Nouveau Reach: Brock professors bringing luxury studies to Canada

Posted on May 11, 2017 by ainnes

What is luxury and why do we value it?

Depending where you are in the world, luxury can mean many things to many people.

Critical luxury is an emerging field of study in Europe that examines the relations between historical and contemporary ideas of luxury. Now, two Brock University professors are helping to bring it to Canada.

History Professor Jessica Clark and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures Professor Nigel Lezama are co-organizers of the Nouveau Reach: Past, Present and Future of Luxury conference being held this week at Ryerson University.

The conference has brought together more than 30 scholars and industry professionals from around the world to examine the idea of what we consider luxury and why. They’re discussing the rapidly evolving global luxury market and how it impacts Canada.

“I think that we all live with an idea of what luxury is,” says Lezama. “It ranges from a bit of fancy chocolate to an expensive indulgence to time spent with close friends.”

“Critical luxury studies gives us a large box of tools to analyse the things and experiences that we consider luxuries. It allows us to determine where value lies, whether it’s in the thing or experience itself, or whether it’s imposed by systems like capitalism, or an internal system like psychology.”

The critical luxury field crosses a range of disciplines.

“Whether you look at language and signifiers, as Nigel does, or history, as I do, by relating our research back to the theme of ‘luxury,’ we can have dynamic conversations across disciplines,” Clark says.

Participants in the conference include anthropologists, historians, philosophers, media studies experts, fashion scholars, designers, businesspeople and others.

The field of critical luxury studies is a new one. In the past two years, a book by authors Joanne Roberts and John Armitage on the subject, Critical Luxury Studies: Art, Design, and Media was published and the Victorian and Albert Museum mounted an exhibit curated by Jana Scholze called “What is Luxury?”

Last May, the two Brock professors represented the University at a conference in New York, which connected them with other groups of scholars in this emerging field.

Much of the research in the critical luxury field is based in the United Kingdom, but the conference in Toronto this week is a way to bring the conversation to Canada and involve scholars from this country.

“Seeing the international interest in luxury as a field of study first-hand made us wonder what luxury looks like in Canada,” says Lezama. “We realized Canadian scholars and makers had a lot to say on this issue, and we wanted to bring them together, along with the international community of critical luxury scholars.”

The discussion won’t end when the conference is over, says Lezama, as they will be creating the Canadian Luxury Consortium, a group of scholars and industry players invested in continuing the conversation.

The four-day Nouveau Reach conference is organized by Clark and Lezama along with Alison Matthews David, Robert Ott and Dylan Kwacz from Ryerson University. Scholze, Roberts and Armitage will also be in attendance.

Studies in Comparative Literatures and Arts MA student Hayley Rose Malouin​ has helped professors Clark and Lezama. Interdisciplinary Humanities PhD​ candidate Julia Polyck O’Neill will be presenting on “Vancouver’s Monuments and Counter-Monuments to Capital: The Public Artworks of Douglas Coupland and Ken Lum.”

The conference is sponsored in part by Brock’s Humanities Research Institute.

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French student Alex Finlayson wins prestigious national award

Posted on April 26, 2017 by ainnes

Alex Finlayson, a third year Brock student in French Studies and Concurrent Education, was recently awarded the very prestigious 2016-17 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Endowment Fund for Study in a Second Official Language.

Given to only three students from across Canada each year, the award comprises a $7,000 bursary and letter of congratulations and is designed to support second or third year university students studying French or English as a second language.

Receiving the award is an enormous achievement. The rigorous application process includes an essay, documentation of community involvement, plan of study, nomination form, and reference letters. While the award is open to students from any discipline, each university can only put forward one candidate.

We asked Alex about her experience studying French.

What inspired you to study French?
I was offered the chance to join a mid-french immersion program in grade 4 and was very excited about the idea of being able to speak another language.  Nobody else in my family spoke french at the time, so I thought it would be neat to be the only one!

Studying a second language can be intimidating. In your experience, what are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of studying French?
I find that it can definitely be scary to speak French with people for the first time because it’s a little more challenging to improvise in French than in English.  However, it can also feel extremely rewarding to converse with someone in French, particularly when considering all the work that has been put into learning the language.

Has anything surprised you about studying French?
I took another language course in my first year at Brock (Italian) and was surprised at just how easily I was able to pick it up!  Although Italian comes with an entirely new vocabulary, the majority of grammar rules and verb conjugations are very similar to French, which really helped me with the learning process.

