NUKS Summer 2022 | Glow in the Dark

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N u k s glow in in the the dark. dark. glow summer summer 2022 2022


THIS EDITION SONG LIST: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody ABBA - Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) Lil' Louis' - French Kiss Spice Girls - Wannabe Mäneskin - Zitti e Buoni The Gathering - Strange Machines Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto) - We Don’t Talk About Bruno The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

P. 1-2 FOREWORD AND ART MEDIATION [ADIL & COEN]

P. 5-6 KNUS CANON [ANOUK & DANIELA]

P.3-4 KAM'S RECOMMENDATIONS!

contents P.7-8 SAL'S POEM & ART

P.9-10 ARTICLE ON AUTISM AWARENESS [SAL]

P.11-12 KNUS IN PICTURES [COMMEDIA]

P.13-14 FASHION POLICE! [ADIL]


P.19 SIENE'S GARDENING TIPS

P.15-16 YO MOMMA [ANNA]

P.20 ANGELA'S LETTER BASED ON ART

P.23 KNUS QUOTES P.20 THE MURDER MYSTERY IN TANGERINE TOWN [MIRIAM, STEPHANIE, SOFIEKE & SOPHIA]

P.21-22 MEREL'S REVIEW ON FASHION APP

Editor-in-Chief Adil Boughlala

Designer-in-Chief Anthea Djajaprawira

Writers Angela Wang Anna Heijnis Anouk Stevens Daniela Piangiolino Kameron Brnja Merel Van Bommel Sal Szydłowska Siene Verbeek

Designers Anthea Djajaprawira Adil Boughlala Many thanks to Commedia for the beautiful KNUSVISION pictures!


With the arrival of a new season always comes a new NUKS. This year’s Summer NUKS is brought to you with a most exciting theme: Glow In The Dark! Bow, you might wonder, what? Why? How? How did they come up with this theme? Well, when you think of glow in the dark, you might think of neon, mini golf, those star sticker you put on the ceiling, but you might also think of it in a different sense: a glow in the dark, like glowing fireflies on a hot summery night, or festival lights that shine until you’ve danced your ass off. In a way, we wanted this edition of the NUKS to be your glowing light in the dark. (Sounds cliché, I know). Period 4 is after all the last time in an academic year that we publish a regular NUKS. Relinquish in every article, as we have poured all our blood, sweat, tears, our precious time in we also could have maintained a healthy sleeping schedule, and so on in them. From our usual recommendations, KNUS Canon and Fashion Police, to fresh gardening tips and fashion app reviews, and so much more! All best, and I hope to see you next academic year as well. Your Editor-in-Chief, Adil

FOREWORD I would like to start off this last NUKS edition of the 2021/2022 academic year by congratulating every KNUS member with coming so far this year. The end of the year is truly in sight, and we have all definitely deserved the upcoming vacation. Who knows what the coming vacation might bring us? Maybe a couple of friends coming over for dinner, some nights at the beach, or maybe even going dancing at a glow in the dark party. As a matter of fact, who knew two years ago, that at this point we could even go to a glow in the dark party? In any case, at the end of this academic year, I am thankful to say that Covid has close to no effect on my life anymore. I finally feel free again! Free to be myself again. Some people might know this about me: I love sharing. I want to make it a tradition that whenever I go to a rave (yes I love a dance when I’m not busy!), I bring stuff to hand out to people. The last time, I brought a bunch of dinosaur press-on tattoos, which I loved the most, but most importantly of all: Glow in the dark sticks. In the darkness of the dancing floor in Merleyn, I made friends with random people by handing them these sticks, putting them around their wrist. The entire night, I would meet up with them again and again, as they were so recognizable with their shiny bands. All in all, the theme of glow in the dark can bring connection to people. Being the chair of KNUS, bringing connection to people is my favourite task, something that the NUKS committee for sure has achieved by connecting all these lovely articles, stories and pictures. I hope that reading this Glow in the Dark NUKS, will bring you a lot of joy and happiness.

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Tonnes of KNUSjes, Coen (Chairman 2021-2022)


By Adil Boughlala With many thanks to Jade Kerste (for more information, see www.jadekerste.nl)

