Latest news with #Carriageworks
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘A moral crisis': how the Sydney writers' festival grappled with the Israel-Gaza war
The Israel-Gaza conflict loomed over the Sydney writers' festival long before it opened its doors at Carriageworks last week. In February, the chair of the festival board, Kathy Shand, resigned over her concerns about some of the programming related to Gaza and Israel. Robert Watkins, who replaced Shand as chair, promised the festival would present 'a plurality of voices [and] a diversity of thought' including 'both Jewish and Palestinian writers and thought leaders'. Guardian Australia attended a number of events related to the conflict to see how the writers' festival covered the ongoing death and destruction, antisemitism, Islamophobia and the feelings of different communities being rejected and sidelined. Raja Shehadeh – described by the Guardian as Palestine's greatest prose writer – was one of a few writers joining the festival by video link from the region, Zooming in from his home in Ramallah, in the West Bank. Shehadeh, a human rights lawyer turned writer, has written a number of acclaimed books, including the Orwell prize-winning Palestinian Walks. He was at the festival speaking about his book What Does Israel Fear from Palestine? – a question he answers succinctly in his panel. 'The very existence of Palestine is what Israel fears.' Describing his daily life, Shehadeh told the audience how Israeli settlers had attacked a nearby Palestinian village, firebombing houses and cars 'with the help of the Israeli army'. IDF checkpoints made the hill walking he loves difficult but, he said, 'this is nothing compared to what's happening in Gaza'. 'We hear the planes, the jet fighters … they streak through the sky on the way to Gaza to kill more people,' he told Australian writer Abbas El-Zein, who moderated the session. 'And so we cannot complain.' Ittay Flescher, an Australian Jewish writer, joined the festival via video link from Jerusalem, where he moved with his family from Melbourne in 2018. The audience was warned before the session began that earlier in the evening Flescher had had to evacuate his home because of incoming rockets from Yemen. Flescher, who is the education director at Kids4Peace Jerusalem, an interfaith movement for Israelis and Palestinians, said a key element in working towards peace was combating the dehumanisation of the other side that has occurred in the region. 'I don't think Hamas could have carried out October 7 without extensive dehumanisation of Jews and Israelis … And what Israel has done in Gaza, not just killing Hamas, but killing so so many innocent men, women and children that were not connected to Hamas … and now the limiting of food into Gaza and the starvation, that can't happen without extensive dehumanisation.' Peter Beinart, an Jewish-American political commentator, echoed the need for humanisation of the other, and listening to voices across the divides of the conflict in his sold-out event on Sunday. 'Palestinians lack permission to narrate,' he said, echoing the literary great Edward Said. 'There is this process in which, as a Jew, from the moment you can remember you've been talking about Palestinians, but you're never listening to Palestinians or actually meeting with Palestinians. And I think this is a recipe for both ignorance and dehumanisation,' Beinart told Debbie Whitmont. Beinart said he wrote his recent book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza, to try to offer 'a voice that my mind comes from … from love and from Jewish solidarity, to say to the people in my life that I love that I think something has gone horribly, horribly wrong'. 'When I look at what's happening in Gaza, a place where most of the buildings and the schools and the universities and the mosques and the churches and the bakeries and the agriculture have been destroyed, and people have been displaced from their homes … every person I know from Gaza has lost count of the number of people who've been killed,' he said. 'It seems to me this is the most profound chillul hashem, desecration of God's name, that I have witnessed in my entire life, and it will constitute not just a moral crisis for the Jewish people but for those of us who take Judaism seriously.' At a packed – and occasionally tense – session on Friday morning, the British Jewish barrister and author Philippe Sands and Michael Gawenda, the former editor of the Age, spoke about antisemitism and xenophobia. Gawenda argued that many Jewish Australians working in the arts had been refused work because of their political stance on Israel. 'They feel like they are being rejected on the basis that they are Jews, Jews of a particular kind. And I think that there's evidence that this is widespread in Australia ... It's widespread in the arts, I'm absolutely convinced of that.' Gawenda's comments prompted a heated question from an audience member about the experience of Arab-Australians who had missed out on opportunities due to their pro-Palestinian stance, naming Khaled Sabsabi and Antoinette Lattouf as examples. Sabsabi had been selected as Australia's representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale but was dumped by Creative Australia over past works that involved imagery of Hassan Nasrallah, the now-dead Hezbollah leader, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Of Sabsabi, Gawenda said: 'With his cancellation, there was a huge uproar ... Letters were signed, petitions were signed calling it out, including by Jews who would have been opposed to his views. There were no letters or petitions supporting these young Jewish artists, none. They got no support at all. Lattouf got heaps of support, as she should have. I think it was a mistake what the ABC did.' Sands, who is a king's counsel, spoke about the risks of a sense of competition between marginalised groups, and of antisemitism being weaponised by politicians for their own political ends. 