Verse Magazine Edition 38 - Pure Imagination

Imag[in]e with Lucy Zola Absurdist Histories A Momento Mori

Pandemic Escapism The Specks Looks of UniSA

Edition 38 Free

VERSE

EDITION

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Verse Magazine acknowledges the Kaurna, Boandik and Barngarla First Nations People as the tradition custodians of the unceded lands that are now home to the University of South Australia’s campuses in Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Whyalla. Verse Magazine respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging. Verse Magazine also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and nwaters across Australia.

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Contents Cover Image Lucy Edwards

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Editor’s Letter

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A Momento Mori

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Verse Spotify Presents...

A World of Pure Imagination

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The Specks

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Pure Imagination Photoshoot

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Taboo: Pandemic Escapism

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Imag[in]e with Lucy Zola

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Eyes of the Innocent Chapter One: Tremors

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July Seventeenth

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Turn Left at the Roses

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In The Sky

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In[ter]view with Cameron Sanders

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Dreaming of Islands

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The Absurdist History of the Mermaid

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The Great UniSA 30th Anniversary Countdown

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Humans of UniSA

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Recipe: Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

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Review: Will You Be My Sugar Daddy?

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The Signs According to Willy Wonka Characters

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Looks of UniSA: Pretty Fly For a Uni Guy

56 Retrospective: My Beautiful Dark

Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West

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USASA Clubs: The Illustration and Animation Grad Show

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President’s Letter

Verse Magazine

Created by students for all students.

Verse Mag is your UniSA magazine. It’s unusual, unconventional and pretty damn cool.

Submit your work and stay up to date with everything Verse, including the latest stories, reviews, release dates and heaps more at VerseMag.com.au Facebook.com/VerseMagAdelaide Instagram.com/VerseMagazine

Edition 38 | 2021

Verse Spotify Presents...

A World of

Pure Imagination

Sit back, relax, and imagine a world of pure imagination. Or, turn on this playlist as you flick through the following pages.

Follow us @versemag on Spotify or scan our QR code to listen.

Photo (Background) Nahum Gale Artwork Nikki Sztolc Playlist Nahum Gale, Nikki Sztolc and Stephanie Montatore

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Playlist

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PHOTOSHOOT When putting together this edition of Verse, one visual would not leave my mind - a girl in a dress running through woodlands away from the camera, but toward something greater. The prompt ‘pure imagination’ took me through the pages of old storybooks and timeless folklore tales. Stories of escapism, wonder and the double-sided coin of fears and joys when faced with solitude. I hope this photo series can illicit similar feelings, and also spark your imagination.

7 Photos + Words Stephanie Montatore

Edition 38 | 2021

Taboo: Pandemic Escapism Photo + Words Stephanie Montatore

I have an important question for you: how has the crazy year that was 2020 fed your imagination?

It would be safe to say that many of us have recently partaken in some well needed escapism as a result of the isolation and lockdown periods that swept over 2020.

In the state of a quarantined world, we have seen some of our favourite artists retreat to their homes and minds, only to eventually resurface having used their time in solitude to create. In the world of music and film alone, we have seen artists produce incredibly imaginative works in response to devasting circumstances worldwide.

Notably, Taylor Swift blessed us with not one, but two albums – Folklore and Evermore – in which saw the singer-songwriter create music in ways she never had before. Using escapist concepts, Swift constructed songs based on folklore and fictitious worlds to make sense of her own world. Meanwhile, Sam Levinson of the HBO drama series, Euphoria, secretly shot the upcoming blackand-white romance, Malcolm & Marie, with Zendaya under COVID-19 safety protocols in lockdown. Through this creation, Levinson would go on to showcase the state of the human condition in a world of solitude.

So, for many, it would seem the pandemic’s demands to have us lockdown alone, with our own thoughts, has led people to either find or extend their creative output to make sense of the chaotic world of 2020. Personally, I found the state of life on Earth overwhelming and, as a result, I escaped to my imagination to make sense of a new reality.

Feeling alone encouraged me to imagine in new ways. I noticed myself seeing and caring for the people around me through new means that I perhaps had not pursued before. For example, I often wondered how the year had looked through the eyes of strangers I passed

walking down the streets or shopping in grocery stores. Thanks to this new fly-on-the-wall angle I discovered, I found myself writing poetry from the perspective of characters I never had before, like a misunderstood villain exiled from their small town or a teacher’s pet consumed by the rumour mill. It was these perspectives that drew my mind away from

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Taboo

any student daring to stare out a window for too long was scolded for daydreaming. Yet, being creative was selectively applauded if you were graded an A for an English writing piece. This hot-and-cold attitude presented to me made one thing very clear: escapism and expressions of creativity were to be indulged fleetingly.

They were only there when required in order to provide a person with something in return. As a result of this, I became obsessed with being busy and realistic in an attempt to become the productivity pump the world was asking me to be. In doing so, I lost touch with such an important part of who I am by my mid teenage years.

Now, as a young adult, I find myself attempting to align my mind with that of my child self once more in many ways, but especially in light of my escapist tendencies.

Although, even now that I am outside of a school environment, I have noticed this same destructive mentality presented in society’s obsession with hustle culture. Think about it. We are all encouraged to use any artistic ability and skill we may have in order to turn a profit, rather than partake in these activities just for enjoyment or selfcare.

Not to say that there is anything wrong with selling art online, for example, but the expectation for artists to do so I do not necessarily agree with. What I saw during lockdown periods as a result of the pandemic were people painting, cooking, writing and creating incredible imaginative works (some for the first time, others for the millionth), but doing it for themselves nonetheless. Given that time to sit with ourselves in solitude, imaginations came alive not for other people and not because we were particularly good at the new hobbies we were trying, but simply to preserve our own sanity.

Now, nearing the other end of the very long and dark tunnel that was 2020, I think I may have lockdowns and months of isolation to thank for my re-embracing of imagination. Like Taylor or Sam, I have used my time to sit back and observe the world in the only way I know makes sense. I have relied on escapism to feel productive and, thanks to that, I am finding myself unlearning so much of what was taught to me in an attempt to connect to my most authentic self. Now a young adult, learning to often indulge in my imagination and not feel unproductive or silly for doing so has been just one of the many areas I have been working on. I must also give 2020 credit for normalising doing what we love for ourselves first and not needing to be at a professional skill level in every hobby we have.

So, as we enter a new year, I encourage everyone to continue to (or even maybe begin) delving into their imaginations... you may just be surprised by the new world of pure imagination your mind has waiting for you. ▪︎

obsessively watching the news. Isolation, masks and mayhem would suddenly be banished from my mind and fleetingly replaced with whatever madness seemed to calm the calamity that day.

Then again, I have never lacked imagination.

When I was a child, I spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals and doctor’s offices. I was born with a craniofacial condition known as a cleft lip and palate, which required what felt like endless surgeries all the way up until I was 16.

I often found myself naturally dipping into my imagination because of this, specifically during times of fear, uncertainty or frustration. At age five, I remember imagining ivy growing up the hospital walls on the way to the operating theatre whilst the IV tube appeared to me in the shape of a snake.

The “happy gas” was always my least favourite part, so I imagined the smell to represent the worst thing my child mind could think of: lizards. Weird, right?

Regardless of how strange it is to look back at now, my imagination allowed me to better understand the world around me and what I was experiencing. Even when I got a little older it never quite went away. For example, I would still get nervous at the dentist and mentally transport myself to a sunflower field just to get through the appointment.

You see, it has always fascinated me how intrinsic escapism is to our human nature. Our mind has an ability to look inwards and project imagined ideas onto real life.

Just take Taylor Swift with Folklore and Evermore or Sam Levinson with Malcom & Marie as examples; this world, it only makes sense to you if you design it to do so. The creation of entire worlds for us to escape to may easily be one of my favourite things about the human experience.

However, I find societies lack of tolerance for imaginative people interesting even more so.

In a world so focused on deadlines and realism it is incredibly easy to disconnect from our instincts, with our imaginations seemingly first to go. I remember this being especially discouraged all through school when

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Imag[in]e Lucy Zola Photo (Right) Stephanie Montatore Interview Stephanie Montatore + Christina Massolini

Lucy Zola is a multi-talented individual, currently undertaking an Honours degree in Art and Design at UniSA, following on from a Bachelor of Contemporary Art. In her most recent film and soundscape art piece, Extrospection, Lucy utilises her incredible musician’s ear, photographer’s eye and ceramicist’s hand to produce a deeply powerful, immersive work that discusses themes of social anxiety and feeling watched. We sat down with Lucy to talk about Extrospection, social anxiety, and her processes and future plans.

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Your latest work Extrospection is an incredibly dreamy, ambiguous and rather ethereal film and soundscape.

What is your intention behind this work?

