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INDIGO 2

F EATURES 3 Why International Women’s Day? F I LM & TV 4&5 Notable female directors and why you should take notice V I S UAL ARTS 6 The Legacy of Artemisia Gentileschi: a look at women in Renaissance art MUSIC 7 The under-representation of women in music F ASHION 8&9 A peek into the closet: looking into students’ take on fashion F I LM & TV 10 Interview with Durham Student Productions BOOKS 11 Books or films? An ongoing rivalry TRAVEL 12 & 13 Travelling through South America: a visual story F O O D & DRINK 14 Vegetarianism and veganism STAGE 15 The best theatre venues in Durham C R E A T IVE WRITING 16 Gender... We’ve all got one, haven’t we?

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Thursday, 9 March 2017

eminism is a very broad church. You have things like radical feminism, Marxist feminism, socialist feminism, or liberal feminism, just to name a few examples of the different types of feminisms out there.

Today, some of feminism’s proponents are man-hating and outrightly sexist, arguing for the radical ‘removal’ of all masculine influences in society. On social media, they’re the sort of #masculinitysofragile, #drinkmaletears, or even #killallwhitemen type of people.

This is why some people are identifying less and less with the contemporary notion of feminism – it is possible to argue for equality without identifying as a feminist as the concept moves further and further from egalitarianism.

But, most people who believe in feminism as freedom, liberation, and empowerment for all aren’t like that (at least I hope not).

Gender differences are an intensely complicated matter, and there is little agreement between scholars of gender and sexuality.

Should women be completely equal with men? If so, would they take up labour intensive and other high risk manual jobs as men do?

Or is it that women should be different but equal to men? If so, how would one know when equality has been reached given that some differences will always exist?

Or should we, for all practical purposes, do away with the entire category of gender altogether – just as we don’t ask for hair or eye colour when we fill out forms? What effect will that have on our identities then?

But, it can be argued that reshaping social norms around traditional hegemonic masculinities can benefit everyone.

For instance, it can help women break the glass ceiling at the workplace, and shatters stereotypes of their place ‘in the kitchen’.

It can also help men overcome their supposed hypermasculine shells which prevents some from forming real emotional connections with others – which is listed as a contributing factor for the higher rate of suicides in men.

It is in this light that Indigo celebrates International Women’s Day, with several sections exploring issues around gender.

This is also the last issue of the term, so let me take this chance to wish you luck for your summatives, and that you have a good Easter.

INDIGO EDITORS YC Chin Olivia Howcroft (deputy) FEATURES EDITORS Sophie Paterson Matthew Chalmers (deputy) C R E A T I VE W R I T IN G E D I T O R Anna Gibbs STAGE EDITORS Alison Gamble Christye McKinney (deputy) VISUAL ARTS EDITORS Lolita Gendler Lucy Sara-Kelly (deputy) BOOKS EDITORS Aaron Bell Tamsin Bracher FASHION EDITORS Victor Schagerlund Emma Denison (deputy) FOOD & DRINK EDITORS Divya Shastri Robbie Tominey-Nevado (deputy) TRAVEL EDITORS Naoise Murphy Charis Cheesman FILM & TV EDITORS Simon Fearn Olivia Ballantine-Smith (deputy) MUSIC EDITOR Bethany Madden

YC

Cover illustration: Katie Butler

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FEATURES Thursday, 9 March 2017

3

Why celebrate International Women’s Day?

17 year old communist militant Marina Ginesta in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War, 1936.

By Matthew Chalmers Deputy Features Editor features@palatinate.org.uk

A

s a man who frequents male circles, I often hear the question ‘why isn’t there an international men’s day?’ As a historian, I find answering this question slightly easier.

It is a well-established fact that in most societies, outside of the 20th century, women have been largely excluded from power. International Women’s Day is not, or should not be about, celebrating women because of their innate goodness. I cringe at how patronising that notion is, a clap on the back for having a clitoris.

It’s about something quite specific, about women’s capturing of, through admirable displays of force, the rights, liberties and comparative influence they hold today. It’s a celebration of a revolution, of won battles for an oppressed group. It’s a festival that idolises the triumph of the underdog, a 20th century David and Goliath: women pushed against the full weight of society and won.

All women are not saints, nor sinners: there are tremendously evil women, and tremendously good ones too. Nor were women placid sex-dolls before they discovered they could make bombs and fashion placards in the 20th century. In all cultures we see powerful women, from Machiavellian Empresses like Catherine de Medici or Hürrem Sultan, martyrs like Joan of Arc or warriors like Boudicca and Queen Mavia. These women pulled strings, gave orders, wielded the power

of the sword and gun. But they shine so brightly in the annals of the past because of their remarkableness. There is no denying that it was, and largely still is, a man’s world.

But why recognise these women? It is simply to say that women aren’t alike, cannot be categorised and therefore cannot and should not be celebrated generally. Perhaps the former title of International Working Women’s Day is closer to the mark in expressing what the day means to me. I tend to see it not so much as an uplifting of one gender - a celebration of all things feminine - but rather a story of how an unfairly oppressed group, against all historical precedents, liberated itself on its own terms. The day is therefore not ‘feminine’; celebrating the day does not require forcing yourself through the Bridget Jones trilogy with a tub of ice cream in some plush slippers as the smell of rosewater and French powders waft through the air. It is a day of victory and freedom, of justice for hundreds of millions of people. Whatever your current opinion is on feminism, everyone should appreciate the work of proud combative women from the past.

One of my favourite examples of the sheer novelty and radicalism of the women’s struggle comes from the Spanish Civil War. Lucía Sánchez Saornil, an anarchist, channelled her revolutionary fervour and enthusiasm into fighting for women. She conceptualised a double revolution, a sexual revolution concurrent with a wider social one. Fed-up with the patronising misogyny of her fellow anarchists she set up the Mujeres Libres, a group of women committed to the

double revolution. In the Iberian sun, they worked at building women’s schools, social spaces, newspapers and providing aid and shooting ranges for republican militia women in the fight against fascism. Her organization eventually attained 30,000 members.

What does this obscure example mean to me? For me it represents the purest microcosm of why International Women’s Day is an important celebration: it is a celebration of progress. These women fought for what they believed in, with iron and blood and dirt. International Women’s Day is not just a celebration of the phenomenal social progress of women but a celebration for everyone; a celebration of change itself. This is why Saornil, a radical, a lesbian, a poet and a warrior, means so much to me: she is emblematic of change itself, of individuality, difference and just-causes. If you have a love for justice and a love for emancipation then you should embrace International Women’s day.

