Hi Ainsley, With September approaching, I am feeling anxious about returning to in-person learning. I am starting my second year at McGill after finishing the first one entirely online, and I have not had the chance to connect with a lot of people in my program. I feel a little[Read More…]
Author: Ainsley
Adventures from my balcony
I have been spending a lot of time on my balcony this summer. It overlooks a parking lot that spills onto St-Laurent Boulevard, and at night, the bulbs spanning the street fill the whole place with light. I am learning that there is a lot you can do from your[Read More…]
Centering the faces and stories of Chinatown’s residents
On May 26, Rue de la Gauchetière, the main street of Montreal’s Chinatown, welcomed “Dialogue with the Sino-Montreal Community,” a photo exhibition showcasing the diverse faces and experiences of its residents. Presented in partnership with the Centre des mémoires montréalaises and the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal, the project was[Read More…]
Japanese urban dance film ‘Dreams on Fire’ sets Fantasia Festival ablaze
On Aug. 8, Dreams on Fire made its North American debut at the 25th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival. Written, directed, and produced by Montreal-born filmmaker Philippe McKie, the film follows Yume’s (Bambi Naka) pursuit of fame as she moves to Tokyo to become a dancer. There, she[Read More…]
Festival TransAmériques 2021 reveals the human condition through performance
Founded in 1985 by Marie-Hélène Falcon and Jacques Vézina, the Festival TransAmériques (FTA) is an annual contemporary dance and theatre festival that brings artists from across the globe to Montreal to kick off the summer season. This year, dance and performance artists dusted off their costumes and laced up their[Read More…]
Evolution and 9 Horses’ ‘Omegah’
The genre-bending music of New York City’s chamber jazz trio 9 Horses proves that just three instruments are capable of creating anything from prog rock to folk music, with sounds both melodic and jarring. At least, it does for composer and mandolin player Joseph Brent, violinist Sara Caswell, and bassist[Read More…]
Ofer Pelz’s ‘Trinité’ experiments with audible embodiments of visual perception
Composers have experimented with the art of musical composition for centuries, but rarely have they gone so far as to remove something so integral to music as melody itself. Ofer Pelz is a Montreal-based composer, pianist, and improviser who uses traditional classical music instrumentation to create unique, experimental sounds that[Read More…]
Isaiah Rashad’s ‘The House is Burning’ incompletely embodies its fiery namesake
More than half a decade has passed since Isaiah Rashad released his dense, jazzy sophomore album, The Sun’s Tirade. While hip-hop music trends come and pass quickly, the release of Rashad’s new album The House is Burning on July 30 proved that he remains in the unique conscious, melodic, lo-fi-style[Read More…]
38 Spesh holds back the potential of Benny the Butcher and 38 Spesh’s ‘Trust The Sopranos’
Riding a train powered by the gritty, imaginative imagery of street crime and new-age lyricism, Griselda Records member Benny the Butcher’s 2020 and 2021 albums have been consistently potent. 38 Spesh, one of Benny’s lesser-known yet widely accredited contemporaries, collaborates with Benny on Trust The Sopranos, an 11-track LP. To[Read More…]
From benchtop to bedside: How tendon-inspired sutures can help heal wounds
Sutures, the threads designed to close wounds and promote healing, have been used for thousands of years, having originated in ancient Egypt. Since their invention, physicians and scientists have experimented with a wide array of materials, from hemp and cotton to more modern synthetic fibres. New techniques have been developed[Read More…]