This is a prestigious award, with only three students in the country receiving it each year. What motivated you to apply for it?
It was suggested that I apply for this award based on my field of study.  As someone who loves both French and English, I was thrilled to discover such an applicable award.

Can you tell us how you plan to use the scholarship to further your studies?
At this point, the majority of the scholarship has gone towards my tuition at Brock; however, I have also set a portion aside to one day put towards a trip to France.

Finally, do you have any advice for students thinking of studying French at Brock?
I would just say that there are so many opportunities for French students at Brock so try to get involved with as many as possible!

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Visiting Research Chair Kevin White gives the first Marilyn Rose Lecture

Posted on April 12, 2017 by ainnes

The first annual Marilyn Rose Lecture Series was held on March 30 in Sankey Chamber. The lecture series, organized by the Department of English Language and Literature, the Centre for Canadian Studies, and the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, will explore themes and ideas that reflect Rose’s interests.

This year’s lecture was live streamed on our Facebook page and can be viewed at http://www.facebook.com/pg/brockhumanities/videos.

A version of this article appeared March 28th in the Brock News.

Kevin White, Brock-Fulbright Research Chair in Transnational Studies, gave the inaugural Marilyn Rose Lecture with a talk titled “Crossing Borders and Boundaries: Real, Imagined, and Ancient.”

Marilyn Rose, the founding Dean of Brock’s Faculty of Graduate Studies and Professor of English, who passed away in 2015, was a beloved colleague to many people. Now her memory will live on through an annual lecture created in her honour.

“The lecture marks the beginning of a new venture, honouring Dr. Rose and all of her work by building a community around her various academic interests,” says event organizer Professor Gregory Betts.

The annual lecture will be run by the Centre for Canadian Studies, the Department of English, and the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, with some collaboration with the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film. Themes will change each year but will reflect Rose’s own passions, which included detective fiction, national and literary iconography, modern and contemporary poetry and Canadian short fiction.

“These were her principal areas of interest,” says Betts. “This range affords us a great deal of freedom to cover an enormous range of topics, including creative writing.”

The event included a poetry reading by award-winning Nisga’a poet Jordan Abel, who is currently studying for a PhD at Simon Fraser University, where he focuses on digital humanities and Indigenous poetics. He has published three books and had his poetry published in numerous magazines and journals across Canada. His most recent collection of poetry, Injun, examines racism and the representation of indigenous people.

Kevin White, Brock-Fulbright Research Chair in Transnational Studies, gave a lecture titled “Crossing Borders and Boundaries: Real, Imagined, and Ancient.”

White’s paper explored questions and ways of thinking about borders and boundaries from the Haudenosaunee perspective.

“Sometimes these borders are geographic features that are mutually agreed upon spaces of existence. Other times these boundaries become lines on paper that are fraught with historical, political and cultural complexities and complications,” White says. “Then there are times where we frame these pathways as actually between worlds — such as with Haudenosaunee Creation.”

“It seems appropriate to start the series off with a talk on Iroquois cosmology narratives, as the foundational cultural form of the region,” says Betts.

Marilyn Rose was a popular professor in the Department of English and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies from 2004 to 2012.  She was a distinguished educator, author and administrator.

“Marilyn was vital to the development of programs like Canadian Studies, as well the development of Graduate Studies at Brock,” says Professor Ann Howey, Chair of the Department of English. “She was a highly regarded teacher and a researcher with an amazing breadth of expertise.”

Rose’s contribution to the Brock community went well beyond academics.

“What was most impressive about Marilyn, though, was the ethics of care with which she approached everything: administration, teaching, research, participation in a community of scholars,” adds Howey.

“It made her an important mentor to many here at Brock, and she is still deeply missed.”

The late Professor Marilyn Rose is now honoured with an annual lecture series organized by the Department of English, Centre for Canadian Studies, and Centre for Pedagogical Innovation.

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Department of Music to add string orchestra

Posted on March 22, 2017 by ainnes

Brock University’s Department of Music will add a string orchestra to its ensemble bank this fall. Photo credit: Bethany Ditecco.

A new string orchestra coming this fall will help attract new students and community musicians to Brock University’s Department of Music.

For the first time in its 47-year history, the Department of Music will offer String Orchestra as part of its ensemble bank starting in September. The addition will make the Department’s programs more appealing to potential students, as it brings a much stronger string presence to its activities.

“We have been trying to attract quality string students to the Department, and our lack of in-house orchestra has definitely been a detriment,” says Department of Music Chair Karin Di Bella.

