Vane Magazine Issue 4

SUMMER 2015/2016 V A N E M A G A Z I N E
SEA ISSUE 04
s e a
F A S H I O N . B A C K S T A G E . C U L T U R E

EDITORS NOTE:
While half of the world spends their Christmas and end
of year shoveling snow or wrapped in blankets, we’re
out having BBQs, getting sunburnt, and relaxing with
good music, good food and good reads. With some of
the best new bands hitting our shores over the summer
festivals, we caught up with The Internet, Purity Ring and
Lontalius who are all playing at the Auckland Laneway
Festival in February. This issue is a celebration of finally
having some down-time as the year comes to a close,
with summer essentials to enjoy and unique plant stores
to check out, we hope Vane issue 4 kickstarts your
holidays and we’ll see you in the new year.
STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS
Editor-In-Chief and Graphic Designer:
Leena Park: leena@vanemagazine.com
Photographers: E-I-C, Amazir Aknine: amaziraknine@
gmail.com
Interviewers: E-I-C, Chris Smith:
chris@vanemagazine.com
Writers: Taylor Compain: taylorparehuia@gmail.com
Illustrators: Sabrina David: sabrinacdavid@gmail.com
Hair / Makeup artists: Tylah Britow:
tylahbritow@hotmail.co.nz
Website:
vanemagazine.com
Facebook:
vanemagazineonline
COVER
Instagram:
vane_magazine
Twitter:
vane_magazine
Model Indiana wears
Top by Moochi
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SUMMER ESSENTIALS P 4
INTERVIEW WITH SEAN KELLY P 10
FEATURE: GREEN SCENE P 12
INTERVIEW WITH PURITY RING P 12
INTERVIEW WITH THE INTERNET P 28
NORTH KOREA P 38
INTERVIEW WITH LONTALIUS P 42
ARTICLE: 21ST CENTURY TeRRORISM P 46

We got our hands on some knick-knacks for you to check out this summer.
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1. Drink: San Pellegrino sanpellegrinofruitbeverages.com
2. Hand Wash: Smith & Co. from Flo & Frankie
3. Candle: Captives captives.co.nz
4. Hat: Moochi moochi.com

1. Hand Balm: Smith & Co. from Flo & Frankie
2. Lip balm: Grown Alchemist grownalchemist.com
4. Linen Spray: Surmanti from Flo & Frankie
5. Hat: Moochi moochi.com
3. Ice cream: Oob Organic oob.co.nz
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1. Flats: Soludos from From & Frankie
2. Swimwear: Acacia Swimwear from Tosca & Salome
3. Drink: San Pellegrino sanpellegrinofruitbeverages.
4. Towel: Ottoloom ottoloom.co.nz
5. Hat: Moochi moochi.com

1. Sunglasses: Komono from Flo & Frankie
2. Bralette: Queen of the Foxes from Flo & Frankie
3. Candle: Ashley & Co. ashleyandco.co.nz
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4. Cologne: Montblanc montblanc.com

Profile
it girl
lauren elise trend
After young designer Lauren Trend showcased her Cut ‘N’ Paste
collection as part of her graduation project she quickly became
the girl everyone was talking about, this is Laurens profile.
Name: Lauren Elise Trend, Age: 22, Hometown: I grew up
on the Mornington Peninsula and currently live in Carlton with
my older brother Luke. Inspiration for cut ‘n’ paste collection:
I became quite transfixed with the stages of design process and
tried to capture these signifiers of construction/process within the
outcomes themselves. So naturally each garment became an
iteration of the next and there’s very much this oscillation between
two and three dimensionalities – in my research I also gravitated
towards this idea of fashion’s relationship with image. Fashion
designers you aspire to: I think Matthew Linde’s Centre for Style
is pioneering contemporary fashion practice, first in Melbourne
now internationally. I’m very much interested in practitioners and
designers that value the curation and communication of fashion
just as much if not more than the product. How you dress day to
day: According to mood. Your days consist of… Up until now it’s
just been working in the studios on this collection and writing my
Honours thesis and I’ve genuinely loved spending all day every day
doing that! However I am looking forward to having days off to just
wake up and wander, read, see friends and enjoy spending time
on the coast with family. Favourite time of the year: Definitely
this time of year!! The transition from spring into summer is hands
down my favourite: End of the Uni year, loads of birthdays, NGV
summer series, Christmas, New Years – yeah it’s a great time.
Favourite musician: Jane Birkin, Francoise Hardy & Patti Smith.
Dead Tie, sorry. Best place to eat in your hometown: My best
friend Tori’s – nothing beats our record, red wine & cooking nights.
We’re pretty obsessed cooking and conjuring up recipes that better
the last. Melbourne is underrated for: I don’t know whether its
underrated, but I feel as though there are incredible things going
on in Melbourne’s art/design scene at the moment – it’s insanely
inspiring to be a part of such a progressive community. A film you
want to live in: Either Deray’s La Piscine, Woody Allen’s Annie
Hall… or play Joan Jett in The Runaway’s. (Kristen Stewart tho

