SHIFT Festival

SHIFT

Movement and meaning between Canada and the Netherlands

A Festival of Canadian and Dutch Music, Film and Literature

Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam: November 18 – 22, 2008

Harbourfront and the Music Gallery in Toronto: February 25 – March 3, 2009

http://www.shift-festival.ca/

For Immediate Release – Toronto, October 31, 2008: Continuum Contemporary Music is pleased to announce SHIFT, a festival of Canadian and Dutch music, film and literature, taking place November 18-22, 2008 in Amsterdam and February 25-March 3, 2009 in Toronto. Programmed by some of Canada’s top artistic voices – Continuum Contemporary Music, Authors at Harboufront Centre and The Images Festival, in collaboration with The Netherlands’ influential Muziek Centrum Nederland (formerly Gaudeamus) and the internationally acclaimed Asko|Schönberg and Ives ensembles -- in Amsterdam SHIFT is hosted by the architecturally stunning new Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ while Canadian activities take place at Toronto’s jewel of the waterfront, Harbourfront Centre, as well as the Music Gallery.

Amsterdam events include concerts, pre-concert talks moderated by well-known Dutch cultural critics, a live VPRO Radio broadcast, film and live music collaborations, late night screenings of film and video, and panel discussions featuring authors from both countries, one of which will be recorded for later broadcast on CBC radio. With 36 Canadian artists represented, 29 of them present, SHIFT is the largest festival of Canadian art to take place in Europe in many years. Added to those numbers are 42 Dutch musicians, composers, filmmakers and writers, making SHIFT an exceptional cultural event.

SHIFT was conceived by Continuum’s Artistic Director Jennifer Waring during her Metcalf Foundation funded residency with Gaudeamus in 2005-06. At its root, the festival is an investigation of the bond between the two markedly different countries, created during the Second World War and through the subsequent wave of immigration to Canada, and provides a new perspective on the relationship. She writes, “The Netherlands is small, rich in human history, and still comparatively uniform in makeup; Canada is large, young as a modern state, and diverse in its population. In these rather obvious factors the countries are diametrically opposed, and to an expatriate – a privilege I had on and off over seven years – the contrast is a head-swiveling, breathtaking experience that can provoke hyperactive theorizing. But a base of common outlook and perception prevents total disorientation and makes comparison possible. Beyond these is an ineffable but strong affinity.”

SHIFT’s musical highlights include:

• On November 18, a performance by the one of the world’s premiere new music ensembles, the ASKO|Schönberg Ensemble, with internationally acclaimed Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan and conductor Etienne Siebens. The programme features premieres funded by The Canada Council for the Arts by James Rolfe and Michael Oesterle, as well as the Dutch premiere of Lettura di Dante by the late Claude Vivier and a new work by the young Dutch composer Corrie van Binsbergen;
• On November 19, a performance by Quatuor Bozzini, twice winner of the Prix Opus from Conseil québécois de la musique featuring works by Canadian composers Martin Arnold and Michael Oesterle, and Dutch composers Richard Ayres, Hanna Kulenty and Martijn Voorvelt.
• On November 20, a joint concert by Continuum and the Ives Ensemble. Recognized as leaders in new music in their respective countries, IE and Continuum premiere music written for the combined ensembles – Linda Bouchard (CA) (funded by the Canada Council for the Arts) and Guus Janssen (NL) (funded by Nederlands Fonds voor de Podiumkunsten NFPK+) and for the separate ensembles – Makye Nas (NL) for Continuum, and Gyula Csapo for IE. Continuum also performs raW (by James Rolfe), winner of the 2006 Jules-Léger Prize. The concert will be broadcast live by VPRO Radio.

SHIFT features an ambitious programme of film and music collaboration in Notes on Composing: 5 collaborations in film and music, November 21. The result of a programming collaboration between Continuum Contemporary Music and The Images Festival, Notes on Composing features world premieres of five short films with live music performed by Continuum and violinist/composer Malcolm Goldstein. Most of the collaborating artists had never met or worked together – as Images Festival Artistic Director Pablo de Ocampo writes, “these collaborations represent something of a leap in faith, or a dare on the part of all the parties involved.”

