The top 5 things to do in Montreal: April 2 to 16
Take a tour of Greek history from Agamemnon’s siege of Troy to the conquests of Alexander the Great. | Image courtesy of Pointe-à-Callière
1. EPIC EXPLOITS
The Greeks — Agamemnon to Alexander the Great | Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History | to April 26
Take a tour of Greek history from Agamemnon’s siege of Troy to the conquests of Alexander the Great. Not the simplified version of Troy with Brad Pitt, but the true epic exploits and legendary figures of the Trojan War.
The exhibition, the largest on ancient Greece ever to take place in North America, gives viewers the opportunity to experience 5,000 years of Greek history and culture — its influence on everything from mathematics to politics, architecture and medicine, along with familiar philosophers, Aristotle and Plato. Many of the artifacts have never been outside of Greece, including Agamemnon’s golden burial mask.
Find out more about The Greeks.
Image courtesy of Matthieu Rytz
2. WATERWORLD RESIDENTS
Kiribati en péril by Matthieu Rytz | TOHU, la cité des arts du cirque | to May 3
Water is rising and islands in the south Pacific are disappearing. With his camera, Matthieu Rytz illustrates the upcoming dangers due to climate change.
Many residents of the Kiribati islands have abandoned their houses, and may have to be relocated — but to where?
Find out about Kiribati en péril by Matthieu Rytz.
"After the hunt," 2014. Mixed media, Les Ateliers Jean Brillant. | Image courtesy of Emily Jan
3. TOTALLY RANDOM AND POTENTIALLY AWESOME
Folklore Futur | MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) | to May 9
Expect the unexpected with Folklore Futur by Shabnam Zeraati and Emily Jan.
The Iranian born Zeraati took her inspiration from a brawl between members of the Ukranian parliament for her multi-media works, entitled, Assemblée générale des actionnaires (General meeting of shareholders). This focus on social conflict is filled with mythical creatures, like anthropomorphic chicken heads.
Jan’s two installations, entitled After the Hunt / Before the Fall, respectively depict a table groaning with excess and a quagga — an extinct zebra sub-species — that science is attempting to resurrect.
Originally from San Francisco and currently based in Montreal, Jan holds a BA from Brown and an MFA from Concordia.
Find out more about Folklore Futur.
4. THE MAKING OF THE NOTEBOOK
One-sided Notebook Workshop | Room Green Space Henry F. Hall Building | April 7, 4 to 6 p.m.
Why buy a notebook, when you can make one?
Come help Sustainable Concordia sort through the reams of printed paper they’ve collected around campus and make some one-sided notebooks.
Assemble it, bind it, and it’s ready! With school coming to an end, this might just be the right moment to start that new project.
Find out more about the One-Sided Notebook Workshop.
Image courtesy of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
5. FACIAL-RECOGNITION MEDIA ART
Level of confidence: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer | Room FOFA Gallery, 1-715 | to April 10, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Forty-three students from the Ayotzinapa school in Iguala, Mexico, disappeared on September 26, 2014. This exhibition commemorates the 6-month anniversary.
As technology advances, so does art. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s facial-recognition camera will match the viewer’s face with one of the missing students, using an algorithmic system.
A perfect match is impossible. The viewer will receive a “level of confidence” percentage on how accurate the match is. This art project mirrors the search for the students, furthering the conversation around these disappearances.
Born in Mexico City in 1967, Lozano-Hemmer received a BSc in Physical Chemistry from Concordia.
Find out more Exhibition: Level of confidence by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.
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About the author
Andy Fidel is a Montreal-based freelance journalist, photographer and writer with dreams of living on a submarine. She enjoys metro rides, writer's block and cold instant coffee.