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Drilling holes in the Atlantic Ocean

In Ireland, the fishing industry is constantly at odds with the interests of the oil companies.

New Cinema Politica film takes a look at how the Irish government destroyed its fishing industry

What happens when the ocean becomes a battleground between two interest groups vying for two different resources in the same location? This issue is discussed in the documentary Atlantic—Cinema Politica’s latest film screened at Concordia, where fishermen are at odds with oil companies.

Drilling for oil in the ocean is a dangerous affair that can have catastrophic consequences, as was made evident by the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010. The Deepwater spill was the largest oil spill in human history—causing a range of human, economic and environmental crises.

Funded by the Irish Film Board, Atlantic depicts the struggle of Irish fishers in their daily battle with oil companies. To understand the extent of the problem, the filmmakers provide political background to help explain the current state of the country’s fishing industry.

In 1973, Ireland handed over the regulation of its waters to the European Union after becoming a member. Irish fishermen’s original control of 23 per cent of the country’s waters was reduced to a mere four per cent. This sent a wave of frustration through the many communities left entirely dependent on the fishing industry—and the situation was only about to get worse.

The European Union began drilling oil in the fishing ground, something the local fishermen found appalling. It had worked in Norway—the government created Stat Oil, a state-owned, highly regulated company and the country’s successful oil exportation ended up being rather beneficial for its citizens. Such success, however, was the result of the work of great politicians, according to the documentary. This political strength was not present in Ireland.

In Ireland, the fishing industry is constantly at odds with the interests of the oil companies.

For one, the Irish government was not part of the decision-making process about drilling in its waters. In fact, the oil companies were the ones implementing the rules. This happened to be the case, because the Irish government wanted to export large quantities of oil in order to strengthen its economy thus they let the oil companies do what they wanted. The tax rates imposed on the oil businesses by the Irish government, more specifically Ray Burke, were the second most generous in the world. Given that these companies were not state-owned, oil exportation revenues did not profit the Irish economy, but instead were kept by the privately-owned companies. The politician responsible for this extremely loose regulation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ray Burke, was jailed in 2004 for tax fraud and corruption.

Furthermore, oil companies must generate underwater explosions every 10 seconds to locate the oil’s position. The operations are deafening and disruptive to mammals and fish who use sound waves to navigate, causing behavioural changes and loss of hearing. The fish population has substantially decreased since the start of these activities, putting strain on the ocean’s ecosystem and Ireland’s already struggling fishermen as shown in the documentary.

Atlantic is a beautiful documentary which showcases the ongoing battle between the fishermen and oil industries. With both after different resources in the area, tensions and disagreements were inevitable. The documentary leaves the viewer flabbergasted by both the imagery and the  lack of judgement of the politicians involved.

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SAFF brings films to Montreal for the sixth year

South Asian films are taking over Montreal at the SAFF Festival.

The South Asian Film Festival of Montreal brings works from India, Pakistan and Nepal to the J.A de Sève cinema

You can now see Bengal, Mumbai, Lahore, Delhi and many other areas of Southern Asia without leaving Montreal.

The South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (SAFF) will be screening a specially-selected collection of intriguing, eclectic and diverse films hailing from all areas of the Indian subcontinent for the sixth year in a row, from Nov.  4 to 6.

“One of the things I’ve been saying to people is that when you attend the whole festival, from Friday to Sunday, you end up getting a virtual visual tour of South Asia,” said Dushyant Yajnik, the director of SAFF.

The festival will present both short and longer feature films, including documentaries and works of fiction. “One of our criteria is to present anything that describes the human condition and all its complexity in an authentic way,” said Yajnik. Though not all the films are in English, they will all have English subtitles.

This year, the festival will be presenting 17 films. After each screening, there will be a panel where the film will be discussed.

“Every film, we have a panel discussion because I think it’s important that we have a serious discussion,” said Yajnik. “We sometimes invite the film’s director, local experts from film studies and film critics from the local newspapers.” According to Yajnik people from the community who have background knowledge in Indian films, or in the specific issues the films raise are also invited to take part in the panel discussion.

Yajnik said the panels allow for communication between different groups, and they welcome audience participation through the question periods that take place after the discussion.