• Winnipeg-based Guy Maddin (a multiple award-winner at local and international film festivals including Best Canadian Feature at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival for My Winnipeg) working with the brilliant British/Dutch composer Richard Ayres;

• video artist Vera Frenkel (winner of the 2006 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, the Canada Council Molson Prize, the Bell Canada Award for Video Art, the 2006 Governor General’s Award and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts) working with acclaimed Toronto percussionist and composer Rick Sacks;
• Canadian filmmaker Daïchi Saïto working with one of the originators of North American musical experimentalism, Montreal-based Malcolm Goldstein;
• environmental biologist turned filmmaker Christina Battle working with Toronto composer Martin Arnold;
• Toronto-based filmmaker and poet Clive Holden working with Rotterdam composer Oscar van Dillen.

The program will be repeated in Toronto on opening night of The Images Festival in April 2009.

SHIFT will also feature two nights of screenings of short films from Canada and The Netherlands, curated by The Images Festival and The Impakt Festival (Utrecht) respectively.

Programming for the literature component of SHIFT has been undertaken by Authors at Harbourfront Centre, with events in Amsterdam falling under the banner of the International Festival of Authors (IFOA). In its 35 year history, Authors at Harbourfront Centre has presented more than 5,000 authors from more than 100 countries. The world-renowned IFOA, now in its 29th year, annually presents more than 100 authors – established and emerging – from around the world as part of an 11-day festival each October. IFOA Amsterdam is the first time an element of the Festival has been presented overseas. Events in both Amsterdam and in Toronto feature panel discussions in which Canadian and Dutch authors at different stages in their career open up new debates around literature, culture, and shared international perspectives. The line-up for Amsterdam is: From Canada: Dionne Brand (What We All Long For, Inventory), Lewis DeSoto (A Blade of Grass), Helen Humphreys (Wild Dogs, Coventry), Andrew Pyper (Lost Girls, The Killing Circle), and, as event moderator, Eleanor Wachtel (host of CBC Radio's Writers & Company). From The Netherlands: Gerbrand Bakker (The Twin), Lieve Joris (The Rebels' Hour), Lucette ter Borg (The Gift from Berlin), Anja Sicking (The Silent Sin), and, as event moderator, Michaël Zeeman (cultural correspondent for de Volkskrant). Canadian author Richard Clewes (Finding Lily) hosts all events. The discussion moderated by Eleanor Wachtel will be recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio. Continuum has worked with Authors at Harbourfront Centre Director Geoffrey Taylor to set up these author events.

Continuum Contemporary Music presents the work of emerging Canadian composers alongside works by established national and international composers in its concert series, at festivals, on tour, over the air waves and through recordings. The Chalmers Award-winning group has generated interdisciplinary projects with celebrated Vancouver choreographer Conrad Alexandrowicz; Montreal video artist Ramona Ramlochand; and John Oswald. For l'Oreille Fine, Continuum combined new music and philosophy in concerts and a symposium wherein philosophers, poets and critics dealt with the subject of new music. Formed in 1985, Continuum has a core ensemble of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion which is often varied and combined with electronics. The organization has commissioned and premiered over 100 new works from emerging and established Canadian composers; increasingly it commissions international composers. Continuum toured Canada in 1999 and Europe in 2003, and will be on tour again in the fall of 2008, with performances in Aberdeen, 's-Hertogenbosch, Amsterdam and Huddersfield. It has released two CD's on its own label, recorded one for Centrediscs and has two CD projects in the works.

