Glass Issue 11: Reset - 2021

Glass QUT GUILD

Issue 11 04-2021

RESET

IN THIS ISSUE: BODY POSITIVITY, CREATIVE CAREERS AND FINDING YOUR CROWD

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Why Glass?

Glass exists as a point of accountability and information to the QUT student body. We are here to navigate you through changes to your education, cultural resets and university life. We are here to be angry alongside you for pertinent issues and celebrate your successes. Like glass, we are transparent and here to provide clarity. We hope you enjoy the issue.

COVER IMAGE: QR CODE TO QUTGLASS.COM

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Acknowledgement of Country Glass Media and the QUT Guild acknowledge the Turrbal and Jagera peoples as the First Nations owners of the lands where QUT now stands. We pay respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging, their lores, customs and creation spirits. We recognise that these lands have always been places of teaching, research, learning and storytelling.

Glass Media and the QUT Guild acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples play within the Meanjin community.

Cultural Warning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following magazine may contain references to deceased persons.

Disclaimer Glass Media informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this issue of Glass belong solely to the author, and not necessarily express the views of GLASS Media or the QUT Guild.

Editors’ Letter

THE GLASS EDITORS EM READMAN ELLA BRUMM TOM LOUDON CHRISTINA SIMONOSKI

Dear Glassies, In this edition, we’re taking the time to reset

online community. While we are absolutely

and reflect on the year that was. The COVID-

thrilled to bring print distribution back to

19 pandemic got the better of all of us at times

Glass, the online space has become an integral

and changed the way we interact with work,

part of how Glass operates. Scan the QR code

study, and our loved ones. But it’s a new year

on the front of this copy to visit our website and

of new beginnings, and already we’re knuckling

see regular contributions, as well as a virtual

down — some even at in-person classes again.

copy of this issue.

Overall, it seems things have returned to normal for those in Queensland, albeit with

This edition shows the world through the lens

a few changes from the ordeal that was 2020.

of our contributors: you! We take a look at the

Over the past year, we have experienced reset

arts and industry, at culture, and at University

after reset after reset – cultural, practical and

life and wellbeing. To first time readers,

emotional.

welcome! Glass is a home for all QUT students.

Sometimes glass breaks, and sometimes our

We look forward to seeing you around online

plans fall apart, but this is never the end. It is

and at events as we go through the year

only a new beginning. Glass, as a magazine, has

together.

always been about transparency and resilience.

We are excited to bring this to you in print and

As we approach the mid-semester break, we

digital form, with Tom, Christina, Ella and Em

combine the difficulty with the relief; the

holding the fort as your 2021 editors.

stress with the relaxation. We look beyond the QR codes, the social distancing, and the

As always, we are incredibly grateful for our

hand sanitiser to the new beginnings and new

online engagement. The Glass team in 2020

horizons. The worst is past us now, and we look

was pushed into the online space and worked

forward to sharing this journey of healing and

to build the primary viewership of Glass as an

learning with you all.

As always, with love.

The Glass Team.

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Sometimes glass breaks, and sometimes our plans fall apart

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President’s Letter WRITTEN BY OLIVIA BRUMM

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An air of cautious optimism hangs over the start

Also, get involved. I know its a cliché and

of 2021, the year of the global reset. Hopefully, a

something you’re told to do every year, but the

lot of smaller micro resets will also follow, from

difference getting involved in university can make

personal to financial, academic and social. The

on your experience is astronomical. University is

chaos of last year had so many of us suspended in

about so much more than just going to classes and

a hyper-vigilant state. Uncertainty breeds anxiety,

accruing credit points. Forming connections and

and last year delivered uncertainty in spades.

establishing networks while you’re at uni can be an

Starting university can be super daunting at the

incredible stepping stone for your future career.

best of times. Still, amid all the exhaustion and

Joining a club or society can help you discover

confusion of the previous twelve months, it’s more

new interests or hobbies you never knew you’d

difficult now than it has been before. Whether

enjoy. Volunteering or mentoring can develop your

you’re coming back after a year of demotivating

skills and build confidence. Getting involved in

online learning or embarking on the start of

student politics can destabilise your interpersonal

your university journey with the anxiety of the

relationships, batter your self-esteem and enliven

government’s Job Ready Graduates legislation

a stoic bitterness in you that you never knew

looming over you, ready to knee-cap your long-

you possessed progress your leadership and

term financial stability at the first opportunity,

advocacy skills.*

it’s a hard time to be a university student. But I also hope it’ll be exciting, and settling back into a routine of on-campus classes and freedom to attend social events will, at the very least, provide more normalcy and less stress.

The long and short of it is that you’re paying more for your education now than university students have ever had to before, and with the economy not looking so flash hot for the foreseeable future, you may as well squeeze every last drop of value out of

To help, I’m going to give you the same advice

it that you can get. If you ever need help figuring

that I’ve been given five years in a row now since I

out exactly how you want to get involved, head

started at university: get organised and get into a

over to our website www.qutguild.com and check

routine right from the start of the semester. Any

out the different opportunities, clubs, bars, social

classes that you have on campus, go to them. Put

sports and societies you can immerse yourself in

aside time every week to do something fun with

on campus.

friends or family. Schedule time in to maintain both your mental and physical health so that when you get to the pointy end of the semester, those basic everyday things are well established in your routine and remain a priority. It’s probably ethically important that I disclose at this point that I personally have never been able to successfully incorporate this advice into my own life. But that

*(In all seriousness though, student politics has been an incredibly difficult but also incredibly rewarding experience that has transformed my university life and given me a diverse professional skill set that I would have struggled to acquire anywhere else at this age – definitely get involved come election time).

renders it no less cogent. In fact, the state of my life at the moment without a set routine is probably the greatest endorsement for this method of stability.

