The Mercury Lounge was filled with warm bodies the night of Thursday, November 5 for some sexy celebration on celluloid. Ladyfest Ottawa teamed with Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of Ottawa (IFCO) to feature seven female filmmakers who made short works using Super 8mm film.
“We like Super 8,” explained IFCO executive director Patrice James. The distinctive texture of the film evokes old home movies with a stylish grainy look—a great fit for the DIY philosophy behind Ladyfest.
Called “Celebrating Sexuality,” the screeing came about through a chance meeting between James and Ladyfest's Simone Pfeiffer last spring. IFCO sent out an open call to its members and the first eight women to sign up were selected. In exchange for a small participation fee, filmmakers were set up with Super 8 film and equipment.
The resulting films offer a wide-ranging look at female sexuality, from the simple sensuality of Irina Lyubchenko's Milk to the humourous take on a woman's orgasm in Tasha Waldron's La Petite Mort.
“Corporeal and psychological dimensions of milk’s nature have been the subject of my creative investigation,” said Lyubchenko in a synopsis of her film. “Fluids and hands are involved in tactile experiences and progress towards the climax splash at the end of the film. Even though the hands belong to individuals of an opposite gender, the fact that you cannot fully differentiate one from another emphasizes the constructed nature of gender formations.”
Waldron, meanwhile, offered a much more straighforward synopsis for her film: “A woman’s brief journey into ECSTASY!”
Also contributing films were Patrice James, Pixie Cram, Ariel Smith, Kathleen McGrath, and Bridget Farr. Though the screening was a filmic version of a one-night stand, James is confident that many of the films will be screened again elsewhere.
Reporter's note: After the screening, I was the lucky winner of a door prize courtesy of Venus Envy. This being a family-friendly publication, I'll report only that the prize is purple in colour, made of latex, and battery operated.
I'm looking forward to one of the coolest fine art events on the Ottawa calendar: the 17th annual open studio at the Enriched Bread Artists (EBA) building at 951 Gladstone—and not just because of the 20 artists who will open their studio doors beginning Thursday at 6 p.m.
There's also the newly amplified musical performance in store from EBA mainstay Danny Hussey on Friday, October 30 at 8 p.m. At last year's open studio, Hussey dusted off his acoustic guitar and offered a low-key set of songs. This time around he's all amped up.
“Last year was a kind of electro-acoustic sit-down mellow thing,” said Hussey. “This year will be more of a rock show with all the ego that I can assemble.”
The back drop for the performance will be a projected screening of one of Hussey's favorite sci-fi films, The Green Slime (1968).
“Just me and my guitar and my quiver of gadgets,” added Hussey. “Should be about a half-hour train wreck.”
Of course, even if you can't catch Hussey, there's plenty of thoughful art on display, along with artists with whom to chat.
The 2009 open studio theme is For Here We Are Now, as explained by EBA artist Daniel Sharp.
“The artists of EBA Studios share to some extent the notion that they are engaged in the act of making art in provisional and contingent times. Their experience, now, is that much happens by chance, and meanings are fugitive and fleeting. Responding to this transience, it is the art they make that becomes quick, brilliant, and to use a literary term, evanescent.
“For Here We Are Now is about a shared sense of wonder and awe at the mystery of being, or something like that. But however it matters, the artists are paying attention, watching the free fall and confusion, and searching for patterns.”
Following Thursday night's party and vernissage, the exhibition continues Fridays, October 23 and 30, (6-9 p.m.), Saturdays, October 24 and 31 (11-5 p.m.), and Sundays, October 25 and November 1 (11-5 p.m.).
Guy Bérubé of La Petite Mort Gallery (pictured with me here; he's the bald one) has built himself a reputation as a no-bullshit straight shooter. And the latest public call he's sending around is gonna cement that rep even more. Here it is, verbatim, stolen from Artlist. I'm not hyping the event; I find this thing to be flat-out hilarous:
To all frustrated artists & hungry art buyers...
