Empire Times 43.9

EMPIRE TIMES YOUR

STUDENT MAG

DUALITY

43.9

Kanye vs. t.swift | star trek | democracy | introversion | feminism

- Editorials -

So nearly done now. What an issue this one has been. Pulled together during flu season and with student elections in the background. I remember being on the other side of the proffered pamphlet, just trying to get to class and with absolutely no interest in the ambitions of a passing student politician.

Another thing that I consider as we make our way altogether-too-fast to the end of the year, is the goodbyes. Contributors, sub editors, so many people will be leaving as is completely inevitable in the annual end-of-year turnover. Painfully, I fear the time is coming to say goodbye to the coffee tower. Measuring half the wall in height, and the whole wall in length. It will be a terrible day when that happens.

The end of another issue of ups, downs, stress, and eventual success, has come.

Once again I’m not sure what to write to encapsulate it.

It’s fun. It’s terrible.

It’s all the clichés. It’s like a cheetah — I fucking love them but in one second it could turn around and utterly destroy you. It was also once perilously close to extinction. Does that work? Kinda.

Anyway, I haven’t had my coffee today.

Since starting at this mag, I’ve become altogether reliant on coffee. I need one every day before really getting into the nitty-gritty of making this mag.

Looking back, it’s a far cry from when we began. Not the coffee addiction. That started immediately. No, getting into designing and editing and finding my way through. It’s equal measures exciting and terrifying. It’s offered dozens of challenges that seemed insurmountable and yet we’ve never failed to get through them. And that’s why I’m still here doing this job.

- LM

LIAM’S TOP PICKS p. 5 p. 19 p. 23 p. 48

Letter to the Editor Introvert/Extrovert T. Swift Film Review

Life is full of dualities. Full time study vs. working at Empire Times part time and studying part time. Team Edward or Jacob (major throwback to my early highschool days, discussing all things Twilight with my girlfriends in Maths class).

A recent duality in my life has been meat eating vs. vegetarianism. I’m currently 11 days into vegetarianism and feeling great, but it was definitely a kick in the guts to my Macanese (Asian and Portuguese) heritage, where multiple kinds of meat, animal blood, and organs are standard in family recipes.

Coming from Mildura, Victoria, but living in Adelaide also creates another type of duality in my life. I feel very torn between Victorian and South Australian pride — and football teams, of course. Mildura is a rural town that I know like the back of my hand, and you can walk pretty much everywhere.

It makes Adelaide feel like a big, scary city.

The biggest roads in Mildura have 2 lanes, so coming to Adelaide and driving on Main South Road and the Southern Expressway was pretty scary at first, but after 3 years living here and driving on these roads so often, I’m used to it.

My parents recently had a holiday in Tasmania where they happened to meet some Port Adelaide players, which coincidentally happens to be our family team. My Dad, a Port member, got some photos and selfies with the very friendly Port players, and let me tell you, there is no greater duality between my nerdy, short, bespectacled, dentist father wearing a golf jumper, and The Hoff himself, who is much taller in person than he looks on television.

I suppose the moral of the story is, embrace the dualities and craziness in your life, don’t fight it. It’s the unpredictable things that make life rich. Take opportunities as they come, do things that scare you, and just see what happens!

-E

I’ve lived a double life for just about as long as I can remember. In primary school I had a side job/hobby performing in a ballet company, in high school I was an actor and now at university I’ve found my niche in writing. As well as this ET gig, I shuffle words around for all sorts of publications, as well as just for the sheer joyous wretchedness of it.

It’s not just in my working life that I’ve got a bunch of conflicting interests at play, either.

I’m a feminist who secretly loves reality TV wedding shows, I’m a health nut who eats way too much cake and two of my favourite music genres are alt-rock and jazz. I’m a bundle of contradictions and dualities and different passions pulling me in all kinds of directions. Taking a look through this issue, it became clear to me that that’s true of most of us.

A couple of years back I went to hear Clare Bowditch do an “in conversation” event for her company, Big Hearted Business. When question time came, I meekly put my hand up and asked the question that had been occupying my mind and heart for months: ‘I act, write, sing and dance; I love history and philosophy and politics; I have all these different interests and I’m so overwhelmed.

How did you find clarity amongst all the “stuff” and decide to go for it?’

Clare, being the sweetheart that she is, beamed back at me and said, ‘Isn’t that what we’re all trying to figure out? Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.’ And then she launched into what has since become my favourite song of hers, “Amazing Life”.

The lyrics are a lesson for all of us who feel like we have to do it all, all at once: ‘You don’t have to be just one thing But you have to start with something.’

So go on, just start with something. This jam-packed issue should do the trick.

- Lxx

ELEANOR’S TOP PICKS p. 12 p. 20 p. 22 p. 26

Devil’s Advocate Alumni Interview: Ashton Malcolm T. Swift Gnocchi

LAUREN’S TOP PICKS p. 20 p. 30 p. 42 p. 49

Alumni Interview: Ashton Malcolm Feminist Writer’s Festival Reader’s Di-Jess(T) Comic

1 1

OH HELLO there.

Vol 43 Issue 9

DUALITY

EDITORS

Liam McNally Eleanor Danenberg Lauren Reid

SUB-EDITORS Anupol Bordoloi Kayla Gaskell Brenton Griffin Jack Harrison Jess Miller Patrick O’Loughlin Marithe Solis

COLUMNISTS

Aden Beaver Rhianna Carr Ashley Curtis Richard Falkner Brenton Griffin Kelly Guthberlet Emma Hough Hobbs Jess Miller Karen Smart Amber, the Devil’s Advocate

ILLUSTRATORS Rhianna Carr Sheydin Dew Kahli Griffin Benjamin Hall Emma Hough Hobbs Tristen Vo

CONTRIBUTORS

Aden Beaver Pauline Bullock Jason Byrne Simone Corletto Sean Cullen-McAskill Eleanor Danenberg Genevieve Danenberg Ainsley Ewart Sara Flynn Kelly Guthberlet Liam McNally Caleb Pattinson Lauren Reid Lauren Taylor Leeza von Alpen Laurence Lacoon Williamson

Empire Times is the student publication of Flinders University. All work within remains the property of the producers and may not be reproduced without their consent. Empire Times reserves the right to republish in any format.

Empire Times would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people who are the traditional custodians of the land Flinders University is situated on, and that this land was never ceded, but stolen. We would like to pay our respects to the elders of the Kaurna nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginal peoples, past, present, and future.

‘The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editors, Flinders University, or Flinders University Student Association. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that Empire Times articles and other information are up-to-date and as accurate as possible, as of the time of publication, but no responsibility can be taken by Empire Times Magazine for any errors or omissions contained herein.’

Advertising: stephanie.walker@flinders.edu.au

CONGRATULATIONS & THANKS Thank you and welcome to all of our first time contributors: Ainsley Ewart, Sara Flynn, Lauren Taylor, and Tristen Vo, lovely to have you here!

Thank you to Sheydin Dew for contributing 5 pieces of amazing artwork for us for this issue!

Contact us: empire.times@flinders.edu.au www.empiretimes.com.au

FRONT COVER

@empiretimesmag

INNER FRONT COVER

@empiretimesmag

Sheydin Dew. Facebook: Sheyded Art. Emma Hough Hobbs

INNER BACK COVER

Emma Hough Hobbs

BACK COVER Benjamin Hall

/empiretimesmag Empire Times Contributors

Contents page artwork: Kahli Griffin

contents.

FICTION & POETRY COLUMNS 6 A MESSAGE FROM YOUR STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT 7 STUDENT COUNCIL INTERVIEW: EDUCATION & MATURE AGE OFFICER 10 THE REFERENDUM 12 DUALITY, GENDER & THE SOCIAL ORDER

FEATURES 8 IS AUSTRALIA’S TAX SYSTEM FAIR? 14 EMPIRE TIMES ROASTS...

DEMOCRACY 17 STUDENT/STAFF SHOW 18 INDEPENDENCE & UNEMPLOYMENT 19 INTROVERSION VS. EXTROVERSION

36 THE PEOPLE OF 22 OAKLAND AVENUE 38 DAILY MASQUERADE

CULTURE CORNER 42 HARDBOILED WONDERLAND AND THE END OF THE WORLD 43 FRANK OCEAN: BLOND 44 STAR TREK 46 TSUBASA: RESERVOIR CHRONICLE.

16 ADVICE YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE

20 ALUMNI INTERVIEW

47 THE COMPANY OF MYSELF

29 SECRET LIFE

22 KANYE VS. T.SWIFT

48 KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS

34 CLUB FEATURE: PHILOSOPHY 24 VOICE OF THE PEOPLE CLUB 26 GNOCCHI 39 THEBARTON ICE RINK 30 FEMINIST WRITERS FESTIVAL 32 BEHIND THE SCENES OF EMPIRE TIMES

FUN STUFF 40 CROSSWORD - WIN FREE MOVIE TICKETS! 41 COLOURING PAGE — NOT JUST FOR KIDS!

What were the editors listening to / watching / eating while they were working on this issue?

One may call it an unprofessional office environment, but we’ve been listening to Lonely Island best hits on youtube.

Mother Lover ft. Justin Timberlake is Eleanor’s personal favourite.

It is Lauren’s personal belief Liam jumped on the bandwagon and is that anything purchased from watching Stranger Things. He is very much enjoying it, but he finds it a bit Wholefoods must be as nutritious as overrated due to the hype about it on it is delicious, so by snacking on their dark chocolate covered almonds she social media. is automatically a health guru.

33

November Calendar Monday 31 Week 13

7

On this day in 1867 Polish chemist Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland.

In 1903, she and her husband received the Nobel Prize for physics for their discovery of the element Radium.

14 Exams

On this day in 1992, the Anglican Church of Australia voted to allow women to become priests.

28

Break

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Melbourne Cup Public Holiday (VIC).

8

This day is the shared birthday of Dracula author Bram Stoker (1847) and Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell (1900).

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Thursday 3

Friday 4

On this day in 1957, Soviet Russia launched the world's first inhabited space capsule, Sputnik II, which carried a dog named Laika.

Feast Festival (October 21 November 6) ends this Sunday!

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On this day in 1989, the Berlin Wall was opened up after standing for 28 years as a symbol of the Cold War. The 27.9 mile wall was constructed in 1961.

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November 12 Credit Union Christmas Pageant (9:30am).

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On this day in 1666, the first experimental blood transfusion took place in Britain, using two dogs.

21

Break

Wednesday

On this day in 1995 the first all-race local government elections took place in South Africa, marking the end of the apartheid system.

(Optional Teaching week)

Exams

Tuesday

On this day in 1943, the Teheran Conference began, attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin.

On this day in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Over an hour and a half later, on board Air Force One, Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded him as President.

This is the shared birthday of Little Women author Louisa May Alcott (1832) and The Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis (1898).

This is the shared birthday of Huckleberry Finn author, Mark Twain (1835), and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874).

On this day in 1992, the U.S. military departed the Philippines after nearly a century of military presence.

1 Angry Letter To The Editors An actual transcript, spelling mistakes and all, of a message we received on our website.

(You can’t make this stuff up):

Subject: green bias Comment: can we see a coservative viewpont in the mag. tired of seeing socialist b**s***t stop saying that the flinders liberals did not submit a comment. please From: the silent majority

Our response: Hey buddy!

Thanks for taking the time to contact us!

If you want to see a “coservative viewpont” in the mag, why don’t you write something “coservative” and submit it to us? This year we have not once rejected a submission based on politics. The reason that ET is mainly “left” is because that is what we receive from writers.

In the words of Gahndi, be the change you want to see in the world — or in this case, be the change you want to see in your student magazine.

the silent majority your parent’s basement

Also, the reason that we print “the Liberals did not submit a comment” is because they didn’t submit a comment for that issue.

We have done the same throughout the year for every other political group on campus (Greens, SAlt, Labor factions, etc) when they didn’t submit a comment. We give the Liberals just as much time and opportunity to respond that we give all other groups.

You know what would make us stop printing that the Liberals did not submit a comment? If the Liberals submit a comment.

Looking forward to reading your future submissions. Cheers.

Eleanor, Liam, & Lauren.

Got a question, compliment, or complaint of your own?

Send your letters to empire.times@flinders.edu.au... message the Empire Times Facebook page... or if you’d like to remain anonymous, visit: ask.fm/empiretimes

5

- President’s Report -

FUSA Student President Patto’s Perspective

Caleb Pattinson Mental health is challenging. It is challenging for those dealing with it, those dealing with those dealing with it and those who don’t even know those that are dealing with it. What a mess. Yet as a society we are still apprehensive about discussing mental health as an issue.

In recent times we’ve seen the emergence of the #itsokaytotalk campaign. This has been a promising start, but doesn’t go far enough to address the issue in society. We need to break down the stigma of talking about mental health and start thousands of desperately needed conversations. The statistics are stark. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 44. The #itsokaytotalk social media campaign is built around the fact that three quarters of these people are male. To me, this detracts from the point of talking about mental health.

Mental health affects everybody and we need a broader, inclusive campaign around awareness. However I admit, any conversation is better than none.

Countless studies have shown that university is a period in a person’s life when they are most vulnerable to mental health issues. Various support services estimate that each year, a quarter of people aged between 12-25 battle mental health. Adequate investment from Universities into health and counselling needs to be a priority. Flinders University does this well, but the services provided still suffer from federal education policy and an unfortunate unwillingness to invest in future generations.

We know that university students have a rough time. I’ve found it incredibly challenging and have my own battles — recently being diagnosed with depression myself. It is heartening to see the level of professional support available for the most vulnerable.

However, while there is support available, it is still far from easy.

Talking to somebody who is struggling is certainly challenging — but this doesn’t mean you should not try. Showing patience and compassion goes a surprisingly long way.

The unfortunate reality is that depression isn’t just isolated to university students. Mental ill health is common across the country, with one million Australians experiencing depression and two million experiencing anxiety. With such a large proportion

of the population affected, this should be on top of the federal government’s agenda for funding and support. Instead, the government is showing a distinct lack of commitment in addressing this issue, even going so far as to cut funding to vital services. This ties into the overarching narrative that we are failing to have adequate conversations on this issue.

Mental health shouldn’t be stigmatised. We should be able to talk about it openly and honestly. As I once read in an online article, ‘When we break a leg or get into a car accident, we go to the hospital. Mental illnesses are our minds falling ill, so why don’t we treat them the same?’ If you or somebody you know are battling any form of mental health, use the support (professional and personal) available to you. Above all, make sure you know that it’s okay, to not be okay.

I am open for all students to contact me: E: student.president@flinders.edu.au P: 8201 3621 F: www.facebook.com/PresidentPattinson Flinders University provides a free and confidential counselling service that is available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students.

