Welcome to the Labor of Medieval Women

It's amazing how the more the world changes and time marches on, somethings stay the exact same. 

Paris Paloma recently released a song called Labour - spelt the British way. In the music video (that you can watch on YouTube), you see Paris laying out a table with food and drink. It appears to be set in a medieval or Game of Thrones type fantasy time period. The gentleman sits and begins to eat, while Paris lights a candle and watches him. She sings her complaints for her situation and fear for what would happen if she had a daughter. 

A little over halfway through the song, Paris gets up to leave the table - plate empty - thinks for a moment, then plops back down and grabs a pomegranate. The way Paris rips that pomegranate to bits, biting and tearing it apart so that the juice drips down her mouth and face like blood.

I could go into all of the beautiful imagery and symbolism in this music video. The verse,

"All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid

Nymph then a virgin, nurse then a servant

Just an appendage, live to attend him

So that he never lifts a finger

24-7, baby machine

So he can live out his picket fence dreams

It's not an act of love if you make her

You make me do too much labour",

is particularly relevant for anyone who has been caught in the many roles that women (in particular) are often forced to take on in a more heteronormative relationship. There's a lot to unpack with the song. 

But I especially like the medieval setting.

Coincidently, I also recently read a book called "The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society" by Eleanor Janega. I won an advanced reader copy in a GoodReads giveaway. Though the book had come out in January, I didn't get a chance to read it until now - roughly six months later.

It's an interesting and somewhat entertaining read. There were a few parts where I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the antics of medieval men and their thoughts on women. It didn't help that many of the ideas were playing with had originated in Greece. 

Particularly baffling were the beauty standards women had to live up to. To be beautiful meant you were virtuous and the virtuous didn't need to do anything to maintain their beauty. However, beauty standards in the medieval period were just as unattainable as they are today. Women were often encouraged to confess to their beauty routines during confession.

Oh and those beauty standards were very different from what is considered beautiful today. Modern (at least in the 2010s) favored the hourglass figure, while in the medieval time, it was the pear shape that drove men wild.

There is nothing "biological" about these preferences. They really are just preferences. 

Additionally, prostitution was tolerated because apparently, women needed to have sex.

Oh, men also needed to have sex, but it was the ladies who were never satisfied. Women could even demand a divorce if their husbands didn't give them enough sex. Naturally, this didn't happen very often. 

Most annoying, and most relevant to Paris Paloma's "Labour", was the fact that the women were often simply seen as an extension of their husbands. Yes, there are some notable women who did make a name for themselves (Elenore of Aquitaine is a notable example). However, this was more of an exception rather than a rule. 

Women always worked, whether in the fields or as artisans next to their husbands. Women were responsible for the house holds - especially upper class women who needed to take over a lot of the finances while their husbands were off fighting wars. Women did the cleaning - laundry has always been seen as women's work. Women taught their children and sometimes others. 

What might be considered women's work could become men's work if it proved to be profitable. Women didn't necessarily disappear from the work, but their names were often erased in favor of their husband's. It's not unlike how programming went from being women's work in its infancy (the 1940s-70s) until it became more profitable in the 1980s. Men are now seen as the leaders in the industry that was originally dominated by women.

So yeah, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I'd like to recommend both the song "Labour" and the book "The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society". My cousin listened to the audio book and enjoyed that version just as much as I enjoyed the physical book. The song has a lot of great symbolism while the book has a great history and foundation for anyone building a fantasy world based on European medieval times. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like to hear from me.

Welcome the Quest to See Leo Da Vinci's Work

Da Vinci was into Steampunk before it was cool...or even existed. 

There's a really cool exhibit at the Martin Luthor King Jr. Library in Washington DC going on right now. On display in the library's basement are 12 original sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci.

You know the guy who painted "The Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper". There's a fun conspiracy theory book and movie about the guy that came out nearly two decades ago (geez has it really been that long?). That Leonardo Da Vinci. 

It's the first time these drawings have ever been in the United States. 

This exhibit is short, only 90 days, and then the drawings have to go back to Italy and be placed in storage for three years. That's right, these drawings are super delicate and can only be out of storage every three years for a period of 90 days total. So if you want to see them in person, you've got to get to Washington DC by August 20th, 2023. 

Thankfully, like many things in DC, this exhibit is 100% free. Plenty of libraries offer special exhibits for anyone who wanders in - you don't need a library card to enter. The New York City Library had several special rooms (though I'd only ever seen one in use) for exhibits on different authors or works of literature. The Martin Luthor King Jr. Library is no exception. Included in the exhibits is one on Black Feminism and Go Go (which was invented in DC).

My journey to see the Leonardo Da Vinci started in June, when an article popped up on one of my social media feeds as something to do in DC. I was super excited! I'd recently come across several documentaries on Da Vinci, including some on him being a queer icon (this is actually historically plausible and there is evidence of it in court records - three guesses why). 

