@ va

 

‘Amazonia: The
Rights of Nature’

> Open until January 28, 2018

Katie Czenczek
Staff Writer

 

mazonia: The Rights of Nature

is the first exhibit I’ve been to
that encourages you to kick off your
shoes and lie in a hammock as you
take it all in. However, the exhibit is
anything but mellow and it’s clear
in its message: Everyone living on
Earth has a responsibility to stop the
destruction of the Amazon rainforest
and its inhabitants before the damage
is irreversible. Located in the O'Brian
Gallery at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology
until January 2018, the exhibit surges to

life with the sounds of the Amazon.
Before entering the exhibit, the
Constitution of Plurinational State
of Ecuador is displayed, calling on
people to demand governments “to
enforce the rights of nature.”
Amazonia has two entrances,
depending on which door you enter
from. At both beginnings, there is
a white wall with bold black letters
relaying facts about the Amazonian
area. The exhibit either starts with the
breakdown of the nine countries and
their policies regarding the environment
and Indigenous rights, or with facts
about the species of plants and animals
and the numbers of languages spoken
by Indigenous peoples in the region.
Harrowing statistics about the
treatment of Indigenous people and
the industries that are the cause of
deforestation bridge the gap between
either beginning the observer starts
with. The way these facts are displayed
is jarring, and it conflicts with the rest
of the exhibit. They are cold, empty

  

words that strip the Amazon of its
life. I think that this was done to pair
with the truth that the words hold.

In comparison, a seamless
“soundscape” created by Diego Samper
highlights the diverse life found in the
Amazon. The piece is an amalgamation
of Indigenous music, storytelling, and
ceremonies, combined with the sounds
of animals found in the dense jungle. In
a blurb found on the wall of the exhibit,
the quote “all chants are a single chant”
can be found. Almost creating a steady
heartbeat with the combination of sounds,
the piece paired with the photographic
videos Samper also created brings the
entire space to life. Not only does it
enhance the exhibit, but it also highlights
the beliefs of people in the Columbian
Amazon that the Earth itself is alive.

Moreover, both contemporary
and older pieces of art and culture are
displayed in the middle of the gallery
from the various peoples that inhabit the
Amazon region. A headdress made of
vibrantly coloured bird feathers from the
Mebéngékre is paired with the history
of these people, including how a dam
built in Brazil destroyed their way of
life. Numerous relics and artifacts follow
this pattern of showing that the art was
a group's connection with nature and
displaying the beauty in that connection,
only for the link to be severed by settlers
destroying the regions where people
have lived for thousands of years.

This exhibit is both beautiful
and painfully honest as it depicts the
events that are still taking place in
South America. It has the potential to
make people care about a region and
the various cultures around it that
normally would not be thought of.

Image via moa.ubc.ca

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> ‘Stronger’ film review

Jerrison Oracion
Senior Columnist

 

wkeknkx

arlier this year, the film Patriots
Day focused on the people who
tracked down the Tsarnaev brothers,
the men behind the Boston Marathon
bombing in 2013. Now, there is
another film about the bombing that
focuses on the true story of one of
the victims, who has also become
the face of the bombing: Stronger.
Jeff Bauman (played by Jake
Gyllenhaal) is a meat worker at a
local Costco in Boston who raises
money for his girlfriend, Erin Burley
(Tatiana Maslany), to run in the
Boston Marathon. At the last minute,
he attends the marathon to support
her, and there he experiences the
moment that would change his
life forever, as he is caught in one
of the explosions and loses both
of his legs. After the bombing, he
begins to recover and walk again.
Director David Gordon Green
is known for making dramas and
comedies. This time he has crafted
a serious film about a man who has
to go through a lot of hard times
as he recovers, though Green puts
comedic moments before and after
Bauman loses both of his legs. Like
Patriots Day, Stronger shows how
special the Boston community is,
and how everyone in the city is

 

very supportive of their local sports
teams including their beloved Boston
Red Sox. The scene where Bauman
waves a flag during a Boston Bruins
playoff game was actually filmed in
TD Garden with an actual audience
after a Boston Bruins game.

Around the time the bombing
happened, many people in the media
said that Bauman was a hero because
he gave the FBI information about
the Tsarnaev brothers behind the
bombings. In the film, Bauman does
not want to be called a hero or to
receive the public’s pity. This causes
a rift between him and his mother,
Patty (Miranda Richardson), because
she wants him to receive a lot of
attention, which he does not want. The
second half of the film shows how he
inspires a lot of people outside of the
bombing. Even those who serve in the
military and have lost limbs have been
motivated by his story, even though
Bauman himself was not in the troops.

There were a lot of great
performances from everyone in the
film, and this might earn Gyllenhaal
a Best Actor nomination in the
Academy Awards next year.

The film is now in
theatres everywhere.

If you'd like to learn about
the Boston Marathon bombing, I
recommend watching Patriots Day
and Stronger back-to-back when the
latter is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
You can see how Bauman inspired a
lot of people because the event made
him and everyone else stronger.

Image via Lionsgate Pictures