Highlights of this year’s festival include Angry Indian Goddesses, which will open the festival on Nov. 4. In this film, a group of friends take an impromptu trip to Goa, India as one member of the group has a surprise announcement to make. Directed by Pan Nalin, this is reputed to be India’s first female ‘buddy’ movie, depicting a close friendship between a group of women.

Song of Lahore tells the story of musicians determined to practice their craft, despite the strict Sharia laws that prohibit any music that is not religious. The film is directed by Andy Schocken and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who won an Oscar this year for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. Song of Lahore will screen on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.

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Following a reporter on the front lines

Freelancer on the Front Lines follows Jesse Rosenfeld throughout his journey as a freelance journalist.

New documentary to be presented at the RIDM festival explores the challenges of being a journalist in areas of conflict

We as an audience are accustomed to receiving our news from a variety of readily available sources. Yet, behind that link on Facebook, those newspapers articles, and perfectly groomed television anchors, are journalists on the front lines who are making monumental efforts to gather information for us.

Freelancer on the Front Lines, a thoroughly informative film by Santiago Bertolino, tells the story of one such journalist. It follows freelance reporter Jesse Rosenfeld over a period of three years, as he travels through the volatile region of the Middle East in search of stories he believes need to be told.

The film starts off with an emotional farewell dinner hosted by Rosenfeld’s family before his departure from Toronto. His parents are rightfully worried about his upcoming journey to Cairo, where Rosenfeld hopes to make sense of General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rise to power following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising in Egypt.

In some ways, his initial trip to Cairo is fitting with the film’s overall message. The general’s rise to power—in what was widely regarded as a sham election-—coincided with the detention of several journalists who attempted to cover the election. The sight of caged journalists, including Canada’s own Mohamed Fahmy, in an Egyptian courtroom, highlighted the importance of Rosenfeld’s work. Democracy cannot survive or flourish without a free press.

From Cairo, Rosenfeld goes on to cover the unrest in the West Bank, the Israel-Gaza conflict of 2014, the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the ensuing refugee crisis. During his journey, he witnesses injustice and human atrocities ranging from the “apartheid road” in the West Bank to the mass executions in Gaza. He sees mass graves of ISIS victims in Iraq and the rotting corpses of ISIS fighters strapped to the cars of Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers. His work gave him a first-hand look at the heartbreaking experience of refugees. Covering such atrocities took a visible toll on the journalist, making his quest to tell these stories all the more admirable.

The film also sheds light on additional challenges faced by freelance journalists. Unlike those who travel on behalf of news organizations such as the BBC or CNN, freelance journalists face additional hurdles such as finding interpreters, guides and military escorts, as well as balancing their budget—which includes, but is in no way limited to, arguing with taxi drivers over cab fare. In addition to the emotional toll and physical danger faced by all journalists working in hostile environments, the film shows Rosenfeld’s constant struggle to convince editors to pick up and finance his stories. Yet, the tribulations seem worth it when the film shows a visibly proud Rosenfeld when he discovers that one of his articles is the top story of the day.

Overall, Bertolino does an excellent job at placing the audience in the trenches alongside Rosenfeld, aptly depicting the struggles of those who bring us news from the front lines.

The film concludes on somewhat of an optimistic note, as Rosenfeld explains his main motivation for doing what he does. The purpose of his work is to inspire his readers to take action against such atrocities, he said. Helping to prevent these stories from recurring or continuing is what he considers useful about his work.

Rosenfeld’s story certainly raises questions about the effect such journalistic work can have. If it weren’t for the work of journalists like Rosenfeld, would Western countries have taken in as many refugees as they did? Would the public have demanded an end to pointless wars, such as in Iraq, sooner, if more reporters like Rosenfeld had been on the front lines? Freelancer on the Front Lines certainly seems to suggest an answer.

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Au Contraire Film Festival opens with comedic appeal

Comedian Christophe Davidson gave the audience personal insight into his struggle with mental illness. Photo courtesy of the Au Contraire Film Festival

The film festival addresses the issue of mental illness through the visual medium

Stand-up comic Christophe Davidson gave a humorous and personal insight into his struggles with mental illness during his performance on the opening night of the Au Contraire Film Festival at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on Oct. 25. The festival aims to change our view on mental illness.