Plus, I’ve seen first-hand the benefit it’s had for others.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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Spotlight

Contents

QUT Taekwondo...................... 11

GLASS

Coffee Map Coffee Tour of QUT.................12

Non-Fiction Australian Film History in the Time of COVID-19....................17 Finding the Right Crowd at University................................ 34 Miffy and Friends at QUT: Colourful nostalgia during COVID-19..................................39 An Epiphany: How 2020 changed my relationship with my body...........................48 Finding Beauty in the Mundane....................................51

Poetry

Stories

Loop...........................................28

Spoons......................................25

Echoes.......................................29

Boys on Trains........................ 44

Time Travel.............................. 30 I can only remember that I can’t remember.............31

Art Julienne Pancho................27/32

Interview On Creativity and Curating an Arts Career PostGraduation: An interview with Myf Halton ................................21

Book Review What’s it Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? is the Next Casual Read for the Curious..............52

Queer Room On Community, Safe Spaces, and Art: The QUT Guild Queer Lounge......................................58

Sariah Christensen..................35 Fatima Buksh.................... 42/43

Academic Misconduct Understanding Academic Misconduct...............................55

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QUT CLUBS SPOTLIGHT

Taekwondo Taekwondo is a form of Korean martial art

Taekwondo and cater to members of all skill

that emphasises kicking, self-defence and

levels. We are equipped with a range of gear to

fitness. Training in martials arts is important

facilitate training in all aspects of Taekwondo

to strengthening body and mind while helping

including poomsae, sparring and self-defence.

you stay calm when faced with stressful situations. If only there was somewhere on campus to train in this amazing sport with likeminded people…

We also run weekly social events throughout the semester with the help of our sponsors. So, if you need a break from study to go mountain climbing, bowling or sing some karaoke, we’ve

Oh wait, there is!

got you covered!

QUT Taekwondo is a social sporting club

If you’re interested in joining or have any

dedicated to promoting physical activity and

questions for the club, contact us through our

friendship through martial arts. Our club

Facebook Page: QUT Taekwondo

organises weekly training sessions at Kelvin Grove campus that cover a variety of styles of

QUT CLUBS SPOTLIGHT

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Coffee Map KELVIN GROVE

1.

B+C Lab

STALKERSPACE CHOICE

2. Brewed Awakening 3. Beadle’s on The Quad 4. Menagerie 5. CoCozy Cafe 6. The Boy’s House of Coffee 7.

Cafe Artease

8. Mean Beanz 9. Earth & Steam

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QUT KELVIN GROVE

STALKERSPACE CHOICE

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QUT GARDENS POINT 14

STALKERSPACE CHOICE

Coffee Map GARDENS POINT 1.

Gerbinos

2.

The Pantry

3.

Merlo’s Coffee

4.

Raw Press

5.

Zeus

6.

Lady Harriet’s (Formerly Artisan’s)

7.

Cafe on The Goodwill Bridge

8.

The Garden’s Club

9.

QUT Depot Cafe (Bookshop Cafe)

STALKERSPACE CHOICE

COFFEE MAP

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Australian Film History in the Time of COVID WRITTEN BY TOM LOUDON & PROF. MARK RYAN

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In the month of February, Australian films

the film industry has continued to produce

became the top three box office earners for

movies and now we’re seeing the rewards of

the first time in local cinema history, according

that with Australian audiences able to go back

to Screen Australia.

to the cinema but the films being screened are

The Dry, starring Eric Bana and directed by

largely Australian.

Robert Connolly topped box office earnings

Q: How will the domestic film industry be

with over $17 million AUD.

able to ride the wave of recent popularity of

Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts and

domestic films?

directed by Glendyn Ivin has raked in over

Mark: In short term the success of these films

$4 million AUD.

may lead to further investment in other films

Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s High Ground, starring Simon Baker and Jacob Junior Nayinggul has earned nearly $2 million AUD. I reached out to the QUT film faculty to gauge what this means for the Australian film industry and future QUT graduates and got in contact with Associate Professor Mark Ryan from Film, Screen, and Animation.

Q: What does this mean for the domestic film industry?

Mark: It means that for the first time in the history of Australian cinema, arguably since the early days of silent cinema in the early

by these creative teams and there may be an increase in international investment in Australian films.

“Recent success of Australian films at the Australian box office are directly attributable to the pandemic...”

1990s and the Australian bushranger movies, the top-5 and the most popular films being

However, we have to be careful not to read into

viewed at the domestic box office are all

this too much because once Hollywood gets

Australian films.

back to production and other international

Q: How much of this result can be attributed to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the rise of streaming services?

industries also recover from COVID there will be an increase in films released in Australia again. So, although this trend doesn’t necessarily mean there’s been a massive

Mark: Recent success of Australian films at the

turnaround in the successive Australian films

Australian box office are directly attributable

in cinemas, it does show that Australian

to the pandemic. As a result of COVID-19 there’s

audiences will watch Australian movies given

been a massive impact on the production

the chance.

of Hollywood movies and the release of international movies into the Australian market more generally. So, because parts of Australia have been COVID free relative to other parts of the world for a significant amount of time, NON FICTION

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February

2020 1 2 3 18

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Australian Films became the top three box office earners for the first time in history

The Dry

topped box office earnings with over $17 million AUD.

Penguin Bloom

raked in over $4 million AUD.

Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s High Ground

has earned nearly $2 million AUD.

Q: Is there — historically, currently, or otherwise — a difference in the standard of overseas films compared to Australian films, and if so, are we seeing the end of such an era?

Mark: Historically the problem with the performance of Australian movies on cinema screens is not necessarily the quality films but more a case of competing against $400

“...there is an audience for our films, however usually they’re competing on an unfair playing field.”

million blockbusters with major marketing campaig ns that dwar f Australian f ilms made on tiny budgets with time marketing budgets. So, at the moment because there is no major competition, Australian audiences are going out and watching Australian movies. It proves that there is an audience for our films, however usually they’re competing on an unfair playing field.

Q: In recent years, Australian critical darlings like Snowtown, The Rover, and Animal Kingdom all either failed to — or just barely — recouped their respective budgets, despite big names and high praise. Is there something different about The Dry, Penguin Bloom, and/ or High Ground?