The intention behind my work, Extrospection, was to explore my own issues with social anxiety. I think after spending a really long time alone (being in Spain before the coronavirus pandemic happened) it was really anxiety provoking for me to enter back into society and try to reconnect with friends and social groups. I just really started to understand how much anxiety this caused me. I felt really watched and monitored, but I was also really aware this was kind of in my head; it was not necessarily how people were looking at me. So, I really wanted to explore those issues and to use that as a way of understanding […] almost as like a bit of therapy. I also really wanted to share this experience with other people because I am very aware that a lot of people experience these feelings. So, my work was intended to be very immersive. With the combination of the sounds and experimental film, it aims to take the viewer on an emotional journey.

The film and the sound do not have a narrative meaning; it is supposed to just elicit different emotions so that the viewer experiences the same feelings that I am feeling. I also added a ceramic body cast which was of my own body; [it] was also to represent the feelings of people judging you. The social shell – that is what people see. That is what I felt was one of the things people were judging and looking at me about. So, that was really therapeutic I guess to take a cast of my own body.

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How do you feel the surround sound affects people in the viewing of your work?

I think that that was the aspect that makes it so immersive and kind of transports the viewer to another place. If you stand in the middle of my work, there are lots of different sounds going on around you and I made it so you could hear people walking around or breathing behind you.

So, I think it kind of makes it a more realistic experience.

Although, I want people to watch the film, I found if you close your eyes and listen to the sounds, it feels like it all just could be happening around you, which I really wanted to achieve.

Do you think being a musician assisted in the collection, collating and producing of the sounds and surround system?

Yeah, definitely. Especially because I wrote music to go along with it and also my partner helped me with it too.

He is a musician. He played some of the instruments and taught me how to use some of the equipment because I had never recorded in surround sound before. Neither had he. We kind of worked out how to do it. Definitely being a musician really helped.

Having recorded things in the past on my own helped. I guess just having that sense of sound and always experiencing my environment in sound and paying a lot of attention to sound really helped me to reproduce different landscapes in sounds.

I watched my months and months of work dissolve which was really sad.

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So, we have talked about how viewers feel when they watch Extrospection, but how do you feel when you watch it?

I guess I see a lot of the hard work! It is probably a little bit of a different experience to me than somebody else would have because I made it. I can see every image and where it was from. When I watch it, I can see that I filmed that out in the markets or you know, that was the university electricity tower. So, it is a little bit different. I definitely do experience the emotions that I am also trying to elicit in my viewer. I enjoy listening to the music, which is quite rare for me. I often struggle to listen to things that I have produced myself. I do really feel like it transports me to another place. The anxious parts do make me feel anxious and I like listening to the calm bits of music. Watching the films, I do see it almost as I am letting go of those feelings and a lot of it was about experiencing this, acknowledging it and moving on. So, I do get that from the work too.

What did you find to be more cathartic: the process to express your social anxiety or the end product where the viewer could be immersed in the work?

For me, I found the process of making it the most therapeutic. Especially when I took the cast of my own body, [that] was really uncomfortable for me. I did it at [the university] I had four people in my degree take this cast off my body [when] I was nude. I was pretty uncomfortable at first, but, by the end, I just kind of felt like, ‘oh look, it is fine. This is just, you know… we all have a body. It is ok. They are not judging me; this is all just fun’.

By the end of it, I did not feel uncomfortable.

So, in my work, I took a lot of videos and sounds from the world; both imagery that I felt elicited anxious responses and imagery that made me feel calm and really appreciate the world around me. So, I found definitely exploring my environment and especially exploring the beautiful landscape we have was really lovely. It was a really nice way for me to kind of settle back into life here, because I was feeling ungrounded.

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Images stills from Extrospection

Imag[in]e

So Extrospection is a follow up from your original film Introspection; how does Extrospection vary or build from that?

Introspection was actually a more positive work, and it was about feeling isolated, but I guess my experience with that was quite positive because I felt like when I was separated from society. I really learned who I was when nobody else’s opinion mattered. So that work was really positive and it was about more looking internally to find meaning and about accepting that, and how good and freeing that was. That was made when I was in isolation.

Extrospection I guess followed on from that but was almost like the flip side of it. The feeling returning of feeling monitored and feeling that social anxiety again, but then

also learning how you cannot always be isolated from society and it is not actually a good thing in the long term.

I guess that one’s more looking out, and looking at the world and looking at how people see you but also just accepting that and learning to see things differently.

Do you hope to create more bodies of film and sound work, perhaps as a follow up from Extrospection? Or will you move in a new direction?

I am definitely really excited to keep working in sound and film. I might start to do it less about my own experience and [instead] more generalised. More of the world.

This year, or next year, whenever it happens, I am going to Nepal to create my work. So those works I am not

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quite sure what the concept or the meaning will be behind it, but I am going to work with an artist in Nepal who works with different landscapes. [I plan to] translate these into experimental film and sound so that people can experience the emotional essence of the place, rather than how you would generally record a landscape. It will be more of an emotional feeling and understanding of it. So, I am excited to make those.

Do you think you will ever continue to focus on social anxiety within your work. Is that something that will always run through at some level? Or do you think you have focused on that already and now you want to move on?

I think it will definitely return in my work. With anxiety and mental health issues, well for me, it is always cyclical. I experience it, I struggle with it, I get better, I move on from it, but I always know that it will come back at some point. Art definitely reflects your current feelings and what you are going through. So, I am sure it will definitely re-enter my work at some point.

Do you find that there is a lot of artists that already talk about it, or do you wish that even on a local scale you saw more artists talking about mental health in their art?

I think definitely in the past few years, I am sure for a long time as well (this is more just since I have been paying attention to it), I have been seeing a lot out there about mental health, and I think it is really good just to be able to openly talk about it. I definitely think it is something that is addressed, but it is certainly an important topic and everybody’s experience of it is different. So, if the way I experience social anxiety really relates to somebody else and can get some kind of feeling that someone is going through the same thing as them, then that is really nice.

Images stills from Extrospection

Beyond Nepal and your Honours degree, where are you thinking of heading?

I would love to get into the Arts Community, helping with Arts Programs and getting other people to experience and enjoy the arts. I am quite interested in education as well, like I would love to work for the University. I love studying. I am definitely an artist but I certainly feel like I am really heading down the academic path, and I could see myself doing Masters or a PhD. I would love to eventually, one day, work at the University; that would be really nice. I used to really think about the future and where it was heading, but now I’m trying to take it as it comes. Go to Nepal, focus on my music, focus on my art… eventually head down these different routes, but I am the most indecisive person ever, so we will see what happens.

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Imag[in]e

If you had one piece of advice to give to a fellow art student that was struggling with social anxiety and was struggling to make work, what would it be?

Images stills from Extrospection

I would definitely say, do not focus too much on the outcome. Just focus on experimenting and the journey and exploring whatever you want to explore. I think social anxiety really feeds into it – [worrying] about what people will think of what I do. Worried about what the outcome will be [and] worried that the outcome will not be good enough. Those ideas themselves prevent you from making anything at all. I definitely really struggled with that in my third year of study. I think letting go and just experimenting with different things, in the end it all worked out. If it does not, you tried and that is what art is about. You cannot always end up with the most amazing outcome, it is all about experimenting and trying new things. Do not get too caught up on how everything will turn out. ▪︎

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Poetry

July Seventeenth Artwork Mind, Body and Soul by Olivia Rose Words Jordan White

The rain came and all I felt for days was this haze. The diminishing of my backbone, broken wings in the sink, the dog - barking mad at midnight, and the shy moth on your shoulder.

It never settles on the lampshade, it distills itself around it for hours. Humms and heaves until it hasn’t the energy to exist, flailing about.

It falls to the floor but the sun rises. It always rises.

I listened. From your olive couch, I placed an ear on the window to see if I could decipher the fog through soundwaves. Petrichor is more so a place in my heart than a feeling.

Something may have tapped in the night, silently, perhaps on the glass (or my ribcage), but I have a tendency to romanticise the passing of time like this.

It landed, eventually. Like something death was made for.

The plates piled up for days and the heater hummed, I heave myself into the sink. My stomach, the running of water, a hand on the wall. The dog settles, rests slightly.

I sit in the shower, curl up on the lounge, and wait for rain.

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Turn Left at the Roses Artwork Mind, Body and Soul by Olivia Rose Words Jacob Horrocks

The ruby-throated hummingbird can fly For twenty-hour trips without a rest by Doubling their fat with bonbons with larks, And we can’t seem to leave where our car parks To complete those two hundred thousand yards In our lap of the hidey-hole shipyards Before your rehearsals this year begin And the makeup girls take away your chin.

And would you remember the drunk tank pink In the scar that healed from the icy rink On the left turn of your cheek from habit?

It is the same colour in my Pink Rabbit.

And the beaches clumping under the bridge, Cracking up when we stopped along the ridge As you crawled out with one elbow and toed A bramble leant across the winding road.

