Month: February 2012

Categories
Arts

Bombs, bulldozers and olive trees

While the myriad causes being fought for around the world may polarize, there seems to be a wider consensus on methods of resistance. The vanguard of defensible strategies has—and continues to be—nonviolent resistance. It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction to invoke Gandhi
when critics argue against violent resistance. While there was a trend in recent years towards accepting that violence is sometimes the only option, the Arab Spring has vaulted nonviolence back into the global zeitgeist, despite Libya having paid for their freedom—and it wasn’t cheap—in blood.
Nonviolent resistance has rarely been a significant force in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where reciprocal vengeance has long since made both sides blind. In an Israeli-Palestinian-focused two-film week at Cinema Politica, it’s clear just how much reason those living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have for violence against Israel, but also how effective nonviolence has the potential to be.

Tears of Gaza: ashen hair and mangled limbs

This Norwegian-produced film focuses on three children living in Gaza during Israel’s 2008 offensive in the region. The so-called “Gaza War,” a misleading moniker that supposes what occurred before or after the month-long operation wasn’t war, has been condemned by the United Nations for war crimes on both sides. The UN’s Goldstone Report accuses Israel of a policy that targets civilians, a charge its author later distances himself from but which is not evidently refuted, according to his cosignatories.
What’s clear in the first scene of the movie is these are children in body only. When asked their dreams for the future, two tell the camera they want to be a doctor and a lawyer—to treat those hurt by the Israelis and prosecute the Israelis for doing so, respectively. The third is much more profound. Looking solemnly at the ground, with a weary stance, she says quietly, “Life is really hard. Really.”
There are happy moments in these kids’ lives, and we’re privy to them early in the film.
But it’s not long before this bubble is burst. A siren, like that of an accelerated police cruiser’s, rings out in a bustling market. Moments later, the scene is brutally truncated by the arrival of death after blares of the sound of a fighter jet. Two-tone smoke engulfs the sky; some run away from the smoke, others towards it.
Apartment walls are strewn across the wide streets. Hundreds of men hurriedly move debris as children are lifted from the ruin. The crowd moans in unison as a broken man might after hours of torture. The next day a woman in black moves among the wreckage, reciting prayers; a young boy follows, walking with a cane.
The footage of Israeli attacks is phenomenal. What’s most affecting is not the explosions, but the few moments of missiles discharging from jets and helicopters. This elucidates the ease of inflicting utter destruction and the impossibility of preparing it.
In Tears of Gaza, the camera operates as witness and scribe. Little else is shown but life in the Gaza Strip, where bullets wrack houses and children die soldiers’ deaths. Almost no treatment is given to Hamas, nor is the effect of Palestinian attacks on Israel discussed. The conditions of life in Gaza are clear, and it’s hard to imagine a concerted effort towards peaceful resistance under them. But, as the next film shows, this is exactly what has been done elsewhere in Palestine.

Budrus: rallying ‘round the olive trees

Budrus is a small town near Ramallah, right at the edge of the West Bank’s border with Israel. When the Israeli government decides to build its own Great Wall, the Israeli West Bank barrier, to encircle areas of Palestine from which they argue suicide bombers were originating, Budrus stands to lose its farmland. Fifty olive trees to which the town had been tending for centuries are to be uprooted and disposed of in the construction. These trees provide the locus for resistance from the town of 1,900 people.
The resistance in Budrus follows the same blueprint used in Egypt, though on a much smaller scale and with concerted leadership. What we see is a war of attrition between the Israeli Defense Force and the protesters: sporadic beatings aside, the IDF is handcuffed by the presence of foreign nationals, Israeli citizens and women in the front line.
Laced with scenes of resistance are those with the movement’s leader, Ayed Morrar, whose nonviolent citizens’ coalition also aims to include both Hamas and Fatah. His family life is peaceful and forgettable; both qualities make easy to identify with while highlighting his improbability as a resistance leader.
Two IDF officials also make appearances in Budrus, lending it an evenhanded feel that Tears of Gaza lacks, though the latter’s observational tone makes the one-sidedness less worrisome. One soldier, Doron Spielman, is a spokesman for the army. His perfect English, with its touch of New York inflection, and spewing of officialese are expected. But it’s Yasmine Levy, an IDF squad commander, who lends the Israeli side a conscience. She develops an intriguing relationship with the women in the resistance. Her recollection of the events is best summed up as follows: “As combatants, we didn’t know all the implications and problems. We were like robots. They told us ‘Move the people.’ So we did.”
It’s a good example of the issues with demonizing specific soldiers, in the IDF or any army, for their indoctrinated obedience. The obedience itself, however, is terrifying.
While the olive trees are lost, the resistance is a success, and Israel’s reaction to it is hopeful in its cooperative tone.
But the question remains whether anyone could have the strength for this type of resistance were they undergoing the trauma of Gaza. My guess is no.

Tears of Gaza is showing on March 5 at 7 p.m. in H-110. Budrus is showing on March 9 at 7 p.m. in H-110. For more information, check out www.cinemapolitica.org/concordia.

Categories
News

New all-in-one printing service coming to Concordia

The universty is switching to an all-in-one printing, scanning, and photocopying. Photo by Navneet Pall.

