Issue 89 - Summer 2021

themagdalen for students, by students issue 89

May 2021

As the semester ends we find ourselves with a lot of free time on our hands. If you’re struggling to think of what to do, why not try volunteering?

Discover the wide range of volunteering opportunities through SWITCH. https://www.dundee.ac.uk/student-services/switch/

RELEASE (verb) /rī’li:s/: to set free from restraint, confinement, or servitude.

Let loose, free, liberate.

THE MAG TEAM SIGNS OFF / your team reflect on their year with The Magdalen. Pg 06

PLACES TO VISIT IN DUNDEE! / As things start to open back up, Elan writes about hidden gems to check out in Dundee this summer. Pg 53

ASTRAZENECA: WORTH A SHOT, OR NOT? / read about the highly topical subject of ‘increased blood clot risk from the AstraZeneca vaccine’. Pg 62

Find us online The Magdalen Magazine @themagdalenmag @themagdalenmag

Get in touch editor.in.chief@dusamedia.com

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR EDITOR IN CHIEF

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR CREATIVE DIRECTOR

This letter marks the end of my tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The Magdalen.

Welcome to the last issue of the academic year, and sadly, the last issue with our wonderful Editor-in-Chief, Joshua Harper!

It has been a pleasure working to bring student media closer to you: our readers; our students; our staff; and our community. This was one of my core aims as I set about taking over leadership of our magazine. I hope to have delivered successfully on this during a difficult year for us all. And I wish to thank you all for staying with us as we navigated our way through the pandemic and into the world of online only.

We have much to be proud of and much to reflect on, despite the difficulties the pandemic has forced upon us all.

We managed successfully to steer The Mag through the pandemic. We have continued to provide high quality written and visual content. We have improved on our great local focus and provided students who lived off campus this year with a vital link to the campus. And we ensured as many contributors as possible could be accommodated within our new sections, and teams, structures.

I have to thank each and every member of our Mag team for making this year not only possible, but enjoyable, and rewarding. Together, we have managed to keep our Mag growing and expanding; reaching more people.

To my successor, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you can keep the spirit of our community alive in your plans for the year ahead!

Until next time.

Thanks, Josh Harper.

It has been a delight working closely with Josh for the past few months, and thanks to his endless support and encouragement, we have been able to jump straight into our Creative Director roles. We would also like to thank Louise James, our predecessor in this role, who has been there to answer any queries and handed over the Magdalen with such care and enthusiasm. However, as we say farewell, we say hello to a new Editor-in-Chief, who we are excited to welcome into the Magdalen team.

As we say goodbye to another academic year, we bid farewell and wish good luck to students graduating.

While you’ll no longer be a student in Dundee, we hope you still feel connected to your alma-mater and the city through the Magdalen magazine.

To returning students, we wish you a happy and relaxing break, and congratulations for completing another year of studies.

We will see you all in Autumn, with a new issue of the Magdalen, and a fresh a new look as we embark on the traditional Summer re-design!

See you soon!

Robyn Black and Zhaneta Zhekova

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SENIOR TEAM CREATIVE DIRECTOR EDITOR IN CHIEF SENIOR DEPUTY EDITOR DEPUTY EDITORS

Zhaneta Zhekova, Robyn Black Joshua Harper James Kirkpatrick Finlay James Beatson, Erin Mckeown

CREATIVE TEAM PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGERS ILLUSTRATION MANAGER SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS SOCIAL MEDIA FREELANCER EVENTS & PR MANAGER

Carlota Sainz, María Paula Huertas C. Rae Maxwell CL Gamble Emma Biggins, Katrina High Aylish Kelly Bethany Cameron, Orla Barr

EDITORIAL TEAM ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ON/OFF CAMPUS CREATIVE WRITING CURRENT AFFAIRS FASHION INTERNATIONAL LIFESTYLE OPINIONS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SOCIETIES COPY EDITORS

Mareth Burns, Jaime Aries, Fyfe Howard Barbara Mertlová, Marleen Käsebier Jennifer Gillespie, Katie Stewart, Andrew Young Fiachna Mac Carráin, Luiza Stoenescu Ellie J. Jamieson, Sophie Murray Amelia Carrothers, Luke Burr David Smith, Joanne Lam Andrew Elton Alex St. John, Flora Caldwell, Catherine Baxter James Kirkpatrick Niamh Alexander, Kyl Tan, Kathryn Boyle, Samantha King, Kirsty Bruce, Anna Campbell

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

Lauren McDonald, Marcin Kielczewski, Sofia Rönkä

PUBLISHED BY PRINTED BY

Dundee University Students’ Association Magprint

CONTENTS 06

FEATURE

10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

18

ON/OFF CAMPUS

28

CREATIVE WRITING

39

CURRENT AFFAIRS

44

OPINIONS

50

LIFESTYLE

54

FASHION

58

INTERNATIONAL

62

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

70

SOCIETIES

A M E L T FEATURE Design by Zhaneta Zhekova

Many thanks to everyone who helped me begin and grow as a writer and to all readers.

MAGDALEN TEAM SIGNS OFF

Emre Berk, Staff Writer for Science & Technology

This year has been difficult, but we would both like to say how much we appreciate the work of the writers continually putting in their best effort. We’re both really proud of everything you guys have published. Also, a huge thank you to the rest of the Magdalen team for their inspiring and persistent hard work!

Amelia Carrothers and Luke Carlin, International Section Editor and Co-Editor

I am grateful to The Magdalen for helping me stay connected to campus life even though I am unable to visit Dundee due to Covid-19.

Thank you to everyone at the Mag for having me! It’s been stressful but we got through it!

Peace and Love,

Emma Sturrock, Staff Writer

David Smith, Lifestyle Co-Section Editor

‘“In the dying world I come from, quotation is a national vice.” ― Evelyn Waugh’ Andrew Young, Deputy Section Editor for Creative Writing

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D G A N M EA FEATURE Words by The Magdalen Team

Many thanks to the Magdalen for having me, the editors for helping me find the right words, and the designers for bringing them to life.

Sofia Rönkä, Senior Staff Writer for Arts and Entertainment, Creative Writing, International

It’s been an incredible experience writing for The Magdalen and seeing every issue come together through everyone’s efforts.

Sameer Al Harbi, Staff Writer for Science & Tech

Thanks to the Magdalen for giving me the chance to write about things I care about. Thanks to my section editors for being so helpful!

Annika Hudson-Laursen, Staff Writer for Current Affairs

To everyone who submitted, thank you for dealing with and engaging with my editorial notes to create truly lovely pieces, and doing so during a turbulent year.

Everyone who contributed to the Creative Writing section should be proud.

All the best, Katie Stewart, Co-Section Editor for Creative Writing

Thank you for taking the time to read through our signoffs.

Through the Magdalen, I’ve had the opportunity to write about subjects beyond the academic margins of coursework.

Working collaboratively with editors was especially rewarding!

Thank you to everyone who made this tough year that bit more bearable!

Niamh Alexander, Copy Editor

Sarah Georges, Staff Writer

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SA G O BY FEATURE Design by Zhaneta Zhekova

I (somehow) got through the year in one piece, and I’m so glad I got to contribute to the Magdalen along the way. I’ve loved helping people perfect their articles and have read so many great pieces. Much love to my team and all the writers I’ve worked with!

Mareth Burns, Section Editor for Arts and Entertainment.

Thank you to everyone who held my hand whilst I took my first baby steps in writing. I am so grateful for this experience!

Lisa Kilday, Staff Writer for On/Off Campus, Science + Tech

A note to my future self: Oh, boy! It was fun.

Marcin Kielczewski, Senior Staff Writer

After my first year as part of ‘The Magdalen’ team I wonder why I did not join sooner. I have been taken aback by the skill of all team members involved in producing a number of outstanding issues, and I hope this spirit carriers on to next year’s issues.

Andrew Elton, Opinion Section Editor

The Magdalen has helped me to feel part of student life during the pandemic. Everyone has worked so hard over the last nine months and seeing my articles published somewhere has been super exciting. I can’t wait to meet you all in person when restrictions allow!

Cat Pritchard, Staff Writer for Current Affairs

What a year! Meeting the magazine team wasn’t possible this year but I can’t thank Josh, Erin, Alex and the wider team enough for making my first year at The Magdalen so enjoyable. Communicating Science and Tech is more important than ever and I’m proud to be part of that.

Flora Caldwell, Section Co-Editor for Science & Technology

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Y S O D E

FEATURE Words by The Magdalen Team

The four years and various positions after which I am now finally saying goodbye to The Magdalen have been, quite simply, life changing. The magazine has brought me lifelong friendships, endless personal and professional growing opportunities and it has made my student life incomparably richer. I hope it does so for many students to come.

Barbara Mertlova, Section Editor for On/Off Campus

Writing for the Magdalen this year has been a great way to feel connected to the university community despite being away from it. Thank you to everyone on the team!

Kathryn Haddow, Staff Writer

I really want to say thank you to my fellow editors and everyone who contributed over the year, I hope we can look back and really be proud of this. Thanks again to Josh for the opportunity and all the work he put in. I hope everyone has a really pleasant life, all love. //I want a range life// Fyfe Howard, Editor for Arts and Ent

Deputy section editor was the perfect role for truly being involved in The Magdalen for the first time. To On/ Off Campus: it’s been so lovely working and messaging with you. Barbara- who better to learn from, work with and get to know? You’ve motivated, strengthened and guided us all!

Marleen Käsebier, Deputy Section Editor for On/Off Campus

It’s been such a memorable and fulfilling experience during my two years at the Magdalen and has provided me with countless opportunities for personal and professional growth.

It’s been a wonderfully encouraging space for me to hone my craft and I’ve made great, lasting friendships.

Erin Mckeown, co-Deputy Editor

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ARTS + ENTS Design by Katrina High

Philosophical Discourses on Art: A philosophical conversation with Dr. Dominic Smith

The aim of this short philosophical dialogue is to provide you with a brief overview of the current situation vis-à-vis art. This task will be conducted by me as a Liberal Arts student with philosophical inclinations and the philosopher - who is also one of the most favoured lecturers in the entire School of Humanities - Dr. Dominic Smith.

GZ How do you think the current situation that we find ourselves in, i.e. the pandemic, limits our opportunities and our basic freedoms in general? How does that affect us, and could it be used by us for improving our skills or our craft?

Could art be the thing that helps us get through?

DS Michel Foucault has some interesting things to say about the so-called arts of existence and he ties those into his understanding of critique as well. My own inclination is to think yes, absolutely, it can be the thing that helps us. However, I think we should, as you gesture towards, seek to reinvent what the concept of art means. For instance, a lot of people would watch a TV show simply because it helps them to escape from the everyday, and they would not necessarily consider it as art. I think maybe we need to reexamine that and think about the differences between high and low brow art.

In that way, people could expose themselves to different types of art and also to think about how their everyday is shaped by little artistic acts, whether it is going for a walk or just noticing something in the world around them.

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ARTS + ENTS Words by Georgi Zhechev

In my opinion art certainly has a very important role to play but it has to be art in the first place. The concept of art is constantly being reimagined. For example, if I walk out the door, stop the first person I see and ask, “what is art”, they will in most cases answer that art is what we see in the galleries, something to be contemplated, to be bought. There is nothing wrong about that type of view. However, what we need to tend towards is something that is much more expressive, i.e. something that anyone can do, that is also something that people can take part in and shape. So, I think art reimagined has a massively important role to play. Art, as it has traditionally been portrayed, can sometimes be something that blocks our capacity to engage with life in rich ways.

GZ How do you think that ties into the next question which is about inspiration and how we could find it in the current environment?

DS I reckon that the current situation could certainly be used as an inspiration.

It actually has been used in this moment.

Undoubtedly, there are great works of art that have been come up with during the pandemic situation. I am thinking, for instance, of all those great works of music that are going to emerge in the next few years, i.e. works that people have written during this time that are replete with the emotion and the ambience of this time. No

doubt the same is rue for literature, philosophy, etc. So, to sum up, this situation could definitely be used as an inspiration, but it is also important for us to consider the more problematic things it may bring as well. By this, I mean attempts to turn the pandemic and recovery from it into a marketing gimmick. One sees this already, you know, adverts that say, “it has been a tough year, treat yourself to a pizza”, for example. So, there is a situation, there is a collective recognition of it, but it is going to get seized upon by all kinds of ‘artists’. When I say great artists, here, by the way, I do not mean artists like Vincent van Gogh; I mean people who are in tune with how they feel and how they can express themselves.

GZ Yeah, I see what you mean, and I completely agree with what you said earlier. For me, it is not that important to use this situation in order to promote cheap art. This way of presenting art as a tool for advertising certain products is ever present and even without the current situation it is unavoidable. Thus, I think this quote by John Keats sums up the situation really well – “Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a soul?”. So, in retrospect, our pain now may be beneficial to our success tomorrow. After all, it could only make us stronger as Nietzsche put it in his book titled The Twilight of the Idols.

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ARTS + ENTS Design by Rae Maxwell, Words by Sarah Georges

Review:

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer created, produced, wrote, and starred in Broad City, a show about best friends living in New York. With their inimitable style, and involvement in front of and behind the camera, the show has become a touchstone for feminist TV comedies.

As a ‘show about nothing’, it has inherited the Seinfeld DNA. But in the way that Jacobson and Glazer effortlessly balance entertainment, earnestness, and social commentary, it manages to surpass the original model.

While stories centre around the mundanity of everyday life, there is always a spark of absurdity as they navigate these problems. There are episodes that end with the pair walking down the street chatting to each other as the camera remains fixed; it is in the simplicity of moments like this that we see their friendship in its purest form. With nuanced portrayals of queerness and Jewishness, and explorations of issues like sexism, sex positivity, and mental health, they demonstrate an unwavering and enthusiastic interest in politics. In a refreshing change of pace from television of the 90s and early-00s, these topics are introduced organically and treated with grace and humor rather than as the object of mockery.

