First People pop
HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED:
From Kahero:ton Scott’s Indians! series
Ever wonder who invented popcorn? North American First Nations people. In some kind of indirect way, this will be celebrated in Day of the Popping Corn, a salty feast of short videos, performance and music from emerging artists at the SAT on June 21. And that’s but the closing kernel in the giant pot that is the Montreal First Peoples’ Festival, which kicked off on June 10.
The fest brings art and artists from native cultures around the world, particularly the film component, where works from Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Australia and New Zealand will screen, covering topics from Amazonian tribal displacement to Amerindian women wrestlers. The focus, say the organizers, is on the future: “A new generation no longer wishes to simply play a victim’s role but intends to take the lead in a story of its own… The wind has turned.”
Alongside film, the festival brings together a wide palette of contemporary visual art, literature, music, professional workshops and tons more. Don’t let this one get lost in the festival fray—full schedule at www.nativelynx.qc.ca.
by MATTHEW WOODLEY
Movie-making marathon
Events where aspiring filmmakers race to shoot and edit a film in a matter of hours are all the rage these days, but you might consider the 2880 Film Blitz one of the more venerable movie marathons, as it celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. The Blitz is incorporating a new component this year—while filmmakers are usually instructed to build their movies around a theme or a specific object, this year the requirement will be a little different.
“For the big five-year bash, we’re upping the ante a little by giving  everyone a five-second video clip they’ll have to build their shorts around,” says co-producer (and Mirror freelancer) Michael-Oliver Harding. “This found footage theme is going along with what a lot of makers are doing right now, from documentary filmmaker Brett Gaylor to mash-up DJ Girl Talk: the idea of borrowing something that you didn’t create and making it your own. It’ll be interesting to see what comes out of it.”
The event, a fundraiser for doc awareness group DOC-Québec, runs from June 15–17, with the final screening at la Tulipe (4530 Papineau), 7 p.m., $10. For more info, visit www.2880.ca.
by MARK SLUTSKY
Danse en direct
“Dance created right in front of you makes it lively. There’s something special in that form,” says Amy Helmstetter about improvisation. This UQÀM master’s student is sharing her creation project for her BFA in dance this weekend.
Two years of research led her to create Every Day Is a Fine Day, a group improv piece in which Helmstetter is joined by dancers Andréa Dugas-Hawkes, Alexandre Richardson, Speranza S. and Remi Laussois. Not only are the dancers exercising their improv skills, musician Matt Tomlinson and lighting designer Amélie Bourbonnais also react to the dancers’ movements and the environment.
“There’s something about improv that makes it fragile,” says Helmstetter. “Improv dancing is on a line where it could go any way.” Expect a different performance every night. Shows start at 8 p.m., June 14–15, and at 6 p.m. on June 16, at Théâtre Passerelle (840 Cherrier E.), free.
by Marites Carino
Is it art?
MIRACLE TOAST: In autumn 1994, a middle-aged Floridian began yelling for her husband as she stared down at her toast and noticed a  woman’s face peering back at her. The woman, formed in the melted cheese, was later identified as the one and only Virgin Mary. The piece of toast—a bite already taken from one corner—seems to be blessed with longevity and financial success; in 2004, still intact, it sold for $28,000 on eBay. Inseq, a Vienna-based design group, have created a product called Zuse, a toaster that offers a little miracle with every breakfast.
It’s a compact toaster that you can attach to the wall next to your breakfast table: Wake up, put the coffee on, slip a slice into Zuse and wait for the magic to happen. Using a line-by-line toasting method—similar to early printer technology—Zuse is able to burn black and white 12-pixel resolution pictures into your toast. The toaster comes with several images already stored in memory and will burn these in a random order—there is no mention of whether these images include holy figures, so watch your bite. Breakfast never looked so good. More info at pureaustriandesign.com.
Arts
hole
EUREKA! Celebrate science, technology and the warm weather at the outdoor Eureka! Festival on the Quays of the Old Port (June 15–17). The festival packs in over 80 free events for children and adults covering topics as diverse as vortex generators, explosions in the sky, the chemistry of romance, magicians and plain old musicians. LIFE AFTER FRINGE: If your appetite for left-wing theatre was not satisfied at the Fringe, then check out the Infringement Festival, starting today, with performances until June 24. The fest offers a myriad of activist shows in a variety of artistic mediums. For showtimes or info, visit www.infringementfestival.com/montreal.
Artistat
Number of photographs, borrowed from the McCord archives, on public display along McGill Avenue from June 15–Oct. 15 as part of the museum’s second annual free outdoor exhibition: 58 |
