EDITORIAL indigo@palatinate.org.uk
The end of another Indigo Editor Honor Douglas reflects on the past academic year
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s the end of yet another academic year comes to a close, the two Rs of ‘reflection’ and ‘regret’ seem to seep into various conversations. It seems impossible not to use this new found, and rare, amount of free time to think about the past year. Regrets can surface about not doing ‘enough’ academic work, ‘enough’ socialising, or writing ‘enough’ for Indigo! There is a pressure among the student cohort of what we ‘should’ be doing when, in reality, this is the time to experiment. The contributors of Indigo this academic year have been able to experiment expressing thoughts about a variety of arts and lifestyle topics. Particularly during this postexam period of less stress, buckets of sunshine and a seemingly never-ending number of balls, experimenting is integral.
There is a pressure among the student cohort of what we ‘should’ be doing when, in reality, this is the time to experiment
a lot of ground in a random yet brilliant combination of articles: Travel and Books prepare us for summer with pieces on solo travel and hot summer reads, while Creative Writing reflect on a key figure in our lives this year, Mr Harry Styles.
We thank everyone involved in Indigo this academic year - contributors, illustrators, editors and readers Sam and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in Indigo this year, but particularly the graduating editors – we cannot wait to see and appreciate your future journalistic endeavours. Indigo is an integral part of Palatinate, and your devotion to its longevity this year does not go unnoticed. Indigo love. Happy summer holidays and congratulations to graduating Indigo contributors, editors and readers alike!
Photograph of the week by Amana Moore
In my final editorial as Indigo Editor, the noun ‘reflection’ is ever-present in my mind. However, there cannot be any regrets. The contributions this academic year have exceeeded every expectation: we have had more views online, continued to thrive as a free print student newspaper, and have won awards for our incredible illustrations. When it comes to Indigo, our sections disassociate with the verb ‘regret’ and instead focus their vision on the future: in particular, the summer ahead. This edition of Indigo, like the whole of this term, covers
CONTENT
TEAM
CONTACT
Film and TV (Page 3), Food and Drink (Page 4 & 5), Features (Page 6), Style (Page 7), Travel (Page 8), Interview (Page 9), Visual Arts (Page 10), Stage (Page 11), Creative Writing (Page 12), Music (Page 13), Books (Pages 14 & 15)
Honor Douglas, Samuel Lopes, Nicole Wu, Christian Bland, Cameron Beech, Isobel Tighe, Miriam Mitchell, Imogen Marchant, Ruhee Parelkar, Gracie Linthwaite, Holly Downes, Charlotte Grimwade, Grace Marshall, Millie Stott, Ella Al-Khalil Coyle, Nia Kile, Emerson Shams, Tom Benns, Annabelle Bulag, Grace Jessop, Anna Johns, Lara Maomar, Josie Lockwood, Ben Smart and Saniya Saraf
www.palatinate.org.uk
Indigo logo: Adeline Zhao Cover image: Anna Kuptsova Closing image: James Tilltoson
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Illustration credits (from left): Adeline Zhao, Amana Moore
FILM & TV film@palatinate.org.uk
Bede Film Society: 60 years of screenings Freya Williams provides insight into the history of Durham’s oldest student-run cinema
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ike all Durham colleges, Hild Bede is home to a varied and vibrant student community, reflected in the breadth of its resident societies. Unlike all Durham colleges, however, one of these societies is the university’s oldest, cheapest, and only studentrun cinema, aptly named Bede Film Society. Currently operating out of the college’s Caedmon Hall, Bede Film Society (and its executive committee) is open to students from across all Durham colleges. With a mixed programme including the newest blockbusters, foreign language and independent films, and ticket prices as low as £2 for members and £4 for nonmembers, it offers an unbeatably accessible cinema experience to Durham’s students.
Reaching their sixtieth year has not been without its challenges This experience is by no means a novelty – the Society has been running since 1962 and is thus so old that it predates the founding of Hild Bede’s merged entity of what were previously single-sex colleges. Originally, screenings were exclusively of 16mm films however, sixty years later, there’s been a significant technological upgrade thanks to generous alumni donations. The Society now makes use of a professional digital projector and Dolby Surround Sound system. This term, the Society celebrated their sixtieth anniversary in style with a black-tie screening of Dr No, the first film in the Bond franchise which was released in the same year as their founding. There was also a special showing of Mamma Mia!, hotly anticipated not only as a celebration of the end of this year’s exams, but also of the reintroduction of pick and mix tubs for sale.
Image credits: Mabel Calvert
Reaching their sixtieth year has not been without its challenges, as the effects of the pandemic saw showings cancelled and audience numbers subjected to tight restrictions. Despite encouraging signs of recovery in its popularity, the Society’s future is now under a new threat, as university development plans for Hild Bede include the demolition of Caedmon Hall, which is currently the only known site in the university that can adequately support the Society’s equipment. Until Caedmon is closed at the end of this term, Bede Film Society’s showings will continue as normal with The Batman, The Worst Person in The World, and Dr Strange in The Multiverse of Madness scheduled for the coming weeks.
An unparalleled opportunity for students to engage with a wide range of films For Hild Bede’s Principal, Professor Simon Forrest, Bede Film Society’s importance should not be underestimated. He poignantly states that “there are many wonders in Durham, the brightest among them are most often to be found in the student-led elements of our collegial, academic and professional lives. Bede Film Society burns very bright for me in stellar company. It has the charm that arises from a surge of student interest in doing something simple, brilliant, and simply brilliant and founding a cinema. It has endured for years— six decades now—and that means twenty generations of students have sat together, pick and mix in hand and enjoyed great films at low prices in their own Hollywood. Whenever I stand in the battered but majestic Caedmon Hall I see the silver screen, and whenever I enter our college reception the tickets and advertising proudly displayed from the Society’s earliest years. It brings me home to what matters about what we do and the pleasures we can create and share. I look forward to sixty
more years of Durham’s oldest student cinema and knowing it has outlived me because it is the stuff of which we are made.” Bede Film Society truly is a gem: an unparalleled opportunity for students to engage with a wide range of films, gain hands-on experience of running a licensed cinema with professional equipment, and enjoy a space of communal, filmic respite from the intensity of Durham’s vigorous academic terms. Its own story is as important as any it shows on its screen. If you would like to support Bede Film Society, follow them on Instagram and Facebook for more information on their screenings, and have a listen to their weekly Purple Radio Arts Podcast.
