Skip to main content

Month: January 2020

The Balancing Act of the Labour Leadership Race

Written by Archie Earle on . Posted in Opinion.

Without a doubt, Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as Labour leader was a failure. His 4-year-spell will not be remembered for its attempt to drastically shift the conversation on public service funding and inequality, instead it’s legacy will be anti-Semitism, the blacklisting of MP’s, and the mishandling of Brexit. The party, as a result, must employ the seemingly forgotten art of electability, which is of course far harder than it sounds.

Electability is a dangerous word in the political sphere, to many it has come to mean the abolition of principles in favour of pandering to the voter. However, for Labour, this does not necessarily need to be the case.

Policies put forward by the Corbyn opposition were extremely popular, for example the nationalisation of railways hovers at around the 70% mark in terms of support, indicating no need to drop this as part of any future manifesto. Coupling this with drastically increased funding for public services, and improvement in the efficiency of the welfare system would make any future Labour manifesto an easy and welcome read for voters that felt Labour had abandoned its working class roots with a deeply flawed Brexit policy.

However, the bid for Number 10 does not stop there; what must be radically changed is the attitude that has been adopted toward dissent and disagreement in the Labour Party. In a recent podcast which looks at this very topic called ‘Corbynism the post-mortem’, the former Labour MP for Redcar, Anna Turley, spoke of the way she had been treated in the party for breaking the whip. She spoke of lists that had been drawn up by Corbyn and his aids of MP’s that could potentially cause problems in the Labour party. This was coupled with the undeniable plague of anti-Semitism that was rife in all corners of the party, which led to the investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, a distinct low point for the party. The handling of the scandal was in stark contradiction to the anti-racist rhetoric that the party seemingly centred itself around.

Looking at the small, albeit ideologically diverse, group of candidates currently standing for the leadership, there is potential hope in the future, given the correct attitude. Kier Starmer stands out as the candidate who can attract those who swooned over Blair and did not take the same attitude as Corbyn. In contrast, the labelling of Rebecca Long-Bailey as the ‘continuity Corbyn candidate’ seems apt, particularly given her rating of Corbyn as a leader of ‘10/10’. Her refusal to let the Corbyn years go may be her downfall. Lisa Nandy could be a dark horse in the race, her strong performance on the Andrew Neil show, which is not an easy feat, made sure that she was next after Kier Starmer to qualify for the next round of the contest. Bleak would be the best word to describe Emily Thornberry’s chances of becoming the next Labour leader. She is an avid Europhile and has made no secret her contempt for the result of the Brexit referendum, something that would obviously not go down well with those who flipped to Boris Johnson in the recent election.

Taking the keys to Downing Street in 2024 will be a hard task for a weakened Labour party. Despite being in opposition for 10 years now, Labour have not mastered the act and face oblivion as a party should their fortunes become much worse. Despite a long list of flaws, the Conservative party is united, popular, and in government; everything that Labour needs to be. This being said, a Labour party that embraces its core tenets, adopting a less hostile environment within the party, and a better approach to topics such as patriotism, will become that elusive term: electable.

Photo: Edvin Johansson @ Unsplash

Schoolchildren gather to discuss climate change at Manchester Central

Written by Kitty Racionzer on . Posted in Science & Tech.

With the continuing growth of the climate emergency, there is a growing need for participation and action by more people, especially the youth. Manchester City Council, which has reduced its carbon emissions by 50 per cent since 2010, is working to create a Zero-Carbon Action Plan and has recently been collaborating with schools in the region to try to tackle carbon emissions.

Importantly, the Youth Climate Action Summit hosted workshops and activities this January to set off the new year, and respond to Manchester City Council’s declaration of a ‘climate emergency.’

More than 300 children, aged 9-14 years old, gathered at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, to develop and share new science-based ideas to reduce carbon emissions and become zero-carbon by 2038.

The students participated in workshops looking at how to reduce carbon emissions by exploring transport and food choices, as well as energy consumption. The event closed with pupils challenging a panel of civic leaders to question how they are implementing methods to ensure the target is met by the city.

Pupils from the Dean Trust Ardwick School presented to the summit, explaining their efforts to reduce plastic pollution and tackle climate change. According to the Manchester Evening News, the school was named ‘Best School’ in the waste category at the 2019 Eco-School Awards.

Speaking to the MEN, a Year 9 pupil said: “I believe that climate change is ignored by too many people, but being on the school’s Eco Committee makes me feel there is hope to make more people aware of the issue. It makes me happy that we are making positive impacts, but we still have a lot to do.”

Major efforts are being made by Manchester City Council to encourage everyone in the city to reduce their carbon emissions and help them meet the zero-carbon target. Councillor Angeliki Stogia, Executive Member for the Environment said: “Our young people have been and will continue to be a strong voice for radical change, so this summit was an important opportunity to listen to them and to give them the opportunity to develop their ideas further.”

Photo: National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

UoM researchers join team investigating cancer survival rates

Written by Zahra Salimi on . Posted in Science & Tech.

The University of Manchester is set to take part in a new multidisciplinary study aimed at exploring why cancer survival rates differ among patients and lead to a variety of post-treatment conditions.

The new research is funded by three-time cancer survivor and the CEO and founder of Continuum Life Sciences, Dr. James Hull. The team consists of researchers from the universities of Manchester, Surrey, Oxford, Cardiff, Swansea, Nottingham, and the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

The main focus of the Continuum Long-term Survival study is patients who have terminated their cancer treatment successfully and remained cancer-free for a minimum of five years since.

The researchers are using a non-invasive analysis technique to further investigate whether these patient’s immune systems or tumour cells have a unique feature which allowed them to survive cancer and improved their chance of non-reoccurrence.

Researchers are hoping that this could lead to a potential improvement in immunotherapy treatment and aid other patients to remain cancer-free post-treatment.

Professor Dan Davis, from the University of Manchester, commented on the study: “This is an innovative and exciting study. Funding for unorthodox approaches like this can sometimes be difficult to achieve, so James Hull’s backing is welcome. It will give us an unprecedented opportunity to develop our understanding of why some people with cancer, after treatment, have better outcomes than others.

“And bringing together such a diverse group of clinicians and scientists is exciting. Breaking down barriers and engaging in interdisciplinary research gives us every chance of answering questions whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline.”

