EDITORIAL indigo@palatinate.org.uk
Final term, finally ‘normal’ Indigo Editor Honor Douglas reflects on this edition’s theme, Easter
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Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.’ Usually, these somewhat ‘motivational’ quotes give an ick that no dance move in Jimmy Allen’s could ever top, but this encouragement of optimism around this rainy, busy and generally miserable time of year resonated. As we reach the penultimate week of the term that saw the end of the University’s beloved LFT system, multiple UCU strikes, and an unhealthy number of summatives, the thought of a break seems welldeserved. However, with such an eventful term full of not one but two storms, it is no wonder that it may feel challenging to ‘live like it’s spring’ just yet.
‘Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring’ That said, there is so much to look forward to as we reach the end of this term: to name a few, ‘normal’ club nights, unmasked Tesco visits, and for finalists the first ‘normal’ graduation of their University career.
come. Film and TV, Visual Arts, and Food and Drink celebrate spring by explaining their favourite foods, films and artworks that the season has to offer. Travel, Music and Features focus on the joys of Easter including travel escapes and choral music. In the spirit of spring, Books takes us back to our childhood with an interview of two Durham students pursuing their dream of becoming fantasy novelists. Stage continues to make readers excited for what is to come with a director’s note for the Finalist’s Showcase, and Interview offers readers the chance to learn more about the St Aidans Banipal Writing Fellow. Finally Creative Writing showcases some empowering stories celebrating International Women’s Day. As we look ahead, elements of the dreaded Covid-19 have still not fully left our lives: many exams are still online, testing to get into certain countries is still mandatory and despite the change in government recommendations masks are still a common sight. That said, it is clear that the world is opening up. So, ‘live like it’s spring,’ and more specifically, a spring unlike one we have endured during the era of Covid-19.
Artwork of the week by Anna Kuptsova
Spring is often referred to as ‘The Season of New Beginnings.’ After two years of interrupted studies, travel and life in general, focussing on a ‘new beginning’ rather than fixating on what was lost seems healthy. Finalists are consistently told that their University career has not been ‘normal,’ and yet there is actually not a year group at Durham who have had the luxury of pursuing a pre-coronavirus lifestyle in recent years. This seems to be changing, though, and this fortnight’s edition of Indigo adopts this idea of looking forward, rather than back. Indigo is sure to get you in the holiday spirit, or just generally get excited for the many exciting events and season to CONTENT
TEAM
CONTACT
Visual Arts (Page 3), Features (Page 4), Books (Page 5), Travel (Pages 6 & 7), Film and TV (Page 8), Creative Writing (Page 9), Food and Drink (Pages 10 & 11), Music (Page 12), Style (Page 13), Interview (Page 13), Stage (Page 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, Katya Davisson, 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: Verity Laycock Closing image: Adeline Zhao
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Illustration credits (from left): Adeline Zhao,Anna Kuptsova
VISUAL ARTS visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk
Painting spring: a snapshot of a season Visual Arts contributors discuss a selection of paintings which epitomise spring Holly Downes: Claude Monet, ‘Springtime’
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et in the beautiful gardens of Giverny in France, ‘Springtime’ depicts Monet’s 18-year-old stepdaughter, Suzanne Hoschedé, talking to his son, Jean Monet. Sitting amongst an orchard bursting with sweeps of purple bluebells and blossoming trees, Monet froze the beauty of the spring season within his flowing brush strokes. Spring is a time where the sounds of birdsong flood every space, where flowers burst from their buds and where we can mellow out in the shade and absorb the beauty of nature – features epitomised in this painting.
Monet’s artistic skill forces us to bring the painting into existence Imagining the sways of the trees and the blossom petals flowing in the gentle, warm breeze, the light chatter between Suzanne and Jean, and the freshness of the air invites a wash of serenity over the spectator. Monet’s artistic skill forces us to bring the painting into existence – to listen to the birds chirping, to feel the heat brush past us, to smell the sweet scent of blossom. It invites a state of calmness – our worries disappearing as we focus on the finer delicacies of nature. Imagining yourself sitting amongst the fresh green grass, admiring the array of whites and purple speaks of a time I cannot wait to experience in the coming months.
Ælfred Hillman: Marc Chagall, ‘Crossing of the Red Sea’
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inding myself writing this at the height of the invasion of Ukraine, it seemed important to reflect that Springtime does not always accompany the themes of renewal and rebirth
we readily bestow on it. In truth, the turning of the seasons can also suggest the repetition of violence and inhumanity upon the innocent. In particular, celebrations of Easter and the Festival of Passover conceal a period of terror for Jewish people.
A period of terror for Jewish people Depicting the Israelites’ passage across the Red Sea from the Book of Exodus, the Jewish artist Marc Chagall highlights this distinctive divergence of biblical spring narratives. While at the pinnacle of his painting the white angel leads the Israelites to the promised land, this is framed through two alternative symbols. King David appears on the left, a subtle evocation of the history of the Jewish people, whilst on the right appears the crucifix, a prophecy of a dark Jewish future. The mythical identification of Jews with collective responsibility for Christ’s crucifixion displays how presentations of communal rebirth depend upon the blind marginalisation and suppression of a social ‘other’. To highlight this duality, Chagall presents a dialogue which showcases both liberation and maltreatment.
A dialogue which showcases both liberation and maltreatment Moses, swathed in a dense primary yellow, commands the sea to drown the Egyptians, engulfing them in a fiery mass of red. Placing this horror at the heart of an image of ethereal blue, Chagall emphasises how the human compulsion to vengeance is central to our perceptions of renewal. Even if Moses can be credited with punishing irredeemable evils, Chagall makes clear regeneration bears all the moral complications of the act of preservation.
Illustration: Anna Kuptsova. Images: Wikemedia Commons.
Nicole Wu: Rob Ryan, ‘First Morning of Spring’
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n the words of Rob Ryan “the first morning of spring in the park; the smell in the air is fresh and full of promise and new beginnings.” Spring for me always brings that sigh of relief for having made it through the winter darkness and knowing longer, sunnier days are to arrive imminently. An artwork provides reflection and delight during these months is Rob Ryan’s papercut of ‘The First Morning of Spring’. Ryan’s work combines delicate detailing of floral patterns with poetic text which encourages the viewer to pause, read about and contemplate the arrival of spring.
Ryan’s work combines delicate detailing of floral patterns with poetic text Depicted is a woodland scene, either side offering a differing perspectives of Spring: one which rejoices for the coming light after darker times, the other expresses a contrasting guilt at having felt joy within the colda, dark days. The texture of the footpath is created from small repetition of “I am not alone” and a figure stands stoically at the top of the path amongst the leafy trees.