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FOOD & DRINK food@palatinate.org.uk
British tradition in all its finery Emily Doughty delves into the history and variations of the afternoon tea
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fternoon tea is as British as the Queen herself. Invented in the 1840s by Anna Maria Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, to stave off her hunger between lunch and dinner, it became the hallmark of fashionable society. Any aspirational hostess offered afternoon tea.
While the society for which afternoon tea was invented has ceased to exist, consigned to the works of Jane Austen and Bridgerton, it has remained an important part of British tradition. My first experience of Durham is intertwined with afternoon tea, when we went for afternoon tea in the city to celebrate my university offer (incidentally that day was my first taste of Durham nightlife!). However, afternoon tea is often seen to be stuck in the society that invented it, symbolising a version of ‘Britishness’ which does not represent the country today. How many students would you see eating an egg and cress sandwich while running to lectures? How many school children would willingly eat smoked salmon with cream cheese? Would Kenneth Grahame’s praise of “a little pot of mustard” really still strike a chord today? And that is just the sandwiches. So if we consider the sandwiches; the scones that cause more debate than they are sometimes worth; the cakes which are always slightly too sweet, and the tea which only some like (Earl Grey can prove very controversial) it leads to the question: how can we defend afternoon tea, representative of a bygone era? Despite what this article may suggest, I love afternoon tea. I love it because that assessment is unfair. I love it because there is always the option to go formal and live your fantasy as one of the Bridgerton sisters as you declare your love for an earl. I love it because afternoon tea has, and will, change further. It’s no longer a delicacy you eat to pass the hours between meals — it can be anything. Google ‘afternoon tea’ and you can see the wide variety of options available — sushi afternoon tea, gentleman’s tea and even afternoon tea which allows you to make your own experiments. It is no longer sandwiches and scones: afternoon tea can seemingly be anything as long as it’s on a pretty stand. It has moved away from drawing rooms to fit the changing tastes of twenty-first century dining needs while remaining a special occasion for those who choose to partake. I myself have enjoyed afternoon tea in a variety of forms, most notably sushi, to celebrate many milestones, from exams results, to birthdays, even to celebrate the results of a bet. These have been at various locations with an assortment of food but all could have been said to be afternoon tea. Closer afield, in Durham, the afternoon tea on offer doesn’t always conform to the stereotypical ideas of the treat. Vennels offers it with quiche, the Radisson Blu gives you champagne alongside the tea and there is even one that is themed around Alice in Wonderland. No one is alike but all are afternoon tea. The only notable exception to this is Beamish, which is forgivable since sushi afternoon tea would be out of place in a 1900s town; though if they ever wanted to brainstorm new ideas, I am always available! I think it’s correct to hold up and defend afternoon tea as we headed into Jubilee Weekend. Like our country, afternoon tea is something that, while ideas around it have changed, is still quintessentially British. It is no longer a rigid custom for the few, but an enjoyable experience for anyone. With its multiple iterations, it has evolved to accommodate the needs of the 21st-century. Britain has come a long way since Queen Elizabeth’s coronation and the same can be said for Afternoon Tea. So how do we defend afternoon tea? We defend it in its evolution and we celebrate the fact that after almost 300 years since it was invented, it still is a entertaining way to spend an afternoon. What other tradition can you say that about? And if I were pushed to name the best Afternoon Tea in the world? Well, all I can say is that the Running Fox in Northumberland may be the one to try out!
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Illustration credit: Rosie Bromiley
FOOD & DRINK food@palatinate.org.uk
Sumptuous summer sipping
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Erin Waks shares a list of the best summer drinks
hen summer comes around, nothing quite beats an evening, or an afternoon, of sipping ice-cold beverages on a garden terrace, at a picnic or even in a bar. There is a plethora of options available, whether you like alcoholic cocktails, coffee-based drinks or even mocktails. As we enter the summer season in the UK, with (marginally) higher temperatures, I thought it paramount we compile a list of the best seasonal drinks for you to test — or to enjoy glass after glass…
Iced Latte
English Garden
For a drink that suits any time of day, nothing beats an iced latte. Basic, I know, but it really is worth the hype. If, like me, you are constantly looking for a caffeine fix, a simple iced latte will hit the spot. But for fans of a sweeter taste, try adding a salted caramel or vanilla syrup to inject a squirt of flavour into your daily coffee!
The most underrated of summer drinks, the gin-based English cocktail is the epitome of garden party beverage. Not too sweet, but with more fruity falvours than a classic G&T, this British drink is a summertime classic that should not be missed.
Aperol Spritz
A couple of weeks ago, I sat on a terrace with friends whilst they pondered the drinks section of the menu. I watched them debate between various pints, spritz-related drinks, and mixers with a range of spirits. As for me, though, I knew what I wanted the second we sat down. There is nothing quite like the sharp tang of aperol, combined with prosecco and soda water, on a hot afternoon. Pair with Italian food for a real European vibe, or just drink alone for a tart yet sweet summer drink.
Peach Margarita
I’ll admit, I am not always a fan of the sweetest drinks. But I will make an exception for a peach margarita. For fans of tequila and fruit, this one is for you, and can be made with most fruit juice flavours. Order at a bar or make at home with tequila, triple sec, lime and peach schnapps for a delicious, fruity cocktail that might just lead to you seeing the world sideways — unless you can hold your tequila.
