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Colosoul's latest E-Zine Second Issue Featuring: MYM ARTISTS// ARTICLES// WINTERS PAST// FASHION DESIGNERS// STEREOSONIC// COLOSOUL CARES// MUCH MORE
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With everything finally winding down I think I will have time to put up my little white stick Christmas tree. If I could afford a pressie for everyone who has helped out this year I would - instead we are holding our end of year Colosoul party to say a very BIG thanks. As I always say, we can’t do what we do without YOU. Next year is bound to be an exciting one, so stick around and with your help, Colosoul will continue to head onto bigger and better things.
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays!
TRICIA RAY editor
WINTER’S PAST
Winter’s Past was held at Fremantle
Arts Centre on Saturday 24th of
October and showcased six local
bands: The Veescars, The Morning
Night, One Tiger Down, Simon Kelly
and his Band, Goodnight Tiger and
Heathcote Blue.
This event was organised by a group
of Central TAFE Arts Administration
who moved away from an initial idea of
an event at TAFE and developed what
has now become known as Winter’s
Past. Months of planning, meetings,
decisions, problems, solutions and the
occasional tears finally paid off as the
team managed to secure a venue, six
bands and a $3000 grant from Propel
Youth Arts.
The biggest motivation for the event
was the lack of all-ages gigs in Perth,
and especially those featuring indie,
folk or roots performers. The team
made an effort to approach bands
that had not been given many chances
to play all-ages gigs, which are a
valuable opportunity for groups to
expand their fan bases.
On the day of Winter’s Past, the
weather wasn’t on our side but we
still managed a reasonable turnout.
Audience members were treated
to a variety of free merchandise
and a chance to learn about other
organisations in Perth, while the food
stall kept them well fed.
The venue was the perfect atmosphere
for audiences and bands alike, and the
sound captivated you wherever you
sat. Each band took to the stage with
confidence and a hint of relaxation,
and clearly enjoyed playing the event.
There were also fine examples of
the new talent to come out of Perth.
We may have Sugar Army and The
Novocaines tearing up the rock scene,
but don’t count The Veescars, The
Morning Night, One Tiger Down, Simon
Kelly, Goodnight Tiger and Heathcote
Blue out just yet.
I leave you with this: if you’ve ever
wanted to organise your own event, do
it. It is hard work but it is so worth it in
the end.
As most of you will have heard, September 7 saw the Colosoul
team take over fashion central in Forrest Chase to host the
Make Your Move theatrical fashion show. The event was a
big success and saw Colosoul continue its support of young
Perth talent, with dancers, musical acts, fashion designers and
models combining to create a truly exceptional performance.
To accompany the fashion on parade, a trio of great local artists
were kind enough to let us include a selection of their work in
the show. Megan Isabelle, Yolanda Stapleton and Gav Fielding
each had pieces on display in the fashion tent to let the guests
soak up a little culture with their champagne.
Colosoul interviewed each to the artists to find out what a little
more about them. For full, in-depth profiles of each artist, be
sure to check out the next edition of the Colosoul E-Zine.
MEGAN ISABELLAWhile some are quick to label Perth dull, Megan Isabella
has been busy brightening up the city with her colourful
illustrations. With a successful exhibition already under her
belt, Megan Isabella is quickly making a name for herself as an
exciting and emerging local talent.
So far, response to her work has been nothing but positive,
with a successful exhibition of her work held at the Butcher
Shop gallery (formally Keith & Lottie) in April this year. “It went
well for my first one,” says Megan, “and I gained a lot from the
experience.” Before long Megan found that her quirky, colourful
imagery was soon gaining a following and though this feedback
has been encouraging, Megan has also simply enjoyed the
process of trying different techniques.
“I haven’t got a problem with trying new media, I get bored
sticking to one thing,” she says. “I like to see where things will
lead me.”
This method has seen Megan tackle everything from pastels to
collage, and her more recent work has also made use of digital
software. “There is a huge demand for electronic art,” she says,
“so being able to experiment with rendering on the computer
has been surprising and given my work a fresh new feel.”
Although these images have been among her best received,
Megan insists that the artistic process will always be something
that begins on paper. “I never, ever work straight from a photograph onto a computer program,” she says. “I need to get my hands dirty, I need to feel a pencil and paper in order for it to feel real.” While her work has been
well received, Megan is eager to continue trying new things, “My
art is constantly evolving, just as I am as a person,” she says.
“Every year I learn more about myself and gain experience.
Half the fun of it is seeing your work change.” Whichever
direction she chooses to go next, Megan’s future, as with her
work, is sure to be bright.
