tn2 Issue 2, 2014-15 by Trinity News

DIVING INTO THE DEEP END WITH PERMAID

Burritos & Blues Win or Lose A1 PRINT.pdf

CMY

21/08/2014

19:12

CONTENTS 04 06 07 26 32 34

Jumble Uppers & Downers Homegrown Reviews Calendar Sex

EDITORIAL TEAM Meadhbh McGrath Matthew Mulligan Lola Boorman Alice Wilson Stephen Moloney Olen Bajarias Megan Burns Sarah Lennon Galavan Sorcha Gannon Daniel Scott Kathleen Girvan Kerry Brennan Eoin Moore Nick Kenny Elizabeth Mohen Tara Joshi Eoin Lynskey Heather Keane Matthew Malone Ciara Forristal Emma Boylan Aoibheann Schwartz Sophie Murphy Clara Murray Louise Curtin Aisling Kelly

PRINTED BY Grehan Printers

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PERMAID “In the end I represent what your mind allows, that is to say that most people project their own meaning onto me. Am I sweet? Sexy? Vulgar? Dark? Funny? It depends on how you define those things.”

THE FIFA PHENOMENON tn2 traces the overwhelming and sustained dominance of FIFA in the gaming industry and speculates how this empire might be challenged.

ULTRAVIOLENCE WWII was also the first war in history to be documented on film, at the moment when film was at its advent as a widely consumed cultural medium.

LIFE IN PLASTIC

What critics may fail to see is that the controversial attitude surrounding Jeremy Scott’s work is exactly what draws such a large youth audience. He ironically rails against a problem in the fashion industry while in the same breath perpetuates it.

SECRET LIFE OF BEES

While ten years ago the humble jar or squeezy-bottle sufficed, with acacia served with a twizzler being something of extravagance, recent trends show more niche produce.

PHOTO ESSAY

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This month’s photo essay features the double exposure shots of Maria Romanova-Hynes.

ASHLEY BLAINE FEATHERSON “If you’re a woman like me, for instance, looking for a woman like me, I’m not necessarily on television.”

PHOTO BY AOIBHEANN SCHWARTZ

Vice isn’t your average cafe. It’s in the Twisted Pepper, the music is loud (never smooth jazz) and the floor can be a little alcohol-sticky. That’s only part of the charm though. There’s always something new on the menu as coffees rotate often. I go for an Ethiopian filter coffee and watch as it’s expertly brewed in an Aeropress. It tastes incredible: funky blueberry mingles with umami notes, making an unusual sweet-and-savoury brew. The silky mouthfeel lasts only a little while, making the cup light and refreshing. To go with the brew, I pick the apple-and-toffee cake out of a tempting display. This caramelly treat is the definition of comfort food; all subtle spice and rich sweetness, it’s the best cake grandma never made. Vice does it right: delicious cakes and top-notch coffee without losing its cool. This isn’t your average cafe — it’s much better. grandma never made.

WORDS BY LEONIDAS CONSTANTINIDES

PUBLIC SPACE

IN THE GAME: MINED OUT This month, indie developer Markus “Notch” Persson sold his company Mojang and his iconic game Minecraft to Microsoft for $2.5 bn. Citing the extreme pressure and public scrutiny the game had put him under, Persson claimed that “It’s not about the money. It’s about my sanity.” Minecraft was the perfect example of an internet hit. An experimental game made by a passionate individual, it slowly grew through word of mouth and link-sharing into a fullyblown international phenomenon. Gamers liked what they saw and showed their appreciation by putting money into the game, and advising their friends to follow suit. Being an indie developer means having the love, conviction, and willingness to slave away on a dream project without any promise of success. In an ironic twist, Notch’s dream project has become so successful, and has been shared by so many, that it’s become a nightmare. It’s a tricky problem, without an obvious solution. As consumers, all we can do to show our support for the developers we love is to buy their titles and spread the word. What are we to do when the success and popularity we wished upon those developers reaches toxic heights? WORDS BY EOIN MOORE

VIDEODROME

COFFEE X CAKE

The entrance to the Lecky Library has a new welcome mat in the form of Eileen Gray’s Castellar. The wool, long-pile rug has been mounted on the wall to allow for the fullest appreciation and replaces Robert Ballagh’s Three People with Jackson Pollock, which has been temporarily removed for conservation work. Hung as it is, with its rectilinear forms and restrained colour palette, the piece almost resembles a work of Suprematist abstraction along the lines of that of Kazimir Malevich. It is easy to imagine this elegant and discreetly luxurious rug serving as the perfect counterpoint to the austerity of an International Modernist interior. More than a rug, more than a work of art, it is also a reminder and celebration of one of Ireland’s most visionary female architects, artists and designers.

Only truly disenfranchised nineties kids will get this. I joke, but Nirvana’s seminal debut Nevermind had a seismic cultural impact upon its release in September 1991, one that still resonates to this day. The lead single, Smells Like Teen Spirit, was troubled frontman Kurt Cobain’s attempt to write the “perfect pop song” (though he would later admit that he essentially ripped off the Pixies). Its bizarre rise to fame (arguably the genesis of the DIY aesthetic that would come to dominate guitar music in the early to mid-nineties) gave birth to the grunge genre: a strange hybrid of metal, punk and alternative rock.The video shows the band playing in a dilapidated sports hall: greasy, decaying, soaked in an eerie orange tint . Crowds of young people gesticulate wildly from the rafters like a dystopian pep rally, before spilling onto the floor where they ritualistically propel themselves into one another. Spirited cheerleaders follow a hypnotic pattern before becoming untethered, waving their arms around as though they were possessed. Even a sinister-looking janitor seems entranced by the performance. The whole spectacle serves as an apt visual counterpart to the song’s venom. The video has today become something of a cultural artefact; compelling musical shorthand for the larger sense of worthlessness and disillusionment so irrevocably ingrained in the popular imagination’s conception of nineties youth culture. “Here we are now; entertain us.”

PHOTO AND WORDS BY STEPHEN MOLONEY

WORDS BY EOIN LYNSKEY

NOTES ON A SCANDAL In a strange twist of fate, one of the most subversive horror films owes its existence to one of the most mainstream. Director Tod Browning had just experienced major commercial success with 1931’s Dracula, the iconic Bela Lugosi version which continues to define popular conceptions of the vampire. His next film would be recut, censored and outright banned but still possesses a power to shock and disturb that supasses any traditional monster movie. Freaks (1932) centres around a small group of sideshow performers whose physical deformities make them the object of lurid fascination for the braying crowds. When dwarf Hans inherits a large sum of money, he becomes the target of beautiful trapeze artist Cleopatra, who devises a plan to marry and then kill him. When Hans and the freaks find out the truth, they enact a brutal and horrific revenge. By using real sideshow performers, Browning brought his audience faceto-face with bodies considered perverse, obscene, and unfilmable. They reacted violently — there were reports of movie-goers leaving the theatre screaming while one woman claimed to have suffered a miscarriage. Blinded by their primitive reaction to physical aberrance, they failed to comprehend the traditional moral lesson that lay beneath. The performers are depicted with the utmost sympathy, as a community that shelters those isolated by narrow conceptions of normality. The real monsters hide behind the facade of physical perfection, in the greed and heartlessness of the trapeze artist and her strongman lover. WORDS BY SARAH LENNON GALAVAN

LITERARY MILESTONES On October 11, 1931, notable Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, the well-regarded writer of Pygmalion and John Bull’s Other Island, broadcast his enthused support for Joseph Stalin across the airwaves. In the lecture, Shaw enthusiastically advised listeners of the wonderful opportunities available in the Soviet Union for those in possession of a particular character. His words, which fell upon the eager ears of thousands, were not only the result of a recent and convincing trip to the USSR, but the culmination of years of thought that would remain intact for decades. Throughout his life, Shaw held a number of controversial political views, having published several years prior in the London Daily News a letter entitled, “Bernard Shaw on Mussolini: A Defence.” Shaw found much to admire in Stalin, appreciating his success in both domestic and foreign affairs and considering him to be a “silent man of action,” the opposite of himself. In a letter written shortly after his broadcast, Shaw waved away the accusations of famine and mass murder in favour of highlighting his more, shall we say, commendable qualities. WORDS BY ELIZABETH MOHEN

FRONT SQUARE FASHION

Michael Lanigan, SS History Who are your fashion icons? Lou Reed and Andreas Baader. Can you talk about your outfit? The coat is from Karl Lagerfeld, the jeans from Urban Outfitters, the bag from Rough Trade, and the shoes are Doc Martens.

WORDS BY OLEN BAJARIAS PHOTOGRAPHS BY SERGEY ALIFANOV

Two heads are better than one: From Jessica Lange covering Life on Mars, to Twisty the Clown giving us nightmares, and Evan Peters finger-banging a girl with giant deformed fingers: Freakshow, the fourth season of American Horror Story, looks set to be the best one yet.

Baby trailers: Coco Rocha took to Instagram to announce “BABY CONRAN ARRIVING SPRING 2015” in a 360º Matrix-style video of herself in a nude bodysuit, complete with creepy nursery rhyme.

Hair apparent: Professional hairbrush Kate Middleton and maggot-eating adventurer Bear Grylls reportedly share a hairdresser. We don’t know what’s more surprising, that Bear Grylls has a hair stylist, or that it’s the same one as the Duchess of Smiles.

