WHAT IS ÉTAT D'URGENCE ?
FROM NOVEMBER 21 TO 25, 2007 - Place Émilie Gamelin - Metro BERRI-UQAM

État d’Urgence is an artistic, multidisciplinary and solidary “manifestival” with the look and feel of a refugee camp smack dab in the downtown core. Among other things, it will provide street people with three meals a day, a snack at any time, donations of warm clothing, sleep accommodations for 150 people and numerous other front-line services. More than 60 artists, whose generosity and innovative approach are sure to provoke thought on the human condition and social cohesion, will await you!

Issues related to the harmonious coexistence of citizens in urban centres are quite topical in Quebec’s current political climate. This makes the 2007 edition of État d’Urgence all the more relevant and important. Art is now, more than ever, an engine of democracy. État d’Urgence is a potent blend of social solidarity and creative expression, bringing together citizens of all backgrounds. It aims to fight social exclusion and break down stereotypes of poverty, using art as a driving force for unity and change.

What is ATSA ?

ATSA is an organism founded in 1997 by artists Pierre Allard and Annie Roy to create so-called urban interventions: installations, performances and realistic stagings bearing witness to the various social and environmental aberrations which preoccupy the two artists. Their works investigate and transform the urban landscape and restore the citizen’s place in the public realm, depicting it as a political space open to discussion and societal debates. ATSA promotes an open, active and responsible vision of artists as citizens contributing to the sustainable development of their society.

www.atsa.qc.ca

Opening Night - État d'Urgence 2006 - Photo : Martin Savoie