WHY SEXING UP IS THE WAY FORWARD FOR FORMER DISNEY STARS

The recent release of Spring Breakers has sparked international debate with regard to its cast of scantily clad, Disney-famed tween role models. Twitter has been overflowing with conflicting opinions, from “I heard Spring Breakers is trashy and a waste of time & money” to“Don’t forget to go see @springbreakers it’s too good, like finger licking good.” Meanwhile, American gossip columns have been overflowing with opinionated commentaries.

“Selena Gomez peels off her Disney girl persona, and most of her clothes, in [the] R-rated Spring Breakers”, wrote Stephen Schaefer for the Boston Herald. The beauty of this particular vein of media attention is that, whether the overflowing Christian sector of North America likes it or not, sex - and controversy - sells. But we already knew that and, as such, the question is raised: is nobody bored of this yet?

Read on at The Huffington Post…

My column for Dazed Digital focusses on fringe science: from telepathy to resurrection and immortality.

Click here to read more.

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VERONICA SO: REDEFINING ‘GEEK CHIC’

Veronica So is a girl of many talents: editing, art directing, writing, photography and fashion design. Amongst others. Her latest endeavor is a unisex clothing line to run alongside her magazine for the “fashionable futurist”, L_A_N. She speaks about why being stylish and being geeky really aren’t so different.

You’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “Been there, done that, worn the t-shirt”. Imagine being so enamored with something that the t-shirt simply isn’t enough: you want everything else to match. Well that’s how a lot of people feel about L_A_N magazine. Obviously, generally speaking, you wouldn’t wear a magazine, but once you’ve seen the spreads in L_A_N, you’ll be eating your words. “It’s image-making more than considered editorial design,” Veronica says, describing how her layouts differ from the norm. “It takes a lot of energy and time to get it how I like it.”

Time and effort aside, as far as the readers are concerned, there’s little not to love about the aesthetic of L_A_N. Think muted, psychedelic colour palettes, skewed text that’s only legible from certain angles and fashion shoots set in online video games – all culminating to form an absurdly oversized, A3 newsprint publication.

Since L_A_N is essentially a fashion magazine, the idea of an affiliated clothing line isn’t especially outlandish. The innovation lies in the fact that the spreads themselves form the digital prints on each and every garment. Not only does this mean you can proudly wear the aesthetically appetizing layouts proudly on your chest, you’re essentially wearing readable clothing.

Genius like this doesn’t spring out of thin air: it takes brilliance and hard work. Much more than a pretty face – though she does have one of those, too – Veronica employs her creative talent at the helm of L_A_N as editor and creative director, meanwhile finding time in between to sing in electro band, TEETH, or tackle a freelance writing job. “The only reason I run around like a crazy person doing all these things is because I haven’t actually decided that one thing is enough,” she explains, when asked how she does it. “I need a balance of different worlds to feel safe and productive at the same time – a creative retreat from creative work.”

Grudgingly considering the prospect of an apparently apocalyptic scenario that could result in picking a single career, she lands on something of a compromise: “I do like sitting around, coming up with ideas and making them happen in a really precise way,” she muses. “I think that’s what it is I’d like to do most – creative direction in any field I’m involved in.”

Regardless of what Veronica decides to do, it’s likely to involve two of her great loves: fashion and being a shameless nerd. L_A_N is an excellent example of this, channeling the two together to form a kind of technologically stylized perfection. “I think everyone is capable of being a geek of something,” she says, when asked about her fascination with all thinks geeky. “It’s a sign that pop culture has created something that completely vibes with your outlook, aesthetic and romanticism.” Regardless of everyone else’s potential inner nerd, Veronica has a particularly long history with hers. “I think growing up ‘geeky’ had a lot to do with me having a close relationship with my younger brother and the fun of being able to share similar interests. For example, I rescued a copy of Ender’s Game from a recycling bin on Earth Day only because I thought he would like it – and ended up reading and being obsessed with it myself.”

