Glass Issue 11: Reset - 2021

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.

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

Dear Glassies,

In this edition, we’re taking the time to reset and reflect on the year that was. The COVID19 pandemic got the better of all of us at times and changed the way we interact with work, study, and our loved ones. But it’s a new year of new beginnings, and already we’re knuckling down — some even at in-person classes again. Overall, it seems things have returned to normal for those in Queensland, albeit with a few changes from the ordeal that was 2020. Over the past year, we have experienced reset after reset after reset – cultural, practical and emotional.

Sometimes glass breaks, and sometimes our plans fall apart, but this is never the end. It is only a new beginning. Glass, as a magazine, has always been about transparency and resilience. We are excited to bring this to you in print and digital form, with Tom, Christina, Ella and Em holding the fort as your 2021 editors.

As always, we are incredibly grateful for our online engagement. The Glass team in 2020 was pushed into the online space and worked to build the primary viewership of Glass as an

EM READMA N ELLA BRUMM TOM LOUDON CHRISTINA SIMONOSKI

online community. While we are absolutely thrilled to bring print distribution back to Glass, the online space has become an integral part of how Glass operates. Scan the QR code on the front of this copy to visit our website and see regular contributions, as well as a virtual copy of this issue.

This edition shows the world through the lens of our contributors: you! We take a look at the arts and industry, at culture, and at University life and wellbeing. To first time readers, welcome! Glass is a home for all QUT students.

We look forward to seeing you around online and at events as we go through the year together.

As we approach the mid-semester break, we combine the difficulty with the relief; the stress with the relaxation. We look beyond the QR codes, the social distancing, and the hand sanitiser to the new beginnings and new horizons. The worst is past us now, and we look forward to sharing this journey of healing and learning with you all.

As always, with love. The Glass Team.

Sometimes glass breaks, and sometimes our plans fall apart

President’s Letter

WRITTEN BY OLIVIA BRUMM

An air of cautious optimism hangs over the start of 2021, the year of the global reset. Hopefully, a lot of smaller micro resets will also follow, from personal to financial, academic and social. The chaos of last year had so many of us suspended in a hyper-vigilant state. Uncertainty breeds anxiety, and last year delivered uncertainty in spades. Starting university can be super daunting at the best of times. Still, amid all the exhaustion and confusion of the previous twelve months, it’s more difficult now than it has been before. Whether you’re coming back after a year of demotivating online learning or embarking on the start of your university journey with the anxiety of the government’s Job Ready Graduates legislation looming over you, ready to knee-cap your longterm financial stability at the first opportunity, 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.

To help, I’m going to give you the same advice that I’ve been given five years in a row now since I started at university: get organised and get into a routine right from the start of the semester. Any classes that you have on campus, go to them. Put aside time every week to do something fun with 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 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.

Also, get involved. I know its a cliché and something you’re told to do every year, but the difference getting involved in university can make on your experience is astronomical. University is about so much more than just going to classes and accruing credit points. Forming connections and establishing networks while you’re at uni can be an incredible stepping stone for your future career. Joining a club or society can help you discover new interests or hobbies you never knew you’d enjoy. Volunteering or mentoring can develop your skills and build confidence. Getting involved in student politics can destabilise your interpersonal relationships, batter your self-esteem and enliven a stoic bitterness in you that you never knew you possessed progress your leadership and advocacy skills.*

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 it that you can get. If you ever need help figuring out exactly how you want to get involved, head over to our website www.qutguild.com and check out the different opportunities, clubs, bars, social sports and societies you can immerse yourself in on campus.

*(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

Contents Spotlight

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

I can only remember that I can’t remember ............ 31

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

Stories

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

Art

Julienne Pancho ............... 27/32 Sariah Christensen................. 35 Fatima Buksh ................... 42/43

Academic Misconduct

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

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a form of Korean martial art that emphasises kicking, self-defence and fitness. Training in martials arts is important to strengthening body and mind while helping you stay calm when faced with stressful situations. If only there was somewhere on campus to train in this amazing sport with likeminded people… Oh wait, there is!

QUT Taekwondo is a social sporting club dedicated to promoting physical activity and friendship through martial arts. Our club organises weekly training sessions at Kelvin Grove campus that cover a variety of styles of

Taekwondo and cater to members of all skill levels. We are equipped with a range of gear to facilitate training in all aspects of Taekwondo including poomsae, sparring and self-defence.

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 got you covered!

