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Science & Technology

10 McGill researchers selected as members of the Royal Society of Canada

by Bryana-Alexa Liberta on

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The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) recently announced that 51 new members would be inducted to The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, among which are 10 McGill researchers whose hard work and excellence will be recognized at the RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement on Nov. 19, 2021. In exclusive interviews with The McGill Tribune, four inductees discussed the inspirations behind their groundbreaking research that afforded them this honour. 

Frédéric Charbonneau  

Department of French Literature 

Born in Montreal to a family of artists and academics, Frédéric Charbonneau was motivated by family role models to pursue a career in academia. His parents were both philosophy professors at Collège Ahuntsic and his uncle, also a professor, was once elected to the RSC. As for himself, Charbonneau studied sciences in college, then studied East Asian and Chinese studies at McGill, only later pursuing French literature at Université de Montréal and in Paris. It was not until he started his university studies that Charbonneau realized that he wanted to focus his research on The Old Regime—the political and social system of France prior to the French Revolution—which eventually led him to complete a master’s and doctorate in the field. 

Part of Charbonneau’s research links literature and medicine, analyzing how these two seemingly different fields have been historically connected.

“It was in the 19th century that science and language were separated and became the two independent subjects they are today,” Charbonneau wrote in an email to the Tribune. 

Charbonneau’s eminent passion for literature drove him to pursue a career in academia, publishing dozens of books and holding the William Dawson Research Chair in 18th Century Literature position for ten years.

“[People should] choose a subject that they have a strong personal interest in, to the point of necessity, because research is an exploration of the self,” Charbonneau wrote.

Greg Matlashewski  

Department of Microbiology and Immunology 

Greg Matlashewski completed a PhD at the University of Ottawa and later conducted postdoctoral research in London, England, where he studied viral genes that cause cancer. However, Matlashewski holds one particular topic dear to his heart: Research on leishmaniasis, a deadly, parasitic disease found in several countries around the world such as India and Nepal. 

He started researching this disease at McGill when he joined the Institute of Parasitology in 1987. In Peru, between 1998-2006, alongside Dr. Alejandro Llanos of Cayetano Heredia University, Matlashewski developed a treatment for a particular type of Leishmaniasis called cutaneous Leishmaniasis. 

However, his research didn’t stop at McGill laboratories; Matlashewski led the visceral leishmaniasis elimination program at the World Health Organization (WHO) between 2009 and 2011. “I realized the major problem in this part of the world was not the lack of effective drugs, but the lack of good surveillance to ensure that people who needed treatment were treated,” Matlashewski wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Rowan Barrett  

Department of Biology

Rowan Barrett knew that he loved biology and spending time in nature from a young age. Barrett conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard, eventually becoming an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at McGill. Barret teaches courses such as BIOL 305 (Animal Diversity) and his research primarily focusses on genetics and evolution.

“[My passion lies in the] detective work involved in observing a pattern in nature and then trying to devise ways to test hypotheses about the mechanisms that generated it,” Barrett wrote in an email to the Tribune. 

Barret believes that one of the most important characteristics of a researcher is being able to identify and learn from mistakes. 

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, we often make the most progress when we try to do things that are hard!” Barrett wrote.

Anna Weinberg 

Department of Psychology 

Anna Weinberg did not take the conventional route to becoming a psychologist. After studying English and studio arts at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and working as a journalist for several years, Weinberg made the switch to an academic career in her late twenties. Weinberg started taking classes at night and working in psychology labs at Columbia University during the day. 

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 changed everything for her. Living in New York and witnessing the tragedy with her own eyes, Weinberg was motivated to work on a project with other psychologists to understand why some people struggled with PTSD and other mood disorders after experiencing traumatic events, and others did not. 

This proved a pivotal moment for Weinberg as she decided to pursue a career in clinical psychology. Weinberg then went on to pursue a PhD at Stony Brook University and eventually became a member of the Department of Psychology at McGill in 2015, where she founded the Translational Research in Affect and Cognition (TRAC) lab. In her lab, she studies neural responses that reflect vulnerability to certain mood disorders, specifically, anxiety and depression.

Experts have always debated whether genetic or societal factors play a larger role in mood disorders, but Weinberg believes that neither should be studied in isolation.

