bold words from the collective
We believe in bold, uncensored opinion and the power of well-chosen words.
A collection of thought-provoking lines penned by spirited writers and thinkers, about a world that matters. published online quarterly
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Contents
Letter from the founder
Master, Modernist and Misogynist: Degas’ voyeurism in the age of #MeToo
Ellen Von Unwerth: The limits of her gaze
Musings on the alledged death of neoliberalism
Maebh: Illuminations
When it comes to sex why is yes so much easier than no?
Why ‘inspo’ makes me anxious
Is there a method behind the madness of Valencia’s boldest fiesta?
lines
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Letter from the founder
Welcome to our debut issue of lines –
A
s the writers for this issue were
stimulating,
submitting
the
with a friend. I am often inspired by the
Commonwealth Talks were in full-
conversations I have - many with people who
swing and the London Marathon was about
like me, are aspiring journalists, writers or
to happen. On one hand there was an archaic,
creatives. I wanted to give these people, my
stagnant system. On the other, athletes
friends, a platform - a space for their honest,
surged forward, hoping to set new records for
unadulterated
humanity. I found it to be a fitting mirror of our
by a brand voice, audience requirement
time: caught as we are between relentless social
or political leaning. And so lines was born.
their
pieces,
intelligent
expression
conversation
unconstrained
progress and recalcitrant politicians sliding countries back into regressive nationalism.
I hope you find in this issue some writing that tickles your fancy and sets your debating cogs
We at lines believe it is imperative to think
in motion. In the art world, Kabir Jhala turns
critically,
and
his oeil towards Degas’ penchant for painting
interrogate our position in the world. And
unsuspecting bathers, asking with penetrating
as the investigation into the brutal murder
insight if this voyeurism is acceptable in
of
Caruana
today’s #MeToo society. As global hashtags for
Galizia deepened earlier this year, freedom
women’s empowerment storm social media,
of expression acquired added poignancy.
Maeve Campbell broaches a topic that many
question
Maltese
the
journalist
status-quo
Daphne
women reading this will grudgingly be able Whether
or
to relate to; one which perplexes our feminist
raise
sense of ourselves. In the context of Kristen
questions, unearth new angles on a well-
Roupenian’s viral short story ‘Cat Person’ (if
covered topic and shine a critical light
you have not read it yet, you should) Maeve
on the accepted state of world affairs.
scrutinises the culture of self-shaming that
social
it
is
art,
phenomena,
politics, we
history
want
to
results in women reluctantly consenting to sex.
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The seed of an idea to create a zine formed
Yet even as we move into an era defined by
in
burgeoning gender equality, sadly it seems
January
this
year,
following
another
that sex does continue to sell, as I found
explosive party ‘Las Fallas,’ questioning the
out at an exhibition of Ellen Von Unwerth’s
significance of this anarchic display of fire
work. Yes, her work is cheeky and titillating,
in light of the country’s current affairs. And
but the feminist in me found fault with her
finally moving on to something a little more
portrayal of women. See what you think.
peaceful, photographer and songwriter Maeve Brayne’s beautiful photo journal takes us on
Deluged as we are by social media, Niamh
a journey to the North of England. Her music
O’Dowd considers why her attempts at the
is as gorgeous as her photography, so keep
revered ‘healthy balanced lifestyle’ have
an eye out for it – she songwrites as Maebh.
left her lacking an inner glow - the exact
Both will have you yearning to race up to the
opposite of what it says on the ‘Deliciously
Lake District for some inner soul searching.
Ella’ packet. As we identify exclusively with one group, movement or school of thought,
So thank you for opening our first edition of
is our individualism, conversely, under threat
lines. If there is a piece you particularly enjoy
of being swallowed up? In a swathe of
or disagree with - write to us! Your comments
powerful, excellently articulated words, Aron
are valuable and any new food for thought is
Keller warns of the pervasive, dangerous
always welcome.
hyper-individualism that has been left in the wake of the neoliberal hurricane. While we
We are currently welcoming pitches - written,
are here, I would also advise you to read
creative or otherwise – just write to us at lines.
Aron’s piece written for the Times of Israel
editor@gmail.com.
Blog in response to the Gaza massacre. It is an incredibly moving article in which he calls
Please do head to our social media pages and
for morality trumping the bipartisan ‘camps’
in the meantime, Happy Reading of Issue One.
mindset that currently dominates much of today’s political and journalistic landscape. Following
on
with
rollercoaster
Claire M cQ ue
politics,
Valencia-based Lilly Newton considers Spain’s
Founder of lines
lines
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Contributors
Claire McQue Founder Travel and arts writer Claire writes about whatever catches her eye. Her published work ranges across human rights journalism, culture, arts and travel. Always on the hunt for great food and live music in London, she spends her time planning her next adventure and managing lines.
Augusta Stewart Creative Director Augusta is a designer who began her career in design after completing Shillington College in 2017. She has previously worked on the creative teams of magazines such as ELLE and SUITCASE. She loves to travel, always planning her next trip and taking her camera with her wherever she goes.
Kabir Jhala Kabir is a freelance arts writer with a special interest in early 20th century art. If he’s not lurking around one of London’s numerous galleries then you’ll find him either playing the violin or failing to master peacock pose. He writes for arts organisations Art on a Postcard and The Gallery Collectors.
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Aron Keller London-based Aron is a freelancer writing about politics and pop culture. He has a stint at US Congress under his belt and was Editor of The Tab Leeds.
Maeve Brayne Photographer Maeve snaps shots of the wild Lake District landscapes. When she’s not up a fell with a camera, you can find her with a guitar, writing music that blends contemporary folk with subtle electronics. Songwriting as Maebh, her music has been played on BBC Introducing.
Maeve Campbell Maeve writes about life, relationships and women. Born and raised in North London, she is a singer and Lauryn Hill aficionado. You can find her performing at Sofar Sounds or singing harmonies with acappella group Collaborate.
Niamh O’Dowd French-speaking Niamh produces dance and cultural events. She’s a woman on two wheels who loves to dabble with a paintbrush and enjoy a sharing platter with friends.
Lilly Newton Lilly is a language lover currently living in Valencia, Spain. She is a tour guide by day and loves writing about her experiences on her blog. Also partial to a glass of red wine.
