Trans Catalog by Dawson College

the

TRANS-

exhibition

the

TRANS-

exhibition

Introduction by Maimire Mennasemay, Kenneth Milkman Aaron Krishtalka and Andrew Katz Edited by Frank Mulvey Exhibition: March 26 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 16, 2015 Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery Dawson College 4001 de Maisonneuve West Montreal, Canada H3Z 1A4

space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/exhibits/summary/the_trans_exhibition

Introduction

Transition, transfix, translate, transpose, transatlantic, transgender, transubstantiate, trans-fats, trans-disciplinary… The prefix TRANS– combines with a broad array of root words to describe aspects of our world that we perceive and understand to involve a crossing. Deriving from the Latin preposition meaning “across, through, over, to or on the other side of, beyond, outside of, from one place, person, thing or state to another,” (Oxford English Dictionary), TRANS– suggests the transcending, transgressing, traversing, challenging, disrupting, reimagining, redrawing and even calling into question of a boundary or limit. In the sciences, one might study the transport of a protein across a cell membrane; the transcending of classical mechanics by quantum mechanics; the development of transfinite mathematics. One might also study trans-subjects—subjects which used to be looked at as different and separate but are now seen to be linked—such as bio-physics, physical chemistry, bio-chemistry, and so on. In the arts, one might explore the transgression of social boundaries typical in the comedies of Shakespeare or Moliere or Gilbert and Sullivan; the transitions in Western musical harmony from Baroque to Romantic to Atonal; trans-media storytelling. In the technologies, one might debate the potential benefits and perils of transhumanism, which seeks to enhance human capacities through technology. And in our everyday lives, we may embark on a transcontinental journey, face a difficult transition, become aware of life’s transience, or find ourselves crossing boundaries and limits of many other kinds. Crossings of boundaries and limits can occur not only within but also between the sciences, arts, and technologies. Currently there are universities attempting to stimulate scientific data visually and aurally, using multi-media. Or consider the work of transdisciplinary artist Eduardo Kac, who claims to have bred a fluorescent green rabbit in cooperation with scientists. In such transdisciplinary crossings, the meeting of different fields expands or transforms their scope and creates new fields; in the words of Amy Davis, author of Transvergence in Art History, “constructed distinctions between fields are often subverted . . . Practitioners of art and science collaborate and question the conventional boundaries that divide their efforts.”

Of course, it is a given that in order to transcend the limits of one’s own particular field, one must first be grounded in it, as it is only by gaining the knowledge and skills of one's discipline that one is able to recognize the boundaries and limits— both within and beyond it—that are there to be crossed. This exhibition presents a series of takes or interpretations on the TRANS– theme through the perspectives of individuals who work in different disciplines. Each piece in the exhibition, sparked by a TRANS– word, expresses a vision, intuition, or understanding of TRANS– that is personal to the individual or shared by the group who submits it. SPACE invites you to explore these and the many other kinds of crossings TRANS– evokes, in both literal and figurative ways, across the arts and the sciences. Maimire Mennasemay, Aaron Krishtalka, Ken Milkman, Andrew Katz, 2015

Iuliana Irimia

2nd Year, Illustration & Design Salmacis, 2015 Charcoal and conté on paper 70 cm x 100 cm

Themes of transformation and shape shifting are commonly found in ancient Greek mythology. Gods often change their appearance as a means of disguise, or as punishment for humans who have angered them. In the myth of Hermaphroditus, the nymph Salmacis falls madly in love with the son of Hermes and Aphrodite as she sees him approaching her pool. She begs to the gods that they never be parted, and her prayer is fulfilled as they merge into one being, appearing as both male and female.

Hermaphroditus is often portrayed as a woman with male genitals. A famous ancient marble sculpture, “Sleeping Hermaphroditus”, shows the god sleeping on a mattress, a pose I have chosen to emulate in this drawing. While sleeping, this modern Salmacis falls in love with the deity and wishes he became real, a wish that may be transformed to reality.

Aidan Ferguson

2nd Year, Visual Arts Transmute, 2015 Plaster, plywood, acrylic paint 57cm x 71cm x 91cm

During the making of Transmute, I was going through a period of change. I felt like I had very little control over my life and wanted to feel stronger. Since I was working on a sculpture project, I decided that I would make something that would help me. I remembered an event that made me feel awed and at the same time empowered: seeing the New York Kouros. I learned some of its story in my Art History class. It was the first time in Greek art that a sculpture was shown portraying movement. I was amazed that something

as simple as moving a foot forwards could be passed down for millennia as a great achievement. That was the defining point for Transmute. If something that simple could change others, then why couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t I do something that could change me? After some thought, I came up with a plan to put my own twist on an ancient Greek piece of architecture. In the end, this sculpture did help to transmute my helplessness into a desire to succeed.

Julianna Joos Faculty, Fine Arts Robe maligne, 2014 Fibre art 90 cm x 40 cm x 10 cm

Robe maligne is a translucent georgette dress, feminine yet scarred. The elegant motif has been digitally transcribed, transposing on a large scale the image of a malignant tumor of the breast as observed from a biopsy. I wanted to translate a dramatic condition into a sensual object to transmit the emotional context and transcend the harsh reality. I have designed and sewn this dress that wraps nicely around the waist but is transfixed at the front by jagged embroidered dark lines suggesting scars from the traumatic experience. Robe maligne is a transdisciplinary artwork that is the result of a process involving several disciplines: pathology, macro-photography, textile and fashion design, digital printing and visual art.

Lara Antebi

Graduate, Health Science Fertilization Miss-Understood, 2014 Essay (abridged version)

In a physical sense, fertilization is a critical point of transformation in the creation of life. Within the process of fertilization, there are steps that involve crossing boundaries, such as the sperm passing through the egg's coating. The egg and sperm are also “activated” by transformative chemical processes, which allow fertilization to take place. The way in which we explain fertilization also involves a transformation. When we translate observations and evidence into scientific models, we are explaining a natural process through human eyes. Although fertilization involves the interaction of cells, it is traditionally described in terms of human behaviour. Incidentally, our description of the process is transformed by the gender stereotypes of the time, and of those who are doing the research. This piece calls for a transformation of our perception of science. Furthermore, this topic shows how the boundaries of our knowledge are restricted by the questions we ask ourselves and by how far we are willing to look. Is the sperm truly a strong swimmer and powerful penetrator? Is the egg really a Damsel in Distress, a Sleeping Beauty, waiting to be activated and fertilized? Although it prides itself on its objectivity, there is an inherent gender bias in the sciences that influences the way research is conducted and interpreted. In particular, the passive-female and active-male stereotypes are embedded into the classic view of fertilization, and persists even in light of new evidence. The earliest recorded scientific model of fertilization was developed by Aristotle (384-322 BCE). He argued that male ejaculate is the “seed” that implants itself into the menstrual “soil” of the female. He even described this “seed” generated by the male as containing the fetus itself: “By definition the male is that which is able to generate another…the female is that which is able to generate in itself and out of which comes into being the offspring previously existing in the generator” (Tuana). Aristotle also likened the process to a craftsman carving from a piece of wood, where the female provides the “raw material”, and the male “determines the function of the object to be produced and gives it its form” (Tuana). Incidentally, Aristotle’s reasoning had many inconsistencies, which only highlights the persistence of his underlying gender bias. These underlying assumptions are made clear when he states: “But the female, as female, is passive, and the 8

male, as male, is active, and the principle of movement comes from him” (Tuana). This implies that females are passive and males are active by their very nature, and thus their contributions to conception follow accordingly. Throughout history, the notion of female passivity has imbedded itself into the scientific model of fertilization. The same paradigm is propagated in the textbooks and research journals of the 20th century. The egg is described in passive terms: “eggs are “released”, or “shed” from the ovary […] until a sperm “penetrates” and “activates” them” (Tobach). Textbooks describe how “the egg is seen as large and passive. It does not move or journey, but passively “is transported”, “is swept”, or even “drifts” along the fallopian tube” (Martin). Despite growing evidence to the contrary, the passive female stereotype persists in our description of fertilization. The gender bias is often hidden in the language, even if the authors explicitly discuss the egg’s active role. In one article, the authors begin by saying “recent research suggests the almost heretical view that sperm and egg are mutually active partners” (Schatten). However, they later compare the egg to Sleeping Beauty: “[the egg] leaps from sleep to hubbub […] whose metabolic fires leap up and blaze at its fateful meeting with the sperm” (Schatten). Using this metaphor, the egg assumes the passive role of Sleeping Beauty, waiting for the Prince Charming sperm, even when the authors stated that the egg and sperm are mutually active partners! In such examples, the same traditional model is used even when it does not reflect the evidence, which goes to show how deeply rooted these biases are. Results that challenge the notion of the active-male and passive-female face greater resistance before being accepted into the standard description of fertilization. In the 1983 edition of Developmental Biology (Gilbert), the sperm is said to be “able to travel long distances by whipping its flagellum”. Other textbooks use similar language to describe the sperm’s movement: “Their tails are ‘strong’ and efficiently powered. Together with the forces of ejaculation, they can ‘propel the semen into the deepest recesses of the vagina’” (Martin). The traditional model states that the sperm moves through the female system due to its own strength and speed. However, studies have shown that in fact the opposite is true: the female system moves the sperm: “The translocation of sperm from the vagina to the oviduct

involves many processes that work at different times and places […] sperm motility (i.e. flagellar action) is probably a minor factor in getting the sperm to the oviduct […] rather, sperm appear to be translocated to the oviduct by the muscular activity of the uterus” (Schiebinger). The female reproductive system even brings the sperm to where fertilization is most likely: “the uterus and fallopian tubes of a woman will actively transport sperm to the dominant follicle” (Schiebinger). Although the female’s active role in sperm transport was well-documented since the 1930s, textbooks published 50 years later were still describing the sperm as self-propelled, with little to no mention of the female’s significant role in sperm motility. The excerpt above is from a more extensive text that can be found online at: space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ exhibits/ summary/the_trans_exhibition Martin, Emily. “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles”. The University of Chicago Press: Signs. Vol. 16, No. 3 (Spring, 1991), pp. 485–501. Web. Schatten, Gerald & Schatten, Heide. “The Energetic Egg”. The Sciences. The New York Academy of Sciences. Vol. 23, Issue 5 (October 1983). pp.28-35. Web. Schiebinger, L., Klinge, I., Sánchez de Madariaga, I., Schraudner, M., & Stefanick, M. (Eds.) (20112013). “Textbooks: Rethinking Language and Visual Representations”. Gendered Innovations in Science, Health & Medicine, Engineering, and Environment. Web. Tobach, Ethel & Rosoff, Betty. “Challenging Racism and Sexism: Alternatives to Genetic Explanations”. The Feminist Press at The City University of New York. 1994. pp. 15-19. eBook. Tuana, Nancy. “The Weaker Seed: The Sexist Bias of Reproductive Theory”. Hypatia. Vol. 3, No. 1 (Spring 1988). pp.35-59. eBook.

