Tag: Never Apart

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Arts

Infinite Light: An installation offering expression, abstraction and illumination

 Kiran Abwani uses fibre optic lights to create work that glows

Kiran Abwani’s lightboxes are displayed on four walls within the first room beyond the entry of Never Apart gallery. This creative space is 1,200 square feet dedicated to the mission of “ending separation and igniting positive change and unity through culture,” as indicated on its website. The Centre focuses on conscious living by breaking down barriers of separation in society through music, art, panel discussions, and other events.

The first thing I noticed in the exhibit was how strongly my eyes were drawn around the room as line and colour created a rhythm across the entirety of the work. Movement and intensity of hues create a visual theme as you make your way around the installation. Abwani uses black wood framing around the lightboxes, which offers a simple yet reliable structure to the pieces.

Each work glows through the transparent acrylic and puts forth a subtle radiance in the space of the gallery. A focal point among each piece is evident, although some of the works portray this stronger than others. It is the light streaks within each work that draw the eye to these focal points.

Making my way through the exhibit, I was fortunate enough to see that Abwani was at the gallery showing her work to family members. I had a brief chance to speak to her. She said that this work is unusual for her, as her typical photography style is documentary in nature. With this series, she wanted to branch out and try something new.

As a photographer myself, I understand the exploration of light as a fascinating endeavour, and she indicated her interest in this type of investigation. Abwani created the images through long exposure photography using the movement of colourful fibre optic lights and mirrors. Light trails create the patterns and lines that we see shining through the transparent acrylic.

The artist explained the strong attraction towards experimentation in her light work and the uniqueness of each piece. No two pieces will ever be exactly alike, she explained. Each artwork shows an inherent presentation of spontaneity. Some images take on smooth, soft waves in blues and greens alongside more frantic and aggressive red and orange bolts of glowing lines. The vibrancy of colour ties the work together.

With titles like Dancing Sparks, Big Bang and Galactic Trip, an inherent theme of space and time is discernible not only from her words but also the aesthetics of the work. Although the series has unity and cohesion as a whole, the piece Infinite Light hangs on its own wall and appears to flash subtly, making the reddish-orange orb in the middle of the composition jump out at the viewer.

This work appears as the anchor for the show and I find myself continually drawn to it.

“As a visual storyteller, I aim to capture moments & experiences and to visually share these instances, perspectives and stories with my audience,” said Abwani in her artist statement. “Creating a connection with my audience is essential in my artistic practice, and with this series, I invite viewers to participate in the experience.”

The stories and connections are bold and symbolic in Kiran Abwani’s series, an experience that leaves the viewer with a fascination and inclination to look beyond the light and into the stories of the artworks.

Infinite Light is on view at Never Apart on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. until Jan. 4, 2020.

 

Photos by Shannon Roy.

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Student Life

Creating understanding through film

The non-profit Never Apart welcomed Meera Darji, a film production student from England, for a screening of her latest documentary, Transindia. Photo by Sandra Hercegova.

British film student Meera Darji explores India’s marginalized hijras in Transindia

The idea to explore India’s LGBTQ+ community for her final university project arose when Meera Darji, a British film student, began researching the country’s perception of sexuality. Through her research, she discovered hijras, people who adopt a gender role that is neither male nor female.

“They go through the whole castration process, but they do not fully transform into a woman,” Darji explained at a screening of her latest documentary, Transindia, on Feb. 10. The event was hosted by the Montreal-based non-profit organization Never Apart. “It’s almost as if they are marrying into the community, and they have these vows and values that they live upon throughout [their lives].”

Darji described hijras as being “quite spiritual” and perceiving themselves as having a sort of “female power.” In 1871, after the British colonized India, hijras were criminalized under the Criminal Tribes Act, which was repealed in 1952. Despite this change, the hijra community is still marginalized in India, according to a synopsis of the documentary. “I only [heard] negative rumours that my family had told me,” said Darji, who has relatives living in India.

According to Darji, the most common rumor about hijras is that they curse people who make eye contact with them or who do not give them money when they beg at weddings. Marginalization and prejudice makes it difficult for hijras to find jobs, Darji explained, so often their only source of income is begging. When she traveled to Idian and met the hijras, Darji discovered how inaccurate society’s perception of them is. “They were welcoming and invited me to their house to have dinner,” she said. “We became really good friends. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Darji claimed the most challenging part about making the documentary was gaining access to the hijra community. “In India, different districts have their own hijra communities,” she said. There is a tea store next to her grandfather’s temple where hijras spend a lot of time socializing. One morning, Darji received a phone call from her grandfather who then handed the phone to a hijra. This is what allowed Darji to begin making connections with the community.

