Culturium

Editor’s Note

Join us on a journey through the Space Time Culturium, where we will explore the wonders of our world’s cultures, traversing the centuries and continents to unveil the subtle strands of significance that connect us all.

Artwork in this inaugural edition has been created through collaborations between our writing team and Adobe’s Firefly AI software, for which we have been granted early access as part of their beta testing program.

BUT IS IT REALLY ART?

Words: Mak Khozoie

Many were expecting the arrival of AI into the public sphere to be accompanied by blood thirsty robots in search of nuclear codes, hell bent on the destruction of their human creators. Others wait with baited breath to see which jobs will be the first lost to our mechanized replacements. Surely all of the blue collar labour will be the first to go, before the AI becomes smart enough to start chipping away at white collar roles, working it’s way up towards the untouchable executive echelons … but we all knew that the one domain which it would never conquer

is that of the creatives, after all, is there any endeavour which more so exemplifies what it is to be human, to be alive, to be free, than the drive to create and express our thoughts and feelings through art?

Well, it turns out that AI doesn’t really give a toss what humans expect, and whilst we were all looking the other way, it kicked the door down, ran straight for the crayons, and started scrawling masterpieces all over the wall whilst the world looked on in astonishment. And it didn’t stop there.

In short procession, it moved on to paint, oil, acrylics, photography, music, marble sculptures…. (Many artists turned pale and start feeling sick at this point), and then it started architecturally redesigning the house whilst simultaneously painting it … whilst simultaneously writing poetry with the other hand! … “Oh Wait! … It can write stuff?!”

At which point anyone with a job that wasn’t paying attention, was now very much in the room.

From doing your homework, to curing diseases, from

designing chemical weapons to designing a new coat for the Pope, it has quickly become evident that there is little in the world which will not become quickly affected by this groundbreaking technology, and it now seems that no job is safe. And so, whilst the world struggles to comprehend the full impact and ethical considerations, from deep fakes to warfare, the artists who were the first to be hit, are still staring at the paintings on the wall whilst considering the ultimate philosophical question – “Is it being creative?”

As the large language models (LLMs) responsible for amazing AI art continue to develop at blistering speed, we have seen the quality and capacity of such software also improving exponentially. The 15 fingered mutations, scary demonic faces

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nightmares are being left behind as companies are building on the shoulders of those who paved the way and learning from mistakes (much like the AI does). As human interaction guides the AI towards refinement, we are seeing increasingly mind blowing art being created in a matter of seconds which would be undiscernible from

would have to ask the same about humans. If an artist in given medium creates something, is it not at least to some extent subconsciously influenced by any and all art which the creator has consumed or been influenced by? Where this becomes problematic from an ethical stance, is when LLMs are used to generate entirely new art, in the style of a single specified artist. Although this may not currently infringe upon copyright, it certainly highlights a grey area which could prove controversial if applied to humans in the same way it is to AI art software and its users. If limitations or royalties are placed upon the creation of new and original art which references or imitates the style of an existing artist, would this not quickly turn into an artistic tax which all creators would have to pay to the those who influenced them? As with much of the debate around AI technology, the difficulty lies in where we decide to draw the line between right and wrong, creation and regurgitation.

As with all these things, we often find that the fuzzy grey area where opposing ideas meet, is also where the magic happens. AI art of course is not entirely created by computers, in the same way that a piece of photographic art is not entirely created by the machinery of the camera. Not only is the whole process, the effect of a cause which is initiated by human effort, but the details, lighting, framing,

angle, pose and much more is chosen by the artist. In the case of the AI art, many of the details are selected through careful ’prompt engineering’, a newly developing skill, and quickly growing trade, used by artists who are familiar with AI models, as well as the language, syntax and methodology which is required to attain the desired results from any given LLM.

It seems then, that AI art is a fusion of human and computer efforts to produce complex artwork, in a fraction of the time and effort usually required. This means that the ability to create art and beauty is extended to anyone with access to technology, greatly democratizing access. To this extent, AI seems similar to other examples of technology intervening in the

propagate availability and access to that which was once rarefied. And so, much like the printing press and camera before it, we see the application of technology to art, initially being feared, but eventually becoming such an engrained part of our collective daily lives, that we cannot imagine life without it.

IS DEAD

THE DANGERS OF MINIMALIST DESIGN

The death of detail refers to the notion that architecture and other aspects of design have become too concerned with functionality, efficiency and cost effectiveness at the expense of creativity and detail. It is argued that in the modern world minimalism is dangerous, but what exactly does this mean and why should we care?

Minimalism is a design principle that became a conscious movement in the late 1960’s and is characterised by a literal and objective approach to extreme simplicity. There are many benefits to the minimalist approach to design such as increased functionality and cost effectiveness, however minimalism has become the social default for design choices in modern society and as a result has led to a lack of creativity and originality. For example, this obsession with simplicity has led to a cultural homogenisation, everything looks the same and has little personality. Take logo design as an example. Big name brands such as Apple and Warner Bros have adopted a minimalist approach to their logo design, while potentially making it more digestible for the consumer, this new simplification of logos presents a neutral, clean state

in an attempt to appeal to everyone. As a result, key aspects of brand identities have been lost, making it difficult for brands to build meaningful connections with their audiences and differentiate themselves. It’s not just the design world that has been affected by the proliferation of minimalism, but all aspects of our society. Everyday items we see in our daily lives have been impacted by this phenomenon. Take the iconic British telephone box for instance, a key symbol of British identity throughout

the years. It’s the details in the design that gives it it’s distinctive character- the colour red, the ornamentation at the top, the lining around the door. Yet when we look at the modern version of the telephone box, which is really just a grey box. It has no character, no identity and more importantly fails to add any value or meaning to its environment. This alone highlights one of the main issues with the death of detail, a death of identity.

It’s not all doom and gloom however, in fact minimalism as a design concept is actually pretty neat and especially in terms of interior design, minimalism can bring about a sense of visual balance and harmony, providing spaces with a feeling of tranquillity. But this article is not an attack on minimalism as a concept, it is concerned with the fact that minimalism as a social default has led to a severe lack of creativity and expression and therefore has serious implications for culture as a whole. If we can combat the death of detail, we can create a world where creativity and innovation are at the forefront of design and once again valued in society.

Words: Grace Franklin

Rap music! Love it or hate it! Whatever your take, it seems to possess a strange quality which demands our attention when it is heard. Maybe it is a deep-rooted remembrance of the rhyming games of our childhood, or could it be an even deeper resonance with a cultural phenomenon which has existed for millennia, having developed independently in most human cultures throughout history?

Comparisons have been made between modern rap music and the culture of the Griot which is found in many parts of West Africa. Griots, who have served an integral role within their communities, in lineages spanning back through the centuries, are

...AND THE ROOTS OF RAP!

Words: Mak Khozoie

considered to be the keepers of history and culture for their societies. Tasked with the preservation and dissemination of knowledge, these musical poets would be heard performing everywhere from the public streets to special ceremonies and events, using their words to entertain, enlighten and educate. Whether reciting historic legends, or improvising poetry about current events, Griots would usually deliver their rhythmic poetry accompanied by the music of a drum, making for easy comparisons with the more recent predecessors of rap music found in the beat poetry of 1960/70’s America. However, the more direct comparison between rappers

and Griots has received some pushback from scholars who question whether the often shallow and materialistic content of modern commercial rap, as well as the common perception of rappers, deserves comparison with the important, complex, and historic role of Griots who are held in an entirely different regard by the societies they serve.

If we put rap to one side for a minute, it might be worth considering the much more important, yet under reported, similarities which can be observed between the Griots and dozens of other traditions which have existed across the globe throughout time. The low literacy levels of

the general population and meticulously maintained in different cultures. The oral tradition of storytelling will have been the only way for a society to pass on its history to future generations, and the rhythm and rhyme will likely have played a key part in making sure that stories are easily remembered and repeated with accuracy. And so, it should be no surprise that similar traditions are observed around the world. Pansori in Korea, Baul of Bengal, Kuaiban in China, Waiata of the Maori, Warabe Uta in Japan, the Asheeq of the middle East, and the Troubador, Skald, Bard and Rhapsodes of Europe are just few of the many instances to be found, where musical poetry holds a deeply important place in a culture. Although each of these artforms are unique in their own way, there is an obvious current which

seems to flow through them

day may seem to lack the depth and substance of its forerunners, but could this say more about our modern society than it does

access to our poetry, music, art, culture, stories and histories ever been so contrived and commercialized. So, as much as the modern-day commercial rapper may not represent the stories we all want to be remembered and passed down the generations, that is not to say that there are not a multitude of modern underground troubadours, continuing an age old tradition of sharing knowledge, wisdom and understanding to those who know how to listen. And so, we can see how similarities between vastly varied human cultures are deeper and stronger than words may be able to convey. History has shown that the words we use, and the way we use them can define who we are in the future, and so remaining mindful of who controls our narrative may never have been so important. As the Hopi proverb goes: “Those who tell the stories rule the world.”

in the

THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF BRITISH SUBCULTURES

British subcultures are a key part of Britain’s identity and have had significant influence on all things fashion, music, art and culture. From the Teddy Boys of the 1950’s to the early 2000’s Grime scene, British youth have challenged traditions, broken gender norms and built communities across the country. In this article we will explore the importance of British subcultures over the past 70 years and their lasting cultural significance.

