MONTREAL SERAI MAGAZINE
Art and Activism: Inseperable Realms
A flash protest at the MoMA shows that what is happening in the world and within art spaces is intrinsically linked.
We started on the fifth floor, where Van Goghs and Picassos are displayed in abundance. Visitors crowded around Starry Night, absorbing its vibrant hues through the screens of their phones. Standing there with them, the scene struck me as a peculiarly modern paradox: despite the physical presence of the art, many people viewed it through their phones, interrupting their direct engagement with the piece.
This disconnect speaks broadly to how we’ve also come to view world events—through the screens of our phones. Tragedies, injustices and genocides are scrolled past, as we swipe straight on to the next product-unboxing video or the next shopping haul. This can make each event seem on a par with the others, trivializing tragedy and elevating the mundane. As a result, these mediated experiences leave us less empathetic and responsive to both art and real-world crises.
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Trippy Nails: Not Your Average Manicure
Montreal Manicurists’ Pot-Fuelled, Hentai-Loving and Dope Nails Are Changing the Game
You’re standing in the metro, absent-mindededly commuting. Looking around, your eyes search for anything to study—and then you see them. A set of immaculately sculpted claws: glossy and pink stiletto nails holding onto the metro pole. The flashy enamel catches your attention, and suddenly you realize you’ve been staring at a stranger’s hands since the last stop.
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The Cords Aren’t Tangled: In the Booth with three rad DJs
While Deadlift, Miss Mee and Zepha are all unique characters, one thing they share is that they’re all DJs, and each of these musicians’ paths has been distinctly her own.
These artists played at this year’s Igloofest, which is another accomplishment they share. While performing at a festival has varying significance to them—and though it’s certainly not the crux of their careers—their presence lends itself to an exploration of how they got into the industry.
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How Will $23 Million Address Sexual Violence on Quebec Campuses?
Throwing Money at the Problem Might Not be Enough
In August, shortly before students headed back to school, Higher Education Minister Hélène David and the Quebec Government announced they would be funneling $23 million into all post-secondary institutions across the province over five years, with one goal in mind: to combat sexual violence.
Graphic @ Paula Domniguez
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Montreal Roller Derby Kicks Off 2017 Season
Derby has a long history as an alternative sport. It was born as a contemporary contact sport in the 1930s, but was revived and remodeled independently by women in the early 2000s. Its DIY aesthetic draws from punk and rock-n-roll scenes. Underneath all that safety gear, you’ll often see torn shorts layered playfully over striped socks or printed leggings—outfits that really scream, “don’t fuck with me.”
Roller derby is taking back your space; taking back sports and being powerful on skates.
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Concordia Prof Organizes Benefit Concert for Families of Sainte-Foy Victims
The Yusra Benefit Show for Sainte-Foy Proves There’s Love to Go Around
The impromptu concert was pulled together by Iraqi-Canadian rapper, The Narcicyst—commonly known as Narcy. A collaborative effort between his collective The Medium and POP Montreal, the Feb. 10 show hosted a variety of musical acts—many of whom are friends with the well-known artist. […]
But many Concordia students know him as their professor.
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Talking Consent Culture in Toronto
American Activist Changing the Dialogue to End Rape Culture
A group of women are sitting under a tree in Trinity Bellwoods Park. Meanwhile, passersby on the paths around the gathering stared down at their feet, transfixed by the brightly coloured chalk messages lining the cement.
Covering the Queen St. W. entrance of the park were powerful messages such as ‘Love is the answer,’ “Anything but ‘yes’ means ‘no,’” and “98 per cent of rapists will never spend a day in jail.”
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HIV/AIDS Lecture Highlights Montreal as Centre for Activism
With funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the AAHP was given five years worth of funding to travel the country to interview advocates active from 1986 to 1996. They detailed their experiences in the highly complex social-political atmosphere of the illness. The decade that the team chose is full of history.
[It was a] period where people living with HIV/AIDS started to organize and [began] to have problems with some of the existing AIDS service organizations,” said Kinsman, adding that this era overlapped with the emergence of activism for making treatment accessible.