Anyone who grew up taking an interest in the sci-fi genre will agree that any love as a child can rapidly evolve into obsession. “It’s heaven to be a fan of something when you’re young,” the self-confessed fan agrees. An attraction to the genre was only amplified for Veronica and her brother, since their uncle worked for Industrial Light and Magic, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd. (responsible for the Star Wars Saga) that works specifically with visual effects. “My brother and I watched Star Wars a lot [growing up], almost every weekend,” she remembers. “Our uncle had loads of paraphernalia from the franchise, including Yoda masks, art books and novels so it was an easy fandom to fall into.”

Fashion didn’t hook it’s claws until a little later in life. ”Up until high school I wanted to study marine biology and painting,” Veronica remembers. “Only in junior year did I realise I wanted to study fashion and I really had to scramble to learn about designers and sewing. In my last year of high school I made a lot of clothes, a few of which were prom dresses for other girls.” It didn’t take a lot for the link to be made between this fresh inspiration and a life-long career in professional geek. “In my first year at Central Saint Martins I designed a Stormtrooper blaster print bag.” She considers, before continuing, “I was really bemused at how well that went.”

From that point onwards, the sporadic dots between fashion and “geek” were quickly and easily connected. “The semester Episode III came out, my research book was filled with Polaroids of Jedis, Imperial troopers and Bobba Fetts walking around Leicester square the day of the premiere. I realized then that geekdom was timely and affected in a very similar way to fashion.” By the time Veronica had reached her third year at CSM, she had created a playground in which style and geekery could coexist outside the obvious thick-framed, lensless glasses so often affiliated with the term ‘geek chic’. When required to create her own magazine as part of her graduating year, L_A_N was conceptually conceived.

“I wanted to make something for someone like myself: no commercial promises, no professional pressure. Writing about anyone I felt deserved to be written about, but had not been discovered,” she says, describing what she wanted to achieve when she began L_A_N. Over the last two years, she’s managed to produce exactly what she envisaged. “It’s growing in a really honest, organic and cult way – just the way I want it to be,“ she enthuses. “I want my readers to be invested in the magazine – to know that there is an entity out there that has this corner covered. L_A_N moves people emotionally through the imagery, tone and subject matter. I approach it like having one amazing, intense, informative and meaningful conversation with someone I don’t see very often.”

L_A_N’s U.K. stockists are few and far between, a fact, which adds to it’s allure as one of the rare and sought after creatures of the published world. One place they are stocked, however, is at Primitive London, a tiny, tucked away establishment in Haggerston, which possesses a similar magnitude to the publication. “I was invited to sell L_A_N in Tokyo for the Primitive London pop up shop at Candy and decided it was a good time to sell clothes,” Veronica says, when asked where the idea for the line began. “This small collection was especially made for Tokyo, but I’d like to continue making L_A_N <label> to sell online.”

While in most cases, launching a label would involve heavily time-consuming production, the process for L_A_N <label> was fleeting, though the effort and talent poured into it is unquestionable. “The collection was conceived and completed within a month,” Veronica confirms. “The lookbook was planned and designed in a week. I really like intensely fresh ideas coming to life over a short period of time – it completely takes the pressure off.” That’s not to say that she didn’t have help. New York-based designer and fellow CSM graduate, Alexandra Polk collaborated with Veronica on the collection, alongside additional support from Anna Love of Opening Ceremony and L_A_N contributor, Andrej Ujhazy.

“It’s a simple idea that works.” Purely placing the already painstakingly designed layouts onto poly mesh clothing is about as simple as it gets for a magazine-affiliated clothing line, and it’s the fluid ease of the concept that makes it work in terms of both concept and wearability. “I love Jean Paul Gaultier’s Soleil pieces. Those stretchy tattoo tops and dresses with digital prints on them from the 90s,” she says, describing her inspirations. “L_A_N is a magazine so I want it to be about the content rather than complicating the design.”

