess never relies on a man.

Her power lies in her own convictions, making decisions based on her own judgements rather than anyone else’s persuasions.

So, despite the many misfortunes in Tess of the D’urbervilles, Hardy manages to express a general message of hope, presenting his female heroin as fierce, strong and

compassionate in the face of her struggles. Many writers during this period focused on a woman in love or a woman in marriage- completely opposing Hardy’s revelation of the pain and misfortunes women often experienced in society. Not only does this inspire women to this day, but it inspired many writers to follow in his footsteps and allow women in their novels to be as independent and selfreliant as Tess.

Books to inspire: Dear NHS and A Little Life when we rely on them to keep us safe and well. It boasts a mixture of heartbreaking and heartwarming accounts from inspirational figures including Malala Yousefzi, Professor Green, Kae Tempest and Matt Haig.

Source: Unsplash GEORGIA BISBAS

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often recommend books to people with such an earnestness you could easily assume it was some sort of sponsored advertising, that is how sure I am of the power of literature to impact the way we think, and inspire us to greater things. The theme of this month was books that have inspired us, and I immediately thought

of Dr Adam Kay’s latest publication, Dear NHS. Curated during the trying lockdown months, it is a collection of over 100 ‘thank you’s from well-known figures, expressing their gratitude to the marvel that is our National Health Service.

It is a testament to the remarkable commitment that nurses, doctors and all NHS and hospital staff display

What I must admit however, is that I personally am not one for an ‘inspirational’ book per se, if there’s a muted cover with a dandelion on it and a promise that this book will inspire you to ‘change your life, excel at work and become your best self with 5 simple steps’ I tend to leave it on the shelf.

Yes, I am aware, I judged it by its cover, but what I do not want to do is line the pocket of an ex Silicone Valley honcho, inspired by nude meditation to throw his phone off a mountain and

wake up at 4am every day to eat charcoal.

As such, I had a hard time narrowing down the three novels that have recently compounded my desire to write, fully aware my story telling will never be as masterful, but the sheer force of them has inspired me to try.

The recent reigning example is A Little Life by Hanya Yangihara. On a technical level, her story telling was so magnificent one could not help but be inspired by the commitment to the craft and her commitment to tell the stories of Willem, JB, Malcolm and Jude. The breadth of the prose is vast and it is a staggering tale of companionship; a testament to how far friendships can be pushed when secrets are withheld as one character

grapples with the weight of more trauma than anyone should have to shoulder in their life, and his reluctance to share it with the people who love him most. The adversity and pain that carves itself into Jude’s body is haunting of his own observation that ‘books lie, they make things prettier.’ This book certainly has its ugly moments but there is such beauty in the love and kindness that threads the relationships together. Published in 2016 it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Kirkus Prize for Fiction. No less, Yangihara was Editor of T magazine, The New York Times style supplement, when she wrote her 700 page masterpiece, an inspirational feat by anyone’s standards.

20 ARTS & CULTURE The Buildings of Egham – t h e F o u n d e r ’s B u i l d i n g since, buildings and pieces of architecture in a meticulous county-by-county, townby-town, process.

Of Egham, Pevsner writes it is a ‘characterless village’, ‘a smaller-scale Staines’, and it does not have ‘any worthwhile buildings in it.’ Upon reading this, I decided to, if not prove Pevsner wrong, then at least understand why he is right.

Source: Wikimedia

JOSHUA RICE bicycle shed is a building; Lincoln cathedral is a piece of architecture.’

Nikolaus Pevsner wrote these words to open his Outline of European Architecture which is undoubtedly one of the most influential and enduring books on the subject. Pevsner, an art historian by training,

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aided the introduction of architectural history to the masses through his writings and lectures in a career that spanned from the 1920s until his death in 1983. He is perhaps most well-known for his detailed, and often humorously condescending, book series The Buildings of England in which he surveys, to an extent not seen before or

The first subject of this series, the Buildings of Egham, may seem like a bit of cliché, but it is a good place to begin. It is the Founder’s Building, designed by the maverick architect W.H. Crossland. Founder’s is unquestionably a piece of architecture. Based on the Chateau du Chambord, Founder’s brings the later renaissance French style from the Loire valley and drops it alongside the A30. The visual

THE FOUNDER October 2020

links between the two, aside from the enormous scale of both, is most noticeable through the turrets and the cupolas which allow the light to drift past and create a distinctive silhouette if viewed from down the hill by the Student’s Union. The contrast between the white limestone of Chambord and the red brick of Founder’s ensures the latter’s triumphant independence from the original.

The exterior of the building is adorned with people, animals and flowers.

The names of three of the great western writers: Homer, Dante and Shakespeare appear on a stone parchment in the South Quad, a nod towards the educational purpose of the building itself.

The old college motto is also visible on the Quad’s interior wall: ‘nil desperandum’ (Do not despair; never despair), which can seem to be a bit sardonic as essay deadlines begin to approach.

What makes the building even more extraordinary is not just its form, but also its function. It was funded by Thomas Holloway as a gift to the nation: a university for women, at a time when Oxford and Cambridge did not formally allow women to receive degrees. It was established almost 150 years ago, and it is still used for the purpose it was built: higher education. It is a hall of residence, a library, an art gallery, a chapel, a pub, and visually, and quite literally, palatial.

I must admit that I have cheated a little bit, in that Pevsner would have considered Founder’s to be a part of Englefield Green rather than Egham. However, now Founder’s is out of the way, I will begin the search for something in Egham that is more like Lincoln cathedral, and less like a bicycle shed.

Oedipus-19 TOM BARRETT

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hilst Covid-19 is the first major pandemic in most people’s living memory, and new to us, the occurrence of such events predates humanity itself.

What has changed, however, is our understanding of them.

Source: Wikimedia

Take, for example, the pandemic that takes place in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. First performed in approximately 430 BCE, Oedipus Rex tells the story of King Oedipus, a man who left his home in Corinth in the hopes of thwarting a prophecy that

predicted he would kill his father and marry his mother.

After various antics, Oedipus marries Queen Jocasta and they have four children together. Then: the plague happens. A pandemic sweeps through the kingdom, and nobody knows exactly what has caused it or how to stop it.

In ancient Greece, plagues were believed to be sent from a god or goddess as a punishment, or to force someone in power to grant justice. The Corinthian people seek out King Oedipus and ask him to avenge the murder

THE FOUNDER October 2020

of the previous King Laius, as they believe this will end the plague. In order to do this, Oedipus consults an oracle, who says that he is seeking to punish himself. Alarmed by this, Oedipus decides to investigate the circumstances of King Laius’ death, and is concerned when they sound startlingly familiar.

He learns that King Laius was killed at the very same crossroads where Oedipus

was harassed by a group of travellers, and he had killed all of them except one. When Oedipus’ father dies and he learns he was adopted, the dominos of doom fall into place: Oedipus was the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta. They had abandoned Oedipus as a baby to die on a mountaintop, until he was rescued by a shepherd.

