MARCH 2018
ART/ FASHION/ FILM/ FOOD/ GAMES/ LITERATURE/ MUSIC/ THEATRE/ TV 1
2
Tn2 Magazine Team HEAD EDITOR Lee Jones DEPUTY PRINT Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh ASSISTANT EDITOR Alexandra Day Caroline O’Connor ONLINE EDITOR Alden Mathieu ART Alexandra Day Stacey Wrenn FASHION Caroline O’ Connor Christopher Cash FILM Robyn Mitchell | Alice Whelan Graham Kelly FOOD Amanda Cliffe Enya O’Connell-Hussey Mary Hartnett GAMES & TECH Seán Clerkin Sam Cox | Sam Hayes LITERATURE Sarah Upton | Mia Colleran MUSIC Áine Palmer | Clíona Lynskey THEATRE Amyrose Forder Lauren Boland TV Roxane Von Hurter Lily Casson SEX Maia Mathieu Hazel MacMahon Copyedited by: Hazel MacMahon Enya O’Connell-Hussey Lily Casson Christopher Cash
CONTENTS 04 Jumble
Features
07 Features 24 Reviews 34 Sex
07 Food
08 Theatre
10 Music
Amanda Cliffe guides us through Dublin on a quest to find the best antidote for a sweet tooth.
Lauren Boland explores the potential golden age of LGBT+ theatre in Dublin.
Áine Palmer talks about her love for Alanis Morissette as an artist and a feminist inspiration.
12 Film
14 Literature
16 Fashion
Nicole O’Sullivan investigates the impact that CGI has had on cinema.
Lee Jones speaks to Conor Reid, creator of Ireland’s hit podcast Words to That Effect.
Tn2’s Fashion Team explore the relationship between women and the environment in our Spring/ Summer Look Book.
20 TV
22 Art
24 Games
Artie Herbert takes on a journey to discover how best to immerse yourself in the Star Trek universe.
Lucie Rondeau du Noyer attempts to disprove the myth of the artist as hero.
Seán Clerkin shares his thoughts on the Google HQ in California.
Cover: Caroline O’Connor Printed by Grehans’s Printers
| CONTENTS
Layout & Design: Lee Jones Caroline O’ Connor Maia Mathieu Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh
3
MUSIC
J U M B L E
Music For Pretending You’re In a Music Video
It is not every song that can cause such potent daydreams, so, obviously, it was necessary to compile a list of those that can.
‘Fireworks’ by First Aid Kit was clearly created with this list in mind, its sombre harmonies evoking high production values. With a chorus line as devastating as “why do I do this to myself?”, this track will incite a grandiose illusion in which your sorrow has been distilled into a short video clip - an efficient alternative to crying alone in your bedroom. The triumphant ‘Upside Down’ by Paloma Faith is the perfect reprieve from your ‘Fireworks’ induced sadness. You’ll want a camera crew to be filming every joyous skip and shimmy you make whilst listening to this song.
The essential dance anthem of the broken hearted, Robyn’s ‘Dancing on My Own’ is pure imaginary-music-video fodder. Its punchy beat will dare you to harness your victimisation, mentally transforming it into a spirited production complete with a visceral fight scene - the ultimate catharsis in the face of rejection.
FOOD I first encountered energy balls in an innocuous corner by the till of a health food store — touted as trail mix, but more convenient. I then balked at the price and went for some peanuts instead.
Worth the hype? Energy Balls WORDS BY ENYA O’CONNELL-HUSSEY
| JUMBLE
THEATRE
4
Five years later and now questionably-appearing lumps nestle alongside Snickers in the corner stand, the supermarket and, God forbid, the frozen yoghurt shop. They’re an amalgamation of all the things we’ve come to associate with ‘wellness’, like cacao (pretentious cocoa powder), dates, nut butters and coconut oil, making them pricier compared to your run-of-the-
Dublin Theatre Companies: THISISPOPBABY
Who They Are: THISISPOPBABY are a formidable Dublin-based theatre and performance ensemble. Through their electric, colourful, and multi-disciplinary productions, they have toured the world, showcasing Dublin Theatre’s finest quality: brilliant storytelling. Their show RIOT smashed Dublin Fringe Festival records in 2016 and is currently touring Australia and the USA. THISISPOPBABY specialise in festival performance, and have featured at Electric Picnic Music and Arts Festival, and Queer Notions Festival at Project Arts Centre.
mill nibble, but supposedly a healthier nibble. The countless brands, variations and recipes all share commonalities. With snack foods, sugar and oil serving as bulkers which improve taste. Energy balls are no exception — ones which use dates as a base, like Deliciously Ella and Good4u, are over 30% sugar and half your RDA. They’re also pretty low in fibre and nutrients, other than fats and added protein. So despite the smiles from Roz and her ilk, you’re really eating a marginally less sweet Snickers bar for the same price that you can pick up a banana and some crackers with peanut butter. Though, to be fair, they don’t do well in a coat pocket.
Why We <3 Them: THISISPOPBABY can ignite excitement into an audience like few other. Key players of the ensemble are also key cultural figures of this city such as Panti Bliss and Emmet Kirwan, and the company are never afraid to respond and spark discussion on political issues, such as gay marriage, the eighth amendment, migration and housing, and to inspire progress. They successfully balance thoughtful, complex ideas in their productions with an explosive amount of fun. What’s Up Next: As part of this year’s St Patrick’s Festival, THISISPOPBABY will present their own tour-de-force performance sequence Where We Live. The two-week programme of theatre, film, live art and music will all engage with the theme of ‘home’, aiming to create scorching discussion about the city and country we live in. Plays include Tara Flynn’s Not A Funny Word at the Abbey Theatre, while other events spawn an unrivalled artistic trajectory: a concert by Ireland’s first homeless choir The High Hopes Choir, and a showing of Irish films such as Adam & Paul and Notes on Rave In Dublin, amongst many events. WORDS BY AMYROSE FORDER PHOTO BY EVOKE.IE
WORDS BY CAOIMHE WHITE
Picture this: you’re sitting on the bus, whiling away the time, listening to your favourite tunes. The introductory notes of a certain song chime in your headphones, waking your dormant imagination. Whirring to life, it invents a hyper realistic dramatisation of the song’s melody, to which only you are privy. You have mentally plucked yourself out of the confines of the bus and landed in your very own imaginary music video.
FILM
The Power of the Catchphrase
Surely the most impressive fake orgasm the world has ever seen, Sally’s (Meg Ryan) startling performance in Katz’s Delicatessen on a busy afternoon captures the attention of not just everyone eating around her but has also become the most memorable scene from 1989’s When Harry Met Sally. So impressive, in fact, that Estelle Reiner delivers the now iconic line “I’ll have what she’s having” when the waiter comes to take her order.
WORDS BY ROBYN MITCHELL
Harry (Billy Crystal) is convinced that he has satisfied every woman he has ever slept with and is sure he would know if someone had faked an orgasm. Sally, on the other hand, is determined to knock Harry off his high horse and prove him wrong. She shows him just how convincing she
can be by taking a momentary break from eating to perform a compelling orgasm that reaches a crescendo amongst a captivated and wide-eyed audience of shocked fellow diners. However, Meg Ryan’s marvellous performance didn’t go as smoothly to begin with behind the scenes. After two mediocre takes, director Rob Reiner sat down and gave it a go. The cast, crew and all on set apparently applauded his theatrical display that Billy Crystal subsequently described as “an orgasm King Kong would be jealous of ”. Quite awkward though, considering his mother, Estelle Reiner, was amongst the spectators!
”I’ll have what she’s having!” When Harry Met Sally
LIT
FASHION Front Square Fashion: Conor Fallon In an age where millennials, bloggers and celebrities alike follow the catwalks for the latest trends, be the person who wears what they want and own it. Senior Freshman English and Maths TSM student Conor Fallon embodies this attitude in this issue’s edition of Front Square Fashion. Conor wears a timeless monochromatic look. As a fan of the “casual dad attire”, he pairs slim fit black denim jeans with a button down wool coat. The runways and fashion weeks inspire trends, enabling commercial stores to capitalise from fast fashion. Conor strongly disapproves this culture, as by “stealing his dad’s coat” he routinely practices sustainable fashion, which is beneficial to the environment, but also effective in boycotting commercial stores where workers are treated unfairly, with unsafe working conditions and unjust wages. He pairs his monochrome look with a pair of contrasting tan brogues which double as fashionable and practical — keeping his feet warm and dry amid the ‘Beast from the East’. Recommended by his optician for his sensitive blue eyes, Conor wears his prescription glasses as the low-lying glare from the sun in winter is treacherous. He aspires to be like his style icon, Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, as he carries an air of sanity which Conor finds incredibly enviable.
Poetry Corner: Wendy Cope’s Anecdotal Evidence
In Anecdotal Evidence, Wendy Cope’s first collection of poems since Family Values (2011), Cope places a distinct focus on personal history and the passing of time. She deftly employs her signature concise, pithy style to great effect. Despite it being seven years since her last full publication of poems, Cope still retains a keen eye for the various mundanities of daily life, an attribute which pervaded much of her early poetry. Cope’s poetry speaks volumes on themes including marriage and familial loss, and her bracingly personal style immediately draws readers in to her interior world. Her succinct and plain-spoken approach to poetry is juxtaposed by these often quite complex themes. Standout poems in Anecdotal Evidence include “On Sonnet 18” and “Shakespeare at School”, which offer historical reimaginings of Shakespeare’s early life and work. Cope’s use of humour in her writing challenges many preconceived notions about poetry being serious and sombre, and it makes for a refreshing change from other contemporary poets, many of whom don’t utilise humour to the same extent. Overall, Anecdotal Evidence is an enjoyable piece of work from a widely celebrated poet. There are certain weaknesses - Cope’s intense focus on details of her personal life could be potentially alienating for uninitiated readers. However, on the whole, it is a funny collection of poems that is easy to read and process.
●●●○○
WORDS BY LIZ MACBRIDE PHOTO BY THE SUNDAY TIMES
WORDS & PHOTO BY DEARBHÁIL KENT
| JUMBLE
E
5
GAMES Dublin’s Best Geeky Spots: Future Shock VR Arcade It’s hard not to fantasise about the future of gaming with the upcoming adaptation of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. Being in the game, rather than just playing it, is the stuff of dreams and science fiction. Future Shock aims to change that. Offering Dublin’s largest virtual reality opportunity, the upcoming gaming venue has a store of the newest and coolest VR games. If wielding a lightsaber takes your fancy, or climbing Everest is more your thing, you will feel right at home at Future Shock; there are no boundaries.There’s no reason to hold back, even if traditional gaming might not strictly interest you. Sitting comfortably in Smithfield, Future Shock is only a stone’s throw away from venues like the Lighthouse Cinema and Token Bar. An affordable day out, it boasts cheap student deals. If this isn’t enough, renting a booth between a couple of friends can bring down the price even further and offers a chance to laugh as your poor companions are terrorised by clowns or fleeing from zombies in an all-too-real environment. What’s more, BYOB Fridays offer a chance to make some new friends (or enemies, if you’re the competitive type). On the more expensive side, renting 4 booths for an hour to experience a co-operative zombie apocalypse makes for a thrilling afternoon. 40 years ago, we got Space Invaders. 20 years ago, Half Life came on the scene. Left 4 Dead arrived only 10 years later, and as we we open into 2018, venues like Future Shock are bringing us into an exciting tomorrow. Future Shock VR Arcade can be found in Smithfield, Dublin 7 WORDS BY SAM COX PHOTO BY FUTURE SHOCK VR ARCADE
Artists On the Margins: Gluck
ART
Gluck (born Hannah Gluckstein) was a painter whose diverse style reflected a singular approach to life. From the late-1910s on, Gluck forged a distinct path by refusing to adhere to expectations of gender and behavioural norms of the time. Gluck wore tailored suits and short hair, smoked a pipe and had a string of high-society female lovers, all of which caused great controversy at the time. Furthermore, Gluck insisted on being referred to solely as Gluck with “no prefix, suffix, or quotes” and resigned from a vicepresident position at an art society after their letterhead read ‘Miss Gluck’. Gluck’s subjects included minutely detailed, stylised floral arrangements (influenced by Constance Spry, one of Gluck’s artistic associates and lovers), portraits of the beau monde and landscapes. Gluck never adhered to one style, constantly experimenting in numerous media and techniques. For instance, ‘Bank Holiday Monday’ (1937) has a loose, expressionist style, featuring broad strokes of colour and strongly abstracted figures. The vivacity and dynamism of the painting perfectly encapsulate the mood of spending a day off at the fair. In contrast, ‘Medallion (YouWe)’ (1936) demonstrates a rigorous level of control of the line and tone. The painting shows Gluck and Nesta Obermer (Gluck’s lover) in profile, side by side. The two figures gaze into the distance, towards a future together. For decades, Gluck has been acclaimed as a society painter of flowers and portraits, the gender-questioning aspects of many works brushed aside. It is vital we recognise Gluck’s contribution to the question of gender, as well as the undeniable artistic power of Gluck’s paintings.
