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Cressida Peever - indigo@palatinate.org.uk

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INDIGO INDIGO EDITOR Cressida Peever

3 F EATURES

Is the internet only for bullies, or can it make heores of the average person?

4 MUSIC

A look at the musical heroes that have shaped our generation of listeners 5 FASHION A guide on the makeup trends set to dominate this summer.

6 , 7 & 8 FILM & TV Our writers’ most memorable antiheroes are put on parade, along with our favourite heroines.

9 V I SUAL ARTS We explore the courage in socially and politically engaged art.

1 0 & 1 1 B O OKS & CREATIVE W RITING An invitation to a spoken word event and more creative writing from our Durham talent.

1 2 & 13 STAGE A look back at Kevin Spacey’s time as Artistic Director at the Old Vic, and special mentions for DST members.

1 4 F O OD & DRINK We enjoy cream teas at Crook Hall in time for graduation.

It is Palatinate tradition to make the final edition of Easter term a graduate special to commemorate our students who are about to leave the comfort of the Durham bubble.

This year, Indigo has used a variation of this theme, and has instead dedicated this edition to its heroes: the people who have inspired us to take our lives along a certain route, and who our graduates can hope to equal in success in the future.

I have singled out Kevin Spacey for an article in the Stage Section as an actor I admire, but mainly as someone that has rejuvenated one of my favourite theatres: London’s Old Vic. The theatre in question puts on fantastic productions which are made affordable for young theatre-goers with their £12 tickets for under 25s for every performance, meaning that it is possible to see some of the country’s best performances whilst sticking to a strict student budget. Taking the highly lucrative sphere of theatre and ensuring that theatre-lovers of any financial background are able to attend makes Spacey a Robin Hood figure in my eyes.

For more arts and lifestyle articles please visit www.palatinate.org.uk

Cover illustration by Mariam Hyat

BOOKS EDITOR Kate Wilkinson FASHION EDITORS Isobel Buckingham Katie Shuff FEATURES EDITOR Francesca Jaworska FILM & TV EDITOR Jonathan Peters Caroline France (deputy) FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Diana Grant-Davie MUSIC EDITORS Sophia Smith Galer Jack Collins Anastasia Symecko (deputy) STAGE EDITOR Emma Dawson TRAVEL EDITOR Oliver Collard Naoise Murphy (deputy) VISUAL ARTS EDITOR Frances Marsh

WRITERS

Some writers have dedicated a piece to unsung heroes such as volunteers. Other writers have singled out fictional heroes; a means of escape from our every day lives, but with whom we can still draw parallels nonetheless.

The diverse portrayal of heroes (or even antiheroes) on these sixteen pages will make for some entertaining reading whilst you’re queuing for congregation or travelling home for the holidays.

Cressida

1 5 TRAVEL How to have the best experience volunteering abroad.

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Francesca Jaworska Ana Symecko Jack Collins Sophia Smith-Galer Patrick Brennan Jessica Ng

Oliver Stephenson Kieran Moriarty Finn Burton Harry Granger Caroline France Jonathan Peters

Laura Ryan Imogen Rolfe Frances Marsh Hannah Griffiths Cressida Peever Caitlin McEwan Emily Whiteside

PHOTOGRAPHY / ILLUSTRATION

Patrick Brennan

Caroline Gurr Emma Werner Cressida Peever Rose Innes Les Hull Emily Whiteside

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Francesca Jaworska - features@palatinate.org.uk

F EAT U R E S

keyboard warriors

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Is the internet just for bullies? Francesca Jaworska looks at the digital heroes insteadinouin via flikr

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fter about three weeks, we were all pretty sick of the relentless “1 like = 1 prayer” posts that plagued our Facebook newsfeeds, or the pictures accompanied by the assertion that if you didn’t share them you were “heartless”. They may have helped to raise awareness, but what did they actually do for their causes? Then came the “if this page gets a ten thousand likes my dad will quit smoking”. These were a little more plausible- what if by pressing one button you could contribute to this?

After that, you were asked to share photos and retweet images of a lost teddy bear, in the

the internet enables those who might not be able to be traditional heroes hope that some kind person would find and return it. And most recently, two acts of internet “heroism” have taken the social media world by storm; the no-make up selfie and the bucket list wish of Stephen Sutton, who sadly died a few weeks ago. When we hear so much about how the internet can be so damaging, these two acts show how the internet is an enabler, for both individuals and large groups of people, to essentially become heroes. Heroism doesn’t have to be risking life and limb for the wellbeing of others, it can just be little selfless acts that make a contribution to a bigger cause. People who try to do good deeds over the internet are often derided as “keyboard warriors” who aren’t brave enough to confront these issues in the real world. This is an unfair accusation. On

their own, people may not be able to achieve that much but it’s as a collective, harnessing the internet to bring people together, that differences can be made. And most crucially, by being instantly accessible anywhere, the internet enables those who might not be able to be traditional heroes, those who can’t rescue old ladies’ cats from trees or stand on their feet for a whole day collecting money for charity.

In an increasingly well-connected world, these kinds of heroism are becoming more common, where the effect is seen from the many acting collectively. The no make-up selfie trend saw peer pressure being used for good, and whilst the heroism of girls posting selfies without make up can be debated, the usefulness for charity is undoubtable. This trend may require a looser definition of the term “hero” but it demonstrates very aptly the possibilities of the internet.

Sometimes these collective movements need a leader, someone to drive the momentum and inspire people, and this is where we see the heroes. Stephen Sutton was one of them. The internet empowered him to become a hero, allowing him to reach a huge number of people, orchestrating the movement to raise such a staggering sum of money for cancer research.

In helping him to reach his goal, set out in his bucket list as raising £10,000 for charity, we too became heroes. Stephen could not have to done the tireless work of charity fundraisers who climb mountains and swim oceans to raise money, but he didn’t let that stop him from ticking off another item on his bucket list.

Digital heroism doesn’t just have to be people seeing a post that’s been shared and deciding to donate money without having to leave their computer screen. The internet also enables instances of personal heroism, or acts of kind-

ness between two people in particular. One man, The Free Help Guy, has used the internet for continuous acts of heroism. They’re small and don’t mean much to the wider world, but to the person he is helping they can be lifechanging, or they could just make their lives a little bit easier. The Free Help Guy, who has desired to remain anonymous, decided that during a six month break between jobs he wanted to do something positive, and the internet was his enabler. These aren’t big acts of heroism, the requests for help range from finding lost items to asking for advice, but the internet means that The Free Help Guy can take requests from people all over the world. Now instead of people asking for help, they’re asking how they too can help. The Free Help Guy is an example of how the internet has helped heroism away from keyboards and computer screens, personal acts in the real world.

Some of the problems the world faces are so vast that the only way we can begin to combat them is through collective action, and the internet is a wonderful, unifying tool for this.

At the same time, by enabling communication and connection, the internet also helps with those small acts of heroism between two people. Heroism still requires a hero, but the internet means that more people than ever can become heroes.

If you would like to donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust as part of Stephen’s campaign, you can still do so via https://www.justgiving.com/ stephen-sutton-tct Story by Francesca Jaworska Illustration by Patrick Brennan

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Sophia Smith Galer & Jack Collins (dept. Anastasia Symecko) - music@palatinate.org.uk

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MUSIC

the icon:

inspiration ana symecko

If you asked any of my friends who they thought I would write an article about a ‘musical hero’ on, all would guess David Bowie. I have all his albums, I went to the ‘David Bowie is…’ exhibit at the V&A, I have attempted to emulate him through fancy dress.

David Robert Jones’ musical career is an illustrious one, beginning long before ‘David Bowie’ hit the airwaves in 1966. Since then he has produced numerous iconic albums and continues to play an active role in the arts, earlier this year releasing his new album The Next Day. Throughout this career, Bowie experimented with styles as diverse as blues and funk to pop and punk. Bowie effortlessly switched between musical styles and moods, meaning he was able to collaborate with a huge range of artists while in turn inspiring a host of new musician.

However, Bowie is more than a musician.

Although he could sing and play multiple instruments, he also found time to express himself through theatre, fashion, and art. His unique sense of style was one of the key features of Bowie’s success, with re-incarnations like Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke allowing him to express many different styles. He also found his own way in the world of theatre, starring in movies as well as stage-shows.