Ryan encourages an alternative perspective: allowing growth and joy even in the darkest moments My personal interpretation would be that while Spring is typically associated with rrebirth and rejuvenation — Ryan encourages an alternative perspective: allowing growth and joy even in the darkest moments. It suggests there does not have to be the same standardised path to reaching “a brand new start” but rather that we can take encouragements to be renewed and reminded we are not alone. Thursday, 10 March 2022
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FEATURES features@palatinate.org.uk
The joys of heading home for Easter As Epiphany term comes to a close, Josie Sherman looks forward to the Easter break
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fter an egg-hausting second term of fighting through the winter blues, Easter, quite frankly, cannot come quick enough. Ten weeks takes its toll on all of us, particularly with Epiphany term throwing us essays and deadlines left, right and centre. Despite February being the shortest month, those packed twenty-eight days have definitely dented the bank account. It’s safe to say that I am egg-stremely ready for the break. After Storm Eunice rudely interrupted my plans for a quick weekend trip away from Durham, I’m itching for my double bed, a bath and a detox from the endless curries that seem to dominate my college’s catered menu. Although Easter break is mildly haunted by the stress of summatives and dreaded upcoming exams, it’s important to look past this and take it as a break to recuperate and recharge your batteries.
It’s safe to say that I am eggstremely ready for the break For me, Easter marks a big change in attitudes. Sunshine becomes more regular, the scenery looks prettier…life is on the up. Finally, the woolly jumpers and infamous Durham scarves can slowly be replaced with fewer layers and maybe even the occasional skirt, if the Northern weather allows. When I picture the joys of Easter, I think of it being a time for big family reunions, with my grandma giving me and all of my cousins chocolate eggs, which have now been upgraded to have an accompaniment of some sort of alcoholic beverage. Along with endless chocolate nests, Easter is the perfect excuse for my annual obsession with mini eggs to surface again. A major benefit of this time of year is the chocolate, you can’t deny it. It’s a time to be guilt free and just indulge, for no other reason than simply, “it’s Easter.” As we grow up and our lives become busier, holidays, like Easter, provide the perfect time for reconnecting with people who aren’t in your everyday life, but are just as important — whether that’s wider family or old friends. I, personally, cannot wait to meet my friends this holiday without the coronavirus restrictions that tainted our Christmas break. With university spreading us all across the country, these next few weeks where we 4
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overlap in Easter break is invaluable and a trip to the local Spoons for a catchup is much needed. You no longer need to cram in a quick Facetime call as you rush to a lecture, or wake up with severe hangxiety and need to debrief your messy night to that friend from home instead of making your 9am. Easter finally gives you time to escape your busy timetable and the pressures that can easily escalate at university.
Take it as a break to recuperate and recharge your batteries It’s fair to say Easter has arguably lost an element of its religious importance,as the holiday has become increasingly commercialised with a clear prioritisation of chocolate over church. The annual race for the shops to stock their shelves as outrageously early as possible with an array of fluffy Easter toys and chocolate eggs began long ago. They have already slapped a bunny or chick on everything they can get their hands on. This commercialisation has deterred many people away from categorising the holiday as a notably religious one. However, I’ve found that amongst the commercialisation, the biblical story of Lent has managed to cling on and still crops up in the occasional Easter
conversations. With Easter Sunday falling just three days after Lent ends, the Easter holidays usually consist of me attempting to give something up, but miserably failing within seventy-two hours. Along the years, this has ranged from giving up chocolate to becoming a dedicated member to our local gym. But, perhaps now more than ever, our society should use the Easter holiday as a time for self-reflection. Maybe that involves giving something up during the period of Lent. Maybe you’re planning to complete the ‘40-day challenge’ social media trend, such as random acts of kindness. Either way, adding a bit of extra positivity into the world, instead of banning yourself from having a bit of chocolate after a long day, is far more enjoyable.
Our society should use the Easter holiday as a time for self-reflection Particularly now, with all the current global anxiety going on in the world, it is more important than ever to hold onto the little things and spend time with family and friends. So, although I’m not encouraging you to wish away these next few weeks of term, get excited for the well-deserved break to come! Illustration: Rosie Bromiley
BOOKS books@palatinate.org.uk
Publishing their childhood novel Books editor Imogen Marchant speaks to Alexandra Hart and Phoebe Sleeman
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any of us attempted to write books with friends at the age of twelve. I certainly remember forcing my friends into many a collaborative document, only to abandon it three weeks later. For Alexandra Hart and Phoebe Sleeman, this is not the case: Alight, the project of some seven years, is going to be on bookshelves at the end of the month. “We met on the first day of secondary school and we’ve been friends ever since,” Alex relays, “We both had separate ideas for fantasy novels at around the same time, but it was when we started to talking about it together that it took shape”. Alex and Phoebe are everything you’d expect a pair of first-time authors to be: giggly, excited, possibly slightly nervous. They hand me a bookmark, printed last month by their publishers Cranthorpe Millner, which bears their names in curling script underneath the title. “It doesn’t feel real,” Phoebe tells me, “I don’t think it’ll feel real until I have the printed book in front of me.”
have come about somewhat inevitably. In the half-hour I spend with them, I learn very quickly that they are conversant with each other’s styles in the way that only friends who have known each other since the age of twelve can be. They don’t finish each other’s sentences quite so much as pick up instinctively on what the other is about to say, quietly affirming each other’s ideas in a way that can’t be too
“It was something we always dreamed about—seeing our book in Waterstones!” Born from a game Phoebe played with her siblings, they began writing Alight over a series of playdates at the age of twelve. What followed was an increasingly developed plotline and highly realised characters, gradually taking shape over the course of their time at school. “It was lockdown that really pushed us to finish it,” Alex tells me, “Our A Levels were cancelled, we had nothing to do—so we thought, why not try and work on it?” “It was cool.’ says Phoebe. “I’d get up in the morning and write, go for a walk in the afternoon—it felt like being a real author.” “I’m not sure when we’d get that time again, actually.” Alex adds. Despite their protests, it seems Alight would
dissimilar to their creative process. They have consistently relied on each other throughout the writing process and the long undertaking of seeking publication. After finishing the draft, what followed was a series of rejections—and then success, with three separate offers after the second round of applications. Alex recalls not telling her family (beyond her parents) that the book was even written until after the deal was signed. Instead, they consulted each other, Phoebe states, “It really helped having [Alex] there: all the little worries that you have when working on something by yourself—they’re a bit less pressing when you have someone to run them past.”
Image (Alexandra, left, and Phoebe, right): Imogen Marchant
Alex laughs. “We don’t always necessarily agree on everything, though.” She adds. “But even that’s been really beneficial.”