YOLANDA STAPLETONnYolanda Stapleton has had a passion for art for many years,
though it was only quite recently that she decided to take the
plunge and pursue it as more than just a hobby. Operating
under the name ‘onetrickpony’, Yolanda found that the decision
to join Perth’s expanding artistic community has presented an
exciting mix of challenge and opportunity.
“I think it’s always been hovering in the background,” Yolanda
says of her interest in art, “but in the last few years I’ve started
to take it more seriously and to try and push myself to put out
a lot more work.” This has proved a rewarding decision for
both Yolanda and local art lovers, and with several successful
exhibitions to her name, she is quickly becoming a local artist to
watch.
As a young artist working in the world’s most isolated city,
Yolanda has found that Perth’s remoteness presents some
difficulties, but also a few surprising advantages. “One the one hand you can feel kind of cut off from things,” she says, “but on the other hand I think the influences that come from that can be really interesting and unique.”
While Perth’s art scene is still relatively young, Yolanda has
found that this can often provide some valuable opportunities
for emerging artists. “Being a small city I think it’s pretty
accessible to get your work out and shown,” she says.
As she has developed her own style and gained confidence in
her work, Yolanda has found she is now more inclined to try new
techniques and methods of working than she was in the past.
“These days there’s a lot more variety in my work,” she says,
“I think starting out you tend to stick to what you’re comfortable
By Sabrina Robertson.
MYM ARTISTSBy Jake Millar
Megan Isabella: Toaster Trouble
E-Letter designed by: Stefani Tanzil
with and for me that was mainly working onscreen.”
Yolanda’s recent artistic output has been nothing short of
prolific, but she still has a number of exciting projects on the
way. “I’m about to take ‘The Clothespeg Profejct Volume 3’ to
the National Grid Gallery in Sydney,” she says. “There’s another
Lomo project in the works and I’m also working towards a solo
show for early next year which I’m pretty excited about.” In
whatever form it takes, Perth people, and those right across
Australia, are sure to see a lot more of Yolanda’s creative output
in the near future.
GAV FIELDING“Ever since my first day at school, I’ve doodled over everything I can get my hands on,” says Gav Fielding of
his early artistic endeavours. Since then, he has remained just
as prolific, recently holding two successful solo exhibitions of
his work and trying his hand at everything from painting and
graphic art to photography and film.
As a photographer, Gav is interested in the idea of capturing
and representing specific moments in time. “I like photography
as a way of interpreting something that already exists,” he
says. “Capturing an object or setting that wouldn’t normally
be seen, or a mood of a particular moment. With my personal
photography, I use it more as a form of documenting life than as
a form of presenting new ideas.”
Gav is keen to produce work free of any personal artistic
‘trademarks’ and enjoys keeping people guessing by executing
his ideas as they come to mind, “I like the anonymity of it,” he
says. “I’m not an ego or reputation-driven artist, I just like
MYM ARTISTS
getting the ideas out of my head.”
As for how this is achieved, Gav is open to giving pretty much
anything a try. “It really depends what mood I’m in and what
inspires me at any particular time,” he says. “I’m always
jumping around with my art. I never really stick to the one
style.”
Although photography is a medium that represents reality,
painting allows Gav to experiment with more imaginative
subjects. “Painting is a medium to express ideas and create something new,” he says. “Recently I tend to let the paint work and flow from how the canvas is developing. I’ll start with a basic idea of what I want and let it evolve.”
This approach also allows Gav to produce art that tackles a
range of subject matter. “Previously I’ve worked from an anger
towards the mass-media and our consumer culture,” he says.
“Recently, inspiration has come to me on a day-to-day basis.
I haven’t really had a main theme running through my work
lately.” As for the future, Gav favours simply taking things as
they come and seeing where he ends up. “Plans get in the way
of living,” he says, “I like living.”
Graduating in 2002 with a first-class
honours degree in photo media and
interactive multimedia and currently
studying fashion at Bentley TAFE, Zoë
Trotman is nothing if not qualified to be
a designer. Though it’s simple trial and
error that Zoe says has taught her a lot of
what she knows. “Yeah, I have studied,”
she says, “but the feats I attempt are
usually a haphazard journey of self
learning.”
Her creations sit somewhere between
the fields of fashion, design and art, and
not surprisingly, Zoë lists a wide range
of influences on her style – everything
from the psychedelic photography of
David Lachapelle to the quirky, colourful
fashion designs of UK avant-guardist
Jeremy Scott have had an impact on her
approach.
