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Music

Random Recipe cook up a unique musical infusion

Montreal-based quartet Random Recipe launch their new album Kill The Hook on Oct.8. Photo Jerome Nadeau

For Random Recipe, the ‘90s represented a time where the love of vinyls and the appreciation for physically and culturally diverse music reigned supreme in Quebec. It was also a period where the standards and qualifications to be considered a Quebecois artist were not as important as the spirit of the music itself. Musicians have always felt a certain attraction to the city of Montreal, a city that prides itself on being a colourful tapestry woven together by innumerable cultural heritages. As of late, questions of cultural identity have caused tension, and in some cases, full-blown outrage not only in minority communities, but in the artistic community as well. For Random Recipe, the matter—literally—hits close to home.

Montreal-based quartet Random Recipe launch their new album Kill The Hook on Oct.8. Photo Jerome Nadeau

“For most people I know 2012 was shit, you know, it was horrible,” said Frannie Holder, one of the vocalists and guitarists for the Montreal band, “The Mayans had predicted the end of the world but it was actually an end of a cycle.”

After doing close to 200 shows to promote their first album, the band was unsure of the direction in which they were headed.

“We just kind of wondered if we would do another album or not just because we’re so, so, so different. [We] have different personalities, characters and ambitions and influences and writing this album was so difficult and there was a big ball of tension in the air and in society in general,”said Holder.

In order to proceed as a group, Random Recipe allowed themselves a brief period of personal, and social reflection before heading to the studio to produce their latest work Kill The Hook, out Oct. 8. “It’s more grounded and focused and just more bold […] we knew what we were doing this time around compared to last time,” said Holder.

With a sound that is nearly impossible to classify, Random Recipe drew inspiration from almost every genre under the sun. Influences for the album ranged from The Flaming Lips to Santigold, to create a unique sound.

“It’s a mix of everything that we like at the moment. Definitely a little bit of hip-hop, a lot of pop with indie in it, indie sound, a lot of references to the ‘90s from the grunge aspect of it to the boy band aspect of it,” she said. “I’d like to say it’s like CocoRosie meets the Beastie Boys or Santigold and I don’t know, SBTRKT [pronounced Subtract].”

A self-proclaimed fan of Swedish ‘90s band Ace of Base, Holder claims that the band “was a huge influence throughout this album.”

All four members of the band have such distinct styles and personalities that it was difficult for them to reach collective decisions at times. Despite any artistic differences, the band agree on the fact that their style will never be stagnant allowing their sound to be an amalgamation of multiple genres.

Being based out of Montreal since the band’s inception back in 2007, the city has had an enormous influence on Random Recipe. “Montreal is just such an interesting city,” said Holder.

After indulging her wanderlust by venturing off to South America and Asia, travelling “really puts into perspective where Montreal fits in the whole world in a way,” she said.

“I think Montreal is just one of the most interesting, and flamboyant and effervescent cities in the world for its art and its attitude, its music scene, its restaurants, whatever, at the same time we’re just so stuck in this stupid identity discourse and we’re lost in it.”

For the past year, Montreal and Quebec as a province have been struggling with what it means to be a Quebecois. And for Holder, a Quebecois musician, feels that instead of wasting time and money trying to get rid of individual identity and culture, Holder believes we should be investing it in the education of cultural and religious tolerance and acceptance.

Since the band does not have strictly French lyrics in their songs, they are not technically eligible to receive specific government grants and funding for their art.

“It’s not Anglos versus Francos, that’s just so, so, so sad,” said Holder.

Despite recent attempts by the government to improve funding for the arts in Canada, many limitations still exist.

“It’s beautiful that they want to focus on arts, that they want to put arts ahead, they want to put culture ahead. That’s how you feel a culture, through its music, its arts, its literature, its how you feel what the province or a nation is,” said Holder.

Instead of just throwing money at the arts, the government should be finding ways to put long term plans into action.

“I’m a true believer of long time change; you can’t do anything short term.”

Having toured countless countries with the band, Holder has noticed just how universal music really can be. A performance in Iceland sticks out in the Montrealer’s mind: “You literally felt like you were on another planet,” she said. “It’s just a very intriguing and beautiful culture.”

Being a Louisiana native, Holder enjoys going back down to the U.S. to perform. Recently, Random Recipe played the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas and were completely blown away by the city. For Holder, the festival and the city were like another world of cultural and musical freedom within the more traditional, conservative Texas state lines.

Whenever she feels it will be time to hang up her guitar, Holder would love to take all of her musical knowledge and impart it on younger generations by being a high school teacher. “I really want to teach in high school one day when I’m sick of touring and being an asshole on stage,” she laughs.

Technology has allowed consumers to get their latest musical fix instantaneously with the Internet.

“Everyone has such small attention spans,” said Holder. Because of this, “music doesn’t get to live as long as it should because we are so distracted.”

With this in mind, Random Recipe will be offering their latest release Kill The Hook on vinyl as well as through electronic purchasing.