Mark: The success of recent films such as

Q: What are the implications of this for Australian film students, and for the film students at QUT? Mark: However a positive outcome of the current situation may be that there is an increase in the level of investment in Australian feature films that leads to future production in more sustainable business in the future but it’s too early to tell just yet. Also, as many countries around the world are unable to continue filming, Australia is becoming a massive hub for international production.

Hopefully this will lead to companies relocating to Australia and more jobs for film graduates in the future.

The Dry and Penguin Bloom doesn’t reveal any secret formula and, in many ways, they’re no different to many Australian films that have been produced in recent years. The big difference of the conditions in which this greeting in the cinema market and the availability of all the movies.

NON FICTION

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On Creativity and Curating an Arts Career Post-Graduation: An interview with Myf Halton WRITTEN BY EM READMAN Brisbane Creative and Curator Myf Halton sat

What has your creative career looked like so

down with Glass Magazine to talk about the

far, both in and out of university?

non-linearity of creative careers and what she’s been working on after graduating in 2020.

My creative career at the moment is a big jumble of internships, and short-term employment

Tell us about what you studied at QUT and

that have led me to meet some really amazing

when you graduated?

creatives and work on some really fun projects.

I studied a Bachelor of Creative Industries majoring in Art/Design History and Journalism and I completed my degree at the end of last semester, 2020.

I’ve worked on projects both in Australia and in New York, USA. I initiated a lot of these opportunities on my own to gain more experience. But university has allowed me to develop some well-established relationships

What was your favourite creative project you

with my tutors and lecturers. This has then

worked on while at university?

turned into a bit of a professional mentorship

Fave creative project definitely would’ve been being a creative director for Frocket Zine. This

which has been instrumental in helping secure graduate jobs.

was such an amazing opportunity to be in a

How did you get into practising in mediums

creative leadership role and produce a really

outside of what you originally went to QUT

forward-thinking fashion zine. It was a really

for, and what have you found the most love

fast paced collaborative project and really

for?

pushed everyone involved to do great work on a deadline. It was incredibly rewarding to then have a physical zine at the end as an example of all our hard work.

It was important for me to experiment with creative mediums outside of study to engage with new communities and experience new

INTERVIEW

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ways of creating. I’ve really found the most love for fashion and ceramics. Both of these have been an outlet for me to express myself creatively and have had a great deal of impact on my identity and how I perceive myself as a creative. Creativity often intersects with so many other professions that it is important to have a creative network that sits outside your current discipline You currently work as the General Manager of Dabbler, a ceramics studio in Brisbane. How did that come about?

I had met Bonnie, the director of Dabbler Studio, a couple of times at creative networking events and initially reached out to see if she needed assistance when she had a retail space in California Lane. Since then, we stayed in contact and then began a professional relationship in 2020. I was completing my last WIL unit and didn’t want to intern at a gallery whilst in lockdown. I really wanted to use this internship to push myself so I pitched to intern for her and help organise and curate her first solo show with The Third Quarter Gallery. At this time Bonnie was also working on launching Dabbler Studio and I quickly became an integral part of the business structure. When my internship ended Bonnie employed me as an assistant which quickly turned into managing

the collaboration and satisfaction of seeing a

her new ceramics business.

project through and getting to celebrate the

Tell us your favourite thing about your

community that comes along with it.

experience with art practice, and your

What do you think current students are

favourite thing about arts administration.

missing in their understanding of what a

I really enjoy work that allows me to engage

creative career can look like?

with art and different art practices on a daily

I think my understanding of what a creative

basis. I’m always so fascinated to learn about

career is has changed a lot from when I first

different practices and finding new ways of

started uni. I thought you had to study and

seeing and experiencing the world. Arts

make connections and if you worked hard

administration allows me to do this and make

enough you would get a job. It’s really not that

artists concepts and projects a reality. I enjoy

simple especially when you’re starting out. You

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have to wake up every morning and choose to want a creative career because a lot of the time it won’t pay the bills. You have to do it because you love it. Whilst I am currently working a creative job that I love; I also have two jobs in hospitality so I can afford to pay my rent and eat. I understand that this is also just a part of being young and creative, while starting out.

Creative careers are not linear - sometimes it will feel great like you’ve got a lot on and

What project are you currently working on?

Currently working on a few things… I’ve just started a radio show with some friends on 4ZZZ called Stacks On. Dabbler Studio is hosting a studio showcase in May that will be part of the Brisbane Art and Design Festival that I will be curating. I’m also working on building a website for myself so I can advertise and integrate more freelance work into my life!

you’re working on lots of exciting things. But sometimes you might also have to make coffee six days a week and that’s ok.

Follow along with Myf’s work at @myf.h on Instagram.

INTERVIEW

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Spoons WRITTEN BY ASHTON DARRACOTT Reset. An alarm because you want to wake up at four am to see the sunrise over the beach.

A bone while you’re in the emergency room because you fell out of a tree that your mum told you not to climb but you did anyway because the big kids at the park were all doing it. A heart because you love too much, and some things just don’t work out.

A text comes through on Anna’s phone, but

door. She waits. The door swings open and

she doesn’t hear it because she’s in the shower

Jamie, in her overalls and t-shirt, sees Anna

crying. The tiles are cool against her forehead,

and pulls her in for a hug.

and she presses her cheeks down on rotation to draw out the heat on her face.

‘Hey, A,’ she strokes Anna’s hair. ‘How are you holding up?’

She hops out when she feels she can pat her face dry and not have to do it again for another

Anna gulps down a fresh wave of tears. ‘Been

half an hour at least. She walks into the kitchen

better.’

and checks her phone. The drawn curtains filter the setting sun coming in from the west

‘I bet.’ Jamie steps back and takes in Anna’s

so that the carpet is speckled like spilt coffee

pyjamas, ‘you hungry?’

granules. She turns her phone brightness up.

‘Not really.’

‘You still coming over today?’ it reads.

‘Have you eaten today?’