It reminds us that huge changes have come before, and will come again. Saornil writes that revolutionary change is entirely necessary as ‘Anything else would merely be calling the same old slavery by a new name.’

If you believe society can change, and should change, for the better look to International Women’s Day. The white-hot coals of energy, memory and history light up its banners.

International Women’s Day was on the 8th of March 2017. What did you celebrate? What does feminism in 2017 mean to you? Drop us an email at features@palatinate.org.uk to share your thoughts.

FILM & TV 4

Thursday, 9 March 2017

7 female directors you should know about

By Saskia Simonson film@palatinate.org.uk

W

e are often confronted with appalling statistics on the lack of women working behind the scenes in the film industry, or horror stories about how female directors are shoved into ‘movie jail’ after one critical or commercial failure, while their male contemporaries still receive prestigious job offers in the same situation.

The most effective way to combat such discriminatory treatment is to support female filmmakers. Apart from the names we all know — Kathryn Bigelow, Sofia Coppola, Jane Campion — here is a short list of both exciting and accomplished female talents behind the camera, and a select few of their works you should be checking out:

A v a D u V e r n a y Ava DuVernay is a trailblazer. She became the first African-American female director to have her film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards two years ago, though she sadly missed a well-deserved Best Director nomination.

Selma, her immensely powerful civil rights drama is fiery and reverberating. DuVernay as a director exudes such confidence — whatever she does, it will surely make an impact on you.

That brings me to her critically-acclaimed documentary feature 13th (available on Netflix) — a robust and poignant discourse on mass incarceration and

racial tensions in the States that is a must-see in this political climate.

DuVernay is looking to diversify her resumé as well — her next project is Disney’s live-action adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, the beloved fantasy series written by Madeleine L’Engle. This project makes her the first woman of colour to helm a production with a budget exceeding $100 million.

If you follow her on social media, her enthusiastically-filmed Instagram stories are an exciting glimpse into the filmmaking process.

P a t t J y e n k i n s

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad weren’t exactly the hits Warner Brothers/DC were hoping for, and the current behind-the-scenes drama concerning The Batman and The Flash does not help moviegoers to restore their faith in the DC cinematic universe either.

All eyes are on Wonder Woman (in theatres the coming June) right now: a film 75 years in the making. Now the world is finally ready for the most iconic superhero of all time.

While this film is subjected to an unfair amount of pressure, the fact that Patty Jenkins is the commander of this ship is a comforting sign. Her most famous work to date, Monster, which earned its leading lady Charlize Theron an Oscar, is a chilling story of a real-life serial murderer. The film is incredibly hard to watch, but I enjoyed Jenkins’ female sensibilities that are a rarity in the crime genre.

She sure knows how to craft a character-driven film, and judging by Wonder Woman’s trailers thus far, she has a knack for action and spectacle too.

Couple that with her strong vision and an unfaltering passion for the character and I cannot imagine Wonder Woman to be anything near a critical failure.

It’s going to be a supremely wonderful film.

FILM & TV Thursday, 9 March 2017

M i r a N a i r

The most effective way to combat discriminatory treatment is to support female filmmakers

The Indian-American filmmaker has an extensive filmography, and I can’t say I’ve seen most of her earlier works; but the few I’ve seen, I’ve loved.

Her niche is definitely cross-cultural stories, but they are incredibly versatile in subject matter.

The Namesake is an emotional journey of two generations of Indian immigrants and a story of loyalty and heritage. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an underrated political thriller that provides a much-needed perspective to the post-9/11 world (Riz Ahmed is brilliant).

Then there is the ultimate crowd-pleaser Queen of Katwe, starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo.

It is unabashedly a feel-good movie, but Nair’s execution is solid and charismatic.

N i k i

C a r o

Her name might sound familiar to you, for it was announced a few weeks ago that she has been recruited by Disney to direct the live-action adaptation of the beloved animation Mulan. This makes her, like DuVernay, one of the very few female directors who are taking charge of big-budget productions.

The New Zealand-native impressed with her directorial debut, Whale Rider — a family drama about female empowerment and indigenous culture (think Moana, un-Disneyfied). Somehow Caro has managed to avert all the clichés that come easily to this kind of story, offering an uplifting and authentic tale of bravery and defiance.

Apart from Mulan, she also recently directed the pilot episode of Anne, the newest adaptation of Anne of Green Gables by Netflix (premiering in May), and a Holocaust drama starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl: The Zookeeper’s Wife.

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L o n S e c h e r f i g The Danish director is known to be part of Dogme 95 — a film movement promulgated by Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg that asks filmmakers to rely solely on the orthodox film languages of story and acting, and reject any ‘unnatural’ elements of filmmaking such as special lighting or fabricated set design.

Therefore all of Scherfig’s films are hyper-naturalistic with a touch of feminine delicacy. Her ensemble romantic comedy Italian for Beginners is slightly satirical and loaded with Scandinavian quirks, but you will be charmed.

Brits might remember her for An Education, the film that launched Carey Mulligan to stardom. This quietly-provoking coming-of-age tale resonated with my then 13-year-old self so much that I think it’s safe to say it was a life-changing watch.

Scherfig later directed One Day and The Riot Club, and the upcoming wartime comedy Their Finest (UK release in April), starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy.

Photographs (clockwise from top left): usbotschaftberlin; gdcgraphics; nightscream; Georges Biard; AndrewLister1; Gage Skidmore.

Illustration: Katie Butler

A m m A a s a n t e

Asante is a great British talent. Belle is an elegantly-directed period drama about Dido Elizabeth Belle, a mixed-race aristocrat, and her struggles to find a place in the society as the illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy officer and an African slave.

Asante brought out amazing performances from a remarkable ensemble cast, especially that of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays the eponymous heroine of the film with such subtle passion.

Asante’s most recent feature, A United Kingdom, is another thoughtful discourse on racial relations bolstered by two incredibly strong performances from David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike.

A n d r A e r a n o l d To cap off this list is the brilliant Andrea Arnold.

A regular at international film festivals, Arnold is one of the giants of the British independent film scene.

Red Road is a voyeuristic, slow-burn thriller that will unsettle you for days; Fish Tank is an intense, bleak and unflinchingly honest coming-of-age tale set in an equally bleak neighborhood in London; her take on Wuthering Heights has some of the most profound cinematography I have ever seen.