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Interview
Interview by Leena Park
S E A N
K E L L Y
We talked to winner of the 13th season of Project Runway Sean Kelly,
who’s already become a big name in the NZ fashion scene.
We all know you as the winner of project runway season 13,
did you feel that being on Project Runway was harder or more
challenging coming from a small town in New Zealand?
No, I don’t think it was a disadvantage coming from New Zealand
and being on the show. It was a very equal playing field (minus
Amanda who had been on season 11) none of the other designers
has worked under the conditions that we worked with on the show.
The pressure to preform at such a high level was felt by all of the
contestants, and it became a mental game of how to control your
emotions of exhaustion while still producing creative work, challenge
after challenge.
What was it like to work amongst Tim Gunn and the PR judges?
Tim Gunn has made a huge impact on my life, and he continues
to stay in touch, whenever you work with someone with years of
experience in the industry you and only learn and grow from their
advice. I feel very lucky to be able to have worked with Tim, Zac,
Nina and Heidi.
What made you move to New York in the first place? And what do
you love about NYC
I first moved here on a graduate visa, with no job, no real plan; I
was looking for design work straight out of school. New York has
everything you could ever want, there is so much going on here
everyday and you never know what will be around the next corner.
That is what I love about New York.
You definitely have a sophisticated aesthetic, what’s the earliest
memory you have designing?
My earliest memories are of trying make a simple t-shirt for myself really
trying to figure out how to turn 2D into 3D using newspaper when I
was young. I would try to make things for my self by experimenting,
figuring out sleeve shapes, necklines, finishing’s all by trial and error.
Before learning pattern making, these steps are very important to
experience and experiment with before your mind has been retrained
with a set of “rules” of pattern making.
How would you describe your style to someone who hasn’t seen
your work?
Modern, Clean, Contemporary with a focus on textile developments.
Other than the opportunities has anything else changed since
before being on PR?
There are people all over the world who are watching the season
at different times, and I get waves of support from different places
as it screens, which is amazing to have a global audience. I got
recognized in an airport in China this year, which was strange but
nice.
What the best part of being a fashion designer?
Being able to express your vision and tell stories to an audience. Also
the ability to work with your hands and the hands of other talented
artist, designers and technicians.
Lastly, can you tell us about anything you are working on next?
SS16 production and the next collection.
Photo by Lawrence Smith

Feature
Now that summer’s here and the trees are green again, we took a look at some of
Auckland’s best plant stores offering the next addition to your house or garden.
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Ponsonby Plants
252D Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby, Auckland
House of Botanica
Online only: www.houseofbotanica.co.nz
Often overlooked, sitting at the end of the restaurants and big-name
shops in Ponsonby is a nice local store called Ponsonby Plants.
Walking into the store you realise it’s a much than it looks, and
plants stacked on shelves and hanging from the ceiling everywhere
you turn. Ponsonby Plants will most likely have whatever you need
amongst its wide range of indoor plants, outdoor plants, gift plants,
flowers, pots, small and tall cacti, stone ornaments, the list goes on.
House of Botanica is the perfect plant store for gifts or decorations.
With great prices and the coolest little knick-knacks, they also offer
botanical styling, floral design and plant hire for corporate events.
If you’re not into ordering online you can find their goodies at the
Ponsonby Market NZ Pop-up store or at the weekend Silo markets
over the summer.
Bioattic
62 Ponsonby road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
The Botanist
City Works Depot 13/90 Wellesley St Auckland
Bioattic should be number one on your list if you’re after specialty
or gift plants – that’s terrariums, cacti, bonsai plants and so on. As
just a small store at the start of Ponsonby road, Bioattic offers a
range of intricate, high-end small plants and pots, they may be a
little pricy but it’s all about quality, but even if you’re not buying you
can still enjoy a complementary green tea while browsing Bioattic’s
marvellous creations.
The Botanist is a plant shop/florist/café that resides under the car
park of the City Depot. Although they don’t have as wide a range
as other Auckland plant stores, they have some great selections and
have some of the best options and service when it comes to flowers.
But the main appeal is that The Botanist doubles as a café, so you
can enjoy a hot cappuccino and an egg muffin under beautiful
hanging plants and flower-filled walls.

