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Published by the TUU State Council on behalf of the Tasmania University Union (henceforth “the publishers”) The copyright in each piece of work remains with the contributor. However, the publishers reserve the right to reproduce material on the Togatus website at togatus.com.au. Togatus Team: Editor-in-Chief: April Cuison Deputy Editor: Joe Brady Creative Director: Maddie Burrows Marketing & Advertising Manager: Monte Bovill Website Manager: Ella Carrington Graphic Designer: Liam Johnson Content Editors: Steph Morrison, Steph Palmer, Logan Linkston, Nathan Hennessy Editorial Assistants: Richard Siu, Morgan Fürst, Bethany Green, Cameron Allen, Chris Ham Togatus welcomes all your contributions. Please email your work and ideas to contributions@togatus.com.au. Togatus Contributors: Andre Abrego, Andrew Grey, Chelsea Wilde, Clark Cooley, Dalipinder Singh Sandhu, Dan Prichard, Eilidh Direen, Elise Sweeney, Erin Cooper, Paulie Wilkinson, Sharifah Syed Rohan, Sophie Sliskovic, Zoe Stott It is understood that any contributions sent to Togatus may be used for publication in either the magazine or the website, and that the final decision on whether to publish submissions resides with the editors. The editors reserve the right to make changes to submitted material as required. Togatus staff reserve the right to use submitted content for Togatus-related promotional material. It is understood that all submissions to Togatus is still the intellectual property of the contributor. The opinions expressed herein are not those of the Togatus staff or the publishers. Contact Togatus: Twitter & Instagram: @togatus_ Facebook: facebook.com/TogatusOnline Website: www.togatus.com.au Post: PO Box 5055, UTAS LPO, Sandy Bay 7005 Email: contact@togatus.com.au Advertising: marketing@togatus.com.au Togatus is printed by Monotone Art Printers.
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4 Editorials Fifty Shades of White Pearly Gates with Golden Arches A Bule in Indonesia Wash
6 8 10 12 14 16 Mug Brownie Chocolate Caramel Slice Preparing Your Own Notebook Embracing Solitude
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Dear Diary
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Cheat’s Rocky Road
Kindness
2 20 22 24 26 28
Yo Togatu u s: Ed Ar itio e n 1, He 201 re 8
Venezuela 101 Mosin Dr Neezy’s LoOove Column
32 34 36 Why Am I a Madridista? Shadow of the Colossus Mask of Sanity Read ‘Em and Weep
40 42 44 46 48 Council Reports
Vox Pops: Edition 1
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Art World: Male Domain
What Even is the CSI Effect?
30 50 52 54 56
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“What question should we have asked you for this page?”
Andre Abrego “Do you believe in life after love?”
Andrew Grey “Can I have some arsenicwith that gin?”
Contributors Eilidh Direen “Whomst is more heretical: the new Wiggles or the Hooley Dooleys?”
Chelsea Wilde
Elise Sweeney
“What is the coolest animal to scale up to horse size?”
“Where DID Cotton-eyed Joe come from?”
Dan Prichard “So if you’re from Africa, why are you white?”
Dalipinder Singh Sandhu
Paulie Wilkinson
“What is your all time favorite movie/show?”
“Can I have your ID please?”
Other Contributors Abigail Rothery Joseph Schmid Amyris Cauchi Sharifah Syed Rohan Avon Li Taylar Bowerman Clark Cooley Zoe Stott Erin Cooper Fathimath Shara Waheed
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Sophie Sliskovic “How do you deal with Week 6 stress?”
Content Editor: Logan Linkston “What’s your all-time favorite movie quote?”
Togatus Team
Content Editor: Nathan Hennessy “What’s your current procrastination project?”
Editor-in-Chief: April Cuison
Content Editor: Steph Morrison
“If you could be a piece of furniture, what would you be?”
“What’s your spirit animal?”
Deputy Editor: Joe Brady
Content Editor: Steph Palmer
“Do you follow @MonteBovill on Twitter? Because you should.”
“How many times have you cried so far this semester?”
Creative Director: Maddie Burrows
Editorial Assistant: Bethany Green
“Which breed of cat would you be and why?”
“What is the craziest conspiracy theory you have ever heard?”
Marketing Manager: Monte Bovill
Editorial Assistant: Cameron Allen
“Do you follow @MonteBovill on Twitter? Because you should.”
“Is group work a cure for anger management issues?”
Website Manager: Ella Carrington
Editorial Assistant: Chris Ham
“Which Netflix series would you live in?”
“What question should we have chosen?”
Graphic Designer: Liam Johnson
Editorial Assistant: Morgan Fürst
“Is your answer to this question ‘no’?”
“Where’s the giant Mansley?!”.
Editorial Assistant: Richard Siu “How many times have you fallen asleep in your lectures this semester?”
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Editorials Editor-in-Chief April Cuison Hello and welcome to Togatus’ first edition in 2018! This time last year, we showcased the avocado in our front covers. This year, the avo has new friends! And as always, we have a wonderful group of contributors. From creative pieces to recipes to help you through the last few weeks of semester, we have a variety of content that showcases the diversity of the UTas student body. The team has been busy even before we started planning for the first edition! We started the year with The Togtravellers Guide to the Universe..ity, a small guidebook for our commencing students. Not long after was less entertainment and more hard news in The State of Our Union, which detailed problems that were identified within the Tasmania University Union. Last year, our focus was to rebrand Togatus. The rebranding was a success, but like all things, there is always room for improvement. The team was restructured to ensure that our visual identity and our written content are always high standard. The Tog Team has a group of field reporters ensuring that you are up-to-date with the latest student-related news through social media or through our website.
We’ve resolved to give the website a much-needed overhaul in the future. After all, distance students may not be able to get their hands on our print copies. The website must be as snazzy as our magazines! Increasing readership has also been in our priority list. In some manner, a lot of Tasmanians have a connection with the university. Whether they have a friend or relative studying at UTas, or they may be alumni themselves. As the only university in Tasmania, Togatus should serve as the primary resource for university-related news. Beyond the university students, we also have the Tasmanian community as our audience. This year, one of our goals is to ensure that the magazine is relevant to UTas students and the wider community. We have bigger plans for you. And with bigger plans come with a bigger office! Togatus is now located next to the South Campus President’s office, just outside the intimidating red door. Feel free to drop in to say hi! Lastly, if you wish to contribute, the team is extremely online. Send us a message on any of our social media platforms, or shoot us an email. If you have an idea you’d like to share to the rest of the student community, we’d like to hear it!
Avocado Scavenger Hunt! The avocados have escaped and are running loose within the publication! They must be recovered at all costs! There are many places to search and only so much time. Now listen, it’s a known fact that the avocados cannot inhabit or hide in the small text of articles so don’t waste your efforts there. The devious little fruits are unlikely to make themselves obvious and they will not always look the same, but they are commonly known to appear pear shaped with a pip in the centre. Do not be fooled though! Any instance of an avocado in any form is suffienct grounds for apprehension!
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Deputy Editor Joe Brady It’s the first edition of 2018, but Tog’s been busy for months. In February we put out a special edition: a guidebook to help new and returning students navigate the stormy waters of uni enrolment. This was followed in March by another special edition: an exposé of the TUU Strategic Review, a story that revealed deep problems in our union and its function. Whew. Since when did Tog get so serious? Well, we’ve got an awesome group of editors and journos in our employ this year. We’re already starting to see the fruits of their work. The special edition exposé in March was a testament to the power of student journalism, and that story was later published in big-league papers like The Australian. Good stuff. Carry on, Tog journos.
So our first edition for 2018 is like an hors d’oeuvre before the main course — it’s a sample of what we’ve got cooking. As we search for the stories we’re putting in our editions later this year, we’re looking to emphasise what interests you as UTas students. The scope of our articles will be broader. The stories will be spicier. The avocados will be more expensive. Most importantly: Tog will be the best it’s ever been. This year, we’re unifying our visual style to something friendly and iconic. We’ve employed several more content editors to chew through more submissions. The website will get a fresh coat of paint. And we have a hard-working editorial staff snooping and writing and editing for you. I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings. So enjoy this entrée. There’s more to come.
Creative Director Maddie Burrows Hiya Tog readers! Welcome back to another year at UTas, and welcome especially to all new students. I am Maddie, the Togatus Creative Director, and it is my job to manage the aesthetics of the Togatus brand and the overall visuals you see in the magazine, website, and on our social media pages. This year marks the second year since Togatus received a massive brand facelift, and now our little avocado motif is looking better than ever! Our avocado was introduced in Edition One of 2017, due to the insane popularity and relevance of the humble smashed-avo in our lives. What’s that saying? When life gives you avos… make a magazine. Our avocado is becoming an icon that represents all that Togatus is, but it also represents YOU, the student. After all, Togatus is the student media of UTas; ‘for students,
by students’. This year we’re going to take you along a journey, with our little avocado as your guide. We invite you all to join our avo-tribe! For this edition’s aesthetic, we’ve chosen an overarching theme of fruit, which has become our very own ‘Toggarden’! This garden of exotic fruit and veg is a metaphor for the juicy combo of articles, artworks, and other goodies you’ll find inside this edition. You’ll find creative recipes for craft, food, and other delectables within these pages. From the Tog-garden of delights, we present this edition to you as a taste of the unknown. So dig in! As Joey Tribbiani tells us, grab a spoon. Stay juicy avo-tribe, and please connect with us if you’d like to be part of our Tog family.