Frosé
The only thing better than a cold glass of rosé is a glass of frosé. For all intents and purposes, it is basically an alcohol slushie, and you can make it effortlessly at home by blending rosé, strawberries, and ice together. An excellent accompaniment to a summer barbeque and it can easily be made with non-alcoholic wine for a lighter effect. And there you have it: my (totally unbiased) compilation of summer drinks, each perfect for a sunny day with friends. Summer is, in my opinion, the best season of the year, and so the drinks which flow throughout should be equally exquisite.
Illustration credit: Rosie Bromiley
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FEATURES features@palatinate.org.uk
The pride in me Food and Drink Editor Emerson Shams explains what Pride means to them
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ride, in the sense of queer Pride, has not been something I’ve experienced much of in my life. From my sheltered upbringing, in which I only realised my gender identity at 18, to Covid-19 stopping me from living my truth, pride was not always innate within me. However, for me, Pride also goes beyond my queerness, it cannot be disconnected from my intersectionalities as a disabled, mixed-race person. To have pride in myself has been a struggle my entire life. Nonetheless, over time I have learnt to show pride not only for my community by attending events, but also pride for myself.
I learnt what it meant to have pride in my whole self When I first learnt of Pride, I was 16. The Orlando shooting had just happened about a thirty-minute drive away from my house. This was the first time in my life that I saw my home covered in rainbows with everyone in the community coming together to let queer people know they would be safe. There was a march of mourning and protest. Pride was always a protest to me since it involved fighting for queer rights. I supported it, quietly and from afar because I had only just had my first thought that I could be queer, which didn’t sit easily with me. I didn’t want another reason for people to ostracise me so I thought I can
just not be, but I will fight for those who are because no one should feel like this. I attended my first Pride in Durham in 2018 clad in my Doc Martens with rainbow laces and my shirt which said ‘shoot rainbows into fascism’ (designed by Ozzie Wright). I had cut off my hair a week earlier and had come out to my university friends the month before. I felt strong and powerful, but even more, it was like a weight had been taken off my chest and I could finally breathe. I had thought I had done the hard work; I had fully accepted myself. This was far from true, accepting oneself when you’re surrounded by supportive people is easy. This period in my life could best be described as my insecure period, I had to tell everyone who I was and what I stood for and even an accidental misgendering by someone who did not know me drove me to insanity. To summarise, it was not a chill time but it was an important time. It solidified my identity, helped me to learn not everyone is either malicious or kind, and that ultimately words are just words. In March 2020, I flew back home in a rush
To have pride in myself has been a struggle my entire life to my family. They live in Southwest Asia in a country where my mere existence is looked down on. I was unable to leave for over a year due to travel restrictions. My family and I took the period to reconnect with our land and our culture. It grounded us all. From my research, I began to learn that the homophobia and sexism that existed in my modern society were the consequence of colonialism and imperialism in my region. I discovered that there were accomplished women throughout my history and that queer Europeans used to run away to my lands to escape persecution. I learnt how one of our most beloved poets was probably queer. I learnt that I could love
me for being queer. The saddest thing was that I realised my queer bubble of friends at university had been the most destructive. Many of them, mostly the white ones, often told me that I was “safe now away from [my] family” and that my life would be better once I disconnected as it was an “uncivilised and hateful” culture. Meanwhile, over my time at home, I came out to some of my family and friends and they accepted me fully with open arms. I learnt what it meant to have pride in my whole self. Today, I exude pride in everything I do. However, I have to say thank you to all the other people who have been in my place before me, living on the edge of everything and trying to make their own existence a happy one. From queer individuals, like Marsha P. Johnson, at Stonewall in the 1960s to every decolonial movement, including that of Edward Said, I am grateful. I hope that my writing and my
I felt strong and powerful myself as a queer person and a member of my community. This was a rhetoric which I had never been told before. In fact, I was told the opposite, that I will never find love in any of my communities, whether it was my white side hating me for being Arab, or the Arabs hating
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existence continue to expand the parameters of society, allows others to live their truth and to have pride in themselves. As Lao Tzu said “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”
Illustration: Anna Kuptsova
STYLE style@palatinate.org.uk
Fashion is for everyone Food and Drink editor Emerson Shams discusses how fashion is becoming more inclusive
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ashion is in a new era, that is undeniable. And as someone who is a fashion history aficionado (if I do say so myself), I would argue this is the beginning of the Golden Age of Inclusion. While there is still a good way to go before we, as a society, reach full inclusion, the effects of the body positive movements of the 2010s can already be seen in mainstream fashion. Which has also changed its location. I would argue that mainstream fashion now exists more on social end than media sites like Instagram and Tiktok, rather than the runway. And I believe this social preference change is linked to the fact that fashion is more accessible than ever through these platforms. For a long time, the concept of who was permitted to be fashionable laid in the realm that a specific body shape must be displayed by the clothing. In the 1950s this was the bombshell hourglass and in the 1990s this was the waifish boney boyish body and in the 2010s it was the ‘Kim Kardashian’. These body shapes were essentially made mandantory by the fashion industry through the production of clothing and undergarments meant to exaggerate the features that were considered pleasing on other bodies. However, beyond the obvious issues of this supporting diet culture, eating disorders and sometimes physically harming people, basing fashion on a specific body type further pushed those from marginalised backgrounds further onto the sidelines. Now, things are luckily changing. This can be contributed to a number of factors from Covid-19 and the other social movements of the early 2020s having a large effect on international culture (primarily in the sense that being at home meant people have started to prioritise comfort and many people gained weight and many others started their own fashion brands when they lost their main job). This can best be seen through the resurgence
Image credit: Jackson David via Unsplash