Davidson said the first sign of his mental illness manifested itself as he was about to board a plane from Singapore to Cambodia, during a comedy tour in Southeast Asia.  He said he He said he thought that, rather than filling out the forms at security, he would do chi for about 45 minutes in front of the security guards.  He recognized his actions as a sign that he was unhinged, and returned home to seek the help he needed.  He joked that, after a year and a half in treatment, he still isn’t sure he is bipolar.  He refers to it as his, “bipolar bear,” since it can track him down from miles away come back into his life. “So right now it might be miles down the Arctic tundra and maybe it will find me again,” said Davidson.

A screening of the musical documentary Patient’s Rites immediately followed Davidson’s comedy routine. The film portrays the personal experience of Issa Ibrahim, its director. Ibrahim was involuntarily admitted for 20 years to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, in New York, after being found innocent by reason of insanity for the murder of his mother.  This insightful and informative film offers an armchair view into Ibrahim’s world as he struggled with mental illness, and attests to the healing power of art as a form of therapy.  In the film, Ibrahim describes himself as “a psychiatric survivor.”

He wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the film. In the opening scene, Ibrahim sings a song that contains catchy but jarring lyrics, accompanied by guitar.  This song gives the audience insight into his state of mind.

Songs and monologues move the story along, while the images show Ibrahim using the various forms of art expression he learned while hospitalized, to help him to understand his illness and to his crime of killing his mother.  Ibrahim then embarks on the long process of taking control of his life.

Patient’s Rites concludes on a positive note with Ibrahim stating his determination to continue to create and use his art as a therapy for mental illness.

After the screening, an informative Q&A session with Davidson and Ibrahim took place with Dr. Karl Looper, chief of the department of psychiatry at the Jewish General Hospital, and Dr. Harvey Giesbrecht, a psychoanalyst, as moderators. A reception followed.

This opening gala was a benefit for the Donald Berman Up House, which provides support to people suffering from mental illness.

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Sending positivity through public art

Montreal based visual artist Aquil Virani is taking back community spaces by leaving his art at Montreal bus stops. Photo by Aquil Virani

Montreal artist Aquil Virani is leaving his artwork at bus stops to spread a little love around the city

Most artists just want people to enjoy their art, and Montreal-based visual artist Aquil Virani has a new idea about how to do just that. Virani’s latest venture, the Giveaway Project, is his way of injecting positivity into Montrealers’ lives. The project involves taking the various artworks he has left over from his many art shows and art marathons, and leaving them at bus stops for people to take home. The paintings vary in size and theme, but they are all there to inspire positivity.

Virani chose bus stops as the drop-off location because, while it is a practical place given the relative shelter from the weather, it also acts as a community hub. People who wait at bus stops come from all walks of life and are always going somewhere.

Virani said he simply leaves the artworks at the bus stop and walks away— he does not wait around in the bushes to see who picks up his piece. To create a video about the project, Virani filmed himself dropping the artwork off and sometimes, while he was packing up his belongings, the camera caught people taking the art piece. However, he said this is never done intentionally, “I’m ok with not knowing what happens after,” he said.

While he said there is no real theme guiding his choice of which artworks to leave—in fact, the selection is quite random—he chooses artwork that he believes appears more positive and will inspire happiness.

Each piece comes with a slip of paper with Virani’s website, contact info and, most importantly, permission to take the artwork. Not only is this project about making someone’s day, it is also about taking back community spaces. Virani said he thinks a lot of people won’t necessarily use community spaces, like parks, for fear of intruding on someone else. “I want this project to also remind everyone that community spaces are for you,” Virani said. “It isn’t no one’s space, it’s everybody’s space.”

Virani said he wants to use this project not only as a positive method of giving away his old (and sometimes new) art pieces, but also as a way to bring art out of its traditional art gallery environment. “Art is for everyone. It’s made to be enjoyed by everyone, not just the art world,” he said.

In most of his art pieces, Virani said he aims to create art that not only looks pretty but also means something, both to him and the receiver. He likes to “make art that both engages the heart, the mind, and is socially aware,” he said. Virani said the Giveaway Project is an example of how fun, socially-experimental projects can make someone’s day. He said he uses this project as a way to add positivity to the world, especially at a time when all the world crises are spreading such negative energy. He also said it helps him combat all the things on the news and in the world that sometimes “get him down.”

To see more of Virani’s work and a video of the Giveaway Project, check out his website.

