On the Inca trail

If you don’t come across local almost-hobo street art hero Other wandering the alleys this February, it’s because he’s made it to Peru. Funded in part by a joint Quebec and Peruvian grant, he and a painter pal are jetting off to the bustling capital of Lima for two weeks to crayon the town red with a group of local locos. Do note the “in part”—a good chunk of the expenses, which include art supplies they’re taking down for themselves and the Peruvian kids, are coming out of their own pockets. And since Other spends so much money on things like the paint sticks with which he bestows explosive new life upon scraps of old wood and rubbish, he could use a hand. Hence, the community-minded folks from the Kops Crew people are throwing a fundraiser/art auction/crazy party. Product and Giver will paint live, with sounds provided by Sixtoo, Vancouver DJ Take 5 and more. It’s this Friday, Jan. 27, 10 p.m. , at 111 Roy, for just five bucks. —Matthew Woodley

Tetraplegic twist

Choreographer Johanne Madore and France Geoffroy, dancer and artistic director of local integrated company Corpuscule Danse, have combined creative juices for Le Baiser, an intriguing blend of theatre and dance that premieres this week at Espace Libre (1945 Fullum).

“I had never worked with someone who was tetraplegic, and I was pretty curious,” says Madore of her first meeting with Geoffroy two years ago. “When I saw France, I thought, what’s the real verticality and decided to express that idea a little bit further.”

In the quartet, Madore compares and contrasts the psychology and fragility of the “normal” dancer with a tetraplegic one—all while exploring different types of freedom. Geoffroy, along with Martine Lusignan, Isaac Savoie and Pierre-André Côté undergo a strange, funny and emotional voyage that seeks to go beyond the image of the bipedal dancer. It runs Jan. 26–28 at 8 p.m., and Jan. 28 at 2 p.m., $20–$24, 521-4191. —Marites Carino

Deadline boogie

Stationæry litzine founders and editors Daniel Spitzberg and Ilya Zaychik like to rock it on the wild side. That’s why the deadline for submissions to issue 9 is sunrise this Saturday, Jan. 28, while the zine’s publication party is next Thursday. “We honestly put the entire piece of art together and the whole layout in 48 hours before the launch,” says Spitzberg. “It’s like a whirlwind of submissions, it’s been under the wire every single issue. You bring it to the printer and you hope and you pray.” Potential contributors should check out www.stationaery.com for submission details; the launch party, featuring Tessa and the Bear Caves, Mr. Vladimir, and KABOOM is at Main Hall, 5390 St-Laurent, Feb. 2, 9 p.m., $5. — Vincent  Tinguely

Bombs and Beirut

What’s real and what’s fiction is a question you might ask yourself when you visit the new exhibition, We Can Make Rain but No One Came to Ask at Concordia’s Ellen Gallery (1400 de Maisonneuve W.). But the answer, according to New York-based, Beirut-born Walid Raad, is of little importance.

Raad presents documents and fictitious narratives under the name the Atlas Group, reflecting upon the Lebanese Civil Wars. While they don’t represent real events, by posing as an archive, the material raises important ideas surrounding history and memory. “It does not document what happened,” explains Raad, “but what can be imagined, what can be said, what can be taken for granted, what can appear as rational, sayable and thinkable about wars.”

Today, Jan. 26, at 12:30 p.m., Raad will be at the gallery to meet with artists and students. On Feb. 7 at 4 p.m., gallery director Michèle Thériault gives a guided tour. The exhibition runs until March 4. —Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

FLY AWAY: Absolut Vodka calls Lenny Kravitz “an icon whose bold, channelling sound has transcended genre style race and class.” But really the only thing cool about Kravitz is that he used to be married to someone from The Cosby Show. Wait—why’s Absolut hyping this riff robber anyways? Well, it’s because he just recorded a new track based on his interpretation of their brand. “‘Breathe,’” explains Absolut PR, “is a transition from Kravitz’s traditional rock ’n’ roll to a distinctly dance music sound, with minimal lyrics, a memorable melody and pulsating beat.” Nice timing Len-dogg! The song and accompanying video can be downloaded for free at www.absoluttracks.com.

ArtsHole

ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES: An earnest med student and a vivid actress with an environmentalist bent struggle with the idea of bringing a child into a polluted world in Baby Making. The play, written by Jeanie Keogh, is presented by Thought Bubble Theatre and runs at the Geordie Space (4001 Berri) from Jan. 25–Feb. 5, $10–$12. • SEW CRAZY: Step into Caroline Lathan-Stiefel’s room-sized world of fabric, pipe cleaners, yarn, thread and pins at Articule (4001 Berri, #105), until Feb. 19, and you won’t come out the same.

ARTISTAT: Number of days it takes to get around the world in Le Vieux Coffre’s adaptation of Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, running at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier (4353 Ste-Catherine E.) until Feb. 18: 4

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