In Print and Digital
Published works by Izabela Barakovska
A collection of musings, interests, explorations and concerns.
Gateway Collective, Pelican Magazine
April 2022
Gateway Collective, founded by Isaac Baulch and Karl Sauerwein in 2021, is challenging the norms of the fashion industry’s landscape - bringing a fresh, minimalistic, and cleancut streetwear label to compete on the scene with luxury brands, who have in recent years themselves diverted attention to the growing mass of the streetwear scene.
Film Focus: Interview with Thicc Boi Film, Frankie Magazine
December 2021
Some may argue that analog photography is a dying art, but chat to any film devotee and they'll point you towards a thriving community of independent photo labs and happy snappers keeping the medium alive.
Enter stage right: Thicc Boi Film.
Love and Lockdown: A Pastiche Opera, reviewed, Pelican Magazine
November 2021
"As a lover of the arts in all forms – art, architecture, music, dance, design, and all that falls between – I have been deeply impressed by the creativity of these industries during these ‘unprecedented times’ to innovate the Arts to be more accessible than ever before.
The performance followed the lives of people in three homes under lockdown – characters stood on neighbouring balconies (literally, standing on the elevation in Hackett Hall) interconnected in their dialogue but separated by the bounds of quarantine."
Unbound at The Blue Room Theatre Reviewed, Pelican Magazine
November 2021
Unbound was the fruition of three years of work that set out to explore the women of The Canon, in particular by the Bard (Shakespeare), through an amalgamation of various existing plays and sonnets.
The three leading sisters - Emilia (from Othello), Ophelia (from Hamlet) and Volumnia (from Coriolanus) - took centre stage in a way unprecedented to any of Shakespeare’s works. Unbound explores their resilience, direction and relationships in the fight to stay fit in a world defined by power and its dynamics.
Power to the [Young] People: An Interview with Lucy Stronach, Pelican Magazine
November 2021
Lucy Stronach, the 2021 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations, is a force to be reckoned with.
In this interview, I sat down with the bright change-maker to discuss the ins and outs of her Australia-wide, year long series of youth consultations, and her resulting views on the issues most important to young Australians today.
![Local A[na]estheTIC ˈləʊk(ə)lˌanɪsˈθɛtɪk est. 2020.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9ce16c_8d568803ebe34e95bc1fc5b84c5b490f~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_940,h_440,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Local%20A%5Bna%5DestheTIC%20%CB%88l%C9%99%CA%8Ak(%C9%99)l%CB%8Can%C9%AAs%CB%88%CE%B8%C9%9Bt%C9%AAk%20est_%202020.png)
Less is not always more, and not always enough, Pelican Magazine
September 2021
Less is more. A phrase used by creatives far and wide to highlight the fact that despite the razzle dazzle of complicated, technical design and creation, sometimes simplicity is the most powerful approach for a creative to undertake.
When viewed from that lens, simplicity, minimalising and Marie-Kondo-ing your work and creative life to suit the exact needs of a client or audience, makes ‘less is more’ sound like the battle cry of empowerment for creatives of all industries.
However, when it comes to the economics of freelancing, and life as a freelance creative, less is in fact, not more.
'BOOM: A Failure Story' Reviewed, Pelican Magazine
September 2021
"Unlike many plays that chase resolutions, full circles, tied knots, and happy endings, BOOM: a failure story, challenges what we perceive to be a good narrative, and flips the conventional on its head by following the plot of an impending crisis – with the natural disaster of choice being the volcanic eruption of Mt. Linguano.....
What I loved about the production was that despite the contextual differences – pandemics and volcanic eruptions are in fact not same, same, but different – the piece offered a great deal of value to be extrapolated to our current lives."
2021 Peafowl Publication, UWA Arts Union
August 2021
The 2021 publication and its accompanying launch night seek to highlight the beauty, richness, diversity, uniqueness and talent in the Arts Degree and across the 30+ majors it holds, by encouraging undergraduate and honours students to submit written and visual pieces related to their major, the arts, or the issue’s annual theme.
The 2021 theme, Scripsi Scriptum, translates from Latin to English as I Wrote The Script.
Thick Boi Film: An Interview with Kayla Barker, Pelican Magazine
August 2021
I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone willing to brave the challenges of analogue photography – its cost, its intricacies, inconveniences and limited availability- all in the pursuit of creating unique, beautiful art that captures the timelessness of frozen moments.
Much like the sentiments that vinyl collectors proudly share over drinks on a night out, there is something fundamentally different about engaging with a timeless – considered by some, dated - artform.
Photo Credit - Patrina Miduku
James Nau Interview, Startmate
August 2021
"One of the most impactful things I took away from James’ talk was that as creatives, we are a powerful storytelling force with an ability to change the world through our craft. Our ability to think dynamically about all the ways we can fix problems, big and small, for clients in our local and global communities is an extraordinary opportunity.