Tucking her towel under one arm, she types out her response with both thumbs, ‘yeah, just

‘Yeah.’

showering. Leaving soon.’

‘Are you lying?’

Twenty minutes later, Anna is in her car driving across Brisbane to her sister’s house. Tears

‘Yeah.’

threaten again just as she reaches the slip-on to Coronation Drive. God, make it stop. She turns

‘I’m making tacos for dinner and we’ll watch

up the radio and bops her shoulders to the pop

a movie.’

song playing. It’s an adequate distraction and her eyes stop burning.

‘That would be nice.’

She pulls onto the shoulder of the road,

‘Okay. Pick what you want to watch and I’ll

behind her sister’s car. The rental only has one

be back in a sec.’ Jamie disappears into the

off-street park and Jamie’s roommate pays

kitchen. Anna takes a seat on the couch and

extra in rent for it, so Jamie and now Anna

picks up the remote.

have to settle their cars under the jacarandas, which are currently shaking off the last of their

***

flowers in the oppressive January heat.

Being in the company of others and laughing Anna walks up the stairs and knocks on the

along to a funny movie makes Anna realise how

STORIES

25

famished she is. Grief can keep a person full for

Anna looks at her sister on the other side of

days, she muses. She picks at the broken corn

the couch. Jamie hadn’t liked Damien but she

chip carcass of one of her tacos. ‘These were

had held her tongue on a lot of things. ‘Yeah. If

really good,’ she says, mid-mouthful.

I can, that’d be nice.’

Jamie smiles. ‘Thank you.’ She wipes her index

‘Of course. Better that you’re not on your own.’

and middle fingers over a salsa blob on her empty plate. She licks it off her fingers as she

‘My eyes hurt all the time.’

leans over and puts the plate on the coffee table. The living room is cloaked in darkness

‘Yeah. Crying does that. Put some spoons in the

and the television casts technicolour over

fridge and press them against your eyes when

Jamie’s arms and face. She looks like pop-art,

they’re puffy. It takes the swelling down. It also

something not quite human.

feels really nice.’

‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ she asks.

Why hadn’t she ever thought of that? She tucks the advice under her arm, nestled into the flesh

Anna looks at her plate. ‘Working till 2. After

above her beating, cried-out heart. Anna had

that, I don’t know. Probably a bit more packing

cried so much she thought it was going to kill

up of the apartment.’

her. She is so, so tired of crying. When she gets home, she puts two teaspoons in the fridge, and

‘What else do you need to pack?’

then opens the curtains so that the neighbours might see just her walking around the empty

‘Most of my clothes. And my books.’ Anna rubs

living room. She doesn’t care. She is moving

her cheek with the pads of her fingers. It’s hot

soon anyway, and she has decided she deserves

to the touch. Her face has been hot under her

to be happy.

hands since she came home four days ago to find all of Damien’s furniture gone.

‘At least you don’t have to worry about getting the big stuff out now.’ Jamie laughs. It’s a highpitched laugh. A making-conversation laugh.

‘It’s true,’ Anna sighs. The silver lining feels a bit grey in the present moment. ‘That’s about it.’

‘If you want to come over again tomorrow after work you can.’

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WRITTEN BY ASHTON DARRACOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIENNE PANCHO

ART

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WRITTEN BY JAK KIRWIN picked apart on a spinning wheel we can’t keep doing this — rolling around in an unmade bed pulling pieces from the fray and wearing them like honours

Loop

so debauched, so futureless so lonely in each other we love one another more tenderly in dreams, we reach absolution in the same old tears and warm breath whispers of repentance. we’re so manipulated, so maligned, so malicious to each other we say we can do better and yet here we are at another inroads — the end of history, emergency transmission, the play-by-play of our self-destruction, lashing out and lashing in, a stab in the back and the front and wherever it counts and I wear a piece that cripples my conscience and you boycott the game and go to sleep in our unmade bed.

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recycling some addiction, wring out any pleasure left give your corpse a sponge bath puff up your empty chest and if it itches scratch it

Echoes

when you scratch it bleeds — it seems to happen every time you confuse your wants and needs

you don’t know who you are talking to when you are talking to yourself they’re just the dying echoes of so many useless tongues

you feel so silly every time you walk into the gym listening to songs about old soul love and peacefully dying you placate yourself with some comely lie like “I’ve been here before,” as you toss up your guts all over the treadmill controls

WRITTEN BY JAK KIRWIN

POETRY

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Time Travel WRITTEN BY ALISHA DAVENPORT

I’m living in alternate universes that switch before my eyes, a dream long ago, I cannot reach, strands, vines, tides of sleep

I think if I closed my eyes I could feel all my scars unheal themselves into open wounds

I could be anywhere in the past just by standing in this room, longing for all the people I used to be, held captive in my memory between ink-stained sheets.

twist through the functionality of my mind, drooping eyelids like blinds, I’ll be the girl who swims forever stuck between the tides with fish that flicker like memories.

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cool, kitchen tiles underfoot, a mug nestled between palms, I face the sliding doors and look at how the night pulls me ina swirling indigo trance.

I sip and slip into the allure of darkness waiting for me.

I can only remember that I can’t remember

it’s a memory now faded with sunspots on its skin, for time forgot it has amnesia, like a makeshift mine that was snowballed by complacency.

I can’t come to terms with it, that I don’t remember everything.

there are wide carpeted cream stairs (a glimmer of memory I chase) but they lead nowhere.

I couldn’t even list

WRITTEN BY ALISHA DAVENPORT

every place that I’ve lived for this life has been so long.

perhaps I have died and forgot to forget these past lives, memories still swirling in my head, sudsy fragments clinging to the edge of my subconscious, but still I couldn’t tell you if this body is even mine.