Sarah Piché 1st Year, Visual Arts Transparent, 2015 Acrylic on canvas 51 cm x 61 cm

This piece is inspired by transparency, by the feeling of being incapable of covering up how you feel, emotionally naked with nothing to hide behind. It is created in response to the complexity of these feelings, when anger, guilt, love or lust pump through your veins and expose you to the world; when your body offers no solace, uncontrollably betrayed by your own blushing cheeks, crying eyes, voice crack or clenched jaw. It is inspired by translucence, by the inadequacy of a cover-up or a lie; when someone can see through what you’ve said, revealing an unsuccessfully hidden truth. Our bodies are more honest than we are.

The painting addresses the “trans–” idea explicitly, with transparent skin revealing a network of arteries and veins. It also addresses this idea figuratively, with the implication that psychological states are revealed through transparency.

Camille Beaudoin

3rd Year, Illustration & Design Transmuted, 2014 Super Sculpey 19 cm x 14 cm x 29 cm

This piece represents the theme of “Trans” and more precisely “Transmuted,” as it depicts a metamorphosis. To design this fictional creature, I imagined the physical effects an animal would experience if suddenly confined to live in complete darkness and isolation. I interpreted that the malnourished animal, now transmuted into a beast-like creature, would have developed a translucency to its skin, the growth of armour-like scales on its back, and sharp teeth and nails to fend off predators and conquer its rare prey. However, what inspired me the most while creating this creature was the psychological—and eventually physical—effects of isolation on the animal. I imagined that this isolation and loneliness would drive the animal, over a period of transmutation, to develop a second head to keep itself company.

Anne-Marie LagacĂŠ 2nd Year, Professional Photography Transfixed, 2015 Digital photograph 43.2 cm x 27.9 cm

This piece portrays a young woman transfixed by a horrific scene and staring back at the viewer. Her youth and lack of clothing express innocence in the face of whatever has shocked her. The splatter of black makeup and paint, counterpointed by her spotless white hair, brings out the dark quality of this moment. The overall high contrast and dramatic lighting represent raw emotion. The focus of this picture is on her staring eyes.

Madeleine Stein-Sacks

3rd Year, Visual Arts Transfusion, 2014 Copper plate etching, aquatint 28 cm x 38 cm

A transfusion does not only refer to giving blood, it could also imply the act of sharing and distributing matter to others. Transfusion involves the insertion of a foreign substance into someone else or something else. By choice or by force, the recipient experiences changes. This piece represents a transfusion gone wrong. The diptych suggests a transfusion that involves an emotional reaction when interacting with others. The insect-like characteristics suggest movement and metamorphosis. The image implies that the transfusion went wrong, resulting in a social mutation. The recipient must adapt to survive and grow into something terrifying, however beautiful. The difference between the two parts of the diptych is that one represents a willingness to be transfused and the other represents the opposite. Which is which, is for the viewer to decide.

Sierra Van Biello

3rd Year, Professional Photography Transcending Gender, 2014 Photographic series 43.2 cm x 27.9 cm each

My portrait series, Transcending Gender, represents in its own individual way, the beauty of a community that is often misunderstood. Quite often, to be TRANS-gender means to TRANS-form and TRANS-ition into the physical body that certain individuals feel themselves to be, internally, with the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Through photography, I've tried to capture each personal and physical transition in one moment in time, allowing them to see their own changes later on. I wanted this series to be somewhat of a visual time capsule for the subjects I've photographed. A series which brings awareness and light to the transgender, trans*, and queer community in the form of visual art is to be seen as informational, sentimental, raw, and unique. It shows many different transitional states of change, androgyny, gender roles and the balance between the sexes. This project is for all the gender-outlaws who break the boundaries of a binary gender convention.

CHASE

GABE

MITCH

EDEN

SHAO

DEVON

JOSH

JOANIE

JULES 17

Gyula Gefin

Faculty, Graphic Design Markers, 2015 Photography, digitally assembled 30 cm x 60 cm

Graffiti artists use a broad range of surfaces as their canvases: from walls, railroad boxcars, sidewalks, bridges or any bare faĂ§ade that enables them to express themselves in a creative manner. But one overlooked area is the common grey mailbox. This self-contained structure seems like an ideal format for these artists by offering them a neutral and smooth plane while being immediately visible to the passer-by. There is a curious parallel between the cryptic messages that adorn these boxes and the physical contents that are hidden inside which are also messages ready to be distributed to the public. The artist transfers their tag onto a container that serves to transmit information of another kindâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a sort of mutual transaction or propagation. What is particularly striking, is that when these images are juxtaposed in a pattern-like manner, they strongly mimic the compositions of gene mapping, which can be viewed as another method of tagging. The mailboxes ultimately become urban genetic markersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ready to be decoded.

Sofia Schiavone 2nd Year, Visual Arts The Fault In Our, No, 2014 Silkscreen 50 cm x 33 cm

The notion of ‘Transvalue’ inspired me to conceive of an image that addresses how not everyone looks at a subject or object in the same way. The word transvalue refers to the alteration of peoples’ judgment or reaction. I used a contemporary fairy tale by John Green entitled the Fault in Our Stars as a point of departure. I decided to break the smoothness that such stories can bring. I used the “Grumpy Cat” of pop culture to do that. In this piece, Grumpy Cat alters people’s reaction to the “Maybe okay could be our always” idea of Green. Instead of characters living happily ever after, having Grumpy Cat say “No” restructures that convention in a humorous way. Green, John, The Fault in Our Stars (New York: Dutton Books, 2012) 73. Bressie, Kara. “Grumpy Cat Your Driving-It’s Awful”. Vinyl. n.d. 2013. Etsy. Web. Oct. 5th, 2014.

Rossana Chacon

2nd Year, Visual Arts Translucence and Transparency, 2014 Silkscreen 57.2 cm x 38.1 cm

My artwork explores notions of translucency and transparency. These phenomena can be defined in terms of physics. Transparent materials allow light to pass through, enabling clear perception of what lies beyond the material. Translucent materials, although permitting some transmission of light, do not allow for complete transmission. In the field of visual arts, transparent and translucent effects can be created through various combinations of mediums, surfaces and materials. Another way to define these two “trans” words is that they are used as a metaphor of human behaviour that implies openness in communication, which in turn promotes knowledge and accountability. In philosophy, transparency is important in the study of self-knowledge (Wikipedia). Historically, Ancient Greece made great use of the maxim “know thyself”, which in conjunction with Plato's Socrates, called for transparency through a pedagogical method involving the questioning of conformity and enabling one to think for oneself (Stanford). In psychology, transparency is the path that leads to answers and healing through self-knowledge, although absolute transparency may not be always possible or easily attainable. Translucence aspires to transparency and art can express and represent all of the above. “Transparency and Translucency.” Wikipedia.org. n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015. “Self-knowledge.” plato.stanford.edu. Feb, 2003. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.

The maiden's attire is translucent. Permits much light to go through it. Weaved threads adorn and diffuse The dark of her figured being. Soothing gentle breezes waiver her hair, Fulfill and spread open her spirit. Discrepancies are in her fabric, Close and untouchable, they are her partings. Pose and demeanour offer a hint of transparency, Pensive. Translucence is mysterious Transparency is exclusive

Patrick Custo-Blanch 1st Year, Professional Photography Subjective Art in Motion, 2014 Digital photograph 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm

Motion: a key element in our daily lives. We experience it periodically and shall continue to do so until our last breath. Because this is a constant and inevitable part of our life, it is not cherished as much as it most probably should be. In part one of my series Subjective Art in Motion, I express movement in an abstract way through a series of photographs. This allows the viewer to think about what motion means to them since it doesn’t necessarily evoke the same reaction in all of us, hence, “Subjective Art in Motion”. Like brush strokes on a blank canvas, these abstract shapes and forms aren’t about the representation of the object itself, but how it was transformed from its raw elements (paint, brush, canvas) by the simple act of motion. Without this very element, life would not be what it is today. Why not embrace transformation to its fullest?

Katherine Badalone

2nd year, CALL Full Moon: In Which Our Protagonist Undergoes an Alarming Transformation, 2014 Prose

With a weary, wary look at the rapidly darkening sky above him, our protagonist makes his way to his safe house created entirely for this reason: the full moon is tonight. He doesn't have much more time, he had forgotten that tonight was the night. His last thought before the rays of the full moon overtake him is that he really should get a calendar. “Oh, Jim! Thank God you're here, we have a ton of paperwork to do, and Toby needs help with his signatures,” Linda The Secretary says, pointing at a cubicle. The man named Jim adjusts his haphazard tie with fumbling fingers, gives a small nod. “Oh, let me help you with that,” Linda The Secretary adds with a small click of her tongue. Jim refuses to lift his neck even as she loops the tie around. “There we go,” she says, patting the newly tied strip of fabric down. “All good.” Jim looks away and licks his lips, awkward. His hands don't know what to do, and he settles on stuffing them in the pockets of his too-large suit. Linda The Secretary lingers close to him for a few moments longer, expecting some sort of form of thanks. When she doesn't get it, she just huffs at him and says, “As usual. I cover for you, you don't thank me. I tie your tie, you don't thank me. You agree to go on that date with me, you don't even show up!” Jim squats and bares his neck before moving in to lick her lips.

