Adrian DiLena

Our society, our democracy and our daily lives are centred around the concept of the individual. It is obvious to us that each person has unique qualities that define them and distinguish them from others. In our democracy this is represented by the ability of each citizen to vote and impact the governance of their society. In our daily lives our individualities are represented perhaps best in the relationships we form; our friends, significant others, our family dynamics, our working relationships. Each person is appreciated in light of their unique, individual qualities.

Yet, these conceptions of the individual and identity have not always existed. It wasn’t until the 18th century that the idea of the an individual identity was given much thought. This period coincides with the beginning of the industrial revolution and an intense migration from rural living towards urban centres in Europe and soon after in the United States. It was societal shifts like these that set the economic conditions for the development of the individual identity. Fields of study relating to the individual like criminology, social policy and planning, psychology and medicine flourished following the changes occurring in the new urban and industrialized societies. The dense populations allowed for the introduction of advertising, luxury items and a middle class able to consume them.

Following the second world war there was a similar socio-economic shift, this time occurring in the United States and producing a similar change in our conception of individuality. During the war the manufacturing base was streamlined and made as efficient as possible to support the war effort and it created a large problem for manufacturers when the war was over. The problem was over-production. They were capable of producing much more items than the American public was capable of consuming at that point. If left alone the markets would saturate and industries would shrink. The result was the establishment of aggressive marketing strategies which focused their efforts on the need for individuals to exhibit and validate themselves through the consumption of cultural products. However, the mass distribution of culture and the constantly changing nature of it means individuality is short lived. The cool becomes old quickly and news ways must be sought out to validate oneself. Though I would not suggest this is a conspiracy, I would imply that the culture industry has been designed in this cyclical fashion to maintain a market.

These works try to expose the tensions between one’s individuality and the consumptive practices that, unfortunately, often create that individuality. In the pieces titled “Individuality #1 & #2″ the figures stand motionless, expressionless in garbage cans to illustrate the absurdly material nature of the individual. The historical fact is that yesterday’s cultural necessities, those fad items that seem to takeover the cultural landscape sit in today’s landfills. The individual as we know it has been manufactured, both metaphorically and literally, in order to create a market that is virtually insatiable. Our individualities, supposedly a beacon of enlightenment, are subordinate to the profits of the culture industries.

The idea of consumption for the sake of it is the focus of the drawing “Portrait of Self as Consumer”. Within the drawing, the figure, a self portrait, is pictured eating from a plate of food while sitting on the toilet. This satirical portrait represents the way in which we often consume for the sake of consuming. The process and novelty of purchasing and obtaining is often more important to us than the practical benefits of the purchase.

Especially interesting is that although theories about consumerism and its ill effects have been discussed for decades, we can now view consumerism within the unifying and globalizing context of the environmental discourse. Not only can we discuss consumerism as a economic and culture force, but also as an environmentally destructive force that has implications far reaching outside of the source countries.

In the drawing General Mentality I have tried to picture this recklessness, this willingness to subject those around us (often those with little power to resist) to the waste of our culture. Whether it is exploiting countries for cheap manufacturing, natural resources or simply dumping the wastes we create through those processes in poorer regions.

We are individuals and I am by no means suggesting that being so is a lesser existence than the feudal and toiling masses prior to the industrial revolution. Nor would I suggest that we discard the rich and vibrant identities we inherent from our respective cultures. Rather, it is a two sided coin, in which we must see how we are alike while simultaneously seeing how we are distinct historically and culturally, as opposed to distinction through product and consumption.
The development of the individual led to democracy, human rights and progressive societal forces like the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, gay rights and rights for the mentally and physically disabled. But inherent in each of these progressions and in the development of the individual itself is an obligation and personal responsibility, the ability to make choices and weigh their potential impacts, to act morally as one person instead of insulating oneself in the protective mentality of the mob.

So these works, I hope, are asking a question; how do we want to define our individuality. What does it mean? What and where does it benefit? How do we create our individuality and to what extent is it our creation? To what extent are our conceptions of it manipulations? Though these works do not answer these questions conclusively, I hope they can enter into the dialogue and participate in the continuing development of the individual.

