The Smoke Issue VI

the smoke

ISSUE 6 27 JANUARY - 16 FEBRUARY

LONDON’S BEST ARTS AND CULTURE: CURATED

LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN / STUDENT FILMMAKERS / TURNER PRIZE: PRESTIGE OR PUBLICITY? POSTMODERN ARCHITECTURE / OUR FAVOURITE JAZZ JOINTS / INTERVIEW: NIGEL PACQUETTE, PHOTOGRAPHER LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP / SAMUEL BECKETT TRILOGY / COUCHSURFING 101

TWITTER: @THESMOKELS // FACEBOOK: /THESMOKELS READ FULL ISSUES ONLINE: LONDON-STUDENT.NET/THE-SMOKE

the smoke FROM THE EDITORS It’s that time: end of January. Celebrations and fun times are long gone, turning to ashes under your new textbooks and assignments. We hope Issue 6 can give you a little bit of breather.

Had enough of postmodernism in your art history lectures or literary theory readings? Bad news: it’s inescapable.

Good news: going to a Homebase that looks like Egyptian palace is a lot more entertaining than writing essays.

Venture to the city’s best-worst buildings with a little help from our PoMo Architecture Guide. If you’re looking for something slightly more romantic, head to Sir John Soane’s Museum on the first Tuesday of every month: no mobile phones, no photography, and the artworks are illuminated only by candlelight.

We’ve selected our favourite jazz venues in the city – there’s more to London than Ronnie Scott’s, although that is a great place to start. Like your jazz old school?

Experimental? With pizza? You’re spoilt for choice. The Music section also features the usual album and live reviews.

THE SMOKE

With the ever-increasing uni work, it’s ever so easy to let your creative side slide. So we take our hats off to London’s student filmmakers who manage to write, shoot and edit their visions into footage in between lectures and assignments. Turn to page 4 to read about them alongside the striking stills from their films.

Student talent doesn’t stop there: we interviewed Nigel Pacquette, the photographer behind our cover as well as those gracing this issue’s Fashion pages on London Collections: Men. Read his thoughts on London Fashion Week, Instagram, retouching and more on page 12.

With the new semester starting, it’s too easy to rush to a Waterstones on every corner, but let’s not forget the joy of independent bookshops. The Books section is starting a new series on them, and the first up is London Review Bookshop. It’s got reading chairs and couches by the windows, and a cute cafe to boot. Enjoy Issue 6!

EMMA & RENA

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EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Emma Hope Allwood Rena Minegishi thesmoke@london-student.net

WHAT’S INSIDE 4-5 – FILM My generation: student filmmakers of London, featuring William Kennedy, Christian Wright, Jared Harding, Jamie Stiby Harris, Carolina McPhail, with introduction

by Film Editor Kit Harwood 6-7 – FASHION London Collections: Men featuring Topman Design, Kay Kwok, Katie Eary and more 8 – ARTS London’s postmodern architecture: mock-Egyptian Homebase, outrageous Secret Intelligence Services building and more 9 – ARTS Turner Prize: prestigious recognition or publicity stunt? / Candlelit exhibitions at Sir John Soane’s Museum 10 – MUSIC ‘Round Midnight: our favourite jazz venues, featuring Vortex Jazz Club, Café OTO and more 11 – MUSIC Reviews: BEYONCÉ the surprise album, Burial’s Rival Dealer; Haim live at The Forum and more

SUB EDITOR Anna Tomlinson

DESIGNER / FASHION EDITOR Emma Hope Allwood fashion@london-student.net

ARCHIVE EDITOR

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Gaby Laing archive@london-student.net

14 – BOOKS Be independent: London Review Bookshop / A Brave New World?

The ever-changing publishing industry

BOOKS EDITOR Elizabeth Metcalfe books@london-student.net

FEATURES EDITOR Christobel Amelia Hastings smokefeatures@london-student.net

FOOD EDITOR Bryony Bowie food@london-student.net

12 – FEATURE The Eye: Nigel Pacquette, fashion photographer and a Business student at Birkbeck, discuss

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15 – THEATRE Samuel Beckett Trilogy: Not I, Footfalls and Rockaby at the Royal Court Theatre / National Theatre Live: productions livestreamed in cinemas 16 – FOOD Review: Louis Patisserie / It’s not too late to start the healthy eating: a cheat’s paella and smoked mackerel recipe

TRAVEL EDITOR James Hodge travel@london-student.net

THEATRE EDITOR 17 – TRAVEL Guide to couchsurfing / A weekend in Barcelona for £120

Sarah Fortescue theatre@london-student.net

MUSIC EDITOR George McVicar music@london-student.net

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18 – DAYS & NIGHTS We present London’s best events, 27 January - 16 February

FILM EDITOR Kit Harwood screen@london-student.net

ARTS EDITORS Costanza Beltrami Liza Weber arts@london-student.net

19 – FROM THE ARCHIVES Predecessor of The London Student and Sennet, an issue of Vincula from 1923

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MY GENERATION

editor’s intro //

In this issue, we’ve featured a range of student filmmakers. From the fictional to the factual, the bizarre to the sombre, it’s a mix of different styles and content. Maybe one of these students will be the next Steve McQueen (Goldsmiths alum) or Christopher Nolan (UCL alum), though I think all of them will carve out unique paths for themselves. They dodge the well-worn cliches of student films, such as nonsmokers smoking dramatic cigarettes in monochrome, or tortured artist protagonists stalking their muses/victims.

I had my first experience or making films during my second year of university. Our film society ran a 48 Hour filmmaking competition; my housemates and

I entered together. We made a film about a pair of policemen on the trail of a drug that makes you travel backwards in time. Despite the characters’ access to all of time and space, the majority of locations were just off Finchley Road, probably the least cyberpunk street in London. The budget consisted of a pound for the tinfoil necessary to make everything “futuristic”. Making something so conceptually ridiculous freed us up from the expectations present when making anything ambitious.

With university being an enormously distracting place, filmmaking can be challenge. And London can seem like a pretty unwelcoming place to shoot your first films: rain drizzles over sensitive microphones and carefully prepared hair, and the sun sets at

film

lunchtime. Add to this the high velocity and dogged determination of any London pedestrian, as well as the emergence of angry shouting men whenever you try to film any sex shop in Soho. Despite first impressions, though, London’s enormous variety of locations and relaxed attitude to film permits makes it a great place to film. It also boasts a thriving DIY film community. The Smoke previously covered Kino, an open-mic short film night that gives the opportunity to screen to those not plugged into the festival circuit. It also provides a forum to meet like minded people over some drinks. There’s always something to talk about afterwards and I sincerely recommend it to filmmakers and spectators alike.

/ KIT HARWOOD / KCL / FILM EDITOR

william kennedy

One glimpse of William Kennedy’s two-minute long cinematography showreel assures us that he is a writer/director with heaps of technical ability and a simple, defined style. It’s no wonder that a number of up and coming bands have commissioned William to direct their music videos, as he seems to possess an innate understanding of how film can complement music. To see this in action, watch Organ Tapes’ video for the song Christ on Your Neck (right), which juxtaposes bees and wheat fields with the ins and outs of grey buildings. The overall impression of both song and film is of a quiet freedom.

But turn to his narrative short To the Dark Tower and such blissful, grainy film freedom becomes a bygone: it opens with super-8 footage of a kids’ birthday party, universally reminiscent of happy childhoods, before transforming into a moving memory of familial sorrow, contained within a harsh black and white world of urban graveyards and ebbing seasides.

This ability to capture what grief looks and sounds like is most starkly realised in WEEKEND, where an emotionally tortured-looking fellow emits jet-black drips of blood from pursed lips in lieu of speech. It is this wordless eloquence that renders William Kennedy both accomplished and promising.

WILLIAM KENNEDY IS A STUDENT AT UCL. / AC

Christian Wright

WWW.WILLIAMKENNEDY.CO.UK

The stroboscopic, psychedelic films of Christian Wright sit somewhere on the border between gallery film and internet film, mixing hyper-digital techniques with a dark sense of humour. Immensely sensory, they assault the viewer with cacophony of sounds and images. Discharge: A Kill-Shot Montage is a deeply unsettling film which uses found footage of executions in the manner of a video game montage.

Other films are simpler – We Want The Red Stripes But That’s Alright features nothing but the artist himself and an illuminated electric toothbrush. Tessellation Hallucination exploits optical illusions and shifting patterns to induce a psychotropic effect. In Winter Wonderland (left) the neon gaudiness of the seasonal fair is layered over itself multiple times, a tacky Santa’s piercing blue eyes peering through a lattice of bright lights as an industrial/ noise soundtrack lends an apocalyptic aura to the setting.

It’s reminiscent of Lindsay Anderson’s O Dreamland (a documentary film about an amusement park in Margate) in its nightmarish depiction of something so typically banal.

WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/USER/ANEVILZOMBIEBAT

CHRISTIAN WRIGHT IS A STUDENT AT CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS. / KH

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film

jared harding

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Jared Harding avoids easy compartmentalisation. Provocatively symbolic and elusive, his films contain an array of intriguing ideas that are explored via inventive aesthetic approaches.

