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TATGiRL
THE
AUSTRALIA
TIMES
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Photography Culture Poetry Art Food Music Fashion Life
Vol. 2 No. 3 June 2014
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WHAT’S INSIDE?
Rachel Plank
Creative Editor
Amy Freund
Editor
Kara Blakeley Exhibition 4
Flirting with a Feminist 8
New York Minute 14
Endtrails Of A Mind 16
Zoe Kimpton Photography 19
The Paper Kites Young 29
The Paper Kites Tour 30
Carrots 38
Saskia Agius Illustrations 42
Tina Afshar Paintings 44
What Might Have Happened Vol. 2 46
CONTRIBUTORS:
Zoe Kimpton
Alexandra Saltis
Bianca Matera
Stephanie Hughes
Amy Freund: amy.freund@theaustraliatimes.com.au
Rachel Plank: rachel.plank@theaustraliatimes.com.au
Tatgirl is a young fun magazine that incorporates art,
culture, food and creative and factual writings that are
interesting and exciting!
Our ultimate aim for the magazine is to a provide
a platform where young and upcoming journalists,
photographers and enthusiastic individuals can have
the opportunity to be published, as well as creating an
open discussion for topics and events that are relatable
to the youth of Australia.
Based in Melbourne, TATGIRL has a wide range
of contributors from around Australia and has a
contributor age group from 15 to 25.
It is cooling down so time to heat up your hands with
some neautiful articles. If you are an avid writer or just
want to give it a go send us a message on and join the
TATGiRL team.
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ISSUE 05
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To many, the art scene is restricted to the white wash walls of
cold museums and galleries, works of ancient artists staring
down from their hallowed portraits onto the unsuspecting
visitor. But what they don’t know is that a whole new breed of
young artists are emerging out of the woodwork, taking on the
big art world with small exhibitions of their own. Runt link
gallery is one of these, the student run space exhibiting student
shows every week. Young and upcoming artist Kara Blakeley
recently presented her series “We Intertwine” at the runtspace
gallery earlier this month, her work showing an intimate con-
nection between us all as we interconnect every day, her pieces
drawing on a range of materials from glass art to performance
and printmaking.
‘We Intertwine’
Kara Blakeley
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“I began to contextualize these theories into a
variety of experimental artworks.”
“My fascination with the idea of interconnectivity began about 5
years ago when watching a filmed recording of a group perfor-
mance by Sydney Dance Company entitled “We Unfold.” Cho-
reographed by artistic director, Rafael Bonachela, the piece for
me, revealed a strange sense of duality in life between ‘the rela-
tive’ and ‘the permanent’ and instigated my ongoing infatuation
with the elusive mystery of life’s encounters: Is all of this possi-
ble purely by accident, or design?
It appeared to me soon after, that other creatives had been
asking themselves the same question. Films such as Tom Tyk-
wer’s “Run Lola, Run”, Peter Howitt’s “Sliding Doors”, even
Harold Ramis’ “Groundhog Day” are merely a few early expo-
sures I would note as personal catalysts for representations
which deal directly with the idea of ‘the butterfly eect’, and
more interestingly to me, the nature in which these eects can
be both transient or enduring; conscious or unconscious; and of
course, minimal or catastrophic.
I began to contextualize these theories into a variety of experi-
mental artworks from 2010 onwards. With a series of prints, pho-
tographs, performances, small paintings, an artist book, as well
as the below poem, all previously accounted for, I have decided
this year to produce a film piece and return to the origins of the
form that captivated me so much upon initial viewing.”
Kara will be later presenting in the monash grad show in
November this year.
“Suppose for a moment your life is a line
You’re mapping your way through time and space
The decisions you make will follow in your wake
And the trail you leave behind will aect the lines of others
Some lines may intersect, some may stay parallel
But no matter the path you’re on, it cannot be undone
So be conscious of the shape you trace
For we’re all on a collision course
Each one of us a twisted line
Our lives in time, will intertwine.”
—K.B
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Flirting
with a
Feminist
By Stephanie Hughes
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Wolf-whistles, cat-calls, winks, cheeky smiles, and various comments
yelled from across the street with varying degrees of oensiveness. At
the beginning, it’s funny. Cute, sometimes. Endearing, rarely. And then,
there is the threshold which allows it all to cross over into profanity and
complete and utter distaste and disrespect. Walking down the streets of
Florence, within 48 hours, I was stared at, had my personal space invaded,
had a stranger whisper in my ear “you’re so sexy” and also had someone
scream out after me “do you like-a da sex?” whilst biting his lip in a vulgar
and, well, downright disturbing manner. And so it’s no wonder I started
thinking about the way that women can be and are objectified and, indeed,
sexually harassed by men. In this case, strange Italian men. But this is not a
phenomenon specific to Italy. Walking down Chapel Street in Melbourne,
the twenty-something girl is often ill at ease whilst male eyes follow her
“I had a stranger
whisper in my ear
‘you’re so sexy’”
and the word “slut” is thrown around all too often. Melbournian men have
also been known to use the phrase “hunting women” or “poaching” them.