Jim does as asked, grabbing the papers between two hands. With painstaking precision, he places them down on the other desk, grabs a pen the way a toddler would a crayon. Then, tongue sticking out, completely focused on his task, he begins to write. Twenty seconds of furious scribbling ensue before he spins around in his rotating chair, rolls over to Toby, and offers the paper to him. “God, your writing is terrible as always,” he says as he scans the page. “I'm just gonna assume this is right, because I don't have any time to try and understand your hieroglyphics.” He stamps the page, sets it aside. “Good job.” Jim practically bounces off his chair and bares his stomach. Toby sighs and pats it. Pleased, Jim spins around and rushes to fill in the next ones. The rest of the night is a blur of paperwork, office chairs, caffeine, and resigned belly rubs. Jim parts from Toby at the crack of dawn, and thankfully Linda is nowhere to be found as he leaves the cubicle and races down and out of the building. The next morning, a groggy, bewildered wolf finds himself back in the woods with a suit jacket draped over his haunches and a calendar under his paws.

Linda frowns down at him before flinching away and saying something Jim doesn’t hear in his current state of submissive apology. He crabwalks away to the cubicle Linda had mentioned earlier, back never facing her, still squatting. Once he gets into the cubicle and makes sure that Linda isn't paying any attention to him—in ways hostile or otherwise—he turns to Toby and bows slightly. Toby just goes, “Oh okay, you're doing that thing again,” and spins back to his desk. “I don't know how you haven't been fired yet, but it's a good thing you're here now. Finish these papers, why don't you?”

Alexi Dagher Support Staff Trans-Formation, 2011 Digital photograph 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm

A clash between virgin nature and human invasion of nature has forever transformed our planet's landscape. On one hand, this transformation has through the years been helpful and quintessential to the evolution of human kind as it contributed to the discovery of new technologies. It has also made everyday life easier. On the other hand, this transformation has been devastating; rain forests have disappeared, cities have been destroyed and relocated, and billions of lives lost. In the case of this photograph, this transformation is both useful and unwelcome. On the bottom right of the image, there is a thin horizontal white line. That line is actually a bridge I had crossed while on a trek in Mexico. To me, that bridge looks like an undesired mole in this landscape, but without it, I would not have been able to witness such a view. The landscape here is transformed forever. Could people have done without this transformation? Most likely yes, but if this bridge did not exist, would I have captured this picture? Definitely not.

Marc-André Brière

Kaia'tanoron Dumoulin Bush

3rd Year, Illustration & Design Transfusion N/A, 2014 Digital painting 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm (see pages 26-27)

3rd Year, Illustration & Design It Happened to a Friend of a Friend of Mine, 2014 Ink on paper, digital painting 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm (see pages 28-29)

Blood transfusions save lives every day, and in some cases, a tainted source ruins lives. No matter what, it does more good than bad and there just isn't enough blood being donated. On top of that, politics get in the way and stop certain individuals from doing so depending on their sexual orientation. This piece tells a story about the spectrum of blood types, from the universal giver O- who after a lifetime of helping finds himself in a hospital bed in need to the universal receiver AB+ who always lived in excess and whose appearance reflects this. In the blood cells are found the memories from each individual’s life in hopes that the value of a second chance is expressed. With the power to save lives in each and everyone one of us, why not exercise it?

This sequence is based on the decomposition of a crow that I observed over the summer.

Alexandra Carr

If death is freedom, why mourn?

It had fallen by an electrical pole in front of the church. Every time I passed, I took note of the changes that took place on and around the body. The second time I passed, I expected swarms of insects as it was very hot and had rained the night before. That was not the case. Do I lack respect? I want to see how form changes: how life transforms. Certain details of the experience are exaggerated for effect. I wanted some spaces to swell and some spaces to release. Is death release and life a prison? According to studies, crows mourn. Did his friends? I didn't see that. I made it up. The fourth time I passed, someone else had left flowers next to the body. Someone mourned him.

3rd Year, Illustration & Design Transmissions, 2014 Mixed media, pen and watercolour, digital painting and collage 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm (see pages 30-31)

It has been a little over a hundred years since the first radio broadcast. It is amazing to think of how far we have come in such a short amount of time. Transmissions have changed our lives; communication over long distances has never been so easy. Information flows from routers to satellites, to servers and cell phones, bringing information from around the world to wherever we may be. It connects every one of us in a way that history has never seen. These signals are being used more and more beyond our own planet, from a video feed sent by the Mars Rover, to an informative video from those on the International Space Station. As these signals travel beyond our world into our solar system and beyond, we broadcast all the minutiae that defines who we are to whomever may be listening. NASA. “Gas Planets”, solarsystem.nasa.gov. N.p. Jan. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Haley Girvan

Naomi Le Guédard

In our world today, we are very focused on getting to where we need to go. In this piece I wish to show that we need to look beyond the distractions of daily life, such as social media, work and petty drama. We are not limited to this reality and we can change things on this earth if we just stopped and stood still for a while. I believe that the future generations are going to be more aware of our earth’s needs and become more in alignment with their true selves. They will become more aware of the world around us and will transcend to a higher state of consciousness. Greed needs to be thrown out the window, the destruction of the planet has to be put to an end and we need to respect all the creatures living on earth today. We need to become more in sync with our own bodies; we need to listen to our emotions rather than what we’ve been told is the right thing to do.

This drawing depicts a human-like being who is in the process of standing up, but held to the ground by various anchor points. My intent in creating this piece was to show what corruption can do to a person, and to illustrate the struggle that comes from trying to be freed from it. But the main question this raises would be: “is it too late?” Will the figure remain bound to a place where he doesn’t truly belong, or will he manage to break free from his bonds? Although blinded by what he was in contact with, he knows where the light is. His head is turned towards the sky, and he remembers the humanity that he used to have. But a change of heart comes with a price, as he is forced to leave pieces of himself behind without knowing if he will succeed.

3rd Year, Illustration & Design The Awakening, 2015 Digital painting 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm (See pages 32-33)

We need to wake up.

1st Year, Illustration & Design Rise, 2014 Graphite on paper 30.6 cm x 27.5 cm (See next page)

Through the act of trying, the figure in this drawing has already accomplished something. He is proving, with each challenge, that he is more human than he ever was. By trying to rise above himself, he is transcending his own past nature through a significant and life-changing transition.

Johan DeNora 2nd Year, CALL I Gave It Back, 2014 Poem

Experiments in Transhumanism The war took my legs. Well, a piece of shrapnel moving at a hundred and twenty metres a second took my legs. You know, now that I think about it; it was the Army that took my legs. I could have kept those useless bone-bags, but someone above me thought it just made more sense to rip them off completely. My legs were taken, and I'll never get them back. My body is incomplete. I am incomplete. “We can give you a second chance.” The idea was novel. “We can give them back to you.” It was too tempting to deny. “We can help you.” I didn't have a choice. It wasn't going to be cheap. Then again, neither were the bills we'd pay for the chair. The new car. The pills. The ramp. The pills. The stay-at-home nurse. The fucking pills. Nothing good is cheap, I guess. They cut me again. I thought I was done with cutting. I was wrong. A scalpel. A blow torch. A saw. A drill. I was a work in progress. I was under construction. Wrap me in yellow tape and throw me in a fucking hole. This would never work. I would never survive.

And then it did, and I was alive. I could walk again. “Its a miracle.” I could swim again. “You're so lucky.” I could play with my kids again. “You deserve this.” I could get out of my house again. “The technology is really just amazing.” I could take care of myself again. “Its too bad the Army won't take you back.” It was great, while it lasted. The pain kicked in hard. So hard I couldn't walk on them. So hard I couldn't stand on them. So hard I couldn't move them. My body was rejecting them, it couldn't take them. It's like it knew they weren't mine. It's like it knew it wasn't me. The pills came back, this time with a new label. They weren't cheap. At first, one a day kept me walking. But eventually, my body asked for more. And the pain came back. I went to two. Then three. Then five. Then ten, just to keep the fucking things. It was never enough. It would never work. I could never keep them. I got desperate.

Twenty-five pills let me crawl to the garage, pain free. The saw. The saw. The saw. These weren't mine. These weren't me. They had to go. I had to fix it. The saw. The saw. The saw. War took my legs. Shrapnel took my legs. The Army took my legs. I took my legs. I got a second chance. I gave it back.

