The Open-Close: ISSUE 1

ISSUE 1 FOR THE UP AND COMING

TABLE OF

CONTENTS Editor’s not-so boring note Ruins – a poem by Nidhi Shah Quiver – by Abhinav Srivastav The moors – by Abby Uppington A series of poems by ‘bad incense’ Home- a series of personal photos “You’re with Stupid” An interview with Freearth Art by Iman Messado Music your ears will thank you for Beauty by Leilani Chee-A-Kwai A series of photographs by Komal Bohra An interview with Gauravi Kumar We the Sinners by Mayuri Makwana

Hello readers, I apologise for the weird/ cringy address, but hey!

Das me!! Anyway, since you are new readers to our new magazine, we welcome you to welcome us. This has been a crazy three months. Let me tell you a little about how I got into this whole, magazine scene. I’ve been wanting to start my own magazine since I was in the eighth grade. I had a very different name for this then, but the concept was still the same. I always wanted to do something super-duper cool. This is it.

Yeah!! I cannot believe this is real (I strongly urge you to try and not-not go all “this is real, this is me, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be now”). Onto more pressing matters. You are about to read something that was curated by so many lovely and insanely talented contributors and friends. The idea was mine, but the work showcased here, is purely by them. Without them, you wouldn’t have been reading this. Maybe you would, but the joy of reading this wouldn’t be as pleasurable as it would be right now, in the very near future.

I know a lot of you want this to be a printed magazine, rather than just an online publication. I want that too, but all in good time. Of course I want The Open-Close to move forward as fast as it could possibly move, but I also want to grow during.

Once again, I cannot thank you enough for taking out the time to read this. I know it isn’t much now, but I hope you know that with your continued support, it will be. Here’s to all of you!

Zarah Noorani, Editor-in-Chief

Art by @artyalottie on instagram.

RUINS A SPOKEN WORD PIECE BY NIDHI SHAH

Thick winds were blowing with passion;

Young trees were reciprocating by rustling their luscious leaves; Nature had its own symphony with the perfect blend of music and dance.

It was as if the world knew not beyond this. Nothing is perfect they say: A single greying tree was standing tall, refusing to be like the others.

Her branches bent and withering, leafless, Her trunk scared in a million places, Her roots deep into the soil.

She probably stood there forever; And forever is a really long time.

In that moment I knew she had seen much of what I will never.

She might've held up the sky, but I'll never know; She might've been the home of numerous animals, but I'll never know; She might have been a gorgeous green in her prime, but I'll never know; All I knew then and there was that it took a lot to remain strong your entire life.

I felt inspired by the greying beauty.

She was camouflaged to others, But she held my attention to the point where everything faded away.

I guess I was always awed by the ruins of everything.

Quiver Abhinav Srivastav

Lacquered by lust By a brush of her lips Articulating the ways I could convey these wisps Of thought and hesitation And unadulterated regret Drink raw a bottle of AmnesiaThese lost stories, I wish I could forget.

The Moors A piece by Abby Uppington

It is lonely here and achingly cold; I’ve mostly gotten used to it.

When they left me all those years ago, I would cry out to the Merlin above.

I have learnt that no one is coming for me.

I have made friends with the rain; The dancing drops speak in Morse code on my roof.

They tell me the woman has passed; That God had forgiven her sins.

Is this not a sin; if no one has come for me?

The man is still alive; Keeping my soul bound to his tight fist.

I am left alone with the memories of a snapshot life; whilst the Buttercup and Common Sorel bloom above.

art by Brija Bani.

Why am I waking out my sleep?

Thinking about the whiff you left on me.

Looking at your photos like a creep.

I wished to watch didn’t wish to weep.

You did your sweep while I fell for a leap.

Tried coming back but I kept falling deeper.

You smiled at me like you were a keeper, Now my way of life just got bleaker.

Now you’re sixteen and yours just got clean, You’re something I never say in a dream.

Was pretty keen for finding my own queen, Clearly something that you’ve never been.

- versifier

Let me rest my feet, I feel so much pressure.

Scared of defeat, Yet I couldn’t look fresher.

I need to pull myself together, I feel so overzealous, Before I feel lost forever, I’ll live rebellious.

Selfish and helpless, I’d appreciate all the credit, I like being anonymous, Even though I won’t say it.

Well, forget it.

It’s pathetic, I’m better off beheaded, My words are more realistic, Than that dream for which you’re headed.

