There’s likely a variety of ways you can participate in Nuit Blanche, but here’s a specific Parkdale project looking for help now.
On the night of October 1, 2011, in Parkdale Village, 20 enigmatic “cube” rental trucks will appear – each one transformed. The trucks, as transitory objects, will embody the repetitive nature of Nuit Blanche – each becoming a site of visual, spatial and visceral expansion. The exhibition as a whole considers how we relate to the city, live in the present urban moment and also how we think about the future of social connectivity. The trucks will become sculptural objects interpreted as performance stages and installation platforms or completely transformed by social and video experiences. 4 site-specific projects highlighted in this announcement are the result of integrated community collaboration. Please read below to learn how these socially based projects are in need of your ideas, support and interaction.
See all the artist projects and community support partners.
LEITMOTIF is Curated + Directed by Stuart Keeler
Chromatic Hi-Five! Additive and Subtractive
Become involved in a unique community based sewing project. In collaboration with the local sewing shop at The Workroom, the project aims to create a huge community quilt of donated fabric to cover, envelop and hug the unique dynamics of Parkdale. Inspired by Op-Art visions, where bright colors become a portal to a new vision, Browder, will accompany you and your friends through two sewing days. Together as a collective the goal is to sew a large scale pattern that engages, enraptures and captivates the world of high art, working by hand to touch, love and linger along Queen Street West.
WHERE: The Workroom, 1340 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6K 1L4, Canada
(416) 534-5305
WHEN:
Wednesday, Sept 27, 2011 – 12-5pm
Thursday, Sept 28, 2011 – 12-5pm
Donate Fabric! We need any non-stretchy material that is colorful or has colorful patterns, although black and gray are fine too. Sections larger than 1 yard square are preferable. Drop the fabric at the Workroom during regular business hours! If you have heaps of fabric and need assistance contact Amanda Browder at the contact point below.
QUESTIONS: amandabrowder@gmail.com
PATRICIO DAVILA + DAN McCAFFERTY
Parkdale’s Versions
What version of Parkdale Village do we turn to when we think of the past? How do you imagine the future of this neighbourhood?
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
Any local resident is a potential Hyperlocal Knowledge Expert, and can help represent what Parkdale is like or what it could or should be.
FREE WORKSHOPS will be held at the Parkdale Library and offer participants a chance to learn new media tools and to create models of a possible future Parkdale Village using their own words and images.
Digital Mapping and 3D Modeling Workshops will be held in July, August and September. We will teach you! Designs created in the workshops will then be displayed as part of the Public Design Unit’s Video Projection Studio during LEITMOTIF.
WHERE: Parkdale Library 1303 Queen Street West, Toronto, M6K 1L6, ON
(416)393-7686
WHEN:
Saturday August 6th, 9am–12pm
Saturday August 13th, 9am–12pm
Saturday August 20th, 9am–12pm
Saturday August 27th, 9am–12pm
Saturday August 6th, 9am–12pm
Saturday September 3, 9am–12pm
Saturday September 10, 9am–12pm
QUESTIONS: parkdaleversions@publicdesignunit.org
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/publicdesignunit1
NICK HUTCHESON, MARA MARXT + EVA SCHINDLING
White Loop
White loop is a sound installation that explores and infiltrates the collective unconscious of a neighborhood through noise generated by 100 dream stories. Visitors to the installation will encounter a sound landscape similar to white noise – a signal that contains all human-perceivable audio frequencies at once and causes the brain to stop focusing on individual sound sources. The sound of 100 voices speaking simultaneously – retelling their dreams – is a natural source of white noise. As the cognitive brain chooses to ignore the noise, the unconscious is free to perceive and interpret the hidden words. White Loop filters stories originating from the unconscious – the dreams of the collective – subliminally back into the unconscious of the visitors.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
Everyone is invited to anonymously submit their dreams to our database. What we need is a recollection of your dream adventures, written in any language. They can be hilarious, touching or esoteric. No one will see your writing; every submission will be audio recorded by actors. Just one thing: the text should be longer than a short two-sentence summary – we want every detail!
WHERE: Online. Please visit the website www.whiteloop.evsc.net or write to whiteloopdream@gmail.com
WHEN: Dream submissions are being taken now.
QUESTIONS: whiteloopdream@gmail.com
Through My Lens
Everyone is invited to participate in capturing their perspective and stories about living in the city! An interactive, community based project which seeks to encourage action, inspiration and bring personal stories of the city to life. What is your favourite part of Toronto? What do you seek to change? If you were in charge of changing the city landscape, what would you do? Through My Lens is a 10 day, multi-city, interactive photo-voices project to bring out stories to lead to community action. Through My Lens only happens when people become involved. Through volunteer led neighbourhood walks, self-guided photography adventures and pure curiosity, we imagine that Through My Lens will ignite a new way to look at our spaces and to re-imagine what the city could be.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
As a participant of Through My Lens, you will be sent a city-building focused theme daily from September 7 – 16 to inspire you to take pictures of the city and to share your stories, and then you can come see your images and stories in LEITMOTIF. You can spend 5 minutes or an hour everyday taking pictures, it is up to you! You can work by yourself, with friends or join us on a neighbourhood walking tour. Please contact us, or sign up with details below. Come visit us at our exhibit and make your mark on the city.
WHERE: independently, all across the city
WHEN: September 7 – 16, 2011 (whenever you want)
QUESTIONS: designthinking@exhibit-change.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Exhibit-Change/113735988639165
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/#!/exhibit_change
Funded by the São Paulo Biennial Foundation, Marcia Vaitsman’s work, Nocturnal Encounters captured the attention of Parkdale residents with a series of community interviews based on opinions of how Parkdale Village is viewed by the media and residents. The final interviews will be an audio and video experience to be unveiled during the vernissage on October 1.