Additionally, James Hull, the funder of the study, said: “I am very grateful to be a cancer survivor and wholeheartedly thank all those involved in my treatment journey.

“I want to find out everything we can about this devastating illness to spare future generations the difficulties I have gone through in my fight against cancer.”

If you fit the criteria for this study and would like to take part, please email [email protected] or call the freephone number 0800 144 8488.

What’s On in the Arts

Written by Chess Bradley on . Posted in Arts.

A new year and decade promises an exciting program for the arts in Manchester. Arts venues are both looking back into our history, while also looking at what an uncertain future in Brexit Britain means. Optimism, it seems, is a prevalent theme, with the continuation of Manchester’s institution’s dedication to diversifying and increasing the accessibility of the arts.

Utopias, The Whitworth Gallery, 31st January-27th September.

While 31st January, otherwise known as Brexit day, may represent the entrance into dystopia for most of us, the Whitworth is celebrating Utopia. The exhibition, which considers EUtopian thinking on both sides of the EU debate, intends to display different artist’s interpretations of ‘Utopia’ throughout the ages.

Expect some thought-provoking art from some big names, such as Jenny Holzer, JMW Turner, and Grayson Perry. Central to this exhibition is a first-edition copy of Thomas More’s Utopia, the very book where the term was invented.

Trading Station: How hot drinks shape our lives, Manchester Art Gallery, 14th December- 20th December.

Fancy a brew? Manchester Art Gallery’s latest exhibition focuses on our very British love for a cuppa, while unraveling the darker global history issues connected to the introduction of hot drinks to our country.

Through displaying a variety of different objects, from painting to porcelain, this exhibition demonstrates how everyday objects have hidden histories.

Thumbs Up,  Castlefield Gallery, 24th January-8th March.

Does the white cube of a gallery fill you with dread? Thumbs Up sees four artists- Michael Beard, Frances Disley, Harry Meadley, and Leslie Thompson- approach the way in which the contemporary gallery space affects the viewer’s interaction with the art displayed.

The result? A space designed to be warming and welcoming during these harsh, winter months.

HOME, Manchester Open Exhibition 2020, 18th January- 29th March.

Potentially one of the most exciting art projects in Manchester, if not Britain, HOME’s Open Exhibition is truly democratizing the arts. With the ethos of ‘Everyone is an Artist’, the exhibition shows works from over 500 residents of Greater Manchester, regardless of their background or training.

Pavement Gallery, Christian Marclay, 23rd January-25th February

After 5 years, the Pavement gallery is back! The 24/7 window space on Cavendish street is displaying Christian Marclay’s ‘Look’, a stop-motion animation that documents thousands of ‘Look’ signs painted across London, reminding us to indeed, ‘Look’, in a world full of distraction.

Photo: Chris Karidis on Unsplash

Let’s Get Away: Paris

Written by Serafina Kenny on . Posted in Lifestyle, Travels.

With its worldwide reputation as a centre of culture, fashion and good food, Paris is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway. Despite the city being notoriously expensive, it is very possible to visit on a student budget and have an exciting few days.

The most obvious tourist activities in Paris include climbing the Eiffel Tower or attending the Moulin Rouge, but there are plenty of other activities that will still allow you to enjoy the city. If you opt to use the Eiffel Tower’s stairs, you can buy a student ticket for 5,20€. Follow this with a picnic in the nearby gardens and enjoy a rather scenic glass of French wine.

Picnics are the best way to experience French cuisine on a budget – you can buy bread, cheese, wine and European biscuits for under 10€. Otherwise, fresh croissants from local bakeries are staples in the Parisian diet.

We treated ourselves to a more expensive lunch at the beautifully decorated Pink Mamma restaurant in Montmartre, after seeing photos of the interior floating around on aesthetic travel blogs for years. The restaurant specialises in steak and pizza and is definitely an essential visit if you are a keen Instagram user.

Also in Montmartre is the Sacré Coeur, a Roman Catholic church decorated inside with incredible religious art that offers incredible views of the whole of Paris if you can brave the 300 steps to the top of its dome. You can take a funicular to the top of the hill on which it sits, and find quaint ice cream and souvenir shops in the shady streets behind it. 

The fare for the funicular is conveniently included in the cost of a Metro pass, which is an essential purchase for a trip to Paris, no matter how long. A two day pass for the central zones will set you back around 20€. Paris’ Metro system is excellent for tourism, with stops everywhere and efficient service, so it definitely isn’t worth shelling out for taxis if you are able to deal with the many stairs and high temperatures of the underground.

The Arc de Triomphe also offers breath-taking views as well as a small exhibition on its history in the rafters, but again this comes at the price of sore legs as there are 284 steps to the viewing area at the top. It is located at the end of the Avenue de Champs-Élysées, a shopping street filled with designer stores and international names, perfect if you have some extra cash to splash.

A key money saving tip for EU citizens is to take advantage of the many museums and monuments which offer free entry for EU passport holders under 26, such as the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the Palace of Versailles. You will still have to queue up for tickets so make sure to check when attractions are quietest to avoid the queues.

Let's Get Away Paris: photos courtesy of Serafina Kenny and designed by Phoebe Moore
Let’s Get Away Paris: photos courtesy of Serafina Kenny and designed by Phoebe Moore

The Palace of Versailles makes for an easy day trip just outside Paris – less than an hour on the overground train. It boasts huge ornamental gardens and incredible ceilings for those interested in heritage or French history.

If art is your thing, there are enough art galleries in Paris to last a lifetime. The Louvre is the most famous, and rightly so, as it holds 338,000 pieces. There is also the Musée de l’Orangerie, near the Louvre in the Tuileries Gardens, and the Musée d’Orsay which holds paintings by famous artists such as Cézanne and Van Gogh.

After a long day exploring what Paris has to offer, head to the independent bars dotted all over the city. The Marais district is home to a thriving LGBTQ+ scene, Pop In bar and club is popular with indie lovers and Chez Georges ‘cave bar’ is frequented by students and tourists alike. 

You can get a return ticket to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport for as little as £53 in early March, but expect to pay more if you are travelling in peak holiday times as August flights tend to hover around £80. The Eurostar is also an option but often tends to be more expensive than flying, especially once you factor in travel to a Eurostar station.