“It was really hard to let go of certain parts of the book we’d been holding onto since we were twelve, but doing it together helped a lot.” Returning to Alight as adults in a pandemic and with heightened awareness of the 2020 BLM protests meant that real-life experience and twelve-yearold imagination collided in all kinds of ways. “Coming back to it as an eighteen-year-old was really interesting.” Alex tells me. ‘The whole process was very reflective: reading what my twelve-year-old self was writing was a real insight. To publish it as our teenage years are ending is cool: it feels like that period of our life has concluded with our characters’.” This is unlikely to be the last we see of their writing— they are keen to keep working with each other, with both of them stating that “It simply wouldn’t exist without anyone else.” They don’t tell me much more, but there is a whisper
of a sequel. As part of their publicity tour, they’re heading back to their old school to speak to the students, hoping to inspire them in the same way a talk with an author once inspired them. “If someone had told me [that it’s possible] to be published, that would have been a huge motivation.” Phoebe smiles. “Yeah,” Alex affirms, “If I had known the difference between thinking of something and seeing it published was just to keep at it, that would have been amazing.” Alight (Cranthorpe Millner) is currently open for pre-orders, available in print from Tuesday, 29th March 2022. Durham book release: Saturday, 30th April 2022, Waterstones, Saddler St.
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TRAVEL travel@palatinate.org.uk
Easter Escapes A guide to unusal short breaks for a refreshing Easter holiday
KEARVAIG BOTHY, SCOTLAND Alex Freedman
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f you want an escape from the ordinary, you do not need to go far away: some places close to home are hard enough to reach. Kearvaig Bothy is a place where you have the time, far away from life, to do nothing. First, catch the train to Inverness. After 4 hours, the rails end, but the road continues. The number 805 bus, in reality more of a minivan, runs once a day, three times a week, to Durness Post Office. Here is the last town, and the last pub, and the last hotel to be seen before you cross the water. Be sure to stock up on food and wood, as fuel is scarce where you are going and there is no shop. Bring plenty of beans and coffee, and a gas stove and wool jumpers will be your friends.
If you want an escape from the ordinary, you do not need to go far away If there was ever an ominous sounding journey, it is the ferry across the Kyle of Durness to Cape Wrath. Luckily, Stu the ferryman is no
Charon, and at least here there is the option of a return ticket. Most people, if there are any others with you, will be headed to the minibus and the lighthouse beyond. Whilst I would recommend a visit, you should continue on your journey, for there is still a two hour walk to your destination, Kearvaig Bothy. Bothies are small walkers huts spread over some of Britain’s most secluded and beautiful places. They are free to use: you just turn up and open the door, though they are not to be abused. They are mostly converted shepherd’s huts, but as their original purpose and construction varies, the bothies also have their own individual character. Kearvaig is exceptional for its location as well as its interior. It is owned by the MOD, which means that as bothies go, this is one of the more comfortable; they demand only the best for their live ammunition practice. Oak panelling and real wood floors are some of the luxuries you will experience here, as well as a wood-fired stove to keep warm by at night. However, the real treasure of this place lies not on the inside, but without. Set right on the beach, it is so close to the sea that you might be afraid the waves will reach the walls. The bay and the valley formed by its heads were
the last first (or last) safe mooring for visiting Vikings, and with the land rising up all around the house, this does feel like a safe place - the last to be found in Britain. Besides, nothing dangerous would bother to make the journey. The land is desolate and barren, and so your focus is directed towards the sea: on a clear day, you can see the Orkneys, and closer than that dolphins leap out of the waves. Go and see the lighthouse, go for a swim, read a book. At night, the stars are bright and at dawn the sunrise is brighter, but the fire inside is brightest.
INSTANBUL, TURKEY Elif Karakaya
Widely sought after as a summer vacation, Turkey is often overlooked as an option for an Easter escape, yet the country has an expansive regional variety. Although it is a wonder to visit at any time of year, it is especially a privilege to visit Istanbul in the springtime.
It is especially a privilege to visit Istanbul in the springtime In this season, Istanbul annually hosts a tulip festival, celebrating the country’s love for the tulip flower across an entire month, with the official dates for the festival being from 1st to the 30th of April. Originating in the central Asian
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Image credit: Gracie Linthwaite
TRAVEL travel@palatinate.org.uk mountain ranges, the tulip was first brought over and cultivated under the Ottoman Empire before being brought over to the Netherlands. It seemed to hold a spellbinding quality, captivating whoever made contact with it, forming not only a traditional symbol of Turkey – in relation to arts and religion – but mania if in one’s possession, for it seemed consuming it visually would not satiate the desire. In the Netherlands, a single tulip bulb would be sold for between $40,000 to $80,000 – the price of a house in Amsterdam. The world was enraptured by this flower that seemed to have a life of its own, a certain vitality perhaps due to its individuality – for even bulbs that grew a single colour one year, would grow multicoloured the next, as though controlled by its own command. This festival has a long history in Turkey, yet was reintroduced by the government in 2006, where millions of tulips were planted every year, reaching 30 million in 2016. Half a million tulips are planted in Sultan Ahmet Square alone to make a flower carpet in front of the Blue mosque and the Hagia Sophia museum, making this a must-see spot.
relationship between Allah and the sky; it is planted anywhere on open ground, a single, simple request for survival, and yet when in bloom, the tulip too bows its head before God – a symbol uniting the entirety of Turkey.
MILAN, ITALY Mary Atkinson
Italy, being perhaps one of the countries most visited during the summer season, is admittedly bursting with tourists from afar locations hoping to soak up the Italian sunshine. However, the same cannot be said for the winter and spring months. Upon my visit to Milan during early Spring, it was nothing like your jam-packed holiday destination.
Image credit: Mary Atkinson
The possibilities are endless with large cities like Milan Italy truly has whatever you could be looking for, although the temperature may not be as hot as you’d expect in the north (with skiing even an option still at this time of year) it still provides a sunny escape from the reality of the British weather and stressful university life. With an overwhelming chilled atmosphere, even in the some of biggest cities, it can truly help you unwind and mentally reset after a busy term.
a sunny escape from the reality of the British weather and stressful university life
Half a million tulips are planted in Sultan Ahmet Square alone to make a flower carpet Similarly, Emirgan park is another site which holds a great number of tulips within it, for it is one of the largest parks in Istanbul, hosting multiple tulip gardens within. These locations are significant, for not only are they great tourist attractions, but incredibly culturally significant, historical sites, highlighting the importance of the relationship between tulips and Turkish culture. However, you are bound to spot a tulip even if you do not visit these sights, for any open ground is an invitation to partake in the festival. Other flowers are planted in this period too, in order to contrast the colours and shapes of the tulips, creating an enchanting vision. It serves as a union between culture and nature, demonstrating the artistry both in the floral arrangements, as well as the artistic symbol of the tulip itself. The Tulip Period of 1718 to1730 is an example of this, for it was an era of peace and enjoyment in the Ottoman Empire, as well as the artistic bloom that came around due to this source of great inspiration. Yet it was not limited to the artist, for it is even adorned by the religious, used commonly in the decorations of mosques, praised for its
the south, Naples is a great base location with Pompei, Amalfi, Sorrento, and many more beautiful locations to satisfy your Italian dreams. Each city has its own rich cultural identity which makes Italy the perfect place to engage your brain and explore its history. For Milan Fashion. Bologna – education, with the oldest university in Europe. Naples - the birthplace of the best food to grace this earth – pizza.