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Both women are bisexual, but it isn’t until the final season that Abbi realises this. The joke in this revelation is Ilana’s visible disappointment that she isn’t the woman that Abbi is attracted to. While Ilana’s affection for Abbi is undoubtedly genuine, it never manifests in unrequited yearning or a sexual relationship. Similarities exist between the portrayal of Abbi and Ilana’s intimacy and that of romantic love, but this passion is an expression of female friendship that is recognisable to the show creators (and perhaps viewers).

Through this relationship, the pair explore the freedom— and weirdness—of their twenties. Indeed, the intensity of their love is specific to this fleeting time, before careers or families have been established.

There has been a growing number of women-led comedy shows in recent years. For example, Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom (similarly, actor, writer, and producer) deconstruct the sexist notion of the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in their musical rom-com of the same name. The women of Broad City and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (as well as Pen15 and Insecure) have created brilliantly funny shows and admirably examine topics that were usually ignored. In privileging female friendship, they encourage a progressive and optimistic new wave of comedy.

ARTS + ENTS Design by Rae Maxwell, Words by Kianne Newton

Review:

There’s not much that’s quite so satisfying as the moment when you finally defeat the last boss in a video game and go out into a new world that’s free from their clutches…only to be sent back to the start of the whole game after stepping on a rake with your first few steps out into the sun.

A game which, according to Metacritic, received “universal acclaim”, Hades, officially released by Supergiant Games in September 2020, is a roguelike dungeon crawler where the end goal is, more or less, sticking it to the man and showing your dad who’s boss. It isn’t entirely unlike reality in that even if the protagonist, Zagreus, is the prince of the Underworld and his extended family are members of the Greek pantheon, there’s still just as much interpersonal drama as every other family. Compared to other recent releases - Cyberpunk 2077, for example - Hades might feel a lot smaller and more contained as a result of it not being so focused on open-world exploration. What Supergiant do instead is have a game with rich lore that you discover through your progression in the game, with some coming from your mentor and more from your own discoveries as you travel through the levels.

If you aren’t especially good at video games (by which I mean “you find yourself dying more often than not”), there’s an option where dying can grant you upgrades the next time you try to play through. What does kill you makes you stronger, it seems, with each death granting an extra level of defence for Zagreus in the future.

Though, maybe the idea of trying to fight off the denizens of the Underworld while interacting with a cast of characters from Greek mythology isn’t the draw of the game - there are customisation options available for all those seeking to become an interior designer for ancient gods of death. If you’ve ever had particularly strong opinions about which colour drapes go with which kind of flagstones, there’s plenty of variation in those.

But let’s be honest - the real draw of Hades is the character of Cerberus. After all, who wouldn’t want to play a game where you can pet a giant, three-headed dog?

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ARTS + ENTS Design by Lisa Dyer

I

n recent years, I have noticed a trend of what I may label as nostalgic resurgence, not simply amongst film franchises themselves, but amongst films of the early 2000s. Across social media there seems to be an increasing amount of posts and discussion of early 2000s hits and animations of the period. Mean Girls, She’s the Man, ScoobyDoo, How the Grinch Stole Christmas are just some of the films I see pop up on twitter with thousands of likes and comments. At the time of their release, these films were not met with the warmest of critical receptions, but over time these same films have become beloved due to what I believe to be the power of nostalgia.

Nostalgia is, potentially, the most powerful tool a studio can utilise. Every film franchise relies on nostalgia, resting on their laurels in order to expand into subsequent sequels, reboots and prequels.

Star Wars and Harry Potter, are perhaps the most blatant when it comes to this, expanding on their established saga which will never amount to the successes of their predecessors. Yet, the paying audience appears to understand this notion. No one expects the Fantastic Beast franchise to surpass any of the Harry Potter films; while the Star Wars 16

prequel and sequel trilogies both concluded in disaster. However, I find that it is the prequel trilogy to be the more fascinating. Over the years there has been an outcry of love for these films. Although I personally see very little merit in the trilogy and at the time of their release critics and fans shared in this opinion too, times have changed. All the kids who watched these films have now grown up, now seeing them as key moments of their childhood and will blindly love them no matter the criticisms.

Time and time again people will pay to see something that gives them a fraction of the feeling they once felt when they saw something like Star Wars for the first time. However, films akin to Mean Girls or “the chick flick” (a rather unsavoury term for them) are remembered rather differently. They are remembered with hint of sadness, as these are films that have primarily been phased out of modern cinema, or at least, relegated to Netflix, seemingly unworthy of the Big-Screen treatment. Although it comes down to box-office and over time people simply lost interest in this sub-genre, the passion seen for these 2000s films demonstrate a longing for their return. While some of the films in this genre are quite terrible, they really don’t make films like these anymore and their loss is clearly felt.

ARTS + ENTS Words by Lewis Gibson

No one can really escape these rose-tinted goggles; we will all have a beloved childhood film we know isn’t Citizen Kane. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is a film I will always contest is far better than the first; Shawn Levy’s Night at the Museum I still think is a fun and completely overlooked romp; while the first Johnny English film also holds a special place in my heart. However, I also cannot claim that I would hold these opinions if I saw these films today and perhaps, I may even hate them. We shouldn’t judge anyone’s opinion for their unabashed love for the films they grew up with, regardless of their flaws.

There is also a rather cynical idea as to why these films are so cherished. Perhaps they echo a want of return to a better time in our lives or at least a time when we didn’t hold any responsibility. Our love for these properties may stem from what Scot Alexander Howard calls, ‘the poverty of the present’. Childhood goes by so quickly that we will always want to relive our most carefree moments.

While it could also be said that these are the films that defined our childhoods too and, to an extent, shaped us and our artistic sensibilities. For I know I Wouldn’t care about superhero films if I hadn’t seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 when I was six years old.

We attach ourselves to these films and stand by their flaws because we deem them a part of ourselves.

I suppose it becomes more than the defence of a piece of art; it is the defence of our childhood.

Nostalgia isn’t just a state of memory, it is a concurrent emotion, a gateway to our past that cannot leave us. No matter how hard we try and refuse it when studios use it against us, we hardly resist. We want to be reminded of a time or a moment we loved. While no matter how many times my friend may attest to Shark Tale’s brilliance after multiple discussion why I believe it to be terrible, I understand where that passion stems from.

For no one can escape the power of nostalgia.

“We attach oursel ves to these films and stan d by their flaws becaus e we deem them a part of ours elves.”

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ON/OFF CAMPUS Design by Anna Montgomery

Take The Phone Off the Hook W

riting this article on my way to Fort William, surrounded by breath-taking scenery, I now realise that the transition into the postCovid world is nearly as shockingly refreshing as submitting my last assignment and officially beginning my own little ‘summer’.

This academic year has proven to be a tremendous challenge for all of us. Personally, I found it very fulfilling to take on as many extracurricular activities as possible. It was my way of dealing with lockdowns and restrictions. To keep my mind off of how miserable life had turned, I kept myself busy in between classes, essays, article-writing, sports and things so niche that it would take me ages to describe them. Long story short, I was busy, and I liked being busy. It was when I submitted my last essay and had no more exams ahead that I realised that the depressing feeling of idleness had finally caught up with me. On the one hand, I longed to have a nice week off. On the other, I kept waking up to attend meetings that were no longer on my calendar.

“It was when I submitted my last essay and had no more exams ahead that I realised that the depressing feeling of idleness had finally caught up with me”

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Having finally experienced what it means to be properly busy, I learnt what it does to one’s mental health. It is fulfilling, yet dangerous.

Substituting your regular social life and hobbies with a busy schedule and workaholic-like tendencies can easily have deteriorating effects on every aspect of your life. Just as the lockdowns seemed to appear out of nowhere and drastically reshaped our lives, the fuel that keeps you busy can evaporate within seconds. It is of utmost importance to know how to slow down and safely enter the sweet realm of holiday reality.

Once you are done with your academic year, take some time to cool down. Shall the travel restrictions still be lifted by the time you read this, think of a nice trip in Scotland. There is so much beauty this country offers us, while staying local also means relatively low costs. All it takes is a bit of research and you will be out in the soothing wild in no time. It is an easy way to reconnect with nature and to give yourself a break from the computer screen. Importantly, there are no planes, passports and boarding passes involved so the trip will be light and easy.

In the meantime, put that fifth cup of coffee in the sink. You don’t need it anymore. Believe me, your body will thank you for that. The sleepless nights are now (temporarily) a thing of the past. Next, restore your biological clock. Wake up in the morning, go to sleep at night. I understand that yet another advice to sleep from 10 pm

to 6 am can be frustrating, so find the hours that work best for you, and give your body some good regular rest.

Now, think of a healthy diet that will be adjusted to your needs and budget.

Hopefully, you have more free time by now so you can spend a few hours a day in the kitchen and discover that deeply hidden passion for cooking. I am certain that your regular delivery guy has enough orders to make a living, so he won’t get mad at you.

Time to restore your social life. Have a call with each person you put on hold during that especially busy period and see if they have any exciting news (or even juicy gossip) to share with you.

If you feel like you don’t have many friends, try reconnecting with people from your past or even those who are not so close to you – we all long for a bit of socialising.

“Have a call with each person you put on hold during that especially busy period”

If you’re a workaholic, you’ll probably smile and nod your head at this one. Make a list of the things you’ve achieved this year: academic and nonacademic, and update your CV/cover letter accordingly. The University’s Careers Service is always eager to have a look at your documents and help you out. It might feel daunting

at first but try to get into a habit of researching summer opportunities which are relevant to your career path and send your tailored applications regularly. Even if you fail (as I many times did), it will be yet another way to remain productive and learn something new. If you have a summer job: that’s great news. The idea of making money is very appealing, but prioritise yourself and try to find a balance between your life and work. Are you sure you need that one extra shift?

ON/OFF CAMPUS Words by Marcin Kielczewski

Finally, I find finishing off with a quote highly overrated but I feel that Billy Joel wouldn’t forgive me missing this one: “Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while. It’s alright, you can afford to lose a day or two...”

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ON/OFF CAMPUS Design by Zhaneta Zhekova, Words by Marleen Käsebier

Did you go on more walks this year than you did the past three years combined, and end up exercising more consistently? Chances are, you formed some new habits this past year. The question is: which ones will you keep?

Googling ‘pandemic habits’, the first news articles shown were: “Tell us: have your hygiene habits changed during the pandemic?” and “Four bad communication habits that you might have slipped into during the pandemic”.

Habits, though never more explored, are still strange and mysterious, and sometimes we develop such that help us cope, that soothe or that hinder us. Even in lockdowns, they aren’t necessarily ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but they are worth reflecting on, especially as we start turning pages onto the way out of the pandemic.

Actively reflecting on which habits benefit or hinder you in achieving what you expect and hope for from yourself, can be the driving force behind changing or continuing as you did. Retrace the steps you tend to take before you go to bed, for example. Are there routines that help settle your mind into preparing for sleep? We’ve all heard the advice to create bedtime and morning routines repeatedly, with lists of references like Michelle Obama, who starts her days by working out, to business moguls ahead of the curve.

The fact is, not everything works for everyone, and while some people function really well with routines, others might feel stuck or bored if they repeat too many actions in the same order daily. Though there are many ‘habit tracking’ apps available nowadays, a journal can be just as helpful in guiding these reflections.

Personally, I’m choosing to shift how much I look at my phone when I’m intending to focus. I know that I’m not the only one and that choosing to work on that, whether with the help of an app or someone holding me accountable, or without, is a significant step in a direction of feeling more productive and proud of myself. Following through will require continually choosing this.

I don’t implore you to become obsessed with your routines, rather, that you may take this as a gentle nudge to reflect on what areas of your life, if any, you were able to shape to be consistently more fulfilling for yourself this past year and why. If this wasn’t the case, what regularly repeated actions or activities would help you feel more whole and rounded?

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Maybe the act of reflecting itself, is a habit you might choose to keep close as the walls to the outside world slowly lower again.

ON/OFF CAMPUS Design by Robyn Black, Photography by Maria Paula Huertas, Words by Sophie Mudie

Hidden GemsUpstairs @ 51 and their Gallery Showcase We’ve all missed the comfort of our favourite café over lockdown. Although those “Eight Hours of Soft Rain and Coffee Shop Ambience” ASMR videos have been a good friend to me over the countless study sessions, my heart still pines for a professionally made coffee and a peaceful environment that doesn’t have an overflowing ‘clothes chair’ in the corner.

As the world ‘re-opens’, I want to bring the focus to one of my hidden favourites - Upstairs @ 51. This Reform Street treat is owned and operated by volunteers from the Nilupul Foundation, a charity that has been providing mindfulness, mental health exercises and free stress reduction classes to low income adults in Dundee for the past 20 years, ensuring that everyone has access to mental health support.

From the moment you open the door, you are welcomed into a calm, tranquil environment with a range of locally sourced coffee and healthy food, catering to celiacs, vegans and everyone in between. It’s a perfect sunny spot where you can watch the busy streets from above. Their gift shop is stocked with ethically sourced goodies and puts an emphasis on small business finds.

To celebrate their reopening, they’ve launched a 12 month exhibition project - showcasing work from Dundee’s finest talent. Every month a new artist has the opportunity to curate their own exhibition and sell their work. With a portion of sales going towards Nilupul’s various projects, it is a great opportunity to support local talent, give to charity and get your hands on some fantastic art.

“From the moment you open the door, you are welcomed into a calm, tranquil environment with a range of locally sourced coffee and healthy food” Kicking off on May 1st, their first artist is DJCAD’s very own Sarah Gillespie (@sarahjgillespieart). Sarah is in her final year of studying fine art, with her practice focusing around printmaking, installations and sculpture. Her process explores the invisible presence of memories captured in objects and locations, and the emotions they hold.

Lockdown has been isolating for many of us and these monthly exhibitions encourage us to come together as a community again. If you would like to find out more about the Nilupul Foundation and the work they do, pop into the cafe from April 26th or follow their respective socials for updates about the organisation or exhibition.

