The McGill Daily talked with Cynthia Knight, co-creator, executive producer, and head writer of Mohawk Girls, to discuss the show’s third season, which recently kicked off on October 27 on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).

The McGill Daily (MD): The season two finale ended on a big cliffhanger for Bailey, Zoe, Caitlin, and Anna. Can you give any hints about what viewers can expect in season three?

Cynthia Knight (CK): Let me see how I can put this without giving anything away. In season three, we’ve definitely put them all in new situations. Obviously, in the first episode we’ll reveal what happens after the cliffhangers. It propels the girls into new directions, but they still have the same storylines. Caitlin’s still looking for love, when really she should be giving it to herself; Anna [is still] the fish out of water.

We tried to push it a lot more this season. We put them in more traditional situations that they don’t really know about. This season, Anna’s going to go to the longhouse, and she’ll discover what that’s all about. The girls in one episode go to a survivalist camp, because Anna’s trying to get them all back in touch with their roots, but of course they’re modern-day Mohawk women, like, imagine you and me at a survivalist camp. So we tried to keep them on the same journey, or path, but have a lot of fun with them this season. We have bigger cliffhangers at the end of the third season.

MD: Mohawk Girls has covered some pretty controversial topics already, like blood quantum [the calculation of Indian Status as determined by the Indian Act], and the community’s “marry out, get out” policy [the law in which Mohawk residents that marry non-Indigenous partners are no longer allowed to live in Kahnawake], especially in Anna and Bailey’s storylines. The show hopes to convey or discuss those policies through showing each of the character’s experiences.

CK: For both Tracey [Deer] and myself, what we’ve always wanted to do is create a show that was fun and entertaining, but beyond that, dispelled stereotypes. I feel like we see Native people and certainly Mohawks depicted in a historical context, or in difficult contexts today. We see violence or corruption on the rez, or alcoholism. In every community there are difficulties and incredible parts, and we really wanted to show these people as a three-dimensional group. We wanted to celebrate the very distinct nature of [Mohawk] culture but also show how universal it is, and how universal these girls’ issues are.

Every young woman can relate to this show, hopefully, and certainly every young woman from a minority background. I mean, I’m Jewish, and my whole life was about, ‘do I continue and stay in the faith because my family wants me to? Do I marry a Jewish guy because of all the sacrifices my ancestors made? If I don’t keep it up my people will disappear.’ These are exactly the questions that these ladies have to ask themselves in the show, so we really wanted to show the kind of universality of this group of people, and make a show that would appeal to Native people, to entertain them, [to see] their own culture on screen, and [to break] down some barriers for non-Native people to get a glimpse of this world and [recognize] they’re not so different.

It’s important for us to address racism – we never want anything to be preachy; we do a lot [of discussion] about racism, we continue that in season three, and we’re going to push it even more in season four.

MD: One of the most visually compelling moments I found in the show is when Anna is working on a group project at McGill, and after revealing that she’s Mohawk, she’s subject to a racist response from a group member, and it cuts to a shot of her having a bunch of different stereotypical labels slapped on her.

CK: I think there’s a scene where a white guy says, “Oh, your people should get over it, Black people have.” Sometimes, we’ve had people ask us if we’re exaggerating for television’s sake, but so many of these comments are based on real life, and that line was taken straight out of a date that my co-creator [Deer] experienced. I mean, it’s just so [ridiculous], people thinking that racism doesn’t exist anymore.

There’s so many levels of racism and it’s still very prevalent. A lot of it comes from ignorance. We have these stereotypes based on what we’ve seen in the media and what we [have] learned, and hopefully [Mohawk Girls] dispels some of that and really humanizes this group of people.

There’s a scene where a white guy says, “Oh, your people should get over it, Black people have.” Sometimes, we’ve had people ask us if we’re exaggerating for television’s sake, but so many of these comments are based on real life, and that line was taken straight out of a date that my co-creator [Deer] experienced.

MD: Zoe’s storyline is pretty rad. I don’t think I’ve seen anything on television like it, [how the previous season showed] the BDSM community in a non-judgmental way. How did that storyline become a part of the show? Did you always want to incorporate it, or is it something that came from the character?

CK: We’re very lucky to have a network that lets us push boundaries and put stuff on network television that we might not be able to see on certain other channels. [Zoe’s character] is a certain personality type that exists in the world and certainly a personality that exists in a community where there’s so much pressure to be the right kind of person and to represent your people properly. We looked at what happens when a real type-A person is leading a life not for herself, but a life of “should’s”: what should she do? What should she be? She decided to be a lawyer and work in the band council because that’s what she should do for her community.

The thing is, when your whole life is about duty, obligation, and responsibility, you need an outlet. You need some realm of your life where you can just let loose and have fun. She’s so constantly in control all the time that she ended up finding this way to let loose and be dominated instead of being the dominant person she constantly is in her life. We wanted to show this world in a non-judgmental way – some of it is positive and some of it is negative, like anything. So Zoe, in season three, is actually going to become kind of addicted to it and that’s going to put her ‘normal’ life in jeopardy. Not because the thing in and of itself is bad, but because she’s using it as an escape and as a need to fuel the rest of her life.

MD: Heather White, as Caitlin, gives beautiful, vulnerable performances. Her character is so hopeful, and so fierce when it comes to sticking up for her friends, but she just gets her heart broken when it comes to her dad or Butterhead. It’s heart-wrenching, but it makes you feel for her character so much.

CK: You try to write stuff that resonates but you never know if it really translates. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do with [Mohawk Girls,] to show context. Let’s look at second class citizenry and residential schools and everything and give a little bit of context. You know, you asked me what our goals are with the show, and that would certainly be one of them, in a non-preachy way, to give context so that people can understand. We try to do that as much [as possible] with each character, as with the community, and the world as a whole.

Mohawk Girls airs at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Eastern on APTN.

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The first piece, a video installation also titled Somewhere Else (2015), is composed of four videos documenting past performance art pieces by the artist. Including these past performances creates context for the three physical installations in the exhibit, entitled Sever (2015), pakwâwi-mostos asiniy (2015), and Leeward (2015). These installations stand in for the artist’s own body – which has been an integral part of her artwork.

Somewhere Else is composed of shots of the artist’s seminal performances, Creation or Death: We Will Win (1991), Bury My Heart (2000), Vigil (2002), and Omaa (2014). Each of these performances employs the physicality of the artist’s body to convey the racism, violence, and colonialism Indigenous people have been subjected to, both in the past and in the present day. In her performance pieces, Belmore uses her body to create a space of active resistance. Each performance places the artist somewhere squarely in the public eye, forcing viewers to acknowledge the structural violence endemic to our society rarely acknowledged by political leaders and the public alike.

