McCord 2022: Disraeli Revisited

 

DISRAELI REVISITED - Chronicle of an Event in Quebec Photography

McCord Stewart Museum

Presented by La Presse

October 28, 2022 - February 19, 2023

This exhibition commemorates the 50th Anniversary of a focal chapter in Quebec’s photographic history. The public is invited to learn about the Disraeli project and the heated debate that caused a deep reflection on the ethics of photographic representation and image rights. Through 144 photographs, including over 67 that have never been exhibited before, 44 archival documents and a video, the exhibition chronicles heated debate that took place in the 1970s that sparked a deep reflection on the ethics of photographic representation and image rights.

The exhibition celebrates and revisits the original body of photograph works by bringing together images and documentation that tell the story from multiple points of view, thus focusing on the major issues and consequences that stemmed from the original Disraeli Project.

In the summer of 1972, four young photographers - Claire Beaugrand-Champagne, Michel Campeau, Roger Charbonneau and Cedric Pearson (in the photos above) - spent three months in Disraeli, a town located in the Municipalité régionale de comté des Appalaches in Quebec, Canada. Along with researchers Ginette Laurin and Maryse Pellerin, they set out to produce a collective documentary portrait of Disraeli and its residents’ everyday life. The group, officially known as the “Collectif de l’Imagerie Populaire de Disraeli,” lived in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the town. Throughout their stay, they photographed and interviewed local residents and developed certain friendships. This closeness made it possible for the photographers to take portraits of their subjects in action and posing nonchalantly in places where they lived and worked.

The Controversy

In the months and years that followed the group’s stay in Disraeli, the photographs were widely distributed in various publications and exhibitions. In 1974, controversy broke out when the popular French-language magazine Perspectives published an article and a selection of 18 images. This magazine was inserted inside La Presse, La Tribune, Le Soleil, Le Droit and other French-language newspapers and was distributed in more than 550,000 copies. Influential people from the Disraeli community expressed their disapproval in local papers, stating that the photographs unfairly and negatively represented the town.

Some Montreal journalists, including writer Pierre Vallières in Le Devoir, came to the group’s defense. This article triggered a strong reaction from prominent residents of Disraeli, creating a real media storm. While this debate brought the Montreal photography community to reflect on the social impact of documentary photography, it also raised such broad questions as the manipulation of information by the media, the idealization of rural life by the younger generation, and the subjectivity of photography as an art form.

In addition to the photos, the exhibition also includes a 16-minute video that combines audio clips and a selection of the photographers’ contact sheets creating an amplified experience of some of the better-known image. This video was produced by researchers Ginette Laurin and Maryse Pellerin.

Click on images to enlarge them.

All Photos @ Nadia Slejskova

For more information about current exhibitions and activities, visit the McCord Museum website.

MMFA 2022-2024: SEEING LOUD-Basquiat and Music

SEEING LOUD: Basquiat and Music

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion – Level 3

October 15, 2022 – February 19, 2023

The Museum of Fine Arts of Montreal (MMFA), in collaboration with the Musée de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris, invites visitors to immerse themselves in the visual and musical landscape of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). The exhibition offers an in-depth look at the artist’s unique connection between his life, music and in his artistic creations. This is the first exhibition ever to focus on the role of music in Basquiat’s artistic practice. The show explores his art in relation to the New York music scene of the 1970s and 80s. It introduces visitors to the sounds he conjured in his paintings – from opera to jazz to hip-hop – and to the musicians who inspired him. The exhibition brings together over a 100 works in addition to many audio clips, videos exhibited for the first time, notebooks and rare archival materials.

More than merely a soundtrack to his life, music was manifest in Basquiat’s art as sign, symbol and sound. Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music offers an insight into the artist’s complex musical universe.

An American born to Haitian and Puerto Rican parents, Jean-Michel Basquiat had a meteoric artistic career. Beginning with an exploration of the music that shaped Basquiat’s New York in the 1970s and 1980s, the exhibition turns attention to the performative aspects and the extent to which music shaped his artistic output. A music lover to his core, Jean-Michel Basquiat possessed an impressive collection of more than 3,000 records and was a performing musician himself, notably with the experimental band Gray, of which he was a founding member.

The exhibition also looks at Basquiat’s compositional techniques as they relate to music, and references his ties to particular record labels, musicians, cultures and sounds, providing a comprehensive picture of how his love of music in all its forms – opera, classical, hip-hop, jazz and especially bebop – inspired and structured his artistic practice. Musical instruments abound in his works, as do references to a range of genres.