One of his most arresting methods is the repeated usage of baths and sinks; Mesozoic opens with a freaky montage of spewing faucets, and descends via the bathtub into the depths of an ocean infested with ancient sea-beasts, which are then projected swimming over the director’s on-looking face. In SQUASH! (left) the bath provides the setting for a messy and suggestive scene of fruit abuse, where plums, melons, and mangoes are moshed into bottles and massacred under the knife, set to a similarly moshed up version of Blondie’s Heart of Glass.

In contrast, Goldilocks and Perfect Fossil Form achieve a visual and audial serenity – in the former Jared cuts stark forest landscapes with ambient and brilliant Brakhage-like colours, shapes and textures, and in the latter he cleverly edits footage so that it appears three tribesmen are skeptically watching old black and white footage of skeletons dancing and magicians performing, whilst eating their dinner.

WWW.VIMEO.COM/ALBUM/2336438

Perhaps a good place to start would be to watch his collaborative works with filmmaking group Karass, such as Backroom, which, despite an unforgettable buttery fantasy, is a masterly example of a well shot, well thought-out, sharply edited and entertaining film. The other, INVISIBLE WORM, is a 48-hour film project that was excellently received when screened at Kino London, and one which I ardently recommend.

JARED HARDING IS A STUDENT AT ROEHAMPTON./ AC A man covered in yellow cloth and talking scarecrows fuse theology and philosophy in the films of Jamie Stiby Harris. Taking the role of writer/director/editor/musician/actor, he constructs films that range from the kaleidoscopic to the sombre. One moment he might be in a wig and tartan trousers, his legs stuffed with straw. The next, he’s peering out from behind a moustache and frown lines, parodying the works of Harold Pinter.

Jamie Stiby Harris

For an easy introduction watch any of his music videos. The Yellow Man features Jamie playing multiple roles to the tune of an original composition, a scarecrow, a cowboy, a Zeus/God/Prospero figure and of course the titular Yellow Man. For those of you whose attention is not so splintered post-internet, Fear and Bumbling (right) is the destination. Clocking in at just under an hour, the film is a narrative/music video hybrid based on Fear and Trembling by the Danish writer, philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard. It features Oliver Tobin as a modern day incarnation of Kierkegaard: “Soren Kierkegee”. The film follows his decline as he loses his job and his flat, until in a fit of desperation he steals a Boris bike and flees London in pursuit of a girl he once loved. After that the film takes a decidedly more surreal turn, mixing philosophical discussions with bizarre imagery and strange humour. The film was shot on locations as diverse as Elephant & Castle and Ben Nevis, and took the better part of three years to complete.

JAMIE STIBY HARRIS IS A STUDENT AT WIMBLEDON COLLEGE OF ART. / KH

carolina mcphail

WWW.VIMEO.COM/CAROLINAMCPHAIL

WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/USER/JAYSTIBE Carolina McPhail is a film student at King’s who focuses on documentary, a rarity in student filmmakers. She recently made a series of promotional videos for the King’s Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest. Her film Transatlantic (left) mixes fiction and documentary: a man desperately tries to get through to somebody on the phone as real disaster reports provide the soundtrack. While living in Paris, Carolina made Aime-Moi, a documentary film about her housemate at the time, Mete. Smoker, beer drinker and womaniser, he waxes lyrical about architecture, love, “the game” and similarities between women and buildings. All those factors aside, there’s a certain charm to him that is compounded over the course of the documentary, in which he finds himself jilted by a girl he’s been seeing. Carolina gives us the housemate’s view on the relationship as she films Mete nervously waiting for the girl to respond to texts and debating whether he should call her. The filmmaker is a constant presence in the documentary as she probes her sometimes unwilling subject into revealing his true feelings about intimate subjects of sex and love.

CAROLINA MCPHAIL IS A STUDENT AT KING’S COLLEGE LONDON. / KH WRITTEN BY KIT HARWOOD // ALFRED CLARKE / GOLDSMITHS /CONTRIBUTOR

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fashion

the smoke

BOYS BOYS BOYS

topman design

Held between the sixth and eighth of January in Covent Garden, London Collections: Men is truly about the best of British talent in menswear.

Though often held in less high regard than its big sister, menswear is an important, dynamic and ever-evolving part of British fashion. We take a look at some of the highlights.

IMAGES: Nigel Pacquette / TEXT: Emma Allwood

bobby abley

KAY KWOK

There was a lot of shine at Topman, whether in the jet black PVC trousers or the folds of crisp suits. It reflected a quite nautical theme, though think “stuck out on deck in a storm” rather than stripes and chinos. The gaunt and rather vacant looking chaps were clad in thick fisherman’s knits and duffle coats, and were drenched Their mouths held open by with artificial rain as they made silver instruments, painted their way down the catwalk. widow’s peaks bringing a touch of villainy to their hairlines, and some carrying his trademark teddybears, the models at Bobby Abley’s show for MAN were a strange mix between Disney bad guys and streetwear darlings. MAN is the joint initiative of Topman and Fashion East, dedicated to emerging menswear talent, of which Ravensbourne grad Abley clearly has bundles.

LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN

Kay Kwok is the Hong Kong native making very big waves in London this year. With digital prints featuring aliens and spaceships, the word to describe his AW14 collection is certainly “futuristic”.

It’s also innovative and very, very cool. Models’ faces were daubed in glitter (right), with some donning visors and others plastic collars (somewhat reminiscent of Givenchy’s SS13 womenswear collection). Definitely one to watch.

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fashion

e. tautz katie eary casely-hayford

nasir mazhar

There was something distinctly Wildean about E. Tautz’s collection.

Inspired by Hogarth’s series of paintings “A Rake’s Progress”, coats were effortlessly draped over shoulders, with expert tailoring and perfectly angled hats making this a collection for the modern dandy.

Embroidery and bold prints brought vibrancy to the looks, which rested on a palette of black, red, blue and camel.

Stevenage-born Katie Eary is not afraid to make a statement. Her AW14 menswear collection, made on Savile Row, featured models with hair styled into devilish horns, clad in bondage and Mickey Mouse masks. It perhaps owed something to Bobby Abley’s SS14 line, which also combined Disney and fetishwear, and her reluctance to stray from black, red and white and strong prints left it feeling a little same-y.

What’s next, Katie?

Casely-Hayford are the dynamic father-son duo made up of veteran designer Joe and his stylist son Charlie.

The generation gap works brilliantly in their favour; their clothes bridge form and function, smart tailoring and on-trend streetwear. An incredibly wearable collection of relatively simple pieces that, when combined, create a look that is both classically cool and up to the minute.

Nasir Mazhar’s collection showed once again that he is a designer with a definite aesthetic, though admittedly one that might not take off that far outside Dalston. He ditched last season’s Air Force 1s for goth boots, and his trademark Hilfiger-inspired waistbands and silken sportswear made for a coherent collection which reinvigorated hip-hop style with collars and masks.

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a postmodern adventure With the end of the holiday season, it is now time to go back to the library. For me, and for many other humanities students too, this means going back to such dreaded terms as “performative”, “Nahträglichkeit” and, of course, “postmodernism” – sometimes all huddling on the same page.

To counter the bookshelf blues and my PoMo fears, I propose a tour of London’s grandest postmodern skyscrapers, as well as some related ironic cameos. For if postmodernism’s highly wrought discourses scare me in the library, its flesh-and-bone constructions can almost make one laugh.

Architectural postmodernism was playful from its beginnings in the 1960s, when American architect Robert Venturi substituted Mies van der Rohe’s modernist slogan “less is more” with its parody, “less is a bore.” Influenced by machine aesthetic, modernist buildings spotlighted cutting edge materials with minimal decoration and hard lines. Rejecting the perceived dogmatism of this older style, postmodernism embraced the city as an organic work of art. It moved away from a visionary utopian towards an acceptance of the real

HOMEBASE KENSINGTON, 1988 195 WARWICK RD CLOSEST TUBE: WEST KENSINGTON, EARL’S COURT What is on sale at this Homebase (top right): furniture, or artefacts from Tutankhamen’s tomb? Architect Ian Pollard seemingly designed the building for the latter, transforming a low-rise, square mall into an ancient Egyptian fantasy. At the car park entrance, columns with papyrusshaped capitals hold up the Homebase logo. The architrave provides maximum visibility to the corporate name, while the gigantic frieze of Egyptian gods in the car park suggests the lavish grandeur of ancient Egypt. Reduced to its most familiar images, antiquity is homely rather than historically correct. Appealing and unashamedly kitsch, the building is attractive and funny.

But the playful decoration is charged with meaning. Underhand, the building equates shopping with tourism and consumerism with discovery. If we flock to see Giza at the British Museum, then maybe we should flock to buy our furniture here?

EMBANKMENT PLACE, 1991 ONE EMBANKMENT PLACE, CHARING CROSS CLOSEST TUBE: CHARING CROSS Embankment Place (below), designed

by Terry Farrell and Partners, is more subdued in colour than most postmodern

and the popular. Las Vegas’s eccentric casinos became a model for study, with their lavish evocations of distant historical and geographical locales taken as a blueprint for kitsch pastiche.