Interview
Interview by Chris Smith
P U R I T Y
R I N G
Megan and Corin are back leading the Synth-pop
scene with Another Eternity.
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Future-pop duo Purity Ring have been on the frontlines of the
synth-pop electronic scene since blowing up with their debut
album Shrines in 2012, now they have cemented their place in the
scene with their critically acclaimed sophomore album – Another
Eternity. We talked to Corin Roddick from the band about their
music, influences and success.
How have you guys been? Are you on tour at the moment?
We actually just got home from tour 2 days ago, right now we’re in
LA, we just finished a full European tour for the last month.
Congratulations on your latest album Another Eternity, it’s been
quite a big year for you guys, being on Kimmel and blowing up so
quickly, how’s that been?
Thank you yeah it’s been pretty amazing, we didn’t really know what
to expect at all, but I guess that’s always how it is though, you just
have to make music that you wanna make and then hope for the
best.
Is it a big experience coming from Edmonton in Canada? And
getting the recognition so young?
Oh well I don’t feel young I’m 25 now, I feel like we were young
when we started the band so now I feel like an old man (laughs) but
in a good way. The town we’re from in Canada isn’t super small, it’s
definitely a city but it’s a very isolated place. And there was not much
was coming out of the city but now there’s been a few bands coming
out, like Mac De Marco’s also from Edmonton and a few other acts,
but for a for a long time the idea of making music for a living and
being from Edmonton was completely a crazy idea, I’d never heard
of anyone ever doing that before. I’ve seen that you’ve said for this
latest album you’ve made more of a collaborative effort.
Do you share any roles in the song-writing process, like do you
write any of the lyrics or does Megan have any hand in the
production?
Generally our roles are pretty separate, I don’t write any of the
lyrics and Megan doesn’t actually do any of the production but we
give each other so much feedback that we end up having a lot of
influence over the other persons parts so I think that’s a pretty good
way to work because it’s nice to have a second opinion, especially
when you’re doing so much stuff on your own, someone else to
bounce ideas off can really change a song or shape it.
Your band has a very cool aesthetic, what are the influences for
the aesthetic? Does it come from movies or art or just music?
It comes from all sorts of stuff really, for me I’m a huge sci-fi fan,
I’ll watch pretty much any sci-fi movie even if it’s terrible (laughs),
I just love the aesthetics of them, like usually if it’s a terrible sci-fi
there’s one moment in there that I’m like “oh that looks really neat”
and that definitely influences me, there’s a few visual artists that I
appreciate and I watch a decent amount of anime which I think
probably influences our aesthetic also.
I also read somewhere that Megan actually creates some of the
clothes used in your stage shows; do you have much of an interest
in fashion also?
Yeah Megan creates all the clothes but I’m definitely interested in
fashion as well, I can’t make my own clothes but I know what I like
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and Megan and I have worked together so much that at this point
when she makes something for me it’s just gonna be exactly what I
like, so for me fashion is really important, and the fact that Megan
is actually able to create clothing from scratch for us I think is one of
the greatest things about our band.The way the sounds are built on
your albums is quite fascinating with all the different layers and beats.
What’s your song-writing process like?
The song-writing process is really different every time, we don’t really
have a formula that we stick to. Sometimes it’ll just start with a weird
sample of something that I recorded and I’ll stretch it around and
pitch it up and down and make a weird loop and that might turn into
a song which eventually Megan sings on. Or there’s times where she
just comes with a vocal melody and nothing else and we’ll record
that and I’ll build something around it, when I’m just making music
on my own I don’t start with drums every time or synths every time, it
just can be anything and I think that’s a good thing to keep doing. I
found that working with Megan, pretty much anytime I find that we’re
falling into a habit or routine then we immediately panic and try to
switch it up.
You’ve said before that a lot of your beats are hip-hop influenced.
Who are some of your hip-hop influences, like different producers
and artists?
There’s a lot of producers that I admire, I think 40 - who does most
of the stuff for Drake is really incredible, he’s just kind of created a
whole new genre of hip-hop production. And also guys like Mike
Will (Made It) who have just from year to year made whatever’s
fresh and it somehow always stays ahead of the curve which is pretty
special.
You’ve worked with rapper Danny Brown in the past also, are
there any other hip-hop artists in particular that you would want
to work with?
Yeah there are definitely a handful of rappers that I would love to
work with at some point. Kendrick (Lamar) is I think one of the best
rappers of our generation so to do something with him would be
amazing.
Yeah that would be an amazing collaboration..
..Yeah so I’ll say that for now. In general if it’s an artist that I like and
they’re willing to work with me directly then I’m pretty open to it, I try
to avoid the other way that things happen where you have like songwriting
sessions with a bunch of different producers and writers and
you’re just trying to write catchy songs and pitch them to whoever,
I’m more interested in working one on one with the artist to create
a piece of music together, that way it just feels more like something
natural rather than trying to create results in a test tube or something
(laughs).
So Purity Ring are playing at Laneway Festival here in Auckland in
February, what can your fans here expect from that show?
For the Laneway show we’re definitely going to bring the whole
lighting production experience that we have been using lately, it’s
kind of hard to describe without seeing it but try to imagine a few
thousand little floating lights and stuff that kind of work in an almost
holographic sense together, and then mixed in with the light crystal
instrument that I play most of the melodies on. Yeah can’t wait!
Photos via online sources

