Rabelais - Edition 4: Digital by La Trobe SU

RABELAIS EDITION FOUR

RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

Challenge the narrative Break the cycle of educational inequity while earning your Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through the Teach For Australia Leadership Development Program. Push yourself and become a leader to young people across Australia. The Leadership Development Program is delivered as part of the High Achieving Teachers Program with the support of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.

Acknowledgement of Country The Rabelais Team acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the traditional owners of the lands on which La Trobe University and the Student Union are located. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri, Latjie Latjie, Barkindji & Yorta Yorta peoples, whose sovereignty was never ceded. Rabelais is committed to honoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples unique relationship with lands, waters and seas. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.

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Letter from the Editors Dear Rabelais Readers, Welcome to our fourth and final edition of 2020 - DIGITAL! We here at Rab wanna say a big congrats on surviving this last semester and are wishing you all the best for all your upcoming exams! With the world turning from in person physical experiences to the online space, we felt it only necessary to follow suit and reflect this in our latest edition. DIGITAL has a focus on how people have adapted to our current circumstances and has featured artworks and photography to reflect this. From facetime photoshoots, lockdown movie binges, distractions in isolation and a fictional deep dive into Animal Crossing - we’ve got it all for you in our latest edition. Whilst here in Melbourne we are finally making our way out of the toughest of times (if all continues staying well), we’re still all facing the effects of what a pandemic can do to both your mental and physical health but also greatly impact your university experience. I know for many we are grieving that lost time on campus where we could hang out in the agora in person and grab a cheeky coffee from Bake n Bean or Grafalli’s before our next real life class. As some of us head towards graduation and the unknown future of what happens next, Rabelais wants to send you all the love we can to let you know that no matter what the future holds, whether that be digitally or physically, your voice matters and we hope you are looking after yourself as best you can. As the break approaches for many of you, take that well-needed rest you deserved back in March and take a step away from those screens. Thanks so much for reading our editions this year and for those who have been reading and submitting to editions throughout the years, it’s been a pleasure to be your editors and feature your wonderful works. Don’t doubt yourselves and continue creating wonderful art that reflects the best of what it means to be human. Thanks so much for sticking with Rabelais with the shift to online formats, and we wish you all the best for the end of 2020 and what comes next in 2021. It’s been a pleasure to be your 2020 Rab Team. Take care readers! With love, Natalie, Clodie and Chris

What’s in this edition? Table of content

Letter from the LTSU President Vice Chancellor’s Welcome CULTURE An Interview with Bonnie Jarrett Real or Fake? Overcoming Self-Doubt El Dorado is Greaty Underappreciated Top 100 Favourite Films IN THE KNOW Distractions aren’t always Digital The Great STEM Debate Island Living Fencing Club The Best Ways to Network for a Job CREATIVE Sleeping Easily Sleep Poems of a Digital Girl UltraModernErotic Unsatisfied Searching for Air Dead Dogs The Cloth Butcher Haunting Beauty Vivat Lux Laughing Waters Garambi Baan An Eye for Life CONTRIBUTORS

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Annabelle Romano 6 John Dewar 7 Natalie Williams Clodie Veyrac Patricia Sims Carly Mitchell Mitchell Griffin

10 16 20 24 26

Ashley Spierings Michael Motta Bianca Breen Matthew White Laura Bennegardi

32 34 36 38 40

Chinmaya Lal Thakur Antonio Rullez Luna Asil Habara Elektra Thea Arafat Hasan Elektra Thea Caddy Langley Daniel Stalker Daniel Stalker Samuel Bliss Anukriti Vibhuti

47 48 51 52 58 61 62 64 68 69 72 74 76

Letter from the VC I’m pleased to provide a welcome message for this edition of Rabelais focussing on our digital world and the ways that people have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by using digital tools and resources. I think I’ve spent more time online in the last six months than I would normally do in five years. Some of the tools I’ve used, such as Microsoft Teams, have been really helpful for collaborating with colleagues, and I can’t imagine working without it now. Similarly, holding all of our usual meetings online has forced us to think carefully about the purpose of all the meetings we have, and has brought more discipline to the way that we use our time and resources. The move to online activity has also had some other unexpected benefits. For example, we’ve had much larger audiences at our public lectures and panel discussions. When we’re holding events in a lecture theatre, we’re typically limited to 300 or 400 guests, but events like our Ideas & Society series have this year attracted up to 1,500 people watching online. As well as removing physical limits on the number of audience members, being online also gives people an opportunity to fit an event into their schedule, without the need for travel time. Again, I’m sure we’ll think about ways to include some online participation in our events when we eventually return to holding them in person. I hope you have also found some new tools – and ways of working – during your online studies this year. I know that students have been supporting each other through the challenges presented by the pandemic and the restrictions placed on your usual activity, and have shared tips and experiences with one another. Sometimes I find it tiring to hold all my meetings via Zoom, so I occasionally pick up the phone and have an old fashioned chat that way. It’s interesting to reflect on how our engagement with others can be affected by the media we use. At times, holding a really important discussion by phone allows for more intense focus than a videoconference that has some visual distractions. The increased use of digital communication during COVID-19 also provides an opportunity for us to think about the uses of new technologies. Spending

so much time online has brought out the best and the worst in people. While there have been heartwarming stories about people getting together online to sing in virtual choirs, for instance, there has also been an increase in online scams taking advantage of people who are feeling vulnerable during the pandemic, such as the reports about increases in puppy scams costing people thousands of dollars. I’m an optimist at heart and I think that the positive digital experiences during the pandemic have easily outweighed the increase in phishing and other negative ones. There’s also been increased attention on the use of social media, with the pandemic providing an opportunity to reflect on the ways that we access news and information online. While I’m sure some of our students spend more time on TikTok than I have, I’ve been really impressed with the political awareness of young people who interact through social media. Of course, there’s also an endless supply of witty commentary and dance routines to give us some light relief when our work and study gets hard. In that vein, I hope you enjoy some of the digital artworks in this edition of Rabelais. Finally, I hope that you have been managing to stay safe and healthy over recent months, and that your experiences online have been positive. Please do reach out if you need extra support. As always, our Student Health and Wellbeing Team are there to help you in any way they can. Best of luck to all of you as we come to the end of the second semester and you will have assignments and exams to complete. It’s been a really tough year, but we are very proud of the way that our students have made the most of the opportunity to continue studying online in 2020. Professor John Dewar AO Vice-Chancellor

President’s Welcome Well, we’ve come to the end of 2020. It’s been a long, long, l o n g time coming but we finally made it through in one piece. This year has not been easy, not even close, and we all have sacrificed a lot to get here. Everyone should be so proud of themselves for making it here. Firstly, I’d like to congratulate the class of 2020 on graduating! What an achievement to not only go to university, but to also persist in your studies and ultimately finish during a global pandemic. It’s always a happy day seeing graduates at the Union building getting up on that stage and getting their paper with their friends and family cheering in the background but this year they had a different send off with GradsFest hosted by the University. As many of you will have heard, the new La Trobe Student Association (LTSA) will be a new service provider for students as of 2021. The LTSA is the product of the Bendigo, Wodonga, Mildura and Shepparton Student Associations coming together to create one united student voice for all students across La Trobe University. The LTSA will still operate at the Bundoora campus and it will provide events and activities, clubs and societies, advocacy and Student Theatre and Film, among other services. Most importantly, it provides an equal and equitable voice for all students, no matter which campus they go to. As a founding board director of the LTSA, I’m proud of what we’ve created for the current and future students of La Trobe University. It’s taken a lot of sacrifice, time, patience and laughs to get to where we are now and I’m so incredibly proud to have played a part in founding this new student association. The LTSU will still be on campus at Bundoora, alongside the LTSA. I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside a passionate family of people who made the LTSU what it is today from my first year in 2016 through to leading it in 2020. Student representation and being a voice for students is the heart of what we do, but this couldn’t be possible without Elissa, Kat, April, Heidi, Robyn + Charlie, Lisa, Lou, Helen, Greg, Sai Raj, Freyja, Nicki, Mel, Sisca, Rosina, Kylie, Michelle, Sean, Bob, Kat C, Lucy and all the staff who have been with us over the years. We’ve achieved so much as an organisation, so it is sad to know it won’t

