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Month: October 2018

First Watch: Once Upon a Time in the West

Sergio Leone’s magnum opus Once Upon a Time in the West captivates the senses in every minute of its run time with deep characters, a perfect score, and some of the coolest dialogue in the business.

The film has returned to the big screen for the Design Manchester Festival’s sixth year, and is prefaced with a unique introduction by festival co-founder Malcolm Garrett.

This 1968 movie is epic in proportion but, broadly speaking, centres on the joining of forces of a mysterious harmonica player (Charles Bronson) and a notorious desperado (Jason Robards), in order to protect the most beautiful of widows (Claudia Cardinale) from the most fiendish of foes (Henry Fonda).

The acting provided by this all-star cast is effective in providing the nuanced characters necessary to maintain an audience’s attention for the nearly three hour run time.

Indeed, each ‘book’ displays more by the end of the narrative than their ‘cover’ — even the clichéd appearances of the beautiful widow or grizzled gunslinger give way to more tenderness or fighting respectively, than Leone originally had you believe.

Fonda does however prevail in his promise of a cold and calculating killer that carves up Leone’s hot and hostile setting, leaving misery and the seeds of revenge in his wake. Claudia Cardinale perhaps shines brighter still by providing a figure who, while is walked over by the opposite sex, still manages to be a dominatrix of dialogue with a barbed tongue in defiance before any grizzled gunslinger, which helps her to win the viewers heart.

Despite all this, however, Once Upon a Time in the West would hardly stand out from the crowd of 60s spaghetti westerns without the union of Leone’s purposeful cinematography and Ennio Morricone’s perfect score.

These pillars of the experience work together in a symbiosis seldom seen on the silver screen. Leone champions the power of the gaze to direct the flow of action on screen while Morricone’s tones control the tension and atmosphere surrounding every situation.

Long drawn-out stare downs are slow and deliberate, with simple close-ups leaving plenty of room for mournful harmonics and high-pitched strings. This use of music begins as almost a way of portraying the calculating thoughts in each character’s head, then as the pace quickens it builds suspense for the inevitable and regrettable actions.

The score is seldom interrupted by anything other than the hard-hitting gunshots that perforate the film, turning Morricone’s masterful sounds into the living embodiment of the characters’ feelings and sensations before all is cut short with a trigger.

Overall, Once Upon a Time in the West is a well-deserved staple of the western canon that belongs nowhere but the big screen where the captivating characters and score can truly shine.

Rating: 4.5/5

#iweigh myself, and you really should too

As someone who has always been very body-conscious, felt uncomfortable, and had anxiety within many different social situations due to societal expectations of what is considered healthy and attractive, I have too often felt out of place.

Since discovering the ‘I Weigh’ movement, however, the empowering messages behind the different submitted posts has shifted my thinking process to a more positive one, prioritising the attributes that I weigh about myself.

The ‘I Weigh’ movement started as a form of socio-political resistance to expectations of what a woman’s body should be, as portrayed in magazines, television, and different media in this digital age of hyper-consumerism. However, ‘I Weigh’ is so much more than body confidence. It is about life positivity, self-worth, and inter-sectional empowerment. It encompasses so many different aspects of life and the variety of thinks that people should value about themselves besides what they see on the scales.

Spearheading this campaign is actress Jameela Jamil, who has been outspoken on these issues. Through her social media channels she stands to be a role model for others. This can be shown by her own ‘I Weigh’ posts — with empowering dialogues she remains transparent with her followers, especially around airbrushing, and the choice to not have makeup to cover up stretch marks on her breasts on TV. This honesty is sadly very rare amongst similar celebrity figures.

The reclaiming of the word ‘weigh’ is such an important triumph. It helps to break down the negative connotations of weight (or #f*ckingkg, as they like to refer to it on the page) to a more favourable, positive word that promotes happiness and empowerment. It allows Instagram users to have a safe space to express what they love about themselves, promoting good mental, and physical wellbeing.

The movement has gained traction recently with a following of 193,000 and thousands of submitted posts from people declaring what they weigh about themselves. This would benefit both students and the wider community of Manchester, especially following the claims in the report by Time to Change that three-quarters of people in the North West suffer from mental health issues alone. In these particularly harsh political climates, empowerment and self-love is critical for everyone.

Whether you decide to submit a post to ‘I Weigh’ or not, it is still important to consider what you weigh, to yourself, to others, and what you value. So the next time someone asks you how much you weigh, remember it’s not numerical.

Follow the ‘I Weigh’ movement at their Instagram: @I_Weigh.

You have been upgraded: Manchester science week

‘If you haven’t yet, you will be’. That was the message given at ‘You Have Been Upgraded,’ an event at the Manchester Science Festival. Setting up camp in the Science and Industry Museum was the fictional organisation, Unlimited Enhancement Technologies, complete with their enchanting CEO Jon Spooner.

Enigmatic and charismatic, the extravagantly dressed, garishly-haired Spooner led the attendees on a tour through a catalogue of bodily enhancements. Avant-garde artists and research teams alike completed the cast of this bizzaro trade show.

The use of  biometric enhancements is slowly transitioning from medical necessity to optional extra, and the array of speakers reflected this trend. 13 year old Tilly Lockey was heavily involved in the design of her 3D printed bionic hands. Wearing two different styles, she demonstrated their value as a fashion statement as well as their functionality. Her left hand was modelled on a character from the video game, Deus Ex. Her right was coloured, shiny, and covered in lights. Tilly, who helped create her ‘Hero Arms’ with robotic limb developer Open Bionics, illustrates an important point that biomedical engineer Kianoush Nazarpour was keen to emphasise: user input is key to the development of personalised prosthetics.

Filmmaker and double amputee James Young echoed this sentiment. With a vision for a new type of arm, James is waiting for technology to catch up with him. Whereas current prosthetic technology relies on surface mounted electrodes to detect muscle pulses, James envisions a prosthesis grafted into his skeleton that connects to subcutaneous electrodes.

The difficulty for James is a direct result of one of the main issues in this field. Although research into ‘osseo-integration’ is progressing quickly, according to Kianoush, advanced developments in prosthetic technology rely on private funding to test new equipment. As such, their data is limited to amputees who are willing to try out untested technology and who are able to pay for their personalised prosthetics, often priced in the tens of 1000’s of pounds. However, James remains optimistic with regards to the potential for biotechnology developments: “If you create connectors that understand the human brain rather than picking up muscle signals, you might be able to use the technology to do other things and expand your abilities.”

