Mike Simpson » Toronto

Do we get the General Idea? Art Exhibit arrives at AGO

Mike — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:38:26 +0000

There is a quite a buzz surrounding the arrival of a large exhibition of work by General Idea at the Art Gallery of Ontario. GI were a Toronto-based art collective, founded in 1969 and comprised of: AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal. They were renowned for their irreverance and satirical wit – playful yet antagonistic in their sometimes harsh critiques of beauty, sexuality, the art establishment and the media.

The exhibit occupies most ofthe top two floors in the general collection, which means there is no additional charge. We arrived on a rainy Wednesday evening at 6 o’clock – coincidentally the night that the gallery is free for a couple hours, and made our way straight to floor 5, with the plan to work our way down to 4. We bypassed the classics on floor 1 and headed straight to the elevator. The scale of the work exhibited is impressive. It basically occupies two entire floors (there are only 5 in the general gallery) and features impressively large works (some of which though may fatigue the eyes with their incredible saturated color schemes).

The work itself is interesting but grows a tad tiresome – there are a handful of major works involved, motifs, that are worked again and again. The AIDS logo, if we can call it that, is a fabulous reworking of the classic LOVE sculpture created by Robert Indiana. It appears in various guises, and is an incredible example of the modern art of sampling, recycling and reworking earlier design for a modern purpose. When displayed across a 5 metre by 10 metre wall though, the motif loses something and truthfully is a little disorienting and painful to look at (there is actually a physically uncomfortable component that both me and my companion noticed – was that part of the intent? I’ll guess the answer is no and that the curators are simply milking the themes for all they are worth).

I was very intrigued by “Miss General Idea” – a paraody beauty contest that was a major early work. It is genius – they created this contest, publicized it and playfully attacked the institution of the beauty contest. It’s too bad the displays consist mostly of blown-up images from their pamphlets, or a few simple props (though the props are sometimes outstanding – the venetian blind dress comes to mind!).

There are motifs that entertain and bring true giggles – the Poodles orgy images are omnipresent but beautifully designed (and the babies illustration is wickedly brilliant!). The Poodles are a welcome image that recurs throughout the exhibit and somehow have true staying power never losing steam and are ingrained in my mind.

General Idea is arguably, one of the most important artistic groups to have been generated in Toronto, and , not being an art expert, I won’t judge their significance in that way. I will give them a nod and say that I greatly admire their pioneering DIY spirit, the verve with which they threw themselves into areas like publishing (FILE magazine), and their masterly manipulations of the establishment (“Miss General Idea”) and the art industry. A great sense of humour is readily apparent, though truthfully many pieces have a dark, serious quality. The aesthetic is very punk – which is always good. Even if you don’t “get it” necessarily, you will feel the visceral quality and never ever be bored. That said, I have been lucky enough to visit a few exhibits in the last year, including “Rear View Mirror” at Power Plant, Tim Burton at TIFF, and Marian Bantjes at OCAD, and I can definitely say there is room for improvement in the layout and presentation of the General Idea group’s art.

This exhibit relies too much on the AIDS imagery, tries to blow things up to a scale which doesn’t necessarily serve the message in the medium, and unfortunately lacks proper vehicles for two important elements. The first is a proper history of the group, something to give the average gallery-goer some context, and secondly, a proper venue for the multimedia aspect. Power Plant had small mini rooms that are dark and allowed one to sit and immerse onself in a movie for a few minutes. The AGO has monitors with either shabby speakers or headphones – which is not even close to good enough. Is the multimedia worth displaying? Then put it in a dedicated room!

General Idea were a compelling group of artists with some amazing ideas. This exhibit is probably your best opportunity to engage with those ideas. I just recommend going on Wednesday when it’s rainy and there is no line-up for the AGO’s free-admission night.

