6.3
The Zahir
Summer 2011
University Of York Culture Magazine. It is a daunting prospect to re-design a magazine that has established as strong a reputation as The Zahir, and it wasn’t a decision I made lightly. But it became clear that if we are to call ourselves the university culture magazine, the magazine itself must be as adaptive as the culture upon which it turns its incisive eye. The decision became all the more concrete when a friend asked me what exactly The Zahir is about. It was then I realised that although the magazine has an ethos, it’s never been clear enough. The Zahir is about taking no opinion for granted, about getting you to question that of which you were so previously convinced, about inspiring your interest in aspects of culture of which you were previously unaware. If one person changes an opinion or develops curiosity enough to explore something further by the end of my editorship, I will be very happy indeed. What you hold in your hand is a magazine that knows what it is trying to achieve, with a complete re-design that only enhances, not sacrifices or obscures, its former quality. •
1
»
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
This edition heralds the beginning of a new era for The Zahir, one in which we will go from strength to strength in popularity, quality and appeal. Articles aren’t quite as you’d expect, and it is a visual feast that will, I hope, incite you to treasure this magazine as an artefact, to be returned to time and again. I am proud to have set the magazine down this route, and proud to have earned the help and respect of The Beautiful Meme, whose support has been more appreciated than I could ever articulate. Thanks, as ever, must go to the editorial team and to Mylo Scurr, who now run the magazine with their chests puffed out further than a duck that just got a promotion at work. Endless thanks must also go to Martyn Woolley, whose design expertise has been an absolute life-saver. It’s like no Zahir you or I have ever seen before. I sincerely hope you like it. I like how the dappled sunlight falls across your cheek, like raindrops dousing a nugget of contented silver. The Zahir is in an exciting state of change and you have more freedom than ever before, so get involved. Contact us on zahir@yusu.org to pitch us any ideas, however abstract, or to ask about how else you could get involved. I would love to have you involved, and don’t listen to the rumours about Mylo – he doesn’t turn into a werewolf unless you spray him with Febreze. Until then, mes petits bureaux de change x
Additional thanks must go to the rogues at the York Annual Fund, Josh “Shake Well Before Use” Allen, the sassy and fiercely independent Justin Bailey, and the breath-taking gang at Kingsbury Press.
2
The Zahir Is Lovingly Edited By... Editor: Joe Walsh Deputy Editor: Mylo Scurr Literature Editor: Helena Kaznowska Deputy Literature Editor: Sophie Taylor Art Editor: Helena Davies Deputy Art Editor: Dan Cave Film Editors: Ellie Wallis And Emma Walker Music Editor: Shaffi Batchelor Deputy Music Editor: Mobeen Hussain Politics Editor: Eleanor Howe Deputy Politics Editor: Josephine Harmon Webmaster: Steve Jury Designer: Martyn Woolley
Contents / Issue 6.3 ART
MUSIC
Film
4 5 6 8
18 20 22
28 29 30
Incongruity Wanted Atrophy Replica
Reflective of society, the art world is another aspect of our culture that is constantly changing and generating masses of creations for us to see. For those of us who love art, the thought of having all the money in the world so that you could pop across the pond to the Guggenheim in New York for their current exhibition, entices us to buy a lottery ticket on occasions. Although there are people who consider art daunting, potentially because of the pressure of feeling the demand to come up with some obscure theory. The key is to find art that does not make you quake at the knees when someone asks for your opinion. An exhibition that is sure to keep your knees sturdy is William Etty: Art and Controversy at York Art Gallery beginning 25th June. Also in the York area, watch out for Matt Harper, who was promoting his new series Incorrection at The Beautiful Meme earlier this month. His artwork makes an interesting comparison between perfection and acceptance through icons. For more information about Art events in York, visit www.saasy.tumblr.com.
Literature 9 Loading... 10 Dylan 11 Youth 12 Revival Feature: 13 Adaptability 14 Translation WhenSalt asked to tackle the serious task of 16 writing 17 a humorous Original anecdote about the goings on in The Zahir Literature section, I decided
instead, to simply brag about our array of talented writers. Not only does the section comprise of wonderfully-written, interesting and witty articles, but in this edition we have pushed more boundaries with our chosen topics and creative approach than ever before. The Zahir strives to entertain and educate and I hope that you, trusty reader, can both enjoy and relate to the pieces by Sophie Taylor, Jo Dungate, Lyndsey White and myself.
Radio One’s Big Weekend has just been & gone. For those of us who haven’t been winning tickets all year long, bopping around listening to the radio in our rooms (or whilst taking advantage of the brief moments of sunshine) just had to do. For the most part, the music festival is one I can readily get behind, as it’s free, easy to get to & I don’t have to bring my wellies out of storage. No, those staples of the British summer will be brought out once more when the behemoth that is Glastonbury Festival arrives to darken my door. I’ve been feeling significantly poorer since purchasing my tickets at the resale in April, & it’s meant that I’ve been restricted to only one or two purchases off iTunes, instead of my usual number which is one too large to share. One of our contributors has been clear about telling me why illegal downloading is ‘A Bad Thing’, in the long run particularly, & I have to admit that I’m a tad swayed.
Politics 23 24 25 26 27
Four Target Stalemate Lines Conflict
Why should you be interested in politics? It’s a good question, but one I find easy to answer. Politics reflects the people it governs; it reflects their time, place & essence. As the world around us changes, be it through technological and sociological advances, politics too must adapt. A prime example: primogeniture in the British monarchy was recently deemed ‘behind the times ’ by our perceptive coalition government, displaying, once again, their acute awareness of the true issues grappling the country. The way we conduct ourselves as individuals & as nations tells us what we want to be. Politics is, among other less savory characteristics such as corruption, power mongering and manipulation, a resource for change, a demonstration that we, as people, want to better ourselves. Politics doesn’t equal ‘boring’ – stagnation is boring. Politics equals the desire to better our hopeless selves.
Feature 13 14 16 17
Reaction Cloud Pollution
Adaptability Translation Salt Original
3
Taboo Insider Lens
With the recent Cannes Film Festival and the death of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars it’s been a busy time for the film world. Cannes is one of the biggest film festivals outside of America and we have been lucky enough to get an interview with a film producer who regularly attends. She has given us an insight into upcoming films and tips future directors and stars to watch. With obituaries of Elizabeth Taylor covering the news we wanted to take a different viewpoint and see how her life still has resonance in Hollywood today. With the sudden influx of Hollywood stars to the West End in recent months, we’ve also looked at the impact of cinematic skills and techniques on the theatre world.
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Dan Cave examines a band misunderstood on both a musical and an artistic level.
Odd Future. Two words that have hipsters, fanboys and critics entering into their favoured mode of reaction. If you have heard their music, seen their satirical, yet vulgar, video pastiches or follow any of the members on Twitter, you are unlikely to be neutral towards their existence. Famed for polarising opinion, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Yet critical focus on their lyrical armada and overt stage antics has meant one section of their creative output has received relatively little attention: album artwork. Their thirteen released mix-tapes give them thirteen different spaces to experiment with different visual messages. Although this offers critics a chance to interpret Odd Future, because they revel in ambiguity, it offers no concrete truth. Odd Future’s album artwork is usually understood to be another chance to shock; assumed to be closely connected to their lyrical output. Yet this undermines their more placid artwork, seen in Frank Ocean’s mix-tape ‘Nostalgia’. An orange sports car is unusually situated in a nondescript wood. It can be viewed as idiosyncratic to Frank, the group’s soul singer, who adds a mellow element to the abrasive rapping. Yet this dismisses their evolution as a collective, as well as the overarching influence of Tyler as the master architect. Having an image so seemingly unconnected to the content of the music is another message that screams, “You don’t understand us, as we don’t understand
ourselves’. & each cover is representative of a confused and conflicting, collective personality. Covers such as ‘Bastard’, Tyler’s first solo mixtape, reveals the Odd Future sense of humour whilst highlighting his solitude. This macabre cover features a demonically altered yearbook photo of a typical, white middle class primary school group. The wash of red which subsumes the cover hints at an anger at the education system; one unlikely to nurture the creative talent of Odd Future. Tyler openly admits his distaste for attempts to enroll him in said education, screaming ‘Fuck School’, on the track Radicals from new album, Goblin. The childlike drawing of a spacecraft, on the cover of ‘Voyager‘, highlights their relative youth, by indulging a love of colouring as seen in younger children. Then there is typically teenage side to the group, seen on the cover of ‘Rolling Papers’; a cartoon spliff unsubtly emblazoned on a wash of teal and cream coloured clouds. Odd Future are showing us through their art that it is okay not to understand yourself entirely and to engage in your favourite pastimes. Odd Future are so possessive of each other that it seems right that each artwork should be representative of different elements of an energetic, raw and confused group mentality.
