ABOUT
This bike tour took us to the Port Lands area of Toronto to complete our season of programming along the waterfront. We were excited to partner with both Waterfront Toronto and Myseum of Toronto to present projects on the tour and at our exhibition Desire Lines iwhich served as the final stop.
Thank you to our volunteers and partners that made this event possible, as well as our emcee Shamez Amlani, our bike repairman Geoffrey Bercarich, and our resident DJ General Eclectic and his Boom Bike. Further thanks to our dedicated Bike Marshalls, many of whom come to us through the support of the Community Bicycle Network and Bike Pirates. We were joined again by Daniel Rotsztain and his Analog Street View project, which was with us throughout the 2017 season as part of the Roving Residency, it was a fantastic addition to our fleet and a unique way to record our routes across the season.
Our first stop was to visit Transformations Connected, a mural series in progress by The STEPS initiative featuring artists Meera Sethi, Fathima Mohiuddin, Stephanie Bellefleur and Daniela Rocha, situated under the Gardiner Expressway.
Our second stop was a unique performance by The Deaf Culture Centre, followed by a site-specific dance performance by Christianne Ullmark and Erin Poole in a defunct ferry terminal. Finally we visited Solution Mat by Vanessa Brazeau, which was co-presented with Myseum of Toronto in a secret empty lot deep within the Port Lands neighbourhood. See details on all three of these commissioned projects below.
The opening of our exhibition Desire Lines doubled as the after party for our Art Spin tour with multiple special performances that kept the party going late.
Thanks to our friends at CDR Toronto who programmed some tunes through their Open CDR program where musicians and producers submitted tracks-in-the-works to be heard by all. Thanks to DJ Sean Sax for taking to the turntables for CDR as well as DJ General Eclectic who got us moving with a great set from the Boom Bike.
We were lucky to have a live musical performance wander through the space by T.Dot BANGERZ Brass, a local hip hop brass ensemble. Special for the opening we also featured a film screening of the 7a*md8 On-Screen program, a collection of performance art for video curated by Francisco-Fernando Granados and Golboo Amani with works by Alize Zorlutuna, Julieta Maria, Lisa Birke, Erika DeFreitas, Merritt Johnson, Cressida Kocienski, Johanna Householder and b.d.Yael, Manolo Lugo, Cheryl L'Hirondelle, Lisa Steele, Zinnia Naqvi, Michèle Pearson Clarke, and Tadasu Takamine. Download the program for the 7a*md8 video series here. Finally, our opening party also hosted a unique performance of Talking to Water by Dayna Danger and company, curated by Clayton Windatt, which engaged the audience through a Water Song, drawing attention to connections between people and water.
Thank you to everyone who participated as an audience member, volunteer, artist, partner or funder, Art Spin would not be possible without the
generous support that our community provides. Special thanks to our dedicated behind-the-scenes volunteers for 2017: Emily, Jen, Andrew, Lamont, Owen, Benjamin, and Jordyn.
ARTISTS & Creative Collaborators
The Deaf Culture Centre, Erin Poole & Christianne Ullmark, Vanessa Brazeau, Daniel Rotsztain, Meera Sethi, Fathima Mohiuddin, Stephanie Bellefleur and Daniela Rocha, DJ Sean Sax, DJ General Eclectic, T.Dot BANGERZ Brass, Dayna Danger, Fransisco-Fernando Granados, Golboo Amani, Alize Zorlutuna, Julieta Maria, Lisa Birke, Erika DeFreitas, Merritt Johnson, Cressida Kocienski, Johanna Householder and b.d.Yael, Manolo Lugo, Cheryl L'Hirondelle, Lisa Steele, Zinnia Naqvi, Michèle Pearson Clarke, and Tadasu Takamine, Karen Miranda Abel, Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins,
Kaitlyn Bourden, Hannah Busse, Paul Chartrand, Nicole Clouston, Naomi Dodds,
Anna Eyler, Chris Foster, Young & Giroux, Sarah Kernohan, Alex McLeod, Daniel Rotsztain, Lauren Schaffer, Chris Hanson & Hendrika Sonnenberg, Sheldon Storey,
Jessica Thalmann, Tough Guy Mountain, VSVSVS
PARTNERS
Myseum of Toronto, Deaf Culture Centre, Waterfront Toronto, Ports Toronto, The STEPS Initiative, CDR, 7a*11d, Boom Bike, Community Bicycle Network, Bike Pirates
COMMISSIONED PROJECTS
The Deaf Culture Centre
Our Home on Native Land
This special performance of 'Oh Canada' by an American Sign Language Choir, arranged by The Deaf Culture Centre, featured one essential lyric change to 'our home ON Native land', in a nod to the many Canada 150 Celebrations that failed to acknowledge the history of colonialism and the repeated marginalization of indigenous peoples who were on this land before European settlers. The choir performed to a quiet and attentive audience with a stunning backdrop of our industrial port and city skyline in a celebration of the poetry of American Sign
Language.