“Haute Culture – General Idea” runs from July 30, 2011 to January 1, 2012 at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

Links:

Toronto Star article – provides an introduction and overview
http://www.thestar.com/article/1032194–general-idea-haute-culture-at-the-ago

Art Gallery of Ontario website

http://www.ago.net/haute-culture-general-idea

Remembering and Celebrating Jack

Mike — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:06:35 +0000

Photo by Jackman Chiu

On the morning of my birthday, August 22, we were doing our usual breakfast time things when suddenly the TV announced that Jack Layton had passed. What a shock! It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was amazing to witness the coverage on CBC and other channels – it reminded me of the fanfare and mourning that accompanied the death of Pierre Trudeau. One of the amazing things I remember about that was sitting with my mother and watching the train that transported Trudeau and his sons from Ottawa to Montreal, and how amazing it was when the camera captured people standing at railway crossings waving and the sons leaning out windows to engage with the well-wishers.

It is a sad and profound moment. At 61 Layton was truly just hitting his stride. Could he have been PM? It’s possible. There is a swing going on now in politics – the greens are gaining and young people are seemingly turning to the left. When they interviewed a group of twenty-somethings in a restaurant after the televised leaders debates during the last election, nearly every one of them said “Jack won.” I think it was partly his charisma, and partly a left-leaning wave. There are always waves and times of momentum, and right now Harper is riding his, but times will change, and he will be replaced. Will it be by an NDP, Liberal or Coalition leader? No one can say.

Jack was important to me and I am left very saddened by this turn of events. I remembered how gaunt he looked in his last television appearance but I assumed he was in recovery and going to gain strength and come back fighting. This time also reminds me of my mother’s battle with cancer. She too had ups and downs before she finally lost her battle. Jack represented a genuine force for the common good. He was the champion of what is right, and would engage in battles for the little guy – meaning the urban poor, women, children and seniors. He was particularly vocal on the behalf of seniors and that was an endearing quality. Of course he was a friend to the workers and battled for the environment too.

There is one particularly amazing scene that I have in my mind about Jack and his public persona and public battles. Some would say he had a bit of the grand-stander in him, but I argue that his pedigree, work ethic and talent for speaking just produced the right combination of characteristics to allow him to rise to the fore in many public forums of debate. He was an all-star city councillor and was frequently found at the front lines, at a protest, or discussing among a group at a public debate. This scene I have in my mind is one found in the documentary “The Mayor of Tent City,” which documents the brief existence of “Tent City” – a shantytown on Toronto’s waterfront that existed around 2000. The movie centres on a charismatic German emigree who the homeless denizens look to for leadership, but also turns the lens on Jack Layton, who is right in the thick of it when the police and bulldozers come calling. Here is what the CBC website report said:

City councillor Jack Layton, who is also running for the leadership of the federal NDP, said the evictions underline the homelessness problem in the city.

“As we’ve been pointing out for years, we need some affordable housing built,” said Layton. “At least at Tent City they’d built themselves a warm place for the winter.”

Jack Layton was a hero to me. It is obvious but can be restated – he was such a powerful figure that people would definitely vote NDP rather than for the local NDP candidate. He was consistently rated higher in polls than Harper or Ignatieff. The only elite politician with his kind of pull is probably Elizabeth May, and she is indeed a fighter as well, but the Greens may take many more years, perhaps decades, before they even get remotely into contention with centre-left parties like the NDP.

Truth be told, up until this summer I didn’t know much about Jack. It was a Maclean’s magazine piece on his life and legacy that really blew me away, and made me feel I understood the confluence of factors that brought him to that pedestal of power where he was but one step away from the PM’s office. Quite a rise, from city council to the highest echelons. Jack came from an elite background in Anglo Montreal, but was quite naturally a true man of the people – down to earth, earnest, vociferous on many issues and fronts, and it is these qualities that mark his legacy and instill powerful memories that will not dim for a long, long while. Rest in peace Jack.

Links:

Photographer Jackman Chiu
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lewolf011/

Maclean’s article – a MUST READ – The Life and Time’s of Jack Layton
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/06/17/the-making-of-jack-layton/

Macleans article – Jack Layton’s Amazing Race
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/04/29/jacks-amazing-race/

BlogTO – Hundreds rally to remember Jack Layton
http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/08/hundreds_rally_in_toronto_to_remember_jack_layton/

CBC Article on Toronto’s “Tent City”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2002/09/24/tentcity_eviction020924.html

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Layton

The movie “The Mayor of Tent City” can be found in the Toronto Public Library.