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Fifty Shades of White The Uni Revue Returns with a Saucy Spank Andre Abrego Another year, another Uni Revue - and Fifty Shades of White promises to entertain. Back again with their unique style offering a level of lewd, crude, rude and nude humour - only for the most immature audiences. The Revue is locally produced by the Old Nick Company and the Tasmanian Uni Revue is the oldest in Australia, celebrating its 71st birthday this year. It’s directed this year by the creative co-directors Zeb Dwyer and Nick Paine assuring a hilarious satire of state, national and international issues. With the recent Tasmanian election, audiences are in for a treat with a side-splittingly funny Revue team that has absolutely no filter. “On stage they’re saying the things that you probably think or don’t necessarily say out loud,” says Justin Smith, a veteran of the Uni Revue with ten years of experience in writing and providing the famous audiovisuals for the show. The style of humour can be edgy, offensive and at times dark - but it is the politically incorrect format that keeps bringing Tasmanians back. It’s oddly refreshing, and no matter which part of Tassie you’re from - I can guarantee just from watching the talent in rehearsals that you’ll be thoroughly entertained by this year’s Revue. Co-director Nick Paine says, “A lot of people want to pretend and tell their friends that they don’t find offensive things funny, but they do quietly think a lot of the stuff we do - that might not be PC - I believe they think it’s very funny.” In a day and age where people would
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rather spend a night in to watch Netflix than go into the theatre, it’s harder getting new people motivated to see Uni Revue. The Uni Revue offers something uniquely and authentically Tasmanian, being touted as ‘loved by Tasmanians, loathed by politicians,’ and its satire of life in our pretty cosy state is something everyone can relate to. With the Uni Revue running for so long, it’s easy to forget that they start from scratch every single year. Performers from different walks of life continue to be invested and find the experience so addictive that they must come back. For Beck Andrews, it’s the 11th time around the circuit and she describes what makes it such an addictive experience: “There’s two reasons for me - because I enjoy performing, singing, dancing, acting - but also when I started doing Revue I realised out of all the shows that I do, this is actually the hardest.” It’s not hard to see why, Revue has only 3-4 months of rehearsals before opening night, which isn’t out of ordinary for other theatre companies, but when there’s no show to begin with, it’s a monumental task. In the weeks leading up to opening night, things are constantly changing and being added to the show. For others, like Imogen Paine in her 8th Revue, the thrill comes elsewhere: “There’s no other type of theatre that pumps the adrenaline than making 400-500 people laugh a night.” While a tremendous amount of work goes into building Uni Revue, there is also lots of fun to be had – “it’s why
Feature
some patrons have been coming to the Revue year in year out for twenty years, which is not a title many can claim,” says Ian Pirkis - this year’s Revue marketing manager. It’s also the second year in a row that Uni Revue has partnered with mental health and suicide awareness charity Speak Up Stay ChatTy, to raise funds and awareness for people struggling with depression and anxiety. Co-director Nick Paine said, “Comedy supporting charity is a not new thing. Amnesty International benefitted very well from partnering both Comic Relief
and The Secret Policeman’s Ball. We thought we could also make a difference with helping people start an important conversation that can potentially save lives.” The Uni Revue is an enthralling experience, and it is not very often that patrons leave the theatre without being thoroughly engaged and a bit sore from laughing. Tickets are relatively cheap at $34 and can be bought through the theatre at theatreroyal.com.au between the 11th and 26th of May. It’s a show that has to be seen to be believed.
Image: Ian Pirkis
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Pearly Gates with Golden Arches Eilidh Direen
What might have been an awkward pause was shattered as a meteor flew overhead and crashed into the distant mountain. Lord Mayor Granny Whittaker clutched her cat, Hugo, closer to her chest. “You’re building a what?” “A McDonald’s,” said Lockwood, with infinite majesty and calm.
In the weeks that followed, the meteor showers increased and wiped out most of the crops. Naturally, the denizens of Swanson’s Cross blamed Lockwood. “Just goes to show you can’t trust outsiders,” said Farmer Jenkins. “I knew you were trouble the moment you set foot here!”
The Swanson’s Cross Village Planning Committee stared at him, shock and horror giving way to righteous fury in a matter of seconds. “Not here, you won’t!” Granny Whittaker declared. “Our village has survived the ravages of modernity for hundreds of years, and bugger me if I let you ruin it with your global corporate nonsense!”
“Now, now, Farmer Jenkins, don’t be blaming me for a spot of bad weather.”
“Well, Granny, that’s just too bad, because I got a permit before I even came here! Besides, the rest of the world has fallen prey to the so-called ravages of modernity—”
“Oh is it? Well then kindly tell me, Master Lockwood, how we’re supposed to eat around here when all our crops are dead?”
“I suppose you mean the End Times,” Granny Whittaker said drily. “That’s right!” said Lockwood. “And this village will be next, so we might as well make the most of our remaining time on earth! Anyway, the restaurant is getting built whether you like it or not, so you might as well accept it.” This impressive speech was followed by protests and riots of the highest degree, but Lockwood remained unfazed and headed down to the site to begin construction on the McDonald’s.
“Why shouldn’t I? It’s bad luck, your being here.” “Nonsense.”
“Why,” said Lockwood, smiling broadly, “you’ll eat McDonald’s, of course!”
In the next month, the meteors were replaced by nearcontinual lightning strikes that shot down to meet the earth and carved it up like a leg of lamb. Tremors and rockfalls shook the village, but most of its inhabitants remained unscathed—except, that is, for Vicar Engelbert. The vicar was tragically killed when lightning struck the church steeple and sent it crumbling down on top of him. “There, now!” said Farmer Jenkins to Lockwood, as they observed the wreckage. “You have brought bad luck to our village! You ought to go back where you came from!” “How can I?” said Lockwood, with an expansive gesture at the apocalyptic surroundings.
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Creative
Farmer Jenkins, having no answer, ignored the question. “I always said you shouldn’t’ve come here. Lord Mayor, what are you going to do about him?” But Granny Whittaker wasn’t listening. “George Engelbert was the last vicar left on earth...” she murmured. “Precisely!” said Farmer Jenkins. “What do you say to that, Lockwood? How’re we supposed to get to heaven without our vicar to pray for us?” Lockwood shrugged. “You’ll be in heaven when you’re eating McDonald’s,” he said.
By and by, the McDonald’s was completed and Lockwood went down one hot spring morning to begin the grand opening ceremony. As he unlocked the door, however, he was accosted with a furious vociferation: “LOCKWOOD, YOU VILLAIN! THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!” Lockwood turned to see who it was and copped a faceful of Granny Whittaker’s walking stick. “The bad luck you brought on us has killed my cat!” she screamed through tears of rage and desolation. And sure enough, Hugo lay stiff and dead in her arms, having been poisoned by the toxic fumes from the cracks in the mountain. A small crowd of villagers began to form around them and as they heard the news, they too started to scream and hurl abuses, for Hugo had been a much-loved member of the community.
“No, but you and your accursed McDonald’s have jinxed this village, and now Hugo is dead!” Granny howled. “You should never have come here!” “No indeed!” the villagers shouted. “But—” said Lockwood. “I’ve nowhere else to go! THE WORLD IS ENDING, FOR PITY’S SAKE!” “Not here it ain’t! Not if we have anything to say about it!” said Farmer Jenkins. The villagers echoed his sentiment, and a frenzy soon took hold of them. They seized their pitchforks and torches and ran Lockwood out of town. Then, with heavy hearts, they set about preparing for Hugo’s funeral.
That night, the aliens landed. “Citizens of Swanson’s Cross, rejoice!” they proclaimed. “Your new leaders are here!” But answer came there none, for the villagers were sound asleep. So the aliens turned up the volume on their voice units and tried again. “Citizens—!” But then they stopped. And they stared. A crushing disappointment fell over their bright green faces. “Oh, great! We can’t take over here! They’ve got a fucking McDONALD’S!!!”
“But this is madness!” poor Lockwood cried, trying in vain to fend off Granny Whittaker’s stick. “I didn’t kill him!”
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From the other side of a congested street, a group of young locals call out one of the most common Indonesian words a tourist is likely to encounter in parts of the country. ‘Bule’ translates roughly to ‘foreigner’ and many Indonesians found us fascinating. At major landmarks, it seemed like we were the attraction and we often had people lining up to have photos with us – tourists are made to feel like celebrities. From skyscrapers, development and traffic chaos in Jakarta to rice fields, palm oil plantations and orangutans in North Sumatra, Indonesia is a diverse country full of contrasts. Seventeen thousand islands make up the archipelago nation, each with a distinct culture and varying traditions. These differences are what make the country so unique. Arriving in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, you are met with a city of organised chaos. The megacity is home to more than ten million people and it does not pay to be in a hurry to get anywhere. Religion is important to the people of Indonesia with mosques spread around the city and the beautifully eerie call to prayer echoing across Jakarta five times each day. From entrepreneurial start-ups to construction work on new high-rise buildings, the growth of the city is showing no signs of slowing down.
Images: Monte Bovill
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Travel
A Bule in Indonesia Monte Bovill
Just a two hour flight north of Jakarta, you will find yourself in North Sumatra and the city of Medan. It is a city that feels like a different world to Jakarta. Medan is Indonesia’s fourth largest population centre but has not experienced the levels of development like other parts of the country. A few hours’ drive from Medan is the edge of Southeast Asia’s largest wilderness area, Gunung Leuser National Park. The park is in a world heritage area but is listed as in danger from agricultural expansion, logging and palm oil plantations. It is famous for being a home to orangutans.
Orangutan translates to ‘person of the forest’ and their human like qualities, curiosity and vulnerability are evident. Their habitat is under threat from the expansion of the palm oil industry and Indonesia is the biggest exporter in the world. The country has a global responsibility to reach a balance of protecting areas of environmental value while promoting sensible expansion and development. The country is rapidly changing and there are immense opportunities and challenges for Indonesia in the future. Its diverse population and contrasting regions have a uniqueness that is hard to find elsewhere – both a great strength and weakness.
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Wash Steph Palmer
The water was warm and inviting. Louis felt the sun on his cheeks. His body was primed for the ocean, tight and sleek in his wetsuit. His black silhouette was visible upon the brilliant turquoise and crisp whitecaps. Thin white clouds streaked above as he paddled out into the surf, the nose of the board bobbing methodically with the gentle rock of the tide. The surface glistened like a moguled mirror. Louis approached the breaking waves, his arms expertly carving through the water. He waited for the ideal take-off, watching eagerly for the longest, smoothest wave. He squatted on his board, perfectly poised, skirring through the hollow barrel with one hand against the curling wall of water. Louis felt the flying droplets showering around him. A broad smile stretched across his face as wide as the tube itself. He imagined the sunbathers sitting up from their towels on the beach, their bronzed bodies covered only
by three tiny triangles of coloured fabric. He could picture the customers in the esplanade takeaway shop gazing through the window at him as they tore open their greaseproof paper bundles of hot chips. Mothers would let their ice-creams drip onto the sand as they shielded their eyes with their free hand for a clearer view. Louis’ confidence was suddenly hit by oncoming spray as the crest of the wave broke over him. His board was swept from underneath him as he lost his footing. Louis held his breath as he slid under, missing the opportunity to gasp any extra oxygen. He dived down, hoping to be picked up by the following wave before it collapsed. His submerged body kicked wildly. Louis’ eyes were closed when his head broke the surface of the foamy water. They flew open as he sucked in two lungfuls of air and flicked the wet hair from his face. He splashed around, reaching for his board and hitting the side of the bath. The soap dish was upturned and his half-empty shampoo bottle was floating alongside him. Bubbles had spilled over the side and onto the floor, popping intermittently in shallow puddles. Louis glanced down at his spattered rashie and board shorts as he stepped out of the bath. Filtered light squinted through the bathroom window. Louis grabbed the towel rack to catch his breath and steadied himself from slipping on the wet tiles. “In my dreams,” he laughed, pulling at his towel and drying himself off.
