I realise it's a Friday and that's usually a Friday Five, but as it's the end of the year, I give you a double episode, so here are my ten favourite theatre productions that I have seen this year (in alphabetical order):
Amadeus - Sydney Opera House, Red Line Productions, and the Metropolitan Orchestra, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House: Let's face it, Michael Sheen is the draw-card here. Peter Shaffer's play is full of words and wit, interspersed with snatches of music and spectacle, and it requires a triumphant actor to bring the bombast and pathos in equal measure. As he looks back on the rumours concerning his part in the untimely death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Rahel Romain), Salieri (Sheen) interprets events with a satirical detachment and studied indifference, barely concealing his passionate envy and desperate ambition. It is a masterly performance, and his voice and presence command our attention. The costumes are sumptuous (Anna Cordingley and Romance Was Born) with the rich fabrics, sensational colours and flamboyant designs appearing particularly striking on the austere set (designed by Michael Scott-Mitchell), illuminated by Nick Schlieper's lighting design - heavy on the back-lit scenes - which creates intriguing shapes, silhouettes and shadows. Besides the brilliant pairing of Romain and Sheen, other stand-out performances come from Toby Schmitz as an endearingly foppish Emperor Joseph II, Belinda Giblin and Josh Quong Tart as the frenetic Venticelli who buzz about the stage transporting news and gossip, and the musicians of the Metropolitan Orchestra who supply Mozart's sublime music which, despite Salieri's best (and indeed, worst) efforts, we all know and love.
The Children - Chaika Theatre, ACT Hub: When people you genuinely like, respect and admire play characters so despicable you have a visceral reaction and want to punch them,… that’s great acting. Michael Sparks, Karen Vickery and Lainie Hart give superb performances in this potentially bleak futuristic drama set in a post-nuclear where you can't work to save your life. But you can save that of others. The pathos and frustration leads to boiling questions about definitions of selfishness. Into this sterile landscape, directors Tony Knight and Sophie Benassi introduce subtle touches of natural processes, and the chopping of a cucumber has never before been such a statement. ‘You don’t even know it, but right there, in that moment, you’ve lost, you’ve lowered your defences and the enemy’s got in, hasn’t it?’
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] - Canberra Repertory Society, Theatre 3: Highly entertaining and very well-delivered with confident performances by Alex McPherson, Callum Doherty and Ryan Street. It is a challenge for the three actors to 'perform' all of Shakespeare's plays (and the sonnets) with mild audience interaction and character development, and the trio rise to meet it with aplomb. Kayla Ciceran's set nods to previous productions on this stage, which reflects the self-referential tone of the piece, and the lighting (Stephen Still) highlights all the right areas at all the right times. It flags slightly when one actor is left alone on stage by themself, but soon picks up the pace again in the second act to address Hamlet with requisite humour and the encores and reprises (including the esirper) do not outstay their welcome.
Good Works - Lexi Sekuless Productions, Mill Theatre: Director Julian Meyrick brings an intriguing touch to this potentially complicated drama. As the timelines and characters mingle and merge, the actors (Adele Querol, Helen McFarlane, Lexi Sekuless, Martin Everett, Neil Pigot, Oliver Bailey) work as a tight ensemble to highlight the claustrophobic atmosphere and mores of a post-war small-town environment. Some scenes are deeply disturbing as fear and hatred erupt in violence - subjects include corporal punishment, unmarried mothers and same-sex relationships - while moments of compassion and understanding are treated with respect and touching empathy. The versatile set (Kathleen Kershaw) is deceptively simple and the lighting (Jennifer Wright) and sound (Damian Ashcroft) are strikingly effective in this intimate space.
Hay Fever - ACT Hub, ACT Hub: Gender-swapping Noel Coward may seem obvious. It could, however, very easily not work in this quintessential play of English manners, in which members of the Bliss family each invite s guest to their country house for the weekend ('on a clear day you can see Marlow' - my favourite line, obviously) only to treat them appallingly. The fact that it is still so charmingly awful (in all the best ways) is due in part to Joel Horwood's tight direction and set (full use of the stage to represent the ramshackle elements of a country house while inviting an awkward interaction with the audience). The rest is down to the obvious glee with which the actors portrayed their roles with strong physical and vocal performance techniques, led by the outstanding Andrea Close as Judith Bliss in a turn of pure comic genius.
The Bliss Family in Hay Fever
Julia - Canberra Theatre Centre & Sydney Theatre Company, The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre: Apparently the Canberra Theatre Centre had to fight to get this premiere by Joanna Murray-Smith, and their efforts are well rewarded. Justine Clarke plays Julia Gillard in an almost one-woman play as she revisits scenes from her personal life and political career. It's not an impression so much as an embodiment, hitting the highs (successfully passing 561 bills through parliament) and lows (the oppositional slurs and sexism) with strength and perfect emphasis. Aided by well-chosen projections, director, Sarah Goodes teases out all the subtlety behind the speeches and the meaning behind the memorable moments. Of course it all leads up to that anti-misogyny speech which brings this house to its feet with justified applause.
King Lear - Echo Theatre, The Q: Echo Theatre's King Lear is a stark interpretation of one of Shakespeare's most challenging plays with some bold and visionary directorial choices (Joel Horwood). With the startlingly dramatic soundscape (Neville Pye) and the bleak setting (Kathleen Kershaw), this production places us truly in the Wasteland. Karen Vickery assumes the fragile balance of performative arrogance and ultimate insecurity of the titular character with a wealth of strength and experience. The supporting cast sell their stories through clarity and costume (Helen Wojtas), with the subplot of Gloucester's (Michael Sparks) literal and metaphorical blindness to the intentions of his sons, Edmund (Lewis McDonald) and Edgar (Josh Wiseman) clearly mirroring Lear's oblivion. As an added bonus, the Dover cliff scene makes more sense than in any performance I have previously seen.
Ukulele Man - Canberra Cabaret Festival, ACT Hub: Marcel Cole brings this cabaret act to Canberra on the back of award-winning performances on the festival circuit. Directed by Mirjana Ristevski, he plays the part of 1930s/40s English entertainer, George Formby, accompanied by his ukulele and his mother Katie Cole, who plays his mother, wife and any other characters and musicians as required. With equal amounts of humour, pathos, wistful yearning and practical acceptance, not to mention expert timing and endearing renditions of Formby favourites (When I'm Cleaning Windows, Leaning on a Lamp Post, With My Little Ukulele in My Hand), the performance is fully deserving of the standing ovation it received. Turned out nice again.