Students will now be able to do without Concordia printing cards and upload printing funds straight onto their student ID cards.
The university is introducing a new all-in-one photocopying, scanning and printing service called DPrint, which enables students to do all three tasks using a single multifunctional device. Once funds have been loaded to their accounts via the cash loaders on campus, students can log into one of the devices and begin to print, scan or copy.
Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota said the objective is to offer a centralized, efficient and environmentally-friendly service to students.
“Ultimately the goal is to be able to provide students with a one-stop shopping experience and hopefully a very positive one,” said Mota.
In order to start using the system, students only need a valid Concordia student ID and a netname and password. An additional new feature is the ability for students using Concordia’s Wi-Fi network to send print jobs from their personal laptops or any other computer on campus.
“If you print from a lab on Loyola campus and you have a class downtown, instead of having to go to that one machine to pick up your job, you can pick it up in the Hall building where your next class is,” explained David Babcock, a Digital Store customer service representative.
Preserving credit on old print cards will be a matter of transferring leftover funds to the student account. This account is strictly attached to printing services and is entirely separate from student fees and tuition accounts.
Another feature of the service is letting students go over the available credits if the job requires more than what is left in the account, instead of cutting off in the middle of the job. The outstanding credit will then be taken when the card is loaded up again.
The implementation process has run into some glitches however, as was to be expected, said Mota, considering the scale of the project.
“I liked the old system, it was easy to use,” said Stephanie Saucier, a second-year contemporary dance student. “The new service was user-friendly too — when it was working. I think this is a normal period of adaptation,” she said.
DPrint was being tested at SGW campus and ran into some issues, notably with computer drivers crashing. Mota advised students to keep using the debit printing cards until the DPrint service is “proven to be reliable and fully supported.”
DPrint has not yet been implemented on the Loyola campus.
“They’re not going to make any drastic changes at this point because they want to get through the exam periods where people have massive use requirements,” said Mota. “So rather than push the implementation full speed ahead right now, they’re going to let those departments that are still using the old system get through the crunch and then they will really begin working towards solving the problems,” she said.
The target goal is to get through the busiest periods and by September 2012 have the service fully functional across the university.

Categories
Arts

Ready to take a trip?

How do we illustrate? Let me count the ways: with our bodies, with our hands, with a brush or with a pen. Before language and the written word, there was illustration. We told stories with our bodies and with images drawn on cave walls. Today, we continue to use the technique of illustration when words fail us, but would you read a story without any words?

Before you make a decision, you may want to consider picking up Matthew Forsythe’s Jinchalo. Based on Korean folktales about parental loyalty, this 120-page paperback is made entirely of wordless drawings that tell the story of a little Korean girl, the gluttonous Voguchi, and her adventure with a shape-shifter.

After eating all the food in her father’s house, she’s sent to the market to buy more. In the market, Voguchi buys a large egg, and as she’s leaving she collides with Jinchalo, who is holding the shape-shifter egg. In the resulting chaos, the eggs get switched and Voguchi walks off with the shape-shifter egg. On her way home, the egg hatches and adventure ensues as she chases the shape-shifter through a tumult of nonsensical and fantastical worlds.

It may seem daunting to read a story completely in pictures, without any words to guide you. However, Forsythe draws crisp, animated images that perfectly illustrate the characters’ emotions and actions. The sequence of events and the exact nature of the plot are less concrete and hinge on the reader’s ability to interpret and formulate the narrative based on the illustrations. As a result, it’s possible that every reader will be reading a different story, one that is perhaps entirely different from Forsythe’s conception.

Forsythe, however, doesn’t see this as a disadvantage, but the opposite. “The great thing about nonsense and surreal works is that they leave you space to interpret things however you want and it isn’t patronizing to the reader or the audience,” he said. “The audience participates in it.”

Forsythe has worn many career hats in his day and interestingly enough, being an artist wasn’t originally one of them. He studied political science with a minor in religious studies at McMaster University. He’s been a part-time professor at Concordia’s department of journalism and he’s taught English as a second language. However, unlike many children who draw as a pastime and then stop, Forsythe has been drawing since he was a child and has continued to do so despite the different paths he’s explored.

While teaching English in Korea, he was inspired by the graphics, cartoon culture and comics of the country to draw his own comics based on the nonsense logic and aesthetic style of Korean comics.

“It was really fresh to me. There’s a sort of nonsense logic in a certain strain of manga, just sort of surreal comics for kids. I was teaching kids and I noticed that they weren’t afraid of nonsense, because it’s so much fun and it’s a different way of looking at the world, so that really inspired me. I was drawing with my kids in class and we would tell each other stories and make up stories, so it came out of this experience,” said Forsythe.

The title Jinchalo means “really” in Korean. Forsythe explained that oftentimes he would be in a conversation, speaking in Korean, but he wouldn’t quite understand what was going on, so to appear as if he did know, he would ask, “Jinchalo?” and his conversation partner would reply, “Yeah, Jinchalo.”

This can be paralleled to how some readers might react to this book, not quite understanding everything, but sort of nodding along as if they did. Jinchalo is also a character in the book. He is the mysterious fate figure that sets the plot in motion, but by the end of the story we are still left with the question of who he is.

