“What is this nostalgia you lot have for your fucking me-ness?” ‘Future Bodies’ seemed to continuously ask. Is ceasing to be human such a bad thing? ‘Future Bodies’ was a powerful and emotional show to experience, visceral and thought-provoking from beginning to end. The show brings together computer science, neuroscience, and the science of touch in a theatrical setting.
Parts of ‘Future Bodies’ was performed in British Sign Language, the beginning of the physical theatre elements of the show which grew in dominance as the show progressed. The physicality of signing led into the wordless contemporary dance-like final section of the show. This was fascinating and multi-layered in its approach, and at times disconcerting to watch (this felt intentional).
Lara Steward, a deaf actress had great comedic timing and it was great to see hearing actors sign. The whole show was accompanied by projected subtitles, adding to its technological feel, yet this also made it difficult for the actors. The audience could see whenever the actors deviated from the script or forgot a line. Despite a few stumbles, it was impressive how easily the scientific language was embedded into the script, creating the illusion of the norm.
As well as subtitles, projections of rather forceful statements appeared frequently: “no one cares if you don’t understand”, “no one cares if you do understand.” It was sometimes hard to know where to look with so much going on!
Becky Wilke, co-creator of the show (and music) was a one-woman band. As one third of RashDash, she was almost entirely blue (including her face) and under ultraviolet light. Her voice and ability to create songs seemingly from scratch using only a loop peddle was very impressive. Lines such as “my upgrades bring all the boys to the yard” produced laughs, an amusing if slightly worrying variation on a well-known lyric.
The interlocking scenes covered ideas of enhancements for your child, upgrades not dissimilar to the narrative on getting your child vaccinated. In other scenes, employees were effectively being forced to ‘upgrade’ if they wanted to continue working. Is a trip into your brain really an invasion of privacy? Or are we already being controlled, and the physical chip simply the final step?
The show was firmly placed in ‘the future’ by the fact that one of the characters had to ask who Beyoncé was! Another amusing, if sobering scene was one where the actors sat on stage staring at their phones, as the flashing screens increased in speed with the music. This went on with no speaking for an uncomfortably long time, likely reminding the audience of similar moments where people meet-up to sit on technology.
The underlying concept of the show seemed to be the different ways in which humans could transcend their bodies, transferring their consciousness into machines and beyond. Or at least that’s the level to which I understood all the scientific language! It was fascinating to watch conversations unfold around the idea of a person’s consciousness existing in more than one place simultaneously, including at a quantum level.
A stand out scene was Alison Halstead’s monologue about the loss of her wife to breast cancer. A previous scene saw her wife (played by Kate Maravan) receive a phone alert that she had breast cancer and dismissively say she would get checked later. Halstead delivered her speech in such a moving manner, as she sat making the decision whether to have the memories or pain of the event removed. A particularly stand out line was “I want to stop stubbing my toe on the memory of her over and over…” — a profound way to describe grief over time.
The co-creator of ‘Future Bodies’ and artistic director of Unlimited Theatre commented that he hoped audiences would leave “…feeling like the world is a slightly different colour.” It certainly had this desired effect on me.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is closing in on his fifth F1 Championship crown after a comfortable victory at the Japanese Grand Prix — finishing almost 13 seconds ahead of teammate Valterri Bottas.
The Englishman secured his sixth win in seven, and was in cruise control for much of the race. This was in thanks partly to Sebastien Vettel’s collision with Max Verstappen, a consequence of the German’s over-zealous attempt to move from eighth to fourth in the standings.
At the spoon corner, Vettel went spinning off the track after attempting to slip inside of Verstappen, and after a frustrating wait, re-entered the track in 19th position. The Ferrari driver had already been slapped with a five-second penalty for misjudging braking at the chicane. The 31-year old recovered impressively, however, to finish the race in sixth place.
Verstappen, meanwhile targeted Bottas as he attempted to crack the dominance of Mercedes, but ultimately fell just over a second short of the Finn. Despite this, a third-straight podium finish in Japan was welcomed. With the Dutchman having also clashed with Kimi Räikkönen on track, concern lingered over the condition of his car going into the final few laps.
Aside from the podium finishes, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo’s clever use of the chicane for overtaking saw him secure fourth place, a substantial improvement on his 19th place grid start. Meanwhile, the top finisher behind the top six of Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari drivers, was Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Perez, his colleague, Esteban Ocon, two places behind in ninth.
The race was a disappointment for Nico Hülkenberg, Kevin Magnussen, and Charles Leclerc, all of whom failed to see the chequered flag after collisions.
While a competitive race further down the rankings, it was plain-sailing for Hamilton, who wrapped up his 50th Mercedes victory with a lights-to-flag victory. The aftermath of the Belgian Grand Prix, in which Hamilton saw his lead in the standings cut to just 17 points, with a serious title challenge a real possibility, seems a distant memory.
After his ninth victory this season, the 33-year old has now extended his lead over rival Vettel to a mammoth 67 points, having increased his advantage by 50 in the last four contests; a further eight over Vettel and Hamilton will have won another championship. This can be done in Austin on October 21st, if he finishes top and Vettel ranks lower than second.
It is a been a favourite track for Hamilton since its introduction to the F1 calendar in 2012, with the Brit finishing in pole position in the last four years.
The possibility that Mercedes could wrap up a fifth consecutive championship, with three races remaining, marks the different class that Hamilton and Bottas’ team sit in. Despite his dominance, Hamilton has urged the media to pay more respect to Vettel, who he says has come under too much criticism.
Despite this, Hamilton will surely be yearning to get on the grid in Texas, with the knowledge that his fifth F1 victory will take him above Vettel, to joint-second in the all-time list.
E-sports is a growing global phenomenon. With an estimated global revenue of $905.6 million and a fanbase around the 380 million mark, the burgeoning discipline has now ascended to one of the globe’s other major franchises: the Premier League.
The official ePremier League (ePL), which is making its debut in January 2019, has been well supported by Premier League clubs, with all 20 of them to compete in the competition’s inaugural year.
Amongst these, of course, are Manchester giants Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester City, in particular, will be hoping to add to their glittering year with another trophy having recruited former FIFA world champion Kai ‘Deto’ Wallin.
The competition is still in its infancy. As such, the fledgling enterprise will comprise of three stages: online qualifiers, club playoffs, and a grand final, rather than taking on the traditional league format that the grass-based players adhere to.
Photo:Premier League
The first stage will be used to narrow the pool down to a total of 320 players. Of these players, 16 from each club will then face off to ascertain two representatives for the final.
Each club will enter two players – one on the Xbox One, and one on Playstation 4 – for the final, which will take place over two days at the end of March. Although it is unclear precisely how the final will work, the ePL webpage states that “matches will take place over two legs in a group-stage format on both PlayStation and Xbox to determine an overall champion”.
The Premier League has been quick to praise the initiative, with Richard Masters, the Premier League’s Managing Director, saying, “millions of fans play FIFA and this new eSports competition will provide our clubs with an exciting opportunity to engage with them.”
