:::Noam in a crowsnest:::

Who are you and what do you do?
my name’s noam. i’m an amateur poster / activist art & courier bag maker; librarian jock; queer-crafts good-with-my-hands guy & bike nrrd. right now i’m focusing less on my animal head drawings and more on launching this tiny business, crowsnest bags, which is about making people beautiful custom & handmade messenger bags that fit them exactly. sometimes i also do step aerobics. (ed’s note: OMG we LOVE step class. We’re the ones with the gold pants and that is sweating a lot.)

How do you remain subversive in your work?
i’m learning about networking & talking to people, and about how the community i’m a part of can sustain me in lots of ways. i think it fits in here because i’m paying attention to queer activist artists that i know & asking them to make special edition art that will feature on the front flaps of the bags i make.

As an artist, what has been your best marketing tool? What would you say to a queer artist in Montreal who would like to launch a collection?
i think in the Montreal context, the best marketing tool for queer artists is a toss-up between patience and having a show at le cagibi. i would also say that checking out expozine is important.

Are you the only gay in the village? Does your mum know you’re queer?
[This question does not] make sense to me. (ed’s note: K&K is non-sensical. Still, here ’tis. Davith.)

What is your favourite video on the innernets?

Boxers or briefs?
boxer briefs! the kind i love best actually have little buttonflies.

What’s your fav Montreal spot for hangsies?
Two spots: cosmo’s, in NDG, and ste emilie skillshare in St Henri (ed’s note: look for a special on ste-em’s in the very near future).

Half-full or half empty?
in a huge mason jar at the foot of my bed.

Skill testing question: 45 + 76 x 89 and 3/4 x the stripping cage at Club Tools =
sorry, in order to get the value of the stripping cage at Club Tools, could you give me the derivative of the equation? (to measure the velocity of the stripping cage)

Cat or dog?
bird. always.

Leopard, zebra print or pleather?
cordura.

Are you dating someone right now? WHO?!?!
i really go for butlers, it seems. Octavia Butler is really a true love of mine, but then there’s Judith Butler… maybe one or two other butlers. also, i go on occasional dates with Mariko Tamaki, Dean Spade, and bevin branlandingham.

Name your number one dating pet peeve:
i hate picking a movie that turns out to be terrible, even when we both already knew it would be terrible.

Click on this link (click me) and answer the following question: Why the fuck did you do it man?
that’s actually an image that we’ve used recently during a workshop given by the union for gender empowerment, ha!

The next time Montrealers can come admire your beauty in a live setting yet at a reasonable distance:
the beyond prisons panel! Saturday, October 24, 4 pm to 6 pm at the Comité Social Centre-Sud (1710 Beaudry, metro Beaudry). Click here for more details.

Some other inane detail of your choosing:
i really love cherry tomatoes. i always forget that i have some at home & i buy them again and again. (ed’s note: we approve of this NON-inane detail. Cherry tomatoes are muy importante).

www.crowsnestbags.com