Indigo 756

indigo

2 1 N O V

i

Justina Crabtree & Robin Marshall - indigo@palatinate.org.uk

2

INDIGO 3 MUSIC

Our interview with Crystal Antlers & the best of our album reviews

4 & 5 V ISUAL ARTS

Indigo surveys Lumiere and presents our favourites

6 TRAVEL

(Couch) surfing the web

7 FASHION

Lou Reed’s lasting impact on the world of fashion

8 & 9 STAGE

Our interview with Durham Opera Ensemble & a local performing arts group

1 0 & 1 1 FEATURES

A look at the state of British schools ‘Urbex’ explained

1 2 FILM & TV

The ‘Before’ series continues We recommend you watch this TV show about people who watch TV shows

1 3 BOOKS Would Fleming approve of this latest Bond novel?

1 4 & 15 FOOD Swedish snacking tradition

Durham has once more emptied of its biannual guests, as the last of the lights are switched off, the last of the fish recalled home, and the last of the dresses sent back to the runways from whence they came.

With significant hype surrounding the festival, and queues stretching seemingly to Gilesgate, we hope expectations weren’t too dimmed by the slightly lacklustre exhibition. With memories of 2011’s blinding success still imprinted on our minds, it’s hard not to see it in this light. Nonetheless, flick to Visual Arts for a recap of the festival, and to see what we really think about it.

And with the departing lights has been despatched any remaining hints of warmer seasons. As we’ve been busy battening down the hatches for the oncoming snow, we’ve found ourselves knee-deep in something else altogether, namely the question, ‘Where did the term go?’ We’re speeding ever closer towards essay deadlines and advent calendars, and thankfully they go very well hand in hand. We hope this edition of Indigo goes nicely with them, too.

If you haven’t seen it yet, we heartily recommend Channel Four’s new lowest-ofthe-low art form, a TV show about people watching TV. See Film & TV in order to dispel those no doubt looming doubts.

If you’re after other examples of culture, you could pick up the latest Bond novel instead, as recommended by Books. Meanwhile, Stage interviews a local not for profit performing arts organisation, as well as Durham Opera Ensemble, and Fashion surveys the impact of Lou Reed’s eccentricity on the fashion world.

And finally, like a slice of Parisian croissant, or a piece of heaven itself, we’re firm believers in the maxim ‘luxury is power’. After reading Travel, you too will be able to have both, and for less.

JC & RM

Cover photograph by Venus Loi For more arts and lifestyle articles please visit www.palatinate.org.uk

INDIGO EDITORS Justina Crabtree Robin Marshall BOOKS EDITOR Kate Wilkinson FASHION EDITORS Isobel Buckingham Katie Shuff FEATURES EDITOR Rohan Banerjee Francesca Jaworska (deputy) FILM & TV EDITOR Aalok Vora FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Diana Grant-Davie MUSIC EDITORS Larry Bartleet Sophia Smith Galer Jack Collins (deputy) STAGE EDITOR Emma Dawson TRAVEL EDITOR Philip Whitehead VISUAL ARTS EDITOR Lucy Edwardes Jones

WRITERS Rohan Banerjee Aaron Bell Isobel Buckingham Tim Callow Pip Christie Emma Dawson Jacqueline Duan Diana Grant-Davie Harry Granger Jack Hepworth Leina Kay Stephanie Lam Olivia Le Poidevin Sophia Smith Galer Nikki Toddhunter Aalok Vora Cordelia Yeung

PHOTOGRAPHERS Leon Brooks Paul Downey Matthew Duerden Lucy Edwardes Jones Andreas Ivarsson Stephanie Lam Megan Liardet Venus Loi Jessica Spengler Brook Ward

N D I G O

N D I G O

i

Larry Bartleet & Sophia Smith Galer (dept. Jack Collins) - music@palatinate.org.uk

MUSIC

3

2 1 N O V

arcade fire: reflektor

interview: crystal antlers

Arcade Fire burst onto the scene in 2004 with tracks about funerals and dancing, and have since mutated into one of the great ‘big music’ bands of the last decade. They now have a double album with a deliberate misspelling and a host of live shows under the moniker ‘The Reflektors’. You could pick up Reflektor in a record shop and mash your face against it in general irritation, but don’t: Win Butler and co. have reshuffled and let themselves loose. What they have done is so predictably creative it’s hard not to love them again.

Reflektor is all about the music. Rolling Stone billed it as Arcade Fire’s Exile on Main Street. But if Exile rocked ‘n’ rolled, Reflektor laces up its disco shoes and jives on the dancefloor. ‘Normal Person’ basks in and simultaneously renounces dirty rock music.

‘Here Comes The Night Time’ channels Butler’s love of Haitian music; the loose tempo shifts are natural and authentic. Standout track ‘Joan of Arc’ hinges on a hook that’s as catchy as it is French, before slithering like a disco snake into the second half of the opus.

It slithers like a disco snake

C

rystal Antlers make the sort of grungey, rabbleraising rock that only Californians seem to really know how to do. We speak to guitarist Andrew King about the band’s current tour and their new album, Nothing Is Real.

Firstly - how’s the tour going?

Well, the tour has been pretty good so far, considering the first three shows were in our home town. We have a few more local shows before we hit the road which begins in San Diego, California at the Soda Bar. From there, we head south, up the East Coast, through Canada, back down, then up, and down, and back up and across, bringing us to the West Coast.

We’re really looking forward to it.

What has it been like playing with Gogol Bordello?

It’s been great! They have some really nice people in the band. The crowds have been very receptive. It’s been a lot of fun. Good experience.

ond album stage. How is Nothing Is Real, your new and third album, different to your previous work? Tell us a little about it.

Well, Nothing Is Real was recorded mostly at Jonny’s [the band’s singer and bassist] studio where we practice and came up with most of our material for this album. Nothing Is Real was a lot of fun to make. It was very relaxed; having the space and all the time we needed to record, which makes a huge difference in the recording process. It was unlike recording some of our other albums where we may have been under a bit of pressure either from record labels or just the pressure in having to get everything recorded within a certain amount of time in someone else’s studio.

How do you think being Californian has affected your music? You use a lot of Californian imagery in your lyrics, new song ‘Rattlesnake’ being a brilliant example of that. What about musically?

It is true. Some of the band members have done some chimney sweeping from time to time. I’ve helped out a couple times. It’s a dirty job and very rewarding.

I guess it’s the culture out here. There is a lot of great stuff going on; art and music, which we are very interested in and support. We grew up doing some pretty standard Californian activities like skateboarding, surfing and listening to punk rock.

Jonny still surfs everyday. There are a lot of ways one can express themselves here in California which is what we are all about.

Where did the band name come from?

And finally, when will you be coming to the UK?

Nobody knows. [Ed: Andrew seems a somewhat elusive figure]

We should be coming to UK/Europe early next year.

See you soon!

Interview by Sophia Smith Galer Photograph by Touch and Go Records

Now a bit about your humble beginnings; is it true that you used to be chimney sweeps?