Then came the next hurdle: building trust. When she arrived in India, Darji said she spent an entire week with hijras to get to know them better before she started filming. “I spent time with them without a camera,” she said. “I wanted to show them that I genuinely cared about them and that I didn’t just want to get amazing footage.”
What Darji learned during her time with hijras is that, although they are marginalized by the wider Indian society, they welcome people like them as family. “They see themselves as having mothers and sisters within that community, so they don’t feel like they are alone,” Darji said. “They feel like they have nowhere else to go except for this community, so they are all on the same journey, and they stick together.”

Darji said she wants more people to understand the hijras’ perspective and accept them as they are. “I want to show an understanding through the film so that people can accept [them],” she told The Concordian. “If you don’t have education for something, how are you going to understand it?”
This is part of Darji’s belief that communication is vital to creating social change and acceptance in our society. “Start conversations,” she asserted, adding that film is a great way of doing so because it captures people’s attention. “Now you know about the hijras—maybe tell your family and friends about it. The best way is talking about it.”

Photo by Sandra Hercegova

Categories
Student Life

Pursuing her dreams and giving back to youth

Stacey McKenzie is a fashion model and the founder of the Walk This Way Workshops and The Walk Camp. Photo by Sandra Hercegova

Canadian fashion model Stacey McKenzie spoke at non-profit Never Apart’s Legend Series

“You have your passion, your dreams and your goals. Even if they are telling you no, keep going for it, because you never know where it’s going to lead you,” said Canadian fashion model Stacey McKenzie.

As a young girl living in Kingston, Jamaica, McKenzie said she never thought “in a million years” her dream of being a model would come true. She was bullied and made fun of because of her looks. However, her ambition, determination, drive and self-love led her to success.

In 2015, Vogue magazine named her one of the top five Jamaican models that have changed the face of fashion. She is also a model coach and mentor on the hit reality show series America’s Next Top Model and Canada’s Next Top Model. On Jan. 25, McKenzie was invited by the Montreal-based non-profit Never Apart to speak as part of their Legend Series, which hosts interactive panel discussions with inspirational guests.

As McKenzie walked on stage in her black stilettos, beaming with positive energy, the crowd applauded enthusiastically. She began by sharing how she pursued her career and the struggles she encountered along the way.

“Do you know how many people and designers would tell me ‘Hell no’? Tons,” McKenzie said. Among them was British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. According to McKenzie, he did not initially want her to model for him, but eventually changed his mind and hired her. “Don’t let them forget you. Keep going, and let them see you,” she said.

Throughout her talk, McKenzie highlighted the importance of never giving up. She described how she would go to castings and callbacks she wasn’t invited to. In fact, that’s how she got her first Calvin Klein campaign in 1995.

“I was never sent to the casting, but I was like, Richard Avedon is going to see me today,” she said. Avedon, a renowned fashion photographer, spotted McKenzie arguing with a security guard in front of the building where the auditions were being held. “I was trying everything under the sun to get in there,” McKenzie recounted.

When Avedon asked who she was, McKenzie replied: “Mr. Avedon, I am here for the callback.” He told her he had never seen her before, to which she responded: “Well, you are seeing me now.” To her surprise, he brought her inside. When Avedon asked her what she wanted, McKenzie said: “I want the campaign.” He gave her a 10-year contract on the spot for the Calvin Klein campaign, alongside fashion model Kate Moss.

“If I would have [waited] for my modelling agency to send me to some casting where they wanted black girls or light-skin girls, I’d be starving and I would have never gotten that Calvin Klein campaign,” she said.

Aside from modelling, McKenzie has also become an activist and youth advocate. She is the founder of the Walk This Way Workshops, where she teaches aspiring models about all aspects of the industry. McKenzie also created The Walk Camp in 2013, a free two-week summer camp where she invites 25 to 30 young girls from different communities in Toronto to meet mentors from the fashion, entertainment, arts, business and education industries. Each girl is paired with a mentor who shares the story of how they got to where they are today.

“I’m super excited about it. All of this started because I had to do everything myself,” McKenzie explained. “I didn’t have someone to guide me, to mentor me. I never had that, and I’ve always wanted that. I met a few models in my journey who didn’t have that as well, and I was shocked.”

According to McKenzie, the girls at the camp are from neighbourhoods where these types of hands-on experiences and opportunities are not accessible. McKenzie said her goal is to teach the girls to love themselves.

“I want them to be empowered and to accept who they are. I want them to be inspired and to go after their dreams and goals with confidence,” she said. This is exactly what McKenzie has done herself. “I never thought I would be able to give back,” she said. “It’s the ultimate [feeling] for me.”

