I hope you enjoy discovering all the references within this fourth annual ‘Year in Review’. Each year’s illustrated calendar is inspired by a specific period in art history as a way to visually associate the past 12 months within the history books. This year is inspired by Chinese blue and white pottery from the 16th century. All the events are organized across a rectangular calendar in the way I mentally picture the year. Sometimes called ‘calendar synesthesia’, this neurological phenomenon affects how people’s visual pathways are stimulated when thinking of the months of the year. I’ve chosen to highlight important global and national moments that represent the highs and lows of the year, from geopolitical affairs, to pop culture phenomena. For more information on the background of this project please visit my 2020 blog post.
Inspiration: Chinese blue and white pottery
MONTHLY VISUAL 'KEY'
January
(3rd) Cristiano Ronaldo joins Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr for the biggest salary ever in football, leaving Manchester United.
(5th) The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is held in Vatican City.
(10th) Prince Harry's memoir Spare is released, revealing controversial details of his upbringing and falling out with the British royal family.
(15th) The Last of Us premieres on HBO.
February
(1st) Newly released AI chatbot, ChatGPT, is estimated to have 100 million monthly users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history.
(4th) Chinese surveillance balloon is shot down by US fighter jets after drifting across the US for days and igniting a political storm.
(6th) Powerful earthquakes strike Türkiye and Syria. Nearly 60,000 confirmed fatalities in world's deadliest earthquake in over a decade.
(12th) Rihanna performs the most watched Super Bowl half-time show of all time.
(23rd) Former Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape, on top of the 23 years he is already serving for sex crimes.
March
(7th) 1.28 million people protest in nationwide demonstrations throughout France against government plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.
(10th) California's Silicon Valley Bank, the main bank for tech startups, collapses after a sudden bank run and credit crisis. The largest US bank fail since 2008.
(12th) Everything Everywhere All at Once sweeps at the 95th Academy Awards winning best picture, director, supporting actress, supporting actor, and lead actress.
(17th) Taylor Swift kicks off The Eras Tour, which would become the first in history to reach 1 billion dollars in gross ticket sales.
(23rd) TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is questioned at a US congressional hearing over its Chinese security risks.
April
(7th) Jury Duty, a reality hoax television series about a fake jury trial premiers..
(15th) Germany ends its use of nuclear power, closing its last three nuclear plants.
(16th) Broadway’s longest-running show, Phantom of the Opera closes after 13,981 performances.
(24th) India surpasses China as the world's most populous country with 1.4 billion.
May
(4th) The WHO declares Covid-19 over as a global health emergency but remains a significant threat, with seven million known deaths.
(6th) Alberta declares a state of emergency over unprecedented wildfires.
(6th) Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey.
(13th) 67th Eurovision Song Contest. Loreen wins for Sweden, for the second time.
(26th) The Little Mermaid is released starring Halle Bailey.
June
(7th) New York's air quality sinks to the lowest in the world (air quality index 218) as smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets the American Northeast.
(18th) Submersible vessel exploring wreck of the Titanic implodes, killing five.
(20th) Pharrell Williams makes his debut as menswear designer of Louis Vuitton.
(22nd) The Bear Season 2 is released on Hulu.
July
(5th) Meta launches Threads, Instagram's new public conversations app.
(14th) US actor's union SAG-AFTRA goes on strike joining the Writers Guild.
(18th) Wildfire season in British Columbia becomes the most destructive on record.
(21st) 'Barbenheimer' marks the simultaneous release of two blockbuster films, Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
(23rd) Elon Musk announces that Twitter is being rebranded to X.
August
(3rd) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie announce their separation.
(17th) US 30-year fixed mortgage rate rises above 7% for the first time in 21 years.
(24th) Former US President Donald Trump surrenders at Fulton County Jail, to be arrested on 2020 election interference charges, and gets a mug shot.
(24th) Kim Cattrall makes an appearance in the season 2 finale of And Just Like That.
(26th) Longtime Price is Right host, Bob Barker, dies at 99.
September
(11th) Sarah Burton announces her departure from fashion house Alexander McQueen after two decades.
(26th) The speaker of Canada's House of Commons resigns after honouring a man who fought with the Nazi military in WWII.
(27th) Ozempic, a type 2 diabetes drug that has increasingly been used to help with weight loss, will now be labeled as having the potential to block intestines.
(28th) The Golden Bachelor premieres on ABC with a 72-year old bachelor.
(29th) Sphere opens in Las Vegas with wraparound LED screen.
October
(1st) Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour ends.
(7th) Hamas launches an air and ground attack on Israel from Gaza.
(8th) Israel formally declares war on Hamas and Israel increases airstrikes on Gaza.
(12-13th) Israel says it will not stop the bombardment of Gaza until hostages released, amid growing Gaza humanitarian crisis. Israel orders 1.1 million people to evacuate from north to south Gaza, in anticipation of a ground invasion.
(30th) US President Joe Biden signs the country's first AI executive order, with directives for US federal agencies' use of AI.
November
(11th) Over 300,000 attend pro-Palestinian march in London, calling for a cease-fire.
(17th) Earth's hottest day: global average surface temperature more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time.
(17th) The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is released.
(24th) Seven-day ceasefire begins in Gaza, allowing urgently needed humanitarian aid into the region.
(29th) War criminal Henry Kissinger dies at age 100.
December
(8th) Calgary native, Tate McRae's album Think Later is released.
(12th) U.N. General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to demand a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, amid reports 18,000 Palestinians have been killed, 70% children and women, with over 80% now homeless.
(15th) Musical Wonka is released, starring Timothée Chalamet.