Established in 1987, The Images Festival is the largest festival in North America for experimental and independent moving image culture, showcasing the innovative edge of international contemporary media art both on and off the screen. From Super-8 and hand-tinted celluloid to the latest video art, Images has presented thousands of films and media based projects in our 21+ year history. Images is committed to an expanded concept of film and video practice: alongside film and video screenings, the festival presents groundbreaking live performances, media art installations in local galleries and new media projects by many renowned Canadian and international artists. We go out of our way and over the edge to provide Toronto with an annual extravaganza of image making. Attended by more than 30,000 people each year, Toronto’s 2nd oldest film festival is a critical forum for the independent media arts in Canada and around the world and provides artists with a supportive and professional forum in which to present their projects. Many influential media artists have been nurtured by Images’ willingness to embrace new creative concepts and modes of expression in the media arts field. The Images Festival exhibits and encourages the work of artists producing film and video outside of mainstream commercial production, distribution systems and aesthetic conventions. In addition to the international competition programs drawn from submissions to the festival, Images includes artists' retrospectives, national and regional cinema spotlights, publishing projects, touring programs and special guest-curated sections.

The world renowned Authors at Harbourfront Centre programme is home to a weekly reading series (September to June), the annual International Festival of Authors (IFOA) (October) and, for younger readers, YoungIFOA (October), ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers (May) and Forest of Reading® Festival of Trees™ (May). Established in 1974, Authors at Harbourfront Centre's mandate is to present the world's most important and influential authors and distinctive new writers, Canadian and international, in a forum that celebrates books and writing. The programme provides Canadian authors with an internationally recognized platform on which to present their work, and fosters an awareness in its audiences of the variety and richness of writing from Canada and around the world. Since programming began, Authors at Harbourfront Centre has presented more than 5,000 authors, including 15 Nobel Laureates and countless other prize winners, on its stages. In 1980, the fledgling IFOA became the first international literary festival in North America. At that time it presented 18 poets over 6 days. Twenty-nine years later, IFOA continues to grow. The 2008 festival included nearly 70 public events, featuring writers of fiction, non-fiction, travel writing, poetry, graphic novels, and books for younger readers in a series of readings, interviews, and panel discussions. Annual special events include readings by the authors shortlisted for the three major Canadian fiction awards, the awarding of the $10,000 Harbourfront Festival Prize, and a gala benefit to support of PEN Canada.

Continuum is supported through grants from The Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the city of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council; the Metcalf Foundation's Strategic Initiatives programme; the SOCAN, Emerald and McLean foundations; by patrons Aurora Tewksbury Reford, Ann Southam and Christopher Des Brisay; by the accounting firm Newman & Sversky; and as well, through the generosity of many private donors.

SHIFT is supported by The Canada Council for the Arts, Muziek Centrum Nederland, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, the Consulate-General of The Netherlands, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Charles Street Video and a variety of individual and corporate donors.

For more information on SHIFT please contact Festival Coordinator Josh Grossman at (416) 924-4945 or josh@continuumusic.org , or visit www.shift-festival.ca .

Ticket prices will be posted shortly.

Action terroriste socialement acceptable

ACTION TERRORISTE SOCIALEMENT ACCEPTABLE - ATSA
10 ANS D’INTERVENTIONS URBAINES

du 2 octobre au 11 décembre 2008, à Montréal
www.atsa.qc.ca

En décembre 1997, L’ATSA poussait son premier cri d’indignation en orchestrant dans l’urgence, devant le Musée d’art contemporain, une première intervention artistique, politiquement et socialement engagée, La Banque à Bas, traçant ainsi leur stratégie, dite terroriste : s’attaquer à la pauvreté, à l’exclusion, au gaspillage et à la pollution ; livrer des messages aux titres choc, par le biais d’un art vivant et engagé en interaction avec autrui et par des interventions spectaculaires dans l’espace urbain, transformé pour l’occasion en espaces scénique et de débat. Depuis, les artistes fondateurs de l’ATSA, Annie Roy et Pierre Allard ont produit plus d’une vingtaine d’interventions urbaines engagées sur des problématiques de justice sociale, environnementale et patrimoniale, invitant les citoyens à expérimenter leur capacité d’action.

