Immediately following the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective, “Denis Gagnon Shows All” also precedes the coming exhibition for fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. While putting the designer in between two major haute-couture fashion houses may come as a surprise, for Aquin, the choice of Gagnon was all too simple. “I’m not in fashion, but I know art. When I see [Gagnon’s work], I’m admiring something that is absolutely brilliant and original,” he said.

The exhibition is conceived to show the inspiration and the raw material behind Gagnon’s designs, not to mention the final products. Upon entering the exhibition, your gaze is immediately drawn toward a massive, inverted black pyramid that juts out of the ceiling, overwhelming the entire room. A film projects onto the pyramid, taking you to Gagnon’s runway this year and behind the scenes. Oversized photographs of his material stretch across the walls; on one of the walls is a blueprint of his humble workspace, a basement atelier.

The atmosphere is cool, minimalistic, even slightly uninviting. Suspended in mid-air, twenty pieces drape the mannequins on three sides of the room, meeting the observer just at eye level. It’s haunting, but a riveting sight nonetheless. Each piece is selected from this year’s collection and arranged by one of the four themes dominant in Gagnon’s work – chains, zippers, fringe, and stripes. While using industrial materials, such as zippers or leather, is not entirely unconventional in the fashion world anymore, Gagnon uses them in a dramatic interpretation, transforming the harsh elements into soft and fluid works. Zippers and chains become material instead of simply embellishment, crafting flowing dresses from metal.

To be sure, Gagnon’s mastery over this medium is one that has been adored by the fashion elite. The challenge now is whether the art world can be convinced that Gagnon’s work, and fashion in general, deserves a place in a museum. Aquin hinted at a bias in the art world against putting fashion into museums. “It’s the idea that museums want to whore themselves to new culture and new audiences,” he said. Aquin conceded that in reality, museums do have to find ways to attract audiences. “If you have to attract, you may as well attract with objects you can frame within an understanding of history, of what art is about, and what beauty is about,” he said.

Still, Aquin remains convinced that the museum hasn’t sold its soul to the fashion industry. He’s a strong believer that Gagnon is meant to be an artist, and this translates into an exhibition that feels neither contrived nor like it’s paying favour to the fashion hungry. For Aquin, it harks back to the traditionalist sense of art, where craftsmanship is enjoyed by art enthusiasts. But he believes that to understand Gagnon’s work as truly art, we ought to separate the artistic element of couture from the fashion industry. “We should set these worlds apart – [Gagnon’s work] is couture, this is done by an artist who has a sense of material, shape, art, of beauty. Fashion is something else. It’s corporate money. Fashion can prey on couture as it can prey on all sorts of other things.”

The MBA has applied its signature approach to showing Gagnon’s work, challenging the limitations of artistic exhibition. Gagnon’s work is not presented simply as art pieces hung on a wall, but as objects that bridge the gap between consumption and display. Nonetheless, whether Gagnon’s pieces hang inside the enclave of the MBA or on the racks at Holt Renfrew, the designer is blurring the distinction between what we consider fashion and art.

—

“Denis Gagnon Shows All” runs at the Contemporary Art Square at the Musée des Beaux-Arts until February 13, 2011. Free admission.

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What started back in 2006 as a “radical” offshoot of SSMU’s Culture Fest has grown into a 12-day forum for critical analysis and discussion on issues of ethnicity and race.

Don’t be mistaken though – Culture Shock is far from being an invite-only, elitist affair. Forget abstracting narratives into intellectualized discourse. And forget all the policy-centered brouhaha. Culture Shock is about the people, the problems they’ve had to face, and their solutions to them. Anna Malla, one of the event organizers at QPIRG, said, “We want to bring out the voices that normally aren’t heard, and we welcome the grassroots community and resistance.”

There’s a renewed sense of spirit to this year’s event, as Malla and her co-organizer Andrea Figueroa remain committed to the principles that inspired the series from the get-go.

