#more musings on the state of the industry and Representation

[jesncin]

These are such great additions!

I think another thing to consider is that bigger stage productions are insanely expensive investments. And because of that, a lot of humbler productions who make their way to larger venues often have their edge and bite sanitized off for mainstream. Coupled with how Broadway is in-accessible to a majority of people in the world through price and lack of pro-shoot recordings for international viewers- theater has its own hierarchy problems.

The Wait in the Wings documentary goes over this, but part of Ride the Cyclone's struggle was that it covered a taboo subject, and that it was born out of a punk, counterculture environment. While the show was gaining prominence and publicity, people recognized Ride the Cyclone's value. But by the time it was getting close to entering mainstream, all people could talk about was how incompatible it was with Broadway. Which to me, is like criticizing an indie comic because it would never fit in traditional publishing. That's a terrible metric for quality and resonance.

It wasn't until Gen Z got a hold of Ride the Cyclone through slime tutorial recordings, did Ride the Cyclone find the audience it truly resonated with; one that was constantly exposed to death through growing up with a pandemic and exposure to news via social media. The humor and out-of-the box music just clicked with younger people.

American Superhero comics has suffered from a history of self censorship, and the changing attitudes of who they're for. They're constantly struggling between broadening their audience or relying on the same old white guy readership to get by. For DC, The New 52 was all about edge, so Rebirth is meant to be a return to form. But for the most part, we've entered a performative era.

Cape comics want to be more inclusive, but not to the point it would deter its conservative readership and lose money from that audience, so they'll never commit to consistently go that far. There's outliers (SSTK, Alan Scott Green Lantern, etc.) but for the most part they play it frustratingly safe and market it as groundbreaking.

Vertigo comics began as an imprint of DC comics so the creators could explore more mature topics with adult content that would've been restricted under DC comics. That's how we got so much social commentary and politics out of works like og Hellblazer. It only makes sense that when John Constantine is assimilated into the bigger, restrictive world of DC comics that his radical roots end up sanitized to fit a superhero mold- walking pride ad and quippy MCU style remarks galore.

Yet even modern stories that feel like a return to form such as Spurrier's run and Dead In America have that layer of respectability on top of everything. Sure Spurrier's Hellblazer will talk about racism, but he'll portray Rural Country Bumkin White People as the racists because that's the most comfortable people to portray as racists. And American cops. Only them though. The British cops are noble people of color. They'll include Noah, a Black disabled character who communicates through BSL, but not include nuances specific to Deaf/HOH culture and how that intersects with Blackness. They can't even draw people facing him when he's signing.

Whenever I read stories with John Constantine in them and they feel lackluster I always outwardly ask myself "are we really going to be outdone by a bunch of white guys writing Hellblazer in the 80s??" because come on. There's so much more diverse talent and perspectives in the industry since then but they can't shine because it still has to sell to a mainstream audience in the end.

I'm pretty sure your experience with Spirit World and Xanthe Zhou is reflective of most people's experience with the character. At first people are impressed by the novelty of the representation, but then they move on and forget about it. Xanthe's tag hasn't been active since their debut year with Spirit World. I finally got into Spirit World because I'm friends with a Xanthe superfan haha.

It's easy for the comics community to dunk on whatever new thing Tom King is writing, or talk up a fantastic comic! But stuff like Spirit World burns bright for a second and withers away because it really was lots of theatrics and little substance. At the end of the day, loving or hating something means you care about it. Something that is mid though? Even if you enjoyed it, it doesn't stay with you.

And it's a shame because I think characters like Xanthe should have critical discussion! At least for representation alone, I don't want a Chinese non binary character to (ironically) be forgotten and sidelined. Yet I also don't want this character to stagnate the way they're written right now (and just have fandom say "read it! It's important! Because representation!"). The beauty of these characters is the potential for another writer to come along and do something great with them. But with the state of comics being nothing burger now? Those chances are slim.

It's why I think Ride the Cyclone has a big piece of what Xanthe's missing. It may not have the backing of mainstream musicals, but something about it resonated in the younger generation especially. It was willing to have an uncomfortable conversation about death and dying at a young age, when a generation was exposed to death on the regular. Meanwhile Spirit World is a weird comic about death that wants to talk about death as little as possible. Outside of saying "you take nothing with you when you die, so you better remember people!" it's squeamish about the subject. So all we get is just "you should read Spirit World because representation, some popular characters cameo in it and uh, yeah that's it." That's a story for no one.

Spirit World, Ride the Cyclone and Death. A weird comparative analysis

Gonna combine my musical nerd and cape comics fixation together for a rambling meta thought. I've been reflecting on how taboo the topic of death is in media after getting into Ride The Cyclone (highly recommend watching the slime tutorial and Waiting in the Wings' documentary on it) but also contrasting that musical with how Spirit World handled similar topics.

Both stories cover characters whose lives were cut short from a tragic circumstance, but while Cyclone directly talks frankly about how each character uniquely grieves over their lost life (and eventually accepts death)- Spirit World uses death as largely an aesthetic to a generic fantasy superhero adventure.

[spoilers for Ride the Cyclone and Spirit World]

Spirit World is about non-binary, half dead half living Envoy Xanthe Zhou, as they go into the Spirit World with John Constantine to rescue Cassandra Cain Batgirl. They eventually go toe to toe with the spirit of a bitter dead poet.

Ride the Cyclone is about 6 choir teenagers who die in a roller coaster accident in their small town. In the afterlife, they are given the chance to vote which one of them they believe should be resurrected.

For Spirit World, do we even know how Xanthe feels about being "half dead"? What does that even mean? They died as (what looks like) a 3 year old, and have clearly aged 15 more years since then. So they can age? Do they need to eat or drink (they're seen with a drink in a Pride comic)? Xanthe keeps mentioning they're half dead and half living, but the comic doesn't seem to want to discuss what that means. How would Xanthe feel that they were essentially given a job as an Envoy the minute they died as a very young child? Was this even a choice?

We've already covered the numerous plot holes in Xanthe Zhou's poorly thought out backstory so I won't go over that again. But honestly apart from the thematically loose "the dead shouldn't be forgotten" moral, a lot of how death is presented in Spirit World feels so superficial. When Xanthe is formally introduced as this cool character with a giant sword hanging around a gravesite, fighting all these hopping vampire creatures... this scene would play out the same if you swapped the setting with a forest and zombies as bad guys.

The Spirit World is less an afterlife for the spirits to move onto and more an MMORPG setting for our superheroes to travel across and fight generic evil beings and encounter eviler, bigger, boss battles at the end. Then there's the poet clout villain whose problems are just easily solved by Xanthe promising to remember her. I've already covered what a lost opportunity thematically this character was in my last Xanthe essay, but this time I want to contrast her with Ride the Cyclone's Jane Doe. I also want to compare Xanthe with Noel Gruber afterwards.

Ride the Cyclone's musical numbers follow each character performing a song reflecting their wishes, and musings on life (this sounds depressing but the musical handles all this with comedy and wit), hoping to prove themselves as worthy of a second chance at life. Of the characters, Jane Doe is the mysterious odd one out. The accident decapitated her, leaving her to enter the after life with no memories and the people of the living unable to identify her.

You might see where I'm going with this. So in Spirit World, Wan Yujing was this famous poet mourned by an entire empire. She only goes monster mode when a handwave-y "time erodes all" happens in the Spirit World and she is eventually forgotten- so she becomes desperate to demand to be reincarnated by the Jade Court. Because her clout ran out. Again, I already made the critique in my previous essay that this villain would better link to our protagonist if she was a queer poet whose poetry was being purposefully straight washed as an act of queer historical erasure. But I want to bring up how truly unsympathetic this villain is. She gets Shakespeare levels of clout but still demands more because she isn't getting reincarnated fast enough. Xanthe promises that as an immortal "half dead half living" person that they will remember Wan Yujing, so she too can be immortal in some way.

I think about all the Jane Doe-s in the Spirit World who don't get to be famous poets that have Empires remembering who they were. People who died anonymously without a past. In Cyclone, the main character chooses Jane Doe as the person who should be brought back to life. Our cast of teens come to terms with the fact that while it's tragic that their lives ended shortly, they conclude "to say that if one dies young, they die needlessly... that is to discount the years we had. We had a life, she didn't. That's my vote." Since Jane Doe has no memory of who she is, it's only fair that she is given that second chance.

I get that Spirit World is choosing these "larger than life" characters as villains, but it's at the expense of their own supposed themes. Of all the people to die and face off our hero as the villain, a character who's essentially an influencer but somehow has an entire empire forget about her anyway feels thematically hollow.

Modern Superhero comics are suffering from a specific problem right now; they're not really about anything. Characters don't feel like people with interior lives informed by the context of who they are. Class, race and bigotry are only touched upon as lightly as possible. Queer characters are now Pride ads with no personhood or flaws. They punch gentrified crime and fight for no one in particular. Even recent adapted media such as My Adventures with Superman and Caped Crusader follow this. Superman fights white-washed xenophobia, while Batman fights gentrified, white-washed classicism. It's why comics like Superman Smashes the Klan, Catwoman Lonely City and Alan Scott Green Lantern stand out so much. It's been a while since these characters talked about anything that matters. Don't get me wrong, slop that's about nothing exists in every industry. But when these characters and worlds historically used to have more bite- it's especially obvious.

If I could be playfully conspiracy theory-like for a second; I believe Xanthe Zhou was pitched so that DC Comics can buff out their Pride Anthology or AAPI anthology with a new younger character. The company will give this character one limited series, but that's it. Xanthe will appear in the larger DC universe whenever big magic plots happen, but that's it. Maybe they'll get a YA graphic novel. I would love to be proven wrong, but the problems with Xanthe are baked in the dough.

Because they don't feel like a person, Xanthe feels more like an industry planted Pride ad. They're designed to be the most palatable and marketable image of Asian androgyny. They literally have no flaws to grow out of, and their backstory makes no sense. They weren't built to be a sustainable solo character.

So I want to contrast Xanthe Zhou against Noel Gruber from Ride the Cyclone. Because they're both queer characters whose lives were cut short at a young age.

In a dramatic lament, Noel Gruber expresses how if he had a chance to live, he'd want to live the horrible cinematic messy life of a French sex worker woman in post-war France. He struggled as the only gay boy in a small town and never got to kiss a boy before he died. It's a look into a queer life that could've been lived, one with all the messy texture and self destruction Noel couldn't have but desires. We get to see how death and queerness intersect into rich, unflattering, gender-messy themes. "I want to be that fucked up girl." Noel sings.

But what's Xanthe's deal? They died as a 3 year old, got brought back, avoided their family at all costs for 15 years, and then had a transphobic confrontation with their family when they're invited to dinner way later. If Xanthe grew up in a transphobic household, how did they ever figure out they were non-binary when they were 3? Could they even verbalize it? Or did they instead figure out their queerness after they died? But how is that possible when they already held a level of familiar resentment towards their family's transphobia as if they've had several fights about it? It's hard to picture a 3 year old having multiple heated debates about gender with their parents for this level of resentment to make any sense.

Details aside, how does Xanthe's queerness intersect with themes of death and grief? Well, it just doesn't. This scene ends with Xanthe's sister telling them that she bothered remembering them even though their parents moved on from their death (which makes no sense since the parents wanted to have dinner with a random 18 year old they correctly assumed was their long dead "daughter" but whatever). Honestly, the only reason queerness exists in this family drama is so that Xanthe has a tense relationship with their family. The story would be exactly the same if Xanthe was a troublemaker that brought shame to their family. Who they are isn't specific to whatever grief exists in the comic.

When people give the critique that modern Superhero comics aren't about anything anymore, we usually think of these comics as "lacking political bite and commentary". We don't often think of something like Death to be political. And even though it is in many ways, it's also a social taboo to talk about. Death is an uncomfortable thing to confront, even in the safety of fiction. It's what made Ride the Cyclone such a difficult stage musical to market.

So how does a modern mainstream comic like Spirit World fit into that? It just sits there in this non-committal way. Yes, this is a story about a trans teenager who died, but only in a cool Superhero Origin Way, not in any way that would make readers uncomfortable. Bury Your Gays is a stereotype after all, so we can't talk about how queer people feel about death. We don't get to know how Xanthe feels about death as a non-binary Asian American. Especially if it's messy. It's the reason why Wan Yujing's character can never commentate on themes of historical queer erasure. God forbid superhero comics be about something.

I think about how, in the original Hellblazer run from the 80s, John Constantine had an elderly gay friend who was diagnosed with AIDS but was killed by a homophobic hate group. The comic openly talks about the sheer amount of gay people dying of the epidemic, a looming threat that informs John's queer life. It's such a culture shock, to contrast these early comics with how John Constantine is written in Spirit World. A character stripped of his own queer history and is at the mercy of incessant slutty bi jokes. Where is the desire to talk about how death informs a queer person's life? The mourning of a lost generation to the AIDS crisis? Something John lived through?

How about how any of this intersects with being an Asian American queer person? Queer people of color are often erased or purposefully excluded from queer history and communities. As a Queer Asian American, what does it mean to have identities that are often perceived to be in conflict with each other? Would your queer Asian ancestors even be remembered? Cultural differences with how you'd mourn your communities? But answering any of these questions means an uncomfortable conversation for Spirit World. For Xanthe. It threatens to be about something.

Which makes it all the more silly that, of the two stories, a musical about teenagers dying from a rollercoaster malfunction is more willing to have that uncomfortable conversation. You should ride the Cyclone.

[yasmine-cariaga]

BALLET CORE: TIKTOK’S NEW OBSESSION & FASHION’S OLD FRIEND

Ballet core has pirouetted its way into the hearts of hyperfeminine girls everywhere. It girls Lily-Rose Depp, Bella Hadid and actress Elle Fanning have championed this trend. Ballet had an undeniable influence on SS23 Fashion week. Ballet references danced their way from the Sandy Liang show in New York to the Simone Rocha runway in London. Videos tagged Ballet core have gained an impressive 171 million views on TikTok and on Pinterest searches for ballet core have jétéd all the way up by 1566%. The Miu Miu ballet flats have gone viral on Tik Tok, and it seems as if every girl has run to their local dance shop to buy themselves a pair of leg warmers and a baby pink leotard.

The main items of ballet core are casual rehearsal accessories such as leg warmers, leotards, and wrap-around cardigans. Ballet flats are another staple in the ballet core wardrobe. It girl Lily Rose Depp, is constantly seen wearing the red Repetto ballet pumps and Bella Hadid and Devon Lee Carlson have become fans of Sandy Liang’s pointe shoe. It could be said that ballet rehearsal wear is 2022’s answer to the athleisure trend which took off in 2016. Ballet core is the perfect median between comfort and femininity. Morgan Timuri- founder of Lei, a ballet-inspired clothing brand states “When I wear feminine ballet-inspired outfits I feel quite comfortable yet subtly stylish… it doesn’t make me feel like I’m too overdressed or underdressed.” Timuri also credits the Oscar-winning film Black Swan for popularising ballet wear: “I think movies becoming popular again such as Black Swan have definitely made ballet core a lot more popular”.

Ballet and fashion have been in a long-term relationship since the early 1900s. The Ballet Russes, a Parisian ballet company founded in 1907, popularised ballet as fashion’s muse. The Ballet Russes brought ballet to the West, and they exposed Europe to a romantic image of Tsarist Russia. Léon Bakst’s luxurious ‘oriental’ costumes for the company further propelled ballet into Western entertainment. His costumes were vibrant and decadent. The master couturier, Paul Poiret, took inspiration from Bakst’s ‘oriental’ costumes in 1909 and created his own ‘oriental’ influenced collection which featured kaftans, headdresses, and the infamous new wave harem pants. The Ballet Russes’ opulent costumes also inspired Yves Saint Laurent’s 1976 Haute Couture collection, Opéras - Ballets Russes.

