Indigo 827

827

EDITORIAL Thursday, 5 March 2020

2

www.palatinate.org.uk/category/indigo/

FEATURES 3 Being an active mental health bystander MUSIC 4&5 Meet the artists of DH1 Records CREATIVE WRITING 6 Storytelling as medicine BOOKS 7 Finding me shelf INTERVIEW 8&9 Dragon’s Den: Wire Your Days

FILM AND TV

10 It’ s time to cancel celebrity culture STAGE 11 The issue of race and gender-blind casting FOOD AND DRINK 12 & 13 The Ugly Fruit Group VISUAL ARTS AND TRAVEL 14 & 15 Global Galleries FASHION 16 Dolce & Gabbana: Uncancelled?

www.facebook.com/palindigo Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @indigodurham Have a question, comment, or an idea for a story you’d like to write?

Email indigo@palatinate.org.uk Logo: Chloe Wong Cathedral Artwork: Anna Gibbs Front Cover: Karen Jones

It’s our last edition of term and that always comes with mixed feelings. Palatinate is such a big part of my life that it feels strange at the end of term when the responsibility dies down for a little bit. It means I can concentrate on my degree (always useful), but it also means another term has passed without me even realising.

I get frustrated about time passing so quickly, especially when I want to stay safely cocooned in the environment of university, but it also forces me to recognise that the time I’m having here is enjoyable enough that it goes by without me realising.

My experience is a lucky one though, and university has come with its issues both personal and across campus.

Although there may be arguments and divides erupting across the university, I like to take comfort in the fact that there are so many students in our community doing incredible things. This week, Music interviews DH1 Records: a student-run record label which focuses on bringing new music to the Durham scene- much needed I’m sure you’ll agree; Interview talks to the creator of Wire Your Days: a start-up jewelry business and Food & Drink talks to the Ugly Fruit Group: the students combating food waste and food poverty all in one go.

Not only those students, but the editors in Palatinate and indigo over this past term have put so much effort into shining a light on the student community and the voices who deserve a platform. I can’t wait to see what we produce. over the next term This week, our cover is a sketch of the UCU strikes by Karen Jones.

The Durham UCU fund hope to raise funds through selling these paintings. Details of the local hardship fund can be be found on the UCU website.

Shauna Lewis

INDIGO EDITORS Shauna Lewis Hugo Millard (deputy) FEATURES EDITORS Kleopatra Olympiou Mary Bradshaw (deputy)

CREATIVE WRITING EDITORS Catriona Inglis Meadbh Ni Mhorain

STAGE EDITORS Harrison Newsham Isabel C. Davis VISUAL ARTS EDITORS Florie Moran BOOKS EDITORS Clara Knight Lotte Hall FASHION EDITORS Molly Goetzee Abbie Cooper Davies FOOD & DRINK EDITORS Elle Woods-Marshall Imogen Higgins TRAVEL EDITORS Alex Bicknell-Cummins Gracie Linthwaite FILM & TV EDITORs Aadira Parakkat Madeleine Rosie Strom MUSIC EDITORS Matthew Prudham Katherine Pittalis INTERVIEW EDITORS Julia Merican Millicent Machell

FEATURES

3

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Being an active mental health bystander Some tips and tricks to mark University Mental Health Day

By Anna Shepherd features@palatinate.org.uk

Y

ou might have read the title of this article with suspicion, wondering whether it would be accusing you or talking about someone else in society, some insensitive other who hasn’t quite chimed in to the mental health conversation. The truth is that the idea of a passive mental health bystander is not a label I would identify with, as I already know the key signs of mental health struggles. But then I realised I fall short. I am in fact quite awkward when talking to someone about their mental health. What would I do if a friend of a friend was having trouble? Have I even ever noticed who is in trouble?

The NHS names a lot of poor mental health symptoms on their website. Only by going through some of them have I realised that many have ended up being the butt of jokes around the student dinner table. These include: neglecting appearance or hygiene, increased alcohol consumption, loss of motivation, fatigue, prolonged low periods and fluctuations in weight.

What is the point when sighs of “ahh I’m so tired”, “I can’t be arsed with this anymore” or “one more pint won’t hurt” become more than everyday student chat and equate to mental health struggles?

This generation is truly a strong force for raising awareness about mental health issues, but let’s not get complacent. We need to check ourselves and really ask if that person is coping, without dismissing these as casual comments within the homogeneity of student experience.

your approach should be adaptable to both friends and strangers.

Mental health is undeniably personal.

Speaking to students who have struggled with mental health issues, the biggest problem seems to be that we struggle to decipher symptoms and are unsure how to approach problems. Yet, there is an arsenal of strategies we can use to start an open conversation with someone who we think might be struggling: approach with caution; be non-judgemental; be patient; remember that, in most cases, your presence is more useful than your words.

“Your presence is more useful than your words.”

A very practical example of when these strategies can be implemented is a panic attack. Remember that mental health difficulties can affect anyone, at any time,

Mental health advisors are very clear on the first point of action: stay calm yourself but don’t dictate this to the person suffering. A panic attack can be characterised by shortness of breath, increased heart palpitations, a sense of disorientation from reality and a feeling of complete lack of control. It is helpful to think of your words as currency: use them wisely. Avoid reflex comments such as “don’t worry, there’s no need to panic,” as this could seem unsympathetic and patronising.

