tn2 Magazine Issue 2 2012-13

Page 1

ISSUE 2 2ND OCTOBER 2012

TWO

LOOKING FOR RICHARD

FEATURES//INTERVIEWS//OPINION//REVIEWS


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CONTENTS

Mark Rylance // 16

4 8 20 21 22 28 30

OPENERS HOMEGROWN THE ODD COUPLE THE CITYGUIDE FACES UNTIL NEXT TIME THE FINAL SAY

THE REVIEWS

THE FEATURES

THE REGULARS 9 10 12 14 15 16

MONEY OVER MATTER DUBLENSE WHAT LENNY SAID BIG LOVE THE 3 PS COMING HOME TO ROOST

24 25 25 26 27 27

STAGE FILM LITERATURE MUSIC FOOD & DRINK GAMES

Editor & Creative Director Aaron Devine Deputy Editor Henry Longden Copy Editor Eoin Tierney Online Editor Ciar Boyle-Gifford Editorial Staff Gabija Purlytė // Tom Lenihan // Deirdre Molumby // Declan Johnston // Paige Crosbie // Hugo Fitzpatrick // Paul Casey Alison Connolly // Jenny Duffy // Gheorghe Rusu // Alana Ryan // Katherine Murphy // Fionnuala Gygax Isabella Davey // Ciaran McGrath // Claudia Carroll Photo Editor Matthew Wilson Illustrator Alice Wilson Creative Consultants Dargan Crowley-Long // Éna Brennan Special Thanks Damien Carr, Matthew Taylor and the Trinity Publications Committee // Nora Eastwood // Ronan Burtenshaw Meryl Robertson // Spencer Murphy and Cheryl Newman for the Mark Rylance photos // Rebecca Storey at Shakespeare’s Globe Staff at EPB Department of Trinity College Library for their ongoing support TN2MAGAZINE.IE // 3


OPENERS

FORMING THE CHURCH DESIGN You may have passed it dozens of times without knowing it’s there. Newman University Church opens to the street through a diminutive Romanesque portal with four stumpy columns. Carved on their capitals are symbols of the four evangelists – an eagle for St John, an ox for St Luke, a lion for St Mark and an angel for St Matthew. Though delightful in its exquisite carvings and the polychromy of its brick and mosaics, the portal was an afterthought to the

ONCE UPON A TIME ...

the ante-church the decoration is emphatically flat, with flush pilasters ‘painted’ onto the walls via colourful stone inlays, their curiously protruding capitals supporting fictive roundheaded arcades. Its materials are undoubtedly the most admirable features of the interior, which boasts a collection of Irish stones, among them the beautiful green serpentine Connemara marble. The alabaster used for the majority of the carved capitals again seems to hark back to

Image courtesy of the Board of Trinity College, Dublin

LITERATURE

church built in the backyard of No 87 St Stephens Green in 1855-6, and does not prepare one for what awaits inside. The general impression of this rectangular hall with its flat timber ceiling is that of an early Christian basilica. Past the columnar screens of

early Christian architecture, where it was sometimes used for windowpanes. The unmissable gilded half-dome of the apse is another feature which is so different from the usual neo-Gothic and classicist design of Dublin’s churches. *DELMD 3XUO\Wē

Celebrated Irish artist Harry Clarke (18891931) is probably best known for his stained glass work. He was also a talented illustrator, his work first appearing in print in Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen. Published in 1916, this collection contains 24 stories, such as The Little Sea Maid, The Snow Queen and Thumbelina. It includes 24 black and white illustrations and 16 full-colour plates in jewel-like tones reminiscent of Clarke’s stained glass work. The colour plates are covered with a thin layer of tissue paper bearing a caption. Peeling back these layers to reveal Clarke’s beautiful

SOME GIRLS ARE BIGGER THAN OTHERS ... FILM

Designed by Reynold Brown, the poster for Attack of the 50ft Woman shows Allison Hayes, turned into a giant due to an alien encounter, wreaking havoc as she seeks revenge on her unfaithful husband. It also shows that sometimes a single poster used for promotional purposes can be better than the film itself. The ludicrous title has spawned a cult following as fans revel in its many pop culture appearances while pining for a much-discussed sequel. The film was a take on other films involving size-changing humans, such as The Incredible Shrinking Man, but the poster is pos4 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

sibly most reminiscent of King Kong tearing apart New York in the eponymous colossal classic. Unfortunately our 1958 film was produced on a fraction of the aforementioned film’s budget, which prompted director Nathan Juran to insist on being billed under a different name, allegedly out of embarrassment at its poor quality. These low-budget effects do not matter of course because this is hilarious atomic-age kitsch at its finest; a key anti-masterpiece of 1950s B-Movie Sci-fi and funny for all the wrong reasons. Tom Lenihan

illustrations is one of the joys of reading the original book. The image accompanying this article comes from The Wild Swans. Here we see Eliza on a bed of reeds being carried through the air by her brothers, who have been transformed into swans by their evil stepmother. In Eliza’s flowing hair and the diagonal line of her body Clarke creates a sense of movement, of flying through the air. Clarke’s work will be appearing in an exhibition of Irish art in the Old Library, and his stained glass work can also be seen around Dublin – such as in the Hugh Lane Gallery and Bewley’s Café. Jenny Duffy


OPENERS

COOKING UP A STORM

FRONT SQUARE FASHION

FOOD

CAYENNE CHICKEN CASSEROLE 2 chicken thighs 2 Red onions 2 cloves Garlic Tspn cayenne pepper 2 tins tomatoes 1 tin chickpeas 1 tin kidney/butter beans 2 peppers 150ml red wine (optional) Salt/Pepper

1.

Preheat the oven to 180’C/350’F/ Gas Mark 4

2.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic, onions and cayenne and cook on a low heat until the onions are soft.

3.

Increase the heat.

4.

Rub the salt and pepper into the skin of the chicken and place in the pan. Cook till the chicken is just beginning to turn brown.

5.

Transfer the chicken mixture to a casserole dish. Add all the other ingredients.

6.

Place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until the juices run clear.

7.

Serve with rice or couscous.

Paige Crosbie

JUKEBOX FLASHBACK OCTOBER

2002

MUSIC This week ten years ago, the saccharine and sentimental first American Idol single was topping the US charts and arguably beginning popular music’s slow descent into manufactured madness. The single’s video is comedic gold with the young Clarkson looking bewildered and incredulous as she steps onto a formidable stage. It then quickly flashes back to the finer movements of her ‘‘journey’’ lest any viewers have forgotten the ‘‘long, hard struggle’’ she fought to win the top prize. The closing shot sees Clarkson triumphant in a red dress ‘‘owning’’ the stage and belting out the chorus. Four years later, Leona Lewis does it all over again – it’s just that good. Alana Ryan

STYLE JF student Olivia Bagnell exemplifies how to dress bike-friendly whilst retaining that academic look: strategic employment of layered knitwear in varying degrees of heaviness ensures beating that icy autumnal air as you cruise across the cobbles, with hats and scarves being most important. But don’t forget gloves should you ever wish to take a single note again after your cold weather commute. Conjure marvel among passersby with any kind of heel height, exuding an air of sartorial accomplishment that can’t be matched when wearing flats. Finally, top marks are awarded for bike to outfit colour coordination. Stephen Moloney

NIKKA FROM THE BARREL DRINKS Based predominantly on the style of Scotch, Japanese whisky has begun to come into its own in recent years. Although a relatively nascent industry, it punches above its weight and produces some crackers, such as the From The Barrel variety from the Nikka distillery. Pouring with a 51.4% ABV, this whisky is still ridiculously smooth, especially with an added drop of water (which will also loosen up the full variety of flavours), so this is one for novices as well as well-tuned whisky lovers. The complexity is impressive despite the reasonable price ( just over €30 for an attractively presented bottle), and it is also very easy on the finish. It’s sometimes in stock at the Celtic Whiskey Shop and you can get it online. Or try a measure in Izakaya on George’s Street - you’ll insist on more. Aaron Devine 2ND OCTOBER 2012 // 5


OPENERS

WEAVING WONDERS

TAKE FIVE // NUMBER 2 1

GAMES “It takes too long to weave a carpet. Something from one to three years. Weaving a carpet needs lots of patience, so I was going to make a slower-feeling game” – Mahdi Bahrami. Farsh is a clever puzzle game by Mahdi Bahrami, which insists on space management. The player controls a rolled up carpet, and must guide it to the goal across a series of tiles. Unroll your carpet along a red tile and you can turn and twist the direction of the tiles underneath. “In these kinds of games there isn’t any countdown timer or enemies

you worry about. You just need to think in a relaxing condition,” says Bahrami. Though you can replay each puzzle as many times as you like, there is great satisfaction to be had in attuning to its thoughtful rhythm, without too many false starts. Farsh’s visual design

is clean, with the only direction the player requires appearing unobtrusively as part of the background. The soundtrack by Moslem Rasouli is similarly suited to the game’s meditative charm. On the opening screen, a dedication: “To my mother who spent her youth weaving carpets.” Farsh requires similar repetition, and at times frustration. You keep returning to it though, until the job is done. Citing Jonathan Blow, creator of Braid, as an influence, Mahdi Bahrami is also responsible for the equally puzzle orientated platformer Bo (http://bit.ly/W3M2Kt§),

2

THE MIXTAPE // LET’S KISS - SUNDAY MORNING MIX This latest collection from producer Johnny Jewel (Chromatics/Desire/Glass Candy) samples an eclectic mix from Nico to an unreleased Sonic Youth cover. His trademark retro-electronic stamp is present throughout. http://soundcloud.com/johnnyjewel

THE APP // A CLOCKWORK ORANGE // Random House have released this interactive eBook for the 50th anniversary of Anthony Burgess’s socio-political dystopia. It includes a new foreword by Martin Amis, audio descriptions and readings by the writer and musical scores for the intended opera. Available from iTunes.

