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Montreal, News, Private

11th March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women draws hundreds

by Astha Agarwal on

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On Oct. 4, hundreds of Montrealers gathered to walk in solidarity at the 11th Annual March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The march was hosted by Montreal’s Centre for Gender Advocacy in conjunction with its Missing Justice Collective. A total distance of 1.7 kilometres was covered, starting from  Place Émilie-Gamelin and walking along Rue St-Denis.

The event was held to bring awareness to the Canadian legacy of marginalization and violence towards indigenous women. A 2014 Royal Canadian Mounted Police report found that 1,181 indigenous women had been murdered or were considered missing from 1980 to 2012. The Native Women’s Association of Canada estimated this number to be about 4,000. In response, the Canadian government launched a two-year national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on Sept. 1.

Ellen Gabriel, a Mohawk activist and former president of the Quebec Native Women’s Association, expressed doubts over the effectiveness of the inquiry during a speech at the march.

“We need to remember that indigenous women have been asking for education, [and] sensitization at all levels of government, for many years [….]”  Gabriel said. “While the inquiry goes on, colonialism goes on. While colonialism goes on, violence goes on. We cannot wait for any more rhetoric, for any more pain to happen, because in the two years that the inquiry will be organizing itself, we will lose more sisters, we will lose more children to the welfare system.”

Virginia Wabano, a research officer for the Cree Health Board in Northern Quebec, attended the march while she was in the city working to open two womens’ shelters in the James Bay Territory.

“Today, I’m marching because my friend’s mother was murdered in 1991, and her case was reopened today,” Wabano said. “It brings hope. I want to join the many families here to show I’m here to support them as well and that there is still hope.”

Gabriel called for all Canadian politicians and citizens to be educated about violence towards indigenous women. She emphasized, however, that concrete actions will come only if  citizens demand change.

“If Canada is really sincere on reconciliation, then it must act within the school system, within the political system, within institutionalized systems, because the people must change their attitude. It’s not solely up to government,” Gabriel said. “[….You] as the constituents of these politicians that you elect into your parliaments, into your national assemblies […] you must demand the education and demand that the violence stop [….And you] must demand it now.”

According to Nakuset, executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, the current focuses of the indigenous women’s movement is on activism to educate and raise awareness, along with applying for funding.

“The inquiry is not going to be over for another two years and nothing is actually going to happen until after then,” Nakuset said. “So we need to, as a community, create solutions [….] Money is something we are working on, but whether we get it or not is a different story.”

Stacey Gomez, action coordinator at the Centre for Gender Advocacy, encourages students to join the Missing Justice collective, which meets once a week to strategize and take meaningful action against violence towards indigenous peoples. In addition to holding teach-ins and participatory exercises for groups to discuss the community’s role in the indigenous movement, the collective has also participated in ground searches for missing women. Gomez stated that new members and input are always welcome at the collective.

“We’re always looking for people to do promotion, help with public education, and bring new ideas forward about how we can amplify the voices and asks of indigenous people,” Gomez said.

Anouska Ralph, a second-year student of First People’s Studies at Concordia who also attended the march, stated that  the role of foreign countries in prolonging violence against Canadian indigenous populations is also not acknowledged in international curriculums.

“I’m an English woman and I moved here two months ago,” Ralph said. “Back home [in England] we are not taught what we did here at all, it’s not in our history lessons. Being the people who did most of the damage, we should learn about this in school and we just don’t, so I feel like I have an obligation to be here and gain as much knowledge as I can.”

U2 Arts student Zoë Poole, who was marching for her second year in a row, felt the march has an important role in educating the public about violence toward indigenous women.

“Both times I found it an emotional yet empowering experience,” Poole said. “It amazes me that indigenous issues in Canada go so unreported that born-and-raised Canadians aren’t even aware of what occurs.”

