The trick that tells the truth

Unmasking corporate counterfeit

Featured in

  • Published 20230207
  • ISBN: 978-1-922212-80-1
  • Extent: 264pp
  • Paperback (234 x 153mm), eBook

TWO LITTLE GIRLS, maybe four or five years old, are hurtling through the knee-high grass, the blades of which appear more chartreuse than verdant under the low sun’s bright light. Each child is wearing a striped singlet and long pants. There are no buildings in sight, just a lush, vacant meadow spreading in every direction, backed by dense trees casting a shadow on the near horizon. The sunbeams stream behind the speeding figures, shining through the translucent sprays of their shoulder-length hair. The lively grin of the follower and the concentration of the leader suggest that perhaps the chase is on – but there could be a thousand motives behind why they run, or none at all. The scene conjures Wordsworth: Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive. 

Or so this piece of corporate marketing intends us to feel. A female voice is heard over the footage, intoning words of warm reassurance: ‘We are moving from using high to lower emissions generation technology. Our commitment to gradually close our coal-fired power stations means we are making way for new low-carbon generation.’

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

If you are an educator or student wishing to access content for study purposes please contact us at griffithreview@griffith.edu.au

Share article

More from author

Inside the dark tower

Thinking of what is gone, I pause on the bridge and look back. The windows and sleek curvature of Woodside Karlak now give the impression of smooth scales, sliding upwards towards the encroaching night. It is hard not to appreciate elements of the architecture, even when you know what is being sacrificed as a consequence of the decisions that take place behind the darkened glass of the great tower.

More from this edition

About face

Non-fictionOur image-centred world has elevated what writer Jia Tolentino calls ‘Instagram face’, a racially ambiguous assemblage of ethnic ‘greatest hits’ – wide cat-like eyes, big lips, smallish nose, high cheekbones. Few people will have a face that fits this template... But, whatever, you can pay for it. 

From Russia with love

Non-fictionThe 'socialisation of women' narrative arose from journalistic innovations associated with the First World War. In response to an unprecedented demand for up-to-date news, the Australian press had embarked on rapid technological change. Editors installed steam- and rotary-powered printing machines, established distribution fleets of automobiles and trucks, and hooked up their newsrooms to telephone lines.

Detail from Disco Sock photographic artwork by Yvonne Todd

Strike a pose

In ConversationI grew up when women were viewed as decorative, appraised for their sexual currency. It’s hard to disassociate from powerful formative experiences. Particularly my childhood observations of glamour fused with my interest in the macabre.

Stay up to date with the latest, news, articles and special offers from Griffith Review.