However, this growing trend has not always been met positively. In September, a match between Swiss clubs FC Basel and Young Boys saw console controllers thrown onto the pitch in a protest against football eSports, whilst news that eSports could one day be in the Olympics was met with widespread public derision.
Nonetheless, negotiations with Olympics eSports continues, and the ePL provides another marker for the growth in popularity of eSports.
There’s a certain irony in attending an event about feminism on Wednesday 3rd October. That date is widely known as Mean Girls Day and to quote the film, “on Wednesdays, we wear pink”. Indeed, Scarlett Curtis, a writer and women’s activist, is an advocate of pink with her signature dyed hair and eye-catching clothes; even the title of her newly released book features this traditionally feminine colour.
Scarlett is setting out to disprove some lies about feminism; including the misconception that ‘feminists don’t wear pink’, by filling her wardrobe with every shade possible. On the eve of the book launch, Scarlett and four other contributors held a discussion panel at the Lowry Theatre at Salford Quays. Prior to the book’s release, I also had the opportunity to ask Scarlett about her relationship with feminism.
Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies) features essays written by numerous women about what feminism means to them and has been curated by Scarlett, who has written a few contributions herself. The aim of the book is to break down some of the stereotypes associated with the movement, and to make it more accessible. “[The book] is not at all academic and doesn’t tell you how to be a feminist,” she tells me, “instead it’s a collection of personal stories from women talking about why they are a feminist and how that looks in their own lives…my hope is that it might give a lot of young women (and men) an easy and open entry point into this movement.”
By curating a series of pieces from different women, Scarlett has enabled various aspects of feminism to be explored. Feminism is not one size fits all; for some people it’s little changes that can make a difference, for others it’s tackling larger issues such as the gender pay gap. For Scarlett, feminism is about empowering all women, “I think to me feminism means ending all kind of prejudice that women can be victim to, including discrimination based on race, sexuality, disability or identity. It’s a movement that connects women across the world and that’s why I love it!”. All facets of woman-hood are touched upon in the book; entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid writes about her experience of co-parenting, while actor Amy Trigg praises the empowering effects of improvised acting. Each essay brings a new viewpoint on the subject.
However, millions of women and girls are affected by gender inequality worldwide and most of their stories go unheard, so how does a book like this help the wider movement? This is something Scarlett has acknowledged, “I think the issues I worry most about are FGM, child marriage, sexual violence and girls in education,” she says. “[FGM] is something that one of our contributors Nimco Ali is fighting for every single day”. Furthermore, all the royalties of the book are going to Girl Up, a movement created by the United Nations Foundation, which aims to help young women across the world to promote gender equality.
At the Lowry event, Scarlett discussed the book alongside the aforementioned Reid and Trigg, as well as activist and stand-up comedian Grace Campbell, and comedian Deborah Francis-White. Coincidentally, the talk took place inside the Quays Theatre, which happens to be very pink. Each of them read out their own essays from the book, bringing the writing alive with emotion and afterwards comparing their experiences with each other.
The audience were predominantly women and the atmosphere was friendly and inviting; in the second half of the talk people were encouraged to share their own personal experiences with feminism. A lot of the topics were not easy for the women to share, yet they felt comfortable in doing so and the tone of the evening continued to be one of positivity. The collaborative aspect of the book reflects how feminism can bring women together by providing a safe space for them to share their stories. As Scarlett tells me, being involved with the movement can also be incredibly healing, “I actually think that activism and feminism can be an incredible tool for self-help… getting involved with activism is how I found the majority of my best friends and whenever I’m feeling anxious or depressed I know it will give me a sense of confidence and purpose”.
Feminism is a huge movement and it can be difficult to know where to begin if you want to get involved, however you can approach it from any angle that you feel comfortable with, according to Scarlett. “I would recommend getting involved with an organisation or charity that you love. Bloody Good Period and Red Box Project both offer incredible ways for people to join the fight against period poverty and Help Refugees always needs volunteers and are genuinely saving the world! You could also think about starting a feminist club at school or a feminist book club!”.
You more information about Feminists Don’t Wear Pink on Scarlett’s Website.
Being an international student can be hard at times. It is difficult to be so far away from the people you know and love, and often so removed from the home comforts and familiarities of your own country that you once took for granted. For some students, even the language they are now expected to use without hesitation is vastly different from their mother tongue. On top of all these challenges, students need to negotiate the minefield of expected norms and practices of a new culture.
However, the positives of moving abroad are significant, such as endless opportunities to embrace a new way of living, challenging yourself in ways you never imagined, and even expressing yourself in a language that is not your own.
Last year, I spent a year abroad living in Lyon, France and then in Leipzig, Germany. My experience made me reflect upon what it was like to be, for the first time in my life, considered as the foreign ‘other’. It was exciting, inspiring, and challenging all at the same time. I promised myself that after returning from my year abroad I would try to engage with international students more here in Manchester, to learn about their experiences, and see how they feel about their new home.
For Diego, a final year student from Spain who studies Genetics and French, his first impression of Manchester was “a bit shocking.” He explains that “it was different from everything I knew from Spain, the social norms and the way people dress here is what I noticed the most.” However, he says that the differences he encountered weren’t necessarily negative: “I loved how people feel free to dress as they want over here. Anyone can be themselves.”
Tom, an Erasmus student from the University of Leipzig, was also pleasantly surprised by people’s behaviour, saying that “British people are much more polite than people back home”. Benoit, having only arrived in Manchester from Paris two weeks ago, admits that he was unfamiliar with British culture before he came here: “I don’t know that much [about the culture] yet other than [the fact] British people drink a lot”. It seems that the activities of Freshers’ Week made a mark on him.
Thankfully, Freshers did leave Benoit with more than an awareness of British drinking culture. He says he was impressed, and at times overwhelmed, by the events put on by the University and the size and scale of the societies here: “The amount of societies and activities linked with the university is great. You would never see that in France.”
All three students say how welcome they have been made to feel by the Welcome Meetings organised and by the people on campus wearing ‘Ask Me’ badges. They have also all had success in meeting people in lectures, “It’s so easy to get to know people. You just sit next to them and start talking!” Tom says happily.
However it is worth noting that the extent to which Tom, Diego, and Benoit have integrated with other British students is largely helped by their fluency in English. They all speak near perfect English, which led me to ask them all whether they believe that their experience would be different if this were not the case.
All three students said initially that they had felt somewhat inhibited by the fact that English was not their first language: “I was unable to make my statement in a way I was comfortable with”, Diego tells me, while Tom also finds it a challenge: “I struggle voicing all I have to say.” A situation which can, at times, be both frustrating and isolating.
However, all speak positively about what the challenge of expressing themselves in another language on a daily basis has brought them. Diego says he feels “totally integrated” with British and international students, and is able to form meaningful friendships that he could not have without speaking English. While Benoit says that although it is “just the beginning” of his year here in Manchester, he has already realised a dream of his — of living in an English speaking country and surviving using his English skills.
If there is anything we can take from the international student experience, it is Tom’s attitude: he “[wants] to be courageous because at home you often are not courageous”. From spending time with Benoit, Diego and Tom, it is clear to see that they approach their studies and lives here at Manchester with a certain energy and tenacity that is commendable.