Out on the Town, Student Life

Bartender Kevin Demers offers high concept cocktails in a relaxed environment at the Cold Room

by April Barrett on

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Down a twisting back alley on the corner of St-Amable and St-Vincent in the Old Port, there is an unmarked door. Above it hangs a blue ‘Sortie’ sign, and, next to it, a little doorbell. This is the entrance to the Cold Room bar, opened Sept. 24. Owner Kevin Demers calls the unmarked bar, “a full fledged speakeasy. You come in by the back, you leave by the front.” 

Demers has tried his hand at many trades, including professional hockey and film production, but he is first and foremost a veteran of the Montreal nightlife scene. Having worked for 12 years as a bartender at staple Montreal bars like Thursday’s, Rouge, Santos, and, most recently, Flyjin, Demers cultivated a deep respect for the art of mixology.

The inspiration behind the Cold Room’s drinks came from 19th century immigrants to Montreal, who pickled fruits and vegetables, and stored them in a basement ‘cold room.’ 

“Back in the 1800s, a lot of bars, before prohibition, were using shrubs, which is vinegar-based syrups, in their drinks,” Demers said. “Those syrups came from the European immigrants who wanted to preserve their fruits and vegetables longer. The vinegar takes out the flavours from the fruit being infused. You can create a super delicious, tart drink, sweetened by the alcohol.”

Demers’ drinks are high concept’cocktails, meaning that they evoke certain sensory memories. 

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“You’re coming for the cocktail experience [at the Cold Room],” Demers said. “You taste the drink and you’re like, ‘Oh my god that reminds of my childhood, or this dinner I once had.’ It’s [a cocktail] that brings you to another world.” 

Demers believes that imagination is one of the most important skills a bartender can possess. In 2015, Demers competed in GQ Magazine’s Most Inspired Bartender Competition in Las Vegas, where he crafted a drink inspired by his grandfather titled, ‘The Classic Gentleman.’ 

“[The Classic Gentleman] tasted like you were having a steak dinner with red wine. You had all the flavours pop in your mouth, in weird levels,” Demers explained. “The drink was based off the only dinner I had with my grandfather. [….] As a kid I just looked at him like, ‘Who is this rockstar?’”

Though removed from the cocktail scene, many see Montreal as a party city. The restaurant-turned-club, known as a ‘supper club, is a hallmark of the city’s nightlife. Spots like SuWu and Flyjin exemplify the supper club model. These venues are restaurants until 10 or 11 p.m., when the tables are pushed to the side, the club music turns on, and the crowd gets rowdy. Demers wanted Cold Room to be a departure from this trend.

“I’m tired of [the supper club scene], not that I don’t like it. But I want to work at a place that […] when you walk in [the Cold Room], you get this next level drink, and it’s like [going out for] dinner,” Demers said. “You’re going to want to spend your night here, it’s relaxed, you can actually talk to everybody.”

While Demers commends Montreal’s popular clubs for the success they’ve had with their model, he wants to offer a secret respite from the known Montreal party scene. 

Upon approaching the door of the Cold Room, the potential customer rings the doorbell, and is either let in, or not. The Cold Room’s entry-screening, combined with the secret address, conveys a certain air of exclusivity. As a brand new bar, Demers has struggled with marketing the unique concept. 

“It’s tough, us being hidden [….] How do you get people in here? How exclusive can you be? Montreal is just not that big,” Demers said. “If you start saying ‘you can’t come in,’ are you still going to have clients coming in?” 

Manager Daniel Boulianne explained that the Cold Room’s concealment will hopefully  grow a customer base that complements the intention of the bar as a relaxed, sit-down enivronment. 

“It’s really about knowing what people want, what they’re searching for [from their night],” Boulianne said. “Are they trying to get shitfaced? It’s all about looking at people at the door and trying to know what they are searching for.” 

As for their intended demographic, Demers and Boulianne are still feeling it out.