If you are new to the counselling service, there are two ways to contact: Ring 82012118 and ask to speak with a counsellor. They will have a talk with you and explore the next steps required for your situation.

Email counselling@flinders.edu.au and leave your full name, phone number and student ID and a counsellor will contact you by phone.

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, you can telephone the 24 hour Mental Health Triage Service: 131 465 or Lifeline (24 hours): 13 11 14

- Student Council Interviews -

Mature-Age officer

education officer

Pauline Bullock

Jordon O’Reilly

Why did you run for your position on Student Council?

I applied for the Mature Age Officer position as I felt there was a lack of support for older students. As a university, Flinders is unusual as over half of its student population are over 25.

Conversations with other students have made me acutely aware of the problems many ’mature aged’ students were experiencing. I discovered many had the same issues: time constraints; economic considerations; social welfare concerns; family issues; medical/ psychological problems; study related issues and for many, an inability to fit the social model Flinders provided. I wanted and needed to provide a voice and hands on support.

Why did you run for your position on Student Council?

[Jordon was contacted multiple times to participate in this feature but did not respond.]

What do you want to achieve this year with your position on SC? This is a newly created position and I hope to provide a set of unique services for mature age students. I want to see information that is specifically written for, and aimed at older students. My mantra is ‘For students by students’. After all, we are the ones that are currently experiencing it. I want to directly tackle the social isolation experienced by many, especially men.

With the assistance of MASU, a mature age social group, and other like-minded people I want to assist in the provision of activities that are better suited to the lives of older students regardless of circumstances.

What do you want to achieve this year with your position on SC?

Tell us what you’re organising or contributing to right now, in the capacity of your position...

Tell us what you’re organising or contributing to right now, in the capacity of your position...

Since commencing this position, I have started creating the MASt Collective and begun working on ventures specifically for mature age students. I am currently working with others on an information book/eBook about navigating university for mature students by students. We are also in the process of working on plans for Flinders O’Week and beyond. On the social front, I am investigating a winery tour to McLaren Vale and other events that can occur within the Flinders campus.

If you have ideas or an interest in assisting us — regardless of age — please email.

Pauline can be contacted at matureage.officer@ flinders.edu.au

If you’d like to try getting in touch with Jordon, you can email education.officer@flinders.edu.au or you can like the FUSA Education Collective on Facebook.

7

- Student Politics -

POLITICAL PLAYGROUND

Regarding the taxed and taxed-nots, do you think Australia’s current tax system is fair, and if not, what needs to be done in order to make the Australian tax system fair?

The Greens socialist alternative LABOR RIGHT The Australian tax system remains deeply unfair, needing significant reform. The Greens have a progressive plan where tax reform starts at the top by ending unfair tax breaks that benefit the very wealthy, and moving money to address the structural deficit of the budget and fund our schools, hospitals, services, and infrastructure.

Negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount are the source of massive structural inequity in our tax system and, worse still, has caused our housing market to become one of the most unaffordable in the world. The biggest winners from negative gearing are the nation’s highest income earners, who benefit 10 times more from the system than the lowest income earners. The Greens have led the way in advocating for reform of these unfair tax breaks, and we propose to progressively phase out both over five years. This would deliver billions in budget savings that should be used, in part, for new affordable housing for thousands of families and individuals stranded on social housing waiting lists and experiencing homelessness.

The Greens have a strong record of exposing and clamping down on tax avoidance. We initiated the nationally significant senate inquiry, we strengthened tax disclosure and financial reporting laws, and now we are proposing the most comprehensive crackdown on tax avoidance this country has ever seen.

The tax breaks in our current super system are regressive and provide the biggest incentive for those earning high incomes, allowing them to pour money into their super account to minimise the tax they pay. The most disproportionately affected are women, low-income earner, and casual workers. 60% of workers earning less than $37,000 are women, primarily because of commitments to care for others in their family. Ending these unfair breaks and creating a progressive super system will go a long way in reducing the inequity of our retirement system.

Sean Cullen-MacAskill Flinders University Greens Club facebook.com/flindersunigreens

Firstly, the rich should pay tax. Company tax avoidance costs the Treasury $6 billion every year by the most modest assessment. Then there are the public companies — those listed on the stock exchange. Using Australian Taxation Office data, Oxfam Australia estimated last year that 40% of large public companies pay no tax. Others pay measly amounts, anything between 5 and 15 % of their profits.

Offshore tax havens, multiple spin-offs from the parent company, dodgy transfer pricing, by which high profits are floated off into low tax jurisdictions, all help to wipe out any tax liability.

Workers, by contrast, get slugged every which way. Every time we go to the shops, 10% GST. No buying things in the name of the company for personal use for us; no family trusts, no $1,000 an hour accountants, no offshore bank accounts.

Nope, full time wage workers pay a quarter or more of their income straight to the Treasury. And because we spend pretty much all of our incomes, we pay GST on every cent we earn, while the rich, who have spare cash to invest, pay much less GST as a proportion of their total incomes.

It’s not enough to find out how little tax the rich pay on the basis of their wealth.

Where does their wealth come from in the first place? One way or another, from the workers they hire, who are paid far less than they produce. The tax system that the rich complain about touches only a fraction of the wealth they have accrued from exploiting others.

In fact, the capitalist economy is basically one big tax on workers, who create everything and keep society running but are denied any control over the process.

Capitalism can never be fair, overthrowing it is the only way we could live in a world of real fairness and equality.

Laurence Lacoon Williamson Flinders Socialist Alternative Club facebook.com/SocialistAlternativeAdelaide

The Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison recently used the terms ‘taxed and taxed-nots’ to describe what he sees as Australians who receive welfare benefits from Centrelink. This term comes after two and a half years of Liberal governments telling Australians that it is time to live within our means and make sacrifices for the sake of the budget. The fundamental flaw in this belief is that while this mantra of ‘taxed and taxed-nots’ floods the media, there are some of Australia’s richest people claiming the title of the real taxed-nots.

Malcolm Turnbull’s first key tax policy as Prime Minister was a masterclass in lazy policy making. Increasing the GST from 10% to 15% was floated as a way to repair the budget bottom line by taxing almost everything we purchase. Whilst this would have delivered some relief to the budget, it hit the Australians on the lowest incomes.

Rather than slugging ordinary Australians with an increase to a regressive tax, if the GST is to be changed then the best way would be to broaden the base and target financial services transactions used by high-income earners.

Tax reform shouldn’t be about targeting those who receive state welfare to pay for other state welfare programs.

The government should be going after businesses and individuals who aren’t paying their fair share of tax in Australia.

The state government is taking steps to do this — going after online betting agencies who hide their money on Norfolk Island and avoiding regulations for harm minimisation.

There is a need for Australia to undertake a massive shift in the way we view tax and that starts by putting the big end of town in the sights.

Jason Byrne Flinders Labor Club facebook.com/flinderslabor

THE LIBERALS AND labor left were approached for comment but did not submit

Artwork by Aden Beaver

99

- Politics -

The Possibly Upcoming, But Very Really May Not Happen, Referendum {Opinions by Brenton Griffin}

As many of you know, there has been a lot of public debate around the idea of hosting a referendum in order to determine whether or not to recognise the Aboriginal peoples of this land in Australia’s Constitution. Since it was formally suggested in 2014, there has been a shitstorm of opinion, some for, some against, and some saying that recognition is not enough. And as wide the spectrum of opinion, the same amount of diversity is represented amongst the groups.

This is a delicate and complex subject, but if we are actually to vote on this issue, we need to have as much information as we possibly can. Because we are a democracy, and this means that at times the majority have to vote on the rights of the minority, no matter how fucked that sounds.

Firstly, there is a group of people who believe that there should not be a referendum at all. There are two factions within this camp; the first is led primarily by angry conservatives, and the second faction is of angry and disinterested Aboriginal people.

The conservatives think that hosting a Referendum will be divisive and create disharmony within society. This is from the people who are ready and raring to launch a costly plebiscite on marriage equality, without seeing the irony in that at all. They believe that changing the Constitution is an effort to appeal to left-wing political correctness, which in their opinion, has ‘gawn maaaad!’

These last crusaders against the oncoming tide of potential human dignity is spearheaded by none other than SA’s own Cory Bernardi, with Andrew Bolt as his media wingman.

The second faction who are decidedly against the referendum

are some Aboriginal activists who believe that their worth is not attributed to a colonial document. They hold that to acknowledge the validity of the Constitution is to acknowledge the validity of Britain’s invasion and Imperialism within Australia. This group’s most vocal advocate is Aboriginal historian, activist and academic Gary Foley. Dr. Foley was one of the founding members of the Aboriginal Embassy that stands in proud defiance in front of Old Parliament House in Canberra, and has been arrested a plethora of times for his political activism. Regarding his feelings towards the Recognition campaign, he said: “Who gives a damn about whether we’re mentioned in the Australian Constitution. What real difference will it make? It’s a grand token gesture and will mean nothing in the long run, so it’s a waste of time for people to be even talking about it.”

Then there are those who are for Recognition. This would likely be the majority of Australians. It is led by Recognise Australia, under the supervision of the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal Australians. Like the 1967 Referendum, which had 90% of Australians agree that Aboriginal people be counted in the census (read: classified as human beings, and not as part of Australia’s fauna), most people would be happy to have Indigenous peoples acknowledged as the original inhabitants and owners of this land.

There is, however, growing discontent within this camp as some argue that recognition is not enough and that Australia needs treaties with its Aboriginal peoples. This forms yet another group.

They are afraid that recognition is a distraction from the real issues afflicting Aboriginal communities and individuals. It is also feared that this is a nice easy way of justifying Colonialism and the

- Politics -

“When [the British] first showed up here, we were treated

like flora and fauna. To [them], this whole place was the botanical gardens. [They] were wondering around like ‘ohhh, that’s a nice tree. A) that’s not a tree, that’s Doug. And B) why are you shooting that tree?

Some people feel like Recognition means nothing without reform. You can’t just recognise and move on. That’s like going ‘hey Black man, I see you there – that’s good Indigenous’ ” - Yorta Yorta rapper, writer, actor and record owner, Adam Briggsa theft of Aboriginal lands by the British Crown. Within this group, there are those that say they will not vote for recognition and those who say they will.

This is an understandable stance when one considers that Australia is one of the only nations in the world, and the only in the Commonwealth, that does not have land treaties with its Indigenous inhabitants; Canada, USA and New Zealand all have treaties with their First Peoples. Furthermore, Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews has re-engaged with Aboriginal Elders to try and negotiate treaties within his state.

Similarly, Bill Shorten has said that it is time for the Federal Government to finally establish treaties to ensure the sovereignty of Aboriginal peoples and to take a step towards the betterment of Australian society.

However, Megan Davis, an Aboriginal lawyer and one of the leading experts on Recognise, has stated her frustration at the view that Recognition and Treaty are mutually exclusive of one another, arguing that they are separate issues that require separate approaches. Her argument is that Recognition concerns a Colonial document that needs changing in order to better represent history and to more accurately reflect this nation’s troubled past in regards to colonialism and imperialism, and to take steps towards improving Australian Government-Aboriginal relationships. She believes that Recognition can be used as a step towards treaties and solving other issues faced by Aboriginal communities.

There are also issues regarding framing the question in order to more likely get a ‘Yes’ response. 36 of Australia’s 44 referendums have been shot down, with some experts believing this is due to a lack of education and poor wording of the questions. This is further complicated as another aim of the Recognise campaign is to remove the racist as fuck clauses in our Constitution which state that a person may be denied the right to vote based on their race. How does one frame a question to accurately combat both issues?

Overall, this is a very complex issue that has a lot of moving parts.

I won’t say my personal view on the matter, but let’s just say that I don’t agree with the pitiful opinions of Cory Bernardi and Andrew Bolt. Nevertheless, it is one that needs to be properly examined for all the potential hazards and benefits to this nation. We should have an open mind as to the arguments presented by all sides of the issue, and come to our own informed opinion. This really is a pivotal moment in our history, and our generation will be held accountable for the decision we make, whatever that might be.

Is it fate that we might be having this referendum on the halfcentennial of the 1967 referendum?

AUTHOR Brenton Griffin, 22, Bachelor of Arts (History)

If Brenton could be any hybrid creature, he would have the head, neck and front legs of an eagle, with the body and hind legs of a lion. He thinks there is already a name for such a creature...

Image source: SBS

11

- Devil’s Advocate -

dualitiy, gender and the social order By definition, a duality states there are two sides to a concept; that these two sides are sub-components that make up the construct, and are polar opposites. In relation to this, I want to talk about the duality of the genders, and how this ancient pervasive duality still negatively impacts the lives of many today.

Dualities and dichotomies are well-discussed concepts within feminist and gender studies. For example, there’s the mind/ body duality (stemming back to René Descartes); sex/gender dichotomy; and the virgin/whore dichotomy, to name a few. To me, we study these constructs to see how they have shaped our lives now, and how we can identify and challenge these dualities in everyday situations.

Regarding gender duality within many societies, there is only room for two opposing constructs; that is, masculine and feminine. Males are supposed to be strong, stoic, and dominant, with full control of their body thanks to their ‘superior control of their mind’. In contrast, females are supposed to be weak, submissive, and primal; more often becoming hysterical due to their slavery of their womb.

As ridiculous as this may sound, these are still common tropes which we see everywhere, from the representation of individuals within the media, to personal opinion regarding gender roles. Within our society, this duality encourages us to believe that this is the natural order due to anecdotal evidence provided by the body.

These dualities are problematic as they still rigidly define the acceptable actions of individuals, and therefore allocate sanctioned representations of gender within society. For example, women who speak out or act outside of these norms are at a higher risk of receiving online vitriol, death threats, physical abuse, or even murder.

These dualities, which objectify women as weak, seek to punish us when we become an active agent in rebelling against objectification. Within this duality, men are allocated the dominant position of judging whether women are acting in an acceptable manner, which further perpetrates a violent domination of males over females.

A recent example of the moderation of feminine behaviour was a feminist collective’s bake sale held at Queensland University.

The sale aimed to bring greater awareness to the pay gap that is embedded into hierarchies of gender and race. However, the women who organised it were severely harassed online and in person, to the point where they were receiving death threats.

By standing up against limiting dualities they were seen as standing out, and somehow this warranted a punishable offence

by the overlords of the internet. Apparently, making people question their privilege is now punishable by death threats or worse.

However, women aren’t just punished because they have ‘broken the rules of acceptability’; a lot of the time we’re punished purely for someone else’s entertainment. A few weeks ago, an online site was discovered which hosted nude photos of local high school aged girls and women. Hundreds of individuals, from seventy schools around Australia, were targeted. Phrases used on the site reduced women to prey, like this behaviour was considered some sort of hunting game without consequence.