Las Vegas’s casinos are a good reminder of architectural postmodernism’s association with market confidence, big money, and the Thatcher era. From national museums to banks’ headquarters, most of the buildings on this tour originally hosted the institutions of increasingly authoritarian states, or the offices of conservative economic empires. Learning from the existing cityscape rather than plotting its overhaul and freely re-using past styles rather than preserving their historical specificity, postmodernism gave a “value-free” veneer to corporate intentions. Ridiculous as the overstated playfulness of these buildings is, there is always a subtle brief of corporate vision. And with that, this tour should make us think.

/ COSTANZA BELTRAMI / COURTAULD / ARTS EDITOR / IMAGES: YUTETSU AMETANI

buildings. Shaped like a gigantic train shed representing Charing Cross station below, it has also been compared to a gigantic jukebox – despite its use of sleek high-tech materials, its primary point of reference to remains postmodern pop.

MARCO POLO HOUSE, 1987 QUEENSTOWN ROAD CLOSEST STATION: BATTERSEA PARK Across the river in Battersea stands another lavish building by Ian Pollard.

While Homebase was a playfully overstated historical reconstruction, here the mood is more serious. Originally intended as an office block for Marcopolo Satellite Broadcasting Company, the construction shuns the clerical to imitate a royal palace.

Its subdued colour scheme matches the trees of the park across the road, but its marble cladding epitomises a decade of conceited star buildings and urban excess. In proper postmodernist fashion, the building plays a game of witty quotation: the ornamental gable at the top references New York’s Sony Tower, one of the first and most iconic postmodern skyscrapers, and perhaps even eighteenth-century Chippendale furniture. Yet the quotations are transformed into a game of inversion: the utilitarian dresses up as palatial, the skyscraper lays horizontal, and the Chippendale cabinet is outside on the street. As Ian Pollard said,

“Marco” is after all “a fun building”, a mustsee now that it is set for demolition.

STREET-PORTER HOUSE, 1987 44 BRITTON STREET CLOSEST TUBE: FARRINGDON Despite its grand aspirations, postmodernism has sometimes been downsized to decorate the home.

CZWG Architects designed this unusual townhouse for the television executive Janet Street Porter. Triangular windows and diamond-shaped window tracery mirror the house’s irregular and cramped City site. Such unconventional tracery is both a statement of modernity, and a mock evocation of the lattice frames of old medieval homes. Simulating airiness and sunlight, the brickwork is graded in colour, becoming lighter towards the top of the building. Each window-frame seems to support a rustic wooden beam, perhaps quoting prehistoric architecture, perhaps evoking the homeliness of a mountain refuge. Again, post-modern architecture is here revealed as a colourful game of echoes.

NO. 1 POULTRY, 1997 1 POULTRY CLOSEST TUBE: BANK One Poultry was only completed in 1997, several years after its designer James Stirling’s death, at a time when

postmodernism’s popularity was beginning to wane. Built in pink and yellow limestone, it has been described as cartoon-like. Its colours are more acidulous than vivid.

If its golden mouldings evoke Egyptian splendour, the tower is strongly reminiscent of a submarine turret. Indeed, the whole building seems menacingly belligerent, its double-sided clock a direct quotation from the Fascist-era central post office in Naples.

With semi-deserted shops at its base, it is more suggestive of authoritarian coldness than any of the other buildings mentioned on this tour, an association sadly reinforced by the news that the terrace restaurant at the very top has become a suicide spot for City workers.

MINSTER COURT, 1992 1-2 MINCING LANE CLOSEST TUBE: MONUMENT / TOWER HILL Postmodern architectural quotations are not only taken from ancient Egypt, as in One Poultry, or from Art Deco, as in Vauxhall Cross and the nearby development One America Square. Mimicking the steepness of medieval gables, Minster Court (above) has been described as “postmodern gothic”.

The three gigantic horses decorating the building’s plaza symbolise the “horsepower” originally moving international trade, and directly quote the ancient Greek horses which decorate St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

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arts

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THE TURNER PRIZE: PRESTIGE OR PUBLICITY?

For the first time in its history, the Turner Prize is this year exhibited outside England, in Northern Ireland at Ebrington in Derry-Londonderry. Established in 1984 by the Patrons of New Art, the prize aims to celebrate new advances in contemporary art. The Tate website describes the ideal candidate as “a British artist under fifty,” to be honoured “for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding [the award]”. Previous nominees of the Turner Prize have included famous artists such as Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. This year’s nominees comprised a diverse group of artists: Laure Prouvost, Tino Sehgal, David Shrigley and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. From the selected group, Laure Prouvost, a French-born artist based in London, was eventually named winner. The video installation for which Prouvost has been nominated, Wantee (above left), is exemplary of her artistic practice as it combines installation, collage and film.

Wantee was the romantic nickname of Edith Thomas, girlfriend of the German painter and collage artist Kurt Schwitters. Prouvost has interwoven this historical figure into her artwork in a playful way through the use of audio and visual techniques. The nickname’s origin is thus rehearsed in a video, in which the artist repeatedly asks its audience: “want tea?” Moreover, the video is projected within a tea party setting, a darkly lit space that is apparently a fictional reconstruction of Prouvost’s grandparents’ living room.

Visitors are invited to sit around the dining table, on which Prouvost has laid out her grandfather’s homemade teapots, collages and other debris for her audience to handle, encouraging their direct engagement though tactile pointers.

Prouvost’s intention is to immerse viewers into space, making visitors feel part of the artwork.

ART BY CANDLELIGHT: SIR JOHN SOANE MUSEUM

The Turner Prize is arguably the most momentous award in Britain for contemporary art; however, is the the prize still relevant today? Sustaining the winner with a generous sum of £25,000 and warranting his or her national recognition, the Turner Prize aims to make contemporary art fully part of Britain’s national consciousness. Yet while at the prize’s inception contemporary art was quite unfamiliar to the general public, this is no longer true today. Contemporary art is everywhere. The burning question is, therefore, whether the prize still has meaning today.

This general question became pointedly relevant this year, thanks to a highly debatable decision by the judging panel.

The choice of Laure Prouvost as a winner may reveal that the Prize is a promotion of Tate as Britain’s leading contemporary art institution. While initially seeming little likely to win, Laure Prouvost was actually the most suitable candidate for Tate’s self-promotion. Prouvost’s video-installation Wantee was commissioned by Tate and Grizeldate Arts, in response to Tate Britain’s recent exhibition Schwitters in Britain – a possible publicity stunt boasting Tate’s own achievement as a leading patron of contemporary art.

draws attention to the screen by reflecting objects shown on film in the surrounding space. As teapots and teacups are both projected and actual, the viewer can hardly distinguish illusionism from reality. Ironically, the video, which appears to be a true story to the spectator, is a fictional one, further emphasising the artifice of Prouvost’s viewing experience.

Although Prouvoust displays an intriguing approach to filmmaking, Tate’s decision remains problematic. The Tate website admits that the original purpose of the prize is evolving. It can be argued that the prize is today about provoking debate, rather than demonstrating novel techniques and new media. Yet even in this view, the question remains: why was Laure Prouvost selected? Other nominees would arguably have sparked more widespread interest.

Certainly, David Shrigley’s ill-proportioned male robot (above right) would have been better suited to generate debate, as it shocks by urinating into a bucket and challenges traditional notions of the ideal nude. Alternatively, Lynette YiadomBoakye’s portrait series of fictitious black men (above centre) challenges the absence of non-white subjects in historical portraiture.

According to the Tate’s official website, the main criterion for judges in the selection process is “to celebrate new development in contemporary art”. The Tate judges commented that Laure Prouvost’s installation won the prize for its relevance to “the post-internet age,” as she uses “film in a completely contemporary way” and attracts the younger public who is dependent on online social media.

Provoust uses flashing images, montages, and abrupt, humorous comments to establish these connections. The judging panel defends their winner by claiming that younger viewers are most familiar with the digital screen. Prouvost

Awarding the prize to the least popular winner, the judging panel chose what was more profitable for Tate. Yet if the prize aims to attract more interest to contemporary art, as its policy implies, the judges should select the winner that the public finds most interesting. To fully understand the public’s interests, the whole judging system should be changed, allowing for the public to vote. Only then will the prize truly interact with the national audience, as it nominally aims to do.

With the explosive popularity of photographing paintings, the point of museum visits is sometimes reduced to taking a selfie with each masterpiece rather than indulging in the physical presence of the artwork. Sir John Soane’s Museum challenges this trend with their evening openings, where visitors are made to experience art without any technological disruption. On the first Tuesday night of every month, the museum is lit by candlelight only. Photography is prohibited (the museum’s website deems it intrusive and distracting for visitors) and all mobile phones are turned off. With these guidelines, visitors concentrate on the art, intimately experiencing the Royal Academy’s Professor of Architecture’s carefully curated collection.

strong lights, the art on the walls, floors and ceilings cannot be taken in with broad glances, the way most art is usually seen in art galleries today. Intimate engagement with each artwork is necessary, as one must peer into the details of each object and observe it up close. This creates an altogether new relationship between the art object and its twenty-firstcentury beholder. One notices things which would be lost to the camera. Further, the viewer starts to think about the context in which the artworks are placed, paying attention to how each object converses with its neighbors. Without the noise of mobile phones ringing or cameras clicking, the paintings’ dialogue can almost be heard.