If you are with a friend, use the luxury of familiarity to your advantage and lean into it. Maintain eye contact and suggest they breathe with you or breathe following your arm movements up and down. Try and get the person out of a busy area, reassure and encourage them that they are doing well and are safe. If you are trying to help a stranger, it is paramount that they feel especially safe, as the trust is not pre-existing. Holding their hand can be helpful, but this must always be consensual, or you can try refocusing their attention on a random object by asking them to describe it.

The bulwark against the escalation of mental health problems relies on professionals’ advice of patience, understanding and listening – more so than speaking. So to avoid becoming passive mental health bystanders, let us be keen observers and active listeners and helpers. If you see something, say something, or at least sit next to the person so they know they’re not alone.

Illustration by Heidi Januszewski

MUSIC 4

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Meet the artists of DH1 Records Music interviews DH1 Records’s artist roster: Dan Quinn, Jack Patrick, and Samad.

By Matthew Prudham Music Editor music@palatinate.org.uk

Y

“creative control and a platform for it to shine.”

ou may be familiar with DH1 Records. Emerging from the undergrowth this year after a period of hibernation, DH1 Records is an entirely Durham student-ran record label, from PR to mixing, talent search to graphics. Behind the scenes, these students have worked hard to get the label off the ground, resulting in SoundCloud demos and a sold-out showcase at the end of last term. Without artists, though, you cannot have a label. DH1 Records currently has three main artists on its roster: Jack Patrick; Dan Quinn; and Samad.

All three give glowing reports about DH1 Records. Jack tells us that DH1 works, since “there is a group of people that love what they do and want to get involved; they don’t want to push you, but support you in producing your own music.” Samad wants to “stress the creative control; they give us a platform, like at the showcase.”

Last term’s showcase was a huge success.

It was Samad’s first time playing his own music live to a lot of people. Despite feeling terrified, he said “I think it went pretty well; after I came off, four people were asking me for my Spotify. I was gassed.”

Dan was also very positive: “It was fun, I had a good time.” All three stressed how important DH1’s “mission” is in bringing new contemporary music to Durham.

“a group of people who love what they do.”

Despite main DH1 producer Alex Comaish being heavily involved, Samad stresses that himself and Jack self-produce. Yet, most of the creative work is done at home, with studio time devoted to “mixing and mastering, getting the sound right.’

Jack adds, “a studio can be artistically frustrating and blocking; when I’m in a familiar space like my room, it can feel much more intimate.” I can sense the camaraderie between the three, as they joke and discuss each other’s music enthusiastically.

Jack, Dan and Samad are all having singles released as soon as possible. Dan adds tough, that the process isn’t all about them: “Everyone has to be free, and no one is full-time staff. It’s just building bits and pieces at the moment; it’s like a balancing act, focusing on different things at various times.” Jack says we should keep our mouths watering: “The music is going to start rolling out”. Both Jack and Samad are first years, and have few contact hours, devoting much of their free time to consuming and producing music in all of its various forms. “It’s a time to relax, but also to be productive.

Dan admits he misses a few of his lectures;, but that it’s all for a good cause. He had just finished bits off in the studio for his new release, “Jay + Kanye.” There is a lot of focus not just on what DH1 offers them, but what the artists bring to DH1.

Image credits: Amelia Holden, Frances Barona.

Dan Quinn

MUSIC

5

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Samad Samad is the newest artist on the roster, and with no music released yet: “the schedule for recording is ASAP. I’m hoping to have my single recorded within the next week or so, and then released the month after.” Before the release, he’s building up to it with a number of shows, including a successful set at DUCFS. Samad describes his music as a blend of indie pop and RnB, and draws inspiration from Frank Ocean, Pharrell (he professes his admiration for the Neptunes), Tyler, the Creator and Future – “that sphere of RnB, with smooth chords and jazzy beats.”

I quizzed him on how to avoid becoming a replica of his ‘idol’ Frank Ocean, and Samad responded: “I don’t think my music sounds much like Frank Ocean – the reason I call him my main influence is because his music, especially his textures and production techniques, inspires me to create my own music. An album like Blond., thematically and scopewise, is what I’d like to create.” Meeting other artists, who have a similar sound or vision to him, is also crucial in the development of his music. “Coming to Durham, I was worried about not finding many contemporary music artists. In terms of people, though, my songs’ lyrical content are inspired by everyone I meet and things that have happened.”

Speaking before the release of his Valentine’s single “Jay + Kanye,” Dan discussed his first demo release, ‘Pop Girl.’ “It’s in essence a fun song; I was sat and trying to think of an idea for a song, and I thought, ‘I just want to be a pop girl, just being stanned and having a lot of fun.’” Some lyrics did get too dramatic, as he thought about the darker sides of notoriety – but Dan then realised he wanted it to be more fun. A lot of his professed influences, such as Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey and Carly Rae Jepsen are ‘pop girls.’ His track holds a lot of similarity to Charli XCX’s work – “the catchy choruses and motifs are on purpose, as well as the song’s rapidity. A lot of Charli XCX’s lyrical content may be ‘shit,’ but it’s shit on purpose. It’s junk food music, which I really appreciate. It’s tongue-in-cheek and self-aware.”

Dan sees more relatable content in this style of music; Carly Rae Jepsen, for example, “writing about all her breakups”; he is angry how her label has tarnished her career, forcing some to think of her as a one-hit wonder after “Call Me Maybe.” Dan also has an EP in the works, though he underlines it’s only early days: “The idea is ambitious – it might not come to fruition. It may be called Leaving Eden or Forgetting Eden, just by coincidence there’s a lot of religious allegory. The narrative is about being in and then leaving the Garden of Eden. Whether this idea comes across, well, time will tell.”

