ROUX - Issue 13, Apr 2024

Print run: 515 copies

Chief Editor: Philippe-Equality Kardashian

Contents

Starring:

Auriane MÖCK – visionary cloud sculptor

Cailan HARRIS – stand-in for Howard Moon

Jason BILLARD – post-medieval gleeman

José FERNANDES MAIA – poster boy; Mr. Inker Upper

Jo Yi HOON – feminine overseer; post-modern tease

Kieran SALT – Mr. Roux from now on

Kristina SHATOKHINA – woman of vision; high priestess

Margaryta ALEKSANDROVA – the goth dragon

Mégane BAUTISTA – vermillion virtuoso

Nancy LAMBERT – landscape shutterbug

Sherley DE DEURWAERDER – mossy music nerd

Sofia MILLER – entertains the primordial Hylemxylem

Valère GAUBE – homme à tout faire et n’importe quoi

Yassine ZAOUCH – handsome instagram goblin

Zoltan TAJTI – Eastern machinations

We are thankful to: Ramona Ventimiglia and the Office of Student Life, Veerle Waterplas, Sonja Di Renzo, Antonio Tavan, Repro Team, Espace Cultures, Anouk Wies, Karin Langumier, Bianca Pirrelli, Andy Adams of the Alumni Network, Véronique Heitz and Rotondes, Student Lounge Belval and all children of SAUL, Dalmat CoffeeHouse, Julie Toussaint, LLC, Julie Jephos, Inès Planchenault, Stilbé Schroeder, Virginie Dellenbach, and Silvia from Café Saga.

ROUX is thrilled to announce its partnership with RTL Today Radio.

Unless otherwise noted, all images in the magazine are public domain as described in the Creative Commons CC0-1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication licence, and fall under no copyright obligations.

Direct all copyright claims to: paper.roux@gmail.com

Find us at: campus buildings (reception areas, magazine stands), Student Lounges, chill-out-zones, Dalmat CoffeeHouse, and LLC.

Join us! We are always looking for graphic designers, writers, artists, photographers, admin lovers, reporters and all sorts of sailors willing to help continue manning the good ship ROUX in the next Winter Semester.

Contact us: paper.roux@gmail.com and paper@roux.lu

Find the magazine online: https://issuu.com/rouxmagazine

Instagram: @roux.magazine

Certain pages designed using images from rawpixel.com

Cover hand-drawn by José Fernandes Maia Poster p. 14–15 by Mégane Bautista

©ROUX Student Magazine

All rights reserved

Carmina vernalia

Because the pasture overgrows

With bloom anew, while orchards green, And streams and brooklets ripple clean, Breezes and blows, ‘Tis fair for all t’ enjoy the joy

That they enjoy!

William IX of Aquitaine (12th century)

When the weather’s fine, You got women

You got women on your mind.

Mungo Jerry, In the Summertime (1970)

Springtime and love, love and the song, – does it get any triter? And yet the trite, the banal, the mundane, the clichéd, commonplace and conventional merit being underlined every so often: not only because no one ever listens, making repetition a must, but also because there is something of the universal human condition to be found in them – that tragicomedy which endlessly replays under an ever-changing and never quite unprecedented sky. Where there are humans, there is humanry… Must it be reminded, furthermore, that banal properly designates that which is to everyone accessible, that which any person may use? The European Middle Ages knew such communal institutions as the banal mill and the banal oven; similarly, there endured something from these times, from earlier still, that can be called banal song, – and this is nothing to blush about.

Spring, love and song… The troubadours (of whom William IX was the very first) were keen on opening their cansos – their “songs” – on a vernal stanza, in which the awakening of nature responded to their growing disposition to love. Poetry has always made its honey of such pretty platitudes. The sap rises in the tree, etc. Yes, it is on the nose, – but can it ever be overdone? For this to stop, it would take poetry to not speak of man anymore, or for him to cease to love or be moved by the spectacle of nature. Let it be allowed to wonder whether any frenzied conception of originality is worth a price so steep.

But I digress. In any case, at ROUX, we too are looking forward to the return of the long evenings, and our members have felt inspired to curate a playlist of their favourite spring and summer songs, which you can find within these pages. Apart from that, expect the unpredictable, as usual. Finally, we have a few new members making their artistic and redactorial debut here, so make sure to check them out.

by Valère Gaube

ECP / TAD FORUM 24

- Where culture is brewed not empty-talked

An interview with François Carbon, Compassionate Pedagogue

written

by Zoltan Tajti designed by Sofia Miller

The Transatlantic Dialogue is back! Born out of the idea of the founder of uni. lu’s Espace Cultures some 18 years ago it reaches adulthood this year, celebrating its coming of age with a Forum in May, in Esch-sur-Alzette. ROUX sat down with François Carbon, initiator & chair of the original Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD) to talk about the late-spring event.