“Our genetics lead us to seek out certain environments,” Weinberg wrote in an email to the Tribune. “[We are] demonstrating that genes and environment are not independent of one another, both are extremely important and we have to consider both.”

Commentary, Opinion

When being deemed ‘non-essential’ threatens cultural existence

by Taifa Kongolo Yav on

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On Sept. 16, Grévin Montréal, the famous Montreal wax museum, permanently closed its doors. It had been temporarily closed since March 2020 as public health protocols forbade non-essential activities like cultural exhibitions from fully opening. Numerous Black-owned businesses faced similar circumstances after being deemed “non-essential,” exposing how such arbitrary labelling can be damaging to cultural institutions.  

Grévin, a popular tourist attraction, was meant for the general public. It was the closest visitors could get to “seeing” their favourite celebrities or historical personalities; to grazing Marilyn Monroe’s perfect posh hair, or feeling the weight of history while standing next to Nelson Mandela. It was an imaginative world of endless opportunities. Culture is a way of life, shared by a group of people. It is forged by their behaviours, beliefs, and values, passed down from past generations through communication and imitation. Cultural institutions are considered non-essential services, even though they are essential vectors for social growth. Works of art render history into the present, stopping time and breathing colour into everyday life. Such timelessness is hard to put into words. 

When the Grévin museum reopened in February 2021, it saw a decrease in attendance due to travel restrictions: prior to the pandemic, 30 per cent of visitors were international and a sizeable amount were Quebecers from outside of Montreal. 

Some believe that  art and culture is best appreciated by the wealthy elite or those capable of interpreting it through an intellectual lens. But this is not true. Art and culture are what is left to us when everything else is lost; it is an escape.

Similar to cultural institutions, Black-owned businesses have faced exceedingly hard times over the pandemic, as many of their businesses have been deemed non-essential. At the same time, these enterprises have faced increased difficulty receiving loans and have limited access to credit. 

Institutionalized racism is still deeply rooted in society. Those who are supposed to help save struggling businesses by giving out loans are the same people who discriminate, leaving Black entrepreneurs with double the challenge. Meanwhile, the federal government’s programs to support Black business owners, such as “The Black Entrepreneurship Program,” are vague and inaccessible. Many have criticized their unclear terms of repayment, their lack of transparency, their failure to communicate, and most importantly, their intrusive questions regarding business-owners’ sexuality. Answering invasive questions about one’s intersectional identities should not determine whether or not a Black-owned business is able to remain open.


The closure of Grévin Montréal is only one example of a larger problem. In general, the question of who has the right to determine what should be deemed essential or not must be called into question. While unprecedented fear and uncertainty continues to impact students, businesses, and artistic spaces, it is culture that offers us peace, inspiration, and hope. Whether by sharing and exchanging our own, or supporting Black-owned initiatives like “Black-Owned Canada,” or “Black North Initiative,” it is our responsibility as McGill students to uphold cultural institutions and believe in their importance.

News, SSMU

Current SSMU executives, former members acknowledge recent statement is not enough

by Ella Fitzhugh on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) vice-president (VP) Internal Affairs Sarah Paulin sent out a mass email on Sept. 28 containing a written statement entitled “Enacting Change Within SSMU.” The statement comes after an article published by The McGill Daily on Sept. 22 exposed accounts of past and ongoing experiences of gender-based discrimination within SSMU. Paulin’s statement claims that SSMU is addressing issues of “toxic behaviour” as alleged by members within the Society, while past and current executives report the statement lacks transparency.

The accounts from past and present SSMU members included in the Daily article range from a lack of confidentiality and accountability surrounding women’s reports of harassment by other SSMU executives, to male executives taking credit for women’s work. Paulin, who wrote the statement on behalf of SSMU’s Executive Committee, said the executives were aware of faults in the current system for some time.

“The issues outlined in the statement have been discussed by executives for a while,” Paulin told The McGill Tribune. “It was a general consensus among the current executives that it was […] time to address them. We wanted to work on the issues that we have been hearing about and that have been raised, just to ensure that the processes that SSMU enacts are reflective of its values.”