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Master, Modernist and Misogynist: Degas’ voyeurism in the age of #MeToo Words by Kabir Jhala
L
ying underneath the enfilade of stately
and unselfconscious, wanting the viewer
rooms housing the grand epics of the
to feel as though we are watching them
Old Masters, the Degas exhibition at the
“through a keyhole.” With such intentions
National Gallery has a clandestine air befitting
laid bare we don’t need much more proof
the intimacy of its scenes. Marking the centenary
that to look at these works of art is not to
of the artist’s death, we are shown naked women
gaze innocently, but instead to be complicit
standing at the toilette, stepping into baths
in an act of violation. In short, to observe
and towelling their bodies. These are mundane
Degas’ bather is to assume the role of voyeur.
scenes which bear little resemblance to the majesty of Rubens’ statuesque nudes residing
This certainly isn’t the most comfortable of
upstairs. Rather, these women are turned
positions to occupy, and for the modern viewer
away and caught in moments of unguarded
it raises a series of pertinent questions regarding
solitude, seemingly unaware of our lingering
the sexualisation of non-consenting subjects.
gaze. Beautiful they may be, but mingled
After all, these women have not invited us
with the tactility of soft pastel strokes is the
into their boudoirs, rather we are pressing our
uneasy knowledge that we are surely staring
faces to their doors and stealing glimpses of
at these women without their permission.
naked flesh. But whilst this moral dilemma may be confined to the fictional content of some
Popularly known for those pretty Impressionist
drawings, a century plus of correct thinking
paintings of ballerinas in frothy tulle, Degas
and a shift in popular morality now has many
exhibits here a darker side as he invites us to
gallery goers asking whether images such as
spy on these private moments. In his pursuit
Degas’ bathers should even be allowed to
to capture the female form with veracity
hang on the walls of our cultural institutions.
he wished for his bathers to appear natural
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The #MeToo movement has leapt off the red
Balthus’ 1938 painting ‘Thérèse Dreaming’ to
carpet and taken to the museums. In its wake
be taken down from New York’s Met due to its
the works of some of our most venerated
‘overtly sexual’ depiction of a young girl. This
artists are being called into question as we
petition forms one of many attempts in the
cast a magnifying glass over the darker corners
past year to reappraise depictions of women
of canvases past. As the debate surrounding
within the often murky and misogynistic annals
whether we can love the art of monstrous men
of art history. Granted it’s not the easiest
directs itself towards art - which seemingly
quandary to solve. Are we able to overturn a
condones their behaviour - the work of
patriarchal culture which fosters oppressive
Picasso and Seurat seems to be as fair game
and sexually violent attitudes and also display
as the actions of Polanski and Spacey. This
a series of drawings which intentionally invoke
conversation is undoubtedly a necessary and
the spying of naked vulnerable woman in one
long overdue one, but as genuine critical
of our nation’s largest galleries? The answer
engagement threatens to turn into the heavy
where Degas is concerned is of course more
hand of censorship, we are increasingly becoming
complicated than a simple yes or no. But if
at risk of an absolutist view of art robbing our
we continue down the road of demanding
museums of some of their greatest works.
simplified answers as to whether art is either ‘moral’ or ‘immoral’ so viewers can either leave
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If you think my stance a touch reactionary
museums accordingly pleased or offended,
you need only consider an online petition
the ability to explore such complexities
from December 2017 which received 10,000
too will be stripped away alongside some
signatures in less than a week calling for
of
our
more
problematic
masterpieces.
Accusations
of
misogyny
have
followed
felt it necessary to devote a lion’s share of
Degas’s work since 19th century art critic
print space to assuring the reader that Degas
Charles Huysmans observed the ‘attentive
was above board. A whole chapter in his 2015
cruelty’ with which Degas rendered his dancers.
collection of essays on art was dedicated
With their twisted limbs and strained postures
to defending the man from the tide of
which they were made to hold for hours on
judgement that classes Degas as a misogynist.
end, women are often subjected to a great degree of pain or debasement in Degas’s art.
In truth, no artist since Titian has paid women
His personal relationship with women didn’t
so much attention as Degas. Whether at the
help to quell his reputation as a misogynist
barre or the bar, the female form is obsessively
either. Never taking a wife or mistress and by
captured by his exacting eye and by some
all reports never once touching the numerous
estimates over three-quarters of his oeuvre
women who modelled nude for him, Degas’s
is dedicated to the subject of women. Of
private life closer resembles a Buddhist monk
course many of these women (and certainly
than the typical 19th century Parisian flâneur.
all the bathers) were undoubtedly prostitutes-
Described by his contemporary and friend
performers in a sexual economy of which they
Manet as ‘incapable of loving a woman,’
were sometimes forced into, and certainly
Degas referred to his ballet dancers as ‘petits
denied agency within. It’s probably here
rats’ and on more than one occasion compared
where Degas’ relationship with women is least
women to the racehorses he famously painted.
defensible. His hands may not have strayed
It is unsurprising then that his work has often
on to the models, but there is an explicit
been used as a touch point for feminist
connection of his voyeuristic intentions to
historians to exemplify a hatred of women.
the buying and selling of sex in 19th century France. After all, it is no stretch to imagine the
These shots fired at Degas are nothing new,
bather scenes as mirroring the spying of nudity
but #MeToo has created an urgency to define
that took frequently took place in brothels
Degas’s position on women. Subsequently this
and peep shows where men were allowed
has forced many art critics into using their pieces
to steal seedy glimpses of the working girls
published around the centennial as pre-emptive
as they changed. If we are indeed ‘looking
shields against the mob cry of ‘misogynist!’
through a keyhole’ then the fictional content we are viewing is most likely mimicking that of
‘Has there ever been a major artist whose
a wealthy bourgeois man who would have the
portrayal of women has received more
access and leisure to frequent these places. In
abuse that Degas?’ Julian Barnes asks in his
other words exactly the same sort of publicly
impassioned defence written for the London
respectable and privately lecherous gentleman
Review of Books this January. Assuring us
that the #MeToo movement seeks to expose.
that the celibate Degas was innocent of any
In a society no longer willing to look the other
‘Harvey Weinstein funny business,’ it reads
way, artworks which employ the viewpoint of
largely as a piece desperately trying to quell
these men as a means to titillate and sexually
the growing heat of last year’s inquiry, asserting
excite, do perhaps deserve to be exposed
that Degas was no perv but instead revered
for what they are: tasteless and objectifying.
women. This is not the first time Barnes has
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But look again at the bathers. Yes we may be
simultaneously intruding on it. Like a stealth
spying upon them, but there is nothing here to
documentary film-maker what we see is an
excite us. Instead of girls demurely fluttering
unfiltered, and beautifully revealing rendering
their eyes and striking suggestive poses,
of the human form, even if it is coming at
these women are unselfconsciously naked
the expense of committing a transgression.
in a way which rejects sexual interpretation and their positioning is clearly not meant to
Observing the bathers is to feel both the
elicit an arousal. In his unsparing observation,
uneasiness of the intruder, and the intimacy
the roll of a belly or the ungainly slump of a
and truth of watching someone in an
shoulder are all dispassionately recorded in a
unguarded, natural moment. This is of course
matter that was nothing short of iconoclastic.