The Visitors - Canberra Theatre Centre, Sydney Theatre Company & Moogahlin Performing Arts, The Playhouse: Jane Harrison reimagines the crucial moment when local elders meet on 26 January 1788 to decide what to do about the fleet of ships that appears to be arriving in the harbour. Do they welcome the visitors as is their custom, or do they ask them to move on. And what happens if they stay? A solid ensemble of talented actors present their arguments on a sandstone rock stage as if in one of those endlessly tedious work meetings where hierarchical structures bubble beneath the surface, personal resentments are barely concealed, and nothing actually gets decided. Costuming is a mix of modern business suits and indigenous apparel, sounds are the calls of the forests, and the light is bright to the point of glaring. As a political satire, there are moments of brow-beating didacticism (it is exactly the sort of theatre we will be told 'everyone should see'), but it is mainly humorous and thoughtful provoking discussion and consideration - and isn't that part of the purpose of theatre?
You Can't Tell Anyone - Canberra Youth Theatre, Courtyard Studio: Written by Joanna Richards, this is a really interesting and original play with a opportunities for a varied cast to display their talents. Director Caitlin Baker employs a range of technical choices to create atmosphere and tension. The young cast deliver the smart and realistic dialogue to provide humour and immediacy as they gather at school graduation to consider future options. Deciding to play a party game, Paranoia (it would make a much better title, incidentally), in which the participants must provide answers to questions revealing what others truly think of them, a supernatural element creeps in making them all even more uncomfortable. The feeling of being between two worlds (as a metaphor for the threshold of adulthood) is made almost palpable through effective set (Kathleen Kershaw), atmospheric sound (Patrick Haesler) and lighting design (Ethan Hamill).
Quichotte by Salman Rushdie - Shortlisted for the 2019, Quichotte, is a breathtakingly sophisticated novel of postmodern genius, featuring a picaresque style and a desperately ordinary protagonist. Sam DuChamp is an Indian-born writer living in America, who has written a number of unsuccessful spy thrillers. Hoping to write a book "radically unlike any other he had ever attempted", he creates the character of Ismail Smile, a travelling pharmaceutical salesman. Having worked for unscrupulous companies and suffered a stroke in old age, Smile begins obsessively watching reality television and becomes infatuated with 'celebrity' and former Bollywood star, Salma R. Despite having never met her, Smile sends her love letters under the pen name of Quichotte and begins a quest for her across America with his imaginary son, Sancho. It is a spectacular piece of literary satire, which confounds simple synopses, as it is impossible to separate what is 'real' and what is not. That is clearly no accident in this post-truth society in which we find ourselves.
The Opal Desert by Di Morrisey - Di Morrissey sets place extremely well. In her
dozens of novels, the scenery and landscape are immediate and infinitely better
drawn than her characters or plotlines. The
Opal Desert is, unsurprisingly, set in Lightning Ridge, Broken Hill, Opal
Lake, and White Cliffs, where most people are exceptionally friendly and we
learn about the precious stones and the community who mine them. The three
women around whom Morrissey tells her tale, Kerrie, Shirley and Anna, are all
fairly predictable stereotypes who overcome their personal obstacles in
life-affirming ways, which may not be realistic, but are heart-warming. Many people head to the opal fields for a change
of pace, which is admirable. One character states, “We all need time out, as
they say, on occasion. But that’s all it should be, a space between decisions.
It becomes very easy to drift. You see it happen out here and before you know
it, you’ve lost a great chunk of your productive life.” This begs the question,
why must you be productive; what is the definition of produce – is it
capitalist growth, and is that why Indigenous culture is ignored because it doesn’t
visibly contribute to the GDP? What is wrong with “drifting”? Perhaps it has to
do with the nature of Morrissey’s storytelling, in which all is tied up neatly
at the end. It seems easy to get to be a curator, train for world athletic
events or have an exhibition of paintings. Other character’s mysterious
circumstances are cleared up in a page or two and everyone gets closure. This
makes the people instantly forgettable (so much for recording their stories)
but the landscape lingers in the mind.
Bewilderment by Richard Powers - Shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize, Bewilderment is a deeply moving and powerful novel, set in the near future. It concerns the degradation of the planet in tandem with a father's love for his neuro-divergent son. In an interview for the Booker Prize, Powers said, "It is, in part, a novel about the anxiety of family life on a damaged planet, and for that, I'm indebted to writers as varied as Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Evan Dara, Don Delillo, and Lauren Groff." It is a rich novel full of connections as, grieving for the loss of the wife and mother, the two embark on a camping trip in the wilderness to heal through nature. When they return to the 'real' world of work and school - competition, conformity and bullying - they are introduced to AI technology which can help connect to memories of others and suggest life in parallel universes. Some reviewers have considered it didactic and claustrophobic. Perhaps this is intentional as, if we continue to ignore the environmental portents, are we endangering our own species as the world closes in on us?
Shit, Actually by Lindy West - Lindy West is a New
York Times opinion writer and best-selling author who used to be the
in-house movie critic for Seattle’s alternative newsweekly The Stranger – with a genuine adoration for nostalgic trash. In this humorous feminist revisionism re-evaluation of
cult and classic films (re-watched during lock-down), she ranks all films against The Fugitive, which she thinks is
the perfect film – Love Actually is
the worst (why don’t any of the women actually talk?). Featuring rants, all-capital letters and italics, slang, swearing, and erratic punctuation, it reads like a teenager’s texts, complete with hashtags and initialisms such
as YOLO and BTW. Other than Love Actually and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone here), all the films are American blockbusters. As West writes, “I’m sorry but if there’s a British guy in a
suit who talks in the first five minutes of your movie, he’s the villain! If
it’s Tom Wilkinson, you’re fucked.”
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - I have read this for not one but two book clubs, for which it is the perfect fare. Although a brilliant chemist, Elizabeth Zott is not taken seriously because she is a woman in the 1950s and, “When it came to equality, 1952 was a real
disappointment.” Because she is beautiful and intelligent, the only thing the men can think of to do with her is either mock her when she spurns their sexual advances, or suggest she present a cookery show. In scenes familiar from Julia Childs' biographies, Elizabeth teaches women about self-worth as much as cooking. She focusses on the chemical aspects of cooking as she continues to refute social norms and expectations. There are some tough, hard-hitting moments, but it feels overall uplifting, and the bright primary colour scheme of the mid-century domestic sphere will look enchanting on the small screen in the inevitable TV adaptation. As she defends the importance and influence of women, Elizabeth points out, "Chemistry is inseparable from life – by its very
definition, chemistry is life. But like your pie, life requires a strong
base. In your home, you are that base. It is an enormous responsibility, the
most undervalued job in the world that, nonetheless, holds everything
together.”
