FORKING PUPPETS AND MASTERS:
Godziuk and Lukidis

Forkman’s a kid with problems. Not only is he cursed with an unorthodox (though admittedly convenient) name, he’s also got forks sticking out of his arms instead of hands.

Panadream Theatre’s latest production, Forkman, is a comedy of errors that makes use of an impressive array of the duo’s puppet collection, including string marionettes, shadow puppets, Japanese Bunraku puppets and videos that switches between stop-action and live-action.

“When people think of puppets, they tend to think of something light. This is more like old-school vaudeville. There’s a Russian acrobat, a giant magician whose mouth is in his stomach and a Bunraku doll that requires two or three people to manoeuvre it,” says founding member Lydia Lukidis.

Past versions of the show have been performed for children, but Lukidis says this one should appeal more to adults. “This one’s a bit edgier—there are jokes that only the adults will get,” she says.

“People find it interesting because it involves a lot of disciplines: visual art as well as theatre, sculpture, carving, mechanics. Even moving the puppets is an art,” adds co-founder Christopher Godziuk.

Nov. 19–22 at Geordie Theatre (4001 Berri, #103). Details at: www.panadreamtheatre.com.

by MATT JONES

Documenting Duchamp

DADA’S BOX: Duchamp’s La Boîte Verte

In 1926, the French Surrealist and Dadaist Marcel Duchamp first exhibited his fascinating and fragile masterpiece, “The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass).” Held to be one of the more inscrutable works of the modern era, the piece is comprised of two enormous glass panels upon which an intricate narrative, assembled from a variety of seemingly unrelated images, is drawn.

Duchamp, who is often cited as the original art prankster, based largely on the impact his “readymade” sculptures had on the history of contemporary art—in particular, the men’s urinal he exhibited as “Fountain” in 1917—spent eight years working on the painting. During that time, he kept every diagram, notation and sketch made in relation to the project, imagining this collection of ideas as a sort of guidebook to what he called a “definitively unfinished” work.

Featuring the 93 documents first published in 1934, Marcel Duchamp’s Green Box opened last week at Vox (1211 St. Laurent) and runs until Dec. 13. Curated by Marie-Josée Jean, the exhibit offers a rare chance to examine the creative process behind this exquisite work, and an opportunity to see into the mind of one of art history’s most enigmatic and influential artists.

by STACEY DEWOLFE

 

Fennario’s war stories

Last October, acclaimed Montreal writer and playwright David Fennario invited friends and family to his apartment where he read aloud his latest work, Bolsheviki! The dramatic monologue begins with an interview with a WWI vet, launching Fennario into a moral on the futility and wholesale waste of “The Great War” and of war in general.

PROPAGANDA PUSH:
WWI conscription poster

Indie group Outawork Films were there to record it, later editing in archival footage. As part of Dawson College’s 40th anniversary, they’ll screen a sneak preview of the new doc, Fennario’s War, Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at Dawson College (3040 Sherbrooke W.).

Directed by filmmaker Alec G. MacLeod, the film recounts “a 1970s bar room conversation that goes back—all the way back—to 1917.”

The one-man show has Fennario playing three parts: journalist Jerry Nines, war veteran Harry “Rosie” Rollins, and his best friend Private Rummie Robidou. Set in a hotel bar in Montreal on Remembrance Day 1977, the story delves into life in the trenches during WWI. It’s a simple production with a home-movie feel, but Fennario’s warmth and charm carry it beautifully.

by NEIL BOYCE

Landscapes revisited

Just mentioning the words “landscape” and “art” together in the same sentence conjures up images of bad oil paintings of mountains and sunsets.

But Ideas of Landscape/Landscape of Ideas 2, on view at the Museé d’art contemporain until Jan. 4, asks viewers to reconsider their ideas of the land we live on. Staying away from the traditional

STUMPED: “Eyeball”
by Laurie Walker

landscape almost entirely, the 30 artists in this exhibit offer reinterpretations of the land, rather than just reproductions of it.

Let’s rethink a little. Can a plaster and wood model of Roman ruins be considered a landscape? How about a forest of stark metal “trees?” What about a large, polished tree stump, sitting on the gallery floor?

In one rather dizzying work, Jack Goldstein fills a giant dark canvas with bright spirals, a black shadow of a Spruce tree in the bottom corner. The effect is that of standing still as the stars turn around us, suggesting that our place in time and the universe may be a little more fluid than we like to think.

by LORNE ROBERTS

Is it art?

MICKEY REBRANDED: In the midst of a global financial collapse, one company is doing some major re-branding. After 79 years of Mickey Mouse sweatshirts and sparkly magic wands, Disney claims it is growing up.

Recasting itself as a “lifestyle brand,” the company is taking aim at the adults who grew up on their animated classics and family trips to Disneyland/World. Wedding dresses, jewellery, shoes and even stationary are among the products that bear only a passing resemblance to Disney paraphernalia of yore.

Not only can you kit out your entire bridal party in Princess-inspired looks but you can also furnish your house. Inspired by Mr. Disney’s very own Burbank, California office, Walt Disney Signature offers furniture for every room of your house, from a Bookcase Bed to a Storyteller Sofa.

Of course, regardless of the company’s iconic character, none of this comes with a Mickey Mouse price tag. Furniture prices start at $600 and go as high as $6000. As for that essential Cinderella wedding dress, it should set you back a cool $3,900—surely a small price to pay to live out your childhood fantasy.

www.disneyconsumerproducts.com

Arts hole

FIRST NATIONS SOUNDS: The first ever Tusarnituq Festival takes place this Sunday and Monday, Nov. 16–17. Meaning “beautiful sound” in Inuktitut, the fest highlights acclaimed Nunavik and First Nations poets and musicians. Things kick off at Casa del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent) on Sunday with music and poetry performances from MadEskimo, Elisapie Isaac, Guido del Fabbro and Taqralik Partridge. The party moves across the street to Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) for performances by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Moe Clark and Pharmakon on Monday night. Doors for both events open at 8 p.m., $5 each.

Artistat

The number of literary prizes up for grabs for anglophone writers at this year’s Quebec Writers’ Federation Awards, which takes place Wednesday, Nov. 19 at Lion d’Or (1676 Ontario E.): 6