The reality of ballet is very different from the romanticised image that ballet core portrays. If you look up ballet core on Pinterest, you will enter a thinspo hell. Images of skinny, white bodies will flood your screen and these pictures promote eating disorders and romanticise the struggles ballerinas face. According to Butterfly, an eating disorder charity “The ballet industry strives on structure, comparison, and perfectionism. With a focus on an ideal, thin body type.” The charity found that approximately 12% of dancers struggle with eating disorders and ballet dancers are 10 times more likely to develop eating disorders than non-ballet dancers. When asked about the romanticisation of ballet core and body image representation within the dance industry, ex-ballerina Daisy Ayscough proclaims that “There is some harm in that industry in terms of body image and it’s not ideal that it’s being transferred into the World around us”.

Like most trends that start on Tik Tok, you might think that ballet core isn’t going to stay long but Morgan Timuri thinks otherwise as she explains “I don’t think it will die out because the components of ballet core aren’t anything out of the ordinary and are pretty much staple pieces of any other wardrobe”. Let’s hope ballet and fashion don’t break up anytime soon but the ballet industry needs to go its separate way from its toxic body ideals.

[ashitomarisu]

Speaking of Love Live, whether this has been theorized before or not, has anyone noticed how the franchise could be loosely inspired by Greek mythology?

It's basically mentioned in the original series, from Nozomi herself:

μ's, or "muse" meaning the "nine goddesses of Greek mythology"

SUPPOSEDLY, muses are not the same as sirens.

In this case, μ's is meant to represent the 9 inspirational goddesses, which were regarded as "the key to good life".

That means Aqours represents the "sirens", evil mermaids who lured sailors to their own demise through song. (That is dark af Lantis and Sunrise).

What does that make the likes of Nijigaku and Liella in this situation?!

Personally, Nijigaku would fit the Titans best, since there are 12 titans in Greek mythology. Yu could represent Gaia, the mother of 12.

That leaves Liella, but there isn't a concrete representation since 11 is an odd number and most of Greek myths consist of threes? Although, there are 11 gods/goddesses that have become descendants of certain Olympians, mainly the ones listed on this screenshot:

That's just my hunch on the parallels between Love Live and Greek mythology, but I'm sure you're wondering what "idol hell" is suppose to parallel with.

The concept of "idol hell" is broad, considering how it isn't just Love Live but also other idol themed franchises. When one is in this state, it mainly is of infatuation to fictional female characters (or male if it's ProSeka or IM@S Side M, etc). However, the actual aspect of the idol industry in Japan is a WHOLE different story, which can be looked upon separately.

The only reason I made this post was to see if this series really had inspiration from Greek mythology. (Although, I am sure someone has a more in-depth theory on this).

[attemptsonherlifepdf]

bojack horseman and bo burnham: the art of acting like you’re acting and the comedy of misery

at the core of bojack horseman, raphael bob-waksberg’s 2014 comedy, is a story about the relationship between performance and depression. the protagonist of this renowned tragicomedy is best described as a sympathetic villain; he is shown to clearly be in the wrong across various events of the show, and is explicitly referred to as a bad person, but the audience is granted deep access to his personal struggles, resulting in some portions of the audience finding themselves on bojack’s side. the duality of his character is complex, but can be broken down into some core components, that all stem from the impacts of stardom and performance. the standup comedy of bo burnham arguably echoes this sentiment in real time. having been a performer from a young age, burnham creates work that serves as a satirical commentary on the life of entertainers. he uses original songs to explore the reliance upon and resentment for his performative nature both onstage and within his personal life. both the comedian and the netflix show are widely understood to be thinly veiling their critiques of the entertainment industry behind a particular brand of witty and absurd humour.

both bojack and burnham’s content openly criticises their audiences and explicitly states the manufactured nature of the narrative the audience is fed. in the fifth season of bojack horseman, the show satirises itself by having bojack star in a police procedural drama, parts of which are actively written by other characters to reflect events of bojack’s life. the titular character he plays, philbert, is the epitome of selfish male angst, and an example of what bob-waksberg’s show could have been; another story about a sad and angry man whose guilt supposedly makes up for the people he has hurt. according to bojack, philbert teaches us ‘we’re all terrible, so we’re all okay’, an interpretation that is harshly disputed by diane: ‘that’s not the point of philbert, for guys to watch it and feel okay. i dont want you, or anyone else, justifying their shitty behaviour because of the show.’ this moment is a direct reaction to some of the online reception bojack horseman has received. various circles of the show’s fanbase have found themselves relating to the protagonist to the point of defending his untoward behaviour, a response not intentioned by the show’s creators. this is not the only example of bob-waksberg’s ability to make his work self-evaluative. in season six’s exposure of bojack and sarah lynn’s problematic relationship, characters question their sexual encounter from the first season. the writers use this as a way of examining their own choices, and the harmful tropes they played into when using this exploitative sexual encounter as a gag. this self-evaluative quality is what sets bojack apart as a show that assesses the performance it participates in, much like the comedy of bo burnham.

bo burnham is known for directly addressing his audience, particularly in terms of discouraging idolisation and parasocial relationships. some examples of this manifest as responses to hecklers rather than a planned bit in the show, for instance:

heckler: i love you!

bo: no you don’t

heckler: i love the IDEA of you!

bo: stop participating!

he actively addresses the issues posed by being an entertainer, and encourages the audience to understand and recognise that his onstage persona is just that: an exaggerated persona. not once does burnham claim to be fully authentic onstage, and even moments of authenticity we see in his latest special, inside, are staged. we make the assumption that having the physical setting of a stage stripped away grants us a more personal look at the entertainer’s life, but he makes it clear that even in his own home we still see the aspects he has carefully constructed rather than the full truth. arguably though, parts of the show really are authentic; in his monologue during make happy, bo deconstructs his own show in a way that is similar to bojack horseman’s later seasons, admitting that all he knows is performing and thus making a show about the more mundane and relatable aspects of life would feel ‘incredibly disingenuous.’ in his attempts to separate himself from this onstage persona he actually manages to blur the lines between what is acting and what is now part of his nature as a result of his job. this notion is echoed in bojack horseman as bojack’s attention seeking nature is attributed to his years acting in front of a camera every day.

bo suggests that the era of social media has created a space in which children’s identities mimic that of an entertainer like himself, describing the phenomenon as ‘performer and audience melded together.’ in this observation he criticises the phenomenon. bo attempts to force the audience to recognise the ways in which their lives are becoming shaped by the presence of an audience and to some extent uses his own life as a warning tale against this. he points out the way in which the ‘tortured artist trope’ means that your cries for help or roundabout attempts of addressing mature themes such as substance abuse, mental illness and trauma become part of that on stage persona and therefore become part of the joke. both bo and bojack address these topics in more discrete manners earlier in their careers, but this eventually becomes expected, and thus they are forced to explicitly detail their struggles with these topics in order to be taken seriously. even then, portions of the audience are inclined to see it as part of the persona or as something that fuels the creators creativity and thus does not need to be addressed as a legitimate issue. the emphasis on creating a character or persona promotes the commodification of mental illness: any struggle must be made into a song or a joke or a bit, must be turned into part of the act in order to have value. this actually serves to delegitimise these emotions and create a disconnect between the feeling and the person, as it becomes near impossible to exist without feeling as though you are acting. even when an artist’s cries for help become blatant, they continue to go ignored because now they serve the purpose of creating content that criticises the industry they stem from. online audiences can be seen as treating bo burnham and his insightful work as existing to demonstrate the negative effects entertaining can have, and because this insight is useful or thought-provoking to audiences, he is almost demanded to keep entertaining and creating. in response to this demand, his work becomes more meta and his messages become clearer, and the more obvious his messages, the more people he reaches. this increases audience demands and traps entertainers in a cycle fraught with internal conflict.

during bojack’s second season, bojack’s date asks him, ‘come on, do that bojack thing where you make a big deal and everyone laughs, but at the same time we relate, because you're saying the things polite society won't.’ this moment exemplifies how aspects of his genuine personality have now become a part of his persona and this is demanded of him in genuine and serious situations, undermining the validity of his emotional reactions. he immediately makes a rude comment to the waitress at the restaurant they’re in and satisfies his date by performing that character he has set himself out to be. some circles of the fan base have argued that bojack is written as a depiction of somebody with borderline personality disorder, offering a psychoanalytical lens through which to view this notion of performance. a defining symptom of borderline personality disorder is a fluctuating sense of self; having grown up on camera, being demanded to perform to others as young as six years old, bojack’s sense of self will have been primarily dictated by the need to act.  whether this acting is for the sake of comedy, or as a representation of masking his mental illness, when they need to act is taken away bojack entirely loses his sense of self and relapses into his addictions: ‘i felt like a xerox of a xerox of a person.’ burnham’s depictions of depression run along a similar vein; in his new special he poses the idea that his comedy no longer serves the same personal purpose it once did for him. he questions ‘shit should I be joking at a time like this?’ and satirises the idea that arts have enough value to change or impact the current global issues that we are facing. burnham’s ‘possible ending song’ to his latest special, he asks ‘does anybody want to joke when no-one’s laughing in the background? so this is how it is.’ implicit in this question is the idea that when the audience is taken away and there is nobody to perform his pain to, he is left with his pain. instead of being able to turn his musings and thoughts into a product to sell to the public, he is forced to just think about them in isolation and actually face them, an abrupt and distressing experience.

the value of performance and art is questioned by both bojack and burnham, particularly during the later years of their respective content. burnham’s infamous song, art is dead, appears to be a direct response to the question ‘what is the worth of art?’ he posits that performing is the result of a need for attention (‘my drug’s attention, i am an addict, but i get paid to indulge in my habit’) and repeatedly jokes throughout his career that the entertainment industry receives more respect that it deserves (‘i’m the same as you, im still doing a job or a service, i’m just massively overpaid’). his revelations regarding the inherent desire for attention that runs through all entertainers is frequently satirised in bojack horseman. bojack is comically, hyperbolically attention hungry and self-obsessed, and the show has a running gag in which he uses phrases along the lines of ‘hello, why is nobody paying attention to me, the famous movie star, instead of these other boring people.’ his constant attempts to direct the focus of others towards himself result in bojack feeling like ‘everybody loves you, but nobody likes you.’ his peers buy into his act and adore the comical, exaggerated, laughable aspects of his character, but find very little room to respond to him on a genuinely personal level because of this. interestingly, bojack appears to enjoy catering to his audience and the instant gratification it produces, whereas bo burnham becomes increasingly candid about his mixed feeling towards his audience. ‘i wanna please you, but i wanna stay true to myself, i wanna give you the night out that you deserve, but i wanna say what i think and not care what you think about it.’ he admits to catering to what audiences want from him, but resents both the audience and himself in the process as it reveals to himself which parts of his character are solely for the sake of people watching him.

within bojack horseman, this concept is applicable not only to the protagonist, but to the various forms of performer demonstrated in the plot. towards the show’s end, sarah lynn asks ‘what does being authentic have to do with anything?’ to which herb kazzaz responds, ‘when i finally stopped hiding behind a facade i could be at peace.’ this highlights the fact that because entertainers are demanded to continue the facade, they do not receive the opportunity to find ‘peace.’ this sentiment is scattered throughout the show, through a musical motif, the song ‘don’t stop dancing.’ the song stems from a life lesson bojack imparted to sarah lynn at a young age, and becomes more frequently used as the show progresses and bojack’s situation worsens.

sarah lynn is also used to explore the value of entertainers; in the show’s penultimate episode, she directly compares her work as a pop icon to the charity work of herb, arguing that if she suffered in order to produce her work. it has to mean something. she lists the struggles she faced when on tour: ‘i gave my whole life...my manager leaked my nudes to get more tour dates added, my mom pointed out every carb i ate, it was hell. but it gave millions of fans a show they will never forget and that has to mean something.’ implicit in this notion is the idea that entertainment is the epitome of self-sacrifice. there is a surplus of mentally ill individuals within the industry, largely due to the nature of the industry itself, but some may argue that the cultural grip the industry has, and the vast amounts of respect and money it generates annually, gives the suffering of these prolific individuals meaning.

the juxtaposing responses entertainers feel towards their audiences manifest as two forms of desperation: the desperation to be an individual who is held accountable, and the desperation to be loved and validated. we see both bojack and bo depict how they oscillate between  ‘this is all a lie’ and ‘my affection for my audience is genuine’, or between ‘do not become infatuated with me im a character’ and ‘please fucking love my character i do not know how to be loved on a personal level.’ bojack explicitly asks diane to write a slam piece on him and ‘hold him accountable’, similar to bo’s song ‘problematic’ in which the hook includes the phrase ‘isn’t anybody gonna hold me accountable?’ for his insensitive jokes as a late teenager. their self-awareness is what enables their self-evaluative qualities, but self-awareness is its own issue. bojack grapples with a narcissistic view of his own recognition of his behaviour before settling on a more nuanced, albeit depressing take. originally he makes the assumption that in recognising the negative aspects of himself, he is superior to those who behave similarly: ‘but i know im a piece of shit. that makes me better than all the pieces of shit that don’t know theyre pieces of shit.’ eventually, during his time at rehab he is forced to reconcile with the fact that self awareness does not, to put it bluntly, make you the superior asshole, it just makes you the more miserable one. the show does, however, make a point to recognise how the entertainment industry protects ‘pieces of shit’, prioritising their productive value over how much they deserve to be held accountable, demonstrated using characters like hank hippopoalus. the show itself obviously stems from the entertainment industry, as it is a form of media produced by netflix, one of the most popular streaming platforms available. bojack horseman and bo burnham represent the small corner of the industry that is reflective enough to showcase the damage it inflicts. this is powerful in terms of education and awareness, and urges audiences to question their own motives and versions of performance, but the reflection alone is not powerful enough to help the artists in question. burnham’s candid conversations surrounding his mental health continue to reveal a plethora of issues somewhat caused or sustained by the nature of his career. within bojack horseman, bojack is only able to stop hurting other characters when those characters construct a situation that forces him to face consequence, his introspection alone is not enough. while bojack ends on a message of hope, suggesting to the audience that reverting back to the status quo is not the only acceptable way for events to end, it leaves stinging lessons and social commentary with the audience regarding the unnatural and damaging narrative that performers live through. on a similar but markedly different note, bo burnham’s work and personal progression is playing out in real time, and not in a way that is as raw and genuine as it appears. each bit is planned, even the most vulnerable moments that appear unplanned and painful. his latest special is not entirely devoid of hope, but does translate to audiences as a somewhat exaggerated look around the era of social media and the development of performance, using himself as an example.

the absurdist humour that often acts as a vehicle for poignant statements or emotionally provocative questions is very specific to each media creator. bob-waksberg’s use of puns, tongue twisters and entirely ridiculous circumstances served to simultaneously characterise his points as an expected part of the show’s style of humour, similar to bojack’s emotional instability, but also to make them appear gut-punching in comparison to the humour. burnham’s work is similar in that poignant but blunt statements are often sandwiched between absurd and exaggerated jokes, making them stand out via contrast but not giving the audience too much time to dwell upon them as they are said. performance art is second nature to entertainers, and is presented a an issue that is infiltrating the general population via social media rather than solely affecting the ‘elites’. bojack horseman and bo burnham present the duality of artists simultaneously attempting to level the playing field and increase their chances of survival in the industry, and encourage audiences to know that everyone is bluffing and you’ll never have the right cards anyway.

i.k.b

[thechanelmuse]

TW: rape

‘I May Destroy You,’ Michaela Coel’s gimlet-eyed exploration of trauma and its myriad ripple effects follows Arabella (Coel) — a funny, messy, sharp-as-hell London writer — after a dizzying night in which she’s drugged and raped by a stranger. At first, she dismisses the hazy memory as just an upsetting image in her head. Soon enough, though, Arabella reluctantly comes to understand it as the truth, and tries to work through that horrifying reality without coming apart. [...]