However, his influence was not only on the world of the performing arts, but socially as well; making great strides in the the world of LGBT, talking freely of his bisexuality despite the fact that this would later hamper his success in the United States.

Even if this was just a publicity stunt, he provided an icon of what members of the LGBT could be, truly championing the idea of expressing oneself despite public opinion. This combination of true musicality, individuality, style (and frankly a strong understanding of self-promotion), made David Bowie one of the most spectacular and innovative performers to date.

“We can be heroes, for ever and ever, what do you say?”

legacy

sacrifice

jack collins

sophia smith galer

It takes a defining hero to be known as a Godfather of a particular genre. When you look at James Brown as the Godfather of Soul, Paul Weller as the Modfather and Gil Scott-Heron as the Godfather of Rap, it’s quite obvious that these are the heavyweights of their genres. Among these sits the Godfather of House, my musical hero, Frankie Knuckles.

As Disco music collapsed, Knuckles was the first to pioneer a style that used drum machine loops to extend R&B and soul records. As his signature style developed in his days working at The Warehouse club in Chicago, and people began to use it, it was coined as ‘House Music’ and a genre which would go on to define a generation was born.

Everyone has heard a Knuckles track, whether they know it or not. ‘Your Love’, his biggest hit, has been talked of as “the double helix in the DNA of House Music.” In a genre that has spawned eradefining sounds such as ‘Show Me Love’ by Robin S., that Knuckles is considered the basis for all that came after him is a testament to his skill, influence and most importantly legacy.

Some of you might know ‘Your Love’ as being the backing track to ‘You’ve Got The Love’, which has been an anthem for over two decades, from Candi Staton’s original offering all the way through to Florence’s recent triumph. Or you might recognize it as the basis of Animal Collective’s seminal track ‘My Girls’. Whichever way it’s taken, it stands unflinchingly as one of the most important tracks ever made.

House Music is still powering away as strong as ever, as many of you will have seen in the recent Durham obsession with the genre. But next time you’re listening to Route 94 or just at a NOVA night, remember the whole thing rests upon the shoulders of The Godfather. His longevity, and his legacy, will live forever. It’s for these reasons that my musical hero is Frankie Knuckles, because to quote ‘Your Love’ “I can’t let go,” and neither, it seems, can anyone else.

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As with many cult figures, it is their death which gives meaning to their life. She was by no means the first artist to die at 27 years old, but Amy Winehouse’s death in 2011 served as the new epicentre of tragedy and ill-fated stardom to a generation that was too young to have felt the same for Kurt Cobain or Jim Morrison. The price of hedonism, once more, reared its ugly head.

The truth, however, is that Amy Winehouse went where few other artists are willing to go. Her biting, bittersweet and often crude jazz was the product of a young girl with an enormous talent and lover’s wisdom cultivated in the sordid underbelly of Camden and then popstardom. Her fame did not affect the lyrics which never spoke of the awards or the critical success; her songs are odes to disappointment, heartache and the downfall of a bad woman falling for an even worse man.

Tabloid coverage of her failed marriage with the villainous Blake, as well as her increasingly concerning drug and alcohol habits, trivialised the pathological, downhill spiral Winehouse had embarked on.

But sift through the spliffs and the needles and you find gold at its purest; that voice, full-bodied and jagged. sliced through the mediocre girl voices of the 2000s and gave the female alto voice its prominence again, long before the likes of Emeli Sande or Adele. Lyrically she was far more self-reflective than her contemporaries; ‘Rehab’ was a funny. brutal self-portrait as much as it was a brassy middle finger to the boredom of other people’s lives.

However, ‘Love is a Losing Game’ is the monument that stands in the ruins of her life and love affairs. It is inexplicably the lowest charting song from her second and last album Back to Black; yet within it Winehouse reveals a songwriting ability, both musically and lyrically, that came to define her as a martyr to the futility of human desire.

“Over futile odds and laughed at by the gods. And now is the final frame; love is a losing game.”

competition winner!

Thank you to everybody’s entries for our latest competition! It was, however, Patrick Brennan’s piece on the tempestuous mudscape that is the English festival which underscored why the true music lover braves the most dismal of climates for the sake of art and good times. He wins two tickets to blinkbox music North East Live, seeing some of the biggest names in pop music (including Jessie J and Jason Derulo) performing at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Sunday 22nd June. Here is his winning entry.

“Imagine if you will, the wettest field you possibly can. Rain hammers down, pulverising grass into a kind of primordial sludge, and the contours of the land start to change, resembling instead the tem-

plate of a floodplain. We might as well have tried to pitch tents in the sea.

Dorset’s Larmer Tree Festival is an annual celebration of colour, sunshine and festival beauty.

But this year weeks of storms had rendered the Larmer Tree Gardens less than beautiful, and the English summer has a habit of testing you to your limit when it comes to camping. Our plan of action involved summoning a pop-up tent, throwing everything we owned from the car into said tent to shield it from the rain, and letting it float around undisturbed whilst we set up the proper tents. This was easier said than done: our tent pegs had a tendency to float away and the inner layers of what were to be our new temporary homes, ended up soaked, muddy and generally icky.

After several hours of mud wrestling, we left our sticky fortresses to the mercy of the elements and saught shelter amongst the many food stalls.

Weary, famished and above all, drenched, onwards we trudged, through endless swathes of soggy chocolate mousse. At last we approached the main festival site, weary from our day’s toils, soggy and dishevelled.

But there was light at the end of this tunnel.

And boy did it shine brightly. Through the mist of sideways rain and cigarette smoke shone a beacon

of hope and beauty- it was, of course, the brightly coloured flame that is Paloma Faith. There she stood atop the main stage, radiating light from her gorgeous smile, her dazzling blue dress and her plumes of terracotta hair. With every word uttered the audience grew more charmed, and we even forgot it was raining. Warmth echoed from her voice and we huddled around Paloma, like scouts to a campfire. We were drowsy, cold and messy, but our hearts and minds focussed solely on the music and the dancing. Through her mere presence, Paloma had restored hope to our tired eyes, and reminded us why it was that we had, in the first place, ever even dared to brave the elements of an English summer.”

TICKET INFORMATION & EVENT TIMINGS PRICES:

£25, £35, £45, and £60 (Golden Circle)

AVAILABLE FROM: www.aeglive.co.uk, www.axs.com, 08448 24 48 24, www. seetickets.com, 0871 230 1097, www.ticketmaster.co.uk, 0844 477 5775 and the Stadium of Light ticket office.

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Isobel Buckingham and Katie Shuff - fashion@palatinate.org.uk N D I G O

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FASHION

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summer beauty superheroes

By Jessica Ng

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pring/Summer beauty is typically synonymous with fresh faced, dewy complexions juxtaposed with bright eyes and vivid lips, and this year’s offering is no exception. In fact, 2014 can be categorised as the year in which these age old tropes are pushed to their extremes via ‘transparent’ skin, orange pouts and white eyes, ensuring a novel take on the old favourites. Palatinate Fashion picks the best of the trends for complexion, lips and eyes that will see you through to next term and beyond.

Complexion: ‘Transparent’ Skin In essence, this trend is essentially the culmination of the ‘no make up’ make up movement that has in recent years slowly established itself as a spring/ summer staple when it comes to all things beauty.

Now every girl knows that ‘no make up’ make up in the past has more often than not translated to hours of layering the skin with endless coats of primers, BB creams, concealers and powders in an effort to feign natural perfection. However, it seems that this year the trend is actually staying true to its name, with models at Proenza Schouler and Balmain being sent down the runway wearing nothing more than concealer.

The key to pulling off this unforgiving trend for us mere mortals lies in the preparation. The aim of the game is hydration, which means a bottle of water is your new best friend. Product wise, try adding a serum into your daily skincare routine before your face cream, for whilst moisturisers are designed to act as a barrier in order to reduce water loss, it is serums that will penetrate the deepest layers of your skin in order to actively increase hydration. We recommend perusing Elle’s list of the 10 best face serums to find the right one for your skin type, or better still, a visit to the beauty counters for a personal consultation. Finally, remember that this trend is all about concealing your flaws as opposed to painting on a second skin. Skip the foundation and use concealer only where it is needed. Our favourites include Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Images: Vogue.co.uk

Lips: Orange Is the New Bright Spotted at Nanette Lepore, Donna Karen and Prabul Garung, the orange pout took the runways by storm this season, and has quickly surpassed the classic pillarbox red as our favourite go-to bold lip.

