All posts tagged: precarious

The Third Toronto Biennial, ‘Precarious Joys’

The Third Toronto Biennial, ‘Precarious Joys’

Published by skeptic

“I want to be seen,” artist Ahmed Umar told the co-curators of the third Toronto Biennial of Art, Dominique Fontaine and Miguel A. López. “I desire to raise awareness within others about the profound validity of my emotions and existence.” Umar’s sentiment, though rooted in their singular context, reverberates throughout this show. Titled “Precarious Joys,” the exhibition (through December 1) takes visibility as its central theme. It’s a show about the joy in recognition—and the danger involved in it. Some 55 artists are on hand to explain why, when faced with issues of citizenship, Indigenous erasure, climate disaster, gentrification, and more, they choose to endure. Related Articles Umar, a queer activist who fled their native Sudan for Norway as a political refugee, is showing a new video installation, titled Talitin – The Third (2023–24), in which they pay homage to three famous Sudanese love songs written by queer poets. The dark irony here is that homosexuality is criminalized in Sudan, and the authors are explicit about the subject of their longing. Umar performs each song …

The big picture: precarious lives and playfulness in a London square | Photography

The big picture: precarious lives and playfulness in a London square | Photography

Published by skeptic

This picture is the cover image of Dominoes, a new photobook by Roland Ramanan that tells the story of a unique public space in east London, Gillett Square. The square was opened in Hackney, in one of the most deprived wards in the UK, by London mayor Ken Livingstone in 2006, on a site that was previously a car park. Neighbouring derelict factory premises were redeveloped by a local co-operative as a culture centre, and a series of small business units were created around the new space. The ambition was to establish a communal area “with the potential to become something specific – or remain not really anything at all… a place to see, hear, feel, smell, taste and discover wonderful and incredible things”. Since 2012, Ramanan has been documenting how those civic hopes and ambitions turned out. He has watched as life of that square became “an ecosystem in which skateboarders, parents, children, hula-hoopers, domino players, DJs, drinkers and addicts all intermingle”. His book is a microcosm of urban life through the years of …

The Observer view: as the world dithers, Ukraine’s plight grows ever more precarious | Observer editorial

The Observer view: as the world dithers, Ukraine’s plight grows ever more precarious | Observer editorial

Published by skeptic

Ukrainians were understandably dismayed last week as they watched the US, Britain and France rush to defend Israel against a barrage of Iranian missiles and armed drones. That’s not because they support the regime in Tehran. It’s because Nato countries have denied similar, direct military support to Ukraine, which faces unending, indiscriminate aerial attacks by Russian forces. Israel was spared any fatalities. In Ukraine, civilians continue to die almost daily, most recently in the city of Chernihiv, where 17 people were killed and dozens more injured. More than two years into the war that began with Vladimir Putin’s illegal, full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s plight grows more concerning. There is a strengthening possibility that, despite heroic resistance, it could succumb to Russia’s aggression. Such a defeat would be a catastrophe, primarily for Ukraine, but also for the future security of Europe, for countries such as Moldova and Estonia that are targets of Russian destabilisation operations, for Britain’s defence, for US global leadership and for all who value individual freedoms, democracy and the rule of law. Ukraine’s leaders …

Lebanon’s Precarious Sectarian Balance Tipping Amid Hezbollah-Israeli War

Lebanon’s Precarious Sectarian Balance Tipping Amid Hezbollah-Israeli War

Published by skeptic

Beirut —  As the Lebanese Christian village of Rmeish marks its first Easter since the Gaza war erupted, residents say a parallel confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel is dragging them into a conflict they did not choose. Like many Christians elsewhere in southern Lebanon, residents are angry and fearful their homes could be caught in the cross-fire and their families forced to flee — permanently — from their ancestral villages near the Lebanon-Israel border. Earlier this week, a Rmeish resident confronted a group of armed men trying to launch rockets at Israel from within the village. Some villagers rang church bells to sound the alarm, and the armed men moved off to fire rockets from another neighborhood, according to mayor Milad al-Alam and Rmeish residents. “What we’ve been saying for the last six months is: among our own homes, keep us neutral. Any strike in return would have brought huge losses,” Alam told Reuters. Hezbollah began launching rockets from hilltops and villages in southern Lebanon at Israel on Oct. 8 in support of its Palestinian …

In Portugal, near Lisbon, precarious workers are living in makeshift camps

In Portugal, near Lisbon, precarious workers are living in makeshift camps

Published by skeptic

It was 8:30 am on Wednesday, February 28, and one by one, men and women made their way, at irregular intervals, under the trees of the Quinta dos Ingleses park in Lisbon. Drowsy-eyed, they emerged from their tents. After crossing the vacant lot in front of Carcavelos beach, popular with surfers, and walking past the posh private British St Julian’s School with luxury cars passing by, they reached the train station to get to their jobs in Lisbon. “I had to pay €400 a month for a room in the city, which, on my €800 salary, barely left me enough to live on,” explained Andreia Costa, 49, a Brazilian carpenter and cleaner for Lisbon tourist apartments. Having lived in Portugal for a year and a half, she came to pitch her tent at Quinta dos Ingleses in September 2023, after hearing about it from a friend. “I drew up a strategy and made this decision with one objective in mind: to be able to save up to buy a caravan where I could live with …

I’ve worked in precarious jobs for more than 10 years – here’s what unions should do to support migrant workers

I’ve worked in precarious jobs for more than 10 years – here’s what unions should do to support migrant workers

Published by skeptic

As I rush to clean everything before the sink overfills with plates and pans, I am confronted, yet again, with the brutality of my working conditions. My feet and legs throb and ache from sole to calf; I can feel the onset of cramps. But the chef won’t be able to work unless I clean these pans. The clatter of plates and screaming of orders around me have become a constant, thumping backdrop. The only noise I pay attention to is the “beep” of the service elevator next to me – its door opens to reveal an explosion of leftovers, hastily thrown in by the upstairs waiters amid dirty napkins and cutlery. To me, the beep has come to resemble a form of torture: every new sound signals more pressure, less space, more to catch up on. I haven’t taken a break since I started working 11 hours ago. There are at least three more hours to go. The cost of the uneaten food is more than I make each day. I wonder if the …