Examining and understanding art was the goal of Sir John Soane’s personal collection. In 1806, he began to arrange casts and models around his home on Lincoln Inn’s Fields for Royal Academy students, who could visit the collection between his lectures. During the Napoleonic Wars, when students could not travel to Italy to see classical art in the flesh, Soane’s collection served as an important part of students’ development and career in London. Soane’s home was aptly described in 1827 as an “Academy of Architecture”.

Entering the dark home-museum is initially a shock to the visitor’s eyes. The rooms seem eerily still and quiet. At first, visitors must adjust their vision to see in the candlelight, and fight any desire to use the iPhone flashlight app. Without

/ LYELLE SHOHET / COURTAULD INSTITUTE / CONTRIBUTOR

Especially with low lighting, the museum becomes a collection of curiosities. Soane combined unlikely pairs throughout the space, like a sarcophagus from Egypt and a cork model of Pompeii. In the dark, the numerous casts and busts hanging from the ceilings and on the walls seem to overlap. Like a hidden gem, there is one room where paintings are displayed on multi-layered walls that need to be moved around like sliding doors.

Altogether, as interesting as the minuscule details and monumental objects in the collection may be, the masterpiece is the home-museum as a whole, and its farsighted preservation of the way art was originally intended to be seen.

/ AIMEE RUBENSTEEN / COURTAULD / CONTRIBUTOR

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music

the smoke

‘ROUND MIDNIGHT

OUR FAVOURITE JAZZ JOINTS IN TOWN

OLIVER’S JAZZ BAR, GREENWICH As secretive as it is seductive, Oliver’s Jazz Bar is a treasure trove hidden away in the heart of Greenwich. A slender stone staircase leads into the bar, split into two rooms defined by their red lighting. Offered here is an informal and relaxed atmosphere: the cosy sofas, velvet armchairs and wooden tables give the place a homely ambience. Be sure to catch resident Corrie Dick, winner of the 2012 Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year, who regularly plays here. This basement-style bar makes one feel not only more connected to the underground jazz scene it promotes, but gives a sense of exclusivity not found in other larger jazz bars in London. It offers an immense variety of jazz performers, including some stunning up-and-coming talent found in Greenwich at Trinity Laban. This bar is like Ronnie Scott’s little brother: still as talented, just smaller and less known.

RONNIE SCOTT’S, SOHO

RONNIE SCOTT’S

Gaining fame by being the first club to host American jazz in Britain, Ronnie Scott’s is an international utopia of jazz. Beginning life in 1959 as a jam area for musicians, it soon attracted attention from the community, promoting all forms of jazz and displaying a wide variety of talent. Thanks to its size and fame, it has perhaps for some turned into an attraction rather than a locale.

Nonetheless, it is still a defining feature of the London jazz scene: Ronnie Scott’s has accommodated some of the greatest performers in jazz, including Chet Baker, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald. The club also dabbles in the likes of blues and soul music. The club features the iconic Ronnie Scott’s neon sign and saxophone on the outside, attracting club goers like moths to a flame.

Sitting in the middle of Soho, this is undoubtedly the city’s main jazz attraction.

THE VORTEX JAZZ CLUB, DALSTON Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Vortex Club is a leading light in unexplored areas of jazz. Vortex drives improvisation and electronic accompaniment further than other London clubs. It has become well-known for its consistently exciting and innovative repertoire, and offers a monthly night called “Mopomoso”, where it promotes improvised jazz and its relationship to other contemporary music and the spoken word. With its innovative ways and brilliantly talented performers, the Vortex Club won the Live Jazz Award in the 2013 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. It had successfully relocated to where it stands now in Gillett Street, featuring a stylish yet raw interior with an emphasis on the purpose of listening to and experiencing the music itself. The further development of the square overlooked by the Vortex Club, plus the addition of a music shop within the club itself, is pushing the Vortex into being a showcase of the London jazz scene.

PIZZA EXPRESS JAZZ CLUB

PIZZA EXPRESS JAZZ CLUB, SOHO One should not look down upon a chain pizzeria offering live jazz. The upstairs is a restaurant, music free, but the basement hides one of Europe’s best mainstream jazz venues. The club itself is situated to Soho Square and offers an intimate experience, despite the basement capacity of over one hundred.

The music itself is refreshing for those looking for a less pretentious scene where one can dine and then enjoy a glass of wine with a low-key, accessible, and yet still eclectic programme of performances. Don’t miss the four-day residency of the legendary Nelson Rangell this month. This club is a perfectly affordable and enjoyable experience for the budding jazz fan or student, and is a recommended spot during the London Jazz Festival.

CAFÉ OTO, DALSTON

CAFÉ OTO

For anyone interested in the darker, more esoteric side of jazz, there isn’t a better venue in London than Café OTO. The low ceilings and sparse lighting give the venue a dark and mysterious atmosphere, which makes for a perfect setting for the cryptic music played within. 2013 saw Café OTO hosting some of the biggest names in underground experimentalism, including virtuoso saxophonist Colin Stetson, avant-rockers Fushitsusha, and African Futurists the Sun Ra Arkestra. This year looks to be just as exciting, with sets from Jandek, Momus and Hauschka already confirmed. Even if you haven’t heard of any the names above, a visit is still highly recommended; Café OTO have an excellent policy on ticket prices, with the vast majority of shows costing under £10 – a small price to pay to hear some of the most innovative music around at the moment.

/ KIERAN JONES / QUEEN MARY / CONTRIBUTOR

the smoke

music

yo la tengo, the barbican, 8.12.13

live REVIEWS

of the audience was there to jam out to some Yo La Tengo rather than learn about the inventor of the geodesic dome, but as the evening progressed what actually unfolded was an inspiring fusion of live music and education, which is something that I never thought I would write.

Yo La Tengo’s backcatalogue is so huge that it’s impossible to know exactly what to expect before going to see them live. It was handy, then, that the band didn’t actually play any known songs at this show. Early tickets were advertised simply as “Yo La Tengo at the Barbican”, but it was later revealed that this was going to be a documentary screening about the inventor Buckminster Fuller, soundtracked entirely live by the band.

Throughout the show, Yo La Tengo’s trademark warbled guitars and brushed drums wove a subtle and nuanced blanket of sound around the nostalgic middle-American pictures on the screen, quietening only for director Sam Green to whisper anecdotes about the life of Buckminster Fuller. Green is a man who is clearly proud of this film and wants his audiences to experience it in the most unique possible way, and he totally pulled it off.

It was like being at the coolest TED talk in history.

/ KRIS LAVIN / UCL / CONTRIBUTOR

It was pretty clear that the great majority

Haim, The Forum, 09.12.13

Californian sister act Haim made a big splash in 2013 with their debut album Days Are Gone. Their live show at The Forum proved they have the performing chops to back up their infectious indie-pop jams with serious rock ‘n’ roll swagger. The venue was packed, anticipation building after openers Childhood and Saint Raymond.

The Haim sisters, accompanied by drummer Dash Hutton, took the stage to a heartfelt roar and launched straight into breezy Stevie Nicks-meets-Pat Benatar single, “Falling”. Bassist Este playfully worked the crowd, casually dropping f-bombs as she encouraged participation in the form of handclaps, sing-along’s, and dancing. Lead vocalist/ guitarist Danielle showcased her Slashlike shredding skills and Alana rounded out their sound on keyboard and rhythm guitar.

All three played additional instruments,

ALBUM REVIEWS

burial

/ LANA HUH / KCL / CONTRIBUTOR

BEYONCE

RIVAL DEALER EP

(COLUMBIA)

Since the release of the now legendary LP Untrue, Burial has been releasing a series of EPs that have enabled him to explore new unmarked territory of his music. Street Halo was particularly impressive, showcasing a refreshing new side to his sound yet staying true to his roots. We can see the same dynamic occurring in the opening track of his latest EP, Rival Dealer, whch has some interesting nods to hectic rave and grime throwback, pulled off brilliantly by his signature production. However, the same cannot be said for the rest of the EP. Although Burial is certainly exploring new ideas and textures, the focus frequently shifts from one idea to the next, never allowing the mood and atmosphere to fully flourish. “Hiders” begins with the sound of distant pianos that lift the listener out into an imaginative expanse, but are then rudely interrupted by a beat that sounds as if it was lifted from a Rick Astley sample pack. “Come Down To Us” follows in a similar vein, the only difference being that it won’t quit for over 13 tortuous minutes. Burial’s music is still essentially incomparable to any other, but his new experiment simply doesn’t float.

6/10

If there is any singer whose new album requires no promotion, it’s Beyoncé.