Before talking about the conference, I would like to introduce you to our readers. You were the first strategic advisor for cultural affairs to the rector and name giver to Espace Cultures. You helmed that office for eighteen years. During that time, you also initiated TAD and became a member of the European Cultural Parliament. Can you tell us more about the timeline of all this?

Around the birth of uni.lu, twenty years ago, I met the rector in his office and told him that the university should have an office that would establish connections between cultural institutions in Luxembourg and our university. The idea was given the green light, so I started working on these connections. The work then involved very little office work and a lot of travelling and meeting with people who work in Luxembourgish culture.

In 2006, I welcomed a European study tour delegation coordinated by Dr. Judy Rogers of the Miami University in Ohio, where I met some truly remarkable people. We have agreed to do something together; something related to culture.

In two years’ time, in 2008 the first TAD was put together. We started small: there were 40 people from the US and 40 from Europe. Then we grew. Events took place triennially: the 2011 TAD had 170 participants from 12 networks, 30% of which were students, the rest were high profile academic and cultural personnel, etc.

In 2014 there were 362 participants. In 2017 there were 620 participants from 32 networks; the guests included

ambassadors, public officials, and government representatives. Then, unfortunately COVID hit, and I decided to retire - both from the university and from TAD.

But now you’re back! What can we know about this year’s event?

We have managed to pick up the threads where we had left off. We have received 35 proposals for presentations. We will have numerous plenary and breakout sessions with international speakers presenting and doing workshops in two days and an openair concert! Once again, half of the participants are from the US, the other half from Europe. The event is for free - one only must register* on our website and commit to show up!

What is TAD about?

First and foremost, TAD is for students. Secondly, the events are interactive in the strongest sense of the word: the presentations and the workshops and not simply about listening to talks. The events include interactive methodologies touching brain and human emotions; TAD is about cultural dialogue, but cultural dialogue is not talking about culture – it is doing and experiencing the essence culture together. So, that is what we do. On the conference events, we create culture from scratch, together, thus making an inclusive and intercultural lifelong learning process happen.

*register here: https://www. transatlanticdialoguelu.com/

Soft Power in Uncertain and is about “Building Bridges for Culture, Diplomacy, Peace, Trust, & Compassionate Leadership in an ongoing Changing World”

European Cultural Parliament: http://www. kulturparlament.com/

When: 30-31 May 2024

MUDAM'S A MODELUNEARTHING CONNECTIONS

A Model held at Luxembourg’s Musée d’Art Moderne GrandDuc Jean, often simply referred to as the Mudam, is part of a three-part exhibition running from 9th February 2024 to 8th September 2024. It is curated by key figures in the artistic scene: Bettina Steinbrügge, Sarah Beaumont, Clément Minighetti, and Joel Valabrega. In A Model exhibition, international artists reimagine the role museums play today by taking over the galleries of the Mudam.

The article will discuss both floors of the east and west wings, alongside a series of artwork dotted along the museum’s corridors. I would like to point out that A Model introduces an interesting approach to how art is displayed, while analysing the artistic display’s potential of having a positive impact on the community. The exhibition also explores other themes, including femininity, beauty, and the relentless push for conformity amidst a sea of suppressed voices.

Ground Floor: West Gallery

In the west gallery of the ground floor lies Isaac Julien’s captivating 2022 work, Once Again... (Statues Never Die) unfolding

across many screens, surrounded by traditional African sculptures. Julien’s exploration delves deep into the intricate relationship between art history and cultural ownership. Throughout this piece, Julien discusses how African art

was received in the West during the early 20th century, drawing from its aesthetic prowess. However, I believe it also sheds light on Orientalism, highlighting how art often morphs to cater to Western palettes, thereby possibly erasing its original essence. Meanwhile, the black-and-white films underscore the complexity of culture, whilst intertwining poetic fiction with reality, across five screens, evoking dialogues across different eras. The work also serves as a catalyst for

serves as a catalyst for colonial awareness through art – thus bridging the gap between the East and West.

Ground Floor: East Gallery

Moving to the East gallery on the ground floor, I will now discuss Nora Turato and Tomaso Binga’s exploration of women in contemporary society through words and language. Turato’s video performance, Someone Ought to Tell You

Following page:

Finnegan Shannon, Do you want us here or not (MMK), 2021, plywood, paint, foam, fabric, fabric paint, 90 Å~ 200 Å~ 55 cm, installation view at Crip Time, Museum MMK für Moderne

Kunst, Frankfurt, 2021, Photo: Axel Schneider

What It’s All About (2019), is a poignant commentary, filmed on a black stage, with Turato passionately reciting words from social media, commercials, books, and films. Her delivery is tinged with anger and echoes the relentless scrutiny women face in society, both online and offline.

