On Sugaring
On a facetious whim, I once asked my father how many camels he thought I was worth. Without really thinking, he said ten. I was fairly pleased to be worth an abstract twenty humps until he added, ‘So about half a pack.’ It’s probably important to have an idea of self-worth, and more pragmati
Under Review: The Future of the Left, at the Union
There is a particular kind of irony that only the British left can produce with such reliable efficiency. Last weekend I found myself squarely inside it, as four rising left-wing podcasters—Noah East and Sean Ramiz of Northstar Politics, and Freddie Feltham and Jovan Owusu-Nepaul of What’s L
Artist Spotlight: Oli Spooner, Inigo Unknown
Oxford, compared to its oft-referenced rival, Cambridge, has few spaces like Clare College’s music grounds. Whatever band nights and pub performances are put on in this city are comparatively small scale, and music as a genre of creative work commands far less weight and aura then it did a decade
Under review: Exhibition 005
Exhibition 005 was a testament to the vitality of the student art scene in Oxford. The annual, student-led exhibition hosted by Worcester College invites submissions from practising artists across the university, as well as city residents and pupils from local schools. I left feeling pleasantly remi
Bourdain, revisited
Anthony Bourdain. The epitome of the New York chef. Perhaps the most woke man born in the 50s. The performative male’s performative male. He’s had a profound impact on how I eat, how I travel, and most importantly, how I view the world. Despite his somewhat insufferable Gen-Z fanbase (of which
Under Review: Ulster American
Ulster American is like smoke. A British director and an American actor walk into a room. What do they talk about? Well who they would rape if held at gunpoint of course! The provocation of Ulster American wastes no time and it felt as though I had sat down and became an unwilling participa
The Isis On: Kpop (Has K-Pop killed the pop star?)
The label ‘K-Pop’ is simultaneously unproductive and irreplaceable—multivalent creative output is funnelled through a misnomer implying singularity, yet its formula for success lies in a unique ecosystem which successfully sends troops of artists into the battle for chart dominance each week.
An identity crisis, or identity in crisis?
Niche. Esoteric. Underground. Buzzword, buzzword, buzzword. The perfect signifier—buzzword has itself become a buzzword of sorts. How apt! The rapidity with which these trends and aesthetics proliferate and the brevity, or lack thereof, with which they last is not just symptomatic of insidious inf
Artist Spotlight: Publick Knowledge
We’re sat in a kitchen. It’s features are plain but the atmosphere is undeniably hearty. A large, rustic, unvarnished wooden table sits between us—a feature that will become particularly conspicuous when I learn that, for Fatima and Maya, the table might be imaginary. The walls are painted gre