It is, however, last year’s American Honey that turned me into a fan — Arnold’s poignant deconstruction of contemporary American culture is an escapade of a movie. She understands youth (and the many pains that come with it) like no other director. Watching her films is always a profound experience, and I think she truly is one of the best working directors in the 21st century.

VISUAL ARTS 6

All my ladies get in...

By Harry Ewbank visual.arts@palatinate. org.uk

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Renaissance Formation

T

wo women pin a man to the bed and sever his head with a sword. He grasps and pushes with all his strength but they manage to overpower him. The woman in the foreground twists and presses the man’s head into the mattress with a clenched fist. Blood spits from his throat as she saws through his neck with a glinting blade.

His eyes begin to roll to the back of his flushed face as if it’s some form of erotic asphyxiation.

A look of resolve etches upon the women’s faces as they get the job done.

Any sound he makes is swallowed by the darkness.

The physicality in the piece is striking, from the struggle of the man to the strength and determination of the two women. With the exquisite use of chiaroscuro, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the work of the great baroque painter, Caravaggio. It is in fact the work of his female contemporary, Artemisia Gentileschi, and the piece described is “Judith Slaying Holofernes”.

In 1593, the year of Gentileschi’s birth, Rome’s society was deeply entrenched in patriarchy, and women were solely the property of men. Gentileschi was the daughter of Orazio, an artist and a friend of Caravaggio. Her mother, Prudentia, died when she was just twelve, making Artemisia the surrogate mother to three younger brothers.

Though Caravaggio fled Rome when she was just 13, the influence he had on her works is profound.

Orazio had high hopes for his daughter and organized private art lessons with one of Rome’s prestigious upcoming artists, Agostino Tassi. In 1611, Tassi raped Gentileschi in her father’s studio.

Tassi promptly asked to marry Gentileschi, and out of shame and in an attempt to keep the rape a secret, Gentileschi agreed. But when Tassi broke off the engagement, Orazio initiated a very public trial that would last almost a year. Orazio pressed charges against Tassi, not to protect his daughter but to avenge the destruction of his property; the case did not concern her emotions, or even her humanity. To prove her honesty, Gentileschi was then tortured with thumbscrews. At the risk of losing her artistic ability, she stayed loyal to the truth and so Tassi was found guilty. His importance as a painter for the Pope (though his works have been largely forgotten since) meant Tassi was given a light sentence of 5 years exile from Rome, which he never served. On the other hand, Gentilschi’s reputation was shamed throughout

the city as her honour was lost in the eyes of the public.

Gentileschi swiftly married a modest artist from Florence, where she moved and became a very successful painter and mother of a daughter who she named Prudentia. Whilst in Florence she produced the epic autobiographical piece named “Judith slaying Holofernes”. The style was heavily influenced by Caravaggio’s piece of the same scene, made fifteen years prior. However, Gentileschi’s traumatic experience and interpretation of the story would enable her piece to transcend a mere depiction of a biblical tale. Judith had previously been painted gracefully assassinating Holofernes in his sleep while the maidservant patiently waits to receive the severed head. Such elegance is completely absent from Gentileschi’s piece. Brute force, grit and determination are Judith’s tools against a struggling Holofernes. The women aren’t gentle but savage. In doing this, Gentileschi attacks the gender stereotypes still entwined in society 300 years later.

Another major alteration Gentileschi made to the original story was to include the maidservant in the killing. Far from playing a passive role, the maidservant is fully involved in the assault on Holofernes. This subtle change becomes a statement about the potential of the collective when united in a common cause. Gentileschi believes in the power of the people who can stand up against authority and fight against injustice.

This is the exact spirit that has been adopted by countless movements since and can be seen at the Women’s March in Washington earlier this year.

500,000 people in Washington and an estimated 5 million people worldwide campaigned together against Donald Trump’s policies. Having been side-lined for centuries, it is not surprising that, with the growing awareness of women’s rights,

Gentileschi’s works have drastically gained popularity.

She is now considered one of the most revolutionary and cutting edge (*wink*) baroque painters.

Gentileschi often modelled herself as the female heroines in her paintings and this piece was no exception. With just her art as a weapon, Gentileschi would paint a piece that would both take revenge on Tassi and become an emblem for women’s rights for hundreds of years. It showed women taking control of their own destinies, a philosophy Gentileschi stayed loyal to throughout her life. Not only was she a captivating artist, but a survivor, a rigorous businesswoman, and caring mother. Through the paintings she produced and the way she lived her life, she transformed women’s rights and her impact can still be seen today. From Emma Watson’s UN speech to Beyoncé’s 2016 concept album, Lemonade, Gentileschi’s legacy is as strong as ever.

To see the original painting by Gentileschi, you have go to the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples. However, Gentileschi painted a grander copy of “Judith Slaying Holofernes” in 1621. The second piece sits in a room amongst a collection of Caravaggio’s most iconic works in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It is in my opinion the most extraordinary room in the entire city and well worth a visit. If you make the effort to stay long enough, let the crowds diffuse and take off the headphones from the audio guide, something quite extraordinary happens. Through the rustle of a gallery pamphlet and the hard thud of footsteps in the other room, the voice of the painting pierces through.

Photograph: Creative Commons

She sings...

Middle fingers up Put them hands high Wave it in his face Tell ‘em boy bye Tell ‘em boy bye Boy bye Middle fingers up I ain’t think ‘bout you Sorry, I ain’t sorry

(Beyoncé – Sorry)

MUSIC Thursday, 9 March 2017

7

Where are all of the women in music?

By Bethany Madden music@palatinate.org.uk

T

o some of you, this may sound like a stupid question. I can tell you exactly where they are, you might say. It was only a few weeks ago that Adele stood cradling her many Grammys. We barely go a few months without hearing some new Beyoncé news and RiRi and Swifty get constant attention. But, don’t let this mere exposure fool you. Because, in reality, the numbers speak very differently.

Let’s take, for example, that Adele Grammys moment I just mentioned. When she won the much coveted Record of the Year, yes, she was the focus, but watch that winning moment again. Listen more carefully as she takes to the stage accompanied by a sound track of men’s names who were involved with the creation of the record; not a single other woman.

In fact, of the five tracks nominated in that category, there were 36 people involved in their production.

Only four of them were women.

In one analysis of the producers involved in the creation of Top 40 singles for the whole of 2016, it was found that only 23 out of the total 463 producers were women. Just under 5 per cent. So why might this be?

