ARTS

Insomnia omnibus

From dusk to dawn, the Nuit Blanche all-nighter opens up Montreal?s arts, culture and fun to the masses

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG and SACHA JACKSON uit Blanche is definitely the N biggest event of the Montreal High Lights Festival, or at least the longest, with events lasting from 6 p.m. to 6 the next morning. And those 12 hours are unlikely to disappoint, with free art, films, music, dance and more, so the night is one of the best excuses to get out of your house and your comfort zones. We?ve sorted through the pile and come up with the Mirror?s top 10 picks, guaranteed to keep you up past your bedtime. Café Santropol (3990 St- Urbain): Alongside their superiorgrade chili, the much loved, mostly vegetarian eatery on St-Urbain screens the films Madame Tutli-Putli and Jan Zenek Disappears, award winners the both of them. They?re by Clyde Henry Productions, the Montreal-based duo excelling in artful, original and astoundingly meticulous stop-motion animation. A spread of the figurines from their work will also be on display, and if that isn?t enough puppets for you, locals Panadream Theatre offer two presentations, at 11:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., of their marionette play The Forkman. CCA (1920 Baile): If you?re not a downtown dweller, the Centre for Canadian Architecture can seem like a trek, but distance is a lousy reason to miss what?s likely to be one of the best parties of the night. In celebration of their 20th anniversary, the centre?s put together a nostalgic trip to the past complete with posters, exhibition catalogues and late-?80s video games like Mario Games II, SimCity and the original Game Boy. DJ Lunice moves the party to the dancefloor starting at 8 p.m. and DJ Mana opens u p the METICULOUS: Clyde Henry puppets decks to the public for a turntable workshop from 9?10 p.m. before hitting the decks himself at 11 p.m. Cinéma l?Amour (4015 St-Laurent): Discover what local musicians Tricky Woo and Socalled already know?the city?s last remaining porn theatre isn?t just a deliciously sleazy dive, the 1914 edifice is also a gem of vintage architecture with a rich history. From midnight to 1 a.m., once they?ve wrapped up screening Anal JUDGMENT NIGHT: Yamantaka//Sonic Titan 46 MONTREAL MIRROR FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4 2009 Asian Nurses 7 or whatever Oscar bait?s on tap this week, there is an hour-long presentation of talks and an award-winning doc on the space?perhaps that persistent rumour about Harry Houdini having taken the gut-punch that killed him there, from a McGill engineering student no less, will at last be confirmed. Eaton Centre (705 Ste-Catherine W.): With an altered line-up now featuring duelling drummers, vocoders and erhu, East/West culture-clash art sect/ritual rockers Yamantaka//Sonic Titan improvise and exorcise with what founder Alaska B. calls ?full-blown operatic performance,? a six-part interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead?s Bardo Thodol, specifically the Judgment section?s notions on conquering death. If that weren?t awesome enough, they?re doing it in the Eaton Centre?s food court, in front of the Ido Japan kiosk, which is genius. Performances at 10:30 p.m., 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Galerie MX (333 Viger W.): Warhol may have come and gone but the spirit of pop art is alive and kicking at this joint exhibition of work by Romero Britto and Roger Katch. Brazilian artist Britto?s colourful, playful and graf-inspired pieces (think Keith Haring meets Roy Lichtenstein) were originally created for the Cirque du Soleil?s opening ceremony event at Miami?s Dolphin Stadium and are tinged with an unmistakable Southern flavour. The rest of the space is dedicated to Montreal?s Katch, whose 3D neon sculptures, Coeur en lumière, are optical illusions of the finest kind. Galerie Pangée (40 St-Paul W.): Fine art, underground comix and graf collide at En Masse, a blackand-white group show of epic proportions. Co-curated by Tim Barnard and Jason Botkin, 28 local artists, including Jack Dylan, Maryanna Hardy, Omen and the Mirror?s Rupert Bottenberg, were invited to invade the space with their stylized creations in a collaborative effort to cover the walls from baseboards to ceiling. The monthlong project finally gets the big unveiling, with barely an inch left uncovered (6 p.m.?4 a.m.). General Stamps & Seal (3418 Parc): In celebration of hopes and dreams, this specialty store, which makes traditional old-school stamps on the premises, collaborated with artist Jennifer Hamilton to adorn the storefront with her own positive message. Her stamped and stencilled creation carries a message of peace and love made with materials found at the store. Passersby are invited to make their own wish and drop it in the fishbowl provided? they?ll be open for business and keeping the party lively from 10 p.m.?2 a.m. Le Gymnase (4177 St-Denis): If watching instead of doing is tiring you out, La 2e Porte à Gauche invites you to shake it out at Le party. Fourteen choreographers have come together to create this choreographic dance party, with live performances and a dancefloor (equipped with disco lights!) inviting you to get in on the action. The party kicks off at 10 p.m. with music by DJ MC Gilles and videos by Vj.PhiL?and a bar, so sadly you have to be 18 or over. Metropolis (59 Ste-Catherine E.): Under the auspices of Radio Canada?s Bande à part and Sirius Satellite Radio, the cavernous Metropolis hosts an impressive spread of live music. Highlights include the smart- ADVENTURES IN BLACK AND WHITE: En Masse punk of Vulgaires Machins, the clever electro-pop of numéro#, the hip hop of Payz Play and the mighty Ghislain Poirier, plus guest DJs on the decks. Up in the cozy Savoy room, chill and check the assortment of Bande à Part content they?re screening. The whole thing goes down from 10 p.m.?5 a.m. SAT (1195 St-Laurent): In keeping with the High Lights festival?s tipping of its beret to Paris, SAT hosts a special Montreal explose Paris! edition of its MixSessions nights from 9 p.m.?3 a.m. DJs like Poison Arrow, Jan Pienkowski and POP ART FOR THE BROKEN HEART: ?Out of Order? by Roger Katch Guillaume B., wielding various French-flavoured permutations of electro and minimal techno, face off against VJs Pink Rubber Lady, Gridspace and more?feed from your own cell phone may well make it into the visual mix. On that note, this is also a chance to take a crack at Raw Materials, a Web platform concocted at SAT that allows users, meaning you, to contribute content for use in live A/V performances. ? FOR COMPLETE INFO, GO TO MONTREALENLUMIERE.COM/ VOLETS/NUIT_BLANCHE/ EN_BREF_EN.ASPX

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