L’ATSA célébrera, du 2 octobre au 11 décembre 2008,
son 10e anniversaire avec la présentation de trois événements

du 2 octobre au 11 décembre 2008, ouverture du magasin temporaire CHANGE

Le 2 octobre l’ATSA ouvre au grand public son propre fond de commerce et pendant dix semaines s’offrira en cobaye en investissant le monde de la mise en marché. Tout en offrant une rétrospective de l’ensemble de ses interventions réalisées sur la place publique, photos d’archives, artéfacts et produits dérivés seront mis à la vente. Une occasion unique pour découvrir ou revisiter la production iconoclaste de l’ATSA et se questionner sur l’évolution des problématiques investiguées par ce duo d’artistes engagés. L’adresse de CHANGE sera dévoilée en septembre 2008.

le jeudi 2 octobre, lancement de la publication ATSA : Quand l’Art passe à l’Action
Lancée au magasin CHANGE, cette publication anniversaire bilingue redonne vie aux dix ans de production atsaïenne et rassemble des photographies d’archives. On y retrouvera également des textes de grands communicateurs, tels Sami Aoun (politicologue), Patrick Beauduin (spécialiste du marketing), Dinu Bumbaru (Héritage Montréal), Guy Sioui Durand (sociologue de l’art), Steven Guilbeault (porte-parole de Équiterre), Louis Hamelin (écrivain), Louis Jacob (historien de l’art), Jean Lemire (cinéaste et biologiste) et Laure Waridel (sociologue et co-fondatrice d’Équiterre), qui ont été conviés à livrer leurs réflexions sur l’art engagé et sur les enjeux sociaux et environnementaux. Un entretien avec les deux artistes fondateurs réalisé par Sonia Pelletier (directrice de la revue Spirale) ouvre cet ouvrage qui sera en vente au magasin CHANGE et en librairies en octobre.

du 26 au 30 novembre, place à la 10e édition d’État d’Urgence
En 1998, l’ATSA montait son premier État d’Urgence, installant un camp de réfugiés urbains pour les sans abris en plein cœur de Montréal. C’était le cinquantième anniversaire de la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’Homme … 2008 en célébrera le soixantième. L’ATSA s’associe pour l’occasion à Amnistie Internationale. Pendant cinq jours, 24 heures sur 24, ce Manifestival accueillera des sans-abri et de nombreux bénévoles et offrira une programmation artistique engagée multidisciplinaire et gratuite, s’articulant autour des 30 articles et du préambule de cette Déclaration. État d’Urgence est récipiendaire du prix Citoyen de la culture 2008 par les Arts et la Ville.

« Ce couple tente depuis une dizaine d’années de nous brasser la cage par toutes sortes de moyens originaux. On reproche souvent à l’art contemporain d’être trop hermétique, snob, coupé du public. C’est tout le contraire avec l’ATSA. »
Nathalie Collard, LA PRESSE, 2007

Les réalisations de l’ATSA, en bref

L’ATSA propose une vision active et responsable de l’artiste comme acteur prenant part au développement durable de sa société. Parmi ses nombreuses activités, qui ont fait leur marque dans l’imaginaire de plusieurs à Montréal, Paris, Vancouver, Toronto, mentionnons : La Banque à Bas (17 décembre 1997 au 12 février 1998) — des portes de poêles de cuisine faisant office de guichet automatique, distribuant des bas chauds aux itinérants victimes des banques sans cœur ; neuf éditions de l’État d’Urgence — un «manifestival» artistique interdisciplinaire et solidaire, accueillant un camp de sans-abris au centre-ville ; Parc Industriel (17 août au 4 septembre 2001) — un site archéologique fait de rebuts proposant une réflexion sur la société de consommation — ; Attention : Zone Épineuse (5 au 15 octobre 2002) — une promenade attentive sur le Mont-Royal sur la précarité des patrimoines écologiques, rappelant la vocation naturelle su site ; — Murs du feu et de Frag sur la Main (depuis 2005) — deux parcours graphiques permanent in situ sur l’histoire du boulevard St-Laurent ; Attentat (depuis 2003) — une série sur l’hyper dépendance aux énergies fossiles, dont les constats d’infraction citoyenne collés sur les pare-brise des VUS.