Universally flattering on all skin tones, the orange lip is fun and sophisticated in equal measure, and a simple way to modernise and refresh your make up for the summer.

Orange is more versatile than you may think.

Whilst those in a ‘go bright or go home’ kind of mood can amp up the intensity with a vivid matte shade a la Kate Bosworth, the orange lip can just as easily be adapted into your everyday make up routine by way of a sheer, glossy finish, as demonstrated by beauty guru extraordinaire Lisa Eldridge.

For the former look, take note from make up artist Gucci Westman who layered Revlon’s ColourBurst Matte Balm in ‘Mischievous’ underneath their Super Lustrous Lipstick in ‘Carnival’ on models at Rag & Bone. To achieve Eldridge’s more modest take we recommend using Clinique’s Chubby Stick in ‘Oversized Orange’. To further enhance your tangerine pout keep the rest of your make up neutral by sticking to beige, apricot and golden shades for the eyes and cheeks.

Eyes: Bright Eyes In a nod to the current sartorial revival for all things 90’s, white is the colour of choice for eyes this season. White along the water line has long been recommended by make up artists to achieve a bright, doll-eyed look, but this season white eyeliner is taken one step further and is used to create retro, cat-eye flicks and graphic shapes for a modern and unashamedly cool look that is perfect to pair with the aforementioned orange lip.

Also innovative this season is the use of white eye shadow as a wash of ‘non-colour’ across the lids.

Alice + Olivia’s models showcased an iridescent, pearly white layered over a shimmery pink base on their lids, creating an ethereal look that would go well with lightly stained, cotton candy pink lips and a floral adorned, braided crown hairstyle. For this we love Stila’s Jewel Eye Shadow in ‘Opal’ which has the prettiest pearly sheen to it.

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Walter White - Breaking Bad

W

alter White, surely TVs greatest ever antihero? Played faultlessly by Bryan Cranston across all five seasons, we witness a cancer-suffering chemistry teacher transform through various twists and turns (and homicides!) into a power mad drug lord.

The big question for viewers of Breaking Bad is how long will you stick with him. We all start at the same place; anyone who lacks compassion for the Walt we meet in the first episode clearly lacks a heart. Something of a pushover, with a disabled son and a pregnant wife, Walt discovers that he has cancer. Coincidently learning about the value of crystal meth deals through a story from his DEA brother-in-law, Walt sets out to utilise his expansive knowledge of chemistry as a means of both providing the funds for his treatment and securing his family’s future financial security. What follows is a descent into the murky world of the drugs business; every tragic decision carries with it its own disastrous consequences, as Walt is forced into an ever deepening hole. There are, of course, routes out of this hole, but a man consumed by greed and hunger for power grows as dependent upon ‘the game’ as the show’s junkies do upon his ‘Crystal Blue’.

The brilliance of the show, though, is its portrayal of Humanity in all its grim reality: everyone has their flaws, and whilst allegiances come and go for the other characters, I’m firmly by Walt’s side right through to the end. Perhaps that renders me a terrible person. Probably, but I see a man who craves the success and respect that has always fallen short of. I see a human being with torn motives, dead end circumstances, a painful history. And I see a show so believable and so meticulously created that even

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Jonathan Peters (Caroline France - deputy) - film@palatinate.org.uk

F I L M & TV the monster that Walt becomes by the end, still manages to be – somehow - strangely relatable.

By Oliver Stephenson Jack Bauer - 24 As a fanatical fan of 24, it is only inevitable that I would name my TV antihero to be Jack Bauer.

Unlike the idealised representations of heroism of the great American superheroes, the human representation epitomised by Bauer is far more complex. Through his endeavours, America has been saved from every modern terrorism threat that we could possibly imagine.

From his legendary instinct for danger that often commences the race against time to prevent disaster, to the countless ingenious ways he has escaped perilous situations, it is clear Bauer is more than just a generic gun-toting action man.

More than just a remarkable mind, Bauer demonstrates an unimaginable tolerance for pain. Severe beatings, infection, electrocution, torture, bullet wounds; just a few of the agonies Bauer endures stoically in his adventures.

However, to prevent numerous terrorist atrocities, we witness Bauer having to commit the necessary evils to prevail. Bauer is the torturer just as many times as he is the tortured, to get the information he needs. He demonstrates a bitter contempt for the rulebook, a fragrant disregard for authority and a dangerous willingness to act against his own forces and the US Government.

Bauer’s kill count currently stands at 272. He demonstrates an unnerving glacial composure when it comes to taking another man’s life.

How do you celebrate a hero who is such a ruthless killing machine?

The mask of composure does slip on occasions. Jack has executed women in cold blood, held presidents at gunpoint and revealed a dangerous capacity for revenge.

His devotion to service has seen him lose his family and watch his friends die. Even when he saves the day, it is never a happy ending. When happiness and love are within his grasp, they have been cruelly snatched away by the brutal world he is a part of, one which he can never escape. Bauer is an angel condemned to a life of suffering and a place in Hell, all on account of his incredible determination to save millions of others.

In essence, Jack is the ultimate tragic hero.

By Kieran Moriarty Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead There are few characters more satisfying than a good antihero and, with Season 4 of The Walking Dead having recently drawn to a

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the ones

Our writers select their close, Daryl Dixon has given us that fix. As antiheroes go, this crossbow-wielding, moonshineswigging, sleeve-phobic hillbilly could hardly be further from our conventional ‘hero’. Daryl, played by Norman Reedus, begins as the hot-head brother of Merle, whose early departure from the group acts as the hot coal to Daryl’s reluctant first step to antihero status.

Before the Zombie apocalypse Daryl was essentially his older brother’s lackey ‘doing whatever Merle decided we were doing that day’. Fans of The Walking Dead will agree that to say Merle was a poor role model is somewhat of an understatement. Merle’s pig-headed racism and pugnacious nature immediately spring to mind but primarily it was the absence of his charge that allowed Daryl to ‘step up’.

We see Daryl take the lead in the search for lost little girl Sophia ‘Sufea!’ using his impressive tracking skills. He goes the extra mile and doesn’t hesitate to rip an arrow from his own body to head-shot a walker during the search. Season by season he proves his worth, taking out walkers by throwing knives, snatching love interest Carol from the clutches of a zombie herd onto his motorbike, and even blowing up a tank with a well placed grenade: #badass.

Norman Reedus sums up Daryl perfectly in an interview: ‘He would snarl at you but if there was some way that you could bring him inside and feed him he’d probably follow you forever’. Daryl fights because he’s always had to, he looks after his own and in the penultimate episode of season 4, protagonist Rick Grimes calls him his ‘brother’ after offering his life in return for Rick and his son. Daryl won’t admit it but beneath the sweaty, sleeveless denim and ‘Geek-ear’ necklace he has a big heart. The combination of his insecurities, rough exterior and awesome zombie kills makes Daryl Dixon a true antihero, one that all fanatics had been praying for since the show’s very beginnings.

By Finn Burton Tony Soprano - The Sopranos June 19th 2014 marks exactly one year since James Joseph Gandolfini Jr passed away. Gandolfini does not boast a particularly impressive film history. Cast predominantly in minor, one-dimensional henchman roles, most notably True Romance (1993) and Get Shorty (1995), Gandolfini’s acting career could easily have passed without turning many heads. At this point your fingernails may be ploughing that area of your scalp above your ear, that bit of skin between your eyes may be crumpled and your brow may be furrowed as you wonder why you should take any further interest in Mr Gandolfini or his acting. But there is a reason. A very good reason. Anthony “Tony” Soprano.

This wardrobe-sized on-screen presence was the beating heart of immensely popular TV series The Sopranos which ran for 86 episodes on HBO from 1999 to 2007, fifth on TV Guide’s list of Great-

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Jonathan Peters (Caroline France - deputy) - film@palatinate.org.uk

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F I L M & TV

who knock

favourite screen antiheroes

est TV Shows. Soprano is involved in murder, blackmail, revenge, grotesque violence and serial adultery in a show which strictly abides by the rule that any filmed act of violence must be carried out with the nearest, most mundane everyday item which have ranged from staplers to the bell that sits unassumingly on a hotel reception desk.