Not every part of Arabella has a direct line to Coel, but the series’ catalyzing experience, unfortunately, does. In 2016, Coel took a break from a marathon writing session for the second season of “Chewing Gum” to grab a drink with a friend, and was drugged and assaulted by a stranger. She’s been sifting through the emotional wreckage ever since to find some kind of clarity, if not peace. Now, with “I May Destroy You,” she’s doing it for all the world to see. “As a fellow android exploring what it means to be human,” says Coel’s friend Janelle Monáe, “watching Michaela be vulnerable on-screen as she walks in her truth gives me and so many the bravery to walk in ours.” [...]

Coel began writing “I May Destroy You” in February 2017, in between acting in TV projects like the “USS Callister” episode of “Black Mirror” and Netflix’s limited series “Black Earth Rising.” She took solo mountain trips and wrote draft after draft of what would eventually become “I May Destroy You,” spilling her stories and tangled guts onto the page, rearranging them into shapes she could better recognize. In August 2018, she spoke about her trauma publicly while delivering the Edinburgh International Television Festival’s James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture, a prestigious assignment the festival has otherwise bestowed on a cadre of white British television mainstays (as well as no fewer than three Murdochs). 

The majority of Coel’s speech, delivered to a room of the U.K.’s most powerful entertainment brokers, traced the constant racism and classism she endured on the way to that Edinburgh stage — a theme subtextually underlined by the fact that Coel was, and remains, the only Black woman to have that platform. She spoke about turning her solo play “Chewing Gum Dreams” into a “Chewing Gum” TV series (which aired 2015-17 on the U.K.’s Channel 4), a transformative time that taught her the technicalities of making television and confirmed just how disinclined certain white gatekeepers are to trust a poorer Black woman’s vision. Toward the end of the 50-minute lecture, Coel revealed her assault and elucidated the industry’s inability — or unwillingness — to handle such a human emergency when pages are due. As for her recovery, she said, “It’s been therapeutic to write about it, and actively twist a narrative of pain into something with more hope, and even humor.”

When it finally came time to translate it all to the screen, “I May Destroy You” was so close to her bruised heart that Coel took on the challenge of playing several roles throughout the series’ development: creator, writer, actor, producer, director. Netflix offered her a total fee of a cool $1 million to make and star in the show, but the proposed contract wouldn’t grant Coel even a tiny percentage of the rights. She hadn’t fully realized how much claiming legal proprietorship over her work mattered to her until the prospect of not being able to emerged, at which point it became crucial. 

Then, after some Googling, she realized that her CAA agents would also be profiting from the deal via the endangered practice of packaging. Stung and surprised, Coel walked away from both her agents and the offer. “I’m not anti-Netflix,” she’s quick to say now, “but I am pro-‘the creator, writer, director, actor should probably have a right.’” She’s hyper-aware of how much this project required of her, and how comparatively little granting her “a right” might cost a powerful network like Netflix. “That’s not quite fair, is it?” Coel muses. Creating the show, after all, took almost everything she had.

With the BBC, a million-dollar paycheck might not have been in the cards, but more important to Coel, she didn’t have to fight half as hard to claim ownership. (As a matter of industry course, it’s far more common for British studios to afford creators rights to their work than it is for American equivalents.) They struck a deal, and Coel got to work.[...]

“When you’re restricted,” she explains, “sometimes that’s where you find great things: in the lack of possibility.” She attributes this rather Zen approach to Hugo Blick, the “Black Earth Rising” showrunner who showed her the value of keeping a cool, empathetic head on set. Blick’s ability to step away from a gnarly situation for even 30 calming seconds is one that Coel has worked to hone for herself, especially while steering a series with such fraught ties to her history. No matter how sideways things might go, she never wants to forget just how much she loves the collaborative act of building a television show, wild complications and all. 

Read more

From Forbes:

I May Destroy You’s Michaela Coel Rejected Netflix’s $1 Million Offer In Favor Of The BBC Because Of Ownership

The creative, who stars as Arabella and wrote all 12 episodes, started pitching the programme in the spring of 2017 with one of her first ports of call being Netflix who picked up her prior series Chewing Gum.

Though Netflix offered a generous upfront fee of $1 million (£800,000), the sum had strings attached, including full rights ownership away from the creator, something Coel pushed back against. Coel recalls a moment during the interview where she is speaking with a Netflix development executive on the phone, asking if she could retain even a very small 0.5% of the copyright to her show.

“There was just silence on the phone. And she said, ‘It’s not how we do things here. Nobody does that, it’s not a big deal,’” Coel recollected. “I said, ‘If it’s not a big deal, then I’d really like to have 5 % of my rights,’” Coel added, stating that she even went down to 2%, and then 1% and even as a final compromise to 0.5%.

Coel remembers that the executive said she would have to run it passed her superiors, before adding, “‘Michaela? I just want you to know I’m really proud of you. You’re doing the right thing.'”

“I remember thinking, I’ve been going down rabbit holes in my head, like people thinking I’m paranoid, I’m acting sketchy, I’m killing off all my agents,” Coel says. “And then she said those words to me, and I finally realized — I’m not crazy. This is crazy.”

Coel discovered her agents, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) were set to make an undisclosed amount from the series if she took the deal with Netflix. She reveals that the agency pushed her to take the deal prior to her finding out and their subsequent dismissal as her U.S. representation.

Taking the project to British broadcaster the BBC later in 2017, Coel found the corporation to be supportive with her maintaining creative control even with the explicit depictions of sex, sexual assault and drug use. Plus, as the broadcaster had to adhere to terms of trade, Coel had no problem with retaining the rights also. The broadcaster also brought HBO to the table as another co-producer to help subsidise a portion of the budget.

Read more

This isn’t about just “knowing your worth;” it’s about knowing the business (your business) and never settling just to secure “something.” A million dollar offer, no copyright ownership and no creative control is beyond disrespectful. Learn the business in whatever field you’re in and stay acclimated with jargon and new, current and old practices. Know your shit. 

It’s like when people say “Get a lawyer” to handle negotiations and look over your paperwork. You pay a lawyer to do a job, but it does not mean you should be oblivious to aspects of law and contract jargon among other things because “that’s what they’re there to do.” You can’t say someone (sometimes lawyers included) screwed you over after you’ve signed the dotted line. They’re protecting and looking out for themselves. Commit to do the same for yourself.

[eyecache]

@prinita.thevarajah on @southasia.art, 11/11/2019 to 11/19/2019

“Hello, Prinita @prinita.thevarajah here. This week I’ll be sharing my thoughts about Eelam cultural identity formation through Tamil cinema (Kollywood) and the Eelam diaspora.

Eelam Tamils are native to Sri Lanka and constitute the largest diasporic Tamil community outside of India. Not all diasporic Tamils share a collective sense of Tamil identity, though Kollywood has been crucial in marking  and maintaining one’s Tamil identity in the diaspora, especially where Tamil communities often hold minority status. As an Eelam kid in Australia, I often looked towards Kollywood to shape my understanding of what it meant to be Tamil. The child of Eelam refugees who fled Sri Lanka in the 80s as war between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) erupted, ongoing violence carried out against Eelam Tamils halted our community's capacity in developing a 'popular culture’ of it’s own. To be an Eelam Tamil is to be part of a community whose territorial, cultural and ethno-linguistic identity have been so heavily discriminated against to the point of genocide. The trauma of war seeped into our identity formation, and our fragmented diaspora while incredibly resilient, had not one single cultural representation to rely on. So, despite a lack of representation, Kollywood became the pillar that Tamilness sat upon. And while the articulation of Dravidian identity and Tamil nationalism is profound in Kollywood, the struggles of Eelam Tamils fit well within the profound self proclamations of Tamil language, culture and tradition propagated by Kollywood, but solidarity failed to materialize on the screens.

This week I want to explore representations of Eelamness in Kollywood, highlight artists in the diaspora contributing to an Eelam cultural renaissance and ask - what does it mean to re-imagine Eelam popular culture and how can we reclaim our Eelmaness by de-centering Indian ideals of Tamilness?

Despite yearning for a Eelam identity that is whole, I cannot discount the profound impact Kollywood has had on molding me into a proud Tamil. As a child in Sydney, my Appa contributed to Inbathamil Oli (Sweet Sound of Tamil) - a 24 hour Tamil radio station.

He would take me along to spend overnight shifts at the station, and I would listen on fondly to his musings over the air. The theme song for the station was Mettu Podu from the film 1994 Tamil film, Duet. 20 years on, the song still sticks with me as an anthem for the strength, resilience and beauty of the Tamil community.

ஆண் : தங்கமே தமிழுக்கில்லை தட்டுப்பாடு ஒரு சரக்கிருக்குது முறுக்கிருக்குது மெட்டுப் போடு Tamil will never be lacking & I will make music to proclaim it! எத்தனை சபைகள் கண்டோம் எத்தனை எத்தனை பகையும் கண்டோம் அத்தனையும் சூடங்காட்டிச் சுட்டுப் போடு We have seen many fights We have been through many wars Forget them all and be free of them! மெட்டுப் போடு மெட்டுப் போடு என் தாய் கொடுத்த தமிழுக்கில்லை தட்டுப்பாடு Make music, make sound With the tongue of Tamil my mother gave me Tamil will never be lacking

MATERIALIZED AS TRAUMATIZED// Today I want to focus on the representation of Eelam Tamils in Kollywood as one that is flattened without nuance: a people in constant agony and despair, solidifying us in our state of trauma. It is certainly necessary to provide an understanding of the ramifications of genocide for Eelam Tamils. Where historically, our struggle has been erased: the denial of genocide and failure by the international community to intervene or hold the Sri Lankan state accountable for war crimes, the depiction of the plight of Eelam people in Kollywood is assumed to be informative. But I ask, why all trauma and no strength? If Kollywood could make room for us as broken people, why not also portray our vigor and irepressibility? How do we see ourselves as Eelam people when the only representation of us in popular culture is a community that is defeated?

Historically, Kollywood has been uninterested in Tamil diasporic subjects. It's preoccupation has been in the entrenched ideas of Tamil culture, tradition, modernity and ethno-linguistic nationalism. The praxis of Tamil cinema is guided by the everyday practices of Tamil lives in Tamil Nadu and fails to incorporate the question of identity that the diaspora grapples with. Consider that the political struggle of Eelam Tamils heralded a new phase of militant Tamil nationalism, created a society that reformers and poets of Tamil Nadu could only imagine, and waged a war for liberation that was of epic proportions in both triumph and tragedy. It is a grievance that a culture industry in the ‘heart of Tamil civilization’ did not give adequate artistic due in its mainstream medium to an achievement that is claimed by many a Tamil nationalist to have been the ‘height of Tamil civilization’

It’s clear that diasporic Tamil identities are shored up as an anomaly to normative Tamil cinematic identity. Looking closer at the 2000 film Thenali shows the vexed and complex relationship between the Eelam Tamils and those from Tamil Nadu.

Thenali (Kamal Hassan) is an Eelam man from Jaffna. He is a hyper anxious neurotic used by his psychiatrist to derail the career of Dr Kailash. Thenali falls in love with Dr Kailash’s sister, Janaki. The film follows an enraged Dr Kailash’s attempt to eliminate Thenali despite Thenali’s naive quest to please the Dr. Subtle distinctions portray the disparate identity of Eelam Tamils. From the Dr Kailash questioning why Thenali speaks Tamil differently, to Thenali painted as a miserable jest juggling irrational fears as a result of having his home raided by soldiers, his father attacked and mother raped. The film seeks to other Thenali, the traumatized Eelam man who just can’t seem to get it right. Towards the end of the film Dr Kailaish adopts words from the Jaffna dialect, but immediately corrects himself upon realization. If Thenali is the oppressed Eelam Tamil, Dr Kailash is a metonymy for India, whose help Thenali seeks again and again, refusing to see anything wrong in the doctor or his intentions, elevating him to the position of a divine being.

The political history of Tamil Nadu is riddled with moments when the people of Tamil Nadu and the state have been sympathetic to the cause of the Eelam Tamils, resulting in policies allowing Eelam Tamils to stay as refugees and also in offering us financial aid. Much like the fluctuation between compulsions that drive its foreign policy and the sympathy for Tamils expressed in Tamil Nadu, Dr Kailash declares his predicament that he is unable to disclose the thoughts he harbours. At the point when he thinks he is close to eliminating Thenali, he declares, ‘there is no joy in living as in watching destruction’, a statement that resonates deeply with the oft-repeated criticism of the Government of India and Tamil Nadu’s silence in the wake of the Sri Lankan army action in 2009 that resulted in the deaths of 100 000 Eelam Tamils

The film features the song "Injerungo" (slide 5&6) which supposedly includes Jaffna slang - but ask anyone actually from Eelam and they’ll tell you that Kamal Hassan missed the mark almost completely - Eelam kids, what do y’all think

Kannathil Muthamittaal (2002) is probably Kollywood’s most comprehensive take on the human cost and emotional toll endured by Eelam Tamils, complete with visceral descriptions and images of war torn Sri Lanka. The film tells the story of an Eelam girl, Amudha who is adopted by an Indian Tamil couple, and the family’s journey back to Sri Lanka to reacquaint mother and daughter. Her biological parents abandon Amudha to join the ‘rebel cause’ who we can assume is the LTTE. Rather predictably, considering the labeling of the LTTE as a terrorist organization, there is no overt reference made to the group. The rebels are depicted as armed men who speak Jaffna Tamil and the audience are left to form their own interpretation. Much like Thenali remains silent about the cause of Thenali’s oppression, Kannathil Muthamittaal resists making explicit reference to the cause of conflict or parties involved. Expectedly, the film holds arms traffickers responsible for the plight of Eelam Tamils, as opposed to the Sinhalese government, erasing actual genocidal intent since 1948. After visiting the island and witnessing the helplessness of the Eelam people, Amudha and her family return to Tamil Nadu. The underlying message is that the Indian Tamil is both politically and culturally superior and more empowered than the Eelam Tamil.

A common thread in both Kannathil Muthamittall and Thenali is that in the traumatized portrayal of Eelam subjects, Kollywood domesticates Eelam Tamils for an Indian Tamil public. Eelam Tamils are removed of their political agency and are presented as an object of pity. Rather than demanding concrete political solidarity, an abstract humanitarian sentiment is requested. As if to say, “ooh, look how they suffer. Let’s marry them. Or adopt them. Assimilate them into our safe lives. Let us be their providers.” Charity is the gesture appealed for, but there is always something fundamentally depraving in charity.

Tonight I want to make space to think about what it looks like to reimagine and reconstruct an Eelam Tamil cultural identity, away from Indian Tamil ideals.

An accurate portrayal of the political, social and existential condition of the Eelam Tamils is yet to be found in Kollywood. And as Eelam Tamils, we reject being labeled as Sri Lankan as to do so means aligning with the very state that attempted to erase our existence. What does this then mean for our capacity to develop as a people within the island? The North-East of Sri Lanka, the Tamil homeland, is one of the most heavily-militarized regions in the world. Currently, according to the Adayalaam Centre for Policy Research, in the Mullaitivu District - where the last phase of armed conflict was fought - at least 60 000 Sri Lankan army troops are stationed. That’s 25% of the 243 000 military personnel of the whole country. Our people in Eelam are under constant surveillance and control, the military's presence in Eelam facilitates displacement and land grabbing that consequently destabilizes and disrupts the day to day activities of our community. Survival becomes the goal with the preservation and development of culture an understandable after thought.

Considering the impossibility of any free Eelam Tamil cinema developing under the Sri Lankan state, we turn to the diaspora. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the genocide against Eelam people, and as we move into the new decade, it's vital to reflect and consider deeply the history we pave forward as a community. How are we creating stories for ourselves away from the narrow narrative that has been bolstered by Kollywood? How are we reclaiming the identities that the state of Sri Lanka tries to squash daily? At what point do we move away from memorializing genocide to depicting our resilience and expansiveness?

In the pursuit of an Eelam identity that is total, fragmented identities of caste, kinship, class, and region are devalued, uniting diasporic Tamils and strengthening our affinity to ūr. I want to spend the next few days exploring what it looks like to embrace our Eelamness fully as a diasporic people. I believe that in doing the work to understand and articulate ourselves wholly, we as diaspora Eelam Tamils begin to heal the trauma that has trickled down through our bloodlines. Our narrative has a destiny that is full of autonomy, solidarity and collaboration.

HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE/READY/RAW

I begin my imagination on the embodiment of diasporic Eelamness by exploring the legacy of Mathangi/Maya Arulpragasm, M.I.A. Not to revere or glorify, instead to honor and applaud her immense strides to give us visibility while fully embracing the multifaceted and radical notion of being an Eelam Tamil. Maya remains one of the only widely known representations of our community, from our community. That she is as revolutionary, innovative & resilient as she is is a reflection of the immense talent, ingenuity and pure force of Eelam people. Through her art, she amplifies the placelessness and the cultural and political contradictions that come with being an Eelam Tamil in a hyper-globalized world. The fact that she is so often dismissed, ridiculed and as of late ‘cancelled’, is clarification of her power in undermining and challenging unequal systems of control. From flipping off the Super Bowl to being banned from Sri Lanka, Maya is an unapologetic weapon of freedom.

Maya is a DIY artist guided by her trajectory from refugee to icon. Her strength in bringing bits and pieces together: beats, words, images, ideas - to create something new while centering her narrative as an Eelam woman, epitomizes the journey of an Eelam Tamil. Against a culture that glamorizes reality & equates beauty to consumption, Maya provokes a discussion about how the minority live, closing the distance between here and everywhere else. To be a diasporic Eelam Tamil means to be gaslighted by an entire nation, and yet moving uncompromisingly forward in being deeply inspired in our current contexts to bring change, revolutionize & decolonize. And while M.I.A. cannot go back home, we can.

Sunshowers came out when I was 9 years old. One Saturday morning, I crawled out of bed to watch music videos and inhale cereal and suddenly become entranced when Maya appeared, the hypnotic jungle beats blowing my mind. Up until then, the most representation I had as an Eelam kid was my reflection on a blank TV screen.

Reflecting on the music video now and it's images of brown women organizing, I draw parallels to the ideals and aims of the Women's Front of the LTTE. While it is not productive to linger on what could've been, I do believe that a radical imagination will set us free - and perhaps, this was Maya's intention, to provoke profound fantasies to revive the legacy of our ancestors.The aims of the Women’s Front were to: secure the right of self-determination of Tamil Eelam, to abolish oppressive caste discrimination and feudal customs such as the dowry system; and to eliminate all discrimination, secure social, political, and economic equality.

At the end of verse 1, Maya chants 'like PLO, I don't surrendo', making reference to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, emphasizing the interconnectedness of struggles throughout the world and the need to collaborate with and show solidarity with groups of people who experience similar discrimination under colonization. How can transnational, decolonial solidarity allow evolution to our identity as Eelam people? What does it mean to maintain the radical, non-violent goals Eelam within the diaspora?

BIRD FLU

2006/The track draws on the sonics of urumi/gaana that most Eelam kids will recognize. You know the sound cos when you hear it you can’t stop moving: it’s an infectious outbreak/dance break. Maya swims in a sea of folks who look like they could be my Anna or Thangachi - the visuals look like the homeland. It’s the noise of freedom, the resistance of dominant interpretation. Within the sonic dance break of Bird Flu, Maya cultivates themes of militarized warfare and global dispossession spins them into a collective resource for imagining the alternate for Eelam Tamils.

Running with this idea of ‘flu’ and ‘contagion’, with the sound and it’s accompanying visuals, Maya emphasizes the need to spread ideas of alternative utopian possibilities, collectivity, belonging, and pleasure in the midst of & despite devastation by warfare. For me, Bird Flu provides a refreshing moment of criticality—an opportunity to reactivate our political imaginations and reconceptualize eelam community.

SRI LANKA JUST ELECTED A WAR CRIMINAL AS PRESIDENT and I continue my attempt to unravel Eelamness. With the ache in my heart and rage in my chest I ask: how do we move forward?

When Sri Lanka repeatedly assigns power to murderers and thieves, Kollywood tries to cement us as wounded and the rest of the world exclaims ‘oh Sri Lanka! That’s near India right!!???!!?' how are we as a community dealing? Where our experiences of genocide are dismissed transnationally, how do we divert fury and desire for validation of our struggle to healing? How are we to heal when the scab keeps being torn open? What are our responsibilities, as artists, to bring rejuvenation and radical change?

As we grieve for the homeland, I encourage you to think about the privilege that comes with being in the diaspora. Our access to resources expands our capacity to strategize and organize: we cannot limit ourselves. Christopher Kulendran Thomas is an Eelam artist based in London & Berlin. Thomas’s 'New Eelam’ disregards the boundaries of the white cube to project an alternate reality of citizenship and ownership. Provoking the art world itself, Thomas is interested in how his work as an artist can bring structural and social change. New Eelam is presented as a real estate start up of sorts with a housing model grounded in collective international co-ownership: subscribers pay the same amount to access different houses across the world. Working alongside an architect and team of real estate, finance, law and tech folks, Thomas seeks to provoke conversations around property and migration. Our identity as a people is one that is marked by consistent displacement and disruption. We are dispersed but profoundly connected. New Eelam imagines a future that brings autonomy in migration and allows us to maintain the idea of an Eelam the transcends borders. Freedom of movement increases opportunities to collaborate, and our collaboration as a diaspora is essential in the liberation and legacy of Eelam.

When the riots began, My Thatha was the principal at Jaffna College in Killinochi. His school shut down immediately and when I was 6 months, he moved to Sydney and into our home on Burlington Road. Being in a war affected refugee household brings with it a plethora of traumas & my relationship with my grandfather was my safe space. He is an artist - and his idea of child minding was reciting Thirukurral to me as I listened at his feet, entranced: my fingers often swirling in acrylic paints or homemade clay. When I was scared, he would serenade me with sangitham, gamakas cartwheeling from his belly through his chest. Sometimes at night I would tip toe out of the bedroom I shared with my parents and older siblings into Thatha’s room. More often than not, he would be in a state of hypnosis, brushing away at a canvas with images that usually resembled home. Reflecting on this time in my life, I understand that creative expression was Thatha’s device for healing. Not only did his art allow him to reconnect with Eelam, but it also allows him to rewrite and reimagine his narrative.

My attempt to dissect our Eelam Tamil identity has been perplexing yet empowering. As a community heavily persecuted against within the island, distressingly traumatized within the diaspora and yet profoundly capable and irrepressible, I wonder - how can we as a community of diasporic artists begin to shift our narrative? They burnt down the Jaffna library for a reason, they saw our vision and were threatened by it. How can we harness the collective rage we feel productively in a way that not only allows for the liberation of our own people but inspires expansive radical change?

My fellow Eelam people, I challenge you to think large - move away from the commodified and the curated, the white cube and other structures and systems that attempt to contain our ideas. I encourage you to think about art as a a movement for change as opposed to an aesthetic. Organizing is a form of art, protest is a form of art and so is survival. We must use our creativity as an imaginative space that provokes discussion, dialogue and education across struggles. How, through our art, can we make the invisible, visible while listening and working alongside our Eelam community at home?”

Original posts available here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Wanted to repost this from @southasia.art on Instagram because of how informative it was. 

[dfcfanfics]

Righteous Indignation Miraculous Prompt, Pt. 2

...Said The Spider To The Fly

Standing in the entranceway to his own house, Chat Noir did his very best to look natural and not at all nervous.  Standing next to him, Ladybug gave him a small smile, but he could see that she was also feeling a bit edgy.

“You okay, my Lady?” he whispered to her.

“I think so.  I’m just... not sure if we should be doing this alone.  Whatever this is,” Ladybug whispered back.  “Some kind of... business proposition?”

“I’m not sure, either,” Chat agreed.  “It surprised me a lot when we saw his advertisement, asking us to meet with him.”

“What do you think he could want?” asked Ladybug.

“Well... I do know that Agreste Enterprises does handle fragrances... maybe they’d want to develop a Chat Noir counterpart to--”

“You mention that other fragrance, you lose a finger,” snapped Ladybug.  

“One with an infinitely less offensive advertising campaign,” replied Chat, hastily.  “But there are so many possible things that--”

Nathalie approached the two of them, interrupting their conversation.  “So sorry to keep the two of you waiting,” she stated.  “Mr. Agreste will see you now.”

~----~

“Ah!  Greetings, Ladybug, Chat Noir.  It is a pleasure to meet Paris’s finest once again,” bubbled Gabriel, clearly in an upbeat mood.  

As he rose to meet them and shake hands, Ladybug replied, “Likewise, Sir,” in a small voice.  Chat returned the handshake with a curious look on his face, but covered it well.  

What is up with HIM today? he wondered.

“Obviously,” Gabriel began as he retook his seat, “the two of you saw my advertisement.”

“It was pretty hard to miss.  A half-page in both Le Figaro and Le Monde, asking us to contact you?” noted Ladybug.  “That must have cost a small fortune.”

“Not so much as you might think.  I know people at each publication, and, after all... you two do not have telephone numbers or email addresses one could look up,” shrugged Gabriel.  “I did not know if the two of you read either newspaper, but I felt sure that someone each of you knew would see it if you did not.”

“It worked as you planned it,” Chat smiled.  “Maybe we should set up some sort of how-to-contact system... but that’s for another time.  What can we help you with?”

“I will not waste your valuable time,” Gabriel stated, shifting into business mode.  “I owe each of you a large debt of gratitude; several, actually.  The two of you were responsible from freeing me from one of those foul Akumas, and Ladybug, you in particular saved the very life of someone very dear to me.”

“And to mmm... um... it was my pleasure,” Ladybug stammered.  “All in a day’s work.”

“Nevertheless,” continued Gabriel, “I have been watching out for an opportunity to return the favor and do the two of you some great good.  And I believe that I have found one.”  He sat back in his chair.  “I witnessed the media circus surrounding that tawdry little fragrance advertisement, freeloading off of your good name and reputation.”

Ladybug’s head sank in frustration.  “Yes,” she hissed.  “I have nothing but love for this city and the people in it... but in their case, I will make an exception.”

“That advertisement was completely wrong,” Chat agreed.  Wrong.  Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, fantasy material for my next three years, wrong, wrong and wrong, he thought.

“I am intimately familiar with the business world, as you might imagine,” Gabriel mused.  “No stranger to battles over copyright and trademark, legalities of parody and homage and fair use, struggling to protect ideas and imagery which I hold dear.  And in pondering this, two points occurred to me.  One is that nothing is preventing other companies from piggybacking off of this, creating entire product lines of bastardized merchandise with your names and faces all over them.”

He turned towards Chat Noir.  “I do not know if yours would be as... inappropriately sexualized as your partner’s, young man, but would you be comfortable with Chat Noir’s Clumping Kitty Litter hitting grocery shelves?” Gabriel smiled.  “I can see it now.  Chat Noir Says ‘It’s So Easy On My Paws!’ on the label.”

“Uggggh,” groaned Chat.  Ladybug suppressed a giggle, feeling sympathetic.

“And the other point is that, not to be rude in any way... but the two of you are children,” noted Gabriel.  “I struggle with these sorts of legal difficulties weekly, and even I need to retain staff to make proper sense of it.  Am I correct that the two of you are without such representation?”

“I... I have a lawyer working with me on the fragrance case,” Ladybug replied.  “Not so much on the overall problem that you mentioned.”

“Well, while tearing the roof off of a building may be an adequate form of stress relief...” Gabriel continued.

“No one has proven that,” snapped Ladybug, a little more quickly than she’d intended.

“Of course not,” grinned Gabriel.  “Though no jury would possibly convict.  If I had powers such as yours and someone wronged me so thoroughly... no corner of the Earth would be far enough for them to run.”

“All right... we have identified the problem.  What are you proposing?” asked Chat.

“In a nutshell... officially sanctioned merchandise would go a long way towards protecting the marketplace from knockoffs and similar trash.  I am proposing a business partnership between the two of you and Agreste Enterprises; one that would provide both legal protection for your names and images and control over what goes out into the world featuring them.”

~----~

“Please... continue,” said Ladybug, looking unsure.  “I do hope you know, Mr. Agreste, that the last thing that Chat and I want to do with our powers is to make money off of them.”

“Very much understood!” Gabriel backpedaled.  “I would not have dreamed otherwise.  I would gladly direct a significant percentage of all revenues to the charities of your choice, rather than to either of you directly.  Not that I would know to whom to write a check... or what accounts you could deposit them into.”

“What kinds of products are you thinking about?” asked Chat, his curiosity piqued.

“I would start slowly at first, were I your business advisor in this,” Gabriel rattled off.  “An officially authorized set of fragrances would be an excellent start, to crowd that impostor off the market.  I am envisioning clothing lines, an area in which Agreste is an industry leader; casual logoed wear for children, let us say, or even infants. ‘Baby-Bugs and Kittenwear’ branding comes to mind for the latter.”

“Go on...” Ladybug ventured.

“Beyond that, we would have to see what the public’s response would be.  My staff is highly trained at identifying what customers are hungry for,” Gabriel replied.  “Also, you would have our legal staff at your disposal for related issues.”

“About that,” Chat jumped in.  “All of that sounds well and good... but it also sounds as if we’re signing over the legal rights to our own public personas.  What control would we retain over how those are maintained, or the quality of the products, for instance?”

Gabriel stared back at him, mildly impressed.  “You speak as if you have some experience with such matters, young man,” he said.

“Without disclosing things that I cannot say out loud... I’m not entirely a stranger to that kind of thing,” allowed Chat.

“Fair enough,” smiled Gabriel.  “The two of you are minors, obviously.  And since I doubt that either of you would feel comfortable bringing your parents into negotiations...”

“My father doesn’t know that I do... this,” Chat blurted out.  Ladybug shot him a look, but it was already spoken.

“I assumed as much,” Gabriel answered.  Ha! he gloated, internally.  Valuable information for me to tuck away.  Whomever his father may be, that is some poor sap that we may find a way to exploit...  

“Leaving our families out of this...” Ladybug said, evenly.

“Agreed.  It would take some finesse to find lawyers and notaries who could hammer out the details accordingly, so... it may be possible to put it on paper, or portions of it may be more of a handshake deal between us,” ventured Gabriel.  “Agreste Enterprises would maintain some legal control over the Ladybug and Chat Noir trademarks until you reach maturity, at which point you would be more capable of renegotiating on your own behalf.”

“I cannot hand you full peace of mind on a silver platter,” Gabriel allowed.  “As with all business negotiations... there would be some element of trust on both sides.  I would imagine, for instance, that the prospect of the heroes of Paris openly denouncing Agreste’s products would be sufficient impetus for us to maintain our end of any deal.”

~----~

Ladybug turned to Chat Noir.  “I’m... not sure what to think about this.  How about you?”

Chat scratched his head.  “I’m not sure, either.  On the one hand, it sounds like a positive way to keep things like that sex-bomb ad from happening again, and get more responsible merchandise into our fans’ hands, but...”  He turned to Gabriel and asked, “Can we have some time to think this over?”

“Absolutely, my boy.  Take all the time you need,” Gabriel assured him.  “Though do note that I cannot control who might flood the marketplace with more tawdriness while you’re considering my offer.”

“All right.  Thank you, Mr. Agreste.  We will give this full consideration, and I will speak with... whomever I can about it.  We will be in touch,” smiled Ladybug.

“Likewise.  Thank you for reaching out to us like this,” agreed Chat.

“Absolutely my pleasure,” Gabriel beamed.  “I do hope that we can reach an agreement.”

As he watched the two of them leave his office, Gabriel sat back in his chair... and grinned a particularly sinister grin.

Yes... go out and speak with your parents, or some dime-store lawyer, he smiled to himself.  Weigh the pros and cons.  And then, when the next sleazy product hits the airwaves, you two will come running back... and willingly hand over to me control of your financial futures.

As Sun Tzu might have said... when frontal assaults fail, sometimes an oblique angle of attack is best.

And this one... you will not see coming.