Voguchi is funny and lovable; her personality jumps off the page. Other characters, such as the furry rectangular monster that comes begging for food, are harder to interpret, but this oddity simply adds to the nonsensical fun. Jinchalo is a delight both artistically and narrative-wise. Spend an hour with this book and you’ll feel like a little kid again—free, playful and joyous.


Jinchalo is available from Drawn and Quarterly and other fine book retailers. For more information, visit comingupforair.net.

Categories
News

City in Brief

A taste of Tiffany’s in Montreal
One of the most famous jewelry stores in the world, Tiffany’s, has finally opened its first free-standing store in Montreal, and it was big. Hundreds of women dragged their husbands to Tiffany & Co. over the week to admire their collection of some of the finest brands of jewelry that exist. After some thought about location, Tiffany’s decided to open inside the Ritz Carlton Residences on Sherbrooke Street. If that wasn’t enough, breakfast at Tiffany’s was served Friday, including mimosas for that good old morning buzz. Montreal is the sixth Canadian city to be graced with Tiffany’s presence. The chain was founded in 1837.

Cracking down on private clinics
Quebec’s medicare board is finally taking a stance on illegal user fees paid by some patients in private clinics by leading one of its biggest investigations to date. Patients around Montreal have been said to pay thousands of dollars in fees in private clinics that are usually supposed to be covered under medicare. One of the biggest crackdowns so far has been at the Rockland MD clinic in the Town of Mount Royal. The Régie de l’assurance maladie du Quebéc concluded this month that this particular clinic charged patients a wide array of expensive fees that contravened  the provincial law.

New seat distribution at council
Concordia Student Union President Lex Gill has issued a presidential decree changing the seat distribution at council, awarding 14 seats to arts and science, three seats to fine arts, six to JMSB and three to engineering and computer science. Gill cited a “procedural oversight” as the reason for issuing her decree, which the president has the authority to exercise between council meetings. The distribution was originally supposed to be decided at the February council meeting, but was accidentally left off the agenda.

Penguins at Nuit Blanche
Who said penguins can only have fun in the Arctic? The Biodome kicked off Nuit Blanche in style on Saturday by moving the penguins from their usual space inside the centre. The penguins arrived in their special sled and explored their new habitat for the evening to the surprise and delight of many. The event was organized by Space for Life.

Categories
Arts

The devil takes on Montreal

“I’m sorry I made you wait,” whispers Logan Williams, dressed in a medieval puffy-sleeved shirt and paint-stained blue jeans when I meet him by the elevator. “Walk past the curtains and sit at the back.”
Title 66 Productions theatre troupe, which Williams founded, are in the middle of rehearsal for their upcoming play, Clive Barker’s The History of the Devil, opening on Feb. 29 at Théâtre Rouge. Williams also just finished working on the Black Theatre Workshop’s New Canadian Kid as a set designer assistant.
Williams’ outgoing demeanour makes it easy to instantly like him. He might look innocent with his strawberry blonde hair and bright eyes, but he could outsmart most people with his extensive literary knowledge.
The young actor grew up on a farm in Howick, Quebec’s third smallest municipality. Williams’ parents preferred that he did not have too many toys as a child, which pushed him to be creative and innovative with the little he had. This is something he integrated into Title 66 Productions, which he founded after graduating from Dawson College’s professional theatre program last spring.
“We made this mandate which was of acting at its purest base and working on innovative design concepts,” says Williams. “We wanted to take a path of art that was different, outside the box of what everyone was doing.”
With his choice to produce The History of the Devil, Williams promotes a different approach to theatre, one that forces audiences to adopt a critical eye towards the society they live in. The play is bound to be controversial with its depiction of the devil going on trial to be granted access to heaven.
The History of the Devil tackles issues such as sex, religion, violence and death. “It makes people uncomfortable because that is what is around us,” says Williams.
Williams finally appears on stage during rehearsal. He is wearing a robe and his face is covered with a red, glittery mask. Williams is Jesus Christ, this distorted, over-the-top version of the messiah, begging the devil to kill him in some sort of grandiose way in order for him to be remembered by everyone for eternity.
The young Dawson graduate admits that it is not just the content of the play that could offend spectators, but its design could also make people uneasy.
“We are aiming for a design aesthetic that is not typical, but more simple and creative,” says Williams.
The set is composed of a dozen immaculate white mannequins, torsos and cubes, which are moved across the stage to represent different locations. Title 66‘s take on The History of The Devil is not just a play; it is performance art mixed with theatre, which is precisely what could make the audience uncomfortable.
“We are telling the story,” reassures Williams. “We are just telling it in a heightened way so that people are more intrigued.”
Williams may be fresh out of CEGEP, but he is wise beyond his years. He hopes to see the Montreal theatre industry evolve, and reach new levels of creativity. “We don’t bang rocks together to make fire anymore, we buy lighters,” he says. “It is what theatre has to do too; it can’t just be Shakespeare in a corset […]”
While the big theatre companies in Montreal are trying to attract the masses, Williams aims to reach out to a younger audience. He says it is important for the youth to explore art in all its forms, whether it be theatre, visual art or music.
Title 66’s interpretation of Barker’s play wants to show people that a play is not just a play; it is a show and an experience that will make audiences reflect on themselves.
“People will be shocked. People will be angry. People will be pleased,” says Williams about the upcoming play. “It all depends on what kind of mindset you’re coming in with and I suggest that you come in with a very open mind.”