Student teams: Electronics Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Industrial Design, Cinema-Communications, Community Recreation Leadership Training, Illustration & Design, Visual Arts Students overseen by Melanie Matthews (Faculty, CTD), Frank Mulvey (Faculty, Fine Arts, Illustration & Design), Joel Trudeau (Faculty, Physics) TransLuminal, Beyond the Speed of Light, 2015 LED light box, digital composite on film, acrylic paint on acetate 155 cm x 310 cm

TransLuminal is a multilayered, illuminated mural that explores the delineation of boundaries and the movement beyond them. Light provides the conceptual framework for the exploration through its origins in the Cosmos, its spectral properties and diverse symbolisms. The parameters are outlined by real scientific data and theory—interpreted through image transfer, the application of paint, texture, and other media on Plexiglas and Mylar, one layer over the other—and reinterpreted through the interactions and reflections of the many individuals who contribute to its co-creation. The scale of the collaboration is made explicit in the penultimate layer, which consists of a grid of 200, 6x6 inch sections each painted by a member of the Dawson Community. In all stages of production, from the construction of the light box to the filming of the documentary, TransLuminal seeks to evoke hallmarks of the S.P.A.C.E. initiative. It is rooted in disciplines but enlarged through interdisciplinary collaboration. Its content is both rigorously directed and organically emergent. It provides challenges that draw on expert knowledge while being generally accessible to all. It incorporates mentorship and facilitation so that enrichment of student learning and community engagement can be placed at the heart of the endeavour, enriching the Dawson culture. The TransLuminal project aims to set light to another spectrum of what is possible in S.P.A.C.E. The conception of TransLuminal graphs a union of precision science and creative expression. It begins by recognizing that the known universe has a boundary and that what lies outside can be an invitation to speculate, and to wonder. The base layer demarks the boundary and consists of sampling data taken from an all-sky survey of galaxies in our local universe that spans a mere 370 million light years. The origins of such galactic structure can be traced further back, through eons of cosmic time, by measuring tiny temperature fluctuations in an otherwise uniform primordial radiation permeating the observable universe. Though very cold now, this first light, whose temperature variations are integrated into the base layer in the form of color variations, was once unbound from a roiling plasma of particles only 370,000 years after the Big Bang. Significantly, this time, when light was released, marks a transition from an opaque to a transparent universe. Subsequent layers exploit opacity in combination with colour 38

and texture to convey the complexities of deciphering such phenomena and to create interesting visual effects through the refraction of the underlying light source. Contributions from the many collaborators in the Dawson community imbue TransLuminal with other layers of meaning. A majority of the sections were generated from a structured game of chance and facilitated creative expression. Spinning a wheel and flipping a card randomly assigned individual palettes of colour and texture to guarantee that the predetermined spectrum of painted sections was achieved. After painting, participants were directed to reflect on their TransLuminal experience with short texts. Following a data-inspired web of dark matter and galactic magnetic field lines, these texts will be used to transform the piece during the exhibition and thread together new, discovered meanings of the TransLuminal concept. So what does it mean to be TransLuminal? To cross this boundary of physical law requires a leap of imagination. While each contribution, as a signature to the piece, is a single leap into that unknown outer outer space beyond the known universe, when illuminated together they fuse into larger answers to the question. This can be observed in each technical and creative process instrumental to the creation of TransLuminal, for we are capable of so much more in communion with others than when left alone to ponder the vast voids and undulations of our life in the Cosmos. Conception: Melanie Matthews, Joel Trudeau To view more on this project, visit space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ exhibits/summary/the_trans_exhibition

Light-box team: Nadav Ami1, Alex Boivin2, Alex Levy3, Lisa Vander Plaetse3 The â&#x20AC;&#x153;making ofâ&#x20AC;? video: Nicholas Gertler4, Gabrielle Sorel4 Community Engagement: Jasmine Brien5, Carole Courbet6, Arielle Champetier6, Jessica Christensen6, Jessica DiBartolo Rouillier6, Marcus Joncas-Dillon6, Andrew Katz7 (Faculty), Vincent Krauss6, Darlene Lasiuk5, Francois Marier6, Alexxandra Moran6, Rachel Pepin6, Kevin Reda6, Ursula Sommerer10 (Support Staff).

Student artists (art-making process): Flavie Baumans9 , Indiana Brierley9, Micaela Calvo Granados9, Andrea Cheung9, Elisa Cura9, Michelle Desruisseaux9, Jasmine Faye Freitas9, Rui Lin Hane (Amy)9, Youseff Labssori9, Denis Aurelian Mocanu9, Eul Hee Park10, Dinahmaryann Ranieri9, Darcy Roop9, Evdokia Veikos9, Jing Yuan Xing9, Alain-Jasper Ziade9. Thanks to all additional participants. Electronics Engineering Technology, 2Mechanical Engineering Technology, 3Industrial Design, 4Cinema-Communications, 5 External Volunteer, 6Community Recreation Leadership Training, 7 English, 8Support Staff, 9Illustration & Design, 10Visual Arts. 1

Kim Berlinguette 2nd Year, Visual Arts Aqua, 2015 Acrylic on canvas 91.4 cm x 45.7 cm

Aqua expresses one of the many forms that water can create and presents an experience that the human eye is unable to explore on its own. This work was inspired by the photographic technique that captures the transition of water when it is being disturbed. Such photography gives access to the interesting details and shapes that happen too fast to perceive without technological intervention. With multiple studies and observations of the subject matter, I have developed my own interpretation of such energetic movement. A variety of blues and greens used in this painting helps to create the transition and flow of water. Highlights and shading are also used to create depth within the work. The movement of the splashing was represented sideways to go against the force of gravity. Such a presentation transforms a naturally occurring phenomenon into abstraction and transforms the representation of water into an artwork. 40

Raymond Boucher

Administration, Director of Student Services Gender Neutral Washrooms, 2015 Email communication to the Dawson College community

Veronick Santini-Gervais

2nd Year, Social Sciences That Darkened Mirror: Transforming Our Relationship with Water, 2014 Essay (abridged version)

In the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish (circa 18th-16th century BCE), Marduk, a storm god, tears apart Tiamat, a water goddess, and from her body creates the Earth. Her blood flows and pools in the hollows of her back, her thighs and breasts. Rivulets of the briny life-giving waters cut jagged edges and drop into chasms of the ossifying flesh. In the Judeo-Christian creation myth in Genesis, before there was light, God floats above the waters. In Egyptian mythology, the goddess Nun is reflected in the starry oceans of the sky. And in the field of evolutionary theory, lightning struck the oceans and somewhere in this early embryonic fluid a prokaryotic cell emerged. Humankind throughout time has considered water its birthplace and seen our futures as intrinsically linked with it. This principle of unity and change is expressed beautifully in the Suzanne Miller & Allan Paivio Productions performance, Thirst, presented by SPACE here at Dawson on October 16, 2014. I attended with my Introduction to World Religions class, taught by Ivan Freud, and watched enthralled as the performers, Suzanne Miller and Magali Stoll, danced through the three states of water: solid, liquid, and gas. Originally locked together in a tight embrace, the dancers begin as personifying ice, every movement creating a fissure in the hard surface. Moving apart and using props such as plastic sheets, Miller and Stoll created liquid water’s movement, and eventually end the performance in the gaseous state. Water retained its molecular formula, however, as the dancers were unchanging even in their different guises. Entities that seemed entirely separate proved to be the same or at least moved according to the same principles. An analogy can be made here to religion and science. For thousands of years in South-East Asia, practitioners of Hindu faiths have taught, “Atman is Brahman”––i.e. the individual soul is the universal soul. There is no spiritual distinction between you, me and the big blue sea. Similarly, in physics there is the quantum reality. In quantum reality, we are all energy and connected by a field of energy. The separateness we perceive between each other and between ourselves and the planet is an illusion.

So what does this insight mean for our relationship with the environment, and more specifically, with water? Let us take a closer look at Thirst, which raised awareness of both the miracle of water and the increasing scarcity of drinking water. A distinct theme in the performance is waste. Take a sequence when Magali Stoll continues her dance on the floor level and Suzanne Miller climbs up a ladder with a filled plastic water bottle. She takes gulps of the liquid, pauses, laughs and sprays it all over the stage from her mouth. The wasteful, drunken-like spectacle continues for several minutes, until the “bottle” (a metaphor for our planet) is emptied and Miller crumples and disposes of it. Miller’s performance can be interpreted as the present wastefulness in water-affluent countries (like Canada). We are drunk on water and are foolish for wasting such a precious resource. Simultaneously, the performance can speak of humanity’s destructive relationship with plastic. Perhaps Miller is in fact choking on the plastic, which is now in every water source in the world, including our oceans. (See recent Mission Blue documentary on Netflix.) Anything that we do to water, whether it is the source of Montreal’s drinking water or the Indian Ocean, we ultimately do to ourselves. We are bound together. We are inter-dependent. And we are co-creators of our future. Let us gaze into the depths and find the mirror there. The excerpt above is from a more extensive text that can be found online at: space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ exhibits/ summary/the_trans_exhibition

Elena Vegas

3rd Year, Illustration & Design Dragon Gate Legend, 2014 Pencil and ink on paper, digitally coloured 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm

In Chinese folklore, the gods reward koi fish that swim against the current and leap through a gate above a waterfall by turning them into dragons. The story symbolizes perseverance in the face of adversity as well as financial or academic success. Since I am fascinated with notions of transformation in mythology, I took on the challenge of showing one such transformation artistically. I wanted to make the artwork resemble a woodblock print while maintaining my own drawing style. Working on separate papers and combining them digitally made it easier to create a comic book format, and keep each drawing loose and vibrant.

Meghan Dove

1st Year, Graphic Design Transubstantiation, 2014 Prints of scanned blood mounted on canvas Six panels, 20.3 cm x 20.3 cm each

The piece is a cross of blood, built to represent what the Catholic Church believes is the literal transformation of wafer and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The abstract images used suggest words that reflect an adult's perspective of a religious childhood. Most people who are raised strict Catholic in Scotland where the artist's parents are from, kneel at that point in the mass when a priest raises the Eucharist to transform. They were taught that the moment is a miracle and they show respect to their God by averting their eyes. In Canada, where such a practice is not as common, kneeling at that time would elicit giggles from those who prayed in another way. Transubstantiation is the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reflection on that moment of miracle and mockery in her childhood. The image at the top of the cross is transpersonal. The word means to incorporate spiritual experience into modern psychology. In it there are figures kneeling on a bench, observed by people who do not share their faith or see in the same way. What are the neurological effects of bowing to a cross? What are the effects of mocking someone during prayer or being mocked? Transpierce is at the center of things, grey wounds in a chaotic pool of red. Jesus was pierced on the cross and we can use symbolism to pierce into the truth of faith and belief to see how they affect people's behaviour towards others. Religion can make people love, and it can make people kill. Transit and transformation are on either side of the cross. They are abstractions of beliefs being disseminated and spreading from person to person, generation to generation. They reach off the page. Like each repetition of a story, the two images are not the same, just similar. They head in very different directions.