For Zoe, designing is something that comes naturally. “Anyone who knows me will tell you, I like stuff. I like making stuff. I’ve made lots of stuff,” she says. “I’ve been in a few competitions. And I’ve
always made things. Whether they’re
clothes or a 3D animation, it’s what I do.
On the other hand, I can’t flip burgers at
a fast food joint. So I am hoping all this
learning is going to help me work out how
to pay my rent by making stuff.”
Her latest collection, entitled Junk
Lore, focuses on the throwaway culture
that has gripped modern society
and the community’s obsession with
consumerism.
“Using folklore methods of storytelling
and cultural expression, Junk Lore
couture aims to initiate and participate
in a didactic for a new subculture – a
language full of recognisable signs,
signifiers and established meanings,”
she says. “[It] aims to utilise one of the
world’s most problematic resources as a
vehicle of (and medium for) expression.”
Design has always been a part of Zoë’s
life and is something that remains a
strong passion. Though her quirky
designs have not only been personally
fulfilling, but have won her praise. She
was a finalist at the WA design awards
last year and was also one of six finalists
chosen for the inaugural Active Dragonfly
Fashion Awards earlier this year.
Though it’s not been all smooth sailing.
Zoë learnt a valuable lesson about the
perils of working with risky materials
after she suffered a nasty allergic
reaction to a resin she used to construct
her plastic, fibreglass and aluminium
gown for the MYM show in September.
“All the resin pieces in the mosaic layer
were hand mixed and casted by me and
then painstakingly siliconed onto the
lower skirt – the frame of which I made
out of fibre-glass.,” she says.
Although she took precautions to avoid
injury, Zoë says the she leant the hard
way. “It wasn’t the fibreglass itself that
caused the problem,” she says. “It was
the resin (and the catalyst for the resin).”
As it had been raining, Zoe was forced to
construct her gown inside, which proved
to be a risky and painful decision.
“I swelled up like a chipmunk,” she says.
“The doctor put more on oral steroids and
I had to remain gluing stuff on my gown
and setting resin, messed up to the max.
Fashionista Zoë Trotman
FASHION DESIGNER
Yolanda Stapleton:
Installation on display at the MYM Fashion Show
Gav Fielding: Guns
By Jake Millar
I was basically so hypersensitive that any
glue stronger than UHU was setting off
an itch.”
Fortunately, she recovered and the piece
went on to wow crowds when it was put
on display at the Colosoul fashion show
in September. Zoe hasn’t let the incident
slow her down and she looks forward
to taking life as it comes and, where
possible, working it into her designs.
Zoë’s MYM design -
Image courtesy of Kate Namestnik
As a young girl growing up in Port
Hedland, the idea of high fashion couldn’t
have been further from Laura Tyrie’s
mind. Yet as she stood in a luxurious
riverfront property in Sydney with the 12
other finalists in this year’s Australia’s
Next Top Model, she knew modelling was
what she wanted to do.
“It was actually a dare from my work
friends,” Laura says of her decision to
enter the competition. “I used to work
at Carousel [Shopping Centre] where the
auditions were taking place and my work
friends dared me to do it.” Although
Laura never thought she would make it
past the first round, let alone end up one
of the finalists, the judges clearly saw
something special in the bubbly Perth 19
year old.
The setting for the show, a stunning
riverfront property in Sydney, was a far
cry from Laura’s upbringing in country
Port Hedland. “When I was younger,
I was a massive tomboy,” she says. “I
joined a football team and I went fishing
with my dad.” Once she moved to Perth
as a teenager, it was Laura’s sister who
first got her involved in modelling. “We
moved here and my sister literally forced
me into modelling. She made all the
arrangements and after that, I just loved
it and I’m mad about fashion now,” she
says. “I’ve got about fifty pairs of shoes, a
walk-in wardrobe and a chest of drawers
that are just packed, so I’m definitely into
fashion now, but when I was younger I
wasn’t.”
Although she had some modelling
experience before the show, Laura says
her time on Australia’s Next Top Model
taught her a lot about the industry. “I
really loved it,” she says. “It was hard
and long days and everything and there
were some girls you didn’t get along with,
and some you did, but it was an awesome
experience more than anything.”
As well as getting to know the ins
and outs of the fashion world, one of
the best aspects of the show was the
people she got to meet. “We had launch
parties and he had other parties for
when the show came out where there’d
be heaps of designers and stylists and
photographers,” she says. Though as
well as the professional contacts she
made, Laura’s time on the show gave her
the opportunity to make some lasting
friendships. “There are two girls in Perth
that I keep in contact with and I see them
all the time,” she says. “There’s a couple
of girls in Sydney that I talk to and Leah
from Melbourne.”