If you’re interested in joining or have any questions for the club, contact us through our Facebook Page: QUT Taekwondo

QUT CLUBS SPOTLIGHT

Australian Film History in the Time of COVID

WRITTEN BY TOM LOUDON & PROF. MARK RYAN

In the month of February, Australian films became the top three box office earners for the first time in local cinema history, according to Screen Australia.

The Dry, starring Eric Bana and directed by Robert Connolly topped box office earnings with over $17 million AUD.

Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts and directed by Glendyn Ivin has raked in over $4 million AUD.

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 1990s and the Australian bushranger movies, the top-5 and the most popular films being viewed at the domestic box office are all Australian films.

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

Mark: Recent success of Australian films at the Australian box office are directly attributable to the pandemic. As a result of COVID-19 there’s been a massive impact on the production 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,

the film industry has continued to produce movies and now we’re seeing the rewards of that with Australian audiences able to go back to the cinema but the films being screened are largely Australian.

Q: How will the domestic film industry be able to ride the wave of recent popularity of domestic films?

Mark: In short term the success of these films may lead to further investment in other films by these creative teams and there may be an increase in international investment in Australian films.

“Recent

However, we have to be careful not to read into this too much because once Hollywood gets back to production and other international 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 turnaround in the successive Australian films in cinemas, it does show that Australian audiences will watch Australian movies given the chance.

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

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 million blockbusters with major marketing campaigns that dwarf Australian films 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 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.

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.

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

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 down with Glass Magazine to talk about the non-linearity of creative careers and what she’s been working on after graduating in 2020.

Tell us about what you studied at QUT and when you graduated?

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.

What was your favourite creative project you worked on while at university?

Fave creative project definitely would’ve been being a creative director for Frocket Zine. This was such an amazing opportunity to be in a creative leadership role and produce a really forward-thinking fashion zine. It was a really fast paced collaborative project and really 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.

What has your creative career looked like so far, both in and out of university?

My creative career at the moment is a big jumble of internships, and short-term employment that have led me to meet some really amazing creatives and work on some really fun projects. 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 with my tutors and lecturers. This has then turned into a bit of a professional mentorship which has been instrumental in helping secure graduate jobs.

How did you get into practising in mediums outside of what you originally went to QUT for, and what have you found the most love for?

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

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 her new ceramics business.

Tell us your favourite thing about your experience with art practice, and your favourite thing about arts administration.

I really enjoy work that allows me to engage with art and different art practices on a daily basis. I’m always so fascinated to learn about different practices and finding new ways of seeing and experiencing the world. Arts administration allows me to do this and make artists concepts and projects a reality. I enjoy

the collaboration and satisfaction of seeing a project through and getting to celebrate the community that comes along with it.

What do you think current students are missing in their understanding of what a creative career can look like?

I think my understanding of what a creative career is has changed a lot from when I first started uni. I thought you had to study and make connections and if you worked hard enough you would get a job. It’s really not that simple especially when you’re starting out. You

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 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.

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!

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

A text comes through on Anna’s phone, but she doesn’t hear it because she’s in the shower crying. The tiles are cool against her forehead, and she presses her cheeks down on rotation to draw out the heat on her face.

She hops out when she feels she can pat her face dry and not have to do it again for another half an hour at least. She walks into the kitchen and checks her phone. The drawn curtains filter the setting sun coming in from the west so that the carpet is speckled like spilt coffee granules. She turns her phone brightness up.

‘You still coming over today?’ it reads.

Tucking her towel under one arm, she types out her response with both thumbs, ‘yeah, just showering. Leaving soon.’

Twenty minutes later, Anna is in her car driving across Brisbane to her sister’s house. Tears threaten again just as she reaches the slip-on to Coronation Drive. God, make it stop. She turns up the radio and bops her shoulders to the pop song playing. It’s an adequate distraction and her eyes stop burning.

She pulls onto the shoulder of the road, behind her sister’s car. The rental only has one off-street park and Jamie’s roommate pays extra in rent for it, so Jamie and now Anna have to settle their cars under the jacarandas, which are currently shaking off the last of their flowers in the oppressive January heat.

Anna walks up the stairs and knocks on the

door. She waits. The door swings open and Jamie, in her overalls and t-shirt, sees Anna and pulls her in for a hug.

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

Anna gulps down a fresh wave of tears. ‘Been better.’

‘I bet.’ Jamie steps back and takes in Anna’s pyjamas, ‘you hungry?’