Unwittingly, Oedipus had murdered his father in selfdefence on the way to Corinth,

ARTS & CULTURE 21 and in marrying the queen he had accidentally married his grieving mother. After Queen Jocasta commits suicide in response to this revelation, the play ends with Oedipus blinding himself and going into exile, where he mourns for his crimes for the rest of his life. With the murderer of King Laius brought to justice, the plague ends, and Oedipus’ brother ascends to the throne.

us today? The concept that a sickness or corruption in the ruler of a land can bring literal sickness to his kingdom is something that occurs throughout history, with tales such as the Arthurian legend of the Fisher King being a prime example. In each instance, the solution is found in healing the ruler, killing the ruler, or bringing about justice. If Covid-19 were to have struck in ancient So what can this teach times, the answer would not

have been masks and social distancing but perhaps the blinding of Boris Jonson, or the purging of the corruption in Parliament. Yet, this plague covers more than just the UK: it has spread across the entire world. If the gods do exist and are angry, then it is at multiple world leaders, and all we can do is pray that a vaccine will be enough – and hope that the upcoming US election will change the world for the better.

Anger as Rishi Sunak Te l l s A r t i s t s t o ‘ R e t r a i n ’ TESSA PINTO | ARTS EDITOR

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hancellor Rishi Sunak caused outrage on the 6th October during an interview for ITV news when he suggested that artists, who have had their employment opportunities devastated by the fall out of the Covid-19 crisis, should retrain and find

new jobs. A governmentbacked advert suggesting a ballerina re-train for a job in cyber security has subsequently added fuel to the fire, with the Culture Secretary distancing himself from social media backlash and labelling the decision to release it as ‘crass’. Sunak himself has responded by

Source: Pippa Fowles, Crown Copyright

arguing that his words had been misinterpreted, and that a £1.57 billion ‘cultural recovery programme’ would buoy struggling industries – but his sentiment is evident from a reading of the interview transcript, and many have queried just how far this investment package will go, given that much of

the cultural sector is already Sunak’s comments reveal on its last legs following just how far much of the years of austerity imposed by political establishment are the Conservative Party. from the reality of modern life. Many artists, musicians, Treating the arts and those comedians and actors already who create them as something have to take on multiple jobs frivolous and expendable is in order to support a career particularly galling given that in the arts; these jobs are this year, perhaps more than often in the service industry, any other in recent memory, which has similarly been has given us the occasion to decimated by the crisis. A reflect on their vital role in glaringly obvious issue with our lives. During the bleak the directive to simply ‘get uncertainty of lockdown and another job’ is that other in the preceding, turbulent jobs, particularly well-paid months, the arts have been ones, are desperately thin on a lifeline to so many of us the ground.

– where reading, watching films, listening to music and In 2020, possession of finding our own creative financial security already outlets have brought joy. gives a significant and unfair Similarly, the significance advantage to those looking of many art forms is felt in to pursue a creative career. their absence. Most of us Unless robust and long-term are yearning to return to support is widely provided, the theatre, to live gigs or the arts are likely to become to dance shows, or even to even more of a playground for places like the cinema, which the elite than they currently have reopened but to which are. Artistic production in people feel understandably this country will become less conflicted about returning to. vital and less diverse, and we will be all the poorer for it.

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THE FOUNDER October 2020

Goodbye Cinema? A reflection on the effect COVID-19 has had LEWIS. J. WHITE | FILM EDITOR

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OVID-19 has changed our world forever.

Infection rates spiking.

Unemployment rates rising.

Cinemas? Closing.

This was perhaps the one disaster movie people weren’t expecting to see this year.

With the recent news that Cineworld and Picture House cinemas are closing across the UK as of October 9th, many are fearing for the future of cinema goers in the UK. After cinemas across the UK were urged to close during the national lockdown earlier in the year, many films scheduled to be released in

2020 have either been delayed indefinitely or released on streaming platforms.

One example of this is Disney Studios’ live action remake of Mulan originally scheduled to be released in cinemas in March – after being delayed numerous times (amidst internal controversy surrounding the Hong Kong strikes) Disney finally released the remake on their streaming platform: Disney +. Successful or not, it was a bold and definitive move from Disney, but more importantly: what did it mean for cinema?

The success of digital streaming platforms has been prevalent globally, Netflix and Amazon Prime practically have a lottery on

on movie theatres across the UK home releases now as well as award winning content produced by the platforms themselves. In the last two years the success of Netflix’s products has been present at the Academy Awards as 2018’s Roma (Alfonso Cuaron) and last years’ The Irishman (Martin Scorsese) brought in many nominations and wins respectfully both years. The general populous have accepted streaming platforms into their homes and now with Disney + there is no stopping the success of streamable content. But, with fewer people choosing to see films in cinema, and with the closure as a response to COVID-19, the future of our cinemas are looking dire.

One may question whether this is just the final push into modernity – that maybe this is the movie theatres’ time to die. This is not a cry for ‘the good old days’ or some rejection of development, this is a love letter. A love letter to cinema.

Every movie goers experience is normally the same. Awkward till service, sub-par; over expensive food, a sound quality that bursts your eardrums, audience members that you want to suffocate, etc. But one thing that is universal is the collection of people in that room experiencing art. A universal removal of difference, the lights go off and everyone in that room is

there to experience the same: an escape, a wish to leave the world and resign themselves for the next action epic, or romantic comedy. We all congregate to the cinema to see the best of the best that film has to offer; and we keep coming back. But maybe cinema needs to die before it can be reborn.

If this is an obituary, then let it be. If cinema is gone, I bid it a fond farewell. But I pray it is not, because with this pandemic overstaying its welcome, and a government that seems to be allergic to making the right move for our safety, I know what the one thing I’ll want to do when this is all over: A trip to the cinema.

Netflix latest is Divisive and Hefty - The Devil All the Time [Review] commits suicide, leaving behind their only son, Arvin (Tom Holland).

Source : Vulture

FRASER REITH ntonio Campos’ The Devil All the Time hurls you headfirst into a catacomb of cruel violence and religious fanaticism, accompanied with an enjoyable assemblage of thick, twangy American accents. It’s the story of the impact of heinous murder and gut-wrenching tragedy on two generations of a Midwestern mid-twentieth century family and those connected with them, based on Donald Ray Pollock’s 2011 novel of the same name. Overflowing with barbaric macabre, the

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film is ceaselessly gloomy and grim.

Battling post-war trauma, Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgard) starts a family in the American Bible belt in the early-1950s. Shortly thereafter, his wife falls ill. Willard’s faith remains resolute, but his persistent prayers and deranged rituals have no effect on his wife’s fate –rituals like crucifying their son’s dog under the erroneous impression that it will make God save her.