[creativity-is-rebellion]

Top 10 Favourite Books I Have Read (So Far)

As a writer myself, I can’t help but look back at the novels that have shaped the sort of writer I have become today, and helped me find my own unique voice. A good novel captivates, puts it’s twists in all the right places, and makes you think about the story long after you have finished reading it. It makes you contemplate what it is to be human. It hits you hard and leaves a lasting impression. I thought I could share a few of them with all of you. Without further ado, here goes:

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy (1873)

It's a story as old as time; someone, bored with their life, risks it all to have an affair; but this one is special for a number of reasons. First, it serves as a commentary about 19th century upper-class Russia, a time when it wasn't necessarily scandalous to have an affair, but it was scandalous to leave your husband or wife because of it. Many people conducted their affairs in secret, but the passion Anna felt for Vronsky spilled over into her everyday life, and because she had suppressed feeling any kind of emotion for so long, the passion she felt was obsessive and all-consuming, even though in the end it sours and she blames Vronsky for her fall from grace, which is so devastating (she is cut off from seeing her son Seroyzha that she had with Count Alexei Karenin) that in the end she ends her life. It is made all the more ironic that the novel starts with her convincing Dolly, her sister-in-law, to stay with her two-timing brother, Stepan, as “family is all that matters.” The elements of the complexity of families is also makes this tale so unique. Secondly, it could be argued that Anna is not the protagonist of the story at all, but that Levin is, because his upward trajectory is juxtaposed with Anna's fall from grace. He starts off an awkward and gruff loner, and moves toward being a content and happy family man, with a wife Kitty whom he truly loves. His skepticism and malcontent drifts away as the novel wears on. It is said that Levin is actually a representation of Tolstoy himself, but the book was actually a labor of guilt for cheating on his own wife. The novel ends with a broken-hearted Vronsky enlisting for a battle that he hopes not to come back from alive. I love how rich and evolved each character we are introduced to is. As I also have a love affair with Mother Russia myself ever since I studied Russian history in high school, this novel is truly my favorite classic.

On Writing, Stephen King (2000)

This book is the most straightforward account of what it is like to be a writer from one of the great (if not greatest) modern novelists of our time. It also offers invaluable advice to aspiring and new writers who are looking to hone their craft, but without the flowery, navel-gazing musings so often found in books of a similar ilk. King's real-life descriptions of his struggles with addiction, his pre-writer life, the early days of his success, and his recovery after a horrific accident where he nearly lost his life are related back to his craft so masterfully, and, as such , I cannot recommend this book more to those who are either interested in the mechanisms behind being a writer, or want to be writers themselves. It also serves as a great book to refer back to after you become a writer to make sure you don't get bogged down in common writing mistakes that inadvertently make your work clunky or uninteresting. To paraphrase, King states, to become a writer, talent is essential, but if you don't have the right toolbox to use when writing your masterpiece, its going to look sloppy. King's toolkit, which he elaborates on in his book, is guaranteed to prevent this from happening.

The Virgin Suicides, Jeffery Eugenides (1993)

I read this novel after I saw the movie of the same name, which was Sofia Coppola's directorial debut. Like most book-to-movie adaptations, this novel contains slight deviations and more character development than the movie, but is still a deeply fascinating examination of both the psyche of the Lisbon sisters, the minds of the neighborhood boys who were obsessed with them, the paranoia of suburbia, parental oppression, and neighborhood carelessness. I remember that this movie came out when I was 16, but we had to wait until it came out on DVD to see it, because, as the movie dealt with teenage suicide, and the place I lived at at the time had one of the highest youth suicide rates in the state, it was banned in local cinemas. The most interesting character in both the book and the movie was 14-year-old Lux ​​Lisbon, primarily because of her rebelliousness toward her parents' overbearing protectiveness (mostly from her mother, but the spineless dad is definitely an enabler) which borders on abuse. This is perfectly juxtaposed with her inherent need to be an ordinary teenage girl in an abnormal household, and the oppression of this need leading to unbridled promiscuity. The accounting of the Lisbon sisters' story in both the movie and the novel, however, is unreliable, as it is never told from the point-of-view of the sisters themselves, but from the grown-up versions of the neighborhood boys who we were in love with them, and continued to be so after their deaths. The passing of the Lisbon sisters left a lasting impression on each of the boys, and still haunts them in the present. Decay in both the novel and the movie in the form of the diseased neighborhood trees and the decline of the local auto industry, are used as both foreshadowing of worst things to come, as well as an allegory of the Lisbon's family life. Finally, the accountability of the neighborhood and neighbors, and their willingness to turn a blind eye as to what was happening in the Lisbon household is also examined. Their fleeting, off-the-cuff and detached observations, as well as the (mostly) silent monitoring of the girls by the boys, is an excellent example of the damaging consequences of the bystander effect, which all to often leads to disastrous ends. the accountability of the neighborhood and neighbors, and their willingness to turn a blind eye as to what was happening in the Lisbon household is also examined. Their fleeting, off-the-cuff and detached observations, as well as the (mostly) silent monitoring of the girls by the boys, is an excellent example of the damaging consequences of the bystander effect, which all to often leads to disastrous ends. the accountability of the neighborhood and neighbors, and their willingness to turn a blind eye as to what was happening in the Lisbon household is also examined. Their fleeting, off-the-cuff and detached observations, as well as the (mostly) silent monitoring of the girls by the boys, is an excellent example of the damaging consequences of the bystander effect, which all to often leads to disastrous ends.

Eugene Onegin, Alexander Pushkin (1831)

As opposed to the entry above, I read the novel before I saw the movie, which did a pretty good job, considering the novel was written entirely in prose. 230-odd pages of verse penned by one of the greatest Russian poets of the 19th century may seem like a big ask to read, but I can assure you, it is entirely worth it. It tells the tale of an uppity lothario named Eugene Onegin, who, bored with St. Petersburg society, decide to move to his recently-deceased uncle's country estate. This move ultimately leads to Onegin leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, including ruining a woman's reputation, killing her fiance after he challenges Onegin to a duel to defend her honor, and spurning the advances of local provincial beauty Tatiana. Onegin then flees back to St. Petersburg, and after several years, crosses paths once again with Tatiana, Who is now married to a high-ranking general and is a permanent fixture of the St. Petersburg high-society set. When Tatiana shows a grace she never possessed before, and treats him with a cold distain whenever they cross paths, Onegin decides that he loves her, and pursues her doggedly, leading to a show-down between the two would-be lovers, but not in the way you would think. His chance at redemption is alt for nought. Although Tatiana admits her love for Onegin, she also tells him that she would never betray her now-husband to be with him. It is a scintillating slow-burn of a tale of love, loss and propriety in a way that can only be recounted by Pushkin. Interestingly, Pushkin himself was fatally wounded in 1837 after he challenged his brother-in-law, Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthes, also known as Dantes-Gekkern, a French officer serving with the Chevalier Guard Regiment, to a duel, as he had attempted to seduce the poet's wife, Natalia Pushkina. In some cases, life really does imitate art.

The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak (2005)

I like the voyeuristic feel of this novel, even if this sounds a little strange. The special interest that Death himself takes in the main character, Liesel Meminger (who is The Book Thief in question) is perfectly juxtaposed over the horrors of living in WW2 Germany. It’s a charming story, recounted by Death himself, all the way up to the main character’s death many years later. It gives us special insights into all the characters and they way they think and act, with no-holds-barred. A unique and truly good read.

The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler (1939)

This is hands-down the best noir detective novel ever written, a point I regrettably missed when I first had to read it for Advanced English in Year 11 at school. It has all of the grit expected of the genre and follows Chandler’s mainlining private detective Philip Marlowe, who is hired by a rich family to deal with a blackmailer, Arthur Geiger. His life takes an unexpected turn as he pursues the case and Arthur is found dead.It is both a good detective mystery and a perfect layout for a by-the-numbers look at how this genre should be written. Cool side fact: The Big Sleep is a euphemism for dying.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Series, Stieg Larsson

Lisbeth Salander is still the best kick-arse anti-heroine around, a fact that is evident from her character being re-imagined by David Lagercrantz in further novels in the Millenium series after Steig Larsson’s untimely death. At the time these novels came out, I remember everyone on the beach reading a copy, and I especially enjoy the first entry in this series, which explores a missing woman, the demise and rise of journalist Mikael Blomkvist, the back-story and growth of Lisbeth Salander, female sex-trafficking, and feminist themes. On top of being a missing-person story, it is also a murder mystery, and has an awesome twist at the novel’s denouement. A thrilling, wild-ride of a read.I think I especially enjoyed it because I like reading novels situated around serial killers. That’s all I’ll say. Read the book.

We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver (2003)

This book is just brutal and a no-holds-barred look at whether killers are born or made.It is told by Eva Khatchadourian in a series of letters to her husband, Franklin, which discuss their son, Kevin, and his behaviour growing up, as well as her reactions to said behaviour, which ultimately lead to a thrilling, if unnerving, conclusion. 

IT, Stephen King (1985)

Although it is a gigantic read at 1,128 pages, IT is worth every page. Stephen King's novel about a demonic, otherworldly entity that preys and feasts on the children of Derry, Maine every 27-odd years is a masterpiece second only to his equally weighty saga The Stand. It tells the story of childhood friendship, and the strength one can have when standing together with friends. It is a perfect tale of good triumphing over evil, which is a familiar theme in King’s books which tends to get overlooked in favour of the more horror-like elements. Be warned, it does jump back-and-forth in time, and there are a few awkward parts of the book that the movie thankfully skipped, but they don’t really feel out of place in the novel. This “clown” will give you nightmares, but the ultimate triumph of The Loser’s Club is worth hanging in for.

The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)

I've gotta admit, the ending was unsatisfying, but is probably a more realistic account of what usually happens in unsolved cases such as Susie Salmon's. There is a karmic vibe, and at least the killer is disposed of in an unceremoniously undignified way. It’s ultimately a tale of how grief can keep you stuck, and how acceptance is part of moving on. Totally skip the movie and just read the book.

I just realised, all but one of these books has been made into a movie, whether it be a box-office hit or Indie, which I suppose really just attests to how good they are. I’ll be back with another top 10 favourite books soon no doubt. See you on the flip-side.

[marinamitchellblog]

Week 1 Independent  Study

1.Have a first-up curious online broad research: what types of museums exist in areas you have potential interest; - The Louvre - National Gallery of Art - The Museum of Modern art - Tokyo Photographic Art Museum - Military Museums - City Gallery Wellington Top 3 Museums of Interest (collections and what they do) a.)Te Papa showcases newzealand local and international culture to us and travelers celebrates art and creative means as a form of documentation of historical events Focus on Pacific cultures and taonga Maori and respectful curatorial processes educates and informs “container of treasures” collect, exhibit and preserve heritage, science and achievement Collections: Marae 800,000 art pieces, taonga, collection objects , botanical and zoological specimen Anzac exhibition Toi Art Collection Highlights : https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/

b.) Museum of Sex (NYC) prioritising the importance and cultural significance of  preserving human sexuality immersive and educational experience including science, history, and art exhibits.  offer a variety of fun and cultural exhibits that showcase different perspectives on sexuality. advocating open discourse surrounding sex and sexuality as well as striving to present to the public the best in current scholarship unhindered by self-censorship. Collection: the Museum of Sex preserves an ever-growing collection of sexually related objects that would otherwise be destroyed and discarded due to their sexual content. permanent collection of over 20,000 artifacts is comprised of works of art, photography, clothing and costumes, technological inventions and historical ephemera

c.) Venustempel Museum of Sex (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Worlds 1st therefore oldest sex museum in existence

aims to reveal and illustrate the attitude people had towards sex from Classical Antiquity until the Victorian period

The museum looks at many aspects of sensual love through the ages, displaying an extensive collection of erotic pictures, paints, recordings, photographs and more. fun,laughs,light hearted entertainment, amusing examples of sex toys, pictures and general information on sexual persuasions kitsch yet informative Collections: quite historic artifacts and date exhibition nothing that really develops and ties in the 21st century navigating exhibitions

2.Visit  museum or art gallery and sketch two maps;

Map 1 : 3 first works you naturally gravitate to  Map 2 : Move the way the space intends for you to move

Differences and Similarities ;

map 2 ;cleaner, more efficient appears to make more sense fleshed out on a map. more vs less rooms visited  different directions and flows What impact does the atmosphere have on your senses?

formal layout directs you straight to info desk open layout directs you straight to Hancock gallery sounds and obnoxiously big or interestingly intriguing works draw the eyes and ears Does gallery space contribute to your experience of items of display?

large space everything's quite distanced and has its own space to shine not interfering with experience of other works.

permitted to wander 

3.

Core Text - Readings Notes

Lewis - History of Museum

institutions that preserve and interpret material evidence of human race, activity and the natural world innate human desire to collect and interpret and having discernible origins in large collections built up by individuals and groups before the modern era describing private collecting conducted in ancient and medieval times reviewing the development  of modern public museums from renaissance to present day  etymology classical origins greek “mouseion”seat of muses philosophical institution or a place of contemplation collection of curiosities established to preserve, display a collection to the public 18th century  19th//20th century the word museum denoted a building showing cultural material in which the public had access museums continued to respond to societies that created them -emphasis on building itself less dominant

ecomuseuems outdoor environment virtual; museums museology and museography- body of theory conversation and display conflict of purpose - lack of clear identity human propensity to acquire and inquire environment ,communication classical collections archeological and historical records don't provide evidence that museum life we know today developed in such earlier times religious,magical,economic,historical values sepcicailised personal collections interest in human and natural history spirit of system and rational inquiry toward the modern museum private, public,collection renaissance-symbols of social prestige tradition, nobility, ruling advancement of knowledge increasing world exploration not only for inspection and entertainment of learned and curious but for general use and benefit of public instruction and gratification public concern royal collections in France inaccessible to public European colonial influence influence of industry and science social reforms to overcome problems resulting from industrialization contributed to the development of municipal museums urbanized population legislation educational facility a source of leisure activity medium of communication inspire and voice a sense of wonder,reality ,stability and nostalgia increased awareness of the environment and the need to preserve it 

Huhana Smith

Mana Taonga and the micro world of intricate research and findings around taonga Māori at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

-guide to practice of staff- collections of art ,cultural, natural ,historical material in context of Aotearoa  museum studies -Maori curators involved in intricate and intimate research contemporary understandings how curators actively engage in research processes that re-enhance the inter-relationships between people and their cultural material indigenous cultures-colonial states mana taonga- principle acknowledges spiritual forces wairua,mana people, animals ,inanimate objects, symbols ,collection iwi,hapu ,whanau representation genealogical reference system methodological system tribal elders and leaders sensitive careful final verification on research findings personal adornment ceremony embodiments of an ancestral past with the responsibility to care for them in future prized personal possessions harmony peacemaking ancestral and or personal significance safe keeping, memories and associations passing on knowledge

[writing-for-amusement]

Walk, Walk, Fashion Baby

Summary: As a young and successful fashion designer, you approach Joshua Kane to do a collaboration that brings regular and plus size high-end fashion into the world; your plan is to take the world by storm. Harrison Osterfield becomes the one to model one half of your masterpiece, and on the trek to find the perfect model for the other half, you keep coming up empty. After encouragement from Joshua and Harrison, you agree to model it yourself. This means that you’ll work even closer to Harrison, and you’re worried that your budding feelings for him, and his hidden ones for you, could ruin the collection and everything you’ve worked for. But perhaps the road to the fashion storm will also lead to a new power couple in the fashion world.

A/N: Okay, so, bear with me on this one, and the summary admittedly kinda sucks. I love Harrison and I think we don’t have enough of him to read. I am also in the midst of researching the fashion world, and I’m also making some stuff up because I’m the author and I can. I’m thinking this will probably end up shorter than Commission for Confidence, and in a bit of a different direction. Anyway, let me know your thoughts, and if you want to be tagged in this, just let me know!!

Taglist: @pparkerwrites

Disclaimer: I do not personally know Harrison Osterfield, nor do I claim to. I am essentially using his personage and visage to create a completely fictional story. I also don’t claim to know Joshua Kane (though we have had brief interactions on Instagram). That being said, I hope you enjoy this!!!

