Here is the first of three accounts of the « post-lauch» activities offered by LEVIER, Following the release of its publication Affirming Collaboration: Community and Humanist Activist Art in Québec and Elsewhere

Photos : Nafissa Virama

TRAVEL TO THE BERLIN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

Participatory performance with Petra Kuppers and Neil Marcus

September 9, 2011, at à Circuit Est centre chorégraphique

by Melissa Mollen Dupuis, with the collaboration of Amélie Girard

The workshop-performance in which we participated on Friday, September 9, 2011 was taken from an experience of exclusion that Petra Kuppers and Neil Marcus experienced during a visit to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. Incredible, but true, this place is inaccessible to people in wheelchairs. A legal challenge was made to change this injustice but it was in vain – the complainants lost their case. The creation of this performance was for Petra and Neil a way of seeing the memorial – a replica that was not created to celebrate the dead as was the original but rather to celebrate life.

Petra Kuppers and Neil Marcus are two known activists who are very engaged in the culture of disability. For this first foray into a weekend of their universe, the notion of disability took a completely different form than one could imagine. It is not the wheelchair that embodies the barrier but the form of our apprehensions as members of a society that does not facilitate the intrusion into our own personal space. I imagine that it is easily explained taking into account the large number of individual and collective stories of abuse that many have which causes us to shun close human contact. With this in mind, the tone of the evening was set when we were asked if we were at ease being touched. Am I at ease at being touched? First, I must confess that I am not at all at ease being touched by strangers. However, my curiosity as an artist pushed me towards the unknown and the interest in fully living this experience.

Two volunteers were called and since I am someone who likes to participate, I volunteered. I was one of the two entry “gates” who controlled the group of people who were patiently waiting to enter. Enter where? Rather, enter towards who? Towards Neil who was sitting in his chair waiting. We, the gates, welcomed the participants between our arms, one at a time, and prepared them to pass the gate. Our mission: to make everyone at the gate feel welcome. We put our hearts into it but in a shy way. What action is less encouraged than to touch a person the first time we meet! I, like everyone else, have already experienced a moment where physical contact (a hand on my shoulder, a kiss on the cheek, a high five) was made too soon. At the beginning of the performance I felt this discomfort and the will to participate in opposition to society’s demands. However, I tried my best to complete my mission, making sure to pay attention to the reactions of the people in the gate. Some people tried, some let things happen, some liked being touched, some dealt with it, some intellectualized it. However, it is important to note that despite this touching space, I did not touch men in the same way I touched women. I would never touch a child as I would touch an adult. And most of all, I would never allow myself to touch someone the way I like to be touched. Nonetheless, in the space of an instant, I saw that the respect for my personal space allowed me to lose myself and I felt an incredible closeness with these people who were complete strangers to me just a few minutes before.

Our society demands that we do not enter another person’s personal space out of respect. Respect for their rights. Respect for their privacy. Respect for their limits. This respect allows us to create a society that believes it is creating equality between its members. However, we have never before felt as isolated or terrified at the thought of physical contact. By touching, I had the pleasure of feeling this performance and not just analyzing it. I must admit that despite everything, I prefer to give than to receive. Why? To be in control.

Passing the gates, taking Neil in my arms and hearing the words, “Thanks for coming,” I held in my tears while I would rather have lived this moment of emotion. Why? Control.

Simple, reassuring and inhibiting. I am a control freak. Losing control puts me square in front of the fear of the unknown. This meeting forced me to face another person and my preconceptions.

It was on the stomach of this other, this stranger, that I laid my head when we lay down on the floor. We formed a human braid, each one curled up with the other. Whereas the concrete slabs were detached from each other at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, our performance took on the opposite sense by touch, a touch that was not only physical contact but a more global contact. We were connected to each other through our energy. I let myself be lulled by the breathing of my neighbour. I let go in the space of an instant as I connected not only with this person but especially with myself. I tried to stop thinking even though it was very difficult because of the number of reflections this workshop provoked in the majority of participants. I tried to let go and allow myself to be filled with the energy of the moment and the relationships that were forming without a single word.