When his wife dies, Willard

Now without a mother, father and dog, newly orphaned Arvin is adopted by his grandmother, and meets his adopted stepsister, Lenora (Eliza Scanlen). Lenora’s mother was murdered by her father, Roy (Harry Melling), an evangelical preacher with a wavering grip on reality and a misinformed belief that he can resurrect the dead. Crazed evangelicals like him are commonplace throughout. In 1965 Arvin and Lenora come of age in a rural Midwestern town, preached to by Reverend Teagardin (Robert Pattinson). The rest of the film completes this coherent but convoluted tale as Arvin and Lenora battle twisted faith, their troubling past, and the devastating violence that has left a horrid and insidious mark on Arvin’s

psyche.

There’s also Carl (Jason Clarke) and Sandy (Riley Keough) – a couple with an unhealthy habit for murdering hitchhikers. The film jumps from one of these narratives to the next, spanning two decades. Importantly, each narrative does link together, woven into a coherent tale of fate, fatherhood, vengeance, violence, and religion – like a fusion of Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines and the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men. The cast excels. Holland takes a forceful step away from Spiderman, resisting an otherwise inevitable typecast; Melling’s performance ought to place him in good stead to land bigger roles in the future; and Robert Pattinson’s Southern accent is thoroughly entertaining. Shot on actual

film, the cinematography is excellent too.

Working your way through the heaps of narrative and a 138-minute runtime can be tedious, and I can’t guarantee everyone will be rewarded for the effort. You may get bored, find the plot too bleak or tedious. Worse still, the violence might be gratuitous for some, and for many, will become desensitising by the film’s final act. While the strength of the cast veils these flaws, there’s only so much Pattinson and Holland can do – they can’t speed up the editing or turn grim scenes into pleasant ones; nor can they address many of the film’s oddities, such as its unique and often lethargic pacing or divisive use of voiceover.

(The Devil All The Time is available to watch on Netflix now)

ARTS: FILM 23

THE FOUNDER October 2020

European Film Festivals: A Platform for Projects, Visions and Dreams

ARIANNA PALADIN Used as launch pads for movies, film festivals provide the great opportunity of learning about new cinematic genres and trends as well as seeing the movies screened in their original language, bringing cinephiles from all the world together in a stimulating, dynamic exchange of cultures and opinions. They are perfect vehicles for film distribution, tourism, the promotion of world cinema and extremely important economic factors internationally, while supporting careers, projects, visions and dreams.

Europe is home to a tradition of film festivals, many of which were shaped by and born as a reaction to

turbulent historical events and periods, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue.

Known as the ‘Big Three’, the Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals are among the oldest and most prestigious cinematographic exhibitions in the world. Every year they attract millions of filmgoers coming from all over the globe, bringing big studios movies as well as indie projects to the forefront. For several unknown international titles that would otherwise remain semi-unknown and struggle to reach the theatre markets, film festivals represent a vital platform where aspiring directors can reach a bigger, more varied audience. It is precisely for this reason that festivals are generally seen as elitist, ‘niche’ events.

Upcoming filmmakers get the chance to debut on a bigger scene and get a larger visibility globally when their works are screened during these events. For instance, Christopher Nolan’s breakthrough film, Memento, was presented at the Venice Film Festival in 2000, giving Nolan the perfect opportunity to become one of the most well-known directors in the current cinematic scene.

The Venice Film Festival is the oldest event of this nature in the world: opening in 1932, Venice has been the first city in the world to realize such a vast project with an international vocation in the field of cinema.

name the Cannes Film Festival. Inaugurated in 1946 as the first post-war celebration of universal cinema, the exhibition became one of the best international marketplaces where producers and distributors could share opinions, watch movies and, most importantly, sign contracts.

Defined as a ‘constantly evolving festival’, the Berlin Film Festival, also known as the ‘Berlinale’, was created at the beginning of the Cold War

in 1951 in a uniquely divided city as platform for the free intercultural exchange of cinematic content.

Inevitably, film festivals have deeply shaped the cinematic scene for decades and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Through the influence of compelling, new stories we get the chance to see every year, film festivals can dig into our hearts, contemporarily constituting a venue where semi-unknown stories get a vital spotlight.

Among the most widely documented cultural events worldwide, we can certainly Source: Empire Online

“The World is too Cruel to Girls” – A Shirley Review: obsessed and inspired by Rose she starts to entangle her in the plot of her book – entwining the lives of her fictional damsel and the naïve Rose.

LEWIS. J. WHITE | FILM EDITOR

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partook in an exciting opportunity to see a collection of films ahead of the BFI London Film Festival this October, with a press pass on my belt I was anticipating the quality of films I was about to witness. With COVID-19 forcing the immensely popular film festival to head predominantly online this year the opportunity felt all the more special, the festival this year has a wide array of films, from debut features; to anticipated releases from beloved filmmakers. From Ammonite (Francis Lee) to Mangrove (Steve McQueen) this years festival has many incredible features on show.

One that stood out to me especially was Josephine Decker’s experimental drama: Shirley.

Source: Twitter

Shirley tells the semibiographical story of a reclusive and beloved horror author Shirley Jackson, played without fault by the unstoppable Elisabeth Moss. Whilst neck deep in writer’s block her husband, a professor at the local university, takes in a young couple: his scholarly protégé, Fred Nemser and his wife Rose. When invited into their home Shirley finds grotesque inspiration in Rose and the recent disappearance of a young university girl. As Shirley becomes all the more

Josephine Decker constructs a cold and claustrophobic environment for her heroines, maddening the women of the plot through the restlessness and casual misogyny of their male partners. A mid-twentieth century setting allows for Decker to succinctly build a world of sexism and female weakness appropriately and sensitively, this nuanced depiction of female mental illness shows how Shirley’s mental health is disregarded by her husband due to the accepted sexism found in the context of which the film

is set. Shirley and Rose’s only hope is found in their developing relationship.

Rose begins to look after and encourage Shirley’s artistic talent regardless of the rumours and scathing remarks thrown at her.

Eventually their relationship grows and develops into being romantic and sexual, as they become closer they share their views and fears of being women – that being a girl is to be forgotten, or ignored.

Rose share the screen it is enthralling and fascinating to see these women interact.

Decker takes the audience through this surreal journey of identity and female experience and in the end the audience is left wondering what was real and what was tragic. I was left reading into so many elements of this film and continue to ponder every facet of its whole.

Shirley is a haunting look into the female experience and presents what it means to be a girl in a world of boys, poignant and phenomenally acted – this film will shake you to your core.

Shirley writes of her anxieties and politics in her novel, claiming that the protagonist is just “another lonely girl who cannot make the world see them”. It is in Shirley is out in UK cinemas these moments where the October 30th 2020 film shines the brightest, whenever Shirley and

24 ARTS: MUSIC The

Man

OLIVIA ANDERSON nly exceptional artists can be credited with giving a name to an entire genre of music. One such artist was Toots Hibbert, the frontman of Toots and the Maytals, who has died aged 77. When the band released Do The Reggay in 1968, they became the first band to use the word ‘reggae’ in a popular song, effectively giving a name to a category of music that is now recognised as one of the most globally famous and distinctive genres.