The History of the Devil runs from Feb. 29 to March 4 at Théâtre Rouge (4750 Henri-Julien Ave.) Tickets are $15. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/title66.

Categories
News

Concordia organizes fourth annual case competition

The University of Maastricht won the fourth annual John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition last Saturday at the Hilton Bonaventure Hotel.
After a close final, the Dutch undergraduate students won the week-long competition that saw 24 universities from around the world compete in a time-constrained contest that made students work on real-life strategy cases presented to a real company.
This year, students presented in front of a jury composed of members of the ground engineering and environment services company Golder Associates, as well as JMSB professors.
“The JMUCC is one of the largest undergraduate business competitions in the world,” said JMUCC VP public relations Riddhi Jhunjhunwala. “The fact that students have to work on real-life cases in front of a jury of professionals who know the company in and out makes it a real challenge and an excellent learning experience.”
The Concordia JMSB team and the HEC Montreal team, the two universities representing Montreal schools in the competition, did not make it to the finals, although two of the six finalists were Canadian universities.
After winning the first round on Feb. 20, the JMSB students lost two consecutive rounds against the universities of Maastricht and Purdue.
The last three days of the competition saw the finalists compete a second time, where they were to present Golder Associates a business strategy that would expand the company’s economic and environmental viability. Each team of four had only 24 hours to prepare this last case.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology made it to second place, followed by Carleton University.
The winners of the case competition received JMUCC trophies, Micheal Kors watches and a free ticket to compete in the 2013 JMUCC (instead of paying the $2,500 team registration fee). The prize of best Canadian school was awarded to Carleton University.

Categories
Student Life

Shisha: A smoking hot new trend

“Hey, do you want to go smoke shisha tonight?” is a phrase that’s becoming increasingly familiar among students and young adults. Going to the hookah lounge to smoke the flavourful shisha is becoming quite the popular social activity today. In Montreal, these lounges can be found all around St-Denis and St-Laurent and are occupied by patrons of various demographics.
Flavoured tobacco, known as shisha, is smoked from a pipe connected to a device called a hookah. Shisha is known for its countless flavours: strawberry, watermelon, grape, peach, pear. Name any fruit and you can be guaranteed a hookah in that flavour. The hookah operates when heat from burning charcoal vaporizes the tobacco, thus producing smoke. The smoker then inhales it through a long tube and takes in the faint taste of their favourite flavour.
Is shisha harmful? Many people don’t seem to realize that it is. In fact, it can be more harmful than smoking cigarettes. During an hour-long shisha smoking session, the smoker will inhale 100 to 200 times the amount of smoke than that of one cigarette. Shisha and cigarettes are both composed of tobacco, but shisha is smoked longer and in larger amounts.
A common effect of this drug is temporary lightheadedness, often followed by a feeling of relaxation or fatigue. With more exposure, the smoker will get used to the dizziness and eventually stop feeling the effects.
“After a while of smoking [shisha], my throat always hurts,” says Laura-Rose Kennedy, a Concordia political science student. “I also find that there is a fine line between lightheadedness and headaches.”
Laura goes to hookah lounges about once every few months, as a social outing. “Smoke rings, however, are entertaining,” she adds with a chuckle.
The long-term effects of shisha can be extremely dangerous. Excessive smoking can lead to lung cancer due to the toxic substances in the smoke. These substances can also cause clogged arteries and heart disease. Pregnant women risk birth defects and a lower birth weight for the child. And of course, there is the risk of nicotine addiction and the exposure to second-hand smoke. Taking into consideration that hookahs are usually shared by two or more people, the risk of spreading diseases and illnesses shoots sky high.
Bernard Mahaise, a dentist from the Caledon Dental Care Clinic in Bolton, Ontario, talks about the effects that smoking shisha has on oral health.
“The short-term effects are the staining of teeth. Tobacco smoke contains countless toxins, so it’s the toxins that cause the damage. You’ll start with gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) which will lead to periodontitis (inflammation of the bone).” Mahaise explains that once periodontitis has settled on the bone, it will weaken and ultimately result in tooth loss.
“Changes in the oral mucosa due to toxins can lead to cancer,” he adds.
So why do students smoke shisha? For many, it is part of their culture. The hookah is believed to have originated from India and the Middle Eastern regions where it was used as a method of healing. The hazards of tobacco were later discovered but it still remains a huge cultural part of countries like Syria, Iran, Pakistan, India, Philippines and South Africa.
“I’m Middle Eastern, [smoking shisha] is almost like the Lebanese way of going for coffee,” says Maxim Korah, a Concordia mechanical engineering student. When asked if the risk of lung cancer worries him, Korah replies, “Not any more than beer is bad for my liver, like most things, you just have to be smart about how you use it.”
Why are young people suddenly starting to smoke more shisha? “Because it has a more accessible flavour, it’s probably similar to teenagers starting to drink alcohol with coolers,” says William Turcot, a software engineering student from ETS Montreal.
Turcot explains that he finds smoking is a pleasant and relaxing activity. However, he also takes caution. “Since I do a lot of cardio I’m afraid it might negatively affect it.”
Smoking shisha is a social, cultural and enjoyable activity for many. But like with every substance, it is crucial to be well informed about the risks you are taking when you decide to participate in such activities.