4
The reliance on layering, the build-up of contrasting images over each other, on the cover of each mix-tape cover shows their desire to expel several of these creative urges at once, even if they appear incongruent. Their artworks are so recognisable that they are almost as revered for their original visual output as their aural work. With so much artwork outside the album covers – featuring upside-down crucifixes; desecrated self portraits and a shed-load of sticker work – they are flooding popular culture with a tsunami of Odd Future symbology. My only fear is that part of the audience they appeal to is in danger of making them trite; turning great artistic output into a metaphorical t-shirt. Whilst Odd Future rely so much on obscuring their own artistic intent, it is up to their audience to make sure they occupy the correct cultural slot for the obvious talent they hold. In the meantime, I’m going to lie back in my ‘Free Earl’ t-shirt and listen to ‘Goblin’, safe in the knowledge I appreciate Odd Future in a manner that I consider, and always will, correct. • www.oddfuture.tumblr.com
Art
Wanted Alienor Littaye casts a glance towards the “deviant and plagiarist”. This is a far cry from Ai Weiwei’s prominence as one of China’s leading artists, who helped design the famous Bird’s Nest, Beijing’s national stadium for the 2008 Olympics. The conceptual artist has been a key figure in China’s contemporary art scene, producing cross-cultural projects on a massive scale. Perhaps one of the main attractions of the Western world to Ai Weiwei’s art is its outspoken dissidence. The messages behind his conceptual pieces are hardly ambiguous. He co-curated in 2000 the controversial exhibition ‘Fuck Off’, which displayed the pictures of him giving the finger to cultural and political landmarks such as the White House and the Forbidden City set the tone of the exhibit. He also showcased a performance piece in which he smashed an urn from the Han Dynasty, which he then performed in universities & museums abroad. It would be a gross mistake to call him “proWestern” or “anti-Chinese”. The Sunflower Seeds exhibition was a double-edged sword. It represented on the one hand the revolute Chinese pre-industrial mode of production. Yet it also referred to the propaganda posters of Mao Zedong, in which Mao was featured as the sun and the people as sunflowers that turned their heads to him. Ai Weiwei recalls seeing workers in his youth sharing sunflower seeds to snack on, even though they had little to eat. The exhibit denounces the corruption of the Communist regime, which mistreats the Chinese population to maintain its power. This is not the first time Ai WeiWei has openly denounced the political corruption of the Chinese communist party. He assisted a fellow artist in leading an investigation on the Sichuan earthquake that killed in 2008 a number of unreported school children. He used 9000 children’s backpacks for his installation, Remembering, on Haus der Kunst’s façade. He published the list of names of the deceased on his blog, which was subsequently shut down. He was beaten by the police for trying to testify for a fellow investigator. In 2010, he was placed under house arrest for planning a party to mark the demolition of his studio by the government. Finally, on April the 3rd, this year, he was taken into custody during a flight to Hong Kong. The government will not give him access to a lawyer. He has been detained because of “tax fraud, bigamy and spreading indecent images online.” The Chinese media is reticent to give any additional information, claiming that the Chinese Law will not concede to a “maverick”. This has caused international outrage. The governments of the US, the UK and Germany have criticized China’s decision. An online petition was started on Twitter to plead his release. Despite his recent disappearance, Ai Weiwei’s art continues being viewed. His new exhibit of animal heads was recently launched in London. His sudden disappearance has given him more coverage than he’d ever had before. Even in his absence, his dissidence continues. • 5
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Atrophy Helena Davies looks at South Africa through the lens of a camera. ‘A Rainbow Nation’: the famous words used by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to describe the unity of races and merging of cultures in postapartheid South Africa after the 1994 election. The V & A strives to represent this rainbow nation in their new exhibition Figures and Fictions: exhibiting a selection of contemporary South African photography, these photographs collectively offer an insight into a South Africa of past and present. Each photographer has addressed their perception of the country through their camera lens. Consequently this individual interpretation brings forth a range of social issues including historical influence, the current political climate and racial acceptance. Sabelo Mlangeni and Zanele Muholi both highlight the emergence of the gay community within South African society. Photographs from Mlangeni’s series “Country Girls” features in the exhibition portraying gay life in rural areas. The black and white photographs depict some of the ‘girls’ – or cross-dressing men – clothed as Mlangeni discovers them. Their selfassured stances present a change in a previously homophobic country, in which homosexuality was a crime carrying a sentence of up to seven years. Deprivation of gay rights appeared to be a distant memory when it became the fifth country worldwide to legalise same-sex marriages and introduce equal rights for all in adoption and military service, though prejudices against the lesbian and gay community still exist today. Zahele Muholi’s work aims to confront these prejudicial views. Photographs of young gay men in the series Beulahsin, conveys the reality of being gay in modern South Africa as they pose in contemporary, vibrant clothes and pose with the intention of inverting stereotypes. Johannesburg-based photographer Nontskielelo Veleko certainly seeks to present a new perception of her country with the ‘born free’ generation that has grown up post-apartheid. Her striking photographs of South Africa’s teenagers set against their urban backgrounds pay tribute to South Africa’s future. But whilst the exhibition definitely exudes a celebratory vibe indicative of modern South Africa free from the constraints of apartheid’s grasp, there are reminders of the struggles that South Africans still face.
Deceptive at first, Santu Mofokeng’s series “Chasing Shadows” depicts the tranquillity of a set of caves used as a Christian prayer site and a place of traditional healing. However, this peace is aligned with a portrait of his brother, who is seeking a cure for AIDS. The country is high up in the AIDS pandemic with one in seven people HIV positive, a fact which is one of many underlying problems that subverted general optimism brought about by the after the promise of the 1994 election. In the elections this month, the African National Congress faced major opposition, with support gaining for the Democratic Alliance for the first time since being elected in 1994. The DA were calling for people not to vote because of race, but because of policy. They are increasingly rallying support due to the massive issues of poverty and unemployment in South Africa. The photographs entitled ‘Woman on the footpath from Boa Vista to Roque Santeiro Market’ by Jo Ratcliffe is one of the most poignant images in the exhibition, exposing a landscape littered with detritus, amongst which are makeshift homes. It is a portrayal that should not be associated with the rule of the African National Congress who promised to revitalise the country after the horrific treatment suffered under apartheid. Yet rumours of a power-hungry and corrupt government pose the question of how far South Africa has really progressed. Particularly thought-provoking are Mikhael Subotzky’s photographs entitled “Security” because of their focus on the men that the white middle classes employ for the protection of their property. A moving photograph shows an all-white street party in a beautiful suburban area, whilst the black security guard is positioned near the edge of the photo. It creates an uncomfortable depiction that is too reminiscent of past segregation, although at the same time it poses the idea of whether it would generate the same reaction if the security guard was white. It questions whether this previous history has formed deep scars that will always remain.
6
Pieter Hugo’s photograph, too, questions the concept of race, though it implies racial cohesion rather than conflict, as a white middleaged couple nestle the black infant boy between them. Initially it is disturbing, yet on closer viewing it confronts our misconceptions of South Africa as details such as the man’s prosthetic leg, the couple’s dishevelled clothing and furniture insinuates their poor financial state, in contrast with the neatly-dressed black boy placed between them. This entering image immediately dispels the presumed knowledge viewers may have of South Africa and establishes the notion of the exhibited photography exposing a complicated nation. Whilst South African citizens appear to be voting for change rather than race, this long surviving issue still exists. Government spokesman Jimmy Manyi came under attack for his televised comment that “there’s an oversupply of coloureds in the Western Cape”, representing the reality that racism still exists in South Africa and confirming the racial tensions between blacks, coloureds and whites. The issue of land distribution is a continuing dilemma, with the government planning to reassign 30% of farmland to black South Africans by 2014. Many young successful white people have left the country fearing for their safety as crime rates soar. Infuriation develops as the majority of the unemployed are black people, although the overturning of apartheid has seen an escalation in prosperous black middle-class South Africans. The exhibition highlights the vast improvements South Africa has made, but also the reality that enormous progression is still required. •
Art
Jo Ractliffe Woman on the footpath from Boa Vista to Roque Santeiro Market 2007 © Jo Ractliffe. Courtesy of Michael Stevenson, Cape Town Mikhael Subotzky Street Party, Saxonwold 2008 © Mikhael Subotzky Courtesy of the Goodman Gallery Messina/Musina Pieter and Maryna Vermeulen with Timana Phosiwa 2006 © Pieter Hugo. Courtesy of Michael Stevenson, Cape Town & Yossi Milo, New York Sabelo Mlangeni Madlisa, from Country Girls series 2009 © Sabelo Mlangeni. Courtesy of Michael Stevenson, Cape Town Nontsikelelo Veleko Lesego, Miriam Makeba Street, Newtown, Johannesburg 2007 Courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery Santu Mofokeng Ishmael after washing with holy-ash at Motouleng Cave, from the series Chasing Shadows 2004 © Santu Mofokeng. Image courtesy of Lunetta Bartz, MAKER Zanele Muholi Tumi Mokgosi, Yeoville, Johannesburg 2007 © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Michael Stevenson, Cape Town Zanele Muholi Bakhambile Skhosana, Natalspruit 2010 © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Michael Stevenson, Cape Town
7
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/ Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/ Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/Replica/ Paris Bennett celebrates the tacky as an unappreciated art-form in itself. That’s so Kitsch. That’s a compliment right? Well according to a dictionary it describes art that is considered inferior, tasteless, a copy of a far better, pre-existing item. However, we snuggle into our Cath Kidson bed sheets, sport our American Apparel party clothes whilst our friends are adorned in a granddad’s hand-me-downs, completely content in our kitsch world. Say what you will, we are all infatuated with the tacky. But, this is no ordinary tacky, it is vintage tacky. They are treasures from an age which we have never witnessed, yet these items still have such sentimental connections to us that we yearn for more. A recent ‘kitsch’ experience happened to me at a car boot sale. The waves of memories stimulated my
“Milan Kundera defined kitsch as ‘the absolute denial of shit’” desire to an unmatched proportion when seeing an ET Universal Studios Florida t-shirt. In reality, the item was for a child, washed out, and, frankly, could be seen by some as a fashion faux-pas. However there was no stopping my instant reaction to buy this mass-produced but original item for twenty pence. The thrill of my purchase could never be replicated on the High Street. The origins of my response lay in how the garment had come to be in its renaissance. Art theorist Theodor Adorno felt Kitsch would lead consumers into a “false sense of consciousness”, in which the style would erode the quality of our culture. Adorno believed this in terms of what he called the “culture industry”, where the art is controlled and formulated by the needs of the market and given to a passive population which accepts it. But in defence of my children’s Spielberg casual T, there was certainly a conscious chain of thought that reawakened a happy time in my life. Kitsch is often seen as a product of capitalism, and this certainly seems correct
as most of these style items are – or were – mass-produced. Other links to kitsch have been made with totalitarianism and its propaganda. Writer Milan Kundera, in his 1984 book The Unbearable Lightness of Being, defined the kitsch as “the absolute denial of shit”. If this is true then we should as pay tribute to our kitsch items, as they apparently have helped us to avoid or diminish our harsh reality. Yet amongst the common sense many cultural and art theorists provide on this movement, they have not stopped my craving. Let us remember that pop art is kitsch, and yet without the social commentary it provides we would not sufficiently grasp the mood of that generation. Although the truth of kitsch informs me that the item will not have been individually made for me, I feel contented in knowing that it is a happy relic of my life. •
8
Literature
www.zahir.org.uk/the-digital-revolution
9
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Jo Dungate explores poeticism in the lyrics of Bob Dylan. Why Do You Have to be so Frantic? Since the 1960s, Bob Dylan has been revered as something close to a prophet, with his work providing a voice for a generation engulfed in social unrest. Having released thirty-four studio albums, fifty-eight singles, thirteen live albums and featured thirteen times on The Rolling Stones’ ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’ list, Dylan’s place in the music Hall of Fame is concrete. But for almost the entirety of his career there has been one dispute that has been repeatedly raised by music and literary critics alike, causing eyes to fill with “tears of rage” and a lot of “mixed up confusion”: should Dylan be classified as a poet? Bound to Lose, Bound to Win Dylan himself has taken a decidedly ambiguous approach to the issue, deliberately elusive of the topic. When questioned on this very matter at a press conference in 1965, Dylan responded with the famously obscure answer: ‘I prefer to think of myself more of a song and dance man’. The mocking stance that Dylan also takes in I Shall Be Free No.10, seen best in the line ‘Yippee I’m a poet and I know it, / I hope I don’t blow it’, once again adheres to the same trail of ambiguity that he sought publicly to present. Disease of Conceit The genres of poetry and music are two that are inextricably intertwined; after all, they are the two main rhythmic uses of language. There is no question that Dylan was inspired by poets. Desolation Row is a fine example of poetry’s influence over Dylan’s work, shown particularly through the line ‘Ezra Pound and T S Eliot are fighting in the tower’. Dylan has been associated with American beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Frank O’Hara. He has also published several works of poetry, most notably Tarantula in the sixties which demonstrates his more decisive
steps towards literature. Perhaps an even more obvious indication of the influence of poetry which can often be forgotten or overlooked is Dylan’s stage name itself, which was picked with the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in mind. Emotionally Yours A particular problem in calling Dylan’s lyrics ‘poetry’ is that often their full potential and impact are only realised in performance. It is the collaboration of lyrics and music which creates the finished piece not simply pen on paper. It has been argued that without Dylan’s personality and wit on stage, along with his “barbed wire tonsils”, his lyrics simply lose the impact and the connotations that Dylan originally intended. In performance it is well known that Dylan often takes liberties with rhythm, altering from performance to performance, which means that almost everything Dylan writes is re-created live. Because of the progressive nature of Dylan’s work, on paper, the true potential of his lyrics are never fully realised. We Better Talk This Over Following the decision in 2007 to give schools packs of Dylan’s lyrics to study for national poetry day, the former poet laureate Andrew Motion has argued that teaching Dylan’s lyrics in school is ‘what’s needed to turn pupils who listen to rock music on to the full range of poetry’. Similarly the literary critic Professor Christopher Ricks has claimed that Dylan’s work deserves as much analysis and credibility as work by acclaimed poets such as Keats and Tennyson while Ricks has published a five hundred page analysis on the matter. Added to this is the sheer fact that Dylan has been nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature every year since 1997.