Women who requested their photos to be removed from the site often received increased online degradation, or more of their photos circulated. The increased degradation these women and girls faced was due to their “rebellion” against being invaded, objectified and abused. The core of this issue suggested that women weren’t in control of their bodies, that they were commodities to be traded, sexualised objects.

However, the culprits weren’t just men in their mid 40s; some were as young as 13. This shows that this behaviour is not just limited to ‘men who don’t know any better due to their old age’; it reinforces that at no matter what age, men will get away with this behaviour without serious punishment.

This social construction of femininity as weak is so heavily reliant on its comparison to masculinity. A reason why this duality is enforced so vehemently is that without one, there is no other. Without women to compare themselves against, there is no concept of man. Without someone to subjugate, there is no one to make man dominant. The moment women refute this construct, we take back ownership of our bodies, our minds, and the concept of womanhood. This leaves masculinity fragile, which contradicts its fundamental premise.

In order to challenge the hierarchical nature of gender, a fundamental shift in the reproduction of this duality is critically overdue. We should not be defined according to an ancient perception of what makes us women or men. Instead, we should aim to deconstruct the socio-cultural and political ideologies that surround these constructs. We need to teach the next generation that it’s ok to challenge this duality, and that violence is never an acceptable response to someone who does.

AUTHOR Amber, 23, Bachelor of Behavioural Sciences (Psychology)

If Amber could be a hybrid creature, she would be a chimera (a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.)

- Get Smart -

Karen Smart has a secret...

She is living a double life...

Nope, I’m not an Adelaide Uni spy (boo Flinder!)

I’m not an international jewel thief either (I’m wary of bling ever since I left my engagement ring on the counter in a public toilet in a dodgy shopping centre — though I did miraculously get that back). I mean, I suppose it’s technically possible I’m involved in some type of 21 Jump Street-type arrangement but unless the contraband involves brekkie wraps, I’d be pretty useless.

No, nothing that dramatic. I just get to live a dual life.

Though I loathe and detest the term, as a ‘mature student’ I get the unenviable pleasure of attempting to balance home life and uni life. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.

As a Type A personality, watching a deadline approach and knowing you’re probably going to crash into a wall before it arrives isn’t fun, but I’ve learned to accept the forced 2% gradecut for late submission when it has been absolutely necessary (although to be fair, I’ve had some really accommodating tutors and for that I’m supremely grateful).

I have three kids. Yes, three — all teenagers, with two due to graduate high school next year (no, they’re not twins — I’ll leave you to ponder that riddle in your own time). The third is about to spend three months in Sweden on a student exchange, during which time she’ll turn fifteen.

My age still has a ‘3’ in front of it so a bit of arithmetic tells you that we started procreating quite quickly out of the starting gate — not something I’d strictly recommend, though for us it turned out pretty well — and it wasn’t until last year that university was really an option for me. And now here I am.

I might have the same classes and deadlines as you, but chances are by the time I barrel breathless into my two hour 9am lecture I’ve already had four arguments with supposedly subordinate adolescents, finished off an assignment after getting up at 5am, run carpool for several of my kids’ ring-in mates, forgotten a kid’s saxophone/excursion note/casual day, cursed like a sailor for the entire length of the roadworks on South Road, and stepped in duck shit on the way from down the hill from Education to Humanities.

It’s really no wonder I’m in the line at Grind & Press by 11:01 and mainlining a latte by 11:05.

It’s not an easy juggling act. And it’s Semester 2 now, which means that I’m approximately 34 seconds away from contracting my yearly flu. It always hits right before the midsemester break, lasts at least six weeks and I never seem to

catch up after that. I usually end up hitting the mad end-ofsemester assignment rush with no energy, no motivation and fifteen thousand things to do in the final week.

Keeping half a brain at home and half a brain on campus seems counter-productive and a lot of the time it is. I can’t always drop everything to work on an assignment. Some days I don’t get to study until 10pm; other times I’ll collapse on the couch by 8pm, wake at 2am, and work through until dawn.

During the really busy weeks (basically week 10 onwards) I may as well be a missing person at home. Thankfully, I have a good support structure at home, and the kids are old enough not to burn the house down now, so we’ve got the “routine” - as much as we can call it that three semesters in - down pat.

Duality is a concept that not only influences my life but rules it completely.

I’m a student… but I’m also a mother.

I’m a technophobe with an embarrassingly low capacity for learning new things… but I’m also utterly reliant on my handheld devices and social media.

I haven’t been into a video game since the original Crash Bandicoot… but I came late to the Pokemon GO party this week, which has simultaneously amused and mortified my husband and delighted my kids.

I’m a creative writer… but after every hellish week I actively choose to spend my free time on the couch with Ragnar Lothbrok and a bowl of Doritos rather than spend the hour tackling some creative work (I blame Erin and Lisa from Vikings & Anglo Saxon Literature for this, by the way).

In 2002’s Sweet Home Alabama, the ever-wise patriarch Earl Smooter says, ‘You can’t ride two horses with the one ass, sugarbean.’ He was talking about Reese Witherspoon’s Melanie and her choice between city boy Andrew and redneck Jake, but I’m going to disagree with him anyway. You can absolutely ride two horses with one ass.

You just need to find the right fit for the saddle.

AUTHOR Karen Smart, ‘On the flip side of 30’, Bachelor of Arts (History/ Creative Writing) If Karen could be a hybrid mythical creature, she would just be a unicorn because, well, they’re rad.

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- Features -

THE ROAST OF DEMOCRACY Empire Times set some of its contributors a task. We decided to throw our poor writers into the deep end and ask them to argue against democracy.

How to Get Ahead in Democracy I was having a good chat with my friend Cleisthenes the other day (you and I know him as the father of Athenian democracy) who caught a show on the ABC the other night, which asked, ‘Is democracy failing us’. How ludicrous a question to ask. Just because the vocal Left isn’t getting the results they want, they now want to tear down the system? That’s like a child stabbing their mother because she didn’t buy cookies from the grocery.

In truth, democracy is in tatters. You know that when our politicians are blatantly for sale. Sam Dastyari was caught receiving foreign donations from Chinese companies (he’s currently their biggest investment). In response, Sam simply said, no comment. And poor Pauline Hanson. She’s a wreck, isn’t she?

Her voice sounds like it’s stuck in a state of permanent panic. It’s probably because she thinks there’s a Muslim hiding around the corner.

If the Left want seats, they need to be more appealing to Joe & Jane Racist. The Greens would probably garner more votes if they announced a “war on climate”. Honestly, if the Greens decided to ban all Chinese coal imports and ban Chinese coal mines they’d be voted in on the spot. They need to step up their xenophobic game if they want another seat in the house. If they’re even remotely serious about saving the reef, they’d be pointing out that the companies destroying our Great Barrier Reef are Indian owned. The working class people may actually vote for them for once.

The Day Democracy Died It seems almost unsporting to be attacking democracy seeing as it has died a terrible and slow death. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, democracy is no more. It died recently with a horrific act of supreme injustice. I speak, of course of the travesty that is Boaty McBoatface. When Britain’s Natural Environment Research Council put out a call for names to be suggested and voted upon.

The public were clear in their intentions. The ship was to become Boaty McBoatface. Despite this groundswell of democratic support, the NERC inexplicably rejected the name in favour of ‘RRS Sir David Attenborough’. As good as Sir Attenborough is, it was clear from the get-go that he did not grip the public’s interest in quite the way the option of McBoatface did.

Of course, our politicians are no better but when you vote for a politician, you do so in the knowledge that they will fuck you over.

Not so with boats. Boats are trustworthy. At the next election, vote boat. With the alternative the three major parties offer being just your preference of faintly conservative middle aged men devoid of charisma, it is a clear and stark choice.

Liam McNally

Aden Beaver

Democracy Sucks Often people will say that democracy is the worst form of government… aside from all the others. Looking around the world, historically and right now, it’s pretty clear that democracy has its flaws. It’s the reason someone as infantile and self-serving as Donald Trump is a risk of becoming the leader of the free world.

Rather than being a self-made battler, he’s a spoilt child who inherited millions and then squandered it on dodgy business ideas. What kind of Presidency would he lead, with that sort of background?

And here, we’re currently under the well-manicured thumb of Malcolm Turnbull, another charismatic billionaire trying to appeal to the average voter. We all thought he’d be a positive step from Abbott’s idiocy, yet what has Turnbull actually changed? (other than scrapping that whole Knights and Dames debacle) Nothing.

We knew this would happen, yet he was still voted back in.

Surveys show that we consider businessmen and lawyers are some of the least trustworthy people, so why do we keep voting them in as politicians? Running an economy is not the same as running a corporation — especially not in this capitalist nightmare that puts profit before people.

The DAY after the UK voted to Brexit the EU, the no. 1 search on Google was, ‘What is Brexit?’ and then, ‘What does it mean if we leave the EU?’. AFTER THE VOTE IS A BIT LATE TO BE ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS, GUYS. The Leave campaign won

out of sheer better marketing, and being able to spout blatant lies without opposition, because the Stay camp were too cocky in their belief no one would vote to leave.

And why were the people so easily swayed by these campaigns?

Because people are fundamentally ignorant. If something doesn’t directly affect a person, they’re not going to bother looking it up.

And a lot of people shockingly don’t think that politics affects them. Politics affects everything from your grocery prices to the amount you get paid at work. Politics is the reason why children aren’t used as slave labour anymore and why you can now successfully sue your boss if he threatens to fire you if you don’t sleep with him.

Still, the alternatives aren’t really better. Communism is great in theory but every iteration so far hasn’t exactly been very inspiring.

Monarchies are so last century. Theocracy is fundamentally the worst idea ever...

So all that really leaves is this highly corruptible concept of giving citizens a vote in representational government, which some countries are doing better than others (see Denmark).

And that’s why it’s the worst system of government (…aside from all the others).

Simone Corletto

- Feminism -

15 15

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EMPIRE TIMES

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- Flinders Community -

Out of the Ordinary is a new Australian play premiering October 2016 at the Bakehouse Theatre Adelaide!

And it has Flinders University written all over it…

Duality makes me think of dual identities. Most of the time I’m an introverted obsessive TV show binge-watcher disguised as a sociable, polite youth. Regular human by day, chronic illness sufferer by night. Most recently I’ve been a student trying to navigate the professional working world.

It’s not the first time I’ve been exposed to operating in two mindsets. From the age of twelve I was a silly child on weekdays and a very serious actor on the weekends. I find myself experiencing the same duality now. When it comes to university my attitude is disinterested to say the least. I found myself half-way through a degree and thought, ‘Well… I suppose I better finish this.’

Stage managing this show allows me to put on a different thinking cap and work with people who have already done the ‘uni thing’.

And it turns out there might be something to look forward to after-all.

As someone currently navigating a life on the borders of so many different identities, it’s been exciting to work with others facing similar dilemmas and with a text that poses such viscerally important questions. Out of the Ordinary prompts audiences to question the dualities at the heart of our identities, both as individuals and communities. It begs a question that sooner or later, we all face: is an obsession with being extraordinary the very thing threatening our potential for a wonderful, ordinary life?

I guess you’ll have to see the play to find out...

Written by Flinders Alumni Alex Vickery-Howe Directed by retired Flinders lecturer Joh Hartog Featuring past and present Flinders students Maya Aleksandra, Steph Clapp, Robbie Greenwell, Mikayla Lynch and Jo Pugh

The more I think about duality the more I realise I’m not alone in this. Many involved in this project have gone from student to trying-to-make-it-work in the real world.

Venue: Bakehouse Theatre

Robbie Greenwell, 2015 Drama Centre graduate says, ‘As an actor coming out of an intense four years of study, it’s a bit of a rude shock leaving the institution. You have preconceptions about your career trajectory but at the end of the day, life is wildly unpredictable. Acting is only one part of that life.’

Opening Night: Thurs 6 October, 8pm

We’re all one thing by day; mother, teacher, student, employee, and another by night. But we’ve all done our best. We’ve all tried to add a little extraordinary to our ordinary lives.

These are themes that I’ve become acutely aware of through my involvement in a new show written by Flinders alumni and now Flinders Drama teacher, Alex Vickery-Howe. Directed by recently retired Drama lecturer Joh Hartog and featuring a whole host of talented Flinders students in the cast, Out of the Ordinary delves deeply into what it means to live a good life whilst navigating the duality of ordinary vs. extraordinary.

The central character, Theodora Sprout, wants to be ordinary.

All she wants is to live a decent and dignified life. Her father is desperately chasing fame. Her mother is chiefly concerned with what the church thinks. Her boyfriend Wallace is a loveable loser.

And then there’s the baby, of course. She’s a problem.

Preview(s): Tues 4 October, 8pm & Wed 5 October, 8pm

Season:

Fri 7 October, 8pm Sat 8 October, 8pm Tues 11 October, 8pm Wed 12 October, 8pm Thurs 13 October, 8pm Fri 14 October, 8pm Sat 15 October, 8pm

Cost: $30 Adults, $25 Concession, $18 school students For more information or to book tickets: www.bakehousetheatre.com or search Out of the Ordinary on Facebook

AUTHOR Lauren Taylor, 20, Bachelor of Arts - High Achievers (Drama)

If Lauren could be a hybrid mythical creature, she would like the land and air abilities of a hippogriff and the water skills of a mermaid so that she could both fly and explore the depths of the ocean.

17

- Features -

independence + employment= a millennial goal

In a “jobs crisis”, how does an unemployed barely twenty-year-old with expensive taste survive?

L

ast week I hit a new low. I was sitting in lecture, next to a very nice person I had never met before who checked their phone to find a missed call. She checked her voicemail and found out she had an interview for a job I had also applied for. No call came for me, and it sucked.

I have been a professional job seeker from the age of seventeen.

I had my first job interview last year which resulted in a terrifying retail floor trial. I had no idea what I was doing and probably terrified some poor customers who were after terribly made formal dresses. Afterwards I bought myself some fudge and cried because I knew I’d done so badly and was officially scarred. I had just started job training (AKA a retail course at TAFE) and realised I knew absolutely nothing.

The training helped, and after two more job interviews, I landed a Christmas casual position at a popular store that, at least in my opinion, sells everything. Most people were lovely, and one of my supervisors actually went to primary school with me. He’s something like ten days older than me, and he’s actually got his life together unlike the unemployed, awkward and introverted writer I am. And, you know, he has money and I do not.

There was one passive-aggressive supervisor who reminded me of one of J.K. Rowling’s more frightening creations Dolores Umbridge, who made me dread coming into work. There was also the creepy man who came up to me and asked me if I was a security guard because, to quote him, ‘I’m a shop-lifter and I need a strip-search.’