Categories
News

Faculty show support for general strike online

An online declaration calling for support from Concordia’s faculty in the fight against tuition hikes has already gathered more than 160 signatures in less than three weeks.
The Concordia Declaration was drafted by the Concordia Student Union, the Graduate Students’ Association and a number of faculty members consulted in the process. It was posted online on Feb. 17, asking university professors, research assistants and teaching assistants to accommodate students who may miss class or assignments due to their involvement in a potential general strike.
“The declaration was a response to faculty talking to [the CSU] and saying they wanted a way of making sure students know that they support them,” said CSU President Lex Gill. “Since we put the declaration online, signatures have been growing really fast. It’s really exciting, we did not expect so many signatures.”
Gill explained that the declaration could play a crucial role in influencing the provost’s decision to grant an amnesty as “it shows faculty members on Senate that [a general strike] is something faculty, research and teaching assistants clearly support.”
Gill added that there were more signatures pending approval on the website’s account.
Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota, however, pointed out that an academic amnesty could not be granted by the provost, nor the Senate, “because no one and nobody has the authority to require that [faculty] abide by one.”
“When I spoke with [Graham] last week, he was of the same opinion that he was in the time of Nov. 10, even after knowing about the declaration,” said Mota. “The situation is very clear: faculty are expected to teach and professors are expected to come in and do their jobs. We need to keep providing services for those who choose to continue studying.”
Graham could not be reached to comment directly on the declaration.
Mota added that for those who choose to “boycott” classes, some individual accommodations could be made “for a day or two,” but something at the level of an academic amnesty is not being considered right now.
The Concordia Declaration, which can be found on http://concordiadeclaration.wordpress.com, asks for every signatory to leave name, position and comments if desired.
Teaching assistant and GSA President Robert Sonin said he signed because he did not want to see Concordia turn into a university “in name only, a for-profit diploma mill with no academic integrity or legitimacy.”
“The strike against tuition fee increases is not merely about money,” Sonin said. “It is a struggle against a trend that is cheapening what we do, that is undermining the seriousness and value of higher education and academic research, and that can only value things — including human beings — in terms of money.”

CLARIFICATION: In a previous version of this article, Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota indicated that the decision for imposing academic amnesty was solely up to Provost David Graham. After following up with Graham, Mota later told The Concordian that no one has the authority to grant a ‘blanket’ amnesty. Instead, faculty members, as long as they are abiding by regulations set by Senate, can deal with individual cases in their class themselves.

Categories
Arts

It’s a beautiful world

The city is subtly splattered with his delectable images promoting Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. Metro stations and billboards throughout the city are adorned with the product of his vision and search for beauty. His photographs are deep, sensuous images full of movement, flow and sentiment. They succeed in proving that beauty is all around us, even where we least expect it.
Beauty is an aging man or woman. Beauty is a straight, gay or transsexual person. Beauty is respect and understanding towards difference. Beauty is drama and a story as it unfolds. Beauty is transforming negativity into positivity. Beauty, for Damian Siqueiros, is omnipresent.
“When you treat beauty not as commercial beauty, as what a top model would look like, but beauty in the sense of having a positive view on things and transforming negativity into happiness; for me, that’s beauty,” said Siqueiros. “And finding that beauty in people or in places […] that’s what moves my work.”
With both art and photography as part of his education, Siqueiros doesn’t consider himself merely a photographer, but a blend of a photographer and painter—a photopainter, as he calls it. Painting is an essential part of his process; he pays close attention to makeup, set designs, lighting and retouching. He compares his work with that of a Renaissance painter, applying several transparencies and layers to his photographs, almost like brushstrokes. The final product is a photographic image with the aesthetic of a painting.
“I would say that even though I have both, as a photographer and as an artist, the aesthetic is always a very clear view of where I wanted to be as an artist,” said Siqueiros. “It’s strange because I think that’s one of the hardest things as an artist: to find your own voice.”
Siqueiros comes from a close, science-driven family from Baja California, Mexico. In 2009, he moved to Montreal with the hopes of starting a new life in a city where topics such as gender equality and gender diversity were being discussed regularly. In fact, these are two things Siqueiros speaks about a lot; one of his goals is to motivate people to be respectful and understanding with other people and with other people’s differences.
“Gender diversity is an intrinsic part of the identity of every person,” said Siqueiros with a thick but charming Spanish accent. “But it’s not the person. There can be good or bad people that are straight or gay or transsexual and it really doesn’t matter that much.”
Siqueiros, who specializes in artistic and editorial photography, is fascinated with movement. It’s no mystery why his favourite subject to photograph are dancers. He says movement inspires him because of the drama; not drama in the sense that something negative is happening, but that something is happening.
He seeks to tell the story behind a person as it develops through his work, and for him, movement and emotion are the perfect combination to do that. He tries to portray emotions that make people feel alive and connected to his work, even if they may be sad ones. He compares the feeling to the aftertaste of listening to an Adele song—although it is sad, it doesn’t make you feel bad, it makes you feel good and alive.
His latest series, part of this year’s Art Souterrain, is called The Journey of Flowers. Siqueiros draws a parallel between the life of a flower and the career of a dancer, both significantly short.
He aims to connect with his public on an emotional level rather than an intellectual one, something he thinks contemporary art has forgotten how to do.
In the series, Siqueiros also exposes the limits people feel they have when they age or if they suffer from a chronic illness. He wants people to overcome the preconception that being old or ill means not being able to be active or fulfilled and not being able to contribute to society.
He photographed renowned Quebec dancer and choreographer Margie Gillis, and Bobby Thompson, Montreal’s well-known Argentinian tango dancer, both in their fifties and still very active and popular, in order to exemplify how he would like people to see life when they hit that age.
”If tomorrow I can’t walk as fast as I used to do, then it means that I have more time to look at my environment and the place where I live and contemplate more,” said Siqueiros. “I want people to take this seemingly bad thing as an opportunity to become better people.”