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Children’s theatre takes on Halloween

Exploring death: the surprisingly philosophical children’s play The Halloween Tree  is on until October 31st

Playgoers of all ages were buzzing with excitement as they gathered outside Concordia’s D.B Clarke theatre, awaiting the start of a beloved adventure. Geordie Productions did not disappoint—the Montreal-based theatre company brought the thrilling tale of The Halloween Tree to life.

The story of The Halloween Tree has become a seasonal classic. Based on the 1972 children’s book written by Ray Bradbury, the tale follows five children who travel through time, experience history first-hand and come to terms with death. The hour-long play begins as the children head off to trick-or-treat, but soon realize one of their friends is missing. The group then embarks on an adventure to save their friend, Pipkin, from death. With Halloween fast approaching, this is the perfect play to get you in the holiday spirit.

Even though the story is based on a children’s book and the acting is geared towards a younger audience, with over dramaticized physicality and language, the performance did not neglect the adults in the audience. The script included some very philosophical undertones—one of my personal favourites being the description of death as change. Death was compared to the setting of the sun every night and the beginning of a new day every morning. Every day the sun is “killed” by the night, but in the end, the sun always comes back, transformed into a new day, like hope after death.

The play also touches on the historical evolution of Halloween and it’s significance in different cultures, from Ancient Egypt, to the Irish Druids, all the way to modern-day Mexico.

At it’s core, the play is about friends standing together and facing their fears. The characters—and the audience—learn the value of friendship, of taking risks and of making selfless sacrifices to save one of their own.
The play also featured entertaining music and songs, which complimented the atmosphere of the story. Each of the six actors gave their character unique quirks, which helped bring them to life on stage.

Amanda Kellock, the director of this stage adaptation, wrote in the program that Halloween is an important holiday in her everyday life, and this play gave her the chance to share her delight of the holiday. She did note that it is a play about death, but quickly followed this by stating that it is also a play about life. By exploring death and confronting it, we are able to appreciate life more—to enjoy every moment of life and to savour it.

The play also helps explain death to younger audiences, and helps them come to terms with it. Although the play ends all tied up in a pretty bow, I believe it is setting unrealistic expectations for children about death. However, I understand the need for a happy ending for the sake of the children. My issue, though, is that it gives children impossible hope. If they happen to have a relative close to death, it gives them an improbable expectation that they can save them by giving up something precious to them, just as the children in the play did. As a whole, I did enjoy the show and it tackled questions that everyone should consider. If you love Halloween and want to get into the spirit, I would recommend going to see this show.
The Halloween Tree runs from Oct. 21 to 30 at the D.B Clarke Theatre, and tickets range from $13.50 to $19.50. To learn more about the director, you can also check out The Concordian’s profile of Amanda Kellock on our website here.

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Making more with less since 2002

From horror to sex, nothing is out of bounds for SPASM filmmakers.

SPASM film festival comes back with another selection of eclectic movies

Looking for something to better suit your short attention span than the two hour-long shameful and nonessential rehash of The Magnificent Seven? SPASM can probably help you.

SPASM is a predominantly-French short film festival. Each day of the festival presents a selection of short films focusing on a specific theme—ranging from sex to horror to science fiction to Montreal’s iconic Café Cléopatre drag queens. The Oct. 27 event—appropriately titled Total Crap—will present the best-of-the-worst Quebec films that will make you cringe, laugh and wonder how such horrendous content was produced.

SPASM will also feature more conventional, though still noteworthy films, some of which have been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.

Jarrett Mann, one of SPASM’s founders, described the festival as the place where directors once came to present their first films, but it now only shows la crème de la crème. According to Mann, he and the rest of the jurors watched over 400 short films from various countries, including Canada, the U.S., Spain and Mexico.

This doesn’t mean all the films presented are all pure nuggets of cinematographic triumph, however. Anime, one of the eight films presented at the festival’s opening night, is as beautiful as it was boring. Giving us the silent treatment, the protagonists served only as pale impressions of what George Miller’s Mad Max movies do best. The film also served as a reminder that not writing any dialogue doesn’t necessarily make your movie an intellectual and profound piece of art. Just like a bimbo Anime looked good, but tried a bit too hard and had no substance to fall back on.