Since we cursed the town for its cobalt eyes And the teeth it took from the butterflies The light has a way of skipping our house, Making it tough when I untie your blouse.

And riding the sky is a happy sun, Your lips were scarlet, and my smoke is spun From a similar shade of country red As our little sports car locked in the shed.

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Poetry

In the Sky Artwork Mind, Body and Soul by Olivia Rose Words Stephanie Montatore

Loving you is having My head to the sky And making shapes in the Clouds that come floating by.

And still, with feet placed firmly On hard rooted ground, you’ve got My mind up here spinning around.

When the storm comes rolling in I know you won’t be far behind, Ready to dazzle in a daily explosion That tears apart thunderous greys To reveal pastel galaxy before my eyes.

On the bright side of the moon we reside, Illuminated by stars a bright blue And planets of purple & pink hues.

And I swear I cried colour When we kissed that night Under early morning light.

Even long after you leave I’m warping the hills and the trees Into a technicolour fantasy – The closest I’ll ever come to an ecstasy high.

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In[ter]view

The Aerodynamics of Realistic Imagination with Cameron Sanders Photo (Right) Mikayla Graham Interview Nahum Gale

The flight of the aviator is one that pushes through to the vast and endless outer rims of the skies, making the once intangible imagination tangible for all those who daydream. It is the pilots – navigators of the sky – that remind us all through their voyage above the clouds that the impossible is possible and our wildest imaginations are forever realistic.

Verse was lucky to catch up with one of these high flyers, Cameron Sanders, a student studying a Bachelor of Aviation (Pilot) and a Graduate Diploma in Aviation. He spoke on the trials and tribulations of flying and what it is like to have one’s imaginations evolve into reality.

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Why aviation?

Aviation was not really something that occurred to me during high school. I have always had an interest in engineering and how things work, but aviation was not something I had been exposed to as a realistic opportunity.

All through high school I intended on studying engineering at university, but then I was at a university course day at the Adelaide Convention Centre and I found a University of South Australia booth on aviation. I did not even realise there was a university course for it, but, the fact that there was made, it a bit more realistic for me. I looked into what it would entail and went on a couple of joy flights just to see how much I liked flying. I knew that I liked flying in large airliner type aircraft but I knew that, if I got into it, it would be a lot of smaller aircraft I would have to fly initially. After I got a couple of flights doing that, that is when I realised I liked it because to me it was a good hobby and the fact I could be paid to do it blew my mind.

I just thought it was a really cool idea and UniSA really made it realistic for me.

What is the process like to become a pilot?

There is no one process and it really depends on what sort of a pilot you want to be. If you assume that by pilot you mean professionally, everyone has got to have a commercial pilot licence and then on top of that you get ratings to do different things. So, if you want to fly an airliner you need an Air Transport Pilot Licence on top of your commercial pilot licence. You need instrument ratings.

You need multiengine ratings. But if you just want to fly charter flights or sky diving or shark patrol, then it is just your commercial pilot license.

It is essentially a more in-depth version of getting a driver’s licence. Instead of doing a theory test, you are doing seven theory tests on subjects including aerodynamics, meteorology, human factors, aircraft general knowledge, air law, operations and navigation. You have to pass each of those seven exams and then do a flight test where you take [an instructor] for a navigation flight. Essentially, they are just seeing that you are able to do what you need to do on everyday charter flights. Once you have that, you can do other ratings to broaden what else you can do.

Photo Veronica Graham

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In[ter]view

Do you find conversation with friends and family a bit different now that you are pilot? Are you ever flanked with questions about flying?

People always ask, ‘how many hours do you need to have?’ or ‘how many hours are you trying to get?’, but it is not actually based on how many hours you need. Yeah, you have got to do the 70 hours as “pilot in command” (solo) and then have a total aeronautical experience of 150 hours (including flights with your instructor) to then do your test, but it is not like I am working towards a certain number of hours and then be a pilot as a result. It is mainly constant development and I think that is what is hardest to explain to people every time.

I think people are just sort of amazed by it, the same way I was amazed when I first started flying. I think maybe everyone, to some extent, is interested in flying because we are not naturally supposed to do it.

where you are at each point in time and estimating when you are going to be at your next waypoint and changing over two separate fuel tanks at specific intervals to make sure the aircraft remains in balance. There is always something to do on the way, because you are navigating by visual flight rules and always looking at the ground to make sure you are where you need to be.

What are the typical challenges faced by a pilot on their flight path?

It depends what your strengths are. Multitasking is probably the biggest challenge. Communications with controllers and other aircraft can be quite difficult, especially when you are doing circuits at another aerodrome.

Weather is always changing, so sometimes I will get 10 minutes into my flight and come across some weather I cannot go past. So, I have to divert or just turn around and come back. It is those sorts of things that are thrown at you that you are not expecting.

Then the other thing that changes is we practise diversions.

It is essentially how we would divert if we had bad weather. Our instructor will give us a piece of paper that we are only allowed to read when we are at a certain point [of the flight]. It tells us, instead of going to our destination, [to] divert to another place and do something else. So, while you are travelling along you have got to completely restructure what you are going to do. You have to map out a new course, draw it on, get bearings to the new place and then notify air traffic control to let them know you are going somewhere else.

Even if you are comfortable, your instructor will make sure you feel uncomfortable to prepare you for when things do not go to plan.

What does a typical morning look like when you go out for a flight?

I rock up an hour or two before [the flight], assess the winds, work out my headings and do all of the flight planning. Then I will head out to operations and get the maintenance release book and keys, go to the aircraft, clean the windshield, do a pre-flight (which is just walking around the aircraft to make sure everything is in order), check the fuel and do a fuel drain to make sure there is no water in it and it is clean.

Then, once I have checked over the aircraft, I come back inside. Essentially, I talk [the instructor] through the whole flight. Whether it is solo or a dual, you still tell them everything that is going to happen. You brief them on the weather and once they have okayed that, you will head back out to the aircraft.

If it is solo, your instructor has to check over the aircraft as well. You taxi to a runup bay, which is essentially where you run the engine through a few different processes to check that everything is running properly. You set up everything for take-off, like flaps, fuel pumps and lights.

Then you taxi to a runway whilst doing radio calls the whole way. If you are intending to go into Adelaide controlled airspace after taking off, then you need a personal squawk code so you can be identified on radar.

Then... take off; departing out to your waypoints, doing radio calls and practising some take off and landings at another airfield on route.

On the way back you may divert or practice turns and forced landings. And during the whole procedure, you have to fill out a navigation log. So, you are tracking

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...as soon as I push the throttle forward and actually get up in the sky, I feel so comfortable.

Everything else I was worried about just disappears and I realise that I know exactly what I am doing.

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Is there anything that really inspires you to fly?

Honestly, when I wake up at 4:30am for a flight, it can be a struggle to motivate myself. I just want to be in bed like anyone else. Even leading up to the flight I am so stressed and second guessing if I have got everything prepared.

But, as soon as I push the throttle forward and actually get up in the sky, I feel so comfortable. Everything else I was worried about just disappears and I realise that I know exactly what I am doing. And then, once I get comfortable, I can stop and enjoy it for a minute.

Especially when you get those nice morning departures – when it is smooth and the aircraft is pretty much flying itself you just get a second to enjoy it.

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Photo Cameron Sanders

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What kind of career path are you planning to pursue as a pilot?

I tried the Air Force, but I was too tall. They have a limit of 193 centimetres. Also, my legs are too long and that is based on how the ejector seat would not work properly if I needed it. So, I could not go into the Air Force which is a bit disappointing.

The end goal is to fly airliners; doing international stuff. I would like to do that as soon as possible because international flying fits in a bit better with your life when you are younger. Then when I am older, I want do more domestic flying.

Whilst doing all that for a job though, I want to still be doing my own thing. I would like to own my own plane; just getting different little endorsements to fly aerobatic aircraft and actually enjoy different aspects of aviation outside of work. I have talked to a few pilots that say once you are in the airliners you kind of realise that smaller, general aviation is more fun. So, I want to make sure I am able to do that at the same time.

Do you have a favourite model of plane?

I like different models for different reasons. Like the Tabago TB10 is really deep in my heart because it is the first plane I flew and it represents where I come from. Then the airliners like a Triple 777 or an A350 represent where I want to go.

They are all so different but I like them for very different reasons.

If you could fly any plane in history, what plane would it be and why?

I would like to fly any World War Two plane, just to see how incredibly difficult they are to fly. They were just not as ergonomic as most modern planes. Modern planes are made to work with the pilot whereas planes of that era were built to do a job and the pilots had to just work in with that job. But I find it so crazy that pilots were just being sent off to war in these planes with minimal hours. To just put myself in their shoes and imagine how they would have dealt with the situation... I imagine it would have made for some really good pilots.

After you finish your degree, what does your perfect day out flying look like?

