Dance down Babylon

"Theatre is very precise since it uses words," says Paula de Vasconcelos. "It's a much more rational mode of communication, whereas dance is more intuitive. I like addressing the audience at two different levels. It's the objective and subjective mixed together."

With a background in both theatre and dance, it's not surprising that de Vasconcelos is at the head of Pigeons International, a company that neatly intertwines both disciplines.

For her newest work, de Vasconcelos looks to ancient Babylon for inspiration. "Babylon was such a huge, important empire. It's basically where civilization started, but now it's gone," she says. "We wanted the show to be about the state of the world, so we thought Babylone would be an interesting metaphor for what is happening today."

With a cast of dancers, actors and musicians, the production weaves together vignettes about people and their personal experiences. Babylone does not have a straightforward narrative, taking a form that de Vansconcelos describes thusly: "It's like a very large painting where you can look at everything at your own pace, but everyone is alive." Runs until Feb. 14, 8 p.m. nightly at Usine C (1345 Lalonde), $25, 521-4493. » Marites Carino

Lateral thinking

We like to keep everything nice and neat by giving each art form its individual space (even in the pages of the Mirror): theatre, dance, music, film, books, spoken word, visual arts and so on. But a lot of the most interesting artistic work being developed in this city is messing up the pre-defined categories. Starting next Wednesday, the three-week festival Vasistas: a Window on Interdisciplinary Art will present a wide range of discipline-bending collaborations and experiments at Théâtre La Chapelle (3700 St-Dominique).

The event kicks of with Jeux by Natacha Roussel, a collaboration between dancer Lauren Degilio and the audience. Roussel sets up an environment that includes videos, sensors, sound and three different sculptural interfaces. These tactile and wearable devices are accessible to both audience and dancer and become a source of visual stimulation. Roussel says, "I want to set up a sensitive play space whose visitors can modify the visual environment by their movement and gesture, and through interaction with objects, induce visual daydreams." Info on this, or any other events, can be found at www.lachapelle.org, or 843-7738. » Christine Redfern

Multi-madness

Take the time to get your body to the Coopérative Méduse in Quebec City (541 St-Vallier E.). Mois Multi 2004, ] laps [ contains 11 multidisciplinary pieces concerned with notions of time and space. Pierre Hébert (Montreal) and Bob Ostertag (San Francisco) present live film and music improvisation. Plumbing for Beginners (Thomas McIntosh, Emmanuel Madan and Mikko Hynninen), explores the physical nature of sound in "Ondulation," an installation made of water, sound and light. And Le Pont Bridge brings to the multimedia stage the thriller Provincetown Playhouse directed by local Carole Nadeau. For more info, see www.meduse.org/recto-verso/moismulti. » Christine Redfern

Full-frontal Fung

Since arriving in Canada's video scene two decades ago, Richard Fung has emerged as one of the most challenging, provocative, thoughtful and engaging experimental artists anywhere. A guest of the local video art collective Vidéographe, he arrives in Montreal this week to present three of his most celebrated shorts, Dirty Laundry, Sea in the Blood and Islands, to be screened at Station C (1450 Ste-Catherine E.) today, Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m., free.

Fung will be on hand to discuss his work and two recent publications about and by him, Like Mangoes in July: The Work of Richard Fung (Images Festival/Insomniac Press) and 13 Conversations About Art and Cultural Race Politics (co-authored by Fung and Monika Kin Gagnon, Artextes Editions). Video-art enthusiasts will not want to miss this rare opportunity to see some of Fung's most enticing work. » Matthew Hays

Is it Art?

E-AFTERLIFE: Though a meeting with the maker may not be on the agenda anytime soon, it could happen, and it could happen before you get a chance to say goodbye. Enter ToMyLovedOnes.com, a service that allows people to bid a fond farewell to friends and family via e-mails written before death, to be delivered afterwards, pending receipt of an official death certificate. What better a way to spend a cold winter night than in front of the computer with a bottle of Scotch and box of Kleenex writing gushing adieus to those you love? "It's a protection," reads the press release, "against sudden events such as plane crashes, automobile accidents, terrorist attacks, hurricanes, earthquakes, strokes…" and so on. Later.

ArtsHole

SALSA AND SPAGHETTI: Painter Dominic Couturier's symbolism-heavy and catchy-titled poke at consumption, branding and other things capitalistic, Buena Vista Social Pasta, shows at the Vieux-presbytère St. Mark (340 St-Charles W., Longueuil) from Feb. 9-March 6, (450) 463-0004. • AFRO-INSPIRATION: Impressions d'Afrique brings together watercolour works by three Québécois woman inspired by travels in Africa, Hugette Bernais, Joan Brown and Sacha Marie Levay, at the Pavillion de l'Entrepot du Complexe culturel Guy-Descary (2901 St-Joseph, Lachine). It runs from Feb. 8-April 11.

ARTISTAT: Number of poets, writers, singers, storytellers and performers descending upon Montreal for the third Voix des Amériques Festival, taking place from Feb. 13-Feb. 19 at various venues, www.fva.ca for the full schedule: 60+

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