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Creative
Kindness An Origin Story Dan Prichard
On his happy stroll, Tim decided to take a seat in the shade of a lovely tall tree. He had prepared himself the most delicious sandwich, complete with ham, lettuce, and plastic-cheese. He could not wait to have his day made by indulging in this absolute treat. Meal unwrapped, sandwich in hand, Tim was ready to lose himself in the euphoria of the perfect sandwich, when he noticed in the corner of his eye a young girl. This girl, though of a similar age, was not marvelling at a sandwich but merely an apple core. Tim could tell the apple was old from its tan, even less appealing than those he’d seen worn to the senior dances held at his school. Tim caught himself. Was this fair? Though he didn’t know the girl with the apple core, pangs of guilt rushed to his head. Whilst he was moments from enjoying the pinnacle of lunchtime cuisine experiences, his fellow shade-sharer was stuck with nothing more than the rotting remains of an apple. How was he so lucky? In this pivotal moment of his young, joyful existence, Tim’s moral compass directed him to the sandwich-less stranger. In an act of bravery, Tim introduced himself. And in an act of kindness, Tim broke his sandwich in two, offering half to the girl. A small gesture to some, a mammoth gesture for young Tim. The girl thanked Tim politely. Now for Tim, that was the end of the story. He shared his sandwich with a hungry stranger and went on his merry way. However, in reality, that was in no way the conclusion of the sandwich saga; it was, in fact, the beginning of something much bigger than Tim could have ever imagined. The young girl, an eleven-year old known by the name of Matilda Green, returned home feeling differently. She was overwhelmed by the boy’s act of generosity (and sandwich). That night, young Matilda Green did something she’d never done before: she offered to wash the dishes.
Now, if we isolate these two gestures, we can note some similarities. Whilst only one involved a tasty sandwich, both involved some kind of sacrifice, be it time or the hopes of a full stomach. As well as this, each act left both the giver and the receiver for the better. How? I like to believe in karma. The way we treat those around us will eventually affect us. What you give is what you are given back. Tim’s sharing of his sandwich was a simple act of kindness. Tim leaves this act behind, but the young girl can’t. That night she passes it on through washing the dishes. Where does this go? We can only wonder, but if you ask Mrs Green’s co-worker, you’d see it in the ‘thankyou’ note and tall soy-latte she’d found on her desk the next morning, which kept her sane till lunch. And so it goes. I realise in painting this picture, I may have tiptoed around the point a little. Let me put it simply: kindness starts with one person. It starts with one act of generosity. One shared sandwich. It’s within us all somewhere, and it creeps out of us often unexpectedly. What makes kindness unique is that it can do nothing but benefit others. Not to mention the fact that it is something that cannot be diminished, the more it is shared. We don’t all need sandwiches to join this movement. Kindness isn’t dependent on what we have – often, those who have next to nothing are among the happiest and most generous you’ll meet. All it takes is a willingness to sacrifice a little time, to be a little patient, to share a little smile. Random acts of kindness are like boomerangs, in that when I share them, they always come back to me. Consider this your formal invitation to join the movement. Be a part of something that took over the world long before Starbucks or Game of Thrones ever crept onto pop culture’s mantelpiece. Random acts of kindness run the world. And they will keep coming your way, whether you like it or not. Tim is on a walk. He sees someone hungry and instead of filling his stomach, he sees a need and does something about it. Good move, Tim.
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Opinion
This is the story of a happy boy named Tim. One fine summer’s day, Tim was out for a morning stroll. He was enjoying the sunshine peeking through the big, fluffy clouds and the sweet sea breeze, untainted by the fumes of industrial factories or the grim future of the West in a post-Trump world.
Joseph Schmidt First Year | Major Undecided Parallelo-Hologram, 2017 Parallelo-Hologram provides the complete computer monitor spectrum of pixels captured within a pattern of light and constantly repeating itself. Presenting three very simple colours to create the light that we surround ourselves with every day.
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Taylar Bowerman Fourth Year | Sculpture Major The Treehouse, 2018 The Treehouse is a drawing created entirely from fine line pen on paper and is an opening scene for my upcoming silent picture book that is currently in the making. Random lines, cross-hatching and stippling techniques in different size pens are used to create the scene.
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Mug Brownie Avid Baker: Elise Sweeney | 5 Minutes | Serves 1 Mug
This recipe has gotten me through quite a few difficult uni assignments, and is easily adaptable. Fudgy brownie or cakey brownie, the choice is yours!
Ingredients
Directions
1 tablespoon of butter
•
1.
Melt the butter in a microwave safe mug.
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
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2.
1 tablespoon of white sugar
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Add the cocoa powder, sugars, and the instant coffee powder (if you’re using it) into the mug. Then stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
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3.
Add the egg yolk and mix through.
(Optional) 1 tablespoon of instant coffee
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4.
an egg yolk
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Add in the milk, flour and salt. (If you want a fudgy brownie, use plain flour; if you want more of a cakey brownie, use selfraising flour.) Then mix it in well.
2 tablespoons of milk
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5.
(Choice) 4 tablespoons of plain flour (fudgy brownie) or self-raising flour (cakey brownie)
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Place in a microwave and cook secondsdepending on your microwave.
6.
Your mug brownie is now ready to enjoy!
a pinch of salt
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Lifestyle
Cheat’s Rocky Road Dessert Enthusiast: Steph Palmer 20 Minutes + Refrigeration | Serves 24 Pieces
Ingredients
Directions
350 grams of dark chocolate chips
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1 cup of crunchy peanut butter
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3/4 cup of sultanas
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100 grams of mini marshmallows
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1.
Melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan on medium heat and stir constantly until just melted. Then remove from heat.
2.
Add the peanut butter and mix thoroughly.
3.
Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes. After that, add sultanas and marshmallows.
4.
Spread the mixture into a lamington (rectangular) tray lined with baking paper. Then refrigerate it until it is set. (About 40 minutes.)
5.
Cut them into squares and scoff ‘em down!
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Chocolate Caramel Slice Doctor Omnom: Paulie Wilkinson 20 Minutes + Refrigeration | Serves 10 Hungry People Ingredients
Directions
125 grams of unsalted butter, melted
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1 cup of plain flour
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1 cup of self-raising flour
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1/2 cup of white sugar
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1 can of condensed milk
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60 grams of unsalted butter, extra
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2 tablespoons of golden syrup
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(Choice) 1/2 a block of cooking chocolate (preferably either Lindt or Plaistowe)
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1.
Preheat your oven to 180°C and microwave the butter until it has melted. (About 30 to 45 seconds.) Also grease and line the baking tray.
2.
Sift the dry ingredients (flours and sugar) into a bowl. Then stir in the melted butter. This makes up our base. Pat the base into the tray and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.
3.
Pour the condensed milk into an empty pot. Add the extra butter and golden syrup. (Here’s a tip, wet the spoon first.)
4.
Place the pot on the stove on medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until it’s thick. Don’t let the mixture stick.
5.
Take the base out of the oven and pour the caramel filling on top. Be sure to spread it evenly.
6.
Replace tray into the oven for 2 minutes. Keep an eye on the slice, don’t let it burn. Then take the tray out of oven as soon as the caramel filling starts to bubble.
7.
Break the cooking chocolate into cubes and place them into a bowl. Microwave it in sets of 20 second intervals, checking until it’s almost smooth and melted.
8.
Pour chocolate topping over the caramel and spread evenly Then place the tray in the fridge for 2 hours then remove it and slice up your slice!
Lifestyle
Sophie Sliskovic
Opinion
Yes, this is the way most teenage diaries begin. In a stark contrast to this coming of age possession is bullet journalling. Bullet journalling is the art of keeping all your ideas and thoughts organised in the space of a handy journal using lots of creative materials like fine liners and washi tape. Spreads to start a month off are a popular idea. Bullet journals can be purchased from anywhere that stocks basic stationery and they come in all price ranges and styles, such as grid, dotted, lined or blank. Bullet journalling can be a hobby where you list your ideas and use them to create beautiful spreads - the most popular ones include books and movies to watch and using the journal to document your travels. Recording experiences like these can also be incredibly beneficial to your mental wellbeing. You can use it to keep track of your symptoms, medications and routines, you can write about your medical notes from appointments, you can use it as a reflection tool and you can write about how you are feeling and your emotions. Some people like to use it to track their recovery and progress. For me, I began bullet journalling before it became popular in 2017. Having a mental health condition for a long time now, my journal has become a productive space where I jot down my thoughts about the day, plan and create goal lists and often fill it with my favourite inspiring quotes and ideas at that moment. I have become attached to my journal and find it to be a great support and comfort to me when I’m struggling at times. I love journalling. In more recent times, it’s become quite a craze with thousands of members in bullet journalling Facebook groups, a crazy amount of Instagram and Tumblr search results and tags. The best bit is that popular retailers are seeing the demand for bullet journals and other stationery bits, so more places are stocking them. Get those journals out and start writing! Happy journalling!
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Preparing Your Own Notebook Amateur Bookbinder: Elise Sweeney | 1 to 4 Hours | Serves 1 Book Do Not Eat!
Ingredients
Directions
a craft knife and craft mat
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2 sheets of thick cardboard (ideally boxboard or a similar stiff material)
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(Choice) 1 piece of scrapbooking paper or fabric and/or any other desired material for the front and back covers
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a pen and ruler
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(Choice) a sponge or paintbrush
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a tube of PVA glue
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(Optional) a bone folder
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43 sheets of A4 paper
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a thick needle (such as a carpet needle)
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(Optional) an awl
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some thread
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(Optional) some elastic and/or a ribbon
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1.
Using the craft knife, cut one of the sheets of cardboard in half. These will form the covers. Cut a 1.5cm by 21.5cm spine for the book from the second piece of cardboard.
2.
Place the cardboard you have just cut onto your desired cover material, making sure to leave a 5mm gap between the spine and covers. This gap will create a hinge that will enable the book to open and close easily. Mark its positioning with the pen, then, leaving about 2cm worth of distance from where the cardboard was (and your marks are), cut around it. If using scrapbooking paper, you will not be able to fit it all onto one sheet, so cut a separate piece of paper for each piece of cardboard.
3.
Cut the corners off the cover material, and cut thin triangles out of the cover material at each of the corners of the spine.
4.
