december 2021
voices MAGAZINE FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
Editorial
Едиторијал
F
asten your seatbelts. The end of the year is approaching fast. December is the month of joy, happiness, and an opportunity to finish what you started. It’s also a time to reflect, review our past, and make plans for the new year. Don’t dwell on the past too much, though. Grab a cup of tea or glass of mulled wine and focus on the present moment and our new edition of Voices! As always, you can expect lots of interesting articles to help you feel inspired and motivated. In this edition, we got all sorts – from exploring Skopje’s brutalist architecture and explaining why we can’t stop listening to pop music to checking the state of the metaverse and reminding ourselves about our inner beauty. And even some more about sports! Have you ever wondered what makes success? Is it luck? Or hard work? The queen of gymnastics, Simone Biles, has recently revealed a brutal truth about success. Be inspired by our new edition! I am sending you the warmest wishes for a happy winter season. Jolanta Ciopcińska
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рзете ги појасите. Крајот на годината брзо се приближува. Декември е месец на радост, среќа и можност да го завршите она што сте го започнале. Исто така, време е да размислуваме, да го разгледаме нашето минато и да правиме планови за новата година. Сепак, не се задржувајте премногу на минатото. Земете шолја чај или чаша варено вино и фокусирајте се на сегашниот момент и на нашето ново издание на „Воисес“! Како и секогаш, можете да очекувате многу интересни написи кои ќе ви помогнат да се чувствувате инспирирано и мотивирано. Во ова издание нудиме различни аспекти од истражување на бруталистичката архитектура на Скопје и објаснување зошто не можеме да престанеме да ја слушаме попмузиката до проверка на состојбата на метаверзумот и потсетување на нашата внатрешна убавина. Па, дури и нешто повеќе за спортот! Дали некогаш сте се запрашале што го сочинува успехот? Дали е тоа среќа? Или напорна работа? Кралицата на гимнастиката Симон Бајлс неодамна откри брутална вистина за успехот. Инспирирајте се од нашето ново издание! Ви ги испраќам најтоплите желби за среќна зимска сезона. Јоланта Чиопчинска
VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankoski COORDINATORS: Andrej Naumovski Goran Adamovski Goran Galabov Selina Niemi Ewelina Chańska
VOLUNTEERS: Christopher Machold Clarissa Leute Yvan Barbeau Anna Marek Kacper Król Jolanta Ciopcińska Lucile Guéguen Antonia Barth
EXTERNAL WRITERS: Dafina Veselinoska TRANSLATORS: Martina Danilovska Ejona Limanaj PROOFREADERS: Elen Wright-Stead Edward Stead
DESIGNERS: Lucile Guéguen Selina Niemi Ewelina Chańska Clarissa Leute Anna Marek Kacper Król Jolanta Ciopcińska
CONTACT: Volunteers Centre Skopje Emil Zola 3/3-1, 1000, Skopje +389 22 772 095 vcs_contact@yahoo.com www.vcs.org.mk
VOICES magazine is coordinated, designed and created by ESC and local volunteers with support of Erasmus+ program.
content
VOICES December 2021 - issue 12
topic of the month 4
Simone Biles, the Golden Queen of Gymnastics
Lucile Guéguen
16
Симон Бајлс, златната кралица на гимнастиката
Лусил Геган
music 6
Why can’t you stop listening to pop music?
Anna Marek
22
reportages 8 10
3D-Printed houses may announce the big revolution in construction
Yvan Barbeau
Be ready for Ready Player One
Yvan Barbeau
12
The pearl of the Balkans - in the footsteps of brutalism in Skopje!
Kacper Król
sport 18
What’s the deal with football?
Clarissa Leute
erasmus+ 20
Under the purple sky
Jolanta Ciopcińska
opinion 22 23
Beauty is inside of everyone
12
Antonia Barth
Bukuria është brenda të gjithëve
Antonia Barth
24
Дафина Веселиноска
Импресии од изложбата на Васко Ташковски
COVER photographer: Michał Arciszewski model: Adrianna Sawczak
4
topic of the month
Simone Biles
”I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, I’m the first Simone Biles.”
Simone Biles
Y
ou can’t talk about gymnastics without mentioning Simone Biles. At just 24 years old, the young woman has already made history. Known for her gymnastics skills and gravity-defying performances, the Afro-American girl dominates the world of gymnastics. Her record-breaking achievements, countless medals, and numerous awards made her a legendary athlete. Simone Biles has been widely dubbed “GOAT” — the “Greatest Of All Time.” Since the beginning of her career, the superstar gymnast has changed the sport forever in so many ways. Simone Biles was born in 1997 in Ohio, USA, as the third of four children. Both of her parents struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. As a toddler, Simone Biles was placed in foster care as child services determined her biological mother was unfit to care for her and her three siblings. Their father had abandoned the family early on. When Simone Biles was five years old, she and her younger sister were adopted and raised by their grandparents. “My road to success began the day my grandfather and his wife officially adopted my sister and me,” Simone Biles stated. Shortly after she was adopted, at the age of six,
4 - VOICES
she tried gymnastics for the first time while on a daycare field trip. The girl started life from an at-risk beginning to become a legendary gymnast. Gymnastics is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and training to master each skill and apparatus – 4 for women: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Becoming an elite gymnast involves a lot of strength training, endurance training, and gymnastics. Despite her tiny stature being an advantage to perform gymnastics, she works hard at whatever she does. Simone Biles trains twice a day for a total of six hours five times per week and follows a strict diet. Since her first enrollment in an international competition in 2013, Simone Biles has kept on rewriting world gymnastics record books. As her nickname of the GOAT might suggest, Simone is the “first” in many categories. She is the most decorated gymnast of all time in the history with a combined total of 36 Olympic and World Championships medals – 27 of them being gold; during her first Olympics in 2016, she lightened up the competition by winning individual gold medals in the all-around, vault, and floor; bronze
тема на месецот
the Golden Queen of gymnastics on balance beam; and gold as part of the United States team, making her the only female gymnast to have won four gold medals in a single Olympics; the 1.42-meter-tall American gymnast is also the first woman to have won five world all-around championships, including one while in pain from a kidney stone; she is also probably the only American athlete to have won the national championships with broken toes in both feet. There have been some memorable gymnasts to have captured gold medals, but Simone Biles holds the record for the most gymnastics titles ever captured by a single athlete in the history of the sport. Simone Biles mostly became famous for demonstrating a different way to win. She combines feats of unprecedented complexity with flawless execution. The 24-year-old phenom made history by nailing incredibly difficult gymnastics moves such as the Yurchenko double pike vault, a complex and mindblowing move traditionally performed only by men. “I look back at videos and wonder how I did that. I sometimes wish I could have an out-of-body experience to witness it,” she stated. She also has four gymnastics elements bearing her name – in the floor, beam, and vault events – for being the only gymnast capable of performing them; this