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz - Mostly what we have of Sappho’s work is of
fragments of writing, and this novel emulates that style with short vignettes
that feel like excerpts of longer works, all relating to great female creative
artists; their work, loves and lives. They work together even if they have
never met in a style of sisterhood. It includes snippets of laws passed against women and miniature biographies, which lead to further exploration. Men have been cut from the stories, as women have historically been, and their absence is no great loss, as they have dominated the narrative for too long. As the author writes, “What
was a man’s life but the inalienable right to verbs of action? What might Vita
[Sackville-West] have become, given the transitive and a pair of sturdy boots?”
Helen West is a prosecutor in
domestic violence cases, and this is her fifth outing in novels by Frances
Fyfield, although that is not obviously apparent from this edition. The fast-paced
and bleak thriller is set in the world of back-street boozers, wife abusers, ex-boxers,
and knock-off perfume. The crime is both petty and serious, as passion erupts
into fights over office romance and much darker offences. The characters are
criminals, cleaners, bar staff, ex-army personnel, lawyers, policemen and
caseworkers.
The writing style
is almost breathless, and grammar seems optional as the prose gathers pace
along with the narrative. The author constantly switches point of view so it
appears to be third-person omniscient but we are always in the mind of the subject,
blurring the lines between reality and perception. Helen’s friend Emily employs
Cath as a cleaner; Cath’s brother Damien is the murder victim of a case
investigated by Bailey, Helen’s partner; Damien was killed after a night at the
pub where Joe, Cath’s abusive husband works. There are no easy answers or
definitive source of truth; law and justice are explicitly not the same thing.
Everyone lies to a certain extent,
and no one tells the whole truth to anyone, even themselves. “We are all at
cross purposes, he thought, every one of us a little mad, each of us with a
piece of puzzle in our hands, while the truth floats up there like that big,
black raincloud.” In an attempt to feel better about one’s self-image,
characters believe their own narrative and don’t examine their motives too
closely. Helen is obsessed with home decorating, Cath smells of bleach, Emily dismisses
Cath for suspected theft of perfume – the interior renovation metaphor alludes
to the patina of gloss that covers cracks but doesn’t mend them. Perfume serves
a similar masking purpose. “What a terrible gift was perfume, always given by a
man to make you wear it and please him, while you stank of blackmail.”
Written
in 1994, the novel has an end-of-the-century feminism feel as the author
questions women’s roles and their need to validate themselves in society. Helen
claims to be determinedly independent and happily childfree. “I’d hate to be a megalomaniac
wife and mother. Mothers run a closed book. They shut the world out, close off anything
inconvenient, as if being mum in charge of a family is so self-satisfying, so
sanctifying, they never need have a conscience about anything else.” And yet,
she is yearning for something intangible. “It was useless pretending she was
not influenced by what she saw and read; she was not immune to the contagion of
the romantic or the desire for security purveyed by mothers and magazines…but
she did not quite know how to not want it either, or how to close her ears to
the blandishments of marriage propaganda.”
Although
short and sharp, this is an oppressive novel in which women are struggling to
stand alone without being defined by men – partners; bosses; social constructs.
There is a menacing tone and a fear that they will never be enough – but by
whose standards? It reminds me of that playground 'joke', Q: Why do women wear make-up and perfume? A: Because they're ugly and they smell. They are not and they do not, but our patriarchal capitalist society has a vested interest in making them think thus.
I haven't done this for a while, which means there is a whole lot to catch up on. So without further ado...
Five TV Shows I've Watched Since the Last Time I Did This, in Alphabetical Order:
Death in Paradise (ABC iView, BINGE, Foxtel) - I love this utterly preposterous series. It is total comfort TV, of the 'cosy murders' trope, and I, along with many others I'm sure, binge-watched it through COVID lockdowns. There are limited characters on a small Caribbean island and a murder an episode (there are twelve seasons, with another two in the works) doesn't stop the visitors piling in. Mind you, as an actor, it would be hard to say no to a two-week stint in a tropical paradise. In a Calypso-Christie homage the half dozen or so suspects are rounded up at the end of each episode where the seemingly impossible crime is explained and the perpetrator is led away with a shake of the head and a sorrowful expression. And it all begins again next week. The detectives change every few seasons - we started with Ben Miller in 2011, through Kris Marshall (2014-2017), Ardal O'Hanlon (2017-2020) and latest incumbent Ralph Little (2020-current) - as do their sergeants and other officers. The two characters who have remained throughout are the bar/ restaurant owner Catherine Bordey, played by Elizabeth Bourgine, and the highlight of the show, Police Commissioner Selwyn Patterson played by the inimitable Don Warrington. There's also a CGI lizard called Harry, who has his own fan-following. Yes, it's that kind of show.
Fisk, Season Two (ABC iView, Netflix) - This has more of the same gloriously understated humour that was so enjoyable in the first season. Kitty Flanagan continues to write, direct and star as the not-quite-so-flash lawyer, dealing with obnoxious workmates and an overbearing father, This time round guest cameos come from Denise Scott, Harley Breen, Stephen Curry, Geraldine Hickey, Glenn Robins, Anne Edmonds, Rob Sitch, and Colin Lane, amongst others. Entertaining half-hour-long episodes make for perfect mid-evening viewing.
The Good Fight, Season 6 (SBS VICELAND, SBS On Demand, Stan, Paramount +) - If you want proof that the U.S. can do sharp, surreal, political, satire, look no further than The Good Fight. The final season sees the lawyers of Reddick & Associates trying and failing to ignore the collapse of their society, where white supremacists gather around the building, bombs are intermittently exploded, and Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) undergoes therapy with the bloke from Madman (John Slattery). She is prescribed a mild hallucinogen which helps her to see the funny side of barely futuristic news headlines in an only slightly altered reality. There are in-house leadership struggles, snappy suits and even-snappier spectacles, power plays and explorations of moral values which border on Boston Legal territory but without the obvious schmaltz. Charmaine Bingwa as Carmen Moyo is a great replacement for the much-missed Cush Jumbo as the up-and-coming focus character, while Marissa (Sarah Steele) and Jay (Nyambi Nyambi) continue their eye-on-the-ball down-with-the-kids schtick.
Mare of Easttown(HBO; Foxtel) - Kate Winslet won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Leading Actress as Mare Sheehan in a fine example of the 'going over there and taking their jobs' phenomenon as she plays a detective investigating a murder in a small town outside Philadelphia. She vapes, fights with her 'mom' and struggles to raise her daughter while doing her job with as much integrity as she can muster. The series won critical acclaim for its honest portrayal of women desperately trying to balance work and care duties. While failing to live up to societal standards of a good wife, mother, daughter and employee, she actually excels at all of the above to all who matter, and winds up exhausted and under-recognised. Despite multiple awards (Hollywood Critics Association; Primetime Emmy; Golden Globes: Critics Choice; Screen Actors' Guild; Writers' Guild) and box-office smashes (highest viewership for a linear series and one of only two series to see consecutive growth week-to-week for HBO), it still hasn't been commissioned for a second series. Maybe the predominantly male executive producers are still not ready to see women be real women.
