ARTSWEEK
Photographer Kate Hutchinson on Ulysses , Earth Day with Studio Migration, Friction 2.0. ,Audible
by MIRROR ARTS
April 21, 2011
ARTISTAT: The amount it will cost you to get Happy Hour, issue 11 of local zine Four Minutes to Midnight, which launches with music and readings this Friday, April 22 at 9 p.m. at Cabaret Playhouse (5656 Parc) and features the work of American poet FA Nettelbeck: $15
ON IRISH SHORES: From Ulysses, A Personal Journey
Dad as Dedalus
For anyone who didn’t devote a major chunk of their 20s to the study of English literature, James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece, Ulysses, is about as intimidating as a book can get. Even now, as I flip through the 1,000-odd pages of my never-been-cracked edition, I find myself too overwhelmed to proceed.
This is not the case for Montreal photographer Kate Hutchinson, whose new show, Ulysses, A Personal Journey, is up at the Warren G. Flowers Gallery at Dawson College (4001 Maisonneuve W.) until May 13.
“Growing up, it was always clear to me that Ulysses was my father’s favourite book,” explains Hutchinson. “Whenever we went to Dublin on family trips, my father would have us stop so he could read passages from the book.”
In an effort to connect with this family history, she embarked with her father on a journey to explore his Irish roots, stepping into the shoes of the book’s two central characters and tracing the events of their day.
“Joyce made the everyday seem new by describing it as if it were being seen for the first time,” she says. “This is something that I’m often trying to evoke…[the] quiet moments of light and clarity that I encounter when photographing my familiars.”
—STACEY DEWOLFE
THE PECKER RETURNS: Still from Ghost Bird
Birds, Great Lakesand Goose for Earth Day
It’s that time of the year again: time to wear something pretty and make out with a tree. Yes kids, Earth Day is upon us! To celebrate, local artist collective Studio Migration is presenting a screening of Scott Crocker’s environmental documentary Ghost Bird. The film explores the rediscovery of the supposedly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker and its impact on a small town in Arkansas that finds itself overrun by birders, scientists and reporters.
The screening will be accompanied by a poetry reading courtesy of writer/performer Moheb Soliman who will present his experimental work about the Great Lakes. Local folk act Goose will also be playing some tunes, inspired by birds and whales.
Band member Rachel Elliott, who is also the founder of Studio Migration, says that “Earth Day is not just a chance to celebrate the pure natural sphere or recognize its depletion, but a juncture to appreciate the different ways we live within it as humans—a day to consider the earth as both human and natural, for better or for worse.”
It takes place Friday, April 22, at OFF Interarts (5145 St-Laurent) at 8 p.m., with a suggested donation of $9. Enjoy, and don’t throw your gum on the floor.
—ROXANE HUDON
RIDE THE NOISE: Friction 2.0
Biking beats
Whether you ride a bike because it’s environmentally friendly or because your Hummer is in the shop, chances are you’re aware of your surroundings. But how much attention have you paid to the rhythm and beats of your bicycle’s spokes, or the natural percussion of the city itself?
Friction 2.0, a sound installation at the SAT (1201 St-Laurent) this Friday, April 22 at 8 p.m., is a musical mashup of naturally occurring sounds heard while either riding a bike or while subjecting one to a beating with drum sticks.
“The show comes from an internal drive to promote more sustainable lifestyle choices in a way that isn’t necessarily an obvious correlation to getting people to ride bikes,” says event creator Claire Kenway.
Kenway also happens to be one of the show’s DJs and will be making and modulating the bass and the beats while riding one of three stationary bikes that serve as her musical instruments—and which will be accessible to everyone as the night goes on.
“Unlike a lot of electronic music, which has a very pre-programmed, processed sound, it has that much more warmth to it,” she says.
Admission is $12, or $10 if you bring a bike helmet.
—CHRISTOPHER OLSON
LET’S GET PHYSICAL: The 605 Collective
Forced friending
Have you ever “friended” someone on Facebook you didn’t actually want to be friends with? These superficial cyber-connections are at the core of Audible, a driving group work by Vancouver-based The 605 Collective, which plays at 8 p.m. nightly at Usine C (1345 Lalonde) until this Saturday, April 23.
“The piece was a response to our frustration with social networking and media sites and their awkward nature,” says choreographer-dancer Josh Martin on the phone from his hotel room in Quebec City.
The collective, which includes Martin’s co-collaborators Lisa Gelley, Scott Augustine, Shay Kuebler and Maiko Miyauchi, has a combined eclectic background. With members trained in jazz, karate, tap and capoeira, it’s no surprise that the group’s work has been described as both “highly physical” and “athletic.”
“We imagined people violently throwing themselves at each other to make a connection,” Martin says of the idea behind what eventually became the starting point of the work. “Online, there is less vulnerability, and it’s a safer way to put yourself out into the world.” Info at usine-c.com.
—MARITES CARINO
IS IT ART?
PLASTIC PLANET: Environmentalists are keen to bring our attention to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where everything from plastic bottles to rubber tires bob in the middle of the ocean. This week a similar patch arrives in Montreal.
In honour of Earth Day, the Biodôme (4777 Pierre-De Coubertin) is creating its very own plastic island in the middle of its Gulf of St-Lawrence environment. Called Sea of Plastic, the waste installation looks at how this ubiquitous material can affect the delicate ecosystem and invites us to rethink our actions.
Running to April 25, visitors are invited to check out the disaster zone and discuss prevention and solutions with a nature interpreter.
www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome
ARTSHOLE
● BALANCING ACT: The Darling Foundry (875 Ottawa) presents Expire, a new sound installation by artist Nancy Tobin. The exhibit revolves around a performer perched on a stool in the middle of the gallery, every time the performer moves, sounds resonate through the surrounding speakers creating a sonic ambiance. The exhibit, in collaboration with Nikki Forrest, David Grove, Mél Hogan, Martin Tétreault and Robert Vincent, is on until May 1.
● ART SUPPLIES NEEDED: Espace libre d’art communautaire à Saint-Henri (4525 St-Jacques) is looking for all kinds of art supplies, everything from fabrics and canvases to beads and modeling clay. Contact the coordinator at janis.timm-bottos@concordia.ca or deliver the goods in person Fridays from 2–8 p.m. and Saturdays from 12–6 p.m. ■
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