Are the opportunities simply not there? One thing is for sure; that the few women who do make it are treated very differently to their male counter parts. Lizzy Plapinger, MS MR front woman and co-owner of Neon Gold Records, talks in one interview of her frustration in business meetings. She states how men in

the meetings (of whom there are a majority) often talk exclusively to her male business partner and refuse to take her seriously.

One theory about the lack of female performers (only 22.3% of 2016’s Top 40 were sung by women) suggests that tabloid pressure may be to blame. We have all seen the constant scrutiny about anything from clothing choices to love interests, not to mention women being constantly pitted against one another.

Men in the industry experience this to a much lesser extent, being left to create and perform without so much added pressure.

Another thing to be sure about, though, is that the women who can make a change are working hard to do so. Take Charli XCX, for example. In her documentary for the BBC titled ‘The F Word and me’ she states how she’s doing what she can to show people that you can be whoever you like and still be valid and still be a feminist. The documentary includes a range of successful women talking about their experience in the industry including Marina and the Diamonds and Ryn Weaver. Notably, Charli and her band discuss that the fact they’re all females is often commented upon, highlighting it’s rarity within the industry.

This set up is reminiscent of Grimes and her all girl band, who put on a mesmerising performance at Glastonbury last year. She is another great example of a successful woman in the industry who is doing all she can to help her fellow females. Not to mention artists like FKA Twigs, Lorde, M.I.A and Janelle Monae.

This is a great time for women and girls in music, with role models like these to look up to at a time where

women are really banding together.

Pop isn’t the only type of music where this is an issue. In a recent documentary that grime artist and broadcaster A.Dot did for the BBC about grime, there are hardly any other women to be seen. At one point, she speaks to MC NoLay about the division of males and females on the scene and how the boys like to keep themselves separate. Stormzy went against this rhetoric in his latest video for ‘Big for your Boots’ which features an array of important women from the scene, such as Ray BLK, Sian Anderson and Julie Adenuga. As Grime becomes more and more successful, it’s important that the opportunities this brings aren’t only available to the men.

In a podcast about female music writers, it is highlighted that since the birth of Beatle Mania, woman in the music industry have been overlooked. Even now, the kind of music magazines you see in W H Smith are primarily aimed at men. There has been much dispute lately about the recent Reading and Leeds Festival line ups which are dominated by male acts. However, while the work that women are doing may not be apparent yet, it doesn’t seem unrealistic to believe that change is coming. Since the rise of Girl Power that was brought about by things like the Riot Grrrl movement and the Spice Girls, it’s becoming harder and harder to squash down the women of the music world. Hopefully, in the coming years, all of this hard work will pay off and start to become more evident in the statistics of the charts and award shows.

Photographs: Facebook

FASHION 8

Thursday, 9 March 2017

A Social I

Story by Victor Shagerlund Fashion Editor fashion@palatinate.org.uk Visuals by Emma Denison Deputy Fashion Editor deputy.fashion@palatinate.org.uk

I

t’s nearly midnight. My laundry bag is crammed and my bank account is empty. I have four unwritten essays due in a week.

The only thing on my mind is the boy who hasn’t replied to my latest text.

This is why I’m climbing over piles of books and dirty dishes, praying my desk will hold me as I try to position myself in the windowsill without tearing down the curtains. Carefully I open up my dressing gown without revealing too much, as I balance my lit cigarette out the window to not set off the fire alarm. My friend is encouraging me to look distant yet alluring as she tries to capture “the money shot”.

We’re aiming to catch something of Mario Sorrenti’s 90s aesthetic.

The photograph is to be posted on Instagram, and hopefully the boy in question will see it, get turned on and reply to my text.

We all have different aspirations with our social media presence. But regardless if your feed is filled with organic granola, unshaven armpits or edited selfies the underlying motivation remains the same: it is narcissistic metamorphosis. Because through the stream of carefully selected photographs we publish we want to go beyond an expression of our identity and strive instead to create exaggerated versions of ourselves.

FASHION Thursday, 9 March 2017

Intrusion

As fashion is the construction of identity, social media platforms such as Instagram provide endless opportunities for aspiring creatives. Hence, what our parents deem as self-indulgent clutter can in fact be defined as a post-modern form of alchemy- transforming the banal into something beautiful.

In 2017 anyone with an eye for aesthetics can create images as powerful as those published in established publications. And as our generation is more fascinated by glimpses into the private sphere of people, successful instagrammers as @sarahfuckingsnyder and @kyliejenner have become as influential in fashion as the editors of Vogue.

Perhaps this whole phenomenon is nothing but a perverted play of exhibitionism and voyeurism. But we don’t care. Stimulating our vanity has become more important than preserving our integrity.

Blurring the boundaries between public and private has even changed the nature of the model industry. Exposure of the private through a solid social media presence is crucial if one wants to succeed as a model today, and in a few years maybe for anyone who wants to make it in fashion.

And as for the guy – he never got back to me.

Whatever, judging from my Insta-likes I won’t be lonely for long. Hit me up @victorschagerlund #seeyouatmissoula For more exclusive photos head to: Instagram: @palatinate_fashion

Photograph: Emma Denison, Victor Schagerlund, Yasmin Jones, Una Connolly, Bea Jonite, Zsofia Borsi & Chloe Lau

9

FILM & TV 10

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Inside Durham Student Productions Durham’s top student filmmakers reveal what they’ve learnt from one of Durham’s most prolific societies.

By Simon Fearn Film & TV Editor film@palatinate.org.uk

I

’m joined by four members of Durham Student Productions (DSP) who all share something in common: little or no experience of film-making before joining the society. First year Mia Brown stumbled across DSP’s stall at the Freshers’ Fair; fourth year and current secretary Beth Noel only came to a meeting because her friend dragged her along.

The only film president Hugh Memess made before joining was a GCSE music video. Stephanie Hanson, on the other hand, approached DSP as a writer, though stresses how important it is to get involved in all aspects of the film-making process to truly understand the medium.

The students’ involvement in the society has completely changed their perspective on film. “I can liken it almost to an awakening of the senses,” Hanson enthuses. “I was watching Apple Tree Yard the other day and was really aware of what worked really well and what I could use.”

“There’s two levels,” Memess adds. “Asking why a director has made a certain choice. Why are they panning? Why is she crying? Then you can find the answers to those questions: it would have been better if they’d done that; that shot was genius.”

“At first you think that making a film is an unconquerable mountain,” Hanson continues, “but when you break everything down it’s doable. I’d never produced anything before and Hugh ran a production meeting which explained the whole process: organisation, making lists, getting people involved.”