TV
WORDS BY ALEXANDRA DAY ART GLUCK ‘MEDALLION’ (1936)
Relatable Character of the Month: Steve from Stranger Things What exactly is it that draws countless fans to Stranger Things’ Steve Harrington? Is it just the hair? The spiked bat?
It is not just the steep hairdo or actor Joe Keery’s on-screen charisma that makes Steve so likeable, but rather the mother within him. With every defensive swing and protective arm thrown in front of Dustin or the other kids viewers are coaxed deeper into recognition of Steve’s true calling. The very last scene, where Steve drops Dustin off at the dance after helping the younger boy get ready, only cements his rightful place as Stranger Things’ Best Mom: the kind of character we should all aspire to be.
WORDS BY LAURA DONNELLY
JUMBLE | 6
To discover how a character who started out as the stereotypical douchey jock could ever hold such a dear place in fans’ hearts, we need to return to season one. We must go back to the fateful moment Steve picked up that nail-studded baseball bat and charged at a monster. It was there in Will’s house that we saw the beginnings of the self-sacrificing Steve to come. In season two, Steve becomes a babysitter for the four boys who’ve already won the audience’s heart. He looks after all of them, in a way that we as viewers wish we could.The bond between Steve and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) in particular brings together two unlikely friends through witty banter and surprising chemistry. Their walk
down those Stand By Me-style train tracks is hands down one of the season’s most memorable moments.
Dublin’s Sweet Tooth When one thinks of Irish cuisine, tantalizing images of beef stew, chips and soda bread may spring to mind. However, Ireland has developed quite a sweet tooth, and Dublin in particular has become a haven for sugar lovers. Here’s the lowdown on some of Dublin’s best hidden sweet enterprises: Confectionary
COFFEE SHOPS
Sweet shops can be hard to find in Dublin, however a few are worth seeking out, such as Candy Lab in Temple Bar, a real goldmine of traditional American candy. Its pink façade is very inviting and its interior even more so.. Firm favourites such as Twinkies, Reese cups and Fluff can be found here, but also wacky sodas and snacks. Why not try candy corn M&M’s or Pac-man soda?
Dublin in currently experiencing a revival of independent cafés selling specialist coffee and delicious cakes. Some firm favourites near Trinity include the affordable Dublin Barista School, as well as Dolce Sicily, with its mouth-watering Sicilian pastries. However, many hidden gems still await in Dublin city centre, including the Cake Café, situated just off Camden street. Located in a small courtyard, it is a true oasis of calm, coffee and cake. All the baked goods here are made with local ingredients and pure butter. I would recommend the Guinness chocolate cake, which is unusual but equally delicious!
Chocolate Irish chocolate brand Butlers Chocolates appears to have the monopoly over chocolate in Dublin city centre, and independent chocolatiers can be hard to find. For the brave who are willing to venture outside of Dublin city centre, English chocolatiers Hotel Chocolat have recently opened a store in Dundrum Town Centre. The warm, aromatic scent of chocolate is impossible to miss when wandering down the isles of Dundrum shopping centre. Aside from mouth-watering chocolate bars and Easter eggs, there is also a seating area where decadent hot chocolate is served. Although, be warned, because 100% dark chocolate is not for the faint-hearted. Urban Kitchen is also a new chocolatier in town, and specialises in pure, unprocessed chocolates free from additives and low in sugar. They do not currently have their own shop and instead operate a pop up stand every Saturday at the SuperNatural Food Market on Pearse Street.
“But listen to your inner child; it is never too cold for ice cream” Ice cream Yes, Ireland has just survived a snowstorm in March with temperatures middling zero and snow still covering its peaks. But listen to your inner child; it is never too cold for ice cream. Irish dairy is renowned for its creaminess and nowhere celebrates this better than Murphy’s, recently voted fourth best ice cream parlour in the world by Condé Nast readers! This ice cream is made using natural flavours and is still produced in Dingle by the Murphy family. For those who fancy something slightly different, why not try vegan ice cream at Sun Bear Gelato? Also made using natural ingredients, this new parlour on Dawson street specialises in soy-based ice creams which are delicious enough to convert anyone to veganism.
Vegan sweets Unfortunately, vegan bakeries haven’t come to Dublin yet, but many cafés have vegan options available. Aside from its delectable vegetarian menu, Cornucopia (Wicklow street) has many vegan desserts, many of which are also gluten-free. If you’re in a rush, Blazing Salads also sells beautifully made vegan desserts to go, using seasonal ingredients with a twist. Some of their more unusual creations include Tofu Cheesecake with Pumpkin topping and apple pie with cashew nut topping. The Fumbally in Merchants Quay is also worth a visit. Its relaxed, open interior is very inviting to students wanting to drink coffee whilst *working* on an essay. The Fumbally specializes in healthy food made with local/ organic ingredients. Their vegan desserts may set you back a few euro but are certainly worth a try – the ‘Everything Free’ cookie is delicious and would suit anyone’s dietary restrictions.
A taste of abroad Fancy something more continental? Why not try Le Petit Parisien, a little French café on Wicklow street. Its quaint atmosphere and French music are enough to seduce any passer-by. Although the service can be quite abrupt or – à la française, the cakes and pastries are beautiful. The chocolate tart and almond croissant are firm favourites and are worth a try. If you’re in the mood for something more fancy, a little up the street from Le Petit Parisien is the French tea room Ladurée. Its ornate green exterior and tourists peering into the vitrine are not easy to miss. The cakes here resemble works of art – so do their price tags. They also sell macaroons, which are beautifully displayed in their pastel colours. Their hot chocolate is one of the best in Dublin but may not be for everyone - it is very rich and resembles melted chocolate! ■
WORDS BY AMANDA CLIFFE
7
Dublin: A Haven for LGBTQIA+ Theatre? Deputy Theatre Editor, Lauren Boland, explores the potential golden age for LGBTQIA+ in Dublin.
T
heatre is a space where identity can be explored in a way not afforded to many LGBTQIA+ people in the prescribed roles of everyday life. By adopting a different role, identity can be teased out, reinvestigated, and brought to life in a new way. Theatre is a medium in which writers, actors, and audiences collaborate, to navigate and create new understandings of identity. Irish theatre is steadily discarding outdated conceptions of what can or cannot be staged and could be entering a golden age of exploration, creativity, and diverse representation. Indeed, Brian Merriman, the founder of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, called Dublin “the centre of gay theatre in the world.” But does Dublin really live up to this accolade?
FEATURES | 8
The optimistic answer to the latter is yes. LGBTQIA+ themes are increasingly prevalent in Dublin theatre, and though original LGBTQIA+ works still constitute a minority of plays that make it into production, they have been gaining traction in recent years. In 2018, The Project Arts Centre has so far championed original LGBT+ work. Stacey Gregg’s Scorch delved into gender dynamics with the story of gender-curious teenager Kes (Amy McAllister) and John O’Donovan’s If We Had Some More Cocaine, I Could Show You How I Love You explored the interracial relationship between two young men (Alan Mahon, Josh Williams) in County Clare. Murder of Crows, which premiered at Theatre Upstairs on Eden Quay in 2016 and played again at the Project Arts Centre in February 2018, features a cast of three women and engages with the uncertainty of sexuality during adolescence. During the 2017 Fringe Festival, Dublin Youth Theatre - a
“ As charming and innovative as
these retelling plays are, one has to wonder: do these plays succeed because they can fall back on their familiar, established nature, rather than pushing the boundaries? ”
The recent growth in LGBTQIA+ theatre is especially welcome given Ireland’s history of censorship and homophobia. In 1895, Irish author, poet, and playwright Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labour and imprisoned for “gross indecency” in England, and things weren’t great at home, either: in In 1929, the Censorship of Publications Act in 1929, although imposing upon books and periodicals more so than theatre, allowed for the banning of work which promoted ‘unwholesome foreign influences’ or which was deemed to pose a threat to the nuclear family (sound familiar?). In 1950, English writer Robert Graves described Ireland’s censorship laws as “the fiercest literary censorship this side of the Iron Curtain.” As recently as 2014, national broadcaster RTÉ redacted comments made by performer and gay activist Rory O’Neill on the Saturday Night Show on defining homophobia in Ireland. Additionally, RTE offered an apology in newspapers on the following Sunday and paid out over €80,000 to members of the Iona Institute Catholic lobbying group over complaints made about O’Neill’s discussion. Although censorship laws are not what they used to be, it is vital that we empower marginalised voices in the LGBTQIA+ community to ensure that Irish theatre can tell diverse stories without fear of silencing or reprimand.
PHOTO OF SCORCH COURTESY OF DISCOVERIRELAND.IE
Taking well-known stories and rewriting them to include an LGBTQIA+ element has become increasingly popular in Irish theatre. At the 2016 Dublin Fringe Festival, an adaptation of The Aeneid featured a romantic relationship between two women. The Abbey Theatre’s 2016 production of The Seagull, a modernised version of Anton Chekhov’s 1896 play of the same name, reimagined the originally male Konstantin as Constance (Jane McGrath), exploring a lesbian relationship with Nina (Genevieve Hulme-Beaman).A devilishly comedic adaptation of Little Women written by Teri Fitzgerald for Smock Alley theatre in 2016 called The Wise Wound refashioned Jo (Clodagh Mooney Duggan) as a lesbian. The show predominantly focused on Meg’s (Ashleigh Dorrell) marriage plot, but as the newlyweds kissed front and centre in the closing scene, Jo and her girlfriend shared a private kiss to the side as the lights dimmed. This was the first play featuring a kiss between two women on stage I’d ever seen. It was a powerful moment of positive representation, but I was also struck by its rarity, by how this was a type of story so infrequently told – and when told, told on the sidelines. As charming and innovative as these retelling plays are, one has to wonder: do these plays succeed because they can fall back on their familiar, established nature, rather than pushing the boundaries? Is Irish theatre open to telling new and original LGBTQIA+ stories?
company for creators aged 14-22 - presented this is a room, an ensemble piece which follows several young people’s lives and touched on the particular excitement for a young gay person of moving away from home to go to university and all the potential which accompanies it. Indeed, Dublin Youth Theatre’s no stranger to exploring diverse themes. Their 2015 production of Show Me Love tackled similar subjects to this is a room and featured a transgender teenager coming out and transitioning. It seems the Irish theatre scene is quickly catching up to the idea that we are more conscious of diversity as something which is as deserving of celebration and of sexual orientation as a prominent part of people’s lives.
Despite significant progress, there are still discursive tropes that could potentially hurt the efforts of LGBTQIA+ theatre. At a recent post-show discussion in Dublin, several leading artists in Irish theatre were asked if their writing is impacted by the surrounding political climate in which it exists. All answered in the negative, asserting that their writing came from somewhere ‘organic’. The sentiment was that if their work happened to resound with current issues, all the better, but that attempting to write directly on or in the name of such subjects would somehow pollute their work or render it ingenuine. At this point, it seems useful to note that four out of five panel members were middle-aged white men.
“ Although censorship laws are not
that often surpasses other forms of media, but LGBTQIA+ art should be also allowed to be art for art’s sake. To place a high degree of expectation on LGBT+ theatre to have a moral, spread a message, or single-handedly evoke social change while allowing heteronormative modes of theatre to explore itself as a piece of art, rather than a textbook or sermon, is to fall into a trap. 2004 marked a turning point for LGBTQIA+ theatre in Ireland with the advent of the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. The festival has grown to become the largest event of its type globally and features new or recent Irish and international work. It seeks to create “new opportunities for visibility and affirmation for existing and emerging gay artists and theatrical works.” The criteria are broad – the Festival includes works by gay writers, with a gay relevance or theme, or which include performance or another artistic contribution by LGBTQIA+ people. Last year’s highlights included shows like Wasting Paper, which won the Festival’s Oscar Wilde Award for Best New Writing, and Montparnasse, the story of a model and an artist in 1920s’ Paris. This year’s festival is running between Monday, 7 May and Sunday, 20 May, and we hope will deliver the high-quality content the Festival has become known for.
what they used to be, it is vital that we empower marginalised voices in the LGBTQIA+ community to ensure that Irish theatre can tell diverse stories without fear of silencing or “2004 marked a turning point for LGBTQIA+ theatre in Ireland with reprimand ” the advent of the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival ”
That being said, LGBTQIA+ productions should not be burdened with an inherent responsibility to comment or educate simply because of their subject matter. We cannot expect LGBTQIA+ writers, directors, or actors specifically to cast aside their craft and become teachers masquerading as creators. Theatre can be a wonderful medium through which to educate, because its method of storytelling comes with a tangibility and urgency
It’s an exciting time for LGBTQIA+ theatre in Ireland - despite barriers, more and more plays are emerging which give the spotlight to LGBTQIA+ characters and stories that reflect real world experiences and concerns. LGBTQIA+ stories deserve to be told, and the theatre is a powerful place to do so. ■
WORDS BY LAUREN BOLAND PHOTO OF MURDER OF CROWS COURTESY OF THEATREUPSTAIRS.IE
| FEATURES
This narrative carries the implication that a justifiable hierarchy can be constructed in theatre. It suggests that writing which deliberately delves its teeth into real-world issues is in some way less authentic than ostensibly objective texts, an idea disproportionately hurts minority communities. LGBTQIA+ theatre often explores issues which are systematically ignored on political platforms. While Ronald Reagan point-blank refused to acknowledge the existence of the AIDS crisis, Larry Kramer’s 1985 play The Normal Heart, a story on the rise of the HIV-AIDs crisis, became the longest running show at the Public Theatre in New York City (where Hamilton first played on Broadway). To suggest that a prerequisite for ‘legitimate’ theatre is that it comes from some mystical internal rumination, rather than being influenced by the real world, risks silencing the creative voices of those who write to reflect and highlight their experiences.