'The concern about creating the league tables of horror is that it leads to an instrumentalisation of what's going on. And what I really worry about right now is that what's going on is instrumentalising antisemitism for other purposes,' he said. Tension among the audience was heightened when the first question from the crowd came from a woman asking about the 'Zionist lobby', which she said had put 'its tentacles into everything' – an antisemitic trope that attracted gasps and furious comments from other members of the audience. The question was shut down by the moderator. For many in Australia with family and cultural ties to the region, art has become a place to express their rage and grief. The Lebanese Australian writer Sara Haddad, the Lebanese Palestinian poet Hasib Hourani and the Palestinian Australian playwright Samah Sabawi discussed with moderator Micaela Sahhar their texts of home and identity against the backdrop of the Israeli bombardment and blockade of Gaza. All three works were published after 7 October 2023. Sabawi started writing Cactus Pear for My Beloved, which tells the story of her family's expulsion from Gaza and settling in Queensland over 100 years, in 2016. It was intended as a celebration of her father and her home. By the time she got to writing the author's note, in December 2023, 'a lot of Gaza was fast turning into rubble'. 'My family was on the run, my grandfather's home destroyed. Much of our neighbourhood was gone. And then my father, watching the news, fell and broke his ribs,' Sabawi said. After her father died in 2024, the book 'became an obituary for both'. Haddad began writing The Sunbird, a novel following a Palestinian woman's memory as a child in the Nakba and then adulthood in Australia, in response to Israel's bombardment of Gaza. She started her novel in December 2023, after seeing the words written by Dr Mahmoud Abu Nujaila on a whiteboard in his hospital in Gaza: 'Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us.' Haddad finished the book in January and self-published. 'Watching this for many years … I knew that Israel had what it wanted and what it needed, and it wasn't going to stop. They were not going to stop. And so I knew that I had to do everything I possibly could to speak as loudly as I could. 'I wrote the book very quickly. I had a deadline. I knew it was urgent.'
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dr Kate Adams shames Married at First Sight's Carina Mirabile for embarrassing fur coat lie at Australian Fashion Week
Dr Kate Adams has taken a break from working with anti-poaching teams in Africa to weigh in on Carina Mirabile's Australian Fashion Week fur coat faux pas. The Real Housewives of Sydney and Bondi Vet star has joined animal rights activists in shaming the Married at First Sight bride for opting to wear a real fur coat to Australian Fashion Week — then lie about it. Carina, 31, turned heads on Day Two of Sydney 's streetwear fashion parade as she arrived to Carriageworks wearing the nude SKIMS 'Ultimate Butt' bodysuit and a voluminous fur coat. The season 12 bride, who was matched with controversial French groom Paul Antoine on MAFS, was quick to tell her outraged fans that the coat was 'fake' and made of faux fur after she posted the look to Instagram. 'Yes this is my own 'fit. I bought this fur coat from New York in Brooklyn and I've got SKIMS on underneath and literally pantyhose stockings,' Carina told Daily Mail Australia. Unfortunately for Carina, the original owner of the fur coat commented on her post and revealed it is in fact, 'a real vintage fur coat,' that was sold to Carina on Facebook Marketplace. Kate, 43, shared the news to her Stories on Saturday and praised Bailey (AKA @warriorforanimals) for bringing it to her attention. 'I'm going to leave this here,' Kate began. 'More evidence that the universe will always get you in the arse if you lie.' The reality TV alum offered some advice to the fledgling influencer in her post, as Carina she prepares to launch her own podcast. 'The correct way to fix this mess is to say, "Sorry, big mistake. Won't be an a**hat next time,' Kate said. She tagged animal activist Bailey, adding, 'What a good human you are.' Australian Fashion Week officially banned the use of real furs, exotic skins, and animal feathers in 2025. Bailey, who runs the account Warrior For Animals, shared images of the reality TV star in the ankle-length 'vintage' coat, claiming she 'defied' the event's no animal skin rule. Carina has since taken to her own social media page to assure followers the shaggy brown coat that she said she purchased in Brooklyn is actually faux fur Carina's denials have also done little to quell the online backlash about her wearing the coat Carina took to her social media to to assure followers the shaggy brown jacket, that she says she purchased in Brooklyn, is actually faux fur. Carina has claimed multiple times on social media that her coat is not real fur, but it has done little to quell the online backlash. 