In the very same space, Binga’s presence can be felt all over the room, through a traditional red and white

Isaac Julien, Once Again... (Statues Never Die), 2022 Installation view, Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, 2022

Photo: Henrik Kam © Barnes Foundation Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro

written by Jo Yi Hoon, designed by Sofia Miller

wallpaper, creating a cosy ambience. Binga’s poetic verses from the 1970s adorn the walls, offering readers insights into her intimate thoughts. These words seamlessly merge with Turato’s films, showcasing a shared understanding of the female experience in society. Through Binga’s lyrical compositions, the walls, once a blank canvas, contains the different thoughts of women.

First Floor: East Gallery

Ascending the stairs to the first floor’s east gallery from the ground floor’s east gallery, visitors encounter the captivating exhibition

Field Trip by Nina Beier

and Bob Kil. The exhibit unfolds as a spiritual journey, where floral sculptures serve as vessels to capture an ethereal essence. At its heart lies an arrangement of continuously blooming yellow flowers, meticulously arranged in a grid formation, guiding visitors through the space. This grid structure resonates with the orderliness of the tangible world, drawing parallels to the serene compositions found in the works of British artist Agnes Martin.

Amongst the flowers stand two individual shell paintings, cheekily named General Idea, each portraying iconic logos –the dark red Marlboro logo,

and the ruby red and orange circles of the MasterCard emblemon opposing walls. The artworks offer a historical glimpse into capitalism and the need to conform to societal standards in parts of the world. Simultaneously, it also quietly critiques the notion of standardised beauty. These are symbolised by the flower’s arrangement, suggesting that while a shared understanding may flourish in some parts of the world, a lack of independence could lead to a social decline, which reintroduces the reflection that Eastern ideas blend into Wester thought to avoid criticism.

Moreover, the installation of the flowers induces a mechanical precision, where independence sadly fades into the background, thus inviting audiences to evaluate their own human condition. Also, I returned to the exhibition on Sunday, March 10th, and witnessed the slow withering and demise of the flowers, evoking sadness and most importantly, serving as a reminder of life’s transient nature.

First Floor: West Gallery

In the west gallery of the first floor, a group of artistic narratives is presented through the works of four artists: Anna Boghiguian, Andrea Bowers, Daniela Ortiz, and Krista Belle Stewart. Together, they create a show of different realities, drawn from different corners of the world, producing a powerful commentary on the past and present.

Among the group of artists mentioned above, I will look at Anna Boghiguian’s The Silk Road (2020–21), which sheds light on the historical link between the East and West. Boghiguian’s installation focuses on Japan’s documented silk industry, unravelling the intricate threads of political, economic, and industrial development that have shaped our current world.

Through twelve paintings delicately suspended by silk threads, Boghiguian unveils an alternative narrative of the Silk Road – characterised not only through trade, but also through the exchange of intellectual, spiritual, and cultural ideas. Central to Boghiguian’s exploration is the pivotal role of women in the silk industry, whose labour remains largely invisible yet profoundly impactful. The paintings, I believe, evoke a silent strength of women who toiled tirelessly at every stage of silk production, from cultivation to weaving. Despite their indispensable contributions, in reality, women have often been relegated to the shadows, their voices silenced in a patriarchal world.

Around the Gallery

Throughout the halls of the Mudam, many blue benches are placed around, courtesy of Finnegan Shannon, as part of a larger series of artworks called Do you want us here or not (2021). Each bench, adorned with messages in both English and French, extends a welcoming embrace to a diverse range of visitors. They are decorated in white texts, with their bright blue presence impossible to ignore. Deliberately unassuming in their flatness, their vibrant blue hue nods to the international symbol of access. They echo Yves Klein’s iconic works that

explore the fluidity of the human form with his deep aquamarine hue, or more commonly known as International Klein Blue (IKB). But these benches are not just artistic expressions; they are philosophical interventions, designed to prioritise the comfort and accessibility of all museumgoers seeking solace in the museum’s walls. The messages are quirky, whilst challenging preconceived notions of how to navigate exhibitions, urging visitors to question inherited assumptions. In doing so, Shannon and the museum’s advocacy for inclusivity in both the physical and digital realms is understandable for all.

In conclusion, exploring the Mudam’s complex corridors left me contemplating the role of museums in today’s world. The subtlety of the artworks resonates deeply, echoing the museum’s overarching mission in this trilogy of exhibitions, as well as addressing ideas between the East and West, which is interesting to me personally. I encourage you, ROUX readers, to embark on the journey through the Mudam with an open mind to discover the transformative power of contemporary art, and to examine your and the general community’s perception of the function of museums.