Art Souterrain runs until March 11. Siqueiros’ work will be exhibited at Square Victoria metro station. For more information on Art Souterrain, visit www.artsouterrain.com. For more information about Damian Siqueiros, visit www.damiansiqueiros.com.

Categories
Music

Mixtape: Post-reading week rhapsody

The first days back to school after any sort of break are always an interesting time. From getting back into getting up at a respectable hour, to reacquainting yourself with that girl who is always correcting the professor under her breath (you know who you are), it can be a trying time. Not to mention the fact that with mid-terms now behind you, it’s pretty much full on exam time when you get back from reading week.
While one could get into hard drug use or religion to cope, there are better, and arguably healthier methods. Since the dawn of rock and roll in the late 1940s and early 1950s, there have been countless songs composed on the subject of school: getting back to school, fraternity life  and hot-rod dissertations. This mixtape pretty much covers all aspects of the school experience. Enjoy.

SIDE A: Hot for teacher
1. “Hot Rod Dissertation” – The Royal Pendletons – Oh Yeah, Baby
2. “No Class” – Motörhead – Overkill
3. “Fraternity, U.S.A.” – The Lady Bugs – Fraternity, U.S.A.
4. “School’s Out” – The Spits – The Spits IV (School’s Out)
5. “Be True to Your School” – The Beach Boys – Little Deuce Coupe
6. “Schools are Prisons” – The Ex Pistols – Deny
7. “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” – The Yardbirds – For Your Love
8. “Barbara” – The Modernettes – Teen City E.P.
9. “School Jerks” – The Veins – School Jerks
10. “Low Grades and High Fever” – Linda Laine & The Sinners – Freddie and the Dreamers and Other Great English Stars

SIDE B: Be cool, stay in school
11. “Scholastic Aptitude” – The Urinals – Negative Capability
12. “Charlie Brown” – The Coasters – Charlie Brown
13. “High School Yum Yum” – The Donnas – The Donnas
14. “School Days” – The Runaways – Waitin’ for the Night
15. “Hot Rod High” – The Hondells – Go Little Honda
16. “High School Nervous Breakdown” – Forgotten Rebels – Boys Will be Boys
17. “Die Schule ist Aus” – Die Sweetles – Die Schule ist Aus
18. “High School Confidential” – Hasil Adkins – Out to Hunch
19. “Teach Your Children” – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà Vu
20. “Rock and Roll High School” – The Ramones – End of the Century

Listen to this week’s mixtape here on 8tracks.com

Categories
Music

World Music Review : Africa

Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa) – Arguably one of the most prolific South African bands in existence, this a capella all-male singing troupe has been around for more than 40 years. Their fusion of traditional South African sounds with Christian gospel and even pop has set them apart and brought them to centre stage. Founded by lead singer, director and composer Joseph Shabalala, they’ve collaborated with Paul Simon and Melissa Etheridge, provided soundtrack material for The Lion King II, and have been invited to perform for Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth II and the late Pope John Paul II. Oh, and they don’t mind getting recognition from the Grammys either, having been nominated 13 times since 1988, and winning three of those nominations, including most recently in 2009 in the “Best Traditional World Music Album” category for Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu.
Most recent album: Songs From a Zulu Farm (Razor & Tie; 2011)

Razia Said (Madagascar) – Not just another beautiful, exotic voice, Razia Said combines the traditional sounds of the small, ecologically isolated island of Madagascar with socially, environmentally and spiritually conscious messages. Despite having relocated to New York City to pursue her musical career, her love of Madagascar holds fast and shines through in her music. Zebu Nation, her latest release, is a collection of Malagasy songs with a new-age edge, written about her longing for her country in spite of the poverty, tribal dissonance and environmental suffering experienced there. The album serves as her way of raising awareness of the troubles of her homeland, which is being destroyed by slash-and-burn agriculture, climate change and industrial development.
Most recent album: Zebu Nation (Cumbancha; 2009)