Former internal SSMU member Skylar* said they were frustrated with the statement’s ambiguity in an interview with the Tribune. The former member also felt it ran counter to SSMU’s purported survivor-centric approach to reports of gender-based discrimination and sexual violence. 

“I think the more times I have read through it, the more I have started getting upset with how little I think the statement actually accomplishes, both in the length and the lack of detail and […] transparency within it,” Skylar said. “For an institution that has prided itself [on its] […] survivor-centric approach in everything it does, I feel like the statement honestly did the opposite of that.”

In an email to the Tribune, SSMU president Darshan Daryanani, acknowledged that more profound changes than the ones alluded to in the statement are necessary. 

“Institutions become oppressive spaces without strong training initiatives, conscious and unbiased decision-making, proper consultation and consideration (instead of unilateral decisions), and action-oriented frameworks and plans,” Daryanani wrote. “As such, a statement does not answer the concerns about the environment and culture that has been fostered, ‘change’ must be intentional, forward thinking and proactive [….] The people who have been part of the system should not have the say on what change is needed, specifically when the issues disproportionately affect marginalized communities.”

In Skylar’s experience, the current Gendered and Sexual Violence trainings that SSMU’s members undergo have been unsuccessful in reducing sexual violence and gender-based discrimination within SSMU.

“It seems that SSMU’s reactions are always going to very much continue to foster the status quo,” Skylar noted. “And [the reactions] are going to be ultimately things that do not make change. One extra mandatory training is so often the [reaction] of SSMU, but just the idea of confidentiality is really going to put any meaningful change into question and serve to block any real progress.”

The decision to comment about experiences within SSMU anonymously is not a choice Skylar takes lightly. They explain it reflects a real fear those affiliated with the Society have about going public—rather than working within the current system to bring to light gender-based discrimination in SSMU. 

“The fear [is why] we have chosen anonymity,” Skylar said. “Because ultimately we are more concerned […] for the individuals who are elected. That it is going to have political repercussions for them if they were actually to say something public, and for us who are employed by the SSMU, that it is going to have impacts on our future employment.” 

*Skylar’s name has been changed to preserve their anonymity. 

McGill, News

Student-run contact tracing initiative shut down by McGill administration

by Juliet Morrison on

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Concerns over the adequacy and transparency of McGill’s COVID-19 contract tracing system led the Law Students Association (LSA) to organize their own initiative at the beginning of the semester. The project, which collected entries through a Google form, accumulated only a couple of submissions before it was shut down by the McGill administration over concerns that it would disrupt McGill’s internal COVID-19 contact tracing procedures. 

The student-run initiative began as a rumour, circulated on a Facebook group, that students had tested positive in law classrooms. Having not been notified of these cases by McGill’s COVID-19 Case Management Group (CMG) and being frustrated by the lack of concern about the safety of their classrooms, Emma Sitland, 3L explained that the LSA became motivated to start their own initiative. 

“It was created as an immediate response to student concerns,” Sitland said. “The Law Students Association said, ‘okay, if there’s going to be COVID positive cases in class and McGill’s not going to tell you, we’re going to try to let you know.’” 

Sitland emphasized that the initiative arose out of student concern for lenient COVID-19 health measures on campus. 

“I think it is great that the LSA [organized a contact tracing initiative],” Sitland said. “I think it is an excellent example of student mobilization and solidarity, but it’s not their job. As a student organization, as a bunch of volunteers, they do not have the capacity to do that, they do not have the expertise to do that [….] It should be McGill [administration] who is actually taking initiative in doing this.”  

In an email to The McGill Tribune, McGill’s media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle stressed that, in keeping with McGill’s public health requirements, contact tracing on McGill campus should be done through the university, hence why McGill shut down the LSA’s project.

“McGill continues to work closely with public health officials to adopt policies and put into practice measures to protect students, staff and faculty,” Mazerolle wrote. “Universities in Quebec have been mandated by public health authorities to do contact tracing and follow-up internally, and therefore it is essential that members of our community use our McGill process for reporting cases. Contact tracing is handled by McGill and can only be done if all cases are reported properly.”

Richard Gold, a professor in the Faculty of Law, wrote in an email to the Tribune that McGill’s lack of transparency in contact tracing runs contrary to its mission as an institution. 