Ew. Other than these few examples, it was a pleasant and interesting experience. Alas, there were no opportunities for further employment and I was left with expensive taste and a limited amount of money to my name. I was also left with a sense of anxiety that I now experience whenever I step into that particular establishment.

I have since had more interviews. A few weeks back I had one where they hadn’t looked at my availability and had put me through

to interviews for a four day a week, full time position. (Totally suitable for a full-time uni student, right?)

One of my biggest problems is that I have to ask my parents for money whenever I have to do anything. I want to go to the movies with a friend? I need to ask dad for money. I need a pair of boots?

My grandmother buys them for me, or I get them for my birthday.

I’ve been on my L’s for 18 months because we didn’t have the time or money to contribute to lessons (that I’ve just started, but that’s another story). I’ve been rejected from Youth Allowance/AusStudy/ whatever-the-hell-Centrelink-is-calling-it-now twice, even though my parents earn just over the average personal income combined.

I’m not independent. I want to earn my own money. I want to be able to enter writing competitions, but I can’t justify sending $20 away I might need later and I don’t want to ask my parents as some weeks that’s all that’s left to their names.

I keep losing out to experience. I want to work, I want to earn money and I want to become independent. I want something to actually happen as opposed to governmental finger-pointing and today’s youth being labelled as lazy. I am tired of going to interviews and very clearly being the least qualified person in the room, and therefore the least likely to get a job. In school I was seen as hard-working and organised, but because I didn’t get a job at fifteen, employers see me as “a risk”.

By the way, that nice lecture-mate from the start of the piece didn’t get the job either. How are we all meant to survive and become independent? No wonder they expect millennials to live at home into their 30s. That leaves me with only another ten or so years until independence.

Then again, I’m a writer. Let’s make it twenty years until independence.

AUTHOR Ainsley Ewart, 20, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

If Ainsley were a hybrid mythical creature, she would have the four legs of a horse and the torso and head of Leslie Knope.

- Features -

A reluctant introvert

It turns out there’s a thing called an “introvert hangover”, and we’ve probably all experienced one...

U

p until this year, I tried to be an extrovert, and I categorically hated it. I would always be the one to organise drinks and dinners, I would attend loads of university social events, and I would hit the town often. But in all honesty, no matter how much I tried, I never felt comfortable and I think it showed. My heart was never truly there, and I would find myself counting down the minutes until it was socially acceptable for me to make my exit. I kept this up for years.

For some reason I had it in my head that I was the type of girl who had to be an extrovert. Maybe it was how I was raised, or the people I rolled with, or even the way I looked. But while everyone else was enjoying the party, I always felt like I was simply looking in from the outside, as an observer. I identify strongly with a character from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Nick Caraway. Nick Caraway describes himself as being within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

Acceptance Extroverts need people to bounce off; they thrive on being around others; it gives them energy. Being around people makes me exhausted. Not just mentally, as I find social exhaustion has a physical impact on me. New York Magazine did a very relevant article on this exact topic recently.

The author’s description of an “introvert hangover” really hit home for me, as I can absolutely relate to the feeling of needing time to recover after being social for a prolonged period. Moreover, I also relate deeply relate to the author’s struggle to describe introversion without offending friends and family. It is very difficult to have the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ conversation with people, especially if the person is a new addition to my life. The problem is, a lot of people do not recognise introversion as something that can actually have a significant impact on physical and mental health. For me, acceptance and change came out of concern for

my mental health, as I simply was not happy with the life I was pursuing. Moreover, I was exhausted all the time. Acceptance came out of necessity. Now I am careful with my time, honest about my limits, and most importantly, I am not apologetic about saying no. I am very fortunate to have an accepting family, and a circle of friends that understand there is a limit to how much of myself I can give on a regular basis.

Pushing the envelope Being an introvert does not mean you have to be a complete shut-in, although I do have some occasional weekends where I indulge myself by not leaving the house. For me, being an introvert means I carefully choose how I expend my energy. I still force myself to do things, but only things that I think will not waste my time. I do not do things for the sake of doing things; everything I do serves a purpose. I pursue friendships that bring me happiness. Keeping up appearances is no longer my agenda.

I pursue activities that bring me happiness, like blogging and travel, or work that adds to my long-term goals, like study and internships. For example, in the past twelve months, I have spent time in three different countries. In the same breath, I have turned down a variety of social events in favour of staying home.

I still actively take on new challenges, but on my own terms.

Source: nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/08/introvert-hangovers. html AUTHOR Sarah Flynn, 24, Bachelor of Law / Bachelor of International Studies

If Sarah could be any mythical hybrid creature, she would be a werewolf: ‘a werewolf is a creature that for the majority of the month is a reserved human being, but when the full moon rises, the werewolf turns into a wolf and has a little fun… minus the killing villagers part, obviously’, she says.

19

Alumni Interview: Ashton Malcolm Editor Lauren speaks to Drama Centre graduate Ashton about the joys and perils of being a performer What made you want to study acting, and why did you choose

artist. This can be incredibly difficult as we come up against a LOT

Flinders?

of sexism in our industry, so it was invaluable having a team of

I’ve always loved sharing stories and creating things. When I was

outstanding, feminist women to be inspired and challenged by.

younger I wanted to work in musical theatre, but soon realised

They continue to inspire me with the work they make and their

that while I love singing and dancing, my favourite element was

individual contributions to the industry.

acting and that that was what I really wanted to investigate.

I chose Flinders Drama Centre because I loved the combination

How well did your study prepare you for your career?

of academic and practical learning- I think it is really important as

My time at Flinders Drama Centre was very important for

an artist to have a sense of what has come before you and what

teaching me key techniques, styles and methods. It also opened

you are contributing to. Flinders places an emphasis on theatre

me up to a range of different ways of working- some of which

history, contemporary performance makers and performance

I decided weren’t for me, while others I use daily. I was also

making- all things that really excite me.

introduced to a whole network of artists, many that I continue to collaborate with professionally.

Did you get involved in any non study-related activities on campus?

Yes I was a member of Amnesty International for a while, and

Tell us a bit about what you’re up to at the moment?

also lived in the Dierdre Jordan Village for my first year. Extra-

I’m rehearsing Rumpelstiltskin, a co-production with Windmill and

curricular activities were pretty difficult to balance with the drama

the State Theatre Company of SA. I’m really looking forward to

course though- we worked very long hours.

the opportunity to work on a brand new show with an extremely experienced cast, including the incomparable Paul Capsis. I’m also

Did you have any favourite teachers or topics at Flinders?

continuing to create my own independent projects- it is really

I was lucky enough to be taught by many incredible teachers,

important to me to balance my work with established companies,

including Jules Holledge, Anne Thompson and Roz Hervey. To

with my own devised shows. This helps me nurture my skills as

learn from these incredibly talented, intelligent and strong women

a well rounded theatre maker and also allows me to continue to

was transformative. Under their guidance I not only learned a

explore and develop my artistry. As such, I’ve cofounded an art

huge variety of practical skills, but I also learned how to take up

making trio with installation artist Meg Wilson and performance

space and own my ideas as a young woman and an independent

maker Josie Were. We create new performance work with an experimental, playful and accessible focus in unexpected spaces.

What have been some of your performance highlights so far?

A couple of years ago I played Desdemona in the State Theatre Company of SA’s production of Othello. This was my first time working on the mainstage and felt like a real breakthrough. Also I love playing with Shakespearean language and really connected with director Nescha Jelk’s feminist take on this masterpiece.

It was a truly rare chance to bring a contemporary and dividing representation of strong women to a mainstage subscriber audience.

More recently, I have just returned from a tour to China, where I was performing in Grug and the Rainbow with Windmill Theatre Company. Not only did I get to explore an incredible country, but I also learned so many new puppetry skills that I can’t wait to develop in future work. It was my first international tour and I couldn’t quite believe that I was getting paid to do what I love and travel the world!

Left: Ashton on tour. Right: Ashton as Desdemona in State Theatre Company’s Othello. Opposite: Josie, Meg and Ashton as a trio Do you have any mentors from whom you take inspiration?

I have so many excellent mentors that I call on for different projects. When I first graduated (back in 2009), I won a mentorship with Amber McMahon. She is an amazing actor (and Flinders Drama Centre grad), who taught me a lot about acting process and how the industry works. I also often meet (and work with) Anne Thompson and Roz Hervey- we have maintained a great relationship since I graduated and they often provide the ideal sounding board for new ideas and challanges. I love acting in established projects, but my first love is making new work that pushes the boundaries of what theatre can be. Anne and Roz are master deviates and absolute inspirations for showing how to live, grow and make as an artist.

What are some of the best and worst things of basing your creative career from Adelaide?

The best things: how supportive and encouraging the industry

Above: Ashton and Josie’s creative development, Sometimes I...

here is. Adelaide actors are known for being very nice, and I think this shines through in the way we collaborate and celebrate each

What do you wish someone had told you as a bright-eyed first year

other’s victories. Adelaide is also one of the few cities in Australia

acting student?

where it is possible to work and live sustainably as a full time

You know all those quirks and oddities you’re trying so hard to

artist. Rent is cheap enough here that you can live decently, while

hide? They’re the things that will get you the most interesting

also making art your priority.

work. Learn as much as you can, but remember who you arethat’s your strength.

The worst thing: all the shame and blame that gets heaped on Adelaide- sure, it’s a small city, and I wish there were more

Do you have any advice for current Flinders students, particularly

opportunities for classes and an established second tier of

those in your field?

theatre. But there is a LOT of amazing stuff happening here.

Stay connected to the world. You can’t make art from a bubble.

Innovative, talented artists are choosing to stay here more

Don’t fall into a wanky self important circle of only talking to

and more (rather than automatically moving to the Eastern

actors about acting. Read the news. Watch movies-good ones

states), exciting work is being made and we are making our own

and bad ones. Read books. Travel. Meet new people. All of this

opportunities. I wish we could learn to be proud of Adelaide,

will help you learn the stories you want to tell and how you can

rather than always feeling the need to self deprecate and put

use your skills to contribute to global conversation, rather than

ourselves down.

ignoring it.

21

- Features -

or I

Snake Sweetheart?

The Dual Nature of Taylor Swift

am a long time Swiftie. Once I heard “Love Story”, I was hooked. Her goofy, fun persona just drew me in. I loved Fearless and Speak Now. I went off her for a bit in the Red era (not a bad album, the singles just poorly represented it) because I hated (and still hate) “I Knew You Were Trouble”, but 1989 drew me straight back in (except for “Welcome to New York” and “Bad Blood”, which suffer the same fate as “I Knew You Were Trouble”). Clearly the rest of the world was just as invested, but not just musically.

Her personal life became filled with #squads of models, singers and actresses (none of whom eclipsed her popularity or fame), ultra-hot boyfriends and, most topically, Kanye West being a dick.

Let’s go back to the first instance of that last thing.

It’s 2009. It’s the VMA’s. Beyoncé’s won almost all the awards for “Single Ladies”. Then Taylor Swift wins Best Female Video. Kanye gets angry and storms the stage.

Kanye thinks he’s the best and righting all the world’s injustices. ‘I’mma let you finish…’ becomes a thing.

Taylor Swift is embarrassed. Beyoncé is embarrassed.

Obama calls Kanye ‘a jackass’. The world reviles Kanye for this.

Kanye offers a half-assed apology (which he continues to do until the end of time). Taylor accepts and writes a song about the incident called “Innocent”, which is about forgiveness. She jokes about it on SNL and in other live appearances (even performing it at the VMAs the next year). The world keeps moving. Things are a bit awkward between Kanye and Taylor.

They do their own things. Taylor releases two highly successful albums. She dates some people, and is accused of dating the world and using their relationship for her own gain, which has never been done before. I mean, an artist writing about their past relationships?

Never, and no man would ever do that (especially not Justin Timberlake, who is still using Britney Spears to sell albums, or Ed Sheeran, or Bruno Mars, or even Kanye West) so therefore she was leading men in to her trap.

Even though her albums had disclaimers about how they should have known she would write about it, and absolutely none of their careers had more exposure from this (John Mayer and Joe Jonas haven’t written response songs to sell albums…) these poor, helpless males were lured in by the siren that is Taylor Swift.

I continue to ignore Kanye and his idiocy. He married Kim Kardashian, and I am very much beyond caring.

They have a couple of children. That’s cool, I guess.

The 2015 VMA’s are the next landmark. Taylor and her #squad take out the evening with almost all the awards going to the (not that great — both the song and video) “Bad Blood”. Taylor introduces Kanye who wins the Video Vanguard Award. She dances with his wife. The next day he sends her a cube of flowers, all seems good.

And then the misogyny resurfaces.

Artwork: Sheydin Dew. Facebook: Sheyded Art.

In early 2016, Kanye releases “Famous” to mass outrage. He namechecks Taylor, adding they ‘might

- Features -

still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous.’ As a woman, I’m outraged. As a feminist, I’m outraged. As a Taylor Swift fan, I’m outraged. As someone who dislikes Kanye and his music, I’m not surprised.

doesn’t lie? She might have really been trying to form a friendship.

But you know what? Friends don’t refer to friends as ‘that bitch’, nor do they insinuate ‘they might still have sex’ because it would help their careers (in a completely backhanded way).

His entire career is formed from making crazy statements to create controversy and gain attention. He claims Taylor approved of the lyrics. She vehemently denies this. The video comes out months later, placing Kanye and Kim in bed with Rihanna, Trump, Anna Wintour (sidenote: I don’t think Kimye will be welcomed to the Met Gala next year…), George W. Bush, Bill Cosby and more, along with Taylor. Everyone is thoroughly disturbed, and I have officially decided to never enter Kanye’s mind. None of the people pictured comment. Not even Taylor.

I hate that in anything to do with Taylor Swift, she is referred to as a ‘backstabbing bitch’, ‘a dictator’ and it is said that ‘people should stop sucking her dick’. These are people (mostly women) who don’t know her personally and through the power of internet anonymity feel like they can tear down a woman they’ve never met by calling her a bitch and referring to her in derogatory, and often misogynistic, terms.

Kim then decides she needs to bring back Kanye’s ‘she approved’ comment. I don’t think I need to go into too much detail here, as it’s still fresh in our minds.

Long story short, Kim decides to “expose” Taylor on Snapchat. She leaks segments of a recorded phone call (which Taylor didn’t know was being recorded) and people start tweeting snake emojis.

Calvin Harris tweets out against his recent ex, referencing the Katy Perry issues of the past and her secretly writing the lyrics to his latest hit (which has her fingerprints all over it.

Seriously, you can hear her on the track, people!) Taylor remains silent. Until she doesn’t anymore.

We need to take a leaf out of the Spice Girls’ book and encourage an environment supporting girl power.

We need to stop tearing women in the entertainment industry down for ‘being a liar’ when we ourselves lie, and perpetuate lies, frequently.

