News in Brief: writers, traitors, and artists 

Traitors’ Linda makes SU cameo 

Traitors’ Linda Rands has made an appearance on Cambridge SU’s social media, encouraging students to vote in the SU leadership elections. In a cameo video, Rands asks: “Who the hell is going to be the next SU Sabb? ,” seemingly a reference to a viral clip from Traitors in which Linda, who is a traitor, pretends not to know who was “murdered” in the show and asks: “Oh my god, who the hell is not going to come back?”. The cameo video posted by the SU added: “Now guys, don’t forget to vote in the Cambridge SU leadership elections. Please go out and vote!” Rands, who is 70 and the oldest player to be selected to be a Traitor in the history of the show, has been described by some as an “icon”.

Dr Ally Louks gets literary agents

Dr Ally Louks, who went viral in December for her PhD on “olfactory ethics,” now has a British and an American literary agent. At the end of 2024, Louks was subjected to significant online hate, including death threats, after sharing the news that she had passed her viva with no corrections. Now, her works will be represented by a British and an American literary agent, both of whom she described as “absolutely wonderful,” according to the BBC. She added: “It doesn’t go over my head that the reason that I have all of these opportunities is because people responded to my work with such scepticism initially.” On Saturday (22/02), Louks wrote on X: “I get asked regularly whether I’ll be writing a book for a public audience based on my research and the answer is yes! I’m finalising the proposal this week. I hope you’re as excited for it as I am!”.

Hundreds of young people to have their art displayed at Kettle’s Yard

An exhibition running from 26 February to 8 March in Kettle’s Yard will showcase the artwork of over 500 young people. The budding artists, aged between four and 21 years old, were asked to respond to the question, “What matters to you today?” as part of an exhibition called Paint What Matters! They were invited to respond with “any artistic style or medium” and to tackle any range of issues, including local, global, and domestic matters. One young artist said: “Painting about things that matter to me is important because I love the world […] You are never alone on your journey ahead of you, and my painting will tell you this.”

Sculpture ‘rooted in the community’ unveiled at Peterhouse Technology Park

A new sculpture has been unveiled at Peterhouse Technology Park in Cambridge. The sculptor behind the piece, Nathaniel Rackowe says that he took inspiration from the nearby building The Optic in addition to the nearby Cherry Hinton Chalk Pits. He stated: “I spent some time sketching and drawing in the chalk pits and the contours of the landscape are what informed the lines of the outer perimeter of the artwork.” Children from Fulbourn Primary School also contributed to the design of the sculpture. Rackowe said: “It was really important for me to make sure that the kids were involved and they could see how their involvement actually helped the development and the refinement of my ideas for the sculpture […] It has been rooted in the community.”

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