I walk a Sunday night in shame, The pain is embedded in my brain, I felt like I’m the only one in chains, Until I saw a friend cry today.

- versifier

You’re with You see, the thing with… general interaction amongst us all is very common, very prominent. And it is very simple. We are all just so scared of looking like idiots in front of people we think matter. And mind you, this goes for everyone. If you are a popular chick, a jock, a misfit or even a so called rebel.

You have, are and will always fit the bill for grade A idiot. But look, it isn’t your fault. Not at all. I don’t even mean this as an insult. Really, this time I don’t. Although, sure, you might take this as one if you belong to the little herd of anti-social preteens who just want to be different more than anything else. I’m sorry, but it is true. And I belong to this category too (not the preteens, I am wayyyy past that, YO!). The perfect example for this would be that right now, at this very moment, even when you read this, I will be trying my very best not to make a fool out of myself in front of a large crowd and in this case, you and whoever else is reading this. You are doing this too. I know, I know, it hurts that beautiful, treasured ego to accept this, but think about it. Every waking hour we are keeping track of our actions, always thinking about the effect it would have on other people. I can’t really tell you to quit caring because sometimes, doing this is a sign of sanity. Also because I am no one to tell you this. I can tell you one thing though, you have got to start listening to yourself. Just like the very, very famous quote ‘you do you’, you do you. Now that I have said my bit, all that is left to be done, is you doing yours.

Why are we doing this? I don’t know. Let us know what you think of this on our blog, www.openclosemag.com

uhih

1. What inspired you to start your own shop? And a clothing brand?

Back in 2012, we decided to create a brand because the clothes we would find in stores didn't define us and we didn't feel comfortable when wearing them. Same shops, same styles, same messages. We were really excited to make something different. We also wanted people to be able to wear them, so that's when our shop was born.

We wanted our brand to spread a message we would feel identified with. We decided to call our brand “Freearth” because it stands for “Free Earth” and “Free Art”. It sum med up the message we wanted to spread around the world, in which we believe: a free, peaceful, equal, joyful Earth.

2. How has the journey been so far, with Freearth?

The journey has been so much fun. Making everything in such a small and familiar way makes this job more like a hobby than anything else. We are passionate about this, so we love every step we take. Back in 2014, artists such as Ashton Irwin from 5 Seconds of Summer or James McVey from The Vamps wore our tees. We've sold our stuff overseas. We made a break, but now we are back super excited and with new perspectives.

3. How did you start? Are there any fun stories you can share with us?

As I've mentioned before, all of this started in 2012. We were so excited. We were three people, mum and siblings (and a little dad's help, haha), actually. We started by creating our designs and brainstorming. Firstly, we ordered some apparel and hand-painted the t-shirts. We sold our stuff in a blogspot blog. The photo-shoot for this tees was in the house of one of us, which furniture was also

hand painted and everything. We asked a friend to be the model. We took the pictures with our phone. It was all so home-made, haha.

Later, in 2013, we decided to go more “professional�. We draw and painted the designs and then learnt the whole process of photoshopping by ourselves. We had never done anything like this before, so it was all such a discovery! When all the production process was done and the t-shirts were fresh in their boxes, it was time for the photoshoot. We asked some friends if they would like to be the models and they accepted. We also asked a friend for his camera. We took the photographs in El Torcal in Malaga (Spain). It is such a beautiful natural place where we've spent lots of time since our childhood. It was so much fun! We did it in Summer, since our t-shirts have got this colorful Summer style. It took us two days to finish the photoshoot. The guys involved had never posed before, so it was really funny. We finally created a website to sell our stuff.

This year, after a break, we decided to reopen our online shop and we chose Etsy. However, we have learnt lots within these years and our points of view have slightly changed. There are a few things we would like to include in our future collections, making our products only fair trade and organic, for instance. Now, we are selling the t-shirts we have left in stock so that we can make money to invest in these verified cruelty-free products.

4. What is the best part about owning a shop online?

Owning a shop online makes the work easier for us. We have our main jobs which require lots of time. The shop and social media is mainly run by one of us (talking to you), who is a student at University. These situations make everything harder, since we can't dedicate the time we would like to our shop. However, having the possibility of making things online let us be able of making our dreams come true.

Also, it is an advantage being able to reach people worldwide, which is the coolest part. It's so satisfying thinking about the fact that people from all around the world might be wearing one of our tees right know. It has allowed us selling our stuff to places such as Australia, South America, United States and several countries in Europe.