POETRY

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIENNE PANCHO

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Finding the Right Crowd at University WRITTEN BY ELLA BRUMM Starting university for the first time is a

To connect with others, we need shared

daunting experience for most people. Add in

experiences and interests. Although it can

zero friends, a sprinkling of an identity crisis,

be assumed this is simple at university, as it’s

a generous serving of fresh breakup trauma

expected you’ll meet likeminded people in your

and a move to a new city in the mix, and that

course, for me personally this has rarely been

makes it a little bit pricklier. This was what my

the case. The turnover and the vast number of

first semester of uni essentially looked like.

students, especially in Law, typically means you’ll rarely see the same person twice in a

I loathed high school with all my heart

lecture theatre. It’s different from high school,

and rejoiced the day I walked out of those

where you are able to see your friends every

suffocating burnt sienna-brick buildings. I was

day without having to organise anything. This

excited to leave my toxic friends behind and

was a big learning curve for me once leaving

fuck off to a new city to start my university

school. If you want to make and keep your

life, however, I failed to anticipate the anxiety

friends, you have to put the effort in to schedule

of starting fresh.

quality time for them, because otherwise, you’ll lose them.

I found it difficult to connect with people in my last few years of high school, which made me

I’ve made and lost many friends since leaving

nervous to start all over again at uni. I found

high school. Some ended amicably while

myself gravitating back towards old friends

others were far from it. Generally, you make

and people I never spoke to in high school as

friends in a tutorial and become closer over

an impractical safety net. A small part of me

the course of the subject but realise once it’s

wished the dynamic of friendship making

finished nothing is tying you together anymore.

was like kindergarten where it was as easy

There are no hurt feelings or beratement, it’s

as plonking yourself down to the nearest kid

just an inevitability. It sucks but you eventually

in the sandpit and declaring “we’re now best

realise that you really didn’t have that much

friends”. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as

in common besides the subject you were

an adult, and for good reason.

both taking.

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ARTWORK BY SARIAH CHRISTENSEN

“...figure out what your passions and interests are that are central to your life and find other people who are similar.”

ELLA BRUMM

ART

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The best advice that I live by today when making

I’ve seen of this happening is in college. You’re

friends is to figure out what your passions and

literally forced to spend your days with people

interests are that are central to your life and

who come from similar backgrounds, so you

find other people who are similar. This is true

would hope eventually you make some good

when I think about my current group of close

friends. However, if you’re not able to afford

friends. We’re all feminists, passionate about

buying friends by living on college at the UQ

the environment, care about social justice,

campus, then here are some other helpful tips

don’t take ourselves too seriously and have

from past and present students:

similar characteristics. The easiest example

“In an age of social anxiety and fear of judgement, peers may want to approach you just as much as you want to approach them, it is fear that gets in the way. Try talking to people despite this initial fear and remember friendships come naturally, so give it time and you will find your people.”

NOELLE STEELE PSYCHOLOGY AND BUSINESS

“A group meeting is much better at the Bot Bar than in the library.”

ROBERT BIRCH PUBLIC HEALTH – GRADUATED 2020

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“Go to any social events put on by the Guild or your faculty. They are a great way to meet new people and are usually within the means of a uni students’ budget” TOBY CLOUTTE PARAMEDICS

“On my first day at uni my tutor started with an ice breaker by saying ‘turn to your left and now turn to your right... introduce yourself to these people because you’ll be with them for the next 13 weeks’. Those two people are now my good friends, so go to your first class!”

PETER ROBORG-SONDERGAARD EXERCISE AND SPORT SCIENCE

“Uni is different to high school because you don’t make friends by just being in the same place every day, you have to put yourself out there and sit next to people in class, ask questions and don’t be afraid to invite people to coffee or to study.”

“An easy way to get to know people better is by adding them on Facebook when you are asked to discuss things as a group in class or when you do a group project with them.

You could create a study group or even go to faculty events together.”

ALLEGRA THOMAS LAW

HANNAH BRUMM PUBLIC HEALTH – GRADUATED 2019

“As cheesy as the ice breakers are that tutors do, it does force you to talk to people in your class. So go to your tutorials even if they seem like a waste of time.”

JOEL HENESSY ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

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Installation view of “Miffy & Friends” (21 November 2020 to 14 March 2021) QUT Art Museum, Brisbane.

Photo by Louis Lim.

Miffy and Friends at QUT: Colourful nostalgia during COVID-19 WRITTEN BY CHRISTINA SIMONOSKI Those of us who have been lucky enough to visit

I may be biased as I remember watching the

Gardens Point during 2020 and early in 2021,

claymation as a kid. It took me back to a simpler

may have noticed the miffy & friends exhibition

time, and I don’t only mean my childhood.

at the QUT Art Museum. At the Garden’s Point

Bruna’s colourful illustrations and concept

Campus, it is just below U Block, sometimes

art reminded me of everyday things we could

better known as the Vice Chancellor’s building.

do before COVID-19. Miffy is often depicted

For those who don’t know, Miffy is a character created by illustrator Dick Bruna as a bedtime story for his son. Since then, Miffy has evolved into a globally recognised storybook, claymation, and animated character. With the QUT Art Museum showcasing a book from each

spending time with friends, riding the bus and spending time with her grandparents. There is something so organic about Miffy, it reminds me of the simple things children and adults alike miss and a reminder of better times ahead after the virus.

country it was released in (spoiler: it’s a lot!), the feeling of nostalgia is truly global.

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If you walked by the gallery during the exhibition, you may have been lucky enough to notice children light up as they see the Miffy displays. The colourful bunny cutouts enticing families inside always made me smile and also made me so proud that our University can offer some joy to families during this time.

It not only lifts the spirits of children and families that visit but also a typical uni student.

I particularly enjoyed the “and friends” section of the exhibition, which features a variety of Australian artworks inspired by the works of Bruna and his character, Miffy. Many of these works feature immersion of different cultures and social commentary on topics that have fallen to the wayside since last year.

While the miffy & friends exhibition has left the QUT Art Museum, there is plenty on the schedule for the gallery in 2021 for students and the public alike to enjoy.

Carla MCRAE Dick Bruna’s shelf 2020 (detail). Plywood, acrylic paint, synthetic polymer filler, polymer clay, plastic tube, cardboard tube courtesy the artist. Photo by Mark Lobo

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Installation view of Miffy & Friends (21 November 2020 to 14 March 2021) QUT Art Museum, Brisbane.