Maybe whoever we are and wherever we come from, we should take some time out to be courageous and explore all Manchester has to offer with fresh eyes. We never know where the ability to step outside our established social networks and patterns of living may take us.
‘Public speaking’. Those two words can cause varying reactions — anxiety for some and excitement for others. Through workshops, opportunities, and feedback, the University of Manchester Public Speaking Society (in partnership with Teach First) aims to help students of any ability to master the skills of public speaking. Our goal is getting you ready to take on the world one presentation, pitch, or interview at a time. We try to tailor our friendly weekly sessions to suit both the terrified and the talented. Why not come next week to see for yourself?
At this point I bet you’ve got a whole load of questions, so I’ll try to give you some answers.
You might find yourself thinking “how can you teach public speaking?” Well, because you ask, I have a secret for you. There is no secret formula. There is no one set way to do public speaking, so the point of the society is to help you develop your own voice. We will offer techniques and exercises to help you find your inner communication style. The whole UoM Public Speaking community come together to support each person to develop in both their communication ability and their confidence.
We find that some new to the society might wonder how long it takes to become a public speaker, but in reality, there is no fixed time frame. For those who are complete beginners, you can sense real progress on a week to week basis; learning through observing others, taking part in practical workshops, and taking the floor. However, it is important to note that although we offer opportunities to practice your skills, we will never force people into doing anything they do not want to do. So, for some, that means they may spend the first few weeks sitting and watching others, and that is completely fine. As people grow in confidence they may choose to participate more, and the more you put in, the more you can get out of each session. However, the most exciting thing is that the journey never ends. No public speaker is perfect, so even those who have been delivering speeches to hundreds of people for years will admit they can still learn and develop.
We have such a variety of people from subjects across the board at the University of Manchester come along to join our society. The society went for a meal together after last Tuesday’s session and I (an International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response Student) was sitting next to a Maths student, whilst sharing a mango lassi with an English student, and comparing curries with a History and Arabic student. These are all people I would classify as friends, but they are also all people that I definitely would not have met had it not been for the Public Speaking Society.
After each session we unwind and relax together over a drink in the Student Union Bar. Whether people have a beer or an orange juice in hand, conversations flow and friendships are made. If this isn’t enough, we also go to events and for social evenings out together. As a result, it is now a running joke to say “see you next week” because in reality, it won’t be anywhere near that long.
If you’re interested in giving public speaking a go, we meet every Tuesday from 6 -7.30pm in Room 2.220, University Place. So, whether you want to develop your public speaking skills for a specific course presentation or just want to develop a skill that will be beneficial for life, come along! Check out our Facebook Page for more information.
Despite being a very new society, the Women’s Theatre Society is already making waves on campus, with some really astonishing performances that are providing a powerful medium for women to articulate their experiences and share these with each other and the audience through performance. I invited co-founder Hana Jafar to talk about how the society came about and what it means to her, to which she replied:
“We decided to start it after I watched my friend and society co-founder, Eleanor, acting in a performance, and realised that I felt like I could never do what she did. Acting in a hijab, covered up, and conscious of my physical presence under the male gaze would feel restricting and stifling. I realised that other women, even those that did not wear the hijab, felt like this too, and that we needed a safe, accessible, and inclusive space for these women to engage in theatre.”
The need for female only spaces is so often felt across many disciplines, theatre certainly not being excluded from this. There was clearly a need for this kind of society on campus as, once formed, the society brought in a lot of interest, from women of all backgrounds across campus. When asked about what the society is really doing for its members, Jafar replied; “We’re not just giving women a space to engage in theatre. We’re making that space completely judgement free, by ensuring that our committee members are consistently sensitive, aware, and grounded by the values that govern our society. Women who work with us often have little to no experience in theatre, and feel intimidated by other performance societies. We also pride ourselves on being inclusive, and have hosted events and performances with disabled performers, performers with autism, and performers with sensory impairments. We also make sure to put on social impact theatre addressing issues like gendered violence and Islamophobia.”
I saw the society’s production of The Vagina Monologues last year and was absolutely stunned by the talent of the performers, but also buy their honesty. Whether they were comedy pieces or more serious, they were delivered with such astonishing candidness, and I felt like I could relate to every single woman on the stage. For me, it was an extremely empowering experience. This event was unique in that all the members were performing pieces they had written themselves, inspired by the classic play by Ensler. I asked Jafar how the idea for this inspirational performance came about:
“We actually wanted to put on Ensler’s Vagina Monologues as it was, and one or two of the shorter pieces were from the original, but so many performers came forward with original material, and each one was raw, personal, and deeply moving in its own way. We did a group reading, then rehearsed a few times, and the rest is history.”
It was a truly awe inspiring performance, each performer had her own story to tell and each was one that stirred the audience into appreciation for that women’s story, and unified the whole room in solidarity for those struggles and difficulties all women face.
Working within the group must be an incredibly liberating experience, and must be extremely empowering as a performer. Jafar commented, “it’s incredible. The performers often get very emotional. I have to admit, I’ve cried watching women come to life on stage. It’s breathtaking”.
With regards to the coming year, the society have a lot of interesting projects in the pipeline. Building upon their success last year, they have a wider variety of events coming up.
“We’re very excited about ‘Uncovered: Monologues by Muslim Women’. It’s a performance for Islamophobia Awareness Month, inspired by The Vagina Monologues and The Hijabi Monologues, which first premiered at the Bush Theatre in London. This one will also be entirely original, and the entire cast will be comprised of Muslim women from different backgrounds, with different stories to tell. That’s on the 5th November. We also have an introduction to theatre workshop and film screening coming up.”
I for one am extremely excited to see this performance and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys theatre, and even to those who don’t. I was curious as to how the society chooses what they perform, to which Jafar responded: “We try to put on a diverse array of shows, but it’s important to us that our work makes an impact. If we find something we like, or something is suggested to us, and we don’t need a license to perform it, then we will attempt to put it on.” Jafar added “we are currently working on outreach projects including formulating a theatre workshop in collaboration with a stammering support group for women, partnering with schools where theatre programmes have been cut, and hosting a theatre workshop with Manchester Cares, a charity working to end loneliness among young professionals and older neighbours. We are also partnered with women’s charities like Manchester Rape Crisis, for whom we raised over £600 at the Vagina Monologues last year.”
I asked what the committee’s hopes for the future of the society were, and whether more shows with bigger casts would be in the pipeline if the numbers were to continue to increase: “Size and frequency only matter if we continue to make impactful theatre with women. I hope that the society’s ethos never changes. Making theatre accessible and inclusive to all women is at the heart of what we do, and we do it by creating impactful all-female productions, from lighting and tech to acting and directing, giving women safe and inclusive spaces to perform, and empowering female theatre-makers, campaigners, and thinkers.”
“I hope the society grows in its membership so that more women have access to what we do. We are definitely hoping to collaborate with other groups. I’m aware of one in Birmingham and one in Bristol, but I don’t know of any student groups. I’m particularly inspired by individuals like Evie Manning, and we may take part in events like the Women of the World festival in Bradford. I have big dreams for the society, but for now, we’re trying to make an impact one workshop and one performance at a time.”