Paris is a notoriously expensive city but it is definitely possible to have a great time on a student budget – just avoid purchases in tourist areas and you can do Paris rather cheaply. With guaranteed delicious food and plenty of museums, monuments, and beautiful buildings, it is definitely worth a visit!

Photo: Stocksnap @Pixabay

Increase in number of international students at UK universities

Written by Josh Sandiford on . Posted in News.

Chinese students are driving a surge in non-European international students starting courses in the UK, according to new data.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency reported a 10 percent rise in the number of international students paying full fees, bringing the number up to 343,000. There was a 2% rise in the overall number of students studying in higher education and a 2% increase in non-UK European students. The number of Chinese students studying in the UK increased by 13% to more than 120,000. The number of Indian students also went up to almost 27,000.

Universities Minister Chris Skidmore said the government was committed to expanding the number of foreign students to 600,000 by 2030 to deliver its International Education strategy.

The Minister tweeted: “Really welcome news today to see a continued rise in the number of international students choosing our world-renowned universities to study. Our Higher education sector continues to thrive globally thanks to its quality and reputation.”

The University of Manchester last week revealed that, as part of a new Strategic Plan, its leadership has committed to providing more international opportunities than ever before.

International students provide a valuable source of revenue for the University and it is hoping to maintain a steady number of students from outside of the UK.

This comes as Manchester students raised concerns over the embattled Erasmus programme last week.

The University said it was fighting to highlight the importance of the Erasmus programme and lobbying the government regarding its continuation post-Brexit.

The University of Manchester Photo: Johsua Poh@Flickr

Poorer students less likely to attend prestigious universities

Written by Sam Honey on . Posted in News.

A student’s choice of university may be motivated primarily by income rather than by grades achieved, according to new research.

It’s been found that students from poorer areas often do not attend universities as prestigious as their wealthier counterparts, even if they have achieved similar A-Level grades. This is despite higher education traditionally being viewed as a means of social mobility for those from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds.

A large proportion of students from poor socioeconomic backgrounds were ‘under-matched’ to their course. A ‘good match’ was represented by students having similar A-Level grades to their peers. 23% of students were also found to be ‘under-matched’ based on graduate earnings related to their A-Level grades.

The data suggests that intensive government spending to widen access to Higher Education has not been successful in eliminating the socioeconomic disparity between students.

There is a range of explanations for this correlation between university choice and economic background. Historically, it has been assumed that poorer students often choose universities based on proximity from home, as a means of saving money. Despite this, poorer students will still opt for universities below their entrance requirements, regardless of geographic reasons.

Dr. Gill Wyness, Professor of Economics at UCL, used London as an example of such a trend.

“You’re much more likely to go to your local university if you are from a poorer background. But if you look at all the students who go to a university that is near them, the disadvantaged kids will still go to a lower-quality university than the advantaged kids. Take London, for example, the rich kids will go to the Russell Group, they’ll go to UCL, and the poorer kids will go to South Bank. Geography doesn’t seem to be the driver of mismatch – the poorer students are still going to lower-quality universities.”

Several possible means of mitigating this inequality have been proposed, including more expansive outreach programmes from larger universities, encouraging students from poorer areas to apply.

There have also been concerns raised over women enrolling on courses with lower average future earnings than male counterparts.

 

Art in Mancunia: Ossie Akhilomen

Written by Bella Jewell on . Posted in Arts.

Architecture student Ossie Akhilomen finds artistic inspiration in a rather surprising form: the green, hairy misery we all know as the Grinch. In her latest drawings, Ossie has reimagined Dr. Seuss’ famous naysayer as ‘Ms. Grinch’, transposing the slinky figure onto swirling winter skies, and into cluttered university bedrooms.

Unlike many people, Ossie didn’t discover the Grinch until she was a teenager, but immediately felt a strong connection with the character. The resulting series “illustrates [her] personality”, as she “always found the male Grinch very sultry, comically disturbed and easily relatable.”

One can sense Ossie’s emotional journey in her portrayal of this feminine character. The first drawing depicts Ms. Grinch nude, sitting in a university halls bedroom. Ossie describes how the sketch “perfectly illustrates [her] mindset at the time… in idle mode, sexualised and very much isolated.”

Themes of loneliness, idleness, and sexuality run through the series, despite changes of material and landscape: we pass from ink on paper, to colour-blocked Warhol-esque duplicates, to haunting winter scenes. Ossie reveals that the pictures were born out of a period of “identity crisis”, when she considered dropping out of university. While her mental state has changed, she still considers Ms. Grinch to be her “natural self”.

If you saw the recent animated film The Grinch, “sexy” probably wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. However, Ossie relates how she subconsciously “lusted for his behaviour”.

“Think of the traits that the Grinch encompasses: he’s moody, he’s stubborn, he’s grumpy, just an all-round miserable character, but it’s key that he’s allowed to feel and be that way… like every old powerful white male, i.e. the most privileged demographic.”

Ossie describes how she feels her “place in society has clear contrast to that and so it’s something [she] lusts over”: the Grinch benefits from the right to act as he wishes unapologetically, without social pressure to conform or change his behaviour.

From this desire, a sensual Ms. Grinch was born, who is consistently portrayed nude throughout the series. Although currently working on an illustration of a clothed Ms. Grinch, which will express “a wider range of character”, Ossie often finds herself returning to the earliest sketches. She still identifies as “that Grinch”.

Ossie transforms the way we consider the Grinch with her elegant artwork, creating an attractive character from one of the cartoon world’s most unappealing antagonists. Her analysis of Mr. Grinch’s privilege might make us green with envy for the freedom he possesses. Indeed, the series shows that everyone has a bit of grinch inside of them, waiting to get out.

Photo: Julio Enriquez @ Flickr

Live Review: Northside Festival

Written by Josie Fowler on . Posted in Music.

One of the lesser-known European festivals, Northside, is well worth a trip to Denmark’s second-biggest city, Aarhus.

When you tell people you’re going to Primavera sound or Tomorrowland, they’ll often give you the validation you crave when slipping into conversation that you’re going to a festival abroad. When you tell people you’re going to Northside, you’ll be lucky if someone even knows where Aarhus is. Despite being one of the more unknown choices on the festival circuit, Northside boasts some of the biggest names in music alongside great weather and a fantastic city, making it well worth considering when making your festival choices this year.