“The great thing about the design industry is that we understand the value of different perspectives and experiences, and get to do something with it.”
Take Off! With Launchpad, Pelican Magazine
May 2021
"The unit itself is modelled around walking into day one with a drive to learn, connect, grow, and adapt in order to tackle a problem you are passionate about, rather than an idea. The workshops naturally progress through stages to better understand one’s problem, questioning: who it impacts and how, what solutions may look like for different audiences, and what you can do to start solving that problem for people within 12 weeks."
Michael Dameski Interview, UMD Voice
April 2021
Having been a fan of Michael Dameski's for years, it was amazing to get together on zoom from opposite ends of the globe to discuss all things dance and life.
Sydney-born Dameski most recently became well known in the U.S. for having competed on season 2 of NBC's World of Dance - and placing as a runner-up due to his incredible, personally choreographed routines and artistic vision.
The Politics of Nationhood, Pelican Magazine
March 2021
"It appears to me that Macedonia is currently tip-toeing along one of the greatest crossroads of its modern history, with a very short time left to reset some of the pathways it walks along now. What is the likeliness of losing or cementing national identity? Will these sacrifices be fundamental to the success of its economy and citizens? What would a resolution of this cultural warfare look like?"
Jessica Stojkovski MLA Interview, UMD Voice
February 2021
"In 2020, Generation M’s Izabela Barakovska had the pleasure of speaking with Australian-Irish politician Jessica Stojkovski, a champion for women in public affairs and a strong advocate for the Australian-Macedonian community."
The Stars That Guide Me, Pelican Magazine
February 2021
"Existing in this limbo of identity marked in badges and photos framed on household walls, and living between histories and identities, has become commonplace. The struggles of minds, memories and traditions across the high number of first- and second-generation migrants in Australia has been displaced over time; the difficult balance of trying to assimilate to a new identity and protect the one you already have, unrecognised."
Lester Prize Exhibition Review, Pelican Magazine
November 2020
"In combining intent, vision, technique and material to canvas, artwork becomes translation – where the artist communicates and shares not only part of their subjects’ story, but part of theirs as well.... The exhibition in and of itself is a testament to the quality of work produced by West Australian artists, and the diversity, authenticity and vulnerability of their (and the greater Australian) passions and stories."
Catalysts and Revolts, Pelican Magazine
May 2020
"So, what makes COVID-19 different?...how do you fight something that is indifferent to race, religion, class, gender or circumstance?" A discussion on the growing social change sweeping the world and how we might be at the end of this global event.
5:58pm, April 23rd, Pelican Magazine
May 2020
"Major life events have a way of teaching us how much we take for granted - good health, freedom of movement, supportive communities, stability, routine, and even our skies. We look to the same skies as artists, musicians, philosophers, leaders, writers and creators. The world beneath those skies constantly shifts and changes, but in their brilliant way, they stay the same. They give us hope and keep us humble." - Pg 13.
All it took was a spark / Modern day monster, Pelican Magazine
April 2020
"Frankenstein’s monster is not too different to the angsty, misunderstood teen phase you had; or the angsty, misunderstood young adult phase you’re having." An analysis of Mary Shelley's 1818 classic through a modern lens.
In Our Future I see, 2019 Australian Youth Representative to the UN Consultation Report
February 2020
“Dr Michael Novak described Australia as a “community not of sameness, but of differences.”....We should be empowering the voices of all youth – regardless of the volume, the quality of English spoken, age or familiar generations in Australia. When multiculturalism runs through bloodlines, curriculums and countries, brilliant things are bound to happen.”
#Onesongonedream - Words with Jaycee and JustPlay Media, Pelican Magazine
January 2020
"The essence of this project lies in ambition and artistic civil disobedience." It's not often Perth gets an artist that is willing to shake things up, but for Jaycee it is just part of the game. I spoke to JustPlay Media founder, Andrew McIvor, along with Jaycee to explore their massive undertaking.
'See You Next Tuesday' Review, Pelican Magazine
June 2019
"Bold, unapologetic, funny and real – See You Next Tuesday is the contemporary bildungsroman tale you didn’t realise you needed (with a bit more kick than what you studied in high school). Written and produced by Sam Nerida and directed by Alexa Taylor, this comedy explores the distastes of dating, sexual empowerment, and what overthinking sounds like, through the life of seventeen-year old Evie."
Learning the Ropes on Diplomacy and Democracy During UN Australia’s Young Diplomats Tour, UMD Voice
June 2019
"Young people, myself and those in my generation, are what I believe to be the instruments of change that are necessary to see conversations and global advancements about politics, gender inequality, opportunity, equity, and environmental issues be facilitated through general entrepreneurial, societal and fundamental movements of change." A reflection on the 2019 UN Youth Young Diplomat's Tour.