Words: Grace Franklin

Teddy Boys

The Teddy boys or the Teds are considered to be one of the first youth movements in Britain, rising during the post-war period. The Teddy Boys had a distinguishable style, which included Edwardian inspired suits with narrow lapels, highwaisted trousers and long overcoats. They were also known for their hairstyles, which can be described as short sides and long tops styled into a quiff. Similarly, the style of the Teddy girls, while less documented, were known to also sport Edwardian inspired fashion, including drape jackets and pencil skirts. The Ted’s were all about making a statement and differentiating themselves from the mainstream.

They were more than just a fashion statement; they were a youth subculture that reflected the changing attitudes in post-war Britain. They rebelled against austerity and are often seen as the birth of the ‘teenager’, who symbolised youth rebellion in 1950’s Britain.

Mods and Rockers

By the 1960s two more defining youth subcultures had been birthed into existence, the Mods and Rockers, famous rivals, who throughout the period had many physical conflicts. The Mod subculture was at the height of fashion during the 60’s, inspired by the sophisticated style of the French and Italians, which included sharp tailoring and polo shirts. It also borrowed elements from musical movements such as African American R&B bands and British jazz groups, some of the most notable music associated with the Mod movement are bands such as The Who and The Small Faces and during the mod revivals of the 1970’s and 80’s, The Jam. The Rockers on the other hand were cantered around

motorcycles and Rock’n’roll music, their style mainly included leather jackets, Levi jeans and heavy boots.

The Skinheads

Skinhead culture is said to have arrived in two waves, the first one being in the 1960s and then again in the 1980’s. This subculture is often said to be a descendent of the Mod, only with bigger boots, shorter hair and a distinctive rude boy attitude. Speaking of rude boys, Skinhead culture was extensively influenced by Rude Boy culture that emerged in Britain, during the rise of multiculturalism. The Rude Boys were the name given to a subculture of violent discontented youths in Jamaica, who while emigrating to England helped to spread Jamaican music to the working-class youth, which is where the relation to Ska music and Jamaican styles originated. In terms of style, Skinhead fashion is arguably one of the most timeless, definitive styles of all British Subculture. Skinheads would usually be seen sporting buttoned up and polo shirts from Fred Perry and Ben Sherman, Harrington jackets, Levi or Wrangler Jeans and of course the iconic

Doc Marten’s boots. They were also famous for wearing braces in various colours, usually with an ‘X’ shape in the back, to this day the Skinhead fashion can be seen around various parts of the UK, thus giving it it’s timeless title. Early skinheads were not particularly affiliated in any kind of political movement, however from the 1970’s there was a rise in racially motivated violence, which shifted the view that the skinhead subculture promoted racism and Neo-Nazism, despite its rich Jamaican influence. However, in 1987 ‘Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice’ was founded, a group which to this day works to reclaim the original multicultural identity of the original skinheads.

Northern soul

Unlike some of its predecessors, the Northern Soul subculture was all about the music, which can be defined as up-tempo soul records, fuelled by underground sounds. It was this obscurity and rarity that came to define the

Northern Soul genre, differentiating it from regular soul music and making it distinctively northern. Initially Northern Soul gained its popularity in the late 60’s, it reached its peak in the mid 70’s. Some of the first Northern Soul all-nighters were held in 1972 at the Golden Torch in Stoke-onTrent and despite Wigan Casino often being the most well-known Northern Soul club, it was the ‘Torch’ that hosted the biggest Northern Soul nights, with a membership of 12,500 people. The scene also grew a unique dance style which included flips, spins and

needed clothes that would keep them cool metaphorically and literally, so as baggy clothes were the go-to. You would expect to see loose fitting, highwaisted Oxford Trousers paired with tight, sporty vests. As for the girls, full circle skirts that would swirl as they twirled, exaggerating the impressive dance movements.

Punks

1970’s Britain was pretty dreary, with money scarce, power cuts and strikes, we saw the rise of the Punks, a subculture that went against the mainstream in every way. One of the biggest influences of the Punk movement was the music. Bands like the Sex Pistols encouraged rebellious and anarchic attitudes through loud and aggressive tunes with a strong political

message. Speaking of political messages, Punk was one of the first subcultures to have women at the forefront of the movement. The ‘do it yourself’ attitudes lead to significant contributions to the movement made by women. We saw t-shirts held together with safety pins and various other clothing items ripped, sown together, painted and marked with anarchic slogans. It wasn’t all about sticking it to the man though, Punk provided a lot of culture in the form of music, art and literature that remains integral to British culture to this day.

New romanticism

Although New Romanticism started in the late 1970’s in nightclubs, it reached its peak in the 80’s, it was defined by bands and artists such as Duran Duran, Boy George and David Bowie. The 80’s was a time of shifting gender norms, sexual politics and rapid technological changes and New Romantics seemed to represent these changes in British society through distinctive clothing, outlandish hair and makeup and an association with ‘New Wave’ electronic music. This subculture was seen to represent the futurism and modernism of the period. The New Romantic aesthetics defied gender norms, at a time of discussion and debate about prescribed gender roles.

Ravers

The 1990’s was probably most notorious for its electronic dance music and underground raves, which were the focus point for this subculture. A subculture

that blends together music, art, and social ideals such as peace, love, unity, happiness and respect.

Ecstasy (MDMA) was a huge part of the rave scene which allowed it’s users to stay awake and dance throughout the night. Drugs quickly became a central part of this subculture, which brought a lot of media coverage, consequently leading to laws such as the Public Order act to be brought in as an attempt to combat these events and the drug use that came with them. Despite this, raves remain a central part of youth culture even to this day, with events being held up and

country every weekend. Grime

Last but not least, we have arguably Britain’s last ‘true’ subculture, setting place in the early 2000’s just prior to the proliferation of the internet- Grime. Originating in East London, Grime tracks were produced on lo-fi software, spread through London via MP3 files sent from phone-to-phone

Bluetooth, whilst being inspired by hop-hop and dance music. The Grime movement evolved alongside the digital revolution as a response to government neglect, which seems to be a coherent theme throughout many of the subcultures that emerged in the previous 70 or so years in Britain. It seems that British subcultures have not only provided us with some of the best music, art, literature and fashion in British Culture, but have given discontented youth up and down the country identity and a voice in response to governmental failings such as economic threat and austerity, and although British subcultures may not exist in the same way today, they live on as an integral part of modern British Culture.

AN ABRIDGED SERIES

To some, Japanese animation or anime can be seen as just a trivial little genre of film and television enjoyed only by a small niche of geeks. In actuality however, anime has a deep history that spans back to the beginning of the 20th century and influenced, or was influenced by, the changing political and economic structures of Japan. We’ve put together a succinct list of some of the most defining moments and animated works throughout the last hundred years. While there are plenty of other important events and notable works between those we’ve chosen to include, we’ve tried to pick those that had the biggest impact on the industry as a whole – so without further ado, Space-

Time Culturium presents the Abridged History of Anime.

1907: Katsudou Shashin

- The earliest surviving piece of animation from Japan. A 3-second animation of a boy writing on a wall and turning to tip his hat.

1923: Great Kanto Earthquake

- A devastating natural disaster that destroyed a lot of the existing animations of the time, setting the industry back substantially and allowing the likes of Disney to overtake technologically.

1933: Ugokie Kori no Tatehiki

- The setback following the earthquake pushed Japanese animators to also adopt cel animation in an effort to regain lost ground and catch up with the West’s animated works.

1939: World War II - At the beginning of the war most Japanese animation was propaganda depicting the Japanese soldiers killing Americans. There was little room to express artistic value and the industry became stagnant for the duration.

1945: Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors - 1945 saw the release of Japan’s first feature-length animated film; commissioned by the Japanese Navy.

1948: Japanese Animation Studio - After a lull in animated works post WWII, Japanese Animation Studio was founded. The studio produced very little, but in 1956 the studio was bought by Toei and rebranded to Toei Animation, kickstarting a global animation race.

1958: Hakujaden - The first Japanese animated feature film in colour was released, pushing Japan ever closer to the standards set by Disney.

1963: Osamu Tezuka - After leaving Toei Animation in 1961 and forming his own animation studio, Mushi Productions, Osamu Tezuka produced some of the most influential animated works Japan has ever seen, including the likes of Astro Boy which set the standard for shows in the 1960s.