'It's not real fur FYI and my stylist uses vegan products,' Carina captioned an image of her look. On Chattr, she added: 'It's not real fur, bought from a vintage store in New York. 'I wouldn't wear anything that's not ethically sourced.' But in a surprising twist, a woman claiming to be the original owner of the coat then commented on Carina's post, alleging 'Temu Kim' lied about its origin. 'It's actually a real vintage fur coat, it's not fake fur,' she wrote. 'I know because she bought that coat from me off [Facebook] marketplace several years ago. I was the one who bought it in NYC and it was stated in my ad. Funny that she lied about it.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Carina for further comment, as well as the Australian Fashion Council to verify any complaints made. Unfortunately for Carina, a woman claiming to be the original owner of the fur coat commented on her post and revealed it is in fact, 'a real vintage fur coat,' that was sold to Carina on Facebook Marketplace AFW banned all wildlife-derived materials, including fur, exotic animal skins and feathers, from being used on runways this year and in the future. The new policy came into immediate effect, making the ongoing AFW, held from 12 to 16 May, the first edition to fully exclude wildlife materials from its runways. The Australian Fashion Council's new policy was developed alongside Collective Fashion Justice and World Animal Protection. It comes following years of activism calling for cruel materials to be excluded from the show. 'Well done - the ban made me cheer (especially after fur situation last season),' Kate wrote in another post last week, as she made a reference to her on-screen feud with her Real Housewives of Sydney co-star Victoria Montano over the subject.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Dom Knight is broadcasting Drive live at the Sydney Writers' Festival
The Sydney Writers' Festival is back at Carriageworks in Sydney's Inner West and across the program this year reflects the world today and showcases contemporary and diverse writers including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, this land's first storytellers. Join us this Friday, 23 May, as Dom Knight broadcasts Drive live from the Sydney Writers Festival Main Foyer in Carriageworks, Eveleigh. Come on down or tune in on 702 ABC Radio Sydney from 3pm for an afternoon filled with captivating conversations with world-renowned authors. Visit Sydney Writers Festival's website for the full festival program.
Time Out
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The Wrong Gods
What does it take to choose your values and beliefs over those of others, and to fight for them? What does it take for a woman to be defiant – to go against what is expected of her, and perhaps even go against her own family? Fresh off an international tour of his critically-acclaimed three-hour epic Counting and Cracking (which included a special sold-out season at Sydney's Carriageworks), S. Shakthidharan returns to the Belvoir stage with another powerful chapter of South Asian history. Detouring from the grand scale of Counting and Cracking and Shakthidharan's follow-up show, The Jungle and the Sea, this restrained 90-minute fable is told through the perspectives of four defiant women, each of them shaped by differing values, ideologies, survival and sacrifice. The Wrong Gods is a work of protest – it's angry, sad, and deeply unsettled by the relentlessness of capitalism The Wrong Gods imagines the protests surrounding the controversial Narmada Valley dam project. Initiated in the late 1980s, the dam is one of the world's largest hydropower infrastructure projects. It was intended to supply electricity and drinking water to three Indian states, but its legacy is fraught – thousands of indigenous people and villagers were displaced, ecosystems were irreversibly altered and damaged, and the project remains at the centre of sustained protests. Nirmala (Nadie Kammallaweera, who appeared in both Counting and Cracking and The Jungle and the Sea) a farmer and the head of the village's council, has spent her life with the soil. She worships one of the old gods (the river), understands the ways of the water, cooks with the seeds and spices from the edge of the forest, and knows how to farm sustainably with the land. Recently abandoned by her husband, she takes her daughter Isha (Radhika Mudaliyar, Counting and Cracking) out of school to help her maintain the farm. Encouraged by her teacher, Miss Devi (Manali Datar, Fangirls), Isha dreams of leaving the village (and the man she is betrothed to) to become a scientist. When Lakshmi (Vaishnavi Suryaprakash; Nayika: A Dancing Girl, Counting and Cracking) arrives in the village – a persuasive, middle-class Indian woman who appears local but works on behalf of powerful American developers – Nirmala is tested. Lakshmi truly believes that Nirmala is a slave to the land and deserves to cash in on the Indian government's corporate plans. She convinces her, with the help of Isha, to trial a genetically modified seed – crops that are promoted as offering high yields with minimal labour. From here begins the clash of the creeds. But as nature often shows us, everything comes at a cost. The village way of life is beautifully evoked on Keerthi Subramanyam 's sustainably constructed set, where artistry meets intention. Stone bricks spiral across the floor in circular patterns, echoing nature's eternal rhythms. These are complemented by intricately carved, cave-like