“McGill seems to be pursuing a strategy of minimum communication and transparency,” Gold wrote in an email to the Tribune. “This is a cynical position that is not in line with the mission of McGill to serve the public. In the absence of any transparency […] students [and staff] were driven to do something to protect each other. The mere fact that students were driven to [organize their own contact tracing] is an illustration of the failure of the central administration to be transparent and truthful.” 

In an email sent on Sept. 22, Deputy Provost Fabrice Labeau clarified McGill’s procedure for alerting students of COVID-19 cases in classrooms. Its procedure currently details that all students will be notified by email if a person who tested positive for COVID-19 sat in the classroom within 48 of developing symptoms. 

In the same email, McGill mentioned that they received reports from professors that students who tested positive contacted them, but those in classes with positive COVID-19 cases had not received notifications. Labeau explained in an email to the Tribune that this may have been because either the student was not in class 48 hours prior to developing symptoms or testing positive, the student may not have reported their case to McGill, or the student may have received a negative test. 

To date, McGill remains the single channel for contact tracing on campus.

News, SSMU

SSMU Legislative Council approves seat for Outaouais campus representative

by Matthew Molinaro on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its second Legislative Council meeting of the Fall semester on Sept. 30, where members approved a motion to put forward an amendment to the SSMU constitution that would add an Outaouais campus representative to the Legislative Council. During the question period, members discussed the suspensions of the DriveSafe and WALKSAFE programs in early and mid-September respectively, the protests regarding the lack of consultation on the Royal Victoria project, and SSMU president Darshan Daryanani’s absences at two consecutive Legislative Council meetings.

Campus Outaouais is a Gatineau-based, Francophone campus belonging to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. The motion on Campus Outaouais representation seeks to address the unique linguistic and geographic challenges that students at the Outaouais campus face in accessing SSMU’s health and dental plan, student services, and student life activities such as clubs. Medicine Representative Benson Wan discussed the delays in instituting proper and direct representation of Francophone medical students, noting that they are currently represented by the majority English-speaking, Montreal-based Medical Students’ Society (MSS).  

The motion had originally been submitted to the Legislative Council in October 2020. In May 2021, the MSS held an election for the Campus Outaouais’ University Representative position. The seat will not be a voting member of the Legislative Council until the constitution is changed.

SSMU vice-president (VP) Finance Éric Sader raised logistical questions about the challenges of implementing a Campus Outaouais representative at the Legislative Council. In particular, Sader questioned the plan for a flexible transition. Wan responded, stating that a hybrid session would be possible and that students’ full representation is important.

“Students in Gatineau pay for all fees,” Wan argued. “They are being taxed without being properly represented.”

During the question period, Science Representative Andres Perez Tiniacos brought forward two questions, the first regarding the DriveSafe and WALKSAFE programs’ suspension. SSMU VP Student Life Karla Heisele Cubilla explained that COVID-19 public health restrictions were the main reasons that their services ceased their operations.

“Both are planning to operate in October,” Heisele Cubilla said. “They were not able to start because they are volunteer-based. They are trying to get back on track and are recruiting [….] It is unsafe for them [to operate right now].”

Tiniacos’ second question had to do with the New Vic project and the recent protests—which were largely centred around the McGill administration’s lack of proper consultation with students—staged against it.

“Student consultation is [being brought up] because the McGill administration has not done proper consultation with many key groups, […] specifically Indigenous, local, and student communities,” SSMU VP External Affairs Sacha Delouvrier said. “We realized that McGill had no willingness to budge on their plan and listen to student needs [.…] [SSMU’s] consultation with the student body was not directly made because it was a time-sensitive issue.”

Science Representative Asma Khamis raised a question about Daryanani not being present at their Legislative Council meeting. SSMU VP Internal Affairs Sarah Paulin responded on his behalf. 

“He is unavailable at the moment,” Paulin said. “That is all I can say at this time.”

Tiniacos noted that it is the president’s duty to attend and that it was the second consecutive absence for Daryanani.

“Will we have the presence of the leading figure of the society at our meetings?” Tiniacos asked.

Moment of the Meeting

Tiniacos motion, seconded by Khamis, to suspend Standing Rules and move to a generative discussion regarding the accountability of executives in light of the allegations launched in //The McGill Daily//’s article titled “Sexism and Silence in SSMU.” The suspension required a three-quarter majority, and failed with 12 votes yes, 5 votes no, and 8 abstentions.