1965: Kimba, the White Lion - Japan’s first coloured anime TV show airs and became very popular across the world. While no official comment has ever been made to support the notion, there are abundantly clear influences on Disney’s The Lion King from 1994.

1979: Mobile Suit Gundam - Initially a market flop and cut 20 episodes short by the producers, Mobile Suit Gundam rose to prominence due to its high quality, diverse line of merchandise. The sale of the merchandise led to countless reruns, spinoffs, and dubbed versions, ultimately cementing the show as one of the most popular and influential anime to ever exist.

1983: Japanese animators in American studios - Around this time, a number of

American publishing studios began to hire Japanese animators for their TV shows. Shows like G.I. Joe and Transformers were the first and most notable pieces to come from these collaborative efforts.

1984: Gainax and Dragon Ball - Gainax was founded and began to produce smaller OVA works. Dragon Ball was also released in this year and presented a new genre of anime: martial arts - the most influential and substantial of all anime genres. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to release animated works to this day, with Dragon Ball Z being the standout show of the franchise.

1984: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - An incredibly important piece of animated cinema that opened the door to more experimental works of film and television as its success demonstrated it was not Space Opera shows that were solely successful. The films that followed in its wake were some of the most groundbreaking animated cinema to have ever been produced.

1985: Studio Ghibli - With the financial success of Nausicaa, Miyazaki was now financially able to begin his own studio, and thus, Studio Ghibli was born and remains the most notable of all animation studios.

1986: The OVA Boom - The remainder of the decade saw a boom in studios producing OVAs (Original Video Animations), as they were a cheaper alternative to the standard practices before due

to their immediate release to home cinema without prior TV or theatre showings. OVAs of the late 80s would also shape the experimental, genre pushing works that followed.

1988: Akira - The most expensive animated film that had thus far been produced in Japan was unfortunately met with little success. This economic failure led to many studios ending their run of experimental works for the sake of staying open, while many others were not so fortunate and had to close, allowing Studio Ghibli to remain the only studio financially able to continue producing experimental cinema. For many, Akira’s release to the West marked their first time experiencing Japanese animation, being held in high regard by critics as a turning point for the industry, gaining a cult following, and cementing its place as one of the most influential science fiction films to ever release. Akira’s overseas success opened up the animation industry to a wider audience in the following decade.

1988: Grave of the Fireflies / My Neighbour TotoroDespite the eventual closing of many studios, the industry peaked in 1988 with the release of two more Studio

Ghibli hit films.

1991: The Dark TimesThe closure of studios, the Japanese Lost Decades recession from 1991, and publishing sponsors only funding economically safe works, anime took a serious decline in popularity and quality. Up to this point, however, the 1980s were the most substantial in terms of anime history due to the huge strides made towards pushing the medium in previously unseen directions, pushing its creative limits, and demonstrating the worldwide acclaim Japanese anime can receive.

1995: Ghost in the ShellMamoru Oshii’s triumphant return to the industry after his 1981 debut was a pivotal turning point for the industry that allowed studios to bounce back from the financial hardships they’d faced over the last five years. Ghost in the Shell’s influence can be seen in countless anime that followed, but also in major Western cinema such as The Matrix and Blade Runner, boosting anime back to its former glory and encouraging the funding of experimental cinema once again.

1995: Neon Genesis Evangelion - Another landmark piece of anime

media, Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion controversial release aided Ghost in the Shell in bringing the industry back to full strength and allowed for more trust to be place in the animators and directors when it came to financial decisions from publishers – pushing anime that came after to follow a more cinematic form.

1996: Sailor Moon - Airing weekly for five years after only being given an estimate of six months and becoming one of Japan’s most successful franchises, generating over one million dollars in merchandise sales and gaining unfathomable popularity across the globe.

1997: Princess MononokeAnother incredibly expensive film, but unlike Akira, it paid off at the box office. Physical release sales boomed across the West and until the release of James Cameron’s Titanic, it was labelled the most successful film of the year globally.

1997: Pokemon - Adapted from the video game, Pokemon the TV show released and requires no introduction. The franchise spawned countless movies, series, specials, merchandise, and more games for decades to come.

1998: Cowboy BebopDespite its rocky release on several different stations in 1998, it was Adult Swim’s acquisition of the show in 2001 that makes it a notable entry in the anime chronology. From 2001, Cowboy Bebop was aired in full to American audiences for four years, then

rerun countless times on the same network up to 2013, giving many of the modern generations their first taste of Japanese anime. Cowboy Bebop and Adult Swim are largely responsible for the predominance of anime in modern popular culture, causing the new generations that bore witness to it to seek out older anime that had since been rereleased and newer anime that was made with a Western audience in mind.

2001: Spirited Away - Ghibli’s next film took the global spotlight, becoming Japan’s most successful film of all time with 30 billion yen in sales and further entrenching anime into the collective consciousness of people around the world.

2001 Onward - With anime becoming a household name across the globe, the rise of the internet and interconnectedness meant that anime very quickly became something more than just Japanese television, and from 2001 to this day, anime has rapidly shifted in the way it is produced, distributed, and consumed for the better. Nowadays, you would find it difficult to find someone who has never heard of anime, or potentially even someone that has never seen an animated film or TV show.

An Unlikely Message of Hope From the

Words by: Katrin Petrow

When you hear the term ‘romanticism’, you would be forgiven if cheesy rom-coms, chocolates, or the colour red came to mind. Romanticism, from a historical perspective, was a period of music, art, and literature spanning from the late 18th century to the early 19th, and it is somewhat to do with love, but with a little bit on top. This era came about as a response to the mechanical, progressobsessed, technology-crazed Enlightenment era, which saw the Industrial Revolution, and brought goods and services into people’s homes much more easily, and at a much cheaper cost. Yet the Romantics were not happy. Sound familiar?

Over the past few decades, it feels like technology has taken over the world: the internet, allowing us to stream, buy, and do pretty much anything we want, or artificial intelligence starting to get a little too intelligent for comfort. It’s safe to say that it’s all been a little dizzying to say the least. But the environment has struggled too, of course, and not a day goes by where we don’t see or hear something relating to the crisis of our planet’s health, thanks to global capitalism. In times like these, it can be

comforting to remember we aren’t the first set of stressed out, nostalgic, future-fearing people to feel like this. Enter: the Romanticists. Romanticists believed in the power of nature over man, and resented the factories cropping up everywhere in the 1800s, destroying the beautiful landscapes. They disagreed with the Enlightenment perspective that rationality and reason were more valuable than feelings and senses. As such, they were nostalgic about the charming Middle Ages, made turbulently emotional music, painted waterfalls and fields, and wrote books about escaping to the countryside. In other words, they found the good in the past as a means of avoiding the doom they felt about the state of the world. And isn’t this what we are

today? With the rise of film camera sales, records, typewriters, and the move towards supporting local artisans and even making our own things instead of buying mass-produced ones, it seems we, too, are a little like our Romantic ancestors. While this might seem bittersweet - after all, we’ve just established that people feel doom whatever the case or time period - it is important to remember that the Romanticists were largely a group of rich men; they had no true idea of the hardships that farmers and other poorer folk had to endure living in these idealised countrysides. There’s also a flipside to the idea that people have always been nostalgic about the past: it means that someone in the future is going to find a million ways in which our present is so much better in comparison to theirs. Someone, in as little as 10 years, could be romanticising this year right now while we moan about the ‘simpler times’. Now, isn’t that a nice thought? Next time you feel a stab in your chest when someone older than you tells you how much you missed out on before you were born, remember that happiness and good things exist no matter the time or place. It’s just your job to find them.

When we think of queer culture we might think of rainbows, Doc Martens or even iced lattes but this wasn’t always the case, in fact queer people and its culture have existed for centuries dating back to ancient civilisations. The existence of queer people was prominent with same sex relationships and non-gender conforming individuals

having been documented throughout the ancient world.

Although the word ‘queer’ was not used in ancient civilisations, the existence of queer people was prominent, with samesex relationships and non-gender conforming individuals having been documented throughout the ancient world. In fact, in ancient Greece samesex relationships were not only accepted but were also celebrated.

Male homosexuality was a particularly common practice and many famous figures such as Socrates and Alexander the Great were known to have same sex relationships.