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be the same walking into the LTSU offices anymore. I think this feeling is summarised by the words of Arnold Bennett: “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts,” and a lot of sadness. To all of the LTSU staff, thank you isn’t enough for what you do every day for students. All of the student representatives who have walked through that office are lucky to have been a part of what happens there. I never envisaged being a President from my bedroom (although I must admit it’s been comfy); it has been an absolute honour being your LTSU President this year. I hope to see you all on campus next year, if you see me come say, “Hey!” and enjoy your holiday break! Annabelle Romano 2020 LTSU President

Culture RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

An Interview with Freelance Photographer Bonnie Jarrett

By Natalie Williams

Natalie Williams: How have you been keeping afloat in isolation? Bonnie Jarrett: It was a really strange adjustment. I went from working 3-4 days a week plus traveling constantly to and from the city, to just being at home. Prior to iso, I never really saw myself as a homebody, I was always on the move. I suppose I’m still not a true homebody but I’m learning to enjoy the little things about a much slower lifestyle. Besides spending way too much money online shopping, I’ve been trying to do a creative task at least once a day. This has been a super interesting experience, as before iso I’d push all my creativity out through photography but iso has given me an opportunity to delve into painting, print making and crafting. NW: Have you found being in isolation has actually helped you be more creative and use more out of the box thinking? BJ: I wouldn’t say ‘helped’ necessarily, rather than forced me to be creative or find inspiration in different ways. My favourite way to gain inspiration is when I’m out, walking in the city, driving, or going to a show. I spent some time quite upset that ideas just stopped coming, but I suppose you could say it was then that I realised I had to go outside the box. I’ve tried to read more, watch more movies, I even picked up yoga. NW: How long have you been doing photography for and what (or whom) first drew you to it? BJ: I’ve been working professionally as a freelance photographer for the last two years.

I kind of fell into photography, it was never a dream to be a photographer at first. To be honest, when I picked up my first camera at 14, I was very much under the impression that a career in any form of the arts wasn’t possible, or if it was, it was incredibly hard to be successful. But I loved it. I started taking photos as I traveled in my teens and when I got home I would coax my friends out on weekends to go on adventures and take photos. As time went on and people saw what I was doing it gained traction. Soon enough I was ditching my uni classes to do shoots. Pretty much eating and breathing photography, and I thought; if this is all I want to do, why not just do this? NW: What has been your favourite shoot you’ve done so far, and what’s one you would love to re-shoot if possible? BJ: It’s hard to choose just one but I think it would have to be the Lost Little Ones campaign I worked on in June this year. Everything about that experience was incredible, the crew, the talent, the locations. It was three days of nonstop shooting, an absolute blast. Working with that team is definitely something I’d want to do again. NW: Could you tell me a bit about when you decided to do your digital photoshoots over facetime? When do you think, hang on - this could be a really cool idea? BJ: I had seen some photographers I admire (@alessioalbi on Instagram for example) do some incredible work over FaceTime, and quite honestly if I didn’t read the caption I’d have

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no idea they were taken over FaceTime. I was missing shooting so desperately so I thought why not give it a go, it was definitely an obstacle but I enjoyed editing and re-working the images to make them my own,

looking hopeful for us to get back out again so somewhere by the beach or a road trip vibe shoot will definitely be my first pick. I can’t wait to get back into shooting for all my amazing clients and working with their ideas.

NW: During iso, have you seen other artists/ creatives doing unique things with their own crafts? If so who - what?

NW: What sort of content/shoots do you want to be working on in five years time?

BJ: Definitely, everyone in the creative community has become so innovative and it has been really inspiring to see how everyone is overcoming the barriers of iso. Musicians who have done shows via live stream and countless artists diving into selling prints (which I’m sooo happy about as I’ve been re-decorating my home hahah). Some artists/creative businesses I’m loving the work of at the moment are @rholtsu, @dodgypaper, @acmayc, @anetaurbonaite, there are so many more I could go on forever. NW: What draws you to photography as a medium of expression/creation? BJ: I find cameras so enchanting and I love everything about them. I love learning about them, knowing how they work, their history and their importance to society. Documentation is so important and being able to do that in a creative way is such a unique experience. NW: Generally, how do you describe your photography style? BJ: This one is tricky. I find it so hard to describe my own work. I’d say it’s unapologetically fashion and sometimes a little bit wack. NW: What’s something you’re looking forward to shooting after the world returns to some level of ‘normal’? BJ: Being able to shoot on location again. Anywhere hahah. I really do just enjoy being able to use the environment of the shoot and have a sense of freedom. The summer is

BJ: Definitely big campaigns for fashion/ design labels. Capturing and documenting the amazing pieces that emerge from that industry. The creative potential for those shoots and the ability to work with bigger teams is something I’m really excited to do. NW: Where can our readers find you online? Perhaps a fabulously recently revamped website? :D BJ: bonncreative.com! I had so much fun finally building my website at the start of iso and I’m super proud to finally have an extensive folio on display. The other spot to find me is instagram @bonnie.jpg.

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Real or Fake? By Clodie Veyrac

he panic generated by the rapid spread of COVID-19 has allowed another type of virus to spread: misinformation.

“Did you see? Russia has released tigers in its street to prevent people from going outside during the pandemic,” my friend told me, in a conversational tone, during one of our phone calls. At no point did she question the headline she had seen while scrolling through her Facebook feed. And she is not the only one that was fooled by that article.

is facing a pandemic, fake news is present everywhere and it can be hard for some people to distinguish what’s real from what’s not. “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic. Fake news spreads faster and more easily than this virus, and is just as dangerous,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said during a conference. An infodemic is an over-abundance of information, some might be accurate, but some are not, which makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it. Since January, the #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance fact-checked more than 7,100 articles from over 70 countries across the world. They showed, for example, that Vladimir Putin did not dispatch tigers to patrol the streets of Russia, drinking disinfectant will not protect you from catching the virus, and Bill Gates did not create COVID-19 in a lab.

So what is misinformation? Hugo Mercier, cognitive scientist and psychologist at the Jean Nicod Institute in Paris, says there was probably even more fake news in the early newspapers of the 17th and 18th century, as it was much harder to fact-check information then.

In times of fear and uncertainty, distrust and disinformation thrive. Now that the world

“Obviously, the introduction of social media, and of the Internet more generally, has changed the way fake news spread,” he says. “Now it’s much easier to detect them.”

Mercier adds that overall the content of fake news hasn’t changed much. It is still either political oriented, vilifying politicians and spreading distrust towards governments; or tabloid news which main aim is to shock, such as sex scandals, presumed deaths, etc. A research conducted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) found that the incidence of fake news recall appeared to be most prevalent on Facebook (67%), and on social media platforms in general

of the people surveyed admitted they had been fooled by fake news at least once in their life.