The mesmeric aura of danger, power and presence instilled by Tony, T, Tone, Skip, Big Ron, is established in his morning routine alone. The slapping of leather slip-on slippers against the asphalt of his grand driveway. The swaying drawstrings of an enormous, white, towel dressing gown with big, fat hands thrust deep into the pockets. Vested belly heaving, gold medallion glistening amid bristles of black chest hair. Cheeks jangling bellow heavy features and deep, decisive eyes.

However it is much more than the power, the violence and vulgarity that Tony Soprano embodies on this show that makes him the greatest televisual antihero. It is the compelling sympathy and association we are able to feel with this violent sociopath that makes Soprano such an enigmatic force. ‘Well, he did warn him!’. We find ourselves justifying his actions such is our belief that the man is not all monster. After all he did have an emotional panic attack after some ducks that lived in his pool migrated elsewhere, and for all his extra-curricular activity, the man spoils his wife with gifts, tries to bond with his surly teenage son over computer games and mows the lawn and enjoys barbecues just the rest of us.

The real key to this character though is his sincerity, the crowning life achievement of Gandolfini who lived the role. Constantly arguing over direction, depriving himself sleep before scenes to capture the right mood and putting rocks in his own shoes to embody the fury and the anguish of Image courtesy of his character, Gandolfini gave Universal Pictures everything to Tony Soprano.

By all accounts the good we see in Tony is Jimmy Gandolfini’s own bubbly character shining through and bringing the paradox to life.

By Harry Granger Tyler Durden Fight Club At least in the form of his alterego Brad Pitt, Tyler is the ultimate antihero for our late capitalist society. While the boring old Edward Norton-Tyler wonders which Ikea furniture will help define

him, the Brad Pitt-Tyler is out there destroying the consumer culture which has infiltrated every aspect of our lives (Fun fact: According to director David Fincher, there is a Starbucks cup present in every shot in the film). His philosophy is simple, damning ‘the man’ who has us ‘working jobs we hate so we can buy s**t we don’t need’. But don’t go thinking Tyler is a do-gooder out to rescue us from this mindless consumption; Tyler has unknowingly created ‘Project Mayhem’, a group committed to an equally mindless anarchy, placing him firmly on the darker side of heroism.

All the usual features of the anti-hero are present: the egoism, the charisma and a complete amorality. Yes, he may be the product of a schizophrenic with a multiple personality disorder, but he earns his place as a classic antihero by his rejection of consumer values which we all adhere to without quite knowing why. Destroying the credit card companies’ records and setting the debt to zero is one of the more altruistic crimes one can imagine, even if you wouldn’t exactly want to be his best friend.

If nothing else, Tyler Durden helps us to question what we automatically accept, by being the embodiment of what the everyman subconsciously desires to be. The fight club of Fight Club allows the characters to really feel something; it may not help them in any way, but it is this aggressive if fruitless attitude which really connects with the audience. Tyler is undoubtedly the Monday morning of antiheroes, a poster-boy for the reaction against the nine-to-five job. Not to mention the cult film brought us Brad Pitt in that pink dressing gown.

By Caroline France Keyser Soze - The Usual Suspects The 1995 crime thriller The Usual Suspects has long been regarded as an iconic film, and its lead antagonist has been etched into film folklore, as well as the minds of the millions who still remember Keyser Soze.

The most remarkable fact about Keyser Soze is the fact that he is entirely fictional. In reality he was the creation of the somewhat unremarkable con artist Roger “Verbal” Kint, played by Kevin Spacey, who received an Academy Award for his portrayal. Kint, who famously ‘suffered’ from Cerebral Palsy, creates an elaborate story implicating Soze as a ruthless crime lord, as well as the perpetrator of the murder of dozens of gang members in the film’s climactic scenes.

In reality, Kint had fabricated the story using prompts, such as the names of businesses and cards on the bulletin board in the police detective’s office where he was interrogated. He was released, before the police realised his fabrication, and walked out of the police station with his ‘disability’ magically cured, escaping his punishment for the

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crimes he committed throughout the film.

The simplistic genius of a criminal to completely fool the police, creating a character that was so heinous that it captured the imagination of the gullible police detective, thus taking the heat and scrutiny from Kint, the actual perpetrator, makes The Usual Suspects a classic film and Keyser Soze an infamous antihero.

Spacey’s engrossing portrayal, coupled with the film’s famous final scenes, etched Keyser Soze into iconic film status. As Kint stated, ‘the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist’, and Keyser Soze may go down as the greatest antihero never to have existed.

By Benjamin Lee Hannibal Lecter - The Silence of the Lambs Not the calculating, remorseless villain portrayed

by Mads Mikkelsen in NBC’s Hannibal TV series, but Antony Hopkins’ big screen depiction of the classic character – a brilliant psychiatrist who happens to have a taste for human flesh. Hopkins only appears for 15 minutes in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs, but his performance is so captivating that his presence casts a shadow over the entire movie (an effect reflected by the controversial decision to award him an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role). Much of Lecter’s chillingly delivered dialogue has pervaded popular culture, and perhaps his whole character – cultured, intellectually formidable, blackly comic and utterly unnerving – is summed up in the chilling warning to Clarice: ‘A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver, with some fava beans and a nice chianti.’

Hannibal Lecter topped AFI’s ‘100 Years 100 Villains’ list. So why is he an antihero? Often the films see him enlisted to help defeat an even greater psychopath. Silence’s Buffalo Bill is even more unhinged than Lecter, whilst sequel Hannibal saw him pitted against child rapist Mason Verger. However terrible Lecter’s crimes , his role of villain is subordinated and complicated by the larger threats that he assists in bringing down.

Lecter’s relationship with Clarice Starling also merits his inclusion on this list. Each partnership is marked by a strange affinity, as if the protagonists, despite the man’s history and their own personal demons, manage to form an emotional connection with Lecter defined by more than just mutual respect.

To the testament of the chemistry of the actors involved, these troubled characters are humanised, and the filmmakers expertly keep audiences toeing a fine line between repulsion and a degree of sympathy.

Lecter’s character would descend into silliness with sequels of diminishing quality, where his love for Clarice was made explicit, and camp horror scenes would see him fry and feed victims parts of their own brains.

However, the antagonist of Silence of the Lambs remains a sublime antihero.

By Jonathan Peters Illustration by Caroline Gurr; photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

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Jonathan Peters (Caroline France - deputy) - film@palatinate.org.uk

F I L M & TV

where’s wonder woman?

We are living in the golden age of the superhero movie. Beginning with 2000’s X-Men and the unprecedented box-office success of 2002’s SpiderMan, there have never been so many superhero movies in cinemas, or so many millions of fans flocking to see them. So why, in 2014, are we yet to see a truly successful female superhero film?

Of course attempts have, if rarely, been made to temper the male domination of the genre, but all have proved fairly disastrous. The 2004 Catwoman starring Halle Berry is widely considered one of the worst superhero movies of all time; even the leading actress, on accepting her Golden Raspberry (Razzie) award for Worst Actress, called the film ‘a piece of s***, god-awful movie.’ The following year Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner, was also heavily panned by critics and fans alike. Following these two rather catastrophic ventures it is perhaps unsurprising that risk-averse Hollywood has been reluctant to chance another; in recent years discussions of productions featuring Wonder Woman, Black Widow or Batgirl in title roles have ultimately produced nothing. Most notably Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Avengers Assemble, battled with Warner Bros. for the chance to make a Wonder Woman movie, but to no avail. The epic failures of both Catwoman and Elektra seem to have provided the studios with an all too convenient and practical excuse for the continuing exclusion of female superheroes, but entirely unjustly.These were not terrible films because of the female protagonists,

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and they did not do badly at the box-office because female superheroes do not appeal to audiences; these were simply poorly conceived, poorly written and poorly produced films. Unsuccessful Hulk, Batman and Superman films have never deterred the studios from reprising these characters, yet when it comes to female superheroes it seems that no one wants to take a chance.

But this almost absolute male domination of the superhero genre is not mirrored in the comics which give rise to these powerful female characters. Many of the most successful comic book writers are women; Gail Simone, writer of DC’s Birds of Prey, Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Secret Six, is perhaps the best known. Female characters who, in the comic book world, are strong, powerful and popular protagonists, are effectively side-lined when (and if) they make it to the silver screen. In this context they become supporting characters to the inevitably male, Caucasian, heterosexual lead: Black Widow in Avengers Assemble and Captain America, Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises and Wonder Woman in the upcoming film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Indeed it seems that the world of the superhero movie is lagging decades behind in terms of the diversity and the representation of its leading characters.