Iconic Canadian Graphic Artist Marian Bantjes Exhibit at OCAD

Mike — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:59:14 +0000

"I want it all" - Marian Bantjes

If you get a chance you must head to the Onsite gallery at OCADU and catch the Marian Bantjes exhibit. Marian recently published, “I Wonder,” a beautifully printed and design “illuminated manuscript” (as design guru Steven Heller has described it). She is definitely one of Canada’s hottest designers. She is a graphic artist who brings passion and personality to her intricate crafty work. Specializing in highly detailed illustration and beautiful typographic work, Bantjes captivates with a variety of works, from magazine covers to posters to laser-cut valentine cards. The detail is phenomenal and the approach highly original. A little bonus is the sound recording of her reading one of her “love letter” pieces aloud, which you’ll find in the main room. This show is here for another two weeks – so be sure to check it out.

Read Steven Heller’s review of “I Wonder” in the NY Times (with slideshow of book spreads):
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/graphic-content-marian-bantjes-illuminated/

Visit the Onsite gallery is on the second floor of the main OCAD building at 100 McCaul St. in downtown Toronto (beside the AGO). The exhibit is on from March 2 – June 5, 2011
http://www.ocad.ca/onsite.htm

Essential Docs – Mike’s Favorite Documentary Films

Mike — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:14:40 +0000

Mike has been an earnest student of film since he studied the “History of Cinema” and “Italian Cinema” at university. Mike is an aspiring filmmaker with a few short videos under his belt. Currently he is working on “City Symphony” – a hybrid documentary / music video that includes music by his alter-ego “Mikooshka.”

Here are some of my favourite docs – in alphabetical order. After you read this please feel free to comment or use the share button to send this on to your colleagues, friends and family.

* Canadian movie, director, or content

*9 Blocks, 6 Months – Dir. Christopher Romeike – Poignant interwoven stories in Toronto’s working class Parkdale neighbourhood. A sensitive and quiet movie that is emotionally rich and beautifully shot.

Barbarians at the Gate – Dir. Spike Jonze – Fun cross-America skateboard tour with Foundation/Blind teams. Frames the hi-jinx and skate action with the “American Vacation” style narrative and visuals.

Watch scenes from this movie via my playlist at YouTube
Barbarians at the Gate – Dir. Spike Jonze

Big River Man - Dir. John Maringouin – Follows Martin Strel, a burly hard-drinking Eastern European, who swims the longest rivers of the world, and in this feature, attempts to swim the length of the Amazon. Incredible mix of drama, humour, and scenery.

DC Movie – Dir. Greg Hunt – DC Shoe Co. + skateboard superstars = amazing production value. One of the most incredible “action sports” videos of the last ten years. Danny Way’s record-setting airs off the big ramps set to Metallica are easily the highlight.

Food Inc – Dir. Robert Kenner – A highly professional documentary that utilizes some slick motion graphics and cinematography in its production, while illuminating the current crisis in American/global agricultural practices (co-produced by Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation”).

*Gambling, Gods and LSD – Dir. Peter Mettler – a psycho-geographical journey into the modern day world via beautifully filmed scenes in North American casinos, evangelical churches and contrasted with scenes from exotic locations like India.

Grizzly Man – Dir. Werner Herzog – A story about a man who lived and died with grizzly bears in the Alaskan frontier – absolutely essential viewing from the quintessential documentarian. Also recommended is the more recent ”Encounters At the End of the World” (about his travels to Antarctica).

*Manufactured Landscapes – Dir. Jennifer Baichwal – Photographer Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscape due to industrial work and manufacturing. Some of the most striking scenes demonstrate the awesome scale of development in China.

*Mayor of Tent City – Dir. Rosalie Bellefontaine - Gritty urban tale of hope and redemption for homeless in Toronto’s “Tent City” shanty town. You may be only able to find a copy of this in the library system.