“I want to produce full L_A_N collections where each piece is focused on one editorial story.” Most avid L_A_N readers will be scrambling for the pieces while they’re still hot off the press, for it’s a lucky few that can already claim ownership, including, but not limited to, those featured in the look book. “The idea was to curate a set of personalities who are L_A_N readers and collaborators and have them wear a piece of the collection in their own personal style,“ Veronica explains. The weird and wonderful creatures that adorn the pages of the look book are in fact fans of the magazine, and every shot is self-styled. 

Essentially, once you get hold of a piece, L_A_N <label> is another way of preserving a part of the publication for yourself as a reader. Every part of the brand, from the eerily warped text that fills the magazine layouts to the heavy paper it’s printed on, guarantee to instigate a geek following all for L_A_N.

“I would never print something that couldn’t be kept or loved for a long time,“ Veronica agrees, and with every new accomplishment it seems more likely that she’s created something of a legacy for both herself and L_A_N.

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Alcohol: Death Warrant for a Generation?

The death of Amy Winehouse in July of this year shook the nation. As Amy joined the tragedy-shrouded 27 Club via alcohol poisoning, Britain was once again forced to acknowledge dangers the younger generation are facing with regard to alcohol.

An employee of Alcoholics Anonymous, who prefers to remain unnamed, confirmed that the occurrence of under 25s at AA meetings is happening “more than ever.” He added, “I first became sober at the age of 17, but these days young people just can’t seem to do it.” While many young people regularly binge drink (more in the UK than in any other country in Europe, according to an NHS report on binge drinking in the UK and on the continent), few seem to pay attention to the risks.

Yet awareness of the threat alcohol poses is hardly a new revelation. In 2009, a 22-year-old alcoholic died in hospital, after a 10-week battle with severe liver cirrhosis. While this is one of the more extreme cases of alcohol-related fatalities in young, British citizens, this tragedy made yet another example of the all-too-real dangers that alcohol poses.

Earlier this year, Dr Sarah Wollaston submitted a private member’s bill to Parliament, requesting the restriction of alcohol advertising to youths in Britain. On her website, Wollaston discusses her reasons, at the forefront of which stand some unavoidable statistics; “13 young people will die this week as a result of alcohol.” She goes on to say, “Nearly a quarter of all deaths of young people aged between 15 and 24 are caused by alcohol.”

Wollaston is not the only one campaigning for the alteration of alcohol laws, with several studies spurring calls for drug classifications as a whole to be reassessed. Last year, ex-Government drugs advisor, David Nutt co-authored a study entitled ‘Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis’, which was published in leading medical journal, The Lancet. The study ranks 20 drugs on the dangers they pose both to users and the people around them, taking into account a range of aspects, from psychological dependence, to crime rates and environmental damage. While heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine proved most harmful to individuals, alcohol trumped every other substance with an overall harm score of 72 (heroin scored 55, crack cocaine; 54).

In a study by Jack E. Henningfield, titled, ‘Is Nicotine Addictive? It Depends on Whose Criteria You Use’, alcohol and nicotine were compared to cocaine, heroin, caffeine and cannabis using 5 criteria: dependence, withdrawal, tolerance, reinforcement and intoxication. While nicotine topped all others for dependence, alcohol scored as affecting the most dangerous withdrawal symptoms, as well as the most dangerous overall substance after heroin. These results raise some questions as to why alcohol and nicotine are the only widely available, legal substances on the market.

Professor Robert S. Gable, who is a Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University in California, has also partaken in several studies, which question current drug classifications. Following his study, ‘Comparison of Acute Lethal Toxicity of Commonly Abused Psychoactive Substances,’ which proved alcohol to be one of the easiest drugs to overdose on (just 10 times the effective dose), and LSD (1000) and cannabis (1000 +) to be the hardest, Gable wrote an article for American Scientist entitled ‘The Toxicity of Recreational Drugs’. Throughout the article, Gable discusses his findings at length. Stating that alcohol is “more lethal than many other commonly used substances.” He goes on to suggest, “if alcohol were a newly formulated beverage, it’s high toxicity and addiction potential would surely prevent it from being marketed as food or drug.”              