‘Not really.’

‘Have you eaten today?’ ‘Yeah.’

‘Are you lying?’ ‘Yeah.’

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

‘That would be nice.’ ‘Okay. Pick what you want to watch and I’ll be back in a sec.’ Jamie disappears into the kitchen. Anna takes a seat on the couch and picks up the remote.

*** Being in the company of others and laughing along to a funny movie makes Anna realise how

famished she is. Grief can keep a person full for days, she muses. She picks at the broken corn chip carcass of one of her tacos. ‘These were really good,’ she says, mid-mouthful.

Jamie smiles. ‘Thank you.’ She wipes her index and middle fingers over a salsa blob on her empty plate. She licks it off her fingers as she leans over and puts the plate on the coffee table. The living room is cloaked in darkness and the television casts technicolour over Jamie’s arms and face. She looks like pop-art, something not quite human.

‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ she asks.

Anna looks at her plate. ‘Working till 2. After that, I don’t know. Probably a bit more packing up of the apartment.’

‘What else do you need to pack?’

‘Most of my clothes. And my books.’ Anna rubs her cheek with the pads of her fingers. It’s hot to the touch. Her face has been hot under her 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.’

Anna looks at her sister on the other side of the couch. Jamie hadn’t liked Damien but she had held her tongue on a lot of things. ‘Yeah. If I can, that’d be nice.’

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

‘My eyes hurt all the time.’ ‘Yeah. Crying does that. Put some spoons in the fridge and press them against your eyes when they’re puffy. It takes the swelling down. It also feels really nice.’

Why hadn’t she ever thought of that? She tucks the advice under her arm, nestled into the flesh above her beating, cried-out heart. Anna had cried so much she thought it was going to kill her. She is so, so tired of crying. When she gets home, she puts two teaspoons in the fridge, and then opens the curtains so that the neighbours might see just her walking around the empty living room. She doesn’t care. She is moving soon anyway, and she has decided she deserves to be happy.

WRITTEN BY ASHTON DARRACOTT

Loop

WRITTEN BY JAK KIRWIN

picked apart on a spinning wheelwe can’t keep doing this — rolling around in an unmade bed pulling pieces from the fray and wearing them like honours 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.

Echoes

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 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

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 swimsforever stuck between the tides with fish that flicker like memories.

I can only remember that I can’t remember

WRITTEN BY ALISHA DAVENPORT

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. 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 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.

JULIENNE PANCHO

BY

Finding the Right Crowd at University

WRITTEN BY ELLA BRUMM

Starting university for the first time is a daunting experience for most people. Add in zero friends, a sprinkling of an identity crisis, a generous serving of fresh breakup trauma and a move to a new city in the mix, and that makes it a little bit pricklier. This was what my first semester of uni essentially looked like.

I loathed high school with all my heart and rejoiced the day I walked out of those suffocating burnt sienna-brick buildings. I was excited to leave my toxic friends behind and fuck off to a new city to start my university life, however, I failed to anticipate the anxiety of starting fresh.

I found it difficult to connect with people in my last few years of high school, which made me nervous to start all over again at uni. I found myself gravitating back towards old friends and people I never spoke to in high school as an impractical safety net. A small part of me wished the dynamic of friendship making was like kindergarten where it was as easy as plonking yourself down to the nearest kid in the sandpit and declaring “we’re now best friends”. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as an adult, and for good reason.

To connect with others, we need shared experiences and interests. Although it can be assumed this is simple at university, as it’s expected you’ll meet likeminded people in your course, for me personally this has rarely been the case. The turnover and the vast number of students, especially in Law, typically means you’ll rarely see the same person twice in a lecture theatre. It’s different from high school, where you are able to see your friends every day without having to organise anything. This was a big learning curve for me once leaving school. If you want to make and keep your friends, you have to put the effort in to schedule quality time for them, because otherwise, you’ll lose them.

I’ve made and lost many friends since leaving high school. Some ended amicably while others were far from it. Generally, you make friends in a tutorial and become closer over the course of the subject but realise once it’s finished nothing is tying you together anymore. There are no hurt feelings or beratement, it’s just an inevitability. It sucks but you eventually realise that you really didn’t have that much in common besides the subject you were both taking.

