Art

Fornicast

Astrid Hadad

BY STARR PIMP [Forecast for Oct. 21-Oct. 28]
It's the beginning of the end when...

When I am an old woman I shall wear a dress made of boobs

Aries (March 21 - April 20)
Your lover doesn't say "here, kitty,
kitty" anymore. Constantly criticizes
your copulatory skills and doesn't
think you know which end of the
Clear Blue Easy stick to piss on.

Astrid Hadad y Los Tarzanes
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Admission: $45.00

Taurus (April 21 - May 20)
"Honeykins, let's cash in our
combined RRSPs and open an
orphanage in Calcutta together!" If
that doesn't rattle your cozy cage,
you're probably not a true Taurus. (Or
they're just incredibly hot)

Saturday, October 22

BY JENNIFER FLYE

I

t usually begins as a costume idea. Astrid Hadad, performance artist extraordinaire, is a creative and exquisite matriarch. Her performances have been
rocking audiences for a while and she is
really excited about coming to Vancouver.
Hadad is a rule breaker. Hailing from Mexico and appearing on stages world-wide,
she is a modern day cabaret singer with a
hankering for stirring up the pot. Now a legitimate star in her own right, her show is a
sarcastic and deep kaleidoscope where politics ooze from the seams and her frenzied
commitment bowls you over with emotion.
Her favorite ranchero songs emerge over
the course of the performance, warped in
a proverbial mirror and hollered out for
you to feel. But it's not just her voice that
manages to resonate—her outfits achieve
it too, and well they should, as each song
is accompanied by a living and vibrant art
costume. Think Frida Kahlo mixed with
the bellowing sassafras of Peaches.
Hadad grew up in the Yucatan in a devout Catholic family of 11. She now bases
herself in the seething colours of Mexico
City and loves it a lot as, "there is so much
to see every day... I get ideas from so many
places: small stores, people, craft stores."
She even got one idea from a plastic bolt
of flowered tablecloth covering. "I saw the
flowers on this plastic and thought of them
around my waist... It was like a dress in my
mind." From the initial idea, her songs are
layered in and the process is in motion.
Each song in her repertoire involves
an elaborate change of garb, demanding anything from a from breast-covered
puffy skirt to a massive sombero with a
vibrating hand on it. The result is haunting, funny and generous, and perhaps a
true representation of an artist's mind. It
may sound cliched, but it is very rare that
vivid imagery from an artist's "initial idea"
is translated into full-blown presentation.
It is Hadad's goal, however, to enrich her
performances with a lot of eye candy. She
wants the audience to be entertained, and
doesn't think the language barrier matters.
Integrating as much of her Mexican heritage into her performances and costumes
as she can, don't be surprised if you see
everything from sparkly fairy lights to religious icons, beloved cacti and flapping eyeballs. Her educated mind is filled with rich
and verdant humour and she successfully
expresses it eloquently through her wardrobe. Her costumes could, quite literally,
be displayed in a museum.
Her single performance at the Chan
Centre (part of the LIVE Biennial of Performance Art running from October 15 to
November 26) should be fabulous in spite
of her nerves. "I get so nervous before my
show. I worry that people won't like it," she
laughs. One would automatically presume
that a brazen queen of political kitch would
be full of confidence, but, surprisingly, Hadad is naturally shy. When asked her about

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Your lover coos, "Hey baby, how
do you feel about making our little
love thing monogamous?" and you
realize you forgot to log out of the
threesomes-only chat room before
climbing into bed.

Cancer (June 21 - July 20)
That hot breath in your ear goes
~4| J something like, "I can't tell you how
happy I am now that I've finally found
a person I can trust to share my
desires with, (beat) I can only cum
from fucking bareback in the park and
getting busted by the cops."

1 Leo (July 21 -August 21)
® "Actually, I've had better."

Virgo (August 22 - September 21
The writing on the wall won't come
off with Fantastik Plus or Borax. Their
pubic hair on the floor next to those
crusty socks brings up unsavory
memories of your art school grad
installation. Pay the damn cable bill
already.

J* JL.

Libra (September 22 - October
21)
You're not sure what they meant by
what they said. Maybe what they
actually meant was something else.
Didn't they say they really liked being
strapped to the hood? Okay maybe,
but not that often. There was furniture
here this morning, wasn't there?

Scorpio (Oct 22 - November 21)
He/She: I'd like us to re-evaluate the
sexual nature of our relationship."
You: "Is that new luggage?"

her first performance in childhood, I'd expected to hear a story about a young girl
prancing around in a costume singing.
"Oh," she exclaims, laughing loudly.
"That is so funny. I haven't thought of this
in years. No, no," she says, laughing even
louder. "I was so scared. I remember one
time when I was about five years-old and I
had to sing with my brothers and sisters. It
is so funny—I ran off stage crying into the
arms of my Mother. I was so scared." Which
addresses an interesting point: where outrageous performers are often thought of as
type "A" people, many of them are not. The
stage is what provides them with the outlet
for expression. "I am like the female Jekyll
and Hyde," Hadad states.
Eventually, Hadad ended up in theatre
training at the Centro Universitario de
Teatro. The intense physical theatre program helped hone her skills and from there
she toured Europe (and even worked as
a soap actress!). Ultimately, though, her
desire for good political sparring and an
almost obsessive interest in female Mexican archetypes began to take over her art,
leading to her first performances in Mexico
which were met with surprise. Her digs

at the worshipped Diego Rivera weren't
appreciated by many, nor was her overall
take on the misogynistic reality she saw.
"Mexico is very misogynistic," she says" "It
can be very hard for women. It is still easier
to just marry a man." She certainly isn't shy
when it comes to her beliefs and translating them into performance. For example,
in a past show she confronted issues such
as wife beating and the women who "stay."
Amazingly, she does it with combined humour and tragedy, which is what makes it
so compelling to watch. Indeed, once she
exported her performances, she discovered
enthusiastic audiences across the world.
Historically, in numerous cultures, women have used the arts to express angst and
discord. So, although Hadad may have
some critics who say her current show is
a step beyond the norm, I would judge it
to be a perfectly distinct performance honouring the crafty feminists of her homeland. Women have sung, woven, danced
and painted their way out of some insanely
oppressive cultures, and Hadad's cabaret is
sure to add to this collective consciousness
in amounts not easily measured.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Your partner finds your spontaneity
exhausting. They demand you stick to
the to-do list Which leaves you with
two choices-put "plunder partner
mercilessly with fat rubber cock"
next to "pick up dry cleaning", or just
plunder them mercilessly with a fat
rubber cock while they pack their
bags.

Capricorn (December 22 - Jan 21)
They've said it five times, moved
across the country, married someone
else and sued you for harassment but
all you heard was: 1 just need some
space."

Aquarius (Jan 22 - February 20)
Your lover wants to replace your
French Restoration dining suite with a
burnished teak and chrome set from
Ikea. You were happy to pay for the
reconstructive surgery, but now it's
gone too far. Button your lip or button
your pants. Either way, the dream is
over.

Pisces (February 21 - March 20)
That's your secret fantasy? (derisive
snort) Not too inspired if you ask me."
Well you didn't; you just told them and
that took a while, given the epic nature
and multi-media content.

OCTOBER 20 2005

TERMINAL CITY

1 5