The one thing they are certain of is that the Cold Room caters to those who can appreciate the experience of a good cocktail. Boulianne stressed the importance of this experience, as one of the only cocktail bars in Montreal run entirely by bartenders.

“It is really about the craft,” Boulianne said. “It’s not about making money.” 

 

 

A previous version of this piece stated that Daniel Boulianne is co-owner of the Cold Room. In fact, Boulianne is bar manager.

Arts & Entertainment, Music, Private

Modern made vintage: A conversation with Adam Kubota of Postmodern Jukebox

by Demaris Oxman on

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As described in a 2015 interview with the group’s founder Scott Bradlee, the New York-based musical collective Postmodern Jukebox “puts pop music in a time machine.” Led by Scott Bradlee and joined by a host of talented performers, Postmodern Jukebox has gained popularity over the past few years by releasing weekly videos—their most popular has over 22 million views—in which they create vintage renditions of the same tunes heard on the radio. The Tribune sat down with Adam Kubota, longtime bassist with the group and old friend of Bradlee, to talk about the artistic process of turning pop songs into old-school jazz, soul, swing, and more.

Kubota and Bradlee met at the University of Hartford Hartt School, a performing arts conservatory in Connecticut. The pair started off playing at bars and small clubs in the early 2000s. 

“Back then, the gigs weren’t so glamorous,” Kubota said. “Sometimes we got paid in pizza.” 

Later on, Bradlee saw the advent of YouTube as a new medium to bring his ideas into the world, and Postmodern Jukebox was eventually born in 2011.

The gap between a Notorious B.I.G. hip-hop jam and a 1940s jazz number seems like a big leap to make, but for Postmodern Jukebox, that transition comes naturally. 

“We’re all students of jazz, and love all the old music art forms, so it was pretty logical to take that step,” Kubota said. 

The creative process starts with Bradlee’s ability to translate any song into a swing, jazz, or ragtime style. From there, it’s a collaboration with one of the many singers who work with the group—each of whom has a unique vocal approach. Often, Bradlee adds complexity to a simplistic pop song with more intricate harmonies.

 “Sometimes the best ones are the simple ones, and they just sort of write themselves,”  Kubota added. 

The group’s latest release, The Essentials, is comprised of songs considered most essential to the Postmodern Jukebox universe. The collection spans a wide range of songs and styles, from a New Orleans dirge rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep,” to a Motown version of Justin Bieber’s “Sorry.” The love group’s love for their work is clear in every video, as it is in Kubota’s words when he describes the album. 

“Every once in awhile, lightning strikes,” he says in reference to seemingly spontaneous moments of musical coherence. “The right performer, Scott’s arrangement, the right song, we capture the right vibe on the video, something really magical happens.”

The group’s work is inspired by a desire to bring the musical styles they love to a wider audience. Kubota hopes that those who enjoy the work of Postmodern Jukebox will dig deeper and find appreciation for the artists who inspired him, such as Duke Ellington and Miles Davis. 

“It’s getting attention for older, classic art forms, such as jazz, such as doo-wop, Motown, tap dance, swing dancing,” Kubota said. “It’s a hook to get people who just happen to be on YouTube or Facebook checking out videos, to get interested in that.”

Having found his own success through YouTube, Kubota advocates for social media as a means of artistic expression. 

“Give them some sort of visual image of who you are,” he advised student musicians. “It’s important to find your own voice, and to innovate.”

Indeed, Postmodern Jukebox can be considered a great musical innovator of the millennial generation, as they have found a way to pay tribute to the music of yesteryear while making it accessible to a younger crowd. With over two million YouTube subscribers and fans all over the world, it’s clear that their work is resonating with audiences. 

“We’re building audiences for these classic art forms for the future,” Kubota said. “To me, there’s no bigger honour than bringing people to the art forms that I love and enjoy.”