sea
Photography and Styling: Leena Park, Photography
Assistant: Chris Smith, Hair and Makeup: Tylah Britow,
Model: Indiana Cooper RPD Models.
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Crop Top by COOP, Pants by Trelise Cooper.

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Left page: Crop Top by COOP, Pants by Trelise Cooper.

This page: Top by Moochi, Opposite page: Scarf by Moochi.
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Left page: Dress by Ruby, Hat by Moochi, This page: Swimsuit by Cantik Swimwear, Shorts by COOP.

Opposite page: Dress by COOP.
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Interview
Interview by Chris Smith
T H E
I N T E R N E T
An interview with Syd The Kid, lead
singer and producer of The Internet
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Have you heard of the Internet? Not URLS and emails, but soulful
melancholic pop and funky bass lines. Syd and Matt – both
members of the huge hip-hop collective Odd Future - formed The
Internet in 2011, and with their unique neo-soul style, quickly
found fame and a dedicated fan-base through the internet (the
other internet).
Now a Grammy-nominated 6 piece band, they’ve had a massive
year with the release of their third album Ego Death, we talked to
singer/producer/band-leader Syd tha Kyd about their music and
success.
Congratulations on the release of your latest album - Ego Death,
how has the response been?
It’s been great. Just thankful to have the opportunity.
You’ve stated that everyone in the band has played a part in
the production of this album, how is the rest of the writing split
between the band, for example is Syd the primary lyricist?
I am but I wrote with a few other writers for Ego Death, like Nick
Green and Taylor Parks. James Fauntleroy wrote a song for us and
Steve Lacy, our guitar player, wrote a chorus. So did Matt.
The Internet started finding success through sites like Myspace
and Soundcloud, how do you think this ease of making and
sharing music will affect the music industry?
With the more opportunities there seems to be more competition.
There are a lot of artists out there who you and I have never heard
of that are doing really well for themselves. I think that’s its biggest
and best effect. You can connect with people all over the world
and create your own audience. So I think it gives artists the illusion
that competition is tougher because everything is in your face, but in
reality there’s room for everyone, probably.
Ego Death has a more vocal driven sound than your previous
records, what were your main sources of inspiration when it came
to making this album?
We wanted to move on from the funk/jazz sound and towards
something a little more powerful, sonically. Personally I was inspired
a lot by N.E.R.D during this one. I also wanted my voice to be bigger
on this one but I’m not sure I achieved that. Still love what I got.
Where did the idea of Ego Death come from? Does much of the
lyrical content relate to the album’s title?
Matt suggested it. At first I said I wasn’t sure because it was so bold.
A week later after I’d forgotten all about it and he suggested it again
and I thought it was perfect. I wanted to be bolder. The lyrics relate
to the definition of Ego Death. It was me using my Ego to boost
my confidence while at the same time having to keep it in check. It
almost cancels out. But we didn’t have the title until we had finished
the whole album.
What are your favourite songs to play live?
Probably Just Sayin’ and Curse. And Love Song -1.
How was working with Janelle Monáe and how did this
collaboration come about?
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It was really chill. Matt has known her for a long time and so he
reached out to her. She was in town for an event and she stopped by
my house for a little while and that’s when we recorded her part. She
just started freestyling melodies and we recorded them. She didn’t
stay long though so we didn’t have time to finish it with her, but we
were able to make use of what she gave us.
What are your plans after you finish touring, are you writing any
more music or working on another album?
I’ve just been writing so far. It’s all random stuff right now, but it’s
fun. I’m exploring new sounds and discovering new ways to use my
voice. Haven’t started work on the next album yet. I want to do a little
more exploring and experimenting first.
Photos via online sources