Seeing one of their performances is an absolute must, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for news of upcoming shows and go and support these amazing women who are creating such an important space, performer or spectator, for the women on campus.
Or better still, get involved! Any woman can perform with the society, so if this sounds like something you’d want to be a part of you can contact the group through their Facebook page for information about rehearsals.
True Vintage is the UK’s leading online vintage retailer founded by Rory Westbrook. Despite an incredibly competitive buy-and sell-market, and a 90s style revival touching every corner of the fashion industry, True Vintage have managed to stand out and catalyse on this booming market. This is down to their carefully curated product, made up of some of the most desired brands on the vintage circuit.
True Vintage’s success is evident from their 162,000 strong Instagram followers, as well as recognition from big industry names such as Vogue and Tommy Hilfiger. With a landmark pop-up in Urban Outfitters in Manchester last week, I went down to meet Guy Westbrook to learn more about the buzz around True Vintage, where they’ve come from and what’s next.
The True Vintage pop-up was well stocked with the likes of Polo Sport, Fila, Burberry, and Tommy Hilfiger. Yet True Vintage hasn’t always been as established as it is today. Rather, the brand started from more humble beginnings. Guy tells me “True Vintage was started by my brother, Rory, 4 years ago, at Portsmouth University, just as a way of earning money. He realised there was a demand for vintage clothing, as it gives people a chance to be different. He started that up just as a personal project really.”
What is so great about True Vintage is that they wholly understand their customer. It makes sense when I learn that the company is still ran by a very close circle of friends who began packing orders in Rory’s university house, and who share the same love for fashion.
“I was then the 2nd person to start working with him,” Guy told me. “I would travel down to Portsmouth from Guildford where I had been doing various fashion internships which were all a bit all over the place, and then Rory was just like ‘come down and work with me!’ So I helped him whilst he was still at uni, and then it just got bigger and bigger until we moved back up to London and we’ve grown so that we’re up to 9 people now. It’s a great team as we’ve all got different skills and talents so we’ve all been learning as we go along and has been going well so far and is just really exciting!”
Yet it’s clear that that the close-knit bunch haven’t remained in their comfort zone, and have greatly expanded from being just a uni brand trading through Instagram, gaining an array of amazing achievements under their belt. “Probably the biggest project we have done would be Tommy Hilfiger at London Fashion Week which was last year, the same year with Gigi Hadid’s collection. We were at the Camden Roundhouse selling vintage Tommy. He even bought stuff off us himself! We’ve done loads more projects with Tommy Hilfiger like the event with Lewis Hamilton where he released his collection at the Oxford Street store, they’ve been really great.”
The stock even impressed industry experts — True Vintage have write-ups in Vogue and has been recognised by the brands themselves: “We had a head design team from Adidas come over, who said we have the best collection of vintage Adidas they’ve seen – even better than their own official archives! They really wanted to buy stuff off us but we had to say no, we want to keep that!”
In such a competitive market for buying and selling clothes, especially amongst students, it is a real a testament to True Vintage’s stock that the brand continues to expand. Guy tells me that “sourcing is just down to connections we’ve made over the years, now we’re even at the stage where big collectors are even coming to us. We have a supply chain of about 15-20 suppliers globally who we work with daily to ensure we only source the best stuff for our customers. But as you grow, it means you get to speak to people and meet new people you never thought possible so that’s definitely helped us along the way.”
After such a successful year, it’s interesting to hear what True Vintage have next up their sleeve. Guy shares with me that they definitely want more collaborations with brands. Furthermore, he adds that “it’s nice when you have pop-up events like these so we can go out and meet people to speak to the people who buy from your brand, that’s the only drawback of online as its more anonymous. And therefore we are looking for more pop-ups and events. We also would love to do some more consulting work with brands as we all really love fashion and clothes, you can see recently on the high street that everything is taking a vintage revival, so I think that we have a lot to offer. We might even look to design our own stuff, who knows!”
Whatever in store for the team at True Vintage, it’s apparent their growth won’t be stunted any time soon.
It is sometimes said that those who have been in the field the longest have the most to offer, and that could certainly be argued to be true for veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell. Her years of catwalk shows and public exposure have given her confidence and influence with which she has done extraordinary things. Particularly noteworthy this year were her runway show in support of #TimesUp, and the tangible appreciation she got from GQ Magazine in September, when she was awarded Fashion Icon of the Year.
The aforementioned catwalk show was not hosted by Miss Campbell for the first time this year— she is a recurring feature of the show, but this year’s production stood out because of the tone and the political climate. This year called “Race To Equality”, the show on the illustrious French Riviera became another battleground for the debate over the treatment of women. It was associated with the #Time’sUp movement, which was launched earlier in the year in a response to allegations and evidence of sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry. Miss Campbell knew the world would be watching, and so took the opportunity for her iconic catwalk activism.
The show was successful for this obvious reason, as well as the diversity of the models, both ethnically and in terms of different standards of beauty. Winnie Harlow, a model afflicted with vitiligo — where dark skin does not fully cover the body — featured prominently amongst industry mainstays like Bella Hadid. It was also a site of cultural expression, with non western-centric dress appearing in multiple cases. Miss Campbell herself took to the catwalk in two different outfits, one being a Dolce and Gabbana pairing of an elegant black corset with a frenetic, street art inspired skirt that enveloped her lower half.
It could be said that she was a leading influence in the industry even when not creating, as she was very vocal about lending her support to Virgil Abloh of Off-White, when he became the new creative director for Louis Vuitton. Hers is a voice the industry needs, and her talent helps it thrive amid changing political climates and social norms. She has undoubtedly shaped the industry this year, and the recognition by GQ is well deserved.
Let’s start with the obvious questions I know you’ll want answering: ‘do I get to explore the Battle of 300?’, ‘do I get to spartan kick a load of guys?’, and ‘do I get to see Gerard Butler’s CGI abs?’. The answers are yes, yes, and no, sadly not. In all seriousness, the latest iteration in the Assassin’s Creed series, Odyssey, is an exciting mix of new, RPG-style combat and questing, and old — parkouring across beautiful vistas, assassinating bad guys with finesse, and the franchise’s iconic intermingling of history, myth and all the spaces in between.
Whether it be the high-points of the much-loved Ezio trilogy, or the disappointment of Unity and Syndicate, it’s fair to say that Assassin’s Creed has had a bumpy ride over the past decade or so. However, thanks to the previous instalment, Origins, which if not a resounding success was at least a significant improvement upon recent predecessors, the series is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance (pun intended) and the future looks brighter than ever with this latest entry.
The first thing that must be said about this game is “boy, is it pretty”. Whilst Assassin’s Creed has always had style and above average graphics, this time around the folks at Ubisoft have outdone themselves, with amazingly conceived environments, beautiful colour palettes, and increased levels of fidelity — right down to individual beard hairs. I guess I’m a sucker for the little things. I used photo mode in a game for the first time ever and I’ve probably spent more time getting the perfect shot than I have on most coursework.