James Admin Building
McGill, News, SSMU

Board of Governors adjourns after interruption by Divest McGill

by Jenna Stanwood on

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On Oct. 6, the McGill Board of Governors (BoG) held its monthly meeting, during which they heard an update from Principal Suzanne Fortier on her recent activities and a presentation from the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executives outlining information about their organization. The meeting was interrupted by members of Divest McGill, forcing an early adjournment.

Tuition deregulation

Fortier informed the board of her recent activities, which include her work on external relations and government lobbying. Fortier’s update included a discussion on her advocacy for tuition deregulation, which would allow McGill to keep funds from student tuition that currently are handed to the provincial government to be used in equalization payments across universities.

“When it comes to Canadian, non-Quebec residents […their] fees are higher and the [provincial government claims] a big portion of those fees and puts them into equalization [payments],” Fortier said. “When it comes to international students […the government] imposes significant fees, [then take those] fees and redistribute them in the system.”

Fortier has been lobbying the Quebec government to allow McGill to keep those extra fees from out-of-province and international students, and for universities across Quebec to determine for themselves how they will use these fees.

“When […an international student] pays $30,000 to come to McGill, let’s keep that money at McGill, because it’s very hard to explain to our students why the money they’re spending here is going somewhere else […],” Fortier said. “ Diminishing or decreasing the student to faculty ratios, more opportunities for our students to be involved in internships, better student services—whether its academic services or personal health […] this is what we would do with this money [….] My advice to the government is don’t adopt a one-size-fits-all approach and impose one model on all universities. The beauty of the Quebec system is we’re all different.”

SSMU presentation

SSMU President Ben Ger and Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Erin Sobat gave the board a presentation outlining basic information about SSMU. According to BoG Chair Stuart  Cobbett, the presentation was part of the board’s regular education agenda at each meeting.

“It has been our habit in meetings to have a presentation, typically it’s been on an academic subject […], but this time we thought it would be helpful to do this so you can hear from the students themselves,” Cobbett said.

The presentation, which outlined the composition and activities of SSMU, drew concerns by the board over equal gender representation on the council and in the executive.  Ger responded by discussing research the Society has started into equity in representation.

“On the executive level, there definitely is a problem with [equal gender representation], and that is going to be looked at in the equitable governance reform that we’re looking at right now,” Ger said. “[We’re] looking at the different ways that our government right now is accessible to different groups on campus.”

Interruption by Divest McGill

Members of Divest McGill disrupted the meeting to address the board, which prompted members to adjourn the meeting early. According to Jed Lenetsky, a member of Divest McGill who was also present at the meeting, the group had often interrupted BoG meetings, but this was the first time the board has adjourned in response.

“Divest McGill interrupting board meetings isn't something new […] we’ve been doing [it] for the past year, mainly due to the fact that the McGill [BoG] is largely inaccessible to the student body and in our dealings with the administration we have never really had the formal chance to talk to members of the [BoG],” Lenetsky said. “So we began using the open sessions of the [BoG] meetings to interact with those members [….What] was new was the fact that [the BoG] decided to adjourn the meeting once we started speaking. Normally what happens is we'll speak and they'll listen and then they'll just continue their meeting.”

The interruption was intended to bring events from the recent open forums on sustainability to the board’s attention.

“We were talking about the open forums on sustainability that occurred for the past couple of weeks  […],” Lenetsky said. “Throughout most of the summer, members of Divest McGill […] have been reaching out to the [BoG] in an effort to get them to attend. Only two members of the [BoG…] attended one of the sessions, so we thought it was important for members of the [BoG] to hear from the McGill community in person and hear what happened at these forum that they missed.”
According to Ger, the meeting continued after the adjournment in another location within the James Administration Building. At the continued session, the BoG discussed the disruption.

“The reconvened meeting went on to talk about the rest of the items on the public agenda […] but the large portion of the conversation was more so around the event that had just happened,” Ger said. “A lot of the […] governors were talking about how it was an escalation from last year that was noticed, and how we can maybe go about fixing those problems in the future to make sure there wasn't that level of interruption.”