Tamikrest (Mali) – After being referred to as “the future of Tuareg music,” Tamikrest has a lot to live up to. But after listening to their psychedelic, desert-inspired synthesis of Tuareg, rock ‘n’ roll, electric blues and pop, you’ll understand why. Singing entirely in Tamashek, the language of the Tuareg people, they use traditional sounds such as youyous, djembés, as well as electric guitar, bass, drums and vocals to bring you on your own personal hallucinogenic desert oasis trip. The nine band members, all in their early ‘20s, received musical training at a small desert oasis school, but didn’t move beyond playing traditional songs until the Internet became available and they were able to discover iconic Western musical heroes Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Bob Marley. Although you might not associate their sound with a heavy message, the Tuareg people have endured great suffering, including a five-year-long civil war in the early ‘90s which shaped the music and philosophies of these young musicians.
Most recent album: Toumastin (Glitterhouse Records; 2011)

Burkina Electric (Burkina Faso) – In a wild cohesion of electronic and African sounds, Burkina Electric pulls out all the right stops to have you moving and grooving. The group is actually led by Lukas Ligeti, an extremely talented, Austrian-born drummer and composer who happens to be the son of the famous film and classical composer Gyorgy Ligeti. Burkina Electric is more than just a band—think The Mighty Mighty Bosstones—they also have two dancers, tying together the long-held tradition of music and dance for the African people. By seeking out rare and unknown African rhythms, this sextet is spearheading electronic world music with ancient rhythms and instruments, such as those of the Sahel, combined with their own original beats and sounds. Lead singer Maï Lingani sings in four languages, including French, and alongside guitarist Wende K. Blass, electronicist/VJ Pyrolator, Ligeti, and dancers/choreographers Vicky and Zoko Zoko, this Burkina Faso band is sure to impress.
Most recent album: Raem Tekra (Listenable Records; 2007)
Upcoming album: Not yet named, no official release date.

King Sunny Adé (Nigeria) –  At 65 years of age, King Sunny Adé is still pumping out the high energy traditional African rhythms that most people would associate with the widely diverse continent. He and his band, the African Beats, deliver Yoruba Nigerian Jùjú music and are widely considered to have popularized the genre in the world music scene. To say he’s accomplished is an understatement—he’s been nominated for two Grammys, collaborated with Stevie Wonder, released well over 100 albums, and he has even graced the silver screen three times. And don’t think that you’ll have to miss out on a wild performance when it comes to this veteran performer. With anywhere from 23 to 50 band members on stage at any given time, a concert by Adé is probably a bigger party than anything you might have seen during frosh week.
Most recent album: Morning Joy (Master Disc; 2010)

Die Antwoord (South Africa) – If Nicki Minaj’s latest schizophrenic Grammy awards show offering has left a stale Lady Gaga-esque taste in your mouth, turn to Die Antwoord for an even filthier take on grunge hip hop. Die Antwoord, “The Answer” in Afrikaans, is weeding Zef style into mainstream rave electronica with the help of the Pitchfork and Coachella obsessed. Its three members, Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi -Tek are at the forefront of the South African Zef movement, and boast the dirt-poor yet flashy lifestyle. They fuse fashion with music, drawing on the clash between rich and poor in the wake of South African apartheid. Their music video for “Enter the Ninja” went viral in 2009, leading to a deal with Interscope Records and an international tour. In keeping with the Zef lifestyle, Die Antwoord left their major label and started their own, Zef Records, in 2011.
Most recent album: Ten$ion (Zef Records; 2012)

Michael Kiwanuka (Uganda) – Fresh off backing Adele’s 2011 tour, Michael Kiwanuka is bound to bask in his tour mate’s glorious 2012 Grammy shutdown. The London-born 23-year-old is the offspring of two Ugandan refugees who fled the Amin regime, escaping political repression and mass killings that resulted in the deaths of up to 500,000 people in the 1970s. Kiwanuka lived quietly as a session guitarist until going solo in 2011 with his debut solo EP, Tell Me a Tale. Always with a guitar in hand, Kiwanuka is a wholesome, soulful crooner, reminiscent of Otis Redding and Bill Withers. Though he has yet to release an album, he beat out the much hyped Azealia Banks and Skrillex for the BBC’s Sound of 2012 poll. Past winners of the award include Jessie J, Adele and Ellie Goulding, so Kiwanuka is destined for stardom.
Most recent album: I’m Getting Ready [EP] (Communion Records; 2011)
Upcoming album: Home Again (Polydor; 2012)

The Parlotones (South Africa) – Africa isn’t all drum circles and pan flutes, and even The Parlotones are proof that the continent didn’t escape the britpop epidemic of the ‘90s. Hailing from Johannesburg, The Parlotones is a traditional four-piece rock band known for churning out stadium anthems and harmonious ballads à la Coldplay. The band was signed to Universal Records, the world’s largest record company, but has failed to catch on in North America despite achieving moderate success in Europe. The band members won’t walk the streets of Cape Town or Johannesburg unnoticed, however, for they have achieved multi-platinum status in South Africa. The Parlotones performed alongside Shakira and The Black Eyed Peas at the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert in 2010, and band members are also spokespersons for Live Earth and Earth Hour.
Most recent album: Eavesdropping on the Songs of Whales (Sovereign Entertainment; 2011)
Upcoming album: Journey Through the Shadows (Sovereign Entertainment; 2012)