“my songs’ lyrical content are inspired by everyone I meet” Jack’s story is different. He describes his music as essentially “chilled,” and he told me how he goes about creating this kind of atmosphere: “I might create a riff with a guitar, piano, or synth, and when I write, it’s with a lot of reverb.” From that, Jack crafts the song, but this means that “sometimes the song never gets finished, because there’s no solid structure.” Songs that do progress from beyond the initial stages work out as a treat. Jack has a demo song on the DH1 SoundCloud – ‘Green Stone’: “This was one of the first proper songs I wrote, about three years ago. It’s kind of a dig at someone, but rather more nostalgic than aggressive. They did feel shocked when I sent it to them, but there’s no hard feelings.”

The 1975 and Coldplay are Jack’s main inspirations. “The 1975 at the moment are my favourite band. The band are quite chill while Matty is flamboyant and out-there. Their sound is so diverse, too – from 80s synth-pop to now, having a jazzy song, “Sincerity is Scary,” on their last record.”

Desiring to play Glastonbury, he knows what it would take: “a good, polished, energetic live act, playing good music and being charismatic on stage. I don’t want the vibe of an audience paying to see an artist perform – of course the quality is important – but rather a community coming together. The best shows are those that make you feel like you are one with the band.”

Jack Patrick

CREATIVE WRITING 6

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Storytelling as medicine How writing benefits our mental health

By Aadira Parakkat creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk

T

here’s a bound and laminated booklet of around fifteen pages which lies in the bedroom cupboard of my grandparents’ house. The title page makes promises of a fantastical adventure in a distant land and is subtitled with my name in a stylized font; the best book cover that a tenyear-old could design with the help of a desktop and an uncontainable imagination. That booklet currently remains the first and only novel I’ve ever written.

My family moved when I was fourteen and the adjustment and discomfort of the transition gave rise to my first experiences with anxiety and depression. In a story, this would be framed as my inciting incident, but this was not a magical fairyland and I was faced with overwhelming emotions I had never felt before. This dissonance between the conclusive and remarkable lives that played out in my head and the disappointing reality of my inaction and self-doubt, created a discontentment which infected almost every avenue of my life. I stopped writing as voraciously as I once did. Apart from an angsty poem every now and then, I faltered in expression because of my incapacitating insecurity.

I was abandoning an impulse that was once so inseparable from my sense of self.

However, once I truly started tending to my mental health, I discovered journaling.

Journaling allowed me to frame my experiences as narratives and identify where I was letting my fears eclipse my potential.

It was a form of writing that required acknowledgement instead of escape. I began unloading years of unfair self-condemnation and processing emotions that had been simmering below the surface for too long.

Over the past year, I’ve cultivated that familiar itch to put pen to paper and reach a resolution, except I myself am the protagonist worth rooting for. By treating my life with the same attention and confidence that fueled the plethora of stories I wrote as a child, I began finding the

magic and adventure in my own reality.

“I myself am the protagonist worth rooting for” That bound and laminated booklet in my grandparents’ cupboard is still a prized possession, one I fondly look back on every summer when I visit my hometown. Journaling has helped me find a story that has given me an incomparable joy to write and revisit: the story of my own exciting, turbulent and adventurous life, one that has compelled me to document it for the rest of my days. The act of writing is no longer a medium of vicarious pleasure – it is now the delightful consequence of living an abundant and fulfilling reality.

By Emerson Muhmoud c r e a t i ve. w r i t i n g @ p a l a t i n a t e. o r g. u k

I

have struggled with dysphoria, dysmorphia, anxiety, and depression but, I have managed to find a calm through my writing.

Writing creatively was something I actually began to do when I arrived at Durham.

Though I tried to write in the past, my anxiety always prohibited me from trying, because I always felt it had to be perfect. But when I began to see a counsellor last year, they asked me to write down my feelings every day, even if it was just loose thoughts. The practice of doing that began to calm me, allowing me to reflect and place these thoughts outside of me.

As time continued, I began to naturally formulate poetry and my thoughts shifted into this beautiful explanation of my pain; I fell in love with writing. The more I wrote, the more I could control myself. I am lucky that I no longer need deep pain

to write. Now in my life I am still able to write through overwhelming feelings. I rarely feel anxious, and almost never depressed. But if I do feel it coming to the surface, I turn to writing, reforming it into art.

I have always hand-written my thoughts first, even my essays. The process of taking a blank page and then scribbling on it with my fountain pen or my pencil is calming. What I write is not the only art, but also how I write. In my journal, one would see a conglomeration of spacing, cursive and print, which changes from piece to piece. Because a note to happiness needs to be seen, read and understood. But an ode to those now gone and forgotten deserve delicate calligraphy which enhances their life with every wide stroke. My writing is an art in every way: to understand it, you have to see it .

“Durham has become my muse” Durham has become my muse. I write for more than to reign in my anxieties now- I write with passion. My friends have begun to joke that I have turned into a romantic era poet, as they often message me to find I am down by the river with my Van Gogh notebook, writing, scribbling away my thoughts. I do my best to introspect every day and write it down. I do that so I can look back, and grow and learn. Writing has helped my wellbeing as I have learned to use it as a way to document things I liked about myself, and mistakes I have made that I need to work to fix.

Writing has become my life in the short year I’ve been doing it. Even as I write this article, I do not think I am some aficionado, but I know that by sharing these words, I may help someone else connect and feel like they, too, can learn to self-sooth through writing.

