Less Common More Sense l Issue 20 by Less Common

Less Common More Sense / Issue # 20 / Borders

LCMS

#20

Less Common More Sense / Issue # 20 / Borders

Masterhead

Editor

Eshe Nelson

Creative Director

Tom Balchin

Deputy Editor

Lucie Cohen

Features Editors

Commissioning Editors

Production Designer Web Director

Sarah Kante Kate Rintoul Rosie Bee Callum Copley Andrea Fam Xanthia Hallissey Grace Mbugua-Nwosu Kate Nelischer Laramie Shubber Joe Young Jack Lee Keren Oertly

Social Media Editor

Sydney Southam

Editor in Chief

Richard Willsher

The end of the year is welcomed by many with open arms. A much-appreciated long break from deadlines and studio imprisonment. However for so many students it is the start of a challenging road ahead. Bombarded with stories of doom from naysayers, it’s safe to say that now is a difficult time to be a graduate. Facing the prospect of an impossible job market, the reality of never being able to afford a home and a heavy debt to be repaid - graduation certainly has it challenges. It often feels like we are facing a tougher world than our parents, and we are not alone. All over the world the hardship and suffering seems to be constantly worsening. It was a sombre feeling at LCMS until we began to consider the challenges that have been overcome, the barriers that have been broken down and the things that have been achieved in austere times. The Borders Issue is about acknowledging these problems. The restraints that people face all over the world; physical and otherwise. This issue includes two photojournalism stories that take us to Calais (page 16) and Cambodia (page 22) to meet those who have encountered difficult situations they must overcome. Borders of their own. But this issue is also a celebration of accomplishments. Borders that have been met and conquered. From cultural barriers in our ‘Crossing Borders’ feature (page 4) to mental barriers in our extreme sports interview, ‘Over The Ledge’ (page 10). We also take a look at some of the organisations that are empowering people who are struggling in difficult environments. Internationally the ‘Without Borders’ organisations have been ignoring the barriers that we’ve created between people to offer unconditional support and aid to those in need (page 18). The 198 Gallery is tackling the barriers young people in gangs face on a local level, in Brixton. These young people who are up against physical borders and confined to certain ‘territories’ can find a sanctuary and creative outlet at 198. Inspired and impressed, we spoke to the gallery’s director, Lucy Davies (page 7). Not forgetting all of the works of art showcased in this issue, representing how students across UAL interpreted the Borders theme. Some of them exposed difficult journeys of their own. In the face of the many challenges life throws at all of us, it is important that we don’t give up. It is a true test of character and strength when we find ways to overcome the barriers in our lives. So to all of this year’s graduates, congratulations and good luck! Eshe Submissions are open for Issue 21: The Identity Issue at wearelesscommon.com Many Thanks to University of the Arts Students’ Union 272 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7EY

Crossing Borders It takes a lot of courage to leave the familiarity of London and settle abroad; regardless of how well you know your destination. We were impressed to discover that many of UAL’s graduates were accepting the challenge and heading out into the rest of the world. We found out from some of them why exactly they have been drawn to their future homes.

Feature

>>;'[Crossing Borders

Photography by Victoria Mullins BA Photojournalism, LCC www.trixphoto.co.uk

JULIANA OLADIPO BA Journalism, LCC “As a journalist in the UK, particularly a black woman, I’m finding that the industry is completely saturated. I’ve been lucky enough to work for SKY news, Ch4 and the BBC but as I have a young family I cannot afford to wait by the phone for a one in a million opportunity or intern for the next 5 years. I decided to go to Nigeria because my partner, whose family has a successful business there, has also had success there. 'Although I am Nigerian, I was born and bred in England. I'm sure at times certain situations will prove a major cultural shock. I will find it hard leaving London as well. It can be shit here at times but when it's good, there's no city in the world like it.”

ABIGAIL LIPAROTO BA Illustration, Camberwell “My boyfriend and I have decided to relocate to Germany from London, mainly because the rent is cheaper and life is a little easier. This is especially true for a creative because it’s hard to afford the studio space in London and still have enough time to be in it. I’m going so I can work on my own projects at a relaxed pace after I have been constantly on the move for the last year and a half.”

ROMAN KHRIKPO BA Criticism, Communication and Curation, CSM “I’m very tired of the UK and desperate to move anywhere; Russia, maybe. It depends on where you are from, but for Russians and others who need a visa to stay here, I don’t think it’s worth the trouble. The post-study work visa is very difficult to get as they change the laws every half-year. And also there are not many jobs on the market here anyway.”

HANNAH THOMAS BA Magazine Publishing, LCC PENNY WEBB Interactive and Moving Image, LCC “I became interested in the design philosophy that has been emerging in Holland over the past two decades. Work that is very concept driven, curious and playful. The Design Academy Eindhoven seems to have been nurturing this unique breed of designers, and so it was an urge to pursue my own creative exploration that drew me to Holland.”