Great short films usually use a rather simple but efficient formula: find a good idea, concept or topic and bring it somewhere unusual and inspiring. Films such as Thunder Road, the latest winner of Sundance’s short films contest, use limited time and resources as tools. It’s the story of a man just trying to get through his mother’s funeral with a little help from Bruce Springsteen.

Grimaces, another one of the films presented on opening night, also employs the concept of simplicity perfectly. It addresses the childhood myth that your face could get stuck in a grimace. The result is utterly awkward, ridiculous and tremendously funny—at least for the audience. The film was simple and modest, but everything was well-thought-out and put together in a humble and marvelous way. The cast was great, especially when you realize they were forced to maintain their professionalism and seriousness while being asked to literally not keep a straight-face.

Sometimes, it’s not size or length that matters, but the way you use it. The SPASM film festival knows exactly what it’s doing, despite being only 15 years old.

For more information, visit their website. Check out The Concordian‘s exclusive video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuyQ4b4IRTw&feature=youtu.be

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The jumpscare craze: Why we aren’t scared anymore

Jump scares have become an overused technique in horror films hoping to cause a fright without actually terrifying anyone.

A look at a trend affecting the quality of modern horror releases

If you ‘ve seen any horror films released within the last decade, it’s likely you have experienced a jump scare. The term “jump scare” is used to describe the introduction of a sudden image on the screen, usually accompanied by a loud noise, with the purpose of scaring the audience. This gimmick can be observed in the majority of current cinema, particularly the horror genre, according to YouTube movie critic Jack Nugent.  Movies like Paranormal Activity are notorious for their overuse of this technique—to the point of annoying the viewer.  However, the film still managed to gross over $100 million on a $15 million budget, according to IMDB. Its success sparked a handful of other low-budget copycats like the 2011 Canadian horror film, Grave Encounters trying to capitalize on the jump scare technique. Despite saturating the market with this tactic, horror movies like The Conjuring and Sinister, that rely on cheap thrills are still performing rather well, according to moviepilot.com. The introduction of the jump scare generated a revival of the horror genre.

Scary movies tend to bring in a bigger audience—usually teenagers seeking thrills. According to Livescience, the typical horror viewer is a male between the ages of 15-45.  Films like The Purge Anarchy are destined to be experienced in a packed theater anyway, since part of the fun is hearing the audience react to the on-screen action, according to Forbes writer Scott Mendelson. The thrill of watching a scary movie is the experience itself—which surpasses the act of merely seeing a film, said Dr. Mark Griffiths in Psychology Today.  As horror movie watchers tend to be rather young, an R-rated horror movie will lose any potential spectators who are not old enough to buy a ticket. For instance, Forbes writer Scott Mendelson pointed out that Eli Roth’s cannibal thriller, The Green Inferno, was an abysmal box-office flop because the studio did not want to embark on an expensive marketing campaign for an R-rated horror movie, decreasing the chances of making a profit from the film.

Mohamad Hassan Bassal, a member of the Concordia Film Union, argued that jump scares are an easy and cheap way to scare the faintest of heart. It is an inconsequential technique which will not leave the viewer terrified after watching the film. It is a quick and inoffensive rush. The omnipresence of the jump scare does not allow for the quality of scare classic horror movies to be delivered. The reason why films like The Shining or The Exorcist are truly scary is their use of atmosphere and suspense. Despite these movies being beloved by critics, “there isn’t a lot of interest in the more suspense-driven horror style,” according to Bassal. Movie producers seem to be more focused on creating franchises like Paranormal Activity.

Aside from superhero movies—which are breaking box-office records one after the other—PG-13 horror films are the biggest money-makers right now, according to entertainment outlet The Wrap. Don’t be surprised if there is another onslaught of jump scares in this year’s horror releases.

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Seeing clarity in blindness

Borealis is the story of a father trying desperately to reconnect with his daughter, Aurora, who is slowly becoming blind.

Borealis, which had its premiere in Montreal last year, returns for a limited screening

Things aren’t exactly peachy. Jonah (Jonas Chernick) owes Tubby (Kevin Pollak) close to $100,000 in gambling money. His house is in shambles. His daughter Aurora (Joey King) is slowly losing her vision to a rare illness and wants nothing to do with her father who just never seems to be able to keep a promise. Yet, despite his daughter’s resentment towards him, all Jonah wants is for Aurora to see the Northern Lights once before completely losing her sight.

