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.”