Image: Barry Silver acessed on Flickr

BOOKS 7

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Finding my shelf Books which define our past, present and future

By Imogen Marchant books@palatinate.org.uk

F

or me, the hardest part of coming to university was deciding which books to take. A Year Three teacher once convinced me that every time I folded a page, the book would cry, and somehow I’ve never quite got the possibility of my books being sentient out of my head.

I know this isn’t really true. But in a sense, my haphazard, piled up books have taken on lives of their own; the particularly well-thumbed volumes contain ticket stubs, scribbled notes, shopping lists; all things that I have used as bookmarks in order to avoid having to fold over the page.

These aren’t just visual reminders of where I was and what I was doing when I picked them up, but in the thumbprints still discernible on some of the pages are memories of how I felt, what I did, who I was. How on earth could I decide which of those memories to pick up and cart halfway across the country with me?

“My haphazard, piled up books have taken on lives of their own”

There have been so many phases defined by what I’ve read; the pre-teen Jacqueline Wilson phase, the Roald Dahl fling, a dalliance with PG Wodehouse that then turned into a full blown loveaffair. I like to immerse myself in my books, and if anyone was to walk into my room, it tends to resemble a bad modern art collection, with lots of stacks of books that will never quite make their way onto the shelf, just in the eventuality that I’ll want to read them one more time.

me. Before I went travelling last year, my grandma presented me with a copy of Ithaca by CP Cavafy, which is inspired by The Odyssey.

It’s a beautiful poem about the value of the

If I have to pick one book to define my childhood, it would, stereotypically, be Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Not only because it features a little girl who likes books, but because of the effect it had on my imagination. I never just liked Matilda.

I quite frankly thought I was Matilda, and because she liked books and could move things with her eyes, I figured that because I liked books I could also move things with my eyes. I would sit for hours, cross legged, staring at objects, just willing them to move. As you can guess, I was incredibly unsuccessful. But it made me realise just how powerfully words could resonate with me, and it has inspired me to keep reading ever since.

journey, and travelling, and coming home.

Today, my tastes are perhaps more refined, and when I originally thought of picking a book that would summarise my current situation, my mind turned to Brideshead Revisited for its heady, deeply romanticised portrayal of university life that seems to summarise how I feel about Durham. But then I looked up, and saw The Odyssey staring at me. Until the summer, it has gathered dust on the ‘should probably read’ list.

Then I took a module that forced me to read it, and it has stuck with me for a number of reasons ever since. One - it depicts an incredibly difficult, fantastical journey, and sometimes my degree feels like a cyclops threatening to eat

I read the whole thing in one day, lying on a beach on the hottest day of the year, and I still have the sunburn mark on my back from it; Homer has quite literally scarred me. Joking aside, however, I may not be Odysseus, and I don’t have any aspirations to go head-to-head with some Lastrigonians, but there is something so powerful about how much it resonated with me, and how surprised I was that I loved it so much.

“There have been so many phases defined by what I’ve read” Looking forward, I’d really like to read Helene Hanff’s 84, Charing Cross Road.

It was recommended to me years ago, and I haven’t put it off for any particular reason, but because the person who suggested it told me that they had it on audiobook while they were packing up their life to move from Scotland to London. I think I’ll save it for my next big trip.

Illustrations by Artemis Irvine

INTERVIEW 8

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Dragon’s Den: Wire Your Days Interviewing Kitty Parker, the student founder of jewellery business, Wire Your Days.

By Julia Merican Interview Co-Editor interview@palatinate.org.uk

I

n the age of Instagram, Depop and Etsy, online businesses, particularly student-led, have become all the rage. I recently spoke to Kitty Parker, a second-year Anthropology student from Cuth’s, about her funky wire jewellery business, fittingly named Wire Your Days.

“I’d see earrings or art that inspired me, and I’d want to have them myself, so I started making them.”

“I started it when I was sixteen,” Kitty tells me, saying that the project came about mostly to combat summer-induced boredom. “I decided to do something creative to keep me occupied.” Always interested

which she saw at the Tate. The outline was simple, and a friend encouraged her to try to shape them as earrings.

“At first, I was just getting inspired by a couple of artists, and after that I came up with the designs by myself.”

While expanding Wire Your Days into a fully-fledged personal business, Kitty turned to Depop, where she had already been selling clothes for a few years. As her business grew, however, she created an account on Etsy, which she preferred because of how it was specifically catered to arts and crafts. “I found it much easier to use,” she says, “and it allows me to sell my jewellery internationally as well.”

in art, she found some wire at home from her mother’s jewellery-making days, and started from there. She liked the malleability of the wire, how easy it was to mould, and more importantly, how accessible and affordable it was. “I’d see earrings or art that inspired me, and I’d want to have them myself, so I started making them.”

Kitty says her first two earring designs were artistically inspired. She remembers being really into Frida Kahlo at the time and was particularly fascinated with her hand-shaped earrings. Not being able to find a pair anywhere, she made them herself. “They were really bad,” she laughs, “but once I got used to doing the design, it got better.”

Her next design, her earliest commercial success, was inspired by art in the shape of moons

On the subject of the name of her business, Kitty shrugs casually. “I’m not sure how I came up with the name. I feel like it was just one of those moments where it just came to me and I was just like, yeah, I like the sound of that.”; effortlessly sophisticated but laidback, much like her earrings.

“The main thing for me was just having confidence that people like what I’m making.”

INTERVIEW Thursday, 5 March 2020

er and not everyone knows who you are. “The main thing for me was just having confidence that people like what I’m making. Durham is such a good place to reach out through emails, and fashion shows are so happy to get involved with student-run businesses.”

