Turn On The Hearn
JUNE 10–26 2016
JUNE 10–26 2016
1
photo by David Leyes
Welcome to #Luminato10
A birthday year unlike any other
Anthony Sargent CBE CEO, LUMINATO FESTIVAL
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
I am delighted to welcome you to this 10th anniversary edition of Luminato — special in several ways. We celebrate our birthday with some of our strongest-ever programming, which also connects with highlights of our previous nine years. This is Jorn Weisbrodt’s grand finale as our Artistic Director and he is marking that milestone with our first-ever residency, in the truly extraordinary Hearn Generating Station, which in effect becomes our “Hub” this year. I am thrilled to have joined Luminato in time for this special year — not least since my finale in my last job was also celebrating a 10th anniversary: that of the international cultural centre of which I was Founding Director. Last fall TIFF proudly celebrated their 40th birthday and many of the world’s other great arts festivals have much longer histories than ours — 40 years for the Sydney Festival, 47 years for Hong Kong and 70 years for Edinburgh, founded “to provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit.” Luminato has travelled an amazing journey in just 10 years, having already gained a major global reputation following unforgettable programming coups that I’ve watched with admiration from across the water. Luminato’s first decade owes so much to so many people — the truly visionary support of the Province of Ontario and significant investment from the Government of Canada and our own City of Toronto, alongside deeply committed support from so many individuals (led by our Founding Luminary pioneers) and of course our galvanic co-founders, David Pecaut and Tony Gagliano, who launched Luminato as their incandescent expression of this city’s ambitions. I am very happy to have arrived in time to partner Jorn in his final year and honour his visionary artistic leadership for the past five years. I’ll also be delighted to welcome Jorn’s successor, the admired Australian Josephine Ridge, who will be watching this year’s festival attentively as she develops her plans to launch our second decade in 2017. Looking ahead to our our teenage years, the signature founding pillars of Luminato will remain: our commitment to new work and to commissioning, especially through collaborative partnerships; the strong presence of the most exciting Canadian creativity counterpointed with the world’s most imaginative artists and companies; and plenty of programming that can be enjoyed free of charge. Personally, I am very happy to have moved to Toronto. I have been made enormously welcome in this inspiring country, especially by those many people who have cherished and supported Luminato unstintingly through its first decade, and I have greatly enjoyed immersing myself in this teeming city. Now I am looking forward hugely to making our 10th birthday celebrations worthy of all the creativity and adventure of the previous nine, while at the same time being a birthday year — with the extraordinary Hearn home — utterly unlike any other! Whether you have crossed the world to be with us, or have come up from the US, or you are a visitor from elsewhere in Canada, or you live right here in Toronto, I am delighted to welcome you warmly to explore all the opportunities to make discoveries in this year’s wonderfully eclectic program. In doing that, you will be playing your own role in helping us celebrate our 10th birthday in the most exciting and unforgettable ways.
2
Table of contents Welcome to #Luminato10
1
Message from the CEO By Anthony Sargent
4
In 2016 everything will be different By Jorn Weisbrodt
6
How to Festival
8
Get your fill: Food at Luminato
10
Getting to the Hearn
11
Navigating the Hearn
12
Plan your Festival: Daily Schedule
#TurnOnTheHearn
17 Turn On The Hearn 18
Larger Than Architecture By PARTISANS
20
A conversation with Charcoalblue, theatre and acoustic designers Compiled by Alexandra West
21 The Hearn: A History
Programming in the Hearn
26 The James Plays 28 The World According to James By Richard Ouzounian
32
Unsound Toronto
33
Bringing Unsound Toronto Back to the Hearn: Interview with co-founder Mat Schulz By Max Mertens
35
Unsound in Facts, Pheromones and Decibels
37
Situation Rooms
38
In the Theatre of War By Jutta Brendem端hl
40 The Situation Room By Nikolaus Hirsch
Table of contents Programming in the Hearn
42
monumental
43
A monumental undertaking: In conversation with Dana Gingras, Noam Gagnon and Sarah Williams By Jennifer Perras
47 Rufus Does Judy 48
Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Scott Wittman interviews Rufus Wainwright
50
Way Over the Rainbow By Mathieu Chantelois
52 Trove 53
Uncovering Toronto’s Secrets By Jorn Weisbrodt
55
Representing the World: On the art of Scott McFarland By Kitty Scott
56 A virtual art gallery By PARTISANS
57 One Thousand Speculations By Jorn Weisbrodt
58
Untilled
59 Arts Partners at the Hearn: Sharing the Space #FestivalHistory
63
Looking Back: A decade of unforgettable moments
69
Luminato at Ten By Michael Redhill
Luminato Festival
72 73
Welcoming the Community Better Together By Saskia Rinkoff & Nicole Culp
74
Festival Donors
76
Festival Partners
79
Staff & Board of Directors
80
Luminato Festival by the Numbers
Photo by Jonathan Castellino
3
4
Welcome to #Luminato10
In 2016 everything will be different Future visions are as old as human- found the spaces where we wanted to kind. Yet here we are: full of them! The express what we did. We did what every 10th anniversary of Luminato Festival is other festival in the world does, spread upon us, my farewell to this city, and a itself out across a city. Not this year. The Hearn Generating Station is a fanfare and declaration to its future, no goodbyes but new beginnings. I intend unique industrial landmark of intense not to look back, not to Joni Mitchell and overwhelming beauty. Torontonians singing “Woodstock,” not to Marina should be so proud to have it yet almost Abramović singing an Anohni song nobody has been inside. Located steps Marlene Dietrich style, not to R. Mur- from downtown Toronto and measuring ray Schafer, Lemi Ponifasio and David three times the size of the Tate Modern, it Fallis holding hands triumphantly after is larger than the Coliseum in Rome and every night of Apocalypsis with a cast the Lincoln Center in New York. This June, we will transform it into of 1,000, not to music under a 24-foot mirror ball suspended from a crane 80 the largest community and cultural feet above David Pecaut Square, not to centre in the world. Through this my husband Rufus Wainwright singing transformation we will propose a new Broadway love duets with David Byrne, model for a cultural institution, one Boy George and Josh Groban, not to the where everything is open, inclusive most beautiful image fountain in Trinity and porous. A place where visitors and Bellwoods Park by Geoffrey Farmer, not audiences move freely throughout the to thousands of volunteers, our staff, our entire space, wandering from various exhibitions to a meal in the open air audiences and so much more. Why? Because in 2016 everything will be beer garden or in the French bistro, then different. We will turn on the Hearn! In see a play, participate in a gigantic choir its first nine years, Luminato Festival sing-along, hear a classical concert, a took place in indoor venues and outdoor baroque concert, or rock concert, and spaces across the city. We were a per- end with an LGBTQ hip-hop club event forming arts centre without walls. We — all in one massive space.
Does that sound familiar? No? Don’t worry, it shouldn’t. Because that does not exist anywhere else in the world. But it could. Right here in Toronto. For centuries the arts have become more and more specialized and put into ever smaller and more narrowly defined departments and institutions. Our cultural institutions so often have been about separation, thus isolating audiences and building silos into ever more specialized areas. Enough of that! At the Hearn we do not separate. We can show everything under one roof from high to low, pop to serious, underground to established, old to new, left to right. Moving through this space together, artists and audiences will connect, converge and create new possibilities of community and culture. We’ve reached out to over 40 arts organizations, artists and other partners and invited them to participate in re-energizing this space, lighting the fire with us. We believe that the Hearn Generating Station at Luminato Festival in 2016 will reflect the diversity and openness that Toronto and Canada strive to embrace. This is what we need
Welcome to #Luminato10
Photo by Jonathan Castellino
At the Hearn, we can show everything under one roof from high to low, pop to serious, underground to established, old to new, left to right. in the 21st century, not a continuation of what has been, but new beginnings as Canada is building a new multicultural society. Luminato Festival was founded 10 years ago by two citizens of Toronto, Tony Gagliano and David Pecaut. I come from Germany. There, our cultural institutions were either founded by aristocrats or the government. The Opera House in Hamburg, the city I was born in, was unusual. It was founded in the late 18th century by patrons of the city as Hamburg was a non-aristocratic city state. I was always impressed by that. When I heard that
Tony and David founded this festival I felt it was extremely special. It comes from the people, not from the top. I never met David. Everyone speaks of him with glowing admiration. Many people have come to me over the last few months saying how much David would have loved the idea of the Hearn, how it really fulfills his original vision for Luminato Festival as a catalyst for and bundling of the creative energy of this city. David has always been described to me as a person with an immense sense of civic responsibility and drive. He wanted to move the needle forward for Toronto.
I’ve heard descriptions of Toronto being “New York run by the Swiss” and the University of Toronto being the “Harvard of the North.” For the almost five years that I have been here I have heard countless comparisons of Toronto to other cities or places. Hardly ever is there something that feels genuinely Toronto. Why is that? Have we imitated others for too long? Wanted to be like someone else for too long but never really figured out who we are, like a teenager stuck in puberty? The Hearn Generating Station could become the thing that no one else has, that others will compare themselves to. The Hearn Generating Station is something grown up. There were suggestions that it could be Toronto’s Tate Modern or a gigantic sports facility. Hell no! It can’t. It can only be the Hearn. It is so much bigger than all of that and it can be ALL of these things. That is the beauty of it. You do not have to make choices about who you want to imitate with this building. This building, in this location, so close to downtown Toronto in an area that we know in 10 years is going to be one of the largest urban development areas in the country if not the world, can be something unique, something incomparable. Not only because of its size but also because of its location. These two things rarely fall together. Value that! It could be the first and largest community and cultural centre in the world that truly reflects the largest multi-cultural city in the world! We cannot continue creating culture in ever sharper defined silos; we have to build open, inclusive, participatory institutions, places that matter in people’s lives. We are trying to outline no less than that from June 10 to 26. We are making a snowball on top of the mountain and we will throw it down the hill and see what happens. Watch out Toronto!
Jorn Weisbrodt ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LUMINATO FESTIVAL
5
6
Welcome to #Luminato10
How to Festival Here’s what you need to know about making the most of your Hearn experience
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
WHERE TO GO: The Hearn Generating Station is located at 440 Unwin Avenue in the Port Lands region of Toronto. HOW TO GET THERE: The Hearn is just a hop, skip and a jump from downtown Toronto. There are many ways to get there quickly and easily! See page 10 for map and transit options. For additional transportation and travel details, including shuttle bus schedule, visit www.luminatofestival.com. WHEN TO COME: Luminato Festival runs June 10 to 26, 2016. The Hearn will be open to the public from noon to late, Tuesday through Sunday (closed on Mondays). There’s lots to explore at all times of day. WHAT TO BRING: • Your tickets! We also have a box office on site if you want to buy additional tickets when you arrive. • A camera to capture the Hearn’s majesty! • The Hearn is a few degrees cooler than outside so we recommend bringing something warm and wearing comfortable clothing (skip the stilettos!) just in case. Think of it like an outdoor festival with an industrial shell. • Your sense of curiosity!
WHAT TO EAT: There will be three custom-built dining spaces at the Hearn: the Biergarten presented by Mill Street featuring Parts & Labour; Le Pavillon restaurant from Fred Morin and John Bil; and the family-style Canteen. There will also be bars throughout the Hearn serving Mill Street beers and Absolut cocktails. (See page 8.) WHERE TO STAY: Need somewhere to stay in Toronto? We’ve partnered with a few hotels nearby; find a list of offers online. WHAT TO DO BETWEEN SHOWS: Have tickets to see all three James Plays in one day (yeah!) and wondering what to do between shows? You have many options. Grab something to eat, stretch your legs on a Hearn walking tour, and head upstairs to check out Trove: A View of Toronto in 50 of its Treasures in the Jackman Gallery. You can also catch a performance or exhibit from one of our many arts partners who are activating the Hearn. Sing, dance, watch, question, listen and see. Festival donors and partners can enjoy some downtime in the Joan and Jerry Lozinski Lounge. (See the full schedule of events on page 12.)
HOW TO GET TICKETS: We recommend buying tickets in advance but there will also be an on-site box office at the Hearn. Online: luminatofestival.com Phone: 416-368-4849 Monday to Friday, 12 pm–5 pm until June 9. Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am–8:30 pm from June 10–26. In Person: Box office at the Hearn Generating Station, 440 Unwin Avenue, Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 am–8:30 pm* from June 10–26. *The box office at the Hearn will be open until 2 am on June 10 and 11 for Unsound Toronto.
STAY CONNECTED: #TurnOnTheHearn and share your Luminato experience with other festival-goers on the world wide web. Don’t forget to use our show #hashtags to let us know what you think! Follow us on Twitter @Luminato to stay in the know, find out about surprise Hearn programming and more. Connect with us on Facebook /LuminatoFestival for videos, links from our featured artists and other stuff. Check us out on Instagram @LuminatoFestival for backstage snaps, Luminato team antics and dog photos.
7
Photo: Google Earth view of the Hearn
HOW TO FESTIVAL WITH… Your kids Bike in along the Martin Goodman Trail then have a snack in the Biergarten when you arrive. Learn about the Hearn’s history on a walking tour then sit down and enjoy a concert from one of Toronto’s best classical music groups. Explore Toronto’s hidden treasures through Trove: A View of Toronto in 50 of its Treasures in the Jackman Gallery (it’s free!). Need some quiet time? Kid Koala brings Music To Draw To to the Hearn on June 25. Bring a quiet activity and enjoy the music.
Your squad Grab your festival gear and come to night one of Unsound Toronto. Take a two day break, then catch monumental featuring Godspeed You! Black Emperor and The Holy Body Tattoo. If you’re ambitious, come back for a dance party with The Battle of Santiago or Yes Yes Y’all, a singalong with Choir! Choir! Choir!, and more. Your after-party friends Get glammed up for the official 2016 Luminato Festival Opening Party and Big Bang Bash Gala on June 9. Be among the first to see what we’ve done inside the Hearn and get a glimpse at what the space could become. Come back the next day for some late night jams with Unsound Toronto, and then rally a week later for the Rufus Does Judy after party that we’re throwing with Pride Toronto!
A first date Participate in Situation Rooms — the experience will give you lots to talk about. Then, unwind in the Biergarten or Le Pavillon bar. If it’s going well, explore Trove in the Jackman Gallery and hang around for a show from one of Toronto’s best troupes. Meeting up for date two? Check out OFF LIMITS ZONE from DLT for another participatory theatre experience. Solo Join a Hearn walking tour to get a feel for the space and meet new friends, then grab a snack at the communal tables in the Canteen. In the evening, see monumental for an epic dance and music experience that will blow you away. See the full schedule of events on page 12. For detailed information about all things Luminato Festival, including updates on transportation options, visit luminatofestival.com.
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
Your parents Hop on the shuttle bus or make use of our parking options on-site. Watch one (or all!) of The James Plays in the specially built theatre inside the Hearn. Catch a talk about the show then take in the architecture while catching up over a meal at Le Pavillon restaurant, the Biergarten, or the Canteen.
Your bff Have a blast and be part of history by seeing Rufus Does Judy. Come dressed to impress (but wear flats) for the after party that we’re throwing with Pride Toronto on June 23. Step and repeat!
8
Welcome to #Luminato10
Get your fill: Food at Luminato LE PAVILLON Join us at this pop-up restaurant in the Control Room at the Hearn, by Frédéric Morin of Joe Beef, Liverpool House and Le Vin Papillon, and John Bil of Honest Weight. This unique dining experience draws inspiration from Le Pavillon, a New York City restaurant that defined French food in the United States from 1941 to 1966. The historic restaurant started as Le Restaurant du Pavillon de France at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and was run by Henri Soulé (1904–1966). When World War II began, Soulé and the Pavillon chef Pierre Franey stayed in the United States as war refugees. Soulé planned to open a restaurant in Manhattan that would continue to
present the same quality of French cuisine that was available at the Pavilion. Le Pavillon opened on October 15, 1941, serving haute cuisine just as it was served in the best restaurants in France, with no concessions to American expectations. Le Pavillon at the Hearn will bring that same quality and care to Toronto. A select number of tables are available to reserve in advance for a fixed price, fixed menu meal. There will also be 24 stools available at the counters on a first-come, first-served basis for a-la-carte dining. Le Pavillon will be open from June 10 to 26. For reservation times, full menus and additional details, visit luminatofestival.com
CANTEEN Get the backstage experience by dining at the Canteen with Festival artists and crew. Grab a seat at a communal table and get to know someone new. Dining at the Canteen is self-serve with the purchase of a meal ticket in advance at luminatofestival.com. Find the Canteen just inside the main entrance to the Hearn. Dining hours are subject to change. Visit luminatofestival.com to confirm opening and closing hours. BEVERAGES There will be bars throughout the Hearn serving Mill Street beers, cocktails and coffee.