A multidisciplinary and prolific artist, Basquiat collaborated on several videos, produced a single, and designed flyers announcing concerts in New York during one of the most creative periods in the city’s musical history. Music was not only a structuring element of his art but also a means to engage with the wider themes of the African diaspora, the US politics of race, and the history of Black musicality. Basquiat absorbed the sounds and culture that were all around him and made them part of his paintings, creating a unique artistic language resonating to this day.

“The key to deciphering Basquiat’s oeuvre and understanding its evolution lies in music. The artist always surrounded himself with sounds, and found himself at the confluence of two majormusical movements of his time – no wave and hip-hop – that resonated with his creations. Jazz was a major source of inspiration for him, as were the blues and vernacular forms of Black American music, which he integrated into his paintings and which had a profound influence on his artistic practice, both formally and hematically,“ explains Vincent Bessières, guest curator for the Musée de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris.

“Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art is loaded with sonic charge,” explains Mary-Dailey Desmarais, Chief Curator of the MMFA and curator of Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music. “Words, instruments, signs and symbols collide in compositions that sound – and sound loud – as we see them. They are distillations, reincarnations and even incantations of the phonics of the New York City streets, of hip-hop and bebop, of the Black Atlantic, Beethoven, Ravel and more. Through the music in his work, Basquiat celebrated Black artistry and tackled the complexities and cruelties of history, bringing to life the sounds that inspired him and the soul of his historical moment.”

Visit the the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts website to check on the opening hours and to purchase your ticket online.

Click on images to enlarge them.

All Photos © Nadia Slejskova

McCord 2022: INCIPIT – COVID-19

 
Photographs by Michel Huneault:

A Look Back at the First Months of the Pandemic in Montreal

September 16, 2022 - January 22, 2023

The Montreal's McCord Stewart Museum is presenting its new exhibition of photographs by Michel Huneaul INCIPIT – COVID-19 that displays 30 works and 3 projections of photos and videos, comprising over 150 images. The exhibition documents the daily reality of the first months of the pandemic as experienced by Montrealers, healthcare workers, and patients suffering from the virus. It provides a chance to the public to reflect back on the series of events that put the world on pause.

In order to reduce the spread of the virus, a general lockdown of businesses and schools was ordered by the Quebec government in the spring of 2020 since Montreal was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Realizing the historic nature of this situation, the McCord Stewart Museum gave photographer Michel Huneault carte blanche to document this unprecedented upheaval. From April to August 2020, he attempted to comprehend and capture images of the scourge that was spreading across the planet and still continues to affect daily life.

To document the pandemic measures, the photographer investigated the city scenes in the midst of various public measures. He gathered personal statements from a number of individuals and also secured and exceptional access to three healthcare institutions enabled him to directly document the work of healthcare workers and the impact of the virus on patients and their families.

Two photos below show the photographer Michel Huneault during the exhibition's press visit.

Click on images to enlarge them.

All Photos @ Nadia Slejskova

Activity related to the exhibition

Documented in real time – Round table

Wednesday, September 21, 6 to 7 p.m. – At the Museum

For the exhibition INCIPIT – COVID-19, the Museum is organizing a round table discussion around Michel Huneault’s photography project, which provides an early record of this historic moment by capturing the beginnings of the COVID-19 crisis. The event will examine the necessity of archiving the present and explore the roles of different stakeholders—artists, journalists, institutions, civil society—in creating a network that engages in the values of accessibility and visibility.

 Speakers:

• Michel Huneault, photographer

• Zoë Tousignant, curator, Photography, McCord Stewart Museum

• Pierre-Paul Milette, administrator who has worked in management positions within Quebec’s

health and social services network The discussion will be moderated by Vincent Lavoie, professor in the Art History Department at UQAM.

Free activity, in French. Space is limited, reservation required on the Museum website.

Framing Everyday Life: Stories of Confinement

Alongside the photographic mission entrusted to Michel Huneault, in April 2020 the Museum launched a collaborative public project, Framing Everyday Life: Stories of Confinement. This project invited the public to express, through photography, how the pandemic and confinement influenced their relationship with the outside world and each other. After more than 2 years, over 4,000 photographs with the hashtags #FramingEverydayLife and #Cadrerlequotidien have been shared on social media. The project’s success provides a portrait of the diverse realities experienced by Quebecers and the way they evolved. The tagged images can be viewed on the project’s webpage on the McCord Stewart Museum’s website.

World Press Photo 2022

 

World Press Photo 2022

Montreal 2022 - 15th Montreal Edition

August 31 - October 2, 2022

Following a two-year absence, the World Press Photo Montreal exhibition returns to Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal. It showcases this year’s prizewinning photographs, as selected by a jury that sifted through nearly 65,000 submissions by 4,066 photojournalists from 130 countries.