*McLuhan’s Wake – Dir. Kevin McMahon – Excellent overview of the life, career, and work of Marshall McLuhan within a narrative framework that centres on “The Laws of Media,” his last scholarly work. Also look for Kevin’s newest work, Waterlife – a doc focused on the ecology and issues of the Great Lakes.

My Architect – Dir. Nathaniel Kahn – Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.

*Souvenir of Canada – Dir. Robin Neinstein – Explores Doug Coupland’s life story, “Souvenir” photography-based books of iconic Canadian products, his family, and artistic life (his preparations for an art show called “Canada House”). One of my all-time favorites. Compelling, profound, and funny.

That is my list – I’d welcome yours! It’s an interesting exercise to do this. What do our favorites say about us? I know for one thing, that at this moment it’s even easier for me to concoct a list of docs than regular flicks. These days I am ravenous for documentary film and there is a mountain of great material out there. I get my movies in equal number from my local video shop – the amazing “Big Daddy’s” on Dundas St West – and the Toronto Public Library, which has an extensive catalogue.

Related Note 1: Read my book review of Douglas Coupland’s “Extraordinary Canadians: Marshall McLuhan”

Related Note 2: When I was googling these movies to confirm the director info I found my own page at the top of the Google results for “Barbarians at the Gate” (#1 of 353 listings for “Spike Jonze Barbarians at the Gate”). Spike Jonze is a famous Hollywood director these days, but he got his start in more humble skateboarding industry productions.

My original “review” page with stills from Barbarians at the Gate is here:

http://strongandfree.ca/skateontario/video/classics.htm

TESL ON Conference – Presentation – Create, Manage Websites

Mike — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:50:35 +0000

I’m very excited that on October 28th I will be presenting at the TESL Ontario conference in Toronto. This is an opportunity to refine some thinking I’ve been doing about the possibilities available to teachers and other professionals to harness the power of websites and blogs. My presentation is going to be on the topic of “Websites for Content Creation and Management,” and will explore everyday tools like Google Applications and WordPress, an amazing tool for creating websites and blogs.

This is the summary of some of the themes and topics I will touch on at this year’s TESL ON Conference:

The nature of teaching and learning is changing. Teachers are now able to create their own websites with content creation and management tools like WordPress. No technical knowledge is needed. Anyone can create a site and add their own content (including text documents, links, rss feeds, photos and various multimedia including podcasts and third party materials from resources like Flickr and YouTube). During my presentation, participants will be able to explore sample websites and blogs created by other teachers, and see demonstrations of content creation and class management tools (including tools for group interaction which mimic some of the functionality of CMS/LMS systems like Moodle and Blackboard). No background in graphics or websites is necessary, but some familiarity with software like Word and/or comfort with Internet browsers and web surfing is essential. Participants should also be adventurous and keen to expand their technological knowledge and skills.

I’m really hoping to meet some of you at the Conference! Register for my presentation or just drop by before or after my time slot! My presentation code is “TQA” and I present from 4pm -5pm at the Sheraton Centre hotel. Please consult the organizers’ PDF for more information about the 2010 TESL Ontario Conference.

Pedestrian Sundays Rock Toronto’s Kensington Market

Mike — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:55:29 +0000

< Photo of Maracatu Nunca Antes, Toronto-based Brazilian music group, by Yvonne Bambrick

Kensington Market is a colorful, lively place chock full of quaint shops and colorful characters. On the last Sunday of every month they hold an innovative, car-free, pedestrian-only street festival.

My pal Grey Coyote is the President of the Kensington Market Action Committee and a loyal supporter of community events like Pedestrian Sundays. I asked him to write about the event and tell us what we might expect for the last two events on September 26th and October 31st.