Freshlyground (South Africa) – This seven-piece Cape Town outfit has achieved international recognition for its ability to blend traditional African music with social commentary, yet simultaneously attract a mainstream pop appeal that defies demographics. Zolani Mahola, Freshlyground’s lyricist and energetic vocalist, always seems to sing through a smile. Mahola’s silky voice sails through piano, violin, guitar, mbira, saxophone and percussion instrumentals provided by her musical compadres who gather from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa to perform together. The band draws on kwela, the skiffling street dance music of South Africa, as well as African folk music, alternative rock and tin pan alley harmonies. Freshlyground became the first South African group to win the MTV Europe Award for Best African Act in 2006 and performed the official anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Shakira.
Most recent album: Radio Africa (Sony BMG Africa; 2010)

D’Banj (Nigeria) – In a world where rap and hip hop is dominated by glock-happy, gold-toothed, ganja-bragging criminals, D’Banj’s harmonica is a full breath of fresh air. After signing with Kanye’s label, G.O.O.D. MUSIC, in 2011, the Nigerian native will bring a slightly less hard face to American R&B. D’Banj was born into a conservative family and was expected to follow his father’s footsteps into the military, but he found himself drawn to drums rather than guns. In tribute to his deceased brother and the harmonica instruction he received from him, D’Banj continues to stick with the instrument, playing it on stage and in studio. His reggae-Afrobeat tales of chasing kokelets (beautiful women) and struggling for acceptance bring youthful humour to hip hop.
Most recent album: The Entertainer (Mo Hits Records; 2008)
Upcoming album: Mr. Endowed (G.O.O.D. Music; 2012)

 

Categories
Music

Quickspins + Retroview

Band of Skulls – Sweet Sour (Electric Blues Records; 2012)

Sweet Sour is the second studio album from British trio Band of Skulls. Their sophomore effort brings back the gritty guitar riffs and smooth vocal harmonies that put Baby Darling Doll Face Honey on the alt-rock map, but fails to fully live up to the debut’s promise. The first half of Sweet Sour groups together all the heavy songs, which results in a feeling of “where did the album go?” as the second half closes with one meandering, slow number after another. As a whole, the album lacks expected creativity and plays on the safe side of the music industry, seemingly vying for a single on MTV and a radio hit.  But its shortcomings don’t mean that it isn’t an enjoyable album. Stomp rock track “The Devil Takes Care of His Own” easily steals the spotlight as the best showcase of Russell Marsden’s catchy, dirty guitar riffing. It just never finds the breakthrough originality it needs.

Rating: 7.0/10

Trial track: “Wanderluster”

– Lindsay Rempel

Young Liars – Homesick Future (Self-released; 2012)

Electro-indie group Young Liars will have you bobbing your head and swaying your hips along to their rhythmic tracks from their latest EP Homesick Future. The Vancouver-based band released their first EP in early 2011 and have plans to make their full-length album debut sometime in 2012, but have released both EPs to tide listeners over until then.
All seven songs on Homesick Future have lengthy instrumentals that encompass you in the music. In contrast to the verses, the choruses have simple, repetitive lyrics, allowing the listener to pick them up in no time.
Unfortunately, at times the music seems to overpower the vocals, creating a cacophony of sound that breaks the melodic flow. The songs on Homesick Future are catchy but easily forgotten, with the exception of the song “Colours” where the electronica background music, guitar riffs and fresh vocals mesh together perfectly.
Overall, Homesick Future is good without being great.

Rating: 6.8/10

Trial track: “Colours”

– Natasha Taggart

Tennis – Young & Old (Fat Possum; 2012)

A little over a year after disembarking from Cape Dory, husband-and-wife duo Tennis are landlocked and ready to release their sophomore album, Young & Old.
Teaming up with The Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney to oversee the production, the album reveals an obvious divergence from Tennis’ previous songwriting with a more polished sound. A welcomed addition, Carney seems to lend a much needed structure to the songs. He is likely also responsible for a tinge of sass in lead vocalist Alaina Moore’s crooning vocals, especially demonstrated in R&B-inspired “My Better Self” and “Petition.” Despite the occasional quirk, the 10 tracks follow the same brisk-paced urgency, rendering the album monotonous.
My main concern with Tennis is that they don’t seem to be able to find their voice. Remaining true to their kitschy sea-shanty act would become tiresome, but too big a change in any direction would cause fans to question their sincerity.

Rating: 6.0/10

Trail track: “My Better Self”

– Paul Traunero

The Grateful Dead – American Beauty (Warner Bros. Records; 1970)

There aren’t too many people who can say they’ve mastered composing, poetry, songwriting, piano, banjo, guitar, pedal steel guitar, painting and drawing, all while missing a key digit from their right hand, but The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia did, and American Beauty exemplifies his prowess. The classic jam band’s fifth studio album further cemented the Dead as one of America’s great, iconic jam bands with timeless hits like “Ripple,” “Box of Rain,” “Truckin’” and “Sugar Magnolia.” Building upon the country and folk styles of their previous albums, American Beauty epitomizes easy listening and pure audio delight. The album takes you on a voyage through 1960s America. All of the usual suspects are there: freedom, love, music, travel, luck, and of course, drugs. Anyone who hasn’t heard this album multiple times from beginning to end is doing a disservice to themselves, and possibly even the world.
So, go make yourself a headband out of daisies, put on your tie-dye, and let this album move you in ways you never knew possible.

Trial track: “Till the Morning Comes”

– Allie Mason

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