of Y2K fashion which many have associated with the connection to the very hard to obtain body figure. Many, including myself, feared that the revival of this fashion would bring the revival of the shape. Yet instead, Generation Z have tackled this through forming an inspired style which respects all forms. With many independent designers leaning more towards size inclusive sizes, and other diminishing the concept of gendered clothing groups. Fast fashion was quick to follow and now on websites like ASOS offer clothes to a wide range. And yes, fast fashion is bad, but sometimes it’s the only option to some as slow fashion companies do not fully have access to the resources needed to supply styles in such a number of sizes. Additionally, not everyone can afford the rates which are deserving of ethical fashion brands, but that’s more a critique on the lack of livible wages available nevertheless thrivable wages. Consumption habits are more important than where you buy from. Regardless, its obvious that the focus is now searching for ones aesthetic not a unattainable body shape. And that is further emphasised by the movements seen on Instagram and TikTok where designers and models of all aesthetic have a platform to equally display
the website, doesn’t represent everyone. While the body positivity movement has been focused primarily on fighting fatphobia, an area that definitely still needs more work, the offshoots of it have also meant that we are seeing more disabled and models of colour become mainstream right now as well. On Tiktok and Instagram, we have people such as April Lockhart (@aprillockhart), who does ‘get ready with me’ (‘GRWM’) videos which showcase how she dresses trendy as an amputee. Very famously there are also the fashion and makeup videos made by wheelchair users such as Aaron Rose Philip (@aaron__philip), Madison Lawson (@wheelchairbarbie), and Clara Holmes (@rollinfunky). These models’ work all underline how through their content they normalise disabled and POC bodies, as well as show them in a light which exemplifies the fact that all bodies are beautiful and can be fashionable. For truly the only people who are unfashionable are the ones dressed poorly out of their lack of care; for any effort is fashionable. In fact, beyond the social media models, we are seeing mainstream models also embrace their disabilities. This is best seen at the MET Gala 2022, where Cara Delevigne specifically highlighted her psoriasis by not covering it with the same gold body paint as was seen on the rest of her. And, by Lila Moss, Kate Moss’s daughter, who proudly wore her diabetes pump
It is obvious that the focus is now searching for one’s aesthetic, not a unattainable body shape. their styles. Moreover, it also permits people to show what clothes look like on a range of body types. Which is important as the model in the photograph on
which was visible on her outer thigh. From physical to mental disabilities to Queer/ Transgender/Intersex people to models of colour to plus-size models, the representation is there. All these creators are showing everyone that fashion is for every body type regardless if that body is Queer, disabled or melanin blessed.
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TRAVEL travel@palatinate.org.uk
The Joys (and Tribulations) of Travelling Solo Goya Verity
T
he thrill of stepping onto the plane at Heathrow airport, alone, is
to see the world for yourself and on your own terms. Having spent the last two years in and out of national lockdowns and trapped by travel restrictions, for many of us delaying or cancelling travel plans to accommodate friends and family is no longer an easy or desirable choice. Solo travelling can take various forms, and each traveller has their own reason for wanting to journey alone: it might be an attempt to overcome a personal fear on a simple return backpacking for months on end. Facing the world alone, whether that be the hustle and bustle of Istanbul or the undulating hills of the Scottish Highlands, can be an enriching experience: not only can the trip be tailored to your own passions, needs, and wellbeing, but overcoming personal battles in the face of adversity can lead to a greater appreciation of your own self-identity and capabilities. The holiday can be a no-compromise, no-restrictions trip, at your own pace without consulting anyone else but your own heart and soul (and your bank account). Besides, having a liberating personalised itinerary, solo travelling is a detach yourself from day-to-day reality – the reason why many travellers decide to go Yet detaching yourself completely from the familiar can leave you vulnerable and isolated, and while loneliness and being alone are not the same, one may start to feel like the other, affecting the morale of the trip. This might manifest itself in various ways, such as the awkwardness of eating alone, though upon: people will not judge you as much as you think, particularly 8
in parts of the world that are rife with solotravelling alone, but it can be a rewarding experience to reach out and interact with the locals and culture of your host country. Meeting people along the way is, in fact, an inevitable part of the experience — it can be as easy as sharing a hostel room with friendly travellers or booking a popular tour or route to strike up a conversation with other solo and group-goers; such places are the crossroads of the adventurous and it is almost impossible not to meet like-minded people. The
experience also presents a social opportunity to introduce yourself on your own terms and in your true colours to the people you meet rather than acting as one of a group – a big
While travelling alone can be incredibly empowering, such an adventure should not be untaken without adequate preparation and planning. Without a companion, the responsibility to enjoy and protect yourself exists in equal measure: female and minority travellers in particular must consider personal safety more meticulously without the mutual protection of a pack. With the right research into avoiding dangerous neighbourhoods and sly scams, however, it is possible to travel anywhere. Travelling solo, however, could also be more expensive than travelling in a group or pair because the economy of scale is not on your side. Still, one might argue that the beauty of solo travelling is priceless. A solo odyssey is not only an exciting way to experience the world, but one which can build relationships with other people, and most importantly, with yourself: to those who fear this solitary adventure: can get by with a little help from your friends and fellow travellers you meet along the way. Travelling alone is recognised to be immensely joys, triumphs and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and if it is also interspersed with challenges and hardships that have to be overcome, the experience is all the richer for it.
Image credit: Gracie Linthwaite
INTERVIEW indigo.interview@palatinate.org.uk
In conversation with Ahir Shah Flo Clifford meets with stand-up comedian Ahir Shah to talk about how the pandemic has impacted upon his career
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s Britain slowly emerges from nearly two years of life in hibernation, with most human interaction through a screen, we can celebrate the return of live theatre and comedy: finally, we’ve got something to laugh about. I recently spoke with Ahir Shah, a London-born stand-up comedian. Shah has been twice nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, is a veteran of numerous sellout tours, and has performed on everything from Live at the Apollo to Mock the Week. Shah started doing stand-up aged 15, “more than a half-lifetime ago,” at his dad’s suggestion. He continued throughout school and university, embarking on a comedy career uninterrupted but for the pandemic, when “stand-up was functionally illegal.” Naturally this time as an “active public health risk” was challenging, but Shah recounts that as attempts at Zoom comedy got underway, he was sceptical. “Everyone was getting all of these webcams and microphones - I was very adamant that, ‘you’re all going to look very silly, when three weeks from now, everything’s back to normal!’ But that was me being extraordinarily Panglossian. We did the Zoom things for ages; they definitely had a time and a place; they made me feel like I was going fully insane, so I’m at least grateful that we’re able to do it in person again.”