Transitional is below the center piece and is the nature of all things. Some kneel before the host, some stand. The story has been transformed over thousands of years and words once literally carved in stone have eroded with time, though the essence should remain the same. It should but does it? Are the origins of some lessons so far removed from today that we forgot why they were taught and does that change how we apply them in these modern times? Does it matter that some people no longer kneel? Do the faithful have faith in the same things that disciples of the original religion did? Transillumination is the base of the cross. In medicine it is the process of shining light through tissue samples or through body parts themselves to gain knowledge. With each of these images the artist tried to shine light on her own spiritual truth and to inspire others to do the same.

Christopher Forsyth

1st Year, Professional Photography Montréal Metro Project - De La Savane, 2014 Digital photography 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm

Comprised of 68 stations, Montreal’s iconic metro system is central to how the island circulates. Transporting upwards of one million passengers daily, Jean Drapeau said himself, “Montreal cannot survive as a metropolis without a subway.” From the beginning, involvement of hand-picked architects played a key role in making the system what it is today. Each station was uniquely designed by a different architect. Over time, as new stations were added to the various lines, the system developed into an internationally prized microcosm of architecture styles. From modern to post-modern, to contemporary architecture of the twenty-first century, the metro system is about more than simply physical transportation from point A to point B. It represents transition and visual transportation through various periods of architecture and design. Martins-Manteiga, John. Metro: Design in Motion = Métro: Le Design En Mouvement. Toronto: Dominion Modern, 2011. 26. Print. 46

Ursula Sommerer Dawson Support Staff In-transit: the Clarion Call, 2013 Digital photography 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm

In-Transit has two clear and somewhat incompatible and incongruous meanings: for buses, in-transit means no one can get on or off—the bus is not in service; for people, in-transit means going somewhere—they are on a mission! Typically, a clarion call is a compellingly clear call, to action. Clarion Alley in San Francisco is chock-full of socio-political graffiti. The alley’s main theme is transitioning to freedom from social, political, sexual, economic, regional and racial constraints, and the weight of this implicit slavery to mainstream norms and standards. This state of slavery is the transit bus to nowhere—we can get caught on it almost unbeknownst to ourselves and how we get on is never fully known. Heeding the clarion call and transitioning to freedom, shows the mission path and reveals the door of life at just the right moment—and she slips through almost unnoticed.

Joey HĂŠbert

1st Year, Illustration & Design Masquerade, 2015 Ink on paper 9.9 cm x 25.8 cm

We often find ourselves wearing â&#x20AC;&#x153;masksâ&#x20AC;? to meet certain social situations, and in the process, only show a modicum of our true selves. This work is an example of that notion in an extreme sense, where the mask consumes us in the end, transforming us into personae of our own creation. The absence of the pupils and irises in these masked figures signifies the absence of the soul; the absence of self. Each of the masked figures is an embodiment of one of the seven deadly sins. The lion represents pride. It is the only character that has its pupils, as it is still undergoing transformation, prideful of its true self and roaring in protest. The formal attire, perhaps funerary, may signify that the transformation or transition is a form of death. As we continuously masquerade donning the same masks, we transform into other personae, losing something of ourselves.

Catherine Gagnon

2nd Year, Visual Arts Transition, 2014 Plexiglas, plywood, mixed-media drawings 86 cm x 182 cm x 22.9 cm

During the course of an entire semester, I was asked to produce drawings on a weekly basis. As the end of the semester neared, my final project was to combine all these works in any way I desired. I sought to create a work that embodied the transition I experienced throughout that semester, and that I continually experience as an artist. While each work is an individual extension of myself, together they become a harmonious whole interdependent on each other. By collaging my drawings on three sheets of suspended Plexiglas and allowing light to pour in from above, aspects of each drawing bleed into the adjacent images both literally and metaphorically. This allows my installation to become a tangible representation of time and change. In the literal sense, the lighting and the transparent materials link the layered drawings together. Metaphorically, because producing art truly is a chain reaction, where all ideas are born out of previous ones and always lead to new ones.

Ali Byers, Yana Iossel, Katrina McGaughey, Violet Pask, Carole Anne Williams Students overseen by Kristopher Woofter, Faculty, English The American Gothic: a Trans–discourse, 2015 Essay series

In the spirit of this year’s Space theme on Trans-, I asked a group of students from my American Gothic English Reflections course to share their work on one of the 20th century’s most interesting hybrid works, Truman Capote’s 1966 novel, In Cold Blood. I teach the Gothic less as a genre than as a discourse that offers a transgressive mode of expression for authors, filmmakers and artists. This mode challenges the boundaries of the mundane realities of our lives with a Gothic awareness in a way that might open up possibilities for critique. The American Gothic in particular, from its first fictional publication in 1798 by Charles Brockden-Brown, Wieland; or, the Transformation, has offered a psychically-charged reality, tinctured by or crossed with the irrational, the emotional, and the nightmarish. American Gothic artists concern themselves with exploring the darker realities underscoring America’s origins in a conflicted cocktail of Puritanical dread and Enlightenment thinking. The American Gothic, from its origins to popular cycles like film noir, the detective novel, and crime television, is a trans- discourse. Its main concepts and conceits—the uncanny, spectrality, abjection, dread, yearning, and eruptions of violence—and their infiltrating of the mundane speak to a critical collapsing of the moral, ethical, political, and social “certainties” that undergird the philosophy of the United States. In one section of the course, we discuss the concept of Gothic documentary, or “gothumentary,” my (2012) term for a strain of recent documentaries from the late 20th century that cross conventions and representational strategies of horror and the gothic with documentary to offer a picture of an America that is haunted by the specters of a brutal past, unsure and anxious about its present, and in dread of the possibilities of the future. In this trans- context, we study the 1999 docu-fiction film, Wisconsin Death Trip, an uncanny anecdotal evocation of Midwest America at the turn of the 20th century where the breakout of a seemingly inexplicable epidemic of mass violence, madness and mania horrifyingly disrupts the order of a small community to belie deeper truths about America as a space haunted by longing for something more—a promise of an American Dream unfulfilled.

The text you are about to read is the product of an assignment that asked Reflections students, in groups of six, to take on a work parallel to the course readings that only they would read, doing their own analysis, creating a semester-long Weblog discussion, and finally presenting their conclusions in class. This group reads Capote’s docu-fictional novel within a context of documentary works that speak to what Eric Savoy calls a “darkly hypothetical” reality. These students’ work captures Capote’s Gothic interest in unsettling the real, and in illuminating the contingencies of the past and present to open up cultural critique. Kristopher Woofer Class: American Gothic (Reflections course) Ali Byers: 1rst year, Environmental Studies Yana Iossel: 1rst year, Psychology Katrina McGaughey: 1rst year, CALL (Language Profile) Violet Pask: 1rst year, Cinema Video Communications Carole Anne Williams: 1rst read, Health Sciences Trans– discourse in Truman Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’, 2015 VIOLET - Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood seems to fit perfectly with the S.P.A.C.E. theme of this year: Trans-. Trans-, to me, as an prefix, before being attached to any word, hints of crossings over, of blurred boundaries, of lines being crossed or erased. It challenges our inherent sense of category, of things having their place, which is what I have attempted to describe in my essay on Capote’s In Cold Blood. This “non-fiction novel” inherently challenges boundaries even as a genre, where the lines between fact and fiction are blurred. The novel speaks to this theme in its inability to give answers to the questions it seeks to understand, which reflects on a larger scale, our inability as a species to accept our limitations in understanding. In Cold Blood serves as a crossing of a boundary, but into the unknown. It blurs the lines between fact and fiction, and in doing so, questions our ability to truly know.

CAROLE-ANNE - In Cold Blood is Capote’s search for meaning in a violent crime; an attempt to find order and reason in senseless violence. The discussion on how accurate Capote’s interpretation succeeds in being is not often brought up because it complicates the events even further; it is easier to accept Capote’s version of events as the absolute truth and analyze from there. The question of the accuracy of his text is never resolved and it looms over the reader as they read the omniscient perspective, the minute details of the text and Capote’s obvious bias in favor of one of the murderers. It leaves readers in an uncanny state of limbo, of mistrust, asking the question, “How do we know what we know?”

killers, the victims, and the crime itself. While giving insight into the characters, the house and its role in the text brings into question the role violence plays in a society where the American Dream is the ideal. To view these items in their entirety, visit space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ exhibits/summary/the_trans_exhibition

KATRINA - Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is a very American novel, showing the two sides of the American dream. In my essay, I explore the implications and untruths of the American Dream. Everyone wants to live the American Dream; however Capote shows that there can be extreme violence in order for some to fulfill their idea of the American Dream. Truman Capote explores the question of whether the American dream is actually a realistic goal or not, as well as the theme of nature versus nurture when it comes to violence. YANA - “The Morality of a Crime Committed In Cold Blood” discusses the inherent nature of violence. Capote’s In Cold Blood follows the gothumentary prototype by describing facts through a lens which allows the gothic undertones of the event to become prevalent. The events at the Clutter house, as eerily depicted by Truman Capote, offer perspective into human nature and force instropection in the reader when presenting the ultimate question: “What brings a man to murder?”. ALI – The Gothic uses the haunted house trope as a space of reflection and manifestation of the subject’s psyche. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood uses this idea to enhance the meaning and understanding of the seemingly senseless but unquestionably violent crime depicted in the novel. The house is extremely present throughout the novel as a psychic space and gives a deeper understanding of the

Karyna Cuffaro

2nd Year, CALL Use My Heart As Currency, 2014 Poem

Use my heart as currency, make a transaction for a transfer from there to here. Transform sadness into miles and ride them home. Use transit to translate those miles into minutes away from me. The line between us is transparent but large, transpose it onto paper and let's rip it up. Your love is transatlantic, my love is transverse across that great ocean. The doorbell rings, I'm transfixed at the sight of the man in the door who is not you. You have transgressed. I am translucent.