9
Thank you, ----------- Alanis Morissette “ MAYBE IT WAS LISTENING TO UNDER A RUG SWEPT IN THE CAR ON THE SCHOOL RUN AS
A CHILD THAT DID IT THOUGH; GROWING UP UNDERSTANDING THAT WOMEN COULD, AND MAYBE SHOULD, FEEL ANGRY AND PASSIONATE AND EXPRESS AND COMMUNICATE THOSE FEELINGS OPENLY AND HONESTLY AND UNAPOLOGETICALLY. ”
F
or many, Alanis Morissette’s blatant misuse and abuse of the word ‘ironic’ is surely the greatest strike against her. The young songwriter’s malapropism arguably overshadows the other many strikes brought against her by detractors: accusations of misandry, a strong, distinctively wailing vocal style, and lyrics that ooze anger and angst in equal measure. But worst of all, she doesn’t know what irony means. Irony: ‘the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite’ or ‘a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects’. So not, when you have “ten thousand spoons/and all you need is a knife”, or even “rain on your wedding day”. Well, at least, not without a pretty big stretch of the imagination.
FEATURES | 10
Yet the fact that Alanis Morissette doesn’t even know what irony is, is in fact her strongest trait. Morissette’s music, much like herself, is raw, sincere, honest and full to the brim with emotion. Morissette has surely sound-tracked the coming of age of a generation of passionate feminists, myself included. As a proud and vocal feminist and activist, if ever asked how, or why I became so interested and engaged with feminism, I generally tend to struggle to find an answer any bit more concise than just growing up being a girl. Maybe it was listening to Under A Rug Swept in the car on the school run as a child that did it though; growing up understanding that women could, and maybe should, feel angry and passionate and express and communicate those feelings openly and honestly and unapologetically. (Having a Morissette-loving mother surely helped as well though.) In our age of cynicism and irony, where we are all too aware that appearances and reality rarely mesh, we should listen to and cherish Alanis Morissette now more than ever. True authenticity may be slippery and impossible to truly come by (especially in the smoke-and-mirrors world of pop music and entertainment), but that doesn’t mean we can try, or that there’s no merit in doing so. Alanis Morissette didn’t always wear her heart as openly on her sleeve as she famously does in Jagged Little Pill. Her first two
albums, released under the moniker ‘Alanis’ were the fare of typical 80s teen-pop, and a far cry from her later work. In 1995, however, Morissette released Jagged Little Pill, a grungy, angst-filled album that touched on disappointment, anger, and failed relationships, co-written with Glen Ballard in Los Angeles. JLP was released on Maverick records and sold 33 million copies worldwide. It was nominated for nine Grammys, winning Album of the Year, and Morissette toured it for two years, a period which she describes as manic and exhausting.
“
MORISSETTE’S MUSIC, MUCH LIKE HERSELF, IS RAW, SINCERE, HONEST AND FULL TO THE BRIM WITH EMOTION ” ‘You Oughta Know’, the leading single of the album, set the tone for the album, and, in a sense, much of Morissette’s subsequent career and reception. Morissette’s lyrics are frank and candid as she addresses her ex-lover: “Well I’m here to remind you / Of the mess you left when you went away”. The direct and explicit lyrics used to make my sister and I blush and giggle in the back seat of the car (“another version of me / Is she perverted like me? / Would she go down on you in a theatre?”) but looking back surely hearing a woman speaking without fear about sex and sexuality could only have been a good thing. Morissette’s vocals range from soft barely sung speech, to her distinctive whoops and wails in the chorus, and her emotions are visibly raw—it’s hard to imagine that this is anything other than her own direct experiences and emotions, set to lyrics. In the twenty-three years since the release of Jagged Little Pill, Morrissette has had a successful and meandering career. Although never matching the huge success of Jagged Little Pill, Morissette has released five studio albums, and there is a rumoured new one
“Well I’m here to remind you / Of the mess you left when you went away”
WORDS BY ÁINE PALMER
| FEATURES
on the way this year. In July, she is playing Live at the Marquee in Cork on the 4th, and a show in Iveagh Gardens on the 5th. It’s a momentous time to welcome such an iconic feminist to our shores. This academic year has been the year women across the world rose up in anger against sexual harassment and assault, saying, #MeToo, the year we celebrated the centennial anniversary of women’s suffrage, and, by July, it will be the year we will have finally seen a referendum on the 8th Amendment. If you’re proud to be a woman (or proud of women) and are ready to drop the cynicism, this is a concert not to be missed. Get ready to stand alongside thousands over other amazing feminist Morissette-lovers and throw some plastic spoons in the air as you sing along: “It’s like raa-in / On your wedding day”. ■
“Another version of me / Is she perverted like me? / Would she go down on you in a theatre?”
11
From Camera to Computer
CGI
N CINEMA
In 2018, Computer Generated Imagery, or CGI, forms an intrinsic part of modern filmmaking — you would be hard pressed to find any films that were created without some form of digital imagery being used in the process. But where did Hollywood’s obsession with CGI start, and how has the technique evolved over the years?
T
o answer these questions, we first need to turn back the clock a hundred years or so and take a retrospective look at the history of special effects within cinema as a whole. We need to understand how the practical camera tricks that were invented in this time period provided the foundations for modern cinema effects.
FEATURES | 12
Our historic location of choice — Paris. The date — around the end of the 19th century. At this time, the Lumière brothers, two of the world’s first filmmakers, have just invented their revolutionary motion-picture camera, and more people were being exposed to cinematography as a medium, becoming enthralled by it. One of those people was Georges Méliès; a Parisian stage magician and illusionist who was fascinated by the burgeoning world of cinema. After modifying his own film camera in 1895, Méliès began showing films almost everyday at the theatre where he worked. It wasn’t long before he began to make films himself, directing over 500 films between 1896 and 1913.
Méliès’ approach to making films was novel for the era. Inspired by his beginnings in visual tricks and illusions, he sought to bring this form of practical magic onto the screen. He achieved this through the physical manipulation and altering of the film reel itself — and in doing so, invented three of the potentially most influential special effects in cinema history: the stop-trick (or stop-motion take, involving objects transforming or disappearing on film), the double exposure (or superimposition, placing objects onto a film scene which were not there in the first place), and the scene dissolve. Instead of wanting to capture the quotidien lives of ordinary people, the goal of most filmmakers at the time, Méliès immersed his stories in the fantastical and magical, focusing on trips to outer space or fairy kingdoms. He is even credited for making one of the earliest science fiction films in 1902 with Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon). He wanted to showcase film as an art form and how it could take the viewer to new and distant places, much like a storybook.
By the 1960s and 1970s, film studios were getting ever more ambitious. They were striving for bigger sets, more visually striking scenes, and in particular movies that appealed to the growing trend of sci-fi at the time. Creating these kinds of films through practical effects — like stop motion, double exposure, and other classic tricks that were created directly through the camera — would require a massive budget, huge design teams, and a lengthy amount of time. These problems are ultimately what prompted the change from practical to technological effects in filmmaking; with computers, a lot more was possible for a lot less money. It was clear that the demand for cheaper alternatives to practical effects was there — now all that was needed was the technology. The earliest forms of CGI initially didn’t look great (or at least examining them from the 21st century, they don’t look great), but the technologies were still advancing quickly. The first computer generated animation was created in 1972 by the co-founders of Pixar, Eric Catmull and Fred Park. This short animation featured a 3D model of Catmull’s hand.This marked the first digitally made model of its kind, and the methods that Catmull and Park used to create their 3D image would later go on to create not only more 3D hands, but full 3D humans on screen. It was a brief and basic animation, but it is hailed as CGI’s official debut into the mainstream. From then on, CGI went from strength to strength. By the time the 1980s rolled around, audiences were seeing films like Tron, whose entire plotlines centered around the existence of CGI. At this point, the imagery was still quite rudimentary and ‘boxy’. Nevertheless, this type of technological advancement and its popularity led to a fundamental shift in the way that filmmakers and directors thought about film, CGI, and their potential together.
“This decade demonstrated to
people that CGI films were fully transitioning into the mainstream — instead of digital filmmaking being used only by experimental directors in independent films and short clips, CGI feature films were now taking the weekend box offices by storm.” This potential was explored significantly further in the 1990s, with films like Jurassic Park in 1993 and Toy Story in 1995. Jurassic Park introduced movie-watchers to CGI that could make fully living and realistic animals — in this case dinosaurs with meticulously detailed features like scaled and torn skin, razor-sharp claws, and dripping saliva. Two years after saw Toy Story, the first fully computer-animated feature film; a trailblazer
both for this new genre and for the fledgling computer animation studios known as Pixar. This decade demonstrated to people that CGI films were fully transitioning into the mainstream — instead of digital filmmaking being used only by experimental directors in independent films and short clips, CGI feature films were now taking the weekend box offices by storm.
“CGI allows the viewer to be
catapulted into future landscapes or thrust back into past historical timelines — worlds which we will never get to experience otherwise. Not a bad achievement for the movie-making world ” And so we’ve arrived in the 21st century, where CGI is no longer in its rookie phase and has truly cemented itself as a tenet of modern-day movie-making. In a way, we have finally realised the initial dream of early filmmakers, like Georges Méliès — thanks to CGI, film can now be as limitless and as magical as Méliès himself once strived to make it. CGI allows the viewer to be catapulted into future landscapes or thrust back into past historical timelines — worlds which we will never get to experience otherwise. Not a bad achievement for the movie-making world. Despite this advancement however, there are still some critics who think that CGI has ultimately had a negative impact on Hollywood. According to them, it makes directors lazy — instead of travelling to locations, they use a green screen. Instead of hiring real people as extras, they use CGI to create crowds of people in the background. Things like this, some say, detract from the authenticity of film as an art form, with the process of filmmaking itself becoming streamlined down to just a few clicks of a button and some lines of code. They also argue that CGI isn’t always done well, and that if this is the case, then a film can end up looking weird and unnatural — especially when CGI is trying to replicate humans. This argument is based on a concept in cinema known as the “Uncanny Valley”, when a CGI-generated human looks so realistic that it comes across as eerie or creepy to the viewer when the character is in action. (Examples of such “eerily-realistic” CGI characters include Scrooge in 2009’s animated A Christmas Carol and most of the characters in 2004’s The Polar Express) Indeed, sometimes CGI can go awry, but I still think that it’s reasonable to say that it hasn’t reached perfection yet. I’m not even of the opinion that art forms ever can be perfect — all art is subjective and is produced and presented to an audience as such. We also cannot deny the great wealth of movies that CGI has brought the world - they have broadened every horizon and films are now essentially limitless, a fact which has undeniably greatly enhanced people’s movie-watching experience. Compared with those of twenty years ago, today’s CGI films look a lot more realistic — and who’s to say that in another twenty years technology won’t have advanced enough so that we won’t be able to tell live-action apart from animation? I for one am very interested in seeing how CGI evolves next.
WORDS BY NICOLE O’SULLIVAN
| FEATURES
Méliès’ revolutionary techniques and practical screen illusions serve as the ideological basis of modern day special effects, but how exactly did such hands-on techniques lead to the advent and popularisation of specifically computer-generated imagery in movies?
13
A Homegrown Podcast Sensation Conor Reid, Trinity Alumnus and School of English lecturer, talks about his experience recording podcasts, why he began and where he wants his podcast Words To That Effect to go.