We need to take a look in the mirror and admit our own faults before tearing down another for being human.

In Australia with new (now ex) boyfriend (and my dream husband) Tom Hiddleston, she writes a message. In short, she says she never approved the ‘that bitch’ line. And Kim has no proof that she did approve this line, but no one pays attention to that.

The world hates Taylor now, as she’s ‘a liar’.

I personally don’t think anyone came out looking good from this (especially you, Calvin Harris, you just look pathetic) but I think everyone has an argument and should be heard. However, at the same time, the whole thing gave me high school flashbacks. All these fully-grown people (they’re in their thirties!) are picking on a twenty-six-yearold (and one of them attacked Chlöe Grace Moretz, an actual teenager, because that’s cool) when they could actually be getting on with their own lives.

Kim has clearly made herself look good from the segments, but who knows what was left out? And the legality of her recording has been questioned. Taylor has been caught lying, but who

anything.)

I think Taylor Swift can be both America’s Sweetheart and a cunning business woman. She’s twenty-six years old! She isn’t horrible to her fans, in fact she invites them into her home (which is creepy, in all honesty, as she internet stalks them first). She doesn’t explicitly publicly name and shame in the same way that many others in the music industry do (seriously, Calvin Harris is going to milk this for all it’s worth) and I feel like she’s a Slytherin. Not like an Umbridge or Voldemort kind of Slytherin. She’s like Merlin; he was a Slytherin!

(Seriously, J.K. Rowling made Merlin a Slytherin.

Please do not take this as me making her “the best wizard of our time” or

The thing we need to keep in mind is that people are complex, and we will never know what she’s really like. Well, not unless we join the #squad, then I’m sure it’ll all come out.

AUTHOR Ainsley Ewart, 20, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

If Ainsley could be a hybrid magical creature, she’d have the head and torso of a quokka and the legs of a penguin (because the only way quokka’s could be cuter is if they waddled!)

23

x vo 1. More towards extrovert.

1. I think extrovert?

2. Kanye.

2. Kanye!

3.

1. Introvert.

2. Team Taylor.

3.

3.

4. No. 4. No.

5. Knob for a nose.

4. No idea, I try not to worry about the government.

5. Nose for a knob.

5. Knob for a nose for sure.

Harleigh, criminology matt, criminology

christine, Health science (nutrition)

Q.s

1. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? 2. Team Taylor or Team Kanye?

3. What’s your favourite emoji? 4. Is democracy an effective system of governance? 5. Would you rather a knob for a nose or a nose for a knob?

pop

1. Bit of both.

2. My boy Kanye.

3. Laughing/crying face. (See Hannah’s response)

1. Introvert.

2. Team Kanye.

3.

4. Sure.

5. Knob for a nose.

jake, education/ arts

1. Both.

2. Kanye.

3.

4. So far, yes.

4. Yes! It’s better than Fascism.

5. Nose for a knob.

5. Nose for a knob.

hannah, psychology

aasha, medical science 25

- Cooking -

pocket change pantry

veggie gnocchi Looking for a speedy dinner that’s wholesome, affordable and dinner party friendly?

Genevieve Danenberg has got you sorted.

Ingredients: 500g gnocchi 1 cup light thickened cream 1/4 cup sun dried tomato pesto 150g chargrilled capsicum, sliced (we get ours in jars) 150g sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped (we get ours from the deli section of the supermarket) 150g baby spinach (looks like a lot but it will wilt down) 200g pine nuts 1 cup parmesan (or vegetarian) cheese For a meat option, add: 250g bacon, diced Or chicken Or salami [recipe pictured is vegetarian version] Serves 3.

Method: 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Whilst this is heating up, get the sauce prepared.

2. Optional for a bit of extra crunch and flavour: dry roast pine nuts in a pan until brown (as pictured) and put aside for later.

3. [Meat option only] Put oil in large frying pan and heat.

4. [Meat option only] Fry bacon in pan until lightly browned.

5. Add cream and cook for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.

6. Add pesto and stir to combine.

7. Add capsicum and sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and baby spinach and stir to combine to ensure spinach is wilted. Often the capsicum and tomato comes in its own oil and juices so extra oil is not always necessary at this point.

8. Once the water is boiled, put the gnocchi in. Once the gnocchi has risen to the top of the water, remove and drain.

(Usually about 3 minutes, but check packet instructions) 9. Add gnocchi to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.

10. Serve immediately and top with cheese and pepper to taste.

AUTHOR Genevieve Danenberg, 24, Bachelor of Business (Advanced Leadership and Marketing) If Gen could be a hybrid magical creature, she would be a mermaid.

- Cooking -

27

- Flinders Community -

staff profile So, what do you do here?

Name: Brigitta Anderson Job Title: Administration Officer (Finance), Office of Communication and Engagement And what does that mean, exactly?

I process all accounts, invoices, etc for the Office of Communication and Engagement.

Tell us a bit about your career path and how you got to where you are now...

I started at Flinders in 1985 in the Student Records Office in the Registry building. When I started a family in 1995 I went part-time and moved over to this office. I’ve been here ever since, albeit with lots of name changes and office mergers.

What do you wish Flinders students knew about Flinders staff?

I think most students know we are staff because of how we busily walk around the campus and are so familiar with all the buildings.

I often get asked for directions and am more than happy to be an unofficial Flinders tour operator!

What’s the best thing about working at Flinders?

Well, there’s the fact that it’s close to home for a start. I love the campus and always have, and the team of staff I get to work with every day are pretty amazing.

29

- Features -

THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN FEMINIST WRITERS FESTIVAL “I like a feminism that’s constantly evolving and that constantly challenges me” - Clementine Ford

H

osted in partnership with the Melbourne Writers Festival, Australia’s very first Feminist Writers Festival took place in August, featuring a sold-out workshop and networking day on Friday the 26th, and five public events spread out across that weekend.

The inaugural festival was announced in May, and after the program, events, and panellists were officially announced, my decision was made - and right on time; four days after I booked my tickets, the workshop and networking day sold out.

The networking day begun at 8:30am and I arrived at my first session holding a cappuccino in one hand, and my notebook in the other. ‘F before G: feminist genre writing’ was a great panel to kick the day off, with crime writer Angela Savage and fantasy writer CS Pascat discussing the gender politics of their respective writing areas.

Angela Savage began by asking, ‘What is feminist genre fiction?

Must there be female characters? Can men write feminist genre fiction? Do these stories have to pass the Bechdel test to be feminist?’ She concluded that feminist genre fiction are the stories where women have agency, and the resurgence of female PI and spy stories in the last 30 years has been successful because of the ‘excitement of seeing women in roles previously held by men’.

Savage raised that crime writing can be an ideal vessel for feminist stories, as they share inherent links with injustice and uprisings against the status quo. She then discussed how crime fiction can be equally positive and negative in its portrayal of women; she described some crime fiction as “torture porn” and being excessively focused on violence against women, but it can also highlight women’s strength and solidarity when a female detective helps female victims reclaim their strength.

“Crime writing can be an ideal

vessel for feminist stories, as they share inherent links with injustice and uprisings against the status quo

”

Pascat explored how JRR Tolkein ignited her passion in fantasy writing, and how the near exclusively all-male tale of The Lord of the Rings conveyed the message to her, “this imaginary / creative space is not for you. Either you can change yourself or you can change the world”; so, she chose the latter. This led Pascat to discuss the significance of the female gaze in writing, and writing stories that women enjoy and see themselves in. Both Savage and Pascat see genre writing as a way of “planting the seeds” for what readers see as possible for their lives.

‘Writing politics, writing feminism’ was the next session, with Evelyn Aruluen, Jenna Price, Clementine Ford, and Louise Taylor.

At the beginning of the session, Aruluen asked the questions, ‘Do I want everything I write to be political? Can I ever avoid that?’, and it was quickly answered; in its very bones, feminism is inherently political. The point was raised that women are taught to apologise and be self depreciating with their writing – like they’re not writing about “real” politics, just “women’s issues”.

The panellists proved, and I’m just paraphrasing here, that that’s bullshit.

“

The purpose of [what the trolls do] is to get you to stop talking and delete all of your social media and stop. The point is to silence you

”

Clementine Ford (who incidentally is one of the writers who, a few years ago, made me realise I was a feminist through and through) absolutely nailed it when she discussed a question she gets asked often – is feminism still a dirty word? Ford sees questions such as this as loaded, and another iteration of making women question if we should be engaging with feminism, and if it’s still relevant. Notions like this discourage women from talking about their opinions and experiences; this communication is integral to feminism.

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On a topic in which she is well-versed to say the least, Ford eloquently shed some light on MRAs and trolls; ‘The purpose of [what they do] is to get you to stop talking and delete all of your social media and stop. The point is to silence you’, she outlined.

The next panel, ‘Feminism and publishing’, with Susan Hawthorne (of well-known Australian feminist publisher, Spinifex), Zoya Patel, and Marisa Pintado, was especially interesting to me as an Editor.

Pintado, who works with children’s books publisher, Hardie Grant Egmont, fabulously likened making children’s books feminist as hiding vegetables in kids food; she was frank, that many young girls (and those buying presents for them) will be drawn to a pretty pink cover, only to reveal the “nutritious” feminist messages inside.

Zoya Patel of Feminartsy (bonus points for that name), was a voice of reason, telling us how through her experiences of editing and publishing, she has taught herself to judge a piece of feminist writing based on its quality and not its opinion. This was a professional and refreshing view that I couldn’t agree with more. A few years ago I submitted an article to a feminist publication and the editor emailed me back a list of reasons why they personally disagreed with what I had written; they didn’t encourage me to work on that piece, to make it more balanced, or to contribute a different piece – they made it clear that I, and my opinion, just were not welcome there. This is a risk for an editor to take, as it can disengage many people who might otherwise have been loyal supporters to a publication.

“They made it clear that I,

and my opinion, just were not welcome there. This is a risk for an editor to take, as it can disengage many people who might otherwise have been loyal supporters to a publication

‘Mothering from the fringes’ was next, with Shakira Hussein, Anastasia Kanjere, and Miriam Sved. ‘The world is, for the most part, less hostile when you are part of a family and you’re not threatening any norms’, they said. In their own ways, each of these women challenge norms of motherhood, with Hussein being a mother of colour, Kanjere being a mother of mixed-race children, and Sved being a mother in a same-sex relationship.

Hussein illuminated the intersections of race politics and family that can occur on an everyday basis; when someone sees a light-skinned woman with a dark-skinned baby, they assume international adoption, and when someone sees a dark-skinned woman with a light-skinned woman, they assume she is the nanny of the child. Kanjere also spoke of how complete strangers think it is their business to enquire after the ethnicity of her children and their father, after seeing the difference in her complexion to theirs.

The panellists also highlighted how feminism should fight for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy; this includes fighting for abortion rights, but also fighting against forced sterilisation.

“

Feminism should fight for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy; this includes fighting for abortion rights, but also fighting against forced sterilisation

”

”

Then came ‘Tearing each other apart’, with Clem Bastow, Monica Dux, Andie Fox, and Celeste Liddle; this session about feminist disagreements was a popular one, which resulted in a few of us having to sit on the floor. Andie Fox pointed out that while it’s a privilege to be able to engage in public debate, what an odd line of work where ‘you get commissioned to tear people apart’. When it comes to what some may call hyper-sensitivity online, Monica Dux added that the constant fear of being policed and harassed can prevent women from writing, talking, and asking questions.

I was glad that this discussion on motherhood focused on how the roles and ideals of motherhood and family are constantly evolving and changing. However, I was hoping that this session would shine some light on the other side of motherhood too – being childfree. So often, childfree women are judged by society and mothers (and even some feminists), and therefore excluded, for not fulfilling what “natural” women. This can be hurtful not only to women who choose to be child-free, but also to women who want to have kids but can’t.

All in all, the workshop and networking day was a wonderful few hours, and a great reason for a weekender in Melbourne.

It doesn’t get much better than being surrounded by proud feminists and fellow writers - though, noticeably few men amongst the crowd. The event that was disability-friendly and inclusive of women of all ages; there was a teenage school girl wearing her uniform who had skipped school to attend, and a few mothers who brought babies and children.

The session concluded with a couple of stellar take-home messages: online, we should represent ourselves as we are in life.

Basically, don’t tear someone down online if you wouldn’t be willing There were podcasts recorded of some of the sessions during the to meet up with them in person for a coffee and have a mature, day (check out the Feminist Writers Festival’s website for more respectable conversation over your different ideas and opinions. details), and there will be other recaps like mine of the sessions, but nothing can match being there yourself. So, when the next feminist writers festival comes around, I highly recommend you all Don’t tear someone down go. The atmosphere is electric, and when well known Australian online if you wouldn’t be feminist writers walk metres away from you, or you get to have willing to meet up with them a conversation with one of them, you’ll feel like you’re in the presence of celebrities. in person for a coffee and

“

have a mature, respectable conversation over your different ideas and opinions

”

Oh, and for the feminist writers out there, remember Clem Bastow’s handy ‘Rule of 10’ to keep in mind the next time you are stressing about your published writing and what readers will think of it: three people love you, three people hate you, and four people have never read anything you’ve ever written and have no idea who you are.

You’ll leave the festival like I did – with a spring in your step, mind bursting with ideas, fingers aching to write, heart overflowing with passion for the F words that have brought us all here today – fiercely, fabulously, fighting for feminism.

AUTHOR Eleanor Danenberg, 21, Bachelor of Arts High Achievers (Women’s Studies and Creative Writing)

If Eleanor could be any hybrid mythical creature, she’d want the tail of a monkey on the body of a mermaid.

Artwork by Sheydin Dew. For more of Sheydin’s artwork, visit her Facebook page: Sheyded Art.

31

- Features -

BEHIND THE SCENES OF

EMPIRE TIMES

Stage 1: Contributor Deadline Day

Stage 3: Art and Design

We've set the theme, we’ve set the date, now all we have to do is wait. (Unintentional rhyme FTW!) On contributor deadline day, we arrive in the office bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, so excited to see what our contributors, old and new, come up with.

Once the words are set, we move on to the page itself. It’s our job as editors to do the design and layout of the pages. This includes the title, where exactly the text will go, and what artwork will be used. Sometimes we’ll use a stock photo, sometimes we’ll use our official Empire Times camera (or even our smart phones!) to take a photo to accompany the article, and sometimes (if we have enough time), we’ll send the article to one of our artists and they can draw something to accompany it.

We try to always save pages for columns - pieces that are in every issue by the same author and usually around the same theme. These include Student Council interviews, Politics, “Devil’s Advocate” (feminism), “Into the Gender Void” (transgender issues), “Ask JT” (advice), Alumni interview, Cooking, “What the FUC” (Club piece), fiction, poetry, “Hidden Gems” (South Australia tourism), “Get Smart”, crossword, colouring page, book review, anime review, music review, television feature, and the comic.