Emphasising how coming to university has helped with her business outreach, Kitty’s chief advice to other start-ups is to take advantage of where you are. In her first year, she reached out to Cuth’s fashion show about showcasing her earrings, and later on, the Castle fashion show team approached her through Instagram: “I think it really helped to put ‘Durham’ in my bio.” Later in the year, she reached out to DUCFS and got involved with their Festival of Sustainability. “It was really nice to have your own stall, and to talk to other students who have businesses as well.”

When asked about her thoughts on collaborating with other student businesses, Kitty says it is definitely something that’s been talked about. “A lot of us were talking about taking over Market Square and having a collaboration,” she says.

“It does depend on time and coordinating with people, but it would be so lovely to have a Durham-run event together.”

The new anonymity that came with bringing her business to uni was refreshing.

Admitting that she felt quite shy about publicising Wire Your Days while she was at school, Kitty tells me how liberating it was to be able to start afresh at university, where the community is larg-

The beauty of projects like this one is that they are run very much on your own terms. Kitty says she enjoys running this business alongside uni: it provides a nice distraction, perhaps even a form of productive procrastination, while not being too time-consuming.

“I like to do creative things on the side,” she says, “but sitting down and sketching can be quite hard. It’s not the same as doing something for something. It’s quite nice to work towards orders on Etsy.”

With an online business, how you market yourself definitely plays a big role.

The Wire Your Days Instagram account is relaxed but aesthetically pleasing, with muted tones and no discernible filters. Smooth close-ups of the earrings are interspersed with photos of personal artwork; the captions are mostly short and sweet, peppered with relevant emojis. In short, Wire Your Days is marketed with a sort of inimitable grace, perhaps a key reason for its international success.

9

“I feel like my greatest achievement has been being able to earn my own money and do something I love at the same time.”

On Etsy and Instagram, people are constantly scrolling through photos and being overloaded with visual information: “if you’re looking at six images, you need something that stands out. It really helps if your page looks very similar throughout,” says Kitty. “It doesn’t matter what the description is, really, as long as you have a clear photo.”

The biggest achievement of Wire Your Days so far has been how unexpectedly the business took off. The summer before she started university, Kitty travelled to Kenya with her earnings without any financial reliance on anyone else. “Saving up for that trip was a big thing for me,” she says, “especially because I never expected Wire Your Days to kick off so well.”

“I feel like my greatest achievement has been being able to earn my own money and do something I love at the same time.”

Wire Your Days will be setting up a jewellery stall in the DSU for International Women’s Day on the 7th of March.

You can also follow the business on Instagram and on Etsy.

FILM & TV 10

Thursday, 5 March 2020

It’s time to cancel celebrity culture Aadira Parakkat investigates how celebrity culture has changed for the worse

By Aadira Parakkat Film and TV Editor film@palatinate.org.uk

C

elebrities: love ‘em, hate ‘em, you can’t ignore ‘em. Fame is a common theme in human history; it used to be ascribed to kings and conquerors, but as monarchies collapsed and artistic expression became an economy, screens became the new thrones and celebrity culture found its beginnings.

In today’s world of connectivity and thriving content, the commodification of art has extended itself to the commodification of lifestyle; we now follow people who have the ability to portray their lives as interesting, from reality television stars to social media influencers. We’re living in an age where the already blurred line between commodity and human being is growing weaker, and the treatment of “famous people” in recent times has cultivated a new strand of social extremism with the rise of “stan” and “cancel” culture.

“The treatment of famous people [...] has cultivated a new strand of social extremism”

The rise of reality television in the past decade has displayed a momentous shift in the way audiences consume entertainment. While in the US reality television was largely limited to game shows, the rise of Paris Hilton and the Kardashians pioneered an entirely new direction of content creation. In the UK, reality television made its mark with shows such as Big Brother and Geordie Shore, which gave tabloids enough timber to thrive on. As audiences were let into people’s lives and households, the barrier of the screen began to slowly dissolve.

This was simultaneous with the rise of social media, which in itself changed the platforms of entertainment. Real and ordinary people now had access to creating entertaining content. However, sponsorships and the use of heavy production equipment among other things has turned the platform into merely, a deceptive fiction of glamour that is simply an echo of its silver screen predecessors.

However, it’s becoming clearer now that this economy of lifestyle has purely become a perpetuation of falsities behind a promise of ‘reality’, and in turn, has had its ripple effects across the industry. Famous personalities, who are unwilling to present their personal lives as entertainment, suffer the incessant nagging of the media and the public. High profile blunders are blown out of proportion by harsh judgmental responses on Twitter.

The impact of negative media coverage and cancel culture has been toxic and, in instances such as that of Caroline Flack’s recent death, dangerous. Due to our constant exposure to illusions of reality that are actually products of careful scripting, production and editing, we are beginning to expect perfection; in Flack’s case, this expectation was fatal.

“We are beginning to expect perfection, and in Flack’s case, this expectation was fatal.”

There’s a harrowing irony in the fact that while in some ways we are more connected than ever, in others we’ve never been more isolated. Human beings are not commodities. Lives are not public domain. People are not perfect. These are perhaps the mantras that we need in the wake of this tragic reality check.

Images: Flickr

STAGE

11

Thursday, 5 March 2020

The issue of race and gender-blind casting Isabel Carmichael-Davis discusses the preoccupation with diversity in theatre

By Isabel Carmichael-Davis Stage Editor stage@palatinate.org.uk

T

here has long been a debate on whether ethnicity and gender should be taken into account when casting, especially in plays which are set in a particular time period. The new David Copperfield film has reignited this debate, with the decision to cast Dev Patel, of Indian decent, as the lead. Why is this still seen as such a controversial decision? And, while claiming to be more diverse than the film industry, has theatre made more significant progress?