Someone did not read the memo detailing the fact that women are neither
fish, eggs or game. And all of this makes me wonder- why do some men
believe that this is social and acceptable behaviour? Why is it perceived as
“just a bit of fun” or a harmless ‘boys will be boys’ scenario?
Perhaps there’s an attitude of “it’s all a bit of fun” because some females
validate the behaviour and reciprocate with a suggestive look or a gig-
gle. Some women, on the other hand, do not say anything at all and allow
themselves to be subjected to the comments and ass-grabs in clubs. They
let themselves be thrown around like a ball on a field, not speaking, not
responding, not telling the males that it’s downright inappropriate or
that it’s making her uncomfortable. After all, what’s the point in telling
them o? It only results in words such as “frigid”, “prude” and “bitch”
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By Stephanie Hughes
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Flirting with a Feminist
By Stephanie Hughes
resonating in a 3am street. Violence is never the answer. However, turning
around and telling them that perhaps it’s not okay to grab the behind of a
total stranger might be the way to go. After all, if we, as women, remain
unreasonably frightened of the male population and their reaction if we
tell them it’s not okay to objectify and disrespect women, then all we’re
doing is making sure that our position as ‘the harassed’ continues. The
more women accept that this is “just how men act”, the more men will
continue to act this way.
It’s inevitable that some people will express the sentiment that all femi-
nists dread—“but those guys are just having a bit of fun—men and women
are equal anyway!”. At this point, I am stroking my hypothetical beard
and shaking my head. Recently, a short film entitled ‘Oppressed Majority’
was produced in France and it demonstrates a male-female role reversal.
The result is nothing short of confronting and telling. Women’s com-
plaints of being harassed and belittled by men’s comments are ignored,
and when genders are reversed, we can see just how ridiculous this is.
A man being harassed by four women is the victim of a sexual assault,
and then harassed further by a victim-blaming policewoman. The video
culminates in the man screaming ‘I just can’t stand this feminist society
any more!’ And in the real world where roles are unfortunately spun back
to a privileged male society, some women are left thinking ‘I just can’t
win.’ As the video shows, you have only a few choices as a woman—are
you a sex object? A passive enabler of female objectifiers? An unworthy
complainant? Or a feminist pain in the arse. As is easily detectable, I opt
for the later.
Hopefully, these sentiments will one day be redundant. But, until then,
keep your eyes to yourselves, Italian stallions.
“keep your eyes to
yourselves,
Italian stallions.”
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As the door opens to the fresh crisp air to the JFK terminal the
sense of the long hall flight is now over. The Yellow cab ride
takes you into lower Manhattan, and whilst travelling across
the Williamsburg Bridge, you can just feel the beginning of
a wonderful new adventure that awaits, in the city that never
sleeps. New York is covered with hundreds of bars and restau-
rants of every taste available you could desire, to the endless
shopping from almost every brand under the sun to the yet to
be known fashion designers; there is so much that this wonder-
ful city has to offer.
As my yellow cab pulls to the curb outside my hotel I throw
my door open and the noise of the city comes rushing in. From
the giggle of children to the sound of businessmen’s phones,
with the tooting of horns to the sirens from the fire trucks in the
distance; the rush of this living city is alive and roaring. I check
in to my favourite hotel, the concierge takes my bags inside,
where I tip him a fiver. I change into more comfortable clothes
and hit the pavement to explore this city once more. With a
coffee in one hand and a bagel in another, that I purchase for
a mere few dollars from a curbside vendor, I make my way
NEW YORK
MINUTE
by Bianca Matera
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by Bianca Matera
through the famous time square. The endless entertainment of
buskers, street comedians and jugglers amuse me with their
talents as I walk down to the subway and wait for the number
1 train departing to downtown. As the train approaches, a rush
of air blows past as though its’ blowing the travel dust off your
shoulders aer a long trip. I now find myself in Battery Park, just
a short fairy ride from the iconic Statue of Liberty, an architec-
tural beauty of 93 metres tall that is a symbolic landmark, one
of the many major landmarks, that makes the city of New York a
place of its’ own. Aer an aernoon of exploring, I take a cab back
to my hotel and start thinking about tomorrow …
There are so many amazing activities to do, architecture to
see and places to go in New York City that is more than what
one could possibly imagine. From street side hotdogs and hon-
ey-roasted peanuts to Magnolia’s Bakery, (home of that made
famous cup cake from the show Sex in the City), to the stars of
Broadway, the beauty of Central Park to the shopping on Mad-
ison Avenue. As the days go on, my, not so long enough, New
York adventure comes to a close. As the door to my west coast
plane closes, I whisper a so goodbye and smile. I will return.