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Reggae would seem to many to be virtually synonymous with Bob Marley and the Wailers and Rastafarianism, leaving the true pioneer of the genre

Who

somewhat in the shadows – it was Toots who first began to develop reggae into the sound we all know today from its musical precursors, ska and rocksteady. While Toots’ cultural impact has perhaps been understated in the past, it is nevertheless immense. He grew up in Trench Town, Jamaica, which also counted Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer among its residents. A socially deprived yet culturally rich neighbourhood, it would become the birthplace of the Maytals in the 1960s when they first ventured onto the ska scene and began their ascent to musical stardom.

To think of reggae as merely an encapsulation of

Live in Lockdown: Arlo Parks JENNIFER ROSE rlo Parks’ charming personality shone during her first live set since the lockdown. Allowing her band to introduce her with an extended instrumental, the up-and-coming Parks approached the gig with nerves.

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Splitting the hour long set into segments, she performed music as well as poetry.

Opening with Paperbacks, the final song from her 2019 EP Sophie, Parks hit the ground running. Followed

by Cola, one of her latest releases, appealing to both long-time fans, and new.

She breezed through her vast discography accompanied by her three-piece band, echoing the easy-going, bedroomRnB quality of her music.

THE FOUNDER October 2020

After the mood was settled, Parks read her first poem entitled 2 Mint Teas. It discussed ideas of gratitude, something we’ve all become increasingly aware of during the last six months. The second piece was Salt Tears, in which she pleaded us ‘to check on your friends’. The discussion of mental health is something she mentions often in her art: the lockdown released Black Dog explores ideas of mental illness and supporting loved ones going through difficulties. It all seemed very fitting for a show played on the weekend of Mental Health Awareness day, though she reminds us that it is not just something to care about for one moment.

We were also privileged to hear two exclusives. The first was Punk Rock Eyes, which is a currently unreleased song

Christened

an easy, mellow way of life is to do the genre an injustice; reggae has historically functioned as a vehicle through which artists can express social inequality and political discontent. The song 54-46 Was My Number, to use a prominent example, was written by Toots himself whilst he was serving a prison term for possession of marijuana.

It proclaims his innocence and went on to become one of the Maytals’ biggest hits.

The band were also featured on the soundtrack of The Harder They Come, a 1972 movie following the journey of a young Jamaican musician as he attempts to make it on the music scene. The film is thematically concerned with corruption and harsh

reality, perfectly capturing the era’s zeitgeist of political turpitude. It was punctuated by an unmistakable reggae beat, placing the spotlight on the Maytals’ hit Sweet and Dandy. Toots and the Maytals’ musical repertoire epitomises the way political commentary and a sense of hopefulness tend to coalesce in reggae.

The global reach of Toots and the Maytals is such that their songs have been covered by artists like The Clash, The Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse. Their music covers diverse themes and features lyrics that invoke social commentary, but are also infused with a sense of optimism and humanity.

Reggae

Toots’ had a distinctive voice – mellifluous, weathered, timeless – one that could both lead and follow, communicating sadness together with joy. Toots and the Maytals propagated a sound that was at once characteristically their own and yet also at the forefront of a global cultural and artistic movement, as unmistakable as Toots’ hum at the start of Pressure Drop. Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, who died on the 12 September, brought reggae to the world and brought the world to reggae.

This is his legacy; it is hard to imagine a greater measure of an artist’s cultural impact.

Source: diymag.com

nodding park to her former years which were filled with the sounds of punk. The second was Hurt which, though released, had never been played live before.

Her nonchalant attitude introducing the track prepared the audience for any mistakes,

which of course were not to come.

Ending on her 2019 hit Sophie, Parks allowed the band to show their skill.

The guitarist blessed us with what I can only describe as a stunning piece of solo work

to end the show. Though Parks shared that she was nervous about appearing live, she performed with meticulous vocals and a confidence that was felt through the screen.

This is a woman who is a pure pleasure to watch, and clearly has big things to come.

ARTS: MUSIC 25

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Sufjan Stevens: The Ascension JENNIFER ROSE o stranger to the limelight, Sufjan Stevens has established himself as a household name with his autobiographical album ‘Carrie and Lowell’ in 2015. He also featured on the soundtrack of Call me by Your Name with Visions of Gideon, which opened his music up to a larger, mainstream audience.

Experimenting since his early days, he sampled Simon and Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence on his 2010 release of All Delighted People which hooked fans of acoustic and orchestral music alike.

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RENÉE LEWIS f the music of David Bowie and that of Elton John had a child, it would be Declan McKenna’s newly released album Zeros, which peaked at #2 in the UK charts. From expansive instrumentals to socially conscious lyrics exploring themes such as environmentalism, technological advancement and loneliness – with brief visits to outer space – Zeros is a remarkable album, with no two songs sounding the same. The twenty-one-yearold singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist is no stranger to lyrical maturity and has been praised for his song-writing skills since the release of his debut single Brazil (2015).

Though seventeen years old at the time, McKenna blew critics and fans alike away in his criticism of FIFA for awarding the 2014 World Cup to Brazil without addressing the deep poverty in the country.

Following the release of his debut album What Do You Think About the Car? (2017), McKenna toured the UK and USA and has performed at festivals including Reading and Leeds, Glastonbury, and Coachella.

I Source: diymag.com

emotional turmoil and religious existentialism, the upper-end vocals of the latter provide a contrast to the sampled backing, reminiscent of M83’s Kids. However, take away the electronic production and you are left with the bare bones of a Sufjan Stevens track, easily placed on his 2010 work with discordant choral moments.

My first impression of Sufjan Stevens’ 81 minute latest release, The Ascension, is one consumed by chaos and electronic experimentation.

Stevens is yet again dismantling expectations with his lockdown LP by donning synths and drumpad-production over his usual guitar and bongo accompaniments.

Arguably, the most memorable song of the album is Video Game. His reflective lyrics nod to his new direction I don’t want to be a puppet in a theatre, with the backing providing serious car-cruisingvibes. To contrast this new sound, we hear songs such as Tell Me You Love Me, which is perhaps the most traditional Stevens track as there is on The Ascension: ‘before everything Full of melancholic falls apart’ possibly referring to melodies, The Ascension the current state of the world. is reminiscent of albums such as Boards of Canada’s Over an hour into Stevens’ Geogaddi or LCD latest masterpiece, we hit the Soundsystem’s This is title track. Opening with the Happening, as can be heard lyrics ‘My love, I lost my faith on the simply lyricised track in everything’ allows Stevens Die Happy. In true Sufjan to finalise the tone of the record.

Stevens form, he never stays It is a spiritual exploration into with a style: Run Away with the toxicity of modern life that Me is more reminiscent of fuels his latest music making: an 80s Pop Ballad than any ‘I thought I could change the electro-indie hybrid. world around me’.