Using a sponge or paintbrush, apply just enough glue to thinly coat the cardboard covers. Stick the covers and spine onto the cover material, using the marks made previously to aid positioning. The extra cover material that was cut around the cardboard should be folded down around the outside as flaps, and glued as well. To prevent bubbles and wrinkles in the material, use either the ruler or bone folder to smooth the covers, being careful not to rip them. For scrapbooking paper, use the extra paper on each long side of the spine to glue the covers and spine together. (Figure 1)
Images: Elise Sweeney
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Figure 1
6.
Use the ruler to measure an inch from the top and bottom of the spine. Mark each of these spots with a horizontal line across the spine. Then mark the middle of the spine in the
same way. Measure and mark these same points on each section of paper, too. Using the horizontal lines you just made as a guide, divide the spine into four sections. When binding, the lines between these sections will become the places each section of paper will be sewn onto. (Figure 2) 7.
Using either the needle or an awl, poke a hole through the spine at each point that two of the lines you just measured intersect. I like to place a small ‘x’ at each of these points before poking a hole through, so that it is easier to do neatly. Poke a hole through each dot marked on each section of paper, too.
8.
Thread the needle, and place the first of the three sections of paper against the first set of holes on the spine. Poke the needle through the top hole, being careful not to pull the end of the thread all the way through. Poke the needle through the middle hole, then out through the bottom hole, and back through the middle hole once again. (Figure 3) Cut the thread, and tie tightly. (Figure 4) This stitching is in a figure of eight, and so once completed a couple of times, it will become very straightforward and easy to do. This stitch should be used to attach all the other sections of paper to the spine as well. (Figure 5) This style of bookbinding is called long stitch, and can also be used for leather-bound books.
9.
Cut the last remaining sheet of paper in half, so that you are left with two sheets of A5 paper. Glue one half onto each inside cover, and smooth down, so you can see the outline of the cover flaps that were glued down earlier. (Figure 6) Let each side dry with the book open.
Figure 6
Figure 5
Figure 4
Figure 3
Figure 2
Fold the sheets of A4 paper in half. Group into three sections of 14 sheets. There will also be one spare sheet, which will become your inside covers.
10. Your book is now finished! If you’d like to add a strip of elastic to hold it closed, you need to cut two small slits in the back cover, and tape down. Then glue the inside covers on top. If you’d like to add a ribbon bookmark, simply glue the end of one to the inside of the spine before sewing on the pages. There are many other ways that you can customise your handmade book, like using an old map, greeting card, playing cards, or by changing the style of binding you use. If you’re interested in learning more about bookbinding, there is a YouTube channel called Sea Lemon that is a great place for beginners to find new styles and techniques.
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Lifestyle
5.
Embracing Solitude Chris Ham
Scene: Melbourne International Airport, the awkward stage between checking in too early and waiting for your gate to be announced. Date: December 2nd 2017, the first day of a nine-week solo trip around Europe. Me: Freaking out! When I originally booked the flights, nine weeks seemed perfect – not long enough even. But on the edge of what now felt like an abyss, I suddenly felt unprepared for such an undertaking. You feel this way many days of a solo trip – overwhelmed, lost (both emotionally and often physically), lonely. The constant hypervigilance that comes with being on your own in a foreign place will exhaust you to your core, as will the 12-hour walk each day to explore as much of your destination as possible. It’s rough, and you will end up openly weeping on public transport or as you walk down a bustling cobbled street, in front of dozens of bemused people. Here you are, in one of the greatest cities in the world, on the adventure of a lifetime – aren’t you supposed to be happy? The answer is, of course, no. You’re allowed to be sad; just because you’re overseas it doesn’t mean you’re not going to experience negative emotions - that you were going to go the entire course of the trip without experiencing a natural slump. But I say – lean into that. The whole idea of solo travel is to ‘discover yourself’ and all that crap, and while it’s rough, it’s also hugely rewarding. Yes you will struggle, and even in some of the biggest cities in the world you’ll manage to feel really alone, but being able to get through this is the reason you’re here. Once it’s over, you look back with pride and a little embarrassment (but mostly pride). Personally, I found that nine weeks of being alone allowed me to develop a little more as an adult. Suddenly I had only myself and the kindness of strangers to rely on, to make safe choices and navigate the great big world. Some days the first and only conversation I’d have was with a friend back home, at 9 o’clock at night while I sat on my hostel bunk and ate half a loaf of bread, trying not to cry
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(there was a lot of crying). But I found that with a little bit of effort I could make instant and intimate bonds with the most amazing array of people, all of whom I now cherish. And you’re never truly alone when it comes to solo travel. Social media allows you to stay more connected with home than ever, and more often than not you can find another solo traveller in your hostel dorm who’s experiencing a similar situation to you. With the development of social media platforms you can stream your travels in real time, and we’re actually encouraged to lead our most exciting lives so as to create our online narrative. A significant perk of solo travel is the ease of travel logistics. It’s your itinerary to change to suit your own preferences, cutting cities the day before to spend more time in your favourite places or skipping that famous attraction guilt free. There’s no compromise. And one of the best things about solo travel is that you have all these crazy stories, exclusively yours. The time you were mugged in Paris, or fell in love against the backdrop of Berlin’s white Christmas. When a toddler offered you his half-eaten chocolate because you were sobbing on the train from Linz to Salzburg. Or when a cancelled flight forced you to band together with fellow stranded passengers, creating a multinational family trapped indefinitely in Heathrow International. You get to live your dreams – reading Emma in the house Austen wrote it in, vintage shopping in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement, sitting inside powerful testaments to man and to God. And acing a solo world trip, navigating foreign cities and meeting exciting people. Dreams.
Even though you’re in this amazing city or gorgeous village, suddenly you have all this time on your hands, and you will get bored. It’s good to set yourself a daily challenge. For me, it was finding the best coffee in each city, of which I’m fairly confident I did several times (check out: eMa in Prague, CREAM in London, Petit Gateau in Amsterdam – you’re welcome).
Travel
Hot tips for the overly adventurous and mildly apprehensive:
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Rotate calls through your support network, as opposed to relying solely on the one person back home. At my loneliest I’d call home each day but rotating through family and friends allowed me to stay connected back home without exhausting one source of support (this is more for the sanity of your family and friends).
Don’t leave friendships to chance. Be a little more proactive in meeting and befriending new people, because you don’t have many other options when it comes to socialising.
Leave enough time in each city so that you can have a guilt-free sleep in, an early night, and a day where you just chill in your bunk watching Netflix for 12 hours. At the end of the day this is a holiday and you need to be able to rest and recuperate.
Embrace the loneliness. Soon enough, you’ll be back home and slip into normality much more easily than you imagined, so take this scary, overwhelming time by yourself and break it down into achievable goals. Enjoy the solitude and the time to think and reflect.
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Avon Li First Year | Major Undecided Instagram: @cottoneduskk Redbubble: redbubble.com/people/cottoneduskk Wander, 2017 Having been fascinated by the idea of secret gardens since I was young, I have always dreamt of my very own secret garden, filled with the plants I love and little secrets covered by gently interweaving foliage. This piece is thus created as a result of my years of daydreaming, the result of a dream just gracing my paper as a brief reality.
Lucid, 2017 Based on the theme of lucid dreaming, this montage loosely explores that idea. With symbolism like fishes representing the unconscious mind, the fragmented parts being a dreamy story in the making and the eyes in the background are a reminder that the dreamer is in control, I wish to give my own rendition of this phenomenon. I am truly fascinated by the idea of lucid dreaming and hope to experience it myself someday.
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Abigail Rothery Third Year | Painting Major Instagram: @absroths
When It Rains, It Pours, 2017 Waking up to the rain every morning during my trip to Ireland I was inspired to paint this scene taken from a friend’s bedroom apartment in Cork. I was interested in how these different textural elements would work together and create tension on the canvas when painted. My work explores themes of memory, human experience, and visual language through textural manipulations of paint.
29
What Even is the
CSI:Effect? CSI Effect? Logan Linkston
I studied “the CSI Effect” in a first year breadth unit taught by Roberta Julian, then again in Katrina Cilfford’s Media and Crime unit, and we touched on it in Loene Howes’ Crime and Criminal Justice, finally, there’s an entire week dedicated to it again in Forensic Investigation, also taken by Roberta. Basically, if you are a criminology student at the University of Tasmania, there is no running from the CSI Effect, try as you might. The premiere of the original CSI in 2000 led to a theory coined by the media, as the CSI Effect. The CSI Effect is a theory that based on the show’s inaccurate portrayal of forensic evidence. It holds that jurors will potentially acquit a defendant if there is a lack of forensic evidence in the trial. Meaning, the people of the world want to see forensic, scientific evidence in a court case. The CSI Effect suggests that jurors have a tendency to dismiss eyewitnesses and personal testimonies because
The evidence may very well be at the crime scene but there is every chance the investigators won’t find it, or the evidence may have disintegrated, or in transit the evidence may have been compromised. Forensic scientist Paul Kirk once expressed, “Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human error to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.” Basically, if something goes wrong with the evidence, that’s on the scientists and investigators. Shows like CSI have created a widespread concern within the media that even if jurors understand the CSI is not reality, additional time will be spent in court discussing forensic evidence and how it actually works. The truth is, 40 percent of the technology used on CSI is not even real. Now I know that number seems large but at the same time, that means that 60 percent… over half, of the technology IS real.
lice Police Police Police Police they see scientific evidence as “failsafe”. They don’t want eyewitnesses because “people lie”. The Effect proposes that jurors would rather see fingerprints and DNA rather than eyewitness testimony.
Legal actors complain that jurors don’t understand forensic evidence and its capabilities and therefore, they have to spend additional time discussing limitations of forensic evidence.
The reality is, eyewitness testimonies are extremely valuable in a court case so to dismiss them would be really misguided.
You mean, people who aren’t experts in the field of anthropology don’t understand a forensic anthropologist who is on the stand saying words like “centromere” and “homoplasies”?
However, in the vast majority of investigations in which forensics are involved, the scientists themselves conduct the tests, which means most of their results have the potential to be subject to human error.
30 30 No.
That’s just unacceptable, y’all.
There has even been suggestion regarding the research around the CSI Effect that jurors should be questioned on their television viewing habits before being selected. People are really serious about the effects this TV show has on its viewers. The “strong prosecutor’s effect” claims that prosecutors will use substandard forensic evidence to satisfy a jury they feel is expecting forensic evidence. Now, it’s important to know that the CSI Effect has not been proven outside of a media theory. In fact, there’s been just as much research that denounces the existence of the CSI Effect, including two professors of law and psychology who conducted a study in which people said they watch CSI but are still distrustful of forensic evidence. Baskin and Sommers found more than half of their participants were more than willing to convict a defendant on rape or murder without any forensic evidence. That kind of throws the whole “we don’t trust eyewitnesses” thing out the window, doesn’t it? The “tech effect” is another explanation for some people’s desire for forensic evidence. The “tech effect” claims jurors expect forensic evidence simply because they expect technology to be advancing.