Already, Da Vinci was starting to sound punk...at least in the literary subgenre sense that my writer friends have cultivated. I don't know if the whole punk subculture would accept him as one of their own.

The next step in my journey was to actually go do the exhibit. I picked a really hot day during the July 4th extended holiday weekend. Not only had I hoped to see the exhibit, but there was a special showing of Da Vinci recreated works at the National Gallery of Art's Library. It seemed like the perfect way to spend the day.

Except that when I arrived at the library, it was closed. There was a problem with some of the internal workings at the library and they had to fix it quickly. Thus, I was foiled in the main part of my quest. 

But since this was a quest, that meant that there could (and would) be side quests. 

I headed over to the eastern building of the National Gallery of Art. It was about a 20 minute walk in the hot and steaming sun. Washington DC is built over a swamp and the summer climate reflects that. I was sweating enough to fill a bucket by the time I got to the museum and when I arrived, the main floor was filled with people. The first Saturday of the month is when the museum hosts an activity for patrons, but is mostly geared towards kids (not that that's ever stopped me from joining in). It wasn't Da Vinci related. The activity was drawing fireworks over a DC cityscape. 

My objective lay in a corner of the museum not easily seen from the entrance. In fact, despite having gone to this museum my whole life, I'd never been in this area or even knew about it. 

The library at the museum is small, but held enough room for a few fun experiments and games for kids to do that related to Da Vinci's scientific side of his work. One area had enlarged photos of different people from Da Vinci's work "The Last Supper". It surrounded a table filled with reference books explaining Da Vinci's paintings.

Another set of tables was set up with museum library employees with more books, but these books were a little different. I really should have taken some pictures because these books were all recreations of Da Vinci's personal journals and notebooks. Each were made to look like they might have just recently been held by the artist with ink spots, artificial aging, and and even finger prints. According to the librarian I spoke with, each was accurate to it's original. 

This is where I learned how steampunk Leonardo Da Vinci thought about his experimental drawings. There were tons of gears and pipes that look like sketches out of a patent from the Industrial Revolution or a Miyazaki movie (not all, but many of his movies have a steampunk aesthetic like Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Howl's Moving Castle). I was especially intrigued by his telescope designs that wouldn't be invented for another hundred years and the intricate geometric three dimensional like shapes he did as illustrations for a friend's book.

It was also here, that I learned more about Da Vinci's quirks such as his preference for mirror writing (where you can only read what is written by looking in a mirror) and had it confirmed that Da Vinci was indeed queer (the librarian went on a passionate speech about the subject and evidence available). Additionally, the fact that Da Vinci's drawings were so meticulous in a time when paper wasn't as plentiful as it is today. Even his sketches had a fine, confident ink stroke to them that I can only dream of having. 

Side quest complete, I spent the rest of the day exploring the (relatively) recently reopened eastern wing on the museum before going to the folklife festival on the Mall. My initial quest objective might not have been completed, but I still had a great day and learned a lot.

This week, I finally did make it to the Martin Luthor King Jr. Library. 

My friend and I were already planning a trip into the city to see the all female (cis and transgender women) and non-binary casting of 1776 (you can read about that experience here). My friend wasn't having the best week and I wanted to make it a fun time for her. 

Originally, I had hoped we'd go to the library before the play and have lunch in Chinatown. However, timing wasn't on our side and we ended up going straight to the Kennedy Center - a new side quest was unlocked, though it had nothing to do with Da Vinci. We ended up taking a free tour of the Kennedy Center (hey look another free thing to do in DC) and learning about the many donations and art pieces from other countries. Coincidently, Italy had the biggest contribution to the Kennedy Center with their donation of all of the white marble that makes up the building. 

One thing I've learned from all this is that Italy knows how to treat the arts.

After the play, my friend and I braved DC rush hour to visit the museum. The ladies at the National Art Gallery said that going after work was actually a great time to go, since there shouldn't be much of a wait to get in. We arrived and checked in right away. The lady at the desk waved us downstairs and the Italian representative checked us in.

The room with the 12 sketches was dark, with only the illuminated drawings. There was an interactive portion with QR codes that allowed you to listen to an explanation as well. I simply enjoyed looking at the sketches, especially the perpetual motion machine.

The perpetual motion machine in question.

Da Vinci was certainly a man ahead of his time. He had ideas for drills, indoor plumbing, and studies of fountains. His notes, in his famous mirror writing, were all over the pages - which were distinct from other people's notes which appeared as standard Italian writing. 

After viewing the drawings, my quest was complete. 

Or so I thought. 

As my friend and I were about the leave the exhibit, the Italian curator mentioned that there was a back room with a solar clock built based on Da Vinci's designs. It was a short, but no less cool final side quest. 

Dolce & Gabbana were one of the sponsors of the exhibit and therefore wanted to show off their watches. They had a few displays of their fancy wrist watches, but the really cool piece they provided was the tall solar clock. 