Marina Abramovic x Lars von Trier: In an open letter televised on Swedish television, Abramovic expressed her interested in collaborating with the controversial film director: “Dear Mr Lars von Trier, I think you are the most disturbing director on this planet and this is why I’d really, really love to work with you."

Moon Period Power!: The latest range of tie-in merchandise for the new Sailor Moon anime series has been announced: pads and tampons! Seems like a missed opportunity for a Mooncup collab, but we’re still down for Sailor Mercury to keep us “Super Safe Until Morning”.

#feminismbyKARL: Lagerfeld’s mock feminist protest at PFW has been criticised for cashing in on feminism as a trend, co-opting the movement’s slogans for an empty, unfeeling, and overwhelmingly white show, and effectively selling a palatable version of feminism back to the white Western women who benefit most from it — women who happen to be his target customers.

Skinny jeans on men: We’re all about Shia LaBeouf ’s fabulous purple leggings.

The Suitsy: “Like the lovechild of a business suit and a onesie.” Gag.

Iggy Azalea for The Princess of R&B: Lifetime’s Aaliyah biopic has most recently come under fire for its non-Aaliyah soundtrack — making a movie about a black artist with music by a white artist who’s been frequently accused of appropriating black culture seems particularly tone-deaf.

It seems a fair assertion to say that Trinity Orchestra — best known for its renditions of compositions by somewhat unexpected artists (Daft Punk and Gorillaz amongst them) — would not exist without the expertise of the “Two Robs”: namely Rob Farhat and Rob Kearns, both of whom helped run the orchestra during their time at college. Fast forward through a couple years post-graduation, working for the Web Summit and Riverdance, respectively, the Robs decided to try their hands at something of their own — and thus, last month, Ensemble Music came to life. “I come from a classical music background,” Farhat explains over coffee, “I studied classical piano very seriously in the Academy of Music — I did a full-time course there for a year, but decided it wasn’t for me. The classical music world is very stuck in the past […] It’s not the musicians, but the establishment itself looks down on other kinds of music.” He adds, after some consideration, “What I find with our generation is that people who are into music aren’t necessarily into classical music, and it’s not the music that puts them off — it’s just the presentation.” This is precisely what Ensemble is trying to get away from, Farhat says: “Basically all the music that we’re working with has

HOM EGR OWN some sort of classical background, but we’re putting it in non-traditional spaces. We’re using visuals, or making the events BYOB where possible.” This was the case with the company’s launch last month: a minifestival held in Smithfield’s Block T, there was something particularly surreal about watching masses of twenty-somethings mill around in a warehouse, beers in hand, listening to the refined stylings of the likes of Téada Orchestra. Ensemble has other aims too though, as is apparent from the vast array of musical talents outside the classical genre showcased at their launch: the captivating star quality of soulful singer Loah; the madcap funk of Zaska; the intriguing swathes of atmospheric sounds from Overhead, The Albatross. “We’re trying to provide support for unusual pop music,” Farhat explains. “Barring a few exceptions, bands in Ireland that are doing something a bit different don’t get the support that they deserve.” He goes on to hypothesise that this is because — in a post-U2 world — the Irish music industry is constantly looking for another “next big

thing”, and so the success of more unusual Irish artists like My Bloody Valentine remains a rarity. “There are lots of really great small labels who are supporting interesting music,” Farhat concedes, “But they don’t have much money and tend to be run as a side-project by musicians themselves.” Addressing this void in Ireland’s music system was something that Farhat had always been interested in, but Ensemble aims to go beyond even this. Their recent production of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale showed yet another side to the brand, and ambitious theatrical performances are something Farhat alludes to more of in the future — including the involvement of some relatively established Irish bands. Indeed, Ensemble Music might one day just become “Ensemble”, Farhat muses: “Every year we’d like to add another layer to the company — eventually we’d need our own venue, but also we’d like to apply our model to other forms of art — the issue we’re trying to address isn’t unique to music; it’s the arts in general in Ireland.” Sticking to music for now, with an event every week for the rest of 2014, Ensemble might just be the most innovative, exciting thing going on in Ireland’s burgeoning music WORDS BY TARA JOSHI PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD

BLACK FISH

CARRIED TO SHORE ON THE ROLLING WAVES OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN 27 YEARS AGO, PERMAID — THE PERSIAN MERMAID — IS FAST BECOMING A CULTURAL ICON BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW THE SHORELINE. DESPITE HER IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES, PERMAID IS NO FISH OUT OF WATER. WITH THE HELP OF HER TWO CLOSEST HUMAN FRIENDS NICOLETTE MISHKAN AND AESCHLEAH DEMARTINO, WHO HAVE STUCK BY HER FROM THE BEGINNING, PERMAID HAS OVERCOME DIFFERENCE IN ORDER TO LIVE LIFE AMPHIBIOUSLY AND TO THE FULLEST. SHE IS EMBLEMATIC OF A PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY UNCONCERNED WITH TRIVIAL DIFFERENCES. 09

hatting exclusively with tn2, Permaid opens up about the trials and tribulations of growing up sheathed in black latex, self acceptance, Tinder, her skincare regimen, and simultaneously being a social justice warrior and typically carefree LA girl.

On her past: My parents are originally from Iran but they found me washed ashore in Malibu, California. They adopted me and took me into their lovely home in Brentwood, California. Growing up, I’ve repeatedly tried to find my birth parents. You know, so I could understand myself and the logistics of what’s going on with me. It’s complicated. The anatomy of humans is pretty straight-forward. My Mom sat my siblings down for the “Birds and the Bees” talk, but I got the altered “Tides of the Seas” version. Although, there were a lot of holes in the story because my parents themselves don’t quite understand. Unfortunately, there is no semi-aquatic mammal section in ancestry.com (I’ve been emailing those prejudiced, pieces of shit for years). I hear there are others out there like me, but I have yet to meet them in person. It seems like my kind has been driven onto land because of years of gradual (or maybe sudden?) pollution in the ocean. On growing up: It was difficult growing up as a child because I didn’t know how to explain to my teacher what was going on with me. Like, that I “inked”, or that I frequently needed to take breaks to hydrate and be in motion (preferably in large bodies of water). The swim coach eventually roped off a designated lane for me in the pool to use when needed. The kids used to poke fun at me and call it the Spermaid lane. I know now that most kids went through prepubescent ridicule, but that really made me feel like a freak.

I was/am so different than you; my oily complexion, the sound of my voice, lack of human genitalia, inability to stomach a field trip to Sea World without feeling rage, etc. On learning to accept difference: I got over the superficial differences eventually. But there are logistical differences of my anatomy that inhibit some regular activities. Like, walking, running, wearing shoes, or pants… or underwear. I could use a wheelchair or drive a car with those specialized hand controls, but I think the handicapped jokes growing up left a scar. My friends joke and say that I’m really just a diva because I make them drive and carry me around. And maybe it’s true. LOL. On living in image obsessed LA: I take fish oil supplements and they work wonders for my skin. I’ve been trying to find a vegan alternative… Because WHO KNOWS what’s in those things, or the quality of fish you’re getting, or what they did to farm them. For all I know, I could be using products farmed from the remains of my kind! Next thing you know, there’s an epidemic of mad-permaid disease. But yeah, the vegan stuff isn’t as effective. I think my system responds best to oceanic supplements. I also enjoy a nice seaweed body wrap, going to the beach with my friends, and practicing yoga. I’m a total LA girl. On sun protection: My black skin is great in terms of preventing sunburns. I get very hot in direct sunlight so I try to stay near bodies of water during the summer and always have some water on hand. I like to use it as an excuse to go to more pool parties. I occasionally pick up some scuba shifts when my friends at Ocean Adventures

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I TAKE FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTS AND THEY WORK WONDERS FOR MY SKIN. I’VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A VEGAN ALTERNATIVE… BECAUSE WHO KNOWS WHAT’S IN THOSE THINGS, OR THE QUALITY OF FISH YOU’RE GETTING, OR WHAT THEY DID TO FARM THEM?