Leeward is a chilling response to the questions raised in Belmore’s 2002 performance Vigil. Vigil protested the lack of action for missing and murdered Indigenous women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In the performance, Belmore, clad in a red dress, nailed her clothing to a telephone pole and struggled to rip free. Leeward is similarly confrontational – a red shirt is nailed to a large pale tree trunk and leaned against the wall. The red shirt is a stark reminder to the viewer that the struggle for Indigenous women’s safety in Canada is far from over. The shirt is also a biting commentary on the failure of politicians, the police force, and the justice system to hold perpetrators accountable for missing and murdered Indigenous women.

The four pieces in Belmore’s exhibit “Somewhere Else” may centre on the artist’s absence, but they each bring plenty of presence to the gallery themselves. Each piece will stay in the minds of visitors long after they leave the space. Aside from the status of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, Belmore tackles more aspects of her Indigenous experience in her pieces. This small lineup is worth checking out over the next blockbuster exhibit. With only four pieces, “Somewhere Else” packs more meaning in one room than blockbuster exhibits aspire to convey in entire exhibits.

“Somewhere Else” runs until October 17 at OBORO.

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“I didn’t intend to create an art project – it was my own interest, in a way. […] Initially I just started tracing what transpired around Christmas time,” Snyder said, when talking about his installation Aleatoric Collision (Sony Hacking Scandal) (2015). The Sony Hacking Scandal is one of the central pieces of the show, comprising a mixture of objects, prints, and video, including a framed quote by U.S. President Barack Obama answering a question regarding the Sony hack and a copy of the DVD on its own pedestal, elevating it to an object of high art. Though the piece has a sense of humour, the collection of artwork has a more serious tone, and examines the relationships between the image, propaganda, and the consumer.

The prevalence of the image in social media and its dominant role in society are also key themes within Snyder’s work, as well as topics of discussion during the artist talk. Fellow panelist and artist Pagett said, “One of the things that we see in social media now is the power of filters, so instead of something being censored directly, it is filtered.  Facebook has filters that control what you see on your newsfeed, Twitter has filters, Google has filters; so, I think any time we talk about social media now, that is the new development – to talk about how these filters work, and [Snyder’s] process is the work of examining that filter.”

The prevalence of the image in social media and its dominant role in society are also key themes within Snyder’s work, as well as topics of discussion during the artist talk.

The idea of the filter, or how something can be framed to suit the needs of its producer, is prominent in Snyder’s Casio, Seiko, Sheraton, Toyota, Mars (2004-05), a video that combines different clips of media coverage surrounding a single conflict. The most compelling part of the video arises from Snyder’s comparison of media coverages of the abandoned home of a former leader of a ‘terrorist’ organization. The specific person is not named, leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions about context. The manipulation of the narrative using  the detritus of someone’s deserted residence is highlighted through the items each news organization focuses on: rotten bananas; a Mars bar; random kitchen items; books.

After a visit to “Algorithmic Archaeology,” each choice on social media becomes a reflexive act – how much am I filtering my life to craft a specific narrative about myself? How much of what I consume is filtered for me to suit the ideals of the producer? Snyder’s work demands that the viewer contemplate what is happening just outside the frame of the image, in both local and global contexts.

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The belief that we live in a racism-free country is a naive one. Racism is expressed in Canada through covert and subtle acts. Outright acts of racism are no longer socially acceptable, and are easily condemned. This is racism that hides behind proclaimed innocence (‘It was just a joke, man’) and ignorance that is prevalent in Canada, and – as demonstrated on October 25 – our own campus. Silence often accompanies acts of covert racism – tell me you’ve never been in this situation before: your friend makes a derogatory joke about another race; you feel distinctly uncomfortable. Do you speak up? Or do you laugh and move on, knowing their response will be, ‘Relax, I’m only joking?’ Perhaps at 4Floors, a student felt disgusted with the person who attended in blackface, but hesitated to say something, knowing they would receive a response similar to the one outlined above. Through silence, covert racism gains power by contributing to the myth that if ‘it’s only a joke’ or ‘it’s just for fun’ then it’s acceptable.

After graduating from high school, I came to McGill with the innocent belief that university represented a bastion of free-thinking and intellectual debate, free from prejudice and ignorance. Coming from my predominantly white high school, it initially did seem a more diverse and accepting campus. However, it is this facade of multiculturalism and understanding that covers the more insidious forms of racism, by masking structural racism and student apathy. It’s easy to be principled in theory – to do a reading for a class, or read an article, such as Tiffany Harrington’s “A haunting disguise indeed!” (Commentary, October 25, page 6) – and agree. Yet, when it comes to applying these concepts to student life, there seems to be a barrier. The prevailing thought is, ‘Well, I’m not racist, and this is just a joke (costume, for fun, et cetera).’ But our actions matter. When “Pocahontas” is your Halloween costume of choice, you are contributing to the stereotyping of Aboriginal women. You are normalizing the idea that Aboriginal women are somehow sexually deviant and available to anyone. This racist perception contributes to the chilling reality that indigenous women have to live with: three times as many Aboriginal women have suffered violence than non-Aboriginal women.

As a white person who grew up in suburban Calgary, Alberta, I cannot pretend to know the effect that racism has on the conscious self. I will never know what it feels like to have a collective history of oppression; I will never know what it feels like to be harassed by the police force because of the colour of my skin; and I will never know what it feels like to walk into a Halloween party and see a fellow student on my campus caricaturing and demeaning my skin colour. To feel empathy is not enough, however. Covert racism will only be recognized if we all first acknowledge our own roles within the perpetuation of this oppression, myself included. If we remain silent when we recognize an act of racism, then we are just as guilty and ignorant as the person who made the joke, or the comment, or dressed up in blackface. So speak up. Call people out on their derogatory remarks. Let’s all make each other accountable for our actions.

Victoria Lessard is a U4 Art History and English Literature student and a Daily Culture editor. The views expressed her are her own. She can be reached at victoria.lessard@mail.mcgill.ca.

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When contemplating a visit to the Biodôme, an “ecosystem recreation” (basically an indoor zoo) fashioned out of the city’s Olympic velodrome, the possibility of encountering a contemporary art piece isn’t typically what comes to mind. After an entertaining trip for some much-needed childhood nostalgia in my first year at McGill, I hadn’t returned to the space. The seemingly incongruous combination of visual artwork amidst the permanent ecosystem displays was too intriguing to pass up. With the tagline “With all your senses awakened, come and experience nature differently,” I felt compelled to see the installation for myself.