Welcome to #Luminato10
THE BIERGARTEN Step just outside the Hearn into a traditional Bavarian-style Biergarten with a Parts & Labour twist. Enjoy a selection of sausages, sides, and Mill Street beers in a casual setting outfitted with picnic tables, bars and games. Striking a balance between comfort and elegance with a “feel-good” focus, Parts & Labour loves producing straightforward, accessible food. This, combined with Mill Street’s brews, makes the Biergarten the perfect spot to take a break between shows. Prost! Enjoy a daily showcase of the brightest Canadian talent at the New Canadian Music Stage, supported by Slaight Music, and presented live at the Biergarten. Come down to the Hearn, grab a drink and a bite to eat, and get to know Canada’s next generation of up-and-coming musicians. PRESENTED BY
FEATURING
OFFICIAL PARTNER
NEW CANADIAN MUSIC STAGE SUPPORTED BY
473D91
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD FOOD MARKET at Union Station Over 30 vendors will sell their fare and select On June 18 & 19, we’re hosting a pop-up food festichefs will take the stage to showcase their craft. val at Union Station. Parts & Labour will be on site running a bar to This year we’re curating the best flavours of Toronto, bringing the must-taste menus of the outer satisfy your summer thirst. Food and drinks tickets available on site. For more information, visit regions of the city into the downtown core. Featurwww.luminatofestival.com. ing dishes from all over the globe, from Hakka Chinese cuisine to Portuguese smokehouses to South Front Street, from York Street to Bay Street Indian dosas, made to perfection by the GTA’s top June 18, noon–8 pm restaurateurs, here's a chance to enjoy the best of the world in the heart of the city — without a trip to June 19, noon–6 pm the ’burbs.
Photo by Jonathan Castellino
9
10
Welcome to #Luminato10
Getting to the Hearn GERRARD ST
UNIVERSITY AVE
DUNDAS ST
LESLIE ST
VE NA
PKW
WELLINGTON ST
TER
EY
EAS
L VAL
KING ST
route 83
Y
MILL ST
THE ESPLANADE TTC
YORK ST
GARDINER EXPY
QUAY Westin Harbour Castle
bike path
TTC
route 72C TTC
ST
route 172
R RY
QUEENS
SH LAKE
CHE
SIMCOE ST
Union Station
COM
MISS
FESTIVAL LUMINATO
IONE
O
TTC
VD RE BL
R S ST
N
Hearn Generating Station
POLS
ON S
T UNW
bus route
JUNE 10–26 2016
JONES AVE
DON
King
FRONT ST
CARLAW AVE
BROADVIEW AVE
PARLIAMENT ST
TTC
JARVIS ST
St. Andrews
CHURCH ST
YONGE ST
BAY ST
TTC
QUEEN ST
VE IN A
shuttle bus route route 172B
festival venue TTC
TTC
subway or bus stop
HOW TO GET THERE: The Hearn is just a hop, skip and a jump from downtown Toronto. There are many ways to get there quickly and easily! • Take the Luminato Shuttle Bus, running for 12 hours daily. Pick-ups at Union Station, The Westin Harbour Castle, the Commissioners St. TTC stop and The Hearn. Please note that the shuttle buses are not accessible. • Walk from Cherry Street or Leslie Street (15 minutes) • Bike on the Martin Goodman Trail • Take public transit: »» 172B Cherry Street bus from King or St. Andrews Stations (then walk from Cherry & Unwin) »» 72C Pape bus from Pape Station (then walk from Cherry & Commissioners) »» 83 Jones bus from Donlands Station (then walk from Leslie & Commissioners) »» Call Wheel-Trans to book accessible transit service at 416-393-4222 • Drive and park on-site. You can pre-order your daily parking pass online. • Use your favourite taxi or car-share service For additional transportation and travel details, including shuttle bus schedule, visit luminatofestival.com
Welcome to #Luminato10
11
Navigating the Hearn SHIP CHANNEL
BIERGARTEN
Untilled sculpture installation
LE PAVILLON RESTAURANT
MAIN ENTRANCE
(mezzanine level)
CANTEEN RESTAURANT
JACKMAN GALLERY (mezzanine level)
TURBINE HALL
THE MUSIC STAGE
(third floor)
SIDE ROOM
BOX OFFICE
Grand Staircase to Jackman Gallery
SITUATION ROOMS
LOZINSKI LOUNGE
THE HEARN THEATRE
LOBBY
SMOKE STACK
vehicle entrance
audience path performance space dining space box office lounge
What’s on in each space: THE HEARN THEATRE: The James Plays MUSIC STAGE: Unsound Toronto monumental Rufus Does Judy Yes Yes Y’all Tafelmusik Music in the Barns TSO Regent Park School of Music Battle of Santiago SITUATION ROOMS: Situation Rooms JACKMAN GALLERY: Trove
Hearn Generating Station Walking Tours
TURBINE HALL: Choir! Choir! Choir! OCADU YTB Gallery TIFF Design Exchange
Explore the past, present and future of the Hearn, once the largest enclosed building in Canada, on a free walking tour. These bespoke tours, crafted by Spacing editor Shawn Micallef and the Luminato team, take you through this unique Toronto landmark that has been closed to the public for over 30 years. Learn the Indigenous history and significance of the waterfront to the area’s First Nations and the impact of European settlement on both the land and people. Discover the how the Port lands were created. Explore the building’s history as a coal powered generating station, its present re-animation as the site of the 2016 Luminato festival and its future potential as a 21st century cultural centre. Allow the Hearn to tell a story about Canada as we embrace diversity, innovation and reconciliation to generate a bright future as one of the most creative and inclusive nations in the world.
JOAN AND JERRY LOZINSKI LOUNGE: Donor and partner events
Tours run June 10–26, 2016 from 12 pm to 10 pm. Reserve a spot in advance at luminatofestival.com.
SIDE ROOM: Unsound Toronto Kid Koala’s Music to Draw To Talks Hypnohype Sharing Spaces Productions Bath Salts TSO Chamber YTB Gallery Party
Transportation, site plans and programming correct at time of printing but subject to change.
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
gallery
UNWIN AVE
12 pm Locations & Event Types Hearn Theatre Music Stage Side Room Situation Room Turbine Hall Union Station
Parties various locations in the Hearn
Trove is on view in the Jackman Gallery at the Hearn, 11:30 am until close daily, free of charge. Closed Mondays.
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
THURS JUNE 9 FRI JUNE 10
HEARN Situation Rooms
SAT JUNE 11
HEARN Situation Rooms
SUN JUNE 12
HEARN
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
THURS HEARN Situation Rooms JUNE 16
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
MON JUNE 13 TUES JUNE 14
HEARN
WED JUNE �5
HEARN
FRI JUNE 17
HEARN Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
SAT JUNE 18
HEARN Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
The James Plays: James I
The James Plays: James II
UNION Neighbourhood Food Festival UNION STATION SUN JUNE 19
HEARN Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
The James Plays: James I
The James Plays: James II
UNION Neighbourhood Food Festival UNION STATION MON JUNE 20 TUES JUNE 21
HEARN
WED JUNE 22
HEARN
THURS HEARN JUNE 23 FRI JUNE 24
HEARN
SAT JUNE 25
HEARN Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
The James Plays: James I
The James Plays: James II Kid Koala’s Music to Draw To
SUN JUNE 26
HEARN Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
The James Plays: James I
The James Plays: James II Festival Talk
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
10 pm
11 pm
12 am THURS JUNE 9
Big Bang Bash Gala & Opening Party HEARN GENERATING STATION Situation Rooms
HEARN
FRI JUNE 10
HEARN
SAT JUNE 11
HEARN
SUN JUNE 12
Unsound MUSIC STAGE & SIDEROOM Situation Rooms Choir! Choir! Choir! Situation Rooms
Unsound MUSIC STAGE & SIDEROOM
Situation Rooms
MON JUNE 13 Situation Rooms
monumental
Situation Rooms
monumental
Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Apocalypsis Listening Party
The James Plays: James I
HEARN
TUES JUNE 14
HEARN
WED JUNE �5
HEARN THURS JUNE 16
Hypnohype Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms
Yes Yes Y’all
HEARN
FRI JUNE 17
HEARN
SAT JUNE 18
The James Plays: James I Sharing Spaces Situation Rooms
Sharing Spaces Situation Rooms
TSO Chamber
The James Plays: James III YTB Gallery Party UNION
Food Festival UNION STATION Situation Rooms
HEARN
Situation Rooms Tafelmusik
The James Plays: James III
SUN JUNE 19
MON JUNE 20 Situation Rooms TSO
HEARN
TUES JUNE 21
HEARN
WED JUNE 22
The James Plays: James I Situation Rooms
Music in the Barns
The James Plays: James II
HEARN THURS JUNE 23
Situation Rooms
Rufus Does Judy
Rufus After Party
Situation Rooms
Rufus Does Judy
BATH SALTS Party: Doggie Show
Situation Rooms
Battle of Santiago
Regent Park School of Music
HEARN
FRI JUNE 24
HEARN
SAT JUNE 25
HEARN
SUN JUNE 26
The James Plays: James III Kid Koala’s Music to Draw To Situation Rooms
Situation Rooms The James Plays: James III
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
10 pm
11 pm
12 am
Programming and locations are correct at time of printing but subject to change. Visit luminatofestival.com for updates.
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
15
SUPPORTED BY
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
Celebrate with us as we Turn on the Hearn for our 10th anniversary!
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
16
Photo by Jonathan Castellino
The Hearn
#Turn On The Hearn
17
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
This June, Luminato Festival will transform Toronto’s iconic, decommissioned power plant, the Hearn Generating Station, into the world’s largest temporary multi-arts centre under one roof, with a 1,200-seat theatre, a music and dance stage, a site-specific performance space, an art gallery, restaurants, bars and more. Join us as we #TurnOnTheHearn.
18
#TurnOnTheHearn
Larger than architecture
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
By PARTISANS
#TurnOnTheHearn is one of the boldest and most ambitious visions for Toronto yet. It might also be one of the largest architectural installations in the world. The Hearn itself will be an event. When PARTISANS was approached to help Luminato Festival achieve a singular and largely unparalleled vision — convert one of the world’s largest decommissioned power stations into a cultural venue — we were overjoyed. Last year’s Unsound Toronto performance at the Hearn was one of the most jaw-dropping shows this city has ever seen. We understand this incredible opportunity — repurposing the iconic yet anachronistic coal plant to celebrate the energy of art — as a way of hacking Toronto’s 20th-century past to project its 21st-century future as a global generator of art and culture. From an architectural perspective, Luminato’s #TurnOnTheHearn project is unlike most others, not least because of the building’s enormous scale, but precisely because the requirement is a temporary build. Architecture is normally obsessed with the fantasy of permanence — legacy and performance as functions of brick and mortar. The generating station is a defining feature of Toronto’s cityscape; yet, its legacy has become unmoored from its original purpose. The Hearn is a striking monument to obsolescence, a bygone era of industry and coal. So how do you reactivate its industrial heritage to inspire a completely new way of seeing the familiar? The challenge — and the
opportunity — is to create an extraordinary temporary experience that will nevertheless leave a lasting mark on people’s imaginations. Permanence is a state of mind. To deliver on such a grandiose promise, we first had to grapple with less glamorous questions. How do you design a fully operational and accessible festival venue for patrons, artists and crew that can be erected and torn down in a matter of weeks? The answer: love the logistics. Dozens of shipping containers are needed to get equipment in and out of the Hearn. We thought: why not turn this practical requirement into an extraordinary design element? Not only do the containers celebrate and enhance the raw industrial beauty of the Hearn, they also allow us to play architectural Jenga. On one hand, they are building blocks
ABOVE Rendering of the front lobby of the Hearn RIGHT Rendering of the 1,200-seat Hearn Theatre
#TurnOnTheHearn
19
Rendering of the Hearn Music Stage, built to accomodate an audience of 2,000 seated and 5,000 standing
Production and technical operations supplier for the Hearn Generating Station: Solotech Toronto, the premier end-to-end provider of entertainment technology services
Code compliance: LRI Engineering Inc.: fire protection and building code consulting engineers Structural Engineers: Blackwell Structural Engineering Services
PARTISANS is a young and intrepid architecture studio whose work across all scales is rooted in deliberate acts of craftsmanship and storytelling. We are architects, artists, thinkers and cultural enthusiasts devoted to a cause: smart, beautiful and provocative design. Renderings by PARTISANS. For more information, visit partisanprojects.com
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
that maximize flexible and inventive design solutions; on the other, they behave as sculptures that carve out distinct spaces and sightlines to create intimacy and functionality in a soaring 400,000 square-foot space. At PARTISANS, we believe beauty emerges when design misbehaves. Ultimately, the Hearn must misbehave; it must become something it is not and perform a story it was never conceived to tell. It must inspire moments of exhilaration and awe, and engender meaningful experiences that will outlive its temporary incarnation to forge a different kind of permanence — the kind that becomes indelibly etched in Toronto’s collective memory. #TurnOnTheHearn is a pivotal citybuilding moment in Toronto’s history. It is precisely the kind of ambitious civic dream PARTISANS couldn’t be more excited to help make come true.
20
#TurnOnTheHearn
A conversation with Charcoalblue, theatre and acoustic designers Jerad Schomer, Team Leader, and Clemeth Abercrombie, Lead Acoustician, of Charcoalblue
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
Compiled by Alexandra West
Charcoalblue is widely considered to be the most innovative theatre and acoustics consultancy in the world, with studios in London, Bristol, New York and Melbourne. Their portfolio includes seven auditoria for the Royal Shakespeare Company, two auditoria for the National Theatre in London, as well as new spaces for the English National Opera, Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera House in the UK and a new Performing Arts Centre at the World Trade Centre in New York. Charcoalblue is responsible for the theatre and acoustic design for the Hearn Generating Station. Q What was your initial reaction when you heard about Luminato’s plans for the Hearn Generating Station? A Our initial reaction was one of awe at Luminato’s ambitious plan to transform this immense industrial space into a fully-functional, temporary performing arts centre. We knew right away that this was a project we had to be involved in. Q What was your inspiration for the designs? A We studied a number of theatre forms and historical precedents as part of our initial design process, including thrust theatres like our Royal Shakespeare The-
atre project, and other more traditional proscenium or end-on theatres with deep balconies such as The Old Vic in London and the Hudson on Broadway. We also took inspiration from the building itself. The individual theatre spaces, when sited within the Hearn, will exist as part of a larger whole. Whichever space you are in, the intention is for you to experience the building as one cohesive form. This cohesion informed everything from the audience entrance to the situation of the theatres amongst the dense grid of steelwork, the modular materials selected for audience seating to the careful fine-tuning of the space’s challenging acoustics. Q How do you create a theatre space using non-traditional objects like shipping containers and ensure it functions for patrons, artists and technical crews? A We try to start from a humanscaled approach to space. At first, the tools and materials are not important. We ask what shapes and sizes will make the best experience for audience, performer, artist and technician. From an audience perspective, we know that a degree of audience density improves the audience experience. It means that more people are in closer proximity to the stage, which improves not only sightlines
but also awareness of other audience members’ inclusiveness and fosters a sense of community. Q Will there be any traces of Luminato Festival 2016 at the Hearn after the festival ends? A This project is the result of a continuing conversation that many cities are having about reclaiming former industrial space. From London’s Tate Modern to Charcoalblue’s latest North American project, St. Ann’s Warehouse on the New York waterfront under the Brooklyn Bridge, cities are reclaiming waterfront industrial spaces and transforming them for cultural use. The Hearn could be a trailblazer for similar redevelopment in Toronto. For decades, and sometimes for centuries, some of the most desirable parts of many major cities have been given over to uses that few residents get to enjoy. The Hearn is an opportunity to prove that this raw space is desirable, that, in fact, it can help form the vital and vibrant cultural fabric of a great city by enabling the creation of work that can’t be presented in a typical gallery or performance space. For the complete interview, visit luminatofestival.com. To learn more about Charcoalblue, visit charcoalblue.com.
Photo by Jonathan Castellino
The Hearn: A History The Hearn is located at 440 Unwin Avenue, in Toronto’s Port Lands area sitting majestically on a 10.5-hectare property. Its smokestack, at 705 ft. (215 m) tall, is a towering landmark, a proud memory of a bygone industrial era.