According to the ‘Econometric Analysis of Alcohol Consumption in the UK’, which was published in 2010, UK households spend around £15 billion every year on the consumption of alcoholic beverages – approximately 18% of their total expense for food and drink. Moreover, in 2009-10, this expenditure generated £9 billion in tax revenue, which was 2% of the total tax intake. With figures like these pulling perspective both on the high intake of alcohol in Britain, and the extortionate tax which is placed on alcohol, who wouldn’t beg the question: What are the Government’s true motives behind questionably lax alcohol policies? When questioned about the matter, the Home Office refused to comment.

Across the country, alcohol continues to wreak havoc on the lives of thousands. Timothy Harris, a Police Sergeant based in Kent, admits that he deals with young people under the influence of alcohol “daily.” The situations instigated by the misuse of alcohol are extensive; “from drink driving to suicide, alcohol poisoning, assaults.” Hospitals are equally overwhelmed with a high intake of alcohol-induced cases. Christine Clift, who is a Biomedical Scientist, located at Heartlands Hospital in Sutton Coldfield admits that there has been “a huge uprising in the amount of young people coming in with alcohol related problems.” Dealing specifically with the after effects of extensive alcohol abuse, “such as liver disease and oesophageal variecies,” Christine constantly encounters often heart-wrenching cases. “Several years ago we had a young woman in who’d gotten alcoholic liver disease. She had a young child, and was very ill - in and out of intensive care with most of her organs failing. She basically bled to death, leaving a very traumatised child.”

As far as substance classifications are concerned, however, while alcohol is unquestionably dangerous, it is often difficult to accurately compare the consequences with those of other substances. Given that many of the facts and statistics, which raise the question of current classifications’ accuracy, are taken from studies which compare alcohol to other substances, the consumption of alcohol in comparison to heroin, for example, is far more common, thus making it difficult to accurately gauge the repercussions of each substance comparatively. In ‘The Toxicity of Recreational Drugs’, Gable agrees, adding his own example; “… atropine is more toxic than alcohol, but more deaths will be reported for alcohol than for atropine because so many more people get drunk than ingest jimsonweed.”

Furthermore, there lies the issue of how dangerous each substance becomes when combined with another. Gable confirms that overdoses, more often than not, involve the combination of two substances. Though one of these is “usually alcohol”, the overall toxicity is often unknown. “In short: When psychoactive substances are combined, all bets are off.” Sergeant Harris confirms that he often encounters similar issues when substances are taken together. While he admits that he encounters illegal substances as often as he encounters alcohol, he is of the opinion that “the worst situation is when alcohol and drugs are mixed.” He continues, “this seems to produce unpredictable results and the alcohol can mask the symptoms of other substances.”

Not to mention, of course, that consequences from illegal substances can often be just as awful, if not worse, than those induced by alcohol. Mephedrone, often referred to as Meow Meow, was illegalized in April of this year, but has been connected to almost 100 deaths since it’s emergence onto the market 2 years ago. Few will forget 18-year-old Leah Betts, who died in 1995 after taking a single ecstasy pill and drinking so much water she essentially drowned her brain.

Some action is being taken to minimalise the damaging effects of alcohol. The introduction of the drinking banning order (DBO) in 2009 was designed to punish drinkers who are consistently responsible for alcohol-related crimes and disturbances. While met with mixed responses (Liberty’s director of policy, Isabella Sankey, referred to the policy as a “gimmick”), the fundamental purpose of the DBO – to pinpoint (and protect the public from) inebriated hooligans – is sound, and certainly suggests that our Government is aware of the issue at hand.