Upon arrival, I realized that my attempt to be clever and avoid the crowds by coming to the space in the morning was a big mistake. Hordes of excited school children swarmed the Biodôme, amped up on adrenaline, the excitement of a field trip, and the sweetness of a life free from midterms, exhaustion, and cynicism. While they screamed in excitement over each glimpse of an animal they managed to catch, I ventured forth in search of the installation.

trOmbe, at the end of the permanent displays, is an interesting experiment in the potential of an interactive art space. There is a large reflective pool of water, and fir trees and fake birds are hung from the ceiling above. Used to the “look and never touch” gallery mentality, the towels and benches around the installation were surprising – until I was informed by a helpful guide that people are supposed to take off their shoes and walk around in the pool. To enter the piece, I had first to pass through a sheet of rain (with the help of a provided umbrella). Flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder played, adding to the sensation of being in an alternate world. I had the strange sense that I was part of a storm, as my feet touched the freezing water, and I looked at the forest in the pool’s reflection. Every time I moved, ripples of water disrupted the image.

It was a pretty cool experience, and a unique idea. Installations that ask the viewer to participate are inherently more compelling than those in which you’re required, by the presence of a museum guard, to maintain a respectful distance. However, I found it difficult to be fully immersed in trOmbe. A huge school group walked through the temporary exhibition space as they entered the permanent installations – many of them shouting, pointing, and chattering loudly about why there was a person standing in the middle of a pool of water at the Biodôme (which is a valid question, in all fairness). Glancing up at the trees hung above, the illusion was disrupted. I hopped out of the pool, dried off my feet, and headed toward the exit. While the idea of the installation would be better served in a more cordoned-off area, perhaps the disruption of illusion is intended – at some point, you have to leave the surreal and return to the real life whirlwind of midterms, copious amounts of coffee, and late nights.

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On Thursday, October 18, the Indigenous Student Alliance (ISA) of McGill hosted a graffiti workshop with special guest artist Vincent Dumoulin. Held in collaboration with the Intertribal Youth Centre, the event took place in the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal.

Jessica Barudin, the president of the ISA, helped to organize the event in support of the group’s mandate: “with the Indigenous Student Alliance, what we’d like to provide is a network for self-identifying Indigenous people and also…a means to connect students and allies among the community. Our mandate is unity, bringing students together, but also empowerment of the students to reconnect with traditional ways of knowing.”

The workshop was aimed at Indigenous youth; unfortunately, attendance was low. The event began slowly, with the coordinators encouraging people hanging out around the centre to participate. Dumoulin wasn’t fazed, and began explaining that graffiti is often misperceived to be exclusive to youth culture, when it is really an all-ages, inclusive medium. In a follow-up interview with The Daily over email, Dumoulin spoke about this inclusivity: “[Graffiti] has given a chance for anyone on the planet to express themselves. It can be used to express political statements to the masses. It generates huge amounts of fear from large segments of the population who think it is gang-related. It is seen in such different ways by everyone in society. […] I also feel graffiti is unique in its way to allow for so many various styles to evolve and continually produces new forms of genuinely legitimate public arts with original, deep, and thought provoking messages.”

Dumoulin’s and Barudin’s enthusiasm for the workshop soon brought smiles to the initially shy participants. Dumoulin explained various styles of graffiti, tasking everyone to make their names in a beginner’s style. Moving from budding artist to artist, each person was encouraged to express their own creative freedom, as Dumoulin demonstrated with a few strokes of a pencil.

Dumoulin’s attraction to graffiti was partly because of the creative freedom and inclusivity it offered. He explained, “when I discovered a subculture that honoured and rewarded delinquency, allowing anyone to rise to levels of fame and peer recognition that would take much longer in any other field. I had struggled with conforming to the protocols and discipline required by other activities in my life [such as] organized sports, music classes, et cetera. In graffiti, one can achieve success and gain the attention of others quickly with very limited risk of getting caught, [and] at a very low cost, since we provided the supplies through the five-finger discount. Dedicated internet sites and books that were not as plentiful or simply not existent at the time I was painting are providing new adepts with unlimited amounts of exposure, inspiration, and information.”

As each participant continued their graffiti piece, creative risks began to get bolder, and Dumoulin greeted each new idea with, “Keeping it fresh!” Paint splatters surrounded one name, a heart-dotted ‘I’ on another, and glaring skulls peered out of one fiery name. At the end of the event, Barudin viewed the low youth turnout as an example of why future collaborations between the Intertribal Youth Centre and the ISA are so important. “I think [graffiti is] very inviting for youth,” Barudin said, “because there’s so much expression to it, but I think that it’s open to everyone, and [today was] such a good example of [how] youth can be very reluctant [to participate], and that comes a lot from maybe lack of confidence. That’s just precisely what these type of workshops are hoping to foster, to build that confidence in youth, and just feeling comfortable with other Indigenous people, and other people in the community.”

Dumoulin also emphasized the continued importance of planning and participating in youth-oriented events. The artist will continue to collaborate with the ISA, holding future graffiti workshops. “[The ISA] wishes to promote the empowerment of at-risk First Nations youths and other First Nations youths in general,” Dumoulin said. “The movement we are building has seen some success from Vancouver to Africa, and hip hop is an amazing way to connect with the youth via something that resonates deeply with many of them. The nature of hip hop itself…allows for a maximum amount of flexibility and we are able to integrate key values of First Nations traditions and values in the dynamics of the workshops [such as] interacting in circles, talking pieces, et cetera. This happens through the implementation of research into the youth’s various traditions and cultures in the workshops themselves.”

Graffiti art offers an attractive alternative form of expression. Hopefully, workshops between the ISA and the Intertribal Youth Centre will continue to help empower First Nations youth. Removed from the heavy inequities and problematic aspects of the traditional space of the gallery or museum, graffiti enables political and creative voices to find expression.

The post Writing on the walls appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Austra

Originally from Toronto, Austra formed in 2009 and quickly developed a sound entirely their own. Relying on heavy synths, fast paced beats, and opera-trained lead singer Katie Stelmanis‘ voice, Austra is able to create haunting melodies that are upbeat enough that  you can still dance along. Their debut album, Feel It Break, was nominated for a Juno and was shortlisted for the 2011 Polaris prize. They will be playing with the percussion-heavy experimental electro band Doldrums. You won’t want to miss seeing both groups back-to-back.

Austra will be playing with Doldrums at Mission Santa Cruz, 60 Rachel West, on Friday, September 21. The show starts at 11:00 p.m. Free admission. 

Gotye 

As much as you don’t want to admit it, you have probably had  “Somebody That You Used To Know” stuck in your head at least one point in the last year. Although Gotye has been around since 2002, it wasn’t until this past year that the Australian singer shot into mainstream success. With a number-one billboard chart hit, Gotye is definitely reaping the benefits with the most expensive ticket at Pop ($54). If money grows on trees for you, he boasts a wide variety of pop-rock songs that you can definitely bust a move to. (And hey, you don’t even have to tell your friends you went.)

Gotye will be playing with Chairlift at Metropolis, 59 St. Catherine East, on Friday, September 21. The show starts at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $54. 