“There’s depth in it […] you’re closer to the feeling that the band really wanted to give, and you spent so much time trying to choose what sound and what EQ and what distortion and what reverb, then it just gets lost in your speakers of your stupid iMac and it has no bass and no this and no that,” she said.

Vinyl records “are an art object for a lot of people,” said Holder. “Music, for a lot of people is entertainment, it’s a distraction.” The physicality of listening to music is disappearing because of the Internet, according to Holder. Now, with the resurgence in vinyl popularity, people are starting to appreciate it again for the act, and not making it just a background sound. For Holder, “the action and the ritual of taking out a vinyl and putting it on the turn table and sitting down,” should be the action or event all on its own.

“Try to go back to when you were teens or you were kids and you loved an album. And whatever the album is, try to listen to whatever you’re listening to these days and try listening to that, in that way, with that love.”

Random Recipe will be performing Oct. 8 at Cabaret la Tulipe.

Categories
News

Quebec undergoes literacy test and fails

Organizations like Frontier College offer services that reach out to over five hundred adult learners. Photo Jade Adams

A recent study published by Quebec’s Conseil supérieur de l’éducation explores data from a 2003, Statistics Canada survey that says, according to the five levels of literacy outlined, 49 per cent of Quebecers fit into categories one and two. These two categories represent the lowest levels of literacy and fall below level three, which is considered to be the minimum level needed in order to function in everyday society.

Though the study suggests ways to boost literacy levels through looking at various trouble areas, the study received a lot of media coverage that focused on the shocking fact that almost half of Quebecers were found to be illiterate. This statistic and others in the study, however, are not as straightforward as they seem.

The original study had individuals answer various questions that were ranked by difficulty with one being the lowest difficulty level and five being the highest. Categorized in the lowest level did not mean a person could not complete any difficult tasks. Instead, it meant this person was most at ease with the lower level questions. Level three was defined as the level needed to function in society, and the study showed that many participants fell within levels one and two — the lowest on the literacy scale. Researchers conducting the study combined the numbers of levels one and two to make up the 49 per cent.

“The statistics overshadow the strong message that the report was proposing,” said Linda Shohet, executive director at The Centre for Literacy.

She clarifies that levels one and two are discrete and says that these levels should not have been added together to obtain the alarming overall number. Instead, Shohet hopes people can look away from the statistics to focus on the positive recommendations of the report since the report does bring the issue of literacy into the spotlight and calls for the government as well as other organizations to action in order to solve the problem.

Melanie Valcin, Quebec manager of the National Literacy Organization at Frontier College, describes the study’s recommendation as a call for the mobilization of all adult education actors to develop efficient policies and practices to curb the problem. Interestingly, the study focuses on a multifaceted approach that involves learning in both formal and informal environments.

“At Frontier College, we do our part by reaching over five hundred adult learners and more than two thousand children in Quebec,” said Valcin. “We develop partnerships with other organizations such as women shelters, family resource centres, immigrant worker organizations and aboriginal organizations to reach our learners.”

New data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will be released within the week. This new survey will take technology’s role into consideration which will make a big difference due to our society’s changing relationship with society.

In addition, this new survey will eliminate level three as a literacy cutoff. Therefore, there will be no literacy levels seen to be below or above what is needed to live in contemporary society. As Linda Shohet from The Centre for Literacy explains, “there was no data to support the idea that people ranked in levels one or two could not function in society.”

These new statistics will give the government, different literacy organizations, and the general public an idea of how statistics have changed since 2003. Though even without seeing the statistics, we can all be sure that literacy will continue to be an important issue in Quebec that demands the participation of many groups in order to see improvement.

Categories
Arts

Happy birthday, Lemon Hound

Though the online magazine gives special attention to women’s writing, Lemon Hound publishes conversations with writers such as Ken Babstock, Jim Smith and Michael Crummey, and explores diverse mediums such as the graphic novel, film and television. Photo by Roa Abdel-Gawad.

Wine and words flowed when Lemon Hound celebrated its one year anniversary last Friday at Drawn & Quarterly Library, marking a year since the journal’s migration from blog format to a fully blooming website.

Founded in 2005 by Concordia creative writing professor Sina Queyras, Lemon Hound initially functioned as Queyras’ personal blog until 2009. She now holds the position of Editor-in-Chief to what has evolved into an online literary journal, where poetry, reviews, interviews and more are published. Its impressive masthead includes Concordia professors Stephanie Bolster and Darren Wershler, and award winning writers such as Christian Bök (Eunoia) and Zoe Whittall (Holding Still for as Long as Possible).

The celebration involved readings from six authors. Amongst them was Concordia creative writing professor Josip Novakovich, who was a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize earlier this year. Novakovich read from a new story entitled “Crossbar”, and proceeded to send the guests into fits of laughter as he told the offbeat tale of soccer and zoos, beginning the story with, “this happened a few years back, in 2016.”

