AP BIOLOGY
Ever since I was little I always had a strong passion for science and more specifically biology. I was constantly in my backyard adventuring and searching for all of the animals I could spot, as well as harassing my parents with millions of questions about how and why things worked. This is why I think Advanced Biology was one of my favorite courses to take, as it continued to nurture and foster this innate curiosity for the world around me. In this class, we studied the core principles of biology, covering everything from cellular levels and how proteins transcript and translate, to ecological sciences and different species interaction between themselves, their environment, and the impacts of human interference. Even the aspects of this course that seem too scientifically detailed and specific to hold an obvious global connection, still play a major role in the global takeaway that I got from this course in the end. For example, studying specific cellular processes like pyruvate oxidation and the citric acid cycle in cellular respiration, the composition of enzymes with the apoenzyme and cofactor, the roles of ATP synthase and electron transport chains in photosynthesis, gave me a foundational understanding of biology and how our human bodies work.
The beauty of science is that it is known as humanity’s “universal language”. We, humans, are still scientifically classified with the word Homo sapiens whether we are in Canada, Russia, Germany, Japan, or anywhere across the globe. We all still learn about Gregor Mendel and his pea plant experiments explaining heredity, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection, or the famous apple that fell and bonked the thought of gravity onto Isaac Newton’s head. Science is unifying. It’s a collection of shared information throughout history and across the globe. Science is a continual, collaborative, everchanging, and synergistic compilation of knowledge. If everyone solely used their own scientific findings and knowledge and didn’t pass on material throughout the perpetual flow of information, it would be like starting back at square one a million different times. Nothing would ever get done. This built-up collection of information is how we progress as a society and learn more about ourselves and the world around us. Every country on earth has made a significant contribution. Just twenty minutes from my house in Toronto is the very building where Banting and Best discovered insulin almost exactly one hundred years ago. I think there is so much beauty in this shared innate curiosity that is science. So, as I sat learning about ribosomal DNA, the cisternal space, and how the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, I appreciated the beautiful myriad of knowledge from around the world that was compiled to teach me the knowledge of today. As I think of that shared inherent curiosity that inspired all the brilliant minds before us to explore the world, answer the impossible, and create the questions we didn’t even know to ask, and I feel unity.
HONOURS STUDIO ART 3
Not only was my time spent in the course Honors Studio Art 3 a creative outlet for me to de-stress and be innovative, but simultaneously, it was an enriching experience in which I was immersed into a world of art from a global perspective. Art is another one of those amazing shared experiences around the world. Humans are and have always been, imminently creative. From over a hundred thousand years ago there is evidence that art has been a part of human society, from intricate carvings on cave walls to hieroglyphs, and sculptures from ancient civilizations, art has been a constant. When taking art it is practically impossible to not gain inspiration from artists across the world and throughout history.
I have one art piece, in particular, that I feel really encompasses this global and cultural education using an artistic lens, that I have gained through taking this class. It was an “editorial assignment” where we created art that tried to express the content of a specific article of our choice. I chose to take heavy inspiration from the famous Italian artist, Sandra Botticelli’s iconic n“Birth of Venus.” This painting is a famous symbol for the Roman goddess Venus, from ancient mythology, femininity, power, and beauty- in both physical and spiritual -- and it has a lot of historical significance behind it. In the early Renaissance period, there were a lot of sculptures and paintings featuring completely nude men, not women. This painting was transformational in the way that it featured a nude woman and was one of the first paintings to depict a female body with this divine and sensual beauty. However, interestingly, we also notice that she is intentionally shown with slight modesty, covering her breasts with her hand and hiding behind her long flowing hair.
Art holds immense power culturally, socially, and emotionally. These subconscious messages that art sends to us alter the way we perceive things. I think “Birth of Venus” is beautiful and is empowering in many ways (and of course, it is open to interpretation), but, I also think it contributes to the over-sexualization and objectification of women that we still struggle with today. It simultaneously promotes this idea that our bodies are inherently sexual and that women must cover up because female nudity is “inappropriate.” Nevertheless, other paintings at this time have subjects as naked men in powerful stances signifying authority and pride, while the women are told to cover up. This is why I thought the inspiration from this painting fit so perfectly with the article that I chose. The article is titled “you’re such a pussy” and discusses the ways in which our casual use of the terms for female genitalia in the context of negative, weak, or ‘less than’ inherently further contributes to misogyny. Language is power, and if we are constantly calling people pussies, using it as a synonym for a weak, coward, or fragile, it enhances the belief that women generally fall into these same categories. So in my painting, I have a zoomed-in frame of a recreation of Venus in Botticelli’s painting, with a blooming lotus flower covering her genitalia and its vines tightly wrapping around her. The lotus flower is additionally a symbol of female resilience and celebration. The idea is that Venus is synchronously being suffocated and empowered. She is this strong and volatile hero that should be celebrated for being female; however, is also fallen victim to the harsh realities of sexism, over-sexualization, misogyny, etc (which is represented by the choking vines).