Wild Nothing 

Up-and-comers Wild Nothing has received critical praise across the board for their sophomore album Nocturne, released this past August. Refining their dream-pop sound, Wild Nothing definitely emulates bands like Beach House while incorporating eighties-style synths and melodies to create something all their own. Paired up with Valleys, a dream pop band with some darker tones and DIIV, a band best know for their melodic guitar, the lineup promises to deliver from start to finish. If dream pop is your thing, you won’t want to miss out.

Wild Nothing will be playing with Valleys and DIIV at Il Motore, 179 Jean-Talon West, on Wednesday, September 19. The show starts at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $13. 

Lil B 

Berkeley-born Lil B is one of the strangest rap stars the world has ever seen. He has released a mixtape with over 700 songs, has challenged homophobia by entitling an album I’m Gay, and has been called “the most revolutionary MC of the last 15 years” by Vice magazine. With the help of the internet, this 23-year-old rapper has become a bizarre phenomenon. His playful and lo-fi sounding tracks drop a myriad of pop-culture references and musings on consumerism, amid the usual boasting about “swag” and “b*****s”. He may wear the same dirty pair of Vans in most of his amateurish videos, but his cultish fan-base semi-seriously revere him.

Whatever you think of Lil B’s lackadaisical Youtube videos or his repetitive hundreds of songs, the guy is definitely pushing the genre beyond anywhere it has gone before.

Lil B will be playing with Lunice and Cadence Weapon (DJ Set) at Club Soda, 1225 St. Laurent, on Friday, September 21. The show starts at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $28. 

Brave Radar 

There must be something in the water here in Montreal. That’s the only explanation for the city’s penchant for continuously offering up talented local musicians, ranging from wild, near-performance art acts to soft-spoken indie rock. Brave Radar runs more toward the indie variety, with a low-key sound that makes you feel like you should be sitting on a beach, a beer in your hand and salt water in your hair. Don’t make the mistake of reading low-key sound as forgettable sound however – the melodies sneak up on you. “Line Storm” is particularly interesting, with a haunting intro, and slightly dissonant lyrics. The song grabs you and doesn’t let go until the final chord. “Sternwall,” with a slightly more upbeat feel, shows off the variety of tone that can be achieved by the group, as well as just being a song that would make you want to turn the radio up.

Brave Radar will be playing with Chevalier Avant Garde, Sheer Agony, Cresting, Freelove, Fenner, and Mavo at Brasserie Beaubien, 73 Beaubien East, on Wednesday, September 19. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

A Tribe Called Red 

A Tribe Called Red offers a truly distinctive sound, a difficult feat in the sea of talented artists comprising the Pop Montreal festival.  Hailing from Ottawa, this First Nations DJ group has invented a style of electronic music they’ve termed “Pow-Wow Step.” The group fuses traditional Pow-Wow music with a plethora of different sounds. Mixes range from fresh and upbeat, with Pow-wow singing or drumming coming to the forefront, to more mainstream dub step, with booming beats and intense drops. DJ’s NDN, Bear Witness, and Shubs will have you tearing up the floor, clamouring for more of their unique electronic stylings.

A Tribe Called Red plays with Nautiluss, Prison Garde, and Blank Capsule  at Église Pop Little Burgundy, 5035 Ste. Dominique, on Friday, September 21. Opening sets by Blank Capsule, Nautiluss, and Prison Garde. The show starts at 11 p.m.  Tickets are $10. 

Lunice 

Native son Lunice is an ambitious synth hip-hop producer. Freshly returned from a big North American and European tour, this past year has seen Lunice collaborate with Diplo, Azealia Banks, and Glaswegian DJ Hudson Mohawke, with whom he made an EP, TNGHT. He certainly hasn’t forgotten his hometown, though, having recently teamed up with fellow Canadians Ango and Prison Garde to form Nouveau Palais, a group that we strongly suspect is named after the popular restaurant on Bernard.

Lunice will be playing with Lil B and Cadence Weapon (DJ Set) at Club Soda, 1224 St. Laurent, on Friday, September 21. The show starts at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $28. 

Ghosts Before Breakfast 

For any student taking an art history course, Ghosts Before Breakfast offers a worthwhile excuse to ditch your readings for an evening and head out to Pop. Named after a Dada short film made in 1928, the group produces tracks worthy of their artistic predecessors. Their songs, such as “Desert Home,” present strong melodies that start off sounding like any moderate group you could hear on Top 40 radio – but then the guitar tune begins to change, the lyrics start, and suddenly you’ve stepped through the looking glass. Ghosts Before Breakfast’s off-kilter songs are rock and roll mixed with Dadaist irreverence.

Ghosts Before Breakfast will be playing with Loon Hunters, Star Hunters, and Statue Park, at L’Escogriffe, 4467 St. Denis, on Wednesday, September 19. The show starts at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $10. 

Nicky da B 

“Bounce” is a booty-oriented hip-hop subgenre created and played mostly in the lower-income neighborhoods of New Orleans. While the lyrics are simple and heavily repeated, Bounce songs are a great excuse to shake your ass (or twirl it, or dip it, et cetera) Little-known outside of NOLA, “Sissy Bounce” is the sub-sub-genre of Bounce created by queer artists including Nicky da B and last year’s Pop selection, Big Freedia. Through the efforts of Pop and other avenues of dissemination, Bounce is gaining notoriety across North America. High-profile collaborations including Nicky da B and Diplo have helped to spread the good word further. Check out Nicky’s videos for an introduction into the riotous and sexual New Orleans party culture that Bounce is centered on.

Nicky da B will be playing with Sun Araw and Shaydakiss at Église Pop Little Burgundy, 5035 Ste. Dominique, on Sunday, September 23. The show starts at 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $12. 

Grizzly Bear 

If you hadn’t heard “Two Weeks” at least some point in 2009 you may have been living under a rock. Indie darlings Grizzly Bear’s third studio album Veckatimest shot to the top of “best of” lists everywhere with their signature dreamy folk-pop. Marked by heavy bass rifts, perky piano melodies, and multilayered vocals, Grizzly Bear’s sound hits everyone a little bit differently but definitely leaves an impression. The band’s most recent album, Shields has a decidedly more upbeat sound, harkening back to folk legends like Neil Young. Die-hard Grizzly Bear fans will definitely want to check it out, but at $40 a ticket this is one of Pop’s more expensive concerts.

Grizzly Bear will be playing with Unknown Mortal Orchestra at L’Olympia, 1004 Ste. Catherine East, on Sunday, September 23. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40. 

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Didn’t manage to attend Cannes this year? Adding to the city’s rich film-festival lineup, Cinemania showcases the best francophone films from the past year. Hosted at the majestic Imperial Theatre, this is the most convenient way for anglophones to check out French cinema, with the entire lineup of films conveniently subtitled in English. Sponsored by Air France, it is solely devoted to North American, Canadian, and Quebec premieres of French films. Past years have screened masterpieces including The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, A Prophet, and Poliss.