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THE TICKET // HARD WORKING CLASS HEROES Spread across three days and six venues, this year’s festival celebrating Ireland’s best musical talent features over 100 bands including Delorentos, Forrests and Electric Penguins. 3-day Weekend Pass - €45, Day Pass - €20

4

THE TV SHOW // THE HUNTED // A BBC/HBO collaboration brings a new spy drama, filling the void that the over-ambitious Spooks left. The hunter becomes the hunted in the transatlantic, action filled plot. Starts Thursday October 4th on BBC1.

which received an honourable mention at the Independent Games Festival in 2011 for excellence in design. Farsh can be downloaded free for Windows through Mahdi Bahrami’s blog (http://bit.ly/W3M2Kt) and for Mac at http://bit.ly/UAXN FG. Paul Casey

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THE BOOK // ECONOMICS AFTER THE CRISIS BY ADAIR TURNER // Does a rising tide lift all boats or does class disparity affect our wellbeing? This books stands out by refusing to fall into the standard “life promotion” box, while persuading us to seriously doubt the benefits of blinkered faith in economic growth. COMPILED BY HENRY LONGDEN

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5 0 S O U T H W I L L I A M S T R E E T D U B L I N 2

S P E C I A L S T U D E N T O F F E R A L L C O F F E E A N D T E A O N L Y € 1 . 5 0 ! D E A L I N C L U D E S T E A , E S P R E S S O , A M E R I C A N O , L A T T E , C A P P U C I N O A N D M A C C H I A T O ,


MUSIC

HOM EGR OWN A short history of Tandem Felix: they grew up in Lucan, a “very non-inspiring environment” where the only gigs were vapid affairs and “the people who came to watch them didn’t want to hear a band they didn’t know”. They turned 18 and made the city their home, still writing grungey guitar songs, but slowly shedding. They are at the cusp of defining themselves. Now, David Tapley writes and records most of the stuff you can hear on the internet under the name. The music is lulling, layered and rich but spacey. Surprisingly, especially for a drums-guitars-bass outfit, he composes using samples. “We’ve never really written as a band. It’s a two stage thing - I’ll record the song ... then I take it to practice and have to start at the start. I’ll have the [drums on the] song ready and say ‘Play this 60s sample from Joe Tex song’. We have to figure out the whole thing and arrange it, it’s almost like rewriting it.” This system is more practicality than ego. “I’ve never written with people, I think it’d take me a long time to get good at it. There was talks of me writing with We Arrive Alive and I was absolutely bricking it.” This duality - of man and band - will be less obvious in live performances and studio recordings (the latest will have Spies members on double bass and vocals). David is quick to offer kind words about his band and those of his friends, but says he’s never “been massively blown away” by most Dublin hype: “A lot of these bands I can really obviously hear their influences and it annoys me to a certain extent.” He’s quick to check himself though; his pop music familiarity is clear - an8 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

Tandem Felix main man David Tapley talks about unfair musical comparisons and his band's unorthodox writing process

WORDS Gheorghe Rusu PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Wilson

ecdotes about Dylan, Neil Young, Bowie (even Steve Albini) litter the conversation - but there is one tell. “I’m sure some people say all the time we’re just a Radiohead ripoff.” Tandem Felix’s experimental bent and the high register of David’s voice invite lazy comparisons. But there’s everything from Portishead to the psychedelic side of the Smashing Pumpkins in the music, Sufjan Stevens in his whispers and Jonsi during more airy passages. But the biggest influence is Talk Talk. “They did exactly what they wanted and didn’t care if they got kicked off the label. They were told, ‘This is too quiet, not danceable enough’ and they were like ‘Alright, let’s make an album that’s even quieter’. [The label] said it was purposely unsellable, even though it’s gorgeous.” Tandem Felix seem to have undergone a parallel change - they too are unrecognisably more restrained. “It’s never a conscious thing. I guess I’m playing a lot more piano, and you can’t really write loud songs on the piano

unless you’re Jerry Lee Lewis. [And] in three minutes, the song doesn’t have time to get there, but I do think when we play them live they’ll get a lot heavier.” The materials we have available now are either documents of a previous state or too scatter-shot and inconclusive to give a defined thesis. However the creativity and the ability to articulate it is there, in spades; the sound is evolving but already accomplished. There’s cause for excitement, and good reason to expect great things. Tandem Felix play The Grand Social on October 4th at 9.10pm as part of Hard Working Class Heroes


T.V.

MONEY OVER MATTER? TV Editor Claudia Carroll debunks some myths about the state of the television industry in Ireland

Game of Thrones and The Tudors are examples of successful shows that are filmed here in Ireland. But are they as beneficial to us as we might think?

A

pparently the Irish television industry is booming. The past decade has seen some of the most high profile series on TV filmed on our shores, among them The Tudors, Camelot, upcoming BBC drama Ripper Street, and Game of Thrones. While admittedly refreshing, regularly positive reports on our tax incentives, our skilled workforce and how ideal our picturesque nation is as a location, do not in fact lessen the dearth of quality Irish drama on our screens. Our current industry seems incapable of producing successful independent programming for the Irish people, though we seem very

more creative worth. TV drama and documentary have always been perceived as less prestigious. As this attitude is eroded across the world, particularly in the US, it grows in Ireland. The situation is unfortunate; television has considerable advantages over film, particularly in drama. It is a writer’s medium, with much greater opportunities for narrative and character development and considerably more dynamism than a novel. But while funding is an inescapable issue, it is also part of a much wider cultural malaise in Irish society. Discussion of Irish

“OUR CREATIVE INDUSTRY, LIKE EVERYTHING IN CONTEMPORARY IRELAND, IS OPERATED AND JUDGED IN A FINANCIAL RATHER THAN CULTURAL PARADIGM” capable of making it for the Americans and British – provided we don’t have to deal with the creative side. As “successful” RTÉ dramas Raw and Love/Hate cling on for dear life, our national broadcaster has chosen to merge the most prevalent trends in Irish and international television in the form of RTÉ Format Farm – reality TV for export. Having in desperation thrown all its eggs in the reality basket, the concept is bang up to date and from a certain perspective admirable (a notable change in direction from a channel dependent on reality remakes), but it is doubtful whether such a mind-set has longevity. While providing an immediate if brief boost in the crumbling PSB’s funding, it overestimates the dominance of reality. Even more worrying are the shows themselves, one of which, Baptism of Hire, is an Irish Truman Show with a dash of the exploitative nature of The X Factor that particularly highlights the pointed nasty cynicism in viewer psyche that has been augmented by reality TV culture. The question is how this state of affairs has come about. The issue of funding cannot be ignored, with only licence fees and

television primarily focuses on job creation and international investment. It is an entirely economic perspective; news on the television and film industries is always to be found in the business pages. A creative industry, like everything in modern Ireland, is operating and judged in a financial rather than cultural paradigm. Even the notion of a public service broadcaster itself has become archaic; the society RTÉ was created to benefit has abandoned the values on which it was based. Compounding the matter is a basic lack of faith in our own worth as a culture. RTÉ Director General Noel Curran’s comments at last month’s UCC TV50 conference about prioritising investment in creativity do not seem realistic; the principle is overshadowed by a government prioritising the marketing of our creativity to other countries for their social and our economic benefit. Embodying this ideology is industry kingpin Morgan O’ Sullivan. Much lauded for bringing American productions to our shores, O’ Sullivan’s “innovative” approach falls in line with recession-era political rhetoric. However the raison d’etre of his Ardmore studios based production company World 2000, essentially to

“THE SOCIETY RTÉ WAS CREATED TO BENEFIT HAS ABANDONED THE VALUES ON WHICH IT WAS BASED” no subscriptions there is very little money left to produce on the scale of the BBC. But Irish television was hardly a paragon of quality in the Celtic Tiger era. Nobody can dispute the economic potential of the Irish TV industry, but while it is considerable more lucrative than film, the indigenous film industry has considerably

attract foreign investment, reveals a considerably more questionable attitude – a lack of faith in independent Irish production. O’ Sullivan operates on the assumption that American dominance of the industry is inescapable, and that the most we can aspire to is to become a branch office to LA. 2ND OCTOBER 2012// 9


ART

THE HALLOWED HA

O

n 5-7 October buildings all over the city will open their doors for visitors as part of Open House Dublin 2012. Richard Gilligan was invited to capture this year’s theme, Architecture Alive!, in photographs, which have been incorporated into the poster campaign as well as being shown in an exhibition at the RHA gallery. “This commission came about in a really nice, easy way,” says Richard, “The director of the Irish Architecture Foundation simply got in touch saying she liked my work and asked me if I would be interested in working on some kind of photography project with her – I obviously jumped at the chance. The only thing we knew at that stage was that the photos would be worked