not the easiest of vantage points upon which to balance, especially if we are now
Until Degas, nudity in art always presupposed
requesting our art to act as visual symbols of
an audience, and so the nude figure was never in
the moral code of contemporary society. In
a natural state. After all, how many of us relax in
truth, an uneasy oscillation is part and parcel
natural positions when our naked body is being
of understanding the iconoclasm of Degas-
scrutinised by a watchful eye? This reverence
how tantalisingly revealing these scenes
of the banal and natural above the falsity and
are, but how wrong I am to observe them!
idolatry surrounding traditional concepts of women brings this work above merely a peep
My mind is drawn back to the exhibition at
show into something far more radical. ‘I wish to
the National Gallery. Strategically placed
show them stripped of their coquetry,’ Degas
between the gap of an archway, she stares
once drily remarked. And that he does, creating
back at you through a pair of binoculars. Her
a vulnerability in his women which elevates him
head is confidently cocked to one side and her
from his contemporaries and positions him
gaze follows you as you shift across the room.
as the most modern artist of his generation.
A playful bit of humour from an otherwise cantankerous man, ‘Woman with Field Glasses’
Throwing
away
Renaissance-old
of
is Degas’s opportunity to let us see both sides
perspective and balance for dramatically
of the coin, almost as if to prove he is in on the
compressed
unusually
joke. No longer in the position of voyeur, we are
angled pictorial spaces, Degas’ works imply
now the ones being watched, and the feeling
a spectatorial gaze through the way they
is mildly perturbing. Shifting the positions of
position the viewer in relation to the subject.
power allows us to examine anew the dynamics
Take ‘Nude Drying her Feet’ where we have
of looking, and imagine just how it must feel to
a screen blocking a part of the visual field,
have a set of eyes peering over our shoulders.
cropping the image and making it explicit that
Cynics can read this as Degas being clever
there should be a barrier between the space
enough to cover his tracks; the more forgiving
the viewer occupies and the nude subject.
can deem this as part of his larger exploration
When we stand before these pictures Degas
into the interior lives of the women he painted.
makes us assume the position of being ‘outside
Voyeuristic his works may be, but Degas is
in’- the voyeuristic vantage point from where
certainly not uncritical of their own premise.
compositions
and
rules
we are intimately involved in the scene and lines
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“As the debate surrounding whether we can love the art of monstrous men directs itself towards art - which seemingly condones their behaviour - the work of Picasso and Seurat seems to be as fair game as the actions of Polanski and Spacey.”
Indeed if Degas’ works objectifies the female
artists who make even trickier art, all are
through forcing the viewer to adopt the
indeed having their moment with #MeToo.
voyeuristic vantage point, it also personally
Yes these artworks often stray into murky
engages the viewer in the picture and
areas - Gaugin’s series of women from Tahiti
encourages
of
for example are extraordinarily exploitative
imaginatively speculating what it means to be
fantasies of black women - but removing
looked at. As we bear witness to the unguarded
art from walls is not a sign of progress, it
human form we are left to wonder, ‘what is
is shutting down a worthy conversation.
she thinking?’ in this moment of apparent
A sense of unease is not a reason to remove
solitude. Creativity has never been a morally
art from walls, but instead needs to be seen
pure pursuit, and we can’t simply like what we
an opportunity to look inwards, and engage
are meant to like in line with the contemporary
in a critical discussion. For instance, we would
position of virtue, itself such an amorphous and
do far better as a society to use these pictures
constantly shifting target. Yet that is precisely
as a talking point for why we are titillated
what a call to censor art from our past is doing.
by voyeuristic works of art, and why we take
The #MeToo vs. the museum debate seems
pleasure in viewing intimate scenes even
to have taken on the shape of a bulldozer
when we shouldn’t look. Is the unease I feel
seeking to flatten out all the spiky contours
standing before Degas’ bathers because I am
which define the uncomfortable realities of our
in the position of the voyeur, or rather because
art and its history. A complex and challenging
I am enjoying the one-sided act of looking;
position occupied by Degas’ voyeurism seems
I am tantalisingly close yet my presence is
to have no place in a new era which demands
hidden like a hunter stalking its prey. We will
to see a work of art as either in line with today’s
be far better equipped to change our attitudes
conception of feminist thought, or against it.
towards women, consent, and the host of
the
edifying
experience
other issues #MeToo seeks to tackle if we leave
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The Met rightfully chose not to take down
difficult art up as a reminder not only that bad
‘Therese Dreaming,’ but I sense this is not
things happened once upon a time, but that
the last time great art will need defending.
we all have the capability to act in ways which
Picasso, Gaugin, and a number of other tricky
helps monstrous men do monstrous things.
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Musings on the Alleged Death of Neoliberalism
Words by Aron Keller
I
n the last few years there has been an
IMF and World Bank – which had never fully
explosion in the use of the term neoliberalism.
recovered from the collapse of the Bretton
Once restricted to left-wing academics and
Woods system – were rapidly converted into
activists, you are now just as likely to read
crucibles of neoliberal thought. With the fall of
about neoliberalism in the pages of a national
Soviet communism at the end of the century,
newspaper where it is usually deployed as
neoliberalism had reached its hegemonic peak.
a catch-all shorthand for an ensemble of economic policies promoting free markets,
Despite bringing us to the brink of catastrophe
privatisation, deregulation, globalisation and
in 2008 followed by a decade of brutal austerity,
the gradual dismantling of the welfare state.
the enduring dominance of neoliberal economics always seemed assured. But now with Trump,
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Reagan and Thatcher were the first to unleash
Brexit, and a resurgent socialist left across much
this market logic in the USA and UK but the
of Europe and the United States, there are signs
economic
implemented
this ruling economic orthodoxy may finally be in
was also championed by nominal social
retreat. Even the Conservatives are beginning
democrats such as Clinton and Blair. In the
to acknowledge the ideological pendulum has
same period, international institutions like the
swung which explains why the Chancellor of
programme
they
“Under neoliberalism humans are forced to see themselves as oneperson enterprises who must constantly tend to their own present and future value.” the Exchequer felt it necessary to use his 2017
neoliberalism is about extending economic
conference speech to restate the case for free
thinking beyond the economic sphere into
markets and warn about the dangers of Marxism.
all realms of social life. This extension of market logic does not literally need to involve
The collapse of the neoliberal economic
an exchange of goods or money. Rather it
consensus should prompt great optimism
circulates a logic of extreme individualism and
on the left and yet, it would be a mistake to
competition which demands that individuals
assume the neoliberal project has ever just
conduct themselves as market actors in every
been about economics. There has always
aspect of their lives. In doing so neoliberalism
been a more insidious, more entrenched,
dismantles notions of social justice by eroding
cultural dimension to neoliberalism – an
collective forms of actions and replacing
underlying
the
them with an individualistic conception of the
destructive economic policies it produces.