It wasn't moving when my friend and I saw it, but I could see how it would work. It included time keeping for seconds, minutes, and hours as any clock does, but also included the month and zodiac sun sign. 

The side quest was short, but rounded out my journey just in time to enjoy dinner in Chinatown (or at least what passes as Chinatown in DC). 

Though I might

If you'd like to see the exhibit, the Martin Luthor King Jr. Library is open 7 days a week, some days as late as 9:00PM. It's short enough for people to check if out after work and miss the worst of rush hour traffic. I learned a lot, including how steampunk Da Vinci was, which is why I think we can just call him Leo from now on. It's much more punk than the formal Leonardo. 

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to a New Kind of 1776

It seems like every year I make a post about one of my favorite musicals: 1776. I grew up watching it every 4th of July and this year was no different. 

I also swore to myself that I wouldn't write anything about the show this year. What more was there for me to say?

A few months ago, I started getting ads on my YouTube videos (can't imagine how the algorithm learned of my love of musical theater) for a new version of 1776, one that was a little different from all other iterations. It would star a diverse cast of actors who were either, ciswomen, transgender women, or non-binary people. 

I had to see it.

And this past week, my friend and I took a trip out to the Kennedy Center. My friend had never seen the play and wasn't familiar with it - though she knew the American legends behind it (we're both graduates of the American public school system after all). She enjoyed the show. I admit that I was looking forward to seeing the changes and differences that had to have been made for this iteration. While, there were some noticeable changes (the cast for example), the current play sticks very close to the original book. 

Some notable changes (minus the cast) were changes to the music accompanying songs like "The Egg", "Mama Look Sharp", and "Molasses to Rum", an update to Abagail's "talk" with John in "Yours, Yours, Yours" asking for him to think of the women (which is a direct quote from one of her letters to John), the inclusion of projections especially with examples of American's right to assembly and petition in the song "The Egg", the removal of two minor characters (Leather Apron is often removed, but I was surprised by the removal of Mr. Morris from New York), Jefferson was shown with a black slave in some scenes, and a truly diabolical change to the presentation of "Molasses to Rum". 

The cast was excellent and even doubled up in some roles. The person playing Abigail Adams also played Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, while Martha Jefferson and Dr. Lyman Hall were played by the same person. I wouldn't have noticed this change because the costuming is really good at making each character distinct. 

Accents also flew around the stage like migrating birds. I expected the accents from Col. McKean (the character has a very Scottish way of talking that adds charm to the character) and the southern delegates, especially Edward Rutledge and Joseph Hewes. However, the accents used by the actors playing Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee weren't expected, but were delightful. The person playing Richard Henry Lee performed a particularly good "The Lees of Old Virginia". 

My favorite song "Mama Look Sharp" was presented a little more seriously from the beginning. Without Leather Apron as a character, his youthful optimism was given to McNair (who is usually played older and more jaded). The music became more soulful, rather than the original accompaniment that mimicked music on the battlefield. Additionally, members of the cast came out all dressed in black to sing the harmony verse. It was just as moving as the original and there wasn't a dry eye in the theater - my self of course included. 

I also jumped about a foot in the air when they shot off a gun early in the song. 

One of the best changes was to the song "Molasses to Rum". This song is incredibly important as it's part of the emotional climax. It's diabolical and doesn't shy away from the sins of America's past with slavery. If done poorly, the impact is lost - and I've seen it done poorly. 

I'm not sure how to describe the musical changes, but the person playing Rutledge knew how to toe the line between Southern gentleperson and evil overlord. The black members of the cast, minus those playing Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, removed their outer costumes so they were in black pants and white shirts representing the slaves who were brought to the Americas against their will. They had a fantastically choreographed dance that punctuated the horrors. Other cast members sat at two tables boxing in the dancers, like the sides of ships, and banged on the tables while chanting parts of the song that had only originally belonged to Rutledge. The sound of whips was removed.

It was a dramatic and totally serious performance. For a play with a lot of fun jokes and reminds the audience of the humanity and fallibility of the founding fathers, this song tosses all the laughter at the window to play the horror straight. 

The musical 1776 has never shied away from the issue of slavery. It's a climatic and dramatic conflict in the play that is devoid of the laughter of other issues to obtain independence presented. This version included a silent character who appeared in select scenes with Thomas Jefferson - a black slave - who disappears when the other characters arrive. The scenes highlight the hypocrisy of the founding fathers demanding their freedom, while profiting from the slavery of black Americans. I think only four of the founders - including John Adams - did not own slaves.

This subtilty is a good addition and is a great example of visual story telling.

Overall, I'm very happy with this version of the play. If you get a chance, I recommend seeing it. It's flawed, but so are it's subjects. It inspired Hamilton and teaches that America's founders are not the myths we're taught.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.