Demonstrating the current focus of research, teams from around the country were on-hand to present the future of biotech. Kianoush’s Intelligent Sensing Lab at Newcastle University invited volunteers to play rock-paper-scissors with a robotic hand, using technology found in prosthetics such as Tilly’s. The University of Salford went one step further, by inviting attendees to hook themselves up to one of the researchers and move their arm using stimuli generated by muscle sensors on the volunteer’s own. This technology aims to improve the physiotherapeutic rehabilitation of stroke patients by allowing the muscles to be guided by electro-stimulation.

The University of Manchester’s Nanomedicine Lab, fronted by Professor Kostas Kostarelos, had an exciting display about the potential uses for nanomaterials in medicine. Gold, lipids and, unsurprisingly, graphene are all touted as future lifesavers with a wide ranging list of applications.

Iron and gold nanoparticles are being used to target brain tumours by inserting them deep into the mutated tissue and heating them, killing off cancerous cells. Professor Kostarelos’ team spoke confidently of the uses of graphene dots as a non-toxic nano-material in medical imaging, detecting cerebral activity and targeting organs, with reduced side-effects compared to current methods.

If those in attendance were beginning to feel desensitised to the plethora of radical concepts on show, biohackers Manel Muñoz and Lepht Anonym took the evening one step further. With programmable microchips in their hands and small magnets embedded in their fingers, Lepht detects the presence, direction, and strength of magnetic fields, acting as an extra sense. Although Lepht doesn’t identify as a cyborg, Manel, with his pressure-sensing synthetic organ implanted in his skull, does.

An artist with an immense love of weather, Manel was “inspired by the idea of transforming sensors into senses. I always feel really connected with rain, and now I feel it in my body,” as a “sparkling” in his brain. Describing his barometric sensor as an “exo-sense”, Manel, along with Lepht, embodies the futuristic idea of bio-enhancement for non-medical purposes, a topic explored further by dancer Ghislaine Boddington.

“The influence of transmission from our cells, of our senses, is how we can move forward,” she says. Ghislaine is also interested in incorporating intimacy into technology by sensing others through the “internet of bodies.” Speaking abstractly about communicating through our heartbeats and sensualities, she hopes that technology will bring us closer together, taking us back to the “basics of humanity.”

As a final act, Spooner provided the highlight of the night, by revealing how close we are to biotechnological enhancement. Inviting body piercer and modifier Jenova Rain onto the stage, he had an NFC microchip inserted into his hand. Despite his obvious nerves, the procedure was quick, painless, and, if the speakers of the night are to be believed, the not-so-distant from future norms. Little was mentioned of the dangers and disadvantages of such enhancements, but we now live in a world where the choice exists.

Review: The Hate U Give

If this year’s BlackKklansman served as a solid artistic insight into the roots of modern-day racism, then George Tillman Jr’s The Hate U Give makes for a fantastic following piece about the current state of American racial tensions.

Told with gut-wrenching authenticity from the perspective of Starr — a black teenage girl who is caught dead in the centre of community conflict when she witnesses the unjust police shooting of her friend Khalil — Tillman’s film proves intelligent, thought-provoking, and one of the best movies about racism ever made.

Taking centre-stage of the story is Starr herself, played in an immaculate powerhouse of a performance by Amandla Stenberg. Stenberg goes above and beyond the usual expectations placed on younger actors to deliver the strong emotions facing Starr as she endures the trauma of not only her best friend dying, but also the pressure of testifying in court, and the resulting conflict at home. She spends much of the film caught between two worlds: a middle-class, majority white private school and her hometown of an urban black inner-city.

Stenberg, helped by Audrey Wells’ fantastic script, does a brilliant job of portraying this.

In many ways, Starr is a perfect modern young female icon. She’s kind (but has her limits), intelligent, hard working, finds time to let her hair down and, above all as the film progresses, is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in.

All of the supporting cast is also on top form, with big names such as Anthony Mackie and Common taking the back seat with quieter roles.

However, it’s their working with Wells’ script that helps deliver the film’s strongest element: its depiction of modern racism, which carries a particular brutal realism purely for how quiet it is.

The racism portrayed in The Hate U Give is not screaming the N-word or always direct, but instead displayed through the societal privileges of some groups over others, and the passivity of demeaning attitudes held by people within those groups.

A powerful opening scene in which Starr’s father holds a meeting with his family to explain how to survive being pulled over by the police, is an event so far removed from what any of her white classmates can even imagine having to experience.

The Hate U Give doesn’t shy away from an uncomfortable look at the ways in which modern racism manifests.

These range from news coverage of Khalil’s murder — which seems more focused on the criminal history of the victim, sympathising with the officer responsible than with assessing the crime itself — to ignorant comments made by Starr’s friends including a particularly uncomfortable moment when they stage a school walkout for Khalil purely so they can skip class.

All of this ties directly into the film’s title, taken from the first half of Tupac’s famous quote: “thug life: The Hate U Give Little Infants F***s Everybody,” which is summarised at the end of the movie’s climax through one of the most evocative images I’ve seen in a film this year.

If I were to critique the film at all, I’d only say its use of voiceover narration is somewhat unnecessary at times, and while the ending isn’t bad it ties just about everything up into a nice neat package, which was disappointing given the more nuanced, thoughtful tone they’d achieved up to that point.

But, The Hate U Give remains a perfectly-cast and expertly-crafted piece on modern racism that proves essential viewing, and one of this year’s best films.

Rating: 4/5.

Manchester through to final 16 of University Challenge

The University of Manchester is through to the next round of the BBC’s University Challenge after defeating the University of East London on the programme last week.

This year UoM is represented by PhD students Alex Antao, Georgia Lynott, and Joe Hanson. Their team captain is James Ross, a masters student from Coventry. The team has an average age of 26.

The University of Manchester has previously won the competition 4 times and are tied with Magdalen College, Oxford, for the highest number of wins. Host Jeremy Paxman referred to them as having a “formidable reputation” in the University Challenge competition.

UoM won the competition in 2006, 2012, 2013, and controversially in 2009 when Corpus Christi, Oxford were disqualified after beating Manchester in the final.

Research Information Analyst Stephen Pearson has been organising the University of Manchester team since 1997.

On Wednesday the 7th November, there will be a session taking place for University of Manchester students who wish to join the University Challenge team in 2019. It will be held at the Rutherford Lecture Theatre in the Schuster Building.

The first stage is comprised of a written test made up of 100 general knowledge questions, followed by a test of speed in which students answer questions using a buzzer in University Challenge format.

University Challenge airs annually and has been broadcast on the BBC since 1994. Recorded in Salford, there are typically 37 episodes per season.