Photos : Nafissa Virama

RADICAL ACCESSIBILITY: QUESTIONS FOR SOMATIC TRAVELLERS

Workshop with Petra Kuppers and Neil Marcus

September 10, 2011, at Circuit Est centre chorégraphique

by Melissa Mollen Dupuis

From Word Reference :

Soma, noun (from the Greek, soma, body)

The parts of an organism other than the reproductive cells

Somatic, adjective (from the Greek somatikos)

Relating to the body, especially as distinct from the mind

Social somatic

…

The social body…

The most concrete approach that I have seen of the social somatic is that which is incorporated in the treatment of cancer patients. It has been clearly shown that in addition to both physical and emotional aspects, the social aspect is directly linked with the well-being of the patient. The instability that cancer brings has a direct impact on the treatment of pain. Insecurity on all levels (physical, emotional and social) has an influence on pain tolerance.

From the description of the event:

“Together, we’ll contemplate what radical access may mean. What do we need to bring ourselves fully to our processes, to be available to share space and time with each other in compassion? We will use somatic exercises and enter playfully into the borderzones of words and bodies, organs of speech and organs of sensation, our shields and detoxification processes, our guts and our lungs. Come prepared to move in ways specific to you, to write, to lean on each other and to listen to the small sounds of life.”

The social somatic has impacts on us gregarious humans. It is impossible to act as social beings without interaction or diminution of this interaction. Every day we participate in a somatic ballet that makes us act in society — either by action or inaction.

By action: take the subway, avoid touching the person close to us, greet someone by shaking hands…

By inaction: ignoring the homeless, staying immobile while people board the bus and forcing them to walk around us, not giving up our seat on the bus…

All of these actions and inactions have an impact or a repercussion on the other participant in our somatic ballet, whether direct or indirect, sensitive or insensitive.

During the day of reflection on this subject, our two instructor/performers Petra and Neil, represent the idea of social somatic performance. However, the group is modified with some new faces and others who were present the day before. The approach is also different – less in the felt and more in the perceived. The context of the activity is still a total respect of the participant and his or her personal limits. The only difference is that the approach is much more anchored in intellectual participation than the emotional and sensory participation of the night before.

When we participated in last evening’s performance, Travelling to the Memorial, everything was related to sensation and sensuality, even if we reflected personally on the experience.

The present activity is more of a reflection of how to associate the somatic with an artistic practice. It was structured more around reflection than action. The exchanges were rich and true. The variety of participants allowed for the possibility of intellectual exchange inspired by the daily lives of the artist and participant.

One of the most interesting activities of the day was an exchange between the participants at the end. The group was divided into subgroups, each with the goal of creating a somatic activity in order to allow for the guided participation of the group. Many positive things happened such as the experience where three people in a circle touched each other with their eyes closed, each responding in turn to the others. The choreography was harmonious and functional. Other approaches including dance, story-telling and breathing were performed.

This experience very conclusive in that it allowed us to deepen our understanding of somatism and social somatism, something that should be mandatory for every artist using performance as a medium. The approach of Petra and Neil is fantastic with its aura of trust and comfort established at the very beginning of the meeting and allows the participant to do what he or she normally would never do.

However, my only regret is that these two workshops should not be dissociated from each other as they go hand in hand. The two experiences, Memorial and Somatic Travel are complementary. They form a marriage of the lyrical and technique, sensation and reflection, and creation and participation.

It is also necessary to vary the forms because it is important to be on the lookout for changes that can be applied to the performance, in large part due to the personal experiences of the participants. Each person brings his past, values, constraints, prejudices, doubts, etc. with him. It must therefore be the responsibility of the performer to find a way of associating all of these elements together to create a functional unit. The response of the participant belongs to him completely. His only responsibility is to be present.

Photos taken during an outside action realized during the workshop, to underline the World Food Day (photos: Johanne Chagnon)

AFFIRMING COLLABORATION: Community and Humanist Activist Art in Québec and Elsewhere

Engrenage Noir / LEVIER continues the celebrations by offering a series of three exciting workshops linked to the content of its publication, facilitated by people who have collaborated with LEVIER throughout the years.

These workshops are offered free of charge, but space is limited.