Photo by Louis Lim.

Dick BRUNA Miffy at the gallery. Illustration by Dick Bruna © Copyright Mercis bv, 1990 NON FICTION

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY FATIMA BUKSH

ART

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Boys on Trains

WRITTEN BY JACKSON MACHADO

‘Have you got gonorrhoea?’ Is one of the many

He gets to lean against some pillows while

questions he could have asked you today.

you sit uncomfortably on the bed corner. Your

Instead, he opts for learning absolutely nothing

bones are fucked. Hours and hours and hours

about you before leading you into his bedroom.

of this. You stifle delirious laughs at Elaine’s

The sun is up when you both lay down on his bed to watch TV. By the time the sun sets, nothing has changed. You barely talk through two episodes of House Hunters International.

By the time regular House Hunters starts, speaking feels so far removed from possibility that you can’t think of a single thing to say to him. The 4 episode Friends marathon sucks the life from every periodic “yes I’m still here” giggle you can muster, to the point where the succeeding 4 episode Seinfeld marathon (a show you know and love) makes genuine laughter seem out of place.

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expense, becoming trapped in roiling waves of silent laughter. Tears stream from your eyes.

Because this is so funny isn’t it? Absolutely HILARIOUS. Episodes of old comedy shows and breaking news alerts pass-by like sands through the hour glass – the days of our lives – painful and tedious. Until finally – something!

He gets up and adjusts the blanket. However it happens, you’re laying side by side now, still watching the TV. You’re beginning to feel the life drain out of you and into the floor in search for hell below.

But there’s hope now.

The fire within you that desired so badly to fold perfectly into his arms when this date started is back.

Over the next episode of Barnwood Builders, you slowly inch your hand toward his. With one finger, you push against his nail (quite

He slides his hand into yours.

The sun had set, but it begins to rise again.

Hours on this bed. But only now - straddling his hips, underwear against underwear – do you feel truly together.

pathetically), begging him to meet you halfway

His hands move from your waist, to your hips,

and save you from the blisteringly boring

to your thighs.

night it’s been. The TV announces that a show called Best Of Postcards is about to begin and

You kiss his forehead, his cheeks, his nose.

something snaps within you. You resort to

You kiss his lips for the first time. Kissing is

lightly brushing his fingers with your fingertips

always so fantastic in your head. Movies don’t

like an annoying, lonely child. He moves, and

prepare you for the feeling of a human skull

you catch his eyes. He tries to cover a large

against your own. A human jaw against yours.

smile with his pillow.

He kisses you back, but out of nowhere there’s

He’s nervous. Omg. I thought he was just made

too much passion. Lust, and far too sudden.

of fucking STONE.

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PHOTOS BY ALLEN GOMEZ & AGNIESZK A KOWALCYZK ON UNSPLASH

You spend a while gliding your fingertips over his arms, his shoulders, his neck, his chest.

Once you feel you’ve memorised his frame you rest your head on his shoulder. You close your eyes.

If there’s a word for it, you don’t know it.

It’s just that boy thing.

That magnetism. That thing beneath their warm skin that makes you want to press yourself against them for the rest of your life.

Your eyes are still closed as you slip into

That thing that courses through the veins in

wakeness. You feel his shoulder beneath your

their arms when they flex, and their lips and

neck, and it’s wet.

their cheeks when they blush.

Ew, I was drooling.

You want to find it - spot it crawling up his arm

You quickly but softly wipe your saliva from his shoulder. He doesn’t stir, thankfully.

How odd you feel.

A boy you don’t know (because let’s face it, you don’t know him).

A boy that’s hardly even been nice to you. He hasn’t been horrible, or even mean. But he’s really made no effort to try and learn anything about you, or to understand you. Yet, it’s like

(like a scarab from those Mummy movies), and cut it out of him. Just to ask it some questions, like Why were you given to all the boys but me?

He doesn’t walk you out.

You leave his house.

You walk straight to the 7-11 down the road and buy the biggest Kit-Kat you can find.

with him you get to feel something you never get to feel. He has something that you have no access to without him. Him. It may be the only thing about him that you’ll ever come to truly value.

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An Epiphany: How 2020 changed my relationship with my body.

WRITTEN BY SUBHAM RAI At the risk of sounding like a broken record,

This unhealthy eating habit had made multiple

2020 was really a year for the history books. It

appearances in my life before. Now instigated

was chaotic, at its worst and perplexing, at its

by remnants of broken friendships and the

best. Personally, it was all that, but it was also

arrogance of losing so much weight in the

a year of great reckoning in terms of the way I

preceding year. In the twenty-something

felt and needed to think about my body.

years old conflict between my body and myself,

When 2019 ended, I was in the midst of great transformation. My former friendships had run their course due to a lack of effort. Since I shared a house with the parties involved, this negligence and negativity bled into other areas

historically, I had always been on the losing side. So, when the tides finally turned, and I lost close to 20 kgs, I felt my victory against my body weight was an irreversible accomplishment.

God, was I wrong!

of my life. I felt like I was simultaneously pushed

I marked the new year of 2020 by moving into

into a vacuous period, bound to be homeless,

a new place and with the sincere intention of

and I felt compelled to distract myself by eating

turning my life around. It was, in many ways,

away my feelings.

reflective of how I, like everyone else, felt obligated to associate the new year with an era of self-transformation and re-invention.

I had lost my sense of direction, and that’s why I think I started the year by imposing restrictions on the only thing I felt I could fully control – my body.

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PHOTO BY ALEXANDER KRIVITSKIY ON UNSPLASH

I tried to squeeze my now much heavier

of old habits. Somehow that felt like the most

behind in my old work-out clothes and started

liberating thing I could have, possibly, ever

to deprive myself. I genuinely believed that

done for myself.

because it had worked before, it was going to work for me again. Of course, that is not how the events in my life progressed. I could not have possibly anticipated the pandemic and how it would alter my relationship with all the comforts I loved and had abused over and over again.