Jasmine Faye Freitas 1st Year, Illustration & Design Crystallize, 2015 Watercolour on cut paper 50 cm x 65 cm

My piece is based on the word “transpierce”. The definition of transpierce is simply to pierce through someone or something. I took this word and used it to show something both literal and metaphoric. In my piece the crystals which pierce the young woman's torso are meant to signify the anxieties that she faces daily, showing a physical representation of the sharp pain felt in the chest and stomach when experiencing anxiety or an anxiety attack. The bases of the crystals on her back are to show the weight and heaviness that accompanies anxiety disorders, always there in the background. Anxiety is something many people face every day and can hinder a person’s life. Most people experience some form of anxiety and others face crippling anxiety that can stop them from doing the things they love. Awareness needs to be spread that not everyone can cope with these feelings in the same way.

Esther Calixte-BĂŠa 1st Year, Visual Arts The Battle, 2015 Acrylic on canvas 40.6 cm x 30.5 cm

The name of my painting is called The Battle. Although my art piece does not look like a fight, it is meant to express a battle going on inside ourselves. The crow represents evil or simply all that is negative and the yellow bird represents happiness, good and all that is positive. You can look at this art piece in two different ways: either the crow is transforming into the yellow bird or the other way around. The animal is going into a transition where it has to pick a side. This reflects experiences in life that prompt you make a final decision and that may even change your destiny and who you are. The battle creates an illusion that makes it seem like the yellow bird will win because it is the brighter side and the side that stands out the most, but notice the bird has the head of a crow. The transformation (or transition) is not yet complete, and may never be.

Maude Hallé 2nd Year, Visual Arts Trans-Fat, 2014 Silkscreen 40 cm x 27 cm

America's modes of production gave birth to Trans-Fats, which are a type of unsaturated fat that can only be created artificially. As has been proven scientifically, Trans-Fats are useless for the body and their ingestion can easily lead to weight gain. This print illustrates what comes to people's minds when they think of “Trans-Fat”. Some examples include images of fast food (pizza, French fries, ribs, cakes), obesity and lack of exercise. For this piece, I chose to represent an overweight man holding a burger because I think it is an image that clearly illustrates the theme of overconsumption. My intention was to create a strong graphic image that powerfully expresses the theme. The framing is voluntarily cropped to highlight the character's corpulence. The colour scheme is meant to evoke the notion of grease.

Scott Millar

Faculty, Interior Design, architect 14,000 VOLTS TO 19 VOLTS, 2014 Digital photography 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm

Last summer, in a period of 8 days, I unconsciously documented with photographs, the path of the electricity that silently comes to my home, from its water source, to my computer. Taking a walk at dusk near a Hydro Quebec dam I was struck by the stillness of the water on the high side of the dam and by the power of the water rushing out on the low side. There is a transfer of energy from the kinetic energy of falling water (that turns the turbines of a generator) to electrical power. Transmission lines supported by large steel towers silently leave the dam and carry electrical energy at 14,000 Volts toward substations. There is some spillage. The power continues on through electrical lines now supported by round wood poles. Pole mounted transformers bring the electrical power down and send it to my home at 100 to 240 Volts. A single circuit breaker has 120 Volts, a double circuit breaker, 240. My laptop computer has a transformer that brings the 120 Volts down to 19 Volts. I used this laptop to edit those photographs and to send them in to the TRANS- selection committee. From 14,000 Volts to 19 Volts there is a visible path to this invisible energy.

Caleigh Murphy 2nd Year, Visual Arts Tranquil Transit, 2014 Oil on canvas 51 cm x 40 cm

In sharing my artwork with friends and family, I have been told that I seem to posses a modern day version of my great grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills. Not knowing him in life, I inquired more about him and found out that he was a hired artist who would travel the Canadian rails to paint unique and beautiful Canadian landscapes to be used to promote the new travel destination of Lake Louise (Banff, Alberta). His name was Charles W. MacDonald. He owned his own art studio in Montreal until his sudden death in 1981. It got my imagination flowing on how exciting it must have been to travel such great distances that were virtually uninhabited back then, and seeing the feral Canadian wildlife around him. He spent hours on end with an easel in the middle of the woods painting subjects ranging from forest clearings to the Great Rockies. This painting pays homage to his journey and the Canadian transit system that made it possible.

Mike Perstinger

1st Year, 3D Animation & CGI Letters from Kandahar: Transformation through experience, 2009 Emails from Afghanistan

Left: 3 Days no sleep and waiting for a patrol, Zalachan, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, 2009 Above : Speaking with Haji Gul Mohammad, while his grandchildren play, Zalachan, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, 2009

Hello. My name is Mike. I am currently a student in Dawson's 3D Animation and CGI program. I am also a part time soldier, who was deployed with the Canadian Armed Forces to Afghanistan in 2009 and in 2012. Between those two deployments, I experienced many personal transformations––from the excitement of a new place and new experiences all the way to the exhaustion, mental and physical, that living and working in a combat zone brings; also, one could say, I went from a certain naiveté to the realization of harsh reality. I believe I bring a fairly unique perspective to the student body; an experience that a rare few who might have seen conflict in their lives before coming to Dawson could also speak to. Just as one cannot have light without darkness, I think that hearing of conflict and hardship makes us take note of our comfort and privileges. 58

During both deployments, I sent email updates home to friends and family, as an attempt at keeping those folks informed of what I was up to. I wanted them to know what it was like: my joys as well as my hardships. It is two of these emails––one from 2009 and one from 2012––and the transformations evident between them, that I would like to share with you. ... Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:27:17 +0430 Subject: Week Whatever Update Hello once again faithful readers of my on and off updates! My sincere apologies for the gap in my updates, but for the last little while I have been on what can be considered one of the many front lines in this infinitely complex war. It might not be what one would traditionally consider a

front line, with the non-stop shooting and the bombing, although there is quite a lot of that here as well. No, this is the front line of what will hopefully one day be a pacified, peaceful southern Afghanistan. A place where, regular people will feel safe from Taliban influence, terror and intimidation. Well that is the hope at least. In the operation that led to the occupation and construction of a new platoon house, I have seen, heard, smelt and felt what war has become. I have witnessed bad things happen to people on both sides of this conflict and so far I can confirm for you, faithful reader, that I will be very content if I come home and live a normal, uneventful life. I have seen and heard the awesome destructive power that man has harnessed in his never ending struggle to conquer other men. By far the most terrifying of these powers is the artillery. The sheer scope of the sounds that come from shells falling 200 meters away or closer cannot be done justice with a mere written description. One has to experience it to believe it. What is more frightful though is the fact that there is a little voice in the back of your head that tells you that you can never be sure that the round will be on target or on you, until the moment it hits its intended destination. Just a little unnerving it is. As well, I have seen what the weapons we carry can do to the human body when properly used and I have also witnessed what happens when we get hit by one of their mines and I am a bit unsettled at my reaction to it. Whether it be years of watching violence in film or having seen pictures in the past, I find myself oddly desensitized by the sight of it. I am unsure as of yet, if this makes me a bad person or not. I guess only time will tell. For now though, I take comfort in the fact that at least the people that lived here are cautiously returning to the farms that have served to support their families for many years and hopefully one day, they will return to their homes and carry on with a normal life. Well folks till next time, take care and I hope to heard from you, Yours truly, Mike

remember it! Smells like someone is burning poo/garbage/ probably worse than the two previous options. Different place, same smell. By 3 in the morning, I’m fully bombed up on ammo and I have my all too familiar combat gear on, riding in the back of a combat vehicle looking out at the abandoned streets of the city….. Then it hits me. Like a cartoon anvil loosed by the coyote himself. I wasn’t nervous, I wasn’t afraid and it kind of felt like meeting an old friend. A very distinct familiarity and dare I say it, it kind of felt like coming home. I feel comfortable; I’m at ease, no real care in the world. There is no other way to describe what I felt at that moment, than: I was in my element. Now surely the parallel between my last time here and my current circumstances end there, but for just a few minutes, there was a warm fuzzy feeling inside me that said: “This is where you belong.” The scene of kitting up, and going on a foot patrol or getting into a vehicle to go do some interesting things that I had lived day in and day out of my last tour all came back to me. My normal changed back. It’s kind of strange I know, but it reminded me later on of something someone had told me before I left. They had told me that I had unfinished business here and that it was pretty apparent. Well I guess I do have some unfinished business that needed taking care of; maybe I do have some unresolved issues from my last time here. Maybe I should go see someone about it when I get home. If you enjoy hearing about what I’m up to with your busy lives, then think how happy I would be hearing from you guys! (There is only so much I can glean from Facebook stalking all of you in my spare time.) No matter how mundane you think it might be, don’t hesitate to fire an e-mail my way. Cheers, Mike For more of Mike Perstinger’s transformative email communications, visit space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ exhibits/summary/ the_trans_exhibition

Date: Fri, Nov 9, 2012 at 9:39 PM Subject: Week Whatever Update So just over two weeks ago I got on a plane. The end…… Just kidding. So just over two weeks ago I embarked on version 2.0. When the plane doors open, the local flavor slowly starts creeping in and…. Yup, just the way I 59

Yi Lai

3rd Year, Graphic Design Transmitted Disease, 2015 Computer generated image, printed on paper 29.7 cm x 43.2 cm

Transformation generally seems to hold a positive connotation, but with this piece, I wanted to highlight its potentially negative side. The graphics are abstract representations of blood cells becoming more twisted from one to another. These cells are transforming for the worse. When a person is affected by certain diseases, his or her blood cells, body, as well as mind and spirit, go through a transformative process. I wanted to show this transformative process at the smallest scale, because it can be quite startling to see how small changes can affect the big picture. The graphics of the piece were done with computer programming, generated at random instead of controlled by the designer, to illustrate the random transformative effects disease can have on our bodies and lives.