5.

What are your favourite books at the moment? And who are your favourite authors?

We have different likes, but we can't help the fact that we are a family, so we kind of follow the same line when it comes to books. In my particular case, I prefer reading theoretical books. I love Social Anthropology and Ecology, so they are the main themes I read about. Honestly, that is all I

read about at the moment. However, I'm going to share with you some of the novels I've enjoyed the most for the past few years: The first one is The perks of being a wallflower (1999) by Stephen Chbosky. It tells the story of Charlie and his experience through those complicated pre-adulthood years. I read this novel about 4 years ago and I felt so identified with the protagonist. I laughed, cried and had lots of fun with him. I recommend it so much. It's definitely a must in my list!

The second one is Siddharta (1922) by Herman Hesse. This novel tells the story of a guy named Siddharta which follows a path of self-discovery in a spiritual way. It's so sad that I can't really remember what I felt when reading it, but I know I really enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed Brave New World (1931) by Aldous Huxley. Apparently, it is considered both a dystopia and utopia. In my opinion, it is a dystopia. Wikipedia says: “the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning that are combined to profoundly change societyâ€?. TouchĂŠ. I read it about two years ago. I remember it would get boring at some points, but it is short and finally got to finish it. I spent several weeks looking the world through the point of view the novel talks about. Indeed, some things are so well predicted that it is so sadly realistic!

Finally, I'm going to cheat a tiny bit, but I can't leave without mentioning this book. To be honest, I didn't finish the book because of whatever circumstance, but I watched all the series and I ENJOYED it so much. Yeap, I'm talking about My Mad Fat Diary (2007) by Rae Earl. In this book, Rae speaks her story. I just have no words to describe it. I highly recommend you checking it out if you haven't yet!

It's so deep.

There are probably so many books I'm missing right now, but these are the main that come to my mind right now. I'm not the kind of person who has favourite stuff lists. I don't have any favourite author neither.

6. What is life like in Malaga, Spain?

Life in Malaga is really good. It's got its advantages and disadvantages. It's got amazing temperature, food and Mediterranean beaches. It is historical and beautiful too. People is nice and charming. Food is healthy. Fish is really famous in here, but I'm a vegetarian. There are more organic and vegan options every time, though!

I'm not a big city person, so Malaga is not the best choice for me, since there are lots of tourists everywhere and the air can get dirty at times, but there are much worse cities in these aspects. The surroundings are beautiful, though. Small villages are full of old, white houses. There are both beaches and mountains. It is full of history and artists.

Artist in Spotlight

IMAN MESSADO Washington and Lee University, Class of 2019.

6

Fall Trends to Follow Lielani Chee-A-Kwai

Fall is my favourite season for makeup, it is the only time of year where I feel like it is socially appropriate to wear a dark lipstick all day opposed to keeping it to a night out in the summer.

Here are my top 6 favourite trends from this coming season inspired by the catwalk but adapted so you won’t scare your co-workers!

1. Gold lips Metals are huge this season still, if you aren’t brave enough to try a shimmery gold lip then you can shakeup your usual colour with a pop of gold eyeshadow. This is a trend that I am quite excited to rock this year actually as I think it makes a dramatic lip look softer and as it blends in to the rest of the lipstick throughout the day the payoff is still quite nice.

For this look I used Collection Lipstick in Valentine and Half Baked from Urban Decay original palette.

2. Barely there makeup This is me every day lately so I was pretty much following this before it was seen on the catwalks, if you feel like your look is lacking that extra pop then check out my number 4 to bring a bit of life to your makeup.

For this look I just created a light base that involved Foundation, Setting Powder, Blush, Bronzer and Highlighter, for my eyes I evened out my skin using a skin toned eyeshadow.

3. Halo eyes This is such a beautiful soft eye which before I tried it out I wasn’t that excited about it, I prefer defined eye looks with liner and a slight harshness to my colours. The halo look is more about a goddess glow blended from varying shades of browns which frames the eyes. I would probably wear this out on a brunch date as it is a very soft look.

For this look I used the first Urban Decay Naked Palette.

4. Dramatic lips This is my staple throughout fall, I love wearing a rich blood red lipstick preferably matte but I am really not too fussed. This season it is paired with natural eyes or a soft brown tone, as inspired by Jill Stuart on the catwalk recently.