Photo: Ubisoft
The setting itself is arguably one of the best the series has seen. The backdrop of Ancient Greece with its deep historical heritage and roots in mythology, make it the perfect staging ground for Assassin’s Creed to play with. The historical, mythological, and cultural references, past and present, range from cultured and considered, all the way to the almost comedic in its very meta, self-aware, intertextuality.
The story itself is up there with the best of the series. Of course, true to form, the modern-day parts still feel tenuous and tertiary but either one of the protagonists’ journeys you choose, Alexios or Kassandra, knit cleverly together with very little difference in dialogue and, crucially, both enjoy the same thrilling plot.
In terms of gameplay, I still had some teething pains as I acclimatised to the new combat system that came with the RPG-style of Origins. Nevertheless, the game has some gorgeous and downright gory fight animations and adds interest through detailed ability systems for both ranged and melee attacks.
There have been a few key changes in naval combat that make it a more detailed and individual experience — as well as being able to personalise the perks and appearance of your ship, you can now also recruit and assign lieutenants to man your ships, bringing more options for customisation. Many have said that this feels like the ‘spiritual successor to Black Flag’, where sailing was first introduced through the pirate theme, and so it should be — it is entitled Odyssey after all.
The bread and butter of this game, however, comes in how the series has begun to take strides towards becoming a fully-fledged RPG, and here it does an exceptional job. The levelling system, for instance, is, in all its facets, one of the most palpable, challenging and enjoyable examples I can recall in recent memory. Odyssey, in the style of The Witcher 3, gives you recommendations on what level you should be before taking on its bounteous offerings. Of course, I didn’t heed their warnings and often found out the hard way that I was vastly too basic to take on my statistically superior foes. I raged several times as they continued to pummel me, having to start back at the conservative autosaves that made me feel like I was playing Dark Souls. I loved every minute of it.
An aspect that has been carried over from Origins is the loot system; although the influence from games like Destiny in its various levelled weaponry and armour remains fairly evident, it is still extremely satisfying every time you complete a ruin or a cave and come out with better and better gear.
Photo: Ubisoft
Gear can be further upgraded with the addition of engravings, adding effects to weapons and armour; once you’ve discovered these effects through questing, bartering or simply levelling up, you can then apply them to all your future gear. This deeper level of customisation allowed me to both pander to, and partially overcome my inner diva, as you can either simply equip whatever has the best stats, or spend time improving your more aesthetically pleasing items and slay in style.
After the last installment, Ubisoft promised to take a break from the annual release policy that seemed to contribute towards the series’ recent decline pre-Origins. However, they have since gone back on that promise with this latest release and perhaps this explains the cherry-picking of some elements from the best RPG on market – there are certainly undertones of the aforementioned Witcher in the depth and scale, even pinching that wailing noise from every time you complete a quest. But what’s wrong with that? All great works take inspiration from those around them — it’s what makes them and this game in particular as great as it is.
Having said that, it doesn’t seem as though they have missed that extra year too much – in fact, it is more than likely that production on Odyssey and Origins began around the same time, meaning that beyond similarity there is also sustained level of quality, with the feedback from the previous game allowing for a quick turnaround in improvements. Whilst there are negatives to be found here, perhaps arising from the pressure of a fall release, they only somewhat take away from an otherwise excellent game that adds to the continuing revitalisation of the series.
One thing that niggles me are the loading screens. Oh, the loading screens… Obviously, this has to be balanced with the fact that this is a much bigger game than we have previously seen in the franchise, not to mention having to seamlessly render extensive secondary environments such as vast underwater areas and numerous caves, or the generally high levels of visual fidelity that Odyssey achieves; but seriously—they’re everywhere.
I had hoped this was merely on account of my first generation, and veritable grandma of a PS4, simply struggling to keep up with the demands of this high-performance title, however, this isn’t the case given that the game has run exceptionally smoothly — not one stutter, glitch or unacceptably approximate texture-pop yet. Moreover, many reported experiencing similar frequencies even on a PS4 Pro.
In addition to this, there are inconsistencies even in aspects of the game that I have thoroughly enjoyed with the performances being one of the best examples. Whilst I was surprised at how compelling I found my chosen character, Alexios — with many on the internet arguing that Kassandra’s dialogue is even more impressive, in fact — his comparison with the likes of Ezio, is often tempered by those around him and whether their performances are up to scratch.
Photo: Flickr @ steamXO
Take Markos for instance, your right-hand man and partner in crime (though his exploits more accurately force you into that role), whilst he is entirely likeable and plays a key part in your backstory, he reminds me of Niko’s cousin, Roman, in GTA IV – almost cartoony in his persistent comic relief, to the level that it becomes annoying from time to time. More generally, the surrounding characters that you encounter are a series of peaks and troughs and whilst these NPCs look better than ever, many scenes hinge entirely on whether the voice acting is good or bad.
However, as I said, these are mainly minor qualms and they don’t even come close to sabotaging this game in the way that previous titles have. I have to admit, for a person who held this series as, arguably, his favourite of all time, during its heyday, I’ve been waiting a long time for Assassin’s Creed to get back on track. But Odyssey does more than that: in following on from Origins and the reinvention of the game’s central mechanics, by adding several layers of depth to the varying types of gameplay, and choosing one the most interesting and abundant periods in history to construct is parkour-filled playground, this game has rekindled my love for this amazing series and given me hope that it will continue in its return to former, one could say, Athenian glory.
Geraint Thomas has issued a plea for the thieves who stole his Tour de France trophy to return it. The Coupe Omnisports, given to the winner of the most prestigious race in cycling, was taken from a display at The Cycle Show in Birmingham.
West Midlands Police are currently investigating the situation. The trophy was taken after being “momentarily left unattended” during a cleaning procedure following the conclusion of the event. Thomas’ team, Team Sky, loaned the trophy to their sponsors Pinarello to take to the show at Birmingham’s NEC from September 28th-30th.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said that “police were contacted on 2nd October to report the theft of a trophy from the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 on 29th September.”
Speaking about the issue, Thomas said: “It is incredibly unfortunate that this has happened. It goes without saying that the trophy is of pretty limited value to whoever took it and hopefully [they] will have the good grace to return it. A trophy is important, but clearly what matters most are the amazing memories from this incredible summer, and no-one can ever take those away.”
Thomas won Team Sky’s sixth Tour de France in seven years earlier this year. The Coupe Omnisports was on display next to fellow teammate Chris Froome’s Giro d’Italia trophy from May and his 2017 Vuelta de Espana trophy.
The managing director of Pinarello, Richard Hemington, said “we are obviously devastated about this. We accept full responsibility and have personally apologised to Geraint. Obviously we all hope that the trophy can be recovered.”
He has since been told that he will be given a replica of the trophy next year if the original is not recovered.
Animations tend to be seen to create a fantasy world, one in which characters have four fingers and a myriad of powers. ‘Tehran Taboo’, however, is far from this. Appropriately named, we get a tense insight into double lives being led not by choice, but by necessity.