And then there are the standard magazine pages that need to be there, such as the editorial, contents page, calendar, and letters to the editors. However, these recurring pieces only take up around 35 pages in our 52-page mag. With these building blocks in place, that means we have room for features, which change from issue to issue and are a great way to have new people and new ideas in the magazine. Same goes for artwork; we often dedicate entire pages to art and design work from our contributors to give each issue a distinctive look.

When we receive submissions (via email), we split them up between the three editors and then we move on to Stage 2:

Stage 2: Editing A piece will first be edited by one of us – the three editors! Then, we divide the pieces up and send them to a sub-editor for a second look, for things that we might have missed. A second pair of eyes is hugely helpful. We have around 8 sub-editors (some can’t so sub-edits for every issue and some just help us out when we’re extra busy) who each receive a few pieces.

The sub-editors take a few days to go over the pieces. When we edit pieces, we look for spelling and grammar issues, and just general structure and flow of the piece. If something the writer has said is confusing or if we’re unsure, we ask questions. We leave comments for the writer to think about and sometimes suggest changes for improvement.

After we editors have done our first look and the sub-editors have had a second look we email the pieces back to the original author and they have time to convert that first draft to a final draft.

For example, in this issue in your hot little hands, the artwork on pages 18 and 19 are some pretty impressive stock photos. The cooking photographs on page 26 and 27 were taken by editor Eleanor on her profesh camera. The artwork on pages 22 and 23 were tailor-made by one of our amazing student artists, Sheydin Dew – as was the artwork on page 30, and some of the artwork on pages 44-45.

Deciding on the artwork on the front, back, and inner pages is pretty exciting too. For the front cover, it’s not first come first served, but whichever picture has the WOW factor and sums up the theme well, and a picture that is eye-grabbing and draws people to the magazine. So far, we 3 editors have all agreed fairly easily on the front cover artwork, as it’s usually a standout.

However, if we didn’t all agree, or weren’t sure, we could possibly vote on it, compromise, do mock-up covers with different images and colours to see what works best, or we could always ask FUSA Media Officer Steph Walker (former On Dit editor and current design extraordinaire) for her professional opinion which may help us make our decisions.

For this issue, the front cover is again by Sheydin Dew – this was a prime example of us editors seeing a piece of artwork and going ‘Yep. This is it.’ It was bright and different to all of the covers we’ve had so far throughout the year, and it was a fantastic visualization of the theme ‘Duality’. All of our other artwork within are further examples of artistic interpretations of Duality: the dead contrasted against the living by Emma Hough Hobbs on the inner front cover; the contents page artwork of the twosided face was done by Kahli Griffin; the black and white face on page 9 is by Aden Beaver; Tristen Vo did the colouring page on page 41, an intersection of hard and soft, angles and lines vs. soft and natural; and Benjamin Hall did the heaven/hell picture on the back cover. We also have been saving leftover artwork from artists throughout the year so we can use it in a later issue.

Adobe InDesign is both our best friend and our worst enemy

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at this stage and most of our time spent in the office, when not chasing up contributions, is spent squawking at our Macs’ screens when InDesign plays tricks on us. Sometimes it offers us happy accidents we know will be nigh on impossible to replicate, sometimes, just accidents.

Stage 4: Proof Edit After the contributor deadline day, we usually spend a week working on the edits, a week working on the design, and then the third week we put it all together and print our proof edit. Unlike our final print magazine, which is produced at a printing business, we print our proof edit at FUSA on an ordinary uni printer. We print off a copy for each of the 3 of us, and 1 for Steph to go over with their media law and design expertise. We stick a big bulldog clip on our copy, and we take it home for a few days and go over it with a red pen and a highlighter – just like high school teachers with our essays back in the day! It’s important for us to see how the text and colours work on paper rather than on a computer screen. This is our last chance to notice any errors or make any changes before we send the issue to the printer. It usually takes us a full day in the office together to apply the final tweaks.

Stage 5: Send to Print Yay! Thank you to the lovely Robert and Kym at Flinders Press!

Stage 6: Release and Distribution Our baby has arrived. No, I’m not talking about childbirth and the miracle of life; I’m talking about our issue arriving in boxes fresh from the printers. We unpack the boxes and behold the beauty in our arms. We inevitably get pissed off at ourselves for missing a typo. We get over it. Then we go for a walk with our trolley and release the issue around campus – in FUSA, the Hub, the Tav, the Library, the Laneway, Law Commerce courtyard, Education, SILC, McHughs. We post issues to the rural Flinders campuses, Flinders Med Center, and the Victoria Square, Tonsley, and Sturt campuses.

We check up on distribution weekly and top up as needed. We also put all issues online on our website via Issuu, as well as a few exclusive online features such as film reviews and interviews.

And everything in-between…

Before, during, and after the production of the ten issues of the year, we keep on top of the emails, the social media (ET has a Facebook, website, Issuu, Twitter, and Instagram), and we constantly talk to contributors about new ideas for the magazine.

We host parties throughout the year where we get to meet and chat with contributors and readers. We had our mid-year party at the Tav (sidenote: catering, YUM) where we gave out the Creativity Competition awards, and it was a fun night for all.

According to the job description, the ET editors are expected to work 20-30 hours a week. Sometimes we do less, sometimes we do more, but as long as the issues are released on schedule, all is well.

It feels like more of a 24/7 job to be honest. When we read other magazines, look at websites, hear about Adelaide local events, Flinders Uni news, hear what new movies and music are coming out soon, we get inspiration for new content and design to make ET the best little mag we can make it.

The job also requires us to work through holidays, attend Student Council meetings and livetweet the bloodbath, work at the Empire Times stall at O’Week, and attend other university events on behalf of the magazine.

If you’d like to get involved with Empire Times for 2017, you can message us via our Facebook page or email us at empire.times@ flinders.edu.au

Pictured:

Left page: Issues 1-7 this year and the infamous coffee tower in our office. It’s been Liam’s work in progress since we started working in the office in January, and Lauren has kindly added a few cups since her arrival in June.

This page: Top: The proof edit stage.

Middle: Going on an adventure. Here are your loyal editors braving the wind and rain to do some distribution around campus.

Bottom: Constructive criticism spotted in the Hub. #hatersgonnahate Words and photographs by Eleanor Danenberg, Liam McNally, and Lauren Reid.

33

WHAT THE

FLinders University Clubs

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY PHILOSOPHY CLUB

You wake in the night, say around 4am; you’re wide awake and you think to yourself, ‘What the fuck is life all about? Are we alone in the cosmos? How can we be alone in the cosmos? Who’s smarter, man or machine? Was Heidegger, Heidegger really a boozy beggar who could think you under the table?’ If you relate to any of these questions, there’s a boutique (or should that be salon) club at Flinders that not only poses the big questions but also has a good stab at answering them. For, dear reader, as great as the wonderful Douglas Adams was, the answer is not just 42 — it’s far more complicated. The Flinders University Philosophy Club is here to help unravel the mysteries.

Initially founded in 1970, Flinders Philosophy, like most clubs and societies, ceased to exist during the Dark Ages of the Howard Government but re-emerged in 2012. Since then the club has been hosting regular talks from academics, PhD and Honours students. It needs to be noted that the academics are drawn from Adelaide Uni as well as Flinders. It seems that Philosophy, unlike the sporting codes and the combatants in the great meme war, knows no divide between black and blue. A healthy spirit of cooperation exists between the Philosophy departments and clubs of the two universities.

I climbed to the heights of the Hub to meet with the President of Flinders Philosophy — Annette Couch. Annette responded to my big question — ‘What is philosophy?’ — with a big answer: ‘This answer is partly informed by Philosopher Slavoj Zizek’s answer to this question which was, ‘Philosophy does not solve problems. The duty of philosophy is not to solve problems but to redefine problems.’ Philosophy is not a search for some eternal truth.

The question is not, ‘Is there truth?’ the question is, ‘What do you mean when you say, “this is true?”’

A philosopher will approach the question of freedom, not by asking, ‘Are we free or not?’ but will ask the question, ‘What does it mean to be free?’

Philosophy can separate out problems relevant to itself and it is not needed to bear on everything that happens in the world. For example, if you have a real problem of a deadly virus spreading worldwide, in one sense you don’t need philosophy; you need good scientists to find the cure. However, philosophy might be brought to bear on questions of the cure’s distribution.

Philosophy to me is the gift that keeps on giving. Just when you think you’ve hit something profound, you’ll read something else that makes you question yourself all over again. That’s what I really love about philosophy.’

As President, one of Annette’s many duties is to develop and deliver a schedule of fortnightly events. ‘I email members at the start of the semester to gauge their availability. I then determine the schedule and lock in the guest speakers. Each event runs for around two hours and we use either the multimedia room in the Hub or OASIS as the venue. It’s up to the guest speaker to determine the format, either a formal presentation or a round table discussion.’

The speakers are drawn from Flinders and Adelaide Uni, visiting academics, PhD candidates or Honours students. Consequently, Annette has a vast array of experts across the Philosophy spectrum to draw upon. ‘Recently, we’ve heard from Associate Professor Ian Hunt on Liberal Socialism and Monash University Professor Jeffrey Goldsworthy on the philosophy of language and legal interpretation. Coming up we have Doctor Sandra Egege who will discuss the philosophy of mind and the concept of self and how that can be applied to robots and artificial intelligence – the duality of mind and machine.’

The thing Annette loves most about the Philosophy Club is the conversation. ‘I love sitting around with really smart Philosophy students such as Ira, Jarred, Tim and Dustin and listening to them talk.’ The collective wisdom of the guest speakers and club members is a major reason for Annette recommending the club

FOUNDED 1970 (RESURRECTED IN 2012)

CONTACT flindersuniphilosophy@gmail.com

PRESIDENT ANNETTE COUCH

MASCOT Foucat – the Philosophy Cat

membership 200 to new students ‘We are low maintenance, you are guaranteed to hear good speakers, you can contribute as much or little as you like, and you’ll learn things you never even heard about before.’

Annette’s involvement with the club began in April 2015. After she attended a few events, the club’s convenors asked her to take on the role of President to organise and streamline the management of the events. ‘There’s quite a lot of organisation involved in organising the events and maintaining our Facebook page and distributing e-mails to the members.’

In addition to the scheduled fortnightly events, Annette tells me ‘The Philosophy club actively participates in O’Week activities and we are also thinking of a Tavern get-together later this year.’ I close my eyes and wonder at the spectacle of the assembled members, with drinks in hand, singing a rousing rendition of Monty Python’s Philosophers’ Song. What a sight to behold!

I finish this enlightening interview by asking Annette to nominate the Philosopher best suited to the Flinders Philosophy Club. ‘Slavoj Zizek,’ she replies. ‘He’s out there, still living and breathing and kind of whacky. He philosophises about toilets and how different cultures treat their waste.’

ACTIVITIES Guest Speakers, Tavern catch-ups.

NOTABLE MEMBERS Former Philosophy Professor, the late Dr Brian Medlin, remembered by many South Australians for his very public leadership of the campaign to stop the war in Vietnam.

Motto Fac sapias et liber eris Pictures courtesy of Flinders University Philosophy Club.

Left to Right: Foucat the Philosophy Cat posing for his candidate photo shoot. Philosophy Club members contemplating a new member. The Flinders University Philosophy Club’s shield logo.

AUTHOR Richard Falkner, 52 (not out), Bachelor of Creative Arts Pictured (Creative Writing) Top: The proof Middle: Distribution Bottom: Constructive criticism.

35 43

- Fiction -

The People of 22 Oakland Avenue

Finn stared at the first golden slithers of sunlight brushing

Technically, Finn thought, as he paced into the kitchen, I didn’t

against the faded orange bricks of the house. Sunrays filtered

really break and enter — the door was unlocked. Who even does

through the metal slats behind the window he was peering into;

that? These people are too trusting. Well, either that or too forgetful.

the light splayed like outstretched fingers, bathing the inside of

Finn chanted this repeatedly, as if to justify what he was doing.

the room in a warm hue. His breath clouded the glass. Nobody

What he had to do. For Myra. Finn could barely afford to keep

was home yet. Good. He still had time.

himself fed, meet his own medical needs, let alone afford Myra’s prescription medication. He didn’t need a lot — just… something

Jittery, Finn’s fingers trembled. He had never done this before.

of value — anything! Just something that these people wouldn’t

Finn nearly dived into the azaleas when a bird swooped down

miss.

and perched itself on a nearby lemon tree’s spindly branch. He willed his heart to still its incessant pounding. It was only a bird.

Finn thought about the fairy wren, to calm his loud thoughts;

He exhaled, shakily. But then he looked again; it wasn’t just any

Mum had loved how small and swift they were; had loved the

bird, he realised — it was a fairy wren. Fairy wrens always did

sound of their twittering in the early mornings when they had all

remind him of Mum — her favourite. Or, at least, they were.

lived together. He swallowed, remembering; the images seeping in. She had not raised a thief. If Mum were still alive, Finn knew

Already a gentle mosaic of melodies had begun to dance in the

how disgusted she would be with him now, at his resorting to

early morning breeze. The sweet scent of budding blossoms

this. Finn pushed these thoughts down, to the very back of his

unfurling, of pollen dispersing, weaved its way through Finn’s

mind.

delicate sinuses. He stifled a sneeze, his eyes watering. The gentle warm wind of spring caressed his skeletal frame. Recently,

‘Come on,’ he muttered, ‘you can do this.’ Finn became resolved.

his body had started to feel like a stack of cards; hollow, fragile.

The outside of the house was picturesque; sure, the bricks were

Like he could be blown over by the slightest push. But then,

a little faded, but the lattice work, the balcony, the polished

he was already so close to the edge in other ways. He sighed,

double front doors — everything about the house oozed

focusing. He had to do this. Finn grasped the backdoor handle

affluence. The contents of the house must have equated to a

and, holding his breath, pulled the sliding door. It was unlocked.

small fortune. Finn would find something, take it, and get out;

Just as he knew it would be. He stifled a wet cough, clutching

these richies wouldn’t miss something small. He was not a bad

his bruised ribs, and nervously peered around corners.

person. He was not the bad guy here.