Hanson’s learning curve has been especially steep. Having only joined the society recently, she was part of the sound team on Prasanna Sellathurai’s short film The Inevitable and is now working on Stop Filming Me, one of the two films DSP annually awards a budget of £100 with the aim of film festival success. Hanson is on writing duties and is also producing; her enthusiasm for the project is infectious.

Sellathurai’s film, though still a little rough around the edges, demonstrates some technically accomplished storytelling. It follows a loner student called Lucy (Bianca Skrinyár) who can see the future repercussions of each of her actions. At the climax of the film, Lucy is trapped in a situation where every possible action leads to violence.

“Prasanna is a very meticulous person,” Hanson tells me, “a true artist. He dedicated a lot of time to creating the atmosphere.” This clearly comes across in the film. Sellathurai worked closely with musician Christopher Blakely to create a dream-like sense of dread. The atmosphere is almost Lynchian, and tense tracking shots along the floor of college accommodation echoed Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

Hansen’s Stop Filming Me sounds even more ambitious. “I was inspired by the horrific killing of Lee Rigby,” she expands. “The entire thing was caught on camera, which implies that there were a lot of people witnessing it who didn’t feel in a position to

react or act.

“There are so many instances now with people filming but not engaged or interacting with what they see. It was really a thought experiment which led to a short script.”

As well as turning out high-quality content, the general philosophy at DSP is to “let everyone have a go at anything”. “Film-making is like any other skill,” Memess elaborates, “you just have to do it enough to get good at it.”

Though only two films a year are given significant funding, this doesn’t stop DSP members from practising their craft. “You can make a film just using equipment we have in the cupboard,” Memess tells me. The Inevitable only had a budget of £10.

Brown, despite missing out on the annual funding opportunity, is still keen to make her own film using DSP’s equipment: an Edwardian murder mystery

Stephanie Hanson

Beth Noel

“At first you think that making a film is an unconquerable mountain, but when you break everything down it’s doable.” set in Beamish with a supernatural twist.

DSP’s work is not confined to fictional shorts.

They were also behind the memorable trailer for the Collingwood Woodplayer’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. Director Alice Chambers could not be more pleased with the result. “With over 2,600 views, it is a creative piece in itself separate from the acting on stage,” she says.

To create the trailer’s most iconic moment, the team lit 300 candles in Memess’s back garden, with shots of the fire reflected in the actors’ eyes. “It’s quite a powerful image which seems to have really stuck with people,” Memess reflects. “Audiences recognised Arcadia as the play with the candles.”

Another ongoing collaboration is with Durham University Electric Motorsports (DUEM) who are “beyond pleased with the results so far,” according to Head of Business Tobias McBride. DSP’s promo piece for their new solar car helped the society secure sponsorship from DJI, who specialise in drones and camera stabilisation equipment.

DSP will continue to follow the solar car’s progress as DUEM prepare for the World Solar Challenge, a 3,000 km solar car race from Darwin to Adelaide.

The society is also an established breeding ground for future filmmakers. Ex-president Will Webb, for example, went on to win the BFI Future Film award in 2015 for his low-budget horror short Kissy Lip Man. Though film-making may seem like a daunting undertaking, with DSP’s help any budding director’s creative ambitions are more than achievable.

If you’d like to get involved with Durham Student Productions email e.r.noel@durham.ac.uk or join their Facebook page. Meetings take place on Mondays at 7:30pm in ER140.

Photographs: Hugh Memess

Hugh Memess

When I sit down to watch any Mia Brown Oscar-nominated film, I’m not filled with excitement, but rather with trepidation. I know what’s coming. We all

BOOKS Thursday, 9 March 2017

11

Books vs films: an artistic rivalry?

Our writers share their thoughts...

By Beatrice Scudeler on Tulip Fever

M

y instinct tells me that this book might be one of those rare cases where the story works better as a film. A film is the perfect medium to convey the futility of appearances.

By Helena Chung on Silence

I

’m quite sure every reader shares similar feelings with me as their favourite book gets turned into a movie... but who can resist the temptation of seeing their beloved characters and stories visualised on the big screen?

By Eloise Carey The Great Gatsby

G

atsby should never have been made a film, at least under the same name!

It is an insult to the depth and complexity of Fitzgerald’s writing to constrain it to a screen... no amount of flash could reach that level of imaginative intoxication.

Nocturnal Animals Helena Snider takes a closer look at Tom Ford’s psychological thriller

By Helena Snider books@palatinate.org.uk

I

t’s a rare thing for a film adaptation to retain the spirit of a novel. But Tom Ford deviates from Tony and Susan, and in doing so dramatically improves it.

Watching Nocturnal Animals, you wouldn’t immediately pick up on the fact that this film is adapted from a little known yet critically acclaimed work of an academic professor, a novelist with a keen understanding and appreciation of how the reader ‘writes’ the book.

Ford’s decision to make a film based on this book necessitates a question: why, twenty-four years after this novel’s publication, would anyone be interested in going back to it? It might make more sense if Tony and Susan had been a best-selling novel at the time of its publication in 1993, but the truth is that it was not a commercial success.

Ford saw something in the book that others (including this writer) missed out. The novel is boring, for much of it we are reading about a woman named Susan reading a manuscript. Reading about some-

one reading is not a fun activity. This is especially true of a manuscript about the persistent abuse and eventual murder of two kidnapped women – whilst our hero, Tony, hurries about trying to save them.

Granted, the point is that it’s not meant to be a literary masterpiece; Austin employs the manuscript as a symbolic and metaphorical reflection of Susan’s life – and attributes the writing to a fictional character, Edward. But that academic abstraction doesn’t make sentences such as, “It wasn’t Laura and Helen because these two were naked and looked like children sprawled asleep” any less annoying. Indeed a problem common to both the novel and film version is the depictions of troubled women as in some way inherently beautiful or ideal.

Victoria Coren wrote an excellent article about this in the Guardian, published on 22nd January 2017. Coren writes of the film, “The corpses look beautiful. Deliberately beautiful. Titianesque. They are draped elegantly on a sort of couch.” In the novel, Wright makes it clear that Edward’s imagining of his dead wife and child as ‘sleeping children’ is part of a cognitive dissonance, wherein his shock has induced a sense of total denial. It is quite clear

that the horror stands for emotional violence. In the film this is also the case – but one must ask, when blood is smeared carefully on the bums, is this really about literary symbolism? Or is it about the implicit sexualisation of dead, raped women?

