The hangman's tale

If the photo of a fish, hook-in-mouth and hanging on a cross, in the front window of Art Mûr (5826 St-Hubert) doesn't catch you, the show inside just might. Within the gallery walls, local artist Monique Bertrand presents Un Musée d'anticipation, an exhibition of faux-industrial machinery on wheels - a sort of Mad Max post-apocalyptic ambulatory museum.

Large, heavy and rusted, Bertrand's five metal sculptures successfully create the illusion of looking back in time to a lost era. Within the metal pieces, she incorporates pictures she's purposely ripped up and damaged, as well as a hangman's game and two rubber gloves. Through her work, Bertrand questions the desirability of a homogeneous world where emotional and physical diversity have been eradicated. It might take you some time to decipher the pictures or the words in the hangman game, but once viewed this work stays with you a while. Continues until Dec. 20, 933-0711. » Christine Redfern

Street sounds and siren calls

For the past two years, Ottawa dancer-choreographer Maureen Shea has been dancing in the streets... literally. Her interest in non-traditional dance spaces has led her to countless crosswalk, stop-sign and bus-stop performances. This Saturday, Dec. 13, Shea brings her work back inside when she performs at Studio 303 (372 Ste-Catherine W.) as part of Vernissage-danse #113.

"Developing movement for the outside led me to discover a way of working inside," says Shea, describing her latest work, City Project. The urban soundscape largely disappears when you move inside, but Shea has found a way to keep the sounds alive. She's giving the spectators a role in the performance by giving them different noises to produce during the show. "For example," explains Shea, "if I hear a siren, I'll start the siren dance. The audience acts as my soundscape, and they become the city."

Other performers in the evening include Louis Guillemette, Louise Moyes and Andreea Tànàsescu. Reserve tix at 393-3771. » Marites Carino

Attack of the Distrobots

The burgeoning Distroboto empire establishes its third beachhead this Friday, when the latest quirky converted cigarette machine starts dispensing its goodies at Petit Campus (57 Prince Arthur E.). Distroboto instigator Louis Rastelli promises the new machine will be chock full of home-made cat toys, fun-fur bracelets, cassettes, flip books, even a short video - each item costs only a toonie.

"This woman Jordan has made a special Christmas series of what she calls ‘not exactly Hallmark cards,'" says Rastelli, "perfect for attaching to the other things you buy from the machine!" There'll also be special CDs by avante-improvisers GOA! and Cacao People (a spin-off of Les Georges Leningrad), both featured performers at the upcoming launch along with DJ Sixtoo. Dec. 12, 9 p.m., $2. » Vincent Tinguely

Tribal modulations

As enlightened artists of all types will attest, it's harder to draw simply, to play slowly, to move cleanly, than to mire things in complexity. At one point in his evolution, visual artist Rupert Bottenberg (who?) came upon that himself. Inspired by a quote from French cartoonist Moebus, where he says people use detail to cover up their weaknesses, Bottenberg made a switch from dense psychedelia to a style at once lucid, multidimensional and playful. About 20 of his paintings and collages can be seen in a show this Sunday at Sablo Kafé (50 St-Zotique E.)

Bottenberg's modular mix incorporates art from many cultures without being specific to any one. "I'm interested in how people translated the world as they saw it into visual iconography," he says. "I especially love Inuit art for its austerity and cleanliness." Humans and technology also factor into the equation. "Basically I'm trying to find a golden mean between the silhouette of human physique, animals as prescribed in tribal and pre-Christian art, and technology," explains Bottenberg. "But at the same time, not laying anything on too heavy, you know, keeping it fun." The one-day-only shebang runs Dec. 14, 3–9 p.m. » Matthew Woodley

Is it Art?

RUBBER DUCKIE, YOU'RE THE ONE: We all know how awfully fond of his rubber duckie Sesame Street's Ernie was. Now a new, vibrating version created by Big Teaze Toys is attracting scores more devotees. The I Rub My Duckie personal massager, which recently waddled into Mirror headquarters, comes in two sizes, a standard duckie model and a smaller travel companion. Both, claim Big Teaze, produce powerful vibes that rank with the renowned Pocket Rocket. And unless nosy friends happen to press on its back (which turns it on), its shaky nature will remain a secret. Similar playpals I Rub My Fishie and I Rub My Wormie are also available. $19.95 (U.S.), www.bigteazetoys.com.

ArtsHole

GALLERY ROCK: Five local bands get immortalized on tape by video artist Adad Hannah as the Lianne and Danny Taran Gallery's (5150 Côte-Ste-Catherine) Vidéo Hero[e]s exhibition turns up the volume with their in-house rockathon, Bands on Tape. It features the Donkeys, American Devices, Bloodshot Bill and more, Dec. 13, 9 p.m., $10. • FALLING FORTS: Montreal architect/constructor Patrick Evans shows his large-format photos and projections of coastal fortifications created during the Second World War. Now disappearing to development as well as falling into the sea, Evans' show exposes their paradox as fragile relics in ruin and functional killing machines. The Limits of Defense runs at the Darling Foundry (745 Ottawa) until Jan. 18.

ARTISTAT: Number of artists pitching in for Galerie Clark's 15th annual auction, a megasale of art of all types taking place this Saturday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m. (5455 de Gaspé, #114): 40+

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