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Dublin photographer Richard Gilligan tells tn2 about the joys and challenges of portraying the life of Dublin's architecture into the identity and publicity of this year’s Open House program. The idea for an exhibition of this work was there right from the start but only really got finalized quite late in the day.’ Fulfilling the task set by the theme seems to have come naturally to Richard: ‘I see everything that exists in the world around me as a living being, from building and trees to bus stops and wheelbarrows. I am generally just interested in life as it appears around me. When it comes to composing and framing photographs I don’t really think about what I am doing that much, I just shoot whatever I think might look interesting as a photograph.” Each of the images seems to reveal unexpected, somewhat surprising aspects of

our everyday environment. I ask how these gems were found. “All the locations were picked by myself and Nathalie (the director), and we did try to keep in mind a broad mix in terms of eras and different styles and just the core aesthetics of the buildings themselves. So I did have some structure in terms of where I shot but how I reacted and shot in each location was quite instinctive and challenging at times.” What effect did working in his native city have? “The fact that I was shooting in my hometown where my surroundings were so familiar was hard. I was digging deep within myself to find fresh eyes to engage with a landscape and city that I know like the back of my hand.” I suggest that one of the images,


ART

ALLS AND HOUSES

WORDS Gabija Purlytė The Plastic House, is very reminscent of Japanese paintings. “Funny you should mention that as the tree in the back garden was a Japanese maple, so I was really drawn to that straight away. But I’m not going to lie to you and pretend I dug up every book I could find on ancient Japanese Art in order to come to that photograph. I try not to over-analyze my photography, especially when I am shooting away. To be honest you tend to go into quite a weird disconnected place when you really get into taking photos and it is often only later on when you sit and edit that all these influences and connections begin to appear in a subconscious way.” Richard admits that working on a commission is very different from personal

work: “Even though you have full creative freedom, a tiny part of you still wants to make sure that whoever commissioned you to make the work is happy with the end result. It would be quite arrogant to not consider this. One positive aspect of a commission I find is always the deadline – this forces you to work really hard, usually for an intense period of time, and it forces you to really focus on the task at hand and not let yourself get distracted by all the other amazing and interesting things there are out there in the world: ‘Oh, what’s that? I could photograph that’, ‘I just got an email’, ‘Maybe I should walk the dog again?’ … ” How different was this project from his previous work? “I tend to approach

each project I work on in a different and hopefully challenging way, otherwise it could all just get a bit boring. For me it is important at times to really force myself out of my comfort zone in terms of how I photograph things. The tricky thing about this commission was that the brief was totally open for me to more or less do whatever I wanted which is as terrifying as it is liberating.” The exhibition will be on display at the RHA gallery until 7 October. Richard has also recently published his first book, entitled DIY, through the French publisher 19/80 Éditions. He has been working on it for the past four years and is ‘looking forward to exhibiting it next year in as many places as possible’. 2ND OCTOBER 2012// 11


FILM

WHEN LENNY MET JACK

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The director and star of new Irish film What Richard Did tell tn2 about what was a rewarding creative experience

ublin-born and Trinity-Educated, filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson may seem naturally affiliated with the student populace, yet his extraordinary achievements are less than familiar. Following the success of his multi-award winning short film 3 Joes (1991), Lenny Abrahamson made TV commercials and then went into feature filmmaking. His first feature-length movie was Adam & Paul (2004), which revolves around two Dublin heroin addicts. It not only won the Best First Feature award at the 2004 Galway Film Fleadh and earned Abrahamson the Best Director award at the IFTA Awards, it was also shown at the Telluride Film Festival, Colorado, and the 2005 Berlin Film Festival. Abrahamson’s next feature was Garage (2007), another film to win awards both in Ireland and abroad. His latest film, What Richard Did, stars Jack Reynor. Coming out next week, I spoke to Abrahamson and Reynor about the film. Lenny explains, “It’s a film about a boy who is the one everybody loves in school - teachers, students, and parents love him. He’s a sort of decent guy. He’s also successful academically, good at sport, and cares about his peers, or seems to, so he is a sort of golden boy. The film follows a series of pretty small, ordinary things that happen in lots of people’s lives when they’re that age, like being in love with a girl, not being sure if she likes you, or having uneasy relationships with some other guys. Richard ends up doing something really terrible and really uncharacteristic and then the film details how he comes to terms with, or doesn’t come to terms with, what he’s done.” I ask Jack Reynor (Richard) to tell us more about his character. “There is something kind of sad about him, maybe a little bit dark, even from the start that we feel as an audience. As it goes on, the ideas that he has about himself and his own morality which is very important to him kind of starts to break down. Everything that he believes about himself is shed and we’re left with just the bare bones of this kid who’s made the most horrific mistake, and has to deal with it in a very quiet, internal way.” What Richard Did is the first film Lenny has produced which

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WORDS Deirdre Molumby PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Wilson

involves a largely young cast. “The cast had incredible energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to the film. They were all really talented, all up for any sort of work I wanted them to do. Therefore it was a really free and pleasurable experience to work with them, right through the workshop-ing we did and then into the shoot. The set was just a very good place to be. Even when we were shooting very difficult stuff, very intense, dramatic stuff, it was still a really warm environment for us.” The acting in this film is quite extraordinary. The conversations and chemistry between the characters is so familiar and natural that they feel completely real. Jack explains how this effect was achieved. “We spent eight months preparing the film before we went in for the principal shoot. We did it in a very informal way whereby we sat down as an ensemble with Lenny and [writer] Malcolm quite frequently over those eight months, and just talked really candidly about our own lives ... We got very close, it was very raw. But we’d also just hang out and go over to each other’s houses for barbeques to have drinks and stuff. Lenny and Malcolm would always be around and that was great. So we became very close as a group of people, very tightly knit, which meant that when it came to it, it was just a bunch of young Dublin guys hanging out, talking and just being friends - because we were.” In spite of suggestions that What Richard Did is based on the infamous and tragic murder outside Anabel’s nightclub in 2000, Lenny is adamant that his film is “completely fictional.” He admits “there are resonances, but what I wanted for people to do was to make something really truthful and real which showed the complexity of the lives of those kids and the kinds of pressures they’re under. I think if you watch the film, and you really watch it, it affects you. I think it will make you think. If you’re a parent it will make you think about your relationship with your kids, and if you’re a teenager make you think about your own life and the way you operate in a circle, and make you really think about what you would do in a situ-


FILM

“THE FILM MAKES PEOPLE REFLECT ON THEMSELVES, ation like that.” Jack agrees: “That’s the main thing about the film. It makes people reflect on themselves, their relationships and their lives.” This is Jack Reynor’s first major role in a featurelength film. When I ask him about portraying this complicated character onscreen, Jack reveals his biggest challenge was to depict the lead “in such a way that the audience was always going to empathise with Richard. That no matter what he did, we’d still be able to go ‘That’s not right but, Jesus, it could’ve happened to me and I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.’ That was the most important thing that I felt about it- that you’ll still be able to look at him at the end of the film and no matter what happens, you can go ‘Yeah, I do feel sympathy for him.’ So that was the big challenge, but we spent so long working on it and the relationship that Lenny and I had allowed for it to be something that we could achieve.” While interviewing Lenny and Jack it is a pleasure seeing them interact with each other. They are at ease and chatty with one other,

and not afraid to tease each other either. When asking Jack about what he found most difficult in portraying Richard, Lenny answered ‘Making him look like he can throw a rugby ball,’ laughing. Lenny described how the two worked closely together during filming as well as in pre-production. “People, when they work together on a film, do get very close. You know, people tell you the same thing - ‘Oh my God I can’t believe we’re so close’ and ‘What are we going to do when the film is over?’ and then you just go back to your lives. But actually we did stay close and we did become friends, even despite our age difference.” It’s a genuine relationship, and one that has produced a great picture.

THEIR RELATIONSHIPS AND THEIR LIVES”

What Richard Did will be released on October 5th. Adam and Paul and Garage will be showing in the IFI as part of the ‘Focus on Lenny Abrahamson’ programme (October 6-14). A public interview with Abrahamson will be held at the IFI on October 6 at 16.30. 2ND OCTOBER 2012 // 13


MUSIC

LOST AND FOUND Ahead of her 15th October gig at Dublin's Olympia Theatre, Mercury Prize nominee Lianne La Havas discusses her musical background and recent rise to stardom

