The Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) hosted its fifth monthly installment of the Double Major lecture series on Jan. 22.
This month’s “The Blackberry Bold as Fetish and Solar Energy” had nearly 30 people who braved the frigid cold to hear the stimulating presentations from Pius Adesanmi, a Carleton African Studies professor, and John Gorman, president of the Canadian Solar Industries Association.
Each speaker delivered a 20-minute crash-course on their area of expertise.
Adesanmi painted a vivid picture of his Nigerian village, drawing from the introduction of Chinua Achebe’s popular novel, Things Fall Apart, to illustrate his love for his roots, which includes the decadent palm wine.
He went on to explain that while visiting, he received a phone call from the local palm tapper saying that ‘spirits’ had stolen the wine and he wouldn’t be able to provide anymore.
“I’ve lost my village to television, and now I’m losing my palm wine to the Blackberry,” he said.
The scholar continued to provide examples of how the RIM smartphone had taken over Nigeria, calling it a revolution and equating the need for one to an addict’s desire for ecstasy.
He ended with a trailer for the film, Blackberry Babes, a Nollywood production depicting divas demanding that their boyfriends buy them a Blackberry or they will find another man who would.
Gorman followed up with a very different presentation, urging the audience to recognize that there is a “global energy revolution under way and solar energy is at the very heart of it”.
The Ottawa native provided an accessible look into the complex solar photovoltaic system with the help of a PowerPoint slideshow and comprehensible videos.
He explained that the rapid advances in technology could lead to a world completely powered by sustainable solar energy as soon as 2035.
The night ended with a question and answer period that stirred interesting debates between the audience and the experts.
CUAG director Sandra Dyck said that she has been continuously impressed with the commonalities that the audience has been able to find in the lectures throughout the series.
“There are a million topics and so many experts at Carleton, and we wanted it to be challenging for the audience to link together afterward,” Dyck said.
“We’ve been getting a great response and we’re definitely hoping to run it next year.”
The gallery’s new curator, Heather Anderson, said that she was pleased with the turnout of the Double Major series.
“Art is interdisciplinary, so it’s really great to make these kinds of connections and also bring new conversations to the gallery space, along with people that wouldn’t necessarily have come otherwise,” Anderson said.
CUAG education and outreach co-ordinator Fiona Wright, said that her rationale behind the unique pairing of this chapter was inspired by the ideas of westernization, industrialization, and the role of youth in technology.
At the end, the one thing that everyone agreed on was that Canadian girls should follow the Blackberry Babes’ example and start demanding solar energy from their boyfriends.
The next lecture, “Promises and Animal Hearts,” is on Feb. 12.