Word Count: 1602

Chapter One

You strode into the café Joshua Kane had suggested you meet at with your head held high. You could do this, you reminded yourself; you had graduated at the top of your class (on a complete scholarship, no less) from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC in fashion design, fabric styling, and fashion business management. You’d also dabbled in many other areas because you had such a passion for all of it.

You interned at Prada for a year as a sophomore, studied abroad at Chanel (and worked there for a year afterwards), and survived a year in-office at Burberry, you reminded yourself. You knew what you were talking about and your idea was something that would (hopefully) appeal to Joshua Kane, as it was up his and your alleys. Still, the prospective meeting had hatched butterflies in your stomach.

Looking around the lazy London café, you saw your prospective business partner in his avant-garde glory, his skateboard propped against the side of his chair. You walked forward and hit the butterflies in your stomach with a bug zapper.

No mercy for the hesitant.

“Hi,” you greeted him, putting your bag back on your shoulder. “I’m Y/N L/N, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

The thin man stood immediately, a bright smile on his face, and kissed your cheek in greeting. “It’s wonderful to meet you. My friends at Burberry have told me that you are a formidable woman, ready to make waves in the world.” He sat back down, and you followed suit. “I admit, I was a little shocked that you wanted to meet with me, especially since you have Dior, Versace, and Chanel knocking on your doors.”

You chuckled slightly and took your sketches out of your bag. “Chanel didn’t want to accept my ‘radical’ ideas and tried to rein me in,” you explained. “I worked there for a year after a semester abroad, and then I moved to Burberry.” When the waitress appeared, you ordered a tea and she nodded, walking off.

“So,” Joshua prompted, “what brings you to me?”

You grinned. “A business proposition.”

“What kind and why?”

“The kind that will make waves, and because I adore your work and the films you create along with them. I believe that we would work beautifully together.”

Joshua tilted his head slightly, regarding you with calm eyes. “What was so radical that had Chanel trying to pull you down?”

With a smirk that said, “You’re not ready,” you opened your sketchbook and handed it to the man. Joshua raised his eyebrows as his eyes poured over the pages. Your tea arrived and he was still analyzing your work, taking his time. Your smirk grew, as did the stomping of your heart, as a smile spread across his face.

That was exactly what you wanted.

“What do you propose?” Joshua asked eagerly, placing your sketchbook on the table and folding his arms over it to regard you evenly.

You sipped your tea nonchalantly, loving the way it soothed your current hurricane of a heart. “I suggest,” you began, putting your cup down, “we create a collection together—I do the more ‘feminine’ designs and you do the more ‘masculine ones’—we produce a film, and we have a runway show in the shop you set up. I want to take the entire industry by storm.”

Joshua raised a brow, though he was smiling. “Oh, darling,” he said as he held his hand out to you, “we’re going to rock the whole world.”

 You walked into Joshua’s studio, smiling at the few people that were milling around. Joshua always seemed to have friends around him, though you felt like you could never find him when you needed him. This time, though, you were lucky.

You found Joshua standing next to and talking to a man you recognized as Harrison Osterfield, an actor and model. Harrison was one of the big reasons you wanted to work with Joshua in the first place; you knew that when there was a collection to be done, Joshua loved to have Harrison as a model. He was honestly part of the picture you had in your head when you were designing the collection—your half of it, at least.

“Hello!” you greeted the men brightly, giving a wave.

“Y/N, darling, it’s wonderful to have you here!” Joshua said dramatically.

“I’ve been here before,” you laughed, waving him off.

"Yes,” his eyes gleamed, “but not when Harrison was here!”

“No, that’s true,” you agreed, turning to the tall men next to you.

“Hi, Y/N,” Harrison smiled, making your heart trip slightly, “Joshua has told me so much about you, but he hasn’t let me take a look at your ideas yet.”

“An artist’s ideas are theirs to share, not anyone else’s,” Joshua declared.

“So,” Harrison prompted, turning to you with excitement nearly vibrating off his body, “can I finally see what he’s been raving about?”

You chuckled and nodded, pulling out your sketchbook and opening it. “So, I must admit,” you began thumbing through the pages, “that you were who I thought of when I was imagining this collection.”

“Really?”

You nodded almost shyly.

“Well, I’m honored!” Harrison exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

You tried to stop the heat from gathering in your cheeks, and to draw attention away from your sudden shyness, you held out the sketchbook.

Harrison took it gently and began to flip through the pages. He switched pages gingerly, as if he was terrified of ripping a page and ruining it. If you hadn’t ripped it yet with your clumsiness, you mused to yourself, you doubted he would rip it.

“This is bloody brilliant. Can you take me through your thought process?” Harrison asked with bright, gleaming blue eyes.

“Oh yes, please do,” Joshua echoed.

“Well, Joshua,” you began, tipping your head slightly, “I noticed that you never feature women that are anything but stick thin. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I thought that your work, along with regular and plus sized women, would be revolutionary in the industry. The people it would affect, just imagine! Men and boys, women and girls and nonconforming people, could be so touched by seeing representations of themselves in such a beautiful and artistic way, one that seemed actually attainable. It took years for me to love myself and my body, and to be honest, sometimes I still don’t.

“But I want to change that for everyone. I’ve always wanted to design and create high end fashion that makes everyone feel included, but I wanted it to include that rule-breaking, avant-garde look that Joshua’s fashion has for the men. So, I began designing, and I realized that I really couldn’t do it without the man himself designing with me, creating the corresponding ‘masculine’ looks to my ‘feminine’ designs.”

“I saw her designs and fell in love,” Joshua continued at your pause. “You really do have a talent for breaking fashion rules that will follow into the common folk with the snap of the fingers. And, well, I think this is also the best way for you to break out into your own fashion company, instead of inside companies and in collaborations.”

You grinned, your eyes wrinkling at the corners, and took your sketchbook from Harrison. “I want this design for the main piece, and the main focal point of the short film,” you said, pointing to your pride and joy. “I’m going to put out adverts for the models, but this one, it has to be perfect.”

“Wait, where’s the masculine one?” Joshua asked, peering over your shoulder. “I saw it the first time, it was perfect.”

You cleared your throat nervously. “Well, I thought that, you know, since we kinda divided it into ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ halves, you would want to do the one that goes with this,” you explain. “I-I honestly didn’t know if it was up to par with the rest.”

“Are you kidding? It was amazing, I wanted to wear it!” Joshua reassured you, his eyes wide behind his glasses. “Show Harrison, show him, show him!!”

You chuckled and rolled your eyes, turning to the back of the sketchbook, where you’d tucked the folded papers you’d ripped out of the notebook. Pulling them out and smoothing them down, you handed the papers to Harrison.

The man’s eyes widened almost comically, and his jaw dropped to his ribs. “Y/N,” he breathed, making your mind race wildly, “this is amazing.”

“You both really think so?” you asked nervously.

“Yes!” Harrison and Joshua exclaimed at the same time.

You startled in surprise before barking out a laugh. “So, what should I do, then?”

“Harrison, you have to model that,” Joshua stated seriously. “Y/N, you have to let him model it. Okay? You have to create it and he has model it. Otherwise, our deal is off.”

When you looked in Joshua’s eyes, you saw that he was completely serious. There were no empty threats in his world, not when it came to fashion like this. And there was no teasing glint in his eyes, or a joking quirk to his lips.

“Well, Harrison,” you prompted, turning to him, “would you like to model it for me?”

Harrison’s smile had your heart galloping so fast you feared it would shoot out your mouth and into the stratosphere. “I would be honored. I look forward to working closely with you, Y/N, it is going to be one hell of a journey.”

Yes, you thought to yourself, if you keep smiling and looking at me like that, it will be.

[neth-dugan]

Nine Worlds - Friday

Thursday found [here]

After having had only a couple hours sleep, we got up and got ready for the day. Some of us took longer than others, and no that wasn’t me. @laalratty @knittedace and I went to get breakfast outside of costume and then went back to our rooms to get properly dressed. I also had a nap on the bed as the first session doesn’t start until 10am, which helped I think. But I did spend the rest of the day very tired.

EDUCATION AT HOGWARTS

The first panel I went to at the convention proper, and @unwoundbobbin was on it which was a bonus. 

It was a fun talk in which everyone agreed that education at Hogwarts is severely lacking, completely skips some very important subjects and really needs to look at quality of teaching.

As much as we are meant to root for Hogwarts and its independence, it’s an industry checking itself and what happens when people we don’t like are in charge? Someone said that it’s a great thing to show teachers who are fed up with having a curriculum and ofsted inspections. I agree. There was also a lot of talk that as much as muggle studies needs to be better and mandatory, there needs to be an introductory course for muggle raised students so they know what they’re getting into, the world they’re dumped in and so on. And, as a panelist pointed out, to better know all the shibboleths. She also mused that this may be exactly the reason they don’t do that and honestly, probably true.

ACE REPRESENTATION

So, I did a panel on a similar theme several years back and I was curious how this one would go. It took a different tone but times have moved. A lot of the panelists are relatively new to the community but then there was Nat Titman who is one of the founding persons of the asexual community. 

I didn’t learn a lot, but it was nice to be in a room with a ton of aces talking about ace things. Aros talking about aro things. People still hating on Moffat for the crap he has spewed. Being inclusive aof aros and demis. Which I know for a fact meant a lot to some, as I was talking to a demi person at that meeting later that day who brought it up. I got to espouse my theory on how Yuuri Katsuki is so so very demi even if language, culture and censorship means it’ll never be explicitly canon. 

BSL FOR GEEKS

This was amazing! I know how to say thank you and ‘g’ and that is it. So this was pretty great. Aside from being able to tell you my name at the end, I was delighted to learn the sign for Star Trek is literally the Vulcan salute. I also learnt how to say ‘Space, the final frontier’ though I probably do it with a massive accent. I learnt that this is the new sign coming up for trans:

...and tumblr provides a demonstration of this. Not video from the con.

Which is related to the sign for soul.  Also I learned the sign that’s becoming popular for queer which is a ‘q’ in the motion of a rainbow and it’s awesome.

There were lots of character names and phrases and there’s no way I’m going to remain most of it. And I had a weird hand thing going on that this made worse. So by the end of it, my hand hurt a fair bit. But it was fantastic. It was presented by a a group of interpreters and deaf people who bounced off of each other really well. One person even forgot how to spell their own name. But given a person who shall remain nameless forgot what their name even was at a different session? This isn’t the worst I heard of. 

I really loved it, and this was one of my favourite sessions at the entire convention. I wanted to go to the after dark one for adults only, in which there’d be swearing, but alas I had to take care of my hand and so decided it was a no go.

EVERYBODY HATES MORAL PHILOSOPHERS: THE ETHICS OF THE GOOD PLACE

I’m a big fan of this show. I came across it on Netflix and then got my Mom into it and it is brilliant. It’s smart and funny and thinky all at once. This session was more of a lecture than a panel or workshop which fit, because the person giving it is a philosophy professor. Not a moral philosopher, but a philosopher.

It turns out that it isn’t so much that everyone hates moral philosophers, it’s just really hard to be one. But whilst we were waiting for the session to start I spotted a person in front of me dressed up as Janet. I asked to confirm and was told, perfectly in character that interesting fact, they were Janet. And proceeded to give me a cactus sticky note with a Janet phrase on it. I sent a photo and a test to my Mom who loved it.

 ...I do have a picture, but didn’t ask permission to post on the internet so here is a close approximation minus cactus. 

The lecture itself was pretty interesting. Turns out the writers are using real philosophy and real books and theories and the like when making the show. I can see how Chidi would get so anxious if he follows Kant. Even the text books given to Eleanor are ones the speaker has themselves and sees as foundational texts. So yay! She went through a few schools of philosophy that pop up in the show and it was fun.

Someone pointed out that it seemed that each of the human four seemed to be missing one of the classical virtues. The speaker agreed. There was lots of debate about fair or just the system in this show is, and also how much about it we can objectively know given Michael’s aim in the first season. I pointed out that the entire thing seemed to be unfair to those with disadvantages or some mental health conditions. The last episode of the latest season, without getting into spoilers too much, entirely takes advantage of things about two characters that they’ve no way of doing away with and/or find near impossible to control. It sucks. There seemed to be agreement on this. Privilege, it seems, exists in the systems of The Good Place as we currently know them.

ASSIMILATION AND IDENTITY IN STAR TREK

This was a session hosted by Jaime who some may know and is pretty awesome. I don’t always agree with them on everything but I do appreciate them. And I didn’t agree with a good amount of what was said here. Not that I think it’s wrong, just that some of it is a matter of perspective and assigning aims and motivations to characters that aren’t, to me, clear in canon. I tend to think Worf handed his son off to his parents because he never asked for a kid, didn’t know he had one, works a dangerous job, has no experience parenting and lives on a ship that goes through a major crisis on a fairly regular basis. But people can disagree.

There are some things about Trek that.... aren’t the best. The whole area around the Ferengi is a tricky area and a bit of a mess. I love them, I love the actors, I love some of their episodes, but there are anti-semitic tropes in there made all the more there by the fact that most of the Ferengi actors are of Jewish decent. It’s problematic. It’s meant to be a critic of capitalism and modern culture. Of US. I’ve heard various Trek folk basically state that of all the species in Star Trek, the Ferengi represent modern day humans. But. They fell back on some problematic crap and there’s no way of escaping that.

There was one point when I was a bit worried it was going to get a bit anti-atheist but it didn’t thank goodness. And that’s a whole other thing.

There’s a clip that’s pretty famous amongst DS9 fans, that you fan find here, that exemplifies some of what this panel was about. Not all of it, but some. It was running through my head for sure. After the session ended a group of us had a chat after. It brought up a lot of things to talk about, new ways of looking at things and agree or not that’s usually a good thing.

...Moogie!

‘OH, BRILLIANT.’ ANTICIPATING THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR

This one had @knittedace on the panel! She’d been talking about doing it last year and here we were . She in her hand knitted Dalek dress, me in the audience feeling a bit woozy and tired. 

Mostly, it did exactly what the tin said. People being excited for Thirteen, recalling days when they’d written fic on the idea but never thought it possible, what people wanted to see or not see and the like. Mostly, it was a feel good panel with happy people glad for a new start that would bring in new and old fans alike.

Someone on the panel pointed out that for some kids, they’ll have never known a time when The Doctor couldn’t be a woman. For whom their Doctor is a woman. And that is amazing. And she gets to keep her accent too, and there is hope we will see some of the North this season. Not just more London, or Cardiff as London.

For myself, I’ve always figured some Time Lords could change genders and sexes. Some couldn’t. And doing so was some kind of Time Lord intersex thing. But I was never really rooting for a woman Doctor.... yet when they announced it was going to happen? I was excited and relieved in a way I hadn’t imagined I would be.

Bring it on.

INTERVAL

At this point I found myself in the bar with some ginger ale talking to some people I’ve never med before. One was a demi person who had been at the Ace Rep talk and was very relieved to see demis included. I explained about the history of the flag and how they’re explicitly on it. Outside of some gatekeepers, the ace community I know has always embraced those other identities under the ace umbrella. 

Me, them and a friend of theirs made our way downstairs after a good chin wag to get good seats for the next panel. We figured we’d probably need them and coincidentally we were all going to the same one. 

FROM A/B/O TO DUBIOUS CONSENTACLES

I’m still not sure what dubious consentacles are to be honest. My mind goes to dubcon hentai but I’m probably wrong. This panel was after 10pm, the last of the day and very much adult only. I was in my TNG uniform and there was a Trek fan vid screening in the room across the hall so a volunteer checked I was where I wanted to be whilst we were waiting for it to start. Which was sweet, people do get lost down there.  Also, @unwoundbobbin was there which was a hoot.

The entire thing was a hoot to be honest. Not that formal, and mostly people sharing things they’d seen online, talk about the value of tagging, and wonder at the way fandom just comes together and decides on what dubious biology looks like. I shared the story of the early early days of Star Trek fandom how writers would come up with new weird and wonderful ways of depicting Spock’s genitals. I just think it’s something everyone should know. Fandom has been like this for a long time. 