Soundbite

“Now, I’d like to please remind you to vote. You represent students, you not voting is against your job. Your job is to represent students.”

– Speaker of the Legislative Council Alexandre Ashkir reminded council members of their duties.

Soccer, Sports

McGill Men’s Soccer draws even with Concordia

by Adam Menikefs on

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The McGill Men’s soccer team (2–1–3) squared off against rival Concordia (2–3–0) at Molson Stadium on Oct. 1. Though the sold-out crowd of nearly 460 fans helped bolster McGill’s strong start, the team could not hold on to their lead as the match progressed, ending the game with a score of 1-1.

The match started with strong play from the back line, a trend that has remained consistent throughout the season thus far. Third-year defender Julian Huster, who came in as a substitute in the second half, saw the team feed off the crowd’s energy to start the game aggressively. 

“The sell-out crowd was amazing, and I felt as though the team rallied around that to bring an extra element of effort during the first half,” Huster said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

No love was lost between the downtown rivals, with physical play emerging from the opening whistle and leading to three yellow cards in the first half. Despite strong play from McGill’s midfield and defence in the first half, fourth-year goalkeeper Chris Cinelli-Faia had to come up clutch, with a fantastic save on a shot from the six-yard box.

Twenty-two minutes into the game, the crowd was sent into a frenzy when first-year defender Bilal Bouchemalla headed in a goal off the post, assisted by a beautiful corner kick by Reese Carlow. 

Thirteen minutes later, McGill was dealt a penalty shot due to a poor challenge in the box by Concordia defender Brandon Phelps. Unfortunately, the attempt hit the post. 

Despite the momentum and the team’s enthusiastic supporters, McGill would not convert again in the half. Third-year midfielder Bouba Ouane, McGill’s starting left midfielder for the match, felt the team couldn’t capitalize off the momentum of this goal. 

“The squad really had great energy after the first goal,” Ouane said. “After the missed penalty opportunity though, I felt that we no longer had the same intensity and this definitely contributed to the fact [that] we could not score again before half.”

Despite several missed chances before the half, the Redbirds entered the locker room up by a goal, the crowd still buzzing with Friday night fervour. 

Unfortunately, 11 minutes into the second half, former Western Mustang and current Concordia midfielder Mohammad Reza Nafar capitalized off a failed clearing by McGill’s defence, tying the game and silencing the McGill crowd. 

In a sudden turn, the momentum shifted to the away side. The Redbirds’ frustration was obvious, with four Redbird yellow cards in the second half.

Despite this, the contest ended in a stalemate, with the opposing squads going back and forth without any true success for the rest of the second half.

Although unable to convert, Huster remained optimistic about the team’s second-half performance.

“The ball movement, as well as the defending from the team in the second half was strong after the goal,” Huster said. “Even though the end result was not what we wanted, the team competed well until the end.”

McGill Men’s soccer hope to finish strong as they enter their last few weeks of the regular season—eyeing a top four playoff spot finish at season’s end. 

McGill plays next at Laval on Oct. 8. 

Moment of the Game:

Bilal Bouchemalla scored McGill’s first goal of the game off a header from rookie Reese Carlow, sending the sold-out McGill home crowd to their feet.

Stat Corner:

The rivalry match was a heated and physical affair, with a combined six yellow cards for both squads.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

‘Sex Education’ season three is a powerful, yet overambitious, continuation

by Fernanda Turcato on

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Warning: Spoilers ahead.

In the wake of the wildly popular first two seasons, Netflix released the hotly anticipated third season of Sex Education on Sept. 17. While the previous seasons of the raunchy coming-of-age series navigated complex topics with frankness and charm, the latest installment’s 8-hour runtime is overstuffed with unresolved issues and shortcomings, failing to deliver on the promises made during its first and second seasons.