Congratulations on making it past the difficult sec-

The double album concept isn’t wasted either, with the two distinct halves seeing the album through its natural (if predictable) course. ‘Reflektor’ might have been the funky nightclub bouncer of disc one, but ‘Here Comes The Night Time II’ marks a return to the kitchen sink. Here the band becomes controlled and ‘reflektive’, while retaining something of the atmosphere of the first half. Disc two features a song suite that attends to the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, casting Win Butler and Régine Chassagne in the starring roles and allowing for some hazy ruminations on love, death and music.

The production, however, transforms the lyrics from dodgy poetry into something a little sleazier, but this is for the better. Parallels between Exile and Reflektor re-emerge in the dense and chaotic sound as Butler and his instruments jostle for position, making for thrilling listening. It’s like attending a grimy glam club, in which the house band is The Reflektors. Just don’t drink the tap water.

Story by Aaron Bell

2 1 N O V

4

Lucy Edwardes Jones - visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk

V I S UA L A RT S

i

N D I G O

lumiere 2013: a place beyond belief?

A nyone who has neglected to notice the Lumiere festival in Durham from the 14th – 17th November must either have lost the use of all sensory organs or have been driven to extreme reclusiveness by the bitterly cold northern winds. The festival has caused a significant amount of disruption to the already hectic running of the city, with roads closed, one-way systems implemented, traffic diverted, and seemingly infinite rows of orange cones lining every street around the city centre: but all a welcome disruption it would seem.

The multi-sensory combined with the interactive made the the festival hugely engaging In addition to the social benefits of hosting such an extensive and impressive event, Durham County Council claim that the 2011 Lumiere festival, despite costing £1.5m, brought £4.3m to the local economy.

Clearly a hugely popular event, 150,000 people came to the festival two years ago, and it is expected that even more will have attended this year.

Thursday saw coachloads of eager visitors descend on the city centre to spend the evening braving the steep gradient of Durham’s streets on the opening night. The festival consisted of a treasure trail of contemporary art installations scattered in various locations around the city centre. The pieces varied hugely in content, medium, and scale; from a telephone-box aquarium to a projection of the sun on a

giant balloon.

Yet, as suggested by the festival’s title, the installations were united by their common theme of light.

The artists have been innovative and varied in their use of this medium to illuminate the city for this spectacular and much-anticipated event.

Although the festival is essentially a celebration of light, there was also a noticeable use of sound across the installations. The crackling flames of ‘Solar Equation’, the overwhelming roars of ‘Elephantastic’ and the soft tweeting of ‘Sanctuary’ in St.Oswald’s churchyard are just a few examples of some of the sounds that contributed to the cacophony of noise.

The multi-sensory aspects combined with the interactive elements of the installations made the experience of the festival hugely engaging and accessible.

It is rare to find an art exhibition that can engage the interest of parents and snotty-nosed children, alike; even granny might brave shivering in the cold for a few hours.

To a certain extent, it did feel as though the exhibition had been transplanted into the heart of the city, and I wasn’t convinced by how well some of the works were integrated into their respective locations.

The ‘Consumerist Christmas Tree’ of plastic bags in Prince Bishop’s shopping centre and the ‘Solar Equation’ on the science site both succeeded in forming a dialogue with their surroundings. However, I was slightly bemused by the enormous elephant (with corresponding backside) residing above Elvet Bridge and the stained-glass Reliant Robyn (with a window dedicated to prince George) parked outside the entrance to Josephine Butler College.

Although they were interesting and entertaining as individual works, it is worth questioning the suitability of their location. Considering the disruption the festival has caused to the city, we should consider whether Durham is the most appropriate host for

this collection of contemporary works: what relevance did they have to the historical context of the city, and did the available locations allow the artists’ concepts to be fully realised?

It is for this reason that of all the works I experienced as part of the Lumiere festival, my personal favourite has to be the ‘Crown of Light’ by Ross Ashton. The work consisted of a fifteen-minute video of images from the Lindisfarne Gospel projected onto the side of the Cathedral and featured in both the 2009 and 2011 Festivals. I think it is precisely this relevant context that has made this particular piece so popular amongst visitors and residents, providing a magnificent and unique opportunity to explore an historic book so deeply rooted in the culture of Durham.

It is the relevant context of ‘Crown of Light’ that made this piece so popular among visitors Nathan Colley’s ‘A Place Beyond Belief’, is one of the more incongruous installations, created as a response to the 9/11 bombings. Yet onlookers seemed to be applying its title to the city as it glowed under the lights of the installations. Although I wouldn’t go as far as claiming that the festival has been ‘beyond belief’, it has certainly added an interesting and illuminating element to the historic city.

Story by Leina Kay

N D I G O

i

Lucy Edwardes Jones - visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk

V I S UA L A RT S

5

2 1 N O V

Photographs by Venus Loi, Megan Liardet and Lucy Edwardes Jones

solar equation

Ross Ashton’s ‘Crown of Light’ projected images of the Lindisfarne Gospel on to the side of Durham

O

ne installation of the Lumiere festival which attracted a lot of attention from students was the ‘Solar Equation’, a model of the sun hung directly above the Science Site. Initially unlit on Thursday night due to high wind speeds, the white globe was transformed into a captivating sight when lit by projectors on Friday.

Created by the electronic artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, the piece was originally commissioned for Federation Square in Melbourne.

Its original site was somewhat similar to the University Science Site; the Solar Equation was hung above the square with metal riggings and poles in an empty space between a circle of buildings.

Despite being set in an open space, the Solar Equation was an installation that offered an impressively immersive experience. From far away, viewers could not hear the sound effects of the piece, but the model of the sun still shone brightly against the dark backdrop of the evening and was a fascinating sight.

Seen in the late afternoon, the real sunset also gave the installation an extra layer of romance. The colours of the globe blended with the sky to

Luzinterruptus’ ‘Consumerist Christmas Tree’ lit Prince Bishops with plastic bag latterns

‘Elephantastic’ by Top’la Design was projected above Elvet Bridge, allowing visitors to walk below

form a beautiful but slightly surreal sight. Streaks of red running across the blue sky formed the backdrop of the installation, and it was almost as if the Solar Equation was causing the sunset.

mouthed wonderment, before smartphones were produced to capture this weird and wonderful sight.

For some viewers, this piece of work raises the serious issue of the need to harness solar energy. At the very least, the Solar Equation formed a charming sight and a reminder of the beauty of nature.

Solar observatory imaging technology from NASA and mathematical equations were used

Story and photograph by Stephanie Lam

The surface of sphere was lit by ten surrounding projectors, with constantly shifting colours and patterns; blood red backgrounds with spontaneous orange flares transitioned into a startling, pale yellow background dotted with dark grey spots.

Up close, varying sound complimented the changing hues of the installation. Ominous rumblings and roarings filled the viewers’ ears as if invoking the flowing of thick liquid.

What viewers may not have known is that the changing displays on the globe were not randomly created. Solar observatory imaging technology from NASA and live mathematical equations were used in an attempt to accurately bring the live conditions on the sun itself to viewers at Durham.

