The intimacy of strangers

When she ran out of friends and family to photograph, Rachel Granofsky put up wanted ads on lampposts in NYC and Montreal. At the bottom was a disclaimer: "No freaks or weirdoes." It worked; the only thing that came remotely close was some guy named Hawk who wanted to appear naked.

Granofsky shoots couples in the intimacy of their bedroom. The work is inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night, in which the lead character wanted to paint, as Granofsky puts it, "a picture of himself and his wife on the territory of their bed like an island, a salvation from the outside world."

"It was intimidating at times," says Granofsky, who also freelances for the Mirror. "Just to be in their bedroom first thing in the morning, in the intimacy of strangers. But couples know each other so well that they can't really front in front of each other, and I had better chances of catching them off guard."

Nation of Two features 18 shots, from volunteering strangers to the artist's grandparents - predominantly heterosexual, Caucasian couples. "That came naturally," she says. "I'm not going to put something in a series just because it's politically correct." The exhibition opens at Blizzarts (3956A St-Laurent) on Aug. 14 and runs until Sept. 4. Granofsky is still on the hunt for couples; contact her at rachelgranofsky@yahoo.com. » Matthew Woodley

Genesis: 3:13

After finishing up the spring semester, third-year contemporary dance student Dana Michael couldn't stand the inactivity. "I basically wanted to kick myself in the ass and get going since there's a screeching halt in the spring after our show," Michael says. "I wanted to keep things flowing over the summer." That she did; Michael and five of her classmates pooled creative juices into a project to keep themselves busy.

3:13 is an evening that combines contemporary dance and electronic music by DJs vitaminsforyou and Ovalroaster. It takes place in a relaxed atmosphere where spectators can sit back and have a drink while taking it all in. Michael chose a non-conventional dance space for the event, Rad'a Gallery (841 Gilford), with the hopes of attracting a different crowd. "I want to make contemporary dance more widespread," she says, "not ‘What the hell is this?'" Catch 3:13 on Thursday, Aug 14, at 8 p.m. » Marites Carino

Ballets jazz bests

This weekend, local company Les Ballets jazz de Montréal presents Corps et âmes, a "best of" of the last five years of choreographic creations performed by the group.

On the menu are the works of the upcoming choreographers like British Columbian Crystal Pite, who completed a three-year residency with Les Ballets jazz, and local artist Shawn Hounsell. As a bonus, you'll get sneak previews of pieces by LBJ dancer Edgar Zendejas and a piece entitled Sooo created by American choreographer Charlotte Griffin.

The shows are free at the Théâtre de Verdure in Parc Lafontaine. Get there early to snag a seat, or haul over some lawn chairs and a picnic basket, Aug. 7-10, 8:30 p.m. » Marites Carino

Signs of the times

Woodstock, New York, artist Michael Hunt clearly hasn't rebelled against the worldview of his parents' generation, as names like "Kandy-Kolored-Jah-Everlasting-Star Spangled Banner Peace Flag" attest.

Hunt's signs are currently hanging at Zeke's Gallery (3955 St-Laurent). Made of naturally felled California Redwood, his images, which were conceived during Woodstock '69, are sandblasted into the wood at his family-run sign company. There's a series on the molecules of various addictive substances and six different versions of "Make Love, Not War." Titles such as "Auntie Yoko" and "Dow Jones Appalachian Industrial Trail" give a clear view of this particular slice of American pie.

Hunt's strongest work emerges when he takes full advantage of the sandblasting technique, but twists the message, as in "Blasphemy advert #1 (Buddha Burger)." The Inverted Democracy runs until Aug.17, call 288-2233 for gallery hours. » Christine Redfern

Is it Art?

PRIVACY PASS: A good computer hacker can crack just about any password. In fact, most people can, assuming the password is of the most common variety: pets, mother's maiden name, birthday, or the word - as one analyst claims 80 per cent of passwords to be - "password." Securelok claims they've found the key to sure-fire privacy with a new device - quite literally. Their key has a USB jack on the end, encrypted with the owner's info. Plug it into a card in your PC and ka-blam, you're in. Provided, that is, you know the password. The concept is like that of an ATM: you have a card, you have a PIN: money. See www.secursoftware for more.

ArtsHole

GOOD GRAPE! Newly opened Galerie 1225 (1225 de la Montagne) is a lofty two-storey gallery and wine bar based on the New York/London style concept of serving fine wine and high art in a cozy atmosphere. Today, Aug. 7, the space hosts a vernissage of oil-on-canvasses by Anne Billy and Tanya Morand, which continues until Sept. 12. • SIBLING STRIFE: Will sibling rivalry between bride-to-be Maggie Duncan and her sister Wanda ruin an expensive family party? Find out as Maggie's Getting Married, directed by Gordon McCall, continues at Village Theatre West (28 Wharf, Hudson) until Aug. 24, (450) 458-5361.

ARTISTAT: Number of lace pieces on display at The Miracle of Lace, running until Sept. 14 at the Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec (615 St-Croix, St-Laurent): 1,747

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