Is it dangerous? While fake news can sometimes be laughable and harmless, it can also feed people’s anger and even put lives at risk. Many experts in the field often refer to Pizzagate when warning of the danger of fake news. The Pizzagate theory took form in 2016, when the personal email account of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager was hacked, and WikiLeaks published his messages on the web. The emails contained multiple references to pizza and pizza restaurants, and conspiracy theorists claimed they were coded messages alluding to human trafficking and a child sex ring. The story was quickly debunked, but it didn’t stop gunman Edgar Maddison Welch to confront the owners of a pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong. He entered the pizza restaurant in Washington D.C. – packed with families on a Sunday afternoon – and fired an automatic rifle. Thankfully, no one was injured in the disturbance.

(65%), as fewer claimed to have encountered fake news in print media and in mainstream media sources more generally.

However, Mercier argues that, over the large number of people in contact with fake news every day, a very small amount are believed to be deeply impacted by it. He takes the example of the American man that died after drinking a fish tank cleaning product containing chloroquine, an anti-malaria medication. President Donald Trump had falsely stated that the Food and Drug Administration had just approved its use to treat patients infected with the coronavirus. Millions of people had heard about the supposed virtues of chloroquine, yet such attempts at selfmedication remained rare.

Why does fake news exist?

The research has also shown that 86 percent

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When I ask that question to Mercier, he answers back with: “You could also wonder, why does news exist? Why are people interested in stories that have no direct relevance to them?”

To put it simply? Because we, humans, are extremely curious creatures. We crave to know and understand. Curiosity is what helps us learn as babies and survive as adults. It is the driving force behind our development as individuals and even our success as a species. “The problem about real news is that you can’t make stuff up, by definition,” Mercier adds. “So you are limited on how interesting you can make the news be. Whereas if you are creating fake news, you don’t have that issue of being constrained by what’s true, you can just make stuff up. So as long as you can make something that would be extremely interesting if it were true, that is a little bit plausible, then some people will think it’s worth sharing.” Mercier also says that, during times of uncertainty, people want to stay informed and to know what is going on. “One of the main explanations is that the anxiety created by the disturbance makes people want to assuage that anxiety by making sense of the world and finding more information.” And that’s during these difficult times that fake news tends to proliferate, very much like wordof-mouth rumours. “In normal times, people have established, trusted channels to which they can turn when they want information. But when a crisis hits, there is no one yet in that network that has had time to specialise… So, people will just take the information wherever it comes from.” That sudden need for information explains the quick rise of fake remedies, conspiracy theories and unfounded facts that we have been witnessing during the past few months.

What is being done to stop it? In a joint industry statement, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube announced they were working together to reduce the spread of misinformation concerning COVID-19 and are promoting

“authoritative content” on their platforms. Countries and organisations across the world have put in place procedures to try to control the circulation of fake news. South Asian countries like South Korea and Singapore issued correctional orders against parties spreading fake news, and their governments assisted in producing advisories in news sources in order to correct rumours and misinformation. Quebec provided its citizens with online factchecking services such as the Detecteur de Rumeurs, and the WHO has been supplying advice and verified facts about the coronavirus on its website. The #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance mentioned previously was created at the beginning of the year by the International Fact-Checking Network in an effort to contain the growing infodemic. The website, available to the public, brings together more than 100 fact-checkers from over 45 countries, updating the database daily. It is recommended for people who see false information being shared on social media to report it to the platform administrators or to politely ask the person who shared it to remove it.

How to avoid being fooled by fake news? There are a few things that can help people with recognising misinformation. Checking that the source providing the information is reliable is probably the first and most important step to take. It can be difficult to know who to trust, but experts say getting your information from well-established news platforms almost always guarantees its truthfulness. “My advice would be to trust the mainstream media… You want to look for a press organ that has been around for a while, that you can track the record of accuracy and reliability. And if many of such institutions can agree on something then it’s a very good sign that it is

true,â&#x20AC;? Mercier said. The quality of writing, as well as punctuation and grammar, can be a good hint of the veracity

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of the piece. It is also important to keep an open and critical mind. If the article seems fishy, too good to be true or, on the contrary, too unbelievable, then there are chances that

Overcoming Self-Doubt: An Introductory Guide to SelfEfficacy By Patricia Sims

n one of her hit songs, Taylor Swift reminds us that “the haters gonna hate”, so “shake it off”. One could argue this is representative of an ‘us versus them’ stand-off, and that the “haters” are external to us. But what about if the haters come from within, and the person who is throwing all that shade your way is actually the person who is staring back at you in the mirror? How does one “shake it off” then? INTRODUCTION The voice of a random stranger on the Internet or in the street is easier to block out than the voice inside our own head, our inner critic. By listening to this inner critic, and allowing it the power to control our thoughts, we can diminish our self-worth and confidence to the point where we avoid situations that trigger it. These are often situations we perceive to be excessively challenging, or when we view an imbalance between our abilities and what is required for the task, like public speaking or applying for a new job. Since low self-esteem has the potential to turn into a large-scale problem for some people, and result in mental health illnesses like depression, anxiety and poor coping mechanisms including eating disorders and binge drinking, it is so important that awareness and education are increased in the community. This article is an introductory piece in a series of articles related to self-efficacy; it aims to provide you with reasons why it is critical that you recognise self-doubt and how you can start

to ‘shake it off’, grow your self-esteem and tell that inner critic where to go! SELF-EFFICACY VS SELF-DOUBT: AN INTERNAL WAR The common factor of both self-efficacy and self-doubt is confidence. Where self-efficacy is the product of a high amount of, self-doubt is characterised by a lack of confidence. Think of the relationship as a tire: under-pressurise it (self-doubt) and you lose grip, over-pressurise it (overconfidence) and it blows. Hence the ‘internal war’ metaphor; our brain and its components are the air pump regulating how much confidence we experience. The perfect tire represents self-efficacy, which is an individual’s belief in their ability to execute a task. Commonly associated with motivation, self-efficacy is often used to determine whether someone will pursue a behaviour. The right amount of pressure in our tires means we are able to drive safely and efficiently, we are confident in our ability to arrive at our destination. Everyone experiences both self-doubt and selfefficacy at some point in their life. Often, it is the tasks we are unfamiliar with that cause us to feel doubts, whereas a task we are proficient at will lead to consistent belief in our ability to execute it perfectly each time. For example, think about when you were learning to ride a bike. You may have felt hopeless, incompetent or afraid to fail at the start, but once you got the hang of it and were able to ride unassisted these emotions were replaced by ones of accomplishment and satisfaction.

ALTHOUGH, SELF-DOUBT MAY NOT BE ALL BAD...

HOW CLARE BOWDITCH TAMED HER INNER CRITIC

Based on the information presented above, it might sound as though self-doubt is an unwanted emotion and something that can only ever be negative to our state of being. Persistent self-doubt and a fear of failure are certainly related to mental health problems, even linked to general sickness through fatigue and stress; however, there are times when a little bit of doubt can be quite useful.

She named him Frank, simply because she knew of no-one by the name. In an interview with the Body + Soul, Australian musician and author Clare Bowditch revealed that by personifying her inner critic with a name, and fostering a positive relationship with the “person” whom she says is with her 24/7, she is now able to live with her doubts and has since achieved a long list of accomplishments, including writing a book and becoming a mother.

British journalist and broadcaster Alastair Campbell says “self-doubt that leads to resolution of the doubts can be a remarkable source of energy and creativity”, which basically expresses how recognition of doubts provides an opportunity for personal growth. Without knowing what our limits are, how do we expect to challenge them and develop as an individual? Limitations can be found in our fitness, for example, our career and relationships, and even deeper within us with our perspectives. Challenging yourself to view the world in a different way, or take a look at the bigger picture can be a small step towards developing selfefficacy. The mentality that it is better to “play it safe” can be extremely limiting in our quest to defeat our doubts, read on to learn more about how to remove doubt and become more confident in yourself.