in Venice Beach are short-handed. It’s my absolute favorite job because I get to be in the water and hang out with people all day. Not to mention, visit my friends in the Pacific AND get paid! On staying in and going out: During quiet evenings, I enjoy painting, reading, and researching human and animal rights online. Oh, and watching re-runs of the X-Files. On a weekend, I love a loud, dark dance party with deep bass — take me to a goth techno rave and I’ll flap around. I’ve calmed down quite a bit over the years, but when I party, shit gets turnt UP. On the prospect of a modelling career: Growing up, I shied away from modelling due to my differences. I have a hard time with facial gestures, so I never had very much self-confidence. I am an artist, so my lovers and circle of friends are mostly creatives as well. We would always pose for each other in art school. Over the last few months, I’ve been working on a project with my two best friends, Nicolette and Aeschleah. We’ve always been inspired by one another and made work together, but this is the first time we have a clear, cohesive concept. We’re dabbling in politics and conveying a message while telling my story. We never expected this much positive feedback, so it’s been really fun. Also they carry me around everywhere, which means I get to go out all the time. On dabbling in politics: I think the beauty of politics is that everyone has room to bring their own personal interpretation. In the end I represent what your mind allows, that is to say that most people project their own meaning onto me. Am I sweet? Sexy? Vulgar? Dark? Funny? It depends on how you define those things. I hope to stand for believing in yourself, accepting your “flaws”, and perhaps ultimately — self love. Standing up and fighting against the cruelty to Sea World mammals is an issue that you might forget about the next day. For me, it’s a hate crime. It strikes a cord with me because that could easily be me in there. I feel I have a duty to fulfill for them because I can be their voice. On her inspirations and role models: My friends inspire me. Someone once said to me: “You surround yourself with those that have something you lack.” My friends

are all so smart, creative and beautiful. They are my teachers, my mentors, my muses. It’s symbiosis in the most evolving form; we feed off of each other’s talents. At the end of the day, I want to impress my friends. Nothing is worse than a lukewarm response to the seashell chandelier you made for one of them. I am also a big fan of Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim. It takes a high caliber of intelligence to understand their humor. So, if you don’t like them, then you’re probably stupid. On people appropriating her image: It means that people either want to make fun of me or they want to be me. Even if it’s only for a few moments (I hear the suit is really uncomfortable for humans). My father always says that any publicity is good publicity. So, I guess it’s flattering. And I’d be a hypocrite if I said that I don’t own a mask. I mean, I’m dressing as Ariel for Halloween this year. On Tinder: After I caught my boyfriend, Elliot, cheating on me I was using Tinder to fill a void. I was open to try anything (and I did!). It didn’t help that I matched with almost everyone. Surprisingly, people find me sexy. But eventually, the quick fixes started to bore me. I’d rather spend my time with my friends or alone than with someone who doesn’t deserve my attention. I recently went on a date with this guy Adam who, during the entire date, wouldn’t make eye contact with me and couldn’t stop scanning the crowd or checking his phone. He was hot, but I don’t have time for someone who lacks basic social skills. On her greatest achievement: It hasn’t happened just yet. But it will be to aid the destruction of Sea World once and for all. On her driving ambition: Sea above. On her number 1 life goal: Sea above.

WORDS BY STEPHEN MOLONEY PHOTOS COURTESY OF AESCHLEAH DEMARTINO

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MY FRIENDS JOKE AND SAY THAT I’M REALLY JUST A DIVA BECAUSE I MAKE THEM DRIVE AND CARRY ME AROUND. AND MAYBE IT’S TRUE. LOL.

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THE BEAUTIFUL GAME tn2 traces the overwhelming and sustained dominance of FIFA in the gaming industry and speculates how this empire might be challenged.

A Sports’ FIFA franchise is quite possibly THE sports game franchise. Despite a certain lack of attention paid to it by the gaming press (gametrailers.com hasn’t even reviewed the latest instalment), the videogame adaptation of the beautiful game has arguably been the foundation for the all-conquering success of its publisher. The cult

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surrounding each yearly iteration of the game is met with the same surprising amount of zealous celebration, as its average of 10 million units sold per year would suggest. Starting in 1993, the game has even become prevalent among the soccer elite it digitises, with the world’s coolest footballer, Andrea Pirlo, boasting of his daily marathon FIFA sessions, even stating that he spent the entire day of the 2006 World Cup Final playing the soccer simulator before winning the Jules Rimet trophy that evening. This popular phenomenon had resulted in HMV holding a midnight launch of the game, which was rather tame with a small, almost entirely male group outside either standing around awkwardly or reclining on fold-up chairs in alternating Nike and Adidas clothing, while inside a store manager type wore a full Irish kit and an incongruously large, Afro wig, all waiting for midnight to come. For the customers, it meant a chance to play

THIS POPULAR PHENOMENON HAD RESULTED IN HMV HOLDING A MIDNIGHT LAUNCH OF THE GAME; WITH A SMALL, ALMOST ENTIRELY MALE GROUP OUTSIDE EITHER STANDING AROUND AWKWARDLY, OR RECLINING ON FOLD-UP CHAIRS IN ALTERNATING NIKE AND ADIDAS CLOTHING — ALL WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT TO COME.

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an updated, and hopefully improved version of last year’s game; for videogame retailers, it meant their best chance to get their finances into the black. And that they certainly did, with at least two of the after-dark queuers buying not just the game but an Xbox One as well which means that they spent at least €580 in one night, and all to play one single game. While consoles are usually marketed with the promise of exclusive games, an omni-platform series that as of last year was still being published on the archaic PS2 is what will make the larger “casual” gaming audience cough up the heavy cash. Interestingly though, the FIFA games are developed in an inconsistent fashion and constantly struggle with a sense of stasis due to their yearly re-iterations. EA have tried to ignore this by hyping new features so as to distract from what has stayed the same. Noticeably, certain “new” features seem to get repeated, such as dribbling mechanics that give you “full control” of your player, or “smarter” goalkeepers, yet these promises are repeated and re-hashed almost bianually, often to lukewarm or negligible results. FIFA 14’s main selling point was a new level of dribbling control, which unfortunately turned out sluggish and unresponsive, making 14 this writer’s subjective nadir for the series. The current edition — despite no major hype — has fantastic dribbling, while the promised “smart” goalies have been ridiculed by the hours of YouTube footage of keepers performing inhuman mistakes such as dropping a ball back into their own net or standing still and watching a far-out aerial shot slowly float past them in to the goal. While these might sound like the unpredictable moments that football has enshrined its popularity in, their strangely consistent occurrences in the game has led to fans crying foul, especially since it’s at their own expense. It’s rare to see such consistent complaining (and the particularities of the complaints don’t often change, as with each game it seems that where one problem is fixed, another is ignored) yet still the same unflagging popularity.

In the end, this is the true phenomenon of FIFA — its ability to continually sell as much as it does despite the series’ unstable quality. A large part of this unswerving loyalty is due to the inability of their nearest competitor, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer, to gain a licensing deal with Premier League clubs. Essentially, they are unable — due to EA’s vast monopolising of said licensing — to have Liverpool Football Club be in the game under the name “Liverpool Football Club”, but instead have the pseudonym of “Merseyside Red”. This is the case with a lot of the biggest teams, but PES has always had a small but loyal fanbase due to their immersive controls and generally superior rendition of football in a video game. It prides itself as a football “simulator”, holding verisimilitude to be key even if it gives the game a hard learning curve, while FIFA has more “arcade” like gameplay, prizing accessibility above all else. Again and again, if asked whether they would stop buying FIFA, the disgruntled and vitriolic fan will say, “No”, and point to the all-importance of licences in their playing experience. This seemingly frivolous emphasis on presentation though is vital to the series’ rivalry: playing the most recent version of FIFA is now identical to watching Sky Sports, meanwhile PES suffers from a stuffy, awkward presentation that greatly jars with the intuitive gameplay. However, PES 2015 has already picked u p “ S p o r t s Game of the Year Award” at Gamescom, and reaction to its recently released demo suggest that it will be able to re-launch its success after lagging behind FIFA over the last generation. Back in 2005, PES5 was a game of such unparalleled brilliance that it was able to establish itself as a more sympathetic alternative to FIFA’s ruthless monopoly, but as time went on FIFA only managed to gain significant ground with the advent of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, where Konami floundered with the new tech. Yet, there is hope that if PES is able to attract the attention of a football gaming community more animated about tactics than club names, later iterations of both games could see a crumbling of the monopoly. With the current animosity in the gaming community towards the big publishers — especially EA — we might well see the start of a new phenomenon in gaming: the moderate success of the little guy. If FIFA doesn’t attend to its persistent flaws, PES would be able to grow as, if not a FIFA killer, a monopoly killer. Look online for our review of FIFA 15 at tn2magazine.ie. WORDS BY MICHAEL KEMP ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALICE WILSON

U LT R AV I O L E N C E Film Editor Sorcha Gannon examines the historical and cultural link between previously unseen Holocaust footage and ultraviolence in mainstream cinema.

ight Will Fall, a recent documentary by Andre Singer, is about the liberation of the German concentration camps during and after World War Two, which draws on footage taken at the camps by British soldiers, as well as interviews with Holocaust survivors and soldiers. The documentary takes as its narrative the story of an original film produced by Sidney Bernstein and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, which was made from this same footage but remained unmade and unseen until Singer’s resurrection of the material. The scenes at the camps are unbearable. We are shown piles of prisoners’ toys, toothbrushes, and suitcases — hair and teeth too, carefully sorted. We witness bodies flung into pits in their thousands like rag dolls, weighing, it seems, hardly more in their emaciated

deaths. These images are hard to reconcile with your own flesh and your own humanity. To see them, in the words of the soldiers and survivors whose interviews intercut these scenes, is pain. One interviewee, a Scottish soldier present at the liberation of the notorious camp Bergen-Belsen, describes how the only way of functioning amongst these scenes was to remain completely dissociated. With this he identifies an issue at the heart of Night Will Fall, that of spectatorship. Singer raises the problem of blind eyes and negligent spectators, both then and now. He contrasts film as a passive vehicle of violent imagery detached from any moral, political or emotional impact, with the camera as witness and a tool for agency, which is how many of the camp survivors perceive it. In their interviews they express their relief at the existence of the footage, which some of them feature in, as hard evidence. In an interview with Thomson Reuters, Singer said how it is necessary to “shock people enough to take notice…The hope is that at least by seeing documentaries like this, by putting them across, every generation will pause before moving onto something else”. Night Will Fall challenges the easy, pleasurable, and unthinking consumption of the cheap thrills relied on by so much mainstream film and television. Take, for example, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012), a movie about the exploitation and violence of slavery, that itself

exploits violence for enjoyment. Tarantino’s stylish aestheticisation of brutal subject matter ultimately trivialises violence as a sensory shock and becomes an exercise in the absurd, comic and surreal. Then there is Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (2013), which makes the viewer confront the (uncomfortable) physical reality of violence, as well as the structural violence it reflects. A scene which epitomises McQueen’s cinematic approach is when protagonist Solomon Northup is left suspended from a tree, strung up so that the tips of his toes barely touch the ground to keep him from hanging. The scene is filmed in a steady shot lasting three minutes, making the viewer increasingly uneasy, and testing their threshold as part of McQueen’s re-politicisation of violence. The original camp footage in Night Will Fall also uses very long shots, panning in and out, lingering over vast open spaces covered with the dead and dying, in order to assure viewers that what they were seeing wasn’t fabricated. This cinematic technique, used by the original filmmakers and McQueen in the pursuit of realism, makes the viewer dwell on what they are being shown, and is unlike Tarantino’s fastpaced, sensationalist use of violence.