Cinemania takes place at the Imperial Cinema (1430 Bleury) from November 3 to 13. Listings for the 2012 edition will be published in late October.G 

Gardens of Light: The Magic of Lanterns and Aki

No one is too jaded to enjoy the Magic of Lanterns, a hugely popular autumn tradition. Hundreds of lanterns, many of them traditionally produced in Shanghai and painstakingly arranged at the magnificent Chinese Garden, illuminate the evenings at the Botanical Gardens next to the Olympic Stadium. If you haven’t been yet, this is an excellent excuse to see the sprawling and meticulously kept Botanical Gardens. This year’s festival theme is “The Celestial Banquet.” The Magic of Lanterns is held concurrently with Aki, a display of “the interplay of light and shadow” in the adjacent Japanese Garden.

Gardens of Light is open until November 4. The Botanical Gardens will remain open daily until 9 p.m. The student admission rate is $13.50. The Gardens are located at the corner of Pie-IX and Sherbrooke. 

Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montreal (RIDM)

The Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montreal (RIDM) festival focuses solely on documentary film. The vision of the event aims to promote Canadian and foreign films. This year, the festival’s fifteenth, is shaping up to be particularly exciting. Organizers are producing a special portion of programming titled “15 Years for 15 Films.” 15 special guests have been invited to the festival to pick a documentary that “changed their lives,” each of which will be screened at the festival. One by one, the special guests are being revealed on the festival website. So far, Gael Garcia Bernal, Lou Reed, and Alanis Obomsawin are among those slated to appear, with five more still to be revealed.

The RIDM runs from November 7 to 18. They are in the process of announcing their 2012 program and ticket prices.

Festival du nouveau cinema

The most contemporary of Montreal’s big film festivals, the FNC has a broad focus with an emphasis on fresh ideas.  Impeccable taste and a serious admiration for maverick filmmaking shape the festival’s lineups each year. Among many other great films, last year’s FNC presented Pina, Wim Wenders’ 3D tribute to the late choreographer Pina Bausch; The Skin I Live In, Pedro Almodovar’s brilliant exploration of plastic surgery; as well as Monsieur Lazhar, an insightful Quebecois drama that was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards.

The festival features several sections, with one devoted entirely to Quebecois and Canadian cinema, one for risqué cinema and another for children’s films, as well as a prestigious short-film series.

The Festival du Nouveau Cinema will run from October 10 to 21 at Excentris on St. Laurent. This year’s program and ticket prices have yet to be announced. 

M for Montreal

The other big indie music event in the fall is M for Montréal, Pop’s smaller, more francophone cousin. M generally featuress acts better known in Quebec and Canada than the rest of the world. It is used as a scouting service by the world’s largest festivals, including Glastonbury, Coachella, SXSW, and Les Inrockuptibles. Last year’s fest included Karkwa, Bran Van 3000, Arianne Moffatt, and Peter Peter.

M for Montreal happens from November 14 to 17. More information about lineup, ticket prices, and location will be released in October.

Black and Blue Festival

Having run for 21 years, B and B is a queer institution. This dance party/festival raises money for the BBCM foundation, which supports the fight against HIV/AIDS. Black and Blue will be hosting parties around town, from the “Jock Ball” and the “Leather Ball” to the main event, a huge rave at Palais des Congrès. Most days of the festival start with a long brunch that evolves into an evening of relentless partying at several locations.

Black and Blue prides itself on its inclusive nature, and explicitly incorporates heterosexual participants and DJs. Electronic fans would do well to check out the list of performers. Whether you want to support the cause, celebrate being queer, or just party hard, Black and Blue has a place on the dance floor for you.

Black and Blue takes place in the Village and around town from October 3 to 9. Tickets come in various packages; the main event on October 6 is a $120 for general admission. Other nights offer less expensive parties.

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The glorious Comiccon will soon grace Montreal with a huge two-day indoor festival of pop culture, sci-fi, anime, and French bandes-dessinées. Like other such events in the United States, the Montreal Comiccon allows fans – obsessive or otherwise – to meet famous personalities from their favourite series.

The big-name guests will be Star Trek actors Patrick Steward and William Shatner. Also present will be Matthew McDowell from A Clockwork Orange, Adam Baldwin of Firefly and The X-Files, and Quebec BD luminary Michel Rabagliati. But actors will not be the only recognizable stars of the convention – vehicles at the show include the 1989 Batmobile and Scooby-doo’s Mystery Machine.

On top of all that, gaming developers Ubisoft, Eidos, and Bioware will be holding conferences within the event. Comiccon will be hosting dozens of exhibitions and over 100 artists over its three days.

Comiccon will be held from September 14 to 16 at Palais des congrès. Individual day tickets vary in price from $20 to $28 in advance; tickets for the whole weekend are $50. Shatner and Stewart, as well as some other events are sold separately.

Montreal International Black Film Festival

The Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) aims to promote and support films that deal with the social, political, and economic issues faced by black people around the world and gives an engaged audience to films that struggle to make it onto the big screen. The films offered vary from documentaries such as Dara Kell and Christopher Nizza’s Dear Mandela, which follows three young South Africans after the apartheid era; animated shorts, like Lucius Dechausay’s The Mark, which uses the symbol of a mask to discuss issues of prejudice; and feature films such as Darrell Roodt’s Winnie, which examines the life and struggles of Winnie Mandela through powerhouse performances from Terrence Howard and Jennifer Hudson.

The Central Park Five, the final film showing at the festival, promises to be a gritty documentary experience, touching on racism and injustice in the legal system as well as media sensationalism.

With numerous offerings and reasonably -priced tickets, the MIBFF has made these exceptional films accessible, when they otherwise may have been lost in the pantheon of tired Hollywood tropes and sequels.

The Montreal International Black Film Festival will run from September 19 to 30 at several venues, including Cinéma du Parc. Tickets for each film are $10.

Pop Montreal

Pop is the big autumn music festival, and possibly the most fun you’ll be having until the spring thaw. This huge festival has spawned numerous offshoot festivals, including Puces Pop, a huge design showcase; Film Pop, for music-related movies; Art Pop, for visuals; and Kids Pop, a bunch of art workshops for the little’uns.

Although Pop is more about discovery than putting on big names, the lineup does include some well-known talent. David Byrne, former Talking Heads chief, will appear in concert with art-rocker St. Vincent.

Also featured is bizarre rapper Lil’ B, whose incredibly prolific output and internet following have garnered a fanatically loyal fan base. Last year, Lil’ B released an album entitled I’m Gay, which was not so much a coming-out as it was a challenge to the conventions of the rap world.