With a footprint of 27, 573 square metres (and 650,000 cubic metres of space inside), the Hearn is three times larger than the Tate Modern, the Statue of Liberty fits in it upright, and it dominates the Port Lands at the east end of Toronto’s spectacular waterfront.
Jonathan Castellino
Kendall Anderson
The R.L. Hearn Power Generating Station is one of Canada’s unique and most majestic industrial landmarks. Opened in October 1951, the Hearn was a coal-fired electrical plant until 1983 when it was converted to burn natural gas.
Jonathan Castellino
Located on a canal extended from Lake Ontario and on a major shipping route through the St. Lawrence Seaway, it ceased all operations in 1995. At the peak of the Hearn’s activity in the 1960s, the plant employed as many as 600 people.
Though still owned by Ontario Power Generation (Province of Ontario), the Hearn has been under lease to Studios of America since 2002, serving as a location for major film and television productions such as the upcoming blockbuster Suicide Squad, 2015’s Robocop, Pacific Rim, RED, NBC Universal’s 12 Monkeys, Orphan Black and more.
The Hearn Generating Station sits on the traditional lands of the Mississaugas, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, and the Huron-Wendat nations.
© 2004 Kendall Anderson invisiblethreads.com
Coal chute © 2004 Kendall Anderson invisiblethreads.com
The Port Lands is the same size as downtown Toronto, and only about five minutes away. Waterfront Toronto is the main steward of the region and is implementing the largest urban revitalization project in North America. Much of the Port Lands region is at risk of flooding, so a central part of the plan for the region’s future is naturalizing the mouth of the Don River and providing flood protection. From there, Waterfront Toronto envisions the development of new, liveable, mixed-use communities in the area. The Hearn appears in Waterfront Toronto’s plans for the region, but what new life the building will take on remains to be seen.
Control Room Š 2004 Kendall Anderson invisiblethreads.com
The Hearn Generating Station can be the cultural icon of the new millennium: an institution where ideas, art forms, artists and audiences are brought together to create new energy and ideas. With 17 days of programming under one roof, Luminato Festival will create an exceptionally rich and uniquely integrated global cultural experience.
27
The James Plays This epic theatrical trilogy brings to life three generations of Stewart kings who ruled Scotland in the turbulent fifteenth century
Photo by David Eustace
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
James I: Steven Miller James II: Andrew Rothney James III: Matthew Pidgeon
28
#JamesPlays
The World According to James An interview with The James Plays director Laurie Sansom
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
By Richard Ouzounian
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That famous quote from philosopher George Santayana could easily serve as an epigram for Rona Munro’s sweeping trilogy of Scottish kingship, The James Plays, which will serve as one of the centrepieces of the 2016 Luminato Festival. Three contemporary plays, three historical kings and 82 years of Scottish history (1406–1488) that have largely been forgotten even by the people of Scotland themselves. How does all this combine to create a theatrical event that the UK’s Daily Telegraph hailed as “the finest history plays ever penned,” the Evening Standard called “a towering achievement,” and The Independent praised as “thrilling and satisfying”? The answer, in the mind of Laurie Sansom, the director of the plays and Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, is that, “These plays explore the question of how a country is to be ruled.” Speaking from his office in Glasgow, he makes reference to Canada’s own national election last fall: “That’s a question you’ve just been dealing with and it’s one we’ve recently had front and centre in our minds as well.” Sansom is referring to the fact that The James Plays received their world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival in August of 2014, only a month before the highly controversial referendum on Scottish independence.
Daniel Cahill and ensemble in James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock Photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
#JamesPlays
29
A cast of actors playing live music covers everything from traditional Scottish music — yes, with bagpipes — to reworkings of Lady Gaga, Pharrell Williams and a Gaelic rendition of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me,” that harkens straight back to the ’80’s.
This was also very much on Munro’s mind when writing the plays. “These are stories, epic stories, and hopefully they are entertainment,” wrote Munro in the introduction to the first production. “You should also know that you are about to engage with human stories imagined from a human perspective. “These people were contemporary to their own century as we are to ours and human nature has not, I imagine, changed very much over 600 years. Our circumstances are different from these dead kings and queens and long-gone Scots — but, arguably, not as different as we might think.” Who are these particular long-gone Scots and how will Sansom and his company bring them to the stage of the Hearn? The first play is called The Key Will Keep The Lock and it deals with James I (1394–1437), who became King at the age of 12 but was exiled the next year in an English prison and remained there for 18 years before returning to claim his throne.
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
“I’d like to think everybody was in the perfect state of mind to see those plays at that time,” he says dryly. “But the fact of the matter is that the people of Scotland didn’t really know that particular period of history any better than the people of Canada do. “Rona wanted to introduce this specific period of Scottish history to the people of her country at this particular time. The play takes a look at a time when there’s all manner of bad governance going on and it explores how an individual can affect the broader political and social environment around him or her.” Sansom believes that, “when you’re trading one personality at the head of a country for another, it can have far-reaching effects, whether it’s a king, a prime minister or a president.” This is bound to resonate strongly in our current climate when names in the headlines like Trudeau, Obama, Clinton and Trump remind us of Sansom’s statement every day.
30
#JamesPlays
“The fairest or the freschest yong floure / That ever I sawe, me thoght, before that houre; / For quhich sodayn abate anon astert / The blude of all my body to my hert.”
Never accept a dinner invitation from your enemies. Rumour has it the Black Dinner in James II: Day of the Innocents was the inspiration for the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. No matter how good the haggis, some meals aren’t worth attending.
FESTIVAL
— The Kingis Quair, King James I
Cast of James II: Day of the Innocents
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
Photo by Manuel Harlan
“I think the first play has the most traditional history play feel to it,” says Sansom, “but even then you’ll get the sense of complicated, rude, edgy people, talking like any human being talks.” Next up is Day of the Innocents, the saga of James II (1430–1460) who was crowned at the age of eight and spent all of his reign struggling against forces inside and outside his family that tried to defeat him. “This story plunges you into a child’s nightmare,” is how Sansom describes it. “There’s a whole broader, different physical language to describe all that he’s going through. It’s highly theatrical.” But the third play in the trilogy, The True Mirror, brings things home with
the story of James III (1451-1488), told with even more flair and panache. “It’s fundamentally a relationship comedy with a bright political surface,” is Sansom’s take. “James III was also himself a bit of a gift theatrically. He was very self-indulgent and flamboyant and actually had a choir following him around so they could add a soundtrack to the more boring bits of his life.” The James Plays sound complex and fascinating enough on their own, but they have previously only played in more conventional theatre spaces, like their own home in Glasgow or the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre complex in London.
How will they work in the dauntingly spacious and ever-evolving Hearn Generating Station? “There will definitely need to be adjustments,” says Sansom, “in things like lighting and sound, as well as with the whole scope of the enterprise because of the sheer scale of the building at the Hearn.” Sansom has no fears about his company’s ability to adjust. “We’re used to making our productions work for non-traditional theatre spaces. And we really, really wanted to work with Luminato.” In fact, Sansom and his colleagues feel that the impressive physicality
#JamesPlays
31
The famous cast-iron siege cannon known as Mons Meg, which was presented to James II in 1457 as a marriage gift, is still on display at Edinburgh Castle.
ABOVE: Steven Miller in James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock TOP RIGHT: Dani Heron, Blythe Duff, Fiona Wood & Malin Crépin in James III: The True Mirror RIGHT: Daniel Cahill & Malin Crépin in James III Photos by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
your day in the theatre with such a wide canvas spread before you and can simply get lost in the riches of the piece. “Just dive into them. I think you’re going to love them.” The James Plays run June 16–26 at the Hearn Generating Station. Tickets start at $39. Written by Rona Munro Directed by Laurie Sansom A co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland, the National Theatre of Great Britain and the Edinburgh International Festival.
PRESENTED BY
SUPPORTED BY
SUPPORTED BY
Lucille Joseph and Urban Joseph, O.C. St. Joseph Communications Phil and Eli Taylor
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
of the Hearn may have advantageous results in presenting The James Plays. “We’re going to have to bring a more muscular, energetic way of performing the shows, which is perfect, because one of the major things we intended with these plays was to blow away the cobwebs from how history is presented.” Audience members can either attend the plays on three successive evenings or attend one of the four special trilogy days when they can become immersed in the experience by seeing all of them together. Sansom personally recommends the latter approach because, “You spend
Unsound Toronto This “music festival like no other� will turn the Hearn into a sonic playground with two electrifying nights of music and technology Unsound graphic by Piotr Jakubowicz
#UnsoundTO
Bringing Unsound Toronto Back to the Hearn THUMP gets the inside scoop from co-founder Mat Schulz by Max Mertens EDITOR, THUMP
After a successful inaugural edition last year, Unsound is returning to Toronto and the Hearn Generating Station as part of Luminato Festival’s 10th anniversary celebrations. We spoke to the diverse and groundbreaking Unsound festival’s co-founder and artistic director Mat Schulz to find out what it takes to put together Unsound and what live music fans can expect from the two-day event. Q Tell me a little about the beginnings of Unsound. A We started Unsound in Krakow in 2003 as a local underground event taking place in small cellar bars. Back then, there weren’t so many electronic and experimental music festivals. Over the years it grew, not only attracting a big international audience for the Krakow event, but becoming very mobile. We began commissioning and touring new works, as well as producing events in other cities — New York, Adelaide, Kiev, Minsk, Tbilisi, Prague — and now of course we’re also in Toronto. Q How many people does it take to put together the festival? A We have a few people who work all year round in the Krakow HQ. That number multiplies when the Krakow event approaches — with up to 20 people working in the office, and a team of more than 100 volunteers — not to mention the production crew. But when we connect with an arts festival, such as Luminato, or Adelaide Festival in Australia, we work with their team and production crew to make Unsound a reality. Q Why did you decide to launch the first Canadian edition in Toronto? A Luminato’s artistic director Jorn Weisbrodt had attended Unsound Adelaide and loved the music and the atmosphere, as well as the idea of producing Unsound within the framework of an arts festival. When he showed us the Hearn Generating Station, we immediately said yes. The venue is so fantastic — connecting with one of the core ideas of Unsound, which is to present events in unusual, adapted spaces. This makes the experience of live sound and music so much more special than just a show in a club.
33
Photo by David Leyes
Q The lineup is very carefully curated; tell me a little about how you select artists. A Unsound puts together artists and genres that contrast, yet have a shared desire to push boundaries or be adventurous. So the Unsound program takes in everything from extremely experimental sounds to post-classical, dance music and more, but in ways that are very carefully considered and feel coherent. The overall program becomes a journey. We also present many new names, labels and forms of music, rather than just headliners, which is something we’ve focused on even more this year in Toronto. You don’t come to Unsound just to hear what you know, but hopefully to discover something new. Q What do you look for with these spaces? A Adapting unique and untraditional venues is a huge part of what Unsound is about, as well as thinking about the way that architecture intersects with music and live visuals. Unsound Krakow had 19 different venues last year — from post-industrial spaces to a 19th-century synagogue to an abandoned communist era hotel. Q Finally, what would you say to convince electronic music fans that have never been to Unsound to come? A Unsound has a very specific atmosphere. It grew out of a DIY world and, although an event like Unsound Toronto is much bigger than its origins, the program remains uncom-
Unsound Toronto 2015
promising. That doesn’t mean the atmosphere will exclude anyone; Unsound is a very inclusive event. So don’t worry if there are names you don’t know in the program, or if you have no idea about this music. Come hear it on an excellent sound system, in a unique space, and let yourself be taken on an adventure. Unsound Toronto will be overwhelming in the best possible way. Check out THUMP’s coverage of Unsound Toronto 2016 at thump.vice.com Unsound Toronto runs June 10–11 at the Hearn Generating Station. Tickets are $25. Curated by Mat Schulz and Malgorzata Plysa.
PRESENTED BY
ARTS PARTNERS
SUPPORTED BY
#UnsoundTO
35
Unsound in Facts, Pheromones and Decibels • The visuals by Marcel Weber for Tim Hecker’s new show developed out of Tim and Marcel’s Unsound-commissioned collaboration Ephemera Live, which had its premiere at last year’s Unsound Toronto at Luminato. • The fast-paced electronic music known as “footwork” comes from Chicago, where it is played in frenetic dance battles. Footwork scenes have developed in many countries around the globe, from Japan to Poland — and Jlin’s morphing of the genre found her placed at the front of many end-of-year best-of album lists in 2015 for her LP Dark Energy. • Not only a fantastic techno producer, Aurora Halal is also a founder of the underground club music festival Sustain-Release, taking place in a kids’ holiday camp in upstate New York. Meanwhile, Olivia from Poland is not only an Unsound Krakow resident DJ, but also runs an underground club night there called Radar, named after her faithful dog.
• Italian-born Alessandro Cortini is the keyboard player for Nine Inch Nails, with whom he has both toured and recorded.
• Unsound sells its own perfumes based on the sounds of Noise, Bass and Drone, created by the renowned conceptual perfumer Geza Schoen — who also creates a series called Escentric Molecules. You can check out and purchase the scents at Toronto’s Jacob & Sebastian shops. • Elysia Crampton is a Bolivian-born US-based producer and self-proclaimed “transevangelist” — inspiring her to create music that explores identity in utterly unique ways. • Evian Christ produced “I’m In It” on Kanye West’s album Yeezus. Of the experience he said in an interview: “When he [Kanye] wants you to work to a blueprint, the blueprint is: “Don’t make a rap beat. Anything but a rap beat.” • When Powell used a Steve Albini vocal sample on his track “Insomnia,” he asked the musician, producer and audio engineer for permission. Albini wrote back: “I detest club culture as deeply as I detest anything on earth. So I am against what you’re into, and an enemy of where you come from” — but nevertheless gave Powell permission to use the sample. Powell also subsequently used their email exchange to promote the track — in the form of a video and London billboard! By the way, Powell first played live at Unsound Krakow in 2014.
Who’s playing FRIDAY JUNE 10 Amnesia Scanner (FIN) The Bug ft. Flowdan & Miss Red (UK/IL) Elysia Crampton (USA) Jlin (USA) Kara-Lis Coverdale w/ MFO (CAN/DE) Lotic (USA) Rabih Beaini (LEB) Raime (UK) sunn o))) (USA/HUN/FR/NL) SATURDAY JUNE 11 Alessandro Cortini (IT) Ancient Methods (DE) Aurora Halal (USA) Evian Christ (UK) Hot Shotz (Powell & Lorenzo Senni) (UK/IT) Olivia (PL) Orphx (CAN) Roly Porter w/ MFO (UK/DE) T’ien Lai (PL) Tim Hecker w/ MFO (CAN/DE) Waclaw Zimpel & Rabih Beaini (PL/LEB) Visit luminatofestival.com for complete schedule & start times
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
• sunn o))) is known as the loudest band in the world, with even hardcore metal fans donning earplugs. The motto on their rider famously reads “Maximum volume yields maximum results.” Named after the makers of an amplifier, the band recently collaborated with the legendary Scott Walker. Their vocalist Atilla Csihar is Hungarian, and is also a member of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem.
• Mat Schulz, the artistic director and co-founder of Unsound, was born and raised in the Australian city of Wagga Wagga, partly on a cattle farm. He moved to Krakow as a published novelist to write, and started Unsound as a sideline hobby.
Get Inspired by the Arts. The Arts makes us better. It pushes us to develop new perspectives. To see the world in a different light. It inspires us to pursue our own passions. We get so much more back from the Arts than we could ever imagine – that’s why we support the Arts in Canadian communities. Scotiabank is proud to celebrate the Luminato Festival’s 10th anniversary. Get inspired at www.scotiabank.com/arts
®
Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
Proud Partner of the Luminato Festival
#SituationRooms
Inside Situation Rooms This award-winning, multi-player video installation allows participants to step into the shoes of people whose lives have been shaped by the arms trade. It’s a Rimini Protokoll project.
All Situation Rooms photos by Jörg Baumann © Ruhrtriennale
37
38
#SituationRooms
In the Theatre of War By Jutta Brendemühl
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
PROGRAM CURATOR, GOETHE INSTITUT
As Germany lived through two world wars in the 20th century, art coming out of the country has reflected the experience of bloodshed, violence and genocide, from the Expressionist pain of Paula Modersohn-Becker or Charlotte Salomon to Joseph Beuys’ felt-fur-stone installations (currently in a massive survey at the National Gallery of Canada) to Anselm Kiefer’s leaden Wagnerian mythologising; from Erich Maria Remarque’s enduring pacifist manifesto All Quiet On The Western Front to Bertolt Brecht’s war-profiteering Mother Courage and Her Children; from Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda films of rallying troops to disaster blockbusters like Das Boot (1981) and Downfall (2004). Shock and trauma, shame and guilt, loss and recovery, remembering and inoculating lest we forget, as well as a propensity for self-reflective (psycho-) analysis and the famous German Vergangenheitsbewältigung — coming to terms with the past — all make up the larger cultural and socio-political framework in which these works continue to be created and received.