A book about reading does not sound very promisingly filmic. But this is where Ford’s genius comes in. A boring manuscript in the novel becomes an exciting thriller film in Ford’s adaptation – assault and sexualisation aside. The manuscript becomes a film in itself and Ford treats it with the utmost care and delicacy.

Finally, his clever choice of casting emphasizes several parallels between Susan’s (Amy Adams) real world and Edward’s fictional one. Jake Gyllenhaal – who played Tony and Edward - said of his role: “I play two characters within the film, the ex-husband and the lead character of the novel, as Susan imagines him.” Isla Fisher is the woman in the storywithin-the-story, who represents Amy’s character.

The striking resemblance between the two actresses serves to highlight Susan’s hold on Edward’s imagination.

Illustration: Faye Chua

TRAVEL 12

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Stories from South America

By Sally Lanora Svenlén travel@palatinate.org.uk

Machu Picchu is one of South America’s most beloved jewels, in this picture rising up from the morning dew. Whilst it is quite an amazing place, coming there from a four day isolated walk in the Andes on the Inca Trail (the stone trail the Incas built through the mountains long ago), and being met by tonnes of tourists who have just arrived with a couple of hours busride, one does get a bit irritated.

I

’m not saying school is crap, not at all. But there are certain things you can’t learn in a classroom; which is why I decided to travel to South America for four months on my own during my gap year.

Arriving in Argentina, I realised that much of the vocabulary that I would actually need to integrate in every day life in a Spanish speaking country; such as reading recipes, asking for something at the pharmacy, making jokes and general small talk, I was actually not very good at. At the end of those 4 months I became more fluent in Spanish than I had become during 6 years of studying it.

I sometimes ask myself why we voluntarily choose to spend so much of our time indoors in front of a computer when there are so many naturally astonishing places on earth; and why some people don’t really care that they some day might be depleted From the most southern part of Colombia, we made our way up to the northern, Caribbean area, where we stayed a couple of days with a local family in Ciénaga, as well as visiting the hometown of Colombia’s Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Marquez. One of the things I enjoyed most on the trip was befriending locals in the area, and through them being guided to different places. I think it gives you a more honest perspective on everything.

For instance, we started talking to one of the guys selling his artwork in front of the García Marquez museum, Rodolfo, and told him we wanted to visit one of the banana plantations in the area. We had tried in Ciénaga, but hadn’t been let in, because we needed confirmation from the landowner, who lived in another city. Rodolfo, however, knew about a cacao farm just 30 minutes away, so off we went on the back of his friend’s moped and got a tour of his farm, which had everything from cotton, to pineapple, to cacao. One of the boys on the farm wanted me to take a picture of him, one of my favourites from the trip.

A vicuña (related to the animal peop familiar with, the llama) walking across the Bolivia on its desert border.

TRAVEL Thursday, 9 March 2017 Travelling through Peru, where I met up with a friend, we made it all the way up to Iquitos, where we crossed the border to Colombia by boat on the Amazon river and stayed at an eco-lodge operated by a tribal community called the Ticunas. While there are many tribes still living quite isolated deeper in the jungle, most live in slightly larger communities, with houses and schools, and small local shops. I was amazed by how incredibly knowledgeable they are about the nature surrounding them, how they live working with it, rather than against it, and their will to preserve that.

I met so many interesting people on my trip, both locals and other travellers from all over the world. Travelling alone made a big difference. If you don’t socialise with people, it will get quite lonely.

Travelling alone also makes you more approachable for other people, and opens up many more opportunities.

Growing up in one and the same country, going to the same schools, and being surrounded by friends who are normally very similar to yourself... when you travel for a long period of time with new people it forces you out of that bubble. Just interacting with people from entirely different backgrounds can teach you things you could never learn in a course book.

Getting away from the typical school-universityjob-family route also makes you think a bit about what you really want out of life. We all want happiness, but that route may not always be for everyone, and there are so many other ways happiness can be found. Working on a coffee farm, which involves picking beans for hours every day, grinding and washing them, and doing all the other kinds of work that need to be done on a farm (like shovelling up the cow dung to use as fertiliser) may not seem like the most appealing job.

But frankly, the time I spent on an organic coffee farm in Colombia was one of the happiest times I’ve had. Me and a couple of other volunteers lived with Ingrid and Luca, the owners of the farm, and their cats and dogs, cooked food together every day, listened to music and enjoyed a beer under the wonderful night sky almost every evening around a fire.

Those are times when you start questioning if there is anything else you need in life.

ple might be more e desert as we entered

W

hat amazed me most about Argentina was how graffiti has evolved here as a respected art form, not seen as a crime. The country’s graffiti culture came about in the 80s and 90s, with the return of democracy and with people travelling abroad and seeing the graffiti culture in Europe and the US. Graffiti has become a way of expression not just for artists but also for normal people and politicians. A public building is really open for anyone to paint on, and people don’t want to infringe on that right since the memories from the oppressive dictatorship are still quite recent. After 2001, graffiti really started flourishing as a reaction to the economic crisis in Argentina that year. It has become more and more widespread, but it has never been gangrelated, as it is in many other countries. Buenos Aires is full of street art, but in Córdoba, where I spent a month at the National University, the institutional buildings were full of art made by students.

It would be interesting to see that in Durham!

T

ravelling by bus further north, I eventually made it to northern Chile in the Atacama desert; one of the best places on earth to look at the stars. I realised that it not only harboured one of the most amazing night skies, but also the most compelling landscapes.

Photograph: Sally Lanora Svenlén

I think all schools should send their students into the world for a year of travel before they head off to university

13

FOOD AND DRINK 14

Ethically Eating

Is it worth chewing over?

By Matt Williams

W

e in the UK seem to be increasingly interested in healthy living.

Whether it’s Jamie Oliver and his school meals crusade, NHS reminders about getting tested for this or that, or even the BBC’s Olympics-induced ‘Get Inspired’ campaign, we are being urged from all sides to take active responsibility for our health. This has made certain ‘niche’ practices more mainstream; everybody sports gym wear around town, and thousands do an organised park run each Saturday (both things imaginable a decade ago!) Likewise with ‘conscious eating’ - vegetarian or vegan diets are far less ‘niche’ than they used to be. In short, people who don’t eat meat (or even don’t use any animal products) no longer need to fear the label “weirdo”.

So why are people choosing to ‘go veggie’? Well, first of all, it is cleaner.

As well as being ‘cleaner and leaner’, less animal-dependent eating patterns are also kinder.