The appearance this year of a new Ms. Marvel, a 16-year-old Pakistani-American Muslim named Kamala Khan, seems indicative of a willingness to diversify and to explore new possibilities in the superhero comic genre, but this diversity and risk-

taking seems to filter extremely slowly into Hollywood productions. Perhaps because superhero movies are inevitably nostalgic, increasingly aimed at more mature audiences who grew up with the classic DC and Marvel superheroes, sentimentality for a past time and for old-fashioned values can easily become bound up with narrow-minded, androcentric attitudes.

There is, however, some hope for the future of female superheroes on the big screen. The immensely popular Hunger Games films seem to have re-opened the debate, proving that strong leading superheroines can bring in the big bucks.

To me, the studios are missing a big trick here; today women make up the majority of cinemagoers, and recent figures show that they made up at least 40% of the audience for films like Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel, but overwhelmingly women preferred Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen to Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man or Henry Cavill’s Superman. Lawrence’s character is the fictional feminist role model we’ve been waiting for; she’s rebellious, anti-authoritarian and never defined by a man. But what makes Katniss such a revelation as a female action hero is that, somewhat paradoxically, her gender is immaterial. Recently the phenomenal success of The Hunger Games, Gravity and Frozen has shown without question that global audiences love strong female protagonists, now where the hell is that Wonder Woman movie?

lied only with the cover of darkness and Nicholas Cage? When she’s an eleven-year-old girl with pigtails and a penchant for elaborate switchblades.

Matthew Vaughan’s screen adaptation of Mark Millar’s anti-superhero comic retains its bold aesthetic and elaborate brutality whilst toning down its sometimes alienating cynicism with dark visual humour and more humane protagonists. Aside from the casting of Chloë Grace Moretz, who does her own butterfly knife stunts, little could be done to improve Mindy. ‘Hit Girl’s’ moments of glory range from darting from wall to wall impaling gangsters with a double-bladed katana, to reloading pistol cartridges in mid-air to the tune of the ‘Banana Splits’. Mindy’s work is bloody, brutal and a joy to witness.

Whether you are moved by the humour of the absurd comic violence or driven to sheer hysteria towards the madness you witness, ‘Hit Girl’ will leave you giddy. Gratifying action sequences are not all Mindy has to offer; behind the badassery is someone robbed of childhood. Mindy is a powerrelishing voyeur with little knowledge of the world beyond mortal combat. This ironic naivety drives her story-arc in the second film, in which Mindy attempts to integrate at a normal school and falls prey to the flattery of the ‘popular girls’. After experiencing betrayal and disillusionment with the clique, ‘Hit Girl’ expands into a Hero-For-TheCommon-Teenager as she dons make-up and short skirts as a new ‘disguise’ to restore anti-bully justice. She uses biological warfare to do this, of course. ‘Hit Girl’ knows no boundaries.

The Bride - Kill Bill

By Laura Ryan

the greatest action heroines

Katniss Everdeen - The Hunger Games In an act of self-sacrifice, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) enters the televised state-sponsored reality death-match which sustains the tyrannical autocracy of Panem. Her survival marks the beginning of her resistance against the government, symbolising hope for the oppressed districts.

Katniss’ human resilience represents the power of the compassionate, courageous individual against monolithic, dominant bodies, from reality television to unjust systems of authority. Sadly the first film’s social commentary feels undeveloped, particularly in comparison to the more ideas-driven Battle Royale. The dichotomy drawn between good and evil in its second half undermines the theme of human desperation and much of Katniss’ character development, weakening the film’s overall ethical message.

However, The Hunger Games series does well as a ‘My First Dystopian Sci-Fi’ and is the source of this generation’s heroic female role model. If I had kids, I would want Hunger Games to be the pre-teen drama franchise they obsess over. Katniss should inspire young people to call out manipulative media sources and question authority. Leave it to her to be the eagle-eyed revolutionary who inspires social consciousness in young adults.

Hit Girl/Mindy McCready - Kick-Ass What’s better than a vigilante assassin of evildoers, mastered in martial arts combat and al-

We are introduced to a battered and bloodied pregnant bride, gasping for breath on the bloodsoaked floor boards of a church, verbally tormented by a disembodied male voice. ‘Bill…’ she chokes, ‘It’s your baby’, before she is interrupted by a bullet to the head.

Utterly disempowered and presumably dead, it is an unlikely start to a character who is to become one of the greatest action icons in film history. The Bride’s story in Kill Bill Vol. 1 begins as a helpless body, controlled and abused by multiple forms of violent masculinity. But when she wakes from her sleep she is no longer a passive bride; her true identity is ‘Black Mamba’ of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. No act of abuse or betrayal will go unpunished; Black Mamba is the deadliest woman alive, and revenge shall be hers.

The character of the Bride is the brain-child of Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman – every facet of her character is a tribute to their combined love of Western and martial arts genre cinema. Kill Bill is a project in discovering just how much substance can come from style, using the designs and visual effect techniques from classic genre films as a springboard towards a fresh and original yet nostalgic and familiar delivery of action and excitement. From the Bride’s perspective we are taken on a tour of the best of stylistic cinema and the new horizons chalked forth by Tarantino’s vision.

By Imogen Rolfe

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Frances Marsh - visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk

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V I S UA L A RT S

1 9 J U N

art makes nothing happen?

Frances Marsh explores the heroism of politcally and socially engaged art

T

he visual arts probably aren’t what springs to mind with the word ‘hero’. Art is often seen as detached from real life issues, segregated from the social and political and unable to create change or come to the rescue in a sticky situation.

W.H. Auden sums it up in his notorious line, “art makes nothing happen”.

Yet it is becoming increasingly clear that art, and especially visual art, plays a vital role in today’s political and social activism and protest movements.

From challenging economic inequality and the tyrannical financial sector in the US to scrutinising China’s stance on democracy and economic exchange, artists are often at the forefront of effective political and social protest.

There was so much art involved in the Occupy Wall Street protests which started in September 2011 that it was dubbed a new artistic movement in its own right. Its slogan, ‘We are the 99%” refers to the inequality of wealth distribution in the US between the 1% and the rest of the population.

The Occupy movement emphasised the corruption and greed of the financial sector and its influence on government, resulting in vast social and economic inequality.

Perhaps the most iconic image of the movement was the bat signal, a version of the illuminated distress signal used in the Batman mythos but depicting ’99%’ rather than the bat emblem. Mark Read, instigator of The Illuminators, a group of artists who shone revolutionary logos onto buildings in support of the protest, explains the image as “a call to arms and a call for aid, but instead of a super-

hero millionaire psychopath, like Bruce Wayne, it’s ourselves - it’s the 99% coming to save itself. We are our own superhero.” The concept works because it is culturally legible, tapping into a shared understanding of the popular comic book superhero. It also succeeded in its occupation in public spaces; this art takes place on the street, uniting people in the process of spreading its message. Dubbed the most emblematic work of 2011, the bat signal reclaims the fantasy of the Batman myth and argues that the ordinary majority have to be our own heroes.

Molly Crabapple’s ‘Fight the Vampire Squid’ illustration also plays on ideas of heroes and villains with the Wall Street fraudsters characterised as vampire squids. But her work is not solely about these monochrome posters. Crabapple’s work for her 2013 exhibition ‘Shell Game: A Love Letter to 2011’ consist of large-scale, colourful and detailed paintings, unified by the theme of protest movement. She declared “I want to make big, fancy, impressive art, about the ways in which big, fancy, impressive entities have profoundly screwed us up.” Crabapple’s work has similar motives to the ‘bat signal’ light projections but moves the site of this politicised, ‘heroic’ art from the street to the gallery.

Moreover sites of artistic political protest do not always occur in open, communal spaces. In 2010, Ai Weiwei exhibited his sculpture ‘Sunflower Seeds’ in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, appropriating the hallowed space of the white walled art environment. He is as well known for his social and

political activism as his art, and one often complements the other. Ai has loudly and actively spoken out about China’s political regime, criticising its stance on human rights issues and democracy.