Often dubbed the Oscars of photo-journalism, the World Press Photo is the most prestigious international press photography contest. The Montreal edition has been presented since 2005 and is extremely popular with the public.

In line with the World Press Photo’s new approach, an independent jury of regional and global experts selected the regional entries for 2022, dividing them into four categories: Singles, Stories, Long-Term Projects, and Open Format.

Amber Bracken, WORLD Press Photo of the Year prize winner.

This year, the jury awarded its top prize to a Canadian photographer Amber Bracken for her Kamloops Residential School, a photograph taken for the New York Times.

The winning photo is presented by the photographer Amber Bracken.

Photo exhibit by Justine Latour also deserves a special attention. She captured with great sensitivity and presented to the public her photos of the Montreal's centenarian Claire Sigouin.

Claire 107 years old. Born in Montreal in 1915. An exclusive photo exhibition by Justine Latour.

Justine Latour presents her photos.

Justine Latour presents her photos to Claire Sigouin.

Click on images to enlarge them.

All Photos @ Nadia Slejskova

About World Press Photo

Founded in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization with its headquarters in Amsterdam. The foundation is committed to supporting and advancing high standards ofphotojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. Each year, the exhibition travels to more than 100 cities in 45 countries and is seen by more than 4 million visitors. The World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and PwC.

All I Want for Christmas

 
Centaur Theatre 2021

All I Want for Christmas

Written and Directed by Rebecca Northan

Quebec Premiere

November 16 - December 5, 2021

Featuring Mariah INGER 🎄 Gabe MAHARJAN 🎄 Amelia SARGISSON

Set & Costume Designer James LAVOIE

Lighting Designer Andrea LUNDY

Fight Director Robert MONTCALM

Assistant Director Murdoch SCHON

Stage Manager Merissa TORDJMAN

Assistant Stage Manager Luciana BURCHERI

A Christmas comedy full of slapstick humour and hilarious heart, suitable for ages 12 and up.

Plot

Being an elf isn’t easy. Ginger is the only elf in North Pole history to have been fired from every job she’s tried. When Santa’s mailroom needs a last-minute replacement on December 23rd, Ginger’s sibling, the fastidious Nog, pulls some strings to get her the new position. All she has to do is open letters and run the switchboard – what could possibly go wrong? 

All I Want for Christmas came about in response to a Facebook post from Cape Breton’s Highland Arts Theatre’s Artistic Director, Wesley Colford, who was seeking recommendations for a holiday play with a “maximum of three actors, comedic, preferably Canadian, and preferably written by a woman”. Northan messaged Colford, offering to write a new play. During a phone call, in which Colford shared their wish list of key elements, the basic premise of the play took shape in Northan’s imagination. The HAT production was an unequivocal success when it premiered in December 2020 and now it makes its Quebec premiere at Centaur.

Writing a comedy centred on a holiday associated with gathering during lockdown was a welcome challenge for the self-described workaholic. “I wanted to incorporate the pressure that family can put on us to be a certain way, especially during the holidays, and I definitely wanted to explore the isolation, loneliness and longing to connect that many of us have been experiencing during the pandemic”, explained Northan. “I also happen to be going through perimenopause and want to shine some comedic light on that taboo topic—stop all the whisperings about ‘the change’. I’m always interested in questions around identity, getting to the truth of who a person is, and their right to be accepted for who they are. I had a lot of time to reflect on these themes during Covid, and found a way to wrap them all up with a giant, hilarious Christmas bow. My goal as an artist is to get people laughing while touching their hearts.”

“Having Rebecca and her team at Centaur for Blind Date was a fabulous experience for us and our patrons. When I learned she had a new comedy for the holidays I couldn’t wait to read the script. Rebecca’s brilliant sense of comedy combined with her generous heart and theatrical versatility shine brightly in this quirky, uplifting story that takes a deep comic dive into our very human need to feel loved for who we actually are rather than who we think the world wants us to be.” - Eda Holmes, Centaur’s Artistic and Executive Director.

Parental Guidance:
This play is recommended for ages 12 and up. There is some mature content: mild swearing, alcohol consumption, and references to depression, attempted suicide, and divorce.

Show Schedule Prices
Evenings            Tues. through Sat.          8pm
Matinées            Sat. & Sun.                    2pm
                         Wed. Nov. 24                 1pm    
                         Wed. Dec. 1                   1pm  
Prices 
$67 (Adult), $57 (Seniors) and $38 (under 30)
All prices include tax and surcharges.

For more information about Centaur Theatre visit the Centaur Theatre website.