First, they are kinder to the animals bred for our consumption, which are often in kept in cramped, dirty conditions and pumped full of harmful chemicals to make them grow faster and bigger.

Secondly, we aid the environment by reducing atmospheric methane (to which cows contribute), which has at least some impact on global warming, even if the extent of this impact is still under debate. Thirdly, and most significantly, cutting down on animal consumption is kinder to other people; as well as our general social responsibility to care for the environment, livestock depends on a constant supply of grain, which in turn depends on a huge area of fertile farmland at a time when land is increasingly scarce for subsistence farmers.

Scientists in health, nutrition, and the environment continue to debate over the optimum human lifestyle for the common good. The very basic dietary guidelines from the World Health Organisation makes it plain that what is quickest, cheapest, tastiest and most immediately satisfying is diametrically opposed to what is actually best.

So the inevitable challenge comes: how can the tide be turned? How can vegetable-based diets become the norm? Certainly education has something to do with it, since the educational process should ideally make us judge what we feel by what we know to be true. The media can also help by focusing more on the healthy dietary habits of role models, especially sports stars, whilst on a local level, we could do with more community farms and private vegetable patches. At the same time, corporations bear responsibility for directing their commercial efforts towards their own gain rather than people’s wellbeing. But none of these measures will turn into actual solutions without the most basic factor of all. To turn from a pattern of life where immediate personal satisfaction trumps the pursuit of long-term common good requires nothing less than a change of heart. And how that can be brought about is a whole other question.

Thursday, 9 March 2017

The growth of a movement The rise of Durham’s Vegetarian and Vegan Society

By Tim Ridgway

O

ver the past year, vegetarianism and veganism has been undeniably present in many aspects of our daily lives. From Pret A Manger launching a new veggie menu, to the BBC announcing a vegan-inspired drama, staring Martin Freeman, Joanna Lumley and Dame Eileen Atkins, the social-movementcome-diet has saturated our TV screens, airwaves and high streets, and it’s an idea that is gaining traction among the wider population. Interestingly, recent falls in meat consumption in the UK have largely come from ‘flexitarians’, individuals who have cut down but continue to indulge in the occasional meat meal, suggesting that the vegetarian and vegan movement, whilst not winning over everyone’s hearts and minds entirely, is certainly having a great impact on people’s dietary decisions, one meal at a time.

In Durham, vegetarianism and veganism has unmistakably taken hold, as the Vegetarian and Vegan Society is now larger and more active than it has ever been. In just over a year, membership of the society has more than doubled from 320 in 2015 to over 700 in March 2017, a leap in membership unprecedented among most established university societies. Meanwhile, imaginative activism events like last term’s ‘Chalktivism’ and more diverse and better-attended socials such as ‘V is for Vodka (and Vegan)’ have boosted active participation.

This week, activity is culminating distinctly in the run up to the society’s collaborative campaign with the Animal Rights and Welfare Society, ‘#ChooseVegetarian’. Running from the 6th to the 10th of March, #ChooseVegetarian will be coming to five of the university’s largest colleges to raise awareness among university livers-in about the numerous health, ethical and environmental benefits of reducing our consumption of meat, as well as to showcase Animal Equality’s novel ‘iAnimal’ project which takes viewers into the heart of the UK’s factory farms through Virtual Reality technology. The #ChooseVegetarian team are also seeking to engage with and address some of students’ biggest concerns with meat reduction, so if questions such as; “where do you get your protein

“In just over a year, membership of the society has more than doubled from 320 in 2015 to over 700 in March 2017” from?” sound all too familiar, then this week will certainly be enlightening.

So what has brought this rapid growth and increasing participation for the Vegetarian and Vegan Society? Over the past 10 years alone, there has been a 360% increase in the number of vegans in the UK, and vegetarians and vegans now represent 20% of 16-24 year olds. The hippie, tree hugging stigma that was once commonplace appears to be diminishing, as health benefits, ethical and environmental advantages become prevalent due to a more positive portrayal in the media. The decision of celebrities such as Serena Williams and Natalie Portman to adopt vegan lifestyles has also, no-doubt, increased popularity and helped to reduce the stigma of these movements as unnecessary and “extreme”.

Greater accessibility of vegetarian and vegan products in supermarkets, means that avoiding animal derived products is no longer a question of a lack of available substitutes, but rather one of personal choice. Furthermore, documentaries such as Cowspiracy, Forks over Knives, and Earthlings, have hit people hard with the realities of the meat and dairy industries and the profound effect our food choices have on the environment, on animal welfare and on our health.

It’s also worth noting the society’s own work.

Last year’s, ‘Meet Your Meat’ campaign – a four-day event at the DSU with expert speakers and free lunches - proved to be a great success, Not only did the event bring students’ attention to the issues which attract people to the movement, it also galvanised sections of the membership towards becoming active, participatory members, Of course it’s not all about organisation and activism. Events such as ‘V is for Vodka (and Vegan)’ social have moved the society from old-school potluck events hosted at student houses into the centre of university life, attracting loads of students to the social side of the cause through some of the things that speak most to students: pizza and vodka.

This combination of activity within the society and changing perceptions among the wider public suggest that the vegetarian and vegan movement is set to rise and rise. As more students become interested in what is, for many, a powerful and inspiring cause, they are undoubtedly encouraged to get involved and find out more, influencing others to do the same.

If this sounds like something you wish to be a part of, your first opportunity to get involved comes this week with the #ChooseVegetarian campaign.

STAGE Thursday, 9 March 2017

15

Setting the Stage Cameron Harris explores the best and worst of Durham’s theatrical venues

By Cameron Harris stage@palatinate.org.uk

P

eter Brooks rather boldly declared that he could ‘take any empty space and call it a bare stage.’ For Brooks, the primary requisite of theatre is that someone walks across an empty space and another person watches. There aren’t many who’d disagree with this reasoning, at least not in Durham, where the ratio of purpose-built theatre spaces to theatre companies is somewhere around 1:4 or higher. We need all the empty spaces we can get if our insatiable thirst for theatre is to be quenched.

But just how far are we willing to watch a play in any empty space in Durham?

Early last semester I paid my first and, to this point at least, last visit to Hild Bede College. It was also my first theatre trip in Durham so you can imagine how gosh-darned excited I was. The play – The Graduate – was terrific and I said as much in these pages the next day. But I was not at all prepared for the auditorium set-up Hild Bede Theatre plumped for.