10
Round and Round We Go There is, it would seem, no straightforward opinion as to whether Dylan’s lyrics can be constituted as poetry. His lyrics must, to an extent, be seen as distant from the conventions of poetry, not weighed down by the idea of deliberate construction – each performance must be fresh, each song a new interpretation of the time before, something that is so organic that it cannot simply be deemed poetry. But at the same time, it would be naive to suggest that his work does not rely heavily upon poeticism, enhanced because we appreciate his lyrics all the more as an art form. It is not a black and white matter, though everyone must be in agreement of one thing: Dylan’s lyrics are a work of genius. After all, is it not the mystery and enigma that draws people to Dylan’s work in the first place? Would the definition and categorisation of his work not take away from this magical quality? As Dylan himself says ‘a poet is anyone who wants to call themselves a poet’. In hindsight, maybe we should follow the wise words of “Take Me as I Am”, and at the turn of his seventieth birthday, perhaps just leave it at that. •
Literature
Youth Lyndsey White thinks we could learn a thing or two from the ten year-old critics.
The reading den I made as a child was located at the furthermost end of my garden, shoddily constructed with spare sheets of plastic and bamboo sticks pilfered from the garage and played host to an odd array of bric-a-brac, including a broken radio and miniature china tea set. One day it housed pseudo shop-keeping, the next it was transformed into the bastion of a fort which I strove to protect from the imminent threat of enemies and villains. However, when I was left to my own devices it was always the place I would scamper off to, book in hand, ready to delve into the fantasy worlds created by Lewis, Tolkien or Barrie. The same feelings of nostalgia which are conjured up when pondering the games we played as children are also roused when we reminisce about the fiction we used to read in childhood. These stories stay with us throughout life like fond memories of old friends. Whether it is typical schooling books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, tales of giant peaches, or more prominent works of literature such as those by Dickens, we all have a certain author or book which we associate with our childhood. But my question is how far does growing up change how we read fiction? It seems to me that the experience we underwent when reading stories as children was completely different to that which we go through now. Certainly there are a number of ways in which adults can still enjoy fiction – why else would it continue to be purchased, studied and the favourites often re-read by adults? We can, for example, still relish the anticipation of having our conjecture about the outcome of a particularly dramatic plot either affirmed or denied; or we may feel ourselves falling head over heel in love with a heroic protagonist who executes acts of aweinspiring bravery (a girlish disposition clearly heavily influencing this example). However it is the way in which children are able to fully immerse themselves in the world that the writer has created, the way children feel they can become a part of the narrative, which I find to be the vital difference.
11
“But how far does growing up change how we read fiction?” At one time or another we have all been in a public place, observing a child who begins to invent a game which will inevitably involve copious amounts of screaming, running and parents’ exasperation. Then after a series of very British huffs and puffs about the general disruption we stop and have a moment of realisation. We think to ourselves, “I wish I could still be like that”. Children become so utterly absorbed in the games they invent that an entire army of disapproving adults could crowd round in stern consternation and they would be none the wiser. The open air becomes their performing ground, their bodies mere tools to morph and mould into character, and the most mundane of objects transformed into whatever prop they desire. And it is this ability of youngsters to throw themselves instantly into another world, whether reading or in play, which I miss when reading today. Of course I understand that the fiction written for children is done so with various aims of sparking their imagination and gauging their creative sensibilities. But is the fiction written for adults not intending to do this as well? Yet when we read stories as adults, we no longer let ourselves become immersed in the imaginings like we did when we were younger. Whilst adults can relate to certain character’s lives, it is only that: a tentative relation, which is how we now make associations between ourselves and stories. We’ve lost the innocence of childhood that allowed us to ignore all boundaries between the real & the imaginary. In its place we read stories from the side-line, looking on voyeuristically, instead of joining in actively. Maybe that’s why Peter Pan didn’t want to grow up. •
Sophie Taylor examines why Shakespeare needed to be all... Shakespearean.
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
We know the Bard, in written word, stands tall, When speaking of the “charming streams of life”, The beauteous and benign that nature thralls; The venom and the vice which us appals; The guy did not foresee our present strife In th’obsolete, with which his works are rife; In poring over books in uni rooms, With darkened bags beneath our bloodshot eyes As that depressing essay deadline looms. If we could only waken from their tombs The ghosts of playwrights, bidding them to rise, T’explain the terms which they soliloquise To tell us what they mean by “brave bawcock”; And pompous terms that leave us all bemused Why alter “knap” to mean the same as ‘knock’? Why is “cog” to deceive and “gast” to ‘shock’? Why “touch” means ‘try’ in volumes we’ve perused? Why must a playwright’s work be so confused? When searching for abuse or a cheap shot The next are used to slander and abhor: A “coystrill”, “rudesby”, “lozel”, “jack”, or “trot”, “Enseamed”, a “ninny” “baggage”, “caitiff ”, “quat”. To mark as “housewife” is to brand a ‘whore’, In what we’d deem a sexist metaphor. The Bard, make no mistakes, was not a saint, Loving to “sponge” - er, that is, to get pissed – To “shrift”, to confess and then to insist. When “coiled” you got your “gaskins” in a twist And harmless terms like “natural” and “quaint” Were ‘nough to make a Holy Sister faint. You often flavour lemonade with lime, When gathering in the drinks at Happy Hour. These days it ne’er would be a crime, and yet To “lime” a “leman” in old Shakespeare’s time Is to enact a deed but twice as sour, Entrapping sweethearts in some villain’s tower. To think, if in four hundred years, we can Still read this verse, our plays and books embossed, Give voice to prose and so revive a man, Like one as fierce and pissed as Caliban. The ousting of these terms proves high a cost, Which ne’er should be in our translation lost.
Adapta
12
Feature
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change” Stephen Hawking Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, is credited with saying, “Nothing endures but change,” and even today, this still holds true. It is mankind’s superior ability to adapt to new circumstances that has allowed us to separate ourselves from the animals, and the feature section of this term’s Zahir carries the tagline “Adaptability” in order to reflect this. The Zahir is the university culture magazine, and as such it must be as adaptive as culture itself – as adaptive as the literary interpretation, political principles, and artistic presentation that we follow issue upon issue. This is why it became so fitting a feature for an edition of The Zahir in which we seek to revolutionise the magazine and experiment with our standard formula, the only means by which we can grow. And it is exciting to look at the way in which every aspect of culture is changing, though each edition will subconsciously address the matter regardless of its feature. Within the last fifty years, we can see how every aspect of culture has changed in an almost incomprehensibly dramatic way. Even within the last five, cinematic style, political situations and artistic talent have all developed in an incremental way. As long as this magazine continues, it will continue to chart the growth and adaptability of the culture that surrounds us. In this feature, Anna Lewis writes on religion’s place in a media where its criticism is no longer blasphemy, Jas Tarmey explores literary adaptations on screen and Michael Tansini writes on how the classics are still relevant and present today, if in the slightly different guise of 300! We hope you enjoy the section, and we want to hear your thoughts, so drop us an email at zahir@yusu. org, and we’ll print the best ones next term. • Joe and Mylo
aptability 13
Adaptab
TR AN SL AT IO N.
