TRANSFORMER MAY 2021 NEW WRITERS' PORTAL TRANSFORMER NEW WRITERS' PORTAL Images © Zoe More O'Ferrall 1 TRANSFORMER MAY 2021 NEW WRITERS' PORTAL TRANSFORMER MAY 2021 NEW WRITERS' PORTAL issue 2 TRANSFORMER pro file TRANSFORMER TRANSFORMER Contents Cover illustration London’s new writers’ portal This month's talented artist is and platform for change. Zoe More O'Ferrall Images © Zoe More O'Ferrall CALLING 27 Zoe More O'Ferrall Zoë More O'Ferrall TRANSFORMER's cover illustrator is a London based commercial Writers, satirists, cartoonists, illustrators, humourists, graphic artists, illustrator. She has worked for all photographers, poets, painters, musicians, lyricists, letter writers, idea smiths 28 London re-opens sort of industries from Advertising, and actionists:WE NEED YOU! Come out of quarantine in style with Fashion and Food to Music, Editorial, TRANSFORMER is an intelligent digest by today’s new writers, artists and the first crop of London festivals and and Packaging. voices from around the globe. It offers an incisive, bold look at a rapidly gigs changing world, opinions and solutions for change and a refreshing take on She likes to detail everyday objects, places and people which feature in news, views and reviews. The Rise of NFTs: 30 a lot of her maps, covering different We invite contributors to engage with key issues, the dark and the light, Get (un) real to help bring about change in society. We welcome comment and discussion parts of the globe. on topics ranging from political issues through to the latest millennial trends, Disco Elysium zoemof.com including human rights, science and tech, environmental issues, art, film, 31 Can you solve yourself? @zoemof_ink music, fashion, satire, social media, literature, food and travel, as well as www.illustrationx.com showcasing artists’ works. 32 Nier: Replicant If you would like to submit an article or illustration for publication, please do Japan’s weirdest game designer goes write to us at: [email protected] back to his roots INSTAGRAM: KCWTRANSFORMER Films 33 The cinemas might not be open yet but THE 21ST CENTURY offers many avenues for new writers through the constant turnover of the online there’s plenty to see (and avoid) world, however it remains as difficult as ever to be heard or published. At the beginning of their careers many writers spend internships at publications updating twitter feeds or making coffee rather than building portfolios. It is getting harder and harder for authors to break into journalism, but our need for 34 Are we sleepwalking into Nuclear fresh perspectives and new ideas has never been greater. It is vital that new writers have a stand-alone Apocalypse? platform. We are proud to offer it with TRANSFORMER, a portal for change, offering writers a platform to explore today's important issues with voices of tomorrow. Apocalypse How? TRANSFORMER 35 International comment Are we turning away from our “responsibility to protect”? 36 Recipes Get cooking 37 The Rise of the Modern Witch I put a spell on you… 38 The National Gallery Augments Reality 39 Voyage into the known: back to the roots Travel is a state of mind 2 3 TRANSFORMER MAY 2021 NEW WRITERS' PORTAL TRANSFORMER MAY 2021 NEW WRITERS' PORTAL events/festival news events/festival news Refugee Council. SouthWestFest Public art exhibition Some creations have been made to return in July on women’s rights using recycled saris and old wedding Photograph © Artichoke © Photograph Images © Bards on Boats this summer dresses to tell personal stories, and many feature textiles created by women factory outh Westminster’s award winning cultural omen Making History, a free exhibition by workers, including a Sand community festival has announced its Wpublic arts event team Artichoke, will open banner made out of return. The 2021 edition of SouthWestFest will its door in Westminster from June 2 to July 11. century-old ‘Belfast run from the 2nd to the 23rd of July. The festival The exhibition will showcase hundreds of banners linen’. has acknowledged the differences of running a based on PROCESSIONS, a June 2018 project that The June 2 to community festival at the tail end of a pandemic led a celebratory women’s march marking 100 July 11 exhibition by choosing the apt theme of ‘Re-imagine’ for years of women’s right to vote in the UK. will run at London this iteration of SouthWestFest. Festival Director PROCESSIONS saw thousands of women and Scottish House, 95 Joanna Goodey described the programme as “a girls occupy streets in London, Edinburgh, Belfast Horseferry Road, new-look festival which will be produced in a and Cardiff. Carrying banners of hope for women’s Westminster, SW1P safe and socially distanced way, with a blended rights and messages of community and anger, all 2DX at the following festival programme of free fun and inclusive inspired by the suffrage movement. Three years times: later, with still burning concerns regarding gender- events, workshops and activities which will action to politicians, such as the the banner by the TRANSFORMER based