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acknowledgement of country I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which this magazine was created; the Woiwurrung (Wurundjeri) people of the Kulin nation, including their elders past, present, and future.
message from the author Without a doubt, the last two years have been absolutely world-rocking for everyone. Ironically, a positive of the current social climate (at least that I’ve observed in my social circle), is an increased sense of connectedness and comradery. My hope for ‘BONES’ magazine is to showcase people from different walks of life funnelling their energy into different areas, to highlight, connect and celebrate the wonderful people from our city, as well as looking at the different facets of our life and things at play [including issues we need to combat]. I also hope that this publication can act as a source of inspiration to encourage readers to start or resume pursuing their interest, as I know lockdown has been an enormous killer for creatives.
contents Artist files: Noah and Hendigga.................p1-2 Sleep: a how to................................p3-4 Climate Change: outline, update and opinion....p5-6 Up and coming musos: ‘Hijackk’ and ‘Coy Fox’...p7-8 A couple of creatives: Bella and Angus........p9-10
N O A H C A U C E C I L E
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WHO / WHAT ARE YOUR INFLUENCES? I am heavily influenced by my dad, as he was the one to introduce me to street art as a young kid, taking me to Hosier lane and to a Banksy gallery, which was one of my early experiences of how varied art can be. This experience contrasts heavily with another influence of mine which is my grandmother. She began taking me to the National Gallery of Victoria since I was around 6 years old, this is where I began taking interest in photography and beautiful classical art pieces. These two influences of mine showed me that art can be anything you want it to be, it just has to be authentic. Other influences come from France, as it’s somewhere I’ve visited many time, as I’m half French. France has taught me to be authentic in my way of living, and to never hold back your creativity for anyone. There is a sense of freedom I see in France that I’ve never seen anywhere else. This is evident as some of the best art has come from France. From Henri CartierBresson, a French photographer, to Mattieu Kassovitz, a French director most notably known for his film ‘La Haine’, a favourite movie of mine and a major inspiration for a short film I’m working on at the moment.
ig: @/NOAH.CAU WHAT DOES YOUR ART-MAKING MEAN TO YOU? I’m not a very open or talkative person, so for me I think that creating art is my way of communicating how I’m feeling at the given time. For example, I have experienced some family trauma, and found that I could express how I was feeling about the situation, through creating a short film explaining how I’m feeling. DO YOU THINK THE INCREASING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ART AND SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GOOD THING? I think there is a fine line between involving social media as a way of exhibiting your art and establishing a name for yourself, and just becoming another money hungry, fame seeking sell-out. I believe that to beneficially use social media with your art, you need to find something that you can do, that differentiates you to any other artist trying to make it big and take that as far as you can.
L to R: ‘An Afternoon in St Kilda Botanical Gardens,’ ‘Untitled.’
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“HENDIGGA”
HENRY BLACKMORE, AKA...
INDUBITABLY, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS TOTALLY CHANGED THE CREATION AND CONSUMPTION OF ART… WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON THE SIZE OF THE ROLE THAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS IN ART THESE DAYS? I believe that it is an integral part of a small business. Starting out, social media is a pivotal part of growing and learning what people like. Although social media undoubtedly has negative impacts, it has helped with the progression of my art. Through the constant feedback and insight you gain directly from consumers I have come to learn what is received well and what might need to be refined. It has made me more passionate about mastering skills and processes to, in turn, satisfy my audience.
ig: @/HENDIGGA
WHAT DOES YOUR ART MEAN TO YOU? WHERE DO YOU WANT TO TAKE IT? Making art for me, is apart of everyday life. It’s the one thing I’ve always been drawn to and over the past couple years it has become a focal point of who I am today. My Mum is a huge inspiration to me- she is a freelance graphic designer and my number one fan. She has been in the art field for many years and has gathered a wide range of essential knowledge when it comes to being an artist. Being an artist in this day in age can be difficult due to the idea that you have to be successful. I think it is important to love what you do. In the future, the goal is of course to still enjoy what I do today. Ideally, I would love to be able to rely solely on my art and open up my own shop.