right is only granted to gymnasts performing a unique skill successfully at a major competition. Simone Biles constantly pushes the limits when performing elements that other gymnasts could only dream of landing. In July 2021, the superstar gymnast was expected to make headlines at the Tokyo Olympics. Simone Biles entered the competition with the world watching. She did leave an indelible mark on the Games, but not by rewriting the Olympic record book as planned. Simone Biles withdrew midway through the gymnastics team final. The 24-year-old gymnast experienced the “twisties” – a mental phenomenon, often triggered by stress, causing disorientation midair while performing a twist – that resulted in a vault not performing as well as expected. In the days following the team final, she withdrew from event after event. Simone Biles admitted having shouldered a huge burden of expectations and tremendous pressure at the Olympics: “I truly do feel that I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.” In 2016, the gymnast dealt with the public’s disappointment for earning a bronze medal in the beam balance final instead of the gold medal everyone expected her to win. By withdrawing, she did something no other gymnast had done before: to focus on herself and highlight
the importance of mental health for athletes. “We’re not just entertainment; we’re humans too,” she said. The magnitude of her influence goes well beyond gymnastics. In 2018, Simone Biles shared on social media that she was among the hundreds of athletes who said they were sexually abused by Larry Nassar – the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor. She wants to use her influence to be an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, foster children as well as people who have gone through mental health issues. “Being a voice, that’s something people always remember besides the medals. How good a person were you whenever you were an athlete. Your character,” she said. Simone Biles is hailed as an inspiration for many women, particularly black women, because of her perseverance despite a difficult journey. Lucile Guéguen Sources: New York Times : Simone Biles just demonstrated a true champion mind-set The Bridge: Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts ever. But how does she train? The gentlewoman: Simone Biles backflipping, gold-winning, ever-smiling Photo: Abelardo Mendes Jr | Flickr
VOICES - 5
music
WHY CAN'T YOU
STOp LISTENING
TO POP
MUSIC
6 - VOICES
музика
The name itself, indicating that pop music is most often listened to, does not doubt the audience. It is popular because many people reach for it. What makes us choose this music genre most frequently, even if we don’t want to?
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hat music listeners are reaching for and their favorite songs depends on who they are and the kind of musical template they have in their heads. A musical template is simply a set of musical expectations that each engages in as we listen to a piece. It reminds us what sounds are good and how we think music should sound. Like most parts of our characters, we derive it partly through nature and partly through nurture. Popular music is well named. It’s just the music that the vast majority of people want to listen to. So what makes us make this choice? The elements of a typical pop song play a very important role here. It would not have been created if it were not for the beat and the lyrics. Popular music uses electric enhancements via electric guitars and synthesizers to amplify and transform vocal and instrumental sounds. This is, of course, accompanied by an appropriate text that suggests what a given piece is about. Usually, it is catchy and easy to remember. Almost every song has a beat that makes people want to move in sync with it. That’s why popular music is different from classical. In the second one, the beat was subordinated in favor of melody and harmony. The role of rhythm is invaluable then. Cognitive neuroscientists still haven’t fully explained its power. However, one thing is clear: a repeated beat has a considerable impact on the psyche. Those sounds with forcefully recurring patterns are
processes in the “time-measuring” neurons of the cerebellum. These neurons connect with motor neurons, causing us to make a physical response to the regularly recurring stimulation of the beat. Another one that has an equally significant influence on popular music is the repetition of the melody. It has been confirmed that the human brain likes repetition, especially when it is easy to remember. And these are the melodies that are associated with popular music: repeatable and easy to remember. So, popular music causes the human brain to work while listening to it. Memory exercises are an essential activity while listening to music. Pop makes this exercise very easy. Simplicity, repetition, and beat are not the only factors causing so many people in the world to listen to pop music every day. Volume and time also play a significant role. Pop songs are generally believed to be louder than the rest of the genres. Even if they are played at the same level as, for example, classical pieces of music, this causes listeners’ attention to be drawn faster and easier.
The timing of the song also makes listeners choose pop more. And although listeners have been contradicting the standards lately, such as the case of Taylor Swift, whose 10-minute version of “All Too Well” had the most plays among the “Red (Taylor’s Version)” album. However, musicians still focus on short 3-minute songs. And it was the phonograph that started it. In the 1920s, the machine could only store a 10-inch disc that held three minutes of music. Artists were forced to create songs of less than 3 minutes. Only in that way, the song could fit. Even later, when the music was played on the radio. There was no technical possibility to play longer songs. But when in the 80s, the CD was introduced, which could store longer songs, they would still last 3 minutes. Because of that, there was more space for advertisements on the radio. So, the initial technological limitations meant that the 3-minute songs became a permanent part of the music culture. Time, repetition, and beat keep people reaching for pop music. However, the role of the audience cannot be forgotten. After all, music is created for them, and they still have the greatest influence on their character. Anna Marek Sources: Craig Wright, “Listening to Music”, Music for Production: Why is pop music so popular? Classic FM: Why are pop songs 3 minutes long?
