A film noir cabaret, avant-garde sounds, and an Edmonton Fringe hit.
Montreal
Elektra 9
May 7 to 11; from $20; Usine-C, 1345 Lalonde Ave., 514-521-4198, usine-c.com.
Overwhelm your senses at this cutting-edge digital fest with design, performance, video and interactive arts events. Don’t miss German label Raster-Noton’s sound explorations, Austrian electronica wonder boy Christian Fennesz’s latest creations, and San Francisco industrial performance group Survival Research Lab’s mind-blowing, “dangerous” shows.
Shown: Electronic musician, Christian Fennesz.
Toronto
OCAD’s 93rd Annual Graduate Exhibition
May 9 to 11; Pay what you can; Ontario College of Art and Design, 100 McCaul St., 416-977-6000, ocad.ca.
Showcasing the work of this year’s graduating class in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture/installation, textiles, illustration, graphic, industrial, and environmental design, OCAD’s annual 3-day exhibition also includes studio demonstrations and sales of prints, photography, ceramics, and jewellery.
Shown: Dominika Klimaszewski’s Constructed Landscape 1, 2007. Courtesy of OCAD.
Toronto
Eve Cabaret Series: Film Noir
From May 29; from $20; Stratford City Hall Auditorium, 1 Wellington Street, Stratford; info@shevisions.net.
Photo credit: Glenn Bell, sheVISIONS
Edmonton
Between Yourself And Me
May 29 to June 16; from $19; Shadow Theatre, 10329 83rd Ave., 780-434-5564, shadowtheatre.org.
When wild extrovert Amy decides to manage the love life of her nerdy, introverted friend Steven, the results are far from copacetic. In his Fringe Festival hit, Shadow resident playwright David Belke presents an intelligent and comic exploration of love, friendship and plumbing that doesn’t end up where you’d expect.
Vancouver
Holt Renfrew Fashion Gala
May 6; $189; Holt Renfrew, 737 Dunsmuir St., 604-681-5268, ext. 345, artsumbrella.org.
Back after a year-long hiatus, Holt’s once again sets the runway to benefit Arts Umbrella—but with a new twist. The store’s atrium will be transformed into a moving catwalk that features a preview of Diane von Furstenberg’s Fall 2008 collection, and the designer herself will be in attendance to watch it all happen.
Shown: Diane von Furstenberg, Fall 2008.