The University Times Magazine

JANUARY 21, 2014

Magazine

MARA WILSON

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JANUARY 21, 2014

Magazine

Features 5 Interview: Mara Wilson We interview the playwright and former child actor, Mara Wilson.

BY EDMUND HEAPHY

8 The Virgin Experience We speak with the owner of a Dutch escort agency that offers sexually inexperienced men the opportunity to overcome their anxieties.

BY JANE FALLON GRIFFIN

14 I Hear You’re an Atheist now, Father?

We report on Sea of Faith, an organisation that seeks to promote religion as a purely human creation.

BY JAMES BENNETT

sketchy interview 10

Music

Film

20 Reviews

16 Reviews

Actress Warpaint

“People seem to acknowledge every year that the Oscars are pointless but yet still engage with all the hype that surrounds them. ”

That Awkward Moment Inside Llewyn Davis

What We’re Listening To 21 Best of Who?

17 We Need to Stop Talking About Oscar

Rory Lynam 17

BY Rory Lynam

BY EOIN HENNESSY

Bits 10 Sketchy Interview

Fashion

BY FIONN ROGAN

18 Out With the Old ... In With the New

BY CARLA KING-MOLINA & KAT CLINCH

19 How to Wear Trends

BY ELIZABETH BRAUDERS

Rimmel Dublin

BY DANIELLE COURTNEY

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Photography: Stück

BY KELSEY LENNON

22 The Seventh Generation’s Last Stand

BY VLADIMIR RAKHMANIN

23 Sigh: The Sober Fresher BY rachel fleming

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EDITORIAL

ZARDOZ HEAD ILLUSTRATION: LAURA FINNEGAN

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Magazine EDITOR James Bennett

hroughout history, it has been the people who say “no” that make us challenge our assumptions, and change the way we think about others and ourselves. Most humans have an innate desire to fit in, to be “normal”, and to avoid conflict. Marking oneself apart, even simply by saying the word “no”, can be extremely difficult.

a career in the field. We also have an interview with the owner of an escort agency that deals with men who reject society’s expectations around how you should lose your virginity. Our third feature deals with the Sea Of Faith network. This is a group of people who reject the most basic tenets of their respective religions, but refuse to abandon them, choosing to argue from within.

When discussing the act of rebellion, things can often get very lofty very quickly, and before you know it names like Martin Luther King and Ghandi are being dropped every other sentence. The small, personal acts of rebellion that occur every day often get overlooked. “Every act of rebellion tacitly invokes a value.” These are the words of Albert Camus in his 1951 essay The Rebel.

Whether a rebellion is big or small, it is a turning point. It invokes a new value. It rejects what came before and proposes an alternative future. In this issue our features are loosely unified by personal acts of rebellion. Mara Wilson, a Hollywood child star, decided that acting was not for her, despite being expected from a young age to pursue

Small acts of rebellion should never be regarded as insignificant. They are what make the world such an interesting place to be.

If everyone agreed with other, we wouldn’t have anything to write about.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Edmund Heaphy DEPUTY/MUSIC EDITOR Eoin Hennessy ONLINE EDITOR Clementine Yost FILM EDITOR Jack O’Kennedy FASHION EDITOR Elizabeth Brauders PHOTOGRAPHERS Kelsey Lennon

James Bennett EDITOR @james_bennett92

ILLUSTRATIONS Laura Finnegan WORDS Edmund Heaphy, Jane Fallon Griffin, Fionn Rogan, James Bennett, Luke O’Reilly, Louie Carroll, Rory Lynam, Carla King-Molina, Elizabeth Brauders, Kat Clinch, Danielle Courtney, Eoin Hennessy, Vladimir Rakhmanin, Rachel Fleming

DETAILS Quotes

Photo

Corrections The placement of an image next to the article “A Man of Many Talents” implied that the man in the photograph was the DJ Peverelist. In fact, it was a photograph of Winter Son.

“I have no knowledge of anything wrong being done or anything illegal or greedy or inappropriate.”

The University Times Magazine welcomes suggestions, comments, and complaints about errors or omissions which warrant correction. These may be addressed to the editor of the magazine by emailing magazine@ universitytimes.ie.

If you are dissatisfied with a response from the magazine, you may reach the editor of The University Times by emailing editor@universitytimes.ie.

Former CRC Chairman Hamilton Goulding

Tweet

“You can feel relaxed and calm [in Russia], but leave children alone please.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin sends a message to gay people who will attend the Winter Olympics in Sochi

SMOG FORCES BEIJING AUTHORITIES TO DISPLAY THE SUNRISE ON A GIANT SCREEN

Statistic

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NUMBER OF OSCAR NOMINATIONS THAT MERYL STREEP HAS RECEIVED

NUMBER OF OSCARs THAT MERYL STREEP HAS WON

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Is Lucinda Creighton reconvening the Eucharistic Congress in the RDS, under the guise of her little Reform Alliance? @HugoBeB

MARA WILSON Edmund Heaphy interviews Mara Wilson on going from Matilda to acclaimed playright

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t’s a pretty rare thing for someone to be so talented that you can be a fan of theirs for one thing, and then become a fan all over again for something else. Yet, somehow, Mara Wilson has amassed a two huge fan bases for two completely different reasons. At age six, she starred alongside Robin Williams and Sally Field in Mrs. Doubtfire. And two years later, she starred in Danny DeVito’s Matilda. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that at least one of those appears on many a list of favourite childhood memories.

Yet Wilson left Hollywood just before she reached her teens. She has since majored in drama at NYU and is now an acclaimed writer. Her blog, Mara Wilson Writes Stuff, is filled with posts that are so thoughtful, so honest and so poignantly expressed that it’s hard not be taken by them – particularly some of her thoughts on why she left acting.

I spoke to Wilson regarding some of these thoughts, and her play Sheeple, which got its first run at the New York Fringe Festival last August.

Given that drama is not a million miles away from where she started, I asked Wilson if it was always part of her plan to follow that path: “When I was eleven, my film career was slowing down, thanks to puberty, and I started focusing more on school. My school offered classes in improvisation and sketch comedy – a sign I lived in Los Angeles – and taking them was one of the best decisions I ever made. Being onstage felt so much more real and alive than film had, and I started seeking out more opportunities to perform onstage. There wasn’t much theatre where I lived, so I had to make do with improv, school drama productions, and choir. After two years in a public school, I transferred to a boarding school for the visual and performing arts – Idyllwild Arts Academy – as a theatre major.

I distinctly remember one of my drama teachers there saying ‘Film is a director’s medium, but theatre is an actor’s medium.

All great actors start in the theatre and long to go back to the theatre.’ It seems a bit grand and hyperbolic to say ‘all’, but most actors I know who’ve done both do say theatre is much more exciting and rewarding. I loved Idyllwild, and I loved how we studied so much more than acting. We had classes in theatre history, music, dance, stage management, directing, building sets, making costumes ... I soon realised I loved being backstage as much as I loved being onstage.”

While it seems that Wilson was perhaps always destined for the stage, she said that she had terrible stage fright when she was a child:

“Being onstage was so much different than working with a crew and a camera: onstage, you’re on your own. It seemed terrifying, but also exhilarating.”

Wilson, however, started to find film acting tedious as she got older: “I was the one child in the world who was in Hollywood but wanted to run away and join the theatre!”

Wilson’s play Sheeple centres on that uncertainty in a teenager’s life when they are not quite sure of their place in the world.

Given that it’s supposedly very common for playwrights to place even a small bit of themselves in their work, I thought it was obvious to ask if Wilson put a bit of herself in the play: “There is definitely a lot of me in Sheeple. I was a stubborn, cynical teenager, and while

Matilda was in post-production. Given the guidance she has missed from her mother in those life decisions, Wilson suggests that perhaps she should have stopped acting after Matilda: “It would have been a good idea to give me time to relax and work through my grief.

Instead, I went straight to A Simple Wish and continued acting more out of inertia than passion.”

While Wilson is definitive about how certain she was in her decision to choose drama and to become a writer, she isn’t so confident about her actual work. Although she finished Sheeple in 2010, it wasn’t entered into New York’s Fringe Festival until last year. Of course there are a multitude of reasons for delays in any major project – but I wanted to know if there was some hesitation on her part: “There definitely was some hesitation on my part.

I’m an anxious person by nature, and being in the public eye comes with so much baggage.

My first few years after NYU were spent trying to figure out what, exactly, I wanted to do, whether I wanted to continue acting or pursue writing or do something completely different. I worked on a lot of small theatre productions and met with a weekly writing group before deciding writing was what I really wanted to do. In late 2011, I finally started my blog and Twitter account.

It was nerve-wracking, but my friends were very supportive, and I soon acquired a kind of online cult following.”

People often accuse me of running away from my past, but it’s really just that I’d like some acknowledgment for my adult achievements, too.

I had no idea what I was going to do with my life, I was convinced I was smarter than everybody else. Watching Sheeple was a bit like seeing the various voices in my head come to life and argue with each other.

There’s also no way I could have written Sheeple if I had not grown up with three older brothers. The main character is a teenage boy, as are most of the others. I know it’s a bit strange coming from a female playwright, but consider that from the time I was five until I was fourteen, there was always at least one teenage boy in the house.

It’s what I heard and what I know.”