C
onor Reid is a Trinity College Alumnus and a successful teacher, writer and now podcaster. Words to That Effect was first launched in 2017, and written, edited and recorded in Dublin. In the introduction to the first episode, Reid explains that it is “a show that wanders around the fields of pop culture, fiction, history and science too”. It features new Irish music on each episode, guest speakers and in-depth academic research. Now a member of the HeadStuff Podcast Network and regularly appearing in the top 10 Arts Podcasts in Ireland on iTunes, Words to that Effect has begun its second season, with its latest episode ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel & Baroness Orczy’ featuring Dr Clare Clarke, Assistant Professor of 19th century literature in Trinity. Over email, Reid and I discussed his evolving relationship with podcasting and the future of Words to That Effect, beyond the second season.
Why did you decide to start this podcast? Was there a gap in the market that you saw or was it more of a passion project?
FEATURES | 14
It was little bit of both. I absolutely love making the show and started it out of a desire to do something creative with the research I’d done over the years. But I don’t think there are too many shows out there like it, certainly not in an Irish context. There are plenty of shows talking about pop culture, literature and so on, but usually in a longer, interview or discussion format. There are also plenty of scripted, highly-produced shows (particularly in the U.S.), but maybe not looking at the areas in the way I do (I may be wrong though — there are so many podcasts out there!)
Who is the target audience of Words to That Effect? The target audience is anyone with an interest in literature, history and culture. I want the show to be accessible to anyone who’s interested, without feeling like it’s over-simplified for those who might already be familiar with the area. I guess my average listener might be someone in their 20s-40s, maybe with an arts degree or something like that, and who likes learning new things, even if they are somewhat obscure. I mostly choose topics because I’m interested in them myself and feel that others would be too. Sometimes they are topics I have researched for my own work, often they are areas I know just a little bit about but I think would be interesting to listeners. I also try to consider who the guest will be, which can affect topics too.
Each episode of Words to that Effect invites experts in their field to offer their views, whether that be on the rather unknown abundance of Irish science fiction or the weird fiction of H.P Lovecraft. Is it difficult to attract these scholars to speak on your show? It’s not difficult to get people on the show — academics love talking about their work, it can be hard to end the interview! I rarely use more than about 10 minutes of interview audio in total but often chat to the guest for an hour. It makes the editing process longer but it’s nice to do a more indepth interview and then pick out the best stuff.
On to its second season, where can we expect the podcast to take us this time around? Without really meaning to, the episodes have got a little bit longer this season — 20 - 25 mins, rather than 15-20 mins — but I hope I’m still keeping listeners engaged. In terms of content, the new season will be similar: lots of genre fiction, interesting intersections between science and literature, unusual history, fiction from Ireland, Britain, the U.S. and sometimes further afield. The main thing I’m trying to do at the moment is to experiment a bit more with the structure of episodes, the music, sound design, that sort of thing.
What was the most interesting episode to work on? I think my favourite episode to make so far was ‘The Horrifically Complicated History of Zombies’. I liked playing around with the zombie sound effects and music and I felt it came together well in the end. I also liked making ‘Neurasthenia, Cowboys and Feminists’ because I went out to Tallaght Hospital to interview this really interesting psychiatrist — completely outside my normal, comfortable literary world! Oh, and doing the audio drama collaboration with Down Below The Reservoir for the Christmas Special was a lot of fun too.
“The new season will be similar: lots of
genre fiction, interesting intersections between science and literature, unusual history, fiction there like it, certainly not in an Irish context. from Ireland, Britain, the U.S. and sometimes There are plenty of shows talking about pop further afield” culture, literature and so on, but usually in a longer, interview or discussion format” What are some of your own favourite podcasts to
“But I don’t think there are too many shows out
It’s hard to tell where podcasts will go in the future. It’s very different in the U.S. (with companies like Gimlet or Panoply and huge media organisations like the New York Times or NPR) compared to everywhere else right now, but I think the UK and, eventually, Ireland will catch up. There are some interesting new companies trying to make money from — and for —smaller podcasts, but it’s always going to be small money for almost all new shows starting out. Donation sites like Patreon can work but they often require so much work themselves that it’s barely worth it.
Can you tell us a little more about your upcoming book The Science and Fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs? Yes, this is my forthcoming book — it should be out in spring at some point. It’s a book which came out of my PhD research on this topic. It’s about Edgar Rice Burroughs, but using him as a jumping off point to look at all the ways that science and popular fiction interact with each other. Lots of the topics in the podcast are in the book in one form or another, so, if you like the show you can buy the book! (and, unlike the usual, ridiculously-priced academic hardback books, this will be a very reasonably priced €20ish paperback.)
listen to?
I’m a huge fan of 99% Invisible, and it was a definite inspiration for the show. So was Imaginary Worlds, which covers some of the same types of subjects as I do, but in a somewhat different way, and Criminal too, another Radiotopia show. I listen to a ridiculous number of podcasts — lots of the really big American ones: Reply All, Startup, S-Town, Radiolab, and so on. I also really like How Sound — it’s great if you are interested in making a podcast yourself. In terms of Irish shows, I’ve really been enjoying Meet Your Maker, What Am Politics? and Motherfócloir.
And lastly, what are your hopes for the future of Words to That Effect? I’d like to keep making it better and better, grow a bigger audience, and maybe even make a little bit of money from it. I’m trying to use it as a showcase as well for other work at the moment — I’m hoping to make some podcast series for companies or other clients and do some more work in the area. I’m totally addicted to the audio world now! Words to That Effect is available to listen to now at HeadStuff Podcast Network, Apple Podcasts, Android, Radio Public, Stitcher, Google Play or Tune In. Visit the website at http://wttepodcast.com/ for more information and how to support the show. ■
WORDS BY LEE JONES
| FEATURES
Where do you see the future of podcasts heading? In terms of revenue, how do you think podcasters will generate funding?
15
The New Beginning T
he categorisation of women as ‘Eve’ or the ‘Virgin Mary’ is slowly being deconstructed in today’s society. Their roles as defined by cultural hegemony are being rejected, allowing people to conceptualise a woman’s place in culture that is not reliant on religious ideologies. Through the soft manipulation of colour, textiles and structure, Tn2’s 2018 Summer Editorial attempts to establish a connection between a woman and her environment.
FEATURES || 16
The use of vibrant colour blocking asserts power, with dynamic silhouettes reflecting a modern woman and her refusal to submit to the mundane.The interaction between women at various stages of their life is a key component to our creative vision. Love and unity combine the women of the modern world; the grey concrete jungle cannot contain their passion. Conventional forms of beauty, hinged on age constraints, are disregarded by a transgression of the Garden of Eden metaphor, where the playfulness of a woman can be celebrated for being organic and pure.
Facing Page: Lika, left, wears top and trousers by Om Diva. Beret is stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own. Dammy, right, wears dress by Om Diva. Earrings by H&M.
| FEATURES
Annasthasia wears dungarees and shirt by Tola Vintage. Sunglasses by Om Diva.
17
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” - Charlotte Brontë FEATURES | 18
Dammy wears top by Om Diva and trousers by Tola Vintage.
Annasthasia wears top, jacket and jeans by Tola Vintage. Earrings by Om Diva.
PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBYN MITCHELL MAKE UP ARTIST & HAIR STYLIST: DEARBHÁIL KENT STYLISTS & DIRECTORS: CAROLINE O’CONNOR & CHRISTOPHER CASH MODELS: LIKA AREVADZE, ANNASTHASIA FITZGERALD, DAMMY OLANIYI
| FEATURES
WORDS BY CHRISTOPHER CASH
Lika wears top and headband by Tola Vintage. Coat from Mango. Trousers by Topshop.
19
Boldly Going...
“Not since Uhura’s go-go boots has Starfleet looked so good” Star Trek: An Introduction (without the gatekeeping) The latest addition to the Star Trek universe (or universes?) wrapped up its first season in February. Star Trek: Discovery was written to appeal to both long-time fans and viewers who are new to this scifi phenomenon - but while it balances originality with loyalty to its origins, it’s still daunting to delve further into a franchise which wields fifty years of canon, considerable cultural impact and serious fan devotion. So why should you give Trek a try? And which series would work for you?
The Original Series (1966-1969)
W
here it all began. Captain Kirk, Mr Spock, the final frontier and those glitter-water special effects. Executive producer Gene Rodenberry envisioned a series about humans in the future driven by curiosity, where they were scientists and explorers in space-going Starfleet and participated in an interplanetary peacekeeping alliance called the Federation. Still, Star Trek was low-budget and risky, only making it to air through the intervention of actress and studio owner Lucille Ball. The Original Series is full of television firsts, including a multiethnic cast and the first on-screen multiracial kiss. George Takei appeared as helmsman Hikaru Sulu, while Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lieutenant Uhura, helped kickstart Trek’s wider legacy, inspiring Mae Jemison to become an astronaut (Nichols has even worked as a recruiter for NASA’s space programme since then). The show used allegory to address current affairs.The mostly-American Enterprise crew included Russian navigator Pavel Chekov in the midst of the Cold War. It also created some unshakeable Trek tropes: accidental time travel, homoerotic subtext, the mirror universe (the latter returns in the second half of Discovery’s first season, though it lacks something in the way of goatees).
The Next Generation (1987-1994) When the whales were saved and Spock was restored to life (did we mention there are a whole string of Original Series-based movies?), the task of boldly going was handed over to The Next Generation. Here the depth and detail of Starfleet and the Federation emerges as the series delves into day-to-day life in the twenty-third century. FEATURES | 20
TNG features one of the most recognisable Star Trek captains - Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard, an upright Frenchman whose hobbies include fencing and tea-drinking - but the series takes a while to get going in
terms of broader character depth. It takes a step with telepath Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Worf, the first Klingon in Starfleet, but the three central characters - Picard, Data (Brent Spiner) and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) - can seem a little similar, lacking in variety of experience or ideas. This series is probably where Trek garnered some of its gatekeeping fanbase, but luckily, no series has since made the mistake of dumping all the diversity on one character (in defence of Geordi, he’s doing better than all the leads).
Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) Deep Space Nine is the self-described ‘morally grey’ Trek series. It’s set on an eponymous dilapidated space station, orbiting a planet recently been liberated from a sixty-year military occupation called Bajor. Deep Space Nine’s hardy little frontier community is vibrant. Being set on a station rather than a travelling ship allows the series long, beautiful story
arcs - even its romances shockingly last longer than forty minutes. The series opens with leading character Benjamin Sisko taking command from the warmongering Cardassians on behalf of Starfleet before discovering a wormhole to the opposite side of the galaxy and essentially becoming Space Jesus, and it all really goes from there.
Voyager (1995-2001) While Deep Space Nine explored culture, morality and religion, Voyager tends towards science and technology. The brand-new starship Voyager manages to complete one mission before being flung across the galaxy and finding itself in uncharted space, far from home. Star Trek’s first woman captain, Kathryn Janeway, is faced with the challenge of delivering a mixed crew of officers and renegades safely back across billions of light-years to Earth. Late ‘90s Voyager has a strong retro sci-fi feel: the crew encounter “new worlds and new civilisations” continuously, the ship’s doctor is a snarky hologram, and the alien women dress solely in skin-tight spandex. However, the series also furthers Trek’s influential depiction of women in STEM, with DS9’s Jadzia Dax and TNG’s Beverly Crusher joined by Trek’s first (though, alas, so far only) woman chief engineer, B’Elanna Torres.
Enterprise (2001-2005) There have been a lot of starships named Enterprise in Trek history, but this series tells the story of one of the very first. Set a full century before both Discovery and The Original Series, Enterprise is about humankind’s earliest wanderings in interstellar space. In a time before the Federation and the technologies which run through all future series, Enterprise is simpler and quieter. It’s led by another human-Vulcan partnership: Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and first officer Subcommander T’Pol (though despite an attraction being written in, their relationship is somehow less sexually charged than Spock and Kirk’s). Enterprise’s characters are more tangible to the modern audience – they dress in NASA-style jumpsuits, struggle with familiar prejudices, and are not yet as ideologically realised as Kirk or Picard, though they strive towards the vision of unity which eventually defines the Federation. Enterprise’s themes work much better than the decision to put a pop ballad as the opening credit sequence, at any rate.
The Alternate Original Series (Movies: 2009, 2013, 2016) This re-imagining of the original series injected new energy into the story, with its fresh, youthful actors, contemporary dialogue and clean, bright aesthetic. Watching these movies gives a sense of what it might have been like to see Trek on television in the sixties: modern, dazzling, and featuring some handy excuses for Kirk to get his shirt off. Many twenty-first century fans owe a lot to this reboot. They’re an accessible entry point, a fantastical, fast ride through the universe on a starship, with just enough of the original charm and detail to draw you into its broader world.
