Month: October 2019

Happening in and around the White Cube this week…

Happening in and around the White Cube this week: Carrion

What does it mean to be human in an era where our destructive influence on our planet is quickly redefining the laws of nature? Justin Shoulder, an interdisciplinary artist from Sydney, Australia, questions just that. 

His main body of work, Phasmahammer, is a collection of personas developed from queer ancestral myth, embodied by their own distinct gestures and carefully crafted costumes.

Phasma, referring to spirits, and hammer referring to the German word, wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosity, are conjoined to give a name to Shoulder’s body or cosmology of spirits.

The name, which sounds like it could be a metal band, uses recognizable symbols from popular culture to make it accessible to all audiences.

Working with traditional cyborg archetypes, Shoulder uses his body to forge connections between queer, migrant, spiritual, and intercultural experiences.

Carrion is one of many such shapeshifting creatures navigating a post-Anthropocene world, trying to survive. Carrion, the name meaning rotting meat or flesh, begins as a tardigrade, a small microscopic organism that can survive extreme temperatures and transforms into various life forms throughout the piece.

Moving away from club scenes, short performances and installation work, Carrion will be performed at Monument-National over Halloween in Montreal, as the last stop after a four-week long tour throughout Europe.

In such a setting, Shoulder’s work brings together worlds requiring a theatre space to see into its narrative language of spectacle, cabaret and opera.

Unlike club spaces with overt symbols and competing stimuli, the audience is able to witness the becomings and all the in-between moments of liminal transformations. There will be no changing behind the curtain, pushing the function of multiple objects, removing all artifice, and revealing Carrion’s bare bones. Like a chimera, everything is reconfigured.

In Australia, Halloween is not the same cultural phenomenon as it is in North America. Though it has become more and more an applied celebration, mostly for commercial reasons, but also drawing in individuals to the potential to work with horror and community interaction. That being said, Carrion is not your typical Halloween party, nor is it your Rocky Horror Picture Show. Instead, it taps into ideas of horror, ritual and community spectacle, giving us something to see, something to witness, and something to think about.

For tickets and more information visit m-a-i.qc.ca/carrion

Categories
Opinions

Feminism is not for sale

As trendy as it is, the fundamentals of the feminist movement in no way translate to lotion sales, hair products or even a new pair of running shoes. Industries are taking the ideology of feminism and exploiting the heck out of it.

This is not new. We’ve seen this with many brands geared toward women. Whether its Nike or Dove, these companies have endorsed women empowerment, and it’s working for them. This isn’t to say that everything they are doing is wrong, but it is important to analyze the oversimplification of patriarchal structures that are at play.

Sometimes these messages are backhanded, anti-feminist ways to enforce beauty norms and sell products that will both empower you, erase your wrinkles and minimize your pores. Other times, these messages feel aligned with the core values of feminism and hit us right in the feels.

As we move forward, predictably, large companies selling products to women, move with us. When I watch a Nike Ad geared for women with an uplifting and emotional song playing in the background, empowering language and impressive glistening olympians, this is good advertisement.

It is masked by a message that makes me feel like I have agency and strength even though I know that Nike is just trying to make money. I’m hungry for this representation.

I know that companies need to understand the social climate in order to sell things, that’s how marketing works (after all, I took marketing 101 in first year). Perhaps this means that these feminist advertisements, though oftentimes hollow bandwagon tools, are more or less harmless, and I need to calm down.

First of all, don’t tell me to calm down. Secondly, let’s take a closer look at what modern feminism actually looks like. This movement was born out of necessity for human rights. It needs to encompass intersections of marginalized groups in society, such as racialized people and members of the LGBTQ community. These groups have been advocating for the rights of those around them for years. This is something that white women have been benefiting from, as they move through society with much more ease, representation and safety.

Inter-sectional feminism is not mainstream. The rights of non-white, non-cisgendered women are still largely lacking, stigmatized or pushed out of the main conversation. Ironically and unfairly, it’s because of the work of these communities that feminism has gained enough traction to be used commercially. This amplifies a pattern of exploitation and alienation.

Let’s get back to advertising. The reality is, it’s becoming cool to be politically correct. Historically people have hesitated to bring women’s rights to the forefront of mainstream media, but now it’s profitable.

If you’re thinking that this is the most obvious thing in the world, I urge you to observe the next time an ad comes out, with inspirational music and a tear-jerker narrative about a girl overcoming her oppression. We’re all guilty of retweeting it, making it our Instagram story, and being fooled by the companies who play a large part in our oppression in the first place.

