Lines Issue One

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?

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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

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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.

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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

25

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

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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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