A perfect day out looks like... me with a few close friends. Girlfriend. A four- or six-seater twin engine. Taking off in the morning. Nice and smooth. Flying to nowhere in particular, but just like a casual ‘oh, let’s go check out this place’ (and you can get there so quickly in a plane). We would land, do whatever [we] want to do and leave when we want to leave. The freedom of it, I think, is the thing I look forward to the most.

Our theme of Verse in this edition is Pure Imagination, so does flying unlock a sense of freedom in your thoughts?

Definitely, yeah. It makes everything feel a lot closer. It makes everything feel more realistic. ▪︎

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Dreaming of Islands

Words + Imag

es Lara Pa

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cillo

Edition 38 | 2021

The Absurdist History of the Mermaid Image + Words Nahum Gale

T

he ocean – a vast and endless world unto its own – home to Darwinian marvels and scientific phenomena that have continued to capture the imagination of land dwellers for millennia. In all its mysterious depths and evolving line of creatures, the infinite sea has played host to a plethora of tall tales and folklore. Although none have quite ensnared the imagination of people quite like that of the mermaid.

Although, beyond the classic myths of the Greeks, mermaids have existed for arguably even longer in the hands of various cultures from across the globe. In the year 1000 BC, Middle Eastern stories of Atargatis, a Syrian goddess in Assyria who ruled the seas, was considered the world’s first mermaid.

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The first mermaids would appear in cave paintings depicting creatures with the body of a human but the tail of a great fish.

Dating as far back as the Palaeolithic era, 30,000 years ago in the Old Stone Age, the first mermaids would appear in cave paintings depicting creatures with the body of a human but the tail of a great fish. Though, it was not until the mythology of the Ancient Greek that these obscurities were brought to light. Initially, spiralling from the myth of sirens, that would enchant sailors with their ‘siren song’ and lead them to a watery grave, these original mermaids undertook a half woman, half bird appearance. Eventually, their first presence in texts surfaced within the epic Greek poem, Homer’s Odyssey, which would depict a treacherous sea voyage with the added temptations of mermaids, known then as sirens.

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Existing beyond the fog of the ocean, ye olde mermaids with flowing golden hair would sit upon reefs, singing their mermaid song to sailors who would stray too close to their shores. However, beyond the ancient sea shanty of ocean addict sailors and joyous depictions of underwater life from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989), the myth dives even deeper than that of the depths of the Mariana Trench.

She was cited as a sacred deity, worshipped in temples said to have been home to expansive ponds. The Irish too had their own variation: a Merrow. Though, the creature was known to bring bad luck. The Scottish had Ceasg (a maid of the waves) who uniquely had the lower body of a salmon. Throughout Europe, there were Melusine’s, a variation of the mermaid with two tails. The Khoi-san people of a South African region spoke of accounts of mermaids that dwelled in cavernous mountain lagoons. In China, mermaids would cry tears of pearls. And in Japan, the creatures have been referred to as ‘ningyo’; a beast with the entire body of a fish, but the face of a human.

Having trouble picturing that? Well, Hayao Miyazaki made an anime of it called Ponyo (so check that one out).︎

The mermaid would go on to metaphorically represent the state of one who exists between two worlds. In this case, the mermaid is balanced between the sea and the earth. However, most do not realise the mermaid is also representative of life and death. Appearing as a common emblem at funerals, the creature’s song is considered to also exist as a lullaby to those passing from the world of the living to that of the dead.

However, mythology can only go so far and for the tales to continue to modern day, there would need to be legends of encounters and whispers of sightings...

We look to explorer Christopher Columbus who, in 1493, claimed to have spotted mermaids upon one of his voyages. Although, in the descriptions left in his logbook, Columbus believed the creature to inhabit ghastly features,

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Absurdist Histories

more in line with man than woman. This statement only propels the theory that early sightings of the mythical creature may have all actually just been distant viewings of sea cows, such as manatees, dugongs or even seals and walruses. The confusion may have sprouted from these creature’s ability to rise from the ocean on tail stands, turn their heads willingly and sprout arms with five fingerlike bones. Rumours of this led to European sideshows collecting the carcasses of sea cows and advertising them as mermaid wonders from the new world. And only to extend the horrors of the imagination further, the freakshows of the P.T. Barnum era would disgustingly stitch together the body of an orangutang to the tail of a large salmon for viewings of an “exotic”, “tropical” creature called the Feejee (Fiji) Mermaid.

indigenous communities of the island called the beast Orang Ikan, which meant “human fish”.

As the hauntings continued with no basis of if the beast was real or not, Mr Taro Horiba, the sergeant of the Japanese surveillance team, was summoned to a village where the people were said to have recovered the corpse of an Orang Ikan from the beaches. The hut, for which the beast lay, was shrouded in villagers, horrified by what lay within. When the sceptical sergeant dismissed their fears and entered the hut, the beast that lay before him aroused nightmares unimaginable. It fit the description from the troops with notable details that were initially left out... for it’s face was ape-like and lipless and it had hair that dropped down to its shoulders. Its fingers and feet were webbed and the algae of a many deep-sea dives bleached its skin almost green. And the stench of its corpse was beyond the very realms of horrific like the rotting of a million fish carcasses encased in the flesh of a beast that had no business existing so very close to the shoreline...

Although, no sighting has been as fearsome and real as the curious case of the Japanese soldiers situated in the tropical oasis of the Kei Islands during the Second World War...

In 1943, a series of Japanese troops stationed in the southeastern section of the Maluka Islands of Indonesia thought Although, that is just a story. A creepy story indeed. But they had discovered nothing still, just a story. My theory? The short of a paradise. Although, villagers may have just created a Yet, still the mermaid creature to scare off the soldiers what lurked below the surfaces of the island was something that who had inhabited their land. Yet, myth continues to defied centuries of myth and still the mermaid myth continues to intrigue us. legend. On a moonlit night, intrigue us. reports tell of a wandering In time, artists and poets romanticised mermaids as soldier who witnessed, what he believed to be, a child creatures desperate to become human, seen particularly in upon the beach. However, when the soldier drew closer Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale, The Little Mermaid. and the being turned to face him, the moonlight framed the face of a beast not quite of this world. Said to have aquatic A Christian perspective saw the creature as representative of lust through its siren song, which eventually evolved to features, the beast shared the upper body of a human but visually depicting the creatures as partly erotic as well. a mouth with shard-like teeth in resemblance of a carp. It In popular culture, the mermaid has lived on as a pivotal grew to the height of 150 cm with salmon pink skin and mythical deity in mythologies that will last a lifetime. The protrusions that riddled its head, neck and shoulders. The peculiar creature continued to haunt the soldiers in lagoons creature may not really exist, but to the minds who dare to imagine, it may just still be undiscovered. ▪︎ and sand dunes with numerous encounters following. The

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Edition 38 | 2021

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Artwork Cosmos by Kali Ivancevic

Edition 38 | 2021

Great UniSA 30th Anniversary Countdown The

Volume One (30 – 26)

30 years. 30 Degrees. 30 students. 30 accomplishments.

The University of South Australia is turning 30!

Here at Verse, we have chosen to celebrate the big 3-0 with a countdown. From 30 to 1, we are going through some of UniSA’s most compelling degrees from the perspectives of some of its most accomplished students. We are sitting down with an assortment of designers, aviators, writers and more to understand their biggest accomplishments amidst their study and how UniSA has helped them achieve some of their wildest dreams.

Artwork Windows to the Soul by Lucy Edwards

Photo Lucy Edwards by Niamh Wood

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Lucy Edwards – Bachelor of Design: Communication Design

My biggest accomplishment, so far, would have to be featuring as a Verse Magazine feature artist for Edition 36 and having my artwork on the front cover. Being on the cover of Edition 36 allowed me to feel like my work was starting to become real and recognised by the people/ industry around me. Also, it allowed me to get more work opportunities as well as build on my artistic style and further my love for digital art and collaging.

[For further features of Lucy’s work in Edition 38, check out our front cover!]

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30th Anniversary

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Maria Ppiros – Bachelor of Design: Illustration and Animation (Honours)

My biggest accomplishment at UniSA was the opportunity to do what I love while building my skill set, growing my knowledge-base and constantly improving my abilities. Receiving my invitation into the ‘Golden Key International Honour Society’ and attending the UniSA Chapter Induction Ceremony in 2019 were definitely highlights of my years at Uni SA. This award confirmed that hard work pays off!

UniSA has positively impacted me in many ways! I thoroughly enjoy study and I love learning new things and keeping my brain stimulated. I found UniSA to be an encouraging, warm and welcoming place where I can focus on my education knowing I have many resources available to me. I also appreciate UniSA’s strong focus on preparing students for the real world. Each year of study at UniSA means I come one year closer to reaching my career goals!