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sand
Photography and Styling: Amazir Aknine, Hair and
Makeup: Leanne Magill, Model: Gemma Roberts
Portfolio Models NZ.

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Left page: Dress by Keepsake, Sunglasses by Karen Walker, This page: Dress by Keepsake, Shoes by Birkenstock.

This page: Top and Shorts by Keepsake, Opposite page: Dress by Keepsake.
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Culture
NORTH
KOREA
Liberty in North Korea is an organization committed to the rescue
of North Korean refugees. We looked at the current state of
North Korea and what LiNK is doing for it’s people
38

Kim Jong-un, nuclear weapons, brainwashed citizens,
these are just some of the things people think of when
they think of North Korea, but there’s much more to the
isolated country than you see on the 6 o’ clock news.
With a heavy focus on war and military, constant surveillance,
forced dictator worship and 6 known concentration camps holding
approximately 150,000 – 200,000 prisoners (40% of which will
die from malnutrition), North Korea is looking more and more like
a modern day Nazi Germany. An estimated 100,000-300,000
people have defected from North Korea since the oppressive regime
took over in 1953 after the Korean War over 60 years ago, with
many of them being seperated from their families seeking refuge
in the USA, Russia, and South Korea. There are a number of
organizations set up to assist in these escapes, as well as aiding
North Korean citizens in need and doing what they can to help the
people’s crisis, one of these groups is a US/South Korean based
organization called Liberty in North Korea (or LiNK). LiNK explained
to us what they do, their goals, and the importance of focusing on
the people of North Korea.
Liberty in North Korea
Starting out as a small group in 2004 to raise awareness for the
people’s crisis, LiNK grew over the years to become one of the
leading groups in the fight for the North Korean people, vice
president Justin Wheeler explains that “Our vision as an organization
is to work with the people to accelerate change in North Korea”,
they achieve this through refugee rescues, resettlement assistance
and “changing the narrative”.
Changing the Narrative
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or an oppressive totalitarian
government) for the past 2 years then you probably would’ve heard
of the 2014 comedy film “The Interview” starring and directed by
Seth Rogen and James Franco. The film follows 2 entertainment
hosts’ journey to North Korea to interview leader of the DPRK Kim
Jong-un (and then assassinate him with orders from the CIA). The
film caused a stir worldwide and even threats of violence from the
war-obsessed country and it’s hot-tempered leader, many believed
it being an effective way of pointing out the ridiculousness of North
Korea’s government and create awareness while others argued that
depicting cardboard cutout fruit stores and a Katy Perry loving Kim
Jong-un could harm the already uninformed public’s perception of
North Korea by taking focus away from the people and creating a
disconnect. LiNK seems to be in the latter of these camps, saying
“Mainstream media has defined North Korea as crazy Kims and
nuclear weapons, which has created a barrier preventing ordinary
people around the world from getting involved”, this people > politics
approach is what makes LiNK a unique cause, with many of their
refugees sharing their stories in TED Talks, LiNK’s Refugee Stories
blogs, and even in their full length films such as ‘The People’s Crisis’
and ‘Danny from North Korea’.
North Korea and the Changing World
Since the death of Kim Jong-un in 2011 and the subsequent change of
leadership to his son Kim Jong-un, there has been a growing change
in North Korea, with mainstream awareness constantly expanding
and technology such as micro SD cards, USBs and small laptops
being so easily available, it is harder for the regime to maintain total
control over the people. The more that the North Korean people
40