Portico Project: The Exchange

 

Centaur Theatre 2021

Centaur Theatre Company Presents the Portico Project production of  THE EXCHANGE  September 23 - October 2, 2021 Sponsored by the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation

Co-created & directed by Julie Tamiko Manning Co-created & designed by Nalo Soyini Bruce and Eo Sharp Dramaturgical support by Rose Plotek Stage Manager Trevor Barrette Creative contributors & performers Maryline CHERY | Corrina HODGSON | Sandra KADOWAKI Ainsley McNEANEY | Kayin QUEELEY The Exchange performances are FREE - 20 minutes - and presented twice per evening at 5:30pm and 7pm, Thursdays through Saturdays. Space is limited therefore audiences are encouraged to reserve by phone (514-288-3161) or ONLINE.

Centaur Theatre’s outdoor event, Portico Project, returns for its second year with a new commissioned work developed by the event’s inaugural curators: Julie Tamiko Manning, Eo Sharp and Nalo Soyini Bruce. They were given ‘carte blanche’ by Centaur’s Artistic and Executive Director, Eda Holmes, to create a new interdisciplinary piece for the steps of the theatre, which the trio dubbed The Exchange.  Referencing Centaur’s Montreal Stock Exchange origins, The Exchange features five performers with a wide range of artistic skills. They include Maryline Chery (actor, theatre creator and improviser of Haitian descent); Corrina Hodgson (award-winning Queer playwright and disability advocate); Sandra Kadowaki (Japanese Canadian percussionist and composer); Kayin Queeley (Afro-Caribbean educator and founder of Montreal Steppers); and Ainsley McNeaney (multi-faceted musician, composer and singer/songwriter). In The Exchange, a small group of travelers encounter a theatre performer who seems paralyzed … an empty statue. They resolve to awaken the actor from the fundamental limitations of their discipline to see the myriad creative possibilities available. Challenging the theatrical norm of written text and making full use of the unique setting, the exchanges between the travelers and the actor take shape through spontaneous movement, sound, and music in an exciting and powerful 20-minute work that explores various aspects of theatre invention and performance, from the process of how a new work is born and where it is presented to who is on stage and who is watching.  “The driving goal in this endeavour was to ensure performers and patrons go home feeling they have gained something valuable from their experience”, said director Julie Tamiko Manning.  “There’s a certain inaccessibility that conventional theatres have, which can sometimes get in the way of that happening. It’s definitely changing, which is great, but it’s so ingrained in the system we often can’t see that there are other ways to make theatre. We forget that we can question our methods. It begins with something as basic as the universally-accepted assumption that we start with a written script but language can be a barrier too. We wanted to unpack ‘exchange’, because of Centaur’s history with the word, but also draw from an extraordinary rehearsal I had with another drummer, working on a previous project. We realized we were conversing in another language, one that sprang from a deeply spiritual place—rooted in cultural complexity—that words could never have fully expressed. With The Exchange, we wanted to investigate and flesh out how artists can create within a new rehearsal paradigm, how stage characters communicate with each other in performance, and how the performers connect with the space. We’re so grateful to Centaur for the gift of complete autonomy in this undertaking and for its unwavering faith in us.”

“So much has happened in the last year and a half that has prompted us to question how we live in the world. Is it possible to imagine better systems based on respect and understanding that encourage us to build a more fluid, responsive society? Centaur is very proud to support these incredibly talented artists as they probe these vital issues within the theatre realm. By investigating and implementing a different artistic approach, they help us to envision new ways to look at our relationships and our world. I’m so excited for people to immerse themselves in The Exchange!” - Eda Holmes, Centaur’s Artistic and Executive Director.

Vancouver’s Boca del Lupo is partnering with Centaur again this year with another fun, immersive theatre activity: Plays2Perform@Home. Teaming up with theatre companies and playwrights from across Canada, Boca del Lupo has created five box sets that enable everyone to take leading roles in short, newly created plays with friends and family around the dinner table, picnic blanket, or campfire. The Quebec contributors are local playwrights Marie Barlizo, Michaela Di Cesare, Gabe Maharjan and Adjani Poirier. The Quebec box set will be available for purchase at the Portico Project events for $30. The Western, Prairie, Ontario, and Eastern box sets can each be ordered through Boca del Lupos’ website for the same price and the complete national collection is available for $125.  Vaccination passports are not required; all audience members must wear a mask for the duration of the performances that will be socially distanced.

The Portico Project is once again sponsored by the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation, and the Société de développement commercial du Vieux-Montréal stepped up as a supporter this year. Thank you both for your confidence; we couldn’t do it without you!

The Portico Ad-Hoc engages under the terms of the Indie 2.2; professional artists who are members of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association. For more information about this event visit this webpage. For more information about Centaur Theatre visit the Centaur Theatre website.