The last couple of years have been so massively absurd that comedy weirdly fits well with it Shah reflects that “the last couple of years have been so massively absurd that comedy weirdly fits well with it, because once we get over the fear and sadness that articulated a lot of what we went through, there is a ridiculousness and silliness to take from it as well. I, like everyone, have no interest in dwelling on or living in that period. Equally, I think it’s interesting that we went through a collective, gigantic psychological shock, so there is a balance to be struck.” Another topic of his material is politics, but he says that “I think that we’re currently led by a man that’s too self-satirising to make much of… I don’t con myself into thinking that political humour or satire is going to be anything other than Image credit: The Other Richard
something that makes us feel a bit better, but I think it’s good for all of us that we’re allowed to come out and say, ‘what these guys are doing is insane,’ particularly at the moment.” That brings us onto the live experience of comedy itself and his recent tours. Shah describes his favourite moment onstage in recent memory as “the 6th June 2021, when we were finally able to film my last show [of his 2019 tour, DOTS], which was supposed to have been filmed on the 31st March 2020. As you may recall there were a few things which distracted our ability to do that! Being able to get properly back onstage and to do that thing which had been hanging over the entire pandemic experience… I felt like a comedian again.”
I think that being a stand-up comedian sounds about as sensible as anything else really! He describes the “sheer breadth” of places on tour as one of the most exciting things about the job: “I’m coming to Durham, I’ve also been to Denmark, I wish I knew more places that alliterated… Delhi! I think that’s the really fun thing - as long as you remember and don’t find yourself accidentally telling a joke about John Major to a bunch of Danish people, you’re alright.” He recounts his only previous experience of Durham as “just to watch the cricket, and I’d not slept, so it was a deeply confusing experience - but it’s a very nice town and it’s lovely to be able to explore the length and breadth of the country again in a way that I’ve really missed.” We turn to discussing student life. Standup at university, for him, “felt really valuable.” Unlike some of his friends, who had a clear idea of what they wanted to do post-uni, for Shah “the under-
graduate thing was much more about work-
ing out what I was into, as much as anything else.” What he was really interested in turned out to be “jokes - to a strange degree! I hope that now people are able to be together again and congregate that they’re going to have more time and space to be able to work that out - that’s so much of what [university] is about. You can do a lecture over Zoom, but you can’t work things like that out.” He notes that the pandemic’s effect on young people was “a hundred times more fullon than whatever impact it had on me. Anyone who had to cope with the last two years in any sort of educational setting - I’m so in awe and sorry that that had to happen!” I ask if he has any advice for students interested in having a go at stand-up, to which he quickly replies: “Stay off my fucking turf! No, I think under normal circumstances I would say ‘what a fascinating life choice that would be,’ but given the state of the labour market and housing market and everything else that you’re going to be graduating into after a degree, most of which had to be conducted via a computer screen, I think that being a stand-up comedian sounds about as sensible as anything else really!” Ultimately, as he sums up: “We’re all fucked: may as well have a laugh about it.”
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Visual Arts visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk
Homosexuality on the Canvas Visual Arts contributors contemplate a selection of paintings depicting homosexuality Erin Waks: John Yeadon
British artist John Yeadon is known for his work exploring politics, sexuality, food and carnival. However, it is his provocaive work from the 1980s which has inspired the most critical debate. The reason? His choice of theme – male sexuality. This is evident in two of his major works, ‘Modern Art, Disco Drawing’, and ‘Happy Families’.
Diverges from the heteronormativity of much modern art In the former, Yeadon brings to light the lived experience of gay people within society. Its antirealist style provides an element of comedy and lightness to the piece. The colour, glitter and lights displayed on the painting create a sort of disco effect, as the title of the painting would suggest, bringing a carnival atmosphere to the piece. By depicting a relationship between two men, Yeadon’s piece diverges from the heteronormativity of much modern art, instead giving an insight into a homosexulal couple.
Yeadon brings to light the lived experience of gay people within society By contrast, in ‘Happy Families’, which relates to Yeadon’s own fantasies, the artist becomes more explicit. Focusing on the male form, as well as the male relationship, this life-size series of drawings alternatively demonstrates Yeadon’s ablility to elucidate the depth of these relatioships through the medium.
Ælfred Hillman: Tamara De Lempicka
As we recognise the impact gay art has had on the LGBT+ movement, it is important to reflect that in spite of the central role queerness plays in the artistic identities of many, no artist should be credited with the invention of ‘gay
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art’. The common cultural impulse to associate art with sexuality has certainly benefitted established artists. Inducting Michelangelo and Caravaggio into the LGBT+ corpus has only increased their contemporary relevance, but it equally risks making more recent arrivals no more than the sum of their sexuality.
contributing element to her vision of egalitarian voyeurism, blurring into the wider makeup of a privileged and distinct cultural context.
Pushing the naked human form into the Art Deco style
In the 1960s, a landmark moment where open discussion of gay rights started gaining ground, the British art scene was lucky enough to witness the birth of David Hockney’s most vibrant and controversial series of artworks – his self-proclaimed ‘homosexual propaganda’. He painted arrays of naked men inside immaculate showers and on the side of glistening turquoise pools on canvas.