JENNY BARRETT BA Criticism, Communication and Curation, CSM “I’m planning to move to Stockholm, Sweden because it offers top quality free education. Something that England is failing to do. I’m not sure why moving to another country isn’t encouraged more within the UK. We are a part of Europe; it should not be seen as a strange thing to do, which is the reaction I tend to get. “

“I want a radical change to London, and Australia would be a good place to ease into this change. Fitting into the local way of life is a worry; I might miss the fast paced buzz of London life. I'm feeling nervous but very excited about my move, I just can't see myself following the London daily grind. Australia is the way forward. I've applied for a working visa and I'm hoping to intern at an Australian magazine. I've interned at magazines in London and I'm really excited to see the difference. I think fashion titles will be less style focused and more about trend following."

Showcase

____________________Artifacts____Hannah Ross ________________MA Fine Art, CSM www.hannahross.com________

Lucy Davies on London’s postcode wars Lucy Davies is the Director of 198 Gallery in Brixton. It has a well-established creative learning programme that targets young people growing up in difficult and violent environments. These young people learn through creating digital media projects that give a voice to the contemporary issues they face. The gallery, which also showcases work from across the globe, holds events that create opportunities for dialogue and debate around youth social issues. The staff are trained youth workers who can offer support and advice to troubled teenagers on many aspects of their lives including housing and finance. In the last year, the gallery has created a social enterprise run by young people called ‘Hustle Bucks’, a design agency based in Brixton Village. The clash in backgrounds, cultures and generations is what makes the work created at the 198 gallery so inspiring and unique. "We are currently commissioned through a programme that is working with young people who have been identified as being deeply involved with gang wars. It’s important that we have previous intelligence on the young people so we don't have certain individuals in a space at the same time. The postcode issue here is very difficult and has worsened in the past year. I previously lived in Kingston, Jamaica for 10 years, very well known for Garrison constituencies. These are areas controlled by political parties with enforcements that work on a similar basis to the postcode wars. I have seen how gang warfare has developed here with an influence from North America. Sometimes it seems to be a tendency for young people to emulate the States but there isn't really a "Ghetto" in the UK, in comparison to what I’ve have seen in other parts of the world. But these young people do not see it like that." Words by Urmi Yesweker ABC Diploma in Graphic Design, LCC www.behance.net/un_knowndesigns Photography by Laura Melcion Postgrad Diploma Photography, LCC www.lauramelcion.com

Showcase

Stage House Cynthia Tsui_____________ BA Interior and Spatial Design, LCC ____________

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7 Brides Sarah Pager_____________________________ _______________ Postgrad Diploma in Fine Art, Chelsea www.sarahpager.com

>>>

Over the Ledge

Feature

«'||\ []^

‘In today's society we have to write a risk assessment to take a shit’. Fair enough says Nicholas Smith as he talks to Andy as he disappears over the ledge.

What makes a man want to jump off a building? ‘The human race has evolved through fight or flight; we evolved through life or death situations. In today's society we have to write a risk assessment to take a shit, health and safety has gone insane as the government tries to protect us from ourselves.’ For some, a cold shower suffices to bring us back to earth, others however, decide to take a more direct route; enter the BASE jumper. ‘I made my first jump in late 2007, but it didn't go so well and I survived through luck more than skill. I didn't really start getting into the sport hard until eight months later when I had more experience skydiving. The fact that BASE seemed so unattainable, risky, taboo... I suppose you get my reasoning for wanting to do this.’

And stay alive he does. After a terrible car crash left him and the vehicle entwined, clutching the hand of his friend as he passed away, he knew experience isn’t just for the story’s we tell, it’s intrinsic in the meaning of the life we lead. ‘Experience is a harsh teacher in this game. Experience comes in the form of broken bones and dead friends. Unfortunately I have experienced both.’ Andy is quick to note that it can be a solitary life, pushing oneself to the edge and over, but it can be the coin-dropping moment in one’s life - when you’re the coin. ‘BASE jumpers are in very short supply. Because there are so few I found myself hooking up with a group in Cincinnati, Ohio, who became friends not because they are BASE jumpers per say but because I spent so much time with them learning the trade and putting myself in dangerous situations. These are the people who will help save my life if I get into trouble, or call my family to let them know if the worst has happened. It’s just the way it is, but it has been a good bonus.’ ‘Calling us reckless is so ignorant. I am passionate about this life, about my friends and about this sport. I have seen places I would never have seen before, felt triumph like I have never felt before and made friends who will last an eternity. I jump to prevent life escaping me’. Amen to that! Words by Nicholas Smith BA Fashion Journalism, LCF Photography by Sarah Agee

Over The Ledge

Whether we do, or are brought to motion nausea by the velocity of our disagreement, the personal demands he and all BASE jumpers face is substantial. ‘It was a huge personal challenge to me, to test my mental fortitude and skill as a parachutist. I wanted to be on the fringe where I would be tested to my limit. Once I step off the edge I get a sense of heightened awareness that I just don't get doing anything else. My mind is completely focused on the moment. Fear doesn't exist and if it does it is dangerous...fear breeds bad performance. It’s that calmness that helps me perform to the top of my ability and helps me stay alive.’

