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the carillon | March 27 - May 14, 2014
a&c
Evil Santa is back
Game of Thrones season 4 is coming tatenda chikukwa contributor
April 6 cannot come soon enough! The fourth season of Game of Thrones will be on and everyone in my life will become completely irrelevant for exactly one hour! Last season shocked us with some serious manning’s and killings. Who could forget the jaw dropping Red Wedding or the grotesque slashing of Jamie Lannister’s hand? There are so many alliances’ broken and heroic journeys to be undertaken in this new season. Will this be the season we finally see Daenerys cross the narrow sea to kick ass in Kingslanding? Will we finally see Jon Snow get off his arse and support his brethren at the Wall and beyond? Will we see our pintsized hero (Tyrion) regain his power and influence? Will we see Cersei and Jamie continue to engage in the love so forbidden I dare not speak its name? And we damn sure better see some more white-walker action! Game of Thrones is really becoming like the Walking Dead by hiding all those white walkers! I know there are some people out there too concerned with getting an education or whatever to care for Game of Thrones but for those that do, this day has been a long time coming. When asked why she loved the show, Soutchai Quangtakoune eloquently replied, “Soft porn on TV with battle scenes, treach-
Robyn Tocker There can be only one book. I mean king!
ery, witches, zombies, etc. etc… The many reasons I love watching and will continue to watch!” Game of Thrones is like the cooler, older, juvenile delinquent brother to Lord of the Rings. We are unfortunately given ten episodes a season to divulge into this breath-taking fantasy world. I’ve never understood why HBO continues to set the series like this. There is far too much critical character development and rising action plots in the books. Thankfully we’ve had George R.R. Martin’s wonderful
book series to sustain us between seasons. The first and second books are almost the same as the television show except some character name changes and actions to better translate to television. For example, the character of Renly Baratheon is not presented as outwardly gay in books and there are changes in age to meet TV standards. All in all, nothing too drastic to alter the overall plots of the novels. Engineering student Michelle Kenny is one of those many excited fans that reads the books.
“I think my favorite character is Tyrion, the dwarf. In the book, you see more of his insecure side and his methods of coping. Since he has so much working against him, he’s become outwardly strong and quick witted.” The books are a must-read even if you are not a bookworm. Martin’s writing is easy to read, insanely descriptive and filled with very complex characters. Don’t be intimidated by the thickness of the book. You will meet a cast of very interesting, conflicted, manipulative and se-
ductive characters. The books tell the story from different character viewpoints. Martin excellently writes the different characters mannerisms and personalities. I, like Kenny, enjoy the hilariously funny and comedic narrative of Tyrion Lannister. His sarcastic and satirical word-of-phrase will have you chuckling in the face of death. Currently, there are five books in the series, but Martin has said he could be writing another two. There is some rumor he originally plotted the series as a trilogy so we many never know when the series will end. I just hope the 65-year-old lives long enough to complete the series. Martin has said that the filming is so intense that the series could surpass the books and possibly result in a feature film for the final book(s). Kenny isn’t interested in that at all. “I don’t think I would like the story done in movie form. There is just way too much information to go through in that short amount of time. Honestly, each book could be two seasons if they wanted.” Whether it’s on TV or film, Game of Thrones is absolutely captivating and fascinating. One moment you are rooting for the underdogs and then you’re basking in the glory of the villains’ evil deeds. I suggest you quickly catch up on the series because this season will certainly be the most action-packed and dramatic of them all.
Religious boxes
The Giants’ Dance comes to the MAG lauren neumann contributor
When art strikes you in a way that leaves you questioning the way you see the world around you, and how you fit into its stream, the feeling is hard to ignore or forget. Large questions and grand ideas can leap from the most minimalist form, when the form is concise and done with purpose. Barbara Steinman’s The Giants’ Dance is spending some time in the Mackenzie Art Gallery this year in an exhibit, sharing the same name as her installation. The Montreal-native artist is well-known for her strong conceptual art that embodies themes of social observation, identity, and marginalization. The Giants’ Dance, created in 1989, continues on this theme with bold statement on organized religion and the individual. This chilling piece consists of two monumental installations of close-ups of ciba-chrome photographs that Steinman shot of Montreal graffiti, printed on two tall, slender stained wooden boxes. The sleek boxes
face each other from across the room as though they are paralleling each other - reflections of each other in a distant mirror. But neither box is seeing its true reflection. On one box, the word “iSLam,” – “I am”, is engraved across the top of the image in the glass cover. On the countering box, engraved in the same position as its partner, reads “JESUis”- “Je suis.” “The Giants’ Dance is a substantial work that feels weathered by poor existence. Reminding us that Islam and Judeo-Christian literature both described God originally as ‘I am,’ Steinman is suggesting that, as individuals, we are the same,” wrote curator Cindy Richmond, in her essay Barbara Steinman: Uncertain Moments. “As religio-ethnic nations, we are made to believe self-righteously in our differences, which produces an historical path alternating between order and chaos.” The two boxes, only slightly different, face each other as though they are looking deep into a projection of their own souls. The thick pull between the boxes is felt throughout the
jesuismichelle Islam and Christianity – two religions coming together.
room. You could cut the tension with a knife. Not the tension of two conflicting religions opposing each other, but rather, the thick, magnetic attraction the two images exude. The strong positioning of the two images creates a narrative between the two religions. It’s difficult, as a viewer, to know exactly how to feel in the middle
of this interaction. This installation surpasses the idea of differences in religions and religious groups. They are all the same, as are the people who practice them. The Giants’ Dance questions the true meaning of organized religions. How we define them, how society sees them and how they are polarized. It
observes how belonging to a certain religious group can define you, while both separating and uniting you. These two religions are facing each other in an effortless harmony that transcends the conflict and separation woven deeply into organized religion. The Giants’ Dance will be shown until May 4 and the MacKenzie Art Gallery.