violence, reproductive and economic rights, take place online as well as across covid-secure Welsh collective Hexx which demands that MPs Monday and Tuesday: Closed social exclusion, homophobia and trans allyship, indoor venues and outdoor spaces across south “acknowledge the existence of abuse: in public Wednesday: 12-6pm the banners exhibited will serve as a reminder of Westminster”. spaces, workplaces, schools, detention centres, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 12-8pm the power of protest today. The activities will kick off with a ‘health trail’ within families, behind closed doors and on the Sunday: 12-6pm Brigadoon! London Scottish House will host the event of free or low-cost health, sport and wellbeing streets”, and provide a roadmap for genuine London’s first post-Covid boat which will be the first and only chance to view activities from the 2nd July throughout the change. Tickets are free to book online, and you must over 100 commissioned banners crafted by festival to transform canal borough. By June 10th SouthWestFest will return The banners were designed by leading women have pre-booked entry: www.artichoke.uk.com/ women’s groups and artists across the UK. It will to the streets of Westminster for the festival luminaries including Vivienne Westwood and project/women-making-history allow the public to process recent events, examine proper, with pop up performances in and across Claudette Johnson, in collaboration with women’s Free parking will be provided on site for the pace of progress for gender equality and be Belgravia, Victoria and Pimlico bringing some groups such as service users from the East London wheelchair users. For further assistance, contact inspired to continue the push for change. carnival, fiesta and circus celebration into the area. Foundation Trust in Tower Hamlets, and Glasgow’s the team at least 24 hours before arrival at wmh@ Many of the works displayed are direct calls to On top of the main events, an ‘online & onfoot’ Art women refugee community from the Scottish artichoke.uk.com, or call 020 7650 7611. What: London’s canals begin hosting Covid-19- Trail will be running concurrently featuring special secure performances, with programs of free art installations and live art performances. Finally TRANSFORMER events beginning May 29 outside Paddington there will be a whole melange of independent Station. Taking its name from Brigadoon, a events, workshops, classes and activities across Broadway classic about a Scottish highland village the full three weeks of the festival programme. Festival Hall for the first time since 2017 with a numbers, social distancing, wearing face coverings, that materializes every 100 years, a flotilla of 20 The full festival programme will be announced in Southbank Summer two week programme of repertoire highlights in physically distanced seating, fresh air circulation boats and three stages will appear and disappear mid May. For more information go to: Solstice (16 – 26 June). measures and regular and thorough cleaning. A every two weeks along the Paddington Arm of www.southwestfest.org.uk. Reunion with Young There will be a full range of COVID safety full list of the precautions as well as the complete the Grand Union Canal, from its terminus near precautions including QR codes at entrances Summer Reunion line-up can be found at the world’s first great train station, to where People’s Laureate linked to NHS Test and Trace, reduced visitor www.southbankcentre.co.uk. navvies began digging “the cut” at Bulls Bridge in Hays, 220 years ago. Sir Anthony Robinson describes the May bank holiday weekend event at TRANSFORMER Paddington as a “Brigadoon of the South” where he Southbank Centre has announced a full “if you find it, magical things can happen.” Tfour-month reopening programme, Summer Reunion. The packed programme features ballet, Why: With indoor performance prohibited, Photograph © SouthWestFest © Photograph classical music, contemporary music, literature, London needs more outdoor performance poetry and visual art. The Hayward Gallery venues, right now and for the future, when similar welcomes visitors back on Wednesday 19 May restrictions inevitably reoccur. However, utilising When: Brigadoon@Paddington offers a slate with free weekend entertainment outside the the canal for performances requires coordination of free events for the community, starting with Royal Festival Hall from Friday 21–23 May. The with two entities: the Canal and River Trust, morning wellness sessions at 8 am, May 29 and Royal Festival Hall will reopen on Friday 28 May and the Borough in which the events take place. continuing with music and theatre until 9 pm, with socially-distanced performances in line with Most boat owners who might be tempted to host repeating throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. government guidance, including the return of events assume that the paperwork is insuperable, The flotilla remains on site with a fringe program the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.