For Germans born post-WWII — like Rimini Protokoll’s Helgard Haug, Daniel Wetzel and Swiss-German Stefan Kaegi, or myself — our anti-military worldview was shaped by our parents’ or grandparents’ accounts (or lack thereof). It was shaped by the dissent and terrorism of the Red Army Faction in the 1970s, by living the Cold War literally at the frontier between the “Free World” and the “Soviet Bloc.” Many of us spent more time in the streets protesting US missiles deployed in Germany than in school. The Easter Peace Marches became a ritual that drew half a million each year. And if you were male, you likely objected to compulsory service in the Bundeswehr. Weapons and war continued to be omnipresent — strangely so in times of peace and prosperity in the “militant democracy” (wehrhafte Demokratie) of late 20th-century Germany that culminated in a uniquely Peaceful Revolution in 1989. Just watch the recent TV series Deutschland 83, a smash hit in the US and the UK, and you will get a sense of the underlying tension of the time. Fast-forward to the 21st century and Germany “in theatre” in a global war in Afghanistan. I first took part in Situation Rooms, an immersive war game of sorts, at Munich’s Kammerspiele in 2014. I had seen, participated in, tested and debated nearly a dozen Rimini Protokoll productions over the past decade (they produce as many in a year). At the Goethe-Institut Toronto, we had commissioned their first work that used interactive gaming technology, Best Before, which played the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad for the PuSh Festival and Luminato Festival in 2010. The Berlin collective’s work is smart and quirky, cutting edge and playful, often called “games” or “player situations.”
#SituationRooms 39
“I have seen the future of theatre and its name is Situation Rooms.” — The Australian
directed web of augmented-reality environments. Theatertreffen, Berlin’s annual best-of German theatre festival, agreed by selecting Situation Rooms with the jury comment, “It is astounding that directors can reinvent theatre after 2,500 years.” War is stupid; I knew since before Boy George. Now I could feel it, sense it, touch it, smell and taste it. Alas, the arms manufacturer in Situation Rooms begs to differ. Don’t expect to hold on to all of your beliefs. You walk in with one set of notions and walk out with your mind rearranged. Luminato Festival’s Artistic Director Jorn Weisbrodt and I chatted after he had seen Situation Rooms and he had no doubt it was an artistically astounding and powerful experience, visceral and internationally relevant: one that had to come to Toronto to include Canadian audiences in a global conversation that, as we speak, continues with Ottawa and Berlin debating their respective arms deals with Saudi Arabia. Situation Rooms runs June 10–26 at the Hearn. Tickets are $20. Presented by Helgard Haug, Stefan Kaegi and Daniel Wetzel (Rimini Protokoll).
ARTS PARTNER
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
The signature Rimini creation is thought-provoking and entertaining, political and always helmed by “experts of the everyday” — here an Indian army fighter pilot or an arms-industry manager. Above all, it is personally challenging. (Last year in Berlin they had me jump on a chair and start a revolution in their parlour game Home Visit Europe.) What had triggered the ominous choice of topic of Situation Rooms? An image we have all seen: the White House Situation Room during the Bin Laden manhunt, which compelled the three collaborators to research (always!) what it means to make, use, sell, be attacked or killed by weapons — and how all of these experiences connect across the 22 countries involved in this work and beyond. Going to a show about arms traders and warlords that includes putting on a bullet-proof coat and conducting a triage was not something I was seeking out, despite my curiosity and trust in Rimini Protokoll’s work. The piece has not left me to this day. I remember holding my tablet, unsure how to navigate the huge container we entered, how to react to shifting situation rooms with their respective stories and cast of characters, how to move with the other participants in communal silence while interrupted by gun shots over my headphones. (I flinched or ducked more than once.) Situation Rooms has taken Rimini Protokoll’s work to yet another level of post-dramatic shock and awe, both in terms of walking the walk of the oft-used but rarely realized audience participation, as well as the meaningful use of audio, video and virtual and real space in a complex and highly dramaturged and
40
#SituationRooms
“It’s theatre with the audience as actors; journalism with the consumer interacting directly with the story; a video game where the screen bleeds into real and constructed worlds.” — The Guardian
The Situation Room
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
By Nikolaus Hirsch RIMINI PROTOKOLL
After the military disaster of the Cuban Bay of Pigs, John F. Kennedy had the Situation Room built in the White House. The failed landing in Communist Cuba, where, according to the view of the American president and his generals, the operation collapsed into an incoherent sequence of acts, was due to a lack of realtime information. Threads of information did not come together. What was supposed to take place simultaneously was loose and incoherent piecework. What was lacking was a “situation.” Fast forward 50 years to May 1, 2011. A photo flashes onto screens around the world where we see the spellbound faces of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the national security team of the Amer-
ican government as they follow Operation Neptune’s Spear in real time in the Situation Room of the White House. It is 1 am in Pakistan. Osama bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, is asleep in his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A few minutes later, he will be shot dead by a special unit of Navy SEALs. All information is available, networked in real time, visible on various monitors. Diverse sites and spaces are linked to one another: a house, an unmanned drone, a commando unit in Pakistan, and this small, windowless room with a brown table and seven black leather office chairs in Washington. The Situation Room creates a situation. Where previously there was only incoherent information, now various sites are linked in space and time.
SITUATION ROOMS AT THE HEARN Situation Rooms is an award-winning multi-player video installation inspired by real photos of the American government upon learning that their mission to kill Osama Bin Laden had been successful. Equipped with an iPad mini and headphones, an audience of 20 follows 10 of a possible 20 characters, including an Israeli soldier, a Swiss weapons manufacturer, a Pakistani lawyer and a Mexican drug cartel administrator, with the help of a screen used to augment reality. Slipping into the perspectives of the protagonists, the audience becomes entangled in a film set that recreates the globalized world of pistols and rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and drones, and rules and refugees — a part of the re-enactment of a complicatedly elaborate, multi-perspective “shooting” in an immersive environment with more than 4,000 props. For additional content, visit luminatofestival.com
EACH YEAR, OLG IS PROUD TO SPONSOR OVER 250 COMMUNITY FESTIVALS AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT ONTARIO, INCLUDING LUMINATO. WE’RE ONTARIO’S LOTTERY & GAMING AND WE’RE ALL FOR HERE.
OLGallforhere.ca @OLGtoday
FESTIVAL LUMINATO JUNE 10–26 2016
The Holy Body Tattoo and Godspeed You! Black Emperor come together in an explosion of contemporary dance and post-rock music that shatters the façade of capitalist urban culture
#monumentalTO
43
A monumental undertaking In conversation with Dana Gingras, Noam Gagnon and Sarah Williams By Jennifer Perras
After a 10-year hiatus, Vancouver’s explosive contemporary dance company The Holy Body Tattoo return to the world-tour circuit, reuniting with Montréal’s postrock legends Godspeed You! Black Emperor to bring their epic collaboration, monumental to Toronto. Part of a cross-Canada and international tour with original music performed live, this is the must-see dance show of the year. We sat down with the show’s creators and choreographers Dana Gingras and Noam Gagnon alongside original cast member and 2016 rehearsal director Sarah Williams.
Photos by Yannick Grandmont
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
JP Noam and Dana, how did you meet? What drew you to collaborate to form The Holy Body Tattoo? DG We met at an audition for the dance company EDAM in 1997. Immediately, Noam and I became inseparable. We were known as the “terrible twins” and had a serious reputation for reckless abandon and irreverence in the face of what was going on around us. Total enfants terribles… For whatever reason, we both felt a huge need to fiercely and violently push our bodies and selves in a way few people, or the culture around us, could tolerate. Our collaboration really came out of this hunger we shared to make work that would push us beyond any limit we thought we had… and we definitely got what we were looking for! As a result, we both reached some serious breaking points, physically, artistically and emotionally. Thankfully, I see now that getting to the other side of that made me saner. NG We shared the same vision, same work ethic, same values to break the rules and push boundaries and create a physical language that met our insatiable desire to push ourselves to the limits.
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
44
#monumentalTO JP Could you tell us about the original production of monumental? Why the decision to remount the show a decade later? NG We both love Robert Longo’s Men in the Cities and this inspired the concept that became monumental. I believe the work is even more relevant today, so that factored into our decision to remount it. Cathy Levy from Canada’s National Arts Centre was one of the first to endorse this project in the beginning, and it has taken years of preparation (with very fervent believers in the work like David Sefton of the Adelaide Festival and our producer Sarah Rogers for example) to get this monumental work rolling again. DG The original production of monumental began as a piece we created in 1993 called White Riot (named after the song by The Clash) for seven dancers including Noam and myself. We realized there was a bigger idea there and shelved it until we had more resources and the ability to execute it properly. We restarted it again in 2003 as monumental — the same year that Godspeed You! Black Emperor went on an indefinite hiatus. Because of this, we never entertained the idea that we could do the piece with the band playing live. By 2010 the band was back together and this opened up the possibility that we could remount the show with live music. Getting from that point to the version of the show currently touring (Vancouver’s PuSh Festival, Adelaide Festival, Luminato Festival and more) took almost five years of hard work and logistics. JP What has it been like, coming back to monumental after 10 years? NG Itʼs been “monumental” for me but with a BIG "M" this time! DG Information and technology have evolved massively since the piece premiered in 2005, and the way these things are currently shaping the human condition makes the work incredibly timely. Living in the post-consumer internet era, the psychological implications of privileging a consumerist agenda clash-
ing with the individual’s aspirations for psychological, social and spiritual fulfillment unfortunately seem even more prescient today than they did when we originally created the piece. I have always been interested in making choreography that looks at how we might test, express and enhance our human experience in a culture that is increasingly mediated by technology. It is essential for me to make dance that makes the body present and brings focus back to the physical, as the body’s ever more complicated relationship with technology keeps reducing the body’s presence in the real. JP What about you, Sarah? Could you tell us about your role with the production? SW Ten years ago, Dana and Noam invited me to dance in the original production. I joined the cast during the last part of the creation process and performed in every show. This time, they asked me if I would direct the remount of the work and be the rehearsal director. Remounting monumental was a “monumental” task because there was a new cast and that meant teaching nine differ-
ent parts. But by physically relearning a good portion of the work, I was able to transmit the choreography to the dancers. And, luckily, an original cast member gave me her movement notes from one of the first versions of the work. I’m excited to be a part of this version of monumental. The content is just as relevant today as it was 10 years ago, perhaps even more so. Also, I like the idea of introducing contemporary dance to Godspeed You! Black Emperor audiences and vice versa. JP Do you approach the piece differently as a dancer versus a rehearsal director? SW Yes, the approach is very different for the two roles. As a dancer, I was responsible for the through-line and interpretation of my own role in the piece. As the rehearsal director, I need to keep track of the choreography for each of the nine dancers and make sure their interpretation, movement quality and nuances are in line with the direction of the work. I want each dancer to reach their maximum potential. I also look at all other elements in the piece and offer my opinion and observations to Noam and Dana.
#monumentalTO
45
tours. They also worked out a couple of drumming sections that are original for monumental. Each time we get back together, rehearse and perform the work there are subtle developments between the music and choreography making the process very alive and dynamic.
JP What are the demands of the show on the performers? SW monumental is a difficult piece. It takes intense focus for the complete duration of the performance. Dancers are trained to move through space and stay connected to the floor beneath them, but this work is performed on plinths so they need to apply these same ideas but up off the floor and within very confined dimensions. It’s also a work that is very much about a group identity, yet the dancers are isolated on their own individual boxes. JP What does it mean to perform monumental in a raw, industrial space like the Hearn? How might the environment contribute to the ethos of the piece? DG It is a rare opportunity to show the piece in a setting that deserves the work. The Hearn is a liminal space,
outside of the city's core, the kind of space that you rarely see dance in. It is the kind of environment that, since the beginning of my career, has been an inspiration to make from, and a place that in itself has its own power. With its post-apocalyptic cinematic ambience, it directly speaks to the content of monumental and to the dark territories that Godspeed You! Black Emperor embrace in their compositions. JP What do you hope the audience takes away with them when they see the show? DG That’s not for me to decide. I hope that they are shaken. NG A powerful, visceral experience that I hope they’ll never forget. monumental runs June 14–15 at the Hearn Generating Station. Tickets start at $29. Choreography by Dana Gingras and Noam Gagnan with live music by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Co-produced by National Arts Centre, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Place des Arts Montréal, Luminato Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, BAM for the Next Wave Festival, Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec.
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
JP As you mentioned, Dana, monumental was initially performed to a recorded track. Ten years later, it is being performed with a live band. Can you talk about this collaboration with Godspeed You! Black Emperor? DG The original version of monumental used a lot of the band’s first album — f#a#∞ — plus some other sourced music and original electronic sections that were not by Godspeed. For this new production, we wanted to make the most of the band performing live so we re-scored the work. The band was very open to letting us suggest a kind of map that respected the original arcs of the choreography and from there we worked out tempo, duration and transitions in rehearsal. The way we rehearse choreography is very different from the way the band normally practices, so it was interesting to bring these two ecosystems together. For this current version we kept some of the original songs from f#a#∞, a few of which the band haven’t played live for a long time. We also added some parts from Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress (their recording from 2015) and some material they haven’t recorded yet but have been playing live on recent
JP Sarah, what does performing with a live band mean for the dancers? SW As a dancer, performing monumental to live music is exciting and a privilege. It was wonderful to dance to the recorded soundtrack, but there is nothing comparable to performing with a live band. It adds another eight people to the ephemeral element of the performance. Although the dancers have set choreography and the music is composed, all of the performers are individuals so there will always be a uniqueness and humanity in each performance. Having a live band means the dancers have to listen and cannot presume the music will sound exactly the same as the last time. This enriches the connection between music and movement.
Proud to support the Luminato Festival. We are working together with Luminato to make a difference in our communities.
速
The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.
M05236 (0416)
Rufus Does Judy “The greatest night in show business” is brought to life once again as Rufus Wainwright remounts his recreation of Judy Garland’s iconic 1961 Carnegie Hall show
Photos by Gus Powell
48
#RufusDoesJudy
Rufus! Rufus! Rufus!
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
Broadway director, lyricist and writer Scott Wittman (Hairspray, Matters of the Heart, Catch Me If You Can) caught up with long-time friend Rufus Wainwright to chat all things Judy! Judy! Judy! after first being dazzled by Wainwright’s staging in 2006. Rufus Does Judy is back June 23 and 24 on The Hearn Music Stage.
Join us for the Rufus Does Judy after party, presented in partnership with Pride Toronto, on Thursday, June 23.