Please register for the workshop(s) of your choice

WORKSHOP / PARTICIPATORY PERFORMANCE

WITH PETRA KUPPERS AND NEIL MARCUS (Michigan)

Journey to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin

Friday September 9, 2011

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

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Radical Access: Communal Queries for Somatic Travelers

Saturday September 10, 2011

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

***

WORKSHOP WITH JORGE GOIA (London, UK)

Soma – an anarchist laboratory

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 6, 7, 8 and 9th, 2011

10:00 am – 6:00 pm (each day)

***

WORKSHOPWITH  JUDY RINGER (Portsmouth)

Collective Creativity and Collaboration: Affirming, Celebrating, and Transforming Energy

Friday, Saturday & Sunday November 11, 12 and 13, 2011

Friday: 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm; saturday: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm; sunday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

***

For all the details on theses activities

Devora Neumark and Johanne Chagnon

The planet’s biodiversity of species and cultures includes their interrelationships, interconnectedness and interdependencies, which is the essence of biodiversity. Healthy interdependence in Nature is called symbiotic relationships, which basically are two or more species mutually dependent on each other for their survival. The relationship of the Collective’s mission for a poverty free Québec, relates to biodiversity’s meaning of interdependencies in human relations, as well as the intrinsic link of biodiversity to being able to sustain the growing and procurement of food, medicine and the materials to make our shelters, as essentials needs. My interdisciplinary art practice is about bringing together these concerns of environment, communities and art, as art. This was represented through the creation of an art context in the environment (directly on the grounds) in front of the Parliament building. The context was the laying down of twenty unique ‘couverts’ (place settings) - placemats, plates, utensils, smalls edible, medicinal plants, a biodiversity of twelve varieties of wild plant seeds, poured in wine glasses, and soil poured in the plates to identify the relationship between where our food (and medicine) comes from and eating. This formed the installation of twenty unique ‘couverts’, in a semi-circle, for the site of the performance, which would also be the site to invite the public to participate.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is all species and their habitats, from the microorganisms in the soil, air and water, to plants, animals, people, to the rocks, minerals and inorganic matter involved in transformation of nutrients into food. Biodiversity is vitally connected to our food supply and all the commodities we consume. Everything comes from Nature and its biodiversity. There is an extremely important invisible link between biodiversity and poverty that relates to access to land and the means of control relative to that access and to what is actually grown. This is related to human invented systems of organization, such as today’s global capitalism, which has been controlling people’s ability or not to have access to essential needs.

The french word ‘couvert’ refers to both essential needs of food and shelter. The crops we cultivate in agriculture for food have been derived from the genetic traits of wild plants species. Wild plant species are part of the history of biodiversity of the planet, which includes the history of how the seeds of plants have adapted to the environment. In other words, we can grow food in agriculture, because the seeds contain the genes of plants that know how to survive and grow in particular environments. Some of these adaptation processes of seeds (plants) have taken thousands to millions of years to develop. And these are the seeds that have been used to create our cultivated variety of seeds, such as the tomatoes, carrots, wheat and other food we eat. Medicine is derived from plants in wilderness, native indigenous plants from particular environments. Medicinal and edible wild plants are dependent on biodiversity. In response to the struggle for a poverty-free Quebec, the performance ‘Couvert sur Place - Parc de l’Esplanade’ is meant to address the essential value and meaning of this ancient wildlife seed knowledge that has been honored by native traditions, and which is embedded in Nature’s biodiversity intrinsically linked to food security.

The global political history of Biodiversity is very recent (2) The United Nations World Summits in Stockholm Sweden in 1972 (3) and Rio, Brazil in 1992 (4) are both significant moments in history where nations came together to address social, political and economic issues that addressed the environment, health and poverty. The 1972 summit for example allowed for a development of social, political and economic concerns, where the “human environment” was the language used. Twenty years later at the Rio Summit in Brazil, global environment politics were addressed in terms of Environment and development. One of the agreements that resulted was Agenda 21, with the concept of sustainable development and the Convention on biodiversity, of significant international importance. Sustainable development is the result of economic concerns that consider environmental destruction by human activity that causes poverty. The word sustainable was left very open in its definition in 1992 [Lorraine Elliot, ‘From Stockholm to Rio' in Elliot, The Global Politics of the Environment, New York University Press (1998). Pages 7-26], and therefore in need of being more defined in how sustainability would be realized in action. Global corporations controlling the planets resources, believing in a profit driven global economy, see Nature as a natural resource and can seem blind to seeing biodiversity and Nature as life. Nations remaining locked into economic mindsets of old paradigms, to develop within the capitalist system, hinders seeing Nature as a lifesource where acting locally is a viable sustainable solution. And of course 1972 and 1992 were the beginnings of international governance intentions and plans for positive change. But plans are all very nice on paper, they need to become positive actions. Sustainable environmental actions would be to green our cities with urban agriculture and wildlife. We would respond to poverty through growing biodiversity as a food system in urban environments. And everyone can have access to locally grown food. Right now ornamental cultivated plants dominate our urban landscapes for beauty, except in Cuba, where urban agriculture beautifies Havana, and feeds a country. (5) (6) (7) (8) Cities all over the world could develop the beauty of edible landscapes with the integration of wilderness into cultivated urban poly-agriculture crops. Unsustainable environmental practices are the corporate industrial system that relies on synthetic oil based fertilizers and pesticides, because of how monoculture, creates an environment for pest infestations. That is monoculture - growing one species of crop, like corn, creates mass infestation of one type of pest (insect, fungi, etc). Monoculture disregards the biodiversity in the soil, for the purpose of high outputs, for efficiency and profitability. Genetically modified plants are interesting inventions of the human mind, helping us understand life, but unnecessary to growing food in a poly-agriculture system where Nature’s knowledge and nutritional value only need to be observed in the environment.