The string group will be added to the existing ensemble roster of the Brock University Choirs, and the Brock University Wind Ensemble.

The String Orchestra has been developed to serve two key needs: filling a need in the Department’s curriculum; and providing a place for community string players to share their talents.

“We have appreciated a partnership with the Niagara Symphony Youth Orchestra and the community-based Mercredi Musique in the past, but incoming students really want their ensemble experience to be housed at the University,” says Di Bella.

Based on the successful model of the Wind Ensemble, the String Orchestra will work as a partnership between the Department and the community, welcoming community members to the group to fill out the numbers needed for the ensemble to be viable.

Mercredi Musique is a key partner in the development of this new ensemble. Following the loss of their long-time music director Paul Van Dongen, the group ceased activity at the end of the 2015-16 season.

“We are enthusiastic in our support of this endeavour. It’s an ideal direction for both the community and the University,” says Chris Thorne, former concertmaster of Mercredi Musique.

Community string players are welcome to audition for the new Brock University String Orchestra. Auditions will be held this summer, with information posted on the Department website in the coming months. Auditions for an ensemble conductor will also be held. Any string specialists interested in applying for the conductor position should check Brock’s Human Resources listings, and let the Department know of their interest.

The String Orchestra will rehearse during the academic year from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays in Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

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Student Spotlight: Danielle Whitter, co-editor of “The General”

Posted on March 16, 2017 by ainnes

Danielle Whitter is fourth year Concurrent Education student, with a major in History (Honours). She is this year’s co-editor with Emily Byrne of The General, Brock’s Undergraduate Journal of History, which is run as a fourth year history course.

This is the second year of the journal, which will be celebrated with a launch party at the beginning of April. Danielle shares how working on The General has opened her eyes to the variety of employment opportunities that come with a history degree, as well as providing her with key skills for future work in academic publishing.

I often get asked by friends, family and strangers what it is that I am going to do with my history degree. If I weren’t pursuing my dream of being a teacher, I honestly don’t know how I would answer this.

Little did I realize that there are some really cool alternatives besides being a history teacher!

I discovered this last semester when I applied for the position of co-editor for The General – Brock’s Undergraduate Journal of History.

The General made its debut in April of 2016 and currently it is in its second year of production. Offered as a new fourth year course for the 2017 Winter term, The General showcases the academic achievements, particularly the written work and research, of humanities undergraduate students.

Lucky for me, I secured the position and I am now serving as co-editor!

Working with a team to produce and publish the journal seemed daunting at first. However, the experience has been tremendously rewarding on so many levels.

As a fourth year history student I have lost count of the number of journal articles I have had to read for classes. Working on the flip side has given me a new appreciation for scholars and has made me want to strive even more to achieve my best research and written work.

This experience has given me a taste of what it would be like to work in the academic editing and publishing field and has allowed me to gain necessary skills to work in academic editing and publishing.

As co-editor of The General, I have been able to get a glimpse of what it would be like to select papers to be included in the journal. We received a large volume of submissions so the process of picking the top ten was a little stressful. I also correspond with undergraduate authors to meet deadlines, I have edited research papers, worked to compose a layout, commissioned a cover artist, have had to work within a budget and so much more! I have been able to work alongside brilliant faculty members, which is a bonus!

The more I spend being part of the team that is producing such a cool collection of work, the more I consider pursuing a career in academic publishing (if teaching doesn’t pan out).

One thing that is really cool about The General is that it gives recognition to students for their academic work. As a history student I know the amount of time put into researching, writing, and editing a paper for a class.

Recognizing undergraduate students for their hard work is one of the many neat things about the publication The General. Students were encouraged to submit a previously written paper for one of their humanities classes, on any topic of his or her choosing, with a minimum grade of 80%.

In the beginning of April there will be a launch party for the second edition of The General! We want to celebrate the achievements of the students whose papers were chosen, as well as put the word out there of the future opportunities of getting undergraduate work published.

Please keep your eyes and ears open for information on the upcoming event!

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Student Spotlight: Elizabeth Pereira experiences the meaning of ‘ensemble’

Posted on March 2, 2017 by ainnes

This week’s entry is a throw-back to the excellent performance of Gormenghast by Brock drama students and faculty last fall at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. The play tells the bizarre and twisted story of the dysfunctional House of Groan from the UK cult classic fantasy trilogy by Mervyn Peake. Directed by Professor Mike Griffin and designed by Professor David Vivian, the production gave undergraduate drama students the opportunity to showcase their talents.

