sandy hill

No Man’s Land: Dirt & Aprons at BLINK Gallery

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Cuerden

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Cuerden

Post by Diane Bond

When I was growing up, every time our family went on a trip I would come back home with treasures I picked up along the way: A handful of pine cones from Red Pine Camp, some carefully selected water-polished stones from Sandbanks Provincial Park, wildflowers growing along Highway 7 or 2 or 17 - now dried, pressed, and cataloged in ways that somehow make sense to me…

In light of these memories - I feel a kinship to Barbara Cuerden, an artist living and working in Sandy Hill for more than twenty-five years. Cuerden is both a collector and an archivist of natural and domestic debris and has invited the community to share in her fascination with dirt as souvenir as story. No Man’s Land: Dirt & Aprons is an exhibition comprised of prints, paintings, and ten years worth of dirt samples that explore relationships between the collector and the collected.

The installation will transform BLINK Gallery into a site of archaeological and personal/historical digging through conversation - and all are welcome to participate. The artist has asked you to “dig into your purses and pockets and bring your discarded, unedited shopping lists as valued contributions towards a new composition.” Are we intrigued yet? I know I am!

No Man’s Land: Dirt & Aprons opens with an invitation to share a cup of tea with the artist on Thursday, July 29 from 6-9 pm. The exhibition continues all weekend long (Friday 1-6 pm, Saturday 12-5 pm, and Sunday 12-5 pm) at BLINK Gallery (located at the Header House in Major’s Hill Park, 1 Rideau Street).

Time to kick it: Your official Apt613 guide to the World Cup

Photo courtesy tcp909

Photo courtesy tcp909

If you’re an Ottawa soccer fan, today probably feels a bit like Christmas. After all, we’re only a few hours away from the kickoff to the 2010 World Cup, that extravaganza of athletic brilliance which arrives once every four years and poses trying questions that only the most stalwart and dedicated among us can answer. Will Italy defend its 2006 title, or shall another nation emerge victorious? Which countries will see their hopes dashed by an injury-time penalty kick or a disastrous own goal? Is a nuclear-endowed North Korea going to hold the world ransom for one miiiillllllllllllion dollars when if they bow out in the first round?

Admittedly, we might not have the necessary amount of dedication (or, um, stalwartness?) to come up with those answers ourselves. But if the question is instead “Where are the best Ottawa locales to catch the games over the next few weeks?”, well that, our corner kick-loving friends, is more up our alley.

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Doors Open Ottawa

Photo courtesy of dugspr — Home for Good on Flickr.

Photo courtesy of dugspr — Home for Good on Flickr.

If you’ve ever wanted to peek inside buildings you normally don’t have access to, this weekend is your chance to both embrace your curiosity and finally put some debates to rest. (Like, for example, whether the French Embassy actually has a whole room wallpapered in white birch bark - the answer is ‘yes.’)

This Saturday and Sunday, 119 buildings across the city are open to the public for  Doors Open Ottawa 2010. Most will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. but some have different hours. A few buildings are only open one of the two days: the Bank of Canada, for instance, is closed Saturday and 7 Rideau Gate - where visiting foreign heads of state often stay - is shuttered on Sunday.

Some highlights: The C.D. Howe Building (home of both Holt Renfrew and Canada’s Auditor General) will let visitors see their “green” roof —  a roof covered in vegetation, one of the first in Ottawa. The Blackburn (223 Somerset West), an eye-catching French art deco apartment building, is also opening its doors. The infamous U.S. Embassy building is offering guided tours this year, but you must pre-register and apply for an email invitation. The Transportation Safety Board’s engineering laboratory will provide guided tours of their investigations and reconstructions of rail and aviation accidents. There are also many churches and religious institutions on the list, like Ottawa’s Hindu Temple and the Ottawa Mosque, as well as - for the first time this year - the Hazeldean Masonic Lodge. And of course, local favourites Rideau Hall and the Diefenbunker are once again open to the public.

Happy exploring!

JumpstARTers: See work by new local and emerging artists

Susie

Photo courtesy Susannah Heath-Eves

If you like films, documentaries, dramas and animation, SAW Gallery promises you an interesting and creative evening tonight. Five local video artists, the winners of SAW Video’s JumpstART 2009 mentorship program, will showcase the projects they’ve been working on with professional artists for most of the past year.

Former CBCer and Carleton University journalism grad Susannah Heath-Eves talked with Apartment613 about her short documentary film Jo and Joan - the story of her 89-year-old grandmother and her live-in Filipino caregiver, both of whom are waiting for different things.

