21st Century Icons

These last ten years have been important to the world. We’ve seen heightened levels of awareness surrounding the issue of global warming, mass outcry for and against the vastly considered needless ‘war on terror’, improved rights for homosexuals, economic breakdown, and, particularly in America, democracy has spread its wings far and wide.

But all of this change stems from the ideology of those at the forefront of all fields; whether it be music, art, literature or politics.

Following, in no particular order, are the people who have made the most impact on the culture that surrounds us today.

Barack Obama
To put it simply, the man is a living legend. Not only has he brought hope and inspiration to less affluent American citizens. But he has renewed faith in America with people from all over the world. Not anymore is America seen as a backward and republican state, but a beacon of hope to anyone trying too live the American dream, all over the world. He has put the ‘us’ back into USA. Unfortunately, the American right (the republidicks) are already piping up about his revolutionary reform, which has been considered leftist, but will help millions of disadvantaged people in the country.

Ricky Gervais
You may be surprised with how much this fat little bloke from Reading has in common with the aforementioned black kid from Hawaii. Ricky Gervais, the co-creator of the two most successful British sitcoms of all time, the most downloaded podcast ever and the writer and performer of the fastest selling stand-up tour ever recorded, is hitting America with full force. He’s restored pride in Britain’s television industry and has deservedly become the pioneer of modern comedy. Even if he is a bit smug about it.

Al Gore
An Inconvenient Truth may be a rather dull piece of film, but that’s not to say it’s not important. It’s simply a recording of one of the many lectures Al Gore gave as he toured across the states in the hope of raising awareness on the impending doom of global warming. Not only does he make a good job of making the human race feel incredibly guilty of the travesties it inflicts on mother nature every day, but he also inspires people that they can make a difference. And he does all this, with a hint of wit and humor. Note his opening line of the talk “Hello, I’m Al Gore, and I used to be the next president of the United States”. Has been known to surpass Gervais’ level of smugness, but we forgive him for being beaten by Bush- I know, what the fuck…

Damien Hirst
Often slandered as a cheat and a phony, Damien Hirst stands as one of the most diverse, imaginative and successful artists to date. With his most iconic forms of art, the animal bodies preserved in glass boxes… stuff; it feels like he’s opened the door to some wonderful and amazing ideas to blossom from the world of modern art. It’s also obvious how much time, money and sheer grit he puts into his work. The next time someone complains ‘oh, he’s shit, he gets other people to do all his work for him’, tell them how much his piece For the Love of God cost to make: £15 million. That’ll shut ‘em up.

Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is possibly the most innovative and exciting technological front-men of our time. As the head CEO and co-founder of computing company Apple, he’s clearly ahead of the game. With iTunes, the MacBook, pod casting, the iPhone and the revolutionary iPod all under his belt, who knows what’s next for Steve and his company. Maybe the film industry… Maybe Pixar! Oh right, he owned that too. What a legend.

Amy Winehouse
Yes, I know, she’s a nutter and a heroin addict, but what a voice.

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen & Jawed Karim
The absolute wunderkinds of business here. These three strapping young lads started their website with one server held together by blu-tac and selotape in a basement somewhere in American suburbia. On April 23rd, 2005, the first video was uploaded to their site; it was called ‘Me at the Zoo’ and is a perfect example of how the majority of videos uploaded from that point on would be pointless. This is the majesty of it all; as these three young men went on to sell their site to google for an astronomical $1.65 billion. Their site? You guessed it… Youtube.

David Beckham
He’s over-paid, dense as anti-matter, spoilt and the luckiest cunt this world has probably seen. But let’s face the facts; no one bends ‘em like Beckham.

Will Smith
He’s fucking brilliant isn’t he. In the words of Muhammed Ali, a character Smith famously played in the film Ali – “I’m young, I’m pretty, I’m fast and can’t possibly be beat!”. This is so true of this star. He’s an incredibly gifted and resourceful young actor who could easily go down as one of the greats. His staggering performance in The Pursuit of Happiness alone puts him side by side with the legends of film acting. And who could forget the biggest dance craze of 2005 with his amazing ‘Switch’!?

Danny Boyle
Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and The Beach. Need I say more?