“

You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore - Christopher Columbus

The problem with criticisms around body size, our personality and even our current emotional state is that our inner critic is never satisfied. Society values the extraordinary, how often do we say that a person looks too skinny, but then in a few months we are the first ones to say they should consider losing some weight? It is human nature to want perfection, and often our doubts are the ones that facilitate, or hinder, our desire to evoke change.

”

Before we discuss a technique that a well-known Australian musician uses, allow me to introduce you to the practice of ‘calling out your critic’. In an article published in Forbes magazine, author Margie Warrell explains that creating a distinction between ourselves and our inner critic is part of the key to regaining power over it. It is true that we cannot permanently silence our doubts, but we can learn to tame them and use them to increase our self-efficacy.

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There is a “Frank” living in everybody’s brain, and it is his job to make us doubt ourselves to the point whereby we finally succumb to his beliefs and adopt them. Although Frank may mean well - doubt can sometimes be a protective mechanism - the things he tells us often serve to damage our self-esteem. Bowditch states that for her it was criticisms about her body size - which unfortunately affects several young women in modern society - as well as other things like “I’m not enough”, “I’m too much”, “I’m over the top” and “I’m too quiet”.

While the above example may not constitute self-doubt, which is an internal process, the point is that the standards we place on ourselves will never be enough to Frank. He will always want more from us, usually culminating in the form of anxiety, or depressive feelings, to empower him and start a vicious cycle. This is the point where mental health issues usually start to arise, and why it is so important to call out that critic early and allow ourselves the freedom we deserve.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECOGNISING DOUBT AND SELFEFFICACY To explain how the recognition of self-doubt can lead to a greater sense of self-efficacy we first have to understand that doubt is intended to slow us down, not bring us to a complete stop. In fact, to use another car metaphor, one could think of the doubts as speed bumps, which exist to slow us down while we drive. We do not simply stop because there is a speed bump in our path! Someone with high self-efficacy is able to overcome this “obstacle” almost unconsciously, while an individual that lacks self-efficacy recognises it as a challenge and grinds to a halt in its presence.

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Recall your successes: write down a list of everything you have achieved and keep it by your bedside; look at it every morning as a quick reminder of how AMAZING you are!

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Stop comparing yourself to those around you: comparison feeds self-doubt, practice compassion instead by concentrating on your own journey and feeling satisfied with what you have accomplished.

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Make a decision and stick to it: selfdoubt causes procrastination; make a decision and fine-tune it along the way. You don’t achieve anything by not trying!

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Surround yourself with positive people: I always say “if you don’t want to get wet, get out of the rain,” so if there are people around you that you think are fuelling your selfdoubt, it may be time to move on and find people that will support your endeavours.

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Embrace your human-ness: doubt is a part of being human which reminds me of the saying: “don’t beat yourself up for beating yourself up,” Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. It won’t happen overnight, but over time you will notice a change.

Essentially, it is the recognition and conscious acknowledgement of our own limitations and fears that enable us to become more confident and increase our self-esteem. Allow me to illustrate. In an article titled ‘How to Boost Your Confidence and Overcome SelfDoubt’, author Tony Fahkry recounts the story of an accelerated free faller, who was asked by a reporter if he feels fearful prior to the jump. The response was interesting. The free faller said that fear is present before EVERY JUMP, but he manages his fear by turning the volume down on it and making the jump in spite of those doubts. How does this work? Well, it brings us to the notion that confidence requires action. It is a commonly accepted belief that we need confidence to try a new skill or act on a plan we have been putting off for a while like joining a gym or wearing our swimsuit to the beach. We say to ourselves “when I am confident I will (insert task)”. But really, it is the micro-victories we achieve from taking small steps to a much larger goal that can lay the foundation for an increase in our confidence. Here is a list of five things you can do today to help better understand what your doubts are trying to tell you, and how you can tame them to feel more confident in yourself:

CONCLUSION Self-doubt is a naturally-occurring human phenomenon, and its purpose is much more far-reaching than to remind us of our limitations and prevent us from taking action towards achieving our goals. Doubt keeps us honest, helps us take stock of our abilities and can be useful in reminding us what our strengths and weaknesses are. Importantly, it is connection with others and ourselves that helps us overcome self-doubt; learn to listen to those around you, and yourself, they have more tendency to tell the truth than good old Frank.

Photo by Samuel Bliss

RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

El Dorado is Greatly Underappreciated (and I’m still salty about it)

By Carly Mitchell

think, like all people in lockdown, I went back to all my favourite childhood movies and TV shows to feel some kind of excitement again. I did it with Avatar: The Last Airbender, I did it with Space Jam (another highly acclaimed movie by 5-year-old me) and now I’ve done it with The Road to El Dorado, a Dreamworks animated classic. I cannot tell you how many times I watched this movie with my brother. When I was 6, and he was 10, we’d shove the video cartridge in our old VCR machine, rewind it back to the start and spend the 89 minutes reciting the lines along with Miguel and Tulio. It was funny, it was adventurous, it had a soundtrack written and performed by Elton f***ing John! An all-round great film, and I’m so mad to find that a lot of my friends either haven’t seen it, or were like: “I don’t know, it was alright.” ALRIGHT? This movie had its own soccer/ basketball hybrid sport match in the middle of it. It had bright colours and a random musical number for the heck of it. Like, seriously, one song that the two characters sing, and then it’s never brought up again. And what a bop, too. Okay, so on the surface, the plot doesn’t look good: two European men find the lost city of gold and the people who live there, and masquerade as gods with the intentions of stealing a bunch of gold and going back to Spain. That’s kinda problematic. But until you actually watch the movie, realise these two guys are absolute buffoons who could not hurt a fly and just want a better life than the one they’ve got, it makes more sense. Tulio and Miguel are the best part. Tulio is

smart and calculating, the mastermind of most schemes. Miguel is a sweetheart, who believes in adventure and having fun. They both believe they are the “superior” one in the friendship Tulio believes he is right by wanting to get out of El Dorado quickly with the gold, while Miguel wants to explore it and be with the people more. This gets them into a lot of situations, and hilarity ensues. They have a supporting sidekick in Chel, a girl who grew up in El Dorado and wants to get out. Sadly, her reasons go unexplained - perhaps Dreamworks wanted to explore this in a sequel. And the movie set up a sequel by leaving the end pretty open and vague. It just never got one. Again, I’m salty. Chel is the superior one. She knows the local language and is often facepalming when the boys misunderstand and end themselves in a heap of trouble. She’s also gorgeous, so there’s that. Of course, their scheme is found out, and more trouble arises, but I’ll leave that up to you, dear reader, to find out about. Basically, this movie deserves to be recognized for its animation, its soundtrack and the story. I bought it from JB Hi-Fi for, like, ten dollars. And it’s without a doubt, the best ten dollars I have ever spent.

