House of pain

Oh, Britannia, will you ever stop getting cooler… or crueller? Not according to photographer Mark Bennett, who's been documenting London's most cutting edge fetish club for the last four years. The Torture Garden boasts a monthly attendance of 1,500 latex- and leather-loving lushes, keeping the scene alive and unwell in Ol' Blighty with themed rooms and live performances including scarification, branding and reenactments of Rosemary's Baby.

Currently on display are 20 colourful pics capturing these denizens of the dark side, including a titillating shot of Garden regular Dita Von Tease, also known as Marilyn Manson's honey. "Basically, I've been doing guerilla portraiture," Bennett says. "I attempt to do proper, stylistic portraits in environments and conditions which aren't suited for it. I give myself five minutes to do each one and stay out 'til 5 a.m. trying to make people look good."

Bennett, who started his photography career here in the late '80s, also plans to publish a 3D book of Torture Garden photos, which he's been collecting using a 1950s camera called The Realist (yes, lenses will be included for your viewing pleasure). For now, sneak a peek at the Funhouse Lounge (2101 Ste-Catherine E.) until Aug. 12. » Sarah Musgrave

Dance bus

Modern dance fans who have never visited Joliette will have the rare opportunity to kill two birds with one stone this weekend. With a one-night performance in the open air, The Montreal Symphony Orchestra and La Compagnie Marie Chouinard join creative energies July 26 at 8 p.m. as part of the 26th Festival de Lanaudière.

Under the musical direction of Jacques Lacombe, two of Chouinard's well-known and well-loved creations will be performed: Le sacre du printemps, which was choreographed in 1994 and Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1987), set to the music of Debussy.

Don't have wheels to get out to Joliette? Don't fret - for $18, festival organizers give spectators a ticket to ride the Festival-Express bus, which takes you to the show and back to downtown Montreal. For bus schedule and show tickets, call the festival headquarters at (450) 759-4343. » Marites Carino

Graffiti fee

Though rumours have been circulating about putting a cap on Under Pressure due to - you guessed it - lack of funds, organizers promise that it'll be back this year "and hitting harder than Sammy Sosa's corked bat."

There's a catch though: to be a part of the international graffiti and hip-hop-culture convention, artists will have to shell out a $20 registration fee. Seems that with the exception of Triple 5 Soul and a few other companies, the corporate helpings are slim. "It's disappointing and aggravating to see corporations use hip hop culture as a marketing tool and refuse to support it at the grassroots level," fumes co-ordinator Sterling Downey. "But writers - except for a few of the young local ones - have been super co-operative." Under Pressure goes up on August 10. » Matthew Woodley

Word is born

Spoken word artist Corey Edwards is part of the rockin' crew behind Renaissance, Montreal's latest weekly open mic. "We've been going on for about four months now," says Edwards. "When Stephen Moss started Renaissance, he was talking about the rebirth of the live performance. His goal was to bring a venue where poets, musicians and performers could expose what they do to an audience."

On any given night, host Steel could be performing a popular fantasy piece about the Hulk's serious hydro habit, Fabian might deliver some more introspective words, and Edwards is sure to drop some rhymes from his CD Le Fou. But the main thing is the open mic. According to Edwards, "If anybody wants to perform, come to the show and ask for Steel and he'll make a spot for them to go up." The next Renaissance takes place on Thursday, July 31, 8 p.m., at Ciné Express (1926 Ste-Catherine W.), free. » Vincent Tinguely

Is it Art?

RED DRESS REQUIRED: Should you happen to see 80 or so men and women in red dresses running amuck on downtown streets this weekend, don't be alarmed; it's just those crazy Hash House Harriers out raising money again. This Saturday, June 26, the seventh annual Red Dress Charity Run kicks off in support of the Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre, a non-profit organization for child development, immigrant immersion and adult literacy, for which HHH is aiming to raise $5,500 in individual and corporate donations. The run begins at 3 p.m. at the Tyndale Community Centre (876 Richmond Square) followed by celebrations and the usual heavy drinking - 840-8679 or www.geocities.com/montrealhhh for more info.

ArtsHole

PRETTY IN PINK: Shari Hatt's Liberace's Closet is a photo exhibit of the über-ostentatious attire of "Mr. Showmanship" himself, demonstrating the performer's eccentricities, indulgences and "his legacy on our fabulously flamboyant performers of today, such as Celine Dion and Cher." Runs July 23–Aug. 3 - just in time for Divers/Cité - at Galerie Trois Points (372 Ste-Catherine W., #520). • BOY BEAUTY: Also coinciding with Divers/Cité, the late Alan B. Stone's photos, which span 40 years and are noted for celebrating the comeliness of the male form, show at the Écomusée du fier monde (2050 Amherst) from July 25–August 3, $6.

ARTISTAT: Number of painters, printmakers and sculptors participating in Galerie du Zocalo's (80 St-Jean, Longueuil) anti-war exhibition Tous unis dans la création, tous unis contre la guerre: 21

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