Photos by Maïa Monteil

The diversity and vibrance of attendees and vendors alike at the event was reminiscent of the magazine. The arts and cultural scene written about between the pages of their latest edition came alive with the shiny spiked goods of multidisciplinary artist and jeweller toothwurld, the mythological designs coming out of Pearlfroggy’s tattoo gun and onto the skin of the party-goers, the colourful plushies and patches made with love by Planet Katty, and the bold and unique wearable art of press on nails designed by Claws by C. This blend of arts within the vendors was also representative of the multidisciplinary arts coverage found within Scatterbrain Magazine. Jeanne Bransbourg, co-founder of Scatterbrain Magazine, commented on the mutually influencing nature of various art forms within Montreal and the need for a magazine which covers this expanse instead of focusing on singular niches within the arts. Arsham Adams, who does photography and event planning for Scatterbrain Magazine, echoed this sentiment, stating that, “Montreal is one of those cities that its just like incredible, its like limitless, the amount of people, the amount of artists it produces, its just incredible, like every street, every venue you find people that are just amazing, they have amazing talents to show you”. To this end, Adams also emphasized Scatterbrain Magazine’s mission of providing opportunities to smaller artists who may have not yet had a platform to showcase their art, stating that “as someone whose been in the industry for 10 years I know how hard it is just to get your name out there,” but that “Scatterbrain is not just a magazine, I feel like its a platform, its a community, for people to just gather around, express their feelings, express their voice, express their art.” Indeed, community is built into the foundations of Scatterbrain Magazine, which was born four years ago when co-founder Nia Blankson happened to discover a trove of German youth magazines from when her mother went on exchange in the 80s. Blankson was wowed by the vibrancy and animation of 80s physical media and on a whim posted photos of these magazines on her story, asking whether anyone would be willing to do something similar in Montreal. Bransbourg swiped up, and thus began Scatterbrain Magazine, starting as a friend group side project, to its current operation of nearly fifty people across the USA, France, and Canada. 

The night started with a b2b DJ set from Aniika and Digi-lioness, two Montreal based artists. The duo started the night with their electric performance as guests trickled in checking out the various creative vendors. Following them, Puggy Beales took the stage, with a synthy, deep bass performance that got the crowd moving. As the evening went on, we also saw performances from Niivi and Thee Soreheads to finish the night off. Niivi is an independent Inuk artist whose sound combines traditional Inuit music with alternative rock. Finally, Thee Soreheads finished out the night with their high energy feminist punk. Between songs like “No Means No” and “I’m Not Your Fucking Sex Doll”, lead singer Maria led the crowd in a chant of “my body, my choice”.

In between sets we spoke to some attendees outside about the event and Scatterbrain Magazine’s work. One of the attendees said he’s been following the magazine since its inception, attending their events, and being an overall supporter. He thought the most unique thing about Scatterbrain Magazine was that “it’s not a bigger publication that’s trying to get huge names in it [and that it’s] really centred around younger, up and coming artists.” He made a point that Scatterbrain Magazine truly aims to support artists that aren’t established in their scene yet. Another attendee said she found out about Scatterbrain Magazine through Community Service Magazine, an online newsletter that covers arts events in the Montreal area. She said she has “a soft spot for independent literary publication” and thought this evening really “speaks to how willing people are to come out for the people they support”. Echoing the community-centred sentiment of the founders, she also stated that “vendors are here not for any corporate money-making reason, but for the strength of the community”.

Review by Alyssa Chalmers and Cece Callaghan