5. Soft grunge This look isn’t a look that I would go for usually as I tend to steer away from darker eyeshadow as I seek perfection in my lines and blending but as I was applying the darker shades I was following the same Halo eyes pattern and it came out really nice – whether or not I would have the guts to venture out in to daylight with this look is another matter.

For this look I used the Urban Decay XX palette.

6. Floating liner Out of all of these looks this was my favourite, it did take me a little longer to perfect than my usual winged eyeliner because you need precision and a solid colour to really pull off this look, this is probably the floating shape I would use but you can draw on bottom lashes, outline your eye from the crease or just above your lash line.

For this look I used the Collection Liquid Eyeliner in Black Waterproof.

Love and (high)light, Leilani www.macquillagewithleilani.wordpress.com/ Instagram: @macquillagewithleilani

MUSIC YOUR EARS WILL THANK YOU FOR Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s Heart Shaped Box– Nirvana Stop crying your Heart out – Oasis Toxic – Britney Spears Cigarettes and Alcohol – Oasis Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers Personality Crisis – David Johansen Cleopatra – The Lumineers Sex – Cheat Codes Put a record on – uncle bob Don’t make me fall in love – Cuco Untouchable – Anathema Words – Gregory Alan Isakov Unchained Melody – Righteous Brothers

By Zarah Noorani.

Up until a few years ago, I used to feel terrible for never having been in a relationship. I used to hate myself for not being ‘desirable’ or ‘popular’ amongst my male classmates. I HATED it. So much!

I am now 17, almost 18, and I’ve never been in a relationship, or even kissed. Hell! I’ve never even held hands with a boy before, you know, intimately. Although I truly crave the kind of attention and intimacy any teenager would want, in other words, ‘action’, I have somehow come to terms with it. I can’t change the way people see me, but I sure can change the way I see myself. I don’t shy away from saying that I’ve never had a boyfriend before, or that I’m still a virgin because relating to these criteria is FINE. You will not be murdered as a victim of

hate crime, nobody will moral police you. It is totally OKAY. And trust me, this doesn’t make you a late bloomer, a loser or a dork. What it does make you, owning up to this fact, is Brave. In a world like ours, being brave is not a gift you are born with, but it is a choice. Being a virgin is not, and I repeat, NOT going to make you any less of a human being‌ really.

And when it comes to the future, I think it will all be okay. If I let nature take its course, I think I will be fine. And so will you.

With honesty and grave boldness, Be yourself.

Say cheese!

A series of photographs taken by the photographer in spotlight this month.

KOMAL BOHRA Instagram: @komallbohra

.

In conversation with Gauravi Kumar, India’s resident fashionista and game changer. (And personal favourite sight for sore eyes!)

1.What is the one thing that intrigues you most about fashion, in general?

I think the thing I like the most about fashion is its elasticity. Literally anyone from anywhere can wear something different and that can blow up and become a thing/trend and that's what makes it so unique and beautiful. I think people forget that there is much more to wearing what you do because clothes represent who you are as a person and how you wish to be portrayed as by the world. Another thing that intrigues me about fashion that people love to ignore and forget is that clothes don't have a gender. The only requirement for rocking any and I repeat any item of clothing is to be a human being. Go rock that fanny pack gurls n bois.

2.What got you into making YouTube videos?

The YouTubers themselves! When I saw them creating and putting out dope content, I felt inspired and wanted to do the same *real bad*.

And also because I wanted to have a place where i could create and post whatever I wanted with no judgement whatsoever. Not that YouTube doesn't have haters, it's in fact full of them.

3.What was your first video like? Can you tell us your experience?

My first video has now long since been deleted from my channel and is never going to see the face of the earth ever again. My only words for it are: cringy and an absolute no.

4.Boots or flip flops?

Boots. Always. Everyday. I can't stand flip flops when it is worn anywhere outside of the beach. Just something about that smacking noise of the flip flop, flip-flopping just puts me in a bad mood.

5. What is your dream holiday destination? Have you been there already?

It's gotta be Maldives or London. I either like the extreme sun or the cold bitter rain. Yes give me all those London aesthetic rainy tones. And no I haven't been there yet.

6.What was your best summer yet? Can you tell us more about what you did?

Ahh yes my best summer was a weird one. I don't particularly remember going anywhere really. I just remember swimming, drowning all my thoughts (and sins) away and lounging in the shade doing absolutely nothing. Yes that was my best summer ever. Lazing around.

I'm up for doing nothing anytime anywhere.