Directed by Ali Soozandeh, Tehran Taboo is set against the bustling backdrop of the Iranian capital; the background noise of cars and the consistent bustle of a metropolitan city, see that there is not a moment of silence in the film. This restlessness is heightened by the animation technique used — known as ‘rotoscoping’ this sees animation placed over motion pictures. This constant motion on screen gives the audience no room to settle or relax, ensuring an appropriate level of tension is maintained whilst we follow four different stories. The film’s eventual climax at the end had me sat on the edge of my seat with my head in my hands.
Tehran Taboo does well to highlight the intricacies of life in ways that cannot be achieved through other forms of media like news — at present, our dominant insight into the Middle East. In a film, the audience is in the characters’ shoes, and for 90-something minutes is given a view of their every day.
The relationship between men and women is certainly imbalanced; there are more scenes depicting bribery than there are of men and women having accepted, public conversations. We are shown one character, Sara, successfully get a job, however, she needs a signature of permission from her husband, which is he less than happy to discuss — she is merely needed to carry his child. The powerlessness of women within the structure of society is shown, however Ali Soozandeh succeeds in portraying them as strong and independent.
We are introduced to a mother, called Pari, who earns her living performing sexual favours and manages to move into a new house, loaned by one of her customers. Pari is the same woman who was denied a divorce from her imprisoned drug addict husband and cannot get work because of regulations and is forced to care for her mute son, alone. Aside from a scene depicting him throwing water bombs — actually flavoured condoms — from a balcony, we see no resemblance of a childhood for this boy.
Although the causes of these problems are due to societal and political issues, this is not the centre of the film. The focus is not on wider society, nor the politics but on how these individuals navigate their lives, which makes the film less intimidating and more emotive to watch. I would like to highlight, however, that this film is not a documentary and whilst it has been criticised for the outdated nature of some of the events, surely a level of creative freedom is allowed within the realms of storytelling, much like it would be for a film set in Manchester, for example.
This film is poignant and when it ended I had to sit still for a moment before re-entering my reality again. Watch it to hear the beauty of Persian and be immersed in gripping stories of these taboos.
Neighbourhood Festival returned to the streets of Manchester on the 6th October, displaying some of the industry’s most successful and talented artists. For just £30, fans could travel to Manchester’s most loved venues and see what this eclectic festival had to offer. After quite literally running from venue to venue, I settled on the two performances that affirmed the notion that Manchester really is the musical hotspot of the north.
Let me introduce you to the first of these two performances, the compelling and peculiar The Howl & The Hum.
The Howl & The Hum present to you an alternate, dystopian universe which – despite brimming with fantastical animals, personified weather, and hellbent murderers – is saturated in a certain kind of charm, albeit of the twisted variety. The Howl & The Hum drag you down a rabbit hole of pompous characters and cruel protagonists, all with an immersive backdrop of echoing riffs and harrowing drum beats that leave you reeling with perspiration by the end. Frontman Sam Griffiths is an eccentric fusion of all that he preaches, granting him the perfect commanding presence as he leads his guitar-based disco through their fables.
‘Murder’ is a consistent crowd-pleaser as it begins with a charging tempo that gradually builds behind Griffiths’ eerily-placed notes. Reminiscing of waiting at bus stops in pyjamas and purchasing Tesco Value lager always results in murder, am I right? Well, Sam is certainly convincing as the song entails a story of heartbreak, frustration, and regret that sends a shiver down your spine.
The band have indulged in a year of remarkable success: triggered by relentless hard work and support from Tom Robinson’s BBC6 radio show, along with the wider BBC platform, they are certainly doing well for themselves.
TH & TH won’t always be that impressive group of lads that you can catch down at your local. It has already begun. Make sure you’re part of it. The new year will be a very exciting time for this astounding York-born quartet.
Oh, and boys, you really need to release ‘Sweet Fading Silver’.
9/10
Now, onto Temples. Sorcery, mythology, and nostalgia enclosed around this stylish four-piece as they took to the stage of the O2 Ritz as one of the festival’s headliners.
With medieval and middle-eastern influence fusing with psychedelic synth beats and pounding riffs, Temples present themselves as a godly figuration. Presenting similar themes and artwork to the likes of Rainbow and Dio, Temples are a refreshing twist of a more niche style of rock.
Make no mistake though, despite their lack of mainstream appeal, Temples have a very loyal cult. ‘Move with the Season’, ‘Keep in the Dark’ and, of course, ‘Shelter Song’ helped to frame the perfect, distinctively kaleidoscopic soundscape that the strange quartet so effortlessly build up to.
Such an explosive array of experimentation and cohesive musical creation made for a show that captures all five of your senses. In the middle of the O2 Ritz, I found myself plunged into a weird, psychoactive reality that left me with an overwhelming realisation – after 20 long months, Temples are finally back playing Manchester.
An intensely magical experience that left the audience enraptured in a trance.
Are you the kind of person who stays up to 3am watching conspiracy theories videos? If, like me, you are, you’ll love Sabrina by Nick Drnaso. As the first graphic novel ever to make it onto the Man Booker Prize long list, Sabrina explores the nastier side of conspiracies. Government agencies are accused of creating tragedies and grieving families are dismissed as actors. Sound familiar?
A little too familiar. In the opening pages, we’re told that “this book is a work of fiction […] any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental”. You’ll only find references to specific dates if you pay close attention, but there is no doubt about when this story is taking place.
The novel is full of hysterical radio hosts, good men with guns, and online trolls with a scary amount of access to information. It’s hard to believe that this story didn’t actually happen and saddening to know that very similar stories do. Be prepared to feel uncomfortable, be prepared to be upset. On every page, you’ll see empty rooms, a lack of landmarks and the repeated use of small panels stripped of dialogue.
Sabrina is set a normal town in a normal state, full of normal people. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing boring about the novel. The simple style hammers home that this story could be happening anywhere in America. Even the drama of suicide and murder is rendered simple, un-gory and undramatic. Drnaso strips the story bare to great effects.
By showing us the minutiae of the everyday, Drnaso brings readers close to the characters. We watch every small movement throughout their day, we watch as they pace, talking on the phone, how they turn to check nobody’s watching their screen. We are invisible bystanders watching their lives slowly crumble.
So much is left out in the novel. Somehow, I could actually hear the characters’ murmuring voices, even when their conversations were only represented with blank lines. We stand metres away from the speakers, unable to hear the full story, made to fill in the gaps. Normally I’d see this kind of minimalism as a negative thing, but having to figure out exactly what’s being said and what’s going on is half the fun.
It’s not all doom and gloom in the novel, there are some lighter moments. One image comes to mind: one of the main characters draped in a Snuggie. Some of the more feel-good stories in the novel made me internally cringe. You know the type, “a DOG takes the bus to see his best friend!” We see articles like them every day. Yet Drnaso’s art style renders them as ordinary and blank as an empty bedroom, a suburban street, or a dead body.
Reading Sabrina, there was a constant uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I had a creeping realisation that this was not going to end well for anybody. Drnaso is a chronicler of out times: there are stories of violence against women, smear campaigns against a family, men’s mental health issues and the way that the media casually shifts from one violent atrocity to another.