- Fiction -

Finn pivoted on his heel and paced into a bedroom. It surprised

lifestyle in this wealthy area? The maintenance of the garden? The

him how sparsely decorated the room was. Finn yanked open the

tuition for nearby schools for his children, which were all private

top drawer of the nightstand, hoping to see a wallet, or an iPod,

colleges? The rooms were so dull, so lacking of contents. Finn

or maybe an expensive watch. But all he found were letters —

shook his head. It’s not my problem.

stained paper. Tears, Finn realised, these letters are tear stained. He knew he shouldn’t have looked, shouldn’t have pried, but he was

The wallpaper of this room was peeling, shadows staining

already a thief. He quickly skimmed them. A woman, he read, was

the corners. Surely this room must have something of value.

requesting a divorce; she had found somebody else. But the man,

Certificates of academic achievement overwhelmed him, like

the recipient of these letters, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let her

he was about to be swallowed by a rolling wave of paper. Some

go.

addressed ‘Jay’, others ‘Jamie’, others ‘Jamie-May’ — Jamie Thorpe.

The Thorpes, Finn thought. The Thorpes live here. Finn poked

The sunlight trickled in, brighter now; Finn spied a glint — a ring,

around the room. He was impressed; Jamie really pushed herself.

winking at him from behind the alarm clock on the nightstand. He

She worked hard. Very hard. In her wardrobe were three uniforms,

reached for it, hungrily. It’s gold. But his fingers fell short. It’s a

freshly pressed, but few other items of clothing. Finn blinked,

wedding band. This man’s wedding band. This man who wept for

perplexed.

his wife, who wouldn’t come home. Finn hesitated. Just like how Dad left Mum, he thought. It’s what ended her; what ended our days

Behind some worn black boots, Finn finally found exactly what he

as a family; the early mornings filled with breakfast and birdsong. He

so desperately desired — a thick bundle of money in an envelope.

returned the letters to their drawer and left the room. There must

But he stopped, again. It was labelled ‘For Uni’. It’s perfect. It’s

be something…better in the house, he reasoned with himself, but his

what he was looking for, what he needed. But he could not take

throat was knotting up.

it. Not after seeing into the lives of these good people, these hard working people, these people who had suffered as he had

Finn found another bedroom. More sunlight began to pool in

suffered. The father who was losing his wife, these girls who were

the room; he was running out of time. His nerves returning, Finn

losing their mother. Jamie. Especially Jamie.

glanced at a toy box. He flipped the plastic lid, and waded through the sea of stuffed animals, when his knuckle nicked something

The girl who looked the same age as Finn in the photographs

metallic. He fished it out. It was a silver locket encrusted with

lining the border of her mirror, but who worked three times as

—yes, diamonds! But he froze again, swallowed, and clicked it

hard as he ever had. He was such a coward for sneaking into their

open. His heart stopped; it contained a tiny photograph. A couple

home, which was crumbling from the inside. His knees buckled.

smiled up at him, elderly and frail, but very loving. The child’s

Finn cried, noiselessly. How had he turned into this? Why had he

grandparent’s then. A small wad of paper was wedged in the left

let himself stoop to a slinking burglar? His stomach lurched. Every

side of the locket. Finn pulled it loose and read it:

tear helped to renew him. Carefully, he returned the envelope and slipped out the back door. A humming resonated, and then a

To our dear little Marcie,

concerning spluttering noise from an exhaust pipe that belched

We left your dad the house for when we’re gone; and we left Jamie

black smoke came into earshot. Finn looked over his shoulder and

some funds for University; but we’re leaving you with this locket. It

watched as a rusty old Ute pulled into the driveway. The Thorpes

was my mother’s, and her mother’s before her. It is my most treasured

had arrived home.

possession. Take good care of it.

With all of our love,

Finn resolved to find some other way, some better way, to help

Grandma and Gramps.

Myra. To help himself. He’d take out a loan, get a job and pay it off and save money for them. He’d eat healthier. He’d contribute

This is probably all Marcie had to remember them by. He could

to society. He’d visit his mother’s grave more often. He was not a

take it. The jewels in the locket would be worth something. But

bad person. He had just come close to making bad decisions.

not as much as what this is worth to Marcie, I’ll bet. He struggled with himself but, in the end, he gently placed the note back inside

The fairy wren chirped melodically, its little toes clutching a

the locket, and the locket back beneath the waves of toys, clicking

branch as it watched Finn stride away from 22 Oakland Avenue —

the lid closed.

a house that looked so perfect on the outside; but, on the inside, it housed people who had loved and lost and worked hard in life;

Finn was running out of time. He slipped into the last bedroom.

people who would never know how they had changed a lost boy’s

This too was bland. That note in Marcie’s locket said that the man,

life. Finn breathed in deeply, crisp leaves leftover from autumn

her father, had inherited the house — but could he afford the

crunching underfoot, and headed down to the bank.

By Leeza von Alpen

3737

- Poetry -

Daily Masquerade Red eyes sallow and sagged from broken sleep Lips stretched too thin from forced feigned smiles Those dragging feet like stones; the hill too steep Her grayscale world has been drained dry of colour for a while Now she is slowly fading and is merely masquerading Through a sea of faces, he is wading—no; gently thrashing But he does so with a weary walk and a washed-out grin Loose clothes veil his gaunt frame, his body not the same Due to his limbs lame from splashing in the undertow that pulled him in Because this man—no; this mannequin—he too is masquerading Breathe back some colour into dry, drained husks like this Gently pry away their moulded masks that they themselves have made Extend your hand, help them to stand—this is true kindness Help ease them out of this charade; this blasé façade Reach out to all the faces behind this daily masquerade

Leeza von Alpen

- Tourism -

Hidden Gems Therbarton Ice Arena

Is uni stressing you out? Do you need a small break? Why not go ice skating at the Ice Arena in Thebarton? This is perfect activity to just relax, forget about uni work for a few hours and have a laugh with friends. They have both day and night sessions throughout the week. The night sessions tend to have more of an atmosphere and a theme, with Wednesday nights being ‘Classic Hit Wednesdays’ where the DJ will play songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s eras; Friday nights boast 21st Century disco music and disco lights; and Saturdays have more recent pop music, where the arena is in complete darkness except for disco lights.

There are two rinks, known simply as the ‘smaller’ one and the ‘bigger’ one. If you need to gain some confidence and get used to skating on the ice, you can always use the smaller rink, where you will also find lots of other people who may not have heaps of experience. However, this is about socialising and having fun with friends, having a small chuckle when they fall on their bum and giving them a round of applause when they manage to do a few laps of the rink.

What I love about ice skating is that you start off a bit timid and tend to ask yourself, ‘Why did I sign up to this?’ but after about 20 minutes, you soon gain confidence and belief in yourself and it teaches you that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

Another great thing about ice skating, is that once the skates are strapped on, you lose track of time, so time passes more quickly than you think!

The Ice Arena also offer skate lessons for beginners if you decide you want to take it up as a hobby, and they even have a class for adults. I was a beginner once, and they were so welcoming and gave me all the confidence I needed to take up figure skating as a serious hobby. They also provide activities for children which includes ‘Snow Play’, where children under 5 can play with snow and throw them at the arena’s penguin wall, so they cater for people of all ages.

So, if you need a break from uni and a little confidence boost, then ice skating at this arena is the perfect place to go. If you also need to distract your children for a while, this arena has many activities throughout the week and weekend for children to partake in.

AUTHOR Ashley Curtis, 21, Bachelor of International Tourism

If Ashley were a hybrid mythical creature, she’d be a Hippalectryon, which is a creature that has half horse and half rooster features.

Address: 23 James Congdon Drive, Thebarton, SA, 5031 Telephone: (08) 7123 0812 Email: reception@icearena.com.au Opening times: General sessions: Monday - Friday: 10:00am — 3:30pm Weekends & Public Holidays 12:30pm — 3:30pm Night sessions: Classic Hit Wednesdays: 7:30pm — 9:30pm Fridge Fridays: 7:30pm — 11:00pm SubZero Saturdays: 7:30pm —11:00pm Prices: Day Session: Adult: $17 Student / Concession: $15 Night Session: $17 entry

39

Complete the crossword and send a picture of your answers to empire.times@flinders.edu.au and WIN one of ten free double passes to Palace Nova!

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1 3 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19

Across Down Across The death of a private detective in Athens leads 2 An alcoholic professional killer pursues an to a con artist, his wife, and a stranger fleeing. (5 international terrorist, leading to his wife’s murder. words) (5 words) 1.

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(5 words) nominee ever. (5 words) 4 The story of a legendary concierge and the lobby A successful banker is being ‘torn apart!!’ one under of the his worst films of all time.

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A dancer struggles after landing her recent role corruption. (3 words) A comedy trilogy about a group of alcoholics going on booze-fuelled adventures. in9.

Swan Lake. (2 words) 13 A stripper takes a new stripper under his wing. (2 A 10. janitor teaches a group of children to believe in run of this British words) A movie spinoff several years after the 10-year espionage thriller TV series. their (5 words) 11. dreams.

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Angelina Jolie goes on the run after being accused of being a Russian spy.

Story of one of Boston’s most infamously violent criminals.

(2 words) 16. Charlize Theron plays a Monkey in a film very close by. (5 words) Released from gaol, twoofficer siblings arrange 17. An American army goes rogueto infind search of weapons of mass destruction in an unstable war-torn region. (2 words) funding for orphanage where they were brought 18.(3Mark Hamill cripples someone to prove a point and Ray Wise nearly goes mad. Again. (4 words) up. words) Before Bond, he was involved in the drug trade 19. Mysterious forces keep two lovers apart in in this Philip K Dick-based film. (3 words) London. (2 words) Angelina Jolie goes on the run after being accused of being a Russian spy.

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Crossword clues by Liam McNally

41

- Book Review -

Reader's di-Jess(T)

HARD-BOILED WONDERLAND AND THE END OF THE WORLD

by HARUKI MURAKAMI

.

Rating:aaaaaa

When I think ‘duality’, I think Jekyll and Hyde, Mulder and Scully, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, even Jane and Lisbon from that The Mentalist void I took seven years to crawl out of. I think of those multitudes of fictional duos who are so entirely different and yet perfectly complement each other. The yin and yang protagonists.

The two sides of the same coin. (For more information, please refer to every cliché ever.)

So when I was brainstorming which book to review for this issue, I had no shortage of candidates. Duality can be found in almost every book ever published. So it became a question of what I really wanted to write about, what I feel needs to be recommended, shared, and celebrated.

Haruki Murakami’s science-fiction novel Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World encompasses a duality of worlds, characters and realities which has entranced my mind and heart like no book has before — and like no book has since. It is one of my top three favourite reads: an impressive achievement when you take into account that it was the focus of my Honours thesis last year. I spent nine months with this book, analysing theme after motif after character after image… And I would still read it again.

The mind of Murakami is, of course, an acquired taste. If you’ve not heard the name, then you’ve not spent nearly enough time in your local Dymocks. Murakami is famous in Japan to the level that J.K. Rowling is famous — he has spent decades cultivating elegantly surreal and poignant literary experiences that have launched the term “Murakamean” into common usage. His collective works speak to one another in a language all their own, so blatantly related in their magical realist, almost [David] Lynchian explorations of the subconscious, and their on-page love affairs with jazz, cats, and literature.

It is almost impossible to discuss a Murakami novel without detouring to another — so in a way, when I tell you to read Hard-

Boiled Wonderland, I am imploring you to read the rest of its family as well.

HBW is, however, a fantastic novel to begin with. Published in 1985, it’s one of the earlier and less-mentioned Murakami novels.

Unlike the Wind-up Bird trilogy, which was published many years later and takes a great deal of working up to, HBW is a nice entrypoint for curious readers. That said, it is also completely bonkers.

And I want to tell you why — I want to sit you down and tell you why this book collided with my bedroom wall several times, why I wanted to write my Honours thesis on it, what my opinions are of the two protagonists, and ultimately my interpretation of certain… shall we say events. I want to tell you! But I can’t. I can’t take this review to its word count by discussing it further.

Because Hard-Boiled Wonderland, like many books, is the kind of novel best devoured with as few plot spoilers as possible. Learn too much beforehand and the sense of wonder can diminish; approach these two intertwining narratives completely unawares and be prepared for a reading experience entirely unique, utterly infuriating, and one hundred percent worth it.

Know there are mobsters, know there is jazz, know there are unicorns. Go buy this book. Read it. Come throw it against a wall with me. Then pick it up and read it again. Then let’s sit down and talk about it.

Editors’ Note: Jess insisted upon giving this six out of the traditional five stars. We were powerless to stop her.

AUTHOR Jess Miller, 22, PhD (English and Creative Writing)

If Jess could be any mythological hybrid, she would be a hippogriff. Obviously.

- Music Review -

The Music Column The triumphant return of Frank Ocean...

The day has finally arrived, the hype train has swerved off the tracks and into an ocean, spilling every single digital copy of Blonde into the waves of Apple Music. ‘Why did I even bother paying for Spotify?’, is a question I’ve been asking myself for the past few months. The spotlight-shy Ocean’s complete silence on a sequel to the Grammy-winning Channel ORANGE has done nothing but pour more diesel onto the hype fire. Then out of the blue, the visual album Endless was released, then the 17-track fulllength album followed the next day, stylised as Blonde.

Blonde lacks distinctly on its beats and aims for a more minimalist approach. Blonde is meant to be listened to from start to finish, instead of just as individual songs; it plays like a start-to-finish LP. You won’t find many up-tempo synthesisers or heavy drum patterns that made “Pyramids” and “Lost” Ocean’s standout single tracks from Channel ORANGE. It’s the omissions and differences that Ocean strived for that make these two albums so individual, and what makes Blonde great in itself. Everyone who was nervously gnawing their teeth can rest easily, as Ocean doesn’t disappoint.

Ocean starts with the dreamy and sustained track “Nikes”, a critique of materialism leaking reverb, drum pads, and pitchedshifted vocals (the latter which can be irritating and is not my favourite part of the song). The first of Ocean’s many influences can be found here, as James Blake’s presence can be felt on this track from start to finish. Ocean’s approach to lyrics, storytelling and production hasn’t failed after 4 long years, the hook calling out girls who use Ocean for his money, just so they can buy new shoes.

His lyrics range across many topics, but eventually focus back towards himself in a similar style that Channel ORANGE took.

Ocean tackles first loves, mistakes, heartbreak, and desires on “Ivy”, “Good Guy”, “Nights”, “White Ferrari”, and “Self Control”, which form the bulk of the album. Ocean also teaches the young’uns (yes, you) some lessons here: not to do drugs on “Be Yourself” (even though Ocean sings about drugs many times across these tracks) and not to get sucked into technology and

base your relationships around social media on “Facebook Story”.

Ocean is a visionary and his lyrics and albums are made to be broken apart like a work of prose.

The fact of the matter is that this album simply can’t be compared to Channel ORANGE, a work of art in its own fashion. Blonde is a different album, overall more subdued and quiet, the sonics aren’t the main focus as Ocean instead goes all in on his songwriting ability. Muted guitars and synthesizers are sometimes the only instruments which accompany Ocean, giving the album a lonely, almost acoustic feel at parts, before returning to snappy percussion with piano and electronic melodies. Many points of the album are incoherent, surprising, but jarring and out of place, such as the Interlude, “Pretty Sweet”.