And have you heard of Grimes? She was expelled from McGill not long ago for failing to attend class and then became 2012’s favourite alt-pop star, getting millions of views on YouTube and making “one of the most impressive albums of the year,” according to the New York Times. She produces her otherworldly music on Garageband, but her videos display a lavish and playfully gothic aesthetic. Her story should be an inspiration to all the closet bedroom-pop artists in our student body: leave the life of academic drudgery for money, fame, and a mention in the Times.

Pop Montreal goes down all over town from September 19 to 23. Over 300 bands will play. Passes are $300 (which is why you should write for Culture – free tickets!). Individual concert tickets vary in price from free to $35. Grimes will be playing at Pop on September 20. 

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Rosado sits in her office in the youth centre, situated in the basement of the Native Friendship Centre, door open and smile ready for any teen or passer-by who needs her help. Her workspace reflects the mission of the youth centre.

“Basically, we aim to provide a safe and welcoming space for the urban Aboriginal youth, [and] make them feel that they’re at home. It’s a supportive environment,” Rosado said.

The centre is set up with a pool table, computers, and couches, and offers a range of artistic activities for young people such as stone carving. However, the centre’s program and staff have been greatly reduced. Due to budget cuts, Rosado is the sole remaining employee.

“At this moment,” she explains, “I’m in charge of coordinating the activities, the workshop facilitators, volunteers, [and] helping the youth with whatever they need. Now, I’m in charge of everything, the administration of the project. There used to be two people, plus interns and volunteers, but with the situation, we had to lay off my co-worker. It’s just me left.”

The outreach that the centre has been able to provide has been cut back.

“Before, we used to have two, three, even four activities in a day. Now we have three during the week. Of course, we are in that process of trying to find ways of [getting] people to volunteer their time, and see how it goes from there,” Rosado said.

Despite the strain and numerous obstacles thrown in the path of the Inter-tribal Youth Centre, they have managed to remain open. The Native Friendship Centre has been a supportive partner in keeping the space open, but the Youth Centre’s own emphasis on cultural creativity has also proven to be an invaluable resource in keeping the project alive. The Mikinak Youth Co-operative, a group at the youth centre, is a collective of Aboriginal youth artists who create soapstone sculptures, a skill they learn through the programming at the centre. This initiative has proven to be an important resource for both the centre and the young artists.

“[The] project has been part of the center for the while. Maybe four, even five years. It’s been taking shape, [but] we still have a long way to go with it. But the idea is to provide training and educational tools for the youth, but also just have a fun activity … that relates to their culture as well and involve[s] the community in this project,” Rosado said.

The co-op offers their works for sale, with fifty per cent of the sale going to the artist, and the other fifty per cent going to the Youth Centre, which invests the money into funding programming.

“The profit that we make from the youth co-operative is helping us to have still something going on in the centre. I think that’s one of the reasons why a project like Mikinak is really good, it’s basically helping us to keep going,” Rosado said.

The Youth Centre is an invaluable resource for Aboriginal youth in Montreal, and though still under financial strain and program reduction, it remains a compassionate and friendly space for anyone who wants to stop by.

“The support of the people through the co-op, and even buying the pieces we have here, it helps a lot,” Rosado expressed.

“It’s actually what is helping us in these difficult times. In addition, I think that we’re pretty open for anybody that would like to bring their expertise and volunteer a couple of hours, and just help us to reach out to the youth and to bring the youth back,” Rosado said.

The Inter-tribal Youth Centre’s artistic and cultural creativity has allowed them to continue to operate, offering numerous resources and an open door to Aboriginal youth in Montreal.

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The Fridge Door Gallery is McGill’s own student-run gallery. While the group doesn’t have a permanent space, they show two exhibitions annually, typically in November and March. The Fridge Door provides a creative place on campus for the hidden student artists at our university, and allows those who don’t have the benefit of a fine arts program to express themselves in a public setting. The group also allows for aspiring curators to experience creative collaboration with artists in an open and democratic setting.

The VAV Gallery is a student-run exhibition space for undergraduate artists at Concordia University. The space is democratically run; a student gallery director facilitates programming, rather than specifically curating to their own point of view. The shows are created through a selection process where a group of students organize the applications into thematic groups, ensuring a diverse range of mediums and ideas. The gallery runs programming approximately every two weeks, which guarantees that there’s always a new show to see. Each exhibit at the VAV presents unique ideas, exploring new mediums not often found in traditional institutions, such as media and installation.

The FOFA Gallery is also at Concordia. Showcasing the work of graduate students, FOFA displays the work of artists coming into their own, as opposed to the sometimes chaotic experimentation of the students at the VAV. Exhibits are often developed more conceptually, focusing more specifically on individual artists. The upcoming exhibit opens on September 4, with Pierre Dalpé’s “Personae,” Eliza Griffiths’ “Love, Alienation and Free Association,” and Mariane Bourcheix-Laporte’s “Interstitial Stillness.”

The VAV Gallery, FOFA Gallery and the Fridge Door Gallery offer alternative spaces to traditional institutions like the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal or the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Each space offers a unique vision  and an artistic megaphone through which different students can shout their ideas, from those just finding their feet artistically and politically, to those with a clear sense of their creative identity.

With all three spaces so close by, take the time to peek into the thoughts of your peers, and perhaps see your own thoughts reflected back to you.

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Studying at a McGill library during finals season is reminiscent of the world depicted in a nature documentary on the Discovery channel. It’s survival of the fittest – racing to get a spot near some form of natural light, so you don’t completely forget what the sun looks like, hiding much-needed caffeine or sustenance from the seemingly eagle-eyed security guards, and shooting challenging death-glares at the person who seems to think that the fifth floor is an appropriate place to rehash their night out – where they were “sooo fucking wasted” – with twelve of their closest friends sitting nearby.

For your sanity, and for my own, during this wondrous and blissful season, I trekked around Montreal in search of alternate libraries to study in, and managed to find some pretty magical spots.

The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art’s Media Center is one of those special places. When I walked into the museum, I was directed by a smiling desk attendant to the main flight of stairs. After reaching the exhibition floor, you have to continue your upward climb to the Media Center – as I ascended, I felt as though I was discovering a secret passageway, or being given a glimpse into the inside life of the institution. This feeling only grew when I reached the study space. The Media Center is a small library, filled with shelves of art books (a tip for art history students, especially those taking contemporary art classes – if you’ve started a research paper late, and all the good books are gone from the library, you’re likely to find some good sources here – not that that’s ever happened to me), and wide, wooden desks, perfect for spreading out your study materials. The  space feels warm and friendly, and the huge skylights directly over the desks let you stare out at the sky and try to guess what new heights the temperature has reached now.