This is Going to Hurt (BBC & AMC) - In this stellar adaptation of Adam Kay's best-selling breakthrough memoir, Ben Wishaw and Ambika Mod epitomise the highs and lows of the medical profession, presenting their stories with comedic and dramatic tones. As junior doctors on an obstetrics and gynaecology ward in a National Health Service hospital, they work through the ranks of hospital hierarchy, breaking the fourth wall and addressing viewers directly with dialogue. Apparently you can save people's lives, have babies named after you, provide an exceptionally high level of care in agonisingly difficult circumstances, and be reviled, underpaid, underappreciated and criminalised at the same time. And sleep-deprived. Don't ever forget sleep-deprived. While I don't understand why anyone would undertake the ludicrously difficult position of Junior Doctor, I am forever grateful that there are people who do. And Nigel Lockhart, the Chief Consultant (played with scene-stealing panache by Alex Jennings) is an absolute c*nt.
English
gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet and journalist, Alan Titchmarsh, has
written a novel. Sticking to the advice of ‘write what you know’, he has set it
in the glamorous world of TV gardening shows, and the stereotypical gender roles
of the 1980s. Apparently
gardeners are sexy these days and a valued staple of any TV station’s talent.
From the lights of the studio to the marquees of the Chelsea Flower Show, it’s
full of bitchy gay presenters, man-eating female news reporters and division of
women into the categories of young, attractive and nubile or old, fat and ugly.
There are plenty of adjectives, and a couple of jokes, but none of them are
original. According to a quote on the jacket, Jilly Cooper found it ‘absolutely
charming... made me understand a lot more about men.’ I sincerely hope not.
Rob MacGregor becomes TV’s latest
sex symbol, which alienates quite a few people, including the expert he
replaces and his girlfriend, an investigative journalist. We don’t learn a lot
about her. Women are invariably described by their appearance and how it fits
the male gaze. “Miss
Menopause. No one’s ever seen her legs. Greenhouse expert at that difficult
time of life.” “Hair the colour of marmalade and the face of a Welsh cob.” “Monstrous
limbs he gazed upon now, which made the Michelin man look anorexic.” The socially-acceptable
attractive women don’t fare any better, and pretending to be writing from the
character’s point of view does not excuse the crude and leering sexism, not
least because we learn way more about a character’s appearance than their
actual character. “The neatly tailored matching jacket was open wide enough for
Frank’s all-invading eyes to notice that underneath her ribbed turtle-necked
sweater was a perfect pair of breasts.”
Class
distinctions are also broad and satirised at the most basic level. Roofing contractors
obviously have “an East London accent, with more than a hint of the cowboy
about it”. The cheerful cleaning lady drops her aitches as she muddles her
metaphors. The speech of these characters is rendered phonetically, while all other
accents are unremarked upon.
Everything
is as expected and the plot is totally predictable. Reviewers on Goodreads have
described it as a light and comfortable holiday book in which very little
happens. Add twee and sexist to the description and that just about sums it up.
At Dinner - ACT Hub Development Initiative, ACT Hub: In this new piece of writing by Rebecca Duke, we witness a date between two diners (Thea Jade and Timothy Cusack) and their interaction with the third actor (Nakiya Xyrakis), a server in the restaurant. The audience, served by the waiter and given a program in the form of a menu, are included as patrons into the proceedings. Director, Holly Johnson allows the words to do most of the action, in a simple setting where the actors barely move from their seated position. It is a credit to all involved that this retains audience interest despite the static set-up.
White Rabbit, Red Rabbit - Aurora Nova and Lexi Sekuless Productions, Mill Theatre: The main stipulation for this play, written by Nassim Soleimanpour, is that the performer has never seen it before. It has no director and no rehearsal period. When the actor enters the space, the script is on a chair in a sealed envelope. They must open this envelope and read the contents, including all the stage directions, aloud to the audience. They must carry out the instructions as an actor but also as a human being - even if those instructions may cause themselves risk or potential harm. The audience is forced to be complicit in this dramatic manipulation. It also works better if the audience has not seen it before so is literally on the same page as the actor as they experience the twists and turns of the script. I admit I have seen it before (it was staged at The Street in 2014), where I had such a visceral negative reaction to the piece, I wanted to walk out of the theatre. This time around, I had no such response. The shock value was absent and without that, no matter how good PJ Williams is (and he is certainly engaging and guides the audience through the content like a kindly shepherd), it lacks the necessary punch and just seems mean-spirited.
Julia - Sydney Theatre Company and Canberra Theatre Centre, The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre: Apparently the Canberra Theatre Centre had to fight to get this premiere by Joanna Murray-Smith, and their efforts are well rewarded. Justine Clarke plays Julia Gillard in an almost one-woman play as she revisits scenes from her personal life and political career. It's not an impression so much as an embodiment, hitting the highs (successfully passing 561 bills through parliament) and lows (the oppositional slurs and sexism) with strength and perfect emphasis. Aided by well-chosen projections, director, Sarah Goodes teases out all the subtlety behind the speeches and the meaning behind the memorable moments. Of course it all leads up to that anti-misogyny speech which brings this house to its feet with justified applause.
Holding the Man - Everyman Theatre, ACT Hub: This is a touching play dealing with coming-of-age, coming out, and the effect the AIDS pandemic had on the gay community in the 1980s. First produced in 2006 based on a memoir published in 1995, it is entirely of its time, and exactly the worthy drama one would expect Jarrad West to direct for Everyman Theatre. There are a few issues with sight lines, the staging is basic and there are moments that drag (the masturbation scene was obviously more fun in rehearsal, and the mockery of the NIDA students dips into one-note caricature), but the central couple played by Joel Horwood (Tim Conigrave) and Lewis McDonald (John Caleo) are outstanding and push all the right buttons of awkwardness, arrogance and anguish. The supporting cast (Amy Kowalzcuk, Joe Dinn, Grayson Woodham, Tracy Noble) are kept very busy playing multiple roles with effective delineation that bring out all the requisite emotion and leaves the audience in no doubt that they have seen something beautiful unfold before them.
The Thing That's Missing - Perform Australia, Mill Theatre: Written by Elizabeth Avery Scott and directed by her partner, James Scott, this play features the advanced Diploma of Performance students from their acting school, Perform Australia. The four young people (Annie Nogaliza, Bronte Thomson, Mikkie Martinez, and Isaac Travers) have had something taken away from them, which ranges from the minor insignificance to the crucial piece of their humane puzzle. Each of the four actors tells their story before clearing the stage for the next vignette, until they end up together in their flat-share situation to offer companionship to each other and support their loss. There are moments of humour and some sharp dialogue to offset the well-meaning but overly earnest content.