With a walking distance of 2 minutes from the central station, P-OST Nijmegen is located in the Van Oldenbarneveltstraat. In the old umbrella factory, to be exact! P-OST is an exhibition space, a platform for contemporary visual arts artists to showcase their talent. P-OST is free to visit so be sure to come by! As one of the hosts, I had the pleasure of participating in an Art Mediation workshop by Jade Kerste, a Radboud Art History alumna. I found this workshop so inspiring, I want to share some of the tips with you all. But first, what is Art Mediation? A quick Google search tells me the following: “An art-mediator facilitates dialogue and the exchange of knowledge by stimulating opinions through what the viewer sees and the associations they make with the work directly in front of them.” Art mediation is different from a simple tour guide in the museum, because it is supposed to let the visitors think for themselves and create meaning with artworks as a group. I realised quickly that we were not going to look at all the artworks, but rather, focus on a few artworks by looking at them for a longer period of time and discussing what we see and what that means. Art Mediation in 3 steps Step 1: Introduce the visitor Of course, as a host at P-OST, I have to welcome the visitors. As an art mediator, that can be tricky sometimes, because you don’t know if people want to talk to you about art or if they want to look for themselves. It is important that visitors know what to expect of you, but also what you expect of them! Step 2: Looking and talking Say your visitor(s) want to talk with you about an artwork. Great! Now you can start art mediation. It is important not to talk over the visitor; let them look for themselves first and then ask them open questions like “what do you see?” and “why do you think that?” Keep the conversation going by repeating, summarising and connecting the things that are being said. If the conversation gets stuck, give them some food for thought, for example “what if I tell you that …?” Step 3: Ending Art mediation is not a strict set of rules that you have to ask, it is fluid and a conversation goes the way it goes, so don’t worry if it doesn’t always go as smooth as you want! End the conversation by summarising what has been said. Perhaps tell the visitors some of your own thoughts, or what artwork stands out to you personally? Don’t forget: you are not teaching the visitor something, but helping them look for themselves! I hope to see you soon at P-OST and perhaps I (or you) can do some art mediation! :)

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KAM'S RECOMMEN DATIONS. THESE A GOOD! TRE PRETTY RUST M E.

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Good News Network (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/) We are under constant exposure to news from all across the world due to our quick access to online news sites. Unfortunately, there are so many tragedies and injustices that happen every single day. While it is extremely important to stay updated with events on a global level, it is also true that the mainstream media rarely reports on positive developments in society. The mission of the Good News Network is to highlight positive news to raise hope. Along with inspiring news from the whole world, their website also hosts lots of uplifting talks about life, business, and health.

Izzzyzzz (YouTube channel, video essays on Internet culture) My 2022 YouTube obsession has been video essays. It is both interesting and entertaining to analyse films, shows, online content, and social phenomena in depth! One of my favourite video essay channels is Izzzyzzz. This YouTuber caught my attention when I saw their video about Club Penguin pop up on my homepage. If you are fascinated by Internet communities, or if you spent your childhood on online game platforms, this channel is for you! Izzzyzzz creates videos diving into such topics and investigates the history, success, fans, and controversies of Internet culture icons. They also have videos on nostalgic childhood aspects outside of the internet like Littlest Pet Shop and Monster High. Their videos are so well-made: the developed structure makes them easy to follow and lots of effort is put into researching and putting together evidence of what they explore.

The Prestige

(film directed by Christopher Nolan, available on Netflix)

The Prestige is a 2006 mystery thriller following two rival 19th century magicians in London. Robert Angier (played by Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (played by Christian Bale) become enemies after the death of Robert’s wife Julia during a magic trick. Throughout the film, they are desperate to uncover the secrets of each other’s tricks. Their desire for success and revenge keeps raising the stakes as they take greater and greater risks to outdo each other. I found the film very interesting because of how it portrays an obsession with one’s craft and the length to which the magicians go to perform their art. The plot twists also keep your attention with their unpredictability. Nolan’s signature experimentation with narrative, illusion, and continuity makes The Prestige a very impressive and psychologically captivating experience!

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KN US CANON

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Introduction Die-hard KNUS members might still t is it remember it – the KNUS Canon! Wha s a uce exactly? The KNUS Canon introd KNUS list of ten songs that embody the heard at spirit and which you might have on if a party or two. But what is a can not an ever-changing list of to disagreements? And who is better y own criticize this list than our ver we n, tio teachers? For this NUKS edi Roel asked two lecturers including dr. t on lec ref Smeets and dr. Anna Geurts to ed on the list and make some changes bas te. their musical knowledge and tas

When presented with the list of songs on the KNUS Canon Roel says he knows all of them except for “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” which he gives a quick listen before moving onto the song he wants to add to the list. Roel says he was torn between two songs, the first being Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More time”. He saw this song for the first time on MTV when he was seven years old: “This song has had a huge impact on the pop-music landscape, you can see its influence today in songs by Taylor Swift and in Lorde’s new album. It inspires me too as a songwriter. It’s very hard to create a successful hit such as this one”. His second choice, he says, might add some more diversity to the list and has been no less influential. The song, “Space Invaders – Are Smoking Grass” produced by Dutch DJ I-F, was an instant underground dance hit. “This song embodies rave-culture”, Roel says, “however, it’s not only about dancing, it’s also a political statement. The repetitive nature of this type of music allows you to be nonproductive, to do nothing, it is this which allows you to momentarily transcend the capitalist order and come together as a group.”