Gilgamesh opens with an Eno-esque introduction, think Music for Airports with vocals, whilst songs like Lamentations live up to their name. Describing deep

Declan Mckenna – Zeros

Stevens’ discography is growing broader by the year.

His statement in Gilgamesh solidifies his place in the music industry: ‘you haven’t seen the last of me, my love’.

here and now. It draws upon the destructive tendencies of humanity whilst looking into what future could lie ahead for us. A moment of calm at the end of the song takes us seamlessly into ‘Be an Astronaut’, which is characterised by a punctuating piano motif that appears in each chorus. This Elton John-esque song is where we first meet Daniel, a persona/ character and social outcast who represents emotions like loneliness and despair. He reappears in Daniel, You’re Still a Child, where McKenna addresses Daniel and his feelings of being alienated from the world that he’s grown up in. The lines ‘There’s unrest in the House of Lords’ and ‘the hope’s selling like Christmas pies’ in the first verse depict a very relatable feeling of helplessness whilst watching the world gradually falling apart before you.

Environmentalist anthem Twice Your Size, warns climate change deniers that rising sea levels and global temperatures are real concerns and action needs to be taken before it’s too late – ‘Regardless of what you believe in/ Earth will change and we must grab our An intense drum kit beds/ And get out of range’. crescendo brings us into the opening track You Better Believe!!! and the title’s three exclamation marks reflect a joyful facade which is completely juxtaposed by the opening line ‘You’re gonna get yourself killed’. Though it is sonically futuristic with alien-like digital voice doubling – also featured later in Eventually, Darling and Rapture – and references to asteroids and rockets, its lyrics are very much rooted in the Source: diymag.com

Sagittarius A*, named after a black hole located in the centre of the Milky Way, examines the impact of deforestation, pollution and the selfishness of some of the world’s wealthiest who refuse to reduce their carbon footprint and use their wealth to help combat these environmental problems.

Two songs that particularly stand out on Zeros are The Key to Life on Earth and Beautiful Faces. The former is an embodiment of youth in suburban London; with lyrical development each time the chorus returns and a beautiful melody line, it very much sounds like it belongs in a coming-of-age film! The second verse interestingly references the mindless consumerism many often fall into when following fashion trends: ‘headstrong boys in chinos / barely grasp what that could mean’. Beautiful Faces is reminiscent of David Bowie and the glam rock era, and its oscillation between major and minor keys makes this one of the most harmonically adventurous songs on the album. Zeros screams that ‘THE FUTURE IS NOW’ and is a great album from start to finish. The only way from here for McKenna is up.

26 ARTS: MUSIC

The Digital Age and the Return of Vinyl

SAM PALMER he Digital Age, as it is known, has caused music to become steadily more accessible to the general public, for little to no cost.

Between streaming platforms like Spotify, and other services such as Youtube allowing one to watch music videos for free, all that is required these days is to have a working computer or phone, and practically all known music becomes easy to access. Why, then, are people steadily investing more on a means by which to listen to music that is wholly impractical and expensive?

I think there are two main reasons for this. The first is the rise of so-called aesthetics to live by, such as living a more hipster lifestyle, relishing in vintage items and technology.

The other reason is the theory that vinyl is supposedly the purest and cleanest way to listen to music. This is easier to break down, as there is more concrete logic behind this argument.

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Source: thevinylrevivers.com

have difficulty translating every sound. Possibly worst of all is how careful you need to be with them. Any dust or dirt, from air or fingertip, can cause more crackles and can cause lasting damage to any records played with the same needle. Despite all these reasons, on a technical level vinyl is the superior means by which to listen. When compared to modern digital technology the difference in quality is minimal, but it holds a different sound to While technology is digital and nonetheless is currently always improving, slightly preferable to digital and companies are working on sound quality. to constantly outperform their The rise of living by rivals regarding quality, the general belief is that vinyl is aesthetics has become more a better quality sound than prominent in the last decade, various aesthetics digital. However, it is debated with elements as to whether this is a fact; cherry-picking vinyl has many upsides – from life in the 70s, 80s, and lossless compression and 90s. One such element is the true analogue – but struggles use of vinyl. Debatably, it is with many extremes of music because these aesthetics are listening. Particular sounds broadcast through platforms translate badly to a needle, such as Instagram, TikTok, and the songs at the centre and Pinterest that more people of a vinyl often have to be are aspiring to live these more restricted than those at ‘aesthetic’ lives. Multiple the exterior or the needle may aesthetics make a point of

including records, as they are attractive and retro, and music is an integral part of many people’s lives. Modern artists largely still produce vinyl, and classic records get semiregular remasters, re-releases, and collector’s edition vinyl releases. All of this combined means that not only are multiple demographics reached by records more each year, but so are different generations. For some it is a new aesthetic which they aspire to live by, and for some it holds a sense of nostalgia.

T h e phenomenon of vinyl making a comeback is one that may peak in the coming years or may progress until it is, once again, the predominant way to listen to music. While some people prefer digital music, many prefer vinyl, and bringing back the popularity of this medium will hopefully reintroduce better payment for musicians and a revival of independent record shops.

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Ti k To k , Lo c k d o wn a nd Musi c P ro m o t i o n AMELIA MORRIS | MUSIC EDITOR hile TikTok existed before March, the app has gained popularity exponentially during lockdown, reporting 315 million downloads in the first business quarter of 2020, a 58% increase on their previous quarter and the highest amount of downloads of any app in any business quarter (Via Oberlo). With its young demographic and well defined trends, TikTok has become an important place for music promotion.

Of course there’s the dances to The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP and Phoebe Bridgers’ Motion Sickness amongst many others. These videos all use the same sound which increases the exposure of the songs to new audiences and builds up views and follows for creators. The app also provides a platform for less known artists to promote themselves with very little cost to a target audience through the use of the highly efficient algorithm and tags.

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In this late stage of 2020, ‘TikTok Music’ is dominating Spotify’s Viral Hits playlist and has firmly established itself as a force to be reckoned with in

Source: vulture.com

orchestrating trends among a younger demographic. One example of this influence is the surprising feature of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams in this playlist – one of Spotify’s most popular with over 1.2 million likes – likely stemming from Nathan Apodaca’s viral video of him mouthing along to the 70s hit while skateboarding and drinking from a bottle of cranberry juice. This video was recreated thousands of times, with Mick Fleetwood himself joining TikTok to share his own version, and resulted in Fleetwood Mac’s best ever week on streaming services.

Another such example of the power of TikTok is the emergence of the Heather from Conan Gray’s song of the same name – who is essentially someone your crush would find more attractive than you but is also a lovely person whom it is impossible to resent. Along with other ‘It Girls’ from songs – Layla, Delilah, Arabella, Jessie’s Girl - Heather has become a TikTok staple and earned Gray over 200 million streams in one fell swoop.

With the help of Covid-19 and lockdowns meaning that online generations have been searching for escapism and a creative outlet, TikTok has proven itself amongst social media giants and the recent US controversy only highlights this. Whether the US ban will be enough to stem the establishment of TikTok as a substantial cog in the music promotion machine remains to be seen but at the present, it is highly significant for this industry and for social media at large.