With famous cuisine, a rich history and culture at your disposal and beyond friendly, welcoming people to make your stay even more enriching, why not make Italy your summative season escape?
With the streets being admired by a handful of American and Canadian gap year students, European citizens, and Italian school trips, it was astonishingly quiet. But, with less people, a more authentic experience awaited me, making Italy the perfect spot for a mid-summative season break. The country has endless locations to visit from Milan to Rome to Venice to the more underrated locations such as Siena, Bologna, Turin and more. The possibilities are endless with large cities like Milan, where they can act as base location for those wanting to take day trips across the country to other locations such as lake Como, Bergamo, Turin, Verona, or perhaps even Florence or Bologna if you are willing to travel two hours with the high speed Frecciarossa and Italo trains. Alternatively, for those looking at visiting
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FILM & TV film@palatinate.org.uk
Step into spring with Studio Ghibli Film & TV Editor, Charlotte Grimwade, highlights Studio Ghibli as perfect for spring
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was first introduced to the entrancing world of Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki when I was around eight-yearsold. As was typical of my early 2010s childhood, most weekends my sister and I would be allowed to pick a DVD to rent from our local LoveFilm. Over the course of the weekend, we’d play our chosen disc at least three to four times, promptly exchanging it for a new film the following weekend. One weekend we happened to select the Studio Ghibli classic The Secret World of Arrietty. Adapted from the Mary Norton book The Borrowers, a story I knew well from my primary school’s library, the film was beautiful to watch, filled with bright colours and engaging animations. From that point onwards my sister and I fell in love with the magical world of Studio Ghibli, spending the subsequent weekends renting as many of the infamous Japanese animation film studio’s movies we could get our hands on. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli has produced some of the most successful animated films of all time. For me, Studio Ghibli films effortlessly combine whimsical childhood nostalgia with beautiful imagery, making them the perfect films to watch as we enter the spring months. One of Miyazaki’s most famous films, My Neighbour Totoro,
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exemplifies this. Released in 1988, the film follows two sisters in 1950s rural Japan, who befriend several spirits in nearby woodland. The film is an endearing and easy watch, ideal for a rainy afternoon. Beyond Studio Ghibli’s ability to depict humans’ relationship with the natural world, as we inevitably enter summative season, the drive and determination of several Studio Ghibli characters can potentially act as a source of inspiration. Kiki’s Delivery Service was a film I was introduced to at the height of the first lockdown. Following a burgeoning young witch who leaves home to earn her independence and develop a career through her ability to fly, the film is light-hearted, engaging and immensely enjoyable. If you’re looking for a sweet, comingof-age story, involving baked goods and an adorable cat called Jiji, Kiki’s Delivery Service is the film for you. Though Kiki’s journey is full of mishaps and general chaos, at least her determination might be a source of motivation! In addition to Kiki’s Delivery Service, From Up on Poppy Hill is a slightly less well-known but equally brilliant Studio Ghibli classic. As a history student, this film has become a firm favourite of mine, depicting life in 1963 Yokohama. The protagonist, Umi Matsuzaki, contends with her father’s death during the Korean War whilst also engaging in increasing student activism that was typical of 1960s Japan. The film deals with universal themes like memory, love and loss, all whilst managing to remain light-hearted in sections. It’s a great watch and, as with any Studio Ghibli movie, has stunning imagery to accompany such a heartfelt story. I couldn’t write about Studio Ghibli without mentioning its most infamous film – Spirited Away. Despite engaging with darker subject
matter in comparison to the films mentioned previously, Spirited Away acts as the perfect form of escapism and, in my opinion, is an ideal way to spend an extended break from academic work. Spirited Away profoundly altered the world of animated films, breaking records in both Japanese and international box offices. The film is largely credited with making Studio Ghibli the global phenomenon it is today, notably winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. The film is eerily surreal, with the audience introduced to a plethora of mystical spirits as the title would imply. Told from the perspective of ten-yearold Chihiro, Miyazaki succeeds in telling a relatively dark story, about a child entering the spirit world in an attempt to save their parents, with the same level of nostalgia and stunning animations as previous Studio Ghibli tales.
Studio Ghibli films offer a great way to detatch Whether it’s to appreciate the bright and colourful animations reflective of the imminent spring months, or to access a form of escapism, Studio Ghibli films offer a great way to detach from the outside world and encounter themes of friendship, nature and determination. Their stories are timeless, accessible and, most importantly, incredibly entertaining. All in all, watching a Studio Ghibli classic is arguably the perfect way to unwind after a draining Epiphany term, with the added bonus of getting to experience some of the world’s best animated films. Image credit (from top): Mollie Dunne, Victoria Cheng
CREATIVE WRITING creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk
Purple with Ease This International Women’s Day, Eden Cain and Josie Lockwood write from their own femininity, reflecting on womanhood and this year’s chosen IWD colour. Easy Girls
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here’s something about being called easy About the how effortlessly it rolls off a man’s tongue No challenge with that one. Feel free to grab, take handfuls of whatever you’d like. Easy girl. You’ll stamp the title on the corner of my mouth while you lean over me And explain back to me whatever I just said. Easy girls are fun Easy girls are game Easy girls are only good for a night My eyes roll so hard into the back of my skull I swear I see my brain But I’ll take a sip and nod along to his Freudian freak-show Then carve the word whore into my upper thigh when I feel his foot brush against mine. The reflection in my glass is not to be taken home to mother. Because no woman can be fuckable and lovable, Easy girls are easy girls The whores of his complex while he’s waiting for Madonna Who he will never touch I just can’t see her like that because I love her so much But, he’ll bite my lip when he fucks me And won’t ask if it’s okay to choke me So, I pretend to die while he’s doing it. You could say I’m probably not the marrying type Part of me wants to reach for a bottle of peroxide and lean entirely into his stereotypes The manic pixie fantasy
The wild ride of his life After all Blondes have more fun And these days, by god am I fun I’ll call myself a whore, Joking with my friends Drunkenly making eye contact with myself in the mirror If I say it now enough times It stings far less later when you scratch it into my shoulders Half-moon crescents of where you have been The dull ache of being an easy girl will sit with me all week Along with the stain I never get out of my white sheets. Somehow, I am ashamed by the title I never asked for, Tell me why I’ve never heard of an easy guy ? Only a victor. When I take my clothes off, I have been conquered When he does, he is Columbus planting the flag like a champion Somehow colonising a place I never said could be anyone’s but mine
By Eden Cain
Purple As young girls grow, they graduate from pink to purple. Hues of coral, peach, taffy, and rose are replaced with tones of lilac, lavender, indigo, and heliotrope. Purple. A colour that is delicate and precious, innately feminine. The same tone as hyacinth, foxglove, wisteria, and hollyhock. Purple petals packed together in soil, kissed with morning dew. On the outside seemingly fragile and paper thin, yet contained inside is the ability to sustain new life. Under the burning sun, the veins that bleed across the flesh of these flowers glow, violet and vibrant against its light. Purple. Like a little girl who trades in arcade tickets for a mood ring made up of liquidcrystals,
Image credit: Anna Kuptsova
the kind that move and bend against the soft skin of her finger to melt into a shade of plum. The colour of passion, and excitement. A reminder that the bounds of her potential are limitless. Purple. A colour so strong it stains. Like taking a bite out of an almost-butnot-quite-black cherry, its sweet nectar dripping down and settling on the skin’s surface, resistant even when scrubbed with soap. Or how a singular sip of red wine, rich with its aromas of liquorice, juniper, cocoa, and anise, can plaster its pigment across plump lips. A colour that tells us how strong a woman can be. Purple. A colour with properties not only to mark, but to heal. Women are forever perceived as flimsy and frail. Their tender skin will bruise, blood pooling under the skin and leaking into each layer of damaged cells. Yet after a few days, these marks begin to bloom with blotches of mallow flower mauve. A woman’s body is ever strong, soothing itself and mending its own maladies. Purple. The colour that emerges after a typhoon eases and dissipates. As moisturesaturated air sits abundant with storm clouds, the sky becomes etched with whispers of dark orchid and murmurs of magenta. These delicate strands of colour swirl with dark hurricane-scars like cream into a coffee. The purple patterns that stretch across the skies remind us of the power women shall perpetually hold. They are able to lull, to soothe, to rejuvenate, and to transform. As a girl becomes a woman, her pastel pinks evolve into potent purples. She is dynamic, enthralling, capable and compelling. Her beauty may be immeasurable, but even that is incomparable to the strength which she possesses within.