Artist applications are open all year and you can sign up here: https://forms.gle/ERgzXGCsbXMmzxME8 Instagram: @nilupul_foundation / @upstairsdundee Facebook: Nilupul Foundation / Upstairs @ 51

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ON/OFF CAMPUS Design by Ada Ung, Photography by Lottie Belrose

Discovery Step onboard, and sail back in time with Dundee’s very own RRS Discovery. Discover or rediscover the rich history behind the renowned ship that made a world-famous voyage to Antarctica over 100 years ago. Head on down to the quay and take a tour around the ship. Learn about the life of a crewman at the beginning of last century. Toil in the lower decks and discover the constant struggles which faced the ship’s original crew. Imagine yourself pulling out of the docks and heading for a strange new world that only a handful of people had ever set foot on. So whether you’re a history buff or a lover of ships or even looking for something new to do, then the Discovery is just waiting for you.

Did you know that the McManus Art Gallery and Museum has eight unique Galleries across two floors? Were you aware that the Gallery and Museum has an extensive collection of Ancient Egyptian artefacts? Are you an art lover immersed in studying the history of art? Or maybe you’re a history buff who has a few small holes in your knowledge.

Grab a guide map, and pick a gallery to explore, and prepare yourself for an enlightening day out on the town.

Do you know your periodic table from your prehistoric history? Are you a whizz with computer technology head-deep in computer data systems? Can you identify everything from the human organs to the human nervous system? Does Einstein’s theory of relativity leave your hair up in the air? If the answer is yes to one, or even all of the questions, then head on down to the Dundee Science Centre for a day of fun, learning, exploring and double the fun. The Dundee Science Centre has been a part of our fair city since 2000 and remains a hotspot for tourists and locals alike. Grab a few friends and head on down to Dundee Science Centre and discover something new.

From art film to animation to biopic to drama, and everything in between, the DCA has you covered. With cheap prices, comfortable seats and critically acclaimed films, the DCA is the perfect place for a night out away from the hustle and bustle of student life. Offering two big-screen showing rooms, generous legroom, and a food and beverage menu for all, the DCA has it all. Sit back, relax, turn that mobile off, and indulge in a film or two that will make you want to come back for more.

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With a total of 44 animal enclosures and everything from wild cats to tortoises to bears to otters and owls and all that’s in between, there is something for everyone at the Camperdown Wildlife Centre. Having a pet, or simply watching animals is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety, and a visit to the Wildlife Centre can be just what the Doctor ordered. Whatever species of animals takes your fancy, a visit may be just around the corner. Not all that into animal enclosures? The park attached to it is just the place to take your mind off things with opportunities for walks, picnics, and sport.

ON/OFF CAMPUS Words by Benedict Jackson

Have a walk, take a stroll, go for a jog, or simply sit back, relax, and admire the scenery at Dundee University’s very own Botanic Gardens. A well-deserved break from the last few stressful months is just a trip to the Botanic Gardens away. nothing left to do.

Built in the sixteenth century and positioned along Broughty Ferry’s seafront, the Castle/Museum attracts hundreds of tourists every year and is the perfect place to go if you’re looking for something new to do.

I think it’s safe to say we’re all looking forward to coming out of lockdown. All of the above places will hopefully reopen over the summer holidays, ready to welcome back customers, both old and new.

Designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma, the V&A Dundee opened in September 2018 to roughly 624,600 visitors in the following year as it remains a special part of Dundee’s cultural environment. With a yearly rotating exhibition gallery, there’s always something new to discover at the V&A. Based along the riverside and just a short walk away from the City Quay, the V&A is the perfect place for a leisurely stroll, a day away from the busy city centre or just for a fun activity when there’s nothing left to do.

Also known as Scotland’s Jute Museum, the Verdant Works is a former Jute Mill in the Blackness area in Dundee. Purchased back in 1991 by the Dundee Heritage Trust, the building was fully refurbished and opened in 1996 and has remained a popular tourist attraction ever since. The museum is the only dedicated Jute museum in the United Kingdom and tells the story of Dundee’s textiles, jute and linen industries.

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ON/OFF CAMPUS Words by Catriona Harrison, Design by CL Gamble

THE V&A STRIKES A REAL NOTE OF OPTIMISM FOR CLUB GOERS!

NEW V&A DUNDEE EXHIBITION TAKES A LOOK AT CLUB CULTURE, HINTING AT A BRIGHTER FUTURE The upcoming exhibition Night Fever: Designing Club Culture explores the ‘progressive and subversive’ influence of nightclub design and how architecture, art, fashion, graphics, lightning, performance and sound collectively create the clubgoer experience.

The exhibition explores the rich history of world-renowned clubs like Studio 54 and the Haçienda of New York, Paris, Florence, Manchester, London, Beirut and Berlin. It also focuses on Scotland’s dance scene and we stay hopeful there’s a mention for Dundee’s Reading Rooms, one of Scotland’s most iconic nightclubs for nearly a quarter of a decade.

Without a doubt, Rooms used its quirky building (a hundred year old library), small hall, and great music to create an inimitable experience on the dancefloor.

Sadly, the famous Reading Rooms has been controversially taken over and will become a bar. The place where I met some of my closest friends, and thousands of visitors had countless amazing nights, will be home for new stories. Undeniably, though, it’s sad to see the place go under such transformation. Potentially the V&A exhibition will encourage us to not only look back, but to also look forward.

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Written on the V&A website is a sentiment that rings true about the old Reading Rooms; “Scottish club culture is built on an ethos of DIY attitude, togetherness, humour”. I wonder how far back into the building’s history we will be able to see when it reopens.

Will we still get a feel for the pulsing music, great lights and closely packed dancehall of the past?

The V&A exhibition focuses on something that we have not been able to enjoy for so long, almost teasing us with the promise of a brighter future.

Reminding ourselves of the huge influence of clubs on popular culture, not simply the music but reaching far and wide into the clothes we wear and architecture we enjoy, we can get just that little bit excited!

SCOTTISH CLUB CULTURE IS BUILT ON AN ETHOS OF DIY ATTITUDE, TOGETHERNESS, HUMOUR Exhibition details: https://vam.ac.uk/dundee/exhibitions/ night-fever-designing-club-culture

ON/OFF CAMPUS Design by Robyn Black, Words by Emma Sturrock

Revitalising Spaces After Lockdown: GENERATORprojects GENERATORprojects are coming with a brilliant initiative which launches their new auxiliary space in the Wellgate Centre in the heart of Dundee. As the Annual Members’ Show begins in May, we discuss here the impact of this on the community of Dundee.

I first heard of this project on Twitter from Creative Dundee tweeting the news. Curious, I reached out to find out more. GENERATORprojects revealed that, for the Wellgate space, they were approached by EP Spaces, an initiative in Edinburgh which provides disused commercial units at a low rental cost to creatives. This is not the first time GENERATOR has taken over a disused space - in the past, they have occupied a warehouse on an industrial estate.

Another fascinating aspect of the Wellgate Centre project is the way they are utilising the space around its former use; “We don’t intend to hide the fact that this unit used to house a clothes shop, instead we want to embrace the elements of this that still remain”. This also extends to the artwork itself, as GENERATOR hopes “this will be something that draws artists in, giving them a chance to react to the surroundings and show work outside of the traditional ‘white cube’”. The message is that it is possible to work with your surroundings to create something special. This can be applied to everyone’s life with simple things such as patching up your clothes instead of purchasing new ones.

“This can be applied to everyone’s life with simple things such as patching up your clothes instead of purchasing new ones”

The impact of this venture goes beyond the Wellgate as GENERATOR’s new space provides an event to look forward to as we begin our journey towards normality. This space will also support the local economy as people might be tempted to visit a café or go shopping after visiting the space.

This project may also mark the beginning of the revival of shopping centres, which is a view shared

by GENERATOR, saying “if all goes well with this project, EP Spaces will be working to provide more low-cost spaces within Dundee’s disused commercial units. We are so excited to be a part of this and hope that more creatives will get the chance to reinvigorate our city centre”.

Finally, the biggest positive outcome is the fact that the Wellgate Centre could become popular again.

For a long time, the Overgate Shopping Centre has been the dominant shopping destination in Dundee, but this has been challenged by recent closures. Providing a spotlight on the Wellgate Centre could inspire retailers to relocate or, as GENERATOR says, help revitalise retail spaces to serve the community. “Maybe this can spark a change in the way that we use city centres, focusing less on the commercial and more on the social, taking empty shop units and repurposing them into services that benefit our community.”

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ON/OFF CAMPUS Design by Eilidh Smith, Photography by Lottie Belrose

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ON/OFF CAMPUS Words by Lisa Kilday

A Blether with Heather Putting a spotlight on Heather Street Food, I spoke to co-founder Chris who explained how the food and drink business originated and how it’s now thriving in Dundee.

Chris sums up what the business is all about and why you should visit over the Summer months.

Let’s set the scene: it’s a beautiful summer afternoon, you’re finally catching up with friends post-lockdown, and you’re craving some coffee. You purchase a double espresso and donuts at a pop-up van outside the V&A and relax on a bench to enjoy the waterfront view. This van is Heather Street Food, and they’ll be here serving students and locals all summer long.

Heather Street Food is a fairly new food and drinks van in the recently developed waterfront area. Over the past year we have witnessed its incredible growth - you may have seen this in the rising popularity of their Instagram account (heatherstreetfood) or the constant wave of happy customers outside the van. They are currently open from 10am to 6pm every day and sell award winning coffee, donuts and bagels.

Chris, co-founder of Heather Street Food, spared some time during his busy work day to chat to me about the business. Firstly, I wanted to know where ‘Heather’ came from in the name. Chris explained that not only is it his second name, but that it will soon be his fiancé’s name too! Chris and Melodie started the business together and when I asked how they worked as a team, he explained, “My strengths are her weaknesses, and vice versa. The great thing about being a family business is you keep thinking, and being reminded about, what the big dream is” - one of these dreams being a wedding in Italy.

Chris and Melodie’s original plans were to cater for events and weddings but this was unfortunately postponed due to the pandemic. Assuming the worst (the worst being a long-term lockdown and no large-scale events), the couple made the business-changing decision to set up outside the V&A on a semi-permanent basis. As Chris grew up in Dundee and loved how the museum brought life to the waterfront, he wanted to acknowledge this through the business. Although working alongside the V&A was a last-minute change of plan, they have successfully adapted to the new location which has allowed their business to flourish.

“Dundee has an amazing community of people who run these great independent restaurants” Another way in which Heather Street Food has boomed is through their social media outreach, specifically Instagram. I personally discovered the business through their account and I loved how they posted pictures of people enjoying the food and drink, making it all about the customer experience. Chris told me that his Digital Marketing degree has definitely come into play in advertising the business, so much so that their Instagram is now the most followed restaurant/café account in Dundee. The idea of posting pictures of customers, rather than what’s on the menu, comes from the ‘Humans of New York’ work. This way, the real joy of the customers is at the forefront: “We’ve always been dependent on customers, and we’ve been taken aback by how happy everyone is when they come to the van”, Chris explained.

Heather Street Food has also been working in collaboration with other local cafés and restaurants. Chris spoke passionately about these projects and said, “Dundee has an amazing community of people who run these great independent restaurants. Everyone has their own speciality and it’s always beneficial to share ideas”.

As festivals and events start back up again, Heather Street Food will hopefully be travelling as per the initial plan. For now however, they are more than happy with their current location and will definitely be in Dundee over summer. I asked Chris if there were any exciting new plans for the coming months, and he gave me a sneak preview of what’s to come: “We imported a vehicle from France the day before Brexit, luckily! It’s another street food van but it’s all still in the works and its location is still to be confirmed”.

In the final few minutes of our conversation I asked Chris what he would recommend to any customers trying Heather Street Food for the first time. His recommendations were: • the classic Italian bagel • plain sugared donuts with Nutella • and a cortado!

One last message from Chris: “Thank you to all the students who come down to the van - you’ve been amazing and we love meeting you all!” The ethos of Heather Street Food is ‘making food that makes people smile’. Hopefully you can look forward to experiencing their menu and warm customer service for yourself this summer.

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CREATIVE WRITING Design by Oisean Burnett

Oblivion Conversations with God in a Beautiful Place Out in the Country

I The Cathedral In a place that exists beyond our world One will find a stone and marble cathedral.

Within the walls lies a forgotten soul, curled.

White light wakes the soul from a sleep primeval.

There are great stone arches with pointed tops And figures of glass imbued with colour.

Saints glistened like light through raindrops.

The air was hot like a day of summer.

In came a man who walked toward the soul.

With the tunic and even the wooden crook, The soul recognised The Shepherd as his role.

In his hand he held a black prayer book.

‘I am here on the word of Him who asks Of you to see his garden and complete his task.’

III The Wood I went from the garden toward a wood.

The ground was crisp and laden with leaves and bark.

There was beech and pine and evergreen wormwood.

In the distance I could make out a spark!

I moved closer, careful to make little noise, And there I found a ring of copper beeches Within danced a ring of angels singing ‘Joy!’ Seeing me, their singing turned to screeches.

Flying toward me, one said ‘That rose! That rose!

From our garden you have stolen a flower!’

‘Does it matter? It was but one I chose.’

‘It was never yours to devour!’

‘You must leave this wood, do you understand?

For now, you are eternally damned!’

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II The Garden I left the cathedral and toward the garden.

I came across trees and flowers; of red And green and blue and white. My heart quickened When I found a particular bed.

Great horned serpents arose from ash, With blushing heads of intertwined silk, Those piercing roses all in a stash, With furious colour and petals soft like milk.

What, I thought, of plucking one to take home?

As I bent low a voice said, ‘Be carefulOf what you pluck. Remember thy tome.’

‘Foolish voice’, I said, ‘they have had their fill.’

‘Very well’, replied the voice, ‘make your choice,’ ‘But always remember my warning voice.’

