35-hour Powerhouse
party people
THEN AND NOW: Original Powerhouse (L)
and Lockhart’s current show, Give Up the GhostOn Saturday, May 30, Canada’s oldest feminist art gallery, la Centrale Galerie Powerhouse (4296 St-Laurent), is launching a 35-hour party to celebrate its 35th anniversary. The gallery will take over the Main (which will be closed for the street sale) to host most of its day activities.
The artist-run centre’s birthday bash will feature a garage sale of “fake and true old artifacts,” an animation workshop hosted by artist Amy Lockhart and a street video projection. People can also test their knowledge of feminist history by joining in Vingo-Bingo, a V-word version of bingo or an “invagination,” as artistic coordinator Roxanne Arsenault says. “The idea is to be open for 35 hours and to have a welcoming space. But we’ll sleep at some point.”
People can bring their sleeping bags and stay for the in-house slumber party before shaking it all up with Sunday morning’s video-exercise session featuring Mitsou, Jane Fonda and Gene Simmons as virtual trainers.
As exhibition coordinator Onya Hogan-Finlay warns, you should expect “35-second bikini waxing,” “35 inch-long hot dogs” and “35-minute intense tarot readings in tents.” Everyone is welcome, all activities are free. See lacentrale.org for details.
by SHAWN K. THOMPSON
Projecting the political
SISYPHEAN SUBJECTS: “Clean”
Particles of Reality, a show of recent work by Israeli artist Michal Rovner, opened this week at DHC/ART (451 St-Jean) and runs until Sept. 27. Installed in both of the gallery’s spaces, the work begins on a whimsical note, and grows thematically heavier as the exhibit progresses.
Though described in the program as “not overtly political,” many of the works speak to the history and struggles of Israel and the Jewish diaspora. This is especially true in the three rather haunting video installations whose black and white projections feature masses of faceless individuals traversing a featureless background in an endless, almost sisyphean cycle.
But the show opens with much lighter manifestations of Rovner’s project. “Data Zone” (2003), “In Stone” (2004) and “Stones” (2006–2009) all employ the same type of footage: extreme longshots, taken from the side or above, of people walking, jumping, or dancing across an empty landscape.
Rovner then projects these images onto a playful array of surfaces: a petri dish, the empty pages of a book, a stone well and the surface of a chunk of stone. Displayed like exhibits in a natural history museum, the objects come to life with rhythm and movement.
by STACEY DEWOLFE
Dance at OFF.T.A
Running alongside the Festival TransAmériques is the OFF.T.A., which is already in its second week. It’s an alternative showcase for even more theatre, dance, video and performance for festival-goers.
On tonight’s menu (Thursday, May 28) head over to the Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui  (3900 St-Denis) for Grand Singe by Nicolas Cantin. Then Friday, May 29, catch Not I and Others a performance-dance piece duet that recycles words and moves.
In its last week, June 4, 5:30 p.m., wander to the outdoor parking lot at Cherrier and St-Denis for Auto-Fiction. This freebie show for a car and dancers by Human Playground looks at the impact of automobiles in our society. Same time, different space, choreographer Manon Oligny stirs things up in L’Ecurie 2 at the SAT (1195 St-Laurent). With text by Nelly Arcan, dancer Anne Le Beau interprets feminine identity in a horse stall.
FYI, take advantage of free video screenings at the Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui lobby an hour before and after shows. For the complete festival schedule, visit offta.blogspot.com.
by MARITES CARINO
Film in 48 hours
A good mockumentary walks the fine line between the believable and the unbelievable—and a good documentary does the same. The satirical and the serious are the theme of this year’s 2880 Film Blitz.
Kicking off tomorrow, Friday, May 29 at 7 p.m., 12 teams will have 48 hours  (2,880 minutes) to write, shoot and edit a five-minute film based around the idea of Doc or Mock?
Presented by DOC Québec, a non-profit organization that supports independent documentary filmmakers, the contest is a fundraising event for the organization with all proceeds going towards Quebec filmmakers.
The films will premiere in front of a jury (which includes RiP: A Remix Manifesto director Brett Gaylor and RIDM’s executive director Marie-Anne Raulet) and a live audience at the gala screening hosted by Kidnapper Films’ Matt Silver and Nuevo Mundo Television’s Maria Motta, this Sunday, May 31 at 7 p.m. at Club Soda (1225 St-Laurent). Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door.
2880.ca
by SACHA JACKSON
IS IT ART?
TECHY CEREAL: Designers love making kooky stuff—kooky stuff that they can use, which is why there are things like radiators that look like Lego and rulers made to look like pistols.
Now designers have turned their attention to tech-y gadgets, and USB ports are  their latest victims. There’s the humping dog USB, the dog doing crunches USB, the bottle of wine USB, the tiny pie USB, even a USB that works as a rechargeable battery.
But now using a spoon and Bran Flakes and glue, one industrious dude has created the ultimate breakfast USB. Balancing perfectly in your laptop, it looks like your spoon decided to take a rest before continuing to your mouth. It’s not the most compact of designs but it’s likely the most attention-grabbing.
techeblog.com or google cereal USB
Arts hole
NATURE’S BLANKET: After months of foraging around city parks, artist Shilin Hora is ready to unveil her eight-foot-by-six-foot quilt made from seeds. The vernissage takes place Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m. at Gallery Sho.dan (1425 René-Lévesque W.) • WELCOMING WORKSPACE: The Long Haul (450 Beaumont) presents its eighth annual thematic art expo Gauche with a vernissage tonight, Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m. You can also pop by to check out the studios of 25 artists during their open-door weekend, May 30–31 noon–6 p.m. • READY FOR TAKE-OFF: Matrix magazine and Pop Montreal present The Pilot Reading Series Sunday, May 31 at 8:30 p.m. at Blizzarts (3965A St-Laurent) with words by Adam Sol, Marcus McCann, Lisa Foad and music by the Billy Fong Foundation.
Artistat
The number of museums opening their doors to the public for free as part of Montreal Museum Day happening this Sunday, May 31 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all across the city: 30
|
