Rosa Phelps

‘A veritable sea of remarkable work’: Queens’ Arts Festival

On the opening night of 2022’s incarnation of Queen’s Arts Festival, I am met by curator, Tara Panesar. A glass of wine in hand, she is wearing an elegant but boldly bright red dress. As we move through the Fitzpatrick gallery, it quickly emerges that ‘Lost but Not at Sea’, an exhibition of experimental student art, matches this ambience perfectly: improbably but successfully expressing pared-back elegance and intense exuberance at the same time.

The exhibit’s theme, ‘Lost but Not at Sea’, stan

In conversation with #Justice4CollegeSupervisors organiser Simina Dragos

Simina Dragos knows the power of a good supervisor. “The people who had the greatest impact on my life were my supervisors when I was an undergraduate.” Thanks to them, she is now a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Education and an undergraduate supervisor herself. However, as is the case for many supervisors, Dragos says, her poor working conditions impede her ability to deliver the quality of education her students deserve. “You can’t teach your best when you are so underpaid and so stressed ab

The perennial joys of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

A man achieves none of his dreams. He becomes suicidal as he faces imprisonment and his long-fought battle against a greedy capitalist monopolist seems doomed to failure. Sound a likely recipe for a festive family favourite? I wouldn’t think so either, but this summarises one of the most popular Christmas films ever made. So, why, 75 years on, does It’s a Wonderful Life still dominate a genre typically defined by saccharinity?

This 1946 Frank Capra classic tells the story of George Bailey, play

Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You?

Walk into any Waterstones in the UK and you’ll be met by a huge blue and yellow poster, and a display table promoting Sally Rooney’s third novel Beautiful World, Where Are You? The book follows two best friends in their late twenties: Alice, a reclusive, famous novelist and Eileen, who works for a pittance at a literary journal. Very few, if any, recent novels have been as widely anticipated as the follow-up to the critically lauded Conversations with Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018), fro

‘Supernova reminds us how truly extraordinary love can be’

We’re in the back of a camper van, eavesdropping on two bickering middle-aged men. Over the loud hum of the vehicle, they squabble about anything and everything. Sam (Colin Firth) tells Tusker (Stanley Tucci) that if he has forgotten anything, he’ll have to walk home. Tusker responds tartly: ‘Do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of me ignoring you.’ Later, they fight about Sam’s driving and Tusker asks, tongue in cheek, ‘How about just exploring the outer regions of fifth gear?’ These are the

Alexandria’s activism speaks volumes at the Met Gala

At Monday’s Met Gala, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s white tuxedo dress didn’t only stand out because of its simple elegance. In bright red letters that curved to echo the gown’s silhouette, the slogan ‘Tax the Rich’ was emblazoned boldly across the Democratic US representative’s back. Designer Aurora James’ literal interpretation of a statement piece provoked a maelstrom of controversy across the political spectrum. Was the choice to convey populist message through a luxury medium a hypocritical ac

Re-watching ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’ in 2021

Content Note: This article contains mention of unhealthy weight loss, calorie counting, and disordered eating.

As a fan of the romantic comedy genre, I absolutely adore Bridget Jones’ Diary and I am far from alone. A record smashing hit when it came out in 2001, it remains one of the most successful rom-coms of all time. Nonetheless, it is common consensus that Bridget Jones’ Diary could never be made today, and pretty much everyone (myself included) thinks that’s a sign of progress. So, why is

Life and Friendship in an Empty Cambridge

The triteness of ‘friends are the family you choose for yourself’ normally makes me wince. However, it feels right to say that Tilda and Jakob, with whom I share a house in Cambridge, have become my haphazardly beautiful chosen family, brought together by both serendipity and misfortune to share life in the newest lockdown.

Last week, we huddled around a laptop to watch Boris Johnson deliver another plot twist to the nation, our faces illuminated by the fairy lights of our small Christmas tree.

In Conversation with The Cambridge Cult

This year, change was in the air at The Cambridge Cult. The exceptionally talented Berlin-based visual artist and photographer Greta Markurt joined Tilda Butterworth as the zine’s co-Editor; Tilda, who also edited the zine last year, embarked on her Year Abroad to St. Petersburg, rural France and Tbilisi. With both Editors based outside of Cambridge, Cult’s digital presence massively expanded. Rather than producing a termly print zine, the team showcased responses to the themes Confessions and T

Varsity Online • 4th March 2022

‘An exquisite way of expressing grief’: the Chagall stained glass of All Saints’ Tudeley

Marc Chagall, groundbreaking modernist, friend of Matisse and Picasso, the man who designed the Peace Window at the United Nations in New York City. All Saints’ Tudeley, a tiny church with a predominantly elderly congregation in a rural Kentish hamlet. What on earth could they have in common? The improbable answer: All Saints’ is the only place of worship in the world to have a full set of stained-glass windows painted and designed by Chagall. It’s an extraordinarily beautiful place, made all th