By Josie Lockwood Thursday, 10 March 2022
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FOOD & DRINK food@palatinate.org.uk
Spring’s savoury staples Three students share their favourite spring vegtables to brighten your plate Wild Garlic
By Nicole Wu, Deputy Indigo Editor One of my happy places on this earth is a particularly whimsical woodland near where I live: there are footpaths along either side of the brook and the banks are perfect for sitting and dipping your feet in during the summer months.At the turn of spring, these banks are enveloped by wild garlic. Huge blankets of the green leafage and potent fragrance filling every crevice of your nostrils. Nothing brings me into springtime like going for a walk and seeing the vibrant green leaves with petite white flowers growing out of the muddy ground. My parents will pick the leaves off and eat it there, but I find the flavour too intense when it’s raw. We typically take a bag and some scissors with us on a walk to collect a huge bunch of leaves and flowers, we prepare the wild garlic by chopping finely and combining with egg and a ton of soy sauce, vinegar and spices — we love to use it as filling in dumplings. The filling is also incredible as scrambled eggs on toast if you want something slightly more effort-less. After the bitter winter months, it’s so refreshing going out into a clean spring day and foraging for your own food. The stuff grows everywhere so you’re bound to find some if you go for a de-stress springtime woodland walk. It’s very easy to distinguish from other plants and of course the smell is the main giveaway: you wouldn’t be able to avoid the grassy, garlicky smell even if you tried. Feel free to experiment with using it in dishes – I find it works well as a foraged substitute for spring onions and has a similar taste and texture to the dark green shoots at the top of a spring onion.
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Thursday, 10 March 2022
Asparagus
By Emerson Shams, Food & Drink Editor Nothing gets me more excited about spring than the prospect of fresh, crisp vegetables like asparagus. While that would not have been my answer 10 years ago – like most kids, I did not appreciate the nuance of flavour that could be extracted from most vegetables. Also, that little side effect of eating asparagus really put me off the vegetable. Don’t let that put you off, though, I promise it’s very exaggerated. Following the tips below, it’ll become your favourite spring vegetable too. My favourite aspect about asparagus is how versatile the vegetable is. So long as it’s not boiled, there is a plethora of ways to make it the perfect staple for any meal. It can literally be paired with any meal and can be thrown into most cuisines without issue. The easiest method is by far to just roast the vegetable. This combined with some herbs and fats makes a lovely side platter. Alternatively, it’s quick and delicious to sauté the vegetable in some miso butter or to throw it on the grill and get it nice and charred. It’s easy to plate it with some roast lamb chops or enjoy grilled with some prawns or even blend it down into a soup or pasta sauce. The options are endless. One option I stumbled upon as a fresher in my student house was to make a roasted oregano crust asparagus. It’s super easy to make and adds a nice crunch to your meal. I recommend serving it with crispy skin salmon and a lemon alfredo pasta. Heat the oven to 190°C. Using very slim asparagus, lay it on a baking paper covered baking tray. It must lay flat. Then coat it heavily with fresher crushed black pepper, lemon juice and zest, oregano, olive oil and 1 teaspoons of salt. Use enough oregano to almost make a crumb coating. Roast it at 190°C for 30-40 minutes, or until it gets nice and crispy. Sprinkle some more lemon juice and enjoy.
Cauliflower
By Anna Trask For a long time and for a lot of people cauliflower had connotations strictly linked to an overly soft, flavorless boiled vegetable accompanying our Sunday roasts or our weekday lunches as a child. For many, it perhaps still serves this role. Yet, as cauliflower comes into season, I think this humble vegetable can become the star of many spring dishes. Lightly spiced and roasted in olive oil before being added to a salad, coated in breadcrumbs and served with hot sauce as ‘cauliflower wings’, the vegetable has become very trendy in a number of different restaurants. The possibilities for cauliflower are endless: one particular recipe that springs to mind while reminding myself of my love for this versatile vegetable is Anna Jones’ ‘Saag aloo shepherds pie’ (One: Pot, Pan, Planet), which is topped with cauliflower, potato and a mix of spices. However, if you do want to roast it and add it to salads or as a side, I suggest the following Indian-spiced roasted cauliflower: Mix cumin seeds, coriander seeds, salt, turmeric and a splash of olive oil together in a bowl. Place the whole cauliflower (leaves included, I think they’re delicious!) on a baking tray and using a pastry brush, cover the cauliflower in the spice mix. Roast at 200°C (fan) for 30-40 minutes until the core is soft. You can even mix up the spices: for a more Italian-inspired dish try mixing parmesan or nutritional yeast with dried oregano and garlic powder. Or, for Mexican roasted cauliflower use cumin and chilli flakes (even better if topped with coriander and lime juice!).