CREATIVE WRITING Words by Andrew Young

IV The Road I went down from the wood and found a road, Cursing those angels who said I was damned.

Although now the garden and wood were closed, I pondered if this road would lead to new lands.

The sky grew darker, the trees were thinning.

My curses ceased and the darkness closed in, The path became rough, and it was raining, Cold water was pouring down my skin.

‘Oh, where does this road lead?’

The stars in the sky had all but vanished.

‘Forgive me lord for my greed!’

I fell to my knees in pitiful anguish.

‘You will be forgiven and spared destruction, When you have repaired this disruption.’

V The Country I then found myself in a vast country, A sovereign state of wilderness.

Through this new expanse I wandered dumbly, Placing each foot with cautious tenderness.

Nothing beyond but rolling green hills And a soft blue sky scattered with clouds I thought, ‘This place I will not defile.’

Walking over the hill, I saw a town.

‘Ah, you have arrived. You should go to the Inn,’ Said an old man, ‘and speak with the owner.’

I asked, ‘Will I find redemption therein?’

The old man smiled, ‘You may get closer.’

I was fatigued, but to the Inn I headed, Hopeful to end this journey I had dreaded.

VI Oblivion The Inn was a small wooden building.

Inside were men and women of all ages.

Many were talking, dancing and singing.

‘Oh God, oh God, we sing your praises.’

At the bar was a lady who might have my pardon She smiled and said, ‘A new face, I see?’

For redemption head to the back garden.

Talk to the man by the beech tree.’

The garden was luscious and beautiful.

The plants were red, and green and blue and white.

A back garden of the most bountiful!

The man handed me some seeds and pointed to his right.

‘In this garden you will plant these rose seeds, And pluck the weeds of your past deeds.’

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CREATIVE WRITING Design by Anna Poehlman

HAPPY

PLACE “Look!”

“What is it, dear?”

“It’s my happy place! I drew it at school.”

“Sweetie, my eye-sight is not like it used to, could you please tell me about your happy place?”

“Sure! Erm, I like my room, so I drew my room as the best room ever.”

“What was the first thing you drew in your room?”

“Books! There are bookshelves all the way up, and they’re full of books! And I’m gonna read them all!”

“That sounds amazing, dear. I wish I had so many books.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll read you some!”

“Thank you. But I can’t help but wonder, how do you reach the books close to the ceiling?”

“The books can fly of course! They have little wings!”

“Ah, of course they do.”

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CREATIVE WRITING Words by Sofia Rönkä

“The book you want flies down to you and you can sit to read it anywhere, ‘cos the floor is pillows. And the pillows are all my favourite colours. They look like a soft rainbow.”

“The rainbow has all my favourite colours, too.”

“Really?”

“Really. Is there something else in the room, besides books?”

“Of course there is, it’d be silly to only have books. There are also all my other favourite things, like my cute tutu, and huge real piano, not just a small electricky one, so I can dance and play whenever I want.”

“Would you dance or play for me sometime?”

“Erm… maybe. I can secretly invite you and we can have a dance party.”

“I’d love that. You can dance your beautiful ballet, and I can do the good old twist. Ah my dear, I have to admit your room sounds indeed like the greatest room there could ever be.”

“But you haven’t even heard the best part!”

“What could be even better than all this?”

“There’s a forest!”

“A forest in your room?”

“Yeah!!! It has all the pretty trees, like those with pink flowers, but also trees made out of sheet music and trees with rainbow leaves and birds that sing my favourite songs. And I’m gonna play there with my friends but also by myself. I can play hide-and-seek or climb trees and do whatever I want!”

“A beautiful forest in my room would certainly be wonderful. Although, I am way past my tree-climbing days.”

“No, you have to draw your own happy place.”

“But my sweet sweet angel, I already have it right here.

My happy place is with you.”

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CREATIVE WRIITING Words by Kate Heggie, Design and Photography by Arwin Quiachon

Stolen they came in the night like thieves as though they knew, my bones crumbled at the touch the perfect victim. hiding behind bandages decayed from years of slumber. a cocoon that never released its burden. i lay by the frozen lake. the flutter of a butterfly deep within the only evidence of life. the thieves swarm the land like mist that hoods a winter morning. their rough hands steal the breath that forms in my lungs. replacing it with thick black smoke, evidence that my gasps are lost to my surroundings. clipped wings lay beside me. i watch them morph into old rags, frail and holey. covered in dust that flees, layer by layer as the wind kisses their delicate frame. the thieves slink into the tree line carrying bags of loot. moths caught in another trap, blinded by the fabric. all that was once familiar is now black, hidden in places the sun is too scared to reach. i should have begged for air, kicked or screamed, flown away but my muscles lay dormant. all I could do was watch.

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CREATIVE WRITING Design by Zoe Arlidge-Lyon, Words by Aaron Tweed

Memory’s Flight. Me mory’s Fli ht. Memor y’s Flight.

Memory’s The trembling flames lick the air with lust To touch what cannot be seen, but must Lurk as dust, in a world of

in-betweens.

Great men and women grow statuesque and monolithic!

Proud symbols when hearts stop beating in their prime.

The dead may be left behind by the cold, hard river of Time, But their presence is felt in memory’s banks like a Thunderous flash of lightning in the night.

One, that half-blinds but quickly reignites fond joy and bitter regret, Love and Loss That few forget. Of friends and family, or better yet: The memories that urge our hearts to pump, our brains to think And our lives to happily fly with them as our co-pilot.

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CREATIVE WRITING Design by Lewis Elks, Words by J.J. Bennett

S u m m e r S un O  summer sun!

How your rays

violently blind the gaze of my sweet August babe who looks to a brighter view.

O yes nature new!

Like the skin born red raw blistered open, premature  like the sweet August babe who didn’t make the light of day.

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CRETIVE WRITING Design by Kirsty Meek, Words by Luke Perry

Summer City It’s summer!

The winter thawed away revealing a vibrant spring pinging us to the baking morn of a crisp July day.

A gusty wind of warmth curves along human hills of corporations and concrete, carrying the tired souls within to the shining summer coasts.

On these blowy beaches the sun beams brightly among the tightly-packed teens and the joyful juniors with their family basking in the heat at the peak of noon.

For what lay ahead in the new free days were endless bouts of a summer joy, unequalled in the history of our generation.

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CREATIVE WRITING Design by Caitlin McPhee

The Sun is Just Over the Horizon

Shutting my eyes, stepping outside, past the door frame of my mind, I feel Summer’s arrival. The heat beats down on my arms and tans my freckles. It swerves up my neck and tangles in my hair. Days upon days inside linger with the hope of the sun; sand getting everywhere, sun cream sticking to the surface, tinnies in the garden. Everything always works out in Summer.

‘We should get booked in for the 26th,’ Maria tells me as she swings her legs off the side of my bed, ‘first day back, first pint in hand? I cannae wait!’

Midnight skies dye themselves bright shades of blue; twilight is a rare bliss during these days. There is less of a need to wrap up, more freedom in our presentable selves.

I could wear shorts, vests, or cute summer dresses without the fear of Mr Frost gnawing at my knees.

‘Lighten up, Livvy, the sun is just over the horizon, you’re getting your vaccine in two weeks anyway.’

We could parade into town, see friends we haven’t seen in months, laugh at the idea of a lockdown, thinking, ‘we are heading back in normalcy’. But…who knows how long this one will last before our next endeavour into the unknown.

‘Honestly, cannae please you sometimes. Look, I’ll go ahead and book the beer garden and you can decide if you’re gonnae be miserable nearer the time,’ Maria replied as she left my room.

For now, we should take it as we can. Each day blending into the next, heat warming the backs of our necks, drinking cocktails at 2pm. At least with the sun here, those cold dreary days of a Winter lockdown will be lost to memory.

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‘What makes you so confident that it’s gonnae happen?’ I reply, turning over in my duvet cocoon. ‘Same thing will happen as last time, I dinnae trust ‘em.’

‘I’ll lighten up when the clouds decide to break, love.

Call me then.’

I don’t mean to be as negative as I am, my positive outlook diminishing as the numbers rapidly grow. Things are changing, but part of me doesn’t want them to. Part of me has grown comfortable in the Zoom calls and avoidance of social rules. The routine is monotonous, but I rely on it.

I don’t have to face the constant complaints at work for I

CREATIVE WRITING Words by A. R. Turnbull

haven’t had to face a single customer in months. Part of me doesn’t want to return to normal; part of me enjoys this odd limbo.

Yet, saying that, I feel guilty. I miss my parents – haven’t hugged them in months. I miss my dog, she’s getting older, and I fear the last moments with her. I miss my brother, but he still torments me – even with a two-meter distance. Summer marks the time for us to come together, or as Maria says, ‘The sun is just over the horizon.’

It presents possibilities, new boundaries that we always forget about. Soon we will be complaining about the heat and wishing for Winter to bombard us again, only for us to realise how stupid we were and wish for Summer, creating the never-ending cycle. Humans are just a bunch of eejits.

I slump out of bed and turn to my window. It’s bright outside. The weather here can never quite make its mind up; it wants to suffocate us in snow whilst drowning us in rain – even for the weather nothing is good enough.

Once Summer does come, we cross our fingers that it will last, that the sun will stretch past these dreary

days and welcome us with open arms – it is a rare blessing when it does.

People are bustling in the streets below. They try to avoid each other, face masks on their wrists, the virus ever-present in their minds. We will soon complain about the amounts of people without the underlying fear of death. I watch on as their lives take over my mind. People watching is a weird hobby, but it brings me an odd comfort.

‘Hey Liv, I’m gonnae nip out tae the shops, you needin anything?’ Maria re-enters my room dressed for the day.

‘Get us some tinnies will ya? Think today’s meant to be nice.’

‘Of course, what else are we meant to do when the sun’s out?’ she laughs in response before disappearing down the hall.

I turn my attention back to the view at hand. It won’t be long now; I know it won’t. It won’t be long until the sun is over the horizon.

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CREATIVE WRITING Design by Phoebe Wilman, Photography by Lottie Belrose, Words by Jennifer Gillespie

Blossom Petals Fall i.

why allow

him to define what you can be

when

she

gave up what she could

so you can

ii.

Blossom petals fall into the beer garden of the social elite. I fought for a seat by the cold stone wall alone. Discovering silence and tasteless petals in my cup.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS Design by Oisean Burnett, Words by Rufus Hodge

Northern Independence ‘We do not live in a normal country. We live in the most unfairly centralised nation in the developed world, both economically and politically.’

Border in the north to Cheshire, South Yorkshire and Humberside in the south, and its flag would be the burgundy and yellow of Oswald’s stripes.

These are the first words in the new manifesto of the Northern Independence Party, a new political party with the goal of achieving independent statehood for the North of England to address the stark inequalities between the north and the more affluential areas in the south, particularly London and the South-East. This state would be called Northumbria, it would extend from the Scottish

There are other regionalist parties in the North which have called for a greater redistribution of power, however the goal of independence is unique to the Northern Independence Party, which, as it may be turning out, is also its

Independence Party’s manifesto is home to policies which address the social imbalances of post-industrial Britain, especially after a pandemic, including public ownership, community wealth building, UBI, green investment, social housing and so on. By doing so, the constitutional question is not based around a vague notion of self-determination, but with the vital inclusion of its radical vision presents itself as being an essential part of the solution, meaning any

criticism of it as a distraction instantly falls flat.

‘We joke but we’re serious’

The NIP’s commitment to socialism is reminiscent of James Connolly’s appeal for a truly independent Ireland over a century ago: ‘Unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts will be in vain. England will still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists,

strength. Since the Hartlepool by-election was called in midMarch the awareness, following, and membership of the NIP has swelled massively, which can be mostly credited to its bold vision for the North, and its viral Twitter page which is as entertaining as it is self-deprecating. As they say themselves, ‘We joke but we’re serious’.

A common criticism of these constitutional questions is that they are a distraction from other more important issues, particularly the recovery from the Covid pandemic. However, the Northern

through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country.’

They recognise it is only with this economic and political redistribution of power that the ills of capitalist accumulation can be challenged, and society can be set up for the enjoyment of all the benefits of civilisation, rather than the production of profit.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS Design by Oisean Burnett

Europe in the Making From Santiago de Compostela to the peaks of Uralic mountains, Europe is known for its diversity. While ‘diverse’ does not mean ‘chaotic’, there is only so much about Europe that is fixed and can be standardised.

Political situation across the continent seems not to follow any particular pattern and is prone to metamorphosis under the influence of foreign stimuli.

This year has been of great significance as people across Europe were urged to vote despite the pandemicrelated restrictions.

The results of presidential elections in Portugal (January) did not bring much change. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (PSD, liberal conservative) was re-elected for another term as the president of the country. Notably, he was followed by Ana Gomes (PS, social democratic) who gained the highest ever result obtained by a female candidate (13%).

Simultaneously, these elections have seen a rise of the far-right CHEGA party, something that has not been observed on the Portuguese political scene yet.

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Shall the pattern continue, Portugal might one day join the group of countries where the centrist parties diminish and the polarization of political culture increases.

The Netherlands is far from political stability. The March general elections were supposed to bring Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVP, conservative liberal), and his allies, back the majority in the House of Representatives.

Despite the main parties forming the coalition to gain more seats, the situation is very unclear.

Following the March elections, Mark Rutte was criticised for the way he attempted to assemble the government. The parliament held a vote of no-confidence against him, yet he persisted and continues to aspire for a stable government. The country’s electoral system, an extremely low threshold to be precise (0.67%), encourages further fragmentation of the parliament and while new parties appear, it can become virtually impossible to form a stable government in the future. The Dutch shall reassess their electoral system as too

much ‘proportionality’ in their democracy makes the world giggle.