The Collective’s mission

‘Couvert sur Place - Parc de l’Esplanade’ addresses the Collective’s mission of meeting essential needs of those living in poverty, through performative rituals, of collectively connecting to Nature. The collective performance aims to bring value to the importance of place, diversity, Nature, food, collective action, sharing and solidarity. This is done through doing the actions together, side by side, of touching soil, seeds and small plants in plates that are laid down as place settings (‘couvert’) directly on the ground in the environment.

The idea of adaptation in Nature is what inspired the meaning of the ‘adaptable concept’ in my art practice. ‘Couvert sur Place’ adapted to the environment and public on May 14th, 2009. The wild plant seeds included in ‘Couvert sur Place - Parc de l’esplanade’ are native to - or adapted within - the Quebec and Eastern Canadian provinces. InTerreArt donated the seeds for ‘Couvert sur Place - Parc de l’esplanade’ through their partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

The industrial corporate system of growing plants for food and commodities is embedded in the global capitalist system and market economy, which shuts out people from knowing about the origins of their food and the condition of their soil. Soil in the plate is a direct reference to the importance of soil for growing nutritiously diverse food. Developed countries, within which capitalist leaders reside (for the most part), make decisions to exploit lands in developing or poor countries, assuming that food shortage and poverty will be solved by a profit system, able to produce large quantities of food (9). The result is small farmers are driven off their lands, or cannot compete in the global market economy (10) (11) (12). Since 1996, the movement for food sovereignty (13) has been working to fight against this impoverishment of people, communities and countries, by working to keep their land and continue to grow food sustainably. But it remains an ongoing struggle (14) (15).

There is an expression in French “mettre les pieds dans les plats”, translated literally means putting our feet in our plates. This expression as related to ‘Couvert sur Place’, is about getting into or finding oneself in a difficult situation in ones life, saying or doing something socially unacceptable that makes others and oneself uncomfortable or embarrassed. With ‘Couvert sur Place’, it is an art action about doing something unusual on the ground with a ‘couvert”, but on purpose, in a way to question norms - putting soil in your plate, putting your feet in your plate.

Some participants saw the expression “mettre les pieds dans les plats” in the performance, and it was a way to share collectively, reliving their experience of being in a difficult situation. Being in a difficult situation, and figuring out how to get out of it, many times means having to confront norms that don’t work. In relation to the Collective and the mission for a poverty-free Quebec, it is about confronting the norms in the laws that are not working for people in situations of poverty. The definitions of the words ‘Couvert’ and ‘Place’ is highly relevant to the fight against poverty, as well as to understanding it’s art concept. ‘Mettre le couvert’ is a French expression that means putting down place settings on a table for a meal, which is a norm and ritual that has its origin with royalty. Putting a place setting directly on the ground outside with soil in the plates is not a norm. In this way, it is an artistic action to question norms and behaviors. ‘Couvert’ also means a shelter, a place to seek cover, a place to live, an apartment or house, making our place and where our place is on the planet. The word “Place” is about everyone’s ability to make their unique place in society, to feel counted and important and empowered to be an active participants in this world. Giving each participant a unique place setting “couvert”, is equivalent to stating that each person counts.

My Art practice

The action with participants started around 2pm, but even before it began, people asked me questions about the twenty place settings on the ground. People asked what it meant and what was going to happen. I spoke to people one on one, with others sometimes gathered around to listen. This allowed me to engage in conversation with the public, and explain to people what actions they would be performing, if they chose to participate. Curiosity and interest were the sparks of participation. Perhaps most especially during final moments of preparation, when I took the soil out of a green cloth bag, with a big soupspoon and poured earth into each plate. With my own wine glass filled with the twelve varieties of wild plant seeds, I shared with each participant, filling each wine glass. The use of wine glasses alludes to honoring our planet and all who are interconnected, with elegance, dignity and civility.

