2 Poster and Creative Work Presentations

POSTER AND CREATIVE WORK PRESENTATIONS

Deeper Sense of Realities: Protecting Old-growth Forests and Connectedness through Communities (creative work)
Presenter: Adela Adhya
Royal Roads University

The chrysalis of a butterfly shows us the elegance of evolution and growth in life. The caterpillar that metamorphoses into a vibrant and free butterfly proves that nature holds a delicate balance in evolution. Another significant analogy would be that of the old-growth forests, forests that have naturally attained great age without significant disturbance. These forests are pristine and have unique ecological features.
Old-growth Forests: Definition
Old-growth forests may also be called primary forests, mature forests, frontier forests, or virgin forests. The terms frontier and virgin forest are slightly more narrow because they imply that the forest has never been logged, whereas old-growth, primary, and mature forest can describe both forests that have never been logged or forests that have fully regrown post-logging.
Old-Growth vs. Secondary Forests
Old-growth and secondary forests exist on a continuum. The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) defines secondary forests as ecosystems that are naturally regenerating after a significant disturbance that fundamentally changed forest structure and species. An old-growth forest can become a secondary forest relatively quickly with the cutting of big trees for timber. The reverse, however, takes hundreds of years as the forest slowly recovers from disturbance.
Over the years, forests are being cleared at unsustainable rates and lost to direct and indirect human actions. These old-growth forests have been facing threats over time, and, between 1990 and 2020, over 80 million hectares of old-growth forest were lost.
Ancient Forests on Vancouver Island
Outside of the Olympic Peninsula, no other region in Cascadia is more renowned for magnificent ancient forests and giant trees than Vancouver Island. Though these forests have also been the site of intense confrontations between conservationists and loggers, beautiful sections of old-growth remain on the Island — including Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park, Avatar Grove, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Cathedral Grove, and Meares Island.
Protecting the Oldgrowth Forests Together as a Community
What happens if old-growth forests disappear? What can we do as a community to protest the primary forest reserves and the existing old-growth trees?

It’s Representation and not Terrorism (poster)
Presenter: Beerinder Singh
Royal Roads University

The world has changed a lot in the last few years, especially since 9-11. The challenges faced in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, for turban-wearing Sikhs or hijab-wearing Muslims or anyone wearing any clothing that represents their faith in their religion post 9-11 have led to racial violence around the United States of America. Anyone wearing religious clothing became an accessible proxy for the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. 
This poster represents how a sacred piece of attire for religions in the minority, unfortunately, became the representation of terrorism instead of a representation of faith or religion. It represents the discrimination faced by Sikhs and Muslims, and the time that their identity was challenged which led to their calls for immigrant groups to assimilate into Western societies. The poster also talks about the brief history and the actual meaning and reasons for wearing or using religious attire and what it represents, other than that story of terrorism. It talks about why the simple piece of clothing is so sacred and what is the actual meaning it carries and represents. 
The poster discusses the post-9/11 backlash as it relates to Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. It attempts to report on Sikh and Muslim concerns, which, until now, have largely been subsumed in broader discussions of the post-9/11 climate.

Art has no boundaries (creative video)
Presenter: Beerinder Singh
Royal Roads University

Art has no boundaries. India and Pakistan used to be one single country before 1947, unfortunately, because of the present political situation between both countries the only thing which keeps people of these two countries connected today is music. You will find genuine fans of Pakistani music in India and vice versa. 
In 2016, an attack called the Uri attack disturbed the situation between India and Pakistan a lot. Since then, it is not allowed for any Pakistani artist to come and work or perform in India. Many artists in Pakistan have a massive fan following in India such as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Atif Aslam, Mahira Khan, Ali Sethi; etc. Indian audience today craves to see these artists perform live in India. 
Singer Ali sethi from Pakistan wrote and composed a song called Pasoori on the same theme that how he wants to go and visit India, but he can’t go there because of the political situation. This song became such a hit not only in India but around the world. In 2022, Song Pasoori was the most Googled song of the year in the whole world. 

The creative video is the cinematic journey in the form of a vlog of an Indian boy who gets to see one of his favourite artists from Pakistan Ali Sethi perform live in Canada on his North American tour which was never possible for him in India. The video represents the desperation of a Pakistani artist and an Indian audience wanting to celebrate music and art together.

Your Voice Matters (paper and yarn)
Presenter: Yan Lee
Royal Roads University

The “Your Voice Matters” artwork is a creative expression that celebrates the importance of language and culture in intercultural communication. It serves as a visual representation of the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape our communication with others, emphasizing the need to appreciate and respect the cultural context in which communication takes place.
At its core, the artwork embodies the belief that effective communication is about more than just language proficiency or technical skill – it requires an understanding of the social and cultural factors that influence communication. By showcasing the responses of classmates in their mother tongue and connecting them with different colour yarn, the artwork invites viewers to reflect on the unique identity of each individual and the common threads that bind us all together.
Through its celebration of language and culture, the “Your Voice Matters” artwork serves as a powerful reminder of the potential of intercultural communication to bridge divides and foster positive change. It challenges us to think beyond our cultural frames of reference and embrace the richness and diversity of human communication.