Harbourfront Centre Courses & Workshops

Enjoy, learn, make friends and have the time of your life at Harbourfront Centre's Courses & Workshops!

TORONTO, Tuesday, August 12, 2008—Harbourfront Centre is excited to offer a diverse and engaging line-up of contemporary culture courses throughout the fall and winter months. Adults can learn to paint; explore the world of circus arts; tour the city's culinary neighbourhoods; join a book club, and much more! Harbourfront Centre's Courses & Workshops are affordable and provide a perfect environment for adults to learn, and expand their social circle with like-minded individuals at Toronto's leading arts and cultural centre. Courses & Workshops begin on September 15, at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. Register early as class size is limited. To register or for more information, the public can call

416-973-4093 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/learn.



Fall/Winter 2008 Courses & Workshops



Visual Arts & Design

• Drawing for Fashion Design (5 Mondays, September 15 to October 20, excluding Thanksgiving Monday)

• Expressive Arts (8 Mondays, September 15 to November 10, excluding Thanksgiving Monday)

• Creativity Kickstart (October 4)

• Parent Workshop: Engaging Kids with Contemporary Arts (October 4 & December 4)

• Artist Books (5 Mondays, November 3 to December 1, inclusive)

• Sewing 101 (5 Mondays, November 3 to December 1, inclusive)

• Painting (6 Tuesdays, November 4 to December 9, inclusive)

• Fashion 101 (5 Tuesdays, November 4 to December 1)



Media Studies

• Creating your own Website (5 Mondays, September 15 to October 20, excluding Thanksgiving Monday)

• Demystifying the Digital Camera (September 27)

• Podcasting (October 4-5)

• Digital Photography Manipulation (November 15-16)



Performing Arts

• Circus (4 Mondays, Session 1: September 15 to October 6; Session 2: November 3 to 24)

• Hip Hop (5 Tuesdays, September 16 to October 14, inclusive)

• Flamenco Dance (5 Thursdays, September 18 to October16)



Literary Arts

• Authors at Harbourfront Centre (8 Tuesdays once a month, September to April)



Seasonal

• Make Your Own Holiday Cards (November 15)



Urban & Cultural Studies

• Artistic Architecture in the Public Space (6 Wednesdays, September 17 to October 22)

• Explore Toronto's Culinary Neighbourhoods (September 20: Little India; September 27: Kensington/Chinatown; October 4: Little Italy;

October 11: Danforth)

• Film & Food Club (3 Fridays, October 3 to 17, inclusive)

• Surreal in the City (6 Wednesdays, October 29 to December 3, inclusive)

• Urban Portraiture (6 Tuesdays, November 4 to December 9, inclusive)



Craft Studio Courses

• Introduction to Jewellery (8 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evening/weekends available)

• Intermediate Jewellery (8 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evening/weekends available)

• Textiles (5 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evenings; 1-day year-round workshop, 6 hours)

• Glass Blowing (Friday to Sunday from September to May, 20 hours in total)

• Ceramics (8 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evenings)



FOCUS: Borders

Harbourfront Centre travels beyond Borders. Is the world smaller than you think? What would a world without borders look like? Can culture be a universal language? What are the limits of your personal space? Through to September, Harbourfront Centre wants you to read between the lines and consider borders through all of our programming—borders within countries, borders within relationships, open borders, psychological borders, shifting borders and more. Harbourfront Centre—culture without borders.