Engaging in a feminist conversation takes energy and patience. It takes listening, learning and being humbled by the stories of those that are affected by gender inequality. It takes analyzing the system that causes the oppression. These industries are biting off more than they can chew. At the core, they are just selling products.

Listen, I’m not trying to take on every industry that ever used feminism in their campaign. Surely we can argue that some good probably has come from a Dove Beauty ad or a period commercial. I’m sure that within these trends lies some authenticity and people who actually care about this fight.

I just think it’s important to keep a critical lens and remember that at the end of the day, feminism is not perfect, still evolving and most definitely not for sale.

 

Photo by Britanny Clarke

Categories
News

Poli Savvy: Challenges of a Minority Government

It is no question that the Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau has achieved a considerable victory of sorts this month, namely the “privilege” of leading the entire country of Canada. However, it is still a political step down from the party’s status prior to the elections; that of a majority government. So, what challenges will the Liberals have to face?

First, cabinet management. It is customary for all Canadian federal cabinet ministers to be representative of each province. Cabinet ministers are MPs chosen from amongst the winning party based on their province. However, given that the Liberals have lost all their representatives in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the party effectively has no representation in the two prairie provinces. MPs from the other parties will have to be chosen for proportional provincial representation within the cabinet.

The second problem involves passing bills, specifically those related to the Liberal platform. Majority governments are formed when a given party attains 170 plus seats in the House of Commons and doesn’t face the obstacle of votes when passing a bill. Not anymore for the Liberals. They will now have to collaborate with other parties to get enough votes. Although, it is important to point out that Trudeau has ruled out any official coalition, according to the BBC.

The third and final problem, compromise. Looking at the platforms of some of the parties, it’s easy to see where some overlap; the Liberals, Greens, and New Democrats sporting clear similarities in both social and environmental policy fields. Regardless, the true success of a minority government lies in compromise, ensuring that their political partners have enough to gain to vote favourably. But where will it happen? On the matter of Quebec sovereignty with the Bloc? Doubtful, according to an article in Global News. By cancelling the Trans Mountain pipeline as encouraged by the NDP and the Greens? Not likely, reported CJME.

Anything with the Conservatives? When pigs fly.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Categories
Opinions

The importance of being informed about politics

I remember not really caring about politics when I was younger. I wasn’t fazed by the faces of political candidates plastered on posters all around my area, and didn’t understand why party leaders were shouting at each other during a debate on TV. This was before I was of age to vote, so consequently I wasn’t super involved. My family members seemed pretty passionate about who they were voting for, and I was eager for the day I’d be old enough to understand their interest and partake.

We all know that one person who backs out of a conversation involving politics because they claim “they just aren’t political people.” Well, I’ve got news for you: everything in your life is political whether you care to be aware of it or not. If you aren’t taking part in the decisions being made for your country, someone else will make those choices for you, and it will directly affect your life.

I think I am right to assume that an intelligent, cognizant person would want to know what is going on around them — to understand the events that affect their way of living; from the fluctuating gas prices to healthcare costs for them and their family. When one isn’t aware of their country’s political situation, they are accepting the terms that have been set for them. They are refusing to question, and challenge the institution in place; admitting defeat in a sense. In other words, ignorance isn’t bliss, and if it is then that means you are most likely in a privileged position. Realizing that you are privileged makes it just as important for you to fight for others who are not as fortunate.

Now, however, I would say I am much more involved in politics. Even if I didn’t want to be, it’s kind of hard not to when the media incessantly bombards you with the topic. Though, as I got older I began to realize that political opinions are sensitive things to discuss. People share different views, come from diverse backgrounds and are just as defensive over their beliefs as they are of their children. It can cause arguments, relationships to end or in the extreme, instigate war. When talking about politics with loved ones, convincing them to support your political views can sometimes feel like converting someone to a religion.

However, that shouldn’t mean that people who don’t share your political ideologies need to be cut out of your life, quite the opposite actually. Although you may be tempted to go right ahead and cyber-block that one family member who constantly posts political content you disagree with, hold off. In fact, as a journalism student who needs to practice impartiality, my professors encourage us to read material that is wildly contrary to our beliefs at least once a day. It allows you to break out of your echo chamber and see things from another perspective. It truly makes you realize that not everyone thinks like you.

It isn’t good to shield yourself from opposing views and only allow partisan news organizations to feed your already solid conviction. Personally, I believe social media was intended to open up the world to us, not seal us more firmly inside our own narrow groups.