Roel Smeets :)

When asked what song should be removed from the list his choice falls on “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen quite quickly. “The KNUS Canon should do more than list mainstream culture, it should also be home to subversive sounds, this is also why “Space Invaders – Are Smoking Grass” should be added to the list.”

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When asked to contribute in the KNUS Canon, dr. Anna Geurts replied enthusiastically and said to be “honoured to be invited to contribute to a musical monument of such renown!”. <3 After reading the words that Maaike and dr. Vincent Meelberg spent in the last KNUS canon, Anna agrees that “art works deserve to be mentioned if they have been innovative and shaped art history”, adding two more reasons to include a work in the canon. “First, if it has been meaningful to a lot of people and influenced a lot of people's lives”, Anna says, mentioning Billie Holiday's performance of "Strange Fruit", Gloria Gaynor singing "I Will Survive", June Jordan and Sweet Honey in the Rock's "Oughta Be a Woman". “Second,” Anna continues, if the piece “exemplifies an entire genre or art movement”. For instance, thinking of blues, Anna mentions Ma Rainey’s tremendously influential songs, such as "See See Rider Blues", which shows “what the blues genre as a whole looks like. So if we want to explain to someone the blues chord progression, we can go to the canon and show them this song.” Onto the choice of a new song for the canon: “Of course, university teachers often tend towards the usual suspects when they explain art history. That's how canons work. For twentieth-century art song, for example, we choose Alban Berg or Darius Milhaud. But why not check out Margaret Bonds's "To a Brown Girl Dead", set to a poem by Countee Cullen? (You can hear this on https://www.concertzender.nl/programma/radio_monalisa_652049/ ) Because that's another thing with canons: we can use them to pass on tradition. But we can also use them for change. As you are doing!” Finally, what song to remove? “My partner will not like me for it, but I am saying: "Zitti e Buoni". Because: how did that get here?! The song has not had the time to change art history, is not innovative, and if representative of anything, it is of the re-revival of glam rock. Nice outfit, but we won't miss them in the canon.”

THIS EDITION SONG LIST: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody ABBA - Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) Lil' Louis' - French Kiss Spice Girls - Wannabe Mäneskin - Zitti e Buoni The Gathering - Strange Machines Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto) - We Don’t Talk About Bruno The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

rts!! u e G a n n A 6


By Sal Szydłowska The weight of the world on my shoulders, The tired crackling of my bones, And on my head – a thousand boulders falls. I wear a crown of thorns.

The future holds the cease of beauty, If I look back – I’m terrified. Bearing this burden – it’s my duty to feel everything all at once.

An infinite child, a fading gleam, See, at the end it does not feel, No – not any more real than a dream: My mind of glass and teeth of steel. 7


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AUTISM AWAR So about autism… As some of you may know, the past month of April was the Autism Awareness Month. It may be a difficult time for many people with ASD, as there is a lot of performative activism happening, and misconceptions being spread by “pseudo-woke activists”, who suddenly appear out of nowhere. On this occasion, I would like to spend some time to shed more light on the autism spectrum disorder, address this topic, and the misconceptions around it, as it still remains a taboo or a mystery to many.

How does it look in reality? To many people there is only one type of valid autistic people – non-verbal or with highly limited communication skills, not experiencing empathy, possessing savant abilities. These stereotypes make it significantly more difficult to diagnose autism in childhood and leave many adults struggling to find out “what is wrong with them”. It is important to acknowledge that ASD is considered a spectrum not without a reason, and that no two autistic individuals are the same.

Where do we start…? The problem with discussing ASD starts at its very core – with the medical definition of it. To this day, many misleading are offensive definition of this disorder can be found online, as well as in written works, the reason for it being most probably people using old and outdated sources. Just as being transgender stopped being classified as mental and behavioral disorders by World Health Organization in 2019, the medical definition of ASD has undergone many changes throughout the history.

Moreover, there is a big issue with diagnosing autism in AFAB people, as the newest research proves that ASD symptoms may look different in AFAB and AMAB people. This comes down both to patriarchy and the fact that children are treated and socialized differently, and different behavior is expected of them according to their gender, as well as biological differences in their brains. To this day, girls, women and AFAB people with autism are underrepresented in media and culture, and their way to getting diagnosed is much more difficult.

First attempts in diagnosing autism were undertaken in the 1940s, separately by Leo Kanner, and classified it as a form of schizophrenia, and Hans Asperger, a Nazi-sympathizer, tied to the eugenics program, who wrote about the concept of the concept of “autistic psychopathy”. During the 1950s, autism was assumed by Bruno Bettelheim to be caused by frigid and unemotional mothers. This concept was then disproved in 1970s, when autism was proven to have biological origins and be anchored in brain development. Autism was first recognized as a separate diagnosis distinct from schizophrenia in the DSM-III released in 1980. It was updated in 1987, when the autism criteria were significantly altered. In the last 35 years ASD was redefined a few more times, ultimately coming to the definition we know today, but even this one is constantly being further developed.