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Top 100 Favourite films By Mitchell Griffin

Mad Max: Fury Road

George Miller (2015)

Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve (2017)

3 Parasite - Bong Joon-ho (2019) 4

Hunt For the Wilderpeople -

Taika Waititi (2016)

5 Hereditary - Ari Aster (2018) 6 Logan - James Mangold (2017) 7

Manchester by the Sea

Kenneth Lonergan (2016)

8 Moonlight - Barry Jenkins (2016) 9 Whiplash - Damien Chazelle (2014) 10 Inception - Christopher Nolan (2010) 11

Avengers: Infinity War

What We Do in the Shadows -

The Russo brothers (2018) Taika Waititi (2014)

13 Sicario 14

Inside Out

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Big Short

The Dark Knight Rises

The Nice Guys

19 Prisoners 20

Spotlight 21 Deadpool

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The Martian

Thor: Ragnarok

25 Birdman 26

The Babadook

Avengers: Endgame

Toy Story 3

The Imitation Game

30 Rocketman 31

Guardians of the Galaxy

32 1917 33

Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse

Jojo Rabbit

35 Nightcrawler RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

36 Boyhood 37

John Wick

Get Out

39 Gravity 40

The Social Network

41 Chef 42

Marriage Story

Captain America: Civil War

44 Enemy 45

War for the Planet of the Apes

Big Hero 6

Seven Psychopaths

Ex Machina

49 Snowpiercer 50 Lion 51

The Wolf of Wall Street

Black Panther

The Master

54 Skyfall 55

Gone Girl

56 Her 57

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

12 Years a Slave

59 Joker 60

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

61 Locke 62

Sing Street

The Jungle Book

The Avengers

The Lego Movie

66 Arrival 67 IT 68

La La Land

Lady Bird

70 Blackkklansman 71

Straight Outta Compton

72 Zootopia 73

Wonder Women

74 Dunkirk 75

Begin Again

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Hell or High Water

77 Looper 78

Edge of Tomorrow

John Wick Parabellum

Deadpool 2

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Silver Linings Playbook

83 Rush 84

Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Django Unchained

The Disaster Artist

Don Jon

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

John Wick Chapter 2

The Big Sick

The End of the Tour

Dallas Buyers Club

127 Hours

Zero Dark Thirty

Shutter Island

American Hustle

98 Argo

Darkest Hour

100

The Hateful Eight

THE END

In the K . no w no

K e

the Know

. In t h w o n e

. In

e th

Know . I

n t h

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Photo by Andres Hernandes on Unsplash

Distractions aren’t always Digital

By Ashlea Spierings

020 has probably seen the highest use of digital devices in history due to our wonderful drunken uncle, Rona. He has achieved many things since randomly showing up after Christmas, but he helped us ring in the new decade by taking our goals and dreams and crushing them with the janky car that his mate “fixed up” for him. But enough about the black sheep of the family that everyone wishes would disappear so we can pretend they never existed. There are many other things that we should focus on instead. Like how our growing plant collections fulfil the need to nurture something in our twenties, but the thought of a baby is a terrifying thing, that you can’t just pawn off on a friend because it requires more sunlight than your tiny apartment can provide. You know, normal stuff. I’ve found that this year I’ve been relying on technology more than I ever have before, which is saying something, considering I have what would probably be considered an unhealthy YouTube addiction. Everyone flocked to the screens of their digital devices upon entering lockdown in an attempt to distract themselves from the disaster that is the outside world – and

this is an incredibly healthy coping mechanism. We spent hour after hour, watching show after show, on every streaming service imaginable, until about two weeks later, we had watched everything possible and were suddenly faced with the reality that we had rediscovered boredom. Bugger. You now have this unfamiliar thing – that claims to be your friend from childhood – that you haven’t seen for years, much like the mould you didn’t realise was growing under your sink tap, that makes you recoil out of fear and pray it isn’t as bad as it seems. It is unknown how long your old friend is planning to stay in town, but you hope it isn’t more than a couple of days. Sadly, your silent prayers go unanswered and this friend takes up residency on your couch and plans to stick around for the foreseeable future. Boredom is that mooching b**ch that you want to throw out on the street but don’t want to risk her egging your house. You’ll just have to put up with her until she decides to move on. But she doesn’t move on. She lingers, always on your mind in your search to find the next distraction. She makes the PlayStation game that you used to love feel dull and pointless. She

stares at you – like the creepy spider who chills on your wall, but you know she eats the flies so you can’t squish her – as you attempt to read the book series that your friend recommended to you. She is always there and no matter what you do, you can’t seem to escape. The days drag on but there is no sign that she’s leaving anytime soon. It feels hopeless, like it will never end. You lie on your bed one day, mindlessly scrolling on your favourite social media app, when you come across a sponsored ad. You know the type I’m talking about. They have bright colours and show the before and after pictures. This one involves paint and a line-filled canvas that is speckled with tiny numbers. You question why they are advertising a paint-by-numbers, something that is usually aimed at children, to you. But then they flash the after picture. You see the vivid colours create amazing landscapes and animals, each more intricate than the last. Your brain tries to connect how a mess of light grey lines could lead to something that looks like you’d pay actual money for it. Your mind is intrigued and you click on the link, select the canvas that you find most appealing, and pay for it in the hopes that it can distract you from the lazy b**ch currently occupying your couch. The wait for it seems endless, but the day eventually comes where you check your mailbox and find the beautiful cardboard box beaming

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up at your mask-covered face. The box is light but seems to contain everything you need. There are paintbrushes of varying sizes and shapes, rows of tiny colourful paint tubs that you haven’t seen since primary school, and the waxy canvas that looks like a chaotic mess of lines. There are endless possible surfaces to use while completing a paint-by-numbers, but a table of some sort is usually preferable. You can set yourself up and put on a podcast as you begin painting, number by tiny number. It is a mindless activity, but you’ll find when you go to check your phone that you’ve been doing this for the past two hours. You can spend so many days doing a paint-bynumbers – they take a lot longer to complete than you would think, trust me. The final product is usually (if you didn’t mess it up too badly) beautiful, and it leaves you feeling a sense of accomplishment. You look at the couch and realise that the boredom moocher is now gone – she snuck out while you were busy painting. Boredom has become a part of lockdown life in Melbourne, and she’ll probably come back for temporary stays now and then, but you’ve learnt that there are ways to keep yourself occupied when she does visit. Your paint-by-numbers won’t always be guaranteed to keep the boredom away, but there’s a small part of your brain that says, “at least I’m not looking at a screen”.

The Great STEM Debate

By Michael Motta Primary Science Specialist

TEM – The new amazing revelation in Education.

the butterfly and its wings. Nothing is planned for them; they simply have a brief.

If you haven’t heard of this already, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. STEM is indeed a great way of thinking and learning. Unfortunately, this great notion can get misused as it is not understood in its entirety.

The mistake that most schools make, is that they invest in items such as Spheros, test tubes, 3D printers, or wood making tools. These are all great tools, but just because these schools purchase these items, does not mean they are using them for STEM.

How STEM is meant to be taught is quite simple. Just because STEM has four areas, a unit only has to include at least two of those subject areas. The unit must be problem based, for example, “An injured butterfly needs to fly 3 metres to get to its home, but its injured wing won’t allow it to. Can you design a material and shape for its wings, that would allow the butterfly to get back to its home?”. This question allows the students to have an objective in mind, but they will be using what they’ve learnt from a possible Science or Maths unit to trial different materials, shapes or flight paths for

Making things out of wood is a great skill to have, but if students were given a step by step plan, with the same result for everybody, they are solely doing Wood Technology. Using Spheros (a little robot that you program directions into via device such as a phone or tablet) is great fun, but unless you are programming them to help with your problem, then they are merely a toy. 3D printers are awesome fun too, but again, printing something is not STEM. Conducting a science experiment is usually a much-loved lesson for students, but as I keep saying, is not STEM.

