Electric latex land
FOOD FETISH: Project Latex Land
Kicking off this year’s Montreal Fetish Weekend is the vernissage for Martin Perreault and Gil Perron’s Project Latex Land, a photographic exhibit starring over 50 latex enthusiasts appearing in various public environments. The photos, which meld the day-to-day with fantasy and a touch of tongue-in-cheek, took six months of collaboration and are on view at 917 Ste-Catherine E.
With the games underway, head over to Maid in Heaven at Cabaret Cleo (1230 St-Laurent), for the official kink-off party, which promises a “Carnival of Sin” for willing participants.
If you feel like all this watching is getting you hot under the collar, you can try your hand at the whip with a Saturday afternoon workshop at Le Loft du Chateau (1410 Wolfe). The weekend’s equivalent of Capote’s black-and-white ball, Latextacy, takes place Saturday night and invites you to feast on the creations of top fetish designers, while showing off your own dazzling PVC bodysuit.
Night of Masks, which features internationally renowned mistresses, fetishists and like-minded players, closes the festivities Sunday night at Le Medley (1170 St-Denis). For more information on what you can expect this weekend check out www.fetishweekend.com.
by Chris Barry
Bug light
Babak Farsi was sitting in his backyard not too long ago, when in flew an ichneumon—a long and lean member of the wasp family. Funny, the engineer and artist had just been musing about the way insects live in an organized society. He trapped and carefully executed the creature, making sure not to damage it.
The lucky ichneumon now sits as a centrepiece in one of Farsi’s luminous  creations: a series of lamps made of found computer circuit boards and electronic odds and ends accentuated with insect-embedded epoxy. His exhibition Parasites, Pyramids and the Eye of Providence is a broad play on progress, “a celebration of our technological achievements and a denouncement of our lack of foresight,” as he puts it. “The ideology driving a lot of the world is about feeding off each other.”
Yes, so how does Farsi feel about eating up a wasp’s life for the sake of art? “Mixed,” he replies. “But Darwin actually said something about that specific creature not being benevolent at all. They actually lay their eggs on live insects and then when the larvae are born they kill their host by feeding off of it. I don’t know whether I agree with Darwin or not.” Catch the vernissage on Sept. 2 at 8 p.m., at Vices & Versa (6631 St-Laurent).
by MATTHEW WOODLEY
Altered landscapes
Montrealer Isabelle Hayeur’s reputation as one of the most engaging and interesting contemporary photographers is growing as quickly as say… suburban sprawl. Her images give the viewer the impression that they are of real locations but they are, in fact, digitally assembled by Hayeur out of photographs she takes of disparate sites.
The images in her latest show are from her ongoing Model Homes and  Excavations series. In the Homes series she drives home the point (sorry for the pun) between old and new building practices: In creating the new suburban developments we are moving away from the “distinctive and local to the uniform and global.” We flatten and erase the former landscape and history of an area, then fill in the space with “McHomes”.
In the works from the Excavations series, images of the badlands in Alberta, filled with fossils and carved over millennia, are combined with pictures taken at Montreal’s Miron Quarry—formerly one of the largest garbage dumps in North America. Brilliant work. Opens Sept. 1st, 3-6 p.m. and runs until Oct. 13th at Galerie Thérèse Dion (372 Ste-Catherine W, #527). Info: 514 398-9204.
by CHRISTINE REDFERN
Is it art?
SAVOURY PASTRY: Bringing together three things common to modern existence—coffee, liquor and artsy knik-knacks—in one convenient locale, SpiceSafar recently opened another location in Old Montreal. With an eye on the  city dweller, the cafe/lounge/boutique offers breakfast, cocktails and last-minute gift ideas in a tiny, kitschy space.
It’s rumoured they’re sticklers with their pastry chefs, and with good reason. Though they offer organic coffee and carry everything from luxury magazines to designer sneakers, the real art of the place is their artisan bread and pastries (which the Mirror staff was lucky enough to sample).
Using Montreal as their base, the owners are hoping their vision will soon be an international one, satisfying the sweet-tooth of customers one city at a time. Info at www.spicesafar.com
Arts
hole
OFF THE BOOKS: Ignore the impending lectures and essays with Monthly Mess Vl—Back to Scoooool! presented by resident hipsters Indyish.com. Showcasing local video, dance and spoken word artists, as well as the baroque-inspired sounds of the Coward and the Pelican, this student budget-friendly event takes place Aug. 31st at the Main Hall (5390 St-Laurent) STYLE COUNCIL: Hit the street this weekend (Sept. 1-2) for some good, clean throw-up fun at the 2007 edition of Montreal’s Meeting of Styles. Graffiti artists will be adding their own wild style to the walls around Bleury and Ste-Catherine. LINE DRAWING: Staying connected is the theme of the latest show at Headquarters gallery and boutique. Taking the work of three local artists, Jack Dylan, Carlos Santos and Mirror music editor, Rupert Bottenberg, LINEAR THINKING connects their individual work of with a single line that circumscribes the gallery. The vernissage takes place Sept. 1st at 6 p.m..
Artistat
The number of Canadian artists who will be exhibiting as part of La Mois de la photo, which features 37 artists and opens next week in Montreal: 18 |