But you don’t look autistic…” Many people with ASD have heard this phrase multiple times throughout their lifetimes. It ultimately ties back to the stereotype of a “typical autistic person” and the expectations that the society has for autistic people’s behavior. But people with ASD are not some strange beings, completely detached from reality – in fact, many of us realizes their “otherness” in the early childhood but are incapable of naming it due to lack of resources and education.

As of now, the closest to truth would probably be: “a lifelong, non progressive neurological disorder existing on a spectrum, typically appearing before the age of 3 years; a developmental disability, which can significantly affect verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction, relationships, and self-regulation”.

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This is where masking kicks in. It usually begins with the realization that you are different from other people and a desire to blend in with the neurotypical environment. Masking can be learned subconsciously from a very young age and become so ingrained in a person’s brain that it takes even more time and energy to willingly unlearn it. It can be very damaging to an autistic brain and can cause severe burnouts and mental breakdowns. In the end, it comes down to pretending to be someone completely else in social settings, while suppressing some of your natural instincts and enhancing others. Because of masking, a lot of autistic people may also completely miss the chance to fully build and develop their personalities in early adolescence, and have to struggle with it in the adulthood. Let autism shine! Because it is hard to cover even half of the most important aspects of autism in a single article, I tried to at least tackle the most important issues. I encourage you to look at the section below to find easily digestible Instagram accounts that can provide you with a daily dose of autistic nuances, information, and fun facts in the form of infographics! On the last note, I would like to emphasize that autistic people are not ill, our brains just work in a different way from other people. There is no cure to ASD but being autistic does not have to stop you having a good life. Like everyone, autistic people have things they’re good at, as well as things they struggle with. Being autistic does not mean you can never make friends, have relationships, or get a job. In fact, some of the most successful and influential people in the world are autistic, including Tim Burton, Courtney Love, Greta Thunberg, Anthony Hopkins… and me! ☺

RENESS Instagram recommendations: @language_autie @theautisticgonk @justkeepstimming_ @autistic.qualia @autistic_callum_

A little autistic dictionary: AFAB/AMAB – an inclusive term for people assigned female/male at birth Neurodivergent – differing in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal; frequently used with reference to ASD and ADHD Neurotypical – not displaying or characterized by autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior. Autism masking – conscious or unconscious suppression of natural autistic responses and behaviors ASD – Autistic spectrum Disorder “The spectrum” – describes the variety of the types and severity of symptoms autistic people experience Stimming – or self-stimulatory behavior; is repetitive or unusual body movement or noises; helps people with autism cope with strong emotions Non-verbal autistic people – people with ASD who are minimally verbal (which means they speak fewer than 30 words) or do not speak at all Savant abilities/savant skill – A savant is someone who faces considerable obstacles despite their extraordinary ability in one field; savants may or may not be autistic

an article by Sal Szydlowska

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FASHION POLICE Adil Boughlala

HAUTE COUTURE "One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." - Oscar Wilde

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Image: Drag queen Shea Coulée wearing haute couture Valentino for RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Season 7


HAUTE COUTURE is a term used so much in the fashion world and in popular culture, but what exactly does it mean? Is it any different from 'regular' couture? What even is couture? In this edition of Fashion Police, I will explain to you what haute couture is, how it differs from 'readyto-wear' and how you can/should look at haute couture from a cultural perspective. A quick recap: what is fashion? Fashion is one of those disciplines that you might have encountered during your ACW/ACS programme, for example through the course Working Through Fashion. However, it is far underrepresented compared to disciplines such as film, literature and music. Even though fashion is so ubiquitous! For those who have never had a class on fashion, or have forgotten the exact definition, let me help you out: fashion is what people wear. It's a system of clothes, dress, style, and adornment. However, not every piece of clothing is in fashion. Strict rules and gatekeepers - such as fashion houses - decide what we can (and more importantly: cannot) wear. If you have watched The Devil Wears Prada, you must know what I'm talking about! Haute couture: a definition Okay, now that we know what fashion is, how can we define haute couture? There is an agreement among fashion scholars that haute couture originates from France, but that the first haute couture designer, Charles Frederick Worth, was an Englishman. The French term literally translates to "high dressmaking". The term 'high' here indicates class; it's all about status! Haute couture garments are garments that are made for specific clients, and only as one off pieces. Haute couture is unique. You can imagine these garments to be of high quality and very expensive! You won't find them in the H&M... Let's look at the three looks by Schiaparelli, from their 2022 Spring Summer collection. You might recognise the far left one because Doja Cat wore it to the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. The three garments look at first glance to be three completely different styles. However, when taking the time, you will see that each look has certain characteristic