Koler wäert warscheinlech net jidderengem ee Begrëff sinn. Ween dat 300-Awunner-Duerf am Weste vu Lëtzebuerg awer kennt, dee weess, dass Koler 2018 am Kader vum Projet „Make Koler kooler“ zu engem vun deene faarwegsten Dierfer aus dem Land gemaach gouf. De lëtzebuergesche Kënschtler Alain Welter, dee vu Koler ass, huet wärend 2 Joer ënner anerem Hausmaueren mat Street Art dekoréiert. Nach haut kann ee sech dës Open Air Ausstellung am ganzen Duerf ukucken, oder – wéi a mengem Fall – Fotoen dovunner maachen.

Kahler (Koler in Luxembourgish) might not ring a bell with everyone. However, anyone familiar with this 300-inhabitant-village in the west of Luxembourg, knows that in 2018, Kahler became one of the country’s most colourful villages as part of the project "Make Koler kooler". The Luxembourgish artist and Kahlernative Alain Welter spent two years decorating the village’s house walls and other objects with street art. This open-air exhibition can still be seen or – as in my case –photographed nowadays.

MAKE KOLER KOOLER

Written and photographed by Nancy Lambert

Designed by Auriane Möck

Make Repair

The Great Repair

You’ve noticed by now that the world in which we live is shaped by the notions of innovation, growth, and progress. However, what is often overlooked is that such “limitless growth” comes at a price; it is hugely dependent on consumerism and wastefulness. For centuries, this economic system has been ruthlessly exploiting and damaging both human and non-human communities, and the environment we inhabit.

Sadly, architecture is but another actor in the overpowering scale of the planet’s devastation: building and demolition industries generate a big share of global waste. Meant as a counterstrategy to the destructive forces of capitalism, “The Great Repair ‘’ is an oxymoron in itself that coins the “revolutionary ambition for systemic change” and an “evolutionary act of repair”. It is a manual and a call towards strategies based on nurturing and maintenance, a transition toward economies of care and repair.

Sounds cool, innit? It’s refreshing for Gen Z, for once, to muse that there is still a way for us to do things differently: to save the world and leave it a better place for future humans. The change I’m talking about is real, and it is closer than you think: one of “The Great Repair” project’s base contributors was the University of Luxembourg’s Master in Architecture programme, of which I am a proud student.

Mine and my colleagues’ work, with the immense contribution and support of our professors Florian Hertweck, Markus Miessen and Marija Marić, the Department of Architecture at ETH Zürich, ARCH+, and the Akademie der Künste culminated in an exhibition that took place in Berlin in October 2023. The exhibition featured the works of more than thirty international positions from art, architecture, and spatial practices in which repair becomes a new design paradigm.

Let me share with you some snippets of the work my colleague and dear friend, Christine Chen, worked on.

The collage After Parking illustrates the extent of sealing in Berlin. Image: Christine Jiayi Chen, Kristina Shatokhina

Great Again

After Parking

If you add up all the large public parking spaces in Berlin, the total area is 9.49 square kilometres. This is the equivalent of 1,329 football fields! The entirety of these parking spaces is sealed with asphalt, which prevents moisture from penetrating the ground. The consequences of this soil sealing for the natural water balance are devastating: the water can no longer seep away, but instead evaporates from the surface and is thus withdrawn from the groundwater. This can lead to a lack of drinking water, increased drought damage and more severe flooding.

Another danger lies in the potential increase of groundwater pollution, because with point seepage, pollutants cannot be filtered out of the water to the same extent as with large-scale seepage. This phenomenon destroys biodiversity and prevents the soil from binding CO₂. In addition to these fatal effects on nature and the climate, asphalt paving creates heat islands in cities and can lead to flooding because the sewage pipes cannot absorb enough water.

We tried to see all of this not as an obstacle but rather as an opportunity to create more living space and better our cities. Working under the supervision of Prof. Florian Hertweck and Prof. Markus Miessen, we illustrated the extent of parking lot sealing, using Berlin as an example, by merging all grouped parking spaces to scale. Just imagine: if these areas were transformed, we could turn them into affordable housing or social infrastructure, mitigating immense social and environmental impact without sealing another square metre of soil. An example calculation shows how enormous the impact of this transformation would be on the city’s annual CO₂ emissions – if almost 4,650 of the 8,646 parking spaces in Berlin were used for parks and green spaces, this would correspond to an area of over 4,000,000 square metres. Even if only 70% of it were planted, green spaces could be created that would absorb around 1.7 tons of CO₂ annually. This would reduce the city’s annual CO₂ emissions by 35%.

The fascinating case of Habersaathstraße

THE

This housing rehabilitation project evolved in the context of a common struggle against building demolitions in central Berlin. We focused on the case of a threatened building in the Habersaathstraße (you can look their story up online). Christine and I thoroughly studied its complicated history, haunted present, and possible futures. Our research not only shed light on the lives of affected communities but also uncovered the government policies that legalise such demolitions, sadly turning Habersaathstraße’s social housing into a targeted site for luxury apartment development.