Laura was a big fan of the Colosoul’s
theatrical fashion show in September
and would love to see the theatrical
aspect worked into other fashion shows
in the future. “I loved it,” she says. “I
was very lucky that Helena [Colosoul’s
fashion writer] gave some VIP tickets to
me and a friend and we were in the third
row, right near the catwalk. “I loved the
concept of having a bit of a story behind it
and having the dancers and the actors all
involved in the fashion show,” she says.
“I think it made it really interesting.”
As for the future, Laura is just happy to
take things as they come. “I’m trying
not to really have big goals for myself in
modelling because it’s too hard to plan
your career in modelling because you
might be the look one minute and not
the next,” she says. “I’m hoping to go to
Sydney for about two and a half months
at the beginning of next year and just see
how I go over there.” Despite her success
so far, Laura insists she’ll always be a
Perth girl at heart, “Perth is always going
to be my home,” she says, “I’ll always
come back for my family and my friends.”
For a longer version of this article and a
heap of others, be sure to check out the
next edition of Colosoul’s online E-Zine.
LAURA TYRIE
Crowds were treated to perfect weather for the second instalment of Stereosonic at Claremont Showgrounds. On Sunday the 29th of November, the cream of the electronic music crop was brought to Perth for a day of big beats and heavy bass.
Those who were there early enough in the day
were treated to electroclash revivalists Miss
Kittin and the Hacker, who provided a very chic
performance with live electro keyboards and
smooth vocals. Not long after, another rave
legend, Zombie Nation, took to the stage and
proved to those who didn’t already know it that he
was not simply a one-hit-wonder. Aside from the
infamous Kernkraft 400, the German producer
threw down some heavy tech-electro including
more recent hits such as Forza.
If you managed to push through the crowd and get
to the other side of the festival, you were in for a
bass-heavy treat, with Drop the Lime shaking the
‘Outrage’ tent. It was wob-wob-wobbles all around
as the crowd warmed up for what was sure to be
one of the highlights of the show.
The Bloody Beetroots. The amount of success
these guys have had in the past year has been
nothing short of phenomenal. All images copyright TOTEM ONELOVE GROUP PTY LTD
STEREOSONICBy Cameron Myles
Living and working in one of the poorest,
most war-ravaged parts of the world
may not sound like everyone’s idea
of living the good life, though for one
Australian 24 year old, there’s nothing
he’d rather be doing.
For the past three years, Judah Tana
has been helping children in need in
what’s known as ‘no man’s land’ – an
area of territory between Thailand
and neighbouring Burma. “I came in
December 2006, not really knowing
where or what I was doing,” says Judah,
“and I just went with the flow.”
His work concerns two main areas. The
first of these is education, which, under
the despotic Burmese regime, is sadly
lacking. “In Burma less that 1 per cent
of GNP is spent on education,” says
Judah, “less than half of school-age
children are able to go to school. I help
them to provide schools for children
that are unable to attend because of
government and social status.”
Though providing education is about
more than just teaching children to read
or write, as it helps give them a second
chance at a better life. “These children
are in the highest risk category for
abuse, child labour, and being sold and
trafficked to major cities. Upon arrival
to their new ‘home’, these children
are abused by their new owners, then
The tent proved too small for the crowd that gathered to watch the Spiderman-masked duo, who blasted their heavy electro remixes and productions at an eardrum-shattering level. At one stage, the performance broke down into a hardcore punk song, confusing some punters and arousing screams and cheers from others. It wasn’t long, however, before the Beetroots brought the crowd back to the scheduled performance, taking them back with a remix of Crookers’ Il Brutto.
As can be expected with any Beetroots show,
Warp 1.9 and Warp 7.7 got a heavy working,
but the addition of MC Justin Pearson didn’t
bring much more to the show. In fact, due
to the heavy sound throbbing through the
speakers and the packed-out crowd at the
tent, it wasn’t until after the show that I
found out there actually was an MC.
The crowd thinned heavily after the
Beetroots’ performance, allowing those who
stayed behind a good view of French wonder-
kid Surkin. It was electro-rave all around
and probably one of the best performances
of the day (in my humble opinion), with an
amalgamation of buzzing acid and techno
coupled with heavy drops and squealing
synths. Surkin’s own productions such as
White Knight rang out to a warm reception,
as more people gathered to see what all the
fuss was about.