Politics is about you and your community. It’s as simple as that. Deciding to opt out of the conversation is opting out of your own life, and your own future. It’s signaling that you don’t really care about people who are less fortunate than you. Growing up means taking responsibility for your life, and assuming your role as an educated citizen in society is a part of that.

 

Graphics: Victoria Blair

Categories
Sports

Colour Commentary: Winning is a universal language

It seems like we have this conversation every couple of months, and I’m sick and tired of it. But since seeing the signs some people decided to put up all around the streets surrounding the Bell Centre, I’ve been really pissed off.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, there are a bunch of signs hung up on lampposts in the design of a Habs jersey that read “Minimum 10 Québécois.” The signs were paid for and authorized by Stefan Allinger of La Fondation Équipe-Québec.

Really? We’re doing this again?

Before I rant on this subject, let’s think about this logistically for a second. Including goalies, there are 38 active players in the NHL that are born in Quebec, two of which play for the Canadiens. Some of these players have played most of their careers with the same team; Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Huberdeau and Kristopher Letang. Yes, the Canadiens had the chance to draft two of those players, but they didn’t, and 29 other teams passed on them as well.

Traditionally the Canadiens have always had a French-speaking coach; this has apparently turned into a prerequisite for the job as they need to be able to address the French media in the city. Even with that reasoning, I don’t understand the need for it.

The Montreal Canadiens are the only team in the world that limit themselves to hiring a coach and general manager from a single region of the – one that isn’t the most highly populated. Now some people are calling for a minimum amount of Quebec-born players.

In 2013, Gareth Bale, who could have been argued as one of the top footballers on the face of the planet at that time, signed with Real Madrid in Spain. He did not speak a lick of Spanish, so what did the club do? They hired a translator for him to answer questions because they have millions of dollars at their disposal.

There are countless other examples of teams signing foreign coaches and players. It’s okay with fans because they are proven winners. Winning is a universal language that everyone understands.

I couldn’t care less where a coach or player is from – if they bring a team success, they’re good enough for mine. Let’s stop this debate right now, because frankly I’m not alone in being absolutely sick of it.

Categories
Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Rex Orange County – Pony

_Rex Orange County

Simplicity isn’t a bad thing on Pony

There’s sweet innocence to be found in Rex Orange County’s latest album, Pony. The project basks in simplicity and it wouldn’t be a stretch to compare him to Ed Sheeran, albeit a much more endearing version of him.

His lyrics aren’t meant to be groundbreaking, but the honesty with which Rex sings them makes this project all the more lovable and entertaining.

Songs like “Pluto Projector” sound like his best attempt at recreating a Frank Ocean song, and he pulls it off with success. However, more often than not, Rex is comfortable making clear-as-day, indie pop-rock songs that could be played at both a high school prom and at your grandparents’ house.

“10/10” is a solid single that shows Rex’s paranoia and distrust of disloyal friends and opportunists who try to take advantage of his fame. “Face to Face,” the third promotional single for Pony feels like an ode to 80s pop and specifically, Queen, as the vocal pitches and beat switches sound inspired, even if minimally, by “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Towards the back end of the album, the piano-led ballad “Every Way” jumps out as the emotional apex of the album. It’s short and simple, but it’s also cute enough to slow dance to at a wedding. The following two and last tracks continue the sequence of great songs as the album ends on a high with “It Gets Better” and “It’s not the Same Anymore.”

Pony is a decidedly simple album, and one could mark that as a flaw given how many deep, complex, and layered pop projects have been released this year. Sometimes, though, simple is nice. The album doesn’t require much thinking, it’s just a lovely Sunday afternoon neatly packaged as a 30-minute listening experience.

7.5/10

Trial Track: “Pluto Projector”

Star Bar: “The great protector

Is that what I’m supposed to be?

What if all this counts for nothing

Everything I thought I’d be?” (Rex on “Pluto Projector”)

Categories
News

Simply Scientific: Spooky Season

You probably costumed up this weekend for the yearly Halloween party where cats don’t look like cats and police officers lack clothing. The holiday of death and fear became a gathering event for university students to celebrate, for the most part, the end of midterms.

But say your professor turns into a werewolf, how would your body react? To tackle that question of paramount importance, let’s dig into what fear is.

Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that causes physiological response in your body.

Your professor is finalizing their transformation into a student-eating monster. This stressful situation would send a signal to your brain that will start processing the information. When this happens, all parts of the brain simultaneously work to establish whether your flesh-eating professor is a threat or nothing of importance.