Dropped at midnight without any fanfare, Beyoncé comes in at the eleventh hour to become one of, if not the, best releases of the year. Beyoncé continues to deliver on the statement that she will never compromise who she is to please her critics. Throughout the album she is singer, mother, wife, lover, feminist and pretty much whatever she wants to be. The content here is rich and deep, ranging from the sensuous duet with her husband in “Drunk In Love” to celebration of womanhood in the melodic yet rhythmically driven “***Flawless”. The album is wrought with emotion; the most beautiful part of the album, for me at least, comes in the last two tracks, “Heaven” and “Blue”. The former, a moving ballad about her miscarriage, is tenderly followed by the latter, a chronicle of the happiness she has found in motherhood which features a cute cameo from Blue Ivy herself. Each song on the album has an accompanying video, which are all luxuriously stunning; anyone wishing to get the full experience needs to watch the album.

10/10

british sea power

WARPAINT

(ROUGH TRADE)

(CROSSOVER)

From the Sea to the Land Beyond soundtracks a new film by Penny Woolcock. The film uses archive footage to explore all the different things the seaside can mean to us, and the album shares this collage-like quality. Dotted throughout with seaside sounds (gulls, crashing waves, old fashioned fairground ambience), the album has a powerfully nostalgic feel to it. British Sea Power expertly create a meditative and hypnotic atmosphere with repetitive phrases, and the hushed voice of lead singer Jan Scott Wilkinson.

Throughout the album’s 71 minutes, the tracks swell and fade like a tide: dramatic at points, but never overwhelming. Largely instrumental, its driving beats and melodic guitar work is reminiscent of a very chilled out Explosions in the Sky record. Even without having seen the film, you can see the seaside. Its length and dreamlike repetition mean it’s background noise, exactly as a film score should be. Of course, it probably works better with the film, but it’s a soundtrack that can stand by itself.

7/10

/ CAMERON BRAY / KCL / CONTRIBUTOR

warpaint

FROM THE SEA TO THE LAND BEYOND

/ RUBY CLYDE / UCL / CONTRIBUTOR

adding a fuller percussion section to numbers like “Don’t Save Me”, “Forever,” and “My Song 5” — a track that sounded like En Vogue backed by The White Stripes. The band delivered a two-song encore, breaking out the big drums for the haunting, anthemic “Let Me Go”. All in all, Haim delivered a tight, energetic hour-long set and sent the crowd home elated and satisfied by 11 o’clock. Not bad for a Monday night.

beyonce

(HYPERDUB)

/ GEORGE MCVICAR / QUEEN MARY / MUSIC EDITOR

11

Though it’s not easy to follow up such an acclaimed debut album as Exquisite Corpses, Warpaint’s eponymous second album is the sound of a band doing exactly what they want to do, and doing it well. Sonically, the band has not strayed too far from the tones of their first record. A notable and welcome addition, however, is the increased use of synthesized sounds, keyboards and drum machines making frequent appearances.

The track “Biggie” is aptly named, considering its hip-hop influenced swagger, and bouncy synths provide the groove over which the two singers’ vocals gloomily lilt.

Through their dexterous use of sound and dreamy lyrics, Warpaint conjure an eerie atmosphere that is sorrowful, but with a glimmer of optimism. With the exception of the sassy mid-album number “Disco/Very”, Warpaint does not display a huge amount of versatility. On the other hand, the consistency of the record makes for a hypnotic listening experience.

8/10

/ KAMRAN KAN / HEYTHROP / CONTRIBUTOR

12

feature

the smoke

nigel pacquette JULIJA BAINIAKSINA OF FOX HUNT MENSWEAR

fashion photographer, birkbeck student and london native

Photography started off as a hobby, first as travel photography. One year, I was going to Las Vegas and Cuba; I said, “right, I’m going to the Grand Canyon, I can’t take a picture of the Grand Canyon with an iPhone, it just wouldn’t work.” So I spoke to some friends who had cameras. I got a camera, was using it for holiday photography, got back to London and thought, “you know what, I actually want to do more than just taking pictures of London, I actually have good looking friends… so let me start taking pictures!” And just in case anybody would be like, “ugh, he just wants to perv on girls,” the first person I actually took a picture of was a guy.

From there, I went from where you see other people’s work and you think, “wow, that’s amazing,” to “why can’t I try and do something like that? Why can’t I emulate that?” Immersing myself further and further into it, trying to upgrade my skill: so looking at other people’s work, investing in PhotoShop. Over the last 18 months, I guess you could say working with better models – what I, or the industry, term to be “better” models – because knowing what I know now, I believe you’re judged on the quality of your models as a photographer.

Then I began putting together editorials, where instead of having one good shot, I’ve got six or seven. From that, that’s led to applying to an online magazine called Modelixir, based in Miami; they’ve managed to get me accredited as a photographer for London Fashion Week and London Collections: Men. And the event that finished a fortnight ago is my sixth Fashion Week in London that I’ve covered.

How is the Fashion Week experience?

Hectic?

There’s a big difference between the men’s and the women’s. The women’s is still the bigger one, the event is different: it’s held at Somerset House, which has a massive courtyard. While the catwalk is in the middle, all these fashionistas, bloggers, people who dress up in the morning thinking “hey, let me wear this, because somebody might take my photo,” they tend to mill around, adding to the atmosphere. For men, it tends to be in a smaller venue, and a shorter event. Three days long, and it’s a building in Covent Garden, so there’s not quite as much opportunity to

create an ambience of Fashion Week.

There have been discussions in the fashion industry whether they should not allow fashion bloggers or street style photographers, because some people say that it’s ruining what Fashion Week should be about. I think it’s quite a snobby attitude...

The only time I tend to encounter the bloggers, those type of people, is in the photographer’s pit. They try to sit in the front row of the photographer’s pit, which is pretty much reserved for the upper echelon of press photographers. They take pictures of the celebrities right before the show starts, then they go to the back to sit down, and the bloggers see that and go “oh, there’s space, let me sit there!” And that’s when it’s like, “who is this person trying to be cheeky and sitting in my seat?” Clear off! As for the outside part of it, I don’t mind. I think it adds more to Fashion Week, and usually the people who are dressed up, who are having their picture taken, they’re not dressed in run-of-the-mill clothing, sometimes they have quite extraordinary and outrageous outfits, and that’s fashion too!

Like with most things, it’s a matter of opinion.

I know that I prefer some types of fashion over others, but that doesn’t give me the right to say, “oh, yours is to be looked down upon.” Half that stuff could appear in some of these shows; every now and then you do get something that’s quite simply outrageous.

I’m happy for them to be there!

Would you mainly say that you work in fashion photography now?

I’d say fashion and hair, the majority of the shoots I’ve done recently has been for hair salons.

I’ve seen on your website that you also do some work for charity.

I believe that if you’ve got a talent that can be help for other people, where you’re not using up all of your time... I’ve spent time to be a photographer, however many years that took, but I’m not doing it absolutely every minute of the day. So I approached London’s Air Ambulance. A little plug here: not many people know that London only has one medical helicopter. Paris, Melbourne, New York, they’ve got three or four helicopters.

And London Air Ambulance, who provide more medical helicopters for London, is a charity. So I called them up and said, “hey, could I perhaps donate my talents to you guys, my capacity as a photographer – do you need one?” They did.

It works out that a couple of times a month, they have an event going on, and then I’ll come in and take pictures. They just celebrated their 25th anniversary on the 9th

of January, and in that time it’s just over 30,000 lives that they’ve been involved in.

If you think about the kind of incidents that require assistance by helicopter, they’re pretty grave. That’s a lot of good they’ve done. It’s pleasing that the PM and Boris Johnson have written in, commended them. I think: if you have an ability to help out others, why not?

Exactly. How are you planning to balance your Business degree with your photography?

I met a full-time photographer, and he said to me that if I ever wanted to make some money in life, don’t do photography: do something else for a living, and have photography for a sideline. I think that once you become proficient at something, people will then employ you at a capacity where you earn money, which is great. But from a stability perspective – when I think about being in my 40s, 50s – with the advent of these digital SLR cameras where pretty much everybody can own a good camera, I fear to think what will happen in a few more years’ time. The market will be saturated, we won’t make as much money all of a sudden, I won’t have money. So I don’t think it’s something I should bank upon.

Photography seems to be becoming more and more social and democratic; everyone has access to a camera now. I remember just a few years ago, I was the only one in my friends who had a camera!

I’ll be honest; when Instagram first came out, I was like, “what’s going on?!” One of the main things was filters. Before, I would

IMAGE: NIGEL PACQUETTE

THE EYE: Nigel Pacquette, a third year part-time student on the BSc Business program at Birkbeck, is also an accomplished photographer. He’s shot London Fashion Week multiple times, and shoots fashion and beauty editorials as well as lending a charitable hand to London’s Air Ambulance. We asked him how he got started with the camera:

“

I think: if you have an ability to help out others, why not?

play about with them a little: “oh, I’ll combine the cyan with the green and some blue,” and would create an interesting filter. And now, someone’s taken a picture of their dinner, and added the filter with a touch of the button! I feel redundant in that regard. But I’ve slowly and surely been converted to think that, as a forum for somebody’s who’s into visual arts and media, it’s worthwhile.

Any upcoming shoots & plans?

