ARTSWEEK

War of Art, Take Off Your Clothes, Pol Turgeon: Hors norme and Pointe-à-Callière excavation fun.

ARTISTAT: The time tonight, Thursday, July 7, that the MMFA (1380 Sherbrooke W.) will unveil a brand new video for designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s late-80s club hit “How to Do That” as remixed by Quebec DJ Boogat: 5 p.m.

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KICKING IT FOR CHARITY: The IllMask Crew

Breaking for water

There are several ways you can help alleviate the world’s water crisis: take shorter showers, don’t buy bottled water and…breakdancing? Tonight, Thursday, July 7, Plan Ahead presents War of Art, a charity event and 12-hour art show featuring an art and photo exhibit during the day and a breakdance battle at night.

Taking place at the beautiful Rialto Theatre (5723 Parc), the exhibit will run from noon to 5 p.m., with over 20 visual artists showing their works, while bands and DJs provide live enter­tainment. At 7 p.m., b-boys and b-girls invade the old theatre’s stage for an epic dance battle (think Step Up), with the top breakers winning a paid trip to L.A. to participate in Freestyle Ses­sion, an international breakdance competition.

The exhibit is free (wine and cheese too, whoo!), while tickets for the battle are $15, with the chance to participate in a raffle to win surprise gifts and prizes.

All funds for the event go to the Clean Water for Agamsa Primary School Project organized by WaterCan, a Canadian development organization that provides clean drinking water, sanita­tion and hygiene education, with this project focusing on a school in Kalu District, Ethiopa.

For tickets, call Cody Mosher at (514) 922-3780.

—ROXANE HUDON

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S.W.A.P., don’t shop

If your wardrobe is feeling a little same-old, same-old, consider heading over to the Grand Foyer Culturel at Place Des Arts (175 Ste-Catherine W.) this weekend, July 9–10, for a clothing reboot. Ten bucks and your best threads that have been atrophying in your closet will get you into Take Off Your Clothes, a mega clothing swap for charity.

“We’re not telling people to stop consuming, we’re encouraging people to consume differently,” says S.W.A.P. Team founder Aleece Germano, who’s been knee-deep in sorting clothes all week. She says the swap appeals to people on many levels. “First there’s the aspect of saving a lot of money, and then people get really excited about the treasure hunt.”

What started as an intimate soirée in Germano’s living room in 2005 has grown to a non-profit organization with chapters all over North America. To date, the event has exchanged over 25,000 garments and has donated over 23,000 items to charities.

New this year, in collaboration with itizen.com, a handful of swappers will discover tagged items that allow its finder to watch a video about the garment’s past life narrated by its previous own­er.

For the where, when and how, visit theswapteam.org/montreal.

—MARITES CARINO

 

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Visual physics

Illustrator Pol Turgeon has been making toys his entire life—in theory. Making them work, however, is another matter.

Blending biology with spare Bombardier parts, Turgeon’s work is aesthetically beautiful, and completely impractical. Butterfly wings sprout incoherently out of precisely rendered anatom­ical illustrations of women’s calves ripped right out of a copy of Gray’s Anatomy, which are in turn held in place by screws.

“The first time I saw an X-Ray, to me it was like a painting,” says Turgeon, whose father was an aeronautical engineer. He cites his father’s technical illustrations as the source of his fasci­nation with mechanics. “I don’t understand very much of physics and chemistry, but the visual of his drawings, his plans, always attracted me.”

The lack of logic in his designs, which look like a cross between late-Edwardian wind-up toys and failed aeronautical experiments, is evident in Turgeon’s recent attempts to bring his work into the third-dimension.

In addition to his 30 years of illustration work, Pol Turgeon: Hors norme, on view at the Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal (465 Mont-Royal E.) until Aug. 21, will show off some short animated subjects and hand-made interpretations of his work—minus the moving parts. Visit polturgeon.com to see more of his work.

—CHRISTOPHER OLSON

 

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Uncovering Mtl.

If you’re a dork like me, then you’ve probably fantasized at least once about being an archeologist, stealing back lost arks from Nazis, eating monkey brains in temples of doom and chilling with Sean Connery. Okay, so the real thing may not be as thrilling, but Pointe-à-Callière (350 Place Royale) lets you experience a real archeological dig as part of its expansion project.

Situated at the Place D’Youville West (between McGill and St-Pierre), the dig will reveal the remnants of St. Anne’s Market, which became the first Parliament of the United Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849. Running until Sept. 4, from Tuesday to Sunday, guides will leave from the Centre d’Histoire de Montréal (335 Place d’Youville) every half hour between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., taking tourists and locals to the site where they will explain the history and what the archeologists expect to find. Hat and whip are not mandatory.

This dig is only the first phase of the museum’s expansion project, with plans to evolve into a nine-part museum complex and reveal other historical sites like the William Collector Sewer and an exhibition space in the basement of the Customs Canada building.

For more info, check out pacmusee.qc.ca

—ROXANE HUDON

 

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IS IT ART?

YODA FOR YOUR TA-TAS: There are two things that are pretty hot right now: burlesque and the weather. What better way to stay cool and look hot than in sparkly pasties resembling Yoda’s face?

The cute little creations are the brainchild of Pretty in Pasties, an Etsy shop owner out of Alabama. Made with sequins and adorned with a tassel they are perfect for keeping your modesty and your cool.

Of course, if little green men aren’t your thing, they’ve also got Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty and Super Mushroom pasties, as well as more classic motifs like lips and cupcakes.

etsy.me/jG82Oj

ARTSHOLE

●  STARS IN THIER EYES: Les joailliers du dimanche, a collective of Quebec jewellers including Cynthia Girard, Maude Lapierre, Gabrielle Desmarias and others, come together to present Les Yeux Violets, A Love Affair With Jewellery, a group show inspired by aficionados like actress Elizabeth Taylor. The exhibit opens at McClure Gallery (350 Victoria) with a vernissage this Friday, July 8 at 5 p.m. and runs until July 16.

● SEASONAL PRINTS: Printmaker Kathryn Delaney brings her skills to the Drawn and Quarterly Bookstore (211 Bernard W.) for the next four Thursdays as part of a printmaking workshop. The classes start tonight, Thursday, July 7 from 6–9 p.m. and run until the 28th. The total cost is $120 for the full session and includes all supplies needed. ■

 

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