relief theory
address
372, Ste-Catherine W St, #507 Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), QC H3B 1A2
> saturday, april 7<
> sunday, april 8 <
featuring
Alo Azimov
Kalale Dalton-Lutale
Be Heintzman Hope
Kaie Kellough
Sehar Manji
Sara Meleika
Tatyana Olal
Cason Sharpe
wyïśya
guest curator
Tatyana Olal
thank you
People's Potato
sunday schedule (noon to 6 PM)
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noon–1.30 PM
Sunday Brunch
Hosted by Joeun Aatchim, Yen-Chao Lin and Kate Whiteway
Join us for brunch on Saturday and Sunday to discuss with artists and curators about the other half of Common Aliens, Whispers That Got Away! Food, coffee, and tea will be provided. With vegan and gluten-free options, and fresh bagels. Feel free to bring anything to add to the bounty, including your own dishes.
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2 PM–3.45 PM
Workshop–
Womb Cxre: Whispers
Facilitated by Be Heintzman Hope
In tandem with Common Aliens’ interest in Relief Theory and Atelier Céladon’s writings on whispers as a diasporic mode of communication, Be Heintzman Hope offers a workshop in breath and movement. Breath happens without being asked, it simply is, and yet is changing all of the time. The breath carries laughter, words, screams, memory and much more. Womb Cxre works with the philosophy that the body carries many voices inside, the voices of one’s own and the voices that have landed on our bodies. Whispers offers an embodied approach to look at how these voices inhabit us.
Through breath, we will research how the body is influenced by others. This is an invitation to reflect upon the ripple effect of micro embodiments, keeping in mind the contextual macro effect of colonial and diasporic presence on Tiohtia:ke. Participants will first be guided through gentle breathing exercises before moving into partner work that will stimulate wider discussions on embodied history, ancestry and future imaginaries.
This workshop prioritises racialized people and has a limited capacity. Please register in advance by emailing info@atelierceladon.com.
Be Heintzman Hope is a facilitation artist, community builder, dancer, dj and performer based in Tiotia:ke. They are a descendant of the first Chinese immigrants to arrive in so-called “Canada” to work on the railroad, and hold German and Scottish blood as part of their ancestry and inherited occupancy of Indigenous land. For Be, creation is healing and inextricable from mental health. Their work is trauma informed, based in play, pleasure and the belief that laughing everyday is an achievable goal.
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5 PM–6 PM
Comedy performance–
Pressure Valves
Featuring Alo Azimov, Sehar Manji and Sara Meleika
Pressure Valves is a series of performances by comedians intended to dissect their practice. It is joke-telling about joke-making. Performers will explore how comedy serves both the comedian and the audience, how care is communicated through humour, and what it means to tell the same joke for the second, third, and hundredth time.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Sehar Manji is now a Montreal-based improviser, actor, writer, teacher and comedienne. She was trained in short-form and long-form improv at the Montreal Improv Theatre for 6 years, where she was also a member of their house teams Night Bus and Helmüt. She performs regularly onstage around the city and is a core cast member of Colour Outside The Lines, an improv show celebrating diversity within Montreal’s improv community. She has appeared in local festivals (MPROV, Montreal Sketchfest, Ladyfest, Fringe, OFF-JFL) and has also performed in Toronto (The Big City Improv Festival and JFL42), New York (The Del Close Marathon) and was invited to be a part of the International Ensemble at the Vancouver International Improv Festival for the past two years!
Sara Meleika is an Egyptian improviser, storyteller, and high-school teacher. She produces and performs in Colour Outside the Lines, a show dedicated to uplifting diverse voices, which has been highlighted in the Montreal Gazette and Cult Montreal. Sara was also a co-producer of the 2017 edition of Ladyfest Montreal, a festival celebrating female & women centered comedy! She is now very enthused to be the English Inclusion Coordinator at Montreal Improv.
Alo Azimov is a comedian who loves sketch, improv, stand-up & storytelling, with props & puns never too far behind! Alo is non-binary & their pronouns are they/them. Alo lives in Montreal, and has performed in Montreal Sketchfest, Pride Montreal, Ladyfest, Off-Fringe, in Zoofest & OFF JFL. Alo hosts & co-produces "Stand-up Story Slam," a comedic storytelling show. Alo studied biology for years & now they focus on the arts!