Perhaps that is the CSI Effect’s biggest flaw: it sells people short and assumes people cannot separate television shows from fact and fiction. Most television shows are entertainment, pure and simple. Maybe people are smart enough to think, “Hey. This is a show with an hour-long running time in which they have to solve the crime. A lot of this stuff probably isn’t legit.”
Feature
Separate to the CSI Effect theory, it is widely accepted among academic communities that jurors often have no idea what is going on or what is being said in court cases, and that in itself is a huge problem.
In fact, Rachel Dioso-Villa who coined the CSI Effect and has conducted most of the research around the theory, gave alternate options to the concept which she calls the “producer’s effect” and the “educator’s effect”. The “producer’s effect” suggests that CSI is promoting forensic science and provides its viewers with basic education and knowledge. It may not be a completely accurate portrayal, but if people are interested in it and talking about it, that’s a good thing. Similarly, the “educator’s effect” is the idea that because of the show, the younger generation could potentially have a desire to get involved with forensic science. That too is a good thing. Criminology students should be prepared to study the CSI Effect ad nauseum, because it seems to come up in a lot of classes for a theory which hasn’t actually been proven. It’s still interesting though. Especially when so much of the world is enamoured with crime-related television shows.
“It’s 2017. What do you mean DNA takes days to come back from the lab?”
Professors sit you down in a criminology class and show you a little clip from CSI while saying, “Hey. It’s not going to be like this, okay? This isn’t true.”
Maybe people aren’t just passive audiences, nodding their heads and believing everything an actor on a television show tells them about forensic evidence.
But let’s be real. Who doesn’t cringe a little bit every time they watch CSI, whether they be criminology student, police studies student, forensic science student or not?
Police Police Police Police Pol
Baskin & Sommers, “Crime-show-viewing habits and public attitudes toward forensic evidence: the” CSI Effect” revisited pp. 34-105 Dioso-Villa, Introduction Forensic Science and the Administration of Justice: Critical Issues and Directions pp. 21-98 Fraser, Forensic Science: A Very Short Introduction, pg 1
No. 31
Venezuela 101 You Think Your Money Problems Are Bad Andre Abrego
There is a political crisis in Venezuela. Since April 2017, Venezuela has been dealing with a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Protesters have been taking to the streets in defiance of a tyrannical president bent on assuming and consolidating power. Recently, people have ceased protesting out of fear of repression, and the horror stories shared by the Venezuelan people is nothing short of disheartening and gut-wrenching.
It’s important to note that Venezuela’s economy is heavily based in oil, making up for more than 90% of the country’s exports. In the early 2000s, oil prices began to soar which was great news for Chávez as he spent the surplus for social welfare programs such as healthcare and food subsidies. Life in Venezuela flourished as the poverty rate dropped by more than 50%, and in turn the impoverished kept Chávez in power.
In our little corner of the world, it is really hard to imagine what this repression would exactly look like if it were to happen here. We are very fortunate to live in a country with democratic ideals and smart economic policies that continue to progress Australia. A lot of the same could be said about Venezuela eleven years ago. Since then, they’ve beared witness to the breaking down of their universally praised democratic institutions, looking more and more everyday like a dictatorship. This is very much due to terrible economic policy.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end - as the government had not limited its dependence on crude oil and when prices dropped in 2014, Chávez’s successor - Nicolás Maduro dealt with a significant economic crisis. Instead of cutting spending and broadening the tax base out of fear of losing popularity early in his presidency, Maduro did something that should never be done in a country dealing with increasing debt: print more money. The inflation rate in January of 2017 reached 800%, the highest inflation rate of any country in the world. This makes the United States dollar equal to 33000 Bolívar and makes it nearly impossible for Venezuelans to pay for essential items, like food.
To understand how Venezuela has gotten to this point, you have to look at their leaders. Enter former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. Chávez burst into the political scene in the 1990s identifying himself as a champion for the poor. He aligned himself with a tough stance against political corruption and the elite, whom he blamed for the evident economic inequality. Chávez won the presidential election by a convincing margin.
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Senovia Gonzalez, a 64-year-old housewife was standing in line to buy food and said, “How is it possible that I bought rice a few days ago at 8000 bolívars, which was already expensive, and now it’s at 17000.”
Feature
All of this has made president Nicolás Maduro very unpopular among the Venezuelan people. A poll from October 2016 showed 80% of Venezuelans have negative opinions of the president. Instead of being removed from office, Maduro has assumed and consolidated more power. He started consolidating power in March 2017, where the Supreme Court, made up of loyalists of Maduro, ruled to strip the legislative branch of government of legislative powers that were then assumed by Maduro. This sparked fierce protests across the country and the Supreme Court quickly reversed the decision, but by then the damage had been done and demonstrators continued the protests. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, it was estimated that 124 people died and more than 5000 were arbitrarily detained between April and July. José and Elvira Pernalete never thought when they dropped their son, Juan Pablo at University, that they would never see him again. It was hours later when the couple was made aware that their son was missing and it was only when they searched the city centre that they heard the tragic news. Their son was dead, hit by a tear gas canister.
time in office, but he held a national referendum as to whether there should be a national constituent assembly in the first place, with a resounding yes from the public. Maduro did not hold a referendum, and the opposition called on voters to boycott the election without fielding any candidates in protest. In an attempt to create the illusion of public support, the government claimed eight million people voted in the election but that number has been scrutinised and said to be largely inflated by at least one million. As a result, the United States of America imposed sanctions on Maduro and his political allies, which Maduro labelled as American imperialism. Hugo Chávez kept power by rigging the economy to benefit the poor. Different to his predecessor, Maduro is keeping his power through fear of repression and by buying support from the military and his political allies. With the next presidential election coming up in May 2018, it will be interesting to see how Venezuela may bounce back from an authoritarian rule, or if international intervention may be required. Seeing as how Venezuelans have topped the list of US asylum seekers since 2016, the latter is more likely.
On 31 July, Maduro held a vote to elect a national constituent assembly, essentially to replace the previous legislative branch - with the power to rewrite the constitution. Chávez did something similar during his
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Mosin Joe Brady She was petty bourgeois and burgeoning on pretty. She wiped her nose on the back of her arm and coughed. She spoke frankly for a girl of peplums and pleats. “Were you shot?” she asked. “No. A boy’s gun exploded.” The girl raised an eyebrow as she mixed vinegar and salt into a canteen. It was only as she crouched next to him and caught the light of the lamp that he realised how young she was — she couldn’t have been older than fifteen. She had sweat on her brow. Her fingertips were on his sleeve as she rotated his arm gently, examining the sweet rose of blood that had blossomed on his sleeve. “You have metal in there,” she said. “That’s the bolt of his rifle. Are you my nurse?” “I’m Tzipora. I’m with the Auxiliary. You’re out of luck if the metal’s poisoned you, but I can get it out of there and sterilise it.” “So where have all the Women’s Auxiliary gone? Militia boys are stacked up in the hall outside. They keep me awake with their noise. Where are the nurses?”
it aged him five years. It was an artifact of prosperity that told of a future that never reached her — instead of in her purse, her handkerchief was in the mouth of a rebel. How things changed. She folded it over several times and slipped it between his teeth. She brushed the curve of his jaw with her thumb, and then pushed the tweezers into the wound, which squelched and oozed clotted blood. He began to scream into her handkerchief, and he jerked wildly, but she leaned on top of him and persisted. After a few moments that were eternity to him, it plinked on the wooden floor and she was calming him, wiping his forehead with a cloth. “Look,” she said soothingly, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. “This was in you.” A small fragment of a mosin bolt was presented to him in the jaws of the tweezers. He panted frantically and stared at her, wide-eyed, as the fierce electric fire in his arm dulled. “You said your name was Tzipora?” “Yes, sir.” “That a Jewish name?”
“The women are outside Cherry, in the hospital. They had to move from here. It’s getting too dangerous. I move out in a few days.” She was too tired to look up at him, and she continued her mumbling distractedly. “Seems like the kit they give you kills more Militia boys than fascists.”
“Yep. I’m not a Jew, though. Just European. That’s the accent.”
“The gun must have been forty years old, or worse. The Polack boy tried to shoot a rabbit. It went off in his face. God hates the Militia.”
“Not out here, anyway,” she shrugged. She stepped back into the kitchen, and set the kettle to boil to sterilise the tweezers.
“God is scared of the Militia. How’s he doing?”
“How long have you been with the Auxiliary?”
“He’s dead.”
“Three years.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. She glanced at him, as if to emphasise her sympathy, and then she reached for a pair of tweezers by his leg. “I’m going to fish it out, okay?”
“Christ. And how old are you, exactly?”
“Okay.”
“Oh, God,” he moaned. He tried to sit up, but she returned to him with a cushion and set his head on it. He complained to her. “You’re too young to be here,” he said. “Do you know how many teenagers I’ve seen be killed without reason?”
She rummaged around in her satchel and found a handkerchief. It was pastel and scented, and the sight of
34
His breathing slowed, as though the revelation had satisfied him. “I’m not sure it matters.”
“Fourteen.”
“When they came to Cherry, someone had told them I was with the Auxiliary,” she said, raising the canteen of vinegar and shaking it gently to stir it, “and so the fascists took me to the police station and down into the cells to where they were keeping the Militia boys. They tied me down by my hands and legs, threw a filthy towel over my face, and drowned me slowly… I keep waking up at night thinking I’m dying. And after a few minutes of stopping and starting, I became a witness of the crimes of the Militia boys. But I had never met these men before! Not a one! And I sold them out!” The girl was looking at him distantly, frowning slightly, and struggled with the cap of the canteen. She grabbed a handful of her gingham shirt and attempted to loosen the screw-cap, but she couldn’t get it to budge. She looked at the canteen in her hands and her expression faltered. She began to cry. “They shot them and then let me go, and they said before I left, ‘Remember — there is no heaven for a Bolshevik.’ And… I, uh, and…” and she lifted a hand to her mouth and gasped into it. Suddenly she was a child again, flushed and crying weakly as tears traced the curve of her jaw and trickled into her collar. She fell silent, staring into nothing, and he knew he’d lost her. He reached out and took her hand, and pumped it gently, breathing heavily as it inflamed his wound. After a while, her eyes focused and she returned to him. It was upsetting for him to see this kitten with the same stare as the fighting men. “Sorry,” she said. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Her hands were covered in blood.