The installation clearly made an impression on students as they emerged from their lectures at the Science Site. There were audible gasps and open-

2 1 N O V

Philip Whitehead - travel@palatinate.org.uk

6

i

T RAV E L

N D I G O

parisian living, student spending Stephanie Lam tries couch-surfing to find the best of French hospitality for less

T

his summer I visited Paris with a friend, choosing to book accommodation through AirBnB – a couch-surfing website that allows users to create profiles and rent out their flats or spare rooms to travellers on a budget.

There were two reasons why I chose to do this: Firstly, you can get accommodation in city centre locations for half the price of an ordinary hostel. Most hosts do not seem interested in the extra cash – they are either keen travellers themselves who are sympathetic to the cause, or are curious to meet people from other parts of the world. Secondly, a few of my friends have travelled booking through websites like couchsurfing.org and testify to the fun, cultural experience of staying with locals eager to show off their home towns and cities.

Of course, it goes without saying that precautions have to be taken when using such websites to book accommodation. Checking reviews of hosts online, and then double-checking with other travellers is a must.

We stayed with a young couple in their late twenties,

Checking reviews of hosts online is a must living in a flat in the 16th arrondissement next to the Seine. Though the building oozed historical charm and pretty balconies adorned the exterior of every flat, the interior was very modern, complete with digital locks and a lift running up the original staircase.

The couple were seasoned hosts and travellers themselves, and thus warm and enthusiastic about helping.

My friend and I were welcomed in and shown into a quaintly decorated and tidy room, pictures of which we had seen on the hosts’ profile on AirBnB. I elicited a peal of shocked laughter after cautiously enquiring whether or not I could use one of the cereal bowls stored away in the kitchen cupboard. After that, we were asked whether it was our first time using AirBnB, and subsequently told that the general rule of thumb was to treat the hosts’ home ‘like our own’.

Though we had our own itinerary and knew what we wanted to visit, our hosts proved to be interesting company. After days spent exploring the city, we would return to the flat in the evenings to an enthusiastic greeting and many sincere questions about how our day had been. One of our hosts had grown up in America, and had only been living in Paris for four years, meaning that we were easily able to communicate with the couple through her English.

Whilst chatting, I learnt more about using AirBnB and couch-surfing, and even got some recommendations of specific hosts to stay with in Amsterdam, Germany and Italy.

For frequent travellers, word-of-mouth would be one way of securing hosts to stay with. On my trip,

we only saw our hosts when we were back at the apartment, but twice we were invited to parties they were attending – once, a French-style picnic which involved more wine than food (we were told), and the second time, to a bar overlooking Port Versailles.

Unfortunately, our priority was sleep as we had Musilac, a music festival in Aix-les-Bains, await-

The general rule of thumb was to treat our hosts’ home ‘like our own’ ing us after Paris. However, this excuse was met with faces designed to guilt trip us. When we insisted on staying in, it was suggested that we at least past the time in the company of copious amounts of wine.

The importance of the grand relationship between the French and their wine was one of the

greatest cultural lessons I learnt. That, and the lack of diffrentiation in the French language between ‘he’, ‘she’, and ‘it’, amusingly discovered when one of our hosts referred to my friend as ‘it’.

However, the highlight of my AirBnB experience was the sense of comfort I experiences during our entire stay in Paris; a direct result of our hosts’ trustworthiness and friendliness. Not only were we taken care of when staying at their home, but mobiles numbers were exchanged, with the encouragement to text if ever we needed help with the language, public transport or any other difficulty.

I would definitely recommend couch-surfing to anyone thinking about an adventure abroad. It’s budget travel with an enhanced cultural experience – what’s not to like?

Illustration by Sophie Pelissier

N D I G O

i

Isobel Buckingham & Katie Shuff - fashion@palatinate.org.uk

FASHION

satellite of style

7

2 1 N O V

Isobel Buckingham examines Glam Rock legend Lou Reed’s impact on mainstream fashion

I

don’t believe in dressing up reality. I don’t believe in using make-up to make things look smoother.’ Such is the gospel according to the original icon of Glam Rock, Lou Reed, who passed away on October 27th. Reed’s words could not have resonated more soundly with the aesthetic of both his music and his style. In fact, the singer’s incommensurable impact on popular culture was anything but smooth; labelled ‘dull’ in a scathing review by the L.A. Times (though it recently declared that Reed was ‘the king of downtown cool’) he was unruffled by the fact that, during its short lifespan, his band gained little recognition. Yet, whereas other Glam Rock icons, such as David Bowie or Marc Bolan, won over critics by re-inventing themselves as cross-dressing aliens, Reed preferred an understated, minimalist approach to his wardrobe, as well as his work.

As the frontman of one of the most influential cult bands in history, The Velvet Underground, Reed became known for his pioneering, rebellious style. Unlike David Bowie, whose alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust, born from his obsession with the theatrics of mime, gained such phenomenal power that for a while the mask threatened to eclipse the man himself. Reed’s look was rebellious, but never verged on the ridiculous. Amongst other frequenters of Andy Warhol’s Factory, Reed experimented with make-up, grew out his hair and was one of the first to pioneer PVC jackets, pairing them with aviators and ripped denim jeans in what was, for many, a disturbingly unfamiliar display of androgyny.

His androgynous style remains a constant pulse at the core of modern fashion His look an almost mythical melange of wayfaring biker and dishonoured goddess, Reed was also responsible for bringing cross-dressing to the forefront of popular culture. Listening to his song, ‘Make-Up’, from his second studio album, Transformer (its title itself a reference to the era’s unfixed sexual and gender boundaries), it doesn’t take much to imagine Lou fixing a heavily-painted eye on his audience as he declares, in his characteristically conversational singing style, ‘we’re coming out, out of our closets / Out on the streets.’ Daring his listeners to bend the strict post-war cultural stereotypes, Reed paved the way for Boy George, Duran Duran, and the surge of New Romantic subculture, inviting them to reject all correspondence between fashion and gender.

Indeed, David Bowie’s song, ‘Queen Bitch,’ on the 1971 album ‘Hunky Dory’ was written in tribute to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, who inspired him immensely and with whom he collaborated on many of his future projects. A quasi-

Doherty’s penchant for pork-pies and guy-liner), but has been adopted by female icons such as Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and others, re-categorised under the controversial label ‘heroin-chic’. The irony of females having picked up on Reed’s style, which in itself is a reworking of feminine typology, did not go unnoticed by him.

‘It’s funny,’ he once remarked, ‘I now see women doing the things that I was doing then, like painting patterns on their finger nails or toe nails and that really does make me laugh.’

Reed’s style was far from the carefully-mediated art form that Bowie’s and Bolan’s were; he one claimed that he strove to be the perfect backdrop to Warhol’s films, and that for this reason, he wore black almost exclusively throughout his time at the Factory. Reacting against the exaggerated personi of his Glam Rock contemporaries, part of the mysticism and awe surrounding Reed stemmed from the fact that he was unknowable, even to himself; ‘I don’t have a personality of my own,’ he bluntly told one interviewer. In Warhol’s 1966 silent film, entitled ‘Screen Test: Lou Reed’, Reed seems to blink expectantly at the spectator, as if waiting for them to prescribe an identity to the blank canvas of his features. folkloric fairy, enigmatic and anachronistic for all his classical elegance, Bowie ripped apart gender stereotypes, the threads of which the conservatism of previous movements in popular culture had preserved as new. Sneering in the face of preconceptions of ‘femininity’ as a prototype reserved solely for women, in ‘Queen Bitch’, Bowie seems to be taking Reed by the hand, and pointing a lacquered finger at the gulf that fashion had constructed to separate the genders.