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

The best advice that I live by today when making friends is to figure out what your passions and interests are that are central to your life and find other people who are similar. This is true when I think about my current group of close friends. We’re all feminists, passionate about the environment, care about social justice, don’t take ourselves too seriously and have similar characteristics. The easiest example

“In an age of socia l 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

I’ve seen of this happening is in college. You’re literally forced to spend your days with people who come from similar backgrounds, so you would hope eventually you make some good friends. However, if you’re not able to afford buying friends by living on college at the UQ campus, then here are some other helpful tips from past and present students:

“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”

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

ROBERT BIRCH PUBLIC HEALTH – GRADUATED 2020

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.”

HANNAH BRUMM PUBLIC HEALTH – GRADUATED 2019

“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

“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

Miffy and Friends at QUT: Colourful nostalgia during COVID-19

WRITTEN BY CHRISTINA SIMONOSKI

Those of us who have been lucky enough to visit Gardens Point during 2020 and early in 2021, may have noticed the miffy & friends exhibition at the QUT Art Museum. At the Garden’s Point Campus, it is just below U Block, sometimes better known as the Vice Chancellor’s building.

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

I may be biased as I remember watching the claymation as a kid. It took me back to a simpler time, and I don’t only mean my childhood. Bruna’s colourful illustrations and concept art reminded me of everyday things we could do before COVID-19. Miffy is often depicted 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.

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

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

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

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FATIMA BUKSH ART

Boys on Trains

WRITTEN BY JACKSON MACHADO

‘Have you got gonorrhoea?’ Is one of the many questions he could have asked you today. Instead, he opts for learning absolutely nothing about you before leading you into his bedroom. 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.

He gets to lean against some pillows while you sit uncomfortably on the bed corner. Your bones are fucked. Hours and hours and hours of this. You stifle delirious laughs at Elaine’s 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 pathetically), begging him to meet you halfway and save you from the blisteringly boring night it’s been. The TV announces that a show called Best Of Postcards is about to begin and something snaps within you. You resort to lightly brushing his fingers with your fingertips like an annoying, lonely child. He moves, and you catch his eyes. He tries to cover a large smile with his pillow. He’s nervous. Omg. I thought he was just made of fucking STONE.

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.

His hands move from your waist, to your hips, to your thighs. You kiss his forehead, his cheeks, his nose.

You kiss his lips for the first time. Kissing is always so fantastic in your head. Movies don’t prepare you for the feeling of a human skull against your own. A human jaw against yours. He kisses you back, but out of nowhere there’s too much passion. Lust, and far too sudden.

PHOTOS BY ALLEN GOMEZ & AGNIESZKA 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 frameyou rest your head on his shoulder. You close your eyes.

Your eyes are still closed as you slip into wakeness. You feel his shoulder beneath your neck, and it’s wet.

Ew, I was drooling. 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 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.

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. That thing that courses through the veins in their arms when they flex, and their lips and their cheeks when they blush.

You want to find it - spot it crawling up his arm (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 roadand buy the biggest Kit-Kat you can find.

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

WRITTEN BY SUBHAM RAI

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, 2020 was really a year for the history books. It was chaotic, at its worst and perplexing, at its best. Personally, it was all that, but it was also a year of great reckoning in terms of the way I felt and needed to think about my body.

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 of my life. I felt like I was simultaneously pushed into a vacuous period, bound to be homeless, and I felt compelled to distract myself by eating away my feelings.

This unhealthy eating habit had made multiple appearances in my life before. Now instigated by remnants of broken friendships and the arrogance of losing so much weight in the preceding year. In the twenty-something years old conflict between my body and myself, 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!

I marked the new year of 2020 by moving into a new place and with the sincere intention of turning my life around. It was, in many ways, 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.

I tried to squeeze my now much heavier behind in my old work-out clothes and started to deprive myself. I genuinely believed that 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.

I failed and started to feel the weight of that failure. I could not help but feel like a toddler trying to walk but repeatedly falling, regardless. I finished the year with a feeling of exasperation and decided to finally just give up. 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 tired and wanted to remain in the comforts

of old habits. Somehow that felt like the most liberating thing I could have, possibly, ever done for myself.