While it didn’t happen overnight for Wilson, she did seem to go from having no idea what she was going to do with her life to finding success as a writer. She seems to have found her path to success relatively quickly. Although she talks about the support she got from her family – with whom she’s close – the path sounds like it was a bit solitary, but not all that difficult or long: “Ultimately, though, it was my decision, and not a very difficult one; I had always loved writing and felt drawn toward it all my life, even when I was acting. When people asked me if I wanted to be an actress when I grew up, I would say, ‘No, I want to be an author.’”

Speaking of family: Wilson’s mother died from cancer while she was young – while

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Since 2011, Wilson has amassed 70,000 followers on Twitter. Wilson is remarkably funny on Twitter, although many of her tweets stem from a faux-frustration about people bringing up things from the movies she was in so long ago. Commenting on this, Wilson said: “The frustration is played up for comic effect, though I think anyone would get annoyed answering the same questions over and over again. It’s why I wrote the FAQ on my website. I just wish people would think before they tweet, really. But that probably will not ever happen.”

I myself came across Wilson through Twitter, and have since started reading her pieces regularly. Given that Twitter is proclaimed as this kind of new media that is changing pretty much every landscape there is, I wondered how much of an impact Twitter has had on her work: “I’m pretty sure only a small fraction of my

achievements, too. I’m sure Lisa feels the same way. I think there’s a time like that in every child star’s past, where they do try to distance themselves, but it’s not entirely possible. Though when I do talk about it, people criticise me for that and tell me I’m dwelling too much on the past! It’s a difficult balance.”

When I asked if she had any advice for drama students, Wilson was insistent about one thing – acting isn’t what it’s cracked up to be: “This may be controversial, but I wouldn’t advise anyone to become an actor. It’s an extremely difficult life: there are always fewer job opportunities than people seeking them out, there’s a lot of focus on appearance – even on the stage, where voice is more important – and there’s a lot of rejection. But I understand the rush of being onstage, and the joy of losing yourself in a character, and I know once you’ve done it, nothing else compares.”

Later on, Wilson was also pretty insistent that you can’t only want to be an actor because you want to be famous:

Twitter followers actually read my tweets.

Most are just following me because I was Matilda. Though every now and then, I’ll get a response saying ‘I love you as a kid, but you’re so funny now!’ or ‘I didn’t know you were an actress, I just followed you because I thought your tweets were hilarious.’ Those are always nice to hear, though ‘Matilda was my childhood!’ gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, too.”

Coincidentally, I also recently came across the former child actor, Lisa Jakub, online.

She starred alongside Wilson as her older sister in Mrs. Doubtfire. Jakub has also left Hollywood, and is also a writer. I asked Wilson if she thought this sounded eerily similar to her own life path, and whether she has been in touch with Jakub lately: “It does sound familar. Lisa and I have a lot in common and always have: I frequently refer to her as “my big sister.” We caught up about a year ago and it was like no time had passed at all. There have been many strange coincidences in our lives, so it was no surprise when I heard she was writing now, too. She’s a very poetic, evocative

writer, and has always been brilliant and thoughtful, so it’s exciting to see what she comes up with.”

Jakub and Wilson are both accused of some

“Not only are there are much easier ways to become famous these days, but very few people actually like being famous. Do it because you love the work so much you will sacrifice time and energy and sanity to do it. If there comes a time when you realise you can live without it, as there did for me, you should live without it. If you can’t live without it, you will find a way, but remember you’re doing it because you love it, and keep in mind your success might look much different than what you had originally imagined. It might be as part of a small Shakespearean troupe or an experimental theatre company. A successful actor is not necessarily a film star or an Olivier-winner – a successful actor is a working actor.

Finally, I asked Wilson what she was working on a the moment, given that she’s got both fiction and non-fiction books in the works:

If there comes a time when you realise you can live without it, as there did for me, you should live without it. If you can’t live without it, you will find a way

sort of running away, although Wilson recently seems to have embraced her past a bit more: “People often accuse me of running away from my past, but it’s really just that I’d like some acknowledgment for my adult

“It’s a series of short essays and stories from my life, all about being a little young and a little out of place. I’d love to write more plays, but don’t have any I’m working on at the moment. The book is taking precedence right now, and I do have a fiction book I’d like to write, and maybe a screenplay. I hope to write more dramatic works, though: playwriting is where I started, and theatre will always feel like home.”

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The Virgin Experience Jane Fallon Griffin interviews Marike Van der Velden, owner of a Dutch escort agency offering a service that is slightly out of the ordinary.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY Laura Finnegan

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lausible deniability was our tour guide’s response when questioned about the theoretically illegal yet practically legal smoking of marijuana in the Netherlands. For those ignorant of the meaning of such a phrase, as I was until recently, the term was coined during the Kennedy administration in the U.S. It allowed questionable yet ultimately beneficial operations to take place without public reprisals harming the image of senior figures who “officially” knew nothing of it. In the case of the Netherlands this policy of tolerance is extremely useful not least for the inhabitants but also for the many tourists who travel to its capital annually to experience the liberal drug and sex culture for which the city is renowned. The sex trade in Amsterdam is now widely considered a necessary evil, and it continues to flourish financially. It is estimated that there are between twenty and twenty-five thousand working prostitutes in the Netherlands with forty per cent of this number active in the city of Amsterdam. Coffee shops, retail outlets, sex shops and brothels all exist side by side. In Amsterdam at least, sex really does sell. And it is a seriously profitable business.

The largest Red-light district in Amsterdam is De Wallen, which features more than three hundred full-length glass windows occupied by prostitutes. The rooms behind the curtained windows are frequented by an average of twenty thousand people a year, half of whom are tourists. The average client is aged between twenty-five and forty-five. Here, business hours are not confined to the dark of night and many prostitutes fill the window-lined alleys during the day. Walking along the alleys in daylight the area could be perceived almost as a retail centre. After passing numerous outlets with vibrant window displays selling everything from bongs to souvenir

t-shirts to Dutch pastries, the sight of a female figure in a following window is, at first glance, a mannequin in a lingerie store. A flicker of movement draws the eye back to the window where the figure is located, the beckoning gestures and intense eye contact confirming that it is more than clothes that this model is selling. The image itself seems poignant, it is a business and like all business advertising is a feature of the market.

As darkness descends on the city it becomes impossible to mistake the district for anything apart from what it is. The glare of the red lights spills out from the alleys and there is a notable increase in window occupants and people traffic. The decision to legalise prostitution in the Netherlands in October 2000 stemmed not from governmental approval of the industry, but rather as a result of concern for the welfare of the workers. Since the law was introduced brothels are subject to health and safety inspections. Police both uniformed and casually dressed patrol the district at all times and each room housing a prostitute is fitted with a panic button. One Dutch citizen explained how he supported the move, in-

ernment to enforce laws over the trade as it would over any other business. Working hours, taxing and safe sex are all now subject to inspection. Sex workers are required to register their profession with local government in order to ensure they pay taxes.

Prostitutes rent the windows in the district for eight hour shifts, costing them between €85 and €150, while their own prices start at €50. Two or three clients per day insure they break even, yet the pressure to obtain a profit sees the number rise far higher than this. Competition is also high for windows meaning that in order to maintain their position workers rent the room six or seven days per week. Prostitution both as a service and form of employment has firm foundations in the region with the neighbouring port having played host to countless shiploads of sailors for hundreds of years.

As Amsterdam’s liberal attitude towards the sex industry continued, its reputation spread across the world attracting people of different social classes, employment fields and sexual persuasions. This has led to the emergence of escort services which

“Police both uniformed and casually dressed patrol the district at all times and each room housing a prostitute is fitted with a panic button.” sisting that while prostitution may be illegal in other cities it happens universally, and that when it is unregulated and illegal its activities cut a far more sinister image than that of the Dutch sex trade. Furthermore the legality of the industry allows the gov-

cater for those who are more reluctant to visit the red-light district and have a more robust bank balance at their disposal.

These escort services range in price and advertise the services they offer online. The average cost of a regular escort is €150 and

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the company offers descriptions of each escort accompanied by a range of professional style photos from which the client can make a booking. The appeal for many of those who use this service is that the escort is not confined to an area and can come to meet the client. Furthermore, there are a variety of different forms of experiences on offer many of which may not be advertised in the red-light district.

As the Netherlands is one of the few places to offer a legal sex trade, competition between companies is rife. As the cheapest option the red-light district attracts many, as do the escort services for a client seeking a more discreet booking. Within the upper end of the escort market, where price tags of well over €1500 are common, there is always a need to distinguish one’s company from the next. One such company with headquarters in both Amsterdam and Rotterdam is that of Society Service. Marike van der Velden is both founder and owner of this high class escort agency. A graduate in business and entrepreneurial law, Van der Velden started the company ten years ago. According to the owner, the difference between the services offered by each level of the three tier industry is easily explained.