Schiaparelli SS2022 - Couture Week SS22 elements that connect it to the overall surreal theme of l’appel du vide, the sensation of "when you’re driving on a cliffside and you have the sudden urge to go off the road." How to look at haute couture Schiaparelli's collection is obviously not representative of all haute couture - on the contrary, haute couture seeks innovation so much, that every couture week includes trailblazing garments, runways, presentations and the inclusion of newfound materials, silhouettes and other techniques that will put the designer forward as a 'genius'. Eventually, these new trends and ideas will trickle down to ready-towear, the stuff that you do find in the H&M. According to Yves Saint Laurent, haute couture "consists of secrets whispered from generation to generation. If, in ready-to-wear, a garment is manufactured according to standard sizes, the haute couture garment adapts to any imperfection in order to eliminate it." It is always important to challenge the existing power dynamics, however. Because, while the fashion industry is developing like crazy in this aspect, most of the haute couture/ready-towear clothing is designed in the West. Inspirations from, for example Asia, are often taken without consent and not credited. While many things can be said about haute couture's problematic nature. In the end, this is where we all get our sense of fashion from.

Conclusion Analysing haute couture is different from analysing your run-of-the-mill fast fashion look. I'm not saying that haute couture is much better, on the contrary, because the garments are oftentimes made for celebrities, they get discarded after a one-time use. Thankfully, museums are more and more open to collecting and exhibiting haute couture garments that have made an impact on culture. It is virtually impossible to become an haute couture expert after reading this. I'm not even an expert to begin with! But let's say you want to write an essay about haute couture for HOTWA or another course, you should now have some basic understanding of what haute couture is and what elements to be more sceptical of. Sources Business of Fashion. "Fashion A-Z" Hand & Lock. "A Potted History of Haute Couture" Harper's Bazaar. "The history of haute couture" Vogue Runway. "Schiaparelli SPRING 2022 COUTURE"

Adil Boughlala

"It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure." - Coco Chanel 14


MY MOTHER, ETSKE, LIVES IN OOSTERBEEK, RIGHT NEXT TO ARNHEM. DESPITE US NOT BEING THAT FAR REMOVED FROM EACH OTHER, I ADMIT WE DON’T SEE EACH OTHER THAT MUCH. IT HAS NO REAL REASON; IT JUST DOESN’T HAPPEN. BUT, WHEN I DO SEE HER, WE ARE BOTH REALLY EXCITED AND GRATEFUL, OFTEN EVEN TEXTING EACH OTHER AFTERWARDS HOW HAPPY WE WERE TO SEE EACH OTHER. MY MOTHER IS A VERY SPECIAL WOMAN, IN MANY WAYS. MORE THAN ONCE SHE HAS BEEN IN THE (LOCAL) NEWS, AND SHE IS NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK HER MIND ON TOPICS THAT SHE FINDS IMPORTANT: SHE IS AN OUTSPOKEN CLIMATE ACTIVIST, EVEN POLITICALLY ACTIVE, AND IS ALWAYS INVOLVED WITH IMPROVING OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM. IT HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE THAT MY FRIENDS MEET OR SEE MY MOM SOMEWHERE WITHOUT KNOWING THAT SHE, IN FACT, GAVE BIRTH TO ME, WHEREAFTER I GET A TEXT FROM THEM SAYING SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF “HEY, THE WOMAN ON THE STAGE AT THIS PROTEST I WAS AT LAST WEEKEND, WAS THAT YOUR MOTHER?”

For this interview, I asked her about some of her favorite works, and she also explained why they were. Starting with her favorite book, which she told me was Dancing With Wolves by M. Blake. She likes it because it is about rediscovering nature, about respecting it and indigenous peoples, dealing with defeat, and following your ideology and core values despite resistance. I smile as she tells me; it makes a lot of sense to me how this is a book she likes so much. As she is so heavily invested in the climate crisis, but also because she is constantly learning, becoming her best self. She is very strong, I think. When I asked her about her favorite poem, she started talking about her father. My grandfather Fred writes many poems, and then releases them in little printed bundles to share them with his loved ones. I too have some of his collections on my bookshelf. She explains these are her favorite because they touch her, she loves her father thus his work affects her in ways other works never could. Some of his poems are personal, some are witty, some sentimental, it is very Fred.

YO MOM 15

She then told me her favorite music. Whenever I visit her at home, music is playing. It is often some spiritual-sounding background music (I really don’t know how else to explain it), or the most random music I have ever heard; think EDM, quickly switching to opera whereafter Lady Gaga’s Poker Face comes on.


She can often tell me what the spiritual music is called (or at least, what its purpose is), but she admits that she often just puts on a random playlist and forgets what she has put on (which explains the switch from genre to genre I am often slapped in the face with). But, surprisingly to me, she is able to tell me what music she actually likes. She mentions the songs Alors on Danse by Stromae, Girl by Anouk, Because by the Beatles and Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor. She explains to me that she likes these because they are about power, about love and emotions. To her, these “are the most essential drives of life” (her words). I feel like you already know my mother pretty well by now. I think she and I are actually quite alike; both full of energy, head in the clouds but also very grounded, passionate and opinionated. She is super independent and open-minded, which are qualities I really admire and hope I have picked up on as well. My mom and I often talk about films. She thinks I know a lot about them, and likes to share what film she watched last and tries to convince me to watch it as well, if I hadn’t done that already.