Next one is for a hair salon called John Carne. Fingers crossed they’ll appear in the March/April issue of the Creative HEAD magazine. As you get bigger and bigger jobs, it’s exciting, the set has 11 people. It’s serious: we’re hiring that expensive camera, studio for a full day, there’s the hair stylist, wardrobe stylist, artistic director… it’s a full team. Before, I would be the only one on set

with the model, and I would do the retouching all by myself.

There are debates about how much a photographer should retouch the models, body dysmorphia, issues like that. When I retouch, it wouldn’t be the woman’s body

”

that’s modified, but it would be “there’s hair covering her eyes, so we need to remove that.” You’re meant to enhance, not destroy, the person you photograph. / INTERVIEWED BY EMMA HOPE ALLWOOD / KCL / CO-EDITOR

www.nigelpacquette.co.uk Twitter / Instagram: @NigelPacquette

IMAGE: HUBERT LIBISZEWSKI

14

books

the smoke

BE INDEPENDENT! In our new feature, we take a gander around some of London’s best independent bookshops, those off the high street gems that lure you in with their quaint shop fronts and piles of books. After stumbling upon a map of London’s independent bookshops, The Smoke realised how much we missed running our hands along the spines of books before we committed to buy, something sadly lost in the Amazon age. Supremely peaceful and in need of some love, we hope that this series encourages you to visit this ever shrinking breed, the independent bookshop.

LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP, BLOOMSBURY It may be an obvious choice, but this really is one of the most magnificent bookshops in London. Just a short skip from the British Museum and in the heart of the Bloomsbury café-and-cake scene,

this gem offers an astounding range of books. It is relatively small, but somehow 20,000 books are crammed into its neat displays. Classics abound, but there is also an inspiring range of contemporary fiction and a fantastic selection of art and literature journals. There are a great deal of scholarly books, meaning it’s ideal when, with a looming deadline and a ravaged library, you realise that you might just need to buy that book for your essay.

It was set up in 2003, but I like to think that it would have been one of Virginia Woolf’s haunts if it had been around in her day. Its staff are also to be commended: they have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the shop and can guide you straight to that book that you can’t quite remember the title of, but vaguely think you might need. It’s that sort of place: unfriendly to our student loans, but so friendly to

our minds. The shop’s motto is a good summary: “we look forward to finding you the books you know you need, and more importantly, the ones you didn’t know you needed.”

The London Review Bookshop’s biggest strength is that it has realised just how much tea and cake are needed alongside a good book. Through a small doorway, you will stumble into a world of clinking pots, divine aromas and gurgling coffee machines. There is a spectacular range of Chinese tea, as well as super-fresh salads, quiches, sandwiches and creamladen cakes.

/ ELIZABETH METCALFE / KCL / BOOKS EDITOR If you have a favourite independent bookshop and want to write a few words on it, drop us an email at books@londonstudent.net.

IMAGE: LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP

A BRAVE NEW WORLD? As the dust settles on another festive season, the publishing industry takes stock, totting up the crucial Christmas sales figures. Generally speaking, publishers and booksellers do well at this time of year whatever the economic situation, and I, along with many others I am sure, tend to fall back on books as staple gifts. But what of the long term? The industry has undergone massive changes in recent years and the future remains distinctly uncertain. Well-publicised developments, such as the rapid rise of e-books and online book retailers, have shaken traditional publishing to its core, driving prices down and forcing hundreds of independent bookshops to close. But despite this, I think that the outlook for 2014 is not uniformly bleak.

Kindle sales rose by an estimated 26% in 2013, continuing the shift towards electronic books that has seen print book sales fall dramatically since 2007. But e-books, though much-maligned by many old school publishers, do not in themselves spell the end of the existing system. Whilst e-books do tend to leave me somewhat cold, they can often produce bigger profit margins for publishers than their “physical” equivalents. Moreover, it is not a given that e-books will continue to increase their market share at the expense of print books. A recent survey of 16-24 year olds found that 62% preferred print books and 70% hadn’t bought an e-book during the preceding month.

Analysts within the industry are observing the beginnings of stabilisation in the UK book market, and suggest that print books will retain a healthy proportion of sales.

Rebecca Smart, CEO of Osprey Group, told The Bookseller in November: “I don’t think this has been a year of great change, more one of consolidation”.

PUBLISHING TODAY

But having worked at two independent publishers last year, I am a little less optimistic. Smaller publishers are undoubtedly struggling in the wake of high street bookshop closures.

While at Serif in east London, I witnessed the network of independent bookshops that the company has relied on for years shrinking almost day by day. Small publishers, lacking the blockbuster titles and media clout of their larger brethren, are left at the hands of huge retailers, especially Amazon, to whom they are forced to sell at massive discounts.

I will resist launching into an extended anti-Amazon polemic, but it is necessary to mention the company’s part in another significant development that will continue to make waves in 2014: digital self-publishing. In an open letter to Amazon customers promoting Kindle Direct Publishing (a platform which allows authors to sell directly to their readers, thereby bypassing publishers entirely), CEO Jeff Bezos argued that it would lead to “a more diverse book culture”. Clearly he accords no value to the traditional roles of agents and publishers, and the numbers show that self-published authors were able to make a huge impact in 2013. Rachael Lucas’s novel Sealed With a Kiss, a heart-warming story of friendship, romance and rescued seals (no joke) was downloaded over 70,000 times, making the Kindle top ten with no professional backing.

But traditional publishers will still be able to find room for themselves in Bezos’s new order, if they are quick on their feet. Pan Macmillan, for example, recently signed Lucas on a three-book deal. Stephen Hayward, who runs Serif, sees a “bilingual” future emerging, with “mass-market paperbacks absorbed into the e-book market, while people continue to

value carefully designed and produced print books.”

I think many publishers will be able to adapt to changing circumstances in 2014 and beyond, as long as they remain open to new developments and in tune with their readers’ demands – even if those demands are for attractive, heartbroken blokes who rescue seals!

/ DAVID LEAK / UCL / CONTRIBUTOR

theatre

the smoke

15

BECKETT TRILOGY AT THE ROYAL COURT THEATRE “There will be extended moments of darkness”, we are warned by ushers as we enter the auditorium. A mild way of putting it.

lips, pouring out words with a defiant fury as the persona tries to assert itself, to become more than a third-person narrative. Delivery of the lines here, with rhythmically fluid yet

frenzied certainty, was impeccable. I don’t think I was the only spectator to feel that Lisa Dwan’s performance in this production is a true credit to her artistry. Composed,

Darkness is crucial and overwhelming in Walter Asmus’s new production of Not I, Footfalls, Rockaby at the Royal Court. Samuel Beckett’s subject matter has never been the most light-hearted of material; I have to begin by congratulating the lighting and set designers, Alex Eales and James Farncombe, for creating such an unsettling and yet perfectly complementary atmosphere. The application of light (or rather, the lack of it) is quite magnificent in this chilling, hypnotic production. The audience’s sight is cleverly directed in several directions, and gripped for the duration of the play – there is simply no other way to see. Our senses are controlled with the utmost care and precision.

Dwan was meticulous in her limited movements and yet at times so statuesque – both in Footfalls, as she strains to communicate with her dying mother, and finally as Rockaby’s “prematurely old” heroine rocking, agonizingly, to and fro on her wooden chair. With the exception of a handful of nervous fidgeters, I have never seen a play surrounded by such stillness.

From a stark stage with few sounds, a dripfeed of light and only the most exact of movements, this necessarily eerie production is without a doubt highly rewarding, beautiful and moving.

The production, comprised of three short Beckett pieces, opened by drawing the audience into absolute, embracing darkness.

They did not rush to turn on any lights. We waited, ears greedily attuned to any offered sound, until we were given something to see.

The first play, Not I, offered simply a pair of

THEATRE LIVE ON AIR

sensitive, mature and beautifully sincere, Dwan demonstrated laudable control and flexibility. Clever and considerate lighting enhanced her mesmerising powers, until I began to distrust my eyes. Moments passed when she appeared to be suddenly gaunt and ghostly, then the soft features of the young, vulnerable woman were visible again.

The production is at the Duchess Theatre during 3-15 February.

LISA DWAN IN NOT I. IMAGE: JOHN HAYNES.

This month, as National Theatre Live prepares to livestream Coriolanus (starring Thor’s Tom Hiddleston) from London’s Donmar Warehouse to cinemas around the world, The Smoke thought it’d be a good opportunity to shed some light on what NT Live is – what it does for London’s theatre, how you can access it, and crucially, if it’s any good.

Put simply, National Theatre Live broadcasts some of British theatre’s most popular offerings direct to cinemas, enabling millions of people worldwide to watch shows. It’s not just the National Theatre’s London stages that are benefitting from this extra attention – last year, Kenneth Branagh’s sold-out Macbeth was broadcast to over 500 venues across the world from a deconsecrated church, as part of Manchester’s International Festival. As a Branagh fan with insufficient funds or time to travel to Manchester to see the show, I bought a ticket for £20 to see the show screened live to Covent Garden’s Odeon cinema.