Waking
up after a car accident with amnesia, Frank starts to piece together his memories
only to recall that he doesn’t like his job, his wife (Alice), his brother
(Oscar) or even himself very much. As a business lawyer who specialises in
terms and conditions, he reminds us with wry humour that it’s always important
to check the fine print in this enjoyable novel celebrating decency and
standing up to the man.
The framework
(chapters and their content) is written in the style of a legal contract, with
plenty of footnotes to convey the difference between what the narrator voices
and his private thoughts. For example, the final chapter has a subclause, “The
terms and conditions of endings: More often than not, they’re badly disguised
beginnings.” The novel is fast-paced, funny and engaging; the exact opposite of
contractual terms and conditions.
Frank recalls the
beginning of his relationship with Alice. He was a straight-A student at
university who loved taking tests because they “made me feel as if I was
accomplishing things”, whereas she was a free spirit; daring, compulsive and everything
he thought he wasn’t. Frank takes tests
that Alice sets for him – sample tests which she puts into a book making him
seem like a loser. The book is called Executive
X and is a psychometric book about how to hire the right person for the
job, by proving who the wrong person for the job is: Frank. “It was in that period of the late nineties, before
the crash, when there was money everywhere. A time when no one was sure why it
was working or who was responsible – until, that is, management consultants
were credited with the world’s runaway success.”
When Frank notices
how far he and Lisa have drifted apart and how much she is humiliating him, he believes
he may be partially to blame. Guilt has power and is a force that “will hold
together the most opposing forces of the universe”, such as him and his wife. When
he considers his options, one of them is revenge killing, “But I’m British. So
shooting people wasn’t an option. I wouldn’t know where to get a gun if my life
depended on it. As for allowing my rage to trigger a crime passionnel, well, let’s be honest, that’s far too hot and
European for my cold Anglo blood.”
Frank is
depressed and feels lonely, but he does have some people on his side – a wonderful
older woman called Molly, his younger brother, Malcolm, who sends cryptic messages
from wherever he happens to be, and an old colleague and friend of his father’s,
Doug. Fittingly, Frank is saved by the prenuptial agreement his father insisted
that he and Alice sign. He isn’t necessarily happy at the end of the novel, but
he is vindicated as he is rescued by the terms and conditions that he creates
and, over time, ingeniously adds to contracts, knowing that no one reads them
but that they are legally binding.
This
is a fun and fast-paced novel which doesn’t take itself too seriously, and has
a satisfying ending for the likeable characters, and a suitable come-uppance
for the others.
Before we went to Barcelona, we read our Lonely Planet guide thoroughly, and were particularly taken with this nugget;
"Having become a favourite of Barcelona's working class in the run-up to the civil war, vermouth then fell out of favour (though certainly didn't disappear), but has experienced a dazzling revival over the last decade. New vermouth bars are opening all over town; historical vermouth joints are more popular than ever; and creative artisan varieties are on the up. Join the barcelonins for la hora del vermut (the hour of vermouth), typically around noon."
So it seemed appropriate to have our very first vermouth in Barcelona at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, after having seen a spectacular amount of local art. Based on red or white wine, vermouth is infused with botanicals and fortified with brandy. It is thought to have arrived in Catalonia in the mid-19th century.
Bar Calders is described as "unbeatable as an all-day cafe, tapas, wine and vermouth bar; the outdoor tables are the go-to meeting point for Saint Antoni's boho set." We are also reliably informed that "vermouth is always accompanied by snacks such as tapas of croquettes, anchovies, patates braves or even crisps". Or, as it happens, this cheesy number.
At Port Vell we sat on the verandah at Sagardi on Pier 1, watching the super yachts and for a few seconds seating in prime real estate imagining we could hitch a ride on one of them. This was a very swanky restaurant and I don't think we were welcome to sit inside as we were wearing shorts and t-shirts but I reckon Him Outdoors looked the part in his holiday hat. The guide book informs us that "perfect vermouth is usually served over ice and with an olive or two, and sometimes, a slice of orange". (Or, in this case, lemon.)
My favourite piece of vermouth lore is that "the hour of vermouth is as much about the intimate social scene as the drink itself". Nowhere was more intimate than this gorgeous wee bar, La Vermuteria del Tano, where the barkeep chatted to her friend, who translated for us, there were trays of olives and the vermouth was kept in a safe.
On a recent trip to Sydney, we went to the World Press Photo Exhibition 2023 at the State Library of New South Wales. The annual exhibition presents the results of the 2023 World Press Photo Contest - the best and most important photojournalism and documentary photography of the last year. The winners were chosen by an independent jury that reviewed more than 60,448 photographs entered by 3,752 photographers.
We all know that bad news sells - few people want to read good news stories - and so it is with the photos in this exhibition. There are harrowing images of war, floods, drought, poverty, incarceration, and ecological disasters, leading to a warning such as the one above, and the one below: the photo of the year.
Mariupol Maternity Hospital Airstrike by Evgeniy Malolekta
Iryna Kalinina (32), an injured pregnant woman, is carried from a maternity hospital that was damaged during a Russian airstrike in Mariupol, Ukraine, on 9 March 2022. Her baby, named Miron (after the word for 'peace') was stillborn, and half an hour later Iryna died as well. An OSCE report concluded the hospital was deliberately targeted by Russia, resulting in three deaths and some 17 injuries. The jury felt the photo depicted an attack on the future of Ukraine. Evgeniy Maloletka photographed the image on assignment for Associated Press.
The port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov was the first city struck when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Civilians were hit hard.
The strategically important port is one of the largest Russian-0speaking cities in Ukraine, a major industrial hub, and vital for the country's steel exports. The territory was also of symbolic value to invading forces as it represented a large step towards building a land bridge between the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and Crimea, which Russia had illegally annexed in 2014.
Images from The Siege of Mariupol by Evgeniy Maloletka
Top: 06 March 2022 - Zhanna Goma (right) and her neighbours settle in a bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine.
Middle left: 11 March 2022 - Serhiy Kralya, a civilian injured during shelling by Russian forces, rests after surgery at a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine.
Middle right: 11 March 2022 - Russian army tanks move through a street on the outskirts of Mariupol. The Z marking is one of several symbols painted on Russian military vehicles in the early stages of the invasion.
Bottom left: 04 March 2022 - Marina Yatsko and her boyfriend Olesksandr Kulahin bring her 18-moth son Kirill, fatally wounded during shelling, to a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine.
Bottom right: 09 March 2022 - People place dead bodies in a mass grave in an old cemetery in Mariupol. According to the BBC, on some days during periods of heavy Russian shelling, up to 150 people a day were buried in mass graves.