A 2010 health report released by the House of Commons alerted authorities to the extremely low price point of alcohol – especially in supermarkets. While Scotland is in the process of introducing a minimum pricing legislation, Westminster is considering options including cracking down on licensing. .  According to parliament.uk, since the 2003 Licensing Act, the number of licensed pubs in the UK has dropped by approximately 6,100. While the reasons for failing to affect a minimum pricing legislation are in favour of consumers who buy - but do not abuse - alcohol, Westminster has fallen under criticism for it’s decision. Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, Professor Ian Gilmore, told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that opposing a minimum pricing legislation will “will have no effect at all on the health of this nation.” He did, however, admit, “It’s a step in the right direction, but I have to say it’s an extremely small step.”

While many still question the minimal action taken to prevent the accessibility of alcohol in light of the dangers, the idea that the Government prolongs this issue for the sake of tax revenue is controversial. While it is undeniable that alcohol tax provides a large portion of total tax-related income, given the sheer volume of money, which must be fed back into the system in order to amend the losses alcohol-related crime and fatalities cause, there may actually be minimal profit gained from the increasing taxes on alcohol.

Regardless of the motives behind maintaining the accessibility and legalisation of such a dangerous substance, it is unavoidable that current drug dogma does not correlate with the risk some substances pose. Psilocybin mushrooms are a Class B substance, only recently downgraded from Class A. A perfect example of illogical classification in light of the dangers, in both Robert S. Gable’s ‘Comparison of acute lethal toxicity of commonly abused psychoactive substances’ and David Nutt’s ‘Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis’ psilocybin mushrooms are proven to be the least dangerous participating substance.

Taboos that circulate around most illegal substances often seem to justify the extensive use of alcohol instead. If alcohol-related risks were heeded, and a ban were indeed placed, the potential outcome is unclear. The afore-mentioned 2010 health report included in it’s conclusions, “The fact that alcohol has been enjoyed by humans since the dawn of civilization has tended to obscure the fact that it is also a toxic, dependence inducing teratogenic and carcinogenic drug to which more than 3 million people in the UK are addicted.” Alcohol is so deeply ingrained within day-to-day rituals; a cold beer on a summer’s day, a glass of red wine with dinner, champagne for celebrations – even Santa Claus sips on the odd glass of whiskey, according to urban legend. Not to mention the thank-God-it’s-Friday mentality, which commonly makes good the first post-work drink of the weekend. We question the legality of one dangerous substance, yet perhaps the real question is this: Do we live in a society that could live without an accepted method of escapism?

This is a feature I wrote on K-Pop, which appeared in house18.

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The atmosphere is static with excitement, music pulsating through walls, floors and ceilings in this multi-tiered venue. Heavy baselines ripple across the skin, lifting hairs on arms and necks alike, as every face is turned frontward, wide-eyed in childlike awe.

The stage has been engulfed by an enormous cubic structure, an apparently random arrangement of stacked steel boxes. Nestled amongst the smaller cubes lies one larger, translucent box, which – on closer inspection – contains electronic virtuoso, Amon Tobin, perched casually behind his decks.

Over the last decade and a half, Brazilian-born Amon Tobin, has established himself at the forefront of electronic music as a producer, composer and writer. His most recent album, ISAM, was released alongside this innovative new format for live shows, which has been received in the highest regard by journalists and fans alike, resulting in an instantaneous sell out for his international tour.

As he commences the mind-blowing, boundary breaking, 90-minute set – cradled amidst this geometric structure – a fluid series of stunning visuals are projected across it. According to his interview with Wired Magazine, the basic concept was to, “ integrate myself, quite literally, into an audio and visual presentation of the album.”

Once it begins, there’s no turning back. Time stops as more than 2000 people are suspended in a trance-like state, hypnotised by the constantly changing and evolving visuals, which are in perfect synchronisation with the music. Life necessities – smoking, drinking, etc – are temporarily put on hold while the mind is forced to concern itself with the visual priorities at hand.