“With the summer quickly fading away, the hotter days of Pedestrian Sundays is now behind us, but there are still two left to go. On September 26th, the theme will be fall harvest time – and on October 31st, it will be a Halloween theme as we honour our ancestors. As with every street closure, there will be giant games in the middle of the street, buskers and musicians spread out the whole length of the Market, and as far as the eye can see – food – food – FOOD! So far, with absolutely no corporate funding whatsoever, we’ll pulled off most of our 7th season without a hitch. Belly-dancers warmed things up in anticipation of summer on the May 30th opener. The June 27th event was a fire theme, and I almost got heat stroke shaking my percussion along with the Samba Elegua! On July 25th, we had a water theme to try to cool things down, and on August 15th, we all tried to turn off as much power as possible to remember the great blackout of 2003. August 29th saw the Kensington Air show (our way of saying that we don’t need the war planes that come for the other air show at the lake). For each and every one, the streets were packed with a multicultural melange of people enjoying the streets without any vehicular intrusion – something that can be instituted in any community that wants to band together and have a street closure day. – For me, that’s the most important part of it all – knowing that this is our town and our streets and that bowing to the convenience of cars is not something that we have to do every day.”

Grey Coyote
greycoyote.net
paradisebound.ca

THANKS to my contributors: Grey Coyote and Yvonne Bambrick

More info: P.S. Kensington

Art exhibits explore Toronto/Ontario urban and wilderness spaces

Mike — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:24:57 +0000

Two art show / exhibitions open this Friday that explore the geography of Ontario, one focusing on the man-made spit at the foot of Leslie St. in Toronto, and the other on the remote wilds of northern Ontario, north of Thunder Bay by and reached via Highway 11.

I don’t really frequent art openings and I’m a marginal participant, but in the last year I attended Contact Photography Festival, the Gladstone on an occasion or two, and a handful of cool shows involving friends (including the amazing YYZ shopping mall at 401 Richmond that my friend Ulysses participated in). I was really stoked to get emails from two gallery spaces early this week. This weekend two shows open which document explorations of urban/wilderness spaces and concepts at the geographic extremes of Toronto and northern Ontario (easily 24 hours driving north of the megacity).

The first email came from Ranko Pavic, who operates Gallery Out / Aut on St. Clair Ave West. I first met him about two years ago. He was preparing an exhibit with punky/graffiti-inspired manipulations of found materials, and I got stoked on his originality and bright quirky works. He hosts a number of other artists at the gallery throughout the year. On Friday the photography exhibition “As Far North in Ontario as the Road Goes,” by Noah Cole, opens for a one month run.

The second email I received was from Laura and John, who operate the innovative Labspace Studio at 2a Pape Ave. in the city’s east-end. Two years ago I did a DJ-Live performance there as Mikooshka, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and eclectic acts and art. John and Laura strive to present interesting evenings of music and performance, with a backdrop of funky edgy art, and it looks like they are going to be stretching novel concepts to the limit with their new and future projects. I think the description below should pique your interest (and be sure to keep your eye out for a future “Toronto explorations through art” event called “Rumblings from the Rouge”). Labspace’s event is just over the weekend so you have a brief window to catch it! (Performances Friday night and exhibit Saturday.)

Here are descriptions and links for the shows and artists:

As Far North in Ontario as the Road Goes

“Inspired by stories of northern travels; bears, beautiful lakes, remote hiking trails, historic canoe routes, logging roads, and the potential promise of seeing caribou, I headed on a journey along Highway 11, past Kapuskasing, and Thunder Bay, as far north as the road travels in Ontario. I drove to a remote community, and drove 300 kilometers north of it, where there are no cell phone towers, or gas stations – at the end of the road there is only wilderness, and the result of the impact people have made on the lands. I had the chance to see big rivers, blue sky, expansive lakes, pickerel, remote villages, mountains, ancient forests, and the stars in the northern sky. Along my journeys I enjoyed blueberries, fresh fish, and along the many miles of open road and wilderness, I enjoyed my own company, as well as the company of loons, a fox, and the campfire. On my journey, I hiked along many ancient trails, and I stood on the shores of lakes where voyageurs, and ancient first nations people stood, enjoying the landscape that brings peace of mind in an otherwise busy world.”

