The inaccessible reality of the national Education Conference Pelican21 July 2024 For the first time in 10 years, the NUS held its annual Education Conference in Perth. Being hosted by our neighbours at Curtin University, several members of the UWA Student Guild Council attended. The majority of us were eager to hear from other students about the problems they face on their own campuses and the solutions they put in place for lessons we could apply. Instead, we were met with incessant fighting between different political factions. Campus Affairs0 Comments643 views
Skim? Full cream? Or Caecilian? Meet the worm-like amphibian that produces milk Pelican20 July 2024 How do you like your coffee? Oat milk latte? Skinny cap? Lactose free? Full cream? Or maybe something a bit more exotic. Milk production has long been considered a uniquely mammalian trait, but this trait might not be so unique after all. EnvironmentScience0 Comments70 views
Good artists copy, Kate artists teal: an interview with Kate Chaney MP Pelican19 July 2024 Kate Chaney is nearing two years as Member for Curtin in the House of Representatives. Her victory in the 2022 election broke a 24-year Liberal hold on the seat. I had a chat with her about policy, parties, politicians, Parliament, and even some things that did not start with “P”. Politics0 Comments124 views
The fantasy of love Pelican18 July 2024 By Rachele Preto This piece first appeared as a featured article in volume 95, issue three of Pelican. You can view our print archive here. Love is Bl... Film and ProductionVoice0 Comments54 views
Lights, camera, budget! How Giles Chan produced his debut indie film Jellyfish Pelican17 July 2024 Perth certainly isn’t Hollywood, but it does have an appetite for independent films. Take Taylor Broadley’s Stubbornly Here (2024), currently at Revelation Film Festival, and Alexander Lorian’s Good for Nothing Blues, previously at the WA Made Film Festival. Film and Production0 Comments260 views
The Royal Australian Navy’s Surface Fleet Review: Why it matters Pelican16 July 2024 In late February, the long-awaited Independent Analysis into Navy's Surface Combatant Fleet (the Surface Fleet Review) was released. Although the full report is classified, we can glean considerable material from the executive summary alone. Based on the 2023 Defence Strategic Review and conducted in that year’s third quarter, the Surface Fleet Review recognises Australia's "strategic circumstances" require its Defence Force to provide a greater deterrent to potential foes. Politics0 Comments247 views
Cubism vs. Chiaroscuro: How Ripley uses art as symbolism Pelican13 July 2024 If you haven’t heard of The Talented Mr Ripley before, it’s essentially Saltburn’s predecessor. Written by Patricia Highsmith in 1955, the psychological thriller is a classic ‘eat-the-rich’ narrative, focusing on an aspirational (yet sociopathic) middle-class man trying to muddy his paws in his pursuit to join the bourgeoisie. Recently, a new adaptation of this story, Ripley (2024), has come out, and is available to watch on Netflix (if you have the time and/or can stand slow-paced noir directorial styles). Film and ProductionVisual Art0 Comments433 views
Taylor Swift, we need to talk Pelican11 July 2024 Every so often, I find myself in conversations with acquaintances, friends, and family over the unavoidable topic of Taylor Swift. Unavoidable because, in 2023 and 2024, it seemed as if Swift was everywhere and everything. Pop CultureVoice0 Comments361 views
Blue Neighbourhood Pelican9 July 2024 He’s absolutely clueless. I can’t help but grin. The sight of him, truly him, in a singlet and shorts down to his knees instead of a mother-pressed grey uniform and polished shoes, is my favourite thing. He is my favourite thing. Literature and Creative WritingMusic0 Comments55 views
Art in the algorithmic age: Navigating creativity amidst hyper-categorization Pelican6 July 2024 We’ve all heard of the creation of a ‘persona’ in the world of visual art – think back to the moustache of Salvador Dali, the unibrow of Frida Kahlo, and more recently, the faceless, elusive nature of Banksy. Like the identity cultivation techniques utilized by pop musicians, film directors, and politicians alike – visual artists find themselves questioning their own identities as creatives: does the artist resemble their art? Does the art resemble the artist? Visual Art0 Comments143 views