VOICES - 7
MENSE-KORTE, ingenieure+architekten
reportage
3D-Printed houses may announce the big revolution in construction According to its semiannual report published by the IDC (International Data Corporation) on the 8th of January 2019, the 3D printing (or threedimensional printing) industry has steadily developed over the past few years. It has gradually opened up new fields of application. What are the different 3D printers that exist today? What can these technologies offer compared to the traditional way of building houses? 8 - VOICES
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here are today numerous 3D printing machines existing today on the market across the globe. If most of them have proved their efficiency, they offer characteristics that distinguish them from one another. The tallest printing machine, called Big Delta, was developed by the Italian firm Wasp, currently, the tallest in the market as it measures up to twelve meters high. It can extrude concrete with different modular arms, which, once assembled, measure up to six meters. It would be able to move a 200 kilograms load. The Russian firm Apis Cor managed to develop a 3D printing machine capable of building a house within 24 hours only in extreme climatic conditions. It can be set on site within thirty minutes only. The firm has developed its software and a monitoring program to facilitate construction work. This printing
technology conceived the walls of the biggest administrative building ever built in Dubai. This latter’s surface area totals 640 m² while the machine’s height reaches ten meters, and the building process requires seventeen days for printing. The first social housing printed with this technology was built in Nantes, France, with a machine called Batiprint 3D, developed by a team of researchers from the University of Nantes in association with a laboratory – called LS2N - dedicated to the study of sciences and digital. Batiprint 3D lays three successive layers of materials to one another: two layers of foam and a third layer constituted of concrete material. This industrial robot is mobile and polyarticulated, which enables it to operate directly on-site. Cybe Construction is a Dutch company that launched two 3D printers in
репортажа concrete material, Cybe RC 3DP and the CYBE RDP. These two machines would print at a 200 millimeters per second speed, enabling them to build concrete structures fast. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology unveiled in December 2018 its last creation in terms of a 3D printer. The American university has indeed conceived a 3D printer that was judged ten times more superior in terms of printing speed than the other printing machines existing on the market. The interest in 3D printing in the world is thus obvious, and it can be explained by many factors. First of all, it would reduce inadequate housing in the world by offering solutions in Third World countries, where a vast number of people are homeless or live in precarious conditions. This is the common aim of Icon, a technology construction company, and News Story, a nonprofit international organization. Both of them completed the first 3D-printed house in the world. This 350-m2 house was printed by a device appliance called Vulcan I in less than 48 hours. The cost of the printed portion was about $10,000, which is far below the average cost of a house of similar quality and size (the roof was not printed). In May 2019, Icon founders announced the construction of the first entirely 3D printed village in the world, in Tabasco, Mexico, which was completed at the end of the year. These houses are given to families whose monthly income is inferior to $200 per month below and who do not have safe housing sheltering them from environmental and physical hazards. Vulnerable people are generally the last ones to benefit from innovation: “We are convinced that technological creators, builders, and innovators can provide the poorest populations of the world with new housings that would improve their living conditions in an unprecedented speed and scale,” said one of the Icon founders. He adds: “the device is designed to operate in
regions, which experience a shortage of manpower. 3D printing will enable the integration of elements like kitchen and bathroom worktops, seats, or shelves in the designed houses. Walls and other structural elements can be printed within only 24 hours [for a 152,4 m² surface] with nearly zero waste.” We are convinced that technological creators, builders, and innovators can provide the poorest populations of the world with new housings that would improve their living conditions in an unprecedented speed and scale. Icon uses a new giant 3D printer for conceiving its houses called Vulcan II, with improved technology, as it is less time-consuming than Vulcan I. It would cost about 4,500€ and can both operate in case of a breakdown or for night printing (it is equipped with a light-emitting diode bulb). Vulcan II is performed by means of intuitive handling with a tablet. As a result, only a handful of workers are necessary for printing a house. Vulcan II has extended the printing capacity on the ground to about 185 square meters. It has adjustable width to adapt different sizes of slabs and can be transported thanks to a tailored tailer without any prior assembly, and only four to six people are needed to operate it. The reason behind this is due to several improvements brought to the automation, mechatronics, and software parts. Vulcan II also has remote surveillance and possesses a series of sensors permitting fast, reliable, and precise printing. Icon’s Vulcan II printer can be described as an automatic material delivery system. These characteristics are not the only advantages that Vulcan II and 3D printing for houses, in general, can provide in opposition to the old traditional construction of buildings: according to the Icon website, Vulcan II “has been conceived to build structures with more design freedom.”
The machine used for creating houses is way more precise than human touch and allows more complexity in forms, which is an advantage in aesthetics. It is also more eco-friendly, as it generates less waste in the construction process than traditional buildings. According to Vulcan II designers, “the use of the machine enables to reduce the amount of concrete necessary to build a house, between 50 to 60 % according to the realized piece.” But it especially reduces construction costs, as there are fewer workers on the working site, thus fewer salaries to be paid. Then wthis will have an impact on the costs of houses to sale, which -if 3D printing becomes generalized worldwide- are likely to be much more affordable for the less well off. At last, Icon’s proven 3D-printing technology provides «safer, more resilient homes that are designed to withstand fire, flood, wind and other natural disasters better than conventionally built homes,» according to its concepts. For all that, is the old traditional way of building homes going to disappear? “Not for the moment,” according to Stephen King, a real estate agent in the U.S who promotes a printed house developed by a firm called SQ4D. “Although this system enables to eliminate numerous traditional steps in the building of a house, such as carpentry, coating or cladding and though 3D printing is responsible for 41 % of the construction work, people like plumbers, electricians or artisans will still be needed”, assures King. Yvan Barbeau Sources: Imprimante 3D maison: qui sont les fabricants de machines? - 3Dnatives Nantes: une start-up spécialisée dans l’impression 3D de maisons (francetvinfo.fr) Le premier village au monde imprimé en 3D arrive en Amérique latine cet été, les murs de chaque maison peuvent être imprimés en seulement 24 heures (developpez.com) Etats-Unis: des maisons en 3D qui font forte impression | LCI
VOICES - 9
reportage
Be ready for Ready Player One! The term “metaverse” was coined and described for the first time in 1992 by Neal Stephenson, an American sci-fi writer, in his novel “Snow Crash.” Decades later, this concept has been translated into reality, so much so that it applies to different applications such as video games, musical events, or professional meetings. How is the state of the metaverse now, and what is its potential?