citizen – one that is based around economic
logic
lurking
beneath
identities. In other words, under neoliberalism The
French
philosopher
Michel
Foucault
humans are forced to see themselves as one-
was one of the first to identify this neoliberal
person
cultural ethos. He believed that at its core,
tend to their own present and future value.
lines
enterprises
who
must
constantly
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We can readily observe the many ways in which
health. Here too a neoliberal mindset impedes
this hyper-competitive mode of thinking shapes
real progress. While increased awareness of
our lives and the institutions around us. Schools,
mental health in recent years is certainly a step
universities, and hospitals have been transformed
in the right direction, it is only the first step. We
into businesses, incorporating market metrics as
must start challenging the dominant neoliberal
measures of good performance and assimilating
narrative which treats mental illness as a problem
all the economic jargon that goes with it.
that resides exclusively with the individual. Individualising mental health serves the interests
Students are repeatedly told that extortionate
of a highly lucrative pharmaceutical industry, but
tuition fees are a necessary ‘investment’ in their
it obscures the fact that in many cases, mental
future that will reap financial returns. When they
illness is a manifestation of deeply unequal
graduate, many find that experience and a strong
socio-political conditions. As the late cultural
CV are not enough to land a job. They must also
theorist Mark Fisher pointed out, it may be true
be able to package themselves as a ‘personal
that depression presents itself as a chemical
brand’ – broadly understood as a bundle of skills,
imbalance in the brain marked by low serotonin
assets, and relationships which demonstrate
levels, but characterising it as such tells us
that they are themselves worthy of investment.
nothing about what causes mental illness in the first place. We must re-politicise mental illness
For most young people ‘personal branding’
by exposing how the neoliberal obsession with
is a familiar concept. Social media promotes
individualism and competition leads to a warped
the same entrepreneurial mentality - consider
view of the self and a deep sense of alienation.
‘likes’ on Facebook as a form of currency for example - built on constructing and sustaining
Politicians of all stripes are waking up to the
an immaculate online persona which constantly
fact that neoliberal economics is in crisis, and
attracts positive attention and therefore affirms
yet the hyper-competitive individualism upon
self-worth. After all, the way we use technology
which it is predicated remains as pervasive as
is never value-neutral; it mirrors the broader
ever. Reversing neoliberal economic policies
neoliberal landscape where competition is
is undoubtedly an urgent and essential task
the defining characteristic of human relations.
for any progressive politics, but it is not enough. Until we understand neoliberalism
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Epidemics of self-harm, depression, anxiety,
in its totality – as a way of being that actively
eating-disorders and general loneliness suggest
negates solidarity and collective action – we
this neoliberal ethos is taking its toll on our mental
will not be able to envisage a world beyond it.
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Ellen Von Unwerth: The Limits of her Gaze Words by Claire McQue
Y
ou may have heard of Ellen Von
however, the image of Naomi Campbell
Unwerth. Maybe you paid a visit to
speaks volumes: Ellen herself is the Agent
New Bond Street, where her exhibition
Provocateur, more so than even the lingerie
‘Ladyland’ was showing at Opera Gallery
gracing the supermodel’s million-dollar body.
last in May. My Ellen initiation happened in Sweden of all places at Fotografiska, that red-
Von Unwerth undeniably subverts the ‘woman-
brick Stockholmian institution of photography
as-looked-at-object’ trope. This is where the
in the suitably hipster Södermalm district.
power element comes into kitten-like play: Von Unwerth photographs the world’s most
Stepping Years
of
inside
Von
Unwerth’s
and Linda Evangelista have all appeared in
entering world of waspy waists, long legs
front of Von Unwerth’s unconventional camera.
in
fishnet
Women’
desirable women. Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer
is
enmeshed
Photographing
‘Thirty
stockings,
buxom
breasts and sensuously curved backsides.
In one image, singer and general ‘it’ girl Rihanna is harnessed in barbed-wire, eye patched and
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Between the startlingly scarlet lips and feline-
red lipped, but clearly consenting to her bristly
flicked eyes of the more than one hundred
bondage. ‘Rihanna – Berlin’ reads the plaque
women on display, the message of this
under the photo. It is a nod to Von Unwerth’s
exhibition is frisky, orgasm-inducing seduction.
Germanic roots; perhaps a tongue in cheek
While divided into the categories love, play,
take on the fabled swingers’ parties thrown
power, passion, gender, lust and drama –
in Berlin’s underground institutions. In 2015
these apparently being the themes that give
Von Unwerth created a series entitled ‘Heimat’
meaning to a woman’s life - the overwhelming
(Homeland in German) - a cheeky take on the
leitmotif running through the prism of corsets,
fecund femininity of the Bavarian beer maid.
nipples and coquettish flirting with the camera,
Lederhosen, spanking, riding (horses), tankards
is sex. The provocative, visual language of Von
and tits all feature. But to return to Fotografiska,
Unwerth’s portraits translates as an irrefutable,
it is blindingly obvious that Ellen’s women are
siren-like call to bed. In fact, Naomi Campbell
subjects, empowered and in control. But what
is pictured doing exactly that: telephone in
rankles is the statement these photos make:
hand, her lithe form clad in Agent Provocateur’s
that women’s liberation comes purely via the
scanty silk. More paying client than prostitute
lightning-hot conduit of female sexuality.
“What rankles is the statement these photos make: that women’s liberation comes purely via the lightninghot conduit of female sexuality.”
Mission Accomplished lines
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Rihanna, Berlin 22
A portrait of Anna Wintour sticks out like a
wall. Bond girl Eva Green stars in one, dressed
sore thumb in the exhibition. Yes, her picture
in a leopard print cat suit that clings to her
bares all the hallmarks of a Von Unwerth photo:
large breasts. ‘Release the animal within you’
slightly over exposed, glinting eyes. But it
you can almost hear another model purring.
lacks in any of the ‘Ellen’ innuendo. Wintour
The shot could be a perfume advert, the
is fully clothed, behind her desk. As in life,
effect of making your partner instantly erect
the Editor of US Vogue emanates power and
implied
through
the
over-sexualisation.
commands respect. What in that case, would thirty years of photographing men look like?