“Put the handkerchief back in your mouth,” she said. “This will sting a bit.” It was a blatant understatement and his muffled screams filled the room as she dribbled vinegar and salt over his wound. He banged the tabletop with his fist, and she put all her weight on his injured arm to keep it still. “Calm down,” she said, “I’m done. I can bandage it now, but you’ll need to disinfect it properly when you have the chance. I’m just a girl with kitchen supplies. Otherwise you’ll lose the arm.” “Stay in the Women’s Auxiliary.” He was pleading with her now. “There is no place in this war for a petticoat socialist. You’ll be shot in the face by a fascist or in the back by the Soviets. You’re pretty, and young. Stay on the sidelines, and flee if Cherry falls.” “Hardly,” she said, “There are no sidelines. Fascism is death for me. My name aside — I look like a Jew and talk like an anarchist. They’ll have their way with me and then shoot me. As long as Militia boys are dying for me, I don’t have to pick up a rifle. But we’re going to run out of boys soon enough.” He looked at her, and the vitality of his posture evaporated, and she thought he might protest, but he closed his mouth. She leaned into him and kissed his forehead gently. “Try and sleep,” she said. “I’ve got nothing for the pain. Let me know if you need food or water. It’s always good to talk, yes?” She packed her possessions and left the room, wiping her hands on her skirt, and then he was alone.
The cap came off the canteen.
Image: Joe Brady
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Creative
She took the canteen from the floor next to her and shook her head. He opened his mouth and the girl spoke up, interrupting him.
Dr Neezy’s LoOove Column Returning to His White Roots
I have returned from six months of living in a Tame Impala music video. It is difficult to reflect since we last shared in the pains of the loveless - a smoky purple haze has taken me over with new wisdom to bestow. A new chapter of love advice I have for you all, claimed from my excursion to the far, far north motherlands to fish back the missus from the fjords. Figured I’d make like Phil Collins, maestro poet of desire, and get the beer goggles on in Belgium before questing towards my easy lover. Alas I was not well equipped, those brews easily triple the strength of a beloved VB. I zigzagged my way up to my darling, like a pinball of rejection rebounding off of Czech, Holland, Germany, finally Denmark. My dearest destitute devotees, I discovered a new kind of feminism. Do not abandon faith, sexually aggressive men are no problem in this brave world! The blonde women of Europe rule with an iron stiletto, and we men would be wise to humble ourselves before them. It is truly special to see the death of the fuckboi, but will the cuck fill the void? And the missus, she did find herself! More on that next time, it appears we have urgent business. Readers of all walks, open your hearts to this sad sack.
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Dear Dr Neezy,
Can I have a review of the TUU condoms please?
Things were getting hot with my new girlfriend last night, and in a bad way. She giggled when she found out I was circumcised, and it’s made me feel really insecure. I think she’s leaving scissors around the house to make fun of me. How do I make her see the light?
Safety First
Sincerely, Snip Install a blue light right now. Then when she can feel it cumming in the air tonight, you can scream “OH LORD” with conviction. The shock will freeze her, guaranteed to send shivers down her spine. In this moment of absurdity, tell her to wipe off that grin. You know where’s she’s been, with those scissors. You’ll have achieved a brief moment of mutual vulnerability. Now, why such a bizarre method? I admit it is unconventional, but so too is any person who shames another’s genitals. For the copulating couple, it is commonly accepted that the post-coital window of about two minutes are valuable for reflection. Tell her to look through her shock and satisfaction at the messy aftermath. The writing is running down the walls. Don’t shame her for shaming you, show her what that circumcised penis can do. It’s a tool, and you need to show that you know what to do with it.
By all means! Please, feel free to ask for me at the front desk of the TUU. Just tell the lovely receptionist Vicki that this is in regards to TUU condom reviews, she’ll understand. For future reference, I do prefer bookings to be made for intensive sessions.
This is a reminder to all, please do not hesitate to contact your resident Love Doctor. This is a free service, intended to assist your student experience. Remember that love is life, and the satisfaction of your student life is paramount for good grades. For more appointments, reviews, and most importantly, love queries, send your letters to drneezy@togatus.com.au.
Those scissors are a necessary cry for attention from a partner that just sees a skinless, lifeless appendage.
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Amyris Cauchi Third Year | Electronic Media Major Art is a means of creating reality. As we are creating our realities, we become the central role in our own play. In turn, the way we play such character, will determine the material product in which we have created. Art, though is not only a mirror but also a symbol, a provocation and a means of prediction. But, I guess, that is because it is all part of us.
(Top) Alien Fairy Child, 2017 (Middle Left) Skeleton Collage #418, 2017 (Middle) Skeleton Collage #31, 2017 (Bottom Left) Alien Faery, 2017 (Bottom Right) Skeleton Collage #777, 2017
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Fathimath Shara Waheed First Year | Printmaking Major
Gulhun, 2017 Maldives - an island with a rich history and culture but shrouded in mystery and folk stories from the past as there isn’t a lot of documented history where I call home. Moving and being away from home for almost four years and being immersed in a completely different culture has made me realise the importance of my heritage, culture and language. A discovery of myself as I unravel my rich culture and language.
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Vox Pops: Edition 1 Just Some Randoms Chelsea Wilde and Monte Bovill
1. What are you studying? 2. What is the best type of cheese? 3. Where is your happy place? 4. Is a hotdog a sandwich? 5. What is your favourite reality TV show at the moment? 6. What New Year’s resolution have you already given up?
Bethany Green 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
“Bachelor of Media and Diploma of Chinese.” “Definitely camembert. It’s the perfect cheese for any occasion – picnics, an after-dinner snack, or a formal event.” “The Mount Nelson Signal Station. It’s a great place for a coffee and has a beautiful view of Hobart.” “No.” “Married at First Sight.” “My resolution to wake up every morning at 6am and study Chinese. It’s just so early.”
Jack Tideman 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
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“Bachelor of Science majoring in Geology.” “Blue Cheese. It has very strong flavours and goes awesome on a burger.” “Outside bushwalking on a mountain.” “Is a burrito also a sandwich?” “The Block.” “I have given up making New Year’s resolutions because they just never happen.”
Student
Josh Habens 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
“Bachelor of Music with Honours.” “Brie because it is the best cheese ever.” “Being inside when it is raining and cold outside.” “No. It is a hotdog. It comes into its own category.” “The Real Housewives of Melbourne.” “New Year’s resolutions are silly.”
Matt Ling 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
“Bachelor of Science.” “I don’t really like cheese very much but mozzarella because it goes on pizza.” “Kelcey Tier in Devonport because it is a cool place to go for a walk.” “No.” “I don’t watch TV. Especially reality TV.” “Trying to work out on a regular basis.”
Galia Bastoni 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
“Third year Bachelor of Arts.” “Halloumi cheese! The reason why is because you can put it on toast with olive oil and you can also bake it with pastry. It’s fancy.” “The beach when no one else is there. I like sitting there and watching the water.” “Well I have never tried a hotdog before because I was worried that it actually was made of dog.” “Married at First Sight – it is very cool and it shows some brave people who are looking for a true relationship.” “To learn to ice skate but I haven’t given up yet.”
Isobel Pyefinch 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
“Bachelor of Arts and Fine Arts.” “Vegan cheese because I can’t eat normal cheese.” “The State Cinema. It is a great place to escape to.” “No it is not. It’s not called a hotdog sandwich, it is just called a hotdog.” “The Voice… both looking forward to it and not at the same time.” “I was going to draw every day but I haven’t.”
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Why Am I a Madridista? Dalipinder Singh Sandhu
“Madridista” is a term used to refer to a person who is a die-hard fan of Spanish football club Real Madrid. Often I have come across people in the community askingthe same question. They have many different answers. Some of them like the club due to its decorated squad over the years including names like Iker Casillas, Ronaldo Nazario, Raul, Zidane, Beckham, Cristiano, Ramos, Modric, etc. Some of the fans are in awe of the glorious cabinet of trophies. Others talk about the media attention it received from movies like “Goal 2.” When someone asks me about my reason for being a Madridista, it goes a bit beyond football. The ‘Real’ in Real Madrid stands for ‘Royal.’ The title was given to the club by King Alfonso XIII.
“What is Real Madrid? I think it’s a feeling.” - Alfredo Di Stefano The club goes beyond the game plan. The royalty of the crown, the professionalism it imbibes into the players and into the fans. The winning mentality. The attitude of never giving up and coming back at the naysayers in terms of end results. When I stay awake until 3am just to see my club playing, it gives meaning to my life. The passion when there is a counter attack at a lightning speed. The jump you make from your couch when you see Luka Modric taking a corner. The celebration you do when Cristiano scores. When the whole of Bernabeu roars at a header by Ramos; miles away, far in a distant country, at midnight when everyone is sleeping, one Madridista also roars from the heart as his/her eyes become dilated watching the screen in a dark room while being cautious of not waking up the family members and friends in the next room. Real Madrid has taught me how to take a defeat. How giving 100% isn’t sufficient enough. How the changes in life are to be dealt with when you see a departure of a beloved one. How to never lose your character and still believe in success. Most importantly Real Madrid kept my heart beating. A depressed young teenager whom the world just saw as a normal guy who was about to end his life at any moment. The only relief was Madrid playing every 3 days. Watching Madrid suffer the loss of every kind and recovering. Watching them suffer under Rafa Benitez to winning the Champions League in the same season under Zidane. The values and character of the club gave me a new phase and motivation to carry on. “Real Madrid shirt is white, can be stained with mud, sweat & even with blood but never with shame.” - Santiago Bernabeu
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Opinion
Real Madrid is more than a club, it is a lifestyle, it is a character, it is about sportsmanship, it is about professionalism and hard work. If you don’t inculcate all these values you aren’t a Madridista but merely a spectator. After every loss of Madrid, I feel I have lost. After every victory, I feel I have won. Within an ongoing match, I can synchronise with the mentality of the players. I can feel every bit of the game, I take the goal conceded in the same way the players take it, I believe and shout ‘Vamos’ as if I’m in the lineup. In a world where people live for weekends, Madridistas wait for 10,080 minutes every week just to see Madrid playing for 90 minutes. In the era of nuclear families and distant relationships. I have found my joint family of Madridistas and the companions in our idols of the club. Real Madrid is a way of life, Madridismo is the guide to follow that lifestyle. Hence, I am a Madridista, a proud one. No matter how big our trophy cabinet is or how successful our season is. When I say I’m a Madridista, I know I represent the pinnacle of professionalism and the vertex of royalty.