Elizabeth Pereira, who played the role of The Countess, is a fourth year student doing a double major in Dramatic Arts and English. She is planning to go on to do her MA in English.

Emma McCormick, Rachelle Scott, Meryl Ochoa, Elizabeth Pereira, and Jazmine Jeffrey get to know the puppets. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Pereira)

From the very first day of workshops, Gormenghast was a show to be reckoned with. It was an accumulation of so many different theatrical styles and forms which was, personally, pretty intimidating.

Prior to this Mainstage, I had never worked intensively on a physical theatre piece, tried my hand (literally) at puppetry, or had the opportunity to perform a character so large and other-worldly.

As a fourth year, it is fairly easy to fall into the trap of selfishness – not in the “me-and-only-me” way, mind you, but in the “are-there-even-any-third-or-second-or-first-years-in-this-school” way. Right before the first day of workshops began, the cast had naturally separated into two groups and I remember recognizing a few of the students, but really having no idea what to expect from the ensemble as a whole.

We rehearsed three to four days a week, warmed up together, and spent hours with one another, but as many actors know these moments can break an ensemble as easily as they can make one.

After all the productions and classes I had been in, I believed I knew what “ensemble” meant in the theatre world when really I didn’t fully grasp it until I became a part of Gormenghast.

I was lucky enough to work very closely with the talented Chorus members and puppetry coach Kyla Read; we began playing from day one with our puppets by naming them and creating cat choreography. We never stopped playing.

It was also wonderful to work with and watch other cast members make discoveries about their characters as we experimented with Laban’s action movements. The exercises Mike Griffin integrated into every rehearsal pushed all of us to grow as individuals, actors, and a strong ensemble.

Oddly, but wonderfully, enough, the divide which is often silently maintained between cast and crew was non-existent. Everything and everyone clicked together. All of the individuals who worked on the show were equally valued and warmly included in the opportunity to be part of the world of Gormenghast.

This was, I think, the real power behind the show, and I know these experiences will be invaluable to my future ensemble work in theatre.

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Professor Linda Steer explores the appropriation and recirculation of photographs

Posted on February 23, 2017 by ainnes
picture of Linda Steer's book "Appropriated Photographs in French Surrealist Periodicals, 1924-1939"

"Appropriated Photographs in French Surrealist Periodicals, 1924-1939" by VISA professor Linda Steer was released in the autumn of 2016.

Professor Linda Steer has been fascinated with photography since she was a little girl looking at her grandmother’s photo albums. Her interest in photography and surrealism has now led to the recent publication of her book, Appropriated Photographs in French Surrealist Periodicals, 1924-1939.

Steer says understanding the appropriation and recirculation of images is an important part of our media-rich culture.

“Research on photography is becoming increasingly important as we live more and more of our lives through visual images,” she says.

Memes are one modern example of how the meaning of an image changes.

“They are typically photographic images that have been appropriated and altered through the addition of text or juxtaposition with other images. They circulate on social media. That process of adding text and re-circulating changes their meanings,” Steer says.

The surrealists of the 1920s and 1930s were doing a similar thing in their magazines: taking existing images and juxtaposing them with other images or text. In this process, surrealists turned established images, such as medical images or crime-scene photographs, into works of art with very different meanings from the original photographs.

It’s important to our image-laden lives to understand this process and what it means, says Steer.

Her book is structured around four case studies and is the first of its kind on this topic.

Since art history is an interdisciplinary field, Steer’s analysis engages with histories of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, ethnography, anthropology, literature and poetry, criminology, forensics, politics, religion, and popular culture in late 19th and early 20th century France and beyond.

While the book is for an academic audience, Steer hopes those interested in photography and art will also find it appealing.

“I hope that my book gives readers a new way of thinking about the complex relationships between surrealism and photography, and that it allows readers to understand, in a more general way, how photographs work and how they come to have meaning,” Steer concludes.

This article first appeared in the Brock News December 9, 2015.

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Holding history in your hands

Posted on February 17, 2017 by ainnes

Classics major Keegan Bruce shared her photo of ancient coins as part of our Instagram contest, #mybrockhumanitiesmajor. In her post, Keegan contemplates what ancient coins can tell us, and how it feels to hold something almost 2000 years old in her hand!