Bulgaria, just as many Eastern European and Balkan countries, loves to create new parties when the old ones disappoint. The recent parliamentary elections, held in April, saw a significant loss of importance of the ruling GERB party (conservative, populist). The nation has been significantly hit by the pandemic which, accompanied by high corruption rates, revealed just how weak and vulnerable

May Sc elections great signi the future o geopol

CURRENT AFFAIRS Words by Marcin Kiełczewski

the country’s health system was.

After the months of protests, the new party was launched. The ITN (populist) gained 51 seats and became the second biggest political force in Bulgaria.

Interestingly, the Bulgarian ITN is led by a talk-show host, Slavi Trifonov. Perhaps, there would not be anything particularly spectacular about it, if it was not for a new political trend which has emerged in that part of the continent. The TV stars are taking over politics. In

cottish will be of ificance to of European litics.

countries, where people are likely to fall victims to populism, the people known for their big screen presence, have a good starting point to launch their political career. It was only in 2019, that the presidential run in Ukraine was won by Volodymyr Zelensky, a former TV star, comedian and screenwriter. Similarly, in Poland, a new political party launched by a former host of the Polish equivalent of Britain’s got Talent, is predicted to become the second biggest political power following the next elections. On a more humoristic note, will we see a great political comeback of Piers Morgan and his notyet-established political party?

Hopefully not.

The British electoral system gives new parties no chance to enter the scene. However, one thing we can be certain about is that the May Scottish elections will be of great significance to the future of European geopolitics. While it is nearly certain that the SNP will emerge as a winner, it is the numeric size of the victory that will define the country’s future.

Shall the party gain majority

in the Scottish Parliament, not only will the SNP’s policies be realised but it will be yet another majestic step towards the country’s independence.

Meanwhile, Germany has lost a great leader. While it is certain that Angela Merkel will not seek any further political involvement, it is not yet clear what the country will look like following her political retirement. Interestingly, the long-established CDU/SCU coalition is predicted to lose importance, while the Greens are yet to strengthen their importance.

Leaving the speculation aside, September will see the most important elections of the year.

Given the informal leadership of Germany in the EU, it is not just one country, but the entire organisation that will be affected by the votes of the Germans.

The list of 2021 elections is far longer than that, elections are yet to take place in London, Wales, Czech Republic, France, Cyprus, etc. Their importance varies.

While some will affect national governments, the others will only reshape local council structures.

Europe is, truly, in the making.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS Words by Cat Pritchard, Design by CL Gamble

KILL THE BILL

OR KILL OUR HUMAN RIGHTS The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – colloquially known as “The Bill” or “The Protest Bill” – is a major cause of concern as the legislation poses a threat to our protesting right under the European Convention of Human Rights.

Implemented as it is, The Bill would allow police officers to disperse demonstrations which they deem to exceed an unspecified noise level.

Such autocratic powers enable a potential for biased decisions against particular activist groups.

The Bill grants an expansion of stop-and-search powers, introducing a two-year sentence for individuals who impose the order, a barbaric reality.

In response to the petition, “Do not restrict our rights to peaceful protest”, the Government said the following: “Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights set out that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly and association with others.

However, these freedoms are not absolute, and restrictions may be placed for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”

(Emphasis added) Factually, this is the law in England and Wales. However, concerning the policy being discussed, the wording

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appears suspicious. There is no indication to the extent to which The Bill will allow police to restrict Human Rights Articles 10 and 11.

Nor is there any assertion given that future protests will not be broken up for the reason of being subjectively “too noisy”. Traditionally noise forms a major part of most protests, yet it would appear that The Bill could easily pave a path for the dispersion of any protest deemed by a police person to be overly vociferous.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have adapted to new ways of communicating with our families, friends, colleagues and even university staff. Together, we have prioritised the recognition of our feelings and the appropriate handling of our anxieties – personal, workrelated or on a larger scale – in order to secure people’s mental and

emotional wellbeing in these difficult times.

Communication with our Government should be no different.

The act of protesting is the most visible way of ensuring your voice is heard by others. This can still be done in an era of pandemic as various methods of protesting have been implemented across the world: individuals in the US have protested in cars for issues relating to immigration legislation, housing rights and healthcare; Greenpeace have carried out climate strikes via Zoom meetings in 2020 and mass demonstrations can still be organised if the social distancing and face coverings rules are followed. Your right to protest matters, whatever your opinions.

We must speak up against The Bill.

CURRENT AFFAIRS Design by Molly Paterson, Words by Annika Hudson-Laursen

HOPE FOR THE CLIMATE IN GREENLAND’S ELECTION On April 6th citizens of Greenland went to the polls.

The left-wing party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) defeated the ruling Social Democratic party for the first time since 1979.

Why should you care about elections on a vast island in the arctic with a population of just 56,000?

An island of over 2 million km2 covered in a solid layer of ice, Greenland is a crucial place for monitoring climate change and predicting its consequences for the rest of the world. However, there is a greater interest in Greenland from the economic powers USA, China and Russia due to its mining opportunities. Since 1953 Greenland has officially been redefined from a Danish colony to a district of the small Nordic country of Denmark; compelling the state to strengthen their security in the arctic as competition for oil and other resources swiftly increases.

Greenland’s latest election was centered around the question of the mining project in the south called Kvanefjeld. According to the Greenland Minerals Ltd, Kvanefjeld “has the potential to become the biggest western producer of rare earths.” These rare earths include a group of 17 elements that are used in building electronics, batteries and weapons. It is only as the ice that covers Greenland has started melting more rapidly in recent years that the chances for rare earth mining have been uncovered, literally and figuratively. Inuit Ataqatigiit is a party with a strong environmental focus, and they ran their campaign on stopping this mining project. This election victory displays that a majority of the Greenlandic population support the environmental agenda, giving hope that there are governments who are willing to go against the leading mining companies for the sake of our planet.

Although the Social Democratic party conveys that the mine would create hundreds of jobs and has the potential to lead to Greenland’s independence, IA argues that the environmental price is too steep. It would quickly destroy the environment around the region, damaging the already-endangered animal populations and contributing greatly to the output of fossil fuels.

Furthermore, with uranium as a byproduct, Greenlanders are also nervous about the potential of radioactive and toxic waste contaminating their community if the project goes forward.

The outcome of the Greenlandic election is a positive step forward in the fight against climate change. However, it is also a difficult test for Greenland, as well as Denmark, to withstand the international pressures for mining and controlling the arctic natural resources as the ice continues to melt with no end in sight. or more often at their ‘monthly volunteering sessions’. Although they are not taking volunteers during lockdown, they hope to take people soon.

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OPINIONS Design by Storm Dobson,

Throughout the past year, everyone’s life has been turned upside down as Covid-19 restrictions closed many venues. The entertainment industry is one of many industries which has been hit hard with Covid closures and, as a result, many companies utilised technology to offer their services at home.

During the UK lockdowns, I have turned to entertainment such as TV series, books and video games to provide some escapism from the life of lockdown and the anxiety surrounding the news of Covid-19. I am not the only one to

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notice this change as British people have spent £9 billion on digital entertainment services including Netflix, Amazon and Spotify. This is due to the pandemic changing consumer habits with 86% of the total UK entertainment spending was on digital services (Sweney, 2021). I can see why streaming services are so successful. There little to no adverts so you can watch your favourite TV shows and films without any interruptions unlike TV providers. In addition, the ability to watch on any device provides more portability, which means that you are not tied to one room unlike Television boxes such as Sky.

OPINIONS Words by Emma Sturrock

NOW STREAMING

The music industry has also changed drastically with Covid-19 as music streaming leapt up to around 15%, which is worth around £1.2 billion as people subscribed to streaming services.

This change has been immense, the music market reaches its highest value since 2006, despite live gigs and concerts having to stop due to Covid-19 (Sweney, 2021). Streaming revenues alone have also surpassed the music market’s 2016 worth because music streaming rose to 22% last year to 139 billion streams from 114 billion in 2019 (Sweney, 2021).

These advances are great during the pandemic when there is limited options in terms of large gatherings for concerts and cinemas but, in the long term, digital entertainment will kill off an already dying physical entertainment industry.

Sales of CDs have plummeted to £156 million and DVD/ Blu-ray sales have fallen by a quarter to £355 million.

Furthermore, the physical video rental market is close to dying, falling to £16.9 million (Sweney, 2021). In addition to this, Covid-19 has also hit our high streets with the Centre for Retail Research estimating that more than 15,700 shops closed last year, amounting to 176,700 retail job losses (Financial Times, 2021). We can already see this in Dundee with the closure of Debenhams last December, which was a major anchor within the Overgate, attracting footfall as people visited the popular department store.

As we come out of lockdown, on 26th April in Scotland, non-essential retail shops will be allowed to open up and people can socialise with friends and family outside. This means that the entertainment that people have been relying upon during lockdown will be side-lined and now, we will see how the entertainment industry has transformed.

Cinemas in Scotland will not be open until 17th May (Gillespie, 2021) so film companies will most likely continue to release

their films early on the digital market to make as much profit as possible. But people have been able to adapt with outdoor cinema bookings becoming increasingly popular with the weather getting warmer and restrictions easing on outdoor gatherings (Sweney, 2021). Coronavirus and lockdowns have also created a boom in the vinyl market, resulting in the year the market has seen in decades. Music lovers who have missed out on the experience of gigs have spent their spare cash on records. Now, vinyl’s account for 40% of the physical music market (Sweney, 2021).

So, as we have seen, the entertainment market is a very flexible industry that is capable of changing with the times.

There may be the short term changes of regular cinema goers watching films on streaming services instead but it appears that the pandemic has created some permanent changes to the entertainment industry. One of these changes is the renewed popularity in the vinyl market. This is because it provides an option of listening to music without phones or laptops and vinyl’s also provide an opportunity to collect a collection of their favourite artist’s albums that can be kept forever. Another long term change that could stay after Covid-19 is book clubs. Many new book clubs have launched virtually to offer a chance of socialisation and escapism from the world around them as they read the assigned book. Therefore, people can be intellectually stimulated and socialise regularly at the book discussions typically once a month. Once restrictions over social gatherings are eased, I feel that book clubs will take off because people are craving in person human connection and interaction and book clubs will also take out the stress of socialising since book clubs will provide a common ground of a love of reading that can help people establish friendships.

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OPINIONS Design by Olivia Juliette Baird

Is Lobbying Right?

Lobbying – ‘seeking to influence on an issue’ – is an integral system of government in the UK. It can take many forms; from small charities asking their local MP for help to multi-national firms persuading the government to change laws and regulations. Following the lobbying actions of former-Prime Minister David Cameron in his role at Greensill Capital, many have called his behavior and interaction with current Government ministers suspicious. On account of this, some have begun to question the nature of lobbying, and the regulations surrounding this process.

Traditionally, ‘Lobbying’ gets its name from the ‘lobby’ in the Houses of Parliament in which members of the public would interact with MPs and discuss certain policy changes. Today, lobbying tends to take place elsewhere, whether this be through text messages, over lunch or even perhaps at sporting fixtures.

So, what is the purpose of lobbying? Some would argue that it is an essential part of a functioning democratic government. The majority of lobbying activity involves charity, corporate and trade issues, each a vital section of

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our society. It is thus important for these associations to have a strong voice on policy changes which may affect their business.

Some may call this ‘manipulation’, I however, prefer to use the term ‘leverage’, it allows interested parties and citizens to leverage the government and build support regarding their issues, with the aim to help inform the government on conflicting and competing ideas.

Lobbying ensures that the system of government, and the decisions they make, are not closed off to interested citizens, demonstrating the importance of accessibility in a stable democracy.

In theory, lobbying seems have no drawbacks, however reality shows this may not to be the case. Many of the firms and charities who lobby regularly on important issues in their respective fields tend to hire former politicians and government ministers who know the ‘ins and outs’ of government decision making. This seems like a sensible, and logical, hire, after all who knows government processes better than those who helped design them.

OPINIONS Words by Andrew Elton

At this point, I’m sure many people start to question if this is morally and ethically right, as well as questioning if this is not just a tame form of corruption. Not to worry, there are extensive and sensible rules which govern former politicians in their future jobs. A government minister, in addition to top civil servants, must wait at least two years before they engage in lobbying practices and activities.

They must also join a register to ensure that this rule is adhered to.

Like many areas of government, there are opportunities to take advantage of the system and lobbying is a prime example.

The recent collapse of Greensill Capital, a financial services company, has brought David Cameron, an employee of this firm, into the spotlight over his interactions with government ministers in an attempt to secure government contracts. Cameron was swiftly cleared of any wrongdoing by the watchdog, ‘The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists’.

His role at the company was one of an ‘in-house advisor’ rather than an external hire to lobby on the firms behalf, and therefore he did not have to place his name on the

lobbying register. In response to this, the Government has implemented a review of governmental decisions surrounding Greensill Capital.

More recently a series of texts between current Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sir James Dyson have been leaked to the BBC and show Johnson helping Dyson to supply ventilators to the UK. What critics have emphasised, in response to this leak, is the influence businesses can have if they have a direct phone link to the Prime Minister or other governmental ministers. While this is a reasoned criticism, I don’t believe there is any wrongdoing in either example.

Lobbying no longer takes place in the halls of Westminster, instead it takes place over the phone. Society has moved on and lobbying too should move with it. In a fast-paced world in which interested parties and citizens are located across the globe, technology allows the essential function of lobbying to carry on. We must, however, be careful to ensure the fairness of access to all interested still remains.