“The quest for complete historical accuracy is a fallacy” Musicals on the West End have changed significantly in recent years in terms of diversity, with more and more parts being made for BAME performers, encouraged by the all-consuming fame of Hamilton in 2016. And while the proportions of BAME performers is looking increasingly representative (making up 38% in 2019), a closer look at the percentage of named roles reveals that it is still overwhelming white and male. This shows that BAME performers are often placed in the ensemble but only in a named role when the character is specified as being ‘non-white’.

It is a key concern as to why casting directors often seem to adhere to the original gender or ethnicity of the character when casting a role. One consideration often cited is historical accuracy, or respecting ‘how the playwright intended it’.

In response to this, it is important to remember that until the 1660s there were no women on the professional stage. Very few acting companies commit to this level of authenticity, and those who do are often

met with an eye-roll, seen as clinging onto an ancient tradition built on misogyny and repression. The quest for complete historical accuracy is a fallacy, often making little difference to the quality of the production, and so the immersive quality of good theatre should be able to transcend the gender or ethnicity of the performers.

Nevertheless, there is the question of whether changing the gender or race of a character is always effective. One of the semi-superficial issues is that it can often become the centre of the production: the main talking point becomes the fact that Hamlet was played by a woman, rather than the quality of the acting and interpretation as a whole. I would argue that this is often the case when something different to the norm is attempted, and that it is merely growing pains which more frequent exposure to gender/race-blind casting would solve.

However, the director sometimes complicates the issue by actually changing the gender of the character, rather than just the actor in the role. Sometimes the pronouns remain unchanged, which is straightforward, but other times it is indicated that it is not merely a woman actress performing as a man, but actually that they have actually changed the gender of the character.

This most frequently happens in Shakespeare’s plays, for example in a recent production of Triolus and Cressida from the RSC in which there were several gender reversions. While the aim to balance the number of male and female actors equally is certainly admirable, the fact that many of the soldiers and generals are women undermines the original gender dynamics in the play and takes away from the poor treatment of Cressida, notably the way she is used like a commodity because of her gender. Nevertheless, it is admirable they are trying to say something new with Shakespeare’s 400-year-old plays and attempting to appeal to a younger generation through modernisation of issues.

In the end, it is also significant to consider the fact that the reason why BAME and female performers are taking on roles not originally designed for them, is because there aren’t enough roles, especially leading ones, which are intended to represent marginalised groups. The focus on Caucasian men throughout history in theatre means that in order to keep these shows relevant, a shift has to be made, forcing diversity to a widening of perspective .

Often this makes little difference, or actually positively enhances or changes the perspective of the play; however there are instances where this seems forced and detracts focus from the issues the original playwright was trying to discuss.

Photography by Tracey Nolan on Flickr

FOOD AND DRINK 12

Thursday, 5 March 2020

The Ugly Fruit Group TUFC aim to use food waste to support food banks and the environment at the same time

By Elle Woods-Marshall and Imogen Higgins Food and Drink Co-Editors food@palatinate.org.uk

E

arlier this year we explored the role food banks play in helping individuals across the UK by speaking to Alex Abbs, the President of Beyond Food.

The reliance on food banks in the UK has increased dramatically, rising in the North East by 75% in the last five years, according to The Trussell Trust. Locally, the rate of usage at Hartlepool food bank has increased from 1-2 times a year to 15-20.

There is a clear issue with food insecurity in both the UK overall and our local area which should prompt us to quesion what we can do to support these food banks to make a change.

vest UK states that in 2012 more than 7 million people in the UK could have had their five-a-day without avoidable wastage.

Josh wanted to start a project that worked towards a solution to end the staggering amount of food wastage that happens beneath our noses. He joined togather with a group of other students to form The Ugly Fruit Group. Another member of the group, Elisabetta, harnessed her experience researching and interacting with social enterprises on her year abroad in Paris to help set up the project.

A group of students dreamt up and executed their own solution to help food banks whilst also protecting the planet. We interviewed two members of the team, Josh Cash and Elisabetta Satiokis, to find out more.

In the UK 20-40% of fruit and vegetables are discarded before reaching supermarkets due to aesthetics; and Har-

Currently, there are five students in the team. As a Geography student, Josh had a sense of world awareness both enviornmentally and socially, and knew that these were isues he wanted to tackle. Their primary concept activity centres around supplying the local food banks food shortage with the wastage of fruit and vegetables from supermarkets. They teamed up with Hartlepool food bank and sourced fruit and vegetables from Tesco, just outside Durham and an Aldi supermarket just outside Gilesgate. Additionally, they connected with the university kitchen supplier in order to source produce that is wasted and not given to university kitchens.

This initiative is proactive and helpful, especially because a common issue in many food banks is the lack of fresh produce sourced in donations.

Josh identified a disconnect between the way we handle food waste and approach food insecurity. He was startled by the amount of food thrown away every week because of how products look, rather than how useful or delicious they could be.

“their own solution to help both communities and the planet”

TUS project. ENACTUS is a global non-profit organisation of students, academics and business leaders that supports entrepenurial iniativies which seek to create social impact.

Many people donate long life products which, while they are brilliant and useful for lots of reasons, means that there is a nutritional gap deficiency in the food available to service users.