The projections guide the audience on journeys through the galaxy, past dying stars, nebulas and futuristic spacecrafts, before crashing down to Earth through volcanic landscapes and molten lava. Fiery explosions in reds and blues cast blasts of coloured light across the venue, only to be replaced with pulsing light spots and surges of electrified bolts.

Faces are lifted, almost in prayer, as the ever-changing light ripples across their features. The projection seems to possess it’s own life force, constantly altering the state of the structure; it’s crafted from plastic, aluminium, molten silver – before long it breaks apart, disintegrating to nothing, immediately rebuilding before awe-stricken eyes. For an hour-and-a-half, the entire audience feels emotion as one, overwhelming disbelief, wonder and reverence channelled into a collective consciousness – ebbing, flowing and at one with the music.

Every other hand is elevated toward the structure, clutching iPhones and cameras in an attempt to preserve the experience. Mid-performance, it is already apparent that the memory will never compare, but then again, neither will a video.

Images by Tim Kantoch | Awkward Movements

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The Green Soccer Journal

Adam Towle and James Roper are two well-dressed men in their late twenties, with a mutual soft spot for football. With James’ background in art direction (he used to work for Burberry) and Adam’s Graphic Arts and Design degree, a magazine seemed like the logical path.

The Green Soccer Journal (or “The Green”) is widely described as a “football lifestyle” magazine. Non-committal as that sounds, it essentially means that Adam and James take all the most refined aspects of the sport, and translate them into a publication, which will appeal to classy young gentlemen such as themselves while accentuating the link between football and style. Think questionable mullets on Columbian fanatics or the best way to style your freshly ironed FC Barcelona shirt. Launched in December 2010, The Green has sold out everywhere it’s been stocked – not just in artsy, London newsagents, but in Sweden, New York and Canada, too.

How was football portrayed in the media, previous to The Green?

Adam: It was never portrayed in the way that James and I view football. It’s nothing against “lad” culture, but we’re not those guys. We don’t spend four hours in the pub before a game getting shitfaced. It’s just a different way of viewing the game. It’s still the same game, but there are different subcultures that surround football.

Isn’t launching a new printed publication in the current economy a risky business?

James: Around the time we started doing it, there were a lot of people telling us to wait. I think we were just so confident that there was nothing else like this out there. We did a pilot issue first, just to test the water, and within weeks we’d had great responses from Nike, Adidas and Umbro.

Adam: A lot of it was naivety, as well. The amount of times we’ve looked back and thought, “If we knew then what we know now we never would’ve started.” The good thing was, we know nothing about what we were doing. What do you think the link is between football and style?

Adam: We both worked in the same menswear store in Derby and we’d get guys coming in Saturday morning for the game that afternoon.

James: These lads were spending £120 on a polo from Paul Smith to go to the football in. Guys with disposable income. We still try to use clothing which isn’t over-styled or high fashion in our shoots, it’s stuff that lads would wear at the football.

Adam: It’s approachable but aspirational.

Football isn’t exactly known to be a stylish sport.

James: The stigma attached to football shirts is the hooligan lifestyle, whereas if you look at what the teams do now – especially England, they try to design a shirt you could wear out.

How do you portray menswear within the magazine?

James: If you look at things like football films, that style has formed a subculture. It’s not just the shirts. It’s the jackets, the jeans, the trainers, the haircuts – everything. But that casual culture was also associated with hooliganism. A lot of brands are scared of it. Plus, let’s face it; footballers don’t tend to have the best dress sense.

Do you think poor player style is related to the connotations of football being a non-stylish sport?

James: They’re from a different world. Before they’re 20, a lot of them are millionaires, and they’re with the same guys every day. They all wear the same thing. Then again, if I were 15 and given £100K a week, I’d probably be dressed the same.