In Greek society many considered same sex relationships to be more emotionally

and intellectually fulfilling, and so were often celebrated through art, literature and Greek mythology, such as the story of Achilles and Patroclus. Not too far away from Greece, samesex relationships were also present in Rome and although they weren’t as celebrated, they were still accepted as long as they did not interfere with a man’s duty to produce heirs. Just like the Greeks, homosexuality was commonly depicted in Roman art, some famous examples being the

Words: Grace Franklin

statue of the emperor Hadrian and his lover Antinous. It wasn’t just the Greeks and the Romans that had a rich queer culture during ancient history, but many other places around the world. For instance, in many Native American societies, individuals that had both male and female traits were considered to be spiritual leaders or healers. These individuals were known as ‘Winkte’ by the Lakota, while the Navajo used the term ‘Nadleehi’. Winkte’s often dressed in both male and female clothing and were celebrated for their ability to bring balance and a certain harmony to their communities. Similarly, nadleehi people were thought to have special abilities making them great healers and leaders. They also took part in same sex relationships which were considered sacred. However, the arrival of European colonisers meant that a huge amount of Native American culture, including this queer one, was erased and communities were forced to adopt European norms

and values. Despite this, many Native American communities today are working to reclaim the very traditions that celebrate queer culture. In ancient China, we can find evidence of queer culture in the form of literature and poetry. One of the most famous stories being ‘cutting sleeve, which depicts the Emperor Ai of Han, who ruled the Han Dynasty from 7 to 1 BCE, and his favourite court officer, Dong Xian, who are known to have had a homosexual relationship. During an afternoon nap, Ai wakes up to find Dong Xian asleep on part of his sleeve and instead of waking him up, he cuts off his own sleeve. The term ‘cut sleeve’ has been used as a

code word for queer in China ever since. So, there we have it, a quick look into the wonderful world of queer culture in ancient civilisations. Although life for queer people in the ancient world wasn’t exactly a walk in the park and many did face persecution, it is important to recognise and celebrate the lives of queer people in various ancient civilisations across the globe, who are often overlooked and forgotten. So next time you find yourself at a pride event, take a moment to remember those who came before us and provided us with such a cool and unique culture that deserves to be celebrated.

Words: Mak Khozoie

The use of martial arts by vulnerable or oppressed groups of people to protect themselves from violence is a recurring theme around the globe. From Buddhist monks in China, to captive slaves in Brazil, there are many instances of such groups utilising self-defence to guard themselves from harm. The same goes for individuals, from Morihei Ueshiba to Helio Gracie, history is replete with examples of such people who were frail, weak or in some way disabled during their youth, however through martial arts training, they managed to harness the power of nature, science and wisdom to overcome much larger and stronger opponents, whilst propagating their artforms to positively affect millions of people far into the future.

One little known, yet immensely impactful example of this is found in the amazing story of the first ever female Western teacher of the martial arts, Edith Garrud.

Born in London, 1872, over a century before Bruce Lee would propel the concept of martial arts into the collective Western imagination. Edith defied the conventions of her time, and became a pioneering martial artist, who would go on to train the Suffragettes, creating the ‘Bodyguard Unit’ which would be fundamental in

protecting the suffrage movement in the UK.

In 1895, Edith began her training in Japanese Ju-jitsu under Master Yukio Tani in London, where she quickly advanced through the ranks, acquiring an impressive proficiency in the art. Her ability to effortlessly throw around much larger and stronger men, despite her small frame and height of only 4’10”, gained her

some notoriety as ‘The Jujitsu Girl’. She would later open her own school which would become highly regarded for its quality of teaching, attracting many students. Edith’s fame would quickly spread far beyond the martial arts world, as she began working with the Suffragettes, making contributions that profoundly changed the movement, and which would go on to launch her into legend.

In the early 20th century, the suffragette movement was gaining momentum, advocating for equal rights and political representation for women. Through protest and civil disobedience the group was regularly participating in public demonstrations, which were often met with violent opposition from the police and anti-suffrage groups who would subject them to physical assaults and arrest. It was at this point that Edith Garrud began training the

suffragettes in Japanese jujitsu. The training she was providing was not only about physical techniques but was more generally centred around the empowerment of women, enabling them to defend themselves and their rights.

Amongst other key figures in the suffrage movements, Edith and others suggested that all women should take up self defence, and during this time Edith trained a core team of 30 female Ju-jitsu practitioners who served as the Bodyguard Unit, turning up to protests where they would use their skills to defend the participants from attack.

Edith and the bodyguard units were regularly called

upon to defend these Suffragette demonstrations. one example of which occurred during the Black Friday protests of 1910, when suffragettes gathered in Parliament Square opposing the government’s failure to pass a bill on women’s suffrage. When the police attacked the protesters, beating and arresting them, the Bodyguard Unit was there to protect the protesters using their Jujitsu skills to fend off violent police officers.

Edith continued to teach martial arts to both women and men long after the suffrage movement, publishing a book titled ‘Jujitsu and Self Defence for Women and Girls’ in 1928, which is still considered A martial arts classic.

The legacy of Edith Garrud both as a martial artist and feminist icon are still celebrated to this day. At the site of her former martial arts school in London a blue plaque was unveiled in 2018 commemorating her contribution to the martial arts as well as the suffragette movement.

Since the #metoo movement there has been a huge uptick of females participating in martial arts, as part of an organic drive by women everywhere to fight back against those who may continue

to oppress or violate women in the 21st century. Although many modern women may not have heard of Edith Garrud, her contribution has no doubt played a huge role in securing the rights and freedoms which women have today.

The story of Edith is a testament not only to the power of martial arts as a tool for physical defence, but also as a formidable aid in the fight for empowerment and social change.

As far as we currently know, archery has existed for over 80,000 years; presumably longer, though there is no evidence to support this. The oldest discovered artefacts assumed to be arrowheads were discovered across a number of sites around South Africa, collectively dating back to 72,000 - 60,000 BP. It is unknown whether or not the prehistoric inhabitants of what is now South Africa were simply the first to develop the technology, or if findings of the same period outside of South Africa were not as well preserved. Other archaeological findings dated to be more modern tell a story of how archery skills developed over generations of prehistoric groups as they migrated around the world. With these territorial movements came territorial disputes, and more artefacts and cave paintings dating to 10,000 BP onwards depict the first scenes of militaristic bow use against other people.

Up to and during the Medieval period is when the bow cemented itself as a tool of war in the majority of nations across the planet, each developing its own design to match the nature of warfare it engaged in. It is in these periods that the most historically iconic – and widely known – depictions of the bow originate, with the Eastern Steppe and their horse bow variants that are short enough to allow for the bow to pass over a the back of a horse and shoot combatants on either side of the archer, the English longbowmen and their archer blocks designed to launch heavier, armourpiercing arrows over extreme distances, and the Japanese Samurai and the Yuumi asymmetrical longbow for

militaristically up to the late 19th century, such as in the Ottoman Empire’s controlled nations, the Scottish Highlands following the Jacobites, and by the Cherokees after the Trail of Tears.

The late-18th century saw the revival of archery as a recreational activity among British aristocracy. It wasn’t until 1781, with the backing

less hand shock and kneeled formation

Words: Joey Mellor-Smith

of the Prince of Wales, that the pastime truly took off, but after this, societies were set up across the country; each with their own outlandish costumes and games of skill. After the industrial era began, the pastime was adopted by all classes of people in Britain for its nostalgic evocation of preindustrial rural country. In the 1840s, the Grand National Archery Society – now known simply as Archery GB – began to revive archery in the form of a recreational sport. The rules became standardised as the yearly tradition and festivities continued, eventually titled as a York Round in honour of the location; 6 dozen arrows at 100 yards, 4 dozen at 80 yards, and 2 dozen at 60 yards, with a maximum score of 1296 when each coloured ring on a target scores an odd number from 1 to 9. As a sport, archery has persisted into the current day with representation across most of the globe and as an Olympic sport. The rules set in the 1840s have been built on to include a wider array of round types, such as Portsmouth, Bray, Worcester, and Windsor, all supposedly named after historic English battles. The scoring system most would assume is used, 10-zone scoring where each

section increases by 1 point incrementally and a central yellow awards a 10, is actually an American invention now defined

system adopted by the York archers is the universal scoring system for all British archery tournaments and rounds; defined as Imperial scoring to clearly distinguish

between the two methods. In the 1920s, new types of bow were invented for enhanced sporting and hunting performance, such as the take-down and compound styles. These modern sport and hunting bows quickly became the dominant styles, but much like the industrial-era, traditional forms of archery have been adopted by a few niche groups as a nostalgic continuation of archery tradition. Now, archery is more commonly associated with all manner of fantasy fiction, which in turn has caused the emergence of extremely niche fantasy roleplay archery and the production of equipment to suit the specific aesthetics and uses that fictional archery consists of. It is an exciting thought to consider how bow use may change in the future, but with continued enhancement to mass media and remote connectivity, we can only hope archery sees a second revival or for more to learn about its expansive, rich history and insightful wisdoms.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF JAPANESE THEATRE

Words by: Grace Franklin

Kabuki theatre is a traditional form of Japanese theatre that combines dramatic performances with traditional dance. It is known for its heavily stylised performances involving a rich blend of music, dance, and mime. The word Kabuki

[[’can be broken down into three separate meanings, ka-sing, bu-dance, ki-skill, which is what makes up a lot of Kabuki performances. Kabuki has been captivating audiences in Japan since the early 17th century and originated when a female dancer named Okuni, and a group of female performers gained popularity with dance performances and sketches in Kyoto’s red-light district. Okuni’s Kabuki was the first

dramatic entertainment that was engineered for the common people. However, due to

the voluptuous nature of the performances and the prostitution of the actors, the government banned women from performing in 1629. After this, men began playing the roles of both male and female characters, which is common practice still to this day. By the century Kabuki had evolved into a serious established art form, and in 2005 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation declared Kabuki as an intangible Cultural Heritage.