Using the analogy of a coffee bean, Van der Velden explained to me why the price varied. She spoke of the difference between having a coffee at home, ordering one in a café and going for coffee in a high class hotel. She describes the red-light district as being purely for satisfying a need as in the case of making a coffee at home using shop bought beans. The client gets what they are looking for and it is at a minimal price. In terms of an escort service, Van der Velden explains that it is similar to using a service such as a café to purchase a coffee, it will be more expensive but the client can order from a menu and the service will be provided for them. In terms of the high class

escort agency she runs, Van der Velden explains that her company offers an experience rather than a service as in the case of the other options. “There’s more to it than sex” she adds. By ordering a coffee in a fancy hotel she explains how you pay not only for the coffee but also for the pretty cup, the accompanying sweets, the waiter who serves you and the plush surroundings

(three hours starts at €950), Van der Velden says that it is the experience you pay for and if you simply want to lose the term “virgin” that can be done in two minutes in the red-light district. The three-hour minimum is designed to encourage a positive first time experience for the man involved.

The experience also involves educating the man in intercourse in order to make fu-

“The three-hour minimum is designed to encourage a positive first time experience for the man involved.” of the hotel. The profiles of escorts available for hire on SocietyService.com not only have model-esque photos , but also personal information on the escort, much of which relates to her education and interests. The interested client can select a variety of characteristics they find desirable in a drop down menu which includes the age, build and ethnicity of the escort. The system then presents them with those who most closely resemble their preferences.

The market is a competitive one, as Society Service discovered when they launched a new service which had not before been a feature of any escort service worldwide.

Following the introduction of the Virgin Experience, another agency began to offer a similar same service using the same name due to its success. Although Society Service lost their legal battle in trying to sue them, they maintain that theirs is “the only original virgin service in Amsterdam.” Van der Velden explains that after a year and a half of operating Society Service, stories began to emerge of clients who were virgins, and for whom intimacy was a big ordeal.

The majority of clients are aged between twenty-five and thirty, although sometimes this age range can rise to forty. As a result of this, a service catering solely for males over the age of twenty-one was created.

While also offering male escorts for other services, the Virgin Experience is not open to female virgins as the company’s owner says a female is looking for “a certain feeling” which is very hard to capture. The Virgin Experience is designed to make clients (many of whom, according to Van der Velden, are very nervous and have had minimal sexual interaction) feel relaxed.

The girls capable of providing this service must be very socially skilled, she continues, with special training being offered to ensure the experience runs as smoothly as possible. The employees who provide this service are guided by a sexologist, sociologist and a flirt coach. The virgin experience lasts three hours and while time may be added the duration cannot be decreased as the company feels this is not conducive to a relaxing and productive experience. While there is a massive difference in price between this service and the red-light district

ture sexual experiences less daunting. “A woman needs more than just sex and that is what they are taught in the Virgin Experience,” she explains. Van der Velden also claims that Society Service often receive letters from clients who have become engaged, and recognise the company as the source of confidence which has led to their forthcoming marriage.

Although here in Ireland the sex industry is largely thought of as corrupt and often tangled up in drugs, in Amsterdam this is not the case. Although few Irish students would relish the opportunity to work for a high class escort agency, in Amsterdam this is fast becoming a popular means of stu-

dent employment. Society Service receives its greatest amount of job applications during the Summer months when the colleges close and at the beginning of each school year. Why? Well given that it is legal and that high class escorts can expect to make around €200 per hour it offers the student a lot of money for a few hours’ work. To ensure that its escorts maintain a level of enthusiasm for and continue to enjoy their work employees must have another occupation and no more than two bookings per week are permitted. Although most escorts will work for around two years while a student or until they enter into a serious relationship, there are cases where a couple agrees that escorting will solely be a profession and not interfere with their own relationship. The agency receives around one hundred applications per week from which very few are actually hired. The criteria for employment spans the physical, intellectual and social sphere, with girls expected to fulfil the “dream girl” idea of being attractive, intellectual (Society Service prefers applicants with degrees, but it is not essential) and the ability to blend into any social event a high class client may attend. The job description involves providing an ideal date-like experience for the client including dinner, conversation, companionship and ultimately sex.

Society Service also offers an international service whereby an escort is flown to the location of the client to offer the Virgin Ex-

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perience. Provided that the payment takes place in the Netherlands the activity is legal. According to Van der Velden this sees the girl “not sell[ing] sex… but only her time.”

However, although this and all other services offered by the company are legal, perhaps the people of Amsterdam are not quite as liberal as their city’s reputation suggests. The owner explains that the stigma surrounding the sex trade in Amsterdam is still very much alive, so much so that opening a normal bank account is next to impossible with even basic services such as those offered by telephone companies often hard to obtain. Van der Velden was not surprised to be randomly searched at the airport security checkpoint, nor was she surprised when her bags were searched the previous day at the airport. She explains the preconceived ideas some officials have of the industry as being suspect or criminal, saying they assume that “because you run that type of company you must be that sort of person.”

Whatever one’s moral stance on the issue, Society Service, like the rest of the sex industry in the Netherlands, continues to attract new and repeat clients with plenty of scope for new initiatives such as The Virgin Service. It is undeniable that sex sells, and will continue to be a marketable commodity so long as it maintains its profitable position as one of Amsterdam’s top attractions.

A Bit Sketchy Fionn Rogan interviews Dublin-based Galwegian print artist Shane O’Connor

hane O’Connor, perhaps better known as Sketchy Inc., is quickly gaining recognition within the bourgeoning Irish print scene for his colourful, clean-lined, highly surreal prints of Dublin and Galway cityscapes. The Four Courts, St. Stephen’s Green, The Róisín Dubh and now Trinity College are just a small selection of Dublin and Galway that have been immortalised in Sketchy form.

O’Connor cites street art and artists such as Takashi Murakami, Jon Burgerman and Buff Monster as having an important influence upon his art. Their influence shines through clearly in O’Connor’s unapologetic use of bright vivid colours. A lurid pink moon beaming over Westmoreland Street would not be considered unusual in O’Connor’s Sketchy world. The vibrant palette has a restorative effect on the cityscapes and helps to inject a new essence of life into Dublin and Galway. The brilliant yellows and greens are perhaps more reflective of the general jovial and lively spirit of each city than the muted greys and rusted amber that dominate the cities’ hues.

O’Connor moved to Dublin from Galway five years ago and since graduating from NCAD with a Masters in print, his adopted city has become something of an immense

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and fruitful muse to him. Simple walks around town are enough to inspire a new print, which is a testimony to the abundance of intriguing architectural quirks that are scattered throughout Dublin. His hyperdetailed prints, daubed with psychedelic colours, highlight each of these quirks that give Dublin its pleasantly warped character.

Galwegian Sketchies capturing the NUIG Quad, the Blue Note and Róisín Dubh pubs also feature in O’Connor’s canon of work.

There is a distinctly modern Irish feel to O’Connor’s art. While the clean, cool and exacting details of the prints aren’t exclusively Irish, the subject matter and use of colour infers a sense of humour that is decidedly Irish. Sketchies focusing on the “Why go bald?” sign on George’s Street or the Fade Street Sketchy exist almost as an Irish in-joke. People who live in the city will recognise these features and seeing them in Sketchy form is strangely satisfying. O’Connor’s work is doubly surreal in the sense that it baffles different groups of people for entirely different reasons. Crossover, a Pearse Street Sketchy, illustrates this element of the Sketchy print perfectly. The non-native may ask, “Why make such an unattractive street the focus of your art?”.

The banality of the streetscape lends the print a certain surreal air. The native, however, will recognise the street and would not think to question why it was drawn – it is an integral and recognisable feature of Dublin city. Locals will appreciate the fact that it has been converted into art but will be bowled over by O’Connor’s interpretation, which involves cerise fencing, ochre skies and slender, mournful aliens that O’Connor has christened Sketchies as well.

“The Invasion” is a recurring motif in O’Connor’s work. But what is “the Invasion”? O’Connor explains: “It started 6 years ago. ‘The Invasion’ they called it. It began with just a few lone Sketchies, lurking around deserted streets, hiding in plain sight but now there are more. These strange creatures have begun terraforming the landscape. Enormous triangles grow from the ground and litter the sky. Explosions of colour replace the everyday scenes. What do they want? When will it end?”.

O’Connor, a self-professed “sci-fi nerd”, explained how the Sketchies came into being and how they found such a prominent position in his artwork. “I was always drawing little characters and doodles and I

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wanted to incorporate them into my work.

I thought they looked like they were from another planet so I started thinking of them as aliens invading earth and replicating their home planet by turning everything sketchy.”

The Sketchies help to maintain the surreality in O’Connor’s work and by doing so create a truly compelling piece of art. The marriage of hyper-detailed architectural drawings and vibrant alien characters in a familiar local setting results in an artwork that continues to offer something new with each viewing.

O’Connor’s success may be attributed in part to the growing interest in print in Ireland. The Irish newfound fascination with print has manifested itself in the form of clever design shops with Jam Art Factory, Irish Design Shop and Makers and Brothers springing up around town in the last year or so. “There is definitely a larger market for cleverly designed prints. Even in the last year it has grown – as you can see by the number of people starting to make them. I think people are getting sick of going to Ikea or the likes and getting mass-produced artwork when for the same price they could get something in an Irish shop made by an Irish artist that is limited to a small number.”

He speaks glowingly of the Dublin-based creative community and enjoys the friendly competitive element of the expanding print scene. “People buzzing off each other makes the scene better.”

