Story retelling

NOT ALL OF THE ANECDOTE: Miles’ Wanted

The key to telling a great story is making it your own—even when it’s not. Veracity is not a selling point. The inclusion of fictional elements can enliven an ordinary tale, turning it into something memorable. The listener also plays a role, imbuing the story with their memories and experiences. And when listener becomes the teller, the story is once again transformed.

A similar process is at play in the work of British artist David Miles, who finds his inspiration in the gathering and interpretation of other people’s stories. The project began in England, where he worked with a group of ladies from the local community, making new pieces in response to their memories of the area. “The material I got back was very rich,” says Miles, “and interpreting such personal material was very rewarding.”

A collection of his most recent work, Souvenir, borne of the stories of Montrealers, opens tomorrow, Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m. at Articule (262 Fairmount W.). Comprised of mobiles, cutcard pieces, watercolours and ceramics, the show functions as a meeting place for these visualized narratives. And while the show’s installation draws connections between the stories, it’s the viewer who makes their meaning manifest.

by STACEY DEWOLFE

Dance highlights at FTA

MODERN BODIES: Körper

It’s opening weekend at the Festival TransAmériques. In its third edition, the contemporary dance and theatre festival will be filling venues inside and out until the beginning of June.

Over the next seven days, there’s a focus on content from abroad. German choreographer Sasha Waltz presents her signature piece for 13 called Körper, which exposes the body while tackling the turbulence of the modern world. Then representing Israel’s emerging dance scene, choreographer Yasmeen Godder shows Singular Sensation, a work for five dancers who open up and connect on stage. Then a Montreal début from Bruno Beltrão who has been dissecting hip hop moves in Rio de Janeiro with his company Grupo de Rua de Niterói for more than a decade. His dancers create a new breed of street dance in his work H3.

Moving outdoors, drop in on a free show in the Old Port by French choreographer Dominique Boivin who surprises with Transports Exceptionnels a duet with a dancer and a backhoe. Then back to home turf, look out for new works by local choreographers Benoît Lachambre and Frédérick Gravel. For schedules and more, visit fta.qc.ca

by MARITES CARINO

Storied desires

In her new short story collection, This One’s Going to Last Forever, Nairne Holtz explores desire, relationships and illusions through vividly realized characters, from drug-addicted lovers to an Elvisimpersonating pastor.

“I would say in terms of my writing style I’m conservative, very traditional, but my characters are not at all,” says Holtz. “For instance, I have a story in there about fetishists who are into amputated women. I don’t really write much that’s autobiographical, but sometimes I’ll take the barest outline of a friend or an acquaintance, and then that becomes a person of some kind. I did get married to my girlfriend at a drive-through wedding chapel, and I was just thinking, wouldn’t it be weird if you married people but you were actually this kind of gay guy?”

Holtz launches her book this Monday, May 25 at 7 p.m. in the Pink Room of Thomson House (3650 McTavish). Free.

by VINCENT TINGUELY

Pirates of Montreal

They’ve been lying low for a while but pirates are making a comeback and grabbing headlines along with sea-going vessels. Montreal is a relatively safe port city, one we don’t usually associate with phrases like “shiver-me-timbers” or “buried treasure” (Pirates of the Lachine Canal, excluded), but we are about to learn it’s not only the high seas the pirates prowl.

Pointe-à-Callière (350 Place Royale) brings the history of the buccaneers to our doorstep with their latest exhibition. Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters explores the (less chronicled) adventures of the sea rovers who sailed North America’s eastern seaboard and the infamous escapades of those who continued further south to the Caribbean.

With over 165 objects on display— everything from Jacko the stuffed parrot to an iron-cast syringe—the exhibit’s booty spans 300 years from the 16th–19th centuries and also looks at the story of hometown privateer’s Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Robert Chevalier. Until January, tickets $6–$14.

by SACHA JACKSON

IS IT ART?

MOVING ART: It’s rare for artists to blur the line between science and art, but that’s precisely the point with Charlie Bucket’s fluid sculpture. Part science experiment, part classic wastepaper basket, Bucket’s sculpture is a piece of moving art.

Made of plastic tubing, the sculpture’s shape was built by knitting the tubing on a loom. Bucket then created a simple pressure-based system that pumps the liquid through the tubing to create the desired effect.

Bucket has also used the same technique to make a wearable skirt, and though there’s an enthusiastic wearer on his Web site, for the time being it remains a prototype.

casualprofanity.com

Arts hole

SKETCHY ENTERTAINMENT: The Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival continues until this Sunday, May 24 at Théâtre Ste-Catherine (264 Ste- Catherine E.) with troupes from L.A., Chicago, NY, Toronto and Montreal. Shows take place nightly at 8 p.m. with late shows on Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m. Tickets are $12, see montrealsketchfest. com for details. • SIGHT TO SEE: Artist Lorraine Simms presents her latest work The Looking Room at Division Gallery (372 Ste-Catherine W., #311). The exhibit opens tonight, Thursday May 21 with the official vernissage happening on Saturday, May 23 from 3–6 p.m.

Artistat

The number of dancer/choreographers, including Finland’s Kati Åberg, who will be participating at Studio 303’s (372 Ste-Catherine W., #303) Vernissage-danse #145: Games, which has two performances this Saturday, May 23 at 7 and 9 p.m.: 5