SPORTS 27

THE FOUNDER October 2020

NFL: State of Play After First Quarter of Season

Source: NFL.com

DANIEL HORNER

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he 2020 NFL regular season has reached the first quarter of completion and it has certainly been one to remember. Despite fewer fans in attendance the games have been high scoring, with defences struggling to get off the field. With no preseason injuries have been a-plenty; the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers especially have been hard hit, although only the latter has managed to stay afloat to remain in contention. The coronavirus pandemic was somewhat an afterthought until Week 3, with an outbreak with the Tennessee Titans having the potential to alter the season drastically.

In the AFC, the defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0 for the fourth consecutive year, already making a statement victory by defeating the Baltimore Ravens 34-20 in Maryland.

Contesting for the number one seed alongside them are the Buffalo Bills (also 4-0), who have made an impressive start to the season led by MVP candidate, quarterback Josh Allen. Both the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 but their head to head Week 3 matchup was postponed after the Covid-19 outbreak.

Other teams with winning records are the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts,

all of which are 3-1 and competing for their divisions.

The AFC North is certainly the most competitive with the Steelers, Ravens and Browns all vying for top spot. The season is most likely over already for the New York Jets, Houston Texans (0-4) and the Denver Broncos (1-3).

Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien was the first managerial casualty of the season after Week 4.

In the NFC the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks have been the class of the conference at 4-0, led by MVP

hopefuls’ quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson respectively. Closely behind at 3-1 are the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stuck at 2-2 but with high aspirations are the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers, who hope to go on a run. As for the worst division in the NFL, the subpar NFC East is topped by the Philadelphia Eagles at 1-21 and completed with the 0-4 New York Giants. The winner of this division will struggle to get to 9-7. Compare that to the highly competitive NFC West, which has all four teams with no losing records and all having the potential to reach the playoffs.

The Covid-19 outbreak with the Tennessee Titans has hampered with the NFL scheduling. The Titans have had twenty-one members of their organization - twelve players, nine personnel test positive, which has consequently resulted in the postponement of their Week 4 home game against Pittsburgh and their Week 5 home game against Buffalo rescheduled for Tuesday (tests impending). This has meant that both the Titans and Steelers had their byeweek (week off) in Week 4 instead of later in the season.

Playing for thirteen straight weeks may end up proving to be a disadvantage for both teams. Furthermore, the NFL is investigating whether some of the Titans players broke protocol to hold workouts outside of their facility which was shut down on September 29th. The NFL has been consistent in dealing large fines to teams and individuals who do not follow protocol on game days for not wearing masks properly, so it is not out of the question that the Titans could be punished. The Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills Week 6 Thursday night game will be moved to the weekend should the Bills versus Titans game be played Tuesday, per the league's official release.

28 SPORTS

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Sport-Light:

Royal Ho llo wa y S wi m m i n g Presi den t Ha y l e y Br i g g s

ELIOT K. RAMAN JONES | SPORTS EDITOR

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ayley Briggs was elected as President of Royal Holloway Swimming after serving as Women’s Captain last year. Sports Editor Eliot Raman Jones spoke to her about all things RH Swimming, from how she first got into the sport, to her goals for the society during her tenure as President.

Can you tell me a bit about swimming at Royal Holloway?

Hayley Briggs: So we’re more of a friendly club than something very competitive, which I think is the sense you can get from going to Varsity and events like that. We’re more of a friendly club than a focused competitive one.

We have a wide range of swimmers, from those who have swam for their country, to those who are more casual and turn up whenever they feel like it and just swim when they want to.

What are your goals as President this year? Were you involved In the society last year?

HB: I was Women’s Captain last year so I was coaching a lot on poolside, so making the transition to President this year involves stepping back and coaching more on the internal side.

I want to build on the groundwork of last year. My main aim is to create some sort of “Learn to Swim” programme. There were a lot of swimmers last year when I was doing Fresher’s Fair who would come up to me and ask if we could teach them to swim, but we didn’t have the means to be able to do that then, as our requirements at the time for entry were, “If you can swim for 25 metres unassisted, you’re welcome to the team.”

We didn’t have the capacity to teach people how to swim.

That is my main ambition as President, and from the start of this year I’ve been trying to put a “Learn to Swim” programme into practice, but of course that has also been affected by COVID-19.

How are you able to keep swimming going during the coronavirus Has the club seen a lot pandemic? Surely it must of success at competitive be very difficult? level over the last couple of HB: It is. My dad is years? on the board of my old HB: We always attend swimming club from home, BUCS, and we have a and he’s their COVID-19 number of strong swimmers officer so I’ve had a lot of there, but BUCS is a strange information from him and one where you are competing I’ve been swimming with against Olympians, and them. Basically, we are we’re not at that standard. only allowed six people in each lane, which is a stretch because there are 60 people on each team, and normally you can just fit them on whichever lane on

whichever day. We’ve created lane plans, which we have to stick to and make sure that that six-person bubble stays intact. You have to arrive to the pool with a costume on, you can’t get changed at the venue, and you also have to leave the venue without getting changed, so we will be leaving the pool wet. The SU hasn’t been very clear, but it looks like we won’t have access to the minibuses again this year, which also complicates matters.

When did you get involved in swimming and what made you decide to join at RHUL? HB: I’ve always loved the water and I started swimming lessons as soon as I could, then I joined a swimming club at the age of nine and started competing from that age onwards. I’ve competed all my life since then.

I’ve competed in Scottish nationals and regionals and lots more events all over the place. Swimming is my main passion and I know that speaking to people on this team has broadened my horizons. It’s not just about how fast you can go, but it can also be a passion for those people who just do two laps of breast stroke and want to get out.

How would you describe RHUL Swimming in a sentence?

HB: Royal Holloway Swimming is a club that is open and welcoming to everyone, and we’re striving to be better and more inclusive for all the students of Royal Holloway.

SPORTS 29

THE FOUNDER October 2020

The 2020 NBA Finals – how they got there BEN ROWE fter its four-month hiatus, the NBA returned on July 20. Teams were invited to ‘The Bubble’ in Disneyland Florida to play out the regular season and then begin the playoffs.

Overall, the experiment was a resounding success, with tightly-contested games being played in a safe environment, all in the name of social justice.

James, to win their 17th Championship, and their first since 2010. They boast one of the most talented rosters of recent times, with fourtime MVP and ten-time NBA finalist LeBron James leading them. At 35, James is showing no signs of slowing down, and this season averaged 25.3 PPG and 10.2 RPG. He also put up a 38-point tripledouble to secure the Lakers’ place in the finals.

Two months after its resumption, the line-up for the finals (to be played throughout October) was confirmed: the Los Angeles Lakers would face the Miami Heat. So, what should we know about the two teams, and how did they reach the finals?