[For further features of Maria’s work in Edition 38, check out our USASA Club interview which includes Maria and her team, Illustrations and Animations Grad Show, on the topic of their exhibition, Hidden Worlds, on page 59-62]

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Ezra Théodore Tillet – Bachelor of Arts: Applied Linguistics & Creative Writing and Literature

I entered UniSA at a time when I was still coming to terms with who I was and where I stood in the world.

UniSA has given me opportunities to be peers with fascinating people and discuss my passions with them, access scholars and resources that have allowed me to understand the complexities of my field and develop more robust perspectives and structured critique of my creative works. While studying at UniSA, I have been published; come out; written stacks of essays and shorts; made exceptional friends; discovered academic passions; honed my craft; and feel I have grown as a writer and as a person in many ways that I am very proud of.

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Photo Ezra Théodore Tillet

Tabitha Lean (also known as Budhin Mingaan) – Master of Aboriginal Studies

Starting a postgraduate degree has changed my life in so many ways. I started the degree from behind bars and continued when I came home. I will finish this degree as the first Aboriginal woman to attend a university from a South Australian prison. It is a huge personal achievement and I hope paves a pathway for Blak women who will come behind me; a liberatory pathway that has never been available to my people. I also conceived the Blak Out project and was convened the first all Aboriginal editorial team as guest Head Editor.

Photo Tabitha Lean

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[For further features of Tabitha’s work in Edition 38, check out her poem, A Memento Mori, on page 42] Cameron Sanders – Bachelor of Aviation (Pilot) & a Graduate Diploma in Aviation

Personally, my biggest accomplishment was my first solo flight. Looking back, it was only a drop in the hat compared to the complexity of the solo flights I do now. Although, at the time, it was a big step after only 14 lessons with an instructor, to fly the aircraft entirely by myself. It demonstrated to me the importance of self confidence in flying. On that day I had to push my nerves to the back of my mind and consciously tell myself I knew what I was doing. And doing so made me perform just as well as I hoped I would. It gave me a valuable skill that I think I will use throughout my career, the ability to rationalise my nerves and establish if they are necessary or reasonable and how I can use them to my advantage. It has helped me to tread a thin line between being confident enough to push myself to improve, yet nervous enough to be looking for my mistakes.

[For further features of Cameron’s work in Edition 38, check out In[ter]view: The Aerodynamics of Realistic Imagination on page 26-30]

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Edition 38 | 2021

Humans of UniSA Presented by On The Record

Everyone has a story. On The Record, like Verse, is a student-run publication specialising in telling them.

Established in 2010, On The Record aims to deliver a combination of traditional news reporting with engaging print and multimedia content to UniSA students and the wider South Australian community. Each year, On The Record’s editorial team work to grow the publication using our fresh perspectives and academic specialisations. You can find more about us and reporting of community, federal, international and pop culture news online.

This year, we are bringing you Verse Magazine’s Humans of UniSA. At UniSA, we have talent lurking behind every corner and passing us in the halls. Our reporters will dive into the lives of fellow students. We will discuss their ambitious present, hopeful futures, and this edition: their pure imaginations.

Want more? Scan the QR code to visit OTR’s website!

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Humans of UniSA

Interview by Helen Karakulak

Caleb Knoll

Photo Caleb Knoll

Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing & Literature and Performing Arts) If we do a word association activity, what is the first thing that comes to mind when I say, “Pure Imagination?”

Two things come to mind upon hearing those words. The short answer is the creepy boat scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The long answer is creativity, the ability to think up and create magical places and scenarios with the flick of a switch, whether it be the words on a page coming to life or just a simple daydream.

mental image was also such a profound idea to me. Plus, it was always so relaxing just chilling with a good book and getting lost in the pages as time drifts by.

What draws you to the fantasy genre?

It goes back to the previous idea of the unique mental image I said before. When I read fantasy books, my brain kind of takes over and lets me see the world being built on the page. I can clearly see the image of a magic skeleton detective from Skulduggery Pleasant or the cities and towns that are so nicely described in the Ranger’s Apprentice books. It is that feeling of ‘Pure Imagination’, I guess, that just takes over and lets me watch a mini movie in my head when I read.

Your majors allow you to embrace both sides of imagination, producing fiction and bringing it to life. Do you prefer one over the other?

It is hard to say if I have a preference between the two because it depends on what I am doing. I adore writing and the concept of creating worlds from a sentence, but if given the opportunity there is no greater feeling than putting on a show.

How do you exercise your imagination in your spare time, beyond your study?

Either sitting down and reading or writing something fantastical to see if it is written well enough to allow me to imagine and escape the real world for a second. The other thing is to play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) with a group of friends in which I am the DM (Dungeon Master). D&D can be described as the ultimate form of imagination because you and your friends work together to create a story and a world out of thin air that can only be seen through your imagination.

Do you believe there is more creative freedom in world building or interpreting a script?

And is that creative freedom always a good thing?

This is really dependent on the person, because someone could be better at world building but not really the type to think critically to interpret scripts differently. I believe there is more freedom in world building as there are no real limits to what you can think up just so long as it makes sense. But at the same time, if a script is written well enough then it can be interpreted a hundred different ways, which also creates its own unique type of imagination.

If you could imagine a perfect world, what would it look like?

The obvious answer to me is a world without poverty, war or disease, but I would also very much like a world where creativity and imagination are something that is nurtured and allowed to blossom and not snuffed out by high school education. Imagine a world where scientists have no limit to what they can achieve or an artist is not limited by the physical boundaries of a physical tool like a brush or a computer. A world where creativity is more important than currency is the perfect world to me.

Is there one form of popular media that has influenced you more than most?

Definitely books. I grew up reading non-stop. The idea of words on a page bringing characters and places to life was just a beautiful thing to my little developing brain.

Just the thought that six people could read the same line in a book and view it differently or get a slightly different

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Edition 38 | 2021

Interview by Eva Blandis

Bhavani Frost

Photo Megan Telford

Bachelor of Arts (English & Creative Writing and Screen Studies)

Your course requires a lot of imagination, is that why you chose it?

I really love creative writing. It is my favourite thing to do.

When I saw that there was a better writing course offered

by UniSA, I thought, ‘well, I am going to do that one; I am definitely going to’. Part of me was intrigued by what a creative writing course would entail.

What do you think has contributed to your expansive imagination?

Definitely fantasy novels. I grew up reading. A lot of people will say that Harry Potter got them into fantasy but, for me, it was the Deltora Quest novels by Emily Rodda. I was addicted: I loved it! That was my first adventure into the fantasy world. I really liked how Emily Rodda created the magical world of Deltora. I got influenced by her writing and her way of thinking and creating things. And I thought, ‘if she can do that, I want to do that too.’

What is your favourite thing about your degree?

Okay, so there was this one assignment where we had to take an information text and come up with a way to present that information in an exciting way. So, I really like the challenges that are presented by some of the creative writing assignments.

Especially the ones that tell you to take an existing idea and turn it into something bigger and better.

How do you use your imagination?

My favourite genre to write is fantasy. I like it because it allows you to really use your imagination. You are not locked in by contemporary pieces, or it is not set in, you know, boring, modern-day society. You get to create dragons and spells; I love that sort of stuff! It is my favourite thing to do.

If you could imagine the perfect world, what would it look like?

So, this is kind of weird, but I have had this idea a couple of times. It is like if I died, where would I go? What would my heaven be? And I have imagined it as this giant library that is full of books that have been, will be and are being written. It is just every book in the entire universe. That is kind of my perfect world. Just chill out and read, forever.

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I really wish to be a published author.

That is the ultimate dream.

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How do you like to spend your spare time?

I just really like creative writing. So, I am hoping to be a published author one day, even though I know it is quite hard. I really like, you know, working on little stories and things and maybe one day those ideas might be a book. I sort of float around from different story ideas and sometimes I create a story outline that I might write one day. I also do archery… but I have not done that in a while! Oh, and I like reading!

What do you wish to be doing in five-years-time?

I really wish to be a published author. That is my ultimate dream. But if not, then I would not mind working for a publishing company so I can read other people’s books.

Humans of UniSA

Interview by Michelle Wakim

Noah Holland

Photo Megan Venz

Bachelor of Creative Industries

Would you describe yourself as an imaginative/ creative person? If so, what experiences have enhanced your imagination and creativity?

I hope I am an imaginative person because if I am not then I have completely chosen the wrong career path. I think the main thing that has enhanced my creativity is constantly thinking I am not good enough and holding myself to the ridiculous standards of creative people I admire, so I try and push myself further and further. I am well aware it is an insane way of doing things but it works for me.

What do you enjoy most about your degree?

It is always fun to work on creative things, so doing a course where a majority of your assignments are revolving around creating things definitely makes the 50-minute drive to the Magill Campus worth it. I feel like if I was not doing film or performing arts at university, I would already be doing those things in my spare time.

What media/ books/ music do you like to consume? Do you think these things feed your creativity/ imagination?