Interestingly, there are many queer female artists who have vehemently attempted to omit the depiction of overt sexuality in their works. Artists such as Gluck, Romaine Brooks and Tamara De Lempicka demonstrate an intriguing reticence in their depictions of their partners, flouting the brazen beauty of sexual freedom in order to resist the domination of the male gaze. Of the three, Lempicka is perhaps the most remarkable, because her female lovers are not distanced through the acclimatisation of male fashions. Her engagement with the masculine tradition of the female nude makes her work the easiest to interpret impulsively, in sexual terms. Yet the uneasy androgyny and reticence she employs, pushing the naked human form into the Art Deco style so it becomes unified with the propulsive flow of modern energies makes such a reading untenable. Lempicka’s queerness is reduced to only one
Margot McDonald: David Hockney’s ‘Domestic Scene, Los Angeles’
An air of sensual affection permeates the atmosphere of the painting Painted in 1963, ‘Domestic Scene, Los Angeles’, sees Hockney boldly depict the theme of gay sexuality through the subject matter of two male nudes helping each other wash. The central figure of the composition, whose genitalia is covered by a minuscule towel, is placed in front of his partner. Although at first glance, the two men seem misplaced in such a surrounding – one might ask why Hockney decided to place a shower inside a house’s lounge – the clear modelling of their bodies allows the viewer to forget these technical ambiguities.
Demonstrates Hockney’s mastery in the art generating an honest dialogue about gay intimacy An air of sensual affection permeates the atmosphere of the painting if we appreciate the level of detail Hockney applied to the first male figure’s body language: his head is gently tilted, hand stretched out to scrub his partner’s back, fully concentrating on the naked form that lies before him. This undeniably demonstrates Hockney’s mastery in the art of generating an honest dialogue about gay intimacy. Although he does not mention his experiences explicitly, I believe he draws on the raw emotions he felt as an openly gay man in the 1960s, when being daring about such subjects came at a price.
Illustration (from left to right): Verity Laycock and Victoria Cheng
STAGE stage@palatinate.org.uk
Prima Facie Michelle Leung reviews Jodie’s Comer one-woman show debut
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odie Comer, perhaps best known for her portrayal of the assassin Villanelle in the television series Killing Eve, made her West End stage debut in April this year. In this one-woman play, Prima Facie, written by Suzie Miller, Comer plays Tessa Ensler, a young defence barrister specialising in sexual assault cases who then, unfortunately, becomes a rape victim herself.
Her energy never falters and it keeps the audience gripped for 100 minutes. The set of the play is simple but effective: floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with legal files, impressive oak desks and leather chairs, and a few accessories. Comer is tasked with moving the heavy furniture around whilst delivering her lines. The occasional knocking-over of the lamps or glasses of water did not halt her performance. Comer skilfully incorporates them into her constant motions, gracing the entire stage comfortably. Her energy never falters and it keeps the audience gripped for 100 minutes. The play starts off with Comer’s Tessa swaggering across the stage. She picks out the case files and boasts about how she can play the court and jury in the palm of her hands – and win. Tessa is professional. Tessa is confident. Tessa is bold. She almost goes on an adrenaline high as she re-enacts her successful court cases on top of the tables and smugly tells her office sex tales. After Tessa is assaulted by her colleague, Julian, every detail in Comer’s acting switches. Her body language becomes stiff. The fluidity in Tessa’s words suddenly clogs up and she is unable to retell her story. Those who have watched any of Comer’s previous works will know that the subtle changes in her facial expressions are often what inject her characters with the charisma needed to bring the storytelling to the next level. Prima Facie is no exception. Tessa’s originally complacent appearance suddenly becomes numb, strained, and distanced. At this point, the stage is being soaked under pelting rain and manic flashes of light. Comer’s fans would also know that the actress has a knack for accents. In Prima Facie, she reverts back to her roots for Tessa’s working-class Liverpudlian background. However,
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Comer cleverly tweaks the Scouse accent for certain parts because Tessa had studied at Cambridge University, and was forced to lose some of the distinctive vowel pronunciations in hopes to fit in with her much posher peers and colleagues. Miller also makes Tessa perform many typical actions of sexual assault victims: scrubbing her entire body after being assaulted, deleting text messages with the perpetrator, and most crucially, doubting herself and her memories. These points, along with the fact that Tessa and Julian have previously had consensual sex, all contributed to the unsuccessful prosecution in court. The evidence given simply was not concrete enough and Tessa was not able to win over the jury. Prima Facie brings about the important conversation of sexual assault. It shows both the victim’s perspective and some of the legal proceedings. One in three women have been sexually assaulted and that is a shamefully staggering number. However, many of these women do not get justice because the conviction outcome relies heavily on proof provided by the victim. But in such a scarring traumatic event, how is the victim supposed to accurately remember details of the assault? This problem often weakens the prosecution’s case, allowing the perpetrator to slip away, unpunished. ‘On the face of it, something has to change’ is the tagline for Prima Facie. And things really do need to change. This is because nearly 33% of rape victims withdraw their complaints shortly after statements are recorded. They were likely pressured to do so, or just felt immense shame from the situation, which is horribly saddening. It also takes over two years between the sexual offence and court hearing, a long time for the victim to be suffering in silence. Then tragically, after all of that waiting, only 1.3% of rapes are prosecuted. The law is failing to protect many. Prima Facie is truly a dramatically and impactfully emotional masterpiece. Tears were shed for the writing, Comer’s acting, and most importantly, for all the sexual assault victims who have had to experience such trauma.
‘On the face of it, something has to change’ is the tagline for Prima Facie. And things really do need to change. Prima Facie will be available to watch on National Theatre Live from July. If you or anyone you know has been affected by rape or sexual assault, contact your nearest sexual assault referral centre (SARC) for medical advice, forensic examination, and other types of support. SARC services are free of charge andare provided to anyone, regardless of age or gender.
Image credit : R K via Flickr
CREATIVE WRITING creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk
You know it’s not the same Rosie Nicholls and Eunice Wu are inspired by Harry Styles’ new album, Harry’s House
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his poem is inspired by ‘Matilda’, one of the songs featured on Harry Styles’ new album, Harry’s House. The song is slower-paced and has a reflective tone, channeling themes of change and being in conflict with our past. These themes spoke to me most prominently, and are reflected in the following free verse poem, which discusses these internal battles we all have, and coming to terms with them.
While some days are filled with mauve, slate, ash Others burst with ochre, cyan, sage.
“It’s all I ever dreamt of.”
