Pixel picture

nintendo nostalgia: 8-bit

For those who fondly reminisce about booting up their Commodore 64, Montreal game developer collective Kokoromi (which means “experiment” in Japanese) is presenting 8-bit, a documentary about the commingling of art and video games, on Feb. 17, at the SAT (1195 St-Laurent).

“People see games as ephemeral, and not as a sustainable form of art, but there are some who have strong reaction to it,” says Kokoromi co-founder Heather Kelley. “Generation X was the first to grow up with games being entrenched in pop culture, and to come up appreciating that aesthetic lo-fi.”

8-bit culture refers to the retro era of gaming, and the unforgettably weird sounds and images, from Atari to the original Nintendo Entertainment System. There will be a Q&A with the film’s creators, Marcin Ramocki and Justin Strawhand. Tickets are $10 at the door, or $8 through the SAT Web site, www.sat.qc.ca. The trailer is available at www.8bitmovie.com

—Erik Leijon

Recycling role models

The folds and the beautiful: A Fortin work

Jérôme Fortin, previously known for cutting up plastic bottles and turning them into seascapes, once again takes everyday recycling material and transforms it into mesmerizing art. His latest exhibition consists of nine very large works made of folded paper, assembled in-situ and attached directly to the walls of the Musée d’art contemporain. The works, therefore, are ephemeral, and will be destroyed once the exhibition ends, but this only adds to their compelling and Zen-like character. Even more amazing, these abstract colour-field collages are created from blank sketchbooks, the Yellow Pages, Japanese comics, roadmaps, posters, lottery tickets and old issues of Art Forum.

Jean-Pierre Gauthier is also well known for using everyday objects (bottles, wires, pipes and tubes) though for more artistically aural and mechanical pursuits. Walking into the large retrospective of his work that opened at the MAC last week, I heard someone comment, “Careful, this exhibition is alive.” Even more engaging than the movement is Gauthier’s ability to play with live sound. It makes me feel as though I have entered the magical world of Dr. Seuss and his fantastical array of noisemakers. Meet Fortin Feb. 21 at 6 p.m., and hear Gauthier in concert on March 21 at 8 p.m., info: (514) 847-6226.

–Christine Redfern

Personal pointe

When I first saw the work of emerging Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton, her focused and upbeat choreography was an obvious hit in the sea of misses during the Montreal Fringe in 2002. Since then, the former dancer with Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal has relocated to New York and is currently artist in residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Her newest choreographic concoction kicks off the Montreal High Lights Festival.

Barton calls her work for a dozen dancers Les Chambres des Jacques and says she took a personal approach during its creation process. “I wanted to use the dancers as people and not just bodies in space,” she explains on the phone from New York. “It’s all about what’s going on inside and it’s really about these 12 individuals and the moments we went through in the studio.”

Set to an eclectic soundtrack that uses music from Vivaldi and Gilles Vigneault, Barton’s piece closes the double bill that opens with Mapa by Brazilian choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras. Catch the works nightly until Feb. 24, 8 p.m., at Place des Arts (Théâtre Maisonneuve), $25–$44, (514) 842-2112.

—Marites Carino

Trouble in space

Ben Dern thinks he’s got it bad trapped in a crappy job writing for an for an advertising agency, but his problems grow somewhat graver when he’s abducted into the future and thrown into a prison teeming with mutants and androids. That’s the scene at Théâtre Ste-Catherine (264 Ste-Catherine E.), where Two By Four’s Space Jail throws us into comedic galactic anarchy in the year 2117. The show, starring Dan Beirne, Jenna Wright, Joe McLean, Etan Muskat and Massimo, runs until Feb. 17, and from Feb. 21–24, 8 p.m., $12–$15, (514) 284-3939 to reserve.

—Matthew woodley

Is it art?

ANOTHER INCONVENIENT TRUTH? The shortest book, though arguably the heaviest, that landed at the Mirror this week is entitled Hercolubus or Red Planet, by V.M. Rabolú. In it, he posits that a giant planet is plunging toward our planet, to ultimately destroy it. Rabolu is also worried about atomic tests in the south Pacific causing the inner fire of the Earth and the seawater, forcing the giant monster who resides below to seek refuge from the heat and attack our coastal cities. On a brighter note, Rabolú has travelled to Mars and Venus, and describes life there as nothing short of idyllic—angel-featured inhabitants grow fruit on their rooftops, get around on moving escalators, work exactly two hours a day and read minds. The book is available through Amazon.ca.

Arts hole

CAPTURING CHILDREN: Photographers and founders of the humanitarian organization DIASOL, Patrick Dionne and Miki Gingras, showcase their shots by Nicaraguan children, Humanidad, at the Maison de la culture Frontenac (2550 Ontario E.) until March 4. The gallery is also screening Thierry Ducharme’s documentary on Ecuadorian emigration problems, La Route se poursuit, until Feb. 25. • OLD COMPANY, NEW MOVES: After 20 years without a visit, 50-year-old New York dance company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater stop into Place des Arts from Feb. 22–24 with three works tied to Black History Month celebrations. See video excerpts at www.grandsballets.com.

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