S

WORDS Gheorghe Rusu

tarting to flirt with radio waves about this time last year, it’s been a pretty quick shot to the top for Londoner Lianne La Havas: UK top 5 debut album, praise from Bon Iver and Prince, a fresh Mercury Prize nomination. The Adele comparisons are a helpful analogy, if an inadequate one. Here we have a strong yet soft-voiced songstress with pop appeal but human depth, with stunning audio/visual charm but homespun tunes. It’s hard to resist, this seamless amalgam of jazzy chords, dulcet vocals and danceable rhythms. It’s ingrained in her, it would appear. “My dad got me a keyboard when I was 7 years old and I grew up in a house with lots of church-goers. The grandparents went to church and sang in church and at funerals. I loved to see them. It was a very musically potent household, which I’m very thankful for.” How she went from those beginnings to her current status is a “long story”, but it’s one of perseverance and belief. “I played a lot of gigs and wrote songs and already felt like music was all I wanted to do. It was just a matter of discovering who I was through songwriting and meeting the right people I guess. And simply making sure I was putting myself out there when I felt I was ready to.” Still, she only picked up guitar a short four years ago, but “it wasn’t a long period from when I first wrote a song to playing it in front of people, it was maybe a month or two.” This humble confi-

of boxed genre, and she’s aware of the trappings of unoriginality. “I’m very inspired by all of those people, and I’m a big fan. But I hope people will notice or recognise something different in the music I make, apart from this similarity.” The LP is crammed with quirky hooks, all Lianne’s doing. One of the singles, Forget, has a great chanted and screeched rendition of the title throughout. “That song is 100% written by me. And pretty much produced by me. All the singing I have complete control over. I was able to let my ideas speak, I was able to interpret exactly what I was thinking. It needed to be that way to express the appropriate aggression.” Not aggressive enough for some, though - Filter Magazine called it “inoffensive to nth degree”. What they mean is unadventurous, and that’s cold cynicism. It’s also double-speak for likeable and familiar. Above all, the album is unflinchingly genuine, as Lianne herself is. It’s an invitation and fearlessness of judgment: “As artists we all expose ourselves to that, regardless, so I have to accept that.” How much of this success could she have foreseen? “None of it. I don’t know. I hoped for the best,” she laughs. In retrospect, asking such a down-to-earth person if she anticipated becoming a near-superstar is ridiculous. Admittedly, I asked her a lot of stupid questions, which weren’t helped by the poor acoustics of the speakerphone. Her reaction wasn’t just diplomatic but was one of con-

“AS ARTISTS WE ALL EXPOSE OURSELVES TO JUDGEMENT, SO I HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT” dence marks her through and through. You need that if you’re being compared to legends - Billie Holiday, Diana Ross, Esperanza Spalding. I hear subtle undertones of Alicia Keys (it’s no coincidence, I’m sure, that Lianne is Keys’s support at the iTunes Festival). Like these artists, she’s tried using her undeniable talent to push at the edges 14 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

cern and helpfulness. At one point, the static and echo forced me to dumb down my question to “So it’s not just sadness on the record, it’s happiness as well?” Calmly and helpfully, she states: “Well, yes. But there’s also confusion, and flirtation, and regret, and power, and self-love.”


STYLE

PURCHASE CIGARETTE PANTS Diane di Prima wore white ones, Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face wore tight ones. Practically every beatnik babe wore black ones. What is it about the cigarette pant that it came to clad every rebellious rump in 1950s America? It seems that behind every Benzedrineaddicted Beat boy was an intellectual, artistic and emotionally liberated woman. These women were respected among their male counterparts, and their choice of trousers in a generation stifled with nylon under-layers and cleaning products was more than a fashion evolution; it stigmatised and vilified their silent status. Christian Dior may have decreed the full-bodied, mid-calf number “The New Look”,

but the Carolyn Cassadys and the Joan Vollmers of the artistically engaged and intellectually enraptured saw themselves dressing for a new age, where the role of the woman expanded beyond that of a womb. The cigarette pant was tight on the ankle, flattering on the hip, and slim to the cut. This Beat fashion fascination began the revolution of the woman wearing the trousers, figuratively, fashionably and literally. For just €12.99, H&M hold a fine printed pair, reminiscent of Abstract Expressionism. This COS pair seals the deal for woollen long wear potential, and the sand finish sifts seamlessly into the blackest of ensembles.

DEC S ONS

With the forthcoming release of On The Road, we are reminded of the Beat Generation’s style sensations and strange solecisms

WORDS Isabella Davey

PARRY PONDER THE TURTLENECK The turtleneck roamed the streets in the darkness of the Beat generation seeking sweet solace in dingy jazz bars and in the holy ode Howl. These skivvies clung to emaciated bones and ash dripped onto their sleeves as the owners sat enraptured to the judgements and journeys of muses and mates. The sad truth is that while there was indeed a smattering of slim and sexually rampant nymphs who slipped around their shoebox dens in Greenwich Village, for every Beatnik babe there are twenty boars, who heft themselves around the place with their neck amassed in a lump of wool and their love handles heightened by the cheap polyester they have pulled themselves into. Keeping it slim fitting, in light fabric and bathed in black is how thousands of Kerouac cronies learnt to don themselves in the signature sweater of the generation. COS’ roll-neck version has a wide base to prevent us all risking the resemblance of dumpy toads but for a cheaper alternative, head to Zara for high-collar knits that conceal all sorts of late-night shenanigans.

THE BULLET BRA An emphasis on one’s femininity through physical attributes or another structural blip on the fashion industry’s pockmarked history of trends? The bullet bra certainly let the chest speak for itself, creating an almost geometric dimension to the silhouette and causing minor male mindlessness as they try to figure out how something so natural could be so angulated. Preferred by the Beat girls with a collared short sleeve shirt, the finish was refined, casual yet sophisticated. However, when worn with the infamous ‘Sweater girl’ knitwear, much like Monroe and her anatomical mammoths, every angst-riddled lover who dreamt of freedom from institutional constraints would pray for something else to release itself that night; Who could forget the initial reaction of the protagonist, Mr. Paradise, to his pretty lover Terry in On the Road : “Her breasts stuck out straight and true”. Indeed, Kerouac, indeed. Either proudly parade those pointed puppies or tame them into a black fitted jumper with a plunging neckline - just remember to take caution when lighting your own ciggies; those contraptions take to fire like Dean Moriarty to the open road. Browse on the site www.whatkatiedid.com for faux vintage fancies: same original design but with fresh lift in the ‘torpedo’ shells. 2ND OCTOBER 2012 // 15


STAGE

Bafta-­ and Tony Award-­winning actor Mark Rylance tells tn2 about the wonders of the theatre while discussing his latest West End role

I

WORDS Aaron Devine

n a survey conducted in 2010 by the Stage newspaper, Mark Rylance was voted third in a list of the greatest British stage actors of all time. In his wake was a formidable roster of knighted talent such as Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. This particular recognition came about even before he won his second Tony award for his revered performance in Jez Butterworth’s smash-hit play, Jerusalem, and indeed before he takes to the West End stage in one of the greatest and most challenging Shakespearean roles: King Richard III. It could well be argued that a survey like the above is meaningless and invites only subjective discussion on a question that has no real answer, but Rylance’s standing does at least illustrate the considerable admiration with which contemporary theatre audiences view him. He has been a veritable mainstay in the theatre on both sides of the Atlantic for a couple of decades and was Artistic Director at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre for ten years. Just about to finish a three month schedule performing Richard III in repertory with Twelfth Night (in which he also plays Olivia) at his old stomping ground, Rylance finds time in between rehearsals to speak to tn2 before the play transfers to the West End’s Apollo Theatre. So what exactly does the theatre mean to a man who has spent so much of his life onstage? With a bemused chuckle, Rylance takes his time considering this, as if for the first time. He then speaks in his soft mid-Atlantic accent, with a delicate, almost nervous tone that conflicts with the confident, articulate nature of his answers. “Well I’m working in this Roman amphitheatre, the Globe theatre, and these buildings doubled as places where animals were baited; where a bull was attacked by a hundred dogs, and if the dogs brought the bull down then the audience jumped over the fences and cut their steak for the evening. These wild animals were baited, so the theatre for me is where the wild animals within us - within our psyche,

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WORDS Aaron Devine

our character - can be baited safely. The theatre is a very, very old way of inducing or initiating people to experiences in life that might be too frightening. And not just violent - for a lot of people it’s too frightening to fall in love. So you can go and see Romeo and Juliet to experience that, for example. Even when the play is bad, stepping out of your life and experiencing a play and then coming back to your life is a worthwhile experience in that you get some sense of how other people live. You move into someone else’s skin and then back in to yours. Also, on a very basic level [going to] the theatre is a chance to be with other people socially, and in a good play you get a very tangible experience of the collective unconscious. You get it in


WINTER IS UPON US

“THE THEATRE IS WHERE WE BAIT THE WILD ANIMALS WITHIN OURSELVES”

sports matches too - going through victories and struggles.” After remarkable success with his last few plays, including Jerusalem, La Bete and Boeing-Boeing (for which he won his first Tony), offers are presumably piling up at his door. So what made him remain on the stage and resist the temptations of Hollywood? Rylance briefly ponders this before offering an unexpectedly humble answer. “I have a lot of experience in this particular field [theatre]. In other fields of acting, filmmaking and things, I don’t have much experience. At the beginning I was too effortful in front of the camera, it took me a long time to trust myself to just think. I adore going to films, but I prefer to see them than to work in them.” After the physically demanding nature of his imperious 2ND OCTOBER 2012// 17