In Conversation with Peach Fuzz

On October 16th, the Liverpool-based Peach Fuzz supported their scouse psych-pop predecessors, The Vryll Society, in their five-night UK tour, making their Manchester debut in the beloved Soup Kitchen. The five-piece, struggling to pin themselves to one genre, lightheartedly settled on “psych-pop and rock’n’roll”, which is evident in their dreamy, synth-backed sound that underpins most of their songs.

Interviewing frontman Nat and lead guitarist (also writing partner) Danny left me curious. In a post-modern world of recycled creativity and innovation droughts, I was sceptical, questioning whether yet another rendition of “Psych-pop” with an edgy, theatrical front-man would be anything to get excited about — but I was pleasantly surprised.

Speaking to the two revealed a wealth of experience in the Liverpool music scene, with both previously playing in multiple projects before this newest pursuit; they admitted, though, that this had “grown legs” and harboured “more momentum, more quickly” than anything they’d worked on previously.

When asked where the band had pulled most of its musical influences from, Nat praised psych contemporaries “like Pond and Tame Impala” amongst others like “Unknown Mortal Orchestra and The War on Drugs”. Whilst admiring their sound and wanting to create something with a “similar production to Pond’s ‘The Weather’“, the two also recognised the need to also cultivate something with their own spin and individuality to remain exciting.

My first listening experience of Peach Fuzz came from their recently released first video, ‘Destroy the Evidence’ released by Skeleton Key Records (with help from Liverpool Artist Amy Cadwallader) showcasing their dreamy, pop style in all its glory. Although catchy, the boy’s joked that their choice over this being the first debut video was dictated by “the boss” and perhaps this is evident in the way that their presence seemed slightly unassuming and lacking compared to their live performance which was completely the opposite.

Their set exceeded my expectations and made clear that, whilst Peach Fuzz may resemble something that you’ve seen or heard before, they are definitely worth a trip to see them perform and definitely worth keeping an eye on in the coming years.

Despite only having eight songs in their repertoire, they range fully in a way that keeps their sound anything but ‘samey’, the prime example being ‘Molten Poly Rock’ a song that Danny described as “a heavy metal nursery rhyme” which was a refreshing interlude for an audience primed exclusively for Vryll Society’s synonymous psychedelic haze-pop.

Soup Kitchen was a perfect venue for Peach Fuzz’s 25-minute set. The intimacy of the venue amplified Nat’s affinity for front-man theatrics, which he admitted were probably “sub-conscious” references to the front-men he’d grown up admiring, “Bolan, Bowie and Iggy Pop.” Interestingly, with these subconscious renditions, he also made clear that he was “More than a sum of my (his) influences, with some clear individuality in there too.”

These theatrics were most apparent in ‘Softie’ (a ballad commenting on the stigma surrounding male mental health) which blinkered the audience to Nat’s emotion and movement throughout. The rest of the band, comprising of two brothers Danny on lead guitar and Phil on drums, with ‘Toppo’ on bass and Tom on Synth remain somewhat timid in comparison to Nat. Although they are definitely not timid in their musical skill, which arguably allows Nat’s front-man antics to shine as the musical backing is on point.

Whilst for many new-coming bands a full tour may have been daunting, the Peach Fuzz boys’ previous experience under other aliases aided them for their first full tour with the Vryll Society, remarking that the tour was “a blast, getting better with each night!”.

Future plans for Peach Fuzz include supporting Clean Cut Kid in their November tour and hopefully following this, the recording of an album. All in all, a band to certainly keep your eye on.

7.5/10

Government announces plans to reduce ‘grade inflation’

The government has announced plans to reduce ‘grade inflation’ in UK universities.

Universities Minister Sam Gyimah said last week that the soaring numbers of students graduating with first and upper second-class degrees are “threatening” their value.

According to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Authority a quarter of all UK graduates secured a first-class degree in the 2016/17 academic year.

Grade inflation occurs when universities award a high amount of top degrees to their graduates. Universities are independent in awarding their grades and can, therefore, award as many first-class degrees as they like.

The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) used to assess the quality of UK universities will soon look at how responsible universities are when awarding degrees.

If a university is seen to be awarding an excessive amount of first and upper second-class degrees, their rating of either gold, silver or bronze might be affected.

Mr Gyimah said: “When you look at what makes our universities so prestigious, it comes down to the value of our degrees – they open up a huge range of opportunities and the chance to step into a rewarding and highly-skilled career”.

He added that “the value of those degrees is threatened by grade inflation and that is a problem for students, employers and the universities themselves. These new measures will look at how we can protect our globally recognised higher education system by discouraging universities from undermining the reverence a degree qualification from the UK commands”.

According to Times Higher Education, the University of Manchester awarded 30% of graduates a first-class degree in the 2016/17 academic year. In total, over 80% of students were awarded either a first or an upper second-class degree.

UoM declined to comment on the government’s plans directly but a spokesman told The Mancunion that “the university’s Assessment Framework ensures assessment is fair and rigorous and the degrees we award are as a result of the dedication of our students to their courses.”

Some, including Universities UK, have argued that students might be working harder to achieve their grades due to the added pressure of high tuition fees, which currently stand at £9,250 per year.

 

Live Review: Avelino

Hazy, red hues rebounded around the small music hall of Deaf Institute, with support acts Rachael Anson, Moneybagz, and DJ J Styles warming the atmosphere in anticipation for the headline act. Avelino opened with his punchy new release ‘FACTS’. He delivered intricate bars with militant precision and eruptive energy from the off.

The 25 year-old fired his biggest hits off the bat, much to the crowd’s delight. Afro-UK tracks ‘1 in Million’ and the RAYE-featuring ‘Slower’ played well to the close-packed venue, consequently providing a secure grip for Avelino to venture forward with. This was epitomised in his urging of the fans to “show off [your moves] to your bredrin”.

His use of features for the night created a couple of good ‘you had to be there’ moments for the fans to enjoy. Notably, this was through the appearance of the absent NOT3S via FaceTime for their collaboration ‘Boasy’, and the entry of Manchester’s own Gekko to share the small stage for a short but sweet moment. However, the real power lay in Avelino’s self-assured demeanour when he ditched the superficial.

Donned in a t-shirt exclaiming ‘I SHOULD BE BIGGER THAN I AM’ Avelino got comfortable, performing some of his older tracks with the confidence of a veteran rapper. The enduring attitude of the North London rapper was best encapsulated in a defiant performance of the 2016 release, F.Y.O. Avelino, crouched, defiantly roared “f*ck your opinion”, inciting the spectators to join in a frenzied chorus. His distinctive tone shone through in the performance: a gritty core and rounded edges, giving a focused but smooth delivery — unique to only a few.