Ger stated that changes can be made to the BoG structure that will allow for students to voice their concerns in a way that is constructive and non-obtrusive.

“I [suggested] that instead of looking into a way that we could stop people [interrupting…] what could work better is if we could have a question and answer period so people could come in at the end of an agenda [to] ask questions […],” Ger said. “[In] the end, the conclusion was that the nominating governance and ethics committee, which is a committee on the [BoG], would look into the board best practices.”

Ask Ainsley, Student Life

Ask Ainsley: How do I have an orgasm?

by Ainsley on

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Dear Ainsley,

I’m a cisgender, straight female and a first-year student at McGill. So far, I’m loving Rez, school, and all the friends I’m meeting, but there’s something that’s been bothering me. In high school, I briefly had a boyfriend, with whom I had sex. Since then, I’ve had a few one-night stands. My friends back home and I never really talked about sex, but my friends at McGill are much more open about it and are constantly talking about having orgasms. I’ve never had one myself, and I feel like something is wrong with me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy sex, because I do, but I never have felt that big moment that everyone talks about. Is it because I’m doing it wrong? Is it because the guys I’ve slept with haven’t been good at it? What can I do to help myself have an orgasm during sex?

Sincerely,

No ‘Oh’ (NO)

Dear NO,

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of people with vaginas can’t actually reach orgasm solely through vaginal penetration. In fact, only 25-33 per cent of all cisgender women can. It’s hard not to feel inadequate when both pornography and the media portray orgasms as not only common, but the ultimate goal of intercourse. Being unable to have an orgasm from sex is completely normal, and you shouldn’t feel badly about it. According to the famous sexologists William Masters and Virginia Johnson, clitoral orgasms are actually more intense than vaginal ones. But, if you’re not happy with your sex life, there are plenty of things you can do to try to change it.

First, if you don’t already, you could try masturbating. It’s hard for someone else to give you what you want if you don’t know what you like. You may also want to invest in some sex toys. Using a vibrator may help you orgasm more easily.

While knowing your body well is important, it’s also important to feel comfortable and assert yourself with your sexual partners.  It’s important to communicate your sexual desires to your partner, which can be daunting in both short and long-term relationships and comes with time and comfort as you and your partner grow closer. 

While it is often easier said than done, it is also key to remain relaxed during intercourse. It is common to feel self-conscious during sex, especially if you’re concerned about sounds, smells, and movements. If you are able to ignore some of these inhibitions, it will become easier to remain present and focused on pleasure during sex. 

While there is no set-in-stone guide to having an orgasm during sex, there are some common techniques that are worth keeping in mind. Repetitive stimulation of the clitoris during sex—either orally or manually—can be key to achieving an orgasm because clitoral orgasms are far more common than vaginal ones. For example, many women find that the angle achieved from being on top of their partner stimulates the clitoris moreso than other positions. Additionally, the human body contains far more pleasure centres than the vagina and clitoris; stimulating the nipples, ears, neck, or thighs often leads to greater arousal in the stages leading up to orgasm. For this reason, foreplay can be key to climaxing.

The best thing you can do is to spend time getting to know yourself and what turns you on. Try not to stress about climaxing and instead focus your time and energy on learning about your body, staying calm and focused during sex, and communicating your sexual desires with your partner. 

Best of luck!

Ainsley

Have a question for Ainsley? Submit a question anonymously here. 

Commentary, Opinion

From dank to dark: The power of the meme

by Evan Thomas on

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The Second Presidential Debate on Oct. 9 came and passed, delivering the onslaught of ridiculousness that the world was expecting. Unexpected, though, was the individual who truly stole the show—Illinois voter Kenneth Bone. Within seconds of addressing the candidates with his question, Bone’s face and iconic red sweater had been seen across the Twitterverse. While not everyone may have watched the debate—let alone questioned what went wrong to bring us to this deplorable state of American Presidential politics—many have seen the ensuing memes of Ken Bone.