HIT & RUN Flash Group Exhibit @ La Petite Mort Gallery
Are you sick & tired of all those mean gallery owners with all the endless demands?? ... deadlines, artists' statements, images of your artwork, dimensions, medium, shipping ...
gggrrrrr... so annoying, aren't they? Why are they so mean & pushy...
Well, we offer a crazy-ass opportunity to all of you to come in on Friday October 23 @ La Petite Mort Gallery during the day, drop off artwork that you have to sell, & you must be present @ the vernissage that night from 7-10pm and shamelessly self-promote.
DROP OFF ARTWORK BETWEEN 11AM TO 6PM. (on the day of the exhibit) MUST HAVE YOUR NAME AND PRICE READY. MUST BE PRESENT AT OPENING NIGHT. MUST TAKE YOUR WORK HOME THAT NIGHT. ANY TYPE OF ART ACCEPTED...
We offer a cool space, some atmosphere, funky tunes & refreshments. You just be there and meet potential buyers.
Commission to the gallery is 50%. If it doesn't sell, you take it home that night. Nothing is left at the gallery. The goal is to meet people, have fun, and sell. Buyers welcome.
YOU CAN EVEN BRING ART YOU DIDN'T DO... CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?
No need to rsvp, no bios, no jpgs of ur work, no nothing. No artwork accepted via mail. You can bring no more than 3 pieces. Must have the pieces identified by artist and reasonable price.
EVERYONE WELCOME.
If you buy, take it with you immediately. No sales held at gallery while you go get laid.
After living in Ottawa for several years, a trip down Highway 401 to Toronto provided a kind of street justice for my son and I. A year ago, when James was 15, the City of Ottawa determined he was on the wrong track, but here in Toronto the City is exploring whether it's the public school system that's off the rails.
James is happily enrolled in a Toronto District School Board pilot program called the Oasis Skateboard Factory where, according to the program website, the objective is for "students [to] earn grade 9, 10 and 11 compulsory and elective high school credits. In this community-focused and entrepreneurial program, students learn hands-on to build skateboards, design original custom graphics, work with local artists and community partners, and market and display their work. They also have the opportunity to receive an honorarium."
This is a far cry from the Ottawa program James was pressed into a year ago after being caught for tagging a retail store in the Glebe. To avoid being charged, he performed thirty hours of community service—which included cleaning the aforementioned graffiti and apologizing to the owners of the defaced store—a fair and appropriate consequence in my view.
Then it got ugly: James was placed into something called the “Youth Diversion Program” designed for teens deemed to have serious issues in their personal lives. James' interest in street art and skateboarding culture apparently raised concerns with someone somewhere. He was promptly assigned a social worker and questioned repeatedly about home life and drug use. He was even pulled out of class several times and searched by the vice principal “whenever they found a tag somewhere in the school,” according to James.
I remember about twenty years ago being a youth representative at a Nepean community meeting where they were discussing the problem of skateboarders hanging out behind a local mall. I piped in with the idea to build a skate park in the vacant lot behind the mall. Needless to say, that idea was dismissed outright. As far as I can tell, the conservative method still prevails in Ottawa: try to force disinterested youth to conform instead of allowing them to play to their strengths and interests.
Masterminded by TDSB teacher Craig Morrison (a noted street stencil artist), the Oasis Skateboard Factory is possibly the first full-credit program of its kind in the world. Morrison got the idea when he saw a skateboard manufacturing demonstration by Ted Hunter and Norah Jackson of Roarockit Skateboards. Hunter is a sculptor and professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design who patented a process using layers of hard Canadian maple veneers to construct a skateboard deck.
How is the program doing? Truancy and lateness are nearly eradicated, partly because classes start at 10:30 a.m., taking into account the reality of teenage physiology. Thus, instead of brain-dead teenage zombies showing up late to school, students arrive fresh and eager and looking forward to getting to work.
“They wanted me to stop doing that kind of art altogether,” says James. “Ottawa is smaller so it's easier to make everyone to just do the same thing... the program here is not designed to change your mind, but to expand it.”