Season three strays from the show’s pre-established narrative, which centred around an illicit sex advice clinic run by the timid Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) and school rebel Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey)—all under the shadow of sex therapist and overbearing mother Jean (Gillian Anderson). In many ways, the season’s sexually explicit opening encapsulates the show’s main theme: A raw and unapologetic expression of desire that extends beyond the scope of cisnormative and heteronormative sex. The presentation of virtual reality, costume and fantasy play, sexting, and webcamming represents the complexities of desire and sexual gratification. Absent of any cloud of shame, Sex Education’s subversive and progressive approach to representation of sexuality is rare among many coming-of-age stories.

The main conflict of the season comes from Moordale’s new principal, Hope Haddon (Jemima Kirke), who embodies patriarchal ideologies when she installs an outdated sex education curriculum that preaches abstinence and mandates uniforms. Hope’s strict enforcement of the school uniforms indirectly targets individuality and self-expression amongst the student body, and in doing so, enforces the gender binary. The portrayal of this new headteacher, whose youthful energy initially instills within students a sense of comfort and relatability, quickly becomes a source of oppression: Hope, as ironic as that name may be, enforces a sex-negative discourse with narrow-minded notions of inclusivity and acceptance that is hidden under a cloak of feminism and “hipness.” 

In many ways, Hope’s presence embodies the tenets of heteronormative sexual prejudices. Much like many cultural values expressed today, the new head teacher aims to paint a pretty picture of acceptance and inclusivity on the surface, while dismissing important issues brought up by the students. Echoing derisive accusations commonly aimed at Generation Z, Hope attacks her students’ “fragility”—what she calls “identity-obsessed hysteria”—compared to the “real world.” 

The show prevails in successfully portraying the complexities and vulnerabilities of all the characters in the main ensemble cast—an authenticity achieved in large part by entrusting the role of 2SLGBTQIA+ characters to queer actors. 

However, Sex Education nonetheless causes its own downfall by overextending itself. Despite having successfully avoided it during its previous seasons, its intricate development of existing characters leaves little time to properly integrate new cast members, such as new character Cal (Dua Saleh). Cal, a non-binary student, is almost entirely defined by their gender identity and/or sexual orientation rather than their personality. Additionally, the show spends too much time on problems from past seasons and not enough time solving elaborate issues which would have been better incorporated over long intervals. Condensing them into one episode, oftentimes eclipsed by its simultaneous storylines, creates an eclectic, unsatisfying viewing experience. 

Ultimately, the show’s frank discussions about sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity do not reach audiences as well as its prior two seasons. Sex Education provides unsatisfactory denouements by trying to do too much—it straddles a line between embracing diversity, and turning a blind eye to the complexities of individuality. 

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

‘Cinderella’ is a flawed take on a childhood favourite

by Paulina Kasak on

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Remakes of classical fairy tales have long been a popular filmmaking trend, from Red Riding Hood to Snow White and the Huntsman. It is no mistake to think that fairy tales capture an audience in ways that other films do not. It is easy to captivate an audience with a tale of an innocent young woman who wishes only to make a life for herself – a story of hope, dreams, and, above all, true love. Film producer Kay Cannon recognized this, going ahead with her take on the classic Cinderella story, released through Amazon Prime Video on September 3. Cinderella is a fatally modern musical spin on this classic story that fails to preserve the essence of the cherished fairytale. 

The story, reminiscent of the classic 1950 Walt Disney’s Cinderella, introduces us to  the beautiful but mistreated Cinderella (Camila Cabello), who spends her time either in a basement with a few friendly creatures or serving her “cruel” step-mother Vivian (Idina Menzel) and step-sisters (Maddie Baillio, Charlotte Spencer). Her whole life changes once she crosses paths with Prince Robert a.k.a Prince Charming (Nicholas Galitzine). 

On the surface, the remake follows the “classic Cinderella story,” but it strays from it in ways that destroy the original’s allure. The flaws are found in the film’s use of popular “lingo” – the attempt to integrate pop culture into the original plot. Additionally, its characters trail too far from what made the Disney classic a “classic.” The original ‘s attraction rests in its timelessness, as the sensation of impossibility, yet, oddly enough, endless possibility, makes the fairy tale so alluring. Cinderella washes this away with its constant attempt to “correct” the traditional tale.     