Wax and Wane By Rosie Nicholls Daylight filters through, Pouring sun into morning twilight. Get up, get dressed, get ready To face the day. Hair tied back, smile on face Some days are easier than others.
I dreamt of metamorphosis; of trading my abundance of melanin for a dash of bleach. Every silky strand would merely coalesce into a black void regardless of hairstyle, the depths of a place where values of modesty from my culture would gladly lurk. It seemed as if colouring one’s hair would be to dishonour one’s roots, discarding the natural gifts passed on to you by past generations. But I wanted more from my locks than to parade around my heritage, I wanted them to be an asset, an expression of who I was separate from my culture.
I like the mornings, a time when The world sighs with sleep I sit, solitary, sipping coffee At peace with my thoughts As the sun rises higher, higher And the world rumbles on, with prosaic rhythm.
For some reason my salon appointment made me nervous. Was I ready to wreak havoc on my hair follicles and endure years of split ends to come? Yes, nothing some patience can’t fix. Was I ready to realise this image of myself that had only ever existed in my fantasies? Not at all, but alas the stylist took charge and soon enough my hair was lathered in dye. I bore no grudge against my black hair, thus it was not a victorious moment as if watching chemicals rain upon the enemy, but rather it was me standing in the cusp of night and day, witnessing as the sun inherits from the moon. Both of equal prowess.
Each of us has our morning routine, How we prepare to face the day, How we paint over our shadows And the cracks we hope to fill To appear present, fully functioning As if nothing were ever wrong. These shadows wax and wane Like the phases of the moon Time changes Like the push and pull of the tide Some days, the past can pull too hard And you can sink beneath the surface. But other days are bright, so bright Pouring sun into morning twilight For we are not black and white, But a technicolour palette
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Cusp By Eunice Wu Each strand began to lighten, as if they had been drained of all life and its youthful zeal. He carefully detangled each piece of foil as if my hair were a delicate piece of fabric embroidered with threads of aluminium. My hair dazzled under the salon lights, as if caught under the fervent camera flashes of those who came to catch a glimpse of her style.
So let the past push and pull, For your days of dark will wax and wane. You are strong, and you are bright, Not defined by every peak and trough. Hair tied back, smile on face Ready for a day you deserve to embrace.
Months later I noticed black roots peeking out from beneath the ashes of my burnt scalp. Perhaps I should honour them by letting them grow and thrive. After all, as the sun sets and night falls, the moon will rise again.
Image credit: Victoria Cheng
MUSIC music@palatinate.org.uk
Catching up with Intoxicated Octopus Music Editor Annabelle Bulag sits down with student band ‘Intoxicated Octopus’
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lustering over a phone speaker, Intoxicated Octopus roar with laughter. The line crackles with indignation as they throw playful insults back and forth. After a bit more discussion (“Do you want to be on video call?” “No.”), ‘Grandad’ Dylan Morris (Bassist) is out of play whilst across the room from me are vocalist Molly Kavanagh (Vocalist) on her own chair and a tight huddle on a sofa like leather-jacket wearing penguins of instrumentalists Olly Martin (Guitarist), Mark Hudson (Drummer) and Charlotte Kimble (Guitarist). Intoxicated Octopus popped out of a pandemic dream, exploding onto the Durham music scene post-Covid. The five core members were brought together out of chance with Dylan Morris kicking it all off - taking advantage of the wonders of Facebook and word of mouth, the puzzle became complete. Even if it took a meal deal to get there.
“II was eating a meal deal and was asked if I could learn this set, said I’d give it a try… Got away with that and I was in the band.”
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So what does Intoxicated Octopus actually mean? Charlotte Kimble (CK): Coming up with band names is hard - it was a random mash of name ideas. And then we got Intoxicated Octopus and it clicked. Olly Martin (OM): Yeah, though we used to have four arms, we’re now a core five and still Intoxicated! How do you go about devising a set? Mark Hudson (MH): Bit of a mess to be honest. We all suggest 5/6 songs each and put them in a spreadsheet, whittling down to 15 eventually. Basically, we just thrown all the suggestions out and see what sticks. OM: Finding a balance between what we know what people want to hear and what we want to play. We like to rock up pop songs. We don’t want to rehash what’s been done on the record otherwise you might as well plug in your phone to the speaker. We look how to put our own rock flavours in the covers we play. Since Durham is known to be home to a repetitive music scene - hello ABBA! How do you manage the balance between wanting to play what you want to play as well as keeping the crowd engaged with things they already know? Molly Kavanagh (MK): It’s a lot of trial and error. You can tell immediately when a crowd doesn’t like it. We do have a strict veto on Mr Brightside or Wonderwall. I mean, we’ve even been banned from playing Oasis songs at the Angel!
CK: Yeah, you get a feel for events and you go for the vibes of an event. MH: Charlotte and my taste is often a bit heavier so we lean more a bit more to that. It’s got to the point that nobody dislikes any of the the songs we play which is pretty rare considering the range of stuff we play. OM: It’s our USP, we can do stuff like Taylor Swift but we can rework it to add heavier instrumentation. We get to play something that we want the way we want and the crowd can still hear what they want. What is your relationship with the Musician’s Union of Durham Students (MUDS)? MK: The union, which we’re part of, has a manifesto and most if not all bands in Durham are signed up to it. It’s our belief that a band can’t just get paid in drinks, it’s a huge time commitment. Lots of people get a bit weird about the hidden hours we put it and also fail to remember the cost of all our equipment. It’s a job for us! OM: Yeah, we’re often doing 6 hours of rehearsal per gig and the fees we ask for reflect rehearsals, lessons and other hours you don’t see. We do have the luxury of enjoying what we do but it’s still a job. MK: If you work it all out, in the end, we only get £1.25 per hour.