Concordia creative writing graduate student Nicholas Papaxanthos and translation student Clara Aimee Wall were also amongst those reading on Friday. They shared selections from their respective poetry which can be described as gritty and experimental, qualities that are in-line with the kind of aesthetic Lemon Hound promotes.

Other readers included award winning Canadian author Anita Lahey (Out to Dry in Cape Breton), and poets Dani Couture and Robin Richardson.

Though the online magazine gives special attention to women’s writing, Lemon Hound publishes conversations with writers such as Ken Babstock, Jim Smith and Michael Crummey, and explores diverse mediums such as the graphic novel, film and television.

“It is our commitment to staying relevant, to seeing literature as organic and local, mechanistic and ludic, international and in translations, conceptual and classic, staring us straight in the eyes and kicking dirt in our face, as diverse and complicated as the host of hands that helps make Lemon Hound happen over and over again,” writes Queyras and Genevieve Robichaud in the introduction to the journal’s 6th volume.

Lemon Hound keeps its doors open to writers’ creations, critical essays and other ideas, including those that are unsolicited. “We will always, always read what you send us,” said Queyras.

Visit lemonhound.com to read the latest issue and to learn more about Lemon Hound’s submission criteria.

Categories
Student Life

Montreal’s Randolph Pub offers an alternative night out

The pub sets up a game of Looping Louis. Photo by Leah Balass.

On the crowded St. Denis street filled with students and young party-goers, a unique pub that feels more like your childhood living room has made its mark amongst the busy bars, clubs and coffee shops of the area. And it’s the first of its kind in the city of Montreal.

At Randolph Pub Ludique customers are invited to enjoy an entertaining evening of board gaming, with professional staff known as gaming animators, who act as counselors to help customers select, learn and play one of the 1,000 games available.

“Nothing has been made like this before [in Montreal],” said Justin Bazoge, one of the four passionate co-owners of the pub,“There were establishments that had board games or board game libraries – in restaurants, in bars, [and] in bistros – but there was never animation.”

The pub, which opened its doors last July, caters to all demographics and group sizes – from couples, to friends and families, and even solo players looking to be paired up with others.  Bazoge says he has met customers as old as 70, though his client base is generally a student crowd, as it is situated close to universities and CEGEPs.

Among the pub’s diverse customer base, board game enthusiasts Jake Alper and Sandy Ruffin from Boston, chose to visit Montreal for their honeymoon after hearing about Randolph from some friends.

“We love board games so much that [Randolph] was the inspiration for coming to Montreal,” said Alper.

Staff teaches a group the rules of the game. Photo by Leah Balass.

Prior to opening the pub, co-owner Joël Gagnon hosted frequent gaming nights for Montreal’s vibrant board gaming community. Over the years, he has established a following of over 300 people, many of whom became Randolph’s most loyal customers.

“We’ve been animating, entertaining people with board games for over four, five years now, so it just made sense to open a place of our own,” said Bazoge.

For experienced gamers like Jean-Francois Beauchemin, Randolph is a great place to meet new people and get to know other passionate players in the city.

“It allows me to play with a lot of people that I haven’t played with before,” said Beauchemin.

Though none of the owners had prior experience in opening a pub or a bar, their combined passion for board gaming was strong enough to overcome the challenges involved in setting up their new business.

With over 850 board games of their own, the four owners had only a few more purchases to make in order to reach their goal of having 1,000 games to fill the shelves of their pub.

Bazoge and his three co-owners say they are glad to see customers enjoying the atmosphere and the concept of Randolph.

“People are happy, so we become happy,” said Bazoge. “I like the environment here because people don’t come to drink and get drunk, they come here to play games and have fun.”

Randolph Pub Ludique is located at 2041 Saint-Denis. It’s open everyday from 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., and until 2:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Categories
Arts

Your arts, crafts and designs, locally- made

Stacy Lee

In the basement of St. Michael’s Church in the Mile End, Oliver Stenberg reaches over a table for his five-week-old daughter, Cotton.

She finds comfort on her father’s shoulder as he rocks and bounces her amidst the hustle and bustle of the craft fair. Customers pause in front of Stenberg’s table to look at the traditionally made soaps in scents like lavender, rose and vanilla.

This year 75 were present, but the number per each fair varies. Photo by Stacy Lee.

Each product is engraved with “c44”, for Carriage 44, the family business run by Stenberg, his wife and his mother.

For little Cotton, it’s the first of many future appearances at Puces POP; an indie and eclectic craft fair for people of all ages.

Held by POP Montreal since 2004, Puces POP has been a platform for artists and craft makers of all media to showcase their work, expand their clientele and meet loyal customers.

The fair is held three times annually, with each show bringing different artists and a different vibe to the tables.

“It kind of came about naturally. There are all these people around making interesting things, [we got] them all together in the context of this festival,” said Puces POP director Tessa Smith. This is Smith’s third year as director and the position keeps her incredibly busy.