One of the most defining characteristics of Kabuki is the elaborate makeup and costumes. For example, the make-up used during these performances involves

a lot of bright colours and exaggerated features which is said to help the audience members differentiate characters and is also based on four centuries of practice. In terms of costumes, these are typically made of silk and include many intricate patterns and detail. It is this stylised creation of character that helps to set Kabuki apart from other forms of theatre and thus contributes to the cultural significance of the

art form.

In addition to the stylised costume and make up, Kabuki is known for its unique style of acting which is commonly known as ‘aragoto’. This particular style of acting refers to the exaggerated movements and loud voices on stage, which alongside the outlandish costumes and make-up, allows for a heavily stylised and unique artform that is centred around audience enjoyment. Moreover, the

and the rising threat of modern entertainment options that attract younger audiences, the future of Kabuki remains uncertain. However, despite these challenges, there’s no doubt that Kabuki will forever be a significant element of Japan’s cultural heritage. Its unique and captivating ability to entertain audiences for centuries is a true testament to the power of performance-based arts.

gongs and traditional Japanese instruments that create emotion, contributing to the overall immersive audience experience. Despite its rich, cultural heritage

Kabuki has faced its fair share of challenges during the past few years, with the global pandemic forcing many theatres to close their doors

Chinese costume has a long history, from primitive society, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States, Qin and Han, Wei, Jin and North and South Dynasties, Sui and Tang, Song, Liao, Xia, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing, to modern times, costume has become the most characteristic representative of the Chinese nation with distinctive features.

The pre-Qin period

The pre-Qin period was the period when our ancient costume system was established and also had a profound influence on future generations. Chinese dress is characterised by the upper garment and the lower garment. The garment worn underneath is actually a skirt, not trousers. A robe in which the upper and lower garments are cut separately and then sewn together at the waist is called a deep garment system. Depending on how straight or curved the bodice is, there is a straight train robe and a curved train robe. Usually worn as a dress.

Spring, Autumn and Warring States

Chinese printing techniques were invented in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period. The character ‘绮

绮qi绮’ appears on the Warring States Chu jian. It was woven in all subsequent dynasties, and the specifications and patterns became increasingly varied. The word “绮绮 (jin qi)” was always regarded as a high-quality fabric, and many dynasties-imposed restrictions on who could use it. In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period there are lozenge brocades in red and yellow on a dark brown ground. Diamond pattern brocade, vermilion stripes between the flower pairs of dragon and phoenix patterns, etc. The straight train single coat is a robe with the upper and lower garments sewn together (deep coat: 1 concave back collar, triangular cross collar in front. 2 two sleeves flat and straight with wide cuffs and short sleeve tubes. 3 long hanging sleeves with wide hem). The patterns are mainly rhombus, square chess patterns, geometric, grass

dragon and grass phoenix patterns, and the dresses are coloured in green, red, yellow, white and black to symbolise nobility. The colours used for dress are blue, red, yellow, white and black. In the Qin Dynasty, the main colour was black, and the coronet was made into a political dress.

Wei, Jin and North-South Dynasties

Women’s clothing of the Wei and Jin dynasties, all with a wide boast, is characterised by a pair of lapels, a corseted waist, wide sleeves, and different colored rims on the cuffs, lapels and hem, and a striped inter-colored skirt underneath, tied at the waist with a piece of silk belt. At that time, women’s undergarments had other skirt styles in addition to the

Words: Meixi Chen

inter-colored skirt. The batik printed cotton cloth, which was prevalent in the north and south of Wei and Jin, began in the Jin dynasty and was shaped like a scarf, draped over the neck and shoulders and handed over in front of the collar to hang down naturally. The name of the garment is cape. The northern peoples were nomadic, good at riding and shooting, and wading through water and grass all year round, so they were mainly dressed in trousers, i.e., with pleats on the upper body and trousers on the lower body. This is known as the “pleated trouser suit”. It was also used by the Han Chinese army and was tied tightly under the knees at the trousers, which was called “fettered trousers”. They were worn by both men and women and were usually worn on a daily basis.

Sui and Tang dynasties

The imperial coronet (a coronet shorter than the deep coat style) appeared and yellow became the color reserved for royalty. Round-necked robes, slightly decorated at the leader’s lapels, open at the left and right, long for civil officials, slightly shorter for military officials, usually wearing a soft hat or tying a turban with two fluttering belts behind the head. Women mainly wore silk (sarong), mostly low-cut skirts and half-armed shirts decorated with ribbons, and with complex headgear (gold inlay). The Tang dynasty brocade is characterised by its fine organisation and coloring. The men’s clothes were round-necked robes and shirts, with the civil officials’ clothes reaching to the bare

feet or to the ground, and the military officials’ clothes slightly shorter than the knees, with wide and narrow sleeves. Women’s clothing includes short coats, long skirts and ponchos, largesleeved sarongs, long skirts and ponchos. The women are generally dressed in Tang dynasty costume, mostly wearing half-armed shirts with intricate patterns over pastes, but without a belt on the chest and with a white folded skirt underneath.

Song Dynasty

The woof appears as a coronet (shorter than a deep coat style coronet). The dragon’s tail is a special pattern for the royal family. The emperor has a dragon

locks, like a peach, and the rest in two braids, which were then wound into two large loops and hung behind the ears, and wore kasa hats on their heads. The clothes of the Yuan dynasty were mainly ‘Qisun clothes’ which were shorter robes, tighter and narrower, with many folds at the waist, and these were very convenient for riding horses.

Ming Dynasty

with five claws, the prince has a dragon with four claws, and the dragon type has a vertical side lift. The official is equipped with a squarehearted curved collar and wears a hard hat with a long horizontal wing at the back of the head.

The Yuan Dynasty

The Yuan dynasty was ruled by the Mongols and so the costumes of the Yuan dynasty were more unusual. The Mongols mostly wore their hair on the forehead in small

Buttons appeared in place of lacing, and the emperor wore only one or two types of woof silk coronets, shorter than the deep-dress style coronets. In the cuffs have been different from the previous dynasty coronet system cuffs wide, slightly smaller, and the sleeve tube also became not hanging and short and arc, is the first turning point of the Chinese imperial dress. Officials in the Ming dynasty began to wear regimental collar tied mendicants, so they were divided into official positions through different patterns of mendicants, and Wuzha hats (two short pieces of gauze on the back of the hat) were worn with jade belts. Round cuffs and hemlines appeared on women’s clothing, and noble women wore intricately patterned capes and clouded shoulders, accompanied by jade pendants.

AND THE PHENOMENON OF 3D PRINTING

Words: Joey Mellor-Smith

Fast fashion is a term we’re all familiar with and in the last decade, it has become increasingly notorious for the waste the industry produces. Countless ventures have come as a result in an effort to combat this waste, but few seem to acknowledge that the harm does not exclusively come from the unethical labour that is used or the discard garments that spill out of landfills – there is also substantial environmental impact in the unsustainable water consumption required to grow cotton crop.

An unlikely solution to this has arisen in the form of 3D printing – not something that anyone familiar with the rigid thermoplastics used in 3D printers would think viable, but a team of MIT researchers set out to create a plastic filament that could be printed into a strong, flexible, and fabric-like material. Building on the simple material, TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), the team has managed to

produce a printed fabric they describe to be as “soft as skin”.

Additionally, in the fashion world, there has been an increasing number of endeavours into creating entirely 3D printed wearable garments, such as those of engineering student, Danit Peleg. Peleg’s work was produced as a proof of concept for 3D printable clothing, with the only drawback in her design being the gaps between threads of plastic to give it enough flexibility to wear.

Currently, the 3D printed textiles industry is in its infancy, with these two particular examples being part of only a mere handful of examples of experiments into the limits of 3D printing technology. However, considering that there are already designers creating proof of concept printed clothing, and technicians producing printable fabrics, it is only a matter of time before the two are combined into fully 3D printable, wearable clothing that has no

drawbacks when compared to its fabric alternatives. Should these technologies be combined, 3D printing textiles will largely replace the water consumption and environmental impact of cotton crop growing, as well as switching the manufacturing process to one that is entirely automated from unethical labour practices a lot of fast fashion labels partake in to skirt costs.