Classics is holding 1900 year old history in your hand, something that someone carried around, traded, maybe played with, or bet, or spent on something they shouldn’t have. It’s touching the symbols of power of a long dead emperor, interpreting the symbols of a people and their importance. Why Ceres on a coin of Claudius? Why Mars on Marcus Aurelius? It’s a vanished world, reconstructed from the carefully-formed copper in your palm, from its design to its chemical composition. Was Rome in economic crisis? How devalued was the currency? All these are accessible in the metal. It’s being able to reconstruct the politics and economy while the personal lives of the people lie tantalizingly out of reach. Classics is discovering an ancient world long lost that somehow still lingers in the skeleton of our own.


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VISA grad Lauren Regier creates unique plant photographs

Posted on February 9, 2017 by ainnes

We first met artist Lauren Regier (BA ’14) last fall when she presented some of her work at Rodman Hall’s 5×2 Image Maker Conversations. Lauren collaborated with local artist Malcolm Gear to exhibit her work in Welland this January. Originally scheduled to run until the end of January, the show has been extended to mid-February.

This article first appeared in the Brock News January 18, 2017. We thought her work and story were so interesting, we wanted to share it again in case you missed it!

Lauren Regier's Bioart piece Aroma Illius Laqueo.

Three classes into her first Brock University art course with Professor Keri Cronin, Lauren Regier (BA ’14) knew she wanted to study art full time.

She has since continued to nurture her passion for art and recently launched a photography exhibit at Malcolm Gear Studio in Welland.

Regier called her connection with Brock and the local arts community, as well as an artist residency she took following graduation, critical to her artistic development.

It was her professors at the University who explained the residency process and shared their professional experiences to help guide her in an appropriate direction.

With the support of professors Amy Friend, Irene Loughlin and Donna Szoke, Regier opted to participate in the Sointula Art Shed Residency Program near Vancouver Island in March 2016.

The residency was an important opportunity for her to explore functional and survival properties of plants, humans and animals, and to apply that research into the construction of the plants in her Bioart series.

The series is a collaboration of science and art that creates new, interesting organisms by meshing together existing bits of plant matter.

Regier’s work combines plants with industrial products to create strange new prototypes. She documents her creations in black and white photography, hand-tinted with watercolours.

Regier’s current exhibition, Fantasy Fleur, is an offshoot of her Bioart series.

“I wanted to break with the notion of idealized beauty — something that is manufactured and very commonplace when it comes to depicting nature, such as floral wallpaper and furniture patterns,” Regier said.

The Fantasy Fleur photographs feature plants in different stages of their life cycles. They are printed on aluminum; the highly polished surfaces allow for interactive play between the viewer and the work.

“Similar to species that bloom at specific times of the day, these metallic prints respond to their environments and viewers are forced to physically interact with the work in order to see the image,” Regier said.

Producing the pieces has been a highlight for Regier over the past year.

“Meeting wonderful people in the community through Brock University and Rodman Hall has been crucial in developing my practice and providing me a platform to show my photographs,” she said.

Regier first met Malcolm Gear in her curatorial art class at Brock.

The artists recently reconnected at a Rodman Hall event at Mahtay Café, which ultimately led to Regier’s exhibition being launched at Malcolm Gear Studio, 464 East Main St. in Welland.

Regier’s photography is also available for viewing on her website.

Lauren Regier (BA '14) working in her studio.

–Alison Innes, 18 January 2017.

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The human in humanities

Posted on February 1, 2017 by ainnes

Congratulations to Jamie Lupia, the winner of our first-ever Instagram contest! Jamie is a combined English and Labour Studies major. Our judge chose her image and thoughtful words about the nature of humanities to win a cozy Brock sweatshirt.

Thank you to everyone who entered–it was a difficult decision for our judge! You can see all the entries on Instagram by searching #mybrockhumanitiesmajor. We will also be featuring the entries here on the blog over the coming months.

And if you missed this contest, don’t despair! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@brockhumanities) to catch the next one!

This picture was taken of the wetland area on the Bruce Trail head near Brock. Professor Adam Dickinson took us here on a guided tour for our creative writing class (shout out to @dalehibrant! ♡) to allow us to look at the Anthropocene – how we write on the environment and how the environment writes on us. Invasive beetles, pollution, homes, droughts, and other foreign changes are ways we have engraved ourselves onto ecosystems. Cancer, polymers in our blood, and an insect’s “D” shaped mark on a dead ash tree… these are ways the environment writes on us in response. As warnings. As reminders. Sounds bizarre, but the humanities faculty at Brock allows students to look at the world in different ways, and allows us to look at our place in a world that is not JUST ours. This picture represents the “human” in humanities. The breathing and alive part of why we do what we do.

Photo and text by Jamie Lupia.

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