“It’s kind of non-stop. I’ll sleep Tuesday but then I get right back into planning the next one. Applications open up in October and the fair is in December,” said Smith.

Puces POP is held in September, December and June. The fall fair runs simultaneously with the annual POP Montreal music festival. It brings in many out of town visitors and has the highest amount of customer traffic.

This year, it hosted 75 artists, but the number per each fair varies. Out of the 300 to 400 applications Smith receives for each fair, there can be anywhere between 60 to 90 artists chosen.

The fair is held three times annually, with each show bringing different artists and a different vibe to the tables. Photo by Vivien Gaumand.

“We look for a certain quality of work as the first thing. It’s nice to have a mix of people who are really new, who just started their business,” said Smith during the opening night of Puces POP. “But also people who have been coming to the fair for years and are kind of established, familiar faces. It’s nice to have a balance of the two.”

There is also a collection of different merchandise present at each show. From artwork to jewellery, beauty products to food, every artist brings something unique.

For Kerri Westlake of Westlake Designs, Puces POP encouraged her to transform her knitting hobby into a full-time job. Westlake started knitting when she was six years old. Today, she sells her items in six Canadian boutiques, at craft fairs and on the popular craft website, Etsy.com.

“I think it’s really valuable and I think it’s a trend among a lot of people that sell at Puces POP,” Westlake said as she knits behind her table. “Especially where it’s really hard to get a job as a youth right now, with the economy the way it is. So it’s really wonderful that Puces POP allows people to make their own work, doing something you love too,” she said.

Westlake Designs and Carriage 44 products can both be found at General 54, a store in the Mile End. But Stenberg finds something very valuable about the Puces POP experience, for crafters and shoppers alike.

“I think meeting customers and seeing what people like, seeing how people react to things and getting feedback is crucial to developing your business. And we love POP Montreal and Puces POP.”

The December Puces POP dates and location have yet to be confirmed, but check out popmontreal.com/segment/puces-pop for updates.

Categories
News

Paula Wood-Adams appointed Dean of Graduate Studies

Wood-Adams’ strong academic background includes a PhD and Masters in chemical engineering from McGill University and a Bachelors of Science in the same field from the University of Alberta. Photo provided by Concordia University.

On Sept. 20 Concordia’s Board of Governors finalized and approved the appointment of Paula Wood-Adams as the new Dean of Graduate Studies.

Wood-Adams started her career at Concordia in 2001 as an assistant professor in mechanical engineering. Her strong academic background includes a PhD and Masters in chemical engineering from McGill University and a Bachelors of Science in the same field from the University of Alberta.

“Paula’s experience and commitment will serve Concordia well in our efforts to foster an environment that promotes research, scholarship and creative work for our graduate students,” said Concordia President Alan Shepard.

Wood-Adams became the program director of mechanical and industrial engineering in 2006 and held this position until 2012. In 2006 she was also appointed Concordia University’s research chair and had the experience to travel to Bangkok, Thailand as a visiting professor.

In 2010 Wood-Adams became the associate dean of graduate studies until July of 2012 when she began her service as the interim dean. Her interim duties ended this September, after over a year of service when she was officially appointed to be the new dean. Her term is intended to last until September of 2018.

In addition to her strong academic background, Wood-Adams has been a fundamental member of Concordia throughout her 12 years at the university. She has been an active member of funding agencies and many committees including, the National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Fonds de Research du Quebec (FRSQ).  She has also contributed numerous articles to scientific journals focusing on polymer science and rheology, and has received over $2.5 million dollars in both shared and individual grants from federal and provincial and some private funding agencies to advance her research. She is also a strong leader, supervising over 25 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and continuing to lead more students everyday.

“This is a critical juncture for graduate studies at Concordia as we seek to raise the profile of our programs and expand our research output and impact […] Paula is passionate about graduate education and, equally important, is well-versed in the global trends in this key area of higher education,” said Graham Carr, vice-president of research and graduate studies. “Successful universities will be those that find exciting new ways to train students both within individual disciplines, across disciplines, and through ambitious professional skills development programs, of which GradProSkills is a stellar example.”

As an administrator Paula Wood-Adams has provided strategic and operational direction to various functions of the graduate studies program, focusing her attention mainly on new curriculum and program support and recruiting new, promising graduate students. Wood-Adams has also been a working member of the group that developed Concordia’s academic plan. The current plan puts strong emphasis on the advancement of research and graduate studies.

Concordia University’s School of Graduate Studies is responsible for academic and administrative functions related to all graduate programs, graduate students and postdoctoral students. The school evaluates and oversees over 100 graduate programs leading to doctoral and masters degrees, graduate diplomas, and certificates for professionals who want to upgrade their skills and knowledge.

“Apart from administrative experience, Paula has a strong research record. She’s a Concordia University research chair,” said Carr. “While there is an increasing number of graduate programs at the Masters and Diploma levels that focus on providing students with professional credentials, the link between research, graduate and postdoctoral studies is fundamental in most fields and Paula embodies those connections through her work as a researcher and supervisor.”