Creating art for me is a way to make statements about universal issues. I was able to express my frustrations with the oppression of women, using help from this incredible Italian artist while learning about different cultures and social tendencies such as feminism in this early renaissance period. I combined my love for fighting for women’s rights and social justice with my passion for creating. Art is powerful and can help fight universal battles.
STUDIO ART 2
I have taken art classes most years since I was in third grade. None, however, have been as enriching as my experiences in art classes at Fountain Valley. Before, though I appreciated the creative freedom, I cycled through piece by piece, without taking much time to consider the meaning behind what I painted or what other people painted. I quickly learned that the art critiques everybody participated in after each project was one of the most educational and cultivating experiences I could have participated in. After each assignment, we would take turns bringing our piece to the front of the class, without saying a single word of explanation, and then had to listen to the rest of the class dissect our artwork, make critiques, compliments, inferences of subtle messages, and guess the context, among other points of critique. Despite being kind of stressful at the moment, such experiences have definitely made me a better artist. But what I loved about it so much was the part after the class critiqued and the artist got a chance to speak about their work. Fountain valley had kids from all over the world so it was so fascinating to see people draw inspiration from their native countries. I have had kids from Russia, Germany, Vietnam, China, and more in my classes, and all had a different story to tell with their artwork. Whether it be appreciating the beauty of their hometown, celebrating their heritage, or making a political statement, this diversity opened my eyes to a whole new world of art. I think art tells stories that we can’t always find the words to describe. I appreciate learning little pieces of people's stories, where they come from, how that has shaped them as an individual, and how they perceive their own stories.
Additionally, some of the assignments dove into a specific country’s unique artistic style. During the time when there was a production being put on in the theatre department, of a show called Amelie, which is about an innocent young french girl adventuring around Paris. Our assignment was to create paintings that embodied traditional french art. We studied French artists like Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Edgar Degas, and more. There were paintings of bottles of french wine sitting outside in a picturesque vineyard, posh women wearing extravagant outfits with giant puffy hats, or a romantic afternoon in Paris outside of a little cafe (the latter painted by me).
In conclusion, my experiences in studio art two immensely improved my skills as an artist through practice and exposure to a multitude of different multicultural influences, styles, and art genres.
WORLD SOCIETIES
I think one of the most obvious classes that had a very ‘global perspective’ was of course World Societies. We studied the ways in which early civilizations like Mesopotamia in the Tigris river valley have shaped so many aspects of modern society that are still observable today. We examined the influences of ancient sexism and its roots in the switch from the classic hunter-gatherer societies to farming. Men became the laborers working out in the fields and women’s main purpose shifted to be birthing as many children as possible. They became limited to forms of work that conveniently trapped them in the house all day, cleaning, cooking, sewing, and of course taking care of children. All of which closely parallels the classic 1950’s housewife stereotype. We also dissected the roots of many other discriminations, social tendencies, and power dynamics. We learned about early organized religions and how they spread across land without the influence of modern-day technology.
One of my favorite units was diving into many religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Buddhism intrigued me specifically due to the fact that it is often more considered a lifestyle or psychology, rather than a unified religion. Although I am not religious myself, I think a lot of aspects of Buddhism really promote a selfless, reflective, and empathetic lifestyle that everyone could use in their life. The four noble truths, for example, explore human suffering: Dukka: the truth of suffering, Samudaya: the truth of the cause of suffering, Nirodha: The truth of the end of suffering, And Magga: the truth of the path that leads you to the end of suffering. And then the eightfold path which ends the suffering and basically revolves around many altruistic and humanitarian ideas of respect, speech, action, livelihood, and more.
I also spent a lot of time analyzing life in the city of Athens during its time under the rule of the roman empire. I learned about the Athenians’ daily lives and the cultural importance of philosophy, art, and architecture within Athens. Roman mythology was a huge part of their civilization as well. They took a lot of inspiration from the Greeks at the time, even adopting Greek gods as their own, the only difference being holding a Roman name. For example, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, became Jupiter, Aries the god of war, Mars, Hades the god of the underworld, Pluto, and Poseidon the god of the sea became Neptune. Athens was truly a huge influence not only on Roman culture but also on the rest of the world, through this extreme appreciation of art, literature, philosophy, and more. Overall, I really enjoyed taking these sneak peeks into what life was like hundreds of years ago and decomposing the various ways these regions and situations are still reflected in current day society.