14
Before the Second World War, no edition for the purpose of general reading existed. Anyone who’s ever used the literal Loeb translations to help with a set text will understand how a dry translation can utterly sap interest. E.V Rieu’s translation of The Odyssey, the first book published from the now-colossal Penguin Classics, has sold over three million copies. Since then, major translations of the Classics have placed readability and strong, direct language over literalism, while still sticking close to the text and the result is definitely balances the worlds of scholarship and readability perfectly. Impressive translations have followed Rieu, such as those of Ted Hughes, Simon Armitage, Robert Fagles
public interest in the myths and legends of ancient civilisation, so much that pretty much any sporting match has someone yelling “Spartans! What is your profession?” How have Classics survived then? How have they thrown off their stuffy straitjacket? The first, most obvious point is accessibility.
6.3
The death of the classics has been predicted in the British education system for some time. Fifty years ago, Latin and Greek learning was expected as part of a gentleman’s education. British politicians could claim that they played the Greece to America’s Rome and expect this to instantly resonate among the public. But as Britain’s imperial power declined, the Classics diminished too. They were seen as an outmoded relic, an embarrassing tool that had once been used to justify imperial conquering and pillage. Fast forward to the early twenty-first century, and while classical education has indeed diminished, there remains a stubborn core of Latin and Greek learning, though mostly confined to private schools. More to the point, classical literature and history is thriving. In the last decade we’ve had the blockbusters Gladiator, Troy, 300 and Clash of The Titans. Even though 300 was an unintentionally hilarious homoerotic romp and Clash of the Titans boasted the worst ever 3D ever put to screen, it speaks of a continuing
Michael Tansini suggests we’re not as far from Ancient Greece as we thought...
The Zahir Summer 2011
“Theognis, Sappho and Alcaeus speak of worlds where the young no longer respect the elder generation and of getting drunk and enjoying yourself”
Feature
and Christopher Logue, who have been find themselves on the wishlists of critics as well as the general public. When we hear Aphrodite in Christopher Logues’ War Music insulting another goddess’ “gobstopper nipples”, it’s a far cry from Homeric epithets and hexameters, but it captures the capriciousness and pettiness of the Olympic Gods in a manner that wouldn’t be out of place in Mean Girls. Perfect for our modern age. Instead of Cicero’s law speeches of the Roman Republic, or Demosthenes’ rhetoric about the democratic Athenian state, what is most popular at the moment are the Greek myths of fighting and derring-do. In an age where cinemas are dominated every year by superhero films, the tales of outstanding Greek and Roman warriors who overcome unbelievable odds to defeat purely evil monsters and creatures straight out of hell’s mouth retain a great fascination. They capture not only us, surrounded in a world that increasingly seems unsafe, dangerous and ruled by leaders who put their own interests before our own, but also, as the semi-divine hero, the warrior and the champion, epitomise the people we wish we could be. It is no accident that Antigone, the Greek tragic play about the conflict of identity between family and the state, has been staged multiple times in a Northern Ireland riven by sectarianism, and, at the height of the pre-recession banking boom in 2007, Alan Cumming’s opulent version of The Bacchae was the star show at the Edinburgh Fringe. The most astonishing thing is that Greek and Latin writers talk of emotions and sensations identical and comparable to modern day situations. Greek lyric poets like Theognis, Sappho and Alcaeus speak of worlds where the young no longer respect the elder generation, of requited and unrequited love that burdens the heart and of getting drunk and enjoying yourself. Later on, comedy explored relations between fathers and sons and men and women, such as the play Lysistrata where women refuse to have sex with their men until they make peace, with scenes that would not be out of a modern sitcom today. What is shared in all classical epics is the complex series of emotions each character can display. Far from being onedimensional cut outs, they articulate fully their despair of a world run seemingly by uncaring Gods. Oedipus finds out, horrifically, the limits of rational scientific enquiry can only extend so far. The Iliad shows the brutal inevitability of death in war; men do not die valiant, shouting pithy one liners, but screaming as their prestigious background and heroism is snuffed out, a feature more than relevant today as British soldiers die in wars they, like Homer’s Thersites, question the value of. In that respect, all Hollywood films that 15
portray fully the misery and iniquity of war, from Kubrick’s Paths of Glory to Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, owe a debt to Homer. Rather than blank impenetrable names and lists, as The Iliad is often described as, it offers a unblinking first person view of war and death and the desecration of the dead that can turn stomachs even now. Such is the breadth and depth of classical literature, a span of time that covers over a millennium, that many other problems faced by classical writers have their parallels in the modern age. Euripides’ Medea speaks of the problems of a disempowered immigrant and woman who has been abandoned by her pasthis-prime husband for a younger, more beautiful bride, who’s position of power usurps any residual love. Petronius in the Satyricon shows the vacuous dinner party of the Roman noveau riche whose bragging, insolence and general vacuity is a constant theme of satire even today (see Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party). Juvenal complains of a political class that has grown fat and corrupt; in a time where the expenses scandal still rumbles on, it is impossible not to recognise some sort of similarity. Shorn of their imperial purposes, the classics still have much to offer a British culture, in their mix of hedonism, love, politics, versatility, and above all, their adaptability. •
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Salt Anna Lewis looks at the changing presentation of religion within our adapting culture. “His work is still part of the repetitive liberal, modern model which aims to anger the Evangelical Right”
Religion’s place within media reflects its movement within our culture, and it has been a source of great debate. Once a pillar which supported society, faith has moved (or been forced) into the periphery. Religion, which once created boundaries for artistic work, was actively pushed and criticised. Its movement from a universally-accepted truth to a set of values that only a minority share has placed it under the umbrella of “contemporary contentious issue” that is ripe for exploration. However, it seems that the tight-rope of political correctness is still in play, whether it is placing a restriction on creativity or acting as an enticement for it. Such a statement is exemplified by James Frey’s recent work ‘The Last Testament of the Holy Bible’, a novel depicting Christ as a drug-dealing bisexual in his second coming. Frey’s decision to explore the topic clearly stems from a desire to court controversy rather than enter into an intellectual debate. Though the marketing policy is undoubtedly behind such sensationalism with regards to ‘The Last Testament’, it is evident that Frey chose to inspire controversy, and he was noted as saying ‘it was most audacious thing I could think of doing’. Though Frey’s actions are hardly novel, his work is still part of the repetitive liberal, modern model which aims to anger the evangelical Right. By following such a formulaic structure, actions are not about breaking the boundaries of political correctness, simply to give that illusion. They are, in fact, restricted by it, as no American would attempt a similar work based on Islamic teachings, due to the hypersensitive relationship that is evident between the country and the faith. British authors are hardly naive about the concept that religion has been marginalised to the extent that it can be seen as a social phenomenon, with contemporaries such as Monica Ali or Zadie Smith having established themselves in this field. Though neither of their works can be seen in any sense as an attack on the Muslim faith, whose followers represent 3.3% of the population of the United Kingdom, as a
16
major part of society such works on Islam are all the more relevant and, by extension, tentative. Comparatively only 0.6% of the U.S. population class themselves as a Muslim, leaving Islam in the realm of the political taboo rather than an element of the cultural patchwork that is America. As David Baddiel said: ‘Religion is a serious subject that has a lot of gravitas, which obviously makes it ripe for comic subversion.’ Britain’s relationship with popular culture and religion becomes controversial when targeted by comedy writers. The perfect example of this phenomenon is the film Four Lions, which follows the story of five suicide bombers. Half the comedy naturally comes from the inappropriateness of the subject matter. To say the British stance is to see religion as a cultural phenomenon rather than a revered institution with regards to the Islamic world would be incorrect, despite the media’s presentation of it as such. Even though unfamiliarity and depersonalisation is still felt within the US towards Islam, comedy groups such as the “Allah Made Me Funny” troupe do exist in an attempt to subvert this. How acceptable they are for the wider viewing public, however, is limited, simply because there isn’t a market for it. Even within the tried-and-tested bonds of Christianity, the mix of religion and comedy is seen as a risky move. Though this is a nod to the conservatism of the nation, it does highlight that the line between what is acceptable and what is not within a creative medium is dependent on national mood and on the ethnic composition of the nation. However, we live in a time of globalisation: in certain presentations, religion transcends national rules of conduct and becomes a matter of internationality, as Danish Cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose depiction of Mohammed with a bomb in his turban garnered worldwide offence, and Salman Rushdie will testify to. An issue that is swept under the carpet as taboo, however, it is almost as though we will turn into a pillar of salt if we look forward at where media’s depiction of religion might go from here. •
Feature
Original Jas Tarmey surveys the risks of endless interpretation.