Another notable asset of the Lakers is seven-time allstar Anthony Davis. With 26.1 PPG, Davis has undoubtedly strengthened the Lakers in his first in Los Angeles.

Experienced role players like Kentavious CaldwellPope, Danny Green, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and Kyle Kuzma have been rotated effectively by head coach Frank Vogel throughout the season.

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LA Lakers Last autumn, many tipped the Lakers, home to LeBron

The Lakers finished the regular season with a 5219 record – the best in the West and one of only three teams with a win rate over 70%. They brushed aside the Portland Trailblazers in five games in the first round, and then navigated the potentially tricky task of the Houston Rockets in the conference semis – winning 4-1, with LeBron averaging 25.8 PPG in the series. In the conference final, the Denver Nuggets fell at the hands of LeBron and co, with James himself playing his 252nd playoff game – a new record.

Miami Heat

In a surprising turn of events, the Heat managed to secure their sixth franchise playoff finals appearance this year. The most notable of their victories came against the Milwaukee Bucks – the favourites to get to the NBA

Adebayo has enjoyed his best season yet, with 15.9 PPG and 10.2 RPG. Duncan Robinson, Jae Crowder, Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro all averaged over 10.5 PPG this season too.

The rookie, Herro, especially impressed in the latter stages In their first matchup of the of the season, scoring 37 playoffs, they effortlessly beat points in game four against fourth-seed Indiana Pacers the Celtics.

4-0. After beating Milwaukee, While the Lakers build their series against the Celtics was tightly contested. After on and play around the an overtime win in the first brilliance of Davis and game, the Heat went 1-0 up. James, who are both interior The teams exchanged two powerhouses and adept threewins in the next two, then the point shooters, the Heat take a Heat won by three points on more team-focused approach, September 23 to go 3-1 up, emphasising pace, space and meaning Boston had to win 3 the importance of the assist. in a row. They only managed Los Angeles entered the series one, and Miami defeated as favourites, and Miami, them 4-2, with Bam Adebayo who impressed with their scoring 32 points in game 6. playoff performances, needed to work their magic to emerge The Heat this year have as 2020 NBA Champions. been led by the brilliance of veteran Jimmy Butler, averaging 19.9 PPG. Centre finals and home to league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

They blew away the Bucks in five games in the conference semis, setting up an Eastern conference final clash against the Boston Celtics.

Champions League and Europa League Group Stage Draw Atalanta, they should have too much quality following the signings of Thiago and Jota and should, thus, qualify.

Source: FIFA.com

DOMINIC TAYLOR ust a few months after the 2019/20 season came to an end, the draw for the 2020/21 Champions League and Europa League campaigns have been drawn. The Founder takes a look at the English European campaigns this season and the fascinating ties up ahead.

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Liverpool were the first English side drawn in the competition this year. In their group they have been given a mixed bag consisting of Dutch champions Ajax, last season’s Italian surprise package Atalanta and Danish side Midtjylland. Although Liverpool won’t be over the moon with drawing Ajax and

Turkish outfit are almost certainly destined for bottom placed, it is a tough call to predict who will make it out of this group. RB Leipzig finished as semi-finalists last year and while PSG finished as runners up. United, on the other hand, have faced an indifferent start to the season which has included a 6-1 romping from Tottenham Hotspur.

Drawn from Pool 2 was Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. Both City and Chelsea will be pleased with who they’ve been drawn with and ought to top their groups. City have been drawn Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille while Chelsea In the Europa League, will battle against Sevilla, Arsenal have been gifted Krasnodar and Rennes.

Austrian side Rapid Vienna, Manchester United, Norwegian side Molde however, won’t be overjoyed and Ireland’s Dundalk in with their group. Up against a seemingly easy group.

PSG, RB Leipzig and Istanbul Scotland’s Rangers face a Başakşehir. Although the potentially troublesome group

including Benfica, Standard Liége and Polish minnows Lech Poznan. Rangers’ Old Firm rivals Celtic will face Sparta Prague, AC Milan and Lille. And capping off the English involvement in Europe, Tottenham Hotspur will face Ludogorets of Bulgaria, Greece’s LASK and Antwerp.

Out of these sides, Arsenal and Spurs will be expected to top their groups and Rangers will be expected to progress.

Celtic, on the other hand, may struggle against European giants AC Milan.

30 SPORTS

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Barcelona: A Difficult Rebuild PETER GEDDES

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he summer of 2020 will go down as one of the most turbulent at FC Barcelona since at least the departure of Pep Guardiola.

It could yet go on to be even more consequential. The saga with Messi has died down for now but the situation has yet to be resolved. As of the current moment it appears that Messi will leave Barca next summer, however, the club management have one thing on their side, time.

With Presidential elections in March the serially incompetent Josep Bartomeu will no longer be at the top of the tree. That would give the new President a good couple of months to sign Messi to a new deal. However, this leaves the team and new head coach, Ronald Koeman, in

an awkward limbo. What can Koeman achieve and what resources are at his disposal?

In a similar move to European rivals, Barca have turned to a former player to reconnect the team with the “Barca way”. Solskjaer at Manchester United, Arteta at Arsenal, Lampard at Chelsea, Pirlo at Juventus, it has become a way of buying a boardroom more time and good will with supporters. Presenting the impression, or sometimes the illusion, of long-term planning. However, it would be hard to make the case that Koeman’s appointment has brought much optimism.

He has a club captain and star player who expressly doesn’t want to be there, an aging squad without defined identity, a club hierarchy

unable to invest in said squad and supporters who are short on patience. Furthermore, Koeman’s track record also doesn’t imply a defined “Barca” way of playing or the ability to rebuild a team. He has done well with the Netherlands national team but one of the biggest brands in world football is a different prospect. The most encouraging interpretation is that he may be able to get the best out of Frenkie De Jong who has failed to reach the levels of performance he achieved at Ajax. It is also important to emphasise that it is a talented group, Messi is still among the best players in the world, Pique hasn’t entirely lost his quality and Ansu Fati is one of the most exciting talents in Europe but the squad does need reform.

As of writing this Barca’s transfer business has been limited predominantly to outgoings. Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic, Nelson Semedo and Arthur have all gone out the door. Arthur left in a swap deal for Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic, Semedo for a fee of £27million to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The others may as well have been paid to leave, this is all an attempt to clean up the club’s finances, lessen the wage bill. It may also be seen as a shift towards a younger, more energetic playing squad however the incoming Pjanic, 29, doesn’t seem to support that.

Incoming transfers may change the complexion of the squad, but I doubt that more than two players will be brought in.

This season could be a forgettable stopgap for a stalled revolution which will arrive next summer or Koeman could steady the ship and make a case for himself as the long-term leader of this team. If I was a betting man I’d favour the former, whether Messi stays or goes, Barca need a major restructuring. A new president will, more than likely, want to stamp his vision on the team as soon as possible which would probably spell the end for Koeman. Early signs aren’t entirely negative but the political and footballing reality aren’t working in Koeman’s favour.