As a last, forward thinking note, there is also a growing niche of 3D printer users that have switched to recycling plastic bottles into a more sustainable plastic filament as they are made of the same thermoplastic as most typical filaments on the market. Should 3D printed textiles become its own industry, we believe there is potential for the recycled plastic bottle TPU to also become a material used for clothing – meaning our future clothes could be sustainable, powered by renewable energy, harm free, and created with recycled waste goods that would otherwise pollute the earth for millennia.

NOT THOSE ONES

Words: Joey Mellor-Smith

In the ever-growing sustainability-conscious changes occurring in every modern industry, few new developments are quite as quirky and interesting as Bolt Threads, the company pushing to unlock the potential of mycelium – the root structure of mushrooms – through environmentally friendly fabric alternatives. Everyone enjoys clothing to some degree, so why should the leather industry continue to use less-sustainable by-products of animal slaughter to appease our wants? California-based textiles company, Bolt Threads, sat down and asked themselves the same question.

Since their founding in 2009, Bolt Threads has devoted themselves

to creating sustainable textile alternatives in a resource-starved world. The company has worked with major fashion labels such as Adidas, Stella McCartney, and Lululemon to create new lines of sustainable fashion to counteract the overwhelming power of fast fashion brands and environmental impact of commonly used textiles. Bolt Threads debuted their first product, Microsilk Fiber, in 2017; a silk produced from spider silk as opposed to the more expensive silk of silkworms, and have since moved their focus to alternative leathers that are both cruelty-free and plastic-free. In 2018, Mylo, the company’s answer to a leather alternative that could be 100% renewable, carbon neutral, and harm free for both animals and the environment. Time has been taken to perfect the material and market it to labels, and as of 2022, Mylo leather products have begun to hit the market.

Mylo begins as a collection of mycelium cells, grown in Bolt Threads’ renewable farming facility atop an organic substrate to promote growth. As the cells grow, they form a foam-like material of

leather tannery to have a surface texture and finish applied that makes Mylo indiscernible from normal leather. Mycelium’s growth speed spanning just weeks as opposed to the years it takes to raise livestock for regular leather could potentially see leather entirely

next decade. With these textile alternatives and other mycelium products being explored, such as improved replacements for building and insulation materials, meat alternatives, styrofoam packaging replacements and more, the humble mushroom could become an integral part of everyday life.

A BRIEF RAMBLING

Words: Meixi Chen

“Tea, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea” are essential to people’s lives, but the first six items are still indispensable to life today, leaving only “tea” optional. Tea was very important in ancient times, but why is it that tea, which has been regarded as a necessity for thousands of years, has withdrawn from our lives. The public’s awareness of tea culture is generally not high, we generally believe that today’s tea culture is a part of life rather than art, not to mention the tea ceremony, feel more of the long history of tea, but ignore the elegant spiritual realm and deep philosophy.

China is the homeland of tea and the birthplace of tea culture. Tea culture means the cultural characteristics formed in the process of tea drinking activities, including tea ceremony, tea virtues,

tea spirit, tea association, tea book, tea utensils, tea recipes, tea poems, tea paintings, tea studies, tea stories, tea art and so on. The origin of tea culture is China. China is the homeland of tea, Chinese tea drinking, it is said to have started in the Shennong era, at least 4700 years. Until now, the Han Chinese still have the custom of using tea as a gift.

THE BEGINNING

It first appeared during the Northern Dynasties of the Jin Dynasty, but only a few literati and elegant people drank tea. It was only after the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty that the Chinese ‘tea ceremony’ began to reach a wide public audience.

In addition to drinking tea, tea was eaten and used medicinally long before the Western Han Dynasty, and even during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

Tea is not just a drink, but a spiritual symbol of purity and meditation. Many people drink tea to relieve their irritable moods. The spiritual connotation of tea culture is a cultural phenomenon with distinctive Chinese cultural characteristics formed through the combination of

habits and Chinese cultural connotations and etiquette, which can also be described as a ritual phenomenon.

Tea is the national drink of the Chinese people, developed in Shennong, heard in Lu Zhou Gong, Xing in the Tang Dynasty, Sheng in the Song Dynasty, popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the seventh century AD, with the rise of the Tang Dynasty, tea consumption and production increased dramatically. The emperors of the Tang Dynasty enjoyed drinking tea and gave it as gifts to foreign friends. By this time, tea had become an important part of Chinese culture. With the decline of the Tang Dynasty, the production and consumption of tea took on a new dimension in the Song Dynasty. With the socialisation of tea and the rise of tea culture in the Song Dynasty, tea became an important social activity and cultural symbol. The flourishing of tea culture in the Song Dynasty gave rise to the development of the tea ceremony and tea ceremony. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the production and trade of tea

developed further. During the Ming Dynasty, tea trees began to be planted in large quantities and the tea trade was conducted at sea. By the Qing Dynasty, tea had become one of China’s major

export commodities. In modern times, the Chinese tea industry has undergone many developments and renewals. in the early 20th century, Chinese tea underwent an industrial revolution and modernisation, with a significant increase in production capacity and output. At the same time Chinese tea began to enter the international market. It occupies an important position in the world tea market.

Tang Dynasty: Before 1200, influenced by the economy and culture of the Tang Dynasty and advocated by Lu Yu’s “Tea Sutra”, the culture of tea drinking flourished in the Tang Dynasty. Song Dynasty: 1000 years ago, the art of tea making was improved, the water quality was refined and tea

fighting became a trend. Yuan Dynasty: 700 years ago, loose tea began to appear. For the people, loose tea was the mainstay and cake tea were mainly used by the imperial court. The way of brewing tea began to appear, i.e., using boiling water to brew tea leaves directly. The foundation was laid for the rise of loose tea in the Ming Dynasty. Ming Dynasty: 600 years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the dough and changed it to loose, the process of yellow tea, black tea and flower tea was formed one after another. Qing Dynasty: 300 years ago, Chinese tea took the world by storm and dominated the world’s tea market. At that time, the only tea exported was from China, and the process was based on roasting and frying green, making green tea, black tea, flower tea, green tea and white tea. Tang Dynasty: Sencha Method - Putting tea powder into a pot and boiling it together with water. Song Dynasty: The method of ordering tea - the young leaves of tea leaves are killed with steam and then made into dough (cake tea) to be preserved, baked and dried over a fire when it is time to drink, and then ground into powder using a natural stone mill. The Song dynasty

the elegant over the Tang

sencha. The tea brewing methodpure boiling water

Tea is not just a drink, but a spiritual symbol of purity and a form of meditation.

brewing. The Ming and Qing dynasties were the heyday of tea culture and an important period in the history of tea drinking methods when major changes took place.

The significance and value of tea culture has also been developed to date. Firstly, tea culture can promote communication and exchange between people. Brewing a pot of tea and inviting friends over to taste it allows people to relax, enjoy the aroma and get to know each other better. Tea culture can also serve as a bridge for business and cultural exchange, allowing people to better understand each other’s culture and traditions. Secondly, tea culture can help people maintain their physical and mental health. Tea contains many beneficial ingredients such as theophylline and amino acids, which can improve one’s immune system and reduce the incidence of illness. In addition, the process of making tea also has a healing effect, allowing people to relax and relieve stress. Once again, tea culture can reflect the culture and traditions of a country. Different countries and regions have different tea cultures, and these cultures

represent people’s lifestyles, values and cultural heritage. Understanding the tea cultures of different countries allows people to better understand each other’s cultures and traditions, promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Finally, tea culture can become an important pillar of economic development. Tea is one of the most important agricultural products in the world, and tea culture can drive the production, sale

Types of tea

Green Tea/West Lake

Longjing

Origin: the mountains around Longjing village, southwest of West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Description: flat and straight leaves, green with a hint of yellow and with an orchid-like aroma.

Benefits: lowers blood pressure and slows down the aging process.

Biluochun

Origin: the east and west hills of Dongting, Wu County, Jiangsu Province

Description: the tea buds are 1-2 cm long and have the richest flavour, combining the aromas of peach, plum, plum and orange trees, thus giving it a natural floral and fruity aroma.

Benefits: aids weight loss, lowers temperature, relieves hangovers, and refreshes the mind.

Xinyang Mao Jing

Origin: Xinyang County in the Dabie Mountains of southern Henan Province

Description: bright green, and thin and straight leaves with a white hair-like texture,

and consumption of tea, becoming an important pillar of economic development. Tea culture can also drive the development of related industries, such as teaware manufacturing and tea packaging, into a comprehensive industrial chain.