(especially the youth) see aspects of the outside world, the more
likely it is that they’ll want to leave or even defy the oppression of the
DPRK. LiNK tells us that this awareness of the outside world is a very
important factor in changing the status-quo, saying “Appropriating
speech patterns, fashions and hairstyles influenced by South Korean
and other foreign media provides a low risk way for young North
Koreans to publicly signal their shift away from and even rejection
of traditional culture and restrictions.” While we probably won’t be
seeing large protests or riots anytime soon, LiNK believes this is an
important step in the right direction.
The Refugees
At the moment, LiNK has rescued 405 refugees, and that’s not just
getting them out of North Korea, they are given a home, education
opportunities and the promise of safety, LiNK is able to achieve this
for another person with every $3000 made in donations. Over the
years they have set up a number of shelters and safe-travel routes
through China and Southeast Asia for the North Korean escapees,
after which they are taken to either South Korea or the US where
they’ll receive resettleme
nt assistance. The refugees are finally given the freedom to live the
life they want, with many going to College and pursuing ambitious
careers, as well as sharing their stories and raising awareness,
paving the way for the rest of their people.
Words by Chris Smith, Photos by Bjorn Bergman and
courtesy of LiNK

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Interview
Interview by Chris Smith
L O N T A L I U S
An interview with New Zealand’s rising electronic artist,
Eddie Johnston

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At just 18 years old, Eddie Johnston is already known for being
2 New Zealand musicians – Lontalius and Race Banyon. Eddie
creates chill electronic remixes under the name Race Banyon,
playing DJ shows and festivals. But as Lontalius, he sings
vulnerable, raw lyrics and RnB-inspired melodies over soft
electronic, self-produced beats. We talked to Eddie about being
Lontalius and Race Banyon.
How has your year been? What have you been up to lately?
It’s been great! I just spent a month in Los Angeles working on new
music. It was a lot of fun.
You have an incredible work ethic and you’re constantly releasing
music, do you do anything else besides making music?
I don’t do much else. I would have started university this year but
decided I would focus on music. I don’t make enough though really.
What’s your typical process when it comes to writing songs? Does
the beat or lyrics come first?
Sometimes I will have lyrics or vocal ideas first, but generally I am just
messing around with Ableton or on a guitar and I’ll find something
to start writing to.
Does this process differ when you’re recording under your musical
alias ‘Race Banyon’? Do you get into a different mindset from
‘Lontalius’?
The process isn’t all that different, but it is definitely a different mindset.
Race Banyon is a dance/electronic project. It is production
focused. Lontalius is for me writing songs about my feelings.
collaboration come about?
He found my music through a mutual friend, and we became friends!
He sent me a bunch of different things to sing on, and one of them
stuck out to me. I’m very happy he decided to put it on his album!
Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?
I’ve been dreaming about writing with Alessia Cara. Or Justin Bieber.
What do you think of the NZ music scene? Do you think there’s
much competition when it comes to other local electronic artists?
There are some good things, but it is bleak and it is broken, especially
the electronic scene. The scene doesn’t care about non-white male
producers and the most important people in the industry won’t talk
to anyone under 25. But the internet allows some of us to do well
without having to associate with an NZ scene.
How is writing/playing in the US going?
Great, I am going to move out here as soon as I can. There is so
much opportunity here.
What are your plans for the summer?
I’m gonna continue making music and I’m doing some shows as
Race Banyon at the summer festivals. Mostly making music though.
Photos courtesy of Eddie Johnston
Canadian producer Ryan Hemsworth has taken an interest in your
music and you’ve even worked with him on a track, how did this