Image credit: Verity Laycock
FOOD & DRINK food@palatinate.org.uk
Seeking refuge in hot cross buns Food & Drink Editor Nia Kile celebrates the comfort of spring baking
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t was mid-March, 2021, deep in another lockdown. As a languages student yearning to be on my year abroad, I was stuck at my parents’ home, anxiously waiting for travel restrictions to ease. Baking has always been my haven from stress, especially last year. Creating something tangible with my hands was much more gratifying than staring at the computer screen for my virtual internship. During the last stubborn days of winter, my mind turned to hot cross buns. Their proud little crosses remind us that we’re on the cusp of spring and brighter times. In my desire to mix and knead and shape, I resolved to make my own. I wanted mine to be deeply spiced, to hold up to melted pools of butter, and to not go stale one day later. Confident in the authority afforded him in the title of first-ever Bake Off winner, I chose Edd Kimber’s simple but sufficiently involved recipe. A few hours later, the aroma of mixed spice embraced the kitchen as I removed 12 little buns from the oven. They were a decent start: whilst the cross was a bit tough and the texture a little too dense, their flavour was balanced and leagues ahead of their shop-bought rivals. However, after one day they had hardened considerably. Not satisfied, l scoured the Internet to find out how to lighten their texture and improve their shelf-life. When I next sought some baking therapy, I returned to these sweet, spring treats. I had read about a method which promised to keep my buns softer, for longer: 湯種 tangzhong or yudane. Popularised in Japanese milk bread, it involves cooking a small amount of flour in liquid so that the starch molecules will hold more water, thus making a softer dough. To adapt the original recipe, I used the Baker’s Percentage and calculated the grams of water in an egg. I adjusted the quantity of milk and scribbled some complex calculations; adapting a recipe so meticulously was untrodden territory for me! But, the result was worth it: the buns’ softness lasted for days, as did their comforting flavour. Although delicious toasted, they were best straight out of the oven, the steam escaping as I tore one open and slathered it in butter. One year later, surrounded by summatives and my dissertation, I reminisce over my hot cross bun quest. I came to appreciate the thrill of experimenting in baking as a way to work away my stress. These golden, sticky, fruity buns are proof that a little bit of time in the kitchen can be a welcome solace from hard times.
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
Recipe by Edd Kimber, adapted by Nia Kile
Tangzhong 23g strong bread flour 113ml whole milk 188ml whole milk Rest of dough 30g unsalted butter 427g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting 1 orange, zest ½ tsp salt 120g raisins 2 tsp mixed spice 1 large egg 1 tsp ground cinnamon 50g plain flour
Method
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For the tangzhong: combine flour and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 1-3 minutes, until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Mix bread flour, salt, spices, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. In a small pan, warm the milk and butter over a low heat until butter is melted. Add zest and raisins and leave to cool for 3 - 4 minutes, then beat in the egg. Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in the milk mixture and add cooled tangzhong, stirring to make a soft dough. Tip dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. It will be quite sticky but when a small piece of dough should stretch and be almost translucent (the ‘windowpane’ test!). Form into a ball, put in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Tip risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock out some of the air. Divide into 12 pieces (around 80g each) and shape into balls. Turn each ball over and gather/pinch the underside so that the top is smooth. Remove any raisins poking out on the top or they will burn. Place 2cm apart on a baking tray lined with parchment; cover with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise for 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 200˚C. For the crosses, mix the plain flour and 6 tbsp water into a paste. It’s okay if it is relatively runny. Spoon into a piping bag (or go freestyle!) and pipe on the crosses. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Heat the golden syrup (or marmalade) in a pan and brush over the warm buns. Enjoy toasted or au naturel, with lashings of butter!
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Image credit: Nia Kile (photographs), Verity Laycock (illustration)
Thursday, 10 March 2022
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MUSIC music@palatinate.org.uk
A Guide to: Passiontide Choral Music Music Editor Annabelle Bulag introduces some of their favourite Passiontide works
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oreheads etched with ashes, a week and a day ago many Christians thusly mark Ash Wednesday, the start of the most pensive and penitent season of the Church calendar - Lent. To give a little background: seen as a season of sombre reflection and repentance, Lent also serves as a period of preparation before the jubilant celebrations of Eastertide - thought to be the holiest time of the year within the Church calendar. The concluding week of the Lenten season is known as ‘Holy Week’ - outlining what is known as the Easter Story, beginning with Palm Sunday and culminating in Easter Sunday when Christ is believed to have been resurrected. Music, being the cross-denominational instrument of worship it is, is central to the commemoration of the Lenten season. Countless composers have taken inspiration from the vivid events of the Easter Story, creating choral compositions that have filled structures of wood, stone and brick with the melodious worship from generations of musicians. Combing through the hundreds, if not thousands, of choral compositions written to befit the occasion would be the pet project of a lifetime. So, instead of devoting your whole essence (not that I don’t recommend it!) to filtering out your favourites until your metaphorical gramophone winds down for the last time, I have selected three resplendent works suitable for Holy Week, hauntingly beautiful and sonorously enriching, each and every one.
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Anton Bruckner Christus factus est, WAB 11 (Christ Became Obedient) The text traditionally being set as a gradual in the Catholic Liturgy (meaning it is sung after the Epistle reading), details how Christ sacrificed Himself for humanity resulting in t h e exaltation of His name by God. Thus, it is particularly appropriate for use during a week dedicated to the remembrance of the Easter story. Written as Bruckner’s (18241896) third setting of this text, it is immensely expressive where references to the style of the influential yet problematic Wagner are explicitly clear - hark at the allusion to the ‘Grail’ motif from Wagner’s Parsifal at the words ‘Deus exaltavit illum’ (God exalted Him). Unaccompanied, the strength of the SATB choir is fully exercised, using different techniques to truly animate the words. Bruckner expertly employs different textures such as that of homophony (basically understood to mean singing in chords across the parts) to highlight the solemnity of the subject, to undulating waves of intensifying polyphony. My personal favourite recording is that of the choir of King’s College, Cambridge conducted by the late, great Stephen Cleobury. The rich timbral contrast between the voices of the bright trebles and rumbling basses, in particular, represent, the con-
flicting thoughts that must have crossed Christ’s mind, especially when in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is, ultimately, a determined choice that results in the elegant amalgamation of voices that assuredly declaim the prose.
Sarah MacDonald - Crux Fidelis (Faithful Cross) Written as an anthem especially for the Passiontide, the Latin phrase ‘Crux Fidelis’ is repeated in an almost mantra-like manner thereby lulling the listener into a state of gentle contemplation. In and amongst this brown study, Sarah MacDonald (b. 1968), in a bid to represent the thoughts of the observer, interweaves the evocative narratives of Emily Dickinson and Emilia Lanier. Relying mostly upon the aforementioned Latin motif, MacDonald still manages to give adequate onus to the words of Dickinson and Lanier, a highlight of the piece especially linking in with mentions of Paradise - the choir sound almost like a heavenly chorus as they soar towards the climax of the piece.