10 - VOICES
репортажа
I
n his novel “Snow Crash,” the American writer Neal Stephenson describes an apocalyptic futuristic world that characters can escape by discovering a virtual reality universe. Everyone can evolve by choosing an avatar previously. At that time, it was already described by the author as a computer-generated universe. After a few years later, as personal computers gradually invaded homes, it became non longer a sci-fi concept to be qualified and understood as a “highly immersive, shared virtual world where people gather to play games, to socialize and to work”. It is thus also tied to the development of Web 3.0, which some believe will be the next chapter of the internet’s existence – one built on blockchains that, theoretically, will democratize access and power and weaken up the grip of the biggest tech companies. Of course, this is not what web giants want, as they are going all guns blazing on the metaverse. Mark Zuckerberg is all in and even changed the name of his firm on the 28th of October this year for “Meta”, acknowledging the abandonment of the original name for a reorientation of his enterprise’s projects towards developing the metaverse. He announced the creation in Europe of 10,000 new jobs dedicated to this new large-scale project, particularly to manufacturing virtual and augmented reality devices to access this future metaverse. As for Microsoft, they also announced to have plans to build the enterprise metaverse. The concept is not, however, really new. Back in the early 2000s, there were a lot of forerunners to the metaverse, including Second Life, which Linden Lab launched in 2003, and Habbo Hotel, made by Finland’s Sulake. They have dropped off a lot of people’s radars since then, but both are still going (Second Life, for example, still has 200,000 daily active users). Meanwhile, online multiplayer games like Fortnite, Minecraft (owned by Microsoft), and Roblox have already made social gaming a mainstream phenomenon. They have created
platforms that can be the building blocks for developing the metaverse. Minecraft, for example, runs on Hadean cloud software, which can scale up to thousands of users per world. Besides, the computing power to scale virtual reality to a massive scale is only now emerging. Companies like Hadean and Improbable, which specialize in creating large-scale distributed companies, can simultaneously get 10,000 players on the same server. Many metaverse companies are talking about hosting concerts and sporting events for 50,000 people simultaneouslysomething that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. The metaverse today is so, obviously, not just about playing video games: as regards the event industry, Fortnite has hosted concerts by Ariana Grande and Travis Scott, while Lil Nas X’s Roblox concert last year got 33m views. The metaverse also attracts creatives, such as designers, with London-based Gravity Sketch, which recently launched a virtual collaboration room where designers can work remotely on the same 3D design project. On the more businessfocused side, there is the potential for meetings, education, and healthcare. Swedish startup Warpin, for example, is building VR training videos for companies and did a pilot project with digital doctor service Kry, where socially anxious patients were able to work through their fears by going into immersive virtual social scenarios with a therapist. The generalization of the metaverse is something that, according to some people like Mike Allender, chief executive and co-founder at Tailwind Studios, cannot be reversed. This latter indeed said, “Every company has a 2D website right now. In the metaverse, it will have a 3D version of that”. However, its development is likely to be accompanied by risks that can already be defined: firstly, disputes over intellectual property and ownership, data protection, content
licensing as well as risks around crypto-assets. Many lawsuits will have to be fought to establish the rules in September, for example, Roblox settled a case with the US National Music Publishers Association, which paves the way for artists to debut their music in the metaverse. Another risk, says Ted Persson at EQT, is that the metaverse remains too fragmented, and people can’t take their virtual identities across different platforms. “Multiple businesses are fighting to become the glue between the different virtual worlds, but the risk I see is that no strong winner emerges leading to fragmented communities.” A battle is brewing over whether the metaverse will be ruled by one company like Facebook or have multiple companies that collaborate. “What Facebook is proposing in the metaverse is very much centralized control over an entire ecosystem. The alternative model is embodied by what we are seeing in the blockchain space where multiple digital currencies will coexist, and multiple companies collaborate”, says Jean-Philippe Vergne, associate professor at the UCL School of Management and author of a recent paper on the metaverse’s prospects. But most metaverse-watchers doubt that Facebook will be able to dominate the metaverse: “I believe it’s unlikely this will happen,” says Persson. “Most individuals building on the metaverse seem to agree on a collective desire of openness and decentralization; to make this a reality, a diverse community and competition are crucial. So, unless those large players find a way to crack distribution of digital worlds and products, I don’t believe they will emerge as winners”. Yvan Barbeau
Sources: The metaverse: What it is and what to invest in | Sifted Métavers — Wikipédia (wikipedia.org) Qu’est-ce que le métavers, cet univers virtuel présenté comme “l’Internet du futur”? (trustmyscience.com)
VOICES - 11
BRUTALISM
reportage
12 - VOICES
In the footsteps o f . . . i n
s ko pj e !
репортажа
In terms of architecture, Skopje is one of the most unusual cities in Europe, and maybe even in the world. It is said that this city has more brutalist architecture per square kilometer than any other city in the world. I invite you to take a short trip around Skopje, in the footsteps of Brutalism, which will make you see this city from a different perspective forever! Here, you will find an unusual mix of architecture, with old remnants from Ottoman times, modern buildings that pretend to be old, or copies of other famous buildings. Still, above all, it has some real concrete masterpieces built in the spirit of Brutalism.
E
very trip to other places within the borders of our countries and outside involves proper research. This helps us properly plan, among other things, which places we want to go to, what we want to see or where we want to eat. Thanks to this, we can prepare better for our trip, and we know what to expect on the spot. Before my trip to Macedonia, I visited many blogs about the country and read many articles. In most of them, it was very quick to find damaging information about the architecture in Skopje, as that is what I am focusing on in this article.