Now, I am someone who enjoys theatre. Not just plays, but theatre as an experience. I know I am not alone in this. Entering the Odeon to see a stage play felt a little strange, not least because I was 10 minutes late, assuming I’d be subjected to half an hour of trailers for films I have no intention of watching. To my surprised delight, I was shushed and sneered at for my tardiness, just like I would (rightly) be in the theatre, as I’d missed the play’s opening. Once I’d adjusted to my new setting, I’d bizarrely forgotten I was in the cinema at all.

Somehow, NT Live had captured the atmosphere of the live performance from the church in Manchester. Whether it was the multiple shots of the audience, or the fact that this screening was completely live, there was something about the

experience that separated itself from an ordinary broadcast. After 3 hours, I left the cinema having been alleviated of all the Fear of Missing Out symptoms, with the added benefit of seeing Kenneth Branagh’s face on an enormous screen.

Aside from being able watching sold out shows from hundreds of locations, NT Live offers a host of other benefits. Following the success of Macbeth, I ventured to the IMAX in Waterloo to watch Othello, staring Rory Kinnear and Adrian Lester. I’d seen it at the National, but had been lucky in securing a ticket first-time round, before the reviews were released and the entire run sold out. In any case, IMAX tickets were £20 – compare with the eye-watering National tickets which started at £50.

Having seen the original live from the third row of the stalls, I’d expected to be slightly disappointed – but was happily proven wrong.

Once again, the atmosphere was captured perfectly, and was actually heightened by an introductory commentary by a correspondent at the Olivier, including a few words from the director of the play, and the artistic director of the National, Nick Hynter. The interval at the cinema offered a 10-minute break followed by a special feature with backstage scenes and an insight into the making of the production. It seems as though, with time, NT Live features keep getting better.

So what are the drawbacks? Of course, not being in the theatre is bound to take something away from the experience. It also highlights some rather strange nuances. Othello was possibly my theatrical highlight of 2013. Rory Kinnear was exceptional as Iago, and the reviews of his performance reflected this.

Knowing him as a television actor and as a stage actor, I’d never noticed much difference

/ HANNAH HARRIS / UCL / CONTRIBUTOR

– until NT Live. Acting for stage is incredibly different from acting for screen; most actors are now trained in both, but the practice is still dramatically altered. As I watched Rory Kinnear in theatre mode on the big screen, it looked utterly bizarre. To project his voice to all in the theatre, while remaining natural for the cameras, seemed completely impossible; it seemed like overacting, and it was incredibly distracting for the opening scenes.

Another unexpected drawback, especially for students, is the cost. Whilst a NT Live ticket in a London cinema will cost £15-20 depending on venue, it is possible to see the show live for as little as £5 using the National Theatre’s Entry Pass scheme (for under 26s). The difference, of course, is that Entry Pass tickets are incredibly rare to secure for such shows, whereas NT Live tickets are not, and on the whole are much cheaper.

With a remarkable lack of technical problems (both productions I’ve seen have had minor glitches, both lasting under a minute), slight changes in acting style, and the obvious absence of the total theatrical experience, the drawbacks of NT Live are far outweighed by the enormous benefits they bring to viewers, and the ability to share some of the best British theatre with over 20 countries worldwide. For those of you who have been unable to get tickets to see Tom Hiddleston at the Donmar, I would strongly encourage you to book a ticket for 30th January for NT Live, or a pre-filmed version if you’re busy. It really is the next best thing.

/ SARAH FORTESCUE / CSSD / THEATRE EDITOR

IMAGE: NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE

16

food

the smoke

JUST LOOK AT YOU!

it’s not too late to start that healthy eating kick for 2014

louis patisserie REVIEW For the first time in the two years that I have been wearing a tomato-red beret in London and getting mostly disapproving looks for my choice of accessory from passersby, I feel that my hat has finally found its home. For, sitting inside Louis Patisserie – just off Hampstead High Street – watching the cold and crisp January morning through the stacks of cakes in the window, my jeans, trainers and jacket certainly felt out of place.

This feeling was intensified when I saw that my fellow diners were two elderly groups – the members of which all sported tweed coats, skirts and flat caps. I felt like I had walked into the 18th century when tearooms were first popularised. Everything about this place is oldtimey: from the round, spindly-legged, weakjointed and admittedly all-too-small tables, to the faded dark red Victorian carpet, wooden wall panelling, buttoned-style banquette seating and dim lighting.

Visitors to the bakery are meant to come in, choose from the assortment of baked goods upfront and then pick a table to sit at. I’m not the biggest fan of this system since it takes first timers some time to make a decision – something made all the more difficult by the lack of a menu or names on the pastries. Having sampled both the plain and chocolate croissants (in the belief that

one foolproof test of a good bakery lies in its ability to produce fine croissants), the almond biscuits, chocolate truffles and tea, I would say that perhaps the ambience of the bakery outshines the food.

Most of the reviews I have read of Louis Patisserie, including those that recall its first opening back in the 1960s, share the same thoughts about its food. The croissants were unfortunately not the flaky, melt-in-the-mouth, buttery joy that I was hoping for and the biscuits were a bit too hard – much like the packaged and preservative-saturated ones available at supermarkets.

Nevertheless, the tea was welcome and the vintage china teacups, white and brown sugar cubes and large silver teapot were very charming. Louis Patisserie is the kind of place where one feels tea ought to be sipped with little finger extended. It’s nice to visit as soon as the bakery opens, when the crowd consists mostly of old-timers. But as the afternoon wears on and the customers change to the mobile phone-carrying, jeans-and-trainers clad type who stand in jarring contrast to the surroundings, the charm of this little teahouse begins to fade.

I’m not going to advocate any strict dieting regime. I think the diet industry (valued at £2 billion) is doing just fine without me. Growing up as a “chubby” girl I was made to try all manner of diets – everything from a French soup diet of leeks, to the recent 5:2 diet fad. The longer I managed to sustain eating less than I needed, the more I could justify eating later. You can’t diet forever, and so begins an endless cycle of gorging and diminishing that puts your body under unnecessary fluctuations of weight that average about the same. And after Christmas, I just want to get back to normal. Pasta is the ultimate student food – but why not replace it with mung bean noodles? They’re quick, come in helpful little 60g bundles and release their sugars slowly so you won’t get hungry so quickly. For seasoning, a generous glug of sesame oil, soy sauce or balsamic is my usual trident – but if you swap balsamic for cider vinegar you’re consuming a quarter of the calories. Spices like peppercorns are rich in essential oils, vitamins and minerals, and ginger, as well as kick-starting your metabolism, adds heaps of flavour. The new year is as good a time as any to check our daily habits and make a few revisions to the rules we already know. These recipes can help get you started – they don’t break the bank and will keep you full, healthy, and happy to eat again the next day.

CHEAT’S PAELLA Roughly chop half a yellow pepper and half a red onion, then sauté until just starting to brown. To the same pot, add half a mug of bulgur wheat and half a chicken stock cube dissolved in one mug of boiling water. Add 3 thin slices of fresh ginger and boil for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. You can eat it as soon as the wheat is cooked, but if you have prawns or similar you can add them a few minutes before serving.

Ginger is the secret ingredient: just a little kick to get your metabolic rate going, and seafood in general has a high protein and low fat content.

RED CABBAGE SLAW WITH SMOKED MACKEREL

/ HIBA MAHAMADI / UCL / CONTRIBUTOR Using a sharp knife, slice a quarter of a red cabbage, then transfer to a dish. Flake half a fillet of smoked mackerel over the top and add some chopped coriander. Add 3 caps of cider vinegar and some olive oil. Taste, then season if needed.

Fish like mackerel is cheap, plentiful and high in omega 3 oils, so it’s great all round.

If you want to treat yourself after writing a long essay, a poached egg or slices of avocado on top won’t go amiss. If you’re feeling adventurous (or tired of eating cabbage the same way every day) then you can try hunting down some Sichuan peppercorns in Chinatown and making an oil for the dressing.

For this, toast 10-30 Sichuan peppercorns in a small pan. Once you can smell the citrusy aroma, remove from the pan and tip into a heatproof bowl. Heat a glug of olive oil in the pan. When the oil is smoking pour onto the toasted peppercorns. It should crackle. Let it cool before use. You can also make the oil in a bigger batch, store it in a jam jar and use when necessary.

/ LOUISE WANG / KCL / CONTRIBUTOR IMAGES: LOUISE WANG

travel

the smoke

SLEEP AROUND

#2

the smoke’s guide to couchsurfing “So where are you staying?” When backpacking this summer as two young students on the road, it was one of the most common questions that came up in conversations. Possibly the most difficult part about couchsurfing is explaining what it is to people who have no idea. It just doesn’t sound quite right – “basically we’re staying at this guy’s flat, we’ve never met him but we’ve spoken on the Internet.” Insert look of appalled horror on the listener’s face and the explanation begins.

couchsurfing is growing – the introductory sentence on the website brands it the “largest travel community” in the world – the bottom line idea remains a tad unsettling for many. Despite meeting people who thought they knew all about it, or even praised couchsurfing as something brilliant, when I asked how often they had used it, more than a few times the answer was never. Of the 7 million members on the website, only half are estimated to be active users. So let’s shed a few common misconceptions.