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Face to Face: Practice meets theory at UofO

The Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa is pleased to announce a public talk inaugurating its new distinguished lecture series, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

FACE to FACE: PRACTICE MEETS THEORY
Some Contemporary Sculpture

An artist and a theorist share the stage.
Each discusses their own research into sculpture.

Tom Dean and Dan Adler

* Freiman Hall (room 121, ground floor), Perez Building, 610 Cumberland St.
* Friday, March 26 at 4 pm.
* Free admission
* A light reception will follow the talks

RSVP finearts@uottawa.ca

Cinéclub francophone à l’Université d’Ottawa

CINÉCLUB FRANCOPHONE

Où: Auditorium des anciens, Centre universitaire Jock-Turcot
Quand: 23 mars 2010, de 19 heures à 21 h 30

Pis nous autres dans tout ça?, réalisatrice : Andréanne Germain, 2007, 24 min. ; Sur le bord, réalisateur : Jean Marc Larivière, 1993, 4 min. ; Lustrale, réalisatrice : Izabel Barsive, 2009 [extrait] 9 min.

Andréanne Germain : Vidéaste et blogueuse, Andréanne Germain explore les thèmes du nationalisme et de l’identité à l’aide du documentaire Web. Diplômée en production cinématographique de l’université Ryerson, elle réalise un premier documentaire en 2006, Pis nous autres dans tout ça?, avec l’Office national du film. En 2008, Andréanne participe à l’émission de télé réalité Müvmédia où elle réalise douze court-métrages à travers l’Europe, diffusés simultanément sur le Web et sur TV5. Présentement, Andréanne sillonne le Canada français munie d’une caméra et d’un MacBook pour créer des court-métrages et des capsules, disponible sur le blogue Engage-toi! de l’ONF. www.onf.ca/engage-toi
.

Résumé : Qu’arriverait-il si trois immenses drapeaux franco-ontariens déambulaient sur les plaines d’Abraham, à Québec, durant les célébrations de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste? Andréanne Germain, jeune Franco-Ontarienne, s’est mis en tête de répondre à cette question. Loin de vouloir provoquer les Québécois, elle souhaite plutôt les sensibiliser à sa réalité. Elle a choisi comme arrière-plan la Saint-Jean-Baptiste, fête des Canadiens français, devenue la Fête nationale du Québec en 1967. Pis nous autres dans tout ça?, c’est la question qu’une jeune Franco-Ontarienne pose aux nationalistes du Québec. C’est aussi l’expression, sur un mode ludique, de l’inquiétude d’une troisième solitude canadienne. Ce court métrage documentaire a été produit dans le cadre du concours Tremplin, qui permet à des jeunes francophones, de nationalité canadienne et résidant à l’extérieur du Québec, de réaliser un premier film dans des conditions professionnelles.

Jean-Marc Larivière : Après des études universitaires en mathématiques et en physique, Jean Marc Larivière s’investit dans l’écriture, la musique et le théâtre. Cinéaste autodidacte, ses réalisations ont été primées au Festival international du film de Toronto, à la Cinémathèque française (Paris), au National Film Theater (Londres) et à l’American Film and Video Festival (New York). Quand il n’est pas derrière la caméra, il contribue aux projets d’autres artistes tels Peter Mettler, Marie Cadieux et Patrice Desbiens. Jean-Marc Larivière dirige sa propre maison de production, Les Communications Osmose.
Résumé : Mise en images et en musique du texte Sur le bord du Lac Ramsey, du poète sudburois Robert Dickson, Prix du Gouverneur général du Canada, poésie, 2002.

Izabel Barsive poursuit depuis dix ans une carrière de vidéaste indépendante. Elle a débuté sa carrière dans les médias comme journaliste à la pige à la radio de Radio-Canada et dans la presse écrite. Avec succès, depuis plusieurs années, elle poursuit une carrière de productrice, réalisatrice et monteuse en collaborant avec des producteurs privés, des télédiffuseurs, des artistes, et des organismes gouvernementaux et à but non lucratif. Elle s’engage aussi avec passion dans des projets de vidéo d’art de danse qui ont tous été présentés lors de nombreux festivals. Avec l’appui de la chorégraphe Anik Bouvrette (Tara Luz Danse), elle a récemment produit, réalisé et monté LUSTRALE, sa dernière vidéo d’art de danse au format haute définition.

Résumé : Lustrale explore le cheminement de deux femmes qui réalisent, ensemble, le passage vers l’au-delà, nourries intimement avec poésie et sensualité par l’eau et la lumière. Dans des univers aquatiques, naturels et irréels, ces deux âmes sillonnent à travers la vie, la mort, et se préparent à l’«après», chacune à sa façon; l’une sereine et confiante et l’autre, fragile et tourmentée. Au fil de leur voyage, l’une allège le passage de l’autre dans un sinueux parcours où se croisent l’espoir, le doute et la compassion empreints d’un questionnement incontournable sur cet au-delà qui nous conduit inexorablement vers notre genèse.