After that, we developed a comprehensive proposal to preserve the Habersaathstraße and improve it with minimal interventions, focusing on strengthening ecological and social sustainability, community wellbeing, and accessibility. Proposed measures included improvement of natural cross-ventilation, add-on vertical terraces with access to a new elevator and communal areas, refurbishment of the abandoned ground floor for various community facilities, and attracting biodiversity through urban forestry and beekeeping. Our approach is care- and repair-based, yet its implementation would rely heavily on the guarantee of human rights against forced eviction. Following on this, Christine and I are proud to have our project presented to the local authorities in Berlin, making it clear the story is far from over.

Paris reboot

If you haven’t heard about Berlin’s “The Great Repair” on time and missed the chance to visit it, fear not! Following its huge success, it recently re-opened in the Pavillon de l’Arsenal in Paris – the ROUX team visited the opening event, drank champagne, and pondered on all things repair. Many original pieces are exhibited there, alongside new contributions relevant to the Parisian context.

written and designed by Kristina Shatokina

THE FASCINATING CASE OF HABERSAATHSTRASSE// view on wooden terraces

FASCINATING CASE OF HABERSAATHSTRASSE// wooden terraces

“This is a strange painting! It was painted with soap suds mixed with whitewash solution, not paints!”*

*this is how critics condemned Turner's The Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth. If only the critics knew the value of this "STRANGE PAINTING"...

Dear Caladrii,

If you find yourselves on this page, it means that either you are interested in Turner’s painting, or you were captivated by the article’s incredible design, thanks to Kristina. Considering you’re already here, why not spread your wings and plunge into the snowy abyss?

Have you ever noticed that people always strive to battle, conquer, and prove their dominance over natural forces? Turner also delved into this theme, but it wasn’t the painter’s aim to conquer or assert superiority over nature – he admired the harshness, beauty, and colours of it.

A good example of this is Turner’s Snow Storm. In this painting, a ship is confronted by formidable storm waves, symbolising humanity’s perpetual battle for survival and its insignificance in comparison to the immense power of nature.

The first striking aspect of the painting is its dynamic portrayal of a ship caught in a snow storm. The entire composition is centered around this single movement, highlighting the theme of human interaction with the natural world. It presents a nearly monochromatic scene, with the sea and sky blending together, making it difficult to perceive spatial depth.

Sometime around 1812 (the exact date escapes me), Turner found himself aboard the ship Ariel, caught in a snowstorm. Determined to witness nature’s cruelty firsthand, the artist asked sailors to tether him to the mast, where he remained for four hours in the storm. Upon reaching solid ground, Turner immediately commenced work on his canvas, inspired by the experience. “Now I know how to depict a snow storm”, he remarked. However, this story may not necessarily be entirely true. Barry Venning highlighted that in 1842, Turner was 65 years old, and historical records indicate that there was no ship named Ariel sailing from Harwich during this era.

Whether you believe this story or not is entirely up to you. However, it is indeed how Turner retells the tale of The Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth. Such is the nature of art – everyone perceives it differently. As Turner himself stated, “I did not paint it to be understood, but... to show what such a scene was like”. But you cannot deny that the legend of the painting makes it incredibly fascinating.

So, what do you see?

Yours sincerely,

Margaryta Aleksandrova

/designed by

Kristina Shatokhina

quinnie – touch tank (flounder, 2023)

quinnie’s touch tank explores the blissfulness of the early stages of requited fondness during the summer months, evoking memories of last summer’s bittersweet happiness, melancholy, and youth. During those days I didn’t feel as sad as I do today – with quinnie and my friend’s unwavering support, I hope my heart will become more receptive to life as temperature rises. I sincerely wish to no longer have thoughts of him being “so pretty,” and, in doing so, reduce the number of diamond dust tears I shed, for it has been long enough.

Casper – Ganz schön okay (Hinterland, 2013)

For me, it’s that feeling of dancing through the streets of my hometown. Feeling light because I’m only wearing a hoodie and no longer a thick winter jacket. The song captures that moment when I realise that actually grad ist alles ganz schön okay. Even more than okay. It’s the joy of knowing that I’m about to see the people that I love and that I will sit outside by the river with them all night long until the sun rises.

– Auriane

Emile Parisien & Vincent Peirani – Fuga y Misterio (Abrazo, 2020)

It starts with a fast and chaotic yet quiet accordion melody, like the first curious birds and flowers peeking out and testing the weather. With uncertainty and hustle, the birds begin to fly around, the tree buds unfold and the rodents leave their nest. The entry of the similarly stressed saxophone voice highlights the increasing competition for limited resources between the species. This tension escalates until halfway through the piece, where the heavenly orchestration between chaos and harmony gradually manifests itself. This duo embodies the energy of spring; the beginning of the yearly war of nature.

