FEB. 2024
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
LE PAPILLON
02
Edition Number
COVER ART: SKYLER WALKER
Editor’s Note d
ear reader,
What is real and what is not? When the laws of the universe begin to spin out of control, when the impossible suddenly becomes possible, when masks crumble and our definition of “normal” is contradicted — is it still reality? Or maybe we have slipped into a dream, another world — one where the only way to understand is to forget what we know as right and wrong. “Through the looking glass” is an expression used to describe the bizarre, mysterious, and unimaginable. Originating from Lewis Carroll’s novel Through the the Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, and and What What Alice Alice Found Found There, There Le Papillon’s second edition challenges the creativity of our artists and writers. With pieces exploring self-discovery and wonder to illusions and fantasy, we hope to confuse you, spark imagination, and test the limits of normalcy. As you fall down the rabbit hole, I leave you with one final question: What do you see see through throughthe thelooking lookingglass? glass? Le Papillon’s Editor-in-Chief, Amanda Chow
WHERE’S THE LINE
BETWEEN REALITY AND
IMAGINATION?
table of
contents One May Even Sexualize an Apple False Stars Through the Dirt to the Gold With Time Lullaby Blue Outside the Box
........... 1 ........... 3 ........... 4
........... 5 ........... 7 ........... 9
Through the Trees
........... 10
Backwards Stagnant Thirst
........... 11 ........... 13
Capitalist Canon
........... 15
Identity and Identifiable Parts 16 ........... 17 One-Way Ticket ........... 19 Forestry Beliefs 21 Through Your Looking Glass ........... 22 Watercolour Dragons A Light in the Dark ........... 23 Through The Looking Glass ........... 24 Requiem Of a Soul ........... 25 ........... 26 Untitled Ms. Hisey’s Class
........... 27
One May Even Sexualize Apple an Louise-Blaise Reniva
If you examine closely, you will notice that the apple is actually the back of a seated woman. The plastic that covers the woman's bottom is meant to symbolize the shame associated with the body part and the idea that everything in our modern world is sexualized. One may even sexualize an apple.
1
2
1. Fal
Beauty and knowledge were what you were after, but all you gained were new monsters to hide under your bed, new shadows to see when you face the looking glass. All you gained was fear and frivolity and faraway friends, and you will never be the same again.
SKI MIN ER SZ
Orange-tinted, languid. The very air is heavy on your heart. Are you blind to the darkness falling, the way I was until I saw that the moon had begun to rise? Too bright, too uniform, false stars fall in line, soldiers at attention against the night sky.
-L U
CY
It comes in a plastic cup, the girl who gave it to you young, her feet bare. Yours are too, but the soles are tougher. You have spent years preparing them for the rocks.
rs ta
is sweet and sickly when you Lareemonade sixteen.
se S
Waves are gentle until they turn against you, and you disguise your terror as hesitation and dip your toes in by the shore. Hesitation is your principle for everything and you will hesitate, hesitate, look before you fall, until one day you realise you’ve hesitated your whole life away.
By now, you think you should have learned how to make friendship bracelets, but you never had the patience to master those sorts of skills. Your summer dress is little armour from the looming world and you are so fragile, and perhaps you were not meant to withstand change. Your throat stings with the lemonade of sixteen summers past.
3
2. photo shows how sometimes “ This you have to look through the branches and leaves to see the beauty in nature. 1
”Darcy Scott
Through the Dirt to the Gold
1
4 1
T
WITH
his piece was made to shed light on the depths of self-healing that POC struggle with while also capturing the beauty within raw beginnings. Each stroke within this work has a tender meaning behind it that reflects the suffocating early stages of a blooming journey, all of which is masked behind the illusion of bright and vibrant colours.
5
SIMAYA DUNCAN
TIME
6
LUCY SZERMINSKI
Lullaby Blue 7
M
y dear girl, you’re lullaby blue! Lift your chin up off that desk. You may not be one in a million, But you are the only one in this school. You are dripping with quicksilver tears, My face is reflected in your despair. So many tiny convex mirrors, I should have brought you a handkerchief.
My dear girl, My whole he You and I, no Is that why y
Brush that ha Your vision i Pinpoint pup But I don’t bla
My dear girl, It’ll wake them And I’m not s I have suspic
I’ve been inverted; ead is the wrong way around. on-superimposable. you’re looking at me funny?
air out of your face! s glassy, all glazed over. ils are lost in your eyes, ame them; so am I.
the alarm bell is ringing, m up if you don’t take care. sure I trust that bed; cions it’ll swallow you whole.
Your chosen poison is oceans of tea, And the way you cling to my offered hand. I should tell you, you always shine, But as a nightlight, not a diamond. My dear girl, you’re twilight blue, And the ocean is steely grey. I promise it’s worth it, hanging on tight. I swear to you that it means something. You always had those rose-petal lips, And winter is cruel for cracking them. Tuck in your frock, keep up your charm, The mirror won’t tell you everything.