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justified how the atrocity footage in Night WIll Fall should be shown to all children to contextualise the proliferation of easily accessible and gratuitous graphic imagery made readily available by the internet and social media. What Night Will Fall positions itself against is the sort of mass amnesia induced by the superficiality and spectacle of so much of pop culture. It is easier, perhaps, to forget that which is beyond belief, a sentiment that Night Will Fall wholly rejects with its shocking imagery of the world’s first industrialised mass genocide. WWII was also the first war in history to be documented on film, at the moment when film was at its advent as a widely consumed cultural medium, making the camp footage both the cinematic precedence and the cultural origin of the ubiquitous killing and maiming on our screens today, which is enabled by the same technical revolution that brought the camera into the camps and trenches in the hands of stunned soldiers.

NIGHT WILL FALL CHALLENGES THE EASY, PLEASURABLE, AND UNTHINKING CONSUMPTION OF THE CHEAP THRILLS RELIED ON BY SO MUCH MAINSTREAM FILM AND TELEVISION.

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What is so interesting about Singer’s film, and prescient about Bernstein and Hitchcock’s, is the exploration of the relationship between the camera and violence, the viewer and the screen. The later film does this in part by looking at the impetus behind the original film, which was commissioned by the Allies after the war. The aim was to use the footage to create a vessel for cultural memory, an effort which seen at the time was considered a justified use of atrocity footage, until it was aborted by the British government for political reasons in the post-war climate. Singer references this by using as a title the final words of the Bernstein/Hitchcock film: “Unless the world learns the lesson these pictures teach, night will fall”. At his recent talk hosted by DU History and Film Soc, he

Night Will Fall reinstates the momentous impact of the Holocaust and WWII, which we rarely process as a culture in conjecture with visual images of this nature. It re-contextualises history and violence: the arbitrary persecution and meaningless suffering which was the Holocaust and is the narrative (non)context of much popular violence. Night Will Fall throws into harsh relief the sadistic voyeurism, the painless enjoyment of pain, that constitutes contemporary spectatorship, in what is the most radical work you’ll see on the big screen this year. WORDS BY SORCHA GANNON ILLUSTRATION BY ALICE WILSON

Life in Plastic B

y far the Moschino show was the biggest story at Milan Fashion Week, and is still on everyone’s lips and iPhone screens three weeks later. Jeremy Scott’s sophomore collection with the house proved to be divisive, with models made up to look like Barbie dolls prancing down the catwalk in garments fashioned from plastic and sequins. For a designer who has continuously made heavy use of logos in his work, it’s not surprising that he would turn his attention to one of the biggest toy brands in history. Some critics, like Lou Stoppard, found the presentation of these women to be insulting to the customer. Compare this with Scott’s 2013 debut which received almost unanimous praise for his innovative translation of McDonalds uniforms into high fashion. Has his pop culture appropriation finally strayed into bad taste? Or does the critical reaction say more about the growing divide between fashion journalists and the people to whom these clothes are actually directed? During Stoppard’s SHOWstudio panel discussion she proclaimed “scary” the idea of women presented as objects, particularly because the clothes appeal to a younger customer. The trouble with Barbie is that the iconic doll represents far more than a mass-produced toy to girls growing influenced by Western culture, setting the standard for body image just as the fashion industry does later in life. Despite fervent criticism, Barbie has not been altered to include dolls with more realistic proportions; similarly size 0 models remain to be the preference on catwalks and on billboards. Instead of Scott merely sending thin, blond, Barbie-esque women down the runway, he makes sure that every girl is explicitly made to look like the doll. The deliberately cheap synthetic wigs and plasticine sheen of their skin gave the models an unrealistic look. By doing so he has accosted the audience with this stark reminder that, like Barbie, fashion still remains a locus of debate regarding body ideals. Instead of treating the model as “blank canvas”, Scott foregrounds the model herself as well as the clothes she’s wearing. This satirical statement resonates with the fashion industry as a whole. Despite the critical backlash from certain outlets, images from the show are receiving overwhelming

attention on Instagram and Tumblr, but Scott’s aesthetic has always been well received by a young demographic. His utilisation of pop icons (Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus) and iconography both reflect and optimise the currency of internet sharing. Even if you’re not keenly following his work it’s almost impossible to avoid seeing the gold Moschino belt either self-consciously placed in a music video or on a red carpet. For the past two seasons Scott has released a more reasonably priced capsule collection of accessories to accompany the core collection. Last season’s French fry iPhone case and soda cup bag proved to be huge successes, selling out almost instantly. Will young people overlook the more problematic elements of Moschino’s last collection? What critics like Stoppard may fail to see however is that the controversial attitude surrounding Scott’s work is exactly what draws such a large youth audience. He rails against a problem in the fashion industry while perpetuating it in the same breath. The immediacy of the ironic message means it doesn’t need to be mediated by a critic. It’s less of a cultural commentary and more a slap in the face, but that’s what’s so fun about it. Scott himself has denied any cynicism in his latest collection, speaking to The Telegraph, “I think some people dig way too deep about this. It’s a doll. It’s a toy. And on my side — it’s only fashion. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it! It’s that simple.” But it’s not that simple; Moschino is changing how we engage with fashion both by making their ready-to-wear collections available straight off the runway, and in bypassing traditional media and speaking directly to its consumers. Scott structures his collections to be shareable and recognisable because he knows that his core audience cares more about what their friends are sharing online than what magazine editors publish. So, is Moschino smarter than it looks? We think so.

WORDS BY JOHN TIERNEY ILLUSTRATIONS BY CLARA MURRAY

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Food Editor Dan Scott pays a visit to a Dublin apiary and is seduced by the intricate honey making process.

oney — porridge, tea, cheese, yoghurt, toast, basted onto the Sunday roast or simply off the spoon. One of the oldest, and sweetest self-preserved delicacies, it has found a loving home in virtually every kitchen cupboard. While ten years ago the humble jar or squeezy-bottle sufficed, with acacia served with a twizzler being something of extravagance, recent trends show more niche produce. Mānuka honey, the monofloral honey originating from New Zealand is now peaking along with other super-food pantry must-haves such as coconut oil and quinoa with wide availability in discount supermarket chains. Harrods this year began stocking Malitheon honey, tipped to be the “Champagne” of the honey world. Originating from Greece, this 100% raw golden goodness comes from the pollen of Vanilla Fir trees (which feature a Protected Designation of Origin, like a fine wine) in limited quantity from the Arcadia region. Yet there’s a lack of appreciation for the honey industry. Most of us can vaguely recall an afternoon in Senior Infants listening to the simplified process: bee collects nectar, other bees turn the nectar into honey, with a queen involved in the middle… somewhere. Wayne O’Connor is a beekeeper based in Laughanstown, just outside of Cabinteely. Set on the edge of roughly four hundred

acres that were zoned for apartments and compact housing during the Celtic Tiger, the recent financial crisis has left the native flora of dandelion, clover, willowherb and blackberry unspoilt. Following a background in horticulture and a fascination with social insects from an early age, O’Connor’s hands-on relationship with apiculture began when his wife signed him up for a beginner’s course with the Foundation of Irish Beekeeper’s Association (FIBKA) as a gift five years ago. He now manages a home apiary — much to the fear of his terrier, Bubbles — as well as other hives in Wicklow. He hopes to scale up from selling through local businesses in the forthcoming years, because he feels “if [he] had a thousand jars, [he] could sell them quite easily” as those with an appreciation for local honey are left hooked. While most highly commercialised honey is pasteurised, Lehaunstown Honey is a raw product. It is lightly centrifuged to separate contents by weight and then filtered with absolutely no heat treatment. Pasteurisation allows for guarantee of stability from an aesthetic point of view, preventing crystallisation, but also “loses the esters and other volatile compounds in the honey which gives it its unique bouquet,” O’Connor explains. “Following pasteurisation, you’re left with a sugar syrup, often times untraceable and undistinctive. All honey will eventually crystallise, which can often give it character”. Irish honey allows for a huge scope of terroir via the working bees — different flowering patterns throughout the year and different bees honing in on different plants allow a unique product both in taste and colour by the batch. Comparison of different jars show cloudy to clear and golden to amber in colour. The most likely Irish monofloral honey would require sixty per cent from one floral species would be that of rapeseed or apple, which would be rather