Benefits: quenches thirst and lowers temperature, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Green tea/Oolong tea/Tie

Guanyin

Origin: Anxi County, Fujian Province, Mower Yang Township

Brewing a pot of tea and inviting friends over to taste it allows people to relax, enjoy the aroma and get to know each other better.

Description: curly in shape, and the crisper the sound the better the quality.

Benefits: aids in weight loss, helps to clear skin, lowers cholesterol, protects the stomach, and helps in the prevention of diabetes.

Junshan Silver Needle/ Yellow Tea

(from Junshan in Lake Dongting in Yueyang, Hunan Province) - a better known tea, with fat buds covered with white hairs. Its effects are to aid digestion, relieve fatigue, prevent cancer, etc.

Qimen Black Tea

Qimen Black Tea (produced in Qimen County, Anhui Province in many places)‘one of the three most highly aromatic black teas’, with a persistent aroma, black with a hint of grey, thin and long tea leaf shape, drinking with candied, fruity and floral aromas. The effects shi nourish the stomach, beautify the skin, detoxify the body, etc.

Dian Hong Gong Gong tea (from the oldest teaproducing region in China)the tea leaves are plump and thick, with a strong aroma and resistance to brewing.

Currently the most popular type of tea (the world’s largest tea group - Lipton Black Tea in the UK).

--White Tea-White Hao Yinzhen (from Fujian) - fat buds, the longer it is brewed the clearer the tea broth becomes / White Peony - straight shape, with white fluffy hairs, the tea broth is light yellow or orange after brewing, with a slight sweetness.

--Dark tea--(usually black tea in the form of cakes or bricks) Pu-erh tea (produced in Xishuangbanna, Lincang and Pu-erh regions of Yunnan Province) - Raw and ripe Pu-erh. The effects are to lower blood lipids, warm the stomach, etc.

With the diversification of beverage types today, tea is no longer the first choice of people. Modern people live a fast-paced life and are so busy running around during the week that they have little time to calm down and enjoy tea. Most of the time tea is used as a refreshing drink in everyone’s life, with tea, drink it, without tea, it does not matter. Secondly, the quality and price of tea has also become confusing. Fewer and fewer people really know about tea, and businesses are changing their prices at will for the sake of profit, causing the public to lose sight of its true value and quality. I have to say that the tea culture nowadays has a lot of formal tricks and less cultural undertones. Tea culture is not about high prices, drinking tea in accordance with the steps of boiling tea or going to teahouses and other

such superficial practices, but about ‘virtue, action’ as the centre, to quiet as the purpose, to be spiritual and physical and mental relaxation, specific forms of expression can be varied, the purpose is to enhance the cultural heritage of cultivating the body and nurturing.

The ancient Chinese tea culture has been combined with the history, culture, economy and humanities of various countries, and has evolved into the British, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Moroccan tea cultures. The Japanese sencha ceremony and the Taiwanese tea ceremony in China both originate from the work of tea in Chaozhou, Guangdong. In Britain, tea drinking became a part of life, a ritual for the British to show gentlemanly manners, and an essential procedure in the life of the Queen and a necessary ritual in major social events.

How to Change Your HINT:

IT MIGHT REQUIRE HOURS

Words: Katrin-Glory Petrow

In 2008, three American researchers, one David Luna, a Torsten Ringberg, and a Laura Perrachio, showed a group of Hispanic women a set of adverts: the first in English or Spanish, and

the second, in the other language, six months later. The women were asked to describe how they viewed the main character, a woman, or women in general, after watching the adverts. The

results? “In the Spanishspeaking language sessions, informants perceived females as more self-sufficient and extroverted,” while in the English, they saw the main character as “hopeless, lonely,

and confused.” How could this happen? The content was the same, and even though the language was different, the participants understood both to the same extent. So what changed their opinions?

Language, as it turns out, isn’t just a bunch of letters strung together to make words, strung together to make sentences. In their research at Stockholm University, Klara Skogmyr Marian and Nathan Young also found that people feel like different versions of themselves depending on the language they are speaking. Even more strikingly, or perhaps quite obviously, it appears that the personage we take on depends on how we view the culture of that language. And this perception isn’t always the same, despite the way films, social media, and news stories can imprint certain traits onto certain ethnic and cultural groups. We will see this in the following case.

There is a vast difference, for example, between the mentality of people living in collectivist cultures compared to those living in individualist cultures. A collectivist culture is one in which the community prioritises the group over the individual,” while individualistic culture are “those that stress the needs of the individual over the needs of the group as a whole”. Susan Ervin-Tripp’s sentence-finishing study, carried out in San Francisco in 1968, succinctly demonstrates this cultural difference, and supports the findings that came decades later. She spoke to Japanese women who had moved to America, and asked them to fill out the rest of the following sentence, once in Japanese, and once in English: “when my wishes conflict with my family…” In Japanese, one respondent said “it is a time of great unhappiness,” while in English, her answer was “I do what I want.” The

conclusion? To the Japanese woman, English as viewed within American culture gave her confidence, unlike the Hispanic women in the 2008 study.

What can we take from this? For one, we could come to appreciate the wonder that is the diverse world we live in today. And it wouldn’t take learning a whole new language necessarily; even just visiting a country could open you up to the ways in which location and history can affect who we are. While you’re on your travels, you might also find that you become more empathetic, open-minded, creative, grounded, and happy - or so a multitude of researchers say. So even if you weren’t actually in the business of changing your personality by learning a new language, you’ll still benefit from exploring different cultures. The question is, what are you waiting for?

The Point of Feelings

THEY’RE JUST TRYING TO HELP

Words: Meixi Chen

Emotions are a sudden human reaction to events that occur, they arise automatically and are initiated quickly, often before we are even aware of them. They have the advantage of allowing us to maintain a rapid response to our surroundings. When in danger, for example, our brain may not realise what is happening, but our emotions react instantly to facilitate our next step.

But this characteristic also causes us a lot of problems like, for example, when we have an emotion, the mind is often blank at the very first moment. This causes our reasoning to suffer, leading to strong emotions similar to a wild horse that is not easily controlled. It is not easy to manage your emotions properly,

and over-control or no control can have counterproductive consequences.

To control emotions is to keep them inside, not to express them, and not to release them, which is what we often call “patience”. But

suppressing your emotions for a long time will either hurt you and make you physically ill or have psychological problems, or, if you build up to a point where you can’t stand it, you explode and do more damage to the relationship. When we talk about emotions, we often think of them as a sign of “immaturity”. It seems that a mature person should be emotionless and always be very calm. Emotions should instead be considered as messengers, not simply a source of pain. There are six basic human emotions: joy (love), anger, sorrow, fear, disgust and shame.

Joy (love)

Loving and being loved are very important needs of people. When one has satisfied the most basic physical and security needs, there

is a strong need to love and be loved, and a desire to have an emotional connection with others. When we love others and feel loved, our hearts are happy and content.

Anger

When people’s self-imposed boundaries are violated or challenged, healthy anger instinctively leads us to say no to the violation, to protect our boundaries and to make a space for ourselves. This healthy, confident anger means that we believe we are worthy of respect and love, and that our sense of self-worth is high.

Sorrow

Mourning or grief are the sadness and grief we feel when we lose someone or something that is important to us. A healthy way to cope is to actively set aside a period of time for yourself to feel the emotion of sadness, to allow yourself to be sad, to allow yourself to miss what you have lost, and gradually the intensity of the sadness will become less and less frequent.

Fear

At times, can also manifest itself as anxiety and worry.

When we are walking alone at night and hear a footstep behind us that has the same rhythm as ours, we get scared, our heart beats faster, adrenaline increases, our whole body becomes more alert and we may act to protect our personal safety by running away quickly or turning around to check if there are bad people following us. When we are soon to face an exam or interview, we have feelings of worry and anxiety that make us put in more time to study, prepare better and perform better than usual. Both types of fear are healthy, positive and conducive to our survival and adaptation.

Disgust

This is probably the emotion most likely to be misunderstood as a ‘negative emotion’, but a healthy sense of disgust is good for us too. When we eat food that disgusts us, we develop disgust and refuse to continue eating it. When

we meet someone we hate, we develop disgust and stay away from that person, which will make our environment more comfortable. So, as unpleasant as the aversion is in the moment, it does work.

Shame

An emotion that may also be dismissed as a ‘negative emotion’, can also be beneficial. For example, when we do something wrong, there is a strong feeling of shame, then this strong emotional feeling will allow us to correct the mistake and avoid making the same mistake afterwards, which will prevent the same outcome from happening again. Therefore, a healthy sense of shame is worthy of our acceptance.

Emotions are not synonymous with immaturity, on the contrary, emotions have evolved to help us adapt to survive, allowing us to understand our inner needs and know what actions to take to meet them. Without emotions, the bridge to our inner worlds would be lost.

