-
Ekphrasis on Ekphrasis: Haegue Yang’s Changing From From to From
This poem recalls a visit to the National Art Gallery of Australia, as part of a workshop run by Theodore Ell on writing poetry. The art works of the gallery were to be the subject matter of our poems. The technical term for creating a literary work from visual art is ekphrasis. After some time wandering through the gallery I found Haegue Yang’s art work “Changing From From to From”. This work, it turned out, was itself a kind of ‘ekphrasis’ from a poem by Li-Yuan Chia – a poem about migration. My own poem thus attempts new poetry inspired by art inspired by poetry: hence Ekphrasis on Ekphrasis. Hague…
-
Frontera Movie Review
The Frontera movie is a story about lives shattered by the US-Mexico border. The story unfolds around two families: one from the Mexican side, one from the U.S. side. Miguel (Michael Peña) crosses the border to find work to support his family, including his pregnant wife Paulina (Eva Longoria). On the other side lives a retired sheriff Roy (Ed Harris) and his wife Olivia (Amy Madigan). From the moment Miguel crosses the border everything goes wrong. As the tragedy unfolds, Olivia is shot and killed. Miguel, in the wrong place at the wrong time, is wrongly blamed. The actions of a cast of villains and fools deepen the tragedy as…
-
Movement Against Xenophobia – I am an Immigrant
“I AM AN IMMIGRANT” is a positive campaign out of the United Kingdom. It celebrates the contribution immigrants make to society. Xenophobia is rising around Europe. Rather than buying into the controversy, the campaign shifts the rhetoric by simply telling the truth. The truth is captured in stories to be placed on posters throughout Britain. The posters tell the story of the contribution that migrants have made to Britain. These stories are as diverse as life itself: from heart surgeon to train driver. Organizers cite the toxic political debate which vilifies migrants and fosters xenophobia as the motivation for the campaign. The video below introduces the campaign. The campaign…
-
It’s [not] a free planet
“It’s a free country.” In an age of anxiety you don’t hear people say it so much. And you certainly won’t hear anyone say “It’s a free planet”. For some people it’s getting less free all the time. The retreat in planetary freedom is measured in the rise of terms such as “border security” and the real and virtual fences are going up on the borders of the world. The barriers going up not just at the borders – within countries and beyond them mechanisms to keep ‘them’ out are being reinforced all the time. The highest and most impassable barrier is the wall being built in our minds, so that it becomes more and more difficult…