Tampa Bay Lightning Win the 2020 Stanley Cup

DOMINIC TAYLOR he Lightning win the Stanley Cup… they’ve reached the top of the mountain. They are the Stanley Cup champs’.

‘T

These were the words that barely managed to come out of the mouth of the emotional Tampa Bay Lightning commentator Brian Engblom as the final buzzer sounded, signalling the Lightning’s second Stanley Cup victory following a 2-0 6th game victory over the Dallas Stars to seize the series 4-2.

Engblom, despite being overcome with seemingly infinite joy, was prudent to liken their journey to victory to reaching the top of a mountain. Not just in the sense they have reached the

top of the ice hockey world, This year, they easily had but that it wasn’t an easy ride. the hardest route to the final, and still made lightwork of it.

This side has remained Along the way to the final this largely the same for the season, the Lightning came past few years and have up against the Columbus experienced so much Blue Jackets (4-1 series win), heartbreak. In 2015, the Boston Bruins (4-1 series lost in the final round of the win), New York Islanders Stanley Cup to the Chicago (4-2 win), and, of course, the Blackhawks. In 2016, they Dallas Stars. This came in came within one win of spite of Covid-19 temporarily getting to the final again halting fixtures, prematurely before losing narrowly to the ending the Lightning’s home San Jose Sharks. In 2018, campaign, and a myriad of they were again one win from injuries to key players. the final – this time losing out against eventual winners Their post-lockdown Washington Capitals. In form made their Stanley Cup 2019, after a record-breaking victory almost unavoidable. league campaign, they lost The inevitably reached its in the first round to St. Louis spiritual peak when Steven Blues - a side who in January Stamkos, captain and key were bottom of their division figure of the organisation and, by May, had gone on to since being drafted in as first win the Cup. pick in 2008, made a return

Source: NHL.com

from a long-term injury to score from his first shot in his first game back to help his side beat the Stars 5-2 in game 3 of their series.

Moreover, key individuals continued to perform throughout the play-off season. Netminder finished the season with a 91.7% save rate to solidify claims he is

the best netminder in the league. Nikita Kucherov had another team-topping season statistically, finishing with 85 points in the league (33 goals and 52 assists) and 34 points in the play-offs (7 goals and 27 assists). Point and Hedman also contributed with over 20 points each in the play-offs, with Point finishing as their top goal scorer with 14 goals.

SPORTS 31

THE FOUNDER October 2020

Sport-Light: Head of RHUL eSports Malik “Genoo” Hashi ELIOT K. RAMAN JONES | SPORTS EDITOR alik “Genoo” Hashi is one of the founding members of eSports at Royal Holloway. In this interview, Sports Editor Eliot Raman Jones spoke to him about how eSports came to exist on its own two feet, the difference between it and traditional sports, and the club’s notable achievements since its inception.

M

eSports at Royal Holloway used to be covered entirely within the remit of Royal Holloway Games Society. How did eSports go from being a part of that larger club to its own entity?

Malik “Genoo” Hashi: It all started at the beginning of Spring 2019, just before Varsity. Games Soc didn’t have an eSports position back then, so people just joined into teams and signed on for online tournaments. The then Games Soc president had a sign-up sheet that anyone could use. eSports became a lot more popular and we

started receiving a lot more engagement, and so Games Soc decided to come up with a role for it. In the summer, around the beginning of June, we had a group hustings and I signed up for the new role, after getting teams together and being heavily involved in Varsity. That feeling of leadership really grew on me, so I applied for the job. That was the start of it, but over that summer I did have a lot of time to think about eSports at the university level, and it hit me that eSports is actually much bigger than I thought.

If you look at what other universities are doing in terms of eSports, they’ve got a really high level of infrastructure set up to accommodate the sport, like at Roehampton University, where they’ve set up an eSports facility and have got eSports scholarships. I spoke to some other university eSports presidents and worked out what the right formula was in terms of making it all work, and now I can bring together those things I’ve learned and the network I’ve built and make

eSports at Royal Holloway as good as it can be!

It sounds very detailed and organised, but despite having the word “sports”, right in the name, many people don’t consider eSports to be the same as other sports, delegating it to be a game or a hobby.

What are your thoughts on this?

MH: I think you can see a lot of similarities between traditional sports and eSports. You have certain positions, and you work together for success. In eSports nowadays you have fitness coaches, nutritionists and sports psychologists, which you also find in traditional sports too. On the coaching side you have professional coaches, analysts and people who analyse the data of the matches. In my opinion I don’t like comparing eSports and sports, and I don’t think they’ll ever be the same thing. eSports is better separated off from traditional team sports to allow it to grow into its own thing. From my perspective eSports deserves the attention it has earned, and most teenagers these days will come out of college playing some form of eSports, and it can be more beneficial than playing a traditional sport. I came from a traditional football background, and I played a lot as a kid, but financially it can be really difficult making it as a professional athlete. In eSports the base requirement to get in is

a PC, and most people have PC’s and most of the games are free.

Those familiar with the term “eSports”, do tend to associate it with these massive European and North American gaming tournaments, where pro teams battle it out in games like Counter Strike, Dota 2 and League of Legends.

At Royal Holloway, does eSports cater exclusively for people who aspire to be like these pros? And if you are a more casual player, is this the society for you?

MH: 99% of the playerbase are not necessarily those who are motivated to become eSports pros. Nothing against them either, but they probably aren’t the best of the best, so we’re trying to make sure that everyone who comes to this university are able to get an experience of competitive gaming, whether they are a casual or competitive gamer.

If you want to be a part of a team and grow as a team while making friends along the way, that is something you can achieve if you come to eSports at Royal Holloway.

During the ongoing worldwide pandemic a lot of traditional sports have suffered, with many having events cancelled and others unable to run full stop. As a result of its unique status, has there been a contrasting surge in popularity for eSports, or has it also suffered a similar decline under COVID-19?

MH: I think personally the activity levels are still the same, because it takes a lot of effort

to get events happening. In terms of individual people, members I’ve spoken to have expressed that as a result of the pandemic they have more time to practice the games they enjoy now, which is nice to see. It’s a bit tricky for us to organise a lot more events and take advantage of everyone doing less, because we don’t want to see our quality dip, and having so many events at this early stage in the year can overwhelm the students.

Has the club seen much competitive success since it was founded?

MH: We’ve had a massive increase in the club’s success, and we’ve attracted more and more top players and progressed further and further in the top leagues.

We’re definitely improving in quality. Our biggest success as a club so far came with our performance in Magic: The Gathering Arena, where they won 8K in cash after finishing 2nd in a tournament. Our League of Legends team went up to Varsity League, and we came 4th in the end there. CS:GO went to up to the second highest division. Every single game we compete in we’ve improved in.

Finally, how would you describe RHUL eSports in a sentence?

MH: If you want to experience being part of a team, if you want to compete in gaming and understand what this ecosystem is all about in a really positive atmosphere, then come and be a part of our club.

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