Narratively, the first two reboot films (Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness) portray a familiar version of Hollywood morality: alien-manwith-laser-out-to-destroy-planet bad, promiscuous-alcoholic-anti-hero good. JJ Abrams (who has since also rebooted Star Wars) openly said that he disliked older Trek, which is likely why the movies go for a glossier approach than the television series and earlier films. The most recent sequel, Star Trek: Beyond, is more recognisably tied to the franchise’s origins. Helmed by director Justin Lin, it’s supported by excellent cast performances and beautiful futuristic visuals (for once visible thanks to a dramatically minimised number of lens flares). Aside from a few sexist scenes, it is possible to enjoy these reboots for what they are: colourful, exciting, big-screen blockbusters.
Discovery (2017-present) Finally, a Star Trek series for our generation to call its own. Discovery breaks away from Trek conventions more than any series before it. A prequel with an action-orientated pace, it opens at the beginning of a war between the Federation and the fractured Klingon empire. Wartime in Star Trek is for the first time aesthetically beautiful. Discovery maintains the slick cinematography that was a real strength in the reboot films, adding visual wonder to intensive storytelling. Kudos also to the costume department, who have really banked on the metallics trend in a way not seen since Uhura’s go-go boots. Starfleet has never looked so good.
“With Discovery, wartime in Star Trek is for the first time aesthetically beautiful” Discovery makes an asset out of embracing a bit of complexity. For the first time, the hero is not a captain. Instead, leading lady Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is a first officer turned mutineer. She has a complex dynamic with her mentor, the glorious Captain Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). The titular ship is commanded by the militant Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) who often faces off with scientist Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), who is resentful of misuse of scientific discoveries. Rescued prisoner of war Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) reminds us of the horrors of conflict, while hope and compassion come from big-hearted young engineer Sylvia Tilly. There are nods to previous series: Jonathan Archer is listed among distinguished captains, Spock’s childhood and parents are explored. Discovery also finally turns gay subtext into overt text. Brushing-teethtogether and fond-looks-over-bedsides text. (It only took fifty years.) Each new addition to the Star Trek universe, building on its past and looking to its future, has its own unique appeal. Whether it’s old-school adventure, intriguing philosophy or knock-out visuals you’re after, Trek says there will always be something new to explore - and that we can boldly go ever further. ■
WORDS BY ARTIE HERBERT
FEATURES || FEATURES
Sisko’s second-in-command is Major Kira Nerys, a Bajoran woman who’s spent her entire adult life as a resistance fighter. In just one of many new perspectives DS9 puts on the Trek universe, Kira is deeply spiritual. Through her, the series explores the place of religion in the space-dwelling future. Meanwhile, failing businessman Quark attempts to run a trade in illegal goods (difficult when the chief of security can shapeshift into a barstool), science officer Jadzia Dax hands out 300 years’ worth of life advice at card tables in the evening, and the crew becomes unified enough to defeat the Vulcans in baseball.
21
The Myth of the Artist-Hero Complex
PAINTING ‘SElF PORTRAIT WITH YELLOW CHRIST’ BY PAUL GAUGUIN
Staff Writer, Lucie Rondeau du Noyer, delves further into myth of the artist as ‘pure’ and untouched by scandal and attempts to bring to light the cold, hard truth of the matter.
T
he realm of visual arts was not spared by the #MeToo campaign, which provided audiences of early 2018 with a powerful incentive to rethink an enduring topic; the links between an artist’s life and the appreciation of their works. Should allegations and/or demonstrations of sexual misconduct and abusive behaviour modify our aesthetic judgements?
FEATURES | 22
Last December, Chuck Close, an American hyperrealist and celebrated portraitist, was accused by several former models of sexual harassment. These allegations resulted in the removal of one of his works from the Lemieux Library of Seattle University and the sine die postponing of a retrospective set to open next May at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. When the allegations were made, another Close exhibition was already running at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Rather than closing the show in advance, the school committee established a counter-display focused on women artists, entitled ‘The Art World We Want’. This attempt to avoid censorship whilst opening a space for public dialogue received mixed reviews. Nevertheless, the fact that institutions rarely overtly tackle the issue of the gender imbalance of power in the art world in their exhibitions cannot be denied.
Indeed, while countless shows have celebrated Picasso’s muses and the Spanish master’s erotic paintings and etchings, how many among them have reminded their public of his legendaryand destructive misogyny? He reportedly declared to his fellow painter and lover Françoise Gilot that “women are machine for suffering” and immediately added “for me there are only two kinds of women, goddesses and doormats”. The unconventional and sometimes criminal biographies of certain visual artists are well documented nowadays. However, they do not feel like the stuff for museums that are always keener to celebrate ‘pure’ artistic genius away from the ‘contingencies’ of life. At first glance, it might indeed seem useless to mention a dead painter’s personal shortcomings since he cannot be held accountable for his past actions anymore. Only his canvases stay. Furthermore, when a painter has already been consecrated in canonical art history and entered the collections of the most prestigious museums, what kind of action can be taken? You cannot punish the artist by stripping away the accolades he received. You cannot put an end to ongoing contracts and artistic collaborations. The
mention a dead painter’s personal shortcomings since he cannot be held accountable for his past actions anymore. Only his canvases stay ” consider that he made a decisive contribution to the progress of modern art through his artworks, he was right to take the chance of ruining his bourgeois marriage and embark on questionable adventures. If Williams’ thought experiment can be questioned upon several aspects, the most striking one is that the moral philosopher evacuates the most problematic feature of Gauguin’s biography. Not only did he abandon his wife but while away in Polynesia, he took several thirteen-year-old ‘child brides’ and infected them with venereal disease. His ‘marriages’ were only made possible by the fact they took place on colonised islands where the ‘native’ girls did not enjoy the same amount of legal protection as their white counterparts living in France’s mainland.
daring use of colour. However, such artistic innovations came at a cost. Gauguin is also remembered for having run away from his family when it became an obstacle to his artistic ‘quest’ and desire to live away from ‘civilization’.
“Indeed, while countless shows have celebrated
Picasso’s muses and the Spanish master’s erotic paintings and etchings, how many among them have reminded their public of his legendary and destructive misogyny?”
Paul Gauguin is one of the most common examples when philosophers attempt to discuss the intersection between art and morality. Bernard Williams developed his radical concept of “moral luck” by basing it on a rather fictionalized version of Gauguin’s life. In the case of Gauguin, “moral luck” means that in order to decide if the artist was morally right to abandon his family, you should take a look to the offshoots of Gauguin’s Tahitian adventure, namely his paintings. If you deem them a failure – a possibility since Gauguin’s line is still considered by some critics and art appreciators as ‘clumsy’ and inferior to the works of his friend-turned-scapegoat Vincent Van Gogh – the painter should have stayed at home and cared for his family. Conversely, if you
For decades, Gauguin’s relationships with young Polynesians is still a subject of discomfort for his biographers and admirers. In 2017, Edouard Duluc, director of the movie Gauguin – Travel to Tahiti was blamed for having chosen a seventeen-year-old actress to embody Tehura, one of the painter’s child brides. He defended himself by claiming that the historical reality was already well-established and that it was acceptable for a movie-maker to indulge in producing a fantasy account of Gauguin’s life. He also contended that his movie is simply an adaptation of Noa Noa, Gauguin’s travel diary documenting his first stay in Tahiti between 1891 and 1893. Since in his autobiography Gauguin idealizes and celebrates his wife-muse as an uncorrupted and divine Eve, Duluc feels allowed to present the artist’s relationship with Tehura as unproblematic, consented and harmonious. In doing so, Duluc is at best naïve. Considering Noa Noa as an objective account of Gauguin’s life in the South Seas overlooks its somewhat commercial nature – Gauguin devised his book as a means to advertise and sell the paintings he brought back from Tahiti to Paris – and the numerous personal ambiguities of the painter. The Impressionist Camille Pissarro, his estranged master, publicly declared that he did not believe at all in his former pupil’s conversion to ‘pure’ and ‘savage’ life. According to Pissarro, Gauguin was as much a colonist as any other in Polynesia, only willing to exploit and selfishly profit from local people. Despite his undoubtedly unpleasant character, Gauguin was an incredibly gifted colourist, sculptor, ceramist and engraver. The problem is the continuous presentation of his artistic evolution as a selfless ‘sacrifice’ for the betterment of art, even if it is the way in which the painter wanted to be perceived and remembered. It is time to discard the myth that the (typically white male) artist is a superior being entitled to transgress, while others have to abide by laws and conventions. If art is not an ethical matter, as so many ‘free spirits’ have put it for two centuries, maybe artists and curators should work out a non-moral and non-heroic vocabulary to describe aesthetic actions. ■
| FEATURES
Like Paul Cézanne or Edvard Munch, Gauguin is nowadays considered as one of the ‘fathers’ – enjoy the non-masculine-biased metaphor – of twentieth-century visual art. The self-styled head of an artists’ colony in Pont-Aven (Brittany), he is celebrated today for his ‘synthetic’ line and his
“ At first glance, it might indeed seem useless to
WORDS BY LUCIE RONDEAU DU NOYER
only thing you can do is put all of his paintings in storage and hope that nobody will ever talk about this foul individual again. But if the painter is, let’s say, Paul Gauguin, the odds are reasonably against the success of your planned ‘punishment-through-oblivion’ scheme.
23
thoughts from
G
oogle is renowned for being a unique workplace. Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit their famous world headquarters in Mountain View, California. The experience and atmosphere is unlike any other in the tech industry. Walking up the main driveway, we expected to find a glaringly obvious GOOGLE sign pointing us in the right direction. But Google’s flagship campus is more secluded than one would think. Hidden behind thick rows of oak trees, the vibrant colour of the campus shines through. Walking up to the main buildings, we found ourselves amongst an eclectic mix of tourists and headphone-clad 20-somethings commuting to and from work. Because the campus’ size could be compared to that of a university, Google employees get around on bicycles known as G-Bikes. Painted in the classic primary colour scheme of the company, G-Bikes are a hallmark of the Mountain View campus. Walking down the central path, we peered into the buildings alongside us, catching glimpses of the dozens of recreational spaces Google provides for workers.
“ Indeed, from the outside, one would wonder where any work gets done at all ”
FEATURES | 24
From there we trekked to the merchandise store, not daring to take a G-Bike in case we were found out. Our difficulty in finding the store illustrated how Google are making a significant effort to ensure their headquarters do not become a tourist attraction. The only signage to guide us was a laminated A4 sheet stapled to a tree. Following the sign led us off the main campus to a disconnected building. The store was sparsely stocked with overpriced apparel and accessories (hoodies were almost $50). Expensive hardware like the Pixel smartphone and Google Home speaker were also available for purchase. It seemed to be more for employees than tourists. This seemed to be a running theme among institutions on the campus. The complex is for employees first and foremost. Tourists are welcome but not catered to. We were reminded of this when we attempted to go to the Visitor Centre, where the history of Google is on display in a museum-like exhibit. At the door, we were told that the visitor centre is only open to family and friends of employees. Not disheartened, we returned to the main plaza, on our way passing countless outdoor meeting areas, some with fire pits in the centre. We even spotted a giant sized chess court adjacent to one meeting spot. The work day was winding down at this stage. As the clock approached 5, employees flocked to the on-campus restaurants and food trucks
to grab a free meal before heading home. All food, drink and services on campus are free for employees. While some employees started home, others stayed behind and headed to the recreational spaces. We sat down at a meeting spot outside the main plaza to reflect on the few
“ It begs the question; are
Google trying to keep their workers happy, or keep them always on-campus, available for work? ” hours we had just spent. Leaving the campus, we passed the Oreo edition statue, where dozens of employees were queueing for shuttle buses to towns around the San Francisco Bay area – another free service provided by Google. A man stood above the crowd and screamed out the destinations for each bus, including one bound for YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno. It seemed that for some, the work day was not over yet. Google seem to provide everything for their employees but a bed. You can even get your hair cut on campus if you’d like. Some have criticized the company for encouraging employees to spend longer and longer days at work by providing all the services they could need. It begs the question; are Google trying to keep their workers happy, or keep them always oncampus, available for work? The truth is that the line between work and play is so blurred at Google that employees don’t need to worry about overworking. A trip to Google’s headquarters is an absolute must for any tech enthusiast visiting the San Francisco Bay area. Just don’t take a G-Bike as a souvenir. ■
(Photo by Wikipedia Commons)
We spotted restaurants, open plan meeting spaces, bean bag lounges and even an arcade. We also noted that while other workplaces would require a smart business dress code, jeans and a t-shirt seemed to suffice at Google. Indeed, from the outside, one would wonder where any work
gets done at all. Making our way to a far-reaching corner of the campus, we visited one of the main on-site attractions for tourists: the Android Garden. With every release of the Android operating system, Google produces a statue of their android mascot with a flair fitting the name of the new version (Donut, Honeycomb, KitKat etc.). The statue is proudly displayed in the main plaza for a year before it is moved to the Android Garden and replaced by the new model. This is certainly the highlight of the tour for any tech geek.