‘Oh God, I could do better than that,’ he cackles.

In modern mainstream fashion, interpretations of Reed’s iconic, authentically Rock n’ Roll look is ubiquitous amongst women, as well as men; his signature style aesthetic (‘throw in some leather, a lot of black and sunglasses’) has come to define twenty-first century ideals of ‘cool’. Reed’s refusal to shamelessly self-project, whilst participating in the ground-breaking fashion-stereotype upheavals of the Glam Rock movement, such as the wearing of make-up, old-fashioned hats and women’s clothing, has become the uniform not only of today’s indie rock musicians (see Alex Turner’s aviators, or Pete

His look an almost mythical melange of wayfaring biker and dishonoured goddess The Guardian accompanied their article, reporting the death of Lou Reed, by a black-and-white photograph of the singer, taken by Michael Ochs for his album Cooney Island Baby in 1976. In it, Reed holds a bowler hat over half of his face; the exposed portion exhibits a half-smile of quiet resignation, his eye staring directly down the barrel of the lens. For all the theatrical glamour of Bowie’s post-apocalyptic vision surrounding the artwork for his Diamond Dogs album, in which he features sprawled across the cover, half-man, half-beast, Reed’s LP seems to evoke a certain honesty, a sense of vulnerability that is not often associated with Glam Rock as a fashion movement.

Nonetheless, the cover is particularly resonant with the candid, witty sincerity of his music, a quality which helped Reed to reach out to a generation of characteristically disenchanted, directionless young people, helping them to find meaning in a desolate landscape of political and cultural disillusion. His androgynous style remains a constant pulse at the core of modern fashion, reflecting ideals of gender-unity and cultural harmony; an objective never more effectively summed up than by his all-embracing lyrics, ‘please put down your hands, cause I see you / I’ll be your mirror.’

Photographs by Angelas Artworks & Sydney Opera House

2 1 N O V

Emma Dawson - stage@palatinate.org.uk

8

STA G E

we do not ‘park and bark’

i

N D I G O

Jacqueline Duan interviews Ben Craw and Rebecca Meltzer about Durham Opera Ensemble’s new production Darkness and Light, and how they aim to challenge many opera stereotypes by bringing the genre to a wider audience

W

ithout giving too much away, could you give a brief overview of your new show Darkness and Light?

Rebecca: This term’s production is based on a very well-known prayer by Francis of Assisi. We have given it the name Darkness and Light as it takes the audience through a series of contrasting emotional states, each negative state resolved in the following scene by its opposing positive. Our talented cast (which includes a record-breaking number of freshers) will be performing an assortment of solos, small ensembles and large chorus numbers, carrying the audience along a heartfelt journey, portrayed through the exquisite medium of opera.

I have heard that with this production there is a particular focus on moving away from the traditional stereotypes of opera. What are some of these stereotypes?

Ben: Opera is essentially like any other form of drama with extra dimensions added in. A play essentially has three dimensions: the space occupied on stage, unvoiced emotions, and the words used.

In opera these are present but alongside two extra musical dimensions: the pitch and the rhythm.

Whereas with a play one person finishes talking

before another starts, with an opera everyone can convey completely different things at once. Unfortunately, these two extra dimensions have rather dominated how opera has been produced over the past fifty years. Opera singers have been seen as rather large; they are thought to stand at the front of the stage and ‘park and bark’, and they are thought to be poor quality actors. Even though opera has changed radically in the past ten years, the stigma and image has not. It is seen as an art form that only old people seem to enjoy and pay an awful lot to do so. This stigma damages the reputation of, not only Durham Opera Ensemble, but also opera in general.

How will DOE challenge these stereotypes in Darkness and Light?

Rebecca: This innovative production will give all our singers the opportunity to explore the wide range of emotions that dominate in each scene.

It is remarkable to see how the issues explored in some of these scenes, written hundreds of years ago, are so relevant today. We are human and we love, hate, despair, and hope, as do the characters in the opera. With a production made up entirely of music and no spoken word, each cast member has the difficult challenge of conveying these pro-

found emotions through song. With such beautiful music and talented performers, I believe that some of the scenes in this production could move the stone cold hearts of the most cynical of opera critics.

What plans do you have for DOE in the future and how do you see the society evolving?

Ben: The Exec and I hope to get more people engaged with opera both in terms of performing and attending our shows. We want to make opera exciting and accessible and not archaic. As ever, DOE will be doing its big production in Castle Great Hall in February and we will be hoping to spread the good word about opera with a possible tour over the summer. As a society, we want our productions to get bigger and more popular, hopefully expanding into a larger venue like the Gala Theatre in Durham. That is the long-term aim.

But to do this, students cannot judge opera by an out-of-date stereotype anymore. We want people to judge our vibrant and unique performances for themselves.

Darkness and Light will be performed from November 29th to December 1st.

Photograph by Matthew Duerden

Jerusalem

Confusions

Murder Mystery

“Heralded as one of the best dramas of the new century and made famous by the iconic Olivier and Tony award-winning production starring Mark Rylance, this production is sure to be one of the highlights of the theatrical year.”

“Affairs, accidents, alcohol, pregnancies, perverts, priests, misogynists, malfunctioning microphones and more are all things that viewers can expect in these five short, hilarious plays all rolled up into one entertaining bundle guaranteed to have you roaring with laughter.”

“Murder Mystery is a fantastically unique production, set in the Victorian era and performed in a promenade style across a World Heritage Site. Audience members will be treated to Lady Dunelm’s hospitality with her butler, Cartwright, at their service. But this is no ordinary evening at the Castle …”

Hill College Theatre Companies’ Confusions will be performed from November 29th to 30th.

Castle Theatre Company’s Murder Mystery will be performed from November 29th to December 1st.

Thrust Stage’s Jerusalem will be performed from November 28th to 30th.

N D I G O

i

Emma Dawson- stage@palatinate.org.uk

S TAGE

young thesps

9

2 1 N O V

Cordelia Yeung speaks to Andrea Flynn, the director of Enter Community Interest Company, a nonprofit organization which uses performing arts to improve the aspirations of young people

S

ince opening their doors, Enter CIC has completed many large-scale performing arts projects. Students have performed on the largest stages with West End stars and TV celebrities, been placed in West End theatres for work experience and have garnered the support of MPs and many dignitaries. Enter CIC also produces and tours in theatres across the country and recently, they toured their homegrown musical, The Wind Road Boys, which was a massive success.

Currently, Enter CIC supports 200 young people on the rolling programme and hundreds more on the outreach programmes. The students study dance, singing, drama, music, media, technical theatre, and instruments, and gain BTEC and other nationally-recognised qualifications.