This complete re-account of my experiences and what I put myself and my body through in the last year perhaps reads like a self-diagnosis of my years-old eating disorder. To an extent, it might be, but it is also an acknowledgement of the epiphany I had this last year. For some inexplicable reason, our bodies are mirrors.

I failed and started to feel the weight of

They reflect the way we see ourselves and the

that failure. I could not help but feel like a

way others view us. That is an inevitable truth,

toddler trying to walk but repeatedly falling,

but it is also the only constant in our lives, a

regardless. I finished the year with a feeling of

place we will forever inhabit. We must take our

exasperation and decided to finally just give up.

time with it. Understanding all its complexities

Once 2021 was around the corner, I had no plans to re-invent or re-imagine my life or body in any way other than what it already was. I was

and its ironies is just as much our moral responsibility as it is the best way to truly love and adore ourselves.

tired and wanted to remain in the comforts

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Finding Beauty in the Mundane WRITTEN BY SUMMER HEALY

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It’s interesting how such mundane, even

As humans, we tend to linger on negative

possibly dreaded, activities can be made

feelings more than we do positive ones.

into joyful events by someone you love. Even

Psychologists refer to this as the ‘Negativity

something like washing the dishes, usually

Bias’. Recently, residents of Brisbane were

a tiring dull chore, could be made enjoyable

instructed to undergo a 3-day lockdown. 3

when teamed with the conversation and

days doesn’t seem like much, but the negative

laughter of someone dear. So, what I wonder

implications of the further spread of Covid-

is, are we able to reset our thinking and find

19 caused stress and unrest for many. By

appreciation within ourselves to find beauty

becoming aware of our tendency to dwell

in the mundane? Human beings are social

on the negative, perhaps that can be our

creatures by nature. We depend and thrive on

first step into focusing on the positive. It is

social interactions and affection from others,

completely understandable to feel stressed

but in a time where we need to isolate to

from the recent events, but perhaps focusing

protect others, and possibly lose contact with

on something seemingly insignificant can give

the ones we love, how can we cope?

us a much-needed escape.

I am not proposing that we should become

Take time to sit and watch a spider spin a web,

solely dependent on ourselves, but that we

to watch birds chatter and dance among trees,

should reset our thinking, delve into our

to watch bees dart from flower to flower. Take

imagination to find beauty in the mundane.

time to lay in the bath and really notice the

We might find a new and beautiful appreciation

comforting warmth of the water, notice the

for life. For example, I’ve recently overcome a

soothing heat from a cup of tea, the enriching

fear of spiders. I spent a morning sitting out

taste of a home-cooked meal. It might do

on my balcony watching one of the delicate

some good to take time before you go to bed

creatures spin a web and found beauty in the

and consider. There is much beauty and love

spider’s dedication and intelligence. I admired

found in the people around you and times spent

how if her web was broken down, she would

together, but small moments of happiness can

immediately create a new one. It got me

be found in your everyday routine and the

questioning and admiring the intelligence,

objects right in front of you.

determination, and perseverance of such small beings, therefore gaining a new respect and understanding of their place in the world.

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BOOK REVIEW

What’s it Like to be Chased by a Cassowary?

is the Next Casual Read for the Curious.

WRITTEN BY TOM LOUDON

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Ever wanted to know why cicadas sing at dusk?

Felicity Lewis, the national explainer editor for

If that’s too mundane, how about what’s it

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald edits

like to die? Or maybe you sometimes wonder

together a compilation of the best explainer

how different players’ tennis racquets work?

articles from the publications into a diverse

Or maybe you have a burning desire to know

book of factoids, processes, and fascinating

what’s it like to be chased by a cassowary?

answers to perplexing questions. What’s it

Pulled from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s ‘explainers’ — a series of brief articles covering complicated topics for the uninitiated

Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? is intended to be readable, and despite the large task of examining what are at times complex and significant questions (and its contributors’ affiliation with a corporate media company) the book surprisingly doesn’t pull any punches, nor does it try to dumb down.

A wide subset of authors and journalists come together to share expertise to create a book that is wide in the scope of both subjects and writing styles. However, the examination of topics is only at times in-depth, and often feel to be lacking sophistication or substance, particularly on subjects that are a Google away (i.e. What is Ramadan?).

For the intellectually inclined, for fans of non-fiction, and people interested in current affairs, What’s it Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? is an engaging read, either headfirst from one chapter to the next, or as a once-nightly read on a different topic. While good on a coffee table and safe as a gift, some readers may go wanting for some more meat on the bones.

— comes the thirty-one chapters of What’s it Like to be Chased by a Cassowary? Billed as a

Glass Media partners with Penguin Random

collection of the most interesting, entertaining,

House for book reviews written by students.

and informative, each chapter comprises an

To read, or get involved, search ‘book review’

essay and examination of a different question-

at qutglass.com

title, such as: Why do cicadas sing at dusk?; What happens as we die?; and how can a racquet make or break a tennis player?

BOOK REVIEW

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Understanding Academic Misconduct A set of tips to help you better understand academic integrity at QUT, from the team at QUT Glass Magazine.

1. Using notes and assignment sharing websites.

2. Plagiarising yourself.

3. Studying with friends.

4. Rewriting a copy-pasted sentence.

5. Time limits on academic misconduct cases 6. Getting support from QUT Guild’s Advocacy service

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You’ve probably heard about academic misconduct from your lecturers, tutors, peers, and the QUT Manual of Policy and Procedures. However, it can be hard to understand what counts and doesn’t count - especially as a new university student.

1. Using notes and assignment sharing websites count as academic misconduct.

4. Rewriting a copy-pasted sentence is not enough to avoid academic misconduct.

Do not use websites like CourseHero, Chegg, and StuDoco. Whether you are accessing the information on the site or uploading old assignments - you could be caught for collusion, cheating, contract cheating or plagiarism. The content on these sites is often outdated and incorrect, so it’s better to do your own reputable research.