Provocation - ARTundressed, une exposition érotique et sensuelle internationale à Montréal

ARTundressed Festival d'art érotique de Montréal, du 12 au 17 août de 14h00 à 23h00 Musée Juste pour rire 2100 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montréal

Dans le cadre de l'événement " Provocation Sensualité Érotisme " et en collaboration avec Le Bal Érotique et Erotic Signature, le Conseil des Arts du Québec (CAQ) accueille " ARTundressed " une exposition internationale en tournée (Miami, Montréal, Berlin, Amsterdam, Londres) avec plus de 150 artistes dont les œuvres côtoieront celles d'une trentaine d'artistes sélectionnées par le Conseil. Plusieurs œuvres présentées à Montréal se retrouvent dans les tomes I et II du livre " The World's Greatest Erotic Art of Today ". Le tome III (sortie 2009) inclura aussi des œœuvres d'artistes québécois. Provocation Sensualité Érotisme, six journées pour promouvoir positivement la sensualité, l'érotisme et la beauté à travers les arts : arts visuels, danse, performances, défilés de mode, musique, vidéo, films, lancement de livres et bien d'autres surprises. Le Bal Érotique

Par cet événement, le Conseil des arts du Québec rejoint les objectifs du Bal Érotique : · créer un événement culturel annuel visant à élargir les mentalités sur la sensualité et l'érotisme ; · offrir un environnement artistique pluridisciplinaire ; · établir une plateforme de réflexion sur l'esthétique et l'ouverture sur l'art érotique ; · promouvoir la culture ainsi que la communauté artistique Québécoises et Montréalaises. Prix d'entrée par journée: 10$ Passeport aux six jours de programmation: 30$ Membre du CAQ - escompte de 50%

SHIFT- A festival of Canadian and Dutch Arts

SHIFT

A major festival of Canadian and Dutch Arts

Presented by Continuum Contemporary Music and Images Festival

MEDIA LAUNCH & FUNDRASIER

Saturday, June 21, 7-10 pm

Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren Avenue, south of Dundas

Toronto, June 10, 2008: On Saturday, June 21 at 7 pm, Continuum Contemporary Music and Images Festival host a media launch and fundraising event for SHIFT, a festival of Canadian and Dutch Arts to be held in Amsterdam in November, 2008, and in Toronto in February, 2009. The event will feature Guy Maddin as guest-speaker, and other guests will include SHIFT partners Jennifer Waring, Artistic Director of Continuum, Scott Miller Berry, Executive Director of the Images Festival, and Geoffrey Taylor, Director of the International Festival of Authors; also in attendance will be Astrid de Vries, Deputy Consul-General of the Netherlands. Catering for the event will be provided by Grano.

The evening will feature short presentations from Jennifer Waring, Scott Miller Berry and Geoffrey Taylor; a performance by Continuum’s musicians; and a talk by guest speaker Guy Maddin. The event will be held at Gallery 345; the gallery, owned by Edward Epstein, specializes in exhibitions of photography and is a frequent venue for concerts of contemporary music and arts-related special events.

Conceived by Continuum’s Artistic Director Jennifer Waring, SHIFT is a festival of Canadian and Dutch arts with activities in Amsterdam in November, 2008, and in Toronto in February, 2009. SHIFT will create opportunities for exploration, exchange and new artistic and cultural understanding between Canada and The Netherlands. SHIFT is programmed by some of Canada’s top artistic voices – Continuum, International Festival of Authors, Visual Arts at Harbourfront Centre and Images Film Festival – in collaboration with the internationally acclaimed ASKO and Ives ensembles, and Impakt Film Festival, Utrecht. In Amsterdam, the architecturally stunning Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ is the host venue; Canadian activities will be hosted by Toronto’s jewel of the waterfront, Harbourfront Centre. SHIFT will present music, film, literature and visual arts as distinct forms while also encouraging their combination: Canadian and Dutch artists will work together to create new and exciting interdisciplinary projects. Highlights include the premiere of new works by no less than eleven Canadian and Dutch composers; a project of film and live music; exhibitions of Canadian and Dutch photography, metalwork and more; readings by established and emerging Canadian and Dutch authors; and in Toronto, a three-day architectural charrette during which the most innovative Dutch and Canadian architects will grapple with a set issue, followed by a public forum for discussion of the results.