People in the world have done great things with all of the tools listed above, but they have done so by thinking outside the box. For example, prosthesis is now being done with 3D printers. This wasn’t just an idea that came about suddenly. There was a problem; people who had lost limbs and had the chance to obtain a prosthetic leg, or arm could do so, but at an extremely high cost. The 3D printing process would have involved testing materials and their durability (science). It would have involved designing and building the product (engineering and technology), and lastly would have involved a lot of mathematics. This wouldn’t have been done in one go, in fact it most likely would have taken hundreds of attempts to get it right, after all you are playing with potential body parts here! The multiple tests and attempts that it would have taken to design the product properly is all part of the engineering process of STEM. I’m not saying that in schools, you would be expecting Year 2 students to create the next multi-million-dollar innovation, but learning these valuable skills and allowing students to

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gain the opportunity to develop them from a young age, is planting the seed of inquiry and design thinking from a young age. If you want your child to go to a STEM school, don’t be fooled by the impressiveness of the robotics and computers around. Ask the school what great things they are doing with these flashy devices, and how it will benefit your child with their learning.

Island Living By Bianca Breen

tepping out of my house and into the crisp clearness of the winter morning, I know it’s going to be a good day. An even layer of snow coats the ground, covers the trees and bushes, but it only makes them look magical. From my position at the top of the cliff, I can see down to the plaza, see the tip of the Residential Services building, where Tom and Isabelle are hard at work making the island safe and well. There’s smoke rising from the chimney of Flora’s house next door. I knock on her door before peeking through. ‘Oh, good morning!’ she chirps. She’s always so peppy; I wish she’d tell me her secret. When I ask her what she’s been up to, she responds with, ‘I’m crafting! Trying my hand at making a wooden chair. Hey, I wrote the instructions down, want to give it a try?’ I say yes. I’m big on do-it-yourself projects. We all are. There are enough resources on the island – and surrounding islands – that it would be a waste not to. Victoria records over 700 cases in the past twentyfour hours, their highest number since March… As I leave Flora’s house and make my steady

way down the hill, I pass the communal garden. The flowers I planted last week have bloomed seemingly overnight, and they release a light, sweet smell. The hyacinths are my favourite, but I have a soft spot for the chrysanthemums – they’re my birth flower, plus they take a lot of effort to say. I give the garden a quick water, then skip down the stone steps toward the plaza. Stella is leaving her house as I pass. She’s wearing the sweater I gave her for her birthday. We’re only newly friends, but I asked around beforehand to find out her favourite colour. I wanted her to feel welcome to the island. She seemed impressed and pleased when she unwrapped it. We’re going to be great friends, I’m sure of it. ‘Good morning, honey!’ she says, her voice sweet. ‘It’s going to be a beautiful day!’ The Prime Minister urges Australians not to panic buy. Essentials such as toilet paper and meat will be limited to one per customer… Bam is up early too; fishing by the small lake. He barely looks up as I say hello, his concentration fixed on the end of his rod as he murmurs, ‘Here fishy, fishy, fishy…’

I leave him to it and continue heading to the plaza. Sometimes we get visitors from the mainland throughout the week, those who buy and sell goods. It’s our chance to grab some of the finer things for our island homes. Hey, just because we live on an island doesn’t mean we have to go without some of life’s little pleasures. There’s no one set up in the plaza today, though. That’s okay – I can spend today planting trees and laying down a new path to the beach, like I planned. Masks are now compulsory across the state. Only leave your home for shopping for essentials, study, work, or medical care… But first, I check on the second garden area I’ve been working on, this one smaller and my own personal project. It’s bordered on one side by a cliff with a small waterfall. The cedar trees I planted are my height now, but they grow fast. Soon, I’ll have the woodland corner of my dreams, a perfect place to picnic and watch the gentle flow of the waves on the beach. A dark spot on the ground nearby catches my eye; I grab my shovel and dig. A fossil! There’s so many hidden beneath the surface of the island, a reminder of the ancientness of this land, of the changes time has on the world.

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Blathers, the museum curator, would love to look at the fossil.

There have been 19 deaths overnight, bringing the state’s total to 250… Placing the fossil in my bag, I take a break by the waterfall, sitting on a little log stool I made myself. Listen to the gentle rushing of water, the soft whoosh of wind through the leaves of the tree above me. Nothing can go wrong on this island. BATTERY LOW. PLEASE CONNECT NINTENDO SWITCH TO POWER. Well, almost nothing.

Fencing Club By Matthew White

he La Trobe University Fencing Club is an awesome and fantastic club that is as competitively successful, as we are social. Fencing is a sport where it is possible to take part either socially or competitively and it has many great benefits! You may think that it is an expensive sport and you’ll have to buy fencing equipment to join, but this isn’t the case for our club. Here at the La Trobe Uni Fencing Club, we will provide everthing you need to use for free, and we can honestly tell you that we are cheaper and better than all the other university-based fencing clubs. Anyone is welcome to join, anytime, and you don’t need to be fit to start! We are home to a Co m m o n w e a l t h gold medalist, who started in his 30s, so it’s never too late to join. We offer a 4-week free trial, as well as an early-bird special, and it’s even cheaper for students that live on campus! You’ll do a 10-week beginners course in foil, and most likely be able to start fencing other novice fencers from week 4. Once you’ve completed your course, you can fence anyone in epee or foil. On some occasions, we also run a sabre night, so we get to experience the joys of all fencing styles.

Anyone unsure of what epee, foil and sabre is? Sabre is much like the duels in the Star Wars prequels (particularly that fateful and emotional battle between Jesus and Anakin). However, you cannot use the force, cut people in half or chop off someone’s arm and both of their legs. You can only aim for the upper body (the torso, arms and head). Foil is also a good style, it’s great for novice fencers just starting their journey and it is great to look at. It requires decent point control and points are scored when you hit the torso. Epee is a style that allows a fencer to employ more strategies to win, than the other two, and some moves are just literally out of this world. You can aim anywhere; the toe, someone’s pinky finger, the butt, etc... This is probably the most realistic style there is. Fencing is not a dangerous sport. In fact, it is probably the best sport, but definitely the most Covid-safe sport there could be. You wear a mask, gloves and if anyone gets within 1.5 metres of you, you stab them! If you want to know more, or you are keen to give it a try, you can find us on Facebook!

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The Best Ways to Network when Looking for a Job By Laura Bennegadi

ack in May, ArtBound Initiative, a global internship program for creatives, sent out a detailed survey to our company network to get a better understanding of the job market during COVID-19. We asked several questions to recruiters on how they hired candidates. The survey showed that over 60% of the companies hire mainly through inner networks and referrals! Based on the findings, the ArtBound Initiative team answered the question: What are the best ways to network if you’re looking for job opportunities in this competitive market and have little to no connections in the industry? We came up with four ways to network as a creative professional and added some tips on how to best utilize social media platforms during this lockdown.

Networking through your school

Network with your friends and family

As a university student, take advantage of this to get to know your professors, outside the usual learning environment. Professors are awesome mentors who have spent years in the industry you are targeting. Send them an email, ask if you could chat for 20 minutes to hear about how they got to where they are. Create a mentor-mentee relationship with them – mentors will usually be more eager and willing to help review your resume or portfolio, or help you get glowing recommendation letters for job applications.

Don’t think less about networking within your existing friends and family members – it is always worth asking around for more connections. The people in your close circle will be more willing to help you than strangers will, and could easily introduce you to their contacts who can give you a great insider perspective – aiding in your job search and broadening your outlook in the industry.

It’s important for you to connect with alumni from your school who are currently working for companies you want to work at. Connect with them through your professors, or alumni department or your school or on LinkedIn! Ask if you could hear more about their trajectory and get some guidance on the next steps for your career. Having connections and referrals in the company you want to work at will help boost your job application.

