Butoh up

The first time choreographer Jocelyne Montpetit encountered Japanese dancer and choreographer Min Tanaka was more than 20 years ago during in an impromptu performance in a loftspace.

"He was lying on the floor in the foetus position, moving slowly, and little by little, he stood up - like a little boy to a man," she recalls, still moved by the memory. Through attending ensuing workshops put on by Tanaka, and after a few chance meetings, Montpetit - who trained in classical ballet - came to know the Japanese dance-performance art of butoh. It's an artform she describes as "something to show the things we have hidden."

Having just turned 60, Tanaka - who trained with butoh co-founder Tatsumi Hijikata - performs this week at the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts in a solo entitled In Love With Locus. The work is part of Présences du Japon, a biennial event organized by Montpetit, which also includes a lecture by translator and professor Kuniichi Uno and a photography and video exhibit by New York multimedia artist Charlie Steiner on the life and works of Tanaka. It runs until April 9, call 842-2112 for the full schedule. » Marites Carino

Moving out

Alas, all things come to an end, and although they managed to turn a six-month lease into nine, Massive Riot Gallery (5392 St-Laurent) calls it quits at the end of April. The space has been headquarters to the Kops Crew over the winter, and easily one of the best places to see street art off the street in this city, if not on - reason enough to join the festivities at their farewell bash, curiously named No Vacancy. "It suggests the fact that though we're gone, no one else will be able to come in and do what we've done," says Crew member Comos. "Something was born here, but it won't die here."

This Friday, April 8, the No Vacancy vernissage kicks off at 8 p.m. at the gallery, free. The following Friday sees a special late-night showing (something to do with light boxes) with sounds from Simon B, midnight, $5. And to make sure they go out with a bang, Kops are throwing an exclusive closing party one more Friday later, the 22nd, with Jordan Dare on decks. » Matthew Woodley

Pinning and carving

Café Esperanza (5490 St-Laurent) rings with creative zing this weekend. On Friday it's Pindemonium, with pins by 50 artists, curated by Lisa Fitzhugh and Melissa Campbell. "Our concept is for the different artists to trade their self-designed buttons - creating a frenzy of communal interaction," Fitzhugh says. See pins by art stars like Peter Gibson (of Roadsworth fame), Luc Paradis, Natasha St. Michael, Sherwin Tjia, Vanessa Yanow, Louise Dubreuil and Shawnda Wilson, April 8, at 9 p.m, free!

On Saturday, it's the launch of the delicious new litzine Carve. According to editor Andrea Belcham, "It's trying to cut, or ‘carve', a path through a landscape of diverse literary activities." Readings by Catherine Paquette, Angela Leuck, Dimitri Nasrallah and more. In Esperanza's back room, April 9, at 7 p.m., also free! » Vincent Tinguely

Call a cab

A very innovative way to expose art has hit the streets of Montreal. Teletaxi is a group exhibition of site-specific media art by 11 artists that can only be viewed from the backseat of Co-Op cab #235.

A collaboration between collective Year Zero One and Dare-Dare, the taxi is outfitted with an interactive touch screen that displays video, animations, music and information triggered by an onboard global positioning system receiver. The displayed artworks change depending on where the car is in the city.

Michael Alstad's videos reveal urban spaces that are above or below the passenger's sightlines. Mario Côté presents poetry readings of work by five local poets as the taxi passes by each author's residence. David Jhave Johnston's "Gridlock," an animated art/toy game, appears whenever the car stops.

From now until June 21st, any time you're looking for a stimulating ride, call Co-Op at 725-9885 and ask for #235. More info at 878-1088 or www.year01.com/teletaxi. » Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

THE SMARTER WAY TO CHARTER: There are two types of people on the Greyhound: (a) those who like to sit with strangers, and (b) those who don't. Type (a) bus riders tend to be creepy, perhaps even murderous. Type (b) are usually okay because they're not sitting next to you.

Not so fast. Crowded buses are rife with (b)-(b) pairings. That's sort of okay, because you don't have to chat, but it does raise the issue of armrest etiquette. Unless, that is, you're wearing a Kling Tut™ Travel comfort vest. The garment has two Velcro patches on the upper chest designed to mate with patches on partial gloves worn by the traveller, allowing for a comfortable, cross-armed position much like the time-tested one assumed by Egyptian mummies. Kling Tut™ also works on airplanes and at movie theatres.

ArtsHole

MAN'S DEAD FRIENDS: Canines euthanized by the city of Chicago are forever immortalized in Juozas Cernius's painting and drawing exhibition, Dogs. The artist sees the dead animals as "the manifestation of a small collapse of human values and ideologies... a mirror through which the premises of our society, with its ideals, hierarchical structure, contradictions and failures, are questioned." The show runs at Articule (4001 Berri, #105) until May 1. • OPEN DA NIGHT: Bringing together 15 emerging photographers from three countries, the Photomathon collective exhibition Ouvert toute la nuit/Abierto toda la noche is currently on display at the Maison de la culture Frontenac (2550 Ontario E.). Participating locals include John Lodano, Guillaume Simoneau and Vincent Lafrance, and the show runs until May 7, before heading to Belgium and Mexico.

ARTISTAT: Number of people who attended this year's ever-growing Blue Metropolis literary festival, a 15 per cent increase from the 2004 edition: 12,500

>> Arts Listings