Olivier Messiaen - O Sacrum Convivum (O Blessed Sacrament) Whilst not explicitly written for use during Holy Week itself, the prose text used within celebrates and glorifies the sacrament of Communion (the breaking of bread and wine) which originated at the Last Supper between Christ and his Apostles, thereby making it appropriate for both uses in the Catholic Liturgy as well as for this list! Both a joy to listen to and sing, this unaccompanied motet for an 8-part mixed chorus is an early work of French composer, Olivier Messiaen (19081992), composed in 1937. Heavily inspired by Gregorian Chant, the oldest living Western musical tradition, and of which Messiaen was known to be a fervent admirer, the flowing melodic lines pay tribute well to this inspiration. The harmonic colours of this motet’s radiant and well-rounded sound world paint perfectly the reverence in which the words are spoken, honouring the subject matter. Revelling in slow-moving harmonic changes, the crunch of chromaticism does not prove jarring, instead of melting and melding into an irresistible torrent of sound offered up fully in the act of worship.
Honourable Mentions 1) Pergolesi - Fac ut Portem from Stabat Mater 2) Victoria - O Vos Omnes Scan to access a specially curated Spotify playlist to go with this article:
Image credit (from left): Rosie Bromiley, Anna Kuptsova
STYLE style@palatinate.org.uk
To buy or not to buy? Heather Searle discusses the advantages of rental fashion
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ersonal style is all about expressing yourself and experimenting. Unfortunately experiments and uniqueness usually come with a high price tag when it comes to balls and formals. Wardrobes swell and bank accounts cry. The desire to showcase your style while also crushing the thought that someone will say “didn’t you wear that last time” leads to an ever-growing collection of outfits that are barely worn. This is before you consider the environmental impacts of the perpetuating cycle of buying a new ‘one time only’ outfit for every event. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It is estimated that around ten percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions come from fashion. Fast, one-time wear outfits are one of the worst habits we have as a society for the planet, but we can do better. This is where fashion rental and buying second hand come in. As a sidenote there is nothing wrong with rewearing outfits, in fact this has so many benefits. From lowering your environmental impact, to feeling comfortable in something you have worn before and knowing how it looks on your body. Outfit repeating is not a fashion faux pas. That narrative has been created by the fashion industry to make sure we all keep buying more. So, what is rental fashion and why is it a good option for the fashionable and climateconscious student. Online rental fashion companies, such as HURR and By Rotation, connect you to lenders from whom you can rent their designer clothes for a fraction of the retail price. This allows you to wear something special to events without killing your bank account or the planet. Designer clothes are thought to be better for the environment compared to fast fashion as they claim to last longer. However, this sustainable label comes at a high cost and often does little to reduce the impact of production. Renting that stunning, not your everyday, outfit instead of buying new (fast fashion or designer) significantly reduces your environmental footprint because that garment has
already been produced. Designer fashion has long been gatekept by high prices and the exclusion of different body types. The rental fashion market makes designer fashion more accessible and means that higher quality, more unique pieces are available. However, there are some pitfalls to watch out for when renting. For example, the outfit must be returned
undamaged, of course no one goes out and purposely ruins an outfit, but accidents happen and could lead to an awkward conversation with your lender or even a fine. A top tip to mitigate the risk of damage is to avoid delicate fabrics such as silk and avoid red wine for the night. Rental fashion is a great way to avoid fast fashion and one-wear outfits but it’s not for everyone. Luckily it is not the only way to reduce the environmental impacts of fashion. Buying second-hand is not a new phenomenon and can be traced back to the 1950s. However, the rise of online marketplaces like Depop means that second-hand items, as well as small businesses, are much more accessible. On the environmental front, buying secondhand means that there is less waste, reduces pollution and water use by not contributing to manufacturing, and saves natural resources as no new item is created. But similarly to rental fashion, improving your environmental impact doesn’t have to mean compromising your personal style. In fact, shopping second-hand often reveals more unique and high-quality pieces that elevate, rather than diminish your individuality. Unfortunately, the second-hand scene, especially online, has been somewhat gentrified and it is harder to find items, especially from the 1990s – 2000s, at reasonable prices. To somewhat offset the increased cost, it would be possible to resell or even rent your pieces to maximise the potential savings of buying second-hand and contributing more to the circular economy. A quick mention to a third option which is overlooked, borrowing from a friend. This is a great way to expand your formal looks without spending a penny. From the other side it makes sure that your own wardrobe gets the most wear it can and so reducing your collective environmental impact. Renting and buying second-hand are important tools to create a more sustainable style. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses but especially in the context of formal wear they are great options to allow yourself to be creative without compromising the environment.
Image credit (from top): Grace Jessop, Rosie Bromiley Thursday 10 March 2022
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INTERVIEW indigo.interview@palatinate.org.uk
A bold story of home: Khaled Khalifa Interview Editor Lara Moamar speaks to Syrian author Khaled Khalifa
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how - what techniques, what form is best to deliver the story. For Death is Hard Work, the only answer was what I call this locked form. It is a brief, compressed novel told in contained blunt sentences. I wanted to write 150 pages and wrote this exactly, no more or less. At the heart of the story is Bolbol, a character that I’ve thought about writing for 20 years, this man who is afraid of everything. Bolbol is not only a close part of me, but he is the Everyman of today. However, what was most important for me in writing this novel was maintaining distance and evading the evocation of pity.”
We should stop calling out for the world to sympathise with us Khalifa’s novel is masterful and poignant, filled with beautiful imagery of missed opportunity - lapsed love like ‘a bouquet floating down a river’ paired with language of flinching honesty on death and chilling fear. But as acutely noted by Khalifa, the literary merit of Arab literature is systematically dismissed. He says: “In the face of war, people often look to writers to be the voice of the population. And I am indeed such a voice. But this should not be. We should stop calling out for the world to sympathise with us, to cry for us and to cry with us. We are already a part of this world.” Moreover, though
Interviewee’s Picks
decided to become a writer by the age of 17”, states Khaled Khalifa, the awardwinning novelist, screenwriter and poet living in Damascus, Syria. Khalifa was awarded the Nagib Mahfouz medal for literature in 2017 for his novel No Knives in the Kitchens of this City and was a finalist for the US National Book Award for Translated Literature. He has since taken up the 2022 Banipal Visiting Writer Fellowship at St Aidan’s College. The fellowship, established in 2016 by St Aidan’s and the Banipal magazine of Modern Arab Literature, welcomes an established Arab author each year to Durham. I ask Khalifa about the difficulties he faced making this resolute career decision. “After getting a law degree at the University of Aleppo, I had two choices: I either live half a life by complying to the family’s wishes and work as a lawyer, or I become a writer, even if I were to die of hunger. The choice was never easy as it comes at the cost of displeasing those you love the most, but I worked consistently until I found material success as the screenwriter of the popular TV series Memoirs of Al-Jalali (Serat Al-Jalali). Those ten difficult formative years brought me my first discovery of writing: you need to dedicate your entire being to writing - your time, your efforts, your dreams, your ambitions, your body.” We then move on to discuss his latest novel Death is Hard Work, published in 2016 and translated to English by Leri Price in 2019. The novel is set in Syria, following the arduous journey of three siblings - Bolbol, Hussein and Fatima - determined and terrified to fulfil their late father’s dying wish to be buried in his hometown of Anabiya. At the start of the project, Khalifa was confronted by the question of how one writes about a war they’re still experiencing. “With every project, I learn to write from the beginning. Every project begs the question of
Cities of Salt Abdul Rahman Munif
Louay Kayali, Syrian modern artist (1934-1978)
In this seminal work of petrofiction, Munif explores the impact of the discovery of huge oil reserves on a prelapsarian Arabian penisula.