WORDS AND PHOTO BY SEÁN CLERKIN
An outsider’s perspective on one of the world’s most coveted workplaces
music
REVIEWS MARBLE SKIES Django, Django
●●●●●
Pop rhythms, space age contemporary synths and an existential undertone are the features of Django Django’s newest album, Marble Skies. The album has the feel of a fever dream that you never want to snap out of and it’s rare to find a progressive sound that feels so unique. The colourful album artwork draws your eye in and introduces you to a record that can fit any mood. The opening of Marble Skies sets the scene of the album. It makes you crave the next track just as the last has finished and feels like you’ve entered an idyllic video game with you as the main player. The quest that the Scottish band brings you on journey down the Seine with ‘Champagne’. If you want to forget about your draughty student accommodation or the miserable weather of winter then this is the ultimate ‘pick me up’ song. You can imagine the sun on your back and a drink in your hand; the evening ahead feeling endless. It’s an escapist track and acts as the hopeful hook of Marble Skies. The tone shifts as the songs become more lyric based. With songs such as ‘Further’ and ‘Sundials’, Django Django question life and its monotony. You would almost miss this aspect of the album because of their upbeat rhythms. Although it contrasts with the drunken happiness of ‘Champagne’,
it feels like the only natural progression; leaving behind the night before and trying to navigate life afterwards. The instrumentals deliver with layered guitars that draw you into the psychedelic fantasy of the album. The hypnotic bass and deep piano really shine in the second half with the star of the show being ‘Real Gone’. Although it comes towards the end of the record, it is well worth the wait. We move from floating on the Seine in ‘Champagne’ to floating in space with ‘Real Gone’, which features in the more developed half of the record and shows us what Django Django are made of. The build-up is perfection with pounding beats that seem to heighten the hype around this crescendo. The theme of existentialism continues but then the resonating chords of the piano hit, making this track the highlight of the album. Django Django create their own rabbit hole down into their world of drifting down rivers drunkenly and navigating monotonous, boring reality. It’s an album that feels timeless and will remain so for years to come. WORDS BY SOPHIA MCDONALD
WYVERN LINGO WYVERN LINGO
“Junior school alliances built to withstand the torments of puberty and teenage rites of passage - first kisses, first hangovers and trips good and bad”. Now, years later in their twenties, Karen Cowley, Caoimhe Barry and Saoirse Duane a.k.a Wyvern Lingo are still fighting strong, professing that music is the glue that holds the band together and this is no clearer than in their self-titled debut album released in late February. This debut from the Bray trio is an album that not only expresses intensely vulnerable and intimate emotions but also explores large socio-political issues using a new and exciting styles never before heard from the group. Since the release of their first EP in 2014, The Widow Knows, Wyvern Lingo have undertaken a personal and musical evolution. From their rustic folk roots, they have emerged with a new R&B infused pop, elements of which were heard in their 2016 EP, Letters to Willow. The time and effort that has gone into it is almost tangible on the album. From the opening track, ‘Out of My Hands’. the intricate harmonies accompanied with a hint of synth instantly create a tapestry of warm sound that envelops the listener. Their precise harmonies across the album are to
WORDS BY CLÍONA LYNSKEY
be marvelled at, reminiscent of nostalgic 90s soul. Although their shared talents smoothly merge together, each member has their own moment to showcase themselves. There is no true lead vocalist which is refreshing to see in a modern band. The lyric subject matter largely concerns the exploration of dealing with collective and personal experiences resulting in a personable vulnerability, while remaining socially conscious. The aforementioned ‘Out of My Hands’ deals with the collective apathy towards the disadvantaged “junkies or scum”. While tracks such as ‘Crawl’ deal with the hurt of a past relationship. These lyrics are articulated with superb vocals along with spiky guitar riffs and keyboards that pack a punch throughout the album. The extent of their musicianship with both instruments and voice is both staggering and hugely inspiring to behold, especially in a live setting. Overall, Wyvern Lingo have proved with this album that they are a prime example of what the Irish music scene has to offer and the future looks bright for these strong women musicians.
| REVIEWS
●●●●○
25
TV TROY: FALL OF A CITY BBC
WORDS BY LILY CASSON When it comes to adapting the epics, you can’t get much bigger or bolder than the BBC’s lavish eight-hour plunge into the fall of Troy. Long before the creation of the camera, scripts or decent lighting, this was a story that fascinated storytellers and audiences. It is the subject of a vast body of Greek literature, including The Iliad, which can be traced to the stonkingly fresh date of at least the eighth century BCE. But unless you’ve accidentally found yourself in Classics (blink twice if you need someone to rescue you), few know the tale of Trojan war in all its detail, making a big-budget screen adaptation a more appealing place to start. It’s little wonder that Troy: Fall of a City is a very old story draped in the bombast of its new visual medium. Troy: Fall of a City remains faithful to the myth on many key points. Paris (Australian actor Louis Hunter) falls in love with Helen (Bella Dayne), after a strange incident involving the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, in which he declares the latter the fairest on the promise that he will meet the most beautiful woman in the world. The only trouble is, Helen is already married to the proud Menelaus (Jonas Armstrong), king of Sparta, and when their affair becomes known, well war it is. Just in case you thought this being the twentyfirst century would mean we’d escaped that ageold propensity for the Gary Stu, within the first fifteen minutes Paris ditches his tousled cattle herding (you had one job, Paris), goes for a roll in the hay with an unnamed woman, steals a horse, races some warriors, gets into a fight, and discovers he’s actually a prince named Alexander. Troy’s King Priam (David Threlfall) and Queen
REVIEWS | 26
●●●○○ Hecuba (Frances O’Connor) welcome him back with open arms, despite the fact that every other shot so far has been hell-bent on telling everyone - you, them, neighbouring livestock - that bad things are going to come of this, whether it’s visions of black blood, gloomy forests, or ominous music. Priam and Hecuba come from the ‘throw your hero into delicate and important situations without any training’ school of storytelling, so Paris is soon off to Sparta to engage in negotiations, ask pointed questions and make social faux paus like running off with your host’s breathy, stoner wife. This would all be fine if we believed the love story of Helen and Paris, but between them they’ve got about as much personality as a small lizard. She may bear the face that launched a thousand ships and he the beard that graced a thousand hipsters, but not enough time is spent building up their supposedly earth-shattering romance. And let’s not even get started on their idiotic decision making and lack of motive. It seems that all the more interesting stories are going on in the background, like in the relationship between Hector (Tom WestonJones) and Andromache (Chloe Pirrie), or with Cassandra (Aimee Ffion-Edwards, best known as Esme in Peaky Blinders), cursed never to have her prophecies believed. Even the gods could’ve used more character development, as here they’re treated as real forces whose conflict arches over mortal squabbles. There is, however, one notably striking scene where they walk ethereally through the ranks of opposing sides in the first charge, picking out chosen heroes as they go.
On the Greek side, things are a little more dynamic. There’s some name-dropping of legendary heroes like Achilles (David Gyasi) and Aeneas (Alfred Enoch), but it’s Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones’ Benjen Stark) who exudes presence as Odysseus. “No one wants this war,” says Odysseus, who’s quite hot for a near three thousand year-old mythical figure. When that war proves inevitable, his “I’ll be an old man before I see home again” is a prophetic touch probably helped by the existence of The Odyssey. Elsewhere in the Greek camp, they’re busy doing things like preparing for battle and engaging in human sacrifice, namely of leader Agamemnon’s (Johnny Harris) completely innocent daughter Iphigenia. It’s part of the myth and Harris does what he can to convey some searing emotion here, but it still suffers from issues of underdeveloped character and is something of a blight on an otherwise improved episode two. Troy: Fall of a City does have some stunning moments of cinematography, much of it on location, beneath broad stretches of sky and amid whirling plumes of sand. The supporting cast do what they can with occasionally stiff moments of dialogue, and there have already been some scenes where Helen and Paris see the costly effects of war. There is still potential here, but if the series is to get audiences on its side, it’s certainly going to take more episodes than this.
Dir. Ryan Coogler
●●●●○
Another shiny new film fresh from Marvel’s conveyer belt of shiny new films, comes standalone blockbuster Black Panther. For me, it would need something to distinguish itself from other action movies currently saturating cinemas. Fortunately, this individuality is achieved: by largely uprooting itself from the tried-’n’-tested comic-book heartland of the USA and setting itself in Africa - specifically in a fictional country called Wakanda - a welcome addition to a progressively more diverse universe can be explored. Envisioned as a representation of resourcerich and colonialism-free Africa, it puts the technology of the West into shadow. The visuals present a refreshing, utterly brilliant blend of Star Wars metallic sheen, and vibrant African art. The traditional style of costume and the illimitable landscapes too, immerse the viewer in this romanticised Africa, celebrating a pancontinental culture without making it seem watered down or trivial. More importantly, the studio made sure to cast an almost all-black cast (Chadwick Boseman in the lead role), and indeed an African-American director (Ryan Coogler). It’s only one film, but the fact that a two hundred
million dollar film featuring an almost all-black cast exists, shows that Hollywood is beginning to fashion, inch by inch, a more inclusive path. Despite the new angle, the film runs smoothly. The beginning explains the backstory, before launching straight into the engaging storyline. It does stick a little too close to the script though, so to speak: after the obligatory car chase, the third act disappears under a vague fuzz of shouting, swordfighting and CGI. I was curious to see Wakanda further explored, to have some action take place in the vibrant, yet largely ignored streets that make up the city. Instead the plot inexplicably diverts to Korea, leaving us with just a few aerial shots of a glassy metropolis - but eerily devoid of inhabitants, - while the final battle scene takes place Braveheart style, on a non-descript field.
One of the highlights is undoubtedly the Kendrick Lamar assisted soundtrack, which purrs and thumps along with a delicious blend of traditional African drums, and punchy urban beats. It truly compliments the vivid visual action on-screen, flavouring the film with a character which sets it apart from other films. Much like Wonder Woman (2017) promised a fresh take on the genre by transforming something as simple as the main character, Black Panther too boasts a diversity which is welcomed. Even to this (very white) viewer, the effort made to create a film which looks beyond the safety of America for its core identity, makes this film worth watching alone. WORDS BY GRAHAM KELLY
enough to make a complex commentary on class relations in America. What is palpable is Tonya’s tenacity; she is fully aware of how contemptuous the judges and the figure skating community on the whole are towards her and she remains determined to change their minds.
I, TONYA
Dir. Craig Gillespie
●●●●○
This makes the loneliness of Tonya’s life even more striking. Post-incident, she sits alone in her house, abandoned by everyone in her life except the media. Robbie performs best when she is expressing the vulnerability of Harding, most memorably seen before Harding takes to the rink at her final Olympic performance. The role doesn’t feel glamorized by Robbie, and her performance in this scene is her best yet. I, Tonya’s mockumentary style makes it an enjoyable romp through Tonya Harding’s eventful early life and period of success. The film is finessed by the spectacular performances of Margot Robbie (Tonya Harding) and Allison Janney (Harding’s mother). Janney in particular is a joy to watch, with her scenes being the most darkly humorous of the film. Janney is deserving of the awards season praise, and she has rightly won Best Supporting Actress at the Acadamy Awards, her first nomination. The various opposing narratives of all the characters involved in the “Incident” (where rival
Nancy Kerrigan was injured) are contrasted well, and the film is suitably sympathetic to Harding. We revel in Harding and her unpolished demeanour, but are frustrated at her bad choices - she throws skates at coaches, smokes, drinks and surrounds herself with unreliable individuals. All of this is put in the context of her abusive upbringing, which encourages us to fight her corner. However, the film doesn’t break new ground in its class narrative. The efforts to present Tonya as ‘white trash’ fail to rise above stereotypical portrayals and the film never delves deep
The mockumentary style allows the various absurd strands of the plot to come together in the giant mess that is “The Incident”, but, thankfully, the film doesn’t try to impose some moral arc on this story - we are left to enjoy the characters’ rotten behaviour. The style makes the film stand out from other sporting biopics, and it does not detract from our relationship with Harding. Harding, as a figure skating champion and as a real life woman, is better understood as a result of the film, and we the audience are called out on our bloodthirsty media hounding of her once the scandal broke. WORDS BY ALICE WHELAN
| REVIEWS
FILM
BLACK PANTHER
27
LIT BOOKWORM: A MEMOIR OF CHILDHOOD READING WORDS BY LUCIE RONDEAU DU NOYER
Lucy Mangan
●●●●○
In the dedication of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ruefully noticed that “if all grown-ups were once children, only few of them remember it.” Reading Bookworm, Lucy Mangan’s latest opus, will easily convince you that the British journalist undoubtedly belongs to that supposedly meagre number of adults still connected to their child self. In every page of her Memoir of Childhood Reading, she is able to funnily and keenly conjure not only the titles and the content of the books she has read between the age of 2 and 16, but also, more significantly, the vivid impressions she derived from them. She astutely characterizes her enjoyment or dissatisfaction as a young reader, alternating between raving enthusiasm and scathing ranting – Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat and “drowsy” Tolkien being her preferred targets. Nevertheless, she includes both in her “ideal bookshelf ”, by unabashedly and rightly contending that “a bad book is better than no book at all”. The great strength of Bookworm is its first half, in which Mangan intertwines seamlessly several genres. While evoking her childhood readings, she also portrays both touchingly and laughingly the workings of her generous yet strange family. Throughout her chronological memoir, she provides increasingly illuminating digressions and entertaining insights into the history of children’s literature and well-known authors’ surprising biographies.