VOICES - 13
reportage
The pearl of the Balkans
Saints Cyril and Methodius University
F
or this reason, I did not have many expectations. At first glance, we can tell that not everything is going according to plan with regard to urban development. After all, a massive skeleton of an old building in the city center or an abandoned building surrounding a huge monument to Alexander of Macedon, all on the main square in the city, is not something to be taken for granted. The first associations with Skopje are the ships on the river, which were never here, the classicizing facades, and... the many monuments. Some may like it. For others, it is simply kitsch. In spite of these things, Skopje offers much more, and just as in life you shouldn't judge seemingly people, you shouldn't get discouraged after a walk in the city center. Loving Skopje is a challenging feeling! It is because of the witnesses of the past, which are hidden from the tourist gaze.
Central Post Office 14 - VOICES
Railway Station
репортажа
The trail of Brutalism As for me, Brutalism is also the most beautiful monument we can see in Skopje. This style was created on the vast rubble after the earthquake. For the rest of this article, I will take you on a tour of some of the socialist brutalism highlights in Skopje! Sciences & Arts Academy
Background of Skopje Brutalism To delve more deeply into this topic, I spoke to architecture student Maria Marinkovic: "An essential, yet disturbing, reason for Skopje's concentration of Brutalist and Modernist architecture is the 1963 earthquake that 80% of the city's buildings. Following this devastating event, the first thing that happened was the development of many new neighborhoods that were consisted of prefabricated houses that were also donations from other countries (because of this great support from the other countries, Skopje was also called the city of solidarity)." – said Maria and added that: National Bank of North Macedonia
"After taking care of more than the 150,000 homeless citizens, In an effort to redevelop the area, Japanese architect Kenzo Tange was asked to lead a team of Japanese and Yugoslavian architects and conceptualize a modern city plan for Skopje. And because of this, the new city plan and the plan for the city center were created in 1966, thus bringing the era of Brutalism in Skopje". It happens that we judge buildings by their appearance alone, without going into the history and style. We also often have no knowledge of the subject and have trouble recognizing a particular type. So what are the characteristics of Brutalism?
Macedonian Television Building
"Brutalism can be recognized by the grandiose and complicated city buildings that were mostly administrative and public buildings. Interestingly, the use of concrete on the facades of the buildings as a form of final finish is also one of the aspects that set Brutalism apart. This concrete is called "Nature concrete," and it was the favorite material of those times because it allowed fast construction of the buildings, it made it possible to construct any shapes and forms imagined, some of the building elements could be prefabricated, but it was mostly developed on the construction site, and all of this was allowed by that times technology." – says Maria.
Kacper Król
Telecommunication office building
VOICES - 15
topic of the month
Симон Баjлс
"Jас не сум следниот Усеин Болт или Маjкл Фелпс... Jас сум првата Симон Баjлс"
Н
е може да се зборува за гимнастиката без да се спомне Симон Бајлс. На само 24 години, оваа млада жена веќе има создадено историја. Позната по нејзините гимнастички вештини и гравитациските перформанси, оваа афро-американска девојка го доминира светот на гимнастиката. Нејзините постигнувања кои рушат рекорди, безбројните медали и бројните награди ја прават легендарна атлетичарка. Од почетокот на нејзината кариера, оваа суперѕвезда-гимнастичарка го има променето спортот засекогаш на многу начини. Симон Бајлс е родена во 1997 во Охајо, САД, како трето од четирите деца во нејзиното семејство. Двајцата нејзини родители се мачеле со алкохолизам и зависност од дрога. Како дете, Симон Бајлс била сместена кај згрижувачи поради тоа што социјалните служби одредиле дека нејзината биолошка мајка не била способна да се грижи за неа и останатите 3 деца. Нивниот татко го напуштил семејството рано. Кога Симон Бајлс имала 5 години, таа и нејзината помала сестра биле посвоени и израснати од нивните баба и дедо. „Мојот пат до успехот започна дента кога мојот дедо и неговата жена официјално ме посвоија мене и сестра ми“ вели Симон Бајлс. Кратко по
16 - VOICES
Симон Баjлс посвојувањето, на 6-годишна возврат, таа пробала гимнастика додека била на екскурзија од градинката. Девојчето својот живот го започнала со ризичен почеток за да се претвори во легендарна гимнастичарка. Гимнастиката не е лесна. Потребно е многу напорна работа и обука за совладување на секоја вештина и апарат - 4 за жени: свод, нерамни шипки, рамнотежа греда и вежбање на подот. Да се стане елитен гимнастичар вклучува многу тренинг за сила, тренинг за издржливост и гимнастика. И покрај тоа што нејзиниот мал раст е предност за изведување гимнастика, таа напорно работи на што и да прави. Симон Бајлс тренира два пати на ден вкупно шест часа, пет пати неделно и следи строга диета. Од нејзиниот прв упис на меѓународен натпревар во 2013 година, Симон Бајлс продолжи да ги препишува светските книги за гимнастика. Како што може да сугерира нејзиниот прекар, Симон е „првата“ во многу категории. Таа е најодликуваната гимнастичарка на сите времиња во историјата со вкупно 36 медали на Олимписките и Светските првенства - од кои 27 златни; За време на нејзината прва Олимпијада во 2016 година, таа ја олесни конкуренцијата со освојување на индивидуални златни медали
тема на месецот
златната кралица на гимнастиката во повеќебој, свод и под; бронза на греда за рамнотежа; и злато како дел од тимот на Соединетите Американски Држави, што ја прави единствената гимнастичарка која освоила четири златни медали на една Олимпијада; Американската гимнастичарка висока 1,42 метри е и првата жена која освоила пет светски првенства во севкупно, вклучително и едно додека има болки од камен во бубрег; Таа, исто така, е веројатно единствената американска спортистка која победила на националното првенство со скршени прсти на двете стапала. Имаше некои незаборавни гимнастичари кои освоија златни медали, но Симон Билс го држи рекордот за најмногу титули во гимнастика што некогаш ги освоил еден спортист во историјата на спортот. Симон Бајлс најмногу стана позната по демонстрацијата на поинаков начин на победа. Таа комбинира подвизи со невидена сложеност со беспрекорно извршување. 24-годишниот феномен влезе во историјата со заковате ги неверојатно тешките гимнастички потези, како што е сводот со двојна штука Јурченко, сложен и воодушевувачки потег што традиционално го изведуваат само мажи. „Се навраќам на видеата и се прашувам како го направив тоа. Понекогаш посакувам да имам искуство надвор од телото за да го посведочам тоа“, изјави таа. Таа, исто така, има четири гимнастички елементи што го носат нејзиното име - во дисциплините на подот, гредата и сводот - затоа што е единствената гимнастичарка способна да ги
