Road rage

Take your bike for a spin and check out Shift Down: Controversial Cars at Quartier Éphémère's Darling Foundry (745 Ottawa). The group exhibition revolves around the social, environmental and psychological effects of our culture's beloved automobile, so don't expect a scenic Sunday drive.

The first work encountered is Art orienté objet's video about making a fur coat from roadkill. And remember the truck crash a few years back that scattered 9,000 chickens all over the 40? Red's audio piece lets you relive the experience from the driver's perspective. The long-winded narration is billed as a tragedy, but it kept me giggling throughout. My one complaint in the small gallery was with Kelly Jazvac's Parking Space Putting Green. What? No putter and ball?

In the large gallery space is ATSA's torched SUV. ATSA is asking the public to e-mail them (info@atsa.qc.ca) to be part of their project of handing out tickets to big, gas-guzzling cars. I just would have been happier if I could have left with some of their tickets immediately, as there are a few dork-driven Hummers around town that I can't wait to slap one on. Runs until Sept. 22. » Christine Redfern

Fishy tales

The Seafarers and Fishwives exhibition by Nova Scotia artist Jennifer Crane at La Centrale (4296 St-Laurent) has a humorous beginning. The artist rented a small house on the water a few years back, in a village not far from Peggy's Cove. She started to notice that tourists were photographing her house, as well as Crane herself, when she was out doing mundane daily chores such as hanging her laundry on the clothesline. So she decided to get into her new role by dressing up in period costume and creating a faux 19th-century existence.

Seafarers and Fishwives is a fictional photographic archive, in which Crane is simultaneously subject, photographer, collector and curator. Her photos are viewed through an old stereoscope, which creates wonderful visual illusions. Shoe polishing, potato planting and drowned fishermen have never been so exciting. Runs until Aug 21. » Christine Redfern

Cat's meow

Current Catcall MC Luna Allison is all about community. "Catcall was started by Abigail Lapell, and I joined the project a couple of months in," she explains. "The idea is to create a space for independent women performers. There's an ongoing group of people building around this event, and it's really exciting to see." Next Thursday's line-up includes wordist/lyricist Josephine Watson, musician Jacky Star and Toronto-based Stranger Theatre presenting the drag puppet show, The Counterfeit Marquise. That's Aug. 11, 9 p.m., at Café Esperanza (5490 St-Laurent), $3. Get there early to sign up for the open mic! » Vincent Tinguely

Ballet and bonding

Since his departure from Les Grands Ballets Canadiens as a dancer, Shawn Hounsell has been making a name for himself as a choreographer. This Sunday, Aug. 7, Hounsell's newest piece, Variations sur un thème takes the stage for the first time as the closer for the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur. The work focuses on the links between young dancers, a project Hounsell created during a recent residency with Le Jeune Ballet du Québec, which is made up of dance wannabes between the ages of 16–20.

Can't get out to St-Sauveur? Don't despair. You can catch the piece within city limits for free at Parc LaFontaine's popular Théâtre de Verdure, Aug. 12–13 at 8:30 p.m. It winds up the outdoor show season at that venue. » Marites Carino

Is it Art?

LA CREMA DE LA CREMA: Coffee geeks - a lesser-known, but more hyperactive breed of geek than the computer variety - have been hopping up and down over a new café that opened for business two weeks ago at 837 Mont-Royal E. Borrowing from the Seattle style of bean selection, roasting, water treatment, grinding and a slew of other variables in the delicate process that makes up a good mug, Caffe Art Java is the first of its kind in Montreal, according to co-owner and proud coffee geek, Spiro. They're also the first to pretty up their lattes with latte art, he says. "Right now we have two basic designs: the heart and the rosetta, but soon we'll do a triple rosetta and a fire-breathing dragon."

ArtsHole

SOMETHING FOR SOMETHING: Make the trip to Yves Laroche's newish L'Autre Gallery (4 St-Paul E.) for the Quid-Pro-Quo exhibition and you'll be rewarded with engaging, not to mention technically proficient paintings by Alejandro Boim, Paul Colpron, Peter Ferguson and François Escalmel. The vernissage takes place on Friday, Aug. 5, from 6–9 p.m. • PLACES OF PLEASURE: Beginning on Aug. 10, Jean-Maxime Dufresne and Virginie Laganière will ride their bikes around the city "in an attempt to define leisure zones," whether they be obvious recreational areas, or just places where people seem to be having a good time. They'll be recording their trips to provide regular updates at www.hspots.ca." Hot Spots, in association with Dare-Dare, continues until Sept. 9.

ARTISTAT: Number of hot air balloons that will take to the skies between Aug. 13–21 in the International de Montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, www.montgolfieres.com for more info: 125

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