I took a place amongst the participants, and spoke out loud the actions, inviting everyone to perform the action of touching the soil in their plates with their bare feet, and suggesting doing this, by literally stepping into the earth in their plate. Some people did not want to get barefooted, so I suggested touching the soil in their plate with their hands. Although the action was about standing in our plate, it was also about touching and feeling the soil. We put our small potted plant in the plate, and poured in the seeds around the plant and planted them.

The collective action on the site ended, with twenty people holding a small potted plant (bee balm or lemon balm), seeded with the twelve varieties of wild plants. Participants expressed their feeling of connectedness to each other and to Nature, and expressed a feeling of solidarity, when we all together performed the actions of touching soil, plants and seeds and planting seeds. But although the collective action of ‘Couvert sur Place - Parc de l’Esplanade’ ended, each person, with their seeded plant, would continue the action of planting their seedling and seeds, spreading the meaning and importance of biodiversity, in their region of Quebec.

Some key concepts in my art practice the ‘adaptable concept’ and the ‘interconnected-self’, I situate within conceptual and performance art traditions, environmental art and art and ecology. The “adaptable concept” is about the concept adapting to the environment, place, culture and people, where the title of the performance includes the name of the place where the collective action occurred, which is Parc de l’Esplanade. This locates the site in which the concept ‘Couvert sur Place’ was adapted to. The ‘interconnected-self’ is about the interconnectedness in biodiversity, transposed to the art language of performers. Each performer is an interconnected-self, interconnected to each other, the environment and other species who are significant performers in the art action. These concepts are inspired by the quality of biodiversity in Nature, such as adaptation of species to their environment and the observation of interrelationships in Nature between species and their environments.

Urban and local agriculture is one of the solutions to feeding populations. Not only are we safeguarding the biodiversity of our forests and wilderness, we are also creating the possibility of empowering people to control their access to food, by acting locally, which is food sovereignty. The idea of the “adaptable concept” is about performing in one’s local place, responding to the biodiversity of one’s own locality. It is about making a place, right there on the ground, wherever one is on the planet. The words ‘Parc de l’Esplanade’ in the title represent the name of the site-specific place where the performance unfolded.

‘Couvert sur Place - Parc de l’Esplanade’ finds roots in performance from both contemporary visual arts and street performance. Both contain a focus on the process of creation and the meaning of actions. Where the role of audience is not of spectator of an object or a spectacle, but as an active participant in the process of living an experience and completing an artwork. Being an active participant in the collective performance reflects the act of being an active participant in one’s own life, thus blurring the line between art and life. (16) (17) Art becomes the site for a temporary community that goes on living in the imagination, and in ourselves. Art responding to an event is context specific to social, political, environmental issues. [Miwon Kwon, 'One Place After Another: Site-Specific Art and Locational Identity', The MIT Press; New edition edition (Feb 27 2004)] Beauty in art becomes defined through public participation and the engaging of the public in social and environmental issues. (11)

Interdisciplinary artworks can possibly be a way to re-look, re-imagine and give renewed perspectives on how poverty is perceived and addressed. Interdisciplinary art (concepts, performance, other forms, practices and new genres) are ways to share and involve the participation and creative input of the public. Exchanges give way to elaboration towards understanding, to looking at solutions, such as protecting wildlife biodiversity outside cities that have taking millions of years to evolve, by allowing wildlife biodiversity and food to be grown in cities. This is a way to work towards meeting essential needs for all, as part of addressing the complexity of people in situations of poverty in Quebec.

Narratives by Participants -

“Couvert sur Place” -  “Mettre les pieds dans les plats”

Have you ever  found yourself in a difficult situation, such as the expression in french states it “Mettre les pieds dans les plats”?  I have.  As a participant in “Couvert sur Place” I thought of all of the experiences I’ve had in the labour market that gave me headaches because the salary was insufficient or the work conditions were abominable.  I thought of all the times I had to live with friends because I wasn’t able to make ends meet, not being able to eat enough once rent was paid,  working an atypical job, on contract, cut hours. And I thought of the consequences on my life, my health, etc.