As a film student I am obliged to say I watch award-winning dramas but in reality, I mostly watch YouTube or listen to podcasts. I will watch any video that has to do with the National Basketball Association (NBA), comedy, fitness, or clips from British TV shows. I also listen to music but it is mostly just the Beatles or anything that sounds like the Beatles.

Why did you decide to study a Bachelor of Creative Industries?

I was drawn to my course due to the ability to select from a wide variety of majors. I am currently doing a double major in Film & Television and Performing Arts and I know many people doing my degree are majoring in things like Social Media or Digital Design. Before this degree was available, there was not really a course where I could put all my focus into things that actually interest me.

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Imagine your perfect career what would it be?

I mean the obvious answer is to be a full-time musician or performer of some sort. If I could have any job in history, I would like to be one of those classic songwriters from the ‘50s and ‘60s like Carole King, writing hit songs for the pop artists of the time and then maybe go on to release their own music.

I think the perfect world is the world depicted in the Star Trek TV shows.

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If you could imagine a perfect world, what would it look like?

I think the perfect world is the world depicted in the Star Trek TV shows. Society has forgotten all forms of prejudice and all of humanity is working together for the betterment of the species. I feel like we are a little further away from that reality than a lot of us would like to be, but who knows what lies ahead?

Edition 38 | 2021

A Momento Mori Artwork Sonia Zanatta Words Tabitha Lean

Sometimes I imagine my mother is sitting at the end of my bed.

Her back is slightly curved and her sparrow frame cradles itself around her crimson, red heart.

Her delicate hands rest upon her pale knees, petite legs crossed, naked feet slightly tapping to a silent melody.

Her eyes are blue.

Not an azure blue, more a sunny sky blue.

The kind of blue that fluffy clouds rest against.

A kind of faded out blue, like a cornflower coloured dress left on the line in the summer sun.

Flecks of light ricochet off her blonde locks.

A golden crown framing her gentle face Her lips would crease into a mini smilejust an ever so little curve of her mouth, but just enough to reach her eyes.

One hand would absently smooth out unseen creases in my beddingas if her hand so soft and gentle could iron out the rough and tumble of midnight slumber.

I think I’d be little… yes - about three or four.

I’d be made up of all soft edges yet to be hardened by men or the burdens of lifeall doe eyed and playfuldreaming of fairies and wizards and pixiesyet to know the burden of loss and grief and failure and painfree of capitalist shackles and patriarchal demands and colonial confines and all the vagaries of life.

I imagine that just before I am to submit to rest she’d softly sing in a quiet voice, as she pulled the covers up to my chin.

I’d be safe and warm and loved.

I’d close my eyes unafraid of the monsters that creep in the dark, unaware that nightmares exist in the waking hours, or that dreams can go entirely unrealised.

This would be a time way before hope is dashed, or cynicism grew along all my bones like mould spores spreading into lungs.

It would be a time where my heart held love and knew no ragea time where my spirit soared and I could be me-

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A Momento Mori

an authentic me, not the me with my corners cut off, not the me origami’d into every other shape than my own just to fit someone’s image of me.

So different from the me that was brought into this world.

The me that loves and laughs and believes in fairy tales and happily every aftersthe me that is fun and quirky and gets all too carried away with the whimsy of lifethe me with my hurricane mind and my poet’s heart.

But all of this is a tale of my own creation… a story that rests in my soul bones.

Because as I stroke the little porcelain plate once held in my mother’s hands, I have to dream up memories to nestle in my mitochondriabecause I have no memory of her voice, her skin or her smileI know not what filled her heart with joy or dread.

I only know her nameher name that settles

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so easily on my lipsher name which is never mum or mama, but always Glenys.

It is in these moments that I imagine she’s not dead.

I soothe myself thinking about the transference of energy.

Energy that never dies.

Energy that can only be transformed.

I tell myself that it’s what the body does when it diesit alters form.

And I figure, existence could be eternal, right?

Surely the tragedy of her death, the very pain of her demise, that is etched upon every one of my bones, and all of her hopes and wishes and desires unfulfilled and left discarded on that long road along with every single litre of her blood as she bled out and expelled her very last breath while cradled in my father’s arms I let those scars serve as a symbolic reminder of the inevitability of my deatha memento mori, if you will.

And I imagine… because it’s all that I can do.

Edition 38 | 2021

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Comic Olivia Rose

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Artwork + Words Nina Canala

Edition 38 | 2021

Recipe: Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Illustrations + Words Nikki Sztolc

You Will Need: Garlic Butter: 2 tablespoons butter 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley Mushrooms: 5-6 large Portobello Mushrooms [stem removed, washed and dried thoroughly with a paper towel] 5-6 fresh mozzarella cheese [sliced, shredded, however you like!]

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly fresh basil, shredded to garnish balsamic glaze

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Recipe

Method: 1. Preheat oven to grill/broil setting on high heat.

2. Combine all of the Garlic Butter ingredients together in a small saucepan (or microwave safe bowl), and melt until garlic is fragrant.

3. Brush the bottom of each mushroom and place them, buttered side down, on a baking tray. Brush any remaining garlic over the insides of each mushroom.

4. Place in oven and allow to grill for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.

5. Fill each mushroom with the mozzarella slices and tomatoes, and grill again until cheese has melted and is golden in colour (about 8 minutes).

6. To serve, top with the basil, drizzle with the balsamic glaze and sprinkle with salt to taste.

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Edition 38 | 2021

Review: Will you be my Sugar Daddy?

Grab your favourite chocolate, take a seat and listen to these totally subjective and not at all biased reviews of candy.

Oh also, do not forget to brush your teeth when you are done!

Illustrations + Words Nikki Sztolc

★★

Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations I am not trying to give Cadbury a bad rap because they basically own the chocolate industry, but this is severely underwhelming. The popping candy needs more pop and the jelly kind of sucks. It is not entirely their fault though.

Maybe popping candy just does not belong in chocolate.

★★★ ★

Musk Sticks

Musk sticks taste like your second grade classroom or the lolly jar in your pantry that you could never reach. It also tastes like the cavity you tell your dentist you have no idea how it got there because you always brush your teeth twice a day and definitely do not binge on candy... Points for nostalgia, negative points for toothache.

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Review

Strawberries + Cream Chupa Chups ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I would scream this from the highest mountain: TOP TIER. Can we normalise eating lollipops as adults?

★★★

Sour Straps

Is it just me or does your mouth water just at the mention of Sour Straps?

They are pretty good for what is mostly just sugar. Although, arguably, they may be sometimes too sour.

Wizz Fizz

★★

Look, I appreciate the sentiment of the holy grail that is Wizz Fizz, but damn it is not worth the cleanup. How do you eat this without getting it all over yourself? The answer is: you do not. Wizz Fizz is basically the sand of all sweets.

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Edition 38 | 2021

The Signs According to Willy Wonka Characters 50

Illustration Nikki Sztolc Words Stephanie Montatore

Horoscopes

Aries

Libra

Taurus

Scorpio

23 Sept - 22 Oct Ms Beauregarde ‘She [Violet] is just a driven young woman, I don’t know where she gets it!’

Kris Jenner walked so this mumager could run (but she would never break a sweat in her perfectly pristine turquoise tracksuit).

21 Mar - 19 Apr Violet Beauregarde ‘I’m the world record holder in chewing gum, I’m not afraid of anything.’

Here to win with her ‘go big or go home’ attitude, Violet ultimately ends up with a body as big as her personality!

20 Apr - 20 May Augustus Gloop ‘I’m eating the Wonka Bar and I taste something that is not chocolate, or coconut, or walnut or peanut butter…’

Death by chocolate… certainly not the worst way to go, but forever the choice of a gluttonous Taurus (honestly same).

23 Oct - 21 Nov Mr Salt ‘Veruca dear, you have many marvellous pets.’

Would do anything for family… except give Veruca her Pony.

Sagittarius

22 Nov - 21 Dec A herd of Oompa Loompas *singing* ‘Oompa-loompa, Oompa-loompa, Oompa-loompa, Oompa-loompa, WEE!’ Always here for a good time (or random flash dance). Goes a little too hard on the Bondi Sands.

Gemini

21 May - 20 June Veruca Salt ‘If you won’t get me a squirrel, I’ll get one myself.’

The OG strategic, two-faced, salty ‘bad nut’.

Capricorn

Cancer

22 Dec - 19 Jan Mr Teavee ‘Most of the time I don’t know what he [Mike] is talking about… kids these days with the technology’ Just sad that kids these days do not stay kids for long because ‘back in his day…

21 June - 22 Jul Grandpa Joe ‘I’d give anything in the world to go back in and see what has become of that amazing factory.’

Was just there for the nostalgia and some emotional support while children literally got executed.

Leo

Aquarius

23 Jul - 22 Aug Mike Teavee ‘In the end I only had to buy one candy bar.’

Did not even like chocolate and STILL won a golden ticket! Clearly Leo’s win at life, but not at Wonka’s factory.