Northside’s previous line-ups show an impressive array of artists from a range of genres, often meaning they have the crème de la crème of musical stars. From Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean to Radiohead and The Chemical Brothers, it is a festival that year after year seems to knock it out of the park, and actually does have something for everyone as the cliché goes.

The Mancunion was lucky enough to get press passes and attended the 3-day festival in June of 2019, and now that the line-up for 2020 has been announced, it’s a great opportunity to factor it into your summer planning. Although the festival does not have campsites, this only means that people are given the chance to explore and see more of the city as opposed to a sprawling mass of tents.

The three headliners at Northside 2019 were Tame Impala, Mark Ronson, and Bon Iver, and while impressive, the non-headliners are somewhat more surprising from this relatively unknown festival. The Streets, Kaytranada, Foals and Major Laser are just a few names dotted around the line-up, and there are even some Danish artists on there for those who want to immerse themselves in Scandi culture. If you’re searching for a festival purely on the musical offerings it can muster up, then Northside is definitely one that ticks the boxes. With only three stages, it is an easy festival to navigate that doesn’t require half an hour of walking to get anywhere you want to go, so you can catch as many artists on the schedule as possible.

The artists we saw put on a fantastic show, even if The Street’s Mike Skinner decided that this was his time to rant about Brexit, and tell the crowd that he was going to make love to them shortly after. Tame Impala’s headline performance was every bit as mesmerising and hypnotic as expected, Mark Ronson provided a great opportunity to mindlessly dance, and Bon Iver closed the festival with an emotive performance that left everyone misty-eyed. Other stand-out performances included Idles, who caused the only mosh pit of the weekend, and Manchester’s own New Order, who not only whipped out the northern anthem of ‘Blue Monday’, but also paid a touching tribute to Ian Curtis by playing the signature song ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.

From the staging to the variety of seating options, the visuals of Northside were second to none. Walking around the site, you can find everything from street performers to fire-breathers, along with gazebos filled with chesterfield sofas where you’re able to smoke cigars, to a wooded area kitted out with benches and bars. It is a stunning festival, meaning that when you have an hour to kill before the next artist on your list performs, you can walk in any direction and find somewhere interesting to sit and relax. To complement this, the food and drink vendors are plenty and, appropriately (given the whole festival is sponsored by beer brand Tuborg), makes you want to get a pint to enjoy in the sunshine.

The festival itself carries an atmosphere of togetherness and simplicity. A huge part of the culture of Northside is that it is a festival dedicated to sustainability, from the range of organic food options to the lack of litter on the floor, and Bon Iver even complimented this during his performance by calling the festival the cleanest he’d ever seen. It is a refreshing change to be able to walk around a festival without treading on half-eaten chips and forgotten cans, and this only adds to the great experience. As well as the cleanliness, the people are chatty and respectful, and the crowds felt friendlier and less likely to throw a cup of urine than those we’d experienced in the UK.

The city of Aarhus is worth seeing even if the festival isn’t quite for you. The second-largest in Denmark, it has everything from beaches and ocean, to a forest with free nature parks, to a nicely sized city with a variety of shops and restaurants, meaning you can happily spend days exploring. It’s also not too far from Copenhagen, making it a good stop for anyone travelling to Denmark’s capital over the summer period, but without as many tourists. It’s an easy prediction that in the next few years Aarhus is going to become increasingly popular, so it may be worth going before it becomes another stop on the Instagram Influencer’s Travel Guide.

Ultimately, Northside really is a hidden gem. It offers a fantastic range of artists, food and entertainment as well as friendly crowds and stunning scenery. If you’re considering a festival abroad this year, we urge you to check out Northside, who have recently released their 2020 line-up, to enjoy some of music’s biggest names and some Danish sunshine.

8/10.

concert venues photo: Boga Rín @UnSplash

Ableist music venues: an ongoing discrimination crisis in music

Written by Jasmine Taylor on . Posted in Lifestyle.

This year has seen a wealth of band reunion tours announced; among them the likes of Mötley Crüe, Rage Against the Machine and, most recently, My Chemical Romance. Unsurprisingly fans old and new are gearing to snap up tickets to see them live. However, one demographic has been consistently left out.

The disabled community faces countless prejudices daily, and even in 2020 very little appears to have changed when it comes to entertainment. Ticket release sites may occasionally provide an access line for events – a separate booking line dedicated to issuing disabled customers with appropriate tickets – but this in itself is frequently inaccessible, and staff bolster near-medieval attitudes towards disabled patrons.

As a disabled person, I suffer from dissociative seizures and several chronic conditions, and my personal experience with concert accessibility has been abhorrent. Festivals have denied me access to disabled toilets and neglected to meet appropriate safety measures, and venues have told me that they don’t cater for my disability, or that my attendance would be “inappropriate.” Whilst calling the access line I’ve even been told that they couldn’t admit me and my carer because I was not a wheelchair user.

On the 24th of January, I tried to secure tickets for both my carer and myself to see my all-time favourite band, My Chemical Romance. We were worried the event would be inaccessible and called days ahead to ease our minds. The venue reassured us that all staff would be fully briefed and that we could relax, yet we were among hundreds who were let down the day ticket sales were opened. The dedicated phone line didn’t work, repeatedly hanging up on customers who then expressed their distress online. Evidently, non-disabled fans were not faced with the same barriers as a couple of hours after a near-instant sell-out, resale sites such as Stubhub had several tickets listed for prices exceeding £1,500. It illustrated that ticket providers had once again neglected disabled patrons in favour of the profit generated from these scalpers.

We spoke to fan Lisa Delin, who detailed her exhaustive efforts to secure accessible tickets. Rejected from the queue 193 times, and spending almost 7 hours on the phone, she said “ things need to change – it’s stressful enough having to live with a disability, let alone going through [this] ordeal that thousands of us have to.”

Facebook user Lyndal Hay was also among those left unsupported by the organisers. Commenting under a concert announcement, she said that herself and the two other wheelchair users in her party had tried for hours. “[I] would be gutted if [there were] no tickets, but to be held in a queue, thrown out [in] endless loops 68 times now? I gave up.”