7.Where do you draw inspiration from for your (super-duper aesthetically pleasing) videos? Can you tell us more about the source?

My inspirations for my videos are from a number of sources and not all of them are people.

I look up to the aesthetic god Connor Franta of course for him to bless me with his aestheticness. A couple of filmmakers too from which Gaspar NoĂŠ is my favourite. A lot and I mean a lot of instagram accounts inspire my fashion style which changes basically every day.

The youtubers: tothe9s and thelineup are my absolutes favs and a necessity for all my fashion cravings.

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate Willow Smith and all the awareness she spreads and the music she makes? I love that girl.

A couple of random people I see or meet on the street also inspire and change my outlook on some things. Basically everyone I’ve met has inspired or made me realise if I should or shouldn't do some things and how different people face the same things differently. It's really beautiful how our mind works really if you think about it.

“Everyone is equal” Youtube.com/gauravi Instagram: @gauravikumar

UNTITLED That day,

Our drinks in our hand.

That day when we walked,

That day,

In a land far away from ours,

When we walked,

On the edge of the sidewalk,

We walked into a web which tangled us,

On the edge of life.

Stuck together,

Smiling

Trapped together,

Giggling

Jammed together,

Laughing

We drifted away,

Scared

Just like that summer breeze.

Amazed

Cold winds swept away our friendship,

Perplexed

Our memories,

That day,

Our oneness.

When we walked,

The grey clouds took over us.

I saw you.

We locked horns and with that

You saw me,

Our hearts away.

Hopefully you did.

The day you walked away,

Oh sweet summer sixteen,

That day,

You did me well.

That day when I walked.

Unlike others this summer had a story,

In a land far away from mine,

Beautifully put together,

On the edge of the sidewalk,

Much like nachos and cheese.

On the edge of life.

It was perfect,

That day,

A bright sunny day,

I was the happiest

The summer breeze in our hair,

WE THE SINNERS Mayuri Makwana mayurimakwana.wordpress.com From going to parties we don’t give a fuck about to making love to someone who wouldn’t ever have the guts to ask us out.

We love. We sin. We fall. We learn.

The more we try to numb the feeling of being invisible, the less we feel the need to live happily ever after.

After getting high we toss our shoes in some part of the sea we don’t know the name of, losing something insignificant was just the start.

Then, throwing empty beer bottles on the ground, we start laughing our hearts out when we see them break in a thousand pieces.

But we bleed when we step on them, heading towards wherever we want.

We leave behind bloody footprints and learn from our mistakes.

Wanting to be found again, we learn what comes around, goes around.

Then one of us says we should wait until we stop bleeding and our wounds heal, the guy with the green hair refuses and says it could take forever.

It was difficult to decide whether we should move on or wait but someone said who cares and we moved on.

Being the prodigal daughters and sons we were, with our riches, we make money rain.

Yet we spit on homeless people we come across.

Bare footed around 3 am we play hideand-seek, hiding our scars and seeking empathy to pour in our empty jars.

But we are too drunk to notice and only wish we were sober again.

Wondering how beautiful the dawn would be at 7 am, we find hope all over again.

But of course, we remember hope is a dangerous thing.

Never to love too much, never to dream too much, never to hope too much were the promises we had made.

Yet in the 6 hours and God knows how many minutes we had known each other for, we knew we had to end it today.

Some of us fell in love that day, we knew it was going to happen that’s why we carried the required first aid.

We help each other get over it and marvel at how similar were the situations we had suffered.

But back then we were alone and invisible, now we’re grown and raw,

bold and loud.

We race as fast as we can to highest building we could see.

We stopped near the gate and decided to act sober, the boys act like chivalrous gentlemen and the girls like the most respected ladies.

But we knew we were the fuckboys and sluts of the new age.

We hide our true selves but in vain.

We race up to the terrace.

Some of us win and some lose but nobody gives a fuck.

We feel our hearts beating fast and then faster than ever.

On the 108th floor, it truly was

something of a different sort.

We sit down on the floor and confess our sins.

We laugh when we hear some and cry our hearts out when we hear others.

We are the sinners, the lovers and the misfits of today.

Oh the feeling of starting it all over again keeps coming to us, we ignore it and push it aside and curse it and blame it and hate it.

All seven of us get up and stand on the walls of the terrace then we sing our favourite songs.

Then one, two, three.

We jump.

Image- Nidhi Shah

Image: Kartik Gada

Thank You.