This and his fan-engagement were the foundations on which the night was constructed. With a dedicated fanbase filling the floor at a sold-out show, every deep-cut played out like a mainstream favourite. Inevitably as the intensity grew, the raucous crowd fell into a mosh-pit. Unnecessary? Maybe. But nevertheless, the performance produced a spirit with full support for the star at the centre.

Yet, with all of the this, the knockout blow was still to come. As his entourage rushed around the stage to protect the emergence of UK rap heavyweight, and personal mentor, Wretch 32. The pair performed a handful of tracks from their 2015 joint tape Young Fire, Old Flame with such synchronicity that their synergy overflowed from the stage right out into the audience. After a little compliment from Wretch in support of Avelino, and a usual premeditated encore, the show closed and the box-sized room cleared out.

Rounding off a skilfully devised display, it’s clear from his premier headline tour that the only way is up. As far as debut tours go, this was a masterpiece: a well-timed set, honest performance and a multitude of support to help carry the night. He has the talent, charisma and energy of a star, but unluckily lacks the coverage of his peers — and it’s evident that this is a personal gripe of his. In spite of this, Avelino harnesses this power to challenge himself harder.

Hopefully, this is the beginning of a new advent for an undeniable talent.

7.5/10.

End of Store Street Exhibition: Launch Party

Tuesday 9th October saw the opening of a month long WHP18 END OF STORE STREET EXHIBITION in collaboration with this month’s Design Manchester Festival of creativity and design. The Exhibition lasts until Sunday 4th November, showcasing some of the best photography and graphic artwork from Warehouse Project history. I was lucky enough to attend the exclusive launch party that took place at PLY in the Northern Quarter. WHP resident DJs Krysko, Greg Lord, and Will Tramp provided the soundtrack for the evening which fitted PLY’s edgy interior.

The Q&A event was hosted by Crack Magazine and featured Warehouse Project co-founder and Director Sam Kandel, graphic designer Paul Hemmingfield and photographers Sebastien Matthes and Pippa Rankin for a series of discussions. The evening of talks and wine focused on creative highlights from WHP history, philosophy of the company, and reflections over the past 13 seasons.

Sam Kandel (co-founder and director) explained the objective of WHP was to establish an exciting and anticipated event, something different to a “normal club night”, incorporating sci-fi and futuristic elements, with a look to the past by conveying an “acid house spirit”.

The dove that has become the symbol of WHP has been used since 2008 and was chosen due to its link to 90s acid house raves. To delve further into the company’s creative philosophy, we can look to the 2007 season, which saw the launch of a huge marketing campaign. Paul Hemmingfield, the original graphic designer, explained the colour coding campaign in which a colour corresponded to a letter then spelt a word. To give an example: on the dove, the colours you see running down the wings spell ‘warehouse’ and along the bottom spells ‘project’. Given that Store Street was an air raid shelter during the Second World War, the team wanted to create a type of enigma code that would reflect the venue’s history through its brand identity.

Sebastien Matthes, original WHP photographer from 2006, discussed the aesthetics and goals of his photography. His vision of WHP was to capture images that were abstract, atmospheric and raw. In complete contrast to glitzy shots of people drinking cocktails, the collection of photographs displayed around PLY show some of the best WHP images. A lot of the visuals capture silhouettes surrounded by brickwork in an abstract underground setting.  One of my favourites was a 2009 photograph of a couple sharing an intimate moment. Everyone around them is ecstatic but this image captures a beautiful moment of their WHP experience, something that is different for everyone but still universally incredible.

To finish the talk, there was an opportunity for a question and answer session. I proposed a question to the Director, Sam Kandel. In light of WHP’s final season at the legendary Store Street, I was eager to know if the change in venue would mean a change in the atmosphere and dynamic of WHP, or if the brand has instead become so much more than just Store Street.

He replied: “Well… that really is a million-dollar question. The truth is, we don’t know what it’s going to be like”. Likewise, they didn’t know back in 2006 just how successful it was to become.

When asked whether WHP would expand to any other UK city, the director and designers were quick to establish the fact it would remain solely in Manchester. The crowd cheered at this.  Linked inextricably to Mancunian culture and nightlife, the people of Manchester and beyond are proud and love all that Warehouse Project has done for them, hosting the biggest names in techno and drum ‘n’ bass music every autumn weekend.

Live Review: ‘Sentinel: Climate Change in Sound and Light’

As a geography student and someone interested in the way the arts can be used to express scientific phenomena, I was intrigued by Manchester Science Festival’s ‘Sentinel: Climate Change in Sound and Light’ held at Waterside Arts Centre.

The piece was created, composed, and performed by Richard Evans, a composer who’s toured with Peter Gabriel as, and award-winning artist Valentina D’efilippo. Evans was joined by three others on a panel discussion before the piece; Professor of ocean and climate sciences Ric Williams, bio-ethicist Dr Sarah Chan, and Dr Joanne Pennock, an immunologist at the University of Manchester.

The panellists were engaging, interesting and clearly passionate about their expertise. They managed to cover a range of topics, despite the host who led discussions with a disinterested air and a conveyor belt of fairly repetitive and dull questions. However, the varied backgrounds of the panellists created an interesting dynamic and it was a shame discussions didn’t go on longer as I felt they had yet to run their course and there was only time for a few audience questions.

After a short interval, the 100 or so crowd filtered back into the small theatre for the much-anticipated light show. The hour and a half long piece consisted of a part-transparent box which enclosed Evans at a DJ deck and a singer beside him. The show began with swirling beams of light encompassing the audience and moving in soft sheets, flooding the room like the northern lights. On each wave of light, an abstract image of the Earth was projected creating a beautiful visual effect.

However, these soon disappeared in favour of strong beams which shone directly into the audience. The box itself was projected with visuals, some of which were abstract and visually pleasing, however, these brief moments of interesting graphics were interspersed amongst a chaos of imagery. These included stock-image-like film, most of which was repeated to a mind-numbing extent, undergoing crude and basic contortions, inversions, and video-editing.

The light and visuals were accompanied by a soundtrack described as ‘lush synths and electro rhythms’ the quality of which was poor. If concentrated within a two-minute burst the music may have been fairly interesting conceptually, however, it was teeth-grindingly repetitive. The techno sound was accompanied by a word-less performance by the singer whose voice was beautiful in its ability to soar and create atmosphere, yet each song lacked much to distinguish it from the last.

Like the imagery, the music was repetitive to the point of senselessness and the combination of intense sound, images, and light gave the impression of YouTube’s glitchiest, most-surreal animation combined with the newest demo of a sub-par Soundcloud artist. This was sensory overload to the extreme; torturous in parts — it was a painful onslaught of nothingness.

