This is the artwork on the front cover of Taboo. It's a linocut made by Raven van der Steen, we hand printed it in black and later coloured it digitally. To accompany this artwork, Raven asked her friend Anne to write a poem that explores the symbology of Taboo hidden within in the linocut.
And then we whispered.
Was it fear? Was it fire?
Closing the eyes and shutting down.
Refuse to use, refuse to drown.
We are triggered,
Withdrawn in the waiting room.
Flooded with the silence,
Unspoken, imbalanced.
Here are misunderstandings,
Words without endings.
Stirred up, swallowed,
Skewed looks, walls narrowed.
Whereas the windows still open,
Not meant for only staring.
Blame it on us, shame on you,
Ascend through and shatter,
Taboo.
Raven and Anne are both doing their master in Urbanism at the faculty. Follow them at @raravenen and @anne_van_den_berg on Instagram. Want to design a future cover of Bnieuws? Contact us!
In the first years in primary school, teachers had a hard time telling if I was a good student or not. I could occasionally be very bright in some areas, but sometimes I would fail at the same subject. That changed when I went to grade 7, the year that I had teachers that I absolutely adored. My grades went up significantly in every area. You, my readers, can probably tell similar stories about times where a teacher made all the difference for you.
If a gender – specifically women – is portrayed invisible, it can have consequences for the next generation. A visible person, like a role model, would help that next generation. A generation with women in architecture seems the most normal thing. However, women who have experience in the male profession of architecture intimidate, and sometimes surprise the other gender. Women in architecture aren’t much of a role model. Why do people often think of a male role model, when they hear the word architect?
‘Artefact’ is a recurring two-page spread, which features a beloved object presented by one of the BK City staff members. Every month, the author passes the ‘Artefact’ contributorship to the next. Last month, Amber Leeuwenburg nominated teacher and researcher Ulf Hackauf, who works on the relation of urban metabolism and urban morphology at the section of environmental technology and design.