weak or insipid. While a honey made from bees sucking from the dandelion flower is rich in flavour and light in colour, one predominantly from a blackberry source has heavier, muskier tones. Heather honey is what Ireland is most famed for and can be ideally sourced from the Wicklow mountains. Pre-crushing and pressing prior to the centrifugal step is needed due to its vast viscosity, oozing strong toffee flavour. The Dark European Honeybee is what is resident to this apiary and native to Ireland. Docile in nature, these wasplooking creatures are absolutely fascinating to watch, with the worker bees shooting in and out continuously under the hive out to seek and collect nectar. They communicate in fascinating ways such as the “waggle dance” where a worker bee will fly in the shape of an eight figure, where the distance and positioning along with the release of chemicals from the bee can signal where a water or pollen source is nearby. The generation of the comb comes from the wax secreted by a gland in a four to five week old bee, where the vibration of neighbours’ wings form a wax ball due to scraping action from the abdominal glands as well as from heat generation of up to 36ºC, which can make the wax more pliable to shape. Foreign bees have been imported for use in Ireland but following the subsequent entry of an Asian mite which is resistant to treatments with catastrophic effects on hives, lobbying has called for its cease. Dark European Honey Bees are also the most adapted to the Irish climate as opposed to those imported from Italy for instance, which would have little to no preparation for a cold winter and die out much quicker.

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Apart from honey as a food product, Wayne believes that the work products from the humble bee are something of a “medicine chest that we haven’t explored”. Honey has shown antiviral, antibiotic and hygroscopic properties, which have questioned the capability of the most sophisticated wound dressing systems following recent research. The production of honey in honeycomb cells involves the evaporation of nectar along with secreted enzymes. Trace hydrogen peroxide is also generated by the bees which keeps the product sterile, along with the high sugar content contest any microbe by the simple powers of osmosis. Honey from various locations in the UK is being screened as a possible source from which to develop novel antibiotics to treat MRSA and Clostridium Difficile, potentially lethal illnesses. A spoon of raw local honey a day can present pollen antigen on a gradual basis — much akin to expensive frozen grass pollen therapies — introduced to desensitise the immune response in hay fever sufferers. The use of honey as medicine, known as apitherapy, has also delved into the use of bee venom, hypothesised to aid inflammatory conditions such as arthritis as well as being a major hit in the cosmetic industry, with predicted anti-ageing properties.

IRISH HONEY ALLOWS FOR A HUGE SCOPE OF TERROIR VIA THE WORKING BEES — DIFFERENT FLOWERING PATTERNS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND DIFFERENT BEES HONING IN ON DIFFERENT PLANTS ALLOW A UNIQUE PRODUCT BOTH IN TASTE AND COLOUR BY THE BATCH.

Understanding and observing the process of a local honey’s manufacture is a truly fascinating experience. The differences in viscosity, colour and taste from one beekeeper’s apiary depending on the season or local botanical habitat in comparison to another in Ireland are vast. Although our climate may not be ideal for many an agricultural delicacy, a local Irish honey offers a taste of what the Emerald Isle can do best. Check out our video interview on tn2magazine.ie WORDS BY DAN SCOTT PHOTOS BY SOPHIE MURPHY

COLOUR ME BEAUTIFUL TV Editor Ciara Forristal talks to Ashley Blaine Featherson about her successful web series, the importance of representation, and being called the “black Lena Dunham” “I just think it’s coming out at such an opportune time with everything that’s going on in America, between Ferguson and the police killings across the country […] I think a film like this will continue the conversation.” For Ashley Blaine Featherson, star of Justin Simien’s Dear White People, the conversation regarding race and identity is still one of major significance in what some people allege is a “postracial” society. The film charts the converging paths friends Whitney (played by Featherson) and Robyn of four black students following the controversy (Hayley Marie Norman) who decide to conduct of an African-American themed Halloween party a social experiment on the dating website Hello hosted by white students and their attempts to Cupid, in which Whitney decides to use Robyn’s forge their own identities against this microcosmic picture on her profile in order to justify her theory background. Relying heavily on tongue-in-cheek that black men prefer lighter skinned black women. humour, Featherson argues the Does Featherson feel this is a common preference impetus for open within the black I THINK ANYTHING discussion is not lost: “I community? “It’s very SATIRICAL IN NATURE think anything satirical real and I think that’s why in nature will make you WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH people connected to it, it laugh but also make you think at can cause tension, it can the same time, and ask yourselfBUT ALSO MAKE YOU cause insecurities, it can why did you just laugh at that?THINK AT THE SAME TIME, cause all of those things. I think that’s why Dear White I think it’s an issue that is AND ASK YOURSELF, People is so brilliant.” oftentimes swept under the rug and it shouldn’t WHY DID YOU JUST Whilst Dear White People is be […] I just think that’s LAUGH AT THAT? Featherson’s first foray into film, very discriminatory and the use of humour to emphasize it’s not good, it’s not practicing selfthe underlying tensions and issues within society love or love for others.” and, in particular, the black community, has been a significant aspect of Featherson’s career, particularly The first season deals primarily with the intricacies in her web series Hello Cupid, which she co-created of this social experiment and the inevitable love with Lena Waithe. The series follows the lives of best triangle which forms between Whitney, Robyn

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prominence on primetime television, “If you’re a woman like me, for instance, looking for a woman like me, I’m not necessarily on television.” Whilst that may still be the case, Featherson is extremely grateful to Numa Perrier and Dennis Dortch, who were not only writers of Hello Cupid’s second season but also co-founders of Black&Sexy TV, a web channel which aims to depict a more realistic and truer account of modern African-American life and culture, “I really think they are trying to create innovative and progressive content that is filling a void that you’re not seeing on television quite yet.” Featherson applauds Black&Sexy TV for the fostering of creative and authentic shows and the opportunity to work with many talented individuals, some of whom she collaborated with in “mash-up” episodes — episodes in which Hello Cupid merged with the channel’s other series RoomieLoverFriends to create a world in which the channel’s entire cast of characters live, their lives intersecting at various points in place and time.

and the unsuspecting love interest ProudDad — the explosive aftermath of which is explored in the second season, along with more startling revelations on both sides. Not only does the show chart the trajectory of this social experiment, but also the friendship between the two protagonists and the inner struggles of identity that both face on a daily basis, the most striking of which was Whitney’s inability to embrace her own sexuality, a sexuality she constantly albeit subconsciously compares to Robyn’s, “I think that for Whitney in the first season she was suppressing it, and in the second season, she was owning it, and leaning into it.” Whitney’s femininity and confidence is particularly evident in her mannerisms towards ProudDad, with whom she is intent upon pursuing a relationship, something which Whitney had initially been reluctant to do, and which Featherson is adamant she would not, “I watch her sometimes and I’m like, ‘Whitney what is wrong with you!’” The multi-faceted nature of the characters written by Featherson and Waithe are truly realistic and represent the lives of young African American women who have yet to find permanence and

Featherson, however, hopes that the pilot of Lena Waithe’s Twenties may change all that, and bring the experience of twenty-something African American women to the forefront of the American consciousness in the form of a primetime television show. Featherson is all too aware of the transitory nature of millennial life, having struggled to establish herself in Los Angeles and figuring out her own sense of self, both as an individual and as an artist, “We’re missing that show exploring black girls trying to figure their lives out [...] that’s who I am, that’s who my friends are.” Comparisons have inevitably been drawn to Lena Dunham’s Girls and whilst Dunham has garnered criticism for her whitewashed depiction of millennial strife, Featherson believes that “it still in many ways speaks to my experience as a twenty something year old girl trying to figure it out.” Just as the white cast of Girls is open and valid for women of colour, Featherson believes that Twenties, whose three leading female characters are black, will also depict certain truths for all viewers, “It doesn’t alienate, it’s open to anybody watching it and enjoying it because it just speaks to a really true and authentic experience.” Dear White People release date TBA. Hello Cupid can be seen on YouTube.

WORDS BY CIARA FORRISTAL PHOTO COURTESY OF LIONSGATE ENTERTAINMENT

EVIEWS

SISTER SADIE Harrington Street

toast, while my partner opted for an open sandwich of smoked salmon.

Hidden in the leafy shade of Harrington Street, you could easily overlook Sister Sadie. Although similar in style and menu to its sibling cafe Brother Hubbard, the Southside location is perhaps handier for those living in Halls.

The eggs arrived topped with tomato and roasted red peppers with a feta and black olive yogurt, served with sourdough toast and baby spinach. I can happily report that for the sum of €9.95, this generous dish offered an enticing array of flavours.

The minimalist interior was designed by Dublin-based company Design Goat, known for their work in such places as 3FE. I ordered the Turkish eggs menemen, a fancy twist on scrambled eggs with

My partner’s smoked salmon sandwich came complete with cucumber, baby spinach, sumac and a lemon, caper, dill and crème fraiche dressing. She added a poached egg to her meal for an extra

euro, bringing the total cost up to €9.45. For those with a sweet tooth, there is an abundant selection of baked goods to sample, from classic brownies to more unusual flavours, such as their coconut and orange cupcakes. Located just outside the commotion of the city centre and offering sophisticated, good value food, Sister Sadie is definitely one to have on your radar.