Join professional networking groups, membership-based organizations and collectives in your industry As a creative professional, there are various great industry-based (and location-based) networks and platforms that you can take advantage of. Do some research and find out what are the best networks and associations you can be joining. You can gain instant access to their wide network of members and participate in networking events. Plus, having an industry association on your resume proves that you are immersed in your industry and will further enhance your profile.

improve your chances to impress recruiters and other industry professionals. Networking on Instagram is a thing if you’re a creative – it feels more genuine as well if you’re not too comfortable with connecting with people through LinkedIn. Show off your work in a clean, thematic feed. Some social media basics for the creative: Engage with other creatives in the community by liking and commenting on their work, and let them know how much you enjoy watching their feed. During lockdown, everyone will be likely more active on Instagram and respond back to you. It’s never too early to start networking and that it will be the most pragmatic way for you to find job opportunities!

Networking during lockdown Get up on that social media networking game. Since the COVID-19 crisis began and there are no more physical events happening, online networking has become a golden opportunity. Use this time to build your online presence. Recruiters nowadays conduct thorough Google searches on potential candidates. Make sure that your Linkedin profile is complete and upto-date. If you only have a few connections, get more active on the platform and start adding friends, alumni and professors. If you are a creative professional with a portfolio, your online brand should be consistent throughout your website, professional instagram, Behance, Dribble, etc. This will

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ArtBound Initiative connects students and recent graduates with creative companies to offer them an internship within one of our 200 company partners. You can find more information about the ArtBound Initiative internship program for summer internships abroad on our website or our Instagram account @artboundinitiative.

C R E A T I V E Artwork by Anukriti Vibhuti

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Artwork by @nibsonmother

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Artwork by Elektra Thea

Sleeping Easily By Chinmaya Lal Thakur

Past midnight, When you are aware Only of the large number of pages Left unread in so many books, You hear an unrelenting sound. Your wristwatch You may not notice But its arms keep working. You are alarmed You pick it up and check Is it making the sound? You keep the watch down, Assuring yourself that the sound Was its arms moving. Suddenly, the familiar voice The one that irritates you every night And doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let you sleep. Only that tonight you are glad That the boy living downstairs Is speaking with his beloved. You want him to keep going Even thank him for what he does. You tell yourself He will be chatting through the night And you will sleep easily.

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Sleep By Antonio Rullez If sleep is upon us, Where does life dwell? Scorched, parched, beaten down By the lack of love and support. Evening always comes too soon, Without considering the true love inside, Longing to re-awake and be loved. Take the time, engage; look upon all that is. Withered, not inclined; how do we muster the strength To keep in motion? ‘Rest, but don’t quit!’ they say. But what if the ceasing was imbedded before it began? Subconscious streams of diminishing self-worth; Anything but what the true, conscious self would entail or want. Look again; take the leap, the plunge; hold the line. Reassess, look back, look forward, Desire, rise up and linger... But wait, the wait is too long.

Artwork by Stephanie Muculj

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Poems of a digital girl in a world of cyber love, pain and hope. By Luna Do you find it hard to love yourself whilst aimlessly scrolling through the feeds of other people’s perfect lives and unrealistic beauty expectations on social media? A kind reminder to yourself: your shape your size your skin colour shouldn’t be compared with. we are all human not a squat different not a like less. he was a ghost a beautiful ghost thinking of him this way makes it easier to conjure him when I need him to then send him back to his grave when I don’t. I wish living was as easy as spawning back to life as you would in a video game of Call of Duty. like a line of hearts in Minecraft and a creeper meant life or death. the truth is life is not easy. we don’t have limitless hearts. you don’t get to spawn back once you’re dead. so live life as if It was your last heart of hearts. 11:11 make a wish … i wish to be yours every day of every hour of every second of every minute. in this life and the next. i don’t need an Astroboy, nor a Superman with a solid six-pack i need a man like you who can love me like a space ranger to infinity and beyond.

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UltraModernErotic By Asil Habara

Through digital manipulation and collage, I explore the art of sensuality and sexuality in an ultra-modern context. These females are portrayed outer dimensional, futuristic, by depicting these sensual figures in a highly modern and technology-based environment it exaggerates their humanity. Serves as a juxtaposition of technology and nature, that all this technology human nonetheless regresses to primitive impulses. I typically source images from vintage models, Instagram models/influencers and vintage/modern pornography. Focusing on social mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential to embracing all beauty especially the unconventional. Similar to technology I see these work as everchanging and continuously growing, I desire to fabricate these works to be increasingly diverse. A range of women, dismantling eurocentricity and heteronormativity - if we are able to create our own ultramodern utopia I would want to be flamboyant, camp, extra and diversified.

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Unsatisfied By Elektra Thea The couple panted heavily in bed by the time they were done with each other, their limbs slowly and ungracefully untangling as they made leeway. They scrambled to opposite ends of the bed for breath - for the purpose of filling the gap with commotion that didn’t require them to keep touching. The man looked at the woman, admired her long auburn hair now drenched into a berry red shade, lying in wisps across her bare chest. The woman didn’t look back. Though she knew she was being observed by her lover, the pains of her body were something she didn’t care enough to share with him for fear of his apprehensive reaction. He was a weak man, difficult to criticise without feeling the rough wind and heat of a nuclear explosion. It was as if she was expected to calm the storm by waving it away with a tea cloth, and tell the raging rain how much she loved it when it poured all over and swept away her cities. ‘That was hot,’ he said, dull eyes sparkling. She looked at his triumphant expression and sank deeper into the mattress. It always started off grand, like a new awakening the moment he slides in. But then, time will pass, her meter runs low while he hovers on top of her clenching her things like rusty nails digging deep into meat. And suddenly all she could think was, just get it over with.

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“Pink” - Photography by Sam Bliss

“Bloom” - Photography by Sam Bliss

Searching for Air By Arafat Hasan Caleb casts a furtive look at both ends of the street, his eyes probing for red and blue lights in the distance. No sirens too!! Will he do it? It has been so long since he pulled that mask off his face and smelled the air. Maybe he can do it now, he has the cover of darkness. It will be hard for others to report him. Caleb heaves a sigh of relief looking at the basketball court in front of the park. Not so long ago, he had played with his friends there. Some of them are still alive. What happened? How did they all end up in this situation? It has been 18 months since the virus became a pandemic. Rumours of a mysterious virus started in a distant land, and, within months, it spread like wildfire. Did the transmission start from a bat? Or was it rats? It does not matter now, does it? Thousands dead, the world still searches for a vaccine. But will it work on this doom bringer? On this harbinger of death? “Maybe we had it coming,” Caleb ponders. “Why not? What have we not done to deserve it? Mass killings, oppressing minorities, drugs, polluting the environment… name a vice and we humans have already done it.” Caleb stopped looking at all the YouTube videos long ago. People falling on the streets suddenly. One here, another over there, and a few more suddenly. Panic, hysteria… will it be me when I go out next time? Caleb looks at the stars and darts a prayer at the heavens. Let’s find a vaccine for our greed and cruelty first. Lost in his prayer, Caleb did not see the blue and red lights looming ahead of him. It’s time to go back home. He paddles his bike with a police siren on his tail. Tails!!! That’s it, he remembers now. It was rats.