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1.
Outside The Box ANONYMOUS
I
n a world where people Confine you, suppress you, into Boxes, expectations You are expected to fulfil In the swirling shrapnel Of people, of work, family They want to order you Like folders in a drawer, perfect In their proper place, no You don’t fit, do you? You’re chaos Among corrupted peace, The clean stain on the dirty wall Yet know, there are others Who don’t live by society’s Natural, normal, right They are the sinners, corruptors Ones who live for themselves, Know that you are strong, survivors A survivor of hate For, you have not only thought, but been Lived, outside of the box.
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“I 2.
feel like this photo represents through the looking glass because certain branches are in focus while others are not. This is similar to our lives because we often completely forget about things that may matter to other people because we are looking from our perspective only.
”
— CHELSEA JENKINS
Through the Trees 10
ba
the world was so big once upon a time and this little girl wanted it all so she put it in a box and mailed it to herself and now i can only see her face take me back take me back take me back there’s a big bathroom mirror that covers the wall hanging above the counter as a reminder or maybe a taunt i can never remember take me back take me back take me back
to when the world was simple to when the world was a window and i loved when the light shone through
take me back take me back take me back if eyes could see why couldn’t i? why couldn’t i know the face staring at me?
11
ackwar ds ANON YM OU S
the sky fell when i saw who i was staring at the big bathroom mirror that covered the wall i saw a face that wasn’t mine the face of a little girl lost to time take me back take me back take me back all those tears couldn’t run right never learned how to fall at night the scars always faded by morning invisible to the eyes take me back take me back take me back
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STAGNANT 13
H umanity is rooted in
mirrors; the ability to reflect, and to change that reflection. But what of those with no humanity left? They are memorialized with stagnant images — paintings of a man-made reflection that do not truly show what is through the looking glass.
SCAR GREWAL
THIRST
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CAPITALIST 1. CANON
T
his sculpture represents the world’s shift from art to function as humanity loses its unique approach to embracing life’s imperfections.
15
RYAN MILDON
i’ll gouge out my eyes if it makes you happy, i won’t change my ways, but i’ll change my face. i’ll hide behind a one-way mirror; i’ll show you what you want to see. i’ll show them what they want to see and i’ll be what they want me to be. the words will change; the name will sway from left to right. just give it time. but don’t be afraid, oh, mom, i’ll find a way to toughen up, just give it time. i’ll cut up my image and serve it to the dinner guests, so they can stare at what they want. i’ll rearrange the letters of my name, and maybe it still fits my mouth. is that enough for you? my face will change, but my ways will stay the same. the words will change, and the name will sway from left to right. just give it enough time. just give me enough time. i’ll show you what you want to see; i’ll show them what they want me to be. or one day, maybe, just maybe, i’ll see who i want to see.
ANONYMOUS
2.
Identifiable Parts
i got tired of all these voices in my head telling me what my life is for, so i left. they told me i would feel something in the end. i guess it’s a knife to the stomach, a gun to the throat, and if they find me, i hope they’ll say, “oh dear, i’m sorry for what you were.”
Idenity &
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One- Way Ticket AMANDA CHOW
i. The rain fell that day like snow, crushed in the palm of my hand. Bitter & unrelenting, the bruises on your back were blossoming flowers of purple & blue. I kiss your skin & wish for a trace of myself to seed within your veins for those cold nights & barren walls. There is a petal on the tip of my tongue & a newborn baby is crying out in the room next door. Can you smell the rot that is your father’s soul or am I unfit for this crater we have built as a sanctuary? Moonlit whispers led to a bleeding sun & we forgot to turn off the bedside lamp, incandescent fire. The train is leaving, but your palm is pressed against my cheek & magic is not real, but there is a small thing known as hope.
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ii. You say your mother is all that you have but then what was the silence we shared; don’t say I am crazy when the cups were shattered into dust & my phone is under the pillow. I am an orphan in the way you are loyal to your blood though it drips from your ears & into my eyes, burning, blistering, I am red & you have turned blind. An excuse or an explanation, your heart is unsure & I risked my years for this, how can everything mean nothing? The train is leaving, but my fists are clenched tight & your eyes are darting back & forth, when did the arrow shoot itself?
iii. My frustration seeps like a teabag & I am aware of the large child in this apartment. To want to be loved is the torture of loving in the first place, who was I to trample on the seedling in the rain? I count the minutes with my fingers & I sit, waiting. Patience is a virtue, but what is patience & what is love & what is the crime of hope, if not the same? I brush over the scabs on your shoulders, reminding you that time can be kind at this moment. The train is leaving, but my fingertips are calloused with promises & I wish not, I hope not, I have been dishonest, please don’t leave with my heart in the cradle of your ribs.
