Tag: DISorientation

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Arts

Happening in and around the white cube this week…

Happening in and around the white cube this week…

Slāv  Resistance Collective discussion

As part of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) DisOrientation series, the Slāv Resistance Collective will be discussing the cancellation of Slāv, created and produced by Betty Bonifassi and Robert Lepage. The theatre production was cancelled in June in response to the demands of protestors and critics, who argued that Slāv was created out of cultural appropriation. The discussion will expand on why the show was cancelled, what it meant for the production team and what can be done to avoid similar instances in the future.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m.

Where: QPIRG-Concordia, 2100 Guy St., Suite 204

Admission is free.

CULTURE

TOPO, a digital arts and technology laboratory in the Plateau, will be showcasing the work of art duo Et tu, Machine in their vitrine until Oct. 13. CULTURE celebrates the legalisation of the recreational use of cannabis and aims to foster a discussion about the social stigma surrounding cannabis use. According to TOPO, “Et tu, Machine is concerned about the opportunism of corporate production and distribution companies in collisions with the state.”

When: Now until Oct. 13
Where: TOPO, 5445 Gaspé Ave., Suite 107-B
Admission is free.
Darling

Toronto artists Keight MacLean and Moira Ness combine their interdisciplinary backgrounds in Darling. MacLean’s modern take on historical portraiture is juxtaposed with Ness’s handwritten text to express notions of love, loss and longing.

When: Now until Oct. 14
Admission is free.
What we all knew but couldn’t articulate

Featuring Marcela Armas, Daniel Monroy Cuevas, Lorena Mal, Armando Rosales,
and Rogelio Sosa, What we all knew but couldn’t articulate marks the closing of a year-long curatorial internship between the FOFA Gallery and SOMA México. The project aimed to foster cultural exchange between Mexico City and Montreal, and the exhibition showcases the engaging artworks of the five artists that explore this [lack of] connection.  According to FOFA, “What we all knew but couldn’t articulate seeks to bridge the space between the gallery, the university, and the city, while also weaving connections and blurring the boundaries between Mexico, Canada, and the neighbour these two political entities share.”

When: Now until Oct. 19
Admission is free.

 

 

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

Categories
News

disORIENTATION is back at Concordia

Photo by Paula Monroy

disORIENTATION is one of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group’s (QPIRG) core projects aimed at students and community members eager to learn about social justice issues and how to get involved. This year’s events take place Sept. 23-30.

“The mandate of QPIRG is to be a link between campus and community on social justice issues, on issues relating to fighting exploitation and oppression,” said Jaggi Singh, QPIRG Working Groups and Programming Coordinator at Concordia. “Disorientation is a way for students to get acquainted with that.”

Over the week, students can attend a variety of free workshops, panels, trips around the city and other events.

“disORIENTATION goes beyond the idea of students simply being consumers and see people as residents of this campus that can be engaged in social justice organizing,” said Singh.

The 10 events available include the well-known walking tour on campus, the block party on Guy and de Maisonneuve, the transportation bike tour, Solidarity Not Charity, and the Mad Hatter Tea Party.

disORIENTATION is working with Cinema Politica and the Center for Gender Advocacy. A new addition to the program is “A Safer Concordia Consent Workshop,” a sexual assault awareness workshop to explore the meaning of consent. The workshop will be held Sept. 30 at 2 p.m.

Also newly incorporated to the program is the screening of the documentary Bidder 70 on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. It tells the story of a college student who outbid industry giants and purchased 22,000 acres of land that had been already appointed in 2008 by the Bush Administration for the energy and mining industries. The film won awards in 20 film festivals, including Best American Film at Traverse City Film Festival in 2012.

QPIRG started in Concordia as a club back in 1981 and became separate from the Student Union in 1989 while disORIENTATION began in 2003. Among other issues, it concentrates on grassroots activism and acts as a platform for anyone with the spirit of making a difference within the community.

“I strongly believe that, as a student, one of the best ways to make a positive impact in the planet is by taking action locally,” says second-year geography student, Elizabeth Murphy, “which makes disORIENTATION such a great starting point.”

What’s the difference between disORIENTATION and the Concordia Student Union (CSU) Orientation?

Singh explains that disORIENTATION is complementary. “We are focused more on social justice issues which is why we specifically scheduled it after the CSU orientation. People don’t have to choose between them, they can go to both,” he said.

Moreover, QPIRG doesn’t claim to be a university orientation, as made evident in their project’s name.

“It’s for everyone, for people who want to get engaged with social justice issues,” said Singh. “It’s a way of telling people that things are a lot more complex than the administration and corporate sponsors want you to think it is.”

For more details and for the full schedule go to qpirgconcordia.org/disorientation.

Categories
News

A different kind of orientation for ConU students

The Quebec Public Interest Research Group at Concordia launched DISorientation 2012 this week and through a series of different events, organizers aim to reach out and inform new and returning students.

It is QPIRG’s mandate to raise awareness about social justice issues, and the concentrated effort of DISorientation 2012 is to expose students and the community to a different side of campus life by organizing free workshops, tours, a panel discussion and a block party.

“It’s a period of time when students, as well as community members are looking to get involved, for a nurturing environment where they can be curious, where they can learn more,” said Jaggi Singh, QPIRG’s working groups and programming co-ordinator. “It’s important because there’s more to being part of this campus life than what goes on in the classroom.”

A “Radical Walking Tour of Concordia” is set for Wednesday to highlight past social conflicts at Concordia, such as the 1969 Sir George Williams Computer Centre riot, a student occupation fuelled by allegations of academic racism, or the student unrest that ensued following the scheduled visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2002.

“We will talk about the different contributions that have been made to ensure an accessible campus, to ensure a campus that is engaged and politicized – about a lot of Concordia’s history that is often hidden,” explained Singh.

Following the walking tour, QPIRG along with different student associations will host “The Quebec Student General Strike … WTF?!” a discussion where students will be able to learn more about the recent student strike and to discuss the future of the movement.

Singh said that there is a need for space to talk about the student strike and future mobilization, in a way that is accessible to individuals that didn’t experience it.

Thursday’s “Red Square Block Party” will host a variety of groups, and the People’s Potato will serve food. Singh explained that the event is a celebration, a gathering and a reclamation of space all at once.

“Concordia’s at the heart of gentrification in downtown Montreal and either the administration is going to accelerate the gentrification and turn what could be accessible gathering spaces into spaces where you have to spend money,” he said. “Or we can try to assert that these spaces should be where people, regardless of their background, people with modest means and income, can gather and hang out.”

For more DISorientation events, check out www.qpirgconcordia.org

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