July 2016 Bike Tour

JULY 14th 2016

ABOUT

This tour began at Trinity Bellwoods Park with emcee Shamez Amlani joined by Richard Underhill on the saxophone to accompany the ride, plus a coffee cart by Wheely's to serve the masses. After a brief but mighty bout of rain, the tour kicked off with a unique site-specific performance by Cara Spooner, co-presented with Workman Arts on the CAMH grounds. The second stop took us into an underground parking garage under Honest Ed's department store for a performance by Luke Smit, followed by a site-specific dance work by Amanda Acorn and Alana Elmer that utilized the bridge between Honest Ed's buildings. Read more about these unique and site-specific projects below.

For the after party the tour ended at Markham House, for an exhibition curated by Art Spin Imagined Spaces : Spaces Imagined. There was a live musical performance by Delta Will presented by Wavelength Music, followed by a set from DJ General Eclectic on his Boom Bike. Bike Valet was provided courtesy of Cycle Toronto, and delicious food served up by Bunz Urbane Cuisine.

Cara Spooner with sound by Lisa Conway and performers Niomi Cherney, Rob Etto, Andrea Nann, Kim Nichols, Rashida Shaw, Chy Ryan Spain and Faeghan; Amanda Acorn and Alana Elmer; Luke Smit; and Delta Will.

ARTISTS

PARTNERS

Workman Arts, Westbank Corp, Markham House City Building Lab, Wavelength Music, Bunz Urban Cuisine, Wheely's Cafe, Staropramen, Cycle Toronto

COMMISSIONED PROJECTS

PROJECTS

CARA SPOONER

CHORUS

Chorus explores group dynamics, audience/performer relationships and ideas of individualism and togetherness through improvised scores and pedestrian movement. It was developed and performed by members of Workman Arts as well as other Toronto-based performers. Chorus aimed to blend educational experiences with performance presentation by making room for a range of bodies and minds.

Choreographer: Cara Spooner

Composer: Lisa Conway

Performers: Niomi Cherney, Rob Etto, Andrea Nann, Kim Nichols, Rashida Shaw, Chy Ryan Spain and Faeghan.

Thank you to: Emma, KC, Christina, Ashley, Wendy, Naomi, Janet and Anna as well as all the staff at Workman Arts, John Court at the CAMH archives, Zimfira Poloz, Melanie Tellez and the Hamilton Children’s Choir, singers from Bruce Country: Frank Greaves, Jim Howitt, Carrie James, Theo Jansen, Louise Jarvis, Jean MacLeod, Roy MacLeod, Margot Miller and Doug Miller as well as Erin Brubacher, Anne Zbitnew and Simon Rabyniuk.

Made possible with the support from Workman Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Art Spin and CAMH's Friends of the Archives

LUKE SMIT

MEMBRANE

Membrane was an installation and performance in the underground parking lot below the iconic Honest Ed's department store.

The audience cycled down the ramp into the parking garage to find a sculptural latex membrane hanging from the ceiling. Slowly the membrane began to heave and quiver, until legs appeared through the bottom and the artist bursts through to the ground below, dressed in a skin-like suit of latex. This project addressed the theme of urban development and the complex, often problematic, consequences that developers gives 'birth' to.

AMANDA ACORN &

ALANA ELMER

FUNERAL

Funeral performed by Amanda Acorn and Alana Elmer was a guerilla performance commissioned for the enclosed bridge connecting the two halves of the Honest Ed's department store.

With recent news of the iconic store's closing, Art Spin commissioned the performance, which featured two dancers performing a movement based eulogy to the space while an operatic soundtrack played outside for the audience below. As the performance came to a close the department store lights went out and a security guard appeared, waiting to usher the dancers out of the store, a somewhat accidental but fitting end for the work.

PHOTOS

Photos by Priam Thomas.

PHOTOS