We are forced to come to terms with seeing almost identical stories more and more in real life. Rather than a steep crescendo at the end, you start to dread that (Groundhog Day style) you’re going to be forced to relive the story again; to see more people get hurt, stalked and killed. The cycle of news moving cooly onto the next tragedy.
I was expecting clichés, but Sabrina shows America in a way we don’t normally see. The humdrum of the characters’ daily lives couldn’t have been told through film, or even prose. Drnaso’s bare art style brings real issues to the fore; set against the backdrop of simple Americana. It’s never predictable, despite the odd “The cat’s gone missing” moment. Sabrina is a truly excellent slow-burn that manages to touch on almost every current issue being discussed in the US today; it’s well worth your time.
Ever since the days of the ‘Rave Revolution’ back in the late 80s, Manchester has existed as a centrepiece in the UK’s illustrious history of electronic music. Spearheaded by the Haçienda, the underground electronic and dance scene rode a wave of huge success into the 90s. However, as a new millennium dawned, and the venues that had birthed club culture began to disappear, the scene and those who populated it yearned for a new place to dance away their troubles. Enter, ‘The Warehouse Project’.
The brainchild of Manchester natives Sacha Lord-Marchionne and Sam Kandel, The Warehouse Project (WHP) was opened in the autumn of 2006 at the Boddington Brewery, Strangeways. During its first (and only year) in the iconic Warehouse, for which it is named, WHP immediately put Manchester back at the heart of the underground and urban music scene. With live sets from the likes of Public Enemy, Pendulum, Soulwax, and Jeff Mills, WHP didn’t start small, but — during its first three month season — exemplified the broad variety which has since become a crucial characteristic of its success.
The year after its debut, WHP arrived in Store Street. Inhabiting an unused air raid shelter below Piccadilly Station, the event seemed to have found its spiritual home. The red brick walls and unique arches provided a setting that has since become a distinctive and world-renowned fortress for music of the highest standard. If any venue was to recreate the ‘Madchester’ era for a millennial generation, it was this.
Over the course of its time in Store Street, WHP has become famed for its diverse musical lineups in terms of genre, and its willingness to place huge international acts amongst up-and-coming grassroots talent. However, as this years season rolled around, it was announced that revellers would have to bid a fond and final farewell to the infamous venue as developments to the Piccadilly area were to cause a ‘natural conclusion’ to WHP’s time there.
This isn’t the first time that the event has stepped away from Store Street (having spent time at the Victoria Warehouse in Trafford between 2012 and 2013), but this year will be conclusive — “there will be no return.” Organisers are looking to give the iconic venue a fitting send-off, and this season’s line-up is characteristically impressive and wide-ranging.
With nights curated by the likes of Annie Mac, Four Tet, and Denis Sulta, all of whom are longstanding members of the WHP stronghold, coupled with appearances from pioneers of hip-hop and dance music, notably Pusha T and Underworld, musical variety remains prevalent as ever. New for this years ‘Farewell Store Street’ programme, in collaboration with Manchester International Festival, is a string of special events at the immense Mayfield Depot headlined by Bonobo, Bicep, Fever Ray, and Manchester MC, Bugzy Malone.
Perhaps this is where we will see WHP resettle in the future? All we do know is this season promises, yet again, to stand alone as one of the most unique and exciting events in live music.
The Warehouse Project has been instrumental in maintaining Manchester’s prevalence as a cultural powerhouse for 12 years now. With this season looking as impressive as ever, movement away from Store Street offers a world of opportunity and with relative silence on the matter of relocation from organisers, who knows what the future holds for the legendary event. For these 12 weeks, however, the city really is theirs.
On that note, why not venture to WHP’s event ‘Rush Hour’ this Saturday? Beginning at 14:00 and lasting till 2:00 am, WHP are hosting a whopping lineup playing the likes of Hunee, Antal, and Moodymann, not to mention live performances from Kuniyuki x Sauce81 and Jordan GCZ.
For more information and tickets, visit their website: https://www.thewarehouseproject.com/event/rush-hour
The University of Manchester has announced the official launch of a new project named Creative Manchester. It was announced on the fourth of October and promises an investment of £3.3 million into the creative industry.
The event, held at Whitworth Hall, featured a variety of creative individuals and presentations. There was a range of speakers, from significant artists in Manchester to students. The guests gathered to witness multiple performances of poetry, speech, and even Klezmer Ensemble.
The university is aiming to be the leading academic institution in the creative industry sector, both locally and globally. It intends to do so by increasing support and conversations surrounding the importance of the industry. The project recognises the role of Arts and Humanities and will also focus on implementing them in the business world. There are plans to give help in employability, as well as offer placement opportunities, in order to encourage students to expand their creativity and to build a career from it.
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “Our investment in new research, new posts, and new courses will take our work across the creative and cultural sectors to a new level of significance and impact.”
One of the main goals of Creative Manchester is to help graduates by connecting their creative minds with employers. When a student studying English Literature with Creative Writing was asked to comment on the recent launch, she said: “It’s a great thing because there needs to be more focus on [it] and more resources for all of the creative arts.”
Another student on the same course talked about the role of the Arts and added: “it’s an area that is too often thought of as a hobby and it is often neglected in academic spheres. Anything that provides academic opportunities for the creative arts should be encouraged.”
The project has also set up their own website, www.creative.manchester.ac.uk. To find more information on their objectives and how to get involved, visit the website.
Last Sunday, the Manchester Literature Festival welcomed Graham Norton to the Royal Northern College of Music to discuss his latest book, A Keeper.
In 2015 Norton said that “me appearing at a literary festival must be one of the signs of the apocalypse.” The sold out show and vocal Mancunian audience seemed to prove otherwise.
Personable and sharply funny throughout, Norton covered a breadth of topics. After years of hosting The Graham Norton Show, it was strange to watch Norton sit in the interviewee seat. Although quite quickly, the interviewer became the interviewee.
Norton noted that writing a debut at 50 isn’t exactly normal. But he had always wanted to write a novel and published Holding in 2016, to great acclaim. Winning the Irish Independent Popular Fiction Award helped rid him of fears of literary failure. To Norton though, the highest accolade the novel received was that his mother, who has dementia, enjoyed it so much that she forgot he wrote it.
His follow-up novel A Keeper — not a sequel — similarly draws upon rural Ireland and its myths and mysteries. It is clear that Norton is deeply inspired by his home country and its people and stories. His wry humour and facetiousness seems to take on a new form in his enigmatic and mysterious rural Ireland.
The novel follows the return of Elizabeth Keane to her childhood village after her mother’s death. She encounters a series of questions about her origins and her paternity.
Norton creates an additional narrative about Elizabeth’s mother, Patricia, set 40 years earlier, when she is grieving her own mother’s death. Patricia, urged on by a friend, responds to an advert in the Lonely Hearts section of the Farmer’s Journal and meets a lonely farmer. Norton mentioned how shocked he was to discover that the Farmer’s Journal still bands together sporadic farmer communities in rural Ireland to this day.