Society is slowly adopting a social model of disability, one where we view society as the barrier for disabilities, hence demanding that society changes. Under the Equality Act of 2010, organisations have the responsibility to make reasonable accommodations for disabled people. Unfortunately there is little regulation that actually enforces this and disabled people continually face frustrating discrimination. And, when it comes to venues, there is no excuse. Providing a ramp and lift access should be granted, but even these low standards are rarely met. Other basic measures such as accessible toilets, booking systems, and limited ticket options are rarely provided.

The message seems to be that disabled people shouldn’t be able to enjoy concerts like everyone else. Society often confines us to ‘wheelchair areas’, expecting us to not drink alcohol or not allowing us to buy standing tickets. These outdated stigmas are widespread, and deeply affecting to those exhausted by the constant struggle of a disabling society; it’s time to change.

The Poet: Tom Branfoot

Art in Mancunia: Tom Branfoot

Written by phedraabroch on . Posted in Arts.

As a self-proclaimed writer and spoken word poet, I am always on the lookout for open mic nights to express myself and make connections. The great thing about this city is that there is something for everyone. Manchester is filled with open mic nights which would cease to exist without the amazing poets who perform.

20-year-old Tom Branfoot is one of them. Alongside studying for his undergraduate degree in English and American Literature at Manchester Metropolitan University, he is in the process of writing his first collection of poetry which will be published as a debut pamphlet by Manchester’s Parish Press early next year. Astonishingly, his poems have previously been published by the bi-weekly newsletter, Penny Thoughts, and Pink Trolley Magazine.

Tom’s pieces are real and raw. A number of the poems that Tom has been working on for the collection take place at two sides of the M62. One side is his childhood home and on the other, adulthood. The poem ‘Bonfire Night’ exists on both sides of this stretch: the initial part, in the memory of the last Bonfire Night of the 2000s and on the other side of this stretch exists the final of last decade’s Bonfire Night. This poem explores familial ghosts and trauma, switching between time frames and decades.

Bonfire Night: Tom Branfoot
Bonfire Night: Tom Branfoot

‘Widowed’ is a poem of ecological concern. It mourns not only the loss of an unspecified loved one but also melting glaciers, referred to as ’dead-ice’, and comments on the threat of rainforest loss. Beginning as an exercise in character formation, ‘Widowed’ gradually developed into a response to growing environmental concern and our treatment of the elderly in modern society.

Widowed: Tom Branfoot
Widowed: Tom Branfoot

Tom’s poetry has a way of evoking important thoughts and questions about the self and life in general. What I appreciate about his work is that it is a reflection of Manchester; there is something here for everyone.

Follow Tom on Instagram @tombranfoot to keep up with him and his work.

Black in Fashion UK host new film Queen and Slim

Written by Nicole Lloyd on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Black in Fashion UK is a Manchester run organisation which works to promote fashion and creative initiatives for ethnic minority creatives outside London.

The objective is to provide more opportunities to network and to highlight new creative opportunities in the North. Black in Fashion UK are on a journey to reinvent the creative scene throughout the UK by hosting engaging discussions, networking events and highlighting thought-provoking content.

Their latest event highlights the fashion inspiration of the movie Queen and Slim, an American, 21st century “Bonnie and Clyde” love story directed by Melina Matsouka, written by Lena Waithe and styled by costume designer Shiona Turini. Black in Fashion provided an early screening of Queen & Slim with a Q&A segment, an exhibition powered by vague digital and an after-party, all centred on the films styling and costume.

The event saw many creatives, wearing clothes inspired by the movie’s wardrobe, gathering to share new ideas and appreciate the art circulating in the city. The night ended with great music thanks to DJ Tarzsa and was complimented with performances by  Renzniro & Image, followed by Tobisunmola. 

Queen and Slim depicts the issues of police brutality in today’s society through the experiences of two lovers. The stylists and costume designers wanted the clothes to speak for themselves, making a statement in their boldness.

The costumes are culled from a world of rich cultural sources, such as 70s and southern hip-hop sensibilities, which represented different cultural references. They also help the director establish character differentiation whilst condemning respectability politics (moralistic expectations about how marginalised groups should present themselves). The film make statements through context, subliminal messages and fashion; Lena Waithe refers to the movie as ‘political art’. 

The characters each have their distinctive styles. The female lead, Queen’s, signature look featured in much of the publicity for the film; combined of a zebra mini dress, and snake print boots. The animal print contrast creates a visual fashion statement of non-rule abiding. Distinctively, Slims statement, red velour tracksuit pays homage to 90s hip hop fashion.

The clothes are deliberately non-conforming but they also have a practical element. Turini commented, “So much of the movie is at night, so it had to be a colour that was rich enough to stand out in the darkness, but not super bright on the run in the daylight.”

The crew camera tested dozens of different kinds of reds in different textures in order to find the right look. Other impactful characters included Uncle Earl who sported an iconic Gucci Dapper Dan tracksuit, which was loud and attention grabbing to reflect his personality.

Overall, each character’s wardrobe represents different takes on African American experiences, highlighting how fundamental the clothing in this film is to its messaging.

Photo: Guy Sie on Flickr

ASOS’ ‘See My Fit’ tool is a step in the right direction for online shopping

Written by Bec Oakes on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

That feeling when an online order arrives and the clothes fit nothing like on the model? It may soon be a thing of the past.

Online retailer ASOS has recently launched a new function on its website to help customers make more informed purchasing choices. ‘See My Fit’ is an augmented reality tool that lets shoppers see how an item fits on models of different heights, sizes and body types.

Linda Martins, Senior UI Designer at ASOS, described the feature as “a stepping stone allowing customers to see an item of clothing on a ‘model like them’.”

The tool, which was developed in partnership with Israeli AR company Zeekit, is currently being trialled on 800 dresses on ASOS’ desktop website. When customers click the ‘See My Fit’ icon on the item’s product page, they will see a simulated view of it on a range of 16 models in UK sizes 4 to 18 and from 5′ 1″ to 5′ 11″ tall.

Consumers have been demanding more diversity and representation from the fashion industry for years. Finally, fast fashion is starting to listen. ASOS’ use of augmented reality will allow customers to feel confident in their purchases, no matter their body type. This is a huge step in the right direction, making shopping easier and normalising a wider range of figures in the retail space.