Noah Cole

A Night with Leslie
Adventure 2 – led by Laura Mendes and John Loerchner

Nine adventurers set out on a two-day expedition to explore and research the strange and beguiling landscape of the Leslie St. Spit; a 5km man-made peninsula, wildlife sanctuary and active construction dumpsite.

Join them as they present their research and “Spit”
inspired works: Performance, Dance, Sound, Installation & Found Sculpture.”

Labspace Studio

Links:

Noah Cole

greenravenphotography.com

Labspace Studio

labspacestudio.com

Toronto Summer Festivals – A Glimpse of the World at Home

Mike — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:21:48 +0000

I am a huge proponent of the multiculture. It informs my design and my world outlook. I also teach English and through my teaching have met students from literally every corner of the globe. In my artistic life, as Mikooshka (my musical alter-ego), I craft music which crosses over from genres like reggae, rock and hip-hop to Latin, African, and Brazilian.

For many Torontonians, summer in the city means getting an opportunity to catch a little of the flavor that the world brings here via Toronto’s immigrant communities. The major festivals are a great place to start and I will outline some here and offer a few quieter “year-round” activities you might consider as well.

Caribana: Note: Parade is tomorrow – Aug 1st. Happening annually and drawing as many foreign visitors as Pride, this is perhaps the most significant cultural festival in the city. A long time ago I attended the parade and was blown away by the color and energy. Caribana has been unfairly associated with violence (which has usually only occurred in the wee hours on weekends), and overall the parade and larger events can be considered safe and welcoming (a positive joyful atmosphere pervades). At other times of the year you can try jerk chicken, oxtail, and rotis at any of the fine Caribbean restuarants that dot the city, and we have some amazing reggae and island musicians in this city.
Try: Ackee Tree restaurant at Queen and Spadina, and one of the many reggae gigs in town – perhaps a good one would be the classic Canadian reggae outfit The Satellites, playing at the Orbit Room on College (every Tuesday night for “Roots Rock Reggae”).

Turkish Festival – Aug 7-8, 2010: Last year I happened upon a neat Ukrainian festival in Bloor St. Village, and this year I’ve just seen a promo for the Toronto Turkish Festival. It looks just as exotic and authentic, with music, food, and traditional costume and dance on the program. You can check out the official website and for a low-key around the year food experience you could try Champion Turkish restaurant, located near Pape and Donlands subway stations. Try the Donar! (It’s also known in these parts by the Arabic name Shawarma).

Hot and Spicy Food Festival – Aug 13-15: This Harbourfront event at the lakeside outdoor venue in downtown Toronto is about more than food – it also encompasses documentary film and music. Beyond the many artists and chefs making an appearance there is a renowned Cuban-Canadian jazz musician named Hilario Duran. He performs a free gig on Friday August 13th.

Inuit Arts and Culture Festival – Summer 2010: Continuing, weekends only until September 6, 2010 at the Toronto Zoo. As Douglas Coupland so rightly pointed out in his movie “Souvenir of Canada,” we often don’t get a chance to engage with the First Nations people of Canada. It seems that we are in a disconnect with the one million people who make up the Canadian aboriginal community (in Souvenir of Canada Coupland jokes that we ironically only experience Native culture in ceremonial dance demonstrations when the Queen comes to visit). Now’s your chance to dip at least a toe into the world of the Inuit and check out the Inuit artists work at the zoo.

In each case the festival offers an opportunity for us to learn a little bit more about the fascinating diversity of Toronto. Admittedly unless we make a friend or have family members in these other ethnic communities, we may never get a full immersion, but I think any attempt at “getting out feet wet” is a good start. Get out there an enjoy a few cultural events this summer.

“Waterlife” Documentary – Free Screening at NFB on June 1st

Mike — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:09:23 +0000

This movie looks like a “must see.” The director, Kevin McMahon has directed some amazing documentaries, including one of my favorites, “McLuhan’s Wake” – a doc on the Canadian media communications theorist Marshall McLuhan.

Green Screens presents WATERLIFE

Directed by Kevin McMahon, 2009, 109 minutes.