Growing up in County Durham, Andrea has twenty-five years of both professional and educational experience in the performing arts. In 2010, she discovered that there were many young people with ‘natural talent’ and ‘raw energy’ for the arts in South County Durham. With little provision for them to study theatre, she decided to develop a high-quality arts provision for students from ages three to twenty-five.

Formed by Andrea and Paul Flynn, Enter CIC ensures that young people, regardless of finance and background, could get involved in a performing arts curriculum. In order to run the programme, financial assistance was required, and Andrea applied for The Big Lottery Fund, securing funding for a three-year project. In September 2011, Enter CIC

began helping hundreds of students engage with the arts. The company offers training at little to no cost, giving students the real option of entering the professional industry. Enter CIC also trains volunteers with a view to create employment opportunities, simultaneously improving opportunities for at risk young people and encouraging teamwork.

Sometimes excellence is found in a surprising spark of inspiration.

Sometimes it is the destination at the end of a long, arduous road

Why are they called ‘Enter’? Andrea’s team works hard to help students in Ferryhill and nearby villages enter a new chapter in their lives and their community in a more contributive manner. They help students “enter a place that makes them exceptional citizens and outstanding role models to other young people.”

Andrea’s students are inspiring. Many of them do not have easy lives. Yet, their passion and theatrical

flair are second to none. Andrea is often told that “seeing is believing” when it comes to the students at Enter CIC. High-profile TV faces often cross their doors. Though visitors initially perceive Enter CIC to be merely a small community, the reactions on their faces say it all. Many end up in tears, looking at the staff in disbelief. I cannot say that, at the end of my visit (surely, the first of many), I did not say goodbye without watery eyes myself.

“Sometimes, excellence is found in a surprising spark of inspiration,” Andrea says of her students.

“However, sometimes it is the destination at the end of a long, arduous road.” Students at Enter CIC are grounded, compassionate, and eager to do well.

Anyone who meets them would be blown away by their manners, ability, and hardworking nature. Last month, the upper school rehearsed for 80 hours in a few weeks for a performance at Durham Cathedral. It is this dedication and commitment ensuring that they match and often surpass professional standards.

In 2014, Enter CIC commences their new production, a large-scale musical. They are looking for people to perform with their students as well as help with costume, makeup, backstage, singing, media, and marketing. Enter CIC is eager to develop a relationship with Durham Student Theatre and would love to hear from anyone interested.

To find out more about volunteering, send an email to Andrea (info@entercic.org) Photograph by Enter CIC

10

Rohan Banerjee - features@palatinate.org.uk

2 1 N O V

F EAT U R E S

reflective education

i

N D I G O

Rohan Banerjee provides a ‘comprehensive’ review of grammar schools

W

hile The Independent have taken to publishing articles about kidnapped llamas to speed up their slow news days, it seems that the broadsheets in this country remain a slave to something a little more high brow. Platforming a debate that’s so old it probably shares a birthday with Bruce Forsyth, Tim Wigmore’s latest piece on grammar schools in The Daily Telegraph, has opened up the usual furore over classism and the Eleven Plus.

As it’s been a similarly slow week here at Features, I thought I’d offer my two cents on something I’ve already donated more than a dollar’s worth to over the years. In fact, I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on social mobility through schooling.

The silver spoon fed product of a grammar school myself, I had initially viewed reinstating these now endangered red brick creatures, as something of a panacea for Britain’s educational gulf.

Since completing my dissertation, however, I’ve become far less naive. The shear cost of such a move would be enormous, while the process of selection itself is misguided; such is the Eleven Plus’ unforgiving rigidity, that many late bloomers could be overlooked. Group this with the fact that there are a number of top performing non-selective state schools and the case for a Tripartite system loses considerable momentum. For example, Thomas Telford School, a comprehensive in Shropshire, boasts a 98% pass rate at GCSE. Yet, wading into this quagmire of angry parents and even angrier journalists, I still consider myself to be for the most part ‘pro’ grammar. If the existence of some top performing comps is a stitch in the grammar’s side, then the fact that “England was ranked 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy out of 24 OECD countries,” (Wigmore) is definitely its second wind. There are only 164 grammar schools still in operation today, which means Britain’s poor performance is linked more with widespread comprehensives.

Although I’ve already conceded that selection is a bad thing, barring Thomas Telford and a few others, it’s clear to see that the comprehensive system has

not worked as well as the 1965 Labour government would have hoped. Moreover, The Daily Telegraph reported in January that as many as 170,000 pupils were at state schools found to be “failing” by Ofsted.

By contrast, the majority of the minority educated by grammar schools are regular infiltrators of The Russell Group and beyond. Indeed, if we adopt leavers’ destinations as a proxy, then the grammars stand out. Simon Langton Grammar School in Canterbury has sent over 150 students to The Russell Group in the last five years; while Dr. Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham has an annual Oxbridge admissions average exceeding double digits.

So, how can I be simultaneously against selection, yet critical of comprehensives? Just as grammar schools are not necessarily successful because of selection, most comprehensives are not necessarily unsuccessful because they don’t have an entrance exam. The answer lies in something far more complex - that is the qualitative notion of pastoral care.

Comprehensives risk succumbing to the facelessness of standardisation What Wigmore dismisses as “emotion and anecdote” or what The Guardian’s Fiona Millar attributes to “elitism,” is actually the biggest difference between selective and non-selective state education. Cast aside the Eleven Plus for a moment and consider something that most grammar schools have in common - infastructural parallels with the private sector.

Visiting my own alma mater recently, I stood in the oak-beamed dining hall, admiring the honours boards that hung proudly on the walls. My school was not a private school, but it was every bit as good as one, and it cost my parents absolutely nothing.

There was a competitive house structure and a set of ties to recognise different achievements, all part of a healthy culture of prestige. The school sent students of all backgrounds to the country’s leading universities and rivalled the local private schools in examination results ably.

However, the charter for much of comprehensive education is one bogged down by a misjudged ode to a mangled post-modernity. So much of the case for comprehensives or garishly prefrabbed sixth form colleges relies on reversing tradition; but that’s exactly where they’re going wrong.

In axing house systems or neglecting extra curricular activities, many comprehensives risk succumbing to the facelessness of standardisation. It’s as much psychological as anything else if there’s no motivation to excel.

Interestingly though, of the non-selective state schools that do perform well, four of the top five achievers recognised by last year’s league tables in The Independent, employed a competitive house system, while all five placed a huge emphasis on alumni links after leaving.

Further down the line, if we look at the most successful universities, both Oxford and Cambridge are built on very pastoral structures. Considering this, is it any wonder that our very own similarly collegiate university was recently found to have the best quality of life for students by a national newspaper?

I digress. It’s not the Eleven Plus that facilitates social mobility - if anything, that obscures it with certain parents being able to afford tuition - but nothing can be taken away from the benefits of a grammar’s educational style, which is committed to providing a structured and aspirational ethos about the school.

In the case of children whose parents are not necessarily academic themselves, this goes a long way toward bridging that gap.

Still, for my own part, don’t think there’s any incoherence in coming from grammar school stock and simultaneously opposing selection. I am privileged enough to have benefited form seven years of firstclass education, and to deny that opportunity to others seems profoundly immoral.