Ellen returns to a feminist agenda with a very striking, teasing image of Nicki Minaj, shot last
Citing Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot as
year for Paper magazine. The butt-implanted
her muses, it is clear that Von Unwerth enjoys
star is pictured three times: bottom out,
skewering stereotypes, particularly of the
breasts out, tongue out in a photo cleverly
submissive woman. But let’s not forget that
entitled ‘Minaj à trois.’ Can this Minaj-only
while Marilyn and Bardot were independent,
take on a threesome be read as self-sufficient
gregarious women in the public eye, their
sexuality; an attempt to communicate auto-
fame stems from misbehaving skirts, full
pleasure or even to suggest that only Nicki
breasts,
hourglass
herself is worthy of pleasuring her own much
waists. It follows then, that the ‘woman as a
fetishized, curvaceous body? Entitled ‘Break
sex symbol’ is stamped thoroughly on to
the Internet,’ the shot is witty but somewhat
Von Unwerth’s boudoir-burlesque aesthetic.
disturbing. Minaj’s tongue is entirely too close
And how better to communicate exuberant
to her own genitals for comfort. This weird
female sexuality than through the image of the
play on words - Minaj à trois - has resulted
ravishing femme fatale sporting a titillating,
in a verbal and physical self-cunnilingus that
leopard print outfit? A series of three feline-
is simultaneously playful and pornographic.
thigh-high
boots
and
pawed photographs hang together on the
Anna Wintour
Minaj a trois lines
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Self-pleasuring
raises
head
The lesbian sex act as an erotic privilege for
once again in another shot of Rihanna. It’s
men is a decades-old pornographic category.
funny, the showerhead is down her pants and
Von Unwerth has depicted one girl (naked)
she’s gazing at the camera, laughing. The
pushing the head of her tied-up (also naked)
simplicity of the white bathroom and white
partner down into her lap, where a plate of
underwear
photograph’s
strawberries and meringues rests on top of her
texture: wetness. Everything is wet and slick:
crotch. Subtlety is certainly not Von Unwerth’s
skin, showerhead, hair. The shot is more
strong suit. In another photo, two topless girls
natural, less posed and with less make up
are wrapped in each other’s legs, with one
than others of the collection and there’s an
squeezing her partner’s pierced nipple. Both
appealing freedom in Rihanna’s laughter.
their heavily lashed, kohl-lined eyes are wide, as
emphasises
ironically,
the
its
are their crimson-painted, blow-job lips. Their This photo smacks of Von Unwerth’s mantra ‘let’s
consent is evident and the models appear to be
photograph girls enjoying life.’ But this shot
having fun. But the act looks false and posed.
was part of an Esquire editorial. Yes, that’s right: a magazine for stylish, powerful and aspiring
In this space of glamour and sex-fuelled female
men. Other photographs in the editorial are
liberation,
naked flesh heavy; of Rihanna bent over or
shots come off as fetishy, quickly sashaying
with her jeans unbuttoned except for one. Her
from the erotic into the pornographic with one
implied masturbation has been turned into a
deft squeeze of a bared nipple. The proud,
site of pleasure for male viewers, fetishizing
playful lesbian becomes a cheap thrill for
the act of a girl sexually enjoying herself.
the voyeur, and it’s uncomfortable to look at.
Pudding, Paris 24
these
carefully
choreographed
Rihanna lines
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What is enjoyable about Von Unwerth’s
next to an open fridge. In her silken lingerie,
photography is the energy radiating from each
her legs can be seen right up to her ‘thigh
shot. Faces are animated and expressive, as if
gap’ and bizarrely, she is holding two fingers
laughing harder than ever before. Were it not
under her nose. The other hand is around a
for the pornographic elements, it would be easy
bottle of milk. It’s a strange assortment of
to imagine each shot as a movie still. A kinky
very strong symbols: milk – maternal, lingerie
image of a women pulling a man back into her
– sex, kitchen – domesticity. In the inversion
bed makes me laugh. His escape attempt is
of domesticity Von Unwerth has created,
futile – she has absolute agency over her sexual
Moss could almost be a call girl returning
needs and deems that they will be fulfilled.
from a night on the streets, unshowered and messily raiding her fridge before she crashes.
In a questionable depiction of femininity, a
It
young Kate Moss kneels, legs slightly splayed
abound in the photographer’s collection.
Kate Moss 26
would
seem
that
cultural
references
Young Kate Moss appears again, this time aged
Perhaps it is necessary to look beyond
sixteen in a work called ‘Lolita.’ Pouting under
Von Unwerth herself, as hers is a success
a wide brimmed sunhat, she applies lipstick to
story I think should be celebrated. Her
her full mouth and though the hazy lines and
unconventional approach to photography
pastel tones of the photograph are undoubtedly
has earnt her the accolade of photographs
beautiful, the dark Nabokovian inspired image
across the front covers of all the glossies; a
instantly raises red flags. Moss is just over
rare female fashion photographer in a male
the age of consent here, catapulted from
dominated industry. Her success is even more
child to sexual being with one slick of lipstick.
impressive considering that her childhood was spent as an orphan, moving between
Another schoolgirl-style shot features three
foster homes in Bavaria. The blazing vitality
models on a brick wall, perhaps in waiting
of her photography does display an insatiable
for a bus. The juicy flesh of a peach drips in
appreciation of life, which is infectious.
their hand but most obvious is the narrow strip of back underwear, on display between
If Ellen is filling a demand from the fashion
wide open thighs. Peaches and what…cream?
and beauty industries, what does that then say
Sexual agency is of course, essential for every
about these two sectors? A closer look at her
woman to master, both to understand herself
recent magazine covers (2010 – 2014) reveals
and to have a good time. But this is all Von
ultra-sexualised photos; lips, cleavage, curves.
Unwerth’s photos seem to contain – where are
Predominantly oriented towards women, it
the emotions, the celebration, the life-defining
raises question: are these magazines selling
moments of women’s existence? While the
the power of sex back to their own sex?
photographs resist male consumption, the subject of female identity is restricted to the
I am by no means saying that truly empowered
power of women’s sexuality and seduction.
women require chaste, head-to-toe covered photographs. Subversion is a strong tool and
Ellen says, quite rightly ‘there are so many
I strongly believe that femininity and female
sides to women.’ She aims to capture them in
sexuality - however one may define it - should
unguarded moments, of vulnerability. Yet these
be spoken about and celebrated. But in thirty
elite, quasi-Goddess bombshells are those
years of photographing women, where are the
who have won the genetic lottery and will be
cerebral achievements and why does capturing
eternally pinned to the walls of Vogue offices. It
beauty equate to the removal of almost all
therefore seems natural that these supermodels
clothing? Why must honest, irrefutable beauty
are self-assured and confident. Von Unwerth’s
be upstaged by irreverent sexuality? By far
‘don’t take life too seriously’ seems a futile and
the most beautiful and entrancing shot in
frivolous message to send out to most women,
Von Unwerth’s exhibition is of three women
engaged as we are in #MeToo movements
running through the fields in Africa, their
and asserting equal rights. While improvised
towels naturally falling away from their bodies
and erotic spells out fun, such sexy pin up
as they move. It is a powerful, impromptu
shots do little to further women being taken
image that quite rightly exalts femininity,
seriously in a continuingly patriarchal society.
diversity and agency. In this shot, Von Unwerth honestly depicts ‘girls enjoying life.’