Categories
Music

The Dodos celebrate life and loss on their new album

Press

The Dodo bird might be long extinct, but these guys are certainly not. Indie-rock duo The Dodos are here, happening, and have even sprouted some wings and taken flight to promote their new album Carrier. They’ve laid out some new songs that are brilliantly smooth, and even slightly exotic.

Meric Long’s exultant pop vocals and guitar picking are punctuated by Logan Kroeber’s kicking up-rhythms and fluid bass with lots of rim shots. The unfolding of any track on the album does not nest in one distinct sound, but will saunter from powerful pop, to sharp rock, and will often exit with dreamlike guitar melodies.

The key to The Dodos’ sound is in their rhythm, which flies out of your stereo so quick and sweet you hardly notice how often you’ve pressed repeat. “It’s a rhythm-driven music, that’s the distinct feature about a Dodos’ song,” said Long.

Long cites inspiration from dipping into the study of West African Ewe drumming and acoustic blues guitar. “Both broke down my understanding of rhythm. For a Western pop-culture suburban kid, they completely flipped my world, how I understood rhythm, and how I heard it,” said Long.

The musician’s unique ear for jolting out odd-tempo guitar riffs shapes the band’s songs in an inimitable way. “In the beginning guitar part of our song “Good”, most people would clap their hands in a different spot than where I’m hearing where the hand clapping should be,” he said. This still applies for those joining the band as touring members. Long explains how “there’s always this weird learning curve. There are certain things about learning our songs that they get twisted about and it’s always this sense of rhythm.”

Their distinct cadence is heard on Carrier, their fifth album released last month under Dine Alone Records. Carrier is an album fueled by the life and passing of former Dodos’ touring guitarist Christopher Reimer in February 2012. The album is both an accolade to the character and talent of their friend, and a medium for revitalizing what techniques and new sounds Long learned from Reimer, or the material Long had been eager to show him.

“[Reimer] was an awesome dude and an amazing musician. His influence would have been on the record whether he passed away or not. I wanted to write guitar parts and lyrics that he would be stoked on. “

Long and Reimer were brought together partially because of how distinctly different both musicians are in songwriting and guitar playing. It was Reimer’s ability to mimic styles and create a fierce wall of sound that complemented Long’s staccato chord playing and picking. Long was motivated to approach music from a new angle, greatly prompted by Reimer’s feel for music.

“Carrier feels like a step forward. I think in the past I started to develop habits or expectations of what I thought a Dodos song should be. Coming at it from a different angle was a way of getting more connected to it. The song is dictating what gets decided rather than expectations or habits or identity.”

Long focused on writing songs for Carrier by beginning with new elements, like starting with just words. This was a way of “feeling more connected to the song. Writing lyrics that I stand by and that actually mean something; I didn’t want to cut corners. I needed to tackle the things that I want to improve upon, or feel good about.”

The lyrics resulting from the band’s new musical approach and experience with hard-hitting tragedies are appropriately powerful, without delving too deeply into woefulness. The song “Confidence” begins with soft strumming and vocals, and eventually grows into a powerful electric chant of “Who has it all/ has nothing!”

“Confidence” is a mellow song from musicians who’ve been doing this for a while — they’ve shed the party-frenzied touring band persona as they head off on a jam-packed tour this fall.  Long no longer misbehaves like he did as a child, which then would have been followed by his mother telling him in French to “fait dodo” — go to sleep — words that would later inspire the band’s name. “She would either say that or say something in Chinese when I’d misbehave,” he added.

The San Francisco duo return to Montreal for this year’s edition of POP Montreal and recall fondly their time here in the city several years ago. “Everyone was super nice and super attractive. It seemed like Montreal was this paradise of really friendly, beautiful people,” said Long,  “J’espère que vous venez à notre concert!”

The Dodos play Sala Rossa Thursday, Sept. 26.

photo caption: The Dodos will be performing at this year’s edition of POP Montreal to promote their latest album Carrier.

Categories
News

Another Word for Gender starts up again

Photo by Rae Pellerin.

The Centre for Gender Advocacy’s two-week campaign, Another Word for Gender, is in its third year at Concordia, taking place from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4.

The free events, open to the public, act as an introduction to feminist action and organization, demonstrating the type of work in which the centre engages.

“We want to inspire people, pass on skills that will allow them to inspire people and bring people together who are interested in challenging inequality, gender violence and social justice,” said Bianca Mugyenyi, the centre’s programming and campaigns coordinator.

The Centre understands that to get at their root causes, gender oppression and matters like sexual assault need to be spoken about in relation to other social issues.

“[We’re] helping to educate about gender as existing not in a vacuum, but as connected to First Nations issues, environmental issues [and] other social justice struggles in general,” said Maya Rolbin-Ghanie the centre’s publicity and promotions coordinator.

Feminism is often still perceived as something only dealing with women’s issues. The Centre, however, emphasizes these events are open to everyone.