Kasia Mychajlowycz

Sketch is sometimes a noisy place, filled with street-involved youth creating every kind of art from fashion to music to sculpture to food to flyers in a big open studio. Fellow Forum editorial collective collaborateur Erin Vahidi and I spent a few afternoons in the space, seeing what activist art the youth using this arts program are working on, hoping to get some of the work into this issue of Forum Magazine. Sketch is an arts program offering studio space, workshops and projects for youth who are homeless, are on the brink of becoming homeless, or are street-involved. “The arts offer neutral and accessible territory that breaks down barriers and gets us to work together,” says their website. Through arts-based learning, Sketch’s mission is to “offer a compelling alternative that allows youth to set their own pace for healing and personal transformation.”

What we discovered in the second-floor studio, filled with every material and media imaginable- including a recording studio, a sewing space, a print-making space, a woodworking studio, a kitchen and my personal favourite, a button-making machine- were ideas, creativity and artwork that were exactly what we had been searching for this issue. Erin and I joined in on the self-directed studio time, but Sketch also offers classes and workshops on everything from gardening to animation, as well as helping young artists sell and exhibit their work.

The open-minded and welcoming atmosphere of the studio became more apparent to me every time I went back, and it wasn’t long until I was creating
with my own two hands- buttons, a collage and even some peppermint lip balm! Sketch proves that everyone- street-involved youth and editorial collective
members included- has something to say, and gives a marginalized community of young people a thousand and one ways to say it.

Erin Vahidi

“Silence is the key to awareness,” was the adopted slogan for the 24-hour vow of silence I took. The vow was a performance piece initially conjured up for a Grade 12 Visual Art assignment, but the underlying motives meant much more. The hidden and internal reasons for this performance piece were deeply rooted in my growing animosity for my surroundings.

While Politics and Governance are merely classes for most, as an 18 year-old Middle Eastern female these issues define my idea of “home”. My parents are children of the Revolution in Iran. My father owned a Volvo that became well known in the city of Tehran for bringing oxygen tanks and wounded victims of a civil war to the hospitals. My mother never wore a Hijab; she left Iran just as the revolution began, and the enforced beliefs of the Ayatollah are as foreign to her as they were to me. I was born in Scarborough General Hospital. My father’s best friend was a Catholic priest, and I attended church every Sunday until I was 7. On my birth certificate I have a Persian name to represent where I come from, and a western name to represent where I’ve come to. This duality has always been representative of the constant and sickening feeling of being forced to assimilate and become something I am not.

In our society, as youth we must endure countless corporate ad campaigns specifically marketed towards us everyday. Lately, the corporate trend has been to appeal to the growing spiritual and conscious consumer movement. Putting a good, socially conscious face on a corporation tells us that we should compromise our beliefs to buy the items they sell, because, you know, they care.

In addition to this, young women in our society must live up to expectations set by the media. We’ve become so uncomfortable in our own skin that we subject ourselves to wearing the highest heels, the lightest colour contact lenses, and the abundantly padded push-up bras. A growing misconception is that wearing a hijab, or chador, goes against what Muslim women want. Covering one’s body and hair is part of ridding ourselves of worldly things such as obsessions with vanity. The idea of the colour of the chador has also been misconstrued- the dark colours of the chador are not to oppress women, and in fact, when going to Mecca, one must wear white.

Considering all of the assumptions we must deal with, minorities have taken on the duties of educating those around us about our own cultures. This is not always easy, and is a position I myself have wanted to give up many times. We have names that are difficult for some to pronounce, and I’ve had to explain a great many times that, “Yes, I am Muslim, but no, I know nothing about terrorism.”

All of the latter issues are well known, but there are many more that can be discussed. We, the youth, are educated. However, the underlying and intertwining reason behind all of my separate reasons for the vow was just this: we’re avoiding real issues. In almost every social setting I still see girls hating on each other. I still see lying, cheating, and superiority complexes within friend groups. I mean, yes, of course, we care about our surroundings. There are great changes taking place. For instance, this magazine is an amazing step forward.