This is not to say that the movie has no redeeming qualities. Its musical score is excellent and Camila Cabello’s musical performances are dazzling. The cinematography is similarly marvelous, immersing the viewer in an enchanting far off land. The costumes are breathtaking, notably Cinderella’s dresses. Additionally, the movie makes strides towards a more gender-inclusive take on the story, such as introducing the fairy godmother as a male character.  

Despite these memorable moments, the film revolves around a flawed effort for Cinderella to prove her independence by following her dream to become a dress-maker. Unfortunately, the story over-focuses upon her pursuit of this passion, failing to fulfill the magic in a fairy tale that is the quest of true love. This also goes for other female characters, such as the plotline of Prince Robert’s power-hungry sister which only detracts from the narrative in an attempt to turn beloved characters into social commentary. This has its respective place in movies, but feels amiss in fairytales.    

In short, Cinderella loses all the excitement and emotions evoked by the original story, prioritizing frantic musical numbers and the over-projection of modern ideals. The remake of this classic fairy tale is neither nostalgic nor enjoyable. It is safe to say that traditional fairytales are “traditional” for a reason. 

Art, Arts & Entertainment

Computing creativity: A visit to UQAM’s ‘Vers un Imaginaire Numérique’

by Anna Berglas on

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Upon entering UQAM’s exhibit Vers un Imaginaire Numérique (Designing the Computational Image), tessellated sculptures created from delicate steel and acrylic mesh hang from above. Inspired by biological synthesis, machine learning creates the canopy system, which includes spiralled metallic stars and pyramidal struts. This installation is but the beginning of the exhibition’s computer-generated contraptions, ranging in discipline from film, music production, and sculpture to participant-lead formulation. Thus begins a journey of computational design’s visual and intellectual history.

The first half of Vers un Imaginaire Numérique examines the multidisciplinary use of technological tools. For example, the photograph “Avena + Test Bed” captures geometrical shapes carved into a field, showcasing how agriculture utilizes computational innovation. The emphasis is placed not on the final result, but the photo’s generation, which includes collaboration with agricultural experts, engineers, a tractor driver, a videographer, and a pilot.  The tractor, guided by algorithms, was figuratively transformed into a printer that deposited seeds in a configuration optimized for sustainability.

“Trois Forms Générés Par Évolution Numérique” contains a drawing, a cube-like glass sculpture, and a piece of music. The catch is that these pieces were created algorithmically; after being fed unrelated information, such as radio-astronomical signals, a machine designed the three art forms using artificial intelligence. This process brings to light technology’s versatility and its ability to cross from domain to domain. The end result is asymmetrical, yet graceful, art. The music in particular fluctuates from serene to tense while maintaining an aweing synthetic atmosphere reminiscent of space sound effects in film. 

The historical dimension of the emergence of visual graphics investigates the formative years of computer graphics technology between 1949 and 1980. As visitors wander through the exhibit, examples of architectural and engineering projects trace the progression from geometric skeletons into more contemporary complex models. A large hurdle for computer scientists trying to create a visual products using code was that computational images are numerically restrained, while having to constantly translate numbers to imagery. Here are productions which offer less visual appeal, but illuminate the newness of graphic displays and the solutions offered to represent information when working with limited technology. 

The interactive component to the exhibit generates a newfound admiration for grace in visual technology. In the largest display, “The Coons Patch,” visitors can engage with a rudimentary control panel by manipulating a coordinate in either the x, y, or z direction to manipulate a plane existing in three-dimensional space. Since the display is created from four curves, it morphs and twists in an elegant manner.  The “Coon’s Patch” doesn’t exist purely for pleasure, though; when this technology was initially created, aircraft, car, and ship design industries used it to design and model their curved products. 

Computer graphics programs use “The Coons Patch” to join surfaces together. (Anna Berglas / The McGill Tribune)

The anticipated inaccessibility of technology can breed mistrust, especially among less mathematics-minded creatives. Those who shy away from mathematics need to look no further than the contemporary art styles the exhibit featured. The tandem pieces  “44NS10F” and “MFPTN1” are constructed from an arrangement of symbols and characters in Microsoft Word. The unusual application of this well-known word processing software enchants visitors, demonstrating that even the most computational novice has the potential for artistic expression.

