Sydney airport (3 Nov, 2021) was stripped of life revealing the gloss and sheen of extreme consumerism – the luxury goods and the ability to fly anywhere. Consumerism is devastating Earth.
This pandemic should have helped us stop to think about our routines, our way of living.
(I was flying to England to see my sick 95-year-old mother. And I paid more than I needed re: carbon credits).
Playlist – Airports – non-space & environmental vandals
Includes ‘5 Airport Ads’ one minute videos.
1 Extremities: The narration is like football results, with the 2021’s most popular luxury brands drawing with the poorest countries in the world.
2. Spaces in-between: I hate airports busy or empty. Marina Abramović celebrates their energy.
3. This is a Non-place; Marc Augé calls airports one of the ‘non-places’ of global capitalism.
4. Question: ‘So many writers and poets used these places to explore the uncanny, the strange and ourselves?’ Alienation is an old theme. Now we need to think of connection to our community and our environment.
5. I Shop Therefore I Am: We live in a crazy, dizzying world of marketing and advertising. Brands dominate self-worth for many despite warnings from Vance Packard back in 1957 (‘The Hidden Persuaders’) and Naomi Klein (‘No Logo’, 1999).
With a big thanks to John Laidler for mesmeric music and editing.