All of the team members have a foundational interest in trying to improve people’s lives whilst making a positive environmental change. Alongside this, their society and events aim to raise awareness of these often overlooked issues amongst the local and student community.

The Ugly Fruit Group is an ENAC-

By donating fresh fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted the project tackles two issues simultaneously. In this way, the project is multifaceted because it tackles both social and environmental issues.

Another central project of The Ugly Fruit Group makes use of the remainder of the produce that has not been donated to the food bank. Used as ingredients for healthy snacks that are cooked by the Ugly Fruit Exec themselves, the food does not go to waste.

FOOD AND DRINK Thursday, 5 March 2020

These snacks, ranging from banana bread and carrot cake to apple crisps and dehydrated mushrooms, are created based on the produce received from the supermarkets. The idea is that delicious and affordable snacks and products can be made from wastage we would normally assume is unusable. In order to work towards a Zero Waste policy, excess waste, such as tangerine peel and apple cores, are given to local allotments.

“trying to improve people’s lives whilst making positive enviromental impact” All snacks are transported in cardboard boxes or paper bags; the group ticks all the boxes when considering how to make their project ethically and environmentally sustainable. The snacks are then sold to students and locals at a stall located on the university campus.

The first stall was held in January and the Exec were delighted at the support displayed from students, keen to get involved, as well as the wider community in Durham.

A passerby remarked that Durham County ‘needs more and more things like this’.

13

Looking forward to the future, The Ugly Fruit Group plan to make these stalls fort-nightly, and later on weekly.

From this increase in frequency they seek to raise enough money to be able to support employing foobank users in the hope of enhancing employability, teaching skills and providing an income .

Therefore, the snacks sold on the stalls promote healthy eating amongst students and locals as well as providing money to support the community and create social change. Unfortunately, the Exec explained that they have faced difficulties with the Student Union when gaining permission to set up regular stalls. The SU have argued that the stalls will create competition with the SU’s cafés.

Yet, the snacks sold by the Ugly Fruit Group are very different to those sold in the SU and all proceeds go towards an admirable cause which supports our

local community, an aim that the SU should surely support. Moreover, the group stated that Durham University itself has consistently missed food waste targets set in their sustainability goals, highlighting that their overall approach needs to be reassessed. Clearly there is some room for investigation and pressure.

The long-term vision of the group involves holding regular stalls around the university which will produce enough profit to set up cooking workshops by the end of term. Ideally, the Exec will assume solely managerial roles and the people that use the food bank will create the snacks that are sold on the stalls, enhancing their cooking and social skills.

The Ugly Fruit Group is eager for more students to get involved to help store produce, cook snacks, and run stalls. Applications for new members of the team are open until the 13th of March and information can be found on their social media.

Alternatively, follow them on Facebook or Instagram and go to their stalls. You can support both the environment and local people in this student-led enterprise.

Photographs via the Ugly Fruit Group

VISUAL ARTS & TRAVEL 14

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Global galleries Visual Arts and Travel collaborate to bring you a capsule of their favourite galleries from around the world visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk travel@palatinate.org.uk

I learnt about LA TABACALERA in Madrid from an English architect I met at an Irish bar the night before. He described it as an “urban farm”, and when I saw it, the contradictory image made sense. In place of milk and meat, the old factory produces ideas and art. The unplastered walls of this labyrinthine factory are far from bare. Colourful, larger-than-life murals are packed into dimly lit tunnels and windowless storerooms. Often political but always hopeful, the voice is that of a young, expressive, socially engaged community. Dependent on - and thriving in - participatory democracy, La Tabacalera is a joyous reaction to an era of gentrification. Anyone can enter; everyone can benefit.

By Faye Saulsbury THE MUSEO DE ARTE ABSTRACTO ESPANOL is situated in one of Cuenca’s hanging houses, the museum emerges from the cliff and its beauty is two-fold: it is both in the artwork and the museum itself. In contrast to the ancient exterior, the artwork is contemporary and epitomises the modern Spanish abstract art scene. The pieces vary in their style some pieces incorporate the natural light from the windows as part of the artwork, while the simplicity of others facilitates personal and emotional interpretations.

By Katya Irwin

THE AROS GALLERY in Aarhus is one of the best art museums in Scandinavia and one of the largest in Northern Europe.

The gallery’s philosophy is simple:You need to be moving in order to gain something from art. ARoS thus obliges you to exert energy and constantly change your position while walking around. The building itself is impossible to miss when walking through the city, as Olafur Eliasson’s ‘Your Rainbow Panorama’ adorns the building like a luminous halo, creating a link between the art and the Aarhus skyline. Walking through, I was particularly struck by the spectacular views of the city, which are shifting all the time depending on the weather, and the unique sensation of being within a rainbow.

You really feel that you are inhabiting the art,and it is this aspect that makes ARoS one of the most interesting and unusual galleries I have ever visited.

By Gracie Linthwaite

VISUAL ARTS & TRAVEL 15

Thursday, 5 March 2020

THE PUNTA DELLA DOGANA is a contemporary art gallery in an one of Venice’s old customs buildings, perched right next to the Santa Maria Basillica and overlooking St Mark’s Square. I often visit an old friend of mine in Venice, and when she’s working I take myself off to this beautiful, airy space. The contrast of the old, majestic building with the experimental abstract art and sculpture is a shockingly effective combination and it’s easy to spend hour upon hour in this expertly curated gallery. The building’s walls are punctuated by half moon windows that frame Venice’s skyline in a perfect silhouette and ultimately the gallery becomes part of the art itself. I would recommend this underrated Venetian gallery to anyone that likes colour, bold work and a peaceful setting to stroll around to your hearts content, glimpsing the floating city as you go.