Michael Cichon

2nd Year, AEC Commercial Photography Student Addicted to Love, 2012 Digital photograph 43.2 cm x 27.9 cm

A Trans-Forming Love. Love is a drug that transforms our being. Imagine a modern day Romeo and Juliette traveling as transients, to escape the disapproval of their respective families. Their love for each other is strong, as is their addiction to heroin. Each time they fix a transformation takes place. Can true love survive the transitions?

Student teams: Health/Pure & Applied Science (Research & Development), Illustration & Design, 3D Animation & CGI, Electronics Engineering Technology, Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Literature Students overseen by Joel Trudeau (Faculty, Physics), Meinert Hansen (Faculty, Illustration and Design, 3D Animation & CGI) and Frank Mulvey (Faculty, Illustration & Design, Fine Arts) Translating Science, 2015 Brought to you by SPACEcorp Artworks, artefacts and electronics

From the midâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1950s to the early 1960s, America experienced a golden age of science fiction. During this same period, some of the most powerful visionary illustrations of space travel and futuristic ideals appeared not only in the pulp magazines, but in advertising. Illustrators normally tasked with advertising cigarettes and cars were joining the space race, hired by the aerospace industry to promote the wonders of science and the promise of a bright future. Recruitment of scientists and researchers subsequently reached an all-time high. SPACEcorp is a fictitious corporate name given to the student and faculty collective behind a multi-faceted interdisciplinary project at Dawson College called Translating Science. The illustration component of this project was developed to engage the 3rd-year students in the Illustration and Design Program (I&D) in a collaborative effort with science students, to promote the real projects created at Dawson College. Imagine it as a marketing department teaming up with a science research and development (R&D) team. The I&D students were encouraged to create posters based on the styles of the mid-century science magazine ads, images that promoted the future with positive propaganda. Bold, simple compositions and bright, optimistic colours echo the direct and iconic symbology of the jet-set space-age, translating science into simple, easy-to-understand sales pitches for a fantastic future. The R&D arm of SPACEcorp has its genesis in a set of interconnected projects proposed by 1st and 2nd year science students inspired by space-age ideals. Grounded in disciplines intersecting with their own spheres of interest, they have explored foundational and frontier ideas in fields such as aerospace engineering, neuroscience, medicine, electronics, computer science and data visualization. Collaborating in an environment modelled as a seminar course crossed with a technology incubator, teams of students formed to further develop the proposals over several months. The exhibited project elements constitute a work-in-progress translation of the preliminary findings of these explorations and provide the schematic for future iterations of R&D to be shared in other venues.

The schematic is unified using a simple integrated circuit motif where each component is the kernel of an R&D project. A video tour through a virtual calculator (Minecraft Calculator) constructed in Minecraft with its breadboard analog is connected to a study of the circuitry of the brain (What does a brain do?), which transforms into visual representations of data (CODES) extracted from the Human Connectome Project. The 3D objects connect in parallel. Transplant medicine (Medicine Deciphered, M.D.) is exemplified by a rendering of the heart that pulses and resonates with experiments in sound visualization (Phonon) and signal to a conception of the first colony on Mars (Mars-n) where humanityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transition to being an interplanetary species holds promise for positive change here on Earth. Lastly, the Big Picture project visually expresses the potential of science and education to transform the developing world and invokes the mid-century ideals that optimistically unite hearts with minds. The focus is on how providing solar powered lighting can aid youth in their studies in remote locations. The completed circuit of all components of the Translating Science project diagrams a fantastic future for all students engaged in the enterprise of translating science, and beckons viewers to join this undertaking. For more information on these projects, visit space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ exhibits/summary/the_trans_exhibition

Logo created by Meinert Hansen. It incorporates the Eurostile typeface (created in 1962), slightly modified in scale. The atomic symbol was a familiar pictogram of the 1960s, and the “industrial science orange” evokes the “look” of multiple science industry logos of that time.

Illustration & Design: Raksana Aganisianets, Chelsea Alsbury, Jan Vimar Aguas Amameda, Kaitlin Annett, Sofiya Bakirova, Gabor Bata, Camille Beaudoin, Laurie-Ann Bech, Jc Joelle Bituin, Catherine Braun-Grenier, Marc-André Brière, Jacqueline Bush, Kaiatanoron Bush, Patrick Callahan, Alexandra Carr, Alexandra Charbonneau, Ros-Jeannine Chea, Kamila Chemodanova, Carling Cheng, Dylan Cooney, Courtney Coons, Ying Ding, Tranissa Eisan, Annette Fan-Zhu, Nicole Fisher, Steven Gee, Veronica Giannini, Haley Girvan, Laryssa Grechan, Taylor Guarda, Sonia Haase, Ali Hassanein, Sara Hum, Alexandre Marini, Jennifer Ng, Jinan Paquin, Eunsol Park, Mony Pich, Alexandra Poulin, Roxanne Proulx, Xenia Rassolova, Elyana Scerbo-Pasta, Symba Sealy, Josianne St-Pierre, Michelle Steben, Josiane Tremblay, Sarah Vatne, Elena Vegas, Nadia Verkouteren, Ashlyn Vo, Vanessa Wall. Health Science Mazzn Ali, Zahra Altalibi, Anindyo Chakraborty, Emily Chiovitti, Justin Cuffaro, Catherine Engel, Anne-Marie Langlois, Marissa Le Gallee, Emma Katz, Rachel Medvedev, Cristina Pop, Salima Ramdani, Freddie Ramirez, Rusaila Shakhtur-Alqawasma, Georgia Stavrakis, Jonathan Zlotnik

Pure & Applied Science (Research & Development) Francis Binette, Jonathan Boretsky, George Vlad Calapod, Iana Chtro, Xuan Dai, Samrat Debroy, Ayoub El Hanchi, Nafisa Husein, Mitchell Keeley, Jake McKinnell, Isa Nanic, Jean-Olivier Normandeau, Petia Pavlova, Tharsan Ponnampalam, Michael Ralph, Julie Schneiderman, Leif Truesdale, Chaitanya Varier, Leen Yamani, Rigel Zifkin 3D Animation & CGI Sascha Kavanagh-Sommerer Electronics Engineering Technology Nadav Ami Industrial Design Alex Levy Mechanical Engineering Technology Alex Boivin Literature Matthew Liberman

Marcia Massa

Visual Artist Trans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Parent / Silent Transfer (To my daughters, Anile & Sonja Prakash), 2014 Unfired clay, Mylar, rusted metal, wood, paint 7.6 cm x 38 cm x 38 cm

... transformed by their birth ... transfixed by their gaze ... transported by their smile ... transparent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; invisible gift

Alexia McKindsey

1st Year, Visual Arts Between Layers of Transparency, 2015 Pencil, watercolour, tracing paper 51 cm x 55 cm

Just as a transparent object would allow its contents to be distinctly seen by a passage of light, transparency in terms of human nature allows oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughts, feelings or motives to be easily perceived.

When considering our unique transparencies, I wanted to juxtapose both sides: the vague against the apparent, thus emphasizing the idea that the concealed may be just as revealing to those who can see through the faĂ§ade.

Putting ourselves forward and communicating openly with others reveals certain aspects of our personality. This can be a little intimidating. Just as one may shy away from a camera, some prefer to keep their true selves hidden, their perception and feelings a mystery to others. Others may sway towards the overt, readily putting forth their thoughts and emotions.

By viewing the transparencies in others, we get a sense of what that person is really about. Some are easier to read, regardless of the barriers they put up or how forthcoming they may be. This notion not only helps us assess one another, but also contributes to how we perceive the world around us.

Eul Hee Park

2nd Year, Visual Arts Comfort Women, 2014 Hydrostone, acrylic colours, pouring medium 44 cm x 33 cm x 33 cm

The sculpture represents the transmutation of the lives of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army. They were called Comfort Women, before and during World War II. The art piece is composed of two parts, one being the flower and the other being the three pistils of the flower, which are in the form of a woman’s hand. The flower— the Rose of Sharon, the national flower of Korea, symbolizes the miserable life of the Comfort Woman during the war. “Each comfort woman served several men—up to 10—on a normal day, but the number would sharply increase shortly before and after each combat operation. On such days, each woman was forced to serve 30 to 40 men per day.” (Wininger) The three pistils demonstrate the lineage of the war victims. Each pistil is a representation of comfort women in different generations. The first hand, a hand of a teenager, represents young women who were helplessly abducted from their homes to join the army not as soldiers, but to serve as “Comfort Women”. The second hand represents women in their furious twenties, who are grown and matured but incapable of refusing to take the role of a “Comfort Woman”. Lastly, the third hand depicts the former “Comfort Women” who are still “bleeding” from all the traumatizing incidents that they went through until today. Nothing can compensate these victims except for the heartfelt apology from their assailants, and they are still waiting for it. I would like to dedicate this artwork to all “Comfort Women” for their sacrifices. Wininger, Jessica. “Broken Bodies, Shattered Dreams: The Aftermath of a Life as a Korean “Comfort Woman.” The Gettysburg Historical Journal 2.1 (2003). Web. 5 Feb. 2015.

Mony Pich

3rd Year, Illustration & Design Beyond the Frame, 2015 Acrylic, graphite and colour pencil 51 cm x 28 cm

We all have and wear our own unique armour, the shell in which we shield ourselves from the slings and arrows which seem to choose us as their target. Some are battle worn, having endured much, but also serve as a symbol of wisdom and experience. My piece explores the theme of Transcendence. With endurance and experience, we continually learn and evolve. The armour is representative of this, with arrows having pierced its metal. Defeat and hardship solidify the spirit and with enough time we learn to open ourselves up. Rather than being used to inflict harm, the sword in my piece symbolizes a spiritual ritual of sorts. The sword is held justly as it pierces the spirit in an act of acceptance and through this act we transcend our shell. We learn to accept ourselves fully and wholly. We acknowledge defeat and overcome hardships while never forgetting the armour in which we find our roots.