I wont go into detail of the things discussed. But it’s amazing how trends change over time, how even over multiple fandoms some of these tropes become so accepted nobody has to explain anything. We just know how it works and dive right into a kind of shared ‘verse thing.

There were some things mentioned that I hadn’t heard of and are very much not talking about on this post. But interesting.

Honestly, this was another of my favourite panels this convention. It was so much fun. So much. Some people were a bit tipsy I think.

I did warn the two mods that I was pretty tired so if my eyes looked funny or closed, I wasn’t asleep, I was just squinting. I got so enthused by the cracky fun of it all though that I needn't have worried. I also found it amusing just how many ace spectrum folk there were there. 

After this I went back to my room. I got changed, went to bed hoping for a better night sleep than the one before. So very very tired. I’d had a great day but I was tired and I needed sleep urgently. Especially as the tired thing was not helping the dizzy thing. Thankfully I did get some sleep, not as good as home but I god some. 

[SATURDAY IS HERE]

[onestowatch]

Meet the Asian Hip Hop Collective Breaking Western Music Barriers

While 60% of the world’s population lives in Asia, Asian artists’ representation in Western popular music is remarkably scarce. Though examples of Asian artists breaking the Western pop music barrier do exist, such as K-pop artist PSY who was responsible for the 2013 hit “Gangnam Style,” most of these acts have become passing fads or niche artists. Enter 88rising. Founder of the collective, Sean Miyashiro, noticed this alarming underrepresentation and has since championed bridging the gap between Eastern & Western pop cultures through music, specifically hip hop.  

88rising began humbly in 2015, after Miyashiro resigned from his position at VICE, started utilizing his car as an office for phone calls, and took up a night job at Dunkin’ Donuts. In a mere three years, Miyashiro steadily built his empire by showcasing Asian artists’ ability to create a tangible and enduring mark on Western music and culture. Miyashiro elaborated on his cause with CNN stating, "We want to push the culture forward. We're not trying to break stereotypes or change people's mindsets. We're showing people what we can do, by doing what we do." Fast forward to 2018, and Miyashiro has proven to the world that the trajectory is only upwards for 88rising.   

88rising has grown exponentially since its modest establishment, becoming a hybrid-multimedia company/record label, a sort of 360-degree management group, a trend reflective of the present industry. Yet, though Miyashiro’s company and impressive roster of individual artists had been making waves in both the Western and Eastern pop music markets for several years now, the collective group had not released a collaborative project, that is until June 7, 2018.

With the release of the mystical summer love anthem “Midsummer Madness,” 88rising mesmerized audiences across the globe, amassing over 16.6 million plays on Spotify and counting. Following the smashing success of “Midsummer Madness” came a slew of other standout singles and their highly anticipated debut collaborative album Head In The Clouds, released July 23.  The album as a whole is a blissful testament to summer, hosting a plethora of lighthearted jams and fun, youthful feels. In addition to their first collaborative album, the group announced their first festival also titled Head In The Clouds, a 16-city North American tour featuring the bulk of the collective’s roster.

As fascinating as 88rising’s mission and concept is the unique elements each artist brings to the collective’s synergic sound. From the deep timbre of Rich Brian’s flow to NIKI’s angelic musings, 88rising represents the true beauty of diversity. So, without further ado, in the spirit of paying homage to the artists that make up this inspirational collective, we would like to introduce to you a handful of 88rising’s most promising members.

Rich Brian

Indonesian-born rapper, Brian Imanuel’s childhood was spent in Jakartra, helping with the family business while being homeschooled by his parents. At age 10, he began learning English by watching videos on YouTube and simultaneously fell deeply in love with the wonders of the internet. By 15, his fascination with the internet led him to create dark-humored comedy sketches that he would post daily on Vine. It was from this platform that Miyashiro and Imanuel made their initial connection. After watching a collection of his videos Miyashiro offered to pay for Imanuel’s flight to perform in SXSW. Upon receiving his parents’ permission, he made the long journey to Austin, TX, to confront his destiny or at least perform for the first time in the United States. From there things took off quickly, with his comedic hit "Dat $tick" whose visual companion featured Rich Brian (then known as “Rich Chigga”) clad in a pink polo and fanny pack, singing about “pop(in’) shells for a living” and not giving “a fuck about a motherfuckin’ po.” The track and video were as hilarious as they were shocking and borderline offensive. To combat criticism and capitalize off of the world’s obsession with the track, 88rising produced another viral video “Rappers React to Rich Brian” featuring Ghostface Killah, Desiigner, Tory Lanez, 21 Savage, and more, most of whom reacted relatively positively to Rich Brian’s unique sound. Since the “Dat $tick” days, Imanuel changed his official stage name from Rich Chigga to Rich Brain, after publicly recognizing how his former name was highly problematic. Earlier in 2018, he released his debut album Amen and is featured in 5 of the 17 tracks on Head In The Clouds, including popular single “History,” a rare solo track on the album featuring Imanuel’s hypnotically gruff voice.

Higher Brothers  

Chinese rappers MaSiWei, DZ, Psy. P, and Melo make up the eccentric hip hop group Higher Brothers. Hailing from Chengtu, the group is famous for their bold street wear, mixing Mandarin and English lyrics, and their electric approach to what they call “Chinese trap.” Upon reaching an unprecedented level of success internationally, the Chinese hip hop group has continued to break language barriers and preconceived notions of Asian hip hop artists. Since their 2017 break out singles “Made In China” and “WeChat,” the group has blessed the world with three EPs and a debut album titled Black Cab. A standout on the 88rising roster, the group is also featured on 5 of the 17 tracks on Head In The Clouds including the second single on the album, “Let It Go” where they pair with BlocBoy JB to serve up a dance-inducing banger, perfect for any wild summer house party.  

Joji

Japanese-born entertainer, George Miller first became known for his comedic sketches on YouTube featuring alter egos Filthy Frank and Pink Guy. In 2013, he began a viral sensation through video meme “DO THE HARLEM SHAKE” featuring the Pink Guy and pals performing an array of peculiar dance moves to electronic producer Baauer’s track “Harlem Shake.” Though famous for his off the wall humor, Miller had secretly been experimenting in emotive trip-hop, combining melancholic lyrics with elements of hip hop, R&B, and electronic music. His original encounter with Miyashiro concerned collaborating with 88rising to make viral videos, but when he heard Miller’s beautiful sound, Miyashiro was far more interested in the music. Miller’s gorgeous voice and relaxed style adds an essential element to Head In The Clouds. As the lead on “Midsummer Madness,” Miller’s voice is both tranquil yet enticing and becomes a familiar sound by the conclusive title track, enhancing the overarching enchanting vibes of the album. 

NIKI  

Born Nicole Zefanya, NIKI was also raised in Jakarta, Indonesia and knew Imanuel from childhood. Zefanya grew up on sounds of Destiny’s Child and Aaliyah like many of her musically-inclined Indonesian peers. Yet unlike her peers, Zefanya’s soulful crooning was first noticed internationally in her teens through her YouTube covers which garnered her thousands of followers and kick started the young vocalist’s career. Zefanya was the first female to break up the boy’s club that originally made up 88rising, therefore making a substantial contribution to the collective. Though one of the newer artists on the roster, her luscious R&B vocals become a welcomed change of timbre, as they provide a necessary layer of beauty to the often-hip hop-heavy album. Zefanya opens the album with Joji in “La Cienega” with her signature angelic sound as she questions the “glitz and glamour” of Los Angeles. Additionally, her solo track, “Warpaint,” is an anthemic toast to self-empowerment and is steadily becoming a favorite among fans.  

Keith Ape

Korean-Japanese rapper Lee Donghean, better known as Keith Ape, named himself after his favorite artist Keith Haring and his self-proclaimed spirit animal. Born in Bundang, South Korea, Donghean was a trouble child in school, but found an outlet for his rebellious energy in his hip hop idols, Nas and AZ. After realizing his future did not concern academia, he dropped out of school to pursue music and in 2010 adopted his moniker “Kid Ash.”  His raucous, shrill style over trap beats did not hit off until his 2015 with release “It G Ma,” which was followed by a remix featuring A$AP Ferg, Waka Flocka Flame, Father, and Dumbfounded and became a #1 hit. Though he only appears once on Head In The Clouds, his verse on “Japan 88” is a standout due to Donghean’s seamless blend of English and Korean lines, resulting in a mesmerizing cross-cultural flow.

AUGUST 08

Ray Jacobs is a Los Angeles bred, longtime R&B songwriter, arranger, and producer but relatively new under his moniker AUGUST 08.  His stage name was inspired by his tumultuous relationship with his father who was born on August 8; additionally his debut EP titled FATHER focuses on the difficulty of growing apart from one’s family. His highly emotive music covers difficult, heartbreaking topics with grace and relatability. Jacobs’s dazzling voice and songwriting chops caught the attention of the collective, making AUGUST 08 the first non-Asian member of the group, confirming 88rising platform of diversity not exclusivity. His smooth R&B features in “Midsummer Madness,” “Poolside Manor,” “Disrespectin’,” and “I Want In” add additional colors to this group’s sonic palette, contributing greatly this unprecedented masterpiece.   

Be sure to listen to the full album below and don’t forget to grab your tickets HERE for the first 88rising festival featuring all the artists mentioned above and many more! 

[velvetspins]

━━━━━━━━━ ✎ . . . . ( @chxngho ! )

“ryu changho,” the young man states, his eyes lingering over suhyeon’s face, picture-perfect, he finds himself a bit starstruck. “my ma used to watch your show a lot,” he admits, his canines showing as he smiled back. “ she’d get mad when we would talk over you,

suhyeon returns the gesture, that smile on his lips pulling upwards, maintained as he hums in agreement. “it was a lovely dinner, though i wouldn’t think that the food makes up for the blindfolding. maybe what came after.. that could redeem it, enough, at least for me,” he murmurs, and his question about them both being placed in the temperance line makes his eyebrows furrow slightly, following with the slight push upwards of his shoulder.

“i suppose we might have things in common, then?” he ventures, and lets out a little sigh. “or it could be completely random. with time, it’s possible we’ll find out. it would mean the same for everyone else, then, too, wouldn’t it?” he mumbles, and finally brings the glass to his lips, taking a sip and allowing that to calm him, even if it’s just for a second, that burst of bubbles in his mouth.

when he mentions that his mother used to watch a show that he was in, it makes genuine warmth bloom over his face, his smile perfect and white and wide. it’s his knee-jerk reaction, his parents making it paramount that recognition in this industry, in this world, is everything, and when someone notices him for.. something he’s done, first, it somehow pleases him even more then hearing hey, aren’t you the son of... maybe there will always be that moment of fear in his heart that it’s that, that it’s the one thing he wished he wasn’t known for, but like this, suhyeon’s reaction is still calm, poised. there is a genuine settling in his heart that it’s this, easier to swallow, easier to handle, then how he has to react when it isn’t.

“it’s nice to meet you, changho. i’m glad to hear if she enjoyed it-- though i’m certainly not worth being told to be quiet over, i believe,” suhyeon muses, and there’s a playful smile on his lips as he arches an eyebrow. “if you were speaking over me, did that mean you were a bit less interested?” it’s clear he’s joking, and he leans his hip against the nearby railing, crossing an arm over his chest to lay a hand over the incline of his arm, bent at the elbow to hold his glass.

“i don’t blame you, really. they’re mostly romance, so. not everybody’s cup of tea, truly,” suhyeon’s speaking more out towards the night, and he doesn’t mind too much, not really. he had always been approached for roles where he’s some sort of crush, or love interest, that perfect representation of the boyfriend type, even though he’s never been placed in a leading role. always just a little too good, so good that he lacks the interest needed for the girl to fall for him. such a clean cut image that suhyeon was so good at pretending to be, wrapped in a bow of many years of his parents coaxing him into all of the right mannerisms and speech.

“do you.. suppose there will be more surprises tonight, or the one time blindfolding was the extent of it?” suhyeon asks, and he’s looking away from out into the night, from changho, back towards the party and everyone interacting, feeling a bit detached from it all like this. “i do think two blindfolds would be a bit excessive,”

[itsbambrr]

Rules: Answer questions about yourself and tag 20 people.

I was tagged by @talerano​. I don’t like to tag people, but if you’d like to get to know more about me (within reason), feel free to tag me and I’ll probably tell you.

Name: Amber

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Orientation: Gray-asexual (bisexual + gray-ace)

Height: 5’6

Favorite color: Navy and Tiffany Blue

Book recommendations: 

Nursing Against the Odds -- Suzanne Gordon // A slightly dated but very compelling sociology and macro-level commentary and analysis of the institution of nursing in the early to mid 2000s. A lot of the commentary prompted reorganization and the overarching work is used in nursing scholarship today. It also gives the reader a much deeper understanding of what nurses do today. This work went on to expand into a few volumes that evaluate nursing in the contemporary western world, of which has largely influenced my academic career as a medical sociologist, aspiring nurse educator, and future doctor of nursing practice. 

The Complexities of Care -- Edited by Siobhan Nelson and Suzanne Gordon // For those that aren’t interested in the 400+ pages of Nursing Against the Odds, I recommend this entry in the same vein. This was a much faster read and focuses on the complicated role of “caring” in the institutionalization of nursing. While the overall political position of the writers tend to be much less radical than my own, this more contemporary entry allows readers alike to better understand the social challenges nurses navigate on a a daily basis. Fun fact: I analyzed half of its content in an academic essay where I examined the politics of care and macrosocial structures in the institution of health for a midterm essay in a medical sociology course. 

The Iron Druid Chronicles -- Kevin Hearne // For fans of urban fantasy. 21-(century)-year-old druid Atticus O’Sullivan manages an occult book store in Tempe, AZ. After centuries of hiding, Atticus’ past eventually catches up with him and then some. The series includes 9 novels, 3 novelas, and several short stories within the universe. I highly recommend the audiobook, which is read by Luke Daniels. The book reads at a YA level, but with a more mature tone due to graphic violence (and occasionally gore) and sexual content. 

The Subtle art of Not Giving a Fuck -- Mark Manson // I like nonfiction, but I’m not a big fan of self-help. Which is why I appreciate this book. The Subtle art of Not Giving a Fuck reads less like a preachy life coach and more like a good friend you asked to convince you to get your shit together and start living your life. 

If you care for more, just use the ask button.

Movie recommendations: 

Thor: Ragnarok // I don’t need to explain how great it is to see Tessa Thompson kicking ass. Also, Taika Waititi’s humor is great. 

Black Panther, dir. Ryan Coogler // It’s not really a secret that I love Ryan Coogler’s work, so when I heard that directing Black Panther, I knew I was going to see the movie multiple times. I saw it three times -- twice in theaters while interning at Disney, once on a cross-country flight back home. 

Enchanted, dir. Kevin Lima // While it isn’t as widely advertised in this iteration of my tumblr, I’m a HUGE Alan Menken fan. I’m an even bigger Disney nerd. Like... I go ALL OUT on Disney. Enchanted is a comedic meta commentary that satirizes the Princess and Renaissance Disney eras in a more lighthearted tale. Featuring Amy Adams (a favorite of mine), Patrick Dempsey (meh), James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Susan Sarandon, and cameos from your favorite Disney Princess voice actors.

TV recommendations: 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine // I’m not generally a big fan of IRL police, but I do appreciate a funny and well-written comedy featuring a diverse ensemble cast. Shout-out to the Nine-Nine for having TWO queer characters of color: Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) and Detective Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz). Catch all five seasons on Hulu and season six on NBC (whenever that starts). 

Community // I was recommended this by a friend who has the same comedic sense as I do. While I think the first season was a bit slow, I do appreciate the humor. Donald Glover and Danny Puti were the main reasons why I watched all six seasons (#sixseasonsandamovie). I loved their onscreen chemistry and their character development. 