Image by Rachel Plank
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Today I watched the wind blow.
The trees attacked my window as I sat
in the solace of my house.
And wondered what it would be like to
be a possum.
And if their houses protected them too.
The next day I saw a tree nestled amongst
the most enormous buildings I’ve ever
seen,
and wondered how he must feel squished
between such boring company.
Yesterday I saw the city in a way I never
have before.
The dusky haze hit the buildings making
them seem impossibly small.
And I realized how much a city is like lego
And how easy it is to knock it down.
Last week I saw a girl.
One I’d met in a far off city.
And we stared at each other with a type of
recognition that can see through different
clothes and new environments.
And that moment was perfect.
Today my heart stopped.
I felt my body go cold and my memories
turn into clear translucent lines on my
brain.
Until there was nothing.
And so was I.
Tomorrow I saw the sky.
As I flew far away.
The checkerboard ground made me
sad to know.
That I was close to so much.
Terrain un-pursued.
The next day I cried for the lost moments.
And then I woke up.
ENDTRAILS
OF A MIND
BY AMY FREUND
Image by Rachel Plank
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Zoe Kimpton
Photography by
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Paper Kites
Oh Yeah Wow studios
Melbourne Indie-folk band Paper Kites is taking over the music scene, their new and upcoming
album top on my list of must buys!
Their new and experimental film clip created by “Oh yeah wow” studios for their song “Young”
features a photomontage of faces, with a new face for every letter of the clip.
Here are a couple of tasters!
check out the new video clip here: http://ohyeahwow.com/the-paper-kites/
As seen in
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“Everyones obsessed with Bloom, but for us it’s like our
childhood song, and we feel we have grown a lot since
that song. We try to mix around and try dierent things
and not just keep to one style I guess.”
The Paper Kites Interview
The Australian music industry is a tough one to crack,
and local based Melbourne band The Paper Kites
know all about it. Currently getting stuck into their
first ever international tour, Sam Bentley from The
Paper Kites spoke to our TATGiRL gig correspond-
ent about all of the highs and lows of rising fame and
being Melbourners in the big wide world of music.
What started as a high school pipe-dream of mem-
bers Sam Bentley and Christine Lacy, their local gigs
soon catapulted them into the indie music scene,
conscripting members Josh Bentley (drummer), Sam
Rasmussen (bass guitarist) and David Powys (singer
and guitarist) along with their rising popularity.
Since then, The Paper Kites continued in their gig
success, the song “Bloom” from their first album,
Woodland EP in 2011 one of their most famous songs,
something which Sam says they hope to continue to
grow from.
The relaxed melodies of The paper kites are the
soundtrack to many roadtrips and gatherings, Sam’s
relaxed way of writing reflected in the mellow tunes of
their work, the States album written in two weeks in a
small two-story cabin in the country.
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“It was just me and my whole music kit. I drank
water mainly, but slipped in a bit of cheeky bailey’s
every now and then.”
Since their Woodland EP album that featured the
song “Bloom,” The Paper Kites have released two
more albums, Young North EP in 2012, and States
last year.
The Paper kites start their tour this year in New Zea-
land, following through to Australia, and finishing
o in America. And even though they have travelled
and worked around the world, Sam tells us that for
the band, nothing beats a local café for their coee hit
and a good bit of inspirational food.
“If you need some good food I recommend going
to Kofi Beans, a friendly middle-eastern cuisine with
nice tapas in Croydon.”
The Paper Kites hope to continue moving up in
the industry and look forward to having a successful
first tour, hitting Melbourne in June this year.
By Rachel Plank
“We are wanting to keep moving forward
as a band as we are doing really well together.”
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TATGiRL
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Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ ǡ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
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To book an appointment visit our website
or call Caitlin on:
0433 319 609
www.inbalancesportstherapy.com
Mobile Service
We come to you!
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“carrots, why is it always carrots!”
Why is it that no matter how long ago you consumed
a carrot, looked at a carrot, or even thought about
one, they end up in your vomit? I came across this
thought the other day when watching the Disney
movie Atlantis, the main character Milo hurling his
lunch o the side of the ship yelling “carrots, why
is it always carrots!” It made me think, “ why is it
carrots”? and as weird as this sounds, it really made
me want to eat some.
