Series 8

Some Disenchanted Evening

Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor (born, Montreal, 1931) asks the question: why was it virtually impossible not to believe in God in 1500, while in the twenty-first century in so many ways the opposite is true?  One reason is that prior to the Renaissance, which has been called “the mother of all revolutions,” human beings in the west lived in a natural world that seemed to testify to divine purpose and action.  All that changed during the Renaissance/Reformation period which led to a condition that the poet Schiller (and later Max Weber) called “disenchantment.”  The presentation will use art to illustrate

By Laura Fox |
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The Changing Role of Botanical Gardens in Today’s Society

The presentation will include a quick review of the history of Botanical Gardens and their importance to society and how this has changed over the years. Examples of several key Botanical Gardens, worldwide will be discussed and showcased. I will discuss why Botanical Gardens are such important elements of the cultural fabric of cities around the world.

Post Presentation Links:

Botanical Gardens Resources

By Laura Fox |
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The Mirror of Fashion: Vanity and the Dangers of Dress

The nineteenth century was obsessed with mirrors. Victorian fashion journals were often called ‘mirrors of fashion,’ regardless of how accurately they depicted the latest styles in dress. New technologies, including photography, large plate glass windows, and actual gilded mirrors allowed men and women to see themselves reflected in their fashionable attire in a way that had never before been possible. The most elegant wore hats, footwear, cosmetics, and hairstyles that gleamed and reflected gas and then electric light with a smooth, burnished sheen.  Yet there was an underside to these gleaming, seductive new looks. As one famous caricature in

By Laura Fox |
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Jazz: Music of the People

“My own feelings about the direction in which jazz should go are that there should be much less stress on technical exhibitionism and much more on emotional content, on what might be termed humanity in music and the freedom to say all that you want.”   – Booker Little

“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom.  If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.”  – Charlie Parker

From its roots in African tribal music and spirituals, to influences from Gospel, the Blues, and even Hip Hop, Jazz is considered by many

By Laura Fox |
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Film and Society: A Reflection

“Does art reflect life? In movies, yes. Because more than any other art form, films have been a mirror held up to society’s porous face.”  ― Marjorie Rosen
“Everything I learned I learned from the movies.” ― Audrey Hepburn

As cinema becomes more graphic and explicit and society becomes more open and global, these questions arise: Do movies influence societal behaviour and societal mores? and Do movies mirror changing societal behaviour and societal mores? One might expect that cinema must, in some way, do both. Throughout this recent era of film ratings, censorship concerns and increasing openness

By Laura Fox |
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Hamilton’s James St. N: Renewal, Restoration, and Adaptive Re-Use

This talk explores the architecture and urban design of James Street North, the district at the heart of the current renewal of Downtown Hamilton.

James Street North was the City of Hamilton’s primary street from the city’s founding in the early 1800’s to the 1960s, connecting the historic commercial heart of the city around Gore Park to the waterfront and railway. Its current character is the result of the accumulation of over 150 years of history beginning with the English and Scottish immigrants who founded the city, then the Italian immigrant community and now artists and the creative

By Laura Fox |
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‘No subject for immortal verse’ : The Gifts of the War Poets

An exploration of poems written during the Great War (1914-18), from the point of view of successive generations of British and Irish poets who sought to respond to contemporary civil emergencies, such as the Second Word War (1939-45), or the “Troubles” of Northern Ireland (c. 1968-94). The legacy of poets such as Edward Thomas (1878-1917), Wilfrid Owen (1893-1918), and Isaac Rosenberg (1890-1918), will be considered, both in terms of how they departed from established poetic conventions, and how they influenced later writers, such as Seamus Heaney (1939-2013), Michael Longley (b. 1939), and Geoffrey Hill (b. 1932). Topics to be discussed

By Laura Fox |
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Victory and After

Even as we mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, hailed as a victory for civilization, our world remains mired in brutal conflict. Is it really possible to achieve victory – over others, over adversity, over our own complex and imperfect human natures – and what happens next? Drama, which is rooted in conflict, offers us an invaluable perspective on what seems to be an enduring problem of the human condition.

By Laura Fox |
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