When the piece advertised the use of statistics, graphs, and data as the basis for the visuals I was excited. There are so many ways you can expand, rationalise, and engulf your audience by presenting them with exciting and abstract visualisations of otherwise dry data or by bringing enormous scales down to a level of human comprehension. However, the facts used in this piece were nothing more complex than anything one Google search could tell you, which, leading on from the interesting debate beforehand, was disappointing.

Not only that but the piece was split into short sections and each section featured one single fact. These facts and stats (some shown on graphs) appeared on the screen in an array of year 7 PowerPoint-esque variations of animation accompanied by the signature blinding light and soaring repetitive sound. Instead of expanding on each, the facts simply disappeared and reappeared multiple times before facing a few minutes of random and chaotic distortion which seemed to be time-filling rather than adding anything of value. The bizarre and cold presentation simply alienated the audience further from the bare and un-analysed statistics thus leading to an overall sense of indifference.

The issue is this was a music piece which lacked musical substance and variety, pitched as a science and art piece, which it was not. The artist’s ego took centre stage (literally) and his work seemed to be being forced kicking and screaming into relevancy. There are so many people making better work than this, who have mastered the ability to merge science and arts in a way that has beauty and relevance, integrity, and empowerment.

I applaud both the Arts Centre and the Science Festival for coming together to explore these ideas as well as the panellists who spoke with such passion. However, when you’re looking to combine art, music, science, and light you need collaboration, you need creativity, you need diversity, and you need a poignant and engaging narrative or perspective — this piece seemed to lack all of these.

4/10

Go fund yourself

People are currently raising money for their own travelling adventures on GoFundMe. There are currently 6797 live Travel and Adventure campaigns on GoFundMe and nearly all of them have reached their target or are very close. These are targets of thousands of pounds and it is not just mummy and daddy and distant aunties who are donating but random members of the public.

These holidays include trips to the Indian Himalayas for the Duke of Edinburgh Award and to Miami to girlfriends on Spring Break. The website even has its own section specifically for people trying to raise funds to go Disneyland. I am incredulous at how this is working.

The GoFundMe campaigns for travelling is a fundamentally lazy way to get money. Creating an account and writing less than 200 words on your campaign, in my humble opinion, does not constitute earning money. Believing instead that they should be handed everything on a silver tray because god forbid they ever do something themselves.

There are many ways to travel cheaply or to survive if you are stuck abroad after having spent all your money on Goa’s most exclusive parties. Many hostels offer free accommodation, food and sometimes even alcohol for those who work as little as an hour a day. As well as new online ventures, such as WorkAbroad, which make it safe and easy to find work opportunities in other countries.

Many travellers will give you countless examples of locals taking in broke travellers, looking after them, and getting them back on their feet. This goes as far as offering free accommodation, food and even fixing them up with a job.

Furthermore, who is donating to these campaigns? And why on earth are they doing it? Some people have tried to frame their campaigns in such a way that it sounds like you are donating to a charity by donating to their dreams of travel. In the same way that people are more likely to vote for you on X Factor if they are know you are doing it for your Nan.

However, I am not convinced. With little accountability that these people will ever do what they say they will and not take their your generously donated money and spend it all on various drugs at the Full Moon Party in Thailand.

At least GoFundMe pages are not as abhorrent as travellers begging for money for travel, sitting next to locals begging for money for food. Maybe those locals should set up a GoFundMe page. Travellers should look to their own resourcefulness to fund their adventures, and who knows, maybe serving a couple drinks in a hostel on a tropical island paradise might actually not be that bad.

The Manchester café crawl

It’s no myth that Manchester is teeming with independent coffeehouses, and with so many to choose from, I’ve selected 3 of my favourites.

My first stop on this ‘café crawl’ was Chapter One Books in the Northern Quarter.  An independent coffeehouse and bookstore, it offers a quirky medley of all things abstract.  Part of the interior is lined with bookshelves, dim lanterns, and reminded me of an old library — the ideal place to study.

It is clear old meets new in this coffee shop.

A small exhibition of David LaChapelle’s contemporary utopian art was on display.  His work seems to have inspired a large part of the interior, demonstrated by the colourful clash of flowers, baubles, and twinkling fairy lights.

The friendly staff adds to the pleasant atmosphere and it’s evident that the coffeehouse appeals to many different people. Come here to chat on the large comfy sofas, enjoy homemade cake, and artisan coffee or relax with the origami and mindfulness books on display.  I loved this place; there was always something to look at and you’ll never get bored.

On Tuesday nights in Chapter One Books, you can attend a ‘Creative Writing Group’ and there’s no doubt it’s a success.  The gentle soul music and the indoor water fountain are enough to get anyone’s creative spirit flowing.

Next stop on the crawl: Pot Kettle Black (PKB) in the Barton Arcade on Deansgate. Priding themselves in speciality coffee and brunch, PKB had an easy, relaxed vibe. I loved the Express Hatch, perfect for grabbing an on-the-go coffee. My heart shaped cappuccino was served on a silver tray with a chocolate wafer — 10/10 for aesthetics. If it had not been Sunday morning when I visited, I would have opted for a ‘Nutella Martini’, one of the many artisan cocktails expertly concocted by the staff.  Situated in the Victorian Arcade, the roof is one of its best aesthetic features.

Sophistication with a touch of edginess is key in Pot Kettle Black.

My last stop on the ‘café crawl’ was Hatch; it’s a student hub on Oxford Road, tucked under the Mancunian Way.  The pastel coloured shipping containers offer a quirky setting to revise, but you can always opt to sit outside and soak up the rare Manchester sunshine.

Takk Coffee MCR are the providers for Hatch. A Nordic-inspired coffee house, Takk is also situated in the Northern Quarter. Their aim is to provide the community with a place to work, chat, and dream up big ideas. Strings of bulb fairy lights over the courtyard add to the chilled ambience in Hatch.

However, Hatch is so much more than just a place to grab a coffee and some street food from the stalls.  Bursting with local culture, you’ll find art for sale from local artists and they regularly host gigs from local musicians and resident DJs.  It’s hard to describe what Hatch really is.  A creative pop-up concept of all varieties — food, coffee, art.  Situated perfectly in the city, this appealing multipurpose venue render it the ideal leisure space to go with friends or alone.

For me, Hatch epitomises the student culture in Manchester; exactly what I’ve set out to discover and enjoy.

Milk and Honey: Hope in abundance

Milk and Honey is a non-profit café, nestled within St. Peter’s House — the chaplaincy for the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan, and the RNCM. I chatted to the director, Hannah Skinner, to learn more about this serene space situated just off Oxford Road that has been completely transformed and is now unrecognisable from the derelict, disused area it was just two years ago.