CASS ART WATERCOLOUR POSTCARDS AVAILABLE ONLY AT CASS ART STORES £2.95. 2/2011

“ PERHAPS WATERCOLOUR IS MORE ART THAN ACRYLICS OR OIL, BECAUSE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT ERRORS IS VERY LIMITED AS THE COLOURS ARE TRANSPARENT... THE SUN, WIND AND TEMPERATURE INFLUENCES WATER-PIGMENT-PAPER!! EVERYTHING FLOWS, PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOURS!”ADRIANA BUGGINO “ IT HAS THE ABILITY TO INDUCE A DREAMLIKE REVERIE”ANISH KAPOOR “ I LIKE IT NOW BECAUSE I CAN HAVE A PUDDLE OF COLOUR AND IT GIVES YOU MANY DIFFERENT WEIGHTS OF THAT COLOUR”HOWARD HODGKIN “ WATERCOLOURS ARE WET COLOURS IN WATER”DAVID HOCKNEY “ WATERCOLOUR IS LIKE LIFE. BETTER GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME – YOU DON’T GET A SECOND CHANCE!”SERGEI BONGART

The Waiting Grounds ___________________Leon Chew MA Photography, LCC _____www.leonchew.co.uk

London Calling

Feature

LONDON CALLING °«

London is one of the most international cities in the world. We all know why we’re here but what is it about London that draws people in from all corners of the globe? We asked four international students why they chose London and photographed them in their favourite spots.

EZRA SANTOS Ezra, 23, from Manaus, Brazil has been living in London for almost four years. After briefly studying Economics and Law, he decided he wanted to work with art theory. This led him to Central Saint Martins’ BA in Criticism, Communication and Curation. Now in his third year he hopes to be a curator and/or art dealer. “I moved to London because there were no courses in Brazil in the area of art curating. Also, English is the language I speak best after my mother tongue. I didn’t really consider the attraction of the city; there was no London Calling. I guess I came here as a consequence of circumstances. I didn’t expect that it would be so difficult to make friends here. Sure in London you meet loads of people but the lifestyle is so hectic, so busy, it makes it almost impossible to connect with people on a deeper level. Believe it or not, the weather was the easiest thing to adapt to. I was surprised how fast I began to count my time Photographed at the Junction in seasons. I really love the way you can maximise Room bar in Dalston your day during summer or wake up to a pitch black morning in winter. Where I come from, there is no such thing as seasons, day and night last the same all year round.”

/: ◊◊

ZAHRA TYEBJEE Zahra, 21, from San Francisco, America is studying BA Textile Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design. She has been living in London for a year and a half. Photographed at Borough Market

“I went to university in California for a year and a half to study textiles. However, several of my teachers always talked about how London was much more forward moving and the place to be for all the innovative textiles. So I decided to transfer schools and move to London!”

NAMIN CHO Namin, 23, is studying FDT Menswear at the London College of Fashion. She is from Seoul, South Korea but grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is now focusing on her final collection, having lived in London for almost 5 years. Photographed at her warehouse apartment in Dalston

∆

“I chose to study fashion in London because of the reputation it has for being a breeding ground for new creative talent and ideas. I think a lot of my favourite designers as a teenager were also British and there was a bit of a “British fashion invasion” with London-based designers, such as Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and John Galliano, all doing brilliant things at a time in my life when I was very impressionable. I didn’t expect to get so settled, to feel so at home in London. I guess I didn’t have any plans about my future anyway, but you get so immersed in the city. You don’t just get an education, you develop a lifestyle. Although, it has been difficult to adapt to the pace. At home everything went on in what now seems like a leisurely pace, but here I always felt hurried, as if a London day is just that little bit shorter than any other day.” ARCHANA LAKSHMANAN Archana, 25, moved to London in September from Chennai, India. She is currently studying at London College of Communication on the MA Journalism course, whilst freelancing as a photographer. Photographed at the skatepark on Southbank

“London is one of the largest financial, fashion and media capitals in the world. And I believe that the city has a lot to offer for photographers like me. I adapted to the city easily because I had done my first Masters in Manchester and London is more exciting than Manchester. London completely met my expectations and everything worked out perfectly.”