You must reference all sources you use for a piece of assessment, and shouldn’t take chunks of text and rewrite them as your own.

Assessment pieces are about showing your marker you have understood the content and can write about it, not rewrite other’s work.

Paraphrasing can be caught by plagiarism checkers. It’s always better to write your own work rather than taking blocks of text and rewriting them.

2.

You can plagiarise yourself.

Any work that you have submitted for an assignment cannot be used again. This is selfplagiarism and is not allowed at QUT. Even if you failed the assignment and are retaking the course, you cannot submit the same content or sections of it. Each assessment you write must be new and authentic. If you are building off of previous work, discuss with your Unit Coordinator before submission.

3.

Studying with friends can be collusion.

There is nothing wrong with studying and revising with friends. However, if you are sharing answers, co-writing essays and reports, or asking questions about assessment that you should be doing individually, this can count as academic misconduct. Collusion can happen in person, and online, and can be caught by your faculty. When an assessment is individual, it should be worked on individually, so do not provide friends with copies of your work.

5. There are no limitations for how long after a unit you can be accused of academic misconduct.

The QUT MOPP does not have a time limit for being caught for academic misconduct.

Even if you have passed a unit and not been accused of academic misconduct, if a case of plagiarism or collusion comes to light later in your degree, you can still be charged with academic misconduct.

6. If you are accused of academic misconduct, support is available.

Academic misconduct can sound scary, however, help is available. If you get a letter from your faculty accusing you of academic misconduct, contact the QUT Guild Advocacy service at advocacy@qutguild.com as they can guide you through writing your response to the allegation, and help you through the process.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

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Support services available online and in person The QUT Guild Advocacy team can assist you with basically anything – or at least point you in the right direction.

Find out more about what we do at: qutguild.com/help/academic-advocacy Legal help requests can still be made at this time: qutguild.com/help/legal-advice

Any general Guild requests can be made by emailing: enquiries@qutguild.com

Email advocacy@qutguild.com to make a booking 57

On Community, Safe Spaces, and Art: The QUT Guild Queer Lounge WRITTEN BY EM READMAN The QUT Guild Queer Lounge was refurbished in 2020, and is now becoming a safe space for more students as COVID-19 restrictions ease. Glass sat down with three of the people involved in this upgrade of the space and the community that has formed around it.

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Julian Trueman: QUT Guild Queer Collective Convener What is the Queer Collective and what does

How has the reception been for the

it stand for?

refurbished Queer Room so far, and what are

The Queer Collective is a group on campus that

your hopes for the space in 2021?

brings together LGBT+ students from QUT,

The new Queer Lounge has gone down a treat!

giving us a place to spend time with others

It’s such a welcoming space, and it’s already

just like us. It can be hard knowing what to do

proven to be a brilliant atmosphere whether

with yourself when you come to university,

having a study day or hanging out and having

particularly for people who’ve moved from a

fun with other queer people. I’d love to see more

place where they were the only queer person

people finding a home in the Queer Lounge in

they knew. The Collective provides a place

2021, and hopefully as the handling of COVID-

where we can really find our roots in our

19 improves we’ll see the Queer Lounge become

community and connect with others around us.

a comfortable hub for our community.

QUEER ROOM

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Samuel Leighton-Dore: Queer Room Muralist What does it mean to you to have your art on

What considerations went through your mind

the walls of a safe space for QUT students?

when making the mural?

I didn’t have a lot of queer specific safe

I had to be mindful of making a work that people

spaces growing up, so the fact that they

could see themselves in, which meant not

exist represents how far we’ve come in such

being too specific with my characterisations

a short period of time. To be able to lend my

and leaving room for the imagination. That’s

work to making the QUT space feel warm and

part of the reason behind choosing to do line

welcoming for all members of the LGBTIQ+

work, rather than full colour, and creating a

community is a particularly special thing

bit of a fantastical, nonsensical landscape that

for me.

(hopefully) everyone feels welcome to inhabit.

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Amy Sargeant: QUT Guild Queer Officer What does the existence of dedicated queer safe-spaces on campus represent for LGBTQIA+ students?

Yeah, good question. The common (and worn out) joke is “Well where’s the straight room?”.

The reality is that as queer people, we don’t feel safe in all spaces at all times - because of our choice to live as our authentic selves. The reality too is that our openness as a minority means communal safe spaces are necessary, important resources to foster relationships, hold events and embrace our queer identities.

Our queer rooms are spaces where students can be unapologetically queer without fear of retribution or judgement.

Beyond the Guild queer spaces, what other avenues are available to LGBTQIA+ QUT students to help them find community at university?

Our QUT Guild Queer Collective is thriving right now - as far as I’m concerned, any queer student who hasn’t gotten involved yet is missing out! We’ve got so much planned for all facets of our community in 2021. You can find us on Facebook at QUT Guild Queer Collective.

QUEER ROOM

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SUBMISSION CALLOUT

Your work could be in the pages of Glass Magazine!

We love celebrating and publishing the work of QUT Students and Alumni. Our online submissions are always open and our print edition submissions open as advertised. You can find information about the submission themes and how to submit to Glass on our website, qutglass.com/submit, or our Facebook page @qutguildnewspaper.

We accept writing of all genres. We take poetry, opinion pieces, essays, satire, fiction, recipes, reviews and more. We also take illustrations, collages and photography. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with the editorial team to discuss.

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Non Fiction Stories Interviews Reviews Poetry Art Photography

Editors Em Readman Ella Brumm Tom Loudon Christina Simonoski

Designer May Lyn Chew

Contributors Em Readman Tom Loudon Christina Simonoski Ella Brumm Oilivia Brumm Prof. Mark Ryan Myf Halton Ashton Darracott Jak Kirwin Alisha Davenport Jackson Machado Subham Rai Summer Healy Julienne Pancho Sariah Christensen Fatima Buksh

Glass QUT GUILD

TICKETS ON SALE NOW QUTGUILDINSESSION.COM