“Where there was a food fair and cultural performances, we didn’t find an analysis behind questions, like ‘Why are there migrant communities in Canada?’ We wanted to do both,” said Malla. And while in previous years the focus of Culture Shock has been steered mostly toward the analysis side, the organizers want to bring culture back into the picture. “We’re here to celebrate cultures but recognize realities,” said Malla.

With a full line-up of speakers and panel discussions this year, they’re tackling issues that speak to the community within Montreal and beyond.

Take the incident in late August, when 492 Tamil refugees showed up off the BC coast, welcomed by angry Canadians accusing them of links with terrorism on one end, and support rallies mobilizing across the country on the other. The discussion panel on October 4, titled “From Arizona to Montreal: Migrants Fight Back!” may have a lot to offer with respect to the incident. “The panel will have someone from the Tamil support community who’s working on creating awareness outside of media influences. If we look at the history of racist immigration, or race riots at the turn of the century, we know that this is not the first time this has happened,” said Figueroa.

The keynote panel takes on another international context, inviting Ponni Arasu to talk about her work towards decriminalizing gay sex in India through organizing within queer collectives in Delhi.

“What we’ve wanted to do is look at how people’s movements and struggles bring success stories, and bring those legal challenges that should say gay sex should be legal to the forefront,” said Figueroa.

The issues that are presented at Culture Shock are important for both students and Montrealers. Immigrants make up 31 per cent of Montreal’s population, and 26 per cent of our population is composed of visible minorities. For these communities, experiences of marginalization take place at the workplace, in immigration services, and in their neighbourhoods – which are often racialized and segregated.

Racial profiling, immigration laws, and state security laws are just some of the institutional mechanisms that put these communities under increased pressure, said Figueroa. These problems occur on an everyday basis, but media coverage for their cause is infrequent.

The Canadian government championed itself as a multicultural society in 1971, now we ought to ask: for whom? We need to look around and observe how Canada measures up. “The state tries to sell the idea that we integrate communities from all sorts of places and it happens flawlessly,” Malla said. “What the government does in reality is that they’re happy to bring migrants to be temporary workers but won’t want to give them status. There’s constant deportation.”

But the event sings a hopeful tune. “In spite of all of this, Culture Shock takes a positive outlook,” Malla mused, “because in this place of adversity, these people continue to live their lives.”

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How could you forget to mention us? :( We’re located right across the hallway from your office – room B-27 of the Shatner building!
SACOMSS will be recruiting new volunteers for its Outreach and Support Groups branches this fall. Please visit sacomss.org for more information, or call us at 514-398-8500.

Kayan Hui
U3 Sociology
External (co-)coordinator, SACOMSS

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After taking skin tests from 141 subjects, researchers found that 17.7 per cent of the aboriginal participants were carrying a latent TB infection, whereas only 4.3 per cent of the general population is afflicted by the illness.

“It’s probably been like this for quite a while, and it becomes a problem when it turns into active TB,” said Mary Ellen Macdonald, a professor of oral health and society in the McGill Faculty of Dentistry, and one of the lead researchers.

“There are communities of new migrants who are bringing their health problems when they come to Canada. If they are living in poverty, then those also living in poverty are more likely to catch the active disease,” Macdonald added.

While the inactive form of TB can be carried without any indication of adverse health effects, a weak immune system may allow the bacteria to mutate into the active form, at which point symptoms may become more evident and the disease can be transmitted to others.

The McGill study began following an alarming increase in active TB infections within aboriginal communities in 2002. The researchers worked to uncover the causes of the outbreaks in partnership with the Native Friendship Centre – a non-profit organization run by members of the aboriginal community that focuses on urban aboriginals, some of whom are deemed “at-risk” of homelessness and social marginalization.

Macdonald noted that part of the aboriginal subset studied by researchers included youth and individuals who have lost their jobs and homes through drug and alcohol addiction.

Though researchers notified infected subjects if they were carrying TB, many could not access adequate treatment because they did not have a medicare card, required by most hospitals.

