Newsletter 01/2011

 

Dear Friends of Canada,

In this newsletter we would like to draw your attention to the upcoming events taking place in May and June as part of the Centennial celebrations of the birth of the Canadian media philosopher, Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980). We also have new teaching materials available for download on our website as well as some new films (also in German) which are available for viewing in the Marshall McLuhan Salon. We invite you to drop by soon!


The Marshall McLuhan Salon Team
Embassy of Canada

 

Latest News

McLuhan Salon closed in June – Film Screenings for School groups

The Marshall McLuhan Salon will be closed from the 27th of May until the 8th of July due to an installation by Canadian artists David Rokeby and Lewis Kaye (see “Events” below). Through the Vanishing Point is part of the McLuhan 2011 centennial events.  During this time the Salon will be closed to school groups and the general public.

As an alternative to the educational tours conducted in the Marshall McLuhan Salon, we will be offering thematic film screenings followed by discussions in our auditorium. For more information or to reserve a date for your class please contact us at info@mcluhan-salon.de.

NEW MATERIAL

New Teaching Materials available at www.mcluhan-salon.de

The current teaching materials available on our website in English have now been translated into French. On the occasion of the addition of Canada to the Hessian State Secondary School Final Exam curriculum, we will soon be offering specially tailored teaching materials for download: www.mcluhan-salon.de/en/material-for-teachers. 

 

New films available in the Marshall McLuhan Salon

We were once again able to add several interesting new films to our film library. Below you will find a selection of these films: 

Topic: Culture & Society, Multiculturalism

Who do we think we are?
© CBC, 2010
54:30 Minutes (in English)

This recent CBC TV documentary asked Canadians questions about racism, tolerance and environmental consciousness in order to find out how Canadians really think and whether we really live up to the stereotype of being tolerant, nice and open.

Topic: Nature & Geography, Ecology

Waterlife
© NFB, 2009
109 Minutes (in English/French)

Waterlife follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean, telling the story of the last huge supply of fresh water on Earth. Filled with fascinating characters and stunning imagery, Waterlife is a cinematic poem about the beauty of water and the dangers of taking it for granted. Narrated by Gord Downie, lead vocalist of The Tragically Hip and Waterkeeper’s Trustee of Lake Ontario. Featuring music by Sam Roberts, Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Robbie Robertson and Brian Eno.

Topic: Arctic

This Land
© NFB, 2009
35 Minutes (in English/French)

This documentary recounts a 2000 km expedition undertaken  by seven rangers (both Inuit and non-Native) and  filmmaker Dianne Whelan to raise the Canadian flag on the northern most tip of Canadian soil only 412 km from the North Pole.

New films in German

For our German-speaking visitors we have translated three films which were previously only available in French or English; Battle for the Arctic, Geologic Journey – The Rocky Mountains and Tour de Babel – Multiculturalism and Integration in Toronto. 

Film of the month - Feature topic “The Aboriginal Peoples of Canada”:

In partnership with the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, BC, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden is currently showing the exhibition “The Power of Giving” which examines the Potlatch practices of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations from the West coast of Canada.

The exhibition is the inspiration for our current feature topic “the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada”. Below you will find two films from our media library which look at different aspects of Aboriginal culture in Canada.

Words of the Elders: Saving Aboriginal Languages
© CBC, 2009
13:30 Minutes (in English)

This short news report documents a community of the Cowhichan First Nations in British Columbia and their struggle to pass their language, Coast Salish, on to the younger generation.

Potlatch – a strict law bids us dance
© Moving Images Distribution, 1975
54 Minutes (in English)
Over the centuries, the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations of the Northwest Coast developed a sophisticated culture based on the ceremonial giving away of surplus wealth. This was the basis of an indigenous social and economic ecology. The film is based upon historical research compiled by the U'mista Cultural Society of Alert Bay and features important testimony from Kwakwaka'wakw elders.

Media Centre search

All new films and texts can also be researched under News in our Online Media Centre.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

The digital photography exhibition The Accessible Arctic which closed April 29th, 2011 was very well visited. During the months of May and June several exciting events will be taking place in the Marshall McLuhan Salon:  

Re-Touching McLuhan – Marshall McLuhan Centennial Weekend

transmediale, in collaboration with the Embassy of Canada Berlin and the Marshall McLuhan Salon present a key weekend event celebrating the legacy of Canadian media philosopher Marshall McLuhan on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth.
The conference, as part of the McLuhan in Europe 2011 network of events initiated by transmediale, will take place May 27th – 29th at the Embassy of Canada.

Through the Vanishing Point – Installation by David Rokeby and Lewis Kaye

As part of the conference the multimedia installation “Through the Vanishing Point” will open in the Marshall McLuhan Salon on May 29th.

In two separate but complementary works, Rokeby and Kaye visually and aurally construct McLuhan’s persona. The exhibition illuminates the intellectual spirit of the great media prophet. As the framework for their pieces the artists drew from McLuhan’s book Through the Vanishing Point: Space in Poetry and Painting (coauthored by Harley Parker), 1968, which explores the way electronic media fragments the homogenous experience of space.

This European premiere can be viewed from the North West Passage from May 29th to July 8th. More information about both events can be found under News and Events.