Culture
21st Century Terrorism
The word Terrorism has been used more in the last five years than it has the last hundred.
Words by Taylor Compain
I for one, living in my quiet house, have had no real reason to use the
word Terrorism; let alone put forward my own opinions of or draw
judgment on individuals who are neatly filed away under its title. The
word itself comes with equal parts emotion and politics, which moves
it out of ‘Polite Dinner Conversation’ and straight into ‘Don’t Get
Me Started’. Political Gain is synonymous when it comes to defining
terrorism, but is surprisingly (although not actually surprising) one of
the more recent additions to its repertoire, not being mentioned until
a short 28 years ago which not only demonstrates a spike in the war
for power but more so the human race’s knack for denial.
Terrorism, for something so widely discussed, spat out and shouted,
still does not have a solidified and universal definition, but more of
a keyhole - to squint through and see only the corner of an empty
room - leaving us to create our own images and conclusions of what
may have happened before the room was locked and the key lost.
Educated-though-unpopular opinions are constantly overshadowed
by ill informed rants being made into worldwide views simply
because they are supporting the ‘home team’. This originates from the
overwhelming need we feel to conform, which alters our abilities to
judge unbiased. In saying that - obviously not all unpopular opinions
are right nor are popular ones wrong, I have just found that our ability
to keep an open mind and extend empathy toward another view
is limited. I however, can only speak on behalf of the world I have
experienced - which compared to many is extremely sheltered. From
someone sitting behind a computer, it is easy to form opinions and
speak so detached but all it does is continue to add proof to how
the mass hysteria on terror has a far longer reach than its intended
victims.
What does a Terrorist look like to you? As many are hesitant to admit,
the image we associate when we hear ‘terrorist’ is more common than
not, a man of Middle-Eastern descent with explosives attached to his
body screaming ‘Praise to Allah!’ before detonating the explosives
and killing hundreds of innocent people nearby. Reality of the matter
is that a terrorist can look like anyone; A pre-teen wielding a machine
gun in Somalia - too young to realize the weight of their actions, a
group of masked men who identify as ISIS members – beheading a
man via viral video, mentally unstable college students in the United
States who take to their peers with machine guns, presidents, prime
ministers, leaders, chairmen, soldiers, men, women should all be
sitting under ‘potential terrorist’
My most prominent feeling over the state of our current world is a
sense of confusion. It consistently mystifies me how humans, as an
entire species can be so proud and mighty that we turn our backs
on our own kind to spread fear and hysteria for selfish gains. After
I take a little breather to tone down the dramatics, logical thinking
kicks in as I remind myself of all the acts of terrorism that have been
inflicted over the last hundred years (see. Nazi Germany, 1933-45,
Tiananmen Square, 1989 and Jackson, Mississippi, 1945 onwards)
and suddenly my prior confusion clears, (short-lived yes, but they
say ignorance is bliss) and is almost instantly replaced with shame.
Terrorism, whether it is coming from the media, our governments,
religions or just one person with an unshakable belief, makes me
ashamed of the societies we inhabit, claiming to be constantly
evolving, but moving further toward destruction than growth. I find
myself struggling to understand why peace is so unattainable when
we breed terror and hatred in spades.
The flip side to living among 21st Century Terrorism is bearing witness
to how far we have progressed in the last hundred years. Our want
to display empathy, kindness and acceptance toward each other
makes our current day the best one to live in, with barriers between
race, gender, religion and status constantly being broken down. In
an age where information is unlimited and the whole world can be
present through your screen, I am hoping there is going to be a time
when unity will be what we value most and the need for terror and
intimidation will cease to be recognized.
Photo by Jean Gaumy
46

C R E D I T
Credits for issue #4:
Page 4 Free-hand writing by Sabrina David: @sabrinacdavid
Page 5 Products courtesy of Lily & Louis: lilyandlouis.com and Flo &
Frankie: floandfrankie.com
Page 9 Profile with Lauren Trend: laurenelisetrend.com
Page 10 Interview with Sean Kelly: seankellynyc.com, Photo from
nzfashionweek.com
Page 14 Interview with Purity Ring: purityringthing.com, Photos from
purityringthing.com and pitchfork.com
Page 18 Clothes for editorial from Trelise Cooper, COOP:
trelisecooper.com, Ruby: rubynz.com, Moochi: moochi.co.nz,
Cantik Swimwear: cantikswimwear.com, Model from: rpdmodels.
com
Page 28 Interview with The Internet, Photos by Adrian Samano,
Odd Future and courtesy of songkick.com
Page 38 Photos by Bjorn Bergman and courtesy of Liberty in North
Korea: libertyinnorthkorea.org
Page 42 Interview with Lontalius: soundcloud.com/lontalius, Photos
courtesy of Eddie Johnston: facebook.com/lontalius
Page 46 Photo by Jean Gaumy: magnumphotos.com/jeangaumy
Page 48 Image from Almost Famous (2000) by Cameron Crowe

Last words
“It’s all happening”
- Almost Famous (2000)
48