However, Médicins du monde, CLSC Sanguinet and Hôpital St-Luc provided medical care to individuals without the cards, according to Brett Pineau, the executive director of the Native Friendship Centre.

Health professionals have the prerogative to contain those infected with TB, as it is highly infectious. Some subjects were hesitant or simply refused care, however, as they were afraid of being contained and forced into treatment.

Macdonald attributed the fear of treatment to the historical marginalization of the aboriginal community, and adding that ideas of containment run parallel to the community’s experiences in residential schools and sanatoriums.

“They have been isolated – culturally, socially, linguistically so. It has not been pleasant and all those memories are conjured up whenever TB is brought up,” Macdonald said.

Pineau, however, said the Native Friendship Centre is hopeful that the study will have some positive outcomes. He hoped that a healing centre could be established that properly addresses the cultural needs of the aboriginal community through cooperation with McGill and other groups.

“The TB study was the first step in positioning ourselves into identifying priorities for our community, specifically in regards to health,” Pineau said.

But a lack of resources, thus far has proven to be a major setback.

“Expanded funding toward health priorities – whether that be increased research, construction of a new centre, or increased resources devoted to a purpose – would certainly go a long way,” Pineau said.

Macdonald echoed similar thoughts. “Ultimately there should be a health clinic run for and by aboriginals – there are many interesting examples across the country but I don’t think it’s in the political will,” she said.

Macdonald advised that health authorities listen to the clientele of the Native Friendship Centre and sh also said authorities should strategize in a culturally sensitive way. Seek innovative solutions rather than strictly adhere to the conventions of the public health system.

“It’s coming up with creative strategies, knowing the clientele, and knowing how they can help themselves,” Macdonald said.

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Speakers will address topics such as gender-based violence, political repression, and youth and racial profiling in Montreal, with workshops conducted in French and English to inform participants of their rights. The forum will close on Sunday evening with an event titled “Beats Against the Police,” showcasing MCs, musicians, rappers, and other performers.

Nazila Bettache, one of the organizers of the forum, noted that the lack of transparency and accountability in the police force is one of the main recurring issues that will be covered at the conference. “There is no justice when youth are killed and harassed on the streets,” Bettache said.

Police violence has come under increasing scrutiny in Montreal following the fatal police shooting of teenager Fredy Villanueva in August 2008.

Earlier this month, eyebrows were raised when the City of Montreal blocked the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission from investigating alleged racial profiling by police.

Gabriella Pedicelli, who will speak at this Friday’s opening panel discussion, said, “All the issues are systemic. The problems are embedded in the structure of policing, one of them being systemic racism, which is often denied by the policing organization.”

Trained as a police officer in 1989, Pedicelli eventually decided not to join the police and turned to police activism instead. Her book, When Police Kill, garnered public attention around police violence in Montreal and Toronto following its release in 1999. Pedicelli has remained a strong police critic. “I do think it is important to understand why we became disillusioned,” she said.

The conference will run from January 29-31 at Centre communitaire de Parc-Extension, 419 St-Roch. Free admission, schedule available online at www.forumcontrelaviolencepoliciere.net.

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Under the Companies’ Creditor Arrangement Act, the publishing division is in the hands of Canwest’s creditors: the Big Five Canadian banks, along with unidentified international financiers.

The auction, which goes on this week, has quickly attracted at least four potential bidders; Canwest hopes that a bid between $1 billion and $1.5 billion – less than half of what was paid for its acquisition back in 2000 – will be made sometime in next seven to eight weeks.

In the case that none of the bids made in the upcoming weeks are accepted, the banks have decided that it will set up a new, publicly-traded company to operate the newspapers, independent from both Canwest and its creditors.

In the meantime, operations are still managed by Canwest. The publishing division is the country’s largest newspaper chain and owns the National Post, along with 10 major city dailies – including the Montreal Gazette. Before any announcement of Canwest’s sale, the National Post was moved from the other dailies as a separate legal entity, thus not qualifying for creditor protection. However, operations at the Gazette and other affected dailies are not anticipated to change in the near future.

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