Opening in February 2018, the café is aesthetically pleasing thanks to its array of hanging greenery and carefully placed fairy lights that accompany the rustic, ‘upcycled’ furniture. The salvaged pieces and mismatched chairs manage to create an Instagrammable interior that successfully avoids the appearance of a cluttered jumble sale. Even on a rainy Manchester afternoon, light streams into the café through the generous multitude of windows creating the illusion of being situated inside a treehouse. Within the comfortable setting, the window seats provide the perfect spot for powering through a mountain of work or simply passing an hour or so watching the world go by accompanied by a comforting coffee.

The simple menu offers a range of dishes packed full of goodness and made from fresh, seasonal produce. The breakfast menu is perfect for fuelling up before a day at uni, offering options such as homemade beans and frittata at affordable prices. If you are not a morning person, Milk and Honey also has a range of lunches available with both gluten-free and vegan diets catered for. Treat yourself to a bowl of their warming organic soup produced from the surplus of vegetables grown by local cooperative ‘Manchester Veg People’, and wave goodbye to your usual daily meal deal.

Run by a team of enthusiastic volunteers, the development encourages people to get involved and become part of the community. As a student at university it is easy to become stuck within a student bubble, only ever engaging with other students; the cafes volunteer programme, however, seeks to promote the benefits of working with a range of different people. As Hannah explained, the scheme was created to be open and diverse, allowing anyone who wishes to volunteer to get involved.

Improving wellbeing is at the heart of Milk and Honey’s vision. As a non-profit café, the organisation is not fixated on commercial growth but reinvests profits into new projects. As part of the 2018-19, ‘You Are Enough’ programme, the space currently hosts breakfast yoga, a weekly writing group, and a monthly cook school to name just a few of the events on offer.

From speaking to Hannah, what has particularly stuck with me is the message behind Milk and Honey. Despite the struggles and problems that exist within the world, Milk and Honey seeks to remind us that there is hope: “we look around our fine city of Manchester and we see abundant good. Good people and good ideas, little glimpses of the ways things could be.”

In Conversation with Twisted Wheel

Twisted Wheel’s return to Manchester with four-song EP Jonny Guitar saw the venue packed to the brim. Intermittent “WHEE-EL” chanting between songs, and a lively performance from both band and crowd showed just how excited the crowd was for the band’s reunion.

Since the band’s sudden break up in 2014, frontman Jonny Brown has seen some dark places; their new EP, however, has reaffirmed their place in the indie rock scene. Both the sound and the band have matured but without losing the youthful, gritty energy that first gripped fans when they started out.

The audience was a mix of young and old, and the crowd’s affection for the band showed clearly that this was their hometown. Old favourites such as ‘Strife’ and ‘Ride’ were well received by the crowd and in particular ‘You Stole the Sun’ and ‘Oh What Have You Done’ got everyone vigorously bopping their heads — the latter being my favourite performance of the night. The new EP, however, was the performance the crowd were most readily anticipating, and they didn’t disappoint.

Jonny Guitar is made up of four songs: ‘Jonny Guitar’, ‘Keep it Up Boy’, ‘Rebel’, and ‘I am a Convoy Man’. The latter was my personal favourite because of its ability to transport you to somewhere else, coupled with Jonny’s beautiful, folk-like singing and its infectious, ‘oldy-worldy’ quality.

When I asked Jonny about the difficulties he has faced in the past few years, which included a drug addiction, he refers to ‘Jonny Guitar’. “I think that song sort of maybe lifted me out of there,” he said, whilst also adding that “it’s time to try and be a bit more positive now.”

‘Jonny Guitar’ was unsurprisingly a hit with the audience as were the rest of the new songs played which were delivered with habitual confidence. Jonny has described the EP as “more mature” due to having “more experiences” but quickly stresses “I guess there will always be a kid in me… you’ve got to stay young in some way in music” which epitomises the EP.

‘Rebel’, the third song on Jonny Guitar, is catchy, upbeat, and probably a favourite for many off the new EP, and is inspired from a “Leonard Cohen vibe” Jonny tells me. It is obvious Cohen is a big inspiration to Jonny as he says likes the idea of  “just one man and his guitar… that sort of power he had, just him on his own is endearing”.

Equally, Joe Strummer from The Clash is an idol of Jonny’s, displaying the range of genres who have influenced Twisted Wheel. Time and time again Twisted Wheel are labelled as a ‘mod band’ or a ‘punk band’ or somewhere in between, when in fact, in the words of Jonny, “I don’t like sort of saying what it is that we do because I don’t want to sort of pigeonhole myself”. In the wise words of Jonny: “We’re playing a folk song and then the next song could be more punk related so I just want to be free… The Twisted Wheel keeps turning.”

In the future, Twisted Wheel fans can expect “rock n’ roll and stomping tunes”. There will be a slight shift in direction in some ways as “the punk side is sort of cooling down a little bit” and we will now see “maybe a little bit more of an 80s influence”. Jonny says it is “life generally” that has produced the lyrics for Twisted Wheel’s music and although he would be interested in incorporating politics into his music writing at some point, Jonny says “I’d like to touch on some things in my own way”.

This is because “You’ve got nonstop politics on the internet and the telly and the radio in between songs so putting music on takes yourself away from it”. No doubt whatever direction Twisted Wheel are heading in, they will impress, and Jonny assures me “there’s plenty more to come” so keep your ears open!

Jonny is a big fan of Cabbage. Not being from Manchester, but as a massive fan of numerous Manchester bands old and new, my last question to Jonny is what is it about Manchester that has meant it has produced so many good musicians and bands. Jonny believes “there’s been greatness from very early on” but also comments on the rainy weather.

Jonny refers to The Hollies as one of the first great bands. Bad weather means “you can’t really go outside and do stuff… that’s when you start messing about on your guitar”. Jonny also claims Manchester’s rich musical culture and variety of genres are passed on from generation to generation and also that Mancunians are usually confident and believe in themselves which is a big part of getting somewhere in music — “you’ve got to believe in yourself”.

Jonny’s final remark, quoting Morrissey, is “God knows man, there’s so much to answer for, that’s what they say about Manchester”.

9/10.

Prepare for ‘possible disaster’ post-Brexit say academics

University academics have issued a fresh warning on the future of higher education in the UK post-Brexit.

University staff and students alike remain unsure of the future of EU-backed programs at their institutions, with particular concern over Erasmus and research grants.

As political division over the proposed Chequers plan continues, the possibility of a no-deal exit looms, with the March 29th deadline nearing ever closer.

Ease of access for international students after March 2019 was said to have been dealt with in a Brexit White Paper released in July. Shrouded in ambiguity, the document confirmed an end to free movement, but assured that steps would be taken to “facilitate mobility for students so they can benefit from world-leading universities”.