Memes are quickly becoming one of the foremost means of cultural dissemination. They allow individuals to share complicated and enigmatic human emotions through a couple lines of text overlaid over a relatable gif or screen capture. They allow us to strike a deep connection with each other whilst sitting alone, staring at our Instagram feeds. Memes have the exceptional ability to deconstruct important events, ideas, and emotions into easily absorbable, bite-size pieces. Yet this repackaging of events short-circuits their meanings, removing the element of critical thought required from the consumer.

In many instances, they turn unpleasant topics—such as the current Presidential election—into light-hearted, mass-scale inside jokes. However, this reappropriation and reinterpretation of culture reveals the menacing power of memes. Just as memes are a product of society, they have a remarkable influence in shaping it. Memes—once harmless and inconsequential—have evolved to possess significant value in informing people of the news. Social media is no longer just a vain means of attaining peer acceptance and self-validation—it controls the media that we consume and interpret. As such, memes have significant cultural influence.

Just as memes are a product of society, they have a remarkable influence in shaping it.

Those skeptical of the relevance of memes in our offline lives need look no further than McGill itself. Just last week, internet trolls managed to mobilize thousands of Facebook users over a silverback gorilla that was shot in Ohio last May. Harambe took the campus by storm, with some opposing the supposed racism of the meme and taking issue with the fact that the McGill Harambe Candlelit Vigil event on Facebook had more people going than events such as the March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Sometimes what matters is not the content of a meme, but how people interpret and react to it.

It seems Harambe’s fifteen minutes of posthumous fame will finally elapse, and McGill will soon be ready to move on, with the closing of his Vigil this Friday. But, Harambe teaches us an important lesson: Memes may be ephemeral, trend-based entities, but they can have a significant effect on wider society.

Just like the moon and the Force, memes have a dark side. They are accessible and can be created by anyone, making them effective in promoting agendas. Memes have the ability to perpetuate not only falsities, but ignorance and hatred. For example, Pepe the Frog, a common meme of a lovably self-deprecating amphibian, was recently declared a hate symbol by the American Anti-Defamation League for his use in anti-semitic and white supremacist memes. Pepe originally represented nihilism and existential angst; however, his message was altered by white supremacists on the internet, portraying the frog gleefully engaging in racist activities. Pepe stands as proof that an otherwise unsuspecting meme can diffuse a substantive, sinister message, with great ability to influence its viewers.

Memes significantly affect our worldview, and perception of society; however, we shouldn’t allow the likes of Ken Bone, Harambe, and Pepe to shelter us from serious social and political issues. For better or for worse, memes are probably not going anywhere. In light of this, it’s important to realize the influence that memes have in the world outside of Instagram. They take the unpleasant aspects of life and make them comfortable, yet sometimes it’s only by facing these ugly truths that we can progress as a society. For all the effect that they have on us, at the end of the day, memes must be taken with a grain of salt.

Evan Thomas is a very tall U2 International Development Studies and History student. He doesn’t like being asked if he plays basketball, but enjoys playing basketball nonetheless.

 

 

Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill Redmen Lacrosse clinches victory after three quarters of gridlock

by Patrick Beacham on

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A close, high-scoring match was to be expected on Thursday Sept. 6 as the McGill Redmen (7-1) once again took the field against the Bishop’s Gaiters (3-5). The fourth quarter of the match broke a three-quarter stalemate as the Redmen took the game 14-9 to improve their winning streak to five.

“Fortunately, we came out of a close game with Bishop’s,” Redmen Head Coach Tim Murdoch said. “Bishop’s has a great program [and…] they came out on fire. The game was a coin toss through the third quarter.”

The Gaiters established an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter, though the Redmen were quick to respond, closing the gap to a 4-3 advantage for Bishop’s. However, the Gaiters kept scoring due to a lack of defensive pressure from the Redmen.