Though high-spirited, the rest of Bookworm is not as endearing. Because little Mangan begins to tackle longer novels, the narrator mostly dwells on reporting and juxtaposing plots. Unfortunately, it leaves less space for biographical anecdotes and Mangan’s personal impressions and observations. Besides, clouded with repetitions, the style becomes less elegant. While perfectly fitted to her columns, the writer’s tendency to accumulate tropes, such as capital letters, rhetorical questions and never-ending and deadpan footnotes, becomes a bit boring in the long run. However, the two last chapters of Bookworm are excellent. The penultimate movingly reminds us how the liking for a book can be heightened by the sole fact that it was gifted by a now deceased close relative. The closing chapter is a resounding defence of the reading audience’s entitlements French novelist Daniel Pennac once enumerated in his manifesto The Rights of the Reader (2006, Walker Books): everybody should be allowed to be or not to be a bookworm, to reread, to read anything, to read anywhere and, above all, to be fully absorbed in a book.
THE EARLIE KING & THE KID IN YELLOW Danny Denton
●●●●●
As the Beast from the East and Storm Emma gripped Ireland in their icy embrace, Danny Denton’s debut novel The Earlie King & the Kid in Yellow was appropriate company. ‘Appropriate’ is not, ordinarily, within this book’s remit: it is, by all accounts, a genre-bursting, elemental whirl of fiction. The weather metaphors dominating the novel’s critical reception are not only suggested by its setting – an Ireland in which it never stops raining – but are testament to the scale of Denton’s dystopian vision, and ambitious alternation of narrative modes. The minstrel-esque tone of the first pages – “Roll up! Roll up, for a breakneck blast of the sunken future – a myth-rich song of Ireland past and present” – resurfaces in the words of various narrators, particularly the propulsive force of ‘Mister Violence’.
REVIEWS | 28
This is the Kid in Yellow’s story. It follows his expulsion from the King’s havoc-wreaking gang of ‘Earlie Boys’, charting his movements through the drowning city of Dublin. Lying low in the Croke Park Flats and making memory trips down the Financial District with his love T, pressure builds towards the Kid’s taking of the baba from the King. Denton’s world is rigorously re-mapped and imagined in coruscating detail. The novel throws you in at the deep end; names precede knowledge, and language is warped by power, so that ‘early’ is spelled “earlie’” and “fukk” elongated. Futuristic prose is laced with contemporary text-speak – ‘Mad ting. Lay off the herbal x’, the Kid re-reads in a conversation with T on his ‘device’. More fascinating still is the interpolation of half-remembered poetry (the 28
WORDS BY LOTTIE LIMB
Kid is something of a repository for ballads), making this a post-modern reflection on Ireland’s bardic past, an idiosyncratic weaving of myth, history and environmental catastrophe. The Earlie King doesn’t shy away from the brutality of its vision, but, in arranging ‘bits’ of first person accounts and playscripts, it dances around scenes – assured, sometimes detached, nonetheless tender. Subtitled “a wayward myth: fragments shored against ruins”, it is an astonishing experience to read its design into focus.
art EMIL NOLDE: COLOUR IS LIFE The National Gallery
●●●●○
WORDS BY JESSE CLOAKE
‘Large Poppies’ (1942) sexual and the primal nature of each of these scenes is further exacerbated by the garish use of colour. Another intriguing facet of the exhibition is the inclusion of a selection of watercolours. Under Nazism in Germany, Nolde was branded as a degenerate artist and many of his paintings were removed from galleries. Ironically, Nolde himself had been an ardent supporter of the Nazi party yet was forbidden to paint during the regime. The watercolours produced in this period were what Nolde called his ‘Unpainted Pictures’ and each small piece indicates his frustration. Given his politics, it’s hard to feel sorry for him. Where the artist truly shows his mastery of expressive colour is in his natural landscapes. Blonde Girls and Trollhois Garden are excellent examples of his brilliance as a colourist. The lack of chronology can make Nolde’s career hard to follow in places, however, the exhibition stays true to Expressionism by allowing the viewer to experience the tonal and influential shifts in the artist’s style. Emil Nolde was a complex person, yet his work remains deeply evocative. Colour is Life celebrates these qualities, yet still acknowledges the enigmatic nature of Emil Nolde as both an artist and an individual.
‘Palm Trees By The Sea’ (1914)
| REVIEWS
‘Exotic Figures II’ (1911) If colour is the hallmark of Expressionism, then the work of Emil Nolde encapsulates this beautifully. Colour is the single unifying characteristic of the works shown in the National Gallery, in an exhibition that invites you to contemplate the wide range of influences that are embodied in Nolde’s work. The space allows the viewer to move not through the stages of the artist’s career but rather through his moods and influences. Entering the exhibition, you find yourself surrounded by scenes of contemporary life that range from the artist’s rural homelands of Denmark and Germany to the modern metropolis. Nolde articulates himself through colour. His figures are indistinct and in some cases their settings vague, yet the vibrancy of the works allows the viewer to share the intensity of their worlds. From here, the tone becomes unexpectedly religious. The viewer is confronted with traditional themes such as the annunciation and martyrdom but in a jarring modernist approach. The Martyrdom triptych is extremely aggressive, leering figures overlook the demise of the early Christians whose only choices are apparently between death by fire or death by lion. Nolde’s approach to the annunciation is also bizarrely
29
games Ambitious games from big studios using classic sprite art have been few and far between since the mid 90s. Square Enix’s work-in-progress, Octopath Traveller, is an enticing prospect for those searching for a pastiche of 90s Japanese role-playing games or for something different to the modal blockbusters of recent years. It’s set to be a massive role-playing game in which the player will step into the shoes of one of eight characters — hence ‘octo-path’. The demo features two of these characters; Oberic and Primrose, and hints at a game with a diverse yet uneven storytelling. Both Oberic and Primrose’s storylines revolve around a common thematic core and structure, but involve wildly different characters. Primrose has been working as a dancer in a shady tavern as a means of finding the men who killed her father, which marks a radical departure from traditional Square Enix’s RPG tales of knights and monsters. During Primrose’s campaign the player can use a seduction technique to recruit allies. The success of this technique depends on a ‘reputation’ statistic which creates an interesting risk versus reward dynamic. The idea is interesting, though having only played a portion of the game myself, the mechanic
Huawei PSmart Phone Eir and Vodafone
●●●●●
REVIEWS | 30 30
When I got the Huawei PSmart however, I finally understood the hype. The slim design at 7.55mm felt light in my hand and my finger fell perfectly on the indented fingerprint scanner at the back. The metallic finish made the PSmart feel extraordinarily expensive, more like an accessory than just another dull piece of technology. The kind you wouldn’t feel embarrassed whipping out for a selfie in a bathroom full of iPhones. The wide aperture effects available for the 13MP/2MP dual
Nintendo Switch
●●●○○
naturally has little time to evolve Oberic is a knight, in keeping with the conventions of the games to which Octopath Traveller pays homage. The freshness to the former narrative is a welcome turn for the genre, but it only serves to highlight the clichéness of Oberic’s tale. I feel the Octopath premise may undermine the full game — creating eight unique, satisfying narratives is no small feat. Clearly the team is trying to push outside their comfort zone with concepts and stories such as that of Primrose. They may not be as well-developed as they could be, however, if the writing and design teams focus wasn’t split by the addition of less interesting campaigns. From what we’ve seen so far, the game may have one foot planted a touch too firmly in the past; despite robust and engaging battle mechanics, the game is primarily carried by its narrative and roleplaying elements. Other games have tackled the same concepts as the Oberic campaign in the past and they are seldom more fulfilling the second-time round. Whether the full game can transcend the issues of its demo mains to be seen — there are elements that indicate that it could go either way.
WORDS BY SAM HAYES
camera are just a dream for photographers and Instagrammers who don’t have the dime or time for those *professional* photo shoots; while the 8MP front camera has Smart Beauty and Portrait Selfie modes that, for real, make me look amazing. With the option of creating object focused and centred shots (with guidelines that include a golden ration guide to create the perfect scene), the artistic potential of the PSmart is an affordable one waiting to be
realised.
My protip for your new Huawei is make the most of that 3000mA battery. That’s what truly makes the PSmart first rate. The go-to screen quality for the PSmart is the outrageously high FHD+ which is amazing. If you want to optimise your battery – like I always do – moving to the HD setting doesn’t detract from the quality in the slightest; giving you that extra battery to make full use of the split screen feature. Yes, check on the updates from your friend’s date while texting your mam at the same time – the split screen is a godsend. The multitasking service that mobile technology needed to have caught up with back in 2011.
This lesser known brand has surprised me with its durability, style and caliber. Even though the Huawei style and the new Android update (Oreo) took me a few days to get used to; once I settled in, I was here to stay. Verdict: Huawei PSmart has the leading features of an iPhone SE with a slick metallic design at a killer student price. Available from Carphone Warehouse on Eir and Vodafone, with a discounted price of €219 on Pay as You Go Vodafone handsets.
WORDS BY SORCHA Ní CHEALLAIGH
I didn’t think I needed a new phone, but then I got a new phone…I fell a little bit in love with the Huawei PSmart. I’m a technology gal; my entire life rests on my MacBook, keeping my hard drive spick and my freeware on fleek. I had always been let down by phones, they were just such a drag in comparison to my laptop or tablet. Slow and ineffective, every phone I ever had was always so restricted with no ability to multitask and a battery that ran out after one game of Sims. What was the point of a phone? It was just an overrated 2018 MP3 player that all the family could still reach me on.
Octopath Traveller
food
RECIPE: Sweetcorn Fritters
These little discs of deliciousness are well worth the effort, or at least the attempt. Just kidding - they are ridiculously easy to make! They pair great with virtually everything, and are equally as enjoyable on their own. 300G TIN SWEETCORN HALF A RED ONION HALF A COURGETTE 1 CUP PLAIN FLOUR HALF A CUP WATER OR MILK 1 BUNCH FRESH CORIANDER HALF A TSP BAKING POWDER 1 TSP SALT
1. In a medium-sized bowl whisk the flour, milk/water, salt and baking powder together. 2. Roughly grate the courgette and finely chop the red onion and coriander. Add these to the flour mixture and stir through. It might look like you don’t have enough batter, but this is good - the batter is only there to glue it all together. 3. Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium to low heat. Add two tablespoons of the mixture to the pan per fritter. It is handy to fry multiple at a time. Watch ‘em sizzle. 4. Once you see bubbles start to form on the surface, then flip, and fry until golden brown on both sides. Why not tuck your taste buds in to a treat and eat them with the sun-dried tomato hummus recipe below. Yummy notion-y goodness.
RECIPE: Sun-dried Tomato Hummus
Who doesn’t adore a bit of hummus? Well, perhaps some folks don’t but I suspect it holds a place HOW TO MAKE in the hearts of many. If homemade hummus sounds like This recipe is relatively straightforward. Just add all your ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend. If you do not have a food a dollop of unnecessary palaver, allow this easy-peasy processor, you can justmash everything together with a fork as long recipe to win you over. Although sun-dried tomatoes and as you’ve finely chopped the garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes. It tahini are specialty items, Tesco sells their own brand might just be a little chunkier than usual, but it will taste divine. versions at a cheaper price (not sponsored). Make sure to purchase the jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil, not the extra dry ones. Enjoy! WORDS BY AILBHE WEATLEY
| REVIEWS
1 400G CAN CHICKPEAS DRAINED AND RINSED! 2 CLOVES OF GARLIC JUICE OF ONE LEMON 2 TBSP TAHINI HALF A CUP OF SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, DRAINED 4 TBSP OLIVE OIL 2 TBSP WATER 1 TSP TURMERIC 1 TSP SALT (ADD MORE IF YOU’RE SALTY) HALF A TSP SMOKED PAPRIKA
31
3
fashion MILAN FASHION WEEK Milan
The word ‘subtle’ does not exist in the vocabulary of Milanese fashion. The heart of its style lies in the touches of gold seen in the garments and its use of loud prints and daring silhouettes. Never one to apologise for extravagance bordering on gaudiness, the city’s top designers has always pushed the envelope when it came to fashion and its rules. This year’s fashion week was no exception, with many designers making headlines in Milan and all over the world.