#RufusDoesJudy
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
Scott Wittman (SW): Rufus Does Judy is a live recreation SW: Your voice is so powerful; I can’t wait to hear you go of Judy Garland’s unforgettable 1961 concert at Carnegie through this material again. Has it really been 10 years Hall. When were you first exposed to the Judy at Carnegie since the last time? Hall album? RW: Well, what’s great about these songs for a singer is they Rufus Wainwright (RW): Well, I didn’t know a lot about it deepen with age and there are so many hidden meanings and growing up, only because my mother liked to portion off the beautiful visuals that you can only really understand after Judy doses in reasonable amounts so my head didn’t explode. a few years under your belt — or a bigger belt! So I’m very I knew the Wizard of Oz of course, but when I was living in LA excited to return to them because 10 years ago, they were all after 9-11, it was such a tragic period. [September 11] was cer- pretty much new to me and I was just trying to get through tainly tragic, but equally as tragic in my opinion was George the set. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq as an answer to that event. At SW I know you will miss, and I will certainly miss, your that point I hated living in America, and I thought about going mother, Kate McGarrigle, on “Over the Rainbow.” That back to Canada. But the one album I would play that reminded was quite special. me of the former glory of the United States was Judy at Carnegie RW: What’s interesting with my mother is that she loved Hall. That is when I really started digging into it. And it was “Over the Rainbow” and she could play all of those songs and knew them quite well. But she was more from an anti-Judy kind of like taking some sort of narcotic. SW: That particular album was on the charts for almost a school — it was too much showbiz. They wanted Bob Dylan year and a half. And it spent almost 13 weeks at Number 1. and the Rolling Stones, so it was square to her initially but RW: Someone told me recently that it was the first-ever real she definitely came on board and knew how much it meant live album. It was edited here and there but it really had that to me. And certainly in terms of being a gay man — we have a different reading of that situation than straight people who live, raw quality — mistakes and all. just thought it was like the Ed Sullivan Show. SW: Do you identify with any of Judy’s showbiz saga? RW: Well, part of me does. I grew up with the Wizard of Oz. SW: I used to put my sister’s ballet flats on and lip sync it Watching it on television was always a big family event. We in the garage, so I know what you’re talking about. I find would all sit down and watch it together. In terms of relating to with Judy Garland, there is a danger in her singing. It’s her personality, I kind of did. But that later period I was talking about – here is my heart, go break it. I find that compelabout — when I was living in Hollywood I was somewhat pos- ling about her. sessed by her. And I mean in a hocus-pocus way. I was certainly RW: Both of my grandparents were at the 1961 concert. My having my own struggles with drugs and addiction and I found grandfather was friends with Judy. I’ve heard that probmyself concentrating a lot on that album, her other works and ably the majority of the audience was gay, but I feel like in her TV show. She kind of haunted me at that point and when I that space, at that time and with her present, everything decided to do the Judy show, it was a bit of an exorcism frankly. was erased. Whether you were gay or straight or asexual. It I kind of wanted to get her out of my system a little bit because effaced all of the norms and all of the boxes that people, cerit was slightly treacherous. And in a weird way, it worked. I tainly in the ̓50s and ̓60s, felt they had to belong to. So that mean, I still adore her and I’ll always be a huge fan, but I don’t must have been an amazing experience. listen to as much Judy Garland and I don’t watch as many Judy SW: Well I’m very excited because I don’t think there is anyone alive who can do what you do on stage, and I’m so Garland movies since I immersed myself. But — she’s BACK! SW: I remember seeing a program from the show that said looking forward to it because when you sing everything Act 1: Judy. Act 2: More Judy. The stamina it must take to always turns to technicolour. RW: I’m going to cry. We should end it there with me crying. do this show — aren’t there 28 songs? RW: I even do a couple more songs because I have to be Rufus Wainwright in the end. We do about 33 tracks. But to be fair, Rufus Does Judy runs June 23–24 at the Hearn Generating Station. Tickets my sister Martha comes out and does a couple of numbers and start at $39. Performed by Rufus Wainwright, featuring special guests Martha I have special guests, so I don’t shoulder it all alone. Wainwright and China Forbes. Musical direction by Stephen Oremus. SW: The stamina to work up to it is mind-boggling to me. ARTS PARTNER SUPPORTED BY SUPPORTED BY No one ever works that hard anymore. RW: One of the best things to come out of the original Rufus La Fondation Emmanuelle Does Judy performances: I actually improved a lot in terms of Gattuso my singing. I started concentrating a lot more on diction and Jonas and Lynda Prince also warming up. I highly recommend it for anybody who Steinway Piano Gallery Toronto wants to become a better singer. Or it will destroy you!
49
50
#RufusDoesJudy
Way Over the Rainbow Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall in 1961, a performance attended by Wainwright's grandparents Image courtesy of Associated Press
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
Judy Garland’s legacy still shines By Mathieu Chantelois
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PRIDE TORONTO
Nearly 50 years after her death on June 22, 1969, Judy Garland’s legacy as an icon for our community remains. She was only 17 when she played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and made “Over the Rainbow” her trademark song of wishful longing. It’s hard to imagine a more fabulous fairy tale than one that begins with a lonely girl dreaming of escaping a black and white world and the torment of a hateful neighbour. Many allegories have been drawn between the Pride movement and Dorothy’s journey with her loyal friends and allies as they follow the yellow brick road in search of happiness. But, Judy Garland was — and still is — so much more than the personification of Dorothy Gale. Her enduring talent and many personal and professional connections with the queer community were two constants in her tumultuous and troubled life. The youngest of three girls born to vaudevillians Ethel and Frank Gumm, Garland was likely unaware of her father’s orientation before he died when she was 12. Her exploitive stage mother fed Garland and her sisters amphetamines to fuel their vaudeville performances, and when she was signed to the MGM film studio at the age of 13 she was also given drugs to help her work, sleep and lose weight. Garland found love and acceptance from gay men at MGM in composer Roger Edens and director George Cukor. Two of her five marriages were to gay or bisexual men, first to Vincente Minnelli and later to Mark Herron. Minnelli lived an openly gay life before he moved to Hollywood; his marriage to Garland produced daughter Liza Minnelli, who has continued
her mother’s iconic legacy through her own performances and passionate following. In Garland’s time, our community was largely invisible to the mainstream but her loud and proud gay audience prompted the media to pay attention to “the boys in tight pants,” as Time magazine liked to say. In 1969, William Goldman wrote an Esquire article about the “fags” who flocked to Garland’s Palace performances, attributing their attraction to Garland having “survived so many problems.” As a persecuted group, he wrote, “homosexuals identify with that kind of hysteria.” Homosexuality was classified as a psychiatric disorder in the US until 1973 and the prevailing view of closeted “friends of Dorothy” was that they were drawn to Garland as a tragic, vulnerable figure. Yet attending a Judy Garland performance in those days was a rare opportunity for gay men to celebrate their existence and to show their pride in public. Garland died a week before the Stonewall riots in New York. A few hours after her funeral, the gay community in Greenwich Village decided it was time to fight back against homophobic police violence and harassment. These two events and their poetic inevitability underscore Judy Garland’s enduring mark on the history of our community. Garland created a space for our community at a time when our rights were not acknowledged — she helped us escape invisibility. Today, her lasting music plays loud and proud in places where we can be ourselves, in drag bars and throughout our Pride celebrations, and becomes something new in Rufus Wainwright’s beautiful Rufus Does Judy performance. Until everyone around the world can sing Judy’s songs while being who they are, we will keep dreaming of what lies over the rainbow.
Celebrate creativity. proud partner of Luminato for 10 years.
PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL SPIRIT PARTNER OF
PLEASE ENJOY OUR PRODUCTS RESPONSIBLY.
Trove A View of Toronto in 50 of its Treasures
Trove image by Scott McFarland Septentrionalium Terrarum descriptio, first printed map of the North Pole, originally published in 1595 Map by Gerhard Mercator Toronto Public Library Haida Sea Captain Figure, c. 1860s Argillite and ivory Art Gallery of Ontario
#TroveTO
53
Uncovering Toronto’s Secrets By Jorn Weisbrodt ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LUMINATO FESTIVAL
quake” and “What, pieced together, would paint a picture and tell a story of this city.” So a magnificent Rubens painting from the AGO stands next to a tiny cigarette paper umbrella folded by a Japanese prisoner in an internment camp, an African Kota statue next to the largest collection of first editions of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, a Haida sculpture of an English sea captain next to the first map of the North Pole. Even a musical score, live and stuffed animals, an unrealized urban development plan for the city of Toronto, a dead maple tree, ballet costumes, shoes and comic figures are part of the selection. A physical exhibition would probably be impossible to put together as the objects are too diverse, too widespread.
Trove image by Scott McFarland Feature item: John Lennon’s Chelsea Boot, 1962. Collection of Bata Shoe Museum
Some of them are too valuable; some of them need food and water. But as photographic images in the public space, it becomes possible to bring all of these together in one place. It is this idea of freeing ourselves from the institutional walls, of being outside the institutions and buildings that house our possessions and not inside them, that make this a project for a festival. Artist and photographer Scott McFarland is composing the images. He photographed the physical objects and works of art in their places of residence in front of a neutral background. He collaborated with the architects
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
This project started out with a few simple questions. What are the 50 most important objects, works of art, and ideas in Toronto and how can we bring them to the public? What lies within the walls of museums, behind doors of collectors, within institutions that only those who know they lie there seek out? What if we took these things and used the city of Toronto as one gigantic art gallery and created an exhibition of these 50 treasures in the open, for everyone to see, for everyone to be proud of? Trove: A View of Toronto in 50 of its Treasures is a 10th-anniversary Luminato Festival project. It celebrates what makes this city great and what makes it special. It will, hopefully, surprise those who see the images on a street corner, on the side of a building, on a digital billboard or in a shop window, and make them wonder why they didn’t know that this treasure was in Toronto, that all these things exist in this city and make up the rich tapestry that defines it. We looked far and wide, we wrote to hundreds of people and museums and asked them for ideas. We had to make choices and reduce; not everything made the final cut of 50 treasures. The selection is not definitive or objective, it is highly personal and subjective. We did not want to come up with objective criteria like monetary value that would have excluded so many things, but instead applied more instinctive values like, “What would we save in an earth-
54
#TroveTO
Trove image by Scott McFarland
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
Goodbye, 1959 by Michael Snow Oil, paint, carbon, paper and aluminum on veneer plywood Private collection
of the Toronto firm PARTISANS on a digital design of an art gallery inside the Hearn Generating Station. Then he placed the objects inside 3D renderings of the Hearn Gallery. In order to create a photo-realistic image, Scott is also taking pictures inside the Hearn and vistas from the Hearn that he will incorporate into the 3D renderings. The final images are like exhibition shots of the exhibition of Toronto’s 50 treasures in a future, imagined Hearn Generating Station Gallery. Of course, choosing the Hearn Generating Station, the location of this year’s festival, as the location for this virtual future gallery was a very conscious one. The 2016 Luminato festival is a proposal of what the Hearn could become in the future, of the way it could be re-energized through art, a place where all the creative energies of Toronto could come together, co-exist and create a new approach to what a cultural institution can be. Trove is a proposal for what a future gallery could look like inside the Hearn. It utilizes only a small portion of the space, the upper level of the former turbine hall. In that same location which spans the entire northern side of the
over 900-foot-wide Hearn Generating Station, Trove will be exhibited. Only at the Hearn will all 50 images be seen in one location; duplicates of the images will be scattered throughout hundreds of locations across the city. PARTISANS’ virtual gallery design inside the Hearn creates about 14 distinct gallery spaces. The objects are curated like an exhibition among these. They are grouped together in the spirit of “Wunderkammers,” the encyclopedic collections of the European Renaissance, long before museums became more specialized repositories for historical objects, where items and works of art are not distinguished by their provenance, category or discipline. We explicitly did not want to divide up the objects into any categories. We also did not want to divide them up in the way that they historically might be placed within different departments in an institution. We wanted to create free associations, counterpoints and surprise combinations that invite the audience to develop their own narrative. It is like a mirror on a Toronto that is at a point of metamorphosis, branching out in new ways, becoming more diverse and leaving the single narrative historical track.
Scott’s images will give a glimpse into these curatorial decisions as most images do not contain only one object but the main object plus secondary objects in the background, as you would see if the shots were taken in a real gallery. Let’s hope that this exhibition could actually be possible in Toronto one day, that in a not-too-distant future the Hearn will create energy again: cultural energy. The matter, the treasures, are already here as the subjects of the images show. The vessel we still have to create. Trove will be on display at the Hearn in the Jackman Gallery and across the city from June 10–26. The project, conceived by Jorn Weisbrodt, is a collaboration with Scott McFarland, PARTISANS, and Luminato. Visit trove.to to further explore the concept, see a full list of featured treasures and learn more. SUPPORTED BY
#TroveTO
55
Representing the World On the art of Scott McFarland By Kitty Scott CURATOR OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART, ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO
Trove image by Scott McFarland Nail Fetish, Congo, and Kota, Bakota Reliquary Figure, Gabon Private Collection
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
Scott McFarland’s recent large-scale, wide-format photographed, be it an antique African sculpture, a photographs are ambitious, technically complex Blue Jays ring or a white rhino; another from the ficdocumentary-style pictures that embody multiple tional Kunsthaus that houses the object; and finally moments and hold a passage of time within a single that of the very real Hearn Power Station — it is as composite image. Underlying this approach is the if McFarland beckons us to imagine a new dimension, artist’s desire to slow down time and invite viewers to a future time in the city of Toronto. In this not-solinger in a building, a garden, a street, an urban park far-out science fiction, the Hearn has been transor the countryside in order to capture a completely formed from a derelict power station into a state of original and often contradictory realism. Where tradi- the art gallery framing a multiplicity of objects seen tional analog photographs are often seen as the rep- together for the very first time. resentation of a single, decisive moment, McFarland’s McFarland works in a moment of transition, pictures are constructed from many exposures; they between two worlds of technological representacollage together different moments under similar tion. He does so less in order to insist on the priority conditions or the appearance of a single time. Nev- of one over the other — whether digital or analog ertheless, his work often has the appearance of a — than to draw us ever closer to the visual surface decisive moment, or what he calls a “singular super of things, a drive that we could say lies at the very moment” — a layered multiplicity of times and an heart of the photographic project. In this way, at a extended spatial quality that belie a single exposure. moment when so many theorists and practitioners It would seem that the artist’s way of making pic- of photography are declaring a fundamental break tures has greatly informed Trove, the show of pho- from the past, he enacts a suture, a stitch that links tographs that he has produced, working in a new disparate epochs and geographies. In his monumenpartnership with his studio, PARTISANS and Lumi- tal photographs, McFarland does not only represent nato. Bringing together three different space-time repatriation, he enacts it, returning photography to configurations — one emanating from the object its fundamental task of representing the world.
56
#TroveTO
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
A virtual art gallery
The shipping containers we’re using as part of our design throughout the Hearn are also the phenotypic antecedents to the pods we designed to house Luminato's virtual art gallery, Trove: A View of Toronto in 50 of its Treasures. A repository of special local art pieces, ideas and objects, Trove lets you travel back to the future. It is comprised of apertures — openings in the time-space continuum — that act like a recursive series of lenses to offer simulated glimpses of actual treasures. Trove is like looking in a rearview mirror, only the reflection reveals objects rarely before seen and stories yet untold. It is also an architectural metaphor for the city we want to bring into sharper focus. PARTISANS
PARTISANS' early rendering outlining a series of "pods" or mini galleries, an imagined art gallery at Hearn.
#VisualArt
One Thousand Speculations For the second time Luminato Festival will install Canadian artist Michel de Broin’s One Thousand Speculations, a 7.9 metre in diameter ball made up of 1,000 mirrors — the world’s largest mirror ball. Originally commissioned by Luminato for the 2013 Festival, this time it will not be suspended from a crane over David Pecaut Square but will hang inside the Hearn Generating Station. It is a meeting of superlatives. Turned on, it will transform the space into a futuristic spectacle, letting us dream about what could be. For Michel, the piece renders and recreates the starry sky. We will bring the starry sky inside the Hearn, reminding us that our sense of wonder is endless through inspiration. It will make us see the space of the Hearn in an ever- changing way and highlight detail after detail as the 1,000 rays slowly scan the space in circular motion. The best works of art put you into a childish state of delight. I think that anyone who sees One Thousand Speculations will feel like a child again. In 2013 this piece was dedicated to the memory of David Pecaut, one of our festival co-founders, and so we present it again in our 10th anniversary year in a completely different environment that will make you see the piece anew as you see everything that it touches anew. As the piece will be “off” during performances in the main room, visit luminatofestival.com for more information and running times.
By Jorn Weisbrodt ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, LUMINATO FESTIVAL
Michel de Broin’s One Thousand Speculations in David Pecaut Square during Luminato Festival 2013. “The spectacular view of the starry sky has always been a source of delight and wonder. It isn’t hard to imagine that wisdom originated in contemplating the firmament, an experience now impossible in cities because of the considerable obtrusive artificial light that prevents us from observing the stars in the heavens. Initially inspired by a photograph which appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 1942, “The Battle of Los Angeles,” showing anti-aircraft searchlights concentrating on Unidentified Flying Objects, the largest mirror ball ever made will be suspended from a construction crane lit by many beams of light. The one thousand mirrors will reflect the light to render and re-create the starry sky for Toronto’s citizens during the Luminato Festival.” — Michel de Broin Photo by Taku Kumabe
57
58
#VisualArt
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt)
Pierre Huyghe Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt), 2012 Concrete cast with beehive structure, wax Sculpture: 75 x 145 x 45 cm / 29.5 x 57 x 17.7 in. Beehive dimensions variable Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, purchased with the assistance of the David Yuile and Mary Elizabeth Hodgson Fund, 2013 Image courtesy of the artist, Marian Goodman Gallery Untilled is located just outside the Hearn, on view June 10 to 26. For map, see page 11.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AGO AND LUMINATO FESTIVAL
AGO.net
Pierre Huyghe is one of the most prominent representatives of “relational aesthetics” — a tendency within contemporary art that fosters and shapes social interactions rather than producing finite artworks. Examples include the artist’s collaboration with colleagues to revivify a minor character from Japanese anime (No Ghost Just a Shell, 1999–2002) and his invention of a festival for a recently constructed cul-de-sac in suburban New York (Streamside Day Follies, 2003). On view in Toronto for the first time since its acquisition by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt) daringly extends Huyghe’s long-term interests. On site near the Hearn, within a ruined landscape of concrete rubble, weeds and gravel, the artist has placed a statue of a reclining woman, an unremarkable object but for the beehive that entirely obscures its head. Untilled again opens up the artwork to interaction, but one that is no longer limited to its human viewers — instead, a whole ecosystem is engaged, with the bee colony pollinating surrounding flora and extending the work beyond an anthropocentric definition of art. As contemporary science recognizes animals to possess more and more of the capabilities formerly thought of as uniquely human, and as technology produces machines ever more able to mimic human thought and actions, we find ourselves questioning the boundaries between “live things and inanimate things, made and not made” — to quote Huyghe’s description of his materials for Untilled. This headless sculpture with its cloud of swarming bees is both an uncanny index of our shifting cultural landscape and an assertion of the remarkable beauty to be found in our new, strange world.