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Peaches 28
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Maebh: Illuminations Photography by Maeve Brayne Words by Claire McQue
C
omposer
and
songwriter
Maeve
Brayne
watches the seasons turn, the skies that darken and brighten, the mists that take
hold of the fells, relinquishing their icy grip only to a strengthening sun. Up in the North Lake District, the mercurial weather expresses an inner turbulence that inspired a generation of lakeside poets. Writing as Maebh, Maeve’s music continues the Lake District’s poetic legacy. Illuminating lyrics float atop mellifluous strings, her siren-like voice punctuating songs inflected with the spine-tingling harmonies of Celtic music. Ahead of her song releases, Maeve gives lines an exclusive preview of her photography collection featuring the landscape that informs so much of her music. The series reveals the pastoral isolation of a frozen, raw winter - before a flood of amber light over the peaks announces the optimism of a long-awaited spring.
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When it comes to sex, why is YES so much easier than NO? When the romance turns sour, it’s down to you to say NO — Words by Maeve Campbell
I
recently attended a burlesque show in a
all to read a short story in the New York Times
speak-easy in Stockholm, of all places.
that had just gone viral. With an ambiguously
Amongst the nipple tassels and seductive
feline name and no backstory as to what this
smiles, there was a large amount of flesh –
story concerned, we dived in blindly and
both male and female – on show, as you would
read it start it to finish. It’s not often I read
expect. All in the name of theatrical, flirtatious
a short story that I can completely relate to,
entertainment. The celebrated art of the strip
almost word for word. But after reading the
tease, where the audience is titillated by a star
first few lines, I was quickly engrossed in the
who dictates the show. This particular evening
narrative, which maps out the ambivalent
climaxed with a carnivalesque move plucked
thoughts and feelings of a university student
straight out of Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden
and her experience of a one-night-stand. It
of Paradise: a burlesque star farting glittery
was abundantly clear to me that this story
butterflies straight into the crowd. Blinking
went viral for a reason: to start a conversation
glitter out of my eyes, I was left wondering
about why women feel that they owe men sex.
why sexual teasing is socially acceptable
It’s as simple as that.
when women perform on stage, when in real life, we’d be called a ‘cock-tease.’ The whole
So let’s get something straight. We are
burlesque experience reminded me that the
absolutely not talking about rape - this is not
idea of sexual teasing anticipation can be far
about women being forced to have sex. The
sexier than sex itself. But for some reason,
issue is much more nuanced. It’s to do with why
women are still expected to go the whole hog
women say yes when they really mean no. ‘Cat
off-stage.
Person’ is about Margot, a student who finds herself flirting, one evening, with a guy at the
40
I was working at a women’s lifestyle magazine
cinema where she works. She goes away for a
in London the day ‘Cat Person’ was published.
couple of weeks and the pair communicate via
I can vividly recall the moment when a woman
text. As you read, you can feel the excitement
in my office came rushing over, instructing us
brewing for their upcoming date.
Fun, sexy messages are exchanged and a
they are back at Robert’s house and suddenly
somewhat dreamy image of this man, Robert,
he’s ‘ushering [her] into the bedroom, groping
is formed in Margot’s head. When the date
her ass and pawing at her chest, with the
comes around, the two are slightly more
avid clumsiness of that first kiss.’ The house
awkward that she had expected but they end
is a strange place she has never been before,
up in a bar having good, flirty conversation.
Robert’s room is unfamiliar and bare without
Her heart is fluttering and she’s eager to kiss
even a bed frame, just a mattress on the floor.
him and feel him physically against her after
Suddenly the whole thing isn’t fun anymore.
all this time. As it turns out, Robert is a terrible
She is uncomfortable watching him undress,
kisser, but it doesn’t put her off as she senses
his hefty belly is spilling over his jeans. How
his vulnerability and inexperience. She feels for
had it all gone so wrong? To make matters
this big, bear-like man and his clumsy kissing.
worse, she knows she has initiated it, but
It’s hot, they are outside the bar and then in
however tenderly he touches her, however
the front seat of the car, she’s sitting on his
much she had desired him earlier on, she no
lap, they’re getting off and breathing heavily.
longer wanted this.
It’s passionate and it’s a new experience for Margot.
Stop.
But as is the case so often, much of the
It’s at this point where you think, she’s feeling
excitement lies in the anticipation of the sexual
uncomfortable, she doesn’t have to go
experience: the build-up, the subtle fondling
through with this, right? She should leave, she
through layers of clothing, not wanting to
has the right to say no. But Margot doesn’t say
draw attention to yourselves in public. You
no, she doesn’t stop him. As the writer, Kristen
know that you want each other, but it’s the
Roupenian, puts it, ‘that option, of blunt
not-having-it-yet that’s the fun of it.
refusal, doesn’t even consciously occur to her.’ Margot sums up these feelings perfectly:
Margot asks if they can go back to his. Soon lines
41
42
“That option, of blunt refusal, doesn’t even consciously occur to her.” ‘The thought of what it would take to stop
smothers her with “huge, sloppy kisses”. But
what she had set in motion was overwhelming;
this is a performance, put on at the expense
it would require an amount of tact and
of
gentleness that she felt was impossible to
of reading it made me repeatedly wince.
her
own
enjoyment.
The
experience
summon. It wasn’t that she was scared he would try to force her to do something against
A one night stand can be exhilarating and even
her will, but that insisting that they stop now,
empowering. But a bad one isn’t, and could
after everything she’d done to push this
have been prevented. I myself have gone
forward, would make her seem spoiled and
along with it more times that I’d like to admit,
capricious, as if she’d ordered something
because I haven’t wanted to seem mean, or
at a restaurant and then, once the food had
frigid, or capricious, as Margot puts it. All it
arrived, changed her mind and sent it back.’
did was make me regret it in the morning, as I turned over to see the guy sprawled out
I wonder how many women reading this
next to me, in the knowledge that I’d done
can relate to that feeling. The feeling of
something I hadn’t wanted to do. It made me
embarrassment when it comes to stopping,
feel guilty, a ‘bad feminist’ for not listening to
once you’ve already set the wheels in motion.
my body and expressing myself honestly, but
The fact that the writer chose to use a
we’ve all done it to avoid a confrontation or
metaphor relating to food and consumption
hide our embarrassment. Historically, women
is apt.
have
Perhaps Margot feels consumed by
interiorised
their
own
oppression.
shame and the pressure of sexual norms. The last line resonates so profoundly because
But this is the 21st century; let’s speak out and
we are so accustomed, as women, to feeling
stop placing male pleasure on some sort of
like we owe a man sex, in instances such as
perverse phallic pedestal. If men knew what was
these. Margot doesn’t stop him, despite
going through our heads in these moments,
multiple factors putting her off: the strange
the vast majority wouldn’t want us to continue
bedroom environment, the naked reality of
doing something we weren’t comfortable with.