Special thanks to Joanne Crisp and Rylyn Lennox, as well as all the
choir performers who made this project possible. Thank you to the choir
conductor Patti Tromenikoff and her assistants, Corrina and Karlee.
ERIN POOLE &
CHRIStianne Ullmark
A Hubble Radius
This unique contemporary dance performance responded to the circular windows, or portholes, in the defunct Rochester ferry terminal waiting room. With the audience seated inside they witnessed glimpses of the performers through the windows as tall ships slowly sailed behind in the setting sun through the eastern gap between the Port Lands and the Toronto Islands.
Many thanks to Ports Toronto who kindly opened the doors to the old Port Of Toronto ferry terminal making this project possible.
Vanessa Brazeau
Solution Mat
co-presented with MYSEUM of TOronto
"The Solution Mat is a public forum for citizens to find concrete answers to political and social debates in our present time of uncertainty and crisis - a time when people are losing faith in the current state of democracy. The method is not by reason or informed discussion, but rather by the contingent outcomes of freestyle wrestling matches in public space.
The public is invited to propose Yes or No questions concerning municipal and current political issues, with each wrestler representing each possible answer. The winning result of each match determines the answer, open to be celebrated or contested. The Solution Mat offers a critique of contemporary democracy, making fair decisions regarding current and future issues as a pluralistic society, in which diverse perspectives and multiple truths coexist. The project reveals the potential of irrationality and encourages public dialogue of the issues affecting citizens in order to inspire new and absurd methods for change."
- Vanessa Brazeau
This project was presented in a secluded empty lot in the Port Lands, and in collaboration with Myseum of Toronto. Many thanks to Central Toronto Wrestling and their team for their support and participation.
Daniel Rotsztain
Analog Street View
Part of the Roving residency
"For the last decade, Google cars mounted with panoramic cameras have
been plying the streets of the world, automatically taking hundreds of
thousands of 360 degree photographs that are stitched together and uploaded to its Street View database.
Analog Street View is a collaboratively produced, analogue version inspired by Google’s documentation of the world’s streets. But instead of Google’s indiscriminate and automatic cameras, Analog Street View is generated by Art Spin participants, who are invited to record the passing landscape with markers and pencil crayons on a giant roll of rotating paper, mounted on a bike cart and following the Art Spin tours throughout the city."
Daniel Rotsztain's project carried over during all three of the Art Spin bicycle tours in 2017, each documenting a new route and different part of the city. All three final, illustrated rolls of paper were displayed in panorama at the Desire Lines exhibition.
PHOTOS
Photos by Priam Thomas.
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
Art Spin volunteers Leah and Owen getting set up
Our audience gathers in Corktown Common
Emcee Shamez Amlani starting off the tour
Emcee Shamez Amlani introducing the tour
Anjuli Solanki from the STEPS initiative speaking to the group about their new murals
A mobile model of the 'Ongiara' city ferry by Manuel Cappel.
Our audience gathering in the park
Daniel Rotsztain and his Analog Street View project
Setting off to our first location
Setting off on our bikes
En route to Stop #1 from the tour
Our first stop at a new series of murals programmed by The STEPS Initiative
Our first stop at a new series of murals programmed by The STEPS Initiative
Our first stop at a new series of murals under the Gardiner Expressway
Our first stop at a new series of murals under the Gardiner Expressway
Our first stop at a new series of murals under the Gardiner Expressway
Our first stop at a new series of murals under the Gardiner Expressway
Our first stop at a new series of murals in progress under the Gardiner Expressway
Approaching our second stop at the Essroc silos in the Port Lands
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
The audience watches 'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
'Our Home on Native Land' - a performance by The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
The Deaf Culture Centre ASL choir
En route to our third stop
Crossing the Cherry Street Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge
Crossing the bridge on Cherry St.
DJ General Eclectic with his Boom Bike
Gathering outside our next stop at the defunct Rochester Ferry Terminal
Entering the old Rochester Ferry Terminal
Dancer Christianne Ullmark getting ready for her performance
Erin Poole & Christianne Ullmark performing 'A Hubble Radius' seen through the windows.
PARTNERS