– Jason

Haloo Helsinki! – Hetki on kaunis (Maailma on tehty meitä varten, 2013)

The line “Talven tai kesän sävel on kaunis” inspired me to add this song to our spring playlist. It roughly translates into “The melody of winter or summer is beautiful.”. So I thought: why not the melody of spring? The lyrics are about how the singer sees beauty in many everyday things, and how she wants to savour and cherish these moments. The song itself always reminds me of the time I spent in sunny weather at a lake in the Alps in France. I truly hope that the song also inspires you, dear reader, to think about a beautiful moment, for these moments can be found in the smallest things.

– Nancy

Caroline Polachek – Blood And Butter (Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, 2023)

Ella Fitzgerald – It’s Only a Paper Moon (1945)

For the life of me I could not find the album’s name. Not that it matters. Ella recorded the song in 1945 with The Delta Rhythm Boys. The song was first titled If You Believed In Me and was unsuccessful when it came out in 1932. A year later it was renamed, republished, and became an immediate hit. Get yourself some lemonade, sit under a tree and listen to Ella fall in love. Then, when you get home, check out her singing Too Close For Comfort at Sammy Davis Jr’s birthday party. You’d be doing yourself two favours that day.

– Zoli

Like a budding flower, Blood and Butter unfolds its fragile petals and reaches towards the sun on a misty morning. A whimsical song calling for spring flings to stretch into the profound yet simple connection Polachek, and maybe even you and me, yearns for. You soften –- as your guarded heart pumps blood faster through the veins –- like butter forgotten over brunch on a terrace table. Enamoured by your quasimythical target of affections, needing nothing but the sun that’s in [y]our eyes to flourish.

Oh dear, how cheesy.

– Sherley

designed by Kristina Shatokhina and Valère Gaube

o Have or Not to Have – That is the Question

Thinking Critically with David Foster Wallace

Written by Cailan Harris and Designed by Auriane Möck

Gilles Deleuze argued that the power of literature lies in its ability to force us to “think difference”, to think beyond the realities and ideas of our time, and David Foster Wallace‘s prodigious, mindaltering tragicomedy, Infinite Jest, is a book that does just that. Notoriously difficult; you start the book having no idea what is happening or who the various characters are, with incidents of the opening pages integral to understanding events at the very end – albeit over 1500 pages and hundreds of footnotes away – honestly, I am surprised I made it out the other end. To get a sense of it, think Hamlet, but if Shakespeare were to have grown up in 1970’s Illinois rather than Elizabethan England, a time not so long ago when the general optimism of the preceding decade had begun to dissolve and from a steep hill and looking west, one could almost see the high-water mark – the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

Infinite Jest is set primarily at Enfield Tennis Academy (ETA), an elite junior tennis institute for particularly gifted adolescents, and a neighbouring halfway house. Hal Incandenza, the closest the book gets to a protagonist, is a tennis prodigy who is expected to become a future NTL superstar.

He inherited his drive for success from his late father James, “the Mad Stork”, who pursued a similar career in tennis before developing a compulsive obsession with film production, becoming an underground star for avant-garde film fanatics and academics with his “Poor Yorick Entertainment” film company. This obsession culminated in his masterwork, The Entertainment, shortly before his untimely death when Hal was a child. In contrast, Don Gately, a residential staffer at the Ennet halfway house, lacked any such direction, and after an abusive childhood and rudderless adolescence, he became totally dependent on alcohol and narcotics.

However, Hal and his father are not portrayed as leading much healthier lives; their perpetual striving for greatness is depicted as a similarly enslaving passion that is only escaped momentarily by relying on similar substances and momentary distractions like lightweight entertainment. In fact, addiction is a theme that runs through the entire book, where individualism itself is seen as a dangerously inescapable dependence due to the inner isolation it bears. The constant hustle for self-improvement sweeps through the ETA like a plague, where kids are woken up at 2 a.m. to train and are urged to learn off entire encyclopaedias by heart to achieve intellectual excellence.

technology and entertainment get more and more sophisticated, culture becomes more and more static.

Although a comical exaggeration, it does present us with an uncomfortable truth of our time: Shakespeare’s Hamlet was about a character who was fundamentally indecisive, but today’s Hamlet would likely be too busy to even realise that there is a decision to be made.