The government has also moved to reduce speculation over research, having guaranteed the supply of all funding from the EU’s headline Horizon programme until 2020, should its provisions be affected by the UK’s agreement with the EU or lack thereof.

Despite this, with no arrangements currently in place to deal with the possibility of the loss of research grants post-2020, leading figures across the Russell Group have spoken out over continuing uncertainty in the field of higher education.

Chris Gosden, director of the Archaeology Institute at Oxford, has described preparing for a possible disaster post-Brexit. His institution his received 10 major grants from the European Research Council since 2007.

His colleague, Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University, foresees a problematic exit from the EU. Marginson is currently researching the impact of Brexit on UK universities and has warned against increasing research partnerships outside of the continent as a solution, arguing that Europe boasts an exclusive of cross-country co-operation in the area.

“In my judgment, we are likely to have a hard Brexit or at best an unresolved research funding picture. In terms of people in research and higher education, the fallout will be massive”.

Cardiff University has begun outlining schemes to move academics abroad, in the hope that their researchers will retain access to European finances should they spend the majority of their time in EU member states.

Other Russell Group institutions are also exploring the possibility of implementing similar measures, with catastrophic forecasts for post-EU life. Lee Cronin, regius professor of Chemistry at Glasgow spoke of the possibly detrimental results for the scientific community: “The simple fact is that without alignment, UK science crashes out of the biggest collaborative network ever built in the history of humanity”.

Industry-leading figures, including Russell Group chair Anton Muscatelli and UCU chief Sally Hunt, have already called upon the government to safeguard research in the event of a failure to secure a deal with Brussels.

Hunt’s UCU, amid rising concerns among university staff over Brexit, commissioned a ballot assessing the membership’s support for a vote on the final deal. Although an overwhelming 89% endorsed such a referendum, Prime Minister Theresa May has already ruled out such a vote.

There is a consensus building fast among those in higher education that the field has been relegated to a second priority for the government in their ongoing negotiations. Chancellor Phillip Hammond’s budget was criticised failing to seriously address the state of Higher Education in the country with the only major policy announced was funding for 10 University Enterprise Zones, areas in which universities and local businesses work together to achieve local growth and innovation.

Delayed: your next train from Oxford Road

Data collected and published in a survey by consumer’s association Which? has revealed that Manchester Oxford Road is the UK’s worst train station for cancellations and delays outside of London.

The survey shows that 68% of services departing from Oxford Road station were late, with 5% of services being cancelled between January and September of this year.

Following in sixth place is Manchester Piccadilly, with 56% of trains arriving late to designated platforms and 4% of trains cancelled.

Manchester Victoria comes in eighth, with just over half of trains being late and 4% cancelled.

Manchester Oxford Road is situated just north of the University of Manchester, Royal Northern College of Music, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

It is used by hundreds of students daily to access the outskirts of Manchester, as well as places such as Liverpool and North Wales.

Many of these students choose to commute from home, making delays inconvenient as many are missing lectures, tutorials and seminars as a result.

Speaking to BBC News, Regional Director at the Rail Delivery Group Robert Nisbit said: “We know how frustrating delays are, which is why as part of our long-term plan, we’re investing billions to ease congestion, reduce delays and minimise disruption.

“We will continue to push for big, bold reform as part of the Williams Review to enable rail companies to deliver even more for customers, employees, communities and the economy.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has recently called for more powers over transport. Burnham said: “Greater Manchester is a growing city-region on the world stage but our transport network and infrastructure is holding us back.

“I fully understand the frustration people feel at the delays and disruption we are currently experiencing. That is why I have launched a public campaign calling on the Government to give us the powers to let us create the transport network we need.

“I am calling on the Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, to give commuters in the North the same focus as those in the London and the South.

“I am ready to be held to account to get Greater Manchester moving and to clean up our air”.

This statement follows after Grayling explained that he was not held responsible for rail timetable problems, stating: “it is the job of the rail industry to deliver a new rail timetable”. Instead, Network Rail were held account of the delays, resulting in a lack of driver training, leading to driver shortages.

Mr. Grayling has claimed that there are still plans being put in place, costing around £2.9 billion, to update the Transpennine Express route, although no schemes have yet been issued.

Northern Rail have been contacted for comment.

Black Mirror: the future becoming reality

Sit at the back of a lecture theatre in any university in the country and it is almost guaranteed that of the sea of laptops you see before you, the majority will have a post-it note or a piece of blu-tack covering up their web cam. Whether or not it is for fear of a similar fate occurring to them as that of Kenny, a character who appears in S3E3 of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian drama series Black Mirror, the show has undoubtedly evoked a fear in the public for the future of technology and of its capacity to cause the breakdown of society.

Kenny is made to perform a series of terrifying tasks after a hacker group gain access to his webcam and threaten to post a compromising video of him online if he does not obey. If you ask me, the fear of this kind of situation appears to be increasing perpetually, fed by the notion that a growing number of Brooker’s predictions seem to be coming true.

On the 8th of January 2018, Pizza Hut announced via Twitter its plans to unveil a ‘fully autonomous delivery concept vehicle’. This announcement sparked large scale media attention as people created parallels between this vehicle and the one imagined in the Black Mirror episode, titled ‘Crocodile’. In the episode, an autonomous pizza van, very similar in looks to the one unveiled by Pizza Hut just over a week after the episode was first aired, runs over a pedestrian.

Brooker’s ability to seemingly predict the future was also shown in 2015 when allegations were made in an unofficial biography written by conservative donor Lord Ashcroft. The biography stated that former Prime Minister David Cameron engaged in an initiation at Oxford university, wherein he was made to, in the words of the Daily Mail, “put a private part of his anatomy into a dead pig’s mouth.” These allegations bear a striking resemblance to another episode of Black Mirror.

For me, one of the more terrifying of Brooker’s prospective ideas is the rating system imagined in the episode ‘Nose Dive’, in which people’s social interactions are rated from 1 to 5 by both parties. Neglecting to do something as trivial as smiling at someone in the street or of saying thank you to a bus driver causes a low rating which in turn leads to the inability to do things such as buy a nice house or travel abroad. In my opinion, this system has already been put in place by Uber, with the rating system between drivers and passengers which means that if you are rude or obnoxious to a driver, you could get lifts declined in the future; a kind of unofficial policing of behaviour which becomes more and more insidious.

I consider, however, the mandatory ‘Social Credit System’ to be far scarier. This is currently being trialled by the Chinese government and is set to be fully operational by 2020. In this system, citizens get rated on their behaviour, with things such as smoking in non-smoking areas and posting ‘fake news’ online. Punitive measures include serious restrictions such as travel bans and citizens being stopped from getting good jobs. The resemblance of this society to the one imagined in ‘Nose Dive’ is uncanny, compelling myself and millions of Black Mirror viewers to ask the question “Which of Brooker’s chilling dystopias will come true next?”