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Shadow of the Colossus Review of the Sublime Remasterpiece Nathan Hennessy Regaining consciousness once again in front of the altar of my dead companion (lover? It isn’t clear), I have delivered the soul of another titan, part of a resurrection ritual. As I begin to walk my character away, the non-diegetic choir dies down and the mesmeric sound of wind returns. A dove flies by the altar and both myself and the character’s eyes follow it. One of the few signs of life that increasingly pops into this world after each that my character claims. Moments like this grab at my heart. This game, a loving remake of the 2005 original Shadow of the Colossus on PS2, is 8 hours of sublime isolation. Sublime, I’d argue, is the most appropriate word to describe this understated world. The level of grand, artistic presentation on display is what gives Sony its edge on the competition. Every button press in every moment echoes a response or sound that only builds immersion. You, the player, are on a journey in which your senses are ultimately required to guide you through the fable-like (not Fable) narrative. Armed with an ‘ancient sword’ and a strong will, the gangly ragdoll of a protagonist makes a pact with a dubious disembodied being. You are tasked with defeating 16 gigantic monsters in order to revive the protagonist’s deceased partner. These monolithic demigods roam a world no longer inhabited by any intelligent life, and conquering all of them forms the primary gameplay loop. The gameplay does not pack the same ‘wow’ factor as it did in 2005, yet this is an evolved audio-visual experience. Every inch of the environment has been retextured with astounding detail. I spent close to an hour with the ingame photo mode, finding every angle in every situation to be jaw dropping. I’m not great on scenic composition, but look at those screenshots I was able to take. Couple the visuals with a soundtrack that rewards you with sweeping strings and orchestras for entering the domain of any colossus (the titular titans you must hunt), and you may be surprised that a video game could produce such an outstanding soundtrack. Personally I take such things for granted, but I would place this next to Journey and The Witcher 3 as my only essential video game soundtracks of this generation.
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As much as I love this game, exploring its world is infuriating by today’s standards. The sword is used to reflect light that guides you as you roam the open world on horseback. Using a reflection as a guide sounds impractical, because it is. If you even try to navigate a particular path on horseback as intended, the horse aptly named ‘Agro’ will send you and the in-game camera into a frenzy. To have a horse named Agro tells me that even the programmers couldn’t wrap their head around how to make this horse remotely practical or friendly. The scale of the boss rush in 2005 was incredible, and still is in 2018. The monsters themselves are suitably epic in stature, with their stone calloused exteriors looming 20 feet or higher. Their vulnerable areas stand out with some of the best looking hair I’ve seen in game. Praise the luscious manes. Their movement is wonderfully kinetic, with momentum and life in each hulking joint of which can be scaled by the player. Doing so is required to progress, but the terrible controls requires about three unintuitive button presses to go anywhere. What’s likely to happen is the protagonist being thrown askew like a ragdoll, flying 50 metres through the air. Luckily, he dusts himself off with barely the need of a bandaid. This is strangely the game’s strongest and weakest element. You may spend 20 minutes trying to mount a flying beast, tossing you about with your stomach in your mouth. If you’re able to exercise some form of luck and scale to the enemy’s weak spot, the game requires you to simply spam the one attack while holding on for dear life. After repeating this 16 times with few exciting variations, the game feels a bit stale by the end. Sadly the narrative is also a great example of being past its use-by date. If being fantastical and using absence of clear plot or character could be considered deep or metaphorical, we’d have a winner. But rather, this game relegates the only useful, though fairly plot-thin cutscenes to being a bookend for the beginning and end of the game. This is great for a fandom discussion on a forum before the tidal wave of social media, but in 2018 this is just lazy. If you can save yourself a rainy weekend as we venture through autumn, this game is a cinematic tour-de-force (always wanted to say this in an article, how wanky) of the adventure genre.
Review
Images: Nathan Hennessy
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When tragedies strike, particularly when carried out by a single perpetrator, those around them are usually shocked beyond belief. In the wake of single shooter massacres, serial killers or rapists, we try to make sense of the kind of person who could commit those crimes. People who take lives, who hurt children, who cause so much pain. It seems that, without fail, people close to the perpetrator reel in the aftermath of the crimes. When interviewed by the media about the perpetrator they usually say something along the lines of, “Well he was kinda quiet, kinda kept to himself. I had no idea that’s who he was.” For example, Ann Rule was a girl who worked with prolific serial killer Ted Bundy at a crisis hotline centre. While they worked together, she had no clue what he was doing and the kind of person he was. She saw nothing in his personality that scared her or gave her bad vibes and she described him as kind and empathetic. Later on, she wrote the leading biography on Bundy, entitled The Stranger Beside Me. More often than not, the mental health of the individual is questioned. Maybe the case of Ted Bundy is extreme, but what about the cult leaders? Or even the guy next to you in class who says that he draws all his motivation in life from Hannibal Lecter? So, what does this mean? Dr Hervey M. Cleckley said that psychopaths wear a “mask of sanity” which conceals their mental disorder. He proposed that psychopaths appear normal and often live harmoniously in the world, all the while wearing a mask. That’s just slightly terrifying, right? Cleckley recalled a particular case study of a highly respected and successful businessman, who after many years of succeeding in his chosen field, sent telegrams to the White House demanding the President to dispatch the Atlantic Fleet to Madagascar and also to execute all the Roman Catholics.
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What if this is the norm? Dr Cleckley said we cannot just look at psychopaths as physicians; calm and detached. We have to look at them with the eye of the ordinary man on the streets, because that is ultimately whom they confound and amaze. We see that playing out in the discovery of disturbing behaviour, with neighbours claiming that the said individual was “kinda quiet”, much like any other neighbour on any other street. In the book Mask of Sanity, psychopaths are described as having superficial charm; that they are friendly and easy to talk to. They are well-adjusted and happy people who are frequently of superior intelligence to the rest of society. Cleckley said, “Everything about him is likely to suggest desirable and superior human qualities, a robust mental health.” The psychopath has an absence of delusions; he doesn’t hear voices and usually doesn’t struggle with depression. He reacts with what we would see as normal and healthy emotions and is often capable of full devotion and loyalty. However, underneath this mask the psychopath often has poor judgment and is inadequately motivated in many aspects of his life. Most importantly underneath their mask of sanity, according to Cleckley, the psychopath has an incapacity for love and is defined by egocentricity. The levels of each may vary but for the most part, the unmodifiable selfcenteredness means the individual is incapable of love.
Feature
Mask of Sanity Logan Linkston
In fact, in all the psychopaths Cleckley observed, he found them incapable of emotions such as mature anger, solid grief, sustaining pride, deep joy and genuine despair. Instead he found that the psychopaths observed experienced different kinds of emotion that could not be considered genuine, for example: flashes of quasi-affection, resentment, self-pity and vanity. It is important to note the incredible contrast regarding how psychopaths may not have the capacity for true emotions. However, they are capable of powerful instinctive drives and passions. Originally Cleckley did not think psychopaths were capable of violent crimes. Despite this, as he continued his research, he did find that psychopaths can have sadistic tendencies which drive them to commit sadistic sexual crimes. While they may not always be the people who are committing heinous crimes, they are still someone who could be spouting insane statements, leaping from “I spent the week in Bunbury drinking with my cousins” to, when casually asked about their job, “I work for the CIA and Trump and this alien tattoo is actually a Special Forces tattoo,” logically leading us to stop and think about the mental state of the person sitting across from us. The Mask of Sanity instead prompts us to think about mental disorders such as psychopathy with less “black and white” perspective. We should acknowledge that we have barely scratched the surface of understanding the minds of those around us, and that perhaps people are simply not what they seem underneath the masks they wear. Cleckley ultimately concluded, “We are not dealing with a complete man at all, but with something that suggests a subtly constructed reflex machine which can mimic the human personality perfectly.”
things are not always so black and white or as easily defined as they seem. Where do we draw the line? Especially considering that hundreds of people who may qualify as psychopaths are capable of leading normal, healthy and often useful lives. Years ago, when the first edition of the Mask of Sanity was published, Cleckley acknowledged that there was a lack of awareness from the public about psychopaths. “To see them properly in such a light, we must follow them from the wards out into the marketplace, the saloon, and the brothel, to the fireside, to church, and to their work.” Ann Rule contended that Bundy’s mask was perfect. And, frankly, we can never be sure that we know someone completely.
It can be terrifying to think that we regularly come into contact with said “reflex machines” in our daily lives. Our mindset about psychopathy may need to be altered. Cleckley argues that there are people on Earth who believe and proclaim things that are no less preposterous than the delusional patients in psychiatric hospitals. For example, the prophets who constantly predict the end of the world. Once again, when put into perspective,
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Read ‘Em and Weep Andrew Grey Something Like Summer (2011) by Jay Bell Romance / Young Adult Jay Bell’s Something Like Summer, the first book in the Something Like series, is a story about Benjamin Bentley from 1994 to 2008. At its core, it is a story about relationships and love, and how deeply we can love another human being. It focuses on Ben’s relationships with Tom Wyman, Jace Holden, and his best friend Allison Cross. Out of all the characters in the book, Jace and Allison are my favourites. Allison has a great story, and has Ben’s best interests at heart, while Jace, well… Jace is just perfect. While it is a bit of a struggle to get past the start, the book is a great read that, while I try not to display emotions of any kind, did at one point have me crying.
History is All You Left Me (2017) by Adam Silvera Romance / Young Adult Adam Silvera’s History is All You Left Me had me on the verge of tears every time I read this book. It took me ages to finish it because I wasn’t always ready for the level of emotion. A story about love and death, the novel focuses on grief, mainly through Griffin, whose ex-boyfriend Theo has just died. Split in two, the novel shows us the history of Griffin and Theo, and the aftermath. As I read this, I too feel in love with Theo, I think… I’m not familiar with the emotion. History is All You Left Me is heartbreaking and amazing at the same time. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest with every page and I kept going back for more.