WORDS BY ANGUS STEWART

Big Shoulders

Big shoulders are the big thing this season. They are the bee’s knees and the dog’s god damned bollocks. And it seems as the recession seems to soldier on, we may begin to notice that the current times may bring about a feeling of déjà vu for the eighties babies in the house.

Generally the high-fashion catwalks run off many trends and styles that are not only extreme but also expensive to maintain. Designers, do, however, usually set the tone for a season, and this season they pulled out all the stops.

There are two things that this year has in common with the 80s; the tightening of belts (economically, of course) and the enlarging of shoulders. This steaming cesspit of economic disparity, otherwise know as a ‘recession’ we are experiencing now is similar (sort of) to the economic situation of the 80s. It seems that the designers are feeling the need for a renaissance. And so like the recession, big shoulders have returned.

Luckily for us, many High Street stores have picked up on this, and seem to be stocking oversized shoulders in abundance. And the range of styles is huge, sequinned, bejewelled or just plain and fitted; there are also many types and colours to choose from, be it boyfriend, vintage or smart and sophisticated. And each style and type has its own appeal and use.

So when looking for this weekend’s new outfit, I advise you to look back to the 80’s. But I also warn you, although big shoulders may be back, stay away from the extreme glitz and glamour of the period and try a more toned down, subtle take on the classic 80s’ look.

WORDS BY SANDY HUCK

The Unilever Series: Miroslaw Balka.

In the past, the Tate Modern’s famous Turbine Hall has housed some of the world’s most daring and interesting pieces. Giant spiders, simulated sunrises, helter-skelters and cracks in the floor to name but a few of the impressive creations provided over the past 10 years. This year the chosen artist is Miroslaw Balka. Balka’s over-sized shipping container has been raised off the ground so that people are able to walk underneath and hear the thundering feet on steel above them. With its pitch black interior, and disproportional similarities to Doctor Who’s famous time-travelling TARDIS, Balka’s ‘How It Is’ has been known to strike fear into the most courageous of hearts. It is not often that the piece on show in the Turbine Hall has felt more impressive than the hall itself, but step inside Balka’s steel container and it is easy to feel intimidated.

Photograph: Sam Drake/Tate

Born in Warsaw in ‘58, Miroslaw Balka is most notably known for his grand artwork, which is very often linked to the holocaust. With his bold use of space, and noticeable warped view on reality, this Polish artist is breaking through screaming his name at the top of his Balkan lungs. While most people choose to leave the place of their birth or childhood in order to ‘start afresh’, Balka did the opposite. He chose to base his home and work life around the village he was born and raised in, to create a place where he can truly be himself and express himself in the way he chooses.

Some may say that Miroslaw Balka’s giant steel container is not art. Others may say that it is art in the highest form, free from any boundaries that other artists my live with. Personally, I call it a big steel box, neither one nor the other. If he wants it to be art, then he shall have his art, I refuse to deny him that. While in most galleries and museums today there are wires and bits of glass preventing you from making any physical contact with the artwork whatsoever, at least with Balka’s box you can step under, around and inside it, engulfed in its darkness and solidarity.

Interpret this space in whatever way you like; as a threat, confusion, perhaps safety- it’s 100% entirely up to you and no one would deny you that, for each person is able to become swallowed by the exhibition in different ways. I spoke to a number of different people about Balka’s ‘How It Is’ exhibition, and no two answers were the same. I had one person telling me that they saw no point to it, and it was just an opportunity for mischief at random points inside the pitch black container. Another person practically spewed out an essay right in front of me, telling me how if I only see one exhibition before I die, it should be this one, purely because it will ‘change your life for the better’ (I can only speculate as to what his life must be like if it is immediately improved by simply walking from one end to the other of an oversized metal box).

There is a certain element of truth in what my friend was saying though. It’s true; it’s not as fun as the helter-skelter’s, nor as chilling as Louise Bourgeois’ giant spider, but it certainly does leave an impression. It’s certainly true that Balka knows how to manipulate his audiences emotions, but in truly unknown ways. For fans of modern art and ‘something that’s a little bit different’, Miroslaw Balka’s ‘How It Is’ is a must see.

‘How It Is’ by Miroslaw Balka is running until the 5^th of April 2010, in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern.

WORDS BY LAUREL EMERSON