walls bathed in gentle, purposeful lighting by Amelia Lever-Davidson. The circular motif, used with restraint and purpose by Shakthidharan and co-director Hannah Goodwin (, Never Closer), becomes a subtle yet powerful symbol of shifting power dynamics; the blocking around the circle subtly reveals each character's shifting allegiances and personal frustrations. Each of the four actors deftly navigates Shakthidharan's empathic dialogue to present their case. Suryaprakash is particularly compelling as a multi-faceted antagonist, offering a performance that is both subtle and direct, peeling back layers to reveal her character's simmering motivations. Datar brings an earnest warmth to the role of the outsider-turned-ally, making her presence felt even in quieter moments; her odd-couple camaraderie with Kammallaweera is especially endearing. Mudaliyer infuses Isha with naive, youthful optimism that is instantly recognisable – anyone who has ever dreamed big will see themselves in her. Kammallaweera's performance is often weighted with rage, which at times risks coming off as one-dimensional. However, it is in her moments of stillness that she truly captivates – her quiet reflection on what so-called progress has cost her moved me to tears, and evoked a longing for a simpler life. The minimalist production and small ensemble give Shakthidharan's script space to breathe. As in his previous plays, he excels at examining history from multiple perspectives with dialogue that is rich, evocative and unflinching in its portrayal of the tensions between power, profit and social responsibility. Still, I found myself missing the signature wit that infused his previous work with charm. At its core, The Wrong Gods is a work of protest – it's angry, sad, and deeply unsettled by the relentlessness of capitalism. Yet, it struggles to strike a balance between education and emotional resonance. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but at times, the seams of this particular book fray under the weight of its own urgency. In the play's earnest effort to give voice to those who have long been silenced, it occasionally sacrifices the one thing that sustains resistance: hope.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Australian Fashion Week becomes more exclusive as ownership returns to local industry
Australian Fashion Week (AFW) made its annual return last week, but things looked different this year, and it wasn't just the trends. Carriageworks in Sydney was still lined with industry professionals, influencers and fashion lovers strutting the street in their different outfits. But there weren't as many people in attendance, there was a slimmer schedule, and the shows were all invite-only — a change from how it has been run previously where the public could buy tickets. Late last year, the future of fashion week was uncertain, after the New York media agency IMG announced it would no longer run the event, which it has owned since 2005. But soon after that, not-for-profit Australian Fashion Council (AFC) stepped in, announcing it would take ownership of it, in partnership with Destination NSW. After announcing the new ownership, AFC chief executive Jaana Quaintance-James began signalling to the industry the event would focus on sustainability and commercial value. "Our vision is to create an event that not only celebrates our incredible talent but also positions Australian fashion as a global leader, delivering meaningful economic and social benefits for our industry and beyond," Ms Quaintance-James said in a press release. "Fashion Week is so much more than runways and high heels — it's a vital creative platform that shines a global spotlight on Australian fashion." As the first Australian Fashion Week run by an Australian body in more than 20 years, there was a shift away from the usual larger spectacle, with more focus on those who work in the industry. There was a slimmer schedule of shows, too, partly because of the tight turnaround AFC had to deliver the event. All shows were also invite-only, making it more difficult for the public to find ways to participate. One fashion show-goer at Carriageworks said the changes are "unfair" to those who do want to go. Another welcomed the move, saying "it makes it more exclusive, and on the scale of New York". Earlier this week, AFW chief executive, Kellie Hush, said the week was a "trade event" and not "fashion entertainment". "Given the short runway of just four months we had to organise AFW2025, it was decided to simplify the event and focus on the [industry trade] component," AFW said in a statement. In coming months it will liaise with industry to see how best to approach the event going forward. "In respect to future years, we know it's extremely important that Australian fashion engages with Australian consumers." The backdrop to the event was the wide-reaching impact of the US-imposed tariffs that are hitting a multitude of industries, including fashion. The Australian fashion industry is worth about $28 billion and more than $7 billion of this is from exports, according to the AFC. The threat of future tariffs on the industry, combined with a cost-of-living crisis, leaves customers with less to spend, and the industry at an uncertain spot. "We are not set up to make a profit out of Australian Fashion Week; we are here to serve the industry … and make sure it's strong for the future," Ms Hush said. "The domestic customer is really important … what's happening internationally is unpredictable."