Still, with all things considered, Frank Ocean returned from his silence in style.

Aden’s review of Channel ORANGE can be found on the Empire Times website: empiretimes.com.au AUTHOR Aden Beaver, 19, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Digital Media)

AAA

e

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- Television Showcase -

10 shows that changed television #9

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Those words, an iconic mission statement that captures the essence of Star Trek: exploration, discovery, and a sense of adventure. These are themes that ring out across the series from the iconically campy The Original Series to the somewhat failed Enterprise, and even the new reboot movies.

Star Trek first graced our screens in 1966, and has been present in some form ever since then. It was unique for its time, no other science fiction television show quite like it had yet emerged, and it inspired so many shows to follow such as Babylon 5 in 1994.

When creating the show, Gene Roddenberry was inspired by Westerns, originally intending it to be a sort of Western in outer space; a wagon train to the stars.

Star Trek: The Original Series spanned three seasons — 79 episodes — from September 1966 to June 1969. While Star Trek is embedded into our cultural consciousness today, the show received low ratings when it first aired and was eventually cancelled by the station. Later on, however, the show would be re-run and eventually achieve a cult classic status, leading to the spawning of the franchise that has caused the series to become so widely known today. Star Trek: The Next Generation was the first successor to the series, airing for 7 seasons from 1987 – 1994.

It received a much better reception than its predecessor, with its number of viewers exceeding shows such as Wheel of Fortune, Cheers, and L.A. Law which were network hits at the time.

The Next Generation took a much more philosophical stance than its predecessor, which often came across as very corny.

This philosophical trend was carried on through Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), Voyager (1995-2001) and Enterprise (2001-2005).

Each series had its own approach to presenting the wonders and dangers of space travel and living on a starship while exploring the nature of the human condition.

Set during the 23rd-24th centuries in a universe where humanity has overcome scarcity and become a utopia, part of the United Federation of Planets, the unifying theme of the series’ is space travel, with each crew pursuing their own trek through the stars.

The Original Series is set on the Enterprise NCC-1701, a state of the art starship on a 5-year mission to explore space as in the

iconic mission statement. Throughout this, we see the characters battle with issues of morality and Captain James T. Kirk battle with his desire to sleep with every alien woman in the known universe.

The Next Generation is similarly set on the starship Enterprise, this time the model NCC-1701-D, the flagship of Starfleet, about 70 years after The Original Series. This time, the English-accented Frenchman Jean-Luc Picard is in the captain’s chair, as the series explores the outer reaches of the known universe and omniscient being, while considering questions of android rights and the nature of humanity, all over a cup of tea — earl grey, hot.

Deep Space Nine took a departure from the norm as instead of being set on a starship, it takes place on the space station Deep Space Nine. The storyline of the show begins partway through The Next Generation, leading two Star Trek shows occurring at the same time. The series features the first and only black captain in all of Star Trek, Benjamin Sisko as he struggles to manage a formerly Cardassian (alien Nazis) space station and maintain peace with the planet Bajor, previously oppressed by a brutal Cardassian reign. Deep Space Nine is noticeably darker and grittier than the preceding series, with its political aspects, discussion of religion and focus upon the experiences of war.

Voyager centres around the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager captained by Kathryn Janeway, the first female captain in Star Trek, which becomes stranded far out in the Delta Quadrant. The series centres around the ship attempting to return home and tackles issues including the onboard hologram doctor struggling with his own personhood, the extended isolation that the ship’s crew must face, and the struggle between upholding one’s principles versus doing whatever is necessary to survive so far away from home and the structures of society.

Finally, Enterprise is a prequel to The Original Series. Set in the 22nd century it follows the crew of the first Enterprise, NX-01, and is often regarded as the least favourite of the television series. The series is also accompanied by a number of movies set during the Original Series and Next Generation timelines as well as the reboot movie series (often referred to as Nu-Trek), which again follows the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and co, but in an alternate timeline separate to the television universe.

Such a large franchise is bound to have an enormous impact upon the cultural consciousness and indeed Star Trek has, featuring many firsts such as one of the first multiracial casts (The Original Series featuring people of Scottish, Russian, Japanese, and African

- Television Showcase -

descent) and the first interracial kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura. The show often commented on social issues of the time such as sexism, racism, nationalism, global war, homosexuality, transgenderism, slavery, the rights of artificial intelligence, and so on. The series even inspired technological inventions such as mobile phones and tablet computers, which are prominent throughout all the series’ incarnations.

Star Trek is widely regarded as the most influential Science Fiction TV series in history and for good reason, the characters of Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Picard, Data, and so on are widely known even by those who have not seen the show. Star Trek fandom is responsible for the birth of fanfiction through fandom magazines, the opening theme is one of the most recognised in existence, and ‘Trekkie’ is an officially recognised word in the Oxford English Dictionary. The language Klingon, developed for the show, has a large number of speakers all over the world.

References to Star Trek appear in TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Heroes, Stargate: SG-1, The Big Bang Theory, where several of the main characters are dedicated Star Trek fans, and

Futurama which features a caricature of Captain Kirk himself.

NASA even used Star Trek, the cast and universe to promote public interest in the US space program.

Star Trek has had an enormous impact on the culture of our society, and I very much hope it continues to do so with the next series Star Trek: Discovery set to premiere in July 2017. If you haven’t seen Star Trek or this is your first time hearing of this wonderful piece of science fiction, I strongly suggest that you go do so. And if you have already seen Star Trek, go watch Galaxy Quest for the most accurate depiction of hardcore Star Trek fans ever.

AUTHOR Kelly Guthberlet, 21, Bachelor of Education (Middle and Secondary) / Bachelor of Science

If Kelly could be any mythical hybrid creature, she would be part butterfly, part person..

Artwork by Sheydin Dew. For more of Sheydin’s artwork, visit her Facebook page: Sheyded Art.

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ANIME REVIEW Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

Throwback to 2005, the era of the Motorola flip phone, Eye Toy, Akon’s “Lonely” and my favourite anime Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE. That’s right, my fave isn’t Neon Genesis Evangelion, the best anime of all time, but a dodgy looking fantasy anime that has one female main character, whose special ability is to faint all the time and get protected by the male cast. Shameful. Based on the 2003-2009 manga by angels CLAMP, Tsubasa had the task of adapting the apotheosis of their rich CLAMP universe build up. Imagine the Anime version of the Avengers; this is the Avengers to end all Avengers. Comprised of 26 episodes and animated by studio Bee Train, it’s complex, entertaining and has the potential to break your vulnerable heart.

CLAMP reuses the memorable young duo Sakura and Syaoran from CardCaptor Sakura and brings them back as young adults from an alternative dimension called Clow Country. Caught up in an interdimensional plot, Sakura’s memories are transformed into magical feathers and are spread throughout time and space, and without them Sakura will die. Syaoran is sent to the dimension of modern day Japan where he begs the dimensional witch for the power to travel dimensions so he can search and collect Sakura’s memories. She agrees to help but in exchange he must relinquish his bond with Sakura as payment. She will never regain her memories of him. Kurogane, a ninja warrior who was banished from his own universe, and Fai, a mysterious wizard who is a fugitive of his world, join the two to form a party forged from fate.

Honestly, the animation is the weakest part of Tsubasa; it does provide some wonderful looking fight sequences and imbues the characters with such vibrant personalities, however it misses out regularly with proportion errors, imperfect line art and bug eyes. That being said, it’s no worse than Naruto’s animation but provides so much more — being based in countless alternative dimensions each with their own set of characters and backgrounds, they’ve done a pretty good job of something otherwise impossible.

The wow factor for Tsubasa is obvious: how well it ties together most previous manga works from CLAMP. Jumping between dimensions, the Tsubasa gang meet otherworld versions of easily recognised CLAMP favourites such as Chi from Chobits, Yuuko from XXXHolic, and Seishirou from X. The genre and plot changes with each world they travel to, ranging from mysteries and slice of life to racing tournaments and fantastical worlds, each with rules of their own. If you’re familiar with CLAMP’s work, Tsubasa is an infinitely sublime masterpiece.

Everyone has that show or anime that they’d, if presented with their friends tied up and eyes taped open, would lovingly force upon their comrades and for me that anime is Tsubasa. To the more dedicated anime/manga fan, I would say read all of CardCaptor Sakura, Chobits, Drug and Drop beforehand and then read Tsubasa and XXXHolic at the same time to get the full experience. If you enjoyed Scrapped Princess, Bakemonogatari or literally any CLAMP show, Tsubasa is definitely worth your time.

My rating: A completely unbiased infinite shinji-kuns/5

AUTHOR Emma Hough Hobbs, 19, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Digital Media) If Emma were a hybrid mythical creature, she’d be a robot angel.

Art source (left): Zeroxhan.net

- Game Review -

Level UP Flash games were the biggest thing when I was in primary school (‘Back in my day…’); websites like Newgrounds, Kongregate, and Armor Games had everything you needed to waste an afternoon away. Around the school yard, the coolest kid was the one with the USB filled with flash games that they had somehow figured out how to download (blowing our young minds).

And not all of them were simple little app-like games with poor graphics and basic mechanics; some (such as the This is the Only Level series) had an interesting plot with novel gameplay and a great sense of humour. The Company of Myself is perhaps my favourite of these flash games; it is more of an art piece than a game, it tells a story that I found myself captivated by for the 30 minutes it takes to play.

The Company of Myself was first released on Kongregate (a popular flash game website) in November 2009, created by Eli Piilonen and featuring art by Luka Marcetic and music by David Carney, all from the development group 2DArray. It claims to be a game about a hermit, which is very true but really it is so much more than that.

Upon starting the game, a passage of text scrolls down the screen; these appear to be the musings of the hermit and provide some insight into the character that you play throughout the game, who repeatedly states that he prefers to be alone in ‘the company of myself’. He has been alone for a pretty long time now, and gotten used to it. He mentions a girl named Kathryn, who we find out was the hermit’s love interest.

This theme of loneliness is evident through the gameplay, which is in the style of a classic platformer game, where you move across the screen in two dimensions, solving puzzles to reach a green square and progress on to the next level. The puzzles consist primarily of apparently impassable obstacles, which the character must get past using his ability to split in two. Upon splitting, a shadow version of

the hermit appears which retraces all the steps up until the split.

This splitting can happen multiple times, and allows the character to use his multiple selves to surpass such obstacles.

While travelling through the levels, the hermit continues to tell his story of loneliness, narrating not just his past but also the current gameplay to guide players in using the correct controls, ‘Spotting a couple of platforms ahead, I decide to use the Up Arrow Key to jump over them’. Eventually, the level gains a sepia filter as the hermit narrates his memory of the love interest Kathryn.

Here, the theme of the game changes from loneliness to duality as the player controls both the hermit and Kathryn, switching between them to pull levers in the right order to remove obstacles so that both characters may reach the green box and move on to the next level together. Of course, the hermit is still narrating a story, and so he cannot stay with Kathryn...

The ending of the story clarifies the surreal narration somewhat as we discover what the hermit has done, what really happened to Kathryn, and why he is now so very alone.

The Company of Myself is more of a storytelling experience than just a simple flash game, and it passes by in the same length of time that it takes to read a short story. It is a great little game for when you have some time to kill, and is very straightforward to play, with some challenging puzzles to make it really interesting. I would highly recommend this game, and I look forward to playing the prequel released by the same development team which provides some insight into the life of our hermit’s true love.

AUTHOR Kelly Guthberlet, 21, Bachelor of Education (Middle and Secondary) / Bachelor of Science

If Kelly could be any mythical hybrid creature, she would be part butterfly, part person..

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REVIEW Kubo and the Two Strings is a magnificently hand-crafted stop motion animated film. It is the tale of Kubo’s (voiced by Art Parkinson, who plays Rickon Stark in Game of Thrones) epic journey of survival; although, Kubo does not travel alone as he is accompanied by a talking monkey (voiced by Charlize Theron) and a cursed humanoid beetle (voiced by Matthew McConaughey).

These three well-known actors voicing the main characters are not the “stars” of this film; its brilliance is instead certainly attributable to the passionate animators at Laika Entertainment.

It is the company’s fourth feature-length film; the others being Coraline (2009), Paranorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014).

The artists at Laika tell the tale of Kubo’s epic journey through puppets, handmade sets and props.

‘If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see no matter how unusual it may seem. If you look away, even for an instant, then our hero will surely perish.’ Kubo says these lines over the film’s tremendous opening scene, and they set the atmosphere for the action-packed journey to come. Kubo and his mother live in a cave beside their sleepy shore-side village in ancient Japan. During the day, Kubo entertains the villagers with his extreme origami skills and tales, but when the sun is due to set he returns to the cave to care for his mother. This quiet existence ceases when an age-old vendetta comes to the surface. Kubo is now in a race against time, on the run from gods and monsters, to collect all the pieces of the magical suit of armour once worn by his fallen father. This suit of armour is said to give Kubo the protection he needs.

Laika itself, as a company, embarked on an epic journey of their own to create a film of such magnitude as Kubo and the Two Strings. It required a team of extremely passionate animators/ artists. With every animated film they made, they raised the bar in terms of scale in every aspect. Laika have made a name for themselves in the animation film industry through their innovative and ground-breaking stop motion animation techniques. They

utilised 3D printing technology to make the different parts necessary to animate the characters’ faces, as well as 3D printing other elements for the film. For Kubo alone they printed and used approximately 66,000 faces. Compare that number with the (approx.) 400 faces used for the character Jack Skellington in the 1993 stop motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas (production company Touchstone Pictures) and the figure appears even more monumental. The largest animated puppet ever made was used in Kubo and the Two Strings to portray a monster encountered on Kubo’s journey.

Although the vast majority of this film is animated using puppets and real sets, there are additional 3D computer graphics added to accomplish the effects that cannot be created in real-life such as the raging ocean in the opening scene.

Travis Knight, the president and CEO of Laika and also the son of the company’s owner (and co-founder of Nike), revealed that Kubo and the Two Strings will be Laika’s final film featuring a child protagonist (at least for a while). Laika’s current films in production, Wildwood (a novel by Colin Meloy) and Goblins (a novel by Philip Reeve), feature older characters and a different look of animation to what Laika is known for.

Kubo and the Two Strings stands alone as a magnificent feature film, regardless of the painstaking effort put into the production.

Rating:aaaaa

AUTHOR & ARTIST

Rhianna Carr, 21, Bachelor of Media Arts

If Rhianna could be any mythical hybrid, she would half Xenomorph and half Martha Stewart.

By Emma Hough Hobbs

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