“I would like to see a little bit more pressure out of our guys,” Redmen defenceman Bradley Hoffman said. “We’ve got a really talented [defensive] core, so I would like to see them use a bit more of that skill and press out on their attackmen a bit more, but I think we picked it up at the end and we shut them down when we needed to.”

Defensive pains were to be expected, considering that rookies comprise half of this years roster, following last season’s massive outflow of talented seniors.

“There’s definitely a shift in tempo from high school to college lacrosse, and I think we’re going through growing pains,” Redmen midfielder Emile Sassone-Lawless said. “We lost a lot of productive seniors last year and we’re [still] trying to re-establish ourselves.”

Nevertheless, the win was significant for the Redmen­—the seniors were particularly happy to defeat rivals Bishop’s one last time at Molson Stadium before graduation.

“It means a lot to beat them for the last time on home turf,” Redmen attacker Spencer Bromley said. “We haven’t lost to them in the four years I’ve been here, so it’s nice to keep a clean slate.”

The next CUFLA game for the Redmen is at home against the Carleton Ravens on Oct. 15 at 5:00 p.m. The last time the two teams played the Ravens forfeited the game.

 

Quotable: “Everyone’s going to be coming after us [….] It’s gonna be a game circled on their calendar[s].” – Head Coach Tim Murdoch on McGill’s status as a league favourite. 

 

Stat Corner: The game marked the McGill Redmen’s ninth consecutive victory over the Bishop’s Gaiters.

 

Moment of the Game: Redmen attacker Rhys Burnell broke through the Gaiters’ defence to get a shot off from just left of the crease. The goal led to the offensive push that decided the game in the fourth quarter.

Out on the Town, Student Life

A walk through the The Gardens of Light Festival at Montreal’s Botanical Gardens

by Flaminia Cooper on

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One of the best places in Montreal to be at dusk this month is the Botanical Gardens. Every evening as it gets dark, the gardens light up with hundreds of lanterns and colours, marking another year of the Gardens of Light Lantern Festival.

Upon first step in the Gardens, apart from a few posters, there is little to indicate that there is a special exhibit. However, when walking along the footpaths deeper into the Botanical Gardens, the viewer begins to catch glimpses of light through the trees, until rounding a corner and appearing suddenly in the middle of the spectacular structures glowing from the inside out. The lanterns are unexpectedly beautiful and intricate.

These lanterns are in the Chinese Garden, one of the two exhibits of the festival. Originally used to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Botanical Gardens in Montreal uses the lanterns to celebrate the harvest period, or Moon Festival. This year’s theme depicts the life of the ‘Son of Heaven,’ the title given to each Chinese Emperor during the Han dynasty. The lights portray images from the life of an Emperor—such as his wedding or enthronement—although one doesn’t need to be familiar with this history to appreciate the magic of the multicoloured lanterns. Among the luminous lanterns are life-sized cranes, Chinese dragons, and human figures playing instruments and riding bikes. The biggest feature of the exhibit was the illuminated Forbidden City, floating on the lake in the middle of the Gardens. It looked surreal; the intricate details and sheer size of the lanterns were almost psychadelic, making passersby feel shrunken in comparison.

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Throughout the Chinese Garden are panels of information on the different lanterns, what they represent, and the process that goes into assembling them annually. The production process of the festival requires an exorbitant amount of effort and detail. The Gardens of Light takes a year to organize, and the lanterns are all handmade in Shanghai and shipped to Montreal in July. After this, the set-up in the Botanical Gardens takes almost a month to execute. 