At the moment O’Connor is wrestling with a hectic work schedule but appears to be relishing the challenge. He is receiving an increasing number of commission requests. One couple who commissioned him to do a Sketchy of the Four Courts were kind enough to allow him to sell a limited run of ten prints. He is also currently working on several new Sketchies of his own. The Guinness Brewery on James Street, George’s Arcade and our own Trinity College are the next three Dublin sites to be invaded by the Sketchies. O’Connor had hoped to have these prints finished before Christmas but admitted: “I’m working on Georges Arcade now … for about a month. That’s probably too much time but it’s such an amazing building I’m trying to do it some justice and I have enjoyed every minute of it.”

With that in mind it may be a while before the Trinity Sketchy is complete but certainly, looking at previous Sketchies, it would appear the delay is always justified.

PHOTOGRAPHY

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Kelsey Lennon is a thirdyear photography student at IADT. Her photographs merge everyday life with art. She views this series Stßck as a journey that allows her to make personal and intimate images. These photos display a constant desire to simultaneously live and document life, to preserve those fragments, yet attempt to live them – a contradiction. kelseylennon.com @klianne_

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I HEAR YOU’RE AN ATHEIST NOW, FATHER? JAMES BENNETT

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avid Paterson is an Anglican priest. He does not believe in God.

On the phone he comes across as your average eighty-year-old Englishman. He is jolly, yet delightfully polite. It’s almost like talking to someone who has just stepped out of an episode of Miss Marple. The last thing that would come to one’s mind is a radical religious thinker.

Paterson is a member of the board of the Sea of Faith network, an organisation with the aim of exploring and promoting religious faith as a human creation. Sea of Faith was founded in the 1980’s by a group of radical Christian clergy and laypeople. They were inspired by the work of Don Cupitt, a philosopher, theologian, Anglican priest and former Cambridge Dean. Cupitt made a documentary series called Sea of Faith in 1984 which “surveyed western thinking about religion and charted the transition from traditional realist religion to the twentieth-century view that religion is simply a human creation.” It was this TV series that inspired a small but committed group to get together with a view to bringing together similarly minded people.

After starting with a small mailing list, Sea of Faith eventually began organising annual conferences. Today they have local branches all around the UK, with sister organisations in Australia and New Zealand.

After discovering Sea of Faith while spending hours aimlessly trawling Wikipedia, I was eager to find out more about them. I got in touch through their website, and was granted a phone interview with David Paterson, their press officer. Above, I wrote that Paterson did not believe in God.

clusion that God does not exist, many atheists today take an existentialist approach. They embrace the freedom of a godless universe, and decide that they themselves are the creators of their own ethics, and their own purpose. If they are a member of a church, they will usually stop attending. Those in Sea of Faith have chosen a different path. They come to the same initial conclusion that atheists do, and while they may incorporate aspects of existentialism or humanism, many of them remain members of their churches.

“But to talk about the ‘existence’ of God is a nonsense. God ‘exists’ only as a human idea.”

He himself would say that he does believe in God, but not the same kind of God that most people believe in: “Let’s straighten out the terminology. I always have to do this…

By ‘believe in God’ I would normally mean ‘put my trust in’. And that does not entail thinking that God is some sort of objective reality. God is the sum total - or the personification if you like - of our hopes, our dreams and our ideals…

God is quite an important concept. But to talk about the ‘existence’ of God is a nonsense. God ‘exists’ only as a human idea.”

Paterson was patient with me as I struggled to grasp exactly what Sea of Faith is about. It appears that the members of Sea of Faith arrive at the same point as atheists, but choose to continue in another direction. After coming to the con-

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Paterson is patient with me as I struggle to grasp exactly what Sea of Faith is about. It appears that the members of Sea of Faith arrive at the same point as atheists, but choose to continue in another direction. After coming to the conclusion that God does not exist, many atheists today take an existentialist approach. They embrace the freedom of a godless universe, and decide that they themselves are the creators of their own ethics, and their own purpose. If they are a member of a church, they will usually stop attending.

Those in Sea of Faith have chosen a different path. They come to the same initial conclusion that atheists do, and while they may incorporate aspects of existentialism or humanism, many of them remain members of their churches.

The idea of religion having a value is central to Sea of Faith.

The organisation hangs on the assertion that religion is beneficial to our lives. I asked Paterson to explain what the value of religion is, after one has rejected God as anything but a construct in human consciousness: “It is an amazing cultural, intellectual, artistic and imaginative feat to have built up all these religions. They really are wonderful ways of enabling people to get a grasp on life.”

At this point I was wondering whether said “grasp on life” was related to ideas of meaning and purpose. Paterson acknowledged these concepts were an important part of religion, but seemed to place more importance on selfunderstanding, drawing comparisons between religion and art: “Purpose and meaning certainly come into it. But also just to live in a way that comprehends what being alive is all about. We can accept that we have gone a bit further than animals. And we do actually need some sort of a structure, which is why rituals are performed and stories are told.

Certainly meaning and purpose are a part of it… Once you have accepted that religion is a human creation, then it is like art and literature and things like that. They are an extremely valuble way to understand yourself.”

David Paterson, Press Officer for Sea of Faith

I was beginning to understand Paterson’s point. Sea of Faith is a group of people who, although they do not believe in the supernatural aspect of religion, still want to use religion as a structure to explore what it means to be human. When they attend religious services they are seeking the same experience that one seeks when reading literature, going to the theatre, listening to music or looking at a painting. It is something beyond the everyday - an insight into the infamous “human condition”, if such a thing exists.

to get a priest expelled from the Church of England, Paterson confirmed this: “Well, the Church of England is funny that way. It likes to think that it can tell people what they should believe. But as a matter of fact, the process of expelling someone is so complicated and so expensive that it is hardly ever used.” Despite this though, two Sea of Faith members who were clergymen have been successfully dismissed from their posts: Church of England priest Anthony Freeman and Andrew Furlong of the Church of Ireland.

stories. They are not about a kingdom of God which is going to take place sometime after you have died. They are about building a kingdom of God here. And one of the reasons why we haven’t done that is because we have been sidelined into thinking that it’s something that will occur after death. The resurrection stories are about the death of the old self and the rising of the new. It’s all about new hope, and new beginnings. They should be played out here, on this planet, because there isn’t going to be anything else.”

The moral aspect of religion, so important to a large number of people, had been neglected in Paterson’s answers.

When I put this to him, he acknowledged that morals were still an important part of religion from the Sea of Faith viewpoint: “[Religion] is not outside of the moral domain… But that is not to say that you can’t do this from outside religion as well. We are very careful not to say that either purpose or morality are dependent on religion. They have been framed in religious terms and sometimes still are. There is nothing wrong with that and it is a very rich heritage… But it is blatantly untrue that they depend on religion.” He also believes that while morality does not depend on religion, “you can be an atheist and still learn a great deal from religious stories and rituals.”

Paterson claims that his unorthodox views do not cause problems with his parishioners: “I didn’t ever have much trouble with my congregation. But then even course I was not shoving it down their throats. I wasn’t trying to tell anyone else what to believe any more than I would want other

As interesting as Paterson’s personal experiences were, he was just as eager to talk about the progress of Sea of Faith as an organisation. The annual UK conference, which always has a wide range of guest speakers, is still their main event. However there are many local conferences as well, with twenty local branches in the UK, and organisations in Australia and New Zealand, as already mentioned. The group also publishes a quarterly magazine called Sofia, which discusses ideas around the concept of religion as a human creation. Paterson praises the work of the magazine, but thinks that it can “sometimes tend to be overly Christian.” There is a strong desire in Sea of Faith at the moment to increase inter-faith dialogue . In the Sea of Faith local branch in Oxford, for example, there “six or seven Hindus, two or three pagans, and one Jew.” There is such a strong movement towards diversity and interaction with other groups that this year’s conference will be on the theme of connections: “We’ve already got three speakers. One is a Unitarian, one is Keith Porteous Wood of the National Secular Society, and one is Pippa Evans who co-founded the Sunday Assembly.” Paterson himself is extremely supportive of the drive to make connections: “When I moved down to Oxford the first thing I did was join the Muslim-Christian Dialogue. Then I joined the Atheist Society!”

Hearing these words come from a practicing Anglican priest is slightly disconcerting. I asked him how he reconciles these beliefs with his work in the church: “Within my congregation I would take the line that how you feel about God is not in the least dependent on whether you think God exists or not. I preach using God’s terminology, but never with the suggestion that God actually exists. I have noticed in the typescripts of my sermons that I very rarely use the word God. And if I do it is to refer to a being in a story. So there is no difficulty in using the bible stories.” Paterson cites the Trappist monk and twentieth-century Christian mystic Thomas Merton to develop this point: “Merton said a very interesting thing, and I think he might have meant the same as us. He said: ‘There is no such thing as God because God is not a thing.’ And I think that’s spot on.”

Being an active member of the Sea of Faith network has not made Paterson’s life any easier. He has come up against hostility within the Church of England: “Various bishops have tried to get me out at various stages. Well... To be honest…

Two bishops. Once it was for appearing on the BBC programme The Heart of the Matter to discuss reading the resurrection stories as metaphor. The bishop sort of worked on me for a year to see if he could manage to get me out but he didn’t succeed.” As shocking as it was to hear that not believing in the existence of God is insufficient grounds

“It is an amazing cultural, intellectual, artistic and imaginative feat to have built up all these religions. people to tell me what to believe.” I asked him what he do if a member of his congregation came to him having doubts about the existence of God. I was under the impression that this would have been a tricky situation. Paterson is surprisingly laid back about it: “Well of course there is a surprisingly large number of people like that. This is why Sea of Faith was set up. There were loads and loads of people who were anxious because they thought that they were losing their faith. Some of them were ordained and some of them were not. What we wanted to do was reassure them that there weren’t losing their faith. They were actually finding a real faith which was not based on false premises.”