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Dead Dogs By Elektra Thea I received a phone call before lunch. It was my youngest, little Maro, telling me she had found the dog lying dead in the living room. The world switched off and had to be rebooted that moment. Or maybe it was just my head. I didn’t have the energy to reprimand the class as they whispered over their practice exams. I felt I was supposed to swell up with pain but all I wanted was for lunch to come early so I could have a cigarette. “Is your sister with you?... Hm... Alright. Give her a call. I’ll be home soon.” I tucked my phone away and glared at the heads of my students shifting their eyes onto each others’ papers. “You ‘right, miss,” a Muppet from the back row called out. “Twenty minutes guys,” I said. I could feel my eyes harden and I didn’t mean for my look to scare him. But it was as if ice was working its way through my system to keep the heat of my anger incapacitated. By the end of the class, it was like I had a ring of fire floating around me because the students avoided their usual banter. I hated Year Nine students. Their year was the year of rebellion. A violent move to the post-pubescent lands, with interest in fingering the thick firm foliage of adulthood, wondering what fun will be had in the wilderness. I was almost tempted to drop the bomb on them: it all leads to disappointment and dead dogs.

I called my sister after Mum hung up. She sounded more devastated and I felt bad because she was still at rehearsals playing some bimbo in heels. She hated the role and now she had to think about our Romeo, the cold Bichon in my lap. I don’t even know where to put him. I don’t want to just leave him anywhere in the house. What if the bugs get to him or something? Is that how it works? Are they naturally attracted to cold flesh? I imagined the little white bodies wriggling through the floorboards trying to make their way to his delicate paws. My sister and I talk about Mum a lot. I’ll go to Amanda’s room and she’ll lock the door to complain that she is the emotional punching bag for Mum’s frustrations. When we’re all sitting together in the living room, I can see the veins bulging in her temple. Mum can be mean to me too. I think it’s because she hates how her life turned out. She treats Dad like a creeping maggot trying to wiggle back into our lives. Amanda doesn’t like dad either. I wonder sometimes if she likes anybody. I’m sure she likes me; she just has a hard time expressing it. She and Mum are alike that way. When Mum got home, she sat at the veranda with Romeo in her lap. She talked to me about getting a new bichon. “Don’t tell Amanda, she’ll only get upset.” I wish there was more trust in our family.

RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

Photography by Sam Bliss

The Cloth Butcher By Caddy Langley

I cannot tell you how I feel. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think you have ever asked me. Those words are lost on me, on you. They rub off, much like the way grey lead would rid itself of a page. It would remain dirty underneath, even as you rub it away. The damage, all of it, that I have spent a short lifetime however short - rubbing away. Because for pages, miles and miles of lineage in front of me, I could see nothing but vandalism Ugly words no one wants to see. A scrutiny on my very own page. I have written it! I have tried to write it! I have tried, and I have felt like I should not. I have no honour, no privilege to do so. You have sewn damage into me, I remain like some small apprentice, a seamstress! Learning an awful way to crochet. I have watched you do it, even as your hands decay, and I have sewn it too. As you taught the family trade.

Sewn it into my world, to me. Some fabric of who I am. Some mistake. Some destruction. Was I sewn out of guilt? Had you gotten it wrong, too too many times? Were we placed here to be reckoned with, to be told we are nothing. That we have nothing, without your intricate patterns, every piece you have made, everything you are owed. And yet you are owed? You owe. You owe what you made. You owe it the justice to flourish, you owe the chance to thrive, you owe it an ear, to listen, to believe, to think. You, some weaver, cloth butcher, a born merchandiser driven by emotion, that you had killed. You did not kill it, not in what you made. You muted it.

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Pretended it was not you. But it was, and it shone. Boy, did it shine. But I wonder, if at some point, you had sat there, two needles in hand, and thought to yourself, this is my masterpiece, did you smile? Cradle it like some baby. Something fragile? Did you ever say she shall sit in the window, she is my creation. My pride. My joy. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think you have ever said them. Those words are lost on you, on me. And now I am holding some old pair, an odd friendship, of a pencil and some knitting needles, passed down, by some person I cannot live up to. Some cloth butcher. Who taught wrong. And I am sitting here, right here, wondering what to do with them.

Find more of Caddy Langleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s writing on her blog: Talk Underwater www.talkunderwater.net

Artwork by Anukriti Vibhuti

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Haunting Beauty By Daniel Stalker

Seductive hues adorn my special spot, along the way Burke and Wills did stop; Pink ribbons marble a magenta sky, the heavens remind me of a fragrant return; Was it the wild? For the purslanes may do none harm but these noxious roots are no Magnolian friend; Fold me under your numbing spell but to live yet another day, for tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expedition awaits! Photography by Daniel Staker

Vivat Lux By Daniel Stalker

The springtide sun shines upon a weary worn city, the blooming of its flowers a harbinger of things to come; The virusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; retreat among them, for no cursed visitation such as this may bask in its glory too long; Only the living may profit from its manifest blessings and can emerge after the havoc wreaked by the dead; City and people are reborn and are made into a better company with each other and their surroundings; A new and mutual understanding is lain bare by the light, cultivated by our collective suffering.

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Artwork by Kalypso Ourphanos - @Paintingwithlipstick on Instagram

RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

Laughing Waters Garambi Baan

By Samuel Bliss

At its widest a twenty something foot serpent trail which gurgles and spits just like the giggles of the little boy in it who slept for three days and two nights until doughy and bloated he floated ashore and kissed the yabbier’s feet. Unholy waters flavoured with plastic and piss baptise its latest convert in the image and waste of his maker who lies on the bank, unaware that their own has swallowed the river whole. This two legged catch with the face of a child could feed a family for a week but starve a heart for the time it takes to turn the gumtree into a shoebox casket with timber to spare for nailing a cross where the tree once watched. Or the time it takes to tie his shoes or to kiss goodnight those tiny blue lips one more time. Tumbling doll of underwater flesh relives the birthdays (three) and every pinch of the cheek or white bread ham sandwich, cut and squared. As those beloved waters and their famed sense of humour invade each bronchi, these memories pour back into the baptismal pool with each panicked mouthful, purifying a measly few litres with sweet breath and innocence. The gumtree watched solemnly, it’s fate well understood. The lucky kids say it floats their tinfoil boats and their mothers say its too cold and their husbands say there’s fish this big and our council says its our green wedge and the painter says it’s art and I say all of these things too but I have never heard it laugh.

Photography by Samuel Bliss

RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

An eye for Life

By Anukriti Vibhuti

Shatter is a small term For I am all dust now Pieces could be fixed together While I just stay aghast They say to rise And not fear the world I rather face the storm Than sulk me dusk to dawn I question this love they say is true Be it friends, family, or someone you knew Is it all but a mere fantasy? That I still keep my innocence intact Or is it just my naïveté And the world was always like that Alas! I wonder What could have been For I came in this world What’s my purpose could be?

Photography by Geetanjal Khanna from Unsplash

RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR

CONTRIBUTORS Editors

Clodie Veyrac Chris Graham

Chief of Staff

Natalie Williams

Sub-Editors Carly Mitchell Rebecca Borg

Social Media Elektra Thea

Front Cover Art

Sarah Vavlitis - @vavdipper

Contact

Rabelais Student Magazine Lvl 2, Agora West La Trobe University Bundoora, 3083

Contributors Annabelle Romano John Dewar Natalie Williams Bonnie Jarrett Carly Mitchell Clodie Veyrac Patricia Sims Mitchell Griffin Ashlea Spierings Michael Motta Bianca Breen Matthew White Laura Bennegadi Elektra Thea Kalypso Orphanos Stephanie Muculj Asil Habara @nibsonmother Chinmaya Lal Thakur Luna Daniel Stalker Caddy Langley Arafat Hasan Antonio Rullez Samuel Bliss Anukriti Vibhuti

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Photography by Leonhard Schรถnstein on Unsplash

RABELAIS | EDITION FOUR