Photography by Victoria Mullins BA Photojournalism London College of Communication

Photojournalism 16 «CALAIS

“Whilst there is a breath in my lungs, I will get to England, and then I will be happy.” The once prosperous town of Calais is normally seen as a port, the first leg on a trip to a skiing or summer holiday. But hidden behind the daily life is a shocking humanitarian crisis. Migrants running from terror, bloodshed, disease, poverty and starvation all ascend to this town desperately trying to enter England. Migrants from mainly Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan have travelled thousands of miles to try to get to the “freedom country”. To try and better their own lives. Their journey has been made across continents by foot, or on the bottom of trains and in crates on ferries, but for what? They end up living in squalor and fear because of 21 miles of open water separating them from freedom and safety. Once they are in Calais they are forced into a clandestine life living in makeshift camps, squats or even under abandoned trains, food is scarce. And health care is minimal. There is also the CRS (Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité), a squad of thug policeman whose job is to make their lives as hard as possible, legally or not. “The CRS make my life so difficult, everyday I am hassled or arrested, often they will beat me” Quite often a migrant will be arrested and deported. This can in the worst case mean death, as the person will have run from foes, such as their government’s secret police or the Taliban. Amed is a Palestinian who was living in America but the CIA deported him as he refused to join the army as a translator when the Iraq war first started. He was deported to Jordan then travelled to Palestine. He left Palestine because of the violence. “There is no peace, especially after Hammas came, you are never safe and no one can protect you, no government, no Hammas, no Israeli and no Palestinian.” He travelled to Europe on a fake passport and hitch hiked to Calais where he is now stuck and living on the streets. With many people living in these conditions and many more to come, the migrants have become a huge hidden crisis in Europe. David Shaw BA Photojournalism, LCC www.daveshawphotography.blogspot.com

“My family don’t know

I’m here”

A World Without Borders

Illustration by Lewis Stringer

Feature

∆—° A World

World news, cultural diversity and the Internet have done a lot to bring the world closer together. Although, we can never truly understand the plights of others, we can at least be aware of the struggles faced internationally. There is little doubt that all nations have benefited from cultural exchange and interconnectedness; however, in reality our daily lives exist within the small remit of a very local area and perspective. You will see the same faces and work with the same people, usually to meet aims that are contained or apply to a distinctive group of people. While we may be more open to the ideas and experiences of others the majority of us will know little outside of what the media tells us. Escaping this bubble are a series of organisations without political, geographical, linguistically or social barriers that offer an alternative viewpoint to and means of dealing with inequalities and issues around the world. In 1971 the civil war in Nigeria saw the government blockade the Biaffra area from supplies with support from major governments including the UK. This lead to a group of French medics and journalists creating Médicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders); an organisation committed to providing everyone in need with medical aid. Since then MSF have been committed to responding to crises in troubled states worldwide. They were the first to speak out against war crimes in Rwanda and have provided medics via helicopter to the Sendai region of Japan following the earthquake in March.

Without Borders

The organisation has remained neutral in every instance and has proved such an inspiration to others that countless other organisations have adopted a similar borderless approach. So admirable is the without borders model that a quick Internet search reveals that everyone from bankers (oh the irony) to car enthusiasts and monks want to be seen to operate in this way. While some of the organisations seem fantastic and provide great services others seem limited - Students Without Borders only caters for Canadian students - and others seem interested only in self-promotion under the guise of openness and political awareness. Having said this, there are some ‘Without Borders’ organisations that are creating and fulfilling brilliant worldwide services. Created in 1993 after professional clown, Tortell Poltrona, was asked to perform in a Croatian Refugee camp, Clowns Without Borders have been taking laughter to children in areas affected by conflict or natural disasters. Through performance and workshops, CWB hope to bring moments of happiness into children’s lives and allow them to forget the darkness of their situation. Working closely with doctors, psychologists and social workers, CWB are highly involved in worldwide aid and relief programmes. Clowns Without Borders will work with and support performers who use non-language based physical comedy. They have a strict code of ethics that prohibits and prevents attempts at self-promotion under the guise of charity. While it may seem a little crazy- there is actually a disclaimer saying “we have discovered the hard way that giving away items such as balloon animals often has a counter affect to that intended”. Judging by their longevity and commitment, clowns and performers do have a lot to offer to those suffering periods of social upheaval or conflict. The relief provided by Architecture Sans Frontières may not be as instant but is still much needed in countries like Brazil, India and South Africa, as well as closer to home in Glasgow. Whilst providing architectural solutions in countries affected by war with a lack of infrastructure or in areas of deprivation, ASF also provide relief and help to students of built environment and regularly host workshops and conferences. While it might not be as intrepid as working in the field, ASF is a brilliant organisation to know and be open to. Established in 1985 and with the strap line “Don’t wait to be deprived of news, stand up and fight for it”, Reporters Without Borders fights for press freedom internationally through investigation and exposé and supports mistreated journalists. As well as rallying against censorship laws and putting pressure on political regimes, RWB also defends journalists and provides financial aid to those in areas with limited press freedom or respect, including to the families of imprisoned journalists. With more than 120 correspondents in every continent and central offices in the US, RWB promotes responsible, neutral reportage, consults the UN and supports events that aid a global free press. Non-journalists might wonder what RWB can offer, but it is important to remember journalism’s crucial role in every society as the eyes and ears of the people. While most of us are busy in our own lives, journalists are free to investigate our governments and reveal the inner workings of the state. They offer global journalism that you can trust, which has not been initiated or censored by a political group or way of thinking. In March RWB awarded Nawaat.org, an independent blog in Tunisia with 2,500 Euros for it’s coverage of the unrest and uprising in January 2011, an important acknowledgement of the essential role of citizen journalism. Words Without Borders is a monthly magazine (available in full for free online) that translates and produces non-English work. The magazine covers contemporary international literature; the last three months’ issues have also covered films and graphic novels. WWB provides a platform for international writes who might go unknown to English-speaking readers. WWB publishes unknown and well-established writes including Nobel Prize winner Herta Müller, Mahmoud Darwish and W.G. Sebald. WWB also facilitates opportunities from starting a book club to working directly with students to invite international writers to guest talks and readings at their university. These organisations might provide and care for the essential needs of those in want but they also give others a chance to witness and get involved with world issues. It’s often said that our feelings and empathy are what make us human. These core attributes are often hindered by social, geographical, cultural, religious and invisible borders that breed disassociation and ignorance. It’s about time we all started living without borders. Words by Kate Rintoul MA Journalism, LCC Illustration by Lewis Stringer BA Illustration, Camberwell www.lewade.blogspot.com

