EDMOND LU photo Claude Esposito and Hazel Baxter dance the tango in the A-building main foyer on Feb. 27 as part of Latin America Week. BOLIVIA Plurinational State of Bolivia RENEE SUTTON photo Jason Tockman gave a speech on social movement in Bolivia at Langara on March 6. Latin culture hits Langara Latin America Week brings discussion around culture and politics By RENEE SUTTON atin American culture and social politics were the backbone to Lan- gara’s annual Latin America Week, where guest speakers liter- ally tangoed through the main foyer. Latin America Week ran from Feb. 27 to March 6 and featured various events open to Langara students, fac- ulty, and the community. Students had the opportunity to enjoy lectures and movies screened on campus, including one directed by a Langara graduate. Around noon on Feb. 27, students scurrying between classes in the A- building had to navigate around a tan- go dancing performance by Claude Es- posito and Hazel Baxter. Esposito, whose father was a pioneer of early tango orchestras, was a part of the Lat- in America Week lecture series. Eyren Uggenti, a marketing manage- ment student, said the tango perfor- mance was a great idea for raising awareness. “[Espostio and Baxter] were very happy to be there... I think that really reflected in the crowd,” he said. Jessie Smith, coordinator of Latin American Studies, said the tango per- formance added an interesting ele- ment to the event, “He’s 79, and they dance tango four nights a week, it’s so cute.” Smith said Latin America Week is JESSIE SMITH not just to raise Coordinator of awareness about Latin American the program, “[It’s Studies an] opportunity to allow the wider community to learn about the important issues that are taking place in Latin America.” As part of the exploration of Latin America, Langara graduate Rachel Schmidt’s film was screened on March 3. Schmidt produced and directed the film Defensora, a documentary high- lighting the tensions between a Guate- malan community and a mining com- pany. The final lecture for Latin America Week was by Jason Tockman, from UBC’s political science department, who spoke about social movements in Bolivia. “In Bolivia, really interesting questions are being asked that we of- ten don’t talk about in Canadian con- text,” he said. Tockman said these so- cial movements are making political, social, and economic changes. Latin American Studies are one of seven interdisciplinary courses at Lan- gara. Every year, the the programs puts on a lecture series, but Smith said she decided to expand on the lecture series by involving different media such as films and performances. 66 In Bolivia, really interesting questions are being asked that we often don’t talk about in Canadian context JASON TOCKMAN Playing with light Bookstore hosts Langara instructor’s photography By LUKASZ JONCA ing the art exhibit Studies of Light in Motion by instructor Colin Mills until April 9. Mills first picked up a camera eight years ago to help his class learn through visual aids. He ended up get- ting into abstract expressionism after- ward. It has taken him about seven years to develop the technique he uses. The work is done with only a camera and Photoshop, but Mills doesn’t crop his photos. Instead, he works with co- lour balance to draw out the colours in his art. “With abstract expressionism, really the idea is that it’s non-representation- al, I’m not representing something. It’s your job as the viewer. I don’t want to influence you,” said Mills. Mark Adams, director of ancillary services at Langara said, “there’s been a fair amount of traffic that’s come through. The event that we had last week was well attended.” Mills doesn’t show a lot of his earlier work, as he was unhappy with it. But one of his first pieces that he was satis- fiedwith is titled Yellow #4. The sub- ject matter is taken from the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks display. All the pieces are printed on sheets of aluminum so they don’t need to be framed. “If your eye is dancing across the picture trying to find resolution, places where lines cross, places where focus comes into or out of focus, it’s the abil- ity of that image to keep your eye mov- ing that I see as one of the primary characteristics that ’m looking for,” said Mills. Te: Langara Bookstore is present- LUKASZ JONCA photo Colin Mills poses with his work. An innocence lost New Studio 58 play focuses on infamous murder case By KARLY BLATS Beverley Cooper brings her play, Innocence Lost: A Play About Ste- ven Truscott, to Langara from March 20 to April 6 for its Western Canadian premiere. In the summer of 1959 in Clinton, Ontario 14-year- old Steven Trus- cott was charged with the rape and S™ 58 alumna and playwright ‘ ‘a BEVERLEY COOPER murder of his Writer of the play 12-year-old class- Innocence Lost mate, Lynne Harp- er. The tragedy shook the small rural town and Truscott was sentenced to death by hanging. Truscott’s death sentence was appealed in 1960 and he was released on parole in 1969. Trus- cott maintained his innocence until 2007, when he was formally acquitted of the crime. “TInnocence Lost] really is one of the most fascinating cases in Canadian his- tory and in world history,” said Cooper. “The fact that we almost hung a 14-year-old boy really struck home for a lot of people.” The play was sold out at the Blyth Festival in Ontario, which produces and promotes Canadian plays, in 2008 and 2009 and was a finalist for the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction. Innocence Lost landed on the Globe and Mail bestseller list, which was a first for a Canadian playwright. “Tt’s really great to me that Studio 58 is doing [the play] and Sarah Rodgers, who’s the director, is phenomenal,” said Cooper. Rodgers said in an email the cast re- hearses six times a week and that audi- ences can anticipate “an incredibly startling and compelling Canadian sto- ry.” “The cast is incredibly excited about this project,” said Rodgers. “We have all been swept away by the gravity and severity of the story while at the same time loving the challenge of the theatri- cality and live music.” Cooper hopes Studio 58 audiences will come away from the play with a new outlook and consideration toward authorities. “I hope [audiences] will consider their own lives and their own way that we are quick to judge people,” she said. Innocence Lost will play in Studio 58 with show times on Tuesdays and Sat- urdays at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sun- day matinees at 3 p.m. Single tickets range from $19.75 to $24.72. Free stu- dent nights are on March 20 and 21. DAVID COOPER photo Shauna Griffin as Lynn Harper and Mike Gill as Steven Truscott in Innocence Lost.