A walk in the woods

“I feel like I’m in the Blair Witch Project,” was a comment I heard twice while wandering through the Laurentian woods that shelter the exhibition Les jardins du précambrien. Many of the in-situ artworks created on the grounds of the Fondation Derouin in Val-David do indeed have a magical and often eerie feel to them.

The multidisciplinary site by Derek Besant, Alexandra Haeseker, Michel Gonneville and Christian Bouchard was my favourite; music, the sound of wood spirits and alien noises seemed to emanate from beneath the earth. The grunting hog that was part of an installation by Bonnie Baxter, Michel Beaudry, Michael Oesterle and Christine Unger was the biggest hit with the many kids wandering the trails.

The Fondation Derouin started these symposiums and exhibitions in 1995 to foster North-South dialogue among artists of the Americas. It’s open weekends until Sept. 24, $5, free for kids, info: www.fondationderouin.com, (819) 322-7167. —Christine Redfern

Trailer park traipse

Nomadic gallery Dare-Dare has new digs, though they’re not quite sure what to call the place yet. The trailer-based centre was politely kicked out of Viger Square earlier this summer by the City to make way for the Outgames, with the option to return after two months. But, as artistic coordinator Jean-Pierre Caissie says, two moves was too much, and the gallery opted to plop itself down on the edge of Mile-End’s seldom-trodden “No-name Park.”

“Eventually we’d like to come up with a different name,” Caissie explains. Granted, he’s been busy painting the trailer a fresh new colour (Versailles bleu), which sits pretty up against the Van Horne overpass, between St-Laurent and Clark. “We have permission to stay for one year, but we’re hoping for three,” he says. “We were in Viger Square for two, and we were starting to plant solid roots and draw regulars. I think that’s important because our approach is fairly subtle.”

Until Aug. 27, Dare-Dare leads urban archaeology walks guided by the Spurse collective, with members from a wide variety of fields, leaving from the trailer at 1 p.m., with a special multimedia event Aug. 26, 7–11 p.m.— 878-1088 or www.dare-dare.org for more info. —Matthew Woodley

Troubadours troop in

Last Call Poets, a crew of wordists straight outta T-dot, is testing its touring chops here for the first time this weekend. “Our goal is to flex our diverse styles of spoken word performance, and have fun as a travelling group of poets,” says member David Silverberg, who’s also the producer and host of the Toronto Poetry Slam.

The other Last Call Poets are highenergy chapbooker Paisley Rae, powerful and poignant poet Valentino Assenza, Kevin Fortnum (the Lou Reed of the Toronto word scene), slam poet and playwright Amanda Hiebert and That Brown Bastard aka Rahul Gupta. It’s Aug. 25, 8 p.m., at Zeke’s Gallery (3955 St-Laurent); Aug. 26, 8 p.m., at Toc Toc (6091 Parc), $5 both nights. —Vincent Tinguely

Worldwide shorts

The Montreal-based Kino collective, with its mission to make short films with little means but total creative freedom, has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1999—it’s now an international network, with over 50 branches in 14 countries. This Friday, Aug. 25, Kino programmer and filmmaker Ianic Mathieu presents an assortment of shorts that showcase the quality and scope of the collective’s talent pool, the last in a series of outdoor screening nights at the Old Port’s Bonsecours Terrasses.

Mathieu has selected films that he personally saw take shape on his trips to “Kino Kabarets” around the globe. He’ll intersperse film introductions with anecdotes about Kino members who took part in these 48-hour non-competitive filmmaking challenges, held in the collective cells from Manchester to Wisconsin, Berlin to Adelaide.

“There’s always some kind of magic that comes out of these films,” says Mathieu. “You get nice surprises with shorts because filmmakers aren’t afraid to try things out.” The screening begins at 9 p.m., pay what you can. —Michael-Oliver Harding

Is it Art?

SIGNAL SCOOP: Le plus ça change... In the olden days we made rabbit ears for our televisions out of coat hangers and tinfoil and occasionally borrowed an egg from the nextdoor neighbour. Now, we make Wifi receiver boosters with vegetable strainers so we can borrow our friendly neighbours’ Internet access. All you need, according to a recipe at www.instructables.com, is a strainer/steamer device, a USB cable, a Wifi USB receiver, a couple of twis ties and some good glue, and you’ve just upped your download big time. Follow the directions at www.instructables.com/id/EQARE4I72GEP UCHTHU/ to cook up one for yourself.

ArtsHole

VROOM AND BOOM: Having collected a heap of auto parts from junkyards, Montreal artist Phillipe Allard has moved on to the second step of his Big Bang recreation installation by adding a sound element to the luminous cacophony. Mars Attaque opens alongside Pierre Bellemare’s unnamed Zen garden-like installation at the Maison de la culture Ahuntsic- Cartierville (10300 Lajeunesse) today, Aug. 24, 6 p.m., and continues until Oct. 14. • TROUBLE IN RIVERDALE: Will Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Moose, Midge and Big Ethel finally listen to Pop’s advice? The school dance is fast approaching and the shit has hit the fan in Riverdale. Find out what happens when the Montreal School of Performing Arts and Express O Theatre present Archie and Pals, Aug. 26–27, 8 p.m., 3480 Decarie, 2nd floor, $5 (includes coffee and cake).

ARTISTAT: Approximate number of years you will be brought back in time at the Pointe-à-Callière’s Public Market, Aug. 26–27, which reflects the everyday reality of a Montreal market when the city was under the French régime (you know... wild fruit jelly, elk terrines, preserved fiddleheads, handmade soap, cattail shoots...): 250

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