изведува; ова право им се дава само на гимнастичарите кои успешно изведуваат уникатна вештина на големо натпреварување. Симон Бајлс постојано ги поместува границите при изведување на елементи за кои другите гимнастичари можеа само да сонуваат да ги приземјат. Во јули 2021 година, суперѕвездата гимнастичарка се очекуваше да се најде на насловните страници на Олимписките игри во Токио. Симон Бајлс влезе во конкуренција со гледање на светот. Таа навистина остави неизбришлива трага на Игрите, но не со препишување на олимписката книга на рекорди како што беше планирано. Симон Бајлс се повлече на половина од финалето на гимнастичкиот тим. 24-годишната гимнастичарка ги доживеа „превртувањата“ - ментален феномен, често предизвикан од стрес, предизвикувајќи дезориентација среде воздух додека изведуваше извртување - што резултираше со тоа што трезорот не функционираше како што се очекуваше. Во деновите по финалето на тимот, таа се повлече од настан по настан. Таа призна дека на Олимпијадата поднела огромен товар на очекувања и огромен притисок: „Навистина чувствувам дека понекогаш ја имам тежината на светот на моите рамења“. Во 2016 година, гимнастичарката се справи со разочарувањето на јавноста поради тоа што заработи бронзен медал во финалето на балансот на гредата наместо златниот медал што сите очекуваа дека ќе го освои. Со повлекувањето, таа направи нешто што ниту една друга гимнастичарка
не го направила досега: да се фокусира на себе и да ја истакне важноста на менталното здравје за спортистите. „Ние не сме само забава, ние сме и луѓе“, изјави Бајлс. Големината на нејзиното влијание оди подалеку од гимнастиката. Во 2018 година, Симон Бајлс сподели на социјалните мрежи дека е меѓу стотиците спортисти кои рекоа дека биле сексуално злоупотребувани од Лари Насар - поранешен доктор на гимнастичката репрезентација на САД. Таа сака да го искористи своето влијание за да биде отворен застапник за преживеаните од сексуална злоупотреба, згрижувачките деца, како и луѓето кои поминале низ проблеми со менталното здравје. „Да се биде глас, тоа е нешто што луѓето секогаш го паметат покрај медалите. Колку си добар човек кога и да беше спортист. Твојот карактер“, изјави таа. Симон Бајлс е поздравена како инспирација за многу жени, особено црнки, поради нејзината упорност и покрај тешкото патување. Lucile Guéguen Преведувач: Мартина Даниловска Извори: New York Times : Simone Biles just demonstrated a true champion mind-set The Bridge: Simone Biles is one of the greatest gymnasts ever. But how does she train? The gentlewoman: Simone Biles backflipping, gold-winning, ever-smiling Фотографија: Abelardo Mendes Jr | Flickr
VOICES - 17
sport
What’s the deal with football? I Iam I have never been. But one of of mymy clearest childhood amnot nota afootball footballfan fanand and I have never been. But one clearest childhood memories is the World Cup half final from 2014. Do you remember? The German memories is the World Cup half final from 2014. Do you remember? The German National Team defeated Brazil in its very own country with 7:1 in front of the world’s National Team defeated Brazil in its very own country with 7:1 in front of the world’s eyes. The fact that the simple number “7:1” still raises emotions in people up to this eyes. The fact that the simple number “7:1” still raises emotions in people up to this day makes me wonder: What meaning does football have? And why do people get day makes me wonder: What meaning does football have? And why do people get so so incrediblyexcited excitedabout aboutwatching watchingthis thisgame? game? incredibly
1. Belonging to a group
2. Family Annik Fasold tells me her experience with football in Bremen, Germany. Although she doesn’t consider herself a fan of football itself, she feels very connected to her home club Werder Bremen. “When we watch a game from this club, all the people start singing in front of the stadium. They have common songs, they wear the same scarf.”
The first thing I realise in my conversation with football players, football fans and football neutrals is that the game itself is not the main part. Quickly it comes out that the feeling of community drives people to the football field each week, month or year. “I believe that football connects us so much because it provides a community. The fans and the club unite and together they are happy about a victory and sad about a loss.”, says Antonia Barth who recently started attending football games of Vardar Skopje. Dr. Sander van der Linden, a psychologist at Cambridge University explains the need for belonging in an interview: ”We sort ourselves into groups, we identify with those groups, and then we start comparing ourselves with other groups. It’s just that the structural conditions of football will enhance those characteristics. So they’re wearing different t-shirts so it’s easy to spot the outgroup member versus the ingroup member.”
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“One club is like one family. Being in the club makes you happy and you can’t get enough of that. And it is essential to have a club. Without the fans the games wouldn’t be the same,” explains Vildan Kerim. The professional football player from Macedonia’s leading club Vardar Skopje describes football as his dream job. “Having sports as your profession means you are always active and healthy. At every game you feel the adrenaline and you keep being excited to improve your skills.”
3. Unexpected results What’s one thing we get excited about? Surprises and unexpected results. There is no tutorial on how to score a goal. There is no guideline on how the game will turn out. So no match is repeated exactly the same and therefore unpredictable. Unexpected results boost our adrenaline and they remain a myth. There is an entire book called “The game of the century” about the 7:1 earlier mentioned defeat between Germany and Brazil.
спорт
4. Escapism
6. Cultural identity
A Macedonian Ultra fan tells me that football is like an escape for him. “My experience is that people who work from Monday to Friday take out all their negative energy from work or their private life when they watch football.”
Representation matters! What comes with representation is the feeling of validation. Let’s use the World Cup as an example: It is a big deal if your country participates in the biggest sports event. We feel represented by our team and it might strengthen our national identity when your team plays on the world stage. In today’s media world, the World Cup remains one of the last massive events where you know entire nations are watching at the same time: And it will be a huge topic the next day.