What’s more, in an industry that produced 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon in 2015, any measure to reduce its environmental impact is of great importance. ‘See My Fit’ could help by preventing item returns. As well as reducing carbon emissions, this would cut plastic packaging – which a US study found is not frequently recycled by retailers – and landfill waste, to which returned clothing contributes an estimated 2.3 billion kilograms each year.

ASOS’ new technology makes it easier to find clothes that fit, while representing customer diversity and contributing to the environment. If that’s the future of online shopping, I’m in!

Review: As British as a Watermelon – TURN ON FEST

Written by Claudia Langley-Mills on . Posted in Theatre.

As British as a Watermelon is a raw, honest piece of spoken-word theatre. In this one-woman show, Mandla Rae speaks poetically about some of the traumatic experiences she encountered whilst seeking refuge in the UK from a very young age. The show took place at Hope Mill Theatre on Monday 20th January as part of ‘TURN ON FEST’ – a new LGBTQ+ Festival.

Upon entering the venue, I was intrigued by the twelve watermelons dotted about the stage floor, wondering how this abundance of fruit would fit into one show.

Mandla entered the stage shortly after the lights dimmed and began to share her journey. A watermelon was brought to a table upon divergence into each event, and we watched Mandla draw a knife over its shell: carving and stabbing into its body before smashing it onto the floor of the stage. The significance of the melons allowed for much interpretation, and I was surprised by how little impact was required to cause the fruit to splatter across the stage.

Despite the challenging nature of events, the clarity and flow of Mandla’s words – alongside her eye-contact with the audience – made her story very easy to follow. There were some really lovely pieces of writing throughout the performance. In particular, Mandla described a moment when she looked in the mirror one day and saw ‘a reflection of herself who had stitched up her lips’. The knowledge that she has now given herself the freedom to speak about some of her life-changing experiences provided me with warmth.

I was really fascinated by the significance of names, and their weight, within this piece. Mandla was designated a fifth-century-derived forename at birth and addressed the topic with humour by rhetorically asking: “How colonised must you be to call a baby in Africa ‘Brigid’?”

This format was somewhat turned on its head very cleverly after revealing that she had adapted the pronunciation of her surname to suit her peers: “How colonised must you be to mispronounce your own name?”

I felt a deep sense of empathy for the disconnection Mandla had experienced with her names, and though I could never fully imagine what this must feel like, it is comforting to rest in the knowledge that art can help bring us closer together through a sense of understanding.

Mandla made some interesting, metaphorical references. Upon recalling an abuse she endured, she spoke of the duration in which the perpetrator took to acknowledge their act of violation. Comparing the length of time to cell regeneration provided a deeper meaning to the ‘seven years’ it took for this person to contact Mandla. Although there was nothing that this person could do to right their wrongdoings, time itself is an important component of a healing process.

Noticing the sweet smell of crushed watermelons starting to fill the air was one of my favourite moments. About two thirds into the performance, it reached out to the audience at a gradual, inoffensive pace, and it was a real juxtaposition against the events being described. Mandla relates the flesh to “a pile of rotting memory”, but through coming to terms with traumatic ordeals of the past, the prospect of a happier and much sweeter future exists on the horizon.

Review: A Hidden Life

Written by Zofia Gryf-Lowczowska on . Posted in Film.

A moving historical drama, Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, pays homage to the life of Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), an Austrian farmer and conscientious objector to Nazi conscription during World War II.

The story takes place in St. Radegund, a small village nestled in the valleys of upper Austria, and spans the years of the Second World War, as Jägerstätter and his wife Franziska (Valerie Pachner) raise their three daughters.

The beginning of the film depicts the beautiful simplicity of their rural life, until Franz is called up to basic military training. After spending months away from his family, he is sent back home following France’s surrender when it was thought the war might soon end.

However, Franz is later called up to military service, as a part of which he is required to swear an oath of loyalty to Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, to which he refuses. Thus, the rest of the film depicts his moral dilemma of whether to keep objecting, at the expense of his family who are ostracised by the rest of their village, or to give in to what he knows is immoral.

A devout Catholic, Jägerstätter’s faith, together with the love of his wife, help him endure his time in prison first in Enns, then later in Berlin, where he waits for his trial.

However, this faith, which influences Jägerstätterhim not to fight, also drives him into conflict with his local clergymen, who adopt the stance that the first priority is to defend the fatherland, that is, to fight on the side of the Nazis. Through this, Malick criticises the failures of the Catholic Church in both Austria and Germany to stand against the Nazis.

 

The film is long and indulgent – its three-hour running time is dominated by sweeping shots of Austria’s mountains, which adds to the films melodic feel. Whilst I personally enjoyed this ode to cinematography, accompanied by James Newton Howard’s mesmerising soundtrack, much of the film is devoid of action. Therefore, unless you’re a hardcore Malick fan, it may be hard to stay fully focused for the full three hours.

However, one of the films great selling points is its outstanding cast performances; in particular Diehl’s subtlety of expression, which effectively conveys Jägerstätter’s internal conflict whilst staying true to Malick’s realist style.

In recent years there seems to have been a resurgence of historical dramas, especially those based on the two World Wars, so it’s easy to pigeonhole them into one category. However, Malick’s masterpiece goes beyond the familiar portrayal of wartime sadness, since its focus is as much Jägerstätter’s internal struggle as the external difficulties of wartime.

What I particularly liked about A Hidden Life was its focus on moral conflict, with its philosophical debate over what is right and wrong, and more poignantly, who decides what is right and wrong, giving the film an engaging narrative.

4/5.

Review: Holocaust Brunch

Written by Margherita Concina on . Posted in Theatre.

Bluma and Isaak were never interned in the camps, but they were still survivors. Tamara was born forty years after the Holocaust, but in many ways, she is also a survivor.

For most of her life, the Canadian theatre-maker Tamara Micner has been a “Holocaust avoider”. She learnt to tune out her Jewish family’s involvement with Holocaust conventions, Holocaust book clubs, and yes, even Holocaust brunches. So when Tamara was approached to tell the story of Bluma and Isaak Tischler, grandparents to her friend Yael, she was initially hesitant. “I didn’t wanna go there, you know?” she explains with a sheepish grin. 