His installation, made up of millions of porcelain sunflower seed husks, resonates with the artist’s statements about the lack of China’s value to the world except as a source of cheap labour and a manufacturing centre. Apparently identical seeds look industrially produced but are in fact handcrafted by skilled artisans, each slightly different from the last. As China’s most famed export, the porcelain material used explores interactions between mass production and traditional, creative craftsmanship, offering a geopolitical comment on economic exchange. The personal significance of sunflower seeds for Ai gives a further insight into the inherent politicised implications of his art. Propaganda images disseminated during China’s Cultural Revolution depicted Chairman Mao as the sun and the mass of people as sunflowers, turning towards their leader. In this time of brutal hardship, repression and famine, sunflower seeds were one of the only reliable sources of food and were shared among people as an act of friendship and kindness. Ai’s art functions for politically outspoken ends, soon becoming an icon of dissent as he was detained by the Chinese government and put under house arrest for 80 days. It seems the Chinese authorities were panicked by the messages of political dissent and the potency of the ‘heroic’ art’s meaning.

Photograph: Peter Hall

Kate Wilkinson - books@palatinate.org.uk

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1 9 J U N

BOOKS & CREATIVE WRITING

spoken word “

Toast + Jam is an exciting new addition to the Durham arts scene. Taking place from 7:30pm on June 18th in The Empty Shop, it will be an evening of spoken word, live music, art… and toast!”

We interviewed Hannah Andrews the Event Producer to find out what the event is all about…

What can we expect from a ‘spoken word’ performance?

Spoken Word is poetry intended to be read out loud, rather than being destined to stay on the page. You should expect a spoken word gig to be a high energy and powerful form of expression, that is funny, relevant, and often moving.

What drew you to produce such an event?

For me, there is nothing more exhilarating producing a live arts event, bringing together different creative elements to produce a transporting experience for the audience. I also feel that, whilst spoken word is thriving in cities across England, and in particular London, sadly it is still a very unfamiliar art form in Durham. With this event, I hope to produce something fun and contemporary, that helps add another element to the Durham arts scene.

Who will be performing?

We have three really great poets coming from Bristol, Leeds, and Sheffield all of whom are students and very talented artists. They will be performing alongside some fab live musicians from the local area.

Why have you chosen these artists in particular?

They are all very talented, and all have a very distinct style. Their styles really complement each other, and together they make for a very varied and exciting line-up!

Why should readers come to the event?

It is unlike most other events that you are likely to see in Durham. It is an opportunity to become part of a big and fast growing arts movement across the UK, and world.

Most of all, it will be a whole lot of fun!

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Cressida Peever chats poetry, Durham, and toast with Hannah Andrews and Jasmine Simms We also spoke to one of the event’s poets, Jasmine Simms. She is 18 years old and is coming to Durham next year.

How would you describe your poetry?

My poetry is largely observational. I write about things which are familiar to me: music, school, the internet, people in my life. It tends to be written from female perspectives (though not always), and my better poems also use speech which is idiomatic to me.

What sort of person would enjoy the evening?

When did you first start writing and why?

Anyone who is creative, or enjoys live performance, comedy, or music would enjoy this event. If you don’t think you like poetry, you should come along just to see how different ‘poetry’ can be from the expected norm.

I began writing poetry seriously at aged 15; the same time as I began reading poetry. The contemporary poetry on the GCSE syllabus attracted me, and I felt empowered to respond in the same language. I had a very nurturing and inspiring English teacher.

What’s all this about toast?!

Aha, you’ll have to come along to find out!

I’m not sure I’ve ever been driven by a single conscious motivation. I sometimes feel that poetry is

Marston shivered, whether from cold or fear he would never tell. “Are we far enough away from the town?” he asked.

Clairborne glanced around at the field he had chosen, and the question seemed a little pointless. It would have been hard to find a lonelier location, the wind howling about their ears and the dew already dripping from the blades of grass at their feet. Only the smallest number accompanied the rivals: two seconds and the obligatory camp surgeon that stood voiceless beside Clairborne, moustache twitching every few seconds. “Let’s just get this over with,” he snapped.

Marston squared his shoulders. “Very well.”

“You and me.”

Antonia Goddard shares an excerpt “One shot each.” from her book ‘Over the Sea to Skye’ “Shooting to kill.” published this month “Naturally.”

“So be it.” Clairborne gave a grim, determined smile, his mouth set in a tight line, and held out his hand. Marston took it, clenching his fingers and crushing his friend’s, his enemy’s, bony fingers in a tight grip.

Pickering stepped forward with the case of pistols, offering them first to Marston. Running his tongue along the sharp edge of his teeth, relishing the slight tang of pain, he curled his palm around the nearest one, and turned away to load it.

Gunpowder, ball, ram them down. Pull up the barrel and cock the pistol. Marston knew what to do. He had done it a thousand times before.

“Stand back to back,” instructed Pickering, his eyes alight with excitement at his role in the proceedings. Heart pounding, Marston pressed his back against Clairborne’s. They breathed in union, their backs rising and falling, heartbeats synchronised.

“Step forward!” Kingston’s low voice boomed, and across the frozen ground the two men advanced, the gap between them widening. Marston’s lips trembled as he counted out the paces: twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.

“Stop!”

The pair turned around, the mutual loathing almost crackling in the air. Some reminder of friendship stirred in the back of Marston’s mind but he pushed it aside. What did friends matter now? He was too far away to see Clairborne’s face, he was just a figure, a figure in a long coat with a pistol trained on him. No, he was the faceless enemy now, just the shadow of a target, an outline, a silhouette, impossible to miss.

Marston raised his own pistol to the target, a perfect reflection.

“When I give the word,” began Pickering, his quiet voice echoing clearly across the field, “You may fire at will. One shot each; shoot to kill. Delope shots will not be admissible. Do you understand?”

Marston tried to nod, but he found his body to be cemented in position, his hands clinging to his pistol as though it would save, rather than take his life. And yet, despite everything, despite the fear and the hatred and the grief, he had never felt more alive. His heart was pounding faster than it ever had before, causing a drumbeat of blood to hammer in his eardrums, his lungs relishing the icy air as it hit the back of his throat. Every sense was heightened; he could smell even the frost on the ground and the hare that loped silently through the grass.

“On my signal, then.” Pickering raised a white handkerchief above his head, so that both men could see it from the corner of their eyes.

At that moment, the first rays of the sun broke over the horizon, staining the purity of the handkerchief every shade of pink and orange. Pickering, his naive eyes wide with intense emotion, gave a cry as he let it go.

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Cressida Peever - creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk

BOOKS & CREATIVE WRITING

how we answer our own questions - those underwritten in our unconscious. Writing a poem is like surprising yourself with answer, then you have to go back and try to work out what the question was…

who is your literary hero?

Hannah Griffiths reflects on the tragic genius of Oscar Wilde

What about your work makes you most proud?

I’m pleased with a poem if I feel like it’s resolved something for me. I’m not sure to what extent we can ever be sure it will have resolved something for others; that part of the process (sharing) is always a leap of faith.

‘If you could invite anyone, dead or alive, to a dinner party, who would you choose?’ The cliché answer is Oscar Wilde, the charismatic Victorian persona and master of the witty epigram. However, beyond his classic paradoxical witticisms (some of my favourites are ‘I can resist everything except temptation’ and ‘life is too important to be taken seriously’) lies a fascinating double life, reflected in the equal duality of Wilde’s writing.

But I feel happy whenever a friend, or anyone, reads a poem of mine and says it speaks to them. I suppose that’s why poets are in the business really - besides the fact that writing is compulsive, and the poem, it seems, needs to be written whether you ‘intend’ to write it or not.

I’ve had so much support as a young writer and I like to think that when I experience pride, it’s as much for the community I write in, and for how we are able to relate to and empower each other.

Who has had the greatest influence on your work?

The first contemporary poetry I ever read was Simon Armitage, which had a transformative effect on me. I remember my shock and awe at how he used “stuff” in a poem. I love that word far too much now, and have to restrict myself no more than once every three poems. But it’s a fantastically meaningful word if used genuinely.

At this moment, I’m very interested in American poet Adrienne Rich, particularly her later stuff (see - a great word!) which is often quite fearless in subject matter. Good poetry is often brave, I think, although frequently in an every-day sort of way.

Why are events such as this one important to you?