“Everyone has a gender and so we’d like to believe that there’s something here for everybody,” said Mugyenyi.

Photo by Rae Pellerin.

This annual series of events began in 2008, originally called Too Cool for School, while the organizers feel the new name that Rolbin-Ghanie came up with is more inclusive and interesting, while also addressing gender.

“We’ve been making an effort […] particularly in this series to bring men more into the discussions,” said Rolbin-Ghanie.

Norman Achneepineskum will talk about murdered and missing native women through his experience with his mother on Sept. 26 and Dan Parker will host a Men and Feminism discussion Sept. 30. The keynote speaker, Glen Canning, will speak about the role of men in challenging rape culture, among other issues, on Oct. 3, relating his personal experience of his daughter’s sexual assault and suicide.

Other informative events include a media skills workshop on Sept. 24, which will teach attendees how to effectively communicate with the media to reflect their values. A new addition to the program this year is the Trans’ History Workshop on Sept. 25.

Many events are not only informative but fun and engaging. The open-mic night showcases participants’ musical and spoken talents. World renowned dubpoet, d’bi young, hosts the Art and Activism workshop on Sept. 27.

“We can’t really organize sustainably unless we’re having a good time,” said Mugyenyi.

While the events are mostly attended by Concordia students, the organizers are engaging students from other campuses and the community this year especially. Glen Canning, for instance, will be speaking at McGill University.

One of the largest events of the series, the Annual Sisters in Spirit Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Native Women on Oct. 4, is a massive community affair. Founded by Bridget Tolley, participants memorialize her mother’s death and petition for the disregarded murders of Native women.

Canada rejected the UN’s call for a review of violence against Aboriginal women on Sept. 19, which is one of the reasons the march will be timely.

“The government negligence in the rejection of this UN inquiry is something that we’re going to be addressing,” Mugyenyi explained.

The Centre believes Concordia students can get an even broader education from these events.

“We have lots of different ways that people can engage in terms of skills, interests and level of participation,” said Mugyenyi. “The more new faces we see, the more excited we get.”

For the complete schedule, please visit genderadvocacy.org/events/anotherwordforgender/

Categories
Opinions

A culture of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and misogyny

“Theft isn’t black, bank fraud isn’t Jewish, and rape isn’t male. Just because you’re paid to demonize men doesn’t mean rape is gendered.” These words accompanied posters put up by the newest chapter of a Men’s Rights Group in Calgary.

The posters were reported by members of the University of Alberta’s student union, and began to appear on social media on Sept. 16.  They also featured a portrait of Lisa Gotell, chair of the Women’s Studies department at UofA, labeled as a ‘bigot.’

Though this happened at a university, it would be naïve to dismiss the issue as something that is only happening on campuses.

According to Julie Michaud, the Administrative Coordinator at Concordia’s Centre For Gender Advocacy, the fact remains that rape culture is deeply ingrained in our society. “Rape culture is a term that sounds quite inflammatory. When we hear it we may feel like it’s an exaggeration,” she said.“We realize there are a lot of attitudes and explicit messages that tell us that rape is normal, and not that big of a deal. We’re told people who are making a big deal out of it are just being over sensitive.”

The problem with men’s rights advocates is not that they wish to talk about issues such as men’s access to rape and sexual assault counselling, it’s that they do so in a way that disparages feminism and anti-sexual violence work. Their words are less rooted in justice, and more in blaming the victim.

They ignore the fact that feminist discourse shows an understanding that these issues do not only affect women. This comes from a profound and intentional lack of understanding of feminism, which according to Michaud, is in part gained from media and popular culture, which paints women as “almost cartoonish, man hating feminists.”

For groups like Men’s Rights Calgary to insinuate that droves of women are lying about being sexually assaulted or raped is not only ignorant, it’s downright false. There are no statistics to support any assertion that women are lying about rape. In fact, the most popular study often cited by men’s rights advocates, which claimed that a staggering 41 per cent of rape claims made to the United States police over almost a decade were false, has since been completely debunked, according to The Huffington Post.

The rhetoric being thrown around by these groups is also dangerous; it normalizes the idea of rape and sexual assault. This victim blaming is part of the problem. We need to teach men not to rape, not teach women how to avoid being raped.

According to Michaud, it can start with more education. “I think we need consent workshops with as many students as we can. I think campaigns like the ‘Don’t Be That Guy’ campaign are very effective because they show in a really clear way, that having sex with somebody who’s too drunk, or passed out, or who changes their mind once some kind of sexual activity has started… that those things are all sexual assault.”

Despite the good intentions of campaigns like ‘Don’t Be That Guy’ Michaud believes they are not enough. She believes open discussions and workshops on the issue are important.

There remains plenty of evidence that rape culture is silencing women about their experiences with sexual assault. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, out of every 100 rapes that occur in the United States, only 46 are reported to police. Only three out of those 100 cases end in conviction. Those numbers point to a serious problem.