STAGE performance as Johnny “Rooster” Byron in Jerusalem, what made him continue in the same vain with the role of Richard III as opposed to something else? “I tend to do things more for the people that I’m working with. The part’s important, but with Shakespeare, to be honest, I only really want to do it with these people: this director, our clothing designer, the composer - who’s my wife - and a number of the actors are people whom we’ve worked with before at the Globe. Like a good football team, we pass well.” The soccer references continue: “We don’t block or stage the performance, for example. We move where we wish and we’re able to adjust to each other, and we’ve all played this space before so it’s like a home pitch.” Unselfishly, Rylance inists that “Really the desire is more to work with these people and make something special.” Explaining the rationale behind running both plays at the same time, he says, “We played with a number of different ideas of plays and eventually the idea came of a double bill of Richard III and Twelfth Night; partly because that would help us to raise the extra money to make the clothing by hand, and also because Twelfth Night is an ensemble play and the good parts it has will strengthen the acting company in Richard III, which doesn’t have such good parts for everyone. So, because the company know at the moment I have the lion’s share to do, when we open the next one, they will all have wonderful parts.” These kinds of egalitarian sentiments pop up throughout our conversation (“There aren’t parts that I want to play, but there are ‘bands’ that I want to be part of”), so I hazard the suggestion that, for a man whose job involves receiving applause from hundreds of people every night, he is remarkably without ego. I am jokingly but promptly told otherwise. “Oh I am very egotistical, believe me. I’m psychopathically egotistical. But I hide it.” That perhaps isn’t a bad trait to have when preparing to play one of literature and history’s most infamous villains, whose motives are possibly based on ego and vanity. But when one considers the history of the role, and the illustrious list of actors who have made their definitive mark on it, there is another way in which ego can become involved. Sir Anthony Sher devotes a lot of space in his documentational book, A Year of The King, to his struggle to overcome the demons of past actors’ performances. Does Rylance suffer the same difficulties? “That is a pressure and I was massively depressed when they did the whole roll call of different people who’ve played the part. But those concerns are ones that take place before one starts the work. Now rehearsals have begun I can’t be anyone else other than I am. Unfortunately when I was Artistic Director here and used to cast actors, a lot of very good actors wouldn’t come because of that very thing. There is that feeling of ‘What’s the point?’ but what’s the point of singing Danny Boy or My Way or something like that? The point is to sing it now.” We speak at length about his preparations for the role, and Rylance is consigned to the idea that there is still a huge mystery around Richard and the wider idea of psychopaths in general. Speaking of his own research experience, he highlights how their actions just cannot be understood or explained. “I did a lot of work in Broadmoor Special Hospital here in England taking plays in - and I have a great friend there, Dr. Murray Cox. He once said to me that he asked a murderer why did he take a man’s life and he said ‘Well, I didn’t have a life, so I took one.’ That’s interesting to me too – if Richard doesn’t have a life.” Much less evil, but equally mysterious and captivating, is the character of Johnny “Rooster” Byron from Jerusalem. As previously mentioned, acclaim was showered upon Rylance when the play opened at the Royal Court and when it travelled to Broadway. It is a role he will forever be remembered for, as he was a big part of its inital creation. “Jerusalem was a collective thing and Jez [Butterworth, the author] wrote every word. But he came to rehearsals and very much wrote for what he saw in the characters. He and I kicked the dust off a lot of old shelves in our minds and spurred off each other very nicely.” Having been lucky enough to see his performance, what I wanted to know

“I AM VERY EGOTISTICAL, BELIEVE ME. I’M PSYCHOPATHICALLY EGOTISTICAL. BUT I HIDE IT.”

18 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE


STAGE

was if he would ever do it again. And if so, isn’t he worried about the “James Bond” effect of not being known for doing anything else? “I met a Romany man who I visited with to understand the nature of Johnny Byron. I gave him my Tony award. He’s in his seventies, so the interesting thing for me is to return to the role as I get older. Of course the play will date, and that will be interesting too. And I don’t mind being associated with a particular role anymore than I imagine a poet or a painter or a film actor does with their work. I bet Dylan gets bored of singing Blowin’ In The Wind, but what can you do about it? He wrote it down.” Contrary to what his long-winded, often metaphorical answers would suggest, Rylance comes across as remakably unpretentious. Not once does his patience waver and he approaches each question with thought and consideration, showing genuine eagerness to proffer his point of view. It is no surprise then that he seems reluctant to participate in the selfcongratulatory celebrity culture that pervades the acting industry, demonstrated by his quirky take on acceptance speeches. “It’s a dreadful speech to make, to thank a load of people that no one in the room knows. It’s a very guilty speech to make; it shows that the person is feeling embarrassed and unfortunately it’s very, very boring and predictable.” To make it more interesting (and perhaps to shine a light on the emptiness of many of these speeches and ceremonies), he often chooses to employ the hilarious poetry of Louis Jenkins. Although Rylance’s success at the major awards is undeniable after Jerusalem, the play itself disappointingly missed out on the top gongs either side of the Atlantic. Nevertheless,

and perhaps more importantly, it was a work that seemed to strike a note with its audiences. “It was very simple – a man receives an eviction notice on his door. It’s a very ‘pregnant’ theme. You would have to be very unconscious not to feel that humanity’s had an eviction notice put on its door - being told by a lot of very smart people that we’re not going to last here if we carry on this way. It’s also because maybe [Rooster] was a character that was a force of nature. There were things you liked about him and things that you were frightened of. And then there is the ending … There was a very good woman who sent us an email about the ending. She said the last time that she was covered in blood, listening to the beating of a drum and waiting to meet the giants was the moments before she was born. That mixture, over whether what we’re going through at the moment on the planet is a death or a rebirth into something is probably unconsciously on a lot of people’s minds.” In an insightful, humble, even self-effacing manner, he sums up finally what the play’s power is, and perhaps what great theatre can do. “It touched into something, down into the water table of what people are worried about. To strike a bell, to resonate, you have to get down there without the audience really knowing you’re going down there, otherwise the audience throws up its guards ... I may have made that up partly … ”

Richard III and Twelfth Night play in Shakespeare’s Globe until Oct 14th and then in the West End’s Apollo Theatre from 7th November. Tickets from £25 - Stalls Day Seats available for £10.

2ND OCTOBER 2012// 19


SEX-­OP

THE ONE WHERE HE SHOULD’VE STAYED HOME MONDAY The unfounded sexual expectations of fresher’s week is similar to that of a pubescent family beach holiday. After 3 months of minimal soft contact and a recently found singlehood owing to the annual Erasmus exodus I decided to return to Dublin early to test my fortune with a new liberal attitude towards relationships. I finished the week asking myself whether Fresher’s events were really even worth a wank. I kick off with a hazy one in Academy, slim-pickings but I get talking to one girl in the smoking area. Lose her in the usual flaky interactions but she’s the only lasting memory of an ultimately forgetful night. TUESDAY Glazed eyes, little sleep and the nutrition of a bowl of cereal seems to be the general rhythm of the week’s schedule. A walk into the Fresher’s Fair for some pizza was definitely not worth it as my sexual deprivation is thrust down my throat in the form of free condoms coming at me from a variety of SU Welfare virgins. However, I bump into the girl from the night before and get chatting, her memory is less hazy and we absently joke about the nights events; I get her details and her plans. Give it a rest tonight.

FOOD FESTIVALS: EYES BIGGER THAN POCKETS? FOOD It has taken a long time, but the food festival has finally made it big. Ireland now resembles a sort of food and drink internet, with a veritable smorgasbord of niche interests and crowd favourites catered for, from the Lobsters and Lettuce Festival in Bundoran to the Virginia Pumpkin Festival in Cavan. Popularity and proliferation bring their own pitfalls however. With so many new festivals cluttering the culinary calendar, is there a danger of creeping cynicism and waning enthusiasm amongst the public? Food festivals in Ireland though have grown out of a particular context and it is necessary to make a dichotomy. Since the economic crash in 2008, there has been a drive by agricultural producers, chefs and bloggers to encourage people to consume local produce, promoting a farm to fork in as few steps as possible policy. This has not fallen on deaf ears. Farmers’ markets have risen consistently in number since 2006. In an age of economic soul searching, the purchasing from producers in person is increasingly attractive, cutting out faceless, institutional supermarkets. Sheila Kiely, the woman behind the popular gimmetherecipe.com food blog and supporter of the local festival also explained to me that they are “a great forum and opportunity for local food producers to showcase their wares and establish their name.” They have allowed different regions to develop traditions, providing locals with a brand to be proud of and foodies with the opportunity to ‘taste’ an area. Local food festivals have demonstrated themselves as self-sustainable on this basis and for now, are not so numerous as to tread on each other’s toes. It is rather the large, commercial festivals, which have sought to piggy back on local success, that are now struggling to compete with each other. Wading in a sense of entitlement, organisers of these entities have sought to inflate the local festival model, promising bigger attendances and bigger revenues, charging exorbitant entrance fees and relentlessly

SEX OP

WEDNESDAY Reinvigorated and back on the game, I lubricate my chat with a bottle of wine and make it to Workman’s. Didn’t miss this fucking DJ; once again laying down a soundtrack to the melting-pot of vibrating dickheads that would make Fearne Cotton blush. I tolerate the indie-by-numbers singa-long, she should be on her way. Spend most of the night clinging on to her attention in the smoking area, we get drunk together and start actually enjoying the company. My libido ushers her out the club and back to mine where she sits on my knee as we chat and kiss. She seems to be having a good time, but just that. As we go up to my room she is more talkative than flirty; I try to curb her enthusiasm by undressing her but the feelings are hardly mutual and the night concludes with little more than a half-arsed consolation wank. Somewhat disgraced.

