On October 19, join us for an autumn edition of imagining a queer eruv: a walking conversation with artist and researcher Iso E. Setel. Starting at Parc St-Viateur in Outremont, this guided conversation will take us through the Mile End by way of the neighbourhood's back alleys and looping paths. Along the walk, Iso will be sharing their research and the work that went into creating their book, Eruv: Queer Installations of Jewish Space, while inviting attendees to reflect upon and share their experiences in queer and Jewish spaces within and beyond Montreal.

This walking conversation and its associated book examine the ways in which eruvin function as queer objects, dissolving distinctions between the public and the private, and reconditioning spatial relations. Eruv collages together text, photography, and paper-cut maps of ritual terrains to articulate how eruvin might be utilized as ritual technology in projects of queer liberation and community formation.

To coincide with our ongoing exhibition Public Intimacy – which explores similar themes as Iso's book – the tour will end at the Museum of Jewish Montreal at 5220 boul. St-Laurent, where visitors will be invited to view the exhibition and consider overlapping concepts.

Tickets are $23 for General Admission and $12 for Students, plus applicable taxes.

Please note that this is the third presentation of this event and capacity is limited, so we encourage early registration to avoid disappointment. Copies of Eruv: Notes on Queer Installations of Jewish Space will be available for purchase at the end of the walking portion, $5 or pay-what-you-can. Proceeds from book sales will be donated to projects that support queer youth in Montreal. Books are also available to those who are unable to attend. Email Iso at iso.setel@gmail.com to request a copy.

About Iso:

Iso E. Setel is a filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist based in Montreal / Tiohtiá:ke since 2017. Utilizing moving images, text, and textiles, their work addresses questions of visibility, sense and memory in documentary film and installation. Their work has been exhibited in the U.S. and Canada, most recently as part of IGNITION '16 at the Leonard & Bina Ellen Gallery in 2020. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Iso received a BA in Political Studies and Electronic Media Arts from Simon’s Rock in 2017, and an MFA in Film Production from Concordia University in 2021.

Image Credits:

Central image (trees with sky) courtesy of Iso E. Setel.
Background image (lace curtain) courtesy of Johannes Mundinger and Sophia Hirsch (Public Intimacy artists).