La représentation sera suivie d’une table ronde « Faire du cinéma au Canada français » réunissant les trois réalisateurs et animée par Lucie Hotte, professeure, Département de français et titulaire de la Chaire de recherche sur les cultures et les littératures francophones du Canada.

Off to the movies

Photo courtesy a shadow of my former self on Flickr.

Photo courtesy Dave Fancher on Flickr.

So even though there’s already a big social event all lined up for the end of this week (happy 2010!), you might still be itching to get out and about. And what better way to spend a cold winter’s night than cozied up at one of Ottawa’s great little movie theatres?

Both the Bytowne (325 Rideau) and the Mayfair (1074 Bank) have some treats on their films schedules for this week. Down at the Bytowne, they’ve got a period piece on Queen Victoria (when she’s young, innocent and ready to dive into scandal) and Penelope Cruz’s newest film.

The Mayfair has more of a lighthearted line up: With Where the Wild Things Are, and Astro Boy (my favourite cartoon as a kid!), these family shows are sure to please. And if you’re in the mood for lighter fare, Chris Rock’s Good Hair will also be showing.

So if you’re tired after a long day of sledding, skiing, or even maybe working, and need a chance to put your feet up with a bucket of popcorn, check out these shows. You won’t be disappointed.

Spins and Needles: Halloween edition

Photo courtesy denisecarbonell on Flickr.

With the spookiest day of the year just around the corner, you might be feeling that crafty itch. It’s the perfect time of year to delve into the creative world and whip up some weird and wild thing - and Spins and Needles is providing the perfect opportunity to do so!

Spins and Needles is building on the hype around Where the Wild Things Are (who didn’t love that book as a kid?), and will have plenty of materials for you to pull together your own wild thing, wall art or golden crown.

The usual background of groovin’ tunes from DJ Jason Pelletier and friends will provide the atmosphere for this $6 event (instructions and materials included). It starts at 8pm, Oct 29, at the Urban Well (244 Laurier E at Nelson). And if you’re feeling so inclined, show up in your Halloween duds - why not? There aren’t too many days left in this month to do so…

Frightful Fun at SAW Masquerade

Courtesy of Gret@Lorenz at Flickr

Photo courtesy Gret@Lorenz on Flickr.

We’ve all probably dreamed about being someone else at some point in our lives. (I sure as heck did not want to be me when I fell down several rows of bleachers in grade 7. In front of all of the grade 8 boys.) Halloween is the perfect time to slip into another identity, even if just for a few hours, and enjoy a bit of anonymity and frivolity.

This Friday, Oct 23, you’ve got another chance to don a mask and be that mysterious someone. SAW Video is hosting the SAW Masquerade at 67 Nicholas St, complete with a mini-museum of horror (featuring gory props from local horror filmmakers), a classic burlesque show with a twist from Sexual Overtones, and a Thriller dance workshop from the Thrill the World Ottawa.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the right mask for the occasion - their mask making table will be the spot for you to indulge in some creativity and fashion the perfect cover-up.

The fun begins at 7pm, and runs into the wee hours of the morning. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 at the door, and are available at SAW Video (67 Nicholas) or the Arts Court (2 Daly). Get yours now and test out your Halloween costume before the 31st!

Proceeds from SAW Masquerade will go towards growing the SAW Video JumpstART Mentorship program, a video support program that has launched the career of countless local video artists.

1st Annual Ottawa Community Record Show

Photo courtesy Larry Coor on Flickr

Photo courtesy Larry Coor on Flickr

Audiophiles and music nerds know: LP records are the best sound that money can buy. Unfortunately, getting great new records at reasonable prices isn’t always easy. Fortunately, the music nerds among us can get their latest fix at the 1st Annual Ottawa Community Record Show. It’s by music freaks, for music freaks - and anyone else who wants some quality records.

The two vinylheads behind the show are Dave Aardvark, Program Director of CHUO FM, and John Westhaver, owner of Birdman Sound. Tired with the lame record shows populated by peddlers of ill-fitting t-shirts and bootleg dvds, Aardvark and Westhaver decided they’d take the organization into their own hands and put on a quality show that highlighted the best that local LP dealers have to offer. Come check out the offerings from local collectors, and get in touch with your inner music nerd.

The 1st Annual Ottawa Community Record Show takes place from 2 to 7 p.m. this Saturday, September 26, at the Sandy Hill Community Centre (250 Somerset St. East) and admission is $2.

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