Robert, and the fact that he isn’t even good
Catering to male pleasure is futile, as we all
at sex. Instead, not wanting to disappoint, she
know the best sex is wholeheartedly mutual.
performs, “puts on a show for him”, biting
So let’s stop shaming ourselves for not wanting
her lip as his fingers jab at her vagina and he
to go through with it. Next time, just stop.
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Why ‘Inspo’ Makes Me Anxious A postfeminist scroll through Instagram’s food and lifestyle culture —
Words by Niamh O’Dowd
I
am all over food and health Instagrams.
Shaws of the health world appear relatively
One of my favourite time-fillers is to scroll
sensitive to the battle most people go through
through the colourful Instagram accounts
in order to achieve day to day emotional
of innovative food bloggers: Deliciously Ella,
stability. There is a sense of paradox across
CravingsinAmsterdam, Madeleine Shaw and
the plethora of foodie and yoga-loving photos
TheLittleGreenSpoon are at the top of my hit
that makes me feel anxious about that crucial
list. Food is what these social media icons are
‘balance’ we all seem to be grasping for.
selling yet they inevitably indulge their followers
In spite of all my angst, I confess that these
in captivating glimpses into their personal lives.
naturally
On display alongside each rainbow hued dish are
successfully won me over with their food and
their balanced, impossibly glamorous lifestyles.
lifestyle ‘inspo.’ I have totally bought into their
Regular posts include uber healthy, colourful and
way of life. Avocados by the kilogram, spoonfuls
expensive health foods, their sleek yoga-toned
of chia seeds, turmeric in everything. I consume
bodies and their desirable Chelsea homes. Such
the same kinds of products they consume, I make
carefully curated appearances unfortunately
a concerted effort to exercise regularly and I try
undermines
ingenuousness
to practise a bit of mindfulness when I can. The
they might otherwise achieve. More than
consistency of these practices fluctuates through
anything,
aspirational
my busy week, but I do my best. Generally
hierarchies.
speaking, this is a great output because it
On one hand there’s the motivational epithets
encourages me to be so much more active, more
such as ‘wake up wednesday!’ and ‘start every
physically and emotionally healthy. And it is
day with a positive thought!’ which strike
empowering to make the choice to devote time
me as false rather than inspirational. On the
to your health and implementing these routines.
culture
any they
and
sense fuel
of
society’s
reinforce
class
other, the Deliciously Ellas and the Madeleine
44
nourished
Instagrammers
have
“It has occurred to me that I am constantly in ‘selfsurveillance’ mode.”
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45
“In this all-positiveempowered-woman online environment, there seems to be no room for real feelings.”
As a young woman myself, I love the feeling
Madeline Shaw tells me via uplifting Instagram
that these healthy lifestyle choices give me. But
photos that I can ‘get the glow.’ The recipe? A
I can’t escape the nagging feeling of anxiety
few head stands, warrior three poses and luscious
surrounding these food and exercise lifestyle
fruit and vegetables with every meal. Great - I can
fads. However, technically I shouldn’t really be
do yoga and I can do fruit and vegetables. Tick.
anxious. I made a frozen berry smoothie this
Yet the un-airbrushed truth is that I still don’t feel
morning, ate a delicious wholemeal chickpea
great and ‘glowing’ all the time. Why am I feeling
wrap with lashings of spinach and lentils for
anxious if I’m following her advice? This effect
lunch, I’ve planned a quinoa dish for dinner
is the exact opposite of the self-empowerment
and I’ve been doing really well at sticking to my
mantra Shaw spins. And it’s self-perpetuating.
exercise routine recently - I’m on form! I’m doing everything ‘right.’ But the fact is, I am anxious.
According to Rosalind Gill, a leading post-
And I think it is related to the constant reminders
feminist critic on contemporary culture, ‘feeling
on social media that I have to work on my ‘good
rules’ emanate from various media and social
habits;’ that all this healthy (and quite expensive)
media platforms. These being so personal and
food and gym-going really is good for me and
in such close proximity to our everyday lives,
my emotional ‘balance.’ I don’t doubt it all - I
the effect parallels what Gill calls a ‘powerful
really don’t. But it has occurred to me that I
regulatory force.’ She attributes this cult of
am constantly in ‘self-surveillance’ mode -
female confidence and ‘feeling rules’ largely to
I am constantly monitoring myself. Aside from
marketing strategies employed by the lifestyle
the benefits of my healthy eating patterns
sector (and more broadly neoliberal culture
and exercise regime (or aspired-to-regime)
in general) designed to make an audience
that I practice for physical purposes, I am also
feel upbeat and convinced of their autonomy
constantly monitoring myself psychologically
with
by way of my emotions - it’s exhausting. 46
regards
to
their
individual
choices.
Gill identifies the common thread of positivity
Gill
dispersed across social media ‘through a
- particularly females - to work on their
multiplicity of “inspirational” aphorisms.’ These
character and psychic disposition is to imply
are targeted at women. Take the phrases so
that there are accepted rules and structures
frequently underlining Instagram posts: ‘dance
around
like nobody is watching’ and ‘Love like you’ve
Not only, then, does society demand that we
never been hurt.’ What do these actually
are healthy, fit and active, and that we publicly
mean, in the context of real life? As far as I’m
evidence this on social media. These rules also
aware, the only place no-one is watching is the
now encompass how we should feel. What’s
seclusion of your own bedroom and learning
more, social media teaches us that if we feel
from your past experiences only enriches future
good about ourselves, then health, fitness
loves. Gill suggests these words highlight the
and confidence in your body should come
emptiness and gender-biased nature of much
naturally. But what if it doesn’t? What if we still
social media content. These messages of hope
feel a bit out of place and struggling to keep
and possibility, encased in self-belief deliver
up? Does it make me feel good to monitor my
what Gill classes as ‘a postfeminist sentiment
habits and emotions so intensely? Why do the
of entitlement - in this case to happiness.’
words ‘self-surveillance’ make me mistrustful?
