How can style be used as a form of activism and political expression? This is the question we spent the week discussing and analysing in our final week of the Style section, looking at iconic photojournalism that has documented the relationship between style and activism throughout history.
As part of this, we had award-winning photographer, Kevin Tachman, come in as our Guest Speaker and tell us about his work, which has garnered wide acclaim across the fashion, entertainment and music worlds. (He has photographed almost every famous person you can think of).
.
A little bit of Hip Hop
On Tuesday, we visited the Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx to learn about Hip Hop’s origins and major contributors. We stepped (or rather, bopped) back in time as we learnt about how the genre of Hip Hop emerged from marginalised communities and continues to be a source of socio-political expression.
.
Style for the Climate
On Thursday, we looked at style in relation to the climate, visiting the augmented reality exhibition, Arcadia Earth, which consisted of vivid installations themed around climate change and sustainability. (Much of the content was focused on the Great Barrier Reef, so I felt like I was back home!).
In light of us starting the Books Section next, we also had two Editorial Assistants from Flatiron Books come and share their journey as writers, readers and employees of the Book Industry.
.
A new mentor
In other news, I was introduced to my new mentor this week (we get assigned a different mentor in the last half of the program), New York Times investigative reporter, Steve Eder. He most recently reported on policing in America and shared in the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for a series of articles examining fatal traffic stops. He was also part of the team that covered the #MeToo movement!
Our first mentoring session took place on Wednesday evening in the heart of The New York Times newsroom, where we even got a glimpse of the front page being edited the night before (which was super surreal) and also had the opportunity to see the Times’ Pulitzer Prize Winners Hall.
.
Still so much to explore!
We continued our exploration of the city this week, walking over the Brooklyn Bridge at night, attending an underground jazz performance and soaking up the last warm days in Central Park. The Christmas tree at Rockefeller centre has officially gone up, and amongst all the Christmas, I’m also gearing up for my first Thanksgiving very soon!
.
Catch up on Georgie’s blog posts by clicking here.
This opportunity was made possible with support from the Philip Leong Youth Programme.