We also like to go to the local ‘filmhuis’ and watch something I suggest there. When I asked her what her favorite film is, she answered Bigger than Us (2021), a documentary. It follows an 18 year old who is fighting the plastic pollution that is ravaging her country, Indonesia. My mother tells me that she thought it was very inspiring, authentic, raw but also positive. I know she values positive activism; in order to make a change, she thinks we should motivate people, not talk them down and blame them for where we are now. Pointing fingers and guilt tripping won’t change anything, but love and cooperation will.

I think my mom is a very exciting woman. She always has something interesting to say, is extremely loving and supportive and is not afraid to do what she wants to do to make a change. I think I am very lucky. But, before I am able to tell her that, she says: ‘Okay, now I am going to go vacuum. And action.’ And just like that, we are done.

I asked her if there was anything she wanted to plug, and at first she just told me to “tell everyone to watch Bigger than Us” (humble queen), but later she added “we should also all understand what Ubuntu means. All of us should contribute to a living world, we need each other. Together we can do it! Stop buying so much nonsense stuff, start eating plant-based food, and come to the Climate March on June 19th!”

MMA an article by Anna Heijnis

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The Knus family lived in a small suburban place, Tangerine Town. Karoline and Alex Knus, had two children. Robin Knus, who was practically perfect in every single way, and his older brother Kees Knus. He was a little silly but a sweet child. Kees had friends in the neighbourhood. His best friends were the kids next door.

The Murder Mystery in Ta To

The family next door were the Bibbles. The Bibbles had three kids; the twins Betty and Beppy and their older sibling Bobby Bibble. Little Betty Bibble was a dreamer. She dreamed of one day opening a bakery. Beppy sadly died in a tragic fire. Their parent Mirabella Bibble is a pageant judge. Kees and Betty played together every single day until they went to high school and their relationship went cold. When Kees went to high school he made new friends, Morgan and Friedrich. Morgan Morningstern was the first friend Kees made after Betty. Morgan has a creative mind but doesn’t always finish the projects. The attic in the Morningster house is filled with slightly dangerous forgotten machines. Morgana Morningstern, Morgan's younger sibling, hates this as they didn’t know when they would be blown up again.

Friedrich lived with his dreamy aunt Fiona Franklin. She loved her nephew but even she thought he was a bit of a pretentious snob. When he first learned to read, the kid read all the philosophers he could find. Sadly, after reading so much so fast, he keeps mixing them up. His name was Ford Franklin, but don’t you dare call him that. He changed his name to Friedrich Foucault and will only listen to that name.

The other inhabitants were the firefighter, Reagan Reynolds. They lived next door to the Knusses and built a little purple playhouse right between their houses for the children. Ziggy Zelda who is aware of every scandal of the past and present. And the nearly retired detective Henry Hickey. Mr. Hickey has finally got an intern, Elke Everdeen, who he hopes will sooner rather than later take over as chief detective of Tangerine Town. The last guest at the wake is Suzzy Sippers, a law student and ex of Kees.

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THE DAY OF THE MURDER Around 16:00 - Bobby Bibble, Kees' partner, has angrily texted him repeatedly. But Kees is not responding nor reading the messages. Maybe he is still asleep? Robin Knus is at home working on a school project with Morgana Morningstern and classmate Elke Everdeen. Suddenly they hear loud voices coming from the other room. It sounds like Bobby and Kees are having a fight. They hear a door slam and someone walks out of the house. Around 17:00 - Later they hear Kees at the front door: "Are you still mad? Do you want to come in?" At 19:08 - Karoline Knus just walked into Kees his room and saw him on the floor, he wasn't breathing Kees Knus came home one day to visit his parents. Coincidently Betty Bibble was visiting her parents as well. Kees wanted to talk to Betty, but she avoided him at first. A couple of minutes later, Kees received a call. It was Betty. She asked if they could meet tonight to talk. Kees agreed happily. That evening Betty and Kees talked about their childhood. Kees asked his old friend why they ever stopped talking. Betty told him it was over an old teddy bear. It was her twin’s and she thought he had stolen it. “You mean this one?” Kees asked while getting the old bear from under his bed. Betty was shocked that it was true and her best friend really did steal her teddy bear and left it discarded for so long. She grabbed the bear from Kees’ hands and pushed it over his mouth and nose. Kees fell down, killed by an old, supposedly innocent, childhood memory. Betty looked down at what she had done. She was about to pick up her lost teddy bear when she heard a sound and fled.

ngerine wn

(maybe the night of the murder text can be upside down, so if you turn the magazine around you reveal the secret answer (like puzzles)) NIGHT OF THE DINNER Everybody arrived looking like their characters. Some brought accessories, others brought props and some painted moustaches on their faces. During the dinner, everyone tried to find out about the secret affairs, alibis and most importantly; who killed Kees. The night ended with a surprise proposal, a confession to murder and a firefighter saying a purple fidget spinner is more important than saving lives. We couldn't have wished for a better group of people to do this and can't wait for you to find out what next year's mystery will bring.