Ever since the creation of the moving picture film, adaptation of literature has flooded the cultural marketplace, including everything from older classics to more modern and some not-yet popular works. This is even evident from one of the first pieces of Italian cinema - a silent movie adaptation of Dante’s Inferno which is still haunting even with today’s technological advancements. Certain writers and novels are constantly subjected to film and televised adaptations and remakes. From Hollywood versions of Shakespeare to the various recreations of the works of Austen and the Bronte’s, nearly everyone in civilised countries has seen at least one adaptation of a literary work. They are inescapable. This fascination began with the introduction of cinema, and remains prevalent today. It seems fit to last for the foreseeable future, so it must be asked: why are we constantly fascinated with seeing our favourite texts transposed onto screen? Ironically, an answer may be found in the 1996 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel Matilda: ‘Why would you want to read when you got the television set right in front of you? There’s nothing you can get from a book that you can’t get from a television faster”. In a culture where everything must be available immediately from fast food to quicker broadband, it seems that all of our books be made readily available and digestible in two hours or less. Must we always sit and watch the story translated onto screen rather than envisage for ourselves what the characters and setting look like? Of course, film adaptations do have their uses. Economically speaking they can create a franchise beyond the book. JK Rowling has benefitted greatly from the Harry Potter films, as has Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. The more recent I Am Number Four adaptation of the Pittacus Lore novel is another instance in which adaptation is beneficial, since prior to its release the novel had not fully reached the public awareness. In these cases adaptations have the plus side of bringing to public attention novels which were previously unheard of or underappreciated. Seeing the movie does inevitably increase book sales because more people are exposed to the existence of the story. Adaptations, however, often fail to live up to the original text. Stephen King disliked Kubrick’s The Shining so much that he made his own televised version which stuck to the storyline. Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is intended to follow Carroll’s original text, whilst Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is less a remake of Willy
Wonka than Burton’s own version of the tale. Rather than using motion picture to create new stories, directors and movie studies are fascinated with adapting already-existent works. Cinema has lasted through the ages, and original black and whites have been subjected to colour, Hollywood, updates. Clearly production companies feel that audiences need to re-watch these films, in technicolour, with 3D technology, and the most current and popular A-list actors. Do scriptwriters find it so difficult to create their own story that this constant stream of adaptations and remakes is necessary? Film should be a means of escapism, but if it is always the same stories that are remade, is it losing its function? In ten years’ time Harry Potter and Twilight will probably go through their second adaptation. Comic books like Spider-Man and Batman are already being subjected to it. The only real motivation for adaptation has to be economics. Movie adaptations not only cause a resurgence in the sales of the novel, play, or comic book, but also in purchases of the original versions. People want to see how it has changed, judge whether it was better before or whether the update has really nailed it this time. Can we not just let a novel be a novel, and an old classic film, just an old classic film? I doubt it, but it ensures production companies and publishers a definite money-maker, even if it is more for curiosity than for excellent film-making. •
“There’s nothing you can get from a book that you can’t get from a television faster” 17
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Joe Walsh thinks we should start taking the music video seriously... Director Nash Edgerton once said “Any time you have questions when you’re watching something,
The Cast:
1
it’s good – it makes you want to watch more.” There is something crucial about attaching the visual to music. By its very nature, music insists upon an influx of images into one’s mind, whether because of its lyrics, its sound, or its association with past experience. Menomena’s “INTIL” is so profoundly effective in drawing out my past solemnity that my attachment to the song has become somewhat masochistic; Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” epitomises my two Roses experiences; Parts and Labor’s “Nowhere’s Nigh”, my becoming editor of this humble magazine. I fundamentally believe that music strips us to our barest bones, and in doing so makes us significantly more susceptible to every other aspect of culture: the aesthetic that is art, the visual that is film, the intellectual that is politics, the imaginative that is literature. There is no greater relationship than between that which one sees and that which one hears – as Dan Cave, too, has recognised in this issue. If this is the case, therefore, then music videos are significantly more important than people give them credit for. They are an under-appreciated art form, often assuming the appearance of a legitimate short films in their own right, as opposed to simply a music video - a term that inspires thoughts of Ke$ha’s “Tic Toc” or Nelly’s “Tip-Drill”. They display another facet of the artists’ creative mindsets, and give us another insight into what the song means, often because, not in spite, of a seemingly unconnected subject matter. In turn, they further an emotional connection with the music due to a visual sincerity, an ability to articulate the music in a way that we cannot. This is a brief exploration – too brief, for such a massive topic – into some of the best music videos in various areas.
More and more credible comedians and actors are becoming involved in these films. In some cases, it acts to imbue the pieces with a very genuine emotion: Kristen Bell of Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame, for example, depicts a woman broken-hearted over the death of a deformed creature in Yeasayer’s Madder Red, keen to do so because of her association with PETA. You’ll have to go far to top The New Pornographers’ most recent video, however, which has a list of cameos as long as my arm. An accompaniment to the track “Moves”, it is a mock film trailer, overspilling with comedic actors such as Paul Rudd, Bill Hader and Kevin Corrigan, and musicians like The Mountain Goats’ Jon Wurster and Ted Leo of Ted Leo and The Pharmacists. Recognisable individuals are not necessary for a film – indeed, in many cases unknown actors are much more effective – but their roles often present an underlying tonguein-cheek prod at themselves. And it’s just really cool.
1
2
3
18
4
5
Music
The Concept:
2
There are limitless music videos that conceptualise the music in a unique way, often treading on the heels of the bizarre and seemingly unconnected. Yet one cannot help but be drawn to the simplicity of such concepts as The Morning Benders’ “Promises”. Its lyric “I can’t help thinking we grow up too fast / I know, I know, I know this won’t last / A second longer than it has to” is the foundation upon which the video is based. As the story of two kids in an adult, Bonny-and-Clyde-like relationship, the video ends on a pretty dark note – though I shan’t go into the details of the film. The concept is solid because of the idea of tapping into emotions that children don’t have. Everything addressed within the video is a symptom of adulthood – alcoholism, murder, sex – and yet this is depicted with a disturbing sincerity which accords with the theme of the lyrics. It is an accessible concept, easy to understand, and all the more potent for it.
The Director:
3
Spike Jonze directed The Arcade Fire’s music video for the eponymous track of their third studio album, The Suburbs. He’s known for having directed Being John Malkovich and Where The Wild Things Are, the latter being the first time he worked with the band. Jonze co-wrote this film, the dystopian story of a group of kids caught in a military-run suburban area, with lead singer Win Butler, using kids who hadn’t acted before from the local area to portray a grittier, more believable atmosphere. Theories have been bandied about no end regarding the video, which is somewhat ambiguous in its presentation of these kids. If anything can be classed as a short film, this is it. It has, fittingly, since been released as a half-hour short, and while I’m keen to see it, there is a lot to be said for the ambiguity and the questions that the music video alone raises. It’s moving stuff, enhanced by the plausibility of the change in group dynamic that we see them undergo, something which must owe to Jonze’s favour for semi-improvisation. In few other cases has a music video altered my experience so strongly of listening to a song, so it is worth coming to understand it from your own perspective, before Jonze warps your view with his chilling vision.
The Ending:
4
Liars produced an incredibly haunting track in the form of Scissor, and it is a sentiment paralleled in the discomfort of its video. The ending, a denouement after the track itself has ended, falls into the uncomfortable realm of being simultaneously laughable and agonisingly poignant. Again, to go into exactly what happens would cheapen it for you – I want nothing more than for you to be as stunned as I was. Needless to say, rocks are involved. Lots of rocks. The significance of the conclusion is not precisely in what happens, but in its dramatic impact. It is a display of the grotesque: an example of the blurring of the line between humour and suffering. As Blaise Pascal once said, “Nothing produces laughter more than a surprising disproportion between that which one expects and that which one sees”. One may laugh at the absurdity of the conclusion, but the brutality of the events up to that point and the haunting accompaniment of the song render it all the more resonant long after having watched it. The Perfromance:
5
To say that the best music videos are simply those that employ a cast and conceptualise the music in an obscure way would be incorrect. There is something marvellously simple about watching a band simply play music. The Gaslight Anthem’s Great Expectations does exactly that, in an environment that pays testament to the novel from which it got its name. There is a lot to be said for watching a band invest themselves in a song without the distraction of other elements. Sometimes the band simply has to go back to basics, and this can be impressive enough. Frustratingly, I’ve barely touched on the variety of music videos that fulfil these categories. But I will whack loads more on the website, so check out all the links there. •
19
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Shaffi Batchelor considers what the actions of Amazon’s newest creation – and the companies that will follow in its steps – will bode for digital music users. Once upon a time, computer aficionados longed for the day when they could be truly ‘mobile’ and once again carry the world at their fingertips, as the demands of 21st century life demand a faster and more dynamic connection to the world. With the launch of the long-awaited Amazon Cloud Drive a mere two months ago, this cliché-ridden dream is that much closer to reality. Essentially, the Amazon Cloud Drive is a huge dumping ground for whatever pieces of data the user chooses to upload onto it; a dumping ground that is eminently accessible and easy to use, making it a far less complicated task to organise the reams of data flooding through our internet-connected devices by consolidating all that information in one place. Just imagine: you upload a picture of your favourite band onto your laptop at home; on the train you download their album via your mobile; then you are able to access the lot on a friend’s laptop later without the hassle of syncing to ultimately reach the same end: all your information in the same place. The possibilities are potentially endless. However, it is the possibilities within my outlined scenario that are currently causing ripples of concern to spread throughout the blogosphere, as a result of the combined ire of the four major record companies (including Sony Music Entertainment and EMI). Rumours of a possible fee for users who attempt to upload music onto the Amazon Cloud Drive have been met with anger from the users of the Cloud. Fortunately in this case, rumours are exactly that. What really has the recording companies het up is the issue of licensing, and whether the current licensing that Amazon has with Sony et al truly covers the Cloud drive’s system of usage; a system that
the Big Four are claiming would essentially make it a streaming device. So, although the charge won’t really be passed down to us as music consumers, it would mean grief for Amazon, as under their current licensing agreement streaming devices are strictly prohibited. At first glance then, it looks like recording companies like Sony are trying to make a quick buck on an innovative system that could revolutionise the way we store data. ‘Honestly’, most of us will ask ourselves, ‘who really cares what label you’re giving something this amazing?’ In the most simple of terms, it once again boils down to: music companies bad, cloud-users good. However, things aren’t really that black and white. That the Amazon Cloud Drive can’t be clearly categorised as either a storage device or a streaming device poses a huge dilemma. Now, the problems associated with it being the latter encapsulate issues that have been plaguing the music industry as a whole since the earliest days of the internet, and quite possibly even before then, issues that are quite handily summed up in one word: piracy. File-sharing is the thorn in the backside of an industry that has seen a steady decrease in revenue over the years, as more and more people turn to illegal downloading and music conversion websites that take advantage of the plethora of free music available online. Although the global digital music market is estimated at a total value of $4.6 billion as of 2010, an increase of more than 1000% since 1994, over the same period the global recorded music industry (a measure of total revenues, including digital and physical) has shown a 31% decrease in profits; the $15.9 billion that was calculated as 2010’s global recorded music revenue, although a huge figure to most of us, still puts it firmly below the $30-
20
40 billion profits reported less than a decade ago. No wonder then that the music industry is so nervous about the Cloud Drive. With both Google and Apple soon to release their own versions of the Cloud, it could possibly be yet another nail in the coffin of an industry that has found itself waning in the face of self promoted artists, independently produced singles, and a decline in the popularity of albums. With the shape of music changing at an ever increasing rate, there is the very real possibility that the traditional role of the music company could quite soon be defunct. What it really comes down to is the fact that if consumers could store their illegally download music and access it anywhere, why would they want to pay for any music at all? Either way, companies like Sony are not going to go quietly. They are currently in the midst of a legal battle whose outcome could have huge implications for the future of the Cloud Drive. Claiming that their current licensing does not include the distribution of music via cloud, Sony is demanding that Amazon pay up or shut down. In response, quoted from an interview with director of music at Amazon, Craig Pape told The New York Times that, “We don’t need a license to store music; the functionality is the same as an external hard drive.” Whether or not his argument will persuade a judge remains to be seen, but it is clear that regardless of any future ruling, the face of music is once more changing. The only question is can the industry machine keep up. •
Music
“With both Google and Apple soon to release their own versions of the Cloud, it could possibly be yet another nail in the coffin of an industry that has found itself waning�
21
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Pollution Rory Foster wanted a rant. The Zahir said we’d be happy to give him an opportunity to do it in a public forum and… er… he took it. Wholeheartedly. A quick browse of the iTunes top singles leaves me feeling a mixture of both annoyance and nausea – a smattering of clubfocused synth “anthems” next to a few singersongwriters, polished more for the media than the music. It all seems so similar and yet there’s seemingly no end to its popularity. But it’s not just the homogenous content that puts me off, the whole sordid system is a corruption of all that we should value. Let me go into exactly why pop music does my head in.
