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Creative creatures
BIRDS AND FISH BY A FLOCK OF CANADIAN ARTISTS:
Aeroquatica work by Tchug
Summer is here and the birds and fish are happily singing and swimming in the local skies and lakes. Starting at 7 p.m. tomorrow (July 6), you will also be able to find some rare species in the exhibition Aeroquatica (curated by Mirror music editor Rupert Bottenberg) at le Kopshop (111 Roy E.). Fourteen artists and cartoonists have each created a bird and a fish especially for this show, which includes work by Hélène Brosseau, Howard Chackowizc, Jack Dylan, Matt Forsythe, Tchug, Mirror contributor Richard Suicide and Heidi Taillefer, among others. If you decide to take one of the creatures home with you, a portion of the proceeds from every sale will be given to the wildlife charity Ducks Unlimited Canada.
It seems like one can’t move in this city these days without bumping into original work that is being generated by Montreal’s über-talented local comics scene. At the new Galerie du Viaduc St-Laurent (5806 St-Laurent), Billy Mavreas, Dominique Desbiens, Carlos Santos, Bruno Rouyère and Caro Caron have made large canvas paintings of some of their favourite comic bits. Check it out until July 14, info: (514) 817-9500.
by CHRISTINE REDFERN
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Hot air
BEANS, GOOD FOR YOUR HEART: Chili cook off
“I don’t know. All I know is that my face is on the poster and I’m supposed to be MCing,” explains Nick “The Prick” Robinson when woken up at noon and asked about Nick the Prick’s 1st Invitational Chili con Carne Cook Off. “I don’t even know what bands will be playing. I’ve been told to inform people by Jonathan… That’s right, Jonathan Cummins is the organizer… Everybody knows that Jonathan is the laziest and most disorganized human on the face of the planet… He’s very talented, sure...”
What Mr. The Prick (who’s actually rather cheerful) does know is that some band called the Sandwiches, featuring members of AIDS Wolf and Bionic, will be playing the first Black Flag record live, that it’s this Friday, July 6, at the Barfly, and that there will be chili. The tasting starts at 8 p.m., bands at 10, official winner announced at 1 a.m.
“I don’t even know if there will be beans,” he continues. “It could be just ground beef and tomatoes. But I do know that it’s all meat chili. That’s why the poster got torn down immediately at Esperanza.”
by MATTHEW WOODLEY
Building controversy
Bernard Rudofsky (1905–’88) received a PhD in architecture and had his own architectural practice, but from the 1940s onward, he was known  principally as a critic and cultural theorist. In his book Now I Lay Me Down to Eat, he proposed alternative cultural and historical models to designs encountered while eating, sleeping, sitting and bathing. He writes that the book was “neither meant to spread dangerous hearsays nor to undermine our birthright to make the worst of possible choices. Rather, it demonstrates by means of random examples that life can be less dull than we make it.”
He questioned the design of American toilets, calling them “septic-humidifiers” and asked why bathtubs are impossible to lie in comfortably. His writing was funny, sarcastic and revealing. He wrote numerous books and essays including Architecture Without Architects, about “primitive” community-built architecture, The Unfashionable Human Body, which takes a look at how we dress ourselves, and Streets for People, a voice for pedestrian friendly urban design. He also mounted controversial exhibitions on similar topics at New York’s MOMA in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s.
Still teaching us after all these years, Lessons From Bernard Rudofsky runs until September 30 at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (1920 Baile), info: (514) 939-7026.
by CHRISTINE REDFERN
Tango the night away!
Now in its fifth year, le Festival International de Tango de Montréal has become the summer music and dance hotspot for tango lovers. Sylvi Belleau, co-coordinator of the fest, says that the tango community in the city has been growing steadily since 1985. “Montreal is like Buenos Aires. It’s a port city where different people meet,” she says. “We’ve even been working on making Montreal the North American capital of tango.”
Over nine days, festival-goers can participate in workshops and milongas or take in a variety of shows, such as Tango Magique, which incorporates the sensual dance with the circus arts. For those not willing to shell out, head over to the free outdoor concerts with the Beba Pugliese Orchestra on July 11 at the Municipal Greenhouses of Verdun and on the 12th at the Théâtre de verdure in Parc Lafontaine. The tango fest kicks off July 7 and runs until July 15. For details, call (514) 527-5197, or visit www.festivaldetangodemontreal.qc.ca.
by MARITES CARINO
Is it art?
TEE-ING OFF: Like most histories with the military as point of origin, the t-shirt’s is not devoid of controversy. It’s agreed that the place of  conception was the navy, but both the U.S. and U.K. claim inventor status (while the French claim the first cotton one). Either way, it was American films, like Rebel Without a Cause, that brought the t-shirt from battleground to living room some 50 years later, and it was Elvis’s image that adorned the first band t-shirt (1956).
This is the chronology according to Amber Easby and Henry Oliver’s new book, The Art of the Band T-shirt. It’s a collection of t-shirt images from “Innovators”—Elvis Presley, the Beatles—to “Beyond 2000”—Wolf Eyes, Silver Jews. The images have captions with interesting tee trivia, such as Ian MacKaye’s account of meeting the retailer who profited off Fugazi’s no-merchandise stance with the “This Is Not a Fugazi T-shirt,” and the story of the Ramones’ appropriation of the presidential seal. They also touch on recent celebrity (ahem, Paris Hilton) reissued band t-shirt trends, and the separation of icon from music. Info: www.SimonSaysTheSPOT.com
Arts
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COUNTRY COOKIN’: On July 7, wake up early and square dance your hangover away with a hearty dose of Southern hospitality at Théâtre Ste-Catherine’s (264 Ste-Catherine E.) 3rd Stampede Breakfast. The first free round of pancakes, sausages and country music is served at 10 a.m., but the hoedown will keep your cowboy boots kickin’ till late with performances by the Sunday Sinners, Dan D. Lyons and more. • NOMADIC ART: Artefact, an outdoor art event that appears every three years in a different location, is back, with this year’s artists asked to relate their pieces to Expo ’67. The sculptures are at Parc Jean-Drapeau and will remain until Sept. 30.
Artistat
Number of films, dance shows and musical performances celebrating African and Créole culture during the 16th Ciné-spectacles au clair de lune from July 5–8, at 7:30 p.m., at the Théatre de Verdure at Parc Lafontaine (tasty African cuisine available between acts!): 8 |