There are two paths that the brain follows in evaluating the situation – the low road and the high road. The former evaluates every situation as the worst-case scenario; a loud sound from your kitchen at night is your end in this world. The latter, however, is your rational analysis of a situation. The high road will evaluate every possible outcome of a situation and link the stimulus to previous similar events in order to make sense of it.

This analysis of the situation happens in a blink of an eye and results in the biological reaction of fight or flight. Your reaction to your werewolf professor pouncing on their first victim will be either to fight them back or just get the eff out.

In both cases, your body will release chemicals like adrenaline and noradrenaline resulting in a racing heart, heavy breathing and activated muscles to be ready to either fight or flee the aggressor.

Now, don’t worry too much. Halloween is only two days away. So, cross your fingers and light up some sage in hope to avoid any encounter with life threatening monsters in the next 48 hours.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Categories
Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Benny the Butcher & Smoke DZA – Statute of Limitations

Smoke-DZA-Statue-Of-Limitations-

The two New York MCs join forces on gritty Pete Rock-produced EP

Benny the Butcher has spent the last few years turning heads alongside his Griselda Records labelmates. Smoke DZA has spent the better part of this decade being one of Harlem’s premier lyricists. This EP sees the pair exchanging verses over a handful of fantastic instrumentals produced by none other than the legendary Pete Rock, giving this project a classic feel.

Statute of Limitations embodies the signature boom-bap sound of 90s east coast hip hop, without sounding dated or relying on nostalgia as a crutch. Benny and DZA feel at home over these masterfully-produced instrumentals, going back and forth and bringing the best out of each other on every track.

The barrage of bars kicks off almost immediately on the album’s opener “By Any Means.”  The track features the pair weaving in and out of each other’s verses with ease, taking turns every few lines. The duo displays great synergy throughout, both together and with guest features, including Conway the Machine who delivers a show-stealing verse on “Bullets.”

Overall, this EP delivers great bars and fantastic beats, and its short runtime makes it prime for repeat listens. Benny and DZA are at the height of their abilities, and Pete Rock showcases the skill set that proves why he is considered an all-time great in the genre.

8.5/10

Trial Track: “Drug Rap”

Star Bar: 

“Me and Smoke like weed and Coke

Hundred keys of dope hit the port of Miami, via boat

If it’s ’bout paper, we approach

I’m stretchin’, John Legend, pressin’ keys and seein’ notes” (Benny the Butcher on “By Any Means”)

Categories
News

Le Monde Festival takes a stand for climate justice at Concordia

According to Concordia’s Ursula Eicker, cities of the future should be less about expansion and prosperity, but more about resilience and socio-economic sharings.

Want to live smart? Slow down. That’s what Ursula Eicker, professor of Buildings Civil and Environmental Engineering said at Le Monde Festival 2019. Le Monde is a climate festival held on Oct. 25 and 26, co-organized by French newspapers Le Monde and Le Devoir. Different talks and debates were held, arguing how we can shape the most sustainable and hopeful future possible.

We have never been as busy as now when it comes to revolutionizing our use of natural remedies. But instead of rushing towards new methods and technologies, maybe we should just go back in time and get inspired by how things were before the industrial revolution. Eicker is Concordia’s new Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities, and this year she was giving the keynote address for the French climate festival. According to Eicker, climate justice will not just take a few single actions, but several repeating ones that might conflict with our incorporated and safe habitual life as we know it. Her take on this matter is that we need to change the infrastructures in cities, not necessarily by looking forward, but by looking backward.

“We live in a world where short term actions dominate,” Eicker said. She doesn’t see a bright future for sterile cities with a focus on expansion and financial growth. Instead, Eicker argues that we need a frame that can help us reduce our carbon footprint in the most efficient way possible.

A large and open space for pedestrians, bikers and green areas are key elements of these so-called “next-generation cities,” that Eicker gave us a virtual tour of. Besides these back-to-basics renovations of the cityscape, she also shared the importance of rethinking how we as consumers maintain ownership of, for example, our way of commuting. Why not drive together with your colleague to work, or go grocery shopping with your neighbour, in one vehicle?

Being smart is not just about being fast, evolving and building. Big changes have to be incorporated into city infrastructure, but you can also help a lot through individual actions. Maybe this simplified approach to sharing both transport and resources would be worth a try.

 

Feature photo by Johanne Nedergaard

Categories
Arts

Spotlight on Concordia Fine Arts at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema

The Concordian attends an art show put together by Concordia fine arts students for the Festival du Nouveau Cinema.