Winnipeger Guy Maddin is an internationally acclaimed screenwriter and director whose most distinctive quality is his fondness for recreating the look and style of silent or early sound era films. His short and feature-length films, which include The Saddest Music in the World, and Brand upon the Brain! featuring narrator, live musicians and foley artists, have won numerous awards and honours including a Genie, Best Canadian Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Telluride Film Festival, and a director’s spotlight at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. For SHIFT he is creating a new work in collaboration with British/Dutch composer Richard Ayres, to be premiered in Amsterdam by Continuum and repeated in Toronto at the Images Festival.

Continuum Contemporary Music, led by Artistic Director Jennifer Waring, was formed in 1985 and has been responsible for commissioning and premiering more than 100 new works from emerging Canadian composers. One of the finest new music ensembles in the country, Continuum was awarded the 1994 Jean A. Chalmers Award for its focus on new works for voice, has toured Canada and Europe, and in 2007 released its second compact disc, Sea Change. Members are Anne Thompson (flute), Max Christie (clarinet), Benjamin Bowman (violin), Paul Widner (cello), Ryan Scott (percussion) and Laurent Philippe (piano). Continuum will perform in Amsterdam as part of SHIFT, and then will enhance their European presence with performances in Huddersfield, Aberdeen and Den Bosch.

The Images Festival was established in 1987 as Toronto's only alternative to the Toronto International Film Festival, integrating film and video from its inception, and later expanding to include installations, performances and new media. It is now the most comprehensive event of its kind in Canada, and a critical forum for the Canadian independent media arts community, as well as media artists and programmers operating on an international level. Over its long history, the Images Festival has become intrinsically linked to the survival of independent production as well as to the profile of Canadian work both here and abroad.

The International Festival of Authors (IFOA) was inaugurated in 1980 with a mandate to bring together the best writers of contemporary world literature. The IFOA includes readings, interviews, lectures and round-table discussions as well as public book signings and a festival bookstore. Recent participants have included Man Booker Prize-winners Anne Enright, Kiran Desai, John Banville, and Yann Martel; Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuk; and Pulitzer Prize-winner Geraldine Brooks. The IFOA also presents a number of special events including readings by Scotiabank Giller Prize and Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists, as well as the awarding of the Harbourfront Festival Prize.

Tickets for the event are $75 (purchasers receive a $50 tax receipt) and must be reserved in advance. For more information or to reserve tickets please contact Festival Coordinator Josh Grossman at (416) 924-4945 or josh@continuummusic.org.

Continuum Contemporary Music presents

SHIFT media launch and fundraiser

Saturday, June 21 at 7 pm at Gallery 345

345 Sorauren Avenue, south of Dundas

Tickets $75 ($50 tax receipt), reservations required

For tickets and information contact Josh Grossman at

josh@continuummusic.org or (416) 924-4945.

Peurs bleues / Here Be Monsters

Peurs bleues

Quand la mer crée les légendes…

MONTRÉAL, le 14 mai 2008 – Dans le cadre des festivités de 2008 entourant l'établissement de la colonie française en Amérique, le Musée du Château RamezayPeurs Bleues, une exposition qui aborde la relation de l'homme à la mer, depuis le 15^e siècle jusqu'à nos jours. présente, du 21 mai au 19 octobre,

Peurs bleues, une adaptation de l'exposition conçue par La Corderie Royale – Centre International de la Mer à Rochefort, en

Collection Nelson Cazeils

France, propose un voyage au cœur de l'univers marin. Que pouvait représenter la mer pour ceux qui s'y aventuraient? Un monde sans repère, peuplé de monstres, frappé par les tempêtes, la maladie et la piraterie.