Paterson is also very relaxed about the idea of life after death, which he does not believe in. As a Christian clergyman, I found it hard to believe that not accepting such a key tenet of his religion would not be problematic. He does not seem to see it as a big issue: “Well I ditched the afterlife around my early teens. I don’t think there is anyone in Sea of Faith who would argue that there is a life after death… . I do actually take a lot of funerals. I would not push the idea of life after death on anyone, and I would not challenge it if that is what people want. I was one of the first people who stopped using the prayer book at funerals. Because it isn’t about the person at all. It’s all about God. I changed the method to make the funeral about the person. But of course that is common practice now anyway. Since my teenage years, I have thought that the traditional churches had made a big mistake in misunderstanding the resurrection

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It looks as if the future is bright for Sea of Faith. Their membership subscriptions completely fund operations, and everything seems to be running smoothly. They have successfully created an intellectual space for the free discussion of radical and unusual religious ideas. We live in a time when fundamentalism is on the rise among atheists and people of faith. In Paterson’s own words: “We are in a very good position to bridge the gap between rather extreme opinions. I have worked with atheist, humanists and secularists who tend hate religious people, and also with religious people who tend to hate atheists. And I have tried to show that you can be both.”

film That Awkward Moment Luke O’Reilly That Awkward Moment stars Zac Efron, Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan as three best friends who promise to stay single together after Jordan’s character is unceremoniously dumped by his wife. This premise results in repeated visits to the same bar to pick up women, with the audience being almost immediately introduced to the love interests that will threaten to derail the friends’ pact.

Writer and director Tom Gormican’s debut feature is essentially an Apatow film without Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen or the rest of that family. It promotes itself as a movie about dating and relationships and the title refers to That Awkward Moment when the question begs to be asked about a relationship: “Where is this going?” However, the film is primarily a bromance that trades off the great chemistry between its male leads. It’s strongest when it sticks to the guys and lets them bounce dialogue off one another.

What separates That Awkward Moment from similarly themed bromantic comedies is the performances. Zac Efron’s continues to prove he’s more than just the kid from High School Musical with a turn that shows great comic timing. Michael B. Jordan was superb in Chronicle and now that he has been lauded for his dramatic role in Fruitvale Station he can add comedy to his already long list of skills. The star of the show, however, is undoubtedly Miles Tell-

Inside Llewyn Davis Louie Carroll Llewyn Davis is a down on his luck folk musician plying his trade in 1960’s New York.

The beleaguered singer-songwriter’s day to day life consists of borrowing money, sleeping on couches, playing the same old venue and trying to attract record producers.

With this, their sixteenth feature film, the Coen brothers follow up the modern classic True Grit with another perfectly pitched and brilliantly acted slice of Americana.

Oscar Isaac steps up to the plate in the title role after a string of strong supporting performances in films like Robin Hood, The Bourne Legacy and Drive. He has a difficult task, not least because of the singing, which he more than manages. Davis is a world-

er’s lothario Daniel, whose hilarious riffs and impeccable one liners make the film worth watching. Coming off of a great year of indie success with his memorable showing in Sundance favourite The Spectacular Now, Teller is a young actor whose star is on the rise.

Unfortunately, as is usually the case in this genre, the female members of the cast are given limited attention. Imogen Poots makes the most of her fairly limited role as Zac Efron’s love interest Ellie and every once in a while we sense the beginnings of a spark in their rapid fire exchanges. Mackenzie Davis also manages to project some genuine charisma as Teller’s long suffering best friend Chelsea. However, Jessica Lucas as Michael B. Jordan’s on and off again partner suffers at the hands of some very onedimensional characterisation. The women in the film seem to exist solely to advance the personal journeys of the male characters, be they obstacles to get around, or the reward at the end of a period of self-reflection and personal growth.

If you’re willing to ignore those flaws you can have a very enjoyable time. There are some truly memorable set pieces, the best of which involves a dress code misunderstanding and a prosthetic penis in which Efron shines, mixing embarrassment and charming self-deprecation with great panache. All in all That Awkward Moment is funny if unoriginal fare.

weary character who lives only for his music, even at the expense of relationships with family and friends. It’s not so much ambition that drives him, he just doesn’t belong anywhere else.

The film follows Llewyn as he wanders aimlessly from New York to Chicago and

the narrative but it’s these tangential encounters with unusual people that form much of the films backbone. To criticize Inside Llewyn Davis for its lack of plot is to miss the point entirely. Story is not the priority here, rather, the film exists to allow the Coens to meditate beautifully on their love of this music and the brilliantly realized world in which it was created. The soundtrack

by T Bone Burnett features Bob Dylan and Marcus Mumford tracks, along with original material. The Auld Triangle even gets a look in, and a scene where Llewyn performs the hilarious novelty song “Please Mr. Kennedy” is a highlight.

The film has an exceptional supporting cast. Isaac is joined by his Drive co-star Carey Mulligan, who previously proved her singing chops in Shame. Justin Timberlake shows more acting ability

The plot is equally directionless, although this is obviously intentional.

back again with few goals and little success.

The plot is equally directionless, although this is obviously intentional. Whole sections could be removed without affecting

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here than his previous work would suggest.

Coen regular John Goodman also makes a small but typically memorable appearance along with F. Murray Abraham and a host of other recognizable faces.

This is understated filmmaking by the brothers from Minnesota. The histrionics of Raising Arizona and Burn After Reading are nowhere to be seen. Gone too is the violence and convoluted plot twists of Fargo.

That’s not to say that the film doesn’t have the brothers’ fingerprints all over it. Their black sense of humor remains, albeit toned down significantly and as a result Inside Llewyn Davis is possibly their warmest film, with cinematography from Bruno Delbonnel that literally glows.

The real winner here is Oscar Isaac in his first major lead role. If the acting doesn’t work out for him he could definitely pursue a musical career, that is, if he doesn’t mind mooching off friends and couch-hopping for the rest of his life.

We Need to Stop Talking About Oscar Rory Lynam on the dominance of the Oscars in our discussion of film.

If you haven’t already seen Steve McQueen’s latest film 12 Years A Slave, you’ve more than likely been told to do so, either by a friend, family member or any number of the endless reviews and blogs imploring you to watch what will be the Best Picture Oscar Winner of 2014. The film is based on the harrowing 1853 autobiography by Solomon Northup, a free, black New Yorker who is deceived and subsequently sold into slavery in Louisiana.

McQueen’s third feature began the Oscar conversation in earnest after its release stateside back in October. And that’s a problem.

The film was greeted with statements like “Your Best Picture winner will be 12 Years A Slave” (Kyle Buchanan: Vulture) and “Steve McQueen deserves every gong going for his unflinching portrayal of slavery” (Mark Kermode: The Guardian). High praise indeed, but frustrating for someone who believes that we have let the behemoth that is the Academy Awards dominate our conversation about film for far too long. Critics, bloggers, vloggers and websites - please stop. Your Oscar pieces are hurting cinema.

To say that 12 Years a Slave is Oscarworthy conveys no useful information about the film, but is certainly an efficient way to write badly. Critical writing on film should be insightful. It should create a greater understanding of a film, or at least express a reaction that may resonate with a reader or cause them to question their opinion of said film.

Criticism should aspire to more than empty chatter about award potential, or making flimsy predictions for future success. Unfortunately the vast majority of film reporting in this day and age is geared towards traction based on clickbaiting titles like “10 Oscar films you have to see” or “Look what Jennifer Lawrence did when she found out about her third nomination”.

Every year, as we edge closer to the big night in the Dolby Theatre, more and more critics begin to regard the award ceremony like a pesky fly that should be swatted away. The hypocrisy is rich.

When the time comes for last-minute Oscar predictions and evaluations year gone by, journalists persistently label the Academy Awards as a vacuous pageant in which deserving nominees are typically

12 Years a Slave is predicted by many to be the big winner this award season.

overlooked. These are the same critics who have spent the previous few months identifying Oscar frontrunners. They bemoan the uselessness of award season yet continue to contribute to this culture by ranking each film by Oscar potential.

Certain websites and magazines will always engage in Oscar talk, and they are only writing what the public demands.

However, plenty of the more respectable film critics are being forced to engage with awards season because, quite simply, the demand is there. Film writing has the potential to be a lofty pursuit. At its best it is a critical discourse that provides a valuable cultural commentary. But it is also a business. You need to sell a product, and the Oscars sell. The problem is that this film writing is increasingly being aimed at the widest possible demographic. Why write for an engaged minority when you can make more money writing for an uninterested mass? This is idealistic and I realise the way film writ-

ing is conducted is unlikely to change. So the next question should be: Why are we interested in the Oscars?

People seem to acknowledge every year that the Oscars are pointless but yet still engage with all the hype that surrounds them. Most people don’t even watch the ceremony but can talk about the results for days. The public is being sold a product every year that we buy and then bemoan. How film reporting is carried out is determined by us as an audience. So maybe don’t click on the ‘Oscar contenders’ headline. I get it. The Oscars are essentially the Super Bowl of the film world and even the most contrarian of critics is probably compelled to talk about them whether they like to or not.