After I went back to school to study clothing design, and getting into debt after three years of school, I found a job that paid minimum wage.  My job was making patterns.  The patterns I made were sent by plane to Asia with bundles of fabric.  I had to be on unemployment between production periods.  How would I live, pay rent and repay my debts in these conditions?  They were stealing my strength to work!  To survive, I decided to go to another company and be a seamstress.  That could be good for my career.  But that job was even worse.  The seamstresses were paid by the piece - one cent, five cents, ten cents, twenty-five cents per piece depending on the difficulty of work.  You need to work at a breakneck speed to have a decent salary!  If you wanted to get anywhere, you needed to eat lunch at your sewing machine and work overtime.  Globalization had come to my world.  I was exploited as others before me had been before my return to school.

Living injustice…  I still remember…

In the roots of my memory there is a plant that wants to grow in the garden of humanity.  Every single one of our actions, the gestures we pose, our steps, the hands we hold out to others, our voices, our cries to defend human rights are seeds that will grow in our world and bear fruit.  We are the gardeners of the world to come.

Today as we demand once again a Quebec without poverty, the government refuses to increase minimum wage in a substantial way, it refuses to increase welfare which is currently not enough to maintain one’s physical and mental health while looking for a job.  Citizens are trapped in poverty.  To translate the french expression, they have their feet stuck in their plates “les pied pris dans les plats”

For the government, it is through the labour market that wealth is redistributed and we will be able to get out of poverty.  However, in Montreal 30% of the population works for an insufficient salary and lives in poverty as a result.  But by the governments magical way of thinking, working for whatever salary is enough to get out of poverty.

Louise Bergeron

Groupe Ressource du Plateau Mont-Royal

I participated in a performance of  Couvert sur place, in May 2009 after a march against poverty.  After having performed the gestures in unison with many others, I felt as one with them.  I felt like I had my place in the sun and that I would not stop growing in harmony with others as a human being with respect for life.

Today it is rare to pose symbolic and poetic gestures.  In the past, these gestures were made through religious traditions.  Life was marked by rites of passage that corresponded to different steps in the spiritual life of a person.

The context in which this performance was made added to the political sense of my gesture.  I became conscious of my solidarity with people living in situations of poverty.  We live in the same world and must stop the practice of exclusion.  Each leaf of my little plant corresponds to a right - that of respect, dignity, etc.  As it grows, new leaves and new rights will grow.

I rediscovered nature as I touched the earth.  It is a richness with which I nourish myself.

Angela Vu

Unfortunately we have allowed the situation to deteriorate to the point where poverty is rife everywhere, even in the Western, developed world, and to a point where even the poor themselves (including food banks) are having difficulty in getting out from under.

Poverty has become a stigmatism.  We are afraid of the poor, the different and we treat them as inferior.  We are afraid of the poor man in the street.  We tell him to kick himself in the butt, to find a job, any job, even at risk to his health (physical or mental), and to climb aboard the train of overconsumption.  We even tell him that work is good for his health.  Yes, keeping yourself occupied by doing activities that please you in a pleasant atmosphere is probably excellent for your health but how many of us actually do that?  All this because we want to be rich even if it destroys our health and that of others.

And those who used to be a part of the middle class no longer know where to look.  Admire the rich and want to become rich at any cost, even that of betraying the values most dear to you?  Or believe that you make enough money and become a simple citizen who wants to lead a healthy life that does not depend on the number of pretty things that you have or values that are completely foreign to you but that the media tries to shove down your throat day after day ?

For me, participating in a demonstration against poverty was a chance to make the link between the source of what allows me to nourish myself (the earth), to breathe (plants), to live (the Earth), and the instruments of nourishment (made from that which the Earth has to offer).  It is coming back to basics, where everything is linked and interdependent.  This occasion allowed me to rely on other links in society, those who we describe as weak because their pockets aren’t full.  But seeing us together reminds me that we are far from being weak and that there is always the possibility of change.

Myriam Anouk Augereau

I really enjoyed the experience of planting a plant with our feet, with our little glass and our living plant.  The link that I make with poverty is the plate, the glass and the living plant.  There is life where man puts his hand  and where he is ready to take care of the Earth and its inhabitants.  Doing this exercise together, especially on May 14th during the deposit of postcards of the Collective was even more significant.  We want a better world with more justice.  Let’s do it together.  A big thank you.  See you next time!