#ArtsPartners @ The Hearn
59
Arts Partners at the Hearn: Sharing the Space After 10 years of partnering with arts organizations, venues and cultural groups across the city, Luminato Festival will manage and run its own unique venue. For the first time, the festival has the opportunity to invite friends, colleagues and arts partners to help animate the vast, inspiring and atmospheric space that is the Hearn Generating Station. For 2016, Luminato has committed significant focus and budget to ensure the Hearn is an exhilarating, world-class venue. As part of this investment, the Festival is curating a series of performance events and artistic activations with arts partners from across the city, celebrating Luminato’s long history of working with arts organizations and cultural partners in Toronto in a new way: by sharing at the lowest possible cost the infrastructure and space we’re building. Come and #TurnOnTheHearn with the people of Toronto and enjoy 17-days of dynamic programming from Luminato’s core artistic team, long-time collaborators and new partners, in a space that belongs to this city.
The National Film Board of Canada and TIFF Circa 1948 June 10–26, Turbine Hall FREE
Circa 1948 is an interactive projection-mapped installation that allows you to enter the shadowy world of post-war Vancouver. Your body becomes the interface that interacts with the world, which then responds to you in realtime. Encounter conversations with the ghosts of noir-ish Vancouver, a rainsoaked city caught between the ruins of an old order and the shape of things to come. History will not be silent.
Prices and details subject to change.
Join us for an intimate performance of Stravinsky’s masterpiece L’Histoire du soldat, featuring The TSO Chamber Soloists — comprising a septet of TSO musicians — and narrator Derek Boyes. You will love witnessing the members of the orchestra lend their exquisite technique and raw passion to astonishingly beautiful chamber music. One show only, hosted by Concertmaster Jonathan Crow. Toronto Symphony Orchestra Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 & An American in Paris June 21, 6:30 pm, Music Stage Peter Oundjian, conductor Experience the passionate intensity of your TSO — one of the world’s leading orchestras — in a kaleidoscopic program of symphonic favourites. Join us for Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a heartening, darkness-to-light orchestral journey, and Gershwin's An American in Paris, the rollicking, bluesy souvenir of the sights and sounds of the French capital. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear the Orchestra shine in epic masterworks at the Hearn, for one show only!
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
Enter the shadows of post-war Vancouver through this immersive, interactive, full-bodied experience co-created by internationally renowned artist Stan Douglas and the award-winning NFB Digital Studio. Discover two vibrant communities struggling through a time of unforgiving change. Though firmly rooted in the past, Circa 1948 ties economic recession to police corruption and the black-market economy, and looks at how the social dynamics of poverty and wealth influence urban planning — relevant considerations in any age. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
The TSO Chamber Soloists L’Histoire du soldat June 18, 7:00 pm, Side Room
60
#ArtsPartners @ The Hearn
Design Exchange Jordan Söderberg Mills June 10–26, Turbine Hall FREE In a whimsical fusion of science and design, Design Exchange presents Jordan Söderberg Mills’ new series of anaglyphic mirrors that play with physics, perception and colour for a new DX Satellite experience. His works unweave ambient light into spectral colour, creating cascading, stereographic reflections to capture the Hearn for an otherworldly, awe-inspiring encounter. Jordan is a recent graduate of Central Saint Martins and has had his work presented at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Design Festival, National Gallery of Chile and at Milan Design Week. He aspires to become a legitimate wizard one day!
Choreographer and visual artist DA Hoskins, Artistic Director of The Dietrich Group, brings his provocative sensibility to a new creation for Luminato’s 10th Anniversary. An accomplished photographer and video artist, Hoskins has created The Coating Project, a series of moving video portraits of some of Toronto’s most accomplished and vital dance artists. In advance of this year’s festival, he has collaborated with a team of photographers, video and dance artists, documenting the decommissioned industrial space of the Hearn with the vitality of naked bodies. At once a statement on sexuality and a celebration of Toronto’s industrial heritage, The Coating Project will be running throughout the 17-day festival of art and creativity.
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
The Dietrich Group The Coating Project June 10–26 FREE
The practice raises one’s awareness of the inefficiency that accompanies much of our everyday movement. Parkour also elicits a sense of reclaiming public space in the city, freeing the citizen from the physical and psychological constraints prevalent in our society. Visit luminatofestival.com for more details. OCAD University June 10–26, Turbine Hall FREE OCAD University powers up the Hearn with art and design by students, faculty and alumni! Expressing a diverse range of approaches, including Indigenous Visual Culture, the Digital Futures Initiative, Life Studies and varied experimental practices, this installation will generate audience participation in new sensory experiences. OCAD University is Canada’s “university of the imagination,” engaged in transformative education, scholarship, research and innovation. OCAD University makes vital contributions to the fields of art, design and media through local and global cultural initiatives, while providing knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines.
Based in Toronto, The Monkey Vault Team, led by Dan (Pkdanno) Iaboni, has been teaching and performing parkour around North America for over 10 years. Parkour is half sport, half artistic method of training the body to overcome physical obstacles. Born in the suburbs of Paris in the 1980s, it teaches the individual to adapt their movement to absolutely any environment and any situation.
Founded in 2011, Choir! Choir! Choir! has amassed a dedicated and passionate community of singers and a thriving international fan base on YouTube. The group has performed with Patti Smith, Tegan and Sara, and Damien Rice, and onstage at Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall. Choir! Choir! Choir! exists to celebrate music and push the boundaries between practice and performance, artist and audience, offering therapeutic benefits with the ultimate side effect: a powerful community.
Younger Than Beyoncé (YTB) Gallery Exhibition June 10–26, Turbine Hall FREE YTB Gallery is Toronto’s newest artist-run centre. A nomadic gallery, they bring the freshest art exhibitions to the city, providing professional exhibition opportunities for Toronto artists under the age of 33. This summer, they are delving into Toronto’s underground art scene and moving into the Hearn with the finest, newest visual art in the city. YTB’s exhibition programming is about creating survival tactics in a dystopian world. They are prospecting a new environment as a possible settlement through a series of immersive installations. These artists will be sampling, observing, map-making, and creating new protective technologies for the Hearn. Dance Party June 18, 9 pm till late, Side Room
The Monkey Vault Team
Choir! Choir! Choir! is a Toronto singing group led by creative directors Nobu Adilman and Daveed Goldman. The group takes a nontraditional approach; there are no auditions, and they meet twice weekly to learn original choral arrangements of pop songs.
YTB Gallery will also use the defunct power station as their hideaway for a massive post-apocalyptic, post-modern, immersive art dance party. Come dance till the world ends with up-and-coming Toronto DJs and art rebels. Choir! Choir! Choir! Epic! Night at the Hearn Featuring a performance of Hallelujah with a surprise guest. June 11, 7:30 pm, Turbine Hall
DLT OFF LIMITS ZONE June 11–26 (not Mondays) Every 30 minutes, from 3 pm–8 pm OFF LIMITS ZONE is a brand new iteration of the critically acclaimed walkabout performance The Stranger, by DLT, an award-winning theatre company led by artistic director Daniele Bartolini. Designed for one participant at a time, the experience allows audience members to choose between two independent journeys inspired by the movie Stalker by Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky. In this experience, the city becomes the stage and the audience becomes the protagonist. As the lone audience member, you will be thrust into a secret world. Your objective is to reach a mysterious “zone” where the laws of reality no longer apply. You will travel to undisclosed locations and encounter characters that will both help and confuse you during your search. Lost in an urban labyrinth, you will find yourself at the centre of a narrative that blurs the
#ArtsPartners @ The Hearn 61
lines between reality and fiction. Ready to take a leap into the unknown? Advance booking is recommended. For full details and instructions, please visit luminatofestival.com.
Yes Yes Y’all June 17, 11 pm till late, Music Stage
Asad Mecci Hypnohype June 16, 8:30 pm, Side Room Fast-paced and action-packed, Hypnohype is a high-energy, comedy hypnosis show. Master hypnotist Asad Mecci will hypnotize volunteers from the audience to the hypnotic rhythms of expert percussionist Davidson Elie. The 60 minutes of hilarity that ensues will leave the audience speechless. Asad will give suggestions to volunteers on stage that will lead to an experience they will never forget, while entertaining and thrilling the audience.
Bridging the queer and hip-hop communities in Toronto for the last seven years with muchtalked-about dance parties, Yes Yes Y’all teams up with DudeBox to bring you a night of hiphop, RnB, and dancehall. Known for hosting the city’s most inclusive parties, Yes Yes Y’all and DudeBox have become institutions in one of the most diverse cities in the world. With a strong community presence and mandate, both parties have donated thousands of dollars to local charities and non-profits in Toronto over the past few years. Get ready for what’s sure to be one of the sweatiest dance parties of the summer with music provided by the YYY crew and a special headlining guest. Tafelmusik June 19, 7 pm, Music Stage
Sharing Spaces Productions A Study on Effort Created and performed by Bobbi Jene Smith with live music by Keir GoGwilt June 17, 6:30 pm & 9 pm, Side Room
Music in the Barns Song of Extinction June 22, 6:30pm, Music Stage Song of Extinction is the world premiere of a fully immersive visual and sonic experience exploring the calamitous impact humans are inflicting on the planet and its creatures. Featuring stunning large-scale projections and a tightly enmeshed score for chamber orchestra, chamber choir, live electronics and youth chorus, Song of Extinction will interweave breathtaking moving images with live surround sound for a uniquely massive, multimedia event.
BATH SALTS & House of Filth Doggie Show June 24, 11 pm till late, Side Room Doggie Show is a hilarious costume contest and energetic dance party hosted by Toronto’s filthiest drag queens. Breeders and their bitches will walk the runway under the scrutiny of our vicious judges and hilarious commentators. Which specimen will win the blue ribbon, and who will be sent to the kennel cage to dance for their lives? The performance will be followed by live electronic and eclectic sets from our resident DJs. We invite you to dive into the glamour and grime of doggie couture and find your inner beast on our sleazy dance floor. BATH SALTS is the party crime of alien pop star JAL, described as “Electric Circus on bad street drugs,” a perfect partner for the House of Filth entourage of drag at its most vulgar. Battle of Santiago Fábrica de Ritmo June 25, 11 pm till late, Music Stage Deconstructing and fabricating classic Latin rhythms from Cuba to Brazil, Fábrica de Ritmo is a multimedia and immersive experience that captures the beating soul of the Americas. Featuring a live electronic performance from the Battle of Santiago and special guest DJ Medicineman, it’s your last chance to dance at the Hearn (for this year at least…). FIESTA LOCA!
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
The effort of lifting... The effort of a pledge... The effort of not knowing… A Study on Effort is a collaboration between dancer Bobbi Jene Smith and violinist Keir GoGwilt, consisting of 10 tasks that question physical, emotional and metaphoric effort. Bobbi’s nine-year career at the prestigious Batsheva Dance Company (Tel Aviv) led her to consider one question in particular: how does one receive pleasure from effort? This dance work, created and performed by Bobbi, serves as a response to that very question. First presented at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, A Study on Effort parses the concept of effort, decoupling it from burden. Through movement and sound, Bobbi and Keir aim to uncover the pleasure of effort, its pervasiveness and explore the connection between effort and our basic desires.
Tafelmusik, Canada’s award-winning period instrument orchestra and the most active period orchestra in North America, is thrilled to perform at the Hearn. The generating station’s cavernous, cathedral-like setting will make for an exciting and thought-provoking contrast with the ensemble’s baroque repertoire in a concert led by the orchestra’s Chief Artistic Advisor, Jeanne Lamon. Tafelmusik is renowned for its vital, exhilarating and inclusive performance style. This is a unique opportunity to experience what Gramophone magazine names “one of the world’s top baroque orchestras.”
The 50-minute work is a collaboration between composer Rose Bolton and filmmaker Marc de Guerre, with an original libretto by Order of Canada-appointed poet Don McKay and a live concert experience performed by Music in the Barns, curated by founder and director Carol Gimbel (creator of 1000 Strings). Song of Extinction has been made possible by the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.
62
#ArtsPartners @ The Hearn LUMINATO SPECIAL EVENTS
Kid Koala 66 wheels June 25 The first event of its kind: with 26 bikes, 14 turntables, 12 songs and six snacks. Follow Kid Koala on a bicycle tour across the city, stopping at some of his favourite spots for intimate music and food. The tour ends at the Hearn where participants are invited to join Kid Koala’s Music To Draw To. For further details, departure time and instructions, please visit luminatofestival.com.
Music To Draw To is a quiet-time, family-friendly event that Kid Koala started January 2009 in Montreal to chase away the Monday night winter blues. Kid Koala plays four hours of quiet-time work music. Bring your sketchbooks. Finish that screenplay. Code that video game. Finish knitting those socks. Just bring something quiet to do and get some work done! Snacks will be provided.
Gallery exhibit Trove, led by owners of the works featured in the exhibition, that will reveal the true stories behind the collection.
A conversation with: Karen Brooks Hopkins (President Emerita, Brooklyn Academy of Music); Henry Kim (Founding Director, Aga Khan Museum); Karen Pitre (Special Advisor to the Premier on Community Hubs); Mary Rowe (Vice President & Managing Director of the Municipal Art Society of New York City); and Jorn Weisbrodt (Artistic Director, Luminato)
Watch luminatofestival.com for details on these talks and more.
Cities around the world are looking for unique ways to capitalize on their existing assets — people, landscapes, neighbourhoods and buildings — that together make a unique place. How do cities make places that matter, that bring meaning and opportunities to visitors and locals alike? For millennia, cities have provided opportunities for creative expression, serendipity, leisure and experimentation — to pursue interests and ambitions that are better achieved together, rather than alone. But real estate development pressures favouring high-return projects can inhibit or force out creative, recreational uses that are dependent on intentional land use and zoning policy leadership to enable them. Cities therefore need to extract the maximum value from every civic asset available to them: vacant land, industrial spaces and existing facilities such as libraries, community health centers, settlement houses, legion halls, parks and abandoned generating stations like the Hearn! With #TurnOnTheHearn, Luminato Festival has helped Torontonians reimagine the transformative potential art and artists can have on a place. As the world continues to urbanize at a breathtaking pace, cities need to develop ambitious strategies to create shared places for people to meet their collective needs and realize shared aspirations.
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
Music To Draw To June 25, 4–8 pm, Side Room
Art, Culture, and Place-making in the City June 26, 2:45 pm, Music Stage FREE
Luminato Festival’s Generating Conversations FREE, Side Room (except as indicated)
Regent Park School of Music June 25, 6:30 pm, Music Stage Free Join Regent Park School of Music for an exciting musical presentation at Luminato Festival. Featuring students from the Parkdale Nonsense Orchestra, the Regent Park Wind Ensemble and more, this performance celebrates the power of community music education. Regent Park School of Music is a non-profit community music school whose goal is to help kids succeed through music. For tickets, more information and new announcements about our Arts Partners events, please visit www.luminatofestival.com.
