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

Genuine article

IntroductionThe pieces in this edition mine the social, cultural and emotional ramifications of our shifting relationship with reality: the power of deepfakes, the possibilities of AI-generated art, the changing face of cosmetic surgery, the performance of pornographic pleasure, the dangers of corporate greenwashing, the allure of conspiracy...

Vaudeville

PoetryIf the magical colours aren’t even across the page, it’s a failure of art according to aesthetes. An obscenity of blues and reds, they say.

Dot and Ern

Poetry                           Like the hawk of fabric shears, cockatoo calls cut raucous through sheets of...

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