Meanwhile, Axwell and Fedde Le Grand
may as well have played a duo set, with a
smooth selection of house and trance flowing
seamlessly between the sets. One of the
peaks of the performances was Fedde Le
Grand’s mash-up of the vocals from Simian’s
We Are Your Friends with Prodigy’s infamous
Breathe. It provided a welcome change from
the norm and went down a treat.
Even further across the festival, Laurent
Garnier was entertaining the crowd in the
Sneakerpimp tent with more than just a DJ
show. With live saxophones, keyboards and
Garnier himself on the mic, everyone knew
they were in for a funky treat. Surprises all
around when some Dubstep and old-school
d’n’b made an appearance, but for the most
part it was pure French class like only Garnier
can pull off.
Cut Copy DJs and the Bag Raiders provided
entertainment on the local front, with lots
of ravey electro along the lines of Bang
Gang and Edu K. Mowgli’s new track London
To Paris also went down a treat, with the
simultaneously euphoric and electric build-
ups working perfectly with the heavy tech-
house beats. Back to the Outrage tent and
the other Italian DJ duo were busy rocking
the socks off another packed crowd. Crookers
followed where the Bloody Beetroots left
off, destroying people’s eardrums yet again
with heavy, bassy, banging tunes. The Day ‘n’
Night remixers didn’t give the crowd a chance
to slow down, leaving everyone sweltering
and exhausted as they trudged over to catch
the main man (or should I say mau5?) of the
show.
Deadmau5 arrived on stage with an
Australian-flag coloured ‘mau5head’, his
presence alone enough to send the crowd
insane. The Mau5 in the hau5 (I could go
all day with this) kept the night alive with a
heavily effects-laden minimal/techno set,
disappointing some fans who were expecting
a more electro-house/progressive vibe. I
Remember and his most recent hit Ghosts
N Stuff satisfied the crowd’s commercial
cravings, yet it wasn’t long before the last
bars were ringing out and people were
dragging themselves to the showgrounds
train station.
All good things must come to an end, but
I’m sure when punters look back they’ll
remember the day fondly, with ringing ears
and sunburnt faces.
-Cameron Myles
Editor, Wordplay Magazine.
STEREOSONIC
All images copyright TOTEM ONELOVE GROUP PTY LTD
COLOSOUL CARES
Colosoul Profile: JAKE MILLAR
Currently studying
journalism at
Murdoch University, I
joined Colosoul a few
months ago and am
really enjoying my
time at the magazine
so far. It’s given
me some great opportunities to interview a
bunch of really interesting people for the next
issue, including a few really talented local
artists and even a professional poker player.
I’ve also been helping with a bit of editing and
marketing, as well as general bits and pieces
to help make it all come together. With all
that’s going on, it’s been a bit hectic, but I’m
really looking forward to all the fantastic stuff
Colosoul’s got planned for next year
By Jake Millar
put out on the streets and prostituted for
a small fee,” says Judah. Equipping them
with literacy and numeracy skills helps
provide them with new hope for their
future. “Education is a key to the freedom
of people,” he says. “My belief is the more
people we can educate, the more chances
there are that educated and freethinking
people can make a difference not only in
their own lives, but perhaps bring about
change in their country.”
The other area Judah works in is providing
medicine. “Less than 0.3 per cent of
Burma’s GNP is spent on healthcare,” he
says. “221 of every 1000 people die before
the age of five. 80 per cent of children
that die do so from malaria, respiratory
illness, diarrhoea, and sicknesses that
could have easily been prevented.” Though
helping others comes naturally to Judah,
he says few could avoid being moved by
what you see. “Being a ‘first hand’ witness
to poverty, oppression, hopelessness, and
war, it becomes a question not of ‘How can
I be involved?’, but rather ‘How can I not be
involved?’,” he says.
Although he misses his family and friends
back home in Australia, Judah says he’s
found a whole new group of support that
make his work worthwhile.
“I was once a really selfish person, only
thinking about myself and what I could get,”
he says. “But now I never want to be that
person again. I enjoy looking into the mirror
and knowing the job I am doing everyday is
Judah and friends on the Thai-Burmese border Judah (left) helping out
helping other people. I am gaining no
material things in this world, but I have
so many new friends and family.”
As for what the future holds, Judah
just wants to keep finding ways to help
others. “I’m not sure if I will be on the
Thai-Burma border forever,” says Judah.
“But I do know that no matter where I
am I will look for the closest person that
needs help, and I hope to be the first to
reach out my hand.”
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