By Florie Moran

THE PICASSO GALLERY in Barcelona was the first gallery I ever truly appreciated. Tucked up a bustling alleyway, you move through five 13th century houses witnessing Picasso’s slow evolution into the abstract, and gaining an understanding of how his mental state and surroundings influenced his work.

For example his struggle with depression is evidenced within pieces from his blue period, which is then followed by his more joyous rose period, inspired by his new relationship with Fernande Olivier.

By organising his work into chronological order and giving you time to see his natural progression, I was able to appreciate his surrealist pieces to a greater degree as I had been given an insight into his point of view and an understanding of what influenced him. Whereas before my visit I would have seen only shapes and colours, afterwards I understood how these portrayed figures, moods and beauty.

By Alex Bicknell Cummins

SERGEI PARAJANOV MUSEUM in Yerevan, Armenia is one of my favourite places on earth. Visited by the likes of Paolo Coehlo and Vladimir Putin, this place is encapsulated by Parajanov’s lifetime works and other beloved items.

You can lose yourself in a labyrinth of a beguiling mixture of thought-provoking collages, spellbinding dolls and satirical drawings. Some of his unpublished works as an artist and film director are also accessible so if you’re a fan of Soviet films and arts then you definitely have to visit.

By Alra David

THE BERLINISCHE GALERIE in Berlin is a wonderful museum of modern art that combines an extensive permanent collection with thought-provoking contemporary exhibitions. I visited in January 2017, escaping the snow and stepping into the fascinating world of Cornelia Schleime, a German artist who uses shellac and other corrosive materials to unpredictability erode her paintings. The gallery’s interdisciplinary approach and architecture made a lasting impression on me and I’m desperate to go back.

By Eden Szymura

All images via authors

FASHION 16

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Dolce & Gabbana: uncancelled?

Molly Goetzee looks into why the brand keeps bouncing back.

By Molly Goetzee Fashion Editor fashion@palatinate.org.uk

A

fter a year-long hiatus, Dolce & Gabbana seem to be regracing the red carpet. The brand has had a long history of backlash against its brand directors Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce. Even in 2007, the brand drew 160 complaints addressed to the Advertising Standards Authority after using images of models using knives and depicting knife wounds in their advertising. This was just the start of their controversial choices.

Repeatedly, the directors have been called out for being racist, sexist and homophobic. In 2015, Dolce & Gabbana spoke to Panorama, an Italian magazine, about their opposition to gay couples having children, saying their view of family ‘was a traditional one’.

seen at the 2019 awards season. Though Stefano Gabbana claims he was hacked, the brand’s countless other incidents of racism, including selling ‘slave sandals’ and using colonial imagery on black models, made audiences believe otherwise.

Even the year before, Gabbana had told Reuters “I don’t want a Japanese designer to design for Dolce & Gabbana”.

Most notably, #DolcelovesChina last year drew massive controversy. After releasing an offensive advertisement, depicting a Chinese woman unable to eat Western food with chopsticks in November 2018, relations with the country spiralled. Screenshots of Gabbana’s Instagram DMs were then released, where he called Chinese people ‘Ignorant Dirty Smelling Mafia’. This was exposed by the fashion watchdog DietPrada on Instagram, the night before their first major catwalk show in China.

Originally named ‘The Great Show’, it gained a rather unfavourable hashtag in wake of the drama. Thousands of people boycotted the brand, refusing to go to the show, including celebrities Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbing, Chen Kun, Wang Xiaoming and Donnie Yen. Lucky Blue Smith and Estelle Chen, who were set to model in the show, also pulled out.

As a result, many Chinese celebrities took to Instagram, posting videos burning and throwing away Dolce & Gabbana stock. The brand’s stock was obliterated from Chinese department store shelves, including Tmall and JD.com, and was un-

the company’s profits were up 5 percent to €1.38 billion ($1.54 billion) even whilst being frozen out of the second biggest luxury market. At the 2020 Oscars, Greta Gerwig, Mindy Kaling, Keanu Reeves, Reese Witherspoon and Andy Samberg were just a few of the names wearing the brand to the ceremony and afterparty.

Some have argued the brand’s resurgence is to do with the recruitment of Lucio Di Rossa as head of worldwide celebrities and VIP relations. He is a well-known and well-liked figure within the celebrity sphere, having worked the same position at Versace for fifteen years.

He also previously worked for Armani.

Evan Ross Katz has described him as “a beloved figure within the fashion industry,” with ‘really strong connections with stylists and celebrities.” Perhaps this is why so many have had a change of heart toward Dolce & Gabbana.

However, some fashion writers believe that their comments should have nothing to do with the clothes at all. Tyler McCall, writing for Fashionista, claimed ‘These kinds of public gaffes take attention off of what should be most important for a fashion brand: the clothes.’

However, these ‘public gaffes’ are not small misteps in wording or accidents.

They are clear and broadcasted racism, homophobia and sexism. Does the consumer not have a responsibility to abstain from contributing to their growing profit margins? Or will powerful influence from celebrities, stylists, journalists and designers allow Dolce & Gabbana to become even more untouchable?

So why, even after all these issues, does Dolce & Gabbana always bounce back?

As of this year, profits have risen for the company yet again, even though they have lost the Chinese market. In March 2019,

Perhaps this is the time we need more powerful influencers, like DietPrada, who are unafraid of calling out those that believe they are beyond reproach.

Image: jiiakuann via Flickr