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. They reflect the way we see ourselves and the way others view us. That is an inevitable truth, but it is also the only constant in our lives, a place we will forever inhabit. We must take our time with it. Understanding all its complexities and its ironies is just as much our moral responsibility as it is the best way to truly love and adore ourselves.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDER KRIVITSKIY ON UNSPLASH

Finding Beauty in the Mundane

WRITTEN BY SUMMER HEALY

It’s interesting how such mundane, even possibly dreaded, activities can be made into joyful events by someone you love. Even something like washing the dishes, usually a tiring dull chore, could be made enjoyable when teamed with the conversation and laughter of someone dear. So, what I wonder is, are we able to reset our thinking and find appreciation within ourselves to find beauty in the mundane? Human beings are social creatures by nature. We depend and thrive on social interactions and affection from others, but in a time where we need to isolate to protect others, and possibly lose contact with the ones we love, how can we cope?

I am not proposing that we should become solely dependent on ourselves, but that we should reset our thinking, delve into our imagination to find beauty in the mundane. We might find a new and beautiful appreciation for life. For example, I’ve recently overcome a fear of spiders. I spent a morning sitting out on my balcony watching one of the delicate creatures spin a web and found beauty in the spider’s dedication and intelligence. I admired how if her web was broken down, she would immediately create a new one. It got me questioning and admiring the intelligence, determination, and perseverance of such small beings, therefore gaining a new respect and understanding of their place in the world.

As humans, we tend to linger on negative feelings more than we do positive ones. Psychologists refer to this as the ‘Negativity Bias’. Recently, residents of Brisbane were instructed to undergo a 3-day lockdown. 3 days doesn’t seem like much, but the negative implications of the further spread of Covid19 caused stress and unrest for many. By becoming aware of our tendency to dwell on the negative, perhaps that can be our first step into focusing on the positive. It is completely understandable to feel stressed from the recent events, but perhaps focusing on something seemingly insignificant can give us a much-needed escape.

Take time to sit and watch a spider spin a web, to watch birds chatter and dance among trees, to watch bees dart from flower to flower. Take time to lay in the bath and really notice the comforting warmth of the water, notice the soothing heat from a cup of tea, the enriching taste of a home-cooked meal. It might do some good to take time before you go to bed and consider. There is much beauty and love found in the people around you and times spent together, but small moments of happiness can be found in your everyday routine and the objects right in front of you.

BOOK REVIEW

WRITTEN BY TOM LOUDON

Ever wanted to know why cicadas sing at dusk?

If that’s too mundane, how about what’s it like to die? Or maybe you sometimes wonder how different players’ tennis racquets work?

Or maybe you have a burning desire to know what’s it like to be chased by a cassowary?

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

Felicity Lewis, the national explainer editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald edits together a compilation of the best explainer articles from the publications into a diverse book of factoids, processes, and fascinating answers to perplexing questions. What’s it 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 collection of the most interesting, entertaining, and informative, each chapter comprises an essay and examination of a different questiontitle, such as: Why do cicadas sing at dusk?; What happens as we die?; and how can a racquet make or break a tennis player?

Glass Media partners with Penguin Random House for book reviews written by students. To read, or get involved, search ‘book review’ at qutglass.com

1. Using notes and assignment sharing websites count as 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

QUT Guild Queer Collective Convener

How has the reception been for the refurbished Queer Room so far, and what are your hopes for the space in 2021?

The Queer Collective is a group on campus that brings together LGBT+ students from QUT, giving us a place to spend time with others just like us. It can be hard knowing what to do with yourself when you come to university, particularly for people who’ve moved from a place where they were the only queer person they knew. The Collective provides a place where we can really find our roots in our community and connect with others around us.

The new Queer Lounge has gone down a treat! It’s such a welcoming space, and it’s already proven to be a brilliant atmosphere whether having a study day or hanging out and having fun with other queer people. I’d love to see more people finding a home in the Queer Lounge in 2021, and hopefully as the handling of COVID19 improves we’ll see the Queer Lounge become a comfortable hub for our community.

What is the Queer Collective and what does it stand for?

Julian Trueman:

Samuel Leighton-Dore: Queer Room Muralist

What does it mean to you to have your art on the walls of a safe space for QUT students?

I didn’t have a lot of queer specific safe spaces growing up, so the fact that they exist represents how far we’ve come in such a short period of time. To be able to lend my work to making the QUT space feel warm and welcoming for all members of the LGBTIQ+ community is a particularly special thing for me.

What considerations went through your mind when making the mural?

I had to be mindful of making a work that people could see themselves in, which meant not being too specific with my characterisations and leaving room for the imagination. That’s part of the reason behind choosing to do line work, rather than full colour, and creating a bit of a fantastical, nonsensical landscape that (hopefully) everyone feels welcome to inhabit.

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.

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.

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