Not for some weird vomit experiment to see if it
really would be carrots, but it reminded me of the
amazing vegetable that is the carrot, and how versa-
tile it really is.
So I set to work, peeling, chopping, slicing and
dicing up all the carrots I could find in the house,
and made what could only be described as a rab-
bits heaven, a carrot pasta sauce with carrot salad
and honey carrots on the side. I gathered up every
bit of my delicious dish onto my fork and took one
almighty crunch. And although all the textures
were a bit o, and the mix of crunchy carrot with
soft honey carrots wasn’t ideal, I’ve gotta say, it was
pretty darn amazing.
No matter how sick inducing or terrible my expe-
riences may have been with carrots in the past, I
always seem to be coming back for more, craving
their almighty crunch!
And as this is but a small ode to the carrot, I leave
you with this image; carrot cake, carrot shake and
carrot caramel tart, a tasty, extremely satisfying, and
warming winter treat!
ENJOY!
Carrots
By Amy Freund
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Illustration by Rachel Plank
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image: inhabitat.com
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TATGiRL
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Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
Ȉ
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To book an appointment visit our website
or call Caitlin on:
0433 319 609
www.inbalancesportstherapy.com
Mobile Service
We come to you!
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Saskia Agius illustrations
Visit her blog: mumblina.tumblr.com
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Tina Afshar paintings
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WHAT MIGHT
HAVE HAPPENED:
VOL 2 - HOT CHOCOLATE
By Stephanie Hughes
There is a man I see every day. We barely speak. He comes to
my cafe twice a day. English breakfast in the morning. Extra
hot water. Hot chocolate in the afternoon. So hot it is barely a
liquid anymore: molten cocoa.
He always arrives when the cafe is quiet (perhaps this tran-
quillity attracts his own). He walks in, quietly, gracefully,
without a fuss, but we say, Hello, Peter, and he says hello too.
I put a glass of water on his table. The barista is already mak-
ing his tea. I should have put the paper on his table, too, I
think as he gets it himself. Ah well, maybe next time.
Then it is busy. My focus darts from person to person while
Peter blends into the furniture. He is totally silent. Unmov-
ing. He watches my customers more intensely than I do. Does
he listen to their conversations? I do, when I place down their
orders. Some people cease speaking immediately, possibly
assuming I will steal their grand ideas. Some speak freely
about dividends and overheads, and other words I personally
cannot translate into English. Does Peter understand? I sense
that he is intelligent and wise, always wanting to learn more.
He is old enough to be retired, though he dresses as though
he is middle-aged, and as quiet as though he is a young adult
seeking to impress the parents of a lady he courts. I do not
know how old he truly is. Is it rude to ask such a question?
Sometimes, without warning, I look up and see that he
moved in order to sit with Rose, a beautiful woman who shies
from the very words that escape her mouth as an unstoppa-
ble flow of swirling incandescent ribbon. She speaks of her
favourite films with such passion it is almost heartbreaking.
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Images by Rachel Plank
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I fall for this. Once she begins to talk, her heart comes through,
and it pulls me in. It is dicult to interrupt her to remind us
both I must return to work. Peter has no such boundaries.
He sits by her side and watches her flow endlessly about the
things she loves; an appreciative smile upon his face.
One day, the barista says, ‘Hey, Peter wasn’t in this morning.’
I look around the room, as if I would somehow prove
him wrong.
‘Oh yeah,’ I say. ‘I hope he’s okay.’
We didn’t see Linda that day, either.
Peter’s absence continues for several days. Rose is away,
too. They have left us. Where are they?
A week passes. We forget to expect Peter and Rose.
And on a day that seems like any other, Rose walks in. She
is dressed in black. A thin veil swathes her face. She says noth-
ing as she passes the bar, the other tables, all empty bar two.
We watch her; our sentences die abruptly, smiles dramati-
cally thaw into mouths agape.
From within her bag, she takes a rose, painted black, and
places it on his table. It rests on a ring of water I hadn’t wiped
away yet. It sullies the devastating picture, making this reve-
lation seem less shocking than it is. I hear a few gasps behind
me. My emotion catches in my throat. I watch Rose back away
from his table. Her form blurs, obscured by tears. A moment
passes. Then the energy of the cafe shifts completely. She tears
her heart away from the table, from this place, and removes
herself without a backwards glance, without acknowledge-
ment at all.
I wipe my tears.
I wish I had spoken to him, asked him anything, so I could
keep his existence alive through my memories. But I didn’t
because I was afraid to upset him, or disturb him. I thought
that he liked being silent, left alone. But perhaps he didn’t.
And now I’ll never know.
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