Around the bend of the lake, the Chinese Garden ends, making way for the next exhibit: The Japanese Garden. Here, the atmosphere grew calmer as the lanterns grew fewer, and nature became more predominant thematically. Instead of lanterns passively illuminating their surroundings, the trees were lit up from below in subtle shades of green, pink, and blue, bringing out every detail in the branches and leaves. A series of bamboo poles emit circles of pale yellow light from within. Another feature was the Zen garden, a flat surface of gravel with flowing, continuous lines drawn across it, representing water ripples. True to its name, the minimalist patterns and simplicity of the Zen garden has a calming effect. Throughout the Japanese Garden, hidden speakers played ambient sounds, inducing the viewers to slow down to appreciate the mood.

The Gardens were incredibly well presented. No light bulbs or cables were visible, which made it look like the light was produced on its own. Though there were lots of people at the exhibit, it never felt crowded. When taken slowly, the gardens only took an hour and a half to walk through in its entirety. The beauty of the whole exhibit exceeds expectations, and the experience is magical from beginning to end. 

The Gardens of Light are open until Oct. 31st from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the student entrance fee is $15 with a McGill ID card. To learn more, visit their website here.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV, Private

T.V. Review: Creator Donald Glover expertly navigates comedy and drama in Atlanta

by Gibran Haque on

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In an era where there is more television available to us than we could ever consume, the medium of T.V. is undergoing a change—and hopefully one for the better. FX President John Landgraf stated last year that we are living in a period of “peak TV” in the West. Given the sheer volume of new shows inundating audiences each day, it is hard to argue against that. Although this great incursion of content requires more sifting and filtering by the audience, it is breeding a new generation of viewers. New genre mashups such as the drama-comedy, found in FX’s new show Atlanta, are exemplary of how the medium of television has had to catch up to cater to a smarter generation of T.V. watchers. 

Creator, writer and star Donald Glover has masterminded one of fall 2016’s freshest and most absurdly funny shows, FX’s Atlanta. Atlanta follows its protagonist Earnest “Earn” Marks (Donald Glover), a Princeton dropout-turned-manager trying to get his cousin, Paper Boi’s (Brian Tyree Henry), rap career off the ground. During first viewing, Glover’s pedantic new show may not seem packed with jokes—there aren’t many laugh out loud moments or big punchlines. Instead, the humour is typically off-centre and blurred in a cloud of marijuana smoke. This moody atmosphere, paired with the show’s ability to make its characters so unique yet perfectly realized, distinguishes it from most shows on T.V. 

Atlanta is aesthetically beautiful—full of wide shots that depict its namesake city in a unique light. It takes the setting away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan and toward a black suburban community. Local diners and detention centres are at the forefront, rather than tourist spectacles. 

The audiovisuals of the show represent the city spectacularly, making Atlanta a living, breathing character in its own right. The soundtrack embraces the recent rise of new-Atlanta trap music, neither positing it as the city’s greatest achievement, nor playing it down as simplistic. There is no set intro theme music to the show. Rather, each episode features music relating to the major theme of that episode. For example, in the second episode, in which the two main characters are in prison, the Tennessean rapper Yo Gotti’s “Law” plays in the background and is integrated seamlessly into the episode. 

Even in a much more diverse network environment, it’s still uncommon to see a story so unequivocally centred around the African-American experience. It is evident in the shows writing that Glover understands how much of black culture has been claimed by the rest of the world—he even pokes fun at it in episode four, when Glover chooses a black actor to play Justin Bieber. Atlanta is also not scared to delve into topics of police brutality, transphobia, mental illness, and the perils of fame, offering up tonal shifts scene-to-scene and illustrating how subtle humor can be. The show moves effortlessly between these serious, poignant topics and more absurd humour—one character ponders  a world where mice could be used as cell phones.

The rise of the drama-comedy is helping push the boundaries of television. It is no longer solely a writer’s medium, although great writing is still very much ingrained in great T.V. shows. Atlanta takes controversial subject matter and portrays it in a way where viewers aren’t scared, but rather, enthralled by what’s discussed. The message of Atlanta is not only that it is ok to talk about these issues, but that it is possible to laugh at their absurdity.

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