To complement and reflect upon the work at this year’s Luminato Festival, we present a series of talks featuring many of the artists involved, thereby reducing the distance between artists and audience and enrichening the experience for everyone. Participants will include: Stefan Kaegi, one-third of the Rimini Protokoll team, speaking about the company’s unique international repertoire and Situation Rooms in particular (presented by Luminato and the Goethe-Institut, at the Goethe); members of the National Theatre of Scotland discussing The James Plays and the challenges of staging a trilogy of plays simultaneously (why isn’t one enough?); choreographers Dana Gingras and Noam Gagnon talking about monumental and the process of reviving The Holy Body Tattoo’s culminating work 10 years after the fact; and a tour of the Jackman
Apocalypsis CD Listening Party June 16, 10:45 pm (after The James Plays), The Music Stage, FREE Luminato Festival in partnership with Analekta and CBC Music Join us to relive 2015’s Apocalypsis, the epic musical voyage written by acclaimed Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. At the Music Stage, in the dark, the recording of 1,000 performers from across Ontario will re-create an empire of sound and movement around you. Earlier this year, Luminato Festival made this rarely performed oratorio available to home listeners on CD and digital platforms, with the first full recording of Apocalypsis. The 2015 performance of this music-theatrical masterwork of unprecedented scale was one of the largest performance events Canada has ever seen. A staggering organizational and artistic accomplishment, the production was the first time Apocalypsis (a 1976 CBC commission) had been performed since its 1980 premiere, and was one of the highest grossing shows in Luminato’s 10 year history, garnering critical acclaim with sold out performances. CDs are available for purchase. For details, visit www.luminatofestival.com. B.A.S.E. Aerial Services, Team FX Canadian BASE Jumpers June 10–11, 8 pm, Smokestack (rain dates: June 17–18) This is going to be huge. To celebrate Luminato’s 10th anniversary, BASE jumpers from Team FX will be performing 10 breathtaking freefalls from the Hearn’s 215 metre tall smokestack (700ft). These daring jumps will be conducted by a team from Ontario and Quebec, featuring Lonnie Bissonnette, Bertrand Cloutier, Anthony White, Scott Stevens and Evan Dickinson, who will be flying red and white parachutes for this historic event. BASE is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: buildings, antenna, span, and earth. It’s an unbelievable and rare spectacle to witness. Due to the lower altitude of the jumps, BASE jumping is considered more dangerous than skydiving. The Hearn’s smokestack will offer an up-close view of the jumpers’ freefalls, parachute openings and descents. Team FX has jumped and represented Canada all over the world and are ready to show Toronto this mind-blowing, adrenaline-pumping sport.
#FestivalHistory
Looking Back: A decade of unforgettable moments Luminato Festival’s artists, volunteers, staff, board members and partners share their favourite memories and moments of the last 10 years. Compiled by Alexandra West (Answers have been condensed and edited.)
“With Luminato, Toronto has the potential, the resources and the audience to make the city shine as one of the enviable meeting points for artists of all over the world.” Rafael Spregelburd SPAM, 2015 Crowd at The Roots concert, 2014
“We all need a little more creativity in our lives and Luminato offers a wide menu from which to choose uniformly unforgettable experiences. My favourite Luminato production was the National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch (2008). I was so excited to be a part of bringing it to Toronto and loved it more and more each time I saw it.” Mitchell Marcus Associate Producer, Luminato 2006–2012
“Luminato is important because it shows work that would not otherwise be seen. It’s a window for artists to showcase their work for an international public.”
“We’ve worked with plenty of specially adapted spaces around the world with Unsound, but the Hearn is one of the most remarkable. It was a huge feat for Luminato to produce the first Unsound Toronto there in 2015, and it really did feel like an adventure for all involved — including, I think, the audience.” Mat Schulz Artistic director of Unsound, Curator of Unsound Toronto, 2015–2016
Robert Wilson Director Einstein on the Beach, 2012 Einstein on the Beach, 2012
63
64
#FestivalHistory
“ We were fearless and bold:
from Cirque du Soleil on the waterfront to Mark Morris’ L’Allegro to Robert Lepage’s Lipsynch to one-off celebrations from thousands dancing in Yonge-Dundas Square to the unprecedented Music Mob at the ACC. Having the opportunity to be part of Canada’s own Rufus Wainwright realizing his ambition to write an opera, producing Prima Donna in partnership with the Manchester Festival and Sadler’s Wells, is something I never would have experienced without Luminato. Artists from around the world that had never performed in Toronto performed alongside our own brilliant local and national talents. Each year we embarked on a new creative adventure, each new Festival provided us with the opportunity to meet new artists, new audiences, new supporters — and experience together the joyous celebration of creativity that Tony and David imagined as the heart of this ambitious adventure that we call Luminato. So much has been accomplished and it was truly an honour and privilege to be involved.” Janice Price Founding CEO, Luminato Festival, 2006–2015 Cirque du Soleil at the Harbourfront Centre, 2009
“My favourite Luminato memory is from my 2008 project, Regent Park Portraits. I was up on a genie lift installing one of the final images for the project when a woman yelled up to me from the ground. She said that she was the teacher of a boy named Cody, whose portrait I had installed two weeks previous. She came to find me to tell me that since his portrait was installed, Cody was more confident and that he felt proud of his neighbourhood and family and that his classmates were now treating Cody with more respect rather than picking on him as they were accustomed to do. I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome.” Dan Bergeron Featured Artist, Regent Park Portraits, 2008 & 2012
“I’ve always admired how the festival so brilliantly combines the need to support local artists and community, while introducing the community to international artists and work.” Mikel Rouse Creator, Failing Kansas, Dennis Cleveland and End Of Cinematics, 2008, & Gravity Radio, 2011
“Without Luminato I would never have had a chance to assist in a Citizenship Ceremony.
It’s a privilege to be included in such an important moment in people’s lives.” Susan Wakefield Volunteer, 2014–2016
Dancer from Rite of Spring/Re, 2007
#FestivalHistory
“Luminato Festival is a celebration of what makes us unique as Canadians — and part of that includes applauding artists and acts from around the globe that often influence work here. Whether that's in music, cuisine or dance, the effects are cumulative and appreciated by audiences here. My favourite memory is having Sidestepper's Richard Blair DJing live at David Pecaut Square in 2014 while our food vendors grilled up some amazing food on a peerless, sunny day.”
Mary Luz Mejia Food Program Curator/ Host, 2014–2015
“June 12, 2009 was a memorable night at the festival. We were launching our final weekend with Cirque du Soleil on the waterfront and it was opening night of Catalyst Theatre’s production of Nevermore. But the biggest story of the evening was at Yonge-Dundas Square where Goran Bregović was playing a free show. It was one of our largest crowds to date at Luminato, with thousands of fans showing up, causing the closure of both Yonge and Dundas streets. At one point, a bunch of guys started climbing the production scaffolding and I had to go on stage and coax them down as the police were threatening to shut down the show. In the end, sanity prevailed and everyone had a great time. As I walked down Yonge St. following the show (with Linda and Alisa from Pomegranate Arts who were managing the tour), a group of very drunk fans yelled from across the street,
“Thank you, art director!” A proud moment indeed.” Chris Lorway Artistic Director, Luminato Festival, 2006–2011
“I met my girlfriend at Luminato in 2009 (she was a fellow volunteer). Been together ever since, and soon to be married.” Karl Ong Volunteer, 2008–2016
“In 2010 I was asked to wrangle and facilitate a series of rehearsals for the Queer Divas event at Yonge-Dundas Square. The artists involved made for a pretty eccentric group and spending the day, and subsequently evening, when we all went out to Buddies in Bad Times, turned into an unforgettable night of laughs and ridiculous memories!” Tyler Shaw Festival Staff, 2010–2011, 2013–2016
65
66
#FestivalHistory
“I felt complete acceptance from the audience and I felt like being at home in Toronto. What I love most about Luminato is definitely its international program: including cutting-edge works from different fields from theatre to dance to music.” Marina Abramović Artist, Life and Death of Marina Abramović, 2013
“Toronto needs events and festivals like Luminato to bring us together, to reconnect us to our city and to inspire us.” Janet Rosenberg Designer & Participant (2015), attendee for many years
“I remember standing on the waterfront on a perfect summer night on June 1, 2007, watching people hold sensors, seeing their heartbeat in spotlights against the night sky in Pulse Front.
Apocalypsis, 2015
“What I love most about Luminato is the variety of arts it showcases. Although Toronto is notable for its renowned art festivals that may individually showcase the best in fashion or film, Luminato really ties it altogether and allows the public to be exposed to the best of almost every art imaginable through its diverse programming. I felt as if
Luminato made crème de la crème performances and exhibits from around the world accessible to me by only a few TTC stops.” Britney Ngaw Volunteer, 2014–2016 Michel de Broin’s One Thousand Speculations in David Pecaut Square, 2013
It was actually happening – the dream of Luminato had become a reality! One day in early 2006, David Pecaut, Tony Gagliano, and I were in a small meeting room at BCG. Julia came in with the incorporation papers for the new festival which required the name of a board chair, a secretary and a treasurer, and the name of the organization. We immediately agreed that David and Tony should be co-chairs. Julia became secretary, and I became treasurer. Julia began writing down the name of the organization as Toronto Festival of Arts and Culture. David said, “No, creativity!” Julia kept writing and the name of the festival to this day is Toronto Festival of Arts, Culture and Creativity, more easily known as Luminato!” Lucille Joseph Founding Luminary, Vice-Chair, Board of Directors and 2016 Donor
#FestivalHistory
“As its co-founders, Tony Gagliano and David Pecaut imagined Luminato is a festival that presents and celebrates creativity, culture and the arts in every form.
During the festival, Toronto becomes the cultural capital of the world. I’ll always remember the inaugural festival. Countless productions and performances stand out for me — Pulsefront, Black Watch, Joni Mitchell at Massey Hall. And in 2010, the City of Toronto renaming what would later become the Luminato Hub after David — the many exciting themes and uses of David Pecaut Square for subsequent Luminato Festivals and other city events like Toronto’s Fashion Week.” Helen Burstyn Luminato family member, Founding Luminary Board of Directors and 2016 Donor Joni: A Portrait in Song, 2013
“Luminato was the first festival in North America I performed at. It is always a celebration for a city to have a very well-thought-out festival that agglomerates a diversity of artists of different generations and cultures.” Eduardo Fukushima Dancer and Choreographer, 2015
RED BALL PROJECT Toronto, 2009
“Of many Luminato Festival highlights, the RED BALL PROJECT was my favourite. The city was so engaged in wondering where it would turn up next. It was a simple description of permanence and movement.” Urban Joseph, O.C. Founding Luminary and 2016 Donor
“One of my favourite Luminato experiences: playing the cannon part in the 1812 Overture with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 2012! I pushed a button that set off explosives for every cannon note in the percussion part.” Michelle Colton Performer, 2012 & 2015
67
CongratuLations to LUMINATO on its 10th iLLuMinating year.
Proud Media Partner of the Luminato Festival
Luminato Program ad 7.25X4.75.indd 1
16-03-28 10:38 AM
#FestivalHistory
Luminato at Ten Festival co-founder and board chair Tony Gagliano reflects on the past and future of Luminato Festival. By Michael Redhill
Festival co-founders Tony Gagliano and David Pecaut at a press conference announcing details of Luminato 2008
In 2003, two civic-minded citizens from very different backgrounds met for a glass of wine. One, Tony Gagliano, was a local businessman who had helped turn his family’s small printing concern into one of the largest media and printing companies in the country. The other, David Pecaut, was a business leader interested in solving urban social, environmental and economic issues. In 2002, he founded the Toronto City Summit Alliance (now CivicAction) and worked with partners from myriad backgrounds to take on these issues. The two men had never met before, but they shared the belief that Toronto needed to take a big leap forward to become one of the leading cities of the world. The Toronto of 2003 was reeling from a perfect storm of economic crises. In 1998, the provincial government amalgamated the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto into a single “megacity.� The recession in 2001, followed by the SARS crisis in 2003, left the city in an unprecedented slump. Both Gagliano and Pecaut were looking for a sustainable way to reignite the city. By the end of their first meeting, they had agreed to move forward with an idea that would come to be known as Luminato, a global arts festival with the ambition to be unlike any other in North America. Sadly, David Pecaut passed away in 2009 but lived to see their dream become a reality.
69
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
70
#FestivalHistory I spoke to Tony Gagliano just 10 weeks before the launch of Luminato’s 10th anniversary festival and asked him to think back to the beginning. “It was absolutely the lowest point in this city in at least 50 years,” he said. “It was dark and dismal. In the time of SARS, people experienced the city when the lights were out.” Convincing Toronto’s citizens, arts groups, all levels of governments and other stakeholders to work together to create a global arts festival from scratch was an unprecedented challenge they faced head on. Their goal was to launch Luminato in a way that people would embrace and come to love, and as a platform that, over time, all creative organizations in the city would benefit from. Gagliano and Pecaut decided not to define the festival before they held extensive consultations with leading members of the cultural sector. These meetings — sometimes heated — produced a unanimous agreement on the festival’s values. Pecaut called them the three pillars: collaboration, accessibility and diversity. “Our bold idea was to invite the great artists of the world to Toronto every June to collaborate with Canada’s great artists and invite the world to attend and be inspired by it all. We were all incredibly nervous in the beginning,” Gagliano said. “It was a ‘hurry up’ offence to launch the inaugural festival, and we knew it was a rare opportunity to do something that had never been done before. We moved quickly, working with a staff team that seemed to grow by the
Composer Philip Glass and poet/singer Leonard Cohen. Book of Longing at the Elgin Theatre, 2007
day. We wondered how Luminato would be perceived by the people of the city. There was a lot of anxiety and excitement. It was an adventure for all of us.” Chris Lorway, the festival’s first artistic director and Janice Price, the founding CEO, assembled a small but mighty staff team and took on the incredible burden of launching the first Luminato. Even before that, Lucille Joseph (a donor and vice chair of the board today) brilliantly took on the task of interim CEO. The preparations paid off and the first year was a smash. Gagliano found it enormously satisfying. “We were trying to do something so rare and ambitious and the response we received from so many people was that the inaugural festival made them feel proud that Toronto could host such a high-calibre event. I told people that in future years, I hoped they would want to take 10 days off work and throw themselves completely at the festival.”
As a result of the festival, some of the greatest art institutions in the world have collaborated with some of the best art institutions in Canada. Now, in 2016, the festival turns 10, and the dream of Luminato’s founders has a strong taproot. In its first decade, the festival has featured thousands of different artists from all disciplines on its stages and sites. Their names are a Who’s-Who of international and local greats of music, stage, dance and literature. In 10 years, Luminato’s audiences have revelled in the company of such artists as Leonard Cohen, Marina Abramovic, Molly Johnson, Béla Fleck, Robert Lepage, Joni Mitchell, Claire Messud, Atom Egoyan, Scott McFarland, Terence Koh, Geoffrey Farmer, Mark Morris, Rufus Wainwright, Kid Koala, Bebel Gilberto, Matthew Barney, Gore Vidal and many more. As a result of the festival, some of the greatest art institutions in the world have collaborated with some of the best art institutions in Canada to put on some unforVIDA!, 2007
#FestivalHistory gettable productions. Growing pains are inevitable, but the organization has handled stumbles and controversies with style and grace. As the festival begins its second decade, there are new changes coming and new challenges to overcome. Luminato continues to develop innovative approaches that will deepen its commitment to deliver the high quality programming it’s become famous for. This year, the festival takes over the abandoned Hearn Generating Station on Toronto’s eastern waterfront. This massive building sits like a glorious shipwreck on the shoals of Lake Ontario, but over three weeks this summer, it will be transformed into the world’s largest multi-arts centre under one roof. Toronto’s PARTISANS — the provocative architectural firm that taps into narrative to rethink design — has undertaken the challenge of designing the interior, while Charcoalblue, an international theatre and acoustics consultancy firm, will ensure audiences watch presentations in an optimal technical environment. ***
David Byrne’s Contemporary Color at the Air Canada Centre, 2015 Photo by David Leyes
Luminato also celebrates another anniversary this year, the fifth and final under the artistic direction of Jorn Weisbrodt. Weisbrodt, in his tenure, has cemented the experience of Luminato by immersing its audiences in unique environments and taking risks that push what theatre can be in Toronto. “The calibre of art experience he’s brought here is incredible,” said Gagliano. “What Jorn has been able to bring is a real sense of adventure, and he’s made the festival a must-see experience. In five years, he’s helped define Luminato as a brand, and brought all aspects of the festival to a higher level.” On the eve of Luminato’s 10th year, Tony Gagliano is still inspired by the spirit of his co-founder and friend, David Pecaut, and he dreams of a future when Torontonians can’t imagine leaving the city during Luminato. “I want people to stay here and come here for the festival! I want artists to jump at the opportunity to come and present their work. They’ll be inspired to join us, not only because of how they’re looked after, but the unique way they can interact with their audiences and other artists. I want Luminato to become the favourite place for the world’s top artists to collaborate with Canada’s top
I told people that in future years, I hoped they would want to take 10 days off work and throw themselves completely at the festival. artists, and the favourite place for the people of the world to experience that collaboration. It is important as we mark this anniversary to thank all of the luminaries who have supported the festival from the beginning; all government officials at all levels especially our founding partner, the Province of Ontario; and the public who have so enthusiastically supported this dream.” The 10th year of Luminato will be both a milestone and a transition. With one artistic director outgoing and one incoming — the inestimable Josephine Ridge, late of the Melbourne Festival working closely with new CEO Anthony Sargent — this edition of Luminato will deepen its reputation for adventure and excellence as its brightly burning torch is passed into new hands.
