Recto/Verso II

"Most current ‘debates’ are debates about numbers: How much should be reinvested in education and who will pick up the tab? But you rarely hear anyone ask this fundamental question: What is the purpose of education? For some, education should be a centre of intellectual entrepreneurship that produces employees and marketable patents. Yet, this would be a radical departure from the original mission of universities, which is to pass on humanity’s cultural, intellectual and scientific heritage and teach critical thinking.”

-Éric Martin and Simon Tremblay-Pepin, Université Inc.

Who are we?

The École de la Montagne Rouge is an initiative of young, conscientious artists who are mainly from the bachelor of graphic design program at UQAM. Through its actions, thoughts and research in the area of graphics, EDLMR offers a different and original aesthetic approach to revolutionary movements and an alternative way of helping the Québec Spring make its mark.

We and thousands of other students across Québec believe that education is a right, not a privilege reserved for the well-off. The tuition increase jeopardizes access to higher learning for our generation and future generations.

Sensing that an unlimited general strike is looming, many protest movements and pressure tactics are being organized across Québec. This is an opportunity for all students to show solidarity, defend our points of view and get involved so that we can create a balance of power in relations with the government. Our victory depends on the daily efforts made by each and every one of you.

Maria Ezcurra | Jacqueline Fortson | Carmen Giménez Cacho | Ana Elena González | Flavia Hevia | Maya Khankhoje

A group of Mexican women, all living in Montreal, will create a piñata as part of the Recto/Verso+ project on August 2^nd, 2012. The piñata will be broken at the end of the day with the collaboration of the Recto/ Verso Programming Collective, École de la Montagne Rouge and the public.

A piñata is an important Mexican tradition, consisting of a decorated container made of papier-mâché or pottery, filled with candies, fruits and toys, that is then broken by a group of people, usually during a birthday party or religious celebration. The piñata will take the form of a cornucopia, similar to the map of Mexico, a gesture that represents a series of complex social and political issues. While the original idea was intended to symbolize the difficulties that have been taking place in our country, Mexico, and that are ever more visible due to the recent controversial presidential elections, this work also contemplates our current context in Montreal. Therefore we are inviting the public to come and share their responses and aspirations. The piñata will be filled with diverse symbols of individual and collective desires and ideas for possible solutions, represented through images, texts, and objects, of the current political climates of social movements. Following the tradition, the piñata will be smashed in turns with a stick, while singing songs, sharing stories, and eating food, until it breaks, spreading its prizes, which will be shared with participants. This is a collaborative and participatory project that intends to break the tension and release intentions through art and creative processes, not only by exposing social and political problems, but also by looking together for possible solutions.

(+) Although the recto is the front and verso is the back side of something, we see it also as the interior and exterior, what you show and hide.

Open-wi sent out an open call for photographs and animation of the Quebec student protests and manifestations casseroles. Within one week they received over 500 photographs, videos and animated images that form the Rouge ta rue video.

Rouge ta rue celebrates the collective, inclusive and street-level activism that have marked the Quebec student strike against tuition hikes and protests against loi 78.

FOFA Gallery will be showing a 10s clip from the Rouge ta rue video.  The clip is by Malcolm Sutherland. The video is a collaborative montage created by Alison Reiko Loader, Nancy Bouchard, Magda Olszanoeski, Kim Sawchuk, Scottmontreal, Matt Soar and Owen Chapman’s Rouge ta Rue.  Courtesy of Wi Journal of Mobile Media.  June 2012.

During the two week period of Recto / Verso, the FOFA Gallery Summer Programming Collective and École de la Montagne Rouge will be facilitating silk screening sessions in the Gallery, free open to publics.

FOFA Gallery is proud to present our annual screening series Recto/Verso for four summer evenings, free to the public. The walk in screenings are programmed from the ONF/NFB catalogue with the intention of increasing access to the artistic experimentation and rich filmic heritage of Québec and Canada.

In building the programming for our outdoor screening series, the Recto/Verso collective came across important films from the NFB catalogue that strongly supported the Recto/Verso theme of Manifestation/Demonstration. Due to the length of these flims, FOFA Gallery has ommitted them from the Weekly Outdoor Screening Series; however, the gallery will be presenting these films, one per day on loop, within the Black Box. 

Titles include:

• 24 heures ou plus, Gilles Groulx, 1973, 113 min 09 s
• L'Acadie l'Acadie?!? / Acadia Acadia?!?, Michel Brult and Pierre Perrault, 1971, 117 min 51 s
• Le chat dans le sac / The Cat in The Bag, Gilles Groulx, 1964, 73 min 54 s
• Kanehsatake 270 Years of Resistance / Kanehsatake - 270 ans de résistance, Alanis Obomsawin, 1993, 119 min 15 s

Recto/Verso

• Documentation Photos at FOFAGallery.tumblr.com
• Weekly Outdoor Screening Series I-IV
• Call for Participation

Collaborators/Contributors

• École de la montagne rouge
• Tina Carlisi
• Maria Ezcurra
• Wi : Journal of Mobile Media + "Rouge ta rue" complete video
• Malcolm Sutherland