Thanks to everyone who participated! Love, Miriam, Stephanie, Sofieke and Sophia

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SIENE'S GARDENING TIPS! I live in Dukenburg in a family home with two other girls. When I moved in, I brought about 40 plants with me, with which I did not only fill my own room, but also the entire living room. But that was not enough for me; Within a few months I had fixed myself a square meter garden outside, in which I had grown several veggies (think radishes, arugula, carrots). Now, you would think that that is already a lot of plants for one single woman, but I didn’t stop there. Next to the square meter garden I plowed the ground to grow even more. I already have had a year of successful harvest of pumpkins, courgettes (yes i am very european), red peppers and even some bell peppers. This year I have reduced the veggies to the square garden to try and grow some flowers on my plowed piece of land. What is most exciting about this process is how slow a garden moves. Like a lot of people in the creative field, I am dealing with ADHD, meaning that I look for chaotic stimuli in my life. However, plants are a source of slow stimuli. It takes a while for a houseplant to grow a new leaf and once a seed is in the ground you have to wait at least 10 days before it starts to sprout. But once they do it brings me a lot of joy. I absolutely love growing stuff and I would love to share some of my favorite plant tips for being an inside/outside plant parent.

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Plants are very anti-capitalist meaning that it is very easy to propagate from any plant for free. What you need for this is a small clean knife, an empty glass jar and some water. Look for your friends' plants or a crowded public space with plants. With the latter, make sure to bring some paper to transport the cuttings and try to be discrete when taking the cuttings. Before you go out and cut up some healthy plants, it is important to know what their natural way of reproduction is. You can text me or consult the internet for this ;) Once you have your leaf cutting, dunk that baby into some water. Make sure that the cutting doesn’t have too many leaves and that you place the cutting away from direct sunlight. Refresh the water every 3-5 days and wait until the roots are fully developed before planting your baby in dirt. You can also use this technique to save some of your dying plants and give them new life. I could write a whole other piece about outside gardening, but here are some basics; Some easy and rewarding edible plants to grow outside from scratch are arugula, nasturtium(this is a beautiful climbing plant that has edible salad flowers), radishes, carrots and chard. I acquire my seeds from Lidl, around this time of the year Lidl always carries kitchen garden seeds. Check how deep the seeds need to be planted and draw a row in the dirt. Rather sow too many seeds than too little; When the seeds have sprouted you can remove the seedlings that are too near to each other. Once the seeds are in the ground make sure that you keep the dirt moist by watering your seeds every 2-3 days.

If you want to grow plants that carry bigger fruits like courgette, paprika, strawberry, cucumber etc, you’ll need to buy plants. It is best to do this when the weather is around 20 C°. I get my plants from the market or smaller gardening centres. However, I warn you; growing bigger plants will require pest control (snails) and a lot more care than the easy plants I mentioned above. Because the plant is trying to grow a fruit it is important to provide it with enough water and manure. Lastly, it is fun to use the internet to learn more about plants and get new plants. I recently downloaded PlantNet on my phone. This is an app that helps people to identify outdoor plants. With a simple picture you’ll get to know all the plants that grow around you :) I also recommend becoming part of plant groups on Facebook. Often people are willing to give their spare plants away on these platforms. I hope that my tips were useful :) Don’t be shy to text me with more questions about plants! I would love to help you out with realizing your plant parent fantasy.


Letter to you

based on the art you choose!

Oh dear, It seems like you have been quite overwhelmed lately. We know the feeling: there is so much pressure that you just want to punch the wall with your fist, but you don’t want to do that because a bruised hand is one more thing to worry about! In such times, we tend to only see the shadow over our flower fields and forget we can still bloom in darkness. Just wait for the sun to shine again – and it will, because hey, summer is just around the corner… or perhaps it already is when you are reading this? This is a sign that you shall give yourself a hug and a well-deserved break right here and now. May your heart be filled with warmth

Phew, this one is a bit ambiguous… Life has probably been a bit messy for you to deal with, but things are slowly falling into place again. Oh yes, I see you taking a deep breath right now in relief… No? Perhaps you feel like the mess is not over yet: in this case, little self-care routines can do wonders. It might be a lame cliché to say this, but it is worth a try! Take a walk in nature where you might encounter your favourite animal, buy yourself your favourite drink or watch your comfort movie under the dim light of candles. In a restless world, it is often the smallest, simplest moments that whisper the loudest into our ears: as long as you can still see trees outside your windows, as long as your favourite drink is not out of stock or your comfort movie is still available on Netflix, not all hope is lost.

