TestenGOLD- Free

All work and no play

The Guardian Weekly|September 13, 2024
Hard Graft, a powerfulnew London exhibition, focuses onworkers’ exploitation, from the ruined hands ofa washerwoman to mothers forced to sell their bodies
- Polly Toynbee
All work and no play

On my way to Hard Graft, a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London, I sat beside an employee with a lanyard round her neck like a chain whose exhortatory instruction read: "Straightforward, purposeful, collaborative behaviours" - but to what end I had no idea. Jobs come with added sententiousness these days, as employers burden workers with the requirement to be "passionate" about their job. Pret recruitment says: "We hire passionate people and teach them to make sandwiches." When I worked in a primary school kitchen outsourced to a catering conglomerate, every wall was posted with an instruction: "Always happy, never sad." Your labour is not enough. They want your passions too.

That spirit of oppression infuses Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights. Wellcome shows stand out for blending new art with social, welfare and scientific explorations, melding forms and themes. This one shines a harsh light on physical work, with a wealth of artists' symbolism beside graphic realities about the effects of hard labour on body and mind. Here, too, are chronicles of resistance to servitude, stories of revolt by oppressed workers. This turns a history of undervalued work and undervalued workers into tales of human defiance. Brief rebellions may not change much, beyond the protesters themselves, but artists here celebrate those upstart moments.

The world of work is often neglected in the realms of art. Although toil to earn a living consumes an average 35 hours a week in Britain (not counting wearisome commuting), which amounts to 3,515 entire days in a lifetime, it's hidden away, less visible than it once was. Most days we work more than we sleep, giving labour more hours than leisure.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 13, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYAlle anzeigen
In the footsteps of the fallen
The Guardian Weekly

In the footsteps of the fallen

Three years after the deaths of the British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian activist Bruno Pereira, the Guardian joined the Indigenous peoples continuing their dangerous, often gruelling, work to protect the rainforest

time-read
5 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
Don't call me cute
The Guardian Weekly

Don't call me cute

Small children wreak destruction in Yoshitomo Nara's paintings, exploding conventions with a rage inspired by natural disaster, the Ramones and the bomb

time-read
5 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

The 'evil twin' of climate crisis Scientists warn about ocean acidification

Researchers call for action on marine life amid fears that falling pH levels and buildup of CO2 in seas are not being taken seriously enough

time-read
5 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

Kyiv fights a 21st-century war against old tactics, but it can't do it alone

Since Donald Trump scolded Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the words “You don’t have the cards right now”, Ukraine has been keener than ever to demonstrate that it has a few up its sleeve.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
Countries count cost of Trump's travel bans and taxes
The Guardian Weekly

Countries count cost of Trump's travel bans and taxes

When Essi Farida Geraldo, a Lomé-based architect, heard about partial restrictions on travel to the US from Togo as part of the travel bans announced by Donald Trump last Thursday, she lamented losing access to what many young Togolese consider to be a land of better opportunities.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

My mother says she'll disinherit me unless I split with my partner

I have been with my partner for 14 years and we have two small children together. I have always had a complicated relationship with my mother, who was stern and a disciplinarian when I was growing up.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
Chain reaction Is nuclear power back in fashion?
The Guardian Weekly

Chain reaction Is nuclear power back in fashion?

Spain’s recent blackout and AI datacentres’ massive energy needs are leading politicians to reach for the restart button

time-read
4 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
A refusal to be silenced
The Guardian Weekly

A refusal to be silenced

New projects honour lives and legacies of killed men

time-read
2 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
LA cleans up and takes stock after weekend of defiance
The Guardian Weekly

LA cleans up and takes stock after weekend of defiance

California leaders condemn 'authoritarian' president for sending in troops as protests over immigration raids spread to other cities

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 13, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

THE KING OF YOUTUBE

His videos are like the crazed imaginings of an 11-year-old boy. But is Jimmy Donaldson (AKA MrBeast) merely clickbait savvy - or an avant garde genius?

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
June 13, 2025

Wir verwenden Cookies, um unsere Dienste bereitzustellen und zu verbessern. Durch die Nutzung unserer Website stimmen Sie zu, dass die Cookies gesetzt werden. Learn more