YOUR WORK IS NOT TRADITIONAL... DO YOU STILL CONSIDER IT ART? I personally think that all forms of art should be considered true art. My art is true to who I am and the way I express myself. I often get asked if I have a graffiti background which could be reflective of my artworks. However, I would like to say that my style has developed through being a fan of all types of street art. Over time my art taken on many forms of simplistic pattern work, on all types of surfaces, using a range of different mediums so I guess you could say the way my art is perceived is constantly changing.
sleep.. what’s the big deal? Sleep is so important to your mental and physical health. But despite it being such an essential and allegedely routine part of life, it can be really difficult, particularly so during lockdowns.’Sleep hygeine’ is a behavioural and environmental practice that emerged in the 1970s. While it has since been discouraged for its intended use (treatment for mild to moderate insomnia), it provides useful advice for getting a better night’s sleep. SLEEP SCHEDULE - get your recommended hours of sleep (7-8 for adults) through sleeping at night, as opposed to through napping. - track and follow your circadian rhythm (internal body clock). One way to do this is to ditch your alarm for a few days and see when your body naturally wakes up, and plan your days accordingly (as much as possible). ACTIVITIES - exercise is invaluable to good and easy sleep because it burns energy, reduces physiological arousal, and improves brain function. Just make sure not to exercise too late in the day, because the endorphin ‘high’ that you experience after exercise can inhibit sleep. - only use your bed for sleep and sex, as spending too much conscious time in bed (such as watching television in bed) can reduce the depth and length of your slumber. SUBSTANCES - avoiding consuming food, drink, and other substances with stimulant properties (such as caffeine and nictoine) before bed - try to have dinner no less than three hours before you go to bed, as digestion can prevent you from falling asleep - limiting liquid water intake can help you habve a less interrupted night’s sleep - dairy foods contain tryptophan, which is a sleep-promoting substance ENVIRONMENT - having a cool and quiet sleeping environment is important - having your bedroom as dark as possible is also ideal as light inhibits the release of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone
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[THE]
CLIMATE
C R I S I S
There is no need for quotation marks. While the fun-coloured Instagram infographics have been great for garnering awareness, they truly don’t convey the urgency of our climate situation. It most certainly is a crisis. How do we know this? It can be difficult to find independent information about issues which are susceptible to the influence of political interests and agendas. However, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), comprised of 195 countries, is a relatively credible source of information. This is because of its intergovernmental nature and how its researchers are field experts who contribute on an unpaid, volunteer basis. The most recent IPCC report (published on August 9th), with over 14,000 studies cited, has been illuminating yet disturbing... • 2.6 million pounds of CO2 are released into the atmosphere every second • Essentially all of the rise in average global temperatures since the 1800s can be attributed to human activity (such as the burning of fossil fuels and forestation) • While the wealthy countries are the bigger contributers to these problems, it is the developing countries suffering the hardest hits as the occurrence of extreme weather events increases • The overall current global warming will take centuries, if not a millennium to reverse
IT’S NOT ALL BAD NEWS... Along with seven other Aussie teens, 17-year-old Anjali Sharma responded to the Wickery coal mine expansion by taking the federal Minister for the Environment (Sussan Ley) to the Federal Court. The formidable team sought to establish that the Environment Minister has a duty of care to protect future generations, and that the Wickery project (and others alike) In a groundbreaking and highly emotional live stream, the presiding judge acknowledged that the physical danger that climate change is posing to Australian children is no longer speculative but “foreseeable,” and current inaction could be called “...the greatest inter-generational injustice ever inflicted by one generation of humans upon the next.” While the judge did not order an injunction on the mine expansion, it was found that the Environment Minister owed a duty of care to Australia’s young people. Not only is this antastic in itself, but it provides grounds for litigation against the Minister for future fracking projects.
Photographs: Nadia Harari for School Strike 4 Climate Melbourne protest, May 21st 2021
NADIA HARARI: ‘REBEL’
A letter to the editor from a very talented individual...
The discussions and thoughts that surround the urgency of climate change can be overwhelming. It’s a lot easier to ignore it and continue with daily life by cutting out reusable coffee cups and taking soft plastics to be recycled at a local supermarket. There is a level of cognitive dissonance that surrounds the ability to continue daily life, whilst fearing for the future - for our future. This year I created a short experimental documentary called Rebel, which aims to provide an insight into what it is like to be a climate activist, and the mental toll that this can take. The film highlights a specific activist group, Extinction Rebellion Youth Victoria (XRY), which is one of over 1200 groups spread across 83 countries, under the umbrella of the global Extinction Rebellion. This activist community has been in worldwide news for causing non-violent civil disobedience as a way to emphasise that the climate emergency is happening now. They have three demands: 1. Tell the truth. For governments to tell the truth by declaring an ecological and climate emergency and to work with other institutes to communicate this change. 2. Act now. For governments to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. 3. Beyond Politics. For governments to create and be led by a Citizens Assembly, which will inform them on climate and ecological justice. The documentary uses various interviews with youth who are involved in XRY to highlight why they feel the need to use civil disobedience, whilst also talking about the effort that goes into organising demonstrations and the motivation that keeps these individuals inspired. This is all communicated through the heavy audio used within the film. The footage is purposely used to mimic daily life, a barrier to creating mass change, which will also be one of the first things ruined with the imminent devastation of climate change. It is a privilege to be able to protest and fight for change without being threatened by arms and soldiers. It is a privilege for activists within the Extinction Rebellion movement to put their bodies on the line, for what they believe is the right thing to do. This is only a small part of what they do. You may have met rebels handing out pamphlets on Centre road, or hanging banners above North road. If you haven’t, keep an eye out for them in your local areas. I hope that this film shows that anyone can make change, and that by joining a movement change can happen, regardless of age. We have the ability to find both power and support within each other and this can be used for good. ‘Rebel’ can be found on both YouTube and Vimeo.