This is why it’s so important to have places like the Centre for Gender Advocacy, and the Sexual Assault Centre, which has long been fought for and is finally going to open this year.

At a time when a culture of rape runs rampant, and men’s rights groups look to undermine the work to end sexual violence and violence against women in general, it is our job to be vocal about these issues and to get involved as much as we can.

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Arts

Paying homage to a film and fashion goddess

“This was Grace: natural, unpretentious.” – Howell Conant.

Paying tribute to movie star and beauty Grace Kelly seems to come as naturally as grace comes to Grace.

Visitors get to admire Kelly’s chiffon dresses, which range in a variety of colors such as periwinkle blue, caramel, or opera mauve. Kelly defined fashion, touching on elegance and simplicity. Press photo.

The much anticipated exhibit From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly – Beyond the Icon is not to be missed.  For anyone interested in fashion, movies, the entertainment industry or modeling: look no further. Your Saturday afternoon is now booked. You can say hasta la vista to boredom.  The exhibit at the McCord Museum is a fashionista’s dream.

Head of collections and research Cynthia Cooper guided The Concordian through the various exhibit rooms. “All of the material showcased here belongs to Monaco,” explained Cooper. “Our exhibit is based on the one held at the Victoria and Albert museum, but we chose to take a broader scope and to focus on Kelly’s personality and clothing,” said Cooper.

The exhibit is organized into six separate spaces, dedicated respectively to Kelly’s career, her personal fashion style, her relationship to King Rainier III, her values, her official role in Monaco, and finally her grace and elegance.

At the age of 18, Kelly studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

An added bonus: Kelly got to rub shoulders with handsome stars such as James Stewart, Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. Not bad for a débutante.The result? By 1956, Kelly had performed in two Broadway plays, 36 TV dramas, 11 films and had one Oscar under her belt.

As such, walking into the first room is a stunner. Film posters of her movies including Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon and Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder are on exhibit and visitors can watch some golden oldies starring Kelly on screens.

Section two showcases Kelly as a fashion model. Kelly is known for her immaculate, simple grooming style. Did you know: Kelly was a very down-to-earth person, doing her own hair and makeup.

Visitors get to admire Kelly’s chiffon dresses, which range in a variety of colors such as periwinkle blue, caramel, or opera mauve. Kelly defined fashion, touching on elegance and simplicity.

So what is the typical Kelly look? Sunglasses, a Hermѐs bag, white gloves and a Chanel suit. A classic.

Falling in Love is the title of section three, where visitors learn more about Kelly’s budding relationship with Monaco’s King Rainier III. Love letters and wedding seating arrangements are on display. We see Kelly in her civil and religious wedding dresses (she had two marriages) and we discover more about what was dubbed as “the wedding of the century.”

What Mattered Most focuses on Kelly’s values. For all that Chanel and St-Laurent, Kelly was first and foremost a mom — and a very dedicated one, too.

The exhibit runs until Oct. 6 at the McCord Museum, 690 Sherbrooke St. W. Press photo.

Kelly was also dedicated to the arts. As Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace of Monaco, she launched a series of cultural programs such as an annual TV convention, drama festivals and poetry readings. Accordingly, in this room, wanderers get to see Kelly’s most flamboyant gala dresses worn to such events. The azure Dior maternity dress is to die for, the Canin-Castillo white bead dress is a charmer, and the Oleg Cassini silk peach dress, lace-tied with a black bow, is too cute for words.

Finally, the last room showcases Kelly, using state-of-the-art photography. Close-ups of her face reveal the timeless beauty she was.

As Hitchcock once said: “There’s no one else like her in Hollywood.” Or in the world.

The exhibit runs until Oct. 6 at the McCord Museum, 690 Sherbrooke St. W.

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News

Campaigning for Concordia to divest from dirty industries

Divest Concordia

Divest Concordia, a coalition of students and community members formed this past winter, is working to have Concordia invest sustainably and responsibly. The hope is that Concordia will be the first Canadian university to divest from fossil fuel industries.

Divest Concordia, a coalition of students and community members formed this past winter, is working to have Concordia invest sustainably and responsibly. Photo by Keith Race.

“[Concordia] has the knowledge and expertise to do this. It’s a matter of having the will to do it,” said Anthony Garoufalis-Auger, organizer of the Divest Concordia information sessions held on Sept. 10 and 14.

The organization’s goal is for Concordia to divest completely from fossil fuel industries in three years time, with the first step being to freeze its investments with such companies. Garoufalis-Auger announced four reasons why it’s important to divest from dirty forms of energy: climate change, pollution, the geopolitics of oil and the fact that the oil industry undermines democracy.

At the moment, Concordia has an endowment fund, which Divest Concordia compares to a savings account, of about $100 million for investment. As it states in the Responsible Endowment Coalition’s Student Handbook, most schools care about growing their money as much as possible, even if this includes sending funds to “international projects that are environmentally or socially irresponsible.”