The Westmount Public Library is another magical study space. While I unwittingly walked about a million blocks to reach it from the Vendome metro station, more intrepid travellers will have the common sense to take the bus and can conveniently reach it from the McGill Ghetto. (Note to self for future reference: Google Maps distances are deceptively different from real distances.) The Westmount Public Library is the epitome of what I’ve always imagined a majestic old library to look like – there are beautiful high, arched windows, tables to study at, lit by lamps with green glass shades, and big, comfortable armchairs scattered around everywhere. For those of you who can’t study with a single decibel of sound, there is, in fact, a Reading Room. And it has a beautiful grand fireplace. You will never be able to study anywhere else. While the beauty of the historic building, commissioned in 1897 by Queen Victoria and completed in 1899, is enough of a draw, the best part of the library is all of its hidden study spots. There are armchairs and desks stashed away everywhere – including a wooden bench set into a wall, tucked away on the second floor.

The Robert-Bourassa library is also a great spot. Located in Outremont, the cheerful and quiet space makes it worth the metro ride and short walk. (Successful use of Google Maps this time.) The bright library has plenty of study spots, with wooden chairs and big, polished desks placed in all the nooks and crannies in between book shelves. There are also little armchairs nestled away, for those who would rather have a calm afternoon with a good book to take a relaxing break from the madness of term paper and exam season. There is an abundance of riotously-coloured abstract paintings on the wall, which help to create a mood-elevating atmosphere, far removed from the sometimes dreary gloom of poorly-lit libraries. The most distinctive part of this library is the small art gallery attached to it, which shows artworks on loan from a local gallery.

Finally, the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) is a student’s dream. When I first arrived, I felt as though I was seeing a mirage of a study haven before me, and if I questioned it, it would all go away. Thankfully, I had not fallen down a rabbit hole, or through any looking-glass, and BAnQ was real. The main library is attached to the Berri-UQAM metro station, making it very easy to travel to (and I will definitely be utilizing this come winter semester next year), and there’s a Java U right next door for a quick coffee fix. With four levels, as well as a main floor and a basement, there are endless study spots to choose from. The building is glass, so natural light streams in, negating the need for those horrifying fluorescent lights often found in public buildings. The best floors are four and one – the fourth floor contains the music and video collection, and even holds records in a separate room. There are multitudes of sleek and comfortable armchairs to sit in, and most of the computers have massive headphones attached to them, so people can listen to music and watch videos. This makes the floor one of the quietest to study on. The first floor showcases a small exhibit among the bookshelves – right now, costumes from the Belle Époque era are on display, and they’re all made out of brown and white construction paper. Once you get past the bustling main floor, the BAnQ is a gem of a library.

So the next time you find yourself clutching your Tim Horton’s coffee cup between your knees when the security guard walks by and counting the number of times the person sitting next to you coughs in one minute, think of a magical study space you can flee to – then take a deep breath, pack up your twenty-pound backpack, and leave the McGill libraries in the dust behind you.

The MAC Media Center (185 Ste. Catherine Ouest) is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Westmount Public Library (457 Sherbrooke) is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Bibliothèque Henri Bourassa (41 Saint Just) is open Monday to Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (475 Maisonneuve Est) is closed on Monday, open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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“Lost Neighbourhoods” is an interactive multimedia exhibition about three distinct districts in Montreal that were razed between 1950 to 1970 in order to make room for various public projects. Fifty-four former residents of Faubourg à m’lasse (now Maison-Radio Canada, near the Jacques Cartier Bridge), the Red Light district (lower Saint Laurent above Rene Levesque), and Goose Village (now a parking lot near Griffintown) were interviewed about their experiences growing up in these communities. The exhibition also included the voices of numerous historians, urban planners, architecture experts, and academics. The question of whether modernity should trump cultural heritage runs throughout the show, asking the viewer to carefully consider whether a government is justified in steam-rolling over its citizens in the name of “progress” or “the common good”.

The very first room you walk into introduces the disappearance of these three neighbourhoods through an emotionally-compelling video of former residents recalling the trauma of seeing their homes and communities destroyed. Robert Petrelli, recalling the experience of going back to the area after the houses had been torn down, described the sight as “a city after a nuclear attack… [The] only sound was stray dogs howling.” This chilling image is enhanced by the set and backdrop where the video is played – a wall looks as though it has been destroyed by a wrecking ball, and the film is playing on an ancient television surrounded by worn chairs of all different shapes and sizes.

The latter half of the exhibition debates the questions surrounding this sensitive time period in Montreal’s history. Should these districts have been sacrificed to make way for the vision Jean Drapeau, the mayor of the city from around 1954 to 1986, held for the “city of the future”? One can’t argue with the fact that Drapeau helped to shape today’s bustling downtown metropolis – part of his legacy is the inauguration of the metro in 1966. However, he destroyed areas without a thought for the residents living within them, or for the cultural heritage they contained.

Drapeau viewed these areas as “slums,” and, while a former resident agrees that “it was poverty in all its glory,” urban planning experts feel Drapeau’s use of the term “slums” has to be questioned. The derogatory word carries heavy connotations, and stands in the way of improvements to the affected areas.

After walking through the rest of the exhibit – which included entertaining and touching reconstructions of Faubourg à m’lasse, the Red Light District, and Goose Village – I entered the final area of the show, which drove home the relevance of this historical exhibition to Montreal’s current political climate. There were life-size cut-outs of shadow figures holding protest signs, with slogans such as “We remember, We still fight”, “My neighbourhood, My life”, and, most appropriately, “We have duties.”

While the exhibition encourages people to become more involved and active in campaigning for their community rights and cultural heritage, it also speaks to a larger metaphor that is engulfing Montreal – the growing importance of speaking up for your community, and your rights as an active member of that community.

The post Montreal’s lost and found appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Yet, there is Doug Harris- first-time Canadian novelist, who managed to write in the second-person quite successfully. Yes, you, should really read You comma Idiot. (You have decided to stop writing in second-person for the rest of this article, as you’re not sure how Doug Harris wanted to write this way for his entire novel because you’re so exasperated you want to throw your laptop across the library).

The press release for this novel used the descriptor words “quirky” and “gritty” and referred to the writing style as a mix of Nick Hornby (About a Boy) and Douglas Coupland (The Gum Thief). I approached feeling deeply skeptical, as I’ve found that usually when something is described in a manner involving the words “eccentric” or “idiosyncratic”, it means the novel is pretentious and pseudo-intellectual. I cracked open Harris’ work and, for the first fifty pages, I was slightly confused, but mostly irritated and unimpressed. To my surprise, by the time I reached one hundred pages, I was hooked. Lee Goodstone, You comma Idiot’s protagonist, is a drug-dealing slacker who also happens to be sleeping with his best friend’s girlfriend. Somehow his charm sneaks up on you. By the end of the novel, Lee felt like an old-friend, someone that I had run into again after a long time and spent the day reminiscing with.

