BY MATT HARRISON
YappiScope
I’ll be honest, I have no idea what’s happening in this image. What I can tell you is that the underwater artist above is a Dutch poet named Jaap Blonk, who is renowned for being one of the world’s leading practitioners of sound poetry — an artform where the phonetic aspects of speech are emphasized over meaning (the Futurists and Dadaists in the early 20th C. were among the first practitioners of this performance-based artform). On Thursday, Oct. 9 Blonk will present the Canadian premiere of YappiScope, his first complete production that includes visual projections, video, scores, interactive animation, live sound to silent film, along with other new multimedia work. The performance will be at Arts Court Library at 8 p.m.; cost is $11 to $14, available at the Arts Court box office.
Arts Court is at 2 Daly Av.
Gorilla Doctors
This past week, a report came out stating that the planet’s wildlife are declining at an alarming rate. That surely includes Mountain Gorillas, animals already on the endangered list — in fact, the last Mountain Gorillas are in the Virunga Mountains (virunga means volcanoes), which straddle Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Thursday, Oct. 9, the Museum of Nature is holding a special screening of a documentary entitled, Gorilla Doctors, which looks at the veterinarians — including one of the gorilla’s first champions, Dr. Mike Cranfield — who provide hands-on care in an effort to help save these critically endangered animals. In attendance will be Dr. Cranfield, who’ll lead a discussion after the screening. It happens at 7 p.m., costs $8 buy online here. The film will be aired on CBC’s The Nature of Things on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Canadian Museum of Nature is at 240 McLeod St.
Afternoon Cartoons FREE!
Mickey Mouse (and Minnie) made his debut in 1928’s Steamboat Willie. But before this animation classic — the first cartoon with synchronized sound — there was Max Fletcher and his Song Car-Tunes series: animated sing-a-long shorts that debuted in 1924. Fletcher was an animator pioneer, who later introduced the world to Betty Boop, Popeye, and even Superman. Coming on the heels of the annual Ottawa International Animation Festival, is a special night at Carleton University — Projecting the Archive, Classic Cartoons takes place on Thursday, Oct. 9 at the university, in particular in St. Patrick’s Building in the Carleton University Art Gallery http://cuag.carleton.ca/ 3 p.m. until 4 p.m. It’s an afternoon to explore rare and memorable selections from the Audio-Visual Resource Centre’s collection of 16 mm films, including Fletcher’s works, but also Disney’s.
Carleton University Art Gallery is at 1125 Colonel By Drive
No One Can Hear You Scream… Underground
In the bowels of the earth, in the dim light of a supposedly “abandoned” cold war bunker, scientists gathered for a top-secret experiment. That was 20 years ago. What happened is only just now being revealed — and only through the possibilities of time travel. If you dare, travel back in time and join an interactive adventure involving the undead (naturally, cuz what doesn’t these days) that takes place deep within the Cold War Museum’s labyrinthine passageways. This Saturday, Oct. 11, is the first installment of Incident at the Bunker. http://www.hauntedwalk.com/zombie.php The underground zombie adventure at the Diefenbunker occurs every Saturday hereafter until Nov. 1. The adventure takes place between 1 to 5 p.m., with various start times. Tickets are: adults, $18.75 and students, $16.75. Not really intended for kids under 12, or those prone to… fear. (Muahahaha!)
Diefenbunker is at 3929 Carp Rd., Carp
Thanksgiving on the Farm
Thanksgiving — unlike the Americans, it’s not about blowing the trumpet around the idea of fleeing persecution, perilous voyages, or surviving that first, cold winter. Rather, ours is simply a harvest celebration — and so, at this time of year, it makes perfect sense to find the nearest farmer, throw your hands around him or her, and thank them for feeding your gaping maw, year-round. A more family-friendly approach, however, might be to head over to the Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum for a weekend of special events: in their demonstration kitchen learn how to make cranberry sauce or what to do with all those leftovers; see how farms are harvesting more than just food (hint, it rhymes with schmenergy); make apple cider in a press, grind some oats (and enjoy some tasty treats), root around in sand for stored treasure, and chat with a cow as she gets her annual pedicure. There’s also a hay ride — plus all the other creatures and critters you can see throughout the year. Cost is the regular price of admission. Events take place from Saturday, Oct 11 through to, and including on Thanksgiving Day (Monday, Oct. 13), from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum is at 901 Prince of Wales Dr.