Borealis, written by and starring Jonas Chernick, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Chernick based his idea for Borealis on Blind, a short film by  Borealis’ director, Sean Garrity. The film has garnered recognition at a few festivals, with Joey King winning Best Actress at both the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, where Garrity also won Best Director.

“For me, the genesis of the feature film came from when I started to imagine who the characters would be in my version of the story. I immediately saw a father and a daughter who each had a crutch or an addiction,” said Chernick. In the film, Jonah’s love of playing cards creates tension and resentment between him and Aurora, ultimately fraying an already fragile relationship.

Having written the script, produced the movie and played the main character, Chernick was intimately involved in nearly every aspect of the film—from conception to post-production. According to Chernick, writing the script made it easier to portray Jonah, as he understood the psychology of the character and the motivations behind the choices he was making since he had orchestrated them in the writing.

The strength of the film comes from the strength of the characters and the wide spectrum of emotion they display. However, there were also challenges associated with Chernick’s role, as he had to go to some dark places while portraying the lying, gambling-addicted father. According to Chernick, “playing a shitty dad” was one of the toughest challenges of portraying Jonah.

Chernick, who has two daughters himself, described Jonah as a reckless father who has no idea how to connect with his daughter. “He’s a mess. And he makes terrible choices for most of the movie. It was difficult to tap into that, as someone who takes great pride in the choices he makes as a father,” Chernick said.

The film is not only beautifully scripted and portrayed, but it is also visually strong, with well-composed and interesting shots throughout the film. A recurring visual cue is that of smudged or dirty glass or reflections. Since the movie deals with the issue of blindness, Garrity wanted to use this concept of skewed sight in the visual composition.

“Shawn really liked the idea of blindness as a metaphor,” Chernick explained. “Not just visual blindness, but blindness to yourself, to your emotions, to what is right in front of you.”

As the film progresses, we slowly begin to see the characters through dirty glass or reflections less, as these characters finally see each other more clearly than they have ever before, according to Chernick.

Borealis returns to theaters in Montreal for a week, starting Oct. 28. in English at the Cineplex Forum, and dubbed in French at the Quartier Latin Cineplex.

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ASTÉRISMES: Complexity in interpretation

Vanite is one of the many cosmic-inspired works of Nicolas Baier on display at the ASTÉRISMES exhibition.

Sometimes art isn’t meant to be straightforward, and that is definitely the case for Montreal artist Nicolas Baier’s ASTÉRISMES. As you walk into the exhibition, you are met by a variety of art pieces that could have been inspired by outer space—some are swirled with colour, others solely grey and dreary. Each piece has a different texture and exudes a different aura. The entire exhibition is quite puzzling and requires some serious interpretation. ASTÉRISMES is a complex and mind-bending art exhibition on display at the Division Gallery Montreal until Nov. 5.

Baier is inspired by the complexity of the mind. “Mostly, my interest was the perpetual ongoing, growing and deploying network made or utilized by human knowledge,“ said Baier. “Our point of view on reality, as a group, is not only altered by our position, but also by our tools and our previous knowledge.”

Vanite is one of the many cosmic-inspired works of Nicolas Baier on display at the ASTÉRISMES exhibition. Photo by Richard Max Tremblay.

This exhibition, with its extraterrestrial-looking shapes and images in the works, kept me wondering what the pieces were about and what one is meant to take away from them. Their meanings are meant to be complex, as according to Baier. He wants viewers to take away from the exhibition that “reality is a very complex subject.”

“Reality, nature, cosmos are three synonyms, in my opinion, three words that are totally inclusive,” he said. “We think of the cosmos as something so far, while it’s the air that we breathe, it’s our flesh, our thoughts. We are the cosmos—we are the nature. The machines that we are building are also a part of nature. We are the way the universe is succeeding, having dreams about itself, or understanding itself.”

The exhibition is certainly as mind-bending as its definition, and provides a space to sit and contemplate the universe and one’s existence.

This exhibition is not Baier’s first, and growing up in Montreal, he has wanted to be an artist for as long as he can remember. He said it may have had to do with the fact that both of his parents were art teachers. Baier is a successful artist with many solo and group exhibitions under his belt. His work has been displayed at many galleries across Canada, including the Division Gallery in Toronto and St Mary’s Art Gallery in Halifax.