Harris’s book is a surprisingly meaningful work. The author has managed to engage in a rare combination of wit and realism, creating a story in which the action of the plot is secondary to character development. You comma Idiot is mostly a really fun and engaging read, and a welcome break from all the other “eccentric” or “quirky” novels out there, overbearing in their attempts at literary greatness through offbeat realism.

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Hey, Um, I’m Sorry that I Killed You: A Performance Piece of Mourning, Guilt and Disregard, 2011

Caleb Feigin

The McGill Daily (MD): Tell me a little bit about yourself. What is your specific area of interest in terms of medium?

Caleb Feigin (CF): I’m starting at Concordia, and I’m making up this major in Sexuality studies, so most of the work I’m doing at school is theoretical stuff and I also participate in activism and create art. I really like performance art because it’s a mixture of all those three things. This is going to be my second public performance at “Citation.”

MD: What is the performative aspect to Hey, Um, I’m Sorry that I Killed You: A Performance Piece of Mourning, Guilt and Disregard (2011)?

CF: Essentially, it’s a performance piece, but there is an installation component that people can interact with as well. There is a pool that’s filled with things I collected from people, from friends, or that I found – it’s filled with things that help them to live, or that makes living more difficult. It’s a really interactive piece, people can come and take stuff from the pool, or put things in. I’m performing at the opening on Wednesday, and on Saturday as well. What I’m doing is really an anti-performance – I’ll be dressed up in drag, and I’m just going to be standing, doing nothing; and then I will be drowning myself in the pool filled with these meaningful things.

MD: Was there a particular event that inspired your performance?

CF: The performance is about mourning. The whole process of me drowning myself is a message to a friend who committed suicide; he drowned. I wanted to make an artwork about it, I was thinking about it so much – it was a long process, he passed away two years ago. I started researching suicide prevention and techniques to stop suicide. Basically, the research I did showed that queer kids are the most prone to committing suicide, and I found this really interesting and bizarre, especially the way in which the media discusses this issue and my experience through this friend. Through my research, I saw that there were two trends to why suicide happens: the way that people talk about suicide, they always say, “Oh, this person was crazy, they had mental issues”, and obviously there are bullying and social factors as well. Both of these things are valid, but for me it felt wrong to let everyone off the hook. There was no research saying that there are things we, people, do that cause suicide – it’s not abstract. My performance is talking about that; I’m performing my feelings of guilt, and how I think this guilt is not something that just I feel. We are all guilty for making this world the way that it is. The whole point is for the audience to see the pool, and see if the representational things inside of the pool have no effect on you, or if you look closer and see that this really intense thing is happening.

MD: In honour of the mandate of the festival, tell me why art matters to you.

CF: My performance is a pretty good example of how the lines between art and politics mesh. Art matters because it has potential to change things, or make people feel differently about things in a way they couldn’t if they were just reading about it. Art makes you confront things and ideas that you wouldn’t otherwise. “Citation” is a really cool show about the body and gender, and we [the artists] all have these different approaches that are all really cool and meaningful.

Untitled Series, 2011

Peter Bleumortier

MD: Tell me a little bit about yourself – how did you decide to become an artist? What is your specific area of interest in terms of medium?

Peter Bleumortier (PM): I’m interested mainly in photography and video art, but also have been known to explore other mediums. I’ve always been interested in the arts but I think I was driven to photography mainly for documentary purposes.

MD: What is the intent or artistic conception behind your prints?

PB: It’s a typology of male nudes, mainly friends or people I know, ranging from twenty to thirty years old. I hope to play with the space between the subjective and the objective; in this work subjects appear as objects.  By looking at the male nude I aim to question the reception of the male versus female body in a gallery context – in a way, this is a feminist project. Here, seemingly objective bodies may reveal themselves as subjective reflections. Their respective stances produce cues of their subjectivity, helping to destabilize the conceptual identity of the male form.

MD: In creating a stripped down portrait of the nude, what do you feel you are revealing about perceptions of identity, especially sexual identity?

PB: These figures, stripped of almost any reference to the world outside of their bodies, begin to nod signals of who they are: a hand, an awkward posture, an oblong glance. [These gestures] reveal multitudes despite [the subjects’] stark nakedness. Here, both the comfort and anxiety of the model may reveal to us something of their selfhood. Exhibitionist arrogance and self-conscious posing alike may tell us something of their character. The slipping-off of their clothing is a corollary shedding of constructed identity: left are intensified layers of selfhood.

MD: What response do you hope to evoke from viewers?

PB: I hope that this work is somewhat confrontational or unsettling. I want to reveal something of selfhood by acknowledging the subject’s character. The viewer’s gaze may equally register as my own; the naked bodies of my [subjects] mirror my body through the camera lens. They are objectified nude men staring back to the (presumably) clothed viewer behind the lens.

MD: In honour of the mandate of the festival, tell me why art matters to you.

PB: I hate to sound preachy or cliche but, in tough economic times, art programs are usually the first to be cut, when, in reality, they are what “matter” the most. The arts aim to question and redefine history. With art we can achieve real social and political change, it is a way of not only coping, but is also a tool that will define and redefine our culture and its values by means of intervention.

Ovum, 2011

Léa Trudel

MD: Tell me a little bit about yourself – how did you decide to become an artist? What is your specific area of interest in terms of medium?

Léa Trudel (LT): I was born and raised in Montreal, QC. I don’t know that I ever decided to become an artist, but I believe that coming from a family of creative thinkers has contributed a lot to my artistic growth. I was passionate about photography from a young age, but my practice now also includes experimental video animation and installation.

MD: Your video and photographs evoked scientific photographs and medical videos of the inside of the body in a very realistic manner – how did you create these pieces?

LT: Ovum was made by observing various plant, mineral, and animal specimens through a microscope. Recently, I have been interested in using optical mechanisms of the sciences and extending their function to the arts. The controls of the microscope allow me to animate and navigate this world that is invisible to the naked human eye.

MD: I found Ovum really compelling, as it brings up so many different themes. I felt as though there was an exploration of the ephemeral experience of the human body. What was your artistic intention in creating Ovum? Was there a prominent issue you felt that you were exploring?

LT: I find it very interesting that you get a sense of ephemerality from my piece. It was my intention to give a certain life back to these specimens of microbiology, which are removed from their source and origin to become objects of scientific study. In a sense, photography does the same – it has the ability to negate and transform a reality into a new context. I became interested in the mediated nature of scientific study and how this might parallel the act of photographing. Also, I am fascinated by the beauty of microbiology and how it might mimic the infinite reaches of the cosmos – a kind of micro/macro relationship.

MD: In honour of the mandate of the festival, tell me why art matters to you.

LT: Art matters to me because communication is important to me. I find it exciting to be a part of a community of creative people that are passionate about expressing their ideasO

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