The Australian National University's intersectional feminist magazine.
How do we make art out of trauma? Indeed, art seems to thrive on it, but in a world that is oversaturated with depictions of violence, many of us seem to have reached a point where we no longer want to see the things that haunt us at night on the big screen; instead, we opt for fantastical escapism.
Ultimately, vampires are paradoxes. They are both alive and dead, human and the Other, desirable and monstrous. And who in society understands paradox better than a teenager?
Processing mortality is a daunting task—but it is important that we learn to digest its impact and grow more comfortable with it as a natural part of life. As this is easier said than done, consuming different forms of media that focus on death and dying is arguably one way of beginning to acquaint ourselves with these eventualities.
“Queer: Stories from the NGV Collection” is at the NGV in Melbourne until 21 August 2022, free entry to all.
Love of the macabre hasn’t always been isolated to your local goth population.
For those of us who struggle to slick every strand of hair back into a Grande-esque ponytail, who cannot walk in heels without twisting an ankle or perform the choreography to ‘Single Ladies’ without falling over backwards, the punk movement provides much-needed respite.
Music is universal; it can simultaneously bring people together and tear them apart. Recently in pop music, we have seen a rising emphasis on the importance of feminism, sisterhood, and girl power.
At its core, instapoetry – which appears to simply be a catch-all term for any poetry that finds a home online – is nothing new. The broad criticism it has faced, like many literary genres before it, is not novel either.
Every individual has their own aesthetic, and this dictates the aura or environment that they try to cultivate around themselves. Yet, there seems to be a ‘mini-aesthetics’ movement developing and taking social media by storm.
Everyone knows the name of Chanel Miller’s rapist; we know he could swim well, he liked steak, and that he went to Stanford. Yet, for a long time, we didn’t know Chanel’s name or all that she is: a writer, an artist, a poet, and a sister.