The subplot of the book creates a looming backdrop of an “invasion from the north”, coordinated by the “Assassins Fateuils Rolents” (AFR), an underground Canadian terrorist organisation (rather than Norwegians this time) who aim to get their hands on the lost copy of James Incandenza’s final work, The Entertainment, a film said to be so enthralling that whoever watches it cannot stop – neglecting all their bodily needs until they expire. The AFR thus plans to disseminate it across the US in order to destroy their high-achieving, hegemonic neighbours. The Entertainment and its deadly side effects are portrayed as the logical conclusion of an increasingly homogenous culture, the consequence of a society where everyone watches the same things, visits the same places and has the same ideas. A satire, of course, but I think it uncovers an uncomfortable truth about our modernity: that as

Just think of the cultural difference between the 1960s and the 1980s and compare it to the 2000s and 2020s. It is this uncomfortable cultural passivity that the book symptomatises, showing how great creativity requires collective difference and that a culture that breeds similitude can only ever rethink the old. Infinite Jest forces us to confront the warning expressions of a society that can mostly not think past the incessant scrolling, comparing, and imitating – a culture that worships the individual over the collective, culminating in a seemingly never-ending cycle of Fast & Furious sequels, YouTuber boxing tournaments, and true crime documentaries.

As Wallace puts it, “To the extent that we’re a generation, I think we’re a bit of a Hamletish one.”

The Duality of Women in Film

A few weeks ago, I spent my weekend binge watching movies (#decadence) and somehow their unique female protagonists really stuck with me. The heroine stories of which I’d like to share with you are Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman (2020) and Bella Baxter from Poor Things (2023). These films dive into the essence of womanhood, revenge and self-discovery, with two women threading on completely different paths. There are minor spoilers ahead, discussing each protagonist in further detail before drawing on their similarities and differences – now let us delve into Cassie and Bella.

Promising Young Woman’s Cassie, marked by a harrowing event involving her best friend Nina, embarks on a dangerous path from her oncepromising medical career. She embodies a paradox of beauty and rage, a fierce spirit exploring society’s double standards. Cassie's defiance showcases her strength, whilst challenging societal norms. For instance, she is unafraid to show her displeasure when insulted whilst driving, resulting in her destroying the headlights of the harasser’s vehicle.

Additionally, her wardrobe consists of contrasting colours, visually showcasing her inner conflict: with pastels during the day, and darker tones when she ventures alone in the night – representing the duality between her true self and the persons she presents to society. However, beneath her anger lies a childlike vulnerability, a poignant reminder of the complexities of womanhood in a world filled with deep hypocrisy and selfishness. As she confronts the injustices and punishes the relevant people connected to Nina’s incident, Cassie's journey is one of redemption and betrayal, culminating in a bittersweet result that leaves a melancholic imprint on viewers.

In contrast, we have Bella in Poor Things, a tale of resurrection and self-discovery. Revived with the mind of a child inside a woman's body, she navigates the complexities of life with purity and wonder. Initially confined to her black-and-white world, Bella's journey progresses surely but slowly, each discovery fueling her childlike curiosity.

As she escapes the walls of her home, the film transforms into a vibrant palette of the world igniting her spirit, showcasing her search for freedom and sexual exploration. While some may perceive her innocence as naivete and ignorance, I can’t help but view it as an optimistic symbol of infectious charm. From Bella greedily devouring egg tarts in Lisbon to embracing the complexities of adulthood in Paris, her journey is guided by curiosity.

on my bloodthirsty path of revenge and destruction (in my lane, moisturised,

Now, what connects these two characters from different worlds? Both stand as independent figures yearning for revenge or personal growth. They traverse a path, unravelling the threads of varying human behaviours. They are both indifferent to societal demands, independently embracing their own needs, desires, and cravings. Simultaneously, a duality emerges from their responses to hardship. Cassie's righteous fury, while understandable, is a double-edged sword, isolating her socially as she continues on her path of retribution. Her unrestrained raw and frank emotions lead to a bitter reckoning, a poignant reminder of the possible consequences of vengeance.

Conversely, Bella's journey is one of contemplation, a quest for growth. She acknowledges her naivety but yearns for knowledge, a thirst that propels her into a realm of literature and experience. As her understanding deepens, so does her wardrobe. Bella’s wardrobe reflects her evolving maturity and selfawareness. Furthermore, Cassie’s path may slowly be heading towards death, which contrasts with Bella, who falls in love with life and constantly goes forward.

In conclusion, Bella and Cassie are opposing paths of self-discovery. As Cassie descends into the depths of vengeance, consumed by anger and a poetic fight for justice, Bella moves forward on a different road, driven by her peculiarity, curiosity and thirst for life. Despite this, both films are thought provoking, and the female characters are strong in different ways. They present two ways of dealing with hardship, one choosing to focus on revenge and the other on personal growth...

I prefer revenge.

Written by Jo Yi Hoon, Designed by Kristina Shatokhina

Guided by the Ruin:

now in various places throughout this middle-earth walls stand, blown by the wind, covered with frost, storm-swept the buildings. The halls decay, …

And so He destroyed this city, He, the Creator of Men, until deprived of the noise of the citizens, the ancient work of giants stood empty.

from the Old English poem known as “The Wanderer” (of unknown date, potentially 6–11 AD)

There's no guarantee that the author was talking about Roman ruins, but the phrase "ancient work of giants" suggests architecture of a large scale, and it would be difficult to consider other types of ancient structure, like stone circles, as "walls" or "halls".