THURSDAY Walk her to the bus stop; still swathed in post-coital guilt. My attempt at a skins-style sexual romance ended up being as forced and unnatural as most of the acting in said series. I decide to go back to the comfort of my close group of friends and invite them round for a boozy dinner. As the evening progresses I am happy to fall back into a long-recurring fling with an ex. I know the sex is good, the intentions similar and my balls are a bloated, nervous wreck. Upstairs we undress each other to Portishead’s Dummy and break the unwritten rule, I manage to last just a few songs. My summer’s abstinence relegates me to listening to Glorybox while sharing a post-performance shower. But it’s worth it (for one of us). FRIDAY As we continue sober relations in the morning I realise the superiority of this wanting connection between our bodies over Wednesday’s raucous intentions. My immature Fresher’s return and expectations ended in a false disaster and still left me desperate. I am currently resigned to the depressing reality that when it comes to sex, the familiar and comfortable trump the risky and free. Were the Fresher’s events really worth a wank? Not the one I had anyway. Submit your anonymous sex diary // www.tinyurl.ie/tn2sexdiary 20 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

“WADING IN A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT, ORGANISERS OF THE LARGER ENTITIES EXHIBIT TOTAL IGNORANCE OF THE REASONS THE FESTIVAL HAS GROWN IN THE FIRST PLACE” bombarding their patrons with advertising. This exhibits a total disregard for and ignorance of the reasons the festival has grown in the first place. Attending seven storeys of the Taste of Christmas last year (for €24.50!) was as off-putting an experience as one can have at a food festival. Dublin’s Convention Centre resembled a giant, glass heart, pumping customers carrying the precious oxygen of cash up and down escalators. It was the face of facelessness. And it wasn’t just me who was put off. Taste of Christmas will not be returning in 2012. Declan Johnston


TRAVEL

A TORONTONIAN ADVENTURE

WORDS // PHOTOGRAPHY Alison Connolly With a population of 2.7 million in the city alone and 5.5 million in the Greater Toronto Area, TO should be an anonymous metropolis. It’s not. At all. It’s a culturally diverse miracle (half of Toronto’s population was born outside Canada) and is made up of skyscrapers, completely contrasting neighbourhoods, patio bars and a lake. The scale can seem a little overwhelming, but fret not. Just read the following with the same fiery intensity with which you’ll soon be reading your first map of Toronto.

WHAT TO DO ... s

s

s

Head to Kensington Market for Pedestrian Sunday, which runs on the last Sunday of the month throughout the summer. An area that attracts the cool and quirky throughout the year, Kensington becomes all the busier. Expect great street performers, cheap food vendors and a lot of character. Not to be missed. To appreciate the size of the city, you have to see it from one of two places. A quick boat trip of a few dollars will bring you to the Toronto Islands, where you can take in the magnificent skyline, as well as the greener side of Toronto. For the more adventurous among us, try the Edge Walk. You’ll hang out over the city from the top of the CN Tower. It’s memorable, if utterly terrifying. While lacrosse is the official national sport of Canada, Torontonians love their baseball. Head to the Rogers Centre to see the Blue Jays attempt to beat some ludicrously good US team. Eat hotdogs, drink overpriced beer and make friends with the family sitting beside you. And buy a cap. Welcome to North America.

WHERE TO EAT ... Utopia College Street Head to this popular little restaurant for the best burgers in the city and a great wine and beer selection. If the inside looks jammed, don’t worry, there’s a great patio at the back.

Khao San Road Adelaide Street West Yes, you’ll have to queue, but everyone else in said queue will be sound, and raving about the great thai fare. Get the mango juice and the special pad thai. Thank yous via postcard to tn2.

WHERE TO DRINK ... Pizzeria Libretto Ossington Avenue Located in the hipster haven that is Ossington, this could easily be considered the best pizza in the city. While they won’t alter the menu, there’s enough choice to keep everyone happy.

Ronnie’s Local Kensington Market Ronnie’s is old-school cool. It has a fair beer selection and a nice bartender from Cork. Order grilled cheese sandwiches from across the street and they’ll bring them to your table. There’s nothing better really.

The Crooked Star Ossington Avenue This gem has a capacity of 43, including the patio. So even getting inside feels like an accomplishment. They specialise in Caesars (a variation on a Bloody Mary) and their beer is cheaper than many other bars in the area.

3 GREAT FREE ACTIVITIES IN TORONTO s s s

Wednesday evening at the AGO – The Art Gallery of Ontario opens its permanent collection for free every Wednesday evening. Housed in an incredible new building designed by Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry, check out their floor dedicated to Canadian art. Take in the beautiful Victorian buildings in Cabbagetown, named after the vegetable Irish immigrants supposedly grew in their front gardens. Make your way to Riverdale Farm where you can wander around a community farm for free and get some cute photos of donkeys. Stroll down Queen Street and you’ll find yourself in The Beaches, a great little area full of independent stores. Head to the beach, as beautiful during the winter as in the summer months.

Coming in Issue 3

AMSTERDAM

SAGE ADVICE Toronto gets cold. Bring your thermals and make use of the PATH underground network to avoid ice related injuries while you’re getting used to it. Then suck it up and get outside. Cities are prettier in the snow anyway!


F A C E S

DR ANGELA GRIFFITH HISTORY OF ART DEPARTMENT


STAG E // FIL M // L IT E R ATURE // MUSIC // FOOD // GA M E S

REVIEWS

FEATURING DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL ROUND-‐UP


REVIEWS

DUBLIN THEATRE FES TIVAL ROUND-UP

STAGE The hangover of the Absolut Fringe Festival has passed and Dublin is once again in festival mode until the Dublin Theatre Festival comes to a close on 14th October. Experiential theatre is always the hardest to review. You are placed in a scenario, often so vivid, that all sense of criticism is rendered futile. You’re so fully engaged in having the experience that affixing a ‘good/bad’ label upon it seems to devalue and demystify what has just happened to you, and you alone. The Boys of Foley Street (The LAB) is one such production. It is ANU Productions’ third installment in the four-part Monto Cycle, physically and literally exploring one of the seedier areas of Dublin’s North side. It is based upon a series of interviews conducted by Pat Kenny in the 1980s, exploring the paths taken by young men in an immersive journey that quite literally takes you to places you’ve never been before, and some you’ll hope to never revisit. The gritty realism is frightening at times, but is balanced by some audaciously theatrical moments that allow you to take yourself outside the situation and appreciate the scope of what ANU have managed to accomplish in the streets the stories are built around. The Abbey Theatre production of The Picture of Dorian Gray is also wonderfully elaborate but in a very different way. Neil Bartlett’s interpretation is visually stunning and his refusal to ignore the narration means that the entire ensemble become the storytellers with cleverly spaced microphones. The staging can be a little haphazard but the ensemble is wonderfully choreographed; strongest in recitation and weakest when feebler choral voices are placed in the foreground. Tom Canton as Dorian showcases potential and is mercilessly vindictive, but this emotional scope does not lend itself to the more dramatic moments. Jasper Britton as Lord Henry easily creates the bulk of the comic relief in this macabre production, and (although this was mainly due to the script) his ability to 24 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE

induce laughter was matched only by his sombre ramblings in the final scene. The finale is a well-executed piece of theatrical deception that left me pleasantly surprised without being emotionally engaged. Overall the production’s aesthetic values far out-weighed any lasting impact, but some stellar performances, a wonderful ensemble and beguilingly tacky trickery ensure a night of perfectly pleasant theatre. “Pleasant” is not a word you can ascribe to Pan Pan’s Everyone is King Lear in His Own Home (Smock Alley Theatre). It’s profound andunsettling, striking and disjointed, but never pleasant or nice because Gavin Quinn’s production takes place in Andrew Bennett’s (Lear’s) flat, which is, quite literally, onstage. Andrew Bennett’s performance is vocally and visually stunning, capturing the essence of a king in his domain with all the anxiety of a senile old man in adult nappies. Judith Rooney acts as a hauntingly beautiful contrast to his manic excesses of energy as the flawlessly choreographed opening sequence demonstrates. Even a rodent had a starring role as a little black mouse scurried around the lofty stage, eliciting laughter and gentle gasps as it teetered near the edge. Aedín Cosgrove’s awe-inspiring set towers over the stage on wooden scaffolding, affording the audience a more panoramic view. It is disappointing that the brilliance of the set is only fully realised face on as the two thirds of the audience find themselves peering around walls to uncover the action. Despite this, Pan Pan’s production reminds us what two superbly engaging actors can do with an exquisite set under one of Ireland’s best directors. Katherine Murphy

LOOK OUT FOR ... Have I No Mouth, Brokentalkers, Project Arts Centre, until 6th October. Politik, The Company, Samuel Beckett Theatre, until 6th October. HAMLET, The Wooster Group, Belvedere College, 4th-7th October.