Chronicling my journey from advocate to apologist has been fun, but now I feel I should offer some solution. I suggest a compromised system that embraces all the framework of a grammar school without practicing selection.

And my ideological hybrid is not as incompatible as perhaps it sounds. Toby Young’s West London Free School is a giant step in the right direction of changing how state education is delivered. We should not underestimate the benefits of structure, nor shy away from the perceived primness of it all. There’s a reason Eton’s boy run societies have produced so many politicians. There’s a reason why schools with active debating societies produce so many lawyers.

Tim Wigmore is right to point out the failings of selection, but I won’t stand for any slight against the merits of a grammar school.

For more information visit: westlondonfreeschool.co.uk Photos by Paul Downey

N D I G O

i

Rohan Banerjee - features@palatinate.org.uk

F EAT U R E S

urbexplanation

11

2 1 N O V

MrsElvet

Nikki Toddhunter talks about Urban Exploration

R

everentially described as hauntingly beautiful or monuments to the passage of time, the scores of images of abandoned places - from cooling towers to entire towns - are often truly stunning. They are the result of a pursuit which is growing in popularity: urban exploration or “urbex” for short.

To some, urbex is breaking and entering by another name. Frequently, the abandoned places explored are private property or deemed unsafe in some way, making them dangerous or illegal to enter. However, most urbex enthusiasts take care to leave structures as they find them, and the intention behind their entry is innocent - thrill seeking, historic or photographic interest.

Not all urban exploring has the glamour of grandiose abandoned theatres, mysterious bunkers or the beautiful reclamation of an abandoned house by the forest around it, that appear in Buzzfeed round ups; but the first-hand effect is often just as poignant. My own initiation into urbex came while visiting friends in Buxton, where we investigated a disused community college.

It was certainly no feat of architecture, but the shock of seeing how quickly a modern building had deteriorated was surprising. Having come from my own sixth form buildings at home, with shiny new extensions and the hustle and bustle of 350 students, it was as if I was exploring the future of my own school. It’s a hackneyed sentiment that the students are the lifeblood of any educational establishment, but this building certainly felt eerily lifeless.

Some of the rooms could have been the sets of horror films - the hair and beauty department was particularly creepy, with a room crammed full of disorganised mirrored hairdressing stations that made you jump at your own reflection. Then there was the nursing department, complete with genuine rusty medical implements. Needless to say, we left the vocational wing fairly swiftly after that.

We paused for a few minutes in a languages classroom where an open drawer held tapes of students’ Spanish oral exams. The tape-player on the desk turned out to still be working , and it was strange to hear the solitary, stilted voice of one Spanish student fill the room where only a few years ago there must have been a hive of teenagers laughing, shouting and

gossiping. I kept the tape as a memento when we left; until then, my heart had been set on one of the fire exit signs, but the tape seemed far most fascinating (not to mention easier to take home inconspicuously on the train).

There were some accommodation blocks, which had been left like a student-halls version of the Marie Celeste - frying pans, textbooks, even clothes and bedding strewn around the rooms. A common room was stripped of everything except a mattress and an old TV with the screen smashed in. There was evidence everywhere of squatters, past and possibly present, which added a slightly nervous frissant to every new door opened and corner turned.

Unlike the abandoned monasteries or storm drains which often feature in urbexing posts online, most places available to explore locally are not as isolated as they might appear. This was brought home to us sharply when we saw what looked like a demolition firm’s van pulling up in the car park and men, presumably carrying out some sort of survey, entering the building.

This prompted a frantic rush back through the labyrinth of classrooms and corridors, hopping very suspiciously over the fence into a residential street where we almost flattened a dog walker.

My urbex anecdotes slowly became just that: fun stories, trotted out on nights at the bar or in a game of ‘never have I ever,’ without much concern for why we did it or what it meant. Getting that pilfered tape out now and playing it again, made me remember how I felt, sneaking around an abandoned college.

It was a step beyond being in school after hours working on an art project - it was a feeling of being alien to a place that was entirely new, made stronger by the familiarity of the purpose and style of the building. Walking around was like a mystery novel, uncovering clues of who had been there before us. Flicking through exercise books and reading the graffiti on the bathroom walls, surrounded by detritus and boarded up windows, it felt as if the place had been deserted for a century, when in reality it had been only a few years.

My urbex adventure was a stark physical reminder of how quickly things that seem so permanent in our youth can fade away and become obsolete.

Photo by Brook Ward

Some say that all she drinks are Hatfield Ticklers. Others have heard that she bathes in the Weir each morning at dawn. All we know is that she’s the first point of call for college catashtrophes and Durham dramas...

Dear Mrs Elvet, I ran up to a stranger’s window on Halloween, assuming it was a student house, and roared to scare the people inside but unfortunately a family lived there instead. Should I go back and apologise? Am I terrible person?

Conscience Stricken – Aidan’s “I don’t know why you’re contacting me about such sordid matters but I will be truthful. I don’t think that there is any real value in being good. So while you are indeed a terrible person, it would be a dreadful waste of time if you spent a single moment worrying about this fact. Apologising would also be a foolish course of action as you would almost certainly (and quite rightly) be beaten to within an inch of your life by the children’s parents.”

Dear Mrs Elvet, Why is life at Durham University so very trivial?

Unenthused – Mary’s “Trivial? I think not, darling. I led a perfectly deep and meaningful life while I was a student at Durham, doing all the important things - clubbing, going to bars, shopping and having many a liaison.

Dear Mrs Elvet, I feel alienated at Formal Dinners. The primness of them just really doesn’t float with my working class roots. How can I feel more integrated without forgetting where I come from?

Alienated – Castle “Urgh.”

By Emma Dawson and Rohan Banerjee Illustration: Harriet-Jade Harrow

12

Aalok Vora - film@palatinate.org.uk

2 1 N O V

F I L M & TV

before it’s too late

i

N D I G O

Why the ‘Before...’ series could be the greatest trilogy of all time

S

ome believe the cinematic world is facing a crisis; a dearth of original thought and writing being translated to the screen. Once a cash cow has been spotted it is milked dry and we are inundated with many sub-par adaptations, remakes and endless sequels. But amongst this preponderance of banality there exists a recently completed triptych which Mark Kermode reckons to be, perhaps, the ‘greatest cinematic trilogy’. The work he holds in such high regard is Richard Linklater’s ‘Before...’ series of: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and this year’s Before Midnight.

Their exceptionality is apparent for many reasons, chiefly the organic nature of their production.

Linklater did not intend for the first, Before Sunrise (1995), to lead to a single sequel, let alone two. It was a simple but well executed romance, propelled by the chatty characters of Jesse and Celine, played

by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy respectively. Their love was fleeting and, as such, they could revel in the simple pleasures and passions of their romance, avoiding the turmoils and fickleness of a more drawn out relationship. Its ending, without spoiling it for the uninitiated, is the stuff of a romantic’s dream - the perfect coupling of youthful hope and foolishness. Though the script was credited to Linklater and his writing partner Kim Krizan, it is now accepted that Hawke and Delpy fleshed out the writing with their own input and dialogue. In doing so they inserted their own burgeoning chemistry into the writing, resulting in an ineffable natural swagger wherein we believe we are genuinely watching the precise moments a couple falls in love with each other.