WORDS BYLIA FLATTERY PHOTOS BYAOIBHEANN SCHWARTZ

THE BLIND PIG Secret Location

Thrill-seekers searching for a taste of the Roaring Twenties need look no further than Dublin’s very own speakeasy cocktail bar, in the shape of the enigmatic “Blind Pig”. I stumbled upon the bar’s Twitter account, which describes itself as “a popup NY-style speakeasy, bringing classic cocktails to life”. We made a booking through their website, and in return we were granted directions, codes and a secret password to find our way to the bar. Tucked away neatly at the end of a dark and murky alleyway, the bar is a delight — cosy, candle-lit and stylishly

sophisticated. A particularly amusing touch was the ingenious bar menu which were encased in beaten-up old copies of children’s fairy tales. To the Murphy’s was a delicious concoction of Jameson whiskey, grapefruit liqueur, fresh lemon juice, sugar, ginger ale and grapefruit bitters. The sharp grapefruit blended perfectly with the refreshing hint of lemon and the deep warmth of the whiskey. The Fraise Sauvage was a similar delight, a mix of gin, lemon, wild strawberry syrup, and Champagne, the intensely sweet strawberry flavour mingling flawlessly

with the alcohol. Those looking for fancy bar snacks can choose from a selection of marinated black olives, beef Carpaccio and tiger prawns with pineapple, varying in price from €3.45 to €12.95. While not exactly affordable for the average student (cocktails range from €10.50 to €13.50) the Blind Pig is something out of the ordinary, and well worth a visit if you’re feeling flush.

WORDS BY KATHLEEN GIRVAN ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL TATLOW-DEVALLY

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER ABC

Although Shonda Rhimes didn’t create How to Get Away with Murder (HTGAWM), the addictive new thriller boasts the hallmarks of Shondaland shows: frenetic but wildly enjoyable storytelling, breathless monologues, and an impressively diverse cast, who fully commit themselves to the outlandish plots. HTGAWM follows a group of law students at Philadelphia’s fictional Middleton University, and their charismatic professor Annalise Keating (played by Viola Davis, whose masterclass performance is unquestionably the best part of the show). The pilot’s opening scene uses a framing device that seizes the audience’s attention immediately, as we see the students burying a body, late at night, as a campus bonfire night roars on behind them. Like Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, HTGAWM introduces a large ensemble cast, anchored

by a compelling female protagonist. However, Annalise’s moral ambiguity sets her apart from Olivia Pope’s “white hat” ideology and Meredith Grey’s attempts to be a “good person”. Morally dubious white men such as Walter White and Don Draper have been revered on television for years, yet women (and particularly black women) are still expected to be “role models”, frequently assigned the responsibility to represent their race and gender in a positive light. Thankfully, Annalise doesn’t care whether you like her or not, pointing out, “We’re all capable of terrible things”

(which could be the tagline for the show). There’s no denying that the series is incredibly gripping, as each episode bounces between the Case of the Week and the events surrounding the bonfire night. Viewers who rolled their eyes at the melodramatic plotting that defines Rhimes’s other series will likely be unimpressed by HTGAWM’s breakneck pacing and outrageous cliffhangers, but fans of those soapy dramas will no doubt be hooked from that first scene

permeates the life of an early twentiethcentury New Yorker. Racism, backstreet abortions and selling dead bodies to pay off mobsters are just some of the issues dealt with over the course of the series. While these tropes may seem like obvious components of a gritty period drama, The Knick provides a fresh and appealing take on them so that you can’t help but

be drawn in. Once you can get past the frankly bizarre choice of music, the show is an extremely well-rounded addition to the autumn TV schedule and not to be missed.

WORDS BY MEADHBH MCGRATH

THE KNICK Sky Atlantic

Steven Soderbergh’s latest project is a medical drama about as far removed from Grey’s Anatomy as possible. It is set in early twentieth-century New York at the Knickerbocker Hospital, affectionately known as “The Knick”. Dr. Thackeray, portrayed by a haggard Clive Owen, is renowned for his innovative surgical procedures, but his private life shows him slowly being consumed by a cocaine addiction. The story is set in motion when his mentor at the hospital commits suicide after yet another failed attempt at a new operation. Dr. Algernon Edwards (Andre Holland), a superbly qualified African-American doctor, is sent to replace him, prompting fierce resistance from Thackeray and other hospital staff. The racism that typifies these encounters forms one of the core components of the show and is handled sensitively but also in a way that feels authentic. The slowmoving story allows relationships to evolve at a natural pace, particularly between the two central characters, and we are shown just how long it takes to make any inroads against racial prejudice. As this suggests, The Knick isn’t afraid to delve into the tougher subject matter that

The Knick will air on Sky Atlantic on October 16 at 9pm. WORDS BY EMMA BOYLAN

SERENA

Susanne Bier

Serena, a film with a very personal title, opens with a wide landscape shot of what the subtitles inform us are the “Smoky Mountains, 1929”. This contrast informs the rest of the film, which is based around the juxtaposition of a sweeping, epic tale of progress with the very intimate story of a complicated marriage between timber entrepreneur George Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) and Serena Shaw (Jennifer Lawrence). After their wedding Serena immediately commences stepping on toes as she co-manages George’s timber empire. Invested in utilising their land in the name of progress, they clash with those who want to preserve it as a national park. Meanwhile, their marriage takes a blow when Serena is unable to have children. The symbolic equation of Serena’s body with the land leads to an interesting exploration of the frontier myth. Through this, the idea of progress is deconstructed,

especially the implication of turning one’s back on history. An acknowledgment of, and engagement with, history is in fact shown to go hand-in-hand with progress. Cooper and Lawrence are as charming and talented as ever. One shot stands out in particular, a prolonged close-up on Lawrence after receiving terrible news in which she enacts a precisely controlled

breakdown that’s devastating to watch. A strong supporting cast, meanwhile, builds tension right up to and beyond the climactic clash. Director Susanne Bier tells a compelling story that doesn’t lag once in its hour and fifty minutes.

Teddy’s troubled best friend.

the tender moment between childhood’s end and the beginnings of adulthood. By rendering the rhythms of everyday teenage life with a cool, sympathetic and keenly aware eye, Coppola has created a film that feels like the most honest and relevant portrait of modern youth in years.

WORDS BYAOIFE NI DHOCHARTAIGH

PALO ALTO Gia Coppola

It’s fair to say that Palo Alto is another film by yet another Coppola charting the lives of the privileged and bored, but such an account underestimates Gia Coppola’s truthful and moving debut. Instead of attempting to scandalise viewers with a wake-up call to parents (like movies such as Gus Van Sant’s Elephant or Larry Clark’s Kids), Coppola focuses on the teens themselves, delivering their stories (adapted from James Franco’s short story collection of the same name) with a welcome dose of compassion. Plot seems to be the last thing on Coppola’s mind. The film vaguely follows April (Emma Roberts), a shy and serious girl who is seduced by her soccer coach, Mr. B (a perfectly creepy-charming Franco), and Teddy (Jack Kilmer), a good kid who ends up doing community service at a nursing home after a drunk-driving accident. However, Coppola’s lack of judgement extends past the more sympathetic leads to Emily (Zoe Levin), an isolated girl derided by her classmates as the “blowjob whore”, and the volatile Fred (Nat Wolff ),

Coppola, working with director of photography Autumn Cheyenne Durald, gives the film a dreamlike haze, lingering on peripheral details such as a dropped milkshake, rabbit-embroidered socks, or dying plants. Although we’ve seen similar stories of listlessness, flirtation and rebellion before, Coppola’s quiet, attentive filmmaking crafts an exquisite portrait of

WORDS BY MEADHBH MCGRATH

NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL Lena Dunham

Still shy of thirty, Lena Dunham has garnered fame, acclaim, and criticism — and apparently enough life experience to warrant a $3.5 million book deal. Her recent memoir, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” is a self-help book written through loose anecdotes, splintered into sections on sex, bodies, relationships, work, and a more general exploration of Dunham’s perpetual anxieties about her own mortality. She writes with unflinching honesty that bolsters the book while perhaps turning off the rare reader who becomes squeamish at detailed descriptions of the uterine wall. Her mouth is perpetually open. Nothing is off-limits. We skip across horrifically embarrassing pre-teen years, her masturbation habits and the bizarre things she did to her sister as a child. We learn of her awful ex-boyfriends and her reliance on various therapists to remain sane. Her humour is perhaps enabled by this total refusal to blush. When she discusses her loss of virginity and condoms in potted plants, learning to masturbate and “assne”, she skimps on nothing. While painful to read at times, every anecdote of terrible, terrible sex serves as an antidote to the silky and fantastical world of rom-coms and billboards. Rather, here

are guys who conclude the loss of your virginity by donning your bicycle helmet, proclaiming it “the going steady helmet”. In the hippie haven of Oberlin College, Dunham was dubbed “Little Lena from Soho” and informed her upbringing was not very “real”. The criticism has followed her since. Her attempt at postcollege listlessness is unconvincing, with she and her friends afforded the luxury of partying in Manhattan until ambition strikes, without rent woes or unpaid bills. She is shamelessly self-involved, a fault she admits to frankly and frequently. Upon hearing her sister is a lesbian, her initial reaction is, “Who did you tell before you told me?” We hear of her trials and tribulations. We are amused and gleefully grossed-out, but we take away nothing but a handful of clever one-liners. As the target audience for this book, I was left unsure what Dunham wanted to teach me. She aims to guide young women away from her own missteps, but at best, her memoir offers not prevention, but commiseration. A woman who powered through embarrassment and naysayers and achieved success, Dunham has found a way to write and to be wholly and unabashedly herself. WORDS BY ELIZABETH MOHEN