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DON’T SETTLE NO ONE SHOULD SETTLE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP. RECOGNISE THE SIGNS AND KNOW WHERE TO SEEK SUPPORT WHEN YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE IS IN AN EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY OR SEXUALLY ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

ISOLATING YOU FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS BEHAVIOUR THAT UNDERMINES, INTIMIDATES, HUMILIATES AND DEGRADES YOU PHYSICALLY OR VERBALLY ABUSIVE TOWARDS YOU MANAGING HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME AND MONEY ACTING OVERLY JEALOUS, AGGRESSIVE, UNPREDICTABLE OR UPSET TOWARDS YOU PRESSURES YOU TO HAVE SEX MONITORING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA, CALLS AND TEXTS MANIPULATION OF YOUR FEELINGS MAKING YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ALWAYS WRONG AND EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT

IF ANY OF THIS APPLIES TO YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT YOU CAN SEEK SUPPORT BY CONTACTING STUDENT SERVICES EITHER BY DROPPING INTO THE ENQUIRY CENTRE ON CAMPUS GREEN, CALLING ON 01382831900 OR EMAILING ENQUIRY@DUNDEE.AC.UK AND TITLE YOUR EMAIL “SUPPORT

Dundee University Students Association (DUSA) Registered Scottish Charity No. SCO16047

Hybrid

August

2021

Hybrid is a collaborative publication project led by DJCAD graphic design students. The project is a way for students to express themselves while producing a “hybrid” publication which will work to two opposite themes on facing pages. The themes are “disposability” and “permanence” and were chosen as they are open and broad with creative mediums which are highly accessible and usually abundant. The zine will be published in August this year, follow our Instagram for updates on the process.

@hybrid.djcad

#hybridzine2021

LIFESTYLE Design by Sophie Stuart

EXPLORING THE WORLD OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS In need of a new podcast for my lockdown walks, I stumbled upon The Adventure Zone: three brothers and their father playing Dungeons & Dragons. Thoroughly enjoying the fantastical scenarios of the podcast, but with barely any prior knowledge of D&D, I sat down (through Discord) with Dungeon Master Pedro José Romero Gómez, to learn more about this possible hobby for the approaching summer.

Could you explain what D&D and a Dungeon Master are?

D&D is one of the most famous role-playing games ever.

People who may not know it, may have approached it through big series like Big Bang [Theory] or Stranger Things. A Dungeon Master is the host of the game. He’s the one in charge of the story and the quests. He has to improvise all the narrative and how the game develops when the players make their choices.

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Do you know any resources that help people come together to try D&D? As Dungeon Master I was the one that brought people together. I’m quite sure that there are some student associations that meet to play D&D, and as far as I know, some Facebook groups. In the end, you just need the rule book. And if you are able to play as Dungeon Master, you will probably not have much trouble finding people that want to try it. I’ve realised that people who (perhaps because of the social image that we have created) may appear to be completely critical about role-playing, are normally the ones that are the most curious about it.

LIFESTYLE Words by Sofia Rönkä and Pedro José Romero Gómez

“I think it’s very liberating. You get out of your daily life and you imagine yourself in a different world.

And the more you engage with the plot and the character, the more you’re going to get this feeling of having kind of a second life.”

How do you usually play or host, and has that changed during the pandemic?

Before the pandemic I always hosted in person. I think it’s a lot more fun and makes things more personal. It helps people engage with the narrative. But due to the pandemic we are hosting all of our sessions online. It’s definitely viable.

Do you have a favourite type of race or class for characters?

The one that I have had more fun with is elven rogue, especially if you are evil. And if you plan it well with the elf race, it would reinforce your dexterity, so you can do very crazy and nasty stuff. But speaking as Dungeon Master those characters are extremely awful to manage. So as DM, I like magic wielders. Normally the type of people that use that kind of classes have more interesting and very majestic characters.

What is the actual game experience like?

As a player, the most challenging thing is getting your experience to be organic, especially for beginners as they are worried about making the right choices. They see the game as either win or lose, like a typical board game. The most challenging thing is to be able to engage with the character and make the choices they would make, instead of the ones that may appear to be more logical.

From your overall D&D experience, have some specific moments stood out?

There was one that was very funny. It was a very brutal session because one of the characters literally saw his romantic interest and most of their friends be torn apart by the demons. He was the only survivor. At the beginning he was an Elven noble, but he ended up becoming a monk. It was so fun to see such a huge character development and change.

Have there been any bad moments?

As Dungeon Master, one of the worst things that usually happens to you is that players tend to try to overrule you when they disagree with the choices you make. Once I had a friend playing for the first time. He was a bard, and he was playing in a tavern when some brawl started out.

One guy threw a pint of beer and it ended up hitting my friend’s lute. He got so pissed off that he literally just cut this man’s throat. So, I penalized him, and he ended up being prosecuted and executed by the angry folk of the village. He got so mad about having his character killed that for a long time he didn’t want to play. One thing that you need to assume when you play D&D, is that you build your characters to have a life experience. And that means that they are also able to die.

Briefly, why should someone try D&D? I think it’s very liberating. You get out of your daily life and you imagine yourself in a different world. And the more you engage with the plot and the character, the more you’re going to get this feeling of having kind of a second life. I think that’s something we could all use from time to time.

And in terms of social life, it will help you make new friends; it’s always a good way to start a conversation.

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LIFESTYLE Design by Izabella Jaruszewska, Photography by Lottie Belrose, Words by Elan Baird

HI NOCC G ASH U Q CHEN’S CREAMY SAUSAGE AND S T I K B MO INGREDIENTS - 1 Butternut Squash (reasonably small one is fine) - 1 Onion - 1 Clove of Garlic (or if you love garlic like me, as many as you like!)

- 6 Pork Sausages - ½ Tsp Fennel Seeds - 300ml Chicken Stock - 500g Gnocchi - 150g Mascarpone - 30g Parmesan - Handful of Rosemary - 1 Tsp Chilli Flakes - 25g Panko Breadcrumbs

Step 1.

Heat your oven to 190°C. Step 2.

Peel your butternut squash and chop it into 1 inch cubes.

Step 3.

Place into a roasting tin with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with your hands to coat.

Roast for 30 minutes until tender and caramelised, turning every so often to ensure they cook evenly.

Step 4.

Whilst your squash cooks, finely chop your onion, garlic and rosemary.

Step 5.

Heat a small glug of olive oil in a small frying pan. Add half of your chilli flakes and rosemary along with your panko breadcrumbs and fry for a few minutes until golden, crispy and smelling glorious. Set aside.

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Step 6.

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and add the meat from your sausages. Fry over a mediumhigh heat for 5 mins until cooked and golden, breaking up with the back of your spoon so you get lots of individual chunks.

Step 7.

Add your onion to the pan and turn down the heat to medium. Fry for 10 minutes until softened, then add your garlic, the rest of your rosemary, your remaining chilli flakes and fennel seeds. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Step 8.

Add your chicken stock and bring to a simmer, then tip in your gnocchi and simmer for 5 minutes. Give your mixture a good stir, then add your butternut squash, mascarpone and parmesan to the pan. Stir to combine, then season to taste.

Step 9.

Serve with a sprinkling of your breadcrumbs and a little more parmesan.

LIFESTYLE Design by Robyn Black, Photography by Lottie Belrose, Words by Elan Baird

With everything opening back up, I thought I should bring together a list of wonderful places to visit in Dundee that freshers – or oldies – might have yet to discover!

McManus Galleries

Farmers Market

Dundee Botanic Garden

The McManus is an art gallery and museum in one. It is a Gothic building, located in the centre of Dundee. The building houses a museum and art gallery with a collection of fine and decorative art as well as a natural history collection. It is packed full with interesting exhibits and is a must-see!

No one can deny their love for a good food market… so you are in luck, because Dundee has its very own farmer’s market! This takes place on the third Saturday of the month from February to December. The markets are in the city square and operate from 9am to 4pm - you can’t miss out!

Dudhope/Baxter Park

Dundee University Gardens

If, like myself, you are interested in basketball, Dudhope and Baxter park is the place to be! Both have full outdoor courts for you and your friends to enjoy! Dudhope also has the added features of a skate park as well tennis courts.

Arguably a hidden gem, Dundee has its own gardens located behind the main library. It is a stunning rose garden; and if it’s sunny, the sun shines on it all day! It is peaceful and pleasant, perfect for studying outdoors or picnics with your friends!

Dundee University’s Botanic Gardens are in the West end. With a view of the Tay, it makes the Garden one of the most stunning places to visit in Dundee! The gardens include a huge variety of flowers and plants. They claim that: “One of our founding aims is to encourage and nurture education for all ages and we offer a comprehensive schools programme linked to the Curriculum for Excellence.”

Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA)

Avertical World

Dundee Contemporary Arts is an art centre on Nethergate, with two contemporary art galleries, a two-screen cinema, a print studio, a learning and public engagement programme, a shop and a café/bar. You can even take a pint into the cinema!

Dundee knows no bounds as it has its own indoor-climbing centre. Whether you are a lover of climbing or looking to try it out for the first time, Avertical is for you!

Camperdown Wildlife Park Located in Camperdown park, this amazing Wildlife centre has animals from goats to wolves. It is £6 for an Adult ticket and is very much worth the money. When I visited, we managed to spend hours walking around, there is also benches for picnics and reading. There is no time limit as to who long you can spend there! It is sure to make for an amazing day out with your flatmates!

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FASHION Design by Phoebe Wilman

CLOTHES ARE FOR EVERYONE Over the course of this year, I have made my stance on sustainable fashion quite clear. But for all my ranting and raving about the individual’s ability to revolutionise the fashion industries harmful outlook, it is incredibly important to note that not everyone has the same opportunities to do so. Sustainable fashion is in no way, shape or form, accessible. There are three main reasons for this: pricing, lack of representation, and style. The cost of producing sustainable clothes is, by its very nature, far more expensive. The ethics involved in creating a socially and environmentally conscious business means that workers must be payed living wages (not minimum wages) and have impeccable working conditions, increasing the expense for manufacturers. Not only are the basic labour necessities more costly, but the time and skill involved in working to produce a high-quality product without cutting corners creates an enormous expense. Then, materials used, which must be of a higher quality in order for the product to last, cost more to produce; with textile recycling processes, new technological innovations, natural fibres and dyes, and the higher quality finishing all totting up.

The production value of the clothes means that the clothes themselves cost exponentially more than what high-street stores can promise you. I have made an argument for second-hand clothing and their affordable price tags in the past, but that does not tackle or make a dent in the cooperate side of fashion, that requires competition in order to change the fast-fashion industry. However, the current pricings of small sustainable brands, who do not have the financial power to change the prices of their products (as they cannot order in bulk) are inaccessible to most shoppers, turning sustainable fashion into an elitist fad, as opposed to evoking social change.

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FASHION Words by Thomasin Collins

Audrey Stanton says that “while these brands have little wiggle room when it comes to price, they do have agency to change how their high-quality clothing is sold.” Which brings us to the next issue, diversity. Sustainable clothing brands have so far failed to create adequate representation in their advertisement or within their business models.

Rarely are black, Asian, or minority ethnic individuals represented, or the LGBTQ+ community, or people of different sizes. Generally, anyone who doesn’t fit the white and size 6 mould are not considered as part of the brand image. In doing this, sustainable brands exclude the majority of potential customers.

Even the style of clothing seems to be limited. If it isn’t gym clothes, it’s “scandi inspired” minimalism. This is, of course, part of the movement: encouraging less purchasing, wearing minimalist clothes that can create a “capsule wardrobe”, worn in many different ways. I am not disparaging cutting down on wasteful buying, however, in order to make sustainable fashion a sustainable movement, it must cater to everyone, globally. The current styles exhibited by sustainable fashion cater to a very Western audience. It does not take into account that for global change, we need to see more diverse styles of clothing. The lack of size inclusivity, customer representation, and absence of style variation only inhibit the movement towards sustainable clothing, perpetuating environmental and social injustices and keeping the fastfashion companies on top.

So, let’s see what people are doing about this. Grace Beverley, entrepreneur and influencer, set up her own fashion brand in 2019, WeareTALA. She made sure it contained all the elements she found missing in the gym clothing brands she was purchasing: it uses

recycled materials, reduces waste packaging, reduces water wastage, it is size inclusive, has wide representation, and it feels good too. It is also much cheaper than other sustainable gym wear brands, with their best-selling legging, ‘Zinnia’, coming in at £42. Grace Beverley stated that: “I hope that fashion brands can move beyond greenwashing with recycled collections when the incinerate their old stock, and that they stop talking about female empowerment when 250 million women worldwide are living in horrendous conditions being payed far less than minimum hourly wages per day to make their clothing.”

She made it to the top of the 2020 Forbes 30 under 30’s retail and e-commerce list, but she is now being accused of greenwashing herself. In March 2021 WeareTALA released an exclusive collection with ASOS. ASOS is an e-retailer and it makes a killing in the fast-fashion industry.

However, Beverley makes a good point – by selling with ASOS they are bringing sustainable fashion to online shopping, making it more accessible and making conscious purchasing decisions easier, especially to those unaware of the impact of fast-fashion. In the long-term, this partnership helps to raise the profile of sustainability and TALA acknowledges that fashion powerhouses need to be involved in the movement as smaller businesses do not yet have the financial support to reduce their prices and reach a world-wide audience. As much as our individual purchasing decisions have an impact on the fast-fashion industry, it is up to the businesses and those with privilege, who can afford to support small sustainable brands and fund grassroot projects, to pick up the slack.

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FASHION Words by Georgia Bayne

FARFETCH FIX New luxury restoration service helps to restore the far from fixed fashion industry

Like the tidal changes of the internet and social media, the wave of focus on sustainability throughout the world and in fashion has become mainstream conversation. With this has come a tide of sustainable brands and adaptive new business models, creating innovative solutions to problems that need solving within the textiles production industry.

One of the most recent collaborations to embrace this change has been FarFetch Fix; a service by luxury online retailer FarFetch. Powered by the worlds leading restoration service, The Restory, this collaboration arrives at a time where circular models are becoming more common and consumer mindsets are changing as we reconsider the meaning, longevity and condition of our wardrobes.

It is also one that makes perfect sense; the harmony of online luxury retail and a tech based restoration service allows FarFetch to integrate sustainable practises into its model whilst remaining competitive.

As the most recent Earth Day theme touched on restoring our earth and empowering individuals to contribute

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to the global restoration effort, educating ourselves about fashion sustainability; whether it be circular models or ways to bring a little more sustainability into your style seems very apparent right now.