The Backside of Instagram: Why Our Monday Motivators are All the Same

We are a generation fixated on absorbing information and images, digesting them to reconfigure ourselves — to produce the best version. The fitness industry has harnessed Instagram as it’s platform for projecting all types of information, products and motivational quotes. What it’s lacking, is integrity.

Let’s first focus on the fitness models, the ‘influencers’, the Twitter-tick certified social media role models. On the outside: a rush of positive affirmations and inspirational captions. Lurking beneath: a dark toxicity, a trip-wire for young, impressionable people to become trapped in a state of comparison and often dangerous information. Numerous studies have found Instagram to be the most detrimental social media site for young people’s mental health. Even more so when it comes to to body dissatisfaction.

A study conducted in 2015 by Tiggemann and Zaccardo compared how women felt after viewing either ‘fitspiration’ images or travel photos. The results concluded that those who were exposed to images of other people working out or posing, as opposed to scenic views, experienced lower self-esteem and negative feelings.

I spoke with a current student, Elise Stockdale, who highlighted the way Instagram has had negative effects on her own mental health:

“Instagram is so worryingly addictive that it’s not just something you can put down.

“I was too consumed by it, I was stuck at that awkward age where being perfect is all that mattered. I don’t have a particularly feminine shape, so seeing all these perfectly posed photos made me feel pretty crap about myself”.

As levels of self-esteem fall, the opportunity for influencers to capitalise on their follower’s insecurities rises. In one fell swoop young people go from image and lifestyle consumers, to products, plans and ‘detox’ juice buyers.

After following fitness bloggers for years, I started to see trends and similarities across their Instagram accounts. The recent ‘booty’ obsession has sexualised the fitness industry. Instagram is whispering at the door to be a soft porn site. And these idolised body images validate any information that captions the photo. The girl with the best behind must know what she’s doing, right?

Wrong. Genetics doesn’t inherently mean knowledge. Yet unfortunately many young people become susceptible to believe online advice by those with the best bodies. I asked strength coach Geoff M. Wiseman (Instagram: @strengthcoachcardiff), who holds an impressive portfolio of diplomas, certificates, and advanced qualifications, and who is also well-known on Instagram for his personal training with Carys Gray (@busybeecarys), for his opinion:

“Social media influencers and chip shop PT’s [personal trainers] are destroying the industry and are just in it for a bit of quick cash.

“The population seem to have gone from the following ‘to be popular I must be skinny’ to, ‘to be popular I must look like someone else or have a butt’”.

With many students low on funds, recruiting a qualified PT to help with their fitness goals is out of the question. I asked Geoff on other ways young people can make sure the advice they’re getting is useful and legit:

“Don’t be a sheep. Don’t follow someone because of sexual appeal. When you hear something, check it.

“Fad systems like diet pills, Skinny Coffee, Slimming World are just looking at dragging money from you.

“[Nutrition] is dependent to the individual and their goal”.

He also offered his knowledge to anyone with questions about health and fitness, just drop him a message on social media.

With no sign of social media trends dying any time soon, I offer my own piece of advice. If an app leaves you feeling worse about yourself after a five-minute scroll: delete it. Eat and exercise for the best version of yourself, and don’t take everything you see online for face value.

Haus: Fallowfield food has never been better

In the heart of Fallowfield, anyone looking to join the crusade against fried breakfast is in for a treat. There is a new home for students who want to try something exciting, with confusing ingredients from the far reaches of Scandinavia, all in a warm cosy Manchester setting. Or if not a home, at least a HAUS.

HAUS is establishing itself just off the main strip of Fallowfield. It is also a stone’s throw away from the student population’s favourite fast food establishments. However, having seen their many successes, HAUS’ owner Howard isn’t tempted, “I wanted a menu that isn’t some Fallowfield has”. He’s certainly correct, as he explains the concept of salmon gravlax while a plate containing scrambled tofu atop leek and potato hash makes its way towards the table.

While many restaurants attempting to work with lesser-known and more upmarket ingredients border on pretentious, Howard has created a space that is far from intimidating. He feels HAUS can act as a “stepping stone for students to experience new ingredients”, presenting an opportunity for students’ culinary horizons to be broadened right on their doorstep.

The food itself takes influence from across the globe, although Nordic ingredients and dishes are at the forefront. Howard explains that Haus’ chefs inject their own, more traditional, French influences into the menu. There are also touches of South America and South-East Asia that can also be seen. The concept of HAUS, is a growing one. It’s expanding nature is found in more than just a culinary sense, as it’s menu evolves based on consumer demands. It also has a general desire to provide Fallowfield’s ever-curious population with exactly what it needs.

Howard claims that he wants to allow the space to grow organically. He doesn’t want to “force feed people” with his own vision for the space. He also spoke about the duality of bars in Berlin. The front seeming rather ordinary and unsuspecting, while the back room reveals an entirely different world of techno and house, a small slice of partying neatly tucked away. With plans to hold similar club nights and have DJ residencies in the near future, HAUS’ two-floored layout lends itself perfectly to the idea of duality, but it remains to be seen just how tucked away any party can really be in Fallowfield.

HAUS is an ambitious project looking to future opportunities, rather than dwelling on the failures of similar past ventures. It comes with an open mind, a fluid identity and most importantly incredible food at a decent price. HAUS is ready to become a real favourite amongst students who want a bit more of an adventurous brunch experience.

Find out more about HAUS on their Instagram @hausmcr, or pop in at 2A Landcross Rd, just off Wilmslow Road

Manchester academic wins prestigious award for work on climate change

Dr. Joanne Catherine Jordan, a climate change specialist at the University of Manchester, has been presented with a significant award in recognition of her work to communicate her research to the public. As part of the 2018 Early Career Researchers UK Awards, Dr. Jordan was granted the prize by Elsevier — a prominent information and analytics company — specifically in acknowledgment for her effective methods of stressing the purpose and significance of her research.

Numerous education sessions, documentaries, public meetings, and even theatrical performances have been used by Dr. Jordan to engage both international and domestic members of the public in her project ‘The Lived Experience of Climate Change’. This enterprise consisted of an investigation into the impact of climate change on a group of low-income residents living in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

The project went on to win numerous awards throughout the academic community, including: a Research in Film Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, as well as a University of Manchester Making A Difference Award. Of this most recent success, Dr Jordan said “Winning this award is a huge honour, but far more importantly it provides recognition of the importance of working with those that will be impacted the most by climate change.”