But go there she does, with honesty, defiance and beigels. Holocaust Brunch is the result of a creative process of healing and of taking ownership of an inherited trauma—even if she’d rather not have to.

From a young Isaak Tischler throwing textbooks at antisemitic bullies, to the millions who survived annihilation by any means possible, Tamara subverts a narrative that depicts Jews as passive victims of the largest genocide in history. With vehemence and fierce humour, she honours her ancestors’ fight for their lives.

The Tischlers reached Canada after spending most of the war in the Soviet Union. Like many Polish Jews, they survived Hitler’s invasion by fleeing eastward, but left behind friends and family whom they would never see again. Upon arrival in the Soviet Union, Isaak was conscripted. Luckily, a hand injury released him from service, allowing him to fulfill a lifelong dream of attending medical school. 

It was there that he met Bluma, a gifted student who would later become a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia. The author of 35 papers, she won numerous awards for her contributions to medicine, and a postdoctoral fellowship was established in her name at UBC.

Bluma recounts part of this story herself, in a recording which only two people in the world have heard in its entirety. Part is read out from a big blue book that is Isaak’s unpublished memoir. The rest is recounted by Tamara.

As Tamara talks, she ties strings of colourful ribbon together, calmly and methodically. In the Jewish Kabbalah, knots signify relationships that have been broken, then repaired through reflection and introspection. For instance, the ties that were severed during the Holocaust, or Tamara’s relationship to her family history. “Why did all these strings break in the first place?” she wonders, “And why do I have to bring them back together?”

Every once in a while, she puts down the strings and sets a scene for us, an anecdote from her one life. She is eight years old, and tattoos, with marker pen, a series of numbers on her arm. She is in Berlin for a wedding, and the sight of uniformed police gives her a panic attack. She is in an extermination camp in Poland, and, for the first time in her life, she “looks the oven straight in the eye.”

Tamara did not survive a genocide, but she will spend her life surviving its aftermath. She’s funny, uncomfortably so. She feeds the audience beigels (which we goyim know as bagels) and orange juice ‘traumatinis’.

She pokes fun at her family’s obsession with the Holocaust. Sometimes this cracks us up, other times, we chuckle half-heartedly. It is Holocaust Memorial Day, after all. We’re not exactly in a laughing mood.

Holocaust Brunch was performed in collaboration with the Manchester Jewish Museum. The Museum works to preserve Jewish heritage and sharing untold stories through history and art. To check out their initiatives or become a volunteer, visit the Manchester Jewish Museum Website.

Holocaust Brunch will play at Brighton Fringe 6th-10th May, with more dates to be announced.

Photo: The University of Manchester

Rothwell: UoM will “do a lot more” than other unis to tackle climate crisis

Written by Nicole Wootton-Cane on . Posted in News.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell has said that the University of Manchester will be doing “a lot more” to tackle the climate crisis than any UK university that has already committed to divestment from fossil fuels.

In a meeting with students, the Vice-Chancellor admitted that the University had resisted divesting from oil and gas companies in their recent investment portfolio review, but said that the institution is instead committed to decarbonisation, in a move that she said will go further than divestment.

The University of Manchester currently has over £11m invested in fossil fuel companies including BP and Shell, according to climate action group Fossil Free.

Professor Dame Rothwell also discussed the University’s intentions to move towards removing plastics on campus, reviewing food served at campus outlets, and implementing quotas around tree planting.

The University agreed to review their Socially Responsible Investment Portfolio (SRIP) after a seven-day occupation of the John Owens building by student campaign group People and Planet.

However, student activists at the meeting questioned the institution’s commitment to reducing their environmental impact following the recent report that half of all UK universities have now, at least to an extent, divested from fossil fuels.

“And we will be doing a lot more than any single one of them,” Dame Professor Rothwell said in response to student questions about steps taken by other universities. “We have, admittedly, resisted divesting from oil and gas because it feels like tackling only one bit of a problem.”

“Instead we are working towards decarbonisation, which we think is a lot bigger.”

Speaking about the impact of the recent University and College Union (UCU) strikes on students, Professor Dame Rothwell said she felt there had been “very good progress” made with unions around issues such as gender and ethnicity pay gaps and working conditions.

However, she admitted that there is uncertainty over whether more strikes will be held in the future and that there has not been particular progress in talks between the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and UCU around the issue of pay.

When asked about the possibility of compensation for students, Vice-President for Teaching and Learning, Professor April McMahon, said that the priority for the University was to protect the value of their students’ degrees, and ensure that potential employers were confident of the value of UoM degrees.

“We’ve asked schools if they are going to be able to say that these folks [students] have met their intended learning outcomes…across the university staff have said yes.”

Students were also told that the University could “not yet” make any decisions regarding compensation for strikes, given that they are currently unaware of what the impact is going to be.

Concerns were also raised about the safety of Muslim women in student accommodation following a yet to be released Students’ Union report, and the provision of music practice spaces on campus.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell visits each School at the university annually to allow students to ask her questions and raise concerns.

The University’s proposals following the review of their SRIP are due to be released next week.

Love Island: Where is the food?

Written by Elena Meritxell Bradley on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Love Island – the common denominator for every TV-watching human for the next month. Everybody loves it, including myself – it’s the TV equivalent to pot noodles or Fallowfield fried chicken; you know it’s so bad for you but it just feels so good.

However, regardless of public love for the reality show, there is an undeniable wealth of negative media out there about Love Island. From mental health advocates slamming the show for it’s blatant disregard for the emotional welfare of its contestants, to feminist critiques of the overly-gendered routines enforced by producers.

There are many parts of Love Island that most people recognize as unrealistic. From cosmetic enhancements, lash extensions and plastic surgery, to the coerced conversations about who likes who. But, one thing rarely discussed is the distinct lack of food both in discussion and routine? It leads me time and time to question, where is the food?

Granted, there is the novelty of the islanders cooking a dish as an offering to a new islander, which, lets be honest are always shite. Even whilst writing this I’m still reeling about Paige’s offering of soy sauce-fried chicken breast with tomato pasta. Let’s not also forget the ‘garnish’, an uncooked wedge of tomato and a singular raw asparagus tip….