FarFetch’s collaboration with The Restory brings together luxury fashion and the concept of falling back in love with our pre-loved pieces; a match made in heaven. Masterfully worked on by specialist artisans, The Restory will return your designer shoes, handbags and small leather goods to all their former glory. All you have to do is book a collection from anywhere in the world through their online booking system and FarFetch Fix will collect your piece, review your quote and return your restored item beautifully packaged at a time and place convenient for you.

The tech enabled service bases itself on a circular model promoting the reduction of consumption and fast fashion. Whilst luxury brands remain more sustainable than high street or online fast fashion brands, the over consumption of such goods remains unsustainable in production and

FASHION Design by CL Gamble in ethics. People are central to the fashion supply chain and therefore sustainability throughout the industry is as much about benefiting the people involved as it is about the overall effect on our planet. This has been highlighted throughout the recent Fashion Revolution Week agendas with brands like Pringle of Scotland embracing the ‘I made your clothes’ hashtag to humanise their knitwear factory workers and consequently centralising them at the core of their brand and product.

Fashion has a huge climate change footprint and if we are going to take this existential threat seriously, the fashion industry need to urgently address its unsustainable practices.

Globally the USD 1.3 trillion clothing industry employs more than 300 million people along the value chain. Clothing represents more than 60% of the total textiles used in the last 15 years and clothing production has approximately doubled, mostly driven by a growing middle class population across the globe and increased per capita sales in mature economies. This essentially is all down to fast fashion - a quicker turnaround of new styles and increased number of collections offered per year and at lower prices.

It really is a matter of life or death. Fashion has a huge climate change footprint and if we are going to take this existential threat seriously, the fashion industry need to urgently address its unsustainable practices. Despite the recent greenwashing controversy, H&M alongside some brands have recently announced that they are aiming to

become 100% circular by 2030. By moving to a circular system the industry can unlock a USD 560 billion economic opportunity, but with this requires new business models and collaboration across the value chain, much like we have seen with FarFetch Fix. So how does this apply to you and what can you do to make your style more sustainable?

Recently there has been an uprising of sustainable brands and attitudes gracing our instagram feeds. From beloved designers like Stella McCartney making sustainable changes to their designs to Ronald Van Der Hemp styling vintage couture on Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the most recent BAFTAS as a statement about over consumption and overproduction, there is a plethora of choice upmarket to shop sustainably.

But, as struggling students, price points like these are never always accessible and so adaptability is key.

Shopping second hand at charity shops or vintage shops are great ways to shop sustainably whilst getting a lot for your buck and finding unique pieces to add to your collection. On top of this, up-cycling clothes yourself, doing clothes swaps or renting can be great ways of reducing your impact whilst still looking stylish. If you’re looking for places to rent, head over to apps like ByRotation, to lend and rent pieces at affordable prices.

Or of course you can request to up-cycle an old luxury piece with FarFetch Fix. They are currently providing £25 off your first order to celebrate their launch. Head over to their website for more details by searching ‘FarFetch Fix’.

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INTERNATIONAL Design by Robyn Black, Photography by Lottie Belrose

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INTERNATIONAL Words by Elena Gastaldo

The Life of an Au-Pair During COVID-19

I spent Christmas at home with my family and then took off again, this time to France. In France I was an au pair for another family who were hosting an English girl and a Spanish guy. On the weekends, we travelled together and explored amazing places all around Brittany.

This may sound quite strange, but I have traveled more during this pandemic than during any other year of my life. I’ve always had a really hard time with staying at home and being stuck in the same routine over and over. So, I decided to turn this situation into a chance to experience things that I would not normally have the time to do during an academic year. During the past twelve months, I’ve lived in four different countries and was able to see incredible places while nobody was around. This is how I did it.

So, how is traveling abroad during a pandemic?

After spending the first month of lockdown in Scotland on my own, I decided to fly back home to Italy to stay there until things opened up again temporarily. I worked all summer and saved some money while exploring more of my home country during my days off. At the end of the summer, I flew back to Scotland because I still had my job there and was hopeful that classes would soon be back to in-person teaching. However, classes did not return in-person and I found myself, like many other students all over the world, following online classes from my room and without any shifts at my job to cover rent or food expenses.

I did not want to go back home and live with my parents again, so I decided to fly to Germany and work as an au pair for a family. I worked seven hours a day in childcare, while still following my classes online and studying when the kids were at kindergarten. I found a way to make it work. I managed to make the best out of the few free hours I had during the week to get all my studying done so that I could travel during the weekend.

“I decided to turn this situation into a chance to experience things that I would not normally have the time to do during an academic year.”

First of all, there are no tourists around. I think none of us love being surrounded by crowds of tourists while visiting beautiful places. Even though it was a bit sad to see empty places at times, it was also fascinating to experience them this way. Those few times that people were around, you could only hear the local language.

Being in different countries during this time made me also realise how we are all connected by the pandemic and how we can understand each other as humans with the same struggles, even if we are from different places. I also got to discover myself a lot more during the past year, as meeting people was pretty much impossible. I spent weekends traveling on my own, I drove around Germany and decided my plans last minute since I had nobody to negotiate with.

Another thing I learned by travelling during the pandemic is how much people still trust each other even during a pandemic. Families welcomed me into their homes, ready to share their life and culture with me. Also, in France the family even trusted me enough to homeschool for their kids.

My au pair experience was not a regular one, as I was a university student at the same time and there was an ongoing pandemic. I did not get to meet many new people, try all the typical foods, or party during nights out.

However, I did manage to turn this annoying situation into some amazing life experiences. I did get to visit beautiful places, I improved my knowledge of foreign languages, learned from different cultures, and got to know myself even more.

Even though it looked like I was having fun and visiting places all the time, it was not easy. I took some exams with a three-year-old on my lap and often wrote university papers with kids yelling and crying in my room. I was exhausted, even lonely at times, but also very happy.

I turned the second half of the pandemic year into something that made me grow and it was all worth it.

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INTERNATIONAL Design by Gosia Kepka, Words by Sofia Rönkä

Why Does Global Awareness Matter?

Our world is more connected than ever before. Travelling is quick and accessible, economies are more and more interdependent, and national borders blur as information spreads online. To help build a peaceful and just connected society, we need to understand, respect and work well with people from other countries and cultures. Global awareness allows us to see things from different perspectives, make informed decisions, and acquire valuable transferable skills. And regarding employability, companies look for individuals with global awareness to work in the international market.

Almost three quarters of the world population is bilingual to some extent, which means they have more than one way to interpret the world.

Languages provide both a way to communicate with more people and other frameworks of thinking. To give an example, idioms with similar meanings can differ enormously around the world. In English, when it is impossible that something will happen, it will happen “when pigs fly”. But, in the Buddhist Thai culture, the impossible might happen “one afternoon in your next reincarnation.”

Then there is travelling – experiencing other cultures first-hand. However, a survey study by Kulturel-Konak and colleagues showed that college students in the United States who travel more are not necessarily more interested in global awareness. For the travel experience to be effectual, it should be a deliberate immersion into the culture, with opportunities for interaction and reflection. However, the study also found that involvement in international extra-curricular activities predicts the most interest in global awareness, meaning that cul-

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tural interactions are not necessarily geographically bound.

people’s attention, and thus can help address them.

Finally, there is modern technology.

Video calls defy distance, Google Maps explores the globe, and social media spreads news like wildfire. The internet provides us with the opportu-

We should all learn to be part of this international world. In school, offering language classes, class trips or cooperative projects with international schools are just a few ways to familiarise children with other cultures. At home, parents can contribute to this education with casual things such as visiting foreign restaurants, listening to music from different countries and attending cultural festivals with their children. The learning process goes on at university, with Study Abroad programs, cultural campus events, language courses, and welcoming ethnically diverse societies. By being more globally aware, we learn to value other cultures and people, allowing us to be part of this connected world.

‘Languages provide both a way to communicate with more people and other frameworks of thinking.’

nity to dip our toes into other cultures, but it is also exposing the darker sides of the world, as part of global awareness are also global issues. For example, social media, via hashtags and photojournalism, offer tools to bring things such as discrimination or abuse of power to more and more

INTERNATIONAL Design and Photography by Robyn Black, Words by Marcin Kielczewski

“Do you see that mountain over there?” Click! “What a wonderful sunset!” Click!

Picture, picture, picture. We have turned our cameras into memory sticks, hoping that they will remember everything that our brains forget. It costs nothing to take a picture. It is easy and quick to do. While photos can serve as a great souvenir, taking too many of them arguably harms our memory.

Our brains can stratify the importance of the information which enters our minds. Imagine that there is a ‘cell’ in your brain responsible for recalling visual information. It is surrounded by small images which orbit it.

The closer the orbit, the easier and faster it is for you to recall pictures that are on it. But how do our brains know what to put closer and further away from that ‘cell’? In his video titled ‘How to remember your life?’, Johnny Harris argues that the way we take and organise photos has a tremendous impact on how we remember our travels. There is only so much that we can easily remember, so our brains learnt to prioritise what’s important.

Taking a photo informs your mind that the image is saved elsewhere and does not have to be prioritised. In other words, there is a chance that you won’t be able to recall that amazing scenery a few years later without looking at a picture.

It does not mean that you should leave your camera at home.

Let’s think of somewhere nice.

Tour du Mont Blanc crosses the territory of three countries: France, Italy and Switzerland.

Those who are brave and experienced enough can hike the entire length of 103 miles within 8 days. Imagine that, as one of those hikers, instead of taking your digital camera, you decide to bring your Polaroid along. It just so happens that a regular film pack has 8 pictures. ‘As I’m

sure you can work out yourself, this means that you can take one photo a day How would you decide which moment is worth capturing? How would you know that you won’t encounter a better view later on, left without a chance to come back? To many, it might sound pointless, but it turns photography into a sacred and unique ritual A picture taken this way resembles more than scenery.

It has a soul. It embodies your dedication, sacrifice and thought.

Perhaps this is too romantic, but then again maybe this will become your new way to make memories.

If you cannot visualise your travels without a digital camera by your side, simply make sure that you organise your albums once back from your journey and save only the best photos. Encourage your brain to remember!

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SCIENCE AND TECH Design by Ceidyn Berry

ASTRAZENECA:

WORTH THE SHOT, OR NOT? Read about the highly topical subject of ‘increased blood clot risk from the AstraZeneca vaccine’.

When the word ‘vaccine’ began circulating in the news last year, I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew that being able to reduce my risk of catching and spreading COVID-19, would hopefully help end this horror story pandemic.

The public received a glimmer of hope that by summer, life could be returning to ‘normal’ and we could enjoy spending time with our family and friends.

Although the public may not have been aware of vaccine production until late 2020, scientists worldwide have been working since the genetic coding of COVID-19 was shared in January 2020. Thirteen vaccines have now been authorised for use, including the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines, all used by the NHS. The celebration of the vaccine roll-out was cut short by some tragic side effects, particularly blood clots developing in people receiving the AZ vaccine.

The public is questioning how 62

safe it is, ultimately weighing up the risk of developing a blood clot against COVID-19 infection. For the general person receiving a vaccine, this is understandably a tough decision to make, having little knowledge of where to find reliable reviews of the AZ vaccine and its production, or even how to interpret the statistics within those studies.

In this article, I will answer some questions you might have surrounding the AZ vaccine and ultimately whether you are safe to receive it.

What is a blood clot?

A blood clot is a group of cells that have stuck together to form a jelly-like substance. Blood clots can form in veins or arteries anywhere in the body, including in organs such as the brain.

This causes a blockage in blood flow to anything beyond the site of the clot and can lead to the death of downstream organs or tissues.

Clinically, blood clots are fairly common, and their management is well-known and often successful.

Nevertheless, certain blood clots can be fatal and should always be treated with urgency.

SCIENCE AND TECH Words by Lisa Kilday How does this vaccine cause clots?

The AZ vaccine can cause ‘vaccine-induced prothrombic immune thrombocytopenia’ (VIPIT).

This is an immune response that causes the formation of blood clots and a low number of platelets in the blood. Platelets are important in forming clots - for example, if you scrape your leg and it starts to bleed, platelets will seal the cut.

For a very small number of people (roughly 1 in every 125,000 receiving the vaccine), the body will have a reaction telling these platelets to form clots when there is no bleeding.

What can I do to reduce my risk of a blood clot?

• • • • • • •

Severe persistent headache Seizures Numbness or weakness anywhere in the face or body Change or loss of vision Shortness of breath or chest pain Severe abdominal pain Swelling or redness in the arms or legs

What should I do if I think I have a clot?

If you have any of the above symptoms, you should go to A&E. If you are concerned about a new symptom but feel like it is not serious enough for A&E, you should contact your GP. If you are still unsure what to do, you can phone NHS 24 (111) for advice.

Make the health care professionals aware that you have recently received the AZ vaccine and worried you have a blood clot.

So far, the most common demographic to develop blood clots are women under 55. In response to this, the NHS has declared that no one under 30 will receive the vaccine as the risk of If you are over 30 In most cases, your blood will be taken serious harm from COVID-19 does and tested urgently to evaluate how and eligible for not outweigh the risk of developing the vaccine, the many platelets you have. Low platelets, a clot. Although this seems unfairly risk of harm from as mentioned earlier, are a sign of VIPIT. cruel to women, there is no scientific COVID-19 is much Depending on the severity of your reason why they have been more symptoms, you might also get a scan. greater than the affected, and it is most likely due to risk of harm from more women being vaccinated with the AZ vaccine.

Can blood clots be treated? the vaccine than men.

Most blood clots are treatable, but the outcomes In general, there are multiple risk factors for are highly variable. On the one hand, a clot could be developing a blood clot, such as pregnancy or smoking. fatal; on the other hand, a full recovery could be made.