• Firstly, the barrage of plays it gets. Waking up to the radio with the same songs that were repeated endlessly in the club the night before is not enjoyable. Hungover or otherwise. • I’m clearly in the minority with my distaste for the flood of factory-fresh spam singles, and I’m left to ponder how, when we live in an age of music where we couldn’t get much closer to the criteria of perfect information, does this happen. The internet has produced a market which demands the most while expecting to pay the least, and thanks to the threat of illegal downloading continues to do so. This generally means we have loads more music available to us than a decade ago, and it’s right at our fingertips. • Something’s not quite clicking, though. We have services such as Spotify attempting to compete with consumers’ expectations, but recently even they have had to cut back the extent of their free service due to an impossible business plan. Those who are against piracy would say that the illegal side of things only makes the situation worse; taking more money away from the industry and giving rise to its substitutes, such as DVDs and games. But the free sharing and distribution of music – legal or illegal – has lead to many success stories that would never have had the opportunity before the World Wide Web. • And who is it snaps up these overnight sensations to take them to stardom and beyond? Chances are it’ll be one of the big four labels: Sony, EMI, WMG and UMG. These labels, with their huge influence and hundreds of satellite labels under their wing, know a thing or two about turning hype into cash. If the winner of the last X Factor isn’t immediately splashed over the majority of magazines, they will be after the companies have spent some of their huge advertising budgets. Their choice cocktail of rap-dubstep-acoustic-pop will be all over the airwaves in no time.
22
• I lament our past attitude. Go back a few decades and the wider media (outside dedicated music mags) had little-to-no influence on what made it on to the airwaves and into people’s lives. There was no Spotify or iTunes to download tracks instantly from, music was harder to get hold of and – dare I say it – more sacred. The Boat That Rocked, a light-hearted and rather nostalgic take on life in a pirate radio ship in the 60s, does a great job of illustrating just how crucial the radio was when it came to people hearing new music. It states 25 million people in the UK per day as listening figures, twice that of current Radio One reach. Have we, by making music available everywhere, also reduced its value in people’s eyes? My example may be a dated one, but in the last 50 years have we been losing some of the magic of music? More annoyingly still, this doesn’t lead me much closer to my first question: why the variety of music available is not reflected in the charts. Maybe it’s the extra role the media plays in a musician’s career, or maybe it’s just a phase every generation goes through, and soon we’ll all be listening to Americana-trance music, trying to remember what came before. But what seem to have changed the most are people’s attitudes to what priority music takes. You’re unlikely to sit down with a Lady Gaga album, listen to it from start to finish with your full attention, basking in its subtlety. What you might do is whack it on, down a few vodka cokes and get your groove on. Sure, you might pay attention for a two-anda-half minute supercharged pop ballad with that rapper what’s going out with the one from Dancing On Ice, but a whole album? Think when the last time was that you did nothing but listen to 40 minutes of someone’s thoughts, emotions and creative outpourings, all crammed into verse and a chorus. As far as I’m concerned, it probably wasn’t recently enough. •
4
Politics
As a student luxuriating in the university bubble, it’s not that easy to keep in touch with the world outside. So The Zahir team have done it for you. 1.
2.
MPs swoon for Obama.
Fifa… Corrupt?
After the frightening epidemic of monarchism during the royal wedding in April, a month ago we witnessed our stiff-upper-lipped stoics at Whitehall swoon for President Obama. Notable points were the’ awkward moments’ when Tony sat next to old frenemy Gordon and gave David Cameron the cold shoulder - so claimed Dianne Abbott who hobnobbed about the state visit on This Week.
Astonishingly, some were astonished at corruption allegations directed at Fifa. Major sponsors such as Adidas and Coca Cola have voiced concerns about being associated with fatcats, fearing for the integrity of their public images. I guess Adidas’ use of sweatshop labour and Coca Cola’s sugar levels isn’t enough to drive down business. Despite their concerns, it looks unlikely that the corporate giants’ ubiquitous advertisements will disappear.
3.
4.
Revelation: Cheryl Cole is a Reject.
The explanation given for Cheryl’s departure from Cowell’s US X Factor show was that a US audience might struggle with her Geordie accent - despite having had no trouble with Randy Jackson’s ‘gangsta’ grunt on American Idol. It is speculated that Cheryl might go on the rebound with The Voice, a new BBC alternative to X Factor. The row has been a major story, since apparently talentless judges are indispensible when it comes to finding talent. Looks like it’s not the singers who are the star of the show. Meanwhile, Kelly Rowland, a new addition to the UK X Factor judging panel, sycophantically claimed she was thrilled to be heading to “one of her favourite places in the world.” Looks like the cult of celebrity is alive and well.
23
The Recession Again!
Now a permanent fixture of all news outlets, the recession is hitting us again. Experts claim that house prices may rise 16% by the end of 2015 and that food prices will be twice the price by 2030. So it’s not looking good for Joe Public. Meanwhile, Fred ‘the Shred’ Goodwin has taken out a super injunction against the media, meaning we can not mention his name for the next 60 - 200 years, at which time the story may not be relevant anymore. However, if we go Third World in two centuries, at least historians will know who to blame.
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Berlusconi: Sexist Pig or Just Italian? Josephine Harmon sets her sights on taking him down... Asked how he proposed to lower the rates of sexual assaults in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi replied that this would be impossible because “our women are so beautiful.” It’s enough to make a feminist implode. His lavish ‘bungabunga’ parties – a ‘sexual ritual’ which simply refers to Berlusconi romping with a swathe of younger women – and alleged sex with underage prostitute Karima El Mahroug finally led to a castigation of the 74-year old premier, who stood trial for a sex charge from 6 April.
equivalent of British satirical news programmes such as Have I Got News for You include Striscia le Notizia (‘Strip the News’) in which women dressed only in their underwear perform degrading acts, such as rubbing their faces with a string of garlic dangling from middle-aged men’s
The misogyny that marries entertainment and politics could be argued as self-induced among the public who after all consume this material. Not only is the power to resist or reform the media negligible, the fact the media’s dubious values are embedded within entertainment makes the disenfranchisement of women less a political issue and perniciously all-encompassing. Berlusconi’s ownership of a sizeable chunk of the media means that, in effect, a man on trial for unlawful sex regulates such a pervasive medium.
Is Berlusconi a one-off philanderer or does he represent a wider male mentality in Italy? I am reluctant to indict any whole nationality but the British electorate evidently have different ideas of what is politically appropriate, to our continental counterparts. The more the French and Italian premiers philander, the more they vote for them. “Let’s get real” as Tony might say: celebrity politics and cults of personality suck. It is not the public’s prerogative to punish leaders for sexual ‘transgression’ any more than it is the state’s to punish individuals. No matter how sordid or distasteful, a politician’s sexual behaviour – and proclivities for that matter – is not relevant to political discourse. Berlusconi’s transgressions, however, are not simply adultery in his private life. He has a pathological, public tendency to toy with women that saturates Italian politics. Consider Mara Carfagna, an ex-stripper-come-showgirl whom Berlusconi appointed minister for equal opportunities. Carfagna’s topless calendars hang in the Italian Parliament. I doubt this inculcates respect for professional women among the elite class. Britain certainly shows symptoms of a highly sexualised culture but the Italian mainstream even offers sexualised panel shows. The Italian
titillation yet meriting mockery. Through this filter all Italian women are reduced by proxy. Yet Berlusconi legitimizes his flagrant use of women as convenience-vaginas – whose expendability and disposability is a form of sexual humiliation – as “love” of women.
groins and pose in their underwear for marks out of ten determined by fully-clothed male panels. Not quite Miss Nude Australia but getting there. And which channel broadcasts this programme? Berlusconi’s Canale 5, naturally. If not engendering Berlusconi’s abuse of power (in equating a horrendous private treatment of woman as suitable for the public sphere), Italy’s media certainly normalises it, offering women as entertainment toys providing sexual
24
The overlap between media misogyny and ubiquitous gender pay gap suggests the problem is more deep-rooted than one with the entertainment industry. On average Italian women earn 20% less than men and Italy is placed 74th globally for its treatment of women – the lowest-ranking EU state. At least in Britain, corpulent, sagging women – select an example from our array in Parliament – are accepted, however inadequately, in politics. An Italian woman ostensibly gets on in politics only if she is a former stripper or ‘easy on the eye’. True, there are more women in the Italian political system under Berlusconi than in Britain but Berlusconi’s is hardly a model of equality. The prevalence of sexism in Italy’s media and politics legitimizes this objectification, and even hate, of women as cheeky fun. The more pig-ignorant sexism is institutionalised – the more Berlusconi translates political power into bedroom power – the greater all Italians will suffer from the corrosive effects of degrading an entire social group. •
Politics
Stalemate Louis Lunts gives us seven things to say to look like you know what you’re talking about when it comes to the whole Libya thing... 1. “I read one adamant young hopeful suggesting that the whole ordeal was a CIA mission to destabilise policymakers restricting American regional oil interests!” The Libyan issue captured the interest of more than just military strategists; a bounty of literature emerged ranging from hard-hitting political journalism to speculative idealism. Amidst the ifs and maybes, one thing was clearly visible: the deterioration of the old and the dawning of the new. For better or worse, this was an exciting prospect to any onlooker and a treat for commentators the world over.