Despite the Roman ruins dominating European landscapes in the Middle Ages, the first sources from the era – such as this poem – are hard to find. Medieval folk saw ruins as less aesthetically pleasing and rather inconvenient to everyday life. The decay of pagan ruins mirrored the decay of pagan values, thus becoming a symbol of the triumph of Christianity. Ruins in medieval Europe translated the general sense of the world’s decay, in what was assumed to be its last age before the Second Coming. Abandoned structures for commonly used for mining purposes – as quarries for pre-shaped blocks for construction – or to burn their marble for agricultural lime.

With the Renaissance, ruins began to be viewed in a new light. The revival of classical ideals and a return to the aesthetic principles of ancient Greece and Rome urged architects and artists to look up to classical ruins for inspiration, studying their proportions, forms, and architectural elements in a conscious effort to emulate these styles, often referred to as "all'antica" or "in the antique manner.” Ruins were now preserved for their stylistic values.

In the following centuries, ruins all over the world were being rediscovered and again reinterpreted aesthetically. An increase in travel and travel literature exposed European society to ruins both local and foreign. The accessibility of industrially produced tube paint introduced a new hobby of capturing picturesque landscapes while travelling. At the same time, a growing awareness of historical documentation and scientific excavations of sites like Pompeii also affected the prevalence of ruins – Piranesi, after all, was a classical archaeologist.

The 18th century in Europe saw a rise in highstakes gambling on life and fire insurance, and the establishment of insurance companies and lotteries which capitalised on people's willingness to embrace risk and uncertainty in exchange for potential rewards. On the verge of bankruptcy, even the French Crown got involved and used lotteries and annuities to finance its debts and operations.

a brief historical overview

At that time, French artist Hubert Robert became famous for his paintings depicting ruins, gaining the nickname Robert des Ruines for cornering this very special market. To understand Robert’s ruinenlust, is important to consider that the artist’s patrons and close friends were predominantly wealthy bankers and financiers. Such acquaintances gave Robert insight into the financial world and arguably influenced his artistic style. The catastrophic events of his paintings, such as fire-damaged monuments, were essential to the shaping processes of financial markets of the time.

Thus the popularity of ruins in art and culture coincided with the growth of speculative financial markets. Ruins were seen as symbols of unpredictability, they mirrored the uncertain nature of financial speculation. The presence of artificial ruins in wealthy gardens, like those constructed by the Duke de Chartres, by his contemporaries had “a feel” of economic risk and the hardships of credit.

“If only Paris would burn!” – proclaimed Voltaire at that time, musing about a chance to build a better city instead. This idea similarly excited businessmen who saw opportunities to make money from the ruins. When the Paris Opéra caught fire, Robert Hubert immediately offered cheap thrills in the form of handpainted medallions sold around in salons. The accident also sparked plans to quickly rebuild it in a way that would profit real estate speculators. A state minister named Papillon ensured that his business partner, architect Lenoir, who somehow came up with a project for the new opera before the old one burned down, got the rights to build the new Opéra. Lenoir quickly built it on land he had leased with backing from Papillon&Co. Papillon stood to gain from the Opéra moving to a new area, where property values would rise. Yet the location was unsuited for such an establishment, and the Opéra troupe later accused the government and private interests of cheating the public before the Revolution.

Later, ruin’s metaphysical qualities commanded the attention of the Romantic audience. Frequently "created" as well as found, Romantic ruins invited spectators' reflections on transience, death, and decay. Ruins became a staple in Romantic landscape art and garden design, but didn’t stay confined to it. The concept of Ruin value (German: Ruinenwert) emerged, theorising that a building must be designed in a way that it must leave lasting aesthetically pleasing ruins when collapsed. Joseph Michael Gandy completed for Sir John Soane in 1832 an atmospheric watercolor of the architect's vast Bank of England rotunda as a picturesquely overgrown ruin, that is an icon of Romanticism.

Ruinenwert was popularized in the 20th century by Albert Speer, an architect of Third Reich. He published as Die Ruinenwerttheorie ("The Theory of Ruin Value”) and dreamt of the glorious ruins their empire would leave millennia after. The nazi regime did leave Europe in ruins, but Speer’s architecture didn’t survive more than a decade and was demolished shortly after the end of the war.

An important lesson to take from this is that ruins tend to be used not only for aesthetic reasons, romantic philosophical musings. They are also a powerful tool of a market and modern urban development. When goes unchecked, the ruins craze becomes damaging to urban fabric and destructive to local communities. Therefore these places of transcendence and transgression must be reclaimed by the public, to serve the common good rather than immediate private profit.

written and designed by Kristina Shatokhina

Illustrations and Design by Sofia Miller