However, there is no evidence that these factors Cases which are treated effectively are usually would give you a higher chance of developing VIPIT those which have been discovered quickly, so it after the vaccine than those with no risk factors. is important to seek help straight away. If you are diagnosed with VIPIT, you will likely receive several A huge reason for developing a clot is COVID-19 itself. medications which dampen your immune system Of those hospitalised with the virus, 1 in 5 will end and stop more blood clots from forming. up with a clot. So, if you are at an increased risk of being hospitalised with COVID (in the high-risk Should I get the vaccine if it’s available to me? category), receiving the vaccine is medically beneficial.

From a medical and scientific perspective – yes.

When would I notice symptoms, and what are If you are over 30 and eligible for the vaccine, they? the risk of harm from COVID-19 is much greater than the risk of harm from the AZ vaccine. Of You would notice symptoms 4 to 20 days after course, this is a personal decision that you have full receiving the vaccine. These symptoms depend on control over making, so it is important to educate where the clot has formed, but you could experience yourself as much as possible before receiving it. any of the following: Likewise, if you do receive the AZ (or any) vaccine, you should always be aware of the side effects and

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SCIENCE AND TECH Design by Ceidyn Berry

to seek help. These important facts will be outlined in physical leaflets given to you at the vaccine centre and can be found online.

In summary, the AZ vaccine is statistically safer than getting COVID-19, and it’s definitely worth a shot.

When receiving a vaccine, take ownership of your health by reading up on the important symptoms to look out for. Most importantly, you should look forward to enjoying summer knowing that you have, or soon will, be vaccinated against a virus that has caused so much tragedy in the past year.

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SCIENCE + TECH Design by Robyn Black, Words by Raye Ward

Remember when the Australian wildfires were the big news of 2020? When your social media feeds were full of burning landscapes, smoky black skies, maybe the odd koala bear getting rescued. The rest of the year certainly managed to overshadow the tragedy of the last Australian summer. The implications of the event have, as a result, become lost in the stream of increasingly dystopian news reels. The fact of the matter is the fires that ravaged Southeast Australia last year were not fuelled by nature alone. They were not an isolated incident and they should not be forgotten. We are all stakeholders in this planet, and we have been sent yet another wake-up call that we shouldn’t leave unanswered.

The 2019-2020 wildfire season destroyed almost 19 million hectares of land, resulting in the extermination and displacement of nearly three billion animals, including several endangered species. Not only was this devastating for Australia’s unique biodiversity, but Australia’s capital experienced the worst pollution on record, with an air

“The 2019-2020 wildfire season destroyed almost 19 million hectares of land, resulting in the extermination and displacement of nearly three billion animals,”

quality index 23 times higher than what’s considered “hazardous.” Fires blazed for months in some areas, creating such an abundance of smoke that it coloured the skies in New Zealand and could be photographed from space. Solar heating of such an intense smoke patch created an anticyclonic vortex, measuring 1000km in diameter, that persisted in the atmosphere for three months. Bear with me here; through the uplift of ozonepoor tropospheric air and ozone-depleting chemistry in the smoke cloud, the vortex created its own ozone hole.

Ozone depletion increases the amount of UVB radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface. This is problematic in terms of environmental and human health, allowing UVB radiation to disrupt biogeochemical cycles in plants and cause non-melanoma cancer in humans.

I’m sure you have pre-empted the direction I’m going in, but let me fill you in on some details. Fire seasons have lengthened significantly in over a quarter of the Earth’s vegetated surface. Remote sensing technology has provided records of our climate and vegetation across a wide range of spectral bands. As a result, we can say with certainty that wildfires have become larger and more frequent, even over the last two decades, and anthropogenically accelerated climate change is responsible. The Black Summer revolutionised our climatological understanding of wildfire and gave us yet another reason to pick up the pace in our pitiful attempts to tackle the climate crisis.

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SCIENCE + TECH Design by Lisa Dyer

A Different Side To VR Be anywhere and be anyone.

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SCIENCE + TECH Words by Sam Al Harbi

T

his very sentence can be thought of as the fundamental base upon which escapism is based on. The one unchanging fact that has been deeply engrained in the media we consume. An ability to experience a different view, one that may be impossible or impractical in our everyday lives. A distraction from the boredom of our lives or otherwise. We all do it, and many have proposed it in moderation as a healthy and valuable thing. But the word has had a negative connotation when taken to the extreme, so when bringing something like modern VR headsets to the market, it is usually the negatives of escapism that speak the loudest. These headsets, called HMD’s (Head Mounted Displays), are a highly sophisticated device that can place you into a world like almost nothing else by creating a stereoscopic 3D view around you, blocking out the real world.

But what if it is not as it seems. What if the virtual reality accessed through these HMD’s is not just an escape but instead an incredible platform for doing the exact opposite and more.

In this piece, I would like to hopefully show a new vision of what VR can be and, in some cases, already is.

‘Be anywhere’? VR has that covered perfectly with apps such as Google Earth VR, and more generally as a concept, especially when it comes to art. VR can place you anywhere within an artist’s canvas. Imagine standing on the streets of Saint-Rémy under Van Gogh’s Starry Night? The sky all above you in its grand majesty. VR can be a medium for creating new types of art and seeing old ones in a new light.

And it already is; a VR film reimagining of “Starry Night” was used by researchers at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, to compare the emotional response of 50 people. The results of this study

showed that certain features of the VR representation benefit the wellbeing of people. As for new artworks being made within the medium of VR originally, tools such as Tilt Brush by Google give the artists a canvas that spawns through all three dimensions.

As a medium, VR shows incredible potential for radically changing how we experience art, whether as a still painting, a movie or an interactive experience. Much can be made to bring people together, just like all art has done since the dawn of humanity.

Speaking of bringing people together, socializing through VR has been a big part of its consumer application since its revival in 2012 with the Oculus Kickstarter and subsequent consumer release in 2016. VRchat, AltspaceVR, and numerous other socializing apps being ever popular is no surprise; being able to see and interact with friends and family as if they were right there, in the same room as you.

There is no denying how amazing that is, especially now.

healthcare especially, VR is poised to become a vital part in things like surgery simulators to treating mental health. VR technology is steadily being adopted throughout the field with Osso VR, a highly advanced surgery simulator, and Virtually Better, a company making virtual therapies for mental health.

Gaming remains one of the primary focuses of VR currently, and for good reason, as it is a natural fit for the medium. However, it doesn’t mean it is wholly bound by it, nor is it bound by escapism media. There is so much more to this technology, and changes come so fast; what was once only for the richest of companies may become available for everyone the next month. Case in point LucidVR, an open-source, make-at-home set of VR gloves costing as little as $22 that debuted only a few months ago.

Before that, VR gloves were a dream, only accessible for tens of thousands of dollars.

An ability to experience a different view, one that may be impossible or impractical in our everyday lives.

But any look at VR cannot be complete by looking at only what we can buy, for it’s not only in the consumer space that VR has been changing things up. A lot of the state-of-the-art technology is only available for institutions, such as the HaptX gloves, which can simulate tactile feeling and resistive force from object contact. HaptX gloves were developed to be used for various purposes such as VR design, remote robotics operation and training.

When combined with HMD’s, highly realistic simulators have been made for use in many fields, all the way from healthcare to aircraft piloting. In

Simply put, that when looking to the future of VR, it is merely unimaginable what might come next. If anything, looking at how this industry will continue to develop is one of the most exciting things to keep up with now.

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SCIENCE + TECH Design by Olivia Juliette Baird

Biological Altruism, Social Groups in Animals and Us spreading of disease due to closer proximity.

A question that has puzzled evolutionary biologists for over a century is why some animal species tend to live in stable groups. An even more challenging question is how these groups came to exist and became more sophisticated over the evolutionary timeline. A key part of answering these questions lies in the concept of biological altruism.

Social grouping is seen most commonly in animals, though single-celled Amoebae are known to group for short periods.

There may be several benefits to members, which include increased ability to search for food, earlier detection of predators, the sharing of food, and caring for disease-stricken members and the young offspring. Costs incurred by grouping may include being more easily found by predators, increased competition for mates, living space constraints and easier 68

From a Darwinian perspective, stable long-term grouping, like any physical or behavioural aspect of an organism, can evolve only if it increases the reproductive fitness of at least some individuals in the group, i.e., when the offspring of the organisms within groups become more likely to survive and reproduce. The gains from grouping are strongly influenced by the way various individuals within the group behave towards others. Biological altruism is defined as behaviour by an individual, called the donor, which increases the fitness of another individual of the same species, the recipient, but reduces the donor’s direct fitness, regardless of the donor’s intentions. It is thus quite distinct from the human concept.

Initial observations of biological altruism surprised many experts.

To understand why, let’s assume the tendency to behave altruistically in a biological sense is at least partly genetically determined, like all organismal traits.

At the individual level, “selfish” individuals, those not engaging in biologically altruistic behaviour, are at a clear advantage over altruistic individuals in a population, which would mean they would reproduce more than them and that eventually, the “selfish” gene would dominate the population. A couple of theories developed in the 1960s and 70s based on population data from observational studies are now the consensus explanations of biological altruism.

One key theory is the theory of kin selection and inclusive fitness.

In a nutshell, kin selection theory states that an altruistic gene is maintained in a population

SCIENCE + TECH Words by Emre Berk

er bees which do the vast majority of the work, including feeding the bee larvae. because altruists are much more likely to behave altruistically towards closely related members of their species (their kin) than others. And because their kin are much more likely to be genetically similar to them than others, that the reduced direct fitness of the altruist parents is more than compensated for by the increased fitness of the offspring who bear the same altruistic gene and potentially other common genes, called indirect fitness.

Eusocial insects constitute one of the most complex social structures observed in nature. Insect populations in which adults cooperatively take care of the young, generations overlap in the same habitat and labour division is based on reproductive roles are eusocial. The honey bee colony is a classic example. Unified by a single, reproducing queen, the colony is sustained by sexually undeveloped females called work-

Perhaps most similar to our species are cooperatively breeding vertebrates. These are animal societies where the offspring are raised by the parent couple and a group of non-breeding helpers.

These auxiliaries tend to be relatives of the parents and gain indirect fitness through raising the parents’ offspring. Kin selection is an accepted mechanism by which cooperatively breeding animal societies arose in some species, but there is significant variation in forming such social groups between closely related species. The environment in which the species lives is a critical factor in this discrepancy. For instance, young individuals of various animal species prefer to stay home and gain parenting skills by helping take care of relatives before venturing out to find breeding grounds.

Furthermore, individuals of species that live in unpredictable climates often form cooperatively breeding groups to conserve energy and resources on raising smaller numbers of biologically fit offspring over many but relatively unfit ones. Cooperative breeding is rare in mammals but exists in diverse terrestrial groups, including primates, rodents and canids.

Most inhabit arid regions, which can be attributed to ensuring the offspring are well-nourished.

Cooperatively breeding species colonise more diverse habitats than non-cooperative counterparts, showing the effectiveness of this strategy.

Although it might be tempting to view our species as somewhat cooperatively breeding, most would agree that kin selection fails to explain human longevity, just as biological altruism is very clearly defined while human altruism manifests enormous complexity and variability.

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SOCIETIES Words by the Feminist Society, Design by Megan Hunter

The Dundee University Feminist Society is a space for promoting, discussing and campaigning for gender equality through intersectional means. Our society recognises the impact of the patriarchy on all marginalised genders and the existence of systemic, deeply rooted misogyny.

We seek to educate and open a dialog within the university, as well as the wider Dundee community about the inequalities misogyny affected people face.

Throughout the 20/21 academic year, the society has sought to create a space online that allows us to continue to campaign for gender equality, whilst also connecting likeminded individuals, both students and non-students. This year, our events have included film screenings, socials and online quizzes. We hosted a panel at Dundee Women’s Festival, with speakers from the university of both staff and students. We discussed the importance of intersectional feminism and how we include it in our learning and teaching, as well as what changes we can encourage to make the university a space that supports marginalised members and recognises the need for intersectional action.

This year, the society has worked with a team of fabulous UoD student volunteers and staff to create a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Network. We are hosting a workshop: ‘How to Support Students Affected by Gender-Based Violence’, on the 26th of May at 4pm.

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For the 21/22 academic year, we intend to continue with our campaigns, and to continue establishing a space for people who face misogyny to connect with a community like-minded people. We hope to host more film screenings, more quizzes and more socials. we would love the chance to hold these events in person, providing it is safe to do so! We aim to organise more panel events, and it is our goal to include speakers from other feminist organisations, as well as members of the university community and the wider Dundee community. Our members are encouraged to submit pitches for our Five-Minute Lecture Video Series which will be platformed through our social media accounts, with support from our committee members to create short talks on feminist issues.

FemSoc is always welcome to ideas from our members and is always open to collaborations with other organisations. Our events are open to both students from the university, as well as anyone who wants to be part of an intersectional feminist space.

You can find us on Facebook at: Dundee University’s Feminist Society, on Instagram at: @dundeefemsoc, or email us feminist-society@dundee.ac.uk.

SOCIETIES Design by Robyn Black, Words by Fiction Writing Society

Fiction Writing Society The Dundee Fiction Writing Society offers an inclusive and safe environment for writers to share their ideas, hone their craft and meet new people. This last year has called for the society to host events online via their Discord server which has allowed for a budding community of enthused writers. These events have included critique sessions and Flash Fiction workshops that have unmasked creative pieces of all genres and styles. Being well into the semester the society will continue to run these events as well as host Q&A sessions with those in the publishing industry. These sessions hope to shine light on the ins-andouts of being published and how to enter the industry. The society organized an exciting 24-hour writing competition last year which was a great success and is making a comeback this semester.

The Dundee Fiction Writing Society believes that there is a story in all of us and they cannot wait to read yours.

Find us: E-mail: fictionwritingsoc@dundee.ac.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/DUFictionWritingSociety

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DESIGNERS CHOICE LUCY STEEL @illustrations_bylucy

During these uncertain times, please look to the Scottish Government website for up to date news.

www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/