“We have about $11.7 million in fossil fuel industries. There’s about $9.1 million that’s invested in oil and gas and there’s about $2.6 million invested in pipelines,” said Garoufalis-Auger. Divest Concordia is currently submitting access to information requests to find out what specific companies the school is investing in.

The Board of Governors is responsible for deciding whether the university will abandon investing in fossil fuel industries. Divest Concordia is currently organizing a presentation in hopes the BOG will see the necessity to invest in renewable energies.

The organization wants the university to adopt a binding social and environmental responsibility policy, formulated by a committee with student representation, so that reinvesting in fossil fuels at a later date won’t be a possibility. They also want Concordia to make a public statement endorsing the divestment campaign and to encourage other universities to do the same.

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) support this campaign.

Six campuses across North America have already divested. McGill and the University of Toronto are among some Canadian universities that already have divestment campaigns.

“If we can be the first in Canada to divest, that’d be nice,” said Garoufalis-Auger.

He further explained that companies specializing in renewable forms of energy will be coming to Quebec, seeing as the government is looking to buy wind turbines and Quebec Premier Pauline Marois wants Quebec to invest in the electrification of public transport.

“Quebec has a lot of investment management firms that are signed on to [sustainable] principles and it’d be nice to see Concordia do the same,” said Garoufalis-Auger.

Divest Concordia is in the process of creating an advisory board. They currently have a worker specializing in social finance from the School of Community and Public Affairs.

Students are encouraged to get involved by spreading the word about divestment, sending a letter, and attending Divest Concordia’s weekly meetings on Fridays at 2 p.m.  at the GSA House, 2030 Mackay.

Categories
Arts

All tangled up in some not-straight lines

Have you seen the lines and squiggles housed in a grid of 12-inch squares in the EV building’s corridor recently? It’s not a glorious game of Sudoku. This is wall drawing #394, originally by Sol LeWitt, and now being recreated by Concordia’s fine arts students.

Photos by Guillaume Valée and Sonya Stephan

This all started when Eric Simon, chair of the studio arts department, traveled to France to see an exhibit of LeWitt’s wall drawings. After speaking with François Morelli, professor of studio arts at Concordia, the two decided that they needed to bring LeWitt’s work, and the opportunity to reproduce it, to Concordia’s students. They arranged for permission from Sofia, LeWitt’s daughter and his estate manager, choose four drawings from the series, and co-ordinated exhibition locations with the Faculty Of Fine Arts (FOFA) Gallery.

“There are over 160 wall drawings … there is always a lot of demand, especially for Sol,” explained artist and LeWitt’s assistant since 1980, Anthony Sansotta. Initially, Simon and Morelli’s plan was for Sansotta to write up instructions of what was needed for the drawings to be done by students. “[Then] they said ‘what if you came up here and did a tutorial?’ So I said sure, that would be fine. And that’s what happened,” said Sansotta.

Photos by Guillaume Valée and Sonya Stephan.

Sansotta’s arrival in Montreal meant that he was able to personally work with students, guiding them in the preparation and reproduction of LeWitt’s work. “I know his work quite well and what he had in mind in a way, even if it is not expressed,” said Sansotta.

LeWitt’s wall drawings have prescribed physical parameters, predetermined types of lines, and specific mediums which lines should be constructed out of. So while there is some wiggle room for personal choice, there is only one correct way of interpretation, making it a delicately laborious endeavor for the students. Therefore it was advantageous to have had Sansotta there to mentor the undergraduate and graduate fine arts students who had been selected for this project.

“When all the students arrived on Monday morning, I remember vividly the first thing that Anthony [Sansotta] made clear to them was that the first action they take is [measuring] the wall,” recalls Morelli. Standing at over 33 meters long and 4 feet high, the piece, encased in the FOFA Gallery vitrine, will no doubt be a showstopper upon completion.

“When all the students arrived on Monday morning, I remember vividly the first thing that Anthony [Sansotta] made clear to them was that the first action they take is [measuring] the wall,” recalls Morelli. Photos by Guillaume Valée and Sonya Stephan.

Such is the case with wall drawing #1099, completed and proudly displayed on the Ste-Catherine St. vitrine of the FOFA Gallery. wall drawing #1099 consists of 10,000 lines. To be more exact, 10,000 not-straight lines. Of this work, FOFA director jake moore explains that “two artists in particular were chosen for [the] project because they have performative and durational drawing practices. But it’s not because they can then best interpret Sol’s work, it’s not about that interpretation. They have the skill set to draw 10,000 not straight lines of equal weight within a milieu. There is a remarkable embodied knowledge that’s present here.”

The two other recreations of LeWitt’s wall drawings can be found in the VA building hallways. Together with the two showcased at FOFA gallery, the drawings stand as a testament to the planning and onerous execution of Concordia’s fine arts faculty and students.

Sol LeWitt wall drawings: Facilitated by Anthony Sansotta runs from Sept. 3 until Oct. 25 at the FOFA Gallery and in the VA building.

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