Première épreuve à surmonter pour s'établir en Amérique, la mer a façonné l'identité québécoise. De l'Europe aux rives du Saint-Laurent, sabre d'abordage, figure de proue, cartes anciennes et autres objets inusités révèlent les secrets de cet univers hostile.

Embarquez-vous… la mer vous attend!

Le Musée du Château Ramezay est situé en plein cœur du Vieux-Montréal, à deux pas de la Place Jacques-Cartier et du métro Champ-de-Mars, face à l'Hôtel de Ville de Montréal.

Here be Monsters

When the Sea spawns Legends…

MONTRÉAL, May 14, 2008. The love-hate relationship between people and the sea, from the 15th century to today, is the fascinating subject of the exhibition "Here be Monsters" presented by the Château Ramezay Museum, from May 21 to October 19, 2008, as a contribution to the celebration of the 400^th anniversary of the founding of the first French colony in the New World.

Adapted from an exhibition created by La Corderie Royale- Centre international de la Mer in Rochefort, France, "Here be Monsters" takes you on a voyage that plumbs the depths of human imagination and the deep blue sea. To early explorers, the sea was a world without landmarks, inhabited by monsters, threatening tempest, sickness and piracy.

As the first obstacle to be overcome when venturing to settle in the Americas, the sea put its stamp on the cultural identity of Quebec. From the shores of Europe to the barks of the St. Lawrence, maps, charts, travel accounts, cutlass, figurehead and much else reveal the secrets of this hostile universe.

Set your sail…. the sea is calling you!

The Château Ramezay Museum is located in the heart of historical Old Montreal, just east of Place Jacques-Cartier and across from the Montreal City Hall.

4th Annual WAWA (We Are Women Artists) Show

www.thewawashow.com

The Beautiful People Association and CKUT 90.3FM are pleased to present the 4th edition of the WAWA Show, an evening of women's performance by Montreal singers, dancers, comediennes and artists. The event will take place on Thursday, May 29 at 8:30 p.m. at Sala Rossa (4848 blvd. Saint Laurent). Tickets are $10 and available at the door.

Participants include:

Music & Performance
Empire Isis (SOBA award-winning hip hop reggae star)
Amanda Mabro (Cabaret pop noir vocalist)
Briga – Brigitte Dajczer (Eastern European folk violin & vocals)
Annabelle Chvostek (Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist folk chanteuse)
Jordi Rosen (Singer/songwriter and accordionist)
Raylene Campbell (Accordionist and electro acoustic performer)
DJ Amyl Nitrate
Erica Ruth Kelly (Poet)

Burlesque/Comedy
Miss Sugarpuss, Emcee (Actress, singer & burlesque dancer)
DeAnne Smith (Just for Laughs comedienne)

Art/Film/Dance/Writers/Designers
Amy Arnott for Black Sheep Betty (Design), Celine Vautour for WA'OU creations (Design), Eva Blue (Photography), Mary Jane Caro (Photography), Nadia Nespeca (Photography), Caroline Jean (Painting), Adrianna Coluccio (Multimedia), Catherine Rizzetto (Crafts) Amanda Rhodenizer (Painting), Amanda Schurman (Painting), Anita Abbasi (Film), Brigitte Dajczer (Film), Andrea Fryett (Dance), Tony Elias (Magic), Jill Murray (author), Erica Ruth Kelly (poet), Four Minutes to Midnight (zine), Hannah Byrne and Shayl Prisk for SNAP! Magazine
The following night, Friday May 30, 8:30 p.m, WAWA will host a second event showcasing Montreal's women designers at an interactive fashion show at Black Sheep Betty, an art and fashion gallery in Montreal's Mile End district (4816b Avenue du Parc). Admission is $5.

The WAWA show's creator, Amanda Mabro, took partial inspiration from comedienne Gilda Radner's Legendary "Baba Wawa" sketch when creating this annual event. WAWA is about fostering community among female artists in all fields and is proud to bring women together in a positive and inspiring forum.

For more information visit the website at www.thewawashow.com