Mardi Gras on the Main

Confronted by the images of a devastated New Orleans populace in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Josephine Watson knew she had to do something. “It definitely reflected the real situation of African Americans in the United States,” says Watson. “What I saw was completely unfair.” So the Montreal performer has rallied a few of her friends to raise funds for the Red Cross relief effort.

The party (bring a mask!) starts at the corner of Mont-Royal and St-Laurent at 8 p.m. Friday, when the Fat Tuesday Brass Band leads a New Orleans-style jazz procession up the street to the Sala Rosa (4848 St-Laurent). Other acts include Kalmunity, Jacki Starr, Jordy Rosen and friends, Choeur Maha, Gruyen Gumbo, Kumpa’nia, Neema, Tempus Fugit, and the Native Friendship Centre’s Sky Bellefleur speaking on the plight of American Native communities in the hurricane’s aftermath. Oct. 7, 8 p.m., $10. —Vincent Tinguely

They don’t shoot dancers

Two years ago, when she was forming a concept for her new work, choreographer Nancy Leduc’s ponderings on the theme of solitude and obsession prompted a flashback to Sydney Pollack’s film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Elements of the movie thus became fodder for her own theatrical solo Seule sur un pouf, which she calls “a road room.” The piece is comparable to a road movie, explains Leduc, except in her case the protagonist embarks on her dance voyage in the comfort of her living room—that being cozy dance venue Tangente (840 Cherrier). Join her Oct. 6–8, and Oct. 12–15 at 8:30 p.m.; and Oct. 9 and 16 at 4 p.m., 525-1500. —Marites Carino

Obsoletely wonderful

Alexandre Castonguay’s new installation Éléments at the Musée d’art contemporain is not the kind of new media work that hits you over the head when you first encounter it. At first glance, you notice the equipment that is spread all over the gallery floor: a bunch of old projectors, lenses, wires and LED screens. But don’t turn around and leave—the irresistible appeal of this piece emerges when you hang around and play with it. Each of the seven projectors is hooked up to a camera that captures your movements and manipulates them in a different manner—some resemble water or appear heat sensitive, while others turn you into psychedelic and cubist forms.

Get down on the floor and stick your face (or whatever) up close to the cameras for some really groovy distortions. All of the projections on the walls are circular, bringing to mind the fuzzy edged images captured by pinhole cameras. Taken together, these elements add up to a beautiful visual blend of the old and the new. Éléments runs until Jan. 8, info: 847-6226. —Christine Redfern

Nice asphalt

Sometimes you just need to embrace the concrete jungle. An opportunity to do so tonight is with The Landscape of Asphalt, a lecture by innovative German landscape architect Gabriele G. Kiefer. Gardens for Kiefer extend beyond groupings of plants and incorporate non-traditional materials such as blue asphalt and steel. The projects of her company, Berlin’s Büro Kiefer, range from public plazas and parks, to transformed industrial sites, schools and roof gardens. Keep an eye out for some of her playful urban spaces in the CCA’s upcoming exhibition Sense of the City opening Oct 26. The talk is tonight, Oct. 6, at 7p.m., at the CCA (1920 Baile), free. —Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

HOMO EXOTICA: There’s more to Black & Blue than half-naked hedonists high on something or other, writhing their buff, sweaty bodies against each other all night at the Big O before jetting off to the next stop on the gay circuit. After all, they have to know where the next stop on the circuit is. GBLT travel is growing into a booming niche industry and the Gay & Lesbian World Travel Expo 2005 is your one-stop source for the 411 on XX-XX/XY-XY/etc adventure. This year’s event showcases over 100 gay-friendly destinations around the world, and it’s today, Thursday, Oct. 6, from 4–8 p.m. at the Complexe Desjardins (150 Ste-Catherine E.).

ArtsHole

ON THE JOB: Matilda Aslizadeh takes you to work in Office, a split-screen video project set in a life insurance company that aims to give a new twist to corporate clichés. The 23-minute piece loops continuously at Skol (372 Ste-Catherine W., #314), Tue–Fri, noon–5 p.m. from Oct. 7–Nov. 5. • PROFESSOR PRODUCTS: Dawson’s esteemed fine arts faculty gets a chance to put their makings where their mouth is at the seventh Fine Arts Faculty Biennial, running through Oct. 28 at the Warren G. Flowers Gallery (4001 de Maisonneuve W.), 931-8731. • WHAT’S NOT COOKING: There’s more than meat at Mesquite (3857 Décarie) what with Michael Clague’s paintings on the walls. The oft-exhibited Montreal artist explains that he finds the gallery process tedious and that a restaurant is a more appealing way to get his paintings to the people.

ARTISTAT: Number of years, according to video installation artist Line Nault, that it would take to view all possible combinations of the 60-second sequences she shot simultaneously on four cameras of 30 dancers, which will play back randomly in her show (in a hangar behind rue Chabot, corner Bélanger), Oct. 10–23: 504,666,780,464,594,860,419,156,164

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