In both of Norton’s novels, there is a yearning for identity with many outsider characters fighting for a sense of belonging. Norton, who grew up as part of the 3% protestant population in Ireland, talked about how he felt alienated as a child. Nevertheless, Norton talked fondly about Ireland — he lives there for six months each year. He was especially optimistic about Ireland’s recent social progress, and talked passionately about Repeal the 8th and marriage legislation.
When the talk was over, the audience were eager to ask questions. Norton was happy to spill the beans on how Robert De Niro’s appearance on his chat show was so tedious that it had to be cut. He talked about a strong bond he forged with Dolly Parton when he visited Dollyworld at the time of 9/11. Norton also harked back to his Mother Theresa Edinburgh skit, which kick-started his career and got him a role on Father Ted.
After 90 minutes of charisma, celebrity gossip, and anecdotal indulgence Graham Norton left the stage to resounding applause and doting heckles. His new novel, A Keeper, is out now on hardback.
As with everything, spirituality is not immune from fashion trends. This year, there has been a sharp increase in the selling of books, films, and wearable items centred around witchcraft. But what are the ethical implications of capitalising on pagan-centred religions?
The fashion industry is capitalising on modern youth’s estrangement from conventional systems of faith to turn a profit. In the UK, fewer than 10% of 16-29 year olds consider themselves Christian, and only 6% view themselves as Muslim. This means that more than ever, young people are experiencing a sense of spiritual disengagement.
However, there is a counter rise to this trend. In Britain, the number of people who identify with pagan orientated religions is estimated at as much as 200,000. For many, pagan-oriented faiths are increasingly attractive because of their associations with nature and pacifism. Following the social trend of veganism, and a greater awareness of climate change, this appears to be an appropriate spiritual direction.
The fashion industry has noticed these spiritual trends, and are appropriating pagan spirituality for profit. From a quick glance, it is easy to see these spiritual influences on our high streets. Urban Outfitters sells everything from spell books to Rose Quartz lamps. To turn a profit by aestheticizing people’s faith feels uncomfortable, especially as it contradicts the core beliefs of these spiritual sects. The use of plastic in many of these products ignores pagan beliefs of respecting nature.
The fashion industry also uses massive quantities of water; 2,700 litres are used to create a single t-shirt. That is the equivalent of three years drinking water. There are obvious contradictions in where the fashion industry sells consumers items associated with pagan religions, but exploits the nature paganism tries to protect in doing so.
It seems that making a profit by aestheticizing religious sects is the new ‘in’. Not only does this create imbedded contradictions in the fashion industry, but leads to a misunderstanding of these religions as illegitimate or a fad. Spirituality is personal and powerful, and the fashion industry should not use it as a way of making money. A combination of people’s private struggles with faith and the vulnerability of pagan based religions due to mass cultural misunderstanding has led to the increase in occult-themed fashion. As young adults, what we lack in spiritual conviction is being replaced with consumerism.
As the largest of its kind in Europe, and with venues scattered around Manchester, this festival offers a unique opportunity to explore the cultural hallmarks of the city whilst engaging with a whole variety of artworks based on the central theme of Asia.
Established in 2004, the Asia Triennial has become a platform for new voices in the arts, especially British-Asian artists who are often under-represented and set apart from the mainstream art-scene.
The Triennial kicked off with a panel discussion led by the Director of New Art Exchange in Nottingham, Skinder Hundal between Fa and Fon Watkins, Thai-born fashion students, Stanley Chow, a Manchester-based illustrator, and writer, performer and former police-woman Anjum Malik. Together, they introduced their practice and interrogated the questions ‘who do you think you are?’ and ‘where are you really from?’ which stressed the ever-present conflict between individual and group identity.
What seemed to resonate with each panellist was how little the emphasis of those questions had changed, and how certain prejudices about the diasporic community exist long after first generation Asians emigrated to Britain. Crucial, then, is the link between identity and sense of place; how identities can aberrate when a person relocates to a new community. Perhaps it is significant that one of the festival venues is HOME cinema in the heart of Manchester, a statement of belonging which is ever more relevant in the context of Brexit.
Through work which includes sculpture, performance, zine-making and photography, these artists push their response to identity politics beyond the East/West conflict to ask to what extent is one implicated in a discussion about race? Or indeed, to what extent should an artist acknowledge their parents’ country when they create work?
These questions gesture towards our assumptions about heritage which can never be ‘solved’ or ’discovered’. Nothing is straightforward, nor should it be, because to celebrate these differences, ‘straightforward’ cannot encompass the marginal, secondary, curving and undulating ideas of identity which make up our artistic landscape.
Despite the obvious difficulty regarding offence and representation that naturally arises out of certain identity politics, what seems to be at the core of this festival is the importance of access to art. Making it a free festival reiterates Hundal’s concluding statement that ‘everyone matters.’
‘ATM18’ is therefore a convenient acronym for the festival; meaning ‘at the moment’, it emphasizes the contemporaneity of the festival’s central themes. ‘Who do you think you are?’ and ‘where are you really from?’ are the kinds of questions which construct Asian-British identity, but what this festival demonstrates so clearly is how varied the response to those questions can be.
Unsure of where to start? You can view the jam-packed schedule by visiting their website.
On any given stroll through Manchester’s bustling city centre, it takes no stretch of the imagination to conceive that Manchester has been a thriving centre of commerce for a very long time. Whilst the majority of the hundreds of retailers occupying space in the city have only been there for a couple of decades, they belong to a long tradition of buying and selling that dates back the early days of the Industrial Revolution.
In a short space of time, Manchester vastly grew in size and economic output, becoming one of Britain’s most preeminent cities, a position it has held to this day. Slightly hidden away amongst the domineering structures of the Arndale Centre, The Printworks, and countless retail outlets, evidence of this heritage remains.
In the Northern Quarter, on the rather uninspiringly named ‘High Street’, you will find a series of beautiful orange brick arches, the ornamentation of which draws my attention every time I walk past. Adorning each of these four arches are the words Wholesale Fish Markets, along with a unique fishing-related scene represented in miniature statue form.
I’ve always found these quirky affectations extremely appealing. Today, these arches have a purely decorative function, as they now form a façade behind which is a residential area, but they continue to pay homage to the fish market that used to make up about half of Smithfield Market’s total area.
It is worth noting that up until the expansion of rail networks across Britain, which allowed for the speedy transportation of goods, fish was hard to come by in Manchester, owing to the considerable distance to the coast from the city. This was undoubtedly a factor that contributed to the great popularity of the fish market, which would draw in many people for whom fish had previously been unobtainable.
Other parts of Smithfield Market, which formally closed in 1972, also survive. Another of the buildings that formerly made up the fish market, is now home to the ‘Manchester Craft & Design Centre’; a community-focused art hub that hosts work produced by local artists and puts on a variety of workshops.
The other building that still survives is the former meat market, which lives on as a hive of high-end restaurants and bars that all share the same dining space. This conversion is in fitting with the more recent trend in Manchester of converting beautiful old buildings into expensive, trendy places to eat and drink.
The remnants of Smithfield Market are another hidden reminder of Manchester’s rich, industrial past.