We’re All a Bit AND THAT’S OKAY

Would you consider yourself crazy? Chances are, you don’t. You’re normal, right? Crazy people are separate from people like you, worse off than you, and frankly, you probably think it’s rude that I asked if you were one of ‘them’. The problem is, how do you define crazy? What makes you so sure that you aren’t, and why are you so worried now that I’m suggesting you might be?

Let’s get clear on what exactly madness is, then. Michel Foucault (19261984), a French philosopher, observed that when the first asylums began cropping up around the Western world, something was off. The people put in there, far from being treated, were instead punished or simply left to die, often chained up and starved. With Christianity going strong, Foucault realised that the people being put away in these asylums all had one thing in common: they were, to religious standards, immoral: anyone who stole, was sexually promiscuous, or generally seen as disruptive or primal ended up being labelled as mad. So, if these ‘mad’

behaviours were the opposite of reason, Foucault mused that this meant that they were inextricably intertwined with reason, rooted in it. Philip Zimbardo, the president of the American Psychological Association, also came to a similar conclusion with his colleagues in 2002. After gathering a bunch of healthy college students, he and his team hypnotised them, increased their heart rates with machines, and cleverly provided different suggestions for what might have caused this. The findings would make Foucault chuckle smugly: those that were told the reason was physical developed symptoms of hypochondria, while those who were told the changes

Words: Katrin-Glory Petrow

had a social cause became paranoid. In other words, the students, who were seemingly sane to begin with, started to experience symptoms of various types of ‘madness’ based on rational reasoning.

But then why is madness so stigmatised? Why are diseases like schizophrenia, for example, still considered a huge taboo? The short answer: society. Our opinions are guided by what the people in our immediate surroundings think which can be both a good or a bad thing. Awareness surrounding many mental health conditions, such as depressive disorder and anxiety, has skyrocketed in the past decade, making it easier for us to accept them as somewhat ‘normal’. Schizophrenia, on the other hand, has not been so lucky: Brian Semple from the UK charity Rethink Mental Illness states that “many people assume that it means having a split personality or that it makes you violent, neither of which is true.” In fact, the violence associated with schizophrenia has been attributed to the abuse of alcohol, which is

“Madness is the sufferer’s unintentional disruption of society’s norms, of reasonable and normal actions.”

schizophrenia. So consider this: you have schizophrenia and are struggling to cope with your symptoms, as well as the societal taboos surrounding your illness. You turn to alcohol as an escape, (escapism is associated with the consumption of alcohol) and the alcohol makes you violent: a reasonable decision leads to you committing acts deemed unacceptable in society. In this light, Foucault seems to be right about Western perspectives on craziness.

Dr. Joseph Polimeni MD defends madness in a slightly different light. His research is about the similarities between shamanism, the practice of healing with the help of spirits, deities, and natural elements of the earth, and schizophrenia. He pointed out that shamanism, like mental illness, was often characterised by a sense of being overcome by something and not being in control. This is akin to the hearing of voices that many schizophrenics experience. The Thonga people in South Africa, for example, divide doctors into two groups: the ordinary lot, and those overcome by a spirit who speaks to them from a different realm. He talks about how in many

cultures where traditional (as opposed to pharmaceutical) healing methods are used across the board, people who experience such things are not degraded or looked down upon; instead, they are embraced. Crucially, Polimeni isn’t suggesting that schizophrenia sufferers should just reject medication and embark on a life of shamanism. He acknowledges the benefits of medication and believes that sufferers should take them if they need them: someone with distressing hallucinations (a common symptom of schizophrenia) might respond wonderfully to a low dose of antipsychotic medication, while another who is sensitive to medication might feel that they can deal with their symptoms after weighing out the pros and cons. For some, the solution might fall somewhere in the middle. After years of unsuccessful treatment for his son’s schizophrenia, Dick Russell took his son, Frank, to visit a renowned

That said, a diagnosis can be a valuable thing. Since 1952, the process of diagnosis has been to assess symptoms, consult a manual known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, map the symptoms onto there, and find the most likely condition. Dr Kate Alsopp and a growing number of researchers, however, believe that labels can not only be inaccurate, but also harmful to treatment. Alsopp and her colleagues found that psychiatric diagnoses are “scientifically meaningless” for two key reasons. The first is that there is a significant overlap between the symptoms of different diagnoses: for example, some of the symptoms of ADHD, like mood swings, poor concentration, and impulsivity, can be found in various others, like bipolar disorder, various personality disorders, and substance abuse. The second reason, they found, is that most diagnoses do not take the role that trauma

information about the patient themselves. This, for obvious reasons, is problematic, as how are we supposed to approach treatment if we don’t know what we’re treating? Professor Peter Kinderman from the University of Liverpool agrees, adding that “the diagnostic system wrongly assumes that all distress results from disorder, and relies heavily on subjective judgements about what is normal.” And what is normal? This is the question that the famous Tony from Broadmoor Asylum struggled to answer.

Tony was a 19-year-old man who got into a brawl outside a bar one night. Upon his arrest, a fellow inmate suggested he fake

insanity so he could avoid the harshness of prison and be sent to a mental hospital instead. Unfortunately for Tony, Broadmoor Asylum, the hospital in question, could not provide the soft life Tony had envisioned it might. And so he spent the next 10 years trying to prove that he was normal, and that he’d lied about being a psychopath (he had told the court that he enjoyed watching women die and that it made him feel alive to achieve this diagnosis). But the staff were having none of it. When he told them he had lied, they chalked it up to the classic psychopath trait, compulsive lying. When he fearfully stayed away from his fellow patients, murderers and rapists, staff received

that as his being grandiose and aloof. During the years of struggling to convince them he was ‘normal’, he learnt a lesson that we could all take something from: when it comes down to it, how does one sit, act, and speak normally? Who can make those judgement calls, and how often do they get it wrong? And, most importantly, how can we be kinder to those who we perceive as different to ‘us’? The answer, I suspect, might just be as simple as consciously acknowledging that difference, instead of dividing us, can be the key to bringing us together.

Is There After

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AND THE ISSUE WITH FINDING EVIDENCE OF IT!

Have you ever thought about what happens when you die? As in, do you know what actually happens to your physical body? When your life eventually comes to an end, your heart will stop, ceasing your breathing and brain functionality shortly after. Then, because no warm blood is running through you

anymore, your body will go cold. And that, my friend, is death; we are no longer and cannot come back, so why the hell is there such a huge debate on the possibility of life after death?

Having lived on this planet for 2 and a half million years, our little human species has had plenty of

time to let our imaginations run wild. In that time, hundreds of religions, some more popular than others, have developed their own theories for what happens after death. Christians and Muslims, for example, believe that we get judged for our deeds and get subsequently sent into heaven or hell.

Buddhists, on the other hand, believe that this life is one of many, and that when we die we step into another life with the aim of experiencing them all, a process known as reincarnation.

Jim Tucker and his colleagues at the university of Virginia studied a multitude of cases in which children have recalled information about what they avidly believe is their past lives. One notable example was a young boy called Ryan Hammons, who remembered 55 concrete pieces of information from his past life as, what was later verified, a talent agency owner living in West Hollywood in the 50s. The information he had shared with his mum was nowhere to be found online, and yet was confirmed by the family of Ryan’s supposed old self. This included obscure things like the brand of fizzy drink the man had liked (a brand that had been discontinued 50 years ago), or the fact that his past self had lived on a street with the word ‘rock’ in it (it turned out to be Rox‘).

Ryan’s memories of what he believed was his past life faded as he grew up. A similar phenomenon, this time concerned with people nearing the end of life, has been getting attention in the last half of the century. Reports of near-death experiences, the term for the phenomenon of the same meaning, share similarities in contents regardless of space, time, and culture. While the most common experiences are ‘mystical’ or a sense of ego-dissolution, there have been many instances of people about to pass seeing deceased loved ones in the room with them, days or hours away from their time of death. Keen to understand what could be causing this, researchers found that the chemical compound Dimethyltryptamine, more commonly known as DMT, is released in copious amounts at the time of death. But does this mean that neardeath experiences aren’t ‘real’ because they are caused by a chemical? Or does it mean

that we are simply closer to understanding how neardeath experiences work and are reflected chemically? It is easy to chalk up past-life memories and near-death experiences as fruits of the imagination. But if we are to do so, we mustn’t overlook the fact that many other things that aren’t as hard to believe are accepted as reality: feelings like love, hate and fear are so normal to us, yet they too are processes experienced subjectively and created through chemical and hormone interactions. Ideas are another example of this: they’re not tangible objects, yet we know they exist, because they are real to us. What’s to say, then, that comforting visions of deceased relatives and pastlife memories that feel real to the beholders are ‘wrong’? That would be awfully judgemental and, frankly, quite depressing. All we can really do in finding the truth for ourselves is keep an open mind. Who knows what we might discover?