The nice thing about writing poetry is you get to read it out in your own voice, with your own presence. Events like this are where I and other new poets get to do that, so for us they’re invaluable.

But also from a more general perspective, I suppose Arts Festivals are integral to the continued reception of new work. Which in turn is part of how we continue to communicate our experiences and make sense of our lives. It saddens me to see the arts being devalued in our education system.

What makes poetry still relevant to a 21st century audience?

Ezra Pound famously said “poetry is news that stays news” - a literary truism that’s been so over-quoted it’s almost taken on a distinct, obscure meaning.

None the less, I understand it to mean that poetry conveys what could never have been said in literal terms, but somehow engages with our collective unconscious. So a poem never ceases to be ‘true’ in an immediate sense - its urgency is retained by the fact we can’t ever fully understand it.

Another popular idea (and one that I relate to) is that we’re all essentially writing the same poem over and over, or adding our single voice to a ‘choir’. In that sense, poetry becomes just one of many mediums for being a part of and engaging with the world. We still live in the world, and it’s the same world. So it’s still relevant.

Tickets are £2 (conc)/£3 (standard). No need to book in advance, just turn up and someone will be on the door to let you in!

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Image by Napoleon Sarony

I fell in love with Oscar Wilde’s writing from the moment I first picked up ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, Wilde’s only novel. However, it wasn’t until I first read ‘De Profundis’ (Latin for ‘From the Depths’), a letter written by Oscar Wilde from prison to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, that I first considered him to be my literary hero. By this point in Wilde’s life, society had outcast him for his sexuality and aesthetic lifestyle. While the letter retains Wilde’s intelligent style, it is heart-breaking to consider the stark contrast between the witty and perfectly balanced paradoxes of his earlier writing and the poignant reflections of a man disgraced, imprisoned and separated from his lover. It is such a moving piece of writing; Wilde has lost none of his eloquence but gained a sense of tragedy.

I think that it is also the unapologetic way in which Oscar Wilde questioned Victorian values and beliefs that makes me admire him so much; his confidence, sometimes verging on flippancy, allowed him to make a point about issues such as masculinity, feminism and politics. Though his flamboyant dress sense suggested a man who was open about his private life, the reality of his double life is both fascinating and tragic. Wilde’s private homosexual love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas was made public by a humiliating trial that required Wilde to defend his private life, and perhaps worse, his own writing.

It is also the tragedy of the story of Oscar Wilde’s life that appeals to me. Wilde once said that ‘I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works’; it is sometimes all too easy to forget that Wilde was a real person when his life was so colourful and, even now, frequently sensationalised. His rise to fame, private life and downfall form the neat arc of a narrative, which only adds to the tragedy of the end of his short life, having died in 1900 at the age of just 46. Oscar Wilde is not just my literary hero: he is also my idea of a tragic hero.

However, the danger with Oscar Wilde is to focus on his life rather than his writing; he was almost too successful in putting his genius into his life. As my literary hero, his works are also very important to me. His most well-known play, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, is one of my favourite pieces of drama. While it seems light-hearted and witty, and often is in abundance, the play also satirises the fictionalised idea of life neatly tying up every loose end. Actions and events seem to fit a bit too neatly in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’; some view this as a poorly-written and predictable plot, but I see it as the subtle satirical genius of Oscar Wilde. His writing, while not perfect, makes Wilde an author I admire; it is the entwinement of and contrast between his life and works that make Oscar Wilde my hero, literary or otherwise.

A Hero’s Welcome by Matt Champion He knows what awaits himHe has always known.

But it seemed so far offjust a cloud on the horizon.

Last night. In the garden.

It seems to him but a dreama blur of torches, shouting, and fleeing friends.

He barely felt Treason’s kiss or the rough hands who took him.

It feels all too real now.

He staggers- bleeding.

Falls. Rises again.

They wind their way onwardsup the Mocking Hill.

The City roars at him, the Streets pelt him with fruit.

He reaches the top and spreads his arms wide.

Nearly there. Nearly home.

Home to a hero’s welcome.

Lessons in Singing Requiems by Jasmine Simms Start by opening your mouth, not with force but as though the jaw is unhinged, shocked, an open door, and they’ll come to deliver lyrics, banging on the back of your skull. Let them in.

You have so much to learn about singing; amazed by secrets of the trade. Like how the resonance stops in your stomach, like getting off a bus he said, when you step off but the bus keeps going.

You can’t understand why, even now, a man writes in Latin. You’ve prayed so many times to a God that you can’t pronounce. In Mozart and childish grief. In a line you can follow with your finger.

Like many singers, you can’t read, but dive into sound repeatedly. Because you’ve chosen this place of five straight black lines and a mess of conversations with angels. Because you’re not the first to sing.

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Emma Dawson - stage@palatinate.org.uk

STAGE

the saviour of the Old Vic

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Cressida Peever looks at the great Kevin Spacey’s tenure as the first Artistic Director for The Old Vic Theatre

Many will know Kevin Spacey best for his performances onscreen as Frank Underwood in House of Cards, Lex Luther in Superman Returns, or as Lester Burnham in the multi-award winning American Beauty.

But it is fair to argue that Spacey’s most successful role has been as the first Artistic Director for The Old Vic Theatre in London, which he took on in 2004 and will step down from at the end of this year. The job description is relatively simple: pick the plays, and bring together the people who will make that play a success.

The day after the premier of American Beauty at the London Film Festival, Spacey had been chairing an industry discussion on what would become of the woe begotten Old Vic. Earlier in the decade it was rumoured that it would be transformed into a pub or bingo hall, tearing it from its roots as the birthplace of the National Theatre, which had since relocated to the Southbank. That night, Spacey found himself hailing a cab and standing before the Old Vic at 2.30am “thinking about Lawrence Olivier and about what he did when he started the National Theatre.”

At that moment he decided to make the declining theatre his new project, and has taken it from strength to strength since he officially announced his move four years later, saying that he was following his dream: “I never, ever want to lose touch with when I was fourteen or fifteen years old and I was dreaming about building a theater and I was dreaming about doing plays and writing things with friends and watching them perform.

I never went through a period where I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll do something else,’ or ‘Maybe this isn’t right.’ Never.”

Photograph: Cressida Peever

Spacey opened his new regime in September 2004 with Maria Goos’ Cloaca, which received a great deal of criticism, although mainly for the choice of play rather than Spacey’s handling of it as Director. In 2005 the reviews improved when Spacey took to the stage himself as Richard II under the careful guidance of world-renowned director Trevor Nunn.

In the period that followed, Spacey has played at the Old Vic on many occasions, including in Richard III, Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten and, most recently, Clarence Darrow, a one-man show that is currently running at the Old Vic to mark Spacey’s ten year anniversary.

In the production’s programme he comments, “Wanting to get up on my beloved Old Vic stage in our 10th anniversary season was […] important to me. I moved to London 11 years ago. And

taking on a play that I feel very close to seems right.”

As well as rejuvenating the theatre, Spacey has also taken steps to ensure that the theatre gives back to its community. In 2010 he established The Kevin Spacey Foundation as a means to support emerging actors, writers, directors and producers with a variety of grants, scholarships and projects helping to propel them forward into the world of theatre.

“When I first started out”, Spacey states on the foundation’s website, “I was lucky enough to meet Jack Lemmon, who encouraged me to become an actor. […] He believed that if you’ve been successful in your chosen path, if you’ve been able to realize your ambition, then you are obligated to ‘send the elevator back down’.”

He also developed the Old Vic New Voices scheme, founded in 2001, and designed to nurture talent and inspire young people by opening up the theatre to all ages and experiences. The scheme offers space and funding for new projects, whilst also giving schools free theatre tickets to every Old Vic production with an aim to widen the theatre community. The theatre also offers one hundred £12 tickets for under 25s for every performance, as well as £5 and £10 tickets for people living and working locally, meaning that being strapped for cash is now no excuse for missing a show.

Spacey’s tenure has entirely revitalized the Old Vic, and has established it as one of London’s best-loved theatres for its exciting, yet accessible, performances. Matthew Warchus, announced this month as Spacey’s successor, will have his work cut out. Kevin Spacey is a tough act to follow.