Vildan Kerim also highlights the therapeutic nature: “When I play football, I forget about the outside world. I am both super focused and relaxed.” He believes that football can turn around your entire day. “Maybe you had a really bad day but when you go to the match your mood might lighten up. That’s the magic for me.”
5. Biological factors
Multiple studies show that sports affect the physical and mental state in a positive way. For example, when your team wins, your brain starts releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine. This one regulates the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. However, when your team performs poorly or loses, your brain produces cortisol which happens when you’re under stress. Also, football makes it easier to express emotions. Mental Health Foundation chief executive Dr Andrew McCulloch said: “It is encouraging that football makes it easier for men to talk about their feelings as, traditionally, men are far less likely than women to share their innermost thoughts.”
Clarissa Leute Sources: NBCNews: What happens to your body when you watch football Sportsnet: Fifa world cup Brazil
VOICES - 19
erasmus+
Under the purple sky
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еразмус+
Gender equality, inclusion, and the fight against stereotypes are not slogans from TV commercials but processes implemented here and now. TWOST: Training without stereotypes is a project that raises awareness about the importance of gender balance in youth organizations, sports clubs, and informal groups. But how much longer will we build equality?
T
he European Institute for Gender Equality estimates that it will take nearly three generations to achieve gender equality at the current pace…but the situation with pandemic could slow down this “progress” even further. Conversations around gender equality usually focus on the significant barriers to resources and opportunities. Especially barriers that only women face. And, as a result of this focus, there is a pervasive myth that gender equality will only benefit women. Yet, contrary to this myth, gender parity benefits everyone. The concept of gender equality should be understood as an equal opportunity for both males and females in this article. Why do gender barriers still exist? How do we ensure we are creating a fair and equitable future for us all? Many questions don’t have clear answers, but promoting male-female equality is a fair and right thing to do. Studies show that gender equality is good for countries and their economies, societies, and businesses. It significantly improves life satisfaction, which is associated with better physical, psychological and behavioral health. Equal treatment for both genders has positive impacts on GDP per capita. In companies, promoting equality increases employee satisfaction. When satisfaction is higher, employee turnover is lower, companies spend less time recruiting, and what is most important, employees are more productive. Gender equality is also suitable for men! When there is gender equality, men have more freedom about how they express themselves. They are healthier and simply happier. They smoke less, drink less, use drugs less often. They are less likely to appear in the emergency room, but they are more likely to do routine checkups. They visit the therapist less often and are less likely to commit suicide. The data presented by psychologists and sociologists are pretty convincing. Having an even playing field for all is a win-win game that rewards us with
wealth, opportunities, and happiness. Training without stereotypes (TWOST) is an excellent example of how the Erasmus+ KA2 project can help to promote gender equality. The project aims to prevent genderbased discrimination towards youth and support the fight against stereotypes and gender violence among young people in Europe by piloting innovative, digital resources. It encourages the active citizenship of youngsters, explains how to avoid the gender self-segregation phenomena, and promotes mutual respect among genders. TWOST is addressed not only to partner organizations but all interested stakeholders. “The intellectual outputs of the project are designed and translated into various languages. It will take upon not just those participating countries but also hopefully other countries around Europe and maybe even further.”, explains Andrej Naumovski, a researcher in TWOST project and project coordinator in Volunteers Centre Skopje. What is the most considerable success of the project so far? “First and foremost, it is the persistence of developing the project in these times and managing all the challenges we face during the worldwide pandemic. The bare fact that the project is still ongoing and will have the final output is a significant success for all partnering organizations. Also, more and more organizations, sports clubs, and informal groups are joining in the project, and hopefully, this process will not stop. A group of interested organizations will continue to rise in the future.” says Andrej.
“I recommend that every organization try to check the survey in a selfassessment tool to see where they are and do whatever they can to get to the golden standards of gender equality.” encourages Andrej. All countries should dedicate more time to equality and put more thought into raising their standards on gender equality. Volunteers Centre Skopje as a partner of TWOST project works hard to increase its gender equality standards, promote gender equality awareness, and hopefully pass all the gained knowledge to the local community. “It is quite a thing to bring the change and to do something better for all of us. It can start from one person, one organization, or one project such as TWOST. Hopefully, the project will develop and have a ripple effect on everything else.” adds Andrej. The revolution for human equality has already started, but how fast we will see the change is up to all of us. If there are more and more projects like TWOST, the future looks exciting! We are one human race, after all… Jolanta Ciopcińska Sources: EIGE: Gender Equality Index EIGE: Economic Benefits of Gender Equality in the EU The Guardian: We all benefit from a more gender-equal society. Even men Twost.eu TWOST: Training without stereotypes project is financed by the Italian National Agency for Erasmus+ through the KA2 program.
The primary outcome of TWOST is an online self-assessment tool to develop personalized guidance towards gender awareness, with a particular focus on analyzing strategic areas within the organization such as HR management, leadership, coaching, mentoring, youth animation, stereotypes in communication activities, genderbased violence, and participation. VOICES - 21
opinion
Beauty is inside everyone. If the mirror would show what is inside of you, would you still be beautiful?
I
n times of social media, people start focusing on their appearance. Buy the makeup that will cover the circumorbital rings, put a filter on every picture and wear the most expensive and stylish clothes.
The same things you do and buy to make yourself more beautiful are what you do and buy to cover the lies you got told. That you are not pretty enough without it and not worth enough.
But what is real beauty? According to Google dictionary, the definition of beauty is "the quality that someone or something is beautiful" and "a woman that is beautiful." It is clear to see that Beauty is described with its corresponding adjective "beautiful." There is no guidance, no limitation, and no other adjective that will give some ideas or hints about real beauty. It's one of those rare things where no definition can be found or made about. It is important what is inside of you, and that's something you can’t see when you look into a mirror. You shine differently when the smile is not only on your lips but also in your soul. Those moments where you have this pleasant anticipation, the way you look at someone you love with this deep sparkle in your eyes, the moment you watch the sunset and dream about your future, the way the tears fall of your eyes when you are hurt and broken. The way you dance and sing while no one is watching you. When you can be completely yourself without thinking about how your appearance takes effect on other people. Your heart will always tell the truth, while outward beauty will change and fade away. Beauty is inside of everyone. It's anchored inside the heart. Antonia Barth
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mendim
Bukuria është brenda të gjithëve. Nëse pasqyra do të tregonte se çfarë është brenda jush, a do të ishit ende të bukur?