Photo by Sandra Hercegova

Categories
Student Life

The MUTEK international festival of digital creativity turns 18

The TouchDesigner Workshop gathered technicians to learn more about audio visualization techniques. Photo by Sandra Hercegova

Inviting media artists from around the world to discuss the future of creative spaces in cities

The evolution and future of creative spaces in urban cities was the focus of the 18th edition of the MUTEK international festival of digital creativity and electronic music. Top artists within the digital media realm from London, Mexico City, Barcelona and Berlin gathered in Montreal from Aug. 22 to 27.

The festival featured panel conferences, an exhibition focusing on subversions of reality and electronic music parties. There was also a digital lab workshop set up by TouchDesigner, a real-time visual development platform used for creating interactive media systems, such as visuals for music. The workshop allowed digital technicians to learn more about audio visualization techniques on the TouchDesigner platform.

Immersive technology, visual art and live music performances under a stratosphere at the SAT for MUTEK. Photo by Sébastien Roy

On the second day of the festival, the focus was on the city of London and its creative spaces. Londoners who play a role in their local digital art or music communities were invited to participate in panel conferences to discuss their projects and challenges. One speaker was Marie McPartlin, the studio director for Somerset House Studios, which commissions one of those more well-known series of events in London. McPartlin explained how this creative space, Nocturnal City, plays a big role in London’s nightlife and pushes the boundaries of underground culture.

Alongside McPartlin at the panel conference was the director of Montreal’s Never Apart, Anthony Galati; Oliver Baurhenn, the curator and organizer of the CTM Festival in Berlin; and Danji Buck-Moore, a collective member of the creative events space, La Plante, in Montreal.

The panelists discussed the need for spaces that allow artistic experimentation in urban environments and how new, creative spaces can foster diversity and inclusion.

Galati is the music director at Never Apart, a non-profit organization in Montreal which aims to bring social change and spiritual awareness through cultural programming.

Galati has been helping creatives in Montreal gain visibility by providing them with resources to evolve their artistic endeavours. According to Galati, access to creative spaces is difficult and venues in Montreal are lacking. “People are creating more, but access to creative space is a bit tougher nowadays, and this is why we need spaces that promote and perpetuate artistic behaviour and endeavours,” he said.

While there is a general need for creative space in the city, Galati put a particular emphasis on providing such spaces for low-income families and teenagers. The reason is that price is another limiting factor for participants. “It’s expensive to make music, it’s expensive to make art — more collaboration is what cities need,” Galati said.

Immersive technology, visual art and live music performances under a stratosphere at the SAT for MUTEK. Photo by Sébastien Roy

The second panel conference discussed the present and future of audiovisual practices in music festivals, film and digital arts. The panel invited the senior director of the British Film Institute, Tim Stevens; Montreal-based digital artist Myriam Bleau; Antonia Folguera, a content creator for the Sonar Festival in Barcelona; and multidisciplinary artist Paul Purgas from London.

“It’s a very fertile time for art because everyone has a story to tell — we want to support experimentation in the U.K,” said Stevens, who has more than 16 years of experience in film, live cinema and digital media. This was his third time attending the MUTEK festival in Montreal. According to Stevens, creative expression is currently too focused on technological mediums rather than the story itself. “We’re at a time where people are thinking, ‘I want to tell a story, now what’s the best form of technology to use to tell this story?’” he said. “I think my biggest advice would be: don’t worry about technology. Think of the story that you want to tell because that’s where the emotion, passion and the drive comes from.”

“When you are telling a good story, it doesn’t matter what you use,” he added. “I think people obsess too much about the form that they are using when they should just focus on their story.”

Furthermore, the panel discussed the role of immersive technology in the future of audiovisual practices, such as sound and visual aesthetics in movies. According to Stevens, at the moment, VR is only monetized through video games. As it transitions to film and art, people are trying to work out what that means for the future of these mediums. “My biggest concern about VR is that it takes away community experience,” Stevens said. “There is no audience there — it’s just an experience that one person is having. What I love about visual and audio stuff is doing live cinema and seeing everyone’s reactions.”

Stevens also made a point to reflect on the challenges creativity faces in his city. “London is a big city, and there is a lot going on. There [are] a lot of problems with the culture there when it comes to art because you need to make a very loud noise and spend a lot of money to be able to cut through.”

The common thread that emerged throughout the festival was the need to include more space for creativity in urban cities and to make these spaces more accessible and inclusive. “In an ideal world,” Galati said, “there would be cubes everywhere that people can use as multi-purpose spaces.”

Feature photo by Sandra Hercegova 

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