2. “The military presence in Libya operated under the assumption that the Libyan problem would eventually unravel itself. The trouble is that reality caught up.” The West’s choice of action, inevitably moulded by the petrifying legacy of Iraq, was one of peace and stability, not intervention and invasion. The MoD released a statement shortly after the adoption of the No Fly Zone communicating their expectation of being involved with the operation for at least six months.
3. “Course, the uprisings in the Middle East had been characterised by a surgical speed and efficiency.” At the time, six months seemed to be an absurdly long timeframe. In all other scenarios, the media’s challenge had been how to release one headline before a new one trumped it, not how to keep a story alive for more than half a year.
4. “Let’s face it, two months later and it’s clear the stalemate in Libya is unbreakable!” Continuous presence in Libya is proving the sense behind the MoD’s calculation. Presumably, the objective of the UN resolution was to prevent Muammar Gaddafi’s forces making gains until either he stepped down voluntarily or was abandoned by his ludicrously strong support structure. 25
5. “The problem is that the intervening forces didn’t give themselves the power to get involved actively at any level.” NATO’s refusal to apologise for bombing rebel tanks on the grounds that they were threatening civilian lives reflects the West’s reluctance to take any decisive action towards a resolution in Tripoli or even declare full allegiance to either side of the conflict. Conversely, the mission objective as it stands seems to be one of maintaining a peaceful status quo in Libya at the expense of a decisive outcome.
6. “Nah, it’s wrong to suggest that the ‘keeping peaceful’ approach is at all naïve.” The logic behind it is perfectly clear: the West has seen the results of strident and aggressive interventionist policies in the Middle East, and international decision-making has quite rightly learnt from previous mistakes. The Libyan strategy, therefore, reveals a new method of foreign policy based on the fundamental principle that nations must actively dictate their own identity. According to this standard, the role played by military intervention must be limited to relatively impartial policing of conduct within an active warzone.
7. “We can only wait to see if an effective outcome will be produced. My guess is as good as yours.” By refusing to put full unconditional support behind the rebels, the West has maintained its passivity in the conflict. However, this begs the question of whether stability in Libya is viable even after the collapse of Gaddafi’s regime. The opposition to Gaddafi is currently a collection of disorganised, poorly armed and untrained dissidents who happen to have the most sophisticated air force the world has ever known supporting them. If the West continues to pursue a ‘hands off’ policy which involves very little interference in the structure of Libyan politics, will there be a future after Gaddafi and an alternative to the tyranny for which the current regime is known?
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Lines Mylo Scurr wants to have a grown-up, open discussion about drugs. • Britain has the highest overall degree of drug use in Europe, according to the EUfunded European Monitoring Centre, and it is clear our current drug policy is not working. • A peer-reviewed study in 2005 estimated that there over 320,000 regular abusers of heroin, cocaine and their derivatives. • The same study estimated the cost of drug abuse for the taxpayer at £15.4bn per year. • The Home Office estimates that as much as 55% of theft and property crime is drug-related.
In 2001, Portugal became the first member state of the EU to decriminalise the possession of up to 10 days supply of illicit drugs for personal use. Whilst possession was decriminalised, it remained an illicit activity, meaning that those caught were issued optional summons. These summons would bring the individual before a panel usually consisting of a social worker, psychologist, doctor or legal adviser, whose job it was to assess the individual into one of three groups; recreational user, problem developing or addicted abuser. Repeat offenders are offered therapy combined with community service, while the more serious abusers are requested to undergo drug replacement therapy to wean their addictions. Addicts are treated like human beings, albeit ones with a problem, and are offered treatment and care.
Ten years on and the results are staggering. A paper published by the Cato institute in 2009 showed that Heroin related deaths were down by more than 50% while the number of addicts seeking drug replacement therapy had more than doubled. One of the biggest success stories was the dirty needle exchange program. In chemists and health centres across Portugal, dirty needles could be exchanged for a pack containing one free needle kit, a condom and an addiction advice pamphlet, free of charge. As a consequence, HIV rates dropped by 17%. But this is just the first step in transforming the drugs trade from an international crime-cartel into a public-health problem: Prohibition has failed and we must take further steps towards legalisation. If the business is brought out into the open, exploitation will dramatically decrease and employment opportunities will open up. Afghanistan, Pakistan and Colombia, amongst others key actors in the drug trade, would have the opportunity to strive towards genuine prosperity, and as most political analysts will tell you, widespread prosperity is a healthy boost for democracy. Opponents will argue that legalisation will lead to higher consumption rates, but there is no correlation between the two, even between countries with similar cultures. Sweden and Norway have almost identical consumption rates, according to a report by The Economist, yet the former has very strict drug laws, and the latter relatively liberal. The UN estimates the worldwide drug trade to cost governments £200bn per year, mainly in enforcement and imprisonment costs.
26
Legalisation could redirect this money towards education, therapy and healthcare, as well as affording the opportunity to properly deal with addiction, rather than it being driven underground and consuming more innocent lives. It is unrealistic to install full legalization immediately, and the new system itself will not be faultless, but that does not mean we cannot take the steps that Portugal has already taken and reap the same successes. •
“the worldwide drug trade to cost governments £200bn per year”
When we debate drugs, it is easy to be caught up in philosophy, liberty versus harm principles and who has what ‘right’ to consume what substance. However, it has been clear that our current drug policy simply is not working, and as such, we must consider practical, workable, realistic alternatives. Drug abuse, not just in this country but all around the world, is becoming more and more a social problem, rather than just a criminal offence. While the production and sale of drugs, as well as the exploitation that accompanies them is still criminal, the abuse and dependence displayed by many is a social and medical predicament, different in nature to a criminal offence. Most of these users need help and therapy, not prison and punishment, with the latter only serving to harden their alienation from society.
Politics
Conflict Jorge Carbajal addresses the apparent “pick the lesser of two evils” mentality in Peru.
This article was written in the midst of the second round of Peru’s presidential election season. By the time of its publication, the elections will have already taken place and a new regime will be governing my country.
investment. The question then is why in a country like Peru, where progress and economic growth seem to make the daily headlines, does stability seem to hang by a thread every election season?
Election season is the one time every few years when democracy, in its purest possible form, takes place among the people of a country. It is the one time when everyone’s vote has true and equal value, when everyone’s voice can be heard. And this season in a country like Peru is a call for consciousness about a latent social conflict that the wealthiest wish to ignore.
Although Peru has a representative democratic system, it is hard to tell if it is really representing the wants and needs of the majority. Despite the fact that it has had a constant economic boost in the last decade - reaching 9.1% last November - this growth is not reflected in all the areas of the country. It has a high poverty rate of around 34.8%, social expenditure is half the average spent by other Latin American countries, and the standard of public services, such as health and education, is poor. With these facts in mind, it is hard to believe we’ve had a relatively stable democracy throughout the last decade.
On April 10th Peru had presidential elections. Of the five candidates who dominated the polls, three belonged to democratic parties with similar solid proposals about the best way to continue the high economic growth rate which has steadily been increasing for the last decade. Although these candidates received more than 45% percent of the votes when combined, they egotistically avoided forming a coalition and consequently each candidate did not gather enough votes independently. Therefore the other candidates, Keiko Fujimori and Ollanta Humala, made it to the second round of elections, which will take place on June 5th. The two contenders’ ideologies seem a threat to the country’s fragile stability. Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of our last dictator, Alberto Fujimori, who under the guise of eradicating terrorism during his presidency from 1990 to 2001, managed to dissolve congress in 1992, violate human rights on several different occasions and reach the highest level of corruption in Peruvian history. He was, however, popular with the lowest economic classes, as he would give away free food and clothing to keep them satisfied. It is feared that Keiko will follow in his footsteps.
Economic growth is not synonymous with sustainable development. And although it can contribute to society as a whole, in the long run, if it is not well managed and the benefits are not well distributed, it will only create a greater gap between classes. When such injustice is taking place in a country, it is not surprising that those whose rights and needs are being ignored decide to vote for less traditional parties, whose policies and promises but sound convincing enough to make these excluded citizens feel part of the system. Peru’s future is uncertain, as none of the two candidates competing for power have reliable records. But if this complex scenario has anything to offer us, let it be this lesson: it is not possible for a country to develop sustainably without involving the whole of its population in the process. It is when individuals are provided with equal opportunities that they can develop themselves fully and moreover, develop as a nation. When the opposite happens, social conflict arises and democracy ends up at stake. •
On the other hand, Humala possesses a very radical nationalistic ideology and on several occasions has shown admiration for the political practice of Venezuela’s dictator Hugo Chavez. He ran for President in 2006 with a condemnatory attitude towards the Peruvian constitution and lost by a small percentage. His speech is now more moderate, though his intentions seem unchanged. If he is elected it is feared that he will implement Communist measures such as the nationalisation of private companies, which would discourage foreign 27
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Taboo Emma Walker explores why it is Elizabeth Taylor’s vices that make her such a figurehead.