20 Jan - 18 Feb Willy Wonka ‘Good morning starshine, the earth says hello!’

So delectable and darn good looking… but that is just his chocolate. HA.

Virgo

Pisces

23 Aug - 22 Sept Mrs Bucket ‘Nothing goes better with cabbage than cabbage.’

Self-made hustler; cooking cabbage soup on the daily and just trying to keep the grandparents contained.

19 Feb - 20 Mar Charlie Bucket ‘I found it! The last Golden Ticket!’

Wholesome AF. Has a heart as gold as his ticket.

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Edition 38 | 2021

Pretty Fly For a Uni Guy or whatever you choose to identify as!

It is no secret that style can be an incredibly important means of identity and self-expression. Especially for us young souls, the ways we choose to dress can change drastically year to year in an attempt to better understand ourselves and our place within the world. At Verse, we were particularly curious to see if student’s styles had changed over the excessive isolation and lockdown periods of 2020.

So, we sat down with three stylish students to explore just that.

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Images Stephanie Montatore

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Looks of UniSA

Braiden Rowett Bachelor of Business (Marketing and Design)

I would say that my fashion sense has definitely changed in that I have become more “out there” with what I wear. I try to do more creative and thematic outfits. I think that I was just getting really bored during lockdowns and I was sick of wearing nothing crazy because I like to show off my outfits and I like to look nice. I wanted to be more adventurous; I was already on the move to my current style this time last year. I used to wear a lot of basic black and white pieces, but, since, I have added more colour to my outfits. I was sick of everything being boring, dull and a bit sad so I went ‘let’s combat this with some brightness’ and that has just hung around. I definitely prioritised comfort during lockdown (because I was just at home), but even now I wear a lot more loose-fitting clothing because it is more comfortable. I try to make myself happy with what I am wearing first before thinking about other people, but I am very much between both.

I am wearing this flower top that I got right at the end of lockdown.

It does not hold too much meaning, but I keep wearing it because it reminds me of when restrictions were being eased.

When I could start leaving the house and wearing nicer pieces out again.

The IKEA hat displays how I like to go more thematic with what I wear, so I based a whole outfit around it. It is my friend, Lucy’s, and is made from a real IKEA bag. It is definitely reminiscent of wanting to get out of the house, because it gives me big beach energy.

“ I was sick of everything being boring, dull and a bit sad. ”

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Emma-Jane Powell Bachelor of Early Childhood Education Look... I do not really have a style. Often it will depend on my mood or where I am going [and] who I am going with. There are a lot of variables. I guess my standard would just be neat casual; a little bit of sporty, a little bit fancy, a mixture of kind of everything. Generally, I wear either my sneakers or my Docs [Dr. Martens], denim jeans or a skirt and probably an oversized T-shirt.

I dress the way I want the world to see me. I dress so that people can read me, so they know how I am feeling. If I am wearing something bright, colourful and summery, people can be like ‘she is having a good day’ and I can be like ‘I am having a good day’. Sometimes I try to also incorporate bits of my personality – like I love the 60s and the 70s – so one day I might want to dress a little bit retro and make it obvious so that people can see that about me.

This bucket hat [is] from my mum’s grandma.

Apparently she loved wearing hats and, in this one, she was the height of fashion. It is a pretty special bucket hat. Just the fact that it has been passed down from my grandma [to] my mum and now I am wearing it makes it a nice generational thing. Also, my Reebok sneakers. I wear them every day – they are my favourites!

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“ I dress the way I want the world to see me. ”

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Looks of UniSA

Rylee Cooper Bachelor of Journalism + Bachelor of Arts I love wearing something that is playful and fun enough that people want to come up and talk to me. That is the whole purpose of the clothes that I wear. I want things that I enjoy to be shown through my clothes so that people can relate to the stuff that I wear and can start a conversation with me about it. I want to look adventurous and capable.

I think it taps into the whole approachability thing. I always feel really nice when people compliment me on anything that I am wearing.

When wearing the pair of pants I brought today, in Coles, a woman, who can only be described as a Karen came up to me and said, ‘I LOVE your pants!’. I was like, ‘THANK YOU SO MUCH!’.

“ I want to look adventurous and capable. ”

I had always wanted to be able to paint my own pair of pants and these were the very first one’s that I upcycled. I did it whilst I was watching Netflix at the same time. So, this project probably holds the most significance.

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Edition 38 | 2021

Retrospective

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West Artwork Nina Canala Words Malvika Hemanth

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ovember 2010. This was the moment in time the world bore witness to Kanye West’s fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (MBDTF). An album that has been dubbed by some music aficionados as West’s magnum opus. Although, before we dissect MBDTF, let us reflect on Kanye as the producer, musician and human being he was at the time and why he felt isolation was his best means of recording this life-changing work.

Prior to MBDTF’s production, West was amid a twoyear hiatus from music. During this time, he was not only grieving the loss of his mother, Donda West (a pivotal figure in his musical endeavours), but also the end of his 18-month engagement with designer, Alexis Phifer.

Although, it was public scrutiny over his outburst during the 2009 VMA’s that truly set the scene for the events proceeding. West’s profile began to tarnish... fast. His disapproval of musician, Taylor Swift, being awarded Best Female Video at the 2009 VMA’s instead of Beyonce, painted him as a ‘jackass’ by many, including the then President, Barack Obama.

The hostility and lack of remediation from West led to his public profile being furtherly tainted as the world began to see him, not as a musician, but someone who was selfabsorbed and unempathetic.

In an article written by Complex’s Noah Callahan-Bever, West admitted in an email that the mass criticism had exhausted him and diminished his sense of self, forcing him to retreat to Hawaii in a self-imposed exile.

It was here, in his new isolated reality, that West birthed MBDTF and his road to redemption began. Stating in a Q&A with The New York Times, this was West’s ‘backhanded apology’.

Further reports from Callahan-Bever said of West, in his Hawaiian studios, that the producer was so focused on his album that he only ever took power naps and never properly slept. Callahan-Bever also mentioned that West would book three studios for 24 hours a day, bouncing between each of them, whilst making sure that all artists

working on his project were wholly committed. Studio room posters would read: ‘TOTAL FOCUS ON THIS PROJECT’ and ‘DON’T TELL ANYONE ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING WE ARE DOING’.

One common theme in West’s producer work that carried over to MBDTF was his use of samples. In his earlier work, West tended to opt for more RnB and soul songs including Chaka Khan’s Through the Fire on his 2004 track, Through the Wire. However, in MBDTF, West’s genre of samples changes as we hear in tracks such as Gorgeous and Blame Game. Gorgeous samples the Enoch Light and the Glittering Guitars cover of the 1968 rock track, You Showed Me by The Turtles, whilst Blame Game seamlessly samples Aphex Twins’ Avril 14th, a modern classical song, to expand the sound of hip-hop.

This leads us to look at the 9th track on the album, Runaway. It is here that West openly accepts his narcissistic behaviour and reveals to us his insecurities.

Runaway samples the 1992 song, The Basement

by Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, using their drums with the voices of Rick James and James Brown from their tracks Mary Jane and Funky Presidents, respectively. The combination of these songs included in Runaway alongside the track’s jarring piano chords (which are the only sounds heard for the first 37 seconds) represent West’s isolation and remorse for his actions. This isolation is reinforced by the voices of James Brown and Rick James repeating the phrase ‘look at cha’ over The Basement’s steady drum lines. The distortion of James and Brown’s voices adds to West’s alienated state, with Brown’s voice stating, ‘ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together’ and West’s verse beginning thereafter, that the musician’s only resolution to regain redemption was to confess. In his first verse we hear West accept this as he understands that those closest to him ‘had been puttin’ up with [his] shit just way too long.’ We then see him use irony

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Image George Condo

Edition 38 | 2021

to acknowledge his ‘jackass’ behaviour as he states in the song’s chorus to ‘have a toast for the douchebags’. It is in West’s second verse that his fragility is exposed as he admits that he does not know how he would manage without his loved ones and his fans ‘if one day [they] just up and leave.’

Another thing to point out about this track is that whilst it is the 9th song on MBDTF, the track is also 9 minutes long, making it the longest on the album. From a biblical sense and understanding West’s devout Christian faith, Jesus died on the 9th hour and appeared 9 times to his apostles after his resurrection. The song’s length and track listing could also be interpreted as the death of West’s ego and an awakening of a new West that is less self-absorbed and more understanding.

West’s alienation is emphasised further in MBDTF’s 11th track, Lost in the World. In true Kanye fashion, the song samples 4 tracks, most notably, Bon Iver’s Woods. The confronting vocals from Bon Iver front man, Justin Vernon, convey his mangled state. The original song, Woods, was written at a time when Vernon’s band had just split which

led him to move into a cabin alone in the woods to digest this loss. Similarly, we can see parallels in West’s retreat to Hawaii to deal with his loss of identity. However, West manipulates Vernon’s lyrics to fit his own narrative. Instead of being ‘lost in the woods’, he is ‘lost in the world’. And this detachment from society is only further reinforced by a sample of Gil Scott-Heron’s voice repeating ‘who will survive in America?’.