A raised platform with a slight gradient was positioned in the middle of Hild Bede’s secondaryschool-chic hall. This was fine insofar as the audience did not have to strain their necks or sit too far from the stage. The drama itself took place on the lower ground trough beneath the much larger stage and the makeshift auditorium.

On leaving Hild Bede I wondered whether it is possible to really engage with a play performed in a wider space that looks like a set from Grange Hill. It’s not easy, but clearly it can be done. Every

year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, thousands of plays are performed in the most uncommon of spaces. Indeed, part of the novelty of some shows is seeing them performed in abandoned railway stations, town house basements, and repurposed breweries. And, more to the point, if I can engage with a play put on in these conditions, then surely I can engage better with plays performed in bigger, purpose built spaces – like The Assembly Rooms.

In theory that would seem to be the case. But many things work in theory. The fact is that I have reeled and snoozed through more shows in The Assembly Rooms and Gala Theatre than I have in any naff college hall. There is also an undeserving weight of expectation attached to shows performed in these theatres because they are, well, performed in actual theatres. If I tell friends I’m seeing a show in a proper Durham theatre they seem impressed somehow. It’s as if the competition for space in Durham is so vicious that only the very best plays may be shown in these spaces. I don’t have to tell you, dear reader, that this is poppycock. Space may be limited, but finding the right space is key.

This choice of space is intimately bound up with the director’s other considerations. Take, for example, the recent production of The Dumb

We need all the theatre spaces we can get if our insatiable thirst for theatre is to be quenched

Waiter at the City Theatre. If you haven’t visited the city theatre, I recommend you go at least once; it is one of the most oppressive theatre spaces I have ever sat in. Everything – stage, stalls, backstage – is cramped and closed-in. Not ideal for a full-length production of Les Mis; perfect, however, for a shorter work by Pinter. It would come as no surprise if the directors of The Dumb Waiter had chosen City Theatre specifically for its oppressive atmosphere – what better venue for a play set in a disused basement kitchen.

I have had the pleasure of seeing many different plays performed in an array of different spaces all around Durham. Whilst I may have held some predisposition towards watching drama in purpose-built theatres, this prejudice has only ever been undermined by the various productions I have seen. In other words: I’m a tremendous snob and these student theatre companies are making me a better person. Given my first theatre experience here was in Caedmon Hall, I should know better than to judge plays by their venues. Good theatre draws us away from our surroundings and throws us head-first into an unfamiliar space. If it can do that, the only distractions we should see are those permitted by the play.

The most apt conclusion: there is no such thing as a bad theatre spaces, only bad productions.

Space may be limited, but finding the right space is key

Photographs: Alison Gamble; via Facebook for Fourth Wall Theatre’s ‘The Dumb Waiter’ and Hild Bede Theatre’s ‘The Graduate’

CREATIVE WRITING 16

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Ctrl-altdelete gender A Word From The Editor

By Anna Gibbs Creative Writing Editor creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk

S Gender Innit.

By Zani Wilson The barber thought I was trans. I watched him contemplate my hairline more quizzically than usual as I told him I was writing this. It probably didn’t help that I’d been booked in as ‘Alexandra’ by the lady on the phone. Bearded and bloke-like, Alexandra I was not.

Anyway, why am I writing about gender? Well, the other day I had a conversation with Anna Gibbs on the subject and it seemed to me an interesting and important one. She asked if I could write about it and impetuously I said that I could.

It’s approximately half chance, whether you’re born male or female (51% and 49%). Gender identity is more subjective and takes longer to develop. As well as prenatal factors, nature and nurture in early childhood are thought to influence the gender (if any) with which a person comes to identify. Children encounter the gender ideals attributed to either sex and ask the question ‘do I fit into prescribed cultural gender norms?’. Well they don’t say that do they Zani? No, of course not. That would be ridiculous. But they think it.

Some people don’t identify with either set of gender norms. Some do but it’s not the set typically associated with their sex. I haven’t personally felt alienated by the gender norms associated with being a guy. But I have felt personally victimised by Regina George and that says something. I remember in primary school I used to love playing football at break times. But I always thought playing houses and plaiting hair looked like great fun too and I would’ve been well up for that. I told that to my ex once, and she said she found it attractive.

That reminds me of the lyric in Loud Places by Jamie XX: “I go to loud places to search for someone to be quiet with”. It seems to suggest that what people look for when they find and choose partners often isn’t the stuff that matters in a relationship. How does that relate to gender? Well I think caring too much for gender ideals is like going to the loud places.

I’m interested to know what we stand to gain by having these two sets of norms with which to identify. I think identifying as anything can offer a sense of stability, connection and empowerment. However, all identities have limitations in the extreme and I’d contend that, despite the changes in gender roles in the last century, gender expectations remain inflexible and overbearing. A society that doesn’t impose gender ideals, but allows people the freedom to incorporate or forgo ‘gendered’ characteristics according to a personal identity sounds like the right kind of society.

ometimes, whilst I sit in the stillness watching the dust mites spin, I imagine everyone’s minds being wiped, or set back to default factory settings. We could strip everything back to its bare bones and then react afresh to said bones. (I know the ins and outs of science might not support my further ideas, but bear with...)

If we took away any memory of the concept of gender, would we all be very different people? Would sex be just a matter-offact characteristic of little consequence, like if we have green eyes, auburn hair or have a particular fondness for fig rolls? ( Though if you are a rare species who dislikes fig rolls then I strongly advise writing in to the features section, because I can’t imagine such an existence, and would like to be further educated.)

I reckon I’d be more at ease with being outspoken, or a bit strange, two things which are seen as admirable, inspirational even, in men, but questioned and ‘unladylike’ in women.

Last night my sleep fogged eyes were denied rest, instead being drawn into a complex maze of links from article to article about the theory that we may be in a simulation created by our descendants far in the future.

My first thought regarding this surreal possibility is that anyone who has enough bothers within them to simulate me sitting in bed on a Tuesday afternoon, eating Golden syrup from the tin and watching old episodes of Doctor Who, must be extremely bored. If true, I wonder if they (or you, if you’re reading this in the distant future. Why you would I have no idea but nonetheless you do you.) have gender blind simulations, where they’ve replayed all the events of the world we inhabit but without the bias of gender. Wouldn’t that be fascinating to see?

But then, perhaps they’ve developed to such an extent that gender is no longer on their radar. Perhaps children in the year 2417 will marvel at the unfamiliar topic in their history books. Who knows? Perhaps one day we’ll reach Utopia.

Illustration: Anna Gibbs