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Feature Review
Art World: Male Domain Including an Interview with Rhi Bryce, Street Artist of the Vibrance Festival Maddie Burrows
Feature
In the beginning, ‘man’ created art. Man made the first art as soon as he made his first line drawing on the caves and rock walls of Africa, over 2000 years ago. Art began well before civilised society. But what is often forgotten is that since man could lift his hand to paint, there have been women doing the same. Gender has been a hot topic in the artsphere for decades, with feminist artists from across the globe speaking up to diminish inequality, judgment, and stereotyping of women in the arts. Recognisable names of the 20th century such as Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, Miriam Schapiro and Barbara Kruger brought the conversation to the forefront of the art world with their work. Well before the height of the feminist art movement in the 1970s, female artists have been fighting for change. Regrettably, despite the uprise of feminist artists and support for women, there have not been drastic improvements in gender equality in the arts. This issue became relevant in Hobart this year, during the Vibrance street art festival in February. Bidencopes Lane in Hobart’s inner-city was brought to life in colour for the Vibrance street art festival. Vibrance celebrates Tasmanian Street art and culture, bringing together local artists with artists from Australia and beyond. The festival was a huge success, drawing in hundreds of members from the public to the artsphere. Vibrance was to be a celebration of diversity in street art and culture, yet there was an underlying inequality with regards to gender. Of the approximation of 20 artists featured at Vibrance, only six were female. This is less than 30%. Rhi Bryce, a 22-year-old Fine Arts student at the University of Tasmania, was one of these female artists. Throughout the weeklong festival, Rhi produced a quirky, family friendly, illustrative mural piece titled Be Cool Honey Bunny. During the festival, Rhi was subject to a number of incidences where she felt less valuable than the male participants. What was it like working at Vibrance alongside so many male artists? I was so excited to be a part of Vibrance and to work among other Tasmanian artists such as Tom O’Hern, Aedan Howlett and Jamin, however I did feel as though I was stepping into a male domain. The walls surrounding me certainly felt like “male turf.”
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How did the male artists at the festival react to your mural and your practice during Vibrance? The materials I was using consisted of acrylic paint, brushes and posca pens (acrylic paint pens). I wanted to create something fun, playful and interactive for the public to enjoy. Due to the colour palette and subject matter, one would say the design is quite feminine. The male artists tended to keep amongst themselves, discussing their work and complimenting each other, while casually walking past my space without a second glance, or even making snarky comments. Were there other judgemental comments coming from male artists at the festival? Well, my experience working alongside male artists in street art actually began well before the start of the festival. During high school, I took part in multiple street art workshops with a Tasmanian artist, whose work I’ve always admired. As part of a college art project, I met him in person and interviewed him about his art practice. On the first day of Vibrance I was shocked when he shook my hand and said, “Hi Rhi, nice to meet you,” as if he had no memory of me.
tle a lit ust g fun as j in e I w Hav e lik orld. “ om w ke t boy’s .. . spo He n a big xtas?” i e girl your t h wit
…
Throughout the festival, I watched his extraordinary artwork evolve, and told him multiple times how great I thought it was whereas he walked past mine, and generally ignored me or spoke demeaningly about my work and practice. He spoke to me like I was just a little girl in a big boy’s world. “Having fun with your textas?” was one of the remarks he made. One of the other male street artists approached me and said, “Where is the colour? It needs to be big bold and bright like the others.” Overall, the male artists were judgmental and made fun of my work. What were the responses from the non-artist general public about your work? Despite the unnecessary hurtful feedback and comments I received from male artists at the festival, it was very exciting to be creating art amongst so much talent. Members of the public were showing constant interest, taking photos and asking questions. One particular guy was walking around the festival, having jolly conversations with many artists. He then approached me and said, “Don’t worry about the boys, love. They are just showing off; keep trying.” So, although most of the public were positive about my work, there were still males that came up and made me feel less valuable than the other artists. For example, on one occasion a man came past, looked at my paintbrush and said, “That’s cheating, you need to learn how to spray paint.” Why do you think there is this inequality between male and female street artists? Street art has always been considered to be dominated by males, as it began from “risk taking” illegal graffiti. To be honest, before taking part in Vibrance, I wasn’t aware of the mirror of arrogance and masculine power associated with street art. Perhaps this is due to the minimal, select number of Tasmanian artists who are actively making art in Hobart and took part in the Vibrance
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Feature
festival. The majority of artists were older, more experienced and predominantly males. Rather than celebrate diversity and create a welcoming street art environment, I think Vibrance clearly illustrated the inequality between male and female artists. There is an obvious inequality between male and female street artists, but this inequality also extends to female artists in all other mediums. How do you think we can address this issue to make positive changes for future female artists? I think one could be forgiven for thinking that gender biases in the art industry are all but eradicated. However, something as little as my experience at Vibrance reflects the sexism and bias against female artists is far from gone. I believe it’s extremely important for females to speak up and claim their place on the streets, in galleries, public festivals or in art world as a whole. I think art industries in general are pretty much male doman. If we can collect more and better data in the arts on a gender disaggregated basis and use gender equality criteria in deciding artist lineups and outcomes, we can create a bold presence for women in an environment and industry where they are so often made to feel uncomfortable, unsafe and unequal. Rhi’s experiences are just a small introduction into injustice that female artists are dealing with across the world. For centuries, women have been wiped from the history of art. In the time of the ‘Old Masters’ such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt, women were excluded from the art world. Though we have come far in the fight for equality, it is clear that the war isn’t over.
Images: Rhi Bryce & Nathan Nyhuis
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Council Report Tasmania University Union
State President
Campus President North
Jessica Robinson
Sean Kebbell
Hello to all,
In typical uni student style, I possibly wrote this the night before it was due. Oh well, she’ll be right.
The 2018 TUU year has hit the ground running! With some fantastic work across all the councils and campuses alike, the TUU student body has been working on developing relationships with students across all campuses to help them understand and become more informed about what services we provide. There has also been a large focus on sustainability and what that might look like in our university. So far, it has been amazing to see the student participation in events such as those hosted in Welcome Week and many others that have since followed. As we move further into the semester, I would continue to encourage everyone to engage with their student representatives and the events that are coming up. Taking a moment now to remind all that the TUU is the peak representative body for students which also hosts events and provides advocacy and financial support. The TUU manages student clubs and societies and if not most importantly, represents students’ interests on a range of university committees (from the Academic Senate to the Course and Unit Proposals Committee, to the Student Complaints and Discipline Panels). Overall, representatives from the TUU sit on 26 of the university’s vast array of committees. I urge everyone to talk up about the issues and comments they have regarding their university, as every conversation no matter how formal or informal can make a difference. Good luck with the semester! Jess
Up in the North we have been going very strong, with Welcome Week being a fantastic success. We hosted numerous events from barefoot bowls to a comedy night and, without a doubt my personal favourite, a massive outdoor cinema with two fantastic free food trucks accompanying. In Welcome Week, I didn’t feel like we had the student numbers we forecasted. However, every student who attended absolutely enjoyed what we put on offer. To conclude our week, we celebrated in funky 90s get up, transforming Willow Court into an awesome mosh pit with live music! Looking into the first semester, we have decided that all cutlery and crockery shall be 100% biodegradable at all TUU events. We are committed to continuing efforts and promoting sustainability across our portfolio and into the UTas community as a whole. Our women’s portfolio has been very active, with some very tasty free pancakes to celebrate International Women’s Day and we are also offering a collection box for Karinya, an organisation that offers support to at-risk young women in our community. For myself this year, I plan on making the Northern Transformation Project more transparent. I want to offer students answers to their questions and queries, be able to hopefully feed input into the overall design and shape Inveresk into a Campus that students will be able to flourish academically and also socially. To conclude on a more serious note, we really need your input on a very big issue. Memes. We are lovers of good memes, so please feel free to send in any relevant UTas, AMC or uni life memes our way!! Cheers, Sean
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TUU
Campus President South Sharifah Syed Rohan Hey everyone, My name is Sharifah and I am your Campus President South for 2018. I’m stoked to be writing this first report and am looking forward to the year ahead. Here’s the 411 on what’s been happening with the team from #yourTUU. •
We launched our 50/50 campaign. That means that the TUU SRC South will be serving 50% meat and 50% vegetarian at all events that we cater. It’s good for you, it’s good for the environment – why not get on board?
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We ran a Welcome Week that was totally buggin’ with a great turnout at all of our events.
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We are about to host the first meeting for our Satellite Campus Focus Group so that our TUU can get a better idea about the issues that are important to students studying at IMAS, Menzies, Domain, Hunter St and The Con.
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We launched our own Instagram account, so make sure you give us a sneaky follow.
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We ran an International Women’s Day afternoon tea which was well attended and a whole lot of fun.
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Harmony Day was a huge hit this year with a large crowd, free food and great music.
We have an amazing year lined up for you, so please get involved in our activities and please come to us if you’re having any issues or would particularly like us to run any events. Love, TUU SRC South
Images: Monte Bovill and the TUU
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Campus President Cradle Coast Davina Smith 2018 began with a terrific start at Cradle Coast Campus. We’ve seen an increase in student numbers on campus this year and this has given our events quite a boost. Welcome Week’s Market Day was well attended by students, staff and stall holders alike. Holding the market indoors this year, due to a threatening storm, gave it a bazaar buzz. The new BBQ, new food choices and our commitment to serve 50% vegetarian food was also well received. Harmony Day had a great vibe. The Mariposa Filipino Dance Troupe held their final performance on campus and drew a large crowd of onlookers. The two food trucks, a first for Cradle Coast, were kept busy serving gozlemes and luxury French crepes to the lucky Golden Ticket holders and paying customers alike. The following day saw the start of the annual Easter Egg competition: guess the number of eggs and win. All in all, more students and new and different twists to our events has maintained lots of laughs on campus.
Societies President Morgan Read 2018 has been off to a rip-roaring start for societies, starting with the awesome support and attendance on Clubs and Societies Day. There were some changes made this year and from the bottom of my heart I’d like to thank every person who attended for helping to make it such a fabulous day with almost no problems, and even the rain holding off for most of the day! Societies have been very busy themselves with plenty of events welcoming new members and welcoming back old ones. Now that the year is moving forward at breakneck speed some of the year’s bigger events have happened including TasPop’s AICON, and Engineering’s Engi Laneway. I would also like to welcome our new societies for 2018: Creative Writing, Pen and Paper Role Play and Red Lion Market to the society council family with a few more new ones to come along as well! Finally I’d just like to thank everyone again for such a wonderful start to the year and hopefully this momentum can continue.
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Then contribute to Togatus! See the details below for more information. We look forward to hearing from you!
We want to hear from you! Togatus is the independent student media at the UTas, and simply wouldn’t exist without the contributions of our fellow students.
Please send your article contributions to Togatus, April or Joe, artistic contributions to Maddie and advertising questions to Monte. We look forward to hearing from you!
We are always looking out for new students to contribute. Togatus showcases UTas talent, news, and discussion across every campus. As well as publishing four print editions each year, we also report on student news through our social media channels and website.
Togatus:
contributions@togatus.com.au
April Cuison:
editor@togatus.com.au
Joe Brady:
deputyeditor@togatus.com.au
If you’re keen to contribute, feel free to shoot us an email or message us on one of our social media pages. All students are invited to join the team!
Maddie Burrows:
creativedirector@togatus.com.au
Monte Bovill:
marketing@togatus.com.au
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