While not immediately obvious, Toronto-based artist Shaheer Zazai created “44NS10F” and “MFPTN1” using Microsoft Word. (Anna Berglas / The McGill Tribune)

Vers un Imaginaire Numérique covers a lot of ground, tracing the earlier and more simple numerical controls to the most modern computational products, while showcasing both its aesthetic and practical value. Applications of technology are incredibly diverse, but each piece possesses one common factor: The communication of ideas through programs that surpass our individual capacity to visualize. 

UQAM’s exhibit prompts visitors to reflect on graphical development as an aesthetic language. Technology is omnipresent in the 21st century, and embracing beauty in a domain in which it is often forgotten is invigorating. Many of the pieces include intricate details only computers could produce. Still, their intricate details speak to the creators’ ability to transport traditionally theoretical mediums into new creative territories. 

Vers un Imaginaire Numérique is on display at the UQAM Centre de Design until November 7, 2021. Admission is free and hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

Arts & Entertainment, Books

‘Beautiful World, Where Are You?’ is a stirring love letter to us all

by Signy Harnad on

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Mastering the will-they-will-they-not tragicomedy is no enviable task in this day and age. When the world is quite literally on fire, we find ourselves confronted by questions of how cringey Tinder messages, first-dates-gone-wrong, and fleeting insecurities could possibly matter to us in the grand scheme of it all. Well, Sally Rooney has a hunch. In her latest novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You?, the Irish author searches for beauty among all the chaos—and manages to find it.

The novel follows publicity-loathing novelist Alice—who bears a striking resemblance to Rooney herself—and her best pal from college, Eileen, an editorial assistant at a Dublin literary journal. Faced by the spectre of wealth inequality, environmental collapse, and the meaning—or meaninglessness—of life, Alice and Eileen, both pushing 30, begin to feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. 

The two fret about the state of the world via long, sometimes tedious, email exchanges, which nevertheless capture Rooney at her best: Elevating the voices of her generation and bringing their deepest fears to life. “Aren’t we unfortunate babies to be born when the world ended?” Alice at one point writes to Eileen. Doomed as they might be, the pair are able to carve out room for romance in their lives: Alice with the cynical Felix, Eileen with Simon, her older friend whom she has loved since childhood. Rooney fleshes these romantic entanglements out with her trademark wit and soul-baring prose. 

Whether it’s the luck of the Irish or the charm of her all-too-relatable characters, Rooney has a way of making even the most microscopic interactions among us feel earth-shattering. Like brushstrokes, each sentence builds upon the previous, complete with wounded squabbles and broken glasses. There are pining glances and words left unsaid. There is bantering dialogue with freakishly articulate characters. There are Rooney’s infamous sex scenes, some of the most moving you will find in contemporary literature.

Rooney has become ordained as the voice of millennial angst. Her debut, Conversations With Friends, was a smashing hit, and her second novel, the Booker-Prize shortlisted Normal People, went on to be adapted into a quarantine favourite Hulu series. In a way, we might see Beautiful World as just another privileged, upper-middle-class declaration of existential dread. Maybe that’s what ticks off Rooney’s detractors, who typically dismiss her work as frivolous, normcore chick lit. Granted, her plots can be fairly Austenian: Her characters do their utmost to connect but, more often than not, fail miserably from the outset. 

But Beautiful World presents Rooney at her most nuanced. Her Irish youths are simultaneously tone-deaf and self-aware; Alice, a reluctant millionaire, reflects, “but why should anyone be rich and famous while other people live in desperate poverty?” On the same page they wax poetic about Marxist revolution, Alice and Eileen also immerse themselves in dysfunctional relationships. With bull’s-eye precision, Rooney captures exactly what it feels like to be 20-something: To be able to recognize structural realities, while simultaneously remaining hung up on debates of whether one can—or should—text him first. Oh, the joy of being a millennial.

You might be asking where all that beauty Rooney promised in her title is. Why, it’s splashed all over these pages in tender celebrations of relationships and love. Even as the world collapses around us, we can always count on our basest selves to carry on: We who long to fall in love and delude ourselves and make catastrophic decisions about our crushes. We who stumble across the minefields of intimacy.

“So of course in the midst of everything,” Alice writes to Eileen, “the state of the world being what it is, humanity on the cusp of extinction, here I am writing another email about sex and friendship. What else is there to live for?” What else, indeed.

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