For more information, you can check out his website.

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More than just glass slippers and a love story

Cinderella brought magical comedy to Place des arts for four showings.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella offers a fresh take on a beloved story

When you think of a knight in shining armour, it typically doesn’t mean an actual knight in sparkly armour—but that’s exactly what Prince Topher (Hayden Stanes) wore as he strutted on stage. Not long after his entrance, he began to fight a gigantic monster while simultaneously looking rather dashing.

Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the 2013 Tony award-winning Broadway musical, was at Place des Arts last week for a limited showing. Featuring a talented cast of singers and dancers, the magical show had a hopeful lightheartedness about it—while also featuring very real, self-reflective moments of social commentary.

The show recounted the fabled and beloved story of Cinderella (Tatyana Lubov)—a handmaid-turned-princess who wins the heart of the dashing prince with the help of her fairy godmother, a pumpkin carriage and a handful of white mice-turned-horses.

Although the plot focused on the prince’s search for his princess, Cinderella was so much more than just a love story about two characters destined to find each other. While keeping the classic essence and framework of the fairy tale, the Broadway musical brought a witty and comedic twist to it and delved into the characters’ hopes, dreams and fears.

Beneath the traditional romance lies the story of a lost prince who must rule his kingdom while keeping his parent’s legacy alive; of a bureaucrat trying to ensure the prince’s comfort and way of life at the expense of the citizens; of a mother who wants the best for her daughters; and of a hopelessly unromantic guy who just wants to take the girl of his dreams out on a date to serve soup at the soup kitchen.

Cinderella is hopeful, despite being used and abused by her stepmother and stepsisters. She is a young woman trying to find herself in a world that keeps putting her down, and she maintains an overt optimism and kind spirit despite her plight.

Prince Topher has just returned from university and wants to rule his kingdom as his parents did before him—in a just and fair manner. His associate makes it easy: hand over the signet ring and he’ll take care of the boring, dreary paperwork. The prince’s naïve trust for his advisor, Sebastian (Ryan M. Hunt), leads to political corruption—unbeknownst to the prince. After a lifetime of being molded by the people around him, he is eager to try and find himself.

The cast included a multitude of zany characters, including the passionate political activist Jean-Michel (Chris Woods) and Marie, a sometimes crazy and eclectic friend who ends up being Cinderella’s fairy godmother (Leslie Jackson). The characters’ witty dialogue and funny interactions all added to the comedic element of the show.

The strong cast, relatable characters and fantastic quips and dialogue were all brought together by the incredible set design. Without missing a beat, the stage transformed from a forest to a town square to the interior of a palace. These switches were so well executed that they were almost invisible—as if by magic.

Be sure to check out Place des Arts’ website for updates and information about other upcoming shows.

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Love in the First and Third Quarters: A Comparison

Graphic by Florence Yee

Emily Zuberec hails from Vancouver, BC. She is in her fourth year at Concordia, majoring in both creative writing and political science

This column was put together with help from Annah-Lauren Bloom

Love in the First and Third Quarters: A Comparison

I

Walk around.

In our favour.

How does a wasp choose where it will sting?

Almonds can be a reliable sources of protein.

Sinkholes may cause discomfort, but no one looks this way anymore.

There is no way to contain geothermal energy, so use it while you can!

Two barn swifts braid into something, avoid collision with a choke cherry that grows on a slant.

“Someone who really cares for you must have taken this picture, look at how your smile runs!”

I don’t need any of these coupons, I’m set!

That was the year brown egg sales spiked.

Blue is the widest.

Do you take card?

III

There is no way to know.

Space can change owners.

We suffered a loss when the market was flooded; too many options were presented.

All milk has been causing deep burps, but it feels good to finally release something.

I once heard about a global movement to end our consumption.

The seeds of some trees only begin to grow after there’s a fire.

Hearing plaster tumble down behind a flimsy wall. Maybe I shouldn’t put up this shelf.

I trained myself to take scalding baths and showers from a young age; I guess you didn’t.

Think of the sound fish make against wet rock.

Our return policies are seen as discouraging.

Does a spider ever give up hope when trapped under a cup?

The company is looking for a new way to invigorate its staff.

Graphic by Florence Yee

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