By early March, Russian forces had completely surrounded the city, restricting water, power and food supplies. Some 200,000 citizens were trapped in Mariupol, as attempts to evacuate them failed. Russian bombardment devastated the city, and included civilian targets such as a maternity hospital and a theatre where people were sheltering. Evgeniy Maloletka, who is Ukrainian, was one of very few photographers documenting events in Mariupol at that time.
Image from The Siege of Mariupol by Evgeniy Malolekta
On 21 April, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian forces had taken Mariupol, but the city council said that 1,000 civilians alongside thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were holding out in the giant Azovstal steelworks. By 20 May, the soldiers defending the steelworks had surrendered, and the UN and Red Cross were able to evacuate the citizens. The UN Human Rights Office confirmed 1,348 civilian deaths during the siege of Mariupol, stating that the actual death toll was likely thousands higher: Ukraine says that figure is more than 25,000.
At the time of this exhibition in April 2023, Mariupol remained under Russian occupation. Russia has begun rebuilding the city and scrubbing it of its Ukrainian identity by renaming streets and changing school curriculums.
The exhibition includes a short history of World Press Photo: since 1955, World Press Photo has connected the world to the stories that matter. The non-profit organisation remains committed to press freedom and the power of visual journalism by providing platforms that present accurate, diverse, and trustworthy images.
1955 - A group of Dutch photographers organizes the first World Press Photo contest to introduce their work to a global audience
1967 -Although black-and-white pictures still dominate the submissions, and chromogenic printing remains expensive, the jury awards World Press Photo of the Year to a colour photograph for the first time
1972 - The annual exhibition featuring current winners of the World Press Photo contest begins to tour outside the Netherlands. Since then, the exhibition has travelled to 129 countries
1977 - Francoise Demulder becomes the first woman whose work is awarded World Press Photo of the Year
1990 Charlie Cole's photograph of a demonstrator in front of tanks in Tiananmen Square becomes a symbol of peaceful resistance. To this day, this picture remains banned in China
Tank Man, Tiananmen Square by Charlie Cole
2002 - Fourteen years after creation of the JPEG, digital entries surpass analogue entries for the first time in the history of the contest
2019 - John Moore's photograph of a child from Honduras at the US border, which wins World Press Photo of the Year, leads to the repeal of the 'Zero Tolerance' policy that permitted separating immigrant parents from their children when apprehended
2021- To better represent a plurality of perspectives and global voices, World Press Photo introduces a new regional strategy, changing the set-up of the annual contest, the categories, and the judging
2022 World Press Photo of the Year by Amber Bracken
2022 - With her photograph of a roadside memorial commemorating the deaths of indigenous children who attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada, Amber Bracken becomes the first person to win World Press Photo of the Year without depicting a human figure
Woman, Life, Freedom
This photo-based video project narrates one chaotic night in the life of an Iranian nurse as she saves the life of a young protestor called Reza. The footage offers a rare glimpse into the dangers faced by protestors on the streets of Iran today, situated in the context of an inciting incident: on 16 September 2022, Mahsa 'Jina' Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died after she was arrested by the Islamic Republic's morality police for allegedly violation the country's strict rules restricting the dress and conduct of women. The ensuing protests quickly intensified, spreading across the country. The Islamic Republic responded by disrupting internet access and violently repressing uprisings. Because hospitals are controlled by the regime, anyone injured in the protests risks arrest and further abuse upon seeking medical attention.
Iranian photographer Hossein Fatemi encountered the nurse in the video while providing support to local Iranian photographers covering the protests. Images and video for this project were captured by local photojournalists, the nurse herself, and a photographer on assignment to cover her story. Journalists and photographers attempting to report on the protests face reprisals from the Iranian regime, ranging from intimidation to arrest and violent abuse. Due to these efforts, it is difficult to know what is really happening inside the country. Many of the photographers who captured the images seen here will remain anonymous for security reasons.
Images from The Price of Peace in Afghanistan by Mads Nissen
These two images are from a collection that won World Press Photo Story of the Year, which captures the daily life of people living across Afghanistan in 2022. The top image shows Khalil Ahmad (15), whose parents, unable to afford food for the family, decided to sell his kidney for US$3,500. After the operation, Khalil suffers chronic pain and no longer has the strength for football and cricket. The lack of jobs and the threat of starvation has led to a dramatic increase in the illegal organ trade.
The bottom image shows women and children begging for bread outside a bakery in central Kabul, Afghanistan. Bread is a staple in Afghanistan, but soaring prices have forced more and more people to rely entirely on the compassion of others.
In August 2021, the withdrawal of US and allied forces from Afghanistan marked the end of a 20-year long attempt at nation-building. Taliban forces, having sustained an insurgency across the country, returned to power shortly after the collapse of the Afghan state. Consequently, all international aid, which in 2019 accounted for an estimated 80 percent of the country's expenditures, was halted, and 7 to 9 billion dollars of assets belonging to the Afghan state were frozen. Without these two sources of government income, the already fragile Afghan economy effectively collapsed.
National gross domestic product of Afghanistan dropped to around 25 percent of its peak in early 2021. Estimates for 2022 suggest that 97 percent of the population lives below the poverty line and 95 percent of people do not have enough to eat. Nine million people are at risk of famine and, according to the UN, over a million children are severely malnourished. COVID-19, intense droughts, and the inability of aid organisations to bring relief to those in need have all exacerbated the crisis, which is only expected to worsen in 2023.
The Nomad's Final Journey by Jonathan Fontaine
This highly-commended image shows Samira (16) looking out onto Qolodo camp near Gode in the Somali Region, Ethiopia, on 16 May 2022. Her family owned 45 goats and 10 camels, all of which died during recent droughts.
Nomadic peoples of Ethiopia and Somalia depend on their livestock, migrating across their territory to pasture their animals. In recent years water scarcity has threatened these livestock. Exacerbated by the climate crisis, droughts have devastated the region which, according to the World Food Program, now endanger the food security of over 26 million people. With many families forced to seek aid in climate refugee camps, social structures are weakening, precipitating violence against women and a host of mental health crises.
As droughts persist annually, women, who are often responsible for finding water, bear an enormous share of the physical and mental toll exacted by the ongoing crisis.
The text in the image above reads: This map, generated by RSF (Reporters Sans Frontiers) represents the current state of press freedom in 180 countries and territories. To arrive at the results compiled and visualised here RSF conducted extensive research during the past calendar year. In addition to distributing questionnaires among journalists, RSF also employed a panel of experts who ranked press freedom around the world according to five equally-weighted criteria: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context and safety. Their rankings are coded by colour, with the highest level of press freedom classified as 'good situation'. As you can see, that's pretty much Scandinavia. And that's it.