REVIEWS

WE HAVE A GOOD TIME &&& <GF L O=7 MAEVE

HIGGINS

//

HATCHETT

BOOKS

LITERATURE Have you ever spent time browsing the humour section of a bookstore? Painful is an understatement. It always looks a mess. Always. Regardless of the store. That’s probably due to the popularity of stupid little books with stupid little titles like “Omg, 100 Stupid Little Things I’ve Said” or “You’re 60 And Ancient, And I, A Paid Author, Cannot Think Of A Single Humorous Thing To Say About That”. Although I have never seen a single person reading one on a bus, these books seem to be catnip to industry buyers - shelves and shelves of the things. And we wonder why the book industry is dying a slow death and teenagers only watch reality television ... But do not despair. There is a light at the end of this humourless tunnel. I vaguely remember Maeve Higgins from an episode of Naked Camera I once stumbled upon while trying to flick past RTÉ as quickly as possible. I remember thinking Maeve was pretty funny. But comedy-show-funny does not necessarily translate into print. Bill Bryson is print-funny. Caitlin Moran is print-funny. Stephen Fry is print-funny. I was worried about Maeve. I am happy to report that Maeve Higgins is, like the greats that have gone before her, print-funny. We Have a Good Time... Don’t We? is a book with a simple premise. It’s a compilation of the author’s thoughts on some fairly random subjects: charity pho-

I toshoots where you’re mistaken for an extra instead of the star, the perils (and positives) of having a stalker, a shared familial hatred of pot pourri ... None of which seem particularly interesting when written by a humble literature critic - all of which seem much more interesting and hilarious when written by Higgins. You can practically hear her regaling you with her tales in a Cork accent, which I think is a skill in and of itself. As comedy writing goes, it’s not as inventive as other books, but it’s good quality humour. The fact that the author is writing from an Irish perspective makes the whole thing even more enjoyable with her reference to hot members of An Garda Síochána a particular favourite moment. Higgins also manages to do self-deprication in a way that avoids irritating the reader, and, as we all know self-deprication is the cornerstone of Irish humour.. All in all, Maeve Higgins’ first book is a bit of a gem. I might even be tempted to see one of her gigs now ... If only I didn’t hate stand up comedy so much. Alison Connolly

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

STEPHEN

CHBOSKY

FILM The avid reader fears the adaptation. Films made under the guise of ‘adaptation’ of a popular novel are, more often than not, a disappointment. They miss the theme or change the characters and simply follow vague plot lines. Derived from the eponymous Stephen Chbosky novel, The Perks of Being A Wallflower is not one such adaptation. Also written and indeed directed by Chbosky, this film retains the overall sense of its original medium beautifully. Yes, there will always be those disgruntled individuals who refuse to be pleased, but film remains a relatively confined medium that requires abridgement. Chbosky shows he understands the importance of atmosphere and character over exactness and drops many subplots

and minor characters in the cutting room floor in order to allow his characters the space to grow. The film is close to two hours long and packs in a lot of emotional punches. The year is 1991 and Charlie (Logan Lerman) is starting high school. He hasn’t had an easy time of it in the last year and he writes letters to a stranger to cope. He makes friends with Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson), two unusual seniors with their own problems. He discovers The Smiths, drugs and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Lerman, Miller and Watson form a wonderful triangle of frightened teenagers facing the world with gusto and fumbling their way through matters of love and sexuality. Paul Rudd takes the adult role for once as Charlie’s caring English teacher and hits the nail on the head with his performance. The film has some pretty dark moments and each of the characters have their own lives and emotional dilemmas unfold on screen. It beautifully expresses the understanding that you can never know what others are going through and that sometimes helping means just being there. The film creates the sense of a different era as the teens trade mix tapes to create a superb soundtrack and take months to find that perfect song they heard on the radio. Above all, this film deals with one of the most sensitive societal subjects with delicateness and care. No punches are pulled but there are also no sentimental, heart-wrenching depictions of social taboos to pull in viewers. It is always sympathetic to its characters and the difficulties in their lives. This film will touch you if you let it and I highly recommend you do. Perhaps, like Charlie, you too can feel infinite. Catriona Beamish

I

2ND OCTOBER 2012 // 25


REVIEWS

BEN FOLDS FIVE THE SOUND OF THE LIFE OF THE MIND IMAVEEPEE

MUSIC Ben Folds Five have always had a special place in my heart. Back when I was going through a particularly trying spell with the ABRSM piano grades, I stumbled across the eponymous debut of the American band which, without wanting to sound twee, was a rather monumental moment. The album seemed to be everything that piano could be: brimming with ideas, syncopated jazzy rhythms were found alongside quirky percussion and impressive drums. On top of that, Ben Folds’ perceptive lyrics were instantly relatable to my awkward fourteen-year-old self’s propensity for over-analysis. In short, it was an excellent discovery and one that led me to the rest of the back catalogue, which left less of a lasting impression but was good fun all the same. So, when I heard Ben Folds Five were reuniting after a thirteen year sabbatical that was punctuated only by solo projects and collaborations of varying success, needless to say I was pretty excited. Despite the fact the band could have their pick of the major labels, the album was funded and promoted through the website PledgeMusic, with the band retaining complete control and creative direction. The fans flocked and it was a winning venture. But does it live up to the hype? Sadly, not really. Musically the band are still as enthusiastic as ever, with the main issue being the lack of a progression or development in sound. This isn’t necessarily a damning critique, but rather a bemused observation that this album could easily have been released three years after their third album instead of thirteen. The opening song Erase Me is

RECORDS

suitably energetic, while Folds’ familiar falsetto isn’t far off - a dark track, the percussion adds punctuation and it sets up the album nicely. With a manageable length of 45 minutes it’s a perfectly enjoyable record from start to finish, but there are definite stand out tracks (and some rather redundant ones too). Draw a Crowd is instantly catchy, but the strong, syncopated beat is marred by lyrics which verge on the ridiculous: ‘‘Oh, oh, if you’re feeling small, and you can’t draw a crowd /Draw dicks on a wall.’’ Such crass, puerile choruses are a sad alternative to their 1990s output which triumphed by converting their innate self-consciousness into something far wittier. Indeed, songs such as Sky High and Away When You Were Here are reminiscent of the introspection of narrative classics such as Best Imitation of Myself and Brick, but end up falling short in comparison; unfortunately comparison is inevitable when the music is so similar. One can’t help but feel that even the band themselves know they’re not quite as great as they could be, with lyrics like ‘‘I wanted to be Stevie Wonder but I got to settle for this vanilla thunder.’’ That being said, closing track Thank You For Breaking My Heart - a poignant, simple melody which utilises some elegant rubato - serves as a timely reminder that the three men are actually credible and talented instrumentalists. The problem is, though, that we needed that reminder in the first place. Alana Ryan

II.2

TAME IMPALA // LONERISM The Australians are back with their second offering of classical-rock-meets-psychedelic-whirlwind. There is little to complain about; intelligent lyrics are set to busy, frantic melodies which are ambitious enough to keep you listening. Be Above It is a fantastic opener; lyrics which speak to the frustration and tribulations of life are layered on top of a constant and gruelling beat - a smart mechanism for capturing the rigmarole of day to day life. As individual tracks go you could do far worse than to listen to Apocalypse Dreams. The song’s a cacophony of diverse sounds: the stomping guitar is filled out with synthesisers while hazy lyrics slowly surface as the tune progresses. Elephant is similarly captivating: old school edge is giving a 21stcentury makeover through unusual syncopation and nonchalant vocals that leave one anything but apathetic. And if you need any more of an incentive to get your hands on a copy, there’s a lovely instrumental surprise for the finish. Well worth a listen. AR TRASH TALK // 119 Their fourth release (first on Odd Future’s blossoming record label) has Sacramento, CA’s Trash Talk back to well-trodden territory. Territory they never left - think seminal American punk with rougher vocals. Tyler the Creator directs the new single - F.E.B.N. - video and song perfectly encapsulating what we’re dealing with. In an indoor skatepark at night, a calculating, relentless beat and thumping bass summon the singer to sound a voice from hell itself. Juveniles drink 40s and rip bongs, throw eggs and punches. A total sonic and visual attack, totalling less than two minutes. Crass maybe, but it shows a sense of humour. And there’s appeal here. Just like their hip hop brothers-in-arms, they’re confrontational, rugged, dark, and very listenable. They personify the unpopular clique who really don’t care, content in their apathy, that you look down on but secretly want to be. Tolerance leads to acceptance, and vice versa. Gheorghe Rusu 26 // TN2MAGAZINE.IE


REVIEWS

WUFF 23 BENBURB STREET, SMITHFIELD, D7

II.I

FOOD Under winter skies, school coats and the influence of nothing more stimulating than the Echinacea I’d been force-fed for breakfast, a classmate and I would often make the short walk between Sarsfield Quay, in front of Collins Barracks up past notoriety’s Benburb Street turning, in those pre-Luas days, onto Blackhall Place to make the transition between the 66 and 39 buses. The only functioning business we passed on that stretch of back streets, flaking paint and perennially boarded windows was an unnamed shop selling car stereos. I use functioning in the loosest sense of the

that every detail has been the subject of lengthy discussion. You can almost hear the montage music playing in your head over time-lapse footage of the renovation. The menu is a collection of classic dishes with original twists. We plump in the end for a beef burger served with mixed leaves, relish, aioli, bacon and gruyere cheese on a bap and beer battered fish and twice cooked chips with homemade tartare sauce. Served up promptly, these dishes are well executed. The fish is delicately cooked and covered in a light, fluffy batter (so often absent in

word. Encased in steel bars and a general sense of paranoia, it seemed fundamentally opposed to the concept of customers. I recently invited my old school friend to recreate our route. For the first time, looking for a twelve o’clock lunch, we crossed the threshold of 23 Benburb Street. While the window bars still remain, the space is unrecognisable. Surrounded by art, coffee machines and walls freshly painted in a smart shade of grey, joint owner Ken Byrne rises from the laptop he has been occupied with to welcome us. He is eager to meet new customers and happy to hear our memories. Opening a restaurant is always a challenge but you can tell it is one the owners have savoured. Brown glass vials - formerly for tablets, now for sugar -and menus clipped to plywood sheets, suggest

fish and chips) carrying the subtle flavours of the beer. The burger, though split in two, is unmanageably large. It is moist throughout though; tasty and filling. There is room for improvement: the homemade tartare sauce contains pleasingly large chunks (for this reviewer at least) of gherkin but is mayonnaise heavy and the twice cooked chips, while seasoned nicely, are somewhat dry. Wuff is still finding its feet. It is only open for dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday but it is building on an already regular lunch crowd. With nothing on the menu costing more than €8.95, it is a charming new addition to Dublin’s dining scene. Only a Luas ride away at any point, it is an ideal excuse to explore (or return to) one of Dublin’s lesser visited areas. Declan Johnston