THE VANISHING OF ETHAN CARTER PC The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a firstperson narrative adventure in the vein of Gone Home and Dear Esther, games characterised by minimal gameplay and an emphasis on aesthetics and narrative. It tells the story of Paul Prospero, a paranormal detective responding to a fan letter from Ethan Carter, a lonely child shrouded in mystery. The game’s greatest strength is undoubtedly its visuals. The Twin Peaks-esque rural American landscape – populated with distant mountains, picturesque buildings, and glistening lakes – offers some of the most beautiful images possible on current hardware. These visuals shine when, in spite of the clichéd setup, it becomes apparent that the story being told is far from standard or predictable. When the plot takes its stranger turns – the insanity of which really must

not be spoiled – that visual fidelity not only captivates but has the power to astonish. The gameplay is something of a letdown. Clearly acting as checkpoint markers to validate conventional expectations of the form (and also, perhaps, to pad out the game’s 3-4 hour playtime), these segments of traditional gameplay consist exclusively of brief, simple puzzles. They achieve nothing except the complete

shattering of any suspension of disbelief. It’s a damn shame as the narrative is so ambitious and well executed, managing to wrangle a satisfactory, touching ending from its eclectic plot threads. For any fans of this emerging genre of interactive narrative experiences, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a worthwhile investment. Released on PC and PS4. WORDS BY EOIN MOORE

OUR FEW AND EVIL DAYS Abbey Theatre

could very well be real. The text contains suicide, incestuous rape, heinous obsession, and tempestuous violence — it can feel a bit like O’Rowe is ticking off a list of disturbing taboos at times — but nothing so fantastical as a celestial being made up of a body of worms. The most important segments of the play are delivered by the unnervingly natural Sinéad Cusack and Ciarán Hinds, doing his best Dublin Da, so even when the play tends toward the farfetched they maintain the tone within the realms of verisimilitude. As the couple battle over the consequences of the murder of their son, the audience can see themselves using the same pleas in their own tiffs, buckling in the same sad way – their acting is the production’s biggest strength.

“I guess I just prefer his old stuff.” Such is the sad refrain for many leaving Mark O’Rowe’s Our Few and Evil Days, a play that takes a pinch of the grisly surrealism he is so admired for, a dash of his characteristic storytelling craftsmanship, and sprinkles these over a chiefly realist piece of work. O’Rowe’s first new stage piece since 2007’s Terminus — a riotous tour of Dublin’s underworld told in rhyme — clearly disembarks from where he left off, obvious from the moment the audience sits down. The Abbey’s main stage is dressed in plush greens and dark woods to make up a rather imposing living room, dining area, kitchen, and even a glimpse of a utility room out the back. Paul Wills has spared no detail (even down to working taps) when moving off from O’Rowe’s previous minimalism. This family home, so beautifully crafted, contains even the darkest of moments in such a believable trapping that the viewer feels like a voyeur; like these are the lives of a real family unfolding before us.

Our Few and Evil Days tells a surreal family story in an admirably realist way, but just doesn’t shine so much as the playwright’s more hypnagogic work. Our Few and Evil Days runs at The Abbey until October 25 as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.

Unlike those in Terminus, most of these lives

WORDS BY HEATHER KEANE

STITCHES IN TIME Collins Barracks

Adrienne Rich describes revision as “the act of looking back, of seeing with fresh eyes”, in a way which then influences the present. This is exactly what Stitches in Time, a new exhibition at the National Museum, has set as its aim. The exhibition is comprised of the work of 12 Fashion Design students from the Limerick School of Art & Design. They took as inspiration the museum’s award-winning exhibition, Soldiers and Chiefs, which traces Ireland’s military history from 1550. The idea of modern fashion taking inspiration from historical designs is, of course, nothing new, but the specificity of this project ensures its success. The result is a stunning mix of contemporary designs, all inspired by different aspects of Ireland’s military history. Whereas some pieces are quite explicit in their reference to the past, one dress using lines of bullets as adornment, others take inspiration from shapes, colours, and materials. One of the most successful examples of this is a dress by Megan Harley-Peters. Its tailoring — with details like cuffed sleeves — are reminiscent

of military dress jackets, but its shoulders are pointed, a shape in fact taken from an 18th century helmet. Kate Spillane too completely transforms her source material of a soldier’s webbing into the intricately looped and woven adornment for her parachute-inspired dress. One of the most unusual pieces was Aoife Eustace-Doyle’s gas mask dress. Its clear plastic front and sides and bulbous shape feel intensely modern yet hark back to one of the most iconic pieces of equipment from the second world war. Each piece is accompanied by a sketch book illustrating the initial ideas and the gradual changes which led to the finished pieces on display, and the work is all the more interesting for this detail. This exhibition manages to simultaneously provide a look to the future and a nod to the past, an excellent reason to revisit the National Museum and its story of our own national history. Stitches in Time: Fashion inspired by Soldiers and Chiefs, runs until October 26, The National Museum, Collins Barracks. Admission Free. WORDS BY MEGAN BURNS

BEARDS AND BARNETS Temple Lane

Mike WILLMakonnen Wishin’ You Well

DJ Octopus Cycles

After producing some of the most popular hip-hop beats of the past 12 months, including Miley Cyrus’s We Can’t Stop and Future’s Move That Dope, Mike WiLL Made It has decided to scale things back a bit. This time Mike WiLL has enlisted the help of fellow Atlanta native iLoveMakonnen. The duo, woefully named MikeWiLLMakonnen, work surprisingly well together. Mike WiLL’s sitar-laced beat provides the perfect backdrop for Makonnen’s dreary vocals. Although elements of the song could use a lyrical brush up, one hopes that this is not all we hear from the duo.

Italian producer DJ Octopus makes a welcome return to music on Hot Haus Records. After releasing the highly praised Thieves Like Us EP with Steve Murphy, Octopus has established himself as somewhat of a Chicago House revivalist. His most recent EP Cycles sees Octopus confirm his position with Larry Heardlike accuracy. Although relatively simple, the title track provides enough of a punch to satisfy any raver. Not only is the track enjoyable but the artwork also features a picture of Cthulhu riding a bicycle. What more could you want? WORDS BY EOIN HENNESSY

Beards and Barnets opened in Temple Bar a few months ago, but has stayed under the radar so far. Decked out in a classic style that has been updated for the 21st century, the shop is built around stripped-down wooden seats and traditional barber’s chairs, but in a minimal glassfronted interior. This space is tailor-made for today’s fashion-conscious man, a place where the desire to meticulously plan, execute and style your cut is understood to be not only a necessity but a fundamental right. A reasonably priced student haircut at €22, this is no in-and-out in ten minutes dry cut; for your money, you get a wash, cut, second wash (crucial to avoid your ears being full of tiny clippings for the rest of the day), and style. The star of the show is Billy, one of the owners and an alum of The Butcher Barber, whose determination to meet his customers’ constant demands for “something different, but not too different” surely deserves some kind of medal. Every aspect of the cut is discussed beforehand, ensuring no nasty surprises and a result you will love. It is a testament to the growing and deserved success of what has the potential to be a leading light in men’s hairdressing. WORDS BY TOM GODFREY PHOTOS BY MICHAEL O’HANRAHAN

PETER GALLO Douglas Hyde Gallery Currently on display in Gallery 1 of the Douglas Hyde is a selection of work by Vermont born artist Peter Gallo. Recurring throughout the gallery’s exhibition programme this year is an emphasis on economy and austerity in both means and materials, and such a theme is clearly evidenced in Gallo’s work. Found pieces of wood replace canvas for the most part, whilst an appropriated table tennis bat, and what seems to have once been the deck of a longboard, serve as vehicles for the artist’s work in other instances. In his approach to these panels there is a naivety and unsophistication; paint appears roughly and hastily applied. Where works involve text, the script seems to move in and out of legibility as one reads it. This lack of clarity seems to, inadvertently or not, be an overarching message behind Gallo’s work here. At times it manifests itself discernibly in feelings of unease, longing and searching to which everyone can relate. No doubt, these pieces are emotional and highly personal but the vulnerability behind them seems to jar with their formal appearance, creating a sense of ambiguity if not disconnectedness. This risks leaving the viewer themselves yearning for something slightly more crystalline.

Peter Gallo runs until December 3 at the Douglas Hyde Gallery. WORDS BY STEPHEN MOLONEY PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

WORDS BY HEATHER KEANE

What would it take to make Dublin a more playful city? The people at Prototype — a new festival that brings games and tech together with live performance — intend on spending the weekend of October 17 figuring out that question. While Project Arts Centre’s Space Upstairs will be kitted out as a mechanic playground, the Cube will be occupied by game-makers and design-heads ready to tell you all their secrets. There’s even a couple of theatre pieces on the bill! Dan Bergin (Jack of all trades behind 10 Days in Dublin) will present an interactive performance based around his live point-and-clicker, Blast. Several Amazing Things About Tetris (1984) aims to explore the bizarre history of the modern puzzle game’s founding father.