However I’ve begun to question the intentions of my chai-latte drinking, lululemon wearing peers. I’ve met an abundance of artists and it seems as though spirituality and socialism are the new trends. My beef is that adopting an activist trend is easier than understanding the reasons behind the specific issues. To make changes in our society, we must be comfortable with ourselves internally; and that specifically is why I chose silence to scream what I believe. I’ve never considered myself at the forefront of this revolutionary battle, but I take comfort in knowing I’ve put effort into understanding the struggles of my people, and listening along with feeling the struggles of those around me. Everyone can and should take it upon themselves to be inquisitive. Ask questions, dive into your cultural history, listen to people who’ve already done this - and then - hold a picket sign. Learning about, working with and appreciating the diversity of the people and history around us should not be something to put on a resume. Taking this idea into a performance context, I figured I wouldn’t tell anyone my ideas - I’d show them. Only now, as much time has passed am putting into words what these images represent.

The pictures that accompany this article are from a series in a book I created to document the silence. Each shot of the lips included a statement that essentially made one came together to say something. The book also included pictures of things I’d written down during the vow, letters I’d written to teachers and my manager explaining the vow, and things others had said to me during the 24 hours of silence. This vow of silence is something I will never forget. It allowed me to explore myself internally, and appreciate my environment a great deal more.

Picket signs, T-shirts, buttons, tattoos - are all supposed to be demonstrative of one thing. No where in this article did I intend to take away or belittle the actions of anyone trying to fight for a cause they believe in, but what I am saying is we’re all talking the talk. Let’s show the corporations using our good intentions as marketing gimmicks that we walk the walk too - because we all know that actions speak louder than words.

A refugee is a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…

The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees

Leonardo Zúñiga, better known as Leo, is a 25 years old, Mexican born immigrant who came to Canada in September 2004. Since Leo moved to Toronto he has been struggling to seek Permanent Residency based on his sexual orientation as a gay man. Since arriving in Canada, Leo has been active in the LGTBQ, Latino, and youth communities and has drawn on his own experiences as an LGTBQ immigrant youth to support those who find themselves in similar situations.

At the present Leo is working on a campaign called LET LEO STAY. Its three main goals are; to get Leo be granted Permanent Residency based on his Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds application, create awareness about queer refugee and immigrant issues in Canada and to speak out about the homophobia existing in Mexico, despite the positive and progressive international image it has regarding human rights.

In December 2004 Leo made a refugee claim based on persecution for his sexual orientation. In June of 2006, William T. Short of the Immigration and Refugee Board refused Leo’s claim on the grounds that his fears were not well-established. Ignoring the pervasiveness of homophobia in Mexico, including the fact that over 1000 gay people have been murdered in the past 10 years with little sign of justice, Short reported that Leo could simply move to another part of Mexico to avoid persecution.

Right now the only hope for Leo to stay is have a successful Humanitarian and Compassionate application. The LET LEO STAY campaign is asking people to sign the online Petition requesting the Minister of Immigration Honorable Diane Finley to grant Leo Permanent Residency.

On July 12th, 2007, Leo organized an event at the 519 Community Centre attended by over 150 community members entitled the “Invisible Struggle” to highlight the conditions of LGTBQ people in Mexico and the barriers they face upon seeking asylum in Canada.

In addition to gathering over 1,000 online petition signatures and 500 hard copy signatures, Leo’s grassroots campaign has received support from MP Olivia Chow, MPP Cheri DiNovo, MPP George Smitherman, Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, Councillor Shelly Carroll, Councillor Adam Giambrone, Councillor Howard Moscoe, Councillor Kyle Rae, and Councillor Adam Vaughan among so many other Politicians and community Leaders.

“Leo has already contributed a great deal to our community as a human rights advocate and supporter,” said Helen Kennedy, Executive Director of EGALE Canada, a national organization committed to advancing equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified people, and their families, across Canada. “Now we have to focus our efforts on making sure he is not deported to Mexico where being gay is not an accepted way of life.”

Recently Xtra! Magazine published the story of Enrique Villegas, a gay Mexican refugee claimant who was murdered upon return to Mexico after the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board rejected his refugee protection claim in 2003. Villegas was found dead in his Mexico City apartment in April 2007

We all deserve to be happy and to have freedom. Why not give the opportunity to someone who is asking for compassion to be able to live without fear, persecution and judgment in a Country where we respect human rights integrity?

If you want to know more about this and support him please go to Leo’s website and sign his on-line Petition at www.leonardozuniga.ca