November – the time of amazing moustaches and the slow, mercilessly merry crescendo to Christmas. Take a break from the madness with a night all about aquariums, wine, and a talk about Game of Thrones – a show which features lots of wine, but not nearly enough aquariums.
Where: The Fox Cabaret
When: Tuesday November 24th, Doors @ 7; Talks @ 7:30
Tickets: as low as $5 online; $9 at the door
#1. Going down without getting wet
Melanie Knight
Unless you are Aquaman, a merperson, or Captain Nemo, it is likely that your undersea experiences have been limited to that one time you went snorkelling in Mexico or visited the aquarium.
Learn about a new approach to marine science education and the business of public aquariums: the catch and release mini aquarium model. A number of public aquariums in Canada have been built over the past decade that incorporate a sustainable exhibit model, operating seasonally and releasing the entire live animal collection back to the wild. This scalable and customized approach allows coastal communities worldwide to showcase the local biodiversity of their nearshore waters and teaches us a lot about life in the deep.
Bio: For the past 11 years, Melanie Knight has been working with the largest and the smallest aquariums in Canada. Three years ago, she founded the Petty Harbour Mini Aquarium in Newfoundland which just wrapped up its third successful season. She even did a TEDx talk about it. Melanie is now Co-Founder and CEO of Ocean to Eye Level, a consulting company which helps open catch-and-release aquariums around the world.
#2. It Shouldn’t Be This Difficult: Adventures in getting wine from grape to glass, with just a few detours in between
Isaac Hampson-Thorpe
Ever wondered why your favourite wine store is always out of your favourite product, but the store a few blocks away has it? Or how about the proper dress code for liquor inspectors in Newfoundland? Maybe you have been to a massive liquor store in America, found a delightful bottle of wine for three dollars, only to return to Her Majesty’s realm and pay four times the price? Together, we shall explore the minutiae of wine law and liquor regulations in this fair land of ours, with some history of the wine trade in our province thrown in. Enjoy a glass of your finest tipple, sit back, and listen to a tall bearded man rant about the wine business.
Bio: Isaac Hampson-Thorpe works at Broadway International Wine Shop where he is in charge of bringing in all the nerdy wine products. He has also worked in wineries, VQA retail stores, and as a wine agent. He holds his WSET Advanced Certification, and is currently working through his French Wine Scholar. Before deciding to spend his entire life devoted to getting other people intoxicated, he went to UBC for a BA in Religion, Literature, and the Arts. This, combined with his willingness to bring alcohol, and a vast eating capacity makes him an ideal dinner guest.
#3. ‘Cripples and bastards and broken things’: The imperfect bodies of Martin’s Game of Thrones’
Dr. Robert Rouse
The world of The Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones is one of broken humanity. In contrast with the heroes and villains of the High Fantasy genre, Martin’s characters are morally and physically flawed, exisiting and operating in shades of grey. This talk will ask why we find these figures so alluring: what do they say about us? And about the modern society which they – as does all fantasy – darkly reflect? I’ll be talking about Jamie and Tyrion Lannister, Sansa and Arya Stark, and – of course – the brothers Clegane, amongst others.
Bio: Robert Rouse is a Professor in the English Department at UBC. He teaches medieval literature for a living, which is a rare and – quite frankly – weird job. And yes, he does own a sword or two.