That said, let’s stop pretending they’re an indication of importance, cultural relevance or even quality.

The awards chatter surrounding 12 Years A Slave is a particularly interesting case in point. The film is a powerful

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and unflinching examination of one of the darkest chapters in America’s history. To watch it is an experience so bleak and emotionally draining that some have theorised that no-one will need to make another film about slavery for a very long time to come. If this film is indeed the definitive take on slavery, then it comes after long period in which very few people choose to tackle what remains an underexplored topic in mainstream culture. If one compares the amount of films made about the Holocaust to those which focus on slavery, the numbers way far heavier in the former’s favour. It is for this reason that the value and importance of McQueen’s film transcends any gold statuette or pat on the back from a mostly white, male and over-fifty academy. His film is an important text, and will remain one long after the last long and tedious acceptance speech at this years blowout.

As much as I’ve been criticising the critics, they are of course not the ones who created this system. That honour goes to the studios who more or less determine what films will compete in the Oscar race by unloading their prestige pictures in the months of November and December.

So much so that by the time these pictures make their way to this side of the world we’re left with little interesting to watch between February and April and are besieged by comic book movies and gargantuan SFX epics all summer long before awards season kicks off again in late November. Why can’t we be drip fed a series of challenging and entertaining films all year long instead of being forced to gorge ourselves on eight of them in as many weeks?

Every year Oscar talk ultimately dominates the discourse in the film world. It’s clear that many critics mean well when they argue that certain artists or films deserve award recognition, but they often do more harm than good just by participating in this conversation. Roger Ebert once said that he loves film because it can make you feel more than any other art form. Film is implicitly about emotion.

Award shows are not about feeling but about spectacle. Many critics will continue to critique the Award Season for this.

Hopefully they will manage to do so while avoiding headlines like ‘Chiwetel Ejiofor is DEFINITELY going to win Best Actor’.

fashion Out With the Old

And in With the New

Carla King-Molina

KAT CLInCH

1 Mesh In general, mesh can be a fashion friend. But with the 90s revival of 2013, it was omnipresent on catwalks, on the high street and in our wardrobe… A major closet cleanse is needed.

1 Collars The Oxford socialite or BESS wanker look is in this season. Collared shirts and sharp tailoring are making a comeback so work some preppy casual into your wardrobe!

2 Bomber Jackets While we in the Trinity Arts block might have seen a few of these last year around campus, they are the latest 90s trend to start a fashion comeback, so expect to see them everywhere this year.

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2 Skorts This trend took 2013 by the scruff of the neck and was worn on at least one night out by a lot of people. However, it reminds one a little too much of playing hockey and getting hit in the face. Here’s hoping the allure of the multi-tasking bottom will wear off this year.

6 Peplum Peplum has all the sex appeal of body con without showing problem areas, but its time has come. It has officially made the rounds of every possible clothing item: dresses, skirts, trousers, blouses etc... Saturation point reached.

5 Tumblr-inspired outfits We can’t all be Katy Perry, somehow managing to seamlessly rock a shimmery jersey, chunky boots and a tutu, but far too many still need this news broken gently to them.

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7 Crop Tops Not since 1995 has so much midriff been shown! Crop tops were highly overused in 2013, with the 50 Shades type leather ones being particularly offensive.

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3 Metallics Gold is the new black as they say, with silver coming in second best.

3 Luxury-brand-pun Tops Someone clearly realised a gap in the market for puns and high fashion and wouldn’t let it go, someone called Urban Outfitters. Hopefully in 2014 our inner word-nerds will realise how mistaken we were and refuse to let us wear that Homiès t-shirt.

4 Angora Jumpers As the videos of rabbit farms in China hit the fashion world and the internet, slipping on the pink H&M number became a bit of an uneasy affair. Given that after the video became viral Zara, H&M, and Acne stopped angora production, it may prove one of the easier trends to quit.

into your everyday outfit. Tube socks, vests, sporty style shorts and stretchy fabrics are all perfect for this.

8 Sheer Fabrics Get your good bras on girls, because sheer is here. Subtle flesh flashing is replacing the crop top; classy but sassy.

9 Textures Think 3D! The bold logo is on the way out and now it’s all about the fabrics, the details, beadwork and boldness.

4 Prints Florals. For spring. This is ground-breaking stuff, but this season they went down the catwalk alongside tribal patterns. If you must do florals be innovative, but Aztec print is the new daisy motif.

5 Brogues Men’s shoes for women, the androgyny theme rolls on from number one. Do them in colours or metallics with some quirky laces to be bang on trend this season.

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8 Cutout Boots Cutout fatigue has arrived. Maybe it’s time we bring back boots that keep the cold out and leave our Topshop versions at home.

10 Waist Belts 2013 saw us flaunting the hourglass in highwaisted jeans and skirts and the belt takes up where they left off, so there’s no excuse not to create or accentuate some curves!

9 Fur Everything became just a bit too fuzzy last year. With the headbands, scarves, bags and collars 2013 could have been the most appropriate year yet for the Muppet movie to come out!

10 Animal Print Leopard, zebra, and cheetah print all need to die. As soon as possible, please. You may only wear things that once appeared alive in The Lion King if you are auditioning for the part of a rival barmaid to Liz McDonald on Coronation Street.

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6 Fringing It’s not festival season yet, but fringe is back with a yee-haw. Think cowboy casual.

7 Sportswear 80’s video workout style sportswear worked

NO. 10 BY ELIZABETH BRAUDERS

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How To Wear Trends ELIZABETH BRAUDERS Fashion designers are a bit like fundamentalist religious leaders, who just happen to change their mind every season. They’ll come out stating that a very narrow range of things are now ‘in’ and acceptable, and that everything must be homogenous floral, or metallic, or monochromatic. That’s why we get models walking down runways looking ridiculous with shoes, skirt, top, bag, and

head-piece all in the same hue or pattern, with lipstick and nails to match. However, as anyone who’s ever heard someone earnestly use a phrase like “pray the gay away” can tell you, frighteningly narrow views of what is or isn’t acceptable just don’t work in the real world. In the best-case scenario, you’ll have people remain polite to your face, and then laugh at you once you’re

gone. This also applies to what I’m going to term “over-trending”, i.e. totally copying that head-to-toe runway look and creating general ridicule among your peers.

So how to avoid this dreaded fate? Mix and match, personalise, and question. Metallic top and floral skirt? Fabulous. Monochromatic outfit jazzed up with that jewellery you made yourself? Glorious. Sitting

Rimmel Dublin Danielle Courtney Rimmel launched their new Sunshimmer Bronzer campaign in the Resident Club, Stephen’s Green last week. The event, which was organised by PR Boutique, was an elegant cocktail party to welcome the approach of summer. Binky Felstead, of Made in Chelsea fame, was there as the new face of the range.

The first room was set up as a pop-up salon. Several makeup artists and beauticians were on hand to transform guests with the new summer palettes. Rita Ora’s new makeup collaboration was the product of the moment. The singer has brought out six Clinique-style chubby-stick lip colours.

Of course being the night that it was, a wash of Sunshimmer Bronzer was a required addition for all to combat the Irish winter pallor.

The nail station was the next stop in order to take a sneak peak at the new Rita Ora nail varnish collection, soon to launch.

It comes in a range of vivid colours, including the fashion-forward opaque neon white “White Hot Love”, which Binky wore on the night, to contrast her black wrap dress.

The nail artist confided that they had arrived at the event at ten that morning to try out different looks, and prep Binky for a long day of interviews.

Downstairs was the cocktail and cupcake party. Voices chattered away as appetizers of peking duck, spring roll and mussel soup were brought around. A strawberry daiquiri, cosmopolitan and glass of pink champagne later, the woman of the night appeared. Binky mingled with everyone, and was very obliging to those requesting photographs, despite the long day of presswork. I managed to grab her for a quick photo and a gossip about Made In Chelsea. The pint sized reality star was just as friendly and sweet as she comes across on the show. Binky was tiny (I managed to be

taller than her in flats) despite her gorgeous four-inch coral Topshop heels with gold ankle bar and stem.

She was thrilled to become the new brand ambassador for Rimmel, in the company of Kate Moss, Rita Ora and Georgia May Jagger. She seemed relaxed and was enjoying the challenge in contrast to her day job on the reality show. This last season of Made in Chelsea saw a change in her role. Normally not involved in show, her relationship with Alex Mytton was splashed on everyone’s TV, seeing Binky clash with several of his exes. The pair are still dating, as evidenced by her twitter photos of a romantic getaway to Goa last week. I asked her if the past season had been more difficult to film, considering that this was the first time she had had a relationship filmed in full on the show. The normally cheerful Binky gave a pained nod and, more frankly than I had expected, admitted it was much harder having that pressure on such a personal aspect of her life. She admitted it was tough, but had been prepared for it to eventually happen. She said that she knew what she signed up for and was thrilled by the ongoing support of her fans.

When it was time to leave, I grabbed one of the goodie bags, and headed back through Stephens Green. I was still awed by the down to earth nature of a girl whose reality show is based on her elite group of friends. Binky Felstead has the right sort of effortless personality for Rimmel and the beach girl campaign. The launch party showcased the playful new additions set to be added to the Rimmel stands this summer, particularly the Rita Ora nail varnishes, the most striking colours being a teal, 863 Do Not Disturb, and a Barbie pink, 323 Don’t Be Shy. Rimmel has once again proved its dominance over all its rival pharmacy brands.