Part of Me by Nadia Shira Cohen
Surrogate mothers Vin Win (right) and Ry Ly (left) were arrested during a raid to fight trafficking in 2018. They live near one another and their children from surrogacy, Korng (3, left) and Phavit (4, right) often play together. Vin Win is separated from her husband who resents the situation.
This series portrays Cambodian surrogate mothers who have been required to raise their surrogate children as their own ever since Cambodia began prosecuting surrogacy in 2016.
Surrogacy - the act of carrying and birthing a baby for another person or couple - was accepted in practice in Cambodia until 2016, when the government started prosecuting surrogate mothers under already existing human trafficking laws. In 2018, a raid on a house in Phnom Penh led to the arrest and imprisonment of 32 women who were acting as surrogates to predominantly Chinese parents. Nearly all gave birth in confinement and, after sentencing by the Cambodian Supreme Court, all were obliged to raise the babies themselves or face prison terms.
Many of the women sought surrogacy arrangements with Chinese family planning agencies in order to help their families escape impoverishment and, in some instances, indebtedness from microfinance loans. In recent years, Cambodian households have become some of the most indebted on Earth and a major contributing factor has been the poorly regulated microfinancing sector. The rising burden of financial debt has resulted in an increase in child labour and families forced to sell their homes and land. For many of the women portrayed in this series, surrogacy represented a way out of debt, but now with the court ruling against them, their lives have become more difficult. Despite financial, social, and personal challenges, many of the would-be surrogate mothers have formed a deep bond with their children even as they express sadness that their children will not be able to benefit from the economic advantages that their biological parents could provide.
Death of a Nation by Kimberly dela Cruz
Winner of the long-term projects in the Southeast Asia and Oceania category, this project documents the Philippines' drugs offensive from its outset, capturing its broadening focus and the continued impact on families involved. The above photograph shows Jazmine Durana (15) cradling her month-old daughter Hazel on 2 February 2017, at the wake of her partner John 'Toto' Dela Cruz (16), who was shot by men wearing black masks a few days earlier.
Soon after taking office in June 2016, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte began a concerted 'war on drugs', repeatedly ordering attacks against suspects. A surge of extrajudicial killings followed, perpetrated not only by police but also by masked vigilantes and other civilians. Amnesty International reports that executions mostly target low-income communities. The Philippine National Police admits to more than 6,000 such deaths to date; local human rights organisations put the figure at 30,000. The police appear to act with impunity, with only a handful of these killings being seriously investigated and almost no prosecutions.
Images from Death of a Nation
Top left: November 01, 2016 - Neighbours survey the crime scene hours after masked men massacred Manuel Evangelista, Admar Velarde, Paulo Tuboro, Jennifer Discargar, and Catalino Algueles, in Mandaluyong, the Philippines.
Top Right: 04 January 2017 - AJ (16) mourns at the scene where unidentified assailants have shot his neighbour Antonio Perez outside his home in Pasay City, the Philippines.
Bottom left: March 04, 2017 - the body of Kristita Padual lies at the crime scene, after unidentified murderers killed her and Ernesto Moritz while they were having dinner beside the road, in Quezon City, the Philippines.
Bottom right: December 09, 2016 - Men shield their faces from the media after being arrested in a food factory that the police claimed to be a drug den, in Pandacan, Manila, the Philippines.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Philippines has a low prevalence of drug use compared to the global average. Human rights organisations such as the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and Amnesty International say killings often target political opponents, activists or marginalised groups. A Human Rights Watch report found that many of the killings that police attributed to drug gangs to be a veneer to shield themselves from culpability for executions carried out without legal process - an accusation the police refute, claiming self-defense.
Images from Death of a Nation
Top left: 08 September 2019 - Nestor and Alma watch the evening news, in Quezon City, the Philippines. Exactly three years earlier, their son Richard was killed during a police operation - an event that was reported on the news at the time.
Top right: 21 February 2022 - The family of Rovelyn and Richard Cham receive the urns containing their ashes in Tayuman, Manila, the Philippines. Unknown gunmen killed the couple at home in 2016.
Bottom left: 22 November 2019 - Mothers and widows of war-on-drugs victims rehearse for a theatre performance in Tondo, Manilla, the Philippines. Sarah Celiz (centre) lost two of her sons in 2016 and 2017 and was left to care for her 12 grandchildren. The performance was organised by Paghilom (Healing), a program started in 2016 by former drug user Father Flaviano Villanueva for the families of victims of the war on drugs, providing them with support and counseling.
Bottom right: 14 February 2022 - Mary Anne Domingo stands outside a courthouse after giving testimony, in Caloocan, the Philippines. She brought a case against the police after her husband and son were killed in a raid in 2016. The trial commenced in 2021.
In 2020, Fatou Bensouda, then the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said there was a 'reasonable basis to believe' that crimes against humanity had been committed in the Philippines in connection with President Duterte's drugs offensive. In July 2022, Duterte's successor President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a refocus of the anti-drug offensive onto rehabilitation, however, killings continue and reforms have not yet been made to rehabilitation programs, according to Human Rights Watch.
The photographer has been documenting the war on drugs since its outset, and the jury commended her ability to capture the continued impact on families involved.
The Dying River by Jonas Kako (winner of the North and Central America, Singles category)
Alfredo, Ubaldo, and Jose tend beehives near Wenden in the Arizona desert, United States. A substantial decrease in rainfall in the area means that the men must now provide water for the bees in troughs. Heat and drought weakens bees, making them more susceptible to pathogens and parasites, and impacts the pants from which they feed. Between 2019 and 2020, colonies of managed honey-bees declined by 43.7% across the US. Bees are vital for pollinating many crops, and so play an important role in food security for humans.
This image is part of a broader project on how the climate crisis and increasing water demand are affecting the Colorado River, which flows nearby. Annual flow in the Colorado River has shrunk 20 percent in the past 30 years, according to a river program manager. The Colorado relies on snow melt from the Rocky Mountains and precipitation in upstream forests that collects in lakes and natural reservoirs. Drought and global heating have accelerated evaporation from reservoirs, and melted snowpack faster, so that rivers run dry earlier in the season. Hot, dry conditions have also parched the soil, which soaks up precipitation before it even reaches the river.
Water diverted for agriculture accounts for up to 80 percent of consumption in the Colorado River Basin, and a series of dams along the course of the river - providing drinking water to more than 40 million people and hydroelectric power to meet the needs of some seven million - further shrinks the flow.
In late 2022, the US government implemented severe restrictions on river-water use in states along the course of the Colorado River, cutting Arizona's annual allocation by 21 percent.