N
ë kohën e mediave sociale, njerëzit fillojnë të fokusohen në pamjen e tyre. Blini grimin që do të mbulojë rrathët poshtë syve, vendosni një filter në çdo foto dhe vishni rrobat më të shtrenjta dhe me stil. Të njëjtat gjëra që bëni dhe blini për t’u bërë më të bukur janë gjërat që bëni dhe blini për të mbuluar gënjeshtrat që ju janë thënë. Se nuk jeni mjaftueshëm të bukur pa to dhe nuk vleni sa duhet.
Por çfarë është bukuria e vërtetë? Sipas fjalorit të Google, përkufizimi i bukurisë është “cilësia që dikush ose diçka është e bukur” dhe “një grua që është e bukur”. Është e qartë të shihet se Bukuria përshkruhet me mbiemrin përkatës “e bukur”. Nuk ka asnjë udhëzim, asnjë kufizim, asnjë mbiemër tjetër që jep disa ide ose aludime për bukurinë e vërtetë. Sepse është një nga ato gjëra të rralla ku nuk mund të gjendet apo të krijohet asnjë përkufizim. E rëndësishme është se çfarë është brenda jush, dhe kjo është diçka që nuk mund ta shihni kur shikoni në një pasqyrë. Shkëlqeni ndryshe kur buzëqeshja nuk është vetëm në buzët tuaja, por edhe në shpirtin tuaj. Ato momentet ku ke këtë pritje të këndshme, mënyra se si shikon dikë që do me këtë shkëlqim të thellë në sytë e tu, momenti kur shikon perëndimin e diellit dhe ëndërron për të ardhmen tënde, mënyra se si lotët të bien nga sytë kur je lënduar dhe zemërthyer. Mënyra se si kërcen dhe këndon ndërsa askush nuk po ju shikon. Kur mund të jeni plotësisht vetvetja pa menduar sesi pamja juaj ndikon te njerëzit e tjerë. Zemra juaj do të tregojë gjithmonë të vërtetën ndërsa bukuria e jashtme do të ndryshojë dhe do të zbehet. Bukuria është brenda të gjithëve. Ajo është e ankoruar brenda zemrës. Antonia Barth Përkthyes: Ejona Limanaj
VOICES - 23
opinion
Импресии од изложбата на
Васко Ташковски
Под длабоки импресии на разнобојноста на душата на овој творец, уште таму на лице место, седнав и ги запишав своите импресии:
Ч
овекот е еден. Сам наспроти светот, кој од многу широк и генерален може да стане многу ситен и прецизен доколку го посматраме доволно долго. Во таа самотија човекот е творец на сопствениот свет и доколку со вистинската енергија ја искористи таа моќ, истата може да стане огнена и со тоа да го направи светот она што тој сака. Во тој погорен свет, свет на енергии, каде што самиот човек во партнерство со Бог е творец на сопствениот свет, тој се среќава со енергиите и на другите луѓе кои хараат и создаваат во повисокиот свет.
Васко Ташковски е еден од водечките претставници на надреализмот, фантастичното сликарство, еколошките и космичките теми во македонската ликовна уметност, а според мене и многу други, еден од најдобрите и најимагинативните уметници во целиот свет! Веќе еден месец, во Даут-пашин амам изложени се негови слики, акварели и цртежи од сите негови творечки фази. Роден во 1937та, тој твори уште од 70тите и интересно е што сликите од неговиот ран творечки период се помрачни и исполнети со бои на безнадежност и смртност, но подоцнежните слики се сосем поинакви. Се чини, како да со текот на времето, како што тој станувал помудар, тежнеел кон тоа да ја најде светлината во себе и во светот, па така од 80тите па наваму тој сè повеќе создава светови исполнети со надеж и светлина.
А сето тоа се отсликува во земниот свет, зашто енергијата е семоќна и не познава граници. Може да трансформира, создава и уништува цели светови. Она што го мислиме тоа и сме. Поради тоа треба да сме можне внимателни, како преку своите слики да ни вели тој. И уште дека притоа човекот не смее да дозволи да стане машинерија и да биде окован од прангите на современиот свет, во кој зеленилото, а со тоа и животот полека избледува. Сепак, љубовта е над сè. Двајца се доволни за да го спасат светот. Ви апелирам да ја посетите изложбата која ќе ве прошета низ илјада светови! Текст: Дафина Веселиноска – Дафне Фотографија: Емануела Ковачевска Китановска
24 - VOICES
Our monthly magazine has a very simple, yet powerful, mission to be the voice of youth. And how do we do that? We encourage young people to take an active part in today’s society through journalism and designing by giving them a platform to express themselves. VOICES is produced in Skopje, Macedonia, and published online every month and four times per year as a printed edition.
Join VOICES team! Contact us in our social media pages or write us an e-mail. What would you be interested in doing?
Writing articles
VOICES accepts articles about anything, except politics or hate speech. Brainstorm your ideas with us and write articles once, twice, or every month!
A Б Translating articles
VOICES is published in three languages: English, Macedonian and Albanian. If you are a native speaker or fluent in these languages, join our translation team!
www.voiceskopje.org voiceskopje voiceskopje issuu.com/vcsvoices
Featuring your work
If you are an artist, photographer, designer or other, your work can be presented in the magazine. Send us your method of art and a short bio of yourself!
contact_vcs vcs.sending@gmail.com VOICES to Hear
voices to hear podcast
having a word with the world. Our fresh podcast provides you with interesting content around the world. All the episodes are in English and available for everyone. VOICES to Hear VOICES to Hear