Henry Fry

*«·¯/ Pig Boy Poetry

Short Story

He ran past every morning. The Pig Boy would stare at the muscles moving up and down in his thighs and calves as if contained in vertical tubes under the skin. They would become more pronounced by the day, it seemed to him, his body leaner and faster, his head jutting out further forward, as if it propelled him forward, not the muscles in his legs. Sometimes the Pig Boy would hear the crisp thudding of his feet growing louder along the track. Usually the churning rotations of the farm machinery or the strangled squeals of the sows would turn him into a silent spectre that flitted past and was lost again over the crest of the hill. His head would never falter in direction; always facing forward, never out across the fields he parted or at the eyes that followed him every morning. The wind would lap around the trainers as they threw up dirt from the track. Grit would fly after him in a way the Pig Boy found very satisfying. It was as if the Runner were at the centre of a tiny cyclone, whirling through the otherwise empty landscape like a dervish in conversation with God. The air, though never fully still, was certainly directionless without him. I’m not entirely sure where the Pig Boy is from, but he looks fairly eastern European. His English is broken, full of awkward diphthongs and phrasing that the farm hands find difficult to understand. They used to be tentative when they spoke to him, using clear sentences deliberately devoid of any idioms or anything abstracted at all. Sentences like, ‘You sleep OK in caravan? Not too cold?’

Now, however, they have reverted to their regular speech patterns as if in the course of three months the Pig Boy could go from total ignorance to total comprehension. He laughs along of course, agreeing with words he doesn’t understand. While the Pig Boy might not grasp the words used to describe the world he now inhabits, he can certainly see the cyclical nature of existence here. The crops, now golden, waving in the daily breeze brought in with the Runner. Soon they would harvest it in the hunks of metal they get to wheeze and judder across the hills, spitting out dust at the heals. The harvest moved in circles like this. The sows, moaning and grunting would grow fat earlier in the year, give birth, raise their offspring. Then they would do the same, moaning and grunting in the trails they forged in the mud. The Pig Boy had worked on farms before; he knew the spirals that they span around. He knew also, that he had willingly fallen into the spiral and now revolved along with the seasons, the harvest and the birth and slaughtering of the pigs. The Runner was the only anomaly that broke the spiral. He ran straight through it and emerged the other side, puncturing two parallel sides. His circle, while also perpetual, was wider and freer. And, more than that – it was his. The Pig Boy didn’t know what the Runner did for a job. All he knew was that he was getting faster and leaner every day and must not start work until around nine AM. He

off the course of the path you know that you will inevitably tread. But the Pig Boy’s mind was not as trapped by the circle as his body. His mind followed the Runner. It broke the spiral in a leap across the horizon, to somewhere he had never seen before, where blossom blew in the wake of a straight line, and not a curve. He could see the poetry of this exterior loop, the lap upon lap chosen to follow but just as easily discarded and thrown away. He thought that maybe he would save up and buy a pair of trainers from the nearest town, which was eight miles away. The village that the farm belonged to only had a butcher’s shop and a post office. Sometimes he would lie on his back in the golden stalks of the corn that would soon be packed away in compacted towers, then clustered together in the barn. He would close his eyes, feel the wind blowing the stalks against his face and hands, smell the grainy sweetness as they moved, and imagine himself running through them, leaping over the horizon, past the farm and the sun, past the pigs and his own body. This, he thought, was the language of the poetry of this land. He understood this. Even if he didn’t speak a word of English. Henry Fry BA Theatre: Design for Performance, Wimbledon www.scrawleddownpaperedges. blogspot.com