Image credits: Izzy Gibson
MH: We sometimes play triple headers in a day. We haven’t had any huge issues in terms of pay or treatment, we hold ourselves to higher standards with the Union’s manifesto. It’s really good with Molly and the Union’s help to set boundaries. What do you think about the Union and what can event organisers do to ensure fair pay/treatment to their performers MK: We need ball committees to have a specific tech person who can handle our tech riders and communicate well with us. All committees should refer to the Union’s documents and provide us with green rooms etc. You’re definitely getting what you paid for, you’re not just paying for entertainment but also for our skills. OM: Yeah good communication is key. To get a better show you need better communication. To read the full interview with Intoxicated Octopus head over to the www.palatinate.org.uk/music Catch Intoxicated Octopus at one of their many gigs this month! @intoxicatedoctopus
BOOKS books@palatinate.org.uk
Sizzling Summer Reads Struggling on what to pick up now exams are over? We’ve got you covered
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eciding what books to put in your suitcase can be a real drag. How are you supposed to know what you want to read once you get off the plane? Too many times, we’ve been stuck at Heathrow with a pitiful selection of books in front of us to choose from. With airport queues at an all time high, say goodbye to reading stress and pack one of this selection in your hand luggage. Emerson Shams: The City of Brass—S. A. Chakraborty and We Hunt the Flame—Hafsah Faizal. As the song goes, ‘summertime and the living is easy’… finally. After four long years at Durham, I finally have the chance to sit back and enjoy a good read. It’ll be a summer for old, for new, and most importantly, to explore. Over the turn of the decade, I have collated a large list of books I desire to read that I must get through. Here are two picks that I’m hoping that I’ll be able to finally get to.
the two I am most excited to devour, because for the first time in my life I have the opportunity to read about fantasy worlds connected to my own people. As an Arab, especially an Egyptian one, I have rarely found fantasy filled with the creatures and s pernatural tales we get told as kids.
However, these particular novels take people like me on adventures, making us the heroes.
I honestly thought book series like these would never be available in English. I hope this area continues to expand and more of these tales begin to exist as all stories are important, as there’s always gonna be a kid who didn’t think it was possible until they saw themselves in a character.
The City of Brass and We Hunt The Flame are both novels I found last summer, and which have been gallantly waiting for my exploration since. These are 14
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Anna Short: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo—Taylor Jenkins Reid and Where the Crawdads Sing—Delia Owens Book
Sick of the degree classics? In need of a fun read to pop in your bag as you lounge outside or relax on the beach, sunglasses on and a lolly in hand? I’ve got you. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is pretty much the queen of BookTok, offering a a glamorous, pacy read about the Old Hollywood lifestyle. On the surface a book about the many marriages of one woman, this reaches much deeper and gives you a heartfelt insight into fame, the attached scandal and ambition, and how Evelyn’s true desires become inevitably shaped by the flash of cameras. Delia Owens’s novel, set for film release with Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones in the starring role this July will have your heart racing to the end. Set in the 1960s, a local boy is found dead and the locals immediately suspect ‘Marsh Girl’ protagonist Kyla Clark.
This is a beautiful coming of age novel, perfect for the beach. As Kyla finds her home among the woods, we are offered heartbreaking, beautiful prose that will engross you even as the tide is coming in. Imogen Marchant, Books Editor: Faces in the Crowd—Valeria Luiselli and Instructions for a Heatwave—Maggie O’Farrell Surprise, surprise, the Books Editor enjoys
covers (from left): HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan, Simon & Schuster; Illustrations:
BOOKS booksl@palatinate.org.uk between these books, and the first is that both of them take place in a heatwave. Another is that each protagonist is haunted, in some way or another. Secrets are dug up, in typically stellar, prize-winning prose. Fragmentation, fracture and plurality pervade, offering poignancy that will transport you from wherever you are this summer. Luiselli’s debut novel is a sharp, stunning ode to high modernism, adapting the style of Beckett and Joyce to Mexico City and NYC. As the novel folds repeatedly into itself, gathering narratives together to explore the transience of human identity in a growing city. It is, as Luiselli’s narrator tells us, a horizontal novel,
summer reading. Not for what we might call the ‘beach read’ phenomenon, but more because I hoard books like there’s no tomorrow, and the summer is just about the only time where I start making headway on the piles of novels that have accumulated around my room over the academic year. I call it modern art, my housemate calls it mess. With three weeks left before I clear the entire thing out for the last time, here are two selections that will alleviate the post-exams hangover that, if you’re anything like me, seems to have attempted to establish a permanent residence in my temples. There is more than one common denominator
With the wryly observational brilliance that is O’Farrell’s trademark, you can expect to be absorbed into this rich and nourishing account of returning to the family home. Read and manifest a heatwave at your will. Elizabeth Buckley: Everything I Know About Love—Dolly Alderton With my first year drawing to a close, nostalgia and a tinge of heartache have led me back to my bookshelf, in search of comfort and solace. I threw the remaining money from my overdraft on a trip to the Greek island of Skiathos within an hour of completing my final exam, and last week, went with one (yes, just one) book in hand. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton had been practically forced into my suitcase by my very wise best friend, who had turned to this book in a similar time of need - and I could not have been more grateful. Best read with a Carrie Bradshaw-style cosmopolitan in hand - and preferably on a secluded Greek beach, with no exes in a 100 mile radius – the tribulations of young love melt into fantastical tales of friendship and self-discovery. Vulnerability and failure are awarded the highest storytelling merit and are the key ingredient to Alderton’s literary magic. With unwavering charm, she divulges on the pains and the pleasures of lust – a feeling seemingly synonymous with love—reminiscent of the high-school heartthrobs I’m sure we can each remember.
Vulnerability and failure are awarded the highest merit told vertically. With just the right amount of stimulation to awaken those post-exam brain cells, this short, wonderful book will bring you the enrichment that six weeks of drinking might have left you craving.
When it comes to O’Farrell, you can expect the urgent, richly lyrical style to which her readers have become accustomed. Instructions for a Heatwave examines familial relationships in the face of individual crisis, confusion, and the heatwave of July 1976. Book covers (from top, anti-clockwise): Brown Books, Granta Press, Headline Publishing Group, Penguin Books
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