Marie-Lyne Bouchard

In late June, the Freedom Flotilla II will set sail, carrying humanitarian aid for the population living in the Gaza Strip. In addition to delivering medicines, school supplies and food, the Canadian Boat to Gaza will attempt to break the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza for the past 4 years.

Engrenage Noir / LEVIER worked with the Canadian Boat to Gaza to bring art to the heart of our solidarity with the people of Gaza through the sculpture of a boat, the making of a collective banner, postal art and performances.

On the heels of these creative initiatives, a fundraising evening was held in Montréal June 3rd to raise money for the Canadian Boat to Gaza. The target was quite ambitious: raise $10 000 over the course of a karaoke night… This target was not only reached but was even exceeded. We raised over $13 500 during this colourful evening!

Lebanese singer Christine Atallah opened the show. The dance floor lit up early in the evening with the likes of budding singers Raymond Gravel, Nancy Neamtan and Amir Khadir - the (uneasy) hip-swinging MNA offered his rendition “Do You Do You St Tropez “! Participants were enthusiastic and contributed to the atmosphere by taking turns at the microphone.

Parallel to the vocal performances, people were also invited to explore postal art by making a postcard in support of the Boat to Gaza. Some eighty (80) cards with messages of solidarity, peace and justice will be sent to Stephen Harper. In addition, many opted to create and colour a magnificent twelve-foot banner, under the direction of Claude Majeau, Émilie Tremblay, Véronique Dufour and Catherine Bernier-Beauchamp. This banner will be part of the journey aboard the Tahrir.

A boat sculpted by Daniel-Jean Primeau added a touch of art to the hall and reminded us of why we were there. This boat will be displayed at media events.

In short, this evening was a clear display of how Quebecers of every background are, more than ever, mobilized in favour of justice and peace in Palestine. This is the message of hope and solidarity that we will deliver to the people of Gaza.

Thursday- June 16, 2011

7:00 to 10 :00 PM

Eastern Bloc Gallery

7240 Clark, 2nd floor

!!!Warning: the exhibition is ending on Thursday June 16, 2011 at 6:45pm!!!

GUESTS-

Marion Vacheret- Associate professor at Université de Montréal School of Criminology. She is interested in the failure of the prison model of the past 30 years, which is based on risk management of 
criminalized persons.

Kim Pate- General director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. She has been a strong advocate for social justice for 25 years.

Justin Piché- PhD student at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of Carleton University. His research eevolves around the current cost of incarceration versus that of possible alternatives.

Anonymous Guest
- Having served a long sentence, one anonymous guest, who has now been active in social work for over 12 years, will discuss the ways in which incarceration affects one’s life and share her thoughts on possible alternatives.

ROUNTABLE FACILITATOR-

Anne Lagace Dowson
- Born in Toronto (Ontario), she is a radio journalist who was a longtime host of the CBC Radio Noon program, aired daily across Quebec. She holds a Masters degree in Canadian Studies and is implicated in the cultural scene, especially in the field of literature. She has facilitated numerous panels and debates on the arts. In 2008, she was an NPD Party candidate for the Westmount – Ville Marie district.

Through an engaging artistic process, this event allowed several women to denounce the sexual, physical and psychological violence subjected to women exploited by the sex trade. Because this violence is among the most trivialized, it is rare that it is spoken of and denounced. It is this silence, this taboo that Marie wished to break with her slam, that the sketch “À la défense du Pimp et du client ?$!” (In the Defense of the Pimp and the Client) tried to expose and that certain parts of the exposition Les draps parlent and other artistic manifestations presented during the public court on commercial sexual exploitation tried to shine the light on.

“J’ai pas choisi! » is the account of several survivors who spoke during the public court on commercial sexual exploitation of the violence experienced by women trapped in the industry and the obstacles experienced while attempting to leave the industry. Following the example of the Manifeste des survivantes pour un monde sans prostitution begun during the public court, the slam reminds us that prostitution destroys dignity and equality of the sexes and is not a choice. The authors of the Manifeste clearly state that they did not choose to enter the sex trade but were rather chosen by others based on their poverty, their past history of sexual abuse, pimps who knew how to find and profit from their vulnerability and who, with the agreement of Canadian society, bought them.

The reality of sexual exploitation is everywhere — in our cities, our schools and our lives. It touches a friend, a sister, a colleague. But what is commercial sexual exploitation? It isn’t an idea but rather a reality. It is the use of a woman’s body for sex by a man who pays for it. In the crude words of Ana Popovic, worker at the CLES, it is hands that touch us, eyes that look at us and words that hurt us. It is the obligation to sexually satisfy men who pay. The majority of sexually exploited persons are women and girls. However, we speak very little of this violence perpetrated against women.