Jury comment: This portrait of beekeepers is visually clean and sparks interest and curiosity to understand the issue at hand. The image is subtle and understated, and the jury was impressed by the composition of bees across all thirds. While the topic resonates at ag global level, the image itself encourages us to sit with these particular people and consider how they might be impacted by the ongoing environmental crisis.
Oil Spill in Lima by Musuk Nolte
On 15 January, nearly 12,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into the sea while a tanker was unloading at Repsol's La Pampilla refinery. Repsol, the Peruvian government, and the Italian tanker company each disputed the cause of the spillage, trading accusations of negligence, inadequacy of equipment, and mismanagement.
The spill extended over 7.13 square kilometres, polluting beaches, killing wildlife, and impacting livelihoods in what the Peruvian government termed the country's worst ecological disaster in recent memory.
The oil reached three marine protected areas: Lomas de Ancon, the Pescadores Islets, and Punta Salina. The plankton-rich Peruvian Pacific waters sustain a chain of marine life, from anchovies to dolphins and seabirds. Marine mammals and birds are especially vulnerable, as the oil affects their eyes, nasal tissue and their insulating capacity, potentially leading to suffocation and hypothermia. Commercial fisheries, people relying on tourism, and local communities dependent on seafood for their diets also suffered. UN experts believe the effects of the spill will last up to ten years.
Alpaqueros by Alessandro Cinque
Vital to the livelihoods of many people in the Peruvian Andes, alpacas face new challenges due to the climate crisis. Part of the camelid family, alpacas can endure the high altitudes of the Andes and are a critical source of income for farmers in an environment where few or no crops can be cultivated. They are primarily bred for their fine fibre (wool) which is highly prized for knitwear and woven cloth. Tens of thousands of Andean families depend on raising alpacas or dealing in their fibre for subsistence. Among local Indigenous communities such as the Quechia, alpacas are also embedded in cultural and ritual life.
The climate crisis is putting alpacas and the communities they sustain at risk. Shorter rainy seasons and more intense, longer periods of drought are shrinking natural pastures and reducing the quality of the grass on which alpacas feed. In addition, meltwater from Peru's glaciers, which supports high meadows during the long dry season, is declining rapidly. Peruvian glaciers retreated by 53 percent between 1962 and 2016.
These challenges threaten not only the alpacas, but the loss of high-Andean cultural identity, as alpaquero (alpaca-farmer) communities are forced to move to even greater altitudes, or to abandon their lifestyles entirely and seek work in low-lying cities. Scientists hope to help address the problem using biotechnology to create alpaca breeds more resistant to extremes in temperature. This would help the animals to survive harsh nights at higher altitudes, as well as thrive at lower elevations, since alpacas also suffer in warmer temperatures, from illnesses not present in highland areas.
It's fair to say that the images and the situations depicted are extremely grim. A brief summary of the Year in Review attempts to explain 'What Happened in 2022?' "Photojournalists working in 2022 brought stories of the war in Ukraine and life under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, of use and abuse of river water in Central Asia and the United States, flooding in Australia, oil spillage in Peru, and people with dementia in Ghana. But a tough judging process and the limitations of how to visualise certain stories means that some major stories discussed by the jury did not make it through to the final selection:
Anti-LGBTQI+ Violence - April 2022, Kenya - Sheila Adhiambo Lumumba, a non-binary lesbian, is found raped murdered in Karatina, Kenya. Human rights organisations call attention to institutionalised homophobia in Kenya and other nations across the continent including Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda.
Uvalde School Shooting - May 2022, Uvalde, Texas, United States - On 24 May and 18-year-old gunman kills 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, in the deadliest school shooting in the US in a decade.
Abortion Law Overturned - June 2022, United States - The US Supreme Court overturns Roc v Wade, the legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States. The move leads to nationwide protests.
Sri Lankan President Resigns - July 2022, Sri Lanka - President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees the country and resigns, after months of protest against the country's economic crisis had culminated in popular occupation of the presidential palace.
Death of Mahsa Amini - September 2022, Iran - The death of Mahsa Amini after being arrested by Iran's 'morality police' for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with regulations sparked some of the largest demonstrations in Iran in years.
Kanjuruhan Stadium Disaster - October 2022, Jawa Timur, Indonesia - More than 130 football fans die in a crush apparently sparked by police firing tear gas as a crowd-control measure, while leaving the Kanjuruhan Stadium after a match, in one of the world's worst stadium disasters.
'Lula' Wins Brazilian Presidential Elections - October/ November 2022, Brazil - Luiz Lula da Silva wins a majority in the Brazilian presidential elections. Former president Jair Bolsonaro does not initially concede defeat, but President Lula da Silva is inaugurates in January 2023.
Ethiopia and TPLF Declare Truce - November 2022, Ethiopia - Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which controlled much of Tigray province, agree to stop fighting after a two-year conflict that has caused a dire humanitarian crisis.
White Paper Protests - November/ December 2022, China - Protests spread through cities across China, as demonstrators held up blank sheets of paper to oppose on-going government COVID-19 restrictions. In January 2023 China revoked its Zero-COVID policy.
An image from Net-Zero Transition by Simone Tramonte
In the above image (13 July 2021), people swim at Amager Strand, Denmark, near a wind farm which is co-owned by 8,552 electricity consumers, and serves more than 40,000 Copenhagen households. Upwards of 15,000 Danish families are members of similar wind turbine co-operatives.
Winner of the Europe, Long-term projects category, this sequence is a rare positive view of the world around us, which is why I felt the need to include it in this post. The project documents different technologies that offer possible routes of transition to a net-zero economy. The photographer visited innovative facilities across Europe, from Iceland to Italy, from 2020 to 2022.
Human-induced climate change is the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural environment and society that the world has ever experienced, according to the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR. This prompted the European Union to establish targets to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030. European companies seeking ways to achieve these goals are exploring renewable energies, new technologies for food production, and the circular economy as potential ways forward.
Image from the series World Champions by Tomàs Francisco Cuesta
I wanted to finish this on a positive note, which is why I have placed this image last. It is a scene of jubilation as Argentinians revel in their country's return to World Cup dominance, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 18 December 2022. An estimated five million people took to the streets to participate in the parade and join the national team members in one of the greatest public demonstrations in Argentina's history. For striker and star player Lionel Messi the win cements his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Argentinian photographer Tomàs Francisco Cuesta said about taking these photographs,
"You really just feel good looking at those images, and those are ones that may resonate. It's just the beauty of sports. And it's the beauty of imagery, the beauty of pictures. Soccer in Argentina is so much more than a sport. It's more important than Christmas, more important than the New Years. For many people, it's more important than their jobs. That's why you saw five million people crowding the streets of Buenos Aires. It was the first time that I saw such a union in the streets without any discrimination. People were really united to celebrate and to let the players know that they were supporting them."
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