made by Angela Wang

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THIS EDITION: Fashion App Recommendations

things. Glowing implies standing “Glow in the dark”, this NUKS theme can mean many immediately comes to fashion , visually out ng out, positively. When I think of standi influencers, fast fashion and , media social t, interne the of ction introdu mind. With the a year. Whenever Kim of instead week a s is becoming so fast we go through 4 season Shein has it viral, going is g clothin of piece a or ing, someth K is spotted wearing that’s only you tell to need not available for purchase after just a few days. I do age where an in live We norms. moral and l ethica of list possible by breaking a long make and cook both I a meal. you can buy a T-shirt that costs the equivalent of length of and t amoun the in differ y omicall astron clothing and let me tell you, those make. to labor it takes , is just plain bad. It destructs the lives The Fashion Industry, and especially fast fashion we have no choice but to partake of humans and nature. But, we live in a society and should be tackled mostly by that ing someth is m in it. The fashion industry proble by governments. As individual effective policies forced upon these big corporations does not mean that we are this Yet, do. can consumers, there is only so much you ption is a process and also consum l mindfu and able Sustain . sibility respon exempt from mindful about what we more being by start not accessible to everyone, yet we can all start making better can you ons, endati recomm app these with have and consume. So, choices, and glow!

GOOD ON YOU the app where you can avoid being tricked by greenwashing by searching brands to see how sustainable and ethical they are. The app rates brands on their policy and transparency on ‘labour’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Animals’ and suggests alternatives to brands that aren’t doing well. Brands are also given between 1 and 4 dollar signs, so it’s not just expensive brands. You can add brands to your favorites so you can easily find them if you need to buy something, and if a brand has not been rated yet you can suggest them to do so.

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WHERING APP Are you really into fashion, but want to be more mindful about future purchases? Or are you someone who finds themselves standing in front of your closet, thinking you have absolutely nothing to wear? Do you often pair the same pants with the same T-shirt? Do you feel the urge to buy new clothes whenever a new season is approaching? Then I have something for you! A few weeks ago I discovered the free app called Whering. The app lets you digitize your wardrobe easily, categorize items, build outfits and learn about your personal wardrobe statistics. I’ve tried a few of these apps before, but none have come close to how easy and extensive Whering is (and it’s free!). How does it work? Take or upload a picture of an item. Whering automatically removes the background and uses AI to make suggestions about what type and color the item is, and suggests tags like “casual”, “festive”, etc. If needed, you can add changes manually. Once you’ve added a few items you can start creating outfits. If you were around when Polyvore was still a thing, you’ll enjoy this. You can add accessories and move around any items you add. And because Whering automatically deletes the background, it doesn’t even look that bad. Alternatively, you can live your Clueless dreams by scrolling or refreshing in the randomizer until the app makes something you would wear. And let me tell you this app has given me quite some ideas to wear some items I wouldn’t have otherwise paired together. You can also track your wardrobe and behavioral statistics. There is a diary function where you can add the outfit you wore that day. The app keeps track of which individual items you wear most, and which least, helping you become more conscious of which items work for you, and why. Depending on how much effort you put into detailing every single item in your closet, the personalized statistics can show you things like what the value of your whole wardrobe is, which percentage of your wardrobe you wear, which colors are most present, how much you have worn each item, your top brands, whether an item is second-hand or new, etc. In addition, you can create a collection should you want to plan ahead for a trip or if you want to sort your outfits according to seasons or occasions. As someone who considers fashion a hobby, I think this app is very useful, I mostly use it to organize my outfits, find inspiration for new ones and really try to make the most out of the clothes I have. Since I have collected quite some clothes over the years, some items make it to the back of my closet to be never seen again. Whering allows me to remember it’s there and rediscover and reintegrate items I’ve had for 6 years. The only downside I found is that it does take some time and effort to set it up. If you own a lot of clothes, you’ll be quite busy laying them all out properly and taking pictures, but once that’s done, you are good to go.

an article by Merel van Bommel.

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ion; h s a f t s ke fa i l s i x for i l f e m u s “Net n to co t n a w t ing o G . g you jus n i nsum o c f o e the sak an s i e s u o h to a film ska i z n a r F e." c n e i r e p ex

Elke: “Er hangt een haar aan je derriere” Elke: ”Ik heb ook letterlijk niet veel aan”

“Waarom vertel je mij wat ik moet doen, ik ben een freelancer!” “This reopen ing a few da ys afte r we went i s ook e cht brood in het frans" -Mere l

“Prikt jezus in je rug?” -Kai

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"pirates just feel gay" Anne

all e r a “We Sam ” s n chicke

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER KNUS QUOTES!!


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