The Gucci show featured several Londoninspired checked suits. This was a trend that was carried over to the Versace show, which
REVIEWS | 32
Gucci A/W 2018
If we were to make a list of brands that know themselves fully, Versace would be closely followed by Dolce & Gabbana, whose inspiration for this week’s collection was taken from religion. Opening with a nun-like outfit that carried the words ‘Fashion Sinner’, Dolce & Gabbana tapped into the opulence of the Catholic Church and made it their own. With garments in fancy brocade prints, deep purples and golds, and accessorised by gold crowns and bags that remind the audience of a priest’s chain censer, the collection would not look out of a place in a decorated church in the Vatican. The clothes are best described as unapologetic, both in their flashiness and their take on religious fashion, which some could find offensive or disrespectful towards the church. In this show, Milan has once again demonstrated that for its designers, no subject is taboo or sensitive, all in the name of fashion.
Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and the conspiracy theories that surround their lives. The brand’s designer, Jeremy Scott, explained in an interview that “there’s a conspiracy theory that exists beyond invention: JFK told Marilyn Monroe about the fact that there are aliens. She was gonna come public with this information, so they had her assassinated. And then he had to be assassinated for leaking the information.” According to this theory, there’s a possibility that Jackie Kennedy herself was an alien, and was behind the deaths of Kennedy and Monroe. Although this theory is questionable at best, it did make for an incredible show, which started with relatively demure looks featuring pill box hats and miniskirts, and ended with blue and green-skinned models wearing 60s first lady attires: a Jackie Kennedy conspiracy theory dream come true. Since taking over in 2013, Scott has fully embraced the brand’s larger-thanlife aesthetic, making him the perfect designer to fill the shoes of Franco Moschino himself.
Meanwhile, Moschino staged a collection that was inspired by the deaths of both John and
For as long as anyone can remember, Milan, once referred to by Leonardo da Vinci as “The Capital of Fashion Capitals,” has always been a city of glamour and extravagance. Being the hometown of some of the world’s most luxurious brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Versace has given the city a high-fashion image, one wrapped in gold and adorned with baroqueinspired details. The city is not afraid to make bold fashion choices, to stand out from the crowd, to provoke and expose. This year’s Milan Fashion Week has shown that the city hasn’t lost its touch, and that its designers are as, if not more, inspiring than ever.
Moschino A/W 2018
Gucci A/W 2018
WORDS BY DANIELLE OLAVARIO
If you’re an active member of Twitter, it is highly unlikely that you missed the site’s reaction to Gucci’s 2018 A/W 2018 show in Milan. The opening look was a fairly typical Gucci outfit, with the exception of one small detail: the model was carrying in her arm a replica of her own head. The show was set in a operating room, offering viewers a clinical experience made eerie by abnormal details: the aforementioned heads, models carrying baby dragons, third eyes that looked so realistic that they were unnerving. The simplicity of the set’s design was offset by these oddities as well as by the details in the prints and tailoring of the garments. The accessories that accompanied them are not to be snubbed either: harnesses and headdresses that looked as if they were dripping diamantes, and sunglasses and balaclavas that are quite unlike any that we typically see. The story told through the show was designed to unsettle, and yet, at the same time, it was one that audiences were drawn to and intrigued by.
was inspired by British history, as explained by designer Donatella Versace. Iconic, ‘sensible’ British pieces such as the camel trench coat and the black leather jacket were given the Milanese treatment by adding gold details to the pieces themselves or pairing them with loud prints and colours. Even the tartan suit was given a makeover by showcasing it in psychedelic combinations of bright yellow, purple, blue, and red. Although an ode to the legacy of Britain, it was satisfying to see that the brand did not lose sight of itself during the show and maintained the Versace aesthetic that it is known for.
The ABC’s of Sex & Sexuality For the last issue of the year, Tn2’s Sex Team have decided to have a bit of fun and take you through everything you need to know about the ABCs of sexuality and sex life.
Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy by removal of the fetus or embryo before it is viable, a medical procedure at the centre of considerable debate and prohibited in Ireland by the 8th Amendment. The ‘Repeal the 8th’ movement has resulted in an abortion referendum set for May 2018 make sure you are registered to vote to ignite social change in Ireland.
B
Birth Control
Birth control is an essential component to safe sex, and no, it’s not just the pill and condoms. Other methods include abstinence (but, c’mon), hormonal contraception by implant, patch or injection; the vaginal ring, diaphragm, spermicide, and IUDs (intrauterine device or coil). It’s important to talk to your doctor about which methods best suit your body in order to minimise potential side effects.
C Consent Any parties engaging in sexual activity need to ensure that they have each other’s permission and enthusiastic engagement, whether you’re joining an orgy, sexting, or anything in between. A major part of consent is just human decency and common sense; if you’re about to have sex, make sure your partner is of sound mind to say yes or no. You can revoke your consent at any time for any reason, so if you no longer want to go through with any kind of sexual activity then you can say no, whether you’re with a new partner or in a long-term relationship.
D Demisexual
Falling under the asexual spectrum, to be demisexual or demiromantic is to experience attraction only when there’s a strong emotional bond or connection present. Demisexuals can be gay, straight, pan or bi!
E Endometriosis
The endometrium is the layer of tissue lining the inside of the uterus which swells during pregnancy and is shed in menstruation. With endometriosis, this layer grows outside the uterus, around the ovaries, fallopian tubes etc. It can result in infertility and pain during menstruation or intercourse, but it is treatable.
F Fetish
A fetish, technically speaking, is anything you’ve got a sexual preoccupation with that’s not genitalia. Whether you’re into leather, lace or anything in between, you may well have a fetish or two, you naughty thing, you!
G Gender
Identity
Assigned sex =/= gender identity =/= gender expression Gender identity is not what’s between your legs, it’s what’s between your ears - it’s how you experience your gender. When this matches with the sex you were assigned at birth, you’re cisgendered. When it doesn’t, it can mean you’re nonbinary, genderqueer or transgender.
H HIV HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus which leads to HIV infection, and in some cases over time, AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). This attacks the immune system continually, so that that someone living with the disease will find it difficult to fight off even common illnesses. It is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), which can be contracted during intercourse without a condom with an infected person, through blood contact and from a mother to an unborn child. Retroviral treatments have improved since the AIDS crisis of the 1980s; it is now possible to get your viral load to an undetectable level, at which
| SEX
A Abortion
WORDS BY MAIA MATHIEU AND HAZEL MACMAHON
33
stage HIV is untransmittable. It is important to always use condoms to prevent against STDs and get regularly tested. The sooner an STD is detected, the better the outcome.
I Intimacy
Intimacy is an emotional closeness with someone. It could be described as the connection with someone’s soul. Intimacy is not sex. It is not being naked, but rather a complete sense of personal openness, and shared reciprocity. It is the thoughts you have at 3am when all you want is to be alone in the universe with that person, and sometimes feel that you already are.
J Jealousy
Jealousy is an emotion typical in all forms of human relationships, rooted in fear and insecurity. Sexual jealousy can be dangerous, unhealthy or violent. On the flip side, some people find the arousal of jealousy to be erotic, which is known as zelophilia.
K Kinsey
Scale
In the late 1940s, Dr Alfred Kinsey came up with the first scale used to define sexual attraction. Ranging from 0 to 6, where 0 describes being entirely heterosexual with no gay experiences or desires, 6 is entirely homosexual with no straight experiences or desires, and 3 is the ‘true’ bisexual in the middle. The Kinsey scale has its critics, but it was a starting point for a more academic and less moralistic look at human sexuality.
L Lube
Personal lubricant is designed to reduce friction and ease penetration during sex. Often regarded as being mostly useful for anal, lube is actually a smart addition to any sexual encounters because more lubrication reduces the possibility of micro-tears in delicate places, which might otherwise make you more susceptible to STIs. Different types of lube work better in different scenarios - for example, oil-based lubricants can impair condoms and silicone-based lube can cause issues with silicon-based sex-toys.
M Masturbation
Masturbation, or self-pleasure, is a normal part of sexuality and is a behavior observed in humans of all ages, and animals. It’s often the earliest sexual behavior we engage in, and a great way to learn about what turns you on, what feels good and how best to get off.
SEX | 34
N Nymphomania Do not get this confused with necrophilia, please. Nymphomania is a term which applies to females with a hypersexual drive towards both male and females. The male equivalent is satyriasis. Only about 3% of the population are considered nymphomaniacs.
T Toys
Sex toys are objects or devices designed to enhance sexual pleasure. There are no safety regulations in the sex toy industry, so do your research into body-safe companies before you buy, and always keep ‘em clean and sanitary.
O Orgasm
U UTI’s
A.K.A ‘The big O’; ‘The little death’. Defined as the peak of the sexual response cycle, orgasm is the release of sexual tension via rhythmic muscle contractions in the pelvic region accompanied by neurochemicals such as oxytocin and endorphins. Orgasms have multiple health benefits, from improving sleep to reducing uterine cramping when menstruating.
Urinary tract infection - what’s not to love? Symptoms include a burning sensation when you urinate and the need to pee frequently (with little coming out). Peeing after sex significantly reduces your chance of infection, and word on the street is you may be able to get rid of a UTI is to flush it out by drinking lots of cranberry juice. If not, see your doctor. And, you know, pee after sex in future.
P Polyamory
V Virginity
Polyamory is the practice of maintaining multiple clearly-defined intimate relationships, whether from an outset with multiple participants or as a new component of a longterm monogamous relationship. Polyamorous, or open, relationships can be fulfilling and succeed in ‘multiplying the love’ once all partners involved are consenting.
Q Questioning In LGBTQIA+, the ‘Q’ can stand for queer or for questioning. Questioning your sexual identity/ orientation or your gender can be a confusing time, when people may hesitate to use more definite labels. It can be tough to interrogate societal stereotypes surrounding gender and norms, but ultimately incredibly liberating.
R Rim
Job
This is pleasuring a partner by performing oral sex on their anus. It would be advisable to check with your partner first if this is okay before diving in.
S Sex-Positivity
Sex-positivity is a philosophy centred on the idea that freedom of sexual expression between consenting adults is a human right, and essential to any liberation philosophy. It counters the idea that sexual expression (especially heterosexual expression) is patriarchal, hierarchical or oppressive. To be sex-positive is to engage consciously in your own sexuality and to respect other people’s sexuality and sexual experiences (e.g. the LGBTQIA+ community, sex workers, consensual BDSM, assault survivors, etc).
Just as the definition of sex is different to different people, so too is virginity. It can mean more than simply never having had penetrative sex. For example, some people may see oral sex as losing virginity if they are not hetero. Virginity can also be seen as a cultural myth rooted in preoccupations with purity and patriarchal control over women’s bodies.
W Wet
The natural lubricant a woman’s body makes when sexually aroused - making her ‘wet’.
X X-Rated
Anything marked ‘x-rated’ is intended for adults and sexually explicit.
Y Yeast
Infection
While yeast infections in the genital area are common in women, men can also get them. The main symptoms are itching, smelly discharge, and burning sensation when urinating. The most common treatment is antifungal medication. Causes include not changing your tampon regularly, having high blood sugar, wearing tight underwear, catching one off your partner, and using scented hygiene products.
Z Friendzone
The ‘friendzone’ is an invention of toxic masculinity that rejects emotional intimacy between heterosexual men and women unless it also involves sexual intimacy.
If you’d like to see more articles like this in Tn2, get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter!
CHECK US OUT ONLINE AT TN2MAGAZINE.IE editor@tn2magazine.ie facebook.com/tn2magazine @tn2magazine @tn2magazine
T
his marks the final issue of Tn2 Magazine for the academic year of 2017/2018. It has been an honour to be editor in chief this past year. Our editorial staff was comprised of incredibly motivated and creative individuals who lifted each other up and pushed each other to keep working hard. Alden Mathieu, our online editor, revamped the entire website - not an easy feat. His work on its design improved Tn2’s online presence immensely and dramatically increased our readership. Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh, our deputy editor, created vibrant designs for our print issue every month and inspired me to work harder to improve my own skills. Alexandra Day and Caroline O’Connor were invaluable members of the senior team, offering creative solutions and help at every turn. Our head copyeditor, Hazel MacMahon, made me aware of the importance of developing a concise style guide. She was always on the ball with copyediting, which I am very grateful for. The rest of the team all deserve a mention as well for their hard work and dedication to the magazine throughout the year however I doubt I’d be able to squeeze the entire Tn2 Fam in this short space. I wish next year’s team every success and I look forward to reading more fascinating content from my favourite arts and culture magazine.
Lee Jones
35
36