Christopher Laett-Babcock 2nd Year, Liberal Arts In Our Country, 2015 Interactive Text ~5 minutes

In Our Country describes a society that in most respects is similar to ours, except that the setting is a fictional country where the colour of the sky changes once each year. By examining the customs and traditions of an invented holiday that marks such a transformation, I hope to raise questions regarding how our own customs and traditions are formed. By adding one isolated, fantastical element to an otherwise mundane society, we can interact with a vision of a society both foreign and familiar. The element that transforms and distorts the world as we know it (the sky changing colour) is extrapolated and built upon in the organic reactions of the fictional countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inhabitants. Through the existence of traditions that seem a rational reaction to the events of the fictional holiday yet unquestioned as sacred or ancestral by the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inhabitants, it is made possible for us to engage with a society both transformed and wildly different from ours in certain respects, while being naturally similar in others. This simultaneous foreignness and familiarity highlights the absurdity and organic nature of our own customs, whatever they may be. To see this interactive text, visit: space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ exhibits/summary/the_trans_exhibition

Vlad Capota, Emily Comeau, Leah Divinagracia, Emma Dixon-Cahn, Emma Friedl, Daniela Gomez, Emma Kredl, Justin Mah, Jessica Martin, Felix Paillier, Nunziatina Pettinicchio, Sabrina Tiscione, Kyla Winter Cinema-Communications students overseen by Kim Simard, Faculty Trans– Explorations, 2015 Video series Various durations

Transparent, Nunziatina Pettinicchio

Immersion, Justin Mah

In contrast to superficial standards of beauty, Transparent explores the body's capacity to be both elegant and repugnant in its natural state.

Immersion is an experimental video that explores the depth of human suffering through a visual translation of tears.

Kim Simard’s Experimental Film and Video groups have made videos expressing a visual study of a “trans” word of their choice. After having studied historical and contemporary “art film”, many have found inventive ways to engage in the formal aspects of video making. The results show a variety of well-crafted projects inspired by the very wide reaching theme: TRANS–. To view the videos visit: space.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/exhibits/ summary/the_trans_exhibition

Transude, Emily Comeau

Sonrisa, Daniela Gomez

This film reveals what happens when we keep things bottled up inside.

Transfiguration is a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful/subconscious or spiritual state. Sonrisa signifies the dream of a woman concerned with her role in our society.

TRANS FAT, Jessica Martin, Leah Divinagracia, Felix Paillier, Vlad Capota, Emma Kredl

Bienvenue, Kyla Winter

How can you visualize that which cannot be seen? We are constantly concerned with the affect that trans fat has on our bodies, but what does it look like?

Translucent: the use of silent diary film imagery engages audiences in a poetic expression of the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughts. If you look closely, you can see through her bodily presence.

Transport: a Drone, Emma Dixon-Cahn

Whatever I Want, Emma Friedl and Sabrina Tiscione

In this piece, we view spooky lights through the eyes of a midnight traveler.

This is an experimental film featuring the transmission of bodily fluids through the tongue. 71

Laurie-Anne Roux

2nd Year, Professional Photography Transpersonal, 2015 Digital photograph 27.9 cm x 43.2 cm

To be open-minded to the mystical and to the unknown is the key element of a transpersonal experience. It involves spiritual thinking. One can develop the capacity to explore an outer world through a vision of the beyond. This can be achieved by establishing a strong connection with nature where the bond is founded on spiritual beliefs. In some cultures, people associate themselves with specific animals that could represent them in a second life. Faith in the reincarnation of humans intensifies the experience. Transpersonal experience can also be realized through astral traveling and projections of thoughts, either while dreaming or enabled by other mental states. Feelings of freedom, lightness and purity characterize the transpersonal experience.

Carl Mulvey | Frank Mulvey Architect | Faculty, Fine Arts, Illustration & Design #WheelBeeFayMuss, 2015 Experimental writing

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Florence Yee 2nd Year, Visual Arts Komorebi, 2014 Oil on canvas 45.7 cm x 61 cm

Inspired by the work of Impressionists, most prominently Claude Monet, I study the effects of light in our daily lives using contemporary methods, such as the distortion of the sunshine behind the lens of a camera. The soft glow of the colours defies the solid nature of the subject, offering a new vision of a traditional landscape. The brilliance of the light heightens the huesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; saturation and simultaneously skews the shape of the branches and greenery as well. We do not look at such sights for long in reality because it hurts our eyes, but on a canvas, the effects seem innocuous. The familiarity of the subject allows us to swiftly recognize it despite the vague and abstract brushstrokes. Thus, I attempted to depict the

translucence of light filtering through the leaves of a tree in the fall. Although there is no term in English to summarize such an occurrence, there exists a word in Japanese that succinctly describes this phenomenon: Komorebi.

Susan Willcocks

1st Year, Visual Arts Transcending Space; North-East, 2015 Digital photography 21.8 cm x 91.4 cm

Life seems ever-changing, continuously moving from one situation or one state to another. Growing up, for example, is the passage from childhood to adulthood, finding ourselves in unfamiliar territory – be it by choice or by accident. Moving is packing up all our belongings and starting over someplace new. Sometimes our roots stay planted firmly in yesterday’s ground, while we venture forth to grow. Life is built upon transitions and transformations. These changes are how we learn the value of what we have, or had. In the past year, so much has been transformed. I’ve gone from occupying a small place in the country to an even smaller place in the city. I tried not to leave parts of me behind, remaining the same little country girl at heart. As I transfer from the bus to the metro, scurrying along from one concrete building to the next, I know I’m in the right place for the present time. Still, even with this knowledge, I yearn for the weekly trip back to open space. Switching between two very different worlds has made me even more wide-eyed and curious as to my surroundings than before. This piece is about my journey: my transition.

Jules Prud’homme Faculty, Illustration & Design TransMission, 2015 Mixed media 48.3 cm x 28.6 cm x 12.7 cm

Since the beginning of time, everything has been in constant evolution. And movement. Each action leading to another action. Provoking a reaction. Bringing things both unique and repeating, for long or short periods of time, into existence. In some cases, the impact of actions can be brutal, according to our relative referential scale. In others, the impact can be slow, evolutional. Every action is measured on a scale of consequence in the global cycle. Meanwhile, in this changing environment, life in all its forms continues to adapt, to evolve. Our parents, grandparents, and the entire line of ancestors that has led to us living here, now—we are all both the consequence of this adaptation and the transmitters of the past to the future, constantly evolving, biologically, chemically, culturally, emotionally, intellectually, through a stream of experiences, of moments, constantly flowing, time leaving its imprint on our environment, on us, while our actions carry their own ramifications. Life flows from the immediate and distant, carrying the past into the future. The past lives on in the memories left, as much as in the traces of materials and new lives that remain. In this moment in time, we are the next incarnation of the past, its traces a part of us, as we will, one day, be part of the future.

And as always, memories, the laws of action and consequence, evolution, whether biological, cultural, or technological, pave the way ahead. This piece—a series of time-related symbols, objects, and treatments assembled to create a sense of history and structure—references the TransMission we all carry, live, and project forward, as time transitions from the past, and merges into future… Human birth emerges from a basic binary structure. The keys to the future are handed to the next generation, who, through their adaptations, awareness, and responsibility, will open, or lock, the future of the human race, and help forge its history to come. The Head, at top of the piece, symbolizes Life, and could also be read as a Guide, or a Soul. A Light, helping us make our way forward.

Acknowledgments

Gratitude to all individuals and entities listed below

Guidance and assistance to those involved in the project: Neal Armstrong, Nalo Bruce, Alexi Dagher, Nelly Dahan, Guiseppe Di Leo, David Hall, Meinert Hansen, John Glendinning, Julianna Joos, Andrew Katz, Aaron Krishtalka, Maimire Mennasemay, Kenneth Milkman, Frank Mulvey, Kim Simard, Joel Trudeau, Jiri Tucker, George Vaitkunas, Kristopher Woofer, and Sonia Zylberberg Editor, creative director, SPACE and exhibition co-ordinator, additional photography, prepress file preparation: Frank Mulvey Administrative assistance, file management, proofreading: Ursula Sommerer Design elements incorporated into cover design: Chi Deng Graphic design: Catherine Moleski

Dean of Instructional Development:

Barbara Freedman

SSAP Coordinator: Tina Romeo Office of the Director General: Donna Varrica Secretary, Visual Arts Sector Helen Wawrzetz Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery Committee: Andréa Cole, Don Corman, Mary Di Liello, Guiseppe Di Leo, Lauren Goldman, Scott Millar, Frank Mulvey, Luc Parent, Michel Seguin, Cheryl Simon Photographs, scans and digital files: Individual contributors Special thanks to: SPACE committee and advisors, students, faculty, staff and other participants © 2015, Dawson College

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication The TRANS- exhibition / introduction by Maimire Mennasemay, Kenneth Milkman, Aaron Krishtalka and Andrew Katz ; edited by Frank Mulvey. Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, Dawson College, Montréal, Canada from March 26 - April 16, 2015. This exhibition presents a series of takes and interpretations on the “trans--” word theme. Each piece in the exhibition is sparked by a trans-- word, expresses a vision, intuition, or understanding of trans-through the perspectives of individuals who work in different disciplines. ISBN 978-1-55016-643-9 (pbk.) 1. Art, Canadian--Québec (Province)--Montréal--21st century--Exhibitions. I. Mulvey, Frank, 1960-, editor II. Warren G. Flowers Gallery, issuing body, host institution N6547.M65T73 2015

709.714'2807471428

C2015-901345-3