*«·¯/ Pig Boy Poetry

ran past at seven every morning. The Pig Boy had already been up for two hours milking the few cows the farm could afford to keep. Their cycle grew smaller. Early next year it would strangle itself, it grew so tight. He didn’t mind. The pigs were his favourite. They were intelligent and responsive. They had almost human eyes, which, to the Pig Boy, seemed to understand his Slavic stories about his father and his father’s father and their small holding back home. When he wrote letters to his mother and his father and his little sister, he would include details about his imagined mood of the pigs. He would say that Big Bertha is tired from her seven children today, she lays in the mud outside her corrugated half-tube of a house and stares out across the hills. He thinks she always appears very reticent and resolved. As if she had thought long and hard about him and decided that out of all the humans that waited on her, he was her favourite. When you are locked into poverty you are also locked into an opaque circle. You traipse along the thin curving corridor of the circle, unable to see the end, and knowing there is not one. Occasionally you may come to a window that looks out onto a meadow. It is always summer in the meadow and it is very beautiful. However you regard this beauty as mockery, as if its blossom that blows free of the trees and drifts past the enclosed corridor only does so as a malicious tickle, a reminder that the circle will always be a circle. You cannot see the beauty of the meadow full on. It lurks in your peripheries, in taunts you just

Photojournalism 22 «Ø−◊ Jarai «Ø−◊ Jarai

According to the UN there are six main indigenous communities in Cambodia all with their own rituals and beliefs. In February 2010 the UN completed a project called The Access to Justice Project, documenting the customary rules of the indigenous communities to assist the Government in acknowledging the traditional dispute resolution mechanisms and customary rules. The UN issued a set of 6 books, one to cover the customary rules of each indigenous community. It is hoped that the UN’s work will help reconcile local tradition with national and international norms, recognising there will need to be compromise on both sides. The documents legitimise the practices of the indigenous communities and by releasing an official document it is hoped that these will be recognised in future Government legislation. These documents have come at a poignant time, as currently several of the indigenious communities are under threat from mining and deforestation. One such group are the Jarai, an indigenous community based in Rattanakiri Province, Cambodia. These photographs where taken in Lei Village in Ou Ya Da district. The village consists of 80 to 85 families on a 150-hector plot. The images are combined with short interviews where the individuals talked about their concerns and hopes for their culture. The way the images where taken is also a reflection on development in Cambodia, using a medium format film camera to evoke previous experience of photography. The Jarai however questioned this practice. Although interested in the camera for its size they deemed it as old technology and questioned, “why not use a digital camera?” which they where far more familiar with. Like many developments in Cambodia there is often a leap to the next stage. This is evident in the use of the mobile phone, which like any developed country is ubiquitous. The landline was almost entirely skipped in most parts of the country. Cambodia's development was fragmented by the Khmer Rouge, whilst that regime controlled the country in the late 70's locking it way from the outside world. Years of unrest and fighting followed until 1992 when stability was deemed to arrive. This relationship with development is similar in many areas of technology in Cambodia and the developing world.

Row Chom Yeah is 52 years old. He is the village chief. He was elected by the community in January 1996 to represent them. His role includes meeting with NGO’s and going to Government workshops. His job as the village chief only pays $10 a month, which is funded by the Government. He is also a farmer. He farms for cashew nuts and taps rubber trees. In the rainy season he plants rice, this is the most important crop for the community. The Jarai speak a different language and they believe in spirit worship, not Buddha. The centre of the community is the meeting house and after its construction they slaughtered a buffalo to pay thanks to the spirits, during this sacrificial period no one can enter the village. Before TV and video, the culture was safe from outside influence from other cultures. In celebrations they used to use traditional music but this is dieing, now they use CD music and only perform traditional music for a small part of the celebration. He has 8 children two of whom are married. He lost his arm in a gun fight in 1979 against the Khmer Rouge. He believes the future for the culture is strong. Many NGO’s come to them and tell them, “please you must preserve your culture”. The village now has a new road and such development helps but does not effect the culture.

¦º Rom Mam Nang is 35 years old. He worksFOR an Environmental Committee. Member of the village, this role is voluntary and he works on protecting the forest from illegal loggers and protecting the land. He is a farmer of cashew nuts and rice. There are 8 people in his family including his father-in-law, wife and their children. He is happy with his culture, and feels that it is important to respect the spirits. If someone is sick the spirit makes them well again, but he recognises the difference between the type of sickness that requires a doctor and the sickness that requires a sacrifice to appease the spirits. ø˛ Karlan Dout aged 32. He is a Farmer and border control Police Officer. He says: “When outsiders from the town come to the Jarai Village they look down on us. When someone from any culture comes from the outside to the village looking to have intercourse with the women they don’t understand the correct channels to go through, they must respect the traditional channels otherwise we will report them to the police. We are indigenous people but we go to Khmer school and then we have to teach our children our own culture. We learn many things but people still look down on us. Our children need education in English and Khmer to be able to communicate with the outside world. For indigenous people our earnings are very low so how can we educate our children and better our community? Before we had police if there was a problem in the community we would have a village meeting, the community would decide the payment, maybe a buffalo or a cow, but we don’t really do this anymore.”