Her
In my attempt to stabilise my life and my
analysis
poignantly. woman
In
online
is
powerful
this
and
resonates
all-positive-empowered-
environment,
there
points
fitness,
out
one’s
I’m
that
to
emotions
incite
and
over-analysing,
someone
sensibilities.
over-surveying,
seems
over-vigilant - all which are ironically, the signs
to be no room for real feelings - the dips,
of de-stabilising. My natural self-certainty is
occasional low points, moment of humiliatingly
slowly becoming as pulped as the vitamin-
fragile self-esteem. It’s become taboo - thanks
dense fruit I load into my nutri-bullet. And why
to the pressure to look, feel and act great.
am I left with so many questions? I thought these lifestyle makeovers offered answers. lines
47
Is there a Method behind the Madness of Valencia’s Boldest Fiesta? How the carnivalesque world of Las Fallas casts a harsh light on today’s increasingly ludicrous politics —
Words by Lilly Newton
W
ith the arrival of the spring months,
Valencia’s local community groups - all join
comes Spain’s loudest, boldest
for a tumultuous celebration of community
fiesta; crashing onto the streets of
and regional heritage in this three week long
Valencia in an ear-shattering, decibel-defying
party. Each falla showcases their annually
explosion of colour, creativity and caricature.
anticipated falla (this time meaning a huge monument constructed out of wood and
Las Fallas de Valencia is one of the most weirdly
polystyrene) for the final four days of the
wonderful festivals to grace our Earth. Known
festival, before riddling it with fireworks
as
boisterous
and sending it up in flames on the night of
Barcelona, every March, humble Valencia
the cremá. At the end, the only tangible
gives the Catalan capital a run for its money,
evidence of a falla’s existence is a sad pile of
transforming into a spectacle to behold.
ash littering the ground. These sculptures are
the
younger
sibling
of
incredibly impressive, comprising of multiple So, what is Las Fallas? It is at first striking how
different ninots, or sculptures, and garnished
little logical sense this fiesta seems to make
with an eye-popping multitude of colour.
however one quickly acclimatises to the
With caricature and satire being the popular
thunderous bangs, the catastrophic lack of
themes; hilarious yet hazardous displays pop
sleep and the sheer arsenic destruction that
up around Valencia’s most unexpected corners.
constitutes Fallas. In a nutshell, the fallas – 48
“Wouldn’t it be amusing to see a real-life Trump attempting to ride a nuclear rocket, or for Kim Jong-un to permanently have a grossly caricatured explosive cloud above his head?”
Fire and destruction is the lifeblood of Las
at two pm every day between March 1st-
Fallas. Resultingly, there’s an abundance of
19th in the form of the much loved masceltà.
pyrotechnic prowess.
The Spanish refer to
I can only describe this a daytime firework
their firework displays as castillos - literally
display, yet my very description is a disservice
‘castles.’ Unafraid to reach for the stars,
to this work of art. In reality, the mascletà is
Spanish pyrotechnicians literally
create
so much more than that - rather a cultural
castles in the sky, making possible the
celebration of the ‘rhythms’ of Valencia:
hitherto presumed impossible, with dream-
a 10-minute-long compilation of gunpowder
like
heart-shaped
explosions that reverberate around your rib
explosions and deafening finales. It is a
cage and fall out through your mouth (advised
miraculous mastering of gunpowder. Stinging
to be held open due to the intense amount of
your eyes in a way you haven’t experienced
pressure these explosions produce). Still unsure
since burning magnesium in year nine science
whether the sound resembles a rave or a war
class, these fireworks really are impressive.
zone, as the Valencians build up to the earth-
displays
of
fireworks,
shattering ‘earthquake’ finale - the rhythms Yet the fireworks are not just reserved for special
of the masceltà manifest in a frenzy of fist
occasions. Instead, they become part of the
pumps, head shakes and mass jumping for joy.
daily routine, blitzing through your eardrums
lines
49
50
The common denominator to each fraction
people construct an artistic image of a
of the Fallas celebration, is that it just doesn’t
parallel, carnival world, exaggerated and
really make any sense. At least on paper it
theatrical, at which people can gawp for
doesn’t. But it is undeniably a celebration
four days before its inevitable destruction.
that has to be lived. This language of ours
This
signifies
the
return
to
reality.
cannot translate the passion of the mascleta; the sheer heat of the burning flames or just
The
cremá
becomes
a
public
plea,
a
simply the intangible feeling of warmth back
demonstrative act of defiance against our
to its pagan roots to celebrate the birth of
current global political climate. Contemporary
something new from the flame-licked ashes
Fallas pokes fun at this season’s political
of the bygone past. There is a chance,
blunders and punching bags as the carpenters
however, that this pagan heritage does just
once did many moons ago. The Valencians
rationalise the fiesta, giving it a surprising yet
take satisfaction in this sarcastic symbolism,
significant place on the contemporary agenda.
viewed as one of the only ways to quell the pain of reality under these world leaders. If
The mass burning of art can be read as a social
only we could rid ourselves of the dark nights
cleansing of the now-corrupt society in which
of today’s politics, heralding change with a
we live. A common sight are wooden ninots
flamboyant yet profound series of systematic
of the world’s bad guys in less than desirable
burnings. With spring comes many causes
situations – Trump, Kim Jon-Un, Putin and Puig
for celebration and Fallas is an incredible
de Mont being the main contenders. The
if not unforgettable way of welcoming a
critical, satirical angle is a traditional element
warmer and lighter kind of existence. If only
of the Fallas festival, when carpenters used
it had the power to also instil sane thought
to burn their excess wood on the night of St
into the minds of those who govern us.
Joseph’s Day - the patron saint of carpenters – which were fashioned into sarky replicas of
It appears there is method behind the initial
the season’s most irksome public figures and
mayhem of Fallas: to use satiric symbolism
events. All this in the name of celebrating the
to create an alternative, temporary state
passing winter. In a similar fashion, millennials
of existence which blots out and ridicules
today set torches to satiric creations of our
the worries of the day. Instead, a gasp
corrupt politicians, creating a utopic world
of fresh (if not gunpowdery) air can be
in art form only to reduce it to the flames of
taken and a hopeful anarchy alleviates the
reality. Wouldn’t it be amusing to see a real-life
suffocation of contemporary politics. It is
Trump attempting to ride a nuclear rocket, or
telling that what began as a purely functional
for Kim Jon-Un to permanently have a grossly
act amongst 18th century carpenters has
caricatured explosive cloud above his head?
become a performative gesture of great significance to Spain today. Fallas is a
To overcome the helplessness felt as mere
powerful, destructive tour de force; a social
minions under the compulsive reign of
commentary
that
screams
wordlessly.
these demonic characters, the Valencian
lines
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