Overall, MBDTF showcases the evolution of West’s sound in comparison to his album prior by incorporating different genres, textures and artists. This album not only exposed him to a wider listenership, but it allowed him to redeem himself in a sense as he was able to confront and accept his obnoxious and narcissistic behaviour through tracks including Runaway and Lost in the World.

To end, regardless if you love or hate the man, there is no denying that his wordplay and production in MBDTF, above all, is definitely commendable, and, maybe, we could learn a thing or two from West in our time of isolation and self-reflection. ▪︎

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USASA Clubs & Societies

Tickets Only $15

Club Executive Training Conference

Experience.

Connect.

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Monday 12 April \\ 9 am - 4:30 pm Tuesday 13 April \\ 9:30 am - 6:30 pm UniSA City West Campus Includes: Lunch and light refreshments, access to all workshops, team building activities, and to the wrap up networking event. This is an 18+ event.

For more information and to purchase tickets head to

USASA.sa.edu.au/ClubTrainingConference 59

Edition 38 | 2021

USASA Club Feature

Hidden

Worlds Illustration Queer Youth by Mitch Hearn

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USASA Club

Tell us a bit about the Illustration and Animation Grad Show club; who are you as a unit?

We are a passionate collection of students dedicated to making the best of this last year to put on a spectacular display of work we can all be proud of. From our beginning meetings on Zoom to gathering together in our gallery space and planning the specifics, we have all pitched in to represent our diverse and skilled cohort of 2020!

– Charlie Davies (Secretary)

to present work for our new January opening.

The whole planning process was an emotional rollercoaster; the COVID event guidelines were changing week-to-week through the whole year and students, understandably, had a lot going on outside of the course to worry about. We made an effort to have open channels to keep in touch with students to answer any questions they might have had. We had little of an idea of what the show would look like until set-up day, as we waited anxiously for students to arrive.

– Marnie Pohl (Fundraising Manager)

Why is it important to you there is an annual Grad Show?

As a design student, I think it is important to have a graduation show because it is more than just a time to reflect on each student’s years of study. It is also the perfect opportunity to showcase their ideas and the skills that they have accumulated and grown to improve on over the years, all in one showcase, to industry professionals, likeminded people and to the general public.

Each graduation show is different every year, it brings people together and explores students’ similarities and differences with their peers. A graduation show is an artist’s and designer’s first opportunity to make a start in the art world and creative industry.

– Cassandra Poritz (Vice Secretary)

What inspired Hidden Worlds as a concept for 2020’s show?

We wanted a theme that would represent the whole class and not exclude anyone. However, because of the nature of illustration and animation, everyone has such different styles and ways of looking at and depicting the world.

What is the process of building a show like Hidden Worlds like?

For the longest time, it just felt like we were not getting much done because so much of the work was stuff we could not do until we actually set up the gallery for opening. Once that came around, it went past in a flash.

Our first few meetings involved a lot of admin work and one of the hardest parts was getting in contact with people to ensure they were 100% going to be in the show, because we needed solid numbers to decide everything.

We needed to know the amount of tables and posters, the spacing of the tables and how many people would be featured on the website and our social media. Once that was done, we could basically sit back and wait until the show came around. I think we all underestimated how much work the setting up would be – massive props to Shae Mellors, who planned out the entire space beforehand and basically spent 2 days making sure people knew what they were doing!

– Isabelle Seretis (Chair)

Image Gnome Sculpture by Mitchell Seminutin

This made it tricky to create a theme that would let viewers know what to expect when visiting the gallery. The idea for Hidden Worlds came around when we thought about how each of us were creating our own world that others did not know about: our own hidden worlds! So, we thought the name was an apt description for our class and the show, as people would be coming to view each student’s hidden world.

What did curating Hidden Worlds look like in a year as dramatic as 2020?

We were surprised by the variety and quality of work from our peers, especially given the circumstances. The pressure this year put on our students did not keep them down and pushed many out of their comfort zones. Unfortunately, due to a COVID-19 cluster in December 2020, our event was postponed and this meant that all of our students had

– Shae Mellors (Event Planner)

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Have you found the contributors of the club have changed their artistic output since the 2020 lockdowns?

It has been a very difficult year for everyone. Due to the delays, we have all experienced different levels of demotivation. Yet, I have been so impressed with how much everyone has stepped up to contribute.

Organising, promoting and funding have all come together so well for our exhibition (despite all the hurdles) and it is something we can all be proud of.

– Oliver Russell-von Bujdoss (Treasurer) 2021 will hopefully be a year of new beginnings; what would you like to see the next club committee do in the upcoming 12 months?

Hopefully the 2021 graduating class will have a smoother year (fingers crossed), but my main suggestion would be to create a clear plan of action.

A few things we did included breaking all the tasks into steps, which made the set up more approachable. We assigned jobs to the people skilled in those specific areas, aimed to complete work early in the year before classes, asked for help from classmates outside of the committee, continued social media posting and, last but not least, enjoy the company of peers in the committee. Enjoy it and you will have a lot of fun!

– Declan Luke (Vice Chair)

Image Nyla Tests by Charlie Davies

The theme for Verse this edition is Pure Imagination; why is imagination so important to your practices as illustrators and animators?

As illustrators and animators, the creative process is just as important as the finished product and that always starts with probably the most important part of all - an idea! An idea that is formed through exercising the imagination. In a way, imagination is a superpower - the ability to conjure up images in the mind - and illustration and animation becomes an extension of this superpower, as we can conjure those mysterious pictures into something able to be seen, experienced and enjoyed by all.

Illustration and animation is a doorway into other worlds.

Some of the excitement that comes from illustration and animation is the ability to depict the unexpected and make seen what can only be imagined. Whether that be through conceptualizing something entirely unique, or through observing our surroundings and creating something new, or perhaps impossible and surreal, out of pieces of the world around us. This may spark the imagination of those who see it, challenging the viewers’ perspectives and encouraging them to see the world in a different way.

– Lauren Rawlings (Head of Branding)

Image (Left) An Australian Alphabet Of Fantastical Flora by Maria Ppiros

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USASA Club

How can the student body continue to support the club?

Words of advice, support and kindness really do go a long way. 2020 forced the committee to think outside the box and to find alternate ways of doing things and presenting things. It forced us to do things differently and maybe this skill can be handed on to the next group of graduates in some way.

I think that using this thought process is a good skill for future club representatives to use in their planning of exhibitions and events, regardless of their current situation. I also think the student body can support the future club in having compassion and empathy for their situation, whatever that may be.

Overall, when thinking of how the student body can continue to support the future club and its graduates, the answer is simple: in little ways.

Little things like purchasing raffle tickets, buying merchandise, sending messages of support and encouragement, attending exhibitions and events and taking family and friends to these exhibitions and events. Little things make a difference and support is the biggest form of help for a committee like this.

– Maria Ppiros (Social Media Manager)

Interview Nahum Gale Image (Above) An Australian Alphabet Of Fantastical Flora by Maria Ppiros Image (Left) Maria Ppiros

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2020 forced the committee to think outside the box and to find alternate ways of doing things and presenting things.

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Contributors Bhavani Frost Braiden Rowett Caleb Knoll Cameron Sanders Cassandra Poritz Charlie Davies Christina Massoloni Declan Luke Emma-Jane Powell Eva Blandis Ezra Theodore Tillet Helen Karakulak Illustration and Animation Grad Show Isabelle Seretis Jacob Horrocks Jordan White Kali Ivancevic Lara Pacillo Lauren Rawlings Lucy Edwards Lucy Zola Malvika Hemanth Maria Ppiros Marine Pohl Michelle Wakim Mitch Hearn Mitchell Seminutin Oliver Russell-von Bujdoss On The Record Nahum Gale Nikki Sztolc Nina Canala Olivia Rose Rebecca Maloney Rylee Cooper Shae Mellors Sonia Zanatta Stephanie Montatore Tabitha Lean

@frost_fire105 @rowett.art @camerons2112 @cassyrose_illustrations @swampygoblin @christinalauren__ @skizorr @ej.powell_ @evablandis @ezragrammings @helen_karakulak @unisa.illustration_animation @isabelleseretis @jordan.white306 @kaliiivancevic @lara.pacillo @laurenkathleen_ @lucyedwards.creative @lucyzola @metchhh @maria_ppiros @marinesart_ @MichelleWakim @mitchographer @eliascarter.art @ollievonbujdoss @ontherecordunisa @nahumsphotos @royaldweeb @outgrown @livroseart @cooper.rylee @moon_rabbiits @sonny.and.co @stephanie_montatore_ @tabsmorgan0803

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