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down and having a long hard think about the fact that maybe Karl Lagerfeld is actually not always and completely right? Utterly necessary. As with many things in life, style requires your active input and thoughts to become a positive force. Do not let yourself become a passive billboard for someone else’s creativity or beliefs. Having fun with your clothes!

MUSIC Actress Ghettoville

What We’re Listening To

REVIEW EOIN HENNESSY Almost two years have passed since Darren Cunningham graced us with the beautifully enigmatic R.I.P.. Since then, the Wolverhampton beat maestro has been working on what many believe will be his last album under the Actress pseudonym. Cunningham provided a statement with his new album, Ghettoville, claiming that it “is the bleached out and black tinted conclusion of the Actress image”. The album is also the unofficial sequel to Actress’s 2008 debut masterpiece, Hazyville.

For the follow up to Hazyville, Actress has returned to his Werkdisc roots, however, this time in partnership with London based label Ninja Tune. The result is a murky sixteen track LP full of distortion, hypnotic bass lines and faint bleeps. Ghettoville begins with the seven minute long “Forgiven”.

Its sparse and sinister beat is barely audible, serving as the perfect transition between Hazyville and Ghettoville. The next track, “Street Corp”, seems more like the apocalyptic beginning of Ghettoville. Although it contains the normal bleeps associated with the work of Actress, the sounds are more industrial than ever.

Cunningham’s production becomes clear and even slightly more weird than usual.

In an interview with The Beat Juice, Cunningham said that the album could be interpreted as “diseased” and that the imagery intended for the album was in some way based upon “mutants”. Tracks like “Corner”, “Time” and “Towers” definitely represent the freakish picture Cunningham was striving for.

Cunningham has obviously tried to achieve something different with Ghettoville. A lot of the tracks on the album are quite upbeat, somewhat reminding us of

Actress’s 2010 album Splazsh. However, instead of the more dancefloor-oriented sound of Splazsh, we get a deformed hybrid combining the cloudy sound of Hazyville with futuristic 4x4 beats.

The fourth track “Rims” could be Actress’s mutated take on the music of Flying Lotus, while “Image” sounds like 80’s funk group, Cameo, on acid. Strange echoes like this crop up all over, yet it somehow sounds unbelievably original. The track “Skyline” could even be heard as some sort of freak

Richard Anthony Hewson (RAH) was one of the pioneering figures of British funk and disco in the early 1980s.

Although they may have gained international recognition through their song “Clouds on the Moon”, it’s their 1983 hit “Messages From the Stars” which really stands out. Hewson’s crisp production and intergalactic rhythms sound as good as ever even after thirty years.

Girl Band Lawman Absolutely fantastic song from Dublin based rockers Girl Band. Released on Another City Records, “Lawman” radiates the sound of early Sebadoh while also adding in a slight flare of Bleach-era Nirvana. Despite these comparisons Girl Band sound refreshingly original and are most certainly one to watch for 2014.

Pusha T Suicide Since the rumours of a Clipse reunion have been quashed, we’ve had to make do with relistening to Pusha T’s 2013 album, My Name Is My Name. While not being Pusha’s best work, the album still contains some absolute gems, one of them being the hard-hitting “Suicide”.

Warpaint Warpaint REVIEW EOIN HENNESSY Formed in 2004, Warpaint are far from a prolific band. While most indie groups will release upwards of three albums in the space of five years, Warpaint have only released one in the past ten. This unusual lengthy approach served them well on their 2010 debut The Fool, an album full of emotion, thrill and exquisite jangly rock.

The Fool’s success let the band travel the world, touring festivals and supporting The xx for a few dates. This time spent touring allowed the band to play with new ideas. Eventually these ideas amalgamated into Warpaint’s new self-titled al-

child created by Daft Punk’s “Around the World” and Joy Orbison.

Ghettoville ends on “Rule”, a three minute-long track of twisted hip-hop, yet again showing off Cunningham’s diversity.

A strange send-off to the final Actress outing. However, maybe that’s the point. Darren Cunningham has created yet another amazing record and even if it is the last album he’ll produce as Actress, we should be thankful that he granted us with four long players that can be enjoyed for decades.

RAH Band Messages From the Stars

bum. Released on Rough Trade, Warpaint sees the four-piece female ensemble experiment in brand new territory, full of synths, drum machines and extended harmonies.

The album was produced by Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame and mastered by postpunk legend Flood. These two names are going to get any indie fan’s blood pumping, so mix them together with Warpaint’s growing trendiness and you’ve got an all out indie orgy.

The Los Angeles based group begin proceedings with an instrumental track doused in lengthy bass rhythms and

smooth guitar riffs. It even hints at the fact that the album was conceived during sound checks as drummer Stella Mozgawa yells “ahh, sorry” after messing up one of her patterns. What follows is the track “Keep it Healthy”, a song that reminds us just why Warpaint get the attention they deserve: Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman’s vocals.

Their interweaving harmonies are used with echo filters that add great depth to two already beautiful voices.

Next up is the brilliant single “Love is to Die”. Kokal’s emotion during the chorus is palpable while Mozgawa pounds on the drums frantically. Two other tracks on the album, “Biggy” and “Teese” repeat this pattern and to great effect. “Biggy” contains such a Nigel Godrich sound one could even imagine it on Kid A. “Teese”, on

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the other hand, is a slightly more subdued semi-acoustic number and is by far the best track on the album.

Sadly, however, Warpaint does not quite live up to expectations. Although Kokal and Wayman’s vocals are phenomenal, they are not enough to rescue some of the more boring tracks on the album.

Songs like “CC” and “Go In” end without ever sounding as if they began, while “Hi” contains a drum machine sample that plays like a preset on a 404. Although not quite hitting the bar, Warpaint still has a lot of thoroughly enjoyable moments and is certainly worth a listen. Perhaps the high expectations of the album are what let it down, or perhaps Warpaint need longer than ten years’ experience in order to record a masterpiece.

BEST OF WHO? EOIN HENNESSY LOOKS AT THE PHENOMENON OF ANONYMOUS PRODUCERS AND DJS IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC.

T

he vast majority of successful electronic artists roughly follow the same routine.

They produce a track, gain recognition and then tour the world by either DJing or playing live, all the while still trying to produce more successful songs. Eventually they’ll stop being popular and the process will repeat itself as new artists are born.

During this time while they’re famous, their faces will be plastered all over flyers, posters, records and events. Although not quite reaching the level of Beyonce-famous, they’ll most certainly be well recognised within their own scene. Some people will recognise the baldhead of Boddika, while others will identify the tattooed physique of Andrew Weatherall.

While most artists will be overjoyed with the recognition, some prefer to stay out of the public eye. For some, the path is clearly chosen through a sense of modesty. For others, it’s chosen for complete artistic freedom. In rare cases, it’s chosen so they can be a dick on Twitter to whoever they like. None the less, these no-named crusaders are an integral part of dance music culture and I feel it is my duty to give them recognition, whether they like it or not.

DJ Stingray Perhaps the Godfather of anonymous production, DJ Stingray has managed to keep his identity secret for over twenty years.

Stingray was once the tour DJ for mysterious group Drexciya but has since started

producing his own beats. With years of experience under his belt, he has had releases on Naked Lunch, Unknown to the Unknown and WéMè Records. His name is rumoured to be Sherard Ingram but no sources have yet confirmed this. In order to stay anonymous, Stingray only ever DJs wearing a balaclava to conceal his face. Aside from being furtive, Stingray also makes some of the most original techno on the market and is definitely worth checking out.

Zomby Next up we have the famously loathed Zomby.

Zomby has been a hugely prolific Dubstep and Hardcore producer since 2007 and has gained attention in more ways than one. While his production is amazingly intricate and original, people mainly know Zomby for being a complete knobhead. Zomby’s anonymity is clearly used for his own protection in this case. It’s hard to know where to begin on the hate list for Zomby so I’ll just name a few examples. He was banned from Dubstep Forum in 2008 for threatening to kill Ben UFO, he was caught for directly plagiarising a song for his album Dedication and is known for not showing up to at least half his shows. When he does show up, Zomby wears a Guy Fawks mask while playing.

Because of this Zomby has a legion of fans who love his music yet detest his character. He also loves getting in a fight on Twitter, so if you’re into that sort of thing check him out @Zombymusic.

Burial Although not strictly anonymous any more, Burial has certainly attempted to remain concealed. Since his self-titled debut album came out in 2006, Burial has tried to remain hidden. His only downfall was that he was too damn good. Burial became hugely popular after his first album. A collaboration with Four Tet entitled “Moth” also skyrocketed Burial to success. His sound is unique.

Thus people made it their duty to find out who he was. While many people believed that Four Tet was Burial it was later proven that Burial was William Bevan. His identity was revealed after a photo was taken at a Mary Anne Hobbs’ Radio 1 show in which people spotted there was only one unnamed artist. This was the only shred of evidence for a few years but eventually Bevan caved in and posted a photo of himself to his MySpace and declared his real name. Even though his identity has been revealed, Burial still refuses to perform live and rarely does interviews.

Redshape Just like Burial, this next masked man has also had his name and face revealed.