Linklater, Hawke and Delpy let nine years pass, in both reality and plot, before bringing a sequel to the screen. Having worked on various scripts and and versions of a story prior to the filming of Before Sunset (2004) they let the ideas muster and gestate until they believed they were ready to be told.

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as Jesse and Celine

As Hawke said, ‘It’s not like anybody was begging us to make a second film. We obviously did it because we wanted to.’ The natural lapse of time shows in the still sparky speech between the two of them. Their romantic idealism, diluted by the wash of time, still exists but is wary and hesitant rather than full blooded and generous. These are characters who are affected by the vagaries of time just like any person, yet they are rooted in a universal sense of hope tempered by regret.

Before Midnight (2013), picks up the story another nine years down the line. It must contend with 18 years of expectation, fulfillment and disappointment. If we previously found Jesse and Celine naively idealistic and then cautiously optimistic, Midnight finds them battling with realism. Yet the key

Photograph courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

to the beauty of the films remains the wonderful depth of character to be found in their articulate yet increasingly strained conversation.

If we liken film to the images on a cave’s wall, only partially illuminated and not wholly reflective of ourselves, then the ‘Before...’ series is great cinema.

They tease and toy with an ideal romance but anchor it in the reality of disappointment. As the children of our memory we are prone to fantasy; a fantasy that proves fallible in the face of our imperfect reality. Jesse and Celine’s relationship, throughout the three films, depicts this beautifully.

Story by Aalok Vora

watching the watchers

Leon & June enjoy a spot of television.

Photograph courtesy of Channel 4

As a student it is easy to view television as porridge for the mind. Filler material in your daily routine.

However every now and again a really gripping or amusing piece of programming asserts itself as a date in the calendar. Gogglebox at 10.05pm on a Wednesday night is definitely one of them.

On the face of it, a television programme depicting other people watching television sounds an abysmally poor premise. Another instance of Channel 4 scraping the ideas barrel. But no, for once the Channel 4 think-tankers can revel in the creation of a unique and enticing televisual feast, head and shoulders above the “I am so fat I need a crane to get out of bed” and “How about some intercourse in a box?” mold of Channel 4 documentaries to date.

Gogglebox may be the funniest show that television has offered for my consumption this year. From the cutting dead-pan humour of the gay hairdressers Christopher and Stephen to the steadily drunker and drunker antics of posh couple Stephanie and Dominic as their evenings progress, this programme has, more than any other in quite a while, had myself and my housemates in hysterics of rau-

cous laughter.

The show is also a fascinating exploration of the human condition and human psyche. For me this is best captured by retired couple Leon and June who amuse us through their endless bickering and irritating each other but when the topic of death arises from one of the television shows, Leon is too upset at the thought of his wife dying that he refuses to discuss it. This is just one example, but throughout this show we not only enjoy the highlights of the reactions of a range of people to a set of otherwise fairly mundane TV shows but we are also immersed in the lives of people, in a way different to any other ‘reality’ show. So I implore you to slot Gogglebox (Channel 4, at 10.05pm) into your weekly calendar as a special treat amid the troughs of TV grain and buckets of work. You wont regret it, I don’t think.

Story by Harry Granger

N D I G O

i

Kate Wilkinson - books@palatinate.org.uk

13

BOOKS

2 1 N O V

solo: a james bond novel Jack Hepworth reviews William Boyd’s latest contribution to the Bond tradition

W

illiam Boyd is not the first post-Fleming novelist to add a new episode to the legendary James Bond series. It is a task to which the likes of Kingsley Amis, Jeffery Deaver and Sebastian Faulks have, over the years, turned their respective pens. Few of Fleming’s would-be emulators can, however, have produced a work as authentic in its hero’s characterisation as William Boyd has done in Solo.

The evocation of voilence in Solo goes beyond Fleming’s usual territory Boyd’s Bond is every bit as enigmatic, prickly, single-minded and troubled as Fleming’s. But Boyd has managed that tricky task of keeping Bond relevant with remarkable success, a transition made all the more convincing by a vividlycast plot oozing with deception, desire, thrills and twists. This is an unashamedly typical Bond adventure, with all the hallmarks of Fleming’s work: the striking villains, the glamorous girls, the gadgets. But Solo is all the better for its faithfulness to the tried and tested. This is the framework of the classic Bond novel of old, judiciously tweaked by an established writer at the peak of his powers.

Much of the novel is set in the fictional West African state of Zanzarim, where a bitter civil war has broken out, the stakes raised higher by the presence of oil in the region. Bond is dispatched to try and find a way of bringing the conflict to an end, in order to protect British interests. 007 is, at this time, troubled by memories of his own service in the Second World War, afflicted by nightmarish visions of the way he “stared death in the face” during combat.

Mercifully Boyd has not, however, created the sort of grey, tortured Bond that so many abysmal films have portrayed over the past decade or so.

For all his sub-surface trauma, there is humour and mischief in Boyd’s Bond On the contrary, for all of his sub-surface trauma, there is humour and mischief in Boyd’s Bond.

Early in the novel, Bond teases a love interest by

infiltrating her home and leaving an ambiguous note on her dressing table. The 007 of Solo is not short of curt one-liners, either, not least in his combative yet flirtatious exchanges with the intriguing Blessing Ogilvy-Grant, a character whose many faces form one of the book’s most dynamic – and, indeed, thrilling – themes.

Boyd’s villain is no less impressive, either. The ruthless warlord Kobus Breed – “the man with two faces” – lends to the work an air of impending danger, with a weeping eye and “two small round scars like a stamped umlaut.” The author brings all of his personal experience to bear in his chapters set in Africa, evoking memorable settings and scene-stealing characters, such as the holy man whose incantations inspire the secessionist belligerents as they go into battle. “The fetish priest arrived and proceeded to ‘immortalise’ the troops, spraying liquid from his magic gourd through his bared teeth at them, and flicking at them with his horsehair whisk.”

The success of Solo in evoking so many vastly disparate settings owes a great deal to Boyd’s efficient yet delightful use of language. From the dismal Bayswater shops – a “shabby parade” with “grimy plate glass windows” – to the Zanzarim villages, with their “unfaltering savannah scrub and occasional trees”, the lucidity of Boyd’s prose gives great vibrancy to the adventure. Indeed, the evocation of violence in Solo goes beyond Fleming’s usual territory. The grim fate of one unfortunate character is described by the way that “thick pink bubbles formed and burst, popping quietly as his lungs emptied.”

With a brisk tempo and consistently sharp dialogue, the narrative follows, for the second half of the novel, Bond’s personal motivations to explore the mysteries which connect this violent West African conflict to an obscure charity appeal in London. “The punishments for going solo were draconian. Bond smiled to himself – he didn’t care. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.” Bond’s personal drive is reflected by the increasing pace of the action as the story progresses and the plotting grows more elaborate.