Why can’t any of them cook? The mushroom and prawn ‘bruschetta’ (which I quote because, since when was putting-something-on-toast a qualifier of bruschetta?) looked average. The dessert, squirty whipped cream on something vaguely cakey… Didn’t set my loins alight.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I realise that Love Island is not dinner date (not that dinner date promises quality) but, were I ever to go on Love Island I would not be faking the “mmmm”s. Personally, I would have loved to see Wallace slate Paige’s chicken for being sh*t.

But aside from all the islanders appearing to be absolutely abysmal cooks, there is another big problem with Love Island dinners – where are they? Perhaps showing a sit-down dinner would skew too far from the show format of asking each other where their heads are constantly at… Or perhaps the producers want to preserve the fallacy that the islanders are semi-human, bikini-wearing goddesses who probably don’t sit down for lasagna and chips every night.

If we discount the odd ice-pop, cereal bowl or first ever attempt at making an omelette – in the case of Tommy Fury last summer – what do they realistically eat? What person goes to Spain and doesn’t eat their body weight in tapas?

Believe me if I was forced to sit in a bikini all day and ‘just chat’, after probably coming from a life of full-time work, I would be slamming that pantry. Every share bag of sweet chilli sensations that I could physically locate would be getting absolutely scranned. Every slice of Serrano ham and block of Manchego cheese would be decimated in seconds. Trust me.

Despite me being a food-lover, purely out of curiosity I would want to see what they all eat. But, even on a more ethical level, can Love Island stop pretending that food isn’t an important process in a human day? Could it be that the producers scared to show that such-highly groomed, chiseled humans only eat plain spinach, boiled broccoli and chicken breast?

Or, even more importantly, could we see that those goddess girls actually enjoy food and aren’t limited to the skirmish nibbling of an ice pop or suggestive lick of a lolly? If so, I want to see! For the sake of mental health and the impressionable nature of young people obsessed with the show; can we perhaps start showing that a bikini model is only human and probably enjoys eating a massive plate of carbonara? Also, perhaps the show could focus on the fact that she isn’t going to have a washboard tummy at all times?

So please, as a food-lover and an overall human can I beg to the producers to satisfy my question of where is the f***ing food?! 

Graphene photo:seagul @pixabay

Is it Art? Science

Written by Aisha Al-Janabi on . Posted in Arts.

Throughout my Chemistry degree, I’ve been asked if I enjoy cooking. After all, I work in labs that involve the same skills: weighing, mixing, and heating things to change the structure of a mixture. From cake batter to cake, or from a blue solution to crystals – you can see the similarity. This similarity is hard to ignore when you consider Heston Blumenthal, who uses a variety of lab techniques in his cooking and has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. These similarities extend to artists who mix paint and heat glazes, which brings forth the question: can Chemistry be considered art?

I’ve sat in lecturers thinking ‘I didn’t sign up for an art degree, I can’t draw!’ whilst watching lecturers draw molecules from different perspectives. I’ve looked at geometric structures that are aesthetically pleasing, thinking they could be a wallpaper design. And when an experiment produces brightly coloured solutions or crystals I can’t help but take a photo to post on Instagram. So, at the very least, Chemistry is a visual subject, and if it were seen hung up in an art gallery without any context, I do think it could be considered art.

I’m not suggesting that functions which are used to calculate the probability of an electron being at a certain distance from a nucleus are art because I don’t think that’s objectively beautiful to look at in the way that Van Gogh’s sunflowers are. Yes, scientists have to be creative and fill lab books with different attempts at answering a question – as artists do in sketchbooks – and it doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. But does that make the final product art?

Understanding the latest scientific research can be intimidating for those who haven’t studied it past the age of 16 (and for those who did and aren’t specialised in that field). Often it is explained in too much detail and there’s an assumption that the general public just does not have an interest. But maybe we can make it more accessible by changing the emphasis to one with a focus on the visual products of Chemistry, accompanied by a small explanation. Art exhibitions use that small white plaque with a name, date, and a short description of the work. Maybe a similar approach could be used when engaging the public in science.

Verdict: So is Chemistry art? I don’t think that matters, but I think it would be beneficial to focus on how visual it can be. That way, it can be made more engaging for those who don’t need all the details behind the research.

 

Photo: Courtesy of The Village Screen

Preview: Victoria Baths Valentine’s Cinema

Written by Josh Sandy on . Posted in Film.

This Valentine’s Day weekend, The Village Screen pop-up cinema is returning to Manchester’s historic Grade II listed Victoria Baths to present special one-off showings of two romantic cult classics, perfect for your long-awaited Valentines date-night.

On Friday 14th February, they are screening Tony Scott’s romantic crime thriller True Romance. Written by Quentin Tarantino, the film follows a comic-book nerd (Christian Slater) as he flees from a mafia gang alongside his ex-prostitute wife (Patricia Arquette). Witty, violent and with a star-studded cast, including Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper, it may not be the first film that comes to mind when thinking of romance, but it’ll certainly make for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day experience.

The following evening on Saturday 15th February they are offering the chance to see Paul Feig’s laugh-out-loud and riotously fun Bridesmaids on the big screen. Co-written and starring Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids is the ultimate ‘chick-flick’ — but not as you know it. Upon its release in 2011, it re-defined female-driven comedy and features Wiig competing with her fellow bridesmaid (Rose Byrne) in hilariously escalating displays of one-upmanship before their best friend’s wedding, making it the perfect choice for a ‘Galentine’s Day’ night out.

Before the film screenings, there will be a chance to explore the historic venue, which has featured in TV series such as Peaky Blinders and Life on Mars, and experience food from some of Greater Manchester’s finest street food vendors. There will also be a live DJ on hand to set the romantic tone and a pop-up bar serving themed cocktails, hot boozy drinks, hot chocolates, Prosecco, wines, and local beers. Oh, and of course, popcorn.

Pool level tickets are priced at £16.50 for adults, and £14.50 for students, seniors (60+) and children (under 16). Balcony level tickets are priced at £13.50 for adults, £11.50 for students, seniors (60+) and children (under 16). VIP sofas tickets for two people, including cushions and blankets are priced at £60. Online booking fees apply. They are also offering a free bucket of beer or bottle of Prosecco for group bookings of 6 or more.

Tickets for True Romance are available here and for Bridesmaids here.