German house producer Redshape,

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while not quite being in the same league as some of the other artists on this list, has tried to hide from the public and simply let his music do the talking. Since he came onto the scene in 2006 Redshape has crafted some beautifully funky house jams, all the while concealing his face with a creepy (you guessed it) red mask. Sebastian Cramer, as he is also known, isn’t quite one of the die-hard mystery producers. Instead it seems as if he just favours having his face hidden from view.

However, his commitment must be relatively strong as the eye holes in his mask look like theyd impair performance quite a lot.

Unknown Lastly we have the pathetically named Unknown. The most recent addi- tion the secret producers club, this Irish beat maker is definitely on the rise for 2014. While his name may be horribly unoriginal, his songs are most certainly not. His 2013 track, “I Cry”, with another Irish favourite Gemma Dunleavy, combines ravishing bassy rhythms with Portishead-like vocals. Like Redshape, Unknown is obviously not hugely secretive in his identity as long hoods only hide his face during shows. Maybe the idea of success has persuaded him to come out into the light and embrace minor stardom.

The Seventh Generation’s Last Stand Vladimir Rakhmanin

2013 marked a transitional period for video games. The end of the year saw the release of the next generation of consoles – this led to a sort of last hurrah for current, ageing hardware. As a result, most Game of the Year awards from the industry media were for PS3 and 360 games, which overshadowed the weak launch library of the PS4 and the Xbox One. The Wii U also began to gather some steam, despite early criticism. In a way, 2013 seemed to be a reversal of 2012 – where most Game of the Year lists were dominated by a few outstanding independent releases (Journey and The Walking Dead), with the rest of the awards being taken up by AAA titles. 2013 was the polar opposite. Most Game of the Year lists gave their highest honours to a few AAA titles like The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite and Grand Theft Auto V, while the rest of the awards were given to experimental indie titles, such as Gone Home and Papers, Please.

These three exceptional AAA titles of 2013 can be seen as a summation of all the trends that represented this past generation – a zombie apocalypse, a first-person shooter and an open-world action-adventure.

Despite this, all three games managed to be the culmination of their respective genres.

The Last of Us, made by the bombastic Uncharted developers Naughty Dog, showed how much they have matured, focusing on subtle character moments as opposed to outrageous displays of action. The action is there, of course, but it is used as punctuation for long, moody scenes of quiet desolation. The ending of the game is also unexpectedly disarming, managing to conclude the journey of Joel and Ellie in a way that feels true to the spirit of the narrative.

Bioshock Infinite had a tough act to follow, the first game in the series often being considered one of the greatest games ever made. Disregarding this immense pressure, Irrational Games crafted a hugely ambitious narrative, set in a dystopian city in the sky that is as visually awe-inspiring as its underwater predecessor. The ending to the game was extremely controversial, sparking endless debates among those who had played it. Whether you thought it was pretentious or brilliant, the ambition here has to be recognised, even if it occasionally did not hit the target.

Bioshock Infinite

GTAV, despite lacking the ambition contained in the above two titles, ex-

ecuted its core concept so well that this can be easily overlooked. After the backlash surrounding the moody and serious GTAIV, the fifth instalment brought a sense of fun back to the series that hadn’t really been seen since GTA: San Andreas.

With the introduction of a character named Trevor, who happens to be a murderous psychopath, all of your ridiculous rampages begin to make sense, and do not cause dissonance as in previous titles.

to feed your family based on the amount of work you do – however, if you give a wrong person entry, or vice versa, terrorist attacks may occur, causing you to earn harsh penalties. This leads to interesting moral decisions that are enhanced through the medium of video games

Nintendo brought out the big guns in 2013, releasing a Mario Brothers: A Tale game on the Wii U and a Zelda of Two Sons game on the 3DS. Both these titles saw the company do what they do best – the core concept may not be radically different from previous games in the franchise, but subtle The indie scene once again made a subinnovations and some of the best design in stantial showing. The three most notable the industry led numerous media outlets to of these games demonstrate a very experinominate these games as some of the best mental approach to interactive storytelling. of the year.

Gone Home told its story almost entirely through its environment, and also set itIt is difficult to say how the year ahead will self apart from the industry mainstream turn out for this young medium. Hopefully, by making a queer character the focus of developers will master the new hardware its narrative. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons as soon as possible so that we can see more used its unorthodox control scheme to interesting things being done both in storyconvey a character’s coming of age. Papers, telling and design. However, it is impossiPlease made an interesting political stateble to predict when we will get this generament. The player assumes the role of a bortion’s Bioshock, or this generation’s Portal. der patrol guard in a totalitarian country.

All we can do is hope that the next generaThe player has to process as many entry tion advances gaming as much as the last visas as possible, as you are given money one did.

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The Sober Fresher rachel fleming

“I came to college to learn” one Trinity fresher recently posted on Facebook. “Things I have learned: it is possible to feel hungover at 3 am in the morning.”

This is not an uncommon tale. The first few months of college are a unique educational experience, characterised by experiments with Tesco Value vodka and surveys of the various prices of naggins available on Grafton St. Alcohol is generally accepted as an integral part of the college experience. No 9 am tutorial is complete without a dishevelled latecomer and an extra-large Americano in hand, and no society event is worth attending if there isn’t a free wine reception afterwards. Everyone graduates with at least one story about the time they flashed the bouncers at Workman’s or the time they pissed on the Provost’s house. The wide-eyed and nervous fresher quickly learns that the best way to make friends is by getting hammered with a few people they vaguely recognise from lectures, and then shifting the face off them in Coppers. The social recluse finds themselves transformed into the life and soul of the party, only to wake up the next morning and find themselves tagged in several hundred bathroom selfies with complete strangers. It’s generally the way socialising in college works. If you’re not friends now, you will be after you’ve carried each other home.

What then of the students who don’t drink? The ones who, for reasons religious, medical or otherwise, decide to abstain from alcohol? Do they go out? How do they make friends?

Do they even have any friends? Most intriguingly of all, how many of them exist? According to a report published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 20% of college students don’t drink, so statistically, every fifth person you meet should be a teetotal. General experience of college life however, would suggest a far lower number. It’s rare to meet someone who has actively made the decision not to drink and isn’t just having a sober night or a dry spell, but it seems there are more than we think. So where are they? Are all the people who routinely claim to be on antibiotics just too afraid to admit their lifestyle choices? Do they sip on a Coke and pretend there’s vodka in it, while making claims of being a heavyweight, in order to avoid ostracisation?

‘Most people just look surprised and say cool when I tell them I don’t drink” says Hannah Crowley, a drama and Spanish student. “No one has ever given me a hard time about it, which is really nice. I still do frequent the clubs and I enjoy myself, because I like dancing, but it all goes a bit downhill when I have to start keeping track of my drunk friends. It’s only enjoyable to a certain extent.”

Shauna Gavin, a first-year science student, who was recently forced to give up alcohol

due to medical issues, agrees. “The amusement of laughing at drunk people wears off after about ten minutes and the fear of getting puked on becomes all too real. At that point, at home in bed seems like the safest place in the world.”

It’s a commonly accepted fact that nightclubs can only be tolerated when drunk, either due to the atrocious music (for some reason Katy Perry comparing herself to both a lion and a tiger in the same breath no longer seems like lazy writing and scientific inaccuracy, but the work of a lyrical genius when it’s played in The Palace) or the lecherous 30 year olds.

So, the sober brigade can hardly be blamed for their avoidance. But does this affect their ability to socialise? “90% of college events organised revolve around drinking” says Shauna “and while there’s nothing stopping me from going to them, once you turn into as big a dry shite as I have, they sort of lose their appeal.” Hannah’s approach is somewhat different. “If you need to rely on alcohol to have a good time, it doesn’t say a lot about your character. I don’t judge anyone for drinking but most people seem to think that the more alcohol you consume, the better night you have.

The problem is that once you start needing someone to look after you, you’re stopping them from enjoying their night too. As the ‘sober one’, it generally falls to me to fetch glasses of water and make sure that they don’t vomit, and while I don’t mind doing it once a while, if you’re responsible enough to drink, you should be responsible enough to look after yourself.”

Most of us have been both the sober shoulder to lean, as well as the drunken mess in need of assistance so a certain amount of empathy is present when it’s your night out being restricted. However Hannah tells me that she never really participated in the drink culture before making the decision to go teetotal, while Shauna admits that she “used to drink way too much, and dance till 4 am and shift every guy in the club.” Perhaps it’s these different experiences which caused the opinions of the two to vary so much, but at the same time, it’s easy to imagine how frustrating it must be to be the sole voice of reason among a group of intoxicated students. So why do they do it? For both of the girls, health seems to be the biggest issue. “Your body is your body” says Hannah “And while going on a bit of a bender sometimes is great, in the long run, not so much.” Sensible words, but it still must be a difficult lifestyle to maintain in an environment which promotes the consumption of alcohol to such an extent as ours. I ask Shauna whether or not she’d advise the average college student to give up the excesses of alcohol in favour of a life of sobriety. She laughs. “Don’t do it. 0/10, would not recommend. Be a drunken hooligan, it’s way more fun.”

“The amusement of laughing at drunk people wears off after about ten minutes and the fear of getting puked on becomes all too real. At that point, at home in bed seems like the safest place in the world.”

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