Named ‘Fisherman at Arwad’, this painting is an example of Kayali’s exploration of themes of strength, resilience and foritutde of normal individuals. He is one of Syria’s most well-known contemporary artists.
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translation opens up the possibilities of dialogue and exchange, Khalifa remarks upon the challenges it poses as “Arabic texts translated in the West are often looked at with a voyeuristic gaze. Our stories are seen as social studies, documenting only our culture and traditions without appreciation for creativity and invention. The real battle lies in changing this gaze. And I believe this is what Death is Hard Work has started to achieve.” But Khalifa notes the progress achieved in the last decade on this front and holds out hope for the future. “The numbers of authors translated has significantly increased, and this is bound to lead to change. There is now a greater recognition that we have multiple narratives and diverse heroes, that our world is not comprised of a single story.” What Khalifa so eloquently states is a call not only related to the disfiguring gaze with which Arab literature is looked upon, but casts light on the judgements the people of the region are subjected to. “We are not responsible for convincing the West of the beauty and richness of our culture and civilization. For me, Arabic is one of the most beautiful languages and I feel deeply lucky to write in this mother tongue. I have great faith in our local culture which circulates in everything: our food, our clothes, our dancing. Such human wealth exists and thrives with or without external appreciation.” Ultimately, Khalifa closes with the importance of reciprocity between the Arab world and the West. “One cannot exist without the other. There must be a willingness to listen and tolerate”.
Image credit (from top): St Aidans College, Penguin, WikiArt
STAGE stage@palatinate.org.uk
The Durham Showcase 2022 Stage Editor Saniya Saraf discusses directing the Finalist’s Showcase troupe
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tradition that began in 2015, the Durham Finalist’s Showcase has been a celebration of the university’s finest actors. The show consists of a series of monologues and duologues presented annually in the presence of both agents and industry professionals. It also serves as a last performing hurrah for those involved who will have spent a great deal of time working in productions of Durham Student Theatre. In all my candour, I must admit that the project at first appeared a dauting task: the role of directing actors from such a range of DST shows and companies, who have already grounded themselves as highly talented individuals was bound to be a challenge. I quickly had a realisation of how demanding, but also invigorating, it would be to instruct such experienced and proficient actors – and what it would take to elevate the performances from the comparative to the superlative. In workshopping pieces, each actor already naturally had an established technique, character and performance style. As a creative team, we altered our approach to retain the cornerstone of the rehearsal to be a type selection of text that is veracious in representing both the actor’s niche and pieces that are unfamiliar territory. To see actors tap into roles that challenge their styles was the most compelling to witness; both as a viewer and as a Director.
In our long days of rehearsing with different troupe members one by one, with every actor who stepped in the room, the energy of the room transformed. The project inherently demanded an intensely collaborative approach. The process was adaptive in order to cater to both casting types and acting styles. This was heightened by many of our troupe members having directed
before, having just as much to offer in conceptualising their pieces as in performing them. In our long days of rehearsing with different troupe members one by one, with every actor that stepped in, the energy of the room transformed. I was assisted by Amelie Lambie-Proctor and we found that there was no blueprint for these rehearsals, as each member thrived under their own distinctive process. Readapting was absolutely central to the approach.
The role of directing actors from such a range of DST shows and companies, who have already grounded themeslves as highly talented individuals was bound to be a challenge.
The 2022 troupe consists of: Daisy Hargreaves, President of the Durham Revue, who has showcased impeccable grasp of comedy as Ugly C*nt in LTC’s ‘Original Death Rabbit’ as well as chilling dramatic presence in as Una in ‘Blackbird’; Adela Hernandez-Derbyshire, a member of the 2019 RADA Youth Company who has previously stunned in her roles of Mrs. Dalloway, Guildenstern and Julia in ‘1984’. Ben Willows, President of 1TC, wellknown for the Best Show winning ‘Cottage’ of DDF 2022, and his high energy portrayls of ‘The Player’ from ‘Rosencratnz and Guildenstern are Dead’ and Hector in ‘The History Boys’; Ben Smart, Co-President of Suffragette
Theatre Company, who in the same two plays as Willows, played ‘Rosencrantz’ and ‘Dakin’; he is a skilled performer of youthful, quick witted types. Tom Cain, who has impressed as powerful leading men, playing Tony in ‘Bull’ and as Sky in ‘Guys and Dolls’; Etienne Currah, always a deliverer of steely control as Angelo in ‘Measure for Measure’ and both Dorian Grey and Sardanapalus in the DUCT Classical Showcase; Sophie Alibert, who has performed both at the Royal Court Theatre and Southwark Playhouse, an integral performer in DULOG shows throughout her time here, and the sole troupe member singing in the showcase. Finally, Em Oliver, renown for their powerful productions of ‘Medea’, and ‘Beautiful Nothing’; their impressive DDF 2022 play. They’re also directing CTC’s prestigious Summer Shakespeare Tour, this year being ‘The Comedy of Errors’. Expect to see some Tony Kushner, Duncan Macmillan, Helen Edmundson and Mike Bartlett throughout. Some of my favourite perfomances are of Ben Smart in ‘Mother Teresa is Dead’ and Em Oliver in ‘Pronoun’. Our aim is to showcase the range of each member of the troupe to display the variety of character skill they all very much have to play with. Daisy’s more comedic monologues contrast well with her intense duologue from Angels in America with Smart. Adela’s two monologues, from ‘People Places Things’ and ‘Buckets’ are very pensive and controlled, whereas her duologue with Sophie carries lightness and warmth. Directing Sophie’s musical theatre piece, ‘Quiet’ by Natalie Weiss was perhaps the most delightful for me, as I ventured into this genre for the very first time.
Readapting was absolutley central to the approach. The Troupe is set to perform on the 18th in the Assembly Rooms Theatre Durham and on the 27th in Camden People’s theatre in London.
Image credit: Jay Haydon Photograph Thursday 10 March 2022
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