¦º

ø˛

*< Seav Tull is 70 years old

_±

He is a farmer and is still working, but at his age he is slowing down. He has four children. He has lived in the village all of his life. When he was young everyone wore traditional clothing and they never saw foreigners. He fears that soon all the forest will be gone and they will lose their land. He believes despite the changes around them the fundamentals of the Jarai culture will not change. He says: “The Jarai are farmers and this is all we know and without knowledge to do any thing else but farm we are in trouble, for without land what can we do?”, He continues. “The people in this village believe in the land spirit and the forest spirit. When we lose the land we lose the spirits, the spirits are important to our culture.”

Photojournalism

_± Galan NelL, aged 30

¶¸

He is a Farmer with 4 children. He hopes that the future will bring better schooling and he wants his children to have better jobs than he has had. If the land's lost to the “Company” they cannot farm and he worries that his children will not be able to gain better knowledge; if the land goes they have nothing. He has many children, he and his wife need them to support them in the future, but without land he cannot feed them. ¶¸ Seav Hun works with the community environment service He is a farmer and also is responsible for patrolling the forest and monitoring the mining activity in the area.

Charles Fox BA Photojournalism, LCC www.charles-fox.net

______________Seven Million and Counting Guy Haddon Grant BA Drawing, Camberwell________ www.haddongrant.com__________________ ______________

Showcase

As a first generation British born Vietnamese artist, my work explores the complexities of the Vietnamese diaspora (forced migrations) and the fragile journeys taken to reach a new ‘home’. Rice was used in this installation as an alternative to paint in order to leave an impermanent mark. However the painterly qualities used explore states of flux, transition and fragility. The loose delicate nature of rice, as a material that has properties of land, water and that state of ‘in between’, helps to create the narrative of why my parents arrived in the UK.

Escape ______________William Phong-Ly BA Fine Art, Chelsea College of Art________ www.williamphongly.com

Showcase

The Spinning Life Nicole Li BA Jewellery Design, CSM

The

Nicole Liâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jewellery designs explore the borders between monetary and personal value. By using out of date, otherwise useless coins, to design beautiful new necklaces, bracelets and earrings, Li creates objects that can once again be cherished for the meaning they hold for the individuals wearing them. The portrait, material and design of each coin tell a story of the places they come from, the events they commemorate and the people who made them. As new pieces of jewellery, they also embody the stories of the people who they adorn. Li plays with the distinctions Spinning Lifepeople make between themselves and their realities; often using wealth and, in this case jewellery, to either mask or portray their true selves.

Feature

Long Live the Check []*_«

Long Live the Check It’s indisputably the most important symbol of Scottish heritage, but how has Tartan made the transition to catwalk stardom? One of the first hearings of Tartan was in 1538 when King James V purchased "three ells of Heland Tartans" for his wife to wear. Next came battles, wars, wedding kilts, and bondage trousers from Vivienne Westwood, all featuring the iconic Scottish check. In the home of Tartan, a different type of woven material, generally wool, with stripes of different colours and varying in breadths, represent a different family name. It still holds huge importance within families in the highlands today, with great cultural prominence of their longstanding heritage. Over the last fifty years Tartan has developed into a multi-million pound industry dominated by few large mills, and still represents the cultural identity of the whole Scottish nation, notably through the Tartan used in family kilts and bagpipes. In 1987 Vivienne Westwood formerly known for her explosion across the Punk scene, launched a Harris Tweed collection, taking her love of British eccentricity and curbing it into a unique British heritage design. The designer was becoming more mainstream, and her influences of British traditions were becoming more and more apparent in her designs. In 1993 she designed her own tartan for her Anglomania collection. Westwood, a huge fan of British crafts and fabrics named the collection MacAndreas after her husband Andreas Kronthaler. She has since used traditional Scottish Tartans for numerous years, and the catwalk still catches glimpses of this long-standing design in a variation of approaches. The late Alexander McQueen famously used Tartan in his collection ‘Highland Rape,’ where he revisited his Scottish family roots and refined the contents of the

'battles, wars, wedding kilts, and bondage trousers' rampaging Tartan. Dolce & Gabbana featured it in their Autumn/Winter 2008 collection, which showcased an exquisite array of Tartan inspired hosiery and clothing. Most notably the infamous Burberry check was created in the 1920s, and used as a lining in their iconic trench coats. The seemingly high-class name however struggled in the ‘90s when the Burberry checkered print was heavily replicated and became associated with Chavs and football rogues. The brand, however, fought back and continued to rebrand itself, securing advertising in the high-end fashion glossies and support from the industry’s elite. Today, Tartan is heavily mimicked in high-street chains across Britain, it still appears in designers’ collections, and Lochcarron of Scotland remains one of the most successful Tartan mills within the industry. So the next time you don your Tartan checked pyjama bottoms, think; there’s plenty more where they came from. Words by Rosie Bee BA Magazine Publishing, LCC Illustration by Tom Perren BA Fashion Illustration, LCF www.thomasperren.com

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Wish You Were Here… Ed and Amy have been together for 3 years. They lived in each other’s shoes up until Ed got the opportunity to jet off to Oz for a term. Rather than calling it quits, Amy is determined that their relationship can make the distance.