Solo is all the better for its faithfulness to the tried and tested

It is brave to dare to pen a 007 novel, but by staying true to Fleming’s conception of Bond – ruthless, charming and effective – Boyd has provided for himself a reliable base upon which to build his gripping plot and enticing characters. Here is a novel which, one suspects, Fleming himself might have enjoyed.

Photograph by Skinbops via Flickr William Boyd’s Solo: A James Bond Novel was published in September by Jonathan Cape

14

2 1 N O V

f p

i

Diana Grant-Davie - food@palatinate.org.uk

FOOD&DRINK

N D I G O

le connoisseur de toasties

After struggling with the trials of home cooking, Tim Callow recounts his love affair with the humble toastie

B

efore returning to Durham this year, I treated my parents to a fry-up to ease their fears that I might not be able to cope with the demands of cooking for myself. Despite my best endeavours, their doubts were not quashed – they even dared to comment on the lack of nutrients such a diet might provide. I, however, did not share their sense of unease, knowing I had a friend that could always be relied upon: the toastie machine.

For me, the toastie has always represented more than an easy meal. It a safe haven where I can retreat if the thought of cooking is too traumatic.

Last year, I was elected into the prestigious position of Health & Safety Officer for the St Aidan’s College Shop, a role which presented me with the unique opportunity to perfect my skills as a toastie artist. They say you never forget your first shift, and I wish I could extinguish the memory.

It was the Halloween ‘Megaformal’, and hundreds of intoxicated students were craving that sacred combination of molten cheese encased in crisp bread. The pressure was unbearable. Reflecting on the experience, I realise it is a rite of passage that any toastie maker must endure if they are to be successful.

No longer restricted to the shop’s selection, I have indulged in a variety of bread and filling combinations this year. Having discovered the delightful intensity of Tesco’s extra-mature cheddar, the thought of returning to the shop’s so-called ‘mozzarella’ is unappealing. I have also experimented bread-wise (with varying degrees of success). The wholemeal pitta is a revelation. However, a serendipitous discovery could prove to be the most revolutionary of all: cheese on the outside of the bread, a particularly thrilling experience in the vicinity of

a fire alarm.

As much as I love toasties, I recently found myself pining for a more varied diet, forcing me to expand my repertoire: I can now boast a formidable tomato pasta. But I have by no means deserted the toastie; it still comprises the majority of my meals.

As Robert Browning once remarked, “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” Imagine how he would have reacted to a toastie.

Fancy something a little more adventurous than ham and cheese? Durham graduate and food blogger Pip Christie has a few suggestions up her sleeve.

Avocado, honey and sea salt toastie Ingredients 2 slices bread of choice 1 small ripe avocado Honey A pinch of sea salt Method Spread the honey over one of the pieces of bread (the exact quantity depends on how much of a sweet tooth you have, though this receipe shouldn’t require too much). Hollow out the avocado, thinly slice and layer over the honey, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and toast.

Apple, cinnamon and peanut butter toastie Ingredients 2 slices bread of choice (brioche could work well here)

1 apple 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar 1 tablespoon peanut butter Method Slice up the apple and place in a microwaveable bowl. Mix in 1/2 tablespoon water, along with the sugar and cinnamon. Microwave for 60 seconds on high, or until the apple is nice and soft. Spread the peanut butter evenly across the bread, top with the apple and toast!

The sugar in this recipe could be swapped for healthier alternatives such as honey, a little maple syrup or agave nectar.

Take care with the ingredients on your peanut butter. So many don’t have a very high percentage of peanuts actually in them (you want it as near to 100% as possible) and have lots of oils added instead. Meriden, who do a range of different nut butters, and Peanut Butter & Co. tend to be the best.

A final healthy toastie tip Toastie ‘bags’ are cheap to buy and mean that you can easily make a toastie in the toaster, eliminating the need to use butter as an anti-stick for the toastie maker/frying pan.

Read Pip’s blog at www.cherriesandchisme.wordpress.com Photograph by Jessica Spengler

N D I G O

i

Diana Grant-Davie - food@palatinate.org.uk

FOOD&DRINK

magnifika!

15

2 1 N O V

Forget cream teas – instead, Olivia Le Poidevin urges you to indulge in a Swedish snacking tradition

I

t’s nearly December and you’ve reached the uncomfortable point where one too many college potatoes have certainly made an impact on your waistline.

Fear not! Swedish cooking is on hand to offer a healthy and affordable alternative! The Nordic diet has been widely praised for its health benefits, and thanks to its tantalizing flavours, the global status of Scandinavian cooking is on the rise.

If you’re looking for some new ideas for your university cookbook, or even visiting Sweden for the first time, here’s your student guide to the nation’s gastronomy.

Swedish cooking is known for its unique ‘clean palate’. The Swedes are masters in keeping seasoning simple. Food is fresh and seasonsal, and therefore low in cost.

A crucial part of your Swedish culinary education is discovering the fika phenomenon. In its most basic translation, fika equates to what we know as a coffee or tea break. To the British, this usually consists of overly milky tea accompanied by a soggy digestive biscuit, lasting ten to fifteen minutes of the working day. The Swedish equivalent could not be more different.

Fika is a fundamental part of a Swede’s quotidian lifestyle. It is not unusual to have three or four of these breaks daily, with frequent cups of black coffee and sugary snacks ridding the need for lunch.

However, as a student, one of the best things about the fika tradition has to be its affordability.

Being the world’s second largest coffee consumer, Sweden’s supermarkets offer an impressive range of coffee at very reasonable prices. Take a leaf out of a Swede’s book and make a thermos-flask of coffee to last you the day, cutting your costs by a good £4.00.

Arguably, the top two fika sweet treats (fikabröd) are ‘kanellbullar’ (cinammon buns) and ‘kokosbolle’ (coconut balls). These sugary treats have captured the hearts and stomachs of so many that they even have their own celebratory day, the 4th October.

If this has tickled your tastebuds, then why not try Indigo’s very own authentic recipe for coconut balls.

They not only make delicious afternoon snacks but are also low in fat, so you can nibble guilt free!

Coconut balls Preparation time: 20 mins Total cooking time: 1hour 20 mins.

Makes 60 balls Ingredients 600ml oat meal or rolled oats 200g butter or margarine 200ml sugar 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar or 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

6 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder 1/3 cup of coconut flakes 6 tablespoons freshly brewed or instant coffee (ideally cold) Method 1. Place butter in a pan to melt. (If you’re short on time, just pop it in the microwave.)

2. Mix the vanilla sugar or vanilla essence with the plain sugar and cocoa powder.

3. Pour in the oats.

4. Slowly add the coffee.

5. Gently pour in the butter and mix everything together using a spoon or your hands. The desired result is a thick, but not too sticky batter. Remember, you can always add more oats or coffee to the mixture if it is too runny or too sticky.

6. Scoop out the mixture using a tea spoon to create each individual ball.

7. Start pinching and rolling the balls. You want them to be even and perfectly round.

8. Sprinkle the coconut flakes over the balls.

9. Place in the fridge to set for 1 hour. If you’re really impatient, they’re just as good to eat straight away!

Photograph by Andreas Ivarsson Above by Leon Brooks

Sudoku courtesy of sudoku-puzzles.net Illustration by Celestine Fraser