The Clone Wars // (aka #sixseasonsandamovie: Star Wars Edition) While it may take some adjustment coming from the live-action films, this animated series expands on the events of The Clone Wars. I found this series particularly useful in parsing out the canon and Legends universe because Lucasfilm was in the process of aquisition by Disney throughout the later part of its production. As a child, I appreciated the well-timed humor and sci-fi action. As an adult, I appreciate the subtle themes and narratives posed in a war that relied upon cloned labor. 

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra // UGH JUST LOOK AT THIS MASTERPIECE THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY. A:TLA is basically a Chosen One narrative in which our immature hero must rise to the occasion and bring balance to the world by defeating a major imperial power. The Legend of Korra expands on the universe and is set approximately 70 years after the conclusion of A:TLA. While Korra (the heroine) is much farther in her physical journey as the Avatar/Chosen Once, she still has much to learn about the world aroundher and of Republic City. This series focuses more on social and spiritual conflicts in a recently industrialized world. As a viewer, I think Korra is a much needed representation of brown girls in popular media, especially in animation. REALLY I’M JUST HERE FOR THE WORLD BUILDING AND LORE. And honestly, if you’re a writer or even a lover of well-written worlds, check these two series out for great examples of world-building.  Check out creators Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko on tumblr for more of their work!

Music recommendations: 

I have a pretty broad taste in music, so here’s a quick sample of what you’ll find on shuffle when you’re me:

Pay My Rent - DNCE

Trader Sam’s (background music loop for Trader Sam’s Tiki Lounge at both the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in Orlando, FL)

Shiver Shiver - Walk the Moon

Hard Times - Paramore

Etta James - I’d Rather Be Blind

Christ Stapleton feat. Justin Timberlake - Tennessee Whiskey

Wannabe - Spice Girls

Aquarium, from Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals

Nocturne op. 9 no. 2 by Frederic Chopin (Fun fact: this appears on Bioshock Infinite’s ambient soundtrack and in the following song...)

United States of Eurasia - Muse

We haven’t really gotten into jazz standards or soundtracks either, so /shrug

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Iced cold brew coffee!

Cats or dogs: Dogs if I am not personally responsible for them for more than 48 hours, cats if I am.

I want to live long enough to witness: The end of this bullshit presidential administration, the elimination of undocumented and prison labor, worldwide denuclearization, public beach access for all, institution of universal or single-payer health insurance in the US, the end of my alma mater’s budget crisis

Weird obsessions: Dr. Sandra Lee’s (DrPimplePopper) YouTube Channel, Filipino fusion cuisine, eating raw fish

Tumblr birthday: September 2010, I think. I’ve had my tumblr since high school. 

How many sideblogs: None anymore, but if you’re interested in my academic and professional work, ask me about my pro-blog on Wordpress. 

Random fact about me: I several redundant professional certifications in water rescue and CPR/AED administration.

[orbemnews]

She Wants to Kill the Girl Boss In a start-up economy of self-described “boss babes,” Ashley Sumner wants to be known in simpler terms. While on a run near her home in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles in early March, Ms. Sumner was thinking about identity and the peppy phrases that female professionals use to describe themselves online: “girl bosses” and the like. “I worry about the negative impact of that,” Ms. Sumner, 32, said. “I worry that it allows investors to see founders who are women as a separate class from the rest of the founders. I worry it allows investors to write women founders smaller checks. I do believe that women need to help inspire other women but also that identity can be used as labels to separate us.” Ms. Sumner is the chief executive officer of Quilt, an audio platform for conversations about self-care topics like wellness in the workplace, PTSD and astrology. (In prepandemic days, the company organized work gatherings and group discussions in people’s homes.) She has felt marginalized in the woman section of founders’ circles. “I am always asked to speak on the female founders panel,” Ms. Sumner said. “I want to be asked to speak on the panel.” Since she is in the discussion business, she wondered if she could start one with the central question. “When is labeling in support and celebration of furthering our mission of equality successful and when is it ‘othering’ and hurting our mission?” She ran home, sat sweatily at her computer, banged out a few words and overlaid them on a photograph of herself. “I am a female founder,” she typed, then dramatically crossing out the word “female” and adding a caption that read in part: “putting my gender in front of what I am belittles what I’ve accomplished.” Ms. Sumner isn’t particularly active on Instagram or Twitter. On LinkedIn, she had never done more than repost someone else’s articles or musings. But given that platform’s focus on professional life, she thought it was a reasonable place to first share her handiwork. Ms. Sumner’s post has drawn nearly 20,000 comments, from men and women in the United States, Australia, Africa, Latin America, India and beyond; from executives, construction workers, health care employees, professors and military professionals. After reading it, Kate Urekew, the founder of Revel Experiences, a marketing firm in Boston, contacted three successful business owners she knows to ask them what they think. Each said there is not yet enough representation of women in leadership ranks to ignore the gender disparities. “In order to change things and truly achieve parity,” said Ms. Urekew, 50, “you need to have more visibility for other women.” She added: “I love that she started this discussion, it opened up my eyes to many more aspects.” In something of a rarity for a viral social media post, especially one about identity, the comments reflect a range of perspectives and are mostly civil. “That’s what we all need to hear,” one man wrote. “Too much identity politics leads to confirmation bias.” “I don’t feel we are there yet,” a woman wrote. “We are still at a point where we are trying to get equal footing, and that takes awareness, doesn’t it?” “Succeeding in the business world means you are accomplishing a great thing and in some cases outperforming a male,” a man wrote. More than 150 female founders posted similar photos of themselves, crossing out the word “female,” and then shared what was now credibly a meme on the internet. One was Antoinetta Mosley, the founder of I Follow the Leader, a consulting firm that specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, initiatives and education in Durham, N.C. “It was a little shocking at first, to see ‘female’ crossed out,” she said of Ms. Sumner’s post. “I immediately clicked to see what she said, and I thought it was really striking.” Ms. Mosley, 34, said in the unconscious bias seminars she leads, she asks people to consider the way race, gender and other traits influence narratives about people’s professional skills and how they can perpetuate inequities. “When people see me as a Black woman leader,” she said, “they are assuming that my being Black and a woman influence my leadership style.” She believes these labels can sometimes hold women back from being considered on equal footing to men. She said that being a Black woman is a significant part of her identity, but she, like most people, has far more dimensions. She believes her professional traits result most from being an athlete and the oldest of four children with driven parents. Faryl Morse, 55, who owns the footwear company Faryl Robin, was also moved to make her own post, listing the social media lingo of “Boss Babe,” “WomEntrepreneur,” “Girl Boss” and “Mompreneur.” “Let’s please stop adding these cute names to women who are ambitious and are going after their dreams with persistence,” she wrote. “It is not empowering any woman.” Ms. Morse wants other women to see her success and know that they too can aspire to own and operate a thriving business in a male dominated industry, and she believes that being a woman gives her a different and valuable perspective. “But I am not a woman founder,” she said. “I am a founder. End of conversation. Gender should not be descriptive in the world we live in today. It doesn’t define me professionally.” Rayy Babalola, the founder of the Agile Squad, a project management and consulting firm in Kent, England, was captivated by the responses on LinkedIn but says that it’s not so easy for everyone to drop the labels and forget the struggle and perseverance required to find professional success. Ms. Babalola, 30, believes that to call herself a Black woman business founder conveys that she has overcome the dual obstacles of sexism and racism. And she feels a responsibility to signal to other Black women that they too can have a path to business ownership. “Being a Black woman has affected how I have been treated, and that has pushed me to become a founder,” she said. “And you can’t be selfish,” she said. “Just because you found a way doesn’t mean that it’s OK, now you can be silent.” She thinks identifiers like “female founder” and “Black-owned business” are still important. “Until those terms stop rattling minds,” she said, they need to be used to remind the world that they remain something of a novelty and in the minority. Nikki Thompson, of Overland Park, Kan., said she never shares her opinion on social media but when she came across Ms. Sumner’s post, she couldn’t stop herself. “Labeling perpetuates the differences we should be seeking to resolve,” she wrote. As a registered nurse, Ms. Thompson’s responsibilities include continuing education training and paperwork for patients, and many forms ask about race, gender, generational demographics, religion and ethnicity. She understands that data collection is essential when it pertains to diagnosis and treatment of illness. But she questions the value of that data collection in the many other facets of daily life. (Ms. Thompson was happy to answer the question of her age — she will turn 41 next week — but noted that labeling people’s age is part of the problem.) “What if we drop the labels, maybe the biases would subside,” she said. “This is a daily thing in my career, and I think a lot about words and bias and unconscious bias and how we might decrease it.” (She also said that the pendulum can swing both ways: She has heard relatives say of her male peers, “I had a male nurse and he was very good.”) Surprised by the reaction to her post, Ms. Sumner acknowledged that many of her experiences are influenced by being a white woman, “with all the privilege that entails,” she said. “But how do I see myself? How do I identify? As a founder, and as someone who starts discussions.” Source link Orbem News #Boss #girl #kill

[annabelle-abts2030-uq]

Annotated Bibliography:

Bell, R. (2002). Bell's Theorem: Aboriginal Art-It's a White Thing. The Koori History Website Project. This paper was a highly important document for its role in introducing ideas of commodification of Aboriginal art, the role of galleries and dealers, and Bell’s dismay that the domain of Aboriginal Art is controlled by non- Indigenous people. This source was crucial to my research and provides an invaluable perspective of an Aboriginal artist in this topic area. Bell successfully outlines his areas of discussion in a comprehensive way and provides an insight onto an Indigenous perspective on a range of issues concerning authenticity and appropriation, my key research focus.

Bell, R. (2003). Scientia E Metaphysica (Bell’s Theorem) [acrylic on canvas]. This artwork consisting of several misshaped blocks of colour with the text Aboriginal Art is a White Thing and swirls of white, black and red paint is a crucial reference to my focus area and was what inspired me to focus on this topic. This piece gives visual representation to Bell’s Theorem and reflects Bell’s understanding of a white- controlled Aboriginal art industry that focused towards acquiring “more authentic” pieces from remote areas rather than urban areas. In 2006, Bell responded back to his own work with the piece Australian Art – it’s an Aboriginal Thing, which adopts a very similar style. I chose to focus on this piece as it is one of the most well-known works by Bell and it gives a representation to Bell’s theorem, drawing together all of the concepts I have focused on throughout my research.

Bennett, G. (1991). Possession Island [oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas]. This piece combines dot-painting with Pollock’s swirls over Calver’s etching and was highly useful for my research. I think that the NGA put it aptly when they said that: “Bennett intentionally fuses this iconic style of ‘Western’ painting with the famous Aboriginal white dot painting of the Western Desert, reproducing the mix in Possession Island. Thousands of dots fill the canvas. The effect is that they dissolve into a mass of colour, dots and slashes of paint. The viewer is made to step back and allow the eyes to form the images. This is similar to the way a Pointillist painting can only be seen effectively from a distance to bring the image into focus. Looking at the image from different viewpoints helps us to discover different perspectives.” I wish that there was more publicly available information that detailed Bennett’s own reasoning behind some of his work, as many sources/commentaries on his work are by non-Indigenous people.

Bennett, G. (2000). Notes to Basquiat: Poet and Muse [synthetic polymer paint on canvas]. 152.5cm x 182.8cm. National Art Gallery of Victoria. Quote from NGA: The Notes to Basquiat series takes appropriation to yet another level within Bennett’s art practice. Bennett not only used Basquiat images, but begins to paint in his style. Jean–Michel Basquiat, crowned a ‘black urban’ artist, was well known for his spontaneous and gestural paintings, which reflect the artist’s involvement in the graffiti culture of the United States. In a letter written to Basquiat after his death, Bennett writes: “To some, writing a letter to a person post humously may seem tacky and an attempt to gain some kind of attention, even ‘steal’ your ‘crown’. That is not my intention, I have my own experiences of being crowned in Australia, as an ‘Urban Aboriginal’ artist – underscored as that title is by racism and ‘primitivism’ – and I do not wear it well. My intention is in keeping with the integrity of my work in which appropriation and citation, sampling and remixing are an integral part, as are attempts to communicate a basic underlying humanity to the perception of ‘blackness’ in its philosophical and historical production within western cultural contexts. The works I have produced are ‘notes’, nothing more, to you and your work.”

Quoted from NGA: “Bennett, G. (2001). Notes to Basquiat (Jackson Pollock and his other). National Gallery of Victoria. Bennett confronts and questions the appropriateness of this borrowing. Physically, the kitsch Aboriginal motifs copied from Preston are trapped. The representation of Aborigines has been reduced to caricature. Bennett layered these two distinctly different artists with his own work – work previously appropriated from yet another context. Mondrian cages the figures; Preston objectifies the figures; Bennett accommodates both to grasp the intangible and dissect these limited interpretations and stereotypes.” As one of Bennett’s more well-known pieces, this artwork explores the central issues of appropriation by Pollock and Margaret Preston, a non-Indigenous Australian artist. Prior to reading about this source in my research, I did not really know much about the history of Preston and her relationship with Indigenous art as she incorporated Aboriginal symbols and imagery into her work. I would like to focus more on this piece within my future research and to explore how other Indigenous artists have responded to her artworks that are considered to be a Eurocentric appropriation and an extension of appropriating Indigenous art without understanding the spiritual and cultural significance behind it.

Fisher, L. (2012). The art/ethnography binary: post-colonial tensions within the field of Australian Aboriginal art. Cultural Sociology, 6(2), 251-270. This source was highly useful for conducting background research into this topic and was insightful for my anthropological background. As outlined in the title of the work, it explores ideas of urban vs remote artists, the ongoing tensions between the art/ethnography binary and the different views of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, actors and filmmakers on this issue. This was particularly poignant for understanding some of the motivations behind Richard Bell’s work, especially the duplicated ethnography that features in the video.

Mac, B. (2018). Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs. House of Representatives. Canberra, ACT. This interview between Bec Mac, a representative of the Fake Art Harms Culture initiative and Richard Bell was a great resource for further understanding Bell’s perspective on fake art and what is considered ‘authentic art’. Bell demonstrated his apprehensions towards the Fake Art Harms Culture Initiative and the proposed Bill in Parliament, noting that “I don't know whether it can be legislated, you know. I think what we have to do is respect each other and see where we're each coming from” and using his own work as a vehicle for conveying the importance of changes to the art industry.

MCA Australia. (2016). Richard Bell on his MCA Collection work 'Worth Exploring' [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf8WS9fshNo&ab_channel=MCAAustralia. As quoted in the description of the video: “The four panels of Richard Bell’s work 'Worth Exploring?' challenge the position of Aboriginal art and artists inside the western art system, linking it to the historical legal status of European colonisation. With his trademark directness and humour, Bell uses a combination of paintings and legal documents to raise complex questions about artistic authenticity, appropriation and reception as part of a broad debate on Australian race relations. This interview, recorded in 2006, goes into depth on the issues and ideas explored in the work.”

Middleton, D. R. J. (2019). Culture as a commodity? The cultural dynamics of Indigenous tourism in the Far North East of Queensland, Australia. University of Queensland. This thesis was similar to the Ryan and Aicken reading, however it provided a much more comprehensive and focused understanding within a North Queensland context. This source spoke explicitly about the commodification of Indigenous art and the mass-produced products on display across Northern Queensland and broader Australia. Likewise, her analysis on the politics that Indigenous artists navigate within art galleries was crucial to my understanding and really helped to understand more behind Richard Bell’s Theorem and the broader context of the a binary between Aboriginal/Western art.

Ryan, C., & Aicken, M. (Eds.). (2005). Indigenous tourism: The commodification and management of culture. Elsevier.This source served as an important background reading into how Indigenous culture has been commodified within this country. This reading gave a broad overview in analysing perspectives from North America, Australia and parts of Asia. While it did not comment extensively on Australian Indigenous art, it was a useful overview for developing an understanding of how Indigenous cultures can be utilised as a marketing and monetary strategy to demonstrate an atmosphere of inclusivity in order to promote tourism, while in actuality, these governments are actively oppressing Indigenous people, an idea reflected within both Bell and Bennett’s works.