HIM / HER []*_«

Him: The weather here is insane. I’ve skated hard for the past 2 days, there’s nothing like the sound of wheels on tarmac, with the sun beating hard on your back. Amy’s been sending me running commentary on her life back in London. I feel bad about not being so keen, but I bet she doesn’t give a shit that I had cereal for breakfast? Her: Ed’s lack of contact is driving me mad. I’m occupying myself with work, but there’s only so long I can pretend everything’s fine. The girls want to go out on Friday night, just don’t know if I want to? Him: I feel like I’m living the dream, the absolute dream. Barbie and beers on the beach everyday, it’s safe. The weather’s getting hotter now, and the skirts are getting shorter. Her: I feel bad complaining about him now. I got a postcard off Ed today, he says he’s having a great time but really misses me. I knew everything would be fine. This is us… we can make anything work. Him: My postcard to Amy did the trick; she’s cooled off. I do miss her, but I’m beginning to wonder whether this will last the whole term. Done 2 weeks now, I just don’t know if it’s worthwhile. I listened to her favourite song the other day; it seriously irritated me. Her: I went out with the girls on Friday, got smashed and ended up with the standard KFC. I cried into my chicken twister wrap on the bus home. Ed loves chicken twister wraps. Him: I met an absolute goddess yesterday. She had an arse like the poster girls I idolised when I was 16. She ended up coming back to mine. She saw the postcard from Amy and bailed on me. Good job I guess. I woke up in the morning and messaged Amy, I didn’t know what to say… HER: Ed messaged me at 7am his time, all he said was he was planning on having cereal for breakfast and he loved me. That was all I needed. It’s been 6 weeks now. Illustration by Adeline Yeo BA Graphic Design, CSM www.leporidae.carbonmade.com

Identity Issue

Call For Submissions Identity Issue Do you want to see your work published? Less Common More Sense is now calling for work. Visit www.wearelesscommon.com to submit your work. We welcome submissions from all areas of the creative arts.* Applications are now open to join the LCMS 2011/12 team. We are currently recruiting for the following positions: Editor Deputy Editor Creative Director Features Editors Web Director Marketing Director

/ / / / / /

Please contact us for further information.

| email: lesscommon@su.arts.ac.uk | twitter: @lcms_magazine | web: wearelesscommon.com

Copyright 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 2011 The studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union, Unive rsity of Arts London and the authors. No article may be reproduced or altered in any form without the written permission of the editor. The views expressed by the contributors/writers are their responsibility and not necessary those of the editor(s), the publishers, or the University of the Arts London. *You must be a current student or an alumnus of the University of the Arts London.

___JTetris Face _____________BA Painting, Camberwell _____________www.jackjonesart.co.uk ____________

Let's admit it: at this point in the year being a uni student is old hat. Whether we're a first year having triumphantly conquered our first two terms, or third year gnawing our fingernails about the uncertain future, we must face the hard-hitting reality. It’s that time of year again. What time, you ask? Time to pull out the red pens and the calendars, mate, because it’s nearly wait for it: you’re about to hear the Hallelujah chorus of every student who ever stared forlornly out the window of a darkened lecture hall into the streaming sun it’s nearly summer time! Put down the research books and shut up the laptop. Now that the temperature has swung to the bearable, and we've stopped pondering whether that fuzzy light in the distance is a street light or is, in fact, the sun (we know now that nine times out of ten it's a street light), it’s time to focus on real questions now. Namely, how will you spend those hazy, lazy summer days? Summer is the time for those grand plans they promise you can never accomplish otherwise in life. We’re young; we’re relatively responsibility free. The late-night frolics to the watering-holes come now without the headpounding guilt (that’s really what causes the hangover, isn’t it?) the next morning. Those adverts in the tube beckon us to exotic adventures. How do you feel about whale-watching in Iceland? Or horseback-riding in South Africa? Or, uhm, visiting that Primark chick in Edinburgh? We’re young. We’re free. Now that exams are over and essays completed, we’re free for the next three months. Get the flatmates to watch the pets for a week, and let’s go jet-setting! The cosmopolitan London highlife demands that we take part. Right. Until the £500 price tag catches our eye and we remember that, as a uni student, along with the freedom, and the youth, and the free pet-sitters, there also comes the qualification of broke. On second thought it might be better to source out that minimum wage job so we can afford food. Kate Sears BA Media and Cultural Studies, LCC