 

One of the shows depicted in the video is Vertige, a short film and live performance by Eva Myers and Mark Durand, and performers Candice Riviera and Olivia Jean Flores. 

 

Video by Calvin Cashen


Feature photo shows dancer Olivia Jean Flores performing in Vertige

Categories
Briefs News

World in brief: Justice for Rafi, death of ISIS leader and a third extension for Brexit

Sixteen people have been sentenced to death for setting a 19-year-old girl on fire after she accused her teacher of sexual harassment in Bangladesh. The verdict came after the country was left in shock, protesting for justice. It was one of the quickest sentences to be pronounced in such cases. Nusrat Jahan Rafi was murdered in April by classmates who urged her to retract her complaint. They lured her onto a rooftop 11 days after she came forward to the police with accusations of sexual harassment, as reported by BBC. Bangladesh has an alarmingly high rate of sexual violence. According to UN Women, more than half of Bangladeshi women have experienced some form of sexual violence from their intimate partner in their lifetime.

On Sunday, Trump announced the death of one of the most wanted terrorists, Islamist State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Several media outlets reported that he died in a raid conducted by American troops in northwest Syria, on Saturday night. It was later confirmed by Trump that al-Baghdadi ran into a dead-end tunnel with three of his children, where he detonated a suicide vest. Yet, people are reluctant to link his death to the end of ISIS, as the terrorist organization is most likely to name a successor. Talking about a possible ISIS resurgence in a TIME article, Michael Downing, former head of the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau for the Los Angeles Police Department said: “Now is one of the most dangerous times, when you injure an animal, that is when it is most dangerous.”

A new Brexit deadline has been granted to Boris Johnson’s government after the Prime Minister was forced by the parliament to request a further extension. On Twitter early Monday morning, President of the European Council Donald Tusk referred to the setback as a “flextension” – meaning if a deal was to be made before February 2020, Britain could still have the opportunity to leave the EU. Johnson has repeated many times that a Brexit deal would happen by Oct. 31, but it has become increasingly difficult to reach a consensus with a minority government. Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, was first voted for in 2016 and has been extended three times since.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Categories
Ar(t)chives

Yum or Yikes: Umami

Little Italy’s new vegan ramen place may not have the best food, but it will feed your soul and make you feel like you just curled up in a duvet blanket on a cold winter evening.

What Umami Ramen doesn’t offer in flavour, it makes up for in cold-weather comfort. The moment my friend and I walked out of a crisp October evening and into the restaurant, I was flooded with relief; the atmosphere was welcoming and soothing, a lovely respite from the piercing wind outside. We didn’t make a reservation but were offered a seat at the bar.

Under warm lighting filtering through wooden lamps, simple menus were brought to us. Umami has limited options; with only four types of ramen to choose from and a handful of appetizer options, even the most indecisive, such as myself, needn’t struggle too hard to choose a dish.

Photo by Noemi Stella Mazurek

We settled on the Tokyo-style Shoyu ramen with the “chicken” Karaage and Kushikatsu panko-breaded veggie skewers as appetizers. Umami takes pride in their house-made noodles, tofu, and ferments, so I was really excited for the meal we were about to enjoy.

The Karaage was addictively crunchy, but without the spicy sesame mayo and lemon juice, a little bland. The veggie skewers were crisp on the outside and steaming on the inside. Aside from the sauce, this appetizer was delicious – the breaded eggplant’s succulent texture was perhaps the highlight of the whole meal – but microscopic! For $7, we were served three skewers with only two pieces of onion, eggplant, or okra each.

Then came the ramen. The noodles were tasty, but not spectacular, and the texture of yuba (tofu skin) was rubbery and unsettling. Sweet, sour, salty and bitter were ticked off by the shiitake, tomates confite, wakame and daikon, with the broth rounding off the palette with its decidedly umami quality. As a whole, the flavours of the toppings balanced each other off nicely, and I fell in love with the broth’s deep, rich, aroma.

Overall, the meal was immensely satisfying: not so much in regards to the food, but with how it made us feel. We left happy and comforted, full but not bloated.

I certainly intend on returning in order to try the other three ramen bowls (and the okonomiyaki cabbage pancake our table neighbours ordered) but, above all, to bask in the restaurant’s comforting ambiance. Umami is a safe haven of warmth and spice, a dining-experience must during the cold weather months.

3.5/5 for food,

3.5/5 for price,

5/5 for service,

5/5 for ambiance.

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