For those of you in that “no-idea” category, here is a brief summary. Couchsurfing.org is an international network where members offer or receive free accommodation for a few nights in people’s homes in cities all round the world. You enter the website, make yourself a free profile and search for other members’ “couches” to stay on in 100,000 places worldwide. You then become a “surfer” and whoever you stay with is your host. Ideally, in exchange for someone having helped you out along the road, you are expected to receive members on your “couch” when you return from your travels and settle back at home. However there is no requirement to reciprocate.

Couchsurfing is not an unreliable form of travel (in the way that, say, hitchhiking might be). You plan your stay before arriving in the city, and when choosing a host you are careful to select one who has good reviews, where previous surfers have vouched for them, their personality and reliability. Couchsurfing functions on the basis of these reviews and trust.

“

You are not merely crashing under their roof, but forming some kind of very 21st century, half-absurd, half completely natural friendship

”

This in effect constitutes entirely free lodging, saving the average budget traveller £10-25 a day.

As you are being let into someone’s home, the concept goes that you are not merely crashing under their roof, but being welcomed into their city, forming some kind of very 21st century, halfabsurd, half completely natural friendship. When couchsurfing, I have gone for drinks, trapezing, cooked and even attended a martial arts class with hosts.

However, if knowledge and popularity of

Couchsurfing is not a dubious website full of sinister types lurking behind screens, plotting.

Amongst its million users and ten years of existence, there has been one such incident (in Leeds, four years ago) which mathematically puts you at dramatically less risk than when staying in a hostel or hotel. For the record, the average age of members is estimated at 28.

Is couchsurfing is a strange, slightly awkward concept? I have been couchsurfing since the age of 18, in multiple countries and continents. Now aged 22, some of my dearest anecdotes include a host in Brooklyn, NYC, who literally saved me and my boyfriend’s necks by accepting our emergency couch-request after we had flooded the flat where we had been staying and got kicked out; a host in Córdoba, Argentina, had an actual circus in his basement complete with trampoline, trapezes and a stage where he held underground shows for the community; hosting a Spaniard in Bristol who had just moved to town and became one of our best friends since...

And then the time a guy in Santiago, Chile, had literally turned his house into a free hostel where we arrived in the midst of a ridiculous party.

In a world where you socialise, date, and live through the Internet, this makes perfect sense.

Unlike many other social networking websites, this one is all about getting away from your computer into real life. You have friends all over the world. You just don’t know them yet. / KAMILA STANLEY / KCL / CONTRIBUTOR/

barcelona on a budget BUDGET - £120 FRIDAY Return flights to Barcelona with RyanAir (London Stansted to Barcelona, booked at least two months in advance) - £43 Three day travelcard - £16 Two nights at the Hostel Box with advanced online booking – from £13

SATURDAY Breakfast: a cup of coffee and a caracol pastry from a Caprabo supermarket - £2 Discover Gaudí’s Barcelona with: A walk around Park Guell – FREE Admire the exterior of La Pedrera & Casa Batlló – FREE Visit the Sagrada Família with a student ticket, complete with a lift up to the spires - £10 Take a break with a caña (glass of beer) and a tapa at El Ambiente del Sur - £1 Wander around Las Ramblas – FREE Dinner: one of the many set dinner menus offered, paella and sangria - £6 Dance the night away at the renowned Sala Apolo in El Poble-Sec – FREE

SUNDAY Breakfast: indulge your sweet tooth with churros - £2 Rent a bike from Mattia46 and ride around Parc de la Ciutadella – £4 Set lunch at Picasso and Dalí’s old hangout, Els 4 Gats - £12 Get inspired at modern art galleries: ADN, Joan Prats and Galería 3 Punts - FREE Dinner: tapas and wine at El Jabalí - £8

TOTAL: £117

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EVENTS

the smoke

days and nights FRANKIE KNUCKLES

HANIF KUREISHI: LAST WORD LAUNCH

THE ACT OF KILLING + Q&A

The godfather of house gives a 4-hour set Egg 8 February £13

A “clever and funny story of sex, lies, art” Purcell Room, Southbank Centre 12 February, 7.45pm £10

Murderers reenact the Indonesian killings of 1965-66 ICA 16 February, 12.30pm £8

ZABLUDOWICZ COLLECTION INVITES: RACHEL MACLEAN

HANNAH HÖCH

TAKING SHOTS: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS

Zabludowicz Collection Until 23 February Free

THE DUKE MITCHELL FILM CLUB

A celebration of the feminist collage artist Whitechapel Gallery Until 23 March Free

WHIRLYGIG CINEMA

KINO LONDON

Spotlights – Documentary Hackney Attic 5 February, 7pm £5

Open-Mic Short Film Night Electrowerkz 10 February, 7:30 PM £5, £3 with flyer

BLASTED

ROMEO AND JULIET

Everitt Productions and LSESU Drama Society present Kane’s debut Old Theatre, LSE 27-28 January £8

Presented by King’s English Literary Society Greenwood Theatre 5-7 February, 8pm £4 members, £5 students

LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION MA SHOW

CONNAN MOCKASIN

CALIBRE/D BRIDGE/ALIX PEREZ/JUBEI

Phoenix Artist Club 27 January, 7pm Free

O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 28 January £11.50

Fire 7 February £10

FISHBONE A pop-up restaurant putting a seafood spin on gourmet fast food Kensington Palace From 1 February Admission free, menu prices apply

STREET FOOD SUNDAYS Showcasing regional street food from locations such as Naples and Puglia Caffe Caldesi 2 February Admission free, menu prices apply

POETRY LONDON SPRING LAUNCH Royal Festival Hall 5 February, 6.30pm Free (includes wine; RSVP)

LOSCIL Ambient techno goodness Café OTO 7 February £12

WINDMILL FOOD AND CRAFT MARKET St. Mark’s Church, Wimbledon 8 February, 10am–2pm

JAKE AND DINOS CHAPMAN: COME AND SEE Explores the Chapman brothers’ provocative work. Serpentine Slacker Gallery Until 9 February Free

Victoria House 11-16 February Free

BIG DATA: DESIGNING WITH THE MATERIALS OF LIFE Biotechnology meets fashion to investigate how designers will respond to scientific developments Lethaby Gallery Until 13 February Free

The Photographers’ Gallery Until 30 March £2.50, free Monday 10am-6pm & Thursday 6-8pm

SUPPER CLUB VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL

URI ARAN: FIVE MINUTES BEFORE

5 course meal and cocktails laced with chocolate The Chocolate Museum 14 February £15 advance booking

South London Gallery Until 23 February Free

JANDEK Outsider legend’s three-day residency Café OTO 14-16 February £12

DJS FROM IF MUSIC / SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE / KRISTINA RECORDS Plastic People 15 February, 10pm £5

ALAIN DE BOTTON ON THE NEWS

POETRY SLAM WITH A.F. HARROLD AND BRIAN CONAGHAN

de Botton discusses his latest book, which considers the place of current affairs in our lives Daunt Books 13 February, 7pm £8

A night of poetry, comedy and chaotic word play hosted by the Bloomsbury Institute The Water Poet pub 24 February, 6.30pm Students £6

TEEN CREEPS PRESENTS… LOVEPARK

CHARLES DICKENS MUSEUM BY CANDLELIGHT

Up-and-coming Indie band with powerful songwriting The Old Blue Last 14 February Free

Dickens’ home in what he called “a ruddy, homely, brilliant glow” Charles Dickens Museum 26 February, 6.40pm £15

JEEVES AND WOOSTER, STARRING STEPHEN MANGAN Duke of York’s Theatre Until March £10

THE PASS, STARRING RUSSELL TOVEY Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre Until 1 March £20, Mondays £10

DEREK JARMAN: PANDEMONIUM Cultural Institute, KCL East Wing Till 9 March Free

AMONGST HEROES: THE ARTIST IN WORKING CORNWALL 2 Temple Place Until 14 April Free

TURNER AND THE SEA National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Until 21 April £7.20

FROM THE ARCHIVES

the smoke

A new year heralds forward thinking and optimistic resolutions built on the retrospection of the pitfalls of the previous year. Delving into the archives of the University of London’s student press has once again brought consolation and delight from the antics of students almost a century ago.

It seemed that even then, students took an apathetic view of their studies. Take this aside, from 11 October 1923: “Tut Tut!” 1st Undergrad: “What shall we do this afternoon?”

2nd Undergrad: “Spin a coin. If it falls heads we’ll go to a show; if it falls tails we’ll take some girls to tea; if it stands on end we’ll attend our lectures.”

Yet their down-time spent in the Union’s common room brought uproar on 6 December 1923: a fierce battle between gramophone junkies and the players of bridge. Temper, temper.

On this day, the same as the 1923 General Election and just days before the BBC broadcast the chimes of Big Ben for the first time, Vincula (forerunner of London Student) reported with tongue firmly in cheek that the whole bridge/gramophone debacle was resolved with a compromise: noughts and crosses.

To find out more, visit Senate House Library’s Special Historical Collections where editions of Vincula are held from 1922-1926.

/ GABY LAING / ARCHIVE EDITOR / KCL

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