PROTOTYPE

OCTOBER 17

32 WORDS BYEOIN MOORE

Gaelcon 2015 will be held in the D4 Hotel in Ballsbridge from October 24-27. One of Ireland’s largest gaming conventions, Gaelcon showcases and hosts Role Playing Games, Collectable Card Games, board games, and all other exclusively nonelectronic games. There’s something for all fans of analogue games, wherever your interests lie: intricate Wargames populated by hundreds of hand-painted units, card games ranging from the light-hearted to the intensely tactical, RPGs which allow you to truly immerse yourself in a character and a world, and LARPs for those who want to go that one step further. Most of all, it will be a chance to meet other gamers who share a love of this obscure yet thriving pastime.

GAELCON

OCTOBER 24-27

WORDS BY DAN SCOTT

Whisky Live Dublin will run an afternoon and evening session from 2-5.30pm and 6-9.30pm respectively. Tickets cost €37.50, €10 of which will be donated to Down Syndrome Ireland.

Other activities range from tasting craft beers which have been cask matured in whiskey barrels, to cocktails and other sublime spirits. New to the programme are the whiskey food pairings, where six whiskeys at the event will be paired with miniature dishes prepared by some of Dublin’s best gastronomical spots — Koh, L Mulligan Grocer and Etto.

The ever popular international showcase Whisky Live makes a return to the Round Rooms at the Mansion House. The event organised by the Celtic Whiskey Shop promises tastings of all of the finest and newest Irish distilleries’ crafts, as well as representation of Scottish, American and Japanese whiskeys.

WHISKY LIVE

OCTOBER 25

WORDS BY OLEN BAJARIAS

The aesthetic of Alexander Wang has always been available for DIY appropriation by anybody with access to spare time and the internet — on any busy day, on any busier street, many are already wearing what might as well be Alexander Wang. But on November 6, the date when his collaboration with H&M is released worldwide, the label on their clothes will finally correspond with the provenance of the look they wish to emulate. It will also be from that date that the American designer might deservedly elicit suspicion of exerting an influence over fashion that is almost occult. For how else does one explain a phenomenon where people long to get their hands on what they already have on their backs? The collection will consist of womenswear, menswear and accessories, and there will surely be something for everyone.

ALEXANDER WANG FOR H&M

NOVEMBER 6

Planning is key to making the most of the weekend and admission is generally on a first come, first served basis. Visit openhousedublin.com for full listings as well as details on entry lotteries where applicable. Head to our website for our indepth guide to the weekend.

Architecture festival Open House Dublin returns for another year, seeing spaces throughout Dublin welcome in the general public for academic appreciation and a general nosey alike. Sites particularly worth visiting this year include Airbnb’s European headquarters for a lesson in progressive office design, the divisive monolith that is Dame Street’s Central Bank of Ireland, Liberty Hall for a panorama of the city from its 16th floor pavilion and Pearse Museum — the home and school of Irish revolutionary Patrick Pearse where much of the 1916 Rising was orchestrated.

OPEN HOUSE DUBLIN

OCTOBER 17-19

WORDS BY SORCHA GANNON

To get you suitably worked up for Halloween this year, the IFI will be running its annual Horrorthon (October 23-27) featuring a mixture of classics and Irish premieres (tn2 picks: The Babadook, The Samurai, Starry Eyes). The Bram Stoker Festival (October 24-27) will also be showing a selection of films, including the Irish premiere of The Curse of Styria, and Jean Cocteau’s classic, La Belle et la Bête. On the night itself, head to The Sugar Club for an 80s style Halloween bash where Discotekken are screening 1984 rock music mockumentary, The Spinal Tap, in addition to an 80s tribute band, free 80s make up, t-shirt printing, food and DJs. Alternatively, at The Lighthouse Cinema, there is The Shining Halloween Party (fancy dress reception at 9.30pm followed by a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s classic psychological thriller at 10.30pm), while Grindhouse is hosting a screening of The Crow, also at 10.30pm.

HALLOWEEN SCREENINGS

OCTOBER 23-31

WORDS BY TARA JOSHI

Brought to you by Body&Soul, this eerie soirée held at IMMA is a part of the Bram Stoker Festival. Expect ostentatious baroque glamour and grandeur with cocktails, costumes, karaoke (of a purely melancholy nature — think The Cure and Nick Cave) and even a courtyard hosting an open-air opera, Der Vampyr. There will be pleasing electronic soundscapes in the gothic surroundings too — with the likes of East India Youth and Young Fathers performing — as well as a chapel stage curated by this issue’s Homegrown stars Ensemble, hosting wonderful acts such as Loah and Simon Bird. And this is without mentioning the Goths vs Zombies danceoff. The whole night seems set to be a glorious, gothic dream. Tickets €39.50.

SHAPESHIFTERS BALL

WORDS BY KERRY BRENNAN

Using the Smock Alley Theatre as its base, the ninth annual Dublin Book Festival aims to encourage and promote the Irish publishing industry and its writers. Their events this year include public interviews with authors and publishers (in particular the Lines of Vision talk with Kevin Barry and Rob Doyle, among others), literary walking tours of Dublin and book launches, including one from Annie West. Supplementing these events is the Winter Garden, located in the banquet hall upstairs in the Smock Alley Theatre, where free drop-in events will be taking place — including craft beer tasting and photo installations. This is also the location of their pop-up bookshop that will run for the duration of the festival, where you can enjoy a cup of tea and browse the offerings from over 60 Irish publishers. The majority of these events are free.

BOOK FESTIVAL

NOVEMBER 13-16

BLOODHOUND GANG

ne whole week a month where we can’t have sex?” he’d asked me, with a frown on his face. It was the first month of my new long-term relationship, and I had emerged sheepishly from the bathroom, announcing to my thenboyfriend that I had just got my period. As far as I was aware from past experience, straight guys seemed to find the idea of menstruation hugely disgusting — and, in fairness, I too had been conditioned to feel that way about this particular bodily function. Periods were gross and they made me feel like I was gross and you obviously didn’t talk about any of this stuff in front of boys (the shame of a guy catching sight of a tampon!) and the idea of having sex when uterine lining was seeping out of my womb seemed pretty sickening. Of course, with the raging hormones and all, I’m actually pretty turned on around that time of the month, but this seemed irrelevant to me then.

“I mean, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun,” I’d offered, having recently heard a male friend drunkenly refer to his girlfriend being “on the blob” and thus being rewarded with a week of blowjobs (I’m not sure when the week of this being reciprocated happens, but I digress). Another male friend of mine was offered anal sex the first time he slept with his girlfriend because she was on her period. I had accordingly always treated it as the norm for women to forget their own bedroom needs during period week, and tend to their partner instead. Which is why I was surprised by his response: “I don’t mind, you know. We could just do it anyway. I’d like to.” What followed was initially very tentative, hesitant sex (“Shit are you sure you want to do this? Don’t look down there! Really, I can just give you head.”) but as things got going, I forgot my reservations and got really into it, because during menstruation the female body is much more sensitive than normal and it all felt amazing. It ended up being the first time that boyfriend made me come during sex. And to my surprise, he was actually really into it too — I think in retrospect he found it sexy in a kind of macho way that, unlike a lot of men, he was confident enough to want to please his woman no matter what. It made me feel sexy too; during a time of the month where I would normally feel bloated, disgusting and generally repulsive to a prospective partner, with my increased libido I was suddenly getting orgasms on the reg (something which, incidentally, can really help

with cramps) from this guy who accepted all parts of me and found me attractive in spite of ending up with a condom covered in blood. For all I want to be a feminist and embrace my body with all its natural functions, I’ll admit there was often something a bit squeamish about seeing the blood afterwards and I would rather not talk about the smell — not that it ever seemed to bother that particular ex, who almost seemed to find it a turn-on. We both drew a line at oral sex, because no matter how good it might have felt, for me the image of him emerging from between my legs looking like Carrie was all kinds of horrific, and in general I think being that kind of enthused bloodhound is unusual to find amongst people our age. And I think a lot of women in their early twenties aren’t ready for that kind of thing yet either — myself included — with a lot of the heterosexual girls I know not hugely keen on receiving oral sex even during the rest of the month. In fact, period sex seems a taboo thing for most females to discuss even amongst themselves. Soon after breaking-up with that ex, I broached the topic with some of my female friends: “So, is it unlikely another guy is gonna be into doing it with me when I’m on my period?” The subject seemed to repulse most of them a little bit (“Jesus, who does that?! Why would you tell me that? Please stop talking. Sure, do that if you’re into it, but don’t tell people about it”) though one friend admitted she would love to try it: “I do get really horny when I’m on my period, but I would hate for a guy to see the mess. Maybe when I’m married?” I took this all to mean enthusiastic period sex would be unlikely for the foreseeable future, and the people I’ve been with since have definitely made it seem like that’s the case. For a lot of ladies, period sex means you’re working with an increased libido, incredible sensitivity, a handy natural lubricant; plus you get to avoid a week of inevitable jaw-ache. And there seems to be a macho sense of satisfaction in it for men. Yes it can be a bit messy and, at first, maybe kind of embarrassing, but hey — you’re having sex with this person anyway: what’s a little blood between friends?

WORDS BY ANONYMOUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY GRAHAM HAUGHT WWW.GRAHAMHAUGHT.COM