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Emma Dawson - stage@palatinate.org.uk

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talent, talent, talent

Elgan Alderman Comedian, Durham Revue: The Returners Show Matt Dann Artistic Director, Thrust Stage Michael Forde Dave, The Babysitters Georgie Franklin Amanda, The Glass Menagerie Ellie Gauge Director, Guys and Dolls Daniel Gosselin President, DST Matilda Hunter Producer, Jerusalem Callum Kenny Chip, The 25th Putnam County Spelling Bee Sophie Mcquillan Adelaide, Guys and Dolls Lewis Meade Producer, Jerusalem Alex Morgan George, The Babysitters Olivia Race Madame Arcati, Blithe Spirit George Rexstrew Arturo Ui, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Lucy Rowlanes Sarah, Guys and Dolls

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With the D’Oscars shortly upon us, Indigo honours some of the most impressive achievements in DST Photograph: Rose Innes

Diana Grant-Davie - food@palatinate.org.uk

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afternoon tea fit for a graduate Caitlin McEwan samples the sparkling afternoon tea at Crook Hall in time for graduation

With graduation looming, the list of things to organise is endless. Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks, however, is finding a suitable venue for your post-graduation meal. In the first place, the sheer number of graduating students compared with the relatively small cluster of restaurants in Durham means that it’s often very difficult to get a reservation, and if you haven’t booked well in advance, your choice is significantly limited. Also, if – like me – your experience of Durham’s dining scene doesn’t extend much further than Spags, it can be difficult to find somewhere truly special that will impress your family members.

Crook Hall and Gardens is one of Durham’s best-kept secrets. Nestled away on Frankland Lane, just past the Radisson, it is an 800-year-old stately home that is a rare combination of Georgian, Jacobean and Medieval architecture. The gardens are extremely well-tended, complete with a maze and an orchard with cherry, plum and apple trees. Although it is right in the centre of the city, it feels like a world away.

Crook Hall is open throughout the year, and is well worth a visit, with student admittance standing at £6.50.

However, during Graduation Week, they are offering a special and unique option for students and their families who are looking for an alternative option to the standard post-graduation meal: a Sparkling Afternoon

Photograph: Les Hull

Tea. I was lucky enough to sample this service and can recommend it whole-heartedly. The staff are very attentive and friendly, the food plentiful and delicious and the surroundings picturesque.

As the weather was favourable, we were able to be seated outside in a gazebo in the middle of the gardens.

However, given the temperamental Northern climate, this is obviously not always possible, but indoor venue is just as pleasant and elegant, as well as affording an incredible view of the Cathedral.

Photograph: Shane Global After being given a glass of sparkling wine and a large pot of tea, a cake stand was brought in laden with all the traditional fare: delicious freshly-baked scones with cream and jam, the highlight of the afternoon for me, a variety of sandwiches and a selection of cakes, macaroons and meringues. The crockery is gorgeous and very individual, a small touch that adds to the whole experience. In fact, there was so much on offer that we struggled to finish what we had been given, negating any worries of an Afternoon Tea being less filling or satisfying than a sit-down meal. After we had finished, we walked off our scones by exploring the labyrinthine gardens, which are just beautiful.

As something a bit off the beaten track, Crook Hall is perfect for a relaxed, refined post-graduation treat for you and your family.The food, service and environment are all of an incredibly high standard and the entire experience is quintessentially British, and would be enjoyed and remembered by all the family. I am planning on making a reservation for my graduation, and I suggest you follow suit.

A Sparkling Afternoon Tea at Crook Hall and Gardens costs £22 per person, and runs from the 1st-4th July.

Bookings can be made by calling 0191 384 8028. Prebooking is essential. More information about the Hall can be found at http://www.crookhallgardens.co.uk.

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Ollie Collard - travel@palatinate.org.uk

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voluntourism: who really benefits?

Emily Whiteside argues for an ethical approach to volunteering

or many Durham students, giving back to others is no longer confined to signing up at the local Help the Aged or visiting the elderly with a college outreach scheme. Over 1.6 million people worldwide volunteer abroad each year, and students represent a significant proportion of this figure. The trend is a relatively new one, facilitated by increasingly inexpensive airfares, university grants available to students undertaking charitable ventures, and the emergence of companies organising placements. With summer internships hard to come by, giving back to the (much) wider community is a useful CV booster.

Volunteering abroad offers the chance to travel, experience different cultures and countries, and meet new people; something Saturday shifts at a charity shop just don’t offer. On the one hand, it appears to be a win-win situation: the volunteer makes a positive difference, then gets to buy a suitcase-full of ‘ethnically patterned’ trousers and backpack around the neighbouring countries for a few weeks. But the new trend of voluntourism often does not live up to its lofty ambitions, and becomes the domain of gap-yearers with an excess of disposable funds and a vague desire to help ‘all the little African children’.

Full disclaimer: I spent eight weeks in Sri Lanka with a volunteering organisation the summer before I started university. I do not mean to disparage volunteering abroad, nor diminish the motivations behind it, and I was lucky to find an ethically-focused organisation. Nonetheless, with a rise in interest in overseas ventures, it is important to keep a critical eye on their impact.

The main problems with sending a recent high school graduate, or university undergrad, to a foreign country for a month to contribute to a local community are obvious. For teaching, there is often no training provided and no pre-requisite qualifications. The cultures that volunteers hope to learn from are often radically different from Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Photograph by Emily Whiteside

their own. Ignorance of etiquette and appropriateness is often not wilful, but it is irresponsible, and can lead to tensions with local communities that hinder more than help efforts at cooperation.

In Sri Lanka, women keep knees and shoulders covered at all times: volunteer teachers wearing tank tops were not taken seriously by students or colleagues.

My old school sent a contingent of sixteen year olds to Tanzania to build a school. Would it not have been more efficient, and more stimulating for the local economy, to pay conveniently located, undoubtedly more qualified local builders, rather than send schoolchildren from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa, buy the building materials and pay for food and accommodation? Sometimes, the experience is eye-opening: other times it is not. I met a 20 year old American on the plane home to Cape Town last summer, who was going to spend two weeks building a playground. All of his Facebook pictures of the trip had the location set to ‘Paarl, Africa’ - as if he had visited one big country.

Above all, the question of how much impact a volunteer can have in a few short weeks is ever-debatable. Especially with vulnerable groups, continuity is critical: children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned don’t need cuddles and love from volunteers, only to be deserted once more two weeks later. I’m always frustrated by the number of foreign volunteers at the afterschool centre I work at in Cape Town, when there are thousands of privileged people living in the city. These issues arise when organisations placing volunteers in overseas programs work more for profit and less for lasting benefits. The quality of the programmes is de-prioritised, and the high placement costs (2 weeks from £1,199 excluding flights at the more extortionate end of the spectrum) finance marketing departments and CEO bonuses rather than donations to local projects.

There are alternatives to the conveyor belt of

impersonal volunteer experiences that typify many programmes worldwide. SLV, which organises placements around Colombo, Sri Lanka, was founded by a Manchester University graduate who had volunteered there on her gap year. After travelling extensively, she realised how misguided her initial experience had been: no training, no comprehension of cultural appropriateness and – in hindsight – little lasting effect on the children she taught. SLV was my first experience volunteering overseas and left a lasting impression on my outlook. It is a not-for-profit organisation that emphasises sustainable and ethical volunteering, with a strict code of conduct for volunteers that protects the vulnerable individuals they work with.

Harry Inman, DUCK Expeditions Officer, who led the Cambodia trip in 2013, believes that for their overseas projects, “ethical volunteering is the single most important consideration.” Volunteers receive extensive preparation, from cultural sensitivity training to lesson planning sessions, and sustainability is a high priority: “we are also in touch regularly with the Local Co-ordinators, who do follow-up visits to every project location and ensure that our projects truly were sustainable, and that the local communities truly are benefitting.”

Volunteering, whether at home or overseas, is a fantastic endeavour. But having laudable intentions and selfless motivations is not enough. The increasingly prominent focus on responsible volunteering that has a lasting impact is an encouraging trend. But while the organisations that prioritise profit over responsibility are very much to blame, the onus is also on the individual. It is your responsibility to make sure that the main focus is the people you are trying to help, and not your own ego. If your real desire is travel, don’t try and work a ‘save the children’ dimension into your summer vacation plans. Remember that hands are always needed closer to home – less glamorous maybe, but equally appreciated.

Images courtesy of

Illustration by Harriet-Jade Harrow