During the weekend public court, approximately 200 people decided to break the silence. They took part in discussions and shone a light on the impact that the sex trade has on women and society as a whole. The participants were particularly interested in the sexual exploitation of Native women. Following different presentations of survivors, militants and researchers, the jury formulated charges relative to different phenomena related to commercial sexual exploitation such as globalization, racism, the use of lesbian sexuality, sexual assault, and juvenile prostitution. Charges and particular recommendations were made to put an end to the femicide of Native women that the sex trade is accomplice to. Finally, the jury demanded that men make better choices, stop killing and purchasing women and children and stop using pornography.

The CLES continues its fight against the violence experienced by women in the sex trade. To come: Cartographie de la chair dans un monde globalisé ou Les draps parlent/ GLOBAL FLESH MAPPING/La resistencia de las mujeres, an interactive exposition created in collaboration with the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, for the international congress Mondes des femmes that will be held in Ottawa from July 3rd to 7th, 2011.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ingoma Nshya-

In 2004, the first group of female drummers was formed in Rwanda. Although it was recognized that traditionally only men could play percussion, these women chose to explore unknown spaces, to attempt new challenges and to give themselves a voice, individually and in a group, with the help of drums (Ingoma).

In addition to giving them the opportunity of learning the art of living together and encouraging their healing process after the genocide of 1994, this project was also a financial support for those survivors who had become widows. The drums helped them to achieve a personal, collective, economic, and cultural rebirth.

Odaya-

Odaya is a group of young female drummers who are dynamic, engaged and creative, and who come from various Native cultures in Canada. Animated by the values of sharing and compassion as well as the desire to receive traditional teachings on the drums to better understand their culture and songs, the training was born following a meeting of the Femmes Autochtones du Quebec in January 2007.

Their desire is to create, to sing and to celebrate the richness of their cultures while at the same time supporting various social, cultural and artistic projects and events that promote the rights of women and Native people.

Residence and Performances -

On this occasion, the performances will include 13 women with 13 drums - 8 from Ingoma Nshya - Femine Initiatives and 5 from Odaya. Each group will research songs of mourning and celebration of life in order to share during their meeting. A three day visit to an Attikamek community (May 2nd - May 4th, 2012) as well as a few visits in the Rwandan community (before Infoma’s arrival and May 13th, 2012) will deepen and consolidate the understanding of the cultural heritage of the second group. Their artistic residence (May 5th - May 9th, 2012) will then build the bridge between their two cultures through a collective creation that will be exposed at the Maison de Culture Frontenac (May 10th, 2012) and at MAI (May 11th-12th, 2012).

This project will create a dialogue between traditional and contemporary. The process will notably allow them to question society and to position themselves in a long-term perspective — in other words, to give meaning to the future. The process of creativity will find inspiration in their cultures, experiences, stories, meetings, imagination, dreams, and hopes.

Workshop - Discussion

The women of Ingoma Nshya will share their talent, knowledge, reasoning, and experience with the artistic community of Montreal. This workshop (May 14th, 2012) will be held at the Maison de l’Afrique and will be a space where training and artistic exploration will unfold and leave space for reflection on the role of artistic creation as an economic, social and cultural lever in society. The responsibility and engagement of the artists and cultural workers in this process will also be discussed.

Partners -

Although the organization and funding of this project is primarily the responsibility of LEVIER, several partners are nevertheless essential for the success of this project. Maison de l’Afrique, Amitiés Canada-Rwanda, Onishka and the African Students’ Association of Concordia have all accepted to be partners in this adventure.

LEVIER is proud to be a partner in this professional artistic project that will push back the borders of the esthetic and give opportunity to women artists to affirm themselves through music and that will support personal, collective, social, economic, and cultural growth. In keeping with its objectives, this project will create a network between the artists and cultural workers who fight against poverty. In addition, this will be a chance to demonstrate how a project can have a concrete impact on the reality of a collective. Finally, this project will encourage the understanding of the role of art as a motor of social change and will enrich the local professional artistic milieu.

Launch publication at Quebec city -

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

at Bar L’Agitée, 251 Dorchester street

5:00 to 7:00 pm

For more information about this publication, please see PUBLICATION page.