Emancipated from pre-war ideas on feminine comport, Elizabeth Taylor carved out an image of a new kind of film star. Her shameless pursuit of luxury freed women from the expectations of meek and acquiescent female behaviour. Taylor was the first of a new age of actresses defined as much by their life as by their acting abilities. The New York Times critic Vincent Canby wrote, “Taylor has grown up in the full view of a public for whom the triumphs and disasters of her personal life have automatically become extensions of her screen performances”. After the recent scandals over celebrities using superinjunctions to keep their ‘private life’ private, Taylor’s acceptance of the demands of fame that come with celebrity warrant exploration. By allowing criticism of her own life and refusing to be hampered by it, she forced an acceptance of herself, warts and all. In today’s society, where the image of celebrity is an omnipresent force, perhaps our icons would benefit from looking at ‘the last grand dame’ of Hollywood. Her issues with size and weight were much publicised and much scrutinised. Twenty-first century Hollywood stars face much the same pressures over appearance. Their image is dissected on the red carpet by the world’s media, and with high competition for roles, thinness is synonymous with success. Lindsay Lohan, also a child-star thrown into the media spotlight at a young age in much the same way as Taylor, has also battled with weight issues; suffering from both anorexia and bulimia, as she attempts to live a life of unrestricted excess against public expectations of appropriate behaviour.
“Celebrity is not something that comes without responsibility” 28
The ways in which Taylor accepted criticism of her weight could teach something to the Hollywood stars of today. Once stating that, “I’m fat, but I don’t care… I have the right to do what I want to do”, she stated that the criticisms of her weight made her eat more, almost in defiance. The way in which Taylor later dealt with public scrutiny of her substance abuse showed great strength of character, unbowed by criticism. On drinking, she once stated that she “loved it. Loved it. And loved drinking the boys under the table”. Her public announcement that she was receiving treatment for substance abuse was to encourage other celebrities, including Liza Minelli, to disclose their own struggles. Taylor once stated, “celebrity is not something that comes without responsibility”. Whilst in her earlier career she had used the media to further her own career, later in life she was to use the same media fascination to pioneer charity work. “I use my fame now when I want to help a cause or other people”, she stated. In 1985, she became the most prominent celebrity to back what was then the taboo subject of AIDS. Whereas most stars today attach themselves to the latest fashionable cause, Taylor’s integrity of purpose in her humanitarian work showed great bravery at a time when few public figures were doing anything to help people with AIDS. “I have never felt richer than when I have scored a big cheque to fight AIDS” she once said. Although publicly criticised and denounced for her extravagant lifestyle, Taylor was never beaten, and this inner strength and sense of self, undiminished by criticism and unashamed by scandal, would be a lesson well learnt by current Hollywood stars, as they attempt to align their private lives against public expectations. In considering her own legacy, Taylor once said, “I would rather be a symbol of a woman who makes mistakes and a woman who loves”. Her acceptance that her personal life was as much a part of her as her career as an actress, and so equally as valid for public scrutiny, resonates with today’s individuals attempting to cope with the pressures which come with a life lived on the world’s stage. •
Film
Insider Ellie Wallis and Emma Walker were lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most glamorous events in the film calendar: the recent Cannes Film Festival. They spoke to Jenny Walker, the founder and principal producer of FRAMES of REFERENCE FILMS, an independent production company that makes feature films, short film projects and documentaries. The Zahir: What makes Cannes different from other film festivals?
How easy is it for new or independent filmmakers to get themselves noticed?
Zahir: Aside from the films, what were your personal highlights?
Jenny Walker: This is its 64th year so is one of the longest-running, if not the longest, film festivals around. It’s a film festival and a film market combined, and has a wide range of different kinds of competitions. Along with the Palme d’Or - which is the “prize of prizes” on par with an Oscar, but is more of a ‘whole film’ award - there’s the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Director’s Fortnight), which celebrates directors’ achievements in their field, and now a well-regarded short film corner, which anyone can send their short films to for a small fee, getting access to the market place and festival.
It’s a big noisy place with a lot going on, so the sheer amount of traffic will guarantee a degree of recognition. People are also very receptive to the idea of independent films over Hollywood blockbusters, so will often search you out in the hope they’ll find the next big thing.
Well, firstly the rumour that Johnny Depp had a sailing ketch in the harbor, and anyone who cared could see him and Penelope Cruz on board. Turned out to be just another of those rumours that zip along the Croisette like wildfire, heating the publicity machine that is Cannes. But after ten days of stomping up and down the mile-long Croisette in the otherwise lovely heat with bruised and blistered feet, networking till dawn, and getting up again at 8am for breakfast meetings (why do people do that?!), my personal highlight was sleeping for more than five hours a night! •
It’s also very well placed in the sunny south of France. Taken together this means it attracts all the biggest names, and they know they’ll be feted on a grand scale by a well-oiled machine in the sunshine. Zahir: That really makes a big difference? JW: The French do shiny-bling-in-the-sun so well. The Palais Cinema is one of the finest, with huge screens and great sound. So essentially, red carpet screenings heaving with papparazzi and squealing fans mellowed by local rose wine is a spectacle and holiday in one. And that goes for the market, too. Everyone’s much happier doing business with a glass of fizz and bowl of fraise than sitting in a sweaty office in London getting studio tan.
Zahir: What are your film recommendations of the festival? JW: THE ARTIST is a black and white film without dialogue which has been very well-received. Tilda Swinton made an interesting job of an American accent in Scottish director Lynne Ramsay’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. And mercifully we seem to have avoided the self-indulgent disaster of UNCLE BOONMEE… which was last year’s winner. Self-styled Scandanavian wild-child director Lars Von Trier managed to upset everyone by proclaiming himself a Nazi sympathiser when introducing his film MELANCHOLIA. When he was then told that the jury decided he was persona non grata in Cannes he said, “I’m quite proud of my ban”. Oh dear. And the Palm d”Or went to ... Terrance Malik’s THE TREE OF LIFE. An American film with a Hollywood cast including Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain, reversing the last few years’ sense that the USA was on a lock-out. So there was buzz about Brangelina being in town, but the best news is that after a few years of controversial choices with WHITE RIBBON being liked and not liked, and UNCLE BOONMEE making most people’s jaws drop, the big prize has gone to a widely-liked film, a reverse on some of the unlikely, even controversial choices of recent years.
29
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
Lens
Ellie Wallis explores the changing face of theatre in light of some modern masterpieces.
For many of us students, the idea of watching Captain Jack Sparrow swinging from the mast of his ship in 3D for a mere seven quid at your local cinema sounds far more tempting than paying an extortionate £40 for back-row seats in a West End theatre. Cinema has the power to wow, bringing narrative to life on an epic, fantastical scale. In contrast, theatre is often seen as a middle-class, middle-aged pastime, too expensive for the rest of us and lacking the escapist power of film. The traditional proscenium arch distances the audience from the action and the narrative favours a slowmoving, realistic pace in contrast to the highspeed car chases characteristic of Hollywood blockbusters. Or so I thought. It seems, however, that the medium of theatre is undergoing a transformation. Not only are we seeing a sudden influx of Hollywood stars flocking to the West End, but the London theatre scene has over the years become renowned worldwide for a growing experimentalism which draws on the fantastical nature of the big-screen. No longer is it only in the realm of film where anything is possible. The cynics amongst us may argue that Hollywood stars view the theatre as simply an opportunity to revive a fledgling career or combat the critics who portray them as nothing more than celebrity darlings who can’t act for toffee. Indeed, Sienna Miller’s recent foray into the theatre world in Terrence Rattigan’s “Flare Path” appeared to be little more than an opportunity for her to flounce her glossy hair and sigh daintily over her troubled love life as two men fought for her affections. Hardly taxing for her, I’m sure. But scepticism aside, the arrival of silver-screen cognoscenti such as Danny Boyle and Kevin Spacey to the West End has breathed new life into this more traditional medium. The West End is drawing in the big names from the world of cinema and whilst this encourages more young people to go to the theatre it has also led to a surprising, and successful, intertwining of styles.
30
Film
“The audience found itself perched atop a mountain one second and buried in the Scottish highlands the next, in a way that is usually only realised on the big-screen” Danny Boyle’s recent production of “Frankenstein” at the National Theatre in London is a perfect example of what happens when the two worlds collide. Best known for his expertise in the film industry, having directed and produced cinema classics such as Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting and 127 Hours, his relocation to the theatre world proved a resounding success with fans camping out from 4AM everyday to buy tickets. Boyle’s talent at portraying epic locations alongside naturalistic character studies was beautifully translated onto the stage. Through his use of special effects and ambitious set design the audience found themselves perched atop a mountain one second and buried deep in the Scottish highlands the next in a way that is usually only realised on the big-screen. Boyle proved that the intrinsically escapist, all-consuming nature of cinema could successfully be adapted to fit a smaller medium. In contrast, the recent stage production of “Children’s Hour” at London’s Comedy Theatre drew on cinema’s ability to create intimacy between the actor and the audience in order to illustrate the narrative’s central theme of entrapment. On the big-screen the director creates a connection between the characters and the audience through the “close-up”; the director becomes the eyes of the audience, controlling exactly what we see and when we see it. In theatre, they lose this ability and the whole stage is laid bare. However, the play’s two stars Knightley and Elizabeth Moss created detailed, naturalistic performances similar to what we would see on the big screen in order to draw in the audiences’ eye just like the lens of a camera can. As a result, the sense of betrayal and frustration which is so beautifully portrayed by the nuances of Hepburn’s performance is effortlessly translated onto stage by Knightley. Furthermore, not only are the styles of theatre and cinema combining, but theatre and cinema themselves have been combined to great effect. Kneehigh Theatre’s recent production of “Brief Encounter” was staged in Haymarket cinema and used snippets from the film as a backdrop to the action onstage, with the actors occasionally interacting with the videos. Similarly, the aforementioned “Flare Path” used film to show the war planes flying over head, vividly bringing to life the stage reality in a way that theatre rarely does. By incorporating film into stage productions, theatre is able to transport the viewer to far-flung locations in a way that previously only cinema could. As the things we love most about cinema gradually filter into the medium of theatre, the decision as to whether we’d rather spend our evening down the local Odeon or at the National surely becomes harder. Unfortunately there is one key aspect of cinema which has not yet proved influential within the theatre world: the price of tickets. For us penniless students, this is sadly a decisive factor. •
31
The Zahir
6.3
Summer 2011
The Beautiful Meme is a creative agency. We work with clients across the world, crafting ideas to help their brands get noticed. We offer month-long placements to brilliant students and graduates who want to learn about what we do. Email everyone@thebeautifulmeme.com. Be interesting. www.thebeautifulmeme.com
32