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
Luminato’s growth is still in its early days. When asked where he saw the festival going, Gagliano emphasized that there is still work to do bringing it closer to its three pillars. “I’d love us to to be more collaborative as a festival in the future,” he told me. “It’s in our DNA, and is a major focus in 2016; I’d like us to develop it further with both artists and institutions. Rarely do you get an opportunity to start a new organization that has a powerful opportunity to contribute financially, culturally and socially to a city’s fabric in such a profound way. Toronto is well-known as a tolerant city, but Luminato may give this city an opportunity to one day move beyond tolerance and actually celebrate our diversity. Luminato is a perfect platform for diverse cultures to present the best in their community. And more and more, it is clear we need to experience the best that every culture is capable of.”
71
72
#GetInvolved
JUNE 10–26 2016
LUMINATO
FESTIVAL
Welcoming the Community
New Canadian citizens and attendees at the 2015 Community Citizenship Ceremony.
Openness, diversity, and inclusion. These are pillars of Canadian society and also of the 10th anniversary Luminato Festival. We are stronger when we collaborate and share various forms of arts and creativity. We develop a communal sense of identity by being open. Our society grows richer through inclusion as well. As we welcome new people into our city and country, each person brings with them a unique story. These stories expand the ever-evolving story of Toronto as one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Luminato is opening the Hearn as well. We are hosting a community event to welcome Syrian newcomers and to celebrate the future that we can create together.
As in previous years, we are also hosting an enhanced Canadian Citizenship Ceremony with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. It’s an opportunity for us to celebrate with new citizens and collectively reflect on what it means to be Canadian. We’re proud to be part, again this year, of the Cultural Access Pass program, which provides complimentary admission to new Canadian citizens during their first year of citizenship. The future will be richer if we create it together. For more information or to learn about participating in these events, visit luminatofestival.com.
#GetInvolved
73
Volunteers in adventurous places
Better Together
A tribute to Luminato Festival’s volunteers By Saskia Rinkoff & Nicole Culp
LUMINATOFESTIVAL.COM
This year marks Luminato Festival’s 10th anniversary celebra- lies in the bonds and networks that many of them formed over tion, and it wouldn’t be a proper celebration if we didn’t pay the course of their three-month journey. In 2012, the Education and Outreach department estabtribute to our fantastic volunteers! Since Luminato Festival’s inception in 2007, volunteers have played an integral role in the lished the Youth Volunteer Photography program. The prosuccessful execution of each and every event. It is with deepest gram changes a bit every year, but it maintains its founding gratitude that we would like to thank our devoted, enthusiastic, vision: to provide high school students with the opportunity talented and diverse volunteer teams for their ongoing com- to learn about photography and practice their skills with the mitment and support. We are forever indebted to each of you guidance of professional photographers. From experimenfor sharing our passion for bringing adventurous art to adven- tal Lomography to the construction of a pinhole camera, our turous places and highlighting Toronto’s artistic vibrancy. We YVPs (as they’ve been affectionately termed) have brilliantly captured the festival over the years and allowed us to see it all could not have done it without your generous contributions. Over the past 10 years, Luminato’s volunteer program has through their eyes. grown by leaps and bounds. A team of 56 volunteers was In our 10th year, we’ll bring together more volunteers than involved with the first festival, and nine of those volunteers are ever before to be a part of Luminato and contribute to its vision still active after 10 years! The number of returning volunteers for Toronto’s future cultural ambitions. From June 10 to 26, has steadily increased to a noteworthy 40 percent. This commit- our volunteers will turn on the Hearn and keep the power on ment speaks volumes about the kind of volunteers who become through every day of the festival. For the first time, volunteers will take ownership of the building as the front-of-house team involved with the organization and the programming we offer. Our festival volunteer team, year after year, has elevated — greeting visitors, providing onsite information, taking tickets and illuminated our programming by offering information, and seating theatregoers. They will be woven in to the expedirections and naturally, smiles. In 2011, the Education and rience of each person who enters the building, reflecting the Outreach department formed a partnership with Culture- Hearn’s indomitable spirit and Toronto’s diversity and keen love Link, a local settlement and community services organization for the arts. We couldn’t do it without them, and we couldn’t be for newcomers to Canada. The intention was to join forces, luckier to have this group with us as we march forward. share resources and provide CultureLink participants with the opportunity to work with trained mentors in preparation To volunteer at the 2016 Luminato Festival, visit luminatofestival.com. for volunteering with the festival. To date, approximately 180 YOUTH VOLUNTEER PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY newcomers have participated in this program. Some have moved on to become mentors themselves, but the true value
74
#FestivalDonors
Festival Donors Luminato is proud to recognize our festival donors. For the past 10 years, they have helped us develop, support and showcase extraordinary art for diverse and curious audiences. More importantly, they have kept many of our programs free for everyone to enjoy. For Luminato’s 10th anniversary, a number of individuals and families have once again pledged their support to ensure the continued strength and potential of Luminato. We are so grateful for their commitment.
Founding Luminaries From the very beginning, donors have been at the heart of Luminato. Among the first to stand behind the Festival were the Founding Luminaries: arts patrons and civic builders who share the vision of making Luminato one of the most important annual multi-arts festivals on the world stage. We remain truly grateful to the following individuals and organizations for their generosity.
Mohammad and Najla Al Zaibak* Tony and Anne Arrell Salah Bachir Charles and Marilyn Baillie* Avie Bennett* Helen Burstyn and David Pecaut* The David and Stacey Cynamon Family Foundation Kate Alexander Daniels and David Daniels* Joan T. Dea and Lionel F. Conacher* Ian and Kiki Delaney Cam and Alexandra di Prata John Donald and Linda Chu* Gail Drummond and Bob Dorrance The Duboc Family Foundation* Lonti Ebers and Bruce Flatt Margaret and Jim Fleck* Kevin and Roger Garland* The Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation Anthony and Helen Graham* Jay and Barbara Hennick and Family Ian Ihnatowycz and Marta Witer Lucille and Urban Joseph* Patrick and Barbara Keenan Michael and Sonja Koerner* Tiana Koffler Boyman and Marc Boyman Joan and Jerry Lozinski Chetan and Clara Mathur* Judy and Wil Matthews* Sloan Mauran and Adrian Tauro Rob and Cheryl McEwen* * These visionary donors supported the Luminato Festival before its inaugural season.
Joseph Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran David and Audrey Mirvish Pierre L. Morrissette* Gordon and Janet Nixon Nancy Pencer Sandra and Jim Pitblado* Jonas and Lynda Prince* Richard Rooney and Laura Dinner* Gary and Donna Slaight* Geoff and Megan Smith Howard Sokolowski and Senator Linda Frum* Marisa and Edward Sorbara* Larry and Judy Tanenbaum* Phil and Eli Taylor The Roy Thomson Family Taylor Thomson John and Liz Tory The Hon. Hilary M. Weston and W. Galen Weston Robin and David Young* FOUNDING CORPORATE LUMINARIES BMO Financial Group Dancap Productions Inc. Falls Management Company Ivey Foundation MacLaren McCann Manulife Financial RBC St. Joseph Communications TELUS Tourism Toronto
#FestivalDonors
2016 Festival Donors Our donors have helped us create a milestone Festival, one that celebrates the inventiveness of the city that gave birth to Luminato. The 2016 Festival will leave an unforgettable legacy because of their investment in imaginative programming, in our residency at the Hearn Generating Station and in our vision for the future of Luminato. We are honoured to begin our second decade with their support.
SUPERNOVA SUPPORTERS Anonymous Lucille Joseph and Urban Joseph, O.C. Joan and Jerry Lozinski Chetan and Clara Mathur Jonas and Lynda Prince Gretchen and Donald Ross St. Joseph Communications Phil and Eli Taylor 10TH ANNIVERSARY CIRCLE Mohammad and Najla Al Zaibak John and Leanna Bayliss Avie Bennett David W. Binet Ms. Susanne Boyce and Dr. Brendan Mullen Helen Burstyn and Family Janice Lewis and Mitchell Cohen Holly Coll-Black and Rupert Duchesne Doris and Ed Daughney Victor and Maureen Dodig Glenna and George Fierheller Goring Family Foundation Eleanor McCain Donald and Helen McGillivray Vanessa and Mark Mulroney La Fondation Sackler/The Sackler Foundation Anthony Sargent CBE Sylvia Soyka Jorn Weisbrodt and Rufus Wainwright Robin and David Young
To join our community of supporters and to learn more about our giving programs, please visit luminatofestival.com.
PATRON CIRCLE Marina Abramović Charles and Marilyn Baillie Rena Bedard and Bill Dillane Diane Blake and Stephen Smith Helen Burstyn and Family Wendy M. Cecil Neera and Deepak Chopra Gail Drummond and Bob Dorrance Robert and Julia Foster Anthony and Helen Graham James and Susan Haldenby The Hayden Family Foundation Vahan and Susie Kololian Marina Mahler Roberto and Lucia Martella Nancy Pencer Janice Price and Ian Findlay Susan Sarandon Colleen Sexsmith Greg and Kate Sorbara Elen Steinberg William Thorsell Antoinette Tummillo and John Carter Carol Wilding Peter Wilkinson FOUNDATION PARTNERS La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso Hal Jackman Foundation The Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation The Pottruff Family Foundation The SOCAN Foundation BIG BANG BASH GALA June 9, 2016 CO-CHAIRS: Mark and Vanessa Mulroney Jonas and Lynda Prince HONOURARY CO-CHAIRS: David and Angela Feldman Tony and Lina Gagliano
75
76
#MoreFromOurPartners
More From Our Partners Cue the lights. Raise the curtain.
We’re proud to support Luminato as it enters its
Luminato celebrates the arts in its various
We’re proud to support Luminato as it enters forms, but most importantly through beauty and 10th year supporting the arts and diversity of its Toronto’s 10th year supporting the arts diversity creativity; two concepts that are at the heart of cultural communities. Enjoy and the festival. everything we do. Congratulations for showcasing of Toronto’s cultural communities. Enjoy the festival.
beauty and creativity in their infinite diversity for the past 10 years. Looking forward to a great season 10.
BMO Financial Group is proud to support the Luminato Festival. Luminato contributes to the cultural fabric of our community by bringing critically acclaimed work from across the globe to Toronto, like in its presentation of The James Plays.
#FitsYourLife
100% of OLG proceeds are invested in Ontario. From healthcare, to education, to community festivals, OLG funds are hard at work all across our province. Join us in celebrating Luminato Festival’s 10th anniversary. We’re Ontario’s Lottery and Gaming, and we're ALL FOR HERE.
Mill Street will return as a partner of the Luminato Festival and is excited to present The Biergarten at the Hearn Generating Station. Join us for a wide selection of one of a kind Mill Street craft beers and delicious food!
Absolut® is on a mission to redefine nightlife. Through collaboration with Makers across Canada, Absolut will be bringing a cutting-edge “technology in nightlife” interactive art experience to Luminato Festival 2016. If you are an artist who wants to collaborate and disrupt the status quo, visit Absolut.com and help us make the night!
#MoreFromOurPartners 77
Festival Partners FOUNDING GOVERNMENT PARTNER
MAJOR PARTNER
PRESENTING PARTNERS
PROGRAM PARTNERS
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
473D91
MAJOR MEDIA PARTNER
MEDIA PARTNER
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
ARTS PARTNERS
CORPORATE SUPPORTERS OF THE FESTIVAL
Aimia, LRI Engineering Inc., Stikeman Elliott LLP
C
ATULATIO
10
N S!
O
R NG
YEARS | ANS
LUMINATO FESTIVAL
FÉ
www.arts.on.ca
Follow us | Suivez-nous
LIC
@ONArtsCouncil | @ConseilartsON
ITA T
S ION
!
#TeamLuminato
Festival Staff EXECUTIVE & ADMINISTRATION Anthony Sargent, CBE CEO
PROGRAMMING & PRODUCTION Jorn Weisbrodt Artistic Director
Saskia Rinkoff* Volunteer Manager
Marcia McNabb, CPA, CA Vice President, Finance & Administration
Clyde Wagner Executive Producer
Nicole Culp* Volunteer Coordinator
Winston Tang Office & Human Resources Manager
Naomi Campbell Director, Artistic Development
Daniel He Financial Coordinator
Veronica Barton Producer
Cam McKinnon* Artist Liaison/Assistant Transportation Coordinator
Erin Michel Executive Assistant to the CEO
Nicole Hurtubise Assistant to the Artistic Director
Dave Pennington Production Accountant
Derek Andrews* Curator, Music
Jennifer Stein* Producer
Natasha Udovic Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships
Caroline Hollway* Producer
Martha Haldenby Associate Director, Development
Tanya Hart* Producer
Sarah Jarvis Associate Director, Corporate Partnerships
Swapnaa Tamhane* Producer
Tim Whalley Associate Director, Government & Community Relations Leah Schoenmakers Development Associate, Individual Giving and Foundations Matt Irving Development Associate, Corporate Partnerships Chiara Lacey* Events Specialist
Ashley Ballantyne Director of Communications
Denyse Karn* Producer
DEVELOPMENT Tenny Nigoghossian Vice President, Advancement
Alison Uttley Associate Director, Marketing Stephen Barber Ticketing Manager Seowon Bang Interactive Marketing Manager Alexandra West Marketing Manager Liz MacInnis* Lead Graphic Designer
Tyler Shaw* Associate Producer
Jennifer Perras* Festival Publicist
Matthew Lederman* Production Manager
Matt Moore* Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Peter Eaton* Production Manager
Thomas Feore* Front of House Manager
Bob Mitchell* Production Manager
Michelle Gormek* Front of House Manager
Sean Richards* Production Manager
Lise Sorokopud* Digital Archives Coordinator
Sue Konynenburg* Company Manager Stephanie Tonietto* Production Coordinator
*Seasonal Staff
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Shawn Hernden Senior Director, Marketing & Communications
Leonardo Oliveira* Production Coordinator
Red Eye Media* Media Relations The Knot Group* Media Relations
Jeremy Forsyth* Coordinator, Trove
Board of Directors Tony Gagliano (Chair) Lucille Joseph (Vice Chair) Mohammad Al Zaibak
John Bayliss Helen Burstyn Doris Daughney Rupert Duchesne Anthony Graham
Luminato Laureates Peter Herrndorf Frank Kollmar Mark Mulroney Roberto Dante Martella Chetan Mathur
Jonas Prince Greg Sorbara William Thorsell Carol Wilding Peter Wilkinson
Salah Bachir Avie Bennett Julia Deans Jim Fleck
Susan McArthur Rob McEwen Javier San Juan Gary Slaight
79
80
#FestivalHistory
Luminato Festival by the Numbers A snapshot of the last
13,428
ARTISTS
HAVE PARTICIPATED
10
years
40 from over
18%
of participating artists were from around the world
countries
82% 4,054 of participating artists were Canadian
in over
3,000 PERFORMANCES
VOLUNTEERS HAVE CONTRIBUTED
34,226 total volunteer hours
34
office dogs over the last 10 years!
Thursday, June 9, 2016 6:30 PM Cocktails and Dinner 9:30 PM Luminato Festival Opening Party ATTIRE Tomorrow’s Black Tie
CO-CHAIRS
HONOURARY CO-CHAIRS
Mark & Vanessa Mulroney Jonas & Lynda Prince
David & Angela Feldman Tony & Lina Gagliano
RESERVE YOUR TABLE TODAY Contact Martha Haldenby for sponsorship or table packages: mhaldenby@luminato.com 416 572 8458
Luminato Festival 180 Shaw Street Suite 301 Toronto ON M6J 2W5 luminatofestival.com 416 368 4849 #TurnOnTheHearn Cover photo by Jonathan Castellino