Go 'Underground' At Art Gallery

You may have to sit on the floor if your late for performances of Vancouver's "Intermedia" at the art gallery Monday, Tuesday And Wednesday night.

Advance sales have been good for the three showings of underground films and mixed bag music and poetry, says gallery curator William Hoare.

Among six films to be shown tonight is a new one by Vancouver poet and film maker Al Razutis, in its first Canadian showing.

Razutis describes his film as "an eye wise journey through apocalypse and theater...a process o psychic self-inauguration...a visual tapestry of life twisted and rearranged into abrasive and harmonic patterns."

All films were made by members of the Vancouver Intermedia co-operative, which distributes films mainly to American university audiences.

Tuesday night is for poetry and electronic music. The poets all from Vancouver, are Judy Capathorne, gerry Gilbert, Maxine Gadd and Ed Varney. Accompanying sound is to be sculpted by Denis Vance and David Rimmer who overlap tape tracks with sounds they make on the spot.

Jazz in a new imaginative style moves in Wednesday night, as Al Niel and Greg Simpson combine light, toys, noise-makers and electronic tapes with their piano and drums to form a musical "collage."

Coda, the Canadian jazz magazine , compares Niel to Sun Ra, Thelonius Monk and Cecil Taylor and says his music "demands from the listener new responses (not only to music) by freeing him from academic and stock responses.

It will be the first time the group has performed in Victoria. They have appeared at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.

Intermedia was formed two years ago, financed basically by the Canada Council.

Picture credit: POET ED VARNEY of Vancouver is one of four writers who will read their works accompanied by electronic music at Intermedia in the art gallery Tuesday night.