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FORESTRY
Beliefs ALEXANDER TERRENCE ROZARIO
With how advanced
technology has become, it is now satire to take a break from the virtual world. When you finally do, you realize how beautiful every little thing can be — from water droplets on leaves to mountains peaked with snow.
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20
Through
Your
Looking Glass SAM
G 1.
rab your magnifying glass Examine the specimen Observe its sparkling wings Its astonishing colouring Its undeniable beauty Turn on your camera Make sure you’ve got the flash on Observe one aspect of the specimen Record only what you wish to comment on Edit with voice-over Cut out the parts where you sound ignorant “Wait, can the specimen feel this?” We do Your looking glass only shows what you are already aware exists
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“I
used Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolour paints to illustrate these paintings. Dragons are a common fantasy element.
2.
”
Watercolour Dragons CHLOE A.
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A LIGHT IN THE DARK I n "A Light in the Dark," a 1.
person leans on a lamp post, reading a book in the night's quiet. The soft light emphasizes how a book can be like a cozy escape from the real world, offering comfort in the midst of darkness.
Matthew Lynn
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THROUGH The LOOKING GLASS ANONYMOUS
T
2.
he trees are not green to you how they are to me and i cannot reach into your mind to dissect your heart stone crumbles where flowers bloom to perceive beauty in which pain is born an empire is not formed overnight yet excellence became expectation the top step of the stairs peers into the kitchen the bubbling pot is burning through my eyes and i was never mine trapped in this body that does not wait for me like how the world does not stop spinning the chopping of onions but tears don’t drop pure love fed from a knife but i am stitched shut with gold the mirror is weeping frame burning bright red crimson blood fogging and the reflection taints from past to future a voice is made to sing but your chords are dissonant when i look into your soul why is it that i see my own
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1.
REQUIEM OF A SOUL LILY FOLEY
This piece shows how looks can be
deceiving. Skeletons are typically framed as monsters, but they might be more human than you think.
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2.
“T
his piece has to do with one’s self perception. In this case, the character perceives their mind and self as much more colourful than the outside world.
”
ATLAS WAGNER
UNTITLED
26
Ms. Hisey M
s. Hisey’s Grade 11 art class was given an assignment to create an art piece with this edition’s theme. Some of the talented students’ art pieces are displayed in the following pages.
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SIMON SCHREGARDUS
10
’s Class
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Ms. Hisey’s Class
MArissa Perlic
T
29
his piece is an image of a man with a worried expression holding a camera. In the lens, you can see a happier version of himself. This work is meant to represent how you can reach your full potential if you stop repressing bad emotions, showcased by how he can see who he can become through the lens of the camera.
T his piece showcases a man with two “versions” of himself.
The one on the left represents his hidden and darker feelings; he is coloured in a pale blue because blue is the most common colour associated with sadness and calamity. Meanwhile, the one on the right is coloured with yellows and oranges to represent all of the good within him embracing his other self, showcasing acceptance with your true self and how you can’t get rid of all your thoughts or feelings.
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Ms. Hisey’s Class
Talyn-Skye Bell 31
Hannah Moon
Sophia Martin
Emily Tomarin
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OUr sponsor It is only due to the time and support that the MacLaren Art Centre has given to us that we can proudly present Edition Two: Through the Looking Glass. We are especially grateful to Christina Mancuso, who gave us a tour of House for for Sale, Sale an exhibition at the Maclaren Art Centre that ties in deeply with edition two’s theme. The exhibition, by artists Dmitry Gretsky and Eugenia Kats, explores Ontario’s housing crisis and questions ideas of home, acceptance, and what it is like to be an immigrant. With the usage of sound, visuals, and stories from the community, House House for for Sale Saletouched all of our hearts and left us with a newfound sense of what home means. We were also given the opportunity to work with Christina to make posters that would be used as bus advertisements. Without Christina’s patience, guidance, and assistance, we would not have been able to produce the posters as efficiently and effectively. Once again, the team of Le Papillon would like to express our utmost gratitude towards the Maclaren Art Centre for their belief in our magazine and its mission of spreading change and creativity.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Amanda Chow MANAGING EDITOR
Madeline Knapp
HEAD OF DESIGN
Veanna Felisco HEAD OF P.R
Alexandra Murray EDITORIAL TEAM LEADER
Lucy Szerminski SPONSORSHIP MANAGER STAFF FACILITATOR
Chelsea Jenkins
Mr. Lottering
Teams EDITORIAL TEAM
DESIGN TEAM
Louise-Blaise Reniva Adrit Panda Nathan Kup Kay Won Darcy Scott Sam Wilson Estelle Hathaway
Le papillon team
EXECUTIVES
Le Papillon Magazine - Edition Two February 2024