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_-__HIJACKK-->
/Jack Ranieri
Introducing 19-year-old up and coming rapper and producer Jack, or ‘Hijackk,’ whose bona fide technical brilliance manufactures voltaic and ambient music. His arguably avant-garde music is a multidimensional experience that combines tropes from trap, pop, and electronic music. Hijackk’s incendiary, simmering beats are complimented beautifully by angelic vocals create a multidimensional, transcendant and melancholic listening experience.
ig: @/H1JCKK
stream ‘adore me’ out now on Spotify and Soundcloud
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Hamish Bloom... AKA
“coy fox”
ig: @/HAMBORGUR *answers adapted from interview
WHO / WHAT ARE YOUR INFLUENCES? I’ve always just studied people I’m interested in. Explicitly, King Krule has been a massive inspiration for me because of how emotive his stage presence is. Jessica Pratt is an acoustic influence of mine- her music reminds me of like pixie jazz music. She’s an incredible culmination of folk music with this amazing, amazing voice. HOW DO YOU THINK SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS ARTISTS IN TERMS OF IDENTITY? In terms of like ‘forging your identity,’ I think social media definitely adds another set of pressure and expectations, but as cheesy as it sounds I really do think it’s important to be true to yourself. I’d say the way to go would be letting your identity shine through as you create, exist and share, as opposed to constructing an identity and trying to conform. I think it’s important not to play into any kind of idiosyncrasy. Be genuine and pander to your audience
DO YOU WANT TO BE FAMOUS? I mean yeah... but not in a hedonistic way... I just want to share what I make and be able to do it forever. To me, music is like a connection to a higher place. I think fame and notoriety can be super corrupting, though.
DO YOU THINK WE CAN ‘SEPARATE THE ART FROM THE ARTIST’ WHERE A MUSICIAN HAS DONE SOMETHING WRONG, OR BEEN ‘CANCELLED’? I think it’s so important for people to be held accountable for their wrongdoings but I don’t necessarily subscribe to the idea that people are devoid of the ability to learn and change. I think it’s hard to make a sweeping statement in response to this question- I think it depends on things including what the artist did, the social context (in terms of comparing events), and even within a situation I think the onus is on listeners to determine whether they’re going to continue supporting the artist- morality is relative and music means different things to different people (some only listen for the sound, not the artist). I believe one of the most important things in this kind of scenario is to have conversations with people, to be open and not scared to ask questions and educate yourself.
DO YOU THINK SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN BENEFICIAL FOR MUSIC? I think social media is actually a really useful thing for artists- it’s this whole other sphere for inspiration, creation and communication. That being said, I think the way that musicians and artists can be so hyper critical is definitely exacerbated by social media [of themselves]. For me, I was writing consistently for two years straight before I was able to step away from my constant self-criticism and actually ‘get going.’ I think, as an artist, it’s important not to force yourself to write because you feel pressured.
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Angus Stewart and Bella Sideropoulos are two 18-year-old friends and creatives from Naarm/Melbourne. They regularly collaborate, but are also individually very talented visual artists. Bella’s medium is drawing with graphite pencils. Angus also draws, but combines pencil sketches and digital skecthes, as well as often creating pieces that are a hybrid of photographs and his skecthes.
ig: @/BELLA.SIDEROPOULOS
ig: @/PRESCRIPTIONMEDICINE
B E L L A
A N G U S 10
special thanks While this magazine has been an arduous process, particularly with the lock downs, it has been enormously rewarding and I’m looking forward to refining it and furthering ‘BONES’ in the future. I would like to say thank you to the people who have collaborated with me- Noah, Henry, Anjali, Nadia, Jack, Hamish, Bella and Angus. I would also like to thank Will for being my photographer for the sleep article shoot. And of course, thank you to Rebekah Banks, my media teacher, who has been unwaveringly patient and provided me with invaluable counsel.
bones