Tuesday June 1 at 7pm

FREE

NFB Cinema – 150 John St (at Richmond St W), Toronto

Waterlife follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean, telling the story of the last huge supply of fresh water on Earth. Filled with fascinating characters and stunning imagery, Waterlife is a cinematic poem about the beauty of water and the dangers of taking it for granted.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Tony Maas, Director of the Freshwater Program at WWF-Canada; Dr. Romila Verma, CIELAP Research Associate, Watershed Management and Climate Change; and Hilary Van Welter, Director of Social Innovation, Windfall Ecology Centre.

Green Screens partners films from the NFB with experts and panellists selected by the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. If you are interested in the environment, Green Screens will entertain and inform you.

For more information, please call 416-973-3012 or visit:

http://www.NFB.ca/mediatheque

http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/mediatheque/?lg=eng

Contact Photography Festival 2010

Mike — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:23:59 +0000

The annual Contact Photography Festival is taking place through the month of May. Unlike the other famous Toronto festivals, including HotDocs and TIFF, this one is completely free – so there are no excuses – check some stuff out!

This year’s theme is “Pervasive Influence: Exploring the social and political consequences of the medium of photography, in a world devoted to the image.”

The following is from the Contact website:

“…In this era of instant information the image is stimulating unprecedented change in the way we communicate… In 1964 Marshall McLuhan wrote of the photograph as “the brothel without walls”. He described photographs as “dreams that money can buy” which could be “hugged and thumbed more easily than public prostitutes.” If we consider his metaphor within today’s global culture rife with image saturation, is the illusion images create now preferable to reality? …Is its ability to convey meaning now diluted by the widespread dissemination of images?

CONTACT 2010 will consider the ways in which photography informs and transforms human behavior. The festival will recognize the influence of Marshall McLuhan, on the 30th anniversary year of his death. We will present images that examine connections between mass media, advertising, art and photography.”

Primary Exhibitions include:

The Brothel Without Walls – U of T Arts Centre

Susan Anderson, Evan Baden, Douglas Coupland, Jessica Dimmock, Marina Gadonneix, Clunie Reid, Stefan Ruiz, Joachim Schmid, Christopher Wahl
http://scotiabankcontactphoto.com/primary-exhibitions/182

Media satirist Barbara Kruger — AGO – Art Gallery of Ontario – installation
http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=2962693

Toronto Star Recommended exhibits by writer Murray Whyte
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/whatson/article/801893–contact-festival-plenty-of-eye-candy-in-the-brothel-without-walls

Murray Whyte’s recommendations (first 3):

1. The Mechanical Bride, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art: The festival is heavy on Marshall McLuhan this year — the exhibition title is borrowed from the legendary media theorist’s book of the same name — and, in a nutshell, tries to embody his remarkably prescient notion that photography was being enslaved by an advertising industry amping up seductive lifestyle appeals as a way to push product, with the female form as the main lure. Imagine that. Here, 60 years on, artists like LaChapelle, with a disturbingly robotic image of Lady Gaga, and Dana Claxton, who filters the appropriative gloss of marketing through her lens of First Nations’ experience, underscore McLuhan’s role as a soothsayer, proving him right, only more so. May 1

2. The Brothel Without Walls, University of Toronto Art Centre: Further on the McLuhan theme — in his landmark 1964 book Understanding Media, he called photographs exactly that, and “dreams money can buy”— this show includes work by, among others, Douglas Coupland, Jessica Dimmock and Evan Baden, whose images of amateur online exhibitionists seem to take McLuhan’s notion, of an artificial reality spurred by the easy ubiquity of picture-making, to its logical extreme. May 1

3. Untitled (It), Art Gallery of Ontario, Dundas St. façade: For decades — long before it became a de rigueur street-art standard—Barbara Kruger’s withering satires of advertising in the public realm made her an art-world superstar. Kruger’s iconic aesthetic of text and found images speaks advertising’s language of vapid non-sequitur-ese so fluently, at first glance, as to be near-indistinguishable; a double-take yields results both hilarious and sobering. Here, she festoons the AGO’s 90-metre-long Dundas St. glass awning with a new work commissioned specifically for the festival — a coup