BORDERL ANDS 2 2K

GAMES

II.I

GAMES Borderlands 2 doesn’t so much try to stick its fingers in all the pies as gather the pies up and mash them together with manic determination. It presents the resulting concoction with such enthusiasm that it’s hard not to enjoy it. Technical issues, inconsistent writing, and some questionable design decisions are jarringly unfortunate problems that seem to result from the hodgepodge of features at work in Borderlands 2, but when everything comes together, there’s nothing quite like it. A first-person shooter but a role-playing game at heart, hours can be lost to Borderlands 2 within the grind of get mission, find loot, level up and repeat. Very rarely, however, does it feel repetitive. A vibrant, cel-shaded art style provides many refreshingly varied areas and enemies. Levelling up your character with new skills and equipping one of your new randomly-generated guns can drastically change how you play the game so it never becomes stale. The Borderlands reverie is disrupted though when its technical limitations are scrutinised. Infrequently missions will be rendered impossible as enemies fail to spawn or key items fall off the map. Restarting the mission fixes the problem but it is a less than ideal solution. The biggest headache is having to trudge back through a location after clearing it of enemies to get to a fast-travel station - a laboriously monotonous undertaking. In Borderlands’ space-western world the main villain is the equivalent of the evil oil tycoon but is a one-note character that soon becomes played out, and moves from being an interesting antagonist to an irritating distraction. Where Borderlands 2’s writing shines though is in its humour. While the self-serious central narrative can feel dry, the side quests can be at times hilarious and make playing through them all the more rewarding. Borderlands 2 at its best is utterly unique and eminently fun despite some problems. Unfortunately, they come about more often than not. Hugo Fitzpatrick

2ND OCTOBER 2012 // 27


UNTIL NEXT TIME ...

... SOME EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES TO FILL THE CULTURAL VOID

Tuesday 2nd THEATRE Politik Samuel Beckett Theatre 19.30 // €12 (until 6th October)

Wednesday 3rd FILM Notorious (1946) Lighthouse Cinema 13.20, 20.30

Thursday 4th GIG Damien Demsey Album Launch Button Factory 19.30 // €28

ART An Introdution to “Hogarth and Real Life” //Anne Hodge, Curator, Prints and Drawings National Gallery of Ireland 10.30 // Free

THEATRE The Picture of Dorian Gray Abbey Theatre From €15 (until 17th Nov)

MUSIC Hard Working Class Heroes Various venues From 20.00 // €10 (day ticket)

FILM John Cassevetes’ Husbands IFI 13.50, 18.30

Friday 5th ART Open House Dublin -­ Architec-­ tural Tours Various locations Free (until 7th October)

FOOD Avon Rí BBQ Blessington €6.50 COMEDY Des Bishop Vicar Street 19.30 // €28

GIG John Cale Button Factory 19.30 // €29

ART Tales of Seduction -­ an exhibi-­ tion by Una Gildea -­ opening Copper House Gallery 28.00 // Free

Saturday 6th GIG Bondax Button Factory 23.00 // €10

Sunday 7th ART Alice Maher: Becoming IMMA Free

FILM Lenny Abrahamson Public Interview IFI Free // Booking required

FILM Garage (2007) IFI 13.00

ART Davinci’s Last Supper Docu-­ mentary National Gallery of Ireland 14.30 // Free

MUSIC Mario Lanza National Concert Hall 20.00 // €18

FOOD Dublin Co-­op Newmarket, Dublin 8 09.30 -­ 16.30 // Free

Monday 8th ART Revolutionary States: Home Rule and Ireland Hugh Lane Gallery Free (until 21st October)

THEATRE DruidMurphy Gaiety Theatre 19.30 // €20

Tuesday 9th DRINKS Ale Drinking W.J. Kavanagh’s, Dorset Street 16.30 // Free

Wednesday 10th ART Nina Canell: Tendrils The Douglas Hyde Gallery Free (until 28th Oct)

COMEDY Joan Rivers Vicar Street 19.30 // €59.95

MUSIC Milos Karadaglic National Concert Hall 20.00 // €15

ART Reciprocal Space, works by Geraldine O’Neil Kevin Kavanagh Gallery Free (until 13th October)

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ADVERTISE YOUR EVENT HERE - CONTACT THE EDITOR Thurday 11th DIY Dublin Writers’ Forum The Loft, Twisted Pepper 19.30 // Free

Friday 12th FOOD & DRINK Irish Village Market Grand Canal, Percy Place 11.30 – 14.00

Saturday 13th FILM Heathers (1988) Lighthouse Cinema 22.30

ART Amke Tiem -­ A solo exhibition by David Beyley Oliver Cornet Gallery Free // From October 11th

MUSIC Squarehead + So Cow Button Factory 19.30 // €5

MUSIC Bodytonic presents Balam Acab Twisted Pepper 20.00 // €13

GIG Pierce Turner The Grand Social 20.00 // €20

COMEDY Rhod Gilbert Vicar Street 19.30 // €28

OUR BRAND

NEW

FASHION Ha’penny Flea Market Grand Social From 12.00

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5TH

OCTOBER


THE FINAL SAY Neasa

Conneally

“THE INTERNET IS NOT WRITTEN IN PENCIL, IT’S WRITTEN IN INK” www.twitter.com/neasaconneally The constant turnover and demand for new developments in this age of 24-hour news can lead to some truly bizarre moments. For example, I never thought I would hear Alan Shatter release a statement about Kate Middleton’s breasts, or that Kate Middleton’s breasts would dominate the world’s media for days on end. Debates raged over whether publishing topless pictures that were taken from a mile away were a gross invasion of privacy or that actually, her nipples were somehow ‘in the public’s interest’. Of course, it is not just duchesses in French villas that have to worry about privacy and their photos being taken without consent. A new phenomenon known as ‘creepshots’ has emerged from the murky world of Reddit, in which men surreptitiously take photos of women going about their day-to-day lives; in the supermarket, on the train, and then post them online to be commented and mocked. Sinisterly, a high school teacher even posted pictures of his underage female students. It is this lack of consent and the secret, voyeuristic nature of these photos that gives the thrill to these men. However, such voyeurism doesn’t just harm women; I can’t help but wonder how a man would feel if it were his sister, mother, friend, girlfriend or wife reduced to mere body parts in this way. It’s also not just strangers who will put your image online to be dissected by others, with ‘revenge porn’ websites emerging where both men and women will release intimate pictures or videos of their expartners after the end of a relationship. Obviously, these photos can have catastrophic consequences for the careers and relationships of the victims. We have all to varying extents felt the effects of photos of us being posted online without our permission through the familiar yet bloodchilling sensation of waking up after a night out and emerging through the hangover to be notified ‘So-and-so has tagged you in a photograph!’ Apart from lightning-speed untagging and a degree in Internet Law to master Facebook’s indecipherable privacy rules, we have no real control over the images that are posted under our name and that appear in the timelines of friends, family, colleagues, distant acquaintances and even that random weirdo you met during Freshers’ Week and never spoke to again.

I can’t help but be grateful that when I was thirteen years old, the most exciting things we could do with our Nokia 3310s were play Snake and exchange ringtones. It is not uncommon for young teenage girls today to be placed under huge pressure to send topless pictures to their equally young male friends, which are then often widely circulated amongst their peers to the girl’s great distress and humiliation. It is often the victim who is blamed for allowing herself to be photographed in that way, rather than the person who broke her trust. Again, these photos can be hugely damaging for these girls’ future prospects, as to quote from the film The Social Network: ’”The internet is not written in pencil, it’s written in ink.” Once something is posted online, it is very hard to remove it completely. But from where does this idea that people have a right to invasive “sexy” pictures of other people arise? Obviously, the porn industry and mainstream publications such as lads’ mags and Page 3 in tabloids can be blamed to a certain extent, with children exposed to sexualised images and hard-core pornography from a young age. However, women’s magazines and websites can be just as damaging. The Daily Mail website is particularly notorious for what is known as its ‘sidebar of shame’ in which are countless articles containing paparazzi snaps of (mostly female) celebrities in which they are endlessly derided and mocked for being too fat, too thin, wearing too much make up, not wearing enough make up and so on, with the editorial line mostly boiling down to “Women, you’re doing it wrong!” There is clearly an appetite for such material, as the Mail Online is now the world’s most visited website. It is not a huge stretch to imagine that the addictively bitchy commentary influences how young people especially view images of others around them. Commenters on the Reddit Creepshots subforum state “When you are outside and in a public place, you do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.” Is this true? Do people have the right to comment on and judge every aspect of our appearance as soon as we leave the house? And with people tagging themselves in photos and “checking in” everywhere, as well as the culture of “creeping” on someone’s profile; are we all complicit in this? With such a large proportion of our lives lived online, how do we control our images and their consequences for our futures?




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